On Oct 29, 1892, the Northwestern Wildcats knocked off the Michigan Wolverines, 10-8, in the two schools' first football meeting. In the 68 meetings since that game, the ‘Cats are 14-52-2 against the Wolverines. Michigan has taken 27 of the last 31 meetings. The Wolverines have outscored Northwestern 26.5 to 10.7 all-time. Michigan has won eleven national titles and 42 conference titles. Meanwhile, Northwestern lost a record 34 straight games in the early 80s and has at times been one of the nation's most laughable programs. Needless to say, Northwestern may have won the battle in 1892, but Michigan has won the war that has followed.
But Northwestern and Michigan have played a number of memorable matchups, especially in the last 15 years. This Saturday, the 2-2 ‘Cats will look to get their second straight victory over the 5-0 Wolverines. Here's a look at five of the greatest games played in history between Michigan and Northwestern:
Nov 16, 1940 (Ann Arbor, Mich.): No. 6 Michigan 20, No. 10 Northwestern 13: At “The Big House,” both teams came in to the game at 5-1, each losing a game to eventual national champion Minnesota the previous two weeks. The Wolverines and Wildcats had been ranked as high as No. 3 and No. 4 , respectively, at earlier points in the season. With second place in the Big Ten at stake, Michigan beat Pappy Waldorf’s Wildcats by a touchdown in front of 75,099 fans, Michigan Stadium’s highest attendance of the season.
Oct 16, 1948 (Ann Arbor, Mich.): No. 4 Michigan 28, No. 3 Northwestern 0: In a magical season that saw the ‘Cats claim the Rose Bowl title (the only bowl game victory ever by the ‘Cats), this thrashing has been forgotten. In front 87,782 Michigan faithful, the eventual national champions knocked Northwestern down with four unanswered touchdowns. The ‘Cats went undefeated in all other Big Ten games, claiming second place in the conference. Lucky for the Northwestern, at the time Big Ten teams were not allowed to play in bowl games in two consecutive years, meaning the 1948 Rose Bowl Champs — the Michigan Wolverines — were not allowed to make the trip in 1949. On Jan 1, 1949, NU defeated the California Golden Bears, 20-14, in the Rose Bowl. The ‘Cats would not make the trip to Pasadena again for 47 years.
Oct 7, 1995 (Ann Arbor, Mich.): No. 25 Northwestern 19, No. 7 Michigan 13: On ESPN, with 104,642 fans at Michigan Stadium, NU took a big step forward in its second-ever Rose Bowl run. Coming in at 3-1 (1-0) with an embarrassing home loss to Miami (Ohio) on the ‘Cats’ résumé, Gary Barnett’s boys shocked first-year Wolverine head coach Lloyd Carr. The ‘Cats snapped a 19-game losing streak against Michigan with the narrow victory. The 'Cats went on to go undefeated in Big Ten play, losing a 41-32 shootout to the Southern California Trojans in the Rose Bowl. Michigan lost in the Alamo Bowl to Texas, 22-20.
Oct 5, 1996 (Evanston, Ill.): No. 22 Northwestern 17, No. 6 Michigan 16: Starting from the back of the pack again, the under-the-radar Wildcats upset the Wolverines by a single point at Dyche Stadium. The Pat Fitzgerald-led ‘Cats defense did just enough to slow down Brian Griese’s Michigan offense. Northwestern finished 7-1 in Big Ten play, losing one game to Penn State. Ohio State also finished 7-1 in the Big Ten with no head-to-head matchup against Northwestern. The 10-2 (7-1) ‘Cats 28-27 loss to Wake Forest in Week One allowed the 11-1 (7-1) Buckeyes enough leverage to claim a Rose Bowl berth. Northwestern lost to Tennessee in the Citrus Bowl, 48-28. A junior quarterback named Peyton Manning — you may have heard of him — passed for 408 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Nov 4, 2000 (Evanston, Ill.) No. 21 Northwestern 54, No. 12 Michigan 51: Even if Denard Robinson and Dan Persa get hot this Saturday, they still probably will not repeat the fireworks that the fans in Evanston saw nearly eleven years ago. Northwestern’s Damien Anderson rushed for 268 yards and two touchdowns, and Michigan’s Anthony Thomas rushed for 199 yards and three touchdowns. In the passing game, Zak Kustok threw for 322 yards, ten more than the 312 yards tossed by Michigan quarterback Drew Henson. Down 51-46 with 3:35 remaining, Northwestern gained possession on its own 10-yard line. The ‘Cats moved the ball all the way to the Michigan seven-yard line, where they scored on a fourth-and-goal play. That was until an illegal man downfield penalty forced the ‘Cats to replay the down. NU failed on its second try and Michigan recovered the football. On Michigan’s second play, Thomas was stripped by Northwestern’s Sean Wieber and ‘Cats defender Raheem Covington recovered the fumble. Three plays later, Kustok hit Sam Simmons, who had 124 receiving yards on the game, for an 11-yard touchdown with 20 seconds remaining. Michigan fumbled the snap during a 57-yard field goal try, moments later. Northwestern reached the Citrus Bowl, where they lost to Nebraska, 66-17. Northwestern's 2000 game against Michigan is considered by many to be the greatest game in Northwestern football history.