Kornacki: Speight Follows QB Heroes into Statement Game
12/4/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 4, 2016
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Wilton Speight said he senses the quarterback tradition he's becoming part of by leading Michigan into the Orange Bowl Dec. 30 against Florida State. He'll be following in the footsteps of Tom Brady and Rick Leach in one of college football's most tradition-rich bowl games.
Brady had the signature game of his college career in the Wolverines' 35-34 overtime win over Alabama in the 2000 Orange Bowl. Brady completed 34-of-46 passes for a school bowl record 369 yards with nary an interception and a career-best four touchdown passes.
"It's pretty cool," Speight said Sunday (Dec. 4) after learning his sixth-ranked team's bowl destination. "I saw that the last Michigan team to go to the Orange Bowl was Tom Brady's team that went overtime with Alabama, and that was a cool little piece of history that I saw."
Speight and Brady spoke when Brady served as honorary team captain for the Colorado game in September.
"It was brief because I've got my pregame ritual that I don't like to throw off too much," said Speight. "But he was a really cool guy and very supportive. He said he was very proud of how I was playing, and that the Michigan team was back. I'm sure we'll talk and catch up over the offseason, but it's pretty cool. I feel like I talk to him every day because I watch at least an hour of film each day with Coach (Jedd) Fisch on him."
Fisch, the Wolverines' passing game coordinator, has Speight (6-foot-6) view tape of Brady and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback "Big" Ben Roethlisberger on a regular basis. However, the video focus for the rest of the month will be the Seminoles.
"That's a really athletic team at Florida State with a lot of studs on their team and really well coached by Coach (Jimbo) Fisher," said Speight. "So, we're excited to hit the film with Coach Fisch and figure out the game plan and what we're going to do."
The 11th-ranked Semioles (9-3) haven't played the Wolverines since 1991, when No 1 FSU won, 51-31, to avenge a 20-18 win by Michigan over the Seminoles in 1986, when Harbaugh was an All-America quarterback.
Harbaugh recalled getting thrown out of bounds after one good run and getting a "pat on the back" and good words from legendary FSU coach Bobby Bowden, who was one of his Hula Bowl all-star game coaches after the season.
The current Michigan coach also has a connection to the first Orange Bowl appearance by the Wolverines and was on the sidelines for that game when his father, Jack, served as Bo Schembechler's secondary coach.
-- Wilton Speight
Leach made the first of his four bowl starts Jan. 1, 1976, in the old Orange Bowl stadium against an Oklahoma team led by defensive standouts Leroy and Dewey Selmon. Leach ran for 62 yards on 13 carries out of the option attack but had great trouble passing against the Sooners, whom Schembechler considered the finest team he ever faced. Oklahoma won, 14-6, and was crowned national champion afterward.
Leach was knocked out of the game with a little more than one minute remaining in the first half but returned for the fourth quarter, displaying why legendary Michigan announcer Bob Ufer referred to Leach as "the guts and glue of the maize and blue."
Speight also has gotten to know Leach, a retired major league outfielder who played primarily with Detroit and Toronto and served as an honorary team captain for the Maryland game this season.
"Rick is a really cool guy," said Speight. "He was around a lot this year. He was very complimentary of my game, and we got to bounce things off each other."
That Orange Bowl was the first bowl a Big Ten team was allowed to play in beside the Rose Bowl and was historic in that respect.
Leach was one of Harbaugh's biggest heroes, and Harbaugh recalled being on the sideline for that Orange Bowl game 41 years ago.
"I remember that Rick Leach got hurt in that game," said Harbaugh. "I remember (tailback) Joe Washington and the Selmon brothers. That was an amazing team running the wishbone; and it was cool. Good memories."
This game provides the 2016 Michigan team (10-2) an opportunity to become the 10th team in school history to win 11 games or more in one season.
"That's big," said Speight. "Obviously, every team wants to win every game, and the next benchmark is a 10-win season. That's solid. It's cool we got to 10, but 11 would be special and put us in the history books here."
Speight and his teammates who met with the media Sunday expected another "Camp Christmas" experience when practices begin Tuesday (Dec. 6) in Ann Arbor. The team is expected to depart for Miami on Dec. 26.
The night game will be played at what is now called Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, and is home to the NFL's Miami Dolphins.
Speight played over an injury in the regular-season finale at Ohio State and threw a fourth-down touchdown pass to force a second overtime, before the Buckeyes prevailed. Speight wouldn't go into the specifics of that injury but said he's "feeling better every day" and fully expects to be ready for the bowl game.
The Wolverines responded to the business-like approach to preparations for last season's bowl game with Florida in Orlando by overwhelming the Gators, 41-7.
"I don't think anyone approaches a bowl game like Coach Harbaugh and the rest of his staff," said Speight. "I know we'll be focused and ready to go like last year, but I know Coach Fisher and his staff will have Florida State in the same mindset."
The Wolverines finished two spots out of the national semifinals in the final rankings by the bowl playoff committee and got left out after Clemson and Washington won their conference championships to stay in the final four.
"We thought there was still a chance," said Speight, "but we put ourselves in this position. So, we can't be bitter about it. But we can certainly go out and make a statement in Miami."
Speight said the majority of the team stayed in touch during the off week and weekend on a group chat session and is eager for the Orange Bowl.
"I think this game in Miami is going to be a statement game," said Michigan senior defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow. "We want to show that we're one of the four best teams in college football."
Speight, who has two seasons of eligibility remaining, said of the seniors: "They're focused. They want to leave this program with a win and a big win."
