Carr's Final Year

The 2007 Michigan Wolverines finished 9-4 overall and 6-2 in Big Ten play, tying for second. They closed ranked No. 18 in the AP Poll and No. 19 in the Coaches Poll. Michigan scored 354 points (27.2 per game) and allowed 278 (21.4). In Lloyd Carr’s 13th and final season, the Wolverines opened with one of college football’s most famous upsets, won eight straight in the middle of the year, and sent Carr out with a bowl victory.

Regular Season

Ranked No. 5, Michigan opened at home against FCS Appalachian State and lost 32-34. Trailing late, Michigan lined up for a potential winning field goal; Corey Lynch blocked the kick with six seconds remaining. Attendance was 109,218. Michigan dropped out of the AP Top 25. The following week, Oregon won 39-7 in Ann Arbor.

The Wolverines then won eight of nine. They shut out Notre Dame 38-0, beat No. 10 Penn State 14-9, won at Northwestern (28-16), defeated Eastern Michigan (33-22), Purdue (48-21), Illinois on the road (27-17), Minnesota (34-10), and Michigan State on the road (28-24). The streak ended at Wisconsin, 21-37. The regular season closed with a 3-14 home loss to No. 7 Ohio State, Carr’s fourth consecutive defeat in the rivalry. Two days later he announced his retirement.

Postseason

In the Capital One Bowl on January 1, 2008, in Orlando, Michigan defeated No. 9 Florida 41-35. Chad Henne threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns. Mike Hart ran for 129 yards and two scores. Adrian Arrington caught the go-ahead touchdown with 4:12 remaining. It was Michigan’s first bowl win since 2003 and the first for that senior class. Players carried Carr off the field. Rich Rodriguez, already hired as successor, watched from the sideline and a private box.

Statistical and Contextual Notes

Hart rushed for 1,361 yards and was team MVP. Henne passed for 1,938 yards. Mario Manningham had 1,174 receiving yards. Jake Long was a consensus All-American. Long, Henne, Manningham, and Adam Kraus earned first-team All-Big Ten honors.

Carr finished 122-40 in 13 seasons, with a national title in 1997 and five Big Ten championships. The 2007 season contained both the lowest moment of his tenure and a closing victory that allowed him to leave as a winner. It also marked the last year of the traditional Carr-era program before the Rodriguez transition began.