A Season Slipping Away

The 2013 Michigan Wolverines football team finished with a 7-6 overall record and a 3-5 mark in Big Ten play, placing fifth in the Legends Division. The Wolverines scored 419 points (32.2 per game) while allowing 349 (26.8 per game). Under third-year head coach Brady Hoke, Michigan opened the season with promise but faded late, ending with three consecutive losses including a bowl defeat.

Regular Season: Strong Start and Late Collapse

Michigan opened ranked No. 17 and started 5-0. The Wolverines defeated Central Michigan 59-9, then beat No. 14 Notre Dame 41-30 in front of an NCAA-record 115,109 fans at Michigan Stadium—the largest attendance for an American football game at the time. Additional wins came against Akron (28-24), at Connecticut (24-21), and over Minnesota (42-13).

A 40-43 four-overtime road loss at Penn State ended the undefeated streak. Michigan rebounded with a high-scoring 63-47 home win over Indiana, featuring a record-setting performance by wide receiver Jeremy Gallon. Losses then mounted: 6-29 at Michigan State, 13-17 at home to Nebraska, a 27-19 three-overtime road win at Northwestern, a 21-24 loss at Iowa, and a 41-42 heartbreaker at home to No. 3 Ohio State.

Postseason: Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl

In the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl on December 28 in Tempe, Arizona, Michigan faced Kansas State and lost 14-31. The defeat closed the season at 7-6.

Statistical and Contextual Notes

Devin Gardner threw for 2,960 yards and 21 touchdowns while adding 11 rushing scores. Jeremy Gallon set a school record with 1,373 receiving yards on 89 catches and was named team MVP; his 369-yard performance against Indiana remains a Big Ten single-game record. The offense ranked poorly in several categories, particularly rushing and protection, while the defense struggled to maintain consistency after an early solid stretch.

Michigan went 5-2 at home. The season featured memorable individual performances and the historic Notre Dame attendance mark but was defined by an inability to sustain success against conference competition.

In the broader historical context, the 2013 campaign represented a clear step backward from the 11-win 2011 season and the 8-5 mark of 2012. It highlighted ongoing offensive growing pains under coordinator Al Borges (who was dismissed after the season) and defensive inconsistency, contributing to the gradual decline of the Hoke era that culminated the following year.