1943 Michigan Wolverines football team The 1943 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1943 college football season . Fritz Crisler , in his sixth year as head coach , led the team to an 8 – 1 record and a tie with Purdue for the Western Conference championship . The team was ranked # 3 in the final AP Poll behind Notre Dame and the Iowa Pre - Flight School . Michigan outscored its opponents 302 to 73 in nine games . The team ' s total of 302 points ( 33 . 5 points per game ) was the highest point total for a Michigan team since the 1917 team scored 304 points in 10 games ( 30 . 4 points per game ) . Defensively , the team held every opponent , except Notre Dame , to seven or fewer points . After opening the season with three consecutive victories , the Wolverines lost to Notre Dame by a 35 – 12 score in game matching teams ranked # 1 and # 2 in the AP Poll . In the fifth game of the season , the team responded with a 49 - 6 victory over a Minnesota team ranked # 11 by the AP . The game marked the worst defeat to that time in the history of the Minnesota football program and Michigan ' s first victory over the Golden Gophers since 1932 . The Wolverines finished the season with a 45 – 7 victory over Ohio State — the largest margin of victory in the Michigan – Ohio State football rivalry since Michigan ' s 86 – 0 victory in 1902 . At the end of the season , several Michigan players received individual honors . Despite missing the last three games of the season due to military service , fullback Bill Daley finished seventh in the voting for the Heisman Trophy and was selected as consensus All - American . Daley led the team in both rushing and scoring , totaling 817 rushing yards and 59 points in six games . Daley gained 216 of his rushing yards in Michigan ' s 21 – 7 over Northwestern . Bob Wiese , who played at quarterback and fullback , was selected by his teammates as the most valuable player on the 1943 team and finished in a tie for second in voting for the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy presented to the most valuable player in the Western Conference . Right tackle Merv Pregulman was also selected as a first - team All - American by " Collier ' s Weekly " and " Stars & Stripes " . center Fred Negus was also selected as a first - team All - Western Conference player . Season summary . Pre - season . The 1943 season was Fritz Crisler ' s sixth as the head coach at Michigan . His 1942 team had concluded its season with a 7 – 3 record and a # 9 ranking in the final AP Poll . Several key players from the 1942 team , including tackles Albert Wistert and Bill Pritula , quarterback George Ceithaml , and end Elmer Madar , were lost to graduation . Several others were called up to active military service , including backs Bob Chappuis , Tom Kuzma and Don Robinson . Another key player expected to return was right guard Julius Franks , who in 1942 became Michigan ' s first African - American player to be selected as an All - American . Franks contracted tuberculosis at the start of the school year and missed the entire 1943 season . Fritz Crisler announced on September 7 that Franks had been lost for the season due to illness . While Michigan lost a number of key players to wartime service , the school ' s military training programs ( including the V - 12 Navy College Training Program ) also resulted in more than a dozen players being transferred to Michigan from other schools . The two most highly touted transfers joining the Michigan program in 1943 were fullback Bill Daley from Minnesota and Elroy " Crazy Legs " Hirsch from Wisconsin . After watching Hirsch in pre - season practice , Associated Press football writer Jerry Liska referred to " squirming Elroy Hirsch " as " Wisconsin ' s gold - plated wartime gift to Michigan . " Daley and Hirsch became Michigan ' s most powerful offensive weapons during the 1943 season and were dubbed Michigan ' s " lend - lease backs . " The arrival of players from other universities required Michigan veterans to be flexible . Merv Pregulman was credited with being Michigan ' s " Handy Man " for adapting to a new role . Pregulman was a guard for Michigan in 1941 and the starting center in 1942 , but moved to right tackle to make room for Fred Negus of Wisconsin at center . With a pre - season injury to place - kicker Jim Brieske , Pregulman also was given responsibility for kick offs and place - kicking extra points . With World War II being fought in Europe and the Pacific , some universities , including Michigan State , cancelled their football programs for the 1943 season . In April 1943 , Fritz Crisler , who was Michigan ' s athletic director as well as its football coach , announced that the university would continue " a complete schedule in all sports even if Michigan does not receive a dime in revenue . " With thousands arriving in the area to work in war industries , Crisler opined the college football would serve civilian morale . More importantly , Crisler touted the training impact of the sport : " There is no substitute for football in physical training . The physical advantages of this contact game have been proved repeatedly and are now being demonstrated once more on the battlefield . Football teaches resourcefulness . It develops initiative , demands quick thinking under pressure , and requires courage . " Also in April 1943 , it was reported that Michigan ' s 1940 Heisman Trophy winner Tom Harmon was missing in action . Harmon was serving as a bomber pilot in the Army Air Corps and disappeared while flying a mission in South America . Harmon ' s bomber had crashed in the jungle in Brazil , killing the entire crew with the exception Harmon . Harmon survived after reportedly hacked his way through the jungle . On learning that Harmon had been found , Fritz Crisler called Harmon " the greatest competitor in the history of football " and added , " And I ' ll betcha he doesn ' t have a scratch on him . " In August 1943 , Albert Benbrook , an All - American who had starred on Fielding H . Yost ' s Michigan teams from 1908 to 1910 , died in Texas . Week 1 : at Camp Grant . On September 18 , 1943 , Michigan opened the season with a 26 - 0 victory over the United States Army ' s Camp Grant Warriors . Camp Grant had opened its season the prior week with a 23 - 0 victory over Illinois and featured fullback Corwin Clatt , who played for Notre Dame in 1942 and later played in the NFL . In previous years , Michigan had opened its season against Michigan State , but Michigan State did not field a team in 1943 . Camp Grant was coached by Michigan State coach Charlie Bachman and replaced the Spartans as Michigan ' s opponent for the season opener . The game was played in Rockford , Illinois before " a capacity crowd of 6 , 000 soldiers and 5 , 000 civilians . " Elroy Hirsch was the star of the game for Michigan with a long kickoff return , two touchdowns and an interception . Hirsch had played for Wisconsin in 1942 , but was transferred to Michigan as part of the V - 12 Navy College Training Program . In his first game as a Wolverine , Hirsch returned the opening kickoff 50 yards " with some dazzling open - field running " to midfield . Hirsch capped the opening drive with a three - yard touchdown run , and Bill Daley , another V - 12 transfer student , missed the extra point kick . In the second quarter , Jack Wink , another Wisconsin transfer student , took over at quarterback and completed a 30 - yard pass to Art Renner at Camp Grant ' s three - yard line . Hirsch ran for his second touchdown , and Daley again missed the extra point kick . Paul White scored on a reverse from Daley in the third quarter , and Merv Pregulman kicked the extra point to give Michigan the lead at 19 - 0 . Michigan ' s final score was set up when Hirsch intercepted a pass on the Camp Grant 39 - yard line . Daley scored Michigan ' s final touchdown on a 23 - yard run in the fourth quarter , and Pregulman kicked his second extra point . Paul White also tallied an interception in the third quarter after Camp Grant had taken the ball to the Michigan 12 - yard line . Michigan dominated the game statistically with 226 rushing yards , 138 passing yards , and three interceptions . The Wolverines held Camp Grant to four first downs , 43 rushing yards , and 51 passing yards . The account of the game published by the International News Service emphasized Michigan ' s teamwork and noted that Michigan was " considered the 1943 powerhouse of collegiate football . " Michigan ' s starting lineup against Camp Grant was Rudy Smeja ( left end ) , Bob Hanzlik ( left tackle ) , John Gallagher ( left guard ) , Fred Negus ( center ) , George Kraeger ( right guard ) , Merv Pregulman ( right tackle ) , Art Renner ( right end ) , Bob Wiese ( quarterback ) , Elroy Hirsch ( left halfback ) , Paul White ( right halfback ) , and Bill Daley ( fullback ) . Players appearing in the game as substitutes for Michigan were Hank Olshanski , Fenwick Crane , Rex Wells , Farnham Johnson , Bob Rennebohm , and Clifton Myll ( ends ) ; John Greene , Robert Kennedy , Clem Bauman and Fred Bryan ( tackles ) , Amstutz , Robert Fischer , William Sigler and Jack Trump ( guards ) ; Harold Watts ( center ) ; Bob Nussbaumer , Wally Dreyer , Jack Petoskey , Jim Holgate , Jack Wink , Joe Ponsetto , Hugh Mack , Jim Aliber , Don Lund , Earl Maves and Bob Stenberg ( backs ) . Week 2 : Western Michigan . In the second game of the 1943 season , Michigan defeated Western Michigan by a score of 57 to 6 before a crowd of only 18 , 000 spectators at Michigan Stadium . Michigan scored two touchdowns in each quarter , and its 57 points was the highest single - game total since 1939 . Elroy Hirsch scored two touchdowns in the first quarter , and Michigan also scored on a safety in the opening quarter when Bob Hanzlik tackled Bob Mellen in the end zone . Bill Daley had a 65 - yard touchdown run in the second quarter , and Bob Nussbaumer , substituting for Hirsch , also scored two touchdowns . Michigan ' s remaining touchdowns were scored by Bob Wiese , Wally Dreyer and Bill Culligan . Merv Pregulman converted on seven of eight extra point kicks . Western Michigan ' s touchdown came on a two - yard run by Augie Camarata in the second quarter . The " Chicago Daily Tribune " reported that head coach Fritz Crisler " tried vainly to stem the tide by resorting to fourth and fifth string players after the regulars had piled up a convincing early lead . " A total of 43 players appeared in the game for Michigan . Michigan ' s starting lineup against Western Michigan was Rudy Smeja ( left end ) , Bob Hanzlik ( left tackle ) , George Kraeger ( left guard ) , Fred Negus ( center ) , John Gallagher ( right guard ) , Merv Pregulman ( right tackle ) , Art Renner ( right end ) , Bob Wiese ( quarterback ) , Elroy Hirsch ( left halfback ) , Paul White ( right halfback ) , and Bill Daley ( fullback ) . Players appearing in the game as substitutes for Michigan were Bob Rennebohn , Farnham Johnson , Jack Petoskey , Hank Olshanski , Alan Schwartz , Vincent Mroz , Bruce Hilkene , and Clifton Myll ( ends ) ; John Greene , Clem Bauman , Fred Bryan and Robert Kennedy ( tackles ) ; Rex Wells , Ralph Amstutz , Jack Trump , Robert Fischer , William Rohrback ( guards ) ; John Crandell ( center ) ; Jack Wink , Joe Ponsetto , Hugh Mack and Jim Aliber ( quartebacks ) ; Bob Nussbaumer , Wally Dreyer , Lynch , Jim Holgate , William Culligan , James Brown and Jerome Powers ( halfbacks ) ; and Don Lund , Bob Stenberg , and Earl Maves ( fullbacks ) . Week 3 : at Northwestern . On October 2 , 1943 , Michigan defeated the Northwestern Wildcats by a score of 21 to 7 at Evanston , Illinois . Bill Daley was the star of the game for Michigan , rushing for 216 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries ( an average of 8 . 3 yards per carry ) . Wilfrid Smith in the " Chicago Daily Tribune " wrote : " The difference between victory and defeat yesterday was Daley . Few players ever have so throroly [ sic ] dominated an offense . " On the game ' s first play from scrimmage , Daley scored on a 37 - yard sweep around the right end , " tearing out of a tackler ' s arms on the 10 yard line . " Elroy Hirsch also scored on three - yard touchdown run in the first quarter . Hirsch ' s touchdown was set up by a 67 - yard " quick kick " by Hirsch that was rolled dead at the Northwestern one - yard line . Northwestern was forced to punt into the wind , giving Michigan good field position at the Northwestern 29 - yard line . Northwestern scored on a 12 - yard run by 1943 Western Conference MVP Otto Graham in the fourth quarter . Thirty seconds after the touchdown by Graham , Daley scored on a 64 - yard run , described in one account as " a mouse trap play . " On Daley ' s long run , Northwestern ' s Otto Graham , playing at the safety position , was the last man Daley needed to pass . Daley ran directly at Graham and " then cut away cleanly " for the touchdown . Merv Pregulman converted on all three extra point kicks for Michigan . Pregulman also intercepted a pass thrown by Graham to stop a late drive by the Wildcats . Through the first three games , Michigan ' s backs had combined for 753 rushing yards . Michigan ' s starting lineup against Northwestern was Rudy Smeja ( left end ) , Bob Hanzlik ( left tackle ) , George Kraeger ( left guard ) , Fred Negus ( center ) , John Gallagher ( right guard ) , Merv Pregulman ( right tackle ) , Art Renner ( right end ) , Bob Wiese ( quarterback ) , Elroy Hirsch ( left halfback ) , Paul White ( right halfback ) , and Bill Daley ( fullback ) . Substitutes for Michigan were Bob Rennebohm , Farnham Johnson and Vincent Mroz ( end ) ; John Greene ( tackle ) ; Rex Wells ( guard ) ; William Culligan , Bob Wiese , Wally Dreyer and Don Lund ( backs ) . Week 4 : Notre Dame . On October 9 , 1943 , Michigan faced Notre Dame in the most anticipated game of the 1943 college football season . Notre Dame , coached by Frank Leahy and led by 1943 Heisman Trophy winner Angelo Bertelli , came into the game ranked # 1 in the AP Poll with 53 first place votes . Michigan came into the game ranked # 2 receiving 36 first place votes . The game drew a record crowd of 85 , 688 spectators to Michigan Stadium . The previous record was a crowd of 85 , 088 that attended the 1929 Michigan - Ohio State game . The crowd also set the mark as the highest attendance at any college football game for the 1943 season . Michigan had defeated Notre Dame , 32 - 20 , in the 1942 season . Michigan coach Fritz Crisler announced before the game that Elroy Hirsch was suffering from damaged knee ligaments and might not be able to play . Notre Dame defeated Michigan in the game by a score of 35 to 12 . According to the United Press game account , Bertelli ' s passing " caught the Wolverine secondary flatfooted and out of position repeatedly to make the rout complete . " Another reporter wrote that Bertelli had " proved his mastery of the intricacies of the T formation and his superb control of forward passes . " Notre Dame ' s first touchdown came on a 66 - yard run by Creighton Miller . Michigan scored in the second quarter on four - yard touchdown run by Art Renner , but Pregulman ' s extra point attempt failed after Elroy Hirsch initially bobbled the snap . Following the kickoff , Bertelli threw a pass to Fred Early for a 69 - yard scoring play and Notre Dame led 14 - 6 . Notre Dame scored again late in the second quarter on a 34 - yard pass from Bertelli to John Zilly followed by a two - yard touchdown run by Jim Mello . Notre Dame led , 21 - 6 , at halftime . The third quarter was marked by a malfunction of the electric clock at Michigan Stadium , resulting in a third quarter that lasted 23 minutes . In the " Chicago Daily Tribune " , Wilfrid Smith analogized to the 1927 Long Count Fight and wrote that the period " will be remembered as the ' long third quarter ' of collegiate sport . " Notre Dame outscored Michigan 14 - 0 in the long third quarter , scoring on a quarterback sneak by Bertelli and a pass from Bertelli to Miller . After nine plays had been run in the fourth quarter , the timing error was discovered , and an announcement was made over the stadium ' s public address system that only two - and - a - half minutes remained in the game , as the fourth quarter was shortened to seven minutes . The only points in the short fourth quarter came on the last play of the game as Elroy Hirsch threw a 13 - yard touchdown pass to Paul White . Despite the lopsided score , Michigan totaled 15 first downs in the game compared to 13 for Notre Dame . Bill Daley gained 135 rushing yards on 24 carries in the game . Michigan gained a total of 210 rushing yards and 89 passing yards . In the AP Poll following the game , Notre Dame garnered 86 of 99 first place votes , and Michigan dropped from # 2 to # 9 . Notre Dame went on to win the 1943 national championship , maintaining its # 1 ranking in the AP Poll through the remainder of the season . Michigan ' s starting lineup against Notre Dame was Rudy Smeja ( left end ) , Bob Hanzlik ( left tackle ) , John Gallagher ( left guard ) , Fred Negus ( center ) , George Kraeger ( right guard ) , Merv Pregulman ( right tackle ) , Art Renner ( right end ) , Bob Wiese ( quarterback ) , Elroy Hirsch ( left halfback ) , Paul White ( right halfback ) , and Bill Daley ( fullback ) . Jack Wink substituted for Wiese at quarterback , and Wiese moved to fullback with Daley moving to left halfback . Week 5 : Minnesota . After a bye week following the loss to Notre Dame , the Wolverines faced the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the annual Little Brown Jug game on October 23 , 1943 . The Wolverines had lost nine straight games to Bernie Bierman ' s Minnesota teams , the last Michigan victory having been in 1932 . Prior to the game , it was reported that Michigan ' s lineup would shortly be depleted by wartime transfers . Michigan ' s team captain and second leading rusher Paul White had received orders transferring him to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island , effective immediately after the Minnesota game . Three other Wolverines players , Bob Steinberg , Jim Holgate , and Len Naab were also ordered to Parris Island . Adding to the roster problems , the Navy announced one day before the Minnesota game that it was transferring fullback Bill Daley , right tackle Merv Pregulman , and end Jack Petoskey to new posts effective November 1 . Michigan defeated Minnesota in the 1943 matchup by a score of 49 to 6 in front of a crowd of 45 , 000 spectators at Michigan Stadium . The 43 - point margin made it the worst defeat sustained by a Minnesota team to that point in the program ' s history . On the first play from scrimmage , Elroy Hirsch ran 61 yards on a reverse around right end for a touchdown . Hirsch scored a total of three touchdowns and also intercepted a Minnesota pass to stop a drive in the fourth quarter . Bill Daley , the V - 12 transfer who played for Minnesota in 1942 , became the first player to play for both sides in Little Brown Jug games . Prior to the game , the " Chicago Daily Tribune " referred to Daley as " the Gophers ' war time gift to their football foes . " Daley scored two touchdowns , returned a punt for 37 yards to set up Hirsch ' s second touchdown , and kicked two extra points . After five games , Daley was the leading rusher in college football with 620 rushing yards on 98 carries . Minnesota ' s only touchdown was set up by an interception of a pass thrown by Jack Wink . The interception was returned to Michigan ' s 15 - yard line , and Frank Loren scored the touchdown late in the second quarter . Bob Wiese blocked Minnesota ' s extra point kick . In the fourth quarter , Wink threw a 51 - yard touchdown pass to Farnham Johnson . Bob Nussbaumer also scored a touchdown for Michigan . Merv Pregulman added four extra points . Michigan dominated the game with 230 rushing yards and 128 passing yards , while holding Minnesota to 60 rushing yards and 14 passing yards . Michigan ' s starting lineup against Minnesota was Rudy Smeja ( left end ) , Bob Hanzlik ( left tackle ) , John Gallagher ( left guard ) , Fred Negus ( center ) , George Kraeger ( right guard ) , Merv Pregulman ( right tackle ) , Hank Olshanski ( right end ) , Bob Wiese ( quarterback ) , Elroy Hirsch ( left halfback ) , Paul White ( right halfback ) , and Bill Daley ( fullback ) . Players appearing in the game as substitutes for Michigan were Jack Petoskey , Farnham Johnson , Bob Rennebohm , Vincent Mroz , Fenwick Crane , Clifton Myll , and Art Renner ( ends ) ; Robert Derleth , John Greene , Robert Kennedy , Fred Bryan and Leonard Naab ( tackles ) ; Rex Wells and Robert Fischer ( guards ) ; John Crandell ( center ) ; and Jack Wink , Hugh Mack , Joe Ponsetto , Jim Aliber , Wally Dreyer , Bob Nussbaumer , Earl Maves , Howard Wikel , James Brown and Bob Stenberg ( backs ) . Week 6 : at Illinois . On October 30 , 1943 , Michigan played the Illinois Fighting Illini at Champaign , Illinois . Michigan won the game by a score of 42 to 6 . Bill Daley and Elroy Hirsch , known as Michigan ' s " lend - lease backs , " each scored two touchdowns and were the stars of the game for Michigan . Daley also kicked an extra point for Michigan to bring his point total in the game to 13 points . Daley rushed for 197 yards on 22 carries against the Illini . Hirsch was described as being " the outstanding defensive player of the afternoon , being the only Wolverine who seemed able to stop " Illinois ' backs . As a team , the Wolverines totaled 453 rushing yards against the Illini . The Illinois game was the last of the 1943 season for Bill Daley and Merv Pregulman , both of whom were named All - Americans at the end of the season . Both had been ordered to report to the Norfolk Naval Training Station . In six games for Michigan during the 1943 season , Daley gained 817 rushing yards on 120 carries , and led the team with 51 points scored . Multiple players from Midwestern teams were ordered to report for duty on November 1 , 1943 ( including Notre Dame ' s Heisman Trophy winner Angelo Bertelli and Tony Butkovich and Alex Agase of Purdue ) , leading Wilfrid Smith in the " Chicago Daily Tribune " to refer to the date as " Blue Monday . " Bob Wiese also scored a touchdown for Michigan on " a 6 - yard spinner play " in the fourth quarter . Bob Nussbaumer scored Michigan ' s final touchdown on a run from the one - foot line . Merv Pregulman appeared in his final college football game , converting on five extra point kicks . Michigan outgained Illinois by a total of 473 yards to 206 . Michigan ' s starting lineup against Illinois was Jack Petoskey ( left end ) , Bob Hanzlik ( left tackle ) , John Gallagher ( left guard ) , Fred Negus ( center ) , George Kraeger ( right guard ) , Merv Pregulman ( right tackle ) , Rudy Smeja ( right end ) , Bob Wiese ( quarterback ) , Elroy Hirsch ( left halfback ) , Wally Dreyer ( right halfback ) , and Bill Daley ( fullback ) . Week 7 : Indiana . On November 6 , 1943 , Michigan defeated the Indiana Hoosiers by a score of 23 to 6 in front of a crowd of 20 , 000 at Michigan Stadium . With Paul White , Bill Daley and Merv Pregulman lost to military service , Michigan was required to substantially revamp its lineup . Bob Wiese moved from quarterback to fullback , Jack Wink became the starting quarterback , and Robert Derleth took over Pregulman ' s spot at right tackle . The game began with cool , cloudy conditions and ended in " a steady drizzle . " Bob Wiese and Elroy Hirsch starred for Michigan . Wiese led the team with 100 yards on 18 carries . Hirsh ran for a touchdown in the first quarter and threw a 43 - yard touchdown pass ( 35 yards in the air ) to Wally Dreyer in the second quarter . The Wolverines held Indiana ' s highly - touted quarterback Bobby Hoernschemeyer to four completions out of 16 passes , intercepted four of his passes , and forced him out of the end zone for a safety as he attempted to pass in the third quarter . Explaining Hoernscemeyer ' s difficulties , the " Chicago Daily Tribune " noted that " the Hoosier backfield seemed swarming with Michigan men . " Indiana ' s sole score came on an eight - yard touchdown pass in the third quarter from Hoernschemeyr to Pete Pihos . Indiana ' s touchdown was set up when Indiana intercepted a Bob Nussbaumer lateral and returned it 48 yards to Michigan ' s seven - yard line . Rudy Smeja intercepted a Hoernschemeyer pass in the fourth quarter and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown . Rex Wells , a V - 12 Marine transfer from Idaho State , took over Pregulman ' s place - kicking duties and converted three extra point kicks for Michigan . Michigan outgained the Hoosiers by 269 to 124 rushing yards . Michigan ' s starting lineup against Indiana was Rudy Smeja ( left end ) , Bob Hanzlik ( left tackle ) , John Gallagher ( left guard ) , Fred Negus ( center ) , George Kraeger ( right guard ) , Robert Derleth ( right tackle ) , Bob Rennebohm ( right end ) , Jack Wink ( quarterback ) , Elroy Hirsch ( left halfback ) , Wally Dreyer ( right halfback ) , and Bob Wiese ( fullback ) . Players appearing in the game as substitutes for Michigan were Hank Olshanski , Farnham Johnson , and Vincent Mroz ( ends ) ; Clem Bauman ( tackle ) ; Rex Wells ( guard ) ; Don Lund ( quarterback ) ; Bob Nussbaumer , Howard Wikel , and Earl Maves ( halfback ) . Week 8 : Wisconsin . On November 13 , 1943 , Michigan defeated the Wisconsin Badgers by a score of 27 to 0 in front of a crowd of 15 , 000 spectators at Michigan Stadium . Through the 1943 season , the Wolverines had relied on halfback Elroy Hirsch , a star for Wisconsin in 1942 . Hirsch was sidelined for most of the game with a shoulder injury , but a total of ten former Badgers played for Michigan in the game , including center Fred Negus , quarterback Jack Wink , halfback Wally Dreyer , guard Johnny Gallagher , tackle Bob Hanzlik , and ends Hank Olshanski and Earl Maves . Lacking a Navy or Marine training program on its campus , Wisconsin had lost most of its best football players after the 1942 season , with the majority being transferred to Michigan . On the day before the game , Detroit sports writer Watson Spoelstra joked , " Shed a tear , friend , for [ Wisconsin coach ] Harry Stuhldreher who , in effect , will field two football teams here tomorrow , one for Wisconsin and one for Michigan . " A Chicago sportswriter added that the only way Stuhldrher ' s team could win the game was " on a common and simple legal process - - a writ of replevin . " After Bob Wiese scored a touchdown in the first quarter , coach Fritz Crisler " dug deep into his reserve ranks " and played the final three quarters with second and third stringers . Bob Nussbaumer accounted for two touchdowns for Michigan , a 19 - yard touchdown run in the second quarter and a 34 - yard touchdown pass to Maves in the fourth quarter . Backup halfback Howard Wikel also scored a touchdown in the second quarter . Hirsch appeared briefly in the game to convert an extra point kick . Rex Wells converted two of his three extra point kicks . Michigan dominated Wisconsin on the ground by a total of 294 rushing yards to 67 . Michigan ' s starting lineup against Wisconsin was Rudy Smeja ( left end ) , Bob Hanzlik ( left tackle ) , John Gallagher ( left guard ) , Fred Negus ( center ) , Rex Wells ( right guard ) , Robert Derleth ( right tackle ) , Art Renner ( right end ) , Jack Wink ( quarterback ) , Bob Nussbaumer ( left halfback ) , Wally Dreyer ( right halfback ) , and Bob Wiese ( fullback ) . Players appearing in the game as substitutes for Michigan were Hank Olshanski , Farnham Johnson , Bob Rennebohm , Vincent Mroz , Fenwick Crane , Bruce Hilkene , and Thomas Cook ( ends ) ; John Greene , Fred Bryan , Clem Bauman , Robert Oren , and Arthur Leroux ( tackle ) ; Clifton Myll , William Sigler , Ray Sturges , and Jack Trump ( guards ) ; Frank Kern and Harold Watts ( centers ) ; Don Lund , Joe Ponsetto , Jim Aliber , Earl Maves , Howard Wikel , Elroy Hirsch , Jerome Powers and George Welch ( backs ) . Week 9 : Ohio State . Michigan concluded the 1943 season with its annual rivalry game against Ohio State . The game matched Hall of Fame coaches Fritz Crisler of Michigan and Paul Brown of Ohio State . Since Brown took over as head coach in 1941 , the Buckeyes were undefeated against Michigan , playing to a tie in 1941 and defeating the Wolverines in 1942 . The Wolverines scored seven touchdowns and defeated the Buckeyes 45 to 7 in front of a crowd of 45 , 000 at Michigan Stadium . The margin of victory was the largest in the series since Michigan ' s 86 - 0 victory over Ohio State in 1902 . Michigan threatened early after Rudy Smeja recovered an Ohio State fumble on the Buckeyes ' 14 - yard line , but the Wolverines were unable to score . On the next drive , Michigan drove 60 yards for a touchdown , culminating with a screen pass from Jack Wink to Bob Wiese and a three - yard touchdown run by Wiese . When the Buckeyes took over , they faked a punt on fourth down , failed to convert , and Michigan took over at the Ohio State 41 - yard line . Wiese carried the ball seven times on the drive , and Wally Dreyer scored on a lateral after a fake by Wiese . Michigan did not score in the second quarter and led 13 - 0 at the half . Early in the third quarter , a punt by Wiese was blocked , and Ohio State took over at Michigan ' s 48 - yard line . Ohio State ' s freshman halfback Ernie Parks gained 36 yards on a reverse around the left end and scored to cut Michigan ' s lead to 13 - 7 . Michigan responded with 32 unanswered points . The Wolverines ' second half scoring began with a 59 - yard drive that featured a 23 - yard run by Earl Maves and ended with a four - yard touchdown run by Wiese . Late in the third quarter , the Wolverines sustained a 57 - yard scoring drive that ended with Wiese faking the run , handing off to Jack Wink , and Wink then lateraling the ball to Bob Nussbaumer who ran 31 yards on a sweep around the left end for a touchdown . On the first drive of the fourth quarter , Parks fumbled for Ohio State and Hank Olshanski recovered the ball on Ohio State ' s 45 - yard line . With the ball on the 33 - yard line , Wink threw a touchdown pass to Vincent Mroz . Trailing 26 - 7 , Ohio State again ran a fake punt on fourth down , and Michigan took over at the Buckeyes ' 23 - yard line . Earl Maves scored on a reverse . Michigan ' s final touchdown followed an interception by Maves at the Ohio State 40 - yard line . Joe Ponsetto caught a pass for a 20 - yard gain , and Don Lund ran 20 yards for the touchdown . Quarterback Bob Wiese was the star of the game for Michigan , rushing for 138 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries . Elroy Hirsch appeared in the game only to attempt extra point kicks , converting on only one of three attempts . Rex Wells converted two extra point kicks . Michigan dominated Ohio State on the ground , totaling 436 rushing yards to only 112 for Ohio State . The Wolverines also limited Ohio State to three pass completions for 27 yards and intercepted three Ohio State passes . Michigan ' s starting lineup against Ohio State was Rudy Smeja ( left end ) , Bob Hanzlik ( left tackle ) , John Gallagher ( left guard ) , Fred Negus ( center ) , Rex Wells ( right guard ) , Robert Derleth ( right tackle ) , Art Renner ( right end ) , Bob Wiese ( quarterback ) , Bob Nussbaumer ( left halfback ) , Wally Dreyer ( right halfback ) , and Don Lund ( fullback ) . Players appearing in the game as substitutes for Michigan were Hank Olshanski , Farnham Johnson , Vincent Mroz , Bob Rennebohm , Fenwick Crane , Thomas Cooke , Bruce Hilkene ( ends ) ; John Greene , Fred Bryan , and Robert Kennedy ( tackles ) ; George Kraeger , Clifton Myll , William Sigler , Ray Sturges , and Jack Trump ( guards ) ; Frank Kern ( center ) ; and Earl Maves , Elroy Hirsch , Howard Wikel , Jerome Powers , Jack Wink , Joe Ponsetto , and Jim Aliber ( backs ) . Postseason . The 1943 Michigan football team tied with Purdue for the Western Conference championship , the Wolverines ' first conference championship since the undefeated 1933 Michigan team won both the conference and national championships . It was also the first time since 1932 that Michigan had gone undefeated and untied against conference opponents . In the final AP Poll , Notre Dame was selected as the # 1 team in the country followed by Iowa Pre - Flight at # 2 and Michigan at # 3 . Two other Western Conference teams finished in the top ten : Purdue at # 5 and Northwestern at # 9 . On November 24 , 1943 , the team chose Bob Wiese , a junior from Jamestown , North Dakota , as the squad ' s most valuable player . They also elected him as the team captain of the 1944 team . Wiese also finished in a tie for second place ( behind Otto Graham ) in the voting for the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy , awarded each year to the most valuable player in the Western Conference . Despite missing the final three games , fullback Bill Daley finished seventh in the voting for the 1943 Heisman Trophy with 71 points . He was also recognized as a consensus All - American , receiving first - team honors from the Associated Press , the United Press , " Collier ' s Weekly " ( selected by Grantland Rice ) , the Central Press Association ( selected with the assistance of the nation ' s football captains ) , " Stars and Stripes " , the " International News Syndicate " , and the " New York Sun " . Tackle Merv Pregulman was selected as a first - team All - American by " Collier ' s Weekly " , and " Stars & Stripes " , and as a second - team All - American by the United Press . For its All - Western Conference team , the Associated Press chose two Michigan players , Bill Daley and center Fred Negus . The war time exploits of Tom Harmon continued to draw national press coverage during the 1943 season and into the post - season . After crashing in the jungle in Brazil in April , Harmon was credited in August 1943 ( erroneously according to later accounts ) with shooting down a Japanese Zero in an air battle after a bombing raid on a dock area and shipping in Hong Kong . Harmon was again reported missing in action after a combat mission at Jiujiang , China , on October 30 , 1943 . Harmon shot down two Japanese Zeros , but was shot down behind Japanese lines and bailed out of his P - 38 Lightning aircraft as it plummeted to the ground in flames . He was rescued by Chinese guerillas who led him through hundreds of miles of Japanese - occupied territory . Harmon reported that he had survived on a diet of rice for 32 days .