We all know Rick Leach was a great UM player from the 70s. And I guess he came up soon after true FR were allowed to play, and Bo played him. Ho-hum, right?
Well Leach, who would eventually (even that very next year) become a great player, sucked horribly as a FR QB. No, option QBs weren't good passers back then, but Leach was especially bad.
32 completions in exactly 100 attempts (32%) for 3 TD and 12 INT. Putrid.
But also true, UM didn't have a lost season. Armed with 2 RBs going over 1,000 yards and a salty defense, the Wolverines were 8-0-2 and ranked 4th by the time the big game rolled around. Was this some sort of coaching magic by Shembechler or just luck? The teams UM tied were unranked, so those weren't great outcomes.
It makes sense to play a talented youngster for future payoff, but to do that at QB and have him play so badly AND still be in the NC hunt in late November was remarkable.