Notre Dame At UCLA On September 23, Michigan defeated
UCLA, 24–23, at the
Rose Bowl in
Pasadena, California. UCLA took a 7–0 lead in the first quarter. Michigan scored in the second quarter on a 46-yard field goal by J.D. Carlson at the end of a 52-yard drive. UCLA then drove 70 yards and scored on a six-yard pass from Bret Johnson to S. Miller. Carlson kicked a 38-yard field goal later in the quarter, and UCLA led, 14–6, at halftime. In the third quarter, Carlson kicked his third field goal, a 43-yarder. Later in the third quarter, Michigan took a 15–14 lead on a one-yard touchdown run by
Leroy Hoard. Michigan's attempt at a two-point conversion failed. At the end of the third quarter, UCLA retook the lead on a 45-yard field goal by Alfredo Velasco. UCLA extended its lead with 5:42 remaining on a touchdown pass from
Bret Johnson to Corwin Anthony. Michigan was forced to punt with 4:29 remaining, but Michigan cornerback David Key forced a fumble by UCLA tailback Shawn Wills. Michigan linebacker J.J. Grant recovered at UCLA's 43-yard line. Elvis Grbac completed passes of 11 yards to Derrick Walker and 12 yards to Tony Boles. The Wolverines scored on a three-yard pass from Grbac to Walker with 1:35 remaining. A two-point conversion failed, and Michigan trailed by two points. On the ensuing kickoff, J.D. Carlson converted an onside kick as the ball hopped over UCLA's front line where it was recovered by Vada Murray. Grbac completed a nine-yard pass to Chris Calloway, a 10-yard pass to Tony Boles, and a screen pass to Boles that was good for 17 yards. Carlson kicked the game-winning 24-yard field goal with one second remaining in the game. Boles rushed for 82 yards, and Grbac completed 13 of 23 passes for 130 yards.
Maryland On September 30, Michigan defeated Maryland, 41–21, before a crowd of 104,872 at
Michigan Stadium in
Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Wolverines scored touchdowns on four of their first five possessions. They tallied 279 rushing yards led by
Tony Boles who gained 89 yards and scored two touchdowns on 10 carries, including a 64-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
Leroy Hoard added 72 yards and scored on a 72-yard run. In what the
Detroit Free Press described as an "air show" by the normally ground-based Michigan offense, quarterback
Elvis Grbac completed 10 of 20 passes for 187 yards and threw two touchdown passes in the first quarter, covering 23 yards to
Chris Calloway and 11 yards
Craig McMurtry. McMurtry caught five passes for 126 yards. On defense, Michigan held Maryland to 63 rushing yards. Maryland's two quarterbacks (
Neil O'Donnell and
Scott Zolak) combined to complete 26 of 41 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns. On offense, Michigan tallied 158 rushing yards, led by
Tony Boles with 95 yards, including a 42-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Quarterback
Elvis Grbac completed 16 of 23 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown. The offense sputtered in the first half, with Michigan's only points of the half scored when cornerback Lance Dottin intercepted a Wisconsin pass at the 22-yard line and returned it untouched for a touchdown. After the game, Schembechler was critical of his team's performance: "It was like a painting that you put up against nine other dogs. Somebody says yours is the best of the ten, but, hell, your painting isn't any damn good. That was what this game was like."
At Iowa On October 21, Michigan defeated
Iowa, 26–12, before a crowd of 67,700 at
Kinnick Stadium in
Iowa City, Iowa. It was Michigan's first road win against Iowa since 1982.
Indiana On October 28, Michigan defeated
Indiana, 38–10, before a crowd of 105,989 at
Michigan Stadium in
Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan outgained Indiana, 550–229. The Wolverines tallied 347 rushing yards, led by
Tony Boles (156 yards and three touchdowns, 11.2 yards per carry) and Allen Jefferson (96 yards, 12.0 yards per carry). Quarterback
Michael Taylor completed 11 of 18 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman wide receiver
Desmond Howard caught three passes for 62 yards. Highlights included a 91-yard touchdown run by Boles at the 6:44 mark of the second quarter and a 43-yard touchdown pass from Taylor to
Derrick Alexander at the 10:26 mark of the fourth quarter. On defense, the Wolverines held the Hoosiers to 89 rushing yards and 140 passing yards.
Anthony Thompson, who was the leading rusher in the Big Ten and finished second in the 1989
Heisman Trophy voting, was limited to 90 yards on 30 carries, an average of 3.0 yards per carry.
At Illinois On November 11, No. 3 Michigan defeated No. 8 Illinois, 24–10, before a crowd of 73,069 at
Memorial Stadium in
Champaign, Illinois. On the opening drive of the game,
Tony Boles ran 73 yards to the Illinois one-yard line, and
Jarrod Bunch scored on a one-yard run with 14:01 remaining in the first quarter. Illinois responded with an 85-yard, 10-play drive ending with a three-yard touchdown run by fullback
Howard Griffith. Michigan then drove 63 yards on 16 plays, ending with a 47-yard field goal by J.D. Carlson (a Michigan record at the time) with 2:02 remaining in the first quarter. Early in the second quarter, Illinois drove 61 yards on eight plays, and Doug Higgins kicked a 25-yard field goal to tie the game at 10-10. Later in the second quarter, Michigan drove 80 yards on 11 plays, scoring on a two-yard run by quarterback
Michael Taylor. Michigan led, 17-10, at halftime.
At Minnesota Ohio State Todd Plate's second interception of the day with 2:48 left in the game sealed the game and the Big Ten title for the Wolverines.
Rose Bowl (vs USC) The
1990 Rose Bowl was a rematch of the previous Rose Bowl in which Michigan won 22–14. Prior to the contest,
Bo Schembechler had announced he would retire. USC scored the first points in the second quarter with a one-yard run by
Todd Marinovich. Michigan got a field goal to make it 7–3 but the Trojans added another field goal before the half to take a 10–3 lead at halftime. Although Michigan tied the score,
Ricky Ervins had a 14-yard touchdown run which clinched the Rose Bowl for the Trojans. ==Roster==