In late October 1955, quarterback Jim Maddock threw touchdown passes of 65 and 60 yard in the fourth quarter to lead a come-from-behind victory over Iowa in a nationally televised game.
In the final game of the season, the Wolverines were favored but lost to Ohio State on November 19.
Kramer and right end Tom Maentz were nicknamed the "touchdown twins,"[1] became the first Michigan football players to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated,[2] and were both first-team selections for the All-Big Ten team.
The 1954 Michigan Wolverines football team compiled a 6–3 record (5–2 Big Ten), finished in third place in the conference, and was ranked No.
[13] At the end of the 1954 season, right guard Ed Meads, a junior from Oxford, Michigan, was selected by his teammates to be captain of the 1955 team.
[14] In May 1955, freshman quarterback Jim Van Pelt received the team's Meyer W. Morton trophy as the most improved player in spring practice.
Branoff returned the ball 38 yards to the Spartans' 20-yard line and scored the touchdown six plays later on a short run.
[5][17] After a poor 24-yard punt by Ron Kramer, Michigan State tied the game in the third quarter on a short run and extra-point kick by fullback Jerry Planutis.
Later in the third quarter, John Morrow blocked an Earl Morrall punt, and Michigan took over at the Spartans' 21-yard line.
Quarterback Jim Maddock scored on a short run, and Kramer kicked the extra point to give Michigan a 14–7 lead.
Junior halfback Terry Barr led Michigan's offense and also scored on an 82-yard punt return in the second quarter.
[18] Michigan end Ron Kramer sustained a bruised chest in the second quarter, collapsed in the tunnel, and was rushed to University Hospital in an ambulance.
[18] The game was also marked by a halftime incident when Secretary of the Army Wilber M. Brucker and top military brass attempted to cross the field and became tangled with the Michigan Marching Band.
[7][20] Tommy Devine of the Detroit Free Press wrote that the Wolverines won despite being "flat, feeble and uninspired.
1) defeated Murray Warmath's Minnesota Golden Gophers by a 14–13 score in the annual Little Brown Jug game before a crowd of 64,434 at Memorial Stadium in Minneapolis.
Michigan took the lead in the third quarter on a nine-yard touchdown pass from Jim Van Pelt to Tom Maentz.
[9][23] Quarterback Jim Maddock came into the game in the fourth quarter and led the Wolverines to three touchdowns.
[9] After Kramer's touchdown, Iowa drove to Michigan's 28-yard line with a time-consuming ground attack.
On fourth-and-one, Michigan's defense stopped Iowa's Jerry Reichow for a one-yard loss.
[9] After the Maentz touchdown, Iowa threw four incomplete passes, and Michigan then took over with two-and-a-half minutes remaining.
Heisman Trophy winner Howard "Hopalong" Cassady, playing in his final game for the Buckeyes, rushed for 146 yards on 28 carries.
[37] Other Michigan player receiving All-Big Ten honors were halfback Tony Branoff (UP-1), center James Bates (UP-2), guard Dick Hill (UP-3), and fullback Lou Baldacci (UP-3).