the second quarter and 39 yards in the third quarter set up field goals by Mike Gillette. Despite the solid performance against Northwestern, Taylor pulled a leg muscle in the game, and Demetrius Brown recovered sufficiently to resume his role as the starting quarterback for the remaining four games of the 1987 season. Taylor also got the starting assignment in Michigan's 28–24 victory over Alabama in the 1988 Hall of Fame Bowl, completing 2 of 4 pass attempts and rushing for 11 yards. 1988 season At the start of the 1988 season, Michigan faced a quarterback controversy. Demetrius Brown had been declared academically ineligible earlier in the year, but regained his eligibility before the season started. Taylor had missed spring practice due to a hamstring pull, leaving Coach Schembechler worried about the quarterback position. At the time, Taylor was considered the team's best option offense quarterback, but he had completed only 41% of his passes in 1987. Shortly before the season opener against Notre Dame, Schembechler announced that Taylor would be his starting quarterback. Schembechler noted that Taylor "has thrown well, has run well, knows the offense and is getting us into the right plays." Taylor ended up starting 9 of 12 games for the 1988 Michigan football team that finished the season with a 9–2–1 record (7–0–1 in the Big Ten), won the Big Ten Conference championship and defeated USC in the 1989 Rose Bowl. Taylor completed 76 of 122 pass attempts for a 62.3% completion percentage and was intercepted only twice. In the season opener against Notre Dame, Schembechler kept the ball on the ground, with 52 running plays and only 11 pass attempts. Michigan lost a close game 19–17, as Taylor completed 8 of 11 pass attempts for 74 yards and scored one of Michigan's two rushing touchdowns. Taylor had his best game of the 1988 season in a 31–30 loss to the No. 1 ranked Miami Hurricanes on September 17, 1988. Taylor nearly led the Wolverines to an upset win to break Miami's 33-game regular season winning streak, but the defense gave up 17 points in the final 5 minutes and 24 seconds to allow Miami to come from behind to win the game. Taylor did his part, completing 16 of 24 pass attempts for 214 yards and three touchdowns. The Washington Post praised Michigan's passing game:"Employing a combination of its usual righteous conservatism with a