Junior quarterback Brian Griese has decided to return to the football team next season for his final year of eligibility. Griese started nine games during the 1995 season, but none during the 1996 campaign. In a somewhat surprising move, Michigan coach Coach Lloyd Carr named Griese the starting quarterback for the Outback Bowl Jan. 1, which the Wolverines lost, 17-14, to Alabama.
Griese completed 21 of 37 passes in the Outback Bowl - both Michigan bowl records - throwing for 287 yards and a touchdown. He was also intercepted once, leading to an Alabama touchdown.
Griese came off the bench to lead Michigan to a come-from-behind 13-9 win over Ohio State in Columbus in the final game of last season. He replaced sophomore Scott Dreisbach, who was injured several times in the course of the season. Dreisbach started all 11 of the Wolverines' regular-season games in 1996.
Dreisbach and Griese will be just two of the four signal-callers competing for Michigan's starting job when spring practice begins. The other two are sophomore Tom Brady and redshirt freshman Jason Kapsner.
Griese is scheduled to graduate this spring with a degree in environmental policy.