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As background, recall that Michigan had been such a powerhouse and Northwestern such a doormat that the Wolverines had won 30 straight games against the Wildcats until 1995, when Northwestern pulled the upset. In 1996, Northwestern beat Michigan again. Finally, in 1997, Michigan solved the puzzle, struggling against Northwestern early in that year's game before pulling away late, and ultimately winning the national championship.

So how did Northwestern pull those upsets of Michigan, and how to Michigan finally solve the Northwestern puzzle?

The Wildcats were stealing the Wolverines' signals, and Michigan figured out how to stop it in the middle of the 1997 game.

The Free Press quotes a former Northwestern graduate assistant admitting to the practice.

"That was what I would do," the graduate assistant, David Hansburg, said. "If I could see them signal in plays, I'd watch. This was no Spygate, and there was no video of anybody. I equated it to being like baseball when you've got a runner on second base; it's part of the game."

Hansburg wasn't breaking any rule. And he seems surprised that it took Michigan a long time before they finally thwarted his efforts.

"Finally, they moved to multiple signal callers," he said. "They figured it out and adjusted."

How 2 ball boys stopped opponent's signal-stealing, saved U-M's 1997 title | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press