Bleacher Report - Articles by Justin Potts

Thanksgiving Food for Thought; Michigan Football 2009 (Part II: The Offense)

Justin Potts — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:55:38 -0500

With another losing season in the books, the Michigan football program appears to be in disarray to many outsiders, as well as a fraction of the Michigan fan base.

But is everything doom and gloom for this squad, or is there help on the way? Is head coach Rich Rodriguez in over his head in the Big Ten, or has he already laid the groundwork for success?

On this Thanksgiving Day, as we visit with loved ones, stuff our faces with turkey and pumpkin pie, and watch the Cowboys and Lions, let’s take an early look at what the 2010 version of Michigan football will look like.

Certainly a lot of questions have to be answered, and I believe it starts with the players Rodriguez already has in the program.

Freshman quarterback Tate Forcier played the entire season and at times looked like a confident veteran, but at times looked every bit the 18-year old freshman he was.

He enrolled early at Michigan last January, a move that greatly helped earn him the starting job over last year’s returning starter, walk-on junior Nick Sheridan.

Forcier led comeback wins over Notre Dame and Indiana, brought the team back from 14 points down to force overtime at Michigan State, and performed well in late-season conference games against Illinois, Purdue, and Wisconsin.

But he was also prone to throwing the ball up for grabs, not securing the ball when scrambling, and making the wrong reads on zone option running plays.

These mistakes speak more toward his youth and inexperience than his true talent level. His solid performances showed he has the talent to be Michigan’s quarterback for the next three years.

The good thing is that the mistakes are correctable and will be cured by more time spent on the practice field, in the film room, and in the weight room. In short, we have a bright future ahead at the quarterback position.

Another off-season under strength and conditioning coach Mike Barwis will help Forcier add muscle to his slight frame and help avoid injuries.

Many forget that Forcier played most of the season with a sprained AC join in his shoulder, the same injury Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford suffered, albeit to a lesser degree.

As Forcier gets more practice time and learns more of the playbook, his understanding of Rodriguez’s complicated “spread-n-shred” offense will grow.

Many of those misreads when he kept the ball instead of handing it off, or when he handed it off and should have kept it, will be fixed next year and in the years that follow.

In addition, he will improve with his passing reads, as he gets more comfortable in the system. This season, he tended to pull it down and scramble the instant he sniffed pressure.

His creativity and ability to throw on the run covered up some of these problems, but it also led to turnovers or a failure to throw the ball away.

You can’t fault the kid for trying too hard. Some of the ill-advised throws were a result of just trying to make something happen, but will be fixed with experience.

Some of the plays he made in the comeback against Notre Dame were the same type of plays that resulted in turnovers down the stretch, as was glaringly evident against the great defense of Ohio State.

Forcier’s background leads me to believe he’ll be a fantastic quarterback. He was groomed to play the position, trained under Marv Marinovich, and has two older brothers that play quarterback as well.

The mechanics are there, as is the quarterback mentality. Now, he just needs to develop in Rodriguez’s offense and he’ll be fine.

Michigan’s other quarterback, fellow freshman Denard Robinson has a lot further to go in his development, but is also a great fit for Rodriguez’s offense.

Robinson didn’t enroll early, so he had only about a month of practice prior to Michigan’s opening game against Western Michigan. The majority of the action Robinson saw was designed runs to utilize his athletic ability.

Early in the season it worked. He scored four rushing touchdowns in Michigan’s first seven games.

As the season progressed and the meat of the schedule was reached, opposing defenses caught on and stacked up to stop the run whenever he entered the game.

It was frustrating at times to see Robinson come in, knowing he was going to run, and get stuffed for little gain.

Yet, we have to remember that he had very little practice time and doesn’t yet possess the passing ability needed to be a quarterback for a major Division 1 quarterback.

Unlike Forcier, who already possesses the mechanical skills, Robinson will take more work to develop. But his upside is his athletic ability, which is much greater than Forcier’s.

His touchdown run against Western Michigan left Michigan fans salivating for him to be used in a Percy Harvin-type role.

Late in the season we saw more plays in which Robinson lined up in the backfield next to Forcier or spread out wide running a fly pattern. Against Ohio State, he was thrown to deep a couple of times, although neither was completed, and one was intercepted.

I think we were all a bit impatient throughout the season, assuming that it would be easy to thrust him into plays at running back or receiver.

However, with the dire need of quarterback depth in case of a Forcier injury, and merely the fact that Robinson was a true freshman, time spent practicing plays at other positions meant time spent not developing at quarterback.

In the future, when Rodriguez adds to the quarterback depth, he will have more flexibility in using Robinson in other roles. But during the course of this season, I think we overlooked the need to keep him where he was.

Next year, that depth will be improved with the addition of Inkster, Mich., quarterback Devin Gardner. The dual-threat quarterback fits the mold of Rodriguez’s ideal quarterback perfectly and his arrival in Ann Arbor is highly anticipated.

In his senior season at Inkster High School, Gardner has thrown for 1,472 yards and 14 touchdowns to just three interceptions, and rushed for over 700 yards and 15 touchdowns. He has led his team to the state championship game against Lowell on Friday.

Scouts compare him to Penn State’s Darryl Clark and former Auburn (and current Washington Redskins) quarterback Jason Campbell. They are high on his size and strength, as well as his arm strength and running ability.

An ideal situation would be to redshirt him next season and allow him to develop and learn the system until Forcier and Robinson graduate and then take over for his junior and senior seasons.

But with his talent, will he be patient enough to wait in the wings for three years? In order for Rodriguez’s system to succeed, I hope he’s unselfish enough to do so.

Granted, there’s always the possibility of Gardner coming in and beating out Forcier and Robinson for the starting job next season or the year after, and if that’s the case, then by all means, the guy who gives Michigan the best chance to win should play.

Whatever the case, the centerpiece of Rodriguez’s system is in place and the future looks bright at the quarterback position.

The backfield is where Michigan loses the most talent, but due to the nature of Rodriguez’s system and the injuries that Michigan suffered this season, the stable is not empty.

Seniors Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown will be big losses, and certainly their absences in many of the games hurt Michigan’s chances for success, but it also allowed young guys to gain experience.

The most impressive runner late in the season was freshman Vincent Smith. His performance in Michigan’s spring game last April gave Michigan fans a glimpse of what he is capable of, but he didn’t see much action through the first half of the season.

But in Michigan’s final two games, against Wisconsin and Ohio State, Smith emerged as Michigan’s go-to back, displaying quickness and pass-catching ability.

He figures to enter 2010 as Michigan’s starting tailback.

Sophomore Michael Shaw has also shown some ability and as his vision for the field improves, could develop into a nice complement to Smith.

His main problem has been that he doesn’t cut through the gaps quick enough, instead always relying on getting around the outside.

Redshirt freshman Michael Cox got some playing time as Michigan’s fifth running back and still has some time to grow. He’ll certainly get a chance to prove himself and earn some more playing time with the graduation of Minor and Brown.

True freshman Fitzgerald Toussaint is a guy that many Michigan fans were excited about coming out of high school. He redshirted this season and will also get a chance in the off-season to earn a role in the offense.

Incoming freshmen Tony Drake, Stephen Hopkins, and Austin White (all three-stars) should give Michigan plenty of options in the backfield.

Receiver is a position that Michigan certainly isn’t lacking talent. A go-to guy emerged in the second half of the season, in redshirt freshman Roy Roundtree. He caught 30 passes for 390 yards and two touchdowns in the final four games of the season.

Though he lacks elite speed, Roundtree showed great hands and a willingness to go across the middle. He should enter 2010 as Michigan’s No. 1 receiver, but it will be interesting to see if he stays in the slot or moves to the outside to replace senior Greg Mathews.

By the time next season rolls around, Michigan will have a lot of experience with sophomore Martavious Odoms in the slot. Odoms started as a true freshman in 2008 and was one of Michigan’s lone bright spots, leading the team in receiving with 49 catches for 443 yards.

Injuries forced him to miss a couple of games late in the season this year, but that could be a blessing in disguise as it opened the door for Roundtree’s emergence.

Also in the slot, sophomore Kelvin Grady showed good speed early in the season, but dropped balls caused him to lose playing time.

The former Michigan basketball player definitely has the athleticism to be effective; he just needs to work on catching the ball and he could develop into a weapon in the next couple of years.

A freshman that redshirted this season, Jeremy Gallon could factor into the equation as well. He was highly regarded coming out of high school last year, and a year learning the system should allow him to see some playing time next season.

A wild card in the slot could be incoming freshman Drew Dileo. A 5’9” 170 pound white guy, Dileo committed to Michigan over Tulane, Stanford, and Rice.

I mention “white guy” only because of the inevitable Wes Welker comparison. If he can fit that mold, Michigan has itself a steal, but if his low rankings hold true, he could get lost in the mix.

On the outside, redshirt sophomore Junior Hemingway and sophomore Darryl Stonum bring a couple years of experience to the table and have at times shown considerable promise.

Hemingway started 2008 with a bang, catching a 33-yard touchdown pass in Michigan’s game against Utah, but an injury caused him to miss the remainder of the season.

This season, he came out hot again, catching five passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns in the season opener against Western Michigan.

But he didn’t catch a touchdown pass the rest of the season, and barely matched the yardage output in the rest of the games combined, finishing with just 16 catches for 268 yards.

Stonum started 10 games as a freshman in 2008 and had his best game against Purdue, scoring on a 51-yard catch and run.

This season, he hauled in only 13 receptions for 199 yards and a touchdown, though the touchdown was a thrilling 60-yard play to ignite Michigan’s comeback in the fourth quarter against Michigan State.

Je’Ron Stokes is a freshman that played primarily on special teams this season and could have an impact in 2010.

The 6-0, 181-pound speedster out of Philadelphia was a top-100 recruit and was rated the eighth-best wide receiver in the nation last season according to Scouts, Inc.

Stokes caught two passes for 16 yards against Delaware State in the only real action he saw this season.

Four-star receivers Ricardo Miller and Jerald Robinson and three-stars Jeremy Jackson and D.J. Williamson make up a solid group of incoming freshmen will help bolster the ranks of what should be the deepest position on the team.

On the offensive line, Michigan returns nearly everybody and should get a big boost from a group of redshirt freshmen that fit Rodriguez’s system.

Left tackle Mark Ortmann and right guard-turned center David Moosman both graduate, but neither is a huge loss. Ortmann was serviceable and Moosman was a solid guard, but struggled at the center position when David Molk went down with an injury.

Getting Molk back next season will provide Michigan a solid, experienced center who started every game in his redshirt freshman season in 2008 and would have this season if not for a broken foot. He was rated the No. 1 center in the nation coming out of high school.

Redshirt junior Steven Schilling will probably be Michigan’s best offensive lineman in 2010. Schilling was ranked as the second-best guard in the nation coming out of high school and has started for three seasons, counting this one.

Perhaps the most surprising player is redshirt freshman Patrick Omameh, who earned a starting spot towards the end of the season and played pretty well.

Omameh is a Rodriguez recruit who was just a two-star, mostly due to a lack of size compared to the typical offensive line recruit.

His performance has earned him strong consideration to start next season, probably at either right guard or right tackle.

Redshirt sophomore Mark Huyge started much of the season at right guard and figures to start next season either there or right tackle.

True freshman and highly regarded recruit Taylor Lewan is perfect for Rodriguez’s offense, rated as one of the most athletic and versatile linemen in the nation as a senior. He should get a chance to start at left tackle next season.

Another freshman that could get some action next season is Quinton Washington. He was a four-star recruit and the sixth-rated offensive guard as a senior.

Redshirt junior Perry Dorrestein, who has seen some action, should battle for the left tackle spot, while redshirt freshmen Ricky Barnum and Elliott Mealer will have a chance to earn a spot as well.

Incoming freshmen won’t help next season, as offensive line is a position in which recruits need time in a college strength and conditioning program to develop, but the future looks pretty good with last year’s haul.

Only one offensive line commitment is secured for this year’s class unless Rodriguez is able to snag the nation’s top recruit, Seantrel Henderson, but that seems unlikely at this point.

At tight end, Michigan is stacked with experience in sophomores Kevin Koger and Martell Webb.

Koger finished fifth on the team in receiving this season, catching 16 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns. He caught an important touchdown pass against Notre Dame, but had some problems with drops midway through the season and didn’t see as many balls thrown his way in the last few games.

Webb caught just four passes for 44 yards and a touchdown, but got a lot of playing time and was a fairly effective run blocker.

Webb was a junior this season and Koger just a sophomore, so the tight end position should be a strength for Michigan next season.

Overall, the Michigan offense made some strides this year, averaging nine more points per game and 95 more yards of total offense per game than last season.

In addition, the offense showed that it could sustain drives this year, and although turnovers were a problem, those are mistakes that are fixable.

We didn’t see all the negative yardage plays that we saw last year when the offense just completely bogged down.

Next year we can expect even more improvement as the Rodriguez system enters its third year.

The losses of Minor, Brown, Mathews, Ortmann, and Moosman should not slow this team down very much, since their replacements all got a lot of experience this year.

Most importantly, the core is in place, and there won’t be fresh blood needing to play a crucial role, as there was this season.

So on this Thanksgiving, let’s be thankful for the seniors that stuck out the coaching change and put forth their best efforts.

Let’s also be thankful for the young guys that got their feet wet this year and will pioneer our maize and blue back to prominence in the years to come.

And let's be thankful for an offensive innovator as our head coach: someone who is a proven winner and cares as much about getting the Michigan football program back on track as anyone else does.

He will take Michigan to a place far beyond what we have seen if we afford him the time to do so.

The offense is certainly on track. Stay tuned for my defensive preview in the next few days.

Witch Hunts, Shoelaces, and Turnovers: Michigan Football '09 (Part I: Review)

Justin Potts — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:54:42 -0500

As the 130th season of Michigan football comes to an end, it’s time to reflect on what we saw and look forward to next year and beyond.

2009 yielded some highlights and some lowlights, some controversy and some challenged loyalty. A legend was made and some buds blossomed. Records fell, both good and bad, and a system started to show some promise.

No one knew what to expect from this year’s version of Michigan football in Rich Rodriguez’s second year at the helm.

The overly optimistic among us predicted a breakout season of nine or ten wins.

Realistic optimists pointed to Rodriguez’s penchant for second-year turnarounds and predicted a record of 7-5 or maybe, if luck goes the way of the maize and blue, 8-4.

Realists pointed to the true freshmen quarterbacks and lack of overall talent on the squad and predicted a 5-7 or 6-6 finish.

As it turns out, the realists were right, but the realistic optimists weren’t too far off. A 5-7 season should have been 7-5 without the epic collapses against Illinois and Purdue. But that's what you get with a young and inexperienced team.

The fact of the matter is, Michigan fans were so shell-shocked from the worst record in 46 years in 2008 that we were looking anywhere we could for hope.

We ignored comments that Rodriguez made in the preseason such as, “There’s still going to be some transition. We’re going to play a lot more freshmen and redshirt freshmen than we would like to.”

We thought, sure there will be a lot of freshmen playing, but Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson are surely better options than Steven Threet and Nick Sheridan. Or, yeah, but it can’t get any worse than last season.

In this space, I offered some words of caution: “Coming off a season that resulted in the most losses in school history, and pinning all hopes on a true freshman quarterback, this seems to be the window of opportunity before Rodriguez’s system begins to take hold and terrorize the Big Ten.”

But then I followed it up with an overly ambitious response: “However, I think we’re going to see a very fast, well-conditioned and much-improved Michigan team playing with a chip on its shoulder to avoid being put to rest again.”

While that may have held true for a while, reality eventually sunk in that this team was indeed loaded with youth and razor-thin on the depth chart.

What began in August as optimism and eagerness to forget the epic disaster of 2008, quickly turned to scorn as the Detroit Free Press brought into question allegations of NCAA infractions on the part of Rodriguez and his coaching staff.

The opening game against Western Michigan couldn’t come soon enough.

We cursed Michael Rosenberg and Mark Snyder for the timing of their article and the witch-hunt that ensued and we promised to get revenge on Justin Boren, who transferred to Ohio State, for his comments that seemed to be the centerpiece of that article.

And then the season began and practice time was forgotten and the story of Shoelace became one we would hear every game the entire season (as my wife would roll her eyes every time the announcers felt compelled to tell the story of why Denard Robinson doesn’t tie his shoes...every...single...game).

Robinson thrilled us with a 43-yard touchdown run , Tate Forcier showed promise in his first game by throwing for three touchdowns, Junior Hemingway caught nearly half his season total in receiving yards (103) and all of his touchdowns (two), and the defense shut down what many thought would be a high-powered offense.

We saw a show of solidarity for Rodriguez, Michigan won easily, and the season started off with a bang.

Then came Notre Dame, fresh off of throttling Nevada, and riding preseason BCS bowl (or national championship game ) predictions.

This will go down as the game that raised all of our expectations, mostly because no one knew at that time how mediocre Notre Dame really was.

It appeared to be Rodriguez’s signature win, as Michigan matched Notre Dame score-for-score and Forcier stunned the 18th-ranked Irish with 11 seconds left.

Forcier looked as veteran and composed as ND junior quarterback Jimmy Clausen, completing 23-of-33 for 240 yards and three touchdowns (one rushing). It’s hard to imagine that that would be the high point of his season, in just his second collegiate game.

Of course, there was also the Armando Allen out-of-bounds play, which, despite the evidence , Notre Dame fans will carry to their graves in contempt.

The win over Notre Dame vaulted Michigan into the Top 25 heading into week three against Eastern Michigan.

Former Michigan defensive coordinator Ron English brought his Eagles to Ann Arbor and didn’t provide much of a test.

Michigan showed off its running game this time, going for 380 yards on the ground, and getting 163 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries from Carlos Brown in the first half alone.

Robinson scored two more touchdowns to enhance the unrealistic expectations for a guy that arrived on campus less than two months earlier.

Michigan then opened the Big Ten slate with Indiana in what would eventually be the battle for last place. At the time, though, Michigan was hoping to get to 4-0 heading into its intrastate rivalry battle in East Lansing.

This game provided our first glimpse of what the rest of the season would hold, as Michigan struggled to beat the Hoosiers, needing a 26-yard touchdown pass from Forcier to Martavious Odoms with 2:29 remaining to get the win.

The Indiana victory prompted me to draw a comparison to the New York Jets, who like Michigan, started off hot with a rookie quarterback: “Following Sunday’s Jets-Titans game, Vic Carucci of NFL.com asked Jets safety Kerry Rhodes if he thought the Jets’ style of play was sustainable. Rhodes replied that he thought it was because having such a good defense allows rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez to make some mistakes.

“Unfortunately, that won’t exactly translate to Michigan. While I think Michigan’s offense is further along in its development than Sanchez’s Jets offense, relatively speaking, Michigan hasn’t faced its toughest opponents yet.”

I provided the last part of that quote because I knew we were in for a tough go the rest of the season. I didn’t know, however, that that would be our last win over a FBS team all season. Ironically, Michigan’s fall has mirrored the Jets’ collapse.

At 4-0, a return to a bowl game looked assured, and Michigan entered “Little Brother” week seeking to avenge last season’s 35-21 loss to Michigan State.

It was the first road game of Forcier’s career and we saw the first true test of the season, as the Michigan offense was shut down much of the game.

But Forcier continued his early-season magic, leading a 14-point comeback to force overtime with a touchdown completion to Roy Roundtree with just two seconds left.

In overtime, Forcier was intercepted on a tipped pass that never should have been thrown, and Michigan dropped its second in a row to Michigan State for the first time since 1967.

Michigan Streaks Broken in 2009
First back-to-back losses to Michigan State since 1967
First home loss to Penn State since 1996
First home loss to Purdue in last 17 meetings
First back-to-back losing seasons since 1963-62

This began a run of snapping streaks right and left.

With its first loss of the season under its belt, Michigan traveled to Iowa for a prime-time night game against the nation’s 12th-ranked Hawkeyes.

Brandon Minor had his breakout game of the season, scoring two touchdowns against a defense that hadn’t given up a rushing touchdown in 33 quarters.

The game started out as well as one could ask, as Donovan Warren picked off the first pass of the game and returned it for a touchdown.

Michigan hung around until a muffed punt (hello 2008!) gave Iowa the ball at the Michigan 16. Iowa punched it in and took a 30-21 lead.

Robinson led the offense down the field for a touchdown to narrow the gap, but on the next possession, threw an interception to end the game, beginning the Wolverine faithful’s love-hate relationship with Denard.

Despite a second-straight loss, Michigan fans were encouraged that the team was able to hang with undefeated Iowa until the last minute of the game, and a return to the Big House to face an FCS school was just what Michigan needed to regroup.

Michigan was able to set numerous school records in the win over Delaware State that week and give many starters a week off.

Five Wolverines scored their first career touchdowns and Robinson was able to get a lot of work at quarterback. Michigan fans even got the treat of seeing Nick Sheridan on the field without the game on the line.

Many fans didn’t like the idea of playing an FCS school, but following the game, I proclaimed, “I have no problem with Michigan playing Delaware State this year. With a roster comprised of mostly underclassmen, and a complete overhaul in progress, playing an FCS opponent was better than a bye week in my opinion.

Michigan Records Set vs. Delaware State
727 total yards of offense
442 yards in the first half
28 points in the first quarter (ties record)
57 point margin of victory (most since 58-0 win over Indiana on Oct. 14, 2000)
461 rushing yards (most since 480 vs. Iowa on Oct. 3, 1992)
49 first half points (most since 55 vs. Chicago on Oct. 21, 1939)

“I would love to see Michigan start scheduling another tough out-of-conference game every year, but at this point in the development of Rich Rodriguez’s scheme, it’s not time for that just yet.

“Once the team grows up and the spread-n-shred is fully ingrained, I hope the schedule will be strengthened. But when you have Florida, arguably the nation’s top team and reigning national champion, playing Charleston Southern, Troy and Florida International, one must look that way first before pointing fingers at the baby Wolverines.”

I still believe it was okay to play Delaware State this season, but obviously with the way Michigan finished the season the benefits weren’t as great as I thought.

At 5-2, Michigan looked primed to make a bowl game, needing just one more win in its final five games.

Penn State came to town and dominated Michigan, racking up 396 yards of offense, and handing Michigan its first true beating of the season.

For really the first time all season, Forcier looked like a true freshman, completing just 13-of-30 passes for 140 yards. The offense couldn’t get anything going in the cold, rainy conditions.

Michigan wasn’t expected to win this one, and despite the 25-point whooping, I considered this result somewhat of a fluke and still didn’t believe the team was as bad as the final record would eventually indicate.

Following the Penn State game, doomsday headlines abounded, and I cautioned fans not to listen to them . As it turns out, they were right.

Michigan traveled to Champaign, Ill. next for a match-up with 1-6 Illinois; a game that looked like a sure-win.

This one will forever be remembered as the epic collapse, and probably the turning point of the whole season. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bigger turnaround before.

Michigan was firmly in control with a 13-7 lead and first and goal at the Illinois one-yard line in the third quarter. After stuffing Michigan on four straight rushes, Illinois took possession and seized the game.

Six plays later, a 70-yard touchdown run put Illinois ahead 14-13, and they never looked back, out-scoring Michigan 24-0 the rest of the way.

At this point in the season, confidence in getting back to a bowl game turned into hoping to squeeze out a win in one of the final three games. The best hope was the following week against Purdue.

Perhaps hope is the wrong word against Purdue, as Boilermaker head coach Danny Hope carried a grudge into the game, blaming Rodriguez for getting one of his players suspended for a game earlier in the season – never mind that the player deserved to be suspended just as much as Michigan linebacker Jonas Mouton did the week before that.

This game was much like the Illinois game, where Michigan was in control and let it get away.

Michigan led 24-10 at halftime and pushed it to 30-17 in the third, but a 91-yard touchdown drive, an on-side kick, and a 54-yard touchdown pass later, and Michigan found itself trailing 31-30.

Michigan missed a 43-yard field goal and failed to convert a two-point conversion attempt that would have tied the game, and Michigan fell by two.

Michigan traveled to Wisconsin for its final road game of the season, still needing a win to become bowl-eligible.

This game followed the mold of the past couple, as Michigan hung around through three quarters, but faded down the stretch.

Forcier bounced back from some poor outings to complete 20-of-26 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns, but it was the defense that couldn’t hold up against a powerful Wisconsin running game.

Although Michigan knew Wisconsin was going to run it in the second half, it still couldn’t stop the Badgers.

The bowl hopes all came down to the final week of the season against Ohio State, as Michigan looked to end its five game losing streak to the Buckeyes.

Though many around the nation talked of the lack of luster in the rivalry, the game still had plenty of storylines with Michigan needing a win to make a bowl and avoid a second straight losing season, Ohio State needing a win to capture the Big Ten title outright, and Justin Boren playing against his former team in the Big House.

The Michigan defense played inspired and turned in its best performance of the season, holding the Ohio State offense to just 14 points.

However, it was the youth of Michigan’s offensive leader that doomed the Wolverines’ chances of playing through the holidays.

Forcier turned the ball over five times, including a fumble in the end zone on Michigan’s first possession, which Ohio State recovered for a touchdown.

Michigan moved the ball most of the day against an Ohio State defense that ranks as one of the best in the nation. But it was unable to capitalize on trips to the red zone, turning the ball over too many times.

So as Michigan’s season came to an abrupt end for the second year in a row, many want to know where do we go from here?

Indeed, there are many questions that need to be answered, but I’m in the minority who still believes the program is on the right track.

Stay tuned for part two where I will look at the future of the football program, both short-term and long-term, as well as the recruiting class Michigan has coming in and who is still out there that Rodriguez needs to land.

The Top Individual Performances in the Michigan-Ohio State Rivalry

Justin Potts — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:42:37 -0500

Michigan and Ohio State square off on Saturday for the 106th time in college football's greatest rivalry. Ohio State has already wrapped up at least a share of the Big Ten title and a trip to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl. Michigan leads the all-time series 57-42-6, but enters this week's match-up needing a win to extend its season through the holidays and take some heat off head coach Rich Rodriguez. Will someone step up with a historic performance to lead Michigan past the 10th-ranked Buckeyes? Or will a Buckeye deliver an all-time great showing to capture a sixth consecutive victory over Michigan and send Michigan to its second straight losing season? There have certainly been some performances for the ages in the past 105 meetings, so we'll take a look at the top individual performances in its storied history. Bear in mind that this is the top performances in the Michigan-Ohio State game, not necessarily the best players on each team or the best performances for each team against another team. This list will go position by position and take into account game implications and past history in addition to pure stats. Make sure to read all the way through to see who is most likely have breakout performances this Saturday.

Begin Slideshow

Michigan-Ohio State: Is this the Most Important Game Ever for Michigan?

Justin Potts — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:08:55 -0500

With the calls for Rich Rodriguez’s firing growing louder each week, and the threat of a second straight losing season, Michigan enters Ohio State week in what could be the most important game for the Wolverines in the history of the rivalry.

Sure, there was the “Game of the Century” in 2006 when both teams entered the game undefeated and ranked first and second in the nation.

Sure, there was 1997 when Michigan needed a win to advance to the national championship game.

Sure, there was the huge upset of No. 1 Ohio State in Bo Schembechler’s first season in 1969, a year after Ohio State drubbed Michigan 50-14, to claim a share of the Big Ten title.

But Saturday could be more important for the future of the Michigan football program than any of those.

No, there isn't a Big Ten title on the line or a BCS berth to play for.

But for a young Michigan team struggling to find its identity in the midst of the most dramatic change to the program in decades, a win over Ohio State on Saturday would have huge ramifications for the future.

First and foremost, a win would make Michigan bowl-eligible. Though not guaranteed a bowl invitation with a 6-6 record, Michigan is almost certain to get one given its prestige and fan following.

Even if it is the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl (formerly known as the Motor City Bowl) it would be a tremendous boost to the program for the extra practice time and national exposure.

The regular season ends this Saturday, Nov. 22. The Little Caesars Pizza Bowl is held on Dec. 26, so Michigan would essentially have an extra month of practice. For a young and developing team, that extra practice time would be invaluable.

Many of the freshmen only had a month of practice time before the season started. Tate Forcier and a few others left high school early to enroll in January and participate in spring practice.

But most, including quarterback Denard Robinson, arrived just in time for fall camp on Aug. 10 and opened the season against Western Michigan on Sept. 5.

During the season, there isn’t much the team can work on as it prepares for each opponent week-to-week. Much of Rodriguez’s system was installed in fall practice to get ready for the season.

During game weeks, the practices are spent working on getting ready for that week’s opponent and fine-tuning certain details. Various players miss practices every week because of injury, stinting their learning ability and practice time.

New wrinkles may be installed or specific plays that the coaching staff thinks can exploit the opponent can be put in, but the vast majority of what the players learn (the schemes, the playbook, the fundamentals) is learned during fall practice.

That’s why many times a team can look quite different in a bowl game than it did during the regular season, because that month of practice serves as another fall camp.

Injured players get healthy, new plays and schemes are installed and practiced until they become second nature, and confidence is gained while the losses of the season are forgotten.

Look no further than Michigan in 2007, for example. The team, in Lloyd Carr’s final season, sputtered to an 8-4 regular season record. It endured a humiliating home loss to Appalachian State, a blowout at the hands of Oregon, and got shut down by Ohio State.

In the bowl game, the Capital One Bowl against a 9-3 Florida team led by Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, Michigan showed a much more dynamic and diverse offense than it had all season, winning 41-35.

It left Michigan fans wondering what could have been had Michigan played that way all season and also excited about the future of that style of offense once Rodriguez was hired.

And while Rodriguez’s offense has shown great promise and flashes of brilliance at times this season, it’s still plagued by inexperience.

A bowl game and the extra month of practice time would do wonders for this young and developing team.

In addition to the extra practice time, making it to a bowl game will give Michigan exposure on a national stage during the holidays at a time when everybody is watching, and a chance to finish on a high note heading into the offseason.

Nobody wants to endure eight months of misery like what followed Michigan’s 3-9 season a year ago. By finishing the season with a win over Ohio State and a bowl game, Michigan fans will be excited about 2010, and the players will be confident heading into the spring and summer.

The second reason Saturday’s game is so important is that beating Ohio State would help with recruiting. Michigan has quite a few visitors coming to Ann Arbor for official visits.

A chance to see Michigan beat its major rival in the Big House on the final week of the season would go a long way toward helping a recruit tip the scales in Michigan’s favor.

Eight of Michigan’s 24 commitments in the 2007 class were in attendance for the Michigan-Ohio State game in the Big House that year.

And while Michigan didn’t win that game, it wasn’t quite in the dire situation it is in now with a need for talent, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

If Michigan lays an egg against Ohio State and boos rain down from the stands, the attending recruits won’t have as good an experience as if Michigan pulls off the big win.

Some of the visitors expected to be in attendance on Saturday include: Chula Vista, Calif. four-star linebacker/safety Tony Jefferson; Pittsburgh four-star cornerback Cullen Christian; Jacksonville, Fla., four-star safety Rashad Knight; Detroit four-star cornerback Dior Mathis; and Eagle Lake, Fla., four-star safety/linebacker Marvin Robinson.

Robinson is already committed to Michigan, but has talked in the past few months about visiting other schools. A big win and a great experience on Saturday could help solidify his commitment.

Jefferson is currently committed to UCLA, and is visiting Florida next weekend, so showing him what it’s like to beat Ohio State in the Big House could go a long way toward stealing him.

Christian is also a prized recruit, since he’s a cornerback, a position Michigan really needs to fill, due to the dismissal of Boubacar Cissoko and possible departure of Donovan Warren to the NFL.

He has already visited UCLA and West Virginia (and possibly Pittsburgh), so Michigan has a chance wrap up his commitment with a great showing on Saturday.

Michigan needs to make this weekend special with a glimpse of what the future holds for the program and show these kids that despite the recent struggles, the program is heading in the right direction.

The third reason a win over Ohio State on Saturday would be huge for Michigan is for the support of Rodriguez and a reward for the senior class.

A win won’t completely erase the anti-Rodriguez sentiment, but it will at least quiet down until next season and win back some of those who have turned against him.

His 8-15 overall record and 3-12 Big Ten record includes just one win over Michigan’s big three rivals (and that was Notre Dame this season).

That stat alone has caused much of the friction among Michigan fans, since one of their main charges against Carr was that he couldn’t beat Ohio State once Jim Tressel arrived in Columbus in 2001.

Winning on Saturday would make Rodriguez 2-4 in that category, but more importantly, give Michigan its first win over the Buckeyes since 2003.

In addition to helping quell the Rodriguez detractors, a win would give the senior class its first win over Ohio State.

Guys like Brandon Minor, Carlos Brown, Brandon Graham, Stevie Brown, Greg Mathews, and Zoltan Mesko, who hung around through the coaching change, deserve a big win to cap off their careers.

Some of them (Graham and Mesko, at least) have bright futures ahead of them in the NFL and have played hard without complaining all season, despite not being Rodriguez’s recruits.

While "deserve" might not be the right word, since nothing in life is deserved, it would be a major disappointment for those guys to go their entire career without beating Ohio State.

A loss would end Michigan’s season at 5-7 (its second straight losing season) and give Ohio State its sixth straight victory in the rivalry.

It would send Michigan home for the holidays and keep the senior class winless against the Buckeyes.

It would leave feelings of despair and depression among Michigan fans worldwide until next fall.

It could prevent some highly-touted and much-needed recruits from choosing to play football at Michigan, and therefore, stunting the growth process even further.

So while many of the previous 105 games in the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry have featured higher stakes in terms of championships, this Saturday’s game could be the most important game in the history of the rivalry for Michigan.

So let’s hope that everyone is all in for Rodriguez and the senior class when toe meets leather at high noon on Saturday.

Wisconsin-Michigan Battle For Revenge, Respect at Camp Randall

Justin Potts — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:14:09 -0500

Last Saturday we learned the truth behind the slow start to Rich Rodriguez’s career as head coach of Michigan football.

It’s not a matter of getting the right players to fit the system or the cupboard being left bare by the outgoing staff. It’s not that he’s forced to start a true freshman quarterback or two walk-ons on defense.

It’s all part of Rodriguez’s master plan: to stop every streak Michigan has going so that he can start them all up again himself.

Then, decades from now, when Michigan is enjoying another long bowl streak or when Michigan nails down its 20th straight win over Purdue, folks will look back and say that streak was started by Rich Rodriguez.

He will be revered the way Bo Schembechler is now.

OK, so maybe not. But it’s a good conspiracy theory anyway.

It seems that every week another Michigan streak falls. Last week it was Michigan’s first home loss to Purdue since 1966.

If Michigan fails to win one of its final two games, it will be the first time since 1973 and '74 that Michigan missed a bowl game two years in a row.

That streak is one that Michigan desperately needs to start anew if for no other reason than the added month of practice time and recruiting.

So how does it get to a bowl this season? It’s simple, at least in theory: win one of the next two games.

It starts on Saturday with a trip to Madison, Wisc. to battle the 20th ranked Badgers – a team hot for revenge after filling one of the three win slots on Michigan’s schedule last season.

In that game, the first Big Ten game of the season for both teams, Wisconsin entered 3-0 and No. 9 in the nation. Michigan fell behind 19-0 at the half before battling back with four second-half touchdowns to win 27-25.

At the time, it seemed to be a signature win for Rodriguez, but it started a streak of four straight losses (and five of six) for the Badgers.

And Wisconsin head coach Brent Bielema hasn’t forgotten.

“To be in the situation we were at half and to finish that game out the way it did, leaves a very bad taste, and then we all know what happened after that,” Bielema said. “We’ve battled our tails off to get to where we are right now, and Michigan is the next opportunity.
“I’ll talk about the opportunities that you have in front of you, and this is our next step to get to where we want to be, and Michigan is that team that we have to focus on.”

This season, Wisconsin has avoided the letdown and boasts the conference’s second-best rush offense and best running back in John Clay.

Clay averages 108.1 yards per game (5.1 yards per carry) and leads the Big Ten with 11 touchdowns. He scored one of Wisconsin’s touchdowns against Michigan in last season’s match-up.

The redshirt sophomore has rushed for five 100-yard games this season and is just 27 yards short of 1,000 yards on the season.

Stopping Clay and getting some push back against the very big offensive line has to be priority number one for Michigan if it wants any chance of winning this game.

Redshirt junior quarterback Scott Tolzien has a good passer rating 132.6 (third in the Big Ten), but he’s much more of a game manager than a quarterback that will dominate the game.

He has thrown for just 1,717 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions on the season, which is very comparable to Michigan freshman quarterback Tate Forcier’s numbers so far (1,636 touchdowns, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions), though Tolzien isn’t a threat to carry the ball like Forcier is.

That’s the type of team Michigan typically hangs tough with. Though not exactly the same, see the Iowa and Michigan State games, in comparison to teams with mobile quarterbacks and big-time passing attacks that Michigan struggle with like Penn State and Purdue.

In its two losses this season, to Ohio State and Iowa, Wisconsin’s run game was essentially shut down. Ohio State held Clay to just 66 yards on 20 carries, while forcing Tolzien to throw 45 times. Iowa held Clay to 80 yards on 21 carries.

If Michigan lets Clay run all over, it will be a very long day for the maize and blue.

The biggest problem for Michigan’s defense this season has been the secondary.

Junior quarterback Donovan Warren has played well all season, while Troy Woolfolk began the season at safety and moved to the other corner position when sophomore Boubacar Cissoko was dismissed from the team.

Woolfolk has fared well, but the safety position has been vulnerable with sophomore Mike Williams and walk-on redshirt freshman Jordan Kovacs struggling.

Kovacs is good at blitzing and run stopping, but doesn’t have the speed to cover and Williams has seen the ball sail over his head more times than outfielders did in Yankee Stadium this season.

The fact that Wisconsin’s receivers aren’t huge threats leads me to believe Michigan has a chance to at least hang in this game.

Redshirt sophomore Nick Toon, the son of former NFL receiver Al Toon, has been stellar, leading the team with 37 catches for 535 yards. Last week against Indiana, he had a career high 123 yards, so Warren will be tasked with keeping him at bay. He has only reached the end zone twice this season.

The team’s second leading receiver is tight end Garrett Graham. A fifth-year senior, Graham is arguably the best tight end in the Big Ten with 30 receptions for 342 yards and four touchdowns. He could have a big day, given Michigan’s inability to cover tight ends this season.

Defensively, Wisconsin ranks in the top 20 in rush defense, surrendering 102.8 yards per game. Throw out the non-conference match-ups and the defense is even stingier, allowing just 72 yards per game.

No team has featured a 100-yard rusher against Wisconsin’s defense all season, and only seven rushers have found the end zone through nine games.

The last time we heard a stat like that was against Iowa, which hadn’t allowed a rushing touchdown in 33 quarters dating back to last season. Michigan scored three rushing touchdowns in the game and hung with the 12th-ranked Hawkeyes before ultimately falling 30-28.

Michigan’s rushing attack has been its strength this season, with seniors Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown combining for over 1,000 yards and quarterbacks Forcier and Denard Robinson combining for another 750.

Wisconsin also boasts a great pass rush, led by O’Brien Schofield. The fifth-year senior leads the Big Ten with 18.5 tackles for loss and ranks second with 7.5 sacks. Redshirt sophomore J.J. Watt has 10.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks as the other defensive end.

Michigan’s offensive line has been a disappointment this season, especially after losing center David Molk midway through the season.

Last week it got an encouraging sign when redshirt freshman Patrick Omameh started at right guard and played well enough to keep the spot.

Unfortunately, Michigan’s only option at right tackle seems to be Mark Huyge, who got dominated by another great rush defensive end, Ryan Kerrigan, all day last Saturday.

Michigan has to be able to control the ball, which isn’t exactly the forte of a Rich Rodriguez offense. Wisconsin leads the Big Ten in time of possession, with 32.58. Michigan ranks last at 26.34, though still leads the conference in scoring.

Time of possession isn’t as big of a key as taking care of the ball, another category in which Michigan finds itself in the cellar.

If Michigan is able to hold onto the ball and capitalize on its possessions, it will have a chance. I find it hard to believe it will be able to hold Wisconsin to a low-scoring game, so Michigan has to take advantage of its opportunities.

Michigan hasn’t won in Camp Randall Stadium since 1999 and I don’t think that trend will be broken this year.

I do think it will be a closer game than many expect, but in the end, Wisconsin is just too much for Michigan to handle.

Prediction: Wisconsin 34, Michigan 24

Michigan Hoops Preview: Harris and Sims Look To Lead Wolverines To Big Ten Title

Justin Potts — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:12:44 -0500

With the football team entering the last month of the season, Michigan’s basketball team takes the court in Friday’s exhibition with Wayne State looking to be the toast of Ann Arbor for the second straight year.

Michigan basketball has enjoyed success over much of its history and won a National Championship in 1989, but has still always been considered second-rate on campus behind the boys on the gridiron.

But with the recent growing pains of the football program, the rejuvenated basketball program in its third year under head coach John Beilein, enters the season with high expectations. Michigan ranks 15th in the preseason Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls, the first time in 12 years it enters the season ranked.

And for the first time in recent history, Michigan fans look forward to the end of football season and the beginning of basketball season.

With a 22-14 record last year, and a return to the NCAA Basketball tournament for the first time in 11 years, a pair of John Wooden All-American candidates and another year of experience for last year’s youth should help the squad challenge for the Big Ten title.

The team:

Guard Manny Harris is the star after leading Michigan in scoring (16.9), rebounding (6.8), assists (4.4), steals (1.2), minutes (32.9) and free-throw percentage (86.3 percent) last season as a sophomore.

The junior from Detroit opted to forgo the NBA Draft and return to help Michigan build upon its success. Harris was named to the 2009-10 Naismith Preseason Men’s College Basketball Player of the Year Watch List in addition to being a candidate for the John Wooden Player of the Year award.

Senior forward DeShawn Sims led the team in blocks (27) and field goal percentage (50.5) and was second on the team behind Harris in points (15.4), rebounds (6.8), steals (1.1) and minutes (30.7) last season.

A true team player, Sims has embodied Beilein’s unselfish system, coming off the bench for nine of Michigan’s games last season, yet still earning All-Big Ten Second Team honors.

Sophomores Zack Novak, Stu Douglass and Laval Lucas-Perry give the backcourt experienced returning talent.

Novak was Michigan’s best three-point shooter last season at 34.4 percent and had perhaps his biggest game in leading Michigan to an upset over No. 4 Duke.

Lucas-Perry also shot 34.4 percent from downtown, though on about half as many attempts as Harris and Novak. He gives Michigan size and quickness at the guard position.

Douglass is a slightly smaller version of Novak, a streaky sharpshooter who averaged 6.1 points per game last season.

Another wing player with a lot of experience is redshirt junior forward Anthony Wright. While his numbers won’t blow anyone away (he averaged just 2.7 points per game last season), Wright came up big in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, scoring 14 points against Oklahoma. His experience should pay off this season.

Senior center Zack Gibson returns to fill the middle. The 6-10 forward averaged 3.9 points and 2.2 rebounds a year ago and gives Michigan a big man that can occasionally step out and hit the three, although not as well as he seems to think he can. Michigan fans would prefer him to stay inside.

The Newcomers
Darius Morris	Eso Akunne	Matt Vogrich	Josh Bartelstein	Blake McLimans	Jordan Morgan

4	5	13	20	22	52
PG	G	G	G	F	F
6-4	6-3	6-4	6-3	610	6-8
180	220	180	190	220	240
Los Angeles, Calif.	Ann Arbor, Mich.	Lake Forest, Ill.	Highland Park, Ill.	Hamburg, N.Y.	Detroit, Mich.
Windward	Gabriel Richard	Lake Forest	Phillips Exeter Academy	Worcester Academy	Univ. of Detroit Jesuit

Newcomers Darius Morris, Matt Vogrich, Blake McLimans and Jordan Morgan more than make up for the players Michigan lost to graduation (C.J. Lee, Jevohn Shepherd and David Merritt).

Morris is a hotshot point guard recruit out of Los Angeles, Calif. He averaged 21.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.8 assists and was named the John Wooden State Player of the Year as a senior.

Vogrich is another sharpshooter that fits the mold of Beilein’s program perfectly. A 6-4 guard, Vogrich averaged 16.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists in earning Gatorade Player of the Year honors for the state of Illinois.

Morgan and McLimans give Beilein a pair of big guys to bolster Michigan’s frontcourt.

Morgan averaged 14.5 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School. He was named to the Detroit Free Press Class A All-State third team as a senior.

McLimans, at 6-10, 220 gives Michigan a much-needed body on the inside. He is somewhat unknown since he didn’t play AAU ball, but appears to be the versatile-type big man Beilein prefers with the ability to shoot from the outside.

Another player that could play a role is sophomore center Ben Cronin. At 7-0, 265, Cronin is the biggest player on the roster and runs the court well for a big guy. If he can stay healthy (he had hip surgery on Jan. 14), Cronin will be a big help, especially once the physical play of the Big Ten season begins.

The schedule:

The schedule stacks up slightly tougher than in recent years and should provide a good barometer of how good this Michigan team really is.

Creighton, Marquette, Xavier, and Florida State all await Michigan early on in the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Fla.

In this year’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge, Michigan hosts Boston College on Dec. 2, a team that needs to find its identity after losing Tyrese Rice. This should be Michigan’s first win in the challenge since beating Miami in 2005.

Games to Watch
Date	Team	Rank	Location	Time	TV
Thu. Nov. 26	Creighton		Orlando, Fla.	12 p.m.	ESPN2
Sat. Dec. 19	Kansas	1	Lawrence, Kan.	1 p.m.	ESPN
Sun. Jan. 17	Connecticut	12	Ann Arbor, Mich.	TBA	CBS
Sat. Jan. 23	Purdue	7	West Lafayette, Ind.	4 p.m.	ESPN
Tue. Jan. 26	Michigan State	2	Ann Arbor, Mich.	7 p.m.	ESPN
Sat. Feb. 27	Ohio State	16	Columbus, Ohio	TBA	ESPN or BTN

Michigan also travels to Utah and Kansas before beginning the Big Ten portion of the schedule, and hosts No. 1 Connecticut on Jan. 17. Last season, Michigan put up a good fight against Connecticut, losing by just eight on the road after leading 34-33 at halftime. This year, Michigan gets the Huskies at home, where it upset No. 4 Duke a year ago.

Once the Big Ten season starts, the schedule doesn’t get any easier.

Rival Michigan State ranks 2nd in the nation after falling to North Carolina in the national championship game last March, and features the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year, Kalin Lucas.

Purdue will also be a formidable opponent as the Boilermakers enter the season ranked 7th in the nation. A Sweet Sixteen team a year ago, Purdue is led by versatile 6-8 forward Robbie Hummel, who averaged 12.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game last season.

Ohio State comes in at No. 16 in the nation, and looks to absolve its early exit from last season’s NCAA Tournament. Jon Diebler, Evan Turner, David Lighty and Dallas Lauderdale return to give Ohio State experienced talent all over the court.

Illinois and Minnesota also enter the season in the Top 25, at 23rd and 25th, respectively. Both are very well coached teams that fared well last season. Illinois has to find leadership to replace point guard Chester Frazier and shooting guard Trent Meacham, while Minnesota brought in a highly regarded recruiting class to complement seniors Lawrence Westbrook and Damian Johnson.

Outlook:

Last year’s team lived and died on two things: three-pointers and free throws. In 22 wins, Michigan shot 36.8 percent from downtown and 76.7 percent from the free throw line, while getting to the line 19 times per game.

In 14 losses, Michigan shot just 29.5 percent from three and 72.7 percent from the foul line, while getting to the line just under 12 times per game.

The ability to knock down the three and get to the free throw line is key for Michigan since its strength is in the backcourt.

Harris is at his best when he’s driving to the basket, picking up fouls. He shot 204 free throws last year, making 176 of them. That’s nearly twice as many made free throws as the next closest player, DeShawn Sims, had attempts (93).

The guys that accounted for many of the three-point attempts, Novak, Douglass, and Lucas-Perry (43 percent combined) were freshmen last season, which according to the Big Ten Geeks is good news for this season.

Their research shows that college basketball players make their most improvement from their freshman to sophomore seasons.

If that holds true, and if freshman Darius Morris can perform adequately at point guard, Michigan should be in for another good season. Making the NCAA Tournament should not be the goal for this year’s team, as it should be a virtual lock. Challenging for the Big Ten title should be.

While Michigan has the ability to beat anyone in the nation on any given night, it must prove it can win on the road.

I predict a 21-9 season (12-6 in the Big Ten) with splits against Ohio State, Purdue, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, and losing both games to Michigan State and out-of conference losses to Utah, Kansas, and one of the games in the Old Spice Classic.

Obviously I hope it’s better than this, but I prefer to lean toward the safe side, due to still having a lot of youth in the backcourt and no proven inside presence. That way I can be pleasantly surprised if the team overachieves.

A return trip to the NCAA Tournament as a mid seed and advancing to the Sweet Sixteen should be considered a realistic goal for this team.

All-in-all, it should be an exciting season for Michigan basketball to help take our minds off the struggling football program.

Following Loss to Illinois, Questions Abound For Rodriguez, Michigan

Justin Potts — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:20:25 -0400

Michigan traveled to Champaign, Ill. on Halloween looking to become bowl eligible, but instead came away with its second straight 25-point loss.

After building a 13-7 halftime lead, Michigan took the opening drive of the second half down to the Illinois 1-yard line. But four straight runs were unable to crack the end zone and Illinois took captured the momentum, and the game, scoring 31 unanswered points en route to a 38-13 victory.

Michigan looked like a kid that was trick-or-treating house-to-house, filling his bag of candy but then got beat up by the kid down the street and his bag of candy stolen.

For the second week in a row, Michigan looked uninspired and somewhat lost – far more so than a team should nine games into the season.

In the wake of the loss, and looking ahead to the final three games of the season, there are some questions that need to be answered.

Please note that I am still confident in Rich Rodriguez, and I’m not at all calling for his head after less than two seasons. I think he needs to be given time to build his team. I do have some questions, however.

1. Why can’t the defense stop the spread option?

This was a huge problem under Lloyd Carr. His defenses could defend the standard pro-style offense with the pocket-passing quarterback just fine, but when facing mobile quarterbacks, they looked lost.

Troy Smith, Vince Young, Dennis Dixon, and Appalachian State’s Armanti Edwards are still giving Michigan fans nightmares.

Much of the reason Michigan athletic director Bill Martin went out and got Rich Rodriguez two years ago was to change the stagnant culture of Michigan football.

The four and five loss seasons were getting old. The slow defense that broke down every time it faced a faster offense needed a change.

So why are we still having trouble defending it?

Make no mistake about it; this defense is dangerously thin. Only 58 percent of the defensive commitments from the past five years are still on the team. Fifty-eight percent!

That's certainly not a recipe for success.

Twenty defensive commitments are no longer on the team due to numerous factors: graduation (four), leaving early for the NFL (one), leaving the team (13), and not qualifying (two).

Until Rodriguez is able to bring in a couple more classes, this defense should continue to struggle, simply because of lack of depth.

But depth aside, why did the defense struggle so much to defend Darryl Clark last week and Juice Williams this week when it goes up against a similar offense in practice every week?

Rodriguez is the father of the spread-option offense, so he should know how to defend it.

Today, it wasn’t just a mistake here and there; the defense looked completely lost out there. Every time Williams ran a zone read, the same play that is the staple of the Michigan offense, everybody crashed down on the same guy, which usually tended to be the one without the ball.

Illinois had seven rushes of 20 yards or more, three of them going for touchdowns.

I have to believe that this will improve over time when Rodriguez gets more defensive recruits and more speed into the system, but it’s frustrating that it hasn’t improved at all.

2. Why wasn’t Brandon Minor on the field for the goal line set at the beginning of the third quarter?

Minor is the bigger power back, while Carlos Brown is a bit quicker. Yet it was Brown who got the carries on first, second, and third down from inside the one-yard line.

Minor came in and got the carry on fourth down, and was stopped just short of the goal line.

I realize he still has a nagging ankle injury, but if he was healthy enough to come in on fourth down, why wasn’t he in there for the first three plays?

3. Why didn’t Rodriguez use a time out just before the half?

Michigan had just kicked a field goal to take a 13-7 lead, and then forced an Illinois three-and-out. Williams was sacked at the Illinois 24-yard line with about a minute left, but instead of using his second timeout, Rodriguez let the clock run before Illinois called timeout with 27 seconds left.

A good punt and no return left Michigan with the ball at its own 11, and it subsequently took a knee, seemingly happy to go into the locker room with a six point lead.

But why not take a time out with a minute left and give your offense another chance to score before the half?

I would have expected Carr to take the conservative route and take it into the half, but not Rodriguez, especially with two timeouts left.

The only reason I can think of is that he wasn’t comfortable with punt return-man Junior Hemingway’s ability to catch the ball.

Turning it over in that situation would have given Illinois a great chance to take the lead and the momentum into the locker room.

But that’s a chance he should have taken, in my opinion.

4. Why has the team quit the past two weeks?

In Michigan’s first two losses, against Michigan State and Iowa, the team fought for the whole 60 minutes. It came back to force overtime against Michigan State and came within two of undefeated Iowa.

But last week against Penn State and this week against Illinois, it seemed to just give up once things started going bad.

The only defensive player that played every down 100 percent was senior defensive end Brandon Graham, and that’s going to make him a great NFL player. He finished with four tackles (one-and-a-half for loss), a sack, and a blocked punt.

The rest of the defense didn’t play inspired at all.

Maybe it’s the fact that the offense puts it in bad situations with turnovers, but when you’re playing college football, it’s your job to give it your all every time. And that effort was not there in the second half.

5. Is Rodriguez too hard on the players and coaches?

One of the common scenes on the sidelines this season and last has been Rodriguez chewing out his players and coaches after a mistake.

Now, I know many people will say that they should grow up and take it, but I seriously have to wonder if his demeanor has an impact on how the team plays.

I don’t have any data on it, but it seems that whenever Rodriguez goes off on a player, it has a negative effect on his play.

I’m all for coaches yelling; it's what they do. But for a young team like this, that is still trying to grow and learn the system, maybe yelling in their face isn’t the right way to get your point across.

It’s something to think about, but I’m pretty sure Rodriguez isn’t going to change his coaching style, so the players are going to need to adjust.

So where does Michigan go from here?

It needs one more win to be bowl eligible, and two to be assured of a bowl game.

Next week, Michigan hosts Purdue, which is probably the last winnable game left on the schedule if the team continues to play like this.

The following week, Michigan travels to Wisconsin to play a team that just throttled Purdue 37-0. That game will be as tough as any game Michigan has played all season.

Finally, Michigan hosts Ohio State in a game that very well could salvage the season. However, Ohio State's quarterback, Terrelle Pryor, is the same type of mobile quarterback that Michigan can't defend.

The team needs to get its confidence back so it can finish the season strong and get back to a bowl game. Otherwise, it’s going to be another long off-season filled with second-guessing and more anti-Rodriguez sentiment.

Michigan Wolverines: Despite Doomsday Headlines, Maize and Blue Still on Track

Justin Potts — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:22:33 -0400

Michigan had a chance on Saturday to prove the doubters wrong – to shut up the critics of head coach Rich Rodriguez. Instead, its 35-10 loss to Penn State served only to ramp up the criticism and turn up the heat on Rodriguez.

A quick look around the Internet reveals some very negatively shaded articles about Michigan football. Headlines like, “Who’s to Blame For Michigan’s Downfall?” or “A Blown Opportunity for Rodriguez” or “Safety Responsible for UM Collapse” or “Penn State Dominates Reeling Michigan Football Team,” show either a misconception about this team or a clear bias against its coach.

Let’s all take a deep breath and realize that this team was not expected to challenge for the Big Ten this season. Most knowledgeable Michigan fans predicted a 7-5 finish. Some of the more optimistic fans said 8-4.

There is no downfall, no collapse, no blown opportunity, and this team isn't reeling. It's growing.

After a 4-0 start that included a come-from-behind win over rival Notre Dame, the expectations were immediately, and wrongly, raised. Even after taking Michigan State to overtime and Iowa to the brink, many unfairly praised this team as much farther along than it really is.

But what team can really succeed with a true freshman quarterback?

Some might point to USC and Matt Barkley, but that’s a team that has arguably the best offensive line in the country, and is loaded on the defensive side of the ball.

Some might even say Michigan’s own Chad Henne in 2004, but he had a senior Braylon Edwards to throw to. Edwards caught a school record 97 passes that season for 1,330 yards and 15 touchdowns. Michigan doesn’t have a down-field receiving threat this season.

I’m not saying that a team can’t succeed with a freshman quarterback, but it has to have outstanding play elsewhere to allow for the growing pains. Michigan doesn’t have that this season.

I’m excited for the future of Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson, but we have to be patient. Highlight-reel runs and game-winning drives aren’t going to happen every game.

We knew entering the season that Rodriguez’s offense was going to be a little bit better than last season, but still not where it will be once he gets all the athletes he needs to run it.

The addition of Forcier and Robinson helped take an offense that was virtually non-existent last season to one of the highest scoring offenses in the Big Ten this season.

Just think about how good it will be when these players have another year or two in the offense, and another recruiting class or two comes in.

Defensively, the struggles have been very hard to watch this season, especially since it doesn’t seem to be making much progress throughout the season.

Much has been made about its inability to make big stops, but defensive coordinator Greg Robinson is the third different coordinator in three years, which makes it hard to develop chemistry and consistency.

The defense will remain a frustration for the rest of this season, but should improve along with the offense in the coming years when Rodriguez gets more speed and talent to fit in.

The most important thing for Michigan fans is to not lose faith in the system and growth. We were griping for Lloyd Carr to be replaced because of 8-4 or 7-5 seasons when his teams consistently underachieved. Yet we’re all up in arms when this year’s team, in the second year of a complete overhaul, is on its way to a probable 7-5 season.

Look at it this way: in the last seven years of the Carr era, the offense averaged 30.4 points per game and 400.1 yards of total offense per game. The defense gave up 19.6 points per game and 331.5 total yards per game.

This season, Michigan’s offense is averaging 33.9 points per game and 404.5 total yards, while the defense is giving up 23.5 points and 367.4 yards per game.

Essentially, this year’s offense is better than the seven-year average in points and total offense, while the defense isn’t far behind the seven-year average. This is the best offense we’ve seen in the maize and blue since 2003.

And it’s still considered a rebuilding year!

Imagine what the future holds when Carr’s players move on and Rodriguez’s players step in. That’s not a knock on Carr at all – it’s just a completely different system that needs different types of players.

So while the big loss to Penn State hurts, it was just one game, and Penn State is a very good team. The first four games of the season spoiled us, but we need to keep things in perspective.

Michigan travels to Illinois this weekend to face a 1-6 team, and then hosts a dangerous Purdue team the following week.

While no game is a lock, Illinois should be a win to get Michigan bowl-eligible, and Purdue is also a game Michigan should win.

It should be 7-3 heading into Madison, Wisc., looking to close out the season with an upset over Wisconsin, or Ohio State in the final game.

A 7-5 season is likely, but an upset over Wisconsin or Ohio State would make this team an overachieving one, as opposed to Carr’s underachieving teams that we detested.

Even if Michigan doesn’t pull off an upset, and finishes 7-5, Michigan fans should be content with this season, looking forward to a bowl game and an even more talented and potent team next season.

That’s not exactly easy to swallow—being content with 7-5—but it’s part of the process and it’s something we have to accept.

The future is certainly bright for Rodriguez and the boys in maize and blue. We just have to be patient and let the process unfold.

Michigan-Penn State: Can Michigan Start a New Streak?

Justin Potts — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:21:55 -0400

In my season projections before the season started, I predicted that Michigan would finish 7-5. One of those five losses would come to Penn State. I also thought Penn State would be far, and away better than it has been so far this season.

Don’t get me wrong—Penn State is a good team. It leads the Big Ten in total offense, total defense, and time of possession, ranks second in scoring offense, has the most sacks, and the second fewest penalties, and has the best third down defense.

Yet, when you look further, you realize that it has played just one good team all season (Iowa). Aside from that, it shut out a fairly decent Minnesota team last week, and the rest of the teams on the schedule have a combined record of 13-18.

Michigan has taken some heat for the schedule it has played, most notably for Delaware State, an FCS team, last weekend. Yet the combined record of its opponents is virtually the same as Penn State’s.

So despite the perception that Penn State is far and away better than Michigan, I find the two very similar.

The offenses are a lot alike with the main talent at running back. Penn State running back Evan Royster is a senior and has already run for 641 yards this season. He has Stephfon Green, a junior who has scored four touchdowns, to complement him, although Green is out for this week’s game with an ankle injury.

Michigan’s offense relies heavily on senior backs Carlos Brown and Brandon Minor, who have combined for 610 yards and seven touchdowns, though neither played last week against Delaware State.

While Michigan’s rushing offense is a little more dynamic overall, Penn State has a little better passing offense thanks to a fifth-year senior quarterback. Darryl Clark has completed 62 percent of his passes for 1,654 yards, 13 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.

Clark has play-makers to throw to in Derek Moye (472 yards, four TDs), Chaz Powell (316 yards, three TDs) and Graham Zug (257 yards, two TDs), all of which have more yards than Michigan’s leading receiver, sophomore Martavious Odoms (238 yards, one TD).

Defensively, there’s no question that Penn State is formidable. It has given up just 61 points through six games, and just 239 yards per game.

Michigan on the other hand, gives up about 21 points per game. That doesn’t bode well when going up against a great defense, since Michigan’s modus operandi this season has been to put up a lot of points and hope it’s more than it gave up.

However, the last time Michigan went up against a defense many thought was impenetrable, it ran with ease. Michigan scored three rushing touchdowns on an Iowa defense that hadn’t given up a rushing touchdown in 33 quarters of play.

So what does Michigan have to do to beat Penn State?

It starts with taking care of the ball. Through the first five games of the season, Michigan had done a pretty good job of this. But against Iowa, Michigan turned it over five times, essentially thwarting its chance for an upset.

Michigan has come a long way from last year’s turnover-prone bunch, but in its biggest game yet, turnovers became its downfall.

Protecting the ball against Penn State is mission number one. Michigan has shown that it can move the ball and put points on the board. But failing to convert because of turnovers and giving the opponent good field position and momentum won’t help its cause.

Secondly, Michigan needs to prove it can be effective with the pass. It averages 235 yards per game on the ground (5.4 yards per carry), and Penn State will undoubtedly stack the box to stop the run.

Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier has proven he can pass, but much of Michigan’s passing has come toward the end of halves or games when needing to score quickly.

If Michigan can complete some passes early, it can keep Penn State mindful of the pass and pay dividends in the running game.

Michigan should have center David Molk back from a foot injury, so that will help the offensive line consistency. Molk has missed the last four games, leaving right guard David Moosman to fill in.

Finally, Michigan has to prevent the big play. Penn State has a wealth of play-makers and Michigan has been prone to giving up big plays all season. Its defense has had trouble getting off the field on third down and that was a glaring weakness against Iowa.

The Hawkeyes converted 8-of-18 third downs, including a 34-yard touchdown pass on 3rd-and-12.

Big plays are devastating to a defense, and even more so when the offense is turning the ball over. If Michigan can contain Penn State’s play-makers it has a good chance to win.

I think this will be a pretty evenly-matched game, especially since it’s in the Big House. But in the end, I think Penn State has too many playmakers on offense, and too rigid a defense for Michigan to out-score it.

Unless Michigan plays a virtually perfect game, Penn State will win. Unfortunately, with this young team, a perfect game is unlikely.

Prediction: Penn State 34 – Michigan 27

Why Beating Delaware State Was Important For Rest of Season and Beyond

Justin Potts — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:53:13 -0400

With Delaware State filling the 12th spot on the schedule, many Michigan fans—and college football fans in general—scoffed at Michigan playing a team from the Football Championship Subdivision.

However, I think this was a very important game for this Michigan team.

For starters, I have no problem with Michigan playing Delaware State this year. With a roster comprised of mostly underclassmen, and a complete overhaul in progress, playing an FCS opponent was better than a bye week in my opinion.

I would love to see Michigan start scheduling another tough out-of-conference game every year, but at this point in the development of Rich Rodriguez’s scheme, it’s not time for that just yet.

Once the team grows up and the spread-n-shred is fully ingrained, I hope the schedule will be strengthened. But when you have Florida, arguably the nation’s top team and reigning national champion, playing Charleston Southern, Troy, and Florida International, one must look that way first before pointing fingers at the baby Wolverines.

Playing a game of this sort in the middle of the season is valuable for a number of reasons.

First of all, it was a chance to get a number of players healthy.

Starting quarterback Tate Forcier suffered a concussion against Iowa and still has a lingering shoulder injury. He played just one series in the game, enough to keep his rhythm, but got to rest the shoulder the rest of the game.

Senior running backs Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown were also afforded the luxury of rest. Both have been hampered by injuries—Minor a sprained ankle and Brown a concussion—and neither played at all on Saturday.

Michigan also got another week of rest for starting center David Molk, who suffered a broken foot against Eastern Michigan. Right guard David Moosman, who has been filling in for Molk, has had some snapping issues, so the quicker Molk gets back on the field, the better. He may be ready to go this week against Penn State.

In addition to resting the starters, Michigan was able to get a lot of the young(er) guys some valuable game-time experience.

Freshman quarterback Denard Robinson was used as a change-of-pace option in the first six games, but really got a chance to pioneer the offense on Saturday.

Though it’s hard to gage the actual value, given the level of competition, it was still an opponent different than what he goes up against every day in practice, and that should not be overlooked.

While Michigan’s defense is much more talented than Delaware State’s, by practicing against it day-in and day-out you learn the schemes and the tendencies of individual players. Delaware State served as a practice against a defense he had never seen before, in a game situation.

So, while the perceived value doesn’t turn any heads, the actual value might pay off down the road, and that is what really counts.

Other young guys who haven’t gotten a lot of playing time this year, like running backs Michael Shaw, Vincent Smith, and Michael Cox, got a chance to show what they can do and gain some experience and confidence.

The trio combined for 321 rushing yards on 37 carries—an average of 8.7 yards per carry—and four touchdowns.

Running back depth is always important, but especially so in Michigan’s offense, which often employs multiple backs on the field at the same time. With Minor and Brown somewhat banged up and graduating after this season, Saturday was a great chance to see what the future of the position holds.

Throw in the fact that Smith, Cox, receiver Kelvin Grady, and tight end Martell Webb each scored the first touchdowns of their careers, and it was an exciting day for the morale of the team, especially following two tough losses.

The team needed a bounce-back game after losing close games to Michigan State and Iowa to get back on track for the rest of the season.

Four of the final five games figure to be very tough games, beginning with Penn State this Saturday.

You can bet that Rodriguez didn’t spend much time in practice last week preparing specifically for Delaware State. Essentially, he had two weeks to prepare for Penn State, which enters this game ranked 13th in the nation.

Rodriguez didn’t show much of anything against Delaware State, so don’t be surprised if we see some new wrinkles on Saturday that have been practiced for the past two weeks.

Finally, it was fun to see Michigan put up big numbers and yards without actually running up the score.

Remember that when Florida racked up 56 points on Troy earlier this season, Tim Tebow was still throwing the ball well into the third quarter even with a 40-plus point lead.

While Troy is a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) team and is most likely better than Delaware State, Florida is also much better than Michigan comparatively.

Michigan’s first two quarterbacks played barely into the second quarter, while third-stringer Nick Sheridan saw the most snaps and even fifth-string quarterback Jack Kennedy saw action.

While Michigan piled up the most yards of offense in team history (727) and the most points in a game since 1992 (63), it was largely done by the backups and Delaware State head coach Al Lavan was nothing but complementary after the game.

“We came to play an outstanding football team and an outstanding football team showed up,” Lavan said. “Michigan plays hard and fast, and they simply dominated us. I was not shocked, but surprised at how dominant they were. We were inconsistent in what we were trying to do. Overall, our performance was not due to a lack of effort. My hat goes off to Michigan.”

It’s not often that you put that many points on an opponent and they have nothing but nice things to say about you.

But that just shows how fun this game was, in getting 84 different players onto the field.

So while Michigan won’t gain any BCS love for whipping Delaware State, the game’s intrinsic value to Rodriguez’s young team was high and should pay off down the road more than a bye week or another tough loss to a good team would.

Is It Time For Rich Rodriguez to Expand Denard Robinson's Role?

Justin Potts — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:07:50 -0400

In the aftermath of Michigan’s 30-28 loss at No. 12 Iowa on Saturday night, one question begs to be asked: is it time to expand Denard Robinson’s role?

Now, before I go any further, let me throw out a few disclaimers.

First of all, I understand the need to keep Robinson at quarterback in the event that Tate Forcier gets injured. The last thing any Michigan fan wants is to see third-string quarterback Nick Sheridan under center unless it’s in mop-up duty.

Secondly, I’m not going to question Rich Rodriguez’s decisions. He’s the head coach. I’m not. He’s been with this team day-in and day-out since he was hired. I haven’t. He chose to play Robinson over Forcier at the end of the game and I trust that he knows more than I do. That's why he's paid to make those decisions and I'm not.

Finally, I’m not saying the sky is falling or that we need to make some drastic changes after two losses. I’m merely exploring the possibility of making this team even more explosive.

That aside, let’s take a look.

Denard Robinson came to Michigan from Deerfield Beach, Fla. with a lot of hype, although the hype was more about his track-star speed than about his quarterbacking ability. That’s not to say that he won’t develop into a good quarterback, but at this point, his ability to run is much further ahead of his passing skills.

Through Michigan’s first six games, Robinson is just 7-for-15 for 87 yards and three interceptions.

I don’t think that is an indictment on his abilities as much as it is a reality that he’s not ready to be a collegiate quarterback at this point.

For one, he doesn’t fully know the offense, since he’s only been on campus for a couple of months. Instead of going through his progressions, he’s much more apt to pull it down and run.

Forcier, a fellow freshman, has been able to show some success so far for a couple of reasons.

He has been groomed to be a quarterback for his entire life. He trained under former USC and NFL player Marv Marinovich from the time he was eight years old.

He also has two older brothers who played quarterback, and he enrolled at Michigan in January, giving him a seven-month head start to get acclimated to college football and Michigan weather.

Robinson comes from the talent-rich state of Florida, where he threw for 4,784 yards and 44 touchdowns in three seasons. He also ran for another 1,132 yards and 13 touchdowns.

He was highly recruited by both Florida and Georgia in addition to Michigan. The only difference is that had he gone to either of those schools, he would have undoubtedly been red-shirted this season.

Michigan wasn’t afforded the luxury of red-shirting Robinson following the offseason transfer of Steven Threet and the poor play of junior Nick Sheridan last season.

Robinson arrived in Ann Arbor in time for fall camp and was immediately thrust into action. Instead of getting a full season to learn the offense without burning a year of eligibility, Robinson became Forcier’s backup and change-of-pace option.

On his first touch of his first game, he showed how dangerous he is with his legs, as he fumbled the snap, picked it up, and then scampered 43 yards for a touchdown.

He has scored three rushing touchdowns this season, including one yesterday against Iowa to bring Michigan within two points in the fourth quarter.

The problem is, when he’s in, the defense knows he’s not much of a threat to pass. Just ask Michigan State defensive end Trevor Anderson.

“They did everything we practiced this week,” Anderson said following the game last week, in which Michigan State won 26-20 in overtime. “When they decided to put in Denard Robinson, we knew they were going to run the ball. They couldn’t throw it with him.”

It’s fun to watch Robinson run the ball with the way he jukes and jives his way past tacklers. But while it worked in the first few games of the season, the effectiveness of using Robinson as basically a run-only quarterback diminishes each game.

The more the season goes on, and the more good defenses he faces, the less success he will have when lining up at the quarterback position. It's too predictable.

Yet, he’s too much of a talent to keep on the sidelines.

Therefore, it seems that Rodriguez needs to find some new ways to use Robinson.

I’m not lobbying to completely move him to running back or receiver. But I am saying that either instead or in addition to giving him one or two drives per game at quarterback, why not give him five to 10 plays a game in various positions?

Just think of the possibilities. Line him up in the slot and get him the ball on a bubble screen or quick pass. Bring him in motion and run an end-around or reverse. Put him in the backfield and run the option or even the team's staple, the zone read.

Rodriguez’s offense is predicated on getting the ball into the hands of playmakers in space, so why not find more ways to get Robinson on the field?

Of course the risk is Robinson getting injured, which would leave Michigan just an injury to Forcier away from being forced to use Sheridan as its quarterback. Nothing against Sheridan, but as we saw last season, he’s not the right guy for this offense.

However, I don’t think that argument holds much weight, since Robinson takes hits every time he’s on the field anyway when he runs the ball.

At the very least, getting him on the field in various positions makes the offense far less predictable. By this time, opponents are well aware of Robinson’s talents, and to see him in the slot or in the backfield would surely add a layer of unpredictability and give opponents more to prepare for.

Robinson could be headed for that type of role in the years to come anyway, since Michigan has five-star quarterback Devin Gardner locked up in its 2010 recruiting class.

Gardner, rated as the nation’s No. 1 quarterback by Rivals and No. 4 by Scout, has the size (6’4”, 195), arm (1,900 passing yards and 26 touchdowns last season), and running ability (1,400 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns last season) to be the ideal quarterback for Rodriguez’s spread-option system.

He’s drawn comparisons to Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor, but with a better arm. Elite 11 camp director Greg Biggins compared Gardner to Vince Young, Tim Tebow, Juice Williams and Dennis Dixon at the same stage in their development.

So with that in mind, as well as the solid play of Forcier (even with his struggles at Iowa), I think it is time to expand Robinson’s role beyond that of just quarterback.

Ask yourself this: Is it better to keep him on the sidelines for all but one or two series a game in an effort to keep him healthy? Or would it be more valuable to get another exciting and proven playmaker on the field to make the offense even more difficult to defend?

I vote the latter, and it should begin this Saturday.

With Delaware State, from the Football Championship Subdivision, bringing its 1-3 record to Ann Arbor, Michigan doesn’t have to worry about needing a perfect game to win.

Delaware State has lost to Florida A&M, Delaware and Bethune-Cookman, and averages just 14 points per game.

What better time to get Robinson on the field, not only at quarterback in passing situations, but also in various positions to get the ball in his hands in space?

It would give Michigan a chance to practice some of those plays that expand the playbook even more, but it also would give the following week’s opponent, Penn State, more looks to prepare for.

Not only would they know that when Robinson is lined up at quarterback he’s going to run. They would also be wary of No. 16’s presence in the slot or in the backfield.

Slot receiver Kelvin Grady is talented, but he hasn’t proven the elusiveness that Robinson has shown with the ball. Likewise, running backs Carlos Brown, Brandon Minor and Michael Shaw are all good backs, but they don’t have the speed and agility of Robinson.

So while Grady, Brown, Minor and Shaw should get the majority of the plays at their respective positions, Robinson should get a chance to change things up.

In my opinion the reward outweighs the risk and Michigan would be better off for it.

But then again, I’m not a coach, and I have to trust that the coaching staff knows what it’s doing.

With a 4-2 record, Michigan gets a much-needed return to the friendly confines of the Big House. An FCS opponent allows this young team a chance to work on some new things and get its confidence back before delving into the remainder of the Big Ten schedule.

And we’ll see if Rodriguez has any plans up his sleeve to expand Robinson’s role.

Former Michigan Star Braylon Edwards Gets Fresh Start in New York

Justin Potts — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:37:57 -0400

Former Michigan receiver Braylon Edwards has been traded to the New York Jets today in a move to get the much-maligned receiver a fresh start.

Edwards, who starred for Michigan from 2001-04, was originally drafted in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft (third overall) by the Cleveland Browns.

In his four-plus years with the Browns, Edwards caught 238 passes for 3,697 yards and 28 touchdowns.

Much of his rookie season was spent on the sidelines following a knee injury, but the following season he showed a glimpse of what he is capable of.

His third season was a breakout year in which Edwards caught 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns, earning a Pro Bowl nod and giving Cleveland fans hope that their decade-long misery was about to end.

However, last season was filled with dropped passes and poor play en route to a disappointing 4-12 season.

The Browns changed coaches in the offseason, picking Eric Mangini to replace Romeo Crennel (both Bill Belichick disciples). Mangini's overbearing, micro-managing style and mismanagement of the team's quarterbacks contrasted Crennel's laid-back demeanor, leading to unrest with Edwards.

Through four games, Edwards had just 10 catches for 139 yards and no touchdowns.

Following last week's game, Edwards ran into trouble at a night club, allegedly punching promoter Edward Givens, a friend of Cleveland Cavs star LeBron James. It became apparent that Edwards, in the last year of his contract with the Browns, needed a fresh start.

He was traded to New York for receiver Chansi Stuckey, special teams player Jason Trusnik, and two undisclosed draft picks.

In my opinion, this is a win-win for everybody involved.

Edwards gets a fresh start with a team that is already one win away from matching the Browns' win total in two of the four seasons Edwards was there. He also gets out of a town full of Ohio State fans.

The Browns dump a high-priced receiver in a season that is lost already, allowing youngsters like Mohamed Massaquoi, Mike Furrey, Josh Cribbs, Robert Royal, and now Stuckey to develop without being overshadowed by the ego of a big-name receiver.

The Jets get a talented and proven deep threat to go along with Jerricho Cotchery and tight end Dustin Keller. Edwards will certainly help ease rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez's transition to the NFL.

Sanchez played well in his first three games, completing 59 percent of his passes for four touchdowns and two interceptions.

He struggled in last week's loss at New Orleans, however, completing just 14 of 27 passes for 138 yards, no touchdowns, and three interceptions.

Cotchery has caught twice as many passes (23) as any other Jets receiver. Next closest was Keller with 14 catches, followed by Stuckey and running back Leon Washington with 11.

Let's face it: Stuckey is no Braylon Edwards, meaning opposing defenses must now focus on more than just Cotchery. Two bona fide receivers on the outside mean Keller could get even more looks over the middle.

As long as Edwards is able to stay out of trouble in New York, he should be show that his 2007 production was more than a fluke.

In his career at Michigan, Edwards became one of the school's greatest receivers all-time. He set Michigan single-season records for receptions (97) and yards (1,330) and career records for receptions (252), yards (3,541), and touchdowns (39), as well as the Big Ten conference touchdown record.

He had 17 games of 100 receiving yards or more and won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top receiver in 2004. He is also the only receiver in Big Ten history (and third in all of NCAA FBS history) to tally three seasons of 1,000 receiving yards.

Edwards' performance against Michigan State in 2004 will go down as one of the best single-game performances in recent Michigan history. He helped Michigan erase a 17-point deficit by catching two fourth-quarter touchdowns and adding a third in the third overtime to win 45-37.

Let's hope there are more great moments to come for Edwards in New York.

Michigan-Michigan State: UM Falls Short; Paul Bunyan Gets Extra Year of Vacation

Justin Potts — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:14:52 -0400

Paul Bunyan woke up this morning somewhat confused. For the majority of the last four decades, Bunyan resided in Ann Arbor, while keeping a vacation home in East Lansing.

He hasn’t spent more than a year consecutively in East Lansing since Lyndon B. Johnson was the president and the first Star Trek episode aired on television.

But following Michigan State’s 26-20 overtime win over hated rival Michigan on Saturday, Bunyan will be extending his stay for at least another year.

Michigan played poorly for 55 minutes before finally showing some resolve with two touchdown drives in the final five minutes to force overtime.

But it wasn’t enough, as freshman quarterback Tate Forcier threw an interception in the end zone in the first overtime and State ran for a touchdown on the third play of its overtime possession.

So now that Michigan has tasted defeat for the first time this season, where does it go from here?

I think it all starts with getting its confidence back. It didn’t play well in last week’s win over Indiana, and continued the poor play for three-and-a-half quarters this week.

Remember, this is still a very young team. Nobody expected Michigan to win the Big Ten this year. The 4-0 start raised some expectations and probably gave Michigan fans a false sense of reality.

I wrote following last week’s game that expectations should be tempered a bit because the meat of the schedule began with Michigan State.

Well, in its first road test of the season, Michigan was outplayed for 55 minutes and still had a chance to win the game. This young team has shown it can fight, having already had two come-from-behind wins and almost another on Saturday. But when it comes down to it, there’s still a lot of room to grow.

“Our team doesn’t give up,” Forcier said following the game. “We’re going to keep fighting until the game is over. It showed. We can’t win all of them, but our guys kept fighting.”

As much as fans of other teams like to rip on Forcier, there’s no denying that he’s a gamer. He’s not perfect. He hasn’t learned how to throw it away instead of taking a sack or an intentional grounding penalty and he tries to force passes that shouldn’t be thrown. He is just a freshman after all.

Despite the mistakes, he has now led three game-winning or game-tying drives in five games. When it comes down to the final minutes, the freshman finds a way to get it done, and he’s only going to get better.

Forcier cannot be blamed for this loss. Several dropped passes in the first half either killed drives or kept drives from getting started.

For the game, Michigan’s average gain on first down was just a yard-and-a-half (not counting the final two touchdown drives, which were run in more of a two-minute offense).

Second downs weren’t much better, as Michigan picked up just 29 yards on 13 second-down plays, forcing long third downs.

When you can’t pick up yards on first down, you put yourself in long down situations, and Michigan faced an average of nine yards per third down attempt.

Only three of 11 third downs were converted prior to the two touchdown drives at the end of the game.

Some of that was a result of poor execution, but give Michigan State’s defense credit.

In the first half, Michigan consistently tried to run between the tackles on first down. It seemed intent on trying to establish the run game even when it wasn’t working.

Once Michigan State stopped the run on first down, it was able to bring the pressure on Forcier on second and third down.

Michigan needs to work on establishing some offensive consistency. I’m not going to blame the coaching staff, because I know that Rodriguez is a great offensive coach as an innovator of the spread option offense.

The wheels aren't falling off; Michigan fans just need to realize that the training wheels are barely removed.

If last season was the big wheel, this season is the tricycle. It's going to take time before Michigan is able to rev up the engines against the good teams.

Running backs Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown had been great in the first four games, but Michigan State seemed set on stopping them on first down and making Forcier beat them through the air.

And that's where Michigan has to improve. When things aren't going well, it has to be able to adjust and find another way to get it done.

Maybe it means changing up tendencies on first down. Maybe it’s a matter of opening up bigger holes to run through. Maybe it is merely a matter of catching passes.

Regardless, the offense needs to be able to get some consistency to keep the defense off the field for large chunks of the game.

I’m making no excuses and the coaches and players won’t either, but the fact of the matter is it’s hard to get things going on offense with a freshman quarterback, freshmen and sophomores at receiver and tight end, and a banged up offensive line.

College football is a game in which individual freshmen can shine, but a team full of underclassmen is not a recipe for success.

Those realities can only be fixed with time, which means the second half of the season could be rough.

Remember that most reasonable fans and pundits predicted Michigan to win six to eight games this season. With four already under its belt, six certainly seems achievable and seven likely. But fans need to realize that this isn't yet a team that will win every game.

While a loss to rival Michigan State hurts, the season isn't over.

Michigan needs to take things one game at a time, and that begins with Iowa next Saturday.

Iowa features a tough defense and a capable offense to go along with a night game in a stadium that doesn’t prove friendly to visiting teams.

Michigan didn’t seem to meet Michigan State’s energy level this weekend, but I don’t think it will have a problem getting up for a nationally televised night game next weekend.

I expect the coaching staff to work up a game plan to allow Michigan’s offense to function better against another tough defense.

While there is no mythical character to battle for, Michigan will have a chance to pull off the biggest upset so far of Rodriguez’s Michigan career and gain back some national respect.

Creature vs. Creature: Oh (Little) Brother, Where Art Thou Wins?

Justin Potts — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:09:24 -0400

In anticipation of Saturday's heated in-state rivalry, I teamed up with Michigan State writer Joe Guarr. Each of us presents his case for how and why his respective team will win the game. Joe's article can be found here.

For the first 23-odd years of my life, my younger brother was, well, my little brother. I remember fondly taking him out on the driveway and beating up on him in one-on-one (though he’ll probably deny it ever happened). I also remember one Christmas when we were much younger and got pajamas. I got Batman, while he was stuck with Robin.

But then he grew up—literally. The scrawny teenager gave way to the bulky college kid and then the rugged Marine. And now, while he’s fighting to defend my freedom in Afghanistan, I can honestly say that I look up to him.

Many around the country, especially those in East Lansing, Mich., expected a similar situation to happen this year.

Former Michigan running back Mike Hart pinned the term “Little Brother” on rival Michigan State, following Michigan’s come-from-behind win in 2007.

“Sometimes you get your little brother excited when you’re playing basketball and you let him get the lead,” Hart said. “Then you come back and take it from him.”

Michigan State players, coaches, and fans took offense to it, while Michigan fans played it up and took pride in the fact that the maize and blue have won nearly 70 percent of the all-time meetings.

Last season, however, Michigan State came to Ann Arbor set for revenge and won 35-21. Prior to this season, Michigan State looked primed to take control of the rivalry and make a serious run at a Big Ten title, while Michigan seemed to be in turmoil, fresh off a 3-9 season and allegations of NCAA violations.

And then the season began.

Michigan soared out of the gates with the Big Ten’s best scoring offense, while Michigan State stumbled to a 1-3 record that included a home loss to Central Michigan.

By merely comparing records, one would deduct that Michigan should win this one quite easily. But, as in all rivalry games, the record doesn’t mean much when toe meets leather.

The players certainly don’t need anyone to tell them they can’t win. Just ask Michigan State defensive end Trevor Anderson.

“Before the game last year, Coach D [Mark Dantonio] told us that if you haven’t played Michigan, within 30 seconds you’ll realize why we don’t like them,” Anderson said. “After about 15 seconds, I realized why I didn’t like them. Just the total lack of respect that they have for our school in general. Not just the program, but the general lack of respect they have for us.”

Now, I don’t have a problem with what Anderson said. After all, respect is earned, and when you’ve only won 29 of the 101 all-time meetings, you haven’t earned it.
So what does Michigan have to do to avoid losing back-to-back games to Michigan State for the first time since the 1966-67 season?

Here are five keys for Michigan:

1. Keep Tate Forcier Healthy

Forcier could be the most important player in this game for either team. The cool and confident freshman has played well beyond his years at times when it mattered most.

He’s had his freshman moments, but he out-dueled Notre Dame junior quarterback Jimmy Clausen in the final minutes and overcame a sprained shoulder to lead Michigan on not one, but two fourth-quarter comebacks last week against Indiana.

But how healthy is that shoulder? And what happens if he can’t go?

“I fully expect Forcier to be ready to go and do everything,” said head coach Rich Rodriguez on Wednesday.

Is that just hyperbole, or has Forcier’s shoulder significantly improved since this?

I think it’s safe to say Forcier will at least give it a go, but he better play smart. You can bet Michigan State defenders will have that shoulder in mind when given the opportunity to hit him. One hard hit or one bad fall and the reigns of the offense would be handed to Denard Robinson.

Robinson has shown incredible quickness and elusiveness in running for three touchdowns. He hasn’t, however, shown he can lead the offense for an entire game.

Against Indiana, Robinson pioneered a seven-play, 65-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter. The biggest play, a 36-yard pass to tight end Kevin Koger on 3rd-and-8, showed a glimpse of Robinson’s capabilities.

Yet, while I love Robinson as a change-of-pace quarterback to compliment Forcier, I’m not yet sold on his ability to quarterback an entire game yet.

So the biggest key to Michigan’s success is keeping Forcier in the game.

2. Score Early

As I mentioned in my piece on how Michigan beat Indiana, Michigan has shown a propensity for getting off to fast starts.

Michigan has scored 52 first quarter points through four games and given up just 20.

In three of the four games, Michigan scored on its first possession (two touchdowns and a field goal). In the fourth, against Notre Dame, Michigan scored a touchdown on its second possession, and followed it up with a kickoff return for a touchdown the next time it touched the ball.

A fast start is important in this game for two reasons:

First of all, to get the Michigan State crowd out of the game. This is Forcier’s first road test of his career, and while he’s done an admirable job of running the offense to this point, he hasn’t had to do it with a stadium full of rabid fans yelling at him.

Spartan Stadium will be electric on Saturday because for those in green and white, this is the biggest game of the season. This is the game that gets the blood boiling more than any other. Saturday is a chance to avenge a poor start and re-claim another piece bit of older brother’s birthright.

If Forcier can march down the field and score on the first possession or at least put up a couple of scores in the first quarter, it could mean a much quieter crowd than if he gets sacked a few times or knocked out of the game.

Which brings me to the second reason a fast start is critical: to build a lead in case Forcier isn’t able to play the entire game.

Michigan State leads the Big Ten in passing offense, and with three talented receivers in Blair White, Mark Dell, and B.J. Cunningham, it can put up points.

Michigan’s secondary, outside of junior Donovan Warren, has been suspect so far this season, giving up an average of 243.8 passing yards per game. Notre Dame, a comparable passing offense, torched the secondary for 336 yards and three touchdowns in Week Two.

I’m not confident that a Denard Robinson-led offense can keep up, especially if it doesn’t already have a lead.

Robinson has established he can run, but he hasn’t shown that he can make the big throw when needed, or lead the team down the field in the final minutes like Forcier can.

If Forcier gets knocked out of the game, whether by Michigan State or not, Robinson needs to have a lead and Michigan needs to be able to pound the running game and work the clock.

3. Get Solid Play from the Offensive Line

Last week, against Indiana, Michigan surrendered about 70 yards on poor snaps from guard-turned-center David Moosman. The fifth-year senior moved from right guard to center when David Molk broke his foot against Eastern Michigan.

One of those, early in the third quarter, took Michigan out of field goal range, forcing a punt. Fortunately, those mistakes didn’t cost Michigan a win against Indiana, but you can’t keep giving away points and expect to win.

The offensive line has given up just six sacks so far through four games, though it’s hard to compare sacks against a spread-option offense to those against a drop-back passing offense.

Still, the line has done a pretty good job of protecting Forcier, and has paved the way for the nation’s seventh-ranked rushing offense, averaging 240.3 yards per game.

Expect Michigan State to bring a lot of pressure to try to rattle Forcier and knock him out of the game. It’s up to the offensive line to give him time to throw and lanes to run through.

Michigan State features probably the top linebacker in the Big Ten, in Greg Jones. Jones was picked as the Big Ten Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, and has lived up to the hype, leading the conference in tackles (52) and tackles per game (13).

The line, as well as backs Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown will have to be ready to pick up the blitz of Jones and junior Eric Gordon. Look for some big plays by the slot receivers and tight end Kevin Koger to neutralize the pressure.

Prediction:

Michigan State will be ready to go and eager to atone for its early disappointment. Michigan might even make State feel disrespected less than 15 seconds into the game this time, although seconds have a way of standing still in East Lansing, so who really knows how long it will take?

All kidding aside, this should be a good old-fashioned shoot-out, just like Michigan’s games against Notre Dame and Indiana.

Prior to the season, I predicted Michigan would lose this one, but after seeing the two teams play the first four weeks of the season, it seems Michigan has the hot hand, while State is returning home with its tail between its legs.

Yet, the game is in East Lansing, after all…a place where Michigan is just 4-4 since 1993 (though Michigan has won the last three).

However, cold and rainy weather is expected in East Lansing on Saturday and that should favor Michigan’s running game.

I foresee Michigan reclaiming the Paul Bunyan Trophy by pulling out a close one. Minor and Brown combine for a pair of touchdowns and 150-175 yards, Koger and Junior Hemingway catch TD passes from Forcier, and Robinson runs for a score.

Michigan wins 35-31.

How Michigan Beat Indiana and What It Means Going Forward

Justin Potts — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:39:00 -0400

In the week leading up to the Indiana game, Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez said that he would like to get to the point where the team could play poorly and still win. On Saturday, he got his wish.

Michigan, at times, looked like last year’s Michigan team, not taking care of the ball, picking up penalties and failing to take advantage of opportunities.

In the end, however, Michigan was able to pull out a win in its first Big Ten conference battle of the season to keep its unbeaten record intact.

But how did Michigan pull out a win in a game in which it was out-gained by nearly 100 total yards, lost the turnover battle, and was held well below its per-game rushing average?

First of all, the play of Michigan’s special teams went a long way towards helping secure the win.

Zoltan Mesko showed why he began the season on everyone’s Ray Guy Award watch list. The senior punter booted seven punts for an average of 48.1 yards per punt (46.6 net average).

Four of Mesko’s punts sailed past 50 yards and two were downed inside the 20, including one that pinned Indiana at its own two-yard line early in the third quarter.

In comparison, Indiana punter Chris Hagerup averaged just 37 yards per punt (36 net), or a difference of 10 yards per change of possession.

In addition to Mesko’s punts, sophomore receiver Darryl Stonum did an admirable job of returning kicks, constantly giving Michigan good field position to start drives.

Michigan’s average starting field position following kickoffs was its own 36-yard line. Conversely, Indiana’s was its own 27, a difference of nine yards.

That shouldn’t be overlooked, since many of Stonum’s returns were brought out of the end zone from a few yards deep. Had he taken a knee, Michigan would have had a much longer field to work with.

Secondly, Michigan’s defense stepped up in the second half, keeping Indiana out of the end zone except for an 85-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

This has become a trend so far this season, and I think it says a lot about the coaching staff’s ability to make halftime adjustments.

In Week 2, Notre Dame moved the ball at will in the first half, racking up 295 yards and 20 points. That included scoring drives of 10 plays, 69 yards (missed field goal); eight plays, 56 yards; seven plays, 76 yards; and seven plays 69 yards.

In the second half Notre Dame had just one long scoring drive (14 plays, 80 yards). The other touchdown came as a result of a short field, following an interception at the Michigan 36.

The next week, Eastern Michigan moved the ball pretty well in the first half. Scoring drives of eight plays, 49 yards and 11 plays, 79 yards allowed EMU to hang with Michigan at the half.

In the second half, Michigan’s defense stiffened, allowing just one long drive (15 plays, 55 yards), which Michigan stopped on downs at its five-yard line.

This past week, against Indiana, Michigan allowed 270 yards and 23 points in the first half. In the second, Indiana still gained 224 yards, but 85 came on one long touchdown run. The main thing is that Michigan kept Indiana out of the end zone, with the exception of that one run.

The Hoosiers had a drive of 12 plays, 72 yards that resulted in a field goal and a drive of 11 plays, 52 yards resulting in a missed field goal. Other than that, Michigan forced two three-and-outs and picked off a pass to seal the game.

In the past three games, it seems that Michigan’s defense hasn’t been able to stop anybody in the first half but has been able to make the necessary adjustments at halftime.

After the Eastern Michigan game, Donovan Warren and Ryan Van Bergen both mentioned that opponents have shown some looks that they hadn’t seen on film, which explains why Michigan has had some trouble getting stops in the first half.

Once the coaches have time to regroup at halftime, they are able to make the necessary adjustments to make the difference in the second half.

Finally, the offense has shown a propensity for fast starts and clutch play down the stretch.

In all four games so far, Michigan has scored at least 10 points in the first quarter. In three of the four, Michigan scored on its first possession (two touchdowns and a field goal).

In the only game in which Michigan didn’t, against Notre Dame, it scored on its second possession and returned a kickoff for a touchdown the next time it got the ball.

Fast starts have allowed Michigan to stay in the game until halftime when the coaches can make their defensive adjustments.

In the second half, while Michigan’s defense has been able to slow down opposing offenses, its own offense has started slowly, but made big plays when it needed to.

Against Notre Dame, Michigan trailed 20-17 at halftime. The defense shut down Notre Dame in the third quarter, while the offense took a 31-20 lead.

In the fourth quarter, Notre Dame’s potent offense battled back to pull ahead 34-31. But then freshman quarterback Tate Forcier led the offense down the field on a nine play, 57-yard touchdown drive to seal the win.

The next week, against Eastern Michigan, Michigan led 24-17 at halftime. In the second half, the defense shut down Eastern while the offense got off to a slow start with two punts. Then, Michigan scored on three of its next four possessions to pull away.

Against Indiana, the offense came through in the clutch once again, using fourth quarter touchdown drives of 13 plays, 75 yards and eight plays, 52 yards to out-gun the Hoosiers.

Two game-winning drives in final minutes in four games. Can Michigan keep it up?

Following Sunday’s Jets-Titans game, Vic Carucci of NFL.com asked Jets safety Kerry Rhodes if he thought the Jets’ style of play was sustainable. Rhodes replied that he thought it was because having such a good defense allows rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez to make some mistakes.

Unfortunately, that won’t exactly translate to Michigan. While I think Michigan’s offense is further along in its development than Sanchez’s Jets offense, relatively speaking, Michigan hasn’t faced its toughest opponents yet.

Notre Dame had one of the best offenses Michigan will face all season, but its defense ranks 94th in total defense through four games.

Forcier has won the hearts of Michigan fans across the country with his poise and game-winning drives, but he is also starting to show his true freshman side. He threw an interception against Indiana that never should have been thrown.

He also suffered a shoulder sprain against Indiana. Rodriguez said Forcier will be ready to go this weekend, but he could be one hard hit or one bad fall away from wearing street clothes on the sidelines.

I’m not trying to be a downer, but I do think expectations should be tempered. As great as it is to have a 4-0 record and be ranked No. 22 in the nation, we have to realize that the meat of the schedule starts now.

This week is the first road test for the young guns, and Michigan State will be hungry to avenge its disappointing 1-3 start.

If Forcier’s shoulder can’t hold up, and you can bet Michigan State defenders will be gunning for him, Denard Robinson will find himself in sole possession of the offense.

Robinson has played well in limited time, but hasn’t truly been in control of the offense yet this season. He led the team down the field on a touchdown drive against Indiana, but most of what he’s been asked to do is run the ball.

Don’t get me wrong, his quickness and elusiveness is fun to watch and tough to stop, but can it sustain the offense for an entire game?

Should Michigan get by Michigan State, it faces what could be its biggest test of the season when it travels to Iowa City for a prime-time battle with Iowa. The Hawkeyes entered the AP Top 25 at No. 13 this week after upsetting No. 4 Penn State on Saturday.

Delaware State the following week will be the final breather before Michigan finishes with No. 15 Penn State, at Illinois, home against Purdue, at 4-0 Wisconsin, and then back home to battle No. 9 Ohio State.

The road only gets tougher from here and in the coming weeks, we’re going to get a good look at how far along this team really is.

Nevertheless, Michigan stands at 4-0 (1-0 in the Big Ten) and is well on its way to getting back to national prominence.

Wolverine Overtime: Michigan Rises and Strikes Down Notre Dame

Justin Potts — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 02:01:24 -0400

The echoes woke up on Saturday in the Big House, but instead of Rockne, Gipp or Parseghian, the echoes resounded from Weis and much of the Notre Dame fan base.

In the aftermath of Michigan’s 38-34 win over Notre Dame, Charlie Weis refused to take the blame, instead choosing to join the chorus of his fan base in pinning the blame on the officials.

And even as a Michigan fan as thrilled with the win as anybody, I can honestly say I feel for them—at least partially.

The main quip with the officials was the reversal of Armando Allen’s touchdown catch-and-run with 2:22 left in the first quarter.

On that play, junior quarterback Jimmy Clausen threw a perfectly timed screen to Allen who raced 41 yards to the end zone to tie the game at seven. However, officials reviewed the play and ruled that Allen touched the sideline at the 22-yard line.

I must say that if I were a “Domer” I would be pretty mad about that one. I think we should all admit that from the angles we saw on TV, it was just too close to tell whether Allen touched the line or not.

When I saw the replays, my maize and blue colored lenses told me the edge of his foot touched the line for sure. But those with Irish eyes saw it the other way. [Editor's note: this video from WNDU appears to show Allen's heel touching the line.]

I think it was one of those plays in which the call on the field should have stood, whichever way it was called. If the side judge had ruled him out of bounds, I think it should have stood. But he didn’t, and I feel thankful that it was overturned.

Credit here goes to Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez who, after seeing the replay on the Michigan Stadium big screen, called time out to give the officials time to review the play.

“I thought taking the timeout would give them more time to review, and I still have my challenge,” Rodriguez said. “You don’t want to burn a timeout unnecessarily in the second half. The first half doesn’t bother me as much to take the time out to give them a chance to review. That’s what I did. I said, I’m not going to challenge it, but this gives them enough time to see what I see on the screen up there.

“They said, yes, Coach, they are reviewing it. And they said you still have the timeout. I said that’s fine, as long as it gets called right.”

Whether it was called right or not is anybody’s guess, but it’s hard to tell how it would have affected the outcome of the game.

Notre Dame ended up with a field goal on that drive. The four-point difference between the would-be touchdown and the field goal was the difference in the final score, but it’s impossible to predict how the game would have played out had the score been 7-7 instead of 7-3 after that drive.

Nevertheless, Michigan receiver Darryl Stonum returned the ensuing kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown, sending Michigan’s defense right back onto the field.

Another situation that had Weis fired up was the way the game ended (or didn't end, according to Weis).

Michigan kicked off with 11 seconds remaining. The squib kick seemed as if it bounced by Notre Dame return-man Theo Riddick and through the back of the end zone.

The game clock initially ticked down to 10 seconds, prompting questioning from Clausen. The officials got together and ruled that Riddick did, in fact, touch the ball, which replays clearly confirmed. The clock was then set to nine seconds.

Clausen then completed a pass across the middle to Golden Tate. Tate caught the ball at the 40-yard line near the left hash mark with five seconds remaining and was tackled at the 47-yard line near the right sideline.

The clock hit zero, the officials signaled the end of the game and Michigan players and coaches engulfed the field.

Weis kept his team on the sidelines as he pleaded with the officials to put a second back on the clock. But they were long gone and the final score stood.

“First it went from 11 to 10,” Weis said of the clock. “Then I complained and it went to nine. It went from 11 to 10 to 11 to nine. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. Maybe we’d have one more second, throw a Hail Mary.

"Their answer to me was they thought that Theo [Riddick] tipped the ball in the field of play on the kick, which would then start the clock. If he did, which I couldn’t really tell whether he did or he didn’t, so I’m going to take their word for it that that happened.”

The one thing Weis may have a right to be mad about is that the officials didn’t look to see if any time remained after Tate was tackled near the sideline.

The replay (at the 3:25 mark) seems to show one second still on the clock when the ball hits out of bounds.

Had the officials gotten together and looked at the replay, they may have put a second back on. However, it likely wouldn’t have mattered, because Tate was tackled in bounds and the clock would start when the ball is set.

It’s doubtful that Clausen could have gotten another snap off.

Even so, as a Michigan fan, I know what it’s like to feel cheated over one second. Yet, as mad as I was about that ending, it was hard to point the finger because Michigan never should have put itself in that position.

In that game, Michigan State faced 4th-and-16 with 1:25 to play. Quarterback Jeff Smoker’s pass fell incomplete, but a face-mask penalty on Michigan defensive back Jeremy LeSueur gave the Spartans a first down.

On a following play, Michigan was penalized for too many men on the field, moving Michigan State even closer to the end zone.

Had Michigan not hurt itself, that final second wouldn’t have mattered.

Likewise, had Weis run the ball, forcing Michigan to burn its remaining time outs, or had he chosen to throw a short, high-percentage pass on 2nd-and-10, rather than a deep ball towards Michigan’s best defensive back, he wouldn’t have even needed that last second.

Notre Dame fans: I understand your pain and I empathize with you. You do have a right to be mad. But it’s football and things don’t always go your way.

If Notre Dame would have won and the Allen play not been ruled out of bounds, Michigan fans would have had a right to gripe about that play.

Notre Dame will win a lot of games this year and next year, and they’re a fun team to watch with the great play makers they have at receiver.

I’ll be rooting for you to knock off Michigan State next week and USC next month.

This week, however, I’ll bask in the glory of out-scoring Touchdown Jesus.

In sports, just as in life, it’s not always fair.

Quote of the Day

“Everybody kept saying, ‘A freshman can’t do it.' And I did it. I’m happy.

“I’ve been like that my whole life. Ever since I was a little kid, I never got nervous. It showed today. I didn’t get nervous. Our guys kept saying, ‘We can do this. We can do this.’ I believed in them, and we did it.”

-UM freshman quarterback Tate Forcier after beating Notre Dame in just his second college game. Forcier completed 23 of 33 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 70 yards and a touchdown, out-staging Notre Dame junior quarterback Jimmy Clausen.

Quote of the Day II

“They will win a lot of games. The quarterback’s an NFL guy. They have two of the best wide receivers I’ve seen in years, and their running back’s a big-time player.

“And geez, did you see the size of the linemen? They could eat peanuts off our guys’ heads, for crying out loud. That’s a good-looking team. But thankfully, our guys made one more play than they did and we won.”

-UM head coach Rich Rodriguez on Notre Dame. Michigan had a hard time stopping Notre Dame’s offense all day, especially receivers Michael Floyd and Golden Tate.

Quote of the Day III

“I’ll hand over my job after today’s performance.”

-UM senior punter Zoltan Mesko after averaging only 32.5 yards per punt, well below his career average of 42 yards.

Meanwhile, quarterback Tate Forcier booted a 50-yard pooch punt that was downed at the four-yard line.

Stat of the Day

72.

The combined points between the two teams were the most points scored in the history of the rivalry. The previous high was 68 points in 2006.

It was also the fifth time Michigan has scored 30-plus points against Notre Dame. Michigan has won all five.

Stat of the Day II

The 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by sophomore wide receiver Darryl Stonum was the first since Steve Breaston took one back 95 yards against Minnesota on Oct. 18, 2005.

It was only the second since 1994, when Seth Smith returned a kick 100 yards against Wisconsin, and only the 10th in Michigan history.

Hard to believe it’s only happened 10 times in 1,205 games, given all the athletes Michigan has had over the years. That’s one per 120.5 games, or basically one per decade.

Three Go Blue Stars of the Game

1. Tate Forcier.
I started to say the numbers speak for themselves, but they don’t. Forcier did everything Michigan needed him to on Saturday, and more. The freshman refused to be rattled in his first career rivalry game, showing the poise and moxie of a veteran quarterback in leading Michigan on a game-winning drive.

Most of Clausen’s yards came from dropping back and throwing deep to Floyd and Tate. Forcier, on the other hand, made plays happen all day, from juking ND linebacker Darius Fleming and sprinting 31 yards to a touchdown to eluding the pass rush and delivering perfect throws on the run.

2. Darryl Stonum
Stonum's kickoff return for a touchdown put Michigan ahead 14-3 early.

Stonum also caught four passes for 54 yards and hustled down the field on Forcier’s punt to down the ball on the Notre Dame four-yard line.

3. Greg Mathews
The senior wide receiver has been a steady sure-handed receiver the past couple of years. Though he doesn’t quite have the breakout speed, he managed to make a great 40-yard reception on third-and-12 in the first quarter.

The biggest play of the day, however, came on the last play of the game, when Mathews caught a four-yard touchdown pass from Forcier.

“It was a slant-and-out,” Mathews said of the game-winning play. “I saw him sitting inside, so I knew we had a chance. I just had to sell the slant as well as I could. Tate was getting pressure. He made a wonderful throw, and I just had to do everything I could to catch the ball.”

Mathews finished the game with five catches for 68 yards and a touchdown.

Five Go Blue Observations

1. The “maize-out” at the Big House looked great on TV, especially the block “M” in the student section. I haven’t been to a game yet this season, but it sure looks like the atmosphere and electricity in the Big House is a lot higher than past seasons.

Maybe I’m just disillusioned after what happened last season, but I think it’s more of a bi-product of Rich Rodriguez and the excitement he is bringing to Michigan football. I believe the fan base has bought into the “All-in for Michigan” mantra and it definitely shows on TV.

I can’t wait to get to another game.

2. I have to mention the difference that Brandon Minor made today. I wanted to put him in my “Three Stars” section, but snuck Mathews in because he made two great plays.

Minor, I think, really made a big difference in this game with his running in the third quarter. He finished with 16 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown. 80 of those yards came in the second half, helping Michigan take control of the clock and keep Notre Dame’s dynamic offense off the field.

But it’s not just rushing that Minor does well. He excels in pass blocking and is a big reason Forcier stays upright.

“Brandon brings so much because he’s so physical,” said UM offensive coordinator Calvin Magee. “He gave us so much protection on those passes, and then he ran hard. The guys follow Brandon because he’s a senior, and he runs hard and he’s physical.”

Minor will be a huge key to Michigan’s success this season if he stays healthy.

3. Credit Martavious Odoms for a big play for the second straight week. He doesn’t get as many looks this season as he did last season, because he’s not the only play maker Michigan has, but he’s still making a difference.

On Michigan’s game-winning drive, Odoms made a huge catch for a first down. On third-and-four at the Notre Dame 36, Odoms secured a low pass from Forcier to pick up the first down and keep the drive alive.

4. I feel like we have to get Denard Robinson on the field more often. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying there’s something wrong with our offense. It has been great, averaging 34.5 points per game so far.

But Robinson is such a good athlete, I could see him being a Percy Harvin type player. I know Rich Rodriguez says Robinson is staying at quarterback, which is smart this season at least, in case anything happens to Forcier. But I can’t help but think of how explosive he could be lined up in the backfield, in the slot, returning punts, etc.

I know the coaching staff knows what they’re doing, so I’m certainly not questioning them.

5. Michael Floyd and Golden Tate remind me of Braylon Edwards. I think they make Clausen better than he actually is, just like Edwards helped make a true freshman Chad Henne look great in 2004. Just throw the ball up and they’ll go get it.

Five Non-Go Blue Observations

1. I can’t believe Michigan State lost to Central Michigan. I know Central has a good quarterback in Dan LeFevour, but wow. That gives me some hope that Michigan can go into East Lansing and pull out a road win.

2. I was really impressed with Ohio State’s defense against USC. The USC offensive line is supposed to be one of the top lines in the nation and OSU’s defensive line shredded them most of the game.

I am, however, interested in seeing how Ohio State responds this week against Toledo.

It’s not exactly a home game—in Cleveland Browns Stadium—and Toledo’s offense has looked great in its first two games. Granted, those two games were against Purdue and Colorado, and Toledo’s defense has given up a lot of points, but Ohio State better watch out in this one.

3. I’m looking forward to the Florida-Tennessee matchup this weekend. It’s in Gainesville, so I don’t think it will be much of a game, but it should be pretty chippy.

We all know the verbiage going back and forth between first-year UT head coach Lane Kiffin and some of the Florida players in the past few months, so it will be a fun game to watch.

4. Houston pulled off the latest upset of the week, beating No. 5 Oklahoma State 45-35. I still think OSU’s Dez Bryant is the best receiver in the nation.

5. I’m also looking forward to Texas-Texas Tech this weekend. I really like Colt McCoy and hope he wins the Heisman this year, but Tech features a QB that shares my namesake, Potts (not related).

He’s been impressive so far, averaging over 400 yards and five touchdowns per game.

Go Blue!

Creature Vs. Creature: Enemies Team Up To Break Down Michigan-Notre Dame

Justin Potts — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:28:18 -0400

In anticipation of Saturday's matchup of the nation's two winningest programs, Notre Dame writer Marc Halsted, and Michigan writer Justin Potts face off. Each presents his case for which team has the edge in each position battle and who will win the game.

Notre Dame pass offense vs. Michigan pass defense

Marc: The word on the street Monday was Mrs. Clausen overthrew son Rick in the fourth quarter of the family flag football game late Sunday afternoon. She was immediately pulled off to the field, reminded that Clausens don’t throw incomplete passes, and sent over to Ron Powlus to work on her mechanics.

Jimmy Clausen won’t miss much this coming Saturday. Michael Floyd is a big-time playmaker and Kyle Rudolph may be the most athletic tight end Michigan sees all season. Add in Golden Tate—a man who could outrun Desmond Howard wearing flip-flops and bloomers—and you have a frightening day for a Wolverine defensive backfield that gave up 263 yards to Western Michigan.

Justin: Led by junior quarterback Jimmy Clausen, and receivers Golden Tate and Michael Floyd, Notre Dame has the talent to put up a lot of points.

However, Clausen’s numbers last season fell off considerably in the six losses. In those games, he completed just 57 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He was also sacked 15 times. In seven wins, he completed 65.5 percent for 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions, while being sacked only six times.

Michigan has one of the best defensive ends in the Big Ten in senior Brandon Graham. Last season, Graham ranked second in the nation in tackles for loss (20), and seventh in sacks (10).

If Graham, Mike Martin and Ryan Van Bergen can pressure Clausen, it could be a long day for Notre Dame.

If Clausen has time to step up and throw, he can pick apart Michigan’s razor-thin secondary. Notre Dame has the advantage in this match-up because of Clausen's experience and the wealth of talent at his disposal.

Notre Dame rush offense vs. Michigan rush defense

Marc: The Irish didn’t need to run when they had so many opportunities to throw against the vacant Nevada pass defense on opening day. The diversity of the ND offense will overwhelm the Wolverines, especially with Robert Hughes providing a new legitimate option at fullback on Saturday. Armando Allen hits it big for a 100-yard day and the human wrecking-ball on speed named Jonas Gray introduces himself to a national audience.

Justin: Last season, Notre Dame had one 100-yard rushing game, when Armando Allen rushed for 136 yards against Purdue. The Irish averaged just 135.7 yards per game on the ground, and a paltry 3.3 yards per carry.

The running game seems to be improved this season, lining up behind an experienced offensive line. In last week’s opener against Nevada, Allen averaged 4.8 yards per carry, running for 72 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.

Defensively, Michigan features a strong rush defense that allowed just 38 yards on 24 carries in last week’s 31-7 win over Western Michigan.

Sophomore nose tackle Mike Martin is a force in the middle, while junior linebackers Obi Ezeh and Jonas Mouton stop the run effectively, giving Michigan the advantage.

Michigan pass offense vs. Notre Dame pass defense

Marc: Kyle McCarthy hasn’t missed a tackle since his Pop Warner days in Youngstown. Harrison Smith starts hitting in the breakfast line and doesn’t stop until dinner. Sergio Brown hasn’t yet seen a Jon Tenuta blitz he didn’t like.

Junior Hemingway, Martavious Odoms, and Greg Mathews might want to pray that Darrin Walls or Robert Blanton interferes or intercepts. According to Kyle and Harrison, if the catch is made there will be hell to pay.

Justin: True freshman Tate Forcier stood out last week in his first college game, throwing for 179 yards and three touchdowns en route to 31-7 Michigan win.

His main target, junior receiver Junior Hemingway, caught five passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns, providing a glimpse of what Michigan fans have been waiting for since injuries forced him to take a medical redshirt last season.

Senior Greg Mathews gives Forcier a solid possession receiver, while sophomores Kelvin Grady and Martavious Odoms provide speedy weapons in the slot and tight end Kevin Koger hauls in anything thrown his way.

Notre Dame has a solid secondary in corners Robert Blanton and Raeshon McNeil, and safety Kyle McCarthy. The unit combined to intercept a pair of passes last week against Nevada.

Though the defense didn’t record a sack last week, it has the talent to wreak havoc on a young Forcier in his first true test, giving Notre Dame a slight advantage in this one.

Michigan rush offense vs. Notre Dame rush defense

Marc: Vai Taua gashed the ND run defense as Nevada racked up an impressive 117 yards and a 6.3 yards-per-rush average. Notre Dame must respect Carlos Brown, Denard Robinson, and the returning Brandon Minor.

If Ethan Johnson, Ian Williams, and Kapron Lewis-Moore start living up to their over-sized potential, it could be a long day for the Michigan run game. That’s a big “if,” though, and I’m losing sleep over it.

Justin: Michigan features one of the top rushing combinations in the Big Ten and will have senior Brandon Minor back in action this week. Minor sat out last week with an injured ankle, mostly to stay healthy for this week and the rest of the season.

In Minor’s absence, senior Carlos Brown stepped up, averaging 5.4 yards per carry on just 10 carries.

Senior Kevin Grady serves as a bruising goal-line back, while sophomore Michael Shaw and freshman Vincent Smith add some nice change-of-pace options.

The x-factor is the running of the quarterbacks. Freshman Denard Robinson led the team in rushing last week with 74 yards on 11 carries, including a highlight-reel 43-yard touchdown run on his first snap. Will that be able to carry over this week?

Notre Dame allowed 5.3 yards per carry last week against Nevada, and struggled against the run last season as well.

With all the talent Michigan has in the backfield it should win this matchup, using the running game to chew the clock and keep the Notre Dame offense off the field as much as possible.

Michigan vs. Notre Dame special teams

Marc: There’s no lost sleep here. We have Mike Anello and you don’t. Anello was a one-man Wolverine killer in ‘08. It’s time for another breakout game by the diminutive one. He’ll have five special teams tackles, draw three penalties, and force a big fourth-quarter fumble. Good luck stopping Rudy 2.0.

Justin: Both teams feature strong senior punters that averaged over 41 yards per punt last season, and first-year kickers.

For Notre Dame, Eric Maust averaged 41.1 yards per punt—landing 16 inside the 20-yard line—while true freshman kicker Nick Tausch converted five-of-five extra points last week. He has yet to attempt a field goal.

For Michigan, Zoltan Mesko ranked first in the Big Ten with 42.95 yards per punt last season, pinning 24 inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, while senior Jason Olesnavage converted his first career field goal attempt last week with a 44-yarder.

In last season's game, Michigan’s return-men fumbled three times, allowing Notre Dame to pull away early. This season, securing the ball is a priority. Senior Greg Mathews handles the punt return duties, while sophomores Boubacar Cissoko and Martavious Odoms return the kicks.

Freshman running back Theo Riddick handles the kick return duties and sophomore wide receiver John Goodman the punt returns for the Irish. Both have the speed to take it all the way.

I see these two units virtually even, and whichever unit makes the big play could win the game.

Michigan coaching vs. Notre Dame coaching

Marc: Advantage: Notre Dame. I like my head coach to have a handful of Super Bowl rings. I like my head coach with a genuine Jersey attitude and a finely tuned ear for Bon Jovi and the Boss. I like my coach to have a great offensive mind. Most importantly, I like my coach to have the players in place to make that offense work.

Justin: Rich Rodriguez has faced a lot of scrutiny in the past 18 months since taking over from Lloyd Carr. His spread-option offense struggled to take hold last season, but now he has Forcier and Robinson to run the offense and more talent at the skills positions.

Rodriguez didn’t show much in last week’s opener, preferring to let Robinson and junior quarterback Nick Sheridan get some work in the second half. The playbook will be opened up this Saturday.

One thing not to overlook is Michigan’s new defensive coordinator, Greg Robinson. Robinson was head coach at Syracuse the past four seasons and beat Notre Dame last year. His experience and knowledge of the Notre Dame offense will allow him to formulate a game plan to attack Clausen.

Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis has also been on the hot seat the past couple years after following back-to-back BCS bowls with seasons of 3-9 and 7-6 records.

Weis, a former New England Patriots offensive coordinator, resumes the play-calling duties full-time this season, which should help with the cohesiveness on offense and the maturation of Clausen.

John Tenuta takes over as defensive coordinator after serving as linebackers coach last season. Tenuta is known for his blitz-happy schemes and figures to put plenty of pressure on Michigan’s young quarterbacks.

I don’t see either coaching staff having the advantage in this one.

Michigan will win if…

Marc: the wrong Jimmy shows up. If the Syracuse/North Carolina/Boston College Jimmy shows up, my television may not survive the afternoon. If the Hawaii/Nevada/All-WAC Jimmy shows up, my neighbors will hear the Notre Dame fight song until the wee hours of Sunday morning.

Justin: it is able to put constant pressure on Clausen and take care of the ball on offense. When given time, Clausen is a top-rate quarterback. When pressured, he makes mistakes.

If the defensive line can push into the backfield and allow the linebackers to help out in short coverage, Michigan’s safeties can help out over the top. That will go a long way toward preventing the big play and securing a Michigan win.

Additionally, Michigan must take care of the ball. Turnovers killed Michigan last season, especially against Notre Dame. The offense has to sustain drives without giving Clausen the ball with a short field.

Notre Dame will win if…

Marc: the defense plays ups to its physical potential. The offense is starting to look like a dependable force in college football, but mad scientist Jon Tenuta must point his defensive concoction in the right direction. If Ethan Johnson and Darius Fleming apply the pressure, and Darrin Walls, Robert Blanton, and Raeshon McNeil blanket the UM receivers like they should, it will be a decisive Irish victory and a twenty-point spread.

Justin: its offensive line protects Clausen. It’s as simple as that. If the line can keep Graham, Martin and Van Bergen from getting to Clausen, he will put up monster numbers. Michigan has talent in the secondary, but not the depth to cover all of Notre Dame’s weapons without help from the line.

Prediction:

Marc: Manti Teo gets angry, Brian Smith goes loco. By 6:30 p.m. Tate Forcier re-enrolls at his old high school, Denard Robinson fakes a hammy and begs for a medical redshirt, and Nick Sheridan texts Steven Threet to see if he needs a roommate at Arizona State.

35-17.

Jimmy tops 300 yards, Golden steals the spotlight from Big Mike for the afternoon, and the Irish run game looks formidable, deep, and outrageously talented.

It all finally comes together for Coach Weis. Its all finally starts to fall apart for Coach Rodriguez.

Justin: At first glance, Notre Dame would seem to be the clear favorite, with an experienced quarterback and loads of talent to throw to.

However, Clausen struggles away from home. In five road games last season, he threw for just four touchdowns and 11 interceptions (compared to 16 touchdowns and six interceptions at home).

Michigan will provide enough pressure to keep Clausen off-balance. The secondary will prevent the big play, keeping the safeties back and forcing a lot of short passes.

Offensively, Michigan will pound the ball with Minor, Brown and Shaw, while using a lot of screens and roll-outs to mostly negate the blitz-happy defense of Tenuta.

This one will come down to the wire, and Michigan will win, 27-24.

Jimmy Clausen vs. Tate Forcier: A Tale of Two Quarterbacks in One Big Game

Justin Potts — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 21:55:38 -0400

When Michigan and Notre Dame square off on Saturday, a lot of focus will be on the quarterbacks.

For Notre Dame, junior Jimmy Clausen is the man. With two seasons already under his belt, Clausen is fresh off a four-touchdown performance in the season opener against Nevada.

For Michigan, freshman Tate Forcier gets the nod for the second time in as many games in a maize and blue uniform. Forcier, who threw three touchdowns in his first game last week against Western Michigan, will share time with fellow freshman Denard Robinson.

Clausen has played in this rivalry twice already, having won once and lost once. Forcier will get his first taste of a rivalry game, and perhaps one of the biggest keys for a Michigan win is how Forcier will respond.

Both Clausen and Forcier come from quarterback families from California, but which is better? Let's compare.

Jimmy Clausen		Tate Forcier
Notre Dame	Team	Michigan
James Richard Clausen	Full Name	Robert Patrick Forcier
Sept. 21, 1987	Birth date	Aug. 7, 1990
Thousand Oaks, Calif.	Birthplace	San Diego, Calif.
Oaks Christian	High School	Scripps Ranch
6-3	Height	6-1
223	Weight	188
42-0	High School Record	20-14
146	High School TDs	61 (+24 rush)
10,677	High School Pass Yds.	7,448
2006 Hall Trophy, USA Today Offensive Player of the Year, Parade Magazine Co-Offensive Player of the Year	High School Honors	Nation's Most Accurate QB (Rivals)
Casey (QB, Tennessee) and Rick (QB, Tennessee)	Brothers	Jason (QB, Michigan & Stanford) and Chris (QB, UCLA & Furman)
Touted as "The Kid With the Golden Arm" by Sports Illustrated	Pre-college claim to fame	Led Pop Warner team to win in Pop Warner Super Bowl
Steve Clarkson	Personal Coach	Marv Marinovich
#1 overall in 2007 class	High School Ranking	#5 dual-threat QB in 2009 class (Rivals)
Joe Namath	NFL comparison	Jeff Garcia
April 22, 2006 at a press conference at the College Football Hall of Fame. Arrived by stretch Hummer limo, flashing multiple high school championship rings.	Committed	Aug. 21, 2008 by walking into Rich Rodriguez's office and telling him face-to-face.
Jan. 2007	Enrolled	Jan. 2009
Sociology	Major	Kinesiology
Sept. 8, 2007 (Second game of season)	First Start	Sept. 5, 2009 (Opening day)
17-32 for 144 yds., 0 TDs, 1 INT vs. Penn State	First Start Stats	13-20 for 179 yds., 3 TDs, 0 INTs vs. Western Michigan
56.3% completions, 1,254 yds., 7 TDs, 6 INTs, 2 rushing TDs	First Season Stats	TBD
11-12	Collegiate Record	1-0
36	Career TDs	3
23	Career INTs	0
1-1	Record vs. ND/Mich.	0-0
Arm Strength	Criticism	Height
June 23, 2007 - citation for illegal transportation of alcohol	Incidents	None

Clausen was the more highly touted recruit and put up better stats in high school, though he struggled in his first two seasons at Notre Dame.

His commitment press conference and entrance to college showed a sense of entitlement, but by all accounts he has mellowed in the past couple of years.

Forcier has been groomed to be a quarterback since age four and, as the smallest of the three Forcier brothers, has had to work hard to achieve success.

His collegiate career has already gotten off to a better start than Clausen, and a win on Saturday would propel Forcier to heroic status in Ann Arbor.

To be fair, the two entered college under different circumstances.

Clausen followed Brady Quinn, who led Notre Dame to two straight BCS bowls and was a first-round selection in the 2007 NFL Draft. What resulted was a 3-9 season.

Forcier came to Ann Arbor hailed as the savior of the program, a year after a 3-9 season—one of the worst in school history.

This season, Notre Dame is expected to challenge for a return to the BCS and Clausen has plenty of receiving options in Golden Tate and Michael Floyd. A win on Saturday would put Notre Dame well on its way towards achieving that goal.

Michigan is still considered a year away from contending, with this season designed to build a foundation for years to come. Last Saturday was the first step in that process, and this Saturday is the next. A loss won't doom the season—as not much is expected by most—but a win would do wonders for the growth and maturation of this young team.

Clausen and Forcier have a lot in common, from their upbringing to their talent. This Saturday, the two will face off for the first time with a lot on the line. Only time will tell which quarterback will turn out better.

Wolverine Overtime: Forcier, Shoelace Propell Michigan Past Western

Justin Potts — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 00:42:36 -0400

One drive was all it took to signal the return of Michigan football. After the defense stopped Western Michigan in three plays to start the game, freshman quarterback Tate Forcier took the field and marched the offense 52 yards in seven plays for the first touchdown of the 2009 season.

Forcier showed poise and confidence, throwing for 179 yards and three touchdowns and rushing 11 times for 41 yards.

The first touchdown, a 28-yard pass to redshirt sophomore receiver Junior Hemingway, saw Forcier roll out to his left, point Hemingway towards the end zone with his left hand, and deliver a perfect throw to hit Hemingway in stride and lead him into the end zone.

Forcier also hit sophomore tight end Kevin Koger in the back of the end zone in the second quarter and floated a perfect deep ball to Hemingway for a 44-yard touchdown strike.

It wasn’t all about Forcier, however, as fellow freshman quarterback, Denard Robinson wasted no time showing off the speed that has garnered so much attention in the preseason.

In his first snap at quarterback, Robinson briefly fumbled the ball, picked it up, ran to his right, cut back to the left, and took off. Once he hit full stride, no one was going to catch him as Robinson glided into the end zone to put Michigan ahead 14-0.

And just like that, two freshmen gave Michigan fans reason to forget about last season’s 3-9 debacle that often featured a lack of play-making ability at quarterback.

Robinson led the team in rushing with 74 yards on 11 carries, while senior Carlos Brown, who started the game at running back in place of injured senior Brandon Minor, rushed 10 times for 54 yards.

Hemingway became Michigan’s first 100-yard man of the season, racking up 103 yards on five catches to go along with his two touchdowns.

The Michigan defense stepped up and held Western Michigan senior quarterback Tim Hiller in check all day, sacking him twice and picking off two passes.

Hiller finished the game with 259 yards passing, nearly all of which came in the second half when the game was already out of reach.

Quote of the Day

“It's unbelievable. I can't thank the fans enough for how they supported this football team. They always have. Thousands and thousands of fans lined up for the Victor's Walk. It sent chills down all of our young men's spines. They were in the game from the very start. We have a tremendous fans support, and we felt it all week.”

-UM head coach Rich Rodriguez on the fan support following last week’s Detroit Free Press allegations of NCAA violations.

Quote of the Day II

“On the second touchdown, he [Denard Robinson] fumbles the ball, picks it up, and makes a very athletic move. We have to look over and tip your hat to him, he did a great job. I think with the speed of the game, it's just different. You go into [Michigan Stadium] and there are 110,000 people there.

"There's a lot going on. We were ready to play, but the speed of the game was a little bit different. You tell these kids that, but until you see it, it's hard.”

-WMU Head Coach Bill Cubit. It’s great to hear an opposing coach talk about Michigan’s speed. For years, commentators have talked about Michigan’s lack of speed in comparison to teams from other conferences.

Stat of the Day

7.

Michigan didn’t lose a fumble for the first time in its last seven games. The last time Michigan went a game without losing a fumble was Oct. 11 last season against another Mid-American Conference team, Toledo.

Carlos Brown fumbled once, but Michigan recovered. Fumbles seemed to plague the team last season, so it was good to see the big blue take care of the ball today.

Stat of the Day II

Tate Forcier became the third true freshman in Michigan history to start the season opener. The other two, Rick Leach and Chad Henne, combined to win 74 games over their careers, an average of over nine wins per season.

Leach threw 48 touchdown passes in his career and finished third for the Heisman trophy following his senior year.

Henne threw for 87 touchdowns in his career and set Michigan records for career passing yards and touchdowns.

Suffice to say, Forcier is in good company.

Random Note of the Day

I went to my favorite local NYC bar, Bullpen, to watch the game with my wife because she's a Notre Dame fan, so we could watch both games. When I had the bartender turn on ESPN2, I was disappointed to see the Minnesota-Syracuse game going into overtime.

So instead of seeing the big blue run out of the tunnel and touch the banner, and instead of seeing the first kickoff of the season, I had to watch the end of Minnesota vs. Syracuse. I was pretty bitter about that. Thankfully, it lasted just one OT and ESPN2 switched over just in time to see Forcier's first touchdown pass. Crisis averted.

Five Go Blue Observations

1. It was great to see all the signs in support of Rich Rodriguez throughout the stadium. Nearly every time the TV cameras panned the crowd, you could see an “In Rod We Trust” sign. Many around the country were wondering how the Michigan fan base would respond to last week’s allegations, and I think the nation saw a unified Michigan family.

2. ESPN/ABC announcers Mike Patrick and Craig James didn’t mention the Free Press allegations much in the first half, but did talk about them a lot in the second half. James called it a “witch hunt” and both seemed to stick up for Michigan.

3. Is it just me, or does anyone else expect to see a Free Press headline demeaning Michigan’s win? I’m waiting for something along the lines of, “Michigan Exudes Too Much Sweat in Win; NCAA Should Investigate” or “Rodriguez Plays Too Many Freshmen; Current and Former Players Say It’s Not Fair.”

4. How good was Michigan’s tackling today? New defensive coordinator, Greg Robinson, made a focus on tackling a priority when he took over from Scott Shafer, and there was hardly a missed tackle all game. Last year, and even the past few years, it seems Michigan has forgotten the art of tackling, but not today.

5. I hardly saw Martavious Odoms the entire game, but he threw a great block on Denard Robinson’s touchdown run. He was lined up on the opposite side of the field, ran all the way across, and blocked a linebacker at the sideline to free up Robinson’s cut back. Great hustle for a kid that was one of the lone bright spots of last year’s team as a true freshman.

Five Non-Go Blue Observations

1. I think Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel almost cost the Buckeyes the game against Navy. Leading 29-14 with 6:30 remaining, Tressel elected to go for it on fourth-and-two from the Navy 15 yard line. A field goal would have put Navy three scores away. Instead, Ohio State didn’t convert and Navy connected on an 85-yard touchdown pass on the very next play to pull within a touchdown and two point conversion.

That’s the sort of thing that killed me with Lloyd Carr. He never seemed to put the other team away. I don’t advocate running up the score, but at least finish the game.

2. I feel bad for Greg Paulus. In his college football debut at Syracuse, Paulus threw for 167 yards, but made a huge mistake on the first possession of overtime, throwing an interception in the end zone. Minnesota then won with a field goal. I’m not a Duke fan or a Syracuse fan, but I sort of feel bad for the guy.

3. Notre Dame looked great today, especially offensively. However, let’s not forget that Nevada’s defense ranked dead last in pass defense last season. That being said, Notre Dame is in for a great season and I’m looking forward to next weekend’s showdown.

4. Oklahoma becomes the first big upset of the season, and I can’t say I’m disappointed. I tend to lean more towards Texas in the Big 12, and thought they deserved to be in the National Championship game last year instead of Oklahoma. The season isn’t over for the Sooners, but this is some good college football justice.

5. Is Iowa really as bad as it played this week, or will it be as good as expected? I didn’t get to see the game, but saw the score updates, and couldn’t believe Northern Iowa was sticking around, and even had a chance to win at the end.

And it was in Kinnick Stadium, which is considered a tough place for opponents to win. But alas, Iowa won, and the Big Ten went 10-1 on opening weekend.

Michigan Vs. Western Michigan: A Prediction Of What's to Come

Justin Potts — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 14:28:10 -0400

Author's Note: I apologize for this preview being so late (posted an hour before kickoff). It's been a very busy week, but I wanted to make sure I got this in writing before the game. In future weeks, it will be posted in the middle of the week, and with more time and thought put into it.

Offense

The Western Michigan Broncos come to Ann Arbor with a live-armed senior quarterback, Tim Hiller, who threw for 3,725 yards last season with 36 touchdowns against only 10 interceptions.

Though most of that was against Mid-American Conference competition, Hiller threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns in last season’s opener at Nebraska.

Leading rusher, Brandon West, also returns from a 1,000-yard rushing season, behind a line that returns four starters. West passed Greg Jennings last season as the school’s all-time leader in all-purpose yardage.

Though Hiller lost his top two receivers, Jamarko Simmons and Schneider Julien, he still has an experienced one in Juan Nunez, who had over 700 yards receiving and seven touchdowns a year ago.

Michigan will start true freshman, Tate Forcier, at quarterback, but Rich Rodriguez plans to use junior Nick Sheridan and freshman Denard Robinson as well.

Forcier, the third and youngest brother in the family, comes to Michigan with a lot of hype and big expectations to lead Rodriguez’s offense back to prominence.

In the backfield, Michigan features a stable of talent, led by senior Brandon Minor. An ankle injury has slowed Minor this week, and reports out of Ann Arbor say he may not play. Regardless, fellow senior Carlos Brown gets the start against WMU.

Brown has been hampered by injuries for much of his career and only tallied 29 rushes for 122 yards last season.

Sophomore Michael Shaw and true freshman Vincent Smith also expect to see time in the backfield. Shaw showed promise last year as a freshman, rushing for 215 yards on 42 carries and scoring Michigan’s first touchdown of the season. Smith is fast and promises to provide a change-of-pace back for Michigan’s offense.

At receiver, Michigan has a wealth of young talent, led by sophomore Martavious Odoms, who led the team in receiving last season as a true freshman with 49 catches for 443 yards.

The outside receiver is Greg Mathews, a senior who needs to step up as the leader of the group. Not an explosive threat, Mathews should be a solid possession receiver.

Advantage

Michigan has a lot of promise, but Western Michigan has the experience. Western Michigan

Defense:

Defensively, the Broncos gave up 25 points per game last season, but only three starters return from that unit. Two of those returning, Justin Braska and Cody Cielenski, led the defensive line with a combined 10 sacks.

Linebacker Austin Pritchard, an All-MAC First Team selection last year, returns after racking up 10.5 tackles for loss a year ago.

Michigan’s defense gave up more points than any other in Michigan history, but fired defensive coordinator Scott Shafer in the off-season and brought in former Syracuse head coach Greg Robinson to lead the unit.

Robinson coordinated the Denver Broncos to two Super Bowls in the late ‘90s and the Texas Longhorns for the 2004 season.

He inherits a defense that is strong up front and young in the secondary. Senior defensive end Brandon Graham, a preseason All-Big Ten selection, and projected first round pick in the NFL Draft, is the leader, and currently ranks eighth in Michigan history in career sacks, with 19.

Sophomore nose tackle Mike Martin had a breakout season as a true freshman last year, recording 20 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.

In the middle, junior Obi Ezeh led Michigan in tackles each of the past two seasons and figures to be a standout linebacker this season.

Junior Donovan Warren leads a young but talented secondary. Warren has started 22 of 24 career games at cornerback. If an ankle injury that slowed Warren down last season can hold up, Michigan can expect big things from him.

Advantage

Though Michigan's defense was one of the worst in history last season, a lot has changed and this season should be much different. Western Michigan returns only three defensive starters, so Michigan gets the advantage.

Special Teams

Western Michigan returns both its kicker, John Potter, and punter, Ben Armer, though Potter was a freshman last season and Armer ranked 97th in the nation in net punting.

Running back Brandon West handles kickoff returns, and is the school’s career leader in returns and return yards.

Michigan returns senior punter Zoltan Mesko, a All-Big Ten first team selection last season. He ranks second in school history in career punts, punt yardage, and 42.0 punt average.

At kicker, senior Jason Olesnavage takes over with not a single field goal or PAT attempt recorded in his career.

Odoms will handle punt returning duties as he did last season. He had one return for a touchdown a year ago, but also struggled holding onto the ball.

Sophomore corner back Boubacar Cissoko will return kickoffs after showing some promise last season.

Advantage

Michigan should have an advantage when forced to punt, but lining up for field goals should be anyone's guess. WMU has the advantage on kickoff returns, so overall I say this is a push.

Intangibles

The Broncos have scored 20 or more points against seven of the last nine BCS opponents and look to hand Michigan its third straight season-opening loss.

Michigan has faced a lot of scrutiny in the past week amid allegations of possible NCAA violations. Will that be a distraction for the players, or will it force them to solidify as a group and come out hungry? My bet is the latter.

Advantage

Michigan

Prediction

Michigan will march down the field on its opening drive to take an early lead. The rest of the first half will be fairly slow, but the defensive front seven will pressure Hiller all day and keep Michigan in the game.

Michigan will slowly pull away in the second half with solid, safe game management from Forcier and will pile up over 200 yards on the ground.

Michigan 27 – Western Michigan 21

Rich Rodriguez Guilty of Much More: A Satirical Look at the Allegations

Justin Potts — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 02:07:41 -0400

Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez has been charged with yet another allegation, this time a much more serious one.

It appears that the death of Michael Jackson was not a result of a lethal mix of pills, but rather, a series of strenuous workouts during a recent stint in Ann Arbor.

In an effort to get back in shape for his 30-city tour, Jackson sought the help of Rodriguez and Michigan strength-and-conditioning coach Mike Barwis.

“I am never pleased with anything. I’m a perfectionist. It’s part of who I am,” Jackson was reported to have said according to a close friend who asked to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions.

Another anonymous source close to the situation told us that Jackson was forced to remain on the track and in the weight room for 12 hours per day, even causing him to miss voice practices and plastic surgery appointments.

It is unclear what the NCAA or the federal authorities will do to Rodriguez, but we suggest a full-out criminal investigation.

Due to the vast amount of wrongdoings by Rodriguez in the past 18 months, we are also looking into tips from anonymous sources alleging that Rodriguez was responsible for rigging the 2000 election of George W. Bush, paying Al-Qaeda to commit the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and causing the collapse of our economy.

Rodriguez is also said to be holding back President Obama’s healthcare bill, funding pirates off the coast of Somalia and setting fires in California in hopes of burning down the Rose Bowl, since he won’t be playing there anytime soon.

Even more, we suspect Rodriguez of inviting North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il to his house for a barbeque, in which Rodriguez informed Jong-Il of the three locations that would be most devastating to America if a nuclear attack were carried out.

One source, who preferred to remain anonymous, told us that those three targets are Columbus, Ohio, South Bend, Ind. and East Lansing, Mich.

We performed a spot check in East Lansing, home of Michigan State University, and head football coach Mark Dantonio informed us that he would “never give out information that harmed American interests to an evil, radical dictator.”

Come to think of it, we’re not sure if Dantonio was referring to Jong-Il or Rodriguez.

*In full disclosure, this article was meant to be completely satirical, and not to mislead anyone into thinking that these made-up allegations are true.

I completely support Rich Rodriguez as head coach of Michigan football and believe him when he says that he fully complies with the NCAA rules. I’m not condoning cheating. I’m just saying that I choose to believe Rodriguez over the writers of the article.

This article is not meant to poke fun at coach, but at the way that some in the media think they can use the power of the pen to attack a man with a slanted article and get away with it…that they can use their profession as a platform to push their personal agenda to attack someone else...that they can use anonymous sources that only paint the picture that they want painted...that they can take an honest quote from a couple of freshman players and twist them to fit the agenda they are pushing.

As many have pointed out recently, including ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit, the New Republic’s John Chait, the blog Genuinely Sarcastic, as well as several parents of current Michigan players, including Mike Forcier, Fred Roh, Mike Schofield, and Ron Stokes, the reporting on this story reeks of a “witch hunt” and unethical journalism.

The way I see it, the only things that Rodriguez may be guilty of are caring too much about his players, coming off as smug and arrogant to the media, and running a system that doesn't gel with what the previous coach left behind; none of which should be seen as bad things to Michigan alums, fans or parents.

Non-Michigan fans can dislike the guy all you want, but at least respect him.

So my message to Rich Rodriguez is this: you have a lot of us out here that support you and the work you’re putting in to bring Michigan football back to the top.

Things haven’t been easy, but know that you’re not in this alone. The Michigan faithful will show you that this Saturday when you run out of the tunnel shortly before 3:30 p.m.

It’s time to put this story to rest and go all-in for Rich Rodriguez and Michigan football.

A win over Western Michigan would be a great place to start. Go blue!

Season Preview: A Game-by-Game Breakdown Of Michigan's Schedule

Justin Potts — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 18:46:46 -0400

Year two of the Rich Rodriguez era at Michigan is just a week away. This is usually about the time of the year that I break out my "Maximum Meechigan" album to let Bob Ufer's legendary calls of Michigan games of the past fill my mind with visions of "cotton-pickin', maize-and-blue whirling dervishes" dancing in the end zone, as I prepare for yet another season of Michigan football.

It was Ufer who penned the poem, "Burying Woody Hayes" after the Wolverines' upset of No. 1 Ohio State 40 years ago. The poem goes like this:

"It was November 22, 1969

that they came to bury Michigan, all dressed in maize and blue;

The words were said, the prayers were read and everybody cried.

But when they closed the coffin, there was someone else inside.

Oh they came to bury Michigan, but Michigan wasn't dead.

And when the game was over, it was someone else instead.

Eleven Michigan Wolverines put on the gloves of grey,

and as the organ played The Victors, they laid Woody Hayes away."

I find this poem very similar to what we're going to see this season from our boys in maize and blue. I'm not saying I think Michigan is going to beat Ohio State, but I think this is going to be the theme of our season. Every opponent is going to circle us on their schedule as a game they can win. This year, as much as any other, Michigan looks beatable on paper.

Coming off a season that resulted in the most losses in school history, and pinning all hopes on a true freshman quarterback, this seems to be the window of opportunity before Rodriguez's system begins to take hold and terrorize the Big Ten.

However, I think we're going to see a very fast, well-conditioned and much-improved Michigan team playing with a chip on its shoulder to avoid being put to rest again.

Here’s a game-by-game breakdown of how I see the season playing out:

Sept. 5 – Western Michigan

The Western Michigan Broncos bring a high-powered offense to Ann Arbor, led by senior quarterback, Tim Heller. However, the Broncos’ defense returns just three starters from a year ago, which should be favorable for the initiation of Michigan’s freshmen quarterbacks, Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson.

Western Michigan will try to hand Michigan its third straight season-opening loss, but I think its inexperience on the defensive side will help Michigan’s offense gel.

Prediction: Win

Sept. 12 – Notre Dame

Notre Dame comes to Ann Arbor with an experienced quarterback, Jimmy Clausen, a talented group of receivers, Golden Tate and Michael Floyd, and a boatload of expectations.

Last season’s Hawaii Bowl blowout of Hawaii showed what this offense is capable of and the unit lost virtually nobody.

The defense should be solid, with a switch to the 4-3, and much more speed that last year to accommodate defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta’s blitz-happy style.

I think this game is a toss-up, since Michigan’s offense will have gained some confidence against Western Michigan. Since the game is in Ann Arbor, I think Michigan has the edge.

Prediction: Win

Sept. 19 – Eastern Michigan

Eastern Michigan returns experience at quarterback, Andy Schmitt, and at receiver, Jacory Stone and Tyler Jones, but the team finished 3-9 last season.

New head coach Ron English, a former Michigan defensive coordinator under Lloyd Carr, won’t be able to get the Eagles up to speed in his first season, and Michigan should handle this one pretty easily.

Prediction: Win

Sept. 26 – Indiana

Indiana returns a lot of starters from last season’s 3-9 team. However, those starters don’t bring a lot of stats with them. Quarterback Ben Chappell threw for 1,001 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions, while the leading returning rusher, Bryan Payton, rushed for just 339 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, the Hoosiers will be led by one of the best pass rushers in the Big Ten, senior defensive end Greg Middleton.

This team just won’t have the firepower to beat Michigan for the first time since 1967.

Prediction: Win

Oct. 3 – at Michigan State

Michigan State lost quarterback Brian Hoyer and running back Javon Ringer, but features an experienced defense with eight returning starters, led by junior linebacker Greg Jones.

The Spartans will have every opportunity to get its offense going with opening games against Montana State and Central Michigan, before traveling to Notre Dame and Wisconsin.

If the offense can perform at least above average, it could be a tough day for Michigan’s young quarterbacks in their first road test.

Prediction: Loss

Oct. 10 – at Iowa

Iowa was a big surprise last season, led by running back Shonn Greene, who is now with the New York Jets. The Hawkeyes return a solid quarterback, Ricky Stanzi, as well as a competent a running back Jewel Hampton, who scored seven touchdowns last season.

The defense should be Iowa’s strength, as the unit that ranked 12th in the nation last year returns all of its linebackers and secondary.

Playing a night game in Kinnick Stadium against a tough defense should be too much to overcome for a young Michigan offense.

Prediction: Loss

Oct. 17 – Delaware State

Delaware State returns its entire offensive line and receiving corps, but must replace its quarterback and running back.

Don’t expect an Appalachian State-style upset in this one.

Prediction: Win

Oct. 24 – Penn State

Penn State returns quarterback Daryll Clark, who threw for 2,592 yards, 16 touchdowns and just six interceptions last year. The offense also returns its top two runners, in Evan Royster and Stephfon Green. The key will be replacing receivers Deon Butler, Derrick Williams and Jordan Norwood, but the experience of Clark and the running backs should help ease that process.

The defense returns just four starters, non of which are in the secondary, but by the time the Nittany Lions visit Ann Arbor, the unit will have had plenty of time to get acclimated with an easy schedule.

Prediction: Loss

Oct. 31 – Illinois

Illinois will be lead by quarterback Juice Williams and the Big Ten’s best receiver, Arrelious Benn. The Illini lack a proven running back, though Williams led the team with 719 rushing yards a year ago.

Question marks abound on a defense that lost its top four players from a year ago. Linebacker Martez Wilson had a solid spring and will be the leader this year.

Michigan will bounce back from a loss to Penn State by playing its best game of the year and surprise the Illini on the road.

Prediction: Win

Nov. 7 – Purdue

Only four starters return on the Purdue offense, all offensive linemen. Quarterback Curtis Painter hands over the reigns to Joey Elliott, who has thrown just 49 passes in his career. Keith Smith is the leading receiver with 486 yards and two touchdowns last season, while Frank Halliburton is the top returning rusher with just 37 yards and two touchdowns.

Running back Jaycen Taylor should provide a spark, returning from a knee injury, but the offense won’t have the firepower it has lacked since the days of Drew Brees and Kyle Orton.

Defensively, the secondary was the best in the Big Ten last year, but the rush defense was the worst. Those numbers should even out a little bit, but the unit won’t fare much better.

Prediction: Win

Nov. 14 – at Wisconsin

Wisconsin figures to be much the same as last year’s team, with quarterback Dustin Sherer and tight end Garrett Graham returning to lead the offense. Star running back P.J. Hill is gone, but John Clay ran for 884 yards last season and takes over this year.

The defense should be average, with a strong secondary and an inexperienced front seven. If the line steps up to put pressure on the quarterback, this could be a good unit.

Michigan suffers a letdown in Madison as it looks ahead to Ohio State.

Prediction: Loss

Nov. 21 – Ohio State

Ohio State looks to take its fifth straight Big Ten title and is led by sophomore quarterback Terrelle Pryor. From all reports, his arm has improved, and combined with his quickness, he could be a scary player to defend.

The Buckeyes’ top receivers and running backs are gone, but a stable of new players look to fill in. Sophomore Daniel Herron is expected to break out.

The defense should be a very solid unit, headed by a strong front line in Thaddeus Gibson, Cameron Heyward and Doug Worthington. A pair of three-year starters fills the secondary.

If Pryor can stay healthy and be more consistent than he was last year. I think Michigan is still a year away from being able to beat the Buckeyes.

Prediction: Loss

Overall, I foresee Michigan wining the games it should win and losing the games it’s expected to lose, with a pair of surprising wins over Notre Dame and Illinois for a 7-5 record. The offense will be improved, but still young and a year away from making noise.

The defense will solidify under new defensive coordinator Greg Robinson and become a solid unit, headed by its front seven.

They will all come to bury Michigan while they are down, but when all is said and over, a winning record and a return to a bowl game will take a lot of heat off of Rich Rodriguez and provide great expectations heading into 2010.

*I will provide a more in-depth game preview and prediction in the middle of each week. These preseason predictions are subject to change in my weekly previews as the season goes on, depending on performance and injuries.

Next Men: Putting Perspective on the Michigan Wolverines' Reinvention

Justin Potts — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 02:36:35 -0400

It seems that the popular thing to do these days among college football fans is to rip on Rich Rodriguez and the recent struggles of the University of Michigan football program.

For the better part of 40 years, Michigan was a symbol of stability, consistency and excellence.

Since Bo Schembechler was hired in 1969, only three coaches have graced the Michigan sidelines prior to Rodriguez’ arrival last season.

Those three, Schembechler, Gary Moeller and Lloyd Carr, followed the same model of football—a punishing running game, an efficient passing game and a strong defense—to amass an overall winning percentage of 76.8, including 80.9 percent in the Big Ten conference. Throw in 21 Big Ten championships, 35 straight bowl games and a National Championship, and one can see why opposing fans are so quick to pile it on after one bad season.

Rodriguez came to Ann Arbor amidst a firestorm following Carr’s retirement in 2008 and Michigan fans and alumni were torn. Most had wanted former Wolverine offensive lineman and assistant coach, and current LSU head coach, Les Miles to replace Carr. Others wanted Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano or someone promoted from internally. A few wanted Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz. All of those candidates seemed to fit the mold of the previous 40 years.

Yet it was Rodriguez who landed in Ann Arbor, spurning his alma mater, West Virginia University, and bringing with him an offense as unfamiliar to Michigan football as staying home for the holidays.

Some of the Michigan fan base was skeptical of an outsider with a wacky offense inheriting its most coveted throne. “What about our tradition?” they asked. “He’s not a Michigan man,” they cried.

When five-star sophomore-to-be quarterback Ryan Mallett transferred to Arkansas and offensive lineman Justin Boren transferred to Ohio State citing an “erosion of family values,” the mob grew louder.

Then came the season. Losses to Utah, Toledo, Purdue and Northwestern, as well as all three rivals resulted in the worst season in 46 years. The first losing season since 1967. The most losses in school history. The end of the longest bowl streak in the nation.

Obviously Rodriguez was the wrong man for the job. His offense can’t hold up in the bruising Big Ten. He’ll be gone in two years. Michigan football is descending into obscurity.

I, however, do not believe the sky is falling. In fact, I’m actually excited about the direction of Michigan football.

Would I like to have avoided a losing season? Absolutely. Would I like to have gone to a 34th consecutive bowl game? You bet. Would I like to have beaten Notre Dame, Michigan State and Ohio State to a pulp? More than anything.

But, to paraphrase the Rolling Stones, you can’t always get what you want.

As much as football fans hate it, especially in these days of immediate gratification, sometimes success requires perseverance through tough times.

With all the success that the Michigan football program has enjoyed in its storied history, it has had a proud tradition of leading the way on the college football landscape. From Fielding Yost’s “point-a-minute” teams and invention of the linebacker position in the early 1900s to Fritz Crisler’s “Mad Magicians” and institution of separate offensive and defensive units in the ‘30s and ‘40s, Michigan has a history of change and innovation.

Historically speaking, the hiring of Rodriguez is nothing new for Michigan football. Bennie Oosterbaan, who coached the Wolverines from 1948-58, was hailed as “the best offensive mind in college football” by Crisler. Many consider Rodriguez one of the top offensive minds in college football today.

It all comes down to a matter of perspective. Last season’s growing pains were not a reflection of Rodriguez’s coaching abilities or the fall of the Michigan football program. They were a result of a complete overhaul from one way of doing things to another.

Take Apple, for example. Throughout the 1980s, Apple Computer, Inc. dominated the computer market until it became outdated and passed up by its competitors.

In need of something new, the company overhauled its image and is now considered by Fortune magazine to be the most admired company in the world. One of its main criticisms during its downslide was its cost, but by enhancing its image and its product, consumers now know they are getting a great and “sexy” product despite the higher cost.

Apple was able to reinvent itself without losing its roots. Likewise, Michigan’s hiring of Rodriguez should be seen as a commitment to reinventing the football program and tapping into its rich tradition of innovation, rather than a departure from “Michigan football.”

Last season was hard to stomach for Michigan fans. Hearing opposing fans laugh in our misery makes it even worse. But despite that, it makes me even more proud to be a Michigan fan.

For my entire life, Michigan has been expected to win nearly every game it played. It was a great, and boastful feeling. Then Ohio State hired Jim Tressel, who has won seven of the eight games he has coached in the rivalry. Then Michigan lost four straight bowl games, including three Rose Bowls. Then, a senior-laden Michigan team lost at home to Appalachian State.

Suddenly, mighty Michigan was no longer feared. It became synonymous with underachieving. It no longer had the upper hand against its most bitter rival. Its leader for the last 13 years retired. A chapter had to be closed, and a new one had to be started.

Enter Rodriguez, an innovator who has had success everywhere he has been. He won 59 percent of his games at NAIA Glenville State in his first true head coaching position, then won 70 percent of his games at West Virginia, including four Big East titles in seven years.

He also coordinated Tulane’s offense to a 12-0 record in 1998, and took a Clemson offense that averaged just 19.9 points and 304 yards per game the year before he arrived to a 9-3 record in 2000, averaging 36 points and 446 yards per game.

The guy knows how to run and offense and he knows how to win. It just takes time.
Instead of big, hulking offensive linemen, he needs smaller, faster linemen. Goodbye Boren, Kurt Wermers, Dann O’Neill, Jeremy Ciulla, Grant DeBenedictis, Brett Gallimore and Alex Mitchell.

Instead of big, tall pro-style wide receivers, he needs small, quick slot-type guys. Goodbye Mario Manningham, Adrian Arrington and Toney Clemons. Hello Terrence Robinson, Martavious Odoms, Roy Roundtree, Teric Jones and Jeremy Gallon.

Most importantly, instead of a tall, pro-style pocket-passing quarterback, he needs fast, shifty spread-option guys. Goodbye Ryan Mallet and Steven Threet. Hello Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson.

Just like that, he’s got the foundation of his offense to develop for the next four or five years along with the subsequent recruiting classes.

Winning with a bunch of freshmen isn’t going to happen overnight. Once they learn and grow in the system, the winning will come.

As much as opposing fans like to call it an excuse, the truth is that it just takes time to overhaul your roster to fit your needs. Sure Rodriguez may have won a couple more games last season by running a “normal” offense, but at what cost? Is it worth preserving a couple of streaks to risk slowing down the reinvention process?

I say no. And that is where the excitement lies. Of course Rodriguez didn’t try to go 3-9 last season, but as the next couple of years play out and we gain more perspective, I am confident that we will look back on that season as a sort of necessary evil.

Just like when you're building a new house and you can’t wait to move in, I can’t wait for the excitement of the new Michigan football when the renovation is complete. The teams that will be dazzling the Big Ten with lightning-quick backs and receivers, racking up points the way Crisler’s “Mad Magicians” did 62 years ago.

For now though, I’ll keep watching the new Michigan Wolverines take shape and grow. And I’ll find much more delight in watching the team go 7-5 in 2009 than I did when a Michigan team full of NFL talent went 7-5 in 2005.

And you never know, maybe this year's team will overachieve.

Texas-Oklahoma Screwup: How the BCS Undermined Its Own Anti-Playoff Argument

Justin Potts — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:26:12 -0500

Much will be made about the results of today’s BCS poll in the days and weeks to come, but this should be the straw that breaks the BCS camel’s back.

Oklahoma received enough computer points and coaches’ votes to leapfrog Texas in the BCS rankings...and into the Big 12 title game. A win there will give the Sooners a spot in the National Championship.

Nevermind that the teams had identical records and Oklahoma’s loss came at the hands of Texas on a neutral field. Nevermind that Texas had a tougher schedule. Nevermind that Texas’ one loss was on the last play of the game, and by six points, while Oklahoma’s loss was by 10 points.

The BCS proponents (and playoff opponents) say that a playoff would undermine college football’s regular season. Now tell me, how does putting Oklahoma in the title game over the team it lost to not undermine college football’s regular season? The only thing it does do is prove the case for a playoff.

There are so many problems here that it would take books to describe them all. The BCS vs. playoff battles have been waged way too many times, so I’ll just make a couple of points on how the BCS system affects this situation.

First of all, what the BCS does reward is running up the score. The coaches won’t say it, nor will the BCS folks, but it’s true. They call it “looking more impressive.”

They point out Oklahoma’s eye-popping offensive onslaught of four straight games scoring 60-plus points.

Sure, they scored 61 against Oklahoma State on Saturday, but they also couldn’t stop OSU for three and a half quarters, giving up 41 points. Texas gave up only 24 to OSU.

Sure, Oklahoma piled 66 points on Texas A&M. They also gave up 28. Texas scored 49, while giving up just nine.

Sure, Oklahoma scored 45 on Kansas. They also gave up 31. Texas beat Kansas 35-7.

So, what does this all mean? The reward goes to the team that can score more points, not to the best overall team.

Secondly, the USA Today Coaches Poll should never be relied upon to determine the fate of the teams. The coaches themselves don’t like it. Most of them don’t actually do the voting themselves—and why should they? They don’t even watch the games, except for their own and the tape of their next opponent(s).

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops would never vote Texas ahead of his own team this season, even though Texas beat his team. Going further, why would he even vote Texas anywhere close to his team? There’s no penalty for leaving Texas completely off his ballot, so why give them a chance to be rated higher than his team?

There’s no way to regulate how a coach votes—or whether he even does the voting himself. Why let that factor into the BCS standings?

Thirdly, if head-to-head doesn’t matter, then the regular season doesn’t matter, either. Why even play the games if beating somebody early on doesn’t matter at the end of the season?

To say that one team deserves a title shot over the team it lost to because it has beaten its tough teams at the end of the season is ridiculous. In that case, the whole regular season becomes illegitimate.

This season proves that college football needs a playoff. Do you think any of the top eight teams would complain about a playoff this season?

Whoever the best team is, they would (or should) relish the opportunity to prove so in a do-or-die tournament format, just like every other major sport.

If Oklahoma is truly more deserving than Texas, it should prove so in a playoff, not in a conference championship game against a team that wasn’t even one of the top three teams in the conference.

The BCS is a joke and it’s turning college football into a joke. Just because it creates controversy in November and December doesn’t mean that’s good for the game.

If I’m Texas, I boycott a BCS bowl this year to send a message that something needs to change.*

There have been arguments in seasons past, but this one goes way beyond any of those and has pushed the BCS beyond the brink of acceptance.

The time for a playoff is upon us.

In the coming days, I’ll lay out my plans for a playoff and why it would work.

*I don't believe Texas will do so, although there is a contingent of boosters and season ticket holders hoping to convince UT athletics director, DeLoss Dodds, to do so.

Follow the Leader: Michigan Basketball Provides Blueprint for Michigan Football

Justin Potts — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 15:32:07 -0500

When the buzzer sounded in Madison Square Garden on Thursday night, Michigan fans got something they have needed for a while: the sweet taste of victory. Never mind that the Wolverines lost to Duke in the 2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer Classic championship game the next night.

For that one night, Michigan fans could be proud of their team and sing "The Victors" with pride rather than out of obligation or habit.

While an upset of a top-five team on the hardwood won’t take away the sting of the worst football season in Michigan history, Michigan fans finally have quality basketball again during the football offseason.

Those Michigan fans that don’t care for basketball should take a close look at the basketball program, as it could provide a blueprint for the football side.

Like Rich Rodriguez this season, Michigan basketball coach John Beilein was much-maligned last year for recording one of the worst records in program history. The team barely hit double-digit wins (10-22) and failed to make the postseason.

Beilein wasn’t following a legend or a regime that had been in place for 40 years, but hoops fans were eager to return to the heyday of the ‘60s through mid-‘90s when Michigan basketball won 65 percent of its games, seven Big Ten titles, and a National Championship.

For most of his first season, the team was hard to watch. Mistakes, turnovers, and poor shots were frustrated fans who found it hard to accept losing to teams like Harvard, Central Michigan, and Western Kentucky out of conference and perennial cellar-dwellers Northwestern and Penn State in the Big Ten.

Yet, Beilein defended his reputation as a program builder who will succeed by doing things his way despite a lack of early success.

Sound familiar?

Beilein is known for his 1-3-1 defense and “Princeton-style” offense. Some call it “gimmicky,” but Beilein has proven it works with the right players in place. Both struggled to take hold in year one for a team that was used to playing “me-first” basketball under Tommy Amaker.

Many of the upperclassmen clashed with the new regime leading to some attrition by season’s end. Beilein, like Rich Rodriguez, let the weeds go in order for the grass to flourish.

This season, Beilein brought in a pair of guys (Stu Douglass and Zach Novak) that aren’t traditional Michigan players but come from the basketball-rich state of Indiana and fit the mold of Beilein players: sound fundamentals, hard-nosed defense, and sharp shooting.

Combine those two with those of Beilein’s first recruiting class, led by Manny Harris, and you have a solid core with which to build on.

Michigan basketball won’t be expected to beat the UCLAs and the Dukes quite yet, but as it showed on Thursday night, it has the potential to do so on any given night. There’s still a lot of work to do, but Beilein has his team headed in the right direction much like Rodriguez will next season.

Most importantly, he needs to be given time to do so.

Here’s a comparative breakdown of the two Michigan leaders’ first seasons in Ann Arbor.

Manny Harris = Martavious Odoms

Harris had a breakout year as a freshman last season, earning All-Big Ten honors and leading the Wolverines in scoring. Similarly, Odoms was one of the few bright spots for Michigan football in his freshman season, leading the team in receiving.

He will most likely be on the Big Ten all-freshman team and will look to take on an expanded role as the focus of the offense in year two.

DeShawn Sims = Brandon Minor

Both are holdovers from the previous regimes that will be major factors in the new systems. Sims was highly touted coming out of high school, but played sparingly in his freshman year in 2006. Last season he became a starter and averaged 12.3 points per game.

This season, he was asked to come off the bench but is a major part of the team’s success. Minor showed some flash last year filling in for Mike Hart, but was replaced at the start of this season by true freshman Sam McGuffie.

Minor earned his job back and will play a major role as Michigan’s back next season.

Ronald Coleman = Morgan Trent

As a senior in Beilein’s first year, Coleman started most of the games and had a decent season but didn’t do anything spectacular. He could never be relied on to make big plays. Trent was expected to be much improved this season, but had a good but not great senior season.

He, like the rest of the Michigan secondary, could never be relied on to make a big stop when needed. He finished his career as a capable player that never really materialized.

Epke Udoh = Ryan Mallett

Udoh was a solid performer in his first true season. He was a force down low, recording 92 blocked shots, but was never a major scoring threat. He would have been a major help this season, but transferred to Baylor.

Mallett relieved Chad Henne last season and played fairly well in leading Michigan to wins over Notre Dame, Penn State, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. His presence would have helped Michigan’s young offense considerably this season, but he transferred to Arkansas when Rodriguez was hired.

David Merritt = Nick Sheridan/Steven Threet

Merritt walked on to Michigan’s basketball team a year ago and now runs the Michigan offense. He’s a hard-worker but will most likely lose his starting job when transfer Laval Lucas-Perry becomes eligible in January.

Sheridan, also a walk-on, and Threet, a redshirt freshman transfer, took turns leading the Michigan offense this season, but were clearly not capable enough to do so. One or the other may start early next season, but one of the incoming freshmen, Tate Forcier and Shavodrick Beaver, should become the starter.

Zach Gibson = Mark Ortmann/Perry Dorrestein

Gibson, a transfer from Rutgers, came off the bench last year and is the starting center this season, mostly out of necessity. He’s not the most talented or athletic big man and certainly shouldn’t be starting for Michigan.

Likewise, Ortmann and Dorrestein aren’t the ideal linemen for Rodriguez’ offense, but were starters all season, and likely will be next season, until Rodriguez can get the kind of linemen he needs.

Kelvin Grady = Sam McGuffie

Grady was a highly-touted recruit and had a solid freshman season last year, starting 26 games and averaged nearly six points per game. This season, he’s coming off the bench, but still makes a good contribution to the Michigan offense.

McGuffie was also highly-touted and showed some flashes of brilliance in his first year. As long as he stays at Michigan, he should get plenty of playing time next year, sharing the backfield with Minor.

Javohn Shepherd = Greg Matthews

Sheppard was an Amaker recruit who was relatively unknown coming out of Canada and has never materialized over three years at Michigan. He’s a guy that seems like he could be good, but has always been overshadowed. Matthews was supposed to lead Michigan’s receiving corps this year, but was overshadowed by Odoms. He seems like has the talent to break out, but hasn’t done so yet.

Anthony Wright = Junior Hemingway

Wright had a so-so first season, averaging just five points per game. He showed a good shooting touch at times, but was too streaky to be relied on. This season, Wright is a starter and will be called on to provide some scoring to help out Harris and Sims.

Hemingway was expected to step up this season at receiver, but never did much. An injury forced his season to end early. Next season, Hemingway should step up alongside Matthews, Odoms, and Daryll Stonum.

Laval Lucas-Perry = Tate Forcier/Shavodrick Beaver

Perry was a big-time recruit who transferred from Arizona last season. His eligibility begins in January and his presence will be heavily anticipated. He averaged 21 points a game as a senior in high school and should give Michigan its first solid point guard since Daniel Horton.

Forcier and Beaver are expected to enroll in Ann Arbor in January and compete for the starting quarterback job. Whichever one wins the job should be the man leading Michigan’s offense for the next few years.

Who will be the Stu Douglass and Zach Novak of next year’s football team? Rodriguez has gone down to the football hotbed of Florida and plucked some recruits away from the Gators, Hurricanes, and Seminoles to add speed to his offense. We’ll find out which freshmen will step up when next fall rolls around.

For now, let’s just enjoy Michigan basketball’s run at its first NCAA tournament berth since 1998.

You Stay Classy, Penn State: I'm a Michigan Fan?

Justin Potts — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:03:00 -0400

Congratulations, Penn State, for ending your nine-game, 12-year losing streak to Michigan with a 46-17 thumping on Saturday. Your fans have been waiting a long time for this day, and I must say, they deserved it.

What I experienced in State College on Saturday was tremendous class and a great game day atmosphere.

I drove into State College at 8:00 am on Saturday morning with my wife and another couple of Michigan fans. Our first stop was Wal-Mart to pick up our parking pass from a PSU-grad friend and groceries for the day of tailgating. The store was littered with Penn State fans, most of whom were appreciative of us being there and wished us luck for that afternoon.

From there we went to one of the yellow lots to park. I couldn’t believe how close all the parking/tailgating was to the stadium. All surrounding the stadium were grass lots peppered with cars, trucks, and RVs.

After we parked, since it was only about 9:00 am at that point, we walked across campus to The Diner for the famous sticky buns. We all agreed that they were amazing and well worth the long walk. The campus was nice and we got heckled by a few fans, but nothing bad.

When we got back to our car and got out our grill (that we bought at Wal-Mart because we were told that the charcoal grill we brought wouldn’t be allowed), a group of PSU fans came up to us. They helped us set it up and light it and “the bucket lady” offered us sips from her bucket of gin and sliced lemons. I didn’t dare put my lips anywhere near that thing, but the offer was generous.

Throughout the chilly afternoon leading up to the game, PSU fans came over and talked to us, welcoming us to State College and wishing us luck. They expressed their concern for the game, despite Michigan’s down year and Penn State’s great season so far, since Penn State can never seem to beat Michigan.

They also told us that they appreciated that we would still drive out here, tailgate, and go to the game all decked out in our Michigan gear despite our team having a 2-4 record.

When we got into the stadium, we found a great atmosphere. Our seats were way up in the Michigan section, but it was a great view and didn’t seem too far away from the field.

It was great watching the Michigan offense perform well beyond expectations in the first half and hearing 110,000 fans fall silent in disbelief. Unfortunately, it couldn’t be sustained and Penn State rolled to a second half blowout.

The overall experience was a great one even though Michigan lost. From what we experienced, I would rate Penn State fans as the class of the Big Ten and the football game day experience one of the top I’ve ever seen.

They put Ohio State, Michigan State, and even Iowa fans to shame. Sure we heard a few obscenities and put-downs, but 95 percent of the fans were classy and respectable. The few exceptions were the three PSU fans in the row behind us who yelled more obscenities than I’ve ever heard and every five minutes complained about how Michigan always pays off the refs.

If Michigan got a first down, it was because they paid the refs. If Michigan sacked Daryll Clark, it was because they paid the refs. Not to mention, we needed umbrellas with as much spit was flying out of their mouths onto the backs of our heads.

The other exception was in the parking lot on the way out after the game. We had been sitting in our car without moving an inch for over an hour, and when it finally came time to move, I was letting the car to my right in front of me, but the lady to my left cursed me out and got someone to stand in front of my car so she could get in front of me. But I guess if she wanted those extra five feet that badly, she obviously needed it, so more power to her.

Like I said, those were only the exceptions, and the overall treatment by Penn State fans and the game day experience were fantastic. I have a newfound respect for PSU and wish them the best the rest of the season.

Congrats on the win and breaking the streak. You have bragging rights at least until Oct. 24, 2009. Go blue!

USC-ya Later: The Magic of Thursday Night Football

Justin Potts — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:58:43 -0400

Southern Cal became the latest team to fall on ESPN’s Thursday Night Football, continuing a trend that begs the question: What is it about Thursday night that makes for great football?

The Trojans fell 27-21 at Oregon State on Thursday, despite having a week off both before and after its dominating win over then-No. 5 Ohio State.

Oregon State entered the game with a record of 1-2: a win over Hawaii and losses to Stanford and Penn State. The Beavers certainly didn’t seem ready to upset the No. 1 team in the nation.

Already this season, we have seen Vanderbilt upset No. 24 South Carolina in Week Two and unranked Colorado stun No. 21 West Virginia in Boulder in Week Four.

Just last year, unranked Miami beat No. 20 Texas A&M in Week Four, No. 11 South Carolina stunned No. 8 Kentucky in Week Six, unranked Wake Forest upset No. 21 Florida State in Week Seven, unranked Rutgers upended No. 2 South Florida in Week Eight, unranked Arizona shocked No. 2 Oregon in Week 12, and No. 11 USC took down No. 6 Arizona State on the road in Week 13.

All of those upsets came on Thursday night!

How is it that ESPN’s scheduling always seems to feature either a big upset or a great game on Thursday night? The schedule is made before the season starts, so it’s not as if ESPN can pick the game it wants to feature each week depending on the current performance.

If that were the case, it wouldn’t have picked a game pitting a 1-2 Oregon State team that got demolished by Penn State against a seemingly untouchable USC team that dominated Ohio State in the so-called “Collision in the Coliseum.”

Yet, I looked forward to watching that game for just this reason – anything can happen on Thursday night. The only way I can explain it is that the national spotlight puts the underdog at an advantage, giving the underdog home team a chance to shock the world on national television.

Only one of those upsets last year (USC over Arizona State) was by the road team.

You can even go back to previous years.

In 2006, BYU upset No. 17 TCU on the road in Week Five, unranked NC State upset No. 17 Florida State in Week Six, unranked Boston College shut down No. 22 Virginia Tech in Week Seven, unranked Virginia Tech took down No. 10 Clemson in Week Nine, No. 5 Louisville upset No. 3 West Virginia in Week 10, No. 15 Rutgers upset No. 3 Louisville in Week 11, and unranked Miami upset No. 18 Boston College in Week 13.

Again, all but one of those upsets (BYU over TCU) was by the home team.

The 2005 season only had one, as unranked NC State beat No. 24 Georgia Tech on the road in Week Six. For some reason, that season didn’t feature as many potential upset games as the following two years and this year.

For the sake of time, I won’t go further back, but I will say this: Thursday night football is must-see TV. The phrase “any given Sunday” should be changed to "any given Thursday."

Mark your calendars for the rest of the year. Next Thursday, unranked Pittsburgh travels to No. 13 South Florida and Oregon State travels to No. 17 Utah. Both have a chance to achieve the uncommon Thursday night road upset. The Pittsburgh-South Florida game is on ESPN.

The following week, No. 16 Wake Forest hosts No. 20 Clemson on ESPN. The week after that, No. 24 TCU hosts No. 11 BYU. The next week, West Virginia has a shot at Thursday night redemption when it hosts No. 15 Auburn. On Oct. 30, No. 13 South Florida travels to unranked Cincinnati. In week 11, No. 24 TCU travels to No. 17 Utah. All of those are on ESPN.

While Saturday still reigns supreme for college football traditionalists, Thursday nights should be reserved for football every week as well. You can never write off the underdog on Thursday night.

What are your thoughts on why Thursday nights create college football magic nearly every week?

Bye Week Perspective: Michigan's Season Is Far from Over

Justin Potts — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 14:02:55 -0400

Despite Michigan’s second straight 1-2 start, this point in the season feels better than it did last year. With a senior-laden team a year ago, Michigan was expected to compete for a national championship. Those dreams were dashed by Appalachian State and Oregon, leaving Mike Hart to guarantee a victory over Notre Dame and Lloyd Carr to stoically pronounce that Michigan will battle back.

This year, with a host of freshmen at the skill positions and a new coaching staff and offensive system, Michigan sits in the same position. If the expectations weren’t considerably lowered entering this season, then reality has sunk in by now.

In the '70s and '80s, Bo Schembechler built his teams on taking care of the ball and executing the fundamentals better than the opponent.

After Michigan’s six-fumble performance at Notre Dame, Rodriguez promised, “Michigan football will be back.”

What he was talking about was, while Michigan isn’t going to win every game this season and play in a BCS bowl, it can take better care of the ball and do the fundamental things needed to win, as has been Michigan’s calling card the past 40 years.

No coach in the country would envy the position Rodriguez walked into—a team that lost its top quarterback, top running back, top two receivers, and four of five offensive linemen. The backup quarterback, who earned valuable playing time last season, transferred, and those who returned had no experience in the spread offense.

With so much inexperience, there was no way to predict how Michigan would start the season. But now, with a body of work, Rodriguez can assess the performance and set the course for Big Ten play.

“After three games, I think we have it,” said Rodriguez in his weekly press conference. “I know where we’re at. I know where we need to go. I just hope we can get there. It’s not we’re going to all of a sudden turn it around.

"I said this before, some of the problems we have didn’t happen overnight, and they’re not going to be solved overnight. You’re not going to solve inexperience in just three games. You’re not going to get faster in just eight months. I know what our problems are. Now, we got to try to fix them as fast as we can.”

Most importantly, despite the six turnovers, Rodriguez found his quarterback for the rest of the season and his running back of the future in Steven Threet and Sam McGuffie, respectively.

With each game, the offense will continue to learn and grow; the fumbles won’t happen every week, and the defense will continue to be relied upon.

This is a team that could make some noise in the Big Ten, beginning next Saturday against Wisconsin, as long as the ball-control issues are fixed. I’ll stop short of predicting a win over the Badgers, but with a week off, Rodriguez will have his Wolverines ready to give Wisconsin a run.

The critics can write Michigan off all they want, but Rodriguez will stick to his guns and restore the glory of Michigan football.

To Hell With OSU-USC: Why UM-ND Is the Most Important Game of the Weekend

Justin Potts — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 12:04:23 -0400

When I called my wife (then girlfriend)’s father about a year ago to ask his approval to marry his daughter, his reply was, “Justin, not only do I give you my blessing and approval, but the sooner you join this family, the sooner we can get you in a Notre Dame sweatshirt.”

So goes the Michigan-Notre Dame rivalry.

When the Irish and Wolverines square off on Saturday, a chance at a National Championship won’t be on the line—but much more will be.

College football’s two winningest teams are both facing transformations as of late, and both need this win equally as much.

Michigan has won the past two meetings by a combined score of 85-21, including a 38-0 drubbing of the Irish last season, when both teams were unranked for the first time in the 35-game history of this rivalry.

This year, they’re both unranked again. Michigan stands at 1-1 with a loss to Utah and a win over Miami University. Notre Dame is 1-0 with a win over San Diego State.

Michigan, in Rich Rodriguez’ first year as head coach, is struggling to grasp the new spread option offense following the departure of eight offensive starters. The Wolverines are in danger of seeing their 33-year bowl streak come to an end, as well as a streak of 40 straight non-losing seasons.

A win over Notre Dame would put Michigan at 2-1 heading into the Big Ten schedule, which includes a monstrous start with home games against No. 10 Wisconsin, No. 24 Illinois, and Michigan State, and a road game at No. 17 Penn State.

A loss to the Irish means Michigan would have to pull off an upset in one of those games to have a chance at earning a winning record.

Notre Dame, coming off a disastrous 3-8 season, was predicted by many to rebound with 10 or 11 wins this year. With their schedule, that’s certainly possible, but after the way the Irish looked in their 21-13 win over San Diego State, a win over rival Michigan would go a long way toward instilling confidence in this young Irish team.

In April, to a group of Notre Dame boosters, Charlie Weis said, “I’ve always been one never to make excuses and blow hot air. We’ll listen to Michigan have all their excuses as they come running in saying how they have a new coaching staff, and there’s changes. To hell with Michigan.”*

To hell with Michigan. Stir those words around in your head a little bit. You can bet the Michigan coaching staff and players are this week.

Weis says he said it out of respect for legendary Michigan coach, Bo Schembechler, who uttered such words about Notre Dame. But Bo said it when he was done coaching. Even so, most of Michigan’s current coaches and players probably don’t even know that Bo first said those words and are using it as motivation for this week’s game.

Michigan defensive end Tim Jamison said, “I did not see it, but I heard about it. It was like, ‘Did you hear what he said? He’s supposed to be getting focused on his team.’ Now that we’re about to face Notre Dame, we can look back at that and get ready to play a great game.”*

He went further when asked if that is used as motivation, saying, “To some people it does. That’s why you’ve got to watch what you say, because the other team can use that as motivation. I believe you talk with your pads and your helmets.”*

Michigan coaches have the phrase plastered all over the team’s training room.

It reminds me of Ohio State receiver Terry Glenn’s “Michigan is nothing” quote prior to the game in 1995. Michigan used that as motivation to beat the second-ranked Buckeyes, 31-23.

Motivation or not, this should be the most important game of the weekend, if not the history of the rivalry. Michigan needs the win to avoid a losing season. Notre Dame needs the win to save face.

USC and Ohio State have the number one ranking and the title of National Championship game front runner on the line on Saturday, but a loss would not be absolutely demoralizing for either team.

Each could conceivably climb back into the top two spots by year’s end, given the recent history of the BCS. Last year’s National Champion, LSU, had two losses.

That’s why, even though that game will get more press and will be a more well-played game, it’s not the most important game this weekend.

That, and the fact that a Michigan win would keep the bragging rights in my favor for the third straight year over my wife and father-in-law.

* Quotes taken from Angelique Chengelis' article on detnews.com.

Potts Points: Observations from the Michigan-Miami Game

Justin Potts — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:39:37 -0400

1. When Nick Sheridan came into the game in the second quarter and then started the second half, I had to look over to the sideline to see if Charlie Weis was coaching the Wolverines. I don’t like the quarterback rotations at all.

I don’t know who the better player in practice is, and I’m not breaking down film after every game, but it seems like Steven Threet is more capable of running the offense. The bad thing so far is, with the exception of the touchdown pass to Junior Hemingway last week, all of his passes have sailed over the receivers’ heads. If he can get his precision down, this offense will be much more dynamic (or at least capable of sustaining drives).

Threet seems mobile enough to run the offense, though not quite the mobile quarterback Rodriguez wants to run this offense. However, he’s not going to get the quarterback he wants this year, so I’d like to see him pick a quarterback and stick with him.

2. I like what I saw today from freshmen Sam McGuffie, Michael Shaw, and Martavious Odoms when they got the ball in the open field. They are quick little guys capable of turning short plays into big gains. However, I don’t like seeing them run the ball up the middle.

With the offensive line that Michigan has this season, there aren’t going to be gaping holes to run through. McGuffie and Shaw fall over whenever a defender touches them, unlike Mike Hart who had the lower-body strength to keep moving forward after contact for the past four years.

I would like to see Brandon Minor, Carlos Brown, and Kevin Grady get more carries and let McGuffie and Shaw do their work in the open field.

3. A positive from the first two games is the lack of penalties. So far, Michigan has 10 penalties for a total of 68 yards through two games. Utah and Miami combined for 19 penalties for 207 yards in those games.

Of those Michigan penalties, there was an illegal motion by a wide receiver (Savoy), a pass interference by a linebacker (Ezeh), a false start by tight end (Butler), a personal foul, two delay of games, a holding by an offensive lineman (Ortmann), a substitution infraction at the end of the Utah game, a holding on a kick return, and a pass interference on Morgan Trent.

I think this is a pretty disciplined team so far. Two of those penalties (delay of games) you can blame on the quarterback. One penalty was on special teams. The offensive line has had no false starts and one holding penalty. None of the penalties have been costly. Let’s hope we can keep that up.

4. I wish we had a better return game. I love Donovan Warren as a corner, but he hasn’t done anything on punt returns yet this year. Some of that has to do with the kick coverage – Miami’s gunners were able to get to him pretty easily on most of his returns – but he doesn’t seem to have the quickness to make guys miss.

I liked what I saw from Boubacar Cissoko on a couple of kick returns, so hopefully he can see more action in the return game. Does Steve Breaston have any eligibility left???

5. The defense has played outstanding since halftime of the Utah game. They’re playing up to their potential and haven’t given up a touchdown in the last six quarters. Bring on the Irish!