Tate Forcier Sets a Michigan Football Record in Bowling Green Blowout

Where to begin?

Rich Rodriguez is now a perfect 8-0 in non-conference play the past two years. For a bit of perspective, the last time this happened was the 1996 and 1997 seasons.

Michigan's 65 points in a 44-point rout of Bowling Green is the most points scored by any Wolverines team since a 1986 win over Illinois. The 721 yards of offense is a school record against a Div 1-A/FBS school. The 466 rushing yards was the most since a 1992 game against Iowa. Michigan could do pretty much anything.

The most impressive stat is probably three—the number of quarterbacks who contributed for the Wolverines. This stat is important because it proves that Denard Robinson is not the entirety of the offense.

It was only Bowling Green, but man did the offense roll. In fact, Rich Rod told the Detroit Free Press, “We had 31 first downs and didn’t punt. I would think it was pretty efficient. I felt comfortable the whole day we could get first downs."

None of the trio had a more feel-good story than sophomore backup Tate Forcier. After starting all 12 games for Michigan last year, he fell from grace, chastised by fans and coaches for Michigan's 1-7 finish, written off by teammates, and falling behind freshman Devin Gardner on the depth chart. Forcier definitely made a statement today. While it wasn't a game-winning pass with 11 seconds left against Notre Dame, he did manage a school record for quarterback efficiency after completing 12 of 12 passes. That's just a piece of Michigan history that Forcier owns.

Speaking of feel-good, did you happen to see the defense? The passing yards they allowed were not so great, but they held a great back (Willie Geter) and the Bowling Green offense to only 30 rushing yards. The Falcons had minus-eight rushing yards heading into the third quarter. That's a step up from the debacle of a defense we saw last week against UMass. They allowed just 283 yards to the Falcons, and 71 of them came on one play.

Lookin' Good

Denard Robinson played for a grand total of seven minutes and still managed 129 rushing yards on five attempts (25.8 yards per attempt) and two TDs. If Robinson had stayed in the whole time (*cough* Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State *cough*) then Michigan might've scored over 100 points.

Michigan's secondary is a bit shaky, but it still made some plays with two interceptions. The defense on the whole allowed a season-low 283 yards, only 30 of which came on the ground.

It was pleasant to see a newer player like recently-healed Fitzgerald Toussaint. He managed 61 yards on his first two carries. When things like that are happening, there's a lot going right with this Michigan offense. 

Feeling Blue

The refs may not be feeling blue, but they should. Another dismal performance by the zebra stripes...from not knowing what to do about the two No. 9s incident to the flag that was thrown after every play for some sort of illegal block.

It was scary to see Robinson go down and out like that, but he just had the wind knocked out of him. He twisted his knee a bit, but he could've gone back in at any time and was frequently smiling on the sideline.

Next Up

At Indiana on Saturday, 3:30 p.m.