Michigan Football: One Reason Why the Wolverines Can Beat Everyone in 2011
Note: Jim Tressel has resigned as head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes Monday morning, May 30, the Columbus Dispatch has reported. You can view the story in the following link. Luke Fickell, who was set to be OSU's interim coach during Tressel's five-game suspension at the outset of the 2011 season, will finish the year.
The college football off-season is often filled with outlandish predictions of undefeated seasons and national championships.
While no one in Ann Arbor could possibly be thinking in those terms, optimism on campus is reaching a level not seen in a long time.
The support afforded new coach Brady Hoke has been a pleasant surprise. Coupled with the coaching change (see above) down in Columbus, fans can see the rivalry taking a sudden turn.
Hoke brought in Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Greg Mattison to improve a defense some say was the worst in college football. Nobody doubts Mattison will get it done. And fast.
Heisman trophy candidate Denard Robinson returns to run an offense that could be tops in the nation. To get there, Michigan will have to embrace a proven scheme that could keep Robinson healthy all season.
Bo Schembechler, Gary Moeller and Lloyd Carr all defeated Ohio State to climax fine opening seasons. If Hoke can somehow knock off Notre Dame in Game 2, could he really enter "The Game," 11-0?
Western Michigan
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If you're looking at one reason for the Wolverines to finish undefeated, look no further than Greg Mattison's revamped defense.
Against Western Michigan, Mike Martin, Ryan Van Bergen, Thomas Gordon and Jibreel Black will all get sacks, as Bronco quarterback Alex Gordon is held to 145 yards passing before departing in the third quarter.
During the spring, Hoke and Mattison hinted at moving Martin away from the nose at times and inserting him on the edge. As the season progresses, you'll see more and more defensive tricks.
Notre Dame
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Notre Dame supporters claim the Irish would have won last year's contest if Dayne Crist wasn't injured. While the talented signal-caller throws for over 300 yards this time around, no one accounts for the special-teams performance by Martavious Odoms.
Odoms brings back memories of the "Rocket" before halftime, scoring on a 53-yard punt return and a 99-yard kickoff return. Like last season, Notre Dame's improved defense has no answer for Denard Robinson.
This time, the Heisman Trophy favorite befuddles the Irish with his arm, and Michigan wins going away.
Eastern Michigan
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Devin Gardner gets the starting nod at quarterback, as Denard watches from the sideline in street clothes.
Brady Hoke challenges his offensive line to keep Gardner untouched for four quarters.
Stephen Hopkins, Michael Cox and Fitzgerald Toussaint all rush for 100 yards as the Wolverines breeze past the Eagles, 41-0.
Needless to say, the offensive line grades out perfectly.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
San Diego State
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San Diego State spreads the field, looking to exploit Michigan's secondary. But the Wolverines get an unexpected pass rush from Kenny Demens, Will Campbell and Quinton Washington.
Troy Woolfolk and Jordan Kovacs come up with interceptions, and Mike Martin recovers a fumble.
Credit this game to the interior defensive front, as the Wolverines shut out the Aztecs, 17-0.
Minnesota
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Minnesota comes into the Big House with a new coach, new quarterback and all defeats.
A quick look at the stat sheet shows the Minnesota defense cannot cope with Michigan's balanced offense.
Denard Robinson remains in the pocket long enough to hit freshman tight end Chris Barnett with a pair of scoring strikes. Fitzgerald Toussaint takes a draw play to the house from 71 yards out.
Freshman quarterback Russell Bellomy warms up on the sidelines as Devin Gardner plays the second half.
At Northwestern
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The Wolverines are rolling now. They face another great quarterback in Dan Persa, but the senior signal-caller is still suffering effects for last year's achilles injury.
He seems a step slow, so the Wolverine defense blitzes linebackers, corners and nickel backs from the outside. The strategy works to perfection. Mike Martin, who is everywhere on defense, leads the way with four sacks,
Michigan's balanced offensive attack helps crush Northwestern, 21-7.
At Michigan State
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Both teams come into the game undefeated, and there's actually been some trash talking coming out of Ann Arbor.
Mike Hart, who jokingly referred to the Spartans as Michigan's little brother, roams the sidelines.
Somehow, a large Alabama banner found its way into the north end zone.
The Spartans were looking for their fourth straight victory in the series, while Michigan was looking to silence its critics.
Michigan knows it will be facing a tough Spartan offense, but the green and white defenders were decimated by graduation a year ago.
Two Michigan State turnovers allowed the Wolverines to sneak into the locker room tied, 0-0.
Coach Hoke figured the inexperienced Spartan defense was ready for the taking. It was time to turn his prized player loose. Denard Robinson responded with two touchdown runs and and a TD pass to Vincent Smith.
Freshman Matt Wile kicked a 37-yard field goal with three minutes left, and Michigan escaped Spartan Stadium with a 24-13 win and some newfound respect.
Again, the recurring theme was Mattison's defense. Incredible as it may seem, the Michigan defense was ranked 23rd in the nation.
Purdue
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The only problem Michigan had with Purdue last season was the play of defensive end Ryan Kerrigan. A resident of the 2010 Michigan backfield, Kerrigan had four sacks and 10 tackles.
Whoever plays the Washington Redskins this fall will have similar problems.
The Wolverines should score at will against a much weaker Purdue defense.
In fact, Purdue's best player is probably kicker Carson Wiggs who's been kicking them over 60 yards in practice.
At Illinois
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Who can forget the 67-65 Michigan victory at the Big House a season ago. Illinois sorely misses Mikel Leshoure, the 6' 0", 230-pound running back who is expected to be a big help to the Detroit Lions this fall.
Quarterback Nathan Scheelhaasse has put up pretty good numbers, but the defense has struggled.
The Wolverines should have an easy time with Illinois, basically disregarding the run and concentrating on the pass.
At Iowa
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The Hawkeyes will fall to Michigan because they haven't been able to replace quarterback Ricky Stanzi and running back Adam Robinson.
Stanzi completed 64 percent of his passes as a senior while throwing for 3,004 yards. He connected on 25 touchdown passes while throwing only six interceptions.
In two seasons with Hawkeyes, Robinson gained a total of 1,775 yards rushing while catching 34 passes.
When the Wolverines get to Iowa, they will be a completely different football team.
Michigan will be playing the type of smash-mouth football Brady Hoke promised when he was hired. The Wolverines will actually go toe-to-toe with some of the tougher Big Ten teams.
The physical presence will help keep rookie quarterback James Vandenberg out of sync most of the night.
Nebraska
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The winner of this one could be in position to clinch a share of the Big 10 Legends Division title and play in the conference title game in Indianapolis.
A smallish sea of red converges on the Big House as tickets have been very hard to get. Wolverine fans, who've been listening to Ohioans claim "The Game" has been cheapened due to inferior Michigan play, are loudly endorsing the new Michigan-Nebraska tilt.
The Cornhuskers, however, are nothing to sneeze at.
Despite a late season collapse in 2010, Nebraska's offense should be improved due to the addition of offensive coordinator Tim Beck.
At the same time, the Cornhusker attack is somewhat similar to the one Michigan ran under Rodriguez. The quick pace is no surprise to the Michigan defenders and QB Taylor Martinez is still only a sophomore.
In what should be a barnburner of a game, Michigan's unlikely defensive pressure will be the difference fans. The 114,000 fans will help, too.
Ohio State
12 of 12
If for no other reason, Michigan is due to beat Ohio State. The main reason is Jim Tressel's magic is no longer part of the Buckeye mystique.
Another reason is Denard Robinson. If everything goes as planned, the shoe-in All-American will be healthy when the Buckeyes invade the Big House.
Without Tressel. and five players suspended for the season's opening five games, there's a good chance the Buckeyes will have at least three losses before game time. Ohio State, with Interim coach Luke Fickell running the show (see introduction) will be hard pressed to compete in the initial Leaders Division race.
Michigan, on the other hand, knows its record of late against Ohio is horrible. What would be a better time than now to end the misery.
The entire Michigan community knows a win over the Buckeyes could bring a speedier return to equal footing.
So Michigan will get it done, not necessarily because they have the best 11 on the field, but because the first 11 slides panned out.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
