Michigan Wolverines Football: 5 Ways for U-M to Earn New Year's Bowl Berth

From Jan. 1, 1997 through Jan. 1, 2008, Michigan played on New Year's Day 11 of 12 seasons.

After staying home the first two years of Rich Rodriguez's tenure, Michigan landed a berth in the Gator Bowl this past New Year's Day.

With the encouraging start of the 2011 campaign, rumblings about going to the inaugural Big Ten title game began to surface.

Last Saturday's loss to Michigan State realistically put an end to that discussion. Mathematically speaking, the Wolverines would have to win their last five games and the Spartans would have to lose twice. 

A return trip to the Gator Bowl, or even the Capital One or Citrus Bowls, makes perfectly good sense.

But the Wolverines must shed the notion that the loss to the Spartans is the start of another late season collapse.

Brady Hoke must also find some answers to questions surrounding the inconsistent play on both sides of the ball. Here's a few suggestions so a few of us might take our winter vacation in sunny Florida.  

Learn from Michigan State

Brady Hoke took the Michigan job with high expectations. His record at Ball State and San Diego State suggests that Michigan is on its way back.  But maybe not as soon as everyone would like.

Overall, you could see the differences between a tough and talented Michigan State team and a Michigan team that definitely has its weaknesses.

During his Monday press conference, Hoke may have found a silver lining. "They out-physicalled us, they outplayed us, and they outcoached us." he said, "And we still had a chance to win the ballgame."

Hoke, and even the players, understand how important it is for this team to move forward.

"I think it's easy to say it's the same Michigan team as the last two years," said safety Jordan Kovacs. "But I have no doubt in my mind that we're not."

More Pressure Will Help Michigan's Secondary

Statistics don't tell everything, but it's no secret Michigan isn't doing a super job getting to the quarterback. The Wolverines have seven sacks during the season, good enough for just seventh place in the Big Ten. Illinois leads with 24 sacks and Michigan State is next with 21.

The lack of interceptions also shows that quarterbacks have time to throw. The Wolverines have only five picks while Penn State has 12.

Some might argue that Michigan's defense is far ahead of a year ago due to the points-per-game average dropping from 35.2 to 14.7.  But let's remember that Purdue, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and Ohio State are next in line.   

Slowing the Opponents Blitz

The offensive line has been taking criticism all season. They're not opening holes for the running backs, and they're not giving Denard much time in the pocket.

Coaches point out that the backs aren't running hard, receivers are breaking off their routes and Robinson hasn't been accurate.

All of this invites blitzing from the defense, and the Spartans put on a show. 

Why so much pressure?

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“It starts with the inability to run the ball,” offensive coordinator  Al Borges said at the weekly Inside Michigan Football Coach’s Radio Show last week. “As soon as you can’t play ahead of the chains and you put them in situations where they can be almost indiscriminate with their pressure, the margin for error becomes so small.”

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In the passing game, quick slants, hooks and out-cuts are effective while screens and draws can slow the rush. It's easy to slam the play calling, but execution can be an equal part of the problem.   

Run the Football

Michigan's rushing statistics against the Spartans were anemic at best. Denard Robinson rushed for 42 yards, Vincent Smith had 37 and Fitz Toussaint had, that's right, seven. All this on a day that wasn't conducive to throwing the football.

With each passing week, it seems that Michigan is totally neglecting a power running game. In addition to Toussaint, Stephen Hopkins is the only other back who resembles a power runner. Hopkins was seen on the Spartan gridiron, but never carried the ball.

You could almost argue that if Michigan doesn't have confidence in a certain phase of the game, it abandons it.

Twice against Michigan State, Michigan had a fourth down inside the Spartan 40. And twice Michigan punted. Playing conservatively is one thing, but that was ridiculous. 

Beat a Ranked Big Ten Team

Sure, you can improve the fundamentals, simplify the x's and o's, and instill some toughness this team hasn't seen in a long time. 

But until Michigan actually wins a big game, the doubters will continue to send criticism the Wolverines' way.

And how long has it been?

Some would say the last important Big Ten game against a ranked team was Sept. 22, 2007, when Michigan defeated No.10 Penn State 14-9. Michael Hart rushed for 153 yards on 44 carries and Ryan Mallett was the Wolverine quarterback.

If you were a freshman that season, you would have never seen another important conference victory before graduation. 

So I guess the naysayers have a good reason to doubt what Hoke's done thus far.