Monday, September 03, 2007 - Alex Brooks

How do you describe what happened Saturday afternoon at the Big House? You really can’t. What words? No words can summarize…no words could have been spoken following the most shocking upset in the history of college football and the way it happened.

And as I stood in Michigan Stadium, as 109,000 of my closest friends went for the exits, I couldn’t move. I couldn’t talk.

It’s moments like these which test how big of a fan you really are. It’s the beauty (and pain) of being a true sports fan. Just ask me, the Cleveland fan. You hurt so badly, yet you can’t take yourself away from it no matter how hard you try. Don’t give up, and trust me, one day we’ll be where we all want to be. There are always games like these that happen for a reason – likely telling all of us that something needs to change soon.

While you could point fingers at what went wrong, there really is no explanation. While Appalachian State did play their hearts out, it just came down to Michigan not being prepared. There is no question that the Wolverines have superior talent on nearly every side of the ball, so how does something like this happen? Who knows?

If nothing else it is the coaching. I have defended Carr in the past, as well as many others, but how can you after this debacle? A three game losing streak? That’s not Michigan. Carr thought that he needed to beat Ohio State and win a bowl game to earn back the fondness of a good portion of Wolverine nation. I guess no one told him that he has to beat a FCS team first.

I personally thought that he would retire at the season’s finale prior to the season just because he is ageing and I thought he would have another National Championship trophy in tow. However, that’s not going to happen. He might “retire” after this season, but most of the decision will come from Bill Martin, who will most likely be urging him to move on.

The season isn’t over, however. The bad news is that Michigan has a losing record and the defense, for the most part, and special teams was awful against an FCS team…so how exactly are we going to succeed against an actual I-A squad? That’s a question that will be answered this Saturday when Oregon comes to Ann Arbor.

For some reason, I don’t feel as if the real Michigan team was showcased on Saturday. I somehow feel that the Wolverines will play better for the rest of the season, which needs to be the case if they want a chance at the Big Ten title, or even a bowl bid for that matter. Again, I don’t want to call it a fluke, but Michigan just flat out was not prepared physically or mentally. Perhaps this will wake them up.

Either way, I still have a feeling that they will beat Oregon, in front of MANY angry Michigan fans in the Big House.

And while this loss did sting…a lot, it’s not the end of the world. It’s not the beginning of the decline of college football or any other type of that garbage that I have read. It’s just an awful, awful loss. We need to put some perspective on this. While it will never be forgotten, we’ll move on. If I remember correctly Virginia faired well after Chaminade. The same goes for Georgetown after Villanova.

A new week, a new game, a new opponent. And for those of you who will choose to not be in attendance or watching it on TV, what is that accomplishing?

It’s still great to be a Michigan Wolverine!

Go Blue!

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