Sunday, November 18, 2007 - Andy Andersen

M 3, OSU 14-Offensive Offense

While Michigan’s defense held the Buckeyes powerful offense to just fourteen points, Michigan's offense managed perhaps the most truly miserable performance by a Wolverine offense since the 1960's, totaling a whopping 3 points on the only field goal they could convert, and 15-yards net rushing. They were offensive only in the wrong kind of way.

Maybe we should have known it would be a throw away day when the advertised jet fly-over was cancelled because of inclement weather.   It was just about as dull and boring a football game, as you would ever want to sit in the rain and watch for sixty bucks a pop.

Michigan’s fans get maligned a lot, and it should be on the record that on this day they were hyped.  The crowd was electric, at first, and they were into it, inside and out of the arena.  My section usually sits and they stood the whole game, but it obviously made no difference.

Granted the Buckeyes have a strong defense. Granted the ball was wet and slippery.     Granted it was a nasty mid-western day with temperatures under forty and a steady light mist. Granted Chad Henne was obviously still hurting and throwing high and behind receivers. Granted the OL forgot how to pass protect.  Granted all that, there is not an excuse in the world for this dismal offensive showing.  The defense did worlds better, but still gave up a long play and missed some tackles.

The Wolverine’s offense was not up to the task. That was a surprise, a shame, and is unacceptable.  Offensively Michigan is among the Big Ten’s bottom feeders, and has earned its place there, as witnessed by Saturday afternoon.  There is something wrong with this team.  There seems to be more than just injuries wrong with the Wolverine  offense.

Time and time again, the offense hung the defense out to dry with dropped passes, lack of protection, predictable runs on 1^st down, and the same old passes (asking a sore arm to throw outs), the usual Butler penalties, and the two big time Michigan wide receivers unable to catch some of Chad’s good throws when it counted.  Adrian Arrington dropped some and Mario Manningham dropped at least two highly catch able Henne hurls in crunch time, late in the first half.  This helped cancel any opportunity to win.

Michigan had all the motivational factors in the world going for it with the game at home, a Rose Bowl berth up for grabs, and an un-divided Big Ten title possible, and the salvation of a season that brought the Wolverines unprecedented national ridicule with the loss to Appalachian State.  None of that mattered, thanks to Michigan’s own football inadequacies and Ohio State’s football acumen.  Ohio State played outstanding defense, obviously.

It was certainly sad to see Chad and Mike finish their last game in Michigan Stadium under such circumstances. The same goes for big Jake, but none of them were outstanding on this day. 

All of them have earned our respect and admiration for their many accomplishments over the four years of their outstanding careers, and nothing that happened on this day will detract from that.  But Saturday’s game will also not detract from the fact the Scarlet and Grey celebrated in our Stadium.

Sixteen seniors played in their last home game. Thanks to all and they will be missed.  Jamar Adams, Anton Campbell, Shawn Crable (27 TFLs), Grant DeBenedictis, Brandent Englemon (who had an interception Saturday), Chris Graham, Mike Hart, Chad Henne, Matt Hornaday, Ankit Kachhal, Adam Kraus, Jake Long, Pat Lyall, Max Pollock, Jon Saigh and Ben Wright.

As far as coaching goes, when you lose, someone else did better.  In this case the Vest took his Maize and Blue competition to school again.  I am not going to criticize coaching extensively today, as that may be a moot point, even though it is an issue every time you lose.

It appears that there are significant program changes in process.  It is anticipated by some media that Lloyd Carr will retire as Head Coach at his Monday presser, and there is a buzz among some fans to anoint LSU’s Les Miles as their favorite replacement.

Nobody seems to have credible inside information.  The Fort can keep its secrets.  Hopefully, if the retirement is announced, a plan has been in place for a while so a smooth and less damaging transition can be effected.

It is also rumored that there is a general gathering of the Athletic Department staff scheduled on Monday before the presser. This seems to give credibility to the speculation.

With a MNC, the several Big Ten Championships, a Heisman Trophy winner, and having a personality that is concerned with his community, his players, his assistant Coaches, his family, and his Michigan, Lloyd Carr has been a definite asset to the Wolverine community.  The good has far out weighed the bad over the course of Lloyd’s career, even as I try to absorb the reality of that turkey of a game Saturday and the reality of an 8 and 4 regular season for a team predicted to be top five.

We sort of inherited Lloyd, when Gary Moeller made his social misstep, and he always had the long shadow of the famous Bo Schembechler crossing his path.  He did something Bo never managed, and won a National Championship, and some Bowls, and created his own aura, but that has begun to fade in recent years.  Lloyd came from the defensive side of the ball and I always thought he was far more expert there than offensively.

In the past few years, as the end of season losses and Bowl losses have mounted, and the loss to Appalachian happened along with other regular season woes, so has the discontent of some of the fan base.  There will be many welcoming Lloyd’s retirement, if it happens.

Personally, I think the time is ripe for a change, believing that the program needs the invigoration of fresh ideas (especially offensively) and leadership, but let’s not forget the genuine legacy Coach Carr leaves if he decides to become a has been.

He embodies a lot of good things for which Michigan athletics stand, and always will.

It is easy to forget that Michigan is a young team this year, with a number of true freshmen getting some playing time.  Zion Babb, Artis Chambers, Vince Helmuth, JR Hemingway, Ryan Mallett, Renaldo Sagasse, Donovan Warren, Martell Webb, Troy Woolfolk, and James Rogers played, among others. Two, Donovan Warren, and Ryan Mallett, made significant contributions.

The cupboard will not be left bare and the program not a shambles, even if it could stand some improvement if you judge by Saturday’s lack of achievement.

Eventually, I can’t avoid getting back to the game.

1^st Quarter:

Ohio State received, punts were exchanged and the Blue got their only points of the quarter and the game after a 49-yard drive and 33-yard Lopata field goal.  M 3, OSU 0.

2^nd Quarter

OSU got good field position, starting a series at the Michigan 44, passing and rushing to complete a 44- yard drive culminated by a Wells run for a 1-yard TD.  M 3, OSU 7.

Zoltan Mesko finally gave the Wolverines some great field position with a 68-yard punt, but Michigan could not capitalize as Mario dropped a couple of passes, including a critical 1^st down, and Mesko punted a 46-yarder.

Then Brandent Engelman made a break for the Wolverines by intercepting an OSU pass at the OSU 34 with a couple of minutes left in the half, but again the offense continued to stumble.  A couple of incomplete passes, and a three-yard completion to Mario, which he should have dropped to save time on the clock, stalled the drive.  KC Lopata missed a 48-yard FG attempt, and there went the best scoring opportunities on the day.  These were golden scoring opportunities thrown completely away by miscues and then a poor FG attempt.  A 48-yarder is well outside of Michigan’s range.  These two failed offensive series late in the 1^st half were the turning point in the game.  The half ended at M 3 and OSU 7.

3^rd Quarter 

M received, and the offense diddled again.  Obviously the Bucks intended to stop Mike Hart and they did, and the passing game could not help.  Then a 62-yard OSU run by Wells iced the win early in the 3^rd Quarter.  Wells had quite a day with 39 carries for 222-yards.  The scoring was finished.  M 3, OSU 14.  Michigan managed a pathetic 91 yards of total offense.  Is OSUs defense good?  Sure, but Illinois shredded them.

The story of the game is told in three sets of statistics.  Henne was 11 of 34 for 68-yards.  Hart had 28 carries for 44-yards and the Wolverines had 15 net yards rushing with a 0.6 average per attempt.

4^th Quarter

The fourth was more of the same for Michigan.  OSU did not pull a Woody Hayes at the end of the game as they were in the shadow of the goal line and took a knee.  Final M 3, OSU 14.

The Ohio State defense ruled the day on one of the worst days of Michigan football I have seen in thirty-years.

This strange season is not over yet as Michigan will play in some sort of Bowl game, but perhaps it will not be on New Year’s Day.  Whoever and wherever they play, Wolverine pride needs a win badly to salvage somewhat this season of book end losses.

Thank you for reading my columns this year and I hope happier times are ahead for Michigan fans.  Certainly there will be change in a number of areas as the stadium renovation is about to begin, even if there is not a coaching change, and just as sure as the leaves change and the grass grows, a new year will bring renewed opportunity for football accomplishment.

Go Blue!

Andy Andersen

Note:  Sunday Evening November 19th, 2007:  The Detroit News has headlined that Lloyd Carr told the Wolverines football team today he will announce his retirement at 10:00 AM tomorrow, so the rumors are fast becoming reality.

Coach Carr has been a solid Michigan man and will be missed.  I can only wish him the happiest of retirements and say well done for his body of coaching work at Michigan.

An interesting question is who will Coach the Wolveries in their bowl game.  Coach Carr?  Mike Debord as an interim coach?  We shall have to wait and see.

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