Sunday, November 15, 2009 - Justin Mantell, Contributor, UMGoBlue.com
On the precipice of another early end to another terrible season, Michigan has only pride—and maybe a berth in the WhoCares.com Bowl—to play for this Saturday.
After opening the season 4-0, the Wolverines have managed to beat only a JV team from Delaware State while losing six of seven, including 4 in a row heading into the Ohio State game. The last time Michigan entered THE game on a four-game losing streak was never. Take away the glorified scrimmage against Delaware State and a once great program has lost five straight.
The defense has given up 35 or more points in four straight games and has only three Big Ten wins in two seasons. Sadly, they led each of the four games at least once before the offense got confused and the wheels fell off the defense.
As if that were not enough, Michigan is one of the most turnover-prone teams in college football while Ohio State is among the best at taking the ball away.
Well…there is no better way to top off the descent into FCSdom than a sixth consecutive loss to the team down south.
Maize and Blue fans used to fear the program was edging toward mediocrity, but expectations have been adjusted to such an extent that mediocrity would be a sight for sore eyes right about now.
Normally, at this juncture of the preview BlueFan would break down the strengths and weaknesses of the respective offenses and defenses, but there is really no point. The Michigan coaching staff will either have the players ready to play this Saturday with some semblance of a gameplan or they will fall back on the usual excuses of a lack of defensive depth and the wrong personnel on offense. It is sad and a little funny that such excuses are now commonplace even among many fans.
Brandons Graham and Minor and the rest of the seniors deserve a lot better than ending their college careers by losing five straight games, and going O'fer against Ohio State. A win this Saturday is possible, but BlueFan has seen nothing since late September that suggests such a possibility is anything but remote.
It will take a near-perfect day by Michigan and some key mistakes by the Buckeyes for the Wolverines to avoid ending 2009 any better than 2008.
GO BLUE!
BlueFan’s Three-Point Stance
-The Rich Rodriguez-Calvin Magee offense has turned the ball over 53 times in 23 games since arriving at Michigan.
-The Wolverines have been out-scored 158-61 in the third quarter during Coach Rodriguez’s tenure.
-Michigan has never lost six consecutive times to Ohio State.
2009 M Softball- Resilient Wolverines Seek Revenge in Super Regionals (Tuesday, May 19, 2009) In 2007, the Michigan Wolverines softball squad was embarrassed. After an NCAA Regional Championship, Coach Hutchins’ team traveled to Waco, Texas to face the Baylor Lady Bears in the Super Regionals best-of-three series. While Michigan did win one, the Lady Bears shellacked the Wolverines in the two others, by a combined score of 13-0, including a run-rule decision in Game 1.
2009 M Football- What to be excited for in 2009 (Tuesday, August 18, 2009) The Michigan Wolverines head into the 2009 season eager to erase the memories of last year's disappointing campaign.
2009 M Football: Who Wins? Who Knows? (Monday, September 28, 2009) Michigan Wolverines at Michigan State Spartans, Saturday, October 3, 2009 in East Lansing, MI
M Football 2009- Wolverines Sting Hornets-M 63, DSU 6 (Monday, October 19, 2009) The Wolverines smashed the over matched Hornets of Delaware State of the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference. Why was this better than a bye week?
UMGoBlog.COM
UMGoVideo.COM
UMGoPodcast.COM
