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Looking Back — Michigan Football Season Openers – 2011 Western Michigan

Looking Back is a Special Feature by Jeff Cummins

The fourth installment in this week’s series looking back at opening games takes us to 2011.

Michigan had been trying to recapture the magic of the late 1990s for an entire decade. In 2008, the Wolverines hired Rich Rodriguez with the thought that his spread offense would narrow the gap between Michigan and many of the prevailing powerhouses in college football at that time. Rodriguez was an innovator, but once the college football community caught up to his spread offense, he had little else to offer.

Enter Brady Hoke, a coach who warmed the hearts of Michigan traditionalists everywhere. Hoke had been a defensive line coach at Michigan, and his teams were known for defense. He brought former Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Mattison with him, and the hearts of Old Blues everywhere were suddenly as warm as an overcooked bratwurst. For those yearning for a return to tradition, this was the answer.

Hoke possessed a midwestern charm that was magic on the recruiting trail. High school coaches throughout Michigan and Ohio welcomed him with open arms, and recruits responded favorably to his personality.

Western Michigan was the opponent in the 2011 season opener. The game started with renewed optimism, but Western Michigan struck first, driving 74 yards for an early touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. It didn’t last long. Michigan tied the score on a 16-play touchdown drive. The fans learned Brandon Herron’s name.

Herron, a fifth-year linebacker from Texas, returned an interception 94 yards for a touchdown to start the party. He kept the party going by returning a fumble 29 yards for another touchdown, courtesy of a jarring hit on the quarterback by safety Jordan Kovacs. If the season had ended after the first game, he would have merited consideration for the All-America team. By halftime, Michigan led 20-10, and the competitive portion of the game was over. However, the second half proved to be interesting for unexpected reasons.

A sudden deluge drenched the stadium, with rain flowing sideways. After a brief rain delay, Michigan took solid control of the game, and Michael Shaw ended the scoring with a 44-yard touchdown run. After lightning struck on a later Michigan possession, officials ended the game. Michigan won by a final score of 34-10, giving Brady Hoke and the Wolverines a win in one of the most unique opening games in school history.

Thanks to YouTube, ESPN, and YouTube poster WolverineDevotee for the highlights below. As always, neither I nor anyone involved with this website owns anything, and we do not profit from this blog post.

About Jeff Cummins

Jeff Cummins has written about football since 1998, including nine years with The Record of Hackensack, N.J. He frequently contributes feature stories to Touchdown Illustrated, an insert in the national college football game program, published by University Sports Publications, and he has also written the official pregame stories for the game programs of the Rose Bowl, the Cotton Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, the Gator Bowl, and the BCS National Championship game. He has written the preview story for the official program for the NHL Winter Classic at MIchigan Stadium, and numerous college basketball feature stories for College Hoops Illustrated, another game program insert published by University Sports Publications. In addition, he has written stories about theater, music, physical therapy, and newsletter marketing. He’s an avid Michigan football fan and long-time New York Jets season ticket holder, and he can be reached at jeffcummins@optonline.net.

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