Author: Phil Callihan

Editor-in-Chief, UMGoBlue.COM -- AKA BLUE LEADER -- 1993 University of Michigan Graduate -- GO BLUE!
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2007 Michigan Football- UM 28 Northwestern 16 Game Grades

 

Game 5 Scoreboard

 


MICHIGAN             28
NORTHWESTERN  16

 

 

 

“I think we understood the gravity of the situation.”

 

Lloyd Carr, Michigan Head Coach

 

“We came out dead…We weren’t really focused.“

 

Brandon Graham, Michigan DE 
 

 

Phil’s Game Grades

 

Offense C
Defense C
Special Teams C
Coaching C
Overall   C  

 


The Ryan Mallett for Heisman campaign gets derailed by the Wildcats…

 

Offense-  FR QB Ryan Mallett looked human in this one.  It looked like he had first road game jitters- he’ll bounce back.  Chad Henne returned to rally the team to victory.  The offense sputtered for most the game but finally got in gear late in the 4th quarter.

 

Defense-  The defense looked completely unprepared during the first quarter.  They seemed to buckle down for the second half but the inconsistency remains difficult to understand.

 

Special Teams-  They continue to give too many return yards…Gonna be a problem against better teams if things don’t get shored up.

 

Coaching-   A lackluster performance all around.  At this rate the Wolverines can’t take any opponent for granted.

 

Comments-   The Wolverines need to hammer EMU next week…

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2007 Michigan Football- UM 14 Penn State 9 Game Grades

 

2007 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL GRADES

 


Game 4





“We had a lot of fun out there. We just have to get the next ‘W’.  We have to keep going, keep getting better.”


Ryan Mallett, Michigan QB


“I’m not dumb. Mike Hart is a great competitor. He loves to win. That’s why he is one of the best players to ever wear that uniformthis to happen.”

Lloyd Carr, Michigan Head Coach  

Phil’s Game Grades

Offense  C 
Defense  A 
Special Teams B
Coaching B
Overall   B  


Another Penn State, anther win.  I’m sure that JoPa will find something whine about as he does every time he plays the Wolverines for the last DECADE.

Offense-  Nice to see Mallett show his mobility on the first touchdown.  Mike Hart is one of the best running backs I’ve ever seen.  It took as many as four defenders to bring him down on some plays.  Pretty bland offensive game plan, Mallett showed his youth trying to force some throws in the red zone.

Defense-  The defense shut the Nittany Lions down but there are still questions.  Penn State runs a conventional offense- something that Michigan usually contains. 

Special Teams-  Missed another field goal.

Coaching-  A great performance but Penn State is a predictable opponent.  The Wolverines did enough to win a tight game but questions remain.

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2007 Michigan Football- UM 38 Notre Dame 0 Game Grades

 

2007 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL GRADES

 


Game 3




“We played Michigan football today. The defense came out and played, the special teams came out and played and the offense came out and played. When you have that, it?s hard to lose.”


Mike Hart, Michigan RB


“I was surprised. I was never expecting for this to happen.”

Sam Young, Notre Dame OL  

Phil’s Game Grades

Offense  A 
Defense  Inc 
Special Teams C 
Coaching B
Overall   B  

 


It’s always fun to beat the Irish but I they didn’t put up much of a fight.  I think this game tells us more about how putrid Notre Dame is then whether or not the Wolverine have righted the ship.

Offense-  We finally got to see Freshman QB Ryan Mallett thow the ball around.  Mike Hart was unstoppable.

Defense-  I’d love to say the defense is “fixed” but Notre Dame is horrid offensively.  It’s hard to get excited when the Irish were incapable of snapping the ball.

Special Teams-  Punt and kick coverage giving up too many yards.

Coaching-  As bad as Notre Dame is, this was still a nice victory for the Wolverines.  But next week against Penn State will a be better indicator of where this team is at.

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Bo Schembechler- The Glory is Departed

 

To: Bo Schembechler

From:  GOD

RE: My UM/OSU party

 

Dear Bo,

For a while now, I’ve had the pleasure of watching the annual Michigan/Ohio State football game with a friend of yours, one Woodrow AKA “Woody” Hayes.

Well, Bo you know that Woody can be a little one sided in his game commentary so I’ve decided to call upon you to balance out my game watching experience.  I have to warn you though, Woody keeps talking about how bad he wants a re-match of the 1969 game.  You guys will have to work that one out yourselves.

Don’t worry about bringing anything.  I’ll have it all covered.

Sorry I had to call you before your television segment was filmed- I know how you love the cameras- but there are a lot of people here who want to talk to you.  Some guy named Ufer has been honking a horn for the last 24 years and can’t wait for you to hear his play-by-play from the 1998 Rose Bowl.  And Fritz Crisler and Fielding Yost want to have a long talk about how your teams threw the ball WAY TOO MUCH for their tastes.

Don’t worry about the folks down in Ann Arbor- BTW one of my favorite places on earth- they won’t ever forget about you.  The impact you’ve made on countless lives insures that while you’ll be missed you will NEVER be forgotten.

I have a feeling it’s going to be a GREAT GAME.  Sorry I didn’t run this by you beforehand but I know how stubborn you can be.

GO BLUE!*

GOD

* Come on now- you knew all along whose side I was on.  I made the sun maize and the sky blue for heavens sake!

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Notre Dame Return to Glory?

 

Saturday evening will bring answers to questions that Wolverine fans have had since the beginning of the season.

 

Is the defense really that good?

 

Is Mike Hart fully recovered after an injury-plagued 2005 campaign?

 

Can Chad Henne get it done on the road in a big game?

 

How will fans remember the last phase of Lloyd Carr’s career?

 

Yeah, that’s the elephant sitting in the corner at Schembechler Hall right now.

 

There’s no doubt that Carr’s teams have heart.  But over the last couple of seasons they’ve been unable to win the big games.  Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Bowl opponents have owned the Wolverines.

 

Sure Michigan has been competitve but that’s a small consolation for Wolverine fans.

 

One of the things that Lloyd Carr tells recruits is that if they come to Michigan they will PLAY in big games.

 

But will he be able to tell recruits that if they come to Michigan they will WIN big games?

 

I’m not saying that Michigan football will collapse if the Irish prevail in South Bend on Saturday.  Surely the Wolverines could concievably rally and win the Big Ten.  The world will not fall off its axis.  Recruits will still flock to Ann Arbor and Michigan will still win its share of big games.

 

But if the Wolverines lay an egg in South Bend you have to seriously question the likelyhood of the team making amends for last season’s 7-5 record.  And anything less than a stellar season will mean that Lloyd Carr’s legacy will continue to tarnish.

 

So Wolverines- what will it be?  Another season of quiet desperation or a return to greatness?

 

The Irish are heavy favorites on Saturday.  The game is in South Bend where the Wolverines historically have a hard time playing well.  The stage is set for the Irish to exact revenge for the 38-0 beating they took at the hands of the Wolverines a few seasons back.

 

Sauce foir the goose.

 

The Wolverines will show that they ARE back by defeating the Irish on national television.

 

They will show the college football world that last year was an aberration.

 

Surely the Victors will ring throughout Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday and the Wolverines will reclain their place among the college football elite.

 

Go Blue!