Category: Featured

Posted on

Nothing But ‘Net – Week #12 – 01/16/2017 – Not Dead Yet

Quick Look

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games last week, and they lost one and won the other. On Wednesday (01/11/2017), Michigan lost at Illinois 85-69, then on Saturday (01/14/2017), they beat Nebraska 91-85 in Crisler Arena. The loss and the win leave Michigan with a record of 12-6 (2-3 in the Big Ten).

What Happened

After the truly disappointing loss at Illinois, it looked like Michigan might not win another game this season, and that all was lost. But, as Monty Python says, “I’m not dead yet”: they played one of their better games in a while in beating Nebraska. Normally, we’d say “eh, Nebraska”, but not this season. Nebraska has beaten Indiana and Maryland on the road, so beating them is more of an accomplishment than usual.

“Disappointing” might not cover it for the Illinois debacle. Michigan needed that win, and they didn’t show up. The game was close for most of the 1st half, and it was tied up 34-34 with 3:18 left in the half. That’s when the roof fell in. Derrick Walton Jr. got called for a foul, and lost his cool. He slammed the basketball to the court, and got called for a technical. So, Illinois got 2 free throws (which they made) and the ball, and got a basket for 2 more points. That started a 15-2 run to end the half up 13 points (49-36), which was all the lead Illinois needed. The closest Michigan got the rest of the game was 9 points (53-44) with 17:22 left, but the lead got as high as 20 points several times. It was ugly.

To their credit, Michigan could have folded their tents and just gone through the motions vs. Nebraska, but they played hard and smart. They didn’t play much defense, again, but they managed to get just enough timely stops to win the game. They led the entire game, but never by more than 10 points, and often by 1 or 2 points. They managed to keep the lead in the 3-6 point range most of the game, but they could never shake Nebraska. Fortunately, they hit their free throws in crunch time, and won the game.

The stats for both games are remarkably similar. Michigan played great offense in both games, and terrible defense. In the Illinois game, Michigan shot very well overall (27-for-51 = 52.9%), they shot 3-pointers well (7-for-14 = 50.0%), and they shot free throws well (8-for-10 = 80.0%). They were crushed on the boards (30-17), but they won the turnover battle (8-11). They lost the game on the boards: all those extra possessions added up for Illinois.

In the Nebraska game, UM shot very well overall (27-for-50 = 54.0%), they shot very well from 3-point range (11-for-22 = 50.0%), and they shot very well from the free throw line (26-for-30 = 86.7%). As usual, they lost the rebounding battle (29-23), and they won the turnover battle (10-13). They won the game at the free throw line: Nebraska only shot 5 free throws.

Who Looked Good

For the second week in a row, in both games, 4 of the 5 starters hit double figures.

DJ Wilson was the star of the Illinois game, with 19 points (on 8-for-12 shooting). He also played well vs. Nebraska, with 11 points, including 3-for-4 shooting from 3-point range.

Moritz Wagner was the star of the Nebraska game, with 23 points, including 4-for-6 shooting from 3-point range. He had one of his worst games of the season vs. Illinois, with only 6 points, and no defense.

Derrick Walton Jr. hit double figures in both games (11 and 20 points), but his mental error (technical foul) in the Illinois game swung the momentum the wrong way at the wrong time.

Zak Irvin also hit double figures in both games (10 and 21). On the downside, he was 0-for-1 and 0-for-4 shooting 3-pointers this week.

Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman was the other starter to hit double figures in one game (14 vs. Illinois) and have a rough time the other game (6 vs. Nebraska).

Who Looked Not-So-Good

Duncan Robinson had another quiet week: 2 and 6 points. This is the same Duncan Robinson who shot 60% from 3-point range in the early part of last season. Michigan needs that Duncan Robinson back.

Mark Donnal had 2 points in each game. This is the same Mark Donnal who had 28 points against Illinois last season in Champaign. Michigan needs that Mark Donnal back.

Xavier Simpson had 3 and 2 points. He did a decent job of running the offense, and he has quick hands on defense, but he’s still got a ways to go.

Sean Lonergan had 2 points vs. Illinois, and didn’t play in the Nebraska game.

Who Else Played

Ibi Watson played in both games, but failed to score.

Brent Hibbitts, Jon Teske, and Fred Wright-Jones all played in the Illinois game, but not the Nebraska game. None of them scored.

Who Didn’t Play

Everyone played in at least one game this week. Once the Illinois game got out of hand, Coach Beilein emptied the bench.

The Big Picture

While Michigan hasn’t completely ruined their chances for getting into the NCAA Tournament, they certainly didn’t help things by sleepwalking through the Illinois game. Their margin for error is getting very thin. At this point, I’d say an NIT bid is much more likely.

What’s Next

This week Michigan plays two more games, one on the road, and one in Crisler Arena. On Tuesday (01/17/2017, 9:00 p.m. EST, ESPN), Michigan plays at (#18) Wisconsin, then on Saturday (01/21/2017, 2:15 p.m., BTN), they play Illinois in Crisler Arena.

Michigan stands no chance at all vs. Wisconsin in Madison. Zero. Wisconsin is 14-3 overall, 3-1 in the Big Ten, and they are virtually unbeatable at home. Just write this one off and move on.

Illinois just beat Michigan last week, but it was a closer game than the final score would indicate. The rematch is a “toss up” game, and Michigan really needs to win it if they want to have any hope of making the Big Dance. If they lose this one, it’s NIT time.

Check back next week to see what happened, and why.

Go Blue!

Posted on

Nothing But ‘Net – Week #11 – 01/09/2017 – Trending The Wrong Way

Quick Look

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games last week, and they won one and lost the other. On Wednesday (01/04/2017), Michigan beat Penn State 72-69, then on Saturday (01/07/2017), they lost to Maryland 77-70. Both games were in Crisler Arena. The win and the loss leave Michigan with a record of 11-5 (1-2 in the Big Ten).

What Happened

Just 3 games into the Big Ten season, it’s obvious that Michigan has taken a step backwards from last season’s team, and is trending in the wrong direction. Sure, they beat PSU, but they were expected to beat them; the real indicator was how they would do in a tough “toss-up” game vs. Maryland, and they didn’t look good.

Actually, Michigan hasn’t looked good since their last two “cupcake” games (Central Arkansas and Maryland Eastern Shore). They looked pretty weak in their last non-conference game (Furman) and all 3 of their Big Ten games (Iowa, PSU, and Maryland). For the first 30 minutes of the PSU game, they made Penn State look like Duke. Fortunately, UM woke up just in time in that game, and managed to come back just enough to win. Not so in the other 2 Big Ten games. Michigan has been playing from behind a lot this season, and they have 5 losses to show for it.

UM fell behind early to PSU, and only led once in the 1st half (7-6, with 16:16 to go). They trailed by 7 at halftime (36-29), and let the game get even further away in the first 7 minutes of the 2nd half (54-40 with 15:41 to go). A quick 12-1 run got Michigan back in the game, down only 3 points (55-52 with 8:35 to go). Michigan finally got the lead (62-61) with 3:28 left, lost it (63-62), and got it back for good (64-63). PSU was still within one point (70-69) with 5 seconds left, but Michigan made their free throws to win the game.

Michigan led 3-0 and 3-2 vs. Maryland, then never led again. Maryland led by as many as 11 points (37-26) late in the 1st half, and led by 9 (37-28) at halftime. In the early part of the 2nd half, UM got as close as 1 point (38-37), but could never quite “get over the hump”. It was still a 3-point game (73-70) in the final minute, but UM couldn’t get the stops or hit the big shots when they needed them.

The stats from the PSU game show why Michigan had such a hard time: they shot poorly (44.6% overall, 28.6% from 3-point range), and they got hammered on the boards (38-27). PSU lost the game with turnovers (14-5).

The stats from the Maryland game are actually a little better. UM shot better (50.0% overall and 38.1% from 3-point range), and got closer in the rebounding battle (33-26). Maryland won because they were on fire from 3-point range: 10-for-15 (66.7%).

Who Looked Good

In both games, 4 of the 5 starters hit double figures.

DJ Wilson hit double figures in both games (12 and 13). He was 3-for-3 shooting 3-pointes vs. Maryland.

Moritz Wagner also hit double figures in both games (12 and 17). He also had 5 rebounds in each game. He kind of fell in love with the 3-point shot a little more than he should have in the Maryland game, going 2-for-7.

Zak Irvin was the 3rd starter to hit double figures in both games (14 and 15).

Derrick Walton Jr. hit double figures (14) vs. PSU, but had a rough game (5 points) vs. Maryland.

Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman was the other starter to hit double figures in one game (12 vs. Maryland) and have a rough time the other game (7 vs. PSU).

Who Looked Not-So-Good

Duncan Robinson did OK (8 points) vs. PSU, but had a quiet game (3 points) vs. Maryland.

Mark Donnal had 3 and 5 points.

Xavier Simpson had 2 and 0 points.

Sean Lonergan went scoreless in 1 minute of playing time vs. PSU, and didn’t play in the Maryland game.

Who Else Played

No one else played.

Who Didn’t Play

Brent Hibbitts, Jon Teske, Ibi Watson and Fred Wright-Jones didn’t play.

The Big Picture

Nothing has changed since last week: Michigan still stands a decent chance of getting into the NCAA Tournament, but they need to win more of the “toss up” games, especially at home.

What’s Next

This week Michigan plays two more games, one on the road, and one in Crisler Arena. On Wednesday (01/11/2017, 9:00 p.m. EST, BTN), Michigan plays at Illinois, then on Saturday (01/14/2017, 2:00 p.m., BTN), they play Nebraska in Crisler Arena.

Illinois has the same record as Michigan (11-5 overall, 1-2 in the Big Ten), a few good wins (North Carolina State, Virginia Commonwealth, BYU, Missouri, and Ohio State), and only one bad loss (Winthrop). They also lost to Maryland, by a lot more than Michigan did (84-59). This will be a tough game, especially on the road.

Nebraska has been the biggest surprise so far in the Big Ten. Their overall record is 9-6, but they are 3-0 in the Big Ten, with wins over Indiana (on the road), Maryland (on the road), and Iowa (at home). They didn’t beat anyone good in the non-conference schedule, and they have one bad loss (Gardner-Webb). If they can beat Indiana and Maryland on the road, they can certainly beat Michigan in Crisler. This game does not look very promising.

Check back next week to see what happened, and why.

Go Blue!

Posted on

Peppers Return to Michigan Could Mean a Strive for Greatness

peppers-horn

Its still unknown as to whether Michigans’ all-around player Jabrill Peppers will return for one more season. But if he wants to be the best, he will have to do what is necessary.

Over the course of the season, Peppers has managed to play 933 snaps at 15 different positions. Yes, I said 15. That is a ridiculous amount, but yet it’s really not surprising to me anymore. There is a reason as to why he won the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player. He left everything on the field. on every play, and damn near was always making some kind of impact whether it was on offense, defense or even special teams. That is exactly what the team needed from him and he did it without question.

“Jabrill Peppers is a throwback to the time I played,” Hornung said in a statement. “He’s fearless on the field and uses his tremendous athletic skills and determination to play any position to help Michigan win football games. Jabrill is a fantastic addition to our list of Paul Hornung Award winners.”

Nothing is certain as to what Peppers may do. But I keep reiterating it to everyone, just like the recruiting season has been thus far, don’t be surprised. After attending the Heisman Trophy Ceremony earlier this month, Peppers might have dropped a slight clue on what we can possibly expect to hear in the near future.

So what the hell does it that mean if Peppers decides to return? It means that there could be a forced to be reckoned with in 2017.

Improve his football knowledge 

Its no secret that Peppers knows how to play defense. However, over the course of the season he was playing predominantly more at the line of scrimmage as a hybrid linebacker/safety and not so much at the safety for what he is being scouted for in the NFL. Scouts absolutely love seeing him make plays like these and attacking the ball and so do we, but they want to see him improve his pass coverage. I’m not a  defensive coordinator, but with Dymonte Thomas leaving and a possible return of Peppers, it could open a chance with him moving to strong safety next season where he could make a huge difference. Coming back to improve his skill set wouldnt be the worse idea.

https://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yAC5CJJFSezFNKxl5jTywlT8noU=/0x0:640×360/720×0/filters:focal(0x0:640×360):gifv():no_upscale()/cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7606697/gif__7_.gif

Draft stock is falling

As the regular season came to a finish, the big plays started to slow down and the hot pepper started to cool off and so did his rising stock for the NFL draft. Not because he wasn’t filling the stat lines but simply because the games got tougher and it got harder to make plays every time he was at a different position. No one isnt a bigger critic than Peppers is of himself and he knows that he didn’t finish as strong as he probably could have. There’s a chance to change that and solidify a primarily role on defense.

Unfinished business

Peppers had made it known to everyone that he plans to graduate and win a national title. At least those were his goals when he decided to come to Michigan and they’re certainly not far fetched from happening. Though Michigan is losing a ton of talent on both sides of the ball, due to graduates and departures to the NFL, they have depth and their returning some core players. That’s not even mentioning the noise their making on the recruiting scene. the  It might be too early to tell, but team 138 just might be that team to do it all and win a national title. Peppers has two more years of eligibility left and should be able to graduate next year. Yes, many players have gone pro and then decided to finish out their degree. But he’s a type person that wants to do everything the right way the first time and I can imagine him getting it done.

So much can happen in such a little time. But there is a decision to be made and is expected to be made very soon. Hopefully, we get another chance to see him not make a tackle for a loss or even a punt return for a touchdown. Hell, even see him get down like James Brown.

https://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-vuSUMO_NP6jm5do2r_edORG_y8=/0x0:640×360/720×0/filters:focal(0x0:640×360):gifv():no_upscale()/cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7607597/gif__11_.gif

On Thursday while practicing a drill on special teams, Peppers was hobbled and walking around with a hamstring pull. Despite the injury, he still participated in the pre-game warm ups and tried to give it a go and attempt to manage the pain. But it was just too much to handle.

After a 1-point lost to the Seminoles, we seen a emotional Peppers that we haven’t seen before.

“It was a joint decision,” he said. “The trainers watched me warm up. I knew I wasn’t myself, I knew I wasn’t going to be myself. If the game was Saturday, I play in this game 100%. I felt as though I just needed that extra day. When you tweak something like a hamstring the day before the game, it”s kind of tough to recover from.”

After missing the game, many had assumed that he was just sitting out just to protect his draft stock, but the tears running down his face said otherwise. Peppers said he that he taken an insurance policy after his  freshman year was cut short.

“I couldn’t care less about what people think why I didn’t play. The fact that I couldn’t be out there with my brothers, I think that hurt more than the loss. … My future didn’t play any role in this.”

Peppers added that he didn’t finish the year like he wanted or even had envisioned.

“Got some decisions to make, still feel like I didn’t do what I set out to do, as an individual and as a team,” he said. “We didn’t make the playoffs, didn’t make the Rose Bowl. And to come here and lose the Orange Bowl just sucked. Because we worked too hard for it.”

It’s hard to imagine Peppers walking away after seeing him like this. If he does though, the type of emotion that he brings to the locker room and on the field will be greatly missed.

 

Hail!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on

Nothing But ‘Net – Week #10 – 01/02/2017 – Disappointing Start

Quick Look

Happy New Year.

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played one game last week, their Big Ten opener, and they lost it. On Sunday (01/01/2017), Michigan lost at Iowa 86-83 (in overtime). The loss drops Michigan’s record to 10-4 (0-1 in the Big Ten).

What Happened

This was a toss-up game, and Michigan had their chances to win it, but they couldn’t hit the big shots when they needed to, and they lost in overtime. It was a close, hard-fought game, and Michigan didn’t look bad, but they also didn’t take advantage of the golden opportunities they had to greatly increase their chances.

It was a see-saw game, with lots of ties (11) and lead changes (8), and neither team ever got more than 7 points ahead. Iowa just made the shots and got the stops in the key moments, and they deserved to win.

The stats show that Michigan played OK, but not great: 45.9% shooting overall (34-for74), 34.3% shooting from 3-point range (12-for-35), and 60.0% shooting from the free throw line (3-for-5). They lost the rebounding battle (39-42), and won the turnover battle (8-9).

Who Looked Good

DJ Wilson was the star, and the only reason UM stayed close. He scored 28 points on 11-for-18 shooting (4-for-8 shooting 3-pointers), and had 14 rebounds for a huge double-double. He also had 6 assists and only 1 turnover.

Moritz Wagner scored 12 points on decent shooting: 6-for-10, but 0-for-2 shooting 3-pointers.

Zak Irvin also had 12 points, but didn’t shoot very well: 5-for-15. He did have 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

Derrick Walton Jr. was the 4th UM starter in double figures, with 13 points. He also had a mediocre game shooting: 5-for-13, 3-for-8 shooting 3-pointers.

Duncan Robinson, coming off the bench, was the 5th UM player in double figures, with 15 points. He shot pretty well overall (6-for-12), but only 3-for-9 from 3-point range.

Who Looked Not-So-Good

Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman went scoreless (0-for-2) in only 8 minutes of action. He got in early foul trouble in the 1st half, and only played 4 minutes, but he didn’t get any more fouls in the 2nd half, yet only played 4 more minutes. Something is up here. MAAR has been in quite a slump lately, and I suspect he’s going to be replaced in the starting lineup with Duncan Robinson.

Mark Donnal chipped in a few points (3) off the bench, and played some decent defense.

Xavier Simpson went scoreless (0-for-1) in 9 minutes of playing time.

Sean Lonergan went scoreless (0-for-1) in 1 minute of playing time.

Who Else Played

No one else played.

Who Didn’t Play

Brent Hibbitts, Jon Teske, Ibi Watson and Fred Wright-Jones didn’t play.

The Big Picture

It’s clear that Michigan isn’t going to be in the running for the Big Ten championship, so they need to set their sights on getting to the NCAA Tournament. They won 10 non-conference games, including a couple good wins (Marquette, SMU, and Texas) and no bad losses, so they need to win 9 games in the Big Ten regular season, and 1 game in the Big Ten Tournament. The Iowa game could have been one of those 9 wins, but it wasn’t. Michigan still stands a decent chance of making the NCAA Tournament, but they need to win a few games on the road.

What’s Next

This week Michigan plays two games, both in Crisler Arena. On Wednesday (01/04/2017, 8:30 p.m., BTN), Michigan plays Penn State, then on Saturday (01/07/2017, 3:10 p.m., ESPN2), they play Maryland.

Penn State went 8-5 in their non-conference schedule, with a couple good wins (Georgia Tech and St. John’s), and one sad loss (Albany). They lost to Northwestern at home, and beat Rutgers on the road. Michigan should be able to beat them, but they’ll have to play a solid game.

Maryland went 12-1 in their non-conference schedule, with their only loss at home to Pittsburgh in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. They beat Illinois at home, but lost to Nebraska, also at home. They are the first team out of the AP Top-25 (#26). They will be a tough test for Michigan, and a win would be an accomplishment.

Check back next week to see what happened, and why.

Go Blue!

Posted on

M Football 2016 ORANGE BOWL: SEMINOLES NIP BATTLING WOLVERINES 32 TO 33

The 6th ranked Wolverines laid aside the disappointments that a bittersweet regular season afforded, and attempted to build on the many pluses the season revealed for their battle with the Florida State Seminoles, only to be handed another heartbreaking last seconds loss, replete with a controversial no call on an off sides call on M’s last possession. An irritating call, this time the game did not swing on it.

The pregame ended with the stunning announcement that Jabrill Peppers would not play because of a hamstring tweaked Thursday. This hurt the Wolverine cause on several levels. It was too late to plan around his absence. He was very much missed on special teams, as well as offense and defense.
FSU hyper talented star running back Delvin Cook prospered in his absence as he broke a couple of long runs. He rushed 20 times for 145-yards and a TD. He produced 207-yards, and was definitely the player of the game.

Kenny Allen provided the only field position advantage on special teams. He was simply outstanding. He hit three FGs. And his punting was outstanding. One long punt was dropped by the FSY receiver near the goal line, but M had to settle for three.

Peppers was missed in the pass rush, and as an on field leader, and he was also missed in trying to corral the hyper fast Cook. Cook often cooked M’s defensive intentions. He rendered Michigan’s defense mostly ineffective at times in the first and second quarters putting up 20 points to the Wolverines 9 in the first half, The Wolverines played a terrible 1st half offensively, and defensively, scoring no TDs and yielding big plays. They were inside the ten on three occasions and came away with three field goals, while FSU piled up 20 points in the half. M could not stop the spectacular running of FSU’s Cook, or the pass rush of Florida States Defensive line, until adjustments were made at the half, and they utilized quick short passes over the middle. I very much doubted that a blow-out was not in progress as it was 20 to 6 at the half.

They faced a very good Florida State Football team in this prestigious Capital One Orange Bowl played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Lakes, Florida.

THE LAST GAME OF THE SEASON DID NOT GET ANY EASIER FOR THE WOLVERINES. Ranked 10th in the country, and coached by the colorful and successful Jimbo Fisher, it seemed the Seminoles presented just the ticket to take the Wolverine’s mind off their two critical regular season losses that prevented them from achieving their goals of a shot at the Big Ten Championship, and a spot in the final four. Instead it added a third loss.

They were as disappointed, if not more so, than the fans, by those earlier losses, and probably this one. Many players thought post TOSU that they (Michigan) were among the best four teams in the country. While they had not proved it in late season’s action, the thought endured, and still seemed to be somewhat reasonable, but lessened by their stumble against the Seminoles.

THE LAST HALF: The Wolverines struggled mightily in the first half offensively and defensively, managing only 6 points, while the Seminoles held 20. But they received the second half KO, having deferred. When the drive stalled Kenny Allen supplied his third FG. It was now 9 to 20.

The Wolverines offense was somewhat now revitalized as they loaded their tight ends Bunting, Asiasi, and Wheatley, and gathered a few first downs. Jake Butt had been injured earlier, and was out for the game, but he chugged off under his own power.

TE Bunting caught a couple for 30-yards. With little time left in the quarter, the Wolverines made themselves a break. The defense brought pressure and FSU finally cracked as Mike McCray nabbed a Seminole pass and returned it 14-yards for the TD, diving on a very athletic play into the endzone on a very athletic play and the chase was on. 9 to 20 became 15 to 20. A two point conversion was missed. The defense was now alive and well after yielding 201-yards of offense in the first quarter, FSU managed only 69-yards from scrimmage in the second half.

The big play bugaboo bird kept pecking as Dalvin Cook faced a 3rd and 22, and conquered it by slipping a tackle and speeding 71-yards to the M 13. FSU QB Francois ran a keeper into the end zone and it was 15-27. Now it seemed to be over for the Wolverines.

Now it with a under eight minutes in the fourth, and the Seminoles gave a gift to the Wolverines, hitting a crouching Jordan Lewis with a very dangerous blow to the head. After the penalty, Speight hit Khalid Hill with a laser, and Hill broke the plane for the Wolverine’s first TD. With 5:22 left, it was 22-27.

After a three an out the Wolverines possessed the ball at their 39. Speight saw open field and took off running 27-yards to the FSU . Chris Evans than made the best Wolverines run of the day. His 30-yard run went for 6, and the first Wolverine lead. A Darboh slant for two made it 30-27 with just 1.57 to play.

Next another bite from the big play bugaboo wounded the Wolverine’s chances as FSU’s Gavin returned the ensuing KO 66-yards to the M 34 with 1:29 left. Kenny Allen had been putting KO’s deep enough to prevent treturns, but not this time. A completed screen took it to the 13. A fade into the end zone was completed for six. The Wolverines were again down, this time 30-33. There were just 36 seconds left to tick on the clock. M’s Josh Metellus collared the bouncing ball after the blocked extra point try and hauled it into the Seminoles end zone at the opposite end of the field for two. The final outcome was set at M-32, FSU-33.

THIS COMEBACK WAS WORTH NOTE: This was a Michigan team that had trouble playing its best football for a full game against better opponents this season and this one was no exception. The recovery of the defense and offense in the second half were tributes both to the player’s grit and determination, but to the ingenuity of the half time coaching adjustment.

They didn’t quit, but fought back. The offensive cold spells, and offensive line inability to protect a passer or provide a consistent running game, and the inexplicable characteristic of an otherwise hard hitting and effective defense to give up big plays at critical times was all part and parcel of this team.

Now a part of Michigan Football History, it is time to move on. Even if these things kept this team from progressing and accomplishing as much as we and they wanted them to. They were good team, just not as great as they wanted to be. It has been an exciting season of which players and fans can be proud. The brass ring will come around again. They are a rising team and program.

Now this team and season are a part of Michigan Football History. We will all move on. Even if these things kept them from progressing as a team from good to as great as they wanted to, it was an exciting season of which fans and players can be proud. The brass ring will come around again. They continue to be a rising team and program.

Happy New Year to you, and yours, on every level.

Go Blue!