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2008 Michigan Football Book Review- War as They Knew it

Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press has written an outstanding book about the competition and complicated relationship between Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler.  So much has been written about these two that you might think there aren’t too many more tales to tell about these titans of college football but this book manages to entertain.

This book is unique in that Rosenberg takes time to place the men in the context of their times.  Their experiences on the football season are told in parallel with massive cultural changes engulfing the nation during the late 1960s and early 1970s.  And there is plenty of football as 10 year conflict between the two coaches plays out.

There are disappointing revelations about each program.  Drug use was rampant on both teams and Woody Hayes had a penchant for tantrums that sometimes resulted in physical abuse well before the incident that ends his career.

Woody comes off as a tragically flawed figure who reveled in his role as teacher, author, and builder of men even as he was unable to control his own temper.  Bo loved playing the media even though he trained as a broadcaster prior to his coaching career.

As a Michigan fan I learned more about Woody Hayes than Bo Schembechler while reading this book.  His rise and eventual fall was earily reminscent of another infamous coach, Bobby Knight.  In both cases, taleanted coaches evolved into bullies because people in their respective institutions refused to reign in their meglomania until it was too late.

It was particularly sad to read how Woody Hayes had lost the respect and became a figure of ridicule among his later teams.

I recommend this book for fans on both sides of UM/Ohio State rivalry.  Even people who aren’t rabid sports fans would enjoy it as a character study of two men who believed that the discipline of football was a tool to prepare their players for life just as the culture around them glorified individualism

Podcast with Author Michael Rosenberg

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Michigan Football 2007-Michigan 48, Penn State 21-Toughening Up

The Michigan Wolverines displayed fortitude, aptitude and effort on both sides of the ball Saturday for 59 minutes while humbling Purdue’s Boilermakers 48 to 21.  The Boilers were left steaming and clanging ineffectively before a Homecoming crowd of 110,888.

Even the run right or left on first down play calling that had seemed to contribute to Michigan recently being among the statistical bottom feeders in Big Ten scoring offense, and some other offensive categories, was abandoned at times, with much success.

With temperatures in the low 50’s and blue skies mixed with fleecy clouds, it was a perfect autumn afternoon in Ann Arbor to tailgate, listen to the Blast from the Past (Michigan’s musical has beens from prior bands), and the current Marching Band.  I never grow tired of Temptation and the Hawaiian War Chant.

It was a great day to enjoy a victory over a team recently ranked 23rd in the nation and a definite stumbling block on the Maize and Blue road to a Big Ten title.  Purdue’s fine Marching Band was not on scene, nor was the much admired and missed “Golden Girl”.

Prior to this game, most Michigan fans wondered how we would fare against Coach Tiller’s usually productive “spread” offense. Not to worry.  Coach Tiller’s lack of success against the Wolverines in Michigan Stadium was to continue.

Michigan fans witnessed the finest Chad Henne performance of the season, He was a sterling 21 of 28 for 264-yards, 2 TDS and no interceptions.

Both the offense and defense played well for a 31-7 Wolverine lead at the half.

Credit the Boilers that they did not give up and produced not one but two successful on side kicks, and scored TDs on a couple of drives with little time left in the game.  Both the resulting scores came late against Michigan’s reserves.  Since those onside kicks and drives came against reserves, and in the last minute, they really are not indicative of the game as a whole.  This was a good, old fashioned, country butt whuppin.

Perhaps, the successful onsides happened because Michigan had failed to put in a “hands” team, with Carr explaining that his “hands” team was cold since they had not been in the game for fifteen minutes, so he did  not put them in.  I suppose to avoid risk of injury.  He also said it would give people something to complain about.  I agree with that.  They should and will complain about those two errors and resulting scores.

Otherwise the special teams acquitted themselves well enough, allowing no really big run backs, except one early one which approached really big. With KC Lopata hitting a couple of FGs and Mesko hitting some towering punts and Wright kicking kick offs to the short returners instead of to the proficient Purdue deep returners (after getting burned a little bit first), they seemed more  proficient than usual.  At least one FG was nearly touched, but  it went over the cross bar with room to spare.  Lopata’s FG kicks looked strong.  Brandon Minor had a 35-yard KO return to set up an early field goal.

While it was still Hart on first down for little gain on some occasions, they did toss it downfield to Manningham who had an outstanding game after returning from the “dog house”.   He snagged 8 catches for an outstanding 147 yards.  This ties his career best number of catches.

Mike Hart had 102 yards on 21 totes, and a couple of TDs.  Another outstanding day, a record seven 100-yard games, but again leaving the game nicked, limping off not to return.  Carlos Brown replaced the also nicked Brandon Minor who had replaced Hart at TB and had the best day of his career.  In contrast to Hart, Brandon Minor came off the field on the cart. Carlos Brown demonstrated his speed on an outstanding 29-yard scamper for a TD, scored another TD, and totaled 66-yards on 13 carries.  Minor and Milano also rushed, but not as successfully as Brown.

Both Hart and Henne are over 1,000 yards for the season.

Henne hit a variety of receivers besides Mario, with Adrian Arrington having 6 receptions for 55-yards.  Mathews, McLaurin, Moundros, Butler, Hart and Clemons all snared one or more aerials.

Michigan’s first possession of the game started with a Henne roll out and nice pass to Carson Butler for a first down and 13-yards on the first play of the game.  While our offensive coaches were not exactly riverboat gamblers Saturday, this seemed a better offensive scheme, and the results show it.  It was an efficient plan, and more importantly, a convincing winner.

As unlikely as it seems, special teams breathed first life into Michigan’s effort early.  Stevie Brown, on special teams, grabbed a loose Purdue punt that had glanced off the back of a Boilermaker, and ran it into the endzone, but it was considered down and called back.  Michigan had great field position with the ball at the Purdue 31, and subsequently Chad hit Mario with a perfect 24-yard strike for the first TD of the game.  KC Lopata converted all EPs on the day.  M 7, PU 0.

The vaunted left side of Michigan’s offensive line let a blitzer through and Henne was blindsided and separated from the football.  The result of the recovery was a short Purdue drive for their only meaningful TD of the day.  M 7, PU 7.  So much for our early advantage as worry began to replace elation.

M stalled, but Lopata hit a strong 34-yard FG.  M 10, PU 7.  Maybe this field goal unit is beginning to jell.

Purdue fumbled on their 26, and M capitalized on an outstanding 10-yard run by Mike Hart in which he was on a pile, maneuvered off, and without touching down, twisted and propelled himself into the into the endzone.  This was in the south endzone, so I got a good look at it and it was an amazing effort. Ruled a TD on the field, the review confirmed.  M 17, PU 7.  Vintage Hart.  Again and amazing effort.

In the early second quarter, the Wolverines and Boilers exchanged punts.  An end around by Mario, a couple of catches by Greg Mathews, and nice Hart run, a penalty, and another Hart run for 8-yards, and the Blue looked at a 24-7 lead with 5 or 6 minutes left in the half, and the Wolverines were rolling.  This was confirmed when Brandon Harrison grabbed a Purdue pass, and sprinted to the Boiler 21.  The crowd was alive with anticipation, and they were certainly not disappointed by a perfect Chad Henne toss to Mario of 21-yards for a TD. Great throw and catch.  M 31-PU 7.

Offensively and defensively it was a great half of Michigan football.   This was the kind of performance that restores confidence and enthusiasm.

The third quarter was unremarkable except for the injury to Brandon Minor and a late 35-yard Lopata FG.  M 34-PU 7.

The fourth contained some offensive fireworks with Carlos Brown scampering 29-yards into the north endzone.  M 41-PU 7.  Jamar Adams made an interception and Brown ran another TD in.   M 48-PU 7.

Purdue then got their two last minute consolation TDs mentioned above for a final score of M 48-PU 21.

Michigan had a total of 459 yards to Purdue’s 292, passing for 279 and running for 189.

All in all an outstanding performance all around except for the last minute.

All the defensive wounded that were thought before the game to able to play did, except John Thompson, including Will Johnson, Chris Graham, and Brandon Graham.  Brandon’s return surely helped Shawn Crable’s effectiveness, and Shawn had a good game, as did Terrence Taylor and the fast improving Obi Ezeh.  LB Chris Graham led the defense with 6 tackles.  Adams and Harrison both had interceptions.

The OL wounded did not return and Schilling and Ortman manned the right side of the OL and appeared to do a credible job.

What more could we ask for?  We are still in the Big Ten race, but with successive challenges looming. At Illinois is a nasty place to play.  A night game, this one will be broadcast by network television.  The Illini will be energized by their recent difficulties at Iowa.

Hopefully we will not get Zooked, but will continue to improve.  It ought to be a great game.

Go Blue!

Andy Andersen

Andy Andersen

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Michigan Wolverines 47 Notre Dame 21- Vindicating Victory

The eleventh ranked Wolverines outplayed the second ranked Fighting Irish in South Bend Saturday to earn their first season opening away game victory in seven tries.  The Wolverines outplayed the overmatched Irish in nearly all phases of the game, in their stunning and surprising 47 to 21 upset of the Irish. 

What a relief it was. 

Those anticipating a close game, and the Notre Dame magic and gremlins, were disappointed for the ball bounced Michigan?s way today.  Their skill and effort made it so.  So much for the luck of the Irish, at least on this occasion.

Players that we had hoped would step up did as ND was held to twenty-four net yards rushing.  Prescott Burgess for example appeared to me to have his best game as a Wolverine.  The entire defense, and especially the defensive line featuring Branch and Taylor, along with Crable, gave Heisman Trophy hopeful Brady Quinn fits all day.  Early, when Michigan?s offense was still sputtering and the game undecided, they were there.  Late, when ND was pressing, they were still there. LaMarr Woodley capped the Michigan scoring with his TD gallop down the sidelines.  This opportunity was gratuitously provided by Brady Quinn, when he let the ball slip from his grasp as he cocked his arm to pass.  Quinn tried to cover, couldn?t, and LaMarr scooped it up and completed every defensive players dream of  a fifty-four yard TD run.  The Wolverine DBs were tattooing the Irish.  Morgan Trent started on one corner and his speed was obvious.  He made some mistakes, but contributed to the victory.

Sure Michigan performance wasn?t perfect, but they didn?t have to be to beat the mistake prone Irish.  Five ND TO?s.  Michigan?s stiff defense caused many of those errors.  While the Blue made some mistakes with late hit and interference penalties, and Chad Henne threw an interception while trying to avoid a sack that ND turned into a TD to knot the score at seven up in the first quarter.  He more than made up for that with three beautiful TDs to Super Mario to put the game out of reach.  They were as nice as any you?ll ever see.

He otherwise played well under pressure and ND stadium is a pressure cooker. Chad passed for two hundred twenty yards, on thirteen of twenty-two, with three TDs and only the lone aerial miscue.  I don?t recall a more masterful performance against Notre Dame in Notre Dame Stadium ever by a Wolverines quarterback.  He displayed poise, smarts, ability, and performance maturity.

Chad clearly played better than the very disappointed Brady Quinn.    Fortunately he didn?t have to face the defensive line Quinn faced.  Quinn was twenty-four of forty-eight with three TDs and three interceptions.  Respectable numbers, but three interceptions and two fumbles destroyed Irish hopes for victory.

Mario Manningham went a long way toward making Michigan fans quit yearning for Braylon Edwards by running great routs and making outstanding catches all afternoon. He had four catches for one hundred thirty-seven yards with a long TD of sixty-nine yards.  A  great performance.  He and Henne were usually very much in synch.  When Mario fell into the band after his last TD in the first half, he hurt his wrist, and came out in the second in a light cast.  He endured the sideline for a time, cast aside the cast, and caught a great 1st down pass.  Michigan has found a go to guy.  Yes, Virginia, there really is a downfield Michigan passing game and it alive and well.  I heard Jamie Morris talk last Tuesday and he said it existed, but I was still concerned until the performance today.

The Wolverines even avoided costly special team mistakes, although it was a surprise Steve Breaston didn?t break more.  One reason was the Irish punter.  He is outstanding in distance and hang, and the ND coverage was outstanding.  Steve had some nice first down runs, but seemed to drop some catch able balls.  Yet, he is going to tear someone up this year.  There will be plenty of opportunity to come.

The scoring went like this:

Prescott Burgess grabbed a pass that bounced off the ND receiver?s hands, and rambled thirty?one yards to six points.  Rivas converted.  M 7, ND 0.  Michigan never relinquished this lead.

On the very next possession, Chad threw an interception setting up a three-yard ND pass for six. EP converted.  This was a stunning change of circumstance.  M 7, ND 7.

Later in the 1st Quarter Mario gathered in a 69-yard TD, using speed and deception to gain the advantage over the DB.  He was wide open.  M 13, ND 7 after a failed EP.  It seemed to me this could be a problem later.  

 

Not to worry, the Wolverines got great field position from a ND miscue and drove twenty-seven yard for a Hart two-yard leap into the end zone.  This kid is a player.  M 20, ND 7 and the second quarter hasn?t even started.  What a great start, but the great coaching of Charlie Weiss and arm of Brady Quinn still seem a threat.

Chad and Mario soon eased these fears a little, by driving fifty-four yards in six plays, featuring a twenty-nine yard TD pass to Mario. Rivas converted.  M 27, ND 7.

This was a nice and unexpected lead, but there was still that sneaking suspicion that ND would battle back.

With about two minutes left in the half, Chad tossed Mario another one for thirty-two yards, culminating a nine-play fifty-two yard drive.   Rivas converted.  M34- ND 7.

Notre Dame answered by marching seventy-two yards in eight plays and scored on a four- yard pass. This drive was very disappointing as it seemed possible it put a little gas in the Irish tank. M 34, ND 14.

Half over, with a commanding Michigan lead of 34 to 14.  This was a great Michigan football performance, offensively and defensively.  But that late Notre Dame drive seemed too easy and seemed a bad omen for the second half.

In the third quarter both defenses caught up, and Michigan was held to two Garrett Rivas field goals of twenty and thirty-three yards.  M 40, ND 14.  At this point I had forgiven Rivas for the missed EP as it now seemed immaterial.  I could not tell from the tape whether it was just a low kick or leakage that caused the block.

In the fourth quarter, ND managed a nice eight play, eighty yard drive, ending with a twenty-eight yard TD pass.  M 40, ND 21. Will Michigan fade?

LaMarr Woodley erased some of any remaining heat, with his recovery of Quinn?s fumble and long jaunt for a TD.    M 47, ND 21.

As a Michigan fan, it just doesn?t get much better than this.

This game against ND, as always, was on a big national stage, was against a team of wide national interest with genuine and impressive traditions of its own. All the rewards of winning football, such as national respect were at stake, including a shot at a BCS bowl. The game was against a much hyped, if over hyped, program and Coach. M was matched against a team that is a prime recruiting competitor of the Wolverines, and it was a game in which Michigan was a huge underdog.   Michigan was a team with a recent history of ordinary play away from home, a team that in the recent past had played many close games and lost some they shouldn?t have, had lost major bowls recently.  They were deemed by many of their most stalwart fans as perhaps a program on the way down.

The football lesson the Irish received Saturday is proof that the program is not on the way down.  This win vindicates as wise the moves that Coach Carr made in this off-season.  Such as the appointment of Mike DeBord as Offensive Coordinator, and Ron English as the Defensive Coordinator, Ron Lee as DBs Coach, Steve Szabo as LB?s Coach.  Also, last year?s acquisition of Steve Stripling seems sound in light of the way Michigan is playing defensively.  It appears the change in conditioning has also been beneficial.

This may mute some of the criticism of the program for a while, at least till the next loss, and will certainly improve the esteem in which Chad Henne is held among the Big Ten?s Quarterbacks.  It will provide a launching pad for a run for the Big Ten title.

I don?t know about you but I am happy as hell with this one.  Granted it is only one game, but it was a big one.  You know that defense is genuine, just as you knew in 1997 that the defense was genuine early in the season, when they pummeled Colorado.

Thank you Wolverines for providing an old fashioned country thumping to the Irish.   Michigan has never scored so many points against the Irish.

Admittedly, they can throw all this away with just one loss before Ohio State.  The Big Ten season will start next week and those pesky Badgers will clutter up Michigan Stadium next Saturday with those big W?s on their helmets and all that red and white. It is also possible that Notre Dame is more of an average football team than anybody thinks. 

It will be interesting to see what the Irish are able to do to stymie that productive Spartan offense next week.

Now for a final word on Notre Dame.  They have a great program, a great football tradition with sound academic standards.  I actually like their fight song.  The Victory March approaches the Victors in quality, their helmets and uniforms look good, but those homer NBC broadcasts are hard to stomach.  They extol the greatness of the ND players, even when they are losing etc. with canned adulation.  Come on, NBC, you can do better.

I am anticipating the reception the fans will give the Blue next Saturday after this Saturday?s program win.  Enthusiasm has been restored.  Seven and five is history.  It is a great way to start the Big Ten season. 

Thank you Wolverines, and?.

Go Blue!

Andy Andersen

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Michigan Football- The Waiting is the Hardest Part

My good friend Tom Petty likes to say that the waiting is the hardest part.  Ok, I actually don’t know Tom Petty, but I did see him last year and that should at least count for something.  As another season of Michigan football approaches it seems as though the days start to drag out even more. The encounters with rivals’ fans seem to increase and become slightly more serious than those odd exchanges back in March and April; you know the ones where Joe “I just crawled out from a hole and bought this shirt because my team went 9-3 last year” Commonfan makes some insipid remark about your Michigan hat and/or shirt with that sly smirk on his face and you pretty much have to grin and bear it?  I think we all have had at least five of those run-ins this off-season.  It’s hard enough waiting through this long stretch when your team is playing well, but when they struggled the past season, it suddenly becomes a torturous gauntlet of self-restraint and building anxiety.

I mention this because there’s a disturbing trend that’s becoming more and more a yearly occurrence, and I’m not referring to our team’s performance on the gridiron.  There appears to be a large portion of the Michigan fan base that expects this team to slide into mediocrity again this season because, “they do it every year”.  This kind of group self-loathing is beginning to become eerily similar to that of pre-2004 Red Sox fans and pretty much any Philadelphia sports fan over the last two decades.  Each of those groups reached a point (or is at a point) where they expected their teams to lose, expected the worst to happen, and then would wallow in their teams’ failures when they came to fruition.  These groups have become identified with the failure of their teams to come through when it mattered most, and it became a self-fulfilling prophecy year after year.  Now before anyone flies off the handle, in no possible way do I think that the Michigan football program has gone through a drought that in any way resembles either of those teams.  It’s only been 9 years since we won a National Title, and we have won three Big 10 titles since 2000, the well hasn’t been dry, but it’s not at the level that anyone would like at this point in time.  What I’m saying is that the familiar symptoms of self-loathing and expected failure are starting to manifest themselves within the Maize and Blue faithful.  This is not a good thing…

Well, actually, part of this is a good thing; it means that people are realizing what Phil so effectively underscored in his most recent article regarding expectations.  More and more Michiganfans are reaching the, “hey, we’re stuffed to the gills with talent every season, we should be doing more than this,” conclusion.  I don’t disagree; we should expect more out of this football team.  In part, I think the growing pressure for this team to perform at a higher level and to do so immediately is a great thing.  What puzzles me is that many times the very same people who are so passionately mad about our performances are the very same people who are now expecting those kinds of performances in the first place!

This line of thinking is particularly prevalent at this point in the year.  Now that the spring games and practices have passed, the doldrums of summer bring out the annual ritual of previews and predictions that make every college football fan prick his or her ears up when someone so much as utters their favorite team’s name.  These subjective and all-too-often inaccurate breakdowns of teams most people haven’t seen play a single snap of football are almost always taken way too seriously and given way too much weight.  Is it a fun way to pass the off-season?  Certainly.  Does a preview that says X and Y about your team mean that those things are bound to happen?  Of course not.  What amazes me is the way many of the reviews of our Wolverines take the assumption of mediocrity before anyone has so much as seen this team set foot on the field: “When was the last time this team lived up to expectations?”  What amazes me even more is the way that many Michigan fans are beginning to expect and accept this as the truth.  It is entirely fair to ask the “when was the last time…” question, it is not fair however to extend that reasoning into the future when we haven’t played a single game.  There’s a time and a place for those kinds of questions, and I happen to think that now isn’t it in either case.

What many people might not see is that this is the easiest possible position to take, the burden of proof lies not with those who think this team will go 8-4 because “it always does,” but rather with those who seem to think that this football team is capable of doing more than that.  The pessimistic (proponents of this type of reasoning blithely call it “realism”) fan prefers not to be the one who gets their hopes up, but rather be converted by the team’s sudden improvement in performance.  A lot of posts have been made with the following words included: “until they show me otherwise” or “unless I see something vastly different”.  Now then, I’m not one who puts tons of stock in the idea of group karma, but then again, sports are kind of funny that way.  Crowds influence games, especially in football.  Fan bases can have a large affect on the attitude of a team, and I think the attitude of a team can make a huge difference in how they perform on the field.  I’m not arguing that everyone should think this team is going to be undefeated this season, not in the least, but is it too much to ask that perhaps as fans we go into this season with the idea that it is possible for this team to turn it around?

I can understand how the attitude begins to build, I’ve been right there to watch the losses to lesser teams, the crushing losses to key rivals and in BIG bowl games.  The underachieving nature of this team when it matters most over the past few seasons has made the subsequent off-seasons harder and harder to endure.  Naturally this has lead to this point.  The encounters with opposing teams’ bandwagon fans and true fans alike are becoming more and more of the same experience, and unfortunately we Michigan fans simply haven’t had much to respond with as of late. All of that does add up, all of it can weigh on a fan’s mind and on their heart.  What many people don’t realize is that it is at this juncture where a team and a program needs the fans the most, not when they start to prove your expectations wrong, not when they start to turn it around and put this program back on top where it belongs.  Because then my friends you have become a very sad thing, you’ve become that which comprises 99% of the Notre Dame fan base: the fair-weather fan.  We’re all better than that ladies and gentlemen, we truly are.  It is entirely possible to support this team before they pass the artificial watermark that you have set for yourself to become a “believer”.  I have no problem with the criticisms of the past failures, or of the problems that have consistently plagued this team.  It is fair to point out where we MUST improve.  What I am having a harder and harder time stomaching are those that are already criticizing a team that has yet to play a single down of football.  Criticism has its place, but so too does support.  At this point in the year there should be far more of one and much less of the other, if you’re still not sure, go back up and read that banner that’s so much a part of our tradition.

Our fans should be gearing up for the opportunity to show that last year was a fluke, that this team isn’t “owned” by anyone, and that Michigan football is not some once great program on it’s way out of the spotlight, but rather an elite program.  We should be rallying around this team, not reading it its last rights.  So next time you run into that Joe Commonfan in the store or on the street, just smile, hold your head up high, and tell him “Go Blue!”  It’s part of what makes college football so great.  Revel in the knowledge that when the roles are reversed, they’ll know you didn’t just buy that shirt because your team went 9-3 and beat two teams with better than .500 records… not that I’m singling any teams out here or anything.  Mr. Petty was right everyone, the waiting is the hardest part, but try not to let it get you into a state of lowered expectations when all anyone wants to see is improvement from this football team.  The season will get here soon enough; let’s try to look forward to it!

GO BLUE!