Tag: Rich Rodriguez

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Little Brown Jug — Looking Back – 2015

Looking Back is a Special Feature by Jeff Cummins

The fifth and final installment of the series looking back at the Little Brown Jug rivalry takes us back to 2015. Three years of Rich Rodriguez followed by four years of Brady Hoke left fans and alumni desperate for a positive change. Jim Harbaugh was brought home with a clear mandate: Restore Michigan to its former glory.

Halfway through the season, Michigan had shut out three consecutive opponents, but a punting mishap against Michigan State revived a lot of dreadful memories. Were the Wolverines destined to toil in mediocrity?

The 2015 Little Brown Jug game stared innocently enough. Joey Kerridge scored on a 1-yard fullback dive to give Michigan a 7-3 lead. Then Michigan quarterback Jake Rudock threw a dart to Jehu Chesson for a touchdown to extend Michigan’s lead to 14-3. For a moment, it was starting to feel like an early night for Michigan fans, but Minnesota coach Jerry Kill had instilled a feisty quality in his team, and the next three hours would have Michigan fans searching for the antacid tablets.

The teams traded punches and the lead for the rest of the game. With just a little under five minutes left, Michigan backup quarterback Wilton Speight made arguably the biggest play of his career, connecting with tight end Jake Butt in the end zone to give Michigan the lead. He then bought enough time on the conversion to find Amara Darboh for two points to ensure that a field goal couldn’t beat Michigan. Now the burden shifted back to the Michigan defense.

The defense came very close to ending the game with no drama. Minnesota faced a 3rd down and 17 yards to go, with Michigan in the driver’s seat. Minnesota quarterback Mitch Lender threw a screen pass and Michigan missed a couple of tackles, allowing Rodney Smith to gain 17 yards and the first down. Leidner completed the drive by connecting with Drew Wolitarsky, who caught the ball and landed in the end zone. For a few moments, Michigan fans were contemplating defeat.

But replay confirmed that Wolitarsky’s knee hit the ground before he reached the goal line. Minnesota had the ball inside the Michigan 1-yard line. The situation was far from ideal, but at least now Michigan had a chance. There were 19 seconds left on the clock, but when the clock started, Minnesota wasted a lot of time, only snapping the ball with about seven seconds remaining. On the next play, Leidner scrambled under pressure, and lofted a harmless pass that fell incomplete with two seconds on the clock. There was time for only one more play.

Fortunately, Michigan adhered to the old football adage, “low man wins.” Minnesota lined up in a full house backfield, but Leidner tried to score on a quarterback sneak. He crashed into a veritable wall of humanity, but he never moved the ball across the goal line. Officials reviewed the film, but the call on the field was not changed. Michigan used a goal line stand to stop Minnesota on the final play and win, 29-26.

Michigan starting quarterback Jake Rudock went on to have a very good season, dominating Florida in the Orlando Citrus Bowl in a 41-7 Michigan win. Many members of the Michigan team went on to play in the NFL, but few ever played in a game more exciting than the 2015 Little Brown Jug game.

Many thanks to ESPN, YouTube, and YouTube poster CFB Fans for the broadcast of this game. As always, we own nothing and this blog post is provided strictly for the enjoyment of readers.

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Big Ten Openers – – Wisconsin — Looking Back – 2008

Looking Back is a Special Feature by Jeff Cummins

The third installment of this year’s series looking back at Michigan’s Big Ten opening games takes us back to 2008, the beginning of the Rich Rodriguez era. Landmark victories were few and far between in the Rodriguez era, but for one glorious day, Rodriguez led the Maize and Blue to one of their most unlikely triumphs, making him the toast of Ann Arbor, if only for one game.

Rodriguez never enjoyed complete support in Ann Arbor, and it showed from the beginning. After the first three games of the 2008 campaign, Michigan limped into the Big Ten opener vs. Wisconsin with a 1-2 record. Making matters worse, the game started out poorly for the Wolverines, who made repeated mental errors throughout the first half. By halftime, boos rained down from the Michigan Stadium crowd as the home team went to the locker room trailing 19-0.

Things continued in much the same way throughout the third quarter. If there was a slight glimmer of hope for the Wolverines, their effort was excellent. Their performance of details wasn’t nearly as strong.

Late in the third period, quarterback Steven Threet began to repeatedly probe the Wisconsin secondary with long passes. Finally, with more than two minutes remaining in the third quarter, Threet connected with tight end Kevin Koger for a touchdown pass that swung the momentum solidly in Michigan’s favor. The Wisconsin players, specifically on defense, had been extremely confident all day, but Threet’s scoring pass changed the feeling of the game for both teams.

Slowly, Michigan began to establish confidence, and started producing consistent gains. The spread option offense, largely a mystery to the Wolverines throughout their first three games, suddenly unveiled its potential. The momentum swing reached its zenith when John Thompson intercepted a tipped pass and weaved his way through several players for a touchdown that gave Michigan the lead and sent shock waves throughout the stadium. After Sam McGuffie punched in a short touchdown run, Michigan had a 27-19 lead, yet plenty of drama remained.

With 1:19 left, Wisconsin got the ball for one final possession. The Michigan Stadium faithful turned up the volume as loud as possible, and the defense braced for a dramatic ending. When David Gilreath pulled in a 13-yard touchdown pass from Allan Evridge, The Big House fell silent. Suddenly, Wisconsin was the team playing with nothing to lose. Michigan supporters, accustomed to four decades of stability, were getting used to a new way of life.

Moments later, Evridge connected with Travis Beckum for what looked like the game-tying conversion. Except for the flag on the field.

Wisconsin was penalized for having an ineligible receiver downfield. Michigan, which had committed penalties and unforced mistakes throughout the first half, was suddenly the beneficiary of Wisconsin’s mistake. The ensuing pass sailed high and incomplete, leaving Wisconsin with one final hope: An onsides kick.

Fittingly, Wisconsin’s attempt at an onsides kick didn’t go the required 10 yards, rseulting in a penalty that sealed the decision, and Michigan held on for a 27-25 win.

Rich Rodriguez never went on to achieve much success at Michigan. He beat Notre Dame twice, but he never led Michigan to a Big Ten championship, or to a National Championship. In fact, the greatest moment of his era probably occurred when Brock Mealer led the team out of the tunnel, coming all the way back from a car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down.

Still, for one day, Rodriguez made good on his promise to make Michigan an exciting, winning team. The memory of that game will last a lifetime.

Thanks to ESPN, the Big Ten Network, and YouTube poster RXwolverine2 for the video of this game. As always, we own nothing and do not profit from this video, which is provided strictly for the enjoyment of readers.



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Michigan vs Michigan State Football – Looking Back – 2008

The second installment of the Michigan-Michigan State series takes us to 2008. For the preceding 39 seasons, Michigan had been coached by descendants of the Bo Schembechler coaching tree, and those coaches produced fairly consistent success, including one perfect season, one national championship, 20 seasons in which Michigan won or tied for the Big Ten championship, and last but not least, pretty consistent success against Michigan State, with the Wolverines winning 30 of the previous 39 games. This produced an expectation of success against the Spartans.

All of that changed in 2008. Having been befuddled on several occasions by coaches who ran the spread offense, Michigan hired Rich Rodriguez, a spread guru, as its new head coach. Both sides will debate the reasons, but the Rodriguez regime didn’t produce the results that Michigan fans and alumni were anticipating. Conversely, Michigan State chose the opposite path, and had hired Mark Dantonio as its head coach the year before. Dantonio brought a basic I-formation offense back to Michigan State, and his focus on the power running game probably should have concerned Michigan from the outset. In 2007, Michigan defeated Michigan State with a classic comeback victory, prompting an exchange of comments in the media between Michigan running back Mike Hart and Dantonio. The rivalry probably would have experienced a shift at that point anyway, but Hart’s comments probably didn’t help matters.

Once the game started, it featured an interesting call, which is consistent with many of the games in this series. Running back Brandon Minor caught a pass and got his foot on a pylon, but it was initially ruled incomplete. After a review, the play was ruled a touchdown, which the network broadcast later said was incorrect. Ultimately, it didn’t matter much. Michigan State seized control the game in the final quarter, and came away with a 35-21 win, signaling the beginning of a Spartan green trend in the series.

Sadly, Rich Rodriguez never did figure out how to win in this series.

https://youtu.be/VQDgV7cFUo4
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Michigan Wolverines- Raiders of the Lost Books

Raiders

Gaps in the historical record of Michigan Wolverine Sports History

Esteemed writer John U. Bacon has written another book the on college football. Fourth and Long: The Fight for the Soul of College Football, “…[which] searches for the sport’s old ideals amid the roaring flood of hypocrisy and greed, as he was embedded in four programs- Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, and Northwestern.” It joins Bacon’s other works; Blue Ice, Bo’s Lasting Lessons, and Three and Out, as mandatory reading for Michigan fans.

But what books should be written?

What gaps in the historical record still need to be filled?

I doubt that any of these men would write a no-holds barred account of their experiences but if they ever did it would be some amazing stuff.

raiders2

Fred Jackson

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Fred Jackson

Long time coach Fred Jackson has had a front row seat during the most turbulent times in recent Michigan Football history. Begin with that Jackson has been on staff for the four most recent head coaches; Gary Moeller, Lloyd Carr, Rich Rodriguez, and Brady Hoke. Jackson was there when Gary Moeller left the program in disgrace. He won a National Championship with Carr, and the was sole coaching survivor after RichRod brought in his own staff. As the losses and and criticism mounted, not to mention the problems with the NCAA , Jackson survived. When RichRod exited the Wolverine stage, Jackson once again made the transition to  a new staff being retained by new Coach Brady Hoke.

A great recruiter and a talented coach, Jackson is in a unique position to compare and contrast coaching regimes.

Lloyd Carr

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Lloyd Carr

A polarizing figure for many, Lloyd did what Bo was never able to do- win a National Championship. A great coach by the numbers and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, fans would probably be most interested in his thoughts on close of this career and the subsequent transition to RichRod.

A noted history buff, it would be fun to imagine Lloyd penning chapters in line with his interests:

Appalachian State- My Personal Waterloo

I am not Benedict Arnold- I Didn’t Undermine Anyone

Old Soldiers Don’t Die, They Just Fade Away- My Perceived Lack of Support for Rich Rodriguez

Humorous chapter titles aside, there are many questions that Lloyd could address. Starting with the persistent rumors of health problems, his snarly attitude with some members of media, and feuds with former Wolverine Quarterbacks  Jim Harbaugh and Rick Leach. What about his take on the athletic directors he has worked for?

Not to mention the elephant in the room- his behavior and attitude towards his successor Rich Rodriguez.

Did Lloyd really call Rodriguez to gauge his interest in the Michigan job?

What was he thinking when he offered to help his players transfer before Rodriguez arrived on campus?

What really went down when he met with Rodriguez for lunch at the Michigan Union to clear the air?

Rodriguez and his staff have aired their grievances. Lloyd declined to make himself available despite John Bacon’s efforts during the writing of Three and Out.

Someday Lloyd should answer these questions on the record. His answers would make for interesting reading.

It was Winston Churchill who said, “History is written by the victors.”  Lloyd is allowing the final word on his career to be told by RichRod- and that is unacceptable.

Chris Webber

Speck-Howard-WebberThe highs and lows of Webber’s Wolverine athletic career alone would make for a great book. From high school phenom to a cultural icon as leader of the Fab 5 his ill advised time-out crushed the hopes Wolverine fans. But his involvement in one of the largest NCAA scandals in history elevates his tale to the level of a Greek tragedy.

Many fans would like to see Webber and Fab 5 honored in some way by Michigan. Webber could go a long way towards rehabilitating his image with a thoughtful account of his disagreements with the NCAA and troubles as a reluctant witness during the federal investigation of bookmaker Ed Martin.

With former athletes challenging the NCAA right to profit from their likeness, a book by Webber would be most timely.

Chris could thrust himself back in to spotlight and perhaps help current college athletes in their quest for more compensation from the NCAA.

Bruce Madej

Michigan Assistant Athletic Director Bruce Madej recently announced his retirement. His career has spanned from Athletic Directors Don Canham to David Brandon, football coaches from Bo to Brady Hoke. His tenure began with stories written on typewriters and published via printing press and ends with reporters tweeting from the their smartphones to a global internet audience.

Madej has help the guide the coverage of virtually every major Michigan sports story for the last quarter century. He is a living encyclopedia of Michigan Wolverine history.