Johnny’s posts seems to have a struck a nerve with part of the Michigan Internet. Personally, I don’t really get it.

People who have read RBUAS know that he writes more from his heart, his feelings than most other Michigan bloggers; they also know he writes circles around almost anyone out there. From reading his stuff and talking to him, I can easily see that while he loves Michigan, it’s not a nameless, faceless unit that gets judged on wins and losses, but rather a collection of interesting characters to whom he is able to relate. He probably has 2GB of Mike Hart pictures alone on his computer.

The characters that seem to intrigue him the most are those potentially great players that tend to have problems getting to that plane of greatness. Even Chad Henne and Mike Hart have a glaring hole on their resumes. Lloyd Carr perhaps was a great coach and had lost a step. Steve Breaston’s returns were pieces of art, yet in 2006, he couldn’t perform as the number one receiver. Ronald Bellamy.

I don’t understand the shouts of bandwagoneering. When Tim and I talked with him, he told us that the game that cemented his obsession with Michigan was the 2005 Rose Bowl against Texas. I can see it. Watching that game you could tell the team gave it their all. The game was the birth of arguably the best player in college football, and Michigan hung in and almost won with a freshman quarterback and halfback. Any fan could empathize with their disappointment and their hunger to do more next year.

Then 2005 happened. Then 2006 happened. Then 2007 happened.

Maybe I’m sympathetic with Johnny because we were both in college at that same time. My freshman year was that ridiculous 2004 season. How could Michigan have won the Big10 with a couple freshman leading the offense? (Answer: Mike Hart is ridiculous and… Braylon Edwards).

Then expectations were raised to very high levels for 2005. After the Notre Dame game I was disappointed, but not despondent. After Minnesota, I was despondent. Ohio State was once again tough to swallow. After the bowl game, I was ready to drive down to Sun Belt HQ (I think the mailing address is to someone’s outhouse) and do something violent.

In 2006 expectations were low; people predicted between 3 and 4 losses. I still consider my road trip to Notre Dame that year the single greatest day of my life. I still remember crying after the Ohio State game.

Once it was guaranteed that Hart, Henne and Long were back, it was basically set up as Championship or bust. After Appalachian St., I just sort of quietly walked home went up to my housemate’s room, someone who doesn’t care about football, and talked about life while watching Wedding Crashers. I didn’t check the blogs or watch ESPN until about Thursday.

Then after the 2007 season, everyone that I had associated with Michigan football during my time here was gone.

Lloyd Carr had been football coach since I really cared about Michigan. I saw him win it all in 1997. I saw him continue to believe in Navarre until he eventually beat OSU and went to the NFL. I heard about the dictionary, quoting Kipling, visiting his buddy Russel Crowe. The wins and losses are important, but I grew up with Lloyd Carr and I doubt there can be another coach with his personality, his secret desire to be an English teacher and still be as successful as he was. I don’t care if you bring up games he should have won, or calls he should have made or how he is loyal even to a fault; you are not going to move Lloyd Carr from being my favorite coach.

That’s not to say I don’t like Rich Rodriguez and I don’t think he will be successful. He is an elite coach and will win here just like he won everywhere else. His summer has made more sympathetic to him, and I like his openness and honesty instead Carr’s often intellectual curmudegeonliness, but I root for him to win games and get Michigan football securely into the top tier. I rooted for Carr on a much more personal level.

So, like Johnny I probably am less invested this season than I have been in seasons past. After the Wisconsin win my friends and I were joking about a Motor City Bowl berth. After Toledo, I just sort of shrugged and started thinking about next year. Wins are nice; losses are expected; it’s all a wash anyway. I cheer in the stands; I argue with booers; I defend the coaches, but it’s not the same as cheering for guys like Jamar Adams who checked in to see how Tim’s and my dynasty in NCAA was going.

There is nothing but snow, and rain, and a numbing, overwhelming, and undeniably hopeless decay of something I once loved, and still do, but much less intensely.

While I agree with the radical shift and believe in the new staff’s ability, I can still find some truth in this. The football program is undergoing a huge change, which is probably for the best, but there is still some part of me that misses Carr smirking knowingly at a press conference when he and everyone knows he won’t answer the question that is asked or stiff arming a sideline reporter. There’s something about Mike Hart running the exact play that the defense know he’s running and still picking up 7 yards. There’s something about the parabolic beauty of a Chad Henne bomb. That’s gone; the future is bright, but that doesn’t mean we can’t lament the passing of a great generation, despite all their faults.

We may end up loving this team, these players. Just not yet.

Posted under Football

One of the most common complaints among Michigan fans early in this year was that Rich Rodriguez put all of his eggs in one basket in terms of recruiting quarterbacks. Once Terrelle Pryor chose Ohio State instead of Michigan, a rough first year was sealed for the Rodriguez era. With the two teams squaring off this week, it’s a good time to talk about the player who caused one of the most heated recruiting battles between the two schools in recent memory.

However, did Rodriguez really put all of his recruiting effort into one player, ignoring other possibilities at the position?

Terrelle Pryor
Pryor was the #1 overall recruit in the class of 2008, and given his production as a true freshman, it’s easy to see why. Analysts said Pryor chose Ohio State over Michigan because being able to redshirt as a freshman (er… or not) and playing in a pro-style offense (er… or not) would be most beneficial to his eventual pro prospects. However, the more likely factor in his picking the Buckeyes was the relationship he developed with DeVier Posey and other OU commits.

Marqueis Gray
Gray was also a top prospect to the recruiting services, and an Army All-American. Gray came from a state (Indiana) that shares a border with Michigan, meaning he wouldn’t have to travel too far to school if he did pick the Wolverines. However, Gray went with Minnesota, and Wolverine fans cried foul about Rodriguez’s lack of effort in recruiting him. Fast forward a couple months, and Gray was unable to get through the NCAA clearinghouse, and was an academic casualty of Minnesota’s highly-ranked class. Of course, Gray will play for the Gophers next year, but next year doesn’t really help the 2008 Michigan team.

BJ Daniels
Daniels hails from Florida, one of Rodriguez’s main recruiting pools. The Wolverines were on him heavily in January of 2008, but suddenly their pursuit of him cooled, though he continued to mention Michigan. Daniels ended up at UCF, and it is rumore that everything may not have been 100% compliant in his recruitment, particularly in regards to his demands. If that was indeed the case, you can’t blame Rodriguez for not doing whatever it took to land him.

Already-committed Recruits
Though there were few available prospects out there by the time Rodriguez was established in Ann Arbor, there were certainly top-flight quarterbacks committed to other schools who might be good fits for the Michigan offense, no? It certainly stands to reason, especially considering the cases of Michael Shaw, Roy Roundtree, and Ricky Barnum, that Rodriguez did at least due diligence in giving a phone call to guys like Darrin Thomas (Oregon) and even Boo Williams (of “I almost beat Ohio State this year” fame).

Justin Feagin
That brings us to the prospect that Rodriguez did land, Justin Feagin. Of course, asking a true freshman to step in at quarterback any time is a difficult situation to put a player in, particularly one so highly thought of as a thrower that the recruiting services ranked him only as a defensive back. However, Feagin was the best Rich could land, and he certainly has worked hard and done everything he could to help Michigan – and you can’t blame the kid for that effort not being enough to save his team.

So, in the end, did Rodriguez pursue only Terrelle Pryor, at the expense of the entire 2008 season? Evidence suggests otherwise, and one must assume that a guy who likes winning as much as Rodriguez does would have a contingency plan in place.

Posted under Football

The Board.

Added:
GA Slot Justin Lord. ESPN reports Michigan is pursuing him.
OH LB Anthony Gibson. Michigan after the Trotwood-Madison prospect.

New Information:
MI RB Austin White. Fluff.
PA WR Alex Kenney. Notre Dame is pursuing him. Penn State has to be the favorite though.
FL WR/Slot Chris Dunkley. Scouting report and another from SoFlaFootball.
FL Slot De’Joshua Johnson. Offered. And a SoFlaFootball scouting report.
OH DT Josh Davis. Honorable mention all-conference.
SC DE/OT Dexter Morant. Recruiting-y fluff.
MI DE William Gholston. Sam Webb in the Detroit News fluff.
FL CB Lorenza Wood. More video added.
SC CB DeAndre Hopkins. Fluff.

Analysis:
De’Joshua Johnson appears to be the first true slot offered by Michigan in the 2010 class. Obviously, there is the Pahokee connection there.

Posted under Football

Any Michigan fan knows that nearly any season can be salvaged with a victory over the hated Buckeyes of Ohio State. So, it must follow that any Michigan fan values the ability to watch some of Michigan’s victories over the Team Down South at any opportunity. Well, Michigan fans, the opportunity is now here.

Rivalry Series: Michigan Beat Ohio State is a 3-disc set of two of Michigan’s most important wins over Ohio State, and a bonus game from 1995. Of course, just say “two of Michigan’s most important wins,” and two contests against the Buckeyes immediately come to mind: Bo’s great upset in 1969 and the National Title-earning (and Heisman-sealing) victory in 1997.

The 1969 upset victory over one of the greatest teams of all time, in Bo’s first season at the helm in Ann Arbor, is part of Michigan lore. However, most Michigan fans have never had the chance to see this game in its entirety, and capture the magic of Schembechler’s boys turning the tide in sports’ greatest rivalry. The old general got the Ten Year War started by upsetting what Woody Hayes would later call “The greatest team I ever coached.”

As a relatively recent comer to Michigan fanhood, the 1995 game was not one I had known as a hallmark victory in Wolverine lore. However, in Lloyd’s first game against Ohio State, he pulled off what nearly every Michigan coach has been able to do in his first year: beat Ohio State. The Buckeyes were a juggernaut, as they were in most years of the Cooper era, but like most years of the Cooper era, the Wolverines prevented them from playing for a national championship.

The 1997 season in its entirety closely resembles Michigan fan nirvana, and the win over Ohio State may be its most satisfying victories. Charles Woodson notched a near-TD reception, a famous punt return for touchdown, and a game-sealing interception to seal the Heisman for himself, and the right to play for the national championship for his team. There are few things more satisfying than watching this game on endless repeat.

These DVDs put you right in the game, as they are the original TV broadcasts, with the added benefit of not having commercials. Unlike catching these games on the Big Ten Network or ESPN Classic, no game action is removed to allow for fitting into a neat 3-hour window. This greatly enhances the experience for the true college football fan. Just because a punt isn’t blocked or returned for a touchdown, that doesn’t mean it isn’t still an important play in the game.

If you’re a Michigan fan (or even a fan of another school, and you happen to hate Ohio State), this DVD collection is a must-have. And, in the spirit of rivalry week, I’ll give you the opportunity to get one! In the comments of this post, leave your prediction for the final score of the game between Michigan and Ohio State this weekend. The closest to the actual score will win a copy of Rivalry Series: Michigan Beat Ohio State.

Posted under Football

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Texas Tech	—
2	Alabama	—
3	Texas	—
4	Florida	1
5	Oklahoma	1
6	Penn State	—
7	Southern Cal	—
8	Utah	—
9	Oklahoma State	—
10	Boise State	1
11	Georgia	1
12	Ohio State	1
13	Missouri	1
14	TCU	—
15	Michigan State	—
16	Brigham Young	—
17	Pittsburgh	1
18	Maryland	3
19	Cincinnati	7
20	Oregon State	6
21	Ball State	2
22	North Carolina	3
23	Georgia Tech	1
24	Virginia Tech	7
25	California	5

Posted under Football

At the request of commenter Jeff, I’ve moved the players whose seasons are done to the bottom of the update, since there shouldn’t be anything new with them. He also recommended noting who had a big game each week, which is a god idea, though it may not be all that exciting for the rest of this year, since most of the commits are pretty much done with their seasons.

If you know of an article that can help out, let me know. I’ll fill in the remaining game articles/stats as I find the articles. 2010 updates will come in the form of a year-end wrapup.

Still Playing

CA QB Tate Forcier
This Week: Scripps Ranch v. Cathedral. Scripps loses 70-37.
Season Totals: Scripps Ranch 7-3.

Seasons Over

MI RB Teric Jones
This Week: Cass Tech v. Southeastern in round 2 of the state playoffs. Cass loses 40-0.
Season Totals: Cass 7-2. Lost in 2nd Round of the playoffs.

Season Totals: Liberty 8-2, lost in first round of playoffs.

IL OL Michael Schofield
Season Totals: Sandburg 6-3. Lost in first round of playoffs.

NJ DE Anthony LaLota
Season Totals: Hun 4-4. Missed the playoffs.

IN LB Jordan Barnes
Season Totals: Homestead 8-1, lost in first round of playoffs.
Barnes: 58 tackles, 1 sack, 2 interceptions.

OH S Isaiah Bell
Season Totals: Liberty 8-2, lost in first round of playoffs.

MI S Thomas Gordon
This Week: Cass Tech v. Southeastern in round 2 of the state playoffs. Cass loses 40-0.
Season Totals: Cass 7-2. Lost in 2nd Round of the playoffs.

Obviously Gordon’s stats are woefully incomplete at this point. If you can help out, leave a message
in the comments.

OH CB/S Justin Turner
Season Totals: Washington 6-4. Lost in first round of playoffs.

Posted under Football

Action since last rankings:
11-9-08 Minnesota gains commitment from Ra’Shede Hageman. Minnesota gains commitment from Matt Garin. Minnesota gains commitment from Joey Searcy. Ohio State loses commitment from Bradley McDougald (scholarship offer rescinded).
11-12-08 Northwestern gains commitment from Tyler Scott.
11-13-08 Michigan gains commitment from Brendan Gibbons. Penn State gains commitment from Garry Gilliam.

New Rankings:

Posted under Football

Coming into this year, Michigan and Northwestern had similar expectations. Both were projected to finish near the upper-middle of the conference, and perhaps even both make it to January bowl games. Of course, things didn’t exactly turn out that way. Northwestern has perhaps exceeded expectations, its only losses so far coming to Ohio State, Michigan State, and… er… Indiana. Michigan’s season has unfolded in the opposite direction. After reaching 2-2 on the season, back-to-back demoralizing losses against Illinois and Toledo initiated a tailspin that halted only this past week, with a win at Minnesota. Next year, look for Michigan to try to replicate the Northwestern model for success (ridiculously easy OOC schedule).

Offense
The ‘Cats are hurting on this side of the ball, with their top two running backs lost for the year. Tyrell Sutton (2005 Big Ten Freshman of the Year) and Omar Conteh (who stepped in for Sutton much of last year, including a 115-yard day against Michigan) will be replaced by sophomore Stephen Simmons and recently-converted WR Jeravin Matthews, a true freshman. Even before the top two went out for the year, Northwestern was near average in rushing, and that production can be expected to decrease without two talented players. In the passing game, Northwestern has relied on both CJ Bacher and Mike Kafka. Kafka has been more dangerous as a runner than a passer in his time filling in for an injured Bacher. Speaking of Bacher, there’s always the Official CJ Bacher Interception Statistic to draw on: when he starts and throws 1 pick or less, the Wildcats win. However, it is unclear exactly how healthy Bacher will be this weekend, though he should be available. Northwestern’s top 3 receivers are Eric Peterman, Ross Lane, and Rasheed Ward. All have seen their production decrease sans Bacher.

To me, it looks like a Minnesota to me. Without a credible running threat in the backfield, Northwestern’s offense looks a lot like that of the Gophers. That, of course, brings up the question of which quarterback starts for the Wildcats. With Kafka, they have a mobile signal-caller that isn’t the passing threat (and we saw how much success Michigan had defending against Justin Siller), and with Bacher, they have… GopherClone. That team spread the field and passed, without much of a run threat (though their offense is based on the RR spread, and we all know that Rodriguez would love to run the ball as much as possible). Either way, it looks like Northwestern’s options are limited. I’d like to think Michigan will be able to dial up a similar gameplan to last week, and trust their guys to man up on wideouts that aren’t as athletic.

Defense
Northwestern partisans have been hailing new defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz as the second coming of Christ. Of course, the pragmatist would note that his early-season numbers were built up against the #111 offense (Syracuse), the #87 offense (Duke), the #49 offense… in 1-AA (Southern Illinois), and the #71 offense (Ohio). Two of Northwestern’s top defenders, Malcolm Arrington and Vince Browne, have been lost for the season. The Wildcats shouldn’t be expected to get tons of stops against any offense with legitimate threats on the ground and through the air.

That brings us to the Michigan offense, whose best threat through the air so far this season has been Steven Threet. When he missed time last week, Nick Sheridan filled in most competently. However, whoever ends up getting the start for Michigan this week will likely be operating without the services of Brandon Minor, who has emerged as Michigan’s best threat of moving the ball on the ground. Michigan’s offense might be something of a mirror image of Northwestern’s at this point, though I think Sam McGuffie and Michael Shaw bring something to the table that Northwestern’s third-string running back may not. However, last week’s performance by the quarterback was probably a one-time deal, and the offense should regress this week.

Other Stuff
On top of injury news, this week may hinge on intangibles more than any other so far this year. Was Michigan’s performance last week the sign of better things to come with gained confidence, or just a one-week anomaly? Will the weather have an adverse effect on either team’s offense? These can’t be accounted for in a preview, however comprehensive it may be (and I’m under no illusion that this is a comprehensive preview).

Predictions
At least 3 (but probably 4) players take snaps for Michigan.
Northwestern has trouble moving the ball on the ground with anyone other than Mike Kafka, but they have a successful game through the air.
Michigan drops one to the Wildcats, 24-10.

Posted under Football

The Board.

Moved to Committed:
TX K Brendan Gibbons.

Added:
SC S DJ Swearinger. Michigan has called the onetime target and former Tennessee commit.
Other Tennessee commits may start dominating this category sometime soon.

New Information:
FL RB commit Vincent Smith. Scouting report from SoFlaFootball.
LA DT commit DeQuinta Jones. Still looking at Oklahoma State (Alabama is the other school he’s still considering, for the record).
MI DT ex-commit William Campbell. Here’s his recruiting schedule for the rest of the fall. Sam Webb thinks OL might be his best fit (audio).
SC DE Sam Montgomery. He’s definitely still planning to come on an official.
MD LB Jelani Jenkins. Committed to the awesomely-named Maryland Crab Bowl. Michigan is expected to be in his next cut (audio) – but it’s getting into the top 5 that’s important.
OH S/LB Isaiah Bell. Taking his official visit this weekend (info in header). I’d assume Fitzgerald Toussaint comes along with him.

Removed:
FL QB Eugene Smith. Committed to West Virginia.
SC DE Chris Bonds. Eliminates Michigan from consideration. In case you didn’t believe me the first time.
FL LB Jon Bostic. Uh, not quite sure why he’s still on the board anyway. Michigan is out of it.
AL CB Dre Kirkpatrick. I don’t know how he managed to go this long without an article explicitly trimming his list, but now there’s assurance he can be removed.

Etc.:
Still elsewhere-committed, GA WR Jamal Patterson is hearing from Michigan regardless. Might they be able to convince him to take a visit?
MD RB Tavon Austin is supposed to announced sometime very soon, but I predict his choice will be between WVU and UNC.

Analysis:
QBs on the board committing elsewhere should be something we get used to: Michigan is unlikely to grab another one, but none on the board have technically eliminated the Wolverines, so on the board they stay. The Wolverines will probably start looking for more DB prospects, so keep an eye out. The outside WR position is also yet to be filled, and it’s looking like a prospect who is or has been committed to another school may end up filling the role.

Posted under Football

I’m actually just heading out to Ann Arbor, so I don’t have time for a substantive post, but kicker Brendan Gibbons out of Florida has committed to Michigan today. Much more when I have an internet connection again.

Posted under Football