A Look at How the 2008 Michigan Recruiting Class Fared

Michigan had the 10th ranked recruiting class in 2008 according to Rivals, and I was thinking, why not check their progress?

Especially since a lot of them saw quite a bit of playing time throughout their freshman campaigns.

Besides, I haven’t touched on recruiting yet this year on this blog or any other website. It’s something I normally like to avoid until after the season and the next year’s class is more concrete.

I’ll really start getting into it after the Army All-American game when I can see one of these guys in action.

But for now let’s take a look at how last year’s class did.

This was mostly a split class of guys that Lloyd Carr had already recruited and decided to stick with the program after Rich Rodriguez came on board.

Michigan pulled in 24 recruits comprised of 17 four-star recruits and six three-star guys. I go by Rivals so if you want to argue, hey, to each his own.

Two players have already left the team and 12 players took redshirts. Then 10 remaining saw quite a bit of playing time as far as freshmen are concerned.

Sam McGuffie

“Crime Dog” McGuffie (that nickname is just natural) got the start at running back from the first snap against Utah but saw his carries become more and more limited as the season went on.

His best game was against Notre Dame where at one point he was tiptoeing down the sideline for a 29-yard run and finished with 131 yards, catching four balls for 47 yards and a touchdown.

McGuffie ended the season with 486 yards and rumors were swirling that he would be leaving the team after a death in the family took him back to his home state of Texas.

A four-star recruited by Lloyd Carr, McGuffie was a big factor in Fred Jackson staying on as running backs coach. Maybe due to his high profile recruitment after becoming a youtube star.

Analysis: McGuffie went down too often on first contact but maybe he just hit a freshman wall as the season went on. If he really wants to go back home I say go. Running back is one area where Michigan is deep.

Still, he can be explosive and with another year under Mike Barwis he could become a Justin Fargas type, as long as he doesn’t transfer like Fargas.

Michael Shaw

A four-star player out of Trotwood, Ohio Shaw saw a lot of playing time although some Michigan fans, including myself, would’ve liked to see more of him.

The picture above is Shaw’s lone touchdown of the season which was also the first one Michigan scored in the season-opening loss to Utah.

He averaged more than five yards a carry but only got 42 carries for 215 yards leaving Michigan fans wanting more.

Analysis: Remember Clarence Williams? Yeah, that’s what Shaw reminds me off. He’ll be really serviceable but he’ll be in the shadow of others and we’ll be deprived of ever really seeing him as a feature back.

Martavious Odoms

This little three-star wide receiver from Florida that came on late through RichRod caused quite a few headaches this year.

Somehow he managed to lead the Wolverines with 49 catches for 443 yards and he did score a 73-yard punt return against Purdue.

Which was quite a surprise since never at any point did he seem capable of even catching a punt or kickoff.

Analysis: I think you get my tone about Odoms by now. However, he does have a lot of explosiveness if he can hold on to the ball. Plus, he seems to be providing a good pipeline to his teammates in Florida.

When he did play well he reminded me of Marquis Walker, that was until it got colder and Odoms couldn’t grip the ball.

Mike Martin

Novi Catholic Central’s own four-star defensive tackle saw playing time in all 12 games this season.

Martin registered 20 tackles, 4.5 for loss and two sacks as the primary backup to Terrance Taylor and Will Johnson.

He brought a lot of energy to the pass rush but needs to brush up on his run stuffing as well.

Analysis: I like this guy and the enthusiasm he brings to the game. Hope Barwis just gets after him a little more and he can become a force playing next to Brandon Graham.

Boubacar Cissoko

Perhaps one of the great names ever, Cissoko came to the Wolverines out of Cass Tech in Detroit as a four-star defensive back.

As the season went one he saw more and more time in the nickle and dime packages and collected three decent pass breakups, one of which was amazing in the Purdue game.

Gifted with a lot of speed, Cissoko saw a lot of punt and kickoff return duty but like Odoms, he needs to get better hands.

Analysis: Boubacar is Morgan Trent’s replacement, I just hope he doesn’t follow in Trent’s footsteps and ends of getting burned all the time.

Cissoko has the speed to not get burned but I thought the same of Trent. College defensive backs take some time to develop so we’ll see.

Kevin Koger

Four-star tight end out of Toledo saw playing time in eight games catching one touchdown and 93 yards on six grabs.

He replaced the worthless Carson Butler and was respectful enough to request that Mike Massey get the majority of playing time in the Northwestern game on senior day.

His mere presence I think showed that Rich Rodriguez might be adding a new dimension to his spread offense which usually doesn’t feature a tight end.

Analysis: I haven’t like a Michigan tight end since Bennie Joppru left the team. Tim Massaquoi and Carson Butler have been killing me lately.

Koger on the other hand has been pleasant to watch and I think he has ability to emerge as a top tight end in the Big Ten.

Darryl Stonum

Stonum came in touted as a the next best deep threat at Michigan and had high expectations.

And it was warranted. The four-star wideout from Texas ran a 4.4 40 yard dash coming out of high school. He’s 6-2 and 180. That’s a great frame for a high schooler.

But Stonum only had 14 catches for 176 yards and one score. He consistently ran bad routes and was arrested for a DUI midway through the season. From what I hear he’s also still driving around Ann Arbor despite having a suspended license.

Analysis: I’ll admit, I drank the kool-aid on Stonum early on in the recruitment period and thought the guy was going to be great without realizing that freshmen wide receivers are never that good.

He could still turn into something great but only time will tell if he steps up and pulls his head out of his backside by giving someone else the keys.

Justin Feagin

RichRod brought Feagin in near the end of recruiting last year as a back up plan in the event Terrelle Pryor didn’t come to Michigan.

Now the Wolverines are stuck with a three-star recruit who RichRod doesn’t trust enough yet to attempt a handoff let alone pass the ball and probably never will.

Feagin rushed for 52 yards in four games with 34 yards coming off of one run against Minnesota.

Analysis: Feagin will move to slot receiver next year after Tate Forcier and Shavrodick Beaver enroll and might be listed as an emergency fourth string quarterback or something.

I can’t really tell anything about him though as I never got to see him throw so who knows what he’s capable of. He did show how fast he could be in that one run though.

J.B. Fitzgerald

A four-star linebacker out of New Jersey, Fitzgerald played in all 12 games collecting eight tackles on special teams.

Analysis: Fitzgerald did make a couple bone crushing hits on kickoff returns that I remember seeing. He could see more playing time on defense as a sophomore an emerge like Jonas Mouton.

Kenny Demens

Rich Rodriguez burned Demens’ redshirt chances so he could appear in three games and assist on one tackle on special teams.

Demens was a four-star linebacker from Country Day in Detroit.

Analysis: What do you honestly expect me to say on this? I have no idea ever seeing this guy on the field.

Redshirted

Terrence Robinson, four-star WR from Texas

Ricky Barnum, four-star OL from Florida

Rocko Khoury, three-star OL from Traverse City, MI

Elliot Mealer, four-star OL from Wauseon, OH

Brandon Moore, four-star TE from Trotwood, OH

Dann O’Neill, four-star OL from Grand Haven, MI

Patrick Omameh, two-star DE (who I hear is converting to OL) from Columbus, OH

Roy Roundtree (snake oil incident), four-star WR from Trotwood, OH

Brandon Smith, four-star DB from New Jersey

Kurt Wermers, three-star OL from Indiana

Mike Cox, three-star RB from Connecicut

J.T. Floyd, three-star ATH (safety from what I hear) from South Carolina

Left Team

Taylor Hill, four-star LB from Youngstown, OH (left for reasons unknown)

Transfered

Marcus Witherspoon, four-star LB from New Jersey (academically ineligible at Michigan, transferred to Rutgers)

Final Thoughts

Losing Hill and Witherspoon hurt especially looking at Michigans depth at linebacker, it’s not too promising.

I love that most of the offensive lineman redshirted and have a whole year under RichRod’s and Barwis’ tutelage.

Omameh I hear is going to be really good on the O-Line as will Barnum and O’Neill.

J.T. Floyd is the one who almost got the number one jersey till Braylon stepped in and told RichRod what’s up. But I think that just speaks to Floyd’s ability so we have that to look forward to.

All in all, it’s been a pretty decent class but things will be clearer after their sophomore years.

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Ohio State-Michigan: Wolverines Look to Prevent Fifth Straight Buckeye Victory

Before I get started with this week’s preview, congratulations are in order. Give some props to the Michigan basketball team for beating the number four-ranked UCLA Bruins Thursday night by a score of 55-52 at Madison Square Garden.

I could not believe my eyes and was ecstatic afterwards. Hey Sparties, still want to wait for basketball season? I can’t wait for Feb. 10 at Crisler Arena when Michigan plays MSU.

On with the preview.

 

Michigan Wolverines (3-8, 2-5) at Ohio State Buckeyes (9-2, 6-1)

Noon, Saturday at Ohio Stadium

Line: Ohio State -20.5

Weather: High of 36 degrees with partly cloudy skies

Well, here it is, folks—the 105th meeting between the University of Michigan and Ohio State University.

The 20.5-point spread is the largest in the history of “The Game,” and there’s a good chance the Buckeyes will cover given how bad Michigan has been this season.

It all depends on which Michigan team shows up Saturday. Are we going to get the Wolverines from the Minnesota game that played solid football for four quarters, or the team that has bombed against the rest of the Big Ten?

How about the team that played against Purdue, where just the offense showed up and the defense decided to lay an egg? Or the teams that played good for one quarter of a game against Wisconsin and Illinois?

All I know is if the Wolverines and the 16 seniors on this team want to beat Ohio State for the first time since 2003, they better show up and hit on all cylinders for a full 60 minutes.

Michigan has never lost five straight against the Buckeyes, but this has been a season of dreadful firsts for the Wolverines, so if this is the year it happens, I won’t be much surprised.

However, if Michigan should pull out the victory on Saturday, I will be elated and proceed to claim it the biggest upset in the history of the series.

It’s going to be a giant uphill battle, though, and I don’t see giving Michigan much of a chance.

 

Michigan Pass Offense vs. Ohio State Pass Defense

All Michigan fans can do is hope that Nick Sheridan brings his stallion and sword prepared to be knighted again instead of his usual white flag signaling surrender.

He’s got the 13th-ranked pass defense in the country to deal with, which has 14 interceptions, led by Kurt Coleman’s four and Malcolm Jenkins’s three.

Jenkins also has eight pass breakups, so I would advise against throwing to his side of the field altogether.

Michigan’s offensive line did pretty well against Northwestern last week. The Wildcats had a ton of sacks entering that game but only got one on the Wolverines.

I would normally feel all right about Michigan’s ability to pick up the pass rush, but Steve Schilling might not play after spraining his knee in practice this week.

Ohio State has a decent pass rush, accumulating 21 sacks this season.

In order to compensate, Martavious Odoms, Darryl Stonum, and Kevin Koger are all going to have to step up their game and get open quicker.

Stonum has been having a rough time with routes, and Odoms has a propensity to drop the ball, being the freshmen that they are.

Marcus Freeman and James Laurinaitis will most likely get to Sheridan before he can even get to his second read, which takes long enough as it is.

Advantage: Ohio State

 

Michigan Rush Offense vs. Ohio State Rush Defense

Brandon Minor is back this week, and after Carlos Brown returned from oblivion last week, Michigan should have a solid one-two punch this week.

The offensive line is run blocking better and better each week, and Brown and Minor should have some good lanes to run through—although those lanes might get filled up by the nation’s 26th-ranked run defense that only gives up 3.7 yards per carry.

The Buckeyes have an astonishing 54 tackles for loss, led by Freeman’s 6.5 and Laurinaitis’s 4.5.

Speed kills, though, and Minor and Brown have shown a lot of speed this season. Minor is bound to break a long run or two, while Brown almost did a couple times last week.

Advantage: Michigan (barely)

Ohio State Pass Offense vs. Michigan Pass Defense

Terrelle Pryor is going to be a nightmare to deal with for the Michigan defense. He doesn’t throw a lot, but when he has, it’s been effective.

Pryor has a 152.16 efficiency rating and has 10 touchdowns and just three interceptions.

While he’s lethal on the ground, he can be just as lethal if not more through the air.

Brian Robiskie is his favorite target (seven touchdowns), and Brian Hartline is averaging over 20 yards per catch.

Michigan’s pass defense has been a complete disaster this season, with Stevie Brown, Charles Stewart, and Brandon Harrison leaving the middle of the field wide open.

The Wolverines’ secondary ranks 89th in the country and gives up over 230 yards per game through the air.

Advantage: Ohio State

 

Ohio State Rush Offense vs. Michigan Rush Defense

This is the key matchup in the game if both teams want to be successful.

If Ohio State has a big day on the ground, expect another Buckeye victory, but if Michigan can slow down Beanie Wells and Pryor, the Wolverines will have a chance.

The Buckeyes rank 29th in the country, averaging 187 yards per game, with Wells rushing for 119.6 per game and 5.4 per carry.

He killed Michigan singlehandedly last year with 222 yards and the only two touchdowns at the Big House.

Now he has Pryor to aid him once in a while, who gets 50.9 yards per game and 4.8 per carry.

Obi Ezeh and Jonas Mouton are going to be crucial in slowing down Wells and keeping Pryor contained.

Ezeh and Mouton need to step up and show that they can be leaders on this team next season, and this is their audition.

Seniors Terrance Taylor, Will Johnson, and Tim Jamison are just itching to get their first victory against OSU.

If the defensive line can slow down Wells, and Ezeh and Mouton keep Pryor contained, Michigan can win this game.

Advantage: Even

 

Special Teams

Ohio State has two punt returns for touchdowns this season, but don’t expect them to get one this weekend with Zoltan “Space Lord Emperor of the Universe” Mesko kicking the ball into the upper atmosphere.

Neither team’s field goal kicker is dead-on accurate either.

Advantage: Even

 

Final Thoughts

The media has been blowing up stories about just how much Rich Rodriguez knows about this rivalry.

We already know Sweater Vest’s opinion and passion for this game. It’s the only big game he can win (at least since the 2002 championship game).

Rich Rod has been very open with the media, a lot more so than Lloyd Carr ever was, but I think he’s been holding something back.

There’s something he hasn’t told us yet.

Bo Schembechler said after the historic 1969 win that not even his players knew it, but every day they were practicing something for the Ohio State game.

Maybe RichRod has been doing the same and has a trick or two up his sleeves.

I still don’t think it’ll matter, but maybe it’ll help.

Prediction: Ohio State 31, Michigan 13

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THE Game: Can Ohio State Make It Five In A Row Over Michigan?

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Rich Rodriguez Gets His First Crack At The Backyard Brawl

Michigan State Spartans (6-2, 3-1) at Michigan Wolverines (2-5, 1-2)

Saturday, 3:30 p.m. EST at Michigan Stadium

Line: Michigan State -4

Enough with all the trash talk, let’s get the 101st version of the Backyard Brawl going and we have a newcomer this year in first year Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez.

This does not bode well for the Wolverines as only one newcomer has won this game and it was Nick Saban in 1995 when both Saban and Lloyd Carr were rookie coaches so someone had to win.

But Rodriguez and current Spartans coach Mark Dantonio have squared off before when both were coaches in the Big East. Rodriguez won both matches in ‘05 and ‘06 in decided fashion dominating the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Rodriguez seems to have embraced the rivalry in newspaper reports going so far as to say that “you’d have to be clueless to not understand the rivalry.”

It’s going to be tough this year even though Michigan holds a six game winning streak over MSU. Like I’ve been saying the past couple weeks, teams like MSU are due to get a win against the Wolverines.

This year is Michigan States best chance to get that win and for the first time since 1990 get a win at the Big House.

Spartan fans know it too as evidenced by all the trash talk coming out of their mouths this week. Just take a look at my column “Michigan Dominance Over “Little Brother”" from a couple days ago and read the comments.

This game could go either way though. Michigan State should come out psyched and give the Wolverines its best shot but then again this is just the type of team Michigan loves facing off against.

Let’s take a look at the matchups….

 

Michigan Pass Offense vs. Michigan State Pass Defense

Steven Threet is expected to play Saturday after re-aggravating his injured elbow against Penn State last week.

He said that when it’s aggravated his whole arm goes numb and he can’t grip the ball which really worries me that it’ll happen again and Nick Sheridan aka “Human White Flag” will come in.

If Michigan has any hope of winning this game Rodriguez cannot put Sheridan in the game. I’d rather see David Cone come in if he’s still uncomfortable putting Justin Feagin in the game.

Threet’s passing efficiency is 107.81 compared to “Human White Flag’s” 82.05. The Wolverines cannot afford to see Sheridan in the game.

Michigan State’s passing defense hasn’t been too impressive ranking 71st in the country allowing 213 yards per game and 6.22 yards per attempt.

Senior safety Otis Wiley leads the Spartans with four interceptions and seven pass breakups. MSU has nine interceptions and 13 sacks this season so they’re more than capable.

Wiley will most likely be shadowing Martavious Odoms or Greg Matthews who are only real threats in the receiving corps.

Kevin Koger has been emerging as a pretty good tight end and from what I understand James Rogers will see more playing time, probably over Toney Clemons.

Dan Fortener is another Spartan to watch out for in the secondary. He has two interceptions and five pass breakups.

If “Human White Flag” enters the game expect MSU to eat him alive much like Penn State did.

Advantage: Michigan State

Michigan Run Offense vs. Michigan State Run Defense

I said last week that if Michigan had success on the ground they’d have a chance to upset Penn State.

Well the same applies this week although this time Michigan has a better chance to sustain that success.

Michigan State is ranked 69th in rushing defense allowing 145 yards per game and 4.39 per carry while Michigan has the 66th ranked rush offense getting 140.8 yards per game and 3.85 per game.

Rodriguez finally realized Brandon Minor was his best back last week and sparingly used Sam McGuffie.

McGuffie goes down too fast on first contact but if he gets into open space then watch out. Same thing with Minor only Minor can push through and get extra yards on short yardage situations.

Michigan State’s leading tackler is sophomore linebacker Greg Jones who has 65 tackles and eight for a loss.

Michigan has to be able to control the ground game so to keep Javon Ringer off the field but the Wolverines need to do it for four quarters and not one and a half.

Junior linebacker Adam Decker is also all over the field with 48 tackles including six for a loss.

Minor is averaging over five yards a carry and going up against a defense that gives up over four should be really nice for him to see.

Advantage: Michigan

Michigan State Pass Offense vs. Michigan Pass Defense

Brian Hoyer is not that good evidenced by his 49.5 completion percentage and this is where Michigan State shows that it is one dimensional.

“Hoyerable” has thrown for 1341 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions giving him a 117.09 efficiency rating.

His best wide receivers are Mark Dell and Charlie Gantt. Dell is the real deal who averages over 20 yards per catch and has 446 yards thus far along with two touchdowns.

Gantt is also a real threat who puts up over 17 yards per catch along with three touchdowns.

Michigan fans have been waiting for Donovan Warren to have a true breakout performance and with recent injuries this might not be it but maybe he’s well rested enough to have a big game.

Morgan Trent could put to rest any and all criticism if he comes out and shuts down Dell and Gantt.

The Wolverines also need to watch out for Ringer catching out of the backfield. He hasn’t had a big receiving day but has caught 15 passes this season so that tells me that MSU likes to go to him once in a while.

I’m particularly worried that if Ringer gets hot in the running game that Hoyer will be able to exploit Michigan with the play action pass which most teams have had great success with this season against Michigan.

But then again, it is Hoyer the Wolverines are facing.

Advantage: Michigan

Michigan State Run Offense vs. Michigan Run Defense

This is the game right here isn’t it.

We all know about Javon Ringer and his 1,179 yards this season on 147.4 per game, 4.5 per carry and 14 touchdowns.

All that has earned Michigan State a 52nd ranking for rushing offense.

Michigan’s big strength is suppose to be the defensive line and Terrance Taylor could very well shut down Ringer much like Ohio State did last week.

Dantonio is a hard nosed coach who will try to stuff right down our throats but Taylor, Will Johnson, Tim Jamison and Brandon Graham will be right there to shove back.

Michigan has the 41st ranked rush defense allowing just 120.9 yards per game and 3.25 per carry.

Graham made a bold statement and Taylor is backing him up. Probably because Taylor wants to go out as a senior who never lost to Michigan State.

But the defense has to hold up and not give up nearly 10 yards per carry like they did against the Nittany Lions.

But this isn’t Penn State, it’s Michigan State and the Spartans are not in Penn State’s class.

More like Wisconsin’s and we all know what Michigan did to them.

Advantage: Even

Special Teams

Michigan State doesn’t have a real return threat (have they ever?) so as long as Zoltan Mesko doesn’t get blocked the Wolverines should be alright there.

Michigan returners lately haven’t fumbled lately so maybe they’ve finally solved that problem but we’ll see.

K.C. Lopata needs to be on point in this game because it just might come down to field goals like it did in 2005. But he’s just 5-for-8 this season and is killing me slowly

Brett Swenson is 15-for-16 for Michigan State with a long of 48 yards. His lone miss came from 39 yards out.

Advantage: Michigan State

Final Thoughts

This is exactly the type of game Michigan loves to play. The hard nosed punch ‘em right in the mouth as opposed to the spread game.

The defense should hold up in that aspect but with the offense still adapting and the players still learning it’ll be tough.

Rodriguez really needs this game to get the doubters off his back but like I said before rookie coaches in this game don’t fare well.

The x-factor is Michigan State’s psyche in this game. Much like Penn State I expect they’ll be up for this game more than any other in their lives.

Prediction: Michigan State 23, Michigan 20 OT

 

 

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Toledo Has Chance to Do What Other MAC Teams Haven’t: Beat Michigan

Toledo (1-4) at Michigan (2-3)

12:00 p.m. Saturday at Michigan Stadium

Line: Michigan -16.5

This is going to be short and sweet today and you can blame the opponent for this as I don’t put much stock into MAC teams even though I went to a MAC school (Central).

Michigan is a combined 24-0 against MAC teams with the latest victim being Miami (OH) in Week Two this season. But the Wolverines have never played Toledo which surprised me seeing how the two schools are so close to one another.

Maybe it’s had to do with the Toledo War.

Both of these teams are pretty close to each other statistically with Toledo having the slightly better offense and Michigan having a better defense so this could get interesting.

Don’t write off Toledo and be surprised if Michigan barely pulls out a victory.

Michigan Pass Offense vs. Toledo Pass Defense

Well the Wolverines are still stuck with Steven Threet unfortunately and we all know how that’s worked out for them so far.

Threet is averaging 130 yards a game and has a dismal 49.6 completion percentage along with five touchdowns and two interceptions. My god those are awful numbers for a Michigan quarterback.

And no, I’m not mentioning fumbles. I don’t think I really have to anymore or else the vein in my forehead might erupt.

Toledo’s passing defense is ranked 55th in the country and junior safety Barry Church has been making plays. He leads the team in tackles with 40. Junior linebacker Archie Donald is a sneaky mother with two interceptions this season.

Martavious Odoms looks like he might sit this one out with a sore shoulder which really sucks. Darryl Stonum is making a return after missing last week for disciplinary reasons that were not mentioned in detail.

And despite numerous reports and a story from the Free Press, Kevin Koger does not look anything like Greg Oden. Koger, although 18, looks like a solid 22 maybe 23. Oden looks like he’s up for retirement already at age 62.

Advantage: Even

Michigan Run Offense vs. Toledo Run Defense

Both these units are ranked in the high 80’s nationally so I don’t know what to expect.

Sam McGuffie at times has shown brilliance but an inability to carry the full load every down. His 63 yards per game is simply not enough at this point and Michigan needs him to do more.

Especially if Rich Rodriguez is not going to use Brandon Minor or Kevin Grady more, which I still don’t understand why he wouldn’t.

Toledo is giving up 171.4 yards on the ground this season so maybe McGuffie has a breakout game or something.

Mark Moundros is proving to be a very valuable full back in the WVU mold of Owen Schmitt so good news there.

The offensive line had breakdowns of epic proportion last week not only in pass protection but run blocking as well.

Rodriguez keeps shuffling these guys from week to week and I’m starting to feel that he needs to stick with one combination from now on so that these guys can get comfortable with one another.

Toledo senior defensive lineman Sean Williamson has been a little bit of a force as he leads the team with two sacks and four tackles for losses.

Advantage: Michigan (barely)

Toledo Pass Offense vs. Michigan Pass Defense

Michigan’s 92nd ranked pass defense was a freaking embarrassment last week against Illinois. I’ve been having nightmares of wide open receivers all week.

Donovan Warren is hurting and I wish our safeties all had broken legs so that they might have a better excuse for sucking.

Maybe they get a break this week facing the 89th ranked pass offense in Toledo. Junior quarterback Aaron Opelt is no threat to run like Juice Williams.

Opelt’s numbers go like this: 869 yards, 173.8 per game, seven touchdowns, three interceptions and a 59 percent complete rate.

If Brandon Graham can’t go this week and Warren is hurting like the coaching staff says he is, the Wolverines might be in trouble if Opelt has all day to find his receivers.

Stephen Williams leads the Rockets with 67.8 yards per game and five touchdowns while senior tight end John Allen is averaging 10.1 yards per catch.

Advantage: Toledo

Toledo Run Offense vs. Michigan Run Defense

Toledo has a couple burners in the backfield with junior DaJuane Collins and redshirt freshman Morgan Williams.

Collins gets 7.4 yards per carry and Williams gets 4.1 and both have rushed for over 300 yards helping Toledo average 142.4 yards per game.

But Michigan before last week was allowing 88 yards a game but after Illinois that average is up to 109.

Toledo doesn’t have the talent like Illinois does so I think Michigan will go back to stuffing the run once again.

Terrence Taylor and Will Johnson have been great in the middle and Tim Jamison has been pretty good opposite Graham. I just hope whatever this leg infection Graham has isn’t serious.

Advantage: Michigan

Special Teams

I’m going to skip talking about Michigan’s special teams units because if I think too much about them (besides the wonderment that is Zoltan Mesko’s ability to put footballs on the moon) I might have an blood vessel start leaking into my brain.

Toledo on the other hand has a speedy little guy named Greg Harris who averages 23.2 yards per kick return. Great them.

Their kicker, Stiegerwald is 8-for-9 this year with a long field goal from 47 yards.

Advantage: Toledo

Final Thoughts

If Michigan wants to shut up the doubters and people out there screaming for RichRod’s head then they better dominate this game.

I’m talking they better do something they haven’t in a long time, cover the spread.

But they won’t. They’ll get by on no more than a 10-point win and at least for a week Michigan fans will breath a short sigh of relief. That’ll be real short considering the Wolverines travel to Happy Valley next week.

Prediction: Michigan 17, Toledo 13

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Memo to Michigan Fans: Calm Down

A lot of Michigan fans need to take a good look in the mirror this week and ask themselves what is wrong with them and seek help.

You know who I’m talking about.

The ones that are mentally retarded for already starting to talk about getting rid of Rich Rodriguez.

They’re out there whining that Michigan might have a losing season and might not make a bowl game for the first time in a hundred years. I say who cares.

There are only five bowl games I really care about anyway and even if Michigan does forge ahead to a winning season they don’t have a chance at either the BCS Championship, Rose, Orange, Sugar or Fiesta bowls.

Yet there are fans out there who apparently are going to be really upset if Michigan doesn’t even qualify for the Motor City Bowl or the Meinke Car Care Bowl or the Poinsetta Bowl.

I can hear them whining right now.

“But Jason, Michigan has been the model of consistency over the years and is the winningest program in football history.”

Blah, blah, blah.

Look, I’m more than proud of Michigan’s rich tradition and history of winning but we all fall from grace once in a while. Look at Notre Dame.

It’s not the end of the world for Michigan to miss a meaningless bowl game or have a losing record for the first time since 1967.

Getting rid of Rich Rodriguez is the most ludicrous idea or thought I’ve heard from a Michigan fan. The man has coached five games.

Five. Say it to yourself. Five games.

This isn’t year five, it’s game five.

And look at the hand he has been dealt. It’s not like Charlie Weis inheriting a stud quarterback like Brady Quinn and seniors up and down the board.

No, Rodriguez is dealing with a bunch of freshman for crying out loud. Here’s a list of all the freshman that have been seeing significant playing time because of a lack of capable upperclassman at their position:

Steven Threet, Martavious Odoms, Darryl Stonum, Mark Huyge, Kevin Koger, Mike Martin, Sam McGuffie, David Molk, Ryan Van Bergen, Michael Shaw and numerous others that are just sophomores.

Then look at the list of players that left because of graduation or entering the NFL draft or because they were arrogant morons who transferred because they were too afraid of Mike Barwis.

Chad Henne, Mike Hart, Jake Long, Mario Manningham, Adrian Arrington, Shawn Crable, Ryan Mallet, Justin Boren.

Don’t worry, I can hear the argument you’re making right now.

“But Jason, Michigan is Michigan and they have more than enough blue chip talent in order to keep the bowl streak alive and not be this bad.”

True, Michigan has a ton of talent. But how is that talent suppose to respond to a new coach, new system and basically a house cleaning of their old coaches and philosophies?

And let’s not overlook how overrated some of this talent was that Lloyd Carr brought in his final year.

Steven Threet was a four star recruit coming out of Adrian High School. He doesn’t look anything of the sort, more like a two star player. Just goes to show you how retarded those star ratings are for high school players.

What was Dan Lefevour coming out of high school? A three star maybe? Now he’s the best college quarterback in the entire state of Michigan and Rodriguez, along with numerous other coaches, would love to have him now.

Another argument I’ve heard is that Rich Rodriguez should call more pro-style offense plays to fit his players abilities until he gets players to fit his spread offense.

“But Jason, a good coach adapts to his players abilities.”

OK, but what is that going to do for the players that are already there? Next year, they’ll be just as lost as the freshmen coming in who fit the system.

Guys like Odoms and the offensive line won’t be use to it and Rodriguez will have basically lost a year in developing players for his system.

You can’t teach one system in practice all week and coach a different style on Saturday. Guys will be completely lost.

People forget that these players also have classes to deal with, classes at the University of Michigan at that. They’re not in football practice 24/7.

Rodriguez has to get these players use to the system now, so that next season when Tate Forcier comes in, he’ll have the role players around him so that he can step right in and be successful.

The players that are there now are just inexperienced and going through a lot of growing pains. It’s not the play calling, it’s inexperience.

Rodriguez got the shaft coming into Michigan and the players he’s had to coach. Now some of you want to punish him because the precious bowl streak is in jeopardy.

“But Jason, Michigan fans won’t stand for a losing season and there are consequences for that.”

Come on. What is that going to do? It’ll just make the university look stupid. More so than one losing season in 30-some years.

I knew this year was going to be a transition but set a goal at the beginning of making a bowl game. Sometimes goals just let you down in the end and a lot of you are mad about it.

I get it, I really do. But calm down, take a deep breath, and take solace in knowing that in two years, maybe even next, the Wolverines offense is going to be explosive and Michigan will be dominant once again.

There shouldn’t be any talk of getting rid of Rodriguez amongst Michigan fans unless it’s year three and these problems still exist.

“But Jason….”

No. No more buts. If you can’t do that, if you can’t accept the fact that Michigan is going to have a losing season, seek out therapy.

You’d be doing real Michigan fans a big favor.

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Michigan Fades Fast Against Illinois

You see what happened was…I don’t know what happened. I’m so mad right now there’s steam coming out of my ears.

Michigan looked dominant in the first quarter, but sputtered its way through the second and third quarters and ended up with the worst home loss since Florida State in 1991.

Juice Williams absolutely destroyed the Wolverines. He made them look foolish; he even fooled me on a number of occasions. He broke a Michigan Stadium record with 431 yards of total offense.

It was incredible watching him on Saturday dissecting the Michigan defense. The only thing that cools the steam coming out of my head is knowing that Michigan and Rich Rodriguez’s offense will one day look like what Illinois displayed in its 45-20 win.

And it will, folks; just be patient.

There has already been a lot of grumbling from friends of mine and other Michigan fans that Rich Rodriguez was not the right hire and he needs to go.

It’s been five games! If anyone comes to me with that talk on here I will destroy them and declare them Buckeye fans. That’s a warning, so don’t post anything here about getting rid of RichRod.

On with the grades:

 

Offense

After jumping out to a 14-3 lead at the end of the first quarter, the offense looked—and this is as simple as I can describe it—anemic.

The Wolverines had 65 yards of total offense in the second and third quarters combined, in which they punted seven consecutive times.

I can’t even count how many times they went three and out (five, after looking it up) and what makes me so mad is that they looked so good in the first quarter.

I was actually at the game and I remember looking up and seeing at one point that Michigan had more than twice the yards Illinois had. Then a few minutes later, Illinois had tripled their yards and Michigan’s hadn’t changed.

Steven Threet missed on a couple big chances to not go three and out by vastly overthrowing his receivers. Near the end of the first half, he overthrew a wide open surefire touchdown to Martavious Odoms that would have put Michigan up 21-17 at halftime.

His final numbers were not good. Threet was 18-for-35, with 250 yards and two touchdowns, and he fumbled three times (losing one) and was sacked four times.

He was sacked more times on Saturday than he had been all season. Illinois’s defensive line, anchored by Martez Wilson, dominated Michigan’s front five.

That brings me to the running game. Michigan had just 69 net yards rushing. Sam McGuffie had 70 yards on 19 carries and Brandon Minor only carried three times.

Minor needs more carries and he needs them now. McGuffie cannot carry the load by himself; he’s only a freshman. I wouldn’t expect to see Michael Shaw very often, especially after Rodriguez reamed him after fumbling the ball.

And where was Kevin Grady inside the 10-yard line? How about giving Mark Moundros the ball?

All I know is that Michigan has always been successful when it had a good running game, and the Wolverines just don’t have it right now.

On the plus side, I like Martavious Odoms. He reminds me a little bit of Marquis Walker. Kevin Koger had a touchdown taken away from him but he is emerging as a good tight end.

I don’t know why Darryl Stonum wasn’t dressed for the game but playing guys like Zion Babb, Tony Clemons, and Laterryal Savoy is a waste of time.

Throwing to them is an even bigger waste.

Overall Offense Grade: D

 

Defense

Oh boy, did they look like the classic Michigan defense facing an athletic quarterback or what?

Juice Williams looked like Vince Young, Dennis Dixon and every other spread, running quarterback Michigan has ever faced.

He’ll certainly be mentioned near the top of that list after setting the Michigan Stadium record for total yards.

And it wasn’t just the run up the middle that fooled everyone; he passed the ball perhaps better than he ever has in his career.

Wide receivers were wide open and he was remarkably accurate. Williams passed for 310 yards and two touchdowns on just 50 percent passing, but the ones hit were incredible, including the 77-yarder that Donovan Warren got burned on.

A lot of people were complaining about Charles Stewart going for the ball on that play, but I have to wonder why Warren was so far behind on the play.

Michigan did a good job of stopping the Illini running backs. None had over 53 yards but Juice ran wild for 136 yards.

Michigan’s defensive line put some pressure on Juice, getting 11 tackles for loss. I felt some of them should have been sacks, but none were counted in the official stats.

Jonas Mouton and Obi Ezeh had their names called the most often on the day, with Ezeh leading the way with 15 tackles.

What really killed the defense was the demoralizing touchdown drives that took just four plays each. One was in the second quarter and the other just after halftime.

When you give up long touchdowns in just four plays, it really hits you in the face and takes a lot out of defense.

Still, they needed to play better and not look like a typical Michigan defense facing a spread offense.

I thought after practicing against it for a few months now, they would know what to do and how to handle a quarterback like Juice Williams. Apparently, it’s going to take longer for their defense to transition into one that can stop the spread.

Overall Defense Grade: C-

 

Special Teams

I really held out hope that Michigan might be able to come back on Illinois until a certain moment in the game.

Michigan had just scored a touchdown to pull within 31-20 and then K.C. Lopata whiffed on the point after. It wasn’t blocked at all. He just pushed it right and it hit the goal post.

That took all the hope I had out of me. Then Martavious Odoms fumbled a kick return after looking pretty good throughout most of the day.

I thought Michigan had finally found a returner that could hold onto the ball, and then he proved me wrong. However, Greg Matthews looked pretty good as the punt returner.

Zoltan did his thing, including a 55-yarder that pierced the upper atmosphere.

Overall Special Teams Grade: C

 

Coaching

Rich Rodriguez is fuming right now about Michigan’s fumbling woes. After reading a Free Press article in which he said that coaching staff is doing everything it can to fix the problem, I think he’s out of ideas.

He was livid at Shaw for fumbling and I don’t know the last time I’ve seen a Michigan coach that mad. God knows Carr never got that angry.

You know, he’s calling the right plays; the execution just isn’t there and it’s frustrating.

Everyone wants to blame the coach right away but the players are just too inexperienced.

My biggest question mark on the coaching staff is Scott Schafer. Where is this so called blitz happy coach? All I heard about this guy was that he was a blitz-happy aggressive coach.

But all I’ve seen so far is the same Michigan defense getting burned by an athletic quarterback.

And will someone please fire the special teams coach?

Overall Coaching Grade: C+

 

Final Thoughts

My final thoughts are that I want to take a high powered drill to my temple.

Instead of turning the corner after the big comeback against Wisconsin, they reverted back to form and sucked it up.

It’s like the Wolverines took two steps backward instead of using the momentum from last week’s big win to take advantage and put to rest any worries about making a bowl game.

Now they have to win four of remaining seven games to be bowl eligible, and even then it’s sketchy that they’ll make one.

Overall Grade: C-

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Michigan Has Chance to Turn Corner Against Illini

Illinois Fighting Illini (2-2, 0-1) at Michigan Wolverines (2-2, 1-0)

Saturday, 3:30 p.m. EDT at Michigan Stadium

Line: Michigan -3.5

It’s homecoming at Michigan Stadium and you know what that means. Some mediocre Big Ten team is coming to town.

Minnesota and Illinois are the two most common opponents during homecoming weekend and this will be the Illini’s 14th appearance in which they are 4-9 against Michigan on homecoming.

The Wolverines have dominated Illinois over the years which might lead some to believe that the Fighting Illini are due for a win. They haven’t won at the Big House since a 35-29 win in 1999.

Michigan is 9-1 against Illinois in the last 10 meetings and hold a 66-21-2 advantage in the all-time series including a 28-9-1 record at Michigan Stadium.

Last time these two met in the Big House, Illinois was handed a 56-14 whoopin in 2003 by John Navarre, Chris Perry and Braylon Edwards who all had big days.

Of course, things are different nowadays, much different in fact, and Illinois has better athletes than in years past.

Enough with the history and on with the preview.

Michigan Pass Offense vs. Illinois Pass Defense

Steven Threet’s confidence is growing by the minute and after the Wisconsin game who could blame him. Sure he was awful for two and half quarters but he really turned it on in the fourth.

He’s a much different quarterback than what we saw in week one and barring major injury I don’t ever expect to see the “Human White Flag” that is Nick Sheridan.

He still needs to get better with his timing and accuracy (95.06 efficiency rating and 48.8 completion percentage) but that just shows there’s a lot of room for improvement for the freshman quarterback. A lot of people seem to forget that he is still just a freshman, even if he is a redshirt a freshman is a freshman on the field.

Good news this week though, he is facing one of the worst defenses in the country. Illinois is ranked 62nd in passing defense giving up 201.5 yards per game through the air.

Hopefully that bodes well for Michigan’s 104th pass offense and will boost the numbers a bit. We’ll see.

Michigan wide receivers Martavious Odoms and Greg Matthews are Threet’s best options right now. Darryl Stonum just isn’t there yet and I don’t know what his problem is.

Junior Hemingway is out, again. He has freakin mono, are you kidding me? I’m now chalking that guy up as a complete loss and waste of time.

Carson Butler doesn’t figure into the teams plans anymore and will most likely not be on the team next season. Looks like Kevin Koger is going to step in, especially after that touchdown grab he had last week.

Pass protection has been surprisingly good. Michigan has given up just three sacks this season with Steve Schilling looking terrific. Illinois has gotten to the quarterback just nine times in four games with Martez Wilson and Will Davis looking like their best pass rushers.

Advantage: Michigan

Michigan Rush Offense vs. Illinois Rush Defense

Illinois’s rush defense is worse than their pass defense coming in at 94th in the country giving up 182 yards per game and nearly five yards per carry (4.8).

Sam McGuffie might have a field day like he did against Notre Lame. Michael Shaw is also expected to return to the field and Brandon Minor has been great as a situational rusher.

While McGuffie has been great, it would be nice to see him have better stats through four games. He has just 249 yards total and is averaging just 3.8 yards per carry.

Carlos Brown is out with another injury, this time he has a sprained foot. Like Hemingway, this guy is lost to me and will never live up the potential he once carried.

The zone stretch plays seem to be more and more effective every week which will just open things up more for Threet.

Mark Moundros has been great in the I-formation as a fullback and blocker. I’d love to see Rich Rodriguez use him more often but we’ll see.

Michigan is 82nd in the country averaging 136.25 yards a game and have to watch out for Brit Miller in Illinois’s linebacking corps. He has 7.5 tackles for loss and one sack.

Advantage: Michigan

Illinois Pass Offense vs. Michigan Pass Defense

With Juice Williams improving every day as a better passer this facet of the game is going to be critical for Illinois to win the game.

Williams stats go like this so far: 905 yards, 226.2 yards per game, nine touchdowns, six interceptions, 58.6 completion percentage and a 139.4 efficiency rating.

Oh yeah and he’s also rushed for 283 yards and two touchdowns.

Williams is one of those spread/running quarterbacks that Michigan fans cringe at facing knowing what they’ve done to the Wolverines in the past. Remember the Texas game? How about the Oregon game? Sorry, I didn’t want to bring it up, but that’s what we’re facing again this week.

Michigan’s pass defense has been mediocre at best most weeks with Charles Stewart and Stevie Brown usually getting murdered downfield.

Morgan Trent and Donovan Warren have been solid but it’s simply not enough and it won’t be enough this week against Williams favorite target Arrelious Benn who is averaging 13.7 yards per catch.

Illinois also was Will Judson who is averaging more than 20 yards per catch along with Chris Duvalt averaging 15.3.

These guys are downfield threats that potentially can and probably will burn Michigan safeties.

Advantage: Illinois

Illinois Rush Offense vs. Michigan Rush Defense

This is the heavyweight fight right here. Both units rank 16th in the country with Illinois putting up 215.75 yards on the ground each week and Michigan giving up just 88.5 rushing yards each week.

Daniel Dufrene has rushed for 396 yards and is getting 6.7 per carry on 59 carries.

Will Johnson, Terrence Taylor, Tim Jamison and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week Brandon Graham have their work cut out for them having to slow down Dufrene and Williams on the ground.

Michigan is going to have to put seven in the box consistently while adding an eighth once in a while which will just open up things more for the Illinois passing game.

Michigan wins this game if they slow down the Illinois rushing attack just like they did against Wisconsin.

Obi Ezeh and John Thompson are going to have to step it up even more this week in stuffing the run.

I’m confident that Michigan will stand up to this challenge though. I doubted them going into the Wisconsin game but no more.

Advantage: Michigan

Special Teams

Both kicking games are solid with Illinois kicker Matt Eller making 5-of-7 including one from 51 yards.

Illinois has given up two touchdowns on kick returns but with Michigan’s inability to actually return a kickoff or punt I don’t think Illinois should worry too much about it.

Seriously, can someone please hold onto the ball in any type of return?

Advantage: Even

Final Thoughts

I thought Wisconsin was due to win at the Big House for the first time in a while and look how that turned out.

Michigan should be brimming with confidence after that win and hopefully it carries over against Illinois.

It’s time Michigan turned the corner and put itself back in the conversation for a Big Ten title.

The Wolverines have outscored its opponents 39-13 in the fourth quarter and if the defense can keep it close again Michigan should win.

Prediction: Michigan 24, Illinois 20

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Top Five Michigan Comebacks of Recent History

Wow I picked a bad weekend to move. All day Saturday I was stuck moving into our new apartment in Chicago and barely caught glimpses of the historic 27-25 win over Wisconsin.

Luckily, the guys that are living below us are all Michigan alums and were constantly updating us and we were able to watch the last few minutes of the game.

But since I didn’t watch the game in its entirety and can’t really do analysis I decided to rank my top five Michigan comebacks of recent memory and there are some dandies on this list.

It was hard to omit certain games, neither the 2002 or the 2005 Penn State games made the list, but I think I’ve put together a list the most would agree with.

But if you don’t agree, feel free to comment at the bottom.

On with the list…

5. October 18, 1997 #5 Michigan 28, #15 Iowa 24

This one is often overlooked by other great victories Michigan had that year, but to me this one always stuck out the most.

Sure the win over Ohio State, Penn State, and Washington State were all great and I hold those games dear to me as important moments in my life, but this one had it all.

Michigan was down 21-7 at halftime and had no answer for Iowa kick returner Tim Dwight. I had to look up his stats, but I remember him having a lot of long returns that day. He had four returns of more than 50 yards each and a 61-yard return for a touchdown just before the half.

Brian Griese knotted the score at 21 on a quarterback sneak just before the end of the third quarter but another long return by Dwight put Iowa in good field goal range.

The Hawkeyes went back up 24-21. However, Mr. Griese put together a nice drive hitting Jerame Tuman a couple times and Anthony Thomas getting some nice carries to drive Michigan down inside the 10-yard line.

Griese hit Tuman for the game winning touchdown with three minutes remaining and Sam Sword sealed the victory with an interception with 31 seconds to go.

Michigan was 5-0 going into this game and surviving this scare probably gave them the confidence they needed to go the rest of the way.

4. January 1, 2000 Orange Bowl #8 Michigan 35, #4 Alabama 34

What a thrilling game this was. Michigan had to erase 14-point deficits twice in order win its first ever overtime game.

Tom Brady had to put it all his shoulders seeing how Michigan had a non-existent rushing game that day (23 carries for 27 yards). Brady did that and more by giving the nation a little preview of what was to come.

Brady finished the game 34-for-46, 369 yards and four touchdowns.

Michigan held Alabama on its first possession of the second half and marched 59 yards to even the score at 14. The Crimson Tide came back with back-to-back touchdowns from Shaun Alexander and Freddie Milons.

Alexander was a beast that day finishing with 161 yards and three touchdowns.

Michigan closed the gap when Brady and David Terrell connected on a 20-yard TD pass in the third quarter. Michigan tied the game 28-28 as Anthony Thomas scored on a three-yard run.

The Wolverines dominated the fourth, but a fumble heading into the endzone for the go-ahead score and a blocked 36-yard field goal attempt on the final play of regulation, sent the game into overtime.

Brady struck right away for the Wolverines on a 25-yard touchdown pass to tight end Shawn Thompson. Alabama answered on their second play in overtime with a 21-yard touchdown throw but Alabama kicker Ryan Pflugner pushed the extra point wide right and Michigan won.

Gotta love it whenever Michigan beats an SEC school while Ohio State is now 0-9.

3. October 30, 2004 #12 Michigan 45, Michigan State 37

I was at this game and it was the most memorable experience in my life. It was the first time I had ever been to the rivalry game and it will forever be ingrained in my memory. I will tell my grandchildren about this game one day.

Michigan trailed by 17 in the fourth quarter and my buddy and I almost left when Michigan went on a tear and ripped off 17 unanswered points in the final 6:27 of regulation.

Braylon Edwards opened a wide receivers clinic at that point and put on a show, catching two Chad Henne touchdowns, including a 21-yarder to tie the game with three minutes remaining.

At this point I would say about 15,000 fans had left the stadium in disgust with how Michigan was playing, but when Braylon tied the game I had never heard Michigan Stadium get any louder. The stadium was simply out of control.

Michigan State had dominated most of the game and was shredding the Wolverines of their pride. But Lamarr Woodley had destroyed Drew Stanton and the Spartys had Damon Dowdell as the backup.

Dowdell was, well, plain ineffective. Jason Teague gave MSU the lead in the second overtime on a three yard run but Jason Avant tied the game again on a five yard pass from Henne.

Braylon caught the game winner in triple overtime on a beautiful 24-yard pass from Henne and MSU ended the game with an incomplete pass.

It was Michigan State’s best chance to win at Michigan Stadium for the first time since 1990 and, in classic Sparty fashion, they blew it.

2. September 27, 2008 Michigan 27, #8 Wisconsin 25

I’ve never heard of such a big turnaround before in Michigan history. Now I wasn’t able to watch, but the text messages and calls I got from friends were great.

Constant updates were fed to me and I could not be more thankful to those that did that for me. But at one point during the first half, one friend told me to be thankful that I wasn’t watching and that if I was I’d probably want to commit suicide.

One friend called me at halftime and was already proclaiming the Rich Rodriguez was the wrong hire and that he needs to go.

After four games already he wants RichRod fired. I made him eat his words after the game.

I’m sure a lot of friends of Michigan fans were on suicide watch Saturday but the end result was the most amazing comeback in Michigan Stadium history and how fitting that it happened during the 500th game in the stadium’s history.

John Thompson pulled a Prescott Burgess and totally redeemed himself for past transgressions, Kevin Koger is now the best tight end we’ve had since Bennie Joppru and Steven Threet will always be the guy who brought Michigan back from a 19-point deficit.

I still can’t believe it really. The Wolverines had mustered just 21 yards of total offense in the first half. Fans were booing and the only time they cheered was when a Michigan kick/punt returner didn’t fumble the ball.

Brandon Graham had a monster day with three sacks and two forced fumbles and the entire defense should be hoisted on its shoulders after the way it played against the Badgers.

They were on the field for 20 minutes of the first half and still kept Michigan in the game. It looked like Michigan might never do anything offensively until it ripped off 27 unanswered points.

Then we were all held breathless as Wisconsin marched down and scored a late touchdown and set up a potential game tying two point conversion.

The air let out by fans after that miss could fill enough hot air balloons to stretch the length of the state of Michigan.

1. Friday, October 10, 2003 #20 Michigan 38, #17 Minnesota 35

I was kind of surprised to look up that Minnesota was actually ranked going into this game. I don’t think they have been ranked since…Can anyone confirm that?

The largest comeback in Michigan history came in the 100th game of the oldest trophy in college football, the Little Brown Jug.

I made some of my best friends during this game. It was my first year at college and after chalking this game up as a loss after Michigan had gone down 28-7 in the third quarter, I left my apartment to go drink at a party. Across the hall of the apartment complex I was at, some guys were still watching. I joined and we’ve all been friends ever since.

This was perhaps John Navarre’s greatest game ever. He finished with 353 yards, two touchdowns and even caught a touchdown pass from Steve Breaston.

He threw the lateral to Breaston who threw it back to Navarre who followed his blockers along the right sideline for the score.

Michigan had closed the gap to 28-21 when Minnesota quarterback (and if anyone know’s where this guy is please let me know) Asad Abdul-Khaliq cut right through the Michigan defense on 52 yard run for a touchdown to go up 35-21.

We all thought the game was over. How little did we know.

Michigan needed just eight plays to tie the score after Navarre had hit Braylon for a 52 yard touchdown and Chris Perry scampered 10 yards to tie the game.

Perry had an amazing day accumulating 207 yards of total offense while Braylon had 93 yards and a touchdown.

Garret Rivas kicked the game-winning field goal wtih 47 seconds to go and Markus Curry (probably the only good play of his career) intercepted the ball with nine seconds to go.

It was weird enough that Michigan was playing on a Friday night but to comeback from a 21 point deficit was incredible.

I’ll never forget that game and the lifelong friends I made during it.

Thanks for the memories Wolverines.

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Some depth chart tidbits

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

More to come on these personnel issues after the Big Ten coaches’ call later today, but a few interesting items on the depth charts released Monday.

• Free safety Nick Polk is not listed on Indiana’s depth chart for Minnesota, possibly indicating he’ll miss another game with a knee injury. Polk has an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery this season. Strong safety Austin Thomas is listed as the starter after missing the last two games with a leg injury. Brandon Mosley started in place of Thomas against Michigan State, but Jerimy Finch played a lot.
• Ohio State true freshman Mike Brewster has made a good impression so far and remains the co-starter at center even though Steve Rehring could be back from a foot injury. Brewster and junior Jim Cordle are listed as co-starters at center, while Cordle and Rehring are co-starters at left guard. The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Doug Lesmerises thinks Ohio State might move Cordle to right guard to keep him on the field. The Buckeyes also have co-starters at one cornerback spot (Chimdi Chekwa and Donald Washington) and defensive tackle (Doug Worthington and Nader Abdallah).
• Penn State wide receiver Jordan Norwood is listed as probable for the Purdue game after sitting out against Illinois with a hamstring injury. Quarterback Daryll Clark said Norwood did some light jogging at Monday’s practice. “It’s a day-to-day thing if he’s going to play or not,” Clark said. “He tweaked a hamstring really good.”
• Sophomore Ricky Stanzi remains the definitive starter at quarterback on Iowa’s depth chart. Brandon Myers and the oft-injured Tony Moeaki are co-starters at tight end for the Michigan State game.
• Physically gifted junior tight end Carson Butler has dropped to third string on Michigan’s depth chart. Butler, who was ejected from a Sept. 13 game at Notre Dame for throwing a punch, dressed for last Saturday’s game against Wisconsin but didn’t play. Fifth-year senior Mike Massey and true freshman Kevin Koger, who caught a touchdown pass against the Badgers, are ahead of Butler. Head coach Rich Rodriguez called the move a coach’s decision.
• Linebacker Jason Werner, who recently underwent minor back surgery, isn’t listed on Purdue’s depth chart for Penn State. Frank Duong and Dwight Mclean are listed as co-starters at strong safety.

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