Future of Michigan Football Sees Promise in 2009

After an abysmal 2008 season of going just 3-9 and missing a bowl game for the first time since 1975, the Wolverines are looking to bounce back with underclassmen and second year head coach Rich Rodriguez’s spread offense.

The offseason was filled with transfers, starting with running back Sam McGuffie to Rice and ending with starting quarterback Steven Threet, and decommits. The Wolverines…
Story By Bleacher Report – Big Ten Football

Running back spot to get makeover in Big Ten

	US Presswire
	Javon Ringer and Chris Wells will be working on Sundays in 2009.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

The Big Ten's best position on the field this season will have a very different look in 2009.

After boasting three of the nation's top six rushers and six players ranked in the top 40, the Big Ten has seen major turnover at the running back position. In addition to graduating seniors, the league will lose three underclassmen — Iowa's Shonn Greene, Ohio State's Chris "Beanie" Wells and Wisconsin's P.J. Hill — to the NFL draft.

Seven of the 11 conference members have lost their leading rusher from this season. And of the remaining four teams — Penn State, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota — only Penn State finished in the Top 25 nationally in rushing offense (205.9 yards per game) this fall.

Though the league figures to make much-needed upgrades at quarterbacks, there will be a void in several backfields.

Here's a look at what the Big Ten lost at running back:

• Iowa's Shonn Greene won the Doak Walker Award as nation's top back, ranked second nationally in rushing average (142.3 ypg) and set a single-season school record with 1,850 rushing yards.
• Michigan State's Javon Ringer ranked fourth nationally in rushing average (125.9 ypg) and led the nation in scoring (10.2 points per game) with 22 rushing touchdowns. Few non-quarterbacks accounted for more of their team's offensive production than Ringer.
• Ohio State's Beanie Wells finished sixth nationally in rushing and racked up 1,197 rushing yards despite missing three games with a foot/toe injury. Wells finished his career ranked fourth on Ohio State's career rushing list.
• Purdue's Kory Sheets ranked 31st nationally in rushing and tied for 19th in scoring this season. Sheets also caught 37 passes out of the backfield and ranked sixth in the league in all-purpose yards.
• Wisconsin's P.J. Hill became just the second player in team history to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in his first three season as a Badger. Despite splitting carries with John Clay, Hill racked up 1,161 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.
• Northwestern's Tyrell Sutton led the team in rushing (890) and ranked fourth in receptions (35) despite missing the final four regular-season contests with a wrist injury. Sutton was a four-year starter and the team's most consistent offensive player.
• Indiana's Marcus Thigpen ranked fourth in the league in all-purpose yards (143.2 ypg), tied for eighth in scoring and ninth in kickoff return average. Thigpen quietly averaged 6.7 yards per carry for an Indiana team that didn't have many reliable options on offense.
• Michigan's Sam McGuffie transferred to Rice after a season in which he finished second on the team in rushing yards (486) and third in receptions (19).

Several of these teams developed backups for 2009. Iowa's Jewel Hampton, Wisconsin's Clay and Ohio State's Dan Herron look capable of stepping into featured roles. Purdue's Jaycen Taylor returns from injury and likely will be the starter.

Other squads relied heavily on players who won't be back in 2009.

But outside of State College and maybe Ann Arbor, the running back competitions will be one of the offseason's top story lines as we inch closer toward Sept. 5.

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Bet your house on Florida, and other things to discuss;

Lots to discuss, wasting no time here…..

Let’s start off with the big event in sports.  Tomorrow night’s BCS National Championship Game, Florida vs. Oklahoma.

There’s only one way to put this.  Bet everything you have on Florida right now.  It’s going to be a massive blowout.  I have about thirty reasons why this will happen, but here’s just the best reasons;

1) The Big 12 has been exposed as EXTREMELY overrated this year

Say what you will about the Big Ten and the ACC and the Big East all sucking, but the Big 12 should be VERY embarrassed with their overexposure and underwhelming bowl performances.

At one point, there were multiple teams from the Big 12 ranked in the Top 10.  It was getting ridiculous, and the AP voters and TV announcers ate it up like Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream.  “Every week is like a bowl game in the Big 12″ they would say.  Bullshit, I say.  They were all pretty average.  Here’s how their bowl games turned out;

Texas 24, Ohio State 21 – In a game that EVERYBODY said would be a 20-point blowout, it took a miracle drive, bad tackling, and some questionable officiating to put Texas in the end zone to win the game.  Somehow along the way, hitting a Longhorn QB in the shoulder pads became a 15-yard penalty.  In the end, the team that cried their eyes out claiming they were robbed out of the title game proved that they did not deserve any titles at all.  Texas went in thinking they would run up the score and pick up some first-place votes found themselves without a TD (and only 3 total points) for the entire first half.

Overrated?  Texas was ranked #1 in the nation at one point this year, Ohio State was given a 9% chance to win the game.  Yes, Texas was overrated.

Ole Miss 47, Texas Tech 34 – Ole Miss is an average SEC team, always finishing in the middle of the pack.  Texas Tech was another team looking to destroy their bowl opponent, this time to prove that they should have gotten in a BCS game.  Mission failed.  Badly.  After getting off to a fast start, the Red Raiders proved that they deserved absolutely nothing when they allowed Ole Miss to go on a 38-7 run and blow out their Big 12 foe.

Overrated?  Texas Tech was ranked #2 in the nation earlier this year.  Ole Miss lost to Vanderbilt and South Carolina…both at home.  Yes, Tech was overrated.

Missouri 30, Northwestern 23 (OT) – Despite the wishes of the Big 12’s most popular brother-sister team (otherwise known as Chase Daniel’s parents), Missouri looked like crap against the Big Ten’s 8th-best pass defense.  Northwestern should have won this game, but some late miscues handed the game to Mizzou.

Overrated?  Missouri was once ranked #3 in the NCAA.  Northwestern lost a game by 35 points this year.  Yes, Missouri was overrated.

Oregon 42, Oklahoma State 31 - Okie State started off fast, but couldn’t maintain themselves against a rushing attack from the Ducks.  Two Oregon players would break the 100-yard mark on their way to 307 yards team rushing.  Oregon also racked up a total of 565 yards aginst Okie State.

Overrated?  Oklahoma State was once ranked #7 in the nation.  Yes, Okie State was overrated.

Nebraska 26, Clemson 21 – In the Gator Bowl, Nebraska was trying to recapture some of their historic greatness, and their prospects were large, playing against a team that only won 7 games in the pathetic ACC….a team so bad, they fired their coach mid-season.  And they barely escaped with the win, when a Tigers TD was overturned by instant review.

Overrated?  Well, Nebraska was never rated.  But they barely beat a bad, bad team.

Kansas 42, Minnesota 21 – The lone bright spot for the conference so far, Kansas doubled up on Minnesota, who were bowling to the shock of everyone not in a Gopher uniform at the start of the season.  As the season wore on, Minnesota’s weak schedule was exposed by the Big Ten, and the regular season ended mercifully with a 55-0 Minny loss.

Overrated?  Kansas was actually ranked as high as #13 this year.  Minny lost a game 55-0.  Yes, Kansas was overrated.

The point of all this is simple – the Big 12 was NOT the meat-grinder that the media told us it was over and over and over again.  Oklahoma’s not ready for this game.

#2) Florida IS ready for this game

A bad performance by Tim Tebow once this year nearly cost Florida a shot, but they came back in a dominating way.  Since their loss in Week 4, they have been unstoppable.  Take a look at this;

• Week 5 – 31-point win against Arkansas
• Week 6 – 30-point win over then-#4 LSU
• Week 7 – 58-point win over bowl-bound Kentucky
• Week 8 – 39-point win over then-#6 Georgia
• Week 9 – 28-point win over bowl-bound Vanderbilt
• Week 10 – 50-point win over bowl-bound and then-#25 South Carolina
• Week 11 – 51-point win over The Citadel
• Week 12 – 30-point win over bowl-bound Florida State
• Week 13 – 11-point win over then-#1 and BCS-Bowl bound Alabama

Yeah, they’re ready.

3) The Heisman Curse

Sam Bradford won the Heisman this year.  Heisman winners usually suck in bowl games, especially National Championships (we know, we know).  Only twice in the past 30 years has the Heisman winner gone on to win a National Championship.  No, Tebow didn’t win it the year Florida took the title (Troy Smith won it).

4) Oklahoma pretty much sucks at BCS bowl games

For all the whining and crying you hear about Ohio State’s recent bowl losses, you just don’t hear those kind of attacks leveled at the Sooners.  And believe me, they’re much worse.  In their last 4 BCS bowls, they are 0-4 and have been blown out more than once.

• 2008 – Lost to West Virginia 48-28
• 2007 – Lost to Boise State 43-42
• 2005 – Lost to USC 55-19
• 2004 – Lost to LSU 21-14

If they make it 0-5, we’d better NEVER hear about our own shortcomings again.  Especially since they’ll have lost two national championships in that time frame.

Convinced?  Call Vegas ASAP.

——————————–

Last night, the Cavaliers overtook the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference when Boston lost.  The Cavs now have the best record in the NBA.

Tonight, the Cavaliers beat the living daylights out of Charlotte, 111-81.  Boston’s loss last night?  It was to that same Charlotte team.

The Celtics come to The Q Friday night.  It should be insaaaaaane!

——————–

Speaking of the Cavaliers game, there were many highlights to go over.  But the best was watching former Michigan Fab-Fiver Juwan Howard get tossed from the game while sitting on the bench.

By the way, did you know that the Fab Five never won a single title in college?  No national titles, no Big Ten titles, nothing.  Just thought I’d mention that.

———————

In the “what the hell” category, Boobie Gibson also got a technical foul tonight.  For having an untucked shirt.  No, I’m not kidding.

———————-

The Cleveland Browns hired their new coach tonight.  Eric Mangini, former Jets coach, and former ball boy for the Browns, will call the plays next year.

Makes sense to me.  Hell, there were CURRENT ball boys that could have done better with the Browns this season.

———————–

Last week, it was announced that Michigan’s only offensive threat, Sam McGuffie, has left Ann Arbor and will enroll at Rice next year.  McGuffie was rumored to have been struggling with depression and on medication.  Being closer to home will be better for the kid.

Also better for him will be not having to deal with decapitation at the hands of Ohio State special teams players.

——————–

Finally, in the most laughable news you’ll ever hear, Michigan Head Coach Rich Rodriquez recently said he has “always taken the approach that you should look at each job as your last.”

Yeah, he actually said that.  With a straight face, no less.

Story By The Buckeye Battle Cry

Recapping a quiet month in the Big Ten

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

It has been exactly one month since a Big Ten team played a game that counted.

Thankfully, we’re less than a week away from the end of the drought, as Wisconsin will take the field Saturday afternoon in the Champs Sports Bowl against Florida State (ESPN, 4:30 p.m. ET). Two days later, Northwestern faces Missouri in the Valero Alamo Bowl. Minnesota follows with an Insight Bowl matchup against Kansas, bringing us right to New Year’s Day.

Bottom line: Big Ten Nation can start getting excited for real football again.

Though the last month featured nothing on the field, there were several interesting happenings around the league.

Here’s a quick recap of the Big Ten’s top storylines for those who might have stepped away for a bit.

• Penn State and head coach Joe Paterno agreed to a contract extension through the 2011 season. Paterno, the 2008 Big Ten Coach of the Year, previously had a contract that expired following the Rose Bowl. But after helping Penn State to an 11-1 record and a Big Ten co-championship, Paterno was rewarded with a three-year extension. Paterno turned 82 years old on Sunday, and the university’s statement about the extension stated that “the parties might re-evaluate their circumstances and alter the arrangement by either shortening or extending its length as necessary.” There was no mention of a succession plan.
• Michigan defensive coordinator Scott Shafer resigned after only one season. The Wolverines finished 68th nationally in total defense but struggled at times, getting little to no help from the offense. It appeared as though a philosophical difference between Shafer and head coach Rich Rodriguez led to the split, as Michigan began the season in a base 4-3 before switching to a 3-3-5. Rodriguez said recruiting is his top priority before looking for a replacement at defensive coordinator.
• Other coaching changes included Purdue’s new head coach Danny Hope hiring Gary Nord as his new offensive coordinator. Hope, who didn’t retain Ed Zaunbrecher, also must look for a defensive coordinator after Brock Spack left to become Illinois State’s coach. Illinois lost a key member of its coaching staff, as offensive coordinator and top recruiter Mike Locksley left to become head coach at New Mexico. Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster scored a coup by hiring veteran offensive line coach Tim Davis to oversee the Gophers’ struggling front five.
• There were two prominent transfers, as Penn State backup quarterback Pat Devlin and Michigan running back Sam McGuffie both decided to leave their schools. Devlin likely will latch on with an FCS team, while McGuffie is looking at programs in his home state of Texas.
• Nothing official yet on any juniors who plan to enter the NFL draft, but it would be surprising if Iowa running back Shonn Greene, Ohio State running back Chris “Beanie” Wells and Illinois cornerback Vontae Davis don’t make the jump.
• It was a good month for awards in the Big Ten. Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Players who won national awards included Iowa’s Greene (Doak Walker), Penn State center A.Q. Shipley (Rimington), Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins (Thorpe) and Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis (Lott).
• Indiana head coach Bill Lynch received a vote of confidence for the 2009 season from his new boss, athletic director Fred Glass. Lynch will definitely be on the hot seat next fall after a 3-9 campaign.
• Illinois sophomore linebacker Martez Wilson suffered two stab wounds while trying to help a former teammate (D’Angelo McCray), who was being beaten by several men outside a bar in Champaign. Wilson underwent surgery and is expected to make a full recovery. Head coach Ron Zook praised Wilson for coming to the aid of a friend.

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McGuffie reportedly will leave Michigan

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

The Detroit Free Press is reporting that Michigan freshman running back Sam McGuffie has decided to leave the program.

Rumors have circulated for weeks that McGuffie, the team’s second-leading rusher with 486 yards this fall, was looking to transfer from Michigan. McGuffie did not attend Michigan’s annual end-of-the-season football bust, and head coach Rich Rodriguez told reporters last Saturday that he planned to meet with McGuffie to discuss McGuffie’s future with the program.

A team spokesman could not confirm McGuffie’s transfer but said Michigan’s policy calls for the player to confirm his own departure. Rodriguez has been out recruiting all week and was scheduled to return to Ann Arbor today.

McGuffie told The Wolverine.com that he received his official release from Michigan on Friday morning. The Texas native told the Web site he’s looking transfer somewhere closer to home.

“It’s just been weighing on me for a while,” he said. “There are a number of factors that went into [the decision]. It’s nothing against the Michigan football team or the university. I felt that I had to what is best for myself and my family. …

“I’m looking to stay in or around Texas. There are a couple of schools that I’m interested in such as Texas A&M, Texas Tech, TCU, Oklahoma State and a couple of others.”

This is not a surprise at all, and given McGuffie’s family situation, it seems like the right move. McGuffie won’t be a huge loss for Michigan. He did some nice things early in the season, but junior Brandon Minor emerged as the team’s best running back down the stretch.

With Minor, freshman Michael Shaw and junior Carlos Brown in the mix, Michigan should be OK at the running back position.

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Michigan Wolverines, RB Sam McGuffie Part Ways

It’s official. Sam McGuffie is transferring from Michigan.

Most sites indicate he’s headed home to the state of Texas and possibly Texas A&M.

The freshman running back accumulated nearly 700 total yards and four touchdowns this season.

McGuffie put on a tremendous performance, rushing for 131 yards, against Notre Dame but went on to suffer three concussions. He saw his carries steadily decrease following the repeated injury.

As a YouTube sensation, many believed McGuffie would replace Mike Hart with no problem.

But size (5-11, 185) hindered McGuffie throughout the Big Ten season and he couldn’t survive.

It’s too bad—but I say goodbye and good luck. If there’s one position Michigan can afford, it’s running back.

The Wolverines have starter Brandon Minor coming back along with Michael Shaw and Carlos Brown. Plus, Fitzgerald Toussaint is coming in next season.

I’m just disappointed because I hoped to see him leap frog and juke defenders like in his YouTube highlights.

Ah well, what do you guys think?

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Michigan could lose two more, McGuffie’s status unclear

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

Sorry I missed this one from the weekend, but Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez met with reporters at halftime of the school’s basketball game against Duke and had some personnel updates.

Rodriguez expects tight end Carson Butler to enter the NFL draft and running back Avery Horn to transfer. As for running back Sam McGuffie, who missed Michigan’s annual football bust event, Rodriguez said the freshman remains enrolled at Michigan but needs to work through some things.

“He’s still looking at what he needs to do,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve talked to Sam before the break and after the break. We have several concerns. Sam has concerns at home, and we have concerns because he’s had multiple concussions, three of them, so there’s a lot of concerns there.”

Don’t be surprised if McGuffie opts to transfer closer to home. His high school coach Ed Pustejovsky told me last week that he’s tried to get in touch with McGuffie the last few weeks but hasn’t been successful. Pustejovsky also has heard the whispers that McGuffie might be leaving Michigan.

Though McGuffie showed flashes of promise this season, if this is the extent of Michigan’s attrition after a miserable season, Rodriguez probably will be relieved. Butler had issues with the coaching staff for the last two seasons and never came close to maximizing his ability. Horn was buried on the depth chart.

Rodriguez expects star defensive end Brandon Graham to return in 2009. Graham would be Michigan’s only returning starter up front.

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Michigan’s McGuffie misses football banquet

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

The Sam McGuffie saga took another twist tonight, as the Michigan freshman running back was a no-show at the team’s football banquet. McGuffie’s absence added to speculation that he will transfer from the program. 

Head coach Rich Rodriguez declined to discuss personnel issues or potential staff changes when he met with reporters before the banquet. Rodriguez said last week that McGuffie, who briefly left the team to attend a family funeral before the Ohio State game, was on track to return for his sophomore season. McGuffie ranked second on the team in rushing with 486 yards and three touchdowns. 

Other absences at the banquet included tight end Carson Butler and running back Avery Horn. 

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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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U of M? More like U of Meh

Random BuckNotes about last Saturday’s de-pantsing of the Worst Team in Michigan History:

Most Buckeye fans knew that the 21 point line was an underestimation of some sort (most of our predictions here at MotSaG were in the 40s to 10-ish range), but no question the betting lines were equalized at three TDs because of (1) the sheer size of, and (2) the optimism of, Wolverine Nation. UM fans were desperately hoping for a repeat of Bo’s first year. Alas, reality arrived in the third quarter.

	Between the number of interceptions thrown by UM’s "quarterbacks" (heh), and OSU’s ability to get them, I went into the game personally confident in a defensive score. If you have to find something positive to say about Rodriguez, it would be for keeping his QBs from challenging OSU’s secondary. 8 of 25 is pathetic, but that’s 8 of 25 with no interceptions/pick sixes. Still, it would have been nice to see Jenkins score one more TD as a Buckeye.
	Having just given RichRod a compliment, let me give him some grief: some UM fans continue to give him a generous pass on the year, as if 3-9 has nothing whatsoever to do with coaching. I know UM has some bad players, but coaches and players fistfighting with each other on the sideline during a game? That’s a lack of institutional control, there. Tim Brewster only won a single game last year, and I don’t remember seeing Minnesota coaches and players going at it on the sideline. And wasting Feagin’s redshirt on a kick return a couple of games ago? Inexcusable.
	Speaking of 3-9, You know your team stinks when your “little brother” rubs it in a little. “Embarrassing,” indeed.
	Seeing a Michigan quarterback crawl off the field after a hit made me all warm and fuzzy inside.
	Zoltan The Magnificent should have his nickname changed to Zoltan the Rockette. His freakin’ leg was up in the air more often than a Broadway show dancer’s.
	A little more of Sam McGuffie’s entrails were just found on the OSU 22 yard line. Could someone from the UM Athletic Dept. please come and pick them up? Bring a small cooler. And give his mother some aspirin for the uterine pain.
	THAT WAS A SAFETY. The officials gave UM a "pity spot," which kept Tressel from breaking Woody’s record for biggest margin of victory. Ah well.
	Speaking of the officials’ pity for UM, Robo was definitely interfered with on that fourth down conversion attempt. If that had been called, UM wouldn’t have scored on the following drive. Result: Shutout. However, all in all the refs did a good job of letting the players play. They knew what game they were officiating.
	Would someone please take Bob Griese into the dirtiest bathroom in the Horseshoe and give him a swirly? Seriously – I hope ESPN finally gets his bias and sends him to Foutsville. We get it, Bob – Woody didn’t want you playing for him, then your son played for UM, so you hate OSU. Enough already. Go away. You stink as an analyst, anyway.
	Guess what? Mike Hart is now 0-5 against OSU. "But he didn’t play on Saturday." Yeah but he really didn’t play in 2007, either.
	Attention Todd Boeckman: I gave you a standing ovation in my own living room. I wish I could remember you as being one of the best OSU quarterbacks ever, but I honestly can’t say that. I will instead say that you absolutely personify everything that’s wonderful about leadership, sportsmanship, and teamwork. I wish things worked out so that you had had a better offensive line, like Krenzel enjoyed. No matter what, though, I hope you have a fantastic career, wherever you go.
	Beanie’s gone. *sniff* We want you to stay, but nobody is going to give you grief for going. Stay healthy & run angry in the NFL, dude.
	Next year’s WRs: Hartline/Sanzenbacher/Small/Posey/Thomas. NOT BAD. Not bad at all.
	Finally, some closing words for the Little Animal. We’ve anointed several OSU stars as "Wolverine Killers" in recent years, and his legacy deserves no less. Stars like Troy Smith, Beanie, and Ginn beat them three times. But Laurinaitis beat them four. His legacy started when he stepped in after Scott Bobby Carpenter broke his leg on the first play of the 2005 game. Carr orders a play directly at the new LB, trying to take advantage of his inexperience, and he blew it up. He continued to blow it up until the final whistle Saturday. By the way, the biblical reference on his eye black? “Father, the hour has come, glorify your son, so your son may glorify you.” I think we can all tolerate a little blasphemy to acknowledge that your father is indeed proud of you.

And with that, we sit back and wait to see where OSU will end up on January 1st.

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