Some news, updates, etc. on the PANIC OMG PANIC moment of the week, via Scout($) and ESPN:

• Wide Receiver Zion Babb was kicked off the team for violating rules.  This is not a transfer, it's a dismissal.  I can't find the exact rules that were violated, but suffice to say he is no longer with the team.

• Sam McGuffie is EXPECTED TO PLAY this Saturday against Ohio State after attending a funeral in Texas.  I fully expect him to be staring ice-daggers from his helmet at anyone who so much as talks to him this weekend, friend or foe.  Welcome back, Sam.  We'd all love to get ice-daggered for the next 3 years if you don't mind.   

  

• Now go kick some Ohio State ass.

• Steve Schilling, arguably the most talented and certainly most experienced offensive linemen has injured his knee and is questionable for Ohio State.  More Arg.

• Steven Threet is practicing, but in a backup roll to Nick Sheridan who continues to get the first team snaps.  I also expect to see Feagin in an expanded roll because, really, what do we have to lose?

• Finally, defensive tackle Jason Kates has left the team voluntarily after not playing much this year.  With Mike Martin expirimenting with various levels of awesome this year as a true freshman, and with a whole slew of very talented DT's coming in next year's recruiting class, the transfer is probably not unexpected.  I wish Kates the best as he continues to pursue life, wherever it takes him.

Also of note, Orson Swindle of EDSBS had a dream last night that Michigan beat Ohio State.  Why is this of note?  Because of this statement:

Remember, though: someone’s getting their head kicked in on Saturday. It’s probably [Michigan], but sometimes, people are wrong about those foot-to-head roles.

Keep.  Hope.  Alive. 

Keep.  Hope.  Alive.  Indeed.

Sheridan gets a bum rap, in my opinion.  He's been asked, several times this season, to play a role that he was never meant to play: starting quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines.  With all due respect to Nick Sheridan, who I am sure is an outstanding person, I was kinda hoping that he...um...wouldn't play this Saturday.

That is looking doubtful at the moment

Michigan quarterback Steven Threet is listed as doubtful for Saturday's game at No. 10 Ohio State because of a shoulder injury.

So...more Sheridan.  Against the conference's 2nd best pass defense.  In the 'Shoe.  Yikes.  The shoulder injury appears to be a slight seperation suffered against Northwestern, and Rodriguez went on to say that the next 48 hours will determine Threet's status.  A ray of hope, maybe, but Threet's practiced all of about 3 times in the past 3 weeks.  Brady himself would have trouble coping with that kind of layoff, especially coming into a game like this.  At this point, I think if we're to ride anyone to victory, it's going to be on Sheridan making a legend out of himself.

Also from the aforementioned article, Sam McGuffie will most likely be inactive due to a death in the family:

Rodriguez is optimistic running back Brandon Minor will play against the Buckeyes (ABC, noon ET) after missing the Northwestern game with injuries to his ribs, shoulder and wrist. Freshman running back Sam McGuffiehad a death in his family and might miss Saturday's game.

Arrrgh.

I've heard Minor say that he's playing this weekend, no if and's or but's, FWIW.

The injuries...well...they are.  They exist.  There's no sense in dwelling on the team that could be out there - the team that will be out there will be QB'd by Nick Sheridan and will lack one Sam McGuffie.  Yes, looking at the numbers matchup this particular offense looks like it's going to border on sickly to anemic, but it's the best we've got.  Updates as events warrent.

Basketball = 2-0.  Woo.

There is still football to be played, however, as the Wolverines go up against the Wildcats of Northwestern [insert Wildcat roar here] this Saturday, Noon ET, at Michigan Stadium.  Any momentum gained from the Minnesota game is on the line Saturday; a win means we have somewhat of a hot-streak going into the 'shoe.  A loss destroys the aforementioned streak, any momentum gained, and probably some sort of household appliance in the home of Beauford.  If you're having trouble getting amped for this game, just think of my toaster.  Her life is in your hands, Wolverines.

In Mortal Danger

Via www.lakewoodconferences.com

Northwestern's Offense:

It's looking more and more like starting quarterback CJ Bacher is going to play after all:

11/12/08 - QB C.J. Bacher (hamstring) is practicing again this week with hopes of returning to the lineup. Coach Pat Fitzgerald says he'll regain his starting job once he's healthy. The official depth chart lists the QB job as Bacher or junior Mike Kafka.

Still injured, however, is most of Northwestern's running back crew, leaving Sophomore Stephen Simmons as the probable starter against Michigan.  Also seeing time against Michigan will be former receiver turned running back Jeravin Matthews.

Without starting running back Tyrell Sutton, who seems unlikely to return with a wrist injury, the Wildcats moved Stephen Simmons to a starter in their loss to Ohio State on Saturday. Against Michigan this weekend, Simmons will remain a starter, but Fitzgerald has made another shift.

He will move wide receiver Jeravin Matthews to running back to help back up Simmons with Jacob Schmidt and Scott Concannon. Matthews played multiple positions, including running back, because of his speed and athleticism in high school.

Given Michigan's track record in dealing with players who have hastily changed positions mid-season, I'd say that this Matthews character is destined for a good day.

Michigan will be facing a Northwestern offense that features a 3rd string running back not named "Sutton" and a dinged-up (at best) CJ Bacher who, according to the aforelinked article, is still having trouble "opening up and running."  This all bodes poorly for the Northwestern offense, which wasn't exactly setting the world on fire prior to the nasty string of injuries.  Northwestern is averaging a rather "meh" 370 yards/game this season, good enough for a 55 ranking nationally, and 5th in the Big Ten. 

Bacher to date has thrown 11 interceptions to 10 TD's, and has only rushed for 283 yards on the season.  That's good for around 30 yards per game after sacks are adjusted.  It's safe to say that while Bacher is mobile, he isn't exactly Juice Williams.  Bacher dealing with an injury that expressly limits his mobility is even less Juicy.  If Bacher starts, expect to see more of his arm than his legs which, given the amount of INT's thrown this year, could be a good thing.

If Kafka starts, however, it's a whole other ballgame.  Kafka has shown promise with his legs, but has poor pocket-awareness.  He will probably take advantage of what Michigan gives him on the ground, but will be equally flustered by this "roaming Okie" blitz package we've seen recently.  If he plays, I expect some exceedingly frustrating picked up 3rd and longs combined with some exceedingly satisfying sacks.  Over the two games that he's seen significant time in, he's averaged about 20 attempts per game.  Expect to see a lot of the ground attack if Kafka is starting.

FWIW, I kinda think Bacher is going to get the start, but will have a short leash if the injury limits him in any way.

Michigan Defense:

What to write, what to write...

Here's what we kinda know: 

1)  Schafer has "dumbed down" the defense to a base nickel package, employing an "okie" front on obvious passing downs.  Okie basically means that there are 3 down linemen, and a bunch of guys behind them who kind of wonder around showing blitz, or not showing blitz, then maybe blitzing.  Sound confusing?  That's what it's supposed to do to the offensive line and quarterback.  It worked great against Minnesota, and will probably get about as much action against a similar offense in Northwestern.  By the way, I'm not a coach, so if I'm waaaay off base on what the Michigan Okie front is designed to do, by all means, correct me in the comments.

2)  The defensive line is probably going to be good again.  They're the only unit who has shown consistency on the defensive side of the ball.  I think, given Bacher's immobility and a 3rd stringer at RB that they will be primed for a big day.

Here's what we don't know:

1)  The secondary had a good/great day against Minnesota.  It's the first one of those they've had as a unit.  Predicting what they will do against Northwestern seems foolish given the inconsistency.  Having 5 DB's on the field at once, with Harrison playing a hybrid "wolf" position (half LB, half S) in the cover 2 seems to have struck a chord with this particular group.  We shall see.

2)  Linebackers are inconsistent.  Still. 

I dunno.  You try to sort it out.

Given the Bacher injury/Kafka inexperience, and the 3rd string running back thing combined with the new-found simplicity of the defense, I kinda expect them to have an ok day.  Ohio State held a Kafka-helmed Northwestern to only 294 yards of total offense and 10 points last week.  I expect Northwestern to gain something closer to their season average of 370 YPG, but nothing exceeding that.  Their injuries will limit them, and Michigan's defense appears to have found something against Minnesota. 

Michigan Offense:

Per Rivals, and via Mgoblog:

Redshirt sophomore Nick Sheridan will get another opportunity to add to his second chance, head coach Rich Rodriguez reported today. Sheridan led the Wolverines to a win over Minnesota and will start again Saturday against Northwestern ...

So, there you have it.  Additionally, it looks as if Minor will be limited/inactive with an injured body:

Michigan running back Brandon Minor has yet to practice this week due to shoulder, rib and wrist injuries.

Head coach Rich Rodriguez said Minor was "doubtful" on Wednesday.

Head, shoulders, knees, toes, wrists, and ribs.  It's all hurt.  As I mentioned in my less-informative preview, the rushing onus falls onto a combination of McGuffie and Shaw against Northwestern.

As I mentioned before, one of the things I've been most impressed with has been McGuffie coming out of the backfield as a receiver.  I expect there to be even more of that mentality now that the Minor-Rage offense is not available. Shaw has been equally impressive; on his 23 attempts he's averaging 6.8 YPC.

The 800 lbs. gorilla in the corner, however, has on a #8 Jersey and plays quarterback.  He may not be death anymore, but uh, Steve Young he ain't.  To date, he's completing 56% of his passes, and has 5 INTS to his 2 TD's.  Any optimism that stems from the fact that Bacher may not be starting for Northwestern should be immediately nullified by the fact that Sheridan is starting for Michigan.

That's not to say that he can't win us this ballgame.  Last week, I thought Nick did several things very, very well.  When he scrambled he kept his eyes downfield.  He throws a screen pass well.  He kinda looks like Brian Greise.  However, I was terrified on a number of deep balls that hung, and hung, and hung.  Minnesota didn't make him pay for those. 

Here is Sheridan against Minnesota:

Here is Sheridan against everyone else:

Sheridan was 60 yards shy of matching his entire seasonal output to date against Minnesota, which included playing time of some sort in 5 games.  Did Sheridan turn some sort of corner?  Maybe.  My guess is that he wasn't as bad as his numbers suggested, but I think a regression towards the mean is more than likely against Northwestern.

Reasons for this include the fact that Northwestern will likely be more prepared after seeing what he did against Minny.  For example, those hitches to Mathews and Stonum probably won't be there every time, and Stonum probably won't make a SportsCenter top-10 one handed catch for a crucial first down.  Add into this the fact that Sheridan likely won't have Minor-Rage offense to lean on, and you see why there is reason for concern.

Speaking of which, I was very impressed with both Stonum and Mathews against Minnesota, and am guessing they will be featured, along with quarkback Odoms, prominently in whatever passing attack Michigan can muster. 

Bottom line for our QB:  Against Minnesota, Sheridan managed to at least be smart, and was helped by some terrific catches.  If he can pull another 0 INT day, Michigan will likely be in good shape.  If he starts throwing INT's, it's fail time.

Feagin will likely see time in the same capacity that he was used against Minnesota.  I think that he's under instructions to throw if it is absolutely wide-there-is-nobody-standing-within-15-yards open.  Rodriguez, at this point, would rather take a loss of yardage on a keeper than have Feagin try to force something.  I think Feagin will get an opportunity to throw the ball this weekend; whether he actually does is up for debate.

Another positive note is that Molk will be starting, despite some worry about a toe injury suffered against Minnesota.

Northwestern Defense

As a unit, Northwestern is giving up around 350 yards per game.  That's very middle of the road, and good enough for a 58th nationally, and 7th in the Big Ten.  The defense is solid, if not spectacular.  If there is one area they excel in, it's playing behind the LOS.  Northwestern is ranked 2nd in the conference in both TFL's and Sacks.  They are aggressive, and will likely try to pressure Sheridan into making bad reads and throws.  Michigan's offense mitigates this aggression slightly with screens and draws, but I expect Sheridan to have to make that all-important decision to just tuck it and take the sack on more than one occasion. 

Corey Wootten is among the conference best in TFL's and has 7.5 sacks on the year - good enough for 5th in the conference.  The line will have their hands full with him.  I wish I had more to tell you here, but I don't.  Northwestern's defense does nothing really spectacularly, but nothing really poorly either.  Their 3rd down conversion against is solid - 65% of the time they get off the field.

Overall, I expect that Northwestern's defensive gameplan will be to tackle behind the sticks and get Michigan into obvious 3rd and long situations.  From there, they should be able to pressure Sheridan enough to maybe force him to make a bad throw.  On a play to play basis, Northwestern's D should hold up rather well, but I expect they will be susceptible to the big play by becoming over-aggressive.  A few Shaw draws or Feagin keepers will probably go for 30+ yards as aggressive LB's and secondary run themselves out of the play.

Special Teams

Lopata:  Check

Mesko:  Check

All systems go. 

Prediction

I kinda think that Michigan wins this one, actually.  Let's make it 17-13.

Some positive and not so positive news out of Ann Arbor this morning.

On the good side, Steven Threet will practice today after a week away with symptoms stemming from a concussion toward the end of the Purdue game. Mark Snyder of the Free Press is reporting Threet's as good a candidate to start on Saturday as anyone.

Also in the plus category, Michigan Basketball won its first game of the regular season by routing Michigan Tech 77-55 behind 30 points from Manny Harris. (Photo gallery here). As a reward, Michigan faces Northeastern in the 8 p.m. quarterfinals final today for the right to go to New York for a likely 2K Sports Classic Semi-Final with UCLA. Good luck guys. Headline stating the obvious about Michigan basketball but also requiring a BRAINS! refernce? Check. One last add on, Michigan will get the formal commitment of sharp shooter Matt Vogrich out of Lake Forrest, IL,  on Wednesday when the early signing period begins. Vogrich is a four star guard according to Scout and a three star recruit according to Rivals. Over the last year his stock has skyrocketed, picking up offers from UCLA, Georgia Tech, Stanford, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, Michigan, Oregon State and a dozen other college programs. He's supposedly a lights out three point guy, so a GREAT pick up for Beilein.

In Football recruiting news, a pile of Michigan recruits have a little unexpected time on their hands as their senior football seasons ended early. Josh Helmholdt of the Free Press has your creepy recruiting news. And speaking of which, in speaking with some of the high school football centric people in the Chicago area recently, all eyes next season should be on  Michael Schofield, a 6'7" 272 Tackle recruit out of Orland Park (Ill.) Sandburg High Shcool. Schofield's speed is said to be very underrated, and possesses outstanding footwork for Rodriguez system. Also of note, he's a gym rat. Barwis is going to love this guy.

On the bad side, Brandon Minor is still nicked up with more injuries than an Emergency room. As a result, Minor is still being held out of practice and remains questionable for Saturdays Michigan Northwestern game in Ann Arbor. (same link above). Shaw and McGuffie will start in his place in the event he can't play.

Also on the bad side, Grand Rapids Free Press writer David Mayo is quickly climbing up my list of least favorite people who call writing a profession and actually get paid for it. Apparently the basketball media day served pasta with chicken to the press. As someone who is guilty of an aside or two in the interest of building a story, I can forgive a little of this, but I can't forgive half of your story being about what kind of food the University served as some kind of parallel to rebuilding a program. I also can't forgive getting in a pointless shot at the football team when it's not even relevant.

Now, the basketball program is trying to emerge from the tank, the football program has fallen into it, football is concerned its new press box might soon be as empty as Crisler's, and neither has any firm idea how long the athletic beast's slump will last and just how much free food is necessary to keep everyone interested long enough to restore it.

Emphasis mine.

God. Where to go with this? First, how is a swipe at the football team relevant in a basketball story? Second, and perhaps most importantly, there are no other words to describe what is highlighted other than "gag inducing stupidity." Ask the Alabama fans whether all of a sudden they stopped going to games because the won loss record wasn't great. Even Notre Dame went through hard times and I haven't seen an empty seat there on TV or in person. If you don't like the program, fine, then don't write about it.But passive agressive crap like this is why newspaper industry is dying a quick, well deserved death.

Mr. Mayo, you have access. You are paid to do this. Give us something to read that we can't write ourselves. Don't pander. Don't take meaningless swipes at people and programs that couldn't care less about you. Provide information that we can't garner ourselves after 20 seconds of internet surfing. Provide insight into the program you are paid to cover rather than insight into the lunch menu it was kind enought to provide to media vultures like yourself.

Otherwise you're worse than Drew Sharp. How? Why? It's because you're someone who's trying to be Drew Sharp.

I now know what a win does for a struggling program.  I didn't before because really, Michigan had never struggled, but I get it now.  There is jubilation that leads the fanbase to say things like "I think we can beat Ohio State."  That's all well and good, but remember that this is the same team that lost to Toledo, Purdue, etc.  Things don't just change overnight.  The win was great, but lets keep expectations in check.  After all, if Hope floats, she's most certainly a witch.

Lost in the jubliation that we may not be the worst football team to ever disgrace the game, and lost among the throngs of fans holding out just enough hope that maybe we could beat Ohio State, and maybe this wouldn't be the worst season ever, is the fact that we play Northwestern this weekend without (likely) the aid of our starting quarterback or runningback.  Yikes.  With that in mind, here are some thoughts on what we might see offensively against Northwestern.

Feagin will play (but not start) at QB

We saw Feagin at the helm against Minnesota, and by and large he did pretty well.  He's basically the recepient of the incredibly obvious quarterback draw, but that incredibly obvious draw did manage to go for 30+ yards on one play.  There are two reasons why I'm not enraged at this.

Something we might actually see?

1)  Sheridan/Threet have shown that they are not going to keep the ball.  Threet especially, over the past few games, has been very reluctant to keep the ball even when the read is "keep the ball."  Every time Threet puts it into Minor's belly, it's just wasted time that Minor could be running, because defenses already know that Minor's got it.  So why not eliminate a step?  If the coaching staff really believes that they can be successful with an incredibly obvious zone-read in which the tailback keeps it 99% of the time, then why not just snap it to him? 

2)  Feagin, in this case, is the tailback.  Defenses know that he is going to run it, especially after we showed the play to Minnesota.  Northwestern will defenitely know that Feagin is running the ball when he's in.  Except that now, with Feagin, you actually have an option because he can throw it.  Feagin may very well keep it at all times against Northwestern, but I have to believe that eventually they're going to have Feagin at least attempt a homerun pass out of that set.  It may be that they hold off on that until the Ohio State game, I don't know, but the defense will be geared up from the pre-snap to stop that run, and there may just be something there over the top.

McGuffie and Shaw will likely split time at tailback

On the list of  young players who have impressed me the most, Shaw is right up there.  He was kept out previous to these past few games with a lingering injury, but man does he look good now.  I think he provides a "between the tackles" element that is missing with McGuffie.

Impressive thus far

via blog.mlive.com

Speaking of McGuffie, I've been very impressed with his hands this season catching the ball downfield.  I expect that he's going to be used out of the backfield or even in the slot at times this weekend.  He's made some catches that would have been tough for a true wide-out to make, let alone a first year tailback.  Watch for this to be exploited by Rodriguez as his playing time increases.

Mathews and Stonum will see increased "targets."

via blog.mlive.com

Until the Minnesota game, there was a legitimate argument to be made that Freshman TE Kevin Koger was our most dangerous downfield threat.  I don't think that is the case anymore, as it was clearly an emphasis on the coaching staff's part to go downfield more with the passing attack.  Lost in all the Odoms love is the fact that Mathews and Stonum have actually played very well when they get catchable balls. Additionally, both have shown impressive "YAC" abilities.  I think that they will feature more prominantly in the gameplan against a Northwestern team that will have problems with receivers of this size. 

There will be a new wrinkle

Last week it was the screen out of the diamond formation, and the hitch routes run by Matthews and Stonum.  This week there will be something new, I just don't yet know what that will be.  It may be that they've built more around Feagin under center.  It could also be some sort of blocking scheme that I won't pick up on until the UFR.  Something will change.

These are just my sort of feelings on what will be some of the storylines going into the Northwestern game.  Anybody out there feel like they've got something else?  Maybe some things you think we'll see defensively?  Post in the comments, and we'll get a discussion going.  Look for a more stats-ish preview later in the week.

Many thanks to Maize and Blue Nation for kindly hosting this week's roundtables.  Maize and Blue Nation has, quite simply, the best banner of any Michigan blog out there, and the writing is good too.  I encourage you to check them out.

Usually these things are a bit tedious.  You get the standard questions about your team's week to week performance, which this season for Michigan has ranged from "death" to "creative death" to "Final Destination 3 death."  It hasn't been fun.  However, these questions are good because they actually drive at some very good talking points, about which I'm sure there will be some disagreement.  So, without further ado, the questions:

1) With two weeks left in the season, it's safe to say that most
schools have reached the point where the year has been a success or a
disappointment. How has your school fared this year in your opinion?
Or, is the jury still out?

This year has been both disappointing and oddly liberating.  It took a long time to get over the fact that we were probably going to lose more than we were going to win.  Actually, it took until the Michigan State game for that to sink in for me.  For the first time in any of our lifetimes (I'm guessing...) Michigan was going to lose more than they were going to win.  And that realization, when the fanbase collectively came to it, sucked.  Frankly, it still rankles.  I think you're seeing an entire fanbase going through the 5 stages of loss, with all of us being at a different point depending on your own personal level of bat-shit crazy.

1) Denial:  I think that a lot of people (Champ...Paging Champ...) experienced this stage very early.  Heck, I thought that a 8 win season was probable, with 6 at the low end of the spectrum.  If Utah didn't dispel the denial, well, your cup of bat-shit runneth over.

2) Anger:  Here we get to a stage that some haven't gotten past yet.  "This didn't have to happen," they'll say.  You see this on message boards a lot.  I kinda got over this after I broke my cell phone during the Notre Dame game.

3) Bargaining:  "If only we'd gotten Les Miles."  "If only Mallet had stayed."  "Why did Boren have to transfer?"  "We should have never hired Rodriguez."  All of these are forms of the bargaining phase, and frankly a lot of completely normal Michigan fans are still stuck here.  The win over Minnesota actually helped jolt people out of this wishful thinking and back into "ok, none of that actually happened and we can't change it" thinking.

4)  Depression:  In this situation and in the uber-short College Football season, there isn't much time for depression.  You lose.  You get over it.  You play again next week.  I openly pine for a win against Ohio State (who doesn't?) but there isn't really time to be too depressed about it.  It's more like "fleeting moments of depression" followed by a reassurance that everythings going to be ok.

5)  Acceptance:  And we've come full circle.  It's in this stage that this season becomes oddly liberating.

Liberating?

You heard right.  If you've reached this stage, then you've probably been following Michigan for the majority of your life, you've stuck with the team despite the fact that they just aren't very good, and you've probably grown to love a few of the tough-luck players.  Sure, they're not very good, but dammit, they're your team and you've grown to love the deer-in-headlights-Threet-face.  That's why the win against Minnesota was so much fun.  For years and years, Michigan fans have been conditioned to expect winning, so much so that a win itself was simply satisfying expectations; never something to be celebrated.  Well that's obviously come and gone, and if you've accepted that, the wins mean even more now because for the first time in my life, they don't count towards any sort of greater good.  The win is simply a reward for the players and the fans who know they've seen better teams but are working as hard as they ever have to beat Minnesota.  There's something special about that, and we as a fanbase have forgotten that.  The kids are tryers. Wins are rewards deserving of celebration rather than the cold calculations of how that win fits into the greater scheme.

2) Is your school heading to a bowl? If so, which one? And if not,
WTF?

No, no they're not.  Ohio State is our bowl game, and Godspeed gentlemen.

3) The Big Ten has recently had a hard time getting respect among the
national media as a top conference. Has the Big Ten taken a step
forward or a step backward in this debate this season?

We'll obviously know more after the bowl games where we get to see some matchups between good teams from the various conferences.  Personally, I'm of the SMQ/Hinton persuasion that conference parity is high and that any perceived strength of any particular conference will vary year to year and is largely window dressing.  This year I think the B12 is super strong on top.  Through the middle though?  Not so much.  The Big Ten has Penn State on top, which is kinda "meh" but I believe we've got some pretty strong teams through the middle.  The SEC is kinda "meh" from the very top to the very bottom with the exception of a Florida team that should be undefeated but, uh, isn't.  I expect this year's bowl season to follow the pattern of nearly every conference being about .500 against nearly every other conference.

4) Would the Big Ten benefit from adding another school to create two
divisions like the SEC, Big 12, ACC and MAC? And if so, which school
should be added? Or, should we drop one school?

A Big Ten team has played in the National Championship game for the past two years, and each of those years has featured another Big Ten team in a BCS bowl.  Why mess with that?

The answer is that the tide is changinig and national perception of the Big Ten is waning thanks to the 4 enourmous BCS eggs that the teams referenced above layed in their bowl games and "bler bler" media types.  I do think the Big Ten is going to have to address this problem eventually.  This year, there was a good chance that Penn State was going to run the table and still get left out of the Championship game.  Essentially, Penn State was going to have to pay for Ohio State's BCS misfires.  A few years ago, Michigan saw their #2 ranking slip after not playing while Florida looked impressive in their SEC Championship Game.

This is a whole other post, but my position is that yes, the Big Ten should add another team, divide into...well..divisions, and play a conference championship game.  I expect there to be some divergent thoughts on this, and I am more than happy to hear them.

5) Do you agree with President-elect Obama that college football
should have an 8 school post-season playoff?

Again, this is probably a whole other post, but I'm starting to lean a little to the playoff side of the argument.  Either way, ths system we have currently is broken; any change will be good change. 

6) Who is your favorite network television play-by-play announcer/
color commentator/sideline reporter?

Keith Jackson called the Rose Bowls of my childhood.  He remains the voice that I hear in my head when I go over past games both good and bad regardless of whether he actually called them.  Why was he good?  He knew when to shut-up and let the moment speak for itself.  Witness the difference between Jackson and some Cowboy doing the Texas broadcast in the following video.  Which call gave you chills?

Saturday, Michigan will take on Purdue in a battle that will likely determine who keeps their pace for a run at the National Title...Big Ten Championship...New Years Bowl Game...any Bowl Game...not finishing last.  With such a titanic matchup a mere day away, let me be the first to exclaim that I am appalled at the lack of coverage here on the interwebs.  Thankfully, the only respectable Purdue blog who shows half-naked women on a regular basis, Boiled Sports, has agreed to sit down with me and discuss Purdue's historic season.  Part I of the interview is up over there, in which I answer some of his questions regarding Michigan's varying levels of awesome. 

This is Part II, and it will help your digestion, but only if you print it out and eat it.*

Choo-choo! Yes, the Heisman campaign is right on track (oh yeah!) and Curtis continues putting up yards faster than a locomotive (okay, the metaphors are getting thin). Will he hit 2000 yards passing this season? Will he pass for 10 TDs on the season? Hard to say. Tim Tebow, eat your heart out.

You know, it's tough.... after that 8-4 campaign in 2000, plus more 8-win seasons in '06 and '07, the fans are accustomed to unbridled greatness. I don't want to brag or anything, but have you heard that Joe Tiller has taken this team to 10 bowl games in 11 years? And that more than one of those were to the Sun Bowl? I mean, come on... name another program with that kind of football pedigree. Bowl bids aren't handed out like dollar bills at "Treasures" in Las Vegas, my man.

 

When you talk about Kory "I don't just make it rain -- I make it rain SHEETS" Sheets, the question isn't how many touchdowns can we expect... it's more about how many touchdowns Kory feels like scoring. See, he's the engine that makes the Purdue train go.

Clearly, there's a void left whenever a great individual in terms of hair departs a program. To have two legends depart in a matter of a few years would clearly be crippling to a lesser program like, say, LSU. However, Purdue, as always, has a contingency in place in having made their coaching transition decisions based solely on the one factor that really matters -- similar hair skills. Matt Painter and his beautiful head of hair followed out the natural-looking, jet-black-haired Keady... and now Danny Hope will be following Joe Tiller. Hope is also eating three boxes of Krispy Kremes a day in a diligent attempt to morph into Joe Tiller by next fall.

You're too kind. Michigan, clearly, is a powerhouse as well and there's no way to expect a blowout. Obviously, I don't think the Maize and Blue have a chance -- hey, just look at history between these two*.

*and by "history," I mean look at 2000.

Boiled Sports, ladies and gentlemen!

*you probably shouldn't do that.

Photo courtesy John T. Greilick / The Detroit News multimedia.detnews.com

For two fleeting quarters, the 2008 Michigan Football team almost had me believing they could pull out the improbable. Despite all the mistakes this season has witnessed, the blown assignments, the fumbles, the missed tackles; Michigan went into the half at Happy Valley leading the #3 ranked team in the country 17-14.

In my gut I knew the lead wouldn't last. Michigan had shown signs of turtling its offense and Penn State's confusion at Michigan's blitz packages seemed to have worn off. The things that had haunted the team all year (dumb penalties, poor defensive play calling on 3rd down) allowed Penn State to score a late touchdown to close their deficit to three points. If Mcihigan had remained up 10 points, maybe I would've gotten my hopes up, but I knew a three point lead had as good a chance of holding up to Penn State's offense as Lehman Brothers did to the sub-prime distaster. It wasn't going to happen.

As the game worn on I found myself yelling at the TV when Michigan missed a sure tackle, blew a coverage, or put Nick Sheridan in the ball game. But, it wasn't becuase I thought Michigan was going to win, but because after seven games I expected this team to show the ability to at least last until the third quarter. And I figured tackling was one of those things football teams actually practiced.

Despite it all, when the final gun sounded, I wasn't mad. I wasn't upset or depressed. In some strange way I was hopeful. For a half, I'd seen what Michigan is capable of and I'd seen a glimpse of what this team will do next year, play winning football.

As I'd predicted, the absence of Steven Threet would spell doom for the Wolverines' chances on Saturday, and an elbow injury proved me right. With Sherridan in the game Penn State put virtually all eleven players in the box and giggled to themselves as Michigan tried hopelessly to run the ball. The results were predictable. Sherridan got sacked in the endzone taking too much time and not being aware enough to get out of the endzone with the pressure came. And with that the tie game was over and the rout was on.

But with Threet in the game, it was a different team. His passes were, for the most part, crisp and on target. He ran well, substanitally better than Sheridan, picking up first downs and critical yardage. He made good decisions. He showed that, dammit, it actually will be his job to lose next sesaon. He showed that Mcihigan is a dangerous team when he is in the ball game. All we can do is hope his arm heals sufficiently that he can prove that come Saturday against Michigan State.

As happy as I was for Threet, it's hard for me to happier for any member of the team than Brandon Minor. Piling up 117 yards, two touchdowns, and a couple of mamoth runs, Minor reminded all of us why he was such a sough after recruit. Prior to the Penn State game, Minor was being treated as a joke, a whipping boy for Michigan's fumble problems. In some ways he was what was being alleged, a mirror of the team, talented but critically mistake prone.

During this last trip to Happy Valley Minor showed he can mirror this team's positive attirbutes too, hitting people rather than being hit. Finishing plays. Wanting it worse than the people trying to stop him. He was everything we expect to see out of a Michigan running back and out of this Michigan team. And I hope people remember that.

Certainly there are negatives to dwell upon, the tackling, the horizontal playcalling from the second quarter on, the insistence of playing a 3 man line when the Defensive line is our strength, the giant steps back taken by both Donovan Warren and Morgan Trent.

Sure I could focus on those, but in a season that looks lost no one needs me to pile on. There are enough positives to help us through the lean times. So why not focus on those? Michigan was soundly beaten by a better team on Saturday. And for that I tip my hat to the Lions' and wish them every success this season. Did Michigan make mistakes that "cost them the game?" Maybe, but so did Penn State. The difference is good teams capitalize on those mistakes, which Penn State certainly did and Michigan did not do enough of.

But these are things you expect from a young team. And especially a youn team in transition. Michigan lost on Saturday, but did some things that give me hope for the future.

And right now that's all I can ask for.

via mikedesimone.com

It's not getting into space that'll kill you, it's the re-entry.

A week after Michigan's Football team sent its fan base into orbit with a dramatic come from behind victory, things came crashing back to earth in a giant Illini Orange fireball. Michigan had no answer for either Arrelious Benn or Juice Williams on Saturday and any momentum from the Wisconsin game quickly dissipated as Illinois rolled up 28 unanswered points en route to a 45-20 win over the Wolverines, their first in the Big House since 1999.

But, at least for a quarter, the Wolverines gave us a glimpse of what they can be. For 15 minutes the young Wolverines played inspired football. Passes were crisp. Runs gashed the Illini defense. 14 points dotted the scoreboard for the good guys and the defense looked stout. However, from the second quarter on every warning light on the Michigan board started blinking, offensive systems started to fail, and Juice Williams ran and threw wild over an overmatched and over extended Michigan defense.

Last week, it was apparent that the defense would have to carry this squad until the offensive woke up and/or found itself. It wasn't exclusively a play calling or execution issue as much as it was a confluence of offensive issues that led to Michigan's slow start against Wisconsin. But when Michigan took the field Saturday, those issues seemed resolved. 14 quick points and a drive that resulted in a blocked field goal try seemed to tell us the offense was alive and might actually spot the defense a few minutes of rest and a few points in support. Unfortunately, my optimism after 15 minutes of play was misplaced.

After the Wisconsin game I wrote about my disappointment with Michigan's first half play calling. This week I can make no such complaint. Michigan was aggressive, pushing the ball deep and running the routes you have to throw to be successful. The coaches' faith was placed in the hands of their play makers. Unfortunately, on this day those play makers simply weren't able to deliver.

Michigan couldn't run or throw the ball effectively after the first quarter. Running McGuffie almost exclusively, Michigan found no running room against Illinois' active linebackers and aggressive line. The passing game, which was succesful early on, quickly followed the running game into oblivion. Despite having his best day as a Wolverine statistically, quarterback Steven Threet was at best erractic, alternating excellent throws with confusing decisions and poor mechanics.

The target of the majority of these throws was the diminutive Martaveous Odoms. While Odoms statistically led the Wolverines in receiveing, he too had a mixed bag of a day. Odoms turned himself around on a sure touchdown pass and alternated great catches with the wrong route or a dropped ball.

Through three quarters I charted 13 passes to Odoms. Unless you're throwing to a Senior Braylon Edwards, AC, or Mannigham against Notre Dame, that's way too many throws to an unproven freshman receiver. If there was a failure on the part of the coaching staff offensively, it was the overt and obvious focus on one player and the failure to get Greg Matthews or Kevin Koger more involved. But then again it's hard to be too hard on them when just about every one of Michigan's receivers is hurt or playing hurt. And it's even harder when your quarterback is spending the second half on the ground.

The Offensive Line also had a day to forget. Running lanes were hard to come by. Blitz pickups were spotty. Protection in general was questionable. Michigan's Running Backs totalled a paltry 90 yards total rushing. Sweep after sweep met the waiting arms of an Illini linebacker and Michigan couldn't have put a hole in the Illini defensive front with a buzz saw. Nothing worked.

On Defense the Wolverines mirrored their quarterback, alternating moments of brilliance with crushing mistakes, the majority of which occurred in pass coverage. Unlike Wisconsin, which lacks a vertical passing threat, Illinois possessed the ability to stretch the field and did so repeatedly. Using play action over and over again to draw up safeties Stevie Brown and/or Charles Stewart, Illini torched the Wolverine secondary in a manner reminisient of the loss to Notre Dame earlier this season. Simple coverages were blown. No one seemed to know where Illinois' most dangerous receiver, Arrelious Benn, was.

Screen passes went for 57 yard touchdowns. Michigan would bury the pitch man a half second after he made the pitch then grasp helplessly as Illinois picked up 12 yards after the initial hit. First and second down were dead ends, yet third down was a freeway.

It's easy to point to any aspect of the game and find flaws and fault to dish out. But there was something different about this game that makes it different from its predecessors. There are a number of reasons I can't get upset about this loss. First, Illinois was the better team on Saturday. They played better. They defended better. They exploited Michigan's weaknesses and played to their own strengths. That is something to be commended.

Second, and most importantly, this was the type of game I expected to see out of Michigan a couple of times this season. A game where a few things go right, but the majority don't. A game where we show our age, show that we're still a work in progress and remain a bunch of kids learning new systems on both sides of the ball. This wasn't the hopeless, pit of despair feeling I got against Wisconsin during last week's first half. It was different. It was a feeling that if execution was there, we've been in it. If that pass hadn't sailed. If we'd picked up on Illinois' offensive set earlier. If we just had that extra half second. If, if, if... things might have been different.

These are things that come with age and experience. And they will come to the team as the season rolls on. It's impossible for a team like this to stay in orbit too long. They're too young. Too inexperienced. Just a hair too slow to maintain the velocity they need to remain on top of the Big Ten.

This isn't to say they'll never get there. They will. It will just take time. For every successful rocket launch during the 50's and 60's, NASA must've blown up six more on launch pad. This stuff isn't easy. Maybe as fans we've gotten to the point where we believe the difficult is routine, even a given, when in fact those things we took for granted are more difficult than we'd ever imagined.

Last week Michigan showed us they were capable reaching the Big Ten stratosphere. This week they showed us they're still kids who haven't learned how to deal with success, let alone stay in that orbit. And so it's up to the coaching staff to pick up the pieces from this humbling crash back to earth, learn what they can from it, and build a better rocket out of the parts they have.

It's a difficult process. One that won't be completed quickly and one that will envetiably result in a few more launch pad explosions before the Wolverines finally take flight. But even when that happens it'll be up to the coaches to remind their players that once you're up there your work isn't complete.

Because when you reach that height, it's a long, very hot way to fall.

Sure, it's Wednesday, time to move on. But there are still things to discuss. Like what we can take away from the game and the things we need to work on. With that in mind I dish out a few Celebratory Brews and a couple of Wags of my finger!

Celebratory Brews:

The Defense:  There aren't enough superlatives to do justice to the job they did on Saturday. Aside from a few missed tackles (more on that later), one of the best defensive performances the Big House has seen in quite some time. Taylor, Johnson and Max Martin get massive props for Standing up Wisconsin's massive line, and winning. Also, while Taylor and Johnson were great, I hope everyone is paying attention to just how good Mike Martin has been (as opposed to Max Martin, who's name I erroneously used before). And he's a freshman. But a freshman who shed a double block on the failed two point conversion to smash Evridge as he threw on the game's final, and most important play. If he continues to play like this we're going to be memorializing his name in song very shortly.

Halftime Adjustments:  Until this year I'd only heard of them. When the coaching staff realized the horizontal game plan wasn't working, they changed it. I back sets. Some traditional power game. The deep ball. The offensive coaching staff should be commended for an excellent second half.

Jonas Mouton:  Just an outstanding game by the young linebacker. Mouton was all over the field from my vantage point; in a good way. He seems like a hybrid DE/LB in the Shawn Crable mold, except without the constant penalties that make you want to break things. Mouton routinely shed his blockers to make a play, blitzed his way into Evridge's helmet, and took down backs in space when he was the only thing between them and 30 yards. That added up to 8 tackles, a sack, and a boatload of props. Monster game.

Brandon Graham:  Defensive POW in the Big Ten. I still maintain my prediction that he's going to break someone in half by midseason. He saved the game sacking Evridge at the six. Leads the Big Ten in TFL.

Brandon Harrison:  Quickly becoming my favorite player on the 2008 squad. I've never seen someone his size hit like that. Cus D'amato once said of Mike Tyson, "He hits with bad intentions." So does Harrison. Harrison laid a hit on PJ Hill halfway through the second quarter that made my teeth rattle, and it should be noted that Hill sat out the rest of that series. Harrison also lit up Wisconsin's receivers whenever they touched the ball. At five foot nothin' he plays like the biggest guy in the defensive backfield.

All your conciousness are belong to Brandon Harrison. via mikedesimone.com

Donovan Warren:  Served notice that the left side of the field is his, and his alone. Throw there at your peril. Best corner in the Big Ten at this point in the season. Warren also showed he can play some run defense, as he took down a handful of stretches to his side and made a touchdown saving tackle on Clay when he busted contain in the second.

Minor/McGuffie/Grady/Brown:  All of them chipped in something big. Minor busted the "holy crap we can win this" run. Grady gave us hope with the "this is our season" 4&1 conversion. Brown gave Threet his first passing first down and seemed to settle Threet with that effort. McGuffie capped the comeback with a ballsy, 3& goal cut to the endzone. Sure some longer runs would've been nice, but these guys provided consistent effort and great pass blocking all day. They also provided 14  points.

Steven Threet, Version 2.0:  Not to be confused with the Version 1.0 that spent the majority of the first half flailing about the backfield like a trout on dry land. While V2.0 wasn't perfect, he was pretty damn good and showed himself to be an above average college level quarterback on Saturday. He showed some touch, threw a couple of outstanding deep passes, and made the proper decisions at crucial times in the comeback. Plus, that pass to Koger was beautiful. His intermediate, middle of the field passes still need work but the majority of what he showed us from the 30 minute mark onward was outstanding.

The Offensive Line:  While this group wasn't terrific during the opening half, they were more than serviceable. The fact Michigan couldn't run the ball had more to do with 9 man fronts more than anything else. Even on the rare occasion someone got to Threet in the backfield, it was usually on a broken play or that infamous late hit. Face it, they controlled the line of scrimage the second half of the game. Threet may have been hit from time to time, but the line didn't give up a sack. Not bad for a bunch guys the media called no-names, back-ups and underachievers at the beginning of the year. Steve Schilling, at least from where I was sitting, looked pretty impressive.

Wags of the Finger:

First Half Offensive Play Calling:  When your wife is describing the the play calling as Weis-esque, you know something is wrong. She alos mockingly asked when we hired Bob Davie to run our offense. That may have cut to the bone, but, damn son, I married a good woman. While I will grant you Threet V1.0 was terrible, even that shouldn't have handcuffed the Michigan offense to the extent we saw. Wisconsin was stacking the line, over pursuing, and locking in on the totally obvious screens we were running. A little misdirection, mabye even a single deep ball in the first half would've helped to keep the defense honest. It wasn't pretty.

Throwing to the Shortest Guy on the Field in the Middle of the Zone:  I may be in the minority on this, but the continued attempts to get Martavious Odoms the ball on these little run to the hole in the zone pass plays are driving me crazy. Yes, Threet was inaccurate on a majority of those throws, but if there's a linebacker anywhere between Threet and Odoms that's a tough throw. It's also going to be a throw where an extra 6 inches in height and arm span come in handy. If the backer's in there, there's got to be height on the throw, and its got to be a hard throw because otherwise the safety will knock it away or intercept it. We tried it at least four times and got one completion. Two bad passes, one drop, and one completion. Those numbers scream "Don't Ever Use Me Again," at least until Threet proves he can make the throw and Odoms proves he can catch it.

Martavious Odoms:  I'll be honest, this is a stretch, but Odoms looked a little lost. He failed to turn around for the ball twice on passes to him. He dropped a ball or two that should've been caught, and looked a little tentative. He's here because of the misunderstandings on the pass plays. We're lucky those didn't get intercepted and run back.

Morgan Trent:  Maybe I'm being too harsh, but Trent had a rough day. The fumble on the kick off was just maddening. On the second quarter Clay near-touchdown run, Trent blew the tackle that allowed Clay to scamper an extra 20 yards before Warren pushed him out of bounds. On the game's last touchdown, he got beat, stumbling on his own two feet, on a single move to the middle of the field. Sure Brown had the inside of that play, but Trent's stumble allowed the free release before Brown could get there. In his defense, one of the bright spots was an absolutely wicked hit he put on Jefferson. Even so, I'm sure this is a day #14 would like to have back.

Steven Threet Version 1.0: Horrid. Bad decision making. Bad option release. Bad arm mechanics. Bad throws. I think he'd agree with me on this.

Officiating: These guys were terrible. Failure to review plays that warranted it (Mathews fumble). They missed, at a minimum two blantant Pass interference calls in one series, a dozen obvious holds, and blew at least on call on replay (the completion on UW's final drive).

Hi, I'm Bobo, and I'll be the lead Big Ten Official for your game! 

Special Teams:  Two more fumbles and an anemic return game. WHY?WHY?WHY?WHY?WHY?WHY?WHY?WHY?

All Things Inbetween:

The Linebackers: Great game from Ezi and Thompson. Under normal circumstances they'd be at the top of the Celebratory Brews list, but I ran out of space. One thing that deserves special note is Thompson's individual effort to string out a stretch play while being blocked by a fullback and tackle, and still make the stop during UW's second possession of the Second half. He was the only thing between UW and a big gain, and he made things happen. Quietly, these guys played great.

The Booing:  Meh. Everyone's chimed in on this. Brian hates it. Varsity Blue's annoyed. M Victors didn't like. Maize and Blue Nation had an anurysm over it. On the other hand, Michigan Sports Center and I have owned up to being among those who voiced their displeasure. To each their own. In hindsight I wish I'd kept my emotions a little better in check and not done it, but I don't blame people who did. That was the worst played half of football Michigan's ever played in the Big House, and to paraphrase Chris Rock, "I'm not saying you should've done it, but I understand."

Block M in the Student Section: Wooooooo!

via mvictors.com

Kevin Koger:  Welcome to the show kid. From the looks of things Koger will be Michigan's starting tight end for the foreseeable future. Mike Massey tries, God bless him, but unfortunately isn't as good as the effort he puts forth. Carson Butler, much to my reget, can't stay out of anyone's doghouse and was benched for the game, despite suiting up. Blocking wise Butler is probably the best tightend on the team and he certainly adds an offensive deminision you love, but if Koger can get open like he did Saturday Butler's playing time may go out the window until he proves he can stay out of trouble and in the good graces of his coach.

Greg Mathews: Good and bad day for #13. Bad fumble on his punt return. Great and crucial catches throughout the second half.

Stevie Brown and Charles Stewart: Good game boys. Keep it up.