Forcier to miss Gator Bowl

It was just to good to be true, wasn't it?

Michigan had avoided any trouble off the field since arriving here in Jacksonville, all of their players prepared to play in the Gator Bowl on Saturday.

Michigan has issued a press release saying that Sophomore QB Tate Forcier is ineligible to play in the Gator Bowl on New Years Day because he didn't "meet university standards."

Now the Wolverines will have to use true Freshman Devin Gardner as Denard Robinson's back up, and use his red shirt, leaving him only three more years as a player.

Forcier started all 12 games as a true Freshman in 2009, and has been very good as Robinson's back up in 2010.

Jim Harbaugh will be U-M's next coach, ESPN analyst believes | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Jim Harbaugh will be U-M's next coach, ESPN analyst believes | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Did you know?

Can you name the MVP from Michigan;s last trip to the Gator Bowl, on New Years day, 1991?

Michigan will be making it's 3rd Gator Bowl game appearance, having played in 1979, losing to North Carolina and MVP "Famous" Amos Lawrence and All-American line backer Lawrence Taylor, 17-15.

Figured out the trivia question yet?

On New Years day 1991, the Wolverines, led by quarterback Elvis Grbac, wide receivers Desmond Howard Derrick Alexander, and running backs Jon Vaugh, Rick Powers, and Jarrod Bunch, the Wolverines ran up and down the field for a record 715 yards of total offense.

So, after the 35-3 win, the Gator Bowl MVP was...the offensive lineman...

QT Tom Dohring

LG Matt                                                                    Elliott

C Steve Everitt

RG Dean Dingman

ST Greg Skrepenak

Michigan adding to their rich bowl game history

The game was getting out of hand, and the team captain new it.

The Stanford football captain walked over to the sideline, and with graciousness, informed the opposing head coach that they had had enough.

Afterward, the committee who formed the football game decided they couldn't afford another embarrassment, so they decided to have chariot races the next year.

Football was dead in Pasadena on New Years Day.

The first ever post season college football game saw the Michigan Wolverines destroy Stanford, 49-0, with Stanford giving up mid way through the 3rd quarter.

The Rose Bowl would not be back until 1916.

That very first Rose Bowl game was the first in a long, and prestigious history of bowl games for Michigan Football.

When the team runs out of the tunnel at Everbank Field to take on Mississippi State in the 66th annual Gator Bowl game on New Years day, it will mark the 40th time that a team of Wolverines have played in a bowl game.

The Wolverines have had their share of both good and bad, as have most teams, but Wolverine fans always support the team during the bowl games,  and this week will be nothing different, with a sell out Gator Bowl crowd awaiting the Wolverines and Bulldogs.

Mississippi State, at 8-4, will provide the Wolverines with a true test of a young football team, however, Michigan is always ready for any test, and if history is any indication, the players will come out onto that field in Jacksonville and give Wolverine fans a game to remember.

Michigan is 19-20 overall in bowl games, and will be playing in their 3rd Gator Bowl game.

In 1979 Michigan lost to North Carolina, 17-15, and on New Years day in 1991 they defeated Ole Miss, 35-3.

Michigan will be playing in their first bowl game under Head Football coach Rich Rodriguez, who will be coaching in his 4th Gator Bowl game.

Coach Rodriguez brought three of his West Virgina teams here, on New Years day in 2004, '05, and '07.

Michigan, and their fans hope this will be the start of another long streak of bowl games for college football's winningest team of All-Time.


From 1975, until 2007, the Michigan football team played in a bowl game every year, including 14 trips to the Rose Bowl.


The Wolverines also made trips to the Citrus Bowl, Outback Bowl, and Orange Bowl in Florida, the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona, and the the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.

In the Wolverines last bowl game, the 2008 Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Michigan sent retiring coach Lloyd Carr out in style, beating the Florida Gators, 41-35.





 

Wolverines' kicking game full of mystery | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Wolverines' kicking game full of mystery | detnews.com | The Detroit News

U-M's Rich Rodriguez coaches through gray cloud of uncertainty | detnews.com | The Detroit News

U-M's Rich Rodriguez coaches through gray cloud of uncertainty | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Rick Scott chats up Michigan's Denard Robinson at Jacksonville event | jacksonville.com

Rick Scott chats up Michigan's Denard Robinson at Jacksonville event | jacksonville.com

Wolverines underclassmen accept challenge to mature quickly in secondary | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Wolverines underclassmen accept challenge to mature quickly in secondary | detnews.com | The Detroit News

U-M's Martavious Odoms will be available for Gator Bowl | detnews.com | The Detroit News

U-M's Martavious Odoms will be available for Gator Bowl | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Be positive!

pos·i·tive  (pz-tv)adj.1. Characterized by or displaying certainty, acceptance, or affirmation

For to long now people calling themselves Michigan fans have made it their goal in life to ridicule and rant on the Michigan football team, asking, demanding that the school fire the head football coach.

I've never understood why people are so vociferous, if I may quote the late, great Howard Cosell.

We fans have no power, we have no influence on any decision made by the University of Michigan regarding any coaching moves that may, or may not, be made.

Someone actually created a "fire Lloyd Carr" web site a while back.

Yeah, bet you thought I was referring to Coach Rodriguez, right?

Lloyd Carr won 123 games, Big ten Titles, and a National Championship, and yet fans just weren't happy.

Oh, and he coached a Heisman Trophy winner, Charles Woodson, the first primarily defensive player to win the award.

 

I wonder if he would like to see Coach Carr back on the sidelines.

Fans want Coach Rodriguez gone, say he's a bad coach.

Really?

38-5 the last three years @ West Virginia, and he's coached back to back Big Ten MVP's and Players of the Year in Brandon Graham and Denard Robinson.

I believe, in my heart, that being positive, being supportive, is the only way to be a true fan.

Hey, be mad, be angry, yes, but stay positive about Michigan Football.

Negative energy, back stabbing, and vile words are not what Michigan, the university, the community, or the athletic department, are about.

I support EVERY Michigan team, win or lose.

Do you?

The Wolverines are here!

Yesterday the Michigan Football team arrived here in Jacksonville, Florida, to start their practices for the 66th Annual Gator Bowl Game to be played on New Years Day here on Florida's First Coast.

I've been a Michigan fan since 1976, and I wanted to try and do as much as I could this week to interact with the team.

My wife Tracy and I braved the frigid temps here in Jacksonville to go out to the host school, Jacksonville University, to greet the team as they arrived for practice.

My friend, a guy who's been @ JU for 13 years, allowed us, with the permission of Head Michigan equipment man Jon Falk, to tour the Wolverines locker room.

Wow, it was totally cool to be in the room with the players uniforms, and I went and touched the famed "Michigan Winged Helmet" of several of the players, including the Big Ten Player of the Year, Denard Robinson.

Everyone with the team were very nice to the few of us who stood out in the cold and cheered on the players and coaches as they made their way to the practice field.

Tomorrow is going to be a real good chance of getting to meet the players, who will be at a local attraction here in town.

It's already been a great Maize and Blue start to Gator Bowl week, and I hope the rest of the week gets even better, finishing off with a great big Meeeechigan win on New Years Day.

Go Blue!

Legends and Leaders?

On second thought...

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delaney and the rest of the conference big wigs are taking a lot of heat for the selections of the names for each of the two six team divisions starting play next year.

The Legends division is Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Northwestern, and  Minnesota.

The Leaders division is Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, and Wisconsin.

Commissioner Delaney told WGN AM 720 in Chicago that he never thought that the names "Legends" and "Leaders" choices would cause such a negative reaction.

"But to get a 90 percent non-approval rating was, you know, really surprising." ---Detroit News.

I actually like the names, who needs East-West, North South, but are they the best names, no.

It seems everyone who has chimed in on my Twitter page

or on several of the radio and TV shows the past week, or so, would have no problem with naming the two divisions the "Bo Schembechler" and "Woody Hayes" divisions.

Delaney stated that the conference stayed away from using anything that would offend one of the schools.

I suppose means that they thought Minnesota or Northwestern wouldn't want to win a division named after a coach who owned them for 21 years.

And you know, I guess only the Buckeyes would be ecstatic about winning the Hayes division, after all, how many times did Indiana and Purdue best the Buckeyes while Woody was the coach.

To me, the Big Ten really needs to act fast.

The Big Ten has been as old school as it gets, trying to stay competitive in the college football of the 2000's while clinging onto the ghosts of the past.

While I cherish the traditions of Michigan's Football past, and that of the Big Ten, this new logo and division naming has made the conference look like a collection of Pop Warner teams.

The Big Ten needs to ask the schools, the coaches, the fans, the media, and find a way to fix these silly problems before Nebraska gets into the conference.

I know when I get to the Gator Bowl on New Year's Day the new Big Ten logo's will be put into place, and I'm going to have to face a lot of very skeptical foes who will be making fun of the whole situation.

Gator Bowl gets new title sponsor for 2011

The Gator Bowl, one of the oldest collegiate bowl games, has announced it has a new sponsor for their New Year's Day game, Progressive Insurance.

Gator Bowl Home Page 

The Gator Bowl has been played in Jacksonville for 65 years, with the exception of 1993 and 1994, when the old Gator Bowl stadium was being renovated for the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars.

On January 1st, 1946, Wake Forest beat South Carolina, 26-14.

The Michigan Wolverines will play the Mississippi State Bulldogs this New Years Day, @ 1:30PM.

This will be the 3rd Gator Bowl Game for the Wolverines.

In 1979 Michigan lost it's 1st appearance in the Jacksonville game, 17-15, to the North Carolina Tar Heels, led by line backer Lawrence Taylor.

In 1991 the Wolverines evened their Gator Bowl record with a masterful 35-3 pounding of Ole Miss. 

The Wolverines will be making their first bowl appearance since defeating the Florida Gators in the 2008 Citrus Bowl, 41-35, in Lloyd Carr's final game as the Michigan Head Football Coach.

If your coming to JAX for the game, go to My Twitter page and let me know.

Go Blue!

New Big Ten Logo

The Big Ten unveiled new logos for the conference today, along with the names for the 2 divisions that the 12 teams will call home in 2011.

The Big Ten will have the Leaders Division, which will include Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Northwestern.

In the Legends Division, it will be Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, and Wisconsin.

The Big Ten will also hand out the Stagg-Paterno Championship Trophy, to to the winner of the annual champion of the Big Ten championship game.

Maize and Blue on the way to Jacksonville

Hail to the Victors!

The Michigan Wolverines, who finished the regular season with a 7-5 record, are headed to the city of Jacksonville, Florida, and the Gator Bowl Game on New Years Day.

I saw the Wolverines 20 years ago when they played Ole Miss and beat the Rebels, 35-3.

The Wolverines ran all over Mississippi, collecting over 700 yards of total offense.

The entire Michigan offensive line was named MVP, a first in Gator Bowl history.

Sitting behind the Michigan bench in the old Gator Bowl Stadium was great.

Desmond Howard, Derrick Alexander, Elvis Grbac, and company ran up and down the field, and the Michigan defense stopped the Rebels all day long, led by defensive coordinator Lloyd Carr.

Michigan returns to the Gator bowl to fave the other Magnolia State school, , the Bulldogs of Mississippi State, who beat the Gators in their last trip to Florida earlier this year.

The Wolverines will be led by Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, and the Chicago Tribune's Silver Football winner as the Big Ten's MVP.

Robinson broke the NCAA record for most rushing yards in a season, by a QB, with 1.643.

Robinson was also the 1st player in NCAA history to run and pass for 1,500 yards+ in a single season.

I will be in the stands, rooting for my Wolverines, and I'll take in as many activities as possible, including practice, if possible.

Go Blue!

The future of Michigan Football

All of the following is from my heart...

I love Michigan Football.

I believe in my team, the players, and the coaches.

I want Michigan Football to be great again.

Michigan lost yesterday to Ohio State, the 7th straight loss to the rival we, as fans, cannot stand the most.

Michigan is now 7-5, and the media, and some fans, are already preparing a place for ex-Wolverine QB Jim Harbaugh, the Stanford Cardinal coach, as the next Wolverine leader.


Even though Michigan AD Dave Brandon said that he would evaluate the program after the Wolverines upcoming bowl game, there are still factions of fans and media that believe Harbaugh will be Michigan's coach next week.


I love Rich Rodriguez, he's my coach.


He's the Michigan coach, and that's why he's my coach. 


I believe he will make Michigan great again, and by again, I mean next year.


I am not a mind reader, I am a fan, so I have no idea what AD Brandon will do.


I do know I will support my coach, Rich Rodriguez, until he is no longer my coach.


I also know I will support AD Brandon, a former Michigan player under legendary football coach Bo Schembechler.


I will support his decision, whatever that is. 


We, as fans just want honesty and integrity. 

We also want great football again.

Michigan fans want the team to win, and for the most part the fans are very good fans, and are knowledgeable.

Most of them.

The growing problem with some of the "so called" fan base of Michigan Football, and the negativity that seems to grow every single day, the hatred of the coach, the atrocious behavior of negative, hate filled fans, that bothers me the most.

That stuff is not appropriate.

The Wolverines have been part of my life for 34 years, and people who know me know me as a Michigan fan before they know anything else about me.

Win or lose, I wear my Michigan pride ever single day. 

What I never, ever do is wish my team would lose.

 I cannot stand when I hear "supposed" Michigan fans on the radio, or on Twitter talk about wanting the Wolverines to lose so that the coach will be fired.


If you are one of those fans, then you are NOT A MICHIGAN FAN!

A true fan would never root for their team to lose a football game...NEVER!

We're fans of the Michigan Wolverines, the team with more wins than any team in College Football History!

We're the fans of the team with the coolest helmets! 

 We're the fans of the team with the LARGEST stadium, The Big House!


We're the fans of the team with the GREATEST FIGHT SONG...THE VICTORS!


Why would you ever root against your own team...why?

If the coach isn't getting the job done, then another coach will be brought in.


You still NEVER root for your team to lose!


We as fans have a responsibility to behave the right way, to support the program, win, or lose.


Are you only going to root for a winner?


Are you only going to root for a Championship team?


Are you going to root based on wins and losses, or are you going to step up and be a true fan, and show your love and support for your team in the bad times as well as the good.

Yes, you can be mad, be upset, neck, I know I am.


What I am not is a fan who spews hatred toward the players and coaches who run the team I have followed since I was a 16 year old kid, watching Rick Leach and Rob Lytle run the Michigan offense.


Yes, I don't like the way they're playing, and yes, the defense gives me fits of fan rage.


And yes, I am not happy with the record of the Wolverines the past few years.


What I am most displeased with, however, is the continued venomous way in which Michigan fans, and the media as well, go after Head Coach Rodriguez, the staff, and the players.


We, as fans, don't know what happens except when we watch TV. We don't watch practice, we don't see the behind the scene things that go on every day.


We see the games, get upset when our team loses, and wonder how we lost that game.


Michigan State, Wisconsin, Ohio State, they are all conference champs today, something we Michigan fans were used to for 40 years, or so.


Now we're not champions, and that upsets us.


But, we cannot let losing permeate throughout the Michigan Nation with negative fans talking about the Michigan program in a negative way.


We are Michigan Fans!


We must be united as one, we must show solidarity that we are Michigan Men, Michigan fans for life, no matter what.


If you root against the Maize & Blue to lose, then you are NO MICHIGAN FAN.

You might say you are, you will tell me how you've been a fan for 10. 15, 25, 45, 50 years, etc., and that's fine, but if you want Michigan to lose, you are no longer a true Wolverine fan.


Hail to the Victors Valiant!


Go Blue!

 



 

Heading to Happy Valley

After the bye week, which, 'Bye" the way, I don't like, the Wolverines get to play another football game.

And, even though there's a game this week, I'll still have to wait until 8 PM...what in the world!

Yes. I'm still, and always will be, old school.

I want my Michigan games @ high noon every week, and even the 3:30 games seem like they take forever to get to my TV screen.

OK, as for the game...

Penn State is not very good, sort of like the Michigan defense...sorry guys, but it's true.

The Wolverines are going to win, simply put, because they have Denard Robinson.

Michigan gets to 6 wins, becomes Bowl eligible, and continues on a forward path to becoming a much better team.

Michigan 47, Penn State 27

See you after the game to talk about the great Meeeechigan victory.

The Wolverine Nation Handbook

The Wolverine Nation Handbook

For years I've wanted to write about my favorite football team, the Michigan Wolverines, and what I believe it takes, and means, to be a fan of the winning est team in college football history.

Being a Wolverine fan isn't easy these days, but true fans of the Maize & Blue, myself included, are still there every Saturday, cheering on the Wolverines as they run out onto the gridiron, representing the team, the team, the team.

The past few years have been very taxing for fans of Michigan Football. 

At the end of the 2007 season the Wolverines stood atop every other Division 1/FBS team in wins All-Time, with 869.


Two and a half years later Michigan is still #1 on the list, but the total has only increase to 882, an increase of only 13 games. 

By comparison, the Wolverines won 11 games in 2006.


Web sites, sorts talk radio, print and TV media, and disgruntled fans have turned on the Michigan Program, calling out the Head Coach, the players, and the program.


I have been a Michigan fan since that day in 1976 when I saw that headline in my hometown newspaper, the Kalamazoo Gazette, that the #1 team in all of college football resided right down the road. I was a fan for life.


I will never, repeat, never, be one of those fans.


I love Michigan Football, and I believe the current culture of college football fans and attack media are ripping the game apart.


Because of my love for the Wolverines, I am writing what I believe should be the absolute guide to how to represent the University of Michigan Football team as a fan.


This guide is one of respect, of love, and of passion. 

Negative, hate filled rants at players, coaches, and the U of M will  not be found in it's pages.


If you are negative, complaining about things out of your control, just to be hateful and mean spirited, then this may, or may not, be the best thing for you.


Or maybe it is.


Go Blue!







 

Can the Wolverines rebound against thye Hawkeyes?

The Michigan Wolverines are facing a familiar task today as they get ready for their second Big Ten game of the season against the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Last season the Wolverines started out the year by going 4-0, including a heart stopping game winning drive by QB Tate Forcier, before collapsing the rest of the year, finishing 5-7.

The collapse started on the road in East Lansing, where the Spartans beat Michigan 26-20 in OT, followed by another heart stopping loss, on the road to Iowa, 30-28.

This year is eerily similar, as Michigan started by going 5-0, again beating the Fighting Irish in the final seconds on a Denard Robinson TD run in the final seconds.

Last week the Wolverines started the back to back State-Iowa games by losing to the Spartans, only this time it wasn't close, as MSU beat the Wolverines, 34-17.

The Michigan defense is still the worst in the entire country, and if the Wolverines are to win, the defense has to make plays, it's that simple.

Iowa has the #1 ranked defense in the country, and they are coming off a off week of preparation after defeating Penn State in Happy Valley.

The Iowa defense is very good, but with the exception of the Nittany Lions, they haven't played an offense ranked higher than 80th in the country.

Michigan's Sophomore QB Robinson threw 3 INT's last week vs. the Spartans, and cannot afford to turn the ball over. 

The Wolverines offense will be missing WR Martavious Odoms, who is possibly out for the year with a broken foot.

Iowa's offense is led by QB Ricky Stanzi, who passed all over the Wolverine defense in 2009.

Michigan must keep the Hawkeyes from making big plays on offense, as Michigan State did last week.

Michigan can become bowl eligible for the first time in the Rich Rodriguez coaching era, and I believe this team will make that happen.

After the loss to Sparty, Robinson talked to his team and took responsibility for the loss, a speech that has resonated through the Wolverines this week in practice.

The Michigan offense is head and shoulders above anything Iowa has seen this year, and I like Michigan to do what they want on offense, scoring TD's against an Iowa defense that is stepping up in class vs. the Wolverines.

This is Homecoming at Michigan Stadium, and the Wolverines will send the 110,000+ fans in attendance home very happy today, a Maize and Blue happiness, as Michigan defeats Iowa, 37-31.

Go Blue!

Michigan and Alabama to Cowboy Up in 2012

New Michigan Athletic Director Dave Brandon has made it clear that the Michigan Football program will be very aggressive in scheduling games that put the Wolverines prominently on a National Championship scale.

Today that promised was fulfilled, as Michigan officially announced that it will play current National Champion Alabama at Cowboys Stadium to open the season on September 1st, 2012.

2012 Michigan-Alabama Game

"This is a great way to kick off the 2012 season with two of the nation's winningest college football programs," said U-M director of athletics Dave Brandon. "We are excited about playing a regular-season game in the state of Texas, a region of the country where we have traditionally recruited. Our goal is to get as many Michigan fans to the game as possible to witness this match-up of traditional powers." (mgoblue.com)

The 2010 schedule now looks like it might be the hardest in the FBS, with the Wolverines also scheduled to play Notre Dame in the non-conference part of the schedule, and, as usual, they still have the Spartans, Hawkeyes, and Buckeyes, and the rest of the conference schedule.

Sept. 1 — vs. Alabama (at Arlington, Texas)

Sept. 22 — at Notre Dame

Oct. 6 — at Purdue

Oct. 13 — Illinois

Oct. 20 — Michigan State

Oct. 27 — at Nebraska

Nov. 3 — at Minnesota

Nov. 10 — Northwestern

Nov. 17 — Iowa

Nov. 24 — at Ohio State 

What a year the Maize and Blue are set for, let's hope it's one to remember.

Go Blue!

Gameday Saturday

Time to get it on.

For the 103rd time, the Green and White from East Lansing and the Maize and Blue from Ann Arbor tee up the football in the annual in state battle for college football supremacy.

The infamous Paul Bunyan Trophy will be on the line once again today as the 16th ranked Spartans face the 17th ranked Wolverines.

Michigan State's defense is going to give the Michigan offense it's biggest test of the 2010 season so far, led by All-American linebacker Greg Jones.

The Spartans also have a solid offensive team, capable to scoring from anywhere on the field, both on the ground, and in the passing game.

Michigan Sophomore QB Denard Robinson, who leads college football in rushing yards will need help for his team mates today.

The running backs, led by Michael Shaw, the offensive line, and the receiving corps must all have solid games to keep the Spartans from keying on Robinson.

The Michigan defense must continue to pressure the Spartans at the line of scrimmage, and control the MSU running game.

This is a bigger game for the Wolverines to win, the pressure is squarely on the Wolverines at home today, and I believe the Michigan coaching staff will have the players ready to play the biggest game at Michigan Stadium this year.

Michigan wins a thriller, 42-37.

Go Blue!

Denard Robinson Facebook Page

Michigan fans, heck, college football fans, here's a new Facebook page for Michigan QB Denard Robinson.

Denard Robinson Facebook Page

I know there are a lot of people out there saying the Spartans defense is the best test so far, and that Robinson won't be able to do the things he's done so far this year. That's what makes me so sure Denard will have a fantastic day.

Don't tell this kid what he can and can't do.

This is a special kid, on his way to a special year, and he has the weapons around him to get the job done. Just ask the Wolverines first 5 opponents, who thought they could slow Denard Robinson down.

Sparty Week is here

The celebration of the Wolverines win at Indiana is now over, it's Sparty week.

The 17th ranked Wolverines are 5-0, 1-0 in the Big Ten, and will host the 16th ranked Spartans, 5-0, 1-0, from Michigan State in a huge conference showdown in Ann Arbor.

The last time the two in state rivals met when both were undefeated was in 1999, when the Spartans defeated Michigan, 34-31.

The Wolverines are rolling on offense, lead by Sophomore QB Denard Robinson, who is electrifying college football from coast to coast.

Robinson is once again the Big Ten Player of the Week, the 3rd time in 5 weeks that the spectacular QB has been so honored.

Robinson is the first player in the FBS Division of the NCAA to rush for 200+ yards, and to pass for 200+ yards twice in one season.

Saturday in Bloomington, Indiana, Robinson totaled 494 yards of offense, scoring the game winning TD on a 4 yard run with just :17 seconds left in the 4th quarter.

Michigan must improve their defense to beat a very talented MSU offense, it's that simple.

Junior nose tackle Mike Martin is playing at the level of an All-American. 

Martin and the front 7 on the Michigan defense must pressure Spartan QB Kirk Cousins all day to help out the porous Wolverine secondary. 

Michigan is dead last, 120th, in pass defense in the NCAA, and that must improve for Michigan to challenge in the Big Ten.

Michigan should be healthy on offense this week, getting back RB Michael Shaw, who sat out the Indiana game with an injury, to help take some of the pressure off Robinson, who has basically been the Wolverines rushing attack this year.

Close games are going to be the norm the rest of the way for Michigan as they play familiar conference foes in Michigan State and Iowa the next two weeks.

If the Wolverines manage to win both games, they will be sitting at 7-0, and have a off week before heading to play at Penn State on a Saturday night in Happy Valley.

Here's hoping the Michigan defense finds that next level of play, a level that will tell opponents that they will be coming after them on every play, and own the line of scrimmage, smacking them in the mouth on every play.

Go Blue!

Mr. Robinson's domination of the State of Indiana is complete

The dismantling of the State of Indiana by Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson is two thirds of the way from being accomplished. The Purdue Boilermakers are now on the clock.

After running and passing his way through the Notre Dame defense in September for 502 yards, leading the Wolverines to a 28-24 come from behind win, the man who Michigan fans call "Shoelace," sent football fans from Indiana home shaking their heads once again.

Michigan defeated the Indiana Hoosiers, hanging on for a 42-35 victory at Memorial Stadium.

The Wolverines defense continued to struggle, giving up a total of 568 yards of total offense, 480 of which came via the right arm of Hoosier Senior quarterback Ben Chappell. 


The defense, to their credit, came up with 3 straight three and outs in the second half, keeping Indiana from scoring while the Michigan offense sputtered.

It was the Wolverines 17th consecutive win against the Hoosiers, who haven't beaten Michigan since 1987.


Just like he did in South Bend, Robinson lead the Wolverines on a game winning drive, scoring on a 4 yard run against Indiana that gave Michigan the lead for good with :17 seconds left in the game.

Robinson set up his 4 yard game winning run by hitting Junior Hemingway on 42 yard pass to the Indiana 4 yard line.

Robinson set up his 4 yard game winning run by hitting Junior Hemingway on 42 yard pass to the Indiana 4 yard line.

Robinson's  495 yards against the Hoosiers makes it 997 yards of total offense against the State of Indiana this year. 


Robinson will go for the Hoosier State tri-fecta in November when Michigan returns to Indiana to face Purdue

The Wolverines are now 5-0, 1-0 in the Big Ten, and will return home next week to face the Spartans of Michigan State, who are also 5-0, and 1-0 in conference play.

Michigan State defeated the Wisconsin Badgers  at Spartan Stadium, 34-24.

 The Wolverines haven't beaten the Spartans in head coach Rich Rodriguez's two years at Michigan, and the Spartans haven't beaten the Wolverines three years in a row since 1965-66-67.

Inspire like Bo

There is a web site, Michigan The Team.com where Michigan fans can download their own videos reciting former Wolverine Head Football Coach Bo Schembechler's famous "The Team, The Team, The Team" speech.

Fans can give their best Bo speech, and win several cool Michigan Football prizes.

What do you have inside that cotton pickin' Maize and Blue heart?

My new Fave Mascot

Michigan is one of the few schools in the NCAA that doesn't have an on field mascot, but I have found one that will, for now, do just fine thank you.

Ohio Bobcatackles Brutus the Buckeye

This guy in the Ohio Bobcat mascot suit is my new best friend if he wants.

What's great about this is that the only reason the guy tried out for the job as the mascot is the fact that he knew the Bobcats were going to play the Buckeyes at Ohio State.

That's the only reason he wanted the job, so that he could go out there in the pre-game and hammer that ugly looking thing that stalks the Buckeye sidelines...Brutus.

Take a good look at the facial expression of Brutus...wow, is that great, or what?

The young man was escorted from the field, and later he was let go by Ohio University.

So what, no big deal. This kid knew he had one shot at hitting that disgusting Buckeye Mascot, and he took it.

Here's a Michigan student from 1983 pummeling Brutus.

These two young man gets my vote as the guy's of the week, of the month, and maybe of the year, unless there's another shot at Brutus...now, that would be great. I wish I could do it myself

Go Blue!

Me, the Wolverines, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

I never thought this would happen top me.

I was completely computer illiterate just a few years ago. I didn't have an e-mail address until 2005, and never had my own computer until 2009.

I didn't know about the social networks, Facebook, Twitter. Never knew about sports web sites for fans to talk about sports, places like Fan IQ , a great place I go to talk about the Wolverines with sports fans from across the country.

I never knew that Michigan Football was just a click away, that M Go Blue.com was just a click away...Go Blue!

I am now immersed in My Twitter Page, or my My Facebook Page, any where that takes me to coverage of the Wolverines.

I just want to devour as much coverage as possible on Michigan Football. 

These 12 weeks in the fall are my favorite time of the sports year. 12 weeks of watching the Wolverines...I love it, and know I search the web every day for Michigan news.

This blog is my personal diary of my love of Michigan Football, and all things Wolverines.

Now it's time to go, and look for that next great article, or post, on the Wolverines...Go Blue!

Michigan hangs on to defeat UMASS

I really don't know how to put what I saw on my television screen today, because you'd thin k I would have learned my lesson after the past 3 years of watching Michigan Football.

One thing for sure, Michigan needs to forget about scheduling any more 1-AA/FCS schools on their schedule.

42-37...what?

Now, the Wolverines won the game, yes, but 37 points allowed?

Michigan's offense missed the pre-game alarm clock going off, stumbling through most of the first half before scoring 2 TD's in the final minute of the second quarter to give the Maize & Blue a 21-17 lead after being down 17-7.

The defense never got their wake-up call, sleeping through the entire game, giving up 439 yards of offense and 37 points to the Minuteman of Massachusetts.

Shades of Appalachian State from the 2007 opener came back to Michigan fans all across the country...not again!

After the Wolverines went up 35-17, UMASS outscored Michigan 20-7 in the 4th quarter to pull within 5 points of Michigan with a little over 2 minuets left in the game.

Michigan rolled up an impressive 525 yards of total offense behind QB Denard Robinson, who passed for 241 yards, and 2 TD's, and ran for another 104 yards, scoring one TD.

Michael Shaw ran 12 times for 126 yards, one a spectacular 50 yarder, and Shaw scored 3 TD's.

After all the ups and downs of the game, Michigan emerged with a win, raising their record to 3-0, and that's ultimately what matters.

The coaching staff have their work cut out for them before the team runs out of that tunnel next week against Bowling Green.  

Giving up chunks of yardage on the ground and in the air simply cannot be tolerated at Michigan.

We, as fans, know we cannot win every game, but to get gashed at the line of scrimmage against FCS schools is unacceptable, to say the least, and D-coordinator Greg Robinson wiull have to find a way to get the defense playing hard on every down.

When the Falcons come to The Big House next week I expect the defense to play better, and they had better, because Robinson cannot continue to be counted on every single week. Someone on defense needs to take charge, and get his teammates on the same page.

Now, as I end this post, lets remember that Michigan won the game, and that's what's important. 

They're 3-0, undefeated, and a ranked team...Go Blue!

Week #3, welcome UMASS

No, there will be no Appalachian State reply!

When the University of Massachusetts heads out of the tunnel, and onto the field for Saturday's game at the University of Michigan, many college football fans, and yes, even some Michigan fans, will have the memory of the upset loss to the Mountaineers in the 2007 opener.

Make no mistake, this will not happen!

The Michigan Wolverines will play this game to prepare for the next week, to get better, but this UMASS team is not App. State, and they have not won 3 straight National Championships.

UMASS 2010 season scores

The Minutemen are 2-0, beating William & Mary 27-23 in week 1, and Holy Cross, 31-7, last week.

William & Mary and Holy Cross?

Michigan has defeated the UCONN Huskies, favored by some to win the Big East Championship, and Notre Dame, who was 1-0, and was, well, Notre Dame, one of Michigan's storied rivals.

The coaches will have the players ready on Saturday, and yes, they'll probably remind them of that 2007 game, but even if they don't, this team is not the 2007 team, and they will not care. They just want to go out and play.

After racking up 502 yards of total offense against the Irish, including an 87 yd. TD run, look for some big plays out of Mr. Robinson before he allows the other QB's to come into his neighbor hood to play.


The Final score...Michigan 47, UMASS 17

 

Bo

Over on My Facebook page there was a posting by Michigan Football for their Michigan Football Art Contest, and even though the picture below wasn't the winner, it's my favorite.

I never get tired of seeing, watching, or reading anything about my favorite coach.

I love Bo, and he will forever be my coach, the man who brought me up as a teenager by giving me the lessons of life. 

Yes, he was on TV, and I never met him, but Bo Schembechler was my father figure growing up. I had no Dad, a child of divorce, and his spirit, his love of Michigan, carried over to me.

Bo was a great man, a great leader, and Michigan Football would always be "The Leaders, and the Best" because of men like Glenn "Bo" Schembechler.

Where's Denard?

Take a look at this weeks Sports Illustrated an tell me what's wrong with the cover picture.

Looks normal, doesn't it?

The cover highlights former Michigan QB Tom Brady and the New England Patriots week one win over the Cincinnati Bengals, showing the patriots QB alongside teammate Randy Moss.

My problem, and I love Brady, is simple, where's Denard Robinson?

Michigan Sophomore QB ran and passed his way to 502 yards of total offense last Saturday, and led the Wolverines on a game winning drive with 27 seconds left, scoring the winning touchdown, and giving Michigan a 28-24 win.

If that performance isn't worthy of getting on the cover, then what criteria do the staffers at SI have, because I'd really like to know what Robinson didn't do, like punting and kicking extra points maybe.

Hey, do you think the geniuses at SI would put him on if he tied his shoelaces?

Now, I'll give Si credit, writer Corey McCartney does have Robinson #1 on his Heisman Trophy List, ahead of fellow Big Ten QB Terrelle Pryor of Ohio State.

I am a huge Tom Brady fan, he's my favorite player in the NFL, and, after all, he is a Michigan Man, but SI missed the boat this wee in not putting the most exciting, the most electrifying player in college football on their cover.