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!