Maize n Brew Has Moved

Thank you to everyone for visting.

Maize n Brew is now located at http://Maizenbrew.com.

See you there and Go Blue!

Purduexing It: Michigan Preps for Match Up With Boilermakers

(Ed. note: This posting is also available in a little more detail at the new Maize n Brew. So head over there as well! Today is my last day here before all the fun will totally relocate to Maizenbrew.com.)

Playin' Chicken

Versus

Purdue is one of the surprises of the early season. I thought they'd suck, suck, and suck some more, but they've been better than decent compared to their car-crash-in-slow-motion season last year. On offense there's really only one true scorer, Carl Landry at forward. Landry is a stud and was named All-Wonk 1.0 over at Big Ten Wonk for his early season work. Not the best defender in the world or all that careful with the ball, but he can put the rock in the bucket with gusto. Other than Landry, Senior guard David Teague is capable of contributing to the Purdue offense. He averaged almost 15 a game in 2004, but missed 2005 due to injury. Now that he's back, his numbers resemble Dion Harris' numbers, except Harris' FG% is much worse and Teague's pulled down 30 more boards. However, Harris has 30 more assists.

Purdue isn't an assist type team. Keaton Grant and Teague are type for the team lead with 42 assists. Further, neither have particularly accurate shots, so the majority of Purdue's points will come from down low. Expect Udoh and Petway to hammer Landry all game and expect Courtney Sims to see the ball down low quite a bit. If I was Amaker I'd have Baker on the court every second Sims was out there to give Michigan a long ball threat. It would keep the second defender off Sims and allow him a little more room to operate. But that would make sense.

Michigan is the better team. However, the Wolverines have never played well on the road under Amaker. The last two games have shown Michigan is capable of playing defense, and is capable of passing the ball without passing it to the other team. If Michigan plays in a controlled style they should beat Purdue. However, if Dion Harris launches 20 shots, we lose. Take that to the bank. Michigan needs to keep driving the lane, posting up with Sims, and letting Arbam take open shots. If Sims has ten shots and the rest of the shooting is evenly distributed, Michigan wins.

We'll see what happens. Michigan needs this game. Let's hope they play like it.

Bakermania Takes Hold of News Media

Free Press UM basketball beat writer Eric Lacy is a little behind the times in catching on to the fact that Baker was a decent pick up for the Wolverines. He does give Baker his due though. Good kid. Great shot. Works harder than everyone else on the court. Way ahead of you Eric...



The piece is a good, but brief, look back at Baker's strange journey to Michigan. Definitely worth a Reed (heyoo!). One annoying little aside from Lacy's article. Apparently there's a super secret memo floating around the legitimate media telling them to, at every opportunity, decry the internets as a place of evil where puppies are slaughtered and the Devil plots his plans following the Rapture. For that or some other reason Lacy takes a shot at the people who were slightly irritated when Baker was originally signed, instead of, you know, someone they'd actually heard of.

Memo to Lacy, the internet message boards were RIGHT to decry Amaker for signing a player he'd never seen. Normally when offering a full ride to someone that totals close to $50,000 a year for education, room, board, and clothing, the people who are PAYING or have paid that amount out of pocket to attend Michigan expect that the coach will actually know who the player is. It's a school pride issue. Michigan is a selective academic institution. We expect the same out of our athletics.

But when Lacy wrote this, I did giggle a tad:

Someone on a Michigan State fan Web site wondered if Baker made a mistake, thinking he committed to the Spartans.

No Eric. It wasn't a Michigan State "fan Web site". That was me.

One thing that is for sure, he's never seen Crisler. "To play in a packed house in front of 20,000 fans screaming with every game on ESPN, it’s going to be incredible," [Baker was quoted as saying]. Apparently he thinks he committed to Michigan State. Reed. Quick heads up. We wear the blue and white jerseys.

While no one expected Reed to be the second coming of Jesus, there were indicia that he could become a decent ball player.

[T]he vibe on the kid seems to be he's a decent ball player. The Birmingham Southern site also mentions that he cracked 30 points four times his senior year. Combine that with the assertion he shot 88% from the free throw line, we could be looking at a quiet 10-15 a night mixed with some apples.

Have I been that far off? Lester Abram told us he was good over the summer, and I believed him. The message boards are fine for good old fashion rumormongering and venting frustration. However, there are lots of us who go out of our way to give informed and totally mostly accurate information on the people we talk about. Final thought on my irritated aside, cite your damn "message boards" and "Michigan State fan Web sites" when you talk about them.

(Soap box being put away)

To Lacy's credit he does have a great Q&A on Michigan at (2-0) in conference so far. One point he makes about the Michigan offense is something that's driven me nuts about Amaker's teams for years: the rushed, deep, unnecessary 3 point shot with lots of time on the shot clock. Rightly, Lacy points out that cutting down on those shots (cough Dion Harris cough) will greatly improve the team's chances of winning games.

Michigan has two games against Purdue sandwiching a game against Penn State, before two road games against Wisconsin and Indiana. As you can probably guess, the next three games are critical to Michigan's season. If the last two games are indicative of how Michigan will play the next few weeks, then expect good things. If Michigan falls back into the patterns it displayed against NC State, UCLA and G-Town, cringe in fear and assume the fetal position.

Big Ten Power Rankings

(Ed. note: This posting is also available in a little more detail at the new Maize n Brew. So head over there as well! Friday is my last day here before all the fun will totally relocate to Maizenbrew.com.)

With the football season now officially over it's time to switch our attention to that other winter sport: Basketball. I can't dream of keeping up with Brian's or Yost Built's hockey coverage, but roundball is a different story.

So far it appears to be a down year for the majority of the Big Ten. Only standouts Wisconsin and Ohio State are ranked (albeit #4 and #5 respectively). Further the conference is a woeful 3-13 against the top 25, and 2 of those victories are Wisconsin's. It's early in every Big Ten team's season, but there no better time to start abritrarily judging their accomplishments. So let's get to the rankings:

Maize n Brew's Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings

16-1(2-0)

1. Wisconsin - Wisconsin is clear and away the class of the Big Ten. Alando Tucker is perhaps the best player in the Big Ten at this point and is also one of the best in the country. But it's not like this is a one person team. Kammron Taylor poured in 25 points on the Buckeyes and Wisconsin's bench is as deep as any in the Big Ten. Wisconsin is allowing a lot of points on the year, but continues to rack of double digit point wins. Recently, they've picked it up on the defensive end holding four of their last five opponents below 60 points.

13-3 (2-1)

2. Ohio State - On talent alone, this IS the best team in the Big ten, if not the country. But as a Michigan fan I know that lots of talent doesn't guarantee anything. While the Buckeyes have dismantled clearly inferior teams they have struggled against top competition. However there are plenty of reasons not to discount Ohio State. Greg Oden is still nursing with right thumb back to health and the Buckeye's shooters are too good to stay cold for long. They'll be a force come tournament time and probably the favorite to win the Big Ten over the long haul.

14-4 (1-2)

3. Michigan State - Don't let their 1-2 conference record fool you. This is a good team. It's just not as good as we've come to expect out of Tom Izzo. MSU dropped its first two road games by a bucket to Iowa (who is nearly unbeatable at home) and then got blown out by Indiana in Bloomington. Now the Spartans are back home and welcoming back some big time talent. the absence of freshman hot-shot Raymar Morgan and Sophomore Mo Joseph have forced MSU's best player Drew Neitzel to not only carry the offensive load but basically do it on his own. Now that the Spartans are getting healthy expect them to make a run. Whether they have it in them to beat OSU in Columbus on January 27 is another question.


11-4 (2-1)

4. Indiana - Scarily similar to Michigan in terms of the make up of its team. Senior and Junior heavy starting line up with some talent off the bench. However, that's where the similarities end. Kelvin Sampson has done a tremendous job taking over at Indiana and the team's 11-4 record is evidence of that. Of Indiana's four losses, only the OSU loss was by more than 5 points, it was by 7. Their losses include Butler, Duke, Kentucky, and OSU and everyone of those games was competitive. DJ White is the team's best scorer, but the team's points are pretty evenly distributed with five players averaging 10 or more points (for the record 3 average 9.8 a game but that's close enough for me). Sampson's got this team playing hard. They won't win any of the tournaments they enter but they'll be competitive in them.


14-3 (2-0)

5. Michigan - No idea what to make of this team. The freshmen are playing better than the seniors for the most part. The only recent exception is Lester Abram who finally seems all the way back from injuries and is playing with an aggressive streak Michigan, quite frankly, has never seen from him. The emergence of Ekpe Udoh has taken a lot of the pressure off Courtney Sims and Brent Petway, and the crisp shooting of Reed Baker has allowed Michigan some relief when their starting guards need a rest. Still, when faced with a challenge this team crumbles. In their three losses Michigan trailed by as many as 17 points at some point in each second half, if not for all of them. Dion Harris has been a disaster shooting the ball this year and Jevohn Shepperd and Ron Coleman may as well not exist. Defensively they're getting better and the Wolverines lead the Big Ten in blocked shots. That's good because defense is going to have to carry them. This is a team that is going to struggle to score points against good teams as witnessed by their last in the Big Ten 3-point percentage.

13-5 (1-2)

6. Illinois - Despite putting up big numbers on a soft schedule that closely resembles Michigan's slate of "Really, they have a team?" schools, Illinois hit a three game tailspin of losses to Xavier, Michigan and OSU, before righting the ship against Iowa (who almost came back from 10 point down with under 4 minutes to go). During that slide Illinois couldn't have hit Tina Turner if their name was Ike. It was bad. It was also strange. Illinois has 3 players averaging 11 points or more a game and some talent off the bench. An early season injury to Brian Randle didn't help things, but he's back and put in 16 against Iowa. However, Illinois like the rest of the Big Ten has struggled against top competition. Further, I'm not sold on Bruce Webber as being any better of a coach than Amaker. The Illini have two more road games before welcoming Wisconsin on January 20. That may be our best chance to evaluate what this team can do this season.

12-5 (1-2)

7. Purdue - Despite getting absolutely crushed by Indiana last night this has been a very surprising season for the Boilermakers thus far. 12-5 including a road win at Oklahoma and a near upset of Butler is pretty impressive out of a squad that was absolutely terrible last year. At this point they've already surpassed last seasons 9 wins and anything else is gravy. That's why they're going to screw someone's season up royally. Karl Landry and David Teague are the heart and soul of the team and shoulder almost all of the scoring. Sadly, Purdue now enters the hardest stretch of their season with Michigan twice, a road game at Wisconsin, and visits from Illinois, OSU, MSU, and Indiana along with a trip to Columbus.

9-7 (1-1)

8. Iowa - This is a team that can score in bunches. It's also a team that allows it's opponents to do the same, just more often. At home the Hawkeyes are as tough to play against as any team in the Big Ten. On the road, not so much. To make the NCAA's this team would pretty much have to run the table. Going 2-4 to start your season doesn't help, so the Hawkeyes are fighting to make the NIT. There are scorers here and plenty of people who can dish the rock, however Iowa has to learn to play defense against good teams and find ways to score when Adam Haluska and Tyler Smith are taken away.

10-5 (1-1)

9. Penn State - "Fields a team for tax purposes". Michael Rosenberg coined that phrase and it fits. VMI scored 111 points on PSU defense. That's Virginia Military Institute. While PSU won, that's still really, really bad. Their schedule makes the Globetrotters jealous. 10-5 is still 10-5. But it's going to get worse. This team is maybe three players deep, after that it's a steep drop off the talent cliff.

10-6 (0-3)

10. Northwestern - Princeton Offense or not, this isn't an athletic, talented, or disciplined enough team to duplicate any success Princeton had with their offense. The Cats have posted an impressive win over DePaul and a 2 point win over Miami, but they also got pigblapped by PSU, UM and MSU in their first three Big Ten games. They may pull an upset here and there, but nothing is going to keep them out of the basement.

7-9 (1-1)

11. Minnesota - Ugh. Good teams have run over the Gophers this year. Run. Them. Over. Clemson hung 90 on them and Wisconsin beat them by 23, holding the Gophers to 45 points. For the record, South Dakota State beat Minnesota by 23 as well.

That's it so far. Let me know what you think.

Wednesday Happy Hour Has Big Announcements

What's on Tap:

1. Branching Out

Branch is gone. As publicized by MGoBlog, Alan Branch declared he will forego his senior year at Michigan and enter the NFL draft. This isn't really a surprise as Alan hadn't enrolled in school for the winter/spring semester, but it's still tough to lose your best defensive player with a year of eligibility left.

2. Maize n Brew is Moving to SportsBlogs Nation

That's right. New digs for Maize n Brew.

I've accepted SportsBlogs Nation's invitation to join them as their new Michigan blogger starting on Monday, January 15, 2007. The name remains the same and the new site can be linked to at Maizenbrew.com. From here on, all the sarcasm, analysis, misspellings, and rants can be found at Maize n Brew's new SportsBlogs Nation home.

As you can probably guess, I'm thrilled to join SBN's already full stable of talented, funny, and relevant writers. Being able to rub elbows with bloggers like Peter, Kyle, Nico, Nestor, Joel, and SMQ has always been fun, but to call them colleagues is an honor in and of itself.

In addition to the support SBN offers its writers, I'm thrilled to have the reader tools the new site permits. There will be a lot more opportunities to the growing contingent of blogging and non-blogging Michigan fans involved in discussing their addiction to the Maize & Blue as well as the assorted minutae of the NCAAs. So come. Join me. Offer you thoughts without fear of reprisal. I did. Look where it got me.

Friday will be my last post here on Blogger and on Monday I'll resume my regular posting schedule on the new home for Maize n Brew.

Thanks to everyone for their support and visits. You're the ones that made this switch possible, and for that I thank you.

3. Blogger Award Nominations Are Out

Three rounds of the 2006 College Football Blogger Awards are up so far with a fourth on the way. The first set is at MGoBlog. The second at Burnt Orange Nation. The 3rd can be found at EDSBS. The Fourth will be up at Dawg Sports soon. More to follow.

So far I've been shut out. Nothing. Not even a head nod in the final ballots. Not that I'm bitter. Bastards.

Congrats to all the nominees. Gotta admit, the nomination process was a lot of fun. Head to Rock Top Talk to see where the nominations came from. Like me you might find a site you never knew about, that now you can't stop checking.

4. Michigan in the Final Polls.

The Wolverines came in 9th in the AP, 8th in the Coaches Poll, and 8th in the Blog Poll. Probably about right. Wisconsin finished ahead of Michigan in all three, but coming through your season with only one loss and whipping Arkansas has its benefits.

ESPN's already got a preseason top ten. Michigan is 3rd.

6. Minor Format Changes

After much no reflection I decided to ditch the old Hearsay and Conjecture label for my usual blog/news/funny stuff roundups because a) they're legal terms which have no use or basis when talking about sports; b) there's really no link between H&C and the site's title of Maize n Brew; and c) I decided it's stupid.

So from here out all of your good times will begin at Happy Hour.

Final Blog Poll Maize n Ballot

Bitternerness still consumes me as I write this...

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Florida	2
2	Ohio State	1
3	Boise State	11
4	Southern Cal	3
5	LSU	1
6	Louisville	1
7	Wisconsin	3
8	Michigan	6
9	Auburn	--
10	West Virginia	1
11	Rutgers	2
12	California	6
13	Oklahoma	5
14	Texas	7
15	Brigham Young	4
16	Arkansas	--
17	Wake Forest	7
18	Boston College	8
19	Notre Dame	4
20	Virginia Tech	8
21	Oregon State	5
22	Penn State	--
23	TCU	2
24	Georgia	2
25	Tennessee	8

Dropped Out: Texas A&M (#20), Navy (#23), UCLA (#24).

1. To answer your first question, yes, Boise belongs there and that is not a mistake. They beat Big XII champ Oklahoma in a legit, big-time BCS bowl, they have NO losses, and watching the game they looked pretty damn good. The way OSU played BSU would've beaten them, so there's a perfectly good argument for placing them second. Hell, Kyle even says you can rank 'em first if you want (he just didn't, he ranked them second.).

2. Wisconsin should be higher, but Louisville played a tougher schedule so they get the nod. USC played like the team that should've played UCLA. LSU looked really, really good dismantling Notre Dame, but then again, who didn't?

3. Michigan at 8? Yup. Best of the twice beatens that lost their bowl game. If they'd only lost once, I'd have them at #1. Their schedule was stronger than people give them credit for, but it's no excuse for their terrible performances the last two games.

4. The rest is a total mess.

The Final Thumbin' Thru of the Season: The Rose Bowl

Ed. Note: There is a LOT of cursing, swearing, and anger contained within this post. Readers of a gentle constitution should look elsewhere for a review of the Rose Bowl. For those of you with a more iron stomach, please be aware this will dredge up a nasty memory or three from January 1, 2007.

Thumbin' Thru The Rose Bowl 2007

I'm sitting in an empty bar with 5 USC fans 2 um fans and my brother in law at a bar in Cabo San Lucas mexico.

Cabo San Lucas' Best

Lots of tequila. My wife will be angry with me later. Don't care. I will drink no mater what.

George Lucas looks like a gerbil.

Usc wins toss, defers to 2nd half. Now their pain begins. Woodley looks mad.

Breaston back for the kick. He's due for something specacular.

The kick to steve. Almost breaks two tackles, brought down at 15

2 wide left. Hart delay left midl fr 11.
Hrt mid right fr 1.
3 wide. Henne sack stping up on a blitz. Lost 5 on 5 stp drp.
3 wide. Henne too hrd to manham. Behnd manham as he crossed lft to rt.
pnt zltn.
Hood buries the reciever on the punt.

3rd & 8 mich goes soft zn. Complt right for 11 on rt boot leg.
1dn. High to left inc.
T2nd. Scrn blwn up by harris. Harris gets props.
3rd 13. Inc high and rt.
Usc pnts. Brest lts it go for tb
Mich ball at 20

I hpe I'm nt the only 1 driving thr families crzy rt now...

Quesidillas ARE better in mexico in case you were wondering.

Hne pass rt on btlg to manham for 5. Good for his rythm.
Hrt stuffed on zn rt.
3&6. Bltz Manham mugged. No flg.
Mich to pnt.
Zltn pnt. Shitty. Mich looks a little flt.
Mich needs to get away from zn blcks and blow usc off the ball.

Usc midl for 7.
Shrt pass rt for 1dn
barringer almost mks the pick on bt lg. Trnt bt bd.
Brnch stfs rn mid rt.
Pass mdl for 1dn. Trnt bt agn on soft zn
Mich brng prssr bt complt for 1dn on rt psuedo scrn
Inc rt sd.
2dn. will johnsn with 1 hnd stfs rn midl.
3rd dn D needs to b better.
Sprd o. Comp to jarret. Stpd shrt of 1dn. 4th
Fg try. Good.

3-0 USC

Kck off deep. No rtn

UM slgish.

1dn @ 20
Wr scrn manham for 13 left
2wd. Hrt drvs lft fr 7
3wd. Ecker pass mdl. 1dn. hrt kls bltzer!
Hrt lft for 3
Scrn to hrt. Blwn up aftr 3 yrd gn
3&5. Ln stckd. Brstn rcpt on rt sd for 8. 1dn
3wd. Mitchell gts pwnd. Blws bltz pick up hne gets sacked. Hrt midl nowhr. For 3rd dn.

ABC commcrls. John Stamos is back. Does that scare anyone else?

Somehow Not Dead Yet

3rd & 16. Hne stps up. Bullet to manham over midl.
1dn. Minor trps ovr own feet. Nthn
2dn. Inc on blwn blkng
3rd dn. 3&10. Almst fnd arngtn. Under thrn ball. Dmit.

Rivs fg try. Good. 3-3.

Um to kckoff. Rtnd from 2 to 33. Crp

1dn. 3wd. Rn midl stfd for 1.
Jarret catch shrt slnt rt to lft for 7.
3rd dn. Rb squks thru for 1dn.
1dn. Nice ctch ovr midl for 20. Got nailed bt hld on.
1dn. Rn midl fr 3. Pss dfnse lks spotty.
2&8. No scks yt. Inc lft. Um play waaaaaaaaay too far off usc rcvrs.
3&8. 3wd. Soft cvrge gts bt agn. Midl for 1dn

Shrt slnts ovr middl killing us.

Sack & fmbl!!! Crbl on bltz strped butty. Brnch crwls for recovery!!!!
Frst big play UM!

Cty shot. Smog evrywhr. LA sucks

Hrt stffed.
R2nd dn. Hne sacked again. Thats 3 fucking times. Rt side is gting blwn up.
3&15. 4 wd. Comp midl to brtsn. Bullt on awsm stp up agnst prsr.
3wd. 1dn. Sack agn!
2&18. Minor on gv up ply midl rt.
Ln is gting torched.
3&18. This is fucking pathetic. Henne sacked agn.mitchell is useless. Bt agn.
Zltn pnt.
Harris buries rtnman at 35.

O-line lks terrbl. Why minor nt jackson?

1dn usc. Rn rt midl for 3.
2nd dn. Trnt ply mile off gets beat fr 1dn on shrt pass.
1dn. Rn rt midl for 1.
2nd. Mundy up on rn support. Nthn.
3dn. Um to. 10 dfndrs on fld.
Commericials are hrrbl this year.
D on fld a lot. Little wrried.
3dn. Inc. Bd rd booty. Ovr thr.
Usc pnt.

Oobs 27 yrd line.
Lets see some goddamn protection.
2:10 left.
Hrt blwn up on carry to lft.
-8 yrd rushin so far
2dn. Brestn pick up 8. Pass rt. Ply calling needs to adjust.
3&2. Hrt killed in back fld by usc. Usc is killing zn schm. Need to go back to old fashioned bowl them ovr offnse.
Zltn to pnt. 4&3. Booooooms it.
Zltnclan!
Usc ball @ 13.
3wd. Rush midl to kill clk.

2nd half. Rvs kickoff fr tb.
5 sacks -9 rushing

1dn. Btlg rt for 9 pass.
Rsh midl fr nthn
3rd dn. Mich stfs run.
4th dn.
Pnt to brstn to 41 yrd ln. FC.

2&8. Henne throws int to usc lnman. Horribl. Three dudes in his face on biltz. Who in gods name was he throwning to?

Pass lft for 6 by usc.
Pass to bradfrd fr 4. 1dn.
Trnt burned agn. 1st & gl. Inc aftr looking at it. No way that's a comp. if thats a comp its bullshit.
Absolute bullshit. The ball is loose and they blew it. Shocker, it's a sec ref crew.

Defense shits a brick and screws the coverage. Td usc. Can u tell i'm pissed?

10-3 usc. I'm angry.

Something good bttr happen soon.

Kck off to brstn. No space. Tckled shrt of 20.

1dn. Hrt up middle for 2.
Hrt taken down agn for nthn. Line is stcked and um is doing nthn.
3rd. 3wd. In manham hands and he blows the catch. Gave up on catch on
grt efft by hne

Zltn.good kick. Penalty on usc blck in back.

Mich looks terrible.getting pissed.

1dn. Pass ritght. Holy shit. Good cvrge out of trnt. Inc.
2nd dwn. Taylor looks to jump. Ofsides. 5 yrd pen.
2nd dn. Christ. Another nkd btlg. Te pass left for 6.

Stop with the fucking sft zn!

1dn. Finally. Prsr. Crable. Inc to lft.
2nd. Sht back off cvrge gives usc a free first dn. This is horrible d.
Thank god for hall.
1dn. Td jarret on crap tackle by trent. I can't count the number of times trent has been burned today.
16-3 usc on missed extra point.

Bitterness starting to take over. Anger growing. D getting torched. No pressur

Breston to 20. Hrt to 25.
English yelling at d.
2dn. Manham cross to rt, good pick up. 15 yards.
1dn. Manham wrscn to rt. 2 maybe 3.
2dn. Still too much prssure.
2dn. Henne gets sacked again. Henne finally fumbles aftr getting killed. The o fucking sucks today.

1dn @ 30.
Ovr thrw jarett. Zn d sucks agn.
2dn. 3wd. Scrn pass miss.
3rd. finally. A stop short of the 1st. I'm still pissed. Caroll going fr it.
Line man looks short. We'll see.
Please be short.
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.
1dn. Need pick. Prssr from line. Inc on bootlg.
2dn. Inc high midl.
3rd. Soft zn a-fucking-gain. English has made NO fucking adjustments.
1dn gl. Inc high.
2dn. Jarret pass. Missed. Luckily.
3dn. Usc to. No pressure. No one in dbs can tackle except hall.

Breaston hasn't been utilized at all.
Horrible coaching job so far.

3dn. Pass to jarret. Open. Barringer & harris molest jarret. How in
gods name is this even rwmotely reviewable.

Fg try. Good. 19-3. UM in danger of getting blown out.

Mussberger says the bloggers are on fire for lloyd. What the hell?

Bring us Lloyd's Head! And Chili Cheese Fritos!

TB breaston.

3wd. 3 yrds on te roll out.
2nd. 4 wd. Breaston 1dn. Why havent they used him more?
Henne manham for 9 to rt.
2dn & 1. 4 wd. Henne slide for 1dn. Stps up rns. End 3rd.

Strt 3rd.

Bitterness consuming me.

Pass to ecker for 5-6.
2dn. Hrt bulls for 2 to rt. Pentration.
3rd. Henne to ecker ovr midle for 15. Rough passr on usc sartz.
1dn. 5 wd. Arrington TD!
Arrngtn fought off db for catch Mich to go for two.
Hrt bulls way into ez for 2pnts.

19-11 USC leads.

When henne has time he looks good. If o line can keep him upright mich has chance.

Kick rtn to 26.

1dn. Jarret short od 1dn mrkr.
2dn &1. Inc on roll out rt. Harrisn on prssr.
3&1. Qb snk for 1dn.
1dn. David harris is a bad ass. Wraps up rb on dump off pass to lft. No gain.
2dn. Deflected pass to rt. Crble on rush.
3dn. 3wd. Pass to jarret TD on 3dn. Shit coverage as usual. Hall and barringer get torched. Burnt ovr top lft. Barringer called fr late hit. At least he cares.

25-11. Anger returns.

UM's needs at cb become more & more apparent.

1dn. Tipped ball.
2dn. Ecker for 5 on lft side.
3dn. Exker agn for 36 up middle.
1dn. Hrt for 4 to left side.
2nd comp to manham ovr midl.
1dn. Loss of 5 on scrn.
2dn. Arrington to 20 or so.
3rd & 11. 5 wd. Shit pass bounces in frnt of man ham shrt of 1dn.
4&11. Go for it. 3 wd.breaston slides on turf short of 1dn on pass to rt.
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck
turnovr on downs @ 20.

830 left dn 14. Anger building.

How has hart been held in check like this?

1dn. Again. Smith pulls in another 1dn.
1dn. UM gets burned agn. 1dn on long pass.
TE pass beats crable on lft side
TD middl to smith.

UM completely breaks down. Our dbs are fucking horrible.

32-11.

Bitterness competely consuming me. Pissed we can't get any pressure. Pissed we can't stop the fucking short slant. Pissed we can't do anything fucking right.

29 points in the second half this fcking pathetic.

Michigan continues to suck in bowl games. Hart out with some kind of shoulder injury. Minor in.
Inc deep ball to manham lefr.
Comp to manham, left.
3rd. Arrington comp ovr middl.
1dn. Arrngtn drops easy 1dn.
2dn. Inc to butler on rt lft cross to cutler.
3dn. Another bad throw out of henne.
4&10. Punt mich.

21 points down. Bitterness has consumed me. Fuck it. I'm done.

Who'd a thunk it. The voters were right. Pisses me off.

If something happens I'll type it. If not, I'm drinking.

Tuesday Basketball Roundup

Michigan Basketball Improves to 14-3 (2-0) With Victory Over Cats

Michigan stayed relatively lukewarm after posting a 58-46 victory over Nortwestern in Evanston on Saturday. After topping Illinois in Michigan's Big Ten opener, the Northwestern game was a mild trap for the Wolverines before they venture to West Lafayette and their veritable Rodeo Drive of fast food and chain eateries this weekend.

I'm not takin' her to the Olive Garden.

It's not like we're dating.

To Michigan's credit, there only seem to be two shooters who can't find the rim (cough Dion Harris cough). Everyone hovered around 50% from the floor except Baker and Harris. Harris went 2-10 but dished out 8 assists with only a single turnover. Baker, despite leading the team with 11 points, went 3-8 and fumbled the ball 4 times the most on the team and three more than Courtney Sims (if that's believable). Everyone else was at 50% or better and the only other person with more than one turnover was Ron Coleman who had 2 in 20 minutes of playing time. That type of ball protection is something that has been missing from almost every Michigan game to date.

The problem is Michigan again allowed a clearly inferior team to hang around far too long. It wasn't until 6 minutes left in the game that Michigan finally put the Cats away. Michigan's inability to crush weak teams like the cockroaches they are is troubling as the tourney committee will evaluate Michigan on its total body of work. With Michigan's "schedule" the Wolverines need to show they are clearly better that road kill they've been playing.

Still, a 12 point win is a 12 point win. Especially on the road where Michigan has played TERRIBLY up to this point. I'll take it. Adding to the semi-sweet morsel that is victory is the lingering inclination to believe that Lester Abram is finally coming around. After torching Illinois for 25, Abram had a quiet game until sticking the final dagger into the Cats with a 3 pointer to seal the win. This team desperately needs an Iceman. With two strong games under his belt and a 4-8 shooting night, Lester gets my newest award for basketball excellence: The Iceman Helmet

Lester, you can be my wingman any time.

Despite my still lingering concerns about Michigan's coaching and the play of its seniors (save Abram), I am very very pleased with the play of its freshmen. Ekpe Udoh is fast becoming the best player on this team. In the win Udoh went 4-5 with two more blocks, two more assists and NO turnovers. He also grabbed 7 boards. Baker, despite his turnover problems (which seem to be a result of him trying to do too much), is playing over and beyond what ANYONE thought he'd be capable of. Sims has already had a pair of monster games and if Morris hadn't injured himself, he'd be contributing too.

Finally, one major thing to note is Jerret Smith played 8 minutes compared to Coleman's 20 and Baker's 26. Maybe this is just because they were playing Northwestern, but with Smith's turnover and shooting problems, I think Amaker is erring on the side of offense with Baker. If Baker can shoot his way out of however many turnovers he commits it's a vast improvement over Smith's inability to contribute offensively or defensively as a sub.

No matter. Michigan is 14-3 with a critical early conference game against Purdue on the horizon. Keep your fingers crossed, but at this point, it's still too early to get your hopes up.

Other Basketball/Recruiting Related Information:

- Manny Harris went for 50 or more for the second time this season. Harris dropped 52 on Detroit Henry Ford before Christmas and recently put 50 in on Grosse Point North. To assuage your fears, he has signed his letter of intent.

- Michigan PG commit Kelvin Grady scored 25 in East Grand Rapids dismantling of Wayland. Of serious note in the piece is Amaker took in another game of Delvon Roe's, the 5 star-top 5 power forward Michigan is coveting like the Hope Diamond. Roe scored 30 in front of Izzo and Amaker. At this point Roe has narrowed his choices to Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Kansas and North Carolina. Anyone else a little nervous looking at that list?

- As you probably noticed in the aboved linked articles, Alex Legion continues to play well.

- Along with Delvon Roe, one of Michigan's top 2008 targets is top 4 player and 5 star Ohio center Kenny Frease. Frease injured his right wrist in a pre-New Years game and will be out three weeks. Frease continues to list Xavier as his top choice and has mentioned repeatedly that Michigan is "tied" with Xavier for tops on his list. Talking about his recruiting, Frease said the following:

"Right now I’m hearing from Xavier, Michigan and Notre Dame a lot. Kentucky has just recently offered and Tubby Smith has called the school to talk to my coach recently. I’d have to say Xavier is probably at the top of my list along with Michigan. I just feel real comfortable with the Xavier staff. I’ve been down there seven times and it’s a great place. I’m not ready to make a decision yet. I’ll probably be ready to announce my decision in late June or early July. I’m still considering Notre Dame and I want to see Michigan State. I’m really impressed with Tom Izzo and what he’s done there. Tommy Amaker at Michigan is a great guy too. It will be hard to tell some of these people that I won’t be coming to their school.”

Frease visited Michigan back in September and came away very impressed. However, I think the time that's passed since his visit made his memory a little lax. Another visit would help, but unless Amaker pulls a rabbit out of his hat my gut is telling me Frease will end up at Xavier. Still, the fact that Michigan is still up there has to be taken as a good sign.

- Finally, the Women's Basketball team notched its first Big Ten win since 2005 when it defeated Penn State. Ta'Shia Walker led the way with 15 points in 24 minutes. This is the first time in almost two calendar years that the Lady Wolverines claimed a win in Big Ten play and they did it convincingly. Michigan topped PSU 55-41 in Ann Arbor to even their conference record at 1-1. They sit 8-9 on the year. Congratulations to the women's team on a hard fought victory.

Posting To Resume Tuesday

Stuck in Mexico. Not the "Cabo Wabo" part like I was last week.

Me: Last week

Our American Airlines DC10 decided it didn't want to fly anymore after an hour delay. Even so they left us on a sun scortched runway in that glorified pepsi can without A/C for the better part of two hours. My desire for clean tap water and ESPN en ingles will have to wait another day. Gracious accommodations provided by American below:

Not Cabo Wabo

Anyway, jokes and rants resume on Tuesday with "Thumbin' Thru The Rose Bowl" (ed note: Thumbin' Thru involves lots of cursing).

15 Post Rose Bowl Reasons Not To Jump In Front Of A Bus

In the wake of the semi-homicidal/suicidal postings on the Michigan message boards and the general malaise that seems to be hovering over the Michigan fan base, I think some positive reinforcement is in order to calm everyone down.

To wit, I present:

15 Post Rose Bowl Reasons Not To Jump In Front Of A Bus

1. Mike Hart is Returning - Yes, he did have a sub-Mike Hart game in the Rose Bowl. That doesn't change what he means to this team. He is the 415 cubic inch engine that drives the 59 DeSoto that is the Michigan offense. For those of you looking for a more invigorating analogy, Mike is both the Heart and Soul of this team. He makes us all want to believe that anything is possible. Michigan and Hart were supposed to do nothing this year. Instead, he finished 5th in the Heisman voting, likely where Michigan will finish the year as well. We get one more year of Mike Hart, the man-child with the boyish face and the devil in his legs. The broad press smile and the evil scowl as he runs over another opponent. He's returning, and so should our faith.

2. Chad Henne is Returning - If Hart is the Heart and Soul, then Henne is the Brain and Central Nervous System. The only true brain freeze Chad had this year was his ill-advised pass to a USC defensive lineman early in the 3rd Quarter of the Rose Bowl. Until that time, Chad had been everything you could possibily wish from a quarterback. On the year Chad tossed 22 TD's and only 8 INTs, throwing for over 2500 yards. While he regressed his sophomore season, he grew in leaps and bounds this season maturing into a fine field general that is the best returning quarterback in the country save the possible exception of David Booty. Shake your head and disagree if you want, the fact that Chad was sacked five (5, cinco, canc, a fin) before he coughed up the ball and was under more pressure than the elastic in Charlie Wies' sansabelt slacks all game is impressive. Chad's as good a quarterback as Michigan has seen in some time. As a senior I expect he'll be even better.

3. Jake Long is Returning - One of the best returning linemen in country. Period. Full stop. Jake is a sun blocking Left Tackle who will keep Henne upright next season just as he did this. Making things even better is now he's coming back with something to prove. That his last game, arguably not his best, was an anomoly, something to be forgotten and ignored. When a man of his size and demeanor comes back pissed off, look for good things in the run and passing games.

4. Safety Help is On The Way - Don't forget about Jonas Mouton at safety. He was the No. 45 recruit in the country a year ago and one of Michigan's biggest recruiting coups. He's fast and mean and has four years of eligibility left. Also on the way is four star safety Jerimy Finch. One of the best safety recruits in the country. Fast as a hummingbird's wings and angry as a bull that's been kicked in the crotch. He's part ball hawk and part steamroller. Expect him starting by mid-season.

5. This Was Only Ron English's First Year - That's right. Year 1. He took a miserable defense from Jim Herrmann and turned it into one of the nation's best. He took players he didn't recruit and molded them in his own image. Think about it. As DB coach he helped to recruit defensive players. Now he's the main atraction. As the year wore on people saw his schemes and adapted. Now English will have to adapt and adjust. Add another wrinkle to the already creased face of the Michigan defense. And he will. He will also recruit fast, angry players that fit his defense. Finch came to Michigan because of Ron English. More premier defensive players will too. Next year, though Michigan lost more than its share of players, expect Michigan to be even more aggressive on defense as both the playbook and the players adapt to their new master.

6. Mario Manningham Is Only a Junior Next Year - The best deep threat in the Big Ten is back and he's wearing Maize & Blue. He battled injuries all season and still lead the team in TD receptions despite missing 3 games and playing sparingly in another. Mannigham will continue to grow as a receiver as long as he wants to. Like the rest of this team I expect him to take the Rose Bowl loss personally and work on the things that limited him this year. Next year expect Mannigham to blossom into a more complete receiver, not just a deep ball man, but a quicker, through the middle pass catcher that will keep defenses guessing.

7. Our Returning Secondary Saw Lots Of Action This Year - Okay, this is a stretch, but it's worth mentioning. Morgan Trent and Charles Stewart both have two more years, Brandon Harrison and Johnny Sears have three. It's my hope that a year of getting torched will have taught them something. It would be hard to imagine them getting worse, though I said that about Notre Dame's backfield this year too.

8. Most of the Offensive Line Returns - Unless I'm wrong, Adam Kraus has a year left. The Big Shill will take over at Right Tackle. If there's one place Michigan has some depth, it's at the Offsensive line. Justin Boren has three years left, and Alex Mitchell, despite a tough season is only going to get better. Recruiting looks solid too as Michigan has garnered a commitment from Dave Molk, the No. 2 Center in this year's recruiting class. Things aren't as bad as the Rose Bowl made it seem. Next year's line will be stronger.

9. Anchors For The Defense Line and Line Backing Corps Return - Terrance Taylor despite his immense size will only be a junior next year, Shawn Crable despite the prospect of lots and lots of money returned to finish his degree, and there is still the posibility of Alan Branch returning (though that looks less and less likely [HT: MB]). Still, there are a number of excellent players behind them that are returning and Michigan's recruiting efforts are not being wasted. Ryan Van Bergen committed at DE and Brandon Herron committed at SLB. Things aren't as bleak as they seem.

10. Adrian Arrington is Back - Michigan returns yet another deep threat, and this time one with a few moves inside the hash marks. Arrington will be next year's version of Steve Breaston in the offense. The possession guy, except one that can also go deep and catch the ball. Don't underestimate the importance of his return.

11. This Was DeBord's First Year Back - And Michigan was at or near the top of several all important offensive categories, including rushing attempts, rushing yards, and wins. While DeBord's game plan against USC was abysmal, the other 12 games he was damn near brilliant. Yes Michigan didn't blow out crappy teams by running up the score, but in the games that mattered (save USC) Michigan always put up enough points to win. Erase USC from your memory and evaluate the season as a whole. The offense was pretty damn good. Henne progressed, Manningham matured, Hart was awesome, and Arrington finally made use of his immense talent. Those are some impressive feathers for any coach's cap. Cut Mike some slack. He ran a pretty good offense this year.

12. Rome Wasn't Built In a Day - We canned EVERYONE last year. The defensive coaching staff is brand new and so is most of the offensive staff. Relax. Have a muffin. Breathe. They get more than a year before we start looking for a wall to line them up against.

13. Next Years Schedule - Please. Look at it. Kiss it. Make sweet love to it. It is your friend.

14. Michigan Will OWNZOR the Big Ten - Look at the conference top to bottom. PSU and Wisconsin pose the only real threats, save of course OSU's defense.

15. The Basketball Team Won A Game! - That's right! We're 1-0 in conference! We beat Illinois! Woo! Lester Abram scored 25 and is finally back from his injuries. The freshman are playing like seniors. Next year's recruiting class is one of the best in the country. Get excited! Woo! Basketball! Why have you not brought Ekpe Udoh meats and cheeses!? He is your new King!

Anyway. I hope this helps.

Go Blue!

Recovery Is A Long, Painful Process

Two days later I'm still shaking my head over what happened.

An offense that churned out 39 points against Ohio State was in reality held to 11. Mike Hart was a non-factor. Chad Henne spent most of his day being burried like a dog bone. A Defense that had given up nothing all year, gave up everything in the final 30 minutes of the game from hell.

Fingers must be pointed. Blame must be assessed. Vengance must be swift. I need to get over the Montezuma's revenge I contracted while on vacation in Mexico. Seriously.

However you will see the following things when I finally clear my head of daylight nightmare that is D'wayne Jarrett.

1. I will not call for Lloyd's head. Lloyd Carr is the symbol of what it is to be a Michigan man. He performs his job with class and dignity, and up until the 3rd quarter of the Rose Bowl had done an outstanding job preparing this team for its season. The brutal fact of the matter is that Michigan wasn't just out coached, it was our talented in the worst possible way. It will take Michigan 3-4 years to undo the damage Jim Herrmann's defensive recruiting and scheming did to this defense. A long look into our defensive backfield reveals our inadequacies. I have faith this will be remedied, the same way I had faith that Michigan would challenge for a national title this year. They did and they will. Lloyd is not the problem.

2. Blame should be placed on Mike DeBord's head for the sorry play calling and horrendous adjustments he made during the game. He should not be fired. He took a miserable offense last year and turned it into a damn good one. Where he failed on New Year's day was being unable to shift from a gap shooting running offense to a more traditional blow them off their feet 4 yards and a cloud of dust attack. USC was the perfect gap shooting team and the failure to adjust cost Michigan the game early. Still. Look at what the man did this year. There are maybe 4 or 5 teams in the country that can boast the numbers Michigan put up until the Rose Bowl. Again, I have confidence he will learn from this.

3. Alex Mitchell was really really really bad during the game.

4. Our defensive backfield couldn't cover a hot pocket with a paper towel. Barringer and Englemon were brutal at safety. Adams and Harrison reeked as well. We'll need dental records to identify Morgan Trent's charred corpse after being flambe'd by USC. If you're looking for a scapegoat in that debacle, look no further.

5. Ron English. As correctly pointed out by one of the anonomous all-stars that so kindly visit and post on this site, any notion that he is some kind of suuuuper-genius went out the window in Michigan's DISMAL defensive performances over the last two games. No pressure, blitzes that weren't properly called or executed, and defensive backs playing 15 yards off their wide receivers. The second half was evidence he ain't all that. Yet.

6. If you're looking for me to call for someone's head, his name is Thomas Amaker.

7. This too shall pass. Bowl losses are nothing new to me at this point. However, Michigan has an excellent team returning. Next year will be a good one. Now we just wait and see.

There are too many other things going on to be excited about in Michigan athletics to dwell on this loss more than a few more days. If I can figure out the Mexican internets, I'll post my "Thumbin' Thru Michigan USC" in the next few days. If not, regular blogging will resume on Monday for the the MNC Game.

In the meantime, they're barbequing the Marlin I caught.

Go Blue.

Dammit

If there's a photo that sums up the Rose Bowl better than John Greilick's photo for the Detroit News, I haven't found it. A desperate flail by an overmatched Michigan team as USC goes sprinting by. The voters were right. Michigan wasn't supposed to be in the national championship game. I just wish Michigan hadn't gone out of its way to prove it so vehemently.

Congrats to the Trojans. I'm going to go throw up now.

The Game of Games

Game Time

The Rose Bowl Michigan v. USC 5PM EST on ABC

It's here. Finally. Our long wait for meaningful football is over.

Small Absence

My apologies for the lack of posting leading up to today. However, as I'm currently typing this on a 3 dollar internet cardin Mexico, I'm sure you'll understand when I say there has been a whole lot of time to post. However, I've got Thirty minutes and a goofy Mexican keyboard to get you up to speed, so lets get to it. Forgive any spelling errors, I've gotta be quick.

Previewing the Big Game

Ivan Maisel take a hard look at the teams, what they've got, and what they've got to prove.
Brian breaks it down to the bone. Seriously. Everything.
Excellent stuff from Stadium and Main.
Johnny's ready.
The Free Press Previews the Game.
Rosenberg takes a look at the subplots.
The Detroit News takes a long look too.
Go Blue Wolverine picks Michigan.
CSTV's experts pick a winner.

Battle of the Blogs II

CSTV was kind enough to invite me back to give a preview of the Michigan USC game. Specifically the offense. My last preview was, well, wrong. However, I'm fairly confident this one is a little more on point.

USC employs a very different front seven alignment than Michigan has seen all year. Specifically, they run a 3-4 defense with random and repeated blitzes from their very large, very fast linebacker quartet. From time to time USC will line up in a more tradititional 4-3 alignment with one of their faster LBs lining up outside as a DE.

The Michigan offense and USC defense match up pretty evenly. The x-factor, as it always is, is Steve Breaston, whom I expect to have his best game as a Wolverine. Anyway, below is a small preview of the matchup.

Michigan’s Offense v. USC’s Defense

If you’re lazy, let me save you the trouble of reading the rest of this column. Michigan’s Offense should score a heap of points on USC’s defense. I know this will come as a shocker, but I’ve got Michigan in the win column come the end of New Years Day.

For those of you thirsting for a little more football insight, allow me to elaborate.

Michigan’s Offensive Line v. USC’s Defensive Line

Both units are coming off somewhat sub-par showings in their rivalry games. Michigan’s O-Line allowed an uncharacteristic four sacks versus a talented and fast OSU defensive front. The majority of the pressure came from the place you least want it, straight up the middle. On the otherside, USC recorded three sacks against UCLA, but none of them came from their D-Line. Making matters worse, though USC held UCLA’s tailback to 55 yards they allowed their QB to rush for 72 and failed to pick him off a single time.

On Defense, USC brings its pressure with its Linebackers. Even so, don’t sleep on large scary man Lawrence Jackson who leads the Defensive line in sacks with 3.5. Unfortunately for USC he’s the only real presence over the football. The Trojan’s don’t possess a sun-blocking DT (e.g., One Mr. Quinton Peacock) capable of single handedly destroying Michigan’s game plan. Michigan’s interior line matches up well with USC and at the corners of the line, Jake Long is All-American caliber and Reuben Riley has been more than sufficient. While USC employs a different defensive scheme than Michigan has seen this year, Mike Hart is one of the best QB protectors in the college game and Michigan’s Line has proven it can handle the fast and furious as well as the gigantic and angry.

Despite USC’s speed and skill, Michigan’s Offensive line is the better unit. Against OSU, a very similar defensive unit in terms of skill and speed, Michigan ran for 165, threw for 267 yards, and racked up 39 points. USC is giving up close to 100 yards on the ground per game. Expect Michigan to exceed that number, and rack up 150+ on the ground between Hart, Minor, and Jackson. USC should get to Henne once or twice, but Michigan will control the line of scrimmage.
Michigan’s Running Attack v. USC’s Run Defense

This loosely translates into Mike Hart v. USC’s Line Backing corps. If there is a better power running back in the country than Hart, I haven’t seen him. Hart routinely turns two yard losses into five yard gains. Though he doesn’t have the break away speed of a Reggie Bush or a Chris Wells, Hart continually racks up hard runs of 15-25 yards. With that type of running Michigan’s offense eats up both yardage and time while keeping their opponent’s offense off the field. Further adding to already substantial Mike Hart lore is the fact that Hart has fumbled once in three years. Once. Hart ranks 7th in rushing yards nationally and has added 14 TD’s to his 1500 plus yards on the ground.

Waiting for him will be a cadre of talented, fast USC Linebackers. USC’s three top tacklers are their starting Linebacking corps. Rey Maualuga, Keith Rivers, and (porn name alert!) Dallas Sartz are all over 65 tackles on the year. Sartz leads the team in sacks with 6 and his compatriots have 2 a piece. Their most impressive effort this year was holding star running back and Mario Kart aficionado Marshawn Lynch to 91 yards on the ground on no TDs.

The unfortunate thing for USC is none of the offenses USC faced had either the Offensive line or the versatility of Michigan. Michigan’s possession of two legitimate deep threats, a stable of talented tight ends who can block, and freak of nature Steve Breaston, generally forces offenses to pick their poison. Michigan will run right at USC regardless of whether there is immediate success. If Michigan gains heavy yards early, especially behind OT Long and OG Kraus, they will pound those plays into the ground until they are stopped. If Michigan doesn’t have immediate success, they’ll run those plays anyway in order to set up the pass. Michigan’s size advantage at the line, the athleticism of their key blockers, and Mike Hart make stopping the Wolverine running game a tall order for anyone.

I expect Hart to have a banner day, around 150 yards and 2 TDs. Edge Michigan.

Michigan’s Passing Offense v. USC’s Pass Defense

This is where USC may have the advantage. One of the hardest things to keep sharp during a long layoff is a QB’s timing with his receivers at game speeds. Making that harder will be Thomas Terrell and the USC pass defense. Terrell is a bad, bad man. Starting all 12 games he leads the Trojans with 12 pass break ups, in addition to racking up 46 tackles and 2 interceptions. As USC’s top cover corner he’ll match up against Mario Manningham and attempt to keep the sophomore under wraps. This may be the best match up of the game when they pair off. This will leave Harris Carry matched up against Adrian Arrington. Where I rate the Manningham/Terrell match up as a push, Michigan has the advantage here. Arrington proved to be a top receiver during Manningham’s absence and his ability to make the tough catch over the DB has been a staple this year.

Safeties Taylor Mays and Kevin Ellison will patrol the back of the field and are sure tacklers with some ball hawking instincts. Mays leads the team with 3 INTs and Ellison has one to his credit.

The game will likely turn on Michigan’s short passing game. In looking at USC’s schedule, Chad Henne is the best QB USC will have faced this year. Further, despite his occasional stumble against lesser teams, Henne is the very definition of a big game QB. As a freshman against Texas in the Rose Bowl, Henne threw for 227 and 4 TDs. Against OSU he’s only thrown 2 INTs (both his freshman year) in three games. Henne is at his best when the pressure is on. The same can not be said for any of the QB’s USC has faced.

Tyler Ecker, thought to be Michigan’s best Tight End going into the season, is finally back from injuries and should play significant minutes. Backing him up is pass catching/notsomuchblocking sophomore sensation Carson Butler. Both Tight Ends have smooth hands and incredible wheels for guys over 6-3. Butler is the better pass catcher and can outrun most LBs. The LB/TE match up goes to Michigan, but barely.

The key to the game will be Steve Breaston. Playing in his third Rose Bowl, Breaston has seen nothing but heartache in his previous two. Dogged by a sensational freshman year he was unable to live up to, Breaston scampered through the 2004 Rose Bowl with a cast on his hand and tender hamstrings. This year he’s been both healthy and productive. Second only to Mike Hart in all purpose yards, Breaston led the Wolverines in receptions with 51 and total receiving yards. Of Breaston’s catches 51 catches, 33 went for first downs or touchdowns. Michigan has the advantage in the passing game, but only because of Breaston.

This is Steve’s Rose Bowl.

Michigan wins.

GO BLUE!

Meet The New Face Of Michigan Basketball

He'll Be Blocking Your Shots For The Next Three Years

Epke Udoh. Provide him with meats and cheeses. He is your new king.

Despite a name that sounds like it belongs to a Bond villian, Epke does not possess their inherent knack for not killing his prey. To the contrary. If Epke had a role in Thunderbolt or Goldfinger the world would be under S.P.E.C.T.E.R.'s control and Sean Connery would be in little pieces slowly dissolving on the ocean floor. He has that certain Idon't know what about him. A hunger to play and an anger that people are stupid enough to try to post him up. He's something special Michigan fans. Savior it. There's a big man on campus who can play both ends of the court that Ed Martin didn't pay for. This is a big deal.

Udoh threw a block party for the Crisler arena crowd, stoning 9 Army shots in 29 minutes.

No. A Block Party.

On top of that he contributed 8 points on 4-9 shooting, dished an assist and swiped two steals. earlier this year Lester Abram predicted Udoh would have an impact on the team, I just don't think anyone thought his impact would be this significant. He's become Amaker's first choice off the bench in any situation and has proven in a very short time that he can contribute not only with his defense but by pouring in some points as well.

Michigan has been hampered by insufficient efforts out of its starters when faced with decent competition. The UCLA and NC State games were exhibits 1A and 1B. Dion Harris has been a disaster as a combo shooting/point guard. Harris has played as though he is unaware that missing more shots than your teammates are taking is a bad thing. Sims has been decent but inconsistent and lacking any real fire. Abram and Petway might as well not be playing at this point, as Abram has played like he is afraid to shoot or touch anyone and Petway's offense is limited to the area five feet above the rim. Tired of this lack of fire and productivity Amaker benched his whole starting line up. The result was a 62-50 Michigan win over Army.

In what can only be described as (I can't believe I'm writing this) a smart coaching decision, Thomas Amaker started Reed Baker, Jerret Smith, Deshawn Sims, Epke Udoh, and Jevohn Shepherd. Following Michigan's embarrassing blowout loss to UCLA, Amaker sent a message, loud and clear to his starters "put in the effort or ride the pine."

In an attempt to salvage a season, and no I do not think it is premature to say that, Amaker benched his underperforming upperclassment and started a bunch of unknown underclassmen. A bold move considering if it didn't pay off and Michigan lost to a less than mediocre Army team while benching its starters, it's safe to say Amaker would have lost his only disciplinary weapon/motivational device over the team. Instead of his decision blowing up in Michigan's face, it looks as though it will pay huge dividends forthe Maize & Blue as the season goes on.

In his first start as a Wolverine Reed Baker showed why Amaker took a flyer on him, despite never seeing him live. Pouring in a game high 19 points on 5-5 3 point shooting and being perfect from the free throw line, Baker set the offensive tone for Michigan. In 29 minutes of action Baker committed only a single turnover and pulled down 4 boards. Not bad for a kid whose scholarship travels and travails are well documented. Following his performance it is safe to say he is Michigan's best outside shooter (not that there is much competition).

The Follow Through of a Pure Shooter

Much maligned PG Jarret Smith also flashed some promise. Despite sinking a single 3 pointer on 6 field goal attempts, Smith dished 4 assists while turning the ball over only twice. More importantly he went to the basket, getting six shots from the charity stripe and hitting 4 of them. Smith also grabbed 5 boards, and collect a block and a steal. Maybe all he really need was playing time, we'll have to see, but he still has to learn how to shoot from the floor.

Finally, DeShawn Sims shone bright as well. Scoring 13 points and pulling down 8 rebounds Sims was a force around the basket. Recruited for both his obvious offensive skills and his defense, Sims played mad as all players of his position do. Even in still shots you can see something in his eyes. This is a young man we will all be excited to watch develop over the next few years.

This is not to suggest that everything was fixed in a night. No. To the contrary. Dion Harris was still bad. Despite playing only 22 minutes he still took, and missed, more shots than the other reserves and Jevohn Shepherd combined. At this point, when Harris is on the floor anyone seated around the basket should be afraid because the ball isn't going anywhere near the rim. Petway can't hold onto the ball or deliver it to players on his own team as evidenced by his 4 turnovers and one assist in 11 minutes of play. Of those coming off the bench, thankfully, Lester Abram was the most productive. He seems to have gotten the message that more is expected out of him. Lester grabbed 7 boards and contributed 6 points (1-1 from the floor) in only 12 minutes of play. Instead of standing around waiting open shots he attempt to create something and was rewarded with 5 shots from the free throw line. We're going to need much more of this from him.

Michigan showed us yesterday that there are more weapons in their quiver than the warped arrows they've used so far this year.

I know its only Army, but I'll take it as a good sign.

Nice job Amaker. Keep it up.

Thursday's Hearsay and Conjecture: Unfinished Business

Hart and Crable to Return

ESPN is reporting that Mike Hart has made it official, he's coming back. Hart cited Chad Henne's decision to return as a major factor in his decision. The nucleus of a great offense is now set in stone and we have one more year to marvel at the young man who embodies the heart, courage and spirit of the University we love so much.

Shawn Crable also made it official today, he's coming back. Just 14 credits shy of completing his degree Crable announced today that he will return to Michigan for his senior season. The Detroit News broke the story today.


The GLI Faces Off Tonight

With Michigan State, Michigan Tech and Harvard to match up against, Michigan comes into tonight's opening round of the Great Lakes Invitational flat as cutting board. To put it mildly, Billy Sauer has not been good. Over his last four starts he's given up 22 goals and lost all four games. Despite being third in the country in scoring Michigan ranks 48th in defense (allowing 3.7 goals a game). Despite scoring over four goals a game, the margin for error with this year's team is razor thin.

Michigan State and Harvard face off at 4:30 EST with Michigan and Michigan Tech facing off at 8pm. Michigan Tech will not be a push over for the Wolverines. Tech is coming off a two game sweep of North Dakota and sport a red hot goalie in Rob Nolan, whose GAA of 2.13 is more than a full goal less than Sauer's.


Michigan Basketball Hosts Army Tonight

It's Army. Woo.

Coming off an embarrassing loss to UCLA Michigan will hopefully come out storming and take it right to the cadets. Note to Amaker: Pick and rolls. Work on them. Note to Harris: Drive the firggin' lane already!

Nice article on Epke Udoh. Interesting piece on Jevohn Shepherd.


Maize n Brew Nominated For Cool Stuff

It's gratifying that people visit this site in the first place. But to have people whom you have the uptmost respect for saying kind things about your work makes you feel pretty good.

Johnny over at RBUAS nominated Maize n Brew for Best New Blog and was kind enough to say the following:

Maize n Brew - Dave’s writing is often profound, often funny, always insightful; conveys all of the emotional investment a fan needs to make sports worthwhile.

Peter at Burnt Orange Nation also nominated Maize n Brew for Best New Blog

Maize n Brew - Dave's just a good writer that manages to be yet another relevant and important voice in a sea of Michigan bloggers.

As a huge fan of both their writing and sites, such nominations are greatly appreciated.

In addition, Matt Glaude of Syracuse 44 Orange gave Maize n Brew a nod as a one of three nominees for best Big Ten blog. Again, praise from those you respect is appreciated and flattering.


I'm Not The Only Person Who Doesn't Like Amaker

Johnny doesn't either. He just writes it better. Nathan Fenno wasn't too thrilled by Saturday either.


Every Date You've Had Since College

Read. Laugh. Cry.

My Problem With Amaker

In the wake of the UCLA loss this past weekend I was pretty critical of Thomas Amaker and the entire Michigan team.

This team is disorganized, inept, and incapable of passing the ball to their teammates. Talent, honestly, isn't the issue. There is talent in Maize and Blue. The issue is coaching. Coaching tells a player how to break the press. Coaching changes gameplans when the first doesn't work. Coaching doesn't go to Zone when you're down 20. Coaching finds a way to break a 12-4 run early in the second when there is still a hope of a comeback. Coaching finds a way to may even the flattest games respectable. Coaching focuses on a team's weakness and makes them stronger. Coaching prepares teams for big games before national TV audiences

This was not the first time, nor the last, that I have wagged a finger at Thomas Amaker for ill-preparing his players for a critical game. However, a couple astute readers asked me why I'm jumping on the negativity band wagon so early in the season. This is my attempt to answer their inquiry and get your thoughts on how Thomas Amaker is doing.

In Amaker's defense there are several banner victories to hang a season on, a 13 game winning streak in 2002-3, and an NIT banner to talk about. Last season is a perfect example of the reasons to love or hate Amaker as Michigan's head basketball coach. It provides fodder on both sides to either call for patience or call for his head. Banner victories, humiliating losses.

With that in mind, looking at last year, Michigan roared out of the gates to an eventual top 25 national ranking. Getting there Michigan looked good. Victories over MSU and Wisconsin marked their early season triumphs. Michigan was standing tall after pounding Penn State, a team Northwestern routinely dismantles as well. Then the wheels came off. Michigan dropped three straight after being ranked for the first time in 5 years. They lost 7 of their last 9 games to miss the NCAA tournament. The only bright spot during that dismal run was Daniel Horton single handedly willing Michigan to victory over a flat Illini team. Despite all he did, Michigan dropped its next three game including an unbelievable Big Ten tournament loss to a Minnesota team Michigan had whupped by 22 points five games earlier. Instead of the NCAAs Michigan went to the NIT where they eventually lost to South Carolina (a team that swept the national champion Gators).

On the plus, Michigan made the NIT finals, beat ranked opponents in MSU, Wisconsin and Illinois, and put on a show for all of us to care about. On the minus, Michigan dropped 7 of 9 to close its season, blew an easy win against Minnesota when it was widely speculated/known that a win would get them into the NCAA tournament, played absolutely horrible defense all year long, and had to rely on a single player for almost all of its offense.

In looking back over my notes and columns during that time the thing that consistently jumps out at me is the fact that if Daniel Horton had a quiet game, Michigan was guaranteed to lose. Last year's success appeared to be more the result of Horton's stubbornness than Amaker's coaching. Michigan consistently allowed decent teams to shoot ridiculously high field goal percentages and out rebound them. Defensively Michigan was always slow to rotate, late box out, and totally incapable of defending a pick and roll. On offense Michigan was in just as clueless. Re-watch any game last year and you will notice that there was no game plan. It was simply "give the ball to Horton and pray." Michigan was constantly out assisted. Dion Harris couldn't shoot well last year either. Courtney Sims was ineffective then too (although he has come to play this year). Turnovers were far more common than assists. Even in Michigan's victories they would often out-turnover their opponents.

Look at the UM/ND NIT game. The last play that Michigan spent a full timeout to design was, at best, a total disaster. Horton had no idea where he was going, was quickly double teamed, and somehow managed to find Harris alone on a night when he was 2-8 from the arc prior to his shot. Horton was supposed to take the shot. Everyone knew that. Yet none of Michigan's players could set a pick or a screen to get him loose. Instead of a set shot, it ended up a desperation three with time expiring.

Since 2001-2 Michigan is staggeringly bad 8-27 against ranked opponents. Four of those victories have come against teams ranked #17 or below. The highs? Illinois at 8, Wisconsin at 10, MSU at 11, and Iowa at 14. That's it. A 23% winning percentage against the top #25 over 6 years.

Simply put, my irritation with Michigan's head basketball coach does not stem from a single game, nor am I judging him solely on that performance. To the contrary, I am holding him accountable for the body of work he has compiled with players he's recruited. With those players Michigan has been consistently mediocre. And that's not good enough. Mediocre means NITs rather than NCAAs.

The final conference statistics from 2003, 2004, and 2005 tell the story. In 2003 Michigan has incredibly mediocre, ranking 6th in the conference in just about every category. With one anomaly, Michigan was 9th in the conference in the assist to turnover ratio. 2004 saw a steep decline as Michigan ranked around 8th in most defensive categories, but was dead last in assist to turnover ratio and second to last in assist, turnover margin, and that slightly important category scoring offense.

Last year Michigan returned to mediocrity offensively, but continued to have trouble stopping anyone from scoring. Michigan was again second to last in field goal percentage defense and three point defense. Again, Michigan was second to last in both turnover margin and assist to turnover ratio. Only Purdue, who beat Michigan last year, averaged more turnovers a game than Michigan.

Over the course of Amaker's tenure Michigan turns the ball over more times than it assists on a basket, it cannot stop anyone from scoring either in front of or behind the 3-point arc, and with the exception of Daniel Horton's 2005 season can't score enough to make up for its mistakes.

This year, many of the same problems are coming to the forefront. None of Michigan's guards can shoot. And instead of creating off the dribble and driving the lane, they are content to loft contested long range shots over outstretched arms. No one knows how to set a screen. No one knows how to rotate offensively to beat a double team down low. No one knows how to make a friggin bounce pass into the post. The turnover problem continues to haunt Michigan. Despite how early it is in this season and Michigan's 11-2 record it still ranks near the bottom of the Big Ten in turnover margin and assist to turnover ratio. Michigan's defense also leaves plenty to be desired. The fact that it is eeking by teams like NIU or Miami scares the hell out of me come Big Ten time. Michigan's victory over NIU is tempered in my mind by the number of missed open jumpers that the Huskies lofted. When left alone like that, good teams will bury you. Those teams are coming up on the schedule very, very shortly. For the record, Michigan is dead last in the conference in 3-point defense.

These numbers are all indicia, at least in my opinion, of a coaching problem. Amaker is famous for strange coaching decisions at inopportune times. On every broadcast game I saw last year, if Michigan was down by a margin larger than 10 Amaker would switch to a zone defense. Why in God's name would you do that when you're down big in the second half? You need the ball back. Zone allows a team to keep the ball around the perimeter and run time off the clock, and if they're a good shooting team find an open man when Michigan's suspect rotation never materialized. What made it even funnier/sadder was listening to the announcers question his decisions on the air!

All the things that irk me about Amaker were on display against UCLA. Lack of proper adjustments. Poor use of timeouts. Inability to design plays that went to Michigan's strengths. Poor substitutions. Confusion at a pressure defense. And his famous look of helplessness as the game wore on.

Coaching gets kids to respond to new challenges. If there's a change in the game plan you use one of the fifty or so tv timeouts to adjust. Michigan never does that. They occasionally pull out a victory when an opponent stupidly plays down to their level and doesn't dictate the flow of the game. However, if an opponent presses it's will on Michigan, they usually fold. That is an issue that irritates me no end.

Tom Amaker is a nice guy. He's a decent recruiter who seems to be getting better. He's an excellent representative of the school and seemingly an excellent role model for his players. I'm not calling into question his integrity or intelligence.

I'm saying he's a bad basketball coach. I'm saying he hasn't shown me otherwise. If he does, I'm more than happy to say I'm wrong. But he's gotta prove he can coach before I will.

The Defense Rests

Michigan Blown Out By UCLA On National Television

A lot of firsts occurred on December 23, 2006 when Michigan played UCLA.

1. It was the first time UCLA had scored more than 90 points this year.
2. It was the first time UCLA had beaten an opponent by more than 35 points this year.
3. It was the first time Michigan failed to score at least 60 points this year.
4. It was the first time Michigan has turned the ball over more than 20 times in a game this year.
5. It was Michigan's first nationally televised, prime-time Saturday game on CBS.

The unfortunate thing about December 23, 2006 was that this was not the first time Tommy's teams have embarrassed themselves and their school before a national television audience.

In the opening 20 minutes of the game Michigan turned the ball over 15 times. Not surprisingly Michigan was down 36-23 at the half. With the game all but decided at the start of the second half, Courtney Sims at least tried to make it respectable. Routinely fighting off double and triple teams Sims tried to keep the Wolverines close. Unfortunately no one else did. Only Sims and Lester Abram managed to record double figures, while four Bruin starters matched or bettered their outputs.

It's hard to say where to begin breaking down this debacle. Michigan was out manned. Michigan was out coached. Michigan was out hustled. Michigan was basically out everythinged. It's easy to point to the Bruin's perfect record and say, "That's what supposed to happen. Michigan was unranked and UCLA was/is No. 1." But you really can't say that with a straight face. BYU, Chaminade (where the eff is Chaminade?), Long Beach State, and Sam Houston State all outscored Michigan and held UCLA to a lower point total. No. This was a special day. This was a day Michigan was on national television. And this was the day they provided wouldbe recruits and future opponents with their most polished Washington Generals impersonation.

What happened on Saturday was an embarrassment to the program. Michigan showed no pulse and no heart. They were even more disorganized than usual. No one cut to the basket. Simple pressure applied by UCLA's guards turned into the majority of Michigan's turnovers as Harris, Coleman and Smith appeared clueless as to how to deal with it. Passes were lazily lobbed into the paint with a big "STEAL ME!" sign attached to them. No one rotated to help Sims or Petway in the blocks. Once Sims was double teamed in the paint, the ball usually went the other way. No one can hit a shot outside of ten feet. Michigan hit 1 three pointer. Michigan had only 9 assists compared to 23 turnovers. As usual, Michigan shot half as many free throws as its opponent.

Defensively Michigan was an absolute joke. UCLA shot 50% in the first half and 66.7% in the second. They were also 55% from behind the line. Amaker's team was puzzled, nay, totally blown away by UCLA's new fangled drive-the-lane-and-pass offense. Unable to adapt to a team that didn't shoot the ball from a set position with both hands, Michigan stood around in amazement as UCLA's quicker, younger players drove the lane for easy layups or easy kick out passes. It is apparent from watching Michigan play that the word "Rotation" has no place in the play book and is only loosely associated with car tires by this Wolverine team. Michigan has no idea how to deal with a pick. Michigan can't fight through a screen. They play defense like it's time for a nap. All this is the result of coaching from a man who was once the defensive player of the year in college basketball. If that is not a screaming indictment of his ability as a head basketball coach, I don't know what is.

After Saturday it is more than obvious to anyone watching that Courtney Sims is the only reliable offensive threat Michigan possesses, and that is stretching the word "reliable" to its logical and legal extreme. This is especially troubling when you consider that in order to win games, Michigan must outshoot its opponents to have any prayer of winning based on its paper towel like defense. Once Sims was taken away, Michigan collapsed. The only bright spots have been DeShawn Sims and Epke Udoh who are seeing increased playing time as Michigan starters continue to struggle.

I still have no idea where to start. This team is disorganized, inept, and incapable of passing the ball to members their teammates. Talent, honestly, isn't the issue. There is talent in Maize and Blue. The issue is coaching. Coaching tells a player how to break the press. Coaching changes gameplans when the first doesn't work. Coaching doesn't go to Zone when you're down 20. Coaching finds a way to break a 12-4 run early in the second when there is still a hope of a comeback. Coaching finds a way to may even the flattest games respectable. Coaching focuses on a team's weakness and makes them stronger. Coaching prepares teams for big games before national TV audiences.

I have never seen that out of Amaker's teams. Never.

If I do it'll be another first for this year.

* photo courtesy Mark Avery/AP

President Ford Dead at 93

Former President and Michigan Alumni Gerald Ford Passes Away

The University of Michigan, New York Times, and several other news source have reported that former President Gerald Ford has passed away at the age of 93.

Ford was a star center for Michigan's 1932 and 1933 undefeated National Championship teams. Ford was a three year letterman at Michigan, who along with his two national championship trophies was also named MVP of Michigan's 1934 football squad. An astounding athlete, Ford was actively recruited the Green Bay Packers to join the fledgeling NFL. Instead, Ford chose to go to Yale as an assistant football coach in hopes of being admitted to Yale's law school. Ford was admitted in 1938 and completed law school prior to WWII. During WWII Ford served with distinction in the US Navy. After returning from the war, Ford became involved in politics and was eventually elected to the House of Representatives wear he would serve until 1973.

Ford spent 25 years in Congress and rose to House Minority Leader prior to being appointed Vice President by Richard Nixon in 1973. Ford's reputation as a fair and honest represenative earned him a measure of respect during his time in Washington, and his appointment to the Vice Presidency was met with little fanfare.

Soon after his appointment news of the Watergate scandal broke, and turmoil prevailed in the highest offices of the U.S. government. Nixon's subsequent resignation on August 9, 1974, made Ford the President of the United States, an office he never campaigned for nor has ever elected to.

Upon his succession to the Oval Office he said the following:

I have not sought this enormous responsibility, but I will not shirk it. Those
who nominated and confirmed me as Vice President were my friends and are my
friends. They were of both parties, elected by all the people and acting under
the Constitution in their name. It is only fitting then that I should pledge to
them and to you that I will be the President of all the people.—Gerald R. Ford, August 9, 1974 (quotation courtesy of Wikipedia).

On that day Ford became our 38th President. As President, Ford lead the country during some of its most trying times, including America's withdrawal from Vietnam, the Watergate scandal, and a stagnant economy coupled with rampant inflation. Under Ford's watch Congress inacted several measures to curb inflation and took steps to bolster the nation's health care. Ford also maintained America's presence abroad, visiting China and continuing the U.S.'s ongoing détente with the Soviet Union.

The former President is survived by his wife Betty, their children, grand children and great grandchildren. My deepest sympathies to the Ford family on their loss.

Final Maize n' Nominations For the 2006 College Football Blogger Awards

You can find nominations Part 1 meyah, and Part Deux meyah.

The final piece of the nomination puzzle for this year's awards is for every blogger to list their three favorite pieces from the year. That's it. Out of the hundreds of things you've done, pick three, and make sure they don't suck.

Tough task. Tougher to get it out on time. Hence, my belated nominations for my own work.

However, there are a few things I've written this year that have stuck with me, and I'm greatful for the chance to share them with you one more time.

1. When All That's Left... - I wrote this piece in somewhat of a daze. I originally intended it to be a short lead in to my eventual Blogpoll Ballot, but it grew into a lot more than that. There's something about sport, not just football but any sport, that engenders a sense of optimism and hope that cannot be replicated in other facets of life. As it typed away I began to realize that one of college football's greatest gifts is the hope that it gives its followers. It's a sort of hope that makes no sense. Hope that exists against all odds. Hope that prevails over reality. You may know what will happen during the game, before the polls are released, or going into the season, yet you still cling to the Hope that things will be better than logic and your senses tell you they will. Sport gives hope in the darkest of places. Not just to fans in wealthy countries, but to those in places of great strife and famine. Sport gives us many things, but most importantly it gives hope.

2. Those That Vanish Before Our Eyes - Johnny's exquisite piece on Tony Boles sparked more questions than I had answers to. I initially penned a response to his piece, yet more things kept coming to mind. Most importantly, why is it football players like Boles simply disappear? This was my attempt to answer that question.

3. Tie: The Columbus Travel Advisory and Re-Mascoting The Big Ten - Just for fun.

2006 College Football Blogger Awards: Maize n' Nominations Part Two

You can find Part 1 of my nominations here.

One thing I forgot to mention during my last post was that nominations for the 2006 College Football Blogger Awards can be made by anyone. Bloggers. Readers. Mom. Dad. Lassie. All you have to do is visit the nominations page that Joel and Brian have set up. Vote early. Your vote counts (except in Florida). It's the American way.

On to the nominations Part Deux.

The Tyrone Prothro And His Amazing Catch Award
FOR: The finest individual post of the college football year.
CRITERIA: Best post for whatever reason.

1. Requiem by RBUAS. If you can read that without feeling a tightness in your chest, goosebumps on your arms, or a tear welling in your eye then you have no soul.

2. Marvel by RBUAS.

3. Eleven Swans by Mgoblog.

If I missed something special, please let me know. But these three stuck in my head.

The Chris Berman Antimatter Award
FOR: The best contribution to the lingo of our little interniche, be it a nickname, neologism, or catchy phrase used with frequency.
CRITERIA: Spread is important. The ideal candidate has been universally adopted by anyone with cause to use the term.

Um...

1. TEH SUXORZ??

The Old Faithful Award
FOR: The best recurring feature of the year.
CRITERIA: The feature should be posted weekly and be generally good and stuff.

1. UFR - Mgoblog
2. Don't Bet On It - Dawg Sports
3. Blogtoberfest - Every Day Should Be Saturday
4. Pickin on the Big Ten - The Bemusement Park
5. Maxwell Pundit - Rakes of Mallow

The That's Not Really Real Award
FOR: The best photoshop or other counterfeit gag of the year.
CRITERIA: Could be a photoshop, a Motivational Poster, an On Notice Board, or something similar, as long as it elicited more than a mere smile.

1. MZone - War Eagle
Hands down the funniest Photoshop of the Year. It still makes me laugh

2. MZone - The USC Cheerleader


3. Brains! - House Rock Built


4. Happy Kittens - EDSBS


The You Talkin' To Me Award
FOR: The best back and forth between rival blogs the week before a rivalry game.
CRITERIA: Must be bi-directional, and both blogs must score points against each other. A unilateral beat-down will not suffice. Should be more in the spirit of fun than wildly abusive.

No idea...

The I'm Just Like You But I Have a Podcast Award
FOR: The best podcast or podcaster of the year.
CRITERIA: Uh, must be audio. And about college football, you know. Note that this is "podcast" in a really broad sense. Parody songs, incoherent ravings about Tyrone Willingham, and whatever else you've got are nominate-able. One restriction: it has to be self-generated.

1. MSU Radio Host Melts Fucking Down on the Air - House Rock Built
2. The Michael Lewis Interview - EDSBS
3. Friday Night Lites - House Rock Built

The Blogger Championship Series

ACC: Ramblin Wreck (nod Eagle in Atlanta)
Big 10: MGoBlog (nods to Black Shoe Diaries, Bruce Ciskie, and MZone)
Big 12: Burnt Orange Nation (nods to Double Extra Point and Off Tackle)
Big East and ND: Blue Gray Sky (nods to House Rock Built, Card Chronicle, Orange 44, The Mountainlair)
Pac-10: Bruins Nation (nod to Addicted to Quack and Conquest Chronicles)
SEC: Every Day Should Be Saturday (nods to Dawg Sports and Roll Bama Roll)
Non-BCS: Pitch Right
Generalists: Sunday Morning Quarterback

And The Blogger Championship Throphy.....

Honestly can't decide. It's kind of a toss up between EDSBS and Mgoblog.

But my gut is with Mgoblog, as it was the first site I regularly visited and the site that helped convince me to launch my own.