Maize n Brew

Maize n Brew Has Moved

2007-01-14T21:25:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-12T08:45:00.000-08:00

(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

2007-01-11T07:25:00.000-08:00

(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

2007-01-10T10:51:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-10T06:29:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-09T13:17:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-09T11:21:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-07T20:47:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-04T10:20:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-03T15:36:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-02T10:28:00.000-08:00

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

2006-12-30T15:00:00.000-08:00

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

2006-12-29T09:44:00.000-08:00

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

2006-12-28T10:52:00.000-08:00

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

2006-12-28T07:17:00.000-08:00

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

2006-12-27T09:23:00.000-08:00

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

2006-12-26T21:14:00.000-08:00

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

2006-12-26T13:40:00.000-08:00

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

2006-12-21T08:03:00.000-08:00

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.

Wednesday's Hearsay and Conjecture: Extra Crispy

2006-12-20T07:36:00.000-08:00

Tommy Amaker = Matt Millen

I'm a big Michael Rosenbloom fan. The articles he pens for the Free Press almost make up for the paper employing a jackass like Drew Sharp. But the "Amaker is Millen" analogy is just perfect. Did you realize both men have been around for 6 years? Of course you didn't. You've been trying to fantasize that neither man really exists and that it's all just a horrible nightmare that you'll wake up from soon. Or is that just me?

In his most recent editorial Rosenbloom took aim at Tommy Amaker, criticizing Michigan's head basketball coach for the hollow praise from this young season that continually emanates from the Coach's mouth. Exhibit 1: "We're 11-1 right now," Michigan coach Tommy Amaker pointed out. "I feel like sometimes I'm still having to answer for things. I don't know what else we could do -- be 12-0?"

As I pointed out yesterday (and Rosenbloom points out today), Michigan's schedule to date has been less than stellar. No. That's not true. It's been terrible. Michigan has played three teams with winning records: NC State (7-2), Harvard (7-4!?), and Davidson (9-3). That's it. The won/lost record for this season's schedule is 51-74, and most of these schools are MAC or Southern League schools.

As much as Tommy tells us the schedule is the answer, we've played three NCAA tourney teams from last year with two (UCLA and G-Town) upcoming, it sounds more like a punchline. Michigan is 1-1 against last year's Tourney teams with a winning record (W Davidson, L NCST). However, no one will mistake Davison for an ACC top-middle program. The other team, Milwaukee-Wisconsin is 2-10 on the year.

Rosenbloom correctly points out that Michigan has the opportunity to prove it is a NCAA tournament worthy team if it can pull off the upset at UCLA. Fat chance. Rosenbloom also points out that Michigan is 17-37 on the road under Amaker. That's a bad, bad statistic. No one expects a team to be perfect away from home. Far from it. But people do expect competence on the road. Go .500. We're cool with that. But when your team loses more than two-thirds of its games on the road, you've got a problem. What makes it worse is the following:

Michigan's 17 road wins include five over Penn State, which fields a team only for tax purposes. And another two over Northwestern, which never has made the NCAA tournament. And then there were the road wins that only look good with parenthetical assistance: over (South) Florida and Boston (University, not College). And one over a Minnesota team that finished 10th in the Big Ten. And one over Butler.

The W/L stats are not in Michigan's favor. The way Michigan is playing right now doesn't inspire confidence either. MGoBlog "live blogged" the NCST game and went to the NIU game and Hoover Street Rag live blogged the NIU game as well. Bring kleenex to wipe your eyes. This is not a team that is playing well heading into its biggest game of the year to date.

At point Dion Harris has been serviceable. He's far and away taken the most shots on the team with 131. He's also missed more shots than all but three of his teammates have taken. On the plus side, he averaging around 5.5 assists a game and running the "offense" decently. I love his 63 assists, but I hate his 31 turnovers. Better shot selection and a few more drives to the paint would greatly help Harris' season. Jarret Smith has been useless, shooting at a mind numbing 37% clip while averaging 19 minutes a game. Just a thought, isn't a PG supposed to be able to drive the lane and create some opportunities? Instead he's standing at the top of the key waiting for other people do the work for him. Shooting 4 (four, quatro, catre) free throws in 12 games also tells me you suck right now.

At forward Brent Petway and Lester Abram have been meh. Petway has been a defensive stud, leading the team in blocks (24) and boards (92) but still hasn't managed to put it together consistently on the offensive end of the floor. It's generally thought that if you can keep Petway away from the rim, he's not going to hurt you. So far that's been true. Petway's gotten himself into trouble with turnovers, and when he's gotten to the basket and been fouled, his 68% free throw shooting doesn't scare anyone. If given space he can knock down a jumper. But he's more apt to force a bad jumper than set up a good one.

Abram's quietly been very disappointing this year. He's third on the team in shots, but like Harris, they're not going in. Against NIU he scored a season high 14 points on 5-11 shooting. He's hovering around 40% for the year but hopefully is showing signs of heating up. When shooting 10 times or more he's around a 45% hit rate, but he's not shooting enough. At this point he's only launching 7 shots a game. That's not enough out of him. Especially when his defense is akin to using a tampon to stop a tsumani.

The pleasant surprise of this season so far has been Epke Udoh. Despite the fact he's only play 18 minutes a game he's second on the team with 23 blocks, pulling down 4.5 boards, and taking care of the ball. Despite his youth and lack of playing time he's reached double digits twice and has a 9/11 assist to turnover ratio. I can't wait to see what he does over the course of his career.

Finally there's dear Courtney Sims. God love him, he's my favorite 7 foot toothpick. Stat wise Courtney's having a great start to the year. Matched up against another 7 footer against NIU he poured in 21 points and grabbed 13 boards, his third double-double of the year. But as Hoover Street Rag points out, they've been ugly. The one thing I haven't been able to figure out at this point (as Michigan games aren't broadcast often in Chicago) is whether Sims is being properly utilized. The thing that bugs me the most is that during the NCST game Sims had 7 shots when Harris had 20.

As I figure it, Sims has touched the ball a minimum of 176 times during the season. I got the 176 by adding assists (6), turnovers (30 [sheesh]), FGA (110), and free throw attempts divided by 2 (61/2=30.5). Not exactly scientific, but reasonable enough for the purposes of the conversation. 176 offensive possessions by Sims and 187 points, roughly a point everytime they feed him the ball at 1.06 points per "possession". If you want to get technical add 12 point to the total for his assists, but it doesn't change the outcome too much, giving him 1.13 points per "possession."

Harris is a similar story. Harris has 241 "possessions" so far this year (131 shots, 27 FTs/2, 63 assists, and 31 turnovers. He's scored 164 points on 241 "possessions" comes out to .68 points per possession, but with assists factored in he comes out to 290 points so 1.2 points per "possession." So, statistically they're equal threats, right?

Wrong. When your point guard, who's shooting ten shots or more per game, is only churning out that type of limited offensive numbers you've got a problem. Sims is Michigan's best offensive threat and the fact that he's got 20 fewer shots than Harris despite shooting 20% better than his point guard is cause for alarm.

But it's tough to blame Sims and Harris for the team's troubles when no one else is really contributing on the offensive end. Michigan has looked disorganized and disinterested during the games I've seen. The standard play is either stand around a loft a long range jumper with the clock winding down or to feed the ball to Sims. Unfortunately the former is more popular than the latter.

That issue boils down to coaching. Michigan should be burying the teams its played so far this season rather than eeking out wins. Sims should be seeing the ball more. Abram should be shooting it more and Harris should not. And someone, someone for pete's sake needs to step up besides Udoh. A drive to the basket or two would be nice as well.

What is boils down to is Michigan's game against UCLA is more than a early season sign post for where the team is going, but a clear opportunity for Amaker to show Michigan belongs in the NCAA tournament. Because is you can't win on the road, by definition, you can't win in the tournament.

Jim Harbaugh Named Stanford's New Head Coach

Sweet. I can't wait to see him punch the tree. Anyone else remember when he punched Jim Kelly in the grill for Kelly accusing him of being a "baby"? Awesome.

Bowling

Pat Forde must like Michigan. I think somewhere in his heart "The Victors" plays slowly and often. For the record, Forde is picking Michigan over turnover and sack prone USC. But the best part of his little Bowl write up was this:

The useless information: Twenty-seven years later, it was still a fumble when Charles White went over the pile for the "winning" touchdown against the Wolverines in the '79 Rose Bowl.

Slight Oversights

I managed to leave two things out of my first set of the 2006 College Football Blogger Awards nominations yesterday. My apologies.

First, in the Best New Blog category I neglected to mention Stadium and Main, a recent addition to the Michigan blogosphere which consistently produces excellent game previews, write-ups, and "where are they now" pieces on former Michigan Michigan players.

Second, astute reader Andrew pointed out, in mentioning Hey Jenny Slater as one of the Funniest Blogs that I neglected to mention Doug's Interplanetary Social Chat #45089 which is one of the funniest things written in the 'sphere since I've been reading it.

College Football Blogger Awards: Maize n' Nominations Part I

2006-12-19T11:09:00.000-08:00

During my absence MGoBlog and Rocky Top Talk Finalized the plans for TEH SUXORZ! awards. The awards have been dubbed The 2006 College Football Blogger Awards! As RTT pointed out, we're doing this to draw attention to ourselves, not to further insulate our little world. Therefore, unfortunately, my proposed TEH SUXORZ! name was not chosen. Damn shame. Would've been great because we could've handed out this as the trophy:

Significant credit must be given to RTT and MGoBlog for sifting through all the suggestions and piecing together a set of categories that actually reflect the work that the "blogging community" does over the course of the year.

With that, here are the categories and my nominations/cuddlings:

The Dr. Z Award
FOR: Cogent, interesting analysis.
CRITERIA: Emphasis placed on statistical manipulation, well researched pieces that reveal something new, and/or solid argumentative pieces that function as the authoritative last word on a subject.

Maize n' Nominations:
1. MGoBlog - Brian's piece on third down efficiency was one of the coolest things I've ever seen statistics applied to. MGoBlog consistently goes above and beyond the call of duty in researching some of the most important and most interesting aspects of college football, offers insightful opinions in flowing prose, then supports them with Fields Medal worthy statistical data. He gets nod number one.

2. iBlog For Cookies - Vijay simply opperates at a higher level than the rest of us. A perusal of his index will indicate why.

3. Sunday Morning QB - Speaks for itself.

4. Burnt Orange Nation - Peter's seemingly endless supply of enthusiasm and information never ceases to come in handy (e.g., his UM/OSU stat breakdown).

The Trev Alberts Quits To Do Construction Award
FOR: comic relief; overall hilarity.
CRITERIA: The funniest college football blog.

Maize n' Nominations:
1A. House Rock Built - Everything from the Andy French Cup to the Myles Brand Decision Maker to make you laugh. Other Brian (I know he'll hate that) is one of the funniest writers I read on a daily basis who consistently makes me almost spit coffee on my screen.

1B. Every Day Should Be Saturday - I can't and won't nominate the same guys for everything, I promise, but Orson and Stranko are the gold standard. The Subcommandante Wayne string of posts was/is some of the funniest writing on the web.

2. Hey Jenny Slater - Doug has a gift. He can't write a withering essay on the state of international relations one morning then craft a hysterical response to his team's dismal season the next.

3. Tressel's World - Funniest thing ever. So wrong. Yet so right. I know the Coach isn't a member of the Poll, but damn, I've laughed till I cried on that site almost as often as any of the above. Credit where credit is due.

4 & 5. MGoBlog and Dawg Sports - The way Brian and Kyle and pull references out of the Ether and somehow make them fit into college football stil frightens and amazes me. It's also why I read them first everyday.

The Sports Fans Don't Cry Award
FOR: The blog that has suffered through its chosen team's dismal season with the most dignity.
CRITERIA: Continued engagement in the face of crippling, misery-inducing defeat. A stiff-upper lip and sane reaction to everything crumbling to dust.

Maize n' Nominations: (sheesh, where to start?)
1. Bruins Nation - Deep down I think Nestor knew it was going to be a tough season, but he weathered it as well as could be expected. He has shown a Joey-like disdain for his head football coach, but even in the darkest of times has had his true faith in his team show through.

2. Roll Bama Roll - I'm a huge fan of Nico's work at RBR. To go through the tough season on the field and then weather the shit-storm after it deserves recognition.

3. The Bemusement Park - Pickin' on the Big Ten was one of my favorite parts of the football season, but I'm sure Iowa's collapse had to wear on Mark. He didn't show it. His words were still as crisp as ever even following a pasting by hapless Minnesota in the season finale.

The Keith Jackson Circa 1995 Award
FOR: The blog with the most consistently expressive and excellent writing.
CRITERIA: Mechanical competency, yes, but the ability to turn a devastatingly funny phrase or write something compelling is probably more important. This isn't an award for copy editing; it's an award for kickin' prose.

Maize n' Nominations:
1A. Ronald Bellamy's Underacheiving All-Stars - Hands down the best written site I've ever read. I would pay good money to read Johnny's work. Johnny has leveled Max Emfinger with his pen ("What's that? No, Max, of course no one thinks you've ever had sex with an underaged Asian prostitute and still had enough change from your 20 to buy a dozen White Castles and a Sugar-free Red Bull") and moved me to tears when writing about former UM Tailback Tony Boles. Orson is probably the funniest writer among us, but Johnny's the best.

1B. Dawg Sports - As a fellow attorney, I have no idea how Kyle is able to devote so much time to his beloved Bulldogs. None. The fact that he is able to churn out an average of three posts a day, which are well researched, funny, and insightful is utterly beyond me. I have toruble seplling ym name write from time to time, but Kyle always manages to spell and grammar check without losing his edge, his audience or his sense of humor.

2 & 3 & 4. Every Day Should Be Saturday, MGoBlog, Blue-Gray Sky

Honorable Mention: Rakes of Mallow, Black Shoe Diaries, Hey Jenny Slater, Sexy Results.

Everyone of these sites are excellent, and there are a slew that I haven't recognized for their excellent work, but the two at the top stand out in my mind.

The Brady Quinn Award
FOR: The prettiest blog, the best layout and design.
CRITERIA: An aesthetic appeal, whether from a stylish banner, a pleasing layout, or an eye-catching incorporation of blog technology.

Not really sure what to do with this one so I'll nominate in no particular order.

Maize n' Nominations:
Bevo Sports - Looks like a football field.
Boi From Troy - His banner is one of the best there is.
Orange 44 - For some reason Matt's site has always been one of the more historic looking blogs.
Men of the Scarlet and Gray - Clean Cut. Just like Coach Tressel.
Any of the Sports Blogs Nation Sites - Ramblin' Racket for example.
House Rock Built - Face it, whether you like Quinn, Samarjawhatever, or not, his banner is friggin' cool.

The New Blog on the Block Award
FOR: The best new college football blog.
CRITERIA: Must have launched sometime after last year's national championship game. Transitioning to a new blog or affiliating with a network mid-stream doesn't count.

This is where I show my Big Ten bias. I'm sure there are several excellent new sites that launched after last year's national championship game (including mine, which launched in February), but I haven't had as much time to see them as I'd like. So here, again, in no particular order are some of my favorites.

Maize n' Nominations:
The-614 - Sean's keeping it real in Sweatervestville
Michigan Sports Center - Another Sean, but this one covers Michigan with a thoroughness that's tough to match.
The Card Chronicle - Mike's got a great site for you Big East maniacs. BTW Mike, your team broke my heart. Rutgers for Pete's sake....
Addicted to Quack - Best name in the Blogosphere.
The Hoover Street Rag - Gotta throw out a nod to the MMB.

Please let me know if there are others I've missed.

The LOL, MSM Award
FOR: The blog best keeping tabs on the man and calling out all of the injustices in the college football world.
CRITERIA: Consistently ahead-of-the-curve on controversial issues in college football.

Maize n' Nominations:
1. Sunday Morning QB
2. Everyday Should be Saturday
3. MGoBlog

The Best Community Interaction Award
FOR: The blog with the best community interaction.
CRITERIA: A regular solicitation of input from readers and utilization of reader-produced content.

1. Everyday Should Be Saturday - Simply cannot be matched
2. MGoBlog
3. M Zone
4. Blue Grey Sky

Well that's it for now. More soon.

Tuesday Hearsay and Conjecture: Basketball Update

2006-12-18T07:39:00.000-08:00

It's been a little while since I put out a basketball update of any kind. In fact, I still owe you my 2006-2007 season preview.

It's a little late for a preview, but I'll get you some fun stuff prior to the Opening of the Big Ten Season. As it stands, Michigan is 11-1 early in the season. Unfortunately, that 11-1 mark is deceiving. Michigan hasn't beaten a single team with anything remotely resembling a pulse. The "marquee" win so far this season was a 66-59 win over the the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, one of last year's NCAA tournament teams. The Panthers aren't exactly tearing it up this year. They're 2-10 on the season.

Michigan's flunked its first true test, falling to North Carolina State 67-74, in a game where Michigan trailed by 21 eight minutes into the second half. Unfortunately, life does not get easier for the Wolverines. Following their UCLA trip, they play host to 2006 Sweet 16 member Georgetown who is currently 7-3. Though G-Town hasn't played the toughest schedule in the world, they have bumped heads with Oregon and Duke already this year. Following that, Michigan opens its Big Ten Season at home against Illinois on January 3rd.

The schedule was designed to give Michigan some casual observer points in building toward a NCAA tournament berth. For the non-observant, 11-1 looks great. However, so did 10-1 last year. Michigan's lack of a true test, and their failure to even guess at an answer during their warm up against NC State does not instill confidence.

Hopefully we'll have a better guage on this team on Saturday. Don't get your hopes up.

Dammit! K'Len Morris to Miss the Rest of the Season

Well, you knew it was going too well for Tommy's bunch. Currently 11-1 and unranked, a small hole was poked in the Wolverines bubble when it was announced today that 4* freshman K'Len Morris will have left shoulder surgery and miss the rest of the year. Details on the injury are sketchy, but as Morris has missed the last four games it appears to be an ongoing problem.

The silver lining, at least for Morris, is with only 37 minutes under his belt this season it's likely the NCAA will grant him a medical redshirt.

Up next is No. 1 UCLA in Berkley on Saturday the 23rd. The wake for the season is scheduled immediately after the game. At this point, Brian is not impressed.

About Effing Time: Crisler Plans Being Reviewed

After years of twidling its fingers, the University of Michigan is actually beginning to do something about the state of Cristler Arena. The Free Press is reporting that the Athletic department is reviewing 5 architectural firms plans to repair and renovate Crisler Arena. The goal is not only to upgrade the facility, but to provide practice facilities for the the men's basketball team and wrestling program.

Here are the details courtesy of the Free Press:
• The proposed basketball practice facility would be built on the east side of Crisler. The modern facility would help with recruiting and ease the space burden at Crisler, where three teams practice regularly. Rough cost estimate: $25 million-$30 million.

• Update Crisler's infrastructure - improved lighting and examining of the roof to sure up the arena's structural needs. Rough cost estimate: $20 million.

• An independent wrestling facility would be built. The wrestling team has a workout facility at the end of a Crisler hallway now. Rough cost estimate: $5 million-$6 million.

• Club Seating Baby! - It'll eat up some seats, but bring in the money when the basketball is firmly back among the elite. Other possible improvements include improved concourse lighting, a new scoreboard, updated seats and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Rough cost estimate: $20 million.

Remember Patrick Beverly? He was last seen here scoring 19 points as a freshman for Arkansas.

One of the reasons Michigan lost out on his services was the state of its practice and game day facilities. Hopefully losing out on a top 50 recruit like Beverly help spur the drive a tad.

Even if it did, it'll be a while before any type of ground breaking occurs. The architectural firm still needs to be chosen, plans need to be finalized, plans need to be approved, and money needs to be raised. In all seriousness, it should be awesome for the 2010 class.

Gone Skiing

2006-12-08T21:42:00.000-08:00

That's right fuckers. While you're toiling in your office, trying to keep the boss peering over your shoulder from the top of your cubicle, I'll be chest deep in freshies.

See you in a week.

Go Blue!

What The Hell Do You Name Awards For Bloggers?

2006-12-06T08:36:00.000-08:00

I'm not really sure. Some thoughts:

1. The Bloggies;
2. The Pwned Awards;
3. The Work Hasn't Found Out About This Awards;

and my favorite:

4. TEH SUXORZ! (Shamelessly stolen from EDSBS)

Mgoblog and Rocky Top Talk got together for one of the final roundtables and posed an interesting proposition: Lets give notice where notice is due. Lets provide some recognition for the best work of the football season and in the Blogosphere. An awards show/string of posts for the best of the 'Sphere. Except without the money, women, drugs, booze, or glamour. Because with those things, well, it wouldn't be the malcontent-bring-down-the-establishment-and-everything-else-along-with-it animal that we all love.

I like it. There are so many excellent sites I check regularly and so many writers I would actually pay to read. This gives all of us the chance not only to recognize many bloggers ongoing excellence, but to say thank you to those who provide it.

Part of the idea behind TEH SUXORZ! is to recognize the guys that aren't the Mgoblog, EDSBS, BON, and SMQ's of the blogosphere, but to recognize the guys and girls that provide their own share of laughs, insights, and information to interested readers on a slightly smaller scale. The problem, as several people have pointed out, is how do you have an awards banquet/show/posting that the big boys of the 'Sphere don't sweep?

To wit, I have a proposal.

Why not simply recognize the best for who they are? The aforementioned sites are the pre-imminent blogs in our little world. Determine an award appropriate for those sites similar to a lifetime achievement award, though "lifetime" may not be the best monkier for such an award.

For example, for EDSBS I propose the "Blog Most Likely To Get You Fired For Reading And Laughing Out Loud" SUXOR! or for Mgoblog, the "Master Control" SUXOR!.

Brian Accepting His Award

That's about as far as I've gotten with the ideas for the big boys. However, there are plenty of ideas for the rest of the 'sphere. Let's eliminate the big guys from the lesser awards so, as is the stated purpose of the celebration, we can recognize the littler guys.

Mike over at Black Shoe Diaries put together a great list to kick things off. Here are a few extras to add to the debate:

1. Best Blog Name Not Named "We Must Ignite This Couch" SUXOR!
2. Best Banner SUXOR!
3. Best Analysis SUXOR!
4. Best Post of the Season SUXOR!
5. Best Tear Jerker SUXOR! - For those posts that truly come from the soul of the writer.
6. Best Game Recaps SUXOR!
7. Best Command of Pop Culture SUXOR!
8. Most Consistent Blog in the 'Sphere SUXOR! - For the blog that consistently turns out best high quality and quantity posts in the 'Sphere.
9. Most Creative Blog SUXOR!- For the blog that finds the best uses of technology and all the internets have to provide in the vacuum tubes to deliver us something fun.
10. Best Rivalry Coverage SUXOR!

Just some thoughts. If you've got your own ideas or proposals, let me know.

Maize n Ballot, Last of 2006 Edition

2006-12-05T09:50:00.000-08:00

Now we wait.

Take a look and tell me where I'm wrong.

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

Dropped Out:

I know the first thing you'll tell me is LSU should be higher. That's fine. But two losses in conference are two losses. They're the best two loss team out there. To be honest I think they'd have their hands full with either Louisville or Wisconsin. It's 50% 50% to me who wins those games, so the better record wins out. Don't chaulk this up as hateration for the SEC. To the contrary. I like LSU a lot and ranked them very high early in the year. However, they are a Jekyl and Hyde team. I never sure which JaMarcus Russell will show up and I'm never sure that they'll consistently score more than ten points against good opponents. The teams ahead of them are consistent and I know what to expect. LSU, not so much.

When All That's Left...

2006-12-05T08:41:00.000-08:00

All the games have been played. People whose careers center around the phrase "Jim in Tuscaloooosa, You're on the air with Jimbo and Opie, tell us why the Big Ten sucks," for some reason were chosen as qualified, impartial experts on college football. As should have been predicted, their biases provided us with the National Championship matchup that no one save SEC fans wanted to see. The result of this arbitrary shit flinging contest was to leave Michigan, my Michigan, out of the Championship Game.

The rationales don't matter anymore. Decisions were made and nothing can be done about them. We still complain, piss and moan about the fairness, rationality or voracity of those choices. But deep down we know there's nothing that will change.

Nothing is left for us now but bowl games and irrational hope. Hope that OSU and Florida play in such a horrendous turnover filled disaster that it scorches the retinas of anyone watching. Hope that Florida, despite all it does to donate the game to charity or bury itself in it's own endzone, somehow wins by a point or two. Hope that Michigan blows out USC in the Rose Bowl in convincing, dominating fashion. Hope that despite Florida being awarded the crystal BCS trophy, the AP rewards Michigan with its National title. Hope that in some strange way, justice will finally be served to two University of Michigan football teams, the 2006 squad and its elder brother 1997, nearly a decade later.

I love irrational hope. It drives us in such creative ways as to defy imagination. Irrational hope had me belive UCLA could beat USC. Irrational hope had Gator fans believe they would end up in the National Championship game if they won the SEC. All those things came true.

This kind of hope has its cost. When UCLA won, and despite that Florida was awarded the spot in the National Championship game, I knew what it must feel like to have made a deal with the Devil. If you'll grant me this one wish, all will be right in my life. Please, grant me this one wish and I'll give anything. The wish is granted yet nothing changes. You are still left empty, with only a shadow where your soul once was as evidence of your bargain. That one wish was granted, but what you desire is still a whisper away from your grasp.

Looking at the polls, that is all that can be said. 3 points separate Michigan and Florida for second place. Michigan trails Florida by a scant 26 points in the Coaches Poll. Of course there is controversy which leads you to believe something is wrong, that you were cheated, that this can't be right. Yet, nothing changes despite your pleas. And you are left with the deal you made, delivered what you asked for but not what you wanted.

I will cling to irrational hope nevertheless. It got me to 11-1. It delivered me a season of redemption when all that laid before it was disappointment. It gave me a quarterback when all that existed before was a scared young man. It gave me a monster, a bone devouring defense that shed its former self to become a force once more. It gave me a healthy Mike Hart and the redemption of Steve Breaston.

Why hold on to it so desperately? It builds you up only to disappoint you. You had it all and it was taken away so easily. You should know better.

I do. But I also know my faith, hope and love have been rewarded. So much that was wrong is now right. Perhaps my irrational hope is not so irrational. It doesn't rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.*

My hope has brought me this far. It rejoices in the truth that there is a chance for victory. It endures, despite the hurdles before it.

If all that is left is hope, I will cling to it. And win or lose, it is rewarding in its own right.

Roses and Screw Jobs

2006-12-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

Michigan gets the Rose Bowl. I should be happy with that. It's THE Rose Bowl. We're playing Southern Cal. Big Ten Pac Ten. The way it should be. This is where Michigan should be on the first day of the New Year.

I little while back I wrote that USC (pre-loss to UCLA) should have the opportunity to play Ohio State on the basis that they were the best team out there that hadn't lost to Ohio State. I also said that should USC lose, Michigan should be in the National Championship game.

Well. As you're well aware, that didn't come to pass.

In what can only be described as a "make-up" for leaving undefeated Auburn out of the national championship game a few years back, the AP and Coaches Polls ensured that the SEC finally got to play in the big game. As Brian said: "Congratulations to Urban Meyer, the Florida Gators, [on] their 66-10 loss to Ohio State."

How 71% of the coaches who voted on this thing lost their {bleep}ing minds in the span of 24 hours utterly baffles me. Yes Florida played 13 games. Yes they only lost once and won their conference championship. Fine, the streets of Gainesville are lined with gold and Urban Myer pees a stream of diamonds that smell like sunshine. I'll give you all of that.

However, here are the facts:

The SEC is Overrated This year. Toughest conference my ass. Watching SEC football this year was like watching a horror movie. SEC Champion Florida was 73rd in the nation in turnovers with 24. Tennessee turned it over 17 times, Auburn 18, LSU 19, Georgia 20, Arkansas 23. For the record, Michigan had 10 turnovers all year. The point of this is, no one in the SEC could hold onto the friggin football. Games were constantly flip-flopping on sloppy play. Watching Chris Leak play against a competent defense was worse than SAW 3. The LSU Florida game was a perfect example. LSU outgained Florida, and held Leak to 155 yards no TDs and 1 INT, yet lost because they turned the ball over 5 times including three JaMarcus Russell INTs.

With those types of turnover numbers you'd expect the defenses to be pretty good. To the contrary, 7 teams averaged more than 25 points a game (with Georgia[!] averaging 24.7 a game despite not being able to find it's ass with both hands for the majority of the year). Basically you have a conference that can't hold onto the football and can't stop you from scoring.

"Yeah, but Florida, LSU and Auburn are all ranked ahead of Michigan in Scoring Defense!" Whup-de-do. Florida's average is skewed by shutouts of a 1-AA team and Central Florida. Same goes for LSU and Auburn, artificially inflated numbers. Take out the pansy non-conference games and watch the numbers skyrocket.

But what about their records? The SEC's got great numbers! Propped up by shoddy scheduling. Looking at Florida's Schedule as an example, when 1-AA Western Carolina (2-9) and Central Florida both appear on a schedule you can't brag to me about how though the schedules are. The SEC was notorious for scheduling 1-AA teams. And it's not like it was the bottom feeders in the conference doing it (e.g. Northwestern in the Big Ten), it was Georgia, Arkansas, and Florida. Hell, when the SEC ran out of 1-AA teams to schedule they rode the Sun Belt like a rented mule. Louisiana Lafayette, FIU, Louisiana Monroe, Middle Tennessee State, and Arkansas State all played SEC teams this year.

Here's my point. I'm tired of the half-ass rationales for Florida jumping Michigan.

The SEC is overrated. Don't give me this toughest conference America crap as a justification for putting Florida in the MNC game. Don't tell me Florida had the toughest schedule when they schedule 1-AA teams. Don't tell me Florida's body of work was better than Michigan's when they should've lost to South Carolina and Tennessee when the only team Michigan should've lost to was Ohio State. Don't tell me they won their conference and should get to go because Louisville has a real good argument then too. Don't tell me Michigan got worse because their conference doesn't play past Thanksgiving. Finally, don't tell me Florida's a better team. It's not.
Just tell me Michigan got jobbed. Just tell me you screwed us because Auburn got screwed a few years ago. Just tell me you did it because you don't want a rematch.

Just don't tell me Florida's better. Because then you've got a fight on your hands.

Michigan got screwed. As the worst part about it is I'm angry that someone just gave me Roses.

Friday Hearsay and Conjecture

2006-12-01T09:03:00.000-08:00

Arrington Charges Dropped

Domestic Violence charges against Adrian Arrington were dropped by Ypsilanti prosecutors Thursday after Arrington's (current/former?) girlfriend failed to show at a pretrial hearing. She stated she did not wish to press charges and was only concerned about Arrington driving after he'd been drinking. All charges against Arrington have now been cleared and he is free of any further legal entanglements as a result of this incident.

Note to Michigan players and all college aged kids: If you're drinking in a bar, underaged, the key thing is NOT to draw attention to yourself. Especially if you're one of the STARTING RECEIVERS on a potential MNC contender. I'm glad this got cleared up but I sincerely hope Adrian learned something from this. Stupid, self-destructive acts have a tendency to bite you in the ass eventually. Someone get him Theo Fluery's phone number. A fifteen minute phone call with Theo will keep Adrian out of the bars for good.

Why Didn't He Just Ask Santa

Wisconsin bad ass cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu and his twin brother apparently think they play at Miami, where you can generally get away with moronic and criminal behavior. The Ikegwuoni were arrested Thursday on felony residential burglary charges when the two tried to break in to an off campus residence to and steal a X-Box.

X-Box or football career? X-Box or football career?

Why is this so hard?

A felony charge of residential burglary carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison and a $25,000 fine. Jack's brother William, a safety at Northern Illinois, was immediately suspended by NIU. No word yet on Jack's status.

Dumbasses. The Wii is the only thing out there worth stealing for.

My Precious...

Looks Like LSU Afterall

Money talks. Usually that means Notre Dame gets what it wants. Not this time. LSU's rabid fan base has plopped down money on over 32,000 pre-sale ticket orders to the Rose Bowl before their team has even been invited.

As a result, one of the Rose Bowl Board members leaked the news that LSU will play Michigan or USC in the Rose Bowl. While the Rose Bowl and LSU have made no official announcement, there's no way they're leaving that kind of money on the table.

The best bowl game this year will be whatever game Michigan plays in. Nice to know either way they've got great competition.

Go Bruins!

I am officially the second biggest Bruins fan in the world today and tomorrow. I don't think anyone can top Nestor. For all your UCLA related cheering needs visit Bruins Nation. If you're still on the fence about rooting for UCLA, behold, their cheerleading squad.

I wish I was back in school so

I could transfer just for the spring semester.*

However, when Michigan and UCLA meet on the hardwood I'll go back to hating their NCAA tournament bound guts. Please be nice to Courtney Sims. He means well.

*photo courtesy Bob Berghell

Posting to Resume Monday

2006-11-30T08:04:00.000-08:00

I feel like death.

The new Blog Poll is up at Rocky Top Talk. Fun stuff. A first ever Blog Poll Best of The Blogosphere Award thingamabob. If you've got suggestions for awards or nominations, let me know in the comments and I'll post 'em in my Blog Poll Response on Monday.

Um, Michigan lost to North Carolina State. Courtney Sims played 19 minutes, but only had two fouls. Explain this to me: 7 points, 8 rebounds, 3-7 shooting (ugh), but only two turnovers in 19 minutes and he's on the bench? With no inside presence Dion Harris built himself a house behind the three point line going 4-14 from 3. For the record he went 4-6 inside the arc. What's wrong with this picture. For the record, Harris and Petway seem to be the only ones with any heart this year.

Fix this Tommy. Now.

A Sick As A Dog Maize n Ballot week 14

2006-11-29T07:31:00.000-08:00

Cold and Flu season always seems to mark the end of the football season. Fitting. All the fun of the fall is over, now we settle into the damp miserable part of the autumn/winter months where rain and green snot prepare us for ski season. Joy.

My illness precluded my entering this thing on time, but here are my two cents for what they're worth...

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

Dropped Out:

Where I Stand On a Rematch

2006-11-21T11:26:00.000-08:00

Astute commenter Ben posed a great question looking over my Ballot for the Blogpoll.

"[Other] than your very obvious desire [not] to condone a rematch, how can you justify the top 3 [OSU, USC, UM]?"

Well, Ben hit part of it on the head. I don't want to condone a rematch, I'll admit that. Michigan had it's shot and missed. Years ago when Florida beat Florida State in the National Championship Game in a rematch, I remember feeling kind of, well, blah about it. There were plenty of good reasons to put Florida in the NC game, but there were a host of other reasons not to. The rematch left kind of a hollow feeling because these teams had already settled this match up on the field once before. (If there are parallels here please remind me and I'll publish them).

There is a scenario where I would put Michigan in the NC game, but more on that in a second.

With regard to the rankings game, I had USC ranked above Michigan for a majority of the year until they lost to Oregon State. The Trojans slept walked through that game and paid the price. Since then they've played pissed. They destroyed Stanford, then #21 Oregon, and then #17 Cal. USC played what I thought to be a decent team in Cal this weekend and put them away only allowing a single offensive score. This is a very good, very balanced team. Can they hang with OSU? I don't know. They haven't played yet. People can point to all the points USC gave up before they finally lost. Fine. Since then they've played lights out with an intensity that was lacking early in the year. In their last 3 games (two against ranked opponents) they've given up 19 points. Is there an Achilles heel? Sure, USC turns the ball over too much. But their defense has been up to the task even with those extra minutes on the field.

I think the resumes are pretty comparable. Besides ND and Wisconsin, Michigan's base resume and USC's base are pretty even. USC molested the #5 team in Arkansas by a far wider point margin than UM over ND (albeit without McFadden in the lineup). They lost by two to Oregon State, Michigan lost by three to OSU. Michigan's loss is better, but I think USC's schedule is better.

Another factor dropping Michigan a spot is the age old caveat of needing to win your conference to play for a championship, which Michigan didn't do. Remember how pissed everyone got when Oklahoma went to the MNC game a few years ago when they lost the Big 12 championship game? On that basis, barring a two loss PAC 10 team winning out, USC should probably go.

With regard to the other contenders, I am not impressed by Florida or Arkansas. The Hogs are one dimensional and Florida has three different teams that take turns showing up each week. SEC fans can argue all they want, but the two teams in the SEC championship aren't as good as USC (proven on the field) or Michigan. Florida's been too much of a wildcard all year for us to have any clue how they'd match up. I think the Auburn game is a fairly good example of how Florida plays against good defenses. OSU's defense is far better than Auburn's, IMO, and I don't think Florida would even come close to matching Michigan's offensive output against OSU. Don't get me wrong, I like both teams. I just don't think they're better than Michigan.

Notre Dame doesn't enter the equation nor does Louisville. After what Rutgers did to Brohm there's no way the Cards hang with Michigan or Ohio State. The Irish pose the only other real choice. Even so, Head to Head Michigan beat ND, badly. Notre Dame can't be ranked or be taken ahead of a team it lost to. Norte Dame isn't in OSU's class in the remotest sense. I've watched a lot of Notre Dame football this year and they do not have the defense to make it agame. OSU's offense is better than Michigan's and their defense ain't bad either. If Michigan smoked ND at home, I cringe at the thought of the score of an OSU blow out of ND. ND just doesn't have the horses on defense.

My basic thought is USC or Michigan plays in the Championship game against OSU. If USC loses, Michigan is clearly the best of the once beatens (based on record, stats, and head to head against it's MNC slot competition and best team in the country) and should go. If USC wins out, which I expect, their schedule is superior, they go.

Here's a final piece of the rationale. If USC wins BIG Michigan's biggest "look how good we are" argument goes out the window. Michigan says look at our record. If Michigan and USC both beat the tar out of ND, then the tie breaker really is "have you played Ohio State yet?" Michigan has, and lost. USC hasn't, so they get a crack. While not critical, Arkansas losing to LSU then beating Florida in the SEC championship would help. But, if USC loses, two loss disqualification and Michigan goes.

Right now USC is the most complete team out there that hasn't lost to Ohio State. That's it in a nutshell.

Let me know your thoughts.

Maize n Ballot Week 13: A Slate of Nothing But Sorrow

2006-11-21T07:52:00.000-08:00

The Game is over. My side lost. Not too thrilled about it, but I'm dealing. Ohio State proved itself to be the best team in the land that has Troy Smith. Any other quarterback under center, Michigan wins that game. But for now, I salute you Mr. Smith, please take your throphies and leave for the NFL already.

Beneath The Game there were other contests that had winners and losers. Now is the time I pass harsh judgement on them.

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

Dropped Out: Maryland (#13), Oregon (#25).

1. USC and Michigan - I had USC ranked ahead of Michigan all year until they stumbled against OSU, Oregon State University that is. [Insert Beaver/Pull-out Joke Here]. Now the worm has shown its fangs and USC moves back ahead of Michigan. Had USC gone undefeated and Michigan remained undefeated the two would've met in the National Championship game. USC can still get there. Michigan really can't. Edge, USC.

2. Louisville's jump is actually the result of my screw up last week. I somehow managed to rank them 10 spots lower than WVU, whom they beat. A public flogging on this subject can be found at MGoBlog. Louisville is now where they should be. I will say I have serious doubts they're "better" than WVU right now. Still. A win's a win. When WVU beats Rutgers (it's gonna happen Knights fans, you've gotta admit that after the debacle against Cinci) Louisville wins the Big East Championship by virtue of their win over WVU.

3. Texas - Texas than everyone below them now that McCoy's back. Best two loss team in the country. Which is sort of like being the prettiest girl at a Mole and Unibrow convention.

4. Rutgers - Had you high, you broke-a my heart. I put up a picture of a friggin' crow for you and this is how you repay me? A loss to Cincinnati? CINCINNATI!!! You're dead to me.

5. G-Tech and Auburn - You didn't lose. Yea! move up three spaces.

6. Boise State - Please go away.

7. BC - Impressive win over a good Maryland team. Beat down is more like it. Wow. I guess you are good enough to play in the Maryland public league after all. Even so, impressive wins in the ACC this year unfortunately don't count for much.

8. Virginia Tech and Wake - Yeah. Pretty much the same as above. Tech, you finally got your act together. Wake, you're kinda coming back down to earth. But hey, no one can sneeze at 9 wins. No one. Props.

9. Cal - No, really. It looks good. That mushroom tattoo Pete Carroll branded into your forehead is really cool. The chicks'll dig it.

10. Everything else - a sorry pathetic mess....

What To Do When The Dream Ends

2006-11-20T08:15:00.000-08:00

Burgess had him. He'd made this tackle dozens of times over the course of the year, and hundreds if not thousands of times since he started playing football. Then something strange happened. Chris Wells spun. All of a sudden Prescott lay outstretched on the turf watching his would be tacklee sprint through the Michigan secondary for a 53 yard touchdown run. It wasn't supposed to happen. Wells was supposed to go down. But there he was. 50 some yards away celebrating the first run over 25 yards Michigan had given up all year.

That was when I knew the dream had ended.

Sometime a dream becomes too much like reality for our bodies to process. Your senses are simply overwhelmed by the impulses cascading from your brain, and in a moment of protest your body lashes out at your unconscious forcing it back into the receding depths of your cerebellum. All of a sudden you feel that sudden jolt. Your eyes and mouth shoot open as you gasp at the air as though it was your life’s first breath. Bewildered you look around your room. Weren't you just somewhere else? Weren't you doing something important, something special? Wasn’t Michigan still undefeated? Then the sleep falls from your mind and the dream fades from your hazy perception. Wearily, you rub your eyes, flip the pillow, and try to recapture the magic you just lost, if only for a few more hours or a few minutes before the alarm goes off.

Try as you might, the dream is never as sweet or as perfect after you awaken from that momentary impulse. No matter how hard you try, the dream is gone.

Saturday was the sudden spasm that shook us from a dream we never wanted to end. A dream of dominance and perfection washed away by the harsh reality of a superior team. Our defense, a dominant world-beating force all season long, was finally solved by Troy Smith and the Ohio State coaching staff. The one-on-one tackles we'd come to expect as givens were missed. The sacks we almost felt were a right, were replaced by minimal pressure and a costly personal foul. Our run defense disintegrated before our eyes as Wells and Pittman scampered for 50 yard touchdown runs. The sweet dream turned sour, and our bodies convulsed at the contradiction of what we knew to be true.

Were that to be the only part of this story, Saturday would have been more of a nightmare than the end of a pleasant dream. Despite the disappointment of the outcome, there were the performances of Mike Hart, Chad Henne, Alan Branch, Adrian Arrington, and Mario Manningham on which to hang our hopes of a Rose Bowl win and the promise of a new season.

Chad Henne showed us why we were right to expect so much from him. After Michigan's final touchdown, was there any doubt in anyone's mind that Michigan would have scored again had it gotten the ball back? I didn't think so. Henne guided Michigan to 39 points, finding open receivers in the face of the best defense he'd seen all year. He wasn't Troy Smith. No one expected him to be. But he was the next best thing. Playing through a daunting pass rush and with a middle offensive line that served more as ushers than blockers, Henne completed 21 of 35 passes for 267 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers. He was hit repeatedly as he released and was sacked four times. Still he did not falter. Sure he missed Manningham on a wide open bomb, but Smith misfired once or twice too. Chad was everything you could have wanted from a quarterback on Saturday. When he and the rest of the offense were on the field, the dream seemed more of a reality than at any other time in the game.

Mike Hart continued to be the best college running back Michigan has seen in a generation. Scoring 3 touchdowns and rolling to 141 yards Hart brought his best game to the marquee game. Say what you will about his lack of speed. I'll happily take his quite 6.6 yards a carry over Wheatley, Thomas or Touchdown Tim. However, unlike the three backs I just mentioned, Hart has never beaten Ohio State. Hart has one last chance to change that next year.

It is so hard to understand how it all happened. It happened so quick. One moment they were up. The next they were down three scores. It was not for lack of effort. It was not for lack of skill. Michigan played feverishly against a superior foe and came within Ginn's fingertips of pulling the upset.

Still. The dream is now over. But it doesn't make it less sweet. For most of us waking up means the drudgery of work or school awaiting us after we shake off the cobwebs. For Michigan, the end of the dream means it awakes to a bed of Roses and the faint possibility of a rematch. Instead of an undefeated season Michigan will end the year with a single blemish on its record. Instead of Glendale, Michigan will be in Pasadena on New Year's Day.

The dream is over, but a new one takes its place. A dream where Michigan wins the Rose Bowl and positions itself as next year's National Championship frontrunner. It’s a dream filled with Roses and a warm morning in the California sun. It's a dream that has months of happy possibilities. It has summer two-a-days and recruiting wars. It has a schedule where Michigan’s toughest games are at home. It’s a dream we don’t have to wake from until November 17, 2007.

By that time a new dream will have taken its place. And that dream will be like this one was.

Hopefully it will last a little longer.

*Photo Courtesy Eric Seals/Detroit Free Press

A Thought On Bo

2006-11-17T11:20:00.000-08:00

On the day before Michigan and Ohio State meet for the 103rd time, Bo Schembechler passed away at the age of 77 from an apparent heart attack. Fittingly, Bo’s final hours were spent doing what he has done almost everyday since 1969, sharing his love of College Football and the University of Michigan with anyone who cared to listen.

For almost 30 years Bo was the face of both the University of Michigan and its football program. Bo resurrected the storied program from the ashes of mediocrity and returned it nation prominence. He was Michigan. He symbolized the aspiration of perfection without the conceit of expecting it.

Now, a day prior to Michigan’s biggest game in a decade, Bo has been taken from us and a void has been left in his stead. The anticipation of this game was enough to make even the causal fan act as if he was a child at 4am on Christmas morning. It was that way for Bo, only more so. Limited in his mobility, Bo had said he would not make the trip to Columbus, but would watch the game from home. This was a game he could not wait to see. Now, it is a game he will observe it from a better place.

While we grieve it is important to remember who Bo was. If there was ever a man who could be described as a 77 year-old kid, it was Bo Schembechler. When talking about Michigan he couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. There was always a twinkle you couldn’t look away from and an energy in his voice that made him mesmerizing. He was loyal in the manner only a 7 year old child could be. When people would question his beloved University or his players he would rise up in anger to right a perceived wrong, but also to shield the players, coaches and fans he cared so much about.

What more is there to say about someone like Bo other than to say he was a good man? A good man in the sense that he cared for those around him, friend and foe a like. A good man in that he represented himself only as who he was, not taken to the opinions of others, determined to be himself in the face a world that was changing faster than he was. A good man who left the world a better place than he entered it. A good man who earned the respect of friend and foe alike.

Every college football fan will grieve his loss in some form or another. However, in our sorrow we must look to Bo for inspiration one more time. He loved college football and the University of Michigan. There are few things he treasured more than a well played Saturday game. To honor his memory, let’s play football tomorrow. Let’s play it well.

That is the best way to remember a good man who meant so much to all of us.

Rest In Peace, Bo Schembechler

2006-11-17T09:12:00.000-08:00

Reports out of Detroit's Channel 7 by way of MGoBlog have confirmed that Michigan's legendary coach, Bo Schembechler, has passed away at the age of 77 from an apparent heart attack.

The University of Michigan and College football have lost one of their patron saints. While our hearts are heavy, our prayers are with Bo and his family.

God's Speed Bo.

May the road rise up to meet you,

May the wind be ever at your back

May the sun shine warm upon your face

And the rain fall softly on your fields

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the hollow of his hand

It's Friggin Christmas in November

2006-11-16T22:21:00.000-08:00

Couldn't Sleep At All Last Night

The night before friggin Christmas I tell you. Christmas.

NCAA Football Has A Blog

Dex over at Every Game Counts, the NCAA's official football blog, invited me to do a preview on the game. I'll post it up here a little later, but for the time being it can be found here. the rebuttal was provided by Buckeye Commentary. Thoughtful analysis versus OMG LLLLLOYD. Enjoy. Also be sure to check out the Charles Woodson Heisman highlights and Jim Harbaugh's guest piece on NCAA football and performing in the classroom.

ESPN has thoughtful Analysis

Scout and ESPN has a great breakdown of the game up on their mainpage. While I think they underate own DB's a tad, they are for the most part dead-on regarding the matchups. Great read.

FOX Does and Does Not

Don't read this. This is the headline: "Michigan-Ohio State worth all the buzz?"

Someone at Fox does work however, and put together a brief but to the point prediction on the game. They've also got an interesting key matchups page that I don't agree with.

Validation

Please read MGoBlog's Vicious Electronic Quesitoning with the O-Zone's Tom Orr. A lot of it sounds awful familiar....

Has Anyone Else Noticed?

LaMarr Woodley looks like Jay-Z

There is Only One

OMG! LOL! TROY SMITH OWNZORS scUM!

In rebuttal to the "Michigan can't stop our unstopable, can't be stopped, non-stopping... um... Quarterback guy" that's been thrown around the 'ole blogosphere and, surprisingly, in the print media, does anyone remember the Michigan Notre Dame game?

Replace "Quinn" with "Smith" in the "______ for Heisman" banner and you've got the same story. Michigan wasn't supposed to be able to cover Samarjawhatever or McKnight. Michigan wasn't supposed to be able to touch Quinn behind a senior heavy, two pre-season All-American candidates offensive line. Well. They did. A lot.

I realize Brady Quinn and Troy Smith are not the same type of QBs, but the surrounding circumstances are very similar. Let's to a check down on the hype prior to the games:

1) Great Offensive line will give Michigan's D trouble [check];
2) No way they can cover ND/OSU's receivers [double check];
3) _____ is the Heisman trophy favorite [duh...];
4) It's at home and the crowd will make it impossible on Michigan [check, but valid];
5) Unheralded running back does all the little things right and can burn you if your not careful [yup, check];
6) Robot Genius Coach [check]; and
7) LLLLLLLLLLLoyd will wet himself at some point due to _____ at QB's awesomeness [check].

What does it mean? Probably nothing. But Michigan's been told what it can't do before. It's players have shown time and time again this season it's not a good idea to discount them so readily.

Michigan's Defense v. Ohio State's Offense, A Maize n Preview

2006-11-16T11:58:00.000-08:00

Already posted on CSTV.com in their Battle of the Blogs! See the counter argument there too.

Michigan's Defense. Ohio State's Offense. Usually when forces of this magnitude hit one another the resulting blast is considered an extinction level event. When Charles Oppenheimer and friends figured out how to smash atoms together, my guess is they were doing it to demonstrate the sheer destructive force that will be on display Saturday in Columbus.

Michigan sits third in total defense in the country. Ohio State ranks eighth in scoring offense. Ohio State is eleventh in sack prevention. Michigan is second in sack infliction.

Matter + Anti-matter = End Of Existence As We Know It.

Put in non-scientific terms, this game will come down to who controls the line of scrimmage. If Michigan can get through Ohio State's line to Troy Smith, Michigan can and probably will win this game. If Troy Smith spends his day upright, then Michigan loses. It's that simple.

Ohio State's Rushing Offense v. Michigan's Rushing Defense

Ohio State's main running threat Junior Antonio Pittman. The best comparison in the Big Ten to Pittman is Tony Hunt of Penn State, but with speed. He's a north-south runner with decent vision, but not a lot of shiftiness. On short yardage he's deadly because he possesses a great boost through the line. He's also valued as Smith's body guard, as the best pass protection back in the Ohio State stable. Pittman doesn't average a lot of carries, getting around 20 rushes a game but has cracked 100 six times this year. But most of that is due to the fact Ohio State is usually up a considerable amount early. Pittman's primary backup is freshman Chris Wells. Ohio State's made a consistent effort to get Wells into the last five games. He's gotten at least 10 carries in four of the last five. However, when the game is on the line you're not going to see him as he has a tendency to put the ball on the ground when brushed with a feather.

Supporting the running attack is Ohio State's massive, quick, and skilled Offensive Line. There are two potential All-Americans and everyone is either a biscuit over or under 300lbs. Senior Tim Schafer mans the left guard tackle position with Sophomore Alex Boone backing him up. Steve Rehring starts at Left Guard and probable All-American Doug Datish holds down the Center spot. TJ Downing plays at Right Guard with another All-American Candidate Kirk Barton at Right Tackle. Also helping out with the blocking will be Sophomore Tight End Rory Nicol.

If there's a weakness, it's the left side of the line. Boone had his knee scoped and hasn't returned to full speed, to wit Schafer was inserted in his stead. Like Michigan's Rueben Riley, Schafer is a convert to the Tackle position who has never truly owned a position. He was slated early for left guard, but lost the position to Rehring five games in. Since then he's started the last two games at Tackle replacing Boone. Combined, they've been "okay" this year.

Matching up opposite Schafer/Boone will be Michigan's soul-crushing Defensive End LaMarr Woodley. Woodley has been a menace all season against platooned tackles. So far he's taken all of Penn State, Wisconsin, Iowa and Northwestern's cheese and made sandwiches with it. If you point to him not recording a sack against Notre Dame, I would instead point you towards his somewhat memorable fumble return for a touchdown.

The Woodley v. Platoon fight will one of the keys to the game. If Ohio State slides over to double Woodley, which is more than likely, it means there is one less guy to block Alan Branch and Terrance Taylor on the inside. While Datish is an excellent player, he's going to have to choose between Taylor and Branch to block. That leaves either Downing or Rehring in a one-on-one match up in pass protect or run blocking. Personally, I like Michigan's chances one-on-one in those match ups. Taylor, despite being somewhat diminutive at 6'0, is over 300 lbs and one of the quickest defenders on the frontside of Michigan's defense. While concentration has at times waned, when he's focused he can shred a pass protection block in the blink of an eye and gobble up two run blockers just as quickly. Branch? See my description of Taylor, just change 6'0 to 6'6" and insert the phrase "only twice as good". Branch is so fast Michigan has actually used him (a friggin DT) as a quarterback spy. Conversely, I think Biggs/Jamison will be effectively neutralized by Barton on the right side with some Tight End help, but should still make a play or two. Both are sickeningly quick and fully capable of blowing up a run play on their own. Combined this group is first nationally in stopping the run. If Ohio State is forced to double it's bad news for Pittman. Pittman will run behind Datish and Barton, but expect there to be very large angry men in Maize and Blue helmets waiting for him.

Getting past the Defensive line is one thing. But getting past Michigan's Linebacking trio of Harris, Crable and Burgess is quite another. All three possess the strength of linemen and the speed of safeties. Harris is the rock of the corps. When Michigan showed vulnerability to screens early in the year, Harris single handedly decided to stop it. He's as sure a tackler as Michigan has on its roster and really, really hates running backs. Crable, quite bluntly, is a freak of nature. Over the course of the season he's been used as a LB/DE hybrid designed to terrorize the backfield and inflict pain on anyone he finds back there. Burgess is the best in pass coverage. If Michigan is in its base formation and an offensive tries to spread the team out, he's more than capable of running with a TE/4 th WR. Harris and Burgess control the 15 yards after the line, Crable the 10 yards before it.

Michigan has proven it will exploit any hole it sees in an Offensive Line by bringing a Linebacker or two into the holes created by the double teams. Defensive Coordinator Ron English loves to send his linebackers and the occasional safety into the gaps. And the Linebackers coming aren't the type that miss running backs or quarterbacks. This type of speed and athletic ability is present elsewhere in the Big Ten, most notably at Penn State, but nowhere else is it coupled with a defensive line as ferocious as Michigan 's. While Michigan hasn't faced an offense as potent as Ohio State's, The Buckeye's certainly haven't faced a defense as strong, athletic, and disciplined as Michigan's.

For Ohio State to be successful running the ball they have to be able to get past the defensive line and block the linebackers. This is something only Minnesota has been able to do all year. For comparison, Wisconsin ranks 19th rushing offense, Ohio State 20th. The Badgers gained only 66 yards on 27 carries against the Wolverines, finishing with 54 total rushing yards. Wisconsin has PJ Hill who is 5th in the nation in rushing. Ohio State does not. Michigan leads the nation in rushing defense because it is able to put immediate pressure on the ball carrier with their down linemen. The Defensive Linemen eat up the blocks and close the gaps allowing Harris and Burgess to clean up the rest.

If Ohio State possessed a true burner/jukey RB that could make one or two guys miss, they would be in a better position to run the ball. They don't. There is always the chance the Pat White will enter the game as a blocking Full Back somewhere other than inside the 20 yard line. However, if White is in the game that will take away from Ohio State's ability to fully run their vaunted spread offense. White would definitely be placed in the backfield at the expense of a Split End like Robiskie. Though the Buckeyes will want to spread Michigan out as much as possible, limiting your blockers against Michigan is not a good idea.

Expect a lot of runs to the right and a lot of pressure from Harris and Burgess on the ball carriers.

Run Game: Advantage Michigan.

Ohio State's Pass Offense v. Michigan's Pass Defense

In the passing game Michigan sees a somewhat familiar alignment. Ohio State runs the spread offense, preferring to have Ted Ginn and Anthony Gonzalez on the field pretty much at all times. Supporting them will be Brian Robiskie and Roy Hall, two more than adequate wide receivers in their own rights.

So far this year Michigan has faced the spread against Vanderbilt, Central Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ball State, and Indiana. While none of these teams execute the spread even remotely as proficiently as Ohio State, it has prepared the Wolverines for their match up. One of the reasons Michigan has been successful against these types of offenses is because the front seven gets so much pressure. Based on all the info above, I don't see that changing.

In terms of a passer, Troy Smith has blossomed into one of the nation's best. He's got great footwork which allows him to deliver the ball with velocity and accuracy. His deep ball can be scattershot from time to time, but usually it's accurate. Where he excels is throwing on the roll out and the short pass. The offensive line will roll to its strength on the right side allow Smith to move safely out of the pocket and find open receivers. While he isn't the scramble first QB he was early in his career, Smith is very difficult to bring down in the pocket or outside of it. If given the chance he can complete passes even when being grappled by the opposing team. However, ask mobile QBs like Kellen Lewis of Indiana, Drew Tate of Iowa, Drew Stanton of Michigan State, John Stocco of Wisconsin, and Chris Nickson of Vandy what they think of Michigan's ability to contain them. Even against mobile QBs like these, Michigan leads the nation in sacks. Woodley has recorded 11 sacks, Crable 6, Biggs 5, Harris and Burgess have 3 a piece.

One thing he hasn't seen a lot of this year is pressure. He faced some pressure against Texas but also had the benefit of Ted Ginn matched up on some dude on a Rascal. The deep outlet bomb won't be available to Smith (discussed below) so we'll see how well he checks down in the face of the pass rush. Facing decent coverage for the first time this year, expect Smith to hold onto the ball a little longer than he's used to. Also expect him to get hit repeatedly by Michigan's Defense.

Ohio State will likely spend most of the afternoon running and sliding pass protection to the right side behind Barton, Downing and Datish with Help from Pittman and possibly human bulldozer Stan White. This should afford Smith time to throw the football and Pittman to find a hole or two. However, if Datish has to engage in double teams and isn't free to get to the second level, Smith and Pittman are in for a long day.

In the base set, expect Ginn, Gonzalez and Robiskie out on the field. It's pretty obvious at this point who will be across from them. Gonzalez is by far Ohio State's most consistent receiving threat. He torched Michigan last year, and gotten even better this year. Amazing stat? 39 of his 45 catches were for first downs, 7 of them were for TDs. Mr. Gonzalez, meet Mister Hall.

Leon Hall is Michigan's all-time leader in pass breakups, is ranked second in pass breakups nationally and fifth in passes defended. If there is a better cover corner in the college ranks I haven't seen him. Hall effectively takes away one side of the field. He is always in position and has the speed to run with anyone. People are quick to dismiss him because they really know nothing about him. Instead of flapping his gums and patting himself on the back, Hall disappears after games, preferring to let his work on the field do his talking. Straight up, Hall is better than Gonzalez.

The next crucial head-to-head is Ted Ginn and Morgan Trent. Ginn is a one of a kind talent. Everyone knows he's electric and he's a deep threat. I will acknowledge that point without belaboring it. Opposite him is another burner in Trent. Contrary to popular opinion, Trent is blazingly fast as well. Both players can run stride for stride with one another. Speed won't determine this match up. Ginn will. Much like Steve Breaston, Ginn is known for momentary lapses in concentration that take away short but critical gains. He makes the spectacular catch easily but makes the mundane catch look like rocket science.

What Ginn does incredibly well is run the deep route. Jamming him at the line is very difficult because of how quick he is. He's able to create just enough space between himself and the defender to take advantage of his Saturn V-like first step. Two strides and he's by most corners. This is where Michigan's safety help will have to be diligent. Morgan Trent is fast. Very Fast. But I'm not putting him in Ginn's league in terms of quickness. Even so, on most inside and outside routes, Trent should be able to hang with Ginn. Since taking over the starting corner spot Trent has been aggressive without drawing legitimate PI calls. He's generally in the right position at the right time, and continues to improve every game he plays in. Ohio State definitely has an advantage in this match up, but don't discount Morgan Trent. He's a pretty good corner.

On Ohio State's third and fourth receivers, expect to see Brandon Harrison up on Robiskie and Free Safety Brandent Englemon/Willis Barringer up at the line against Hall or Hartline. Head hunting Strong Safety Jamar Adams will patrol the backline. LB Burgess may drop into coverage too from time to time. The three and four match ups are kind of a wash. Yes both Robiskie and any combination of Roy Hall or Brian Hartline have talent, but so do Michigan's nickel defenders. Robiskie will draw a freakishly fast but undersized Harrison. Yeah he's small, but he's built like a tank and was a 2nd Team Freshman All-American last year. Don't sleep on him. Hall/Hartline at this point is a wash on Englemon/Barringer. All of them have talent, just haven't displayed it yet against good competition.

Passing Game: Edge Ohio State.

Summary

Overall I give the nod to Michigan's Defense. Troy Smith is a great quarterback and will make some big plays during the game, but Michigan's front seven is just too strong.

Expect Smith to find Ginn open for one long TD. Expect a screen or two. Expect Woodley, Branch, Biggs and Jamison to find their way to Mr. Smith or Pittman more often than Ohio State has allowed in any game this year. Expect Crable to be a pass rushing force. Expect 50 total rushing from Ohio State. Expect 250 yards passing from Smith. Expect a lot of rollouts. Expect whoever Leon Hall is covering to do very little.

Expect Michigan to win.

Thursday's Hearsay and Conjecture

2006-11-16T10:55:00.000-08:00

Battle of the Blogs Continues

My little contribution to the Battle of the Blogs on CSTV is up. The fine fellows over at Men of Scarlet and Grey have the counter argument to my assertion that Michigan's Defense will win the battle with Ohio State's potent offense. I'll post the full article in a little while so it's easier to read.

By the way, when you head over to MoSaG, check out their Carmac the Magnificent rip off. Good stuff.

UM/OSU All Time Teams

Page Two over at ESPN decided to name the all-time UM and OSU teams. An interesting read. Let say that in order to qualify you shouldn't be basing things on Super Bowl rings, like Brady starting, but should instead base it on WINS against the other team. Brian Griese probably gets the nod in my book for the 1997 win, but Benny Friedman should also be in that discussion. Brady's two years as a starter, in my mind, eliminates him from consideration.

Ivan Maisel Likes Our D

Nice article (mostly) on Michigan's Defensive Line. Leon Hall gets a mention, but this one is all about Woodley & Co. up front.

Cookies and Stats Galore

Vijay looks at the Michigan/Ohio State stats in a way that explains why people see visions of the Virgin Mary in a jar of peanut butter. After reading iBlogforCookies, I see those visions everywhere too.

Newspaper Roundup

The Chicago Tribune

A look at how quiet the teams are when refering to one another. They also take a look at Chad Henne.

The Chicago Sun-Times

A pile of stuff on the Change in culture at Michigan, DeBord and English promotions, Ohio State's winning streak, and Troy Smith's high school "break down." Tickets? No so much? Here's why, they're going for $1,500.

They've also got Big Game Jeopardy! Great trivia for all.

Ann Arbor News

Henne doesn't care what you think. It's up to the fans to get Mike Hart the Heisman next year. Jim Carty weighs in on the Tressel owns Carr nonsense and the effects this game will have on the Heisman.

Go to the Diag. There is Ufer! Read and be merry.

Detroit Free Press

Michael Rosenberg has a terrific article on the UM/OSU mixed marriages, sons and daughters who betrayed their parents and went to OSU, and braving the insanity to watch the game in Columbus clad in Michigan gear.

BTW, if you're a Michigan fan in Columbus on Saturday and something bad happens, look for the University of Michigan Police who will be on hand for help.

Hall. Pass. Denied.

Detroit News

An interesting story on being a Wolverine fan trapped in the mouth of Hell.

LaMarr Woodley can speak about himself in the third person singular. LaMarr Woodley can crush a bowling ball with his forefinger and tumb. You do not cross LaMarr Woodley.

LaMarr Woodley will make sandwiches with your cheese.

It may be big in Ohio, but dotting the "i" is stupid. There. I said it.

Michigan Basketball Improves to 4-0

2006-11-16T08:54:00.000-08:00

Michigan Controls Paint, Glass in 66-59 win over Milwaukee-Wisconsin

Goofy Looking But Effective*

Michigan is now 4-0. While only 5 players for Michigan scored points, it was the five that Michigan will have to rely this year to make the NCAAs. Courtney Sims lead the way, scoring 26 points and collecting 10 boards and 2 blocks.

Michigan trailed by two at the half but went on a tear in the second stanza. Harris, Sims and Petway chipped in 37 of Michigan's 41 second half points. After allowing the Panthers to shoot over 70% from three-point range, Michigan tightened up and limited Milwakee to 33% shooting behind the arc the rest of the way. Michigan also limitted MW to 32 points and 36% shooting from the floor. The Wolverines weren't active outside the arc, going only 1-9 from three. They did their damage on the inside. Michigan scored 34 point in the paint.

Dion Harris continued his stellar start to the year contributing 17 points and 4 steals. Lester Abram only put in 8 points, but led the team dishing out 6 assists. In terms of individual efforts, Brent Petway is off to a tremendous start this season. Petway collected a game high 11 rebounds and pumped in 14 points (going 4-5 at the stripe). Petway is far and way our best rebounder. He's grabbed 40 boards already this year, almost double what next closest rebounder Courtney Sims has contributed. At this point Petway is averaging 10 boards and 7 points a game. As he gets more comfortable as a starter, look for his point contributions to go up and don't be surprised if he's close to averaging a double double at the end of the year.

Turnovers remain a problem for Michigan. Michigan coughed the ball up 16 times. Even so only 11 came from the starters. A nice surprise during the game was Ekpe Udoh pulling down 6 boards in 13 minutes of play. Jerret Smith only saw 14 minutes of action, failing to record a point but contributing 3 assists, a steal, and not turning the ball over once. All in all, a pretty good day for the team.

Though Basketball is a team game, Sims was the man on Wednesday. Courtney score 20 of his 26 during the second half. He was assertive. He called for the ball. He got himself in position. He did all the thing we expect him to do. Tip your hat to him. More importantly, Sims got us a win over a Tourney team early. Hopefully this will be the spring board to the start of a great season.

MGoBlue.com Recap
Free Press Recap
Detroit News Recap
Ann Arbor News Recap - Jeff Arnold on Sims' Emergence so far this year.

*Photo courtesy: Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

You Tube Michigan Ohio State Bonanza!

2006-11-15T07:37:00.000-08:00

Sweet Memories

Armageddon Week Maize n Ballot, Revised

2006-11-15T06:20:00.000-08:00

Um. Tennessee and Oregon both lost. I didn't punish them in my first ballot. Vengeance is wrought in this one.

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

Dropped Out: Texas A&M (#24), Hawaii (#25).

Travel Advisory For Columbus, Ohio

2006-11-14T11:41:00.000-08:00

I love the fact that you have to give travel advisories to Michigan fans trying simply to visit Columbus for the game this weekend. I'd do a Lonely Planet guide, but EDSBS's Auburn guide is just too perfect. Just replace Auburn University with Ohio State and Auburn, Alabama with Columbus, Ohio. They're sister cities really. Still, even the asteemed EDSBS travel guides are not enough to get a Michigan fan around Columbus unmolested. No, seriously. Un-Molested.

With the breakdown in law and order in Columbus, Ohio, the State Department has issued the following Travel Warning when traveling to Columbus, Ohio over the next two weeks.

This Travel Warning is being updated to inform American Citizens of ongoing security concerns in Columbus, Ohio and to urge American citizens to defer non-essential travel to Columbus, Ohio at this time. This supersedes the Travel Warning issued on November 19, 2005.

With the recent overthrow of the Columbus city goverment, rule of law is now carried out at the barrel of a gun or knuckles of a fist. All transport in and out of Columbus begins and ends with bomb sniffing dogs and a rectal cavity search. Those with means should be warned at this point the only currency of value is a small nut called a "buckeye" or a six-pack of beer. While several factions have emerged, the one constant among all parties is a detest of human life and couches. Most of the violence is indiscriminate at this point but persons in blue or yellow are being hunted down and beaten with bags full of the local currency.

"The 'Shoe" (below) as locals refer to it, is now the seat of the Gang/Mob rule which now governs Columbus. It is easily identified by the string of burning cars and couches leading up to its gates and the distinct smell of urine and vomit which can be smelled for miles. Justice is not fickle in this new land, it is bought. While a twelver of Hamm's will be enough to guarantee safe passage out of Columbus with one faction, should you run across another, they will beat you with sacks full of buckeyes for showing favoritism.

Persons from the 49 states not associated with Columbus are advised to avoid Ohio at all costs lest they be sucked into the vortex of destruction. While travel outside of a 200 mile parimeter surrounding Columbus is considered safer than riding on a Greyhound bus, travelers are advised to lengthen their journeys for safety's sake. For those forced to travel to Columbus, the State Department recommends bringing the following to blend in:

These necessities will keep you out of trouble.

Brought to you by Maize n Brew (with a hat tip to MZone, and EDSBS)

Tuesday's Hearsay and Conjecture: Armageddon Style

2006-11-14T11:12:00.000-08:00

Men's Basketball Starts Out Strong

Lost in the shuffle of Armageddon Week, the Michigan Men's Basketball team has posted a 3-0 start to the young basketball season. Playing in the John Thompson Challenge, Michigan swept Central Connecticut, Davidson, and Eastern Michigan to win the Challenge. Michigan won each game by at least 10 points.

What was particularly encouraging was the strong, consistent performance of Dion Harris. Harris was named tournament MVP after posting 19 points, 23 points (6 assists), and 5 points (5 assists, 3 steals, 3 rebounds, and 1 block in 18 minutes). Brent Petway was a ridiculous force on the boards during the tournament posting 7, 13, and 9 rebound games. Courtney Sims played well too, 7 points (3-5) 9 boards, 21 points 3 boards, and 17 points 4 boards in three games. Ron Coleman has also been a pleasant surprise, actually knocking down jumpers.

The rookie watch was also impressive. Reed Baker posted 3 steals in 18 minutes of playing time during the tourney. Jevohn Sheppard posted 4 steals, a block, an assist and 7 points in 17 minutes during Michigan's third game. Deshawn Sims had 3 blocks, 4 boards and 9 points in 14 minutes. K'len Morris and Epke Udoh also posted some good numbers for younger players.

What was concerning was the number of turnovers. Michigan gave the ball back 17 times in the first game, 15 the second, and 19 the third. That is BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD news. This is not a good enough team to get away with crappy ball handling like that. Shooting percentages were also problematic. However, Michigan was ahead comfortably in all three games. Jerret Smith appears to have regressed. Baker may take over the main back up role once he settles down. looking at his early numbers, Reed is playing nervous. Once he gets used to the tempo and wearing a real D-1 jersey, he could be a solid role player.

Michigan hosts Milwaukee-Wisconsin Wednesday night. They went to the tourney last year. This could be a much more important early game than anyone is giving credit for.

Must Read For Armageddon Week

Go to RBUAS. Now. Read this. Some of Johnny's best work.

The Internets Are Blazing Like A Poo Filled Cooler In Columbus

As part of the build up to Michigan Ohio State, the good people over at CSTV.com have started a little Battle 'O the Blogs. They're matching up the best Michigan and OSU blogs on the internets and letting them have at it. So far they've covered who's got the best gameday atmosphere and the better stadium.

Me? Well they lined me up to cover who's gonna win the Ohio State Offense versus Michigan Defense matchup. That'll be up on Thursday. Nothing too complicated, just the key to friggin game! Fear not intrepid readers, I will explain it all, and in small words so our OSU brethren can follow along.

Man, I Wish I Had A Kickass Shirt For Saturday!

Funny you should mention that. Maize n Buy is up and running.

More soon....

Maize n Ballot Week 12: Armageddon Week

2006-11-14T08:17:00.000-08:00

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

Dropped Out: Texas A&M (#24), Hawaii (#25).

It doesn't matter anymore. The only teams that matter are 1 and 2. They meet Saturday.

I Can't Believe I'm Only Third On This List

2006-11-13T12:21:00.000-08:00

Every now and then something really, really funny comes across the 'ole Sitemeter.

This was one of them.

Please note MGoBlog is 6th. Huzaahs all around.

Only A Few Teams Seem To Want To Play In National Championship Game

2006-11-13T11:18:00.000-08:00

Majority of Teams Prefer Second Loss to Visiting Glendale

(AP) - Despite Glendale, Arizona's multi-million dollar push to encourage universities and their fan bases to get excited about visiting a place people go to die, it appears teams are intentionally sabotaging their seasons to avoid the trip. Several teams initially expressed interest in coming to Glendale, but only if the delivery of the Waterford football was guaranteed and only if they could stay in nearby Tijuana, Mexico, citing safety concerns.

The first to back out of their scheduled trip was Louisville. Beating West Virginia seemed to have guaranteed a trip to Arizona for the Cardinals. Brian Brohm, being the fair skinned variety, stated her prefers playing in outside of such sun drenched locations. In fact, he played the second half of Thursday's game against Rutgers as if even the thought of the Glendale sun would give him melanoma.

Texas, the recipient of Brohm and Louisville's generosity, peaked under the wrapping paper, taped the hole back up, and fed-exed their plane tickets back to the Glendale Championship committee. Just to make their point they dropped a close one to Kansas State in Manhattan. The Longhorns decided that a second loss was the new black, it goes with everything, including the rest of the pack. Ivan Maisel is being coaxed back in off the ledge, as all of his columns this year were tied to Texas' national championship hopes. As for Bevo, he was quite proud to see his troops stay home.

Figuring they could visit anytime they wanted to, the Cal Bears went into hibernation during the last quarter of Saturday's meltdown against Arizona. But if you live in California you really don't need any more sun, so the Bears decided it was better to play in the Liberty Bowl in scenic Whale's Vagina (German translation of San Diego). Sun is sun if you're from Cali. But they might actually have rain if they stay in state. No moisture out in 'Zona. It's in the desert you know.

Auburn backed out as well. Trying to avoid Arizona and national exposure, Auburn's QB tossed a string on horrible interceptions and the University launched one of the worst School public service announcements/Ads in history during their game against Georgia. Not knowing it was all part of the plan, Brandon Cox threw all those INTs as a means of teaching the University a lesson. "More sociology funding, less 'War Eagle'" he later stated.

Both University of Florida and University of Arkansas spokesmen have put out press releases announcing that their teams will do everything possible to avoid going perfect the rest of the year.

"With Mississippi State and LSU remaining on our schedule, the University wants to assure its fans that they will not have to drive across country to see the Hogs play in a bowl game," University spokesman Reginald "Slim" McRow announced yesterday. ”The University is very conscious of the moderate income a degree from this fine University affords its graduates, and therefore will do everything it can to make sure that Arkansas plays in the Capital One Bowl in nearby Orlando, FL. Hog fans don't need to worry about "flyin' machines" or those west coast liberals Rush keeps talking about. We're staying out East!"

Not to be outdone, the University of Florida head coach Urban Meyer issued the following statement as well:

"I want all the members of the Gator Nation to know it is this team's single minded focus to finish with at least two losses and avoid going to Glendale. We're staying right here. Florida State's still on the schedule and so is the SEC Championship game. Just like on Saturday against South Carolina we're going to do everything in our power to let inferior teams beat us and keep us in a local bowl. The last thing I want is to announce to all those Florida graduates who want to see us in a bowl game is that they've gotta hitch up their houses, pay up their park fees, disconnect all the electrical and crap pipin', and drive cross country. I know no one would miss work, but since so many fans have credit where they are, I don't want to ruin that for them!"

No one bothered to reach Rutgers or Boise State for comment.

On the other side of the coin, Pete Carroll, still convinced that USC is undefeated, was adamant about the fact that his team, win or lose, should be crowned national champion. "Our kids have the heart of a champion. Well, not just one heart, but a lot of hearts. All their hearts are championship quality. Championships are awarded on which team has more heart. Like I said, we've got the hearts of a champion. That's why we've won four straight national championships!" Carroll concluded his statement by diving into a pool of money, cocaine and 19 year-old co-eds.

Following Michigan's triumph over Indiana head coach Lloyd Carr was brief but adamant about belonging in Glendale. Summing up his argument Carr stated "Fucking teenagers...." and then wandered off. Jim Tressel was equally excited about prospect of a trip to Glendale, citing the importance of such a game in recruiting and the proud history of Ohio State. He then stabbed the reporter and took his wallet.

Michigan Dominant In Tune Up For Ohio State

2006-11-13T08:55:00.000-08:00

Michigan Blows Past Indiana 34-3
Armageddon Remains Scheduled For November 18, 2006

After coming out flat against an overmatched Ball State team Michigan hung on for dear life to capture its 10th victory. Tears were shed. Anger was vented. A drop in the rankings was penned by a couple of blogger/writer/commentators. A week of intense practice followed.

Then the dismantling of Indiana occurred.

Spurred on by the indignation of allowing Ball State to even sniff an upset, Michigan throttled Indiana on Saturday. Saturday the Wolverines looked like the team we've come to expect them to be. Dominant. Angry. Nasty. Freakytalentedandproudofit.

Ever since the Michigan State game, Michigan fans have been clamoring for that same team to reappear on the field turf on Saturdays. There were glimpses of that team against Penn State, Iowa, Northwestern, and Ball State, but never a full showing. There were wins, but none of them were "dominant".

Then the dismantling of Indiana occurred.

Offensively, Michigan revved its engine in anticipation of Saturday's showdown. Michigan racked up 376 yards in total offense, most of it coming before the end of the third quarter. Michigan went deep. Michigan went short. They pounded the ball at Indiana. Mike Hart and Jerome Jackson each picked up a TD and Chad Henne threw for two himself. Rather than sputtering by playing down to an inferior opponent, Michigan slammed down the accelerator and blew past Indiana's secondary.

Steve Breaston finally had the breakout game we've all been waiting for. Breaston caught only three passes but racked up 103 receiving yards and a TD on a 62 yard bomb from Henne. Blowing past his covering corner, Breaston reeled in Henne's 40 yard bomb over the outstretched arms of Indiana's safety and jogged into the end zone for the last 20 yards. That was Steve's first TD reception of the year. It was also the second longest TD pass Michigan has thrown all season. For Steve and the Michigan faithful there was no better time to demonstrate that he is a legitimate deep threat than against Indiana.

Adding to his banner day, Breaston finally broke off a punt return for a TD. Retreating to his 18, Breaston split the first two gunners in the middle of the field, Breaston took a 45 degree angle to the right side of the field, made a momentary stutter to freeze the punter, and threw it into an extra gear he seemed to be saving for that moment to simply out run the rest of Indiana's punt coverage into the end zone. It was Steve's first return for a TD all year.

The rest of Michigan's receiving crew was back in action for this tune up as well. Mike Massey and Tyler Ecker made their glorious returns to the field, with Ecker hauling in a 22 yard completion to set up a first down deep in Indiana territory. Mario Manningham was back catching a pair of passes. Finally, Adrian Arrington pulled in a pair of catches with one resulting in a TD.

The only blemish on Michigan's offensive performance was the goal line interception Chad Henne tossed. Other than that, the Junior QB was on the money all day. Connecting with six different receivers, Henne went 12-16 with two TDs and an INT. For the most part, Henne was dead on.

On the defensive side of the ball Michigan only allowed Indiana total 131 yards. The Defensive line spent the entire afternoon in Indiana's backfield. Poor Kellen Lewis was thumped almost every time he went back to pass as the Wolverines registered 5 sacks on a highly mobile QB. David Harris continued his monster season by sacking Lewis once, registering 2 TFL, and piling up a game high 11 tackles (9 of them solo). Tim Jamison feasted on the Indiana line, getting to Lewis twice himself. The passing game for Indiana was almost non-existent. Michigan registered 6 pass breakups, with half of those belonging to Leon Hall. Lewis was able to throw for only 105 yards, going 16 of 33 with his longest completion being for 12 yards. This is the same QB who tossed five TDs on Michigan State earlier this year.

Crucially, the Wolverines kept Indiana's run game in check too. Indiana's running back by committee gained only 20 yards on 9 carries. The only positive rushing yards really came from Lewis who gained 37 yards on designed runs and scrambles, but lost most of that to sack yardage. With Michigan preparing for the highly mobile Troy Smith, keeping a fleet of feet QB like Lewis in check was a heartening result.

After pouring over the statistics, and analyzing every little detail, we are still left with a single question: What does this tell us?

The answer is, "very little."

Michigan finally clicked against a thoroughly overmatched opponent. Will they have as much access to Troy Smith as Kellen Lewis? Probably not. OSU has one of the better offensive lines in the country. Keep in mind that Texas, who has a pretty good defense of their own, gave up 24 points and while registering 3 sacks. More importantly, those sacks were the only TFL Texas registered that game. That means the majority of the game was played on the Texas defense side of the line. OSU is first in sack prevention, 1 sack ahead of Michigan. Michigan leads the conference in sacks with 41, 6 ahead of second place PSU. Michigan is second in scoring defense and turnover margin. More on this Thursday.

Michigan put up 34 points. Will they do the same against the Buckeyes? Who knows? Michigan's score 17 points twice this year (Penn State and Northwestern!?) and 20 points once (Iowa). All three teams stacked the run and we ran right at them anyway. When we've gone airborne, 30 points seems to be the norm. The points in this game will depend on how the Buckeyes play the line. Also keep in mind the best defenses we've played are Wisconsin, Penn State and Iowa. We put 28 on Wisconsin, but didn't bury PSU or Iowa. We went vertical on Wisconsin but didn't on the other two. We'll want to go vertical, but OSU leads the conference in interceptions. Still We'll have three legitimate wideouts and two deadly tight ends to throw to all day. Michigan will move the ball, how many points they score will depend on our defense and theirs.

What we do know is what Michigan is capable of when it comes out focused. We saw the same Michigan team on Saturday against Indiana that we saw against Notre Dame and Wisconsin. We know this is a determined team. We know this is a team that will never give up. We know this team will give us everything they have and compete until the final down is played.

That knowledge will help us all prepare for November 18.

Photos courtesy of UM Photo Services

Rutgers 28 Louisville 25

2006-11-09T20:02:00.000-08:00

I said I'd give Rutgers respect when they earned it.

Behold. My dinner.

Congrats Rutgers. Dammit.

A Quick and Uninformed Preview of The Indiana University Hoosiers

2006-11-09T08:22:00.000-08:00

Next up, Indiana. The same Indiana that sits 5-5 in the Big Ten. The same Indiana that lost to D1-AA Southern Illinois, at home. The same Indiana that hung 46 on MSU then had 63 dropped on them by Minnesota.

The same Indiana.

But not really.

Indiana is on the outskirts of going to its first bowl since 1993. As hard as it may be to believe today, Indiana was a Bowl playing machine in the late 80's early 90's. From 1986-1993 the Hoosiers went to 6 Bowl games, capturing wins in the Copper and Liberty Bowls. While this is the same Indiana team that can give up 63 points to Minnesota, lose by 44 to Ohio State and blow the start of the season with a loss to a 1-AA school, there are signs that this same Indiana is changing. The Hoosiers have a true offensive weapon in wideout James Hardy. Their quarterback Kellen Lewis is only a freshman, yet already has a five TD pass game under his belt.

Indiana's coach beat cancer. Brain cancer. Terry Hoeppner has had tumors removed from his brain twice, returning to the sidelines to coach his team within TWO WEEKS of surgery. If he sold plastic bracelets I'd buy them by the thousands. The man's either an immortal fighting his fellow immortals for "the Prize," or he's a man with a heart stronger than a screwed up gene or two who's leading a revival at one of the Big Ten's outcast programs. Either way he and Indiana now command your respect.

Michigan and Ohio State got caught looking ahead last week against inferior opponents. Neither team will take their opponents so lightly this weekend. Michigan gets Indiana in Bloomington.

On With The Uninformed Preview!

A Quick and Uninformed Preview of The Indiana University Hoosiers

Football History

Not much. Mostly they've been very, very bad. They've been playing football since 1887 and have just two Big Ten crowns (1945 and 1967) to show for it. Further, Indiana's only been to 8 Bowl games in its history. Not the most storied program in college football, to say the least.

Coaching

Surprisingly good. Terry Hoeppner comes from the cradle of all midwest coaching, Miami University. Taking over the Red Hawks/Men in 1999 Hoeppner never once had a losing season. He posted 7 win seasons 3 times, one 6 win, and one 8 win season, and crowned his tenure with a 13-1 record, including a 49-28 whuppin' of Louisville in the GMAC Bowl in 2003. During that season the two lowest point totals for Miami's offense were 3 and then 33. they scored over 40 point 11 times that season.

Hoeppner can also recruit. Exhibit 1 is Kellen Lewis. 1826 yards, 13 TD and only 6 INTs. With the exception of 3 losses, this years Indiana team is putting up at least 3 TD's a game. While the defense hasn't improved yet, the offense has. It may take a while for Indiana to challenge the big boys of the Big Ten, but Hoeppner has certainly brought back respectability to the program.

QB

Freshman Kellen Lewis took the reigns of the Indiana offense after the first game of the season. Since then he's thrown at least 25 passes in each game (except against Connecticut) and racked up some fairly impressive numbers for a freshman. Against Michigan State he tossed 5 TD passes, and against Minnesota he posted his first 300+ yard passing day. What's most surprising about Lewis is how careful he's been with the ball (up until recently). He had a four game stretch against Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and OSU where he didn't throw a pick. While he has thrown 3 INTs during his last two games, he's 1-1 in those contests with 8 TD passes. Not a bad ratio.

Lewis is a mobile QB. In his last two games he's rushed for 150 yards and a TD. Troy Smith he's not, but he does possess an escapeability we haven't seen in a while. It'll be a good test to see if Michigan's D can keep him from scrambling when his receivers are covered.

Even though Lewis does have the physical tools to be a success, he's still a freshman. With a backup Left Tackle starting opposite LaMarr Woodley, expect some big mistakes from the kid.

RB

It's rumored that Indiana has a RB. In fact they've got two. Yet they're rarely seen carrying the ball past the line of scrimage. Running backs Marcus Thigpen and Demetrius McCray have combined for 158 carries and 577 yards rushing. They've each scored 2 TDs on the season. For those doing the math, that's 100 fewer carries and 700 yards less than Mike Hart has on the season so far. Power running is not something Indiana does well, or even attempts to try. The running game seems to be a distraction from Hoeppner's preferred method of transit, air travel.

However, a key factor not to miss is the fact that Kellen Lewis leads the team in rushing yards and attempts. Hoeppner has not been shy about putting the ball in the hands of his most talented player. Expect some options, quarterback draws, and a few QB delayed scrambles for yards. My guess is Crable will be eyeballing young Mr. Lewis in anticipation of his match-up across from Mr. Smith.

WR/TE

I mentioned this earlier, Indiana has a legit Big Ten weapon in James Hardy. 38 receptions, 534 yards and 9 TDs. His 9 TDs tie him with Mario Manningham for tops in the Big Ten. He's big, fast, and fun to watch. He is also Indiana's only vertical threat. Teams that have been successful against Indiana have taken him away.

However, don't think that hardy is Lewis' only target. A quick perusal of the Indiana roster reveals that Jahkeen Gilmore has 26 catches and 400 yards, James Bailey has 31 catches and 335, and finally Nick Polk has 29 catches almost 300 yards. That's pretty good ball distribution. Against Indiana you'll likely see three and four wide-out sets. While this will be fun for our D-line, it will require our nickel and dime packages to be awake. These are competent receivers. While none of them are shake-your-head-fast, they will eat up yards when given free space. Skill and speed-wise, our corners are better than their WRs. However, failure to play them tight will allow Indiana to rack up the yards on dink and dunk plays. It'll be interesting to see how English plays the wide outs.

O-Line

They exist. They've only given up 14 sacks this year, but I suspect in large part that is due to Lewis evading people. He was sacked three times against Ohio State. The running game is kind of a joke, gaining only 800 yards so far this season with two different backs and a QB.

This isn't a necessarily horrid line, but it's by no means a good one. They'll stand tall for a quarter before depth and Alan Branch consumes their souls.

Defense

Porous. They gave up 44 points to Ohio State. 63 to Minnesota. Even Illinois put up more than 30. In the Big Ten Indiana ranks 9th in Pass Defense and Rushing Defense, giving up over 230 in the air and over 170 on the ground per game. They rank last in sacks with 11. They're also 9th in red zone defense. Not good.

In Summary

A work in progress, but not an offense to take lightly.

Heath Shuler. Quarterback. Volunteer. Congressman. Endless Punchline.

2006-11-08T08:10:00.000-08:00

Oh happy day.

Former Tennessee Volunteer, Washington Redskin, New Orleans Saint, and Oakland Raider Quarterback Heath Shuler was elected Congressman of North Carolina's 11th District yesterday.

Though losses in close games is what we've all come to expect from Heath, he pulled out a victory in a tightly contested Congressional Race. Shuler won the 11th with 54% of the vote, which, appropriately, is also his career passer rating in the NFL. In taking the 11th District seat, Heath ousted 8 term Congressman Charles Taylor. Such a victory is normally cause celebre, however, please remember this is Heath we're talking about. Last time he ousted a starter he didn't last a full term. Washington sent him packing after two years as the man in charge. Here's hoping Heath can buck that trend as well.

Heath's victory also robbed local and national media of several great headlines such as "Shuler's House Bid Sacked", "Shuler's Pass at Office Falls Incomplete", "Shuler Fumbles House Race Away", "Shuler, Too Slow to React, Hit By Voters" and so on...

Media friends, do not worry. There is more than enough funny stuff to go around. Heath's congressional campaign website focuses on "Leadership on the Field and in the Classroom." Please enjoy a healthy slice of that irony pie. In games Shuler played in, starter or not, his NFL teams are 3-14. As for the Classroom, Shuler left school a year early to enter the NFL draft without finishing his degree. (Although he did complete it several years later).

Heath now returns to the city that couldn't wait to get rid of him. Here's hoping his efforts as the singal caller for North Carolina's 11th district don't end up helping the bad guys like so many of his passes did.

For more fun check out the fine work done by the people at Stop Shuler, who due to Heath's victory are closing up shop.

Maize n Ballot Week 11

2006-11-07T07:51:00.000-08:00

It's Election Day! Here's my Ballot!

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

Dropped Out: Clemson (#24), Missouri (#25).

1. Ohio State and Michigan both almost get caught looking ahead. Michigan because Lloyd put in the scrubs waaay too early on senior day. Ohio State because McSweatervest hid the Buckeye Offense's car keys after the first half. In the grand scheme of things neither game matters much other than the victory. But I did get taught a valuable lesson regarding judging a team based on a single game rather than a team's body of work.

2. I was right about Louisville.

3. I still think Rutgers is going to get plowed by Louisville on Thursday. But, up to this point the Knights are undefeated and get the Cards at home. I've been critical of their schedule and performances to date, but victories over ACC and Big Ten dregs UNC and Illinois are still victories. And those wins have Rutgers at 8-0. For now, they get a boost to 14 in anticipation of the biggest college football game in New Jersey history. To welcome Rutgers into the top 15, here's a photo of Rutgers' traditional mascot, Uncle Vinny's Trans Am. Rutgers has the chance to prove me and all the nay-sayers wrong Thursday.

Ow U Do-in, Rutgers?

4. Especially the jackasses that have Boise State ranked 14 and 13 (and ahead of Rutgers) in the Polls! I can't stand crap like this. Boise State, blue turf and all, has played NO ONE. Yes they're putting up pinball machine type numbers, but so it friggin Hawaii. This is at best a 7-4, 7-5 team in a major conference. Down to 20 with you.

4. I never had West Virginia ranked that high to begin with, so they pretty much stay put. But I have to say Pat White kicks ass. He is a special, special athlete, and I have a burgeoning man-crush on him. I didn't expect that much out of WVU, and they proved me wrong. They're a good team, and if Slaton/anyone could've held onto the ball they'd be an undefeated one. WVU earned some points in defeat, at least in my eyes. As for dropping them to the bottom of the 1-loss pile, the only team above them I think they beat on a neutral field is Notre Dame. But the Domers beat everyone else beneath them and I don't see WVU beating the Hogs or the Badgers. Its a juggling match.

You, sir, are a badass.

5. Wake Forest! Recognize bitches! No. 1 in the ACC! They move to lucky number 13 as the worst of the once beatens. Is it going to last? Probably not. But for at least one more week they should remain atop the ACC standings. That does mean I'm penciling them in for a win over FSU. Man, does that mean they're that good or FSU is that bad. Both actually. Their last three games are FSU, Virginia Tech and Maryland. They'll drop either the Maryland or VaTech game, but either way a win over Maryland puts them in the ACC Championship game. How many of you thought you'd read that sentence, ever.

6. LSU. You won. You're where you should be with two losses.

7. Maryland and the Fridge, so hot right now. Despite coming unglued early in the year to West Virginia, Maryland's pulled itself together and gone on a tear. They're not blowing people away, but they're winning close games every week. Somehow the Terps have the ball in their hands when they need it. This has to be the Fridge's best coaching job to date. New Hotness status boosts you to 17.

Fear Me.

8. Tennessee. Ugh. You can't lose games like that and get respect. Four friggin turnovers by the other side and you lose. To the middle of the twice beaten pack with you.

9. Boston College, perhaps dropping you to 23 is unfair, but then so is life. Nice team. Cute stadium. Not quite prime time..... Yet.

10. Hawaii gets a big "Aloha!" from Maize n Brew. Whether they're coming or going is up to them. Either way, hopefully they brought a bunch of those macadamia nuts covered in chocolate. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....

This gets you ranked 25th.

Strange Days

2006-11-06T07:36:00.000-08:00

In racking my brain for some kind of parallel to this weekend's near debacle I came up empty. Nothing. Saturday was a disaster that wasn't. Sure you can call the game a mountain that was really a molehill. Pneumonia that was really just a light cold. But not a single experience in my Michigan fandom even came close to the near nightmare that unfurled on the Michigan Stadium carpet on Saturday.

I couldn't find the game anywhere. those bastards at ESPNU kept me from my normal Gameday Saturday morning rituals. When I realized I could watch the game I spent a few hours trying to find game audio. Well, audio feeds were spotty at best, and I was regulated to begging ESPN to run highlights of a Michigan game I could neither hear nor see unfold. Periodically, I would see the scores change. Then, as time was winding down, I saw the wrong score change far too often. It was only after the score went final that information was slowly allowed to leak out of Ann Arbor.

Initially I was mad. How could Ball State hang with UM? Ball State!? Then as more information came in it starter to make sense. Um. Was that Charles Stewart getting burned? What the hell is he doing in? Effing Sears! We were up by that much? Why were they in? As I learned more, my annoyance remained, but I truly had no place to direct it. Weird.

What's even stranger is I can't blame the starters for doing anything other than coming out cold. Henne and Hart were uncharacteristically careless with the football, spotting Ball State 9 free points. Even so, when the majority of Michigan's first stringers took a seat in the third quarter it was 31-12. With less than a full quarter remaining in the game the score was 34-19 and the starters were putting their feet up on the bench.

Then diminutive Terry Moss torched Michigan's backup secondary for a 62 yard catch and everyone started getting nervous. Michigan couldn't do anything when it got the ball back and was forced to punt. Ball State promptly marched down the field. They managed to climb to the Michigan 6 before finally being turned aside by the Michigan first team defense.

A great collective exhale was heard 'round the globe as the Michigan fan base took its first breath in 35 minutes.

Normally, in a game where a clearly inferior team hangs with the No. 2 team in the country there is cause for alarm. Here, not so much. Michigan outgained Ball State nearly 2 t0 1. Michigan had two 100+ yard rushers, and three different running backs scored TDs. Despite an INT, Henne was 17-25 with a TD and more drops than anyone cares to think about. Michigan basically scored 9 of Ball State's points (Safety and INT). Ball State never touched Henne. Michigan, however, touched Nate Davis a lot, sacking him 3 times and generally making his life miserable. Michigan spent a considerable amount of time Ball State's backfield racking up 7 TFL. Two blown coverages in the second half by backup corners cost Michigan 14 points and 116 yards in offense. At half time Bal State had 62 total yards.

Don't get me wrong this was a baaaad game, but it's not going to keep me up at night. Michigan's offense scored 34 points (40 if you count Chad's INT). Manningham is back, even though he only played a few downs it's still a bonus. Harris had 14 tackles, and 3 TFL. Minor and Hart both had runs of over 40 yards. Every meaningful indicator tells me the score was the only thing in doubt.

But it's the score that matters. For all the good that can be pulled from Saturday's game, the fact that Ball State was a touchdown and 2pt conversion from tying the game is nauseating.

I've been hard on other teams this season for allowing bad teams to hang with them. Many people, in turn, have been critical of Michigan for failing to crush teams rather than simply beating them. It's a strange balancing act. The only people I can truly be critical of are Stewart and Sears, two backup CBs who apparently can't cover a bed with a blanket. Without them tripping over their own two feet, perhaps Ball State scores one more touchdown but the outcome of the game is never in doubt. I want to be critical of the team that let Ball State back in the game, but that team won't see the field again this year. Did the backups suck? Yes. Does that mean the whole team does? No.

My biggest criticism of Michigan's game was the failure to convert a first down after Ball State's last touchdown. The one negative constant of this year is the inability to gain yards and run out the clock at critical moments. Not being able to pick up a first down in that situation is particularly galling to me.

Where does Saturday leave us? Ohio State is 10-0 after struggling to beat an inferior team as well. Michigan is 10-0. Louisville (8-0) had the best win of the week, popping West Virginia despite being outgained. Boise State sits at 9-0 and Rutgers stands 8-0. On Thursday we'll see whether Louisville or Rutgers is for real. Boise State, well, they fall victim to the same criticism I have about Rutgers to this point, they haven't played anyone.

Ohio State and Michigan will remain where they are, 1 and 2. The Lousiville Rutgers game will establish whether Rutgers is a legitimate BCS contender. But even with a victory, their December 2 showdown with West Virginia looms. If Louisville wins, they're close to stamping their ticket to Arizona with only a Thanksgiving match-up with Pitt in the way. Basically, everything is still on track for the winner of the Big Ten, barring upset, to play in the National Championship game as an unbeaten.

Michigan won a close one that shouldn't have been. Michigan dominated the game statistically, yet barely hung on to the game. I'm pissed, but have nowhere to direct my anger. I'm not even really sure I should be angry. Strange days.

Yes. That is Captain Picard.
I rest my case.

Michigan 34 Ball State 26

2006-11-04T13:33:00.000-08:00

Worst. Game. Ever.

John L Smith Resigns, Leaves Program in Shambles, Counts Money, Gives Finger to Michigan State

2006-11-01T14:28:00.000-08:00

Yeah, like you didn't see this coming. It's the old "Stairs or the Window" routine. I guess Johnny decided it was better to fall on your own sword than have someone else do the honors.

In case you missed it yesterday and this morning, John L. Smith resigned from his position as head football coach for Michigan State University. And if by "resigned from" you mean "forced out at the barrel of a gun and an angry mob" you've pretty much got the whole story.

Though responsible for the turn around at Louisville which netted him the MSU job, Smith was never able to duplicate that success in East Lansing. Year after year seemingly talented Spartan teams fumbled, threw away, or simply gave up on promising seasons. Most of the blame was placed, fairly in my opinion, on Smith and his coaching staff. Lack of discipline on the field and off marked his tenure.

I'm on record as saying I want a strong MSU program. I want rivalry games that mean something again. I want Herstreit telling national TV audiences how MSU will wipe the carpet with Michigan again. Mostly, I just want Smith out of the state of Michigan.

Smith was, at best, a mercenary. He went where the money took him. That's why he bolted Louisville at half time of a bowl game. He had nothing emotionally invested in that program, it was just a stop a long the way. I believe that's want he saw at MSU. That's why he never won over the Spartan faithful. He never understood that it wasn't enough to beat the Big Ten dregs and go to the occassional Motor City bowl. He never got the passion. He never understood why UM/MSU is a rivalry. He never understood that it wasn't enough to be "somewhat" competitive with the elite teams rather than being a member of that fraternity. He never understood that a football game has two halves.

If you think Smith is smarting from his wrist slap and canning you're wrong. MSU will buy out the remaining two years on his contract. Smith's annual salary was $1.35 million. However, Smith's buyout clause is $1.5 million. So John L. leaves not only with the program's dignity in his back pocket, but with a $1.5 million smile on his face as he goes in search of new work.

And don't kid yourself, he'll coach somewhere else. Maybe not at a $1 million dollar paycheck, but at a salary high enough to keep gas in the Hummer. His 132-83 record in 18 seasons as a college head coach tells me someone will offer him a job again. It won't be a major or mid-major program. Most likely it will be a small time school trying to better itself with a man who can recruit, and outcoach other bad coaches. Remember, going from 1-11 to 5-7 is an improvement for some schools.

Despite his job prospects, Smith was a disaster at Michigan State. Despite going to the Alamo Bowl in his first year, MSU finished 5-6 and 5-7 the next two years. This year is already spiraling out of control as Zook and the Illini beat the Spartans in East Lansing and the Hoosiers scored 46, FORTY-SIX, unanswered points against State in one of the season's more lopsided-didn't-see-that-one-coming ass whippings. With the talent on Michigan State's sidelines, what Smith and his coaching staff have given the Spartan faithful borders on criminal.

Goodbye John L. Security will see you out.

Maize n Ballot Week 9

2006-11-01T08:02:00.000-08:00

Elections draw nigh, so don't forget to vote...

Maize n Ballot

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

Dropped Out: Nebraska (#25).

A ho hum week in college football where most of the teams that should've won games did. Ohio State blows out Minnesota. Michigan pounds Northwestern in the freezing rain. Texas comes back to top Tech in a game they really should've lost but decided not to. And then USC finally lays the egg we all knew they were capable of duecing out.

However, I think this makes them a much more dangerous, focused team. USC now knows it can't simply turn it on when it wants to and win. They now know they have to play a complete game to be sucessful. That will make them a scary, scary team to play. The Trojans will destroy Notre Dame in Los Angeles. If I'm wrong I'll post a leprechan on this page, dispite the fact that it is a gross stereotype of my people. Not all of us wear that much green. So that's why I didn't drop them past seventh. This team is waaaaay too talented on both sides of the ball and too well coached for the Oregon State game to be anything more than a blip on the radar.

The only other noticeable dropper was Clemson. They got e-x-p-o-s-e-d by Virginia Tech. Watching the game my wife and I simply marveled at the ass-whipping that was occurring in front of us. "God, these guys suck!" was the best line from Mrs. Brew that night. Simple. Eloquent. And delivered with just enough disgust, sacrasm, and football knowledge to remind me what a great woman I married. I challenge you, dear reader, that when the time comes for you to chose your soulmate, make sure he or she spouse is a football fan.

Other than that, status quo. Rutgers had a boring, totally unimpressive win over UConn. They will get POUNDED by WVU and Louisville. I don't care that they're in a "BCS" conference. Take out the top two teams from the MAC and the Big East and they're the same damn conference. I am unimpressed. Prove me worng and accolades shall be yours.

Thursday is around the corner, WVU v. Louisville. The pizza will be ordered. The beer will be cold. And football, glorious football, will be watched.

Predictable, Like A Rainy Day In Late October

2006-10-31T12:52:00.000-08:00

On a day best left to a detective novel, Michigan slogged through the rain, the sleet and Northwestern to earn its ninth win of the season.

I will say this to Michigan's nay-sayers and critics, the game plan was predictable.

They won.

Everyone present in the stands and watching more comfortably at home knows this wasn't a thing of beauty. Michigan passed for a paltry 116 yards. Mike Hart sat out long stretches of the game allowing Kevin Grady and Brandon Minor time to fumble away prime field position. Chad Henne, once declared the new hotness, has cooled managing only a single touchdown pitch against a woeful Northwestern secondary. Young and talented Carson Bulter botched several easy catches that would have resulted in first downs. Even the normally reliable Steve Breaston flubbed and fumbled away a punt he knew better than to get near. It was ugly.

Lost in this critique is the predictable outcome. Lost is the fact that 30 mph winds howled through Michigan Stadium all game. Lost was the fact that the turf and ball were as slippery as a greased pig from hours of rain. Lost is the fact that Michigan emerged without serious injury on a day that should've claimed more than its share of athletes. Lost is the fact that Michigan was never in danger of losing this game.

Michigan did what we expected them to do. While they did not hang 44 on a hapless Minnesota team at home, they did more than enough to win. The defense was nastier than the weather, sacking Northwestern three times despite their constant reliance on the three step drop. Michigan forced two fumbles and picked off three passes. Though Henne and the offense had middling numbers, they kept the game going, and scored enough points to win. Predictably, the game was closer than it should've been. But that is Michigan this year. They simply do what they need to win.

Two things mark this Michigan season. One, always putting enough offense on the board to win. Two, destroying the opposing offense.

With regard to the first, several players deserve accolades for their performances. Predictably, Mike Hart heads that list. With 95 yards rush, 23 of them on 4th and 2, and a touchdown he continues to be the engine that powers our offense. Next, an unlikely candidate, Jerome Jackson. Thrust into the game when Brandon Minor and Kevin Grady's allergies to pig skin resurfaced, Jackson was excellent at not only protecting the ball but gaining needed yards. His 59 yards on 9 carries were not of the spectacular variety, but the were crucial in salting away the game. Further, at 6.6 yards per carry, he showed he will be a reliable backup for the rest of the season. Third, Greg Mathews continues to emerge as a legitimate third receiver. When put in the game Mathews has done an excellent job of doing what he's supposed to, catch the ball. He has found holes in zone coverage and is progressing into a good downfield blocker. The thought of Manninham's return, coupled with Mathews, Breaston and Arrington, is enough to give me 4-wide goose bumps. Fourth, Zoltan Mesko. On a miserable day 4 of Zoltan's punts ended up inside the 20. While a number of his kicks were line drives that needed more hang time, he managed to put the ball where he was supposed to.

Finally, Chad Henne. Easily passed over due to his quiet numbers of 10-20 for 116 yards. Henne posted those numbers despite a 30 mph head wind and at least four drops of accurate passes. Critics will complain Henne didn't go down field and was too eager to check off and run. They will say he didn't move the chains.

They would be wrong.

As Northwestern so aptly proved, throwing the football on Saturday was a bad idea. Any ball that rose more than ten feet above the ground often fell victim to the indescriminate gusts of wind that blew through the stadium all day. Take Northwestern's second interception, lofting a pass toward the back of the endzone C.J. Bacher's pass caught one of those gusts. The wind, robbing the ball of its forward momentum, forced the ball back toward the earth. It was a play that without the wind likely would have resulted in an overthrow out of the end zone, instead turned into an interception 6 yards short of its intended target.

Henne was wise not to chance such passes. Instead he settled for what the game and elements dictated. When allowed to throw down field he did so well. Only drops by Butler and Breaston marred his day. Henne was his usual, efficient and predictable self. As always, good enough to win.

On defense, Lamar Woodley and Leon Hall stood out. Woodley recorded two sacks on the day, 3 TFL, forced and recovered a fumble. Leon Hall proved again that throwing at his side of the field is equivalent to taunting an unchained tiger, attempting to walk across lava with your bare feet, and racing a bullet in the pantheon of "Incredibly Stupid Things To Do." Three tackles, 2 pass breakups, an INT, and a fumble recovery marked one of his best games of the season. On the whole, the Defense posted 12 TFL and three sacks. Tim Jamison added to the Defense's now infamous collection of concussed QBs when he knocked Bacher out of the game in the fourth quarter. This marked the second straight game Michigan has not allowed a touchdown. Saturday also marked the lowest point total Michigan has allowed all year.

Since Notre Dame the Defense has allowed the following:

13, 14, 13, 10, 6, and 3.

This is partly why.

Perhaps the biggest thing that will be lost in the head scratching over Michigan's offensive performance is just how bad it was at field level.

With the temperature firmly in the low 40s, every drop of rain hit exposed skin like a little frozen needle. No part of the Stadium was dry. Even if you covered your seat, water somehow found its way into the seat of your pants. If you got up once, your seat immediately as covered in rain or run off. Despite several layers of waterproof clothing, rain drops or runoff seemed drawn to the insides of your shoes and socks. Leaving only after they'd delivered the head sinus cold they brought with them. The wind swirled around Michigan stadium with bad intentions. Every so often a gust would lift the stadium inhabitant's parkas and ponchos over their heads, spraying their watery exterior contents all over their neighbors and themselves. You sat there. Cold. Miserable. Waiting for the game to be over, lest frosbite, hypothermia or some other horrid malady befall you.

And we weren't on the field.

The players bore the brunt of the elements wearing nothing more than a Maize and Blue colored mesh sponge. While our shoes were wet they weren't slogged with enough water to double as an aquarium like Woodley's seemed to be. We weren't trying to cut away from a would-be tackler on a 100 yard slip 'n slide. We weren't trying to throw the hopes and dreams of a fan base into a 30 mph head wind without the ability to properly grip the ball. Michigan was. And they did it well.

This win was not glamerous. It wasn't pretty. It was simply a win. It was another predictable effort and outcome for Michigan.

A win.

Maize n Ballot: Week 8

2006-10-25T09:05:00.000-07:00

Maize n Ballot Week 8

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

Dropped Out: Pittsburgh (#23).

Not a whole hell of a lot to discuss. Lots of good teams played close games. It happens. they all win, they stay put. Maybe I should've given Clemson a little more of a boost, but they'll have plenty of time to make up ground

I still hate West Virginia. Untill they beat someone I'll keep them low. I think everyone of the defenses ahead of them would shut them down, and I don't believe they've got the defensive tools to stop anyone ahead of them either.

That's about it.

A Brief Moment of Sunshine on a Rainy Day, Michigan 20 Iowa 6

2006-10-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

Photo Courtsey: Rashaun Rucker/DFP

When the alarm went off at 6am Saturday morning, even though I was excited about going to the game, I was not excited about getting out of my bed. A quick glance out the window didn't help my mood. Rain. Fog. Nastiness. In short "perfect" football weather.

As the seasons begin their gradual descent from autumn to fall to winter there is a fetid dampness that hangs in the air. The kind that reaches into your bones and chills you no matter how many layers of clothes you put on. "This," I told myself, "Is what you're willing to do to go to a football game."

The drive from Chicago to Ann Arbor was easier than the walk from my place to my friends car, but not by much. My buddy was equally as exhausted as I was and I submit to you that four tired, hung-over hours in a car are just as grueling as running a marathon.

Yet we persevered. Coffee and a Sausage Egg McMuffin as our fuel, we motored into Ann Arbor.

When we arrived at our tailgating destination the weather had improved slightly from the steady drizzle we faced rolling east on 94. Even so, the air was cold and the ether had palpable aura of rain. To hell with it. Mother Nature ain't spoiling my day. With that the first of many beers and laughs were shared friends old and new.

Over the next three hours we proceeded to backslap and laugh the rain away. Suddenly the clouds started to part, the sun shone through, and the dampness that was so prevalent earlier, disappeared. It was almost as if the gods were rewarding our stubborn devotion.

Saturday turned out to be a crystal clear afternoon to watch a talented Michigan team run up against its fiercest competition. Like the late afternoon and early evening it inhabited, the game was something the behold.

After a crippling loss to Indiana, Iowa appeared to show no aftereffects from the loss. For the majority of the first half Iowa stymied the Michigan offense, somehow forcing Michigan to settle for 3 points instead of 6 on a goal line stand late into the second quarter.

Even as the sky above stayed blue, the offense below remained grey. Zone blocking is effective against larger D lines, not smaller faster gap filling ones. Iowa's defenders made the first half miserable for the Michigan running game. Michigan's slow marches down the field, when not stopped prematurely, were the result of steady short throws by Chad Henne to a variety of receivers. With three catches in the first half, red shirt freshman Carson Bulter actually led Michigan in receptions.

Arrington appeared twice to have caught touchdown passes only to have them waived off by laziness or on review. So Michigan strode into the half nursing a three point lead.

However, it wasn't as though Iowa was doing much. To the contrary. Most of their drives were enveloped by the Mongol horde that is our Defense. There was the occasional 12 yard run or the 15 yard pass, but the majority of pass went for no or slight yardage. Of Iowa's six first half possessions only one drive lasted longer than 5 plays. That drive resulted in a Crable induced fumble that was recovered by Brandon Harrison.

While the run defense turned in its usual spirit breaking performance, Michigan's oft maligned yeah-they're-good-but-are-they-good-enough secondary had an outstanding day. Pre-season super QB Drew Tate was held to 197 yards passing and no TDs. During the first half, as Michigan's offense sputtered, Hall, Trent & Co. made sure Iowa's came to a complete halt. Tate was held to 78 yards passing in the first half. his longest completion was for 18 yards, with the majority being surely tackled for 4 yards a piece. Iowa may not have the athleticism of an Ohio State, but the sure tackling and steady coverage of the secondary was a constant the entire game.

The second half got off to a poor start when Henne, truly forcing a pass for the first time in a long while, got picked off. It was a throw Henne knew better than to make. Not that anyone can blame Chad for being a little antsy at that moment. Late in the First Half, Reuben Riley injured his leg and attempted to start the second half (basically) without it. That effort, while admirable, resulted in a sack, fumble, and 10 yard loss. Two plays later Chad forced his bad throw and Iowa had the ball at the 26.

The turnover proved to be irrelevant. Gaining only 8 yards on a single completion, Iowa was forced to settle for a field goal. The Michigan defense quickly recovered any momentum that had been lost during that stand. They also proved it doesn't matter where you get the ball, you're not getting in the end zone.

With the game and momentum even, Steve Breaston firmly placed them both back in Michigan's corner. Breaking a solid kick off into a near touchdown return, Breaston deposited Michigan on the Hawkeye's 35 yard line. Starting on the 3 yard line in left corner of the field Breaston sprinted straight ahead through the Iowa coverage team. At the 30 he veered sharply to the right taking the ball across mid field and eventually being brought down at the 35.

Breaston stayed in the act, picking up a crucial first down on a bullet from Henne. Then following an Arrington first down completion almost identical to Breaston's, Mike Hart launched through three Iowa defenders, dragging the last one into the end zone. His stellar effort put Michigan up 10 to 3. At that point it was obvious the strategy upstairs had changed. Gone were the zone blocks. In were the we're-bigger-than-you pancake blocks that began to allow Mike Hart cavernous hole to operate in.

As the portable halogens began to replace the sunlight, Iowa tried to respond. Tate finally played like the quarterback we've heard so much about. 23 and 27 yard completions to Douglas and Chandler had Iowa poised to tie the game as the ball rested at the Michigan 11. They would get to the 5 before being forced to kick a field goal. The pass coverage, dormant in giving Tate a quarter of his game yards during the drive, awoke. After reaching the 11 only Albert Young could find a moment of freedom before getting flattened short of the goal line. Iowa's receivers found themselves locked down and helpless as Tate's third down pass fell to the ground with no one around it.

After that, Iowa would have only 6 more plays. Book ending those two possessions were a Garrett Rivas field goal and a Mike Hart touchdown which sealed the game. Tate would pass for 46 more yards during his final possession before turning the ball over on downs, but the game was over when Mike Hart walked into the end zone untouched.

Tate, like the quarterbacks before him this season, received a heavy dose of Michigan's new defensive elixir. Sean Crable planted Tate twice and force him out of bounds four yards short of the line of scrimage for his third sack. Woodley, Branch, Taylor and Biggs constantly brought pressure on Tate, resulting in the defenses fourth and fifth sacks. What was most rewarding in watching the defense play on Saturday was the contain the managed to keep, preventing a mobile Tate from hurting the offense with first down scrambles. The rest of Iowa's offense disappeared into the rushing abyss that lines up in Maize and Blue every Saturday. Michigan allowed only 41 yards rushing further cementing its position as the country's best run defense.

On a day where so much was wrong with simply getting out of bed, Michigan provided justification for our effort. Playing without its best receiver and against a fast violent defense, Michigan posted 20 points and its eighth victory on the year. There were ample reasons for Michigan not to show up on that dreary day. The impending distraction of Adrian Arrington's legal troubles, two tight ends out with serious injuries, their starting right tackle limping out of the game, rumors of injuries to both Hart and Breaston.

Michigan ignored those distractions. Single minded, they marched on and off of the field undefeated. Focused both before and after at the prize close enough to see but not close enough to touch.

That focus will again be tested this weekend as the most mentally challenging part of the season creeps up on them. Three games against teams Michigan should beat, on paper, by a minimum of 20 points. Three games Michigan knows it should win.

Despite those things other people "know" and the distractions they know all too well, Michigan remains focused on the task at hand. During the game you could sense no desperation, no fear. All you could sense was determination to complete the task at hand.

During the ride back to Chicago my friend and I discussed the game and life in general as a steady torrent of rain poured down on our car as it cruised westward on I-94. As we drove our conversation drifted towards what a beautiful afternoon and evening it was while Michigan was on the field. Jokingly, I asked my friend if it was worth it. You know. Getting up at 6 in the morning on a Saturday and driving through a monsoon just to watch a football game.

Concentrating on the road and not picking up my sarcasm, he answered simply and emphatically.

"Oh yeah."

Thumbin' Through Michigan Iowa

2006-10-23T11:42:00.000-07:00

As usual, the lines to get into the stadium sabotaged my chances of witnessing the kickoff. Alternatively it could have been the beer I consumed and continued to consume until ten minutes prior to the scheduled starting time, but that's neither here nor there.

What is here is...

Thumbin' Through Michigan Iowa

We Now Join The First Quarter Already In Progress...

(Michigan Ball after Iowa Punt- ed)
Hrt lft for 5
Hrt std up for -1
Hn on scrmbl rt for 0

Pnt to 26

Pass lf for 6
Fr 1dn
Douglas for 20
Hold on iowa. Chtrs

(Large people moving around, disrupting my typing. Don't they know who I am. Oh wait, probably not. I don't even know who I am...)

And Im back
Te pass rt for 4
2 & 11
Inc rt hall on cov
Hall on cv. Bltz. Tate thrw before cut on psr

Brstn back
Long kick brstn tckld early

Iowa chrldrs r fat
Brng back msu.
No Fat Chicks!

Sittint next to 81 on Iowa parents. Have to b nice bc they r physically able to brk me in hlf. (Really, really nice people. However, they were very, very large as well. They laughed when I made a joke or two, but every joke was carefully calculated not to get my head smashed in. - ed)

Hrt lf sid for nthng
brstn rt on for 8
Hrt rt nthn

zltn dp punt to 6
Iowa rtns to 23

Iowas d looks good. 9 guys in box tho. Need to pass
ovr top. Thnk dbord is softning thm up.

iowa ball at 23

Tate escapes with life. bad tckling as he gans 4 rt.
Crbl ovr ran
Rb pass to sims, harris on tckl for one on lft sd
Wr cut pass rt trnt on cv for 1dn and 7 yrds. Good cv and pass
Rb up mid rt for 1
Trnt no cast
Pass lft for 1dn fmbld oobs. Bshit. shldve been inc.
1dn
Iowa slashes rt for 1dn
Iowa are fired up. In iowa section. (My seats border the Iowa guest section. Have to say, they are the nicest of the visiting fans so far this year. Not as hot at MSU, but much nicer. Friendliest damn people I've met at the stadium. -ed)
Inc tate to douglas. Hall on cv.
Wrscn for 0 on lft side.
Complt to chndlr at mrk for 1dn. Dammit!
Sack by jamison and branch. tate almost got out of it.
Ovr pursuit. 2&22. Frst gd prsr
TO iowa

Our chrldrs are in rl chrldr outfits for once.
who knw they hv legs?

Tate gets poped by crbl. Harrison rcvrs! Prsr works!
Snd more

Pass rt to arngtn for 1dn fghts for it. Wt. 2nd &1
Arrngtn ovr midl on crs for 10.
1dn
Hrt lft off tckl for 3
Hold on butler. Hrt gts 1dn. Frst and 17. 000 on clock
arrington ovr midl for 5

End of 1st

Strt 2nd

2&13
Empty bck fld. No one got open. Hne gts poped but gts
rid of ball
3rd
PI on pass midl to arngton. Obvious. 1dn
Hnne sacked by prsr up midl. Line got beat bad. Arngton open on post
TE pass to lft to butler. Got 12. 3&11
Henne looks like shit today. Sacked again. Not a lot of time to thrw. Mking bad reads.

Zltn in

Pnt dned at 9. Best contrld kick of yr for zltn

Iowa is frd up rt now. Henne lks lk crap. Cnt run cant pass. Little worried rt now. Still. Is just the 2nd qrtr. But still.

Woodley=huge. jst pssd by. dude is gigntic. Good lord

Iowa 1&10
Gash midl for 5
Taylor wraps up rb for loss
Pass bttd into air, chndlr bats it dn inc
Brstn bk

Fc on good pnt. 1dn on 43 mich

Iowa fans. Evrwhr.

Butler on TE pass to lft for 12
1dn
Hrt up mid lft for 8 nvr stops drgs three for extra 4
Hrt brks contn rt for 3. 1dn

Iowa guy hrt. 19 hrt, Shda hrt.Hurt rt ankl. Poor kid.

1dn mich
Rvrs to brstn. Wdlv worked if there werent 10 guys in box
Brstn on moving scrn for 7
3&4
Mthws fights for 1dn midl. Grt conscntrtn
Butler drps sr td te cross 10 yrs shrt of ez. Bd drp
Bltr mks up for it frst dwn crs on sm ply. Good chcing
Iowa shd blks well.
Hrt fire midl
Arrgnton jgles. Almst td. Shld be rvwd. Pass bttd
3&3 gl
Hnne to arrngtn. Bk ez. Oobs.
Rvs to kick
Prv Ply bng rv.
Dammit. Ply stnds.
Why is this tm playing so tuff?
Rvs true. Mich 3-0

Iowa is playing above their heads rt now.

Rvs to kick off

Pounded at 20.
1&10 @20
Brnch dstrys play. 1 yrd on rn lft
Rb scrn for 17. Dammit. Lrn the f-ing scrn pass!
1dn
Rn rt off tckl. Fr 2
FS on Iowa.
FS entire line announced by ref. So awesome.
528 left
Trnt mks stp on drw lft. Swt play. Loss of 2
Inc on bmb rt to douglas trnt w him strd fr strd. inc

Brtsn flds shnk for an extra 5. Mich at 39

Rn rt hrt. Fr 1
Brstn scrn lft for 4
3&5
Brstn on tuff ctch for excllnt 1dn. Hly crp. Legit route by brstn
Inc deep to brstn
73 on hld. Dmit
1&20
Hrt to lft for 4
Hrt dmp off middl for 7
3&6
Hnne ovr thrws arrngtn rt side inc
TO
pnt zltn

Dnd @2
Up midl lft for 2. TO mich
Rn midl fr nthn
22 secons in half lft.
Pass. Tcl oos rt.
Pnt.

End hlf.
Iowa stcking box big time. Dont fear ovr the top. the
1 brstn dp rt db rn it btr thn brstn

End half
Mich has 7 yards rshin. 128 yrds passing. Iowa has
less thn 100 yrds total. 20 yrds rsh and 78 yrds in
air.

Iowa woke up for this gm. D playing out of hds.

Start Second Half
Tabb & Minor bk on kckoff rtn
Minor dprs it at 3. Picks up gts to 5.
Fuuuuuuuuuuuck

Nrt up midl fr 5
arngtn qk cross for 10.
Riley not in. Hurt.
Hrt out of bkfld on pass to lft. 7 yrds. Bnds ovr
tcklrs.
hrt rt for 2
3&1
Clck prblm. Official to
73 @ rt tckl. 65 new rt grd.

Chrldrs now in sweats. Dammit!

3&1
1304
FS by mich. Dammit. You jst hd a to! Butler fcks up agn.
3a6
Mthws to 30.
1dn. Mthwes goes lft rt on lng crs for shrt gn
Riley gts beat. Henne strpd. Riley rcvrs at 18.
2&22
Pass batted at ln of scrmg.
3&22
Bad pass ovr midl int by henne. Frcd bad thr and got
picked off. O looks bad

Iowa ball

Complt ovr rt mid for 9.
Rb up midl for 1dn
To fr msrmnt.
Wrng. 3dn
woodley frcs int by tate on pass call. 4 dn
Fg good.
Fuck.

Mich needs to wake up.

3-3

Jeebus. Gtn a ltl scrd here.

Brstn and tabb. No minor
Brstn on awsm rt for lft sd cts back midl at 40 gets
to iowa 35
Hrt brks contn on rn lft. Hld on arngtn. Dammit. 1&11.
Hn almst gts picked agn. Stp throwing it low ovr th fcking middl chd. Its like he cant see th lb today
Inc
Hrt fts for 6 to lft.
Brstn comp rt to lft for one dn on cross midl shrt comp
Hrt on misdirct lft cuts mid rt for 4. Shdlv kpt going lft
Hrt rns rt fr nothn. Keeps slamming on brks. Need to go strt ahead.
Arrngtn over midl on rt mid shrt crs for 1dn. @ 9

TD! Hrt powers ovr midl lft for td. 4 yrds aftr 1 contct.
So awesome.
Rvs fr pa
Good!

10-3 mich.

Iowa not respecting dp ball with zn. Playing off 6
yrds bt lots of help ovr top. Tuff d to play.

Grt kick rtn to 21
Rn to lft midl for 3.
Woodley getting into it w iowa ln
Awsm pass on timing rt to rt for 1dn. Mich brt house.
1dn
Too much time. Tate to douglas on long cross for 25 yrds.
Rb rn to lft fr 7 yrdrs
Gd prsr. Frcd tate to thr erly. Trnt on cv
3&4
Wide open ovr the midl for a 1dn at th f-ing 11
Dammit!
Rn crshed on lft.
2&9
TO iowa.

Jeezzus. Wtf is up w our pass cvrg? Secndry is giving
up big yrds on 3rd dns. Bad sign.

2&9
Pass comp on scrmbl for 4. Cls to td. On lft d gng
tckls.
Pass dflctd for inc. Bnd dnt brk. Whw. bad pass rt.

Fg try good by bad guys.

10-6

Brstn and tabb back on kick off

Shnk kick to 31 yrd ln of mich. Weird. Almost planned.

Sdline warning on mich.

1&10 @ 31

Hrt rns rt midl to lft for 10
1dn mich
Hrt rns mid rt agn for 9
Hrt rns lft cuts qk rt for anthr 8. 1dn
Grdy in
Brstn gts 4 onlft side shrt comp
Arrngtn to rt sd to arrngtn for ten on rt side cut to
sidlines.

End 3rd qrtr.

Strt 4th

Mich 1dn @ 28
Hrt jukes rt to mid for 4
Hrt to lft on lng drw for 3
Hrt up midl lft fr 1
4th
Rvs fg try
Rvs puts it thru.
13-6 mich

Game plan seems flawed. Not sure what the hell is
going on

110923 at game today.

Rvs kickoff. Tb! Iowa at 20

Finally! A sack by woodley! 2&1f
Tate scrmbls rt for a loss of 4
Frcd out by crbl
Inc to rt side dp. 4&19

Brstn bk dp
Iowa to

Iowa chlnging prv ply. Huh? Can they challenge it?
Ball popped out by grnd.

Upheld

Brstn dp

Bad kick but takes iowa bounce to 41

1&10 mich
Hrt stutter stps midl for 2
4 wide. Arrington comp for close to 1dn
3&2
4 wide.
Bad play call. Inc ovr midl to arrngtn. henne under bad prsr from rt side of line. Iowa ovrlding that side.

Zltn pnts to 9. Downd there. No rtn

1&10 iowa @9
Fade to lft side on trnt oob and good cvrg.
Rb scrn. No yrds. Finally a good scrn red by d
3&10
Trnt locks up douglas. 4th down. Good cov

Brstn deep.

Fc at 43 of iowa.

Pas comp on rt sid to mathws for 3
Hrt powrs for 5 on lft side
Hrt fumbls ball. Rn to lft midl.
Ply bng rvd.

Nrvs. Lng rvw.

No fumbl! Hrt was down!

Ferentz is pissed! Looks like hes gonna have an anurism.
Challnging the spot.

Lngest rvw in histry. Sheesh!

1st dn aftr all

Iowa fans thring stff.

Hrt rns lft for -1.
Brst on nic adjst to rt sd pass. 1dn just othr sd of mrkr
Hrt mis direct rt fr 4. Line strting to gt psh
Hrt rns lft cts midl aftr hash mrks for extra 5
1dn @ 11
Hart horse collared at 10. Literally.
Hrt up midl on ply to rt whr line blows iowa away. Rns rt midl untouchd for TD.
Rvs good
20-6 mich

Rvs kickoff
TB again!
Iowa 1&10 at 20
Tate scrmbls for 20. Mks nervs for smith.
Mich puruit snuffs out rn to lft. Burgess.
Pass complt to chndlr for 12 to lft.

Pass into trfc on rt side. Harrison on ok covrg.
2&10
Pass comp to chandle at rt oobs mrkr. 1dn
Tate scmbls for frdom throws for 9 to lft side. 1dn
Tate stps up trys to avoid rush. Woodley brings him dn
Tate on qk thrw to rt for 3
Inc low rt hall on cv
4&6
Inc on almist inc by englmon.

Mich ball.
Hnne takes knee. TO iowa.
Hnne dn agn
Gm ovr

Michigan 20 Iowa 6 Festival of Linkage

2006-10-22T07:36:00.000-07:00

Photo Courtesy: John T. Greilick / The Detroit News

Blog Poll Ballot and recap up tonight and tomorrow.

On with the Festival of Linkage!

BCS

Michigan is #2 in the latest standings.

MGoBlue

Standard game recap. Standard awesome photo gallery. Please review the stats on this one. Five different receivers caught balls from Henne. Arrington caught 8. Breaston caught 7. Adrian, Steve. You table is waiting.

The Michigan Daily

Poached? Considering game time was the only part of the day were the sun shone, I'd have to say it was sunny-side up. (har har). The game notes have a good look at Boren stepping into the right guard spot when Riley went down. Nice piece on Carson Butler's move into the starting TE spot with Ecker and Massey out.

Free Press

The Freep Press called it smooth sailing. Um. No. If by smooth sailing you mean going headlong into a tempest, then perhaps we're on the same page. They do have a nice little write up on Henne though.

The game notes point out a single awesome fact: When Riley went down and Mitchell shifted to Right Tackle, True Freshman Justin Boren entered the game and played the rest of the way. He's the first true freshman to offensive lineman to play a down during Carr's tenure at Michigan. Quothe Mike Hart "Boren's one of our best run blockers."

BTW: Arrington's problems were addressed, to some extent, by Carr. He said they looked into it "investigated the facts" and thought they were B.S. so Adrian was put back out there. Hope this is a bit of a wake up call to these guys. Message: Keep you damn nose clean.

Best Quote so far was from Tate talking about the D-Line: "I thought we did an unbelievable job against them. It probably could have been a lot worse." You do an unbeliveable job and you still get sacked five times. Awesome.

Game Balls and a UFR type substance. And Photo Gallery.

Finally, just so you know, this WILL BE the toughest pat of our season.

Detroit News

You gotta have Hart. Miles and miles of Hart. You must also remain focussed, grasshopper.

Photo gallery.

Ann Arbor News

Truly the only paper that understood that this wasn't a cake walk. Pressure cooker was the exactly wording I would've used, and they did. Jim Cary gets a little ahead of himself. There's also a nice look from the Grand Rapids Press.

Must read: Kick ass story on Leon Hall.

Fox Sports

Standard AP article. A little instant analysis.

ESPN

Standard AP article, however there is quite a bit of video attached. Pat Forde likes us. I'm not sure if that's good.

Game Day Final has a load of stuff on Michigan, Mike Hart, and video.

CNNSI

Standard AP Article. Stewart Mandel's blog gives us this:

"The absence of star WR Mario Manningham has been glaring in Michigan's past two games. Just like last week's 17-10 win at Penn State, the Wolverines didn't play badly at all against Iowa on Saturday, and just like last week, the lack of a big plays made for an ugly, closer-than-expected outcome. But once again, Michigan's front seven was phenomenal, holding the Hawkeyes to 41 yards rushing."

Chicago Tribune

Teddy Greenstein gives Hart some props.

Math, Bitches! Math!

2006-10-18T11:19:00.000-07:00

I had to shamelessly steal and post this.

Russ at Football Outsiders ran the math on Michigan's run defense so far this year. The reason for this was a simple thought posed by an astute EBSBS commenter:

I gave a rough look at the rushing defense stats earlier. I’m pretty sure you could take Michigan’s sack yards out, allow every other defense in the nation to keep theirs, and Michigan still ranks in the top 10 in rushing defense.

Russ went to town. The entire conversation can be found at EDSBS, but here's the full response without editting:

"Officially, Michigan has allowed 228 yards on 166 carries in seven games, for an average of 1.37 per carry and 32.6 per game, both best in the nation.

But those totals include 24 sacks for -201 yards. Deducting the 24 carries but adding the 201 yards to the above totals means Michigan has allowed 429 yards on 142 carries this season, an average of 3.02 per carry and 61.3 yards per game.

The 61.3 ypg figure would place Michigan 4th in the nation even if everyone else got to keep their sack yardage.

Math bitches, math!"

Out. Friggin'. Standing.

Massive Hat Tips: FO and EDSBS

Michigan PSU Higlights

2006-10-18T09:17:00.000-07:00

The total scoring Highlights from Michigan PSU courtesy of parkinggod over at You Tube. The man does some excellent work.

Offensive Highlights courtesy of parkinggod as well.

Maize n Ballot: Week 7

2006-10-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

Ballot Time. Feel free to tell me how 1) wrong, 2) stupid, 3) insanely brilliant I am.

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

Dropped Out: Iowa (#15), Virginia Tech (#18), Georgia (#19).

1. Florida drops to #9. They lose a game they probably should've won. Chris Leak proved he can't handle pressure and seriously undermined what the Florida offense can do the rest of the way. From here out Florida will see nothing but blitzes and angry men chasing after Leak. This is not good.

2. Michigan. Um. They're good. Alan Branch wants your lunch money. Give it to him.

3. Auburn jumps back to 7. Good game. Won one they should've lost. It counts more when it's the #2 team in the country and you scare the bejeezus out of a good QB like Leak into a performance like that. They finally played the way everyone thought they were capable of playing. That's bad news for the rest of the SEC.

4. Speaking of which, what the hell am I supposed to do with Arkansas? I want to rank them higher but they're resume, save Auburn, is weak. Help!

5. Wisconsin and Boston College: Your table is ready. I still maintain that Wisconsin's record is more a reflection of their schedule, but you have to win regardless of who you play (i.e., FSU and Miami). They are just dominating teams, so I'll give them some props. BC, sheesh, you make a PAT and you're undefeated with a legit shot at the BCS. Didn't see that one coming. Still they have to win out. They do that, their Maize n Brew Cheese Plate (tm) will be in the mail.

6. OSU. A machine. Cold. Heartless. Killers. They look like they're on autopilot. Half asleep they could beat any team below the top 10 in a walk. Simply astonishing. Behold the power of the sweatervest.

7. Iowa, Virginia Tech, and Georgia. Be gone! You've wasted far too much of our time and energy.

Thumbin' Through Michigan v. PSU

2006-10-17T07:45:00.000-07:00

Even though I didn't make the trip to Happy Valley, I thought I'd do my usual thumb notes on the game from my couch. Sadly, I was far more nervous for this game than any other this season, and it is readily apparent in reading the notes below. If you're like me, you've got a little ritual for every game. Same shirt. Same beer. Same spot on the couch.

On Saturday the rituals were a little off. Beer was gotten late. Lucky shirt was missing. Had to get ready for friends coming over to watch the game. But, the beer cooled, I found the shirt, and Michigan went on to win. I, in turn, went on to drink until 1. Good times.

I will warm my more sensitive readers that I swear A LOT more in this particular Thumbin' Through that ever before. Perhaps it was the ample supply of beer. Perhaps it was the disturbance of my game day rituals. Perhaps it was the testy (heh heh) nature of the game. regardless of what it was, be aware the f-bomb is dropped with impunity and regularity. Be aware of this.

(Children, you probably shouldn't be reading this. Leave this fould place. Click here (kids only) for Dora the Explorer. You like Dora don't you?)

Adults and foul minded teenagers, enjoy...

Thumbin' Through Michigan v. PSU

UM/PSU in the comfort of my living room. football, beer and a couch.
Life is good.

Mussssssssberger. A voice like the smoooove sound of Billy D Williams sellin Colt45

UM defers.
To kick off

Rvs kick off
Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.
Broken kick coverage.
Psu to 50
Hunt mid rt for 5
Morrelii off on bad pass lft
delayed blitz morelli dump pass ovr midl whr blitz came from fr 1dn
Mundy out gtting trtmnt on nk.
Gd prssr. Complt for 3 to hnt
Hnt brrows for 3 in mdl
Cvrg suck tonight. Inc lft. Norwood drops it at chains.
4 dn
Fg try wiiiiiiiiiiiiide lft.
Haha!

Mich ball!

Hrt lft buried for lss of 1
hnne chgs ply. Fs on 83.
2nd and 15
Nkd btlg rt to 85 butler for 6
Hnne to massey for first, grt protection on te cross
Crn bltz, pass off arms of crn inc
Hrt midl for 3 bt FS on butler.
2nd & 15
Scrn rt to hrt for abt 10. Hrt brks bnch of tckls
Shrt pass to butler right shrt of mrk.
Zltn to pnt
Line drv pnt to abt 20. Crppy kick. Good coverage. No return

Hll gd stp on shrt pass
Inc
Inc to rt

Brstn bck
Pnt rtnable.
Dumass spns around and got nthn. 54 yrd line drv and brstn does nthn at 19

Hrt rt for nthn
Henne hit from behnd as he passes. Inc. Fb had to blck lb
3 & 10
Lots of pressure. Hnne rns for six
Good decsn
4 dn
Zltn pnts it. Shit kick
40 nks ball loose again!
Awesome!

Noise is bad.
Hrt trped up as he crosses lin
1 yrd
Hrt up midl for 4.
Inc rt lng to arrngtn
Pnt to 16

Hnt rt for nthn. Flg. Hld on psu hlf to gl 1 dn
Hnt on scrn rt gets bck to orig 1 dn line
2nd dwn
Hnt lft mdl for 1
Pass comp rt sid jst shrt of line
Abt an inch
Psu to kick

Brstn nailed on grt kick

Grt brstn catch! Lft side bullet!
1 dn
PSU in bckfld on every play
Hrt lft midl for 1
Greg matthews for 7 rt. ineliglbe rcvr. 2dn& 14
TO mich
Arrngtn on cross! 1dn! shks like a maraca for a first
Brstn wrscrn for lft 1dn
Henne rt side deep to brstn inc. No pass intfrnce caal bt shldve been
Butler TE roll out for 7. Rt
Hrt mid lft bhnd mitchell and long for 1dn
Fade to breaston lft ovr thrown gd cvrg
Henne sails in ovr opn brst on rt
Snap!!!!!!
Pass to arrington up midl for 30yrd TD! Fucking sweet!
arrngtn burn crnr and safty. pass btwn crnr and safty
The perfect pass frm henne. Laser beam to arrngtn

Kick off rvs.
Rtn to 20
Morelli to williams on rt for 1st
Hnt for 3 to lft midl

More crap on henne verbal to psu. Might as well add on kennedy assination, area 54, the gulf war, 2 seconds and everyother psu conspiracy. Jeeebus!

Taylor sacks morelli. So fat yet so fast. 9 yrd loss
Woodley crushes morelli on sack. Flg for hld. Haha! Cheating doesn't help u
Woodley tries to powr slam qb.
Brstn back. Fc @ 50.

Hrt lft mid huge hole for 7
Hrt midl for 2
Hrt lft midl for 1dn
arrngtn midl for lng 1dn. Laser agn
1dn
Hrt midl lft for 4
Deflection pass. Inc bad pass. Wldv been picked
3 dn
In and out of massey's hnds bck of endzn. Masseys gotta ctch that.
Rvs try
Rvs good! He gets sloppy kiss. Dnt ht him anymr.

Rvs to kck to 3
Mich on grt cvrg dn at 15

Woodley crushes morelli! nvr put rb on woodley he will eat your rb, the ply & yr soul!
Rn nwhr
dp pass lft. inc. Pass infrnc? Bullsht uncatch!
1dn bd gys
Pass lft for wrscn for 5
Hnt lft for 1dn 6 yrs
Hnt mid rt to 6
Biggs with anthr sack!

space bitches space rtns! Grtst commercial evr

Game resumes
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!

Rb scrn for 30. Brnch only one to read it. Evrone else bought it.

Inc rt to norwood. Morelli rollout rt
Drped rt by te. Mndy on cv
1dn ovr midl! Mndy agn. Dammit
Soft cov ovr middl by mich. Pissing me off.
TO mich
English is pissssssed!!!!! Yelling at d. Can see veins in frhd.
hnt gts nthng mid lft
Anthr pass for 1dn
Why the fuck are we 5 yrds off?
Hnt nwhr up mid.
TO psu
Joe pa looks like a nome
Trnt on cv in back lft end zn
englmn brks up pass lft @ gl ln
Fg try
Good. 10-3

Good ply calling by psu to brk the d. Bad pass cov.

Hrsshit call on pi gives psu 3.

15 secs. Sqib.

End Frst half.
Fcking nrvs

PSU's ad is the worst ad ever. Come to PSU, listen to lesbian rock, stalk girls in gym, asians in lab of some sort, aaaaaand Joe Pa! What the fuck are they thinking?

Crg james looks like grg bush

Start Second Half

Kck off brst, jst shrt of 20

-10 yrd rsh in 1st by hlf psu
Um. Wow.

Hrt for 2-3 mid lft
Hrt for 5 mid lft riley crshes blck to get hrt extra yrd
Qb sneek
1dn
Hrt lft midl. Hldng on mich
1& 15
Ovrthr midl to TE.
Inc
2nd
T0 mich.

Spilled beer evrywhr (at this point I was filling my plate with pizza while trying to type on my little key pad and mock a friend of mine. The result was spilling a perfectly good beer on new carpeting. My wife was not pleased. Cleaning up my mess took the remainder of this series. -ed)

Pnt zltn

Hnt nwhr loss 1
Sack jamison! 9 yrd loss
Soft zone completion. fuck!
Morelli gets destroyed by brnch.
Brnch just kills morelli drvs him into turf. ribs hrt jst wtching
Msbrgr being moron. Says lt ht, hlmt2hlmt. Davie & herb tl msbrgr hes a idiot.

Davie-ism usd in convrsatn "mid-momentum"

Morelli out clark in

Burgess kills end around
Qb drw midl nthn
Williams blows catch on rt side

Morelli looks like death with a big nose

Pnt goes to 31 oobs

Mich ball

Hrt for -1 midl
Henne midl to arrington for 6
Just off the hands of arringtn up midl. Prssr on hnne

Zlt pnt

Fc 21 yrd line

They are just ragging on herstriet. Davie fr sm resn is really fny tnite.

Sack by crable. Prsnl fl on mich for late hit. Dammmmit! Games not in hand yet
Taylor's a retard
Hall smashes wr on comp to rt.
2nd & 6
Sackish kind of thing. Inc by psu. Branch trying to kill agn
Biggs kills anthr qb. Sack!

7th sack of nite

Fc at 41

Henne rns out of sack for 2 yrds.
Psu gtting lots of prsr
Hrt middl for 4
Arrington diving catch lft for 1 dn!!
Henne pass midl off ply fk deflectd for 0 had butler opn
Henne find brst on awsm pass rt undr massv prssr. Thrws laseer off
back ft. Breastn shks for 1st
Hrt battles way for 20 yrds to 1 yrd line. God he's good!
Hrt untouched on rt for TD. Friggin sweet. Rvs good.

17-3

psu rtn to 30

End 3rd

Hnt lft for 5
Concussion for morelli
Brnch godzillad morelli
Poor kid
Hnt rn midl for 0
Pass rt. Inc. Flg. PI on psu. Trnt on gd cvrg
Pnt psu
Brstn dp

31 yrd ln
Hrt midl for nada
Hrt lft midl, bncs rt for 3
Brstn on shrt slnt lft trns 4 into 10
Awsm
Brstn agn for 10
Loefler is best coach evr for qbs acrding to henne's hs coach. PA dude
tlling national audience tht. So friggin awsm.
Hrt lft for 2
First rl bad pass bhnd brstn
Plnty of time cvrg sack.
Florida losing to auburn

Ryan pnting
Into endzone.
Sfl pass midl.
Bc of 7 sack - 26
Williams beat trnt of lft side for first
Hnt middl. Nowhr
Clark gets killd too on qb scrmbl. He looks hurt. Slammed by woodley.
Anthr psu qb killd
Pass almost int by crbl
Psu to pnt

Psu chicks r ugly

Hrt to lft for 3

Florida lost! Orson out on ledge.

Grdy in strstp for 0. Grdy tntativ
Hnne slids down for 4
4 dn
Zltn bms it.
Psu to 40
Mndy on stp. Hnt for 5 lft
Hall mks stp shrt of 1dn lft sd
3rd 1
Hnt on a scrn pass for TD. Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad tackling
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu**
Sooooo pisssed
Scrn pass. Yards aftr mndy.
Goddammmmit!

Hunt outrns whl fcking d
So mad
Fcking d jst took a shit on fld

Mich on 20
Hrt rt for loss of 1
Psu TO
Hrt runs for 1f bhnd lng. Rns ovr 7.
Hrt jst rns midl lft for 5
Ovr 100
2nd &5
Hrt stpd by poslusny fr 0
Psu last TO
2&6
Rt in brstns hnds and he dps it. Rt in his fking hnds. Fking brstn
Ryan to kick
Chrls stwrt on awesome tckl at 21.

Adams blws easy pick midl
Pass in bnds to rt 6
Hall almst picks dp pass. Cls
4&6
INC
Gm ovr.
Shheeeeeeeeeeeesh.

No need for nrvs like that. Dammit
Whew.

Too close for comfort, but only blown scrn pass made game cls.

fnl thought: Hall = awesome

The Pain Is Free

2006-10-15T19:03:00.000-07:00

There are certain things you do in life that you do at your own peril. You throw rocks at a hornets' nest. You wave a red flag in front of a bull. You play in traffic.

You try to block Alan Branch with one man.

The only thing close about the game Saturday night was the score. Despite prevailing by a single touchdown, and some minor struggles on offense without Mario Manningham, Michigan's defense was in complete control of their 17-10 throttling of Penn State.

Michigan sacked PSU quarterbacks 7 times. There were 9 tackles for loss totaling an astonishing -67 yards. Michigan hurried or hit PSU's quarterbacks on almost every play. More importantly Michigan knocked out two PSU quarterbacks and scared the hell out of a third. Woodley, Biggs, Taylor, and Jamison took up residence in Penn State's huddle and attempted to take up residence inside the quarterbacks' helmets as well.

The evening could be summed up by Michigan's first sack of the game. Taylor blasted through his block with speed usually reserved for men two-thirds his size. In one motion he bulldozed his blocker and buried Morelli. Then, as if to underscore the talent advantage and before Morelli's legs had even met the ground again, Taylor had popped back into a standing position crossing and uncrossing his arms to signify that this was only the beginning. More pain was in store.

Woodley immediately re-emphasized this point. Throwing Levi Brown's replacement out of the way like a used kleenex, he enveloped Morelli for the second sack of the game. Unlike so many sacks at the college level, this was not a sack where the quarterback was tripped or simply wrapped up. No Woodley wanted to see if Morelli was full of candy, throwing him to the ground like a pinata up against a wall. For some reason, a series later, PSU tried to block Woodley with a running back. Why? Why in God's name would you do that? Do you hate your quarterback? Does he owe you money? You know the result. Woodley bounded over Hunt, arms outstreched for poor Morelli, grabbing him, and bringing the full force of Woodley's body weight down on Morelli for his second sack.

This was the way it would go for Penn State's young QB until early in the third quarter. On perhaps Morelli's best pass of the night, a over the middle soft zone completion to Williams he was knocked out of the game. On a five step drop, Branch forced his man to the carpet before Morelli even planted his feet. Williams hadn't made his cut as Branch exploded off his back foot, making up Morelli's drop space in the blink of an eye. Williams cut middle. Branch's arms extended. Morelli began his throwing motion. Branch launched himself at Morelli's chest. The ball was released.

First contact was made as Morelli's chest met Branch's. Morelli's follow through limply hit Branch's shoulders and back as the two left their feet together, propelled by the force of Branch's weight and speed toward the stratosphere. Gravity quickly took effect and the two began there speedy decent to the ground. From that point on it was best not to look. Branch's body weight simply crushed the poor Penn State QB as the two-backed beast met the hard Beaver Stadium turf. While the description here is lenghty, the play itself was not. The whole play, from snap to completion, lasted maybe 3 to 4 seconds. The speed at which everything happened was just mind boggling.

An important thing to note is that Morelli completed that pass knowing he was going to be hit on that play. I tip my cap to him and wish him a speedy recovery. He showed a pair of cajones I know I don't possess in making that pass and taking that hit. The kid's alright in my book.

Things did not get easier from there. Daryll Clark replaced Morelli and quickly suffered the same fate as his predecessor. Attempting to scramble on a second down, Clark was met by two Michigan players on an apparent stop. Struggling for extra yards Clark stayed vertical long enough for Woodley to finish the play and Clark's evening.

The PSU running game suffered a similar fate. On 25 carries, Penn State gained only 53 yards. This total is not subtracted from anything. 53 yards gained on the ground. Penn State's vaunted run game, 3rd in the Big Ten prior to Saturday's game, lost 67 yards on sacks and TFLs. Michigan continually brought Hunt down for little or no gain on first contact. Taylor and Alan Branch simply decided that no one would leave the backfield, each pushing two blockers into New Jersey on any given play. There was no second level blocking, just Harris, Burgess, Crable, Adams and Mundy waiting unmolested to pound Hunt.

Despite my earlier panic about Penn State seeming to be able to move the football through the air, in hindsight I was greatly mistaken. Before being concussed, Morelli was only 11 of 18 for 133 yards. Before being knocked silly, his first replacement Daryll Clark was 3 of 6 for 16 yards. take away a blown 41 yard screen pass TD, Penn State only managed 159 passing yards.

There were plenty of dropped balls by Penn State receivers. There were plenty of short completions. There was one decent Morelli completion for 31 yards. However, there was (for the most part) sure tackling. There were hard hits when the ball was caught. There were not (save Hunt's TD scamper) blown tackles.

A sideline scene during the that served to underscore the difference between the now departed Jim Herrmann and Ron English occurred late in the second quarter with Penn State driving deep into Michigan territory. With a minute a change left on the clock, English called timeout to bring his defense to the sidelines. As soon as his group had gathered 'round English exploded on them. Though the mic's were turned off, it was not difficult to discern the content of his tirade. The passion and intensity of this man were on display for all to see. He knows this group. He knows how they react to being challenged, and that was what he did. Despite a first and goal, Penn State walked away with only 3 points. The challenge was made and accepted. Again, two things that emphasize the difference between this year and last.

Another of the differences was the resilience of the Offensive line and Mike Hart. Playing the toughest defense they have seen all year, in one of the most hostile environments in the Big Ten, they played a solid game. Mike Hart cracked 100 yards for the sixth time in seven games and added a touchdown. Faced with serious pressure from Penn State's front seven, the offensive line cleared the way for Hart and allowed only two sacks on Henne (one of which was a coverage sack). Michigan was committed to the run and showed they can run successfully on talented defenses, even when they stack the box against it.

For the passing game it was apparent Mario Manningham's absence was a torn in the Michigan game plan. Even so, Chad Henne directed the offense with poise and control. He showed a veteran savvy, changing the plays and walking to each lineman to let them know the play. Despite completing only 50% of his passes, at least 5 of his INC's were drops. Two drops in particular stand out. ~~Pat~~Mike Massey's melted butter fingers on Henne's perfect lob into the back of the endzone. The drop was unfortunate because Massey is quickly being passed over by Butler as a pass catching TE. And Steve Breaston's drop on 3rd and short marred an otherwise excellent day for him. Henne placed the ball exactly where it had to be during a crucial point in the game and Breaston couldn't make the catch. It's tought to be critical of Steve because he has had an excellent year and made some excellent catches during the game, but he has to make that catch if Michigan is to play in bigger games.

Despite the drop, Breaston had an excellent day. 5 catches for 79 yards. He was crisp out of his breaks and ran routes like a receiver should. Arrington's emergence continued as he grabed five passes for 83 yards and a TD. He keeps getting better.

On a day where upsets seemed the rule rather than the exception, Michigan won a tough game against it's toughest opponent so far. Fire and emotion were on display from the defense, while calm, deadly efficency was displayed by the offense.

It was an uneasy game to watch. Players left the game woozy with an unseemly regularity. There was a vemon with which Michigan played defense. An anger. They appeared upset people doubted their ability to play on the road. Mad that people would compare what Penn State did to Minnesota to what they could do to Michigan. Furious at the implication that they would give up yards and scores.

Michigan served notice on Saturday that the only thing it is willing to give its opponents is pain.

A Quick and Uninformed Preview of Michigan v. Penn State University

2006-10-13T07:31:00.000-07:00

Ah yes. Penn State weekend. One of three big games circled by everyone in the Big Ten as make or break.

Last year it turned out to be a last gasp at what was possible for Michigan. A kiss before dying a miserable death in the [Bowl Redacted]. A lone triumph which equated to a knock out body on the ugliest girl in town. Taken by itself it was spectacular. As a whole, a crime against nature.

For Penn State it was the opposite. Their loss was merely a mole on a supermodel of a season, capped with an Orange Bowl win on (now hapless) Florida State. While she would've been prettier without it, PSU fans sure as hell wouldn't kick her out of bed for eating crackers.

This year the roles are reversed, though not exactly. Last year, Michigan was an underperforming disaster in spiffy uniforms, while Penn State was a Senior heavy team finally living up to its own expectations. This year Penn State is in the process of reloading after three quarters of its 11-1 squad graduated or left for the NFL and Michigan is being the team its supporters have always thought it could be.

In both cases the higher ranked team is on the road. Last year the home team was unranked Michigan. Michigan was 3-3 and coming off a season saving victory over Michigan State. This year the home team is unranked Penn State. PSU is 4-2 and coming off a controversial-yet-still-a-win-so-get-over-it-already-it-kept-us-from-being-3-3 victory over Minnesota.

At that point the similarities end. Last year's Michigan squad couldn't count on its defense, this year's PSU squad has no idea what its offense will do. Penn State is loaded with underclassmen still finding their footing, where Michigan is full of Sophmores and Juniors who already have two years playing time under their belts. Senior leadership is another issue. On offense PSU has but one senior starter. Michigan, while not top heavy, has a lineup sprinkled with senior leadership on both sides of the ball.

Still this is a scary game for Michigan. This is the type of game Michigan more often than not finds itself in a life and death struggle. A simple thought:

Bear Trap

This is going to be an exceedingly difficult game to win for a number a reasons:

1. Student Housing - Things have gotten bad at Penn State recently. Too many students not enough housing. This has forced the administration to cut corners for incoming freshmen.

Students are forced to huddle together for warmth in shabily constructed Coleman Tents. The only thing that seems to keep hope alive is the football team. Students can be heard chanting "We Are" "Penn State" late into the night. The chorus is only interupted by the sounds of sobbing and the groans of the dying. This is not new to Penn State. In fact it's been going on for years. The Administration however has cleverly found a way to deflect the blame for their students' misery, A conspiracy between the Big Ten Referees and Michigan. If not for this secret pentaverite, housing would be available for all. Unfortunately, as winter approaches, conditions quickly turn dire and the army is usually brought in to wipe the Paternoville off the face of the earth.

2. It's Up To Luigi - With Mario out it's up to his pals Luigi, Yoshi, and Toad to save the day. Arrington, Breaston and Matthews will have to come up big for Michigan to win.

3. Beyond Tunderdome - It's gonna be loud in Happy Valley on Saturday Night, and romancing Tina Turner ain't helping us out of there alive. The locals, starved of food and shelter (as discussed above), will be out for blood. The raw meat thrown into the stand will only rile their blood lust. Michigan will have to withstand the chants, the thrown severed heads, and the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune to escape back to Bartertown alive.

Happy Valley during a Noon game in 1980
Michael Jackson's "Bad" Plays On A Enternal Loop

4. Night Is When The Zombies Feed - You knew a BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAINS! joke was coming. Michigan has hired several zombie killing experts to patrol the sidelines should Paterno naw through his chains and attempt chow down on the sweet suculent brains of Michigan's starting players. The fear that their brains may be eaten from their skulls is something Michigan will have to play through.

Those are My Thoughts of Great Importance (TM) regarding the game. Now, on to the preview.

QB:

Tony Tone Toni - Anthony Morelli. He has his last name tatooed on his arm in case he forgets it. While he ranks 4th in passing yards he also ranks 8th in QB rating in the conference. His 6 TD/5 INT ratio is another reason for pause. When Tony faced Ohio State I'm fairly certain he made brown in his pants. That's the only way to describe the turd he left on the Ohio Stadium field in tossing 3 INTs, no TDs and going for only 107 passing yards.

Since then he has improved. Morelli is coming off his best game of the year against Minnesota. Against the Gophers' pass defense Tony passed for almost 300 yards and tossed 2 TD's without and INT.

Take the Minnesota game out and Morelli has been underwhelming this year. He has a tendency to throw long looping ducks into heavy traffic. Despite his arm strength, which is on full display for seven yard crossing routes, Morelli tends to underthrow everything past 15 yards. He'll get better at that with time, but right now it's not his strong suit. Tony has the tools to be a good Big Ten QB, but will need and offensive line to be able to do it.

You can't take Morelli lightly because of his talent. However, waves of defenders planting him into the field turff seems to shake him up a tad (not that I enjoy it either). Blitzes and pressure do not bring out his best atributes. Hammer him early and often and the ball will be taken out of his hands by the coaching staff.

RB:

The highly unheralded Tony Hunt is the Penn State offenses' main weapon. For all the talk that he's just an undersized fullback he's having a pretty damn good year. Hunt ranks 3rd in the Big Ten in rushing, about 100 yards behind Mike Hart. He's gone over 100 yards each of his last 4 games. On the season he's got 7 rushing TDs and one receiving TD.

Penn State like to try to get the ball in his hands about 30 times a game. He'll average about 25-28 rushes a game and catch 2-3 balls out of the backfield. Like Mike Hart, Hunt is not a burner. His longest run of the season is 34 yards, and it didn't result in a touchdown. One thing Hunt is is consistent. He averages a little over four yards a carry. He hits his holes and doesn't screw around in the backfield. He's a north south guy capable of doing some damage of his own to would be tacklers. At 6'2" 230 you want to hit him before he works up a head of steam. tackles or hits in the backfield will be crucial to stopping him. Basically he's MSU's Jehuu Caulcrick in a Penn State Uniform.

Hunt isn't a home run hitter, but he will wear you down. Stops in the backfield and gang tackles will be required to keep him at bay.

WR:
The three headed monster of Deon Butler, Jordan Norwood, and Derrick Williams represent PSU's reeiving corps. Combined they have 4 TDs between them.

Sophomore Deon Butler has emerged as one of Morelli's favorite targets in the last two games. He had a monster game against Northwestern, hauling in 11 catches for 216 yards. He followed it up with 6 more catches against Minnesota. All this after catching 8 total balls in the first 4 games. Another of these super soph's is Jordan Norwood. Norwood has averaged about 70 yards and 6 catches a game. However, his only TD came against Akron. Finally there is the supremely talented Derrick Williams, who, to date, is still looking for his breakout game. Williams hauled in a 56 yarder against Minnesota but prior to that had never broken 30 total yards in a game all year.

Like Morelli, all of these players have the ability to burn you but haven't put it together. In their only game against a legitimate secondary, Penn State was completely shut down. Even though they beat Minnesota, it seemed pretty clear the Gophers had a decent read on how to defend PSU's wide outs, just not the speed. At this point there isn't a "Calvin Johnson" or even a "Quarter of a Calvin Johnson" on the wings. Penn State will have to clear their jams quickly and find the soft spots in the Michigan zone to be effective. All they have to do is look at the game film of Michigan Minnesota for a clue. One caveat. They don't have two 6'5" receivers.

OL

Surprisingly, despite the youth of the Penn State line they have only given up 4 sacks all year. That is impressive until you take a look at who they've played. Akron, Youngstown State, Minnesota and Northwestern do not posess a pass rush. Notre Dame does not either, yet they still got to Morelli once. The only team that Penn State has played with an actual defense is Ohio State. Ohio State spent the second half in Morelli's face, picking him thrice and planting him twice. Pass defense is not their specialty.

Running is.

The offensive line is showing signs of being a dominant running group. 4 straight 100 games for Hunt, including one of those game against OSU, demostrate that they're getting their collective asses in gear on the ground. Hunt is a between the blockers runner, and for that to happen it requires holes for him to squirt through. The line does look to be healthy, but like all young units they are prone to penalties and missed assignments at crucial times.

Again, this is a good developing group that will be dangerous in a year or two. However, for now, they are still young and prone to mistakes.

DEFENSE

The middle of the Penn State d-line has turned out to be its strength. With little pressure coming from the DE's, Ed Johnson and Jay Alford have been wrecking havoc straight up the middle. At this point the front four has 10 sacks on the year, with 7 of them split between Johnson and Alford. Running up the middle on them is tough but doable. Running to the ends however seems to be far simpler. Michigan's Guards will have their hands full as the majority of the pressure will come from the middle of the pocket.

The Linebacking corps is among the best in the Big Ten. Erasing the Notre Dame debacle (where they were exposed in coverage), this group has been excellent so far. they are very difficult to run against and possess better than average speed.

the Corners and Safeties are at best inconsistent. Like the rest of the team, there is considerable talent at the DB/S posititions, it's just still being harness. Minus a blown coverage during Troy Smith's fabled scramble, they played excellent defense against Ohio State's outstanding wideouts. Big wideouts tend to give them trouble. Notre Dame and Minnesota used size to their advantage and pounded the ball at them. This group can be exposed underneath, but due to the fact they'll be in nickle for most of the game, don't expect huge looping bombs like the ones we've seen earlier this year. PSU plays to prevent those things.

It's gonna be a good one.