U of M Football

[vetalalumni]

Somewhat surprised at the depth of the pit Wolverines have sunk into. Now hoping for 5-7, with 6-6 appearing unfeasible. Next 2 years, seeking plus 2 wins each. Definitely would like to see 11-1 [[or at least 10-2) by end of 4th season under the Coach Rod investment. Thereafter, 10+ wins each season.

--- Vetalalumni, October 15, 2008

http://atdetroit.net/cgi-bin/foroum/...=5&page=162332

Revised minimal expectations this year are 7 - 5 regular season.

[bailey]

Revised minimal expectations this year are 7 - 5 regular season.

If UM DIDN'T go at least 6-6 this year, that would be cause for firing RR. look at the schedule. Here we are in week 5 and it the FIRST away game. Aside from ND, its a steady diet of cupcakes. And ND really hasnt proven much. But look out Deleware St. is up next!

This a perfect 2nd year for RR.

[vetalalumni]

20 up entering overtime!

[zitro]

20 up entering overtime!

go blue!!!!

[vetalalumni]

Saddened by this 26 - 20 loss. Not enough at the end.

[wash_man]

Woo hoo! Way to go Spartans!

[Danny]

YAY!

'S' GO GREEN! GO STATE, GO SPARTANS!

They have destoyed those cheating Wolverines. They have been crash and burn. The Spartans defense were very rough on thier rediculous' Bad News Bears like' offense! The Blue and Gold played like circus clowns! The Green and White will keep the Pual Bunyan trophy.

"Go right through to MSU,
Watch the points keep going
Spartan Teams are 'bout to WIN'
with fighting with the vim'

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!

'See their their team is weakining'
We're going toWIN this game!
'FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT TEAM FIGHT
VICTORY FOR MSU!'


The Spartans can crush the Wolverines at Michigan Stadium and Spartans can crush the Wolverines at Spartan Stadium. See ya'll next year to the Big House. Be prepared to get CRUSHED by the Mighty Green and White Warriors THE MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS

GO GREEN!

[the rock]

Maybe someone can answer me this: The tv announcers on the Big Ten network were really mediocre. I am a Wolverine fan and always listen to Beckman and Brandy on CKLW radio, and I assume today many Spartan fans listened to Blaha on WJR. Both radio partisans made the game much more interesting for their respective fans and are more knowledgable than the TV amateurs.
Anyway, why is it or in this case ,why was it, that CKLW was a good 3 seconds ahead of the play as it developed on tv, yet WJR was in sync with the tv coverage? Last week with the M-Indiana game, CKLW was about three seconds behind the play.
Same holds true for the Lions when they are on tv. The radio broadcast is generally a little behind the coverage, maybe a second or two. I would think they would or should always be in sync with each other rather than a "tape delay", but today's M-MSU game found CKLW ahead of cable's Big Ten Network.

[vetalalumni]

Congrats Spartan fans. Next year.

Wolverines obviously dropped from top 25. Still looking for at least 7 -5 though. Wins against Delaware State, Purdue, and Illinois would do it.

[vetalalumni]

I had to "look away" a few times during the game today. The Wolverines became dejected and once again came up short.

[vetalalumni]

Some high quality photographs from the game today. The vivid colors look very good. --> http://www.annarbor.com/sports/image...elaware-state/

[kenp]

wow, this site sure has changed.
Whatever happened to el jumbo and his anti UM rants.
Hopefully UM beats Penn State and starts a new streak

[vetalalumni]

wow, this site sure has changed.
Whatever happened to el jumbo and his anti UM rants.
Hopefully UM beats Penn State and starts a new streak

Maybe in a couple of weeks the banter will pick up. "Trash talkin" makes for interesting thread content, however I'm usually not inclined.

[vetalalumni]

Wolverines got shown up. Forcier looked more dejected than usual. Defensive secondary must get better next year. Hopefully Defensive Coordinator Greg Robinson will help begin making a difference.

Two more wins will leave the Wolverines at an "acceptable" 7 - 5 regular season. Wins at Illinois next week, and then Purdue at home could do it.

[kenp]

I would take 7-5 and be very happy. Thats where most thought we would be before the season. Its going to be tough.
The Penn State game looked a lot like one of last years games. Just awful

[vetalalumni]

I would take 7-5 and be very happy. Thats where most thought we would be before the season. Its going to be tough.
The Penn State game looked a lot like one of last years games. Just awful

Yep, 7- 5 is a 4 win improvement!

Next year, let us see 9+ wins, and then we will be talkin.

[vetalalumni]

Go Blue in Champaign!

[vetalalumni]

Publicly, standing by coach. Privately, this one hurt.

[Big Dog]

Possibly Rich will be gone at the end of the season. It almost looked like team mutiny against him, too me.

[kenp]

Went to the Purdue game. I always sneek down to the front behind the UM bench, thats were they put the recruits. There are always empty seats and you just sort of mill in. Sat next to Drew Dileo and his family. He is a recruit from Baton Rouge.
Anyway, watching the team its seems we are going through the motions. Only real emotion was near the end of the game, Van Bergin and Martin were trying to get guys fired up, it didnt work.
Roundtree looked good. Tate's to careless with the football, his fumbles are preventable.
Purdues's onside kick didnt for 10 yards, I cant belive Michigan let that go. Maybe I was missing somthing there.
Next week will be tough, Wisc played Purdue at Wisc last week and won 38-0

[SCS100]

Kenp, they now kick off from the 30 instead of the 35 like they used to. Purdue caught the ball at the 44, so the kick went 14 yards and was perfectly legal. Now, sitting in the student section, I can say that we were all stunned when that happened.

[kenp]

Thanks for the info scs100, I couldnt figure out why nobody from the staff complained.
I watched last night, the Maryland / Miami game from 1984. Miami was up 31-0 at the half and lost. I think UM beat Miami that year despite going 8-8, as I recall Kosar threw a bunch of interceptions.
SCS100, for your info, I noticed back then they kicked from the 40.

[firstandten]

I have had second thoughts about RichRod being successful at Michigan. At first I thought he and his "read option" offense would be a great success at Michigan. I think the offense is fine but I question his professionalism among other things.

I never liked how he left WV, it was real bush league how he did it. He seems to have problems at least in the beginning in embracing some of Michigan's traditions.

I really had a problem in how he basically ran off kids recruited by Lloyd and now he has the nerve to hint that Carr left the cupboard bare. I remember when Urban Meyer came to Florida he had a QB who he never would have recruited, Chris Leak and he won a national championship with him. RichRod blows the team up and then makes excuses when he loses. RichRod is a classic case of why kids sign to a school to play for a coach and not the school itself. It must be rough when all the sudden the coach who recruited you leaves and the new coach tells you in so many words you aren't good enough to play for him. Also somebody needs to send RichRod the memo that the Big Ten as bad as it is will never be the Big East, you can't just outscore teams in the Big Ten you got to stop somebody.

Also don't be surprised if once Devin Gardner gets on campus that one if not both of the QB's now either changes position or leaves the program.

[vetalalumni]

Possibly Rich will be gone at the end of the season. It almost looked like team mutiny against him, too me.

I'm for continuing to support Coach Rodriguez. It would be premature to give up on the change plan due to failings so far. 2010 and therafter, expectations are more constrictive. That could drive away Coach Rodriguez. Two distinct risks, not enough wins, or plenty of wins followed by Coach Rodriguez then seeking bigger pastures that UofM cannot provide.

Indications of mutiny alone won't directly lead to a head coach change at season end. But of course the issue of losing is primary in virtually all plans. Winning [[not losing) in Wisconsin today, for example, would for some be enough. That, plus winning or at least playing well against OSU.

[Danny]

Sorry Wolverine fans! Your team lost BAD to Wisconsin 45 to 24.

Junior cornerback Troy Woolfolk came up with a way this week for the Michigan football team to salvage a season that is about to dip below the horizon.
"The main thing I want for our seniors is, No. 1, to beat Ohio State, which would result in a bowl game," Woolfolk said. "Wisconsin, we want to beat them, too. Ohio State? We haven't beaten them in five years. As bad as this season is going, it would be redeemed by beating Ohio State."
Michigan fans might quibble with that statement. Even a win over the hated Buckeyes next week might not save this train wreck.
After starting 4-0, the Wolverines have lost five straight Big Ten Conference games to sit 5-5 overall and 1-5 in the conference going into Saturday's game against the University of Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium. They have not beaten a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent since Sept. 26.
They need to win one of their final two games or fail to go to a bowl for a second straight year.
Rich Rodriguez is 8-14 in two seasons as Michigan's coach, including 3-11 in the Big Ten. The last back-to-back losing seasons at the school were 1962 and '63.
"We did mention it, it's one of the goals we have for our seniors," Rodriguez said of becoming bowl eligible during the Big Ten coaches' teleconference Tuesday. "They have a couple chances to do it, but they're going to be great challenges."
On Monday, Rodriguez got the obligatory vote of confidence from outgoing athletic director Bill Martin, who announced his resignation last month, effective next September.
"Rich is an outstanding coach," Martin told the Detroit News. "There is no question he's got my total support. I think the world of that guy. Is he perfect in every respect? Nobody is. But he works hard. He'll get it right."
Michigan leads the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 32 points per game, and has made some strides offensively with Rodriguez's spread attack.
"We expected to make some [[progress) because we had some guys coming back on the O-line and some of the skill positions," Rodriguez said. "The X-factor was quarterback. We didn't know how quickly our young guys would be able to step in."
True freshman Tate Forcier got off to a strong start, leading comeback wins over Notre Dame and Indiana, but faltered in October.
Senior running back Brandon Minor ran for a season-high 154 yards and three touchdowns in the 38-36 loss to Purdue last week, but aggravated a high ankle sprain that has bothered him all season. He also suffered a shoulder injury and Rodriguez was unsure how healthy Minor would be against UW.
Backup running back Carlos Brown played sparingly last week due to knee tendinitis, but is expected to practice this week.
Those injuries put even more burden on Forcier, who ranks 10th in the conference in passing, averaging 163.6 yards per game.
"Being a leader of the team, you can never send your seniors out empty-handed, and that's something I don't want to do," Forcier said. "A lot of it's on me, how I play and how I motivate these guys."
Michigan's biggest problems have been on defense under first-year coordinator Greg Robinson. In the second halves of the last three games, the Wolverines have been outscored 75-12.
That has led to questions about Michigan's coaches not making the proper halftime adjustments.
"You've got time to make some adjustments ... not as much as people think," Rodriguez said. "Everybody talks about halftime adjustments. Really, this is what's happening, 'This is what you're seeing,' kind of calm them down then just go play."
Michigan ranks last in the conference in time of possession, averaging 26 minutes, 35 seconds, meaning its defense is on the field a long time. That's an issue this week because UW ranks first in TOP with an average of 32:58.
Rodriguez said the Badgers control games by running the ball with their big backs behind a big offensive line.
"They keep the ball, they keep the time of possession and their defense has played so well, they've gotten a lot of three-and-outs and put the ball right back to their offense," he said. "You've got to do all you can to not let them control the game like they have."
That will be hard for a Michigan defense that Rodriguez said is undersized.
"We're not a very big team," Rodriguez said. "Right now, we've struggled some defensively when teams have come right at us, so we've got to try and find an answer to it."

You read the stats: If the Wolverines LOSE to #11 Ohio State [[ In which they will) They will NOT get a single bowl game for the 2nd year in a row. I Think its time to FIRE RICH ROD and bring back Lloyd Carr.