A blog for Michigan Wolverines sports fans and/or card collectors. Visit often for updates on Michigan sports, Wolverines in the pros, Wolverine-related card news and updates to my Michigan personal collections.
Just a few minutes after I post this the Wolverines will kick off their final game of the 2018 season. While the destination isn't the one they ultimately had in mind thanks to a stunning collapse against the hated Buckeyes, an 11-win season is up for grabs, as are bragging rights, pride, and plenty more.
#7 Michigan's (10-2) Peach Bowl opponents are very familiar to this team: #10 Florida (9-3). This will be the fifth meeting in the series, and the Wolverines are undefeated to this point. The programs faced off in 2003's Outback Bowl, the '08 Capital One Bowl (a nice sendoff for Lloyd Carr and my favorite draft class), 2016's Citrus Bowl, and the season opener in 2017. Yep, Michigan's meeting the Gators for the third straight year.
The Wolverines will be without a number of their stars today as those players heal up or prepare for the draft, but it'll be nice to have the very effective Shea Patterson under center after last year's subpar bowl appearance. Outgoing DE Chase Winovich will also be around, opting to play in his final appearance for the Wolverines, a move that's earned him a ton of respect (not that I blame any of the potential draftees for skipping the game).
These teams obviously know each other well and the line appears to be around six points in favor of my guys, so as is usually the case I have no idea what to expect, but I hope coach Jim Harbaugh's guys wash some of the bad taste of The Game out of their mouth's with a big win to finish the season off on a positive note. Skin the Gators!
It all comes down to this: The Game. #10 Ohio State hosts #4 Michigan in a matchup of 10-1 teams that have had completely different seasons. While Michigan has mostly cruised to 10 straight wins (a three-point victory at Northwestern being the closest), unapologetic asshole Urban Meyer's bunch has struggled without a true dual-threat QB, getting curb stomped by Purdue and needing plenty of luck to survive Maryland.
But as been the case very often throughout the series (still 58-49-6 in favor of the Wolverines, despite the last 20 years going the Buckeyes' way) the path to a conference (or division) championship will be decided here in game 12, the best rivalry in all of sports (YMMV).
Despite a feisty Indiana team keeping last week's game largely close, and despite their best effort to prevent Michigan from getting out of the game healthy with a huge dose of cheap shots and dirty play the Wolverines won't soon forget, Jim Harbaugh's group got it done. Now they have one last stop on the Revenge Tour, a concept that proves this team has the attitude to go all the way.
A great coach, dominant defense, and an offense that's been clicking thanks to a true dual-threat quarterback in Shea Patterson all have Michigan poised to do something they haven't achieved since 2000: beat the Buckeyes in Columbus. Meanwhile, OSU's offense has been mostly one-dimensional this year, they've struggled against lesser teams, and Meyer's "health" has been in question. It's there for the taking, and if things go right it won't even come down to a bad spot or the wrong play on a game-deciding two-point conversion.
Complete the Revenge Tour. Book a trip to Indy. Beat Ohio.
It's a chilly November Saturday in Ann Arbor, textbook "football weather", and it's also Senior Day. Players such as RB Karan Higdon and DL Chase Winovich will be playing their final game at the Big House, so it's sure to be an emotional day. Add to that the almost guaranteed early departure of star DL Rashan Gary and the very possible draft entry of transfer QB Shea Patterson and you've got a number of key guys who'll be basking in the sights and sounds one last time.
They'll join their Michigan (#4) teammates on a 9-1 squad that still hasn't lost since week 1 against Notre Dame. This week they're facing a 5-5 Indiana team looking for one more win for bowl eligibility, though they'll likely have to wait until their final game against Purdue for that. They'll have to match up against the Wolverines, who were in complete control at Rutgers last week, other than one big run bust that led to the Knights' only points.
Of course, history is still against the Hoosiers in a series that's seen Michigan win 57 of 66 games, not to mention 22 straight since a loss in '87. That and they're up against a team with conference and postseason aspirations.
I expect an Indiana team searching for one more win to try to keep things close early with Michigan limiting the playbook and trying to keep players healthy. Still, the Wolverine offense has been getting it done week after week and should be able to do so one more time against a pretty bad defense while the Michigan D does its usual job of stifling the opposition. This game should end with a return to double-digit wins for Jim Harbaugh's team and a huge matchup in The Game next Saturday.
Yeah, I'm not gonna take this week's gameday post too seriously because the opponent definitely doesn't warrant any effort on my part. Michigan will be heading east to New Jersey, home of a number of their best players, for a 3:30 game against 1-8 Rutgers.
The Scarlet Knights opened their season with a 35-7 win over Texas State, but since then they've lost eight straight with an average score of 36-12. They managed to hang in there for a couple one-score losses in conference play, but realistically they've been awful. Their QBs have combined for four TDs and 17(!) interceptions. Michigan fans have created a term for the hamblasting above, in which the opposition had fewer yards than the Wolverines had points; they call it a "Rutger".
So let's ignore the cupcake and talk about the Wolverines, whose record is the inverse of Rutgers' (8-1) and have climbed all the way to #4 in the playoff rankings. Convincing wins like last week's demolishing of Penn State will do that for you. That 42-7 victory marked the third straight week Michigan faced a ranked opponent and beat them by two scores. In fact, if you add up the three games with PSU, Wisconsin, and MSU, you get a score of 101-27.
Michigan's rolling and that freight train isn't stopping this week. The real victory would be getting out of Piscataway healthy, with a bonus mission of reps for the backups. Then game 11 with Indiana looms, a Senior Day matchup that should go the way of the Wolverines. They have a very good chance of going into Columbus at 11-1 playing for a spot in the conference championship, and pending the result of the Buckeyes' game in East Lansing this afternoon that may not even be a must-win. November football is once again high stakes here in Ann Arbor and I'm loving it.
A fun thing that happened 16 years ago #AlanBranchKillsQBs
It's the biggest game of the year (this is not a repeat from Wisconsin and Michigan State) as the Michigan #revengetour continues during today's 3:45 matchup with #14 Penn State (6-2).
The #5 Wolverines (7-1) are still riding high on a nice hot streak and are coming off a 21-7 thrashing of Michigan State two weeks ago, plus a bye last week. The defense was once again as advertised in dominating the Spartans, holding them to under 100 total yards, and the offense did enough to make things comfortable at the end.
Now Michigan gets a visit from coach James Franklin's Nittany Lions. His team lost in consecutive weeks to Ohio State and Michigan State, a pair of defeats that are largely on his shoulders due to his increasingly incomprehensible calls. They've played three decent opponents in OSU, MSU, and Iowa, with the latter being their lone win against a quality team. Michigan will definitely be their toughest remaining test, one that they may struggle to pass without stud RB Saquon Barkley.
Meanwhile, Michigan surely won't look past PSU as they anticipate easier games at Rutgers and vs. Indiana before heading to Columbus for The Game. The offense will be tested by a good DL and group of DBs while the D will have to account for the legs of QB Trace McSorley. The book on him this season has been to force him to throw, and that's likely what Don Brown's #1 defense will do.
As usual a two-score spread belies what I think will be a fairly close game unless the Wolverines find a way to blow things wide open. Regardless, a win today would put the Wolverines in the driver's seat for some interesting postseason play, pending the result on November 24. I hope to see my guys grind them into paste Alan Branch-style.
What can I tell you that you haven't already heard? It's #6 Michigan, with six straight wins after the opening loss to Notre Dame, headed up to East Lansing to face another rival, the 4-2 Spartans, ranked #24 despite a 4-2 record thanks to a fluky win at Penn State last Saturday. It's a trophy game, there's stakes, and the animosity is high. It's also a series dominated by Michigan (69-36-5) despite what those who pull for Michigan State will tell you as they put on their blinders and limit their world view to the last decade.
Indeed, MSU has won eight of the last ten, a period of success matched only by the 1950s and 60s, when the Spartans took advantage of a dormant program in Ann Arbor to go 14-4-2. Then Bo came on the scene and things got back to normal; from his first year coaching the Wolverines through the last year of Lloyd Carr Michigan went 30-8. The RichRod and Hoke years weren't as kind to the Maize and Blue with Michigan State once again on the rise.
But, as today's MGoBlog Punt/Counterpunt feature will remind you, this is a simple rivalry where, aside from a few flukes (a bad snap, a cheating clock operator, refs ignoring blatant pass interference, etc.), the better team wins. So let's let it come down to that.
There were moments in last week's huge victory against Wisconsin that the game looked like it was up for grabs. Michigan left some points on the board thanks to missed opportunities, and led by just six at halftime. But the defense held, limiting the Badgers to a garbage time TD late after the coaching staff inexplicably packed it in early. The dominance of a team with a quality offensive line was a great sign for Jim Harbaugh's guys and that continues the roll they've been on since getting knocked down in week 1.
Meanwhile, State has plenty of question marks on offense besides a pretty good QB and one excellent WR, plus a defense that can handle runs and not much else. This is a team Wolverines fans love to beat because of conference championship goals and bragging rights, not to mention shoving it in the face of perpetually grumpy hypocrite coach Mark Dantonio, who owns a dictionary with the word "consequences" crossed out. But as with Maryland, even though it can't erase the shameful results of a toxic environment, there's some feeling of satisfaction a win can bring. It's frustrating that the corrupt, tone-deaf administration in East Lansing is allowed to continue to operate, but at least defeating its sports teams can deal a blow to the ignorant apologists.
That's a lot to say for one simple message: just win. There will be no getting "outcoached", no excuse that one team was "unprepared" or "unmotivated". The better team will win today, and I hope that results in my Wolverines bringing Paul Bunyan back to Ann Arbor where he belongs.
It's crunch time in Ann Arbor, and I don't just mean the leaves on the ground as fall has arrived in full force. We've reached the toughest three-game stretch of the season for the Wolverines: today's game, a trip to face Michigan State, then a return home against a Penn State team that will likely remain ranked. 5-1 Michigan (#12) has won five straight, including a trio of conference games, since the opening week loss to Notre Dame.
Last week's homecoming tilt with Maryland went quite well for the Wolverines, as Jeff and I can personally attest. All three phases got it done besides a special teams TD and a couple garbage time scores, and QB Shea Patterson had what was probably his best game since migrating to Ann Arbor. Plus that hurdle by Ben Mason (a FB!) was ridiculous.
Now Michigan has to deal with its first ranked team since week 1, #15 Wisconsin, who are 4-1, though as usual for the Badgers the devil is in the details. Their win at Iowa was good but the preceding week they fell to a mediocre BYU team, and the rest of their schedule is weak as usual. Penn State is their only real challenge remaining as the enjoy their annual feast of the Big Ten West.
Aside from some health issues on the defensive line Michigan appears to be catching the Badgers at home at a good time. Wisconsin brings their usual beefy OL, video game stats-compiling RB, and above average QB to the table, but a below-average defense beset by injuries and an away night game against a humming Michigan team make this a tall challenge. That likely explains the two-score spread, though I have a feeling this one will finish closer than that. It's crazy for me to believe that the series between the teams has been absolutely dominated by Michigan, which leads 50-15-1.
So rest assured I'll be nervously watching tonight at 7:30 EST, and hopefully I'll be treated to one of the biggest wins of coach Jim Harbaugh's tenure at Michigan!
Don't look now but it's homecoming in Ann Arbor! I'll be staying home, in a manner of speaking, but coming to the home of Michigan Football as I attend my first game in-person since Jeff and I went in September of 2012. I'd link you back to that post but all of the image links are broken, so, meh. Anyway, speaking of Jeff, he's the reason I get to go this time as he generously offered me a ticket. Thanks for letting me be your homecoming date, Jeff!
So, as we learned last Saturday, be careful what you wish for! I requested "anything but" a repeat of the infamous "M00N" game and that was granted in the form of a nail-biter that I thought might kill me (followed by Penn State just about finishing me off thanks to the way they blew it against OSU). Kind of more of the same thing we've seen all year--a slow start, a few small mistakes that add up (compounded by some big ones), penalties, and bad luck, but also occasional flashes of competence and even brilliance. All that and one of the worst penalty calls you'll ever see:
In the end Michigan won and I had better things to do than criticize a bunch of college kids for what they did or didn't do.
Now the #15 Wolverines (4-1) have a bounceback opportunity with today's noon matchup with Maryland (3-1), a program embroiled in controversy because of a toxic environment under head coach and former Michigan DC D.J. Durkin, one that ultimately led to the completely unnecessary death of a player. Hopefully those responsible will get appropriate punishment, though that would be small comfort to Jordan McNair's family.
On the field the Terps opened up their season with a win over Texas for the second straight year, then gave Temple their first win in three tries. College football: who knows? Meanwhile the Wolverines look mortal but also showed lots of resolve in coming back from a 17-point deficit. The run game got going, Shea Patterson warmed up a bit, and the defense put up another big second half.
For this game I'm predicting a Michigan victory that's not nearly as dramatic as last week's, though I do see Maryland's offense giving the Wolverines' D some fits before that unit locks things down. Regardless I'm looking forward to my homecoming to the Big House no matter the weather (rain is certainly in the forecast). Hopefully it'll also be a great day for the many alumni coming back for the festivities. There's no place like home!
It's fall football time in the college ranks and that means another Big Ten matchup for the #14 Wolverines (3-1), winners of their last three after a loss at Notre Dame. This afternoon Michigan heads to the friendly confines of Evanston, Illinois for a conference tilt against Northwestern.
While the Wildcats are coming off of consecutive losses, Michigan's momentum is heading in the opposite direction after a thumping of Nebraska. And speaking of momentum, the Wolverines have a five-game win streak on the line against Northwestern, not to mention an overall series record of 57-15-2. They haven't lost since 2008, and the teams haven't met since coach Jim Harbaugh's first year back in Ann Arbor, 2015.
Michigan heads into this game with plenty of confidence in what's practically a home away from home game thanks to the huge number of alumni living in the Chicago area, not to mention the relatively reasonable travel logistics for others.
That's not to say that this should be an obvious cakewalk given some of the weird games in this series' history But with the Wolverines kicking things into high gear going into the conference season I'm looking for a solid win today before the team returns for homecoming next Saturday. Just anything but "M00N", please!
Pictured: new Nebraska HC Scott Frost with coordinators
While last week's tilt against SMU wasn't the performance many Michigan fans wanted to see, QB Shea Patterson and the Wolverines got the job done despite a number of questionable calls in a game that infringed on what would have otherwise been four solid hours of commercial breaks.
Now the #19 Wolverines (2-1) open conference play at noon today against relatively recent Big Ten newcomer Nebraska. While the Cornhuskers have won the last two games between the programs, they can't say the same about this season as they stand winless in head coach Jesse Plemons' Scott Frost's first season, though surely they're undefeated when it comes to outhitting their opponents.
As is often the case the betting line has no basis in reality with Michigan an 18-point favorite despite some obvious flaws that were on display in the first three weeks. Then again when you lose to Troy at home you're probably not gonna get much respect. If talented Husker freshman QB Adrian Martinez is good to go this could be a very interesting game indeed.
Hopefully an offensive line that's made some improvements since week 1, helping Patterson establish good rhythm with his WRs and TEs, is the difference for the Wolverines in this one, though it'll need to be joined by a better performance from the defense. I'll be rooting for my alma mater to break the 4-4-1 series tie in just the 10th meeting between these two programs, and open Big Ten play on a strong note.
Three weeks, three different start times. After kicking off at 7:30 (closer to 8, really) and noon, #19 Michigan (1-1) will start their matchup with 0-2 Southern Methodist at 3:30 EST this afternoon on BTN.
The Wolverines enjoyed a much-needed rout of week 2 opponent Western Michigan last week, and they'll look to repeat that success against another overmatched opponent in the Mustangs. Michigan was in control on both sides of the ball, piling up big yards on the ground with some nice passing to boot, plus a shutout until late into the fourth quarter. Plenty of backups got some valuable experience including a nice look at the future of the offensive line.
While that game and this week's contest won't say much about how the team will perform come conference play time, it was nice to see the team bounce back from a tough week one loss and play to their ability against a lesser team.
So I'll be looking for Michigan to build up another big lead and start emptying the bench as soon as possible in one last tune-up before the looming Big Ten season. Get the starters some more confidence, let the backups get some PT, and get the guys out of there healthy and ready for Nebraska and more. And, you know, maybe light up the scoreboard too!
After a loss to Notre Dame in a game that didn't quite go according to plan, the 0-1 Wolverines (#21) return to Ann Arbor for the home opener against the Western Michigan Broncos, who also lost last week.
And home is certainly a nice place to be. As I mentioned a few weeks ago I got to tour the stadium (suites, press box, locker room, and field) for a work team-building event, and I had a total blast. This display of one of Bo's most famous quotes sits just outside of the visiting locker room, and it's a great reminder that players and fans shouldn't jump ship after one setback.
Players are reminded of Bo's other legendary speech about "The team, the team, the team!" as they make their way down the tunnel between the locker room and field each week. No one person was responsible for the loss last week, and it'll take more than one to get back into the "W" column today.
Here I am taking a leisurely selfie in the end zone, a place I hope the Wolverines frequent today after some offensive struggles last week.
The Broncos are an interesting opponent for me because of some recent games. The 2011 matchup stands out due to Brandon Herron's singular defensive performance--he returned both a fumble and interception for touchdowns--plus the teams agreeing to end the game early due to weather.
But more notable for me was the meeting in 2001 that was to open the season. I was a freshman in the first couple weeks of my initial semester in Ann Arbor when 9/11 occurred, and was then able to attend the opener, which was naturally pushed back, for my first game as a student. Needless to say the singing of the anthem was a very emotional experience.
Back to the present, today's game will kick off around noon EST on FS1 (because why not) and the Wolverines will look to quiet the critics and skeptics on a day where we'll get a taste of the fall (e.g. "football") weather to come--it's not supposed to crack 70 degrees today! I'll join the rest of the fanbase in hoping that we get to see a lot of backups get good experience today in an easy win, but for now the "win" part is the most important.
This angry purple man will be on the sidelines tonight as he leads his #12 Notre Dame squad against the visiting #14 Wolverines. The on again/off again rivals last played in 2014, at which point the Irish dickishly cancelled the series (which stands at 24-16-1 in favor of Michigan). On the line, as usual, are bragging rights, playoff implications, and the all-time winning percentage record.
Ole Miss transfer Shea Patterson is the new QB, one who will hopefully return the position to some semblance of competency after last year's sub-par play due to injury and ineffectiveness. Despite losing #1 WR Tarik Black for an unknown period of time this looks like an offense that could be more balanced than it's been in a while, with multiple talented WRs and TEs to go with a the two-headed RB group of Karan Higdon and Chris Evans. The biggest question mark remains the offensive line, though a coaching change and simplified scheme could alleviate some of last year's issues.
Meanwhile the defense will once again be the strength of this team. Former #1 overall recruit Rashan Gary returns to a D-Line that will be downright scary with its skill and depth. The linebackers look quite good with Viper Khaleke Hudson back to build on his excellent 2017. And David Long and Lavert Hill form one of the best CB duos in the country after a season that surprisingly earned them less notice than you would have thought. All of this adds up to another top-5 defense that should keep Michigan in games as the offense finds their groove.
With rain in the forecast will we see one of the ugly games caused by poor weather in the series, or an instant classic like 1991 (above) and 2011, the amazing comeback "Under the Lights"? Tune in to the Notre Dame Broadcasting Company (NBC) at 7:30 EST to find out. You all know who I'll be rooting for!
For one more time as part of the 2017 season it's Michigan Gameday! Despite the many changes to the college postseason I was very happy that my Wolverines would be playing on January 1, as is tradition.
The 8-4 squad will be matching up with a team with an identical record: South Carolina. While a bowl game between unranked teams may appear to be largely meaningless, don't tell that to
From MGoBlog
-The seniors (and possibly some juniors) who'll be representing the Maize and Blue for the last time in their college careers. That includes upcoming first-round DL Mo Hurst, who bucked the recent trend of draft-eligibles who understandably wanted to avoid injury.
-Young QB Brandon Peters, who can give himself a leg up in next year's battle for the position against some very good incoming talent and Ole Miss transfer Shea Patterson.
-All of these guys, led by DL Chase Winovich, who dyed their hair orange in honor of Chad Carr, the grandson of retired coach Lloyd Carr, who died of the rare disease DIPG. Orange was his favorite color, and Winovich created a donation campaign that challenged folks to contribute to a great cause while getting a number of players to dye their hair, and best of all, DC Don Brown to dye his 'stache!
The Michigan money cannon (aided by many others, to be fair) obliterated the original $15,000 goal and as I'm writing this the total has eclipsed $200,000 (which will be matched by recent Ron Weiser). A great cause led by great people.
-And the fans of Michigan and the conference who'd love to see the Big Ten earn a perfect 8-0 bowl record.
So no, this game isn't meaningless if you think about it for more than 10 seconds. Hopefully it'll be a way for the Wolverines and their fans to celebrate the old and the new with their first win of 2018.
It's game #12 for Michigan and that means it's time for one of the most anticipated matchups in all of sports: the Buckeyes against the Wolverines in the 113th edition of The Game.
It's a rivalry that's seen plenty of highs and lows for the Maize and Blue, and lately it's been the latter with OSU on a five-game winning streak as they've been victorious for 14 of the 16 games since 2001.
A young and likely overmatched 2017 Michigan squad (8-3) doesn't seem likely to buck that trend against an Ohio State team (9-2) that's largely dominated its competition this season besides losses to Oklahoma and Iowa(!!!) and a nail-biter over Penn State. Young QB Brandon Peters' health is on the minds of everyone cheering from Ann Arbor and beyond as Jim Harbaugh's team aims for an upset and something positive to take from this somewhat trying season.
The Wolverines were inches from a huge win last year, and while I don't know that it'll be quite that close in the waning minutes of this one, I do know that they have an ace up their sleeve: TMM co-author and My Sports Obsession writer Jeff will be in attendance. Could this be the factor that puts Michigan over the top? Tune in at noon EST, just as Bo would have demanded.
