2008 Michigan Wolverines - Recruiting Class

2008 Michigan Wolverines Head Coach: Rich Rodriguez

Michigan Wolverines

2008 Recruiting Class

Star of the Class

Brandon Smith DB 6-3 210 New Brunswick, NJ
Intercepted 24 career interceptions ... tallied 82 tackles, seven interceptions and 17 pass breakups as a senior ... collected 60 tackles and nine interceptions as a junior ... passed for 1,053 yards and 16 touchdowns and added 670 rushing yards and nine TDs junior year ... A Sports All-American third team ... PrepStar Magazine All-American ... four-star prospect and the fourth-best safety in the country by Scout.com ... Associated Press All-State as a senior ... played in the U.S. Army All-American game.

Potential Instant Impact Players

Sam McGuffie

RB

6-0

188

Cypress, TX

Carried the ball 205 times for 1,711 yards and scored 23 touchdowns during injury-shortened senior season ... rushed for 3,121 yards on 358 carries and scored 44 TDs as a junior ... rushed 115 times for 853 yards and scored 11 touchdowns sophomore season ... 2007 All-USA second team by the USA Today ... EA Sports All-America third team ... PrepStar All-American and the publication's 93rd-best player nationally ... played in U.S. Army All-American Bowl ... four-star recruit and the nation's No. 7 running back according to Scout.com ... rated as the No. 30 running back nationally by Scouts, Inc. ... unanimous first-team All-District as a senior ... named Associated Press All-State 5A at running back junior year.

Michael Shaw

RB

6-0

185

Trotwood, OH

Gained over 1,250 rushing yards and 300 receiving yards as a senior ... rushed 180 times for 975 yards and scored 21 touchdowns as a junior ... added 10 receptions for 200 yards and one TD junior year ... carried the ball 80 times for 475 yards and three scores as a sophomore ... four-star recruit and the 29th best running back nationally according to Scout.com.

Rest of the Class

Ricky Barnum	OL	6-2	246	Lakeland, FL
Boubacar Cissoko	DB	5-8	171	Detroit, MI
Mike Cox	RB	6-0	203	Avon, CT
Kenny Demens	LB	6-1	224	Detroit, MI
Justin Feagin	ATH	6-0	190	Delray Beach, FL
J.B. Fitzgerald	LB	6-4	225	Princeton Junction, NJ
J.T. Floyd	ATH	6-0	179	Greenville, SC
Taylor Hill	LB	6-2	205	Youngstown, OH
Rocko Khoury	OL	6-6	280	Traverse City, MI
Kevin Koger	TE	6-4	235	Toledo , OH
Mike Martin	DT	6-2	278	Novi, MI
Elliott Mealer	OL	6-6	280	Wauseon, OH
Brandon Moore	TE	6-6	243	Trotwood, OH
Dann O'Neill	OL	6-8	291	Grand Haven, MI
Patrick Omameh	DE	6-4	236	Columbus, OH
Terrence Robinson	RB	5-9	170	Klein, TX
Roy Roundtree	WR	6-0	154	Trotwood, OH
Darryl  Stonum	WR	6-2	180	Sugar Land, TX
Kurt Wermers	OL	6-3	278	Crown Point, IN
Marcus Witherspoon	LB	6-2	215	Absecon, NJ

- 2007 Michigan Preview
- 2007 Michigan Season
- 2006 Michigan Season

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 11-1
2007 Record: 9-4

Sept. 1 App. State L 34-32
Sept. 8 Oregon L 39-7
Sept. 15 Notre Dame W 38-0
Sept. 22 Penn State W 14-9
Sept. 29 at Nwestern W 28-16
Oct. 6 Eastern Michigan W 33-22
Oct. 13 Purdue W 48-21
Oct. 20 at Illinois W 27-17
Oct. 27 Minnesota W 34-10
Nov. 3 at Michigan State W 28-24
Nov. 10 at Wisconsin L 37-21
Nov. 17 Ohio State L 14-3
Capital One Bowl
Jan. 1 Florida W 41-35

2008 Early Lookahead
Why to get excited: You don't have Lloyd Carr to kick around anymore. He was a better head coach than he ever got credit for, but there was a large segment of Wolverine fans who were ready to move on. If you wanted a change, you got it, and then some, with Rich Rodriguez coming in to change around the attack to his beloved spread. If West Virginia could win with the offense, what can Michigan do with the talent it brings in? However ... 
Why to be grouchy: ... it's going to take a little while. Even if Terrelle Pryor, the nation's top recruit, picks the Maize and Blue over Ohio State and Florida, it's not like the offense is going to rock and roll right away. There are two huge, screaming concerns. 1) If you thought Carr couldn't get Michigan over the hump after winning it all in 1998, take a look at Rich Rod's inability to come through when the spotlight was on. 2) This is a big gamble. Michigan was a wide receiver pipeline to the NFL. That could dry up to a trickle in a big hurry.
The number one thing to work on is: Just getting everyone on the same page. No one's expecting anything for at least a year knowing there needs to be a little bit of an adjustment period. That's not to say the team can stink, but if it struggles a bit this year to take a giant leap forward for 2009 and beyond, that's fine. Every move, every practice, and every game has to have an eye on being better for next year.
Biggest offensive loss: RB Mike Hart
Biggest defensive loss: LB Shawn Crable
Best returning offensive player: OG Justin Boren, Jr.
Best returning defensive player: DT Terrance Taylor, Sr.

2007 Recap
2007 Recap: Arguably one of the most peculiar seasons in school history, Michigan began the year with an epic loss to Appalachian State, ended it by upsetting defending champ Florida, and in between, fought like hell to pick up the pieces from an 0-2 start.  It certainly wasn’t the season most expected in Ann Arbor, but the Wolverines showed a lot guts by battling through injuries for eight straight wins before losing to Wisconsin and Ohio State in the final two regular season games.  In many ways, the season marked an end of an era at Michigan, as Lloyd Carr retired after 13 years on the sidelines, and QB Chad Henne, RB Mike Hart, and LT Jake Long concluded stellar careers as four-year starters.     

Offensive Player of the Year: RB Mike Hart

Defensive Player of the Year: LB Shawn Crable

Biggest Surprise: Crable.  An enigma and an underachiever for most of his first three seasons, Crable exploded in his senior year for a team-high 90 tackles, 28.5 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks.  Finally tapping into all of his freakish athletic ability, Crable was the catalyst of a defense that regrouped nicely after a rough start.  

Biggest Disappointment: Losing in the first two weeks to Appalachian State and Oregon, ending any hope of fulfilling preseason forecasts.  The Wolverines were widely viewed as the Big Ten favorite and a strong contender for New Orleans, but after yielding 73 points over the first two Saturdays, the team goals were irreparably altered.  

Looking Ahead: With Carr out and former West Virginia head man Rich Rodriguez in, things may never again be the same in Ann Arbor.  Considering the offensive upheaval that’ll be taking place on the two-deep and in the playbook, Rodriguez’s value to the Wolverines may not be fully felt until the 2009 season.   

Jan. 1
2008 Capital One Bowl
Michigan 41 ... Florida 35
Michigan rolled up 524 yards of total offense, but it needed to come back late and hold on to seal the stunning win. Florida stayed alive on four Wolverine turnovers, including two fumbles from Mike Hart, as Tim Tebow threw three touchdown passes and Percy Harvin scored twice on the way to a 35-31 fourth quarter lead. The Wolverines rallied late with an 18-yard touchdown catch from Adrian Arrington with 4:12 to play to take the lead, and a 41-yard K.C. Lopata field goal made it a six-point margin with just over two minutes to play. But Tebow would get one more shot with the ball on his own 23. Four misfires later, including an errant fourth down pass under pressure, and the Wolverines sent head coach Lloyd Carr out a winner. Chad Henne threw three touchdown passes and Hart ran for two short scores, but Florida was able to crank out yards in chunks thanks to Harvin, who amassed 242 yards of total offense.
Offensive Player of the Game: Florida WR Percy Harvin ran 13 times for 165 yards and a touchdown and led the team with nine catches for 77 yards and a score
Defensive Player of the Game: Michigan SS Jamar Adams made nine tackles, a sack, and had a quarterback hurry
Stat Leaders: Michigan- Passing: Chad Henne, 25-39, 373 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Mike Hart, 32-129, 2 TD. Receiving: Adrian Arrington, 9-153, 2 TD
Florida - Passing: Tim Tebow, 17-33, 154 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Percy Harvin, 13-165, 1 TD. Receiving: Percy Harvin, 9-77, 1 TD
Thoughts & Notes ... 5 Thoughts on the Capital One Bowl ... Michigan took things to a level it hasn't been at in years. It was flying around on defense, dominant on offense, and with Chad Henne and Mike Hart healthy, the attack was unstoppable by everything but turnovers. Sure, wanting to send head coach Lloyd Carr out with a bang was a motivation, but for Henne, Hart and Jake Long, is was about ending their careers with a real, live big win. ... Third down conversions: Michigan 10 of 15, Florida 2 of 11. ... The Florida secondary might be young, but it has to be a whole heck of a lot better going into next year. It gave up too many big plays and had a nightmare of a time against the big Wolverine receivers. ... If Mike Hart had been 100% all season long, would he have won the Heisman? As he showed against the Gators, he's a special player when he gets to control a game.

Nov. 17
Ohio State 14 ... Michigan 3
Chris Wells scored from one and 62 yards out and the defense held Michigan to 91 yards of total offense as Ohio State won a sloppy game filled with several slips and dropped passes. The Wolverines gained just 15 yards rushing with Mike Hart gutting it out through a gimpy ankle for 44 yards. Chad Henne struggled through his shoulder injury to complete 11 of 34 passes, but he was plagued by several drops. The Buckeyes held on to the ball for 37:50 as Michigan converted just three of 18 third down conversion attempts.
Player of the game: Ohio State RB Chris Wells ran 39 times for 222 yards and two touchdowns, and DE Vernon Gholston made five tackles, three sacks and four tackles for loss.
Stat Leaders: Michigan - Passing: Chad Henne, 11-34, 68 yds
Rushing: Mike Hart, 18-44. Receiving: Mario Manningham, 5-34
Ohio State - Passing: Todd Boeckman, 7-13, 50 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Chris Wells, 39-222, 2 TD. Receiving: Brian Robiskie, 2-21
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Chad Henne didn't look right from the start against the Buckeyes, but his receivers did nothing, nothing to help him out. The Buckeye lines whipped the Wolverine lines from the start, while Henne and the offense had far too many quick, empty drives to help out the defense. Despite allowing 222 yards to Beanie Wells, the Michigan D did a nice job of keeping it close. The offense simply didn't show up, although OSU had a lot to do with that.

Nov. 10
Wisconsin 37 ... Michigan 21
Wisconsin outgained Michigan 237 yards to 47 on the ground with Zach Brown rushing for 108 yards and touchdown runs from six and two yards out, with both scores putting the game away late in the fourth quarter. Playing without Mike Hart, and with Chad Henne leaving the game early, Ryan Mallett stepped in and bombed away, hitting Mario Manningham on a 97-yard touchdown, the longest pass play in Michigan history, along with a 12-yard scoring pass. A 26-yard touchdown catch from Adrian Arrington pulled the Wolverines within two midway through the fourth, but the Badger ground game went to work to close it out. The Badgers held on to the ball for 38:15, and over 21 minutes in the second half.
Player of the game: Wisconsin DE Matt Shaughnessy made seven tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 2.5 tackles for loss
Stat Leaders: Michigan - Passing: Ryan Mallett, 11-36, 245 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Carlos Brown, 9-38. Receiving: Adrian Arrington, 7-101, 1 TD
Wisconsin - Passing: Tyler Donovan, 14-27, 245 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Zach Brown, 27-108, 2 TD. Receiving: Paul Hubbard, 7-134
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Michigan basically played Wisconsin to get to Ohio State, saving Chad Henne and Mike Hart for the big prize next week. The gameplan appeared to be to let Ryan Mallett keep bombing away on the Badger corners, forget about the running game, and hope for the best. While Mario Manningham came up with two touchdowns, including an all-timer of a 97-yard play, Mallett got burned by starting him down too often. Take the loss with a grain of salt; the real Michigan will show up next week.

Nov. 10
Wisconsin 37 ... Michigan 21
Wisconsin outgained Michigan 237 yards to 47 on the ground with Zach Brown rushing for 108 yards and touchdown runs from six and two yards out, with both scores putting the game away late in the fourth quarter. Playing without Mike Hart, and with Chad Henne leaving the game early, Ryan Mallett stepped in and bombed away, hitting Mario Manningham on a 97-yard touchdown, the longest pass play in Michigan history, along with a 12-yard scoring pass. A 26-yard touchdown catch from Adrian Arrington pulled the Wolverines within two midway through the fourth, but the Badger ground game went to work to close it out. The Badgers held on to the ball for 38:15, and over 21 minutes in the second half.
Player of the game: Wisconsin DE Matt Shaughnessy made seven tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 2.5 tackles for loss
Stat Leaders: Michigan - Passing: Ryan Mallett, 11-36, 245 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Carlos Brown, 9-38. Receiving: Adrian Arrington, 7-101, 1 TD
Wisconsin - Passing: Tyler Donovan, 14-27, 245 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Zach Brown, 27-108, 2 TD. Receiving: Paul Hubbard, 7-134
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Michigan basically played Wisconsin to get to Ohio State, saving Chad Henne and Mike Hart for the big prize next week. The gameplan appeared to be to let Ryan Mallett keep bombing away on the Badger corners, forget about the running game, and hope for the best. While Mario Manningham came up with two touchdowns, including an all-timer of a 97-yard play, Mallett got burned by starting him down too often. Take the loss with a grain of salt; the real Michigan will show up next week.

Nov. 3
Michigan 28 ... Michigan State 24
Michigan overcame a late ten-point deficit with a 14-yard Greg Mathews touchdown catch and with 2:28 to play, a 31-yard Mario Manningham grab. The Wolverine defense hung on as the Spartans sputtered out. Chad Henne finished the game with four touchdown passes, with two going to Manningham, while Mike Hart came back from injury to get 110 yards. The Spartans cranked out 352 yards with two one-yard Jehuu Caulcrick touchdown runs and Kellen Davis making a five-yard scoring grab in the fourth.
Player of the game: Michigan QB Chad Henne completed 18 of 33 passes for 211 yards and four touchdowns with an interception
Stat Leaders: Michigan State - Passing: Brian Hoyer, 19-35, 161 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Javon Ringer, 15-128. Receiving: Devin Thomas, 7-65
Michigan - Passing: Chad Henne, 18-33, 211 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Mike Hart, 15-110. Receiving: Mario Manningham, 8-129, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Michigan appeared to have lost all the momentum, MSU was rolling in the fourth quarter, and the Rose Bowl dream appeared to be in big trouble, and then Chad Henne started throwing like the senior leader he is. Henne and Mike Hart don't seem to be 100%, but they're still effective and they're still adding a steadiness to the attack. Jamar Adams and Obi Ezeh had tremendous games combining for 27 tackles, with Ezeh coming up with two sacks and three tackles for loss. This was tough test number one. Even though this was a rivalry game, the date at Wisconsin will be even tougher.

Oct. 27
Michigan 34 ... Minnesota 10
By land and air, Michigan did what it wanted to against Minnesota with 561 yards of total offense in the easy win ... after about 20 minutes. Minnesota took an early 10-0 lead highlighted by a Dominique Barber fumble return for a score, and then Michigan scored the final 34 points. Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown each ran for over 100 yards, with Brown scoring from five yards out in the third, and capping it off with an 85-yard dash. Mario Manningham scored on a 40-yard touchdown to put things well out of reach. Minnesota was held to 231 yards of total offense.
Player of the game: Michigan WR Mario Manningham made five catches for 162 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Minnesota - Passing: Adam Weber, 14-30, 99 yds
Rushing: Duane Bennett, 20-106. Receiving: Ernie Wheelwright, 6-40
Michigan - Passing: Ryan Mallett, 11-20, 233 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Brandon Minor, 21-157, 1 TD. Receiving: Mario Manningham, 5-162, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Minnesota has an offense. It's not consistent, but it cranks out yards in chunks. Michigan all but shut it down cold, and while the offense will get all the headlines, with Mario Manningham having a brilliant day, and the combination of Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown easily making up for the absence of Mike Hart, it was the defense that made the game a blowout. Now comes the fun part with Michigan State, Wisconsin and Ohio State to close out a wild year. Ryan Mallett was fine this week, and Minor and Brown are great, but getting Henne and Hart back next week is a must.

Oct. 20
Michigan 27 ... Illinois 17
Mike Hart was out, Chad Henne got hurt, and Illinois was rolling with a 14-3 first half lead on a 26-yard Jacob Willis touchdown catch and an eight-yard run from Daniel Dufrene, but then the Michigan offense got the receivers involved as Mario Manningham caught an eight-yard touchdown pass, later caught an 11-yard pass from WR Adrian Arrington to break a 17-17 tie midway through the fourth quarter. Arrington also caught a 14-yard touchdown pass as part of the 24-3 run. K.C. Lopata nailed a 39-yard field goal to put the Wolverines up ten late.
Player of the game: Michigan QB Chad Henne completed 18 of 26 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns with an interception
Stat Leaders: Illinois - Passing: Juice Williams, 8-14, 70 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Rashard Mendenhall, 18-85. Receiving: Arrelious Benn, 5-35
Michigan - Passing: Chad Henne, 18-26, 201 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Carlos Brown, 25-113. Receiving: Mario Manningham, 9-109, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Michigan showed tremendous heart against Illinois, and it also showed that with its talented receivers, it can find ways to win in tough situations. Chad Henne got hurt and had to leave for a time, but he came back and gutted his way though to lead the team to the win. And that was without Mike Hart. Now comes the layup against an awful Minnesota to get everyone healthy again before dealing with Michigan State. Everyone's talking about Ohio State, but Michigan is still unbeaten in Big Ten play. It seems like that's forgotten.

Oct. 13
Michigan 48 ... Purdue 21
Mario Manningham had a career day with 147 yards and touchdown catches from 24 and 21 yards out as Michigan got out to a 48-7 lead before the Boilermakers scored two touchdowns in the final 47 seconds. Mike Hart ran for two first half touchdowns to help the game get out of hand, and then Carlos Brown put it well out of reach in the fourth quarter on touchdown runs from 29 yards and one yard out. Purdue only gained 292 yards of total offense and turned it over four times.
Player of the game: Michigan WR Mario Manningham caught eight passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Purdue - Passing: Joey Elliott, 12-19, 140 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Kory Sheets, 4-19. Receiving: Dustin Keller, 7-68
Michigan - Passing: Chad Henne, 21-28, 264 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Mike Hart, 21-102, 2 TD. Receiving: Mario Manningham, 8-147, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Now that's the Michigan offense we've all been waiting for. Against Purdue, the attack was balanced, explosive, and opportunistic with Mike Hart running well and Chad Henne playing like Chad Henne again. This was how it was supposed to be from the start, helped by the play of the offensive line. Henne got all the time he wanted to throw, and Hart had plenty of room to move through the Boilermaker D. Now it's up Carlos Brown, and others, to start taking even more of the workload from Hart, who had problems with an ankle injury. If the Wolverines can roll up Illinois in Champaign next week, then you know things are back to normal.

Oct. 6
Michigan 33 ... Eastern Michigan 22
It wasn't a smooth game, but Michigan was able to get ahead 10-0 and never trail, as Chad Henni connected with Adrian Arrington for a 31-yard touchdown, while Mike Hart became the school's all-time leading rusher and ran for scores from four, 24 and 17 yards out. Eastern Michigan stated alive early on two Zack Johnson field goals, and a two-point conversion off a blocked extra point, and pulled within two on a ten-yard Andy Schmitt touchdown run, but the Wolverines cranked out 17 straight points to finally pull away.
Player of the game: Michigan RB Michael Hart ran for 215 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries, catching three passes for 18 yards.
Stat Leaders: Eastern Michigan - Passing: Andy Schmitt, 15-28, 108 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Andy Schmitt, 9-41, 1 TD. Receiving: Travis Lewis, 4-54
Michigan - Passing: Chad Henne, 17-26, 195 yds, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Rushing: Mike Hart, 22-215, 3 TDs. Receiving: Adrian Arrington, 6-102, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... It's time to worry again. Eastern Michigan is one of the worst teams in America, with no offense whatsoever, and it was able to get 304 yards with a little bit of balance. Of course Michigan was able to run the ball on the porous Eagle front seven, and of course Mike Hart was Mike Hart, but this is a team in desperate need of confidence boosts every game, and it certainly didn't get one this week. This kind of a performance won't work against Purdue or Illinois in the next two weeks.

Sept. 29
Michigan 28 ... Northwestern 16
Northwestern owned the first half, but managed three field goals and just one touchdown, while Michigan owned the second half with three touchdowns. Chad Henne threw three touchdown passes, with two to Mario Manningham from 11 and 16 yards, out, and Mike Hart punched in a one-yard scoring run late in the fourth for a little breathing room. The Wildcats got up on a 49-yard Omar Conteh scoring run, but five turnovers proved costly.
Player of the game: Michigan LB Shawn Crable had 10 tackles, five tackles for loss, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a sack.
Stat Leaders: Michigan - Passing: Chad Henne, 18-27, 193 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Mike Hart, 30-106, 1 TD. Receiving: Mario Manningham, 10-123, 1 TD
Northwestern – Passing: C.J. Bacher, 22-42, 289 yds, 3 INTs
Rushing: Omar Conteh, 15-115, 1 TD. Receiving: Ross Lane, 6-87
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Michigan faced a spread offense and survived. Northwestern doesn't use a running quarterback like Appalachian State or Oregon, but at least the Wolverine defense showed it could handle the attack. Sort of. The Wildcats outgained the Wolverines 417 yards to 380, but turnovers proved to be the difference. Chad Henne played a tight, relatively conservative game, not taking any big chances. That's what a veteran does, making the plays needed to be made and not turning the ball over. Now the team has use the Eastern Michigan game to work on being more explosive.

Sept. 22
Michigan 14 ... Penn State 9
Michigan got a ten-yard touchdown run from Ryan Mallett and a tough one-yard Mike Hart score, and let the defense do the rest. Penn State was held to 270 yards of total offense and only managed three Kevin Kelly field goals. Following a 31-yard Kelly field goal with just over six minutes to play, Penn State didn't get the ball back until there was just 1:28 to play. On its own 13, Anthony Morelli threw four straight incompletions, with two almost intercepted, to seal the win for the Wolverines.
Player of the game: Michigan RB Mike Hart ran 44 times for 153 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Penn State - Passing: Anthony Morelli, 15-31, 169 yds
Rushing: Rodney Kinlaw, 12-69. Receiving: Deon Butler & Jordan Norwood, 3-30
Michigan - Passing: Ryan Mallett, 16-29, 170 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Mike Hart, 44-153, 1 TD. Receiving: Adrian Arrington, 6-70
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Now Michigan is close to being back to Michigan. Penn State really is a good team, and the Wolverine defense did a fantastic job of shutting things down and not letting the Nittany Lion get into any sort of a groove. Offensively, the running of Mike Hart was able to take over the offense and not force Ryan Mallett to force any tough throws of take many chances. If might not have been Hart's greatest performance, but with 44 carries, it has to be considered one of them. But this was a game for the defense that has been so poor against the pass so far, but held the Nittany Lions when it had to.

Sept. 15
Michigan 38 ... Notre Dame 0
Michigan dominated Notre Dame on both sides of the ball, as Mike Hart ran for two first half touchdowns, Ryan Mallett threw touchdown passes to Greg Mathews, Adrian Arrington and Mario Manningham, and the defense came up with eight sacks and held the Irish to -6 net rushing yards. Notre Dame only averaged 1.4 yards per play and turned it over four times.
Player of the game: Michigan RB Mike Hart ran 35 times for 187 yards and two touchdowns and caught two passes for 14 yards
Stat Leaders: Notre Dame - Passing: Jimmy Clausen, 11-17, 74 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: James Aldridge, 10-51. Receiving: David Grimes, 3-10
Michigan - Passing: Ryan Mallett, 7-15, 90 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Mike Hart, 35-187, 2 TD. Receiving: Mario Manningham, 2-35, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Everyone can exhale and take a break for a week. Yes, Notre Dame has far, far more problems than Michigan, but was this a mirage? Penn State isn't Notre Dame, and to have a chance next week, Ryan Mallett will have to be more effective deep, since Mike Hart might not be effective enough against a stout Nittany Lion defensive front. Mallett might have only completed seven passes, but he showed glimpses of why everyone is raving about him. He has a next-level arm, and surprisng touch for a true freshman. Defensively, the Wolverines finally got a break by not facing a spread offense. This might have been just the confidence boost needed to finally play like it's supposed to.

Sept. 8
Oregon 39 ... Michigan 7
Oregon rolled up 624 yards of total offense as it ripped through the Michigan defense and over it at will. The Wolverines had a first quarter lead on a seven-yard Adrian Arrington touchdown catch, and then Dennis Dixon went to work with an 85-yard touchdown pass to Brian Paysinger, a 61-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Jones, and a nine-yard scoring run, to go along with a two-yard Jonathan Stewart touchdown dash, for a 32-7 halftime lead. Dixon connected with Jaison Williams for a 46-yard touchdown in the third quarter, and then eased up on the gas.
Player of the game: Oregon QB Dennis Dixon completed 16 of 25 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns and ran 16 times for 76 yards and a score
Stat Leaders: Oregon - Passing: Dennis Dixon, 16-25, 292 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Jonathan Stewart, 15-111, 1 TD. Receiving: Brian Paysinger, 4-97, 1 TD
Michigan - Passing: Chad Henne, 12-23, 172 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Mike Hart, 25-127. Receiving: Mario Manningham, 8-117
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... After the Appalachian State loss, the general feeling was that Michigan would get it back together, be fully focused, and come back roaring against Oregon. There's one problem; the Wolverines don't have any defense whatsoever. The secondary was embarrassingly out of place all game long, and the defensive front got run over and through by Jonathan Stewart. It's not that Michigan isn't fast or athletic; it's that it's not very good. The offense wasn't any better, outside of Mike Hart, and now the pressure is on more than ever considering the defense isn't going to do anything.

Sept. 1
Appalachian State 34 ... Michigan 32
Appalachian State pulled off one of the biggest stunners in college football history after Corey Lynch blocked a 37-yard Jason Gingell field goal attempt as time ran out. ASU gave the Wolverines all they could handle in the first half, as QB Armanti Edwards completed all seven of his passes with two touchdown throws to Dexter Jackson, a nine-yard scoring strike to Hans Batichon, and a six-yard touchdown run on the way to a 28-17 lead. But Michigan would come back as Mike Hart took over with touchdown runs from four and 54 yards out. A missed two-point conversion, and a failed field goal attempt, left the door open, and ASU kicked it in with a 69-yard drive in seven plays finished up by a 24-yard Julian Rauch field goal. Michigan got within field goal range on a 46-yard completion to Mario Manningham, but Lynch came through with the blocked kick to pull off the upset.
Player of the game: Appalachian State QB Armanti Edwards completed 17 of 23 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions and ran 17 times for 62 yards and a score.
Stat Leaders: Appalachian State - Passing: Armanti Edwards, 17-23, 227 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Kevin Richardson, 24-88. Receiving: CoCo Hillary, 4-63
Michigan - Passing: Chad Henne, 19-37, 233 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Mike Hart, 23-188, 3 TD. Receiving: Greg Mathews, 7-68, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Obviously the loss to Appalachian State was an all-timer, and it's the type of defeat that might be next to impossible to recover from, but Michigan has to regroup and realize the season isn't over. To get on track and be in the hunt for a possible Big Ten title and BCS berth, the defense has to start tackling better, the passing game has to start clicking better, and there has to be more, far more, from all the stars. Mike Hart came up with a huge second half, but Chad Henne was average and Mario Manningham was non-existent until his big catch at the end (which should've been called offensive pass interference). A strong performance against Oregon next week won't erase this loss, but if the defense starts coming up with some big plays and shows it can stop the short to midrange pass, which it couldn't do against ASU, this will be a long year.