Jan. 1
Rose Bowl
USC 32 ... Michigan 18
USC exploded for 29 second half points pulling away in the
fourth quarter on a 62-yard touchdown from Dwayne Jarrett. Steve
Smith followed up with a seven-yard scoring pass on USC's next drive
for a 32-11 lead. Booty threw four touchdown passes with two to
Jarrett and a two-yard pass to Chris McFoy, but Michigan stayed
alive with an 11-yard Adrian Arrington touchdown catch and a Mike
Hart two-point conversion early in the fourth quarter before Jarrett
took over. Steve Breaston scored on a 41-yard touchdown pass in
garbage time. Michigan finished with just 12 yards rushing hurt by
six sacks; Chad Henne was under pressure all game long.
Player of the game ... USC WR Dwayne Jarrett caught 11
passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: USC - Passing: John David
Booty 27-45, 391 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: C.J. Gable, 13-25. Receiving:
Dwayne Jarrett, 11-205, 2 TD
Michigan - Passing: Chad Henne, 26-41,
309 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Mike Hart, 17-47. Receiving:
Steve Breaston, 7-115, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Quarter by quarter
game notes ...Michigan
never figured out how to keep USC from getting into the backfield
over and over again, and the offensive line didn't open up many
holes for Mike Hart. The supposedly great Michigan defensive line
got a phenomenal game from DT Alan Branch, although the stats might
not show it, but no pass rush whatsoever from LaMarr Woodley. John
David Booty got time to operate, was able to move his way out of
trouble, and Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith where their normal
fantastic selves. ... Michigan hung around even though nothing was
going its way, but the secondary couldn't stop the USC receivers. If
Leon Hall is supposed to be a top five caliber pick, he didn't show
it. ... Give Pete Carroll and his staff time and they'll carve up
anyone. The defense was all over the place, Booty got the ball out
of his hands quickly, considering the UCLA debacle, and the team
played at a national title level.
|
2006
Schedule
CFN
Prediction:
10-2
2006 Record:
11-2
Preview
2006 predicted wins |
|
9/2 |
Vanderbilt
W 27-7 |
| 9/9 |
Central Mich
W 41-17 |
| 9/16 |
at Notre Dame
W 47-21 |
| 9/23 |
Wisconsin
W 27-13 |
|
9/30 |
at Minnesota
W 28-14 |
| 10/7 |
Michigan State
W 31-13 |
| 10/14 |
at Penn State W 17-10 |
| 10/21 |
Iowa
W 20-6 |
| 10/28 |
Northwestern
W 17-3 |
| 11/4 |
Ball State
W 34-26 |
| 11/11 |
at Indiana
W 34-3 |
| 11/18 |
at Ohio State L 42-39 |
| 1/1 |
Rose Bowl
USC L 32-18 |
|
|
2005
Schedule
CFN
Prediction: 9-2
2005 Record: 7-5
Preview
2005 predicted wins |
| 9/3 |
Northern Illinois W
33-17 |
| 9/10 |
Notre Dame
L 17-10 |
| 9/17 |
Eastern Mich
W 55-0 |
|
9/24 |
at Wisconsin
L 23-20 |
| 10/1 |
at Mich St W 34-31 OT |
| 10/8 |
Minnesota
L 23-20 |
| 10/15 |
Penn State
W 27-25 |
| 10/22 |
at Iowa W 23-20 OT |
| 10/29 |
at Nwestern
W 33-17 |
| 11/12 |
Indiana
W 41-14 |
| 11/19 |
Ohio State
L 25-21 |
| 12/28 |
Alamo Bowl
Nebraska L 32-28 |
|
Nov. 18
Ohio State 42 ... Michigan 39
Ohio State won a classic as Troy Smith threw four touchdown
passes to four different receivers highlighted by a 39-yard pass to
Ted Ginn off a fake for a 21-7 second half lead and an eight-yard
strike to Anthony Gonzalez for a 28-14 halftime advantage. Michigan
roared back with a stop on OSU's first second half possession to go
60 yards in five plays finished off by the second of Mike Hart's
three touchdown runs. The Wolverines pulled within four on a 39-yard
Garrett Rivas field goal, but the Buckeyes got their second big
touchdown run of the game, the first coming in the first half on a
brilliant, spinning 52-yard dash from Chris Wells, on an Antonio
Pittman 56-yard dash. Michigan capitalized off a fumble with a short
Hart scoring run, but head coach Lloyd Carr chose to kick the extra
point rather than go for two allowing OSU to be up by four. With an
11-play, 82-yard drive that took five minutes and was kept alive on
a penalty from a helmet-to-helmet hit on a third down misfire, Smith
hit Brian Robiskie on a 13-yard touchdown pass for a 42-31 lead.
Michigan marched back with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Ecker
and the two point conversion, but the Buckeyes recovered the onside
kick and ran out the clock.
Player of the game ... Ohio State QB Troy Smith
completed 25 of 41 passes for 316 yards and three touchdowns with two
interceptions
Stat Leaders: Michigan - Passing: Chad
Henne, 21-35, 267 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Mike Hart, 23-142, 3 TD. Receiving:
Mario Manningham, 6-86
Ohio State - Passing: Troy Smith, 25-41,
316 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Antonio Pittman, 18-139, 1 TD. Receiving:
Ted Ginn, 8-104, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Quarter by Quarter Game Notes
... No matter where you fall on the sure-to-come debate about a
rematch with Ohio State, it'll be hard to argue that Michigan isn't
the second best team in America. Yes, the offense, especially Mike
Hart, did a great job of responding time after time when the
Buckeyes appeared to throw the knockout punch, but the defense is
going to spend the next several weeks kicking itself for all the
missed tackles and the problems in the secondary in the early zone
coverages. Lost in all the great days from all the stars was the
play of punter Zoltan Mesko, who bombed away for 222 yards and
pinned two kicks inside the 20. As disappointing as the loss might
be, going to the Rose Bowl, if it's not Glendale, isn't a bad second
prize.
Nov. 11
Michigan 34 ... Indiana 3
Michigan played a focused game getting up 14-0 on a one-yard
Adrian Arrington touchdown catch and a four-yard Mike Hart run, and
then Steve Breaston took over with two lightning bolts scoring on a
62-yard pass and returning a punt 83 yards for a touchdown. Indiana
only managed 26 rushing yards and just got a 39-yard Austin Starr
field goal.
Player of the game ... Michigan WR Steve Breaston
caught three passes for 103 yards and a touchdown, returned two
kickoffs for 45 yards, and returned a punt for 83 yards and a score
Stat Leaders: Michigan - Passing: Chad
Henne, 11-15, 159 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Mike Hart, 19-92, 1 TD. Receiving:
Steve Breaston, 3-103, 1 TD
Indiana - Passing: Kellen Lewis, 16-33,
105 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Marcus Thigpen, 4-12. Receiving: James
Bailey, 5-32
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Michigan
turned up the intensity on Indiana after an awful game against Ball
State and rolled with ease. It would've been nice if Mario
Manningham had done more than catch just two passes for 11 yards,
but Steve Breaston appeared to wake up at just the right time; now
Ohio State has something else to work on. Now the team can finally
focus on what it's been looking forward to for months. To get the
win, the passing game has to crank things up a few notches after a
mediocre last few weeks.
Nov. 4
Michigan 34 ... Ball State 26
Michigan needed the full sixty minutes to put Ball State away
after a fourth down Cardinal pass in the final minutes fell
incomplete in the end zone. The Cardinals jumped out to a stunning
early lead with a safety and a 35-yard interception return for a
score from Erik Keys, but then the Wolverine offensive line took
over leading the way to 40-yard Brandon Minor scoring run and a
one-yard Mike Hart run on the way to a 31-12 lead midway through the
third quarter. Just when it seemed like Michigan could coast, Nate
Davis and Dante Love hooked up for a 54-yard score. A two-yard Larry
Bostic scoring run got the Cardinals to within eight midway through
the fourth.
Player of the game ... Michigan RB Mike Hart ran 25
times for 154 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Ball State - Passing: Nate
Davis, 18-34, 250 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Larry Bostic, 12-46, 1 TD. Receiving:
Dante Love, 6-107, 1 TD
Michigan - Passing: Chad Henne, 17-25,
155 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Mike Hart, 25-154, 1 TD. Receiving: Steve
Breaston, 7-50
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Michigan
ran for 359 yards against Ball State and had few problems moving the
ball, but the team gave up way too many big plays on both sides of
the ball. 507 yards are nice, but the attack has to be more
efficient and there has to be more pop to the passing game after
Chad Henne only threw for 155 yards. That will likely change when
Mario Manningham returns, but if the secondary struggles at Indiana
as much as it did this week, Kellen Lewis and James Hardy could go
nuts and pull off the shocker.
Oct. 28
Michigan 17 ... Northwestern 3
In the rain, Michigan slogged its way to the win with a
three-yard Mike Hart touchdown run, and 14-yard scoring catch from
Adrian Arrington, and a 30-yard Garrett Rivas. The defense held
Northwestern to -13 rushing yards and only gave up a 38-yard Joel
Howells field goal in the third quarter. The Wildcats turned it over
four times.
Player of the game ... Michigan LB David Harris led the
team with six tackles, two tackles for loss, one interception and
one sack.
Stat Leaders: Northwestern - Passing: C.J.
Bacher, 20-41, 204 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Tyrell Sutton, 7-6. Receiving:
Tyrell Sutton, 6-55
Michigan - Passing: Chad Henne, 10-20,
116 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Mike Hart, 20-95, 1 TD. Receiving: Steve
Breaston, 3-34
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Much will
be made about how average the Michigan offense has looked and how
long it seems to take to get things cranked up, but when the defense
is playing as well as it is, there's no reason to take too many big
chances. The running of Mike Hart was steady against Northwestern to
make up for the lack of downfield passing from Chad Henne. To hold
the Wildcat spread to -13 rushing yards is more impressive than
it'll get credit for.
Oct. 21
Michigan 20 ... Iowa 6
Michigan's defense held Iowa to 41 rushing yards and two third
quarter Kyle Schlicher field goals while the offense got two Mike
Hart touchdown runs and two Garrett Rivas field goals. Shawn Crable
and LaMarr Woodley combined for five sacks as part of the consistent
pressure on Iowa QB Drew Tate. The Hawkeye defense kept Michigan's
offense in check only allowing 291 yards of total offense and forced
an interception.
Player of the game ... Michigan's Shawn Crable and
LaMarr Woodley combined for six tackles, five sacks, and two forced
fumbles.
Stat Leaders: Iowa - Passing: Drew Tate,
21-36, 197 yds
Rushing: Damian Sims, 7-22. Receiving:
Dominique Douglas, 6-63
Michigan - Passing: Chad Henne, 23-33,
203 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Mike Hart, 31-126, 2 TD. Receiving: Adrian
Arrington, 8-79
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Michigan's defense is playing at another level. There are some that
are statistically better, but the Wolverines showed against Iowa
just how tough it is with a combination of a killer pass rush and
strong run defense to make life impossible fro Drew Tate. Mike Hart
had another Heisman caliber game and needs to be thrown into the
discussion. Chad Henne has picked up his game since the loss of
Mario Manningham, but Hart is the workhorse who carries the attack.
Now it's smooth sailing until Ohio State with Northwestern, Ball
State and Indiana up next.
Oct. 14
Michigan 17 ... Penn State 10
Michigan came up with seven sacks and knocked out two
quarterbacks on the way to the tough win. Adrian Arrington caught a
perfect strike from Chad Henne for a 25-yard touchdown and Mike Hart
ran for a one-yard score on the way to a 17-3 lead, but Penn State
made it interesting late with a 43-yard catch-and-run for a score
from Tony Hunt. Penn State had one last chance, but third-string QB
Paul Cianciolo couldn't get the offense moving. The Nittany Lions
finished the game netting -14 rushing yards.
Player of the game ... Michigan DE LaMarr Woodley made
five tackles, two sacks, and forced a fumble
Stat Leaders: Penn State - Passing:
Anthony Morelli, 11-18, 133 yds
Rushing: Tony Hunt, 13-33. Receiving:
Derrick Williams, 6-67, 1 TD
Michigan - Passing: Chad Henne, 15-30,
196 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Mike Hart, 26-112, 1 TD. Receiving: Adrian
Arrington, 5-83, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... How did
Michigan overcome the loss of Mario Manningham? Chad Henne. Henne
didn't make mistakes, didn't force things, and once again showed off
his next level arm with a perfect strike to Adrian Arrington for a
score. Mike Hart might be the toughest pound-for-pound player in the
country; he always pounds over the first tackler. This might not be
the smoothest of wins, but considering all the upsets all over the
place, 7-0 is impressive. A win over Iowa next week would mean
smooth sailing until Ohio State.
Oct. 7
Michigan 31 ... Michigan State 13
Chad Henne threw three touchdown passes with two to Mario
Manningham, and Mike Hart ran for 122 yards despite sitting out the
fourth quarter on the way to an easy Wolverine win. Michigan was up
24-0 in the third quarter when MSU finally got on the board with a
one-yard Jehuu Caulcrick run. The Spartans later got a two-yard Drew
Stanton touchdown dive, but they were never in the game.
Player of the game ... Michigan QB Chad Henne completed
11 of 17 passes for 150 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Michigan - Passing: Chad
Henne, 11-17, 140 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Mike Hart, 22-122. Receiving:
Steve Breaston, 4-34
Michigan State - Passing: Drew Stanton,
20-35, 252 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Jehuu Caulcrick, 14-29, 1 TD. Receiving:
Matt Trannon, 4-61
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... It might
not seem like it, but Michigan State is a dangerous team that came
into the rivalry game fired up to turn its season around. Whatever.
The Michigan machine keeps on rolling with Chad Henne looking like
another Tom Brady, Mike Hart running as well as any back in the
country, and Mario Manningham scoring touchdown after touchdown. the
D never let MSU get into the game. Now comes the nationally
televised, ABC Saturday night showcase game against Penn State. It's
Michigan's time to turn things up to 11 and show that it really does
belong in the national title discussion.
Sept. 30
Michigan 28 ... Minnesota 14
Adrian Arrington caught two touchdown passes for 14-0 lead and
Mario Manningham caught a 41-yard scoring strike on the way to a
21-7 first half Michigan lead. Minnesota hung around on two 21-yard
Logan Payne touchdown grabs, but the offense couldn't take advantage
of a deep late drive and the defense couldn't get the ball back
giving up a 54-yard run to Mike Hart to put the game on ice.
Michigan finished with 518 yards of offense to Minnesota's 323.
Player of the game ... Michigan QB Chad Henne completed
17 of 24 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Michigan - Passing: Chad
Henne, 17-24, 284, 3 TD
Rushing: Mike Hart, 31-195. Receiving:
Mario Manningham, 5-131, 1 TD
Minnesota - Passing: Bryan Cupito, 17-34,
215 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Amir Pinnix, 20-91. Receiving: Logan
Payne, 6-104, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... If you
didn't think Chad Henne was a decent pro prospect before, you do
after the Minnesota game. He showed off his arm by throwing laser
beams for touchdowns taking advantage of the one-on-one coverage of
the speedy Wolverine receivers. Once again, Mike Hart was
tremendous, and once again, Mario Manningham couldn't be stopped. So
why only 28 points? Everything was clicking for the Michigan attack,
but the offense had problems converting all the yards and all the
long drives into points. However, this was still a near-perfect
performance with over 500 yards of total offense, no turnovers, and
time of possession in UM's favor holding the ball for 37:39.
Sept. 23
Michigan 27 ... Wisconsin 13
Michigan took advantage of Wisconsin special teams errors in
the first half for ten points highlighted by a 24-yard touchdown
catch from Mario Manningham, and then put the game away in the
second half on a 38-yard Manningham touchdown grab and a five-yard
Mike Hart scoring run. Wisconsin played good defense, but couldn't
manage anything but two Taylor Mehlhaff field goals after P.J. Hill
took a short pass for a rumbling 29-yard touchdown early in the
first quarter.
Player of the game ... Michigan WR Mario Manningham
caught seven passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Michigan - Passing: Chad
Henne, 18-25, 211 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Mike Hart, 23-91, 1 TD. Receiving:
Mario Manningham, 7-113, 2 TD
Wisconsin - Passing: John Stocco, 22-42,
236 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: P.J. Hill, 20-54. Receiving: P.J. Hill,
5-64, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The
Michigan run defense is playing at a national title level. Wisconsin
tried to establish the run right off the bat, but couldn't get
anything going and was held to 12 yards on the day. Chad Henne threw
three interceptions, two of them on lousy deep throws, but with the
way the D was playing, he could afford to take a few chances.
Wisconsin has a fantastic defense, but converting third downs is
still a big issue for the Wolverines after succeeding on a mere two
of 13 chances.
Sept. 16
Michigan 47 ... Notre Dame 21
Michigan's defense held Notre Dame to 245 yards and picked off
Brady Quinn three times with a 31-yard Preston Burgess pick six
kicking off the scoring. The Irish soon responded with a three-yard
Ashley McConnell touchdown catch following an interception by
Chinedum Ndukwe, but the roof soon caved in as Michigan went on a
27-point run on three Mario Manningham touchdown catches and a
two-yard Mike Hart touchdown run. The Wolverine D sealed the blowout
with a 54-yard fumble return for a score by LaMarr Woodley. Jeff
Samardzija and Rhema McKnight each caught a touchdown pass, but they
came way too late.
Player of the game ... Michigan WR Mario Manningham
caught four passes for 137 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Michigan - Passing: Chad
Henne, 13-22, 220 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Mike Hart, 31-124, 1 TD. Receiving:
Steve Breaston, 6-42
Notre Dame - Passing: Brady Quinn, 24-48,
234 yds, 3 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Darius Walker, 10-25. Receiving: Darius
Walker, 7-35
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The curse
is over. Michigan can win a road opener. It can be in the national
title hunt past mid-September. It can shut down a team like Notre
Dame and prove that things really have changed. Before the
destruction of the Irish, Michigan had a hard time finding a true
number one receiver to replace Jason Avant. It still might not have
one, but Mario Manningham and Steve Breaston combined to do a great
job against the Irish secondary to all things to be loosened up for
Mike Hart and the running game. This was a watershed win, but it can
quickly be undone if Wisconsin wins in the Big House next week.
Sept. 9
Michigan 41 ... Central Michigan 17
The only thing that stopped Michigan was an hour delay thanks
to some lousy weather early in the first half. The Michigan running
game rumbled for 263 yards helping the offense control the clock for
36:45. Mike Hart ran for touchdowns from four and 18 yards out in
the first quarter and added a two-yard scoring run in the third.
Kevin Grady ran for a three-yard score, and Garrett Rivas connected
on field goals from 38 and 40 yards out. The defense closed out the
Wolverine scoring with a 12-yard interception for a score from Max
Pollock in the fourth. CMU got two touchdown passes from freshman QB
Dan LeFevour.
Player of the game ... Michigan RB Mike Hart ran 19
times for 116 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Michigan - Passing: Chad
Henne, 11-19, 113 yds
Rushing: Mike Hart, 19-116, 3 TD. Receiving:
Carson Butler, 3-26
Central Michigan - Passing: Dan LeFevour,
17-36, 153 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Ontario Sneed, 11-33. Receiving: Damien
Linson, 6-87, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The
Michigan coaching staff has to be happy with the easy win over
Central Michigan since if was able to limit Mike Hart's carries to
19 and get Kevin Grady and Brandon Minor more work. There wasn't
much explosion and there's still a concern over the passing game
that hasn't been all that scary over the first two games. To beat
Notre Dame next week, Chad Henne has to do more down the field, and
a go-to receiver has to quickly emerge. The run defense isn't going
to hold the Irish to the 0.8 yards per game it was able keep CMU to
this week, but don't be shocked if it doesn't keep Darius Walker
under wraps.
Sept. 2
Michigan 27 ... Vanderbilt 7
Michigan was hardly sharp, but the defense held Vanderbilt to
171 yards of total offense and was never threatened after a 30-yard
touchdown catch from Marlon White brought the Commodores to within
three in the second quarter. Chad Henne threw two second half
touchdown passes for the Wolverines with a 27-yard pass to Mario
Manningham putting it away in the final minutes. Michigan also got
two Garrett Rivas field goals after starting off the scoring with a
19-yard scoring run from Kevin Grady.
Player of the game ... Michigan RB Mike Hart ran 31
times for 146 yards.
Stat Leaders: Michigan - Passing: Chad
Henne, 11-23, 136 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Mike Hart, 31-146. Receiving:
Steve Breaston, 4-68
Vanderbilt - Passing: Chris Nickson,
11-25, 99 yds
Rushing: Chris Nickson, 16-23. Receiving: Earl
Bennett, 6-58
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Chalk up the rough patches against Vanderbilt to it being the first
game. The offense hardly clicked with plenty of dropped passes and
not enough holes for the ground game, but the offense was able to
pound out 246 rushing yards with Mike Hart looking like the
workhorse he always in when healthy. The coaching staff can't be
happy with Hart getting 31 carries and has to find a way to get
Kevin Grady more than five carries next week against Central
Michigan.
2006 Michigan Preview
Michigan Preview |
Offense
|
Defense
|
Depth Chart |
Further Analysis
When you go 7-5 at Michigan, you're going to be on a hot seat.
When you go 7-5 at Michigan and lose to Ohio State in four of
the last five seasons, lose three of your last four to Notre Dame,
and four of the last five bowl games, there's a red-hot flame under
your chair.
Lloyd Carr has won a national title and several Big Ten
championships in his 11 years in Ann Arbor, but that's not enough
for a program that wants to be the leader and the best.
Michigan has been knocked
out of the national title race by early October in every season
since the 1997 campaign, and most of the
time it's out by the second game of the season. Making matters
worse, the Maize and Blue have lost six straight road openers
creating the perception that Carr can't coach on the road. (This
year's first road game is at Notre Dame.)
Since that big 1997 season, Michigan has gone 10-14 on the road against
teams that finished with a winning record. Obviously, everyone gets
up to play the Wolverines, but to be that average away from the Big
House hasn't gone unnoticed. (To be fair, Ohio State is 8-10 on the
road against teams that finished with a winning record over the same
span.) To be the national superpower that Michigan wants to be, it
needs to start winning more and more of the really big games or else
Carr will be one of the nation's most successful unemployed head
coaches.
While Carr will bear the
brunt of the criticism if the team isn't out of this world, the spotlight will be on the coordinators. Following the beleaguered head
coaching handbook, the first step was to shake up the assistants. Mike DeBord was the offensive coordinator in the late 1990s
returning after
a head coaching stint at Central Michigan. Ron English was the
somewhat controversial hire to take over the defense after manning the
secondary over the last few seasons; he'll be the most heavily
scrutinized of the coaches. These two aren't going to change
things up too much, if at all, but they will be a big part of getting
the program in better shape.
No longer just the big, beefy,
slow, pounding team you've grown to know, the call went out this off-season to be much better
conditioned all the way around. The line is leaner and meaner, the
defense should be faster with the pounds shed off, and the backs are
expected to be quicker and stronger. Michigan has always gotten the
talented athletes, and now most of them are in the best condition
they've ever been in.
Will all the changes translate into more wins? They might.
There appears to be more of a mean attitude this year in the
IBM-like corporate program. The goal is to be more aggressive, make more
big plays, and break out of the maddening vanilla mold. The defensive
line should be among the best Carr has ever had. There's enough speed in
the back seven to run with anyone, and the offense has the firepower to
hang punch-for-punch with anyone on its slate. In other words, there's
no acceptable reason for another down year.
The Schedule:
Michigan has three nasty road tests that'll make or break the
season. It's asking too much to go 3-0 at Notre Dame, at Penn State,
and at Ohio State, but it had better go 2-1 with one of those wins
coming in Columbus. There isn't much of a break after the home date
with Central Michigan playing the Irish, Wisconsin, at Minnesota,
Michigan State, at Penn State, and Iowa. If the Wolverines get to
Novembers with only one loss, it'll finish no worse than 10-2.
Best
Offensive Player:
Junior RB Mike Hart. When 100%, there are
few better. Michigan is 11-2 when Hart gets 20 or more carries. One
of those two losses was to Texas in the 2005 Rose Bowl, the other
was in the heartbreaker to Minnesota last year. He has never gotten
20 carries against Ohio State, has only carries it eight times
against Notre Dame, and only ran 19 times against Nebraska in the
bowl loss. You don't think the coaching staff is going to do
everything possible to keep its workhorse healthy?
Best
Defensive Player: Senior DE LaMarr Woodley. A good all-around
end/outside linebacker over the last two years, but he's in
tremendous shape and should be unstoppable getting into the
backfield. With his size, experience and skills, a double-digit sack
season is likely.
Key
player to a successful season: Junior QB Chad Henne. He has been
better than he has gotten credit for over the last few seasons. He certainly hasn't been scrutinized and vilified like John Navarre,
but he will be if Michigan struggles this year. His durability is
the key to the season with no one remotely ready to step in if
disaster strikes.
The
season will be a success if ... Michigan wins 11 games and beats
Ohio State. The schedule has too many problems to go unbeaten but
this team is good enough to be in the hunt for the Big Ten title,
beat Ohio State, and win a bowl game. Anything less will be seen as
a major disappointment for a program with some of the highest
expectations of anyone.
Key
game: Nov. 18 at Ohio State. Coaches who can't win in this series
have a short shelf life. Carr likely has to reverse the current
trend to avoid another rough off-season. Michigan hasn't lost three
straight to the Buckeyes since 1961-1963.
2005
Fun Stats:
- Michigan second quarter scoring: 123 - Michigan third quarter
scoring: 38
- Penalties: Opponents 75 for 628 yards - Michigan 48 for 382 yards
- Fourth quarter scoring: Opponents 97 - Michigan 81
The Last Time
Michigan…
…played in a bowl game…2005 (Alamo Bowl vs. Nebraska)
…missed a bowl game…1974
…pitched a shutout…2005 (Eastern Michigan)
…was shutout…1984 (Iowa)
…scored 50 points…2005 (Eastern Michigan)
…went undefeated…1997
…won a conference title…2004 (share, Big Ten)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…2003 (John Navarre)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2004 (Michael Hart)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2005 (Jason Avant)
|
