Goal Line Stand
A revamped Michigan
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Goal Line Stands
USC's
new superstar
By Michael Bradley
Fifth-year senior left tackle Mark Ortmann has seen a lot during his time at Michigan. There was the ’05 Alamo Bowl disappointment. The dramatic 11-0 start to the ’06 season. Lloyd Carr’s farewell in 2007. And the hideous 3-9 opening chapter of Rich Rodriguez’s tenure in ’08. He has seen success and failure. He has seen good leadership and bad. And he has a pretty good reason why so much went wrong last year.
It was tough enough learning a new system and adjusting to a new staff, particularly in a program that had been doing things the same way for 40 years. What made it worse was a lack of guidance from the team’s veterans, the people who are supposed to chart a course for the team’s younger player especially in times of upheaval.
“I don’t like to point fingers, but I’ve been on this team for five years, and I can tell the difference between seniors who are vocal leaders and have great work habits and those who don’t do that,” Ortmann says.
When Michigan staggered to the Alamo Bowl loss in ’05, a freshman Ortmann saw what happens when players don’t commit to the team and play for themselves. He understands the need for a tight group and a collective focus that creates an atmosphere in which success can grow. The 2006 team, which entered the showdown with Ohio State a perfect 11-0 and ranked second in the country, had it. Ortmann thinks this year’s Wolverines team does, too.
That’s pretty big talk, especially for a team that is all of 1-0, with a victory over a Mid-American Conference team and nine losses on its 2008 resume. Unlike last year, Ortmann says, the Wolverines have committed to something bigger than their personal goals and have a chance to make a turnaround.
“Coach Rod wants everybody all in,” Ortmann says, repeating Rodriguez’s “All in for Michigan” refrain. “I don’t think everyone was all in last year. It’s sad when everybody has their own agenda, and a lot of people are individualistic in their play. Now, we’re winning for the guy next to us.
“It makes a big difference knowing the guy next to you will give it up for you and the team.”
Michigan’s 31-7 win over Western Michigan last Saturday had all the trappings of a big-time program’s opening statement. The Wolverines blitzed to a big halftime lead, threw on the retrorockets from there and sprinkled the lineup liberally with backups and youngsters from that point on. There were plenty of heroes, some new stars and smiles all around.
Now comes some reality. Notre Dame visits Ann Arbor Saturday with its own happy feelings and reclamation project. The Irish fashioned their own brand of ugliness in ’07, staggering to a 3-9 finish, and went 7-6 last year, losing to Syracuse, getting humbled by USC and trying to declare everything fine after a bowl win over Hawai’i. It hardly has the cachet of the teams’ meetings in the 1980s and ‘90s, when both often occupied lofty spots in the rankings. That doesn’t mean it isn’t an important game, since the proud programs are trying to regain a stake in the national discussion.
For Michigan, it means a chance to continue a walk away from failure and turmoil and accusations. Going 3-9 was bad enough. The Detroit Free Press report that Rodriguez and his staff were running an athletic sweatshop was worse. And the lack of support shown by many in the Michigan community was worst of all. Face it; if a Wolverine’s biggest defender can be found in Columbus, something is wrong. The opportunity to play a game last week was huge. The fact that Michigan won gave it a respite from the controversy.
“We had been through so much this past year, and people tried to criticize us about every little thing,” senior defensive end Brandon Graham says. “But it went in one year and out the other. We try to control the controllables.”
Saturday, Michigan will have to control ND’s blitzing defense, the better to give freshman QB Tate Forcier some time to operate Rodriguez’s spread attack. It will need its young secondary to stick closely to Irish receivers Michael Floyd and Golden Tate. It will need a better effort than it gave against the overmatched Broncos. It will need to limit mistakes. To get some big plays. To have a little luck.
There is already more talent in the program, beginning with Forcier. The brother of former Wolverine QB Jason Forcier, Tate has talent and confidence. “Some say it’s cockiness, but you need that in a quarterback,” Ortmann says. Forcier’s emergence as starter recalls the quick ascent of Chad Henne, who as a freshman in 2004 threw for 2,743 yards and 25 TDs to lead Michigan to a 9-3 record. Of course, Henne and Michigan lost to the Irish, 28-20, in his debut season, so U-M fans might want to ease up on the comparisons.
Those same folks are hoping that the opening victory recalls successes of years and decades past, when Michigan was one of America’s elite. Ortmann sees some of that in this year’s senior class, which declared its intention to turn things around during a meeting after last year’s season-ending loss to Ohio State, and which worked hard over the next eight months to make it happen. The glow of the big win over Western will dim quickly if the next few weeks bring more heartbreak and failure. The Wolverines have taken a big step forward. It’s time to continue the progress.
“The disappointing thing to me is that this is my last year here, and I can see the changes,” Ortmann says. “It’s only going to get better.”
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GAME OF THE WEEK: USC at Ohio State, Saturday, Sept. 12, 8 p.m. (ESPN). The Buckeyes are still angry after last year’s 35-3 beatdown in the Coliseum and have the benefit of an experienced Terrell Pryor under center, rather than a greenhorn. Even though OSU staggered against Navy, it has the talent and motivation to stop the Trojans, especially at home. The key is whether the Bucks can limit mistakes and control the ‘SC ground attack. Meanwhile, freshman Trojan QB Matt Barkley gets a serious test in his second-ever start. He looked good against San Jose State, but this is a big step up in class. ‘SC is good and could be great by season’s end, but Ohio State must make a statement for itself and the whole Big Ten. OSU 24, USC, 17.
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BUMPS AND RUNS: We don’t know yet how good Maryland will be, but California’s resounding win over the Terps Saturday night gave us an indication of just how tough the Bears are. QB Kevin Riley looked sharp, RB Jahvid Best was his usual explosive self, and the Cal defense looked stout. USC should be worried…Miami QB Jacory Harris soothed the fears of Hurricane fans who endured three signal-caller defections in the past six months with a great performance against Florida State. Harris was accurate, mobile and almost too cool in the pocket. With Sam Bradford gone from Oklahoma and Virginia Tech’s looking mortal, all of a sudden that opening gauntlet for the ‘Canes doesn’t seem that imposing…Oklahoma State’s win over Georgia was huge for the program, but the Cowboy offense needs to find a receiver to complement star Dez Bryant and must get more physical play from its line…Akron fans probably think inviting Morgan State to the opening of the Zips’ new on-campus stadium was a good move, especially after last week’s thumping in State College. But the Bears have a tough D that didn’t allow a team to gain more than 350 yards in any game last year…Before the season, we wondered who would be the Big East frontrunner. What’s old is new. Defending champ Cincinnati looked dominant in its season-opener against Rutgers, and QB Tony Pike is ready for big things.