• Michigan Pounds Northwestern

    Showdown at the Big House on Saturday SALINE, MI NOVEMBER 17, 2003 Suddenly the Michigan Wolverines look like the team they thought they were after destroying Notre Dame. The Northwestern Wildcats could do little to stop the offense that attacked from all sides, and a defense that rendered the Wildcats’ gimmicky offense feeble. With a win against the Ohio State Luckeyes on Saturday, M will at worst head back to Pasadena. QB John Navarre must have been feeling it, as he is seen left awkwardly breaking out a little taste of “The Bird”, perhaps paying homage to Dools and Lew’s last trip to the Rose Bowl where one evening was spent taking in a concert by Morris Day and The Time at the House of Blues.

  • Bad Bounce Beats Badgers! M Lucks Out in 2001

    ANN ARBOR MI November 18, 2001 In the worst offensive performance that I can remember, somehow Michigan combined solid defense, superior special teams and a big break to beat Wisconsin. Michigan can clinch the 2001 Big Ten Championship and the automatic BCS birth by beating Ohio State in the Schembechler Bo-bblehead game next Saturday. I’ll be there with bells on. More Takes on the Wisconsin/Michigan game in 2001: John Navarre: Everyone knew that Navarre had a tendency to lock onto one receiver, but at least he would throw a nice ball to that one receiver. I was fine with his QB abilities after the Washington game because he showed leadership and skill at the end after giving the game away. Now he is missing people and putting up awful numbers. 11-24 for 58 yards? Brutal. Suffice it to say the QB job is wide open next year, if not for the Bowl game. Lloyd Carr is inserting Gonzales into these games to get him ready. On Special Teams: Michigan dominates special teams with raw talent. I would bet that any of the 11 guys on the punt return team would be star players on Wisconsin. Obviously special teams was the difference in this game. Next: Michigan probably has enough to beat Ohio State (again) next week, but if the offense…

  • Rivas’s Kick Drops Spartans in OT (Again)

    The second straight OT thriller falls M’s way againEAST LANSING, MICHIGAN OCT. 1, 2005 Garrett Rivas’s kick wasn’t crisp or firm, but it sailed through and ended another classic Michigan vs. Michigan State game and DB13. The Wolverines’ 34-31 win was a tale of two halves: the first a wild offensive show, the second more of a chess match, highlighted by big blunders by each team. The win essentially salvages Michigan’s season and certainly puts at least a hold on the Spartan’s desire to win a Big Ten title. At least for two weeks when MSU can get right back where they want to be with a win at Ohio State. Michigan has plenty of brutal games coming up but the pieces seem to be back in place for a run at a title. The difference? Not much, but as mentioned in earlier columns, the difference Mike Hart makes to this team is significant. He was clearly not at full speed but was the best player on the field today. Drew Stanton of MSU played a great game, and some in the Ann Arbor media are questioning Spartan coach John L. Smith for holding back the MSU offense in the second half. Another big break for the Wolverines came on the overtime coin toss (they called ‘tails’), which gave them…