Via U-M Media Relations: Following is the team’s injury report for the game against the Buckeyes: Out David Molk (knee) Brandon Minor (shoulder) Doubtful (25 percent chance of playing) Mike Williams (ankle) Probable (75 percent chance of playing) Martavious Odoms (knee)
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Official 2009 Captains named
from U-M Media Relations: For IMMEDIATE Release Media Contact: David Ablauf (734) 763-4423 Team Elects Four Captains for 2009 Football Season ANN ARBOR — University of Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez announced Thursday (Nov. 19) following practice the four permanent captains elected for the 130th team in school history. Linebacker Stevie Brown (Columbus, Ind./Columbus East HS), defensive end Brandon Graham (Detroit, Mich./Crockett Technical HS), punter Zoltan Mesko (Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg HS) and left tackle Mark Ortmann (Klein, Texas/Klein HS) were selected by their teammates as captains of the 2009 football team. “Our players have selected four student-athletes who represent our program at the highest level both on and off the field,” said Rodriguez. “Stevie, Brandon, Zoltan and Mark have played at a high level all season and received the greatest honor that a player can receive, selection as captain by your peers. They, and our other seniors, will lead us into Michigan Stadium Saturday to play the greatest rivalry game in college football.” Brown joins Graham as a defensive captain. He is the team’s leading tackler with 73 stops and is second with eight tackles for loss, both career highs. Brown has also contributed one sack, one forced fumble, one interception and four pass breakups. He has started all 11 games at linebacker and will see action in his 50th career…
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Mo
Coach Gary Moeller was at Schembechler Hall this afternoon. Don’t know the circumstances for the visit, but the no doubt the he had a few words for the coaches and team about Ohio State. Moeller is a Buckeye grad and captained Woody Hayes’s squad in 1963. Moeller went 3-1-1 against Ohio State. Looks pretty good, don’t you think?
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Jamie Morris on Columbus Radio on Rodriguez, Harbaugh (audio)
So I went over to the Columbus’ 97.1 The Fan website to find the audio of Rich Rodriguez’s call today, and stumbled on this. Jamie Morris, Michigan football legend, WTKA Sunday radio host and most importantly an official within the U-M athletic department spoke to the Columbus host (Bruce Hooley…Chris Spielman was away) about the upcoming Ohio State game, but also answered a few questions about Rodriguez and Jim Harbaugh. My frustration with Morris on WTKA is that he’s been such a company man towing the company line on WTKA, that it’s prevented him from offering actual opinions. But give this is listen as Morris gets candid. I don’t know if this is just Jamie measuring his words, but he didn’t exactly serve up a wild endorsement of Rodriguez and admitted that Harbaugh would be welcomed back to U-M if he were the Michigan football coach at some point beyond RR’s tenure. It’s not so much what he said, but that Morris never says anything remotely beyond the company line. Give this a listen, it gets interesting about 3 minutes in: [display_podcast] . Notes/Quotes: For starters, he referred to Harbaugh as “Jimmy” instead of “traitor”. Hooley asked for a general sense of the radio caller support for Rodriguez. Morris: “I think we’re at a 50/50 split now…” When asked about…
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Michigan Photo Store launched
U-M launched its new photostore recently, offering up a wide array of photos from across all the varsity sports including many from deep in the archives: They offer special framing and a variety of sizes. Recession Buster! Enter discount code: mvictors at check-out and get a cool 5% off. Easy to remember, I hope. Check out the store here.
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Jesse Owens, Gerald Ford and 1934
Regular readers of this site know one of my favorite decades of Michigan football is the 1930s, having covered different seasons and events in eBay Watch and in the Little Brown Jug Lore series from those years. If I had to pick one year as my favorite during the stretch it’s definitely 1934 which is ironic, as it’s arguably the worst season in Michigan football history. I argued this point here and here, but in a nutshell consider that Harry Kipke’s team, coming off back-to-back national championships, finished 1-7, was shut out in five of the eight games and scored a mere 21 points. Fugly. Despite the futility on the gridiron, the season is packed with historical treasures of major significance both on and off the field. Check out this program from the Ohio State-Michigan held on November 17, 1934: The program features several photos of players, including a collage of the Michigan team including team MVP Gerald Ford: The top of the photo features Willis Ward, the African American end who was at the center of a fierce controversy that played out before the Georgia Tech game a few weeks earlier that season. For those not familiar, The Jackets made it known well before the game that they wouldn’t take the field in Ann Arbor if Ward played, spawning…
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Michael Wilbon’s comments (audio)
Thanks to Brian Cook for forwarding this link to this cat who podcasts Tony Kornheiser’s radio show. He must like to listen to debates about the top three pizza toppings of all time. Anyway, here’s Wilbon’s comments about Rich Rod’s fate: [display_podcast] . Transcript: Tony Kornheiser: “Rich Rodriguez. Done? After two years?” Michael Wilbon: “I’m told again, on pretty good authority. Done.” TK: “At two years?” Some Turd: “Breaking News!” MW: “I sat in a thorough conversation with someone who…. [seemingly measuring his words]..is affiliated with the current coach at Michigan and he does not believe for one second that he’ll be back at Michigan.” TK: “I think you gotta give a guy, who’s built a program somewhere else…more than two years.” MW: “I was stunned by the conversation which was on Saturday, an hour an a half after that game, and he says that he would bet me right now, took his wallet out and threw it down, that this is not going to happen and I’ll just tell you that this guy played for Rich Rod.” Take: So a guy is hanging out with Wilbon, after the game, and says he’d bet that Rich Rod will be fired. A who played for RR, and who Wilbon calls pretty good authority. Sounds like tailgate chatter, not journalism. This is…
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(Waning) Power Index: Week 5
“My team is bad, your team is probably better unless you have a giant I in your logo. Maybe even then, too.” Power Index Week 5, this week sponsored by Fraser’s Pub: Biggie Munn, the Sparty: State becomes bowl eligible with the W in West Lafayette. MSU had no business pulling out a victory as Joey Elliot absolutely torched the Spartan D all day long. The troubling thing with this team is that the defense seems to be regressing. Keshawn Martin had another huge day and is going to be a special player for Sparty for the next couple of years. Saturday’s win was big for the program as it will now go bowling for the third straight year under Dantonio. A victory over PSU would help salvage a season that has been a disappointment for most of the Spartan faithful. Schlimmy, the gleeful Buckeye: If anyone would have told me a month ago that Ohio State would have the Rose Bowl bid wrapped up before the Michigan game I would have told them they’re nuts (no pun intended). Where has the defense gone in the Big Ten, of the 5 conference games on Saturday the average point total in those game was 57. Well onto the "Big Game" unfortunately for the second year in a row there is not…
