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…
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Spartans Plant Irish
Five in a row in South Bend? Envy A half time you knew this was going to be a classic. Congratulations to the Spartans for an impressive 44-41 win over ND, and now five straight wins against the Irish on the road? Wow. Five thoughts on the game: 1. Five straight in South Bend? My god, what a feat. From the perspective of the Michigan fan, there are few things going on with MSU Football that bring on feelings of envy for those in Ann Arbor. This is certainly one. The Spartan’s dominance over the past decade over the Irish is amazing. It is comparable with Michigan’s dominance over John Cooper’s Ohio State teams. 2. No TD for Irish. For Irish fans grumbling about the play where MSU knocked the ball away on the goal line. It was close, but couldn’t be overturned. Chad Henne was probably in the end zone on first down last week (before fumbling on second down), and that wasn’t even reviewed. My advice: take your beatings like men. 3. Planting the Spartan Flag. For Irish fans concerned that excited Spartan players (see above – #14 should’ve had a V8) took a flag out of the stands and planted in on their field, as if to indicate this was Sparty’s House. The Domers are lucky they…
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Michigan Pulls Stunner over MSU 10/30/2004
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN OCTOBER 30, 2004 The shocked masses exiting Michigan Stadium late Saturday evening knew they just witnessed history. The men in Maize & Blue capped off a ridiculous 17 point comeback with a nail-biting triple-overtime win against the underrated Spartans. This group from Michigan suddenly is a team that is characterized by furious comebacks. The stunning comeback over the Spartans is the third this year, with the Wolverines also making fourth-quarter comebacks against Minnesota and Purdue. Forget where this ‘ranks’ in Michigan history. Bottom line – it is one of the greatest ever in the 125 wonderful years of M football. Notes and Takes:– For those concerned about the cold, good news is coming next year. The big game will move back to the early part of the Big Ten schedule, to October 1, 2005. Those who don’t think 3-4 weeks makes a difference must be from out of town. – Hats off to Michigan State. Losing this game must really sting but the Spartans were a couple of bad breaks away from blowing Michigan away. – Many fans left after the Spartans scored in the fourth quarter to go up 17. A few came back into the stadium after Michigan started to mount a comeback. – My brother spotted super-lawyer David Boies walking up the aisle in…
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Michigan Cruises Past Miami, OH 43-10
SALINE, MICHIGAN SEPTEMBER 7, 2004 Michigan took complete control of the game in the 4th quarter with a series of Miami turnovers and ended up putting a big number on the Miami Redhawks. What the 43-10 score did not readily reveal was a few concerns that will need to be addressed as the season progresses. First off, Lloyd Carr starting a true freshman (Chad Henne) blew my mind. The whispers around the program indicated that Henne was tearing it up during camp and pre-season practices. We’re still not exactly sure what happened to Matt Gutierrez, but we’ll have to assume that Henne will be the starter if he keeps getting it done. They say Henne is a very confident guy. He must be: he was one of the top rated passers in high school, yet chose to come to Michigan where there looked to be a pretty stable quarterback situation for at least 2 years out (with Gutierrez and/or Clayton Richard). He looked very poised but we’ll see how that holds up next week at Notre Dame. Richard looked pretty sharp in mop up time. The biggest concern for me is the running game. David Underwood just did not get it done. He averaged just 2.9 yards a carry versus a lesser team. I know Miami was highly ranked at…
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Should we Privatize the University of Michigan?
By Lance J Weislak and Michael D. LaFaive (Published with author’s permission) (originally posted MARCH 1, 2004) Since its founding in 1817, the University of Michigan has attained a global reputation as an academic and research powerhouse, attracting some of the world’s brightest students and top faculty. Its ranking among other universities, however, has dropped sharply in recent years, and the school has seen top faculty lured away by more generous offers from private universities. Since its founding in 1817, the University of Michigan has attained a global reputation as an academic and research powerhouse, attracting some of the world’s brightest students and top faculty. Its ranking among other universities, however, has dropped sharply in recent years, and the school has seen top faculty lured away by more generous offers from private universities. One way to reverse this trend, and perhaps to beat the private competition, is for the University of Michigan to go private itself. The idea isn’t as drastic as it may sound. While the amount of state money going to the University is substantial — some $320 million per year — this amounts to less than 8 percent of the 2004 operating budget of the university and its health system. In fact, James Duderstadt, U of M’s president emeritus, has described the school as “a privately supported…
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Rose Bowl 2004: Trojans Overpower Blue
Return trip to Pasadena in ’04 yields no win Congratulations to the Trojans for handily defeating Michigan 28-14 during another incredible trip to the Rose Bowl. USC did what they needed to do – they played sound, aggressive offense and went after Michigan’s defensive backs. The Trojan defense forced John Navarre to move around the pocket on big plays and we all know he just doesn’t move and throw well. Going into the game all I wanted Michigan to do was to not defeat themselves as they did at Oregon and Iowa. In hindsight that wasn’t enough as USC went out and beat Michigan. That doesn’t happen very often to the Blue. Hats off to Southern Cal and I’m glad they are getting their piece of the national championship. I’d typically rather watch a Mad About You marathon than watch M get beat, but somehow I survived this one. Pregame & Tailgate My buddy Arch and I left Venice at around 8:30 and made the trek over to Pasadena. This was my fourth Rose Bowl and second time driving (the first two we took the tour bus). As inevitably happens on the way to the game we ended up monkeying around Pasadena and running up against the Rose parade route. I have to give it to the security and volunteers…
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Memo to the Jerk Behind Me
Why I Bring Radios to the GameANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN – Ear Muffs. One of the reasons I bring a radio into the game is to block out the ridiculous comments by my fellow Wolverine fans. I left it in the car this time, and regretted it big time. The guy in the row behind us was so brutal, spewing his comments to his “buddy” within ear shot of half of section 22. Look, this guy is not the first to say something or direct a comment toward the team and refs on the field. Everyone knows Chad Henne can’t hear throwing tips from fans in Row 65 of Michigan Stadium. I yell out things every game, and have been known to give advice to coaches on my television. And I’m not suggesting that we need to remain silent and pass notes to each other concerning our takes. Having opinions about the coaching and the play is part of the experience. My point is that there is a point where you are disrupting the experience of the people around you. When someone is constantly talking, you can’t help but a) hear it, and b) process it. I want to watch Michigan play, not conduct a point-counterpoint in my head with the jerk behind me. That’s a major reason I (usually) bring…
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Michigan Football Mediocre, Iowa Prevails
idn't watch this game, but I followed along pretty closely and have heard and read a few things since. First, this is not a surprise after the Oregon and Indiana games. While it is not a surprise, it is unacceptable.
