Steve “Dr. Sap” Sapardanis is a Schembechler-era savant and once again this season he’ll be diligently handing out his postgame helmet stickers after each game. Sap has pored over hours and hours of U-M games over several decades, and in these posts he’s able to tie the present to the past.  I encourage you to subscribe to Dr. Sap on YouTube, or follow Sap on Twitter. OFFENSIVE CHAMPION – Remember the George Orwell book, 1984?  Well, good thing this is not 1984. If it was, the season would have been over the moment they walked Wilton Speight off the field early in the first half. Thirty-three years ago, when coach Harbaugh was felled by a broken arm against Michigan State there was a significant talent drop-off at the QB spot for Michigan. [via Detroit Free Press] You think Bo and Jim have ever forgotten that? Nope. That is why John O’Korn and Brandon Peters are waiting their turn. Did you see that type of performance coming out of #8? I certainly didn’t, but I will tell you this: sometimes when you get thrust into the fray, you don’t have time to think and over-analyze things. When that happens, instincts and muscle-memory kick in and you get what we all saw Saturday out of O’Korn – WoW! Listen, I get that…

This week's game hits an anniversary of "The Reunion Game" - a resumption of the Michigan-Notre Dame rivalry after a three decade+ hiatus. Billed as 2 legendary college football schools of course, but also a battle of Joe Montana vs. Rick Leach. Montana was coming off the classic Cotton Bowl win the season before, and Leach was hyped up as one of the nation's most talented quarterbacks.

Steve “Dr. Sap” Sapardanis is a Schembechler-era savant and once again this season he’ll be diligently handing out his postgame helmet stickers after each game. Sap has pored over hours and hours of U-M games over several decades, and in these posts he’s able to tie the present to the past.  I encourage you to subscribe to Dr. Sap on YouTube, or follow Sap on Twitter or catch Steve rolling around town in the Sap-mobile: OFFENSIVE CHAMPION:  Nothing notable here, but don’t panic, see COACHING CHAMPIONS below.. DEFENSIVE CHAMPION: Chase Winovich seemed to be all over the field on Saturday, especially the Air Force backfield. His intensity and energy seemed to drive him and the rest of the defense to keep pressuring the Fighting Falcons offense all game. While Gary, Hurst and Bush got all the pre-season hype, Winovich’s play is starting to command some attention of his own. Gonna need him to keep it up and do the same come November. SPECIAL TEAMS CHAMPION:  I’m going with Quinn Nordin and Donovan Peoples-Jones, for obvious, and different reasons. First of all, when you kick 5 of 5 field goals and tie a school record for most 3-pointers in a game, you deserve a helmet sticker! Ok – now for DPJ. Amazing how much more comfortable he looked back there against Air Force this week.…

Could Bo reload?   That was the question before the 1972 season after losing 4 All-Americans.  I’ll give you the answer now: Damn right Bo could reload! But there were a few nervous folks in these parts as we kicked off Bo’s fourth season at the helm.  Adding to the anxiety was the prospect of opening the season with a conference game, as the Northwestern Wildcats strolled into town.  A few notes: I’m not sure how the passing of Harry Kipke was treated in Ann Arbor.  He won a national championship as a player and coach (twice), but his coaching regime ended in a shambles amidst scandal in the late 1930s, opening the door for Fritz Crisler.  That’s why his name is on a service drive in the Michigan Stadium parking lot. Speaking of the reception, I wonder if Michigan fans in 1972 had any emotions about having a black quarterback take the reins – did anyone care?   I was too young, but I remember the buzz around guys like the Redskins’ Doug Williams and all that. And speaking of breaking barriers, this game marked the first gender-integrated Michigan Marching Band.  I did not know that there were no female musicians marching back in the day.  Check out James Tobin’s fine piece in Michigan Today for more on this…

Steve “Dr. Sap” Sapardanis is a Schembechler-era savant and once again this season he’ll be diligently handing out his postgame helmet stickers after each game. Sap has pored over hours and hours of U-M games over several decades, and in these posts he’s able to tie the present to the past.  I encourage you to subscribe to Dr. Sap on YouTube, or follow Sap on Twitter: OFFENSIVE CHAMPION – For the second week in a row, Ty Isaac seemed to give the offense the spark and, more importantly, the consistency it needed to win this game. When the offense sputtered, Isaac seemed to relish the role of carrying the rock. I thought he was finally going to take one to the house in the 4th quarter, but his long run set Michigan up for another score to essentially put the game out of reach. Solid, steady, turnover-free, production from the running back spot is something that Isaac seems to have mastered so far this year. Hopefully he can continue to deliver that kind of play throughout the rest of the season. DEFENSIVE CHAMPION – Tyree Kinnel not only had the pick-six that appeared to (at the time) ice this game early in the 1st quarter, he also had a sack and led the team with 9 tackles. Getting good, smart,…

I mentioned last week that in the month of September, we don’t often get to travel too far back in time in history because, well, no one used to play football in September.  We got a break this time because September 9th happens to be the date of birth and the date of passing of the iconic Point-A-Minute back Willie Heston, arguably the finest ever to suit up for the maize and blue.   A couple of notes here: While the NCAA gives Heston 72 touchdowns, John Kryk pored over the records and box scores and says it’s between 69 and 71 – depending on how you interpret the records of two games (Wisconsin in 1902 and American Medical in 1904.  No one had really come close until Jim Thorpe suited up in the 1920s.   He averaged nearly 2 TDs a game, and no one touched that until Marshall Faulk in the early 1990s. Is he the best Michigan player ever?  It’s so hard to compare eras but he’s probably right alongside Tom Harmon for me. Regarding Heston’s lengthy college career, starting San Jose State and and then still having Michigan eligibility.  Back then the transfer eligibility rules were looser but in a nutshell, you were allowed to transfer from smaller schools and start over at larger schools.  No,…

  Yes!  Steve “Dr. Sap” Sapardanis is a Schembechler-era savant and once again this season he’ll be diligently handing out his postgame helmet stickers after each game.  Lots of folks hand out postgame awards but Sap is different.  He’s pored over hours and hours of U-M games over several decades, and in these posts he’s able to tie the present to the past.  I encourage you to subscribe to Dr. Sap on YouTube, or follow Sap on Twitter: OFFENSIVE CHAMPION – For those of you who were panicking midway through the 2nd quarter, yours truly included, I harkened back to some sage old advice that Bo Schembechler used to always mention when the going got tough: “It’s time to get back to basics, and play Michigan Football.”  How does that happen? You run the football. Ty Isaac did just that against Florida. Not only did he gain 114 yards, but his clutch runs on 3rd down kept drives alive and that seemed to be the spark Michigan needed to get their mojo back. The runs and play-calling were very reminiscent of what Bo & Jerry Hanlon would call on 3rd & long back in the day – draw plays – and Isaac delivered clutch 1st downs when they were desperately needed. DEFENSIVE CHAMPION – There have been some great linebackers…