• Smitty Loses His Lunch | Storytime with Dr. Sap

    November 17, 2015 /

    [Ed. You already know that quarterback Steve Smith anchors the offense on the Schembechler All-Bovember team, but I bet you didn’t know this tale!] By Steve “Dr. Sap” Sapardanis A few years ago (my gosh, as I write this I realize it was almost 20 years ago!) I met former Michigan quarterback Steve Smith at a card signing.  Smitty was one of my favorite Michigan players growing up because he could do it all from the QB position. He could run – he had 4.5 speed in the 40 – and he could throw.  He was THE #16 before Shoelace wore #16. After his playing days as a Wolverine, Smith opted for the Canadian Football League because most NFL teams viewed Smith as too short to play QB at the next level.  Not wanting to switch positions, Smith signed with the Montreal Concordes (formally the Alouettes) of the CFL in 1984.  But Nebraska’s Turner Gill also signed with Montreal and Smith ended up being the #2 QB in Montreal behind Gill. Now mind you, just because I grew up in Canada, it doesn’t mean I was a diehard CFL fan, quite the opposite. I only followed former Michigan players if they came to play football in the Great White North, eh? As I chatted with Smith about his playing days…

    READ MORE

  • Sights & Sounds: Michigan 48, Indiana 41 (2 OT)

    November 15, 2015 /

    via mgoblue.com Heading into the season we figured Harbaugh was the answer but that he needed time.  We hoped that time would be short, even just maybe something would happen this year.  We hoped that under his tutelage, a quarterback would emerge to lead this team.  And  we hoped somehow we’d muster a running game and the defense would come together.   So here we are in mid-November with much on the line and with the events of the past few weeks—very hopeful. Rudock looked like a different cat out there, with a new level of confidence and toughness.  At times he looked a bit like a young coach Harbaugh himself with the fierce runs on third down and balls to fire the pigskin over the middle.  And as Sap said, the passing game is starting to click. The concerns for these 2 weeks are obvious.  A winless in B1G team in IU won the line of scrimmage and the “yeah but Glasgow” excuse turned into this.   We still couldn’t really run the ball and in space the first “man”, meaning mainly an Indiana 19 year old kid, took us down.  The penalties were horrible.  The linebackers were ineffective at best.  We missed a bunch of tackles. But you are hopeful, aren’t you?  Despite all that stuff Michigan is a really…

    READ MORE

  • Double OT Hoosier Champions | Dr Sap’s Decals

    November 15, 2015 /

    WoW – what a finish!  Take the W and get out of Bloomington.  A win is a win. Now it’s onward – to your Champions. OFFENSIVE CHAMPION – When things start to click, your game becomes one with your teammates.  Plays that weren’t being made before, suddenly look like old hat.  Jake Rudock is starting to click, but more importantly, he’s clicking with Jehu Chesson.  That deep threat wasn’t there earlier in the season, but in these last two games, especially against Indiana, Jake Rudock to Jehu Chesson has been money.  The two had record-setting performances Saturday night and it’s a perfect time in the season for this to happen.  The threat of a deep passing game can only help the Michigan offense these next two games.  Jake to Jehu – sounds much like another great Michigan QB to WR combination: Benny (Friedman) to Bennie (Oosterbaan). DEFENSIVE CHAMPION – Playing against a spread offense like IU only brings out the worst in your defense.  It exposes lack of depth.  It exposes poor tackling in open space.  It’s never a pretty picture on D.  As the game wore on, and as IU’s Jordan Howard kept ripping off huge run after huge run, I wasn’t going to select a Champion on defense.  It just felt as if I would be rewarding the…

    READ MORE

  • Natural Rivalry Resumed (1942) | This Week in Michigan Football History

    November 13, 2015 /

    This week we mark Saturday’s anniversary of the resumption of the Michigan-Notre Dame rivalry in 1942, when your beloved #6 ranked Wolverines traveled to South Bend and crushed on the #4 Irish.  But to understand the significance of that day, we first take a trip back to November 1910 to understand why the rivalry was originally cancelled.  Go Blue, Beat Irish! [display_podcast] You can listen to all 6 years of This Week In Michigan Football History here.  And don’t forget to catch the whole KeyBank Countdown to Kickoff on WTKA 1050AM starting 4 hours before each game, and of course live in the Bud Light Victors Lounge Saturday starting at 11:30am. Follow MVictors on Twitter

    READ MORE

  • Bovember All Offense

    November 12, 2015 /

    [Ed. Given it’s Movember again, had to repost this beauty from back in 2013 from Dr. Sap, celebrating the greatest ‘stashes in U-M history.] The All-Schembechler mustachioed offense.   I supplied the stache’d Schembechler and the mustache ratings. Offensive GuardSTEFAN HUMPRIES1980-1983 CenterTOM DIXON1980-1983 Offensive GuardREGGIE McKENZIE1968-1971 Don’t let the look deceive you, #76 was as good as it gets on the O-line. Anchored the All-American O-line in 1981.  Every player ended up being an All-American selection. The standard by which all U-M guards are measured. Offensive TackleJON GIESLER1975-1978 QuarterbackSTEVE SMITH1980-1983 Offensive TackleGREG SKREPENAK1987-1991 Dude still looks tough today even without all the hair and the bowtie. Fastest dual-threat QB Bo had and could do it on the ground or in the air. Bo’s largest player at 6-8, 322. Fact: was a Road Grater and Pancake Machine FlankerANTHONY CARTER1979-1982 Tight EndCRAIG DUNAWAY1979-1982 Wide ReceiverVINCE BEAN1980-1984 Knew he was special when he scored a touchdown the 1st time he touched the ball. Most memorable catch was the game-winning touchdown against Notre Dame in 1980.  I still refuse to accept the final score! Played opposite AC but had a knack for getting BOTH feet in bounds. TailbackBILLY TAYLOR1968-1971 KickerBOB BERGERON1980-1983 FullbackSTAN EDWARDS1977-1980 The charter Movember member loved to wear stylish teal Puma cleats back in the day. Might have been the lightest player to don…

    READ MORE