OFFENSIVE CHAMPION FITZGERALD TOUSSAINT – Fitz gutted out a huge effort when it was needed. Sure he scored two TD’s but I was more impressed with the way he battled through the pain and protected the football all game long. DEFENSIVE CHAMPION DESMOND MORGAN – His one-handed INT swung momentum hugely for the Maize and Blue. Maybe he should wear Legends #8 jersey next game for going all Jason Avant-like with his one-handed snag? SPECIAL TEAMS CHAMPION JEHU CHESSON II – Not one, but two smackdowns on the UConn punt returners. Gotta love those hits! HUSTLER / SPARKPLUG FRANK CLARK – He made a ton a big plays from the beginning to the end of the game. A solid and consistent effort from #57 all night. UNIFORM CHAMP WHITE M TOWEL – Michigan has worn these before, but the UConn game was the first time I could remember so many players sporting the same towel. ROBERT FROST UFER MAIZE & BLUEFEDORA FAN FOREHEAD HELMET TATTOO-GUY – I’ve seen a ton of UM tats, but never have I seen one front and center on someone’s melon: NICE EDITOR’S PICK JEREMY GALLON – Whenever #21 had the ball in his hands you entered a safe place..a quiet space where seldom is heard a discouraging word and the sky is not cloudy all…

Entering the 1985 season expectations were mixed as U-M coming off the frustrating 6-6 season in 1984.   Naturally some wondered if Bo’s best days were behind him—but those thoughts were dashed early in ‘85 after Jimmy Harbaugh, James Walter Morris and a badass defense took down Notre Dame 20-12 in Ann Arbor in the season.  That led to the game featured on This Week in Michigan Football History – a high profile road match-up against #11 South Carolina in Columbia: [display_podcast] As noted, the 1985 defense gave up a mere 98 points the entire season!   WolverineHistorian has the 1985 South Carolina game on YouTube here. Remember:  You can catch all of the This Week in Michigan Football History clips here….sponsored in 2013 by Ziebart of Yspilanti.  Listen to it live tomorrow on the KeyBank Countdown to kick-off on WTKA 1050AM or catch it live inside the Bud Light Victors Lounge.   Follow MVictors on Twitter

I’ve never seen all the Michigan football traditions listed out in one place.   Here’s an initial crack at a list sorted into several classes based on importance.  Like creating a music playlist at a party, you can’t please everyone.  We’ll see where this goes.  Down the road the list will link out to more detail about each tradition.   Email me, tweet or post feedback.

They should have lost.  So here on Sunday instead of a deep pit in your stomach as you brace to face your colleagues Monday…it’s merely a headache and a sense of bewilderment.  This will take a while to shake off.    One caller to WTKA Sunday morning said Michigan got beat in every position group and on the sidelines Saturday and that’s pretty much correct. Gardner played most of the game in a lower gear as if he didn’t need to play full out to roll up and down the field.   He clearly can’t operate in a “kinda-on” mode.  I don’t know if that was direction from the coaches or whether that was just in his head.   He was out of sync with the receivers, threw balls late and didn’t look to take off running when he needed to.  That is until Michigan was down.   Moving forward Gardner needs to see Ohio State across the ball and go full on until the coaches tell him to stop.  And it bugs me that three games in, that the backs can’t seem to make the first defender miss or at least pay for it. More notes from the game: Mood >  Worst Win Ever: Legends > Courtney Avery and his Legends #11 jersey hit the field Saturday so the only missing Legends jersey…