Bo Said Something About Games Like This
Something to the effect that any team can beat any other team on any given Saturday. Do you really think Michigan is as bad a team as they appeared to be today? This was a hangover game from last Saturday. Michigan played a hell of a game against a quality opponent last week and came into this game against a low end MAC team sleepwalking. I hope they learned a lesson and take NOBODY for granted the remainder of the year.
September 14th, 2013 at 5:02 PM ^
And they should change their mascot to kangaroos.
That being said, I wasn't confident, but I did think that the team would drive down the field to score and the defense would make the final stop. (See live blog)
I think we played a let down game and down to the level of our opponents. We need to improve in all facets of the game and I'm sure practice this week will be interesting. Credit to Akron, their players and their coaching staff for taking advantage of every opportunity (sans the missed FG and two red zone stops).
We're a better team than this, so take a deep breath and appreciate the fact that we feel this awful after a WIN.
September 14th, 2013 at 5:04 PM ^
September 14th, 2013 at 5:10 PM ^
He would not have had one single positive word for this, and he would have ripped the team in profane terms that humilated the guys. He would not have said anything like that.
September 14th, 2013 at 5:11 PM ^
This happens all the time in sports. You've probably played in similar games, playing down to competition. This team is better than this. Worry thought if ND loses to purdue.
September 14th, 2013 at 5:17 PM ^
the favorite allows for that possibility by manifesting the prospect of it happening. So, his record in games like this is incredibly dominant. Because he coached his kids harder to win these type of contests. Because these are the games that ruin your season, not those when you are evenly matched or the underdog. It's always about mind over matter.
Now, here's the thing: If Michigan played a coach who believed his team would win instead of hoping to, his team would have won. Bowden really didn't believe even though he was getting the game of the collective life of the players he coaches. If your guys are giving you their best, you need to trust they will make plays to win.
The delays in decision-making were on the coaching staff, indecision, caused by lack of confidence. Now, you can argue that anyway you want.
Sometimes you trust your guys more than you should, because this is all about being tested and learning to deal with adversity. That is what football does. I don't care who your opponent is, if you make that team viable, they will start to believe in themselves, and take you down. It's about collective will. And that team performed today at its peak. This coach got the best he could get from his team, and, in the end, he didn't trust them to make enough plays.
September 14th, 2013 at 5:23 PM ^
September 14th, 2013 at 5:27 PM ^
I don't think it was Bowden's non belief that kept the flag in the ref's back pocket in the last play. Cheese and crackers.
September 14th, 2013 at 6:54 PM ^
Is that your point, that it was about a non-call by an official? How about the poor decision-making near the goal line by Akron? That's where the game was lost by them. They got the ball where they needed to win. They had their chances and didn't make them. The coach blew it in the first half. Forget the last play.
There was a PI call on Michigan in the first half that wasn't called. You get those calls in your stadium. That's why its home field advantage.
Akron sold out on effort. And the coach didn't trust his kids.You win those games by being aggressive, not playing to tie or hoping to win, which Bowden did. That was obvious. Not great insight.
September 14th, 2013 at 9:50 PM ^
That's it. That my insight.
September 15th, 2013 at 3:03 AM ^
Homefield advantage has nothing to do with officiating. Where the fuck you been and what year were you born? Home field advantage is about having the fans cheering their asses off for you, which they did. It certainly doesn't apply to have the officials in your pocket when the game is on the line.The suggestion of such defies credulity. I've been a M fan longer than most people on this site have been alive. As to paragraph identation, the format does not allow me that privilgege. And I'll go on record here as stating I hate all you fucking people that are more worried about format than content. You certainly rate first row seats in live viewing of The Big Bang Theory for your consolation prize.
September 14th, 2013 at 7:37 PM ^
the favorite allows for that possibility by manifesting the prospect of it happening. So, his record in games like this is incredibly dominant. Because he coached his kids harder to win these type of contests.Or maybe his record against overmatched opponents was dominant because they were, after all, overmatched. Bo actually had his share of close games against crappy teams, though he almost never lost them. Hoke hasn't lost any either.
September 14th, 2013 at 8:26 PM ^
September 14th, 2013 at 9:18 PM ^
Have to disagree with you strongly here. I thought Bowden coached and called an incredibly good game. Their last drive, though it came up just short, was exceptionally well manged time-wise - really almost to perfection.
Give credit where due.
September 14th, 2013 at 10:13 PM ^
So Bowden confided in you after the game that he didn't believe Akron could win? It must be cool to be so close to a coach that you know what's in his mind.
September 14th, 2013 at 5:20 PM ^
Any way you want to slice this, this is a harbinger of what this team is at this point. I definitely had my hopes raised after last week's game and even pictured the possibility of the young interior O-Line and the D-Line gelling by end of season to maybe even be Nat'l title contenders....but this bursts any and all of that. And makes me worry about possibly winning the Legends division. This team will probably still win 9 games, but the ceiling has been lowered to me.
September 14th, 2013 at 7:05 PM ^
I definitely had my hopes raised after last week's game ... but this bursts any and all of that.
Exactly.
I've been through almost 40 years of Michigan seasons where I've had my hopes raised and then dashed. My mind goes back to 1976 where Michigan was undefeated and loses to Purdue. Every season it seems there's a game Michigan should have won and played like they did today.
I don't mind losing to good teams in a hard-fought game (Ohio State in 2006). I don't even mind losing to really good teams like we did against Alabama last year. I hate losing to teams we should beat handily (Appalachian State 2007, Toledo 2008).
And barely beating a team we should have man-handled really frustrates me. It's something that should not happen. That it did happen bothers me. I want to invest my hope in Michigan. But games like today -- and ones like it in the past -- sure make that hard.
September 14th, 2013 at 9:22 PM ^
I'll never understand this attitude. I can't imagine feeling better after losing to a good team than after any win - even today's.
September 14th, 2013 at 10:58 PM ^
It's about how prospects project into the future.
- A close loss to a good team in a well-played and competitive game generally portends well for the future.
- A sloppy, uninspired and damn lucky win against a clearly inferior team generally portends ill for the future.
I have "generally" in italics because I hope the other games this season prove this game to be an anomoly.
But if, God forbid, we see a pattern emerge, you can bet your bottom dollar people will point to this Akron game and say this was the game that predicted things.
Look ... I said I was frustrated, not resigned. This week's Connecticut game is going to tell us a lot.
September 14th, 2013 at 11:00 PM ^
if you play your hearts out and come up short to an evenly matched team, the loss sucks, but it's not necessarily disheartening.
to play like crap against a team that has no business being on the same field is cause for concern. looked like a possible pass interference on the last play... just think what coulda been.
i'd rather play the good teams than swallow this crap every year.
September 14th, 2013 at 5:21 PM ^
September 14th, 2013 at 5:33 PM ^
After the first couple of series the OL blocked well enough for Gardner to pass for almost 300 yards.The OL did okay versus the nation's best DL last week all things considered.
MSU and Nebraska have their own issues. Did you miss NEB giving up 600 yds of offense to Wyoming and being decimated by UCLA at home? Did you miss MSU's two struggles versus WMU and USF?
Good Lord, man, get some perspective. Michigan isn't as bad as they looked today. Bad teams don't beat ND by 11 pts. They were greatly outcoached and outplayed, but they still won.
September 14th, 2013 at 5:42 PM ^
Nebraska i admit is closer but their offense is really good and I think they can just sit back and play the pass against us. We can't get a push up front to run the ball and Gardner is averaging a little more than a int/half. Should be another close game but I just don't see us winning it.
As far as us beating nd. It was a night game with a whole of "rivalry talk" we were amped up and the stadium was electric. Not saying it wasn't a good win but they way out lines are playing I believe that game is the exception to the rule. Besides I think nd is taking a big step back this year with teo and Golson. They aren't even close to the team they were last year
September 14th, 2013 at 5:34 PM ^
September 14th, 2013 at 6:02 PM ^
Challenge this post not some previous one. "You once said this so what you're saying now has no leg to stand on!" New material please!
September 14th, 2013 at 7:39 PM ^
September 14th, 2013 at 9:29 PM ^
Why respond to that person if you view everything they post as a gross overreaction? Furthermore, what use is it to sit around and have everyone agree with one another? Playing devils advocate is advantageous for both parties. It just depends on if that's how it's viewed.
September 14th, 2013 at 10:18 PM ^
September 14th, 2013 at 6:03 PM ^
Challenge this post, not some previous one. "You once said this so what you're saying now has no legs to stand on!" New material please!
September 14th, 2013 at 5:39 PM ^
week's game is irrelevant, but this one isn't. Funny how that works. Considering that the team clearly wasn't focused today and played like crap, I would say last week's game is a better indicator of what this team is when they are full invested in a game. Though, there were areas where they weren't good last week as well.
Also I disagree that d-line played terrible against Central, the sacks numbers didn't indicate it, but they were getting signifcantly better push in that game than the last two games.
You act as though other teams in the conference aren't dealing with their own issues that need to be corrected. Nebraska's entire defense for example, looks like trainwreck so far. How you consider Nebraska, NW and MSU sure losses I have no idea.In short stop being so pessimistic, there is no way in hell this team only wins two more games the rest of the year.
September 14th, 2013 at 5:47 PM ^
msu and nebraska have had their troubles but msu has found their qb in cook. And I believe nebraska will game plan the defense to get a few turnovers and let offense out gun us. If you think we've got a legit chance against nw then I don't know what to tell you as we are clearly lookin at two very different football teams
September 14th, 2013 at 6:08 PM ^
QB after one game against Youngstown State? I think you need to get a grip. Also regarding NW, I will repeat it again, but UM has the best win so far between the two teams. NW's pass defense was among the worst in the country, and there is no way you could say it looks any better so far. Cal's true freshmen QB picked apart their secondary.
September 14th, 2013 at 6:22 PM ^
I'd agree with you about the youngstown state comment if their first two opponents were decent. However as the offense looked horrible against WMU and USF and these schools aren't lighting the world on fire, the fact that they had a decent performance today indicates they are improving (albeit if only slightly). But with the defense they have, the offense needs to be only slightly better than awful for them to have a legit chance at competing for the division.
To be honest I haven't watched enough of NW to know how truly good they are. Tonight's game between Cal and ohio will be a good indicator though. But I do know that if our lines play the way they did today against the wildcats we'll be in for a long night, and i just get the feeling today was more of the norm than last week. I'm hoping im dead wrong, but team's will always play better than usual under the lights with that kind of atmosphere supporting them.
September 14th, 2013 at 5:31 PM ^
September 14th, 2013 at 7:34 PM ^
September 14th, 2013 at 5:33 PM ^
that college football is every bit as much a mental game as a physical one. I've never forgotten that, and if you don't understand that, you can't understand college football.
Today was as clear an illustration of that as you could want. We were mentally never in this game...and that is largely on the coaches.
September 14th, 2013 at 5:38 PM ^
September 14th, 2013 at 5:46 PM ^
September 14th, 2013 at 5:51 PM ^
September 14th, 2013 at 5:53 PM ^
Hangovers do exist as I have one today to go with the one the team experienced after an incredible high against Notre Dame. Still, as one tv commentator put it today, hangovers usually last 1qtr or 1 half of a game - so this was a poor performance on top of a hangover. "D-" is the grade for today.
Devin was horrible but that O-line, yeesh! And what are we doing on defense with this four man rush for 3 qtrs once again.
The hangover is now done and we will blow out UCONN.
September 14th, 2013 at 5:54 PM ^
If we play like we did today again, we will lose. I don't care if its OSU or UConn. We're lucky this team was Akron, otherwise we could've taken a beating.
September 14th, 2013 at 6:53 PM ^
There sure are a lot of emotions in this thread. Jinxed them with with our predictions? Bo never would have let this happen? Inexcusable?
Let's have some perspective here people: Even professionals f up sometimes and this is a non-pro game. We won said non-pro game. We won it after the most hyped regular season college football game of all time.
Seriously what would you have done if they lost? FIRE HOKE? Bench Gardner? It's a game and the unpredictability is what makes it fun. This will be a fantastic learning opportunity for this team and by the end of the season it'll probably be all but forgotten by the fans.
September 14th, 2013 at 7:04 PM ^
it could be worse.....
We could be Texas, who fired their DC and just hired GERG to replace him......
September 14th, 2013 at 7:15 PM ^
September 14th, 2013 at 8:01 PM ^
bad as your worst game. And it's all about survival. Not sure that Ohio made distinctions about the way they won their NC year or last year when they could have lost any number of games against inferior teams. If you let a team think they can beat you, you give them the belief that they can and you doubt yourself. That's why senior leadership is so important.
This is such a young team with a quarterback who wants to be everything on every play. He has to play within himself.
September 14th, 2013 at 8:19 PM ^
This game is distressing because every way in which we looked bad against ND that was explained away as 'well it was ND' repeated again today against the worst team in football which kinda blows away the 'well it was ND' excuse and does not bode well for the rest of the year.
September 14th, 2013 at 8:20 PM ^
I'm a bit disappointed that we won that game today and was sincerely upset when they called for a replay and took those precious 8 seconds away from Akron. Those kids worked their asses off today and with that coaching staff they have many good days coming. I can easily recall last weekend-I'm not that old- when things got tight and I told my buddy, "Michigan won't lose this game; those kids have worked too hard and have earned it. I felt the same way in the last few minutes against Akron. As young as we are, it was still obvious, magnified by the fact we did it, had far superior talent that we could score whenever needed. What this team has to realize, much like last week, we need it on every possession. What they did today was basically waste an opportunity for not only the young starters but for all them who have worked just as hard for playing time for some much deserved experience. ^Although the majority will disagree with me because that is the norm, I was all for setting Devin down a series just so he could watch and want. Send a damn message. I had no problem doing this as a coach; granted the stakes weren't nearly as big, but I was sick of watching us score when we needed to and then having our leader do something stupid to allow them back in. Sorely disappointed on his throw away to the sidelines as well. There are times when a loss will do so much more for a young team than a narrow victory, one they probably should have lost. This type of effort displays not only the youth on the team but also shows they don't appreciate just who they're representing and what they're supposedly playing for. ^As much as I was praying for the TD by Akron that woke our team up in the second quarter- that proved to be just a delay in their nap-I was equally praying for a last second TD by Akron. This team has the talent to develop with our schedule, but we're going to run out of competition against this nature while November's schedule seems quite aware of what it's all about. Would have much rather had the loss.
September 14th, 2013 at 8:48 PM ^
September 14th, 2013 at 9:02 PM ^
If you think I went into this game wanting M to lose, than I think you've never played the game. And that was my point-have no idea how you missed it- I wanted them to play the game, not score when necessary and go through the motions in every other aspect. This was a game for teaching, not our staring team but all thsoe that would be future contributors. You sound like a parent that will repeatedly tell your kid to behave instead of giving them one good spanking to ensure that all that is needed thereafter is just a slight rise in the timber of your voice. Hell no. I didn't cheer against M, and I don't know how you got that out of that message. What I said was as hard as our kids played last week it was only just that we won. As badly as we played this week, and as hard as the Zips played, I take no great pleasure out of this win. Teaching moments? Yeah, but imagine how much more attention they would give you had they actually lost. I'm talking about program building-we're not going to win a NC this year- and how much better it would have been to lose a game against an ooc opponent instead of after we get into conference competition, especially on our side of the conference schedule. If you read into that message I went into that game wishing Michigan to lose, then you misread or I miswrote. But at the end, I thought the Zips got short changed, based on effort expended thereto on the part of both teams and that's all I'm saying, and that, my friend, is saying a whole hell of a lot more than you are willing to accept.