I've got nothing left
Well, I've got nothing left. I watched that game and after three years of hoping that we would take the world by storm, I'm now just hoping that we'll win one more game. I can't even believe it.
I know many of you are in exactly the same boat. I like to tell my friends that at least understand sports that before 2008, the last time Michigan missed a bowl, I wasn't born. I hope they understand that losing just wasn't part of my DNA, particularly when it comes to my college team. Now it's been just about 3 years since we actually had a post season. I don't know how I'd endure another absence. I'm sure you've said something similar to your friends.
Don't you just want to punch the folks who don't think this is a big deal? Or who decide they're going to be a fair weather fan so they can irk you? I've got a bet with someone like that (yeah, I guess I asked for it) and I am not looking forward to paying it off because after 2 years of pain, I was hoping for a little redemption - I guess not.
So, back to present, it's hard for me not to think that the confidence of the team is now gone. I'm glad they battled back, but I don't know how this will go. I fear an implosion will lead to a loss of recruits, which leads to another 3 years of frustration. Can we survive a coaching change without a "lost generation?" Could this really go on 6 years? is it possible that we won't beat OSU for a decade? Is there any other option than to make a change after going 4-16 in conference? I just want to be sick.
And I'm just some fan. I can't imagine what it is like for a player. To be somewhere between 18 and 22 and to have your heart stomped after being so close so many times.
I just want Michigan to win - it's all I want. If I could go out and play to help them win, I would. But I'm too old, slow, fat, weak to do that. All I can do is cheer. I guess that is what I want you to do - just cheer them on. Make sure you do what you can so we have 5 more games instead of 4. After that, the situation will take care of itself.
Thanks for hearing my rant. I hope that, in some small way, it makes you feel better that you're not the only one wrecked over this football team. Keep that hope alive - Go Blue.
October 31st, 2010 at 2:47 AM ^
I feel the exact same way. But I think regardless of which direction we go, we'll get better little by little. I think RR/JH can both improve this program, and it certainly won't take another 3 years.
October 31st, 2010 at 2:49 AM ^
Reading the posts tonight...we're turning into Notre Dame. I can't imagine a worse fate, but it's happening before our eyes.
October 31st, 2010 at 3:02 AM ^
Except unlike Notre Dame we don't have talent coming out of our ears that is underperforming, we have a bunch of true freshmen that people expect to perform like seniors.
October 31st, 2010 at 3:19 AM ^
have talent coming out its ears. They have a few good players and an amazing ability to believe they are way better and more important to college football than they actually are.
October 31st, 2010 at 4:26 PM ^
Why do we have a bunch of true freshmen playing? This is RR's 3rd year. I know that the specific reasons; booboo, Warren , Turner, etc. have been talked about ad nauseum, but not every team is starting a bunch of true freshmen. Not every team cycles through times that they do. Why us? Why now? Is nobody responsible? Just fate?
October 31st, 2010 at 10:35 AM ^
ND never had an offense like this, even with their decided schematic advantages. As for the defense, you may be right, but I think that can be fixed. And as I've always said, the "talent" at ND tends to receive a bump in the rankings as soon as they sign, so that that with a massive grain of salt.
October 31st, 2010 at 3:49 PM ^
We're not ND. We're not on our fourth consecutive failed hire. We don't have 25-year-olds asking their parents if Michigan was ever good. We've had 2.67 crappy years. That's it.
October 31st, 2010 at 2:56 AM ^
Our offense produces a lot of points despite our defense giving up 14-play, 6+ minute drives every time. With even a marginal improvement on defense, this offense will put up outrageous stats next year. There will be some defensive improvmenent simply because all of the freshmen will no longer be freshmen and because Woolfolk will return, and perhaps we will get a new DC. Next year still looks good, even though the last three games have been disappointing. We have to keep RR, and Brandon needs to open the checkbook to bring in the best DC money can buy.
October 31st, 2010 at 9:17 AM ^
Notre Dame's coaches would come in, go 9-3, write a book, have great recruiting classes, and then implode gloriously for a year or two. Then, when those great recruiting classes got to be juniors/Seniors, the new coach would be hired, go 9-3, write a book, have great recruiting classes, and then implode gloriously... you see the pattern.
We, on the other hand, had a ROUGH transition, with the 2006 & 2007 recruiting classes be worth next to nothing (with killers like MM & BG aside). Each year we HAVE improved. This year we have the #2 offense in the country, after looking like the lollipop guild for two years. Now, our defense is feeling the effects of the 2006/2007 fiasco + losing 6 DBs in the offseason. We have some players/recruits coming in, we have some YOUNG talent on the team who should be redshirting in any situation that is normal.
IF we keep RR, we will have a great chance of having a successful season next year (we were 1-2 stops from having 7 wins), with some serious success available in 2012 when this young defensive backfield are all Junior 3 year starters, and we have a Senior Denard @ QB (backed up by RS Soph Gardner), Senior Lewan at LT, sophomore D. Hart... etc. If we switch coaches right now, we will most likely have a number of players leave (which we can't afford), we will lose a recruiting class, and dig ourselves into a deeper hole then we are already in... which would make us Notre Dame. Look at O'Brien at NC State. It is 3-4 years to start getting some wins, and he didn't inherit a serious player lacking situation.
When you are going through Hell, keep on moving. There are lights at the end of the tunnel. They are just farther away then any of us would like.
October 31st, 2010 at 9:44 AM ^
If I knew beforehand we would have zero turnovers against Penn State - I would have bet everything I own that we would win. This Penn State team just isn't very good ... but we are fucking horrible. DR's arm must still be bad because he never went deep ... and if PSU had any cornerbacks they would have tacked on 2 pick 6's.
WTF are we doing letting the clock run out in the first half on a 4th and 2 at the 50 (there was 45 secs. left) - but then going for it on a 4th and 8 fromour own 30 with nearly 5 minutes left in the game ???
Also note to RR - never, never, never EVER run the I formation (see first series) - with the spread offense ... this may work in a zero defense league such as the Big East, but it will not work in the Big Ten. Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth ?
I know it was painful game for all Michigan fans ... but for those of us at the game ... well it was bewilderling. At breakfast the room was filled with us despondant U of M fans. When the talk is about ND or MSU to make us feel better ... we have REAL problems.
I am sooo tired of having my tailgate be the best thing about football ... the way it is for Indiana football (which btw is the ONLY team we can beat) and thy don't give a shit about football.
Go Blue !
October 31st, 2010 at 11:24 AM ^
showed absolutely no faith in the D and rightfully so. So he did the logical thing and didn't want to risk falling behind by more in the first half. So you at least have a fighting chance in the second half especially with Penn State getting the ball to start the second half.
4th and 8 from our 30 with 5 minutes left you have no choice when you need two scores. Seriously, do you know anything about football? If he punted you would have bitched about him giving up.
Finally, have we played Indiana five times this year?
October 31st, 2010 at 11:40 AM ^
It never should have come down to this. The play call and execution on 3rd down was pretty bad. It was obviously four down territory so the play call on third down should have been something a little more conservative. Denard can rush for seven to eight yards almost at will. He should have kept the ball on third down to set up a more manageable fourth down (if not picking up the first down).
October 31st, 2010 at 5:46 PM ^
no right or wrong ... just theories. You have no idea what would have happened had we gone for it in the first half. We are an offensive based football team ... we are ONLY good when we have the ball. Perhaps you weren't at the UMass game this year ... ?
As for the 4th quarter strategy ... please refer to the 2004 MSU game when the punting late in the game strategy and down 2 scores worked for a victory. Also know your opponent - having Joe Pa backed up late means he will be conservative. Besides, this time, with 5 minutes left and the ball on our 30 ... we never even got the ball back again.
Finally, although you have amassed a significant number of mgopoints - please don't be telling others "do you know anything about football ?" This is an opinion board - I find plenty of diverse opinions of U of M football. Calling out posters is "bush" - you can argue against my theory w/o being an oracle.
Go Blue !
October 31st, 2010 at 9:09 PM ^
Dude, Joe Pa freaking went for it on a fake field goal. I don't think he was being that conservative. As for 2004 MSU game strategy, our defense didn't stop them twice all game, and you want them to try now?
November 1st, 2010 at 6:09 PM ^
was from our, what 20 yard line ! A FG still would have kept the lead at 2 scores. That isn't aggressive play calling ... that is trying to run the clock out, which they did.
And really ... we scored a TD the made a stop (they punted !) and then scored another TD (our 3 TD in the 2nd half in 3 possessions) to get the game back to 7 points. That's when we got called for the whatever 15 yard penalty on the kickoff and they start on our 48. They drove a grand total of 24 yards and kick a FG.
We obviously see things very differently.
Go Blue !
October 31st, 2010 at 8:12 PM ^
The chances of PSU scoring were much greater than the chances of Mich scoring had RichRod saved the ~28 seconds with a time out. JoePa fell asleep there and let RichRod have the free play.
My only beef with that play was putting in Tate. Tate doesn't have the arm strength to throw the ball into the endzone. Unless the strategy is to throw it so short of the goal line (~20 yard line) you hope to catch PSU off guard and hope we can make a play and run it in (doubtful). I think we would have been better off with DRob's arm strength on that play.
Obviously, in the grand scheme of last night, this is just a quibble.
October 31st, 2010 at 9:51 AM ^
We are not Notre Dame, we are more along the lines of Indiana. We can clean up in the non-conference and then we get exposed (and stomped) in B10 play. I guess the last two matchups with Indiana actually were the most indicative of where this team was last year and remains today. Those games were so close it almost looked like Michigan was playing themselves: Big Offense, No Defense.
I have been trying to imagine scenarios where RR is safe as coach and I think it takes at least two more wins unless the single win were against OSU. I can imagine us losing to Purdue after last year's debacle, though I see us winning that game. Does Purdue plus a victory over Illinois keep RR? That would be a maybe at best at this point.
At this point I want RR to stay, but mostly because I think Michigan gives coaches every opportunity to prove themselves and that is a good thing. It may be the reason another coach will want to step in should RR not work out. Harbaugh, though I loathe how he threw Michigan under the bus on the recruiting trail, admittedly is a nice option to have out there, but I don't think he is going to leave Stanford to go anywhere else while Michigan is still an obvious near-term opportunity.
No question in my mind at this point though, this team better on offense and worse on defense and in total the equivalent to the 2009 team. The defense is more Mindf***ed with each progressive thrashing, the DBs are playing more tentative than ever after being shuffled and GERG is not instilling confidence or even leading them. Martin getting hurt took away the only thing making this defense remotely capable, and they are just a big bag of suck at this point. Rabble Rabble Rabble...
Taking the long view, this experiment is all but over. RR is 4-16 in the Big 10, and I don't see how this will work out. Denard Robinson sure is fun to watch though, we've got that going for us.
October 31st, 2010 at 6:12 PM ^
RR is safe. The offense is putting up yards and points even against teams like PSU and Iowa. As good as the offense has been is as bad as the defense is. There will be some readjustments in the offseason, and I can't speak for Gerg's job security, but we hired RR because he is an offensive genius--and he's proven that so far.
October 31st, 2010 at 9:13 PM ^
We are putting up those yards in garbage time down by two + scores. Glad you feel good about moral victories.
October 31st, 2010 at 10:03 AM ^
It's hard to say, let a lone do, but just hang in there. All the pain will pay off.
October 31st, 2010 at 1:44 PM ^
With or without a coaching change, defensively the cupboard is still bare. How is that possible after 3 years? Is it because guys we've recruited/admitted didn't pan out? Is it because they left? We may have a lot of young talent, but how talented are they? Without Martin, Royster has a monster night and we let a green QB gain confidence with every minute of play. Joe Pa and staff were humane by not tacking on more points. Zook and Tiller won't be as kind.
As much as I still think it is a matter of having patience (which I admit I have very little of this morning), I am still hoping that David Brandon made a phone call last night asking Jim if he was ready to come home.
October 31st, 2010 at 2:19 PM ^
Even if we are replacing our coach in the offseason. The good thing about the makeup of our team is that we are young and the majority of those guys will be back new coach or not. Our schedule next year is fairly kind and should yield 8-12 wins. The big ten will not be as strong next year (save Nebraska) and I firmly believe Dave Brandon, should he fire Rodriguez, sees the holes. Losing recruits is a big deal but it is not like our class is loaded with top ranked guys. A new coach will bring his recruits in and we should be fine because we are not going to bring in a no-name guy who can't recruit. Our future successes (next year and the following) will be determined by the guys on the team now, not the guys we will be signing this year. I would hate to see Rodriguez fired for a number of reason but with the right hire we will be back next year, we have the talent, it is just not fully developed yet.
October 31st, 2010 at 5:10 PM ^
I also want to strike others when these losses aren't taken as bitterly as they should be. Unfortunately, I acted on this impulse last night. I was booked on assault and battery. I explained to the sergeant how much of my happiness and self worth is tied up into the results of the UM football game each weekend. He let me go with a warning - "Get a life" he said.
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