eh, i think more than
Agreeancement
Proud of our boys. Not proud of the way it all went down.
Script was flipped
...this is PROBABLY the year most were expecting for Hoke's first season.
Think of everything affecting Team 132 that went in their favor, from Ohio having to suspend their best players and fire the most successful coach they've ever had against Michigan, the complete insanity that was the UTL game, being selected to play in a BCS game without benefit of playing in the B1G championship game, and THEN drawing the weakest possible opponent, the runner-up from the ACC and winning that game in an OT FG-kicking contest.
2012 was just karma paying us back for a season that was frankly pulled out of our asses to glorious effect a year ago. It's frustrating because you look at the turnover figures and Denard's injury and Fitzy's ineffectiveness even before he got hurt and you think even with the Alabama curbstomp this should have been a BCS Bowl team.
Northwestern. (All i got)
Northwestern. (All i got)
Touchdown Michigan!
8-4 was what people were
8-4 was what people were expecting before we saw how bad the big ten was this year...
That said, besides Denard, we lack a game-changing type player on offense that you need to break a couple of these games our way. We'll get those recruits as we continue to improve so I still think the future is bright
I think most UM fans want to
I think most UM fans want to be in the hunt for the rose bowl annually and at least in the discussion for a championship every recruiting cycle (4 years). I think we had a solid year- losses to 3 of the top 5 teams on the road and to what may be the Big Ten champ also on the road is not too bad. 8-4 isn't great- but when you consider all loses on the road to top 15 teams- and two without Denard as a legit QB option it doesn't seem too bad. But of course at the end of the day we are on the outside looking in making excuses for what could have been (no Denard injury may mean wins at OSU and NEB), Borges, etc.
None of that really matters. Yes we had a hard schedule, yes we can claim luck helped our opponents in loses more than it helped us- but ultimately our season reflected our level of play. To be a legit power you need to take care of business on the road- and we couldn't do that.
We have some great recruiting classes coming in and enough returning players to do well- but I think next year will be similar to this year was where we struggle against top teams particularly on the road. My hope is that like two years ago a more favorable schedule means we can luck our way into a BCS game- but unfortunately it seems like we are at least a couple years away from becoming a real power IMO.
Commented about this earlier
but we mustn't forget that we are still rebuilding from the RR era (shouldn't even be considered an era). Ohio just had a down year with Fickel that was easily made up with the Meyer addition. By the way I'm still very butthurt about the loss. I have had lower expectations than usual for the last two seasons and rightfully so, but next season with a lot of returning starters on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball I will come in with higher expectations. I am especially proud of the seniors with the constant effort they put into each game and I am still proud to call myself a true Michigan fan... Solid season and GO BLUE!
2013 will be the year.
we dont have a lot coming
we dont have a lot coming back on offense. we lose 4 linemen,roundtree and denard.
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Sorry
should have clarified better... We have solid Hoke recruits returning on both sides of the ball. For example Kalis, Bars, and Darboh will help significantly fill roles on the offensive side of the ball.
2013 will be the year.
yeah,hopefully Chesson can
yeah,hopefully Chesson can come in and give as a good deep threat.
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Yep
and Gallon returning for his senior season has a career year with 1,000+ receiving. But I still am optimistic because the offense should be a lot more consistent without the modified spread offense and its constant question marks but should interesting because it all boils down to whether the O-line can be solid protecting the pass and creating running lanes for Fitz (hopefully he returns) and Rawls. Just hopefully Hoke is able to coach them up with a physical mindset like he did when he came over in 2011.
2013 will be the year.
At this point
Rawls looks like a fullback, regardless, we need the oline to be better. Also, our dine needs somebody to step up so that we can get more pressure on qb's. the fact that we generate no rush is a big reason why we struggled so badly in the first half defensively vs. Ohio.
Denard Robinson......They're not going to catch him!
How do you get to 4 linemen,
How do you get to 4 linemen, unless you think Lewan is going pro?
Lewan is probably going pro
Some dodgy plays yesterday withstanding, Lewan is a consensus projected 1st round pick, potentially in the Top 10 (hopefully not too high for the Lions, but that's another thread). It's rare that players come back when they have a draft grade like that. Being a RS Junior, Lewan can also probably finish up his degree before next season. I wouldn't be shocked, and would be delighted, if he came back to address some unfinished business.
The Lions took Reilly Reiff
The Lions took Reilly Reiff last year; I can't see them taking another Left Tackle at this point when they have much bigger needs in the interior line, defensive backfield and at running back.
I'm worried yet very
I'm worried yet very optimistic for next year. C
There is god, there is family, and then there is MICHIGAN FOOTBALL
And who praetel did we beat?
And who praetel did we beat? im proud of our seniors and team for keeping us undefeated at home, however, I would say defining pride in a team by their "best losses" is wrong.
More apt statement - "we lost to some good teams, and should have pulled one of those or more out."
UM alum 2005 Columbus, OH Native (I know.)
Still frustrating
What stings is how close this was to an incredible year, despite a tough schedule and a ton of bad breaks. Countess gets hurt out of the gate, Denard goes down, Fitz misses Bama and OSU, and yet we would have been 11-1 with some impressive wins with something just short of horrendous performances on offense in a few games against some top ranked teams.
As for perspective, do folks remember the last time our QB couldn't throw the ball and our RB was injured in the OSU game? Yeah, that went a hell of a lot worse on offense.
It is spelled HOKEAMANIA. Our coach is an ass-kicking American citizen, not one of the Beatles, for Christ's sake!
That and $1.25 gets us on a
That and $1.25 gets us on a bus from Saginaw to flint.
Yes, we played 3 great teams
Yes, we played 3 great teams (ignoring the Nebraska game because obviously). Yes, chances are we would lose each individual game. But this is Michigan damnit, and if we play 3 great teams I expect to beat at least one of them.
COYS and lets go Detroit FC!
I'm not real into moral
I'm not real into moral victories from losses. But here are some positives from this year:
-We beat MSU. We've already kind of forgotten how important that was after the last four years. In-state recruiting momentum is completely in our corner.
-We again went undefeated at home. 14 straight home wins is very impressive. Alabama, Oregon, ND, OSU, LSU . . . none of these can match that. In fact, Bama and Oregon haven't gone undefeated at home either of the last two years. Our homefield advantage is back.
-Mattison showed that the defensive success last year wasn't just due to Mike Martin being a beast and us recovering a crazy percentage of opponent fumbles.
-Gardner got some invaluable experience for next year. Getting four starts (and I'm assuming a fifth in the bowl) under his belt changes the complexion of the 2013 season quite a bit.
Two years
We've won 76% of our games the last two years. That is a higher winning percentage than Carr, Moeller, or Bo's last decade. The losses all came away from home to 11-3 MSU, 11-1 (so far) Bama, 12-0 ND, 10-2 Nebraska, 12-0 OSU. And Iowa.
If playing a traditional, smashmouth style with linemen more suited to that role (even if they are young) who are practicing nothing but running power down people's throats can produce a just-not-terrible offense in the few big games we'll play next year then it should be a big season.
It is spelled HOKEAMANIA. Our coach is an ass-kicking American citizen, not one of the Beatles, for Christ's sake!
What stings the most
Is that we could have one 3/4 of those loses. The only game that was really out of hand was Alabama. That's why I feel let down is because it's so easy to say "what if".
That's a double-edged sword.
We could have easily lost some other games as well. For example, UTL, Ohio State last year, Virginia Tech, Michigan State, and Northwestern. So don't let it sting you too much.
Dude if we lose the bowl game
Dude if we lose the bowl game we will be 8-5. Regardless of the teams we played that's embarrassing for a university of Michigan football team.
There is god, there is family, and then there is MICHIGAN FOOTBALL
You must have been slitting your wrists
A few years ago then.
We were not as good as our record last year and may be a bit better than our record this year.
As I recall the general consensus on this board going into this year was 8-4 maybe 9-3. That is where we are at - as completely unsatisfying as it feels.
There are more important things than football. Plus it could be worse, you could be a MSU fan. Go over to RCMB and note the 5+ threads on our game today and remember deep down they all wish their team could be close to this "embarrassing" M team.
PS - The last bowl game against the SEC that we had no chance of winning turned out pretty good as I recall.
Actually Miss St. beat the
Actually Miss St. beat the ever loving shit out of us.
Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.
- Vince Lombardi
Key phrase in my post was
"That we had no chance of winning". Did we - or the experts - give M no chance to beat MSU (ntMSU)?
A lot of people did
A lot of people did especially with the way we were coming into that game. And they were right. I thought we would score more than we did, but I knew they were going to torch us something fierce.
Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.
- Vince Lombardi
Nice job
Now let's beat 'em all at home next year.
Different Perspective
This was a pretty bad season by "normal" (pre-2008) standards. Michigan only lost four games a handful of times from 1969 - 2007. I think that they only lost five or more games twice (1984 and 2005) but that's just from memory.....no research. A loss in a bowl game will put them in that category.
They lost to every good team that they played and won a couple of prayers against MSU and Northwestern. This season was two plays away from being a train wreck.
I'm proud of the guys on the team and all that they have been through. We have a lot of reasons to be optimistic about the future (I see no reason why the 2014 and 2015 teams can't be as good as ND and Stanford right now). Calling this a "good season" is a pretty big stretch. I'd feel disappointed if anybody on the team would call this "good".
Different Different Perspective
This season was two plays away from being a train wreck.
This season was also 2 plays (and an injury) from finishing 11-1 and us probably playing in the MNC game. We happened to be as unlucky this year as we were lucky last year. It happens.
Imma tell you something about me, MGoCommunity, that you might not know. I smoke rocks.
I have a hard time calling us unlucky...
...after that Northwestern Hail Mary and Michigan State last-second field goal.
"[T]here were a lot of people predicting glorious heights for Rich; mostly the same people who are predicting doom and gloom [for Hoke]. Excuse me if I doubt their prognostication skills." -- M-Wolverine
nine 4 loss seasons over that
nine 4 loss seasons over that stretch, or nearly a quarter of those seasons
and keep in mind that before the 12th game, 4 losses were more akin to 5 losses today
When your team is winning, be ready to be tough, because winning can make you soft. On the other hand, when your team is losing, stick by them. Keep believing. -- Bo Schembechler
You must have big hands
We lost four games in '93, '94, '95, '96, '01, '05 (lost five that year), and '07. That is 7 of the last 15 seasons before Rodriguez arrived here (i.e. about half of them). We lost 3 games another 5 times in that span.
We've finished in the top-5 twice in the last 20 years and have actually lost games to plenty of crappy teams in that time.
It is spelled HOKEAMANIA. Our coach is an ass-kicking American citizen, not one of the Beatles, for Christ's sake!
isn't it amazing how, in the
isn't it amazing how, in the course of a year, our fanbase forgot every single lesson we'd supposedly learned since 2007? We're back to the point where 7-5 constitutes a "year of infinite sadness"
and the hilarious thing is we're able to react like this solely because of what Hoke and his staff accomplished last season and with the recruiting... which is now not good enough, apparently.
When your team is winning, be ready to be tough, because winning can make you soft. On the other hand, when your team is losing, stick by them. Keep believing. -- Bo Schembechler
7-5...
...= year of infinite pain
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Yep....interesting
How we tend to glorify the past. the last BigTen title was 2003.
The SQUASHman
2004 actually, but your point
2004 actually, but your point is taken.
hilarious
"This was a pretty bad season by "normal" (pre-2008) standards."
"... but that's just from memory.....no research."
You're wrong. Mr. Purple did the research for you.
As usual, your main goal was to bitch about Rodriguez. It's OK -- with a few exceptions that was an ugly three years. Wasn't all his fault, though ...
"..."
Huh?
Michigan had seven (or more) four-loss seasons from 1969 -2007. That's seven times in 39 seasons! That's pretty close to a "handful". More to the point, if they lose the bowl game, that will make it a five loss season which was pretty unprecedented in the pre-RR era. And no, that's not a bitch about RR, it's just a clear dividing line in the Michigan program.
It's a serious stretch to call this a "good" season.
Off Topic?
How is this "off topic"? It's a direct response to points made in the immediately previous post. It included facts and historical perspective to Michigan football. Whoever took it down.....you're a moron.
Now, go ahead and remove this one, too.
Five loss seasons were
Five loss seasons were uncommon because we played 11 games, being 6-5 in that era meant a truly bad team as opposed to 7-5 mediocrity
And you're still wrong because the answer is 9 seasons with exactly 4 losses and 11 seasons of 4 or more losses. In other words, once every class. But to drive the point home even more, if you remove the first 10 Bo seasons when it never happened it becomes 11 in 29 seasons or more than one third of the time. In that stretch we won at least a share of the conference 13 times (3 of those times we ended up in the Citrus Bowl, like we will be this year, anyway).
When your team is winning, be ready to be tough, because winning can make you soft. On the other hand, when your team is losing, stick by them. Keep believing. -- Bo Schembechler
Different Perspective
This was a pretty bad season by "normal" (pre-2008) standards. Michigan only lost four games a handful of times from 1969 - 2007. I think that they only lost five or more games twice (1984 and 2005) but that's just from memory.....no research. A loss in a bowl game will put them in that category.
They lost to every good team that they played and won a couple of prayers against MSU and Northwestern. This season was two plays away from being a train wreck.
I'm proud of the guys on the team and all that they have been through. We have a lot of reasons to be optimistic about the future (I see no reason why the 2014 and 2015 teams can't be as good as ND and Stanford right now). Calling this a "good season" is a pretty big stretch. I'd feel disappointed if anybody on the team would call this "good".
We lost to 2/3 of our rivals
We lost to 2/3 of our rivals and didn't even make the conference championship game. Being complacent with 8 wins seems sort of...Sparty. We just as easily could have won 10 or 11 games. Good teams find ways to pull out wins in the final minutes, this one has not, save against the ones we shouldn't have even been in that position against (NW, MSU). I'm proud of the way the team represented itself, but I am not happy with the results. That might have a lot to do with how pissed off I am at the outcome of today's game.
Special Teams means special times!
We couldn't beat Ohio with
We couldn't beat Ohio with Hart and Henne. Can you imagine those games if they were both out with injuries?
life is like a box of chocolates... and you got the Whizzo Quality Assortment
2007?
2007?
don't remind me...
We had 91 total yards of offense that game. Actually, IIRC we had negative yardage in the second half.
"That's right. It's an off-tackle play. It's coming right over you. And there's not a thing you can do about it."
We also couldn't beat App
We also couldn't beat App State with Hart and Henne. What's your point? We've had 3 different coaches since then. I don't want to settle for mediocrity.
Special Teams means special times!
So
So what you're telling me is you have to get your ass out there and work harder for the team. Right?
"You're fat and you're mine". Bo to Dan Dierdorf.
eh, i think more than anything it shows how far we have to go. the fact that we didnt beat a single good team sucks. but at the same time i think this record is what most people were somewhat expecting. i'm proud of the kids but it's not a season i will remember well.
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