Pep Talk - For once, remember 2007

Submitted by CLord on

Pep Talk

Half the fun of being a sports fan is game day, but the other half is talking with friends and fellow fans about your expectations going forward, which is what we typically do the other 352 days of the year when our team isn’t playing.  As Michigan fans our expectations are obviously high to begin with, and I doubt anyone would debate Hoke’s initial success, coupled with his stellar recruiting, have set the expectation bar quite high for the future. 

Then Akron happens, from which many (including myself) are beginning to harbor doubts for that otherwise sunny looking future.  So Akron spoiled 352 days out of this year for us?

Hearken or harken (the words are oddly interchangeable) back to a certain 2007 HORROR followed by the second HORROR where Dennis Dixon collectively took all of our mothers named Dorothy out for a nice seafood dinner and then never called them back.  How low were we as fans then…. But a funny thing happened on the way to the rodeo.  As I recall, our downtrodden heroes turned that ship around and banded together to spank ND.  Later, they faced down the might Florida spread attack, subsequently handing Timmy “Thank you Jesus for being in my corner but not my opponent’s corner” Tebow and one chinless head coach their first bowl loss, not to mention beating a highly favored, ESS EE CEE team.  This was the SAME MICHIGAN TEAM!!

Now.  That team was senior laden, and star laden.  This team is exceptionally young.  That team actually LOST those first two games, this team found a way to win Saturday.  Coincidentally, much like that 2007 team, this team will face down said chinless head coach come season end.  That team beat him.  This team will too.

So.  If any of you are guilty of lowered expectations, then isn't this an indictment of what happened in 2007 in general? I put it to you, MGoBloggers – aren’t these gloomy posts an indictment of our entire Michigan fan base society? Well, you can do whatever you want to us, but we're not going to sit here and listen to you badmouth the United States of Michigan Football. Gentlemen!

uniqenam

September 16th, 2013 at 10:57 AM ^

But wasn't Greg Mattison the DC for Meyer? What does that mean? Is he a good guy or a bad guy? How could he work for the enemy? Does it mean we will lose since Greg Mattison is our DC, or that we will win because Meyer is the HC at OSU? It's so confusing!

Fitz

September 16th, 2013 at 10:59 AM ^

Well said, I think a younger, less experienced team like the one this year is going to be more prone to getting up for big games and having the proverbial hangover for, what should be, cupcakes. Games like this even show that you have to show up every week and wins aren't just handed out and it should be a good lesson learned heading forward.

BiSB

September 16th, 2013 at 11:15 AM ^

I don't know if that's true. Akron could be horrific next week, and it wouldn't tell us whether they just played the game of their life against Michigan, whether Michigan just laid an egg, or whether Michigan is actually overrated.

Bottom line, Week 3 Akron isn't necessarily Week 4 Akron, just like Week 3 Michigan isn't necessarily Week 4 Michigan.

Needs

September 16th, 2013 at 11:44 AM ^

This is entirely right. Games have internal dynamics that make teams different week to week and even within the game itself. 

I think what we saw on Saturday was a young team that panicked when a team they thought was finally put away was suddenly back in the game after the pick-six. Until that play, the story was that Michigan struggled early in a let down week, but finally got things together in the second half. After that, every player, defense and offense started to press at the same time Akron found themselves back in a game that had essentially slipped away.

If that play doesn't happen, we end up with a 20 point win and everyone's like, 'well, that went on longer than I expected.'

GoBlueInNYC

September 16th, 2013 at 11:49 AM ^

But performances aren't necessarily independent events, either. Looking at week-to-week performances and pulling out some transitive property comparisons isn't totally meaningless. Yes, the Michigan that played against ND bared little to no resemblance to the Michigan team that was one rushed pass from losing to Akron. But it is still informative to put performances in the context of how well the opposition tends to play against other teams.

ijohnb

September 16th, 2013 at 12:13 PM ^

that and apply it to Akron the rest of the year.  Every team that is eventually good after being bad has to "become good" at some point.  I think that Akron becaame a formidable team this weekend.  I am not saying that Saturday was excusable in any regard, but Akron flat out had superior players to the likes of Central and Western, and superior coaching.  I think Akron will either win the MAC or be in the mix.  Once again, it makes nothing OK.  I just don't think that Akron was anything close to the team we thought we were playing to begin the day.  By years end, I think they are going to prove to be a team that nobody can sleep on.

woodfeld

September 16th, 2013 at 12:03 PM ^

To be fair, this game could give the Akron players confidence going into the rest of their season.  Their physical talent/ability isn't different, but their mental talent/ability probably is.

LSAClassOf2000

September 16th, 2013 at 11:36 AM ^

I said it elsewhere, but I will mention it here - if you go by the numbers, Akron still is probably the underdog in all but a couple of its remaining games, and in many statistical measures, is a bottom-quartile FBS team. This might change in time under Bowden - it's a little early to say for certain. This performance in isolation likely does not portend the rebirth of Zips football, but probably speaks more to Michigan having a subpar day against a subpar opponent. 

ijohnb

September 16th, 2013 at 11:08 AM ^

think that the Akron game happened for the same reasons as App. St.  I think the issues in The Horror were a little but deeper, not on the field but just within the program as a whole.  The Akron game happened because shit happens.  Yes, there are problems is some areas.  Those problems were evident in the Notre Dame game.  I was not too high on the team before ND and I am not too down on the now.  I expect them to win the Legends division and go to Indi.  That did not change with the big win two weeks ago or the stupid win on Saturday.

gwkrlghl

September 16th, 2013 at 12:35 PM ^

The similarity to me would be that ever since App State and Oregon humiliated us in 2007, we still can't defend the spread 6 years later. Akron spread it out and had a field day

ijohnb

September 16th, 2013 at 12:50 PM ^

got into a groove late, but for the most part our defense is improved at defending teams that spread it out like that.  You can still chuck in all over the field right now but you don't see the humilating 70 yard touchdowns on 10 yard completions.  The defense does contain better than it did during the late years of Carr's tenure.  Now, teams can go over the top on us but you have to admit that their who-ever-the-fuck-he-was quarterback was dropping some dimes, and while there were some lapses, the coverage was not universally awful.  A lot of things have to go right for a team to consistently complete those passes.  Akron did a lot of things right in that game, and all at the same time.  We were ill-prepared and it was evident, but I am telling you, a lot of this came from them playing the game of their lives.

And like it or not, Michigan is improved, but they are not good enough to be ill-prepared and be the recipient of another teams game of their life and still win comfortably.  That is a wake up call that I would rather have the team(coaches included) have now than a month from now.

mGrowOld

September 16th, 2013 at 11:06 AM ^

IMO not much that happened this past Saturday will be remembered or matter past this Saturday IF we come out and blast a bad U Conn team off their home field.  If we play with a sense of urgency and pride people will write off the Akron game as a unfortunate by-product of the ND hangover.  But if we win close or, God forbid, lose this week all Hell will break loose. Both here on the board and on the team.

In the words of Al Davis - "Just win baby".  And if you don't mind....just win by about 35 points or more.

Brick in The Wave

September 16th, 2013 at 11:09 AM ^

I might be in the minority here but I am not really worried.  My expectations and predictions have not really changed following maybe the worst performance I have ever witnessed from a Michigan team.

I knew very little about Akron going in and was shocked by who was on their coaching staff those are some experienced and successful coaches. I am also a believer that the gap between top teams and bottom teams is not as big as it once was and continues to shrink.

DG is not going to turn the ball over 4 times every game which I thought was the only real reason Akron was in the game.

Sometimes kids need a wake up call and they got that without losing.

bronxblue

September 16th, 2013 at 11:14 AM ^

Oh my gawd.  I'm not trying to kill the OP, but UM WON over the weekend.  For f*ck's sake people, they won a close game against Akron.  It is going to be okay.

The collective overreaction around here is just getting silly.  I expected this level of sky-is-falling response from MLive or Yahoo sports, but I figured MGoBlog had some sense of itself.

bluebrains98

September 16th, 2013 at 11:21 AM ^

Of course there is an over-reaction (we are Michigan fans after all), but I do think concern is warranted. I agree, when the dust settles, we are still 3-0. However, winning by 4 when you are a 39-point favorite is going to trigger some discussion. Over-reaction? Yes. But I would not go so far as to make the point that a win is a win.

GoBlueInNYC

September 16th, 2013 at 11:53 AM ^

I don't know if this is actually true or not, but I saw someone on Twitter mention that if Michigan had lost it would have been the biggest upset, as defined by point spread, ever. (Current record holder, I believe, is still Stanford over USC however many seasons ago that was.)

Yes Michigan won, and the team can absolutely bounce back and roll through October. But to pretend like, "well they won, so nothing to worry about..." is to completely ignore everything that happened in that game. Akron was one overthrown pass away from winning. This wasn't a scare that Michigan put away. This was a game that is about as close to a loss as you can get without actually losing. To what is arguably the worst team in the FBS (how many years since they beat an FBS opponent? 3? 5?).

GoBlueInNYC

September 16th, 2013 at 12:42 PM ^

Huh, well there you go. I think Matt Hinton retweeting someone is where I got that. I wasn't exactly in the mood to look up how close Michigan was to losing in the biggest upset* in history, though. But being 2 points away isn't too much more comforting. Appreciate the correction, though.

*According to point spread. I think plenty of people still consider the Horror to be the biggest, as measured by sheer force to dong.

GoBlueInNYC

September 16th, 2013 at 1:04 PM ^

Totally agree. I think the Horror is the biggest upset I can think of. It's just a small bit of consolation that one could point to the Stanford-USC game, if one were so inclined, and say, "here is the literal biggest upset, according to numbers and everything!"

But yeah, App State is definitely the biggest in my opinion.

reshp1

September 16th, 2013 at 11:25 AM ^

My expectations are about where they were before Akron honestly. I've been through too many seasons of soaring expectations after beating ND only to find out neither team was that good.  We're a team with a few issues at key positions offset by exceptional talent at others. We'll continue to live and die by the performance of our star QB and hope teams aren't able exploit our weaknesses too much.

One thing Akron did do is answer some question marks. We didn't really know how the interior OL was after Central and ND because they drubbed a weak opponent and struggled against a strong one. I rewatched the game and thought Glasgow and especially Miller had really really rough games. Glasgow was a step slow off the snap and kept getting beat by slants early on. Miller was just getting stood up and pushed around. A lot of our zero and negative yard plays were on them.

It's also becoming pretty clear that rushing 4 isn't going to get it done most of the time, especially when teams are game planning for quick throws. Playing conservative bend but don't break defense has worked in so far as we haven't lost, but we came way too close. If Gardner and our offense struggle again against a strong team, I don't see us winning by bleeding points slowly on defense. 

 

 

markusr2007

September 16th, 2013 at 11:31 AM ^

It's disheartening to realize from th Akron game that Michigan, in year three under Brady Hoke, probably isn't a very good football team.

It has very talented players at spots and some good coaches, to be sure. The bricks are there, but the mortar inbetween is really brittle.   Some of this is youth.

Akron is a very bad football team.  It's wishfully thinking to believe otherwise.  The talent gap between Akron and Michigan is massive.  Yet, if Akron can do this on Michigan's home turf, what will a Nebraska or an Ohio do?

OK, forget Nebraska and Ohio.  Think about Indiana, which is like an Akron on defense, but something completely different and terrifying (now) on offense.  Their quarterbacks are 50 times better than Pohl.

Looking at the schedule right now, I think Michigan will be fortunate to hit 8 wins, which to Hoke is "unacceptable".

So for me the Akron game reset my expectations down a couple of notches. I don't know what else a fan can do.  Yes, the season is young, but it seems insane to me to expect 9+ wins or a division/conference title shot.

newtopos

September 16th, 2013 at 12:17 PM ^

I think about Greg Frey. 

Took one 3 star true freshman last year (#83 OG, with offers from Indiana and Illinois), who then received: "FoxSportsNext.com/Scout.com Freshman All-America first team member ... received honorable mention All-Big Ten from the league's coaches and media ... CollegeFootballNews.com Freshman All-American honorable mention ... ESPN.com Big Ten All-Freshman team ... 247Sports.com honorable mention All-Big Ten ... BTN.com honorable mention All-Big Ten Freshman team." 

Took another 3 star true freshman TE (with offers solely from MAC schools and Indiana), who then received (as an OT): "honorable mention All-Big Ten from the league's coaches and media ... CollegeFootballNews.com Freshman All-American honorable mention ... ESPN.com and BTN.com Big Ten All-Freshman team ... 247Sports.com second team All-Big Ten."

Does anyone honestly believe we are getting that kind of production with the talent we have from our coaches on offense? 

 

chally

September 16th, 2013 at 12:19 PM ^

In 2006, Michgan barely scraped past Ball State, a 35-point underdog, at home.  The opponents had a first and goal to potentially tie the game with just two minutes left.  They were a bad team (finished with a losing record in the MAC).  By contrast, we were a good team (you may remember the 2006 season as featuring a #1 v. #2 showdown with Ohio in the game). 

You ask, "if Akron can do this on Michigan's home turf, what can a Nebraska or an Ohio do?"  The game before Ball State, Michigan beat Northwestern 17-3.  The game after, Michigan beat Indiana on the road 34-3.  Yet Michigan gave up 24 points to Ball State.  These things happen sometimes, even to good teams.

One anecdote isn't enough?  In 2004, a Rose Bowl bound Michgan team escaped San Diego State 24-21.  We were 21-point favorites that day.  We outgained them by 17 yards.  We trailed at halftime.  We went on to win the Big Ten and earn a #14 ranking to finish the season.  They finished 4-7 in the Mountain West.  These things happen, even to good teams.

MadMonkey

September 16th, 2013 at 11:42 AM ^

old or a Buddhist to the game with you.

A child -- or a Buddhist embracing Shoshin ("beginner's mind") -- does not watch the game with any preconceptions or expectations.  They just watch the game.

Several times during the game, my son turned to me and said "isn't this great?"  or "isn't this exciting?"  or even "this is just like last week!".   He was not alone.   The people in the row in front of me, and two rows behind me brought their children.   All of the kids loved the game.   They hadn't read MGoBlog or the other sports media before heading to the game, so they were able to enjoy the game for what it was:  an exciting football game with a nail-biter finish that went for the good guys.

We have sat with the other families for years.  During halftime, the adults agreed to take a cue from the kids and try to enjoy the game.  We stopped screaming about every mistake we made, we stopped swearing at the refs -- in short, we began to enjoy a close, exciting football game on a gorgeous day in Ann Arbor.  What could be better?  

We had a great time at the game. Yesterday,  my son was excitedly telling his friends about the game as they tossed the football and took turns being Devin, Fitz, or Jeremy.  Michigan football looks fine from where i sit.

 

 

 

 

 

CLord

September 16th, 2013 at 12:04 PM ^

You just summarized the attitude of all losing program fans succinctly.  Problem is, we're the very definition of the opposite of a losing program.  Our expectation level is higher, just as your expectation when you wake up in the morning isn't to have to find the zen in searching through dumpsters for your next meal.

The 2007 team beat Tim Freaking Tebow after the twin horrors, this team can meet expectations too!

MadMonkey

September 16th, 2013 at 12:14 PM ^

Playing each game, in the moment, without thinking about our glorious past is the recipe for Championships.   There is no let down if you play every week and every team like it is Ohio, or ND, or Bama.

The recipe for my enjoyment of the game?  Enjoy the game.  Pretty simple.  I sat through the RichRod years and still was able to enjoy the games even though our teams sucked out loud.  

It is great when we win, but if winning is the only reason for following a football team, then I guess we should learn Alabama's fight song.

 

GoBlueInNYC

September 16th, 2013 at 12:02 PM ^

I guess my reaction to the game is basically: scary and disconcerting, but they still won. My overall expectations are probably about where they were at the beginning of the season, after ticking up a bit post-ND. I think the team could put together a win against anyone left on their schedule, but don't think they can play consistantly enough to actually run the table.

Big10 championship is not off the table, but they'll have to earn it.

Wolverine 73

September 16th, 2013 at 12:02 PM ^

Everyone needs to relax.  We are lots better than we showed last week.  But Hoke started by building the OL, and it takes a few years for those guys to mature.  We have recruits who should be far better players than Glasgow and Miller, but they are freshmen or redshirt freshmen.  It is going to take another year or likely two before that OL matures and can dominate a game.  The defense is overall quite young, and it will take them a while to develop cohesion.  But they are swarming to the ball, and playing the way Michigan used to play football.  We are not a great team yet, but we can play a great game.  And despite all the issues people have gotten excited about, all we have to do is convince Gardner to take care of the football and we will beat the UCONN's and the Minnesota's and Indiana's of the world easily, and will have a chance in all of our games.  This team will win 9 games, maybe more.

charblue.

September 16th, 2013 at 12:30 PM ^

then you know winning is the only thing.Get the W, let out a sigh of relief, and move on.

And it's nice to watch games without a rooting interest or with one, but subjugated by the greater interest in appreciating the outsider's perspective. 

But that isn't our reality here nor the way the college football world looks at games and weighs results based on scores and other comparisons, and then issues rankings because teams don't play off at the end to earn  national championships on the field.

They are judged based on the grade of their latest test score against the curve of the competition, which most of us don't even consider --including our opponent--unless our team is threatend by the perils of defeat. 

No doubt, the game Saturday was probably the most compelling on the college slate and with a finish for the ages-- if easy outcome achievement wasn't your gamelong focus.

And, what's more, I'll bet MSU and Ohio fans, among others, were beside themselves hoping for a Zippety-Do-Dah defeat for Michigan in the Big House. 

Thank god, for monks and little children and the pure pursuit of happiness and enjoyment in watching a closely contested game by your favorite college  team. That is the way it ought to be. Too bad, most of us don't look at the game through the prism of their eyes and experience.