Don't stop believing

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” 
Albert Einstein

I've started this post three separate times now and the agony of defeat has left me bereft of words the first two.  This time no fooling around: Rum makes words happen. Rum and bullet points... prose makes pain.

Learn from yesterday...

What can we learn from yesterday?

• That it is not indicative of how well Michigan will play, nor fare going forward.  Every game remains winnable.
• That this Michigan team is still composed of personnel that does not match up well with Michigan State, especially when the wind is howling.
• That strong winds + Kirk Cousins > strong winds + Denard Robinson.
• That punting to the moon is not necessarily the best idea in a windstorm.
• That Dantonio is a good coach that hates Michigan more than anything in the whole wide world and is willing to overlook, if not coach his players to play dirty and take cheap shots at anyone in a winged helmet.
• That sometimes you can just punch a guy in a game and it's all good.  No need to get hasty and eject anyone.
• That having in-laws that went to MSU, and are smart, respectable people does not seem bad at all until Michigan loses to little brother 4 years in a row and they make sure to call and rub it in even though they would be totally embarrassed if they had actually seen the game and how the representatives of their fine university conducted themselves.
• That yesterday sucked.

Live for Today…

Only two things to hang my hat on:

1.      Brady Hoke – Despite everything that transpired on the field, our team looked well coached and kept their composure.  There was not a whiff of retaliation and we should all be proud as fans of how classy our team was.  More than anything else so far, the game yesterday showed us that this is Hoke's team, and that Michigan is still in the business of coaching young men to greatness on and off the field.  

2.     Michigan's Seniors – It would have been easy to let emotions take over and start taking cheap shots at the end.  These guys took the high road, kudos to them.  They are the ones that will bring this team back together to finish the season strong.

Hope for Tomorrow

We may look back at that game as strong medicine, a vile tonic that both humbles and gives that fire in the belly that can lead to great things.  There couldn't be a better time for a bye week to regroup.  Then the season begins anew, with a warm-up against Purdue before the real tests begin.  Michigan was never out of the MSU game until that pick-six.  They were right there to tie it up late in the 4th and are again the equal of the Spartans at least.  Two weeks to coach off of that game film will yield dividends for a disciplined group such as this.  Hopefully everyone can stomach the 4th loss to Sparty in a row and keep their faith in our coach.  He will have Michigan a team to take pride in, and he is doing it the right way, the Michigan way.

Go Blue and stay safe.