Just a Bump in the Road...
For those of you who think this loss means that we are taking a step or two back or that we've somehow veered into a ditch, let me remind you of how much progress we have made.
Last year, on this date, we just got out of a win against PSU (18-13) with a record of 3-4 and that only momentarily slowed the end of the Hoke/Brandon years. We felt down and out as a fan base and we weren't sure how many years it would take to go back to being a winning team. A team that other teams were afraid of playing and that forced opposing coaches to use every trick in the book to game plan against.
As you know, the very next game at this point last year was that MSU team where we stood no chance and got laughed off the field in a 35-11 blowout. We were 3-5 at that moment with losses to ND, Utah, Minnesota, Rutgers and MSU.
Fast forward one year. We lose to MSU on a game that we should have won. We are 5-2 and instead of feeling like we are heading towards a 5-7 year, our fan base feels that we are headed to a 8, 9 or even 10 win season. That is a seismic shift in just one year and our wins have been impressive while our losses have been incredibly close heartbreakers.
In just one year, our team feels that they are in control of their own destiny and I know Coach Harbaugh has them believing that it will only get better.
When we get pushed down, let's stand up and realize how far we've come and how hard our team has worked to get us here. They need our support and our fan base needs our support. Don't let one flukey play define our season. We have a lot to fight for and we are building a strong foundation for the future Harbaugh years.
Go Blue!
Sincerely yours in football.
October 17th, 2015 at 11:53 PM ^
Yep. This f#cking sucks Bruce Jenner ass.
October 17th, 2015 at 11:56 PM ^
Moral Victories!
October 18th, 2015 at 12:03 AM ^
lots of teams would head from this to 7-5. Bet this one doesn't.
October 18th, 2015 at 12:03 AM ^
For every fan every year there comes those moments. Those moments where we wonder why we let the performance of 18-22 year olds effect our mood. The ability for some guy from Australia to catch a long snap changing our outlook on life, our pride in our college.
It's because for 3 or so hours you get to feel. You get to relax, grab a beer, and then UNRELAX for the most tensest, entertaining, and exciting moments you get to share with everyone else who know the words to that fight song.
One day we'll be on top, and all across the world we'll all be able to say in unison... Hail! To the Victors Valiant!
October 18th, 2015 at 12:06 AM ^
He's also lost to the two good teams we've played. Yes, it sucks, but it's true.
October 18th, 2015 at 12:12 AM ^
Well, there are magnitudes of "good". We beat BYU and NW who at one point or another were darlings of the AP and Coaches Poll.
Lots of things change and one day's cinderella is another day's fraud. I think Michigan has a solid defense (not invincible, clearly, but they are solid). We need some more consistency on offense, but otherwise, I can't blame them because they are limited on playmakers.
October 18th, 2015 at 7:34 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 8:28 AM ^
his hire.
October 18th, 2015 at 12:08 AM ^
I don't think we played as well on defense as we are capable and the offense could not move the ball on a MSU defense ranked below the 30th best in the country. If we would have won we would be in great position and momentum to make a run for the B1G championship. Now, Harbaugh has to regroup this team and try to win on the road at MN in two weeks. I think Harbaugh will get the team ready but much of the excitement is gone from this season. I think we are still on trajectory to win 8 or 9 games which is pretty good for Harbuagh year and hopefully the offense will improve through the remainder of the season and may be we will get lucky play to beat OSU?
October 18th, 2015 at 12:19 AM ^
And maybe a little less hype will be good for the team. Who knows. They came back strong after their first loss. That game was hyped beyond belief and I'm sure folks thought at the moment that this would be a multi-year project. Even if we're ahead of schedule, I doubt most people believed we would win a National Championship in year one so I think they are laying the foundation for some big years to come.
If we win 8 or 9 wins and then go win a good bowl game, I think most folks would consider that a success. At least a solid year to build on.
October 18th, 2015 at 12:09 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 12:15 AM ^
They did get the stops on defense that we needed at crunchtime. They didn't get the first down, I agree, but they were basically resigned to running 3 times in order to prevent a turnover. I think the first Higdon run he tripped, but they got close... It came down to 10 seconds and a punt that at any other moment they would have made, but you know, stuff happens. In hindsight, everything seems so obvious, just like Nebraska's or Boise State's losses to BYU on Hail Mary's. Seems simple - just prevent a Hail Mary TD, but ultimately, this is college football, crazy things happen, and unfortunately sometimes it happens to our team.
October 18th, 2015 at 12:15 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 12:57 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 12:18 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 12:35 AM ^
You know what else happened under Lloyd Carr? A god damned National Championship.
October 18th, 2015 at 12:54 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 2:08 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 1:29 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 12:18 AM ^
Sometimes you mishandle a punt and it gets run back with no time left.
I don't think it's any deeper than the fact that there are one in a million things that happen sometimes and this time, it was awful for us.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
October 18th, 2015 at 12:24 AM ^
Sports are crazy. That's why you play to the final whistle. I'm sure PSU fans felt sick to their stomach when Henne hit Manningham in the end zone too. This was a crazy way to lose a game, but it doesn't take away from the fact that our team is good and that they have some more games to play in the near future.
October 18th, 2015 at 2:24 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 2:25 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 12:21 AM ^
Michigan is better than Sparty this year. I don't think they would disagree.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:05 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 7:40 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 8:26 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 12:21 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 12:31 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 12:04 PM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 12:39 AM ^
Clemson.
October 18th, 2015 at 12:23 AM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
October 18th, 2015 at 7:42 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 12:30 AM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
October 18th, 2015 at 12:30 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 12:40 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 1:20 AM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
October 18th, 2015 at 12:43 AM ^
This all has an early Beilien-era feel to it where we were constantly coming close but losing - Duke, MSU, OSU, Indiana. But his teams were learning and becoming sound before our very eyes.
And they were rewarded with a Final Four and an NC game soon thereafter.
October 18th, 2015 at 12:47 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 1:05 AM ^
Meh. After the initial shock, I mostly feel indifference towards the whole thing. After the unmitigated tire fire of the last 7 years this seems small. Yes, the manner in which the game was lost was shocking, but it was also a fluke. It was much more depressing for me to watch RR and BH teams go out and be totally uncompetitive with no signs of any meaningful player progression week after week, year after year, death by a thousand cuts if you will. At least now I know there is hope for improvement instead of staring into the black hole of 3 man fronts, stuffed animals, vigorous clapping and competitive practices.
October 18th, 2015 at 1:24 AM ^
Close losses to good teams don't drive recruits away. Blowout losses send a message that the coaches don't have their act together. We were poor today, but we didn't look poorly coached.
October 18th, 2015 at 1:29 AM ^
... can look at it this way until we start beating rivals again.
October 18th, 2015 at 1:18 AM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
October 18th, 2015 at 1:22 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 1:59 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 2:29 AM ^
This kind of stuff happens (Cal / Stanford band, Iron Bowl TD on a missed FG, completed hail marys). This team, with Harbuagh as its leader, will get over it, the same way Bama hasn't missed a beat since losing that Iron Bowl.
And it's not as if this was totally heartbreaking. We got outplayed in every facet of the game except on special teams (sans the last play of course). It's not as if we were dominating, they found a way to keep it close through some lucky breaks, and then pulled off the upset on the last play.
October 18th, 2015 at 2:51 AM ^
Though I am not at all happy with the outcome and still cannot completely believe that fucking happened, I think I am overall good.
What happened earlier/yesterday was a combination of several things. The refs had a definite impact on the outcome, but aside from that the game came down to one thing: Michigan State is currently better at winning than Michigan is.
Michigan did mostly everything better on Saturday. Mostly. Michigan State did the little things better. There were a number of times in the game where Michigan was called for a penalty that were bad, but there were others that just killed us. That pick being negated was HUGE in the game.
At the end, one team has been in this situation before, and actually showed the ability to come back several times this season already.
5-2 isn't a bad place to be in at all, considering everything.
Michigan will get to the place where they know how to win games whether they should actually win it or not.
Remember, Dantonio's face on the sidelines was not that of a smug prick. It was one of a worried, haggard prick.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:25 AM ^
The breakdowns will reveal more, and I'll defer to those, but watching the game I didn't think Michigan was the better team. Michigan was much better on special teams with the Peppers punt and kick returns (with the exception of one Peppers fumble), and on punts (before the final play). This was a HUGE help for the offense because it gave them short fields. A failed 4th down conversion also gave the offense a short field. When the offense had to drive the length of the field, they got nowhere except for the first drive.
I thought on defense the secondary played very well but the front 7 was disappointing in the pass rush. As expected, Cook made some big throws when the blitzs did not get home in time (which was often). The difference in the game was the offense. Cook was just flat out much better than Rudock. Both had decent pass protection but Cook made the plays and Rudock didn't. Even with a middle of the road QB like a Sudfeld, this game wouldn't have come down to the last play.
It still angers me that Hoke put all his eggs in the Morris basket. That decision alone was like a 2-3 year setback.
October 18th, 2015 at 7:51 AM ^