We conclude the Big T1e1n season with a visit from a brother in blog-hood. We’re grateful again to be joined by Brad from Maize and Blue Nation… a good guy, although obviously misguided in his allegiances. You can check out Jim’s thoughts in the face of his interrogation here.
What’s your favorite memory of The Game? Is there a moment that stands out as your least favorite?
Probably 1995. Never in my life have I seen a better Ohio State team than that one. Terry Glenn, Eddie George, Orlando Pace, Bobby Hoying. You guys were loaded. We were a pretty young team that year, including a rookie coach in Lloyd Carr…and no one could have predicted that Biakabatuka would have had the kind of game he did. Add in a couple INTs by a freshman Charles Woodson and you’ve got all the markings of a classic genuine upset.
I wasn’t alive in 1969, so I can only assume that that was a larger upset from the stories I’ve heard, but in recent history, there probably hasn’t been a bigger upset than 1995. Second to that upset would probably be 1996 down in Columbus. Michigan got to play spoiler back to back times…and during season’s in which Michigan had 4 losses each. Hard to believe Cooper wasn’t fired after that game, but you guys still ended up in the Rose Bowl.
Least favorite memory is definitely 2006.
2006 was an incredibly amazing game. The hype and build-up was something that will probably never be equaled again in my lifetime. And the passing of Bo the day before the game…to this day I still can’t believe that happened. But as for the game itself…back and forth scoring, especially in the 2nd half. But the personal foul called on that late hit out of bounds cost us the game, and a shot at a national title.
4 years later, and I still haven’t watched 1 minute of that game. I don’t think I will ever be able to. Mali note: If you change your mind… here you go.Do you think Denard Robinson will be starting for Michigan next season? Why or why not? If not, who will replace him?
As long as Rodriguez is head coach, I think Denard keeps his starting role. This offense is designed for a QB like him. Even as a sophomore, he’s accounted for more than 1,500 yards rushing and more than 2,000 yards passing. He set the NCAA single-season record for most rushing yards by a QB. Personal accomplishments aside, he’s still got more progress to make in terms of being a leader on the field. And that will come with experience. People sometimes forget that he’s a first year starter.
I’ve had a chance to see this kid up close and I can attest to his composure and maturity. He’s not about records or trophies. He just wants to do whatever he can for his team. From a coaches perspective, he’s everything you look for in a QB.
If, for whatever reason, he doesn’t start, then it’s a toss-up. On one hand you have Forcier. He’s shown that he can step into a game midway through and you won’t have to really adjust your play-calling. I personally feel he has a better arm, and a better touch than Denard, but lacks the speed and elusiveness. On the other hand, you have freshman Devin Gardner, who saw minimal snaps this year. We actually just discovered that he’ll qualify for a medical redshirt, so he’ll have another year after Denard and Tate leave. If he can improve his game and just get more comfortable in this offense during the off-season, I see no reason why he can compete for the a solid backup role, if not even the starting gig. His potential is unlimited at this point.
We’re extremely well stacked in the QB spot. And that’s a testament to this coaching staff. People like to focus on our defensive woes, but this offense was a joke 2 years ago (ranked 109th), and now we’re ranked 5th in total offense in the country. There’s a lot to be said for that.
Do you see any “quick fixes” for the defense, in terms of scheme or personnel? Or will this be a three or four year process?
There are a few things I think we can do to address some minor issues (being in better position, making better reads, better tackling), but to get back to a top 10 defense, some larger changes are going to need to be made, and they’re the kinds of things you can’t really change the middle of a season.
I think it all starts with getting rid of Greg Robinson and the rest of the defensive coaching staff. Our problems go deeper than just the coordinator level. I think Robinson has been forced into a scheme that he’s not very familiar with…the 3-3-5. That scheme was not born out of Greg Robinson, but rather the defensive position coaches that Rodriguez brought here from West Virginia. And his DC at WVU did not come here.
I think we can pull off an off-season transition like Nebraska did with the hiring of Carl Pelini (Bo Pelini’s brother) as DC in 2008. In 2007 Nebraska was ranked 112th in the nation in total defense. In Pelini’s first year, they were ranked 55th. In the last two year’s they’ve been ranked 7th and 9th, respectfully. A drastic turnaround is possible.
Given the way this season has gone, do you feel more comfortable or less comfortable with Rich Rodriguez as the head coach of Michigan going forward? How much longer do you think RRod will keep his job with the Wolverines?
My pre-season prediction was 7 or 8 wins. And we’re on par with that, so I really can’t complain too much. Sure it’s one thing to predict 4 or 5 losses, and it’s another thing to have to endure them, but you have to look at the bigger picture. I’m in no way “comfortable” with anything at this point. But I think Rodriguez has shown real actual improvement, especially offensively. But you have to ask yourself who gives us the the best chance at being better in 2011, 2012 and going forward?
If we fire Rodriguez and hire, say, Jim Harbaugh…then you’re going to have to endure 3-4 more years of transition. Any other coach out there would come in and immediately change the system to suit his style. That means changing the players, the philosophy, the recruiting. And you can probably kiss Denard Robinson goodbye if Rodriguez gets fired. I personally don’t want to do that all over again now that I think we’re possibly close to making this current transition work.
You’re going bowling!! Any hopes for where and who you’d like to play? What would be the best matchup out there?
It’s looking like the Insight Bowl or the Gator Bowl. The Insight matches us up against a Big 12 opponent, either Oklahoma or Missouri. Both of those matchups scare me, but I think Oklahoma would scare me the most. The Gator Bowl looks like it would be a possible match-up against Florida. But as it stands, the Insight it were most people see us going.
Oddly enough, the Insight and Gator share the 4th and 5th non-BCS Big Ten bowl slots. If both bowls invite the same Big Ten team, it comes down to coin-flip to see which team goes to which bowl. I would take take the Gator because it’s a New Year’s Day game, and the Insight is at 10PM on the 28th.
What’s your take on the conference alignments? If expansion continues, who would you add? How would you maintain “The Game”?
Well, I think that’s already been decided, and I agree with the alignments and how the Michigan-OSU game was handled. I don’t see any further Big Ten expansion in the near future.
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