One of the truly great aspects of “The Rivalry” is the respect afforded to each other. we as fans give each other all the grief we possibly can, but the teams themselves KNOW that if you don’t respect the other team, you’re likely to get bit.
Perfect example of that theory – 2004. The Buckeyes were having their worst season since 1987, and had been knocked off by Northwestern, Purdue, Wisconsin, and absolutely destroyed by Iowa. TTUN was ranked #7 in the nation, riding an 8-game winning streak, and looking unstoppable on their way to a Big Ten title. The talk was that TTUN would walk all over the frazzled Buckeyes, who were still breaking in a new quarterback named Troy Smith.
Ohio State 37
TTUN – 21
Gotta respect the boys up north, or they’ll do that to us this year.
As a true sign of respect, blogs will often share space with each other and do a little inquiring into what the other side is thinking. OSU-UM is no different in that aspect. We here at The BBC proudly welcome Brad from Maize and Blue Nation, who earlier this week penned a piece of true Rivalry Art entitled “I Believe”. Go read it, it’s clearly from the perspective of a genuine fan.
We put a few key questions to Brad (and he reciprocated)….here’s his responses. Go to MNBN to see our dialogue with him as well.
1) Given how your teams have performed the last two seasons, what do you see happening next year? Is “what you see happening” good enough to meet your expectations for what UM football should be?
Ooh, this answer could be long enough to crash your server. I’ll try and be brief.
For the record I can tell you that anything short of a Rose Bowl or a share of the Big Ten title falls short of what most fans expectations are for what Michigan football should be. That said, the reality of what Michigan football IS, is much different. When you change the head coach, all of the position coaches (aside from Fred Jackson the RB coach), and an entire coaching philosophy all at once, you have to learn how to manage your expectations. I think there are still a few level-headed Michigan fans out there (me included) who still have faith that things are hopefully on the right track…a long and painful track…but none the less.
But the ones that speak the loudest are the ones that think Michigan football is in the crapper and it’s all Rodriguez’s fault, and things will not get better until he gets run out of town. Those guys are the ones you see on message boards and hear on AM radio sports shows.
I’ve been under the presumption that 2008 was a total anomaly…and that we really should just try and forget it ever happened. If Lloyd had stayed for 2008 it would have been almost just as ugly. We probably would have made a pre-New Years bowl, limped into it for the most part. Lloyd would been fired, and we’d be right back where we were anyway.
Rodriguez got screwed by two things offensively…attrition and having no proven returning play-makers. The defense wasn’t terrible, but certainly got worse this year due to many seniors leaving after 08. It was the perfect storm that would have screwed any coach that we would have hired.
We all know how Rodriguez has historically fared much better in his second seasons in the past…until Michigan. Well, I think we should just make-believe that 2009 is his first year at Michigan, then we can treat 2010 like his second. It seems bas-ackwards, and I’m fooling myself, but I really think the extreme talent deficiency this team experienced in 2008 (and into 09) makes this argument at least somewhat valid.
So, with that in mind, 2010 expectations are high…and they should be. And not because I think we can be better…we MUST be better. 9 or 10 wins is mandatory. Beating ND, MSU Penn State and tOSU…or at least tOSU and two others…is a must. Hell, beating Purdue is a must.
2) In 1988, Ohio State beat UM and then declined a trip to the Sun Bowl, choosing to stay home instead. If given the choice, would you rather stay home or play in a small bowl like the Little Ceasar’s Pizza Pizza Bowl? Assume that a bowl game is possible with or without a win on Saturday, because we know that winning “The Game” is sweet enough to be non-chalant about whatever bowl game comes next.
Right now, we’ll take ANY bowl. And not just because it means we beat you guys, because that would trump any sort of bowl game…but because we really need the extra practices. Preparing for a bowl game keeps your team together for at least another month. You stay focused, you prepare…and get probably another 12-18 practices and 1 more game. For a team that is 80% freshman and sophomores and a young coaching staff, that extra experience is invaluable.
3) What’s your biggest concern about UM on Saturday? The matchup you’re least looking forward to? Which matchup do you HAVE to win in order to beat Ohio State?
I am most certainly dreading the tOSU offense versus our linebackers and safeties. By far the largest deficiencies on our defense lies in those positions. We just have lack of depth and experience in spades. Sophomores/Juniors are being replaced with walk-ons and flipped back and forth. You would think guys like Jonas Mouton and Obi Ezeh would have figured out by now how to defend the run or cover the middle of the field. But whether its a scrambling QB, RBs going between the tackles, short dump passes over the middle to either RBs or TEs, you name it, we can’t stop it.
I have recurring nightmares of watching Beanie Wells breaking through the line and running 80 yards untouched up the field for touchdowns. And I think you can just replace Wells with Pryor, Saine or Herron and you’ll have an idea of what this game will be like if we continue our terrible reads/tackling/coverages like we have been doing since the beginning of the season.
And if it’s not the running game, it’ll be any one of your RB’s, TE’s or slot-WR’s wide open in the middle of the field. I’m less weary of Pryor’s arm…especially with Brandon Graham eating your left tackle for lunch, so hopefully if Pryor should decide to throw, he won’t have much time to do so. Graham, Martin, Van Bergen and Roh have been getting much better as the year goes on at getting pressure on the QB and getting holding calls against the OL.
But the one thing we must do well in order to win will be to run the football. I have no doubt that Minor and Brown will be at least healthy enough to go this week…plus we also have Michael Shaw and true-freshman Vincent Smith who will literally set the field on fire if he gets any open space. So the only question will be the battle up front…our OL versus your DL/LB.
tOSU has a very good defense. But we do have a capable offense that did lead the Big Ten in total offense and rushing yards just a couple weeks ago. To me, in this rivalry, no matter how good the QBs are, it all comes down to controlling the line of scrimmage and keeping the other offense off the field. The only way to do that is to run the ball well and not turn the ball over. I repeat…DO NOT TURN THE BALL OVER.
4) When do you think Brandon Graham is going to get drafted? Is he clearly first round material?
He’s first round material for sure. Amid a clearly disappointing year for Michigan defensively, he’s been making big plays in every game. 57 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 9 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 2 blocked punts and a touchdown for 2009 add to an already outstanding career at Michigan.
If given a choice between LaMarr Woodley and Brandon Graham, I might have to go with Graham just for his attitude alone. And I like Woodley a lot…so that’s saying something.
5) Is Denard Robinson being under-utilized by this team? Should he be getting more touches per game, even possibly at WR?
Well, if you call 12 for 27 passing for 185 yards, 4 INTs and 2 TDs with a QB rating of 96.81, being under-utilized, then yes…he is.
I have no doubt that Denard is a special player. He has a quality that just makes him a playmaker. But, he’s just young and not quite ready for prime-time at QB. It will come, it just takes time. Tate had the benefit of coming in a semester early and learning the offense sooner. That was obvious as the season started and Tate emerged as the obvious starter by the end of September.
Now, could Denard play another position? Sure. He’s been used sparingly at RB and at slot. Problem is, we need him healthy in case Tate takes a spill. The last thing we want to do is call up Sheridan to run the offense. And, we already have about 75 slot receivers on the roster as it is. I think I might actually be a slot-WR for Michigan.
Denard was recruited to play QB. He came to Michigan to play QB. That may all change of course in January once Devin Gardner steps on campus, I suspect Denard to be moved a notch down on the QB depth chart and maybe auditioned at RB or slot-WR in the spring. What we know for sure is, he’s just too talented to not be on the field. He does have 59 carries for 320 yards and 5 TDs, so he can run…problem is, that’s all he does. When he’s in the game though, he’s the fastest player on the field…bar none. He can spark an offense, much like he did in Iowa City to put Michigan within a field goal with a chance to win (before his INT to seal the game).
I consider him about as close to Steve Slaton we have on the roster. He’s a little smaller than Slaton, and we’ve been trying to make him a QB…which is his desired position, but maybe not the best place for him in this offense.
6) Sorry, the inevitable question had to arise; Who is your #1 candidate to replace Rich Rodriquez? Or is there no discussion on this matter yet?
Well, I’m surprised it took you six questions to get to this.
No matter how rock solid Michael Wilbon’s source is, and baring a major NCAA infraction against the program, Rodriguez isn’t going anywhere.
I am simply against this replacement idea right now. The man needs time. Two years in, with absolutely bare cupboards upon his arrival is just simply not enough time for anyone to turn a program like this around. What Rodriguez is doing is really building a program from scratch. This is a topic that I have address in one way or another for the last couple weeks.
If we struggle to make a bowl next year, then fine, I’ll understand the argument. But give the guy a chance to get at least two of his own recruiting classes in the door before we toss him out so he’ll go somewhere like Illinois and create a powerhouse that beats our ass every year. I’ve always said, when you have a new coach who is struggling to get going, look at his recruiting classes to judge his progress. Michigan has been signing quality recruits since Rodriguez stepped on campus (#8 class last year according to Rivals). It might not equal a show of improvement on the field right away, but it’s a sign that things are moving in the right direction.
And just to give you my take on the “candidates” – Brian Kelly is going somewhere soon…probably Notre Dame. Jim Harbaugh is headed to the pros. Les Miles will never leave LSU. Anyone else besides those three would probably set the program back another 3 years. And, the whole idea of getting any coaches like that to come to your school is to make them want to come. If we run Rodriguez out of town with pitchforks after two seasons, what kind of message does that send the incoming coach about the quality of school/fanbase he is inheriting?
For that reason alone, I want to see how Rodriguez does next year. We’re already well invested in this guy…so why not give him a real chance to show us what he can do? I think we may be pleasantly surprised.
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