It was a season that held such great promise only to culminate in a hollow feeling, the pain of a stinging defeat and an early exit overshadowing the successes that were achieved. However, the pain will soon recess and when we look back on the season, we’ll remember the milestones that were reached.

This team accomplished what the 26 Michigan basketball teams since 1986 could not: win the Big Ten, and it did so in a year in which the conference was at its best. Was Michigan truly the best team in the Big Ten? I think we would all by lying if we said yes, but it conquered the conference portion of the schedule well enough to earn a share of the title with two legitimate national title contenders, Michigan State and Ohio State.

This team featured a pair of seniors that will forever be remembered as the foundation of the Michigan basketball resurgence. John Beilein’s first two recruits came to a Michigan program that had just struggled to a 10-22 season, and took the Wolverines to the Big Dance three out of four years. Are Stu Douglass and Zack Novak among the best players in the Big Ten? Again, to say yes would have to be done while wearing maize colored glasses. Yet Douglass started more games in his career than any player in Michigan history and Novak became the first Wolverine to be named an Academic All-American in 30 years.

This team took a big step from being an under the radar bubble team with the ability to pull off upsets to a formidable foe that became the hunted rather than the hunter. It’s not an easy thing to do: live up to heightened expectations, especially when the crux of your team is underclassmen. Yes, the aforementioned senior leadership of Douglass and Novak cannot be understated, but the bulk of the weight was carried by a true freshman and a bunch of sophomores.

After routing Tennessee in its opening round game last season and narrowly missing the Sweet 16 with a near upset of Duke, Michigan looked poised to take another step forward.  But when sophomore point guard Darius Morris declared for the NBA Draft, the prospects of even matching that season’s record appeared dim. Enter Trey Burke. The “pride of Columbus, Ohio,” as he was called by Michigan’s public address announcer during pregame introductions of the Ohio State game, put Michigan on his shoulders and more than filled Morris’ shoes.

Burke quickly became a fan favorite, flashing a solid handle, the ability to knock down big shots, beat the defender off the dribble, and finish around the rim. He set the Michigan freshman assist record and was named Co-Big Ten Freshman of the Year, as well as a Sports Illustrated Second-Team All-American.

His backcourt running mate, Tim Hardaway Jr., entered the season with high expectations after an outstanding freshman season of his own, but fell into a sophomore slump that he could never quite get out of. He finished second on the team in scoring behind Burke, but while his overall shooting percentage remained about the same, his three-point percentage plummeted from 36.7 percent to an abysmal 28.3.

Evan Smotrycz showed flashes of brilliance throughout the season but was also prone to mistakes, and the season-ending loss to Ohio was a perfect example. His 6-of-7 shooting night kept Michigan in the game, but his mishandling of the ball in the final seconds sealed the victory for the Bobcats.

Jordan Morgan also flashed some ability to dominate the game, such as in Michigan’s 56-51 win over Ohio State on February 18 in which he virtually shut down Jared Sullinger and recorded 11 points and 11 rebounds of his own. Yet, he also had a remarkable ability to disappear at times.

Each of Michigan’s returning contributors has plenty of upside to go along with plenty to improve and the team will get a shot in the arm next season when the nation’s 11th-best (5th according to Rivals) recruiting class comes to town. Michigan should be able to play much bigger next season, which will be key to competing for the Big Ten crown once again.

But before we look ahead to what’s to come, let’s revel in the success of the season that just concluded. Take pride in the accomplishment of a Big Ten title, forget the early loss, and bid Douglass and Novak adieu as they move on to post-basketball careers. It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to take pride in Michigan basketball, so soak it up.

Biggest Areas of Improvement:

1. Develop depth. Michigan was mainly a seven-man rotation all season long with the same five starting every game and Smotrycz and Matt Vogrich coming off the bench. Others, such as Blake McLimans and Colton Christian played sparingly, but rarely enough to contribute.

If Michigan is to continue to progress, it will need to build depth to give the starters some rest without significantly decreasing production. Burke played 1,227 of the 1,375 available minutes (89 percent) this season with the majority of his rest coming at the beginning of the year. By season’s end, the grind seemed to have taken a toll, especially after playing 45 minutes in an overtime victory over Minnesota in the Big Ten tournament. Michigan didn’t have a backup point guard to spell him. That blame can certainly fall on Darius Morris for leaving early just to wind up in the NBA’s D League, but the need for depth applies across the board as well.

Getting Al Horford back from injury and Mitch McGary will instantly boost the frontcourt, and Smotrycz’s development and the additions of Glenn Robinson III and Nik Stauskas will bolster the wings. Hopefully Burke’s classmate Carlton Brundidge will be able to develop enough to see the court as well, giving Beilein a solid eight- or nine-man rotation.

2. Become less one-dimensional. Early in the season, Michigan had some success inside with Jordan Morgan and Al Horford. But once Horford was lost for the season, Morgan was unable to command the paint and Michigan became very one-dimensional. It worked for the most part, but eventually became the team’s greatest undoing late in the season when opponents figured out how to slow down Burke’s penetration and Michigan’s three-point shooting.

Michigan shot 788 three-pointers this season, 17 more than the Big Ten’s next highest, Northwestern, but converted just 35 percent of them, which ranked eighth in the conference. Too many times, the offense couldn’t even get the ball down low, and when it did, Morgan had very little in the way of a post game. That’s okay when the shots are falling, but late in the season with tired legs, they weren’t.

Michigan is always going to be a three-point shooting team under Beilein, and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, without any sort of threat inside, it leaves Michigan prone to losing games it shouldn’t. Horford and McGary will help greatly.

3. Become a better defensive team. Michigan ranked near the middle of the pack in the Big Ten in most defensive categories: scoring defense (4th), opponent field goal percentage (6th), and opponent three-point field goal percentage (5th), which isn’t inherently bad. But with an offene that wasn’t the best shooting offense and ranked eighth in scoring, there wasn’t much room for error. Michigan ranked last in the conference in steals and blocked shots and eighth in rebounding.

What that tells is that Michigan’s defense wasn’t stopping opponents as much as it was opponents just not executing. The one time all season that Michigan’s defense did really step up in an obvious way was the win over Ohio State when it harassed Aaron Craft all night long and made the Buckeyes work for every basket. The way Ohio University pressured Michigan on every possession in the NCAA Tournament game is the way a defense needs to play. Unfortunately, Smotrycz is a defensive liability every time he’s on the floor and Morgan isn’t tough enough or big enough to body most big men. Douglass and Novak, while hard-nosed, simply weren’t athletic enough to keep up with most guards.

Of course, when a team wins a conference title and earns a 4-seed in the NCAA Tournament, it’s hard to find too many faults without nitpicking. But fixing those three areas of improvement could be the difference between a 10-loss season and a legitimate national championship contender next season.

Check back in the next few days for a profile and grade of each player’s season and areas for improvement next year.

It wasn’t exactly how Brady Hoke planned it, but Michigan’s 23-20 Sugar Bowl win over Virginia Tech was a fitting end to Team 132′s season. The squad that endured three of the worst years in Michigan history fought to the end on Tuesday night and came away with an ugly victory, fulfilling Bo Schembechler’s legendary statement that “those who stay will be champions.”

#13 Michigan 23 – #11 Virginia Tech 20
	Final Stats
23	Final Score	20
11-2 (6-2)	Record	11-3 (7-1)
184	Total Yards	377
56	Net Rushing Yards	163
128	Net Passing Yards	214
12	First Downs	22
1	Turnovers	2
4-26	Penalties – Yards	7-68
5-181	Punts – Yards	1-36
23:10	Time of Possession	36:50
4-for-13	Third Down Conversions	6-for-15
1-for-1	Fourth Down Conversions	1-for-3
2-4	Sacks By – Yards	3-25
3-for-3	Field Goals	4-for-5
2-for-2	PATs	0-for-0
3-for-3	Red Zone Scores – Chances	4-for-6

The seniors who endured more than perhaps any other senior class in the 132-year history of Michigan football came up big in New Orleans. Rimington Award winning center David Molk injured his foot in pregame warmups and missed the first series, but fought through the pain the rest of the game. Junior Hemingway came up with two outstanding touchdown catches to bail out quarterback Denard Robinson. Mike Martin and Ryan Van Bergen held their own in the middle of the defense, tightening up when needed.

On a day when Robinson and Michigan’s electric offense was never able to get going, everything that has been Michigan’s downfall the past few seasons won the game. The defense that couldn’t stop anybody the last three years held Virginia Tech to its fifth-lowest total yardage of the season. It was truly a bend but don’t break defense that never did break, allowing Tech to convert third-and-longs with ease, but clamping down when it truly mattered. Kicker Brendan Gibbons, who lost the kicking duties last season after starting 1-for-5, continued the clutch kicking he has displayed all season by booting three field goals including a 39-yarder to put Michigan ahead with four minutes remaining and the 37-yard game-winner in overtime.

Michigan certainly got its share of breaks when the Hokies were penalized for roughing the punter late in the second quarter, an interception was overturned, Frank Beamer inexplicably called a fake punt from midfield late in the game, a touchdown in overtime was overturned, and Tech kicker Justin Myer missed a 37-yard field goal in overtime. Both calls could have gone either way, but seemed to be correct overturns. Regardless, it’s uncommon to see two close calls overturned in a game and even more uncommon for Michigan to get all the breaks.

It didn’t look promising for Michigan from the start when two poor snaps forced the offense out of rhythm and Michigan went three-and-out. Virginia Tech put together a solid drive, but Michigan forced a 37-yard field goal. On the next drive, Robinson was picked off by Kyle Fuller, giving VT a chance to widen its lead. But Michigan forced another field goal, this time from 43 yards out.

After a Michigan punt, Virginia Tech put together another promising drive, but Michigan’s defense stuffed quarterback Logan Thomas on 4th-and-1 from the Michigan 4-yard line.

Michigan was forced to punt once again, but punter Matt Wile drew a roughing the kicker penalty, keeping the drive alive. On 3rd-and-17 from the VT 45-yard line, Robinson fired a back footer towards a double-covered Hemingway. It looked as if it would be picked off by the safety over the top, but Hemingway held on and cruised into the end zone putting Michigan ahead 7-6.

On the ensuing kickoff, J.B. Fitzgerald forced a fumble and Michigan recovered at the VT 26. On 4th-and-3 from the VT 19, field goal holder Drew Dileo ran to the right and threw a prayer towards the middle of the field. It bounced off a pair of Hokies before falling into the arms of lineman Jareth Glanda for a first down at the eight. A pass to the 1-yard line left Michigan with just two seconds left before halftime and Hoke elected to kick the field goal and take a 10-6 lead into the half.

The third quarter started out with a pair of punts and on the first play of Tech’s second possession, freshman Frank Clark picked off a Thomas pass, giving Michigan the ball at the Hokie 35. Four plays later, Robinson found Hemingway in the back of the end zone, again out-leaping the Tech safety and this getting a foot down in bounds. Just like that, with virtually no offense, Michigan had a 17-6 lead.

Tech wasn’t done, however, scoring 11 straight and keeping Michigan’s offense from widening the gap. With nine minutes remaining and the game knotted at 17, Tech faced 4th-and-1 from the Michigan 48. Instead of punting and pinning Michigan’s stagnant offense deep, Beamer chose to run a fake, which Michigan sniffed out and stopped, getting the ball back at the Virginia Tech 45. Robinson moved Michigan into field goal position and Gibbons gave the Wolverines a 20-17 lead with four minutes left.

But Tech put together another long drive, getting all the way down to the Michigan 8-yard line before facing a third down. A false start pushed it back to 3rd-and-7 and the Michigan defense stopped the Hokies two yards short. Myer nailed a 25-yard field goal as time expired to send the game into overtime.

In the first extra period, after two straight runs for five net yards, Thomas connected with receiver Danny Coale in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown. But after review, it was ruled incomplete and Tech was forced to settle for its fifth field goal of the game. This time, however, Myer pushed it right, giving Michigan the ball needing just a field goal to win.

Three runs by Fitzgerald Toussaint set up Gibbons in the middle of the field for a game-winning 37-yard field goal that was right down the middle, giving Michigan its first BCS bowl victory since a 2000 Orange Bowl win over Alabama.

It certainly wasn’t pretty, but Team 132 became just the fifth Michigan team ever to win 11 games in a season, and it did so with defense. Tech’s offense came in averaging 415.8 yards and 28.5 points per game. Michigan held the Hokies to 377 yards and 20 points. Michigan also held running back David Wilson to his second-lowest rushing total of the season, 82 yards. He came in averaging 125 and had surpassed 123 yards in 10 of 13 games.

And so, what began with an embarrassing loss to Appalachian State, continued with two losing seasons without bowls, the worst three-year stretch in Michigan history, and NCAA sanctions, ended with wins over Notre Dame, Nebraska, Ohio State, and a Sugar Bowl victory. The plight of the senior class of Team 132 was summed up in Sugar Bowl MVP Hemingway’s postgame interview on the trophy podium, with tears streaming down his face: “It shows our hard work. It shows everything we put in from Day One, all the long days, long nights. Man, I’m telling you, it feels good man. Too good.”

Hemingway himself serves as a microcosm of the entire senior class. He entered as a heralded receiver out of Conway, South Carolina and showed promise of breaking out as a sophomore when he caught a 33-yard touchdown in Michigan’s 2008 season opener against Utah. But he developed mono, forcing him to miss the rest of the season, receiving a medical redshirt. Over the next couple years, he fought injuries before becoming Robinson’s go-to guy this season. And when all was said and done he was the one who stepped up with two tremendous touchdown catches and earned the Sugar Bowl Most Valuable Player award.

He’s just one of many seniors who will be missed next season, but their legacy will live on. Just like the Navy SEALS that Team 132 patterned its season after, Michigan found a way to get it done through adversity with grit and a determination that 10 wins was just not enough.

Michigan will head into the offseason with a likely Top 10 national ranking, 15 starters returning, and what should be a top 10 recruiting class. And when Team 133 takes the field in Dallas on Sept. 1 it may very well be the start of a national championship run against the defending national champions.

It has been a while since we submitted picks for a game, but the last time we did, we all ended up happy with a win over Ohio State. Matt was a little bit off with his 100-0 pick but ecstatic nonetheless. Josh was third, picking Michigan to win 27-12, while Chris was a close second, predicting 28-17. But Justin picked up his fourth win of the year with a prediction of 35-17, moving into a tie with Josh for the season lead with four wins. Chris is right behind with three, while Matt had one.

With a correct prediction in tonight’s Sugar Bowl, Justin or Josh could take home the crown or Chris could make it a three-way tie. This week, we’ll be playing for this maize (sort of) and blue sugar bowl and a Virginia Tech pillow pet to lay our head on throughout the offseason slumber.

The picks:

Justin (4) – Virginia Tech is a sound football team that will test Michigan on both sides of the ball. Despite the controversy surrounding the two teams getting BCS bids, this has a chance to be the best bowl game of the season as neither team looks to be that much better than the other.

When Michigan has the ball, look for a lot of Fitzgerald Toussaint until Bud Foster’s young front seven proves it can stop him. The zone read should help get Denard some open running lanes and if Michigan’s offensive line is getting a consistent push, it could be a banner day for Robinson and Toussaint. The Hokies had trouble stopping Clemson’s Tajh Boyd twice. Don’t expect Robinson to challenge cornerback Jayron Hosley often. He was a first-team All-American last season and is a lock to enter the NFL Draft this April. He has 12 interceptions in the last two seasons. Robinson was at his best in the last two games of the season when he only threw an average of 17.5 passes per game. If he’s forced to throw 25-30, Michigan’s offense will likely be playing catchup and will play right into Foster’s gameplan. The Hokie defense is one of the best in the nation at getting to the quarterback, having racked up 38 sacks. Look for a lot of quick screens and short routes in the passing game.

Defensively, Michigan needs to do the same thing the Hokies’ defense will try to do: stop the run. Virginia Tech loves to pound the ball with the nation’s 6th-best rusher, David Wilson. Tech runs the spread with a big bruising quarterback Logan Thomas, but it’s a physical spread rather than a speed-based one. The staple is the zone read and they love to get Wilson up the middle. They use it to set up play-action with quarterback Logan Thomas, who at 6’6″ 254 pounds, has a strong arm that isn’t always accurate. He has a good crop of experienced playmakers at receiver so Michigan can’t afford to completely sell out for the run. Look for an aggressive blitz scheme from Mattison’s defense designed to slow down Wilson while collapsing the pocket on Thomas, forcing dump offs as Clemson did so well. It may burn the Wolverine defense a time or two, but Michigan’s offense should be able to keep pace.

Michigan 24 – Virginia Tech 20

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Josh (4) – When I think of VaTech, I, like countless others, think “Beamerball”. For as long as I can remember Frank Beamer has fielded teams with outstanding defense and special teams. This may not have been the most imposing VaTech team we’ve seen but they are still a good team. Consistency among the coaches year-in and year-out provides players a steady influence and makes them better players for it. VaTech will come out to shut down Denard and the rushing attack and force Michigan to pass, as most teams would prefer to see Denard beat them with his arm than with his untied shoes.

The Hokie D was ranked in the top 15 in total yards, giving up 313 per game – four less than Michigan – but it’s their rushing attack that worries me. David Wilson is one of the top backs in the country, rushing for 1,627 yards and nine touchdowns, and averaging a whopping 6.1 yards per carry. He was held under 120 yards only three times all season, though the bulk of his TD’s (five) came against Appalachian State and Virginia. Wilson has 4.4 speed and while not a physically imposing back he is still a load to bring down. Look for Tech to give Michigan a heavy dose of David Wilson.

Quarterback Logan Thomas has come on strong as of late and is a big, fairly mobile QB with a cannon for an arm. That said, he is young and fairly inexperienced. He is not a “threat” to run, but he does move around well and can make plays with his feet nonetheless.

Michigan’s defense has seemingly gotten better and better each week and with the extra practice time and time to heal before the Sugar Bowl I expect to see a fully rested, healthy defense out there Tuesday night. This game means a lot to Team 132, but especially to the seniors. They exorcised one demon in beating Ohio but this is their chance to shine on the national stage in a major bowl game. If you had told me a year ago that Michigan would be 10-2 and playing in the Sugar Bowl in 2012 I would have called you an irrationally unrealistic fan – also known as Notre Dame-itis. But here we are.

Brady Hoke will have his team ready to play and they will not take any stock in the “experts” picks of Michigan being the odds on favorite to win.

I see this being a tough game though. VaTech won’t lie down and they are a good football team, having only lost to Clemson (twice) all season long. Denard and the offense should be able to get something going, as Denard has played lights out the past couple of games both passing and running. The defense will be playing with a passion and intensity that we haven’t seen yet (not to say they haven’t been this season but they will step up their game considerably Tuesday night).
This game should be a close one but something tells me Michigan is out to send the world a message, and that message is “Michigan football is back!”

Michigan 38 – Virginia Tech 17

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Chris (3) - So far in the bowl season, the games have been pretty good overall. But nothing will be more exciting than seeing the Wolverines playing in the Sugar Bowl against Virginia Tech. It has been a five-year drought since Michigan’s last BCS bowl and Wolverine Nation is ready to be back in the spotlight!

This game against the Hokies is an interesting matchup. Both defenses are ranked in the Top-20 in the nation. Both offenses are explosive, but in different ways. Michigan features the dynamic play-making ability of Denard Robinson. Virginia Tech has a young, but smart quarterback in Logan Thomas and a real running threat behind running back David Wilson.

For me, this game is going to come down which team wants it more. While Virginia Tech has played in these big bowl games recently, Michigan has not. I expect Brady Hoke to have his team excited and ready to play on the big stage in New Orleans. Defensive Coordinator Greg Mattison will have had a month to put in place the schemes necessary to slow down Wilson. The matchup that I think everyone needs to keep an eye on is the Michigan secondary vs the Virginia Tech wide receivers. VT features a stable of good receivers who all catch the ball very well but aren’t terribly fast. Will Logan Thomas be able to get them the ball while facing the multiple blitz scheme that Mattison always brings? With four senior offensive linemen, the chances are good that he will have some time to get the ball out.

On the other side, Virginia Tech has always been known to have one of the better defenses in the country. They will also have had a full month to get ready for Denard Robinson. When having that much time to prepare, it certainly makes it easier to contain Robinson. The emergence of Fitz Toussaint in the backfield will force the VT defense to play the zone-read honestly. I expect Michigan to come into the game very ready to play and excited about the chance to play on this stage.  I think they will come out with a fast start and then settle into the game in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. But VT is a strong team and this game will be close throughout. Michigan wins a close one.

Michigan 23 – Virginia Tech 20

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Matt (1) - I have missed the last few weeks for personal reasons, but I have enjoyed writing on this site so much and hope to continue for years to come.

I would also like to congratulate Brady Hoke, all the Michigan coaches and all the Michigan football players. We have had a few tough seasons of football lately, but now we are headed in the right direction with an incredible coach leading the way.

I would also like to congratulate all of the fans! Michigan is going to the Sugar Bowl this year, and with the coaching staff we have, I am confident we can win!

I’m not going to deny it, Virginia Tech is a tough team. And in our last game we beat the Ohio State Buckeyes, but it was close. But hey, close or not, we won. No matter how many games were “close,” we have earned this. And on January 3, I believe that we will see our Wolverines take the field in New Orleans and bring a Sugar Bowl victory back to Ann Arbor.

I think Denard is ready for the spotlight, and although he filled papers out for the NFL Draft I think his heart is with Michigan and he will be with us next season. I predict Denard will come out on fire, and have a great game.

I also believe we will see Fitzgerald Toussaint fired up and ready to go, rushing for a couple of touchdowns. As far as guys like Roy Roundtree and Kevin Koger go, I think they will have their presence felt as well.

On the other side of the ball, I think we will see Mike Martin, Ryan Van Bergen and company tear it up. Our defense has seemed to improve every week, and I don’t see that changing here.

Greg Mattison will have the guys disrupting the pocket and wreaking havoc on Virginia Tech’s offense.

Here’s my prediction…drum roll please!

Michigan 42 – Virginia Tech 32

Next up, September 1. Bring on Alabama! Go Blue!

It’s been over a month since Michigan last graced the field with a 40-34 win over rival Ohio State. First year head coach Brady Hoke exceeded all expectations by turning an underperforming MIchigan squad from the last three years into an 11-2 BCS bowl team that beat Ohio State. On Tuesday, Michigan will play its first post-New Year’s Day bowl game since a 1989 Rose Bowl victory over Southern California. It’s quite fitting that that was Bo Schembechler’s last bowl victory (he coached one more season after that, but lost to USC in the 1990 Rose Bowl).

#13 Michigan v. #11 Virginia Tech
Tuesday, Jan. 3 – 8:30pm ET – ESPN
10-2 (6-2 Big Ten)	Record	11-2 (7-1 ACC)
Western Michigan 34-10 Notre Dame 35-31 Eastern Michigan 31-3 San Diego State 28-7 Minnesota 58-0 Northwestern 42-24 Purdue 36-14 Illinois 31-14 #16 Nebraska 45-17 Ohio State 40-34	Wins	Appalachian State 66-13 East Carolina 17-10 Arkansas State 26-7 Marshall 30-10 Miami (FL) 38-35 Wake Forest 38-17 Boston College 30-14 Duke 14-10 #21 Georgia Tech 37-26 North Carolina 24-21 Virginia 38-0
#23 Michigan State 14-28 Iowa 16-24	Losses	#13 Clemson 3-23 #20 Clemson 10-38
34.2	Scoring Offense	28.5
235.7	Rushing YPG	188.7
187.4	Passing YPG	227.1
423.1	Total Offense	415.8
17.2	Scoring Defense	17.2
129.1	Rush Defense YPG	107.8
188.5	Pass Defense YPG	206.2
317.6	Total Defense YPG	313.9
27	Takeaways	22
21	Giveaways	16
28/15	Sacks By/Allowed	38/15
75-of-155 (48.0%)	Third-down Conv.	88-of-190 (46.0%)
10-for-14 (71.4%)	Field Goals	14-for-20 (70.0%)
33.7	Net Punt Avg.	33.6

And now, Team 132 will take the field on Tuesday in its first BCS bowl since the 2007 Rose Bowl, looking to end a three-game BCS losing streak.

Michigan will face Virginia Tech, one of the few schools the Wolverines have never faced in the 132 year history of Michigan football.

Virginia Tech finished the season 11-2 and would have been undefeated had it not been forced to play Clemson – twice. The Hokies lost at home to Clemson 23-3 on Oct. 1 and then again 38-10 in the ACC Championship game in Charlotte. Outside of that, the highest-ranked team the Hokies faced was 21st-ranked Georgia Tech, which they beat 37-26. Michigan and Virginia Tech had no common opponents this season.

Virginia Tech ranks 29th nationally in rushing with 188.7 yards per game, 66th in passing with 227.1 yards per game, 36th in total offense, and 52nd in scoring offense at 28.5 points per game. Defensively, the Hokies fared a little better, ranking 15th in rush defense, allowing 107.8 yards per game, 39th in pass defense at 206.1 yards per game, 15th in total defense, and 8th in scoring defense, giving up 17.2 points per game.

The Hokies’ defense does a good job of getting to the quarterback, racking up 38 sacks, which is good for 12th nationally. Special teams, normally a Virginia Tech strength, is the weak spot this season.

Let’s take position-by-position look.

Quarterback:

Logan Thomas is a big-bodied dual-threat quarterback, more in the mold of Tim Tebow than Denard Robinson. At 6’6″ and 254 pounds, Thomas is a former tight end who was moved to quarterback two years ago. He completed 59.2 percent of his passes for 2,799 yards, 19 touchdowns, and nine interceptions this season. He also ran 137 times for 416 yards, an average of just 3.3 yards per carry, and 10 touchdowns. I compare him to Tebow more than Denard because he’s not a burner that could break loose any play. His longest run of the season is 23 yards. Instead, he’s more dangerous in short-yardage situations. In 24 carries on third-and-short, he converted the first down with his legs 23 times.

Quarterback	Att/Comp	Yards	Comp %	YPA	TD	INT	Rating	Rush	Rush Yds	YPC	Rush TD
Logan Thomas	215-363	2,799	59.2	7.71	19	9	136.3	137	416	3.0	10
Denard Robinson	133-237	2,056	56.1	8.68	18	14	142.2	208	1,163	5.6	16

You can bet Michigan coaches are studying the way Clemson defended him. In the two matchups, he completed 37-of-71 passes for 399 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. He also ran 24 times for 10 yards, his two lowest rushing games of the season. Clemson was able to collapse the pocket and keep him contained. He’s just a first-year starter and was heavily criticized for the first half of the season. With a month to prepare, expect defensive coordinator Greg Mattison to have a similar game plan prepared.

Edge: Michigan

Running Back:

Virginia Tech has a top-notch back in David Wilson. He’s strong and fast, boasting a 4.4 40-speed. He ranks 6th nationally with 125.2 yards per game and ran for over 100 yards in 10 of Tech’s 13 games. In fact, he didn’t just barely break 100 either. He ran for at least 123 yards in all 10 of those. For the season, he racked up 1,627 yards on 266 carries (6.1 ypc) and nine touchdowns. He was also somewhat of a threat catching passes out of the backfield, with 21 receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown.

Though he did well against Clemson in the first meeting, rushing for 123 yards, his worst game of the season came in the ACC Championship game against the Tigers. He had just 11 carries for 32 yards, both his lowest totals of the season.

Behind Wilson, Thomas is the team’s second-leading rusher, but senior Josh Oglesby also gets some carries. He had 90 carries for 336 yards and six touchdowns. For comparison, Michigan’s third-leading rusher in terms of carries behind Robinson and Toussaint was Vincent Smith with just 49.

Running Back	Rush Att.	Yards	YPC	TD	YPG	Long
David Wilson	266	1,627	6.1	9	125.2	48
Fitzgerald Toussaint	174	1,011	6.1	9	91.9	65

Virginia Tech uses a zone running scheme and the staple is the zone read, which Michigan is very familiar with since it runs it itself. Wilson is very similar to Toussaint, but has done it all season. The Hokies love to run between the tackles, so Michigan’s defense will have to be physical up front if it wants to slow Wilson down.

Edge: Virginia Tech

Receivers and Tight Ends:

Thomas has a pair of experienced and established receivers to throw to in seniors Danny Coale and Jarrett Boykin. Coale leads the team in yards with 787 on 52 receptions and three touchdowns. He had three 100-yard receiving games, against Arkansas State, Marshall, and Boston College, but was held to just to catches for 11 yards in the ACC Championship game. He’s the main deep threat, having caught two receptions over 60 yards this season. Boykin, the school’s career leader in receptions and yards, has 57 catches for 731 yards and five touchdowns. He didn’t play in the Marshall game, also had three 100-yards receiving games, against Miami, Wake Forest, and North Carolina. He’s the most complete receiver with great hands and route-running.

Two others, juniors Marcus Davis and D.J. Coles, have done some damage as well. Both are bigger receivers at 6’4″ and 6’3″, respectively. Davis has five touchdown receptions and is third on the team with 499 yards. In the regular season finale against Virginia, he caught five passes for 199 yards and a touchdown. Like Coale, he’s a deep threat, but his size also allows him to go up and get the jump ball against smaller defensive backs. Coles is fast and has tallied 449 yards and three touchdowns. His biggest game of the season was the ACC Championship game, in which he caught seven passes for 116 yards and a touchdown.

Receivers	Height	Weight	Receptions	Yards	YPC	TD	YPG	Long
Danny Coale	6’1″	200	52	787	15.1	3	60.5	63
Jarrett Boykin	6’2″	218	57	731	12.8	5	56.2	60
Marcus Davis	6’4″	228	29	499	17.2	5	38.4	63
D.J. Coles	6’3″	224	34	449	13.2	3	34.5	49
Junior Hemingway	6’1″	225	32	636	19.9	2	53.0	77
Jeremy Gallon	5’8″	180	30	450	15.0	3	37.5	64
Roy Roundtree	6’1″	176	18	345	19.2	2	28.8	57
Kevin Koger	6’4″	255	21	235	11.2	4	19.6	40

Tech doesn’t use its tight ends much. Chris Drager is the tight end and he has caught 14 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns. Regardless, Michigan’s secondary will have its hands full with VT’s talented receiving corps. If receivers run open like they did against Ohio State, it could spell doom for Michigan as Thomas isn’t likely to miss them like Braxton Miller did.

Edge: Virginia Tech

Offensive Line:

Like the receiving corps, Tech’s offensive line is an experienced unit. It features four redshirt seniors led by first-team All-ACC right tackle Blake DeChristopher and second-team All-ACC right guard Jaymes Brooks. The line has done a great job of protecting Thomas, having allowed just 15 sacks this season, just over one per game, and the same as Michigan’s line has allowed. Rushing-wise, the line has paved the way for the nation’s 29th-best rushing attack at 188.7 yards per game, which is impressive since the Hokies love to run between the tackles rather than outside. The only non-senior in the group is redshirt sophomore center Andrew Miller who is a first-year starter.

Offensive Line	Height	Weight	Class	Starts
Blake DeChristopher	6’2″	311	RS Sr.	50
Jaymes Brooks	6’2″	307	RS Sr.	41
Andrew Miller	6’4″	290	RS So.	13
Greg Nosal	6’6″	297	RS Sr.	27
Andrew Lanier	6’5″	306	RS Sr.	28
Taylor Lewan	6’8″	302	RS So.	21
Michael Schofield	6’7″	299	RS So.	9
David Molk	6’2″	286	RS Sr.	41
Patrick Omameh	6’4″	299	RS Jr.	28
Mark Huyge	6’6″	302	RS Sr.	28

Edge: Even

Defensive Line:

Virginia Tech has a talented defensive front seven that ranks 12th nationally with 38 sacks and 15th in rush defense. The line is led by sophomore tackle Derrick Hopkins who has 50 tackles, five tackles-for-loss and three sacks, and second-team All-ACC defensive end James Gayle who has recorded seven sacks and 11.5 tackles-for-loss. The other end is redshirt sophomore J.R. Collins, who has six sacks and 11 quarterback hurries. Overall, it’s a young but athletic group that has a knack for getting to the quarterback. However, it had trouble containing Clemson QB Tajh Boyd, a somewhat similar quarterback to Robinson.

Edge: Michigan

Linebackers:

Tech lost two starting linebackers during the season, but hasn’t seen a dramatic drop-off in productivity. Sophomore strong-side linebacker Tariq Edwards ranks third on the team with 63 tackles and 9.5 tackles-for-loss and has 2.5 sacks and a pair of interceptions. Middle linebacker is VT’s version of Jordan Kovacs, walk-on Jack Tyler. The sophomore has 35 tackles and a sack. Rounding out the unit is a converted cornerback, Kyle Fuller, who has 64 tackles, 14.5 for loss, and 4.5 sacks. Due to the aforementioned injuries in the linebacker unit, Fuller gives the Hokies a nickel look, bringing speed and athleticism to the middle of the defense, which should help defend Robinson.

Edge: Even

Secondary:

The Hokies secondary is a good one, ranking 21st nationally in interceptions with 15 and 39th in pass defense, giving up 206 yards per game through the air. The unit is led by Jayron Hosley. The junior recorded nine interceptions last season, being named first-team All-American, and has been a force this season as well. He has three picks this year and eight pass breakups. The safeties are the team’s leading tacklers, as sophomore Antone Exum leads the team with 85 and senior Eddie Whitley ranks second with 78. Exum also has 21 pass breakups, two forced fumbles, 4.5 tackles-for-loss, an interception, and a fumble recovery. Overall, it’s a solid unit that will test Robinson’s passing ability. If the Denard from the last three games of the season shows up, Michigan will be fine, but if the Denard from the beginning of the season shows up, VT’s secondary could have a hey-day.

Edge: Virginia Tech

Special Teams:

If there’s one thing Frank Beamer and Virginia Tech is known for, it’s special teams. Named after the head man, “Beamerball” has personified Blacksburg for the past decade, but this season has not been the same. The team’s starting kicker, Cody Journell, was kicked off the team following his arrest for a home invasion two weeks ago. His backup, senior Tyler Weiss, was sent home from New Orleans for breaking curfew, leaving third-stringer and kickoff specialist Justin Myer to handle the kicking duties. He has been the team’s long field goal man this season, but has missed his only two attempts, from 57- and 53-yards.

Punter Danny Coale is also a receiver profiled above. He didn’t start the season as the team’s punter, but was moved there after the team’s first two punters weren’t able to get the job done. In two games, he has averaged a net of 45 yards per punt. The team as a whole ranks 108th nationally with a 33.6 net punt average.

Returnwise, the Hokies rank 36th in punt returns and 99th in kick returns. Hosley is the punt returner, averaging 12 yards per return, which is good for 12th in the nation. Junior running back Tony Gregory and Wilson handle the kick return duties. Neither has taken one back for a touchdown this season, but Wilson had two last year.

Overall, Tech has the potential to be dangerous in the return game, but looks shaky in the kicking game.

Edge: Michigan

Coaching:

While Brady Hoke is in his first year at Michigan, VT’s Frank Beamer is a legend in Blacksburg. He has been there 25 years and has the most wins of any team in the country since 1995. He has guided the Hokies to 19 straight bowl appearances, four ACC titles, and six top-10 finishes in the last 13 years. He was the National Coach of the Year in 1999 and (now that Joe Paterno is no longer at Penn State) is the active leader among FBS coaches in wins with 251.

Like Michigan, Tech has a highly regarded defensive mind in defensive coordinator Bud Foster. He’s in his 25th season at VT and consistently has the Hokies defense playing as one of the nation’s best.

Edge: Even

Intangibles:

The current Virginia Tech team has never played in the Superdome, but Beamer has experience there from the 1995, 2000, and 2005 Sugar Bowls. That should at least somewhat help in the game preparation, but Michigan will likely have a more friendly fanbase in attendance. Virginia Tech had trouble selling its ticket allotment, while Michigan fans, ecstatic to be back in the BCS, gobbled them up quickly. Though both teams had a month off, Michigan enters on a three-game winning streak, in which it played its best football of the season in beating Illinois, Nebraska, and Ohio State. Tech enters on the heels of a 38-10 drubbing at the hands of Clemson in the ACC Championship game.

Edge: Slight Michigan

Prediction:

Although many complained about Michigan and Virginia Tech getting at-large BCS bids, this has the makings of being one of the best bowl games of the year. Both teams have good defenses, exciting quarterbacks, and solid running games. Virginia Tech will look to pound David Wilson, but the running game had trouble against North Carolina, a defensive front seven similar to Michigan’s. For Virginia Tech to win, it will need to challenge Michigan’s secondary early and often. If it can do so and protect Logan Thomas from Michigan’s pass rush, Michigan’s defense could be in for a long day.

Offensively, Michigan will look to run right at the Hokies with Robinson and Toussaint. Virginia Tech’s front seven, while talented and athletic, is young and rather inexperienced. It lost three starters throughout the season. Michigan’s offensive line was able to manhandle Illinois’, Nebraska’s and Ohio State’s front sevens and it will look to do the same to Tech’s because challenging Hosley and the rest of the secondary is a risky proposition. Hosley is a sure-fire NFLer and the safeties are solid playmakers.

It’s important for Michigan to get out to a quick start and force Virginia Tech to somewhat abandon the run as it did against Clemson. If that’s the case, the Michigan front seven can load up on Thomas, which is when Mattison’s schemes are dangerous. It’s also imperative for Michigan to convert third downs. Against similar defenses to VT, Michigan State and Iowa, Michigan struggled to convert, going just 10-of-31 on third down. If that holds true on Tuesday, it will be hard for Michigan to put up enough points to beat the Hokies. It should be close throughout but I think Michigan will pull it out in the fourth quarter. If it comes down to special teams, I like Michigan’s chances.

Michigan 24 – Virginia Tech 20

Good to Know:

Tuesday marks the first ever meeting between college football’s all-time winningest program, Michigan, and the team that has won the most games in the nation since 1995, Virginia Tech.

This is Michigan’s second Sugar Bowl appearance. Michigan lost its only other appearance 9-7 to Auburn on Jan. 2, 1984

Michigan’s last game against a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference was a 42-7 Holiday Bowl victory over North Carolina State on Jan. 1, 1994. Michigan is 18-3 all-time against ACC schools

In his last two games, Denard Robinson completed 71.4 percent of his passes for 347 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception, and rushed 49 times for 253 yards and four touchdowns

Michigan has outscored opponents 322-136 after the first quarter and 207-87 in the second half

Record Watch:

With 34 pass completions, Denard Robinson will pass Brian Griese (1994-97) for 7th in career completions. With 4 passing touchdowns, Denard Robinson will move into a tie Steve Smith (1980-83) for 5th place on Michigan’s career list. With a 100-yard passing game, Denard will pass Tom Brady and tie Jim Harbaugh (1983-86) for 5th in career 100-yard passing games. With 47 passing yards, Denard will pass Steve Smith (1980-83) for 7th in career passing yards. With 102 rushing yards, Denard will pass Rob Lytle (1973-76) for 7th on Michigan’s career rushing list With 4 rushing touchdowns, Denard will move into a tie with Chris Perry (2000-03) for 4th place in career rushing touchdowns

We’re six days away from Michigan’s first BCS bowl appearance since the 2006 season and Michigan faces an intriguing matchup against a team it has never played. Virginia Tech boasts a slightly above average offense with the nation’s 6th-best running back and a top-15 defense. The Hokies’ 13th-ranked total defense and 8th-ranked scoring allows just 313.9 yards per game and 17.23 points per game.

Below are the questions for the final Michigan Man 5-Spot Challenge of the season. Several competitors are still within reach of the overall crown. Umichfan1 has carried the lead all season after winning Week 1. Can he go wire-to-wire? Hazel Parker stands just 12 points behind. He has won twice this season. Can he continue his late-season charge? Chris12qb is right on his heels, 14 points out of first. Can he make a late comeback? Bomoho is another two-time winner and is 17 behind. Does he have what it takes?

This week, we’re throwing a wrench into things. Remember that 25-foot basket in the old MTV Rock N’ Jock basketball games? Well this is the same idea. If any contestant gets the final question exactly correct, he/she will receive an additional five points for each contestant. So if there are 20 entries this week, and someone gets the total combined yardage exactly right, that person will receive 100 bonus points in addition to his final weekly result. This is a chance, albeit slight, for almost anyone who has participated this season to win. Good luck and Go Blue!

[Ed.: This was started right at the end of the season in hopes of getting it out before the Michigan football bust, but then I bought a new house, moved, etc, which resulted in less free time and no internet access at home for a few weeks. We apologize for the lack of content lately].

The 132nd team in Michigan football history began play in September with a new head coach and plenty of returning talent. It opened with a rain-soaked three-quarter win over Western Michigan and continued on with the first ever night game in Michigan Stadium history. It opened Big Ten play with a 58-0 route of Minnesota, then followed up with a second half comeback at Northwestern. It suffered defeat in East Lansing and Iowa City with a win over Purdue sandwiched in between, but bounced back with decisive wins over Illinois and Nebraska. And finally, it ended seven years of futility with a 40-34 win over Ohio State.

It’s hard to believe 12 games have already come and gone, but with season’s end comes awards and accolades. The All-Big Ten teams have been announced and Brady Hoke was named conference coach of the year, so we at Maize and Go Blue decided to announce our very first Maize and Go Blue Awards. Some of these will be painfully obvious and some you may disagree with, but we welcome the discussion and ultimately aim to honor the men of Team 132.

Harmon Player of the Year | Denard Robinson

Denard Robinson entered the season as a Heisman contender and almost singlehandedly beat Notre Dame in Week 2. However, his throwing mechanics seemed to tail off in the middle of the season, resulting in a number of interceptions and calls for Devin Gardner to replace him. But Robinson kept battling and delivered his best all-around performances of his career late in the season, including one of the greatest by any Michigan quarterback ever against Ohio State.

Last week, we found out that Robinson played much of the season with a staph infection on his arm and an abscess on his throwing elbow that at least in some part contributed to his midseason miscues.

He completed 133-of-237 passes for 2,056 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He also led the team in rushing with 1,163 yards (5.6 yards per carry) and 16 touchdowns. His rushing yards per game ranked 28th nationally and his total offense ranked 29th nationally. He also accounted for an average of 17 points per game, which ranked 15th in the nation, and despite his midseason passing struggles, he ranked 36th nationally in passing efficiency – just behind another preseason Heisman contender, Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones.

Votes: 2
Others Receiving Votes: Fitzgerald Toussaint (1), Mike Martin (1)

Chappuis Offensive Player of the Year | Denard Robinson

As stated above, Denard Robinson led the team rushing with 1,163 yards and 16 touchdowns, averaging 5.6 yards per carry, and completed 56 percent of his passes for 2,056 yards and 18 touchdowns. He finished 28th nationally in rushing and 36th in passing efficiency.

He also got better as the season progressed. After a fast start, and great performance against Notre Dame, he struggled against Northwestern and Michigan State. But he rebounded with three of his best performances of the season in Michigan’s final three games against Illinois, Nebraska, and Ohio State.

Robinson moved into 8th place in career completions, passing yards, and rushing yards at Michigan, 6th in career touchdown passes, 100-yard passing games, and 200-yard passing games, and 5th in rushing touchdowns. He’s also just 679 rushing yards away from Juice Williams’ Big Ten quarterback rushing record, which he should easily break next season.

Votes: 3
Others Receiving Votes: Fitzgerald Toussaint (1)

Schulz Defensive Player of the Year  | Mike Martin

Mike Martin was the rock of a Michigan defense that improved vastly in every statistical category from a year ago. Total defense ranked 18th nationally, rush defense ranked 35th, and scoring defense ranked 7th. While Martin didn’t have eye-popping numbers, he took on double-teams more often than not, freeing up the pass rush for the rest of the front seven. He was also solid in run defense, consistently clogging the middle of the line and taking away running lanes for opposing backs.

He made one of the best defensive plays of the season, fighting through the Purdue line to sack quarterback Caleb TerBush in the end zone for a safety to break a 7-7 tie. Michigan went on to score the next 27 points to put the game away.

Martin’s senior leadership and defensive tenacity was a stabilizing force for an all-around young Michigan defense. He benefited from Defensive Coordinator Greg Mattison’s experience coaching NFL defensive linemen and had the best season of his career at Michigan. He finished with 54 tackles (5.5 for loss) and three sacks.

Votes: 3
Others Receiving Votes: Jordan Kovacs (1)

Yost Coach of the Year | Brady Hoke & Greg Mattison (tie)

In his first year at the helm, Brady Hoke took an underperforming Michigan squad and guided it to a 10-2 record, falling just a few plays short of an undefeated season and a chance to play for the Big Ten championship. His display of composure on the sidelines, his hiring of top-notch coordinators, his willingness to call a gameplan with what he called ‘controlled agression’, and his beating of Ohio State make him a lock for the award.

Hoke was awarded the Schembechler-Hayes Big Ten Coach of the Year by both the coaches and the media (the media’s award is called the Dave McClain Award). It was his third conference coach of the year award in four years, having received the honor as head coach of San Diego State in 2010 and Ball State in 2008.

Many Michigan fans were skeptical of his hiring back in January, but one would be hard pressed to find a Michigan fan who hasn’t bought in at this point. In Hoke’s introductory press conference, he proclaimed that he would have walked to Ann Arbor (from California) if he had to. After nearly a year on the job, Hoke has won over players, almuni, and fans alike who would probably walk to California for him if they had to. He’s also putting the finishing touches on what will be a highly-ranked recruiting class coming to Ann Arbor next season.

According to Matt, “Hoke came in post-RichRod, turned this team around, went 10-2, became BCS eligible, and beat Ohio State.”

Greg Mattison is one of those coordinators that Hoke hired and was a genius pick. In Mattison’s second stint in Ann Arbor (he coached at Michigan from 1992-96), Mattison turned a defensive unit that ranked 110th nationally in 2010 and gave up the most points in Michigan history into the nation’s 18th-ranked total defense and 7th-best scoring defense. Not once all season did an opponent score as many points as the Michigan defense averaged allowing last season. Ohio State came the closest but was still one short.

The turnaround was most impressive because it was largely the same players as last year with the addition of freshmen Jake Ryan, Desmond Morgan, and Blake Countess mixed in. That Mattison can take the same defense, add three true freshmen to the mix, and produce what he did is nothing short of miraculous. The Michigan defense is in good hands as long as Mattison is coordinating it.

Chris picked Mattison, saying “Tough call between Hoke and Mattison but I had to go with Mattison because he was more directly responsible for the greatly improved play of the defense. His blitz schemes were a nightmare for opposing coordinators and his ability to get essentially the same players as last year to play like they did was top notch.”

Votes: Hoke (2), Mattison (2)
Others Receiving Votes: None

Little Brown Jug Game of the Year | 40-34 win over Ohio State

Of all of the achievements this season – a 10-2 record, a BCS bowl game, beating Notre Dame at the last second, etc., the most satisfying for Michigan players, coaches, and fans was beating Ohio State and ending the seven-year drought. It wasn’t easy and the game had its share of twists and turns, but Michigan persevered and found a way to do what the previous seven Michigan teams could not: Beat Ohio.

The Buckeyes came in with a 6-5 record, a true freshman quarterback, and nothing to lose. The OSU offense was anemic all season, but in what would be interim head coach Luke Fickell and offensive coordinator Jim Bollman’s last game on the reigns, they turned the offense loose. Instead of pounding the ball up the middle all game, they let quarterback Braxton Miller make plays with his arm and legs.

But Michigan traded blow for blow and scored the most points of any Michigan team against Ohio State since 1946. Denard Robinson played the best game of his career, hitting 14-of-17 passes for 167 yards and three touchdowns and rushing 26 times for 170 yards and two touchdowns. It was one of the greatest performances by a quarterback against Ohio State in Michigan history.

The win ensured that another senior class would not graduate winless against Ohio State and served as a pleasing sendoff for the seniors who stayed through three head coaches and multiple coordinators.

“Streak ending statement game,” said Josh.

Votes: 4
Others Receiving Votes: None

Howard Play of the Year | Denard’s TD pass to Roundtree to beat Notre Dame

Another unanimous selection, the 16-yard touchdown pass from Denard Robinson to Roy Rountree with two seconds left to beat Notre Dame proved to be one of the greatest moments of the season.

It was the much-hyped and nationally televised Under the Lights game, the first ever night game in Michigan Stadium history. ESPN’s College Gameday broadcast live from Ann Arbor that morning and Brady Hoke needed the win to keep Michigan fans from another “here we go again” feeling.

The game itself was a candidate for game of the year and probably would have been had Michigan not ended its seven-year futility against Ohio State. It was back and forth throughout, but looked like Michigan was headed for a loss when Notre Dame answered a Michigan touchdown to take a three-point lead with 30 seconds to play. Michigan got the ball on its own 20-yard line, needing to drive 80 yards in 30 seconds to pull off a miracle. And that they did.

On the second play, Robinson found a wide open Jeremy Gallon on a wheel route for a 64-yard gain to the Notre Dame 16. One play later, Robinson floated a perfect jump ball to Roy Roundtree in the end zone. The junior receiver leaped above ND defensive back Gary Gray and hauled it in, touching a foot in bounds before falling out of bounds. Replay confirmed the catch and Michigan celebrated its third-straight win over Notre Dame.

Votes: 4
Others Receiving Votes: None

Biakabutuka Performance of the Year | Denard’s 5 TDs against Ohio State

Denard Robinson had his share of electrifying moments the past couple of seasons, even garnering Heisman talk at times the past to years. However, the major knock on the junior quarterback has been that he hasn’t played well in big games against the likes of rivals Michigan State and Ohio State. This time, in the season’s final game, he did.

Although Ohio State was limping in with a 6-5 record, it was still a rivalry game and Michigan was fighting the burden of the seven-year plague. Ohio State’s defense still had largely shut down two of the Big Ten’s best quarterbacks, Michigan State’s Kirk Cousins and Wisconsin’s Russell Wilson.

Robinson, however, was not to be stopped. He turned in one of the greatest single performances by a Michigan player against Ohio State in the history of the rivalry. He completed 14-of-17 passes for 167 yards and three touchdowns and rushed 26 times for 170 yards and two touchdowns. He became just the fourth Michigan quarterback to throw for three touchdowns in a game against Ohio State (the first since Drew Henson in 2000) and his 170 rushing yards were the third-most by any Michigan rusher against the Buckeyes (behind Tim Biakabatuka’s 313 in 1995 and Jamie Morris’ 210 in ’86).

“Big players come up big in big games,” said Chris. “Denard did not disappoint.”

Votes: 4
Others Receiving Votes: None

Friedman Quarterback of the Year | Denard Robinson

Unlike the Yost Coach of the Year award, in which two coaches very much deserved the honor, this one is painfully obvious. Even though sophomore Devin Gardner got some playing time, no one is going to name him quarterback of the year.

Denard Robinson followed up a stellar sophomore season with an even better junior season. While his numbers were down overall (1,163 rushing yards vs. 1,702 in 2010 and 2,056 passing yards vs. 2,570 in 2010), he developed as a quarterback and as a leader. There were times early in the season where questions arose about Denard’s progress, but by season’s end, he proved that the job is his and his alone.

He ranked 28th nationally and 5th in the Big Ten in rushing, breaking the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight season. He completed 56.1 percent of his passes for 18 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, though his TD-to-INT ratio grew as the season drew to a close. Most importantly, he turned in his best performance in leading Michigan to its first win over Ohio State in eight years, throwing for 167 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 170 yards and two touchdowns. He became the fourth quarterback in Michigan history to throw for three touchdowns in a game against OSU – the first since Drew Henson in 2000 – and recorded the third-highest rushing total by any Michigan player against the Buckeyes.

Michigan fans should expect big things from Robinson in 2012.

Votes: 4
Others Receiving Votes: None

Heston Running Back of the Year | Fitzgerald Toussaint

It took a while for Fitzgerald Toussaint to get going, but once he did, he turned in a phenomenal season. After rushing for 80 yards and two touchdowns in the rain-soaked season opener against Western Michigan, Toussaint didn’t play against Notre Dame and carried just twice for seven yards in a mid-season loss to Michigan State. After that, however, he gained at least 120 yards in four of the remaining five games, averaging six yards per carry.

Toussaint finished sixth in the Big Ten in rushing, right behind Robinson, and 40th nationally. He also eclipsed the 1,000 mark, becoming the first Michigan running back to do so since Mike Hart.

For the season, he gained 1,011 yards and scored nine touchdowns, averaging 5.8 yards per carry and 91.9 yards per game.

Votes: 4
Others Receiving Votes: None

Carter Receiver of the Year | Junior Hemingway

With the exception of the Notre Dame and Northwestern games, Michigan didn’t put the ball in the air often. The emergence of Fitzgerald Toussaint allowed Hoke and offensive coordinator Al Borges to utilize the passing game just enough to keep the defense honest for the running game.

Junior Hemingway was a guy that Michigan fans had been waiting to break out for years, but was always hampered by injury. This season, he did so.

Hemingway emerged as the main receiving threat with his ability to stretch defenses and go up and get balls in the air. He made several great plays against Notre Dame and Northwestern, out-leaping the defensive back to give a shot in the arm to the offense. He finished the regular season with 32 receptions for 636 yards and two touchdowns.

Against Notre Dame, Hemingway had three catches for 165 yards and a touchdown and against Northwestern, he caught five passes for 124 yards. His second and only other touchdown of the year came against Ohio State, putting Michigan ahead 16-7 at the end of the first quarter.

“Hemingway gave the offense a deep threat which had been lacking over the last few seasons,” said Josh. “When he was catching the ball, his ability to stretch the field opened up windows in the defense for other receivers to run into.”

Votes: 3
Others Receiving Votes: Roy Roundtree (1)

Dierdorf Offensive Lineman of the Year | David Molk

David Molk was everything you could possibly ask for at the center position. He was the rock of the Michigan offense and a senior leader both on and off the field. He was a First-Team All-America selection and the Rimington Award winner which goes to the nation’s top center.

While many things could be pointed to for Michigan’s offensive success throughout the entire season, one of the biggest is the stability Molk provided to the offensive line. That was all the more apparent in 2009 when Molk missed eight games due to various injuries and the offense fell apart.This season, he was healthy throughout, and the offense never missed a beat.

Off the field, while Robinson could be considered the face of Michigan football, Molk was usually the voice of Michigan football, providing positive soundclips and keeping the team focused and together. He was one of the few seniors who stayed and triumphed through three head coaches and multiple coordinators. He beat Ohio State and will play in Michigan’s first BCS bowl game since the year before he arrived in Ann Arbor.

“Center is the most important player on the line,” said Chris. “Molk came through with leadership and stellar play.”

Votes: 4
Others Receiving Votes: None

Messner Defensive Lineman of the Year | Mike Martin & Ryan Van Bergen (tie)

The best position group on a vastly improved Michigan defense, and also the hardest to replace next season, was the defensive line. It was manned by a pair of senior leaders, Mike Martin and Ryan Van Bergen, both of which share the Messner Defensive Lineman of the Year award.

Martin was the clog in the middle of the defense that routinely took on double-teams and made it tough for opposing offenses to run the ball. Van Bergen had a knack for fighting his way through the line to pressure the opposing quarterback. Together, they formed the backbone of one of the Big Ten’s top units.

According to Josh, “While Martin was often fighting through double-teams, Van Bergen was making plays with his quick pass rushing abilities. He had five sacks, 12 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and four pass breakups. This is another Senior who will be difficult to replace.”

Votes: Martin (2), Van Bergen (2)
Others Receiving Votes: None

Simpkins Linebacker of the Year | Jake Ryan & Kenny Demens (tie)

Last year’s linebacker corps was plagued with unsound fundamentals and poor tackling and the unit entered this season as one of the biggest question marks on the team. Obi Ezeh and Jonas Mouton were gone and many wondered who would fill their spot. Kenny Demens entered the scene last season, but no one else had stepped up. Enter Jake Ryan.

The redshirt freshman broke out to provide some much-needed playmaking ability and combined with Demens to provide stability to the linebacking corps.

He finished the season with 30 tackles, seven for loss, and also recorded two sacks and recovered two fumbles. Against San Diego State, he recorded five tackles, one for loss, and two fumble recoveries. He was named to the ESPN.com and Big Ten All-Freshman team.

Demens led the team in tackles with 86, five for loss, and also tallied three sacks. He recorded a team-high 12 tackles against Notre Dame and also helped slow down Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller, adding eight tackles and an assisted sack.

He was an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honoree.

“Led the team in tackles and was a force in the middle of the field,” said Chris.

Votes: Ryan (2), Demens (2)
Others Receiving Votes: None

Woodson Defensive Back of the Year | Jordan Kovacs

Over the last couple of seasons, Jordan Kovacs has become one of the team’s most popular players. The former walk-on who earned a scholarship last season did a little bit of everything on defense.

He was second on the team in tackles with 64, second on the team with eight tackles for loss, tallied four sacks, forced two fumbles, recovered one, and picked off a pass.

In the season-opening win over Western Michigan, Kovacs led the team with 10 tackles, two for loss, recorded a pair of sacks, forced a fumble, and recorded a pass breakup. For his effort, he was named the Lott IMPACT Player of the Week.

He also made one of the key defensive plays of the season when he sacked Northwestern quarterback Dan Persa on fourth down to give the ball back to Michigan and seal the win.

He was named All-Big Ten honorable mention by the media.

Votes: 2
Others Receiving Votes: Blake Countess (1), J.T. Floyd (1)

Hamilton Special Teams Player of the Year | Brendan Gibbons & Jeremy Gallon (tie)

It’s fitting that two players split the special teams player of the year award given that Michigan’s special teams was a disaster the past couple of seasons and improved immensely this year.

A year ago, Gibbons made just made just 1-of-5 field goals before being replaced by Seth Broekhuisen for the remainder of the season. The kicking game was so bad that Rich Rodriguez elected to forego kicking unless the team was within about 30 yards. This year was a drastic turnaround. Gibbons hit 10-of-14 field goals and 52-of-53 extra points.

The night-and-day difference between last season and this was on display in the fourth quarter against Ohio State. Holding onto a three-point lead with two minutes left, and facing fourth-and-goal from the OSU-26, Hoke sent Gibbons out to attempt what would be a career long. With the pressure of the seven-year plague on his back, Gibbons nailed it, pushing the lead to six, and making Ohio State have to score a touchdown to win rather than a field goal to tie.

Another sore spot for Michigan the past couple years was the return game. Aside from not getting return yards, Michigan’s returnmen had trouble catching the ball. Michigan fans held their breath every time a punt was in the air, arcing down toward a Michigan returnman. Not so this year.

Jeremy Gallon provided a solid receiver on punts and proved capable of picking up yards as well. He averaged 10.1 yards per return and his 32-yard return against Illinois set up a Michigan touchdown. He was named an All-Big Ten Special Teams third teamer by Phil Steele.

Votes: Gibbons (2), Gallon (2)
Others Receiving Votes: None

Hart Newcomer of the Year | Blake Countess

As a true freshman, Blake Countess certainly impressed. He added a playmaking cover corner to a Michigan secondary that was desperately in need of one after getting torched game-in and game-out last season. He played in 11 of the team’s 12 games (10 at cornerback) and earned a starting spot in the last five.

Countess totaled 36 tackles, one for loss, and was second on the team in pass breakups with six. Against San Diego State, he tallied seven tackles and a pass breakup, and made a fantastic touchdown-saving pass breakup against Ohio State in the season finale (pictured right).

He was named to the ESPN.com and Big Ten All-Freshman team.

“Came into a starting role and never relinquished it,” said Josh. “Played with maturity and poise beyond his true freshman status.”

Chris was also impressed, saying, “The addition of Countess to Michigan’s secondary mid-way through the season was an excellent move by the coaches. In five starts, Countess had 36 tackles, 6 PBUs, and 1 forced fumble. Not bad for a true freshmen in such a short game span. Opposing QBs had to account for him on every passing play.”

Votes: 3
Others Receiving Votes: Drew Dileo (1)

Schembechler ‘Those Who Stay’ Senior of the Year | Mike Martin

Mike Martin was a senior leader who stuck it out through three head coaches, multiple defensive coordinators and various schemes. He very easily could have departed for the NFL after his junior season rather than try to learn a new scheme, but he stuck it out and emerged better off for it. The coaching he received from former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Greg Mattison should certainly help out his NFL Draft stock.

He routinely took on double teams, freeing up Ryan Van Bergen and Craig Roh to rush the passer, and clogged the middle of the line, making it hard for opposing running backs to find holes.

“Martin was the leader of this defense, starting in the offseason when Hoke was first hired,” said Chris. “He helped Hoke get the rest of the defense (and the team) to buy into the new coaching staff. Losing Van Bergen’s abilities off the edge will hurt too, but it’s always tough to replace a leader like Martin.”

Votes: 4
Others Receiving Votes: None

Harris Most Improved Player of the Year | Brendan Gibbons & Fitzgerald Toussaint (tie)

As noted above in the special teams player of the year award, Brendan Gibbons showed vast improvement compared to a year ago. He went from 1-for-5 last season to a dependable 10-for-14 this season. And when it mattered most, he connected on a career long 43-yarder in the fourth quarter against Ohio State. With two years of eligibility left, it looks as if Michigan will be solid at kicker at least until he graduates.

Fitz Toussaint also gets the nod because of the way he broke out in the second half of the season. He battled injuries a year ago when he got just eight carries for 87 yards all year. Of those 87, 61 came on one run. This year, he busted out for 1,011 yards on 174 carries, becoming a dependable every-down back and a perfect complement to Denard Robinson in the backfield. Like Gibbons, Toussaint is just a sophomore, ensuring two more years to continue improving and leaving Michigan with a solid running game.

“Emerged as the go-to back,” said Josh. “Gave offense a much needed added dimension to take pressure off Denard.”

Votes: Gibbons (2), Toussaint (2)
Others Receiving Votes: None

At the beginning of the season, new head coach Brady Hoke took a page out of Lloyd Carr’s book to set the tone for the season. When Hoke was an assistant at Michigan, Carr gave the 1997 team pickaxes during the national championship season to symbolize climbing a mountain, based on the book “Into Thin Air.” This year, Hoke themed the season after SEAL Team 6, which brought down and eliminated Osama Bin Laden at the beginning of May. The correlation was teamwork and unity. Each and every member of the team was in this together.

#15 Michigan 40 – Ohio State 34
	Final Stats
40	Final Score	34
10-2 (6-2)	Record	6-6 (3-5)
444	Total Yards	372
277	Net Rushing Yards	137
167	Net Passing Yards	235
23	First Downs	18
2	Turnovers	1
3-29	Penalties – Yards	5-47
2-95	Punts – Yards	3-120
35:10	Time of Possession	24:50
5-for-11	Third Down Conversions	5-for-12
1-for-2	Fourth Down Conversions	1-for-2
4-15	Sacks By – Yards	1-3
1-for-1	Field Goals	2-for-2
5-for-5	PATs	4-for-4
4-for-4	Red Zone Scores – Chances	3-for-3

Prior to the Nebraska game a week ago, Hoke had a group of Navy SEALs speak to the team and provide inspiration. The team was given actual tridents that the SEALs wear. On Saturday, Team 132 stepped off the team bus wearing the tridents around their neck and proceded to fight for 60 minutes to achieve the supreme mission it set out for when the season began: beat Ohio.

The seven-year plague the Buckeyes strolled into Ann Arbor with had not been lost on maize and blue faithful across the country and even though the season was a bust for OSU, everyone knew they would put up a fight in college football’s greatest rivalry. No one, however, expected what was about to ensue.

Ohio State took the ball to start the game and came out passing. An offense that hadn’t thrown the ball more than 18 times in a single game all season and slumbered through the first 11 games looked like a force to be reckoned with, whipping the ball around the field.

It was clear from the outset that the tendencies broken by OSU Offensive Coordinator Jim Bollman were not expected by Hoke and Defensive Coordinator Greg Mattison. On the Buckeyes’ first possession, freshman quarterback Braxton Miller found a wide open Corey Brown for a 54-yard touchdown to stun the Big House crowd. On the play, safety Thomas Gordon broke on the inside receiver, DeVier Posey, and no one followed Brown.

In the second quarter, Miller broke loose and ran for a 19-yard touchdown, and on the ‘Bucks next possession Miller connected with Posey for a 43-yard touchdown – the second long touchdown pass of the game against a Michigan defense that hadn’t given up big plays all season.

Miller played a great game for a true freshman in his first Ohio State-Michigan game, but missed a number of wide open receivers that could have sealed Michigan’s fate. And that was the difference in this game. While Miller played well and took advantage of Michigan’s defensive mistakes but couldn’t make the big plays when needed, Denard Robinson silenced his critics with the best game of his career.

Robinson threw for 167 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Most impressive is that he had as many touchdowns as incompletions. He connected on 14 of 17 passes and looked in complete control of the offense all game. Aside from a second quarter fumble that gave Ohio the ball at the Michigan 31 and resulted in an OSU touchdown, Robinson turned in the type of performance that has made legends out of the rivalry over the years.

He became just the fourth Michigan quarterback to throw for three touchdowns against Ohio State – the first since Drew Henson in 2000 – and his 170 rushing yards were the third-highest total for a Michigan rusher in The Game, behind only Tim Biakabutuka’s 313 in 1995 and Jamie Morris’ 210 in ’86.

But while Robinson accounted for all of Michigan’s touchdowns and the majority of the total yards, he didn’t do it all alone. Fitz Toussaint rushed for 120 yards on 20 carries – his third straight 100-yard game – and surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the season. Robinson and Toussaint became the first Michigan duo to record 1,000-yard seasons since Gordon Bell (1,388) and Rob Lytle (1,030) did it in 1975.

In addition to Robinson’s and Toussaint’s performances, the receiving corps player perhaps its best game of the season. Each receiver was sharp and held onto all of the catchable balls. Whether it was Junior Hemingway coming back to catch Michigan’s first touchdown or Martavious Odoms catching a bullet in traffic and weaving through five defenders into the end zone or Drew Dileo hauling in a 28-yarder on Michigan’s final drive, they all came to play.

Defensively, while the 34 points allowed were the most given up all season, credit has to be given to the unit that tightened up in the second half, allowing just 10 points, and made the stop to seal the win. Michigan sacked Miller four times and freshman linebacker Desmond Morgan led the team with 10 tackles. On the outside, freshman cornerback Blake Countess made a great leaping pass break-up in the first quarter on what would have been a long gain, and Courtney Avery picked Miller off to end the game.

Credit is also due to placekicker Brendan Gibbons who made just 1-of-5 field goals last season, but stepped up with a clutch 43-yard field goal with two minutes remaining to force the Buckeyes to have to drive the length of the field and score a touchdown instead of a field goal.

Twenty three seniors played their final game in the Big House and they exemplify what a Michigan Man is all about. While many of their former teammates left when the going got tough or decided to jump ship early, these 23 men stuck it out through three different head coaches, multiple coordinators and different schemes. It wasn’t easy, but each and every one of them will tell you it was worth it.

When Denard took the final knee and the clock hit zero, the team unity that was built over the last few months on the principles of the Navy SEALs was on display for all to see. Just as the team does at the end of practice every Friday, the ball was thrown up in the air, and when it landed, the entire team fell to the ground, as if a bomb had gone off. It was a fitting display of a Michigan band of brothers playing for each other and overcoming adversity. And just like SEAL Team 6 ended Bin Laden’s reign of corruption in the middle east and dumped his body out to sea, Michigan’s Team 132 put an end to Ohio’s seven-year reign in a sea of maize and blue.

The victory, and what is likely to follow in the coming days with the expected hiring of Urban Meyer to become Ohio’s next head coach, restore the vigor to the rivalry that has been in hibernation the past few years. Miller looks to be the real deal for OSU and Robinson will be a senior next season. With Hoke’s reinforced significance on beating Ohio, Mattison’s defensive genius, the youth that has stepped up on Michigan’s defense, and the emergence of Toussaint as a feature back, it’s exciting to look forward to the coming years of Michigan football and beating Ohio yet again.

Until the teams meet 364 days from now in Columbus, Michigan has the upper hand and the bragging rights, and Ohio State will have to figure out a way to win without access to free cars, under the table cash, and free tattoos.

Last week Michigan dominated Nebraska in a way none of us expected. We all were confident that Michigan would win but didn’t expect the whooping that Michigan put on the ‘Huskers. Justin and Josh tied for the closest. Justin was the most confident in Michigan’s offense, 12 away from the final, but thought Nebraska’s offense would pose more of a challenge. Josh was 18 away from Michigan’s score and 7 away from Nebraska’s, while Chris predicted a closer-scoring game, 21 away from Michigan’s score and six away from Nebraska’s.

This week, we all know what’s on the line, so we’re not playing for anything except the season-long crown (although there is still the bowl game remaining). Josh leads with four wins, while Justin and Chris each have three and Matt has one.

The picks:

Justin (3) – Tattoos don’t win games. Their allure, and everything else that comes with them, might help with recruiting, but when it’s all you’ve got left, it’s just a stain on your skin. That’s what those dressed in scarlet and grey will realize at high noon on Saturday. The run of free cars, under the table cash, inked up arms, and pumped up kicks is over. And so is the seven year plague.

Ohio comes into Ann Arbor with a hollow momentum. Winning seven straight gives the Buckeyes the upper hand, but in reality, they’re hurting. Back-to-back losses to Purdue and Penn State leave OSU needing a win to finish with an above .500 record. If anyone saw that coming at this time last year I’d like to meet you.

The Buckeye offense is predicated on running and running and running. It will pound Herron, Hyde, Hall, and Miller and sprinkle in a pass here and there. Miller will probably be a pretty prolific quarterback by the time his days at Ohio are over, but right now he’s a true freshman playing in his first game at Michigan. He’s also facing a defense coordinated by Greg Mattison. Expect Mattison to have a perfect game plan designed to pressure Miller and keep him from getting comfortable. You can bet Mattison has preached gap responsibility all week as Miller is most dangerous when scrambling around eluding would-be tacklers.

Offensively, Michigan will pound Fitz Toussaint and Denard Robinson. Ohio has not proven it can stop the run and Penn State racked up the rushing yards last week. Michigan will get a couple of big gainers as Ohio’s linebackers and safeties are prone to getting out of position. I don’t see Michigan having much trouble moving the ball and as long as Denard doesn’t make poor back-footed decisions, points will be there for the taking. Look for something new from the game plan as well; something Offensive Coordinator Al Borges has been saving just for this game.

If Michigan can score quickly, all the momentum Ohio has in the rivalry will be zapped and the lingering doubts about the current season, the missing sweatervest, and the future of the head coach will sink in. Look for a fairly close game early on becoming a comfortable Michigan win in the second half.

Michigan 35 – Ohio 17

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Josh (4) - I’m not from Michigan, and I’m not even from the midwest, but I’ve been a die-hard Michigan fan for as long as I can remember. My dad, who went to Michigan for college and dental school, wasn’t exactly a sports fan, but every time a Michigan game was on we watched it and rooted for the Maize and Blue. My first real memory of Michigan sports was the 1989 NCAA basketball tournament when Glenn Rice and Rumeal Robinson beat Seton Hall for the National title. Incidentally, one of the assistant coaches on that Seton Hall team, Rod Baker, would end up becoming a co-worker of mine after college.

Then came Desmond Howard as well as the Fab Five in basketball. Michigan was always on and always winning. How could I not be a Michigan fan?

From middle school, and a bit before, until I graduated high school in 1998, Michigan was 7-1-1 against Ohio, with a National title after the 1997 season. Nebraska can say they won it too all they want but no one outside Nebraska believes it. From the time I was old enough to understand football until the beginning of this century Michigan was 9-2-1 against Ohio – complete domination.

It seems like every year the season for each team came down to “The Game,” either for the Big Ten title or a chance at a National title. It meant something on the national landscape. Lately though, the tides have turned and as we all know Ohio has inched a little closer in the overall win/loss record, going 8-1 since 2001 (Ohio fans will say 9-1 but technically they didn’t win last year, not against us, not against anyone). Aside from 2006, Michigan hasn’t had much at stake during “The Game.” This year is different, but the same. It means something to Michigan’s season and fan base, other than the great satisfaction of beating that school down south.

I live in Ohio now, and I work with two die hard Ohio fans. They’re not the most unreasonable Ohio fans I have met but they still border on insufferable. They like to talk about the past decade and how they’ve owned us, but whenever I bring up the 90s or the overall record they tell me that was the past. Never mind that once a game is over it is in the past and the PAST decade of Ohio wins are just that, in the past (but no one ever confused Ohio fans for being rational).

Before the season started, but after the “Tat Gate” scandal and Tressel’s ‘firing’ I was at lunch with some co-workers and a few of their friends talking football. They were so adamant about Ohio still being dominant and running the table in the B1G Ten and playing in its inaugural championship game. I said it would be tough without the vest and Pryor, but they laughed. They’re THE Ohio after all. Then the conversation switched to Michigan. I love my team unconditionally but I am also a reasonable and realistic fan. I didn’t expect them to go 10-2 but I thought it was reasonable to go 8-4. I mean, how was it possible to be worse than we were last season?! They laughed at me, ‘Michigan won’t win more than 4 games this year’ they said, ignoring all the changes in staff and other intangibles. Despite my most thought out, logical arguments (I went to law school for one year so I thought it was rather strong) they still laughed. One of them said he was so confident that Michigan would suck that he’d bet me dinner. The terms were each win over 7 would get me dinner at a nicer place and each win under 5 he’d get the nicer dinner. He has since tried to go double or nothing with the Ohio game. I took it but I still get lunch if we lose. The funny thing is he’s not even an Ohio fan, he was just so convinced by the Ohio fans around us about Michigan’s ineptitude that he thought he’d cash in on my loyal fanhood and get a free dinner out of it. Oops.

There weren’t many Michigan fans where I grew up (Rochester, NY), nor were there many Ohio fans, so I never experienced an insane amount of trash talking and just plain ridiculousness from Ohio fans. I have been in Ohio for almost a year and a half now. I didn’t like Ohio before, but I would never call it a hatred. Living amongst Ohio fans makes me absolutely despise that team down south. Notre Dame has incredibly unrealistic fans, but they’re not jerks (I’m censoring myself. If you know an Ohio fan you have a good idea of what I meant to say here). Ohio fans go beyond passionate super fans into a realm of just plain insanity.

The Game has always been important but this year its different for me. It means more, both personally and for both teams. Michigan has a chance to end its losing streak and give Ohio its first non-winning season since and a LOSING record in the B1G Ten for the first time since 1999. Michigan has an outside shot at a BCS bowl for the first time in five seasons. It means I won’t have to hear Ohio fans give me crap for a whole year, and it means I can talk trash to them about how bad they are for a whole year. It means I can walk around town in my Michigan gear (although I already do) and know that we beat them and they cannot do anything about it for a whole year. I’m proud to be a fan of the Michigan Wolverines, win or lose, but when we’re winning it’s all the sweeter. And when we beat Ohio it’s almost heaven.

I didn’t want to move to Ohio for work – actually, it was supposed to be Detroit but plans changed – but now I’m glad we live in Ohio. After Tat Gate, Tressel’s ousting, and their less than stellar season, it feels great to watch them suffer (though I want to see them get back on their feet again – beating them when they’re 11-0 is the best feeling). And when Michigan wins on Saturday, it will feel so good. Not only to end the streak, but to know that Brady Hoke and Greg Mattison have brought back Michigan football. B1G Ten titles and beating Ohio is what Michigan is all about. We may not get to win the B1G Ten this year but we can beat Ohio.

Ohio’s offense has been erratic, at best. At times they’ve shown potential, and at others they’ve looked like a high school team could stop them. Braxton Miller is clearly their best option at QB and he can make plays with his arm and his feet. Other than at Nebraska, Ohio hasn’t played in a tough road game. The Big House isn’t known as the most intimidating place to play, but since the addition of the boxes the noise of 113,000-plus stays inside the stadium and makes it quite loud. I haven’t been there since the addition but I hear it is like night and day.

Miller is a freshman, an 18- or 19-year old kid. It will be loud and it will be hostile, I’m not too sure he can overcome that. Ohio’s defense is their strength but they haven’t been able to stop anyone good this year. They needed a miracle hail mary to beat Wisconsin. They’ve lost to bottom feeder Purdue, almost loss to Toledo, and had an incredibly poor showing against an Indiana team who hasn’t beaten a Division I team doesn’t exactly helping their case. That said, Ohio can still win this game. Sports are unpredictable and crazy at times. I don’t think that will happen, but for me to rule out the possibility would be wrong.

Ohio doesn’t give up many points, having given up over 30 only once, in the loss to Nebraska. So we know that a mobile QB and a good rushing attack can beat this defense. Funny enough, that is exactly what Michigan has, quite possibly the most electrifying mobile QB in some time and a good rushing attack with Fitz Toussaint. Denard hasn’t had the type of year passing that some expected, and while his interception total is a bit high he is a decent passer when he sets his feet. Teams shut down the Michigan offense late in the year in 2010 by focusing on Denard. They don’t have that luxury anymore, Toussaint is a great complement to Denard out of the backfield, and if Borges keeps up with the read option plays it could be a LONG day for Ohio. When the running game is clicking and the defense doesn’t know where the ball is going the passing game will open up.

Michigan’s defensive turnaround is nothing short of a miracle, or is it? Brady Hoke is a defensive coach, Greg Mattison has coached some great college and NFL defenses. They aren’t good defensive coaches, they are great defensive coaches. What they have done with this group who got walked all over last season is inspiring. They’ve instilled confidence and focused on fundamentals. They’re a top 10 scoring defense and top 20 in yards allowed. It’s closer to a Michigan defense than people thought was possible in one year. Michigan has gotten better each game, with last week being their best performance all season. Nebraska isn’t the powerhouse people thought they’d be but they’re good nonetheless. For Michigan’s defense to dominate a top tier team like that was not luck, it was because Michigan’s defense is for real.

For Michigan to win this game they need to control the line of scrimmage, on both sides. Creating running lanes for Denard and Fitz will make for a long afternoon for the Buckeye defenders. Getting into the backfield and making Miller scramble to make plays in a loud, hostile environment will keep Ohio off the scoreboard. Yes, Herron and Posey are back but if Miller doesn’t have time to find them or has to scramble and throw under duress, it won’t matter much.

Brady Hoke stated the importance of this game when he was hired. It is not just a game to him, he has experienced this game many times before. He was on the winning side most of those times and he wants to keep it that way. He will not let his kids get overconfident or cocky coming into this game, or any game in the future. He knows Ohio will come to play and he’s prepared his kids to do as as well.

Ohio fans seem to think Michigan is overconfident and cocky coming in and will therefore be ripe for the upset. They also tell me Ohio is gonna win by five touchdowns and/or in dominating fashion. I have no response to statements as ludicrous as that. History has a tendency of repeating itself. Michigan owned the 90′s, Ohio owned the 2000′s. It goes back and forth. When Michigan hired its legendary coach the headlines read “Bo Who?” There was similar sentiment when Dave Brandon hired little known Brady Hoke over big names like Jim Harbough and Les Miles. 1968, the year before Bo Schembechler was hired, Ohio beat Michigan 50-14. In 1969 Ohio was the top ranked team in the nation, riding a 22 game win streak. Michigan and “Bo Who” beat them 24-12. Last year we ‘lost’ 37-7, and while Ohio isn’t the top ranked (or ranked at all) we have another no-name coach at the helm. Can we expect the same sort of results as in 1969? I think so. GO BLUE!

Michigan 27 – Ohio 12

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Chris (3) - Here’s the deal: This is The Game.  Records don’t matter.  Stats don’t matter.  What matters is who wants it more.  Both teams are going to come out playing their hearts out and what has happened during the year prior to this isn’t going to make a difference.  This game will not impact the Big Ten Championship, as neither team can make it to Indianapolis.  Saturday’s game will be all about pride and feeling the players will get when they get to put on their pads and smack around their biggest rival.  The Wolverines come into this game trying to break an embarrassing seven-game losing streak to the Buckeyes.  Stopping that streak means a lot more to the team than the potential BCS berth that could be gained with a win.

OSU will come into this game looking at it like their bowl game.  Even if the Buckeyes get into a bowl, it likely won’t be one of much interest.  What a better way to end a frustrating and disappointing season than to beat a Wolverines team that is favored by over a touchdown and looking to get back in control of this rivalry??

From the day Coach Hoke set foot on campus in Ann Arbor, he has made it clear that the goal is to beat OSU every year.  In practice this week, certainly that fact was not lost on the Michigan players.  The fact that OSU has had a “down” year this year will not play into this game, however.  I like the Michigan defense, led by the Defensive Coordinator Greg Mattison, to put a lot of pressure on true freshmen quarterback Braxton Miller and confuse him at the line of scrimmage.  The Michigan secondary will need to stay with their assignments in case Miller is able to break free though.  He has had a tendency to create big plays with his ability to escape the pocket when it closes in.

On offense, I look for Offensive Coordinator Al Borges to call a game similar to what he did last game against Nebraska.  The ball will need to be in Denard Robinson’s hands for them to score points.  They will need to be able to pass the ball too, as OSU has shut down Denard in the previous two games.  A game plan similar to last week will do the trick.

Michigan 28 – OSU 17

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Matt (1) – Eight years ago, Michigan beat Ohio State. That was the last time Michigan beat them. But that was then, this is now.

Brady Hoke has already proven this season that he was the perfect Michigan man for the University of Michigan to hire for the football team’s head coach. But a win tomorrow against the Buckeyes will be a huge exclamation mark for Hoke and his coaching staff.

Michigan has gotten better and better each and every week. Improvement on offense and defense has been visible during every single game, and hopefully it will be tomorrow as well.

Michigan’s defense has gotten better every game against the pass and run, so although I do see Braxton Miller putting a couple of big plays, I do see Michigan’s defense shutting him down somewhat.

I tend to say Denard will be Denard every single game, and again, I see him doing what he does this Saturday as well: a couple of passing touchdowns, a couple of rushing touchdowns, and probably a couple of picks, unfortunately. I think we will also see Devin Gardner in for quite a few plays.

Brady Hoke knows this rivalry. He has experienced this rivalry. And tomorrow he will have the boys more pumped up for a football game than they ever have been. Brady Hoke will experience his first Michigan vs Ohio State game as a head coach, and he will experience a victory.

I’m going overboard, but hey, it’s The Game, you have to go overboard! Go Blue!!!

Michigan 100 – Ohio State 0

College football’s greatest rivalry has built itself throughout the years on playing for all the marbles. More often than not over its 107-year history, The Game has been played at season’s end to decide the Big Ten champion, the conference’s representative in the Rose Bowl, and year-long bragging rights for alumni and fans of the schools to the north and south of Toledo.

#15 Michigan v. Ohio
	Saturday Nov. 26 12 p.m. ET ABC
9-2 (5-2)	Record	6-5 (3-4)
Western Michigan 34-10 Notre Dame 35-31 Eastern Michigan 31-3 San Diego State 28-7 Minnesota 58-0 Northwestern 42-24 Purdue 36-14 Illinois 31-14 #16 Nebraska 45-17	Wins	Akron 42-0 Toledo 27-22 Colorado 37-17 #16 Illinois 17-7 #15 Wisconsin 33-29 Indiana 34-20
#23 Michigan State 14-28 Iowa 16-24	Losses	Miami 6-24 Michigan State 7-10 #14 Nebraska 27-34 Purdue 23-26 OT #21 Penn State 14-21
33.6	Scoring Offense	24.3
231.9	Rushing YPG	201.0
189.3	Passing YPG	114.0
421.2	Total Offense	315.0
15.6	Scoring Defense	19.0
128.4	Rush Defense YPG	130.2
184.3	Pass Defense YPG	187.9
312.6	Total Defense YPG	318.1
26	Takeaways	16
20	Giveaways	12
24/14	Sacks By/Allowed	22/36
70-of-144 (48.6%)	Third-down Conv.	60-of-151 (39.7%)
9-for-13 (69.2%)	Field Goals	13-for-16 (81.3%)
32.9	Net Punt Avg.	37.6

While Michigan holds a 57-44-6 edge in the series, there have been plenty of streaks by either side. Michigan won 13 of the first 15 contests played from 1897-1918 with the two others being ties. From 1922-27, Michigan had a six game winning streak and then went 10-2-2 from 1938-51. Ohio State then turned the tide throughout the ’50s and ’60s, taking 16 of 24 from 1952-75. The pendulum swung back in Michigan’s favor through the Schembechler, Moeller, and early Carr years, when Michigan won 18 of 27 from 1976-2003, including a 12-3-1 run from 1988-2000.

But since winning the game’s ceremonial 100th meeting in 2003, the rivalry has been decidedly one-sided. Seven-year old kids have never seen Michigan beat the Buckeyes and the last three years have been uncharacteristically boring for traditionalists. Even Ohio fans long for the days of the hard-fought, hyped-up battles they were used to when it didn’t matter who was favored and the underdog always played above its head.

When Rich Rodriguez left West Virginia for Ann Arbor in 2008, one of his fatal flaws, at least perceptibly, was that he didn’t completely understand the rivalry. However, as John U. Bacon’s book Three and Out detailed, he understood it as much as anyone who had never stepped foot in Ann Arbor before could, having learned many of Schembechler’s coaching principles from Bo disciple and West Virginia legend Don Nehlen. Still, his Michigan teams weren’t able to put up much of a fight against the Buckeyes, getting outscored 100-24 in three meetings.

Enter Brady Hoke. Unlike when Jim Tressel took over at Ohio State in 2001 and immediately announced to the world that he was there to beat Michigan, Hoke took his message only to his team, installing ‘Beat Ohio’ countdown clocks in the locker room. He didn’t need to declare anything publicly, but everyone in Ann Arbor understood how he felt. He refers to the Buckeyes simply as ‘Ohio,’ he claims to have never worn red, and he has declared Ohio as one of his main recruiting battlegrounds. In his first 10 months on the job, he has put Michigan in position to make a BCS bowl, secured what is so far one of the nation’s top recruiting classes, and reinvigorated the rivalry.

At this time last year, Michigan was on the eve of yet another beatdown in Columbus while Ohio State was soaring high with an experienced bunch. Now, a year later, the scrip has been flipped. The Jim Tressel saga that led to his dismissal, the loss of Terrell Pryor, and the suspension of five players for the first part of the season has brought down the mighty Buckeyes to the point that Ohio supporters are already making preemptive excuses for a loss on Saturday. They’re already giddy with excitement over the rumored Urban Meyer hiring, which has taken hold of the headlines this week surrounding the game.

But the reality is that while there’s no Big Ten title on the line, this is still a huge game for each team. Michigan has a chance at a BCS at-large bid, which would do wonders for Michigan’s return to national prominence. Ohio will likely get a middling bowl regardless of the outcome, but an eighth straight win over Michigan with a lame duck interim head coach and a freshman quarterback would be just the kind of dagger to the hearts of Michigan fans that would send Columbus into a tither.

While those in Columbus try to downplay the importance, claiming that Michigan is expected to win this one because of the current state of influx in their program, they conveniently forget that they benefited from that very thing the past three years. Now, Michigan has a chance to not only end the losing streak, but to seize control of the rivalry before St. Urban enters the fold.

The players on Ohio State’s roster come into the game expecting to win because that’s all they’ve known, while Michigan’s seniors have never beaten the Buckeyes. OSU quarterback Braxton Miller was in middle school the last time Michigan won, and until the Wolverines can win and put those doubts back in the minds of Buckeye players, Ohio will continue to have the upper hand in the rivalry.

So does Michigan have the upper hand tomorrow? Let’s look at the matchups:

Quarterback:

Head Coach Luke Fickell gave up on the Joe Bauserman experiment after just a couple of games, opting to throw freshman Braxton Miller into the fire. Miller has delighted with his legs but underwhelmed with his arm. He leads the team in rushing with 595 yards and six touchdowns on 128 carries (4.6 yards per carry), having rushed for 100 yards in two of his last three games. But through the air, he has completed just 48.6 percent of his passes for just 76.2 yards per game.

The Bucks rarely throw the ball, and when they do, they don’t complete very many. The most attempts Miller has had all season is 18 against Purdue two weeks ago. He also had 17 last week. Both of those were games in which OSU fell behind 10-0 and was playing catch-up. The most completions he has had in a game is eight against Purdue. He’s most dangerous when he eludes the pass rush and scrambles around waiting for his receivers to work open. He does a good job of keeping his eyes upfield makes defenses pay for overpursuing or failing to bring him down.

Still, while he has shown signs of promise, he’s a true freshman playing in his first Michigan game and it’s in the Big House.

Edge: Michigan

Running Backs:

Dan “Boom” Herron, Jordan Hall, and Carlos Hyde are the go-to backs for the Buckeyes. All three are talented and all three get the ball a lot. Herron was part of the “tat-gate” group that was suspended for the first five games of the season, but he returned with a bang, rushing for 114 yards against Illinois, 160 against Wisconsin, and 141 against Indiana. His production and workload have fallen off in the last two games, but he’s still averaging 5.2 yards per carry.

Hyde, a sophomore, is the team’s second-leading running back with 549 yards and six touchdowns. He’s averaging 5.4 yards per carry and recorded 100-yard games against Nebraska and Indiana. In the last two games, however, he has just eight carries for 36 yards.

Hall split carries with Hyde in the first half of the season, but has just 16 carries for 60 yards in his last three games combined. However, against Purdue, he caught three passes for 59 yards and two touchdowns. At 5’9″ he’s capable of playing the Vincent Smith role of catching screens and picking up chunks of yards.

The Buckeyes are a running football team. Only a handful of teams nationally have more rushing attempts this season, but while they rank 27th in rushing yards per game, they are much lower in yards per attempt at just under 4.5. By comparison, Michigan averages 5.3.

Edge: Michigan

Receivers and Tight Ends:

This is a unit that got a huge facelift last week when DeVier Posey returned from suspension, who instantly gives Miller a true receiving threat. He caught four passes for 66 yards last week against Penn State, one of which was a great one-handed catch on the sideline. In each of the last two seasons, he caught at least 50 passes for over 800 yards, and against Michigan last season he caught five passes for 82 yards and a touchdown.

Aside from Posey, the Bucks lack true playmakers. Freshman Devin Smith is the team’s leading receiver with 11 receptions for 241 yards and four touchdowns, the majority of which came in the first half of the season. The biggest play he will be remembered for is slipping behind the Wisconsin secondary and catching the hail marry to win the game. Including that one, he has three catches since Week 4. Tight end Jake Stoneburner is probably the most dangerous touchdown threat tomorrow. The junior has 13 receptions, seven of which were touchdowns. If the Buckeyes get into the red zone, look for Stoneburner to be the target.

Edge: Michigan

Offensive Line:

Ohio State does have an experienced offensive line with center Mike Brewster and tackle Mike Adams helping to pave the way for the nation’s 27th-best rush offense. The Buckeyes rank 118th in pass offense, but that has less to do with the line as it does with the signal callers. OSU has allowed a lot of sacks – 36 of them to be exact. Some of that has to do with Miller’s scrambling and some has to do with Bauserman’s ineptness early in the season. Michigan State recorded nine sacks against Ohio, but also sacked Denard Robinson and Devin Gardner seven times. Ohio uses mostly a zone blocking scheme, which doesn’t really fit the size of the linemen, but that’s what you get as a result of what has gone on in Columbus in the last 11 months.

Edge: Even

Defensive Line:

Ohio State’s defense lost seven starters from last year’s team and lost another when defensive end Nathan Williams went down with a knee injury. Junior end John Simon is the leader of the young and inexperienced Buckeye defensive line and he’s a good one. He leads the team in sacks with six and tackles for loss with 13.5. Sophomore tackle Johnathan Hankins and freshman Michael Bennett each have three sacks, while Hankins is second on the team with 10 tackles for loss.

The Buckeyes average two sacks per game, which ranks 49th nationally, and allow 130 rushing yards per game, good for 42nd. In other words, it’s an above-average unit.

Edge: Michigan

Linebackers:

Senior Andrew Sweat and Storm Klein are your typical Ohio State linebackers: tough, smart, and always seem to be in the right position to make plays. Sweat leads the team in tackles with 68 and also has an interception, a forced fumble, and three pass breakups. However, he has been recovering from a concussion and may not play tomorrow. Klein has 41 tackles, a sack, and an interception. But the one that fans are most excited about is freshman Ryan Shazier. He filled in for Sweat last week against Penn State and recorded 15 tackles, and OSU Defensive Coordinator Jim Heacock said Shazier has the size and speed to make plays in space and may spy on Denard.

Edge: Even

Secondary:

Ohio State has a pretty good secondary statistically. The Buckeyes rank 16th nationally in pass defense, allowing 188 yards per game through the air. Corners Travis Howard and Christian Bryant are okay, while safety C.J. Barnett is a playmaker. Howard got picked on by Penn State last week and the Buckeyes gave up 253 passing yards to Wisconsin, 292 to Toledo, and 234 to Purdue. In other words, I think the statistical success of the OSU pass defense is inflated by opposing teams’ ability to run on them.

Edge: Even

Special Teams:

Ohio State does have a good kicker in sophomore Drew Basil who has converted 16-of-19 field goals and 30-of-31 extra points. The lone missed extra point was the one that was blocked at the end of the game against Purdue, sending the game into overtime where OSU eventually lost. His longest field goal is 47 yards and he hasn’t missed from inside 40 all season. Punter Ben Buchanan averages 40 yards per punt and Ohio holds a 37.6-yard net punt average, which is above average. Return-wise, OSU is pretty good, ranking 32nd nationally in punt returns and seventh in kick returns.

Edge: Even

Coaching:

Luke Fickell is probably the unluckiest current head coach in the country. As a promising assistant and co-defensive coordinator, he was likely headed for his shot eventually, but when Jim Tressel was forced out amid the “tat-gate” scandal, Fickell was thrust into the position before he was ultimately ready. That has shown this season from seemingly giving up at the end of a game early in the season to the uncreative offensive scheme, Fickell has just seemed as if he was in over his head. He very well may be a great head coach some day, but he isn’t right now and with the Buckeyes on the verge of hiring Urban Meyer, he’s got to be pretty uncomfortable right about now.

Contrast that with Michigan’s current position: a “Michigan man” head coach brought in to replace the one the loyalists ran out of Ann Arbor, who brings a true understanding of the the rivalry, the Michigan way, and boasts a 9-2 record. If Michigan wins tomorrow and likely earns a BCS berth, Hoke will be the most popular man in Ann Arbor for a long time to come

Edge: Michigan

Intangibles:

On one hand, you have a team playing at home, hungry to avenge seven straight defeats at the hands of the other. A Michigan win would likely send the Wolverines to the Sugar or Fiesta Bowl, the first BCS bowl since the 2006 season. On the other hand, you have a team with nothing to lose, playing under a lame duck interim head coach, already salivating over his likely replacement, and carrying all the momentum of the rivalry, having won the last seven meetings. It could go either way, right?

If Rich Rodriguez was still the head coach, that would probably be true. But the mentality that Hoke has instilled in his team is one that is tired of hearing about the number of days since it last beat Ohio. It’s hungry to change the tide of the rivalry. And it’s one that is playing its best football of the season right here and now. Michigan won’t play tight like it did the last three years. It will play confident because of the man at the helm.

Edge: Michigan

Prediction:

Years ago it was always near impossible to predict the outcome of the Michigan-Ohio State game. Whether one team was ranked higher or one team was having a down season didn’t matter. You could always throw out the records when the two squared off in late November. In the past few years, however, we Michigan fans have tried to rationalize ways in which we thought Michigan could pull off the upset against the decidedly better team. But the reality was Ohio had the upper hand in the rivalry because it had the better team. Michigan had gotten away from Michigan football and what made the rivalry great.

What a difference a year makes. At this time last season, prospects looked bleak. Michigan was about to fire Rich Rodriguez and Ohio State was cruising into yet another BCS bowl with a hotshot quarterback promising to return for his senior year, and plenty of talent around him returning as well. Now, the mastermind that figured out the secrets of success is in Indianapolis watching replays, the hotshot is riding the pine in Oakland, his replacement is an up-and-coming star but still a freshman, and everyone in Columbus is begging Urban Meyer to become their savior.

Frankly, Michigan is the better team right now and is in a much better spot with its program. The Wolverines are riding high off of decisive wins over Illinois and Nebraska, while Ohio is reeling after losses to Purdue and Penn State. The once formidable Buckeye defense is giving up early leads and the offense couldn’t get a waterwheel spinning in a monsoon.

In the last two weeks, Michigan has scored early. Against Illinois, Michigan marched the opening drive down the field for a touchdown. Against Nebraska, the first drive yielded a punt, but after forcing a Nebraska punt, Michigan marched down for a touchdown. Ohio State is already down and out having lost its last two, and having dug itself a 10-0 hole in each of the last three, so Michigan should take the ball first if it wins the toss. Driving right down the field for a score to open the game would send a message early.

From there, Michigan needs to stop Braxton Miller. The Wolverine defense did a phenomenal job against Nathan Scheelhaase and Taylor Martinez the last two weeks, so there’s no reason it can’t handle Miller. He’s probably more elusive than both of them, but the Michigan front seven needs to make sure to contain him. As mentioned above, he’s at his best not on designed runs, but when he breaks containment and scrambles around. At that point, he keeps his eyes upfield for an open receiver or he picks up a big gain on the ground. Ryan Van Bergen and Craig Roh need to keep him from getting out on the edge, and I think Defensive Coordinator Greg Mattison will dial up some aggressive blitz schemes from the linebackers to keep him off balance and force him to make quick decisions. He’s always a run-first checkdown if he’s forced into a quick decision, Michigan’s safeties can come up and make the tackle.

Offensively, expect a lot more of what we saw last week. Michigan has to force Ohio State to prove it can stop Fitz Toussaint. The Buckeyes had trouble with Penn State’s duo of Stephfon Green and Silas Redd last week. Toussaint has the ability to pull off a couple of big runs in this one. Also look for a couple of new looks we haven’t seen before. I’m not talking about some of the gimmicks that were tried in the middle of the season, but some special packages that were saved specifically for Ohio State.

I think it’s important to get off to a fast start. Ohio State has the momentum in the rivalry, but not the current momentum. A couple of scores early on would demoralize the Buckeyes, but letting them hang around would only build their confidence.

Michigan will come in prepared, hungry, and ready for business and will send the Buckeyes home with a .500 record. Toussaint will rush for 120 yards and Denard will break a big run.

Michigan 35 – Ohio 17

Good to Know:

Michigan holds the all-time series lead 57-44-6 (just in case you forgot). In games played after Thanksgiving, the teams are tied 8-8-1.

Michigan’s defense ranks 2nd in the Big Ten and 6th nationally in points allowed (15.6).

Michigan’s defense has forced 26 turnovers, which ranks first in the Big Ten and 11th nationally.

Michigan’s defense -ranks second in the nation in red zone defense (66 percent).

Michigan has outscored opponents 298-109 after the first quarter and 190-77 in the second half.

Michigan ranks second in the Big Ten and fifth in the nation in fewest penalties committed (46).

Michigan has 21 players, including six starters, from the state of Ohio. Head Coach Brady Hoke is also from Ohio.

Record Watch:

With 10 pass completions, Denard Robinson will pass Steve Smith (1980-83) for 8th in career completions. With 2 passing touchdowns, Denard Robinson will tie Todd Collins (1991-94) for 6th place on Michigan’s career list. With a 100-yard passing game, Denard will tie Tom Brady (1996-99) for 6th in career 100-yard passing games. With 214 passing yards, Denard will pass Steve Smith (1980-83) for 7th in career passing yards. With 27 rushing yards, Denard will pass Billy Taylor (1969-71) for 8th on Michigan’s career rushing list With 1 rushing touchdown, Denard will move into a tie with Rick Leach (1975-78) for 5th place in career rushing touchdowns With 109 rushing yards, Fitz Toussaint will break 1,000 yards rushing on the season.

Congratulations to our 10th different winner in 11 weeks, bluwolf77. He was skeptical of Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead (or the most confident in Michigan’s defense), predicting just 135 total rushing yards between the two. In reality, they combined for just 85. Tooty_pops was actually the closest to getting that one right, predicting 117. Bluwolf77 was also just 12 off Michigan’s total rushing yards (238), two away from the longest pass reception (54 yards), and 1.5 points away from Denard’s completion percentage (61 percent).

Goobot was the closest to Denard’s completion percentage, just one point away, while Jim Mackiewicz was just one yard away from the longest pass completion and former winner bomoho was just three yards away from correctly predicting Michigan’s rushing yards.

With one week left in the regular season, several contestants are still within reach of the overall title. Umichfan1 is still in the lead, but two-time winner Hazel Parker is making a late charge and chris12qb and myrick55 are close behind. Please note that we will be running a Michigan Man 5-Spot Challenge for the bowl game, so the challenge is not over after the Ohio game.

This week, nothing more needs to be said…but I’ll say it anyway. It’s Beat Ohio week and we all know the importance. A potential share of the Big Ten Legends Division title, a possible BCS bowl game, and of course, beating that team down south. With so much at stake, we’re going all out this week. Ten questions instead of the usual five. It’s time to separate the contenders from the pretenders, so good luck.