Jugless

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Amazing the difference a week makes. After a gritty, hard-hitting victory over rival Michigan State in the previous week, a different Wolverine team came back for Homecoming Saturday at the Big House. In front of the quietest 111,000 people anywhere in America that day, Michigan gave the home crowd a virtual replay of their game against Wisconsin in Madison. "Flat" doesn't do it justice..."non existent" is more accurate. They couldn't put it in the end zone. They couldn't make a field goal, with Rivas missing two in the second half from 42 and 34 yards out. But more importantly, they showed no signs that they wanted to keep The Little Brown Jug in Schembechler Hall anymore. Michigan needed a kickoff return by Steve Breaston, the first since 1994, to keep it close. After what could only be classified as a Hail Mary 61-yard run by the second-string running back, on a handoff from a backup quarterback that everybody (except for Jim Herrmann apparently) knew wasn't going to throw, Minnesota kicked a game winning field goal as time had all but expired. Minnesota celebrated their first victory over Michigan since 1986, and our trophy case was left as empty as our hearts.

This is no longer an aberration. This is no longer about team goals or lofty expectations. The 2005 season has become a salvage job of epic proportions. At 3-3 for the first time since 1990, Michigan is going to need a little more than a closed team meeting to fix what is on its way to becoming one of the worst seasons in modern team history. The Northwestern Wildcats received more poll votes this week than the Wolverines, who are out of the top 25 again, and it will take a little more than winning the next one, two, or even three games to get us back onto the list.

And the season will not be stopping to wait for us. Next week, Joe Paterno is coming to Ann Arbor, and he is bringing with him the #8 team in the country.

Hope?

In 1990, Michigan suffered early season losses to Notre Dame, Michigan State, and Iowa...going 3-3...before running the table and winning a share of the Big Ten title. In their last six games, they averaged 31.5 points a game on offense, while not allowing more than 19 in any of those games. 1990 and 2005 were eerily similar as far as expectations and rankings go, with the Wolverines starting the season at #4 and making it to #1 before falling as far as #20 after their 3rd loss. Their main difference? Desmond Howard.

 

Because We Own You

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Allow me to take a moment and welcome back Leon Michael Hart, known to most of nation just as Mike Hart. Returning from a hamstring injury, he ran for 218 yards on 36 carries, and set the pace for a Wolverine offense that is just beginning to hit its stride.

Allow me also to welcome back onto the bandwagon those of you that tossed your team aside in their time of crisis, put the season ahead of the next game, and kept your maize and blue t-shirt in the drawer this week. In my estimation you represent a large portion of our fan base...so I guess we have to have a revolving door. However, I loathe those of you that may have suggested or even embraced the idea of a poor season for purposes of the removal of the coaching staff, both for your stupidity with regards to this program and the way things work within it, and for your lack of respect for Michigan.

Michigan State got a little taste of what it was like to be Big Brother this weekend. Doors were closed to the media all week. Fans were tight, and weren't sure how to react before, during, or after the game. The stadium atmosphere was eerily similar to the Big House....minus about 35,000 people. Gone was the piped in music, the bell tolling on 3rd down, and the "jump around" we have grown to hate when traveling to East Lansing. And when Michigan jumped out to a 14-0 lead, gone was the Sparty Spirit...and I know why. For the first time in a long time, winning wasn't going to be enough for them. They were the #11 Michigan State Spartans playing the unranked Michigan Wolverines. They wanted a rout. One of those Michigan-style routs, like the 49-3 drubbing in 2002, the 40-20 slaughter in 1994, the 35-10 laugh-fest in 1992, or the 119-0 affair of 1902. Once it was 14-0, that chance had all but left the building. It took a 74-yard game-tying return of an incomplete forward pass for a touchdown by a ball of hair to wake them up and make them realize that just winning had to be enough. It's funny, I came to realize that Michigan State usually finds a way to win only when something really stupid happens...like an extra second that forces a future NCAA rule change or a horrible no-call on a pass interference in the end zone on a two-point conversion. And the worst part is, either consciously or unconsciously, they have come to really enjoy it. They would much rather see a bad call get them a touchdown or a turnover than have Stanton or the defense make a play. All of the above is what makes this one just a little sweeter. Last year, we snatched victory from defeat and broke their green and white hearts in triple overtime. This year, miscues kept them in a game that Michigan should have won by two TDs, and we still managed to break their hearts in overtime. That's satisfying.

Nemesis?

Not to harp on the pile of poop that is the Spartan football program, but the headlines of a few articles, including one from the associated press, had the nerve to say things like, "#11 Spartans Fall To Nemesis Michigan". Nemesis? As if Michigan State is Texas and Michigan is Oklahoma, and if the Spartans could just find a way to get past those pesky Wolverines, the BCS would be right there for the taking. Michigan State has had 32 losses since 2000. That's right, they're 33-32 in the new millennium. Never has the Michigan game ruined a season for Michigan State, at least not in recent history. You can't break what is already broken. That is of course unless you charge Michigan with keeping the Spartans from bowl eligibility, which is the case if the 2000 and 2004 games would have gone the other way. Michigan State needed just one more win in those seasons to earn their bid to the Summer's Eve Bowl, or wherever it is the last bowl eligible team in the Big Ten team goes to. That's right, I am being cocky now.

When it is all said and done, this game will just be one of many blemishes on a the record of an slightly above average team in 2005, and a program that has less Big Ten titles than almost the entire slate of Big Ten teams. Among the plethora of teams with more titles is juggernaut Northwestern (with two more titles than Sparty) and the University of Chicago (one more title than Sparty) who stopped playing division 1 football in 1939.

Feel free to copy-paste that last sentence into an email to your favorite Sparty fan. It's great to be a Michigan Wolverine.

Hail to the Victors!!!

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So the tailgate was about half as big as the previous week, with the weather and the opponent being a factor...but we were just as spirited. The tables were once again overflowing with food, and the shelters in one week went from shading us from the sun to protecting us from the rain. We grilled, we deep fried, we ate, and we drank...hitting that mid-season-like stride before we head out on the road next week. As a special treat, the Godfather's daughter, affectionately known as "the Princess", celebrated her 23rd birthday by sharing a big bucket of yucca. It was prepared by some of the newcomers under the strict supervision of the Godfather himself.

It was a relaxing tailgate, right up until the small crew from WTKA 1050 AM showed up with the coveted tailgate of the week trophy. We schmoozed the crew, introduced them to the Godfather, gave them our weekly newsletter, and gawked at the trophy. They went off to look at some other tailgates, but returned just before game time to present us with the weekly award. We will be recognized on the WTKA website this week, and will face off later in the season against some other tailgates for the "Tailgate of the Year". Like we needed another reason to be fired up for Saturdays?

Congratulations go out to all of the tailgaters of UMTailgate.com for earning this prestigious award!

Eastern Makes You Sleepy

The tailgaters got tired from counting all of those points. Michigan completely dismantled the Eagles of Eastern, scoring a school record 28 points in the first quarter en route to a 55-0 victory. Hart got the week off to tend to his injury, and most of the starters got to watch their friends take their shots at the Eagles for the second half. It was just what the doctor ordered for the banged up Wolverines going into Big Ten play.

On the Road...Next Week's Theme

Next Week's theme for the game in Madison is UMTailgate.com Diner / Deli. Think burgers, cheesesteaks (I think I'm brining these), sub sandwiches, etc.

 

Cheers to Old Notre Dame

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Michigan looked inept, scared, and downright awful on Saturday. Chad Henne looked rattled and inaccurate, and bounced passes off of helmets in what could only be classified as a Navarre-esque performance. Steve Breaston continued to fall from his redshirt freshman year peak. Mike Hart played injured and looked like it, right up until he left with further injury aggravation early in the game. The offensive line looked like the constant shuffling has begun to effect them. The offensive playcalling was suspect, and seemed to feature tight ends and fullbacks, instead of our supposed skill position juggernauts. With all of the questions we had coming in to the Notre Dame game, it seemed like we forgot the most important one..."How do we score?" Michigan managed only one touchdown, and that came late, ending the game with both their first home loss and lowest point total in nearly three years.

Michigan was not Michigan on this day. They folded under the pressure of the game, and fell apart in the red zone. The fans were classless, specifically the student section, whose frustration erupted late in the game in the form of the throwing of trash onto the field. You couldn't help but be a bit embarrassed as a Michigan fan. Your team, ranked #3, folding against a far inferior opponent, while your fans made you look like something out of East Lansing.

Optimism?

There are still 9 games remaining on Michigan's schedule, 10 if you are optimistic enough to guarantee a bowl game. There is room to improve, get better, play with a chip on your shoulder, etc. The march towards a National Championship is not over. We haven't even played a game that counts towards our chance for a three-peat as Big Ten Champions. But it's tough to think about any of those things when your team looks so horrible. It feels almost exactly like a year ago, when Michigan fell to Notre Dame and looked just as bad. We managed to move forward then, with a less experienced and less touted team, and we will move forward now.

All the Big Ten's big boys fell this week, with Iowa losing to Iowa St., and Ohio St. falling to Texas. So maybe we should all stop listening to the idiots that make the predictions before a game is played and concentrate on the game in front of us...um...like the big one this weekend against Eastern Michigan. A loss to the Eagles would mark the biggest fall in the history of college football, from #3 in the country to #2 in Washtenaw County. The trouble is, there is no question in my mind that we have significantly more talent than Eastern...I'm just not confident that we won't be outcoached.

Wow, We Can Tailgate

The tailgate once again far outshined the game. It was one of the largest crowds we've ever had, and it was easily the biggest spread of food we've ever had, with tons of Irish Themed delights from several tailgaters filling our 60 feet of table space.

Next Week's Theme

Next week's theme is Eagle Barbeque Picnic. More of an open barbeque theme, but with a slight lean towards eagle...er, I mean chicken.

New Faces, New Team, New Season

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 If it were possible to recreate the atmosphere that surrounds a Michigan Football Saturday, I'd do it everyday. I'd take all of the seats out of my car and pack it to the hilt. I'd set up the tent, the camp kitchen, the grills, and the fryer. And I'd invite everyone over to eat lunch food for breakfast, and breakfast food for lunch, and have them wash it down with alcohol at an hour that would make any self-respecting human cringe. But it wouldn't be the same. You can't simulate the anticipation of the game. It's the game that gathers us together, and it's the tailgate that brings us together.

There are countless things that go into a great tailgate. The level of preparation and participation is just as important as great food and great drinks. The way our tailgate comes together each week always amazes me. There always seems to be enough food, enough drinks, and enough decorations. Everybody contributes, and we work well together...which means we also play well together. And the rewards far outweigh the work. Each year, new faces emerge, joining us in our little corner of the golf course, adding to the size of our group. They bring with them new ideas, unique personalities, and family recipes. They start out as strangers, but find themselves quickly welcomed into a group of people that remember that, at one time or another, they were strangers too.

Then We Celebrate

At around noon, we honored our two tailgaters that attended their 100th straight home-and-away Michigan game, Bubba and Stephen. Hall of Famers Captain Michigan and the Godfather gave the induction speeches and presented awards. An amazing feat that deserves great recognition...Congratulations to Bubba and Stephen on their induction into the Century Club and the UMTailgate.com Hall of Fame.

And Michigan Dominates

The Michigan offense piled up 447 yards of offense, including a 20-31, 227 yard performance from QB Chad Henne and a 117 yard game from RB Mike Hart en route to a 33-17 thrashing of Northern Illinois. The Michigan defense did allow over 400 yards of Husky offense, but covered it up by forcing 5 turnovers at opportune times. Alot of work needs to be done, and if Lloyd Carr's Monday press conference is any indication, the defense will be seeing some personnel changes before ND on Saturday.