Season's End Will Determine Hoke's Legacy

Yep, we're talking about that subject again.

All eyes will be on the Big House this Saturday, as Brady Hoke leads the 9-2 Michigan Wolverines onto the field. They will attempt to win against Ohio State, something Michigan has not done since 2003.

The losing streak against the Buckeyes has been painful and frustrating. Every year (except maybe 2008), Michigan had a legitimate chance to snap it and start to tip the rivalry in their favor—or at least make the rivalry interesting again. Instead, it was the same old story, and Ohio State won year after year.

Michigan came into the 2009 contest 5-6 but at home. A win against Ohio State would've meant the Wolverines could finish 6-6, hardly acceptable given Michigan's tradition, but it would definitely been enough to salvage the season emotionally. Michigan would have been bowl eligible, and fans would have felt better about Rich Rodriguez. At least, they would have said, he got this one done. It may have even been seen as Michigan finally turning the corner: Rodriguez, they would have thought, was finally making strides as Michigan's head coach. He would go onto a bowl and may win that one. It would be 6-6, but it would be a turnaround from the disastrously unthinkable 3-9 2008 season, where the Wolverines suffered confusing loss after confusing loss. It would be 6-6, but it would have been enough. It would have been a win against Ohio State. They didn't; Michigan finished 5-7.

2010 was the same story. After a fantastic start, Michigan lost to Michigan State for the third year in a row, and fans realized that the Wolverines' porous defense could not stop anybody. But perhaps it could rally together against the Buckeyes, who were looking for a BCS bowl berth. More importantly, it would give Rich Rodriguez that eighth win he so desperately needed. It was year three, and he needed eight wins. Writers were already saying he'd be fired if he lost that game. Rodriguez's Wolverines had squeaked themselves into bowl eligibility, but a victory against Ohio State would have really allowed everyone a collective sigh of relief. Instead, because of a completely inept defense and a Denard Robinson that was managing injury after a season of constant beat downs, the Wolverines lost again to the Buckeyes. They lost in their bowl game, too.

It was curtains for Rodriguez. Everybody, even his staunchest supporters (and, surprisingly, there were many), could see that. They may have protested, but on some level they knew there was no way Rodriguez could possibly be retained. There would be nothing but uncertainty for the 2011 season, and that's something that the Wolverines certainly did not need. That prospect was also obviously unacceptable to David Brandon.

There are hardly games that coaches are more harshly judged by than this one. There are hardly games that mean more, too. Every school has its rivalries, but Michigan vs. Ohio State is so different because it is often (if not always) the barometer for each season's merit. If Notre Dame goes 1-11 but defeats USC, it is still considered a lasting disappointment. One victory, even against the hated Trojans, cannot avenge a ridiculously dreadful season. Yet if Ohio State goes 1-11 but defeats Michigan, it is considered a lasting success. Rather than talk about how the team only got one win or lost eleven games, they'd say this was the team that lost every game except the one that truly mattered. And someone else would add: we can sleep soundly now. The bizarrely fanatical nature of this rivalry means precisely that their ridiculously dreadful year was avenged.

For Michigan and Ohio State, the season so often is this game.

Michigan needs to win this one because they flat-out deserve it. The Wolverines have endured so much from hiring/firing of Rodriguez, to the attrition and bad press, to the constant unequivocal slaughters every year at the hands of their hated archrivals. On a deeper level, Michigan doesn't just need to win for itself, but for the rivalry. As much as Michigan's players deserve a win, the rivalry deserves it more. Michigan vs. Ohio State has not been interesting since 2006. The Buckeyes have had an unchecked reign of dominance for more than six years. Despite the fact that Michigan deserves a triumph here if only to make the rivalry interesting again, not to mention how the Wolverines have fought so hard to earn it, Buckeye fans (in the midst of a 6-5 season) are frustratingly confident that Ohio State will not only win this game but will win it convincingly.

What's even more frustrating is that it could happen. Michigan was the undisputed Big Ten champion in 2004, coming into the game 11-1, yet they lost to a mediocre Buckeye squad in Columbus. In 2006, the Wolverines and the Buckeyes entered the contest each undefeated, ranked No. 2 and No.1 respectively, and every Michigan fan in America had had enough of this losing streak to Ohio State. On top of that, Michigan wasn't just playing to stop the losses and potentially go to a national championship, they were also playing for Bo Schembechler, who died the night before the game. The Wolverines lost anyway.

A year later, the 2007 contest was Mike Hart and Chad Henne's last best chance to win one game against Ohio State. They lost, and Buckeye fans still sing about the overconfident, trash-talking Mike Hart's 0-4 record to the Scarlet and Gray. Then came Rich Rodriguez, and instead of turning the tables in the rivalry, the losing streak only got worse. With each game against Ohio State, the stakes to win got bigger and bigger, but for the wrong reasons. In 2006 the stakes were to snap an irritating losing streak and go to national championship and re-establish Michigan's place as a college football power. In 2010 it was just desperation. The Wolverines had nothing to lose and everything to gain, and yet they still lost.

Unlike 2008-2010, the 2011 game against Ohio State could tell a very different story. For the first time since 2007, the Wolverines are 8.5 point favorites and are legitimate picks to win. (Michigan was picked to win every time since 2007, even in 2008, on the sheer nature that balance needed to return to the rivalry. It never happened.) Much like the Wolverines in 2009, Ohio State enters the game with a true freshman at quarterback, and a winning season on the line. (The 2009 Wolverines were fighting for bowl eligibility, at 5-6. The Buckeyes here are 6-5. The stakes are quite different, but they are also quite the same.)

Lloyd Carr was placed in the pressure cooker for two reasons: he lost to Appalachian State and he lost to Ohio State four times in a row. He was supposedly forced into retirement, but official history is that he left on his own terms. Rich Rodriguez did not, and the rivalry games are a big reason why.

The entire year, Michigan fans have been hoping Brady Hoke would make things right again. Bo Schembechler, Gary Moeller, and Lloyd Carr all won their first games against Ohio State. It was fitting, because they were "Michigan Men." Almost equally fittingly, Rodriguez lost because he wasn't, some say. Brady Hoke, an obvious Michigan Man, has the chance to solidify his legacy at Michigan. A victory over Ohio State would be the biggest kind of fulfillment this season and Hoke's status could ask for.

Ramzy Nasrallah, perhaps the sole reasonable Ohio State blogger, who has a perplexingly immense amount of respect for both Michigan and particularly Brady Hoke, believes that this game is more than winnable for Hoke, but given the recent history of the rivalry and the way Rodriguez's squads performed each year, the stakes could not be higher.

"[Hoke] is now at the brink of a ten-win season in what had been scheduled to be a year of cleaning up the wreckage of the last three years," Ramzy wrote in a recent blog post. "Neutralize Ohio State to end his first run and the tone for the Hoke era is established. It would be the ultimate validation of his stewardship and confirmation of his methods. Should Michigan lose—as an 8.5-point favorite at home to an Ohio State team that is as listless as it is lacking any cohesion—then not only is Hoke's eventual legend weakened, but the success of the 2011 season will be questioned...It has been almost 3,000 days since the Wolverines closed a season in an acceptable fashion. Hoke has to beat Ohio State; he reconfirmed the importance of doing so and made it a job requirement. Michigan hasn't had a finisher for too long. He finds himself selling the same bill of goods that Tressel presented in 2001. If Hoke fails to close as Tressel did, it impacts everything he is trying to do both in Ann Arbor and Ohio."

Jim Tressel began his era at Ohio State with a 7-5 first season, but that seventh win was against Michigan, and that made all the difference. No one was disappointed with the overall season record, and before long Tressel had his squads competing for national championships. Ohio State's interim coach Luke Fickell stands upon the brink of an almost-identical scenario. Lose and he has no choice but to make way for the next Ohio State head coach while being undeservingly despised; win and his first season is remembered just as fondly as Tressel's was, and Fickell becomes a legitimate candidate for the job.

Hoke, as Ramzy points out, has arguably more on the line. In a time when Michigan has faced so little certainty and has even less security, a win against Ohio State is crucial. Under Rodriguez the Wolverines faced increased criticism and anxiety year after year, all of which was punctuated more harshly and sharply because of a loss to the Buckeyes. It didn't just put a sour taste in their mouths because it was often the last game of the season; it brought everything (absolutely everything) into question—and it ended up costing Rodriguez his job. Eventually it will be same for Hoke, if he cannot end the season with a much-deserved victory. Michigan will go to a bowl game, yes, and how it fares against that opponent will be important, but it almost won't matter if the Wolverines can't beat Ohio State when the Buckeyes are at their weakest.

Bo Schembechler solidified his legacy with a victory against Ohio State that became a defining moment in both his career and Michigan's history. It came after a span of mediocrity, and with Ohio State entering as defending national champions, people were skeptical. When Michigan won, that skepticism vanished, and the players carried Schembechler out on their shoulders. Now, the Wolverines are looking to rebound after a worse span of history than what Schembechler inherited. It would certainly be a defining victory for Brady Hoke.

It would mean even more to Michigan. It would mean everything.

Arizona Hires Rich Rodriguez

Former Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez was hired by the University of Arizona to coach the Wildcats' football team, a report said Monday. The news of the hire broke from a deliberate tweet by Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne, showing a picture of Rodriguez and his family wearing Arizona hats.

Rodriguez spent the past six or so months working as an analyst and commentator for CBS Sports, after being fired from Michigan on January 5, 2011, for posting a 15-22 record in three years with the Wolverines. He also had a combined 0-6 record against Michigan State and Ohio State. In his first two years at Michigan, the Wolverines posted losing seasons and did not go to a bowl. Rodriguez's squad finally achieved bowl eligibility in 2010, but were humiliated 52-14 in the Gator Bowl by Mississippi State.

Meanwhile, former Arizona head coach Mike Stoops, who dug Arizona out of the ground and after five years finally brought them to bowl games, but never seemed competitive for the Pac-12 championship, was fired by athletic director Greg Byrne in the middle of the 2011 season. The reason for Stoops' dismissal is generally believed to be his demeanor on the sidelines (i.e. frequently losing his temper) and, perhaps more importantly, starting the season 1-5. Stoops was replaced mid-season with interim coach Tim Kish, the defensive coordinator. Under Kish, the Wildcats defeated UCLA and hated rival Arizona State.

When he fired Stoops, athletic director Greg Byrne said he wanted to take Arizona to the next level, he wanted Arizona competing for Rose Bowls and Pac-12 championships, and while grateful to Stoops for building the program from scratch, Byrne also said that it was time to move on. Byrne then conducted a national search that included former Florida head coach Urban Meyer, who reportedly turned down the job, and former Oregon head coach, Mike Bellotti. However, a lot of this could have merely been a smoke screen, as Byrne said when he started the hire not to trust any source unless it comes directly from him. Two days ago, Byrne announced through his Twitter account that Rich Rodriguez would be the next head football coach at Arizona.

It is a fresh start for both sides, and a chance for bigger and better things. Arizona fans were getting fed up with Stoops' sideline antics, which weren't being tempered by victories, and frustration built up as the Wildcats seemed mired in mediocrity. A change appeared necessary. Meanwhile, Rich Rodriguez, who said repeatedly while at CBS Sports that he hoped someday for an opportunity to be a head coach again, wanted the chance to repair his reputation. Michigan had moved on and was experiencing success. It would only seem fair that he should be able to move on, too. He had been knocked down, sure, but he wanted to get up, dust himself off, and get back on the horse.

Initially, that meant that Rodriguez might have to settle for a less glamorous coaching job or a position as someone's offensive coordinator. Rodriguez himself has always maintained that he wants to be a head coach, but he was just hoping for the opportunity. There were a few that came along. Rodriguez's struggles at Michigan were not enough to keep Tulane from being interested in him. (Rodriguez had been Tulane's offensive coordinator from 1997-1998, where he helped the team to a 12-0 season, a record of success it has not experienced since.) With few options on the table, Rodriguez considered taking the job.

Yet Tulane is not in a BCS conference and, were Rodriguez to become Tulane's head coach, it would be a conscious step back. Tulane's place in a weak conference means that, even undefeated, it can not compete for national championships, which are Rodriguez's ultimate ambition. Rodriguez had reached the pinnacle of college coaching—Michigan—and now it seemed like he'd have to completely start over.

Then, much to Rodriguez's surprise, Arizona came calling. The Wildcats are the only team in what was formerly the Pac-10 to never even make an appearance in the Rose Bowl. They have also been desperate for success ever since John Mackovic cratered the program with abysmal seasons in the early 2000s. Mike Stoops was hired to fix the mess, and he did, but then could not meet the program's newfound expectations. The savvy Greg Byrne would be cautious in his decision about the next guy. Fans were generally optimistic because Byrne had hired Dan Mullen at Mississippi State, a decision which made Byrne a hot commodity as athletic director and helped him get the position at Arizona.

In the press conference where he introduced Rich Rodriguez, Byrne said that he considered a variety of candidates and wanted someone who fit his criteria. Arizona basketball coach Sean Miller talked to Byrne and suggested Rodriguez, calling him "the hungriest guy out there" and "the guy that the other coaches don't want coming to the Pac-12." It also helped that Rodriguez received a glowing recommendation from Urban Meyer, who told Byrne that Rodriguez was "one of the five greatest minds in college football" and said that it would be "an incredible hire for the University of Arizona."

Not surprisingly, given Rodriguez's history, Byrne had some concerns. There was the matter of Rodriguez's 15-22 record at Michigan, his trouble with the NCAA for practice time, and the fact that Rodriguez seems like a magnet for lawsuits. Byrne did his homework, however. He heard Rodriguez's side of the story and checked with the NCAA and compliance office at Michigan to verify it. He also wisely picked up a copy of John U. Bacon's "Three and Out" book, which provides a rigorously detailed, in-depth analysis and exploration of Rodriguez's time at Michigan, why he struggled, and ultimately why he was fired. When Rodriguez learned that Byrne had read "Three and Out," he was surprised. "I think it helps you," Byrne told him.

According to Rodriguez in his introductory press conference, he and Byrne first talked face-to-face about Arizona at his home in Detroit, Michigan. They also had breakfast in New York at a "secret restaurant" to discuss the job. Rodriguez was initially concerned that someone might recognize him, but after the restaurant became packed with customers, no one seemed to notice. Then, towards the end of Rodriguez's meeting with Byrne, a Michigan alumnus noticed Rodriguez and enthusiastically asked, "Hey, Coach Rod! What are you doing here [in New York]?" Rodriguez told him that he had a TV gig with CBS, which was true. The Michigan alumnus did not recognize Byrne. "That would have blown his cover," Rodriguez told the crowd at the press conference on Tuesday, earning a chuckle.

At first it may appear dubious that Rodriguez would be a good fit at a place where expectations were so dangerously high. Then, however, with a little research, one can find that Arizona's expectations, which are squarely on the Rose Bowl, are not greatly insurmountable. Arizona is in the Pac-12 South Division, the weaker of the two, especially since its only two contenders are an ineligible USC and an inconsistent Arizona State. (UCLA is in the contest by sheer luck alone.) The two most difficult teams in the Pac-12 are Oregon and Stanford, but both are in the North Division. Arizona could lose to both and still play in the Pac-12 Championship if it gets by USC and takes care of the weaker teams in the South Division. Getting there would not be like facing the stout teams in the Big Ten's Legends Division.

There is also Rodriguez's spread offense, which seems perfect for the Pac-12 conference. The teams in the conference appear to prefer speed over size—it is not the beefy Big Ten—and several teams already run a spread-type offense, with Oregon as the leader among them. (By the way, if you didn't already know, Rodriguez is one of the original architects of the spread.) The only team that actually has a traditional power-running offense is Stanford. Unlike the Big Ten, where spread teams tend to struggle (Purdue, Northwestern, Nebraska), Rodriguez should do very well here. It will be a lot more like West Virginia than like Michigan.

Rodriguez also inherits a team that he does not need to completely transform in order to run his offense. While the Wildcats graduate senior quarterback Nick Foles, Rodriguez gets to utilize the talents of running quarterback Matt Scott, a definite dual-threat who will be a red-shirt senior in 2012. Rodriguez also gets Ka'Deem Carey, a speedster at running back. Mike Stoops' Air Raid offense is similar to Rodriguez's spread except that it prefers a heavy passing game with as many as five wide receivers. The transition to Rodriguez's spread-option will not take nearly as long as it did at Michigan and will not be as nearly as painful. This is probably the best situation Rodriguez hope could for.

What is even better about Arizona and what ultimately helps Rodriguez is that the program's identity is not so rooted in tradition as Michigan's was with the ideal and security of the "Michigan Man." The Arizona fans don't care if Rodriguez has ties to the program. In fact, given that previous Arizona coaches who did have ties were unsuccessful, many actually prefer Rodriguez on the simple notion that he doesn't. Rodriguez will not have to constantly combat the idea that he doesn't belong. Arizona, which is traditionally known as a basketball school, is still looking for a sense of identity in football. It is practically a blank slate. Rodriguez will be able to shape the image of Arizona's program instead of struggling to uphold it.

He still faces some initial challenges. The first is finding a competent and suitable defensive coordinator. Rodriguez will either have to find someone who can mesh with his philosophy, or he will have to find someone who can coach defense well and run that system independent of Rodriguez's control. (The latter is often pushed for by fans especially because Rodriguez is an offensive mind and because his two defensive coordinators at Michigan—Scott Shafer and Greg Robinson—had hardly any experience with the 3-3-5 defense Rodriguez insisted they run.) A primary target for Rodriguez must be Jeff Casteel, defensive coordinator at West Virginia, who was on Rodriguez's staff there but did not follow him to Michigan. Casteel could easily leave West Virginia, since he has no ties or particular allegiance to Dana Holgorsen, the Mountaineers' current head coach.

The defense for Rodriguez was dooming at Michigan, and it is going to be the most important question he is asked until he is successful. In a one-on-one interview with the Tucson Citizen, Rodriguez was judiciously asked about his plans for defense, particularly if he intends on retaining the 3-3-5 he had at West Virginia where it was effective and at Michigan where it failed.

"I like to run the odd front because it gives you versatility, but even the 3-3-5 now has morphed into a 3-4," Rodriguez said. "I'm going to try to hire the best defensive coordinator I can, and if his schemes and philosophy can match some of the parameters I give him, then we'll do that. I just want to have a great coach and a great scheme. Defensively, things are a little different. In this day and age you have to have more of a variety because one week you might see a spread team and the next week you see two tight ends and I-backs. In this league, you'll see that with Oregon and Stanford. I'm not married, so to speak, to a 3-3-5."

Rodriguez has apparently learned a great deal from his struggles and mistakes at Michigan, and he knows what kind of questions are going to be asked. At his introductory press conference, Rodriguez stressed the importance of the Arizona State rivalry and that he will emphasize it every day. He also said his primary goal for the program is winning the Rose Bowl, a statement which provoked cheers. Rodriguez did not spend time dishing out false promises, however. Though he had many goals, his only actual guarantee was that Arizona would get his best effort and the best effort of his staff.

Realizing from his experience at Michigan that he needs all the initial support he can get, Rodriguez also appealed to the former players, a wise move that he had neglected to do when he first arrived in Ann Arbor. That disconnect did not help him through the struggles of his first few years, and by the time Rodriguez realized how crucial it was to have the former players on his side, it was probably too late. This time, at Arizona, he was intent on not making the same error.

"There's a lot of great players," he said. "I want all you lettermen that are here to know that you have an open invitation to come back and visit with me and visit with our staff. I think it's important that if you gave of yourself as a student-athlete here, and I know all the other coaches feel the same way, that you feel welcome back. And you will. I guarantee you'll feel that, and you're welcome back immediately. And you always have been. I know that, but just because I did not go to the University of Arizona and this is my first time here, don't think for an instant that I don't want you around, because I do. Now I can't let you call the plays, unless you're on the staff, but I do want you around. There's a lot a guys that I want to know. I want you all to tell me, to help me have success here. You know, I want to win the Rose Bowl—at the University of Arizona."

At Arizona, that part about the Rose Bowl may be more important than the part about the former players, since Arizona is not as rigid as Michigan. Again, there is no such thing as an "Arizona man." Still, his appeal to them was shrewd and well-prepared. He still doesn't know everything about Arizona. The difference is, this time, that won't hurt him.

If Rodriguez's first challenge was hiring an effective defensive coordinator, then recruiting will be his second. He has recruited out of Arizona before, gaining commitments from Taylor Lewan and Craig Roh, both from Scottsdale. However, the fact that Rodriguez did not recruit heavily in the area is a concern for some. He recruited a number of players from California and Texas, but even he admits that he still prefers Florida. Rodriguez acknowledged the importance of establishing a recruiting base in Arizona and locking down the state. It will be imperative that Rodriguez hire a West Coast oriented staff or retain some current Arizona assistants (he knew quarterbacks coach Chris Scelfo while at Tulane) to make up for his lack of experience. These are hardly difficult challenges, and Rodriguez will have overcome them within a couple years.

For Michigan fans, Rodriguez has long been a polarizing figure. The mere mention of his name sends us into a flurry of emotions. Some consider him a good person, a genuine guy, while others consider him scum marked by the humorlessly predictable moniker "Dick Rod." The notion of whether Rodriguez and Michigan were a bad fit is hotly debated, and even today there are still those who believe that Rodriguez should be the Wolverines' coach. That is the nature of Rich Rodriguez: there will always be those who love him, and there will always be those who hate him. It is hardly universal either way, though. West Virginians' hatred of Rodriguez is borne out of love because he made them so successful and left for a better opportunity. Yet he was beloved in Morgantown when he was its coach. His departure from his alma mater was a cut that ran deep, and it was almost cathartic to make him the bad guy. It was certainly expected.

His time at Michigan had a similar effect. Rodriguez produced the worst seasons in the history of the program, punctuated with the worst defenses. Yet even before that, Rodriguez was on the ropes because he was such an outsider. His hire alone had so many implications. It meant so many things would change, not just in Michigan's brand name offense but the very identity of what it was to be a "Michigan Man." Though Rodriguez was not the first outsider Michigan hired, he was the first departure from the school of Schembechler. The Michigan faithful had long become comfortable with the Legacy of Bo. That, to them, was Michigan football. Rodriguez, to those who hated him, was a threat to that.

Rodriguez's mistakes at Michigan are frequently discussed, yet John U. Bacon insists that Michigan committed just as many sins as Rodriguez. They did not embrace him. They did not give him full support. At a banquet in Ann Arbor in 2008, one former player got up to the lectern and said, "I better not see any of your guys from West Virginia on our sidelines! This is our program!" He was never reprimanded.

Yet Rodriguez will doubtfully be remembered as the coach who didn't get a fair shake. I will personally remember Rodriguez as the guy not who squandered Michigan's tradition, but who didn't understand it—or at least did not understand it fully. When you become the head coach of Michigan, you are given the keys to the kingdom. You are the keeper of the legacy of the coaches like Yost and Schembechler, who built Michigan into the winningest program in college football. This is why so many people ground the identity of the program in its history, and this is why they were so affected by Rodriguez. It was an incredible departure.

One of the best kept secrets about Rodriguez (largely his own doing) was that he embraced Michigan's tradition. He frequently utilized it in the locker room to motivate players. He talked about it constantly with them. What Rodriguez didn't do, and why so many people didn't think he was a Michigan Man, was take that devotion to the public, and show the fans that he cared about all the right things. If you put Rodriguez's locker room speeches to the Wolverines next to Brady Hoke's press conferences, it's hard to tell the difference.

Rodriguez will instead be remembered for bringing Michigan fans a newfound appreciation for Lloyd Carr, whose legacy some felt did not get the appropriate amount of respect it deserved when Carr relinquished his position, despite the loss to Appalachian State and the losing streak to Ohio State. Rodriguez's 3-9 season of 2008 makes Carr's 8-4 season of 2007 look like unparalleled success. Rodriguez's seasons never reached eight wins at Michigan, and Carr is now in the College Football Hall of Fame. He is the revered figure his players wanted him to be, while Rodriguez is seen as the guy who created a mess that Brady Hoke had to come in with Greg Mattison and fix. For Michigan, the old ways are back, and no one in Ann Arbor could be happier.

Admittedly, we at the Michigan Fanatic give Rodriguez a lot of heat for his decisions, but these opinions and statements are largely based in the result of those decisions rather than a simple, personal bias or hatred. Personally, I don't hate Rodriguez. I believe he is a genuine guy who gave three years of his life to the Michigan football program in a way more intimate than any fan ever will. He was something most people will never be: he was Michigan's head coach. He was closer than any of us.

His firing was necessary, because I could not look at 2011 and see that we had a chance to win the Big Ten under him, but I did not want Rodriguez to fall into an eternal pit of despair after he was fired. Thankfully, he didn't. CBS hired him, and within a year, he has found another coaching job at a program in a BCS conference. His stint at Michigan will be but a blip on his career. After everything we experienced with Rodriguez during his time here, and everything that he experienced from us, the man deserves some success and happiness.

At Arizona, I hope he finds it.

Wolverines Capitalize on Nebraska's Mistakes in 45-17 Win

Did anyone see this win coming? Well, I certainly didn't.

Speculation in college football is often a cruel mistress. We often try to make bold predictions and at other times still be skeptical. We look at games on the schedule and where we are as a team and think, "There's no way we can win that one." Well, after Michigan defeated Nebraska in a 45-17 rout, I looked pretty silly for saying before the season that the Wolverines only a 17% chance of winning. I also said that Michigan wasn't a dominating team. Both appear to be wrong.

Well, sort of: I still won't say that Michigan is a dominating team, but I will say that they are significantly improved. Significantly. It almost looks like a completely different squad out there. That's what's so baffling: these are by and large the same players that Rich Rodriguez had during the 2010 season, where Michigan went 7-5 and lost those seven games (as well as a sixth in the Gator Bowl) in the most embarrassing way possible. Last year, Michigan was ranked 112th in yards allowed. Now they're ranked 14th in total defense. There is no question you can ask except: What the hell happened?!

A lot of it is Brady Hoke, and the rest of it is Greg Mattison. (Also, side props to defensive backs coach Curt Mallory.) To change a defense so dramatically in the span of one year is beyond remarkable. I'm still blown away by it. During the game against Nebraska, former Florida head coach and current ESPN color commenter Urban Meyer said that Michigan had "the most improved defense in America." He is certainly right.

The reason why the Wolverines beat Nebraska so convincingly is largely because of three words: time of possession. Michigan had the ball for roughly 42-43 minutes of the entire game, while Nebraska had it for 17-18 minutes. That's the defense keeping Nebraska off the field—the Cornhuskers didn't convert a third down until the fourth quarter—and the Michigan offense maintaining control of the ball and wearing the Nebraska defense down. Fans saw what happens when Michigan is able to establish a running game: Fitzgerald Toussaint powered his way over Nebraska, and quarterback Denard Robinson had a good game on the ground too. That threat, combined with Denard's good passing game (he had a beautiful touchdown pass to wide receiver Martavious Odoms at the fifty to the endzone), was too much for Nebraska to handle.

Michigan still faced its share of challenges. The power had gone out in Michigan Stadium and players were unable to see the play clock. The officials used hand signals to show when it was counting down. At least one time Denard Robinson suffered a delay of game penalty because he had watched the umpire instead of the official hand-signaling the countdown. Brady Hoke, however, took the blame for the mistake. "The first one, the penalty we had, that's on me," he said. "I should have called a timeout. For me not to do that, that's bad coaching." (The Michigan fan base later helped Denard out by vocally counting down the play clock. The power was eventually restored to Michigan Stadium.)

Detroit News writer Bob Wojnowski, who had called for the firing of Rich Rodriguez last November after the loss to Ohio State, says that Brady Hoke has brought Michigan back to prominence. "They pounded with power and attacked with animosity," Wojnowski wrote of the Michigan-Nebraska game in his weekly column. "On a chilly November afternoon, you could see it again, and you finally can say it again. Michigan's football identity is back, quicker than expected. And also just in time. This wasn't the final piece of evidence, but it certainly was the most compelling. What happened Saturday in Michigan Stadium is what used to happen. A big, physical foe rolled into town and ran smack into a wall of pads. The Wolverines' 45-17 rout of the Cornhuskers was their best game of the year, by far, and the loudest statement of the Brady Hoke era, by far."

Was this game a statement? Yes, it was. Michigan showed a full Big House against Nebraska exactly what they would have been if they had capitalized on the mistakes of Iowa and Michigan State. They would have easily won. They established a running game and stopped Nebraska from running the ball. It seems like an old, tired adage, but right now it feels like nothing could be closer to the truth. The tougher team usually wins.

Make no mistake: Nebraska had a tough team against Michigan. Quarterback Taylor Martinez ran effectively several times, showing the speed that put him in Heisman talks early in the season, and when he saw a receiver run past Michigan's safeties, he threw a touchdown. However, Nebraska lost because it committed too many errors on special teams and could not offset Michigan's seemingly magical ability to force turnovers. (The Cornhuskers had five turnovers, while the Wolverines had one.) It was a welcome game between two teams who argue over who was the true National Champion in 1997. If this game was the decider, Michigan won.

During the entire game, Chris Spielman and Urban Meyer talked about how much of a threat Denard Robinson is when he is allowed to run. "He is a runner first and a passer second," Meyer said. They were also critical of the games when Hoke and offensive coordinator Al Borges decided to limit Robinson's carries, despite the reasoning that the coaches didn't want him to get injured. "If I'm the opposing coach," Spielman said, "I'm happy to see Devin Gardner come out."

Denard was mainly allowed to cut loose because it is that time of the season. Granted, he didn't carry the entire offense on his back as he did under Rich Rodriguez—and he'll be thanking Fitzgerald Toussiant for bearing the majority of the load—but Denard did get a lot of carries in this game largely because Michigan doesn't really have anything to lose. They won't be playing in the Big Ten championship, and the only regular-season game following this one is Ohio State, so why hold back? The trepidation that Denard Robinson will get injured before the game against the Buckeyes is now gone, and that means look out.

As much as this game was a satisfying victory, I think the main reason why it feels so good is because it's a sign of things to come. Spielman and Meyer also talked at length about the freshmen that are on the field on defense (Brennan Beyer, Blake Countess, Desmond Morgan, in particular) and how they're making impact plays. 

"When you have three true freshmen that are big time players and contributors on your defense, that kind of shows where a little bit of their talent might have been depleted on the defensive side over the years, and that shows what Brady Hoke is doing as far as recruiting," Spielman said. "And once they get the talent that they need at Michigan—they're a Michigan defense now—they'll really be a Michigan defense when that talent starts rolling in."

It's certainly an encouraging thought. It was an even better win—and, for these players, after everything they've been through, it was even more deserved. Michigan now stands at 9-2.