Spartans take lucky victory over #8 Michigan

The Michigan State Spartans have taken a lucky win over fierce Rival Michigan. The Spartans defeated #8 ranked Michigan with 23-28 despite limited production on offense. Spartans Quarterback Sean Jackson went a NCAA Record low 2 of 7 for 12 yards in the game while he didn’t take the field until the early stages of the 2nd Quarter. The game started with a 37yd Field Goal by Michigan Kicker Wolford that saw the Wolverines take the lead with 3-0. Immediately after, Michigan States Cornerback C. Carter returned the kick-off for 98yds and his first touchdown of the day. The wolverines tried to answer right back, and drove the ball down to the Spartans 20yd line by the end of the first quarter. The first play of the second quarter saw Michigan QB Denard Robinson fumble the ball, inside the 5yd line, on a Quarterback Draw. Spartans CB Carter recovered the fumble and returned it for 96yds and his second TD of the Day.
After Halftime, Michigan was able to force the Spartans into a 3&out and scored on a 34yd TD pass from Robinson to WR Bishop. After failing through the air throughout the whole game, Michigan State decided to keep the Ball on the Ground and subsequently scored on a 49yd rushing TD by Lloyd Holmes. Michigan was unable to stop the strong Spartan running offense. Midway through the 4th Quarter Michigan TE Humphrey caught another Pass by Denard Robinson to close the gap down to 5 points. The Spartans recovered the following onside kick and ploughed the Ball into the Endzone on one play at the hands of Running Back Lloyd Holmes. Michigan got the ball back with less than two minutes to go and in a desperate attempt to comeback from the large deficit used all of their 3 Time Outs to march down the field. Denard Robinson himself finished the drive off with his first Rushing TD on the season, but his effort remained fruitless as the wolverines failed more than once to reach the side-lines to stop the clock on deep passing attempts. The Spartans finished of the game with 2 kneel-downs and took their first victory of the season while the Wolverines and their Coach Brian Billick have to reset their strategy for the upcoming matches. The Game was not satisfying for the Maze in Blue and especially for their Quarterback Denard Robinson, who went 15 of 24 on passes for 332yds 2 TD’s and a pick, and additionally rushed for 61yds on 11 attempts, scoring a TD and fumbling twice. After the game, Denard was not open for interviews, but coach Billick spoke for his Quarterback, in front of the media: “Denard knows that this was an important game for us, and he has taken full responsibility for today’s loss, which in his eyes was a sole product of his two fumbles. But to be honest, the whole team didn’t show themselves from their best side. I have seen many dropped passes and a lot of half arsed blocks, especially when we were passing the ball. Denard got sacked 6 times today and our running game was often stopped in the backfield. Both statistics show that our O-Line was simply not prepared for this Spartans Defence and we have to continue working on it as soon as we get back home to Ann Arbour.� Michigan hosts the UNC Tar Heels next, who upset the #7 ranked Seminoles in Week 1.

Key Injuries

ILB

Brown, Wendell

83ovr

4 weeks

Syracuse & Oklahoma State both Upset Top5 ranked Teams

The NCAA season has just started and the Top10 have already been shaken through thoroughly. #1 ranked Preseason Favourites USC found their Master in Syracuse Orange who pulled of the biggest surprise of the still young BCS Season. To add to the big upsets of Michigan and USC, Oklahoma State beat in state Rival Oklahoma. In the nationally Televised Game, Stanford pulled off the Upset against Georgia, by defeating the Bulldogs 31-21. The game of the week between Alabama & LSU saw favourites ‘Bama defeat LSU with 34-17. Additionally, the Crimson Tide have taken over the Top seed, in the ‘Daily Poll, from USC who have to rebound quickly from their tough loss.

Mresuperstar wrote:
You let me down...

#9 Michigan takes down Tar Heels, despite 3 Turnovers

Michigan has recorded their first win of the season against the UNC Tar Heels in week 2. UNC came into the game with confidence after taking down #7 ranked FSU the previous week, while Michigan looked to readjust after their tough loss to Michigan State.
Michigan got off to a good start with Cornerback Washington returning the opening Kickoff for 91yds and was stopped just shy of the Touchdown. The Michigan Opening Drive, thus, started with 1st & Goal at the 9yd line, which Denard finished off on his own, running for the Touchdown. The Wolverines defence stepped it up in the first quarter and held North Carolina’s rushing attack under control, forcing a 3&Out on the UNC opening drive.


The Wolverines controlled the run in the 1st Quarter

On the following possession Denard threw his first pick of the day, to ILB Tanner, at the end of the first quarter. The Tar Heels started the 2nd quarter right around midfield. Quarterback Jake Johnson had a strong day and threw a 26yd touchdown pass to his Wide receiver Abraham to cap off the drive. Fuelled by the TD, the Tar Heels stepped it up on defence and forced a 3&Out, which resulted in a punt, which resulted in a Touchback. With the drive starting at their own 20 yard line, the tar Heels handed the ball off to their HB D. Jones, who ran the ball all the way in for a Touchdown.


Jones’ best play of the day was rewarded with a Touchdown after running across the whole field

The Wolverines D clearly took the blame for this Touchdown. The Misery however, didn’t end there. After driving the ball to the Carolina 35yd line, Denard turned the ball over once again, by throwing the ball into double coverage. The Ball was picked off by UNC’s ILB Turner for a second time and on the following drive, J. Johnson passed the ball down the field and completed the drive with a 21yd TD to his WR Scott.


Turner recording his 2nd pick on the stat sheet.

Just before the end of the first half, Denard drove the ball down the field, throwing his first TD of the day to WR Humphreys, to shorten the gap down to 7 points.


Humphreys 1st TD catch of the season

Fired up by the strong play at the end of the 1st half, the Wolverines Defence came out, looking for a 3&Out. Michigan CB Graham, however, could do even better and picked Jake Johnson off at the 40yd line.


Graham produced the only Michigan Turnover on the day, which wasn’t a 3&Out

The Wolverines stepped it up another notch and Denard scored his 3rd TD on the day (his 2nd through the air) with a beautiful 7yd TD pass to Willis. The Michigan D sensed the opportunity for another big play and forced the Tar Heels to punt at their own 40yd line. However, a 3rd Interception by Denard, which Carson returned for a 66yd TD, seemed to have sealed the deal for a second Tar Heel Victory against a ranked team this season. The fourth Quarter opened with Denard driving the ball down the field, both with his feet and his arm. With 3 minutes to go, Robinson found his TE Adkins for a 3yd completion and a TD.
A miserable kickoff return for the Tar Heels became a bad sign Omen for the upcoming drive, in which they were forced to punt again, before arriving at midfield. Starting out of their own half with just over a minute to go, the Wolverines took the decision to run the ball on 1st & 2nd down and to keep the throws on the sideline unless necessary. Relying on Kelly’s ability to break tackles and Denards quick feet quickly brought Michigan into field goal range. The Tar Heels started burning their Timeouts to stop the clock, but the Wolverines still ran for another 21 yards, leaving Wolford with a 19yd attempt in order to score the game winning Field goal, hich he converted without a problem.
Michigan won the game with a very small margin, but the Wolverines were still delighted to take the win. “Well, we won today. That’s the positive sign. The negative side of the game was that I threw 3 picks today… Well, last week I turned the ball over 3 times, 3 times this time, so hopefully that was it for the next few weeks.� Said Denard, who went 10 out of 18 for 128 yards, 3TD’s and 3 Picks, while adding 96yds and a TD on the ground. After the game, Brian Billick again spoke to the media and gave a very short statement: “Well, it was a narrow, ugly win, but a win is a win… But if we examine the whole game closely, it’s quite apparent that Browns injury was a bigger impact than we expected. What we have to do now, is limit the Turnovers and then hopefully win a game without the hassle of a looming comeback�. Michigan takes on #8 Arkansas next before travelling to Columbus to take on their biggest rival of all: The Buckeyes!

Key Injuries

ILB

Brown, Wendell

83ovr

3 weeks

Bama won’t go undefeated, Southern Cal’s campaign takes another hit

Week 2 was full of upsets again. It is thus not surprising that TCU shutting out Boise State 10-0 is only a mere side note in this week’s news. After being upset by the OSU Cowboys last week, Oklahoma is once again on the winning side of the ball after they beat Georgia at home with 33-21. The Bulldogs now stand at 0-2 and loses their 6th rank to FSU, which beat Syracuse in overtime 29-26. The game of the week, between LSU and Oregon, ended with LSU manifesting their position as one of the Top Teams in the country, making them no.2 in the country, as USC took their 2nd loss of the season of the season against Louisville. Arkansas and West Virginia, (ranked at #8 & #10 respectively) hung on to narrow wins over their opponents. The biggest story of the week however, was the more than surprising Upset of #1 Alabama at the hands of the Miami Hurricanes, who marched out of the SunLife Stadium in Miami Gardens with a 27-17 victory. The defeat, however, could not shake Bama’s position at the Top of the Daily poll, which they still lead by a single point over LSU.

Michigan cuts it close again

Michigan has once again cut it close in their 31-28 win over #8 Arkansas. Upon winning the Coin Toss, the Wolverines decided to hand Tyler Wilson the Ball in the first half, in order to let the defence have a shot at the Senior QB. However, the plan backfired, as Arkansas entered the game prepared for Michigan’s defensive schemes. Michigan was expecting a powerful rush by Runningback Willis, but the Razorbacks decided to move the ball through the air, and Tyler Wilson started, what was to become a splendid afternoon for him, early in the first quarter, by finding his No. 1 target Robinson in the Endzone for a 9yd Completion. Michigan looked stunned and perplexed as they started their drive at the 25yd line, after Washington had initially returned the ball for a TD. However, the play was whistled dead at the spot of a holding call, which proved to be costly for Michigan. Brian Billick gave Denard a lot of freedom again in reading the defences. This did cost Michigan the ball at the Arkansas 40yd line, where the Michigan QB fumbled the ball for the 3rd time this season. The ball was recovered by Arkansas, and Wilson was able to put the ball into the Endzone once again, this time to Watters who recorded his first reception of 34yds for a TD on the play.
After the Kickoff, Michigan started off at the 20yd line, but got nowhere on their first 2 plays, and even lost 6yds on a sack. Michigan Headcoach Brian Billick called a Hail Mary pass, which finally started the Michigan Offense.


Denard took a while to get going, but this pass started to put life into the Michigan Offense

Michigan marched down the field, but was more or less limited to the pass, as both QB Robinson and HB Kelly were often held to no gain at all, causing Michigan to give up on the run completely in the second quarter.


In the second quarter, Michigan’s famous run attack was close to non-existent

31yds out, The Michigan Train came to an abrupt halt, as Robinson and Kelly got neutralised back on first and second down and Denard fumbled the ball on third while dropping back to pass. Luckily he could recover his own fumble. But instead to punt, the Wolverines decided to go for it on 4th down, and Denard converted the play with a 31yd Touchdown Pass to WR Norman Bishop.


Bishop on his 2nd TD reception of the year

Just as Michigan looked like they could cope with this incredibly sufficient passing game however, Tyler Wilson recorded his 3rd TD of the day, exploiting the holes in the Michigan secondary for a 44yd Touchdown pass to Wideout Robinson, to make the score 21-7. The second quarter was all but over though. Denard was finally able to find some room to run near the end of the second quarter and scrambled for a 35yd gain, setting Michigan up with a good field position. However, the risk Denard took nearly would have cost Michigan the Ball again, and probably the game too, as Denard fumbled the ball for a third time. Michigan meanwhile only maintained control over the ball because of a lucky bounce, which made the ball roll out of play. That however did not bother Denard, as he set off on foot on the next play again, bringing the Wolverines down to the 4 yard line, where Robinson finished the Drive with a 4yd Touchdown to TE Adkins. On the following series, Michigan came out fired up, and forced Arkansas into a 3&Out. It also seemed like Wilson and the Razorback Offense were out of steam after not even half of the game.


Tyler Wilson seemed to be running out of steam nearing halftime

Michigan got the ball back, but also seemed to lack a certain punch at the end of the half, and settled for a 40yd Field Goal, which, given the Wind conditions, was a mere chip shot for Wolverines Kicker Wolford.
The second half started exactly as the first one ended, with a Wolford Field Goal for 37 yards, which cut the lead down to only 1 point, after a drive, which saw Michigan rack up another 40yds on total offense. After the Field Goal, the game gained some momentum again, and the on field action became heated again, which saw Michigan force another 3&Out, which changed the course of the game completely, as Michigan seemed to have gained the upper hand in the contest. It took the Wolverines some mingling, before Denard decided to go deep and connected with Humphreys for a 49yd TD in the closing stages of the 3rd Quarter, which was capped off by Robinson scoring on the 2pt conversion, to put Michigan ahead by a Touchdown.


Humphrey made a beautiful reception in double coverage, dubbed “the Catch� by many Michigan Fans

With Michigan in the lead, the Wolverines D became sloppy and Arkansas went about to exploit the laziness and called a rush play. With Michigan expecting Tyler Wilson to take control of a Michigan Comeback in the 4th quarter, the Wolverines were simply overrun by Razorback Halfback Wicks, who rushed the ball all the way in for a 55yd TD, his longest run of the day. Indeed, he recorded more than half of his 88 total rushing yardage on the one play.


Throughout the whole game Michigan held Arkansas to 33yds on the ground, until Wicks rushed for 55yds late in the 4th Quarter

With only a mere 2 minutes left, Michigan decided to run out the clock, by keeping the ball on the ground, rushing it down to the 27 yard line, where Wolford kicked the game winning Field Goal. “It was a very exciting game, but I can’t believe that we had two near turnover, which could potentially have been three again. Nonetheless, I am decided that we stand at 2-1 now…� said Coach Brian Billick after the game. Denard Robinson went 14 of 17 for 287yds and 3 TD’s again (his 3 game in in a row with three TD’s) while adding 84 yds on 10 attempts on the ground. However, Man of the Match was WR Norman Bishop with 4 Receptions for 130yds and a TD. Next the Wolverines will travel to Columbus to take on their most fierce Rival ohio State in Columbus.

Key injuries

ILB

Brown, Wendell

83ovr

2 weeks

’Bama loses 2 in a row and first place in the Daily Poll

Another week of upsets follows the huge upset of ‘Bama in Week 2. The week kicked off with #6 FSU defeating Clemson with 28-30, as well as #5 Oregon defeating Syracuse at home in Overtime with 20-17. Meanwhile #4 Oklahoma beat Cincinnati away from home, which means that all 3 ranked teams will keep their Position in the Daily Poll. The Upset of the week once again happened in the Alabama game, where the #1 Team in the country was upset for a second time in a row, this time to USC, who climb up into second in the Daily Poll; even though their record stands at 1-2, while ‘Bama drops down to third. The new #1 in the country is LSU, who beat unbeaten Texas A&M in College Station with 14-10. Meanwhile, Michigan & and West Virginia, who defeated Oklahoma State to be remain the only ranked team to be unbeaten, climb up as both Georgia (L 19-14 vs. Notre Dame) and Arkansas drop out of the rankings and are replaced by Unbeaten teams Stanford & Notre Dame.
After three weeks, the rankings saw the first major changes in the rankings, with two preseason favourites being dropped.






Dropped from the Poll: Georgia, Arkansas

ochocinco85 wrote:
Nice win, its good that you can win the close games. Its rough that Denard is fumbling the ball so much

Michigan Bullies Ohio State, Brown still missed despite Strong Game

The Michigan Wolverines have finally won a game in a convincing manner in Week 4, to cement their claim of returning to the Top Ranks of the Football Bows Subdivision. In Week 4 the team travelled to Columbus, Ohio, to take on their biggest Rival, Ohio State.
The game started off with a bang, with Michigan starting a 76yd drive after the opening Kickoff. Denard Robinson, the Michigan Quarterback, was perfect on the opening drive, scoring the game’s first points after connecting with Norman Bishop for a 7yd Touchdown pass. Brian Billick seemed to have gotten his offense into sync, as Runningback Adron Kelly added key plays to the table, the biggest being a 35yd reception, setting Michigan up with great field position. After the kickoff, the Michigan Defence had a lot to prove, after the disappointing games they had played the previous 3 weeks, giving up 28 points in each. The Ohio State drive only took 4 plays, with Quarterback Griffin taking a sack by DE Foster.


Foster’s sack early in the game proved to be vital, as Griffin never got into a rhythm with his receivers, ending the Buckeyes passing game before it ever got started

With Michigan’s offense taking over after the Punt, the 100.000 fans saw a concentrated effort by the visiting team. The Wolverines took their time, and surprisingly Robinson stayed tall in the pocket, surveying the field, considering his options before making a move on the ball, and not taking off on foot prematurely. It was the first time this season that Michigan chewed up the clock with concentrated plays, walking down the field and scoring a touchdown on a 12yd pass by Robinson, to his favourite Target, Norman Bishop.


Norman Bishop on the way to his second Touchdown of the game

Ohio States offense still showed no sign of action, turning the Ball over on a punt once more, after only gaining a limited amount of yardage through their running game. Michigan’s CB Washington had a nice return, leaving the Wolverines with excellent Field Position for a two minute drill. Brian Billick saw the opportunity to run up the scoreboard against Ohio State in order to bolster their lead and giving them some room for error for the second half. Unsurprisingly, Robinson and Adron Kelly could exploit the deep holes in the Buckeyes defence and marched down the field, before being short of a first down with five seconds to go, setting up a 30yd Field Goal, which Bob Wolford converted without any problems.
Coming out of the Halftime, Ohio State seemed to have gotten some strong Motivational speeches by their coaches, as the team coached by Romeo Crennel set up a great block for their Returnman Green, who ran the ball all the way back for a 98yd Return Touchdown.


Green’s 98yd return TD was the first score of the Game for the Buckeyes

The return showed the first weaknesses of the Wolverines Defence that is still missing their star Linebacker Wendell Brown, an essential part of the Michigan Run defence, which once again led to the defensive backs stepping in to close running lanes, leaving the Wolverines open to the pass. Michigan still didn’t lose any focus on offense and WR Humphreys caught a 9yd TD after a long drive, chewing up most of the time in the 3rd Quarter. Ohio State suddenly fired up, tried to close the gap, marching down the field on the ground to score another touchdown, this time by RB Duncan. After this TD, the Game lost a lot of its hype, with Michigan not getting close to a Touchdown on their next 2 possessions, settling for Field Goals of 46yds and 38yds respectively.


Bob Wolford continues his high scoring season with 4 Field Goals on the Day

Ohio State had lost a lot of motivation on offense however, as they failed to march down the field for any scores, giving the ball back to Michigan with 3 minutes to go in great field position. Michigan kept it on the ground capping the drive off with another Field Goal for 18yds. Ohio State managed to score another TD, this time through the air, which is mainly attributed to the tiredness of the Michigan Defence, which is in dire need of their starting Linebacker. The final Score of the Game was 33-21, but the statistics speak another language, as Michigan dominated the game with 362yds on total offense, with Denard earning Player of the Week Honours after going 15 of 19 for 178yds and 3 scores, while adding 106yds on 14 carries. “We set out today to win the game and I think we took care of business and showed that we are to be considered for the National Championship Question this season� said Head Coach Brian Billick. Denard added: “It was a great game, and we really showed them who the Number One in the North is.� The only thing that needs to be added to the report is, that Michigan seemed to have overcome their Turnover Problem, not giving the ball away once, and even keeping the Punting Units on the Side Line.

Key Injuries

ILB

Brown, Wendell

83ovr

1 Week

Bama reclaims Lead in the ‘Daily Poll as both #1 LSU and #3 USC loose easy Matchups

Alabama has regained the lead in the ‘Daily Poll, after they have taken down the TCU Horned Frogs with 14-9, while both #2 USC and #1 LSU fall to division rivals. #2 USC lost to UCLA, the only non-ranked Team in the Pac-4 Division, by a score of 17-16. #1 LSU meanwhile lost to Florida, which records their first victory of the season, with 17-20 in Overtime. Another big upset of the week was the Notre Dame game, where the Fighting Irish lost in South Bend against Wisconsin, with the Badgers winning their second game in a row. FSU maintains their Position in the Top10 ranking after defeating Michigan State, who falls to 2-2 after a promising start. The game of the week was played out in Stanford, where the Cardinal took down the Oregon Ducks by a score of 17-9 to maintain their undefeated season.
There were also several storylines outside the Top10, with Georgia recording their first win of the season, after falling out of the Top10, being ranked #6 in the country after the Preseason. Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Bearcats are holding Trials for new Widereceivers, offering Walk-On Scholarships to un-recruited, former High School players, who have given up on football after failing to secure a Scholarship. This development arose due to the fact that 4 of their 5 Wideouts are on the injured report, with only 2 of those returning this season. The most tragic story line is the one of Ugo Robbins, the 2nd Wideout for the Bearcats, who will miss the rest of his Senior Year. It remains to be seen what he is intending to do now, but a lot points into the direction of him returning to Nippert Stadium next year as a fifth Year Athlete.

Mresuperstar wrote:
As always a very great read, very enjoyable. Glad you beat Ohio, and Boise St. Should be an easy victory as well. But anything can happen on blue turf.