Michigan Wolverines

Michigan Tames Da Bears in Rose Bowl

January 1, 2011

Game Report Posted: November 18, 2009 20:07  

Michigan completely routed the Cal Bears in coach Jello's first Rose Bowl. The #4 vs. #12 matchup promised to be a competitive game, but this isn't how things played out at all. Michigan's offense was unstoppable as their starters scored a TD on every single possession. As if that weren't bad enough, Michigan's starters on defense held the bears scoreless as well. In fact, the only points Cal would muster was in the 4th quarter when Michigan's subs were getting some experience and backup HB Fitzgerald Toussaint fumbled the ball deep in Michigan territory and Michigan's 2nd string defense couldn't stop the Bears starting offense on such a short field.

Things got off to a bad start for the bears. After going 3 and out on their first drive, Michigan marched down the field for a TD. On the ensuing kickoff, the bears would return the kick 97 yards for a TD. Or so it would appear. During the run back, coach Jello pointed to the ground on which a yellow hankie sat. This momentum changing 97 yard TD was called back due to a clipping penalty. The bears never recovered from that moment and never got anything going on offense or defense.

Michigan's running game was firing on all cylinders as they racked up 265 yards on the ground including 81 yards and 2 TDs by QB Tate Forcier. In addition to pounding the ball on the ground, Forcier was perfect through the air, connecting on all 14 of his passes for 162 yards and 2 TDs. Michigan would convert on 7 of 9 3rd downs while holding the bears to 1 of 6. All of these factors contributed to Michigan holding the ball for over 20 minutes while the bears' offense was only on the filed for 7 and a half. This totaled to 67 offensive plays run by Michigan to only 32 for the bears.

Michigan Finally Snaps 6 Game Skid vs. Hairless Nuts

November 20, 2010

Game Report Posted: November 09, 2009 21:15  

Just 1 week after clinching a spot in the Rose Bowl, the Wolverines played the 1 game that matters the most in Ann Arbor. The hated silver bastards from down south came into town, and despite their terrible record, they came ready to play. The Wolverines looked shell shocked in the first quarter as they were just blitzed by the hairless nuts. They jumped out to a quick 21-7 lead and you could almost hear a collective "not again!" come from the 106+ thousand fans in attendance. The 1st quarter saw the nuts score on a 73 yard TD reception from Pryor to Sanzenbacher and a 96 yard kickoff return by Thomas.

The wolverines were able to weather this opening storm, however as their defense would shutout the nuts for the next 2 quarters and only give up 7 points in the 4th. Michigan's offense was fairly consistent the entire game as they scored in every quarter. In the end, the would come away with a 35-28 victory and snap an excruciating 6 year streak of losses to the silver guys.

Never has a victory formation tasted so sweet

As is often the case with Michigan, this game was decided on the ground. Michigan managed 230 yards on the ground while holding the hairless nuts to a stupefying -47 yards, thanks in part to 6 sacks. While the nuts couldn't run the ball, Pryor was scary through the air as he passed for 319 yards and 3 TDs, but also 2 interceptions. Forcier was not to be outdone, however. He was very efficient passing the ball as he completed 14 of 18 passes for 139 yards and 2 TDs, while also rushing for 64 yards. The main weapon on the ground was freshman Vincent Smith who ran for 113 yards and 2 TDs.

Despite their 11-1 record, 8-0 Big 10 record, their #5 ranking and their Rose Bowl bid, everyone in Ann Arbor knew that a loss here would make this season yet another failure. Now that coach Jello has gotten the monkey off of Michigan's back, things are finally looking promising in Ann Arbor.

Michigan Clinches a Trip to Pasadena in Coach Jello's Second Year

November 13, 2010

Game Report Posted: November 06, 2009 06:07  

#7 Michigan traveled to Camp Randal to battle the #25 Badgers in a game that took everything that Michigan could muster to pull off the win. This game was back and forth all day and wasn't decided until there were 10 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter. Things started off slowly as the score was 3-3 after 1 quarter. Wisconsin outscored the Wolverines 10-7 in the 2nd quarter to take a 13-10 lead going into the half. The 3rd quarter saw an offensive explosion of 35 points where teams had their offenses, defenses, and special teams making huge plays.

Michigan started the scoring with a 34 yard TD pass from Forcier to Odoms. Wisconsin answered back on the ensuing kickoff with a 97 yard return by Anderson. Later, Wisconsin's defense would capitalize on 1 of 3 Michigan fumbles in the game and return one for an 87 yard TD. Not to be outdone, on the ensuing kickoff, Michigan's Terrence Robinson would return the kickoff 91 yards for a TD. Wisconsin finished the 3rd quarter scoring barrage with a 3 yard TD pass to take a 34-24 lead into the 4th quarter.

Forcier would hit Roy Roundtree for a 20 yard TD pass 30 seconds into the 4th to cut the lead to 34-31. Wisconsin's defense would toughen up, making it very difficult for Michigan to move the ball. On the one drive where Michigan was finally gaining some yards, Terrance Robinson would fumble the ball yet again to end their drive. Wisconsin added a FG midway through the 4th to take a 6 point lead. Late in the 4th quarter, Forcier would do what he does best as he orchestrated a beautiful 85 yard drive which he capped off with a 2 yard TD run with 10 seconds left to give Michigan the victory and a Rose Bowl birth.

Michigan's #1 ranked rushing defense got the job done, holding a very good rushing team to only 34 yards on 23 carriers. Michigan's #2 ranked rushing attack, however, never got going as they only rushed for 180 yards on 40 carries. Luckily, Forcier was an absolute beast in the game. He completed 18 of 22 passes for 243 yards, 3 TDs, and 0 Ints. He also racked up 48 rushing yards on only 12 carries (2 of which were sacks) and had the game winning TD run. This was enough to garner him Big 10 Player of the Week honors. Michigan's defense, while giving up a season high 38 points, was very disruptive as they amassed 6 sacks and 3 interceptions during the game.

Now Michigan will prepare for the only game that really matters of the season as they will host the silver guys from down south next week.

Michigan Dominates Minnesota to Hang on to The LIttle Brown Jug

November 6, 2010

Game Report Posted: November 02, 2009 00:53  

Michigan had no problems with Minnesota as they beat them for the 20th time in their last 21 games. Forcier was on fire, hitting 15 of 20 passes for 215 yards and 2 TDs. On the ground, the 2 headed rushing attack of Vincent Smith and Terrence Robinson combined for 148 yards on 23 carries while Martavious Odoms accumulated 94 yards of receiving which was a season high for any Wolverine receiver.

Michigan's defense dominated as they held the Gophers to only 40 rushing yards and 199 passing yards. They also allowed only 3 of 10 3rd downs to be converted. This win means that Michigan only needs to win 1 of their final 2 games to win the Big 10 title outright in only coach Jello's 2nd season.

Michigan Holds Onto the Paul Bunyon Trophy

October 30, 2010

Game Report Posted: November 02, 2009 00:50  

3-5 (0-4) Michigan State gave Michigan all they could handle in East Lansing today. They started off hot in the 1st half and went up on the Wolverines 14-0. Michigan couldn't seem to do anything right. Finally, with 38 seconds left in the half, the Wolverines scored on a 6 yard TD pass from Forcier to Stonum. Michigan was able to force a 3 and out on MSU's next possession. Fitzgerald Toussaint, in his first punt return of his career would take it back 52 yards (a Michigan record under coach Jello's watch) to the MSU 13 yard line with 7 seconds remaining. Michigan had 1 shot at the end zone and Forcier would connect with Jeremy Gallon for a 13 yard TD to tie the game up at the half.

The 3rd quarter went back and forth as Michigan outscored the Spartans 14-10, thanks to 2 rushing TDs by Vincent Smith, including a 45 yarder. Forcier would connect with freshman Je'Ron Stokes for his 3rd passing TD of the game which tied a career high. Sr LB Marrell Evans earned player of the game honors as he tallied 11 tackles, 1 forced fumble and had 3 of Michigan's 6 sacks. Offensively Vincent Smith had a big game, rushing for 136 yards and 2 TDs on 16 carries. For MSU, their 4th string true freshman QB had a surprisingly good game. He completed 15 of 21 passes for 251 yards and 2 TDs. Michigan's defense, despite giving up 32 points and 251 passing yards, played well. They held the Spartans to only 16 yards rushing on 25 carries and sacked the QB 6 times while forcing 2 turnovers.

Michigan and Iowa Battle For 1st Place in the Big Ten

October 23, 2010

Game Report Posted: October 27, 2009 16:47  

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Michigan and Iowa faced off this Saturday in a pivotal Big 10 matchup. The winner would be in 1st place and would have the inside track to the Big 10 crown and a trip to Pasadena. This game featured to 2 highest scoring teams in the Big 10. In Iowa, it also featured what is, by far, the best defense in the Big 10. Iowa had only given up 91 points through 7 games while Michigan's porous defense had given up 158 points (4th highest in the Big 10). This game, played @ Iowa's Kinnick Stadium, would see Michigan's high power offense finally get shut down by Iowa's stifling defense while Iowa's prolific offense continued to roll over the top of Michigan.

At least that's how it looked on paper. Things didn't turn out so well for the Hawkeyes on the field as they were manhandled by the #6 Wolverines 49-10. Michigan started each half on fire as they put up 21 points in both the 1st and 3rd quarters. Tate Forcier was brilliant as he completed 12 of 12 passes for 180 yards and 2 TDs. The subs got to play for Michigan as they had 11 different guys rush the ball. Starting FB Mark Moundrous scored on a 2 yard TD run which made him the 9th Wolverine to score a rushing TD this season. The Wolverines' offense was just firing on all cylinders as they scored over half as many points in 1 game as the Hawks had given up through 7 games!

This win gives the Wolverines a 2 game lead over the next closest teams in the Big 10 race (they're only 1 game up on PSU, but Michigan holds the tie-breaker). As long as coach Jello can keep his young team focused, they have a great shot at playing in the Granddaddy of Them All at the end of the season.

Forcier Gets Beaten Up Against Purdue

October 9, 2010

Game Report Posted: October 21, 2009 00:22  

Michigan came away with the 42-17 victory in this game, but it must've been very frustrating for coach Jello, and especially QB Tate Forcier. In the first half, Forcier would go down to injury, but he only missed 1 quarter of play. While he was injured, true FR Ian Heffner took his place until he was knocked out of the game due to injury.

Overall Michigan's running game was working as they rushed for 224 yards and 4 TDs on 42 carries. Michigan's stout defense held the Boilers to only 23 rushing yards, but gave up over 300 passing yards. The true frustration came for Michigan in the 2nd half. Purdue started stopping Michigan's running game on 1st and 2nd down which forced Michigan to have to throw more. During the 1 1/2 quarters that Forcier played in the 2nd half Forcier was sacked 7 muthafuggin times! These also weren't coverage sacks or all out blitzes either. Purdue usually only rushed 4 or maybe 5 and was still smacking Forcier in the mouth within 2 seconds of the snap of the ball. It was beyond frustrating.

Hopefully the offensive line can step up their game when they travel to Iowa (for the 2nd year in a row) in 2 weeks.

Michigan and Penn State Play One For the Ages

October 2, 2010

Game Report Posted: October 19, 2009 04:33  

Michigan and Penn State went back and forth all night in a game which was decided in the final 15 seconds of the game. Both teams' defenses had their hands more than full tonight as both offenses were basically unstoppable. The Wolverines converted on 5/6 3rd down conversions while the Nittany Lions converted on 8/10 conversions. The 1st quarter flew by as there weren't even 2 complete drives in it. PSU had the ball first and they marched down the field to score a TD. During this drive they converted on a lot of key 3rd down conversions. Michigan's defense played well on 1st and 2nd down, but no matter what they tried on 3rd down, they just could not get PSU off the field.

On Michigan's 1st drive, they drove down the field with ease. Early on Penn State had absolutely no answer for Michigan's option game. Michigan would end the drive with a nice TD pass from Forcier to Stonum.

Penn State would once again be unstoppable as they marched down the field to take a 14-7 lead. Michigan would then score on their next drive to tie up the game up with only 24 seconds left in the half. Penn State would get greedy as they would try to get into field goal range and FS Michael Williams would make a huge interception off of Kevin Newsome to stop the drive and give the Wolverines great field position with 7 seconds remaining.

Forcier would make 1 quick pass to get the Wolverines closer as they called a timeout with 1 second left. Kicker Brandon Gibbons would kick a career long 53 yard FG to put the Wolverines up 17-14 at the half.

Michigan's Forcier drove down the field to start the 3rd quarter, but an untimely interception would force the Wolverines to go scoreless in the 3rd quarter. The Nittany Lions would add a FG in the 3rd quarter to tie the game up 20-20 after 3 quarters.

On Michigan's first drive, they drove into PSU territory, but Penn State, who had figured out Michigan's option game forced the Wolverines to punt for the first time. PSU, who began the drive inside their own 15, would go on a very long, extremely frustrating drive from there. No matter what Michigan tried, they were incapable of getting PSU off the field. Eventually they would get into the red zone where Michigan finally made Penn State fail on a 3rd down conversion for only the 2nd time in the game. Penn State would have to settle for a FG to put them up 20-17 with only 1:05 remaining in the game, and Michigan was without any timeouts.

Penn State chose to kick the ball deep and freshman Jeremy Gallon would field the kick 2 yards deep in the end zone. He would break through a tackle at the 20 yard line and ended up returning it for 45 yards which allowed Michigan to start at their own 43 yard line.

Tate Forcier would lead the Wolverines on the most memorable drive in coach Jello's 1 1/2 years as head coach. He would hit Roy Roundtree for a 16 yard completion. Then, with Penn State dropping just about eveyone into coverage, Forcier would then scramble up the middle on 3 plays in a row for 11, 14, and 10 yards, the final one taking the Wolverines to the PSU 7 yard line with 15 seconds remaining. Forcier would then connect with Roy Roundtree once again, and Roundtree showed his toughness by holding onto the ball for a 7 yard TD which put Michigan up 24-20 with 12 seconds remaining.

Coach Jello chose to squib kick it so as not to let the dangerous PSU return men return the ball. Penn State would take a couple of shots at the end zone, but Michigan's prevent defense did the trick and they escaped with the 24-20 victory.

By the Skin of Their Teeth!

September 25, 2010

Game Report Posted: October 16, 2009 03:13  

#13 Michigan opened their Big10 schedule by hosting Illinois. This hard fought game went back and forth and wasn't decided until the fat lady bellowed. Illinois started off very strong as Eddie McGee connected with Hawthorne for a 70 yard TD to put Illinois up 7-3 after 1. The 2 teams would alternate TDs in the second quarter and they ended up with 2 apiece to give Illinois a 21-17 lead at the half.

After losing starting HB Mike Shaw last week for the season, things got even worse for the wolverines in the first half as 2nd stringer Vincent Smith went down with a shoulder injury and is expected to miss 2-3 weeks. Michigan would have to finish the game with their 3rd and 4th string running backs.

The 3rd quarter was the turning point for Michigan as they held the Illini scoreless. Midway through the quarter, Michigan's punter Shane Johnson would pin the Illini inside their 5 yard line. The weather, which had been rainy all game, caused another of many miscues during the game. As you can see in the highlight reel, QB McGee, would slip and lose his balance while dropping back. This allowed LB Jonas Mouton to sack him for a safety. Michigan would add another TD to take their 1st lead since leading 3-0.

Early on in the 4th quarter Michigan would use a Tate Forcier 5yd TD run to take a 33-21 lead. Illinois would score another TD with 1 minute remaining to cut the lead to 33-28. Illinois would not recover their onside kick so Michigan got the ball on the Illinois 35 yd line. All Michigan had to do was run out the clock. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, Michigan was stopped short of the first down on their 1st 2 tries as Illinois used their TOs to stop the clock. On 3rd and 2, Michigan ran a QB blast play and Tate Forcier was stood up at the line by a jarring hit which popped the ball loose and Illinois would recover it. With no TOs left, Illinois would pass the ball and eventually get to Michigan's 30 yard line before the time ran out to seal the Wolverine victory.

Michigan will now have to lick their wounds and prepare for their trip to Happy Valley next week.

Wolverines Beat Boise, But Lose Shaw For The Season

September 18, 2010

Game Report Posted: October 14, 2009 07:40  

Things got off on the wrong foot for the Wolverines as Boise State HB Harper would take a handoff on the 2nd play of the game and scamper for a 40 yard gain. BSU would use this momentum to score on their opening drive to go up 7-0. That would be the only lead the Broncos would have during the game as Michigan's offense continued to click while their defense got their heads on straight and shut the Broncos down for the remainder of the game.

Every Wolverine fan held their breath during the 1st quarter when starting QB Tate Forcier went down hard during a run. He ended up missing over a quarter of the game, but luckily he came back. While he was out, in a surprise move, coach Jello went with true FR Ian Heffner (Hugh's grandson) instead of rsSR Nick Sheridan. Heffner played well, completing 4 of 6 passes, including a TD pass as well as running 10 times for 41 yards.

While the Wolverines dodge a bullet when Forcier returned halfway through the 2nd quarter, they weren't so lucky later in the game. On an 8 yard rush, starting HB Mike Shaw landed awkwardly and broke his elbow. He will miss the remainder of the season. The Wolverines go 5 deep (not including their redshirting freshman) at halfback, so they've got plenty of backs to replace him, but he's clearly the best back that Michigan has and will be sorely missed. This comes at a terrible time as the Wolverines begin their conference season next week.

Black Shirts Dominate Once Again While the Offense Gets it Into 5th Gear

September 11, 2010

Game Report Posted: October 09, 2009 22:26  

Michigan's front 7 (the Black Shirts) along with the secondary were dominant once again for the Wolverines. After getting torched for 55 points against Notre Dame last week, they got things turned around against lowly Duke, 56-10. In this game, the offense finally hit their stride as well. Michigan would gain 450 yards of total offense while holding Duke to only 232, including only 9 yards of rushing. Michigan's ground game was nearly unstoppable as they rushed for 256 yards and 6 TDs.

After a terrible outing against Notre Dame, QB Tate Forcier had a good game completing 14 of 19 passes for 170 yards and 2 TDs. The rushing attack was a 2 pronged attack led by jr HB Michael Shaw who had 121 yards and 3 TDs and QB Forcier who gained 63 yards and had 1 TD.

The Wolverines will need both their offense and defense to be clicking once again this week as they travel to the smurf turf where the Broncos are very tough.

Wolverines stomped by Irish

September 4, 2010

Game Report Posted: October 09, 2009 17:42  

Michigan and Notre Dame played a great user game that was erased and replaced with this lopsided victory.

Black Shirts Dominate CMU

August 28, 2010

Game Report Posted: September 29, 2009 02:02  

Enroute to beating up the Chippewas, Michigan's defense looked very good while their offense showed a serious need for improvement. This isn't evident by just looking at the final score of 44-14 however. Michigan's starting defense didn't give up a single point and they didn't give up a single rushing yard while they were on the field. Michigan scored early as FR(RS) HB Vincent Smith would take his first carry of his career 56 yards for a TD. Shortly after this FR(RS) return man Jeremy Gallon would fumble a punt return and CMU would return it for a TD to tie the game up 7-7. This would be as close as the Chippewas would get, however, as Michigan would continue to dominate and take a 24-7 lead into the half. CMU wouldn't score again until they faced Michigan's 2nd team defense early in the 4th quarter.

The black shirts would hold CMU to 17 yards on 25 carries, 155 yards of total offense, 1 of 13 3rd down conversions and would force 2 turnovers while sacking CMU 6 times. There wasn't anything that the defense didn't do and didn't do well. On the offensive side, it was a different story. Michigan would only complete 17 of 32 passes, thanks in no small part to 7 drops by Wolverine receivers. Michigan was also only able to convert 3 of 13 3rd down conversions.

With their game against a highly ranked Notre Dame team next week, coach Jello is going to have to get the offense clicking and in a hurry.