by It was a long and lonely trip through a horrible fog to Ann Arbor last Saturday. When you are driving east on I-96 you really don’t see anything, but State fans until after you pass Lansing… especially these days. I picked up my buddy Tuna a little east of Lansing just after 9AM and a funny thing happened, the fog lifted.
Michigan had beaten “Directional Michigan: Team A” in the first week of the season which sent the main stream media into a hype-frenzy. Is Michigan back? They had been mentioning the ND match in the same breathe as the USC game all week. I wondered why… we did what (up until a 2007) was expected of us. We won at home against a weaker opponent. This week we faced a ranked and offensively capable Notre Dame team. I couldn’t help think that the MSM was setting us up for a fall.
We arrived at the little house on State St. around 10:30AM and began downing the 30 packs of PBR. By the time I left my friends on the steps of the house and walked up the hill toward the stadium I was in a lather of liquid confidence. Could we win? We could at least keep it close, right? Fuck all that business, I was wasted… and stumbling. The only Notre Dame fans I didn’t let have it were the hot co-eds, I erroneously thought I could score with, or the families with young kids. I was angry. I knew what would happen after we lost, everyone from Drew Rosenberg to Pat Forde would send in their pre-written “Fire Rich” stories. If ever a game meant so much to the future of my beloved team it was this game. We had to win. Against all odds and a superior opponent, we had to win.
You all know by now what the final score was. The good guys showed me something on Saturday. They know how to win. Our biggest question mark, the defensive secondary of Warren and Cissoko (playing hurt) defended well enough against the most fearsome WR tandem we will see this year. The defensive line although thin and young held up against a very talented ND offensive line. This Michigan team may not have been favored to win, but when a mountain of negative press was moments away and the future of the program seemed to hang in the balance… the fog lifted. We won.
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1C Gally on Sep 15, 2009 at 4:46 pm:
While this appears to be a very measured response, I grew tired of the ESPN analysis of this game rather quickly. (I know, shocker.)
Michigan has beaten a bad Western Michigan team and Notre Dame, whose best win in the past 5 years is a loss to USC.
The Wolverines may in fact have a great season this year. In fact, looking at the schedule, they should be 7-0 prior to playing Penn State. But in my mind, the question mark in the title of this post is going to stay there until we see how they do in the last five games of the season.
2cgb on Sep 15, 2009 at 5:01 pm:
Well said.
And to an extent I agree and my guess is Maggs would too. By no means are they back, but unlike last year there’s hope, direction and a light at the end of the tunnel. I have them going 9-3 this year. Forcier is only going to get better and Rich Rod hasn’t really even figured out how to use Denard Robinson to his full ability. I predict one unexpected loss and losses to tOSU and PSU.
3Simon on Sep 15, 2009 at 5:39 pm:
Hero the man is a hero. And this is medrunk on british beer.
Enjoy the Fupa ND fans
4Magglio Merkin on Sep 16, 2009 at 7:44 am:
I think we go 8-4. There is no way we are back to the level we are accustomed to seeing (pre-2006), but 8-4 is a least respectable.
5Dr. Mike Donnelly on Sep 16, 2009 at 11:58 am:
The fact of the matter is that we have a faster team and a stronger team with a sense of unity. I have no idea as to how many games we can or will win but I have been a fan since 1948 when I first became aware of the Michigan Wolverines and I am not willing to say we will lose to either Penn State or OSU. Our big thing is to keep up the intensity and to recruit for next year. Our defense is a little thin and we will continue to have injuries but above all this team has bought into Michigan! They apparently like the coaches and they have a sick feeling in their stomachs when they think of last year. This feeling does not go away after a few wins. They will give it their all. Anyone who doubted Rich Rod’s ability to coach after the ND game has an axe to grind. They have the weight of the world on their shoulders (the team) but they have a sense of what it is to represent this program. It will prove invaluable. GoBlue26
6Rydr on Sep 16, 2009 at 1:24 pm:
Michigan can win any game it plays, they could also lose on any given Saturday, but right now I like the chances Michigan has at having a great season.. This ND team is better then most think, they will be a tough out for any team they play.
7cgb on Sep 16, 2009 at 11:12 pm:
@Rydr I don’t think ND is better than people think. I think they are worse and I will keep thinking that way until Weis proves otherwise. They will be a tough out for any team they play, because they play shit teams. USC is going to pummel them unmercifully.