Michigan Wolverine Football: And Then The Rains Came

Posted at 5:45pm — 9/25/2014

Michigan Wolverine Football: And Then The Rains Came

But he himself was broken, Long before the sky would open… -from “Suzanne” by Leonard Cohen (who turned 80 on Sunday)

7:51.

The digits burned brightly through the darkened mist, high above the empty bowl of the Big House. They glowed as if offering a vigil of hope: hope for a happy ending, hope that what we’ve witnessed so far this young football season might still be reversible. Hope that our judgment may too be delayed, and thoughts of a dismal future can exit our minds like so many drenched fans from a cavernous stadium.

For 52 minutes against Utah Saturday, the Michigan Wolverines wore a trail of frustration deep into the center of the FieldTurf surface. The Utes had awakened from their first-quarter slumber and were sucking the life out of the sputtering Wolverines, stopping them shy of the red zone again and again. Meanwhile the Ute offense, led by towering junior quarterback Travis Wilson, matched its first half scoring output, turning a 13-10 halftime lead into a suffocating 26-10 death grip.

Of Michigan’s last five drives to that point, three had ended with interceptions. The third, a wet pillow thrown into sheets of driving rain by backup QB Shane Morris, occurred one series after Brady Hoke benched his senior leader, Devin Gardner. Morris’s tackle on Utah safety Tevin Carter (whose name sounds a lot like Devin Gardner in a thunderstorm) saved a touchdown, at which point game officials stopped the contest until further notice as lightning had been spotted in the area.

Had it been suspended a play earlier, Michigan would have had the ball at midfield with momentum. Either way, however, Utah entered the delay ahead by just the two scores. And in the eyes of the Wolverine faithful, a lot can happen in 7:51.

Sep 20, 2014; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Brady Hoke talks to place kicker Kenny Allen (91) before the game against the Utah Utes at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY SportsAmong the most ardent of believers was coach Hoke. Those 471 beats on the clock were the only pulse that remained for his team, and perhaps his legacy as well. As AD Dave Brandon’s hand-picked successor to Rich Rodriguez, Hoke largely has Rich Rod to thank for his continued existence on the Wolverine sideline. Had Rodriguez not set the table for Hoke’s 2011 team, which ended the season with an 11-2 record and an overtime win over Virginia Tech in the BCS Sugar Bowl, we may well be four games into someone else’s Year One.

(Incidentally, Rich Rod’s undefeated Arizona Wildcats would overcome a 15-point deficit later that evening, scoring three touchdowns in the last 3:30 including a last- second Hail Mary to beat Cal). So, as day turned to night, the soaking wet head coach waited for weather updates, hoping for the chance to right the ship. Knowing full well he was at the helm of a team that defied explanation. The Wolverines had outgained each of their opponents thus far. They had run 15 more plays and possessed the ball nearly 20 minutes longer. Yet in the loss to Notre Dame and the game they were losing to Utah, they had failed to come within 25 yards of the end zone. They boasted the nation’s ninth- ranked rushing defense. Yet, when Willie Henry intercepted a Utah pass and returned it seven yards for a touchdown late in the second quarter, it was just the second takeaway Michigan had forced all season. They ranked 125 out of 125 FBS schools in turnover differential. Through nearly four games, Team 135 had started exactly three drives (out of 47) in opposing territory.

Sep 20, 2014; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Amara Darboh (82) makes a reception defended by Utah Utes defensive back Justin Thomas (12) in the third quarter at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY SportsGiven all we’d seen so far, the better call may have been to stretch the delay out as long as possible. To keep the time frozen, like the memories of Wolverine success from years and decades past, kept alive by fans, followers and alumni who have no other choice. Frozen like the illusion that order would be restored in the program once a Michigan Man was hired. When Bo Schembechler first uttered the phrase in 1989, “Michigan Man” meant anyone who hadn’t already signed a contract to coach basketball at Arizona State. (Incidentally, Bo graduated from Miami of Ohio, and resurrected the Wolverine football program after taking over for Michigan alum Bump Elliott. Additionally, Fritz Crisler schooled at the University of Chicago, and Fielding H. Yost was a West Virginia Mountaineer. But I digress.)

In short, a Michigan Man may be preferred. But a winning man is essential.

One by one, the points of pride upon which this storied program rests are being chiseled away. Rodriguez put a stop to 40 straight non-losing seasons and 31 straight bowl appearances. Notre Dame has taken over the title of all-time winningest school, by mere percentage points mind you, yet still. The points streak, at 365 games still the longest in NCAA history, ended two weeks ago with the shutout in South Bend. And no margin of victory in a rematch can erase Appalachian State from college football immortality.

So what’s next? The Little Brown Jug, seemingly part of the permanent collection at

Schembechler Hall, may head north this weekend after Minnesota visits. One of the nation’s longest streaks of head-to-head futility is in jeopardy as Indiana will attempt to win in the Big House for the first time in nearly half a century. Even the chest- thumping single-game attendance record will vanish in two years when Tennessee and VaTech meet at Bristol Motor Speedway, with an anticipated crowd in excess of 150,000.

Just before 9:00pm the game resumed, played largely in front of Utah fans who enjoyed the upgrade from row 90 in the end zone to row 5 behind the team’s bench. Even ESPN had moved to other programming, forcing Wolverine fans in nearby bars and restaurants to huddle around mobile phones and watch online. What happened on the field confirmed the reality they had collectively suspended. Michigan was driving after a missed field goal when Morris bobbled away a loosely held ball on a planned run just past midfield. The teams traded possessions, the scoreboard reached zeroes, and darkness again took over.

Already this season, the bright moments seem few and far between. A new course must be set before acceptance sets in. When Bo passed away, the Wolverines were 11-0 and #2 in the nation, 24 hours from a shot at #1. Since he’s been gone they are 52-43. How much darker does it need to get before this program sees the light?

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Written by GBMWolverine Writer — Chris Hill

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