Michigan Wolverine Football: HAILelujah

Oct 11, 2014; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Devin Funchess (1) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Posted at 5:45am — 10/16/2014

Michigan Wolverine Football: HAILelujah

Just as all hope seemed to be lost for the 135th edition of Michigan football… okay, all hope may still be lost. But there’s no way to overstate the importance of Saturday night’s 18-13 primetime win over Penn State.

It was the Wolverines’ first victory of the B1G season and the first over a power- five conference opponent since Northwestern last year, when Drew Dileo’s baseball-slide hold for Brendan Gibbons’ 44-yard field goal as the final seconds ticked off catalyzed a triple-overtime win on a rainy night in Evanston. It was also the first victory over the Nittany Lions since 2007—when Lloyd Carr ruled the sidelines, George W Bush ruled the nation and Apple was poised to rule the telecom world with its introduction of the iPhone. The last time Michigan beat Penn State, your house was worth about a hundred thousand dollars more than it is now.

But enough with days long since passed. There is one streak that remains intact: the Wolverines’ perfect 3-0 record when playing “Under The Lights” at the Big House. Somehow, running through the tunnel and touching the “M Go Blue” banner after nightfall does something to Brady Hoke-coached teams. Especially when they get to wear one of those hot new third-uniform designs that make Victors Club members wince.

Oct 11, 2014; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Amara Darboh (82) makes a catch while being defended by Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Trevor Williams (10) during the second quarter at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY SportsThe maize and blue donned all blue for the first time ever, and came out swinging. On his first drive of the game quarterback Devin Gardner hit split end Amara Darboh for a first down near midfield, then found Devin Funchess for a 43-yard pitch and catch, bobble, tap, bobble and catch touchdown eight minutes into the contest.

If someone had said it would be the Wolverines’ last touchdown of the day, not many would be surprised given what we’ve seen so far this season. But had that someone added that the Wolverines would still emerge victorious, many would recommend that the someone try a hallucinogen-free diet.

Such is the story of Michigan football 2014. These are strange days indeed. The fact that more fans showed up anticipating a blowout loss than any sort of win tells you as much. But as they say, things are never as good or as bad as they seem in the universe. And Saturday’s triumph could be an indication that the natural order of things really does exist for those whose worlds revolve around the Wolverines.

Oct 11, 2014; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Christian Hackenberg (14) is sacked in the backfield during the second quarter against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

On this night the stars were out in the form of the Michigan defense, whose relentless treatment of Christian Hackenberg left him coughing up Duraspine on the sideline. The Penn State quarterback was buried into the synthetic surface repeatedly, with senior defensive end Brennen Beyer recording two of the team’s six sacks in the second quarter. The pressure shook Hackenberg to the bone four minutes left in the third quarter, as he forced a pass over the middle that found its way into the arms of cornerback Jourdan Lewis. The sophomore returned the ball to the Nittany Lion 28, setting up the second of Matt Wile’s three field goals on the day to tie the game at 13-13.

It was Lewis’s second pick of the season and just the third in all of 2014 for the defense, who has yet to register its first fumble recovery. The Nittany Lion 28 is easily the deepest the Wolverines have started a drive all season, a byproduct of being ranked 125th out of the 125 FBS teams in turnover differential. Even 124th- ranked Eastern Michigan, who has lost a double-take-inducing 14 fumbles through six games, is two takeaways ahead of their Washtenaw County counterparts.

So a week that included a total lunar eclipse ended three nights later with an equally rare occurrence: a Wolverine football team improving its record to 3-4. After a gutty and inspired 60-minute performance, the planets have suddenly changed their rotation, and the prospect of six wins and bowl eligibility is now in Michigan’s orbit. Particularly with Indiana (who just lost QB Nate Sudfeld for the rest of 2014), Northwestern and Maryland remaining on the schedule.

In a very underwhelming B1G, the Wolverines would be an attractive score for a middle-tier bowl, particularly if conference favorites Michigan State and Ohio State move their way into the National Playoffs and/or one of the at-large major bowls (the Peach, Fiesta or Orange). Even at 6-6, the Michigan brand has enough cred to keep it far away from Detroit come December. Which means a worst-case scenario of either the Heart of Dallas Bowl or the TaxSlayer Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida—two respectful endings to a season that began in nightmare fashion.

But there are three more victories yet to be had, and for a team that needed seven games to get the first three, nothing is guaranteed. You don’t need to be Galileo to make that observation.

Please comment on our GBMWolverine Message Board about this article and read what others comment and give us your thoughts, agree or disagree.

Just a reminder you must be a member to participate on the Message Board. Here is the link GBMWolverine Register for those people interested in becoming a member.

You can contact us at our e-mail address: GBMWolverine

Follow us on Twitter:
@ErocWolverine
@GBMWolverine
@Mike Fitzpatrick
@SqdScoops
@YostMeister
@Chris Hill
@Alex Dale

Written by GBMWolverine Writer — Chris Hill

Go Blue — Wear Maize!