Michigan Wolverine Football: A Win-Win Scenario

Nov 8, 2014; Evanston, IL, USA; Northwestern Wildcats quarterback Matt Alviti (7) is sacked by Michigan Wolverines defensive end Frank Clark (57) in the first half at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Posted at 5:30am — 11/14/2014

Michigan Wolverine Football: A Win-Win Scenario

Frank Clark exploded through Northwestern’s offensive line and into the backfield, in an instant blowing up all hope for a game-winning two-point conversion. Without breaking stride, the senior defensive end sprinted down the field, leading his defensive warriors into the bye week with a win better than any Michigan fan could have imagined.

The Wolverines are who they are. But for today at least, they are no longer losers. At 5-5 with two weeks to prepare for their final two regular-season opponents, the maize and blue can become bowl eligible by beating conference newcomer Maryland on their home field, on senior day. They can deliver a mea culpa to the 100,000-plus fans who endured Brandonian ticket prices for the privilege of witnessing one of the most difficult of Michigan’s 135 football seasons. And they can board the bus headed for Columbus the following week with holiday plans already firmed up.

How perfect was this day in Evanston? The Wolverines converted one of 12 third- down attempts. Perpetually struggling senior quarterback Devin Gardner threw for 105 yards, completing passes to seven players including two with purple jerseys. Michigan’s lone touchdown came in the third quarter, after the Wildcats’ Tony Jones mishandled a punt at the Northwestern 21. De’Veon Smith capped the two-play drive with a three-yard run for the game’s first points. In the third quarter. Did I mention that Matt Wile also had a field goal attempt blocked shortly before halftime?

Wolverine followers far and wide couldn’t have written a better script for their team. On a picturesque autumn afternoon along the shores of Lake Michigan, nothing could have been uglier. A 10-9 victory led by an offense that wouldn’t have scored another 10 points if given 60 additional minutes to do so. A strong yet quiet performance by perhaps the nation’s most surprising defense. A win-win scenario that moved Michigan die-hards one step closer to their double fantasy: (1) a bowl berth in 2014 and (2) a new head coach in 2015.

Nov 8, 2014; Evanston, IL, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald and Michigan Wolverines head coach Brady Hoke shake hands after game at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY SportsSentiment, however misguided, had grown during the week that coach Brady Hoke might save his job with a 6-6 season. Saturday’s win served as a reminder for those closest to the program that a three-game win streak over inferior competition should not be misinterpreted as a sign of improvement. That being said, there were several bright spots in Saturday’s lineup. Such as Smith, who carried the ball 18 times for 121 yards, carrying his entire offense in the process (the rest of Team 135 gained 135). And on the other side of the ball, Clark and linebacker Jake Ryan, each having the dominating type of afternoon senior leaders who wear winged helmets are supposed to have.

After safety Ibraheim Campbell returned Gardner’s errant third-quarter floater 71 yards to the Michigan 15, Clark and Ryan and their inspired teammates proceeded to shred the Northwestern offense. Jones was thrown for a 5-yard loss on first down, and quarterback Trevor Siemian was buried under heavy pressure on the two plays that followed. Credit for the second sack was officially attributed to “team”. In a flash, a golden red-zone opportunity had become fourth down and 38 on the Michigan 43. The Wildcats started three drives in Wolverine territory in the third quarter, and each time they were turned away without points. Hail, hail.

Despite being under constant attack, Siemian managed 273 yards through the air on 32-for-49 passing. The senior signal-caller was particularly impressive wearing down the Michigan defense during two mammoth fourth-quarter drives. The first, a methodical 19-play, 95-yard march, burned nearly seven minutes off the clock and led to a short field goal that cut the Wolverine lead to 10-3. The second, a 74-yard thing of beauty, consumed the final 14 plays of the game and ended with Siemian’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Jones, setting up the ill-fated two-point try.

That call to go for the win may have been the biggest blessing of all for maize and blue loyalists. Few felt the Wolverines would fare well at the end of regulation. But to Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald, who had been on the short end of two straight overtime defeats to the Wolverines, a single play from three yards out after such a dominating fourth quarter seemed like a surefire scenario for victory. As it turned out, Clark and the rest of the nation’s seventh-ranked defense begged to differ.

With two full weeks to prepare for what most Michigan supporters believe will be his final act, Brady Hoke has a chance to put the finishing touches on a story many felt was destined for a dark finish. Holiday travel, an extra month of practice and a warm-weather bowl game seem like surreal rewards for a season packed with a decade’s worth of sad endings—an offensive disappearing act in South Bend, a late-evening home defeat in front of 5,000 drenched Utah fans, a disoriented quarterback with concussion-like symptoms re-entering the Minnesota game because his backup couldn’t locate his helmet, a humiliating last-minute touchdown drive by their East Lansing rivals long after the game’s outcome had been decided.

Let’s see if the Wolverines can feed off of Saturday’s effort and deliver a performance against Maryland that will lift the hopes and dreams of fans everywhere. Is a 3-2 victory too much to ask?

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Written by GBMWolverine Writer — Chris Hill

Go Blue — Wear Maize!