The Corner of Bourbon and Stadium

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And Now, The Big Ten

So Act II of the 2004 season begins, and in "just fine" fashion. A still-stagnant offense was made to look better by a turnover-forcing defense, and with spectacular play by Braylon Edwards, the Wolverines were able to post 30-points, with 16 coming in the second quarter. Chad Henne completed 16 of 26 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown...and more importantly, no interceptions.

The defense struggled to stop the circus-like passing attack of the Hawkeyes, but managed to come through when it counted with a big stop or a big turnover. Iowa's rushing attack was non-existent, netting negative yards.

But it was Stanford-transfer Grant Mason's 4th quarter 25-yard interception return for a touchdown that sealed the Wolverine's first victory against the Hawkeyes since 2001. This also marks the 23rd consecutive win for the Wolverines in Big Ten openers, as well as 36 of their last 37.

New Orleans Comes to Ann Arbor

The Tailgate was filled with Jambalaya, Gumbo (somewhat scorched), shrimp, and other spicy cajan treats. But there was room for the old standards, like cheesy potatoes and Captain Morgan, to keep our heads in (or out of) the game. Everyone came in costume, with beads, boas, hats, and even fake red facial hair, to make the day festive. Thanks to all who participated, the next theme will be posted on the message board soon.

On the Road Again

Michigan travels to Bloomington next Saturday to take on the Indiana Hoosiers. Michigan will be looking for their first road victory of the season against an inferior team. Sound familiar?

UMTailgate.com will take a 5-man crew down to the game...theme to be determined.

 

Got Hart?

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How about those 2004 Michigan Wolverines? After losing to Notre Dame in what could be classified as the worst game ever, they would not be denied, coming out and crapping the bed again, leaving an overmatched San Diego State team in the game until the very end before squeaking out a 24-21 victory. Sitting in the stands this year has been like pulling teeth. Frustration, disdain, even hatred fills your thoughts as you watch the Wolverines throw away every opportunity, and crawl into their running-game shell.

Luckily there was a bright spot. True freshman Mike Hart had 25 carries for 121 yards, effectively doubling the singe-game output of any Michigan running back this season. In addition, Hart effectively saved the game for the Wolverines with an 11-yard first down run late in the 4th quarter that kept the ball out of the hands of the Aztecs preserving the 3-point victory.

Braylon Edwards had 8 receptions for 130 yards and two touchdowns, but also fumbled the ball away at a crucial point in the game (trust me, the game was full of crucial points) resulting in his being benched for several stretches of the game. Jermaine Gonzales came in for Edwards, sometimes lining up as the sole wideout, at which point I think I heard the echoes of Aztec defenders shouting "RUUUUNNNNN!" as they moved eight men into the box.

So here we stand, with a true freshman running back and a true freshman quarterback. I don't know how it happened, but it's the hand we've been dealt. A rebuilding year. If the prognosticators could reshuffle the pre-season Big Ten standings, Michigan would be a middle of the pack team. All they have to do now is prove us all wrong, as underdogs, and come together and win.

Big Ten Season Starts Creole-Style

The Iowa Hawkeyes come to town on Saturday to start the Big Ten season. It's a 3:30pm kickoff so have your tailgating shoes on, it will be a long, fun, yucca-filled day. The tailgate theme for the week is Mardi-Gras, so bring beads, boobs, crawfish, and hurricanes.

Divine Disaster

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The Blame Game

I've said it all in the last 24 hours. Every possible insult. I've maligned our line, our receivers, our corners, and most importantly, our coach. I questioned motivation of the players, the playcalling, and even the gameplan in general. But I, like you, am just a fan. I know about as much about the X's and O's in division 1 college football as I do about the X's and O's in college soccer. I know very little about Chad Henne, and even less about Matt Gutierrez. Referring back to the 2003 season, I cannot explain to you what the difference was between the 53 carry, 212 yard performance by Chris Perry against Michigan State, and his 9 carry 18 yard performance against Oregon. I cannot explain to you why John Navarre showed the ultimate poise and leadership leading Michigan to their greatest comeback of all time in a sold-out, raucous Metrodome, but folded like a tent against Iowa.

I can only tell you what I feel. And feeling is all a fan truly has. The feeling you get when you hear about a great recruit choosing Michigan. The feeling you get before a season starts. The feeling you get when you're in a college town on the road, or the site of a bowl game, and you share an anonymous hi-five with someone else donning maize and blue garb. It's that feeling that keeps you coming back. It's why you tailgate. It's why you would spend your last dollar to park your car, or fill your tank of gas to make it to Penn State. It's why you're superstitious, and you wear those ridiculous yellow socks. It's why you sit in the rain, the sleet, the cold, the sweltering heat, for hours on end, even though you would have remained indoors all-day if there was no game.

But there is a price to pay for that feeling. And no, it's not monetary. Your heart and soul is invested in gameday. Whether you're in the stands, at a bar, or just sitting home by yourself, your emotions are dictated by the young men wearing the maize and blue. When they are unsuccessful, you are in ruins. You want to point a finger. You want to lay blame. For several years, I've directed that finger (whether justified or not) at John Navarre. The main reason being that pointing your finger at what you saw last is the most simple. At the end of most Navarre led losses, I saw John toss up an interception, miss an open receiver, take an ill-advised sack, or bounce a ball off a lineman's helmet, all on a final drive. And let's be clear here, I am not backtracking on my disdain for John and his career. But following my line of reasoning, I guess I have to blame the kickoff team for not recovering that onside kick at the end. Ridiculous, but not any more ridiculous than blaming anyone else on the team.

Michigan lost their 5th consecutive road opener, 28-20 on Saturday, giving the all-time win percentage lead back to Notre Dame, and restoring prosperity to a program in shambles. It was a bad game for the Wolverines, often difficult to watch. A frustrating, mind-boggling defeat at the hands of an inferior team. Deja vu would be an understatement. So who's fault was it?

Do not blame Chad Henne. This guy has filled the role just fine, and played well in his first road game, throwing for 240 yards on 25 of 40 passing. Saying that Navarre would have won that game is just ignorant. How many games did John Navarre win when Michigan averaged less than 2 yards per carry? None. In fact, he lost many where the running game was potent. Do not blame Braylon Edwards. While the ball that he should have caught that was tipped up for an interception may have been the most blatant mistake you saw on Saturday, don't let it make you forget Avant's fumble after his catch, or Breaston's muffed punt. Do not blame Coach Carr. This is tough for me, because before I watched the replay of the game tonight, I laid it all on him. But he is dealing with a very difficult situation. A freshman is at quarterback, which by all indications is his best option, but no-doubt has resulted in a watered-down playbook. Carr wanted a day of defense and ball-control through the running game. You can't get that if you can't run, but you also can't get that throwing the ball 50 times. Cautious? Yes. Conservative? Maybe. But Michigan football nonetheless.

Don't let yourself fall into the pregame, poll-driven hype (in other words, don't be me). This was a rivalry game. This was a tough road game in a tough road stadium by a team that had been thinking about a 38-0 drubbing for 365 days. This was a TEAM loss. The inability to get touchdowns instead of field goals, followed by untimely turnovers that left our defense in horrible situations, kept Notre Dame in the game for too long. Eventually, they were going to capitalize, and they did.

As much as it feels like it, this is not judgment day for Michigan football. This is not the end of a great run. We will recover. We will fix the offense. We will win games, and some of them will be big. People may start to not believe in Michigan football, and it seems that is when we become the most comfortable. Disregard us and we become the most dangerous team in in the country. Believe me, I feel it.

GO BLUE!

Hey Kid, You're In

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Youth Wins Out Over Experience

Two weeks ago, TheWolverine.com released their quarterback scouting report. They discussed Matt Gutierrez, the national media's consensus heir apparent to John Navarre. They discussed Clayton Richard, two-sport star and southpaw, who looked like the number one backup. They also discussed Chad Henne. Expecting to read the phrase "will be red-shrited" I was surprised to instead read that he was leaps and bounds ahead of his development schedule, and was competing not only to back-up Matt Gutierrez, but also to replace him. The quote on the page read "don't be surprised if Chad Henne starts the season opener". A flabergasting if not unbelievable turn of events...that a 19 year old freshman that arrived on campus in August, and had participated in just 27 practices, was primed to challenge two guys that had participated in almost 4 years of reps combined.

Then Monday came, and the announcement was made. Matt Gutierrez will be the quarterback. But as if hiding behind a veil of secrecy, Coach Carr would not discuss the backup quarterback, nor would he discuss how he told the quarterbacks who would start. Is that a secret? The method with which you tell your quarterbacks their order on the depth chart? Michigan conspiracy theorists unite, because I submit that the job was still up for grabs. Camp arm? Camp arm doesn't keep you out of your first ever start as a Wolverine QB. Either you've got a serious injury that we aren't privied to hear about, or your ego is more sore than your shoulder...or as discussed today at the press conference, your elbow. The wall was high around Fort Schembechler for the remainder of the week leading up to Saturday's kick off. The Free Press plastered a full-face page of Gutierrez on the Friday sports section. Nobody knew. In fact, nobody knew until an hour before kickoff, when word began to trickle in. Gutierrez injured. Henne's got the start.

Believe it. A true freshman is quarterbacking your team. Yes, he was a bit shaky at first. And yes, it wasn't the offense you expected. However, there is no reason to think that things would have been better if #12 had lined up under center. We hide our offense. We hide sets, we hide plays. We hide them from three teams: Notre Dame, Michigan State, and Ohio State. So if you truly believed that Matt Gutierrez was the quarterback that was going to lead the Michigan Wolverines to the promised land, then believe this... Chad Henne is better than Matt Gutierrez, and is better equipped to lead you to the land you so desire.

On Saturday however, we didn't need a quarterback, we didn't need a running back. In fact, the offense didn't even need to take the field. A smothering Wolverine defense dismantled the vaunted attack of Miami of Ohio, forcing seven turnovers and putting the Wolverine offense in position to score on almost every possession...if they didn't put it in the end zone themselves. Michigan routed Miami of Ohio 43-10, a rout that looks great on paper, to the rest of the country, and to the poll voters. But a closer look shows that the Wolverines sustained only one drive of more than 50 yards, and that the anemic offense had trouble running the ball, averaging only 2.9 yards per carry against a MAC school. Last year the Wolverines averaged under three yards per carry only four times... three of those were losses. So let's hope that the plays we were hiding on Saturday were from our ground game.

And We Tailgate...Hawaiian Style

Luau music filled the air, pineapple rum filled our glasses, and leis adorned our chests. After over eight months of being apart, we reunited with old friends. Between hugs and toasts, we reminisced about previous seasons, talked of our summer exploits, and debated the 125th edition of Michigan football. We didn't miss a beat: food, fun, friends, football...and yellow socks. It's what we live by from September through November, and what we pine for from January through August.

The Best Football Team in Ohio?

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They're Not Scared

On Saturday, September 4th, 2004, the Miami of Ohio football team will bring their team to the Big House. And they've been here before. In 2001, Redshirt Sophomore quarterback John Navarre took the helm after Drew Henson was wooed by the evil empire. A young phenom named Roethlisberger lined up under center for the Redhawks. Calvin Bell and BJ Askew had to come up big on offense, and some timely interceptions gave Michigan a 31-13 win. Let me refresh your memory a bit... we scored once on a 4th and goal play-action pass, a holding call negated a 41-yard touchdown for the RedHawks to start the second half, the Wolverines were stopped on a 4th and 1 play. It wasn't pretty, and it could have been MUCH closer. Now these same kids are seniors, and they're coming back...albeit without Ben Roethlisberger.

I'm not trying to say that we're going to lose this game. Instead, I am trying to make you aware that this team is not a pushover. A win over this team is not just some crap win over a crap team. If and when we defeat this team, it will mean something. The RedHawks finished last season ranked #10 IN THE NATION. They return two receivers that combined for over 2300 yards, a linebacking core that includes John Busing, who led the nation in interceptions by a linebacker, with 5...including 2 he returned for touchdowns. And let's not forget Ryne Robinson, Miami of Ohio's answer to Steve Breaston who broke Miami and MAC records for single season punt return yardage. An underdog with impeccable special teams and senior leadership is often the recipe for disaster.

Trivia: Who has the nation's longest winning streak? Answer: None other than Miami of Ohio, who after Saturday's win over Indiana St, 49-0, increased their winning streak to 14 games. They last lost on August 30th, 2003. OVER A YEAR AGO. They lost 21-3 to Iowa. We lost 30-27 to Iowa last year, and 34-9 in 2002...on homecoming in the Big House.

That Voodoo That We Do So Well

Well my friends the time has come. Dust off your yellow socks, the 2004 season is here. Well, that is unless you are Captain Michigan, who has been known to wear yellow socks year round. Here are some suggestions (Big 11 of them) to make your tailgating season fun and exciting:

#1: Bring Something. I don't care if it's a steaming bowl of poop, although bonus points go to those who surprise us with unique cuisine, unique drinks, unique outfits, or unique personalities.

#2: Eat Something. Dual reasons for this. First, we've got too much food, I promise...just stay out of Godmother's cheesy potatoes. Second, you'll need something of substance in your gullet if you want to follow tip #3...

#3: Drink Something. Bring a giant mug and fill it with a cocktail of your choosing. Bring a cooler of beer and empty it into your belly before kickoff. Take a tug on the bowl of Yucca. When it gets cold, sip a mug of spiked coffee. In short, get drunk, because you're alot cooler when you're drunk. And let's not forget, the best tailgating stories always seem to include...(insert person here) had a lot to drink, and then he/she fell down (into the bushes / on the stadium steps / into that girl's chest). Later (he / she) groped the (daughter / son) of (insert former tailgater here). We found (him / her) passed out (on the grass outside the stadium / in their car / under their car).

#4: Hug the Godfather. Why? Because we said so. Especially if you have no idea who he is. Because the Godfather loves to get himself some "strange". Even better, if you liked it, you can do it again the following week...because the Godfather never remembers you the first time.

#5: Respect the Hall. The members of the UMTailgate.com Hall of Fame. Recognize them, respect them, honor them. Don't know who they are? Check the flag. Tip your hat to Bubba and Stephen too. They've been to 88 straight home and away Michigan games, and they're not even in the Hall...yet.

#6: Learn to Love. Respect all of the tailgaters, even those from the opposing team that are visiting us and wallowing in our dynasty and tradition. This applies to everyone except...

#7: Learn to Hate. Michigan State. Ohio State. And just for this year, Iowa. Don't mistakenly wear their T-shirts, their hats, and in most cases, their colors. This applies to tailgating and gamedays only...however, big bonus points if you apply this rule in your daily life, like me.

#8: Go to the Game. And try to make it there before kickoff.

#9: Go to an Away Game. Ya, we tailgate there too. Everything this year is within easy driving distance, so quit being a candy ass and put on a white jersey.

#10: Ask Goody To Show You His Tattoo. It's not imperative for your enjoyment, but it makes me laugh.

#11: Follow the Theme. Yes, each tailgate has a theme, and this week's theme is luau. So put on a lei and bring some pineapple-upside-down cake.

Following these suggestions will provide you with the best opportunity for an enjoyable gameday afternoon. Hope to see you there.

Click here for the Miami of Ohio preview page.

Percentage Watch

Notre Dame: wins 796 losses 258 ties 41 percentage .746

Michigan: wins 833 losses 274 ties 38 percentage .744

Up Next... Miami of Ohio postgame!

GO BLUE!

The Webmaster