Case of the Mundys: The New House Edition 11/13/06

​Less than 5 days remain before a small group of UMTailgaters will venture to Hell on Earth. I am caught halfway between "giddy with anticipation" and "scared shitless of what the fans are capable of." Either way, I am worthless at work and sleepless at home. It's not because I'm caught up in the X's and O's of Saturday's contest, for I am not an X's and O's type of guy. This game is and always will be about emotion. Win or lose, you'll probably be able to find me after the game in tears.

"Throw out the record books" is a phrase often used to describe rivalry games, but that doesn't do justice to Michigan-Ohio State. There will be two completely teams on the field from the ones you've been watching all season. Hits will be harder, everything and everyone will be faster, and sound from referee whistles will take longer to register in the ears of the players.  

Unless you're John Dogan, this is the biggest regular season college football game to occur in your lifetime.

What you might have missed while finishing that case of Natty Light:

• Still silencing his critics? I guess. But enjoy Lloyd while you can...I believe two more wins will send Lloyd riding off into the sunset. [Yahoo Sports]


• The greatest scorer in Michigan history? Desmond Howard? No. Tyrone Wheatley? No. Garret Rivas? You betcha. [Michigan Daily]


• MGoBlue isn't screwing around with there game page. The bad news...play-by-play by a former Ohio State QB and a former Fighting Irish coach. The good news...no Brent Musberger. [MGoBlue]


• Monday's presser notes, which included special guest Bo Schembechler. [MGoBlue]


• To get the enemy's perspective, try Ohio State's infamous Michigan Monday. [OZone]


• We got one first place vote...thank you John Giglio. [MZone]


• A Texas-style breakdown of the big game. [Burnt Orange Nation]


• When you have absolutely no life... [Deadspin]


• As much as I love the idea, these inside the stadium pics turn my stomach a bit. [UMich]


• In case you didn't already know... [Dayton Daily News]


• This may save my life. [Cleveland Plain Dealer]

Injury Report

• Antonio Bass: out for season


• Mike Kolodziej: out for season


• Prescott Burgess: ankle, magically healed for OSU


• All others healed magically by the waters of the Cooley Fountain.

Next

​With the most important game of their season, and perhaps in the history of Michigan Football, looming next week, it would have been easy to lose focus in Bloomington against the upstart Hoosiers. The Wolverines did just the opposite. Firing on all cylinders, the Michigan machine rolled out in dominating fashion. They ended all doubt. They quelled all the naysayers. They did not play down to the level of their opponent, but instead played up to the level of their next opponent. Quickly and with surgical precision, Michigan put away the Hoosiers of Indiana. They outgained Indiana, 376 yards to 131 yards, went 5-10 on third down, went 12 of 16 passing, rushed for 208 yards, had a special teams touchdown, and held the Hoosiers to 26 yards on the ground. 

I could see my breath in the cold air of an early evening in Bloomington as I bellowed out "BLUUUUUUUUUE". Just minutes before, Steve Breaston put an exclamation point on the day, returning an Indiana punt 82-yards for a touchdown, beginning a mass exodus of Hoosier fans. Memorial Stadium, with its large Michigan contingency, began to echo with cheers of "GO BLUE" and The Victors. But as time began to expire, those in attendance began to realize that there were just four quarters remaining in this magical season, as rhythmic chants of "BEAT THE BUCKEYES" rang out. Michigan knocks off Indiana in Bloomington 34-3.

11-0.

Traveling six strong in an RV, the tailgate really started around 5:30pm on Friday when we departed for Bloomington and lasted straight through to just a few hours before this post. So much food was prepared, we began to invite everyone we could gather in the RV lot to come and feast with us. Of course, the drinks flowed freely as well, as we had our first Bloody Mary bar since Notre Dame weekend. Needless to say, I'm writing this now through one half-opened bloodshot eye...though more from sleep deprivation than alcohol. Last to pass out, I could have been the conductor of a snoring symphony of our group of six. Better stop myself now...what happens on the RV, stays on the RV. We did take a moment to celebrate the birthday of a Hall of Famer and Founding Father of the tailgate...the Godfather himself. Congrats to the Godfather on beating the odds and making it another year!

Kind of a big game this week. You might have heard about it on TV. Hopefully lots of content all week....and I still don't have a ticket to the game (seriously) so if anyone has any leads, please let me know at frank@umtailgate.com.

GO BLUE!

Case of the Mundy's: Goody is Dead to Me Edition 11/4/07

​Sometimes people forget just who is the Webmaster of UMTailgate.com. It's a shame to have to sometimes slap a man so that he remembers his place in the hierarchy of the tailgate...and tailgate website. I neither have the time nor the inclination to tear down the fragile soul of Goody, who is only a worthy adversary if we were to face off in a "who can buy the most engagement rings" contest. However, I am impressed at his new found ability to use a spellchecker before posting...or perhaps his son is reading "Dick and Jane" to him at night to help him through his illiteracy.

Moving on for today...

The weekend that was around the internet that Goody has to go to the Romulus library to log on to:

• I really like the "reality check" line. I thought Northwestern was a reality check. You know what would really focus this team? A loss. A loss would really fire them up for Ohio State. Maybe we should throw the game to Indiana...sound crazy? Crazy as beating BALL FREAKING STATE BY ONLY 8 POINTS?!?!?!? [Detroit News]


• Well, if the weather was bad, I would be in 100% agreement with this, but for now the worst game ever is still 34-9 pasting by Iowa on homecoming back in 2002. [Maize and Brew]


• For a different look at the careers of the graduating seniors, try some haiku from mgoblog.


• Still the best name in the Michigan Blogoshere....[Ronald Bellamy's Underachieving All-Stars]


• The password is... SCARE. [Sporting News | Foxsports | Freep]


• Bo weighs in on the Dead Schembechlers, and almost being one. [Columbus Dispatch]

Injury Report

• Anotnio Bass: should start against Eastern Michigan


• Mike Kolodziej: should start looking for something to do


• Tyler Ecker: dressed for Ball State...will play against Indiana


• Mike Massey: dressed for Ball State...will play against Indiana


• Kevin Grady: shoulder, should be back for Indiana...more likely OSU.

Press This Button?

What an exciting game! The Cardinals came in and gave Michigan all it could handle. The Wolverine defense stepped it up late, forcing seven straight incomplete passes late in the fourth with goal to go...and soon after thwarting a hail mary attempt. True Freshman Brandon Minor broke 100 yards for the first time in his career with 108 yards on 12 carries. Mike Hart added 154 yards on the ground. Michigan wins a hard fought victory 34-26 behind 507 yards of total offense including 352 rushing. The Wolverines move to 10-0, completed a perfect home season, and have just one more game to go before the big one against Ohio State. 

SCREW YOU FOR BUYING THIS BULLSH*T.

We played Ball State on Saturday and embarrassed ourselves. We were a couple bad breaks away from going to overtime with one of the worst teams in college football. There are now a laundry list of problems that, if unchecked in the next seven days, will result in getting our collective asses handed to us in Bloomington...and in 14 days, will result in the most lopsided Michigan-Ohio State game in 10 years. That list includes:

• The dumbest pass in Chad Henne's career


• Lloyd bringing in the second team defense with just a 15-point lead because he's got a soft spot for his former coaches


• Questionable pass coverage


• Being out conditioned by a low level MAC team and having it show in the fourth quarter


• The dropsies: Breaston, Arrington, Butler...you're on notice


• The right side of the O-Line that let a guy come in unblocked and pop the ball out of Mike Hart's hands


• The two punter system


• Garret Rivas's kick offs


• Dumb penalties


• Lloyd babying the team on Michigan Replay

I have never been sicker with a win. I've never had less confidence in this 2006 team. I never thought that at 10-0, I would need them to show me something. But I do. I need them to dominate Indiana, make no mistakes, make me comfortable by halftime, and make me want to go to my car by the start of the fourth quarter.

Our home tailgating season came to an end with a plethora of fried turkeys, all cooked and eaten before noon. Stuffing, potatoes, pumpkin muffins, and various other Thanksgiving delights filled the tables before we said our goodbyes for the year. It's been a great year despite the crappy home slate, and I thank all of you for your spirited participation. We step it up every year!

We adjourned from the golf course for the last time and headed to our yearly banquet, where the Godfather was master of ceremonies for the 2006 UMTailgate.com Tailgating Awards. 

This Is A Big Waste of My Time: The Ball State Preview

​I watched The Break Up last night. It was an excruciating hour and forty-five minutes that I'm not going to be able to get back. But that will be nothing in comparison to three hours I will spend at this weekend's football contest between Michigan and Ball State. Non-conference action in early November? Senior day against the Cardinals? Ahhh yes, you can feel the tradition.

Ball State comes into Ann Arbor

 fired up and on a roll after last weeks pasting of Miami of Ohio, 20-17. They boast the nation's 14th ranked passing offense using a two-quarterback system, and one badass punter named Chris Miller. However, their prolific passing offense might be attributed to the fact that they are always playing from behind. Ranked 116 out of 119 Div 1A teams, the Ball State 'D' has given up over 450 yards per game. Highlights of their sieve include surrendering 610 yards to Northern Illinois and 535 yards to North Dakota St. Their offense is so potent, and their defense is so poor, that they are thinking of playing West Virgina and Louisville in a round-robin tournament of shitty-ness every Thursday next year.  

We do have some ties to Ball State.

 Their head coach, Brady Hoke, was our defensive line coach between 1995-2002, during which time we had less penetration than (fill in your own Captain Michigan joke here). Stan Parrish coaches the Cardinal offense coming off of his masterful gameplanning of two of the Navarre years back in 2001-2. But perhaps our biggest tie to Ball State is the Ball Jar, the namesake of the school that can be found all summer long in Ann Arbor filled with the chemical goodness that is Casa Dominick's Sangria. Yum.

The School:

• Enrollment: 20,113


• Mascot: Charlie Cardinal

Notable Alumni:

• Joyce DeWitt


• Stedman Graham


• David Letterman

Numbers:

• This will be the first meeting between Michigan and Ball State


• Michigan is 21-0 all time against teams from the MAC conference


• A win this Saturday will mark Michigan's 25th 10-win season, which is second all-time only to Alabama.


• This will be Carl Tabb's last game at the Big House, marking the end of his 12 year career as a Wolverine receiver. It seems like only yesterday that he was playing catch with Todd Collins.