Way Back When-sday Pic of the Week
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September 8, 2007: A crew rolls lemons before Michigan gets rolled 39-7 by Oregon. Pretty sure all the remaining WBW's are going to be from disappointing defeats. Shouldn't be hard to do.
Get Your 'Vette On: University of Ohio State Signs Pryor to One-Year Deal
/As you know, the entire lot of recruited high school athletes make their decisions known on national signing day, which this year fell on February 8th. Terrelle Pryor did not, and opted to hold out for the free agent signing period. The free agent signing period is a little known part of the recruitment process. In fact, this is the first year of free agency in college athletics, and it only involved four suitors, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, and Oregon...and one player, Terrelle Pryor. Terrelle had a difficult decision to make.
- Penn State offered Pryor a four-year deal that included education, room and board, uncertainty at the head coaching position, and four years of losses to Michigan.
- Oregon offered a four-year deal that included education, room and board,several pairs of Jordan's, the hottest cheerleaders I've ever seen in person, the chance to perform in the loudest stadium I have ever been in, fruity uniforms, and six pounds of the finest Northwest salmon.
- Michigan offered a three-year deal with an option for a fourth, a first class education with unlimited access to independent study classes, the largest stadium in the nation for his junior year, and an immediate starting job.
- Ohio State offered a one year deal, with an option for a second and/or third year of community college level education. In addition, they offered legal assistance for after his Freshman year when he attempts to break the age requirement for the NFL draft. Upon his 21st birthday, he will receive a case of Grey Goose, a flack jacket signed by Maurice Clarett, and two bodyguards to protect him from the Jewish mafia. All of that...plus a Corvette and a giant watch.
After careful deliberation, Terrelle chose the University of Ohio State. Congratulations to Terrelle on choosing a future filled with embarrassment, NCAA sanctions, and ultimately...incarceration. Take a second, go to this website, and type in "Clarett" for the last name...enjoy.
Am I bitter? Maybe.
Just want Terrelle to know, the friend of my enemy is my enemy. F*ck him for ever making me give a sh*t.
Donald and the Gang Kicked Our Ass
/39-7 deserves no analysis, and the Michigan Wolverines no longer deserve your attention. They now owe you for your patronage, for time spent worrying, for believing they could come back from the worst home loss in history. Instead they handed you the most lopsided loss since 1968. That's before Bo people. And now, after Bo's unfortunate passing, we have yet to win. Four losses in a row. Two consecutive home losses to start the season. And while brief relief may be coming our way next week in the form of Notre Dame (and I stress MAY) there are still enough roadblocks ahead to now bring a new phrase into your vocabulary: "Bowl Eligible."
Find me six wins in the remainder of this schedule.
OK, find me two wins in the remainder of this schedule. Other than our new born rivalry in the battle for Washtenaw County, nothing is even near a guarantee.
In a year where every game box score is going to be followed with the tagline: "the first time since 1950," it would be no surprise if we were home for Christmas and New Year's for the first time since 1976.
Tailgating continues at the corner of Stadium and Main. Our group performance is significantly outdoing the on-field performance of the Maize and Blue. Three fried turkeys deep and all the trimmings. Missing from the action this weekend were Johnny Cleveland and new tailgater KT. They went and saw a top 10 team that is taking care of business, leaving me to load-unload by myself. I am both pissed and jealous. KT did miss out on the new tailgater's rolling of the lemons ceremony for this year's edition of yucca...maybe we can do it again. Yes, we may need multiple yuccas to get through this season.
History Begins Tomorrow
/It's Friday. Pre-game. That used to mean something here in Ann Arbor. Quiet time. Concentration time. Pad-free walk thrus, just to keep the timing where it needs to be. Obviously, last week in lieu of these things, it was "fun time." Worry free time. Appalachian State time. We will wear them down. They have inferior athletes. They have an inferior gameplan. They have an inferior school with inferior students and a mascot that looks like the guy from that Pirates movie. Where are they from? Nowhere. Who's on their team? Nobody. They brought their band? Wow. I can't believe they field a band, or can afford to ship those derelicts out here.
But now it's different. Or at least it should be.
There is something I've noticed over the past week, and I can't decide if it's just talk or if it's what this team believes. Now, I think it's important for the team to feel like they have something to play for, that it's not over. And it may not be over. But it's paramount that this team realizes what they did. That it WAS NOT OK. That everything is not going to be alright on it's own. Everything is different now. Everything NEEDS to be different now.
...there is a ton of football to play and a ton of games to go so it's actually just beginning. Sure, we had a loss but we have to go forward, we have to get ready for Oregon and that's what we're concentrating on. We were disappointed but we played hard. We made some mistakes and they are correctable. We're getting ready for Oregon and we know the mistakes we made we need to correct and I think we'll be a lot better next week and ready to go." - Will Johnson
Makes it sound like we just got edged out by Ohio State...instead of that we just embarrassed the shit out of ourselves and we need to work harder, play harder, and be smarter. Smarter is the key, because you can't teach speed, you can't "correct" speed. We don't have the speed, we've never had the speed...so we need to be smarter.
History repeats itself repeating itself...
Two years ago we lost two quick games right off the bat. We lost to Notre Dame and Iowa and there is something that changes at practice and there is a mindset that changes. I remember that year we just felt we weren't going to lose another game even when we had come-from-behind victories, we had the mindset that we weren't going to lose."
Great mindset, except that this quote is from Tyler Ecker in 2005. He alludes to 2003. Now it's 2007. We refuse to learn. Can't start, can't finish....can't can't can't. I want that "we're not going to lose" mindset in place on August 1st, and removed on January 7th. Can I get that? Just once?
Michigan Football has been reset. And what happens from this point forward will be it's legacy. We have lived and rested on our laurels for the better part of 10 years. The 1997 National Championship, the most wins, the best win percentage, and the largest stadium. But none of these things are going to beat Oregon. None of these things are going to beat Notre Dame or Penn State.
Our history is now. We are the team that has lost their last three games. We are the team that has lost three in a row and 5 out of 6 to Ohio State. We are the team that has lost their last four bowl games. We are the team that lost to Appalachian State. You have to start somewhere. I only hope that when this weekend ends, we're the team that beat Oregon.
DUCKS!
/Saturday, September 7, 2007 (Ann Arbor, Michigan)
Michigan Wolverines vs. Oregon Ducks
Time: 3:36 PM EDT
TV: ABC
The Institution
Location: Located in Eugene, Oregon, two hours from Portland and one hour each from the Pacific Coast and the Cascade Mountains.
Enrollment: 20,394
Founded: 1876
Conference: Pacific Ten
Nickname: Ducks
Mascot: "the Duck" (actually the Donald Duck Character)
Colors:
First year of Football: 1894
Website: GoDucks.com
The Series
Michigan lead 3 to 1 but the last time the teams met, 2003, the Ducks prevailed on the West Coast. Oregon has never scored a point in Ann Arbor coming into Saturdays Game. Their three losses are by a combined 59 to zip!
Recent:
Oregon is 1-0 after defeating Houston 48-27!
