Michigan suffered the worst loss in the history of its storied program, and perhaps in College Football in general, losing 34-32 to two-time defending I-AA champions Appalachian St. at home on Saturday. Since 1978 (with the split into division I-A and I-AA), no ranked I-A team has ever lost to a I-AA team. The Wolverines were ranked #5 in the Pre-season Poll, but will almost certainly be ejected from the Top 25 when the polls come out on Monday. Sportswriters around the country will be scrambling for a parallel. There isn’t one.
First, why does Michigan schedule this game? There is no way that that game helps Michigan. They could have won the game 63-0, and it wouldn’t have reflected on them positively because it was “only a I-AA team.” It didn’t attract interest as Appalachian St. are a small school (the game was not even televised locally). It would have been viewed as fluff and discounted by the BCS and voters. So basically the school risked an absolute catastrophe if they lost, for no net gain.
Second, the coaching staff needs to take the blame. There were the obvious decision-making blunders, going for and missing the two-point conversions. The defense got picked apart, giving up big play after big play in a performance that was absolutely atrocious. How many times in the last decade has Michigan been made to look silly by a mobile quarterback? There is also no excuse for a team not being able to block on a field goal try late in the game. It didn’t come down to mistakes, turnovers, and lack of execution. The players were out-played, and, more importantly, the coaches were out-coached.
This could be the darkest hour of Michigan’s history, and maybe that is a good thing. Had they escaped with a win, the problems would have been glossed over and written off as a bad day. This happened with similar poor beginning of the season performances, a 24-21 needlessly dramatic win over might San Diego St. comes to mind.
The loss exposes for all to see the underlying problems in the program. The reliance on talent and physical dominance, over creativity and game-specific planning. The parade of 6 foot 6 strong-armed but immobile white quarterbacks. The inability to correctly utilize unconventionally talented players (athletic black player = wideout). The emphasis upon size rather than mobility for offensive linemen. The tendency to play down to the level of the opposition. The tendency to come out flat in big games. It all gets aired out in the open now, rather than get thrust under the carpet as the ramblings of an irrational and spoiled fan base.
For 40 years, the football program has been run by Bo or one of his scions, who have prided themselves on doing things “the Michigan way.” But what happens when the Michigan way doesn’t work anymore? What happens when the players stop responding? Bo’s passing was unfortunate, but may also be symbolic. Great College Football programs don’t reflect on past numbers and titles, they win games. Michigan is not just another football program, but without the injection of some new blood it is fast on the way to becoming one.
The Wolverines now face a choice. Their national title aspirations are over. They are in the wost possible position, but they still have 11 more games to play. They can roll over and die after the traumatic defeat, like most would expect. Or the Henne-Hart-Long axis, that has long discussed the “unfinished business,” can man up and take care of it. They can sulk and crawl into a turtle shell when the national media rips them this week, or they can use it as motivation, and regain the edge that they have long lacked under Carr.
A successful season at Michigan comprises two things, winning the Big Ten and beating Ohio State, and not necessarily in that order. Those two things are still within reach.
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Posted by tyduffy
