At least things started out on a high note.
My latest sideline observations from Michigan’s disastrous 38-36 loss to Purdue, Saturday, November 7th at Michigan Stadium, the Boilermakers first win at UM since 1966.
Cheer up, there's always the Papa Smurf Bowl.
• Sunny skies and warm temperatures greeted the Michigan Stadium crowd as they filed into the Big House the first week of November for their last realistic chance to get that coveted sixth victory of the season and a bowl trip to … Detroit? C’mon, quit your griping, sure, two years ago the Motor City Bowl was below the Wolverines, but now doesn’t any bowl game seem like an achievement? Of course, the Motor City Bowl is now the Pizza, Pizza Bowl, but the way Michigan’s been playing lately, they’ll be lucky to make the Cheesy Bread Bowl.
Umm, Tate? ... yeah, about that headwear ... you might want to lose that.
• What’s up with Tate Forcier’s new headwear? He came out for warm ups wearing some strange, blue stocking on his head. Okay, I get it; it was a bit chilly, but by game time the head sock was still in place under his helmet … and it was 60 degrees! Dude, this is Michigan, not San Diego. A 60-degree day in November is what we call a "heat wave" here in the Midwest. Losing games is one thing, but you sure aren’t making yourself look any tougher, or helping your cause with the fans, by wearing that silly head stocking on a warm day.
Bang the drum slowly, after all, it's been 43-years since you last won here - might as well make it last!
• Purdue University has a lot going for it - nice campus, great engineering school, cool uniforms … and the world’s largest drum! I’m not exactly sure how they know they have the world’s largest drum, but that’s what it says on the drumhead, so I guess we’ll have to take their word for it. At any rate, that drum got a workout following the Boilermakers 38-36 win over Michigan, as several players stood patiently in line, waiting to give the drum a whack with what I assume must be the world’s largest drum stick.
I got out of bed early for this?
• The days of the 110,000 plus crowds at Michigan Stadium seem to be dwindling. I suppose the beautiful weather had something to do with it, but Saturday’s crowd of 108,000 was very late-arriving, especially the student section, who seem to be losing patience with two sub-par seasons quicker than the alumni faithful.
Anyone need a Q-tip?
• I heard from more than one person they thought Purdue’s marching band was every bit as good, if not better than Michigan’s band – especially while doing their halftime Michael Jackson tribute. I don’t know about that, but I did like Michigan’s seldom-used Blues Brothers tribute prior to the game. Also, what the heck are those things on top of the heads of the Boilermaker band members? They look like a pack of human Q-tips.
"Dee-fense ... Dee-fense ... dee-fense? ... c'mon people ... anyone? ... anyone? ... Bueller? ... Bueller?"
• What on earth has happened to the Michigan defense? In the 15-years I’ve been shooting Wolverine football, I’ve never seen the opponent put up so many big plays on Michigan. Usually after one big play, I’ll have plenty of time to get to the other side of the field to continue shooting the action, but Purdue’s opening touchdown drive happened so fast, I was still walking behind their bench when they scored.
"I don't want it, here you take it!"
• Perhaps the most critical play of the game took place on a fourth and ten play for the Wolverines late in the fourth quarter. Trailing the Boilermakers 38-30 at the time, Rich Rod decided to go for it rather than kick a chip-shot field goal. The result was a goofy play that saw running back Carlos Brown lateral the ball to lineman Mark Huyge as he was being tackled near the sideline. At first the play appeared to be successful, but after an official review it was determined that Brown had lateraled the ball forward to Huyge. That, of course, is a no-no, and the Wolverines turned the ball over on downs. What I don’t understand is why Brown wasn’t ruled out of bounds in the first place, when, as my picture shows, he’s on top of Purdue’s Torri Williams, who is clearly out of bounds while making the tackle.
More than a Minor disappointment.
• Of all the players on Michigan's team I've come to know over the past few years, I feel worse for Brandon Minor than any other player. His bum ankle has kept him from having the kind of senior season I'm sure he envisioned. I can sense his frustration every time I see him coming off the field. Nothing against these smaller, quicker running backs that Rich Rod likes to recruit, but I like Minor's powerful running style. When he's healthy, in my opinion, he's one of the best backs in the Big Ten. Here's hoping some NFL scouts feel the same and give Minor his due come next April in the draft (are you listening Cleveland Browns?).
That’s it for this week. I’ll be staying home for the Wolverines trip to Madison this Saturday, but I’ll be back in action when they take on Ohio State for their last game of the season. Hopefully for you Go Blue faithful, the Wolverines won't be in a position where they'll have to beat the Buckeyes to go "bowling."
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