Observations on the win over
the Badgers, 27-25!
1-Michigan comes back with 27 second
half points, and gets a lucky with an ineligible receiver call
when the game could have been tied and decided in overtime. Wisconsin
converts only 10 point in four red zones while we convert one
red zone into 7 points. The Badgers get 5 Michigan turnovers in
the first half, and convert them into 13 points while we get 4
Wisconsin turnovers and score 6 points.
2-Michigan offense shows life in
the 2nd half with Threet finishing 12 of 31 for 96 yards, 1 TD,
2 interceptions and running 9 times for 89 yards. Kevin Koger
catches his first pass for a 26 yard TD. Greg Mathews grabs 4
for 48 yards. Offense finished with 268 net yards, 14 first downs,
6 of 17 in 3rd and 4th down conversions.
3-McGuffie rushes 15 times for 36
yards and a TD while Brandon Minor comes in to spark us with 2
carries for 35 yards and another TD.
4-Defense dominated Wisconsin in
the second half, but didn't finish the job at the end of the game.
Wisconsin nets 384 yards, 18 first downs, 6 of 19 in 3rd down
conversions,12 minutes in time of possession giving them 16 additional
offensive plays, but the 4 turnovers and missed field goal killed
them in the end. Brandon Graham led the defense with 3 sacks,
2 in the 4th quarter, 2 forced fumbles including one in Wisconsin's
final red zone. Ezeh, Mouton, Taylor and Harrison had 8 tackles
each. Trent and Brown had 7 tackles each. John Thompson took a
pick into the end zone to give us the lead for good. Charles Stewart
got the other pick. Graham, Thompson and Warren had 6 tackles
each. Team effort on defense holding the mash-mouth Wisconsin
offense to only 158 net yards rushing, and one rushing TD. P.J.
Hill had 20 carries for 70 yards. Clay and Brown added 96 yards
on 11 carries. Evridge finished with 20 for 37 for 226 yards,
1 TD, 2 interceptions, 4 sacks and a lot of aches and pains. Gilreath
caught 5 for 65 yards and a TD over Trent. Defense held the Badger
running attack to only 47 second half yards. Taylor's
halftime speech jolts players
5-Mesko punted 8 times for a 43.5
yard average. Our special teams turned the ball over twice in
the first half, but didn't hurt us in the 2nd half. Gingell did
a nice job on kickoffs after Wright apparently was injured; he
got a touchback on one kickoff.
6--Michigan win will go down as
the greatest comeback in Michigan football history with a 19 point
deficit erased, 0-19 to a 27-25 win with a 20 point 4th quarter
rally in the 500th game played at the Big House. We won this game
on tradition, senior leadership (Taylor, Thompson, etc.) and conditioning.
John Ferrara got his first start as a Wolverine at Left Guard.
7-We did enough to get the win,
but didn't look good finishing the game when we gave up a TD after
stopping Wisconsin earlier in the red zone with a sack and turnover;
then, we give up the two pointer only to have the play overturned
with the ineligible receiver penalty. Classic example of why a
team must play 60 minutes; Wisconsin was way too confident to
start the 2nd half and started playing prevent offense way too
early in the 3rd quarter. Maybe we'll gain confidence to tackle
a tough Illinois team next week.
Observations on the first half with
Wisconsin, 0-19!
1-Wisconsin converts two red zones
in the first five minutes of the game with three in the first
half for 10 points; the Badgers get 5 Wolverine turnovers and
convert into 13 points.
2-The Michigan offense is a complete
mess! Coach Rod and Coach Magee have not shown good game preparation
with their offense nor their offensive personnel. Steven Threet
was 2 for 10 with 2 interceptions, and contributes 4 runs for
20 yards. Sam McGuffie had 9 carries for 11 yards, and one reception
for minus 3 yards. The offense had 21 net yards, zero of 7 in
3rd down conversions and 1 first down while Wisconsin kept the
ball for over 10 minutes more in time of possession advantage.
3-Wisconsin finished the first half
with 202 net yards, 111 rushing and 91 passing with 8 first downs.
Mouton led the defense with 8 tackles including a sack. Evidge
is 10 of 19 for 91 yards, 1 interception by Stewart and 2 sacks.
Clay has 51 yards and a TD; Hill has 45 yards on 13 carries. Zach
Brown added 25 yards. Kyle Jefferson has 4 grabs for the Badgers.
4-Special teams were a shamble!
A fumble by Mathews on a punt return, and another by Trent on
a kickoff return. Our kickoff team fielded 5 kickoffs for an 18
yard average with a turnover. Mesko punted 4 times for a 41.8
yard average, one inside the 20 and a fair catch.
5-I thought our team would be mediocre
this year, but not this bad. We are definitely one of the worst
teams in the country at the Division I level, and are not even
good enough to compete for the MAC Championship. Ball State wouldn't
just beat us, they'd crush us.
Post Game Conference
Michigan Rewind: Wisconsin
Player Participation: Wisconsin
Depth Chart for Wisconsin
Coach Rod's Press Conference for Wisconsin