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 A 24-0 record versus the MAC conference was shattered Saturday as Toledo pulled the unthinkable upset versus Michigan.
Now with a record of 2-5, U of M is heading into their third un-favored game in the Big House and fans can’t help but ask: What has happened? Michigan now stands only two losses away from snapping a 33 season consecutive bowl appearance. At a first glance, all explanations point towards the coaching change of Lloyd Carr to Rich Rodriguez. Although it is not Rodriguez’s fault for Michigan’s misfortunes, but rather a few recruiting gambles by the athletic department and a sprinkle of bad luck.When Rodriguez accepted the job at Michigan his first move was to attempt to bring the #1 recruit, Terrelle Pryor along with him. Whether this was the right move or not, Rodriguez announced that Michigan’s current highly rated quarterback, Ryan Mallet, would not fit into his offence. Even though the most conservative and maybe logical call would have been to integrate his offense into what Michigan already had, a gamble was made to try to turn Pryor into one of his commitments. You can blame Rodriguez all you want for taking that kind of gamble, but the Michigan Athletic Department fully supported Rodriguez’s move to let Mallet go. Duly noted, if Michigan were to still have had Ryan Mallet, they in all likelihood would be over .500 for the least. Even the results of big games including Notre Dame and Illinois, two games which Mallet started and won a season before, could have resulted in different outcomes. On the other hand, Rodriguez’s gamble on Pryor very well could have been the big playmaker on the currently weak Michigan offense and may have played up to level or have even exceeded the level of Ryan Mallet. He certainly has been able to exceed at Ohio State by gaining the starting position over the redshirt Senior Quarterback Todd Boeckman. Beyond losing his top recruit Pryor, you can’t blame Rodriguez for losing other important players on the team including Mario Manningham, A.J. Arrington, and Justin Boren. As in every coaching change you must deal with losing players here and there. You didn’t recruit those players, the old coach did. If you expect to keep everyone, don’t change coaches. Manningham’s and Arrington’s choice to enter the NFL draft cannot be pinned on Rodriguez’s poor arrival to Michigan. Both players made their choice based on being projected to be high draft picks, in which both were by being selected in the top two rounds. As for Jason Boren, he simply preferred other coaching staffs to Rodriguez’s. Rodriguez’s current team does lack experience on offense, and this weakness have been the leading factor in many of their losses. Through seven games, Rodriguez has already shown improvement playing in Big Ten country. Examining his offensive play calling, the transition from Big East football to Big Ten football finally taking effect. No more is Rodriguez’s offense throwing bubble screens on third and twelve and no longer is his smallest but shiftiest running back starting games. The Big Ten requires smash mouth and cut throat football. If you force a defense to their heals they will crumble. In his largest game, Penn State, Rod made the decision to bench McGuffie and start the more powerful back Brandon Minor. Running between the tackles, he racked up 117 yards and two touchdowns. If Michigan plans to reestablish themselves as a Big Ten powerhouse they will have to win games by overpowering opponents (Toledo) at the offensive line. It’s understandable that there are always high expectations for Michigan football, but this coaching transition will take time. If not next season then the season after they will bounce back. Michigan’s current status cannot be solely pinned on Rodriguez. He’s just now getting his feet wet in the Big Ten, which he currently is 1-2 (not a complete disaster). Michigan football always finds their way back to elite so don’t lose faith in your Wolverines. And Go Blue! |