Once the bully, still the bully: OSU 62, Michigan 39

Like most who follow the maize and blue, I am still coming to grips with the public execution of the Michigan Wolverines football team in Columbus, Ohio, last Saturday. In fact, it's taken me this long to come up with the right words for my own blog.

What the world saw, and what the world will remember, was a 62-39 rout of the then-#4 Wolverines by the then-#10 Ohio State Buckeyes. What they witnessed was what everyone agreed could happen if Michigan's #1-ranked defense wasn't able to put pressure on OSU quarterback Dwayne Haskins, which was Haskins picking apart the Wolverines secondary all day. But that surely wouldn't happen, right? What they will talk about is Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh and his failure to defeat his arch-rivals to the south and their legendary coach Urban Meyer (see my pic).

Much like the other defeat that bookended the 10-2 season of 2018—a devastating loss to Notre Dame in South Bend that as the season wore on, became a tough 7-point setback on the road to an eventual #3-ranked and CFP-bound Irish powerhouse—the outcome, however horrific it may have played out before Michigan alumni and fans, doesn't seem quite so lopsided in retrospect.

First, the loss itself. While no OSU team had ever put a point a minute on a Michigan team in series history, there have definitely been worse beatdowns. Exactly 50 years ago, Woody Hayes hung 50 on "that team up north" in what would be the signature win over his arch-rivals. The margin of defeat in this 50-14 slaughter was nearly two touchdowns worse than 2018, and could have been wider had Woody succeeded on a two-point conversion after his team's final touchdown in the waning moments.

With two minutes left and the Nuts inside Michigan's 10, Woody, good sport that he was, trotted his starting unit back out onto the field with the goal of running up the score. After attempting a touchdown through the air, quarterback Rex Kern handed to All-American fullback Jim Otis who ran it in from the two-yard line (see pic). Once his giddy starters finished celebrating in front of Michigan's stunned defensive subs, the insulin-imbalanced coach went for a two-point conversion in what he would later famously justify as his only option since he wasn't able to go for three. As we all know, Michigan took revenge on the #1 Buckeyes the following season with new coach and former Woody disciple Bo Schembechler's historic upset, largely motivated by the number 50.

20 years ago the Buckeyes beat Michigan convincingly, 31-16, in a game that despite its two-touchdown cushion was never really that close. This marked just the second win by Ohio State over Michigan in coach John Cooper's tenure, at the time in its 11th season, and ended a streak of three straight Michigan wins. Buckeye fans were so pent up over the Wolverines' dominance that they stormed the field with :27 left and the game never officially ended. A different day and age indeed.

10 years ago may have been the most lopsided contest of them all: a 42-7 curb stomping that was actually worse than the score indicated. The Buckeyes outgained Rich Rodriguez's hapless Wolverines 416-198, jumping out to a 14-0 lead and outscoring Michigan 28-0 in the second half. The blowout loss euthanized a 3-9 season for Michigan, its worst campaign since Bump Elliot's 1962 squad finished dead last in the Big Ten with a 2-9 record (and a 28-0 loss in Columbus). Ironically, both teams inexplicably recorded wins over top-10 opponents, Bump's '62 team taking down #9 Army 17-7 and Rodriguez's '08 team coming from 19-0 down to defeat the #9 Wisconsin Badgers 27-25.

Imagine. The two worst teams in the last 80 years of Michigan football, and each has the same number of top-10 wins as Jim Harbaugh in his first four years combined.

Speaking of Harbaugh, this year's defeat by the Buckeyes wasn't even his worst bludgeoning as coach. His rookie season at the helm ended with a 29-point slaughter at the hands of Urban Meyer's Buckeyes, 42-13. A 28-point second half by Ohio State blew open a 14-10 game, with Ezekiel Elliott tearing through the young Wolverne defense for 214 yards. The Buckeyes ran for an astounding 369 yards that day, on what was then the nation's #4-ranked run defense. And that drubbing happened within the friendly confines of the Big House.

The most recent installment of this rivalry was more even statistically than any of the aforementioned annihilations. The Wolverines gained 401 total yards—551 if you add in a whopping 150 penalty yards surrendered by OSU—with rushing yards nearly even at 171-161. And the Wolverines possessed the ball for nearly 11 more minutes than the Buckeyes.

Then there's the matter of "what if". What if the Wolverines, who held the ball for 19 minutes in the first half alone, could have capitalized on those possessions? Two drives of more than five minutes each ended in short field goals of 39 and 31 yards. The latter ended after normally sure-handed tight end Zach Gentry dropped a third down pass in the corner of the end zone that quarterback Shea Patterson dropped right into his mitts (see my pics).

Over a third of the first half in their control, and only six points to show for it. Comparatively, Ohio State needed just 1:57 to score their first seven. This led to a halftime score that looked competitive on the surface with OSU holding a slim 24-19 lead, yet could easily have found Michigan on top.

And "What if" the Wolverines didn't make it so easy for the Buckeyes to score points in the second half? The large display in the once-open end of the Horseshoe read 62-18. But as poorly as the defense played, it's still unfair to assign all of those points to them. One Ohio State tally came as a result of a blocked Michigan punt returned for a touchdown in the third quarter. Two more scores came on drives of 22 and 19 yards following interceptions by Patterson and freshman Joe Milton. 41 short yards and one colossal special-teams miscue were the difference between 62 points and 41. Two more points than the offense ended up with.

Sure, you could counter that Ohio State kneeled out the clock at Michigan's 10-yard line and may have been able to add another seven points if it wanted. To which I'd respond in Lee Corso fashion, not so fast my friend. Coach Don Brown's top-ranked defense had already risen to the challenge twice in denying the Buckeyes the end zone on separate first-and-goal opportunities inside the five-yard line, keeping the Wolverines in the game. Were the outcome in doubt in the final minutes, who's to say what would have happened? Hard to fault an offense that tacked 39 points on the scoreboard but they sure didn't make it easy on the defense in the second half.

Lastly, as difficult as it is to see context, if you squint hard enough you can see the tide turning. And yes by the way, I am being serious.

Don't believe me? Consider this: Michigan was a 4 1/2-point favorite in Columbus. When was the last time Ohio State upset Michigan in this rivalry? To pull off an upset you have to be an underdog. Since Jim Tressell brought his first Buckeye team to Ann Arbor in 2001, the Wolverines have been favored exactly twice prior to this season. And each time, in 2003 and 2011, Michigan beat Ohio State. As lopsided as this rivalry has been of late, it's been deservedly so.

Consider also that in Harbaugh's four years at Michigan, his teams have steadily improved, each upgrading a deficiency from the year before. Prior to this season, the glaring weakness was the quarterback position. Coach looks to have solved that problem a few times over, first by luring four-star phenom Patterson away from the SEC and Ole Miss, then by stocking his team with bonafide recruits Milton and Dylan McCaffrey (who broke his collarbone in the final minutes of the Penn State game and whose deftness and speed would have made him a welcome option in Columbus last month).

Harbaugh has also overcome a stigma as coach with each successive campaign. This year, the perceived weaknesses were his inability to beat a ranked team on the road, and assume dominance over his in-state rival. Harbaugh checked both boxes, taking down Michigan State in East Lansing and the eventual Big Ten West champion Northwestern Wildcats in Evanston, rallying from 17-0 down to pull out a 20-17 squeaker. With the win over the Spartans, Harbaugh now owns the advantage over Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio with two wins in their last three matchups. And his Wolverines are one improbable last-second blocked punt return for a touchdown away from three wins out of four.

At the end of his fourth full season, Harbaugh has returned a winning tradition to the Michigan football program. His first graduating class leaves the school with 38 wins, the highest total since Lloyd Carr's 2000 class who boasted 41 victories, including a 12-0 record and national championship in their freshmen year. Some schools like Clemson and Georgia were able to flip a switch and become championship caliber. It's been more of a slow burn in Ann Arbor, which, punctuated by an 0-4 record against THE rivals, understandbly draws the ire of die-hards and donors alike—particularly given the enormity of Jimmy's coaching contract.

As difficult as it is to hear, as excruciating as it is for me to type, special things are coming. This year brought Michigan's first piece of championship hardware, its first-ever Big Ten East Division championship trophy (see pic). It's a title shared with Ohio State who won the right to represent the division at the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis (which it won over Northwestern, 45-24), but it's legit. Even should they lose to Florida in the Peach Bowl on December 29, the Wolverines have all but secured their second top-10 finish in the last three years (and third top-11 finish of Harbaugh's four-year tenure). With a 2019 recruiting class that's currently ranked #8 and tops in the Big Ten, the trajectory seems to continue upward.

Couple that with the retirement of Meyer and a 2019 schedule that brings the big three of Ohio State, Notre Dame and Michigan State to Ann Arbor for the first time ever, and it sets up to be the mother of all revenge tours, one that may end on the biggest stage of all.

Right now however, all we see is 0-4. If a special season for the Wolverines is on the horizon, being the abused and battered fan base that we are, we won't believe it until we see it.

Lightning Strikes: Michigan 21, MSU 7

The single moment that defined Bo Schembechler's impact on the Michigan Wolverines football program occurred in his first year as coach, when he led his 7-2 Wolverines to the Upset of the Century over everybody's #1, Ohio State. That's the moment everybody knows. What nobody knew that day, and what few even know today, was the moment an hour or so before kickoff that set the tone for the afternoon.

Legendary coach Woody Hayes and his Buckeyes took over Michigan's side of the field for his team's pregame warmups. The Wolverine players knew what was happening as they emerged from the tunnel, and they awaited their coach's orders. Schembechler, plenty pissed off at the time, marched to midfield to confront his friend and mentor. In an all-too-courteous tone as he later admitted, Bo informed Woody that he was on the wrong side of the field and ordered him to move his squad back across midfield.

Bo's players saw their coach stand up to the bully and it inspired them. They went into the locker room for one of the most motivational speeches they'd ever heard before exploding through the tunnel to the thunderous cheers of over 100,000 fans. The rest, like I said, you know. The monumental upset led the rebirth of Michigan football, as the school won 11 conference championships in the next two decades. Bo ended up with a winning record against Woody, putting a close to the old man's career with three straight wins from 1976-78, 180 minutes of maize and blue heaven where the Buckeyes didn't so much as score a touchdown.

This past Saturday, a similar pregame skirmish may have energized the Wolverines to an electrifying 21-7 win at Spartan Stadium, sparked by a 79-yard thunderbolt from Shea Patterson to Donovan Peoples-Jones (see my pic). And it may have created the lightning rod for a return to greatness in Ann Arbor.

Two hours prior to Saturday's kickoff against in-state rival Michigan State, in a traditional team march borrowed from the military strategies of ancient Sparta, the Michigan State players locked arms from sideline to sideline and strode from one end zone to the other. One long green caterpillar slowly drifting along the playing surface.

Only thing was, some of the Michigan players had taken the field early to warm up. After all, it was the Michigan State game. The Spartans covered every inch of the field like a search crew in a meadow looking for a missing person, passing over and through the few players in their way. Coach Mark Dantonio walked behind his army with a satisfying smirk across his face, neither shocked nor disapproving of his team's antics.

Harbaugh called it "bush league", and it was. Dantonio called Harbaugh's comments "B.S.", and they were. Spartan players admitted that they "may have taken the field a little bit late" for their weekly ritual. They also claimed that the reaction by Michigan's Bush (linebacker and team captain Devin, who tore up the Spartan logo at midfield with his cleats) was childish. Right on both counts. Were the Spartans intentionally late for their pregame battle march so they could encounter and intimidate the Wolverines as they entered the field? The Big Ten Conference thought so, as they fined MSU $10,000 for their unsportsmanlike behavior. Were the Wolverine players on the field early to intentionally force an encounter? Hard to say that wasn't unsportsmanlike either.

Yes to all of the above, most likely. Why? Because it's a rivalry. None of any of it matters unless you emerge victorious. In the case of last Saturday's renewal, saying Michigan emerged victorious is a vast understatement.

The maize and blue continued the dominating style that crushed the Wisconsin Badgers' will to live the previous weekend, stifling a reasonably productive MSU offense on a day that featured a two-hour weather delay--for lightning, of course--and ended with a welcome sheet of hail across Spartan Stadium.

The Spartans ended the long afternoon with a mere 94 yards of total offense. They entered Wolverine territory exactly three times, only once to their own credit. Their only points came as a direct result of a fumble by Chris Evans in a third-quarter downpour which gave MSU the ball on Michigan's 7-yard line. Their final desperate drive was aided by 44 yards in Wolverine penalties including two personal foul calls. Yet even with all the charity, the Spartans turned the ball over on downs at the Michigan 40 with a minute left.

Shea Patterson led the way, again not just by arm but by foot. On the play that blew the lid off the contest he stepped back and fired a missile 30 yards downfield, hitting DPJ perfectly in stride along the far right sideline. The fleet wideout danced through the outstretched arms of Spartan safety Tre Person and sprinted untouched the rest of the way, assuming Paul Bunyan's pose on the trophy that would soon come home with the Wolverines. On the key play of Michigan's 84-yard drive that finished off the day's scoring, Patterson brilliantly faked a handoff to tailback Karan Higdon on fourth and two at the Spartan 41 and scooted around left end untouched for an 11-yard gain.

Perhaps the best Wolverine possession of all didn't even result in points. With 9:19 left and the Spartans reaching for the momentum that carried them to a last-minute come-from-behind win over Penn State in Happy Valley the week before, Michigan ran nine straight running plays, swallowing over six and a half minutes and pushing the nation's #1 rushing defense helplessly backwards across their home field. Higdon, tailback-turned-warrior whose number was called for eight of those plays, ended the day with 144 yards on 33 carries that broke the spirit of the Spartan faithful like Mike Hart and Chris Perry had years before, back when victory in East Lansing was expected if not assumed.

It was the kind of drive Mark Dantonio would appreciate, you know, were it not for his seething hatred for all things Michigan.

As Patterson snapped the ball in victory formation and touched one last knee to the turf, players stormed the field headed for the MSU sideline. They snatched the Paul Bunyan Trophy from the Spartans and did a victory lap with their well-earned trophy in hand. Mr. Bunyan was quickly outfitted with a blue block "M" ball cap, which was soon replaced with a winged helmet. And head coach Jim Harbaugh, butt of college football jokes from sea to shining sea, relished his first road win against a ranked opponent. In a building where he's never seen defeat, not as player nor coach.

MSU has still beaten Michigan 8 of their last 12 meetings. Were it not for a last-second blocked punt returned for a touchdown with no time remaining, however (a play with a 0.002% probability of success), Michigan would be sitting today with 3 wins in its last 4 meetings against MSU. Correctamundo. Bragging points for both at the moment. But on a day delayed by lightning, the electrically charged events before and during this year's installment may have signaled another turn in the rivalry.

Stakes will be drilled into the turf. Flags will be planted at midfield. Michigan and MSU band members will continue to stand guard at the Diag and the Sparty statue on game week each year. I even heard that back in the 1960s, a group of students from the agricultural school snuck onto Spartan Stadium a week before their nationally televised game and spelled out "BEAT STATE" on the natural grass surface in fertilizer.

Congratulations, Mitten. After more than a half century of shenanigans, you have the competitive rivalry on the field that you've always wanted.

As close as close can be

A football program does not have to be winning to be competitive. No one in America exemplifies that more than Eastern Michigan University's football team.

This past weekend the Eagles traveled to Kalamazoo and dropped a close 27-24 contest to directional rival Western Michigan, a fourth straight loss after a start that found the Eagles Michigan's only unbeaten FBS school. While a 2-4 record may leave some fans setting their countdown clocks for Midnight Madness at their school's basketball arenas, there's something different about this 2-4 record.

First, EMU has lost each of their last three games by exactly three points, the previous two in overtime. In their OT loss to San Diego State--the same San Diego State that just beat Boise State on the Smurf Turf--the Eagles passed up what may have been a winning 48-yard field goal (their kicker had just made a 51-yarder) and were stopped cold on a fourth-down plunge. In their triple-overtime loss to Northern Illinois, they forced a NIU fumble in the second extra possession and, knowing all they needed for victory was a field goal, climbed into a shell, basically using three downs to set up a kick that Chad Ryland ended up missing.

Second and most importantly, their loss quality has increased tremendously. Only an Eastern Michigan football fan can understand much less truly appreciate that point.

The 2018 Eagles have lost these four games by a grand total of 16 points, dating back to their 35-28 defeat on the road at Buffalo, who happen to sit atop the Mid American Conference with a 5-1 record. Even with all the heartbreak, the cornerstone memory of this season remains a 20-19 win against Purdue on a rainy afternoon at Ross-Ade Stadium, the school's second straight win against a B1G opponent.

Many may say a close defeat is still a defeat. They've likely not followed a team accustomed to being bludgeoned on a regular basis. Show me on the doll where your opponent beat you this week. But all that was prior to the school's signing of Chris Creighton as its football coach. The man charged with changing a losing tradition--his first road game was a 65-0 loss to the Florida Gators--may have needed a couple seasons for his message to gain a foothold, but he's made believers of his team and all who follow them.

Not since a 61-20 blowout at Missouri in September of 2016 have the Eagles lost by double digits. Of their 16 defeats since then, six of them have occurred in overtime.

Nothing better exemplifies Creighton's ride at EMU better than Saturday's game at Waldo Stadium. After holding the Eagles on their opening drive after a 4th and 1 run on their own 40-yard line, Western Michigan drove 60 the other way in the next 2:42 with little difficulty. When the EMU offense sputtered on its next possession, the atmosphere at Waldo Stadium had evolved into one of an expected rout.

To their suprise, this wasn't the Eastern Michigan they've known in the past.



They may not consistently be winning, but they're longer getting consistently blown out.

Rushing to judgement: Michigan 20, Northwestern 17

As the shadows grew long in Evanston, the Michigan Wolverines' modus operandi grew just as tired.

The Wildcats had stuffed the talent-rich Wolverine offense throughout the first quarter, limiting them to one first down and 23 hard-earned yards in three possessions. And when Northwestern power back John Moten ran it in from three yards out, Michigan found itself in familiar territory, down early and down big on the road.

One month ago in South Bend, the maize and blue ran through the tunnel with visions of overpowering an equally untested Notre Dame squad. With ten minutes gone in the second quarter they trailed 21-3, having gained exactly 100 yards of total offense in nearly half a game.

Sure, we could focus on the rest of what happened on Saturday. How the staunch Michigan defense closed the valve tightly on Northwestern for good, shutting them out the rest of the way. How quarterback Shea Patterson, with a newfound need for productivity, got productive to the tune of 20 points—the last 7 coming at the end of a six-minute, potential season-saving drive with Karan Higdon running the last five yards untouched for the deciding points. How the Wolverines turned a 17-0 hole into a courageous 20-17 win that ranks among the greatest comeback victories in school history.

Blah blah freakin' blah.

The point that must be moved into the lead position is the insistence from a coaching staff who finally has skill position options as vast as the field is wide, to keep it on the ground first and foremost. Michigan has run twice for every pass attempt in every game since their opening week loss to Notre Dame, when after six rushes in their first seven offensive plays they trailed 14-0 and had no choice but to open things up. "We must establish the run" was once a sexy phrase when uttered by the Bos and Woodys of the day, when four out of five times the likelihood of success for one of the "Big Two" against one of the "Little Eight" wasn't ever in doubt.

Yet in the era of checks and audibles and read offenses, those could be the final words of a soon-to-be-departing coach. What Michigan's stubborn addiction to the strategies of yore has done is given weaker opponents a shot at playing the odds and pulling off an upset, while giving their strongest opponents (read: the rivals they can't seem to beat) a can't-miss game plan. Coach Harbaugh might as well send opposing coaches copies of the U-M playbook.

Then again, he doesn't really have to. Is there a more predictable offense in the entire B1G than Michigan's? With 28 first down plays on Saturday, the Wolverines ran the ball 21 times. It helps explain why Michigan gained less than 200 yards of total offense despite possessing the ball for nearly 35 minutes. It also explains how Northwestern could stay in the game until the final seconds.

Mostly, it exemplifies an offense that knows it can fall back on its defense to cover for any and all shortcomings. Led by Chase Winovich and The Man Every Offense Runs Away From, Rashad Gary (see my pic), the crew that remains the hallmark of the Jim Harbaugh era once again answered the call, holding the Wildcats to 97 yards of offense in the final three quarters and reclaiming familiar territory of its own as the nation's #1 overall defense.

As was the case last year, and the year before that, and the year before that, the Wolverines approach the season's halfway mark with the table still set for them. The Notre Dame defeat that looked so crushing a month ago is now viewed through objective optics a seven-point road loss to an unbeaten top-10 rival, a rival who toyed with formerly unbeaten and #7-ranked Stanford 38-17 this past weekend. And while they dropped a spot to #15 in the AP poll, assuming they take care of business at home against Maryland this Saturday they are a three-game run through #16 (Wisconsin), #20 (Michigan State) and #11 (Penn State)—all without leaving the state—from being right in the thick of things as a hot 8-1 contender. Two winnable games away from an all-or-nothing battle in Columbus.

To those of us who know better, however, this has an odor reminiscent of Wolverine football version 2017. A team who looked so impressive in August, yet seemed to simply survive games they should have won easily—an overtime decision over Indiana, a lackluster win at Purdue, sluggish performances against heavy underdogs Cincinnati and Air Force.

And to the select few of us who've acquired a nose for vintage Harbaugh football, the scent of impending defeat is unmistakable. Since 2015 the Wolverines are 15-2 during September but just 17-10 after, including three straight losses at the end of last season and three Ls in four games to close out 2016.

It's one thing for a team to dare another to stop them on the ground when they don't have a shaky offensive line. Michigan may be able to get away with it against the Northwesterns of the world. But four outstanding defensive fronts remain on the schedule, each every bit as good as the one who took the Wolverines apart on week 1 if not better.

As a result, schools who otherwise have little chance of victory identify your inescapable mindset, stack the box and dare you not to run. Unable to help yourself, you ignore the single-coverage mismatches on either side and pull your tight ends close, shifting into I-formation to bang helmets once again in hopes of pushing the pile forward.

It's football's equivalent of the infield shift. One soft little grounder to third and and a left-handed hitter can run the bases. But if you're Victor Martinez, you can't help but drive it sharply toward the sea of gloves. All the while thinking to yourself, "We must establish the pull!"

A Good Shucking: Maize 56, Corn 10

What felt like the unexpected, turned out to be a whole lot more of the expected.

Michigan went into their Big Ten opener as 18.5-point favorites over an unpredictable Nebraska squad in dire need of a win. Not since the 1950s had a Cornhusker team opened the season with two losses. Granted, their September 1 battle with Akron was cancelled due to inclement weather, so take that trivial tid-bit with a grain of corn. Nonetheless, they are not a team accustomed to losing in the month of September.

The unpredictable aspect for Nebraska was at the signal calling position, normally a point of constant unpredictability for the Wolverines back in the pre-Shea Patterson days. True freshman Adrian Martinez was the pre-season choice of new Husker coach Scott Frost, whose name still frosts the buttocks of maize and blue fans old enough to remember when his lobbying helped secure a retirement gift for legendary NU coach Tom Osborne, and rob unbeaten and top-ranked Michigan of an undisputed 1997 national championship.

Martinez suffered an injury in the Cornhuskers' opening game, however, and didn't play in Nebraska's loss to Troy the following week. His replacement, Andrew Bunch, a walk-on whose only scholarship offer had come from none other than Eastern Michigan University, had struggled in his substitute role. Facing an 0-3 start no Husker team had experienced since 1945, just a few months after the end of World War II, Frost handed the ball back to his freshman phenom. Even if Martinez was not quite yet 100%, coach knew his offense needed a bunch more help than A. Bunch could provide.

As expected, Michigan's philosophy of run first, run second, and throw third only if necessary, would be in full force. Would it be enough to keep themselves a step ahead of yet another running quarterback hoping to pick apart a defense vulnerable to the big play? The answer was a swift and resounding "Hail yes!"

After surrendering a 32-yard third-down Martinez lob to Stanley Morgan that moved the Cornhuskers to the Michigan 42, the Michigan defense forced a turnover in the form of an interception by cornerback Josh Metellis, who stepped in front of Martinez's next pass at the 36. Three Karan Higdon runs later (see my pic), the Wolverines led 14-0. Nebraska wouldn't cross midfield again until halfway through the third quarter, with the scoreboard reading 46-0 blue.

How dominant was the Wolverine running game? After his third carry, Higdon had gained 92 yards. The offense outrushed Nebraska 131 to -22 after one quarter and 285-39 for the game. All told, the offense gained 6.3 yards per rushing attempt to the Huskers' meager 1.3.

One quarter was about all the offense needed anyway for Michigan, whose smothering front line made the afternoon generally unbearable for Martinez (see pic). At one point the young quarterback was called for a safety after a pass was deflected back toward him and rather than grab it surrounded by menacing blue jerseys, he shoveled it to the ground while standing in the end zone. At another point he was pulled from the game, bruised and beleaguered, only to have Burch leave clutching his knee after a takedown on his first play from scrimmage. Whereupon Martinez had to find his helmet and run back into the huddle once again for even more abuse.

So at the end of the day, Jim Harbaugh defeated the same school he faced in Tempe, Arizona on New Year's Day of 1986. But in sharp contrast to the junior quarterback's second-half comeback and 27-23 victory over the Huskers in the Fiesta Bowl, this time the head coach moved through Nebraska version 2018 with relative ease. Which, when you look at it, is pretty much what his teams have done with unranked opponents as heavy favorites in his three years at the helm of the Wolverines.

So resumes the tired chorus of "what have you done in the big games, Jimmy?" The 1997 debate aside, no one can turn the Nebraska game into Michigan State. As is the case with other satisfying September afternoons at the Big House, fans and followers have no choice but to be content and realistic with the outcome. An outcome that proves promising, but is filled with concerns. Most notably, if run-first is indeed the long-term strategy, how this offensive line will fare against some of the nation's strongest run defenses, four of which (Wisconsin, MSU, Penn State and Ohio State) await them later in the season.

Here's hoping an open-minded approach will open things up in the weeks ahead.

Predictable, as predicted: Michigan 45, SMU 20

The University of Michigan may be the winningest program in college football history. But it sure isn't the easiest to watch.

On Saturday the run-at-all-costs Wolverines played right into the hands of their decided underdog opponents from Southern Methodist University. If only the Mustangs had the horses to make them pay for 60 minutes, the maize and blue may have been in trouble.

As it turns out, they were able to slug their way to a 45-20 win that looked much better on paper than it did from any seat in the stands. A win that for nearly 30 minutes better resembled an extended attention exercise, with Michigan holding a slim 14-7 lead until cornerback Josh Metellus, who ten minutes earlier had been scorched on a 50-yard strike from quarterback Ben Hicks to wideout James Proche, jumped up to snare Hicks' pass and zig-zagged his way through SMU linemen all the way to the end zone (see my pic below) as time expired.

Those two plays and a 35-yard touchdown delivery from Shea Patterson to Donovan Peoples-Jones awoke 110,000 fans from a 25-minute slumber, brought upon by a scoreless first quarter and a monotonous Wolverine touchdown drive that included SIX plays from inside the Mustang 8-yard line--all runs of course (see my pic).

It shouldn't be this painful to watch this Michigan football team. It just shouldn't. A squad as loaded on both sides of the ball as this 2018 version of the Wolverines offense under former Florida Gator head coach Jim McElwain should be fast-paced, dizzying, prolific. Their dominance should be evident, not assumed. At the halfway point of the second quarter Michigan had a 17:00-to-5:00 time of possession advantage, yet led just 7-0.

Instead of mixing it up to open the field to their talents, the Wolverines attempted just 18 passes and kept it on the ground 41 times. Most of which the defense knew was coming, and much of the times they had the ability to stop the Wolverines because of it. Fans got the occasional tease of an impressive pass from their rifle-armed Ole Miss transfer without getting the feeling that they've actually seen what he's made of.

Worst of all, Michigan showed their punative side again, getting flagged 13 times for a staggering 137 yards. Just 60 yards shy of their entire rushing output for the day. Linebacker Khaleke Hudson was tossed in the second half for a dangerous hit he should have known better than to deliver, the second such ejection of a Wolverine defender in three games this season.

As was the case with its unimaginative offense, Michigan's undisciplined defense is a defeat waiting to happen. While they may be able to horse around with it against the Broncos and Mustangs and get away with a win, it's not a sustainable plan for their visitors from Madison and Happy Valley, much less late-season trips to East Lansing and Columbus. One need only look back a few weeks to see what the same establish-the-run strategy looked like against a solid defense.

Soon, the offense will be allowed to break out. Soon, the pass will be opening up the run. With one loss already in the books, there's too much to lose in waiting too much longer.

When winning matters more than who's getting beaten

We're about to see what it looks like when an academic institution puts winning games above domestic violence against women.

The "investigation" into the incidents surrounding Urban Meyer's knowledge and handling of his assistant coach's multiple incidents of alleged domestic abuse has come to a close, and the board of regents at the Ohio State University met this morning to review its findings. In the next few days they will announce what they've wanted to announce all along: that they will be keeping their prized football coach on their payroll with little if any consequence, and that the matter as they see it is now closed.

I've anticipated this ending ever since the Buckeyes put Meyer on paid leave several weeks ago. The fact that the school would take such a stance given the culture surrounding the treatment of female victims of abuse in this day and age shouldn't surprise anyone. After all, we're talking about Ohio State here. The same university whose president once confessed that he was happy his football coach hasn't fired him.

Winning means everything along the banks of the Olentangy River. Everything as in EVERYTHING. And not just winning over that rival school from the state to their state's direct north either--although Meyer's stellar 6-0 record over said rival was undoubtedly mentioned behind a closed door in the weeks since Brett McMurphy dropped the bombshell that detonated this entire ordeal. But the kind of winning that emboldened a desperate president, board of regents and athletic department to do whatever it takes to make this whole thing go away.

Every part of this display was farcical. Case in point, the "statement". Urban Meyer told an unprovoked lie at the Big Ten football media day event in Chicago. He stood at a microphone and told the gathering that he had no prior knowledge of assistant coach Zack Smith's 2015 domestic abuse incident. Records showed that he had spoken with Smith--who happens to be his mentor Earle Bruce's grandson--about an incident he heard about. Cell phone records also revealed text conversations between his wife Shelley and Zack's wife Courtney Smith, where she was made well aware of Courtney's injuries and fear of further abuse at the hands of her husband. Being that Urban has boasted about how Shelley was his "closest confidente", that his wife--herself a staff member at OSU--knew the potential seriousness involving a member of her husband's coaching staff, and that the Smiths had previous domestic abuse incidents in 2009 (while Zack was an assistant for Meyer at Florida) and 2012, the chances of Shelley not informing Urb about it are roughly zero or less.

When Meyer was placed on paid leave by the university, he prepared a statement that he distributed to the media at the precise moment Zack Smith was being interviewed for the first time on ESPN. In it he never mentioned that he lied or was less than honest in his answer; instead he claimed he was "not adequately prepared" to discuss the issue. At the conference's pre-season media event. To this day no one connected with Meyer or the university has mentioned the word "lie" even once. After all, we're talking about Ohio State here. The same university whose former head coach was forced to resign after lying to the FBI during an investigation in order to keep the eligibility of several key players.

Another case in point, the "independent investigation". The university hired a law firm. Law firms don't investigate their clients, they protect their clients. In this case, a client curious to see what potential consequences would arise should they not fire their football coach for lying about not having prior knowledge of assistant coach Zack Smith's 2015 domestic abuse incident. After all, we're talking about Ohio State here. The same university whose athletic director once put Woody Hayes "on notice" for hitting a college football player and a network TV cameraman, A FULL YEAR BEFORE he punched Clemson linebacker Bobby Bauman in the closing minutes of the 1978 Gator Bowl.

As the Ohio State University is generally very good at what it does, what they're about to pull off here is nothing short of masterful. First of all, by hiring a law firm to protect your interests and calling it an "investigation". And second, by keeping their coach and their teflon athletic director (who in the world survives two football scandals at the same university?) with little if any punishment, and getting away with it.

When they announce in very stern terms how disappointed they are in the head coach and how they are a staunch, zero-tolerance school when it comes to the safety of all women ("Do you hear me, Buster?"), they will slap a laughable suspension on him if anything, maybe the first two meaningless out-of-conference games, maybe the entire first half of the Oregon State exhibition. And Urban will make a sad face and look at his shoes, creating the impression of a man showing pity.

Either way, the man whose name rhymes with Liar will be back on the sidelines when the Big Ten season starts, as sure as the sun rises in the morning and beating Michigan is more important than the beatings your coaching staff administers at home.

After all, we're talking about Ohio State here.

Nocturnal Omissions

The distance between Michigan Stadium and Notre Dame Stadium, site of opening night for the Wolverines' 2018 season, is a scant 150 miles. When the sun sets, however, the two venues couldn't be further apart.

While the Wolverines have built two dreamy evenings around beating the Fighting Irish under the lights at the Big House in recent years——the 17-point comeback and last-minute heroics that crushed the domers in 2011, then last year's methodical destruction——their nighttime ventures just south of the Indiana border have been a nightmare.

Let the record state that not once in five tries have they scheduled a primetime matchup in South Bend that they could put in the books as a W.

The Wolverines' first venture was the first night game ever played at Notre Dame, in 1982. Deeply invested in the Gerry Faust regime at the time——with new uniforms to match, worthy of an Ohio high school team (see program below)——the 20th-ranked Irish rode the strength of a packed house of screaming fans (as loud as 59,000 fans can be) to upset #10 Michigan, 23-17, limiting all-american wideout Anthony Carter to one measly albeit spectacular punt return touchdown.

This was also back in the day of Masco portable lighting, as Notre Dame Stadium had no permanent stadium lights back then. So four towers at each corner of the field were charged with generating enough light to illuminate the entire playing surface, leading to players accidentally getting an eyeful of the intense beams and losing sight of the ball, or an approaching opponent.

The nighttime football experiment proved successful in South Bend as Notre Dame would host other primetime contests during the 1980s and 1990s, ultimately installing permanent lights when the school expanded the stadium's capacity to 80,000 in 1997.

Michigan's next excursion to college football's self-appointed cathederal came in 1988. The #9 Wolverines were underdogs to #13 Notre Dame despite the higher ranking. And the team they faced was formidable indeed. Quarterback Tony Rice and tailback Ricky Waters tore up the Wolverine defense for 200 second-half yards, while Reggie Ho added his name to the long list of formerly unknown kickers who would crush the hearts of the maize and blue faithful. His four field goals nearly outscored Michigan's entire offense, the last being a 48-yarder with 1:13 remaining that proved to be the winning points. Mike Gillette, the kicker with a cannon for a leg, missed a 48-yarder of his own on the game's final play.

As it turned out, this game was a mere appetizer for the Wolverine heartbreak entree that was served up the following week. Bo Schembechler's boys couldn't hold onto a seemingly secure 16-point lead over Jimmy Johnson's #1-ranked Miami Hurricanes and lost, 31-30. The Irish, on the other hand, never looked back and, despite the graduation of Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown, captured the national title with a Fiesta Bowl victory over West Virginia.

Fate was just as unkind to the Wolverines on their next trip to South Bend in 1990. Let by the good-as-gold Ohio tandem of QB Elvis Grbac and SE Desmond Howard, Michigan was in cruise control with a 24-14 second-half lead over the top-ranked Irish, destined to break their three-game losing streak at the hands of the evil Irish empire.

Until the collapse. After pushing the Notre Dame defense all over the field with punishing runs, coach Gary Moeller decided to take the foot off the neck on first and goal. Grbac tossed a pillow into the hands of linebacker Michael Stonebraker to kill the drive. Then, facing a third-and-17 deep in their own territory, Irish quarterback Rick Mirer heaved a desperate throw downfield, in the vacinity of spark plug wideout Raghib Ismael. As Irish luck would have it, the ball skipped off Ismael's helmet and hit receiver Lake Dawson in stride.

Mirer connected with Adrian Jarrell in the final minutes for the winning TD and Notre Dame extended its streak over Michigan to four games, ruining Moeller's coaching debut and causing me to get physically ill (the last time a sporting event would cause such a reaction… but then, the Irish haven't won two years in a row since).

Three trips to Indianatucky, and three defeats.

Prior to Michigan's 2012 visit, the 18th-ranked Wolverines had put together wins over Air Force and UMass after opening the season on the bloody end of a thorough Bama butt-whooping in the Jerrydome, and had hoped to recapture the "Under The Lights" magic from the previous year's victory at the Big House. No such luck. Denard Robinson (see my pic) looked more bewildered than heroic, throwing interceptions on four straight plays——twice to Heisman runner-up Manti Te'o——setting a Michigan all-time record for consecutive throws to the other team. Despite a seven-minute advantage in time of possession the maize and blue never found the end zone all evening, and the Irish prevailed, 13-6.

As was the case in 1988, Notre Dame continued their winning ways all season long, reaching the BCS Championship Game where the Crimson Tide delivered a beating nearly identical to the one they handed Michigan. As was the case in 1982, the 2012 Wolverines went on to lose the biggest games on their schedule, finishing with an underwhelming 7-5 record.

Then, the night terror of 2014. A 31-0 defeat on what was understood at the time as the last scheduled meeting between the two schools. As in, maybe ever. Aside from the 31-7 defeat to Minnesota later that season, when a dazed and dizzy quarterback Shane Morris was sent back into the game moments after suffering an obvious concussion, this effort has come to epitomize the latter years of the Brady Hoke era. A headphoneless coach who returned Michigan to the forefront of national recruiting yet gradually lost control of his team, allowing the first shutout to a Wolverine football team in 30 years.

Two years ago the rivalry was renewed for home-and-home matchups in 2018 and 2019. So this Saturday night may be the very last chance to notch a victory under the watching eyes of Touchdown Jesus. A loss could render the Wolverines winless in South Bend for nocturnal eternity, or until the two schools get their heads straight and decide to maintain one of college football's greatest rivalries well into the twenty-first century.

On a personal note, I am unbeaten as a fan watching the Wolverines play at Notre Dame Stadium. I've seen Michigan twice: the 47-21 demolition of the second-ranked Irish in 2006, and the 2010 game where Denard ran and passed for a staggering 502 total yards, including the winning touchdown run with 27 seconds remaining.

Do I dare put MY perfect record on the line this year, or should I take this perfection to the grave with me? Unfortunately an out-of-town family wedding will have me in California over Labor Day weekend as sealed my fate. Even if I were in town and available for a drive to South Bend, the $400 get-in price should give you my answer.