U of M thread (in the Lions Forum) :)

[WingsFan]

Yes, Herbstreit was already saying DR (will) - run the ball in the middle of the field to get a good spot for a FG. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> LLLLLOYD!! BALL!!!

[Drew]

That's two weeks in a row that the defense leaked worse than a colander to start, but then stepped up and made HUGE plays as the game continued.

I'd prefer that they be strong all game long, but will accept this brand over any defense we've seen the last few years.

[*JD*]

Yes, it's baby steps for the defense. On O- hopefully, Borges will adapt more to Denard's game as that seems to be the easier route now than the other way around.

[Malto Marko]

The D played much better than I expected but they did have their off moments.

Robinson won that game.

He is a smart guy with quick responses and is damn fast!

Receivers did a great job with YAC.

This team played with pride and left it all on the field, win or lose.

Michigan Football is back!

[mjsmithz]

"The question is whether or not this team is actually any different than the Rich Rodriguez editions which started fast and then fell apart during Big Ten play."

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/tag/_/name/irish-wolverines-091011

i say nope not this year. everyone seems to be pretty excited about last nights win. and it was exciting to watch but needing nothing short of a miraculous ND meltdown in the 4th to win against a a ND team that i doubt will end the season over .500 does not bode well for once we start playing real talent

then again i am probably overcompensating for my optimism for the lions by becoming more pessimistic with the maize and blue

[*JD*]

It's still going to take some time. I wouldn't say "We're back" yet. I expect our record will be similar to last year's (although we don't play any D2 schools, or whatever they are called these days, this year) with 7 or 8 wins and some losses where we get run over by bigger and more talented teams.

Still, there are some building blocks and probably a better coaching staff. The coaches sure show the right attitude and they "get it" more than the previous staff.

We still have a lot of RR's small and quick guys and that hasn't proved to be effective once Michigan gets into conference play. Those guys will probably get better coaching but they aren't likely to get any taller.

What is good is Coach Hoke & Co. look like they are putting together a top 5 class with a BIG focus on D, something that RR didn't really pay much attention to. Since that's the case, some of those guys may start as true Freshman so next year we might be looking at another 2010 experience on that side of the ball. Hopefully, it won't be that ugly.

I think that we will once again be headed in the right direction but I'm not going to get too pumped until we beat some of the teams that Michigan was always supposed to beat before the Bad Fit came to town.

[gjdodger]

In many ways, they look an awful lot like the RichRod editions. Still can't stop a methodical offense at times; no running game except for DR, who can't throw downfield with precision. We don't even know if they can kick a field goal; haven't tried yet. And kick returns still get to the 40 and 50. I figured the defense would be a lot better if only because one of Rich's many excuses last year was all the freshmen he was starting on D, and now they're older and wiser. But I disagree that Notre Dame sucks; that was one of the most potent offenses you'll see this year, and they beat themselves with those two deep fumbles. And the defense did step up for big stops several times in both this game and Western. They're like last year's Lions; they'll be frustrating and will leave us hopeful for 2012.

[chemiclord]

Yes, Herbstreit was already saying DR (will) - run the ball in the middle of the field to get a good spot for a FG. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> LLLLLOYD!! BALL!!!

No, Lloyd Ball would be having the ball on the opponent's five nearing halftime and running straight up the middle three times and taking a field goal, because hey... games are won and lost in the fourth quarter.

Setting up for the field goal in that situation isn't stupid. But neither is taking one shot at winning it.

[nhwbrooklyn]

To be fair nearly every version of Lloyds UofM teams would have crushed that ND team.

[chemiclord]

To be fair nearly every version of Lloyds UofM teams would have crushed that ND team.

Not his last couple, when it was clear the game had passed him by, and recruits weren't lining up to play at Michigan on reputation alone.

[gjdodger]

Who said anything about fair? We're happy because it worked, but I said when they were doing it that I thought it was a bad idea. With eight seconds left you go for the field goal, so if you botch the snap you can quick call a time out and try again. It would have been a 33 year field goal, and I really suspect Hokey Brade doesn't trust his lefty kicker.

[gjdodger]

Not his last couple, when it was clear the game had passed him by, and recruits weren't lining up to play at Michigan on reputation alone.

Yeah, the game had passed him by. That's why he started his second to last season 11-0. Jesus, what a hater.

[nhwbrooklyn]

Because of RR, IMO, most UofM fans would be elated if Hoke eventually put up later year Lloyd records. At least for a long while... eventually everyone wants more.

[Tony G]

Quote:
Originally Posted by CGVT
Screw Notre Dame. I hope they don't win a game all year.

That's my take on ND but I do like Kelly as a coach. It sucks he's working there.

[chemiclord]

Yes, I'm a Carr hater. Because he was nowhere near as great as you want to pretend he was.

2005: 7-5. That team would have struggled to beat this ND squad.
2006: That team played no one except an overrated ND team until the end of the year, where they got beat by OSU then spanked by USC.
2007: Appalachian State. That is all.