Ok, whether Michigan should be here or in Glendale is now irrelevant.

#3 Michigan vs #5 USC

Bottom line: Michigan must win this game to legitimize their season. A 3 point loss to the #1 team is mildly excusable, but they are the favorites in this game and if they choose to feel like they deserved another shot, they have to remain a 1-loss team to back up that claim.

Also, they need to get back in the habit of winning bowl games. After a few in a row, they've dropped the last 3.

So we have over 4 weeks to break down the game. Obviously Michigan will be watching tapes of the Oregon State game and the UCLA game on a daily basis. Yesterday's game showed that pressuring Booty is key. UCLA's DE's were the best tandem in the country. I think Woodley and Biggs would like to prove their worth as well. Meanwhile, I'm sure Branch, Harris, Crable, Burgess and Co. wouldn't mind joining the party.

Key matchups: Harris spying their RB's. These young cats are capable of breaking 50 yards untouched just like Wells and Pittman did. As the QB of the defense, Harris must make sure that doesn't happen.

Hall and the secondary vs Jarrett, Smith, Davis and co. Again, it's the big play. Hopefully Booty has very little time, but he may not need it. They'll spread us out and we have to be able to handle it.

Mike Hart vs Keith Rivers. This guy eats RB's and Hart needs to step on his throat.

How Henne handles himself will be key. No turnovers. No big sacks. Throw the ball away when necessary. Screen passes to keep us out of 3rd and long situations. Effective use of the bootleg to the TE. Be patient. Wait for it, wait for it, wait for it, BAM! Manningham on the big gainer. Let them sag to him and then hit Arrington to the sideline for 15. Hart, Hart, then Breaston on the slant with the YAC. Hart and Minor in the backfield together for an interesting look. Gimmick play. Then the TE. Hart, Hart, Manningham again for 35 yards.

Think back to the first drive against Ohio State. It was effortless. They didn't have 3rd downs. They simply marched right down the field.

If they can convert better than half of their 3rd downs and finish +2 on the turnovers, they can dominate the game. But if they show up with stars in their eyes and don't play aggressive, it could be a long, unhappy day.

This is NOT trash talk. I have repeatedly given Michigan props for bouncing back this season and getting themselves in the national spotlight again.

However, it is crazy to me that with all the hype this team brought throughout the season, they are going to finish without a Championship. They looked scary good at times and I know every Michigan fan I knew was tasting a National Title. I think Moodini wore Michigan clothing for 47 1/2 straight days that we hung out together.

The Rose Bowl is great and all. But when you've got a team as good as there team was, you've gotta get a conference Championship or National Championship out of it. I'm not faulting them, just saying it is unfortunate. Great season, but man...Michigan fans will forever be dreaming of what could have been had they beaten OSU. It would have been much more significant given the circumstances than the split in 97.

Oh well, at least I don't have to poop on my living room floor and eat it in front of Moodini and Jethro. hahahaha

Hype to me means fake or exagerated interest in a game. So if you mean hyped like fake good or something, then you don't know football. If not, my bad.

As far as what you said...."when you have a team this good, you should get a conference champ, etc, etc etc out of it" No shit, why do you think we are trying to play the supposed #1 team in the country on a neutral field?

This is NOT trash talk. I have repeatedly given Michigan props for bouncing back this season and getting themselves in the national spotlight again.

However, it is crazy to me that with all the hype this team brought throughout the season, they are going to finish without a Championship. They looked scary good at times and I know every Michigan fan I knew was tasting a National Title. I think Moodini wore Michigan clothing for 47 1/2 straight days that we hung out together.

The Rose Bowl is great and all. But when you've got a team as good as there team was, you've gotta get a conference Championship or National Championship out of it. I'm not faulting them, just saying it is unfortunate. Great season, but man...Michigan fans will forever be dreaming of what could have been had they beaten OSU. It would have been much more significant given the circumstances than the split in 97.

Oh well, at least I don't have to poop on my living room floor and eat it in front of Moodini and Jethro. hahahaha

I'm really not in the mood for this type of shit. Fuck the Rose Bowl and USC's homefield advantage. [smilie=faeuste_bal:

Forever dreaming? Are you listening to bad 80's music again?

Stop saying stuff that just makes you look stupid...it worked for me...see how much less I write on this forum :)

Anyways, this is a good game for recruiting especially in California for next season.

Hype to me means fake or exagerated interest in a game. So if you mean hyped like fake good or something, then you don't know football. If not, my bad.

As far as what you said...."when you have a team this good, you should get a conference champ, etc, etc etc out of it" No shit, why do you think we are trying to play the supposed #1 team in the country on a neutral field?

No dude, hype as in "everybody excited, team looking great, tons of optimism, etc."

We made the Final Four. That's worth a trophy in your world, just look at your sig.

No, aside from that I'm pissed. And yet, the #14 team in the country missed it by a field goal and could still get an AP championship if the cards fall right. Not nearly good enough for me, but it would be a nice consolation prize. I hope we don't lose 10 guys to the draft so we can follow it up with a strong performance next year and a chance for these juniors to bring the NC home.

We made the Final Four. That's worth a trophy in your world, just look at your sig.

No, aside from that I'm pissed. And yet, the #14 team in the country missed it by a field goal and could still get an AP championship if the cards fall right. Not nearly good enough for me, but it would be a nice consolation prize. I hope we don't lose 10 guys to the draft so we can follow it up with a strong performance next year and a chance for these juniors to bring the NC home.

Those are Big Ten Championship trophies genius. There isn't a Final Four in football, let's not even get into that again. If Michigan finishes the season ranked in the top 4, I'll give them props like I already have.

I'm not sure I heard the same hype as you did Tre. At the beginning of the season, I don't know many experts that predicted a 11-1 season. maybe 9-3 or possibly 10-2. Penn State and Notre Dame were expected higher than Michigan. Yes, they have a ton of talent, but so does every other top 10 team. Every one of them is dissapointed they aren't in the title game. Texas, LSU, USC the list goes on and on. Even Georgia thought they had a shot. I'm not really dissapointed with our season at all. I'm bummed we couldn't close the deal in OSU, but that's a tough place to play. I'll take 12-1 and a #2 finish, even though it could have been more.

First initial feeling was that Michigan is going to shit the bed, play like hell and lose a close one.

I will update if that changes.

I agree, I wouldn't be surprised if we got smoked.

It's going to be almost impossible for Lloyd to get them up for this.

Well...

This is the game that I honestly wanted to see. However I wanted a 1 loss USC team not a 2 loss USC team there lol

Michigan needs to win it to end their season on a good note. They also need it to end the losing streak in bowl games. It is big for a variety of reasons, they better forget about Arizona and focus on proving they are one of the best 2-3 teams in the country.

I agree, I wouldn't be surprised if we got smoked.

It's going to be almost impossible for Lloyd to get them up for this.

I disagree. Lloyd has to tell them they still have a shot at splitting the polls. They can't win the BCS, but they can still sway the voters with a convincing win over USC (if Florida wins an ugly game). There is still something to play for. Not to mention they've lost 3 straight bowl games. They need to send the seniors out on a win.

How come it's Michigan that is going to have trouble getting stoked for this game? USC is the one who REALLY blew it! They lost to a FIVE time loser, a team they had beaten 7 years in a row, and they lost KNOWING that if they won, they were going to Glendale.
Hell, they lost with those CHEELEADERS on their sideline.
I think USC is going to have trouble getting stoked more than UM. If Lloyd had his head on straight (and I'm not saying he doesn't), then he HAD to be preparing his troops to play in Pasadena, with a chance to show the world just how good they are. It was an outside shot at best.

I agree. Michigan is the one that got jobbed (some won't feel that way, but they will) and has a chip on their shoulder. USC choaked and blew their own chance. They were in control of their destiny and lost.

The Rose Bowl was their fallback, while Michigan should be pissed they were put there and be detirmined to show they should be playing OSU.

I'm going to predict a Michigan win here.

Michigan 137
USC 13

Daviticus:
I did the math on your score, and it comes out to UM scoring 19 TD's, getting afiled goal, with one point left over.
Are you saying that Lloyd will be so mad at being snubbed that he'll go for TWO POINTS on that 19th TD just to make a statement?
I like that. That would show some real fire.

^yes, two points, that has to be it, there is no rouge in college football



(but dammit, there should be)

I've been saying the same thing for years.
I want rouge in college football. Have you seen the acne on some of these kids? A little rouge could cover some of that up.
I mean, they play in shiny spandex pants, why not go with something more fashionable, rather than the old "eyeblack" under their eyes or the band aid across their nose.
Also, it would do wonders for the bags under the eyes of head coaches. These guys look like they haven't slept since the Truman Presidency sometimes.

Lloyd goes for 2 on the last TD to pull a Florida so we can get more notice in the BCS for big wins. Thus getting a share of the national championship.

No surprise here, Rose Bowl with UofM ranks ahead of the other game with OSU and whomever...no one really cares about that game, they'll be watching UofM.

http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/6245362

No surprise here, Rose Bowl with UofM ranks ahead of the other game with OSU and whomever...no one really cares about that game, they'll be watching UofM.

http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/6245362

"The BCS Championship game is bigger, but this is the one you really want to watch. It's a matchup of the 2007 preseason No. 1 vs. preseason No. 2."

Awesome to see they're ranking the Rose Bowl ahead of the National Championship game. It's also great to hear about Meeechigan being ranked in the top 2 to start next year. I was thinking the same thing. I'm starting to get out of my pissed off rage state ([smilie=faeuste_bal:) and I'm getting hyped about the Rose Bowl and our chances for next year ([smilie=coolio.gif]).

Yeah, the NC game is way less important than the Rose Bowl. I'd much rather watch two teams that had their chance to win it all and couldn't do it. LOL

I'm glad you're on board for the Rose Bowl, Tre, but why is it so funny? This is serious football, man.

Nevermind.

Ok, whoever made the comment about Michigan and USC being the preseason 1 and 2 next year is off their rocker. Could it happen? Maybe. Will it? Doubt it. Both teams are losing strong seniors. Both could easily lose a ton of talent in juniors and 3rd year sophomores. Until we know who is and is not declaring for the draft, any talk of who will be 1 and 2 is assenine.

Ok, whoever made the comment about Michigan and USC being the preseason 1 and 2 next year is off their rocker. Could it happen? Maybe. Will it? Doubt it. Both teams are losing strong seniors. Both could easily lose a ton of talent in juniors and 3rd year sophomores. Until we know who is and is not declaring for the draft, any talk of who will be 1 and 2 is assenine.

I thought the same exact thing but didn't want to sound like a hater. I was just going to let it play out and everyone would eventually see that it wasn't going to happen. UM is going to lose a TON.

If Henne, Hart, Long and company stay Michigan should be up there. If not, they could be back in the 10-15 range. I'm not sure who all is leaving USC (I know they are losing their WR's probably). It's too early for this talk anyway.

I thought the same exact thing but didn't want to sound like a hater. I was just going to let it play out and everyone would eventually see that it wasn't going to happen. UM is going to lose a TON.


I would think the same thing, but as OSU proved this year, defenses are easily to reload than offenses. OSU lost basically their entire defense, and just reloaded. Their offense stayed the same, just losing Holmes.

I think Michigan will be similar (not equal) next year. Like Chris said, if they keep Henne, Hart and Long, they're good. They'll still have Manningham and Arrington. And offensive line is one of Lloyd's fortes - they're almost always top 10 talent.

FYI-
I saw some footage from UM's football bust on Michigan Replay last weekend and I think I heard Lloyd say that Henne has told him he's coming back for sure.

I heard that too. Supposedly Hart is too. Long is staying I think, even though he could be a middle first rounder. I've heard Branch is probably leaving.

I heard that too. Supposedly Hart is too. Long is staying I think, even though he could be a middle first rounder. I've heard Branch is probably leaving.

I've heard Long is looking hard at leaving. Branch is supposed to leave.

I think Hart is currently thinking that he'll stay, but with his injury problems in the past he will probably get a pretty convincing argument to leave. I'd guess he's staying, but not out of the question that he'll leave.

I thought the same exact thing but didn't want to sound like a hater. I was just going to let it play out and everyone would eventually see that it wasn't going to happen. UM is going to lose a TON.

Peeps can't even decide who is number 2, 3, 4 after an entire season, but you KNOW UofM won't be preseason #1 or #2 NEXT year?

Pretty amazing. Ya sure that isn't some hatin?

Peeps can't even decide who is number 2, 3, 4 after an entire season, but you KNOW UofM won't be preseason #1 or #2 NEXT year?

Pretty amazing. Ya sure that isn't some hatin?

Your Wolverine buddy Jethro said it first. Why aren't you questioning him? I'm just agreeing. Their staple is their defense and their defense is losing a ton. Offense should be very good, but you win championships with defense.

Your Wolverine buddy Jethro said it first. Why aren't you questioning him? I'm just agreeing. Their staple is their defense and their defense is losing a ton. Offense should be very good, but you win championships with defense.

Oh waaaaaah! Or however you spell it.

Ya ever hear the saying..."I can say my wifes fat, you can't"

Oh waaaaaah! Or however you spell it.

Ya ever hear the saying..."I can say my wifes fat, you can't"

I'll say whatever the hell I want. UM will not be great next year. Good, not great.

That's what I say about Izzo's dermatologist:
Good, not great.
Say, if Michigan loses "a ton" of players off the defense that gave up 1700 yards and 87 points to Ohio State, and featured defensive backs running around in circles all year, is that REALLY going to hurt?

I'll say whatever the hell I want.


Dude, I didn't say shut up, I answered your question why I quoted you. I hope you'll say whatever the hell you want.

Dude, I didn't say shut up, I answered your question why I quoted you. I hope you'll say whatever the hell you want.

I don't.

Sincerely,
[smilie=blaha.gif]

That's what I say about Izzo's dermatologist:
Good, not great.
Say, if Michigan loses "a ton" of players off the defense that gave up 1700 yards and 87 points to Ohio State, and featured defensive backs running around in circles all year, is that REALLY going to hurt?

So what's the word on this Zip guy? I'm guessing he's not a Spartan. But, he is now ripping UM's defense. Is somebody realling ripping their D? It's like Top 3 in the country. Zip-WTF?

Has anyone seen a line on this game yet?

Has anyone seen a line on this game yet?


It was even as of noon today.

Thx Hermy

Even? I want points for my alpacas. I mean we gotta play the mighty Condoms... in their city too.

Dr Tre:
Michigan's defense was highly ranked, that cannot be doubted.
However, many passing yards were given up, and many third down conversions were given up. Some of us chose to look at the weak schedule as well, and conclude that maybe this defense wasn't as great as it was claimed to be.
Ron English was annointed as a genius this year, but he had a few things going for him coming into this season:
The Wolverine defenders were a year older and better
They had committed to conditioning during the past year
They were healthy, and stayed that way
A very weak schedule
Alas, the defense was exposed by Jim Tressel and his Buckeyes. And, not just in the passing game (an area of concern for a few of us non Blue Aide drinkers), but as we all know, busting off two big running plays as well. Tressel hit UM where we all thought they were strongest.
42 points and 500 yards later, and who gives a fuck about some "#3 rated defense"?
Stats for geeks to crow about on chat boards, but losing to your arch rival for the third year in a row takes those stats and renders them meaningless.
Oh, by the way, unlike Sparties, where everything is great all the time and it is heresy to criticize anything green, most of us UM fans are pretty objective and have no problem crititcizing our teams.

If U of M had missed 2-3 less tackles in that game then OSU wouldn't have had those big runs. Sure, OSU still would have won IMO, but I don't think the run defense was exposed at all. They just missed a couple tackles (and I'm not blaming it on the turf because OSU didn't get to practice on it either) that lead to big runs. I'm not worried about run defense at all. I just worry about the safeties biting on play action (those led to big plays too).

Chris:
Well, that's the thing. Tressel found different ways to attack and beat UM. I mean, we all know that game could have gone the other way. Even at the end, UM was attempting an onside kick with over two minutes to play. Does anyone think that at that point, if they would have gotten it, that OSU would have stopped UM's offense from getting what they needed? I don't.
But, they didn't, and the record against Tressel stands at 1-5.

I haven't watched USC a lot this year, but the guys that killed U of M were the 3rd and 4th WR's. Michigans nickle CB's were bad, and their safeties were bad after berringer got hurt. Troy Smith bought time with his athletism to find the 3rd and 4th options on many plays. Hopefully Booty will not have the same time to do that.

Dr Tre:
Michigan's defense was highly ranked, that cannot be doubted.
However, many passing yards were given up, and many third down conversions were given up. Some of us chose to look at the weak schedule as well, and conclude that maybe this defense wasn't as great as it was claimed to be.
Ron English was annointed as a genius this year, but he had a few things going for him coming into this season:
The Wolverine defenders were a year older and better
They had committed to conditioning during the past year
They were healthy, and stayed that way
A very weak schedule
Alas, the defense was exposed by Jim Tressel and his Buckeyes. And, not just in the passing game (an area of concern for a few of us non Blue Aide drinkers), but as we all know, busting off two big running plays as well. Tressel hit UM where we all thought they were strongest.
42 points and 500 yards later, and who gives a fuck about some "#3 rated defense"?
Stats for geeks to crow about on chat boards, but losing to your arch rival for the third year in a row takes those stats and renders them meaningless.
Oh, by the way, unlike Sparties, where everything is great all the time and it is heresy to criticize anything green, most of us UM fans are pretty objective and have no problem crititcizing our teams.

Zip don't post if you don't know what you are talking about. I am EXTREMELY objective when it comes to MSU and if you bother to look up past posts, you'll see that. Check out my "DrTre visits the Spartans II" thread. You'll see that I predict an aweful season and I pick apart what is wrong with several players. If you look back on post throughout the football season, you'll see that I rip them for problem areas all year long. So don't post a bunch of garbage if you don't know what you are talking about.

In regards to the weak schedule, I've thought the same thing myself. Didn't bother posting it because all that would result is a bunch of pissed Wolverine fans getting defensive.

Dr Tre:
Listen, I have banged heads with Sparties longer than you've been alive. If you are truly that objuective, then you are the exception. But, from what I;ve been able to ascertain during my short time on this forum, I disagree with your stance.
But you know what? Who cares? That's your team, your school, and you love it, so Sparty on. I'm just here to muddy the waters and give the Sparties some trouble, especially because I know how much they hate UM, and that their hatred of all things blue motivates them as much as their love for MSU.

By the way, Dr Tre, if you think UM's schedule is weak, why don't you say so? Who cares if you are "accused of being a hater"? Hate on, man, sometimes it feels good just to admit it.

I am EXTREMELY objective when it comes to MSU


Sorry to interrupt but do you really believe that?


Ok, carry on you two.

In regards to their defense, compare the yards they gave up to teams against the yardage those teams averaged in all their other games. That's all you need to know.

Jethro:
Well, there you have hat may be an unvalid argument, because Minnesota could have actually gained MORE yards against Michigan (especially during that old "garbage" time), than another team. Many facotrs could go into this: maybe they had an injured player for the UM game, or maybe they played another team that turned the ball over to them and gave them a real short field to score from.
That's a hypothetical of course. And believe me, I'm NOT saying uM didn't have a good defense this year, the numbers prove they did.
But it's the old UM bugaboo (or any team for that matter)--when they come up against teams that are talented and well coached, they don't look so hot.
The "X" factor in all of this is that OSU has Troy Smith and four very talented receivers, plus two very good running backs. Not too many people stopped them this year.
But, you are only as good as the BEST teams you play. That is the true measuring stick.
I can see UM having a very good defensive day against USC. SOmeone pointed out that they have less talent and depth than OSU, and I agree. They also don't have Troy Smith and Jim Tressel.

Ok, your argument is quite simply incorrect. Minnesota gained 323 against Michigan. Cupito alone had more than that in the Indiana game, when Minnesota went for well over 500. Cupito also surpassed that against Penn State, when Minnesota had 415 yards of total offense. In fact, Minnesota was averaging over 422 yards per game heading into the Michigan game, so we held them 100 yards under their average.

So remind me, what was your point?

My point in using Minnesota, as stated in my post, was a "Hypothetical" example. I used it to say that a team COULD gain more yards against another, like, say, oh, I don;t know...MICHIGAN, and lose, yet gain less yards against another team they played, like the Indiana Hoosiers and win.
I don't believe that it is necessarily a valid argument to compare how many yards a team got against Michigan to how many yards they got against another team to make a statement about Michigan's defense.
Taken as a whole, Michigan's defense was very good this year. However, it had some weaknesses, which Tressel exposed masterfully.
That's why he is "The Tressel".

I'm sorry, I'm still just not buying your argument. I'm not comparing one game vs Michigan to one game vs another school. I'm comparing one game vs Michigan to the averages in every other game. 11 games certainly will average out to give a fair representation of your offensive ability. If you are dramatically below that against every team, you can't simply imagine the planets aligned and everyone was injured during Michigan week. Your hypothetical statements has holes all over it. There's too much real evidence used here for a hypothetical to carry much weight.
And everyone knows about Ohio State finding the weaknesses. That was shocking, in particlular the two untouched 50 yard sprints up the middle. I'm still scratching my head on that.

I missed the point in your argument about using averages. That changes the parameters altogether.
I'll concede that you have a point in taking what they did against UM and using their average for the other 11 games.
Like I said, you can't doubt the D was very good this year.
Now, on to the next argument:
I think Leon Hall is an over rated DB. I know he made All American, and everybody raves about him. In fact, it was rumored that Mel Kuiper argued so vehemently about Leon Hall one time that he got 4 hairs out of place in the process.
But, I'm not buying Hall. I say he goes no where as a pro.

Jethro:
ignore that Leon Hall post. I was in abad mood this morning. That was just dumb. I think I meant the other guy, Morgan Trent.

But, the part about Mel Kuiper's hair was funny.
Not vintage funny, though, because jokes about Mel Kuiper's hair are old. In fact, jokes about Mel Kuiper's hair were found on the Rosetta Stone.

Morgan Trent simply has speed. He was a WR that's still young and learning the position. Hall is good, very good, but probably not as good as advertised. I like to compare him to Marlin Jackson in that sense. Everyone raved about him his senior year and while it was good, it wasn't overwhelming.

Like I told DrTre last night, just an early prognostication, but I think USC has the advantage in this one. It's basically a home game for a team loaded with 5 star recruits. I think USC's O-line will slow down Michigan's pass rush and USC's stud WR's will dominate Michigan's only defensive weakness, DB depth.

I'll be back with an official prediction before the game, but this is what's going through my head right now.

Moodini:
It's becomeing very chic to predict USC in this game. I don't have my prediction yet, but I would ask that if that O-line will be the same one that couldn't keep UCLA at bay, how can they slow Michigan down? If we look at the OSU game, we see real quick drops, and Smith being able to get the ball off in a hurry.
Funny how Dbacks are the UM defensive weakness. Isn't that English's specialty?

Moodini:
It's becomeing very chic to predict USC in this game. I don't have my prediction yet, but I would ask that if that O-line will be the same one that couldn't keep UCLA at bay, how can they slow Michigan down? If we look at the OSU game, we see real quick drops, and Smith being able to get the ball off in a hurry.
Funny how Dbacks are the UM defensive weakness. Isn't that English's specialty?

I see your points Zip. But I think UCLA was super hyped for a rivalry game at home and USC overlooked them. I think it'll be tough for U-M to take down USC at home (basically) and USC will want to prove the UCLA loss was a huge fluke. I'm not officially picking USC, but I like their chances right now.

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/9560/2004gameaerial2l1rn5.jpg

Well, I go back to a point I made earlier.
If USC beats UCLA, they go to THE game. No ifs ands or butts. Even if they win 7-3.
They KNEW UM had lost, and that the ball was in their court. UM can still prove something by whipping them, but conversely, they have absolutely nothing to prove.
The "home game" stuff is BS. I've lived in California. On New Years Day, when it's sunny and 75, and there is a Rose Bowl between two traditional powers, California is asking, "You mean it is STILL football season?"
It isn't a home game like in the traditional sense. Half the people there are blue hairs from Michigan, and the other half are people that live in Minnesota or Missouri, and they are there for vacation.
A REAL Californian is at the beach getting his surf board ready for the REAL season.

I'm just saying that the Cali boys will be at home at their cribs with friends and family and everything will be very familiar. The Michigan boys will be staying in hotels and sightseeing. We'll see how it plays out.

And I hear what you are saying, Moodini, or rather, I read it and understand it.
These bowl games are certainly quirky, and hard to call.
And we all know Lloyd hasn't been tearing up the bowl scene over the last few years.

FYI-
I saw some footage from UM's football bust on Michigan Replay last weekend and I think I heard Lloyd say that Henne has told him he's coming back for sure.
The Orlando Predators will be crushed when they hear this!![smilie=reporter.gi:

Like I told DrTre last night, just an early prognostication, but I think USC has the advantage in this one. It's basically a home game for a team loaded with 5 star recruits. I think USC's O-line will slow down Michigan's pass rush and USC's stud WR's will dominate Michigan's only defensive weakness, DB depth.

I'll be back with an official prediction before the game, but this is what's going through my head right now.

I'm going to say the same thing I told Moodini. All I hear from Moodini is how Michigan is CLEARLY the #2 team in the country, they are CLEARLY better than USC, and what does he do? He predicts USC will win.

Don't give me this home game excuse. If Michigan is clearly the 2nd best team in the country, then they'll beat the #8 team in the country soundly. Remember? You guys all ripped the hell out of me when I thought USC was #2. Now the some of the UM faithful are picking USC to beat their own team! Why should I be surprised? UM Hypocrites.

UM gets half the seats, USC gets half the seats available. USC's fans aren't loud anyways. Ooooh no...Michigan players will have to stay in a hotel! If that makes you lose a football game, you are a SOFT football team and didn't deserve a title shot to begin with. They are southern california people, give me a break. I get so fed up with these Michigan fans that say one thing one week and the opposite the next.

I'll go on record as saying Michigan will beat Southern Cal with ease. USC's Offensive Line will not slow down LaMarr, Branch, the Freak and TT. I think the MVP of the game will be Mario Manningham. I look for MM to have a HUGE game against the secondary of USC and catipult himself into the #1 jersey in '07. I think USC is a very good team and they obviously scare me, but Michigan is a team on a mission and I think we will keep the USC offense off the field by giving Mike Hart enough carries to wear down USC's speedy defense.

Filly Prediction -- John David Booty gets Morellied by LaMarr & Co. and the Wolverines cruise to a 38 - 20 victory and with tO$U and Wisconsin winning the Big Ten will finish 1,2 and 3 in the final polls IMO!!!

I'll go on record as saying Michigan will beat Southern Cal with ease. USC's Offensive Line will not slow down LaMarr, Branch, the Freak and TT. I think the MVP of the game will be Mario Manningham. I look for MM to have a HUGE game against the secondary of USC and catipult himself into the #1 jersey in '07. I think USC is a very good team and they obviously scare me, but Michigan is a team on a mission and I think we will keep the USC offense off the field by giving Mike Hart enough carries to wear down USC's speedy defense.

Filly Prediction -- John David Booty gets Morellied by LaMarr & Co. and the Wolverines cruise to a 38 - 20 victory and with tO$U and Wisconsin winning the Big Ten will finish 1,2 and 3 in the final polls IMO!!!

I thought the same thing vs. the Bucks Filly.

And Tre, I didn't officially pick USC yet, I said as of right now, I like their chances. And on a (fair) neutral field, I think Michigan is the second best team in the country, maybe even #1. Stick around for the official pick.

I think Michigan wins by 10 in a hard fought game. USC has a lot of talent too.

I'm just ready for the game to get here. I haven't been intrigued enough by any of the games so far to actually schedule sitting down and watching them. But New Year's, oh New Year's. Sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. Vernor's and reubens. Watching Michigan football. I love family traditions.

Only Bowl game I've watched is the Motor City Bowl (which I went to). I'm interested in a lot of the bigger ones, but haven't been interested in any so far. I probably would have watched part of last nights if the Pistons and Wings were not on.

I think Michigan is the better team, but wouldn't be surprised if they laid an egg.

They've got to still be devastated that they are stuck playing in the JV game and Florida is playing for the whole enchilada.

All I can say is that A2 better beat these guys by 30 after UCLA shit the bed last night. USC beats them, and I think they will, peeps everywhere are going to be screeching fraud and saying that Florida State is better than the Blue/Yellow. What a riot!!!

I kid!! I kid!! That's why these fucking Bowl Games are so hard to handicap. That bunch that laid down against the Seminoles last night wasn't the same team that stunned USC. That was a bus load of teen age sailors from Westwood on shore leave in San Francisco.....Only real sailors would have played better.

And on a (fair) neutral field, I think Michigan is the second best team in the country, maybe even #1. Stick around for the official pick.

(fair)=couldn't be more UofM crying could it?

Maybe #1? LOL

For those UM fans that want to whine about playing OSU on the road and then playing USC in Cali, I've got this to say:
Championship teams WIN. They don't just win at home. They win on the road. If you can't win on the road in a hostile enviroment, then your team just isn't that special. Anyone that disagrees with that is just eating cornbread.

That's bad news for the Georgia Force. Oh well the extra year ought to really help him rip up the Arena League the following year.

Who is this moron with his Arena League references? That's two now, and it seems a bit fanatical. Dude, if all you do is try to tie Wolverines to different Arena teams, you need some new hobbies.

Who is this moron with his Arena League references? That's two now, and it seems a bit fanatical. Dude, if all you do is try to tie Wolverines to different Arena teams, you need some new hobbies.

Glad to see your paying attention. Think Henne can help the Predators. I know Hart will make a difference with the Force.

Who is this moron with his Arena League references? That's two now, and it seems a bit fanatical. Dude, if all you do is try to tie Wolverines to different Arena teams, you need some new hobbies.

Hart can play in the Arena. What's wrong with you?

(fair)=couldn't be more UofM crying could it?

Maybe #1? LOL

No crying, I'm just saying that if Michigan played anybody on a true neutral field like Glendale, AZ and not 20 minutes from campus, I'd take the 2006 Michigan Wolverines over anyone.

No crying, I'm just saying that if Michigan played anybody on a true neutral field like Glendale, AZ and not 20 minutes from campus, I'd take the 2006 Michigan Wolverines over anyone.

You'd take them over Ohio State huh? Nothing like blind fan loyalty. I'm sure you'll refer to the "3 point game" too haha. Can I bold quotation marks?

Fillycheese:
I couldn't agree more. I also see UM winning going away.
Dr Tre:
Right on. Great teams win these games, road or home.

If Wisconsin wins, i think they should just go ahead and move michigan into the national championship game. Another year of SEC self promition getting exposed. Every time I watch SEC games, the offenses just look totally inept and just rely on big plays where their fast players outrun the other team. Sure they have fast players, but possibly the worst collection of quarterbacks of any conference. As far as execution, they are just awful. That SEC championship game was a joke with all the mistakes.

Anyways, I think the rose bowl will be a defensive struggle as lloyd goes back to his old ways with some predictable offense. That said, i like u-m's defense more than usc's so i'll take the maize and blue by a touchdown.

Go UM :) Should be a tough game but I hope and think they will get the win.

Totally agree xanadu. SEC hype is rampant every year, but so far in bowl games its 2-0 Big 10 with only OSU UF left. Pretty sure it will be 3-0.

Eight minutes to go in the third quarter of the Rose Bowl, and Ron English doesn't have an explanation for why his secondary keeps getting burned.
Incredible.
Meanwhile, Pete Carroll is making this look easy.

Maybe English could teach his secondary to turn around occassionally and look for the ball?

all year teams were looking at ways to exploit this sub par secondary. That Ball State game may not have been a loss, but it gave the whole nation a blueprint to our destruction and their exploitation. We arent winning next year if we dont improve our secondary personnel.

I can't believe michigan doesn't have anyone better than morgan trent. USC throws to trent's guy every fucking time. he's useless and michigan might as well play with 10 defenders.

Also why is henne incapable of making any quick throws. He just sits back like a statue, no roll-outs. it is too easy for usc. It looks like he'll need more than a year to get ready for the nfl.

Oh and Tre can I call myself baffled as to how a guy whose team was in the lower bottom half of the nation (and the teams in the state at that), could talk smack. Can we ban non bowl team fans from this thread? [smilie=llama_banan: :)

Carr didn't have his team prepared to play today. Michigan has no clue what to do on offense and on defense.

Also why is henne incapable of making any quick throws. He just sits back like a statue, no roll-outs. it is too easy for usc. It looks like he'll need more than a year to get ready for the nfl.
incapable is the wrong term. Its not an option. They have them covered and the Defensive linemen are getting in the passing lanes. The coach gotta call some roll outs.

TD Michigan!

Going for 2.

Way to add the TE dynamic adjustment a Quarter late. Very bad sign for Carr if they dont win.

incapable is the wrong term. Its not an option. They have them covered and the Defensive linemen are getting in the passing lanes. The coach gotta call some roll outs.

It's not an option because of the playcalling IMO.

They should've gone four-wide with Hart in the backfield to keep the USC defense honest. I know UM is a run-first team but they have to mix it up on offense a little more (like they are doing now).

USC may pass themselves to their graves putting the game in booty's hands with this lead.

Let me say that David Harrison reminds me of Kirk Morrison. A str8 up football player who combine stats can't measure properly.

the exact OSU blueprint. Stealing it play by play with terrific results.

bail out extra point miss. USC just opened up the the coffin mildly. Though could nail it back down with a stop on the next drive

Henne's arm is ferocious for the record.

28 passes and 4 runs for USC in the 2nd half.

Must......get.........new...........head coach.

Wolverines = exposed.

USC has game planned so well, finding every single weakness. UM is way outmatched. USC is proving that Michigan did not belong in the National Championship. So here I am admitting I was wrong about this team.

A long off-season starts now, and in my opinion there might be more pressure now that there was a year ago at this time.

Jethro They did well planning but honestly its not much to put together. watch the OSU game then watch the Ball State game. Steal everything that worked and call it a day.

if i were at the game i'd be starting the 'overrated' chants*.

henne today, with his 15 step drop backs, reminds me of me playing madden poorly.

not enirely unexpected, it was a bad matchup for us. however, as good of a year as we had, lloyd still went 1 for 4 on the checklist (nd, osu, win big ten, win bowl). i think he deserves to coach henne and hart for the senior year, but after that? all bets are off!

* no i wouldnt.

I wonder if this game will make guys like Long and Hart re-think their decision to return to school for their senior year. Especially if there are changes in the coaching staff, which at this point seems likely.

Why do people insist on calling this a "great year", or even a "good year"?
All Lloyd did was beat the teams he was supposed to, and did bupkus against the teams that you wondered about.
It's ALWAYS Michigan that loses these games.
It's ALWAYS Michigan that gets shown up in California.
It's ALWAYS Michigan that gets to look forward to next season.
Lloyd is as fine a coach as Bo was. As in, beat the shit of the Big 10, and on the big stage, take a shit.
This team is #2 in the country, my ass. All season long you watch them fart off, winning games like 17-10 against Penn State, or 17-3 against Northwestern. They never take the wraps off their athletes, and when they need something extra, it isn't there.
Great athletes, great talent, and one of the worst coaching staffs you'll ever see for a "Big Name" school.
I wonder how much gas a guy gets from winning a half national championship 10 years ago.

BCS looks mighty good right about now, especially if Florida hangs with OSU.

Sorry Blue-Ade drinkers but are we ready to admit there is a pattern forming here? Soon you'll all be writing checks about how you'll run the table next year and the NC is inevitable. Those of us who can remember the last 4 digits of our social security number will realize, "gee, didn't I see this LAST year?" Of course we did, and the year before that and the year before that.

Start scheduling shit with a pulse. Oregon coming in next year along with ND is a start. Enough of the MAC cheese, whooping up on the little 9, taking gas vs, OSU and the bowl beatdown then REPEAT!! Overrated and Regional power comes to mind. Of course that's a pattern I've developed based on your performance for years now.

All bullshit aside, you had a really nice year BUT national presensce? Get real. It all shakes out after bowl day, no?

I was completely wrong in my game assessment. USC handed us our asses and we got completely outplayed. But, for the record Filly is saying right now that Michigan will be in the National Title Game next year. Mark it down, take a picture, memorize it.............put the "G" on it............Michigan to the National Title game LOCK!!!

Oh and Tre can I call myself baffled as to how a guy whose team was in the lower bottom half of the nation (and the teams in the state at that), could talk smack. Can we ban non bowl team fans from this thread? [smilie=llama_banan: :)

Looks like DrTre knows a helluva lot more than you and alot of other Michigan fans here. I believe DrTre said that UM didn't deserve the title game, DrTre said that USC's defense was better than Michigan's, DrTre said that UM was NOT the #2 team in the nation, and DrTre has been making the claim that UM can't win the big one for 3 years. Maybe you ought to ban yourself because a State guy was right about a lot here.

I was completely wrong in my game assessment. USC handed us our asses and we got completely outplayed. But, for the record Filly is saying right now that Michigan will be in the National Title Game next year. Mark it down, take a picture, memorize it.............put the "G" on it............Michigan to the National Title game LOCK!!!

next year...next year...next year....

Looks like DrTre knows a helluva lot more than you and alot of other Michigan fans here.
not really what did you educate me on? You might wanna retract your shit talking somewhat and again I prefer to atleast be in a bowl game, rather than beg for basketball season to get here. On top of that your green tinted glass house should kill all the stones you're looking to throw postgame. Maybe Muhme has burned you so hard you have to vent on the maze and blue. But in the process you seem to become 5 times as obnoxious as he ever is. Just saying is all. Either way dont give yourself so much credit, you didnt tell me nothing special, maybe you and moodini have something to work out. But aim your bs fronting somewhere besides me. :)[smilie=rip.gif]

not really what did you educate me on? You might wanna retract your shit talking somewhat and again I prefer to atleast be in a bowl game, rather than beg for basketball season to get here. On top of that your green tinted glass house should kill all the stones you're looking to throw postgame. Maybe Muhme has burned you so hard you have to vent on the maze and blue. But in the process you seem to become 5 times as obnoxious as he ever is. Just saying is all. Either way dont give yourself so much credit, you didnt tell me nothing special, maybe you and moodini have something to work out. But aim your bs fronting somewhere besides me. :)[smilie=rip.gif]

When did I talk shit in this thread?! Not once did I talk shit. You ripped me and you end up looking stupid now. Because every statement that I made post OSU/UM game turned out to be true. Maybe you ought to crawl in a hole and know when its time to shut up. Reverting to talking crap about lowly MSU football makes you sound like a clown. Your a bitter fan that is pissed off and you want to take it out on me. That's fine, I'll just start posting pre-game DrTre quotes all day long. You have no answer to that.

Looks like DrTre knows a helluva lot more than you and alot of other Michigan fans here. I believe DrTre said that UM didn't deserve the title game, DrTre said that USC's defense was better than Michigan's, DrTre said that UM was NOT the #2 team in the nation, and DrTre has been making the claim that UM can't win the big one for 3 years. Maybe you ought to ban yourself because a State guy was right about a lot here.


gee, a hater who comes in and say 'i told you so' after a loss. thats goddamn original. can we get you on a national broadcast yet? jesus christ we need your insight.

maybe we should did up your insights before the year started about msu?

that reminds me, i predicted msu would suck this year, and they did. so i guess i know alot more than you and a lot of other msu fans here.

booo! booo! i hope people follow you around and boo! you.

gee, a hater who comes in and say 'i told you so' after a loss. thats goddamn original. can we get you on a national broadcast yet? jesus christ we need your insight.

maybe we should did up your insights before the year started about msu?

that reminds me, i predicted msu would suck this year, and they did. so i guess i know alot more than you and a lot of other msu fans here.

booo! booo! i hope people follow you around and boo! you.

Cry all you want. I was ripped here for months with no backing whatsoever and you were one of the people ripping me. So you're damn right I"m going to do some "told you so" posts. You can dish it out but you can't take it. If you don't want told you so posts, than don't talk shit. If I deal with months of bashing from UM fans, you can deal with a couple told you so statements.

I think your fans were booing your team as they walked off the field.

Been out all day... did I miss anything?

Who won the game?

Like I said, I was nervous about this matchup from day one. It was in USC's backyard, I knew all about their freakish athleticism, but the thing that worried me the most was coaching and gameplanning. I knew Carroll would come up with an outstanding scheme. (exposing the secondary with quick passes, negating U-M's pass rush, and blitzing Henne a la Navarre in 2004) I also knew that stubborn ass Carr would not do anything out of the ordinary. (no shotgun, 17 step drops, trying to run it down USC's throat when it was obvious we couldn't)

I said before that I would take U-M over anyone on a neutral field, and I still would if we were talking about players, but Carr is again holding the team back. There is no creativity and the team just flat out was not ready to play. DeBord's vanilla offense is inexcusable and English again couldn't figure out a way to slow down a talented aerial assault.

I'm getting really sick of this shit. Henne, Hart, and Co. are now 0-6 vs. OSU and in bowl games. That's inexcusable and a waste of talent.

Bottome line-Michigan finishes 11-2, no Big Ten title, no bowl win, a lot of excitement for nothing. WASTE OF A SEASON.

Wait, didn't Lloyd win a national championship ten years ago?
He's a LEGEND!
Man, he's made UM a national laughingstock.
Go ask people on the street this question: "What do you think of Michigan football and Lloyd Carr"
I bet half of the people you ask will laugh at you for 15 minutes before they can stammer out the word "Joke".

Oh well, another year, another season wasted because carr can't make any adjustments until it is too late. No quick passes, no adjustments to blitzes, no roll-outs. What the fuck? I ripped sec quarterbacks for playing dumb but henne put on a clinic of bad decisions today. Honestly, if this coaching staff returns, the juniors may as well leave, because lloyd cannot outcoach anyone that has time to prepare for his teams. He got worked by that shitty nebraska coach last season and coached as if his offense had never seen a blitz this year. Just recruiting isn't enough anymore.

I have to laugh at state fans trying to spin their hatred for michigan as some form of brilliant insight. I'll definitely listen to you all when I need expert analysis.

and what about 1/2 time adjustments. i rememer when lloyd was supposedly a magician in halftime. today? 3-3 going in, and before we knew it it was 32-11.

i think its painfully obvious that michigan needs a change, but like i said, i'd bring lloyd back and let him coach his seniors (who i suspect want lloyd back, otherwise, if we have the right guy, can lloyd now. thought the same thing about amaker last year. lets not waste a season.). his biggest strengths seem to be recruiting and running a clean program. which are great strengths, but i suspect we can find a replacement who can match those strengths but also realized that it isnt 1960 anymore.

Lloyd Carr's biggest weakness is the reason I can't stand the guy. He's flat out stubborn and arrogant. He believes that he knows more than everyone else and he will not change for anybody.

He has been outcoached in big games for the past 3 seasons. Tressel and Carroll make him look like a joke.

How do you not go deep 1 single time to Manningham until you are down two touchdowns? They didn't go deep to him once in the first half. I hope that run stopping scheme was more about great athletes on D and not about a defensive scheme and philosophy because if so, zone blocking is seriously in trouble.

Everyone blames the defense for this loss, but I think it's on the offense. The OL was terrible in the first half. Long looked good, but the rest of them were bums. I think Hart had more solid blocks than most of the OL. I hated the playcalling too. First down pass, 2nd down rush...every series. Like Tre said, manningham was not used well at all.

Yes, the defense was bad in the second half, but if the offense had done ANYTHING to spark them all day maybe they would have played with a little more fire. Everyone talks about this being a great team next year (which I agree with), but we better have some good CB's coming in because Trent is terrible and Hall will be gone.

This game was a loss the minute Florida jumped Michigan in the BCS standings.

I don't want to talk about the game yet because I'm still too disgusted and hurt to think about it.

But I will say this about Dwayne Jarrett:
He is one hell of an athlete and an awesome receiver but......
Wow is he a classless prick. Pointing at the defenders as he's trotting into the endzone. Handing the ball to the defender after he's caught a pass. Saying the N word on National TV. And he went into his "Wazzup Mom" speach on the sideline, I'm glad he learned a lot in English class.

I'm glad class is optional at USC.

(Yes I know that all Michigan had to do was stop him and he couldn't talk trash, but Michigan didn't feel like stopping anyone)

I was pissed at Jarret for his antics too. You can be good, just don't be classless.

And Mussburger (sp?) made a comment about it too, something along the lines of "Jarrett is pushing it. Receivers should be like Larry Fitzgerald, not Terrell Owens."

its nice to see that the long tradition of wide reciever / egomaniacal asshole never will stop.

someone should write a paper about why its always wide recievers.

Jarrett isnt that good. He's decently solid, but we made him look magnificent. Shyt we made Josh Booty look like a heisman candidate. Again its hard to judge anybody when our secondary covers nobody.

Jarrett isnt that good. He's decently solid, but we made him look magnificent. Shyt we made Josh Booty look like a heisman candidate. Again its hard to judge anybody when our secondary covers nobody.

It aMAIZEs me how everything comes back to Michigan with you guys. "He's not that good, it was US." Okay, Terrell...everything revolves around you.

Jarrett went for 200 yds against a defense you touted as the best in the nation. Give some freaking props! Did you see the play when he was double covered and went up and took it away?

The guys is an asshole and he shouldn't have taunted, but to think it was all about you and not him is ridiculous. He made Trent and Mr. All American look really bad at times.

Well he made Trent look bad 95 percent of the time. He beat Hall deep, which shouldn't have happened, but if you watch a replay of the game, they threw at whoever Trent was guarding and it was completed A LOT. They threw one time at Hall...but I was very impressed with Jarrett. He should've had a 3rd TD if it wasn't for Barringer and Harris wrecklessly throwing their bodies at him.

Well he made Trent look bad 95 percent of the time. He beat Hall deep, which shouldn't have happened, but if you watch a replay of the game, they threw at whoever Trent was guarding and it was completed A LOT. They threw one time at Hall...but I was very impressed with Jarrett. He should've had a 3rd TD if it wasn't for Barringer and Harris wrecklessly throwing their bodies at him.

Agreed. I knew Trent covered him most of the time. But, nobody torched Trent this year consistenly like Jarrett did. That's why I feel he deserves the credit.

In the Detnews Jarret is quoted as saying Barringer came out whoofing from the start. Pararhrasing he said, "You can't believe some of the things he said." Wait an A4 guy whoofing? Impossible.

I was completely wrong in my game assessment. USC handed us our asses and we got completely outplayed. But, for the record Filly is saying right now that Michigan will be in the National Title Game next year. Mark it down, take a picture, memorize it.............put the "G" on it............Michigan to the National Title game LOCK!!!

Don't you guys EVER get tired of writing bad checks?

That does happen alot and we don't know it. If the Michigan secondary was talking shit to him from the start, I have no problem with him taunting a bit.

HipDigIt, bad checks-hilarious

I love how Tre sucks the dick of any state fan with a clever (borrowed) one-liner.

Oh damn, I didn't mean that and it belongs in the mini-dome. My bad. Can I get an asterisk?

No, but you can move it with MOD POWERS!

I love how Tre sucks the dick of any state fan with a clever (borrowed) one-liner.

Oh damn, I didn't mean that and it belongs in the mini-dome. My bad. Can I get an asterisk?

I've been reminding you gas bags of your pathetic "Bad check writing" since I coined it at least 4 years ago on another "board". The esteemed Mr. Goshboots just may back my story up. Come to think of it I'll take credit for "Gasbags" too. It's sooooooo A4.

Agreed. I knew Trent covered him most of the time. But, nobody torched Trent this year consistenly like Jarrett did. That's why I feel he deserves the credit.
You must not have seen many U of M games. Trent got tourched by OSU too. The only reason he didn't get tourched more is because there aren't any other teams with good WR's to tourch U of M. Everyone else tried to establish the run and failed. If they had attacked Trent, he would have folded then too. I talked to a friend that played high school ball with him. Trent was a WR and a track star. Never a defender, which is why he can't cover and he can't tackle.

Jarrett was good, but not great. He scored once when Trent blew a tackle (no surprise) on the slant pattern. Then the safety came up too far and he put up 70 yards on that TD (when it should have been broken up by the safety coming over the top). Take away those two mistakes and you have 140 yards and a TD. Still very good numbers, but not all world. The fact is the totally exploited a weakness U of M has. Jarrett made the plays, but there are probably another 2 dozen WR's that could have as well if they were in that position.

You must not have seen many U of M games. Trent got tourched by OSU too. The only reason he didn't get tourched more is because there aren't any other teams with good WR's to tourch U of M. Everyone else tried to establish the run and failed. If they had attacked Trent, he would have folded then too. I talked to a friend that played high school ball with him. Trent was a WR and a track star. Never a defender, which is why he can't cover and he can't tackle.

Jarrett was good, but not great. He scored once when Trent blew a tackle (no surprise) on the slant pattern. Then the safety came up too far and he put up 70 yards on that TD (when it should have been broken up by the safety coming over the top). Take away those two mistakes and you have 140 yards and a TD. Still very good numbers, but not all world. The fact is the totally exploited a weakness U of M has. Jarrett made the plays, but there are probably another 2 dozen WR's that could have as well if they were in that position.

Well, apparantly the rest of the country doesn't agree with you seeing that Jarrett is considered one of the best 2 WRs in the country. I don't know how you just take away a 70 yd td. I mean, the guy did have 200 yds.

I never took it away. I just said Trent made him look that much better. I didn't say he wasn't a top WR. I just said he wasn't great in that game. He just abused a shitty CB. It wasn't like Braylan Edwards outjumping WR's in the corner or Charles Rogers making leaping catches in the back of the end zone. He just made the catches he was supposed to, nothing spetacular.

I didn't see any other USC games (besides the ND one), so maybe he's made them all year. I was only commenting on one game.

Great article from the LA Times summing up Michigan's performance in the Rose Bowl, primarily their offense-

Michigan offense is a running joke
January 2, 2007

Michigan brought its horse-and-buggy offense to the Rose Bowl on Monday and produced what horses-and-buggies usually do. Manure.

After USC's 32-18 victory over this No. 3 team in the country, the Wolverines may need a slight adjustment to the wording of their fight song. "Hail to the victors" could become "Hail to the over-rated." Hum it. It works.
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The score at the half was 3-3. USC was just plain lousy, while Michigan seemed to be working on a big setup for the second half. Hand off right three times, then cross 'em up with the old handoff left. Your worst fear was that Coach Lloyd Carr would bring out his Wolverines for the second half dressed in leather helmets and running the single wing.

Actually, it was worse. Well before the rest of the team came out for the second half, Carr sent out his long snappers and punters. Guess he was expecting more of the same, and afterward he even fessed up to a sort-of 1930s thought process.

"What we discussed at the half — we are still in the game at 3-3 — was going earlier to our two-minute offense [shotgun formation, more open plays]," he said. "But we wanted to protect our defense, so we decided to stay with the plan."

Which was to live the football coaches' cliché. Repeat after me: "We needed to establish the running game."

That makes some sense when your running back, Mike Hart, rushed for more than 100 yards in nine of the 13 games this season, and his previous low — before his 47 Monday — was 91 against once-beaten Wisconsin.

That being said, Hart was now being sent on handoff right and handoff left against some of the fastest, meanest dudes he'd ever see. Lightning, Lockjaw and Lucifer, also known as Dallas Sartz, Keith Rivers and Brian Cushing, spent the entire afternoon teaming up with Lua, real name Oscar, to stomp on and mess up whatever Michigan was trying.

Did Michigan not exchange film with USC before this one? Is there no TiVo in Ann Arbor? After this one, might Michigan go back to the drawing board and seek out innovation for the '07 campaign? Might we see, in next year's playbook, the pitchout?

Cushing, who had to be surgically removed from Chad Henne's rib pads after the game so he could go take a shower, praised the Wolverines afterward because that is what players are taught to do and there is no percentage in not doing so. But he also admitted that he had been well-enough prepared to know what was coming with just about every Michigan trip to the line of scrimmage.

"Yup, pretty much so," he said.

Not a real big deal when you consider he had a one-in-three chance just guessing: handoff right, handoff left, quarterback Henne straight back to pass. Henne was sacked six times for 44 yards in losses. Sometimes, Cushing and the other L Boys beat him to his spot in the pocket and waited around for a while before they knocked him down. Other times, they pretended to be blocked first.

"I understand what they were trying to do," Cushing said. "It is the Big Ten mentality to try and overpower you."

Oops. Can't overpower what you can't catch. That's an old Pac-10 proverb.

In the end, the result of this 93rd Rose Bowl, in front of 93,852 — many of them in maize-and-blue clothing that was as close to the vest as their team's offense — raised several questions:

• Why do coaches who have a quarterback like Henne with a rocket for a throwing arm, and a receiver like Mario Manningham with such exceptional skills that he will, someday, be receiving large amounts of money to use them, choose to hand off right and hand off left until the game is decided?

• Henne had 309 yards passing, approximately 308 of them after it didn't matter. Is there anything worse than wild and crazy when things are over and done with?

• What would UCLA's defense have done to these Wolverines, given that it reduced the Trojans to a pile of rubble?

• And what does this do to the prevailing notion that No. 1 Ohio State is head and shoulders above the rest in college football and that its 42-39 win over then-No. 2 Michigan on Nov. 18 clearly established this?

There are still seven shopping days left before the Jan. 8 national title game, plenty of time to ponder the phrase "Florida and the points."

Wow, they absolutely blasted UM in that article. I don't even think DocTre would have been that harsh. Much of what they said is true though. UM gets wins by overpowering teams with less talent in the Big Ten. They just use their horses. Once they play somebody with equal talent, it doesn't work.

I love how Tre sucks the dick of any state fan with a clever (borrowed) one-liner.

Oh damn, I didn't mean that and it belongs in the mini-dome. My bad. Can I get an asterisk?

This is why you swatting my thread is such a joke. Read your post and tell me that this isn't "juvenille" and stupid. Don't worry though, I won't go Dictator on you Jethro style. BTW, I noticed that you not only swatted my thread but chose to not leave a redirect thus proving the fact that you just didn't like the content and you didn't want anyone to see it. If you felt it didn't belong in our forum, you would have sent it to the terrordome and left a redirect.

Keep posting about "sucking dicks" while claiming I'm juvenille. You honestly just sound like a pissed off fan that is sickened by a 4 game bowl losing streak and you can't handle it.

I agree with everyone who ripped on UM's offense. It was much worse in this game than it's D.

would you quit arguing about your thread already Tre. Everyone but you thought the thread was BS, so let it go. Just stick to the topic in here.

This is why you swatting my thread is such a joke. Read your post and tell me that this isn't "juvenille" and stupid. Don't worry though, I won't go Dictator on you Jethro style. BTW, I noticed that you not only swatted my thread but chose to not leave a redirect thus proving the fact that you just didn't like the content and you didn't want anyone to see it. If you felt it didn't belong in our forum, you would have sent it to the terrordome and left a redirect.

Keep posting about "sucking dicks" while claiming I'm juvenille. You honestly just sound like a pissed off fan that is sickened by a 4 game bowl losing streak and you can't handle it.

I never leave a redirect. I think redirects clog any board and I don't like them. That has absolutely nothing to do with the thread itself. So there goes that argument.

As far as the juvenile stuff, you took that line waaaaaay too seriously and at least I didn't make a whole damned thread about it either way.

It's nice to watch all of Michigan implode.

Even nicer to see ND disintegrate again on their ninth annual "jack me in the ass because I suck monkey balls" tour, this time rolling through the great city of Nawoleans.

I never leave a redirect. I think redirects clog any board and I don't like them. That has absolutely nothing to do with the thread itself. So there goes that argument.

As far as the juvenile stuff, you took that line waaaaaay too seriously and at least I didn't make a whole damned thread about it either way.

When you post about sucking dicks, you officially have lost the right to critique anyone else's material.

It's a figure of speech, don't be such a literal emotional whiner.

Like when Mood says the depot is gaaaaayyyyy. Do you think he means the depot spreads its ass wide and takes it from the pavilion? Of course not. So why would you think I mean that you meet up with random morons who post here and get on your knees? My point was that the occasional (at best) one liner that some Sparty heard - from someone else who heard it 15 years ago probably ripping on their team - pops up and you do jumping jacks and give them a congratulatory post as if they came up with some new invention. Slang for that is that you are jacking them off, or sucking their dick. Perhaps you want me to get in the rewind machine and change it to popping their collar? Sorry, the Hill doesn't use that anymore. It's outdated.

Like when Mood says the depot is gaaaaayyyyy. Do you think he means the depot spreads its ass wide and takes it from the pavilion?

HAHAHAHA! [smilie=totlach.gif] Greatness Jethro!

And the depot still is GAAAAAAY! When you're trying to run a fantasy draft and 67 year old dudes come strolling in looking for train rides, you have to question the building's sexual orientation.

That does happen alot and we don't know it. If the Michigan secondary was talking shit to him from the start, I have no problem with him taunting a bit.

HipDigIt, bad checks-hilarious

So Jethro, this is me doing "jumping jacks" according to you? You're still coming off like a pissed off fan. You're reaching at best.

Of course I'm a pissed off fan, moron. If I wasn't pissed about this season I would be a joke of a fan. Remember me? High expectations at all times? Anyhting less and I'm pissed off. When did I claim otherwise. But I make a comment about you posting about someone else's over-recycled line being hilarious and here we are 75 posts later still talking about it.
I'm pissed off, but you're thin skinned and pissed off as well, perhaps jealous, who knows. Either way, this is a shitty way to "keep the conversation going". But maybe I'm just "reaching" again.

Of course I'm a pissed off fan, moron. If I wasn't pissed about this season I would be a joke of a fan. Remember me? High expectations at all times? Anyhting less and I'm pissed off. When did I claim otherwise. But I make a comment about you posting about someone else's over-recycled line being hilarious and here we are 75 posts later still talking about it.
I'm pissed off, but you're thin skinned and pissed off as well, perhaps jealous, who knows. Either way, this is a shitty way to "keep the conversation going". But maybe I'm just "reaching" again.

If you're pissed off that's fine, but you can take it elsewhere. No need to direct it at me. I'm thin skinned? I'm on a forum of 95% UM fans-right.

Jealous? There sprouts your Michigan arrogance again. Yeah, I'm super jealous of your nose dive seasons.

I love how you continuously claim this board is 95% UM, like we're going to feel sorry for you or something.
Yes, you're outnumbered. 95%? Not even close.

I love how you continuously claim this board is 95% UM, like we're going to feel sorry for you or something.
Yes, you're outnumbered. 95%? Not even close.

Once again, take your frustration elsewhere.