How
many points will our defense yield?”
Among
the circles of personal interest I navigate in my life, Celtic music ranks
among the top three. I have met and befriended many of that genre’s top
performers through my association with the North Texas Irish Festival (held
annually at Dallas’ Fair Park on the first weekend of March).
One
such good friend is Nelson Stewart (and his wife, Jeania) as the front man and
leader of the Celtic rock band, the American Rogues (even though Nelson is a
proud Canadian from Hamilton, Ont.). If you are ever presented with the opportunity
to see and hear them perform, at a festival or venue near you, do NOT miss the
chance to do so.
I
tell you this (in brief) because the Stewarts were among the 109,503 fans at Michigan
Stadium last Saturday to see the Wolverines play Indiana. A friend of the band
invited them to enjoy their initial Game Day experience – the Full Monty
treatment, complete from tailgating, collecting souvenirs and the game itself!
Rather
than be jealous of their good fortune, I was giddy for them, knowing they would
see what a great time can be enjoyed at a U-M game – from downing a few brats
and suds to seeing the Michigan Marching Band enter the premises to hearing the
thunderous roar of the largest crowd in college football! I’d have given a
million dollars simply to witnesses their faces as each chapter unfolded before
their eyes.
Little
did I know they would watch what turned out to be nothing more than a video
game on turf. Michigan’s 63-47 victory was certainly nothing the defensive
coaching staff wishes to cherish. Frankly, it mirrored the famous (or infamous)
2010 triple-overtime 67-65 win over Illinois in Rich Rodriguez’s last season in
Ann Arbor.
In
this case, Michigan was facing an almost identical facsimile of the RichRod-led
team – an all-out, hurry-up offensive onslaught but a team with absolutely no
semblance of defense. The Hoosier secondary was shredded by the combination of
Devin Gardner-to-Jeremy Gallon worse than any pulled pork sandwich you can
find.
The
numbers were staggering AND absurd as they collected 369 yards on 14 completions
(not counting three passes Gallon dropped when wide open) – a Big 10 and U-M
record for reception yardage in a single game (and second-highest total in NCAA
FBS history). For the most part, Gallon was so wide open, left alone so often
by the IU defenders, you’d thought he was carrying a lethal virus or something;
no one wanted anything to do with him, other than Gardner.
He
finished with 503 yards passing for a new school standard and 584 yards in
total offense, just one yard shy of tying the Big 10 record, set in 1980 by
Illinois’ Dave Wilson (of whom no one can remember). The team offense of 751
yards was a record and Indiana was allegedly a better program than Delaware
State, against whom U-M put up 727 yards in 2009 … under you-know-who.
At
the final whistle, the two teams combined for 110 points (no overtime needed)
and 1,323 yards of offense. I’m sure Al Borges’ thumbs were sore from all that
action on his Xbox clicker in the press box – because that’s what it looked
like.
Frankly,
it was getting ridiculous to have big play after big play on every second-half
possession, without any team deciding to demonstrate a lick of defense. The
prospect of suffering another upset to a decided underdog took the crowd from
mild annoyance to definite possibility, especially having lost an 11-point
halftime lead on the first series of the third quarter.
Each
time Michigan scored, Indiana struck back with lightning quickness and no one
could feel comfortable, even when leaving the stadium to go home. People went
to sleep wondering if IU was still on the field, scoring more touchdowns.
After
Gardner fumbled a center snap at the IU 2 with the home team up by only 2
points, you could feel (through the TV) the terrifying shiver sent through the
crowd, with visions of the Penn State debacle flashing before their eyes. Could
this be happening two weeks in a row?
All
those high-powered offensive numbers would have meant diddly-squat had Indiana
hurried its way on a 98-yard drive to secure the lead. Yet, in the end, it took
three mistakes (two Thomas Gordon interceptions, which were great because he
was MIA up to those moments) to seal the victory for Michigan. Gordon’s first
interception (and return) allowed Big House fans to exhale.
No
one knows, the Gardner turnover could have broken the back and spirit of the
Wolverines ... but no one will ever know, thanks to an ill-conceived decision
by IU coach Kevin Wilson late in the third quarter.
Late
in the third quarter, after Indiana had closed the gap to 35-34 on a 23-yard
field goal, and then drew to within two points (42-40) on a 67-yard touchdown
pass from Tre Roberson to Kofi Hughes, it was the choice to go for the tie ...
at that exact moment and time. But a pass from Roberson was off target and when
Michigan scored 100 seconds into the fourth quarter, an automatic PAT kick
pushed Indiana behind a bigger eight-ball than was necessary.
With
more than a quarter left to go, and lots of opportunities remaining, the
premature call from the IU sidelines meant the contest was a two-possession
affair provided Michigan produced touchdowns – which it did three times in the
final 15 minutes!
Such
small decisions often play significant roles when post-mortem autopsies are
performed – such as this one. Indiana had Michigan reeling after scoring an unimaginable
23 points in the third period, and if it were constantly within one play of
tying the game, a better opportunity might have presented itself.
Such
small decisions often play significant roles when post-mortem autopsies are
performed – such as this one. Indiana had Michigan reeling after scoring an unimaginable
23 points in the third period, and if it were constantly within one play of
tying the game, a better opportunity might have presented itself.
But
that’s the kind of small mistake first-time head coaches, like Wilson, can
make. He’ll learn from it, but, for the sake of Hoosier fandom, he’ll also
discover football is a three-sided triangle – offense, defense and special
teams. Michigan was able to exploit one side to its fullest and came away with
a victory, albeit nail-biting to the very end.
I
can’t wait to e-mail, or Facebook message, with Nelson, to obtain his reaction
concerning his Big House experience.
“Welcome
to the Michigan football family … even if what you saw wasn’t real.”
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