Real Kato Blog: College Football Recap

So yeah, I didn't recap the Michigan-Notre Dame game. Can you blame me? While Michigan showed some flashes of competency in that game, that was overshadowed by the ineptitude that is best captured by a single statistic: 6 turnovers. Despite significantly outgaining Notre Dame on offense, you just can't win a game when you spot the opponent a three-touchdown advantage because you can't hang on to the football.

Michigan 27, Wisconsin 25

After half of the Michigan-Wisconsin game, it seemed like déjà vu all over again.

Actually, it seemed even worse. Michigan turned the ball over five times in the first half. And though Wisconsin turned the ball back over to Michigan several times, Michigan's offense was completely ineffective, with some twenty yards of total offense; of the eight offensive possessions, only one went for more than three plays before ending in a punt or turnover. And that one possession was just five plays for seven yards. Things looked bleak.

But the defense hung tough, keeping Wisconsin out of the end zone several times despite starting with a short field. Wisconsin kicked four field goals to accompany one touchdown, and the lead was 19-0 at the half.

So, game over, right?

Not this time. Not in this, the 500th game at Michigan Stadium. Not in Coach Rodriguez' first Big Ten game. Not after what happened at Notre Dame.

Reportedly, defensive tackle Terrance Taylor gave a stirring halftime speech, and Michigan gave one of the most inspired second-half performances in its history.

In the second half of the game, suddenly Wisconsin was the one who couldn't move the ball on offense. Suddenly Wisconsin was giving up turnovers. Suddenly Michigan quarterback Steven Threet was hitting open receivers all over the field. Suddenly Threet was rambling down the field for 58 yards on an option keeper.

And in just over five minutes of game time, Michigan turned a 19-7 deficit into a 27-19 lead. Wisconsin, for their part, rallied at the end of the game to score the potential game tying touchdown and two-point conversion. Except that their conversion was nullified by a simple mental error: a receiver lined up on the line of scrimmage, making the tight end on his side of the field ineligible. That penalty kept Wisconsin from sending the game to overtime, and the rest, as they say, is history.

N.C. State 10, South Florida 41

After a good win against East Carolina last week, N.C. State gets blown out by South Florida.

Other News

#1 USC lost to Oregon State 27-21. Oh, so sweet.

#8 Alabama beat #3 Georgia 41-30. It wasn't really that close; Alabama jumped out to a 31-0 lead in the first half. Alabama might be the team to beat in the SEC, especially because...

#4 Florida lost to Mississippi 31-30, after a potential game-tying extra point was blocked at the end of the game. Ohhh.

#12 Penn State beat #22 Illinois 38-24, in Penn State's first true test. Penn State looks like the best team in the Big Ten right now.

#16 Wake Forest lost to Navy 24-17.

#20 Clemson lost to Maryland 20-17. So much for Clemson, the team some thought would win the ACC.

#23 East Carolina got stomped by Houston 41-24.

Permalink 1 Comment

Posted by Ken in: sports

Comments

Comment #1 from Jon (olafandyjon)
2008 Sep 29 - 11:07 am : #

First of all, I appreciate you not rehashing the craptacular trip to South Bend. I was getting tired of telling people "If you take away the turnovers and look at the stats, it looks like a Michigan win." But of course, under better circumstances, I'm more than willing to tell other people at times (Spartys, Leprechauns, Buckeyes) that the turnovers happen and you can't take them away. The shoe's on the other hand now...

Of course, there was much dismay in seeing that it looked like there had been no practice in the two weeks since the ND game. It also seemed to indicate just how bad ND must be if we could rack up that many yards with our offense. At least that was the thought I used to comfort myself while on the floor in the fetal position sucking my thumb after yet another turnover/3 and out.

I will never say that I've never WANTED to stop watching a Michigan game. But I will say that I never HAVE stopped watching. Over my tenure as a Wolverine fan, I've seen us lay some serious eggs in the first half, only to come roaring back in the second half. 1995 Virginia game, 1997 Iowa and 1998 (I think) Minnesota to name a few. Of course, I've also seen the opposite where we've blown the game in the 2nd. 1988 Miami(Fl) remains the pinnacle to me.

The point being, there is always something in the back of my head that says "We can come back," no matter what the odds are, or what the logical side of my brain says. Saturday, it was actually right. And it proves that when the offense settles down and executes properly, good things happen. After all, the whole point of Coach Rod's spread offense was to give an overmatched/undertalented team a fighting chance in any game. And with the youth we have on offense, we are definitely the "overmatched team" this year.

I had something else to add, but now I've forgotten. Probably just as well since I'm typing way too much for a comment.

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