Thursday, December 30, 2010

Breaking News: Tate Forcier Ruled Ineligible for Gator Bowl

If your a Michigan fan, I wouldn't suggest going to Vegas with Rich Rodriguez any time soon.  He is really un-lucky when it comes to this team and program.  Michigan got dealt another blow this evening as Tate Forcier has been ruled ineligible to participate in the Gator Bowl and most suspect its due to academics. 

Tate has had an interesting year; seeing Denard take over his limelight as he has struggled on and off the field with issues during summer work outs and threatening to transfer after the UConn game.  He has also seen the highs of leading Michigan in an overtime win that qualified the Wolverines for this very bowl game. 

What now is the question for the team and player?

For team, what happens if Denard goes down? Like he has in pretty much every game this year.  Do you burn Devin's possible medical redshirt to save the game and maybe his job?  Or do you play 4th string QB Jack Kennedy?  Or maybe it's Jeremy Gallon who has been running the scout team these past two weeks so the Wolverines could prepare for MSU's offense?  All of those plans stink.

For the player, have we seen Tate in a Michigan uniform for the last time?  Is this the last straw and Tate is heading to D1A school like Montana or maybe another D1 school because he still has his redshirt available?  Does his academic issues make it more difficult for him to transfer?  I guess that has been the problem with Tate this year, there have been more questions then answers. 

I really thought Tate would be important in the Gator Bowl because I expect MSU to focus on stopping Denard running the ball and would be wide open to a passing attack.  I guess all that rides on Denard now and his ability to play the full game.  

1 comment:

Voice of Reason said...

It would seem to me that Tate for whatever reason has let his team down. This is a huge let down and bigger than most people realize. He didn't give it his all. He is a very talented and intelligent young man and with the academic supports there should have been no way he should have dropped that ball or for any other reason.

For me, if we are three quarters into the game, I would take a calculated risk and not plan to burn Devin's Medical Red shirt. I would instead use my best other option whom ever that might be.

Even if it were earlier, how much better would a freshman QB perform under these conditions against the seasoned defense of MSU? Not much! They stopped Cam Newton. Even Devin with only a few snaps under his belt would play like a freshman and the game would be lost anyway. So then you've lost your game and your medical red shirt. So go with your best "other option."

David Brandon has to understand the QB situation especially if the game is a deciding factor for his final decision [which I am not so sure].