Wolverine Wednesday: Big House Blog Bullets

• Michael Rothstein from ESPN reported on former Wolverines playing pro football.   There was a couple surprises.  #1 Surprise:  Boubacar Cissoko played Arena Ball for the Chicago Rush this past season. (I wasn't aware he was released from prison)  James Rogers and Terrance Taylor are playing Arena Ball as well.   Shawn Crable is playing in the CFL. 

• The Big Ten meetings is Thursday and Friday in Chicago.  I wonder what they are going to talk about?

• Big House BBQ this weekend (Sunday):  The BBQ this year will be mostly for current commits to get to spend some time together in a casual environment, hang out with the coaches and meet each other families.  There will also be a bunch of 2014 guys in attendance and one 2013 player in RB Derrick Green.   WR Devon Allen is planning to visit on Saturday but probably can't stay for the BBQ.   Shane Morris and Laquon Treadwell will be at Disney for the Gridiron Kings.  If your wondering, the newest Wolverine commit CB Ross Douglas will be attending the BBQ.   (This is an invite only event and Michigan has to charge each recruit and family member a few dollars to attend so that it's not an NCAA recruiting violation).

• Speaking of Shane who wasn't ranked by ESPN in the top 11 QB's at the Elite 11 camp.  Scouts ranked him the #1 QB there and Rivals ranked him #4.  There were 25 QB's at the Elite 11 camp.

• Has anyone thought about the Leaders Division next year?  OSU and PSU are not eligible for the Big Ten Title Game, which leaves Wisconsin, Purdue, Illinois and Indiana.   Wisconsin fans, go ahead and book your hotel rooms in Indy.   One other point about OSU and PSU is that the Big Ten Bowl Pool revenue will be way down next year with both of these teams not being eligible for bowl games.  The only way the BIG10 can re-coop that money is if the likes of Purdue, Illinois and/or Minnesota can fill in for PSU and OSU. 

Wolverine Wednesday: Duck and Cover

Michigan does well in recruiting Detroit's Cass Tech football program.  Even Rich Rod and staff recruited there and did well.   The notable Wolverines on the current roster from Cass include:  Delonte Hollowell, Thomas Gordon and Big Will.   We all know about Boubacar flaming out and Michigan has two players coming in the 2013 class with David Dawson and Jourdan Lewis.   That is a pretty good Maize and Blue pipeline right there.  Of course, Cass Tech is coached by former Wolverine Thomas Wilcher.

One of the players that got away from the Wolverines was 4 star DB Dior Mathis.   His recruitment seemed pretty strange from the start.  He had a Michigan offer but really never seriously considered the Wolverines.   It's fine if players want to get  away from home and go to another school, what was strange in Dior's recruitment was he barley gave the Wolverines a second look.  Some Michigan fans were a little concerned about Dior's recruitment because of Boubacar's trouble on and off the field and how he had trouble covering the ND WR's due to his height.  Dior is 5'9 and 170 pounds.  

Dior was the 12 ranked CB in the country by Rivals and ranked the #4 player in Michigan for the 2010 class.  He had offers from Michigan, Tenn, Florida, FSU, Miami, Oregon, MSU and others.
In January of that year he verballed to the Oregon Ducks.  Case Closed, right?  Nope.

Many high school athletes visit Oregon and feel like it's Nike World University.  They have great facilities and of course all the state of the art Nike gear.   Some guys just love that and travel far from home to play for the Ducks.   Is that the best way to rate a football program or University?  Probably not but you can't question the success they have had on the football field lately.  

Then the NCAA came knocking and found this:
 
The University of Oregon paid more than $28,000 to two men with ties to multiple recruits who signed letters of intent with the school, Yahoo! Sports has learned.

According to State of Oregon expenditure records, the university paid $25,000 to Will Lyles of Complete Scouting Services in Houston, and $3,745 to Baron Flenory of New Level Athletics. Lyles is a former athletic trainer who recently was serving as a mentor to highly touted Ducks running back recruit Lache Seastrunk. Meanwhile, Flenory runs the Badger Sports Elite 7-on-7 football camps which have featured several celebrated Ducks signees including running back DeAnthony Thomas, defensive back Cliff Harris, defensive back Dior Mathis and wideout Tacoi Sumler. Flenory had a personal training relationship with recent Ducks signee Anthony Wallace.

Funny how things work out in the end.  Dior had 6 tackles in limited action last year and there were also reports he was moving to WR.   The Ducks recently came clean on the above payments and said they were guilty of having an extra coach out recruiting as well.

Michigan Thursday: Michigan Lands The BIG 3 as Terry Richardson Gives his Pledge

This morning Terry Richardson gave his pledge to join Michigan's 2012 recruiting class.  Michigan's Big 3 is what I consider the top instate recruits in the 2012 class which include; LB Royce Jenkins-Stone, LB James 'Biggs" Ross and CB Terry Richardson.  All are highly rated 4 star prospects and this trio happens to be close friends.  This makes 12 verbals for the 2012 class and all 12 are from Michigan or Ohio.  MSU has received 0 commits from players that has Michigan and MSU offers. 

Terry is rated 4 stars by Rivals, Scouts and 24x7 Sports.  He is 5'9 160 pounds and has an offer list from the top programs like Alabama, ND, USC, Oklahoma, MSU, UCLA, LSU, Penn State and many others.   24x7 sports has Terry as the #1 player in the State of Michigan , #3 CB in the country and #31 player ranking in the nation.  Scouts has him ranked the 10th CB in the country.

Terry plays at Michigan feeder school Detroit Cass Tech who has sent a number of players to Michigan the past few years including 5 star prospects Big Will Campbell and Boubacar Cissoko.   As you have seen over the years, Michigan has been targeting taller CB's who can match up with taller Big Ten WR's but Terry's talent was too hard to pass up for Michigan and the other big time programs that had offered him.

My hope for Terry is that he can redshirt and learn from Michigan's coaching staff.  His height doesn't concern me if it doesn't concern guys like Mattison, Saban and Stoops. I just hope he isn't rushed on the field unless he is so talented that it's warranted. 

I expect Michigan to still take at least one more DB and probably two.  Most likely are guys that can play both corner and safety.  I would consider Armani Reeves and Wayne Morgan the top candidates.  Allen Gant might want to "accept" his Michigan offer pretty quickly.

This is Michigan's 12th verbal commit in this class and there are roughly 20-22 opening next year.  Outside DB's, priorities still remain at defensive tackle, offensive line, 1 QB, and 1 RB.

• The #2 rated DT in the country is planning a visit to Ann Arbor.  Jarron Jones a 6-foot-5, 300 pounds DT is a "soft" commit to Penn State but wants to take some visits and U of M looks to be one of them next month.

•  From the Detroit News: According to Tom Lemming of Prep Football Report, the players Michigan has landed instate has put Michigan State in a hole.
  
  "I've never seen anything like this," Lemming said. "These kids are committing to U-M without seeing other schools. U-M is everywhere.
  
  
  "Michigan State ran into a Michigan buzz saw. They have to spend more time in Ohio and the Chicago area to get the players they need. They do a great job of developing players, sort of like Wisconsin and Iowa. They can't beat Michigan head-to-head in recruiting. They have to beat them on the field."
  
  "There is such a thing as momentum in recruiting," said Josh Helmholdt of Rivals. "Getting Ross to commit early was big. It's an exciting time to be around Michigan. These guys are just kicking butt. They're out-working everyone. They're creating excitement and they have openings (for starting positions).
  
  "All this has happened in two months."

ESPN Magazine Cover:

Michigan vs Notre Dame Preview

*I want to pre-note this post with the truth that I am very torn between my head and heart on this game.  My head says one thing and my heart says another.  So I am going to write this and hope one is clear winner by the time I'm done.

Michigan at Notre Dame
Time: 3:30 EST
Location: South Bend
TV: NBC
Weather: 60% Rain and a high of 70 degrees
Line: ND-4

Remember when the Michigan - ND game was a defensive battle?  Where a winning score would be 14-10?  Not these days, last years 38-34 Michigan win was the highest scoring battle in the history of the series.   Most media members are expecting another shootout between these two historic college football programs.

Similar to last week, this is another match up between 3 former Big East head coaches with Kelly at UC, RR at WVU and Greg Robinson at Syracuse.  Both QB's on each side don't have a ton of playing experience: Denard Robinson got spot playing time last year and Dayne Crist is a junior but really made his debut last week as well.

So how do they match up?  Lets go to the tail of the tape:

Michigan Offense vs ND Defense = Michigan
Michigan has advantages at both running and passing the ball against the ND D.

ND Offense vs Michigan D = ND
Michigan Run D vs ND Running game is close to a push in my mind.  The big advantage comes with the ND Passing game vs Michigan secondary.

Special Teams = Push 
Neither one is especially strong.  Hopefully Darryl Stonum can repeat his strong kick off returns against ND like he did last year.

Intangibles = ND
Something strange always happens when Michigan visits ND.  Some examples: wind stops on and ND winning field goal, It rains so hard that Michigan fumbles a 100 times, Lou Holtz plays for a tie, a ball ends up a shoulder pad of a defender on a pass play, and so on. 


Here is what scares me being a Michigan fan. 

#1 Michael Floyd - Michigan could not stop him or Golden Tate last year at all.  (that was with Woolfolk, Boubacar and Warren)

#2 Denard's first road and rivalry game - That is a lot to handle for the guy making all the headlines this week.

#3 South Bend has been a house of horrors for Michigan.  There is a 10% chance of rain today in South Bend and Sunday there is a 0%.  Saturday 60%.

#4 Michigan has one road win under RR.

This game is another clear example of which team gets the most stops will win.  Pretty basic right?  I think Michigan will do a decent job against ND's run game.   My biggest concern is if Dayne can get the ball down field to the ND's WR's.  Michigan has to protect the ball and can't visit fumbleville like they did during their last visit.  Neither team can afford to give the other free points or short fields. 

Sing Hail to the Victors if:

• Michigan gets a lot of pressure on Crist.
• Michigan shows some new wrinkles in the passing game (like the deep ball).
• No turnovers.
• Someone can catch a punt.
• Greg Robinson's past success against ND can even out Michigan's bad luck in SB.  Remember his Syracuse teams weren't very good but were pretty successful in South Bend.

Worry if:

• Dayne turns into Joe Montana on Saturday
• ND runs the ball effectively with Armando Allen
• Brian Kelly has a solution to stop Denard's run game

Brian Kelly feels that Denard is just a running back playing QB.  Michigan fans disagree and hope he can showcase his passing skills against ND.  The run fake, then pass should be effective in moving the ball down field against the ND defense.  Picks and fumbles concern me in this game.  The game two years ago is still fresh in my mind and worries me even more if it rains again.  I sort of have a strange feeling we may see Tate for a few series, mostly if Michigan gets behind and has to pass.  There are many questions on both teams coming off week one wins.  I think RR knows what type of team he has, not sure Brian Kelly knows his fully yet.  I think this will be a close game and one mistake might be the difference.   I wouldn't want to prepare for Denard and that "running back comment" should be plenty of motivation for Saturday.  I'm going with Heart!   Michigan 28  ND 21


Go Blue!

Breaking News: Justin Turner to Transfer From Michigan

Why can't we have just one week with good news?  Is that really too much to ask?

One of Michigan's highest ranked players in the 2009 class who red-shirted last year has decided to transfer from the University of Michigan.   "[Turner] asked for, and was granted, his release yesterday. We wish him well in his future endeavors," Michigan Director of Media Relations Dave Abluaf announced Wednesday. 

Justin came to Michigan as the best player in Ohio in 2009 and was an Army All American.  He had trouble with academics and wasn't cleared to practice with the Wolverines until 2 weeks into fall camp last year.  Arriving late pretty much guaranteed Justin would redshirt in 2009 even with a serious lack of depth on the roster at both CB and Safety positions.

Justin struggled in the spring at cornerback, as JT Floyd took over the spot left by Donovan Warren leaving early for the NFL.  Still, Michigan fans hoped he would show his nearly 5 star prospect status this year, getting playing time in zone or nickel formations.

One of the signs that #2 didn't have his heart into it was when he showed up to fall camp 11 pounds bigger then last fall.  A guy playing CB doesn't usually need to put on that type of weight.

Impact:  Large.  Michigan can't afford any attrition in the defensive backfield, sure Turner might not have been a starter but with potential injuries and a number of young kids with little to no experience playing, this is a difficult blow to take.    Welcome Cullen Christian and Courtney Avery to a lot more playing time. 

Michigan DB's loses in the last year:

• Demar Dorsey = Never enrolled admission issues
• Justin Turner = Transfer due to inability to break into the starting lineup
• Boubacar Cissoko = Transferred to a different type of Big House
• Donovan Warren = NFL

That list is a "no fly zone" that never took off.

This also should have an impact on 2011 CB recruiting.  I expect Michigan to take one more CB now in the 2011 class.

Michigan Friday: RR and WVU

The press is all over the recent WVU NCAA allegations and Rich Rodriquez.  Let me try to bring some thought instead of "throwing stones" at this situation. 

At most schools, compliance responsibility falls under the compliance department.  For example the compliance department responsibility is to make sure all the coaches understand what they can and can't do.   A great example is both the Michigan and WVU examples; both alleged situations happen before and after Rich was there.   It was happening at Michigan before RR was hired and continued happening at WVU after he left.    Which in my mind means that both institutions felt they weren't breaking the rules or didn't understand the rules properly. 

Let me give you example: if graduate assistants or support staff are involved in practice or non-practice activity.  The compliance department would have to "sign off on it" or agree they were not breaking the rules.  The "rub" is if you believe that Rich Rodriguez knew using the support staff was wrong and did it anyway.  That is where the NCAA could come down hard. 

Here is what RR had to say:  "I have always taken compliance seriously and have sincerely felt our program was very open and transparent. I regret any mistakes that were made or rules that were misinterpreted.


Any errors certainly weren’t made intentionally. I openly discussed my past practices with NCAA investigators and will continue to cooperate fully during this process.

I have redoubled efforts with my staff and our compliance team to improve several processes, strengthen communications, and work to ensure these mistakes won’t happen in the future.


We have a tremendous program and an exceptional group of student-athletes, and I look forward to an exciting and successful football season."

I maybe looking at this with "maize and blue" colored glasses, but I don't find the WVU allegations damning to RR, I believe it is an example that RR and staff believed what they were doing was in line with the rules.   An example is that things didn't change when Bill Stewart tool over the program.  I also believe if you have the NCAA go over your program with a fine tooth comb, you will find that 90% of the programs out there would be guilty of the same thing.  (if you have a friend that played major college football, ask him if there were GA's there for summer 7 on 7's?  Or if a player broke the rules was punished by running the stadium stairs during the summer?  I betting the answer would be Yes, most of the time).  Another side point:  I remember when Adrian Arrington broke team rules and had to run the stairs at the Big House every morning under Lloyd Carr.  There was a coach or GA there every morning at 6:00 AM to let him in and make sure he completed it.  That's a violation right there.  (NCAA if your reading this - that never really happended).

The best thing the NCAA could do is slap both programs on the hand and let the rest of the Universities out there know what the rules are regarding these situations.   Then move on to playing real football games.

Love or Hate RR, that is your choice but be careful before you throw stones.

•  Like I predicted the Big Ten picked Indy for the Big Ten Championship next year.  I think this was a good and safe decision. 

• Michigan needs to break in the turf at the Big House.  Rain and play is the best way to do it.

• Boubacar goes from one Big House to another.  This is a sad story. 

• BG is getting good reviews so far at Eagles camp:  "He looks like he's going to be a good football player," coach Andy Reid said recently. "Does he have some things he has to learn? Absolutely. He is an explosive guy. That you can see, and he's got very good athletic ability and instincts, and now it's just a matter of mastering a few of the different techniques that you need to play at this level that you don't necessarily need to use at the college level."

• Guess who the focus is for the Rice Owls on offense this year?  Your correct, Sam McGuffie.

• Tim from Mgoblog gives us an update from Michigan Basketball practice.  Your first reaction might be: What? Football practice hasn't even started yet?  Michigan is going to be playing some games in Europe later this month and can have up to 10 practices to prepare for the trip.  This is something a team can do once every 4 years.  These practices and games will give the young Wolverines much needed experience and practice time heading into the season.

Are you intrested in how the legendary Michigan Football helmets are prepared every year?  I knew you where!




Since I wasn't expecting this story to break, I will have a bonus Weekend Post up early on Saturday Morning for you reading pleasure.

Michigan Thursday: Should Seantrel Henderson Reconsider Michigan?

As many of you know, Seantrel Henderson regarded as the #1 recruit in the nation by some recruiting services waited to sign to his LOI to USC.  The reason for the delay was to find out if USC had an idea what the NCAA penalties might look like.  After waiting a number of weeks after signing day the USC coaching staff convinced the young man to sign on the dotted line.  The USC coaches clearly "under sold" the severity of the charges and penalties that they were facing as the NCAA came down hard on the program just a few weeks ago. 

To update this story this week, Seantrel was a no show for the first day for freshman recruits to report.  Lane Kiffin and staff even flew out to Minneapolis this week to try to convince him to stick with USC.  At this point, we really don't know what Seantrel is thinking.  His father won't even go on the record.  But it seems pretty clear he is having second and third thoughts about USC. 

So there are a number of things to consider with the headline I wrote.  Let's try to consider all the angles.

Should USC let him out of his LOI?  Yes, probably but they don't have to.  Which could cause him to go to a JUCO or Prep School.   He could also redhshirt at another BCS School.

He could stay with USC and maybe have the chance to go to one or two bowl games.   The thinking is that USC will appeal which could push the penalties out a year.

Michigan wasn't even in his top group when he picked USC?  True.  But Seantrel did visit Ann Arbor last summer and had a great time and Michigan was near the top of his list most of the summer 2009.   Michigan has a need for Offensive Lineman and with the loss of two 2010 recruits due to academics they have a scholarship for him.   Michigan is also a short plane ride from his home town. 

Why would Seantrel go to another school that hasn't heard back from the NCAA yet?  Valid point and probably will hurt Michigan's chances.  Even though "Stretching Gate" in nowhere near as serious as "Reggie Gate" with Michigan expected to only have some loss of practice time and the loss of some administration duties, I am sure Seantrel's camp would be concerned they are walking into a similar situation if they decided to come to Michigan.

So who knows what the young man is thinking.  He could be headed to Miami or even Ohio State.  Anywhere is going to find a way to fit this young man in.   Good luck to him with a difficult decision.

• How many times have we seen highlights of Boubacar getting beat by Golden Tate at the Big House last year.  I must have seen that 50 times during the NFL draft and the weeks leading up to it.  I'm sure now he wishes that was his biggest program.  He was thrown off the team during the 2009 season and has continued to find  his way into a lot of trouble since then.  Boubacar Cissoko is now facing up to 45 years in prison after pleading guilty to a number of robbery charges.  What a sad story for a former 5 star prospect out of Cass Tech in Detroit. 

• Doran Grant and Anthony Zettell both are planning to be in Ann Arbor on U of M's Campus today.

Wolverine Wednesday: Stand here if you want to join the Big Ten

The Big Ten expansion talk is getting out of control. People are now talking about 16 teams in a mega conference. Is that the intent? Does it make sense? Would ND jump on board? Right now we have more questions then answers with The Big Ten office in their own quiet period.

What I do know, is everyone and their brother from the Big East wants to jump on board the Big Ten train. ESPN's Colin Coward says UConn wants in, it seems Syracuse wants an invite, Rutgers and Pitt have already been rumored. From a first glance this would be great for basketball and not too bad for football either with Pitt, UConn and Rutgers showing real improvements over the past few years.

Again, more questions then answers at this point but if the Big Ten looks to fish the Big East. The Big East is in big trouble.

• Brandon Graham takes a little verbal jab at OSU and Vernon Gholston: “I don’t know what has happened with him. It might be the program he came from,” Graham told The Post yesterday — either purposely or inadvertently tweaking Michigan’s rival school. “Right now everyone looks at him as a bust, and I understand that. They’re paying him all this money and he hasn’t done anything.” BG recently visited the Jets.

• Michigan signee Courtney Avery will play cornerback in this weekend's Ohio High School Football Coaches Association North-South Classic at Ohio Stadium. This is news because he is not playing QB where he was very successful: "It's going to be a little different, because I'm not playing quarterback," said Avery, a two-time All-Ohio first team defensive pick and the owner of virtually every Lexington passing record. "It will be nice to focus just on defense. It will give me a taste of what I'll be doing at Michigan." Joining Courtney on the North team are Michigan signees Jake Ryan and Antonio Kinard. The South Team also has 3 Michigan signees; The Talbott brothers and Jibreel Black. I hope these boys get used to winning in Ohio Stadium.

• Boubacar is in trouble again. This is sad.
  


• Big Plans for the Big Chill.

Big Blue Sunday!

It seems for months that there hasn't been any good news coming out of Ann Arbor. Not today, my friends. Not today.

A plethora of positive information for the Wolverines today:

• The Michigan Basketball team beats #15 UConn 68-63. Michigan's first signature win of the season.

• Devin Gardner a 5 star QB has enrolled early at Michigan and starts class on Tuesday.

• Michigan earns a 2010 commitment from Davion Rogers an outside linebacker from Ohio. Davion was committed to WVU before his visit to Ann Arbor this weekend. He is rated a 3 star prospect from Rivals and is 6"6 220 and runs a 4.6 40. Michigan State had also offered and Davion is a high school teammate of DJ Williamson another Michigan verbal for the 2010 class. This is a good pick up for Michigan at a position of need from a guy with a high upside being 6"6. Davion most likely will red shirt to learn the college game and get a bit bigger.

• Delonte Hollowell a 2011 DB from Detroit Cass Tech has committed to the Wolverines for next years class. Delonte pretty much has been a Michigan guy and wanted to go ahead and commit during his visit to Ann Arbor this weekend. Delonte is another "under 6 foot DB" from Detroit Cass Tech. He comes from the same program as Boubacar Cissoko and Dior Mathis. Delonte is 5"8 and 125 pounds and rated 4 stars by Scouts and 3 stars by ESPN and Rivals. This is Michigan's second verbal for the 2011 class and second defensive back. For more on Delonte, check out Mgoblog.

Today at the basketball game RR said that he expects to sign 26 players in the 2010 class. Michigan currently has 7 members already enrolled (if you include DG) and a total of 25 players verbally committed. One member of that class is not expected to be able to make it academically. Which would leave two more spots in this class.

Donovan Warren is Going To The NFL

Well, it's official. Michigan will even be more depleted in the defensive backfield in 2010 as Donovan Warren has let Coach Rod know that he is heading to the NFL for sure.

“He’s officially gone,” Warren’s father Alvin told GoBlueWolverine moments ago. “He told Coach Rod this morning.”

Warren had 63 tackles and 4 picks (with 1 TD) in 2009. He is also rated the #2 junior CB in the draft by Mel Kiper.

DW has also hired a famous agent: "I'm confident in my ability," he said. "I'm ready for the next chapter in my life." (on his NFL status) "It was pretty broad, but they said I could go in the first or second round," said Warren, adding he has signed with agent Drew Rosenhaus.

This loss to the Michigan defense means that freshman Justin Turner is most likely a starter (competing with JT Floyd) at one corner with Troy Woolfolk at the other. True freshman Cullen Christian, Courtney Avery, and Adrian Witty will also get a shot at playing time.

This news may also have an affect on the recruitment of California Safety Sean Parker who has Michigan in his top 3 with CAL and USC. Having Sean on the team would allow Woolfolk to stay at corner (he moved from the safety position late in the year).

There is also a chance that former 5 star recruit Boubacar Cissoko gets re-instated if he gets his academics in order.

Michigan Thursday: All Fresh

• Michigan had a number of players on the Big Ten - Sporting News All Freshman Team as you might expect. The current members are: Tate Forcier, Roy Roundtree, Jordan Kovacs, and Craig Roh.

• Coach Rod was at a banquet and on the radio this morning and addressed a few issues: Brandon Smith missed the last team meeting and he expects him to transfer. On a side note Brandon's mom would prefer if he stayed at U of M. Boubacar is interested in getting back on the team, but still has a number of academic goals he needs to reach. Warren continues to look into the NFL but has not made a final decision and continues to communicate with the Michigan coaches.

• Holly Press Box Batman! Per Ann Arbor.com:

• Michigan coaches talk about the passing of Chris Henry: RR: “I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Chris Henry,” Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez said this morning in a statement released by the university.“Our thoughts and prayers go out to his fiancé, children and their families as they deal with this sudden and tragic loss. “I enjoyed our time together at West Virginia, and we shared a lot of great moments. I have many fond memories of our three years together and will remember those forever. Chris will be missed by many, and he will always have a place in my heart.
  
  Calvin Magee: “I am in shock over the news of Chris Henry’s passing. I remember recruiting Chris to West Virginia like it was yesterday. “He came from a humble background and was a wonderful young man and football player. Chris was like a son to me, and I will cherish all the great memories that I have of him. His family is in my thoughts and prayers.”

• Corwin Brown to interview for the open head coaching job at Buffalo.

The Battle Off The Field Might Be More Important To Michigan's Future on Saturday

We all know what is at stake on Saturday for the Wolverines. An upset victory would mean a

• Win over Michigan's biggest rival
• A non-losing record for the year
• A Bowl Game

Those are all important things but we all know this Rivalry won't be truly back until Michigan puts a better product on the football field. The Wolverines took steps this year on the offense side of the football and will need to take major steps on defense in 2010 and beyond.

So Saturday's battle off the field is Michigan's biggest recruiting day of the year. A number of top recruits will be in the Big House to witness what it would be like to put on the famous winged helmet, a blue jersey, maize pants and play in the biggest rivalry game in the country.

Michigan needs to cement interest with the guys that have Michigan #1 on their lists, they need to convince players who have Michigan in their top 5 that Ann Arbor in the best place for them , and they need to even pull out a little "snake oil" and try to convince players committed elsewhere that being a Wolverine is a very special thing. (they also need the continue to lay the ground work for players in the class of 2011 as well). Saturday is a day where the Wolverine coaches will make thier money. They need to spend time with recruits, sell them on the Michigan program, and at the same time prepare to play it's biggest rival.

We all know Michigan has 20 players committed so far for the 2010 class. Which leaves 5 remaining spots or should I say 5 defensive spots. Michigan will still take a highly rated offensive player in that 5 but don't be surprised if all 5 go on Greg Robinson's side of the ball. Michigan expects 12 or more visitors for the Ohio State game this weekend.

Must Win's:

• Cullen Christian a top 100 player and 4 star CB out of Pittsburgh: who is attending the game and will make his announcement next Tuesday.
• Josh Furman a LB out of Maryland,(think Dhani Jones). Josh is a 3 star linebacker with a number of high profile offers including Oklahoma, Pitt, Virgina Tech, WVU and many others. (not planning an OSU game visit)
• Tony Grimes, a 3 star CB out of Florida. Tony maybe rated 3 stars but he has an offer sheet like a 4 or 5 star CB: Ohio State, Miami, Oklahoma State, Georgia, South Carolina, and so on. Tony will be in town on Saturday.

Really Need:

• Tony Jefferson, is a 4 star LB out of California and ranked in the top 50 of all players in the US. He has verballed to UCLA but has continued to take trips to Oklahoma and Arizona and will be in Ann Arbor on Saturday.
• Rashad Knight, a 4 star CB from Florida: could easily be put in the must win category. Has offers from mostly Big Ten, ACC, and Big East schools and will be in A2 this weekend.
• Dior Mathis, is a 4 star CB out of Cass Tech in Detroit. Dior has a final 4 of Michigan, MSU, Miami, and Oregon. He has been to a number of Michigan games this year already and comes from a school that usually sends it's top players to U of M. He is very similar in size and stature to Boubacar. He is 5"9 166 lbs. (rumor mill has Dior at State this weekend for the PSU game)

Nice to Have:

• Christian Jones, 4 star LB out of Florida huge offer list: Florida, ND, LSU and so on.
• Kenny Stills, a 4 star WR out of California
• Richard Ash, a 4 star DT out of Pahokee, Florida with a huge offer sheet including USC, LSU, and many other schools.
• Dillon Baxter, 4 star RB out of California and friend of Tate Forcier. A surprise visitor this weekend and has already committed to USC. Let's hope he has something to celebrate with his friend on Saturday night.
• Clarence Murphy, a DE and teammate of Tony Grimes. Could be one of RR's teammate specials. He is rated as a 3 star prospect and has offers from South Florida, Wisconsin, and Maryland.
• Kenny Shaw, a 4 star WR out of Florida. Played with Ricardo Miller last year.

Here is to Michigan finding a way to get two wins on Saturday! Go Blue!

RR Video on Boubacar

In what seems to be ironic timing: Boubacar's Disorderly Conduct Charge from last Summer was dismissed today in a Detroit court room.

Wolverine Wednesday: Bye Bye Boubacar

Rich Rodriguez has removed Boubacar Cissoko from the Michigan Football Team. He recently had been suspended but got back on the field against Penn State last Saturday. Michigan was playing him at corner and moving Troy Woolfolk back to Safety in certain formations.

As you might expect, this is a difficult loss for a secondary that is already very thin. At this point, I'm sure there are conversations about blowing Justin's Turners redshirt this year. Look for JT Floyd to get most of Boubacar's snaps but even he has been out for a couple weeks with the flu.

Boubacar was the starting right cornerback against Western Michigan but had trouble matching up with taller wide receivers and was often beat deep. He was a 5 star cornerback out of Cass Tech Detroit just two years ago.

So why did he get thrown off the team? Boubacar's High School Coach weighs in:

Cissoko's high school coach, Thomas Wilcher of Detroit Cass Tech, said Cissoko was dismissed from the team for missing class, missing workouts and missing study table.

"That's what he was suspended for in the first place," Wilcher told The Detroit News. "He's upset. He's going to transfer as long as he can meet the requirements."

Wilcher said Cissoko had a difficult time handling the "social structure" at Michigan.

"He couldn't handle it," Wilcher said. "He's always been a quiet kid. (But) he needs to do what needs to be done as a student-athlete. Nobody is bigger than the program."

Don't forget he also got into trouble this summer in Detroit when he was ridding in a car with a bunch of his friends and got pulled over.

Seems like Boubacar was a square peg in a round hole. It has to be difficult on kids that come from a urban setting like Detroit and find themselves in Ann Arbor. It must a big change on the academic and social side of life. I hope he finds a program that is a good fit for him as a person.

BTW: This doesn't look good for current 2010 recruit Dior Mathis to come to Michigan now. Dior is similar in size and ability to Boubacar. My guess is Boubacar's experience will sour him on the Wolverines. For what it's worth, I think Michigan needs taller corners anyway.

To flip this around, this could be just the news a top 2010 CB recurit like Cullen Christian needs to become a Wolveine.

Michigan - Penn State Preview

Time: 3:30 EST
Location: Big House
TV: ABC
Weather: Cloudy 45 degrees with rain expected at 6:00
Line: Michigan +4


With Michigan sitting at 5-2 some fans have forget what the goal of the 2010 season is; go to a bowl game. With a win on Saturday, Michigan would have its 6th win which equals bowl eligibility. That should be enough motivation for the Wolverines on Saturday, but they really don't need any extra motivation because this is Penn State week.

Penn State comes into A2 as the #13 ranked team in the country with the top ranked scoring defense in the country (tied with Florida at 8.7 a game) and an offense that has averaged 510 yards the last three games. So Michigan will have it's hands full on Saturday if they plan on getting #6.

The Big House of Horrors:

JoPa and Penn State hasn't won at the Big House since 1996 going 0-5 over that time period. Most games have been close, even losing one on a last second pass from Henne to Manningham. (I wonder what those two are up to these days?). In fact, Michigan had won 9 games in a row against PSU until they beat the Wolverines in Happy Valley last year.

Cupcake City Baby!

Penn State is 6-1 coming into Saturday's match up and their schedule so far in 2009 has been sponsored by Hostess. PSU has played one quality team (Iowa), which they lost. Michigan is coming off it's top cupcake game of the year last week against Delaware State where they ran up 727 total yards on offense.

What to look for on Saturday:

• Who can run the ball? Both Brandon Minor and Evan Royster had big games on the ground last year.



• Which QB's will excel? Michigan will play two freshman nick-named FedEX for the way they deliver: Tate in the Air and Denard on the ground. Both are healthy and ready for a special Saturday delivery. PSU has an athletic QB Daryll Clark who lead the Nittany Lions to a Big Ten Title last year.



• Who is too fat from the Cupcakes? I think we know more about the young Wolverines coming off their 63-3 win last Saturday but do we know enough about Penn State? They did shut out the Golden Gophers last Saturday in Happy Valley 20-0 but hasn't face an offense ranked higher then 75th nationally.

This will be a tough games on both sides of the ball. The Michigan defense is better then they were just 8 weeks ago. Penn State might not have played anyone yet, but is still a powerful team on both sides of the ball. Michigan will get a lift from having it's center David Molk back and it seems former starting cornerback Boubacar Cissoko might be back from his suspension and dress/play on Saturday. Penn State will be with out it's back up running back Stephfon Greenand and what is the status of Minor's ankle is still up in the air. Either way, this will be a hard hitting game and one not to be missed.

Get another "cold one" if:

• Tate and Denard can't move the ball on the Lions Defense


• The Fed Ex Duo continue to deliver to the wrong address (picks and fumbles)


• The Michigan defense lets Clark run around for a ton of first downs


• Michigan's defense finds itself in 3rd and 20


• JoPa announces his retirement before the start of the game

Sing "Hail to the Victors" if:

• Brandon Graham introduces himself to Darryl Clark many times


• Michigan can stop the run


• Brandon Minor runs like he did last year in Happy Valley


• RR and the offensive staff have a good/new offensive game plan


• Michigan goes 200/200 in the air and on the ground

The Michigan defense will go with a similar game plan as they did for Michigan State. Stop the run and pressure the pass. The mistake they made in that game was letting the State QB's run from pressure. Clark will eat Michigan's lunch if he gets loose and runs the ball. Look for Stevie Brown to spy on Clark, if Stevie blitzes he better get the sack. Vegas has Penn State favored by 4, which seems like the proper line. This game will show which team is ready for prime time and which needs more desserts. Michigan 28 Penn State 24

GO BLUE!

Michigan - Delaware State Post Game

photo courtesy of the Freep

So, I was right in my pre-game prediction of a 48-3 score, the problem was that was the score a half time.

I also predicted it would be over after the first quarter and it was. Everything worked for the Wolverines on Saturday on both sides of the ball.

This was never really a football game with a final score of 63-6, Delaware St. was over matched and was at the Big House on Saturday for a pay day and a chance for Michigan to get one game closer to Bowl Game. (BTW: The Champs Bowl in Orlando had a bowl representative in the press box during the game)

Since this was such a lopsided game, let's jump to the cheers and jeers.

Jeers:

• Didn't like seeing Tate Forcier sitting on the bench in the first half and not up and supporting Denard when he played.


• A few too many penalties for the Wolverines
• Need better coverage on kick off returns


• Mike Williams at times still looks lost a safety

Cheers:

• A record 727 total yards on offense


• 84 Wolverines played


• Vincent Smith's 166 yards on the ground


• Brandon Graham played great with two sacks and touchdown after a blocked punt


• The Grady Brothers - the first time brothers have scored since the Bump Elliott days


• No injuries

With Penn State next Michigan should feel pretty good about it's chances after posting 63 points. Some other notes:

• James Rodgers WR moved to CB during the game


• JT Floyd was out with the flu and didn't dress


• Carlos Brown didn't dress and was out with headaches still after his concussion


• Boubacar is still day to day with his suspension


• RR is hopeful to have Molk back next week


• The Michigan coaches were planning to play Tate more, but after the first drive they decided to hold him out the rest of the game.


• Big Will got a number of snaps on the defensive line


• Minor could have played on Saturday put RR kept him out just for rest.


• RR planned to play Shaw and Smith as the main RB's for this game


• The announced crowd was 106,000+ but there was a number of empty seats

Michigan Monday: Tate Forcier has a Concussion

Rich Rodriguez Monday Morning Press Conference:

• Tate Forcier suffered a concussion on his last play. His shoulder was sore but better then last week. Coach Rod said they believed it to be a minor concussion, but he still had a head ache this morning. The doctors and medical staff will make the call if he can play on Saturday. He will be limited this week in practice.
• RR did not know about the concussion when he made the decision to put Denard in for the last two series.
• Carlos Brown suffered his concussion last Tuesday and has been cleared to practice and play.
• Pleased with the effort of the offense line.
• Troy Woolfork had a tweaked ankle but played well in his move to CB.
• Jordan Kovacs moved from Free to Strong Safety and played pretty well.
• Too many un-forced errors.
• Happy with preparation, focus and intensity.
• Called out Odoms and Koger as playing well.
• Boubacar is practicing with the scout team. He needs to work on a few things including focusing on academics before he is re-instated.
• RR is closing practice (Wed.) to the media from now on due to plays and personnel hitting the papers and Internet.
• Molk will do some practice snaps today.

Moosman:

• Snaps were good this week
• He doesn't care if he plays center or right guard.
• The team is ready to go on Saturday
• He reads the New Yorker

Zoltan:

• Named Big Ten Special Team Player of the week.
• Happy about the honor but the team comes first.

Michigan - Iowa Post Game: A good effort in a loss

Bottom Line: You can't win a football game turning the football over 5 times, but Michigan almost did and probably should have.

This was a game of opposites for the 2009 Wolverines. The offensive line played well, Brandon Minor just had short of 100 yards, and Tate "the great" really wasn't.

This young team plays hard and sometimes dumb. Either way, I was very proud of how this team competed in a very difficult and cold environment.

The killer was the turnovers and 4 of them were un-forced. Tate's first past was a terrible decision into coverage, then the ball slips out of his hand on a bubble screen pass, Minor's fumble (the only forced turnover), the punt drop by Matthews, and the "air mail" pick by Denard on the final drive.

The Defense played very well and had it's best effort of the year. Boubacar Cissoko has been suspended for breaking team rules (the street is saying, he has been dogging it in practice and maybe been smoking some weed during the off times) and Troy Woolfolk played pretty well moving back to corner. Mike Williams did not play well replacing Woolfolk, he gave up two simple touchdowns to the tight end and wasn't deep enough on a long pass on 3rd and 24.

Tate struggled managing the game in the second half. I 100% agree with Coach Rod pulling him and getting Denard in there in the 4th quarter. I personally would have had Tate back in to run the final drive but you can't really question RR's decision after Denard had marched the team down the field for a touchdown just minutes before.

This wasn't a game Michigan was supposed to win and they all most did, they competed for 60 minutes and again all most won the game at the end. This team is growing up every game and there will be more special moments this year and the years to come. Don't forget this is not the year for championships, it's the year to make a bowl game and build for the future.

Jeers:

• The turnovers reminded us of last year. These are inexcusable and need to be fixed in practice.


• The defense in 2nd or 3rd and long. What is the problem here? Why can't we stop anyone in 3rd and really long.


• Mike Williams struggled at safety most of the day

Cheers:

• The Defense - played very hard all day and gave Michigan a chance to win with a pick 6, a goal line stance, and a stop after the on side kick.


• Denard - ran the offense well until his last pass.


• The offensive line was much improved against a very strong defensive line.


• The running game. Minor had 95 yards and Denard had 49 yards in just over one drive.


• Brandon Graham was great as usual


• Zoltan was just incredible in punting the ball and flipping the field.

Wolverines don't hold your head down today, you played hard and you can learn and build on this performance. BTW: I'm not buying the QB conservatory and that's there friction on this team. That is media talk, sure Tate didn't want to be benched but he was not running the offense well in the second half.

The media is trying to paint that this team isn't on the same page after back to back losses. Michigan wasn't favored in either one of these games and probably should have won both. They are on the same page, they are just making mistakes that most young teams do. They made similar mistakes against EMU, Western, IU and ND they were just able to over come them with a win. They weren't so lucky the last two weeks. I'm proud of how this team competed on Saturday.

Michigan Week 5 MASH Report

Out
Zac Johnson (shoulder)
David Molk (foot)

Probable (75% chance of playing)
Mike Williams (ankle)

Rich Rodriguez announced the game captains for Michigan State: running back Kevin Grady, defensive end Brandon Graham, running back Brandon Minor and left tackle Mark Ortmann.

You will notice Tate is not even listed as probable, so he will go for sure. Also JT Floyd will get the start over Boubacar at the cornerback position.

• 2.1 Million people watched the Michigan - IU game last weekend. It was the second largest audience for a Big Ten game on ESPN 2 ever. Which makes the decision to put the MSU game on the Big Ten Network very questionable.

Michigan Recruiting and Press Conference News and Notes

Recruiting:

• California DB Sean Parker is planning a Michigan visit: "They're playing USC so it should be a great game and I'm looking forward to seeing what the atmosphere is like. I don't have any other visits set after Cal. I know I want to take all five and I'm going to set one with Michigan, but that's the only other one I know of so far."
• Dior Mathis DB from Cass Tech still considers his final list Oregon, Michigan, Michigan State, Miami and Illinois. (he is 5"9 166, I'm just saying)
• Casey Prather like expected picked Florida Basketball over Michigan Basketball today.
• Look for a bunch of recruits to be in Ann Arbor for the Penn State and Ohio State games. (FYI Florida guys - it's usually 65 and sunny in November in Ann Arbor)
• Michigan commit to 2010 WR D.J. Williamson had surgery on his ankle this month.

RR's Press Conference today:

• Tate's shoulder is sore and will practice again today.
• Safety Mike Williams is practicing and will be ready for Saturday.
• Brandon Minor sat out Monday and Tuesday but practiced today.
• Boubacar and JT Floyd continue to battle for the starting CB spot. JT Turner is still a ways off but may still see some playing time this year. (you know they want to redshirt him if possible)
• RR doesn't believe the Michigan players have ever said anything dis-respectful to the Spartans. He also said the players use more of the "bulletin board" material then the coaches do for motivation.
• They have worked on snaps which seem better and heading up to East Lansing on Friday.