A Little History of Ferrum vs. CNU

Next Saturday, The Christopher Newport Captains will be at Adams Field to face Ferrum. This game will decide the conference championship, and will send the winner to the NCAA playoffs. Ferrum has not made a trip to the playoffs since 2005. That year, Ferrum put together a great season. They had gone 9-0, with one regular season game left to play. Ferrum had already clinched the conference crown, and while the final regular season game would not jeopardize their conference title, a win would likely make Ferrum a host of their first round playoff game, and give them an undefeated season. Standing in the way of this accomplishment was Christopher Newport. The Captains, who were very accustomed to conference championships, could only sit back and play the roll of the spoiler. This game was an important one for Ferrum, and a victory over the Captains would provide the Panthers with just their second win over CNU since it started football in 2001.
Although the stage was set for Ferrum to be awarded the championship trophy and the automatic bid, their first round playoff game would be played in Delaware. That is because CNU pasted a 44-7 shellacking on the Panthers. Ferrum would face Wesley (DE) in the first round, and things did not go that smooth for Ferrum then either. The Wolverines beat Ferrum 59-14.
In the 5 years since that playoff year, Ferrum has fallen to the Captains in every meeting. In that time, CNU has outscored Ferrum 157-85. The closest game in that time span was a 13-10 loss in Newport News.
You have to go back to 2003 when CNU visited Adams field for the first time to see the only victory Ferrum has collected over the Captains.....Then the #11 ranked Captains. Ferrum never trailed in this game, and came away with a 19-17 win. This lone win was played on November 15 2003, and almost eight years later Ferrum will be looking to achieve its second win over CNU.
While there are many who will contend that CNU has an unfair advantage because it is a State supported school while all other USA South institutions are private, (You will get no argument from me on this point), personally, I do not think that the public / private issue will figure into Saturday's outcome. This year, I think Ferrum and CNU are more evenly matched than certainly in the last five years, and possibly longer.
This year, Ferrum is a strong team that has a focus and a visible will to win. Ferrum is very fast, and has a stable of running backs and receivers that most schools would envy. Marcus Mayo is the spark plug to the Ferrum engine. His abilities, while well documented, leave most defenses exasperated, and Ferrum fans with sore palms from clapping, and a touch of laryngitis from screaming. I believe that Ferrum can and will defeat CNU. They have more weapons than Batman's utility belt, and certainly are becoming quite proficient at using them.
So what does CNU bring to the table?

The Captains will bring a strong running game, and a very good quarterback.
RB's Evan Moog, Markeese Stovall, and Marcus Morrast provide plenty of explosive power in the backfield.
The quarterback situation is a little less clear for CNU. Earlier in the season, starting quarterback Christian Woelfel-Monsivasis was lost to injury, and was replaced by Lyndon Garner. This injury sidelined Woelfel-Monsivasis likely for the remainder of the season. Garner had come in and been very effective for CNU, but he too was injured Saturday in the Captains win over Greensboro. He did not return to the game, and was replaced by Aaron Edwards who completed 6 of 7 passes for 39 yards.
It is not clear who will be under center for the Captains, but you can bet he will be capable.
CNU will also bring an offensive line that averages 286 pounds across.
Defense for the Captains will also be strong, but they seem to have struggled this year stopping the pass. Games against Stevenson, Salisbury, Shenandoah, and to a certain extent Methodist( 2 TD's with less than a min. remaining, but against back ups) has left question marks about the secondary.
Make no mistake, they will be a well prepared defense on Saturday.
Special teams is headlined by placekicker Stephen Denuel, and return specialist Kentel Noel. Noel is always a threat to take one all the way, and led the conference in this category in 2010.
Look for this to be a barn burner, and look for all the stops to be pulled out by both teams to secure the win.

See you Saturday!

Go Panthers!

MZone Autopsy: Dissecting the Purdue Game

Folks, this is going to be a lot more enjoyable than our first "autopsy" feature when we were forced to cut open the corpse found buried in plastic bags outside Spartan Stadium.  

MZONE AUTOPSY REPORT: Purdue

1.  During the previous three seasons, last weekend's Purdue game is one U-M would have probably lost.  One of those dreaded "second half of the season" games that revealed Michigan to be imploding rather than improving.

But not this time.  Not this year.

Michigan stomped on an inferior opponent the way it should have, both defensively and offensively.  It was -  dare I say - like old times.  In talking to my former MZone cohort Benny yesterday, he mentioned that we still don't know how good Michigan is because we haven't beaten any good teams (ND falls into a "maybe" depending on which weekend we're talking about).  And while I agreed with him, I said the biggest difference is that, while we may indeed not be great team, Michigan is playing football at a level now that has the Wolverines beating the teams they're supposed to.  The teams Michigan used to routinely pound, with every game not being a coin flip.

Yes, I'm so damn scarred by the previous three seasons that, after Purdue's initial drive, I felt a flash of deja vu all over again.  But Michigan stayed the course and eventually put Purdue away, pretty much by halftime and certainly before the 3rd quarter was over.

How refreshing.

While we probably won't go 4-0 to end the season, I can honestly say I wouldn't be surprised if we did.  And, unlike years past (okay, three of them), I would be very surprised if we went 0-4.

2.  So that's what a running game looks like.  Boy, was it beautiful to see a Michigan player not named Denard tear up the opposition's defense on the ground.  RB Fitz Toussaint's 170 yard day (59 of it coming on a beautiful TD run in the third quarter) is the sort of output that U-M fans used to be used to.  If the Wolverines can make this a regular thing - and do it against high quality teams - look out.  It will take a hell of a load off of Denard.  Put it this way, if the Maize and Blue can establish this sort of ground game on a weekly basis, it's going to be fun to watch folks notice other good things which will happen as a result.  Like, "Wow, I didn't know Denard was such a good passer!"  Funny how that works.

3.  For the first time this season, injuries are a concern for the Wolverines.  Up until this point, Michigan has been beyond blessed in the health department.  Not anymore.  Safety Jordon Kovacs missed the game and is probably out for Iowa with a knee injury.  Left guard Ricky Barnum re-injured his ankle and had to leave the game.  And left tackle Taylor Lewan had to miss part of the game with what could be a knee injury.  With Michigan's lack of depth and four tough closing games, it's not good.  But as Coach Hoke said about the injuries, "That's football."

4.  The "Rocket Man" entrance of the game ball was cool as hell.



About the only negative was that this was the loudest thing inside The Big House on Saturday.  I'm actually mildly surprised nobody yelled "down in front" at the guy as he flew past.

5.  Shame on the students.  Where the hell were you?!  You can see it in the "Rocket Man" video above as well as many of the YouTube vids posted: the students simply didn't show up.  No, I'm not talking "late arriving," I mean the student section NEVER FILLED UP (the pink cancer "M" students were trying to form had holes in it the entire game).  Not gonna put up much about this now because I think this deserves its own post.  But there is no excuse and it's just sad. 

6. I think Michigan won twice yesterday: By beating Purdue and hearing about Sparty losing to Nebraska.

7. A safety?! You remember what those are, don't you?  Can you believe it had been EIGHT YEARS since U-M's defense last recorded one (vs. Houston in 2003).  I don't want to say U-M fans are shocked to see such things after Gerg and the last three years, but check out the fan video of the safety below.  There was less pandemonium by the dude working the camera in CLOVERFIELD when he was being chased by the giant monster.



8. Man, I really enjoy beating Danny Hope. Especially since we probably don't have that many more years to do it.

Panthers Dispatch Hornets 41-28 Await CNU for the Title

For a game that seemed to take forever to get started, it seemed like it took equally as long to end. The game with the Shenandoah Hornets was postponed due to an unusual October snowstorm that hit the Shenandoah Valley and much of the Northeast U.S. The Saturday night contest was rescheduled for Sunday at 1p.m., and then rescheduled again for Sunday at 3p.m.
After all of the delays, the Ferrum offense came out of the locker room ready to play. They wasted little time getting on the board as at the 10:22 mark of the first half, Steven Harris took a hand off 35 yards for a touchdown, and with the Puschell extra point, Ferrum lead 7-0.
At the 3:42 mark of the first quarter, Harris again found the end zone, this time from one yard out, and with the extra point Ferrum took a 14-0 lead into the second quarter.
Early in the second quarter, Shenandoah got on the board as quarterback Daniel Wright scored on a short run to make the score 14-7 Ferrum.
At 7:17 left in the first half, quarterback Marcus Mayo faked out everyone in Shentel Stadium, and kept the ball on an option play. 70 yards later he was in the end zone, and Ferrum lead 21-7.
With 4:50 left in the half, Mayo again took the ball to the house, and Ferrum lead at the half 28-7.
The second half started out good for the Panthers as they picked up right where they left off. Mayo this time took to the air, and found Dontavious Gilbert on a pass that he took 70 yards down the sideline. Ferrum lead 35-7.
Mayo would account for the final Ferrum points as he scored from 6 yards out. 2 penalties on the extra point left Puschell with about a 40 yard extra point. The kick was short, and Ferrum lead 41-7.
Shenandoah did not show any quit, and with the help of several Ferrum errors scored 21 points to make the final score 41-28. For me, it was a little too close, and took too long for the game to end. All in all however, Ferrum played a solid game.
The defense was strong all day, and kept the big play threat of Daniel Wright and Rico Wallace under 100 passing yards. Wright ended the day with 232 passing yards, but of those Wallace only had 68.
Ferrum will need to enjoy this bus ride back, because it gets down to the nitty gritty this week. Saturday, CNU comes to town and the winner will win the USA South conference and a birth in the NCAA playoffs. Somewhere Ferrum has not been since 2005.
There will be more on this game as the week progresses.

Go Panthers!

Update

All information I can find indicates that the kickoff has indeed been moved to 3 pm.
Go Panthers!

Game Time Changed

While it is difficult to confirm, It appears thet kickoff has been pushed back to 3 p.m.for today's game. This is likely due to field conditions from the recent snowfall. I will post more information as I get it.

GAMEDAY Take Two

Not a lot to add to yesterday's article. The main question that comes to mind is how will the delay affect the team? My guess is that this will not cause a great deal of difference in the way the Panthers approach Shenandoah, but may affect the practice routine leading up to Christopher Newport.
If Sunday is utilized at all after a Saturday game, it probably is for meetings, and I would imagine that it does not involve a huge amount of time. So with the game being on Sunday, Ferrum will likely utilize the bus ride to have their meetings. Beyond that, I think the Christopher Newport preparation will be unaffected.
The main thing is to take care of business in Winchester.  That is the only thing that matters. If there is total focus on the Shenandoah game, the rest will take care of itself.

GAME POSTPONED!!!

The Ferrum @ Shenandoah game had been postponed until tomorrow at 1 p.m. This is due to the heavy snowfall that has moved into the northern Shenandoah Valley.  See link below:
http://www.suhornets.com/sports/fball/2011-12/releases/201110296dnxaz

GAMEDAY

Tonight's game against the Shenandoah Hornets is a very big game for Ferrum. The past two games, Methodist and Greensboro, and the next two games represent the bottom and the top of the conference respectively. Tonight Ferrum plays for several things. A win tonight will guarantee the Panthers a winning season. A win tonight will eliminate Shenandoah from the conference title race, and a win tonight will set up an all or nothing game nest Saturday against Christopher Newport.
The Panthers tonight must contend with the best passing offense in the conference. Shenandoah quarterback, Daniel Wright is ranked 25th in the nation in passing efficiency, and leads an offense that overall is ranked 41st in the nation. His favorite receiver is Rico Wallace, Wallace is ranked 25th in the nation for receptions per game, and 4th in the nation for receiving yards per game.
Last year, Wright set a new SU record for passing yards against Ferrum as he became the first Hornets quarterback to have more than 300 yards passing in a game. Wallace also set a record in that game as he caught nine passes for 224 yards. The interesting thing to note was that Ferrum still won the game.56-20.
From last year to this year, both teams have improved greatly.
Marcus Mayo is a true triple threat. Passing, running and on punt returns, Mayo has scored 13 touchdowns this season. 6 passing, 6 running, and 1 on a punt return against North Carolina Wesleyan. Mayo has completed 50% of his passes (62 of 124) and is averaging 4.9 yards per carry when he runs with the ball.
Derrick West, Tyler Brubaker, and Makaya Jackson are still Mayo's favorite targets, and between the three of them they have accounted for 713 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns.
Ferrum and Shenandoah can both put points on the board, and statistically they are very similar defensively.
The Panther defense against the run is ranked 29th in the nation (D3), and their defense against the pass is ranked 78th nationally....this is a huge improvement. This time last year the pass defense was ranked 208th nationally. On defense the Hornets are very good at stopping the run. They are ranked 60th in the nation. Their pass defense is no slouch either as they are ranked 32nd in the nation.

The rushing offense of the Panthers is ranked 16th in the nation, and the passing offense is ranked 184th...but we really focus on the run via the option.Overall Ferrum's offense is ranked 56th in the nation.
For the Hornets, they do not run the ball particularly well. Their rushing offense is ranked 132nd, but their passing offense is the 42nd best in the country.

So it boils down to two teams that are good on both sides of the ball. This should be a really good game, Look for this game to possibly go into overtime, and look for a special teams play to figure huge in the outcome.
Go Panthers!

Michigan vs. Purdue Open Thread

Michigan returns to action after a bye week for its homecoming game against the Purdue Boilermakers. Leave us your thoughts on U-M/Purdue and all of Saturday's cfb action below.

This pic just kinda felt homecomey

No need for a 1967 repeat.....but a Panther victory is necessary

In 1965, Ferrum won its first of four National Junior College Athletic Association National Championships. In 1966, they were National Runner up, losing to Kilgore Texas 28-7. This loss ended a 19 game unbeaten streak for the Panthers, likely leaving a very sour taste in the mouths of the entire team. It would stand to reason that the team that Ferrum opened the season against in 1967, would be the object of much pent up frustration.
The team that drew the short straw was the Shenandoah Hornets. While I have no statistics from this game, and I do not even know where it was played, I do know that Shenandoah was the victim of a much better team that was still brooding over the way the season ended, and the victim of a team that decided that it needed to make a statement from the start.  Ferrum exterminated the Hornets 80-6. The 80 point mark has been reached twice by the Panthers, but the highest point total ever was against Baltimore Community College whom the Panthers defeated 83-3.

I do not look for that type of a blowout by any means. These two teams are far different from those fielded by their respective Colleges in 1967. Ferrum is a strong team, but likely very different than the 67 Panthers. I think it is also a safe bet to think that Shenandoah has improved greatly since then. That 1967 season would be the final year of football at Shenandoah until it was re introduced in 2000. Overall, Ferrum and Shenandoah have played 14 times, and Ferrum leads the series 12-2. The Hornets won in 2003, and 2004.
This year, Ferrum is in nearly a must win situation. They can eliminate Shenandoah from contention of the USA South title, and return home on Nov. 5th for a showdown for all the marbles against Christopher Newport University. A loss will likely result in utilizing the USA South tiebreaker system to determine who goes to the playoffs.. I will explain that in another article.... if necessary.
The weather forecast for Saturday, is cold and snow. I really think this will help Ferrum as they will tend to keep it on the ground, and Shenandoah will pass often.
This game will not be a 1967 style blowout, rather it may be low scoring due to the weather, but 1 point or 80, Ferrum needs to win.....Go Panthers!

WEATHER FORECAST!

The forecast from the Weather Channel for Wincherster Virginia for Saturday is as follows:

Cloudy with rain and snow in the morning, becoming all snow in the afternoon. Cold. Temps nearly steady in the mid 30s. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precip 90%. 5 to 8 inches of snow expected.

Know Your Foe - Purdue 2011

Saturday marks Michigan's homecoming game as the 6-1 Wolverines welcome Purdue to The Big House.  This will be the 57th meeting between the two schools, with Michigan winning last year's contest, 27-16.  But those are the facts you can find anywhere.  Below is the stuff you didn't know in another death-defying edition of Know Your Foe.

"Hey, IU -- blow me!"

History: Purdue was founded as a land grant college on May 6, 1869 when the Indiana General Assembly accepted a $150K donation and 100 acres of land from Lafayette businessman John Purdue to establish a college of science, technology, and agriculture in his name. But it wasn’t just the Morrill Act and Purdue's love of education that got the school started. It was spite. Purdue had been denied a professorship at Indiana University. So to help Indiana students have an alternative to the school in Bloomington, Purdue donated the money and land to help start the school that would bear his name.  Classes first began at Purdue on September 16, 1874 with 39 students. Purdue issued its first degree, not surprisingly a Bachelor of Science, in 1875.

As a side note, Mr. Purdue’s is buried on campus near the Union Building, which is surprising since we at the MZone thought it was hidden inside that giant drum they wheel around the football field.

Location: West Lafayette, Indiana. Purdue is the flagship of the six campuses within the Purdue University System, one of the largest university systems in the United States. It is situated in Tippecanoe County about 65 miles northwest of Indianapolis. The place is named in honor of General Lafayette, a French military hero who fought with the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

Can't be all bad in WL, right?

While Andy claimed in a previous KYF to have known some nice looking Purdue grads, he also noted this in no place to go looking for girls. According to the 2000 US Census, for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 137.2 males in West Lafayette.  This unusual distribution can be explained by Purdue's strong academic programs in male-dominated fields such as engineering.  Whatever the reason, the MZone hereby motions to rename West Lafayette as Sausage, Indiana.

Nickname: Boilermakers.  The nickname dates back to 1891 when a local reporter referred to the football team as “Boiler Makers” following a 44-0 whitewash of Wabash College. The title of the story was called “Slaughter of Innocents” (which is an apt description of the previous three years of Michigan Football). The next year the student newspaper (still called the Exponent) began using the name and it stuck. As far as nicknames go, this one is a true original. Purdue is the only college known as the Boilermakers.

Before becoming the Boilermakers, Purdue’s sports teams had a bunch of silly industrial/farming names, including the surreal “Clod Mashers and Lunch Punishers from the wilds of Tippecanoe County”. Other names were the Corn Huskers, Rail Splitters, Haymakers, LogHaulers, Blacksmiths, Sluggers, Hayseeds, Pumpkin-shuckers and my personal favorite: Cornfield Sailors...not that there's anything wrong with that.

Kiddie ride? Nope. Purdue's mascot

Mascot: The Boilermaker Special has been the official mascot of Purdue University since 1940. It essentially is a Victorian-era railroad locomotive built on a truck chassis. The Special was originally designed to demonstrate Purdue's engineering programs. It is "street legal" and can be driven on expressways at a top speed of 65mph and it attends all of Purdue’s football games home & away. Hats bearing the logos of defeated opponents are attached to the Boilermaker Special's cow-catcher (which leaves it pretty empty some years). There is a smaller version (called the X-Tra) for indoor events. The Special is operated, maintained, and funded by the unfortunately named Purdue Reamer Club.

Just to be confusing, the official mascot of Purdue athletics since 1940 has been Purdue Pete. He began as a logo for the campus bookstore. He made his first physical appearance as the athletics mascot at a pep rally in 1956. Pete has lost his head several times, literally. They lost his original paper-mache head in 1962 on the way back from Iowa City. The head was in the back of the Boilermaker Special when a strong gust of wind blew it out into the road. The crew stopped the Special and searched for hours for the head without any luck. The only thing they found was little piece of the shoulder pad.

About the only think missing from Purdue Pete, in our opinion, is a super 'stache in honor of the apparent coaching pre-req at PU.

Colors/Logo/Helmet: In 1887 Purdue University adopted its school colors, Old Gold and Black. These distinctive colors were inspired by the brass and iron found on the steam engine Lafayette that passed through the state (OK, we get it -- you like trains). Unlike Big Ten teams Iowa and Minnesota, the Purdue gold is actually gold, not yellow.

They use a “forward moving P,” as their primary logo. This logo is nice clean and basic. They have also used various versions of a train engine as an alternative logo. Again, it is a uniquely Purdue symbol and there is no confusing it with any other college logo.


Considering they have not had a ton of success as a football program, they have a pretty stable helmet history. In the early 1950’s Purdue’s helmets looked a little bit like the Michigan helmets without the wings. They went to a “numbers on the side” period in the 1960’s until they went with the current gold with a black P in the early 1970’s. However, for some reason during the last two years of the Fred Akers era they had a two-year fling with black helmets (1989 and 1990).

When Drew Brees led Purdue to the 2001 Rose Bowl, they wore a special “Rose Bowl” version of the helmet. I think it looked great because it combined the classic Purdue style with the very special (and rare, as it only happened once before in '67) occasion of the Rose Bowl visit.

Fight Song Hail Purdue! is the official fight song of Purdue University. The lyrics were written by James Morrison, to the tune set by Edward Wotawa in 1913. The song was initially titled "Purdue War Song" and was dedicated to the Varsity Glee Club, of whom Wotawa was a member.  The lyrics also talk about friendship, and time spent together, so it starts to devolve into a poem a guy would write to a girlfriend he just dumped, but overall a solid fight song.



Hail Purdue
To your call once more we rally,
Alma Mater, hear our praise;
Where the Wabash spreads its valley,
Filled with joy our voices raise.
From the skies in swelling echoes
Come the cheers that tell the tale,
Of your vic'tries and your heroes,
Hail Purdue! We sing all hail!

Hail, hail to old Purdue!
All hail to our old gold and black!
Hail, hail to old Purdue!
Our friendship may she never lack,
Ever grateful ever true,
Thus we raise our song anew,†
Of the days we've spent with you,
All hail our own Purdue.

When in after years we're turning,
Alma Mater, back to you,
May our hearts with love be yearning,
For the scenes of old Purdue.
Back among your pathways winding
Let us seek what lies before,
Fondest hopes and aims e'er finding,
While we sing of days of yore.


Academics: The reputation of Purdue as a top engineering school is well known. It was the first university in America to award an aviation engineering degree under the direction of the Wright brothers. Purdue was the first university in the country to offer college credit for flight training, and the first to offer a degree in aviation. Over the last ten years, Purdue has awarded more aerospace engineering degree than any other school, and awards more engineering degrees to women than any college in the country. It’s known as the cradle of astronauts, and has one of the largest international student populations of any public university in the U.S.

According to the latest US News and World Reports rankings, Purdue comes in #62.  Not exactly Michigan, but more importantly to John Purdue -- higher ranked than Indiana!

Athletics: Purdue was a charter member of the Big Ten and played a central role in its creation. They have an intense rivalry with Indiana in all sports. The Boilermakers battle the Hoosiers on the football field each year to win the Old Oaken Bucket. Purdue leads the series by a wide margin. Found on a farm in southern Indiana, the oaken bucket is one of the oldest football trophies in the nation. The winner of game gets to add a bronze "P" or "I" chain link and keep the trophy until the next face-off. Ironically, the first competition in 1925 led to a 0-0 tie, resulting in the first link on the chain being an "IP."

It is good that they battle so hard with Indiana, because in over 100 years of Big Ten football the Boilermakers haven’t really battled anyone else. They have won only one non-shared conference championship (1929) and have only shared of seven others. Only two of those co-championships have taken place in the last 55 years.

But in basketball it is a different story -- Boilermaker Basketball teams have won more Big Ten Championships than any other conference school, with 27 (Men 21 and Women 6). The guys have been to two Final Fours and the ladies three. The Purdue Women won the NCAA title 1999 while the Men were voted NCAA Champs in 1932 (before the NCAA tourney).

The rest of the Boilermakers athletic teams are just plain weak. In this century, they’ve only won a handful of Big Ten titles. They show no historical conference dominance in any sport. Their only other national championships have come in golf (1961 Mens and 2010 Ladies).

Purdue's Popcorn Engineer

Famous alums: Purdue alumni have headed corporations, held federal offices, founded television networks, and flown through space. Purdue’s distinguished faculty have won Nobel prizes, solved long-standing riddles in science, headed government agencies, and received countless awards. Famous Purdue people include: Russell Games Slayter, inventor of fiberglass; Harold Gray, creator of Little Orphan Annie; George Peppard, movie actor; Orville Redenbacher, popcorn king; and Ruth Siems, inventor of stove top stuffing. They have a nice list of famous athletes including legendary basketball coach John Wooden; NFL Hall of Fame coach Hank Stram; and Pro Bowl QBs Drew Brees, Len Dawson, and Bob (you can call me Brian's Dad) Griese. I would be remiss without mentioning that former Lions QB and current SEC lobbyist Gary Danielson went to Purdue. It is sad to see that a guy that went to high school in Michigan and attended a Big Ten School can be such a blow-hard against his midwestern football roots.

As I mentioned above, Purdue is known as the "Cradle of Astronauts". They have graduated 22 NASA astronauts, including the first and last men to walk on the moon. Pretty impressive. The most recognizable Purdue Space Man is Neil Armstrong. So yes, Purdue beats Michigan in the race to space -- but they have no US Presidents.  White House, Bitches!

The Game:  The previous two years, this is the point at which the bottom begins to fall out of the Michigan season: quick start, crappy ending.  But I just can't believe Brady's Boys will let that happen.  I can't.  Not again.  Not on homecoming.  Against a Danny Hope-coached team.

This game will be no cakewalk as Purdue stepped up and smacked Illinois last weekend on the road.  But that's more of a Zooker issue that something that can be attributed to Purdue props.

No, I think MSU was not the "beginning of the end," but rather just a stumble.  And tomorrow Denard has his best game of the season.

Michigan - 34
Purdue - 24

The Coaches' Wife

Something I often struggle with is being a better husband, especially during football season.  Here was a good thread from the Huey board called Time Commitment to Wives/Girlfriends in Season that I enjoyed reading by Coach DiCocco:

1. If you can fulfill your film-breakdown responsibilities at home, then do it at home.

2. Have a "date-night" once per week. Whatever your day-off or early-night is, make that date night. Better yet, make it HER night... let her pick the dinner, activity, movie, etc.

3. Don't waste time at the office. Sometimes "staff meetings" digress into storytelling and reminiscing sessions... Keep in mind: We all have business at hand, and families at home. Do your job well, but be efficient with it and take care of your family life as well.

4. Make Valentine's Day a big occasion. Really. No seriously. Valentine's Day is the one day where football coaches reward their wives for putting up with us all through the football season. If you don't believe me, then why is it usually the week right after the Super Bowl?

5. Call your wife at lunch-time everyday...or if you can, try to have lunch with her. At the very least, pick a specific time to call or at least text her...to say that you love her, etc. Make it a daily routine at a specific time. She'll look forward to it, and it will help keep you grounded as well.

6. If you and your wife work at the same school, or in the same vacinity: carpool to and from work if at all possible. This will give you extra "quality time" for conversations each day.

7. Make your marriage and your family a priority. Being a coach is a lifestyle, and it is one of the most important jobs you will ever have. But, being a Good Husband and a Good Father are THE most important jobs you have. Always keep your priorities right in life, and you will be alright in life. Remember also, that you are teaching your students and players how to be husbands. Everything you do and say in your own marriages, you are in some way teaching them for their future marriages. The same is true of fatherhood.

8. Invite your wife to Team Dinners and all games. Some staffs are real "families" and often have coaches' wives and children around dinners, events, games, and practices.

9. Make use of some great resources out there. The All Pro Dad organization and website are great resources, which offer tons of great tips and advice for being a better husband and a better father. Visit www.AllProDad.com to learn more.

9-A. Also, read up on some good books. Texas high school coach, Randy Allen, has a great book with a lot of practical on-field and off-field tips. The book is called: "Coaching By the Book." It is available at
www.coachrandyallen.com/hmpgCoachingbythebook.html

Also, the book "Playbook for Manhood" has a lot of great life-advice on being a good man, a good husband, and a good father. It is available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Playbook-Manhood-B....- 1&tag=pbv-20.

10. Have your wife reference some good websites as well. The American Football Coaches Wives Association is a great website, that has some really good articles for wives on what to expect from their husbands' involvement with coaching. Visit www.AFCwa.org to learn more.

11. Always show respect for your wife's efforts and her profession. Be appreciative of what she does for your marriage, for your family, and for her own career as well. Sometimes as coaches, we tend to think that we "grind" more than other people and their lives/jobs... not always true. Your wife works hard, too... just in a different capacity. Don't make it seem like you work harder or more than she does. That will sow the seeds of resentment.

12. Keep your wife happy. I always tell my student-athletes: "Keep your position coach happy." "When your position coach is happy, then you're happy. If your position coach isn't happy... then he'll make your life miserable at practice." The same is true with your spouse.

Remember these words: "Happy wife: happy life." "Happy spouse: happy house."

13. Love your wife. Tell her you love her. Make sure she knows you love here. Make her a priority in your life. It's just like with football... you can talk about how important 3rd Downs are... but the real priority that you place on it can be found in how much time you devote to situational work in your practice schedule. Don't just pay mere lip service to your marriage. Make it a priority.

Some of the most important lessons that we teach as football coaches are the values of Commitment, Sacrifice, and Devotion. Therefore, be committed to your wife and to your marriage. Make the sacrifices necessary to preserve your marriage: keep it a priority in your life. Be devoted to your wife and be faithful. "Semper Fi" - "Always Faithful." If that saying is good enough for the Marine Corps, then it's good enough for any and every one of us. Be faithful to your wife. Always. Period. No exceptions, and no excuses.

©2005, CoachHuey.com, All Rights Reserved.

Here is another good thread link and Coach DiCocco has two good websites to take a look at:

 
http://www.coachhuey.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=49017

http://www.coachdicocco.com/

http://www.realmaninc.org/


Good article and video here on the Hudl site by Greg Nelson with Nebraska offensive cut-up.

25 Things We Love About Michigan Football Saturdays: #15 Carl Grapentine

You remember this list, don't you? Well, I barely did. Heck, I had to go back and look at my notes to remember where we were on our countdown. But I'm up to speed and we continue today with...

#15 Michigan Marching Band and Stadium Announcer Carl Grapentine

"Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the Michigan Marching Band. Baaaaaand, take the field!"

You just got chills, didn't you? Yeah, me, too.

When you hear Carl Grapentine, the Michigan Marching Band and Big House announcer, utter those words over the stadium PA system on Saturday, all will be good in the world.  The game will be mere moments away.  And Grapentine's soothing baritone will have just set the stage.  Like your mom saying grace before Thanksgiving dinner.  You wouldn't even think of touching the turkey until mom had her say.

Same with Carl in The Big House.

For me, the game doesn't start when the Wolverines run out of the tunnel.  Or when they race under the "M Go Blue" banner.  Or even at kick-off.  Nope.  I'm in full game-mode as soon as I hear Grapentine.

According to the Michigan Marching Band website, "Grapentine has been 'The Voice of the Michigan Band' since 1970 when he was appointed to the post by Dr. William D. Revelli.  An alumnus of the University of Michigan School of Music, he played oboe in the Symphony Band and Symphony Orchestra, and was baritone soloist with the Men's Glee Club during his student years."  Having outlasted Bo, Mo, Carr and Rich Rod, Grapentine is as much a part of the band and the gameday experience as anybody down on the field forming the giant block "M".

In 2006, Grapentine added to his duties when he became the stadium PA announcer, as well.  He took over for Howard King, who was The Big House public address announcer for 33 years, from 1972 until his retirement at the end of the 2005 season.

In this capacity, Grapentine is responsible for this other chill-inducing announcement...

"Good afternoon.  And welcome.  To the University of Michigan football stadium.  And this, the 57th meeting between Michigan and Purdue.  Now for the starting lineups..."

Then, after the teams are introduced on Saturday...

"...And in his first season as head coach...Brady Hoke!"

Here come the chills again.

Ladies and gentlemen, presenting #15 on our list of the 25 Things We Love about Michigan Football Saturdays...Carl Grapentine.



ED. NOTE: Notice how he no longer says, to my knowledge, the exact number of members in the MMB as he does in the above older recording. Anybody know when that stopped and why? Or am I just not paying attention like I should these days?

Danny Hope's Next Job

As our friend Michigan Sports Girl of @SupportBradyHoke pointed out, apparently a super 'stache must be part of the job description for the Purdue head coaching job (which makes them look like a motorcycle cop, giant douchebag, or both).

Here's current coach Danny Hope...

"Step out of the vehicle please, ma'am."

...Who replaced Joe Tiller...

"He said, Step out of the vehicle.
Don't make me tase you!"

...Who was often mistaken for actor Wilford Brimley...

This is NOT Joe Tiller, though Purdue teams often play
like the cast of COCOON

...But never Sam Elliot from The Big Lebowski...

"Way out west - West Lafayette,
actually -  there was this coach..."

But let's face it, the Purdue head coaching job isn't exactly a long-term employment opportunity.  So the MZone brain trust got together to bat around some suggestions for Hope when the time comes for his inevitable post-Boilermaker job search.  Let's face it, with his look, he should have no problem landing one of the jobs below.


MOTORCYCLE COP

As mentioned above, this really is the obvious choice.  But it goes both ways.

Danny Hope's next job...or Purdue's next coach?

70s PORN STAR

Sure, the time travel part might be tough. But with Hope's look, it might be worth overcoming the technical difficulties.

"Wanna see my 4-4 stack?"

FORMER PRESIDENT TEDDY ROOSEVELT

Again, there are the time travel issues. But if Hope's only "attribute" is the 'stache - thus ruling out the 70s porn star - might be worth a shot.

...Especially when you consider that Joe Tiller pulled a SOMEWHERE IN TIME and is currently William Howard Taft in an alternate reality...

FOX NEWS "REPORTER" JOHN STOSSEL

Might be some overlap here with the 70s Porn Star.

"Is that a candle?  You tell me."

So, did we forget anything?  Leave us your suggestion for Danny Hope's post-Purdue job in the comments section.

Game Prieview Ferrum @ ShenandoahNow It Gets Serious

Up to this point in the season, Ferrum has shown that they are a very good and capable team. Overcoming the losses to Emory and Henry, and Hampden-Sydney, Ferrum started its current 5 game winning streak with a thrashing of Bridgewater. I am not sure what exactly happened in week 4, but something happened, and so far, the Panthers have not looked back.
Not all games however present with the same degree of difficulty. Ferrum (5-2,4-0) is about to face its most severe tests since the Hampden-Sydney game. On the docket this week are the Shenandoah Hornets. Shenandoah (4-3,3-1) has been very solid all season. In looking over their statistics, they thrive on the pass. Their quarterback/receiver combination of Daniel Wright and Rico Wallace give the Hornets the 25th most efficient passing offense in the country. This will be a major focus of the Panthers defense, but they need to be aware of their running game also. The running game is not the focus of the Hornet offense, but Brad Martz seems to be their primary running back.He was just named USA South Offensive Player of the Week, for the week of  October 17th.

Shenandoah's passing game breaks down like this:

The Hornets have completed 128 of 210 passes for 1757 yards and 18 touchdown passes. The Hornets have thrown 9 interceptions. All of the touchdowns were thrown by Daniel Wright. He has also rushed for 4 touchdowns.
Rico Wallace has caught 49 passes for 974 yards and 11 touchdowns. Wallace is averaging just under 20 yards per reception.
Shenandoah ranks first in the conference in passing offense, and 42nd in the nation.
When Wright decides to target another receiver, look for it to be Qydaar Murphy. Murphy is ranked second in the team statistics, and is a very nice compliment to Wallace.

They have a strong passing game, but the running game has been far less effective. Ranked 4th in the conference and 192nd in the nation, the Hornets are averaging 142 yards per game running the ball. This comes out to 3.5 yards per carry. In total, the Hornets have run the ball 283 of their 493 offensive plays.

While there have been several like opponents, the only team that Ferrum defeated and Shenandoah lost to was Bridgewater. It appears at first glance that Bridgewater utilized a strong ground game, along with a pick six of Wright. The Eagles defeated the Hornets 28-23.
Shenandoah also lost to Randolph Macon, and Christopher Newport. Their largest margin of defeat was just 7 points, and that was the same margin for both the Randolph Macon, and CNU games.

Keys to a Ferrum Win:


Get pressure on the quarterback- This needs to be constant and disruptive.
Be prepared for many many passes on the part of the SU offense.
Control the clock...control time of possession. If we have the ball, they cannot score.
Force turnovers.
Special teams be ready. A Mayo PR for a TD would be nice. Puschell, keep up the good work. Be ready to come in and win the game.
Lastly....need I say this? No turnovers, and no penalties....You cannot give this team any advantage. Play disciplined football.

Huge game, and the last road game for Ferrum. The Panthers need this win very very much. To do it, they need fan support. Ferrum needs a huge turnout in the stands. This could be a barn burner.

Go Panthers!

My Prediction:

Ferrum 27
Shenandoah 21

As for the rest of the conference:

Methodist @ AVERETT


MARYVILLE @ North Carolina Wesleyan

CNU @ Greensboro

Is Purdue Coach Danny Hope Doing Herman Cain Ads?

Is this same guy?  Or is the 'stache throwing me?

Okay, I admit it was a stretch. But I'd just read about the Cain ad today and it was so shockingly bad, I had to figure out an angle in order to post here.  Put it this way, I think they'd have been better off hiring our inhouse video crew at the MZone.

ED. NOTE:  Please note this is not a political statement either way (that way lies madness on a cfb blog).  Rather, this is a statement about really shitty political ads, whether or not you're yea or nay for the candidate involved.

MZone Poetry: Tradition

When they came for our home jerseys versus Notre Dame
I remained silent
Because I was told it was a "one time thing" for the inaugural night game in The Big House.

Then they came for our away uniforms in East Lansing
Still I said nothing
Because at least our bumble bee shit looked slightly better than the Baylor shit MSU was wearing.

Then Dave Branding Brandon started putting ads on the uniforms
But there was no way to stop him
Because he no longer cared what the fans thought when he realized some stupid people would pay $90 for anything, tradition be damned

Depending on when you procrastinate at work read the MZone today, you might still be able to vote in our online poll about U-M's uni carousel.  It closes this morning.  Look for the final tally in the upper righthand corner when it does.

Does Dantonio Difference make MSU the new center of evil in U-M's universe?

Admit it: MSU's miracle, Hail Mary, lucky-bounce, review-aided victory against Wisconsin felt like a loss -- for Michigan fans.  Obviously not as painful as a U-M loss, but it was disappointing enough that I was bummed by the outcome.  And I don't think I've ever felt that way before about a Michigan State game in which Michigan wasn't involved.

Prior to this year, I didn't really pay much attention to Sparty games outside of one Saturday each fall.  But something has changed.

And no, it's not just State's current four game winning streak.   Part of that, I must sadly accept, is due to U-M's on-field decline that started during The Dark Period.  Another part of it, I must grudgingly admit, is MSU coming into its own.

No, the biggest reason for my growing dislike -- nay, disdain -- for all things Sparty isn't just the "L's", it's due to the head Spartan, Mark Dantonio. 

First off, his perma-scowl makes him look like he's getting a never ending prostate exam.  Even when he wins he comes off as the dicky neighbor who used to threaten to keep your football if it touched his lawn when you were a kid.

Second, any coach that gets into a back and forth in the media as Dantonio did with Mike Hart after the infamous "Little Brother" comment, is a d-bag.  You're the head football coach, are you really going to get into it with some 21 year old college student?  Show some leadership.

Most importantly, there's the way he runs his program.  And no, it's not just the "Gholston Thing (although does anybody -- even MSU fans -- think for a second that Dantonio would have sat Gholston if the B1G hadn't stepped in and suspended him for the Wisco game?  Ha!).  It's a defensive coordinator seeming to condone late hits and injuring opponents.   It's players like MSU safety Isaiah Lewis saying they're going to "hurt" an opposing QB.  Lemme guess -- it's all just a "bad choice of words" as Pat Narduzzi claimed, right?  Nice try.  That kind of cheap thuggery is a reflection of what trickles down from the top.  What a coach lets his staff and players know is okay.

And don't forget last season, when Dantonio reinstated Chris Rucker on the team the day he got out of prison and just two days before the big Iowa game for Sparty.  One gets the feeling that a "violation of team rules" in Dantonio World depends on a) the talent level of the player involved and b) who knows about the infraction outside of the Spartan family.

Again, while losing sucks, my growing disdain is not just because of the current four game slide to Sparty.  During The Dark Period, Michigan lost two in a row to Illinois and squeaked out a 67-65 victory last season.  Whatever.  Back-to-back losses to Purdue -- a team coached by Danny Hope?!  Sucks but what'cha gonna do?  And after Michigan owned Penn State during the Carr Era, Penn State currently has a three-game winning streak over the Wolverines courtesy of the Rodriguez Experiment.  Oh well.

But mix a losing streak with the Dantonio Difference and now we have something to really fan the flames: a villain.

Every story of good vs. evil needs a villain.  Until this season, it was Jim Tressel. His holier-than-thou attitude was a phoney mask Michigan fans saw through and loved to hate.  Of course with Tressel now working the replay booth somewhere, I just can't get that worked up staring across the field at some shitty Scarlet and Gray/Grey Nike Pro Combat-clad Buckeyes surrounding their head coach, Happy Gilmore (which won't matter next year, anyway).

Oh sure, I still despise OSU and want to beat them as bad as ever.  They are still -- and will always be -- Michigan's main rival.  It is, after all, The Game.  But the "hate" has been dialed down a notch.*  And for now, at least, it has been replaced.  It's void filled by the Dantonio Difference, making MSU the new center of evil in U-M's universe.

East Lansing after the latest campus riot

* Don't worry. Just a notch.

Conference Perfect Panthers Pound Pride 66-23

Ferrum took their record to 5-2 Saturday with a decisive 66-23 thumping of the Greensboro College Pride. Greensboro (0-7, 0-4) had a fairly competitive first half as they trailed 28- 16 at the intermission. This seemingly close halftime score was greatly assisted by three Ferrum turnovers that lead to 13 of their 16 points.
In the second half, Ferrum received the kickoff, and six plays later, Marcus Mayo scored from five yards out. After the Scott Puschell extra point, The Panthers had a 35-16 lead.
On the first play of the next Greensboro possession, QB Ryan Thorndset's pass was intercepted by Delano Hall, giving Ferrum possession. The Panthers were not able to convert this, but there were not many other ocassions that they did not score.

Ferrum dominated, and this was not a surprise....The real tests begin Saturday vs. Shenandoah. The Panthers need your support for these next two games. More info to come on these games.

Bye Week Friday

Light posting today. Like the football team, gonna take it easy. But I'm not going to totally leave you hanging.

First of all, remember the old days of Beer Bong Friday?  Well, today we cheat a bit with Shotgun Friday and this attractive Sparty co-ed racing the dude from CLERKS who is not Silent Bob.



Next, have I been living under a rock? Because I've not seen the FOX Sports Detroit Girls before stumbling upon the video below.  Helloooo.



Finally, an MZone quiz...

Drew Sharp was up to his usual asshatery following Michigan's loss to MSU. In reading these two articles, you almost get the sense that he wrote them in August and couldn't wait for Michigan to stumble so he could post them.  Which is par for the course when it comes to Sharp and his practice of "annoyance journalism." 

Well, after the two stories in the Freep this week, MZone reader Joe sent us the picture below with the following question:

We had a guy at the Free Press parking lot and found these two cars.

Can you guess which one is Drew Sharp’s?

ANSWER: Trick question — they’re both his. Apparently he must've been drinking his I-Love-Bagging-On-Michigan-Because-Somebody-Was-Mean-To-Me-Once-While-I-Went-There-Or-Something-Like-That Kool-Aid and had to get a cab home after the Sparty win. So both were left at work.

Greensboro @ Ferrum Game Preview

This Saturday's game has Ferrum at home again hosting the Greensboro Pride. Greensboro (0-6, 0-3) comes to town in the middle of a season that has been a struggle to say the least. Greensboro ranks at or near the bottom in most all of the statistical categories as compared to other conference teams. As they are at the bottom of the conference standings, that would seem logical. The Pride however, while having a forgettable season, is a team that seems to always be well prepared for the Panthers. Over the last few seasons, Ferrum and Greensboro have had a some very intense games. Last year, Ferrum lead GC 21-0, but had to hang on for a 28-20 win. In 2008, Ferrum won the game, 46-21, but Greensboro had no quit in them, and scored in the second, third, and final quarters. While Ferrum leads the all time series 13-2, it was in 2009 that Greensboro came to W.B. Adams field, and defeated the Panthers  Ferrum lead that game 17-0, but Greensboro came back to score four touchdowns...all through the air, and take a 27-17 lead. It turned out that Ferrum would score one more touchdown, but it was not enough, as Ferrum fell 27-24.
That season, Greensboro finished 6-4, and lost to Christopher Newport 14-7.
While that Pride win over Ferrum was just two seasons ago, a lot has changed for both teams. Since that loss, Marcus Mayo is back in the Ferrum lineup, and there has been much growth and maturity on the Ferrum side of the ball. Ferrum is a faster team than in recent years, and under first year head coach David Harper, the Panthers seem to be totally focused.
While I, like everyone else is expecting Ferrum to post another one in the "W" column, I am also somewhat apprehensive about this game. The Pride is a team that can put up a tough fight. They went toe to toe with North Carolina Wesleyan before losing later in the game, 31-19. NCW trailed much of that game.
Ferrum needs to play the strong, and consistent way that they have been playing in recent weeks. They need to play mistake free football, and keep their mind on this game and this game only. Do not look any further than Saturday's game against Greensboro. Get this win, and then you can think about Shenandoah.....but not before the win over GC.

My Prediction:

Ferrum  44
Greensboro 20

As for the rest of the USA South:

SHENANDOAH @ Methodist
Averett @ MARYVILLE
North Carolina Wesleyan @ CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT UNIVERSITY

Guest Post by Stephen Colbert: Matt Millen proves he's still a football genius

I knew we had a following here on the MZone.  But I had no idea how big it was until I got a request from Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert to do a guest post.  Wow.  We're honored and humbled.  Take it away, Stephen...

STEPHEN COLBERT:  "Thank you, Yost.  Ladies and gentlemen, as you know, Matt Millen's eight-year tenure with the Detroit Lions led to the worst eight-year record in the history of the modern NFL at 31-97. At least that's one way to look at it if you want to focus only on the negative. 

I prefer the to look at the positive.  I mean, if the man didn't know football, would he get hired by ESPN?  So when Millen speaks, I think we should all pay pretty close attention and drink from the Gatorade bottle of genius.  Like this week when he talked with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbsteit about William Gholston's actions during the Michigan-Michigan State game.  Jimmy, roll the tape..."



STEPHEN COLBERT: "Yes.  Millen's right.  That stuff happens. Cold cocking a dude in the face and trying to break a guy's neck is just young exuberance.  Gholston was a little bit fired up.  We've all been there.  Remember in your youth, that first job out of college?  You had a great day at work, but waiting at the elevator to go home, Judy from Human Resources pushes the "up" button instead of the "down" button by mistake -- so you punched her in the jaw.  Young exuberance.  Or that time in the break room, when you saw Steve from Accounting going through your lunch bag -- pure instinct made you grab him in a headlock and try to crack a vertebrae or two.  You were simply fired up.

And as Millen pointed out, Gholston's a heck of a football player.  People are only singling him out because he's good.  We all know if he sucked, we'd just suspend him without even having this discussion.  Where's the due process in that, America?

Folks, as the old adage goes, when it comes to football -- listen to Matt Millen.  The Lions did.  If they didn't, they wouldn't have sucked so bad as to be able to have enough high draft picks to choose 642 receivers over a three year period until they got it right with Calvin Johnson.

Plus, if you suspend Gholston here, you're just going to have to start enforcing all the rules.  And if you can't catch them all, I agree with Millen: don't enforce any of them.   It's part of the game.  Like stabbings and carjackings are part of city life.   In fact, I don't even know why we bother arresting anybody because that shit happens every night in every city.  All or nothing, people.

And you heard Millen -- he had it done to him.  Which makes it alright.  That's why he's laughing throughout the entire clip.  Because punching someone in the head and trying to paralyze another human being is funny if it's done on a football field.  So c'mon, Nation.  Get a football clue.  Listen to Matt Millen."

UPDATE: Sadly, the Big Ten did not listen to the Mr. Football, Matt Millen, and suspended Gholston for one game -- Saturday's showdown with Wisco. No word yet if this "completes" MSU's investigation into the incident or they're still searching for their game tapes.

Brady Hoke does not do push ups, he pushes the earth down

ED. NOTE: Some Michigan "fans" are using the loss to MSU as the opening they craved to question Hoke's hiring -- still (absolute dumbest tweet I've seen by an alleged U-M fan this week: In the next 2 years I know that Hoke will underperform what RR would have done. After that I have no idea).  But we here at the MZone still believe. That's why the post below that our friend Michigan Sports Girl put in the queue last week still holds true today.



So, upon reading Yost's recent post about our unflappable head coach, it got me thinking.

It brought to mind another undeniable bad ass to whom the world and all of its inhabitants owe all of our earthly freedoms: the one and only Chuck Norris.

I am quite a fan of Chuck Norris Fact sites. They're everywhere, and they are endlessly entertaining. Norris' level of tough was once thought to be unattainable by any human being -- until I began to see some similarities between Chuck and our now-fearless leader. Could there actually be a parallel between one Chuck Norris and the King of Toughness and 'Payshun' himself, Coach Hoke?

A story then popped into my mind. Back when Coach Hoke was an assistant at Michigan, he was the head coach of one of the intra-squad teams heading into our annual spring game. In the Lloyd Carr days there was a tradition (a tradition actually brought back with Coach upon his return to Ann Arbor) that whichever team won the game that day got to eat steak at the barbecue that night. The losing team? Banished to the more simple backyard fare of hamburgers, hot dogs and a steaming hot helping of shame coming from the endless taunting of the winning team around the picnic table.

Before the game that year, Coach rallied his troops in the locker room for his pre-game pep talk. After a fiery speech that more than sufficiently hyped his corps of Wolverines, he proclaimed: "Men, tonight we eat steak." He then turned his head, pulled out a large bottle of A-1 Sauce, and proceeded to DRINK THE ENTIRE BOTTLE in one swig.

That is one bad-ass coach.

So, here are some Brady Hoke facts that you may not know:

*Coach Hoke and Superman once fought each other on a bet. The loser had to start wearing his underwear on the outside of his pants.

*When all else fails, Coach Hoke doesn't.

*Coach Hoke does not wear sunglasses. The sun wears Coach Hoke glasses.

*If paper beats rock, rock beats scissors, and scissors beats paper, what beats all 3 at the same time? Answer: Coach Hoke.

*When Coach dives into a pool, he doesn't get wet. The water gets Hoke'd.

Please feel free to leave your best Coach Hoke facts in the comments below.

][V][ GO BLUE!

ED. NOTE, PART II:  This just sort of screamed out for a re-posting of the video below that the MZone made back in June.

MZone Poll: Michigan Uniform Carousel

We were told it would only be one game, remember?

When it was announced that Michigan would be wearing "Throwback" jerseys for the Notre Dame game this year, fans were told it was a one shot deal.  Something "special" for the first night game in Big House history.

We hated them.  And we weren't alone.  As Brian at MGoBlog said:

Tomorrow we'll enter the ranks of schools that dress up like clowns for a little bit of money from a shoe company. 

Bingo.  They weren't about honoring tradition, they were simply about making an extra buck.

But it was only a one-time deal, right? 

Then these trotted out onto the plastic bag-strewn shithole masquerading as a football field Spartan Stadium for the Michigan State game:

If you woke from a coma and turned on the TV, you probably thought Baylor was playing...some DIII school doing their Michigan impression (NOTE:  You might have also thought that no matter what U-M was wearing after watching the O-line play.  But that's for a different post).

Who knew the MZone was so prescient when, in a post lambasting MSU's "Pro Combat" uniforms before the game, we said this:

Of course the response from the ADs and shoe companies is that "it's only one game a year."

Sure, for now.  Because it's a slippery slope.  All these ADs love them a couple extra dollars, even if they're selling out 8 home games a years x110,000 seats.  So I don't think it's a total stretch to someday see even the Wolverines in "throwback jerseys" for ND, "pro combat" unis for MSU, and a "hey, stupid people might buy this!" look for OSU, leaving longtime fans staring at the colorful promotions running around down on the field and asking themselves, Who the hell is that? 

Michigan has now played two of its three biggest rivals -- Notre Dame and Michigan State -- and in each instance, nobody looked like Notre Dame, Michigan State or Michigan.  Instead, they looked like gimmicks used to put asses in the seats at some arena league football game.

Michigan is consistently rated as having one of the best - if not the best  - looking uniforms in all of college football.  Yet in our biggest games this season, we've instead dressed in costumes.

How sad.

But what do you think?  Do you like the different looks and unis?  Sometimes?  Never? 

Leave us your thoughts in the comments section and be sure to vote in the poll in the top right-hand corner of our main page.

Better Late Than Never: MSU Healing Pictures

I had no idea how, uh, "important" this feature was to our readers.  But your tweets and comments were heard.  For those of you who might be new to the site, allow me to recap:

Back during the days of  The Original MZone (respect), Benny and I put up some pictures of attractive coeds after a tough Michigan loss (I can't even remember which one now) as a way to help "heal" the wounds of said loss.  And it really seemed to help our readers...cope.  When The MZone went dark, the feature was continued by Andy and T9 on Spawn of MZone (sadly, this was during the darkest days of the Rich Rod Regime and thus rather than something put up a couple times a season, the posts might as well have just been re-titled "Monday").

Flash forward to the present and, judging by your "outrage" at the lack of said pics/feature in the wake of Saturday's MSU loss, the feature is more popular than we ever imagined.  Who am I to argue?  So see below.  The voice of the people was heard!

Please note that I can't even take credit for finding the pictures today.  Rather, I got the following email from MZone reader Joe...

In case you didn't have time to research this week:

...with, let's just say, a lot more than the pictures I used here embedded in the email.  Well done, Joe!  See, folks, it's this kind of selfless act that defines a horny dude a Michigan Man the MZone reader.

ED. NOTE: For those of you who inevitably comment after the healing posts, "Dude, you should put up a 'NSFW' to warn people reading the site at work!", there's more risque stuff on Telemundo. Much more importantly, if that's your first thought upon seeing the above, it's either a) time to quit your current job if someone is looking over your shoulder that much or b) finally the sign you've been waiting for to go out and start your own company.

You're welcome.

MZone Autopy: Dissecting the Michigan State game

We present a potential new feature: The MZone Autopsy, in which we reveal what we learned after dissecting Michigan's previous game.  Unfortunately, the corpse on the table today is U-M's following the beating (both literally and figuratively) the Wolverines received from MSU.

So put on your surgical masks and some rubber gloves then gather around the table. This isn't going to be pretty.

NOTE:  If you forgot to bring your rubber gloves, simply use two of the 864,000 plastic bags that were blowing around Spartan Stadium on Saturday.

MZONE AUTOPSY REPORT: Michigan State

1.  Michigan got beat.  Period.  State was the better team on Saturday.  Period.  Yes, we were still in it in the 4th quarter and had a chance, but that doesn't change the fact that the better team won the game.   Period. 

2.  Were these Big 10 ref trainees working the game?  Again, that's not to blame them for the loss (see #1), but WTF?!  Some of the worst calls/non-calls:
-- The dropped lateral that would have resulted in a Michigan recovery, but instead ended up leading to an MSU TD
-- Taunting Denard during the INT return for a TD
-- The new "prison yard rules" we were playing by.  Because it seemed like only a shanking was going to get somebody booted from the game.  Hell, William Gholston twisted Denard's facemask AND punched Lewan yet was still in the game.  There was less dirty play in The Longest Yard (the original one, not the crappy remake).  

3.  I actually think I dislike Mark Dantonio more than Tressel when he was a around.  Because the mentality that it's okay to play like thugs starts at the top as evidenced by Dantonio saying this in our latest MZone video...



A "cleanly played" game.  Really?  Holy shit, I'd hate to see what he considered dirty.

MSU had five 15 yard personal foul penalties for their BS.  But, according to MSU DC Pat Narduzzi:

"That's what we try to do," Narduzzi said after Michigan State's 28-14 win against Michigan. "Sixty minutes of unnecessary roughness. I'm just happy it didn't get called on every snap."

Yeah, I know Hoke didn't call them out about it.  That's just class.  Don't confuse it with fact.

I wonder if Dantonio is going to call Gholston a "tragic hero" if when he gets suspended by the B1G for his douchebaggery?  

4.  O-line?  We don't need no stinkin' O-line!  The weakest link on the field -- even more so than Denard's passing -- was Michigan's offensive line.  Simply put, they got destroyed.  Blown up, sir!  Yes, I know Denard had a horrible passing season day, but when you have .0003 seconds to throw, you'd be hard pressed to hit a moving target, too.

5.  Despite Chris Spielman being a complete tool during the broadcast trying to stir up trouble, a) there is no QB controversy and b) I didn't have a problem with bringing Devin in on a number of plays.  It's just something different teams have to prepare for.  Did he make some bad plays, like going over the LOS on the "TD" pass?  Sure.  But so did the entire team.  I don't think Hoke/Borges were creating problems using him, I think they were trying to find solutions to an offense that simply wasn't working.  A weak passing game was even worse with the wind.  I think it was reasonable to attempt to find something -- anything -- that would work. 

6.  Some Michigan fans need to channel The Dude and relax (or I need to set my Twitter feed to Asshat Blocker).  Frankly, I'm stunned by how quickly some fans jumped ship (if they were even on board to begin with).  Trashing Hoke after his first loss?  Comparing Borges to Gerg after one bad game?  Seriously?  In case those folks missed it, "Offensively inclined" Michigan scored 17 points vs. MSU last year -- a staggering 3 points more than Saturday. 

7.   As somebody said in (I think) the comments section and continuing the above (in what could really be labeled as 6B), is anybody really surprised?  By that I mean, did anybody think we were going to go 12-0 and contend for the B1G/National Title?  This was the 108 ranked defense in the country last year.  I think by all measures they've radically improved, and not simply because "they have a year more experience."  And the offense, as potent as it is/can be, struggled mightily against the better teams.  So while we can and should expect improvement, just because Hoke seemed to have, as Brian said, a horseshoe up his ass, we can't and shouldn't expect miracles.

If someone would have told you that we'd be 8-4 this year, but show improvement across the board while building a solid foundation for the future, I think most sane fans would have taken it.  I still think that's where we're headed.

8.  I have no problem with the 4th and 1 bootleg call...now kinda.  I was pissed at the time like, probably, many/most of you.  "Why didn't he just sneak it?!?!?"  But while performing this autopsy, I've changed my tune a bit.  We're all pissed because it didn't work.  Because MSU lucked out and had exactly the correct call at precisely the right time to counter it.  That's football.  Put it this way, you know "The Catch"?  The 4th and short Grbac-to-Desmond TD vs. Notre Dame that we all have probably seen 700 times (and still get chills watching)?  Well, if that pass is about 6 inches further out, we're still bitching about why Moeller didn't run a safe play and just pick up the first down.

When one of these gutsy calls work, it's a highlight for generations to come.  When it doesn't work, you're an idiot.  That's football.

But if only he he'd snuck it!...

9.  Please stop with the "special" jerseys/uniforms/whatever.  Michigan has now played two of its three biggest rivals -- ND and MSU -- and in both games, neither they nor Michigan looked like themselves or Michigan.  These Pro Combat/Legacy/Throwback/My Shoe Company Needs to Sell Shit looks are getting out of hand. 

10.  Seriously, what the f*ck was up with the plastic bags in Spartan Stadium?  It was like the landscape from MAD MAX blew across the field for the entire game.  Pick up your trash, East Lansing.