Michigan Monday: Bad News Travels Fast

How about that Wisconsin game?  I actually didn't see it but I saw the lowlights.

BHB reader JD writes:

This is the 2nd time that Beilein has lost a game due to very bad strategy. OSU and now Wisc because he won't put someone on the ball on the baseline. You can't give a player, Evan Turner, Ben Brust momentum towards the basket with a pHss that allows that. he expects the players to learn from mistakes, when will he. I like him as a coach but this loss was really BAD. I thought everyone learned from Patino's mistake against Duke.

I don't know the X&O's of basketball well enough to say which is the better strategy, but here are my thoughts.   That shot is probably a 1-150 to go in at the buzzer which puts the odds in Michigan's favor, but now it's happen twice to Michigan in high profile games.  I think it's hard to guard the shooter too closely because you are concerned about fouling him and sending him to the line for 3 shots. 

Fouling the player, sends the shooter to the line and there is a chance for a rebound and a put back.  I believe Michigan had three fouls to give, so fouling to use time is a decent option.   You have to be careful where you do it, you don't want to do in near mid court and give them an easier inbounds play.

I agree with JD, put a man on the inbounds play which will restrict a long throw and a few free seconds.   The Wisconsin player caught the ball close to mid court.   Make Wisconsin throw a short pass and dribble for really long shot.


The team needs to re-group for MSU at East Lansing on Tuesday.  It's hard to win on the road in the Big Ten.

• New Report from JoPa's family said the Freeh report was not correct.   Here is how I see it.  If the Penn State Program were the Soprano's Joe Paterno would  = Tony Soprano.  Joe never let information out about the program.  It didn't matter what type of information it was.  Players were dismissed for no "public" reason, when players got in trouble with the law, Joe handled it internally.   He kept his program on constant lock down.  I don't know, who knew what and when, but they should of known about Sandusky and they acted like a kid stole a book from the college store.

• One of the best players in the state of Michigan in the 2014 class  Lawrence Marshall (DE) committed to OSU on Sunday.   I guess this is how Urban Meyer feels when Michigan goes into Ohio and takes their best players.   

Michigan Monday: Weekend Wrap Up and PSU Sanctions

Shane Morris seemed to do well in the QB Elite 11 camp this past weekend.   He didn't though make the top 11 ranked QB's at the camp by the Elite 11 coaches.  I wonder why some of the other QB's were ranked above Shane?    Morris reportedly threw the ball 75 yards in the air and also won the accuracy award on one of the days.  So it wasn't his arm strength or accuracy.  Seems he had trouble with consistency but Scott Kennedy from Scouts had Morris rated as his #1 guy at the entire camp.  So the top 11 list seems a little fishy to me.

Shane is now off to the Gridiron Kings 7on7 at Disney later this week.  He is really earning some frequent flyer miles this summer.

• Darryl Stonum is going to play his final year of football at Baylor.  I assume he will be eligible right away.  He sat out last year and did graduate on time.     He is a good WR and with a good senior year has a chance at getting drafted.  Good luck Darryl and too bad RG3 is gone.   Let's hope he has learned from his mistakes while at Michigan.

• 2013 Florida WR Alvin Baily list his top 8:  "Right now my top eight is South Carolina, UCF, Notre Dame, Florida State, Georgia, Texas A&M, Michigan and Auburn," Bailey said. "There's an order but that's only for me to know right now."  We know he prefers to stay close to home, so Michigan fans should not hold their breathe on this one.

• Penn State's NCAA Penalty is just coming in now.  We know the Joe Paterno statue was taken down on Sunday morning.  It looks like PSU will be hit with the following sanctions: 

-4 year postseason ban
-$60M in fines
-The loss of 10 scholarships a year for 4 years.
-Any Penn State player can transfer with out losing a year of eligibility.
-Vacates wins from 1998-2011
-5 years of NCAA Probation
-NCAA can investigate and penalize any individual after the criminal process has been completed

This is worse then the death penalty for Penn State Football.  It is crushing the program for 4 years and many years after.  It also takes away wins from Joe Paterno who now will no longer have the most wins in college football history.  


Big Ten added:

• No BIG Ten Championship game for 4 years.
• PSU will not get any shared Big Ten Bowl Revenue during those 4 years, which is estimated at $13M a year.  That revenue will go to charity. 

Players from the State of Michigan on Penn State's current roster:

-Rob Bolden QB JR.
-CJ Olaniyan DE JR/SO
-Allen Robinson WR SO
-Anthony Zettel DE SO/FR

Michigan Monday: The Fall of the BIG Ten Coaches

If you think back a few years ago the top 3 Big Ten Schools had coaches that looked like would be around awhile.   Ohio State had the Senator Jim Tressel, Michigan had the young offensive genius Rich Rodriguez and Penn State had  legendary coach Joe Paterno with the most wins in college football. 

No offense to MSU, Wisconsin or newbie Nebraska, but the brand names of the Big Ten have been Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State.   These are the schools that draw the most interest on Saturday afternoon.   Then each coach started to crash one after the other.  I know Vegas takes bets on wild things sometimes but could you imagine the odds that all 3 programs would have fired each one of their coaches?  Not retired but fired.

The only man you could have even predicted who have been fired was Rich Rod would seemed to be a "fish out of water" as soon as he hit Ann Arbor.   There was also a good possibility that Joe Paterno would have retired, but many of us expected probably 10 more years of Tressel at Ohio State.   Then the crash:  2 coaches got fired for high profile cover ups and the other got fired for not being able to cover up it's awful defense. 

I don't want to compare crimes because they don't even compare to the tragedy at Penn State, but how in the world did this go so bad so fast?  The answer is winning.   Jim Tressel wrote books titled " The Winners Manual: For the Game of Life" and "Life Promises for Success: Promises from God on Achieving Your Best" then lied to the NCAA when his players broke NCAA eligibility rules.   Rich Rod got to Michigan and received more drama then a afternoon Soap Opera  (some his fault and some wasn't) practiced a few minutes too long, got Michigan put on NCAA probation, didn't play any defense and was fired after 3 years.  

Penn State is a completely different situation.   The statue of the former Penn State legendary football coach reads: EDUCATOR COACH HUMANITARIAN. Those words couldn't be farther from the truth right now.  Many called Joe the guy that built PSU and now he will be remembered as the guy that helped destroy it. 

What a waste on so many levels.  What con men they were, I almost feel like those coaches were the carnival workers that try to get your money in those carnival games "where everyone wins" and you spend $20 to win a $.30 stuffed animal.  They were not who we thought they were.   Two of the coaches were willing to cover up a pedophile's crimes and NCAA rules breakers to win games or to save the face of their program.  Two decisions that when you look back, make zero sense.  Which leads me to believe these are just two examples that we know about.   I would hate to see the closet of cover up Tressel and Paterno have locked away somewhere.   These are not great men on many levels.   

So now what?

Rich Rod has the band back together in Arizona and he should do just fine in a conference that doesn't believe in defense.  Jim Tressel has been exiled to University of Akron where he is the Vice President of Strategic Engagement which seems like a made up title to wait out his NCAA penalty and can get back coaching again.  Joe Paterno is now paying for his past sins with his maker.  How the mighty have fallen or has the carnival just moved towns?

These situations remind me of a line from a 1983 Tom Cruise football movie called "All The Right Moves".  It was about a high school football player that wasn't getting any college scholarships because his relationship with is high school football coach had gone south.    The line that sticks out to me was late in the movie when Tom Cruise role was walking away from his former high school football coach (played by Craig T. Nelson) :  "Coach You're not God, Nickerson. You're just a typing teacher."

Next time we want to put up a statue of a football coach, we should remember they are just a typing teacher in disguise.

A Couple of Minutes on JoPa

The closest I ever got to a coaching legend was being able to say hello to Bo Schembechler a couple of times.  I didn't know him personally but I felt like I did.  When he passed it felt like I had lost a Uncle, which was strange feeling for a man I had only met for a 1/2 a second a couple of times.  

I am sure Penn State fans feel the same way the last few days.  They lost the grandfather of their football program a guy that never wanted to retire because he knew what would happen.   Joe Paterno probably stayed 10 years or so too long as the head coach of Penn State Football.  On the other hand, we really didn't know how much coaching he was really doing.  When TV showed him in the press box he didn't have a headset on or wasn't talking to anyone.  So it was clear he was a figure head when it came to his program but a man who still had a ton of power on and off campus.

I am torn on JoPa, he was loyal to Penn State until his last breath on Sunday but on the other hand he really didn't know how to be the CEO of Penn State Football.  Times have changed since he put on his whistle 40+ years ago.   I am sure he never turned on a PC or carried a cell phone.  He was old school and that was one of the reasons Penn State fans loved him.  It was also the reason that lead to his downfall. 

Back in the day, people stayed with one company and worked there until they earned their pension.   In many ways, they got their own identity from the job they had.     That is the mistake our forefathers made, a job doesn't define you, no matter what the job is.  Being a father, a son, a husband, an Uncle, a friend, a little league coach, etc.  Those are the things that define you.   Sure your job may play into it, but it shouldn't define all of you.    

Why you ask?  Because when that job is taken away from you (and it will).   You have nothing left.   Your will to live is gone.   I have clear examples in my own life and there are clear examples in coaching with JoPa, Bear Bryant and Woody Hayes.    Bill Gates maybe known as the richest man in the world and founder of Microsoft, but now his charity work defines him. I wonder which stage of his life will be more rewarding? 

For all accounts, JoPa was a good person and even a better football coach that had a terrible ending to his story.    Right now, you can remember all the good things he did, but in the end he stayed too long and couldn't handle the very important situations when it ran across his desk.   JoPa supporters will ask you to remember everything up to the last 3 months when you consider his legacy, which I'm not sure is possible.  Fact in point, we all remember that Woody lost his job becaues he punched a Clemson player in a bowl game.

This is a sad ending to an incredible run as head coach of Penn State.   RIP JoPa.

How the Mighty Have Fallen: 3 Big Ten Legends Ruin Their Legacies at the End of Their Careers

Let me first give you a quick disclaimer.  I don't know any of these men and don't have any inside information.  My opinion is 100% out of media reports and the book 3 and Out. 

#1 Offender Joe Paterno - Before last week Paterno was regarded as maybe college footballs #1 Living Legend.  Now he should be fired and all awards and any accolades taken away.    Here is he statement from yesterday:  ''It was obvious that the witness was distraught over what he saw, but he at no time related to me the very specific actions contained in the grand jury report,'' Paterno said in the statement. ''Regardless, it was clear that the witness saw something inappropriate involving Mr. Sandusky. As coach Sandusky was retired from our coaching staff at that time, I referred the matter to university administrators.'' 

In another account:  “They kind of bent things, said it was not sexual assault but horseplay,” says Mr. Keneally after reading the indictment. “So, the president of the university is being told by Mr. Curley and Mr. Schultz that it is horseplay and he is being led to believe nothing else is necessary.”

Mr. Paterno and Penn State we are not idiots.  A distraught graduate assistant coach comes to your house, reporting a serious crime and it's considered horseplay?  Why was he distraught over horseplay?  Why was Sandusky then not allowed to enter PSU football facilities?  This is one of the most tragic and terrible cover ups I have ever heard a football coach do.   I assume the authorities are sparing Paterno on his community status and age.     He needs to resign and resign immediately.  

Here are Penn State's records during that time period:

2001: 5-6
2002: 9-4
2003: 3-9
2004: 4-7

Who were you protecting Mr. Paterno?  If I had to guess; yourself, your program and your friend.

Would you want to send your kid to play for this staff?  The Big Ten Championship trophy needs to be re-named and re-named quickly.

#2 Offender Jim Tressel:  We don't need to recap what happened in Columbus.  We now know Jim had been taking a "blind eye" to the rules off the field by letting his players engage in business deals around the community for his entire time at Ohio State.  He is now waiting for his "show clause" penalty from the NCAA after lying to that organization almost a year ago.  Jim was on the way to being the best coach at OSU since Woody now he is a replay coach for Indianapolis Colts.   He may never coach in college again.   Tressel probably had at least 10 more years as the head coach of the Buckeyes and he flushed it away.

#3 Offender Lloyd Carr:  A coach that brought Michigan a National Championship, something that Bo never did.  He also brought some embarrassing losses to the University as well, but those go forgotten with a big win over Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow in the Citrus Bowl during his last game.

Lloyd's crimes are against the University and Football Program on the way out the door.   He called a team meeting and told the players that he would sign transfer papers if they wanted to leave,  he made sure that Les Miles never got hired, he might have conspired to get Rich Rod removed from his position, he let former players talk against the program and he let players skip class during rivalry weeks.  If these accounts are correct in the book 3 and Out,  Lloyd has diminished his reputation and his Michigan legacy. 

All 3 of these coaches have done things that has now forever affected their legacy.   2 out of 3 are out of a job and the third should retire ASAP.   I don't expect that to happen right away but I do expect him to step down at the end of the year.  Like I mentioned earlier, how do you decide to send your son to play for Joe Paterno and this staff after this?   I don't think you do.

Wolverine Wednesday: Zettel's Decision leaves The Michigan Nation Unsettled

By now you know instate OL/DE 4 star prospect Anthony Zettel picked Penn State last night over long time favorite Michigan.   Michigan had been Anthony's leader since his recruiting process started and AZ had been to just about every Michigan home game this year and a number of other events like the Big Chill and Barbecue at the Big House.

So what happened?  How did he pick Penn State over Michigan during the quiet period when he had publicly stated his announcement was coming in January just days ago?

This is what AZ had to say about Michigan after his last visit earlier this month:  "I felt really good with the players and really enjoyed all the people," Zettel said. "They gave me insight on all of it and I asked every question I could about the school, whether it was a good fit for them, what they like about the school and what they don't like."

As you know, I like to do a Tale of the Tape when it comes to previewing a Michigan opponent.  Let's use that same format to weigh some the "recruiting factors" into Anthony decision between the 2 schools. 

Zettel's Tale of the Tape:  Michigan vs Penn State:

Head Coaching Stability:  Push.  One program is run by an 84 year old figure head that was rumored to be in the hospital all week.  The other program has a coach the needs AD David Brandon to "Lift him up or out" after the Gator Bowl.

State of the Program:  Push.  Yes, Penn State handled Michigan in Happy Valley this year but both finished 7-5.  Depending on what happens with the Bowl Games, I expect them both to be improved next year.

Location:  Advantage Michigan.  U of M is hours from home and of course in Ann Arbor, ranked one of the best places to live in the US routinely.  Penn State is in a Valley of happiness that got nearly 2 feet of snow this week or to quote the widely known wordsmith Terrelle Pryor, "The middle of nowhere".

Academics: Both are good schools but the advantage has to go to Michigan if that was an important factor to Anthony.  Some recruits talk about academics being a key factor but truly it isn't that important.

Playing Time:  Advantage Michigan:  Michigan is losing seniors on the defensive line (rumored to be where he wants to play) and would probably looking at a redshirt if he picked the offensive line.  I'm not familiar with PSU's depth chart but from a quick count of their roster they have 14 DE's or DT's that are currently Juniors or below.  There are also 2 other DE's in the 2011 class.

2011 Recruiting:  Advantage Michigan.  Penn State got off to a very slow start but has benefited from a coaching change at Pitt.  It should be a close race to signing day.   Tim at Mgoblog ranks the Big Ten recruiting classes and currently has Michigan at #4 and Penn State at #12 (he includes ND in the rankings due to ND fishing for the same pond as many Big Ten schools).

So to net it out, Anthony picked Penn State over a place that is closer to home so his family could attend every home game, has a quicker path to playing time, been a lifelong fan of, and currently has a better 2011 recruiting class.  Makes sense to me, does it to you? 

I'm guessing the status of Rich Rod and staff played a big role in his decision, that couldn't have waited 7 more days.   Which is too bad.  Maybe after the coaching situation clears up the Wolverines can take another run at the young man.  Penn State we are now even for Michael Shaw. 

Another alarming trend is that 4 top instate prospects (Thomas, Arnett, Zettel, and Showers) all have either gone out of state or Thomas to the Spartans.  Michigan has 5 instate kids in it's 2011 recruiting class including Rivals #84 player in Justice Hayes and 4 star prospect Brennen Beyer.

Wolverine Wednesday: Quick Recruiting Blitz

• Dee Hart is one of 8 finalist for Florida's Mr. Football Award.

• California kicker Connor Loftus now has a Michigan offer.

• Michigan is no longer in Darian Cooper's final 4 schools.  DT has become an urgent need for the Wolverines in this class.  Which you can add to the list with cornerbacks and safeties.  Side Note: The Michigan coaches are just trying to get to the "quiet period" with out losing too many more players on the recruiting trail.  They will resume recruiting visits in January when hopefully the entire coaching drama is past us.   

• If you enjoy pain, here's an article on the Avery Walls decision. 

• More Bad News for Vlad at Colorado:  Embree also informed potential transfer Vlad Emilien, who last played at Michigan, that the CU depth chart was already full at the safety position and needs more cornerbacks. Emilien is now considering Maryland and Southern Mississippi.
  Emilien was hoping former secondary coach Ashley Ambrose would be retained. When he learned that didn't happen, Ambrose told him he should still consider CU because Greg Brown was returning to the program and had served as Ambrose's position coach in the NFL and coaching mentor at the college level. But then Emilien said Embree called to tell him the bad news. "They need corners so I'm looking at other options," Emilien said.  Good luck to Vlad and I hope his knee continues to heal.

Speaking of Darian Cooper, JoPa told him he plans to coach maybe 4-5 more years.  If you haven't heard it yet,  below is JoPa's radio interview that didn't go so well.

Big Ten Week 9 Previews

With all the NCAA news breaking, I all most forgot to give you the most anticipated post of the week.  My thrilling Big Ten Preview.   I know, it's exciting.   Which is just the opposite of the Big Ten match ups this weeks.   Not one good match up.  That's right not one. 

On to the show........................

Minnesota at Michigan State:  Not much to say it this one.  It's the Big Ten's last place vs the Big Ten's first place team.  MSU got embarrassed at Iowa after MSU's head coach allowed a player to leave a jail cell and step right into practice and play on Saturday.  Sometimes karma is a B*tch, right coach?  Back to the game.  This one won't be close and the Spartans are a 24 point favorite.   MSU 42 Minn 10


Iowa at Indiana:  I am officially off the IU train.  Michigan has made them out to be something they are not the last two years.  Here is another game that won't be close with Iowa favored by 17 points.  I expect Iowa to be a bit asleep early since this game comes after the Michigan, Wisconsin, and MSU stretch.   It will be closer then we think.  Iowa 28  IU 17


Wisconsin at Purdue:  Wow, here is another miss match.   Purdue is struggling without a healthy QB and  made news this week as Danny Hope complained about Zook running up the score on the Boilermakers last week.   The last Big Ten head coach that made a statement like that was Tim Brewster against Wisconsin and now Tim is out of a job.    I sure hope The Badgers keep it within 30 points.  Wisconsin is favored by 20.  Wisconsin 38 Purdue 3.  Can you ever get enough of this guy?  I can't

Northwestern at Penn State:  This is the most even match up of the weekend.  Penn State is coming off an impressive offensive performance against Michigan's dazed and confused defense last weekend.  Northwestern got by Indiana 20-17 to get to 6-2 this year.  This game could be JoPa's 400th win and the reason it's the 3:30 game.   This game will be really close since Northwestern is a bit under rated and Penn State after last week might be a bit over rated.  JoPa is favored by 6 points. Northwestern 30  Penn State 24 


I will preview the Illinois at Michigan game on Friday.

Michigan - Penn State Preview

Date: Halloween Eve
Location: Happy Valley
Time: 8:00 EST
TV:  ESPN
Weather:  High 54, Low 37 Partly Cloudy
Line: Michigan -3

Michigan is coming off a bye week after 2 losses in a row.  Penn State got a win over the coach less Minnesota Golden Gophers last week where they gave up 433 total yards. So what do you make of that?  I think neither team is where they want to be and that is competing for a Big Ten Championship.   Both have two losses in the Big Ten and holding on for a Bowl game. 

There are other similarities between the two:

• They both have a first year starting QB's. 
• Both are injured (it seems Robert Bolden will be out, while Denard will play)
• Both defenses have struggled
• Both teams have lost to Iowa
• PSU is 4-3
• Michigan is 5-2
• There are questions if both coaches will be there next year.
• Michigan has Michael Shaw that de-committed from Penn State to go to Michigan.   Penn State has Anthony Fera and Kevin Newsome who de-committed from Michigan.

Who wants it more?  That is the most important question on Saturday.  Both teams have the opportunity for their seasons to go bad in a hurry.   Michigan is sitting at 5-2 with 3 winnable games in a row in the Big Ten before Wisconsin and Ohio State.   Penn State is barley over .500 and needs wins to get to a bowl game. 

The reason Michigan is favored in this game is due to their top five offense against Penn State's banged up defense.   Michigan is expected to run the ball effectively with Denard and their host of running backs.  Michigan can also stretch the field with their wide receivers if JoPa over commits to the run.

Penn State on the other hand is really banged up at QB where the true freshman starter Robert Bolden is most likely out with a concussion he suffered against Minnesota.  Which leaves Matt McGloin a walk-on sophomore.  When Michigan's defense has played well this year it has been against teams with young/in-experienced quarterbacks.  It's the upperclassmen that have picked the Wolverines apart.   With that said, Penn State does have a talent running back in Evan Royster.  I expect Evan to get a lot of carries this week against Michigan's defense that has given up some big plays in the running game. 

Tale of the Tape

Michigan Offense vs PSU D =  Go Blue

Penn State Offense vs Michigan's D = A real ugly push

Special Teams = Penn State (better place kicking, punting is a push, return game who knows?)

Intangibles = Push (both need a win, night game at home favors PSU but talent favors Mich)


I think the Michigan faithful is much more confident in this game then they were at the beginning of the year.  With that said, this is not an easy win for the Wolverines, no matter who is playing QB for JoPa.  Michigan will have to stop the run and make that young QB beat them with his arm.  The Michigan CB's will have to show improvements over the past two games in letting WR's run free.

Sing Hail to the Victors if..........

• Denard is week 1-5 Denard
• Michigan doesn't turnover the ball
• The young PSU QB looks young and confused
• Denard has 150 on the ground and so does two Michigan RB's
• The Michigan D gets stops against the young PSU offense

Shout I hate saying Go Blue when Penn State is wearing blue jersey's if..........

• Evan Royster is finding huge holes in the Michigan D
• Matt McGloin is the next Troy Aikman
• Michigan is sloppy and confused after the bye week
• Michigan's LB's keep losing contain
• Michigan beats themselves

I expect the Wolverines to have renewed focus and rest after the bye week and play a very good game.   I hope Michigan fixed things on defense and worked in a few new looks on offense.  A win = Bowl Game which they haven't had in two years.  With the game on prime time national TV they should be ready to play.  

If Michigan doesn't make the same mistakes they made against MSU and Iowa they should win the game even if the defense shows up for only part of the time.  With that said, I expect Michigan's D to get a lot of stops against young Penn State's offense. (examples UConn and ND first half)   If Michigan can pressure the young QB and not let Royster beat them, they should be in good shape.    Michigan 38 Penn State 24


GO BLUE!

Rich Rod's Press Conference Notes - Now with Denard Updates..........

Excited about the night game.  It's a fun experience at Happy Valley.

Big Will is working on the offensive line and Quinton Washington is now on the defensive lines, the moves are permanent yet. 

Fitz Toussaint should be ready to play this week, not sure if he will contribute or not.

Denard is the starter, Tate has played well but Denard will continue to play.  Not expecting to play both QB's.

Denard just needs to minimize the major mistakes.

Devin has a back issue and it might lead to a medical redshirt (really didn't answer the question).   He is learning the offense and picking up more each week.

Watching games on TV is not as good as watching the tape, you don't pick up enough of the play on TV.

Saw Auburn QB Cam Newton at Florida when Tebow was there, knew he was a special player then.

Mike Martin and David Molk did a little bit last week and should be ready to go this week.  Same with Shaw.

JoPa is a great coach with a great staff.

The Penn State fans will be jacked up and they have really good players that are ready to execute. 

Every game we play is critical.  Everyone puts a little more importance on a league game.

You can't press the issue and let the game come to you.  The times we have pressed the issue we have gotten in trouble.

Denard's shoulder needed some rest and he got that last weekend.


Craig Roh:

A week to heal is great looking forward to this weekend. 

He feels refresh.

They have been working on fundamentals the past week.

Just watched the Penn State game.

He gets more out of watching film but he can get stuff from watching the game on TV.

Defense has been improving and it's slowly showing on the field.

Thought Quinton Washington should have been playing defense weeks ago.  Just has the right mentality for defense.

Mike Martin is an amazing athlete and can take on 3 blockers.

Loves night games.  You feed off the excitement from the crowd.

Team is looking forward and staying positive.


Vincent Smith 

Didn't watch any football on TV this week.

Trying to get his body right this week.

This bye week got us back on track.

Saw that Hopkins was special at the end of camp, a good down hill runner.

The team is hungry and been correcting mistakes the past week.

He likes being in space and doesn't mind playing wide receiver.

He is 100% healthy.

Denard Robinson

Feeling good and it feels great having a week off. 

Hung out, slept a lot during the week.

Treating the shoulder everyday last week

Team came together during the week and learned from the mistakes.

Didn't like sitting out practice.

Trainers kept him out of Iowa game, he couldn't go. 

Cam Newton played a great game.

More as a team this year.

The turnovers were preventable.

(about his speech to the team after the MSU game) He rather lead by actions then words but didn't want the season to go the way it did last year and felt he needed to say something.  Didn't want anyone to be down.

Big Will is going to be a good offensive guard.

You don't hear the fans when your on the field.  Just focused on the game.


Steve Schilling

Big Will is going to be a good offensive lineman when he figures out what he is doing.  He almost played D line like an offensive lineman. 

When Quinton hits someone it's going to hurt.  They always joked about the two changing positions.

Team is excited about the trip to Happy Valley. 

Recharged the batteries and watched some football last weekend. 

Jibreel Black will have a great career here.

Taylor gets amped up and Steve tries to calm him down a bit.

Only going to run through the tunnel 2 more times.  Looking forward to the last 5 games to end the season right.

Wolverine Wednesday: Big Ten Recruiting for 2011

As you know we usually focus on Michigan recruiting here at the BHB but today we venture into the world of Big 10 11 Ten recruiting to check in on how other teams are doing to rebuild or reload for next year.  (Yes, I know we are just under two weeks away from the 2010 season and I am already thinking about kids that might not play in the Big Ten for a couple of years - so shoot me!)

Tim over at Mgoblog does a great job of ranking each Big Ten class which also now includes Nebraska.  He also includes Notre Dame, which makes sense because they fish from the same pond that most of the other Big Ten schools do.  For this exercise, we will just focus on The Big Ten official schools (including soon to be Nebraska).

Who has the most recruits verbally committed so far?  Surprise it's Indiana at 21! They are all 2 or 3 star prospects but that is an impressive haul for August 25th.

Who has the lowest amount? Surprise it's Penn State with 4!  Are you kidding me?  2 of the 4 commitments are 4 star prospects but I guess JoPa and staff are planning to finish strong.   It's only August.

How many 5 star* recruits has the Big Ten Teams been able to reel in so far?  3 total. 2 at Ohio State and 1 at Michigan State.  This is not surprising since most 5 star guys like the recruiting process and delay their decisions until after the season or signing day.  

How many 4 stars? 24 and OSU leads with 10 (I know it makes me sick too) newcomer Nebraska has 6.

Surprise Class so far?  Indiana gets a vote but just on the shear number of recruits before 9/1.  I have to give the surprise award at this point to the Michigan State Spartans who have landed 13 commits with one 5 star player headlining the class.

Disappointing Class? Would of course be PSU after having the top Big Ten class in 2010 now only has 4 committed players.  Watch out for Pitt, they are starting to "mow JoPa's lawn" for in-state recruits.


What does this mean for Michigan?  Michigan will have a pretty small class which was estimated at 17 before Austin White and JT Turner decided to jump ship.  So it might be closer to 20  now which would mean they are 1/2 way home.  I am hearing that many recruits want to see how Michigan will do on the field this year.   If they make a bowl game I think a number of high profile players will have serious interest in the Wolverines.   RR and Staff are being very careful on who they offer because they don't want another Demar Dorsey situation and they have a limited number of spots this year.  Michigan is a team that wants/needs to finish strong with these last 10 spots if they want a top 10-15 class nationally.    Michigan is in a similar situation to Penn State, where there is enough concern on how long the head coach will be there to make recruits wait to see how it all plays out. 


What to expect from here on out?  OSU probably only has a handful of spots left in this class, so you will see some other programs reaping the rewards.   Penn State will start recruiting hard after the season is complete and after the JoPa situation clears for 2011.  MSU will continue recruiting Michigan hard and land a few more in-state 3 star players.  The rest of the schools will do what they always do, recruit the best talent they can.  Ron Zook and Danny Hope need to hit the recruiting trail pretty hard. 

Keep an eye on Nebraska:  They are putting together a very nice class with lots of 4 star recruits in class of just 13 players so far.  They also are strong nationally with recruits already committed from Florida, California, and Ohio. 


* Star ranking were taken from Scouts recruiting service

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!

After ESPN Outside the Lines Report: PSU dismisses Baker and Taylor Today

A day after ESPN's "Outside the Lines" chronicles the large number of arrests the Penn State Football Program has had over the last 5 years, Penn State and Paterno today decide to dismiss both Chris Baker and Phil Taylor (defensive tackles) from the the team.

In May, Baker was placed on probation for two years after entering separate misdemeanor guilty pleas for his roles in the two fights.

He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor simple assault and criminal trespass in connection with a fight in April 2007 in State College. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor simple assault for a fight at the campus student union in October. All other charges against Baker were dismissed, and Baker was ordered to pay $2,500 in restitution.

Earlier, Paterno had suspended Baker because of his connection to both fights, but Baker by spring he had been cleared to work out with the team again.

Baker recorded eight tackles for loss -- 4 1/2 of them sacks -- in 2007 before Paterno held him out of the Nittany Lions' regular-season finale at Michigan State and the 24-17 Alamo Bowl win over Texas A&M.

Taylor had been suspended through mid-August by the university's office of judicial affairs for his role the campus fight in October. PSU police had charged him with simple assault.

He was dismissed from the football team today by coach Joe Paterno. A starter toward the end of the 2007 season, he had been expected to return to school Aug. 15, the day PSU's second summer semester ends.