UTEP Post Game: Arnold Palmer

Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com

I drink Arnold Palmer's, if your not familiar it's half ice tea and half lemonade.  Other's call it half and half.  At a restaurant one time, I ordered a half and half and they brought me half sweet tea and half regular ice tea, which doesn't make sense to me.  

Today's game was 2 distinct different halves.  The first half had 2 turnovers and 2 lapes by the defense that led to two separate occasions where UTEP was leading the Wolverines 7-0 and 14-7.  Michigan's offense looked like a bad high school offense.  You can't run right at a box full of defenders, doesn't matter the quality of the defense, they can tackle the RB when they have a numbers advantage. 

Michigan limped to 3 point lead at half-time and felt lucky to be leading by that much.   Then the 2nd half became the dominating defense, Marsh, and Underwood show.  The defense decided to lead with aggression and limited the UTEP offense to negative yards for the 3rd quarter and Beck decided running into a loaded box was a fool's errand.  

Michigan dominated from that point on and it was game over.  I was worried about this staffs ability to adjust strategy at the half, but they did that and Coach Whitt got the team back to playing with energy and aggression. 

Cheers:

• Bryce was 19/25 for 223 Yards 
• Hiter had 2 TD's
• Marsh 105 yards 10 catches and 1 TD 
• JJ 7 for 92 and 1 TD 
• Chase Taylor led the D with 5 tackles, 1/2 sack, and 1 TFL 
• Bowles continued his good play 
• Lea'ea with the Big Man Pick 6 (Thick 6!)
• Trey Butkowski with a nice long FG 
• The 2nd Half 

Jeers:

• The 1st Half 
• 2 bad turnovers fumbles by Bryce and Savion 
• Marshall being banged up 
• The offensive line is still not great 
• Some early penalties were very costly

Hello, Nice to Meet You!

• Boney Toney! (Tariq Boney) 4 Tackles, 1 Sack, and 1.5 TFL 
• Cater Meadows 
• Travis Johnson 
• S. Moa with a TD catch 
• Tommy Carr with his first Michigan TD pass 

First half was full of WMU flashbacks for the fans, the players, and the coaches.  Good on the staff for re-focusing the team at the half.   Michigan can't have a half like that with conference play starting and a ranked Iowa team coming to the Big House next week. 

3-0 and we will take it. 

UTEP Preview

Paydirt Pete 

Time: 3:30 

Location: Big House 

Weather: 61/71% 🌧

TV: BTN

Line: Michigan -34.5

Michigan is playing the University of Texas the week after they played Ohio State.   Wait a second, its the University of Texas El Paso.  My bad.  Why doesn't Michigan other campuses have football teams?  U of M Flint or U of M Dearborn?  Flint is known for their basketball and Dearborn could be the football campus.  I like this idea lets run with it! 

UTEP as reported earlier this week likes 51 points.  They got beat in week 1 by Oklahoma 51-0 and scored 51 in week 2.  Will this trend continue in Week 3?  The rain might be an interesting factor.  

Dear Coach Whitt:

Not a big fan of swearing in these letters to you, but this is the best way for me to explain it.   The shit got real for you at Michigan really quick.  You win on conservaeral play in Game 1 and then play really well the next week and beat a ranked Oklahoma team.  The Big Ten season starts next week and by nothing short of a miracle your team is 2-0.  I asked you last week to win on defensive and that is exactly what you did. 

Now to this week.  Coach, we need some offense and we need it in a hurry.  The run game is poor to average, the offensive line has not been great, and our passing game is iffy at best.  Hat tip to Bryce, he was not well received after Week 1 but played much better Week 2.   We need to continue to see that weekly progression.  

The Big 10 Season is no joke, so we have to respect UTEP but get better and gain confidence this week.  Here is a quick priority list of things we need to see on Saturday. 

#1: Run the dang ball, Bert! 

#2: The offensive line needs to be road graters and open up some holes

#3: Move the ball through the Air, hit WR's, throw to a TE, get Bryce some confidence. 

#4: Score lots of points 

#5: Play dominating defensive like you have 

#6: No more penalties 

I would like to see Marshall and Hiter both have 100 yards.  I really like Hiter catching the ball out of the backfield and his total can be a combo between running and receiving yards.    Get Marsh a TD, would like to see Bryce complete a long pass.  

If the game starts to lean to a blow out, would love to see the young WR's in the game with Carr.  Don't take your foot off the gas, get them into open spaces and let them run.  

Now, let me be clear on something.  I'm not suggesting Michigan look past UTEP or not respect them.   We saw how that went for Oregon last week and your squad week 1.  Respect the opponent and play clean Michigan Football. 

Now that is out of the way, this week is about getting better, gaining confidence, and setting the table for a Big Ten Championship run. 

Michigan 51 UTEP 9

Michigan Tuesday: The Vanilla Gorilla

Coach Whitt has some Harbaugh coaching similarities.  Both are a bit of old school and both are little different.  Evidently Coach Whitt has nicknamed John Henry Daley: The Vanilla Gorilla.  I don't like it, I love it! 

Readers be prepared, I will be running with this often! 😃

Speaking of the Vanilla Gorilla, he was named the Big 10 Defensive Player of the Week. 

• Iowa game with be a 3:30 Kick on CBS, this weeks game is also a 3:30 kick 

• Sounds like Babalola continues to have injury issues and won't be back for some time 

• Two Freshmen I expect to see more is TE Mason Bonner and DE Tariq Toney who was held twice on pass rush against Oklahoma.  Mason made a nice catch but had a foot out of bounds. 

• Oregon 5-star WR commit Dakota Guerrant was in A2 for the Oklahoma game

• Kerry Coombs has done a really nice job with the Special Teams units 

• Excited to see the Defensive line with Carter Meadows who will be back from injury this Saturday. 

Post Game: Secondary Help

The Oklahoman

In my preview to Coach Whitt, I told him Michigan had to win this game on defense and they sure as hell did.  The secondary locked down the Oklahoma WR's and for the most part got Mateer on the ground when he scrambled.  The pass rush showed up and Michigan ended the game with a big sack by Marshall. 

In the 3rd quarter the secondary was doing its best to lose the game.   A terrible personal foul call on Hill and letting the Big Oklahoma TE run wild in the secondary.  Not to mention back to back terrible plays by Earls with a face mask and a blown assignment for a butt naked TD pass. 

Bryce was effective but the offense was very basic all game.  

There is plenty to clean up and that's why we do Cheers and Jeers:

Cheers:

• Michigan Defense making winning plays and basically scoring the winning TD 
• John Henry Daley had his best game as a Wolverine with 3 TFL's
• Marshall closed the game with a sack 
• NOB out there making plays 
• Another solid effort by Bowles 
• Secondary for locking down the WR's
• Get the ball to JJ! 
• Hiter had a few nice catches 
• Marshall catching all the punts
• Our punter is an All American 
• Butkowski had a nice field goal 

Jeers:

• The offense needs work 
• Bryce was the leading rusher 
• Oline played better but there just not enough holes 
• Michigan needs to find a way to pass the ball
• 11 Penalties for 90 yards is unacceptable 
• The mental mistakes are unacceptable 

This was a great win as the Wolverines and Bryce were the joke of the week, now they just upset the #11 team in the nation.  This is a huge win for Coach Whitt and this team.   They need to focus on getting better next week and finding more options on offense.   Bryce running the ball non-stop scares me with his fumbling issues and his health.  Mateer was gassed at the end of the game.

Huge win and it feels great!  Now go get better again! 

Oklahoma Preview

Time: Noon 

Location: Big House 

Weather: 77 feels like 87 

TV: Fox 

Line: Michigan +5.5

This is a tale of two programs through one game.  Neither team let in a touchdown in Week 1.  One team won 51-0 another one won a Hail Mary.  One team is ranked 11th in the country the other was ranked 16th but no longer ranked.  Oklahoma was posed to make a title run last year after their Michigan win, they got to the playoffs but their QB got hurt after the Michigan game and they weren't the same the rest of the year.   Any chance that OK State shows up on Saturday?  

Dear Coach Whitt,

I'm not sure I have words for what happened last Saturday night.  I do have some advice for you as you got a Michigan Head Football coaching experience in one fire hose blast.   First off, the all maize uniforms are weird and we don't like them.  Secondary, Michigan does not play well in night games at the Big House. Third, Michigan has a tendency to be very sleepy in its first game of the year at home.   

I'm sure you also learned that no matter the opponent you will get that team's best effort times 10.  Something makes the other team play at another level when they see that Maize and Blue.  This job is unique and nothing like Utah.   You have your hands full this week to not be embarrassed on Saturday.

Lou Holtz used to say that there are no greater improvements then between Game 1 and Game 2.  I sure hope that is the case for your team.  Outside of punting and not allowing a TD, there wasn't much to love from last week.   When everything is broken, where do you start to fix the problem was your greatest issue this week during practice.  

It has to start at QB.  I think Bryce has potential but he is snake bitten, falls back into old bad habits, and completely lacks confidence in his play.  It's hard to bench someone that is making so much NIL but that might be the right approach, he has never been able to watch and learn in college and he currently isn't equipped with the proper experience to deal with fire hose of college football yet.  I think Carr has better fundamentals but he is not ready for Oklahoma.  That leaves BFN if he knows the offense.  

These are very difficult decisions and reason your in this role.  You inherited Bryce and maybe he can't be fixed in a way that will win you football games this year.  If that is the case, we need to move on quickly.  On the other hand, the kid has a ton of talent and if you can fix him, his upside is through the moon.  Good luck with that decision. 

This week can change your season.  It's an opportunity to flush the Hail Mary that still seems be a topic on all the sports shows.  Or it can be one of the most embarrassing loses of your career.   The game will need to be won on defense for the Wolverines.  No matter how much your OC learned or Bryce can execute, it won't be enough to beat The Sooners, without a dominating defense.  In fact the defense probably has to score for Michigan to win.  

Final advice, the turnovers and penalties are not acceptable.  That is not Michigan Football and has to be fixed right away.   Finding a way to score points against Oklahoma's defense will need another Big House Miracle and I think you've spent those dollars.   My only hope is Michigan surprises us once a year in a game and I hope its this weekend.  Again coach, I'm at a loss for words and please don't embarrass the program on Saturday. 

Oklahoma 31 Michigan 10

The Aftermath

This is how I watched the final play:

I watched Bryce throw it out of the endzone. 

I shut off the TV 

Immediately wrote the Disaster post 

I hopped in a sad shower 

My phone rings as I'm in the shower 

My son said, that he can't believe Michigan won

I said, I saw the final play and the game was over, the WMU head coach was walking to shake hands. 

He said, they put 1 second on the clock and Bryce hit JJ for a Hail Mary. 

I turned my TV on and YouTube TV had saved exactly where I left off and saw the final play. 

I know social media lost its mind that 1 second was put back on the clock.  I 100% agree, WMU got robbed.  The same way Michigan has gotten robbed many times over.  There was an extra play against MSU where the clock operator stopped the clock with one second to give Sparty a free play, which they won on.   They even nicknamed the fella, like one second Bob or something.   Dumb shit happens in football and this time Michigan benefited from it. 

Let's also be real about something.   Those officials and the video review booth were terrible all game.   There were at least 2 bad spots that were reviewed and up held.  One I'm pretty sure was a tackle for a loss that they gave a first down to the Broncos. 

The other point I've been seeing online is that, the fix was in by the Big Ten to protect next week's game between Michigan and OK.  Michigan had trouble all game completing a pass more than 5 yards, they had less than 1% chance of hitting that Hail Mary from 60 yards out.  It's not like they were in the red zone or goal line.  That gift was buying your broke friend a lottery ticket and saying I hope this hits and you can pay off all your loans. 

Update: The Big Ten released the audio and video from the review and it seems like a legit call with the clock synced with #18 from WMU touching the ball.  The MAC appreciated the transparency and agrees with the finding. 

I don't love rushing the field, but those fans were there all night, with nothing to cheer about.  They had 4 hours of cheering to get out of their system.   Those plays always happen against Michigan, not for Michigan.  So I get it. 

This sucks for the Broncos, I know the feeling all too well, but Michigan is nowhere near a good team right now.  They can't run, they can't block, they can't stop the run, they have a ton of problems with a top 10 team coming in next Saturday. 

Cheers:

• JJ told Sam Webb that 50/50 balls are 90/10 when thrown to him.  He is right. 
• Our punter was really good
• First drive and last play was good 

Jerers:

• New Michigan staff got a hard lesson that this place is different. 
• Team was not prepared at all 
• The play calling (outside of the first drive) was head scratching 
• I love that they want to run Bryce but he has a fumbling problem 
• Marsh has shown not to be the best Special Teams player in the past 
• Coach Whitt be aggressive in the 2nd half when the team is moving the ball, go for a 4th down 
• Turnovers and penalties are not Michigan Football and needs to be cleaned up right away
• Offensive line play was maybe the worst I've seen in 5 years 
• Beck, let's at least try to throw to a TE 

Outside the final play and the first drive, Michigan had very little to like about the game last night.  It was nice to see Michigan has a good punter.  

The late Lou Holtz used to say, "the biggest improvement jump teams get all year is between Week 1 and Week 2 of the season".   Let's hope that happens here.  Lots of long nights for the Michigan staff this week.  No Labor day BBQ for them. 

Western Michigan Preview

Time: 7:30 EST 

Location: Big House 

Weather: 70 No Rain 

TV: NBC 

Line: Michigan -27.5

Anytime you see a MAC team vs. a Big Ten team you think it should be an easy win for the Big Ten.  Ask Rutgers how that went last night.   Western Michigan was a good football team last season and won the MAC Championship.  They play solid defense and run the ball.  Yes, this is a new year, but that foundation is set and a physical team will show up in the Big House to face the Wolverines.  

Michigan is also a brand new team, with a new staff and many new players.  I'm thankful this game is a the Big House and not Germany.  Warde got something right as he rides off into the sunset.  

Dear Coach Whitt:

First off I would like to introduce myself.  This is the Big House Blog.   Myself and thousands of BHB inmates love this program.  We care about this program and we wear our Maize an Blue with pride and respect.  We want to be proud of this program, on the field, in the classroom, and off the field.   We expect excellence in all areas as the University of Michigan are clearly the Leaders and Best.   At the core we are fans and football Saturday's are more important to us then you will ever know.  Please bring these young men's best to the stadium every week and will will bring the respect and energy that effort deserves.  

We also use this space to give you advice on the weekly opponent.   This week of course is Western Michigan.  This is your first game in the Big House as the Michigan Head Coach, same with your staff.   It would be easy to sit back and take that all in.  You will have roughly one minute to do that, after you run out of the tunnel prior to kickoff.   Enjoy the moment of Zen and then lets snap back to business. 

Night games are special at Michigan, for many years the team, the athletic department, fans, and the head coaches did not believe football should be played in the dark in Ann Arbor.  It took ESPN to fund the first set of lights on the Big House.  Michigan wanted to play at Noon or maybe 3:30 but never in Primetime.  Of course, TV has changed that and its now become more commonplace. 

Coach you have brought a calmness to Stadium and Main we haven't seen in many years.  Our football team has been full of championships and scandals.  Only one part of that sentence is Michigan Football.  We believe in you and your talented staff.   But let me be clear, playing tough football and falling short every year like you did at Utah, will not work here.  We expect championships and good clean football every week.   The bar here is very high and we expect your ready to exceed it.  

Western Michigan is no cupcake.  They won their conference last season and their Bowl Game.  They like to play a Utah or Michigan type of football in being physical and running the ball right at you.   They are coming to the Big House to not fool you but to play physical football.   This should match Michigan's style and expectation.  They are not driving East for a payday they are coming to Ann Arbor to win the game and embarrass you on your first game has head coach.  Do not sleep on these guys.  

For your team, all eyes will be on Bryce and hopefully a strong jump forward.  He is a talented young man that was given the keys to this offense on his 18th birthday and wasn't coached at all.   We expect a strong run game, great O-line play, and Bryce to hit his new WR's downfield.  Bryce doesn't have to be Tom Brady back there, he just has to play smart and clean.  As much of train wreck as last season was, they were one win away from making the playoffs.  

On the defense side of the ball, I'm looking for an improved pass rush and a secondary that can cover.  The LB's are the biggest question mark and everyone will be watching what we have at that position group.  Nothing will protect them more then good D-line play and a great pass rush.  

Special teams have been pretty bad in the games I've watched so far this season.  Every fans' expectation is that Michigan's special teams will be locked in from the first kick. 

Lastly, play clean, play aggressive, but most importantly play Michigan Football.

What I expect to see:

• Michigan rushes for 250 yards (100 for Marshall, 80 for Hiter, 50 for Bryce, 20 for backups)
• Bryce passes for 225 yards and 2 TD 
• Michigan defense dominates but gives up a late TD 

Michigan 31 WMU 10

Michigan Monday: Is Kicking It!

Michigan Football had a big recruiting weekend, named Victors Weekend.  Coach Whitt rode a custom built motorcycle into the Big House.  Our new coach has some swagger and I like it!  It was also a weekend to to show commits and other recruits the special place A2 is in the summer and year round. 

Former IMG and now Milton, GA 2028 kicker Ryan Jung picked up an offer from his dream school at camp last week and immediately accepted. Ryan is ranked the #1 kicker to Kohls but we are still waiting on rankings from Macy's, Marshalls, and Target (which would be a great name for a kicking camp).  If kicking doesn't work out, maybe he can play Safety at 6'2 200 pounds. 😀

Michigan did land a commitment from Victors Weekend, but I'm only somewhat excited.  It's from a rising 6'5 TE prospect named Christian Hanshaw.  Coach Whitt played with his dad at BYU so there is a long time connection with the family.  The reason I'm more fair to Midland on this commitment is Christian will be taking a 2 year Mormon Mission starting in December/January and won't show up in A2 until 2029.   Those missions are hard core and he will only get to work out a limited time a week and of course won't touch a football for 2 years.   I don't care how athletic you are, if you stop doing something for 2 years, its hard to regain that skill.   As we know, things can also drastically change in 2 years. 

The buzz is Michigan expects more commitments this week from Victors Weekend! 

• The US Open was interesting and I guess the lockers at Shinnecock are safe!  It seems that in many majors now, guys get out to a fast start and then start leaking oil but hang on for a win because nobody can make a run because the course is too tough.  

• The NBA Draft is almost here and Michigan's Big 3 National Champions should go anywhere from 8-20.

Michigan Friday: Spring Game - What I Want To See

Michigan's Spring Game and the first one under Coach Whitt is tomorrow.   It looks to be a chilly, windy, and maybe a rainy day.  Perfect Football weather! 2:00 on BTN

Here is my wish list of what I want to do see:

1. Nothing - I want to see the most vanilla offense and defense possible.  The coaches are smart enough to not show anything important. I actually would prefer not to see Bryce, Marshall, Marsh and any other important player.  It's ok, if Hiter has a couple runs but not many! 
2. Fundamental Football - Good Blocking and Tackling
3. Depth on both lines
4. A Freshman WR that can contribute next season
5. Better Special Teams 
6. Good Field Goal Kicking and Punting
7. Did Michigan get the best Carr QB?
8. A star TE in the making
9. Strong LB play 
10. Good depth at CB and Safety 
11. Herbie's kid getting snaps 
12. A similar smile on Coach Whitt's face like Harbaugh had when he realized in his first Spring Game, that he really is the Head Coach of the Michigan Wolverines. 

The most important thing - No injuries! 

Enjoy the day! 

Michigan Thursday: How Did The 2026 Recruiting Class Finish?

Michigan signed a kicker, a DE/LB who is the brother of the starting DE, and a long snapper yesterday.  This was after Michigan signed a very nice class in early December, then all hell broke loose, and now Michigan has a completely new coaching staff and was able to secure most of the class. 

Rankings per 24/7:

5 Stars: 2 Meadows and Hiter

4 Stars: 9
3 Stars: 10
Not Rated: 3

National Rankings per Service:

24/7: 12 

Composite: 12 

On3/Rivals: 12 

ESPN: 11 

It seems all of the services just have Michigan's class right outside the top 10.  Please note, these rankings do not include true freshman Salesi Moa who is a 5 star on some services.  He is offically a transfer.  

Michigan might have the best DL class in the country highlighted by Carter Meadows and a great RB with Savion Hiter. 

With the program completely exploding days after the early signing period.  I'm happy with this result. 

Michigan Friday: This Carnival Ride Never Ends

The Michigan fan base has been on a carnival ride ever since early December.  It started with National Signing Day, quickly to the Sherrone firing, to a impromptu coaching search, Michigan played a football exhibition/bowl game, and now the transfer portal.  

This is not a Disney ride, it feels more like that traveling amusement park that sits down in your city for  a week and the entire ride collapses in a few minutes to become highway ready for travel to the next town. 

The Transfer Portal folks is a complete cluster and I believe this is the last year we are going to see this level of nonsense.   Some governing body has to take control of this situation.  Case in point:

• Michigan's entire secondary is now in the transfer portal. It can't be about playing time, it has to be about money.  It could be about losing their coach LaMar Morgan but I'm guessing its the money.   Wink giving all these young guys playing time last year, gave them the right to check their value in the portal.  

• Michigan had a big win from the portal in a place kicker from Pitt and one of the top players in the portal DE John Henry Daley from Utah.   That is the good news.  

• The surprising news is that Michigan also signed OK RB Taylor Tatum who was the 2024 #1 ranked RB and was very close to picking Michigan over OK back then.   Taylor is a decent indication that Justice might look to be playing football in the NFL or at another school next year.  Tatum has an issue with fumbling and had a year long hamstring issue this past season, he could be a depth guy. 

• Still no news on Marsh, which even though the reports are positive, it worries me as everyday goes on without a new deal. 

• Freshman 5 star OT Ty Haywood is now in the portal, he redshirted last season. 

• 23 Michigan Football Players are in the portal

• Michigan does seems to be hosting a ton of good talent from the portal but can they replace the entire secondary?

CFP National Championship will be a Big Ten Team vs. Miami at home in an NFL Stadium that is owned by a Wolverine with his name on the Business School.  Who maybe is in the market for a Harbaugh.

• That was a pretty good game last night.  Quick question, does Bill Lemonade the ESPN hired official to explain calls, actually understand the rules?  He has as much success at predicting calls as ESPN booth announcer Andre Ware does.  They try to hide Andre on Friday nights but we are on to them! 

Michigan Thursday: WE GOT A PUNTER!

Coach Whit has been focused on retaining the current roster vs. adding talent in the portal.   Many of us believe you can do both, but at least Kerry Coombs is focused on the portal.  The first addition was a long snapper and now he has added a punter.  YES!

Michigan added UNLV Freshman punter Cam Brown.   Here are some stats for the newest Wolverine.

He is from Austria ✔
Averaged 43.8 yards per punt ✔
Long punt of 71 yards ✔
Pinned inside the 20, 17 times ✔
9 punts of 50+ yards or more ✔

I like it! 

• Breaking News: Michigan signed Pittsburgh freshman kicker Trey Butkowski. His name sounds like a Nickelodeon show.

• One of the top players in the portal, Utah DE John Henry Daley (Grip it and Rip it?)

• Utah starting defensive lineman Jonah Lea'ea has just entered the portal

• Jordan Marshall will be back. If Justice doesn't go to the NFL, Michigan will have the best RB room in the country, with Justice, Jordan, and Savion.

• Big news from yesterday was that Andrew Sprague left the portal and staying in Ann Arbor!

• Enjoy the CFP tonight.

• Semaj to UCLA, Davis Warren to Stanford, Keene to ASU

Wolverine Wednesday: Life Is All About Timing

Michigan's Football last 4 weeks has been all about good or bad timing.  Let's take a quick review:

12/10: Michigan fires Sherrone Moore 

12/12: Kyle Whittingham announces he is leaving Utah

12/19: Kalen DeBoer's Alabama Team upsets Oklahoma in the CFP 

12/20: Kenny Dillingham signs a new deal with ASU, rumor is he wants the Cardinals job 

12/20 - 12/25: John Harbaugh is vetted by the search committee, he declines and recommends his OC and former Georgia OC Todd Monken. 

12/26: Michigan hires Kyle Whittingham as its new head coach

1/1: Alabama gets embarrassed by The Big Ten's best team Indiana in the Rose Bowl

1/5: The Arizona Cardinals job opens up 

1/6: John Harbaugh is fired from the Ravens, insiders say in part due to his unwillingness to fire Todd Moken. 

My late mother always thought everything happened for a reason.  Kyle surprisingly becoming available 2 days after Michigan's job became available was a huge bat sign for all of us.

Kalen the reported top candidate won the game many thought he would lose and then gets embarrassed in the grand daddy of them all to a Big Ten team.   Kenny acts like a kid in the transfer portal.  John my first choice for the job was never going to leave the NFL (probably due to what his brother went through with the NCAA) and was clearly trying to give Todd a soft landing.  Reports are that all the NFL openings want John to interview. 

This has been a crazy month with either Michigan's top candidates becoming available or not becoming available at the right or wrong times.  

• Well we got a glimpse of how Michigan Basketball will lose their first game last night to a pesky Penn State team without their best player. Michigan sneaks out of Happy Valley with a 2 point win. 

• Michigan gets good news from offensive lineman Link and Guarnera who both are staying in Ann Arbor.

• Zeke Berry is also back!

• Fingers crossed for Justice and Marsh!

• Michigan signs its first portal player in Long Snapper Nico Crawford from Pitt. Nico do you know any good punters?

• Michigan Freshman S Jordan Young is also now in the portal.

Preview Texas

Time: 3:00
Location: Citrus Bowl
Weather: FL Cold 60 degrees
TV: ABC
Line: Michigan +7

Well a lot has happened since Michigan left the field after the OSU game.  Sherrone lost his mind, job, career, and freedom in one day and Michigan hired a new head coach in Kyle Whittingham.  The team continued to practice under Biff and a few recruits left the program.  

We know of 3 opt outs for this game for Michigan in edge rushers Moore, Barham, and also El-Hadi an offensive lineman will also not be participating.   I expect there will be a few more due to injury, etc.  That is just on the Michigan side.  Texas also has had some players enter the portal but we don't know who is and isn't playing from the Longhorns.   To be honest, neither team probably wants to play this game as their playoff dreams were both crushed late in the year.  

Like all the other bowl games this season, we are not sure what to expect on either side.  The Vegas line reflects the Michigan program in turmoil. 

Dear Biff, 

Well my friend it was fun while it lasted.  You will most likely finish your time in Ann Arbor being the head coach for 3 games this season.  Your 2-0 so far and looking to close out a perfect record.  Your OC is gone and Wink needs to play without his best 2 pass rushers.  Looking at the IU win over Ohio State, the reason Michigan wasn't more competitive in the game against the Buckeyes was they couldn't create any pass rush.   Now that seems like a huge issue against Arch and the Longhorns.  

I know you wanted this full time job but the Texas Podcast was a bad move and I hope that was just some gamesmanship.   My expectation is that you kept this team going by focusing on the game and not what was going on outside Schembechler Hall.   If you did that, then Bravo Biff and I expect to see a competitive game today in chilly Orlando. 

Now for the game.  It's no secret how I feel about Wink, but this is a Wink type of game.  Most offenses start slow in Bowl Games due to the time off and the loss of players.  Michigan will need to play very strong defense if they are going to stay with the Longhorns.   On offense, I hope Michigan has some healthy RB's.  Marshall had a great Bowl Game last year and if Michigan is going to win this game he will need over a 100 yards and a couple of TD's.   

We are also looking for Bryce to make another step in the right direction.  Next year is his year, but it would be nice to set the table with a really good outing vs. a ranked team. 

Biff I don't know if your ever going to coach again or just head to the beach with that stack of money you and your father-in-law earned but it would sure be nice to go out with a win over Texas.   In bowl games the team that usually wants to be there, plays like it and the teams that doesn't, reflects that as well.  

Goals for today:

• Play hard 
• Show progress on offense 
• and most importantly stay healthy! 

The future is next season with this young talented roster and a new coaching staff.  Let's get through this game with healthy players and the off season and a new direction starts on Thursday. 

Michigan 17 Texas 27

Michigan Monday: The Truth Behind the Ohio State Loss

We are all too close and too emotional when it comes to playing Ohio State.  Many times we can't see what is really happening because our heart over rides our head.   I fell victim to that when I wrote my Post Game before the game was even over.  I really didn't have time to process the entire game until I watched IU beat the Buckeyes on Saturday night.  

I understand I'm not a fan of Wink's.  I've been pretty clear about that everyday since he was hired.  I've also given him credit when credit was due.  That win last season against the eventual National Champion with a Michigan team that didn't have a functioning QB, was sorcery.  I will also go on record that I thought Wink blitzed too much during the season and it cost his defense long drives and points. 

Wink's lack of QB pressure against Ohio State cost Michigan the game.  What I watched on Saturday (mostly for the 1st half) was a carbon copy of OSU - Michigan.   The difference in the game ?  IU was pressuring Sayin.  Hell, IU was running plays that Michigan had run the week before.  

Bob, IU is the #2 defense in the country, they must have more talent then Michigan?  

Their roster is full of transfers from the MAC and small schools.  Its was not a talent issue.  It was a scheme and game plan issue.  Now, I get it.  Wink had to protect against the long ball with 2 NFL WR's on the outside.  But not pressuring Sayin at all, was a huge mistake.  It was the difference in IU winning the Big Ten Championship and Michigan booking a charter flight to Orlando. 

Bob, Michigan's offense wasn't going to score too many more points against that OSU defense.

That is an accurate statement, but IU's high octane offense only scored 4 more points then Michigan did against that defense.  If Michigan had more possessions by pressuring the OSU QB, they could've scored more points. 

Wink needs to go to the NFL next season.  Titans please hire him! 

• Sherrone made a quiet hire on Saturday when he hired former OSU DC Kerry Coombs as Special Teams Coordinator.  Kerry is from Cincinnati and has a ton of recruiting contacts in Ohio and in the midwest.  He also was in charge of Michigan for OSU recruiting, so he has a ton of ties instate as well.   Good hire and a guy that can coach a ton of position groups. 

• Anyone else laughing at what the OSU fans were thinking watching the Fox telecast on Saturday night with all the Michigan Basketball promotions? 😀

• Speaking of Michigan Basketball, wow! 

• I missed KG's daughter signed with Michigan Volleyball.  Did you know that KG would've gone to Michigan if he didn't go straight to the NBA out of highschool!

• Blake Corum had his best day as a pro: 128 on 12 carries and 2 TD's! 

• JJ also played better and threw 3 TD's 

• Sherrone confirmed Hausmann has a personal issue and dealing with a thumb injury.  His status for the Bowl Game is TBD.  

• ND that is a shame.  No Pop Tart?

National Signing Day Class of 2026 Bonanza!

Breaking News:  Michigan has let go Special Teams coach JB Brown, which was a no brainer.  JB was on staff for 5 years at Michigan. 

Mid-Day update:  17 players are signed.  Another 10 to go.  The top rated player Cater Meadows is in but Michigan still waiting on Hiter's signature and Walker's decision.  Julian Walker is expected to sign on Thursday with Michigan or South Carolina.  

Michigan's top 2 WR's are under attack from local schools.  VT is going after Travis Johnson and Texas is trying to flip Zion Robinson.  Michigan needs both of these WR's badly and I'm sure the other programs are telling them that Michigan is a running back school. 

Michigan could be trying to flip LSU committed CB Havon Finney who is delaying his signature with LSU. 

Super WR Calvin Russell is not signing with Syracuse but is expect to go Miami.   He was high on Michigan at one point. 

Michigan beats VT and holds on to WR Tyler Johnson!!!

Not Signed Yet:

• Savion Hiter 5 Star RB 
• Julian Walker 4/5 Star DE 
• Zion Robinson 4 star WR 
• Marky Walbridge 4 star OT 
• Travis Johnson 4 Star WR 
• Jam Vincent 4 star CB 
• Andre Clark Jr. 4 star CB 
• Jonathan Brown 3 star RB 

Signed in the afternoon window:

• 7:00 4 star OT Marky Walbridge is in!  
• 5:30 4 star CB Andre Clark Jr. is in!
• 4:15 4 Star WR Travis Johnson is in! - Boom! 
• 4:00 3 star RB Jonathan Brown is in!
• 3:46 4 star CB Jam Vincent is in!
• 3:30 3 star LB Markel Dabney is in!
• 2:45: 4 star DL Alister Vallejo is in! 
• 2:36 3 star LB Aden Reeder is in! 

7:27: Welcome to the biggest day at BHB! I will be tracking every signed LOI and celebrating every new Wolverine.  We already have some in the house already and it's not even 7:30 AM yet! 

• 12:43 3 star WR Jaylen Pile is in! 
• 12:31 4 star S Jordan Deck is in! 
• 12:20 4 star OT Malakai Lee is in! 
• 10:50 3 star TE Mason Bonner in in!
• 10:40 3 star LB Kaen Catchings is in!
• 10:22 4 star QB Brady Smigiel is in! 
• 9:37 3 star Edge Tariq Boney is in! 
• 9:26: Long Snapper Colton Dermer is in! 
• News: Julian Walker still seems torn between Michigan and South Carolina.  We will see if he signs with either team today. 
• 9:12 4 star TE Moose Ludwig is in! 
• 9:02 4 star DL Titan Davis is in! 
• News: 4 Star WR commit from Texas Zion Robinson is now not expected to sign today.  As other schools are after him. 👎
• 8:49 3 star DL McHale Blade is in! 
• 8:30 VT Flip from yesterday OL/C Adrian Hamilton is in! 
• 8:20 Legacy 4  star OL Tommy Fraumann is in! 
• 8:12 Kicker Micah Drescher is in!
• 7:45 Boom! 5 Star DL Carter Meadows is in!🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊
• Welcome 4 Star QB Tommy Carr!  Just like Grandpa, always be early! Tommy is in! 
• Welcome 3 Star OL Bear McWhorter who was the first in I believe! 
• In other news: Backup OL Connor Jones is expected to enter the transfer portal.  Connor is currently a RS Jr.  Connor appeared in 11 games over four seasons, and played 38 offensive snaps and 37 special teams snaps in his career.  Best of luck Connor! 

Preview Ohio State

Pinterest

Time: 12:14
Location: Big House
Weather: 30 Snow around 2:00
TV: Fox
Line: Michigan +9.5

It's time again for THE GAME.  The best rivalry in sports and there is no other.  Both teams spend all year, including the off season preparing for this game.  Michigan has a win streak in the series but OSU won the National Championship last year.   They are also the #1 team in the nation and have the #1 defense guided by former Lions Head Coach and Bill Belichick disciple Matt Patricia.  Michigan is 9-2 and OSU is 11-0.  Michigan has the youngest team in the Big10 and has played like it most of the year but winning games.  OSU is the defending champs and haven't been in deep water at anytime this year.  Both teams have played a favorable schedule.   Something has to give on Saturday. 

Dear Sherrone:

There is not much advice I can give you this week.  You know the assignment.  What your team accomplished last year in Columbus is still shocking.  Your team was hurt and missing stars everywhere and let's be frank, you were not good on offense.    Finding anyone on the roster to complete a forward pass was a challenge.   

You have your own challenges this year, but the future is very bright with your 5 Star QB.  Ohio State will stuff the box and Bryce will have to use his TE's, Marsh, and McCulley to move the sticks and score points. Please don't try the trick plays, just play Michigan Football.  Use the offense momentum from last week against Maryland and have a balanced mix of run and pass.   Patrica will try to confuse Bryce, so be careful getting too complicated in his reads.  I assume Chip understands that.  

I'm not a fan of Wink's but what he did to Ohio State's offense last season was out of this world great.  He also had 2 future NFL draft picks on the defensive line.  Wink will have to design some schemes to try to confuse Sayin.  There is one thing for certain, both QB's will be 100% nervous playing in this game for the first time.   I'm not buying that the Buckeye star WR's are banged up, be prepared for them to play and targeted often.  

Do what you do Sherrone.  Get the team prepared to shock the world .  Play clean, smart, hard, and most importantly play Michigan Football.  The CFP awaits with a win, the Citrus with a loss.  

I expect this to a be a low scoring game.  Michigan will struggle to get the ball in the end zone and Z needs to make all his field goal attempts.  Michigan's punter must also average 40 yards per punt.  This game was Wink's finest moment last season, can he replicate it in Ann Arbor?  That is the big question.   Michigan is very young everywhere and how both teams handle the pressure of the rivalry will be the difference in the game.  OSU is clearly talented,  Michigan is as well, but much younger.  Who will step out of the shadows and be the hero?  It's a lot of pressure on one football game and none of us would have it any other way.   Stay away from personal fouls and Play Michigan Football! 

OSU 24 Michigan 12

Maryland Post Game: Most Complete Game of The Season

Tommy Gilligan, Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

With a young team, you never know what type of team you are going to get week to week.  Coming off the bye in Chicago the team did somethings really well, but turned the ball over 5 times and snuck out with a win.   Yesterday afternoon in another road trip, Michigan's defense gives up a 1st drive TD on defense but also scores one of their own.  

The team full of freshman and walk-on's turned in a very good performance in all phases as the Terrapins threw the kitchen sink at them to try to get bowl eligible.  Was the day perfect from the Wolverines side?  Of course not, but that's why we have Cheers and Jeers! 

Cheers:

• Kuz with 3 TD's and 100 tough yards on the ground! 
• Marsh is a superstar! 
• TE's with 5 catches 
• 3 Sacks (I thought Moore had all of them, also thought they had 4?)
• Bryce with a sharp game and no TO's
• A Goodwin sighting 
• Curtis pick was nice (also led the team in tackles)
• Field Position!
• Finally a dominating performance
• Marsh with 48 kickoff return yards and 23 punt return 
• Hello Tomas O'Meara!
• No turnovers! 
• No Punts! 

Jeers:

• Semaji didn't make the trip
• There are a ton of rumors floating around Ernie Hausmann and if he is still with the team, did he leave because of mental health or religious reasons? He tweeted later in the day he never left the team.  Lots of confusion with this situation that seems to be very fluid.  Ernie also did not make the trip. 
• Marshall didn't play but was dressed and could've gone.  
• Wink, you are still blitzing too much.  When you have a QB nervous, he is going to dump the ball off quickly whether you blitz or not.  Fake a blitz and get into coverage. 
• Z enough already.  Make your kicks, we need you on Saturday!  Dude, lets go! 
• Max Bredeson is hurt and left on crutches.  Sherrone said it didn't look good. 
• Our CB's got beat on some deep routes that were overthrown by Maryland's QB
• The stats are not crazy high as Michigan had great field position and short drives all game. 

All and all a great game for the Wolverines and some nice momentum going into THE GAME.  My preference is for Michigan to beat the Buckeyes and not go to the Big Ten Championship game, while getting an at large bid for the playoffs.  Michigan has too many injuries and does not need to play an extra game before the postseason.  If Michigan were to go to the Big Ten Title game and lose to IU (basically a home game for them), that would knock them out of the playoffs.  Big week coming up! 

Preview Maryland

Time: 4:00 

Location: SECU Stadium 

Weather: 54 and 6% rain 

TV: BTN

Line: Michigan -14.5

If you play this game on paper or in a video game, it should be one sided in Michigan's favor.  The issue is Michigan has not been playing very well the last two games.   They beat both Purdue and Northwestern by a total of 6 points.  Now Maryland is struggling as well and has lost 6 games straight. The game is on BTN, at Maryland, and has a weird start time.  This is the trapiest of all trap games ever with #1 on deck next week. 

Dear Sherrone:

I have always thought injuries were just random occurrences that sometimes happen to teams and other teams tend to avoid them.  I'm starting to wonder if your doing something wrong in your program right now, with the number of injuries you have had to key personnel the last two years.  I don't think its the S&C guy, but I wonder if your practices are too physical.  Making some changes to reduce injuries in the off season is important. 

Now on to this game, Michigan under your leadership has not played well on the road.  Yes, you had the unbelievable win in Columbus last year but other efforts have been head scratching.  Including last week, when your highly favored Wolverines beat Northwestern by a point.  Being -5 in turnovers is clearly unacceptable. 

Everyone knew that fake punt was coming against Northwestern, so I'm going to make this 100% clear, THIS IS A TRAP GAME.  Maryland's coach just got the "vote of confidence" from the AD and they are on a 6 game losing streak.  Not to mention, the game a week from Saturday. 

This was Michigan's RB room coming into the season:

Justice Haynes Jordan Marshall Bryson Kudzdal Micah Ka'apana Donovan Johnson Jasper Parker C.J. Hester John Volker

On Saturday its Bryson and Max running the ball?   It's a TRAP! 

I did like how Chip opened the offense against Northwestern but Bryce's 2 picks were clearly set ups by the Northwestern's DC.  Chip has to be better to give Bryce other others options in the passing game.  

This game will again be all about Wink and stopping Maryland.  Michigan with a limited running game will score limited points, Wink has to keep Maryland under 10 points.   Getting the team to focus on the Terrapins and stopping Maryland will be one of the coaches hardest weeks this entire season.  Being -5 in turnovers means your defense played really well last weekend.  

My final piece of advice is play Michigan Football, stop turning the ball over, play clean, play dominating defense, play solid special teams, and score enough points to win the game.   THIS IS A TRAP GAME! 

Michigan 23 Maryland 10

Turnovers Not the Pastry of Choice

Jacob Hamilton/Mlive

Downtown Chicago rightfully named on Michigan Ave. has a one of the largest Starbucks in the world called Starbucks Reserve.  It's huge and they have all kinds of special drinks and pastries.  It happened to be right around the corner from our hotel, and the family and I enjoyed a couple trips to the large coffee shop.  

We did not buy any turnovers, but it seems Sherrone and the traveling Wolverines did.  You don't win football games at any level when you are -5 in turnovers.  Michigan did just that at an un-seasonably warm Wrigley Field on Saturday.   Michigan dominated in all other stats, including fans in the stands for what was supposed to be a Wildcat home game.  It was easily 90% Michigan to 10% Northwestern fans in the friendly confines of Wrigley. 

With so much to clean up, this game was ripe for a Cheers and Jeers:

Cheers:

• Andrew Marsh is going to be Michigan's next great WR
• 189 yards 
• 12 catches 
• One game saving sideline toe tap catch 
• Kuzdzal with some strong running late in the game 
• Marshall with 143 yards on the ground 
• Bryce threw for 280 yards 
• #14 Jordan Young with a game saving pass deflection 
• Z for making the game winning field goal
• The weather! 

Jeers:

• Chip had his worst day as Michigan OC.  On both Bryce picks the Northwestern DC set up Bryce and the Michigan offense.   Chip has to be better moving forward. 
• Sherrone continues to struggle with in game head coaching duties.  I don't like how he managed the last 5 minutes of the game at all. 
• Bryce's 2 picks changed the game 
• Injuries are killing the Wolverines right now 
• I'm sorry and I don't like saying this about any kid, but Semaj does not need to be seeing the field at all. 
• Michigan Special Teams are just struggling right now 
• Michigan punted once and it was a terrible line drive with the wind at his back, where NW gained like 30 yards in field position. 
• Z's miss to start the game was awful 
• Semaj's fumble cost Michigan 3 points 
• a fake punt that everyone knew was coming 
• 1-3 on field goals 
• A holding call that took away a Michigan TD on the first drive, where Michigan left with zero points. 
• 0 sacks 
• Wrigley is a fun historic ballpark, but not a great venue to watch a football game. 

This was another ugly game folks and the fans left Wrigley not happy, just relieved they were leaving with a W.  In the last 2 games, Michigan beat Purdue and NW by a total of 6 points.   Michigan has to be better to beat a struggling Maryland team and of course that team down south that is ranked #1 in the nation.   

It doesn't matter how many total yards you have, if you're going to turn over the ball over 4 or 5 times you are going to lose most games.