Michigan's Painful Transition Continues

The growing pains of completely changing the style of offense at Michigan continues, with an extra emphasis on the pain portion. This time the Wolverines saw a 24-game winning streak against MAC opponents snapped. Michigan lost at home to Toledo, 13-10.

The Wolverines actually had a chance to tie the game and send it into overtime, but K.C. Lopata gakked a 26-yard field goal with 9 seconds left, guaranteeing Michigan a return to Schadenfreude.

While Michigan wasn't as cosmically mistake riddled as in the Notre Dame game, they made enough big mistakes to cost them. The biggest without question happened midway through the 1st quarter.

Toledo fumbled the snap and Michigan was able to recover. That set up the offense at the Toledo 33. After six consecutive rushes, it was 2nd and goal at the 5. Steven Threet's throw off his back foot went to Tyrell Herbert in the endzone. Herbert, however, plays for Toledo and took it the other way for a 100 yard pick-six.

That was the only Toledo touchdown of the day. Otherwise, while Toledo accumulated over 300 yards of offense, they could only manage 6 more points.

Michigan had a 10-7 lead at the half, but Michigan Coach Rich Rodriguez pulled QB Steven Threet in the second half in favor of Nick Sheridan, a walk-on sophomore. Sheridan threw two picks, though, to be fair they both went off the hands of the Michigan receivers.

The missed Michigan field goal at the end probably spares Toledo Coach Tom Amstutz a lot of second-guessing for going for a 4th and 2 at the Michigan 32 with 1:37 left in the game. Rather than safely punting it and making sure Michigan had to start from at worst the 20, and probably taking a little more time off the clock, they through a screen for no gain. That gave Michigan better field position and a little more momentum with the stop.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

10-11-2008 @ 4:41PM

Don said...

Everyone who wished Lloyd Carr was gone must be very happy right now...I guess you got what you deserved!

10-11-2008 @ 6:42PM

john said...

Come on folks!! Did any of you really think Mich had the players to have even a decent yr. Can you say growing pains

Clay said...

I guess now we'll here all of the Michigan fans make excuses and talk about how Toledo really is an underrated team. I doubt Brian will even mention it all in his Schadenfreude blog this week. For such a smug group of fans in general this is just so much fun to watch. Michigan is the whipping boy of the very weak Big 10. HAHAHA!!!!

10-12-2008 @ 4:31PM

Mike said...

Poor Clay your just pissed because your BOSS is a MICHIGAN GRAD. Go back to your trailer stupid

10-11-2008 @ 7:16PM

Scott said...

John, Growing pains is losing to the Illini. Just a bad bad team is losing to TOLEDO! This loss might even be worse than the loss to app. st. to start the year off last year. Sure they turn it over time and time and time again and have a lot of penalties. The only problem is when they do it week in and week out it's no fluke they stink! Can you say sucks?

10-12-2008 @ 10:53AM

Hail to the Victors. Their announcers even once refered to Toledo during the radio broadcast as 'mudhens' in an effort to somehow wish they were watching baseball, I suppose. The reality is that there are many good teams in the big ten and recruiting is not as easy as it was twenty years ago. Add to that the fact that the coach is no Lloyd Carr. Lloyd was just too classy for Michigan. It will be fun to watch them turn on this new guy who has all the composure of a paranoid nut case. Why would West Virginia care about him? They will be fine without him. John

Steve said...

Those who stay will lose to Appalachian State and Toledo

10-12-2008 @ 10:54AM

Trent said...

I heard Meechigan was thinking about changing conferences and joining the Mid-American Conference..But they changed their minds because they feel they would not be able to compete in the MAC...Now the are looking into the Junior High School Girls Conference in Ann Arbor..................................................Go Blow!!! LoL

10-13-2008 @ 10:02PM

Rick Phalen said...

good one!!

10-12-2008 @ 4:32PM

Blue Balls said...

Have your fun boys, if anyone thinks Lloyd Carr would be doing any better than Coach Rod, might I remind you that Coach Carr had Henne,Hart,Arrington a guy named Long and a few more players and still lost to Appalachian State. Carr knew he had to step down, knowing that if he couldn't get it done with those players that left Michigan, he most certainly would be in a cluster ---- this season. Was Carr a great guy? maybe I didn't know him outside of coaching, did he run a clean program? from what I know-yes. His better days of coaching were behind him. I put Carr and Tressell in the same class-wtf you might say. If Tressell didn't get Pryor his season, Columbus would be looking like the Michigan under the Carr regime, good-yea but not what OSU wants out of its program. Changing a head coach is difficult but adding to that a new offensive scheme and you get a team like "Michigan" this year. Coach Rod was handed a program with cupboards bare and asked to make chicken salad out of chicken ----. For things to get better at Michigan, they had to get worst first. So boys have your fun, yes -Michigan is down but it sure as hell is not because of Coach Rod. So while Michigan is getting the players it needs to run this offense and Michigan Fans cheer for first downs instead of touchdowns-enjoy. Michigan only has to beat one team this season and they would be a success-and it's the last game of the year, and for what it's worth Coach Carr has always had the respect of Michigan's Fans-some of us just didn't agree with his coaching.

10-12-2008 @ 7:08PM

steve said...

when coach rich gets the person to lead the offense all you people that are bad mouthing michigan right now are gonna eat your words, go blue, michigan fan for life

10-13-2008 @ 11:42AM

DAS said...

To be fair to the Michigan recievers, Sheridan's passes were tipped and intercepted because they were not accuratly thrown.

10-13-2008 @ 12:42PM

hahahaha said...

and all you michigan fans made fun of notre dames rought times now you know how it feels hahahaha

10-13-2008 @ 2:07PM

the way I see it...there will fun to be had at Meechigan's expense for years and years to come...Let's all toast Richie Rod and may he be at Meechigan for years to come..it's couldn't have happened to a better group of fans!!..............................................................Go Blow!!! lol

Fred said...

From where I sit this is very familiar ground. Take players recruited to play a given style, and no matter how fitted they are, make them play your offense. Hopefully for Michigan, and I'm hardly a Wolverine fan, it goes better than our Bill Callahan experiment.

10-13-2008 @ 10:03PM

20 balls to nick moore? 100 yrd. int. return? Toledo setting records at the Big (little) House? You suuuuuuck.

shewholovesmichigan said...

MICHIGAN may be down ...but not out. Its not going to happen this year but have you looked at who Coach Rod has comming in next year? Be afraid....be very afraid. True blue forever.