The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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16 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2018 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS FIVE YEARS AGO, 2013: Michi- gan got its football season off to a dominating start on the final day of August, pummeling Central Michigan 59-9 in The Big House. This proved no contest start to finish, with the Wolver- ines leading 56-6 after three quarters and coasting home. Michigan piled up 463 yards of of- fense, compared to 210 by the out- gunned Chippewas. Quar terback Devin Gardner connected on 10 of 15 passes for 162 yards with one touch- down and two interceptions, while nine different ball carriers piled up a combined 242 yards on the ground, none with more than running back Derrick Green's 58. U-M's Joe Reynolds began the scor- ing onslaught with a 30-yard punt re- turn touchdown in the first quarter. Gardner added a 22-yard touchdown dash, and the Wolverines were off to the races. Gardner talked about the calm he maintained on the field afterward. "I'm not really chaotic," Gardner said. "My head's not spinning or anything. It's probably refreshing for [receivers]. And then when they get open, I get an opportunity to hit them. And if they don't I'll just run." Michigan head coach Brady Hoke de- livered a passing grade on his quarter- back's opening-game effort. "He had a good game," Hoke said. "I wouldn't say elite or excellent or any- thing. But I thought he had a good game." 10 YEARS AGO, 2008: Michigan's volleyball squad got its season off to a strong start, sweeping Louisiana-Lafay- ette in three straight games Aug. 29. The Wolverines won by scores of 25- 10, 25-22 and 25-17, securing a road victory in Fox Gymnasium in Houston. U-M performed in the Rice University Mizuno Invitational, dominating the Cajuns by producing a negative hit- ting effort by a foe for the first time since the 2004 season. The Wolverines registered six blocks in the opening two sets, paced by Karlee Bruck's four knockdowns. Beth Karpiak led Michigan with 10 kills in the match, her 71st career start. 25 YEARS AGO, 1993: Gary Moeller prepared the Wolverines for what he viewed as an extreme chal- lenge, following five straight Big Ten championships. Michigan's string of conference title excellence stretched back to 1988 and Moeller's mentor, Bo Schembechler. Now, coming off a 38-31 win over Washington in the 1993 Rose Bowl, Moeller faced the issue of making sure his squad stayed on top. That wasn't going to be easy, for any number of reasons, and Moeller knew it during fall camp. For one, former independent Penn State was playing its first-ever Big Ten season, putting a third historical pow- erhouse into the conference, along with Michigan and Ohio State. The Buckeyes themselves looked to be a talented and challenging crew. But the biggest issue, Moeller cau- tioned, involved the Wolverines bat- tling themselves. "When you win, complacency is an is- sue," Moeller stressed, in the days lead- ing up to Michigan's Sept. 4 opener with Washington State. "How bad do you want it? How hard have you been willing to work? We'll find out." — John Borton THIS MONTH IN MICHIGAN ATHLETICS HISTORY On Aug. 31, 2013, quarterback Devin Gardner and the Wolverines crushed Central Michigan 59-9 in The Big House. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL