The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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8 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2019 M ichigan packed the football family SUV full of breath- lessly excited hopefuls. The destination: Indianapolis in De- cember. The chance for arrival: The Wolverines' best in years, the media declared. Two games in, the maize and blue vacation ride hadn't quite reached Toledo, and there were already calls from the back seat. The kids (fans, in this instance) weren't hollering "Are we there yet?" No, the comments sounded more pointed than harmlessly annoying. • Hey, why all the swerving? Are we going in the ditch? • I feel a wobble — pretty sure the wheels are going to fall off. • Um, is it normal for oil to be splat- tering down through the sunroof? You get the picture. It doesn't take much to unnerve the riders these days. Most have felt Big Ten title deprived longer — the past decade and a half — than they have their entire lives. What they witnessed during the season's opening fort- night didn't feel like the unfettered freedom of the highway. Five lost fumbles, a muffed punt and a dropped easy interception that would have gone for a touch- down. The Wolverines treated the football like Leon Lett in the Super Bowl, leading to a double-overtime escape against Army. Michigan's new offense sputtered, and its defense saved the day. Jim Harbaugh's team can't win like that for long and knows it. Already, a Wisconsin crew that outscored its opponents 110-0 in the first two games featured a fan base ready to witness U-M's Thelma and Louise-style final act. Fact is, win or lose at Wisconsin, two truths remain. One, a dent — even a big one — doesn't prevent getting where you're going. Two, a win doesn't mean you've arrived. "The great thing about these two games is they exposed some things we needed to work on," senior left guard and two-time captain Ben Bredeson said. "It's different running this offense in practice, when you can script some looks, rather than having to react to things live in games. We're seeing that now." They're learning to adjust on the fly, with no loss of confidence, he assured. "The explosive plays are all there," Bredeson insisted. "There was just one thing wrong, one thing holding everything back. … The explosiveness, absolutely, is still there." So are the many reasons the Wol- verines were highly regarded. None have changed. • They still feature a senior quar- terback with a host of talented wide receivers. • They boast an offensive line packed with veterans, although the return of All-Big Ten left tackle Jon Runyan Jr. from injury will help sig- nificantly. •They found a top-notch running back in freshman Zach Charbonnet, who piled up 190 yards and some impressive pass blocks the opening two weeks. • Despite a personnel overhaul, they could remain a top-10 defen- sive squad nationally under Don Brown this season. • Their special teams remain strong, given a steady field goal kicker and a punter able to bury teams deep in their own territory. In other words, a flat tire in the first 50 miles doesn't assure the burned-up, shuddering wreck John Candy and Steve Martin wound up driving in "Planes, Trains & Auto- mobiles." Just like a strong start in non-conference games doesn't mean you're driving a Lamborghini. Ask Maryland. Some backseat rid- ers insisted Michigan should cancel the November game with the Ter- rapins, after new coach Mike Lock- sley's crew got out of the gate 2-0. The Terps scorched Howard and Syracuse by a combined score of 142-20, and some dreamed Locksley brought Alabama north with him. Then came a 20-17 loss at Temple, and a rest stop near the quaint little town of Reality. Just ask Penn State. The Nittany Lions blew away Idaho and Buffalo by a combined 124-20 the opening two weeks, then had to hang on for dear life to beat Pittsburgh at home, 17-10. It's a long road to Indianapolis, and all sorts of drama can and will occur along the way. Michigan hoped its fortuitous early bye week would heal Run- yan, junior wideout/punt returner Donovan Peoples-Jones and others who got nicked up early, including senior QB Shea Patterson. They also hoped to patch obvious potholes, especially on offense. By the time this hits many door- steps, Wisconsin will be in the rear- view mirror. The kids will again be shouting, either gleefully or in horror. But given a road including non- road games versus Iowa, Notre Dame, Michigan State and Ohio State, there's plenty of time to do some damage and avoid a break- down. Those hopping out early could miss quite a ride. ❏ Editor John Borton has been with The Wolverine since 1991. Contact him at jborton@thewolverine.com and follow him on Twitter @JB _ Wolverine. WOLVERINE WATCH JOHN BORTON Slow Start Doesn't Decide Destination Jim Harbaugh's squad may not have been firing on all cylinders through two weeks, but they were not alone in the Big Ten or across the college football landscape. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL