The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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Concerns? Sure, there are plenty. Until the Wolverines encountered Indiana and its Chamber of Com- merce Defense (welcome, come on in), they hadn't demonstrated much of a downfield passing attack all year. Fifth-year senior quarterback Jake Ru- dock's incredible outing (a Michigan- record six touchdown passes, with 440 passing yards) notwithstanding, Michigan's offense has proven incon- sistent. It's been covered up by a defense that delivered shutouts and drew raves at one point. But that side of the ball has taken a hit with injuries, and it's showing some cracks, underscored by Indiana's game-long assault. Harbaugh noted the Wolverines looked a little short on personnel, and tired, against the Hoosiers. He's right, with late-season injury attrition setting in. As if that weren't enough leaks in the boat, Michigan gave up a special teams touchdown for the second straight game. The Wolverines also racked up a particularly unlucky 13 penalties, which added to the neces- sity for double overtime in hanging on against a team that's scared many but remained 0-6 in the Big Ten. "We've got to figure out why guys are stopping on punt coverage, just coming to a stop," Harbaugh rue- fully marveled. "Why we're jumping offsides. We found about every which way to jump offsides today. There are things, I'm sure you saw them, too, but we found a way to win." They keep finding ways, whereas six of the last seven Michigan teams would have found a way to lose. The Wolverines have already reached a level where they're heading to a nice, warm-weather bowl site. That alone would have shocked many prognosticators, who insisted they'd be scrambling for bowl eligibility, even under the new boss. None of the talk matters now. All that mattered coming out of Michi- gan's 10th game involved contests No. 11 and No. 12. Everything remained on the line. Big Ten schedulers put in place a final fortnight of drama in the confer- ence's regular season. Michigan at Penn State and Michigan State at Ohio State in the penultimate Big Ten week- end, and the Spartans hosting the Nit- tany Lions while the Wolverines bring in the Buckeyes to close it out. Harbaugh remains this kind of leader: Why not now? Why not us? He's assiduously armed himself to try and make it happen, from bringing in Rudock and fifth-year senior punter Blake O'Neill as a graduate transfers to sliding redshirt freshman safety Ja- brill Peppers over to offense at times. The Wolverines just might run out of ammo over the final two weeks. But if they do, they'll go out battling with sticks, stones and bare knuckles. Then they'll reload, in a big way. That's the new norm, and for longtime observers, it's like watching Wyatt get angry and knowing the eventual end- ing will prove cathartic. ❏ Editor John Borton has been with The Wolverine since 1991. Contact him at jborton@thewolverine.com and follow him on Twitter @JB _ Wolverine.