The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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U-M Moving Quickly Back To The Top level of events, not of words. Trust movement." "Trust only movement. Life happens at the — Alfred Adler wolverine WATCH BY JOHN BORTON ositive change marks Michigan's foot- ball program in every meaningful, mea- sureable way these days. Brady Hoke's nascent undertaking in Ann Arbor doesn't require sales talk from the participants. The results are already screaming. The Wolverines' offense improved in 2011, despite grim predictions of a transition falloff. Their defense rocketed from afterthought to priority, from hide-your-eyes horrific to No. 6 in the nation points allowed. In 18 months, Hoke's crew scrambled to P While Michigan celebrated after the Sugar Bowl, both the coaches and the players are focused on the goal of a Big Ten champion- ship this season. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL finish one recruiting class, pulled in the No. 7 group nationally last year and boasts Rivals. com's No. 1 class for 2013 as these words draw ink. On the field, U-M's misery-laden losing streak against a scandal-ridden Ohio State pro- gram lies as dead as Jim Tressel's OSU e-mail account. The Wolverines' Big Ten welcome to Nebraska arrived like a Mike Tyson knockout shot, producing cobwebs under the corn hats. Michigan fought its way to a BCS bowl and won it, despite staggering injuries. The Wolverines capped off a season featuring 11 wins, a feat achieved by U-M squads just twice between 1986 and 2011. Celebrating? Oh, there was a little of that. When you've experienced as much anguish as the seniors of 2011 weathered, there's no shame in standing under the Louisiana Super- dome's confetti guns an extra moment or two. At the same time, the talk wasn't boastful, or arrogant, or laden with references to a dy- nasty just around the corner. Just the opposite. It involved the push to get better, to move past the failure of 2011. Failure? Now, Michigan fans can form a tough crowd, but not many came away from last season dropping that particular "F-bomb." Those we've encountered couldn't wipe away the smiles over what's done and the anticipa- tion of what's to come. But somebody insists — quietly, but firmly — that's what happened last fall. In his first meeting with Team 133 last winter, he told them they'd collectively failed in a crucial area. "Well, we did," Hoke assured. "We talk about the goal of winning the Big Ten cham- pionship. There are 11 other teams right now talking about the same thing. We've always talked about winning the Big Ten champion- ship is the No. 1 expectation we have as a program. "We've won 42 of them — more than any- body else. For us not to get that 43rd, or have that goal to get that 43rd, would be underesti- mating ourselves, and shortsightedness on our part. When you don't do it, it is failure." The man who brought Hoke to Ann Arbor witnessed a torrent of forward movement over the past year. He observed all of the aforemen- tioned measurable factors, as well as a cultural emphasis on accountability and battling with- out excuse. Michigan director of athletics David Bran- don certainly didn't recoil at 11-2, or Sugar Bowl champions. At the same time, he shares Hoke's insatiable thirst for achievement. "Our seniors and the leadership of that team and our new coaching staff held together and accomplished something really magnificent for a first-year effort," Brandon pointed out. "But, we didn't win a championship." That could change, and change quickly. The Wolverines can hold their own, per- sonnel-wise, against anybody in the Big Ten. While Hoke emerged from spring practice grousing about Michigan's strength up the defensive middle, that just means it's getting extra emphasis, from conditioning workouts in the summer right through fall camp. Michigan brings back both of its 1,000-yard rushers, including Denard Robinson — one of the most dynamic performers in all of college football. He faces his own issues to correct, and knows it — a Big Ten-leading 15 inter- ceptions. He's worked tirelessly on reading defenses and then making well-chosen, ac- curate throws. There's no guarantee, but offensive coordi- nator/quarterbacks coach Al Borges sports a sterling track record with quarterbacks spend- 8 s THE WOLVERINE 2012 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ing a second year under his tutelage. Move- ment, not talk, began to show in Robinson's game this spring. Robinson found himself among the seniors sent by Hoke to spend training time around Navy SEALs in Newport Beach, Calif., this spring. Hoke takes toughness, teamwork and leadership seriously, and so should his Team 133 veterans after a grueling morning around Rob Stella, the SEALs' chief special warfare operator. An ESPN.com account quoted Stella warn- ing the Wolverines — just prior to a battery of physical challenges — that the greatest barrier of all rests within the mind. "It doesn't matter who can run the fastest, who can shoot the best or who can throw it the farthest," Stella barked. "What it all comes down to is how do you perform when you're stressed and under pressure? We're going to take you places where you've never seen be- fore. Be prepared for that." It's action, not talk. Robinson promised more of the same throughout the summer, all designed to hone a tough togetherness. "When you mess up, I'm not afraid to call you out on it," Robinson urged. "When you're down, I can pick you up. You can't separate that family bond. You can't separate family. When you're wrong, they're going to tell you. "When we're working out, and you see that guy not pushing hard enough, not going hard enough, not running hard enough, you're go- ing to say, 'What are you doing? I know you can go harder than that.' That other person is like, 'Okay, that's my brother. He knows what I can do. I'm going to bust my behind for that guy.'" Michigan faces a behind-busting schedule, from a Dallas date with defending national champion Alabama to Ohio State's Nowhere Else To Go Bowl in Columbus. The Wolver- ines aren't talking about how difficult the slate looks. They're preparing to face it. Hoke produced hope, for now and the fu- ture. But hope, he insists, is too tame and ephemeral a notion. "We expect to be there," he said, regarding the Big Ten championship game. "Having an attitude of hoping doesn't seem to me to present the kind of future we want to have here at Michigan. That's the goal. The Big Ten championship has always been the goal and will continue to be the goal. For us not to expect to be there, we're really underestimat- ing ourselves." Hoke offered nothing more on the matter. He'd rather get on the move. u Editor John Borton has been with The Wolverine since 1991. Contact him at jborton@comcast.net and follow him on Twitter @JB_Wolverine.