The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1273784
14 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2020 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS FIVE YEARS AGO, 2015: New Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh took his team on a self-described deep dive in "the submarine," entering a fall football camp in which he wanted no information leaking out. For the most part, Harbaugh made certain it stayed that way. He did deliver some pre-submarine remarks, and gave some updates along the way, but made sure to keep things quiet and avoided anything he considered distractions. "Our expectations are very high," Harbaugh told Michigan's official website, MGoBlue.com. "It'll come through work, but we have no predictions or crystal ball seeing into the future, nor do we want it to be that way. "We embrace the fact that there will be great competition, and we have to get ourselves prepared for that. [Whichever] team plays together the best as a team is going to stand the best chance of winning, and that's what we're doing now. We're becoming who we're going to become, and we're working to earn whatever we become. "We win as a team. That's the best way and the only way to get it done. And I have sensed that from our team. It's important to them; it means so much to them, that we win for those that want to see us do well, [people] that are for us." Harbaugh also promised a balanced offense, heading into a season featuring a tough road opener at Utah. "We'd like to be the type of football team that throws it 50 percent of the time and runs it 50 percent of the time," Harbaugh said. "That'll be the goal. Now, whichever we're better at doing, the percentage may lean in one direction or the other, but having a great running game is critical. "It's very important to football. Our objectives are to get better at every phase of our football — offense, defense and special teams." The Wolverines wound up doubling their win total from the previous year, finishing 10-3 after a win over Florida in the Citrus Bowl. 10 YEARS AGO, 2010: Rich Rodriguez prepared for his third (and final) season of Michigan football in a fashion he never expected. In the middle of August, he completed a 7.5-hour hearing before an NCAA Committee On Infractions. In his only comment after the hearing, Rodriguez noted: "Certainly glad this part of the process is over." At issue was whether or not Rodriguez failed to promote an atmosphere of NCAA compliance within the football pro- gram. Media charges of U-M spending more than the NCAA- allowable amount of practice time and related incidents put the program on defense before the NCAA. Michigan athletics director David Brandon spoke at more length, regarding the process. "When you have never done something before you never know what it's going to be like," Brandon said. "We were very well prepared, our representatives, our internal counsel, our legal counsel we brought in, our specialists, everybody did a great job preparing us for what took place in there. "We went in there with a lot of confidence and a clear understanding of what our objectives were and as I said we got a very fair and open hearing." 25 YEARS AGO, 1995: Lloyd Carr's first-ever game as Michigan's head coach on Aug. 26 went from near disaster to stirring comeback, after the Wolverines rallied from a 17-0 fourth-quarter deficit to beat Virginia 18-17. Scott Dreisbach's sideline fade to Mercury Hayes for a touchdown at the very end completed Michigan's biggest comeback ever. Some 18 points prior to that, the Wolverines were treated to unmistakable booing throughout Michigan Stadium. "The most important decision I ever made was with 12 minutes to go," Carr told ESPN. "There were loud boos com- ing out of those stands because people were unhappy, and I think they wanted somebody else to get a chance at quarterback. "So the most important decision I made was when I stayed with Dreisbach. There's no question when you have all inex- perienced guys, the guy who has played the last 48 minutes for you, he gives you the best chance to win." Win Michigan did, mounting a furious comeback to kick off a nine-victory season in which Carr was eventually named Michigan's head coach, after the removal of the interim tag. He kept the position for another dozen years after that fateful season, including the 1997 national championship campaign. "My guess is had we not won that game I would have never become the head coach at Michigan," Carr said. "From that standpoint, it was a pretty important decision for me." — John Borton THIS MONTH IN MICHIGAN ATHLETICS HISTORY Wide receiver Mercury Hayes' late touchdown grab capped Michigan's rally from a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit and gave the Wolverines an 18-17 win over Virginia in the 1995 season opener. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS