The Wolverine

November 2021

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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NOVEMBER 2021 THE WOLVERINE 19 BY JOHN BORTON N ot since the summer of 2009 had predictions been so dire for Michigan football. The fashionable pick for a 2021 fin- ish became 7-5. Others called that overly optimistic. The Wolverines were as hot a com- modity in preseason forecast circles as a lemonade stand in Antarctica. The Wol- verines simply stood no chance, they said. Coming off a 2-4 season, featuring a defense giving up 35 points a game, with little rushing attack and a behind-the- sticks offense, Jim Harbaugh's team might not break even in 2021, they said. Given a half-new coaching staff, this marked — at best — a rebuilding year. Fast forward to late October. The Wol- verines stood 7-0, ranked No. 6 in the na- tion, with road victories at Wisconsin and Nebraska. They have featured one of the most mistake-free offenses in America, with only four turnovers and three sacks allowed. Defensively, gone are the runaways, both in the secondary and on the score- board. Gone also were the hanging heads, the muttering, the miserable malaise of 2020. The Wolverines wiped it all away, in a fired-up fight to contention in the Big Ten race. Many still find it hard to believe. Not Jim Harbaugh, who — with his back against the wall after last season— pushed back hard and got others to do the same. "It's a special group of guys that really like football," Harbaugh said. "You see it when they practice, the energy that they bring, the fun they're having, the grit. There's more of them like that. "It starts with the coordinators, the way they work together, the energy and the passion that they bring. I attribute a lot of that to being a fresh, cohesive group that's attacking it on defense, offense and special teams." Redshirt junior offensive tackle An- drew Stueber has been around for five years now. He's experienced hundreds of ups and downs, but he's never quite seen things the way they were last fall. No fans in the stands. Key injuries on both sides of the football. A mid-October start, with starters on both sides of the ball opting out of the season. A sense that this somehow didn't really count. "Last year just didn't really feel like college football in a lot of ways," he said. "No fans in any stadium, not starting on time, not getting the time to really bond with everyone in camp or in the hotel. It really kind of affected the nature of college football and the nature of a lot of teams. "It wasn't college football, and it wasn't us. What it did teach us this year is, no game is taken for granted. Every opponent is looked at as, we could lose to this team if we don't show up. That's showed up in our preparation for every team. No team is taken lightly. We're not looking behind, we're not looking ahead, we're looking at the week ahead of us." The weeks ahead could bring great pain, or even greater achievement. This much is already certain, though. The Wolverines are nothing like the version expected most everywhere except inside Schembechler Hall. A NEW ATTITUDE The Wolverines look completely dif- ferent this season, from the head coach on down. While Harbaugh always claims to "attack each day with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind," he proudly noted getting back to his playing days' weight in the offseason. That change doesn't buy his team a single first down, but it's indicative of the commitment to change inside Schem- bechler Hall. Harbaugh stresses the posi- tive energy, rather than the negative ele- ments it replaced. But the latter were real, those close to recent teams noted. An eyes-on-the-NFL mindset had crept in for many, along with a selfishness that appears to have been washed away. James Ross — former Wolverine, brother of redshirt junior linebacker and captain Josh Ross, and a Michigan gradu- ate assistant coach the past three sea- sons — attests to it. The elder Ross now coaches linebackers at Hope College, but keeps up intensely with his younger brother and all those in the winged hel- mets. It's definitely different this year, James Ross assured. "The one thing that stands out for me is, you can see the excitement from watching the games on TV, and the close- ness of the players," he said. "That really sticks out to me. "I think the culture has definitely changed. The conversation I've had with Josh, him talking about the things they have going on, the changes they've made, the coaches that are involved in each of these kids' lives, it's clear that it's a differ- ent type of feel up there. "That's why they've got these guys playing at the level they're playing at. I think we've always had the talent. It's al- ways been there. "But now, the players are not only play- ing for the coaches, but they're playing for one another. That's why you see these guys playing at a high level." Harbaugh noted the uptick in attitude before spring football even began, but TERRIFIC TURNAROUND Michigan Football Races To A Jaw-Dropping Start Head coach Jim Harbaugh led the Wolverines to a 7-0 start to the season, a marked contrast to last year's 2-4 finish. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL

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