The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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a 27‑17‑1 record in those games, including a 6‑9‑1 record in South Bend. A loss in a non-conference road game has not spelled doom for the Wolverines. In the last 70 years, there were 17 seasons in which Wolverines lost an early-season non-conference road game. In eight of those seasons, they bounced back and won the Big Ten title (2004, 2003, 2000, 1998, 1990, 1988, 1982 and 1980). Consistency Is The Watchword For Linebackers Michigan linebackers want to achieve the spectacular at times this season — the big hit, stripping away the football, picking off an errant pass. Those are all important items on checklist, but the most important involves play-to-play consistency, according to inside linebackers coach Mark Smith. Smith said that if he could improve on just one aspect of Michigan's inside linebackers' play between the start of fall camp and the opener Aug. 31, it would involve making sure his charges do things right every time. "It's just overall consistency," Smith said. "Say you've got 10 plays, and seven good ones, three bad ones. Well, that's just not good enough. It's being more consistent over the long haul, and having a better overall working knowledge of what they have to do. Hopefully we can become more consistent and improve on the things we're already good at." Consistency certainly doesn't preclude big plays, and Smith has em- In addition to being more consistent, linebackers coach Mark Smith noted that his unit has placed a strong emphasis on forcing more turnovers this season. Photo by Per Kjeldsen phasized the linebackers exerting an impact greater than they did a year ago. Michigan didn't force enough turnovers, head coach Brady Hoke noted, and the middle level of the U-M defense takes that personally. "We've made a strong emphasis, even in the short period we've been in camp, on making plays," Smith noted. "You see signs, you see flashes, but still consistently, we've got to keep working at it and getting