The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/152358
from our readers regular-season-ending victories at MSU and OSU to guarantee making the 2012 tournament. The Wolverines were swept by the Spartans at Cliff Keen earlier in the season, were coming off disappointing road losses at non-qualifying Northwestern and Illinois, and trailed 21-24 in the first set at MSU, having never led. Behind Lindsey Lerg's serving, Michigan scored the next five points to take the set 26-24 on their way to a 3-0 victory. What a win (followed by a men's basketball victory over Pitt several hours later in New York City)! A 3-1 defeat of the Buckeyes two days later in Columbus put Michigan in great shape going into the tournament. Football can be combined with volleyball only twice this fall, both times in Ann Arbor. On Notre Dame weekend, Michigan hosts Oregon State at 7 p.m. Friday and NCAA runner-up Oregon at 2 p.m. Saturday in Cliff Keen. Michigan plays Northwestern and Illinois on Friday and Saturday of the Minnesota game. If you haven't attended a Michigan volleyball match recently, this is the season to do so. If you have, you don't need any further encouragement from me. Go Blue! Jim Supance Tiffin, Ohio Thanks, Jim. Fall must be on the way. From Our Web Site • U-M could lose to or beat Nebraska, Northwestern, Penn State, MSU, Notre Dame and OSU as each of these teams has displayed an ability to move the ball on U-M or others. Might except MSU from the moving-the-ball descriptor if Andrew Maxwell doesn't figure some things out. Going to be a real interesting season. DOTMAN • Losing to Northwestern isn't an upset, at least not in the spirit of JB's [John Borton's] column. Sure if we are favored by three at Northwestern then losing would technically be an upset, but would it really? The two programs are even right now, and it's a road game for us (where they actually will have more fans than us this year). I actually have this as a loss, somewhat because of where it falls on the schedule as you point out, but also because defensively we don't match up well with them. Would a loss on the road at night at Penn State, a team that went 8-4 last year and again this year, be considered a big upset? I think if you want to start speculating about true upsets, then consider Indiana. We'll be favored by two TDs, or more, and that is a game that can cause some problems because they can score in bunches. Big Ten Blue