The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/178977
from our readers All duly noted, Kevin. Michigan is scheduled out for a while, except for a few spots, but with playoffs coming and a promised strength-of-schedule component involved in the process, you can anticipate some good matchups down the road. Early Returns Promising Dear The Wolverine: I was grateful to have been in attendance at the season opener against Central Michigan and witness a play by the Wolverine defense that I hope is indicative of the intense effort that Team 134 will put forth this year. The play took place late in the game, long after its outcome became obvious. Coach Hoke had emptied the bench, and everyone who isn't being redshirted was getting some playing time. Sophomore Mario Ojemudia had taken Frank Clark's place at the weakside defensive end position. It was a pass play, and Mario was sprinting in hard off the edge "like a bull with a bee in his ear," as longtime Michigan radio broadcaster Bob Ufer would have described it. All the Chippewa tackle could do to stop Mario was desperately reach out and snag his facemask. How Mario's helmet (or head) stayed on was a mystery as he was spun around on a tether. However, Mario was able to regain his balance at the last possible instant, lunge at the quarterback, and make the sack! This gave the Michigan defense the luxury of choosing between a 15yard penalty or a 10-yard sack with loss of down. I was left shaking my head in amazement, hoping that all the other Wolverine fans had also noticed the play. Lou Hoekstra Kalamazoo, Mich. They noticed in the film room, Lou, but the pass rush has been uneven early on. They'll be looking for more Super Mario-type plays now that the Big Ten season has arrived. Post-ND Euphoria Dear The Wolverine: What are your feelings after the Michigan Notre Dame game? It was a game of great football drama, another great game that you could not make up. If you are a Notre Dame fan, you most likely feel that the refs gave Michigan the home-field advantage on the pass interference calls. That is something that you can put in the category of "it really doesn't matter how one feels." The refs make the calls, with or without replay, and the game goes on. If you are a Michigan fan, you know that those plays were pass interference penalties, and the refs make the calls, and the game goes on. This game is another instant classic. I know that the rivalry is a classic rivalry, not a game of regional interest only. I know Michigan never trailed in that game, even though it did not always feel like it. There should be a court of appeal for the ending of the Michigan-Notre Dame football matchup for the foreseeable