The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/246097
senior Devin Gardner's skills. Nussmeier will also bring along Michigan's younger quarterbacks, including fellow left-hander Shane Morris. But job No. 1 for the new offensive coordinator — after recruiting finishes — has to be revamping Michigan's dormant run game and injecting consistency into an offense that fluctuated wildly in 2013. The Wolverines put 41 points on both Notre Dame and Ohio State, along with a program-record 751 total yards in a 63-point outburst against Indiana. The flip side of those surges involved no touchdowns against Michigan State for the second straight season, back-toback games with negative rushing yardage at a crucial point in the campaign, leading the nation in tackles for loss surrendered, and absorbing 36 sacks. Gardner entered the winter on crutches, providing an apt visual metaphor for the season-long pounding he took. All of those negatives ultimately spelled the end of the Michigan sojourn for Al Borges, who came with Hoke from San Diego State. That wasn't a simple call for the head coach, he acknowledged. "It's not easy when you've spent five years with a coach and a family … we consider him more than just a colleague," Hoke said. "We took this job three years ago to make Michigan better. We took this job knowing that every decision that's going to be made by me is going to be made based on what's best for Michigan and the kids in this program, the legacies, and the 134 years of teams that have come before." Michigan athletics director Dave Brandon backed the replacement call, noting: "I am really thrilled. This was a finalist for the head coaching job at