The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/246097
with one of the nation's storied college football programs, Nussmeier made clear from the moment he stepped to the podium his awareness of his surroundings. "This is a special place — a special, special place," Nussmeier stressed. "That's why we're here. You talk about 11 national championships, 42 Big Ten championships, three Heisman Trophy winners. It's Michigan football. "When you say the word 'Michigan,' everybody knows about Michigan football. I was fortunate enough to be in this conference before, and I have a great amount of respect for this league and for all the things that Michigan football stands for." He's been in the conference, and he's been in Michigan Stadium. He was there on a crazy afternoon when daylight turned to darkness and three overtimes produced an absolute shocker. "I watched a lot of touchdown passes right here in this corner to Braylon Edwards the one year, when we thought we were going to get a 'W,'" Nussmeier quipped. "We," back in 2004, involved Michigan State. Nussmeier and the Spartans saw Michigan rally from a 17-point deficit with 8:43 remaining to capture a 45-37 triple-overtime win. The Wolverines back then featured not only Edwards at wideout, but future NFL players Jason Avant and Steve Breaston as well, along with rifle-armed Chad Henne at quarterback, Mike Hart at tailback, and a David Baas-led crew of bruisers up front. That's the sort of offensive talent Nussmeier thinks of when he envisions Michigan. "This is a good football team here, with good young talent," he said. "If Coach Hoke recruits players — which I know he does, because you look at our recruiting rankings over the last years — as well as he recruited me, we're going to do really good with our young players in moving toward the future. "There is young talent on this team. We've got to develop it. We've got 45, 46 days before we go to spring football. Getting those young players on the same page … we've got to get better each and every day, focus on that day and what that holds. Get the players focused on what we're going to get better at that day." He's already familiar with some of that talent, Nussmeier insisted. He's about to get to know all of it extremely well. "I'm very confident," he stressed. "This football team is 11 points away from being 11-1. That's a darned good football team. The young players on this roster, knowing some that we recruited — Derrick Green and David Dawson and Wilton Speight and Shane Morris and those guys. I don't know the whole roster. "I haven't had enough time to familiarize with everybody, but knowing the players we recruited when I was at Alabama that are here and part of this team, I really feel good about where we're headed. We need to get there quickly." Hoke's teams have put one 1,000yard tailback on the field in three