The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/402034
FROM OUR READERS playing without several starters, and it didn't matter. They wanted it badly, as did their coach, and we didn't. John N. Trobaugh, M.D. Marco Island, Fla. It's fair to say both teams wanted that game, Dr. Trobaugh. One crew definitely went out and got it, though, avoiding a fifth loss in six games to end that series. CHAMPIONSHIPS SOUGHT Dear The Wolverine: "Those who stay will be cham- pions." Well, maybe. We know that Bo Schembechler delivered on his famous statement. To me, the signature of a Schembechler team was that they were rarely out of the game. With a couple of rare excep- tions over 20 years his teams just did not get blown away. If Michi- gan was trailing, it was not by very much. There were so many games where victory was never in doubt. There was often an opportunity to get some reps for the second- and third-stringers. Those reps paid off in victories in subsequent years for those players. Times change. I cannot think of a program that has not suffered a loss • "Can't pick Michigan with the big three gone and replaced by freshmen. But we know better." — Socal4mich • "MSU's starting lineup is likely to be Travis Trice, Denzel Valentine, Matt Costello, Branden Dawson and Javon Bess. Michigan's starting lineup will likely be Derrick Walton Jr., Caris LeVert, Zak Irvin, Kam Chatman and Mark Donnal- Ricky Doyle. You decide." — sane1 • "Wisconsin first seems like a good bet but is anybody not liking Michigan's first five versus MSU's first five? And then to extend it, Michigan's best eight or nine guys versus MSU's best eight or nine guys? It's the same with OSU. "I guess I see how people on the outside could look at what Michigan lost and see a step back, but Derrick Walton was a MAN in Breslin last year, and Caris [LeVert] is a lottery pick. Give [Zak] Irvin the "Nik Stauskas/Caris LeVert Leap" (trademarked), and then figure that the U-M bigs are probably no worse than the MSU bigs, and … "Branden Dawson is the one matchup they probably have an advantage on, but if he were to be a three, I don't think that's a given. As a four, I'd say so. Ver- sus Irvin, I'd say toss-up. Walton is greater than Travis Trice, and LeVert is greater than anyone on their team. And assuming Dawson will even be healthy for either of those matchups is hardly safe, given his injury/temper history." — mgoblue24