The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MICHIGAN FOOTBALL U-M first-year coach since Bennie Oosterbaan went 9-0 in 1948. Following in the footsteps of Schembechler, Moeller and Carr, Hoke emphasized the team above all else, restoring pride and a culture of winning to the Maize and Blue. "Coach Hoke, it's really not about him — he'll tell you that himself," senior defensive tackle Mike Martin said. "It's about the guys he's coach- ing. There's so much genuine care that he has of coaching you and im- proving you as a guy." In 2010, Hoke won the Mountain West Coach Of The Year award. In Hoke's second year there, the Aztecs went 9-4 and reached their first bowl since 1998, beating Navy in the Poin- settia Bowl. And in 2008, Hoke's Ball State team went 12-0 in the regular season and to the brink of an at-large BCS bid, before losing the MAC champion- ship game. Hoke was awarded MAC Coach Of The Year honors. Michigan may not be done win- ning coaching awards. Defensive coordinator Greg Mattison is one of five finalists for the Broyles Award, which recognizes the country's top assistant coach. Great Game Performances Leroy Hoard And Tony Boles Team Up For Incredible Feat When quarterback Denard Robinson rushed for 170 yards and tailback Fitzgerald Toussaint went off for 120 yards in the Wolverines' 40-34 victory over Ohio State Nov. 26, Michi- gan improved to 36-1 when a pair of ball carriers eclipse 100 yards in the same game. This has happened only twice before against the Buckeyes, most recently in 1988. U-M entered play that season unbeaten in its last seven games (6-0-1) following a difficult 0-2 start against Notre Dame and Miami. Michigan's ground game, behind ju- nior tailback Tony Boles and junior fullback Leroy Hoard, had been a strength all year — the Maize and Blue averaged 226.7 yards rushing in their first 10 games — and would be called on to lead the Wolverines' of- fensive charge against an Ohio State team with a 4-5-1 record desperate to salvage its crumbling campaign. Michigan's aerial attack surprised the Scarlet and Gray early when much-maligned quarterback Deme- trius Brown found Greg McMurtry for a 57-yard touchdown, staking U-M to a 10-0 first-quarter lead. Hoard piled on, with an 18-yard touchdown 48 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2011 run, and Mike Gillette's second field goal of the game gave the Wolverines a 20-0 halftime lead. The Ohio State offense, which hadn't crossed the 50-yard line in the first half, came alive in the second, scoring on four consecutive possessions to take a 24-20 lead. That is when Michigan turned to Hoard and Boles, who worked in concert with Brown to drive the length of the field, capped off by Hoard's eight-yard touchdown run. OSU would reclaim the lead imme- diately, but U-M wasn't finished, can- vassing 59 yards on the kickoff and 41 yards through the air on Brown's game-winning touchdown pass to John Kolesar. Hoard (23 carries for 158 yards and two scores) and Boles (103 yards on 19 attempts) would lead a ground game that churned out 276 yards while the two also combined to catch five of Brown's 11 completions. The only other pair of teammates Hoard (above) rushed for 158 yards and two touch- downs on 23 carries versus Ohio State in 1988, and Boles added 103 yards on 19 attempts. PHOTO COURTESY U-M SPORTS INFORMATION to each rush for 100 yards or more against OSU was Gordon Bell and Rob Lytle in 1975, but they were on the losing end of a 21-14 defeat. Finalists also include LSU defen- sive coordinator John Chavis, Wis- consin offensive coordinator Paul Chryst, Arkansas offensive coordi- nator Garrick McGee and Alabama linebackers/assistant head coach Sal Sunseri. The winner will be an- nounced Dec. 6. Under Mattison, Michigan im- proved its points per game allowed by 18.0 points in one year (35.2 in 2010 to 17.2 in 2011) while lowering its yards surrendered from 450.77 per game to 317.58 per game this fall. "I knew Greg would get this thing turned around, but I didn't see this coming," former U-M All-American and current NFL analyst Dan Dier- dorf said. "I knew he'd get them in right places, and we'd at least be cov- ering people, but who could have possibly imagined this dramatic of a change? "In no sport does coaching play a bigger role than in football. Not to demean people who coach hockey or basketball or baseball, but I think coaching plays a larger role in foot- ball than any other sport. That should be painfully obvious to anyone who saw Michigan play this year and saw them last year." DENARD ROBINSON JOINS ELITE 30/30 CLUB In 1998, Indiana's Antwaan Randle El exploded onto the scene, reinvigo- rating Hoosier football with a brand of athleticism rarely seen from the quarterback position. He finished his career with 96 total touchdowns, 44 on the ground and 42 through the air, to become the first player in NCAA football history to record 40 career touchdowns rushing and passing. In the years since, 13 players have reached the 30/30 touchdown mark, with Michigan junior quarterback Denard Robinson (38 passing and 35 rushing) and Baylor junior Rob- ert Griffin III joining the illustrious group during the 2011 season. The list includes some of the big- School Michigan Vs. Notre Dame All-Time Head To Head In Winning Percentage G W L T Pct. Michigan 1,240 894 310 36 .7355 Notre Dame 1,194 853 299 42 .7320 * Notre Dame lost to Stanford Nov. 26 and went 8-4 during the regular season