The Wolverine

2015 Football Preview

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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BY BRANDON BROWN B rady Hoke became the 19th head coach in Michigan football history on Jan. 11, 2011, and brought with him a passion and a love for Michigan many felt had been missing for some time. He marched into his first season, said all of the right things and went 11-2 with a Sugar Bowl win over Virginia Tech. In Hoke's second year, things started to shift in the wrong di- rection. The Wolverines finished 8-5 with a heartbreaking Outback Bowl loss to South Carolina in the final seconds. In 2013, things again were trending the wrong way after the Maize and Blue limped into the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl and was throttled by Kansas State 31-14 to finish 7-6. In 2014, things went from bad to worse — Michigan finished 5-7 overall and, for the second year in a row, 3-5 in the Big Ten. Those results, and the downward trajectory, ultimately led to the de- mise of Hoke's coaching tenure at Michigan. YEAR IN REVIEW Rocky Season Spurs Change In Ann Arbor THE 138 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2015 FOOTBALL PREVIEW July 14: Michigan announces a home-and- home series with Oklahoma during the 2025 and 2026 seasons. The first game will be in Nor- man before the Sooners come to Ann Arbor the following year. July 22: Longtime Michigan public and media relations director Jim Schneider passes away. Schneider worked with the football, baseball and ice hockey programs during his 30 years with the athletic department. Aug. 8: Michigan and adidas unveil TECHFIT uniform to be worn for Under the Lights III against Penn State. Aug. 10: Michigan hosts Media Day and Fan Day, unofficially kicking off the season for Team 135. Aug. 25: Brady Hoke confirms that he will not be naming yearlong captains and that they will change week to week, depending on achievements and practices. Aug. 30: Running backs Derrick Green and De'Veon Smith combine for 289 rushing yards in a 52-14 win over Appalachian State in the season opener. Fifth-year senior quarterback Devin Gardner throws three touchdown passes to Devin Funchess in the first half and Michigan leads 35-0 at the break. Sept. 6: Michigan is shut out for the first time since 1984, losing 31-0 to Notre Dame in the final game of the rivalry for the foresee- able future. The shutout snaps a streak of 376 games in which Michigan has put points on the scoreboard. Sept. 13: Michigan gets back on track be- hind 137 rushing yards and two touchdowns by Green, defeating Miami (Ohio) 34-10. Sophomore tight end Jake Butt fully returns to the lineup after recovering from ACL injury to contribute three catches for 59 yards and a touchdown. Sept. 18: Gardner is one of 30 Football Bowl Subdivision student-athletes named a can- didate for the Senior CLASS Award which is given to a senior student-athlete with notable achievements in the community, classroom, character and competition. Sept. 20: Despite leading in total yards and time of possession, Michigan drops a home contest to Utah, 26-10. Due to severe weather during the fourth quarter, the game is sus- pended for two hours and 24 minutes. Sept. 27: After taking an early lead, Michigan cannot hold back Minnesota, which answers with 30 straight points. Michigan loses a 30-14 decision in the Battle for the Little Brown Jug, the first loss to the Gophers since 2005. Sept. 30: Michigan releases a statement regarding student-athlete safety and welfare after a poorly handled situation involving sophomore quarterback Shane Morris suffer- ing a hit to the head. Oct. 4: Michigan has a long, potential go- ahead, field goal try blocked and falls to Rut- gers 26-24 under the lights in Piscataway, N.J. Rutgers quarterback Gary Nova dices the Wol- verines for 404 yards and three touchdowns in the loss. Oct. 11: In special all-blue, TECHFIT adidas uniforms, and behind a defense that allows only 214 yards of total offense, Michigan snaps a three-game losing streak by defeating Penn State 18-13 in Under the Lights III. TIMELINE Early in 2014, Hoke hired Doug Nuss- meier away from Alabama to replace former offensive coordinator Al Borges. The head coach believed Nussmeier could be the shot in the arm that the offense needed. "Nuss is the offensive coordinator, and he's done a fabulous job," Hoke said. "We want to be able to run the football — that's as impor- tant as anything." Hoke was never one to make guarantees. After two subpar years, there wasn't any room for that anyway. He decided to label the upcoming season as a challenge and a motivational goal. "I don't know if we can surprise people until we get out there and compete," he said. "I would say that these are pretty educated guys. They're at Michigan, No. 1. They un- U-M struggled to a 5-7 record, including its second straight 3-5 mark in Big Ten play, lead- ing to the dismissal of head coach Brady Hoke. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL rady Hoke became the 19th head coach in Michigan football history on Jan. 11, 2011, and brought with him a passion and a love for Michigan many felt had been missing for some time. He marched into his first season, said all of the right things and went 11-2 with a Sugar Bowl win over Virginia Tech. In Hoke's second year, things started to shift in the wrong di- rection. The Wolverines finished 8-5 with a heartbreaking Outback Bowl loss to South Carolina in the final seconds. In 2013, things again were trending the wrong way after the Maize and Blue limped into the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl and was throttled by Kansas State 31-14 to finish 7-6. In 2014, things went from bad to worse — Michigan finished 5-7 overall and, for the second year in a row, 3-5 in the Big Ten. Those results, and the downward trajectory, ultimately led to the de- Change In Ann Arbor room for that anyway. He decided to label the upcoming season as a challenge and a "I don't know if we can surprise people until we get out there and compete," he said. "I would say that these are pretty educated guys. They're at Michigan, No. 1. They un- U-M struggled to a 5-7 record, including its second straight 3-5 mark in Big Ten play, lead- ing to the dismissal of head coach Brady Hoke. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL

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