The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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Ten center wasn't going to watch this one unfold. "I can't stay out of football," Molk said. "It's just not humanly possible for me." Whether it was humanly possible to perform effectively was another matter. Molk admitted afterward he felt more pain from the foot than anything in his Michigan career, and when asked how much it hurt, he responded: "You have no idea." "I made it," Molk said. "I made it, we won and that's all that matters. I don't know if I was fighting for my life … I still have one leg. Come on, I squat a ton. One leg is good enough." Unfortunately for the Wolverines, two key offensive line performers were playing on one leg by the end of the first quarter. Left tackle Tay- lor Lewan significantly injured an ankle in the opening period, helping put Michigan's blocking attack in leg irons. Those issues, combined with a quick, physical Virginia Tech defense that blitzed Robinson repeatedly and consistently forced the action, left the Wolverines struggling just to stay in the game. They stayed, because of a defense both mocked and miserable over the previous three seasons. That defense yielded plenty of yardage (377) to the Hokies, but stood strong when it mattered most, limiting Virginia Tech to a pair of first-half field goals. When a bomb to Hemingway connected for a touch- down, and the Hokies immediately turned it over on the kickoff to set up a field goal, U-M withstood the storm to enter intermission with the unlikeliest of halftime leads, 10-6. "They're the story of the game," Molk said of the defense. "They're the reason that we won this game. They're the reason that scoreboard says what it says. Our defense stepped up when the time demanded it. They gave us everything we wanted." The offense gave back just enough — another brilliant jump ball TD snag by Hemingway in the second half, and Gibbons' heroics, both late in regulation and in the overtime. In a way, the Sugar Bowl proved a microcosm of the seniors' careers — frustration, survival, determination and ultimate redemption. Lewan noted afterward: "I said to [associate athletic director] Greg 22 THE WOLVERINE FEBRUARY 2012 Fifth-year senior wideout Junior Hemingway was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Sugar Bowl after hauling in two touchdown catches. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Hardin when there were 30 seconds left in the Notre Dame game, 'Just believe.' This team has come way too far to have such a heartbreaking loss like that. I felt it from the beginning. I really did believe. I felt this team was going to do something special tonight, and we did." BY THE NUMBERS The 2011 Michigan football team did something special all season long, by any objective measure. A program that went 15-22 from 2008- 10, including a gut-wrenching 6-18 in Big Ten play, found its way to an 11-2 record (6-2 Big Ten) in a transi- tion season. Some will point out the wins pro- gression over the past three years — three, five and seven from 2008-10 — as proof the Wolverines were headed upward anyway. The fact remains, most felt U-M might take a step back- ward in retooling once again, this time away from the spread and back to a more power-oriented approach. Projections in the spring had Mich- igan finishing third or fourth in the Legends Division of the Big Ten. Had Michigan State dropped its final game of the conference schedule, the Wolverines would have tied for the division title. Many prognosticators figured Michigan for a .500 effort at best. Those who went on the limb to fore- cast eight or nine wins left themselves open to the looks one might garner when declaring an upcoming tight- rope walk across the Grand Canyon. Robinson and the offense looked out of sync in the spring game, prompting some to expect the worst. Many forecast offensive coordinator Al Borges trying to jam the junior square peg into the round hole of his pro-style offense. What they didn't know involved Borges quietly seek- ing some savvy assistance from col- leagues in college football, in an at- tempt to execute the best blend he could in Michigan's old and new football worlds. The results, while shy of league- championship worthy, are tough to argue. Robinson never missed a sig- nificant amount of time, after com- ing out of the majority of Michigan games in 2010 with various injuries. He still rushed for 1,176 yards and 16 touchdowns, while throwing for another 2,173 yards and 20 scores. His 15 interceptions and 55.0 percent