The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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on completions (compared to 11 in- terceptions and 62.5 percent comple- tions in 2010) revealed the transition to diagnosing defenses and going through read progressions. Borges cautioned there would be some pain, and expects a significant second-year jump. Meanwhile, Borges wanted an- other running option to take the load off Robinson. Redshirt sophomore Fitzgerald Toussaint stepped up to the task, and with his 1,041 yards, joined Robinson as the first tandem of 1,000-yard backs at Michigan since 1975. In the end, the Wolverines aver- aged 33.3 points per game, slightly more than the 2010 squad (32.8). They also turned the ball over 22 times, seven fewer than in 2010. The 2011 squad also kept the football longer on average (31:15) than Michigan did in 2010 (27:10), the latter two stats contributing in part to assist the most eye-popping tale of the 2011 season. The defense, truly, shocked even the most hopeful Greg Mattison believers. Michigan gave up 458 points in 2010, more than any other U-M squad in history. Analyst Chris Spielman mocked its roster on Columbus radio as made up of "Mike Martin and a bunch of nice little subs at Indiana." Michigan fans loved the idea of Mattison leaving the NFL, and coming back to join the defensive-minded Hoke. Both were on hand for the de- fenses that laid the foundation for 1997, and Hoke served as the defensive line coach with that na- tional championship squad. Even the biggest optimists didn't expect this: an opponents' scoring average of 17.4 per game, less than half (35.2) the points hemorrhaged in 2010; 29 turnovers secured, 10 more than the previous year; and a sense of confidence that the Wolverines could control a game with their defense. Never did that feeling prove more justified than in the Sugar Bowl. U-M struggled on third-down situations against a talented Virginia Tech team, but it rose to meet every crisis. "The things we build this defense on — red zone defense, competing all the time, turnovers — those things showed up again," Mattison said. "That's what happens." A NEW BEGINNING That's what Michigan seniors al- ways thought was supposed to hap- pen. They were just running out of time to actually experience it, like ex- periencing the pure adrenaline of the moments following Gibbons' game- winner. From the initial players' meeting after Rich Rodriguez's firing, to their final gathering amid a confetti mon- soon, the message stayed the same: stick together. Don't bail out. Work hard. Believe in each other. Make it special. They did exactly that, and those who will continue on won't be the same because of it. "This is the most amazing feeling AD Basks In Michigan's Moment Of Triumph Michigan athletics director David Brandon kicked off 2011 by seeking a new football coach. He celebrated the opening days of 2012 by wit- nessing his choice lead the Wolver- ines to a Sugar Bowl victory. No, the Wolverines weren't Big Ten champs, and everyone acknowl- edged it, for present humility and future motivation. But after three seasons in the football wins wilder- ness, this felt like a dream. Brandon felt it as well. He'd just come off the field at the Superdome, amid a wild postgame celebration, and found himself surrounded by microphones and digital recorders. This, he admitted, is a big deal. "Team 132 has done some amazing things this year — 11 wins," Brandon said. "I'll go back and look at the preseason picks. I don't think too many were predicting that." That said, Michigan's AD re- jected the notion that the BCS bowl victory in Hoke's first sea- son raises the bar for Michigan football. "I don't know how Michigan In his first year as head coach at Michigan, Brady Hoke led the Wolverines to an 11-2 record and a win in the Sugar Bowl by emphasizing defense and toughness. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN I've ever had here at Michigan, or in my life," Lewan said. "This is some- thing these seniors deserved. It's something this whole team deserves, and has worked for." "I'm so excited for these kids, to get 11 wins and this thing turn out the way it did, it's just incred- ible," Borges added. "When you think about what our team has been through, and now to finish our sea- son like this. I don't have words for it." ❑ raises the bar," he said. "We've had a bumpy three years, but we're Michigan. We're sup- posed to be playing on the big stage, and we're supposed to be playing against formidable competition, and we're sup- posed to be in the national hunt. For years and years and years, that was Michigan, and that's what we want Michigan to be in the future." The week in New Orleans provides an ample springboard, along with lasting memories. "It says a lot," Brandon said. "They'll walk away from this championship with a ring. I keep telling them in there, they'll wear that ring for the rest of their life. They're going to re- member this night. I was blessed to have that feeling three times, and I know how important it is. It's even more important years from now than it is tonight." — John Borton FEBRUARY 2012 THE WOLVERINE 23