The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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his team down, and he wasn't sure he was good enough for Michigan after that. "But I've always liked his resil- iency, and I've always known he's a fighter. Maybe what it takes is really going down to the mat hard before you can get back up and understand what it will take to be successful. I think that's maybe what happened. "I watched the Utah game, and I saw a player that competed with con- fidence, that came up to hit some- one, that was in good position on the throws to his side. He looked like an older guy that was sure of himself and played with some swagger." Stribling played with that swag- ger against the Rebels, stepping in front of a Blake Decker pass for his first career pick, returning it 30 yards, and then showed greater confidence when he dove in front of a receiver to deflect a pass. "In two ball games, he was tentative when the ball was in the air and very late to break on balls, and not confi- dent to go after a ball," Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said. "He has improved … I don't know how many percent, but a lot in just three games. "[Cornerbacks coach] Michael Zordich and [safeties coach] Greg Jackson have done a really good job coaching all the players in the second- ary, and none has shown more im- provement than Channing Stribling. "He's a tall, rangy, long-armed cor- nerback that can be great. "You hope now, once he's had some success, he can expect himself to do it, and that should help his confidence. We're excited for big things from him." ❏ Wolverines That Have Bounced Back From A Major Gaffe Channing Stribling was not the first Wolverine — and won't be the last — to find himself the goat after a particularly big mistake cost Michigan a chance to win. Perhaps he can take solace in the list of former players that bounced back from a nightmarish moment to finish a season or a career positively. Ricky Powers, Illinois, 1993: Leading the Illini 21-17 late in the fourth quarter, U-M was doing its best to run out the clock when Powers, a co-captain, fumbled at the Michigan 44-yard line with 1:15 remaining in the homecoming contest. Illinois would run six plays, in 39 seconds, snatching the win away from the Maize and Blue when quarterback Johnny Johnson hit receiver Jim Klein for a 15-yard touchdown pass. The devastating defeat reverberated the following week in a 13-10 loss to Wisconsin, but U-M finished the 1993 campaign with four straight wins; Powers rushed for 102 yards and a score on 18 carries (5.7 yards per attempt) in those four contests to cap his career with his head held high. Brian Griese, Alabama, 1996: A nine-game fill-in for injured starter Scott Dreisbach in 1995, Griese was the easy choice to take over at quarterback in the