The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/589596
in game two, game three, game four, that quarterback starts to understand what you want. "Every game he's getting better. We're pleased with his progress." Junior tight end Jake Butt, a prime target for Rudock over the first half of the season, likes his ability to bounce back. The Wolverines have all come a long way from the Utah loss, he noted, but maybe no one farther than the quarterback. "He's a fighter, and he's a good leader," Butt insisted. "No matter what happened, he kept coming back. He stayed with it and stuck to the plan. He kept us all up on the sideline and kept us focused. "Stick to the plan. You're not going to be perfect. You're going to have down weeks; you're going to have great weeks. He showed he can be really great. Stick to the plan. Don't dwell on it, and come back next week stronger." If the bottom line remains wins and losses, Rudock can live with that as well. "I'm okay with wins and losses," he said. "The more wins, the better. Just let everything else take care of itself." The latest loss couldn't have been more shocking and hurtful. But for a leader who has absorbed a few setbacks in his 22 years on the planet, there's no time for cracks in the armor. ❏ One-Year Wonders Under Center Michigan football hasn't experienced many one-year quarterbacks over the past three decades. In fact, you can count them on one hand, not using the thumb. Here's a look back at those who started only one season for the Wolverines and how they fared. 2009 — Tate Forcier: True freshman Tate Forcier got his crack for Rich Rodri- guez in the head coach's second season in Ann Arbor. It all began well enough, the Wolverines sweeping their first four games, including a 38-34 thriller over Notre Dame. But everything went downhill from there, U-M beating only Dela- ware State the rest of the way to finish 5-7. Forcier connected on 165 of 281 throws (58.7 percent) for 2,050 yards with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The following year saw the beginning of Denard Robinson's starting career and the departure of Forcier. 2008 — Steven Threet & Nick Sheridan: Rodriguez's ill-fated first U-M squad featured a pair of quarterbacks not well suited to running a spread offense. Threet, a redshirt freshman, started eight games that season, completing 102 of 200 passes (51.0 percent) for 1,105 yards with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions. Sheridan, a redshirt sophomore walk-on, went 63-for-137 pass- ing (46.0 percent) with two scoring tosses and five interceptions. The Wolverines went 3-9 that year, beating Miami (Ohio), Wisconsin and Min- nesota.