The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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the day-to-day improvement that can make them a force when the bright lights come on. He admitted, though, to a different sensation when the notion of taking on Alabama became a reality. The Crimson Tide, the defending national champions and longtime Southeast- ern Conference standard-bearers, will make for an opener unlike the typical tune-up against a directional doormat. The fact that the game will be played at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, in prime time, in front of a national television audience, grabs the players' attention. The task of combatting one of the most talented teams in the country absorbs both players and coaches. Asked when — amid a whirl- wind first season, high-level re- cruiting, and guiding the fledg- ling Team 133 through spring practice and into the summer — Hoke began seriously think- ing about Alabama, he chuckled quietly. "When the game was made," he said. Hoke's not alone in that senti- rady Hoke normally doesn't get too far ahead of himself. He likes his teams to stay in the moment, and focus on BY JOHN BORTON game plan," Hoke said. "They're a tremendous football team. They lost a lot of guys, but believe me, Nick Saban been there long enough to restock the shelves. He's a damn good coach, and they're the kind of football team that we aspire to be, in some ways. "They're physical at the line of scrimmage, they play great defense, and they're going to run the football. They've got a quarterback who has grown a ton, from the first of last year to the end of last year. From all I know, he had a great spring. "They will be a challenge." ics director David Brandon insists he's learned about Hoke involves a lack of trepidation regarding taking on Alabama-level challenges. Hoke and his staff guided the Wolverines past Notre Dame in a rally for the ages in the first night game at Michi- gan Stadium. They went on to pummel Ne- braska, 45-17, in the first-ever meet- ing between the schools as Big Ten rivals. The Wolverines finished off the regular season by snapping Ohio State's angst inducing win streak, and went on to take down Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl. Brandon understands the chal- One of the things Michigan athlet- lenge Alabama presents. He's gratified about a football staff ready to meet it. "It will be a prime-time, na- tionally televised game," Bran- don said. "It will be the defend- ing national champions against the winningest program in the history of college football. There are two schools that have very passionate alumni bases, that travel and care a lot about their football programs. It's going to be pretty special. It's a very unique set of circumstances that's going to be very, very special." At the same time, Brandon ment. College football fans love pre-conference blockbusters, and Michigan-Alabama features his- torical heavyweights on the level of Ali-Frazier. The contest repre- sents must-see TV for the nation, given Michigan's 11-2 resur- gence last year and Alabama's surge to the crystal football. Big Ten and SEC pride will be on Head coach Brady Hoke said he began seriously thinking about facing Alabama since "the game was made." PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL the line, as always, and for fans of both schools, there's a unique op- portunity for travel to a professional stadium for a neutral-site game. From media hype to fan interest to analysts' projections as to what the outcome means for the respective seasons of the Wolverines and the Crimson Tide, this one's a big deal. Hoke isn't caught up in any of that. He's just interested in getting his team as ready as possible, and seeing where it stands once the night of Sept. 1 rolls around. "Obviously, we've done a lot of work so far, in trying to get into a prognosticators. Early projections have installed the Crimson Tide as 10-point favorites, and in some cases more. The memory of Alabama dis- emboweling Michigan State, 49-7, on New Year's Day two seasons back in the 2011 Capital One Bowl serves as a disconcerting reminder of the Tide's depth of talent. Hoke insists the Wolverines are And then some, according to most headed to Dallas with one purpose — to win a football game. He also understands he'll know a whole lot more about the 2012 Wolverines by midnight on college football's open- ing Saturday. noted, Hoke isn't advocating a bowl-like atmosphere for the showdown. He's looking to keep everything as normal as pos- sible, from the time Michigan players get on the plane for Dal- las until they return home. "Brady wants to treat this like going to go down early and have a bunch of hoopla, make it an enter- tainment opportunity for the players at the same time they prepare to play a game. "This is a business trip, so they are a road game," Brandon said. "It's not a bowl game. We're not going to do exactly what they would do if they were traveling to any other away venue. They're going to go in on Friday and have the same routine they're used to having for any night game. Our job is to just get them there and execute a normal travel experience, so that by the time the kickoff happens down there, they're ready to go. "As soon as the game is over, we'll AUGUST 2012 THE WOLVERINE 59