The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/888498
NOVEMBER 2017 THE WOLVERINE 5 FROM OUR READERS The kid is over six feet tall and can see over the heads of most defenders. What say you? Gordon K. Cotton Season ticket holder Danville, Ind. It doesn't always come down to height — John O'Korn is also over six feet tall, checking in at 6-4. It does come down to making the right decisions and being accu- rate, and nobody knows that better than Jim Harbaugh. His meritoc- racy demands the player that gives his team the best chance to win plays, and right now he's deter- mined that to be O'Korn. He sees all of the practice tape, we don't. If, and when, Peters (or some- body else) proves to be the best option, it says here that Harbaugh will be the first to know — and act on it. Dear The Wolverine: There are observations to be made at this time of the year. It is not that other times of the year are not impor- tant, it is just that the clichés — the rubber meets the road, time to step up to the plate, it's gut-check time, they all count for one, etc. — take on special meaning in October and No- vember. There being no "preseason" games in college football, the September schedule often includes a couple of patsies. The cliché whose validity I question is that teams improve the most between the first and second game. My skepticism is just an em- piric observation, not necessarily sup- ported by fact. I am not sure if it is a cliché or not, but my observation is that the good teams play better in October and No- vember, and especially in November. Game scheduling is done usually sev- eral years in advance, so it is difficult to prove that the tougher games come later in the season by design, though it certainly seems that way for Michi- gan. Given that Michigan plays Ohio State as the last regular-season game by tradition accounts for some of the perception. Michigan has lost the last five games against Ohio State, and has won just twice since 1999. There have been a couple of heartbreakers in those losses, but the record is the record. To say that it is time to beat Ohio State is to say that we've been saying that for much too long. The pattern is that the Michigan record for the last four games of the year has not been stellar. Counting the last four games of the season, including bowl games, there is no definite pattern of wins and losses for Michigan in the last 10 years. Michigan won 17 of the last 40 games, while losing 23. Michigan missed a bowl game three times in the last 10 years. The last four-game Rich Rodri- guez record was two wins, 10 losses for three years; the Hoke record was nine wins, seven losses for four years; and the Harbaugh record is four wins, four losses for his first two years. Two 10-win seasons for Harbaugh speak for themselves. The challenge never subsides, and the next hurdle is to win in November. The upcoming November includes games with the Badgers, as well as the Buckeyes with warm-ups featuring the Gophers and the Terrapins. It is not my intention to suggest that focus should not be given to the Octo- ber schedule that includes Michigan State (which will be in the books when this is read), but also includes Indiana and Penn State on the road. I do not intend to disrespect Rutgers, but it is Homecoming as well, and so I am forecasting a win. While winning some games ugly in the most recent September, I have hopes for continued success in Octo- ber and November, ugly or otherwise. I stand by the observation that good teams perform better in Octo- ber and November, whether or not they improve the most between their first and second games. My choice would be to always improve between the last game and the next one. Go Blue! J. Richard Jaconette, M.D. Battle Creek, Mich. Dr. J wrote an additional letter after the MSU game, so we give him the floor once again: Dear The Wolverine: Be careful about setting the bar too high. Folks will expect you to clear it — now! And that is what the University of Mich- igan football team faces now. The loss to Michigan State was a dagger that could throw the program into a downward spiral. As far as the MSU nation is concerned, it has done just that, by what I am hearing. It is not just the loss to MSU that is troubling, it is the first-half play throughout this young season that im- plies complacency that troubles me. Implied or real, Michigan should be able to play better. Just do it! Go Blue! J. Richard Jaconette, M.D. Battle Creek, Mich. They do need to play better. You might say it's just what the doctor ordered. Dear The Wolverine: My husband and I travelled to Michigan from Florida for the Sparty game. Very disappointing loss, but that said, what is wrong with these people calling for Harbaugh's head, giving up on the season, whining about record versus Sparty and Ohio? Yes, they have problems (on of- fense) to address, need to consistently beat rivals and have improvements to make, but who in their right mind would question Harbaugh? Give me a break. I believe the best is yet to come. As always, GO BLUE! Laura Webb Lakeland, Fla. We tend to agree with you, Laura. If there are quarterback problems — and there have been all year — there aren't many, if any, college coaches out there better suited to solve them than Jim Har- baugh. His personal experience and track record at the position is hard to match. Jim Harbaugh's quarterbacking experience — as a player and coach — is unrivaled in college football, but Michigan ranks just 94th nationally with 191.3 passing yards per game through the Wolverines' first six contests. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN