The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 13 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Michigan has been playing football for 138 years and has only endured 19 seasons with five or more losses. Granted, the Wolverines competed in as few as three and sometimes even two games throughout individual campaigns in the 1880s, but the feat is impressive nonetheless. Last year's 8-5 finish was the most recent five-loss season in school history, and was actually the fourth in the last six years. In addition, eight of the 19 have occurred since 2005 alone. That is obviously a far cry from what Michigan football used to be. During a 38-year stretch from 1969-2007 that spanned the reigns of Bo Schembechler (1969-89), Gary Moeller (1990-94) and Lloyd Carr (1995-07), the Maize and Blue incredibly experienced just two such seasons — a 6-6 campaign in 1984 and a 7-5 one in 2005. U-M showed an ability to bounce back from both, though, going 10-1-1 in 1985 and 11-2 in 2006. That's exactly what the 2018 Wolverines will be attempting to do — get bet- ter. If history is any indication, the Maize and Blue should be in good shape to do so — they have improved their record following a five-loss disappointment in 16 of the 18 times they've had an opportunity to do so (the 2018 jury is ob- viously still out), with the lone two exceptions occurring from 2012-14 under Brady Hoke, when the team went 8-5, 7-6 and 5-7, respectively. Michigan has also had a habit of increasing its victory total substantially fol- lowing an underwhelming campaign. The Maize and Blue have strengthened their number of wins by at least three in eight different such seasons, with the biggest improvement coming during Jim Harbaugh's debut in 2015, when he led his team to a 10-3 record after it had gone 5-7 the year prior. The question now becomes whether or not Harbaugh can lead a turnaround similar to that of 2015 with this year's group of Wolverines. — Austin Fox Michigan's Record Each Year After A Five-Loss Season Five-Loss Season Record the (Record) Following Year 1891 (4-5) 7-5 1892 (7-5) 7-3 1934 (1-7) 4-4 1936 (1-7) 4-4 1951 (4-5) 5-4 1958 (2-6-1) 4-5 1959 (4-5) 5-4 1962 (2-7) 3-4-2 1965 (4-6) 6-4 1967 (4-6) 8-2 1984 (6-6) 10-1-1 2005 (7-5) 11-2 2008 (3-9) 5-7 2009 (5-7) 7-6 2010 (7-6) 11-2 2012 (8-5) 7-6 2013 (7-6) 5-7 2014 (5-7) 10-3 2017 (8-5) ? Head coach Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines will be seeking the program's fifth double- digit victory campaign following a five-loss season. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN Harbaugh On Ohio State Game: 'It's Been Emphasized' Former Michigan Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson went on the record to say U-M didn't emphasize the Ohio State game well enough. Head coach Jim Harbaugh politely but firmly disagreed. Woodson told reporters at the early May ChadTough Foundation gala in Ann Arbor he felt every game had been put on the same level as 'The Game,' and it didn't sit well with him. "I really feel like in recent years there hasn't been the emphasis I'm used to being put on that game," he said. "That's not the way we were brought up; not the way we were raised around here. "We had no shame in saying it, and every time I watch our teams in recent years, it's 'Oh, it's another game.' It's not." Michigan has won only one of the last 14 games with the Buck- eyes, in 2011. "We wanted to win every game, but we all knew that was the big fish, and we didn't mind saying it," Wood- son said. "When's the last time you guys have heard that? So you get the picture." Harbaugh, however, insisted in early June at the Best of Midwest Camp that his players knew how important The Game was. "It's been emphasized," he responded when asked if he was aware of Woodson's comments. Asked if he took exception to the comments, Har- baugh reiterated: "It's been emphasized." He paused. "That's from somebody who's been there for every single day," he added. U-M Heading To South Africa Next Spring Michigan's trip to Paris this spring was a huge suc- cess. Next spring's venture will be to South Africa, and the plan is "full speed ahead" head coach Jim Harbaugh confirmed in early June. "Unless there's some kind of obstacle," Harbaugh said. "It's 17 hours from Atlanta to Johannesburg. Hopefully we can make it a little bit longer, tie some course credit into it too, as well. "Those are some of the things we're working out." — Chris Balas Dramatic Turnarounds After Five-Loss Seasons Are Not Unheard Of At Michigan U-M great Charles Woodson said this summer he felt the Ohio State game had not emphasized enough. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL