That the West Virginia Mountaineers might be closer to a
national championship in football than the Michigan Wolverines is
perhaps the biggest compliment one can pay new Michigan head coach
Rich Rodriguez.
His first task in Ann Arbor is to change that fact and turn
college football’s winningest program into a contender once
again.
Michigan’s fall from grace in 2007 was precipitous — after its
home opener loss to Appalachian State, the men with the winged
helmets were playing the role of “the other team” in ESPN’s
highlight packages. After a blowout home loss to Oregon, the season
never recovered.
It’s something of a joke at Michigan that the team could go 2-9,
so long as those two wins are against Michigan State and Ohio State
(add a third victory if Michigan plays Notre Dame that season).
But Lloyd Carr had lost 6 of his 7 games against OSU coach Jim
Tressel, including the last four. Until the 41-38 defeat of
defending-champion Florida in the Capital One Bowl — Carr’s last
game at Michigan — Michigan had endured a similar skid in bowl
games.
PERHAPS PRESAGING THAT 2008 was a year of “Change,” Athletic
Director Bill Martin took the football program in a new direction
by hiring Rodriguez, and his spread-option offense, to replace Carr
and the Big Ten traditional “three yards and a cloud of dust”
attack.
But Change campaigns necessarily require leaps of faith. The
first is that Rodriguez will find someone to spell Pat White in his
niche system.
The position was all but set-aside for all-world recruit
Terrelle Pryor, before Pryor settled for Ohio State. This leaves
Rodriguez to choose between a freshman transfer from Georgia Tech
(Steve Threet) and a walk-on sophomore (Nick Sheridan), neither of
whom has run the option.
Then there’s Justin Boren, who’d be more of a Judas among the
Michigan faithful if anyone actually knew who he was. Boren,
Michigan’s most experienced offensive guard, transferred to blood
rival Ohio State, citing a supposed “decline in family values”
under Rodriguez.
But experience might have proven a detriment. Michigan’s new
Strength & Conditioning coach
Mike Barwis told reporters that safety Ryan Mundy, who
transferred from Michigan to West Virginia under a now-closed
loophole, had some initial difficulties with the new S & C
system and adjusting to his new coaches.
As Mundy explained to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review of
the difference between Carr and Rodriguez: “There’s a lot of
yelling down here. Every coach yells, and every coach has his own
way of getting his message across. When you’re older, it’s easier
to hear the message, and not all the yelling.”
WHATEVER THE REAL reason for Boren’s departure — perhaps he
couldn’t handle “all the yelling” — uncertainty abounds. So much
so that it’s not unfair to ask whether Michigan is closer to West
Virginia 2007 (11-2, 20-point win in a BCS game) or Notre Dame 2007
(3-9 and plenty of time to study for finals).
It’s tough to know that answer. Closing the annual Spring Game
to the public didn’t help. As if it weren’t bad enough to hold the
game at a high school (the Big House was under construction), only
select media was permitted to attend. Everyone else must wait and
see.
The Michigan faithful are also waiting-to-see whether Rodriguez
can get on board with traditions held dear in Ann Arbor. “Change”
might make the program nationally competitive once again, but
tradition is half the fun in college football.
The Michigan Daily
reports that Rodriguez didn’t know the words to the Michigan’s
fight song at his inaugural press conference. “The Victors” is
literally the first thing one learns at the University; even a
freshman who will never attend a single football game knows it, or
at least how to play along and when to pump his fists and scream
“Hail!”
But Rodriguez appeared to be clueless about that.
The Detroit News, meanwhile,
reports that Rodriguez has assigned the fabled #1 jersey —
reserved, since 1979, for the team’s top upperclassman receiver and
many years worn by no one at all — to an incoming
freshman defensive back (#2, ever since Heisman winner Charles
Woodson, is typically worn by the best defensive player, most
recently by Shawn Crable, the newest New England Patriots
linebacker).
Since there is a $500,000 scholarship associated with the jersey
— which requires a check-in with former #1’s Braylon Edwards
(Cleveland Browns) and Anthony Carter (the originator of the
tradition) to ensure the candidate is suitable — Mr. J.T. Floyd’s
reign as #1 will be short-lived. But Rodriguez’ ignorance of or
disdain for the tradition isn’t an encouraging sign.
But winning is the most important tradition in Ann Arbor, and if
Rodriguez can beat Ohio State — and save Michigan from its
first-ever five game skid in the blood feud — all will be
forgiven.
James David Dickson is the Collegiate Network Fellow
at The American Spectator.
