Written By Nicolas Hallett
As much as Gopher fans will want their thrashing of Michigan on Saturday to be a statement win for the program, the primary message coming out of Ann Arbor is about the Wolverines and how far the Big Ten power has fallen.
Prior to the start of the 4th quarter, while losing handily 27-7, Michigan’s public relations team was so desperate to keep fans in the stands that it replayed highlights from the 2003 matchup between the two teams on the jumbotron.
In that infamous game Michigan came back from a 21-point deficit in the fourth quarter to miraculously win 38-35. At the time it was Michigan’s biggest comeback in school history. But that’s just it: these aren’t the Wolverines we’ve come to know. In the fourth quarter on Saturday, Michigan flat-out quit.
Saturday marked the first time Michigan football has three losses in a season by the end of September in its 135-year football history, according to ESPN Stats and Information.
Head coach Brady Hoke began his time with Michigan in 2011. The Wolverines won 11 games that season, but have regressed each year since. It’s no wonder much of the postgame discussion centered around Hoke possibly being ousted.
It’s hard to disagree with sending him out the door. The most glaring indictment of his coaching abilities was his decision to start and stubbornly stick with sophomore Shane Morris in his first career start. Morris completed 7 of his 19 passes for 49 yards and one interception.
What’s more, Hoke kept the young quarterback in the game despite him clearly being injured and limping around. Senior quarterback Devin Gardner, who threw for nearly 3,000 yards last year, sat healthy on the bench dumbfounded, apparently in his coach’s doghouse for something unspeakable. Gardner eventually came off the bench with 11:17 left in the final frame and immediately led the Wolverines 74 yards for a touchdown.
One has to wonder what this game would have looked like had Gardner played a larger role.
The Gophers can only play who is in front of them, however, and deserve credit for a well-rounded performance that silenced the largest stadium in the country. As a result, Minnesota brought the Little Brown Jug back to Minneapolis for the first time since 2005 and improved to 4-1 on the season.
A reprising of the 2003 scenario was also unlikely with head coach Jerry Kill on the sidelines, as Minnesota is now 18-0 when leading at halftime with him at the helm.
Kill’s strategy against Michigan may have started as soon as midweek when he and his staff said they thought Mitch Leidner might be able to play, but that he was ultimately questionable after missing last weekend’s game. The coaching staff also said they planned to operate a two quarterback system if Leidner was healthy after Chris Streveler was named co-Big Ten freshman of the week for leading Minnesota to a win past San Jose State and rushing for 161 yards.
It wasn’t announced until shortly before game time, but Leidner did return as the starting quarterback on Saturday.
Both of those statements by the coaching staff appear to have been smokescreens as Leidner looked fully healthy and Streveler went on to take zero snaps. That said, even mentioning that he might have to share the role with a redshirt freshman seems to have inspired Leidner, who played his best game of the season.
The Lakeville, Minn., native went 14 for 22 with 167 passing yards to go along with two touchdowns, one on the ground and one via the air. Most notably, his passing showed marked improvement. Based on his past performances that’s not saying much, but considering the NFL-ready talent Michigan possesses in parts of its defense, it is at minimum encouraging.
The majority of Leidner’s success is thanks to offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover, who called a spectacular game for his quarterback. Short out-routes and a variation of screens set Leidner up for success. Two of Minnesota’s touchdowns came on bootlegs where Michigan was completely fooled and left Leidner in acres of space to: first, execute the quarterback draw so wide open that for a moment on televisions screens he was the only player visible of the 22 on the field, and second, to sling a shovel pass to tight end Maxx Williams.
The Michigan football program is a mess right now, so it’s unclear how tangible these gains actually are for Minnesota. One thing Michigan has done well so far is stop the run, ranking ninth in the country coming in to the game.
David Cobb didn’t care. The senior running back is talented. In his 10 career starts he is averaging 126.4 yards per game. On Saturday, he torched Michigan for another 183 yards, with 111 of those coming in the first half alone. That’s not to mention the added 50 he had in the passing game.
If Cobb continues at this place, playing on Sundays is a distinct possibility.
But again, it cannot be said enough: Michigan is bad. Like, really bad. In the second quarter the Wolverines scored a rushing touchdown through De’Veon Smith. Not only was that the first touchdown Michigan has scored this season against a Power 5 Conference opponent, but it was also the first time they’d entered the redzone against that level of competition.
Minnesota is far better than Michigan at football. In 2014, that’s a true statement. It just doesn’t mean nearly as much as it used to.
Nicolas Hallett is a staff writer for 105 The Ticket. He recently graduated from the University of Minnesota and has written for the Murphy News Service, the Minnesota Daily and the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Follow him on Twitter@NicolasHallett.