Last Week at The Wolverine Den
Tailgate Attendance: 72
Michigan 28 - San Diego State 7
Michigan Stadium
September 24, 2011 - 12 noon ET
Game Summary
The San Diego State Aztecs came in to the game with visions of beating the Michigan Wolverines. They were riding a 7 game winning streak. They had a high powered offense lead by a 4-year starter at QB and the nations 2nd leading rusher. They had a defense that was fast and loaded with playmakers. They had a strong kicking game. And they were motivated to beat their former coaches who had left them for Ann Arbor. Instead, it was Michigan that started fast and dominated the Aztecs for most of the game. Only a few 2nd half turnovers by Michigan kept the game from being a blow out. At the end, the Michigan coaches showed genuine care for the team they coached for two years. San Diego State will win plenty of games this year and we will all look back at this performance and say, “wow”.
Denard Robinson had another outstanding game (sounds like a broken record) with 200 yards rushing and 93 yards passing. It was his 3rd career game with 200 yards rushing to tie for second place on the all-time Michigan list. The passing game was still not impressive – overthrown receivers, dropped balls and 2 interceptions. This will need to improve in the upcoming Big Ten. But for the non-conference, it hasn’t cost us a game.
The big improvement in this game was on defense. Michigan is now 12th in the nation in scoring defense allowing only 12.75 points per game. That’s the lowest total through the first four games to start a season since 2003 – a year that Michigan won the Big Ten Championship. The defensive line was the star as Mike Martin, Ryan Van Bergen, Craig Roh and Jake Ryan all made great plays.
The Wolverines now move on to the Big Ten season with high expectations. Michigan is improving and will have a chance to meet the lofty outlook. It will be an important week in the Big Ten with Wisconsin hosting Nebraska and Ohio hosting Michigan State.
The Wolverine Den Trivia
Q: Against EMU, Denard Robinson rushed for 198 yards and Vincent Smith for 118 yards. This was the 36th time that two Michigan backs have each rushed for over 100-yards in a game. When was the last time this happened?
A: The last time two Michigan backs each rushed for over 100 yards in a game was last year against Massachusetts when Michael Shaw had 126 yards and Denard Robinson had 104 yards.
Tim's Prediction
35-17
Craig's Prediction
35-26
Steve's Prediction
35-27