Last Week at The Wolverine Den
Tailgate Attendance: 79
Michigan 58 - Minnesota 0
Michigan Stadium
October 1, 2011 - 12 noon ET
Game Summary
Michigan claimed the Little Brown Jug with a dominating victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Big House. Dominating. 580 - 177 in total yards. It was the kind of performance that we all hoped would happen this season and we all hope continues over the next seven games. The defense recorded its first shutout in the Big Ten since beating Penn State 20-0 in 2001. The Michigan defense has now allowed only 10 points in the last three games and are ranked 2nd in the nation in scoring defense giving up a very stingy 10.2 points per game. Minnesota never even threatened the end zone. Ryan Van Bergen, Jibreel Black and Jake Ryan all recorded sacks, and the defense allowed only 8 first downs for the game. It reminded me of those great Michigan defenses of the 70’s.
On offense, Michigan scored every time it had the ball in the 1st half and took a commanding 38-0 lead at halftime. Vincent Smith became the first Michigan player to score a touchdown rushing, passing and receiving. Fitzgerald Toussaint rushed for 108 yards and became the 81st Michigan player in history to eclipse the 100-yard barrier. Denard completed his first 11 passes and finished 15 – 19 for 169 yards and 2 TDs. The team rushed for over 300 yards for the 3rd straight game. And, most important of all, Michigan showed several new formations, including the diamond backfield with 2 quarterbacks and 2 running backs in the backfield. Michigan ran 4 distinct plays off of this formation. And there is more to come! It was the most points in a Big Ten game (non-overtime) since beating Indiana 58-0 in 2000.
Did you notice that Michigan wore numbers on the sides of their helmets?
The Wolverine Den Trivia
Q: What previous Michigan coach was the head coach at Minnesota before he became the head coach at Michigan?
A: Herbert O. "Fritz" Crisler coached at Minnesota in 1930-1931 before heading to Princeton and then to Michigan in 1938. Crisler was the innovator of the famous "winged" helmet that has become a Michigan icon. He still has a seat dedicated to him in Michigan Stadium (the "1" in 109,901).
Craig's Prediction
41-10
Steve's Prediction
38-14
Tim's Prediction
31-21