The Victors

Jim Brandstatter
·
Follow
2 hours ago
·
First of all, I want to thank so many for stopping by to talk at this past Saturdays game. I haven’t posted for quite a while because life got in the way a bit, but things have settled down, and I hopefully will be more active going forward. Thanks to all of you for saying they missed my posts…well, like it or not, I’ll try to keep busy on this page.
That being said…You'll get no apologies here for Saturday night in Ann Arbor.
Did Michigan get lucky to win the game…yes. Did Western Michigan outplay Michigan for the majority of the game…yes they did. Was the final score Michigan 13, Western Michigan 12…yes it was.
Was there one second left to allow the final play to be made…yes there was. Let’s all remember what rules replay operates by….there has to be clear and indisputable evidence. I saw a camera with one second on the clock when the Western player touched the ball on the second to last play. The NBC feed showed zero….but NBC isn’t the official clock…the official clock is in the replay booth. Clearly there is a disputable image. There is nothing clear or indisputable about it. The Big Ten went with the replay clock, the rest of the world went with the NBC clock, (the “Unofficial” NBC clock,) that’s why the uproar. Millions are judging on the wrong clock, 5 or 6 people used the official clock.
All the conspiracy theories make me sick. I heard one that suggested Western wouldn’t get paid for their appearance if they complained too bitterly. That is an unmitigated CROCK. The only way Western wouldn’t get paid is if they didn’t show up, and they clearly showed up, so let’s not listen to the people from Iamanidiot.com.
If you want to play the “we were robbed/screwed” game, I’ve got plenty for you on that one. Western isn’t the only team in history who thinks they were wronged. In a Rose Bowl many years ago, a Southern California player jumped into the end zone without the football… the Trojans were awarded a touchdown and went on to win the game. Michigan was the aggrieved party in that one…there were no apologies to Michigan, and you know what, life went on. A few years back Michigan State got an extra second at the end of a game and beat Michigan. There was outrage, but the score stayed the same…no apologies, and life went on. Against Notre Dame in South Bend an Irish player caught a pass out of bounds right in front of the Michigan bench…he was awarded the catch, and it led to a winning field goal for Notre Dame. The score didn’t change and no apologies were handed out, and life went on. Heck, Colorado got 5 downs in a game during the year they won the national title and won a very tight game…no apologies and no change in score. It happens and it will continue to happen, even with replay.
I don’t want to get into the bad calls go both ways argument…because this clock thing is not about a bad call. It’s about a technical issue. There is clearly evidence that shows there was time left. The NBC telecast feed suggests time had expired. The lesson here is to find a way, in this age of technological wizardry, to match the clocks so everybody in the stadium, everybody at home, and everybody in the replay booth are working with the same data. That wasn’t the case Saturday night in Ann Arbor.
I also want to applaud Western Michigan, their staff and administration. They handled this whole thing professionally and with class. Much more so than most of the media. This is a good group. Head coach Lance Taylor had his team beautifully prepared. The Bronco’s administration was measured and reasonable in their responses. As disappointed as they had to be, they went about their business and represented their University and Conference wonderfully. Coach Taylor is headed for bigger and better things. Western has a gem in him and I would do everything I could to keep him.
The football part of this post is simple. Michigan must get better. The offensive line and the running game was disappointing. Bryce Underwood, despite the opening drive and the great throw to end the game, was not as good as he needs to be. He knows it and so do the coach’s. The defense was exceptional but for the one long Bronco drive to end the third quarter and opening the fourth. The key factor was that the Wolverines did not allow a touchdown, and on two occasions they were forced to defend a short field. If Western had a regret in that game, it was that they couldn’t push the ball across the goal line. You don’t win big games on the road with field goals. Michigan kept them out of the end zone and that’s the only reason that last play was so meaningful.
I firmly believe that Michigan can compete with Oklahoma. But, they must improve markedly in a weeks time. The beauty of college football is that you don’t know how good you are until you are really forced to prove it. Michigan must prove to themselves and the rest of the country they aren’t the team that played Western.
Last thoughts…Michigan is getting beat up in the media this week. It’s been brutal. I’ve heard all about how the Wolverines have suffered in the “Court of Public Opinion.” That whole narrative is another trail to nowhere, because the court of public opinion gets a new jury every few days. It’s like the weather in Michigan, wait a few hours, it’ll change.
Glad to be back See less