Damn Right I'm All In

When I first heard this year's slogan it didn't do much for me. I didn't really like it, didn't really hate it, it was just whatever. After the events of the past few days though it couldn't be more fitting for this team and our program. Like the saying goes, it's easy to kick someone when they're down and that's exactly what's going on now. These attacks are coming from all angles and these are the times we need to band together the most. I know not everyone was on board with the Rich Rodriguez hire, but this is our team and our program and it must be supported. No matter what, the team comes first and even if you don't like Coach Rodriguez after last years showing, or didn't want him in the first place he is still the coach at Michigan. He is part of our team, and this team needs us to stand behind them now.

It's upsetting to hear these reports come out because these reporters and newspapers have their own agendas. I mean when other coaches and players across the country are saying this report is nothing it shows how ridiculous it is. Even the Buckeyes are coming to our defense with Kirk Herbstreit talking about how it's a witch hunt and a joke. How ludicrous is it when you're getting fairer treatment from Ohio State than your own local paper?

But it's time to put it behind us and concentrate on the task at hand, the upcoming season. Players and coaches will always change over time, but Michigan never will. The Winged Helmet, the Go Blue Banner, the Big House and all the things that are known as Michigan will always stay the same. So you either need to get in or get out because I know I'm All In and always will be, are you?

Top 25

Travelling on vacation this week so haven't had a chance to update, better late than never.

1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Missouri
4. Oklahoma
5. Florida
6. USC
7. LSU
8. West Virginia
9. Texas
10. Auburn
11. Kansas
12. BYU
13. Fresno State
14. Alabama
15. South Florida
16. Wisconsin
17. Wake Forest
18. Oregon
19. Arizona State
20. Penn State
21. East Carolina
22. Utah
23. California
24. UCLA
25. Boston College

I believe the media is giving too much credit to USC for their win over Virginia. Virginia was a terrible team that had no chance of staying close to USC and the travel factor is being played up too much. I couldn't believe Clemson just rolled over like that, I should have known better than to buy into their hype. Same goes with Pittsburgh, they're still a Dave Wannstedt coached team so choking should be expected.

Preseason Top 25

1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Missouri
4. Oklahoma
5. Florida
6. USC
7. LSU
8. West Virginia
9. Clemson
10. Auburn
11. Texas
12. Kansas
13. BYU
14. South Florida
15. Virginia Tech
16. Texas Tech
17. Wisconsin
18. Tennessee
19. Wake Forest
20. Arizona State
21. Illinois
22. Pittsburgh
23. Fresno State
24. Penn State
25. California

The Calm Before the Storm

For all my loyal readers, all 3 of you, I am not dead, I've just kept myself from getting worked up too soon over college football season, that and the Lakers loss just took too much out of me to write about it. Thankfully the Olympics provided a much needed distraction from the upcoming season and here we are only 2 days away from the first kickoff when we get to watch Vanderbilt take on Miami of Ohio, among other games that I shouldn't, but you know I will be watching. There's a lot of different things I want to touch on so this post will seem very unorganized and jumbled together but here goes:

• I don't think it will officially hit me that Rich Rodriguez is our head coach until I see him on the sidelines on Saturday. For all the years that I've followed Michigan football I have only known one coach and to see a new man at the helm will be kind of weird.
  
• With that said, I can't wait to see this new offense. For years we have been running the same shit over and over, as all Michigan fans know we used to be able to call our plays with frightening accuracy. We are finally going to be on a level playing field as other programs around the country were passing us by with new techniques and schemes that we were unwilling to adopt.
• I really don't like our new road jerseys, call me old school but I just don't like all the piping and the additional maize on it. Although they're not nearly as bad as the changes that Cal made to their jerseys this season.
  
• I believe this will be my most enjoyable season to watch as a fan. With the coaching change I am not putting any expectations on this team. Sure I expect the team to keep the bowl streak in tact but aside from that I am just going to sit back and enjoy the ride this season. Moreso than any other season opener, the excitement isn't just about this season but the change in our program as a whole and I know there will be some bumps along the way this season. Sure we'll probably lose a game we shouldn't but we should probably win a game we shouldn't as well. I could continue on about it but Brian at MGoBlog has already summed it up the best:

And you know what? This seems like great fun. Michigan’s going to run out on the field and play like they’re one of those teams trying to make inferior talent work. They’re going to line up in the shotgun without a huddle. When whichever quarterback happens to be that play’s piñata raises his leg, the team will glance to the sideline and get the new play in. On average, this will be a run that goes for six yards.

At no point will they assume physical or mental superiority over their opponent. Their plan is to raid the endzone as best they can, which may be “not very well at all,” but by God they’re going to try on every snap.

It’s going to be a fiasco. It’s going to be ugly and tantalizing and dispiriting and awesome. I can’t wait.

Though I will be catching passes in another city starting next fall, I will always be a Michigan man.

Words from Adrian Arrington's statement as he announced he would be leaving for the NFL. I can't fault him as he had a huge day against Florida and bumped his stock up considerably. Also Super Mario looks to be gone as well so I wish them the best. The other news is Ryan Mallett's transfer, which was expected. I really like the way Coach Rodriguez came out and said he's only concerned with players playing for Michigan. It's very reminiscent of Coach Schembechler.

Now the team is very short on QB's and WR's and there is a big need at both positions. A lot of people are forgetting Steven Threet who transferred last year from Georgia Tech, he was a top 10 QB Mallett's year and should be considered the favorite to start right now. It also makes the depth chart that much more attractive for Terrelle Pryor. Signing Day is less than a month away and Coach Rodriguez says he expects to sign a full class of 25 so there are still a few spots to fill. It's going to be an exciting countdown to Signing Day.

Happy New Year

Been a long time with a combination of being on vacation and laziness so there haven't been any posts for a month. During my last post there was a lot of confusion and disappointment as our coaching search was in the middle of the Les Miles debacle and it looked like we were going to promote from within. Then a short few days later we learned that we were talking to Rich Rodriguez. Initially I thought there was no chance it would happen but I'm extremely happy that it happened and with the hire. Sure there was a strong pull towards Miles because he is one of us but Rodriguez wasn't a big problem with our coaching staff due to the fact that they were all Michigan Men and too stuck in their ways? In addition Rodriguez is considered one of the authorities on the spread offense and considering how Michigan was still stuck in the three yards and a cloud of dust mentality with our old coaches I'm extremely pleased that we are moving into the 21st century.

Onto the next topic being the performance of the team on New Years day sending Coach Carr out with a big W. I was one of many who thought we didn't have a chance in this game. Considering the way we finished the year and the running ability of Tebow and the speed of Percy Harvin I didn't think we would keep it within 2 TD's, but as they say that's why they play the game. I couldn't have been more thrilled to be proven wrong. When I turned the game on and watched our first drive I knew we definitely showed up to play and we were going to give a hell of a performance. It was great to see not only Coach Carr but the seniors go out with a bang like that. Especially seeing Henne play in his best game as a Wolverine.

Now it's down the stretch of recruiting season with signing day only a few short weeks away. There was a lot of concern with the coaching change but there have yet to be any defections as of yet. Marcus Witherspoon is supposed to now visit Tennessee but after getting Brandon Smith over the weekend and reconfirming with J.B. Fitzgerald should help in keeping him in the Maize and Blue. The big recruiting news centers around the Rivals #1 player in the nation Terrelle Pryor who added Michigan to his list after Coach Rodriguez was hired and it looks to be a Michigan/Ohio State battle. There is a lot of talk that it will depend on what Ryan Mallett does so we will just have to sit and wait. But after watching Pryor in the U.S. Army All-American game I couldn't help but think of what kind of damage he could do for us in a winged helmet or against us in a grey one. Let's hope he decides on the good guys.

Finally, I want to close with the Lakers who are on a tear and looking like they will be able to do some damage this season come playoff time. Andrew Bynum has become a force on the inside and the youngsters are all stepping up even as Kobe has struggled these past few games. It's great to see the team taking care of business against these bad Eastern Conference teams and now we've got a big two game roadtrip to Memphis and New Orleans the next two days. It'll be a good test on Wednesday against a Hornets team that carved us up earlier this year.

Where do we go from here?

I, like most Michigan fans, expected by this time we'd have announced Les Miles as the next Michigan head coach. Now many know throughout this season my top choice was Jeff Tedford, but after watching Cal much more closely this season and seeing the team stumble down the stretch I realize that was the wrong choice. That said I was ready to see Les back in AA. When I was woken up by a phone call telling me Herbstreit had said Miles was coming with Jon Tenuta I couldn't contain myself. Then it all came crashing down. The details, along with every rumor/scenario as to what transpired, I'm sure everyone has read before so I'll spare them.

Now that leads to the question who is next? First up is it CANNOT be Kirk Ferentz. Everyone across the country was scratching their heads when his name came up first and I know we will become the laughingstock of the country if we end up with him. I was already getting shit from fans of other schools about the potential for Ferentz. There has been some talk about Mike Debord and Brady Hoke, I'm not even consider them serious candidates for the job because if either of them became head coach I don't even know what I would do. Ron English I could live with as long as we cleaned house and brought in a new OC and new S&C coaches, that said I wouldn't be thrilled with it. He has no head coaching experience and our D has struggled a lot lately.

Hopefully there is a home run out there that no one is seeing that Bill Martin has his eye on. If you follow Michigan closely enough I'm sure you've come across some pipe dream scenarios on different message boards but maybe they're more realistic than we can see. At this point that's all I have to pin my hopes on. That or the fact that Bill Martin realizes he made a mistake and gives Les a reasonable offer that he will not turn down. These past few days have made it very difficult for me to concentrate on anything but the search. I need to take a step back like I did during the Kobe trade rumors and let it play out, although in this case I hope there are changes made. As incompetent as Bill Martin looks right now I'm willing to wait it out a little bit because I really can't believe that there are no other candidates out there than our internal candidates. Let's hope that is the case.

Week 13 Top 25

1. LSU
2. West Virginia
3. Georgia
4. Kansas
5. Ohio State
6. Missouri
7. Virginia Tech
8. Oklahoma
9. Oregon
10. USC
11. Arizona State
12. Texas
13. Virginia
14. Illinois
15. Florida
16. Boise State
17. Hawaii
18. Wisconsin
19. Auburn
20. Boston College
21. Texas Tech
22. Connecticut
23. Cincinnati
24. Oregon State
25. BYU

• Another week, another #2 goes down, although this one had more to do with injury than the others. I've maintained all along I believe West Virginia is the next team in line and I'm not changing that. Kansas and Missouri have their chance on Saturday night to prove me otherwise.
  
• Big game on Turkey day with USC traveling to Arizona State. Winner will have an inside track at the BCS and the Sun Devils control their own destiny now in the Pac 10.
• Boise State at Hawaii as well and after watching Hawaii struggle these past few weeks I think Boise gets the job done.
• UConn-West Virginia for the Big East title and Virginia-Virginia Tech for the right to play in the ACC Championship game.
  

Gametime

Just got into Ann Arbor and I can't even put into words all the thoughts that are running through my mind. It seems like it was yesterday we opened the 2004 season with a true freshman QB and then another true freshman took over the RB position as well. Now we sit here less than a day away from their last home games in a Michigan uniform. We have followed along through the highs and lows of these last four seasons and now we come to the end of this story. It may be unfair but it comes down to one game and hopefully we can look back on this story as a happy ending. Let's Go Blue!

It's Time

Another year has passed and here we are again in a familiar situation. Last game of the regular season, Big Ten Championship on the line as well as a trip to the Rose Bowl. Coming into this season we had very high hopes. Thoughts of a trip to New Orleans crossed our minds at times. That was all dashed away in week 1 and then buried deep into the ground after week 2. But now we stand 10 weeks later playing for almost everything this senior class came back to play for. Beat Ohio State. Win the Bowl Game.

Jake, Chad and Mike could have left last season for the NFL but they didn't. These guys know, as well as you and I do, that this class' legacy rests on these last two games. No matter what records Henne and Hart break, if they do not get the job done on Saturday, there will always be that asterisk by them in the minds of many of the Michigan faithful because they never beat Ohio State. Not only for them, but for Coach Carr who will be retiring who has come under fire recently as well for his inability to beat Tressel and bowl games.

So here we are 3 days and 1 game away from cementing a legacy, a legacy for the Mike Hart, Chad Henne and Jake Long, a legacy for Coach Carr and another legend to add to the folklore of this program. Go Blue!

Recap from the Rose Bowl

Last Saturday I went to the Rose Bowl to take in the Cal-UCLA contest. Sure it was an upset but I definitely wasn't surprised to see UCLA pull it out, they pull out games they shouldn't every once in a while, but end up losing a good amount of games they shouldn't. Meaning they'll probably lose this weekend at Washington State.

Everyone is always on Karl Dorrell's case, and rightfully so, as I witnessed the most horrific decision I've ever seen from a college football coach at this game. For those that haven't heard about it or seen it, here's the recap. It's late in the 3rd quarter UCLA is down by one and now faces a 3rd and 1 on the Cal 38 yard line. I told my friends I was with I'd run a play action pass because you're going to go for it anywhere on the 38 and sure enough, play action called but nothing is there and Pat Cowan scrambles for no gain. So now we sit at 4th and 1, with a UCLA team that had been running the ball decently well against Cal and Dorrell calls a timeout. Sure it wasn't necessary but not terrible. Then out of the timeout UCLA attempts to draw Cal offsides, fails and ends up taking a delay of game penalty to punt back to Cal. Words cannot describe my thoughts when I saw this play unfold, as did the other Bruin fans around me at the Rose Bowl. The sad part is, Dorrell keeps pulling these upsets out and will keep saving his job. For the good of UCLA's program hopefully he'll be relieved of his duties soon, because there is no way he is going to do anything great with UCLA Football.

Coolest looking beer pong table ever, I'd love to get one of Staples Center or Crisler Arena.

Justin Forsett on the move, turned out good for him that ND pulled his scholarship.

TD, DeSean Jackson

Big Ten Roundtable

This week from Black Shoe Diaries, here are my answers:

Pretend for a moment you're the little Japanese guy on Heroes. You can close your eyes, clench your fists, crap your pants and go back in time. If you could go back and change one play for your team this season, what would it be?

The obvious play would be the blocked field goal by Appalachian State at the end of the season opener. Granted it would've been an ugly win but in this year's insane college football season Michigan would still be in the hunt for the NC. The other choice would be the 2 point conversion Coach Carr went for in the 2nd half which forced the team to go for another 2 point conversion, both which failed. Had we kicked the first extra point, we would've kicked the 2nd one and been tied and headed to overtime.

We're now two-thirds of the way through the season. Everyone likes to debate who will be the Big Ten Coach of the Year. I want to know which Big Ten coach is a complete moron that should be demoted back to fullbacks coach on a team that runs the spread offense?

I'm gonna go with Joe Tiller here. He's got to learn that all that O that runs up the score on bad teams isn't going to cut it if he ever wants to win the Big Ten. Even in the years that he didn't play Michigan and Ohio State he couldn't get it done and now that both teams are back on the schedule I don't see it happening anytime soon.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife. But the Bible doesn't say anything about your rival. Which current Big Ten player do you most wish played for your team?

I would probably say Dan Connor as it would look great playing LB for the Maize and Blue this year.

Bonus Question: It's probably too early to start thinking about next year. Well, unless you're Minnesota in which case you've been thinking about next year for a month or so already. Assess your team's future. Was this year your chance to make a run or is this just a rebuilding year with greater expectations in 2008? Or do you plan to suck in 2008 just as much as you suck now?

This was supposed to be the year we made our run. Henne and Hart as seniors along with the favorable schedule. I believe we'll be in contention for the Big Ten next season but end up falling short, I wouldn't be surprised to see an 8-4 regular season next year but at the same time I could just as easily see us going 10-2 or 11-1 . A lot will depend on the WR's, IMO, as Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington can declare for the draft and it would make the transition a whole lot easier for Ryan Mallett to come in with two experienced wideouts to count on.

Week 9 Top 25

1. Ohio State
2. LSU
3. Oregon
4. Oklahoma
5. West Virginia
6. Florida
7. Boston College
8. Virginia Tech
9. Arizona State
10. USC
11. South Florida
12. Kansas
13. Kentucky
14. Missouri
15. Hawaii
16. South Carolina
17. Georgia
18. Michigan
19. Texas
20. Alabama
21. Auburn
22. Penn State
23. Rutgers
24. Virginia
25. California

After seeing what Oregon did again this week I've moved them up to #3. They are one explosive football team and can put up points in a hurry, we'll see if I look like a genius or an idiot after the Ducks take on USC this weekend at Autzen. Still not buying the other unbeatens BC, Kansas and ASU, two of the three get a chance to prove it with BC taking on VT tomorrow and ASU taking on Cal, although they are currently reeling after two straight losses. Speaking of the Golden Bears they get the biggest fall for this week after their debacle at the Rose Bowl. I've been praising Jeff Tedford for his offensive prowess but I didn't see enough of it on Saturday. There's no reason UCLA should have beaten that Cal team but they did, Coach Tedford has to get this thing turned around quick with a visit to Tempe this weekend. Plenty of intruiging matchups starting with tomorrow, can't wait for this weekend's action to see what it brings.

Pictures from AA earlier this season

As promised here are some pictures from the games I attended earlier this season against Oregon and Notre Dame. I'll have my top 25 up later as well as pictures/thoughts from the Rose Bowl this past Saturday.

Mallett getting ready to take the field for the first time.

Notre Dame Game

Hart going in for the TD

One of Mallett's 3 TD passes

Picture says it all.

Pictures from games earlier this season Part 1

I've finally come around getting the pictures I took from the three games I attended in September, Cal-Tennessee and Michigan vs. Oregon and Notre Dame, here are a few of the good ones. I'll also have up later pictures from the Cal-UCLA game I attended on Saturday with some thoughts. First up Cal-Tennessee.

Tightwad Hill, where you can watch the games for free.

This is the DeSean Jackson Punt Return, first the catch...

Right after he made the sick juke...

And to the house.

Big Ten Blogger Roundtable

1. We’re halfway through the season. Practically the entire national media has declared that the Big Ten is having a down year. Is this cyclical, or is the conference actually becoming less and less relevant? What is your team doing to enhance or destroy the conference’s reputation?

It's a cyclical thing right now. Just like the Pac-10 was considered down the past few years and now they're up again. Michigan has done plenty to destroy the conference's reputation this season with the way the season started.

2. Illinois is winning football games. Football games! Illinois! How much longer will we have to put up with this crap?

For a couple of seasons but then Zook will do like he did at Florida, recruit great talent only to be a terrible coach of said talent.

3. I’m a man! I’m 32! For you, fair Big Ten Blogger, where does the line get drawn when, as Sunday Morning QB eloquently states, “second-guessing the split-second decisions of college kids under extreme physical duress”? Hypothetically speaking, would you settle for saying that your underwhelming quarterback “simply isn’t performing well and needs to be replaced”, or would you call him “a functional retard that is one drool cup shy of riding the short bus to practice”?

I've definitely toned down my frustration with players, although more of it has to do with our coaching staff. I've never really gone over the edge and gone to insulting the players and as I get older it'll probably happen less.

4. Finally, a quick two-part question. Which player or players on your team have you been pleasantly surprised with this season, and what is the most important game remaining on your schedule?

I think the easy answer for this one is Morgan Trent. There was a lot of concern coming into the season as he was supposed to be our #1 CB but he's done a good job so far. The corners have been the least of our worries on defense. Definitely Ohio State is the most important, no matter what has happened this season, Henne and Hart have yet to beat Ohio State and although they have done great things for this team and this program I'm willing to bet if they do not bring home a W against the Buckeyes this year there will always be that asterisk next to their names in the minds of many Wolverine fans.

Week 6 Top 25

1. LSU
2. California
3. USC
4. Ohio State
5. South Florida
6. Kentucky
7. West Virginia
8. Oklahoma
9. Wisconsin
10. Boston College
11. Georgia
12. Oregon
13. South Carolina
14. Texas
15. Virginia Tech
16. Cincinnati
17. Hawaii
18. Arizona State
19. Purdue
20. Rutgers
21. Clemson
22. Missouri
23. Auburn
24. Kansas State
25. Illinois

Plenty of movement in this week's poll. A lot of unbeatens went down but not enough teams to take their place so I did not make many drastic moves in the poll. Gone are Penn State, Alabama and Michigan State while Auburn, Kansas State and Illinois make their entrance. After watching Cal again I am more convinced than ever that they can/will take down USC and the road win at Oregon is much more impressive than any win that USC has put up so far this year. It is really weird having South Florida, Kentucky and Boston College in the top 10 as well as Cincinnati in the top 20 but it's that kind of year. Some more shakeups will occur with the Red River Shootout, Kentucky-South Carolina, who would've that that would be a big game, and LSU-Florida. Here's to another great week of College Football.

Days like Saturday are why I love college football

It was sort of ironic that Saturday turned out the way it did considering my Friday night at the Dodgers game. While tailgating one of my friends asked me if I was still watching college football this season. I was sort of surprised at this question considering my friends know my obsession with the sport. But my friend's question shows the thought process of the typical LA area fan. He's not a college football fan by any means but he says to me something along the lines of considering the way the season started I would've assumed you stopped watching because you have nothing left to play for. His reasoning was we no longer had a shot at the national championship so considering the expectations coming into the season there was no need to follow the team anymore. I can tell you that if USC loses two games in a row the bandwagon would empty so fast it wouldn't even be funny as most people out here think that way as well.

Then came Saturday which started with another sloppy ugly win for Michigan. I don't even know where to start with this coaching staff. I am, along with many others, continually disgusted at the playcalling by Mike DeBored, and as MGoBlog says "Throwing Rock since 1969." Everyone knows first down is a stretch run left, the exact same f(*#ing play. At least when Henne was playing it changed up a little bit but even then the plays are still predictable. I can't remember the last time I saw a play action pass that wasn't a rollout that was thrown to the tight end. Is it too much to ask to perhaps maybe throw in a play action on first down when the defense is stacking the box expecting it go left to Mike Hart? It's no wonder we get beat every season with all the talent we have because our coaching cannot adapt to the times.

After the Michigan game ended I immediately turned to the Cal-Oregon game so I could show my friends why I endorse Jeff Tedford as our next head coach. Tedford opened with a pass, then a play action pass, something I couldn't even tell you the last time I saw Michigan call. Yes Tedford is a west coast guy but I'm gonna hold onto the dream of bringing him out to AA once Coach Carr retires. His history of developing QB's with our tradition of QB's would be a perfect match. He would bring our offense out of the dark ages and back to competing on the national level. Right now we can only play in the Big Ten and then get beat whenever we go out of conference.

Now onto the big story of the weekend which was 5 of the top 10 teams losing. Days like this are why I watch college football, no matter what is on paper any team can go down any day, as Michigan fans saw first hand on September 1st. No other sport brings so much intensity into each game because each game is a playoff. I'll have my new top 25 up later and obviously it will feature a lot of new changes. It's amazing to see this coming Saturday which was supposed to feature a number of big time games including Texas-Oklahoma and Florida-LSU lose some of their luster as 3 of the previously undefeated teams went down this past weekend as it seems like both Texas and Oklahoma looked ahead and were not focused on the game at hand. Cal came through with a big time win at Oregon and now are the next team up after LSU and USC, although from what I've seen this season I believe Cal can beat USC. We still have to wait over a month until that game though and as we saw last weekend we can't get ahead of ourselves.

Week 5 Top 25

1. LSU
2. USC
3. Oklahoma
4. West Virginia
5. Florida
6. California
7. Texas
8. Ohio State
9. Wisconsin
10. Oregon
11. Rutgers
12. Kentucky
13. Boston College
14. Clemson
15. South Carolina
16. Georgia
17. South Florida
18. Virginia Tech
19. Penn State
20. Alabama
21. Cincinnati
22. Purdue
23. Missouri
24. Michigan State
25. Arizona State

The big gainer of the week is Kentucky after their impressive win at Fayetteville. While the two biggest losers are Penn State dropping 9 spots as well as Louisville who is now completely out of the top 25 after their pathetic performance against a previously winless Syracuse team. Other than that just a bit of shuffling teams around a few spots as well as Missouri and Arizona State joining the poll. It will be a big week as Florida takes on Auburn, who is reeling but still could be dangerous, Alabama taking on Florida State in Jacksonville and the marquee matchup of the weekend California traveling to Oregon which should determine who is in line to take their shot at USC.

And we have some life

As great as it was to get the first win, we knew that it didn't mean much considering how bad Notre Dame is. And now after opening the conference slate with a win over Penn State the season still has a lot of potential. Sure a lot of the confidence in this team is gone after the opening two weeks but they are showing signs of life, at least in the Big Ten race. With the majority of the other teams playing styles that match up well against our strengths I wouldn't be surprised to see this team still win a Big Ten title, then end up losing to whoever finishes 2nd in the Pac-10 whether it be USC, Cal or Oregon.

Sure there are things that are still frustrating watching this team, the offensive playcalling. But I did see some great things that most have already noted. Mallett has done a great job at times making plays such as the 3rd and 11 where he scrambled around and found Mathews for a 12 yard gain and first down on the last drive. Also gotta love his pocket presence standing in the face of the blitz and delivering the ball to Mathews that time in the red zone, I forgot exactly when it was. Props also have to go out to the defense only allowing 3 FG's especially after two of them were in the red zone. That said there is plenty of work to be done but the schedule seems to give us a break when we need it with Northwestern and Eastern Michigan the next two weeks, which should allow us to ease Henne back into the lineup. But I must say I am extremely proud of the fight this team has shown from getting up off the canvas. They will be a player in the Big Ten race and I'm ready to watch it unfold.