. 1 The Michigan Daily I michigandaily.com I January 5, 2011

Amid coaching rumors, Gator Bowl loss full of
'M' demolished in bowl familiar struggles

By RYAN KARTJE
Daily Sports Editor
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - With
months of practice to prepare for
the Wolverines' season opener
against Connecticut, Michigan
took the field in September and
proudly debuted one of the nation's
most explosive offenses in a 30-7
blowout win.
And with the same amount of
time to get healthy and 15 valuable
practices at their disposal before
their Gator Bowl matchup, the
Wolverines said last week that they
expected the same fresh explosion
that vaulted them to a 5-0 start, the
best in coach Rich Rodriguez's ten-
ure in Ann Arbor.
"If we look at the UConn game
when we first came out, we had
four weeks to prepare for that
game, and we had great execution
as a defense for that game," red-
shirt junior defensive end Ryan Van

Bergen said earlier thisweek. "It's a
similar situation here. We have the
exact same amount of time to pre-
pare for another big game."
But after Mississippi State ran
Michigan out of EverBank Field,
handing the Wolverines their
worst loss in 40 bowl tries, 52-14,
Michigan left the field exposed,
plagued by the same execution
problems that followed them after
their quick start to the season.
With them walked their embattled
coach, who, after months of specu-
lation and drama, may have paced
his last sideline as the Wolverines'
head football coach.
"Well, if I had the golden answer
to why sometimes 18-, 19-, 20-year-
old kids don't always execute
perfectly, well, it just happens
sometimes," Michigan coach Rich
Rodriguez said at a press confer-
ence after Saturday's game. "Some-
times you press a little bit, and I
think that probably may have hap-

pened a little bit today ... I don't
know, but it happens sometimes ...
They played well, we didn't. End of
story."
But Saturday's loss isn't the end
of the story for Rodriguez, who met
with Athletic Director David Bran-
don on Tuesdayto evaluate his team
and discuss his future. And after
a three-season record of 15-22, a
lone bowl appearance and the pro-
gram's firstmajor NCAA violations,
many have reported Brandon will
cut ties with the coach - though
a decision hasn't been announced
yet. On Saturday, Rodriguez's con-
tract buyout dropped from $4 mil-
lion to $2.5 million.
"RichRod is gone," ESPN ana-
lyst Adam Schefter tweeted after
Saturday's game. "And it's up to
the NFL to prevent Jim Harbaugh
from going there."
Coaching changes could mean
further roster attrition for the
See GATOR BOWL, Page 3B

JACKSONVIL
oach Ric
walked b
hallways
Bank Field - the
from Michigan's
the post-game pr
His head
was down, his
gaze focused
on the ground
a few feet in
front of each
step he took.
Rodriguez was
flanked by a
security guard,
Michigan
media relations
officials and
his sixth-grade so
He knew repor
at the end of the h
with questions ab
no idea if he'll hav
Nobody knows

'LE, Fla. - maybe Michigan Athletic Director
h Rodriguez Dave Brandon does - if we all just
riskly down the witnessed the final game of the
underneath Ever- Rich Rodriguez era at Michigan.
long, lonely path But if we did, well, Saturday's
locker room to Gator Bowl 52-14 blowout loss
ess conference. couldn't havebeen abetter micro-
cosm of Rodriguez's third - and
potentially final - season in Ann
Arbor.
The game featured a truly
dynamic quarterback in sopho-
more Denard Robinson. In the first
quarter, he was perfect. He accu-
mulated 150 yards of total offense.
NICOLE His first two carries were each for
NCEBAC 20-plus yards He completed all
AUERBACH__ seven passes he attempted, includ-
ing two touchdown strikes. It felt
like September, and Michigan
n, Rhett. fans saw their Heisman hopeful
ters were waiting once more. But, like so much of
allway, armed Rodriguez's success at Michigan, it
out a job liehas didn't last long. Flashes of offensive
ve next season. brilliance - the spread offense at
for sure - well, its finest.Young, heralded quar-

terbacks who dominate non-con-
ference opponents. Quick-strike
scoring that ends up on highlight
reels. So 2009 - and 2010.
The second, third and fourth
quarters of Saturday's game fea-
tured the porous defense and
inconsistent special teams play,
both of which havebeen associated
with the Wolverines during the
past three seasons.
Mississippi State put up 485
total offensive yards. Quarter-
back Chris Relf, not knownfor
being a prolific passer, threw for
three touchdowns. The Bulldogs
converted more than half of their
third-downconversions. When
they missed, it usually didn't mat-
ter - they were a perfect 5-for-5
when they went for it on fourth.
Special teams on Saturday were
especially fitting.
Rodriguez had little to no
fidence in his kickers, so punter
See AUERBACH, Page 3B


Did Rodriguez have a chance?

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -
From the beginning, we
never really liked the guy.
Sure, we heard what they
said about Rich Rodriguez. He was
an offensive
guru. His
teams were
insanely fast
with quar-
terbacks who
could throw
AND (gasp!)
run? He was
dominant in JOE
the Big East. STAPLTON
He had won
everywhere
he'd ever been.
But we were skeptical. And we
were scared. We were looking at
the end of Michigan football as
we knew it. Lloyd Carr, the last in
the Schembechler coaching line,
was retiring. And Les Miles, his

heir apparent, said thanks but no
thanks. To Michigan! What was
the world coming to? After 40
years of championships with three
yards and a cloud of dust, we were
going to run an offense that looked
more like three plays and a touch-
down.
There was a good number of
fans who were excited for the
change and wanted to see what
he could do. They were there, but
I guess they just weren't quite as
loud as some of us who disliked
him before he ever stepped foot
on campus. We said he wasn't
a "Michigan Man"- a term of
respect.among Michigan fans and
alumni.
See, change was hard -
especially at tradition-bound
Michigan. So we handed over the
Michigan football program - but
not completely. We held back our
See STAPLETON, Page 3B

Players defend
coach after loss
By TIM ROHAN rival Ohio State ended the season
Daily Sports Editor on a sour note. And Athletic Direc-
tor David Brandon did not publicly
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - After give Rodriguez a vote of confidence
Saturday's loss to Mississippi State before the New Year's Day bowl -
in the Gator Bowl, the members of the same day Rodriguez's buyout
the Michigan football team doesn't dropped from $4 million to $2.5
have any control over whether million.
their coach returns for another Brandon met with Rodriguez
season. Players, coaches - every- for more than three hours to dis-
one seems helpless. cuss the coach's future with the
That's what they said after being program. And conflicting reports
throttled, 52-14, by the Bulldogs. circulated from the Detroit Free
But the game was the one thing the Press that Brandon had decided to
players did have control over. fire the coach, and the Associated
With the loss, their coach, Rich Press cited sources who said Bran-
Rodriguez, dropped to 15-22 dur- don had not yet made a decision on
ing his first three seasons in Ann Rodriguez and that the two will
Arbor. His job status was already meet again on Wednesday.
as clear as mud after losses to Rose Rodriguez sat in the hallway
Bowl-participant Wisconsin and See DEFEND RODRIGUEZ, Page 3B

MARISSA MCCLAIN/Daily
Michigan fans show their displeasure with the team's performance on Saturday.


SMC: IT'S A MESS
Daily Sports Editor Ryan Kartje followed
the ups and downs of Tuesday's Rodriguez
watch. All he learned was that this whole
situation is not good for Michigan. Page 2B

SLOW AND STEADY
In Michigan's first Big Ten road game,
Wisconsin's swing offense will pose a
legitimate problem for Blue on the defensive
end. Page 2B