w w w w w w qw w Yes, Brady Hoke sent a mass text message saying goodbye to his guys at San Diego State. Yes, Ryan Lindley can throw the ball a mile. And yes, Al Borges may wish Ronnie Hillman was still his lead back. And guess what? Michigan's ranked again after beating up on a weak non-conference schedule and pulling a miracle against Notre Dame. Do they deserve it? Maybe not. But as Brady Hoke repeats over and over, "This is Michigan." And Michigan means being consistently overrated before anything happens in conference play. Michael Florek, Stephen J. Nesbitt, Kevin Raftery, Tim Rohan TABLE OF CONTENTS ADVANCE: Ronnie Hillman and Ryan Lindley will be a handful for a rocky Greg Mattison defense. 4 WHAT DOES YOUR NAME MEAN TO YOU?: The question that made Brady Hoke the coach he is today. Cover illustration by Marissa McClain 2011 Schedule .- W, w w w w w Western Michigan (Sept. 3): Good thing the rain came. And the blitzes, too. Looked like Greg Robinson was coaching until the second quarter. Notre Dame (Sept. 10): Nothing to see here. Michigan rallied with a 28-point fourth quarter to stun the Fighting Irish and get the victory. Eastern Michigan (Sept. 17): After struggling early, Michigan relied on the legs of Denard Robinson and Vincent Smith for the 31-3 win. San Diego State (Sept. 24): Hoke said it was hard leaving his players behind at San Diego State. They were mad he didn't say goodbye. Minnesota (Oct.1): MarQueis Gray played wide receiver last year - now he's the quarterback and the only thing exciting about the Gophers. Northwestern (Oct. 8): Dan Persa - that's about it. S Michigan State (Oct. 15): Edwin Baker and Le'Veon Bell ran over and through Michigan last year, and Kirk Cousins ain't too shabby either. Little Brother's growing up. Purdue (Oct. 29): Guard your ACLs! The knee injury has plagued Purdue the past two seasons. Quarterback Rob Henry was the latest victim. Iowa (Nov. 5): The faces change, but it always seems like Kirk Ferentz finds the same types of players. This is just another solid Iowa team. Illinois (Nov. 12): Nathan Scheelhaase-to-A.J. Jenkins and Jason Ford is the whole offense. Consider Scheelhaase a poor man's Denard. Nebraska (Nov. 19): The legendary blackshirts make their debut at the Big House. By the time Jared Crick and Co. leave, it may get ugly for 'M.' Ohio State (Nov. 26): No Tressell? No Pryor? Ohio State's still deeper than Michigan, but a lot could change by Thanksgiving. STAFF PICKS The Daily football writers pick against the spread to predict Michael scores in the 2011 football season. Florek Stephen J. Nesbitt No. 22 Michigan(9-5 vs. San Diego5tate No.1Oklahoma 09.5)vs Missouri No.2 LSU(-6)at No.1West Virginia No. 3 Alabama 02.5) vs No. 14 Arkansas No. 4 Boise Statet-27) vs Tulsa No.6 Wisconsin (NS)vs South Dakota No 7 Okla. St. at No. 8 TeasA&M t-) No.9 Nebraska (-29.5) at Wyoming No.1 Oregon (-16) at Arizona No.11 Florida State (-3) at No. 21 Clemson No.12So. Carolina (-14) vsVanderbilt No.13 Virginia Tch (-20) atMarshal No.t15Florida-1)latKe stuckv No.17Baylor(-19.5)vs.Rice No.18 South Florida (-26) vs. UTEP N.20 TCU (NS) vs. Portand State No.23US at Ariz na State(.S) No.24llinois (-15.5) vs Western Michigan No. 25 Georgia Tech (-4.5) vs. N. carolina Michigan State (-23) vs. central Michigan Penn State(-30) vs. EasternMichigan I sa-21.5)v. La.-Monroe Ohio Sta t 6.5)ovs.Colorado Minesota(NS)vs.NorthDakotaState Indiana (-6.5) at North Texas Last Week Overall Michigan Missouri Lusiana State Alabama Boise State Wisconsin Oklahoma State Nebraska Oregon Florida State South Carolina VirgnaTech Florida Baylor South Florida TCU Ilinois North Carlina Michiga State Penn State Colorado Mnesota Indiana 15-13-2 49-34-2 Sa Diego State Missouri Louisiana State Alabarna Boise State Wisconsin Teas A&M Nebraska Oregon Florida State Sooth Carolina Virginia Tech Florida Baylor UTEP TU TS Western Michigan Geogia Tech Michigan State Eastern Mic igan OhiState Minnesota ndiana 15-13-2 50-33-2 Kevin Raftery Michigan Oklahoma WestVirginia Arkansas Boise State Wisconsin Texans A&M Wyoming Aizona Florida State Vanderbilt Virgina Tech Florida Baylor UTEP Ariaona State Illinois Georgia Tech Central Michigan Penn State OhioS te Minnesota Indiana 18-10-2 54-29-2 Tim Rohan Michigan Oklahoma Louisiana State Alabama Boise State Wisconsin Texas A&M Nebraska Oregon Florida State South carolina Virginia Tech Florida Baylor South Florida TCU Western Michigan Georgia Tech Michigan State Eastern Michigan Ohio State Minnesota Indiana 17-11-2 54-29-2 Sam Sedlecky, Maize Rage President Michigan Oklahoma Louisiana State Alabama Boise State Wisconsin Oklahoma St. Wyoming Arizona Florida State Sooth carolina Virginia Tech Florida Baylor South Florida TCU uc Western Michigan Georgia Tech Michigan State Eastern Michigan Ohio Sate Minnesota indiana N/A N/A "When you're a player, it's kind of like when you're ason and you look up to your dad, you want people to like you," Marcus says. "You see someone get respect: you hear people talking about Bo Schembechler, Lloyd Carr - class act. We all want that too. "How do I get the mud off my name? That's what I want- ed Brady to do. And you see, that's what he was good at." Brady was always honest, just like it was around the din- ner table growing up. If Brady's dad had a problem with someone, it would be discussed. "No one held back,"he says. "If youtruly do care aboutpeople you have to communicate, the good and the bad." Brady pulled Marcus close. Whatdoesyour name mean to you? Brady said this all the time to his players, and after Mar- cus's credit card incident and his teammate issues, he need- ed to hear it again. That's all you have - your reputation and your name. How doyou want to be remembered? What doyou wantyour legacy to be? In some other words, Marcus heard the same message echoing off the walls of Schembechler Hall. "That's a straight Michigan slogan, man," Marcus says. "(Gary) Moeller asked me the same question. Coach Schem- becher asked me the same question. Lloyd and Brady asked me the same question. Because they're all from the same cloth, the same tree. That's how Michigan coaches were goingto speak to their players." Flash-forward to 1998, Marcus is sitting in Brady's office again. He listened the first time, cleaned up his name, and Mich- igan won a National Championship in 1997. Marcus made sure his bad name didn't spoil a memory he'd hold tight for the rest of his life. That was his new legacy: National Cham- pion. Until trouble found him again that summer - Lloyd sus- pended him the first six games of his fifth year for contact- ing an agent and getting free concert tickets from a bank. Lloyd stripped Marcus of his captaincy. So there sat Marcus Ray, or at least a shell of the usually proud Marcus Ray. This was the severely depressed, woe-is- me Marcus Ray. Brady bottom-lined it for Marcus. This would be how he got his name back: No.1 - Stay out ofthe media. No.2 - Talk to Lloyd, and make sure he knowsyou're work- ing out. No. - Stay in school, get good grades, graduate on time. No. 4 - "Whenyou come back topractice, whileyou're sus- pended, play on the scout team. That's Michigan." "And I'm going to ask you the same question I asked you three years ago: What do you wantxyour legacy to be? "How do you want to be remembered at Michigan?" Marcus's legacy, his name, would stay intact if he listened to Brady. "It makes you look at yourself in the mirror and say, 'What does my name mean now? And what do I want it to say when I'm done,"' Marcus says. By the time he graduated, he liked what he saw in the Flash-forward to February 2011, you'll see 34-year old Marcus Ray, sitting across from Brady Hoke again, unsure if his name is dirty or clean. They're at a coach's conference in Columbus. "I don't think you were as focused as you needed to be at Central Michigan," Brady says to Marcus. "I don't think you took advantage of that opportunity. I think you were screw- ing around a little bit. But it happens. I love you and I want you to work for me." After his stint in the NFL, Marcus became a coach because he wasn't sure what he wanted to do. He jumped around from high schools to colleges, but didn't go back to Michigan until 2007, as a weight room coach, because he thought his name was still muddied, even after he did every- thing Brady instructed. In his eighth year of coaching he had his shot as an assis- tant coach at Central Michigan in 2008, but he was distract- ed. His wife and three kids were still living at home in Columbus and his marriage was shaky. He wanted the best of both worlds - to pursue his dream of coaching and be the family man. "I wasn'talwaysthe besthusband or fatherthat I could've been, because I forgot what my name meant to me," Marcus says now. "That'sthe power ofbeingaround peoplewhotalk that language: They keep you in that mind state." Two years later, he was coaching high schools again. Three years later, his divorce was finalized. Marcus needed Brady Hoke now more than ever. Mar- cus was doing public speaking tours, but would drop it all to work with Brady Hoke. He nearly screwed up everything at Central Michigan, trying to jump onto Brady's rising star at Ball State. Now he wanted to know if Brady thought people saw the changed 34-year old Marcus or the 21-year old Marcus. "You were the only one who believed in me years ago and I need you to be that guy again at 34 years old." Marcus told him. "I will," Brady said. "Stay in touch." And then Brady was gone, leaving Marcus alone again with the mirror. If Brady Hoke had a son, he'd be something like Glen Steele. From afar, Glen looks like just a country boy from Ligoni- er, Indiana, who needed football to let out his aggression. The son of a factory worker once tackled his friend through a wooden fence. He asked himself the same question before every high school game he played: Somebody's going to get knocked out this game, who's itgoingto be? Big and bruising at 260 pounds in high school. They called him the "big bully." Teams would send three guys to block him, four to tackle him. When he got to Michigan, the kid from the small town had too much freedom. He had a little too much fun. He needed to do some growing up off the field. Get closer. You'll see Glen's father taught him to respect his elders and that quarter- backs have Dad to thank for always teaching him: "If you're going to do it, you're going to finish it," including sacking the quarterback. You'll see how then-head coach Gary Moeller told Glen, who was recruited as a tight end, to jump in at defensive end one day. He loved it. A kid that aggressive was bound to play defense eventually. Get even closer. That's where Brady Hoke is. Glen's actually a gentle giant, with- out an ego to speak of. Laura Hoke would later say Glen has a "big heart," just like Brady. Lloyd Carr would later say Glen's greatest asset was that he was a great listener. Glen knew he needed coaching, mold- ing. Brady pulled Glen close, taught him how to play with technique, burning it into his muscle memory with repeti- tion after repetition. Hands are high and inside. Use your hips. Feet shoulder width apart. Don't stand up too high. Taking that six-inch power step. In the film room, Brady made Glen watch how former Michigan legends played the right way, with the effort run- ning to the ball, the attitude and technique Brady wanted. This is the way Michigan players play, he said. Tradition was one of Brady's biggest teaching tools. He'd take a guy aside and tell him, "You have the ability to do what this guy did." And he was talking about All-Ameri- cans, All-Big Ten guys. "You don't change tradition," Glen says. "You come through, you learn a tradition. You respect a tradition. You understand tradition. You pass it along to the next group of guys. What you leave is your legacy. What kind of player was this guy? What kind of person was this guy? What kind of character did he have?" What does your name mean to you? Brady knows that Glen's athleticism and madman atti- tude is a start, but with knowledge and solid technique, Glen could be a fundamentally-sound madman off the edge. Brady could be hard on Glen, especially about his back injury that lingered all three years Brady coached him. "Oh, back hurts? Not going to practice today?" Brady would tease. "That's him being him," Glen says. "And that's him still lighting that fire under my ass." Years later, Glen's back would require three surgeries. Brady knew Glen would tough it out for a few days, lead- ing by example. By the 1997 season, when Glen was a fifth- year senior, he was the only veteran left on the line. That didn't mean Brady didn't chew Glen out. "There was no bullshit, he'd call you out on it," Glen says. "If you were late or missing class, you would take your licks, that'd be running extra after practice, running the stadium at six in the morning." "You have horseshit hands," Brady told Glen one day. "Your hands were not very good today. Is your wrist banged up? Are your hands banged up?" "Nah, it was just not a good day for me," Glen said. "Well that can't happen in a game." "I understand and it won't." T o anly to be a guest nicker. e-mail trohandaltmich.edu. If vou'rerhnsen and ran heat two of us .tu'l sta o nanotheaw'.r Thetonest-tenuredowet nickreellcita nrno tthe Pndoe , .v uF FIY av Wa U 5Ua aL fwftA, c 111011 ai VIMf1IWLAI1 11 YVU Ic bIIV:JG11 CIIIU wall UCal lrvV VI Uaf yVU 11 algy VII CIIIVIIICl Wl . ,II li~~a