Bo that really melded us into notjust agood IowatCity first.
football team. We formed a lot of lifelong After 60 minutea of physical, hard-nosed
friendships, and they continue to this day." football, Michigan had not only beaten
Dick Caldarazzo, a senior left guard on Iowa - it had bulldozed right through the
the team, is in charge of emailing the for- Hawkeyes en route to a 51-6 pounding.
mer players and setting up reunions. And the Wolverines could sense the
"What was the class I believe (Schem- Buckeyes all the way from Iowa City.
bechler) was closest to," Caldarazzo said. "I "We were really happy we won that
think it was the fact that he introduced this game, but the next thing, we just wanted
concept, this way of playing football, way of Ohio State," Caldarazzo said. "We would've
practicing, that we all bought into." left our clothes on and played Ohio State
It's a camaraderie that began with that afternoon if we could come back on the
Schembechler and was carried out by the field."
seniors on that 1969 team.
And if Michigan does this year what it
did in 1969 during Schembechler's first sea- November 19, 2011
son at the helm, it's a camaraderie that can There were over six minutes left, but
be cemented in the legacy of Brady Hoke. already the chants had begun.
No. 20 Michigan led No. 17 Nebraska,
45-17 - the Wolverines had dominated in
November 15,1969 every facet of the game.
It was one of those days in November "Beat O-HI-O! Beat O-HI-O!"
when you yearned to have warm summer The cheer started in a small corner of the
days back, one of those days where it hits student section but grew like wildfire. As
you: "Winter is here." the clock wound down to zero, Michigan
Or, for a Michigan football player: "Ohio Stadium echoed the words of former coach-
State week can't be far off." es and players alike.
"It snowed like crazy," recalled Jerry Beat Ohio.
Hanlon, who was an assistant coach under The players heard it.
Schembechler from 1969-89. "I think that as the game winded down
"We had a motel we stayed at, and there and we were kneeling the ball, everyone
was so much space under the door that was thinking that in the back of their head,"
snow came halfway into my room." said redshirt junior safety Jordan Kovacs.
In those days, there were no snow blow- "Like all right, that was a big win, but it's on
ers, no easy ways out. to the next one."
So they innovated. The cheers only grew louder as the clock
"They got a helicopter on Saturday morn- hit zero and the players ran to the student
ing and just blew all the snow off the field," section to sing the fight song with their
Hanlon said. "And then the sun came out, peers, like they do after every home win.
and it was a beautiful day." Senior defensive tackle Mike Martin led
No. 14 Michigan, 6-2 at the time, was the charge, jumping into the front row of
playing unranked Iowa, who was 4-4 and in the student section, holding his winged hel-
desperate need of a win. met high in the air, singing the fight song.
It was the perfect trap game. No. 1 Ohio But Martin's work wasn't done.
State - which had been deemed "The "We know we're getting better, but the
Greatest Team in the History of College season is far from over," he said after the
Football" - loomed a week away. With just game. "(Ohio State) is a huge game for our
one Big Ten loss, the Wolverines were in legacy as a team, for this senior group, for
line for a Rose Bowl berth if they could win Team 132, and we just gotta make sure we
their last two games. finish this season out the way we want to,
But they had to beat the Hawkeyes in and the way we envisioned the whole sea-
0
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Robinson and Miller share the spotlight
Bo Schembechler is carried off the field after No. 12 Michigan's 24-12 victory over No.1 Ohio State in 1969.
son."
It was a vision started in the early 1900s
by Michigan's Fielding H. Yost, a vision car-
ried out bycoaches like Harry Kipke, Fritz
Crisler, Bennie Oosterbaan. It was a vision
restored by Schembechler.
And now, it's in the hands of Hoke.
Bo Schembechler, an Ohio native, came
to Michigan in 1969 after serving as head
coach at Miami University, his alma mater,
from 1963-1968.
In six seasons with the Redskins (now
the RedHawks), Schembechler won two
conference titles and finished second three
times.
At Michigan, he took over for the retired
Bump Elliot, who, in10 years as head coach,
posted a mediocre 51-42-2 record.
Schembechler's mission was simple: get
Michigan back into national prominence.
And his first ingredient was simple, too.
"Coach Schembechler said it in the first
meeting," said Jim Brandstatter, an offen-
sive tackle and now Michigan's radio color
commentator.
"The seniors have to have their best year
of football. He puts that responsibility right
on their shoulders, and every one of them
took it to heart. When practice got too hard,
when Bo was on us too much, those guys
stood there and took it. Those guys made
everybody aware that this is what it takes
to win."
From there, the rest of Schembechler's
formula fell into place. Toughness. Disci-
pline. Respect.
"Seldom can you have a successful season
unless your seniors are having their great-
est year," Schembechler said on Nov. 25,
1969. "That's an especially important factor
in transition because they're the hardest
guys to sell. They're the nucleus."
From 2003 to 2008, Brady Hoke served
as head coach at his alma mater, Ball State.
In 2008, he led the Cardinals to a perfect
12-0 season before losing to Buffalo in the
MAC Championship. The season propelled
him into the national spotlight for the first
time.
The next season, he took the head-coach-
ing job at San Diego State, and in 2010, he
turned a sputtering program into a compet-
itor, finishing the season 9-4.
In January 2011, Hoke took over at Mich-
igan for the departed Rich Rodriguez. And
at his opening press conference, he had a
message.
"We're gonna coach for our seniors,"
Hoke said. "Because seniors have been
through those struggles. We're always
gonna play and coach for our seniors in this
program."
It seemed almost clich6 at the time.
Every new coach has to say that. But as is
clear now, Brady Hoke isn't your average
new coach.
"The thing about him is that he is what
he is," said Hanlon, who went to school
with Hoke's father and has known Brady
for years.
"There's not a phony bone in his body.
What you see is what you get, and I think
that goes a long way for kids to believe in
somebody."
Hoke has stuck to his word.
"This is a group of (seniors) who have
been through a lot," Hoke said on Monday.
"They've hung together well and they've
done a nice job of preparing weekly.
"There are seniors that have done a tre-
mendous job of understanding you start
with the fundamentals, you start with the
technique, you start with discipline."
November 18,1969
It was the start o= Ohio State week, and if
you didn't know it, you either lived in a box
or didn't care about sports.
Everybody was talking about it.
In Columbus, an abundance of "pro-
Michigan" newspapers flooded the city two
weeks before the matchup, and Michigan
students invaded the Ohio State campus,
By TIM ROHAN Miller's talent was undeniable.
Daily Sports Editor "He's a great quarterback,"
Robinson said. "He's got a lot of
"It's going to be a physical fight, growing (to do), but I think he's
because that's what it is - like Joe going to be good. And we've got
Frazier versus to be prepared for him Saturday
MuhammadAli." because he can run around and
-Junior quar- OhiO State he can throw it."
terback Denard at Michigan Michigan coach Brady Hoke
Robinson Mth- defended Robinson's perfor-
MOhio State mance in the middle of the sea-
Two quarter- 6-5; Michi- son, saying he too was "growing."
backs will carry gan 9-2 Robinson looked all grown up
the weight of The When: Sar- against Nebraska last weekend,
Game on Sat- day 12 P.M. accounting for 263 total yards
urday. One is a and four touchdowns in what can
junior, adapting Where: Michi- be considered his best all-around
to a new offense. gao Stadium game of the season.
The other a true TV/Radio: The nagging mechanical issues
freshman, tasked ABC or ESPN that hurt him earlier in the sea-
with stabilizing a son are less worrisome now, said
program shaken offensive coordinator Al Borges.
by scandal. Instead, Borges has created a
Both can change the game with monster - one that listened too
their dynamic abilities. Both face well, stays in the pocket too long
an elite top-20 defense. and doesn't scramble as much as
Both are Muhammad Ali, float- he should.
ing like butterflies, stinging like "They want to prove that they
bees. can throw the ball, but there's a
Michigan junior Denard Rob- point where you have to use your
inson can single-handedly keep skills," Borges said.
the Wolverines' offense churning A few weeks ago, Robinson's
if he executes, or he can drown it father felt the need to call his son,
all if he turns the ball over. whose rushing numbers dimin-
Last Saturday, as Robinson was ished with each Big Ten game.
coming off the field after scoring "If nothing's there, just make a
a touchdown, his hands waved play," his father told him. "You've
wildly in front of his face as he got that ability to do it, so just do
trotted back to the sidelines. He it."
motioned an imaginary spoon Borges talks to Robinson about
towards his mouth. how his best check down may be
"This program has been starv- himself. To that point, footwork is
ing for a while," Robinson said key. Robinson's feet scream what
Monday. "It's time for us to make he's going to do with the football,
something happen this year." whether he's sliding in the pocket
If No. 17 Michigan plans to get still looking to throw or moving
its fill, it'll have to do so riding to an open space to run it.
Robinson into battle with Ohio Hoke said Robinson ran with
State. On the line: the Wolverines' more "authority" against the
first 10-win campaign and first Cornhuskers. The junior signal
BCS bowl berth since the 2006 caller seemed less hesitant as he
season. ran for 83 yards - his highest
Robinson's counterpart in total since Oct. 8 against North-
Saturday's heavyweight bout is western.
equally as maddening, nearly as What may help Robinson most
amazing, Braxton Miller. is heeding the advice Borges gave
Two weeks ago, down six him during spring practice, when
points on the road against Purdue, the two were still getting to know
the Ohio State freshman quarter- each other: "Make plays and let
back faced a 4th-and-3 with only the good Lord make miracles."
a minute left. In true Robinson Ohio State coach Luke Fick-
fashion, Miller scrambled to his ell said he'd offer similar advice
right when the pocket collapsed, to his dual-threat quarterback
jumped over a defender, and with before The Game.
two more Boilermakers in his "We don't need anything
face, he threw off his back foot superhuman, we just need you
and hit an open receiver in the to be who you've been and have
endzone. Ohio State missed the some confidence in what you do,"
extra point and lost the game, but Fickell said.
Miller's signature moment
so far may have been when he
launched a 40-yard touchdown
pass on the run with less than 30
seconds left to topple then-No. 15
Wisconsin.
It was Robinson-like, making
the impossible play out of noth-
ing.
But Miller shares Robinson's
pension for poor passing. Albeit,
his kryptonite is accuracy, not
turnovers.
In the eight games Miller has
started, he has completed just
46 percent of his throws and has
topped 100-yards passing only
once.
Miller's youth, multiplied by
suspensions to key contributors
running back Dan Herron and
wide receiver DeVier Posey, have
the Buckeyes' offense ranked
108th in the Division I.
"I'm disappointed right now
in the way we've played the last
three weeks as a team," Fickell
said. "With the type of people
we're dealing, with the youth and
the different things we have ...
you can't just point a finger."
Now, Miller will be fed to a
Wolverine defense coming off
their best two games of the sea-
son.
Having Mattison dialing up
exotic blitzes and disguising cov-
erages will only exaggerate Mill-
er's problems.
Considering everything sur-
rounding The Game - Ohio
State's series streak on the line,
the departures of Jim Tressel
and Terrelle Pryor amidst pro-
gram strife and the resurgence of
Michigan - Fickell thinks Mill-
er's youth may help him in this
fight.
"Sometimes the best thing you
can be as a young guy and not
realize exactly the magnitude,"
Fickell said.
"Sometimes the younger guys,
they're almost oblivious. ... Hope-
fully that's the way he continues
to attack it."
Robinson, meanwhile, is com-
pletely aware. He remembered
how he felt walking off the field
at Ohio Stadium last year, los-
ing Michigan's seventh-straight
game in the rivalry.
"Everybody hates that taste,"
Robinson said. "We still have that
taste in our mouth, losing last
year. We want to change that.
"We've been starving. This
program's been starving. So it's
time for us to eat."
In 1969, the Michigan defense held Ohio State's offense, one of the best in the nation, to just 12 points.
Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson did a better job of scrambling when he's supposed to against Nebraska.
TheMichiganDaily - www.michigandaily.com 3
6 FootballSaturday - November 26, 2011