by Dan Cash
Bronco Sports First
I eat my words on Western Michigan having a chance to unseat Michigan as MAC king having only lost a single game to the Mid-American Conference over their 100+ seasons.
It was probably too much to ask a Bronco team that had lost Jamarko Simmons, Schneider Julian, Branden Ledbetter and its entire secondary to either the NFL or at least an NFL tryout.
Early on it was clear that a win over Michigan simply wasn’t possible.
The Wolverines came out fired up in the 1st half and Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson found “athletes” and as Forcier put it: “The athletes did what athletes do, make great plays”.
This Michigan team…at least in game 1 is so far removed from the 3-9 team that opened the season with a loss to an unknown Utah team and dropped its first game to the MAC playing Toledo at “The Big House”.
Maybe it was false hope for WMU fans who thought that with all the allegations and problems and coming off such a tough season that Rodriguez Wolverines were simply ripe for the taking. That just wasn’t the case and we all should have known that.
Take a look at the history books.
Rich Rodriguez has been a Head Coach at 2 other college programs. Glenville State and West Virginia. At both of those programs Rodriguez began with an atrocious introduction season, only to be followed by wins and championships.
After finishing tied for 6th and 5th in his first 2 seasons Rodriguez went on to finish 6-4 before winning 4 straight league titles.
At West Virginia Rodriguez began 3-8 before finishing 2nd in 2002 at 9-4 before finishing no less than 2nd over his next 6 seasons at West Virginia.
The spread system Rodriguez runs obviously takes at least one season to grasp enough to put together strings of wins. Even at Michigan that is the case.
It’s obvious to me that Michigan fans overlooked that in season one…which allowed for the venom that followed Rodriguez throughout the end of 2008 and had continued until his 31-7 rout of Western Michigan Saturday.
Whether you like Michigan or not you need to give the University credit. It is a brilliant research institution and they have had some fantastic scholars, artists, writers and athletes come through their halls. Because of that, the Wolverines fans demand instant success.
There is no time for failure (especially in Football) and that is why Rich Rodriguez had to go through what he did last season. You can’t go 3-9 at Michigan…no matter how difficult your system is to learn…and expect the fans to be peachy with you.
Rodriguez knew exactly what he was getting himself into when he took the job (and the money) to coach the University of Michigan.
He knew what he was getting into and he also knew that it was going to be a struggle at first. Even going so far as to try and tell fans and alumni that it was going to take time.
The man came out and said…look everywhere I have been it has taken time. He tried to brace Michigan fans…but in typical Michigan fashion…no one listened. (Listen to Rodriguez telling Dan Cash on 1660 THE FAN last season about how difficult his 1st season can be below.)
They expected greatness from the start…it took them a year but Michigan fans finally got a glimpse Saturday afternoon of what Rich Rodriguez is making this team. A fast paced machine that moves all over the field to disturb any plan the defense has.
For the Western Michigan Broncos they simply got too Michigan Stadium one season too late and one thing became clear…Michigan will not be embarrassed like last season.
Not now, not ever.
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