This year, however, the cheering has been less enthusiastic at one of its biggest events. The football team, long on talent but short on successes, ended the year with a fourth place Big Ten finish. Despite having a profusely talented lineup, this year marked the third consecutive four loss season for the U-M. This performance has left analysts and fans alike wondering what went wrong.
At the beginning of this season, one could still feel the fallout from the Gary Moeller fiasco. Most fans would have understood a slow start to the year under a new coach and an untested quarterback taking snaps. After the Wolverines courageously rolled to a 5-0 record at the beginning of the season, however, those same fans were beginning to think big. Then came Northwestern.
For the final eight games of the year, the Maize and Blue played to a 4-4 clip. Included among the four losses was a hard fought battle in East Lansing that saw a completely overmatched Michigan State team snatch a victory from the Wolverines merely by having more heart.
It was the loss of Scott Dreisbach, or the inexperience of a first-year head coach, or simply better teams that always beat Michigan. At least, those were the excuses given. How believable are these excuses though?
It is unfair to consider Dreisbach the key ingredient to the Wolverine's attack this season, or, for that matter, Brian Griese the sole reason for the team's demise. Since Griese was the quarterback that looked so bad in all of this season's losses, it is easily forgotten that Dreisbach looked bad in the early season wins. Northwestern, a team with a running attack and wide receivers less menacing than Michigan's this season, went to the Rose Bowl behind a passer named Steve Schnur. Outside of Evanston, only a handful of severely socially handicapped people had ever heard of Steve Schnur before this season, and few will ever hear of him again. The point being, a talented quarterback is extremely helpful in winning games, but even an average one can get the job done when he gets the ball to his teammates. Griese is an average quarterback; maybe not as average as Schnur or even Dreisbach, but average nonetheless. It was not , contrary to popular opinion, simply the lack of a good quarterback that brought four losses to this year's team.
Judging from student, alumni, and media consensus, the hiring of Lloyd Carr was among the best things to happen to Michigan football this season. The player's love for Carr and his early season successes brought about an early decision to keep the coach. It seemed only slightly worrisome to a few that the official announcement of Carr's permanent hiring had to be postponed by one week because of the loss to Michigan State. After the announcement, which was intended to allow the team to focus only on the games and not the coach's status, the Wolverines lost twice more.
This season's four losses were partly attributed to Carr's inexperience at the helm. It seems the 5-0 start could be chalked up to coaching genius while the 4-4 finish was conveniently blamed on inexperience. Lloyd Carr, as an inexperienced coaching genius, bears more responsibility for the poor finish this year than most fans and journalists have mentioned. His team was out-played against Penn State, Northwestern and Texas A & M, and out-hustled at Michigan State this season. All of these losses were by ten points or less. Penalties plagued the team all year. In both the Northwestern and Michigan State games - each decided by less than a touchdown - one touchdown was called back because of a Michigan penalty. Had these two plays been clean, Michigan would have gone to Pasadena with an 11- 1 record. Penalties and heart are a coach's responsibility. Despite brilliant play calling this season, especially in the Ohio State victory, Lloyd Carr is not exempt from sharing the blame for this season's lackluster finish.
The theory that Michigan was beaten by better teams this year is shaky at best. In fact, the best team the Wolverines played this season, the Buckeyes, lost in the Big House. It could be argued that, as a team, Northwestern, Penn State, and Texas A & M were better. It would be far more difficult to claim any of these teams had as much individual talent as the Maize and Blue. On this year's Michigan team there are perhaps as many as ten future pro players, including Tshimanga Biakabutuka, who is projected to be picked eighth in this year's NFL Draft by expert Mel Kiper. The Nittany Lions and Aggies are also loaded with talent, and the Wildcats were nothing to sneeze at. But the fact is that Michigan was as talented as any team it played this year. The Spartans were both far less talented and much worse as a team than the Wolverines, but that did not prevent them from winning in East Lansing.
Whatever went wrong, there is always the promise of the upcoming season. Despite the painful loss of Biakabutuka as well as other outstanding players, the Wolverines have one of the highest rated recruiting classes in the nation as well as a defense headed by Jarrett Irons. This year will give experience to both Carr and his quarterbacks. Hopefully, it will also make Michigan more of a team and less of a conglomeration of tremendous talent.