2003

Rose Bowl Scoreboard
 

"Did anyone happen to get the license plate number of the truck that ran over our offensive line?"

Phil Callihan, Editor-in-Chief

Phil's Game Grades

Forget the much ballyhooed battle between QB's and receivers.  This game came down to a battle between the offensive lines of each team- and USC put on a clinic.  Michigan's game plan was to hammer the USC QB and keep their high powered offense off balance.  The USC offensive line put on a incredible display.  The Michigan offense line looked horrible.  While some the sacks taken by John Navarre were from outside blitzes, the USC defense was able to push the Michigan offensive line around at will.  They were faster, stronger, and simply outplayed the Michigan offensive line all game.

Offense-  What a mess.  The Michigan offensive line wasn't able to protect John Navarre at all.  Add a few drops (nice one Braylon- make sure you put that one on your NFL audition tape), a few bad calls, and few penalties and you have the worst offensive display of the season.  Michigan was ineffective in the red zone and despite dominating time of possession was thoroughly routed...

Defense-  Considering the field position that they had to work with after the blocked field goal and that bizarre interception giving up 28 points doesn't seem so bad.

Special Teams-  Nice blocked field goal.  @#$%#$

Coaching-   I don't know what could have been to overcome the failure of the offensive line today.  USC looked stacked on offense and defense.  I have to give USC credit, they were much better than I expected them to be.

Game 12 Scoreboard

"We missed a tackle or two."

Jim Tressel, OSU Head Coach

"I would have paid money to go in that locker room and see their faces.’"

Larry Stephens, Michigan DE

"Watch the tape.’"

Chris Perry, Michigan RB, responding to questions about whether or not OSU's Will Smith tried to intentionally injure him

"I think our fans were rougher than Ohio State's defense."

Chris Perry, Michigan RB, when asked about fans rushing the field after the game

Phil's Game Grades

A classic game in the 100th meeting of these two rivals...Who would guessed that the OSU defense would turn from the iron curtain to the iron sieve!!

Offense-  Chris Perry ran all over the Buckeyes!  John Navarre was sharp despite throwing a an interception.  The Wolverines had a long touchdown called back on a holding penalty that might have broken this wide open.  The offense answered when OSU pulled within 7 points in the 4th quarter.

Defense-  The defense played well but had some problems when OSU starting throwing the ball in the second half.

Special Teams-  A few nice returns and no major mistakes...

Coaching-   The Wolverines went up 21-0 to nothing in this and looked poised to thrash the Buckeyes.  But Ohio State fought back after Michigan had a long touchdown called back that would have made the score 35-7.  In past years Michigan might have begun sweat when OSU got within 7 points in the 4th quarter but this team went back to work and closed the game!!

Game 11 Scoreboard
 

Phil's Game Grades

Merely a speed bump on the way to THE GAME versus Ohio State.

Offense-  Not much to say other than BRING ON THE BUCKEYES!!!

Defense-  The defense put the hammer down on a overmatched Northwestern squad.

Special Teams-  A few little bumps in the road early.  I sure hope that the OSU game doesn't come down to our special teams...

Coaching-   The team looks primed to battle Ohio State!!!
 

Game 10 Scoreboard
 

Phil's Game Grades

Not exactly the shoot-out people some people expected.

Offense-  Chris Perry was awesome running the ball, breaking the Michigan single game rushing attempts record gaining over 220 yards.  Michigan was agonizingly close to putting this one away late in the 4th quarter until MSU returned a fumble for a TD following their only sack of the day.

Defense-  The defense was great except for one play where blown coverage allowed MSU to get pass for a long TD.

Special Teams-  Michigan missed a PAT and gave up some long kick returns.  Steve Breaston also made a mistake by trying to run a kick out of the endozne which resulted in poor field position.

Coaching-   Brilliant move to emphasize the run instead of getting into a shootout with MSU.  This strategy stymied the the MSU rushing attack.

Game 9 Scoreboard

Phil's Game Grades

I never expected the game to go like that...

Offense-  A decent display of offensive power.  It would have been nice to run the ball a little more but the passing game picked up the slack.  Braylon Edwards and Jason Avant had big games.  Awesome reverse by Steve Breaston...

Defense-  Who were those guys?  The defense was awesome.  A total surprise.  Michigan hammered the Purdue QB mercilessly.  The INT at the goal line right before the half was the turning point in the game.  The fumble recovery returned for the touchdown was the final nail in the coffin.

Special Teams-  Steve Breaston is a game changer.  Purdue surrendered field position by trying to keep ball away from him.  When Steve Breaston is back waiting to receive a punt there is an electricity that is in the air not felt since Demond Howard played for the Wolverines...

Coaching-   A complete success in every aspect of the game.  Now it's time for the Spartans...

Game 8 Scoreboard
 

"That's the Illinois we know and love..."

Phil Callihan, Editor-in-Chief

Phil's Game Grades

Remember when the Illini were good?

Offense-  A complete demolition...Total domination of the overmatched Illini defense.

Defense-  The defense looked good.  Defensive Coordinator Jim Herrmann was back on the sidelines after being up in the press box for the first 7 games of the season...

Special Teams-  Michigan threatened to use their gimmick double wall punt formation than wisely shifted to a standard punt formation to cheers of the crowd.  Steve Breaston (Hey Braylon give Steve his jersey!!) had another incredible return for a touchdown.  He did almost fumble one punt and really needs to learn how how to come up and fair catch short punts but he is the real deal...

Coaching-   Not much of a challenge here for the Wolverines.  After a few seasons of being competitive the Illini have returned to being the doormat of the Big Ten.
 

Game 7 Scoreboard
 

"This is not a great team but they have great heart."

Lloyd Carr, Michigan Head Coach

"I don't think the tears are going to stop until Tuesday...We put so much into this game. We were so prepared and ready to play."

Asad Abdul-Khaliq, Minnesota QB

Phil's Game Grades

Proof of life...

Offense-  For three quarters the Wolverines were dead in the water.  But then lightning struck in the 4th quarter as they scored 31 points.

Defense-  The defense was porous for most of the game but stemmed the tide just enough in the 4th quarter.

Special Teams-  I can't believe that they tried to use that gimmick punt formation again.  The special teams coach did not travel with the team due to 'personal reasons.'  You have to wonder if he's looking for a new job...

Coaching-   The Wolverine season was teetering on the edge of total disaster in the 4th quarter.  Make no mistake a loss to Minnesota after road losses to Iowa and Oregon would have destroyed any hope of salvaging this season...
 

Game 6 Scoreboard
 

"This was a very disappointing loss for us.  I take full responsibility."

Lloyd Carr, Michigan Head Coach

"It seems like in the second half (Michigan) got lazy and slower.  That's when we picked it up."

Grant Steen, Iowa LB

Phil's Game Grades

This season which started with such promise teeters on the edge of disaster.

Offense-  A tale of two halves...The first half the Wolverines were cruising clearly in control of the game.  The second half was a train wreck...

Defense-  The defense was actually decent.  Maybe if Iowa didn't get the ball with such great field position- which leads us to...

Special Teams-  What the #$% were they thinking with that spread punt formation.  The first time it took Iowa by surprise, the second time was pushing it but to continue to use such a dangerous formation was just poor judgment by the special teams coach and and ultimately Lloyd is responsible.  Iowa was able to break large returns...Michigan would have been better off trying to convert on 4th down...

Coaching-   To employ a questionable punt formation in such a huge game, on the road is inexcusable.  Someone's head on the coaching needs to roll...
 

Game 5 Scoreboard
 

"Not exactly an awe-inspiring performance."

Phil Callihan, Editor-in-Chief

Phil's Game Grades

It appears that the loss to Oregon has taken a large toll on the spirit of the Wolverines.

Offense-  Wow- where to start.  The interceptions?  The fumbles?  Just enough to beat a substandard team like Indiana.  This effort will not be enough to win against better opponents...

Defense-  They looked good for a half.  A few players were out nursing injuries and the INT return for a TD wad good but the second half collapse is troubling.

Special Teams-  Great punt return for a TD and it was great to see an actual REAL LIVE field goal (!!) but Michigan also had a punt blocked.  Not Good...

Coaching-   The team looked lethargic...If the Wolverines play like this the next two weeks they could lose both games...

Game 4 Scoreboard
 

I am wounded
But I am not slain.
I shall lay me down and bleed awhile
Then I shall rise and fight again.

Phil's Game Grades

Well, we can officially stop feeling good about last week's stomping of Notre Dame...

Offense-  What a disaster.  They got so far behind so early that the running game never had a chance to get on track.  How can Braylon Edwards look so bad on some passes and so good on others?

Defense-  Abysmal.  Terrible...Oregon ran, Oregon threw.  They quacked and quacked...

Special Teams-  Two missed PAT's?  A blocked punt.  Completely Unacceptable. 

Coaching-   The team did not look prepared...

Game 3 Scoreboard

"I knew in my heart that this team had tremendous motivation. They have worked extremely hard going back to the winter and the spring. I did not think in my wildest imagination that this could happen. It was our day and things went well for us. We have a lot of season to go..."

Lloyd Carr, Michigan Head Coach

"I don't think there's anything we can take positively from this game. We were out-played, out-coached, out-everythinged. It was a team effort."

Ty Willingham, Notre Dame Head Coach

Phil's Game Grades

Complete and utter domination.  It was beautiful.

Offense-  The only thing that marred this otherwise spectacular performance was 3 fumbles.  Other than than the Wolverine offense was numbingly effective.  RB Chris Perry continues to churn up yardage on the ground.

Defense-  Wow, the defense was supposed to be the question mark heading into this season.  So far there is no doubt that these guys can play great defensive football.  They were scary good today...They had allowed 10 points in three gamess...

Special Teams-  Steve Breaston may be the best Michigan return man since Desmond Howard.  The Michigan return game has been week for the last several seasons.  Things are looking up in this area...

Coaching-   133 offensive points is incredible.  The passing game is still not where it needs be and the Wolverines are still unbeatable.  If the passing game gets on the level of the running game the Wolverines may be unbeatable. 

Game 2 Scoreboard

"Overall we played a great game. I am a firm believer that you make the most improvement between the first and second games of the year. That was evident today. I think the entire team got better this week."

Lloyd Carr, Michigan Head Coach

"You look on video, and you look for flaws, but I couldn't find any."

On preparing for Michigan- Art Briles, Houston Head Coach

Phil's Game Grades

At halftime you had the feeling that Michigan would just kind of coast through the second half and not run up the score.  Surprisingly, they decided to bury an inferior opponent..

Offense-  The running game is clearly back but it's obvious that something is wrong in the passing game.  Navarre and his receivers are clearly out of sync with each other.  You would not expect this from a veteran QB with experienced receivers against an overmatched opponent...

Defense-  Much improved with the return of Marlin Jackson and Ernest Shazor.  These guys looked tough, they had the QB on the run all day and had a nice safety...

Special Teams-  The return game looks better than it has been for the last couple of seasons...Still missed a field goal.

Coaching-   Things should be good- 95 points in two games is nothing to sneeze at.  But you have to wonder that is going on between Navarre and his receivers.  He's either throwing too high or someone is dropping a ball that should be caught... 

Game 1 Scoreboard

"Braylon Edwards and I are not on the same page...Braylon is a very good reader, so what he needs to do is find what page I'm on and get there."

Lloyd Carr, Michigan Head Coach

Phil's Game Grades

An empty victory against an overmatched opponent and thus the INC grades...

Offense-  Nice statistics but stats don't tell the whole story.  The offensive line opened up HUGE holes for RB Chris Perry but it's hard to make any judgments about the running game when CMU clearly was outmanned.  This game had the feel of scrimmage, Michigan was never in any danger of losing this contest.  The passing game was erratic, Navarre and his receivers were clearly out-of-sync for most of the game...

Defense-  Hmm, some concerns here.  CMU was able to tally over 200 rushing yards.  Marlin Jackson and Ernest Shazor were out for this game but there is no way that a MAC team should EVER be able to run for 200 yards against Michigan.  Some poor tackling, too...

Special Teams-  Still having problems kicking field goals, Breaston looks like the real deal on kick returns...

Coaching-   In many ways this was a perfect game for Lloyd.  Michigan won and won big.  No injuries and despite the score there were enough problems but players on both sides of the ball should be too happy...

Go Blue!

Phil Callihan
UMGoBlue.COM, Editor-in-Chief
phil@umgoblue.com
 

Phil Callihan is the Editor-in- Chief of UMGoBlue.COM.  Phil graduated from the University of Michigan in 1993 and has been a football season ticket holder since 1994.

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