BallHype - Latest Rich Rodriguez News Articles

Toledo Has Chance to Do What Other MAC Teams Haven't: Beat Michigan

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:46:15 +1900

Toledo (1-4) at Michigan (2-3) 12:00 p.m. Saturday at Michigan Stadium Line: Michigan -16.5 This is going to be short and sweet today and you can blame the opponent for this as I don't put much stock into MAC teams even though I went to a MAC school (Central). Michigan is a combined 24-0 against MAC teams with the latest victim being Miami (OH) in Week Two this season. But the Wolverines have never played Toledo which surprised me seeing how the two schools are so close to one another. Maybe it's had to do with the Toledo War. Both of these teams are pretty close to each other statistically with Toledo having the slightly better offense and Michigan having a better defense so this could get interesting. Don't write off Toledo and be surprised if Michigan barely pulls out a victory. Michigan Pass Offense vs. Toledo Pass Defense Well the Wolverines are still stuck with Steven Threet unfortunately and we all know how that's worked out for them so far. Threet is averaging ...

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Rodriguez era off to rocky start at Michigan

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:22:18 +1900

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -- Rich Rodriguez knew his first year at Michigan wouldn't be easy.Rodrigu...

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Where Would WVU Be Under Rodriguez Today?

Wed, 8 Oct 2008 03:04:13 +1900

Five games into the 2008 season, WVU is 3-2, averaging about half as many points as it did last year and has had three straight games with its starting tailback failing to gain 100 yards. I tossed this question out to some friends today so I'll do the same here: What would be the current record of this WVU team if Rich Rodriguez and his staff stayed at WVU instead of going to Michigan. (Extra credit: What if Steve Slaton and Johnny Dingle had stayed, as well?) I don't usually do What Ifs? because they're futile and backward-looking. But this one could be instructive. My answer is: I don't know. Would Rodriguez, who cared little about defense, gotten a better performance out of this defense with eight (or seven) new starters, many of them freshmen and sophomores? Would Rodriguez have picked up his offense right where he left it last year or innovated? If not, would East Carolina and others adopted the Pitt defense — eight or nine in the box — and still managed to beat WVU? A ...

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Memo to Michigan Fans: Calm Down

Tue, 7 Oct 2008 18:40:56 +1900

A lot of Michigan fans need to take a good look in the mirror this week and ask themselves what is wrong with them and seek help. You know who I'm talking about. The ones that are mentally retarded for already starting to talk about getting rid of Rich Rodriguez. They're out there whining that Michigan might have a losing season and might not make a bowl game for the first time in a hundred years. I say who cares. There are only five bowl games I really care about anyway and even if Michigan does forge ahead to a winning season they don't have a chance at either the BCS Championship, Rose, Orange, Sugar or Fiesta bowls. Yet there are fans out there who apparently are going to be really upset if Michigan doesn't even qualify for the Motor City Bowl or the Meinke Car Care Bowl or the Poinsetta Bowl. I can hear them whining right now. "But Jason, Michigan has been the model of consistency over the years and is the winningest program in football history." Blah, blah, blah. Look, I'm ...

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Halloween, the College Football Holiday

Tue, 7 Oct 2008 04:50:41 +1900

Making full and appropriate use of holidays is just one of college football’s many virtues. The ADD-inducing New Year’s Day marathon requires no elaboration. Thanksgiving is also brilliant. Just as Turkey Day itself is strictly reserved for a nation that needs to get its fix of laughing at the Detroit Lions, the Friday that follows is a special college football holiday of its own, meant for the bitter Big XII feuds of Texas-Texas A&M and Nebraska-Colorado. What? You go shopping on that day? Puhleeze! There’s more than one way to spell a word that is pronounced the same as “maul,” but the meaning is identical in both cases. Likewise, there is Halloween, which lands almost perfectly at the midpoint between Labor Day and the BCS title game. Many programs, like the lame party guest that doesn’t put much imagination into his disguise, traditionally celebrate by shedding clumsy costumes that poorly reveal their true nature (See also: Michigan ...

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College Football: How Week Seven Will Shape The BCS Championship

Tue, 7 Oct 2008 01:33:50 +1900

The college football season might be 14 weeks long, but week seven of 2008 could do more than any of them to shape who will be playing for the BCS title. The Big 12 is this season's power conference. Five teams remain undefeated and four of them come from the South Division, leaving Missouri as the lone unbeaten team of the North Division. Unanimous number one Oklahoma heads to Texas for one of the most important Red River Shootouts of recent years. The winner leaves undefeated, and the loser might have to forget about the national championship game. Both quarterbacks in the matchup have Heisman Trophy hopes, and a decent performance against a proven team moves either one to the top slot on most voters' ballots. A victory for the Sooners would make for an easier walk to the title game than the Longhorns, who have to face number two Missouri on Oct. 18. Speaking of Missouri, the Tigers face another undefeated Big 12 team in Oklahoma State. The game should be a shootout ...

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Patience wears thin for Michigan coach Rodriguez

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 17:57:25 +1900

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -- Five weeks into his first season at Michigan, Rich Rodriguez's patience is ...

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Memo to Rich Rodriguez: Mediocrity Is Not Acceptable at Michigan

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 16:11:15 +1900

1967. That is the last time a Michigan Wolverines team has started 2-3 or worse. 1967 was two years before Bo Schembechler arrived, and those Wolverines started 1-4. That was before the long streak of bowl games and winning seasons. Now it might be in jeopardy again. What happened? Michigan started the season with a loss to Utah, and the fans said "It's OK, it's just their first game with a new coach." The Wolverines played poorly and squeaked by Miami of Ohio, and the fans again gave Rodriguez a reprieve. They turned the ball over six times against Notre Dame, and we were disappointed but said Michigan was showing progress. Michigan had a historic comeback last week against Wisconsin, but all memories of that are now erased as Juice Williams and Illinois dropped 45 points on Michigan in a 45-20 rout that was the biggest embarrassment for Michigan since Florida State in 1991. Enough is enough. The honeymoon is now over Rich. We cut you a break at first, but now you're putting Michigan's ...

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Michigan Fades Fast Against Illinois

Sun, 5 Oct 2008 17:12:11 +1900

You see what happened was...I don't know what happened. I'm so mad right now there's steam coming out of my ears. Michigan looked dominant in the first quarter, but sputtered its way through the second and third quarters and ended up with the worst home loss since Florida State in 1991. Juice Williams absolutely destroyed the Wolverines. He made them look foolish; he even fooled me on a number of occasions. He broke a Michigan Stadium record with 431 yards of total offense. It was incredible watching him on Saturday dissecting the Michigan defense. The only thing that cools the steam coming out of my head is knowing that Michigan and Rich Rodriguez's offense will one day look like what Illinois displayed in its 45-20 win. And it will, folks; just be patient. There has already been a lot of grumbling from friends of mine and other Michigan fans that Rich Rodriguez was not the right hire and he needs to go. It's been five games! If anyone comes to me with that talk on here I will destroy ...

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Michigan Has Chance to Turn Corner Against Illini

Fri, 3 Oct 2008 18:50:11 +1900

Illinois Fighting Illini (2-2, 0-1) at Michigan Wolverines (2-2, 1-0) Saturday, 3:30 p.m. EDT at Michigan Stadium Line: Michigan -3.5 It's homecoming at Michigan Stadium and you know what that means. Some mediocre Big Ten team is coming to town. Minnesota and Illinois are the two most common opponents during homecoming weekend and this will be the Illini's 14th appearance in which they are 4-9 against Michigan on homecoming. The Wolverines have dominated Illinois over the years which might lead some to believe that the Fighting Illini are due for a win. They haven't won at the Big House since a 35-29 win in 1999. Michigan is 9-1 against Illinois in the last 10 meetings and hold a 66-21-2 advantage in the all-time series including a 28-9-1 record at Michigan Stadium. Last time these two met in the Big House, Illinois was handed a 56-14 whoopin in 2003 by John Navarre, Chris Perry and Braylon Edwards who all had big days. Of course, things are different nowadays, much different in ...

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A Biased, Opinionated, & Unofficial Guide To This Week's Top Games

Fri, 3 Oct 2008 18:05:26 +1900

Honestly, this weekend's games are about as awful as watching Ohio State play in the National Title, but here are my picks: Rutgers vs. West Virginia I'm going with the University of New York: New Jersey Campus in this one. Rutgers, though they have fallen backwards a little, appears to have the edge on this one. West Virginia made a less than stellar transition after losing Rich Rodriguez. The sad thing is that it's the same system! I guess it is the edumacation state, though. Even though Rutgers wins, the writers in New York will still love USC better, not the faux-Ivy League sounding Scarlet Knights. Indiana v. Minnesota I'm going to go out on a limb and pick Indiana, they're not awful, but they're not average either. Minnesota, on the other hand, has a coach who is really loud with an inferiority complex. He sounds a lot like Ed Orgeron. We see how that worked at Ole Miss. I guess if I lost every piece of ...

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Michigan hopes to squeeze Illinois' Juice Williams

Fri, 3 Oct 2008 17:17:33 +1900

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -- When Rich Rodriguez's program at Michigan grows up, he would probably love ...

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Michigan's going through 'process' of learning the spread-option

Thu, 2 Oct 2008 23:57:51 +1900

Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez thought he had seen it all in the 18 years since he first designed his spread-option offense. Year ...

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The New Michigan Team

Thu, 2 Oct 2008 17:52:58 +1900

I have been a University of Michigan fan since birth; I bleed maize and blue. That being said, I know that Michigan fans can be arrogant and somewhat snobby. When you hear the words "The Michigan Wolverines," you know that you will face a tough team. No team is really a slouch team, especially football, hockey, and softball. This year, Rich Rodriguez took over as head coach of the football team. We all had high expectations for this season; Rich Rod brought a new, explosive, exciting offense. Wolverines fans were so used to our predictable, Lloyd/DeBord, traditional offense. It was going to be a nice change, or so we thought. All over the country, every Michigan-hater is cheering. Yes, Michigan is 2-2 and this is not something Michigan fans are used to. I almost don't recognize our team and fans. People are walking out at halftime and giving up on the team even before kickoff. Every year, games have sold ...

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Do Wolverines finally get it?

Thu, 2 Oct 2008 16:28:51 +1900

Was Michigan's win over Wisconsin a sign that the Wolverines finally get Rich Rodriguez's system? Bruce Hooley takes a look.

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Rich Rod starting strong on 2010 class, lands yet another commit.

Thu, 2 Oct 2008 04:43:00 +1900

It's still not even half way through the '08 season, but that isn't stopping Rich Rodriguez from hitting the 2010 class hard. Earlier this week, Rich Rod landed his first 2010 commit in WR Ricardo Miller (Dr. Phillips HS; Orlando,FL). Miller is an excellent WR at 6-1 185 lbs, has great athleticism with a great blend of speed and strength. He is rated as the No. 2 junior prospect in the state of Florida. Miller committed immediately after receiving his scholarship offer from Rich. However, come Wednesday night Rich Rod found himself with yet another 2010 commit. This kid has a last name that is very familiar to Wolverine fans. His name... Jeremy Jackson. Yes, he is the son of long time RB coach Fred Jackson. Jeremy is a WR out of Huron HS in Ann Arbor,MI. At 6-2 175 lbs Jeremy is yet another excellent WR commit for UM. Needless to say our receiving unit in three years may very well be the deepest, most talented in the country. I would have been more then disappointed had RR not landed this ...

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Michigan Wolverines Football News—Oct. 1, 2008

Wed, 1 Oct 2008 20:49:39 +1900

Great game last week! I'm leaving tonight to go home to Michigan to see the Illinois game! GO BLUE!! Michigan vs. Illinois http://www.inspin.com/ncaaf/michigan-vs-illinois-1934.html Coaching staff happy with Wolverines' lack of quit http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/football/index.ssf/2008/09/file_alan_warren_the_ann.html Rodriguez-hater is right about U-M's upset win http://blog.mlive.com/hugeblog/2008/09/richhater_is_right_about_michi.html Campbell misses comeback but enjoys Big House http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3617584&searchName=Midwest_Recruiting&campaign=rsssrch&source=michigan+wolverines&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fespn%2fblog%2findex%3fentryID%3d3617584%26searchName%3dMidwest_Recruiting%26campaign%3drsssrch%26source%3dmichigan%2bwolverines ...

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Michigan Adds First Verbal Of 2010 Class

Wed, 1 Oct 2008 01:54:40 +1900

Michigan got another verbal commitment Monday but this one wasn't for their 2009 recruiting class instead it was their first of the 2010 class. This commitment excites you because of the kid's skills while at the same time making you think "no duh". Michigan picked up another amazing Florida athlete, This one in the form of Dr. Philips Junior receiver Ricardo Miller. Miller has been saying for months that if the Wolverines would offer he would commit. Well Monday they offered and he followed through with his promise. Miller told rivals.com, "I just got off the phone with Rich Rodriguez and he offered me a full ride scholarship to the University of Michigan. I decided to go ahead and commit to them right now. I've always dreamed of playing with the Wolverines, and it seems like right now my dreams are coming true." Miller has always had interest in the Wolverines first off because his mother graduated from the university and this past June he took part in the Wolverines summer ...

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Rich Rodriguez Redemption: A Preview of Coming Attractions

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 07:28:06 +1900

Okay, I'll admit it. I thought about doing something useful on my Saturday afternoon when halftime rolled around during the Michigan-Wisconsin football game. But curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to see just how badly this could get out of hand. Wisconsin led, 19-0, and Michigan's offense was sputtering and faltering like an investment bank loaded with mortgage-backed securities. The special teams crew was considering having the kicker return kicks after Morgan Trent fumbled the most recent kick off his own knee. Of course, the Badgers should have been up by more. They were gift-wrapped field position for most of that first half, but couldn't quite get the ball in the end zone against a stout Michigan defense. Most years, I would reassure myself that a comeback was surely in order after Wisconsin couldn't take full advantage of its opportunities. This year...not so much. I had written them off. The second half would merely be another showcase of awkward lateral passes and Sam ...

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Michigan-Wisconsin: Big Comeback the Signature Win of Rich Rodriguez Era

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:10:00 +1900

For various reasons, some of which I will get to in later posts, I've been silent about the Wolverines. After Saturday's win, I'm feeling the need to say something. How long will I stick with it? Who knows—hopefully for the rest of the season. We'll see. Saturday's victory (highlights here ) was one of the greatest I've seen in a long time. In fact, it was the biggest comeback in the history of Michigan Stadium. Somewhat ironic that it came on the day the University celebrated its 500th game in the Big House's history. I was lucky enough to attend the previous greatest comeback, the 17-point fourth quarter comeback against Virginia in 1995. (As an aside, GREAT YouTube highlights of that game here . Further aside, I totally forgot about the greatest drop in college football history by Butterfingers with about 10 seconds left.) I still remember screaming and jumping up and down as Mercury Hayes caught that fade route from Scot Dreisbach in ...

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More fit Wolverines close strong in win (AP)

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 22:49:18 +1900

Michigan's strength and conditioning program was revamped by Rich Rodriguez, who hoped the Wolverines would get stronger toward the end of games. It might've just paid off. "Sometimes it takes a win like this to verify that," Rodriguez said. Unranked Michigan seemed stronger and faster in the second half Saturday against then-No.

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Michigan closes strong in biggest comeback at home

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 21:23:48 +1900

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -- Michigan's strength and conditioning program was revamped by Rich Rodriguez...

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Highlights: (9) Wisconsin - Michigan

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 17:05:57 +1900

Michigan celebrated its 500th game at the Big House with the first big win of the Rich Rodriguez-era. Watch highlights of the Wolverines' 27-25 upset over Wisconsin.

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Michigan pulls rally out of thin air

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 05:00:00 +1900

Surprising Wolverines stage biggest home-field comeback > Rich Rodriguez, his white shirt drenched in ice water, threw his left arm around his 10-year-old son, Rhett, and headed up the tunnel from the field at Michigan Stadium.

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Big Ten: Michigan rallies to shock Wisconsin

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 04:26:11 +1900

Wolverines erase a 19-0 deficit to beat the No. 9 Badgers. > * at Michigan 27, No. 9 Wisconsin 25: The Wolverines (2-2, 1-0) rallied from a 19-point halftime deficit, and when Allan Evridge of the Badgers (3-1, 0-1) misfired on a two-point conversion pass with 13 seconds left at Ann Arbor, Michigan had secured the first big win since Rich Rodriguez arrived as coach. It was the biggest deficit the Wolverines have overcome at home since they started playing at their storied stadium in 1927.

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Highlights: (9) Wisconsin - Michigan

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 03:00:41 +1900

Michigan celebrated its 500th game at the Big House with the first big win of the Rich Rodriguez-era. Watch highlights of the Wolverines' 27-25 upset over Wisconsin.

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Michigan stages second-half rally to trip up No. 8 Wisconsin

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 23:56:25 +1900

Michigan celebrated its 500th game at the Big House with the first big win of the Rich Rodriguez-era. The Wolverines rallied ...

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Roundup: Week 5 action

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 23:49:20 +1900

Michigan got the first big win of the Rich Rodriguez era with a thrilling upset of No. 9 Wisconsin. Get caught up on the action.

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Down 19, Michigan upsets No. 9 Wisconsin (AP)

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 23:43:35 +1900

Michigan celebrated its 500th game at the Big House with the first big win of the Rich Rodriguez-era. The Wolverines rallied from a 19-point halftime deficit, and when Wisconsin's Allan Evridge misfired on a 2-point conversion pass with 13 seconds left, Michigan had sealed a 27-25 victory over the ninth-ranked Badgers on Saturday.

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