Posted on Sun, Oct 11, 2009 : 8 a.m.
Iowa 30, Michigan 28: Your complete guide to our coverage of Saturday's game
By Pete Bigelow
Five turnovers Saturday night from the Wolverines, and unbelievably, they still had a chance to win the game in the final minutes.Â
With the Wolverines trailing by two points, who should come out and lead them with less than two minutes on the clock and only one timeout in their pockets? Not freshman Tate Forcier, who had authored three improbable come-from-behind heroics already this season.
Nope, it was Denard Robinson, the other freshman quarterback, who may have dazzling speed, but hadn't shown much accuracy throwing the football prior to Saturday.
So when Iowa intercepted his pass to preserve its 30-28 victory, Rich Rodriguez naturally fielded some questions on his decision to play Robinson in crunch time instead of Forcier.Â
That's where we begin our coverage of Michigan's defeat:
STORIES
- Rich Rodriguez bristled at questions about his handling of the quarterbacks, writes AnnArbor.com Dave Birkett, and that made the loss all the more sour.Â
- With the game on the line, Rodriguez did what? Michael Rothstein is still dumbfounded about the the decision to stick with Robinson.
- Grading the game: Birkett said he saw nothing horrible, but only one unit earned a mark as high as a C-plus.Â
- Michigan cornerback Boubacar Cissoko is suspended indefinitely after violating team rules, according to Rodriguez.
- Notebook: The Wolverines make changes in the secondary, an injury report from the post-game locker room and more. Â
- The Hawkeyes are doing much celebrating about their first 6-0 start since 1985, writes the Des Moines Register.
- This game went precisely according to script, says the Cedar Rapids Gazette.
- Mike Rothstein caught up with center David Moosman, who talks about the mood of the team following its second-straight heart-stopping defeat.
PHOTOS
- You can tell that Lon Horwedel has been photographing football games for a long time, because he managed to be in great position to shoot photos of every key touchdown Saturday night. You can find his gallery from the game here.Â
- Tate Forcier is all smiles and confidence before the game started. Here's a shot of Forcier in happier times.Â
INTERACTIVE
- Our weekly live chat during the game drew a ton of interest -- we were chatting until about 1:30 a.m. about Rodriguez's decision to play Robinson instead of Forcier. Here's the recap of that heated conversation.
STATS AND STUFF
AROUND THE BIG TEN
- Michigan State handles Illinois easily, 24-14, but may have lost tailback Glenn Winston for the season, says Steve Grinczel at mlive.com.
- Defensive back Danny Fortener returned to the lineup after an injury for the Spartans, and took an interception back for a touchdown.
- Ron Zook's benching of QB Juice Williams marks the beginning of his end at Illinois, says David Mayo of the Grand Rapids Press.
- Ohio State's defense turned in another notable performance, and the Buckeyes rout pretender Wisconsin in Columbus, according to the C-Bus Dispatch.
- Bret Bielema may be doing everything right while leading the Badgers, but Ohio State remains his white whale, writes the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
- Recaps of every Big Ten game, courtesy of the conference.
Comments
81wolverine
Mon, Oct 12, 2009 : 3:56 p.m.
I can't say whether Coach Rod is right all the time about yelling at players. Every coach has a different approach. Bo was even more intense on the whole. I used to see him rip into players big time when they came off the field. If you read his book by John Bacon, Bo would sometimes even kick guys off the team for reasons that didn't seem major just to get his message across. They'd have to come back and ask to be reinstated. Although he was calm a lot of the time, I've seen Coach Carr lay into quite a few players on the sideline too. So, I don't think we should read too much into how Rodriguez appears to treat players on the sideline without knowing all the facts.
susan
Mon, Oct 12, 2009 : 6:57 a.m.
How can you even count non conference games against smaller schools? 10-2? What a joke.
michael14
Mon, Oct 12, 2009 : 4:40 a.m.
I am a long time wvu fan, but I like RR.Yea he yell's at his player's but I think they can take it.You will have games like u had this week because he will sacrafice defense for offense. I bet next year the big ten will look like they r playing in slow motion. I am a long time wvu fan, but i like RR as many fan's in wv still do. Yea he yell's at his player's but i'm sure they can take it Just wait ayear or two and the rest of the big ten will look like it's playing in slow motion.And I think u hav a good chance at beating ou
StarZone
Sun, Oct 11, 2009 : 4:18 p.m.
Im trying to remember if I ever saw Carr yell at a young QB. I know he went after Mallet once because Mallet tried to walk away while Carr was talking to him. But besides that, he always handled them with respect. Well, maybe an energetic conversation with a senior QB who called an unnecessary timeout. But I remember when Navarre was starting out, Carr always pulled him aside after a series and asked him what he was seeing to teach him and help him learn, which is much harder than just yelling at someone for making a mistake. Like it or not, college coaches are teachers, and no one ever learns from someone throwing a tantrum.
saginaw
Sun, Oct 11, 2009 : 3:05 p.m.
Thank you Mary Sue Coleman.
umblue1
Sun, Oct 11, 2009 : 1:04 p.m.
I LOVE THIS TEAM. THEY NEVER QUIT. I find it laughable that people who claim to be Michigan fans can actually complain about where this team is going. They complain about things they dont understand and come off as sounding like babies.
tresselowns
Sun, Oct 11, 2009 : 12:43 p.m.
I wouldn't worry about RR yelling at players. It looks like they are mostly on board and understand his intense demeanor. I also didn't mind DRob on the last drive. Tate looked woozy on his last 2 possessions; on drop-backs he seemed to black-out for 2-3 seconds then jump-up looking to run, and maybe throw a Hail Mary. On D BG and DW are All-American caliber, and TW at the other corner looks good. We were 1-2 plays from beating a top-10 team at their house, not bad at this stage. The two main concerns are the turnovers and D lack of pressure on 3rd and long. Why Robinson or any DC would not blitz on every 3rd and long is incomprehensible. You could make the argument that the 3rd and 24 conversion in the 2Q was the difference in the game. That would not have happened against a blitz. The most disappointing fumble had to be Mathews. What has happened to him? 0 catches in the last 2 weeks I believe.
azwolverine
Sun, Oct 11, 2009 : 10:16 a.m.
Let's see...Iowa scored 17 on NIU and 24 on Arkansas St. It looks like they suddenly found their offense yesterday...or was it Michigan once again handing a team points through turnovers and big plays given up on defense. At least we won the moral victory of coming one point closer than Arkansas St. I understand the point of view of some Michigan fans that we should just let it slide, we are young, Rod is new, etc. I even thought yesterday would be a tough one going into the game. However, to actually see the game play out and see that we could have and should have won if not for handing it away...AGAIN...is disheartening. RR needs to work on cleaning up the mistakes and mental errors, of which he seems to be a major part of, imo. I'm all in for Michigan and expect to see dramatic improvement not only next week, but in two weeks against PSU. That's the type of game Michigan needs to be winning.
BlueAlum
Sun, Oct 11, 2009 : 10:13 a.m.
Oops, I meant rightouswinger not Theo212
BlueAlum
Sun, Oct 11, 2009 : 10:10 a.m.
Theo212 My attitude today is the same as yours. The last minute and one-half with no time outs demanded the best passing QB on the team. That is obviously Tate F. TV showed Tate wanting to go out on the field but was jerked back by RR. Whatever it is that makes a coach scream and berate a freshman QB throughout the game is something I don't understand and I am far from a softy. Where have the comments about Tate needing his ego curtailed coming from? I see a young men giving his all out on the field trying to make plays and win games. I hope RR hasn't crushed that young men with GAME!
annarbortownie
Sun, Oct 11, 2009 : 8:12 a.m.
It is sure not pleasant to watch Rich Rod scream at his players. He looks like a mean, angry bully. Forcier plays his heart out. Lets get a new, dignified, MICHIGAN coach. Also, he suspends someone for breaking rules and yet is involved with people who are accused of fraud in is personal dealings... COME ON! It's that the pot calling the kettle black???
righteouswinger
Sun, Oct 11, 2009 : 8:07 a.m.
Dennard Robinsons's turnover performance has be an unqualified disaster all year long, so why Rodriguez put him in for the last set of downs tells us something about Rodriguez. In spite of Forcier's uncanny performances in late game situations, Rod sends in Dennard, and, imagine, he throws the ball to Iowa. Where's Rod's head? He takes out his frustration with the game and a couple of mediocre team downs on Forcier, and spoils the entire Wolverine effort. Not only did Rodriguez lose this game, he lost me too.
CarrNavarreous
Sun, Oct 11, 2009 : 6:21 a.m.
Henceforth Forcier will be known as the Rosary Maker: He threw about 10 Hail Mary's last night. And a special thank you to Indiana for being especially putrid and saving us from finishing in the Big 11 cellar.