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Posted on Wed, Dec 30, 2009 : 2:49 p.m.

Top 5 storylines for Michigan football in the 2000s

By Dave Birkett

The Michigan football team started the decade with a bang, beating Alabama on New Year’s Day in 2000 in a memorable Orange Bowl and closed it with a whimper with its first back-to-back losing seasons in more than 40 years.

Michigan football beat writer Dave Birkett reflects on the top players, games and stories of the decade. Share your thoughts below.

1. Lloyd Carr retires: It wasn’t a total stunner - speculation about his future had been going on for some time - but when Lloyd Carr announced his retirement on Nov. 19, 2007, it marked the end of an era for Michigan football. Carr left with 5 Big Ten championships, 1 national title and a 122-40 career record. Michigan athletic director Bill Martin mishandled the ensuing coaching search, though he eventually landed one of college football’s best offensive minds in Rich Rodriguez.

2. Good-bye, Bo: On the eve of Michigan’s 1-2 showdown with Ohio State, legendary coach Bo Schembechler died of heart failure when he collapsed during the taping of a TV appearance. Schembechler, who retired as coach in 1989 with 194 victories and an 11-9-1 record against Ohio State, had long-standing health problems, but the nation mourned the man who helped build Michigan into one of college football’s preeminent programs.


3. Home for the holidays: Its bowl streak shattered after 33 consecutive years, Michigan enters a new decade with legitimate questions about its program. The Wolverines are coming off back-to-back losing seasons, awaiting the results of an NCAA investigation and appear headed down the same path Nebraska, Alabama, USC and so many other top programs have traveled. Surely Michigan will be back, but when and at what cost?

4. The rise of the spread: It’s not the Michigan football you grew up on, but one reason the Wolverines hired Rodriguez was to modernize the program. Gone are pro-style quarterbacks and 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust football; in is the read-option and bubble screen. Florida, Texas and Oklahoma ran their versions of the offense to national titles. Michigan’s hasn’t taken hold quite as fast, but the Wolverines are recruiting a new brand of player both on offense and defense, where they’ve been unable to stop the spread in recent years.

5. Ohio State owns the rivalry: After dominating Ohio State during the John Cooper era (10-2-1), the tables were turned for Michigan in the 2000s. The Buckeyes under Jim Tressel have won 6 straight and 8 of the last 9 meetings. Ohio State’s 42-7 win in Columbus in 2008 was the biggest in the series in 40 years, and OSU won a major recruiting war as well, convincing quarterback Terrelle Pryor, the nation’s No. 1 prospect, to play for the Scarlet and Gray.

Dave Birkett covers University of Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at 734-623-2552 or by e-mail at davidbirkett@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

Comments

theseeker

Tue, Jan 5, 2010 : 5:07 p.m.

'The decade' is not over.... Why not wait until 'the decade' really ends at he end of 2010???

OSUbeBetter

Sun, Jan 3, 2010 : 3:37 a.m.

@ Stan Are you saying that michigan players dont attack their own classmates? because i remember an incident just about a year ago where a couple Michigan thugs roughed up one of their own. ".....Steve Kampfer, a junior defenseman on the Michigan hockey team who was injured early Sunday morning in an off-ice incident, incurred his injuries when he was thrown headfirst into the sidewalk by a Michigan football player.....He said the attacker was accompanied by two other men with athletic builds and blonde hair. All three were wearing jeans and black shirts that read "Get Wet".....Multiple sources with knowledge of the situation said the attacker was LSA senior Mike Milano, a redshirt junior on the Michigan football team.....Kampfer sustained injuries and appeared to be unconscious after the attack. He will miss classes and "be out of the team's lineup for awhile.....Lieutenant Robert Neumann said the victim was picked up and body-slammed to the ground by a man, who was accompanied by two other men.....He said Kampfer ended up with a cracked skull and T1 vertebra and is in a head and neck brace.....The fight was reportedly over a girl....." http://mgoblog.com/content/dont-try-home?page=1 http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/10/15/michigan-rb-arrested-after-attacking-michigan-hockey-player/

rightmind250

Sat, Jan 2, 2010 : 10:57 a.m.

Yes, Michigan use to be like USC is now. They were the premiere college to go to if you were a quarterback. They produced the most successful pro-quarterbacks in the game. 2-years forward, the dismantling is almost complete. No quarterbacks, no lineman, no defense. No bowl!

treetowncartel

Fri, Jan 1, 2010 : 11:01 p.m.

Henson and Navarre started? i stand corrected, but it proves my point even more. I bet Mallett does too.

heartbreakM

Thu, Dec 31, 2009 : 5:05 p.m.

If I'm not mistaken, didn't Navarre start a game for the Cardinals against the Lions? I think he did, got injured and that was it for him. I'll have to look it up. I always thought Navarre would be a better QB in the pros than college because of superior coaching, but ah, it didn't work out. I will say that he was the most publicly criticized player in recent memory and he always handled it with grace and class. For that alone, he has my respect. Not so easy for a 21 year old to do--I could not have handled it.

Lokalisierung

Thu, Dec 31, 2009 : 12:53 p.m.

Hensen started a game for the Cowboys.

treetowncartel

Thu, Dec 31, 2009 : 12:28 p.m.

@ Terrin People were aware that Lloyd was going to call it quits. I just think it would have been a better situation overall if the announcement came after the bowl games were over. College prepares for you the real world and your profession. those who stays will be champions. Henson left early and chased the dollar, Brady is a champion. College, and playing in a pro set served him well. I think Navarre is the only quarterback in the last 15-20 years who hasn't started a pro game, oh and Henson.

Terrin

Thu, Dec 31, 2009 : 10:34 a.m.

treetowncartel: Carr's retirement was likely strictly at his request. Michigan loves the guy, rightful so, or he wouldn't still have a job there at full salary. Further, Carr's retirement probably was known by the administration many months in advance. Rumor was Martin knew about it the previous season. Carr probably made the announcement when the University thought it was best. Tom Brady is a great quarterback in the NFL no doubt, but when he was at Michigan people were more interested in Drew Henson. Further, Brady hardly wrote the history books when he was here. So, I am not sure how his success in the NFL should be viewed as one of Michigan's greatest storylines.

stan

Thu, Dec 31, 2009 : 7:27 a.m.

Tater, I'm glad someone finally called the Aggie troll out on his misspelling of that putrid river. Dave missed the story about Michigan players managing to NOT attack a dorm potluck while wearing ski masks. In EL, Pride comes before the brawl.

Lokalisierung

Wed, Dec 30, 2009 : 7:23 p.m.

I thik if you can buy your way out of it you should...lest it ends up like the basketball program.

Fresh121

Wed, Dec 30, 2009 : 7:19 p.m.

Were gulity of 2 much time in the weightbroom but usc can have reggie bush and joe mcknight take money cars and thats ok..maybe we should buy are way outta stuff like pete carrol and usc.

Lokalisierung

Wed, Dec 30, 2009 : 6:09 p.m.

Didn't Bill Martin talk lloyd into staying another year or was that just a rumor? Bo was the most over-rated coach perhaps in history but there's no denying he is the face of UofM football and should be #1.

InRichRodWeTrust

Wed, Dec 30, 2009 : 5:38 p.m.

Here's a story line. How about former Michigan QB Tom Brady leads the Patriots to 3 super bowls and the most wins in one season.

Sean T.

Wed, Dec 30, 2009 : 5:19 p.m.

I miss Bo. I was pretty young when he died and I was in shock! And i thought Carr's retirement was perfect because he gave the university time to find another coach. I actually wish that he groomed a successor though.

treetowncartel

Wed, Dec 30, 2009 : 3:06 p.m.

I would say Tom brady becoming one of the best NFL quartebacks in the history of the game could take the place of a few of these things. Also, Lloyd Carr should have waited until after the BCS was over to announce his retirment. It seemed a little selfish to me. Sure, if he waited there might be recruiting issues; however, all those ADs might not have circled the wagons around their coaches. Oh, how I miss the drop back quarterback and the pro set.