This loss wasn't Lloyd's fault

ON COLLEGE FOOTBALL

This one had to be the hardest to swallow — the absolute hardest — and not just because it was Ohio State.

Yes, losing to the hated Buckeyes six times in seven years is equivalent to hell freezing over in Ann Arbor, but the way the Wolverines lost on a dismal Saturday afternoon makes the sour taste in their mouth all the more acerbic.

There was no spread offense that lit up a slow Michigan defense for 400 yards passing. There was no running quarterback who eluded would-be tacklers all over the Big House's field turf, causing groans from the hundred thousand Maize and Blue faithful. There weren't even any silly miscues — Michigan didn't turn the ball over a single time.

Rather, the Buckeyes bullied the Wolverines from end zone to end zone, running over them on offense (hence Chris "Beanie" Wells' 222 rushing yards on 39 carries), and running to them — more specifically Michigan quarterback Chad Henne — on defense, sacking the senior leader four times and hurrying him several other times.

As a result, Henne was an anemic 11-for-34 passing for 68 useless yards. As a result, Michigan's most valuable player was punter Zoltan Mesko, who booted 12 punts for an average of 45.9 yards.

If this really was Lloyd Carr's last regular-season game as head coach, it's a shame. Here's why: The biggest reason people, including myself, have said it's time for Carr to step down is because he's behind in the innovation of college football. Despite having a bevy of talented players at the skill positions, Carr hasn't switched to the very popular — and successful — spread offense. Defensively, Carr and coordinator Ron English haven't figured out how to slow down the spread.

Those are the main reasons Carr needs to step aside after an accomplished 13 seasons.

But those weren't the reasons Michigan lost Saturday, which is demoralizing. Those who like excuses will point to the separated shoulder of Henne, who overthrew several passes that Randy Moss wouldn't have hauled in. They'll also point at onetime Heisman Trophy candidate Mike Hart, who — with a bum ankle — managed just 44 yards on 18 carries.

But despite the dropped passes by Mario Manningham and the freshman mistake by senior safety Jamar Adams, who ran himself out of the play on which Wells raced 62 yards to give Ohio State the 11-point lead, Michigan didn't lose on Saturday.

Ohio State won. The Buckeyes dominated the Wolverines in every phase — except punting — of the game. Especially, and most disheartening for Michigan, Ohio State was the stronger team. It dominated in the trenches, routinely opening holes for Wells while stuffing Hart and pressuring Henne.

No, Saturday's loss can't be pinned on Lloyd. His daddy, err, Jim Tressel, didn't pull any trickeration out of his bag to steal a victory in the Big House. Instead, he made sure Wells touched the ball whenever he wasn't winded, and he kept the heat on Henne all afternoon.

It wasn't rocket science, it wasn't even first-grade science. It was old-school football. Hit ya in ya mouth football. The kind of football that fueled the Wolverines to all those Big Ten and national titles. The kind of football that is no longer en vogue.

It really is too bad that Saturday's butt-whoopin' will probably be mostly remembered as Carr's final game inside Michigan Stadium instead of what it was: the players in red and white beating up the players in blue and gold.

As so many coaches like to preach, there's only so much they can do. Ultimately, players decide a game's outcome.

That rang oh, so true Saturday inside a damp Big House.

On a day when not even Bo could have saved the Wolverines.

10 reasons why Michigan can win 10

ON COLLEGE FOOTBALL

It's hard to tell how good the Michigan football team was against the Fighting (scratch that, Moldy) Irish Saturday afternoon.

The score — 38-0 — looked good.

So did the defense (which held Notre Dame to minus 6 rushing yards and compiled 12 tackles for loss).

A guy named Mike Hart wasn't bad either, backing up his "we gonna win" guarantee with 187 yards and the first two Michigan touchdowns, which basically sealed the 0-3 Irish's fate.

Not bad for the first win of the season.

But it's impossible to gauge just how good the Wolverines were because of how bad — and they were really bad — the Irish were. Notre Dame's first offensive play resulted in a large loss after the ball was snapped over Jimmy Clausen's head.

Things didn't get better.

The majority of Division 1-A teams — and, I'm sure, a few 1-AA teams, such as Appalachian State — could have whipped the gold helmets on Saturday. And with their upcoming schedule, 0-3 could become 0-8 before you can say, "Unbelievable."

But enough about them. Let's talk about Michigan. These Wolverines still have a lot to prove if they want to shrug off their worst start in 10 years and make this a semi-successful season — something I believe they're capable of.

Here are the 10 reasons why Michigan could win out through Nov. 17 (Ohio State), stealing the Big Ten title and returning to the Rose Bowl with 10 victories:

1. Mike Hart — Notre Dame knew what Michigan's offensive game plan was Saturday, but it couldn't do a thing about it. When Hart gets going, he's hard to stop. Lloyd Carr needs to give him 35 carries (like he did Saturday) or more a game. Especially with starting QB Chad Henne out. Hart could will this team to a couple wins.

2. The schedule — No Big Ten game is ever easy, but if Michigan can beat Penn State next Saturday at the Big House, the road becomes much smoother until the final three games (at Michigan State, at Wisconsin, vs. Ohio State). This is especially important, because Henne should be back for the November stretch (and probably sooner). If Ryan Mallett plays mistake-free, Michigan should win at Northwestern (which, somehow, lost to Duke at home Saturday), vs. Eastern Michigan, vs, Purdue, at Illinois and vs. Minnesota.

3. Big Ten is down — Michigan isn't the only Big Ten team that appears vulnerable this season. Wisconsin was tied with I-AA The Citadel Saturday at halftime before pulling away. Penn State has beaten nobody (including Notre Dame 31-10, not as convincingly as Michigan's win). Michigan State has had to hold on for home wins over Bowling Green and injury-depleted Pittsburgh. Ohio State's offense has had one good showing and two mediocre ones. Purdue could be dangerous, but it hasn't beaten anyone. Iowa lost to Iowa State. The bottom of the conference appears terrible, considering Northwestern's loss and Minnesota falling to Florida Atlantic.

4. An improving defense — Sure, it was Notre Dame, but Michigan's defense showed life Saturday. Most importantly, the guys in that unit have confidence now. They believe in each other. And they tackled well against the Irish. I only expect this group to get better and more cohesive. A big win against Penn State would do wonders for it.

5. Henne's return — Can you imagine what Chad Henne is thinking right now? Here, he came back for his senior season expecting to contend for a national title. Instead, he was in the press box Saturday, watching his 0-2 team led by a freshman quarterback. I can guarantee that when he returns from his leg injury, Henne will be rearing to go. He'll cut down on mistakes. He — along with Hart — will lead this offense to several big games.

6. Big Ten offenses — I can't be positive, but I'm pretty sure that the majority of teams Michigan faces from here on out do not boast the spread offenses that demoralized the Wolverines in their first two games. And as Notre Dame proved, you can't simply implement the spread for a single game, especially if you don't start a mobile quarterback. Additionally, most of the top teams in the conference lack an experienced signal-caller, a Troy Smith or Dennis Dixon. Michigan's defense tends to fare better against premier running backs than top-notch QBs.

7. Playing for Lloyd — I know this sounds a bit cheesy, but the players are going to dedicate this season to Lloyd Carr. I get the sense that they get the sense that Carr has the sense he'll step down after the season. And nobody wants to see Carr leave after a disappointing season. So as hokey as it sounds, the Wolverines are going to do everything they can to send Carr out on a positive note. A Big Ten championship — after everyone doubted him — wouldn't be bad.

8. Jake Long — What a behemoth left tackle. The Wolverines don't have to mix up their running plays much. Just run behind this guy. He absolutely bulldozed the Notre Dame defenders Saturday, clearing gaping holes for the quick, shifty Hart. This combination will be crucial in the final minutes of close games, when Michigan is trying to run the clock out. Believe me, there will be a few Big Ten games like this.

9. History — It's hard to imagine sitting on the couch in late October, thinking Michigan has no shot to win the Big Ten. I don't see it happening. There are a few things you can expect each autumn in Michigan: leaves will fall; it will get cold; and Michigan will compete for the Big Ten title. Don't mess with tradition.

10. A new season, new life — I was just thinking Saturday night that if I were a highly touted recruit, I wouldn't even consider Notre Dame. Why, you ask? Because the Irish — after three losses — have close to nothing to play for except that "P" word, pride. Because Notre Dame remains an independent, there is no conference to win. The Irish are out of the national title picture and will not — with three or more losses — play in a BCS bowl. So all they can hope for is a Gator Bowel birth. Who gives a hoot? Michigan, on the other hand, still has plenty to play for. It is tied for first in the Big Ten at 0-0. A Big Ten championship means a BCS bowl birth. The Wolverines clearly have the talented athletes to get the job done. With so much still at stake, it's hard to believe they won't make a serious run at all that remains at stake.

No, Michigan's isn't a Top 5 team or even a Top 10 team (who, at this point, even knows if they're a Top 25 team, although I believe they are).

But there remain endless possibilities for the rest of the season. Just ask any player or coach. While the sting of those pair of home losses hasn't completely subsided, with one blowout win, things are looking up — at least for a week — in Ann Arbor.

No quick fixes for Wolverines

ON FOOTBALL

This loss was much more disturbing. Much more revealing. Again... much more disturbing.

A week ago, when Michigan lost 34-32 to Appalachian State, the Wolverines could chalk it up as, yes, an upset. They could regress that they weren't prepared, that they were caught by surprise, that they made too many of those all-too-familiar first-game mistakes.

And as lame as those excuses were, many Michigan fans bought them. Yes, of course, everyone realized that is was absolutely ludicrous for a team to not be prepared to play after eight months to get ready. But this gave us an opportunity to think Michigan is a good team that played one horrible game.

Can't say that anymore. No way, no how.

The Michigan team we saw on Saturday was flat out bad. The worst team on the field by far. Forget the pregame line or the location of the contest. Oregon's 39-7 spanking of the Wolverines — which could have, should have been a lot worse — was no upset, folks.

Call it a good (likely to be) Top 25 team beating up on a (maybe) top 50 team. Emphasis on "maybe."

The Ducks' dismantling of the Wolverines exposed several flaws with this group of Wolverines. Let's perform a physical:

The defense
Forget learning how to combat the vaunted spread offense. This group of Wolverines needs to go back to first grade.

Yes, the basics.

Tackling. Tackling. Tackling.

I didn't see all of the first two games — just ugly bits and pieces — so I wasn't able to tally all the missed tackles, but let me humor you with a guess.

Um, 139?

Seriously. There have been several plays on which Michigan has missed five or sick tackles. That's not good when you have a good defense (last year). That's asking for trouble when you have a mediocre defense (which is being kind to this season's unit).

I'm sure you've heard about/seen the numbers. But in case you haven't, here's a refresher:

624 — yards piled up by Oregon, the second-most against Michigan (lowly Northwestern gained 654 yards in a 54-51 win in 2000).

390 — yards the Ducks gained during the first half (gasp... game) Saturday, when Oregon put together a comfortable 32-7 cushion.

46, 61, 85 — yards of the three Oregon touchdown passes. 'Nuff said.

Which brings me to my next point: Big Plays. This isn't a new symptom, either. Whenever the Wolverines are beat — which, I must admit, happens as often birds fly these days — they give up large scoring plays. Just look at their last four losses (you don't have to go back very far).

Especially when you have a defense not big on talented playmakers, you've got to make the offense earn its points. Leave the door open for a player to fumble, a QB to toss an interception. Michigan hasn't done that the first two weeks.

But, you see, here's the problem with that. Michigan's defenders — especially up front — are not in great shape. They fatigue quickly (and the offense doesn't help when it goes three-and-out).

It was inevitable that the Ducks would score Saturday after a very, very quick Michigan offensive series late in the second quarter. Sure enough, on the next play Ducks' QB Dennis Dixon threw that 61-yard touchdown score, giving Oregon that 32-7 lead that basically sealed Michigan's 0-2 package.

After the game, there was no talk about the Wolverines not understanding the spread offense. Cornerback Donovan Warren said, in the Ann Arbor News, "I feel they just executed better than our defense."

Yeah, much better. Blame Michigan's defensive struggles on Lloyd Carr and Ron English's inability if you want to. But right now the unit's biggest problem is a lack of execution and conditioning.

All Michigan fans can hope for is that the Wolverines go back to the basics this week in practice. And that starts with, tackling, tackling, tackling.

The offense
As disappointing as the defense was against the Ducks, I honestly thought the game would be decided in the 30s. In other words, I didn't think 39 points by Oregon would necessarily mean a blowout win.

I also didn't think Michigan's offense would be as sloppy as it was. And again, the main problem was a lack of execution.

Dropped balls. Turnovers. Penalties.

It wasn't like Michigan couldn't move the ball in the first half Saturday (we're not counting the sans-Chad Henne second half). The Wolverines suffered just one three-and-out with Henne at the helm. Otherwise they moved the ball. But consider how they finished drives:

Interception. Fumble. Missed field goal. Turnover on downs. Punt from the Oregon 39-yard line.

Five different Michigan treks into Oregon territory ended in the results above. Michigan fell apart when it could smell the end zone, or at least three points and momentum. It stopped executing for a play — or two, or three — which is inexcusable for one of the nation's top programs.

Michigan suffered from obvious lapses in concentration. Mario Manningham caught eight passes for 117 yards, but he should have had another four or five catches. He gave backup quarterback Ryan Mallett the freshman's first career INT when a ball glanced off his hands. That's unacceptable for purportedly one of the country's best WRs.

The only consistents in Michigan's supposed explosive offense are the blocking of Jake Long and the running/blocking/whatever else he does of running back Mike Hart. Both players are great. Both are leaders. In fact, Hart stepped up, guaranteeing a win against Notre Dame on Saturday.

But they are only two players. An offense can't be effective if Hart steps out for one play only to stay on the sidelines because of a Carlos Brown fumble.

Yes, the Wolverines need to ride the strong shoulders of Hart more in the weeks to come — I'm talking 30 carries a game — especially with Henne, according to Carr, out against the Fighting Irish. But there will be passing downs and there will be downs on which the indomitable Hart needs a breather.

Michigan has to be productive on those plays as well.

Execution. Execution. Execution.

So what now?
Ain't this something? After Penn State pulled away from Notre Dame for a 31-10 win in Happy Valley, Saturday evening marked the first time both Michigan and the Fighting Irish have been 0-2.

Thankfully for them, they'll meet Saturday in the Big House on ABC. And one team will exit with a victory... I think.

Don't expect a quick turnaround by Michigan in this one (just as, in retrospect, it was foolish to think the Wolverines would pull a 360 against the Ducks). With Henne out, the offense is going to rest on the little big man, the man named Hart. If Carr is smart, he'll give the ball to Hart until the running back's legs stop churning.

He's the one sure thing right now for Michigan. It's too bad he's likely out of the Heisman Trophy race because of Michigan's inability to play football.

A magic trick won't turn these Wolverines around. Neither will a coaching change (at least for now; maybe after the season, Carr will realize that retirement doesn't appear to be a bad option). The one thing the Wolverines can do to appease their fans in the coming weeks is play hard-nosed, fundamentally strong football.

Wrap up when tackling. Hold on when catching. Hold on when running.

Let's be honest. Ranking Michigan No. 5 in the preseason was a mistake. Minus last year's big-name defenders, this squad was at best No. 15 in the country. No better. They're just another example of why the preseason rankings should be scrapped (start them after the first week).

But that won't make any Michigan fan/critic any less peeved. What it comes down to is execution on the field.

And that's a category in which you can positively give Michigan an "F" after two morbid weeks.

Navigating the sports universe

ON EVERYTHING

Wow. I take a weekend off from the world of sports, and when I return... I am overwhelmed. I ask myself, What should I write about?

The flailing Tigers? The surging Padres? The never-say-die Phillies? The U.S. Open? Big Ten football? Michael Vick? Fantasy football? Yi Jianlian? Team USA? The WNBA playoffs?

The list goes on and on right now. The sports world is blowing up. So I came to the revelation that there's only one thing for me to do — cover it all in one bloated column.

Here goes...

Are the Tigers out of it?
As I sat watching the Tigers wallop the Yankees 16-0 Monday night, all I could think was, And now they'll probably lose to Kansas City tomorrow.

Not only did the Tigers lose to the Royals on Tuesday, they also fell to them Wednesday, getting shut out 5-0. Combine those losses with two Indians' wins, and the Tigers find themselves a whopping four and a half games behind Cleveland in the AL Central and three out in the wild card behind the Mariners and Yankees.

And no signs point to a turnaround. Detroit's starting pitching remains frustratingly inconsistent and there are too many holes in its lineup.

During baseball season, things can obviously turn around very quickly, so I'm not counting the Tigers out. But they better find a recovery medicine soon, or they'll be hitting the links come October.

The impact of a single series
Just a few days ago the Mets held a comfortable six-game lead over the Phillies in the NL Central. The Diamondbacks maintained a three-game cushion on the Padres in the NL West. The Yankees were a whopping eight games out in the AL East. And the Mariners were a mere two games behind the Angels in the AL West.

Scratch all that. It's nonsense now. The past three days showed what kind of impact a single series can have on a pennant race.

The Phillies, heading into Thursday's series finale, trailed the Mets by just three games — reviving hope in the City of Brotherly Love.

That cushion for the Diamondbacks? Well, it's gone now. They're tied with the Padres, who have all the momentum.

The Red Sox aren't feeling the New York Heat yet, but entering Thursday's matinee at Yankee Stadium, their lead was down to six games.

Meanwhile, the Mariners basically lost the division to the Angles with three consecutive losses, falling a seemingly immune five games behind.

But, then again, the teams play four more games in late September, when the exact opposite could happen.

Just goes to show how quickly momentum can shift in a competitive (or previously non-competitive) division race.

Don't forget about the tennis
With everything else going on, it's easy to forget that there's a big tennis tournament going on — namely, the U.S. Open, the final Grand Slam of the year.

But it'd be a shame to skip paying attention to the tournament simply because of the beginning of football season (the U.S. Open's men's final will be on the same Sunday as Week 1 of the NFL season). There should be plenty of drama on both sides of the tournament's draw.

On the women's side, the Williams sisters no longer can be listed as underdogs after taking two of the year's first three Grand Slams (Serena won the Australian Open and Venus won Wimbledon). It will be interesting to see how they respond to the higher expectations in Flushing Meadows.

Also, where has Maria Sharapova been? Since getting clobbered by Serena Williams in the finals in Melbourne, Sharapova has kind of gone underground, losing in the semifinals of the French Open and bowing out in the fourth round to Venus Williams athttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif Wimbledon. Last year's U.S. Open champion has some proving to do.

On the men's side the big question is, Will it be Federer-Nadal III? I'm sure that's what everybody's hoping for after the epic five-set match in the Wimbledon finals, but Nadal has never proven himself at the U.S. Open, where he has never reached the finals.

While I'd bet my saving on Federer making the finals, I wouldn't bet a fifth of my savings on Nadal doing likewise.

Then again, after looking at Nadal's half of the bracket, I don't see a player who I'd take over the Spaniard (Andy Roddick is in Federer's half).

All we can do is let the drama play out...

Are you ready for some college football?
I can't believe the college football season kicks off tonight, as in Thursday night, August 30. It has come so quickly. Before I can catch my breath, there will be a thrilling upset, a barnburner out west and a matchup of top-10 SEC teams.

Yes, things will get going very quickly, and up here in Michigan all the talk is about the Wolverines, who are thinking national championship.

If you can believe this, Michigan has failed to beat Ohio State or win a bowl game the past three years. Surely, the Wolverines seniors — led by the offensive trio of QB Chad Henne, RB Mike Hart and LT Jake Long — don't want a repeat this season.

That is a reason why I wouldn't be surprised if the Wolverines suffer an early hiccup (they've got home games against Oregon, Notre Dame and Penn state in three straight weeks).

Still, I like Michigan to come out on top in the Big Ten. The Wolverines will score a lot of points, and the defense will improve as the season progresses (remind you of a team? How about last year's Ohio State squad?). With that said, here is my predicted order of finish in the Big Ten:

1 - Michigan
2 - Ohio State
3 - Wisconsin
4 - Penn State
5 - Iowa
6 - Purdue
7 - Illinois
8 - Michigan State
9 - Indiana
10 - Minnesota
11 - Northwestern

As for the nation's top squads, everyone's talking about USC — and with good reason — but you just never know this time of year. What if John David Booty gets injured? Obviously, anything can happen.

I think a national title team has to have an experienced, savvy quarterback. You don't see many inexperienced play-callers leading their teams to national titles. Regardless of how good a team's defense is, it's going to be in a close game where the QB's going to have to make big plays. That's why I like the following teams:

USC (Booty)
Texas (Colt McCoy)
West Virginia (Pat White)
Louisville (Brian Brohm)
Michigan (Henne)
Boston College (Matt Ryan)
Hawaii (Colt Brennan)

My national title prediction?

The Mountaineers go undefeated and just barely beat out a number of one-loss teams in the BCS to face the Trojans in January.

Do I have to talk about Vick?
OK, just for a minute.

While Vick's public apology wasn't bad, this is one of those cases where his words really don't mean anything. Only his actions do.

I won't start considering forgiving Michael Vick until he begins putting some money and effort into helping pet shelters, into saving strays' lives. His words ring hollow. Especially when he throws in dozens of "you know?"s in his speech.

No, I don't know, Michael.

The contriteness was a start. Now Vick needs to be proactive.

The impact of a 3-point shooter
As the U.S. romps over unmatched opponents in the FIBA Americas tournament (although it will finally face a test against Argentina Thursday night), I can't help but think that maybe — just maybe — the Americans have finally found a cohesive unit devoid of malignant holes that can win the 2008 Olympics.

My biggest piece of evidence? A guy named Michael Redd.

With the Milwaukee Bucks' starting shooting guard, the Americans have a reliable outside shooter to take the pressure off everyone to try to drive the basket against swarming international defenses. Every time I see a USA highlight, Redd is knocking down an open 3-pointer.

With Redd — not to mention Chauncey "Mr. Big Shot" Billups and Memphis' Mike Miller — America's athletic behemoths finally have some room to roam down low because opponents can't leave him open.

I'm not predicting anything, but this U.S. team is definitely showing great potential.

The game against Argentina will tell us even more.

Signing Yi
The Milwaukee Bucks finally did what I thought they'd never do: sign their first-round draft pick, Yi Jianlian.

All it took was a trip by Bucks' management to China to talk to Yi's parents and treat them to an expansive dinner (or something like that).

Still, I believe Yi has a lot of learning to do to become a top-notch big man in the NBA. He's young. He's inexperienced. He appears soft. He might be the next Darko Milicic, meaning it will take him a few years to get used the NBA's physical style of play.

I'm not sure if he was worth the No. 6 pick in the draft, but at least the Bucks were able to sign him.

A couple months ago it appeared that might not even happen.

Did you know?
With everything that is going on in American sports right now, you may not have even heard this — unless, of course, you are a die-hard Celtics fan. Anyway, to break the news, the Celtics signed former Miami forward James Posey to a two-year contract Monday.

This may not seem like a big signing, except that it is. After unloading just about their entire team for Kevin Garnett, the Celtics were in need of solid role players. Posey is exactly the type of player they needed.

Unselfish offensively. Tough defensively. Can play large chunks of minutes. He'll be a serviceable backup for Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.

And maybe he'll get to be part of another Eastern Conference championship team...

All right, I'm out. But before I go, don't forget — it's important to get outside and enjoy the weather these waning days of summer.

Even if it seems like there's a constant barrage of sports events worth watching.