Dealing with a multi-faceted loss, and thanks.
As Gus Johnson was yelling (a bit louder than for UM wins it would seem) at the end of the broadcast, I was very angry, yelling at the screen about at least 3-4 game changing calls that could have turned the game. Yet I switch from that anger to frustration over mistakes and questionable calls, to grudging respect for the way MSU played, to despair over simple randomness that really went the other way. All of these takes are correct.
The question I ask myself is whether it's possible come up with a single coherent take that I can use when dealing with others? These days I've tried my best to act in the most gracious way possible, even in the face of schadenfreude from all kinds of people who revel when UM loses. Part of this is because I have kids and want to set an example, part of it is because I don't want to give other people the pleasure of seeing me angry about things that, even if everyone knows them to be true, won't change the outcome of the game (ask Saints fans about that one).
In any case, I thought the team played really hard today under tough circumstances, and will not fold like in years past.
Another thing that I am grateful for is to be part of such a great community of fans and fellow alumni who I can at least commiserate with. I'd rather be part of this community in losing than any other in winning.
October 30th, 2021 at 4:39 PM ^
Sound like you want a participation "Champions at Life" trohpy.
I'd rathe have my CFB team win like BAMA
October 30th, 2021 at 4:56 PM ^
Douchebag take
October 30th, 2021 at 5:07 PM ^
Gentlemen, there are no points for second place.
October 30th, 2021 at 4:40 PM ^
It simple: Bad coaching and mistakes by the players allowed the game to be decided by the refs and the refs ended up deciding the game. Bad preparation, bad play calls, bad substitutions, overthrown receivers, dropped balls, etc. allowed bad reviews and missed penalties to lose the game.
October 30th, 2021 at 7:18 PM ^
At least we can admit that the refs decided the game.
October 30th, 2021 at 4:40 PM ^
It simple: Bad coaching and mistakes by the players allowed the game to be decided by the refs and the refs ended up deciding the game. Bad preparation, bad play calls, bad substitutions, overthrown receivers, dropped balls, etc. allowed bad reviews and missed penalties to lose the game.
October 30th, 2021 at 4:40 PM ^
It simple: Bad coaching and mistakes by the players allowed the game to be decided by the refs and the refs ended up deciding the game. Bad preparation, bad play calls, bad substitutions, overthrown receivers, dropped balls, etc. allowed bad reviews and missed penalties to lose the game.
October 30th, 2021 at 4:51 PM ^
It simple? Or more than likely you simple.
October 30th, 2021 at 4:45 PM ^
So Twitter shut me down for suggesting anybody who tweets at players should throw themselves in a wood chipper.....
October 30th, 2021 at 4:46 PM ^
Get ready for another end of the season collapse...Michigan will lose to Penn State, Ohio State and a mid level SEC team in a 2nd tier Florida bowl game. 9-4...book it
October 30th, 2021 at 5:43 PM ^
I don’t think we will lose to PSU. They will have given up on the season and Franklin will have one foot out the door by the time we play them.
October 30th, 2021 at 5:51 PM ^
Good for you if you're ready for a 9-4 season. I am not. Let's see how well Michigan looks at home playing Indiana. A big win next weekend then on to PSU away. That will be a make or break game for 2021, so time will tell but am less pessimistic about the rest of this season.
October 30th, 2021 at 6:03 PM ^
Penn State is not a sure loss. They just lost to Illinois at home. If Clifford is not 100% I’d say that game is no worse than a coin flip.
You win that game, take care of business against IU and Maryland, and you’re going to the NY6, which is far beyond what any one of us would’ve expected at the start of the season.
October 30th, 2021 at 4:49 PM ^
Thank you for posting this.
I would also add for me personally that I watch every game like this with the expectation that UM will find a way to lose because experience tells me that’s what I should expect. I admit it’s not the most fun way to watch a game, but it is what it is. As soon as we lost the lead late, I just assumed that was it because it’s been years since we’ve seen UM score a game winning TD in a really big game.
I agree the team played hard, but we’re not talented enough for that to be the difference. We consistently get outplayed and out coached in big moments. I have no idea what it will take for that to change.
Go Blue!
October 30th, 2021 at 4:54 PM ^
Did you not watch the Nebraska game this year?
October 30th, 2021 at 5:25 PM ^
I did. I don’t view playing 3-3 Nebraska and playing 7-0 MSU as the same thing. Like I said, it is what it is. I love Harbaugh for what he has done for Michigan but we consistently lose the games that we as fans truly care about the most.
October 30th, 2021 at 5:31 PM ^
Also in reference to Nebraska my point still stands that the offense did not score a game winning TD. The D made a great play and basically scored the game winning FG for us.
October 30th, 2021 at 4:50 PM ^
One more play or one less mistake wins this game. Agree this team plays hard. Brutal loss in part because Michigan had so many chances to win this game.
October 30th, 2021 at 5:18 PM ^
I'm broken. My braves are playing tonight and I dont even care. This was deflating, disheartening, and took life out of me. And last season and this season, for me, are playing eerily similar to 2014-2015. I dont have the cardiovascular health to go through this man's tenure so far again. No, I'm not suggesting a firing. All I'm saying is for me, it may be time to step away. Disgusted doesn't come close to covering it right now...
October 30th, 2021 at 5:31 PM ^
Once the game starts, you will care. As a Red Sox fan, I have watched Michigan lose a game but then watch the Red Sox win a World Series game. I didn't care that Michigan lost as much because the Red Sox were one game closer to winning the Series. That was my mindset. Now, if the Braves lose, then you had a crapping day. Rooting that your day gets better.
October 30th, 2021 at 5:46 PM ^
I'm with ya. I don't even watch the games anymore. I dvr them and watch if they win. less stress, anxiety and heartbreak that way. when they lose, i don't even watch the highlights.
October 30th, 2021 at 6:12 PM ^
You’ll care once that game starts. Especially if the Braves start taking care of business. Which I think they will. Winning a World Series is within their grasp.
If it helps, I grew up on the Braves, buddy. Grew up in Tampa but well before the Rays showed up, and even when they were there I didn’t care to watch them. Watching those teams loaded with Chipper, Andrew Jones, Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz, Gallaraga, Brian Jordan, Javier Lopez, they were my sports world for a long time. They were also who helped me develop my absolute hatred of the Yankees after watching them lose in two separate World Series.
Pulling for them tonight. If the Braves can win it all, then I promise that will erase all the pain of losing today.
October 30th, 2021 at 11:18 PM ^
Cheers to hatred for the evil empire.
October 30th, 2021 at 5:33 PM ^
The announcing crew assigned to this game was completely disgusting in their entirely biased, partisan rooting for MSU.
In a non-clown world they would be fired for cause.
October 30th, 2021 at 5:51 PM ^
October 30th, 2021 at 5:57 PM ^
Yes they were!! I too had to turn the sound down, and earlier during the 4th quarter. I turned the game off when Cade threw that last interception.
It was blatant. It went on early as they were touting how well MSU played on that first drive even though they turned the ball over. I was thinking What?!
October 30th, 2021 at 6:24 PM ^
Seriously? Gus Johnson is a HUGE Michigan fan. So much so that if he had a daughter, he planned to name her Bo.
October 30th, 2021 at 5:39 PM ^
Its tough to swollow..from the Trey Burke block foul, to the JT 1st dwn..it just feels like UM is on the short end of 50/50 calls.
State dropped a couple 4th down balls into good coverage, Corum and Johnson dropped open big plays, all reviews went to State and even the couple that looked to belong to UM..its ok to be disgusted for a bit..I think the team played winning ball and think the coaches did a very good job...i just dont know why these coin flips dont seem to go our way...feel sick and then move onto next week..and maybe burn sage too.
October 30th, 2021 at 5:44 PM ^
Thankfully, no need to get our hopes up now and we can all just eagerly await basketball season again.
October 30th, 2021 at 6:16 PM ^
Gus Johnson is a known Michigan fan, so maybe he was over compensating for his natural feelings.
This is a tough one to lose because of everything that had to go wrong in order to get the results that we got. -If our safeties take a better angles and limit a couple of those longer td’s to just a first down instead of a td, if Hutch’s td isn’t reversed, if JJ doesn’t fumble, if Cade doesn’t float the final throw, etc. If just one of those things doesn’t happen, we are possibly looking at a different result.
It doesn’t help that the trash talk seemed to come from the Michigan side before the game. Not just Lewan, but a lot of fans were confident this year (myself included). I truly thought MSU wasn’t a very good team this year. So now I have to wonder if we are fake good as well or if MSU is better than I thought.
I don’t know if I can rewatch this game because I felt all game that Michigan was by far the superior team and mistakes by us and the officials were the only reason it was close and I was certain we would win until the final interception and it was like oh crap…we are actually going to lose. It stings.
October 31st, 2021 at 9:03 AM ^
U-M is now 4-10 vs MSU over the last 14 years. Like it or not, U-M is MSU’s little brother in football now. Seems like the best course of action at this point would be less trash talk and more embracing of the underdog mindset, because that’s what U-M is every time they play MSU — an underdog. The power of the underdog mindset is a powerful weapon in sports. The MSU program and fanbase have embraced that mindset and it has become part of their culture. Michigan, on the other hand, hasn’t don’t anything of note for almost twenty years, and yet the fanbase and the program still act condescending and smug toward MSU. How’s that working out? Until the culture changes, get used to being owned by MSU, as they will always own the mental edge.
October 30th, 2021 at 7:14 PM ^
I’m not sure it really matters. As a fan from a split household, my older brother (MSU fan) talked for years in the 1990s and early 00s about Michigan fan arrogance, and perhaps he was correct. The fact of fandom is when your team wins you are “arrogant”. For a long time Including this week, I say nothing about this game, and am bombarded with cocky texts from Spartans, if we win they go silent, it’s fine, it’s football, and it’s fandom. My opinion is if you want to be angry and fire back in a loss that’s fine, shows your love for the team, if you want to be humble that’s fine too, and you’ll find the same from opposing fans bases. So many threads are made about “great experience with opposing fans in Lincoln” and many replies agreeing and disagreeing, the truth is no single fan base maybe outside of OSU is 100% good or bad. Handle it how you need to handle it. Just don’t take off your M hat, be proud and go blue.
October 30th, 2021 at 7:37 PM ^
We did play hard and there is much to look forward to. 11-1 would be great season and it is still possible, especially with Ohio State being a home game. The comeback starts by getting back on track against IU next Saturday.
October 30th, 2021 at 8:21 PM ^
I feel better. Participation trophies rock.