What if we win on Sat?
Has anybody thought about the consequences aftermath of us winning on Saturday? I know it seems like a distant possibility, but at the end of the day...it's still Rutgers. If this game was based solely on talent, we win the first half by 2 TDs. Plus road games are preferred as opposed to playing in what has become a toxic environment.
I believe Hoke is officially done if we are no longer bowl eligible, like "Press Conference at 11AM Monday Done". And I think getting to 6 or 7 wins just delays that press conference until December or January.
But I would at least like to hear what people's reactions/feelings may be after a positive outcome especially under such negative circumstances. Will it be "let bygones be bygones" in relations to Hoke? I think we may be 3-3 come 10PM Saturday night. Am I crazy? I mean...it's still Rutgers.
October 2nd, 2014 at 8:33 AM ^
We'll have subs. It'll be crazy.
October 2nd, 2014 at 8:35 AM ^
October 2nd, 2014 at 8:53 AM ^
so the path would still exist.
Good luck with that.
October 2nd, 2014 at 8:58 AM ^
1) The team pulls their spirits out of the shitter
2) The coaches actually have a game plan that works.
3) The defense actually tackles the people they should
4) Devin Gardner stays healthy and we don't have to put Bellomy in
5) We don't give the ball away multiple times
6) Rutgers feels sorry for us.
That's all I got
October 2nd, 2014 at 9:05 AM ^
It would take a Darius Morris flipthescript GTFOMC win over MSU to save his job now. And it would. But when Hoke's post-mortem is written, there will be 2 bullet points.
1. Winning 11 games was a bad idea. Everyone assumed then that the roster was sufficient for BoMoCarr expectations. Clearly it was not.
2. Guy never recruited a QB(necessary) or a running back(helpful) capable of playing at a B1G level(and that aint what it used to be either).
You can identify a QB. You can recruit a QB. You can develop a QB. There are 3 ways to get there(usually its a combination, but those Mike Hart/Kirk Cousins guys are out there like winning lotto tickets).
It's ugly, but the next guy(whoever it is) should consider stockpiling QB's. Maybe grap 3/class and sort them out 'Bama-style. You're not always going to get lucky, but there are ways to hedge your bets.
October 2nd, 2014 at 10:14 AM ^
That roster could have been sufficient if Hoke had A. had any foresight and picked up some offensive linemen specifically knowing that he'd be pretty threadbare in 2013 (seriously, why didn't he do this? He had to think that Lewan might be gone by then). He did it at other positions, so why not recruits some guys for depth? and B. Actually had a decent amount of young highly ranked talent develop as RS FR and SO, like every other school does.
October 2nd, 2014 at 12:31 PM ^
I'm sorry. I can't let that stand. I get it you don't like him and you want him gone but don't just pull shit out of your ass. One of the first public things Hoke said after evaluating his new team in 2011 was that he'd never seen a D1 team with as little depth on the O line as Michigan had. He the went out the next 2 years and recruited 10 O lineman who were mostly 4 stars. You can argue development, but you can't say he didn't identify the problem.
October 2nd, 2014 at 9:08 AM ^
I don't think it really changes anything, especially if its an ugly win.
If we lose, the cries for firing will only get louder. If we win, the talking heads will say "whoop dee doo, its Rutgers."
If Hoke wants to get us off his back, and likely keep his job, here's what he needs to do:
-Beat OSU and MSU
-Win out
-Show drastic, and I mean DRASTIC, player development over the next 7-8 weeks.
-Win a conference title
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Sure, anything can happen, but I've seen enough of Hoke to feel comfortable saying that none of these things are going to happen.
October 2nd, 2014 at 9:13 AM ^
PLEASE everyone, I'm begging you!
October 2nd, 2014 at 9:48 AM ^
USA today has Rutgers ranked as the 51st team in the nation. Their best win was either a 3 point win vs 67th ranked Wash St. or a 7 point win vs 66th ranked Navy. They lost to Penn St at home who just got whipped by Northwestern. Rutgers is just a mediocre team.
If we win Saturday this means nothing! Will it be nice...YES! Will it change the Hoke's job security or signify that this team is actually good...NO!
October 2nd, 2014 at 9:52 AM ^
If we beat Rutgers, then Hoke is one step closer to make Michigan Bowl Elgible.
October 2nd, 2014 at 10:13 AM ^
It's looking like Hoke may make it to the end of the season. He will be judged on the MSU and OSU games. Nobody in the universe expects the MSU game to go well or even be competitive. I think if the team gets blown out at MSU then that's pretty much it, regardless what happens at Columbus.
October 2nd, 2014 at 10:20 AM ^
and look much better in November (even with a loss @ OSU), but the team plays with passion and is not making the same mistakes (e.g. we can cover WR's, the OL can block, WR's other than Funchess catch balls, RB's actually find holes, playcalling is not predictable...) then I think Hoke should keep his job (mainly because there are no good realistic HC's out there).
October 2nd, 2014 at 10:24 AM ^
Hoke does not have much of a road record, but if there is a time he'd like to get out of town, it's now. You will see a different level of focus from the team in this game. I expect Michigan to play quite well and win easily.
October 2nd, 2014 at 11:06 AM ^
You expect? What exactly has transpired over this season, let alone the last 3+ seasons, to make you confident of this?
Don't get me wrong—I'd love to see what you envision happen, but your confidence doesn't seem warranted to me, based on recent history.
October 2nd, 2014 at 10:30 AM ^
Well, I don't want to speak to hypotheticals. We've had a good week of practice and will play as a football team on Saturday.
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How'd I do?