Nate Sandals: A sad conclusion for Michigan's seniors

WEST LAFAYETTE — Rich Rodriguez gave his team one specific instruction after its 48-42 loss to Purdue on Saturday.

“Give the seniors a hug,” the Michigan coach said, according to freshman nose tackle Mike Martin.

People have questioned Rodriguez's methods and vision for the program a lot this season, but he was on the money with that message.

This year’s seniors will be the first in 34 years to end their college careers against Ohio State, instead of in a bowl game.

After the loss to Michigan State last week, the Wolverines knew they had no room for error. A four-game winning streak to finish .500 seemed unlikely, but there was still that sliver of possibility. Until the clock ran out on Saturday, the reality of snapping the bowl streak and the winning season streak never fully sank in.

For all intents and purposes, the seniors saw their college careers end on Saturday. There’s no question they deserved a better exit.

“It is what it is, we can’t go to a bowl," fifth-year senior linebacker John Thompson said. "We’ve just got to stick together for these last three games and play for each other.”

There’s no use pointing fingers for this team’s struggles — it’s been a group effort. But it’s sad to see a group of players that has given so much to this program, mostly unnoticed, leave on such depressing terms.

As sophomores, many of them played a key role in the team’s undefeated run to the Ohio State game. Last year, they helped right the ship after an 0-2 start with a much more talented team than this year's.

This year, they stuck around through a coaching change even though they knew it meant their final season would be see drastic changes. They knew they would essentially be freshmen to the new coaching staff. They knew they couldn’t live up to the legacy of Long, Hart and Henne.

But these seniors stuck it out.

Some of the seniors have been benched in favor of younger players. They’ve suffered through that indignity because they want to do what’s best for the team now and in the future.

On Saturday, senior nose tackle Terrence Taylor probably played fewer snaps than he has all season. Taylor had to watch as Martin, a true freshman, took the repetitions he has worked for four years to earn.

After the game, Taylor wouldn’t talk to the media, but it wasn’t because he was miffed about the cut in playing time. It was because he knew his college football career would be over in three short weeks. He genuinely looked too sad to talk.

Fifth-year senior cornerback Morgan Trent has lost playing time to a freshman this season, too. But that hasn't stopped him from receiving an unfair share of the blame for a struggling secondary.

As Trent walked off the field at Ross-Ade Stadium Saturday, a Michigan fan yelled, “You suck, Trent.”

But will fans remember that this year’s senior class isn’t marking the end of an era but the beginning of a new one? Will that fan who yelled at Trent take it back when Michigan returns to its winning tradition?

“The seniors, I’m sure, are disappointed more than anybody, but they’ve laid, they’re still laying, the foundation for our program,” Rodriguez said.

Right now the Michigan football program is in a deep hole. But fans shouldn’t give up hope that the Wolverines will be back on top in the not-so-distant future.

When they are, remember this year’s senior class — a group that paid it forward.

—Sandals can be reached at nsandals@umich.edu.