Like everyone watching the game, The Michigan Daily football writers tend to complain from time to time. This year, we decided to share what’s bugging us. And, you, the reader, can join in, too. Send us your ‘Reader Rant’ to TheRantBox@umich.edu and please include your name, year and school.
“Going into Columbus next week, I just hope that the coaching staff does not have a conservative game plan. Michigan was given a gift from its in-state neighbor, and now it needs to take advantage. Throw it to Braylon deep. Run trick plays. Put Steve Breaston under center and run the option. Do whatever you have to do. But just don’t sit on the ball. The Wolverines have a major opportunity. Let’s hope they play like it.”
— Bob Hunt
“John L. Smith, you crazy bastard. Thanks to Michigan State’s romp over Wisconsin, Michigan is in the driver’s seat for the Rose Bowl. And Smith deserves all the credit: The man has more guts than all the other Big Ten coaches COMBINED. Sure, you can argue that his team collapsed against the Wolverines, but his players are loose and rely on their talent and instincts. That’s not something you can say about schools like Ohio State and, yes, Michigan.”
— Sharad Mattu
“Why doesn’t anyone pay attention to any of the individual player awards besides the Heisman? I mean, you can spend hours on end digging through ESPN.com and find out jack diddly about the finalists, let alone the semifinalists. There are dozens of these awards out there and innumerable candidates, amongst which there must be some of our players. If I hadn’t spent all of my sophomore year playing NCAA 2004, I wouldn’t even know these awards exist.”
— Business junior Ameed Mallick
“All of a sudden, there’s reason to be concerned with Michigan’s rush defense. For most of the year, Michigan was one of the top teams in the nation at stopping the run. Then, Michigan State and Northwestern came to town with quarterbacks that could run, and all of a sudden, the Wolverines are giving up a huge touchdown run every quarter. If the Wolverines give up big plays that let the Ohio State fans get into the game and let the Buckeyes score quickly, it could get ugly for Michigan — ‘We’re going to the Capital One Bowl’ ugly.
— Chris Burke
“As a senior, the final home game came way too fast for me. I know the athletic department will complain on and on about how much of an impossibility it is, but it sure was nice to have that 12th game last year. I have a hard time believing that the team can’t squeeze in a nonconference game sometime after Thanksgiving before its bowl game. And it certainly wouldn’t hurt anyone. We all know the kind of money it would bring in, and it would give Michigan a chance to toughen up their schedule. Seriously, why aren’t they getting love as the best one-loss team anyway?”
— Daily Sports Writer Josh Holman