2009 Michigan Wolverines football team
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan
in the 2009 college football season
. They played their home games at Michigan Stadium
in Ann Arbor, Michigan
and competed in the Big Ten Conference
. The team attempted to rebound from its worst season (loss wise) in its 130 year football history and succeeded at first, starting the season 4–0 and earning a #20 ranking in the polls. Over the final seven games the Wolverines went 1–6 however, ending the season with a 5–7 record and failing to qualify for a bowl game
for the second straight year. 2008 and 2009 were Michigan's first back-to-back sub-.500 seasons since 1962 and 1963; they also failed to win a road game for the first time since 1962.
However, several individuals excelled. Brandon Graham
received numerous post-season accolades including Chicago Tribune Silver Football
as conference Co-MVP, several first and second team 2009 College Football All-America Team
selections, and the 2010 Senior Bowl
MVP. Graham was the national statistical champion in tackles for a loss (TFL) and the repeat Big Ten Champion. Zoltan Mesko
also received several second team All-American recognitions and was a first team Academic All-American. Mesko was the Big Ten punting average statistical champion. After the season, co-captains
Graham, Mesko and leading tackler Stevie Brown
were drafted in the 2010 NFL Draft
and immediately after the draft Donovan Warren
signed as an undrafted free agent
.
the Michigan Wolverines had possibly the worst season in the history of the program. The team finished with a 3–9 regular season record, failing to qualify for a postseason bowl game
for the first time in 33 years. The Wolverines struggled to implement first-year head coach Rich Rodriguez's spread option offense
; Michigan was last in the Big Ten in passing offense, scoring offense, total offense and turnover margin.
Going into 2009, there was optimism that Michigan, led by newly-recruited mobile quarterback
Tate Forcier
, would be able to turn things around and have a winning season, or at the very least win their opening game for the first time since 2006. The team had 10 returning offensive starters and 5 returning defensive starters. Although to some Forcier was a foregone conclusion as the starting quarterback, the battle between him, incumbent Nick Sheridan, and Denard Robinson
was anticipated to be the most competitive position battle in the Big Ten Conference according to College Football News
. Although the 2008 defense had been a disappointment, Obi Ezeh
and Brandon Graham
were considered to be a solid nucleus to build around. The team also employed a new defensive coordinator
, Greg Robinson
, to help guide this defensive turnaround. The key losses for the team were S Brandon Harrison, DE
Tim Jamison
, DT Will Johnson, RB
Sam McGuffie, DT Terrance Taylor
, LB
John Thompson, QB
Steven Threet, CB
Morgan Trent
.
The Wolverines received several commitments from 4-star blue chip
players. Among the recruits are Anthony LaLota of the Hun School in Princeton, New Jersey
who is ranked as the fourth offensive tackle in the nation by Scout.com
and sixth strong side defensive end
by Rivals.com
. LaLota appeared in the U.S. Army All-American game on January 3, 2009 in San Antonio, Texas
. Other top recruits included a top-ten-rated dual-threat quarterback (Tate Forcier
- Rivals #6) to run Rich Rodriguez's
spread offense, and Justin Turner who was rated as the #3 safety.
Michigan's 2009 recruiting class was ranked 7th nationally by Rivals.com
, and 10th by ESPN
. Eight players initially committed to attend Michigan in 2009 but later decommitted and signed with a different college: Anthony Fera - K
(PSU), Bryce McNeal - WR
(Clemson), Kevin Newsome
- QB
(PSU), Dewayne Peace - WR
(Arizona), Jordan Barnes - LB
(Oklahoma State), Pearlie Graves - DT (Texas Tech), DeQuinta Jones - DT, and Shavodrick Beaver - QB
(Tulsa)
Several recruits participated in the January 3 U.S. Army All-American game during which William Campbell announced his re-commitment to the program. Joining Campbell and LaLota in the All-America game were cornerback/safety Justin Turner, kicker Brendan Gibbons, and receivers Jeremy Gallon and Je'Ron Stokes. Several recruits began early enrollment at Michigan for the Spring 2009 semester, including quarterback Tate Forcier, five-star defensive tackle Will Campbell, running back Vincent Smith
, defensive end Anthony LaLota, linebacker Brandin Hawthorne, defensive back Mike Jones and safety Vlad Emilien.
article, several current and former players on the 2008 and 2009 teams speaking anonymously said Michigan frequently violated the National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) off-season 8 hour per week and in-season 20 hour per week practice limit. Rodriguez denied all of the allegations at a press conference the next day; The New York Times
quoted him as saying "We know the rules, and we follow the rules." The University of Michigan Athletic Department's compliance office notified both the NCAA and the Big Ten Conference of its intentions to investigate itself. Unlike the University of Michigan basketball scandal
where all of the participants had left the school by the time the investigation completed and punishment was handed down, many of the athletes involved in this scandal are still students at the University of Michigan; failure to cooperate with the investigation might result in the NCAA revoking the athletes eligibility to participate in athletic competitions. In November, the university revealed its finding that the team failed to file the proper paperwork to document the team's training schedule.
The NCAA had the right to either accept Michigan's findings once the athletic department's inquiry was completed or to conduct its own investigation. On October 23, 2009 the NCAA notified the school that it had decided to begin a formal investigation into the matter; they expected it to be completed by December 31, 2009. On February 22, 2010, the NCAA accused Michigan of failing to comply with practice time rules and "failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance within the football program" under coach Rich Rodriguez. The university had 90 days to respond and appeared at an NCAA hearing on infractions in August. Michigan issued self-sanctions on May 25, 2010, which included cutting practice time and placing itself on two years worth of probation. Michigan did, however, dispute the claim that Coach Rodriguez "failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance." The NCAA handed down their final verdict in the case on November 4, 2010, which accepted almost all of the self-sanctions that Michigan provided. Michigan was docked 130 practice hours, which was twice the number of excess hours that the university had exceeded, and placed on three years probation, which was one more than originally proposed; but the university and Rodriguez did, however, escape the most serious charge of "failing to promote an atmosphere of compliance," as the NCAA agreed with Michigan's statement that the cases were not deliberate and isolated. This ruling ended the NCAA's investigation of Michigan's football program.
Several players excelled individually. The season began with numerous Wolverines on national award preseason watchlists. Brandon Graham
led the way with five such recognitions for the Bednarik Award
, Hendricks Award
, Lombardi Award
, Lott Trophy
and Bronko Nagurski Trophy
. David Molk
was on both the Lombardi and Rimington Trophy preseason lists, while Brandon Minor
was on both the Maxwell Award
and Doak Walker Award
lists. Obi Ezeh
, Zoltan Mesko
, and Stephen Schilling
were preseason Butkus Award, Ray Guy Award
and Lombardi candidates, respectively. As the season started, Michigan burst out with a 4–0 start and saw several players recognized as Big Ten Conference player of the week early in the season: Tate Forcier
, Carlos Brown
and Mesko. Also, several players earned midseason or finalist watchlist recognitions: Ezeh (Butkus), Mesko (Guy) and Graham (Hendrick).
During week 2, Tate Forcier (Offense) and Darryl Stonum (Special teams) were honored by the Big Ten Conference as players of the week (POW). At the same time, Forcier was also named AT&T All-America Player of the Week, as well as the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback of the Week Award and Rivals.com National Freshmen of the Week and the Rivals.com Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honor. The following week, Carlos Brown
earned co-offensive POW honors along with Northwestern's Mike Kafka
. Zoltan Mesko
was named the special teams player of the week on October 11. The only statistical leader for the team was Mesko who in eight conference games averaged 45.2 yards/punt, which was the first time a Michigan punter led the Big Ten in Conference game punting average since Paul Staroba
in 1970. Brandon Graham
and Mesko were first-team All-Big Ten selections by both the coaches and the media. Donovan Warren
was first-team by the media and second-team by the coaches and Stephen Schilling
was an honorable mention on both lists.
Ezeh was one of sixteen players and three from the Big Ten for the Butkus midseason watch list. Mesko was named a one of 10 semifinalists for the Ray Guy Award and one of 12 finalists for the Wuerffel Trophy. Graham was one of seven finalists for the Hendricks Award.
RV-Receiving votes
NR-Not ranked
talk show host) Frank Beckmann with play-by-play, Jim Brandstatter
with color commentary, and Doug Karsch
with sideline reports
.
In the season opener, the Wolverines played the Western Michigan Broncos
at Michigan Stadium
. The Wolverines scored first, midway through the first quarter, with a 27-yard touchdown
(TD) pass
from Tate Forcier to Junior Hemingway. They added to their lead five minutes later when Denard Robinson ran in a TD from 43 yards out. In the second quarter, Michigan added 17 more points: two TDs and a field goal
. First was a 7-yard TD pass from Tate Forcier to Kevin Koger. 6 minutes later, Jason Olesnavage kicked a 44-yard field goal. Junior Hemingway scored Michigan's final points when he caught a 44-yard TD pass from Tate Forcier, putting the Wolverines up 31–0 at halftime. Western Michigan missed a field goal
just before the end of the half.
The second half was largely uneventful. Michigan was content to hold their lead; they essentially stopped passing in the fourth quarter, with Forcier being replaced by backup David Cone midway through the period. Western Michigan finally got on the board with a fourth-quarter 73-yard TD pass from Tim Hiller to Juan Nunez.
The win stopped a streak of two consecutive season opening losses. The 2007 Michigan Wolverines football team
, then ranked
#5 in the nation, lost their season opener in shocking fashion
to two-time defending Division I-FCS champion Appalachian State
. The 2008 Michigan Wolverines football team
lost their opener to Utah
, who would go on to finish as the only undefeated team in Division I-FBS, winning the Mountain West Conference
and the 2009 Sugar Bowl
over Alabama
.
with the visiting Notre Dame Fighting Irish
. On the opening drive, Notre Dame drove the field for an unsuccessful field goal attempt. Michigan scored first late in the first quarter when Brandon Minor
ran in a 2-yard TD. Notre Dame responded with a field goal by Nick Taush. Less than twenty seconds later, however, Michigan answered another touchdown on a 94-yard kickoff return by Darryl Stonum. Notre Dame came back to take the lead in the second quarter with back-to-back touchdown passes, 4 yards to Golden Tate
and 11 yards to Michael Floyd
. After another three-and-out by Michigan, the Irish made their way down the field but were stopped by the Wolverine defense, forcing them to kick a 42-yard field goal. Michigan got the ball back with less than 4 minutes in the half and marched down the field, but with little time left on the clock they had to settle to end the first half with a 39-yard field goal.
Michigan dominated the third quarter, constantly stopping the Irish and controlling the ball most of the period. The Wolverines scored the only points of the quarter on a 3-yard TD pass to Kevin Koger
. Early in the fourth quarter, after another three-and-out by Notre Dame, Forcier ran in a TD himself from 31 yards out on 4th and 3. Notre Dame came back later in the quarter, starting with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Tate. Following the touchdown the Irish attempted and failed to score a two-point conversion
, leaving themselves down five. After Michigan had an unsuccessful drive, Notre Dame took the lead with a 2-yard TD run by Armando Allen, who then scored on their second 2 point conversion attempt, putting the Irish ahead with less than 5 minutes remaining. Michigan responded by marching the length of the field, consuming most of the remaining time. They eventually found themselves 5 yards away from the goal line with 22 seconds left. Two plays later the Wolverines would score the game-winning touchdown on a 5-yard pass from Forcier to Greg Matthews
.
The victory gave the Wolverines their first 2–0 start since 2006
. Michigan's all time record versus Notre Dame improved to 21-15-1 as a result of the victory. This was the highest scoring game in the history of the rivalry, with a total of 72 points between the teams.
from nearby Ypsilanti
. Michigan opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 37-yard field goal by Jason Olesnavage. The Eagles tied the score with 43-yard field goal by Joe Carithers. Michigan regained the lead when Carlos Brown
ran in a 9-yard TD near the end of the quarter. Eastern Michigan re-tied the score in the second quarter with an 11-yard TD run by Andy Schmitt. Michigan responded with 2 TDs: first a 5-yard TD run by Michael Shaw, then a 90-yard TD run by Carlos Brown, the third longest TD run from scrimmage in Michigan football history. The Eagles scored their final points of the game just before halftime with a 5-yard TD run by Dwayne Priest. Michigan dominated the second half, beginning with a 13-yard TD run by Martavious Odoms
. A little over a minute later QB Denard Robinson ran in a 13-yard TD. In the 4th quarter Odoms ran in another TD from 36 yards out.
With the win Michigan started 3-0 for the first time since 2006. The win also made Michigan's all time record against Eastern Michigan 9–0; and 26–1 all time against MAC
schools. Eastern Michigan would finish the 2009 season with a winless record.
weekend, the Wolverines hosted the Indiana Hoosiers
. Indiana opened the scoring with a 25-yard TD run by Tandon Doss
. Michigan responded with 2 TDs by Carlos Brown, first a 61-yard TD catch, then a 41-yard TD run. Indiana tied it back up with a 11-yard TD rush by Darius Willis. In the second quarter, Indiana kicked field goals on consecutive possessions, from 24 and 20 yards. Michigan responded with a 12-yard TD run by Brandon Minor. Indiana retook the lead with its 3rd field goal of the quarter, this one from 30 yards, making the halftime score 23-21 Indiana.
The only points of the third quarter came from a 32-yard Indiana field goal. Michigan regained the lead in the fourth with a 7-yard rush by Forcier who leaped over a defender into the endzone. He also completed a quarterback sneak for a 2 point conversion the next play, giving Michigan a 29–26 lead. Indiana took the lead back on the next offensive play with a 85-yard run for a TD by Darius Willis. Michigan regained the final lead with a 26-yard Martavius Odoms TD catch, and sealed their win soon after with a controversial interception by Donovan Warren
.
This was the 16th consecutive time Michigan has beaten Indiana, and the 24th consecutive conference opening win for the Wolverines at home. Michigan started the season 4–0 for the first time since 2006.
trip of the season to East Lansing, Michigan
to play their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans
for the Paul Bunyan Trophy
. After an interception, Michigan scored first with a 36-yard field goal early in the first quarter. The Spartans countered with a 1-yard TD run by Larry Caper. Each team had a field goal in the 2nd quarter: Michigan had a 42-yarder, then State had a 26 yarder, putting the Spartans up 13–6 at halftime.
Michigan State added to their lead at the start of the 2nd half with a 15-yard TD run by Glenn Winston. Michigan responded in the 4th quarter with a 60-yard touchdown by Darryl Stonum
, and tied it up just before time expired with a 92-yard drive capped by a 9-yard TD pass by Forcier to Roy Roundtree
, taking the game to overtime. On its opening drive of overtime Forcier led Michigan down to the 8-yard line but then threw a tipped interception in the end zone, ending their threat. MSU's Larry Caper ended the game with a 23-yard TD run on 3rd down and 12, breaking three Michigan tackles that would have forced the Spartans to kick a field goal for the win.
The Spartans outgained the Wolverines 417 to 251 in total yards and won the rushing battle 197 to 28. It is the 37th time in the last 40 meetings that the team who has won the rushing battle won the game. Michigan State won by six points: the last six meetings between the two teams in East Lansing have been decided by seven points or less, or a difference of 25 points in all six games combined.
for a primetime duel against the Iowa Hawkeyes
. Michigan went up early in the 1st with an interception that was returned
40 yards by Donovan Warren for a touchdown. Iowa responded a few minutes later with a 34-yard TD pass to Tony Moeaki
from Ricky Stanzi
and took the lead with a 28-yard Daniel Murray field goal soon after. Michigan responded late in the quarter when Brandon Minor ran for a touchdown from 3 yards. Iowa added 10 more points in the 2nd quarter: first a 41-yard field goal, then a 1-yard TD run by Brandon Wegher, making the halftime score 20–14 Iowa.
The Hawkeyes opened the third quarter by booting a 40-yard field goal. Michigan responded with a 1-yard TD run late in the 3rd by Minor. Stanzi and Moeaki connected again for a 42-yard Iowa TD in the 4th. Michigan scored on a 3-yard TD run by QB Denard Robinson with about 4 minutes left and held Iowa to a 3-play drive, getting the ball back just down by 2 points (28-30). In the final minute of the game, Michigan drove down the field about 30 yards on an attempted drive to kick a game-winning field goal or TD, but Robinson threw a deep interception, sealing the Hawkeyes' victory.
Michigan turned the ball over five times and fell to 1–5 in Big Ten road games under Rich Rodriguez. Michigan QB Tate Forcier left the game with 7 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter; it was later discovered that he sustained a concussion during the game. Backup quarterback Denard Robinson served as an able replacement, leading the Wolverines on the TD drive to bring them to within 2 until he threw the game-losing interception on the final drive.
for a score, and a 38-yard catch by Kelvin Grady. In the second quarter, the Wolverines added three more touchdowns, on a 4-yard run by QB Denard Robinson, a 28-yard catch by Martell Webb, and a 7-yard run by Kevin Grady
. Delaware State finally got on the board just before halftime with a 26-yard field goal by Riley Flickinger.
The second half was more sedate. Neither team scored in the third quarter. In the fourth Delaware State kicked a second field goal, this time from 24 yards. Michigan's Michael Cox responded with two more touchdowns, from 57 and later 3 yards.
Several Michigan school records were broken or tied in the blowout
win. The Wolverines' 727 yards of total offense
set a new team record; the 442 total offensive yards in the first half alone also set a team record. Their 57 point win tied the second-biggest margin of victory for them since 1950, and tied for the eighth-largest margin of victory in school history. The 49 first half points was the team's second highest ever. The 28 point first quarter also tied a school record. Because of the effectiveness of the offense, the team did not punt the ball once, the first time this has happened since 1978.
at rain soaked Michigan Stadium. Michigan got an early lead after the first drive of the game when Brandon Minor ran in a TD from one yard out. Penn State tied the score with a 10-yard TD catch by Graham Zug
from Daryll Clark
, and took the lead for good on a 34-yard field goal by Collin Wagner. In the second quarter Michigan surrendered a safety after a bad snap in the end zone. On the ensuing possession, the Nittany Lions scored on a 60-yard TD pass to Andrew Quarless
. Michigan responded with a 23-yard field goal, making the halftime score 19–10.
Penn State dominated the second half, shutting out the Wolverines. The Nittany Lions added 13 points to their lead off of two Graham Zug TD catches in the third quarter, from 11 and 17-yard respectively. Penn State capped off their victory with a 29-yard field goal in the 4th.
Michigan suffered their first home loss of the season. This was the first time the Wolverines had lost to Penn State at home since 1996, ending a five-game losing streak for the Nittany Lions in Ann Arbor. Penn State defeated Michigan for the second straight season, its first win streak versus the Wolverines since a three-game streak from 1994–96.
for a Halloween
afternoon contest with the Illinois Fighting Illini
. Illinois scored first midway through the first quarter with a 3-yard TD run by Arrelious Benn
. Michigan tied it up with a 2-yard TD run by Carlos Brown. The Wolverines kicked two field goals in the second quarter, from 29 and 42 yards out respectively, making the score at halftime 13–7 in their favor.
For the second straight game, Michigan was held scoreless in the second half. Illinois held the Wolverines on a goal line stand; on the following possession, Illini RB Mikel LeShoure
ran in a 70-yard TD. A few minutes later, London Davis caught a 2-yard TD pass. QB Isiah Williams
ran in a TD himself from 3 yards out for Illinois' third score of the quarter. In the fourth quarter, Illinois kicked a 23-yard field goal and capped off their scoring with a 79-yard TD run by Jason Ford. It was Michigan's first loss at Illinois since 1983.
. In the first quarter, Purdue scored first with a 35-yard TD catch by Ralph Bolden. Michigan tied the score with a 29-yard TD run by Brandon Minor. Purdue retook the lead with a 41-yard field goal by Carson Wiggs. Michigan tied the score soon after with a 51-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Michigan scored 2 touchdowns: a 55-yard rush by Brandon Minor, and a 43-yard catch by Ray Roundtree, giving the Wolverines a 14-point advantage at halftime.
Once again, Michigan collapsed in the second half. In the third quarter, Purdue's Ralph Bolden scored his second TD of the game with a 19-yard run. Michigan QB Forcier responded with a 6-yard TD run, but the point after touchdown attempt failed. Ralph Bolden scored his third touchdown of the day soon after with a 10-yard rush. Next, Purdue's Cortez Smith caught a 54-yard TD pass. In the fourth quarter, Purdue QB Joey Elliot ran in a 8-yard TD. Michigan's Minor then ran in a TD from 1-yard out. The Wolverines attempted to tie the game but Forcier failed to reach the end zone on a 2 point conversion, sealing the victory for the Boilermakers. It was Michigan's first home loss to Purdue since 1966.
to play the Wisconsin Badgers
. Wisconsin scored first with a 22-yard TD pass by Scott Tolzien
to Garrett Graham
. Michigan tied the score with a 21-yard Tate Forcier TD pass to Vincent Smith. In the second quarter, the teams traded the lead. First, Michigan took the lead with a 37-yard Jason Olesnavage field goal. Wisconsin then went ahead with a 8-yard TD pass to Nick Toon
. Michigan went back ahead when Ryan Van Bergen
picked up Scott Tolzien's fumble (forced by Brandon Graham) and ran it back 14 yards for a touchdown. Wisconsin responded with a 1-yard TD run by John Clay
, making the halftime score 21–17 Wisconsin.
In the third quarter, Toon scored another TD off a 15-yard catch. Michigan responded with a 10-yard catch by Ray Roundtree. Wisconsin then scored 17 unanswered points, starting with a 7-yard TD catch by Lance Kendricks
. In the fourth quarter the Badgers sealed their victory with a 1-yard TD run by Tolzien and a 28-yard field goal by Philip Welch.
The game was Michigan's third straight loss at Wisconsin. It was also Michigan's 6th straight conference loss, the first time this has happened since the 1958–59 seasons. The Wolverines' record fell to 5–6; they needed to win next week to become bowl eligibile.
the #9 nationally ranked Ohio State Buckeyes
, in the 106th meeting between the two teams. Ohio State scored first when Michigan QB Forcier fumbled while scrambling in the end zone; the ball was recovered by Ohio State's Cameron Heyward
for a TD. Michigan's only score of the first half was a 46-yard field goal. Ohio State's Brandon Saine
ran in a 29-yard TD late in the second quarter to make it 14–3 at halftime.
In the third quarter Michigan closed to within four off of Vincent Smith's 18-yard TD catch. Ohio State re-extended their lead to eleven a few minutes later with a 12-yard TD catch by Daniel Herron
. Michigan attempted to come back in the fourth quarter, but all of their drives except the last were ended by interceptions. The Wolverines came closest with eight minutes left, when Forcier was intercepted in the end zone by Buckeye CB Devon Torrence. On their last play of the game, the Wolverines were penalized for being in an illegal formation with five players in the backfield; this penalty was declined, giving the ball back to Ohio State on downs and ending the game after the Buckeyes ran out the clock.
It was Ohio State's sixth straight win over Michigan, their longest winning streak of the series. QB Tate Forcier had perhaps his worst game this season, throwing four interceptions and turning over a fumble for a TD; prior to this game he had only thrown six interceptions all year. He became just the second Michigan quarterback to throw four interceptions against Ohio State in the last 60 years. Michigan's six-game losing streak to Ohio State is the third-longest streak to a single opponent in school history. The loss left Michigan's final record at 5–7, short of the six wins needed for bowl eligibility. During the game, Brandon Graham posted 5 solo tackles
for a loss, to clinch the national statisitical championship.
Graham was the national statistical champion in tackles for a loss (TFL) per game. Mesko led the Big Ten in punting average and Graham led the conference in total tackles for a loss. Graham posted 26 TFLs in 12 games, which led the nation with 2.17 average tackles for a loss per game (ahead of conference rival O'Brien Schofield
who was second with 1.884). Graham also defended his Big Ten total TFLs championship over Schofield by a 26–24.5 margin. Mesko led the Big Ten in punting average and was eighth in the nation with a 44.46 average.
The per game team rankings below include 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams and 11 Big Ten Conference teams:
The per game rankings below include players who have played in 75% of team's games and are ranked in the top 100 national leaders and top 25 conference leaders:
Big Ten co-MVP award. Graham and Mesko earned numerous 2009 College Football All-America Team
recognitions. Several Michigan players earned 2009 All-Big Ten Conference
recognition: Graham and Mesko were first-team (coaches and media). Donovan Warren
(first-team media and second-team coaches) and Schilling (honorable mention coaches and media) were also recognized. Mesko was a first-team Academic All-American. Graham also earned the MVP award at the January 30, 2010 Senior Bowl
.
Graham was co-winner of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football
as the Big Ten co-MVPs with Penn State's Daryll Clark
, marking the first time the award has been shared. Three Michigan players, Warren (Junior cornerback), Brandon Graham (Senior defensive end), and Mesko (Senior punter) were named to the All Big Ten First Team, and Stephen Schilling (Senior left guard) received honorable mention. Offensive lineman David Moosman also received the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. Mesko was one of fifteen FBS athletes selected as a first-team Academic All-American. Michigan had 10 athletes recognized as fall term of the 2009-10 Academic All-Conference selections for being letterwinners who are in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a cumulative grade point average: Matt Cavanaugh, Jon Conover, John Ferrara, J.B. Fitzgerald, Will Heininger, Zac Johnson, Zoltan Mesko, Tim North, Jason Olesnavage, and Mike Therman. Seniors Zoltan Mesko (2nd team WCFF, Scout, Rivals, AP; honorable mention SI, CFN, PFW) and Brandon Graham (1st team Scout, Rivals; 2nd team WCFF, AP, SI, CFN; honorable mention PFW) were named All-Americans by the Walter Camp Football Foundation
, Associated Press
, Sports Illustrated
, Pro Football Weekly
, Rivals.com
& Scout.com
. Graham was also a first team selection by ESPN
and a second team selection by the Sporting News. Brandon Graham earned MVP honors at the January 30, 2010 Senior Bowl
with five tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble.
In December 2009, Warren declared himself eligible for the 2010 NFL Draft
. Other athletes to participate at the NFL Scouting Combine were Graham, Mesko and Minor. Graham, Mesko and Stevie Brown
were drafted 13th, 150th and 251st overall, respectively. Warren went undrafted but signed with the New York Jets
as an undrafted free agent.
was signed by the New York Jets
. Other draft weekend free agent signees included Greg Mathews
and Brandon Minor
with the Chicago Bears
, Mark Ortmann
with the Carolina Panthers
, David Moosman
with the Arizona Cardinals
and Carlos Brown
with the New Orleans Saints
.
On December 12, 2008 RB Sam McGuffie announced he was leaving Michigan for a school closer to home because of family issues. On February 16, 2009, starting quarterback Steven Threet told Michigan he would transfer before the start of the 2009 season. On October 27, 2009, starting cornerback Boubacar Cissoko was kicked off the team for missing class, workouts and study table according to his high school coach Thomas Wilcher
. He also stated that he expected Cissoko to seek a transfer.
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in the 2009 college football season
2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on September 2, 2009, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Pasadena, California on January 7, 2010, featuring the...
. They played their home games at Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium, nicknamed "The Big House," is the football stadium for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan Stadium was built in 1927 at a cost of $950,000 and had an original capacity of 72,000. Before playing football at the stadium, the Wolverines played on Ferry Field...
in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
and competed in the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
. The team attempted to rebound from its worst season (loss wise) in its 130 year football history and succeeded at first, starting the season 4–0 and earning a #20 ranking in the polls. Over the final seven games the Wolverines went 1–6 however, ending the season with a 5–7 record and failing to qualify for a bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
for the second straight year. 2008 and 2009 were Michigan's first back-to-back sub-.500 seasons since 1962 and 1963; they also failed to win a road game for the first time since 1962.
However, several individuals excelled. Brandon Graham
Brandon Graham (American football)
Brandon Lee Graham is an American football defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Eagles in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft with the thirteenth selection in the draft and the first from the Big Ten Conference...
received numerous post-season accolades including Chicago Tribune Silver Football
Chicago Tribune Silver Football
The Chicago Tribune Silver Football is awarded by the Chicago Tribune to the college football player determined to be the best player from the Big Ten Conference. The award has been presented annually since 1924, when Red Grange of Illinois was the award's first recipient.The winner of the Silver...
as conference Co-MVP, several first and second team 2009 College Football All-America Team
2009 College Football All-America Team
An All-American team is an honorary sports team for a specific season composed of the best amateur players at each position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply "All-Americans". Although the honorees generally do not...
selections, and the 2010 Senior Bowl
2010 Senior Bowl
The 2010 Under Armour Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game featuring players from the 2009 college football season, and prospects for the 2010 Draft of the professional National Football League , as well as for the United Football League's inaugural draft.The game was played...
MVP. Graham was the national statistical champion in tackles for a loss (TFL) and the repeat Big Ten Champion. Zoltan Mesko
Zoltan Mesko (American football)
Zoltán Meskó is a Romanian-born American football punter for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan. A native of Romania , he emigrated with his family to the United...
also received several second team All-American recognitions and was a first team Academic All-American. Mesko was the Big Ten punting average statistical champion. After the season, co-captains
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
Graham, Mesko and leading tackler Stevie Brown
Stevie Brown
-College:At Michigan, he was elected captain as a senior. Over the course of his career he had 31 special teams tackles, including 11 as a sophomore when he led the 2007 team. As a senior, he led the 2009 Wolverines in tackles with 80...
were drafted in the 2010 NFL Draft
2010 NFL Draft
The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. Unlike previous years, the 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first round on Thursday, April 22, 2010, at 7:30 pm...
and immediately after the draft Donovan Warren
Donovan Warren
-College career:As a true freshman at Michigan, Warren played in all 13 season games while starting 11 of them at cornerback. He recorded 52 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, one interception and six pass breakups...
signed as an undrafted free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
.
Preseason preview
In 20082008 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 2008 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2008 college football season. The team's head football coach was Rich Rodriguez. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan...
the Michigan Wolverines had possibly the worst season in the history of the program. The team finished with a 3–9 regular season record, failing to qualify for a postseason bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
for the first time in 33 years. The Wolverines struggled to implement first-year head coach Rich Rodriguez's spread option offense
Option offense
The option offense is a generic term that is used to describe a wide variety of offensive systems in American football. Option offenses are characterized as such due to the predominance of option running plays employed in these schemes. Option offenses have traditionally relied heavily upon running...
; Michigan was last in the Big Ten in passing offense, scoring offense, total offense and turnover margin.
Going into 2009, there was optimism that Michigan, led by newly-recruited mobile quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Tate Forcier
Tate Forcier
Robert Patrick "Tate" Forcier is an American college football quarterback. He was a starting quarterback for the 2009 Michigan Wolverines football team ahead of Denard Robinson and Robinson's back up for the 2010 Michigan Wolverines football team before leaving the program in January 2011...
, would be able to turn things around and have a winning season, or at the very least win their opening game for the first time since 2006. The team had 10 returning offensive starters and 5 returning defensive starters. Although to some Forcier was a foregone conclusion as the starting quarterback, the battle between him, incumbent Nick Sheridan, and Denard Robinson
Denard Robinson
Denard Xavier Robinson , nicknamed Shoelace, is an American football player who is playing his junior season for the 2011 Michigan Wolverines football team. He started at quarterback in all 13 games for the Michigan Wolverines football team in 2010...
was anticipated to be the most competitive position battle in the Big Ten Conference according to College Football News
College Football News
College Football News is a magazine and website published by College Football News, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. News coverage includes scores, statistics, rankings, and reports on college football games. Analysis includes comparisons between teams, predictions of game outcomes and...
. Although the 2008 defense had been a disappointment, Obi Ezeh
Obi Ezeh
Obi Pius Ezeh is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was included on both the 2009 midseason and the 2009 preseason watchlist for the Butkus Award. He is the active Michigan Wolverines football career leader in tackles.In high school, he played running back on offense...
and Brandon Graham
Brandon Graham (American football)
Brandon Lee Graham is an American football defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Eagles in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft with the thirteenth selection in the draft and the first from the Big Ten Conference...
were considered to be a solid nucleus to build around. The team also employed a new defensive coordinator
Defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
, Greg Robinson
Greg Robinson
-External links:**-References:...
, to help guide this defensive turnaround. The key losses for the team were S Brandon Harrison, DE
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
Tim Jamison
Tim Jamison
Tim Jamison, II is an American football defensive end for the Houston Texans. He played college football at the University of Michigan.-Early years:...
, DT Will Johnson, RB
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Sam McGuffie, DT Terrance Taylor
Terrance Taylor (American football)
Terrance Terlie Taylor is an American football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan...
, LB
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
John Thompson, QB
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Steven Threet, CB
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
Morgan Trent
Morgan Trent
Morgan Trent is an American football cornerback for the Jacksonville Jaguars in the National Football League. He played college football for the University of Michigan from 2005 to 2008...
.
Recruiting
Blue chip (sports)
The term "blue chip" is commonly used to describe athletes who are being targeted to be drafted or signed by teams at the next level. It is most commonly used to describe high school players being recruited by college teams, but can also refer to collegiate players being scouted by professional...
players. Among the recruits are Anthony LaLota of the Hun School in Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
who is ranked as the fourth offensive tackle in the nation by Scout.com
Scout.com
Scout.com is an integrated sports publishing company that produces both an Internet and print product. Scout has more than 2.1 million visitors...
and sixth strong side defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
by Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
. LaLota appeared in the U.S. Army All-American game on January 3, 2009 in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. Other top recruits included a top-ten-rated dual-threat quarterback (Tate Forcier
Tate Forcier
Robert Patrick "Tate" Forcier is an American college football quarterback. He was a starting quarterback for the 2009 Michigan Wolverines football team ahead of Denard Robinson and Robinson's back up for the 2010 Michigan Wolverines football team before leaving the program in January 2011...
- Rivals #6) to run Rich Rodriguez's
Rich Rodriguez
Richard A. "Rich" Rodriguez is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at the University of Arizona. Rodriguez previously served as the head football coach at Salem University , Glenville State College , West Virginia University , and the University...
spread offense, and Justin Turner who was rated as the #3 safety.
Michigan's 2009 recruiting class was ranked 7th nationally by Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
, and 10th by ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
. Eight players initially committed to attend Michigan in 2009 but later decommitted and signed with a different college: Anthony Fera - K
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
(PSU), Bryce McNeal - WR
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
(Clemson), Kevin Newsome
Kevin Newsome
-College career:Newsome originally committed to Michigan during his junior year of high school, but later decommitted during his senior year to take Penn State's scholarship offer...
- QB
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
(PSU), Dewayne Peace - WR
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
(Arizona), Jordan Barnes - LB
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
(Oklahoma State), Pearlie Graves - DT (Texas Tech), DeQuinta Jones - DT, and Shavodrick Beaver - QB
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
(Tulsa)
Several recruits participated in the January 3 U.S. Army All-American game during which William Campbell announced his re-commitment to the program. Joining Campbell and LaLota in the All-America game were cornerback/safety Justin Turner, kicker Brendan Gibbons, and receivers Jeremy Gallon and Je'Ron Stokes. Several recruits began early enrollment at Michigan for the Spring 2009 semester, including quarterback Tate Forcier, five-star defensive tackle Will Campbell, running back Vincent Smith
Vincent Smith (American football)
Vincent Smith is an American football running back and return specialist, who is currently playing his junior season for the 2011 Michigan Wolverines football team.-Early years:...
, defensive end Anthony LaLota, linebacker Brandin Hawthorne, defensive back Mike Jones and safety Vlad Emilien.
Position key
| Back | B | Center Center (American football) Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense... |
C | Cornerback Cornerback A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position... |
CB | Defensive back Defensive back In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of... |
DB | |||
| Defensive end Defensive end Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years... |
DE | Defensive lineman | DL | Defensive tackle | DT | End | E | |||
| Fullback Fullback (American football) A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback... |
FB | Guard Guard (American football) In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team.... |
G | Halfback Halfback (American football) A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive... |
HB | Kicker Placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points... |
K | |||
| Kickoff returner | KR | Offensive tackle | OT | Offensive lineman | OL | Linebacker Linebacker A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen... |
LB | |||
| Long snapper Long snapper In American football and Canadian football, the term long snapper refers to a player who is a specialized center during punts, field goals, and extra point attempts. His job is to snap the ball as quickly and accurately as possible.... |
LS | Punter | P | Punt returner Punt returner Punt returner is a position on special teams in American football.-Description:The role of a punt returner is to catch the ball after it is punted and to give his team good field position by returning it. Before catching the punted ball, the returner must assess the situation on the field while... |
PR | Quarterback Quarterback Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line... |
QB | |||
| Running back Running back A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running... |
RB | Safety | S | Tight end Tight end The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be... |
TE | Wide receiver Wide receiver A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible... |
WR |
Recruits
Practice time limit investigation
In an August 30, 2009 Detroit Free PressDetroit Free Press
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
article, several current and former players on the 2008 and 2009 teams speaking anonymously said Michigan frequently violated the National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
(NCAA) off-season 8 hour per week and in-season 20 hour per week practice limit. Rodriguez denied all of the allegations at a press conference the next day; The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
quoted him as saying "We know the rules, and we follow the rules." The University of Michigan Athletic Department's compliance office notified both the NCAA and the Big Ten Conference of its intentions to investigate itself. Unlike the University of Michigan basketball scandal
University of Michigan basketball scandal
The University of Michigan basketball scandal or Ed Martin scandal was a six-year investigation of the relationship between the University of Michigan, its men's basketball teams and basketball team booster Ed Martin...
where all of the participants had left the school by the time the investigation completed and punishment was handed down, many of the athletes involved in this scandal are still students at the University of Michigan; failure to cooperate with the investigation might result in the NCAA revoking the athletes eligibility to participate in athletic competitions. In November, the university revealed its finding that the team failed to file the proper paperwork to document the team's training schedule.
The NCAA had the right to either accept Michigan's findings once the athletic department's inquiry was completed or to conduct its own investigation. On October 23, 2009 the NCAA notified the school that it had decided to begin a formal investigation into the matter; they expected it to be completed by December 31, 2009. On February 22, 2010, the NCAA accused Michigan of failing to comply with practice time rules and "failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance within the football program" under coach Rich Rodriguez. The university had 90 days to respond and appeared at an NCAA hearing on infractions in August. Michigan issued self-sanctions on May 25, 2010, which included cutting practice time and placing itself on two years worth of probation. Michigan did, however, dispute the claim that Coach Rodriguez "failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance." The NCAA handed down their final verdict in the case on November 4, 2010, which accepted almost all of the self-sanctions that Michigan provided. Michigan was docked 130 practice hours, which was twice the number of excess hours that the university had exceeded, and placed on three years probation, which was one more than originally proposed; but the university and Rodriguez did, however, escape the most serious charge of "failing to promote an atmosphere of compliance," as the NCAA agreed with Michigan's statement that the cases were not deliberate and isolated. This ruling ended the NCAA's investigation of Michigan's football program.
Preseason award watch lists
| Award | Player |
|---|---|
| Chuck Bednarik Award Chuck Bednarik Award The Chuck Bednarik Award is presented annually to the defensive collegiate football player adjudged by the Maxwell Football Club to be the best in the United States... (Top Defensive Player) |
Brandon Graham Brandon Graham (American football) Brandon Lee Graham is an American football defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Eagles in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft with the thirteenth selection in the draft and the first from the Big Ten Conference... |
| Butkus Award (Best Linebacker) |
Obi Ezeh Obi Ezeh Obi Pius Ezeh is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was included on both the 2009 midseason and the 2009 preseason watchlist for the Butkus Award. He is the active Michigan Wolverines football career leader in tackles.In high school, he played running back on offense... |
| Ray Guy Award Ray Guy Award The Ray Guy Award is presented annually to college football's top punter by the Greater Augusta Sports Council. The award is named after punter Ray Guy, a former All-American at Southern Mississippi and an all-pro player for the Oakland Raiders.-Criteria:... (Outstanding Punter) |
Zoltan Mesko Zoltan Mesko (American football) Zoltán Meskó is a Romanian-born American football punter for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan. A native of Romania , he emigrated with his family to the United... |
| Ted Hendricks Award Ted Hendricks Award The Ted Hendricks Award is given annually to college football's top defensive end. The award is named after Ted Hendricks, who is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame as well as the Pro Football Hall of Fame and is presented by his own 501 foundation, called the Ted Hendricks... (Outstanding Defensive End) |
Brandon Graham |
| Lombardi Award Lombardi Award The Rotary Lombardi Award is awarded annually to the best college football lineman or linebacker. The Lombardi Award program was approved by the Rotary Club in Houston in 1970 shortly after the death of Vince Lombardi. The committee outlined the criteria for eligibility for the award, which... (Outstanding Lineman) |
Brandon Graham |
| David Molk David Molk David Molk is an American football center who is playing his redshirt senior season for the 2011 Michigan Wolverines football team. For the 2011 season, he began the year on the Outland Trophy, Lombardi Award & Rimington Trophy watch lists... |
|
| Stephen Schilling Stephen Schilling Stephen Dana Schilling is an American football offensive guard for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was included on the 2009 preseason watchlist for the Lombardi Award... |
|
| Lott Trophy Lott Trophy The Lott IMPACT Trophy is presented annually to the college football Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year. IMPACT is an acronym for: integrity, maturity, performance, academics, community, and tenacity. The award purports to equally recognize the personal character of the winning player as well as... (Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year) |
Brandon Graham |
| Maxwell Award Maxwell Award The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best football player in the United States. The... (Top College Player) |
Brandon Minor Brandon Minor Brandon Ricardo Minor is an American football running back who is currently a member of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He was signed by the Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2010, but after being released during the final cuts, he has been on the New Orleans Saints and... |
| Bronko Nagurski Trophy Bronko Nagurski Trophy The Bronko Nagurski Trophy has been awarded annually since 1993 to the collegiate American football player adjudged by the membership of the Football Writers Association of America to be the best defensively in the National Collegiate Athletic Association; the award is presented by the Charlotte... (Top Defensive Player) |
Brandon Graham |
| Dave Rimington Trophy Dave Rimington Trophy The Dave Rimington Trophy is awarded to the player considered to be the best center in college football. Dave Rimington was a center who played at the University of Nebraska from 1979-1982.... (Outstanding Center) |
David Molk |
| Doak Walker Award Doak Walker Award The Doak Walker Award, first awarded in 1990, honors the United States's top college football running back. It is named after the Southern Methodist and Detroit Lions football player Doak Walker... (Outstanding Running Back) |
Brandon Minor |
Several players excelled individually. The season began with numerous Wolverines on national award preseason watchlists. Brandon Graham
Brandon Graham (American football)
Brandon Lee Graham is an American football defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Eagles in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft with the thirteenth selection in the draft and the first from the Big Ten Conference...
led the way with five such recognitions for the Bednarik Award
Chuck Bednarik Award
The Chuck Bednarik Award is presented annually to the defensive collegiate football player adjudged by the Maxwell Football Club to be the best in the United States...
, Hendricks Award
Ted Hendricks Award
The Ted Hendricks Award is given annually to college football's top defensive end. The award is named after Ted Hendricks, who is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame as well as the Pro Football Hall of Fame and is presented by his own 501 foundation, called the Ted Hendricks...
, Lombardi Award
Lombardi Award
The Rotary Lombardi Award is awarded annually to the best college football lineman or linebacker. The Lombardi Award program was approved by the Rotary Club in Houston in 1970 shortly after the death of Vince Lombardi. The committee outlined the criteria for eligibility for the award, which...
, Lott Trophy
Lott Trophy
The Lott IMPACT Trophy is presented annually to the college football Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year. IMPACT is an acronym for: integrity, maturity, performance, academics, community, and tenacity. The award purports to equally recognize the personal character of the winning player as well as...
and Bronko Nagurski Trophy
Bronko Nagurski Trophy
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy has been awarded annually since 1993 to the collegiate American football player adjudged by the membership of the Football Writers Association of America to be the best defensively in the National Collegiate Athletic Association; the award is presented by the Charlotte...
. David Molk
David Molk
David Molk is an American football center who is playing his redshirt senior season for the 2011 Michigan Wolverines football team. For the 2011 season, he began the year on the Outland Trophy, Lombardi Award & Rimington Trophy watch lists...
was on both the Lombardi and Rimington Trophy preseason lists, while Brandon Minor
Brandon Minor
Brandon Ricardo Minor is an American football running back who is currently a member of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He was signed by the Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2010, but after being released during the final cuts, he has been on the New Orleans Saints and...
was on both the Maxwell Award
Maxwell Award
The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best football player in the United States. The...
and Doak Walker Award
Doak Walker Award
The Doak Walker Award, first awarded in 1990, honors the United States's top college football running back. It is named after the Southern Methodist and Detroit Lions football player Doak Walker...
lists. Obi Ezeh
Obi Ezeh
Obi Pius Ezeh is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was included on both the 2009 midseason and the 2009 preseason watchlist for the Butkus Award. He is the active Michigan Wolverines football career leader in tackles.In high school, he played running back on offense...
, Zoltan Mesko
Zoltan Mesko (American football)
Zoltán Meskó is a Romanian-born American football punter for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan. A native of Romania , he emigrated with his family to the United...
, and Stephen Schilling
Stephen Schilling
Stephen Dana Schilling is an American football offensive guard for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was included on the 2009 preseason watchlist for the Lombardi Award...
were preseason Butkus Award, Ray Guy Award
Ray Guy Award
The Ray Guy Award is presented annually to college football's top punter by the Greater Augusta Sports Council. The award is named after punter Ray Guy, a former All-American at Southern Mississippi and an all-pro player for the Oakland Raiders.-Criteria:...
and Lombardi candidates, respectively. As the season started, Michigan burst out with a 4–0 start and saw several players recognized as Big Ten Conference player of the week early in the season: Tate Forcier
Tate Forcier
Robert Patrick "Tate" Forcier is an American college football quarterback. He was a starting quarterback for the 2009 Michigan Wolverines football team ahead of Denard Robinson and Robinson's back up for the 2010 Michigan Wolverines football team before leaving the program in January 2011...
, Carlos Brown
Carlos Brown (American football)
-Freshman year:Brown played in 7 games as a freshman in 2006 and earned his first varsity letter. In limited action, Brown carried 16 times for 41 yards.-Sophomore year:...
and Mesko. Also, several players earned midseason or finalist watchlist recognitions: Ezeh (Butkus), Mesko (Guy) and Graham (Hendrick).
During week 2, Tate Forcier (Offense) and Darryl Stonum (Special teams) were honored by the Big Ten Conference as players of the week (POW). At the same time, Forcier was also named AT&T All-America Player of the Week, as well as the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback of the Week Award and Rivals.com National Freshmen of the Week and the Rivals.com Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honor. The following week, Carlos Brown
Carlos Brown (American football)
-Freshman year:Brown played in 7 games as a freshman in 2006 and earned his first varsity letter. In limited action, Brown carried 16 times for 41 yards.-Sophomore year:...
earned co-offensive POW honors along with Northwestern's Mike Kafka
Mike Kafka
Michael John "Mike" Kafka is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Eagles in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Northwestern.Kafka attended St. Rita of Cascia High School in Chicago,...
. Zoltan Mesko
Zoltan Mesko (American football)
Zoltán Meskó is a Romanian-born American football punter for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan. A native of Romania , he emigrated with his family to the United...
was named the special teams player of the week on October 11. The only statistical leader for the team was Mesko who in eight conference games averaged 45.2 yards/punt, which was the first time a Michigan punter led the Big Ten in Conference game punting average since Paul Staroba
Paul Staroba
Paul Louis Staroba is a retired American football wide receiver and punter who played in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers and the Cleveland Browns. He had previously played for the Michigan Wolverines football team. Paul attended St...
in 1970. Brandon Graham
Brandon Graham (American football)
Brandon Lee Graham is an American football defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Eagles in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft with the thirteenth selection in the draft and the first from the Big Ten Conference...
and Mesko were first-team All-Big Ten selections by both the coaches and the media. Donovan Warren
Donovan Warren
-College career:As a true freshman at Michigan, Warren played in all 13 season games while starting 11 of them at cornerback. He recorded 52 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, one interception and six pass breakups...
was first-team by the media and second-team by the coaches and Stephen Schilling
Stephen Schilling
Stephen Dana Schilling is an American football offensive guard for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was included on the 2009 preseason watchlist for the Lombardi Award...
was an honorable mention on both lists.
Ezeh was one of sixteen players and three from the Big Ten for the Butkus midseason watch list. Mesko was named a one of 10 semifinalists for the Ray Guy Award and one of 12 finalists for the Wuerffel Trophy. Graham was one of seven finalists for the Hendricks Award.
Rankings
| Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP AP Poll The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation... |
-- | RV | 25 | 23 | 22 | RV | RV | RV | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
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| BCS Bowl Championship Series The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of... |
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RV-Receiving votes
NR-Not ranked
Schedule
Radio
Radio coverage for all games was on The Michigan Wolverines Football Network, and on Sirius XM Satellite Radio, as well as online at The Michigan Sports Network Online Stream. The radio announcers were (WJRWJR
WJR is a radio station in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It broadcasts a news/talk format. It is a class A clear channel station whose broadcasts can be heard throughout most of the Midwest, eastern United States and Canada at night, making it one of the most powerful radio stations in the...
talk show host) Frank Beckmann with play-by-play, Jim Brandstatter
Jim Brandstatter
Jim Brandstatter is an award-winning American sportscaster based in Southeastern Michigan. He is currently the radio color commentator for the Detroit Lions and Michigan Wolverines football teams. Brandstatter is also a sports television show host and radio show host; both shows are about Michigan...
with color commentary, and Doug Karsch
Doug Karsch
Douglas Allen Karsch, III is an American talk radio show host and Michigan Wolverines sports reporter based in Detroit, Michigan.-Education and early career:...
with sideline reports
Sideline reporter
A sideline reporter, also known as a field reporter, courtside reporter , clubhouse reporter or dugout reporter , rinkside reporter or inside-the-glass reporter , on-court reporter , hole reporter , or boundary rider , is a member of the...
.
vs. Western Michigan
Western Michigan Broncos football
The Western Michigan Broncos football program represents Western Michigan University in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I and the Mid-American Conference . Western Michigan has competed in football since 1906, when they played three games in their inaugural season...
at Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium, nicknamed "The Big House," is the football stadium for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan Stadium was built in 1927 at a cost of $950,000 and had an original capacity of 72,000. Before playing football at the stadium, the Wolverines played on Ferry Field...
. The Wolverines scored first, midway through the first quarter, with a 27-yard touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
(TD) pass
Forward pass
In several forms of football a forward pass is when the ball is thrown in the direction that the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line...
from Tate Forcier to Junior Hemingway. They added to their lead five minutes later when Denard Robinson ran in a TD from 43 yards out. In the second quarter, Michigan added 17 more points: two TDs and a field goal
Field goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
. First was a 7-yard TD pass from Tate Forcier to Kevin Koger. 6 minutes later, Jason Olesnavage kicked a 44-yard field goal. Junior Hemingway scored Michigan's final points when he caught a 44-yard TD pass from Tate Forcier, putting the Wolverines up 31–0 at halftime. Western Michigan missed a field goal
Field goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
just before the end of the half.
The second half was largely uneventful. Michigan was content to hold their lead; they essentially stopped passing in the fourth quarter, with Forcier being replaced by backup David Cone midway through the period. Western Michigan finally got on the board with a fourth-quarter 73-yard TD pass from Tim Hiller to Juan Nunez.
The win stopped a streak of two consecutive season opening losses. The 2007 Michigan Wolverines football team
2007 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 2007 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2007 college football season. This was Lloyd Carr's final season as Michigan head coach. The 2007 season began with a stunning loss to Appalachian State, but the Wolverines won eight straight games after...
, then ranked
2007 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
Three polls and one formulaic ranking make up the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings, in addition to various publications' preseason polls. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a National Championship title. That title is bestowed by one or more...
#5 in the nation, lost their season opener in shocking fashion
2007 Appalachian State vs. Michigan football game
The 2007 Appalachian State-Michigan game was a college football game held on September 1 at Michigan Stadium on the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It pitted the #5 ranked Michigan Wolverines against the two-time defending champions of the Division I FCS, the...
to two-time defending Division I-FCS champion Appalachian State
2007 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team
The 2007 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team represented Appalachian State University in the college football season of 2007–2008. The team was coached by Jerry Moore and the Mountaineers played their home games at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, North Carolina.The football team competes in...
. The 2008 Michigan Wolverines football team
2008 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 2008 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2008 college football season. The team's head football coach was Rich Rodriguez. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan...
lost their opener to Utah
2008 Utah Utes football team
The 2008 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah in the college football season of 2008–2009. The team, coached by 4th year head football coach Kyle Whittingham, plays its home games in Rice–Eccles Stadium...
, who would go on to finish as the only undefeated team in Division I-FBS, winning the Mountain West Conference
Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999...
and the 2009 Sugar Bowl
2009 Sugar Bowl
The 2009 Allstate Sugar Bowl was the 75th annual edition of the annual college football bowl game that is part of the 2008–09 bowl season of the Bowl Championship Series 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season...
over Alabama
2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
The 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 76th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference and its 17th within the SEC Western Division...
.
vs. Notre Dame
In week 2, Michigan renewed their long-time rivalryMichigan-Notre Dame rivalry
The Michigan–Notre Dame football rivalry is an American college football rivalry game played by the Michigan Wolverines football team of the University of Michigan and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team of the University of Notre Dame....
with the visiting Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
. On the opening drive, Notre Dame drove the field for an unsuccessful field goal attempt. Michigan scored first late in the first quarter when Brandon Minor
Brandon Minor
Brandon Ricardo Minor is an American football running back who is currently a member of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He was signed by the Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2010, but after being released during the final cuts, he has been on the New Orleans Saints and...
ran in a 2-yard TD. Notre Dame responded with a field goal by Nick Taush. Less than twenty seconds later, however, Michigan answered another touchdown on a 94-yard kickoff return by Darryl Stonum. Notre Dame came back to take the lead in the second quarter with back-to-back touchdown passes, 4 yards to Golden Tate
Golden Tate
Golden H. Tate III is an American football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football and college baseball at Notre Dame.-Early years:Tate was born in...
and 11 yards to Michael Floyd
Michael Floyd
Michael Floyd is an American football wide receiver. He currently attends the University of Notre Dame in his senior year...
. After another three-and-out by Michigan, the Irish made their way down the field but were stopped by the Wolverine defense, forcing them to kick a 42-yard field goal. Michigan got the ball back with less than 4 minutes in the half and marched down the field, but with little time left on the clock they had to settle to end the first half with a 39-yard field goal.
Michigan dominated the third quarter, constantly stopping the Irish and controlling the ball most of the period. The Wolverines scored the only points of the quarter on a 3-yard TD pass to Kevin Koger
Kevin Koger
Kevin Jamaal Koger is an American football tight end for the Michigan Wolverines. He was a 2011 All-Big Ten honorable mention.-High school career:...
. Early in the fourth quarter, after another three-and-out by Notre Dame, Forcier ran in a TD himself from 31 yards out on 4th and 3. Notre Dame came back later in the quarter, starting with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Tate. Following the touchdown the Irish attempted and failed to score a two-point conversion
Two-point conversion
In American and Canadian football, a two-point conversion is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point convert immediately after it scores a touchdown...
, leaving themselves down five. After Michigan had an unsuccessful drive, Notre Dame took the lead with a 2-yard TD run by Armando Allen, who then scored on their second 2 point conversion attempt, putting the Irish ahead with less than 5 minutes remaining. Michigan responded by marching the length of the field, consuming most of the remaining time. They eventually found themselves 5 yards away from the goal line with 22 seconds left. Two plays later the Wolverines would score the game-winning touchdown on a 5-yard pass from Forcier to Greg Matthews
Greg Mathews (American football)
-College career:Had a streak of 23 consecutive games with at least one reception starting with the 2007 Michigan Wolverines football season the opening game against the two-time defending FCS champion Appalachian State Mountaineers in.-Pre-draft:-Chicago Bears:...
.
The victory gave the Wolverines their first 2–0 start since 2006
2006 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 2006 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2006 college football season. The team's head football coach was Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines came into the season with lower expectations than many Michigan teams of the previous few seasons, ranked #14...
. Michigan's all time record versus Notre Dame improved to 21-15-1 as a result of the victory. This was the highest scoring game in the history of the rivalry, with a total of 72 points between the teams.
vs. Eastern Michigan
In week 3, the Wolverines hosted the Eastern Michigan EaglesEastern Michigan Eagles football
The Eastern Michigan Eagles are a college football program at Eastern Michigan University. They compete in Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Mid-American Conference...
from nearby Ypsilanti
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,362. The city is bounded to the north by the Charter Township of Superior and on the west, south, and east by the Charter Township of Ypsilanti...
. Michigan opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 37-yard field goal by Jason Olesnavage. The Eagles tied the score with 43-yard field goal by Joe Carithers. Michigan regained the lead when Carlos Brown
Carlos Brown (American football)
-Freshman year:Brown played in 7 games as a freshman in 2006 and earned his first varsity letter. In limited action, Brown carried 16 times for 41 yards.-Sophomore year:...
ran in a 9-yard TD near the end of the quarter. Eastern Michigan re-tied the score in the second quarter with an 11-yard TD run by Andy Schmitt. Michigan responded with 2 TDs: first a 5-yard TD run by Michael Shaw, then a 90-yard TD run by Carlos Brown, the third longest TD run from scrimmage in Michigan football history. The Eagles scored their final points of the game just before halftime with a 5-yard TD run by Dwayne Priest. Michigan dominated the second half, beginning with a 13-yard TD run by Martavious Odoms
Martavious Odoms
Martavious Rashhud Odoms is an American football wide receiver playing his senior season in 2011 for the Michigan Wolverines football team. Martavious established the Michigan record for receptions by a freshman for the 2008 Michigan Wolverines football team and was the Big Ten Conference leader...
. A little over a minute later QB Denard Robinson ran in a 13-yard TD. In the 4th quarter Odoms ran in another TD from 36 yards out.
With the win Michigan started 3-0 for the first time since 2006. The win also made Michigan's all time record against Eastern Michigan 9–0; and 26–1 all time against MAC
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
schools. Eastern Michigan would finish the 2009 season with a winless record.
vs. Indiana
On their homecomingHomecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni of a school. It most commonly refers to a tradition in many universities, colleges and high schools in North America...
weekend, the Wolverines hosted the Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana Hoosiers football
The Indiana Hoosiers football program represents Indiana University Bloomington in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and in the Big Ten Conference.-Bowl games:...
. Indiana opened the scoring with a 25-yard TD run by Tandon Doss
Tandon Doss
Tandon Mic Doss is an American football wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens. He played collegiately for Indiana University...
. Michigan responded with 2 TDs by Carlos Brown, first a 61-yard TD catch, then a 41-yard TD run. Indiana tied it back up with a 11-yard TD rush by Darius Willis. In the second quarter, Indiana kicked field goals on consecutive possessions, from 24 and 20 yards. Michigan responded with a 12-yard TD run by Brandon Minor. Indiana retook the lead with its 3rd field goal of the quarter, this one from 30 yards, making the halftime score 23-21 Indiana.
The only points of the third quarter came from a 32-yard Indiana field goal. Michigan regained the lead in the fourth with a 7-yard rush by Forcier who leaped over a defender into the endzone. He also completed a quarterback sneak for a 2 point conversion the next play, giving Michigan a 29–26 lead. Indiana took the lead back on the next offensive play with a 85-yard run for a TD by Darius Willis. Michigan regained the final lead with a 26-yard Martavius Odoms TD catch, and sealed their win soon after with a controversial interception by Donovan Warren
Donovan Warren
-College career:As a true freshman at Michigan, Warren played in all 13 season games while starting 11 of them at cornerback. He recorded 52 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, one interception and six pass breakups...
.
This was the 16th consecutive time Michigan has beaten Indiana, and the 24th consecutive conference opening win for the Wolverines at home. Michigan started the season 4–0 for the first time since 2006.
at Michigan State
In week 5, Michigan took their first roadRoad (sports)
Road game , more commonly known as an away game, is a reference to all cities and stadia/arenas/fields/venues where an athletic team plays games for which it is not the host. Most professional teams represent cities or towns and amateur sports teams often represent academic institutions...
trip of the season to East Lansing, Michigan
East Lansing, Michigan
East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located directly east of Lansing, Michigan, the state's capital. Most of the city is within Ingham County, though a small portion lies in Clinton County. The population was 48,579 at the time of the 2010 census, an increase from...
to play their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans
Michigan State Spartans football
The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level...
for the Paul Bunyan Trophy
Paul Bunyan Trophy
The Paul Bunyan–Governor of Michigan Trophy is a college rivalry trophy awarded to the winner of the annual American football game between the Michigan State Spartans and the Michigan Wolverines. The winner retains possession of the trophy until the next year's game...
. After an interception, Michigan scored first with a 36-yard field goal early in the first quarter. The Spartans countered with a 1-yard TD run by Larry Caper. Each team had a field goal in the 2nd quarter: Michigan had a 42-yarder, then State had a 26 yarder, putting the Spartans up 13–6 at halftime.
Michigan State added to their lead at the start of the 2nd half with a 15-yard TD run by Glenn Winston. Michigan responded in the 4th quarter with a 60-yard touchdown by Darryl Stonum
Darryl Stonum
Darryl Stonum is an American football player. He has played at the University of Michigan from 2008 to 2010 and holds the school record for most kickoff return yards in a single season with 1,001 yards.-Early years:...
, and tied it up just before time expired with a 92-yard drive capped by a 9-yard TD pass by Forcier to Roy Roundtree
Roy Roundtree
-College:Roundtree redshirted for the 2008 season. He made his college debut on September 5, 2009 against the Western Michigan Broncos at Michigan Stadium as a slot receiver. That year he roomed with Trotwood teammates Shaw and Moore. He had just two receptions in the first eight games of the...
, taking the game to overtime. On its opening drive of overtime Forcier led Michigan down to the 8-yard line but then threw a tipped interception in the end zone, ending their threat. MSU's Larry Caper ended the game with a 23-yard TD run on 3rd down and 12, breaking three Michigan tackles that would have forced the Spartans to kick a field goal for the win.
The Spartans outgained the Wolverines 417 to 251 in total yards and won the rushing battle 197 to 28. It is the 37th time in the last 40 meetings that the team who has won the rushing battle won the game. Michigan State won by six points: the last six meetings between the two teams in East Lansing have been decided by seven points or less, or a difference of 25 points in all six games combined.
at Iowa
Week 6 brought the Wolverines to Iowa City, IowaIowa City, Iowa
Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa...
for a primetime duel against the Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa Hawkeyes football
The Iowa Hawkeyes football team is the interscholastic football team at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have competed in the Big Ten Conference since 1900, and are currently a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
. Michigan went up early in the 1st with an interception that was returned
Return yards
Return yards is an American football and Canadian football statistical measure that takes several forms. In American and Canadian football, progress is measured by advancing the football towards the opposing team's Goal line...
40 yards by Donovan Warren for a touchdown. Iowa responded a few minutes later with a 34-yard TD pass to Tony Moeaki
Tony Moeaki
Anthony "Tony" Moeaki is an American football tight end. He finished his senior season at Iowa with 30 catches for 387 yards and 4 touchdowns. Moeaki was considered one of the top tight end prospects for the 2010 NFL Draft....
from Ricky Stanzi
Ricky Stanzi
-Kansas City Chiefs:Stanzi was selected with the 135th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. Stanzi is second quarterback behind Tyler Palko. Regular starter Matt Cassel was placed on Injured Reserve, ending his 2011 season.-External links:***...
and took the lead with a 28-yard Daniel Murray field goal soon after. Michigan responded late in the quarter when Brandon Minor ran for a touchdown from 3 yards. Iowa added 10 more points in the 2nd quarter: first a 41-yard field goal, then a 1-yard TD run by Brandon Wegher, making the halftime score 20–14 Iowa.
The Hawkeyes opened the third quarter by booting a 40-yard field goal. Michigan responded with a 1-yard TD run late in the 3rd by Minor. Stanzi and Moeaki connected again for a 42-yard Iowa TD in the 4th. Michigan scored on a 3-yard TD run by QB Denard Robinson with about 4 minutes left and held Iowa to a 3-play drive, getting the ball back just down by 2 points (28-30). In the final minute of the game, Michigan drove down the field about 30 yards on an attempted drive to kick a game-winning field goal or TD, but Robinson threw a deep interception, sealing the Hawkeyes' victory.
Michigan turned the ball over five times and fell to 1–5 in Big Ten road games under Rich Rodriguez. Michigan QB Tate Forcier left the game with 7 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter; it was later discovered that he sustained a concussion during the game. Backup quarterback Denard Robinson served as an able replacement, leading the Wolverines on the TD drive to bring them to within 2 until he threw the game-losing interception on the final drive.
vs. Delaware State
In week 7, Michigan hosted the from Division-I FCS, in the first ever meeting between the two teams. Michigan dominated throughout the game. They scored 7 unanswered touchdowns in the first half, four in the first quarter alone: a Michael Shaw 2-yard run, a 6-yard run by Vincent Smith, a blocked punt that was picked up by Brandon GrahamBrandon Graham (American football)
Brandon Lee Graham is an American football defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Eagles in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft with the thirteenth selection in the draft and the first from the Big Ten Conference...
for a score, and a 38-yard catch by Kelvin Grady. In the second quarter, the Wolverines added three more touchdowns, on a 4-yard run by QB Denard Robinson, a 28-yard catch by Martell Webb, and a 7-yard run by Kevin Grady
Kevin Grady
-College career:Although football players had been enrolling early at Bowl Championship Series programs for several years, Grady was the first University of Michigan football player to do so. In subsequent years several other players followed his lead, including Justin Boren and Carlos Brown the...
. Delaware State finally got on the board just before halftime with a 26-yard field goal by Riley Flickinger.
The second half was more sedate. Neither team scored in the third quarter. In the fourth Delaware State kicked a second field goal, this time from 24 yards. Michigan's Michael Cox responded with two more touchdowns, from 57 and later 3 yards.
Several Michigan school records were broken or tied in the blowout
Blowout (sports)
A blowout is an easy or one-sided victory. It occurs when one athletic team or individual performer outscores another by a large margin or in such a fashion that allows the second team or individual little chance of a victory from a point early in a competition, game, contest or event...
win. The Wolverines' 727 yards of total offense
Total offense
Total offense is an American football and Canadian football statistic representing the total number of yards rushing and yards passing by a team or player...
set a new team record; the 442 total offensive yards in the first half alone also set a team record. Their 57 point win tied the second-biggest margin of victory for them since 1950, and tied for the eighth-largest margin of victory in school history. The 49 first half points was the team's second highest ever. The 28 point first quarter also tied a school record. Because of the effectiveness of the offense, the team did not punt the ball once, the first time this has happened since 1978.
vs. Penn State
In week 8, Michigan hosted the Penn State Nittany LionsPenn State Nittany Lions football
The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...
at rain soaked Michigan Stadium. Michigan got an early lead after the first drive of the game when Brandon Minor ran in a TD from one yard out. Penn State tied the score with a 10-yard TD catch by Graham Zug
Graham Zug
Graham Alan Zug is a former collegiate American football wide receiver who played for the Penn State Nittany Lions.-Early years:...
from Daryll Clark
Daryll Clark
Daryll Lawrence Clark is a football quarterback who is currently a member of the Chicago Rush. He was signed by the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League as an free agent in 2010. He played collegiately for the Penn State Nittany Lions. He is the Nittany Lions' all-time leader in...
, and took the lead for good on a 34-yard field goal by Collin Wagner. In the second quarter Michigan surrendered a safety after a bad snap in the end zone. On the ensuing possession, the Nittany Lions scored on a 60-yard TD pass to Andrew Quarless
Andrew Quarless
Andrew Christopher Quarless is an American football player for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He played college football at Penn State under Joe Paterno...
. Michigan responded with a 23-yard field goal, making the halftime score 19–10.
Penn State dominated the second half, shutting out the Wolverines. The Nittany Lions added 13 points to their lead off of two Graham Zug TD catches in the third quarter, from 11 and 17-yard respectively. Penn State capped off their victory with a 29-yard field goal in the 4th.
Michigan suffered their first home loss of the season. This was the first time the Wolverines had lost to Penn State at home since 1996, ending a five-game losing streak for the Nittany Lions in Ann Arbor. Penn State defeated Michigan for the second straight season, its first win streak versus the Wolverines since a three-game streak from 1994–96.
at Illinois
In week 9, the Wolverines traveled to Champaign, IllinoisChampaign, Illinois
Champaign is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, in the United States. The city is located south of Chicago, west of Indianapolis, Indiana, and 178 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri. Though surrounded by farm communities, Champaign is notable for sharing the campus of the University of...
for a Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
afternoon contest with the Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois Fighting Illini football
The Illinois Fighting Illini are a major college football program, representing the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. They compete in NCAA Division I-A and the Big Ten Conference.-Current staff:-All-time win/loss/tie record:*563-513-51...
. Illinois scored first midway through the first quarter with a 3-yard TD run by Arrelious Benn
Arrelious Benn
-External links:**...
. Michigan tied it up with a 2-yard TD run by Carlos Brown. The Wolverines kicked two field goals in the second quarter, from 29 and 42 yards out respectively, making the score at halftime 13–7 in their favor.
For the second straight game, Michigan was held scoreless in the second half. Illinois held the Wolverines on a goal line stand; on the following possession, Illini RB Mikel LeShoure
Mikel Leshoure
Mikel Leshoure is an American football running back for the Detroit Lions.-Early years:Leshoure attended Centennial High School in Champaign, Illinois...
ran in a 70-yard TD. A few minutes later, London Davis caught a 2-yard TD pass. QB Isiah Williams
Isiah Williams
Isiah John "Juice" Williams is an American football quarterback who is currently signed to the Chicago Slaughter of the Indoor Football League. He was undrafted in 2010...
ran in a TD himself from 3 yards out for Illinois' third score of the quarter. In the fourth quarter, Illinois kicked a 23-yard field goal and capped off their scoring with a 79-yard TD run by Jason Ford. It was Michigan's first loss at Illinois since 1983.
vs. Purdue
In week 10, Michigan hosted the Purdue BoilermakersPurdue Boilermakers football
The Purdue Boilermakers football team is the intercollegiate football program of the Purdue University Boilermakers. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big Ten Conference. The Boilermakers have an all-time record of...
. In the first quarter, Purdue scored first with a 35-yard TD catch by Ralph Bolden. Michigan tied the score with a 29-yard TD run by Brandon Minor. Purdue retook the lead with a 41-yard field goal by Carson Wiggs. Michigan tied the score soon after with a 51-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Michigan scored 2 touchdowns: a 55-yard rush by Brandon Minor, and a 43-yard catch by Ray Roundtree, giving the Wolverines a 14-point advantage at halftime.
Once again, Michigan collapsed in the second half. In the third quarter, Purdue's Ralph Bolden scored his second TD of the game with a 19-yard run. Michigan QB Forcier responded with a 6-yard TD run, but the point after touchdown attempt failed. Ralph Bolden scored his third touchdown of the day soon after with a 10-yard rush. Next, Purdue's Cortez Smith caught a 54-yard TD pass. In the fourth quarter, Purdue QB Joey Elliot ran in a 8-yard TD. Michigan's Minor then ran in a TD from 1-yard out. The Wolverines attempted to tie the game but Forcier failed to reach the end zone on a 2 point conversion, sealing the victory for the Boilermakers. It was Michigan's first home loss to Purdue since 1966.
at Wisconsin
For their final road game of the season, the Wolverines traveled to Madison, WisconsinMadison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
to play the Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin Badgers football
The Wisconsin Badgers are a college football program that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games at Camp Randall Stadium, the fourth-oldest stadium in college football...
. Wisconsin scored first with a 22-yard TD pass by Scott Tolzien
Scott Tolzien
-San Diego Chargers:Tolzien was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent following the 2011 NFL Draft on July 26, 2011. He was subsequently released by the team on September 3, 2011.-External links:*...
to Garrett Graham
Garrett Graham
Graham was selected in the 4th round with the 118th overall pick by the Houston Texans.-External links:*...
. Michigan tied the score with a 21-yard Tate Forcier TD pass to Vincent Smith. In the second quarter, the teams traded the lead. First, Michigan took the lead with a 37-yard Jason Olesnavage field goal. Wisconsin then went ahead with a 8-yard TD pass to Nick Toon
Nick Toon
Nick Toon is an American football wide receiver for the Wisconsin Badgers. He is the son of former New York Jets and Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Al Toon.-College Stats:-External links:*...
. Michigan went back ahead when Ryan Van Bergen
Ryan Van Bergen
-College:Made one start as a redshirt freshman for the 2008 Wolverines on October 11 against . Following the 2008 season, Michigan had to replace three starting senior co-captain defensive linemen: Terrance Taylor, Tim Jamison and Will Johnson....
picked up Scott Tolzien's fumble (forced by Brandon Graham) and ran it back 14 yards for a touchdown. Wisconsin responded with a 1-yard TD run by John Clay
John Clay (running back)
John Clay is an American football running back. He currently plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers, practice squad, of the National Football League. He was signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football for the University of Wisconsin–Madison football team...
, making the halftime score 21–17 Wisconsin.
In the third quarter, Toon scored another TD off a 15-yard catch. Michigan responded with a 10-yard catch by Ray Roundtree. Wisconsin then scored 17 unanswered points, starting with a 7-yard TD catch by Lance Kendricks
Lance Kendricks
Lance Kendricks is an American football tight end with the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. Prior to the 2011 NFL Draft, Kendricks was considered one of the top tight end prospects....
. In the fourth quarter the Badgers sealed their victory with a 1-yard TD run by Tolzien and a 28-yard field goal by Philip Welch.
The game was Michigan's third straight loss at Wisconsin. It was also Michigan's 6th straight conference loss, the first time this has happened since the 1958–59 seasons. The Wolverines' record fell to 5–6; they needed to win next week to become bowl eligibile.
vs. Ohio State
In the last game of the season, Michigan hosted their arch rivalsMichigan-Ohio State rivalry
The Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry, also known as The Game, is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Wolverines of the University of Michigan and the Buckeyes of The Ohio State University...
the #9 nationally ranked Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State Buckeyes football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
, in the 106th meeting between the two teams. Ohio State scored first when Michigan QB Forcier fumbled while scrambling in the end zone; the ball was recovered by Ohio State's Cameron Heyward
Cameron Heyward
-Pittsburgh Steelers:Heyward was drafted in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.On July 29, 2011, Heyward signed a four-year deal with an option of a fifth year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers...
for a TD. Michigan's only score of the first half was a 46-yard field goal. Ohio State's Brandon Saine
Brandon Saine
Brandon Croft Saine is an American football running back for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football at Ohio State University. He played high school football and ran track for the Piqua Indians...
ran in a 29-yard TD late in the second quarter to make it 14–3 at halftime.
In the third quarter Michigan closed to within four off of Vincent Smith's 18-yard TD catch. Ohio State re-extended their lead to eleven a few minutes later with a 12-yard TD catch by Daniel Herron
Daniel Herron
Daniel "Boom" Herron is a senior running back at Ohio State University. Herron played football at Warren G. Harding High School in Warren, OH. Herron was recruited by Jim Tressel. Herron's dad is a preacher...
. Michigan attempted to come back in the fourth quarter, but all of their drives except the last were ended by interceptions. The Wolverines came closest with eight minutes left, when Forcier was intercepted in the end zone by Buckeye CB Devon Torrence. On their last play of the game, the Wolverines were penalized for being in an illegal formation with five players in the backfield; this penalty was declined, giving the ball back to Ohio State on downs and ending the game after the Buckeyes ran out the clock.
It was Ohio State's sixth straight win over Michigan, their longest winning streak of the series. QB Tate Forcier had perhaps his worst game this season, throwing four interceptions and turning over a fumble for a TD; prior to this game he had only thrown six interceptions all year. He became just the second Michigan quarterback to throw four interceptions against Ohio State in the last 60 years. Michigan's six-game losing streak to Ohio State is the third-longest streak to a single opponent in school history. The loss left Michigan's final record at 5–7, short of the six wins needed for bowl eligibility. During the game, Brandon Graham posted 5 solo tackles
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
for a loss, to clinch the national statisitical championship.
Statistics
The offense rebounded from their 2008 performance to finish third in the Big Ten in scoring. However, Michigan ranked last in the Big Ten and 115th out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision schools in turnover margin.Graham was the national statistical champion in tackles for a loss (TFL) per game. Mesko led the Big Ten in punting average and Graham led the conference in total tackles for a loss. Graham posted 26 TFLs in 12 games, which led the nation with 2.17 average tackles for a loss per game (ahead of conference rival O'Brien Schofield
O'Brien Schofield
O'Brien Schofield is an American football linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. As a fifth-year redshirt senior for the 2009 Wisconsin Badgers he ranked second in the nation in tackles for a loss and second in the Big Ten Conference in quarterback sacks...
who was second with 1.884). Graham also defended his Big Ten total TFLs championship over Schofield by a 26–24.5 margin. Mesko led the Big Ten in punting average and was eighth in the nation with a 44.46 average.
The per game team rankings below include 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams and 11 Big Ten Conference teams:
| Category | National Rank | Actual | National Leader | Actual | Conference Rank | Big Ten Conference Leader | Actual |
| Rushing Offense | 25 | 186.17 | Nevada 2009 Nevada Wolf Pack football team The 2009 Nevada Wolf Pack football team represented the University of Nevada, Reno in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wolf Pack were led by head coach Chris Ault, entering his 25th overall season at Nevada, and 6th season since becoming the head coach for the third time in 2004.... |
344.92 | 4 | Wisconsin 2009 Wisconsin Badgers football team The 2009 Wisconsin Badgers football team competed on behalf of the University of Wisconsin–Madison during the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Badgers were coached by Bret Bielema and played their home games at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin... |
203.85 |
| Passing Offense | 81 | 198.33 | Houston 2009 Houston Cougars football team The 2009 Houston Cougars football team, also known as the Houston Cougars, Houston, or UH, represented the University of Houston in the college football 2009–2010 season. It was the 64th year of season play for Houston. The team was coached by second year head football coach, Kevin Sumlin... |
433.71 | 9 | Northwestern 2009 Northwestern Wildcats football team The 2009 Northwestern Wildcats football team represented Northwestern University in the Big Ten during the 2009–2010 college football season. Pat Fitzgerald, in his fourth season at Northwestern, was the team's head coach. The Wildcats home games were played at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois... |
286.54 |
| Total Offense | 59 | 384.50 | Houston | 563.36 | 7 | Wisconsin | 416.92 |
| Scoring Offense | 41 | 29.50 | Houston | 42.21 | 3 | Wisconsin | 31.77 |
| Rushing Defense | 91 | 171.92 | Texas | 72.36 | 10 | Wisconsin | 88.23 |
| Pass Efficiency Defense | 70 | 131.79 | Nebraska 2009 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team The 2009 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cornhuskers played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska and were led by head coach Bo Pelini... |
87.28 | 8 | Iowa 2009 Iowa Hawkeyes football team The 2009 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa and the Iowa Hawkeyes athletic program during the 2009 college football season. The team played its home games at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. 2009 marked Kirk Ferentz's 11th year as head coach of Iowa... |
89.99 |
| Total Defense | 82 | 393.33 | TCU 2009 TCU Horned Frogs football team The 2009 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University in the 2009 college football season. The team was coached by Gary Patterson. The Frogs played their home games at Amon G. Carter Stadium, which is located on campus in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs finished the season... |
239.69 | 9 | Ohio St. 2009 Ohio State Buckeyes football team The 2009 Ohio State Buckeyes football team competed in football on behalf of The Ohio State University for the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Buckeyes were coached by Jim Tressel and played their home games in Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. They finished with a record of 11–2 and... |
262.31 |
| Scoring Defense | 77 | 27.50 | Nebraska | 10.43 | 8 | Penn St. 2009 Penn State Nittany Lions football team The 2009 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the 2009 college football season. The team is coached by Joe Paterno and plays its home games in Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. Penn State had the highest graduation rate among all of... |
12.23 |
| Net Punting | 3 | 40.93 | Georgia 2009 Georgia Bulldogs football team The 2009 Georgia Bulldogs football team represented the University of Georgia in 2009. The Bulldogs competed in the East Division of the Southeastern Conference . This was the Georgia Bulldogs' ninth season head coach Mark Richt. The Bulldogs finished the season 8–5, 4–4 in SEC play and won the... |
41.95 | 1 | Michigan | 40.93 |
| Punt Returns | 62 | 8.67 | LSU 2009 LSU Tigers football team The 2009 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University in the college football season of 2009–2010. The team's head coach was Les Miles who served his fifth year at the helm of LSU football. They played their home games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana... |
18.85 | 3 | Minnesota 2009 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team The 2009 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team was the third under head coach Tim Brewster. They began play on September 5, 2009, at Syracuse, a member of the Big East Conference. On September 12, the Minnesota opened the new TCF Bank Stadium with a 20–13 win against Air Force, moving from the... |
14.67 |
| Kickoff Returns | 23 | 23.80 | TCU | 29.24 | 3 | Michigan St. 2009 Michigan State Spartans football team The 2009 Michigan State Spartans football team competed on behalf of the Michigan State University in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Spartans were coached by Mark Dantonio, who was in his third season with the Spartans... |
25.85 |
| Turnover Margin | 115 | ||||||
| Air Force 2009 Air Force Falcons football team The 2009 Air Force Falcons football team represented the United States Air Force Academy during the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Air Force competed as a member of the Mountain West Conference. The Falcons were coached by third-year head coach Troy Calhoun... |
1.69 | 11 | Ohio St. | 1.31 | |||
| Pass Defense | 67 | 221.42 | Eastern Mich. 2009 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team The 2009 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team represented Eastern Michigan University in the college football season of 2009. They competed in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football during the football season... |
150.50 | 7 | Iowa | 152.92 |
| Passing Efficiency | 76 | 124.09 | Florida 2009 Florida Gators football team The 2009 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2009 college football season... |
167.31 | 8 | Michigan St. | 145.01 |
| Sacks | 68 | 1.83 | Pittsburgh 2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team The 2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The season was the fifth under head coach Dave Wannstedt. The 2009 season marked the team's ninth at Heinz Field and the University's 120th season overall. The 2009... |
3.62 | 9 | Penn St. | 2.85 |
| Tackles For Loss | 20 | 7.00 | Rutgers 2009 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team The 2009 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University in the 2009 college football season. Their head coach was Greg Schiano and they played their home games at Rutgers Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey. The Scarlet Knights finished the season 9–4, 3–4 in Big East play and... |
8.69 | 3 | Penn St. | 8.08 |
| Sacks Allowed | 83 | 2.33 | Boise St. 2009 Boise State Broncos football team The 2009 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2009 college football season. The Broncos played their home games at Bronco Stadium, most famous for its blue artificial turf surface, often referred to as the "smurf-turf"... |
.36 | 8 | Michigan St. | 1.08 |
The per game rankings below include players who have played in 75% of team's games and are ranked in the top 100 national leaders and top 25 conference leaders:
| Category | Player | National Rank | Actual | National Leader | Actual | Conference Rank | Big Ten Conference Leader | Actual |
| Rushing | Brandon Minor Brandon Minor Brandon Ricardo Minor is an American football running back who is currently a member of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He was signed by the Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2010, but after being released during the final cuts, he has been on the New Orleans Saints and... |
50.20 | Ryan Mathews Ryan Mathews (American football) -San Diego Chargers:On August 1, 2010, Mathews signed a five-year, $26.65 million contract with the Chargers. The deal includes $15 million guaranteed.... |
150.67 | 11 | John Clay John Clay (running back) John Clay is an American football running back. He currently plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers, practice squad, of the National Football League. He was signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football for the University of Wisconsin–Madison football team... |
116.69 | |
| Carlos Brown Carlos Brown (American football) -Freshman year:Brown played in 7 games as a freshman in 2006 and earned his first varsity letter. In limited action, Brown carried 16 times for 41 yards.-Sophomore year:... |
43.64 | 14 | ||||||
| Vincent Smith | 30.67 | 18 | ||||||
| Denard Robinson Denard Robinson Denard Xavier Robinson , nicknamed Shoelace, is an American football player who is playing his junior season for the 2011 Michigan Wolverines football team. He started at quarterback in all 13 games for the Michigan Wolverines football team in 2010... |
29.25 | 19 | ||||||
| Passing Efficiency (Min. 15 Att./Game) | Tate Forcier Tate Forcier Robert Patrick "Tate" Forcier is an American college football quarterback. He was a starting quarterback for the 2009 Michigan Wolverines football team ahead of Denard Robinson and Robinson's back up for the 2010 Michigan Wolverines football team before leaving the program in January 2011... |
64 | 128.15 | Tim Tebow Tim Tebow Timothy Richard "Tim" Tebow is an American football player who is currently the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Broncos as the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft... |
164.17 | 9 | Scott Tolzien Scott Tolzien -San Diego Chargers:Tolzien was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent following the 2011 NFL Draft on July 26, 2011. He was subsequently released by the team on September 3, 2011.-External links:*... |
142.99 |
| Total Offense | Tate Forcier | 80 | 190.83 | Case Keenum Case Keenum Casey Austin "Case" Keenum is a redshirt senior quarterback for the Houston Cougars football team. Keenum has already set several school records at the University of Houston and has positioned himself to become the NCAA's all-time leader in total passing yards in 2011... |
416.36 | 10 | Mike Kafka Mike Kafka Michael John "Mike" Kafka is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Eagles in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Northwestern.Kafka attended St. Rita of Cascia High School in Chicago,... |
286.54 |
| Brandon Minor | 50.20 | 22 | ||||||
| Denard Robinson Denard Robinson Denard Xavier Robinson , nicknamed Shoelace, is an American football player who is playing his junior season for the 2011 Michigan Wolverines football team. He started at quarterback in all 13 games for the Michigan Wolverines football team in 2010... |
44.92 | 24 | ||||||
| Carlos Brown | 43.64 | 25 | ||||||
| Receptions Per Game | Roy Roundtree | 2.91 | Freddie Barnes Freddie Barnes Freddie Lee Barnes is an American football wide receiver currently a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2010... |
11.92 | 21 | Keith Smith (Purdue) | 7.58 | |
| Receiving Yards Per Game | Roy Roundtree | 39.45 | Danario Alexander Danario Alexander Danario Alexander is an American football wide receiver for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. While considered by some to be a prime wide receiver prospect for the 2010 NFL Draft, Alexander was not drafted. On August 22, 2010, St... |
137.00 | 22 | Smith (Purdue) | 91.67 | |
| Interceptions | Donovan Warren Donovan Warren -College career:As a true freshman at Michigan, Warren played in all 13 season games while starting 11 of them at cornerback. He recorded 52 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, one interception and six pass breakups... |
T-49 | .33 | Rahim Moore Rahim Moore -Denver Broncos:Moore was taken 13th in the 2nd round, 45th overall, by the Denver Broncos in the 2011 NFL Draft. Moore made his regular season debut on September 12, 2011 and recorded four solo tackles in the Broncos season-opening 23-20 defeat to the Oakland Raiders... |
.77 | T-6 | Sherrick McManis Sherrick McManis Sherrick Terravis McManis is an American football cornerback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Texans in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft... |
.50 |
| Jonas Mouton | .18 | T-18 | ||||||
| Punting (Min. 3.6 Punts/Game) | Zoltan Mesko Zoltan Mesko (American football) Zoltán Meskó is a Romanian-born American football punter for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan. A native of Romania , he emigrated with his family to the United... |
8 | 44.46 | Drew Butler Drew Butler Drew Butler is an American football punter in his junior year for the 2011 Georgia Bulldogs. He is the son of Kevin Butler. Butler led the nation in punting average for the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. He was a unanimous first team selection to the 2009 College Football All-America... |
48.05 | 1 | Mesko (Michigan) | 44.46 |
| Punt Returns (Min. 1.2 Ret./Game) | Greg Reid Greg Reid Greg Reid is a collegiate football cornerback and punt returner for the Florida State Seminoles. He led college football in yards per punt return in 2009, and was named defensive MVP in the 2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl.-High school career:... |
18.43 | Colin Sandeman | 9.00 | ||||
| Kickoff Returns (Min. 1.2 Ret./Game) | Darryl Stonum | T-32 | 25.67 | Ray Fisher | 37.35 | 3 | Fisher (Indiana) | 37.35 |
| Field Goals | Jason Olesnavage | T-85 | .92 | Kai Forbath Kai Forbath Kai August Forbath is an American football placekicker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was a very successful placekicker for the University of California, Los Angeles... |
2.15 | 10 | Daniel Murray Daniel Murray Daniel Murray or Dan Murray may refer to:* Daniel Murray , Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin* Daniel Murray , Canadian mathematician... |
1.46 |
| Scoring | Jason Olesnavage | 6.25 | Toby Gerhart Toby Gerhart Toby Gerhart is a professional football player, a running back for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was a consensus All-American running back at Stanford and was selected in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft, the 51st overall pick. In 2009 Gerhart won the Doak Walker... |
13.23 | 10 | Clay (Wisconsin) | 8.31 | |
| Brandon Minor | 4.80 | T-13 | ||||||
| All-Purpose Runners | Darryl Stonum | 100 | 100.00 | Damaris Johnson Damaris Johnson Damaris Johnson is an American college football player. He is currently a wide receiver and return specialist for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane of the University of Tulsa.-Early years:... |
224.42 | 6 | Tandon Doss Tandon Doss Tandon Mic Doss is an American football wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens. He played collegiately for Indiana University... |
138.83 |
| Sacks | Brandon Graham Brandon Graham (American football) Brandon Lee Graham is an American football defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Eagles in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft with the thirteenth selection in the draft and the first from the Big Ten Conference... |
14 | .88 | Von Miller Von Miller Von Miller is an American football linebacker for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted second overall by the Broncos in the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas A&M.... |
1.31 | 4 | Ryan Kerrigan Ryan Kerrigan Patrick Ryan Kerrigan is an American football linebacker for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Redskins with the 16th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers.-Early years:Kerrigan attended Muncie Central High... |
1.08 |
| Ryan Van Bergen | .42 | 15 | ||||||
| Tackles | Stevie Brown | 6.67 | Carmen Messina | 13.50 | 20 | Greg Jones Greg Jones (linebacker b. 1988) Greg Jones II is an American football linebacker for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was selected by the New York Giants in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State University.-Early years:Jones attended Archbishop Moeller High... |
11.85 | |
| Tackles For Loss | Brandon Graham | 1 | 2.17 | Graham (Michigan) | 2.17 | 1 | Graham (Michigan) | 2.17 |
| Mike Martin | .71 | T-23 |
Postseason recognition
At the conclusion of the season, Graham earned the Chicago Tribune Silver FootballChicago Tribune Silver Football
The Chicago Tribune Silver Football is awarded by the Chicago Tribune to the college football player determined to be the best player from the Big Ten Conference. The award has been presented annually since 1924, when Red Grange of Illinois was the award's first recipient.The winner of the Silver...
Big Ten co-MVP award. Graham and Mesko earned numerous 2009 College Football All-America Team
2009 College Football All-America Team
An All-American team is an honorary sports team for a specific season composed of the best amateur players at each position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply "All-Americans". Although the honorees generally do not...
recognitions. Several Michigan players earned 2009 All-Big Ten Conference
2009 Big Ten Conference football season
The 2009 Big Ten Conference football season was the 114th for the conference, and saw Ohio State conclude the regular season as Big Ten Conference champion for the 5th consecutive time, their 34th Big Ten title. This earned them the conference's automatic selection to a Bowl Championship Series...
recognition: Graham and Mesko were first-team (coaches and media). Donovan Warren
Donovan Warren
-College career:As a true freshman at Michigan, Warren played in all 13 season games while starting 11 of them at cornerback. He recorded 52 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, one interception and six pass breakups...
(first-team media and second-team coaches) and Schilling (honorable mention coaches and media) were also recognized. Mesko was a first-team Academic All-American. Graham also earned the MVP award at the January 30, 2010 Senior Bowl
2010 Senior Bowl
The 2010 Under Armour Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game featuring players from the 2009 college football season, and prospects for the 2010 Draft of the professional National Football League , as well as for the United Football League's inaugural draft.The game was played...
.
Graham was co-winner of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football
Chicago Tribune Silver Football
The Chicago Tribune Silver Football is awarded by the Chicago Tribune to the college football player determined to be the best player from the Big Ten Conference. The award has been presented annually since 1924, when Red Grange of Illinois was the award's first recipient.The winner of the Silver...
as the Big Ten co-MVPs with Penn State's Daryll Clark
Daryll Clark
Daryll Lawrence Clark is a football quarterback who is currently a member of the Chicago Rush. He was signed by the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League as an free agent in 2010. He played collegiately for the Penn State Nittany Lions. He is the Nittany Lions' all-time leader in...
, marking the first time the award has been shared. Three Michigan players, Warren (Junior cornerback), Brandon Graham (Senior defensive end), and Mesko (Senior punter) were named to the All Big Ten First Team, and Stephen Schilling (Senior left guard) received honorable mention. Offensive lineman David Moosman also received the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. Mesko was one of fifteen FBS athletes selected as a first-team Academic All-American. Michigan had 10 athletes recognized as fall term of the 2009-10 Academic All-Conference selections for being letterwinners who are in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a cumulative grade point average: Matt Cavanaugh, Jon Conover, John Ferrara, J.B. Fitzgerald, Will Heininger, Zac Johnson, Zoltan Mesko, Tim North, Jason Olesnavage, and Mike Therman. Seniors Zoltan Mesko (2nd team WCFF, Scout, Rivals, AP; honorable mention SI, CFN, PFW) and Brandon Graham (1st team Scout, Rivals; 2nd team WCFF, AP, SI, CFN; honorable mention PFW) were named All-Americans by the Walter Camp Football Foundation
Walter Camp Football Foundation
The Walter Camp Football Foundation is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the NCAA. The organization also presents various awards.-Awards:*Walter Camp Player of the Year*CT Player of the Year...
, Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
, Pro Football Weekly
Pro Football Weekly
Pro Football Weekly is an American sports magazine, founded in 1967, that covers the National Football League...
, Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
& Scout.com
Scout.com
Scout.com is an integrated sports publishing company that produces both an Internet and print product. Scout has more than 2.1 million visitors...
. Graham was also a first team selection by ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and a second team selection by the Sporting News. Brandon Graham earned MVP honors at the January 30, 2010 Senior Bowl
2010 Senior Bowl
The 2010 Under Armour Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game featuring players from the 2009 college football season, and prospects for the 2010 Draft of the professional National Football League , as well as for the United Football League's inaugural draft.The game was played...
with five tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble.
In December 2009, Warren declared himself eligible for the 2010 NFL Draft
2010 NFL Draft
The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. Unlike previous years, the 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first round on Thursday, April 22, 2010, at 7:30 pm...
. Other athletes to participate at the NFL Scouting Combine were Graham, Mesko and Minor. Graham, Mesko and Stevie Brown
Stevie Brown
-College:At Michigan, he was elected captain as a senior. Over the course of his career he had 31 special teams tackles, including 11 as a sophomore when he led the 2007 team. As a senior, he led the 2009 Wolverines in tackles with 80...
were drafted 13th, 150th and 251st overall, respectively. Warren went undrafted but signed with the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
as an undrafted free agent.
2010 NFL Draft
Co-captains Graham, Mesko and Brown were drafted in the 2010 NFL Draft, and immediately following the draft Donovan WarrenDonovan Warren
-College career:As a true freshman at Michigan, Warren played in all 13 season games while starting 11 of them at cornerback. He recorded 52 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, one interception and six pass breakups...
was signed by the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Other draft weekend free agent signees included Greg Mathews
Greg Mathews (American football)
-College career:Had a streak of 23 consecutive games with at least one reception starting with the 2007 Michigan Wolverines football season the opening game against the two-time defending FCS champion Appalachian State Mountaineers in.-Pre-draft:-Chicago Bears:...
and Brandon Minor
Brandon Minor
Brandon Ricardo Minor is an American football running back who is currently a member of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He was signed by the Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2010, but after being released during the final cuts, he has been on the New Orleans Saints and...
with the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Mark Ortmann
Mark Ortmann (American football)
-College career:At Michigan, he was a three-year letterman, playing in 36 career contests, starting in 25 career games: made 21 starts at left tackle, two at right tackle and two at left guard during his career. He was elected captain as a fifth-year senior...
with the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
, David Moosman
David Moosman
David Benjamin Moosman is an American football player who was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as a free agent following the 2010 NFL Draft...
with the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Carlos Brown
Carlos Brown (American football)
-Freshman year:Brown played in 7 games as a freshman in 2006 and earned his first varsity letter. In limited action, Brown carried 16 times for 41 yards.-Sophomore year:...
with the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
.
| Pick # | NFL Team | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| First round | |||
| 13 | Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... (from San Francisco via Denver) |
Brandon Graham Brandon Graham (American football) Brandon Lee Graham is an American football defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Eagles in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft with the thirteenth selection in the draft and the first from the Big Ten Conference... |
Defensive end Defensive end Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years... |
| Fifth round | |||
| 150 | New England Patriots New England Patriots The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National... (from Houston) |
Zoltan Mesko Zoltan Mesko (American football) Zoltán Meskó is a Romanian-born American football punter for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan. A native of Romania , he emigrated with his family to the United... |
Punter |
| Seventh round | |||
| 251 | Oakland Raiders Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
Stevie Brown Stevie Brown -College:At Michigan, he was elected captain as a senior. Over the course of his career he had 31 special teams tackles, including 11 as a sophomore when he led the 2007 team. As a senior, he led the 2009 Wolverines in tackles with 80... |
Safety |
Roster
| 2009 Michigan Wolverines roster | ||||||||
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Fullbacks
Slot Receivers
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
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Offensive Line
Linebackers
Outside Linebackers
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Defensive Ends
Defensive Tackles
Cornerbacks
Safeties
Punters
Place Kickers
Kickers
Long Snappers
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Head coach
Coordinators/Assistant coaches
---- Legend
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On December 12, 2008 RB Sam McGuffie announced he was leaving Michigan for a school closer to home because of family issues. On February 16, 2009, starting quarterback Steven Threet told Michigan he would transfer before the start of the 2009 season. On October 27, 2009, starting cornerback Boubacar Cissoko was kicked off the team for missing class, workouts and study table according to his high school coach Thomas Wilcher
Thomas Wilcher
Thomas Wilcher is a high school athletic coach who was previously a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I track and field national champion in the indoor 55 m hurdles and a three-time NCAA All-American in track and field for the University of Michigan. Wilcher was also a running...
. He also stated that he expected Cissoko to seek a transfer.
External links
- 2009 Football Team -- Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan Athletics History
- 2009 Michigan at NCAA.org
- 2009 statistics at ESPN.comESPN.comESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's...