5. Kicking Game Solidified-

Lloyd Carr praised new starting kicker Jason Gingell at the start of the season, but when the bright lights came on he proved that he wasn't ready for the pressure.

Gingell missed one field goal each against Appalachain State and Oregon and had the final kick blocked against the Mountaineers to seal UM's fate. The blocked kick was mainly Shawn Crable's fault for missing a block but Gingell did kick the ball fairly low on the play as well.

He missed another field goal against Penn State and then two more at Northwestern and was 3-of-9 on the season.

Michigan made the switch to K.C. Lopata going into the Eastern Michigan game and Lopata has responded by going 8-for-8 on the season.

4. Confidence-

Getting Notre Dame at home was the perfect cure what ailed Michigan. The Wolverines were able to take out their frustrations on another storied program that was down in the dumps and the confidence from that win carried over into the following week against Penn State.

3. A New Focus-

Once the Big Ten season started, the Wolverines treated it like a new season and re-focused on their new goal of winning the Big Ten championship. They were able to distance themselves from the negativity and start with a clean slate.

2. The Familiarity Factor-

Michigan's coaches didn't have their team prepared for Appalachain State, and they admitted as much after the game.

The Wolverines' offensive line dwarfed ASU's D-line and UM figured they could run all over the Mountaineers. But what they didn't predict was that they'd fall behind early and be forced to throw.

Against Oregon, UM's defense was confused and unsure of itself due to youth and especially coaching.

Now that UM is in the Big Ten part of its schedule, the coaches have devised better game plans almost every week against teams they've seen before tons of times both live and on film.

1. A Young Defense Matures-

UM had to replace four players picked in the first two rounds on defense alone and came into the year with several new starters. The defense started out slow but has matured into a pretty solid unit overall.

A few changes also helped tremendously. Sophomore defensive end and former 5-star prospect Brandon Graham has been the biggest difference maker. The Detroit native was limited by injuries and hardly played in the first two games but has bounced back to lead the team in sacks with eight, looking like the second coming of LaMarr Woodley with his combination of strength and speed.

Johnny Sears was torched in the first two games but has since been replaced by freshman Donovan Warren, who has played well beyond his years and looks like a future star.

Finally, Stevie Brown got the start at free safety against ASU but played timidly and gave up some big plays. Since then, senior Brandent Englemon has stepped up and provided steady play for most of the season. This unit has quickly become a strength and is packed with former highly-touted recruits.

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Lloyds Apple said:

Michigan worries me but in no way scares me. What worries me is a healthy Hart in the backfield. What makes me feel better is Chad Henne. I understand he is good but I just don't respect him. It will be interesting to see if Michigan can handle OSU's offense, which is balance and in my opinion better than last year. The o-line is better, QB is about equal (yeah, I know T. Smith won the heisman), WR's are about equal and RB's are about equal. But really, I'd take Beanie over Pitt any day of the week. And the defense is better than last year. Hopefully you guys lose to OSU but beat up either a PAC 10 or SEC school in your bowl game. Michigan is not better than last year, though your running game could be tough. Manningham is great, should have gone to OSU. Damn him! I thought you guys struggled against Illinois. If Michigan can win out leading up to OSU, they'll have earned more of my respect. The App. State loss, as much as it was funny, kind of pissed me off. No excuse for that other than it was a Lloyd Carr team bound for huge letdowns. Steamrolling through the Big Ten now just makes the conference look horrible. The final game, once again, looks to be INTENSE. I'm just not sold on Michigan yet, even if they are wiping through the Big Ten. Most of all, I think their DB's will struggle, basically because they always do. Plus, Lloyd Carr vs. JT, I take JT.

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October 29, 2007
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wpeery said:

	Good analysis Nick! I liked the article man and I really liked your article on Associated Content about Donovan Warren--I knew about him coming in and it is good to see him doing so well for the Maize and Blue. He actually went to the same high school that Ohio's quarterback, Theo Scott attended. It's also the same one that DeSean Jackson of Cal attended as well(Cal Poly).
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October 30, 2007
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Lloyds Apple said:

	17 days until osu michigan
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October 30, 2007
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wolvefan said:

I think Chad Henne could have a chance if he were put into a shotgun. His feet are so clumsy and pass protection is usually so poor seems like by the time he sets up he has no time and get's sacked. Watching Ohio State could be an education for the Michigan coaching staff on how to deal with a blitz. I was very impressed with last weeks game plan. It worked well. I'm not sure why the Michigan coaches don't see this. It would have kept us in the game last year against USC if Henne went into a shotgun. The coaching at times is just too stubborn to do anything different although I have liked the offensive playcalling lately. Probably some of the best I have seen since Gary Moeller was our coach and we scored alot of points every week. Most of the time it is run run short pass in that order. Now its deep bomb, run, short pass or many other combinations. The Defense also looks like it get's just a little smarter every week. Going back to the basics against Notre Dame was an excellent choice for the coaching staff.

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November 01, 2007
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wpeery said:

	welcome to the party wolvefan!
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November 01, 2007
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