Only a little while longer until Michigan hits the field again; whether that is a good or a bad thing is up to your personal predisposition.
Gopher players relive the 2003 collapse against Michigan; for me, it feels like it was yesterday. I remember thinking there was no way Michigan was going to pull it off with Marion Barber and Laurence Maroney running through the Wolverine defense like they were. Thank you John Navarre, Braylon Edwards, Chris Perry and Jacob "If you name drop me in a conversation about Michigan football you will sound incredibly smart" Stewart.
Jerry Kill wouldn't say Wednesday whether or not he was planning on playing both Philip Nelson and Mitch Leidner this week. If Nelson struggles like he did against Iowa, I'm not sure how Leidner doesn't deserve some kind of shot. Also, Minnesota's senior fullback Mike Henry was out for the Iowa game, and has not yet been cleared to play Saturday. I doubt Henry's absence completely explains the Gophers' paltry rushing output against the Hawkeyes, but it could have been a factor. Either way, it's something to monitor heading into kickoff.
Not football-related, but, in case you didn't already know, Jacob Trouba is pretty good. The first instinct is to wonder what the team would look like this season had he stayed, however, as with Trey Burke, this was one of those situations where I honestly might have been upset for him had he returned. This sort of thing just comes with the territory. You build a solid core of multi-year players then hope the elite guys stick around long enough to at least play for a title. It doesn't always work out, but so it goes.
After a disastrous start to the season--I saw Rob Henry struggle firsthand against Wisconsin in Camp Randall--Purdue has made a switch at quarterback, dubbing 4-star freshman Danny Etling the starter. Meanwhile, Henry will be moving to safety. The Boilermakers will not be making a bowl game this year, so this season has officially become about prepping for the future. Assuming Etling lives up to his 4-star billing, he will likely be the guy Darrell Hazell will rely on for at least half of his 6-year contract in West Lafayette. On the other hand, the general dissipation of confidence is always an issue when a young player is thrown into the fire in this way.
In basketball news, the Big Ten Network will air 67 games this season. Michigan's first appearance falls on Jan. 2, when they will face Richard Pitino's Minnesota squad. The Wolverines will be on BTN seven times this season; Wisconsin will have eight BTN games this season.
Last but not least, if you'd like to relive the 2003 comeback in under three minutes:
Hello, Internet. I am Fouad Egbaria, a Michigan grad ('11) and recent graduate of the MSJ program at Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism. This is a blog that attempts to analyze the highs and lows of Michigan football and basketball; I'm just trying to capture the spirit of the thing. I will also write about general Big Ten news, as well as Chicago professional sports (from time to time).
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