September 30, 2008

Terry Bowden
Rivals.com College Football Analyst

With all the big upsets and top-25 losses last weekend, I still believe one of the biggest stories of the weekend was the incredible 27-25 comeback victory by Michigan over Wisconsin in the "Big House." Not only was it Michigan's greatest come-from-behind victory at Michigan Stadium, but it also might have been the signature game of a new era in Michigan football.

Until Saturday, the Wolverines had looked anything but new and improved under first-year coach Rich Rodriguez. They were coming off a humiliating 35-17 loss to Notre Dame, a team they had beaten 38-0 in 2007 under Lloyd Carr. Against the Irish, they fumbled the ball seven times and lost five. At 1-2, the possibility of Michigan's first losing season in 40 years was looking more and more like it just might happen.

Then, when you thought things couldn't get worse, came the first half against Wisconsin. In my 10 years of broadcasting football games, I don't know that I've ever seen an uglier display of offensive football. In the first half, Michigan had one first down, 21 yards of total offense and five turnovers. Wisconsin led 19-0, and if Michigan's defense had not been holding its own, it could have been a lot worse.

The plays looked a lot like the ones Rodriguez used at West Virginia with Pat White and Steve Slaton. The only difference was that the line couldn't block, the backs couldn't run and the quarterback couldn't pass.

It really wasn't so much a lack of talent as it was a lack of confidence. These players had yet to experience much success with this new offensive scheme, and because of that, they didn't believe in themselves or what they were doing. Somewhere, they needed to find some confidence.

If there was one guy on that Michigan sideline who didn't lack for confidence, it was Rodriguez. As bad as things got in the first half, every time those players came off the field, you could see him pumping them back up.

I'm not sure there is any one aspect of a coach's job that is more vital to the success of his program than how he handles adversity during a game. When there is nothing to believe in, the players have to be able to believe in the coach. When everything is going wrong and those young men come off that field battered and busted, the coach better act like he has the answers.

Before the game, I pulled Rodriguez away from some of his recruits long enough to ask him how the team was handling the tough start to the season. He said simply, "Terry, we're going to be fine."

I'm not sure if he meant that game, or even this season, but I do know he meant it. Rodriguez believes in himself and in his offense, and he believes it's just a matter of time before these kids start believing, too.

Still, after what I had seen in the first half, I'm not sure I believed this team would even get another first down. But late in the third quarter, something truly unbelievable began to happen. With 6:22 left, quarterback Steven Threet found freshman tight end Kevin Koger running free down the left hash and hit him for a 27-yard touchdown. Brandon Minor then ran 34 yards for a touchdown, followed by linebacker John Thompson's 25-yard interception return for a touchdown.

A 58-yard run by Threet set up yet another touchdown, which gave Michigan a 27-19 lead. The game finally ended with Wisconsin missing a two-point conversion with 13 seconds left that would have sent the game into overtime.

These Wolverines believe they can win now, and so do I. I don't believe they can win every game, but I believe they can win any game - and that's a pretty good way for the Rich Rodriguez era to begin.

Terry Bowden is Rivals.com college football analyst. For more information about Terry, visit his official web site. Click here to view previous articles. To send Terry a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.