that whatever Bowl game we go to, and whoever we play, we need to play with determination and heart, dominate the game on both sides of the ball, and win in convincing fashion. I know that the game will mean nothing in terms of championships or playoffs this year, but it means a great deal in terms of the culture that is being built, and continues to need to be built with our football program. If we throw in the towel, play like we did the last 2 bowl games, and lose again, we will be 10 – 3 again, and we run a great risk of being lumped into the “quitters” crowd. And that is the last thing this program needs right now. People (and recruits) are watching, and the best time to judge the character and integrity of a person or team is not when things are going well, but when they’re not.
We are all bitterly disappointed at losing to our arch rival again, and we should be. But we should not start throwing players and coaches under the bus, even if we believe they underperformed. I’m sure they feel worse than we do, and are also very aware of where they fell short. We need to learn from this and get stronger and better. I hope we would all agree that great progress was made this year, even if it fell short of our hopes and expectations. Yes, some additional changes and improvements need to be made, but quitting and losing the belief in The Team is not what Michigan is all about.
And look at the good news – at least for one year we turned the Big Ten back into the “Big Two, Little Eight” again (or in this case “little 12)! Let’s keep building on this.
We are all bitterly disappointed at losing to our arch rival again, and we should be. But we should not start throwing players and coaches under the bus, even if we believe they underperformed. I’m sure they feel worse than we do, and are also very aware of where they fell short. We need to learn from this and get stronger and better. I hope we would all agree that great progress was made this year, even if it fell short of our hopes and expectations. Yes, some additional changes and improvements need to be made, but quitting and losing the belief in The Team is not what Michigan is all about.
And look at the good news – at least for one year we turned the Big Ten back into the “Big Two, Little Eight” again (or in this case “little 12)! Let’s keep building on this.
