Jug life continues in Ann Arbor

By Bart Doan  |   Monday, November 10, 2008  |  Comments( 2 )

College Football
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For Rich Rodriguez and his much-maligned coaching staff, Saturday's win over Minnesota for the Little Brown Jug didn't erase all the stains of Michigan's football program this season; however, it did at least cure things for a bit.

The Wolverines came away with a 29-6 throttling of once-ranked Minnesota and snarled after the game about the lack of respect they felt the Gophers had for them. Brandon Graham openly admitted that Tim Brewster’s club overlooked them. He seemed to have a point. It was a frustrating rivalry loss for a Minnesota club that proves time and again that this feud will probably never end. The Wolverines will surely shed tears when the Gophers move out of the Metrodome after this season (Michigan is 12-0 there).

Only twice in the last 30 years have the Gophers held on to the sacred Jug, a symbol of longevity between the schools and the second-oldest trophy in college football (Territorial Cup between Arizona and Arizona state being the oldest), though it seemed almost assured to change hands this season.

During the game, Michigan's offense was unpredictable; its defense looked like a unit that returned eight starters from what was statistically the 24th-ranked group in the nation last year. Rodriguez had his team run the ball down Minnesota’s throat with seemingly 19 different players, including hyped freshman QB Justin Feagin. And when the smoke cleared, when 3-7 was for the moment reduced to 1-0 for one day, Michigan’s seniors -- led by DE Tim Jamison -- calmly walked over to the maize-and-blue-clad sidelines and hoisted something that in the end might be more than a symbol of two teams battling it out once a year. For once, the Jug meant more to Michigan than Minnesota. For once, it was the byproduct of a deflating upset at the hands of a Big Ten bottom feeder. In one fell swoop, te Jug may have meant more than just a win. For a program with nothing to gain and nothing to lose, the Jug perhaps meant resurrection.

What’s ahead for the Wolverines: Senior Day comes to the Big House this week. The opponent is banged-up Northwestern, which took it on the chin from Ohio State 45-10 last week at home. The Wildcats have been missing starting QB CJ Bacher for the past several weeks on and off. The Wolves hold a 52-14-2 edge over the Wildcats historically, but they have lost three times in the past 12 years after not losing a single game to them from 1966-1992.

Injury Report: QB Steven Threet (elbow, concussion) missed the game against Minnesota. More information on him will be forthcoming later in the week. RB Brandon Minor left with a lower-body injury in the fourth quarter. His status is unknown. RB Sam McGuffie (knee), LB Jonas Mouton (hamstring) and S Mike Williams (knee) all returned to the lineup.

Writer’s note: Because of Threet’s injury, Feagin played about 10 snaps, once breaking off a 34-yard run to the Minnesota 10. Because of his relative success, you should at least expect to see him take a few snaps this week.
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About Bart Doan

Bart has been with Realfootball365.com for about six months and thoroughly enjoys writing for the site. He has been featured for his writings on college football in The Sporting News, The Indianapolis Star, Sports Illustrated, and on CBS Sportsline.com. When he's not drowning himself in the...
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