Saturday, November 2, 2013

Michigan vs. MSU recap: Hoke has to be gaining some detractors

Brady Hoke has always said the right things and has been largely revered by the Michigan fan base.
He is a “Michigan man.”
Hoke embraces everything that Michigan fans want in a head coach and the rivalries that the Wolverines have.
Along with that, he has been a strong recruiter nationally.
Despite all those things, Michigan isn’t doing
what it hired Hoke to do, and that is win Big Ten titles.
On Saturday, Michigan State physically manhandled Michigan’s offensive line, as the Spartans beat Michigan 29-6.
The loss drops Michigan to 2-2 in the Big Ten and essentially eliminates the Wolverines from contention in the Legends Division.
Michigan seems to be regressing each season under Hoke, which is really the bigger issue.
Hoke took Michigan to 11 wins in 2011 and a win in the Sugar Bowl, but did so largely with Rich Rodriguez’ roster.
Last season, the Wolverines went just 8-5 overall and 6-2 in the Big Ten, once again falling shy of even a division title.
This year, Michigan already has two conference losses, one of which came against Penn State. That loss just can’t happen to a program of Michigan’s caliber.
Saturday’s loss wasn’t surprising, which in turn makes it surprising. It was surprising that all week, those that looked at the game on paper felt Michigan was going to get physically manhandled, and was.
Michigan is a program built on black-and-blue football and “bullying” the opponent. On Saturday, the Wolverines were bullied into silence by the Spartans.
Where is the talent that Hoke was bringing into this program? If it is there, why isn’t it developing?
Recruiting rankings are great, but championships are what matter and Michigan is not winning those.
I am not saying Hoke should be fired, but certainly the fanbase needs to stop treating him like he can do no wrong.
This is serious gut-check time for Hoke. Michigan has to show something the rest of the year, and the Wolverines certainly have to show more in 2014.
It is not like Hoke walked into a challenging Big Ten conference. Outside of Ohio State, the conference is pretty weak. Michigan State has a great defense, but the Spartans’ offense keeps it from being a great team.
The Wolverines are a mediocre team surrounded by a fan base looking for greatness. Perhaps the fans should temper their expectations, or perhaps Hoke just isn’t getting the job done. I find it hard to believe this is the best product he can put on the field.

1 comment:

  1. Brady Hoke is not the answer. The answer is down in Baton Rouge. A change needs to happen now or bring back Lloyd carr.

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