Game #9 - Michigan (6-2) vs Minnesota (1-7) - Open Thread/Live-Blog

VS

6:39: I'm heading out, but I hope everyone enjoyed this live-blog. As I said, a scary start turned into a great 34-10 victory. Now, though, it's time to get focused on the Spartans as this game will be a must-win. My guess is that it'll be a noon start on the Big Ten Network since MSU lost today, so Comcast, get ready for a week of hell.

6:37: David Cone completes a pass on the last play of the game and Jake Long gets the Little Brown Jug out. It'll stay in Ann Arbor as Michigan wins 34-10. It was a shaky start, but in the end it worked out just fine.

6:36: The last few runs have put Michigan over the 300-yard mark on the ground today. Add that to Mallett's 234 yards passing (and Cone's one 20-yard pass) and Michigan had a total of 562 yards.

6:33: Nick Sheridan comes in at QB to start the drive and now David Cone heads out on to the field. Also getting some action is wrestler Mike Milano, who runs for a 1st down. All 5'7" (probably a little less than that) looks good out there.

6:30: On 4th and 5, Minnesota completes a pass but is a yard short. Michigan gets the ball back with 3:54 left and now can just run out the clock.

6:29: Brandon Harrison reads a screen perfectly and makes the tackle for a loss. It is now 3rd and 17 for the Gophers. A stop here could give the backups on offense a chance to come in and play.

6:26: Oh crap. Brandon Graham is hurt. He's up now and is walking off the field by himself, but still appears to be in some pain. I'd say now is a good time to empty the bench as U-M is up 34-10. We can't afford any injuries, especially at this point in the game.

6:21: With that long run, Brown now has 132 yards rushing on the day. Add that to Brandon Minor's 157 yards and the Wolverines are closing in on 300 as a team. Here's a trivia question: When was the last time Michigan had two running backs go for over 100 and when was the last time they rushed for this many yards as a team?

6:18: Carlos Brown breaks free and runs the ball 89 yards for a touchdown. Something we're not used to seeing with Hart is breakaway speed, but Brown definitely has it as he just ran past the defense.

6:14: On 3rd and 12, Shawn Crable sacks Weber for a loss and Minnesota is forced to punt again. Also, Oregon just picked off Mark Sanchez, meaning the Ducks have defeated the USC Trojans. That loss to Oregon, as bad as it was, looks a lot better now as the Ducks are a top 5 team.

6:12: Minnesota converts on 3rd down for the 1st time today on an option to move the ball to into Michigan territory.

6:07: After the 40-yard TD reception, Mario Manningham now has 162 yards total on the day. Like I've been saying, the deep ball works, and thankfully Mike DeBord has been calling it more lately.

6:06: Gotta love the play-calling here (not even being sarcastic). Ryan Mallett goes deep and hits Mario Manningham in stride for the long touchdown. Mario gave the ball off to someone in the crowd, a move that is the trademark celebration of the Lions' Roy Williams.

6:05: Mallett runs for a QB sneak and gets a 1st down to keep the chains moving.

6:03: Once again, ESPN Classic makes us miss a play as it suddenly is 4th and inches. How exactly? I'm not sure since the play wasn't shown or replayed. Michigan is going to go for it. Think it'll be a run left?

5:59: The 3rd quarter comes to an end and Michigan leads 20-10. Another touchdown or two can put this game out of reach, so finishing this drive is especially important.

5:58: Brandon Minor goes for 18 on 1st down. Minor did his part by hitting the holes, but the offensive lined opened some big ones for him. By the way, with that carry, Minor now has 158 yards rushing and Michigan is closing in on 200 as a team.

5:57: On 3rd and 2, Brandon Graham got into the backfield and sacked Weber for his 8th of the year. Another great defensive stand means it's time for another Minnesota punt.

5:53: The extra point is good, so Michigan now leads 20-10. That long pass by Mallett to Manningham set up Carlos Brown to score after he had a solid couple runs of his own. Like I said earlier, Michigan should just continue to go deep as it has worked every time.

5:52: After the long pass, Carlos Brown shows off his skills and picks up 18 on a solid run to put the ball inside the 5, and then on the very next play takes it into the endzone for a Michigan touchdown.

5:51: Umm, nevermind. DeBord did call for Mallett to go deep and once again it works perfectly. Mallett threw another nice pass and Manningham made the catch right next to the sidelines.

5:50: Minor goes nowhere on 2nd down and Michigan now faces 3rd and 6. I say go deep, but I doubt DeBord lets Mallett do that.

5:49: After the punt, Minor fights for 8 yards, but a false start on the next play by Stephen Schilling backs it up to the 28-yard line.

5:48: On 3rd and long, Minnesota appeared to have a man open, but the pass was incomplete. Wolverines again rebound nicely on defense after giving up a few big plays to force the punt.

5:46: Screen to the WR gets the Gophers another 1st down and they are moving the ball. Defense has to get a stop. On 1st down, Minney fumbles the snap, but Weber falls on it.

5:45: Chris Graham gets a big hit on Bennett to stuff him for no gain after Minnesota picked up a first down.

5:40: Just as I said that Minor was having a great day, he goes for only 2 yards on the next 2 runs. Mallett then throws the ball into the ground on 3rd down and the drive officially stalls. Punt by Zoltan goes into the endzone as it was just over kicked this time.

5:39: Brandon Minor explodes for a 48-yard run on 1st down and takes the ball into Minnesota territory. Thanks to ESPN Classic, we missed half the play, but it was a very nice run by Minor. He's been great today.

5:36: Penalty is a hold on Michigan, so the ball will be backed up 10 yards when Michigan's goes out there on offense.

5:35: The pass on 3rd down is way overthrown. Another nice defensive stand, especially on 3rd down as Minnesota is 0-7 on 3rd down today. Punt goes back to the 21, but there is a flag.

5:34: Weber pulls a Mallett and fumbles on an exchange to the running back. He fell on it, but it'll make it 3rd and 14.

5:33: Bennett carries the ball for a big gain up to the 41-yard line and then is stuffed on the next play.

5:29: Mallett took off when he couldn't find anyone and didn't get nearly enough for a 1st down. It looked like Mathews might have been open, but it doesn't matter now. Zoltan punts it to the 21 where a fair catch is called. Another bad drive means it's time for the defense to continue to play well.

5:28: Minor runs for a first down and then Brown loses 3 on the next play. On 2nd down, Mallett throws it over Mario's head on a WR screen. 3rd and 13...

5:26: Carlos Brown returns the ball up to the 26 to open the first half. I say go deep early and often right now. It worked each time the Wolverines tried it in the 1st half, and right now, that seems to be the only way the offense gets going.

5:16: How about what Georgia did against Florida? Anyone else see that highlight? Georgia scored its first TD of the game and the entire team came out to celebrate. It drew a penalty, but at the half Mark Richt was interviewed and said that he'd be angry if they didn't get a penalty after the first TD. I guess when you have so many problems beating a certain team, things like that are needed to shake things up. So far, it's working as the Bulldogs lead 21-17 at the half.

5:03: Michigan appeared to be happy with just running the clock out, but they try a play-action after getting a 1st and Mallett fumbled again. He put the ball on the turf down by his own goal line, but luckily it was recovered by Michigan. After near disaster, the Wolverines smartly take a knee to run out the 1st half. 13-10 Wolverines lead. Check back in for the second half in around 15-20 minutes.

5:01: With the ball on the 15 after the punt, it'll be interesting to see if Michigan just tries to run out the clock or actually tries to get down the field.

5:00: The pressure gets to Weber on each play and Minnesota goes 3 and out.

4:59: Bryan Wright kicks it off short again but the turf monster brings down the returner.

4:58: Minor should've been tackled for a loss but avoided the defender and cut right to get the TD. With 2:49 to go, the defense just needs to keep Minnesota off the board for the remainder of the half.

4:57: Brandon Minor gets into the endzone for a much-needed touchdown. That was a very nice drive with the balance of passing and running, and now the Wolverines control a 13-10 lead.

4:55: A screen to Manningham gets the ball up to the 4 and on 3rd down, Minnesota gets called for pass interference. 1st and goal from the 2 now for U-M.

4:53: On 3rd and 6, Mallett hits Manningham as he gets another nice catch. The pass was right there and Mario made the catch. The pass got down to the 5-yard line, but a false start by Ciulla will back it up 5 yards.

4:52: Mallett had Arrington with some room to work with but threw it over his head.

4:51: Minor cuts to the outside and crosses midfield for a big run and then does it again on the very next play for a gain of 12 or so yards.

4:50: Mallett scrambles for a gain of 7 yards. It was a nice run, but he's got to protect the ball better.

4:47: Donovan Warren makes a good play on the coverage and the pressure by Taylor was also nice to see. Punt to Mathews is returned to the 33 where Michigan will take over. A scoring drive here would be nice. Get the lead before the half (5+ minutes to go).

4:46: Obi Ezeh tips a pass on 1st down and a run goes for only a couple yards on 2nd. HUGE 3rd and 8 coming up.

4:44: A commercial after a kickoff? What is this, the NFL?

4:40: On third down, Mallett throws the ball out of bounds. Lopata is in and kicks a 26-yard field goal. 10-6 Minnesota leads. These drives are looking better and better, but the offense is going to have to finish one of these times. Also, keep going deep. Three times the Wolverines have tried it and all three times good things have happened.

4:39: Minor goes backwards by 2 yards after picking up 8 or so on first down.

4:38: Big time catch by Mario Manningham gives Michigan the ball at the 15-yard line. The pass was almost perfect and Manningham did a great job of getting under it and making the catch. He bobbled the ball when it first got there but still made the catch.

4:37: Short screen to Mathews after a false start creates 3rd and 7.

4:35: Fumble by Weber on a QB draw is recovered by Brandon Graham. That is exactly what this team needed. The turnover forced by Chris Graham stops a promising drive, and now hopefully Michigan can get a touchdown on this next drive.

4:33: Pass interference on Donovan Warren on third down will keep the drive alive for Minnesota.

4:32: Jamar Adams nearly picks off Weber's pass. The ball was simply thrown too far down the field but Adams couldn't get there before it hit the ground.

4:31: Big hole on the run by Bennett and Minnesota already is up near the 50. (Kickoff wasn't very long)

4:27: Pressure again forces Mallett to throw it quickly and again he gets it knocked down at the line. For someone that is 6'7", he shouldn't get passes knocked down as often as he does. Lopata now in for a 42 yard field goal and the kick is perfect. K.C. gets us on the board, now 10-3 Gophers.

4:26: Junior Hemingway comes in as the quarterback and obviously just runs straight down the field. Didn't gain too much, so it'll be 3rd and 4.

4:25: Adrian Arrington dives for an awesome catch. Mallett pump-faked and then just lofted the ball out there and got it in open space, then Arrington did the rest. First down Michigan down into Minnesota territory.

4:24: Minor gets a first down and takes a hard hit after jumping over the pile.

4:23: Minor finds a hole to get a first for the Wolverines on third and short. Mallett then completes a pass to Arrington for 7. Really shouldn't have even thrown it there as the coverage was so tight, but hey, it was completed, so I'll take it.

4:21: Henne isn't even dressed right now, but if this game continues to play out as it has already, that emergency situation may have to bring him back. The offense just absolutely sucks, and they can't afford to go another possession without scoring.

4:19: Somebody go get Henne a jersey right now. Mallett fumbles the ball and Minnesota picks it up and runs it back for a touchdown. The Gophers now lead 10-0.

4:18: I gotta say, the coverage really sucks. I guess that should be expected when the game is on ESPN Classic, but there's no yellow first down line, very few replays are shown, and the announcing also isn't too great.

4:16: Solid return by Greg Mathews gives Michigan the ball nearly at midfield as the 1st quarter comes to an end. Minnesota 3, Michigan 0.

4:15: Wheelwright steps out of bounds on the WR screen and the Gophers will have to punt. Defense again does a nice job, now the offense just needs to wake up.

4:14: Michigan defends the option perfectly to bring up a 3rd and 10. ESPN Classic flashes back to the Appalachian State game. Thanks for bringing back great memories. Really didn't need to see that right now.

4:13: Another punt goes into the endzone for a touchback. Really can't blame Zoltan too much as it could've been downed if Charles Stewart was a little taller.

4:12: Blitz forced a quick pass and Mallett had the ball knocked down at the line. 4th down and Michigan will have to punt again. This offense is pathetic right now.

4:11: Minor gets two handoffs for a combined 5 yards. Now 3rd down and 5 for the Wolverines.

4:09: Mallett tries to go deep to Manningham and Minnesota is flagged for pass interference. Looks like a break for Michigan as the penalty really could've been on Mario also.

4:06: Gophers play it safe and run for a gain of 2 and now will punt the ball away. Good decision by the coaches to accept that penalty to push Minney back.

4:05: Minnesota throws an incompletion on 3rd down. Two Minnesota offensive linemen for flagged for a chop block and Michigan accepts the penalty, bringing up 3rd and 33.

4:04: A false start and incompletion on an attempted screen play brings up 2nd and 15. Weber tries to run and is tackled for a loss by Brandon Graham, Shawn Crable, and Jamison.

4:02: On 2nd and 8, Minnesota gets another first down as Weber hits Decker, who was wide open. Gophers now across midfield again.

4:01: Damn. Carlos Brown fumbles and Minnesota recovers. Defense has to make some plays for the offense today, otherwise this could get ugly.

4:00: Mallett hits Arrington for 13 and a 1st down. Big play to keep the drive alive.

3:59: After an incompletion on 1st down, Minor ran the ball the outside for 4 yards. 3rd and 6 for Michigan.

3:58: Carlos Brown returns the kick to 33-yard line. Really don't like him returning kicks as Hart is out. Too big of a risk of injury in my opinion.

3:55: Pressure forced the QB, Weber, outside and he threw it into the ground. Tim Jamison brought the heat to force Minnesota to kick a field goal. The kick is good from 29 yards out, 3-0 Golden Gophers.

3:54: Two running plays combine for 6 yards, bringing up a huge 3rd and 4. Defense needs a stop here.

3:53: Another run by the QB goes for a 1st down and more. The defense has to step up right now.

3:51: 1st down Minnesota on a Duane Bennett run. The defense really is looking bad against the run even though it isn't anything creative. But that spread type of offense is getting to them. Just as I typed that, Minn. gains 22 on a pass into Michigan territory.

3:50: Gophers get a first down and then the QB keeps it for a 7-yard gain on the next play.

3:49: A lot of room to run on first down for Minnesota as the play goes for 9.

3:48: With 3 true freshmen starting in the secondary for Minnesota, Michigan has to attack that inexperience. Only problem is we have inexperience of our own at the quarterback position. That drive didn't look too good, but hopefully the offense can get going as the game goes on. (Not hopefully, has to)

3:46: Mallett has nobody open downfield and has to run for a gain of 1. Zoltan Mesko had a high punt on 4th down but the gunners couldn't keep it out of the endzone. Minnesota ball on the 20.

3:45: Run goes nowhere on 1st down and on 2nd down it was almost disaster for the Wolverines. The throw to Junior Hemingway on a WR screen was low and almost behind the line for a fumble, but it is incomplete. 3rd and 11 coming up.

3:44: Bootleg on 2nd down gets Michigan a first down after a nice pass to Adrian Arrington.

3:43: Run left to Carlos Brown on the first play for U-M goes for a gain of 3.

3:43: Good pressure from the defense and the pass goes incomplete. Michigan returns the punt for only a few yards and will start on the 33.

3:42: Run goes for a loss of 1 on second down. Now 3rd and 11.

3:41: Minnesota run goes for a first down. Screen incomplete on next play. Announcers said that the hope is for Trent to be a first round draft pick someday. Trent? I know he's played well, but let's not go too far.

3:40: Hart isn't even dressed. That's probably a good move since he would try to play if he was in pads and a uniform.

3:39: Wright kicks it into the endzone and Minnesota takes a knee for a touchback to start the game.

3:35: Michigan State just lost in double overtime to Iowa after blowing a lead in the second half. I know the Iowa fans are happy they won, but is it really necessary to rush the field after beating Michigan State?

3:34: Henne isn't starting. Only reason for him to play would be if Mallett got hurt or we were in danger of losing. I imagine it's the same thing with Hart.

3:31: Just a note, the play-by-play announcer for this game is from the state of Minnesota and used to work for FSN North in Minnesota. Think he'll be favoring the Gophers at all?

3:29: Kickoff is on its way. I'll be live-blogging the game since the it is on ESPN Classic, meaning many of you can't watch it. Remember, if you have WXYZ, you can watch the game as they are showing ESPN Classic's broadcast.

Date & Time: Saturday, October 27, 2007, 3:30 p.m. ET
Teams: Michigan Wolverines (6-2) vs Minnesota Golden Gophers (1-7)
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan, Michigan Stadium
Television: ESPN Classic/WXYZ in the Detroit area
Radio: 104.3 WOMC-FM
Weather: 57°F, Showers, 50% Chance of Rain, 16 mph wind from W
Spread: Michigan favored by 23.0; Over/Under 59.0