By: Alex LaGrone
Earth, Wind and Fire said it best.."Do You Remember"…September? I'll say this; September 1, 2007 is a day all Michigan Wolverine fans remember but would like to forget. What happened was probably one of the biggest upsets in college football history. The Appalachian St. Mountaineers shocked the mighty Wolverines at the (Big House) Michigan Stadium 34-32 in front of over 100,000 stunned fans.
That such a small school would pull off such a difficult task sent shock waves around the country. The Mountaineers blocked a game winning field goal attempt from Michigan at the end of the game to secure the victory. The Wolverines will have a chance to redeem themselves when they meet again at the Big House on Saturday, August 30th to open the season.
The Wolverines have fallen on hard times over the past few seasons, and head coach Brady Hoke is looking for answers. Coach Hoke said "the preferred identity of Michigan football should be toughness on both sides of the ball." But when asked why that toughness has eluded his team, he didn't have an answer.
Hoke stated "I wish I had an answer. If I had the answer, we should have been in a little better shape a year ago." The Wolverines are hoping to get back on track to where they used to be. Note: Will former Wolverine, Denard Robinson, get a chance to play more this season with the Jacksonville Jaguars?
Last season the Michigan St. Spartans had a stellar year, and is looking to carry that momentum into this season. The Spartan Dawgs are out to prove that they can maintain an elite standard despite filling gaps at several key positions on defense.
The Spartans open their season against Jacksonville St. on Friday, August 29th at Spartan Stadium. That game should be an appetizer because the main meal will be the following week against the powerful Oregon Ducks on the road.
Sparty will be the underdogs against the Ducks. It's tough to see the Spartans beating Oregon at Oregon, but Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio has the Spartans dreaming of a national championship.
Dantonio stated "We're going to dream big. What's been established is that we won the Big Ten title and we won the Rose Bowl. What we can do beyond that remains to be seen. You always want to go farther than you did before."
The Spartans are favored along with Ohio St. to win the conference this year. Note: Will former Spartan, Brian Hoyer, beat out Johnny Manziel for the starting QB spot for the Cleveland Browns?
