Hoke era begins at Michigan

Published 11:47 pm Thursday, September 1, 2011

By SCOTT MCMAHON

Special to Daily Star

ANN ARBOR —After all the hype surrounding the Michigan football team this summer, the time has finally come to let the Wolverines’ on-field performance do the talking. Michigan opens its 2011 campaign Saturday against the Western Michigan University Broncos, with a new coach and a new team energy.

Brady Hoke begins his first season as Michigan head coach after leaving San Diego State University to replace Rich Rodriguez, who was fired following the Gator Bowl in January. Hoke instantly infused a sense of optimism, and seemed destined to bring the Wolverines back to their past glory. He immediately set lofty goals for the team, and has consistently refuted the idea that the 2011 season will be a rebuilding year for Michigan.

“I don’t think we’re rebuilding, period. We’re Michigan. And we’ve got kids who understand that they’re Michigan,” Hoke said at the Big Ten Media Day in July.

Hoke brings with him Michigan offensive coordinator Al Borges and his pro-style offense, a complete turnaround from the spread offense of Rodriguez. Saturday will be the first test of the new scheme, and the first opportunity to see how junior quarterback Denard Robinson will adapt to a pocket passing system. Although Robinson excelled under the option scheme of Rodriguez, he has impressed coaches and even 1991 Heisman Trophy winner and Michigan alum Desmond Howard in the offseason with his ability to pick up a new offense.

“I actually like him under center,” Howard said. “It looks good to me. He seems more comfortable.”

Comfortable or not, Robinson will lead the new-look Michigan offense against the Western Michigan Bronco defense, which ranked 71st overall last season in yards allowed per game. The Broncos also gave up more than 30 points in five different games last season, including 38 and 44 to Michigan State and Notre Dame, respectively. Even with those marks, the Western Michigan defense is confident of its abilities.

“I mean, (Robinson’s) fast,” senior linebacker Mitch Zajac said, “but we’ve got a couple good schemes worked up that should contain him a little bit.”

Western Michigan experienced Robinson’s speed firsthand in 2009 when the quarterback broke a 43-yard touchdown on his first play as a Michigan Wolverine. Michigan won that game 31-7 under Rodriguez and a different offense. The biggest challenge for the Broncos on Saturday will be containing Robinson on the ground and through the air under the new offensive scheme.

“The most challenging aspect right here and now is truly understanding how they plan on utilizing him,” WMU defensive coordinator Dave Cohen said. “What you have is you have answers. You’re just not sure which answers you’re going to need.”

The unique talents of Robinson give the Michigan offense a sense of unpredictability. Borges has stated in the past that he intends to give his quarterback 10 to 15 carries a game, and rely on the platoon of running backs led by senior Michael Shaw for the rest.

The use of Robinson as a dual-threat quarterback, though, will almost certainly give the Western Michigan defense a difficult challenge. With wide receivers Roy Roundtree and Junior Hemingway returning for the Wolverines, Robinson will have a talented and experienced receiving corps to take the burden off of the running game.

On the other side of the ball, the Wolverines’ defense has almost nowhere to go but up. After ranking 110th in the country last year as a unit, new defensive coordinator Greg Mattison has installed his 4-3 defense that excelled most recently with the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens. The Wolverines will look to add more pressure on the quarterback and provide a stronger defense against the running game. Michigan returns four starters on the defensive line and also gets star cornerback Troy Woolfolk back from injury.

The new and improved defense will go up against a Western Michigan offense that put up 32 points per game in 2010, in a primarily pass-heavy offense. The Bronco offense features junior quarterback Alex Carder, who compiled 3,334 yards and 30 touchdowns last season with only 12 interceptions. Senior wide receiver Jordan White also returns for the Broncos, looking to build off of his 1,378-yard, 10-touchdown season from 2010. If upperclassmen Ansel Ponder and Robert Arnheim can provide a capable second option across from White, the Bronco offense could present problems for the developing Michigan secondary.

Prediction

Look for the Wolverines to come out on Saturday with high energy and physical play on both offense and defense. The mixture of Denard Robinson as both a passer and runner will keep the Broncos guessing, and the Michigan defense will be out looking to make last season a distant memory. With all the hype surrounding the team this offseason, the players will not want to start this season off on the wrong foot.

Michigan 38, Western Michigan 14.