We got the W.
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Denard's pick-6 made everyone a little uncomfortable, but his beautiful touchdown run made up for that, I think. Michael Cox playing his best game in Michigan stadium did also. But when it's all said and done, its best not to look too far into what you saw on the field Saturday. Resist the urge to draw too many conclusions about Michigan's strengths and weaknesses. UMass is not a good gauge. Especially when you're only seeing about half of the offensive and defensive playbooks.
On a day when a little blond-haired kid from Oklahoma can get a bigger ovation from 110,000+ people than the, now legendary, Ron Kramer...you know that you just want this day to come and go with no surprises. Just get the win, don't look bad, score big points, and move on.
Bring on the Irish.
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Ordinary - Hoover Street RagSo that is why I am not ever going to complain about a game like yesterday. They are necessary and they are good for the soul. Sure, there's very little drama, but haven't we had enough of that already this season. So if yesterday was about seven different guys running the ball and eight different guys making a catch, I'll take it. If it's about no one getting hurt while winning by 50, I'll take it. Because we needed a breather. Doesn't make it a bad day, after all. I still got a chance to watch Denard do Denard things, an occasion which is sadly dwindling down to fewer and fewer as we progress toward the end of his senior year. I still got a chance to watch Devin "The" Funchess make a pretty spectacular play to open the scoring, Devin Gardner make an amazing dive to get across the goal line, and Vincent Smith score a couple of touchdowns by doing the Vincent Smith things he has done for such a long time. Ordinary, perhaps, but if it is, we need to appreciate how hard it was to get back to a point where this is ordinary.60 Meh-nutes - MVictors
My biggest concern: Beyond Denard’s inconsistency tossing the ball, Fitz couldn’t seem to get many yards with the play that was called—he had to bounce it outside often to create space. That’s not This-is-Michigan-Fergodsakes football, fergodsakes. The D-line is still a big question mark.UMass Recap: Pleasantly Routine - MGoBlog
UMass got paid. Michigan got a chance to breathe easy and give their backups plenty of run. Now the team can look ahead to Saturday night's matchup with Notre Dame; for today, they can feel content about handling business as expected. With the baby seal emphatically clubbed, it's time to move on to the real season, not unscathed but with the ultimate goal—a Big Ten championship—still within reach.UMass Reaction - Tremendous
Overall, to say you can take a lot away from this game would be a stretch, but I do believe the playing time for the freshmen (snaps on O for Norfleet??? Awesome), and the extra game time to adjust our running game should prove to be priceless.Leaping with #Toughness - Mrs. MVictors
Michigan vs UMass Awards - Touch the Banner
Play of the game . . . Devin Gardner's catch-and-run. Gardner did a great job of catching the ball, getting upfield, and stretching for the pylon. He's deceptively strong for having a lanky frame and did a great job of staying inbounds when it looked like he would get knocked out at around the 2-yard line.
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Also
Photo gallery from MGoBlog, MVictors' Dr. Sap decals, game highlights, entire game video via MGoVideo, post-game pressers.
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