[Michigan Joe]

My heart was ripped out on Saturday in Ann Arbor as I was at the game watching the Michigan upset. College football draws on those emotions for me, not Pro ball. In college you play for your team, in the NFL that doesn't always seem so obvious. The NFL is the best Pro league for sure, but when I think of emotion I think college ball. And just because my team lost doesn't mean I won't watch anymore, far from it. If you see college football for championship or bust I don't think you see it as I do. I see it as youthful emotions, rivalries, personal growth in the face of adversities, and LOVE OF THE GAME.

Back to the Michigan game (I was there):
Don't be fooled, the Michigan upset was not as shockling for me and many of those that were at the game. Sure Michigan played very poorly and flat, but App St had 5 offensive players at 185 pounds or less who could flat out fly. Those 5 skilled players were simply faster than anyone on our defense and if we played them again I don't know if we'd have an answer for that. Now the Michigan offense on the other hand could probably put up 40+ points in 9/10 times against that team, but on Saturday they didn't because they were sloppy and our passing game never stepped up to make a big play (plus Mike Hart was out for half the game). App St clearly believed all day and from the 1st quarter on there was no doubt the game "was on". One of the positives of the game as a Michigan fan was seeing Mike Hart come back from injury in the 4th quarter to lift the spirit of the team and almost single handedly carry them on to a come from behind victory, his 4th quarter effort showed his special abilities both athletically and his leadership.

In retrospect, the "upset" is the beauty of college football and App St deserves a lot of credit for how they came to win. To believe that you can win when everyone says you can't do it is a remarkable thing. For Michigan, the rest of the season will be a test of character for the players, will they fold or will they use this experience to propell them to be a better team than they would without the humbeling experience.

Joe