<p>I did like Jehu Chesson’s TD though. He showed solid potential. Hopefully, this was a one-off brain fart. We’ll see what happens when we hit the road at UConn next week.</p>
<p>Now I feel like we know nothing about this team. We all wanted to feel like they were strong after beating ND; but ND struggled to beat Purdue who had looked like far and away the worst team in the Big Ten prior to yesterday. </p>
<p>Right now you’d have to minimally put Ohio and NW above Michigan in the Big Ten race, and likely Wisky. But, we will see how or if they bounce back (yes, was a win) against UConn. Even if Gardner stops turning the ball over we need to find a defense and a running back. Fitz will never be better than OK.</p>
<p>wayneandgarth, it is too early in the season to predict where any team stands in the Big 10. I would agree that early indications point to OSU being the favorite by a small margin, but anything can happen. I don’t see how Northwestern is any better than Michigan. Notre Dame is the real deal. After a loss like the one they had last week, it is not unusual for a team to play circumspect. I can see this Michigan team going anywhere between 8-4 and 10-2. Naturally, we could have more horrible games and finish worse than 8-4, or have a complete turnaround and finish better than 10-2, but neither of those outcomes are realistic.</p>
<p>I definitely agree that Toussaint is an average RB by Michigan standards. I have been saying that since last season. He had a great 2011 campaign, but he has done nothing since. Some blame the OL, but a great OL only enhances the production of a great RB. If Fitz were truly a great RB, he would still rush for 1,000 yards in a season, even with an average OL. For a great RB, the difference between having an averaghe OL as opposed to a great OL means rushing 1,500+ yards vs rushing only 1,000 yards in a season. Against CMU and Akron this year, Toussaint has averaged 65 yards per game and 3.5 yards per carry. I don’t care how bad our OL is playing, those numbers clearly show that he is not the type of RB Michigan needs. It is time we start giving other RBs a chance. Green and Smith both seem to have great potential.</p>