Brady Hoke is Restoring Michigan’s Winning Ways

From 1995 to 2002 Hoke was an assistant coach for The Wolverines.
During that time The Wolverines won five bowl games including The 1998
Rose Bowl which propelled Michigan to a national championship. Hoke
understands the tradition of Michigan and he is restoring that. When
Rodriguez was at Michigan he alienated alumni and ex-players where Hoke
has embraced them.  Hoke has brought in ex-players to assist current
Wolverine players on what it takes to be a “Michigan man”.

At every stop as a head coach Hoke has been a winner. Hoke turned
around the football program at Ball State which included The Cardinals
finishing ranked in the top 25 in 2008. Last season Hoke oversaw one of
the most prolific offenses in college football with The San Diego State
Aztecs who finished 2010 as the 16th ranked offense in the country.

Now Hoke has brought that magic to Ann Arbor. Scoring points wasn’t
the problem when The Wolverines were guided by Rodriguez. Michigan
quarterback Denard “Shoelace” Robinson is one of the most exciting
players in college football as he leads the team in both passing and
rushing. The Wolverines finished last season as the eighth ranked
offense in the country but they didn’t have a defense to back it up.

Through six games this season Michigan’s defense ranks 40th in the
country which is a far cry from a team that finished last season 110th
in defense. Last season saw The Wolverines give up 65 points in a win
against Illinois.

Hoke brought in Greg Mattison as his defensive coordinator. This is
Mattison’s second stop in Ann Arbor as he was the defensive coordinator
from 1995-1996. Mattison was also the defensive coordinator for The
Florida Gators in 2006 when The Gators won The BCS Championship. Most
recently Mattison was the defensive coordinator for The Baltimore Ravens
who have always had a wrecking crew on defense led by linebacker Ray
Lewis. Last season The Wolverine defense gave up 30 or more points in
nine contests while it has only happened once this season.

Hoke has put Michigan football back in the spotlight and he will
have his toughest test Saturday. The Wolverines travel to East Lansing,
Michigan to take on The Michigan State Spartans. The Spartans have won
the last three versus Michigan and have become a national power in the
process. The Wolverines were dominated in recent years by Michigan State
as well as The Ohio State Buckeyes and The Wisconsin Badgers. The
Wolverines are a combined 1-8 against these three Big Ten powers since
2008.

If The Wolverines can defeat The Spartans on Saturday it would be a
huge shot in the arm for Michigan. Hoke already has The Wolverines a
year or two ahead of schedule as The Wolverines were expected to finish
this season at 7-5. The Wolverines are in position to finish the season
at 10-2 if not better.

Hoke is getting the most out of Robinson’s athletic ability.
Robinson is a spread formation quarterback and Hoke is still using some
of that philosophy while sprinkling in plays in which Robinson is a
pocket passer. Defensively Michigan does not have an individual player
that is lighting up the stat sheet, but they are doing it as a unit. The
Wolverines are only giving up 12.5 points a game and that has put them
into contention to win The Legends Division in The Big Ten.