The Bump Elliott era is one of the roughest stretches in the history of Michigan Wolverine football. Having followed in the footsteps of a legend (Bennie Oosterbaan), Elliott came out of the gate with a 4-5 record (1959) and only once in his 10 years did he take the school to the Rose Bowl (following 1964 season).

Of course what Michigan fans remembered this week was Elliott’s 1967 campaign — the last year in which Michigan failed to boast a mark above .500 — until now.

After reaching a 2-2 mark, the 2008 Wolverines have now dropped five straight; by losing in the final seconds to Purdue, Michigan assured its fans there would be no bowl game to celebrate this holiday season, and that this Wolverine squad could do no better than a 5-7 record. Worse yet, there is a good chance Michigan won’t win another game (remaining games include Minnesota, Northwestern and Ohio State).

While we can excuse Rich Rodriguez for weathering the worst part of a necessary rebuilding process, it is nonetheless painful to watch one of America’s most prestigious programs self-destruct. And all Michigan fans can cling to now is the hope that this year’s lumps will lead to next year’s triumphs. After all, blue skies did follow that painful 1967 season. A year later Elliott finished 8-2, and the year after that a new coach was hired (Bo Schembechler) and with him came the biggest regular season win in school history (a 24-12 upset over Ohio State).

Wonder what is around the corner for Rodriguez’s club …

Scoreboard

Northwestern 24, Minnesota 17
Purdue 48, Michigan 42
Michigan State 25, Wisconsin 24
Central Michigan 37, Indiana 34
Illinois 27, Iowa 24

Team of the Week: Northwestern

No C.J. Bacher, no Tyrell Sutton — no problem! Northwestern hung with Minnesota all afternoon, then snagged an interception in the game’s closing minute and returned it 48 yards for the winning touchdown. The win gave the Wildcats a 7-2 mark with three games to go.

Disappointment of the Week: Indiana

The Hoosiers lost to a MAC team using backup quarterback Brian Brunner in place of its best player (Dan LeFevour). Indiana blew a fourth quarter lead to the Chippewas and allowed Brunner to rack up 485 yards passing and four touchdowns.

Player of the Week: Mike Kafka, QB, Northwestern

This is the guy the Wildcats have sitting on the bench!? Filling in for C.J. Bacher, Kafka completed 75 percent of his passes (12 of 15) for 143 yards, and rushed for 217 yards on 27 carries. Yes, he did gift the Gophers with an interception that Traye Simmons returned for a score, but other than that he was simply marvelous.

Freshman of the Week: John Clay, RB, Wisconsin

The redshirt freshman earned his first 100-yard game with 111 yards on 14 carries against Michigan State. Once again Clay out-performed backfield mate P.J. Hill (7.9 yards per carry as compared to Hill’s 5.3-yard average). Clay’s 32-yard scoring run to start the fourth quarter pushed Wisconsin’s lead to 24-13 before Michigan State mounted its comeback.

Curtis who?

There was genuine concern over how the Boilermakers would perform without the guidance of senior quarterback Curtis Painter. But in a season in which Painter has struggled more than he has succeeded, the team and its fans may now have forgotten about the school’s second-most accomplished passer thanks to a brilliant performance by Justin Siller on Saturday. The sophomore threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns (no interceptions) in the win over Michigan. He added 77 rushing yards on 15 attempts, and in the game’s closing moments found Desmond Tardy for the decisive score. Wonder how long it’ll take Painter to recover from his “slightly” separated shoulder.

Hoosiers find a running game

If there was a silver lining in Indiana’s loss to Central Michigan it was the success it found running the ball — and from players other than the team’s two quarterbacks. Marcus Thigpen (109 yards, two scores), Bryan Payton (77 yards) and Zach Davis-Walker all averaged better than six yards per carry. In all Indiana gained 272 yards and scored four touchdowns on the ground.

Shaughnessy gets the job done for Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s primary goal on Saturday was to slow down Big Ten rushing leader Javon Ringer. Thanks to a strong effort by defensive end Matthew Shaughnessy and the rest of the Badger front seven, the team succeeded; Ringer gained just 54 yards on 21 carries. Shaughnessy set the tone early, grabbing a solo tackle for a loss and pushing his blocker into Ringer on another play. Unfortunately, his efforts went to waste as Wisconsin was nipped in the final seconds by a Brett Swenson field goal.

Additional Notes

Illinois quarterback Juice Williams and wide receiver Arrelious Benn combined for more rushing attempts (14) on Saturday than the team’s backfield (13).

Thanks to his five-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter, Shonn Greene extended his 100-yard rushing streak to nine games. He finished with a season-low 103 yards against Illinois.

Former walk-on Blair White has found his place within the Michigan State offense. The junior followed up last week’s 143-yard performance with a seven-catch, 164-yard effort against Wisconsin. His strong play has helped the Spartans through a couple of close contests, and it was apparent on Saturday that he has now earned the full confidence of his quarterback, Brian Hoyer.

Michigan had three returns of considerable yardage Saturday. Boubacar Cissoko returned a kick for 53 yards, while fellow freshman Martavious Odoms scored on a 73-yard punt return and had a kick return of 45 yards.

All five Big Ten games were decided by seven points or less; two weeks ago the smallest margin among the five conference games was 22 points.

Del.icio.us | Digg it | Athlon Sports RSS Feeds