College football preview: Fourth down for Michigan

The catcalls and reminders never go away. Not even at home.

Michigan quarterback Chad Henne certainly couldn't escape the glaring omissions on his career résumé when he agreed to do a ceremonial coin flip at an arena football game in his native Pennsylvania. On his way to midfield, a group of fans chanted, "Ohio State."

"It's every day," Henne said with a shrug. "You ignore it."

If it were only that easy. Nobody associated with the Michigan program needs to be reminded of the Wolverines' recent record against their hated rivals (1-5 since 2001), or that the team has lost four consecutive bowl games, including three Rose Bowls.

Those failures hover like a black cloud, a source of both motivation and frustration. They are a symbol of Michigan's unfulfilled potential, a constant reminder that things have been good but not great.

Others use it as a punch line, a way to throw verbal rocks at the big boys from Ann Arbor. The Wolverines have heard it so many times that you can hardly sense any anger or attitude when the subject arises.

"It's known that we haven't won a bowl game or beat Ohio State," senior running back Mike Hart said.

Don't mistake that for indifference, though. Those failures played a major role in the return of Hart, Henne and senior offensive tackle Jake Long for one more season.

All of them postponed a certain NFL career for one more chance to make things right, to show they have what it takes to beat Ohio State, win a bowl game and possibly compete for a national championship.

Their collective decisions surprised many in college football, especially that of Long, a supremely talented tackle who was projected to be a first-round draft pick. And it made Michigan the instant Big Ten favorite.

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"You see it every day that we haven't won a bowl game and our record against Ohio State," Long said. "You're reminded of it every day. I think it definitely motivates us and gets us fired up because we don't want to go out like that. We want to win a championship because we're Michigan."

The Wolverines had the look of a champion last season when they raced to an 11-0 record and a No. 2 ranking heading into the Game of the Century showdown against No. 1 Ohio State. But they lost 42-39 and then got hammered by Southern California 32-18 in the Rose Bowl.

"We had a great year, but it wasn't enough," Hart said. "We went 11-0 and then lost two games. That's what you remember. You don't remember the 11-0. We didn't finish."

Michigan coach Lloyd Carr typically meets with his draft-eligible players the Monday after the season-ending Ohio State game to get a feel for their plans. Henne immediatley committed to returning for his senior year, but Hart and Long were unsure. Long considered his options for two weeks before announcing he would return. That made Hart's decision simple.

"If Jake hadn't come back, I wouldn't be here right now," Hart said last month at the Big Ten kickoff gathering in Chicago. "Guaranteed."

Why?

"Because Jake means that much to this team and myself," Hart said. "It's no secret that we ran behind him probably 75 percent of the time last year."

Their return makes Michigan's offense among the most explosive in college football. Long should be a first-team All-America, Hart is a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate, and Henne has started 37 consecutive games and should contend for All-America honors.

"We're a hungry group," Long said. "We had a great team last year and came up short. We have the potential to be a great team this year."

There are whispers that Carr, 62, is considering retiring after the season, based in part on tweaks made to his contract that allow for him to collect a deferred compensation package if he is simply an employee of the school and not the head coach.

Carr acknowledged those rumors this summer, but he said they are nothing new. He sounded downright philosophical, however, when asked about the pressure of coaching at Michigan.

"I wouldn't trade one minute of my coaching career," he said. "There are some that are a lot more fun than others. If you coach at a place like Michigan, you learn a lot of things. You look back and say, 'I thought I knew a lot, but I know a lot more today.'"

Long, Henne and Hart have learned many hard lessons, and now they have one more chance to end things on their terms.

"We all wanted to come back and beat [Ohio State]," Hart said. "We can't leave Michigan without beating Ohio State. You're judged on your senior year. The guys I came in with wanted to be one of the best classes that ever came here. Right now, we have a good chance to be one of the best classes to leave here."

Chip Scoggins • ascoggins@startribune.com