Gophers vs. Michigan: History in the making

ANN ARBOR, MICH. — All the pieces were in place, and this was supposed to be the year everything came together for Michigan. Wasn't that the conventional thinking eight weeks ago? It made sense, too.

A trio of stars -- quarterback Chad Henne, tailback Mike Hart and offensive tackle Jake Long -- returned for their senior seasons intent on winning a championship, Big Ten and BCS. The offense looked as powerful as any in college football. The defense lost some star power but still seemed formidable. Even their nemesis, Ohio State, had to travel to the Big House on the season's final weekend.

And then a tiny school from Boone, N.C., came and took a sledgehammer to the whole darn thing.

Michigan's stunning 34-32 loss to Division I-AA Appalachian State served as a sucker punch that was hailed in some circles as the greatest upset in college football history.

The haymaker came the following week when Oregon trounced the Wolverines 39-7 at home. Suddenly, Michigan became the poster child for a college football season that has turned wildly unpredictable.

"For me it was surreal," said Steve Schilling, a redshirt freshman offensive tackle. "That was my first two games so I definitely was not expecting that. It was a little different feeling."

The fallout was intense. Michigan coach Lloyd Carr faced pointed questions about his future, and the players realized one of their goals was dashed two weeks into the season.

"As far as the national championship, that was out of the picture when we lost the first two games," senior safety Brandent Englemon said. "But our expectation every year is to win the Big Ten title and go to the Rose Bowl. That is the ultimate goal, and we still have that opportunity."

That, they do. The Wolverines have regrouped; they have won six consecutive games entering today's home game against the Gophers. They are tied with Ohio State atop the Big Ten standings at 4-0, and after tumbling out of the Top 25, the Wolverines have climbed back to No. 19 this week.

Now, Michigan looks like Michigan, and the hysteria surrounding the program has faded into the background.

"There's no question it was a difficult time here," Carr said. "I credit our players and coaches for maintaining an outlook that we had an ability to turn things around."

The Wolverines say a 38-0 rout of rival Notre Dame in Week 3 started the healing process. They gained confidence while also quieting some of the criticism. A 14-9 victory against Penn State followed, and the winning streak continued.

The players credit the team's leadership for holding things together at a time when it would have been easy to come unglued. Carr acknowledged the defense had major issues the first two games, which presumably have since been corrected. Of course, Michigan still has talent superior to that of most teams, so this supposed turnaround is not that surprising.

"It was frustrating from all angles, but we knew we had a long season," linebacker Chris Graham said. "We couldn't give up and just go downhill. You could see everybody wanted to win."

The Wolverines have done that despite injuries to several key players, including Hart and Henne. Hart, a Heisman Trophy candidate and the nation's third-leading rusher, sat out last week's game at Illinois because of a high ankle sprain. Henne left the game twice to receive treatment for a shoulder injury. Both are questionable for today's game, but the Wolverines have overcome worse situations.

"We can't afford to be overconfident against anybody," Schilling said. "We learned that we can't take any team lightly. We learned what can happen if you do that."

Their road becomes more difficult after today. The Wolverines play back-to-back road games against Michigan State and Wisconsin before returning home for their annual showdown against Ohio State.

As crazy as it seemed two months ago, the Wolverines can still win the Big Ten title and reach a BCS bowl game.

"We're like the underdogs after losing our first two games," Graham said. "I hope we stay off the radar. As long as we're there at the end of the season, that's all I care about."

Chip Scoggins • ascoggins@startribune.com