The Crier

Win Over Eastern Tells the Same Old Story

Guts, Grit, and Gall: What Lloyd Carr can learn from Mike Hart

Lloyd Cargo · Sport · Oct 08, 2007

In another wild weekend of college football, Michigan’s ho-hum victory over Eastern was a non-story, except for one thing: Mike Hart broke the all-time Michigan rushing record with a 14 yard scamper during the first quarter.

Hart’s detractors have pointed out that his 0-3 record against Ohio State and in bowl games, along with his penchant for making bold statements post-game (see “You know, if we played Ohio State again, it would be a whole different game” and “I guarantee a victory over Notre Dame” as a pair among many examples) keep him from joining the ranks of all-time great Wolverines.

Mike Hart just might be the best running back, no, greatest football player to don the Maize ‘n Blue – at least in the modern era.

I’d beg to differ. Mike Hart just might be the best running back, no, greatest football player to don the Maize ‘n Blue – at least in the modern era. I’m no historian, and while my opinion is obviously tainted by the fact that Hart and I have shared the same four years on campus, I don’t think that my view is totally lacking in perspective.

He probably won’t win the Heisman, and as far as raw athletic ability – Charles Woodson is hands down the most draw-dropping playmaker Michigan’s had the privilege to educate. But Hart, Mighty Mike, is the living embodiment of every ideal any fan could ever ask for. If you have a heart, you love the man. His accomplishments speak for themselves, but it’s his attitude in spite of the program’s struggles that elevate him to a place more mythical than the national championship game.

We can do so much better. We can beat Ohio State. We can win our bowl game. We can do it.

But in an effort to stop this column from being an all-out man-crush lovefest, I’d like to say: Are you kidding me? If anyone watched our game (and with the Big Ten Network, I know not many did) and the LSU v. Florida game and wasn’t bowled over by the difference between Les and Lloyd, then well…. Stop here before I hurt your feelings.

In the wake of this years struggles there seems to be two prevailing attitudes. One side says, you know what? Carr runs a clean program, we’ve got the third highest winning percentage in the last ten years, we still make bowl games every year and it could be a whole lot worse. Hey, we’ve even won four in a row now! If you complain about this team, you aren’t a real Michigan fan, you ought to support the team unconditionally, and be happy that we aren’t {insert pretty much every program that hasn’t been consistently winning for the last 40 years, but especially…} Notre Dame.

NO NO NO NO NO. We can do so much better. We can beat Ohio State. We can win our bowl game. We can do it. I swear it’s true. We have the talent. We have the historical cache. We can be a great program. Every team loses games, I understand that. It’s the way we lose, the outdated play-calling, the handicap we call tradition that puts us at a disadvantage every time Michigan steps onto the field that is the source of my outrage. Of course I’d like to see us win all of our games from here on out, but not at the expense of failing to learn from our mistakes. ( See Appalachian State.)

If anything, last years successful season (by any standards) ought to prove that Michigan is so talented, they often win in spite of the coaching. And so when people call for the coaching staff’s letters of resignation, when people insist we get Les Miles, Jeff Tedford or Brian Kelly, they aren’t being bad fans. They’re just not accepting anything less than the best.

It doesn’t have to be this way and as I’ve said before: Mike Hart deserves better.

Did you see how big Les Miles’ balls were last night? The coach of the #1 LSU Tigers was 5/5 on fourth down conversions and at least three of those were attempts that Carr would have never even dreamt of attempting. That there was a fiery coach who believed in his team. They were playing to win, not to avoid losing. It was beautiful.

Next week we face off against Purdue, whose ballyhooed offense looked pedestrian against Ohio State. Can we beat them? Sure, we should probably be able to win, but do any of us students feel absolutely confident we will? Hell no. Think about that for a second, we’re a little bit scared of Purdue. We have arguably the greatest player in Michigan’s storied history touching the ball thirty times a game and we’re scared of Purdue. Purdue?!?!

It doesn’t have to be this way and as I’ve said before: Mike Hart deserves better.