Michigan Outlasts Virginia Tech To Win Sugar Bowl

The University of Michigan took a major step toward reclaiming its place among the elite college football programs in the nation last night by defeating the Virginia Tech Hokies 23-20 in Overtime to win the Sugar Bowl in front of a nation audience. If anyone has followed Michigan this year than this game unfolded in pretty typical fashion where QB Denard Robinson and the UM offense sputtered here and there but made up for it with some fantastic plays by Robinson (see below) and some miscues by Virginia Tech. The big difference in this game was the Red Zone defense of Michigan as the Wolverines were fairly dominated in the first half but tightened up when it mattered and held Virginia Tech to FGs instead of TDs.

Both teams played hard in the second half and VT came back late to tie it. The game had a rather anticlimactic ending however as the Hokies were the victim of a tough call in OT that took away a touchdown forcing them to settle for a FG which they then missed. From there it was easy for Michigan to run the ball to the middle of the field for 3 plays before kicking the game-winning Field Goal.

The most important thing to take away from this game I feel is that Michigan may finally be on their way to becoming the national power they had been seemingly forever before the fateful 2007 Week 1 loss to FCS opponent Appalachian State. Longtime coach Lloyd Carr war fired after that season and Rich Rodriguez of West Virginia was brought in. Rodriguez attempted to install his Spread Option offense but failed miserably. Many players who came to Michigan to play for Carr transferred, the new offensive scheme didn't take and Michigan stumbled to a horrid 3-9 season in 2008 under R-Rod. Rodriguez would never fully get on track after being the subject of several NCAA violation investigations and a 3 year record of 15-22 he was fired by the University.

This year Michigan brought in Brady Hoke who had enjoyed tremendous success at San Diego State University and who was determined to reinvigorate a defense that had been the bane of Michigan's failures over the past 4 seasons. Under Hoke the Wolverines had the best season since 2006 that was capped off with last night's Sugar Bowl victory and a final record of 11-2 (they also beat rival Ohio State for the first time since 2003).

The Future is bright for Michigan Football which is exactly what the Big 10 conference needs right now after the recent scandal that has hampered perennial power Ohio State. If Denard Robinson and breakout RB Fitzgerald Toussaint, along with the ever-improving Defense, can build upon their 2011 campaign, expect the 2012 Michigan Wolverines to be competing for a National Title.