How a long bus ride in 2021 made Michigan football eager to avenge loss to MSU

Michigan football offensive lineman Trevor Keegan was in a good mood on Wednesday.

Then again, why wouldn't he be? For the second consecutive season, Michigan is 7-0 — the first back-to-back such starts for program since 1973-74. A few hours earlier, the offensive line was named to the Joe Moore Award midseason honor roll as one of the top 22 units in the country.

He was, of course, part of the group that won the award a season ago.

He joked as he recounted when R.J. Moten told him that he was "hit with a PB&J in the face" on the sideline in Saturday's 41-17 win over Penn State and smiled when he discussed his favorite movie, "The Dark Knight," and how The Joker was the inspiration behind his eye black.

Then he was asked about Michigan State football — and his entire demeanor switched as he was asked how long he'd been looking to the rematch: "Ever since we lost last year."

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"That bus ride home, it sucked," Keegan said. "I've been thinking about it ever since. Yeah, it still pisses me off, and we're going to do everything we can to prepare for this game.

"We've got the bye week, get healthy, and we're going to be ready to roll."

Since the loss on Oct. 30, 2021, Michigan is 12-1, with the Wolverines' lone loss coming against Georgia (the eventual national champion) in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

But it's the loss in East Lansing — in which U-M was up by 16 in the second half, then let the game slip away — that has stuck as a turning point in the program.

"Last year, we should have blown them out," defensive back Gemon Green said. "For them to come back and beat us, that was a big emphasis for us and that's not going to happen again."

Roman Wilson still remembers the bus ride home as one of the worst moments of his entire tenure in maize and blue.

"I remember sitting all the way in the back of the bus with Erick All," Wilson said. "We didn't say one word. We got back to Schembechler Hall and went home. Did not say one word because we all know what we did and we all know what we've got to do this year. We've just been waiting for that moment.

"We know we're the better team, we've just got to go out there and prove it. We just can't let (expletive) happen. Excuse my language, but that's what be happening, we know we can play better."

Difference in 7-0 teams: 'focusing on ourselves'

Michigan's 7-0 start in 2021 led to one of the best seasons in program history — just the third 12-win finish ever for U-M.

Off to the same start in 2022, the Wolverines can feel there's something different about this year, however.

Green said much of it is about mindset. Last year, the Wolverines reached heights unseen in years. Now they're trying to raise the bar.

"Focusing on ourselves and basically trying to get better every week," he said. "We don't ever say, 'OK, we did good in this area,' we always try to look for room to improve.

"We were good last year, but I wouldn't say we were good enough to beat Georgia and teams in the SEC and stuff like that. We're trying to look to be a lot better than last year."

Are they?

"Of course," Green said. "Especially if we keep getting better. We're not at the point we want to be at right now, we want to keep getting better every week, but eventually we're going to be at that peak."

Green also gave the Wolverines a newfound edge in the rushing game, both on offense and defense.

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MSU's Kenneth Walker III racked up 197 yards and five touchdowns in the Spartans' 37-33 comeback victory. Green said Walker was talented, but he added, "I don't think they have that this year, so I think we'll do a lot better than we did in the previous years."

Keegan pointed to a change in the star level between the two squads. After the 2021 defense featured Aidan Hutchinson, David Ojabo and Daxton Hill, coach Jim Harbaugh called his group a "no-star defense" this summer, saying that, rather than a few standouts, the Wolverines featured a group that fit well together and was extremely talented at all 11 spots.

Keegan took it one step further Tuesday as he lauded the leadership on every unit.

"The main difference is that, last year, we had really, a core group of leaders," he said. "Probably 8-10 really good leaders last year, but this year I think everybody is a leader. Everybody does the right thing around the building, there's no problems outside the building or anything like that.

"It's just a bunch of good guys with the same common goal."

Changes coming to the Big House

The Big House is getting some big(ger) scoreboards. On Tuesday, Michigan's athletic department released renderings of the new scoreboards, which are set to be completed before the start of the 2023 season.

Construction at Michigan Stadium and Crisler Center will begin after the 2022 season. According to the announcement, the project will replace both video boards in each end zone, upgrade equipment in the production studio and control room of Crisler Center and add a new sound system for the seating bowl and around the concourse.

"The project is self-funded by the University of Michigan Athletic Department," the school said in its release. "All costs for the project derive from gifts to Michigan Athletics, specifically restricted to capital improvements."

The program also announced Tuesday the quarterbacks coaching position — occupied by Matt Weiss, also the co-offensive coordinator — has been endowed by the McCollum family, which committed $2 million.

“We appreciate the generous gestures that Robert McCollum and his family continue to make to express their commitment to our football program and athletic department,” Harbaugh said in a statement. “Robert’s multiple gifts to our program over the last few years have helped provide better resources for our student-athletes and staff.”

The QB job is the fifth U-M coaching spot endowed by a donor, following the head coach, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and offensive line coach positions.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football haunted by 2021 2nd-half stumble vs. Michgian State