Hlas: A new Michigan stepping into Kinnick

The last time Iowa played Michigan in football, the Wolverines were 7-0 and ranked No. 2 in the nation.

That was 2006, so long ago in Michigan minds.

It was when coach Lloyd Carr was held in fairly high esteem by Wolverine fans. Which you would expect for someone with five Big Ten titles and a national championship.

But different fan bases have different expectations. Michigan earned a 20-6 win that day in ‘06, and was 11-0 before it suffered a 42-39 loss to fellow-unbeaten Ohio State in the spellbinding game of the year. A 32-18 Rose Bowl loss to USC followed.

Then things went haywire by Michigan standards. The Wolverines opened the 2007 season with a home loss to Appalachian State and got clocked, 39-7, by Oregon in Ann Arbor the following week. Those foes ran spread offenses. Carr's defenses couldn't cope.

Ripping off wins in their next eight games didn't ultimately matter, because the Wolverines closed the regular-season with defeats to Wisconsin and Ohio State.

It was the sixth loss for Carr in his last seven games against the Buckeyes, far more than Michigan fans could take.

Carr retired. After a drawn-out coaching search that centered around a courtship with LSU's Les Miles, a Michigan grad, the Wolverines finally hired Rich Rodriguez. The choice has been about as popular in Michigan as buckeye trees.

Thom Darden of Cedar Rapids has ties to Michigan football that are old and strong. Darden played from 1969 to 1971 at the U-M for Bo Schembechler, and was an All-America defensive back as a senior. He went on to be an All-Pro safety with the Cleveland Browns.

Darden runs a financial services company in Cedar Rapids. He still wears Michigan garb and bleeds Michigan blue. He isn't fully enamored with what he sees these days from the Wolverines, though they are 4-1 this season after a going a dreadful 3-9 in Rodriguez's first season.

“Anything's better than what happened last year,” Darden said. “They're noticeably better. But they still have a significant way to go to be what I consider a Top 10-contending team year in and year out, which we used to be.”

This year's Michigan team is 91st nationally in total defense. That's not Wolverines football.

“I just don't see guys on defense making plays when plays need to be made,” Darden said. “Interceptions, tackles for losses, creating fumbles - I'm not seeing that.

“You hate to always go bring Schembechler into the mix, but I can't help it. He always said you win with defense, and I drank the Kool-Aid.”

Many Michigan fans have concerns about Rodriguez beyond the on-field results to date. They worry about style subbing for substance.

“I believe in Rich Rodriguez,” Darden said. “But that's because I knew him when he was the coach at Fairmont State (as an assistant 20 years ago). He was a good coach then and he's a good coach now. But if I hadn't known him I would have questioned the hire.

“Coming from where I came from, you don't just jettison the tradition, the offense, the blocking scheme, the things that made you a winning program for 35, 40 years. You just don't kick that to the curb for no reason.”

But Darden knows how change becomes accepted with less agitation.

“Winning will solve everything,” he said.