The Bo Statue

I've been meaning to take a picture of this statue ever since they unveiled it.  Tonight presented the best opportunity for me to do so.

 Anyone who follow this blog knows that I am a Michigan fan.  And anyone who follows it closely knows that I am a huge Bo Schembechler fan.  He seemed to be the embodiment of a coach who did things the right way.  Sadly, that didn't lead to the success that his overall record would seem to indicate.  There is a running joke that he got his cereal on a plate because he couldn't handle the bowl.  For all his Big Ten titles, he has no national championships to show for that.  But I don't think that is a knock on him because I think he looked at the bowl game as a reward for his teams' hard work. 

 The statue itself was unveiled outside of Schembechler Hall on April 5, 2014.  The statue was created by J Brent Grill.

 It is meant to depict Bo on the sidelines.  And I will have to admit, it is a pretty good likeness.

 It is also pretty well detail.

I kind of like this shot.

Goodyear Blimp Over Ann Arbor

I decided to head over to the western end of the state to catch two lighthouses that I have not seen yet.  As I was leaving, I heard a very distinctive sound in the sky, so of course I looked up and saw the Goodyear Blimp.

 This blimp has appeared on this blog in the past and was around for the University of Michigan-Notre Dame game.  As always, I think it's pretty cool when I get to see the blimp.

This was the best angle I could get as it was staying in places where I couldn't get the straight on shot, but still...it's not bad.

Wallpaper Thursday - Beat Ohio

There was only one theme for my wallpaper this week.  It is the big game against Ohio State.  So I took some of my pictures from the Michigan game I went to.

This year feels almost proper because I think Michigan can beat those folks from Columbus.

Go Blue!

Charles Woodson Action Figure

One of my favorite Michigan players from the past few years would have to be Charles Woodson.  When I saw that there was a McFarlane figure based on him, I had to get it.

In the 1997, Charles Woodson became the first defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy.  He was also an instrumental player in Michigan's undefeated and shared National Championship season.

He sometimes also was a kick returner and wide receiver.  He made some pretty exciting plays in both.

But I would have to say that some of the most exciting plays he made were some of the very key defensive plays he made in the 1997 season.  And his NFL career has gone against the typical Heisman busts out there.

The Big House - A Panorama

So I leave you with one more shot. The only time I could really do this shot was at halftime, so I took it and used the stitch program that came with the camera. It's not the greatest panoramic shot but it will do.
Enjoy.

EMU vs. UM - Post Game Shots

Just some shots to wrap it up after the game.
The post game handshake.

The Michigan football players joining the student section after the game.

One more rendition of The Victors.

The throngs of people as they leave the Big House.

Looks like Blimpy Burgers was out of the question.

All in all, I had a ton of fun at the game today. It was great to be down on the field and take pictures at the Big House. I wish the score weren't as lopsided as it was but oh well. I sort of figured going into this game that Michigan would win but you never know. I mean I'm a fan of both teams but I would like to see Eastern win once against their neighbors down Washtenaw Avenue. Anyways, it was a good solid effort on the part of both teams.

Eastern Michigan Vs. Michigan - The Game

So it was finally game time and I was pretty excited because I got to watch a game at the Big House on the field. It's pretty amazing because when you're actively taking pictures, it is hard to actually watch the game but I didn't mind since even when I'm in the stands, I'm taking pictures. I will have to say one thing, if I think it is loud in the stands...it is even more so on the field.
Corey Welch taking the opening kickoff. Eastern actually looked pretty decent on special teams. The kickoffs were run back fairly well. I didn't get a chance to see too many punt returns but the punting team was decent.

Javonti Greene running the ball. Eastern's running game looked decent for about a half and then Michigan's defense was able to make some adjustments and pretty much shut down Eastern in the second half.

This tackle was for a fumble and it made me think it would be a long game for the Eagles.

Fitzgerald Toussaint running the ball. It seemed like he had a decent day.

Denard taking the snap. It seemed like Eastern was doing a decent job containing him and then he started to look like Denard.

The Michigan Band.

Eastern's Coach, Ron English.

Eastern managed to get the ball down to the 1 yard line (or so) and rather than kick the field goal, they decided to punch it in. Sadly, Michigan was able to move the pile back and Javonti Greene fell a bit short.

Marlon Pollard running the ball back during a punt return.

Alex Gillett taking the snap. He looked pretty good when he was running the ball but I think he only had 6 passing attempts. I hope for Eastern's sake that the line starts to gel.

The Michigan Drum Line.

Eastern Michigan kicking a field goal and this turned out to be their only score of the day.

Denard running the ball. This was a fairly long run, if I remember correctly.

Kevin Koger getting tackled after a catch.

Corey Welch running the ball back after a kickoff.

Alex Gillett trying to pass but as you can see there are a few Wolverines in the backfield.

Jeremy Gallon running the ball back after a kickoff. This would have been a long return but there was holding.

Vincent Smith running the ball. He seemed to have a few carries as well.

Denard after a touchdown.

Gillett running the ball again. Like I said before, this happened all too often during the game.

Smith running the ball again.

Denard setting up a pass. He was 7 for 18 for a total of 95 yards.

Vincent Smith running again. He had 118 yards.

One of my favorite shots.

Javonti Greene running again. He ended up getting getting 85 yards.

Another carry by Denard.

Smith rushing again.

I think I really like this shot.

Corey Welch running back another kickoff.

Dominque White rushing the ball.

Ryan Brumfield with the carry. All in all, Eastern gained 220 yards on the ground which is not bad.

And this makes the 223rd game with over 100,000 people at the Michigan game.

Another catch by Gallon.

Denard waiting for the snap.

And the new tradition of saying the Slippery Rock score. I'll have to admit that this is pretty cool since Slippery Rock is a tiny school in Pennsylvania.

A Delta 757 flying over the stadium. It was wierd because I was looking towards the north when I caught it. And me being me had to get a picture of it. Apparently it was having trouble and was routed over the stadium. It almost looked like a fly by.

Another shot of the trenches.

Another run by Dominque White.

So, I was hoping for a good game. I'm not sure I got that as the game was pretty much out of reach by the middle of the third quarter. Michigan ended up winning 31 to 3. But I think Eastern didn't look as bad as the score reflected. They ran the ball fairly well. Special teams weren't too bad. If they can get their passing game in line, they might make a run for the MAC.

And Michigan was well....Michigan.