2011 Michigan Wolverines football team

2011 Michigan Wolverines football
Sugar Bowl champion
Sugar Bowl, W 23–20 OT vs. Virginia Tech
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
DivisionLegends Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 9
APNo. 12
Record11–2 (6–2 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorAl Borges (1st season)
Offensive schemeSpread/Pro-style
Defensive coordinatorGreg Mattison (1st season)
Base defense4–3
MVPDenard Robinson
Captains
Home stadiumMichigan Stadium
Seasons
← 2010
2012 →
2011 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Legends Division
No. 11 Michigan State x   7 1     11 3  
No. 12 Michigan %   6 2     11 2  
No. 24 Nebraska   5 3     9 4  
Iowa   4 4     7 6  
Northwestern   3 5     6 7  
Minnesota   2 6     3 9  
Leaders Division
No. 10 Wisconsin xy$   6 2     11 3  
Penn State x   6 2     9 4  
Purdue   4 4     7 6  
Ohio State   3 5     6 7  
Illinois   2 6     7 6  
Indiana   0 8     1 11  
Championship: Wisconsin 42, Michigan State 39
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
  • % – BCS at-large representative
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2011 Michigan Wolverines football team, sometimes known as Team 132 in reference to the 132-year tradition of the Michigan football program,[1][2][3] represented the University of Michigan in the sport of college football during the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season.

Under first-year head coach Brady Hoke, Michigan compiled a record of 11–2 and finished in second place in the newly formed Legends Division of the Big Ten Conference. Hoke, hired in January 2011 following the firing of previous head coach Rich Rodriguez, was named Big Ten Coach of the Year by both the media and the coaches and was a finalist for national coach of the year honors. Highlights of Michigan's 2011 season included a 35–31 victory over Notre Dame in the first night game ever played at Michigan Stadium,[4] a 45–17 victory over Nebraska in the Cornhuskers' first year in the Big Ten,[5] and the first victory over arch-rival Ohio State since 2003.[6] Michigan's season ended with a 23–20 overtime victory against Virginia Tech in the 2012 Sugar Bowl.

Under first-year defensive coordinator Greg Mattison, Michigan's defense went from being ranked 107th in scoring defense in 2010 (35.2 points per game) to being ranked sixth (17.38 points per game) in 2011.[7][8] The team's leaders on defense included senior nose tackle Mike Martin, who started 29 consecutive games for Michigan, and safety Jordan Kovacs, who was a quarterfinalist for the Lott Trophy and a semifinalist for the Burlsworth Trophy. Mattison was selected as one of five finalists for the 2011 Broyles Award, awarded to the best assistant coach in college football.

On offense, Michigan had two players, Denard Robinson and Fitzgerald Toussaint, rush for 1,000 yards each for the first time since 1975. Robinson led the Big Ten in total offense per game for the second year in a row and also led the Wolverines in scoring with 96 points. Place-kicker Brendan Gibbons was the team's second leading scorer with 93 points having converted 13 of 17 field goal attempts and 54 of 55 extra points.[9] Senior David Molk won the Rimington Trophy as the best center in college football and also became Michigan's first consensus All-American since 2007. Junior Hemingway was the team's leading receiver with 699 receiving yards and led the conference in yards per reception (20.6) for the second year in a row.

  1. ^ Brandon, David (January 4, 2012). "Brandon's Blog: A Special Night for Team 132". mgoblue.com.
  2. ^ Nesbitt, Stephen J. (January 4, 2012). "Through comedy and confidence, Lewan carries pulse of Team 132". The Michigan Daily.
  3. ^ "Michigan's seniors lead program back to prominence". Detroit Free Press. January 5, 2012.(Hoke: "Team 132 will be the fifth team in (modern) Michigan history to have 11 wins.")
  4. ^ Mandel, Stewart (September 11, 2011). "First night game at the Big House turns into something to remember". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
  5. ^ Rothstein, Michael (November 19, 2011). "Defense slams door on Nebraska". Wolverine Nation. ESPN. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  6. ^ Rothstein, Michael (November 27, 2011). "Seniors finally experience beating OSU". Wolverine Nation. ESPN. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference TR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Kyle Meinke (December 14, 2011). "Greg Mattison thought there was 'no way' Michigan's defense would have this kind of success". AnnArbor.com.
  9. ^ "Michigan Football Statistics (13-game Totals)". MGoBlue.com. University of Michigan. 2012. Archived from the original on July 1, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2012.