2019 Michigan Gameday #1: vs. Middle Tennessee State

Whoooooa Nelly, fans, college football is back!  It's late summer in Ann Arbor as the weather begins to transition to fall temperatures (before an inevitable random heat wave) and the students have returned to campus for some fun before the semester gets back into full swing after Labor Day, and fun they'll have on this cloudy Saturday evening.  That's right, Michigan is kicking off its season not at noon, 1, or 3:30, but under the bright Big House lights at 7:30 p.m.  Word is the electricity will be provided entirely by late coach Bo Schembechler spinning in his grave at nearby Forest Hill Cemetery!

Legendary announcer Bob Ufer, known to the world for his impartiality and laid back demeanor (HA!) is surely looking down on Football Valhalla, ready as any fellow Meeeechigan fan for another exciting year of the sport that continues to put the No Fun League to shame.

The Wolverines' opponent tonight is Middle Tennessee State.  Known primarily as a basketball school since their not-at-all surprising March first-round elimination of Michigan State in 2016--the Blue Raiders indeed hail from smack dab in the middle of that state, a city called Murfreesboro that's not too far from Nashville.  That's about as much as I know about them, and hopefully that's all I'll need to know.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh remains at the forefront of most related stories these days, but the new hotness this year is brand new OC Josh Gattis, most recently of Alabama, who's bringing experience with some explosive and, dare I say, modern, offenses, to the program.  His slogan is #speedinspace and the transition to an up-tempo, spread, no-huddle look could finally be the key to consistency and production that Harbaugh's been looking for.  He certainly has some intriguing weapons in returning QB Shea Patterson and a talented group of WRs.

Naturally I'm thrilled by the return of my favorite team in all of sports and am eagerly anticipating kickoff in under an hour (as I'm writing this).  Here's hoping for some early chances to work out the bugs on both sides of the ball, lots of PT deep into the roster, and an easy win for the boys in Maize and Blue.  Do it for Bo, Bob, and the rest of the Meechigan faithful.

LET'S GO BLUE!