Tate Forcier, after just a few starts as a true freshmen quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines, has shown the Wolverine faithful that he is indeed the real deal. And after four nice wins for the program and a top 25 ranking, coach Rich Rodriguez may have done the same for himself. I can’t even begin to imagine the relief and the excitement for all involved in the beloved world of Michigan Wolverine Football.
Tate Forcier has shown that he’s the real deal for the Michigan Wolverines with some last minute heroics and a 4-0 start with two game-winning 4th quarter drives as a true freshman.
Surpassing The Expectations
Freshman quarterbacks are expected to screw up big time. They’re expected to buckle under the pressure, misread the coverages, and basically make a mess of things most of the time. And about the most optimistic outlook you’re going to get is conveyed by former Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer:
“He can’t be expected to carry the load. His job is to not lose the ball game.” – Phillip Fulmer referring to freshman QB’s
But that isn’t nearly good enough to meet the expectations of Tate Forcier, who says:
“I’ve been hearing that from everybody. That’s motivation to push me and has made me want to prove everybody else wrong.” – Tate Forcier
The Kid Has Nerves of Steel
So doesn’t anything rattle this kid? I mean, he’s 19, and he’s playing in front of 110,000 fans for a team that just came off it’s worst season in school history – dating back well over one hundred years, and the fans and Alumni have no patience for that sort of thing. They’ve always been winners, and they expect to be winners again immediately, if not sooner. But Tate came out firing, right from day one, and hasn’t bothered worrying about the “what if’s”.
And what happened to the notion of slowly developing a young QB, not putting too much pressure on him, and not expecting him to win games? Well, I’m sure that was the intent, but life doesn’t always care what your intentions are, and the best laid plans must be thrown to the wind at times when you’re faced with a tougher reality than you had hoped for.
And so it was in only his second start, as Forcier faced a critically important game with their arch-rival the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Down 34-31 with just 11 seconds left on the clock, Forcier found senior wide receiver Greg Mathews along the goal line for the game-winner, sealing a 38-34 victory for Michigan. And pandemonium ensued. The place went ballistic, and Forcier became an instant hero – for now, anyhow.
It was only two short weeks later when the true freshman met his next do or die situation, a brawl with Indiana which came down to the last few minutes again. This time, Forcier had even tougher odds to overcome – an injured throwing shoulder. He came out of the game for a couple of plays, but immediately came back in, down 33-29 with only a few minutes to go. Gunning it down field, Forcier found sophomore slot receiver Martavious Odoms for a 26-yard touchdown with 2:29 remaining to give the Wolverines the lead, and the victory was sealed up with a late interception by junior cornerback Donovan Warren. And again, pandemonium ensued.
Forcier is Here To Stay
So of course there are questions – like what will happen when he throws four interceptions and Michigan gets trounced? Will he come back stronger than before? What happens when he faces Penn State and Ohio State later this year? Would big losses in critically important games rattle the media, and rattle the kid? And how tough is he physically? Can he last the entire season? Will he play hurt? Will he play sick?
We don’t know yet. But for me, a 19 year old kid having two late game-winning fourth quarter drives in front of 110,000 fans earns him the benefit of the doubt when it comes to his abilities, and his future as a quarterback. And make no mistake about it, you’re going to be hearing about Forcier for many years to come in Ann Arbor, and the next big question may someday be who will get drafted first, Tate Forcier or Matt Barkley? Am I jumping the gun a little on this kid? Nope. Not a chance. No 19 year old kid is lucky enough to pull off what Forcier has pulled off already – it takes poise, skill, leadership, and confidence to pull that off – and obviously the best is yet to come. It’s already been a blast watching this kid take the reins and lead the Wolverines to some dramatic, late game victories – and I can’t wait to see what happens when this kid has a little luck on his side to go with his demeanor and skills.
Did I forget to mention that this kid can run like a deer and make big plays with his legs, too? Oh, it doesn’t matter – I’ll be talking about him for years – we’ll save those details for another day.
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