You'll see more of the "behind the scenes" stuff on "First" this Friday night at 10.

Also, more scolding of DSU by the national media from Sports Illustrated.  You got my thoughts on all this already at the end of this post.  All I can add is that Kansas State spanked Texas A&M  62-14 in a Big 12 game Saturday and, in the NFL yesterday, New England demolished Tennessee 59-0 in the snow.  It can happen any time, any place.  Sure, DSU went in knowing this was the likely outcome – and yes, they did forfeit a game to do so, but at least, DSU netted 450 thousand dollars for their effort and their players can smile that they had a chance to play in the Big House years from now. No such warm fuzzies for Texas A&M and Tennessee (although the NFL is always making money – so I guess I shouldn't really include "the League"  in this discussion).

Bottom line, DSU has already acknowledged its mistake regarding the forfeit and paid for it ( in a fine to the MEAC). It's not like they are saying they will gladly foreit another league game if another big school dangles a check in front of them. They're just going to what everyone else does – look for suitable money games and take them. Nature of the beast.

If you are interested in how the Michigan side saw it, good stuff from the Detroit Free Press.

From me -  a couple of quick nuggets of info and thoughts:

First, some personal impressions on playing at the Big House.  The 106 thousand plus on hand were not as loud as I thought they'd be.  This may be because it was DSU and not Ohio State or Penn State, but even when they came to life when the Wolverines scored or they were trying to stop DSU in the red zone, I did not think it was overly intimidating.  My cameraman, Paul Parmelee says its much louder at Happy Valley for Penn State games.  Still, it is definitely a big time college football atmosphere and a great place to watch a game.

As for the game, yes, the Hornets were totally overmatched – falling behind 49-0 in the first half, and yes, Michigan clearly took its foot off the accelerator at that point.  BUT, I do give DSU credit for answering Head Coach Al Lavan's halftime call to show their character by going back out and playing a strong second half.  They did not allow Michigan to score in the third quarter -and twice stopped them on 4th and short in the red zone to accomplish that feat. They also got the offense going a bit – totaling 159 of their 216 yards after the break.

The loss was a big one , but it was not an all-timer at DSU.  It did not even approach the 105-0 loss at Portland State back in 1980. And they have had more lopsided losses in recent memory to FCS/I-AA schools (68-0 to Hofstra in 1998 and 65-7 at James Madison in 2005).  They did set a DSU record for yards allowed in a game  (727 – also a Michigan record for yards  gained), eclipsing the old mark of 629 set in a 49-0 loss to Florida A&M in 1997.

If you are looking for silver linings, there were those 2 fourth down stops in the third quarter, the fact DSU went 2-2 in the red zone (2 FG's) and the fact they committed fewer penalties than Michigan 8 for 78 yards vs. UM's 9 for 93) and fewer turnovers (0 to UM's 1).  Yeah, that's kinda grasping at straws, but you take what you can get.

And finally, on the issue of where or not DSU should have signed this game or consider similar ones in the future. I have a few comments.  Clearly, DSU should not take a game like this without having all its ducks in a row.  Having to forfeit their North Carolina A&T game to play Michigan was embarrassingly wrong, and Al Lavan said yesterday that DSU did not take the game knowing it would have to forfeit a MEAC game and would never take a money game under those circumstances.  Having said that, Lavan, his players and AD Derek Carter all said yesterday, other than the forfeit, they had no regrets and would gladly play Michigan or a similar team again.  Some people have an issue with that.  I do not, as long as you have a plan when it comes to taking these games.  DSU did not have an AD when it signed this game, and it showed.  The man in charge now, Carter, says the money the school receives and the experiences the players take away from games like this are positives – he just wants to be more careful about who they play in any given year.  He says he will look at where the program is at, what kind of talent they have, and then look for possible match-ups that fit.  Which, by the way, is essentially what Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said from the other side of the fence when he was asked about playing a team the caliber of DSU.   Its a fact of life that schools like DSU can really use the money they walk away with from these games (in this case, its now a reported 550 thousand – a net of 450 thousand or so after the fine it paid the MEAC and other expenses).  Just do it right.  Don't mess up your league schedule – or don't bail on games you already signed (like Furman did to UD this year, creating the UD-DSU game).

I have some game highlights we shot up Monday –and of course, our full piece on the trip on "First" this Friday night at 10pm.

On the bus ride over – drove thru a bunch of tailgates. One guy took the time to stop and give the DSU buses a one finger salute. I imagine he's not so lonely when Ohio State is here.

Saw  another guy n a full UM uniform, pads and all.  He looked a little undersized.

Was in the tunnel when today's starting QB, Nick Elko, made his way to the field for warmups by himself, very much alone with his thoughts. Saw a couple members of his family at the hotel, so he has some support among the small contingent of DSU fans here, including the band and cheerleaders. Nick Richmond told me his parents got great seats on eBay.

Coach Lavan and his staff have worked hard to keep the team motivated and feeling they can play with Michigan. But as he said this morning there a time for the talking to stop and the action to begin.

It comes in 25 minutes.

So, Elko, who was 5-of-15 passing for 39 yards with an interception last week in relief of Glaud last week, follows up his college debut by making his first collegiate start in the "Big House".  Doesn't get much tougher than that for a I-AA QB – a real baptism by fire.

Head Coach Al Lavan told me earlier this week he expects Elko to have a better command of things this week after getting his feet wet last week.  Since we are in "all-access" mode with DSU, I had a chance to sit in on Friday night's offensive meetings and Elko had no trouble answering the coaching staff's questions as they went over what DSU plans to do against Michigan.  Senior offensive lineman and co-captain Nick Richmond also expressed confidence that Elko is up to the challenge and believes he will "open some eyes".

We'll see what Elko's got at noon.

I will say it is an impressive place, but not, at least for me, because of the size.  It didn't feel really big today.  I'm sure it will tomorrow with 100,000+ in the stands,  What stuck me was how "old school" the place feels.  No advertising, basic bleacher seats.   DSU senior offensive lineman Nick Richmond agreed, telling me you can feel the history on the field and in the locker room.

Here's some of the video I shot today of the field and the walk to the locker room (sorry for the lack of sound – my narrration got "lost in the digital translation" – which may be a good thing):

One funny note – I told you earlier that the line on tomorrow's game has DSU a 36 point underdog.  I was asking some players today if they had heard that.  On the record, one told me he hadn't heard the line and didn't want to know -  he didn't care and to him it doesn't matter. Then, as soon as we turned the camera, he asked "What's the line?".  Priceless.  If nothing else, the Hornets appear loose.

By the way, there is now a betting line on the game now. The game had been off the board all week. It's up today with DSU a 36 point underdog.

Normally, its a simple "yes" when you talk about these "guarantee games" that send lower level programs to play at big time schools. How can small schools pass up single figure checks that help their athletic departments balance the budget?  And once in a while, they even walk away with a win to go with that check. It's pretty much what DSU coach Al Lavan has been saying since I first interviewed him about inking the game with Michigan back in February. You can see those comments here.

But Delaware State's trip to Ann Arbor this week has been a bit more controversial than most I-AA/FCS teams taking a paycheck to play at a big-time I-A/FBS team.  Because DSU signed to play the Wolverines before dotting all the "i's" and crossing all the "t's" on the changes they needed to make to their schedule to accommodate the game, they were left in a situation where they had two games scheduled on the same day, Michigan and MEAC rival North Carolina A&T.  Del State thought they had an agreement A&T and fellow league rival Norfolk State to juggle their schedules to accommodate the Michigan game and still fit A&T in on another date, but Norfolk State balked at moving things around to help the Hornets. So, DSU is forfeiting its game with A&T this week and only playing 10 games this season.

A number of national media outlets weighed in, expressing disapproval. I certainly agree that DSU should never have signed the Michigan deal until everything had been fully worked out. I also believe the MEAC should have stepped in and more strongly mediated the situation to make sure all its leagues games got played, one way or another. But when it comes to the basic question -"Is it worth it?" – its hard argue even this mess diminishes the substantially the benefit DSU gets from picking up 500,000 dollars for one days work.

Of course, Delaware State may feel differently after the game – if they suffer a bunch of injuries (always a concern when you play up a level) or if the score is anything like the 105-0 loss DSU absorbed against Portland State in 1980. It took years for DSU to live that one down.

DSU linebacker Kevin Green transferred to the Hornets this year from Purdue.  He played at Michigan back in 2007, making one tackle n a 48-21 loss in Ann Arbor. We chatted with him this week to get his thoughts on going back with Delaware State.

And a player at Division III Wesley College's roster has knows a little bit about playing in the big time.  Wide Receiver Ellis Krout spent last season at Oregon soaking in the PAC 10 atmosphere before coming to the Wolverines this year (where he's already caught 10 TD passes in just 5 games).  We asked him what advice he'd offer the Hornets about heading to play on such a big stage.

Making matters worse,  DSU's starting QB Anthony Glaud left that loss to Bethune in the second quarter due to a concussion.  His status for this week is up in the air, and if he can't go, redshirt freshman Nick Elko will make his first college start, just one week after seeing his first college action against Bethune-Cookman.  Elko was 5 of 15 passing for 32 yards against Bethune-Cookman.

Check out my full interview with Al Lavan here.

Personally, I was amused that a when a reporter suggested scheduling more competitive I-AA/FCS  teams in the future – he specifically mentioned the Blue Hens' conference, the CAA, and Rodriguez agreed, before adding 'be careful what you wish for" – obviously referencing Michigan's loss to App St a couple of years ago, and the CAA's recent success against I-A/FBS teams.

I also enjoyed the fact that Wolverine defensive back Troy Woolfolk spent more time answering questions about his dog than Delaware State. Ouch.

Here's some highlights:

Michigan Head Coach Rich Rodriguez:

(When asked about being worried about his team getting up for DSU)

"You worry about it a little bit because its not the same atmosphere as you have for a prime time Saturday game as we had last week (Michigan's 30-28 loss at Iowa).   You have to talk to them quite a bit. If your a I-A team, you're expected to beat a I-AA team.  Everyone knows that.  That's not a big secret.  But as we all know. this year,  last year, in the last several years, it doesn't always happen that way.  They've got players that can play. and watching their team speed, I've been impressed.  This is their Super Bowl.  We'l  get their best shot.  Our guys have to understand that."

(When asked what Michigan gets out of playing a game like this)

We get a home game.  It is not easy to schedule as maybe as everybody would think, in particular when you have to have a certain number of home games and we were in such a short time period to get it schedule.  In the future,  its not as much an issue because you can plan out the next 5-6 years.  But even then, its become more and more competitive to schedule that 12th game and, particularly, get one at home because most people are playing a I-AA team and some are playing two.

(on what he knows about Delaware State)

We've been watching the the film since yesterday (Monday).  We've got all their games, and have been breaking them down.  They look very similar to us offensively, shotgun, spread, read zone,  Defensively, even front.  Don't prssure a whole lot, but probably will against us.

Wolverine defensive back Troy Woolfolk

(on if App. State has been brought up this week – Michigan lost at home to App. State in 207 when the Wolverines were ranked #5 in the nation)

Yes, it does.  I knew I was gonna get that question.  I don't believe in playing toward your competition.  You just have to play at your best, regardless of who the competition is, because you never know what could happen.

Wolverine Offensive lineman David Moosman

(on playing a team that is 1-3 against Division I-AA competition vs. Big 10 teams)

It doesn't really matter.  It doesn't matter if were going up against Iowa, Penn State, Delaware State, Ohio State.  We're going to play the best game we can.  We want to execute .  We want to play hard, regardless of who they put out there.  You guys (the media) could come out there and we'd probably play the same.

Not a whole lot of bulletin board material there – and I expect it will stay that way through the week.