That is a lot of wieners. No but really this blog just went over 100,000 page views. I know to the Michigan mother ship Mgoblog this is like a drop in the bucket but for this mom and pop shop this a nice accomplishment. I started this blog just so I could talk about Michigan football year around in live blogs and then it blew into more with the MS Paints. I never claimed to be a great blogger who writes content everyday. The truth is I just can't write a lick. Never have and never will. I rather draw pictures. I rather give someone a short laugh for the day with crappy Michigan stick figures.

I even almost closed shop with the birth of my son. Blogging and kids don't mix. My time at home goes all to him. When I did post 3 times a week it was all from home. Now I have no time at home and the extra time I have at work I can only spend trying to do a MS Paint for the week. Also failed attempts to make the blog bigger and better with recruiting and other things have not gone as well as I hoped. Even with all the bumps in the road Midnight Maize has done well. I have met a lot of great people on the CILs at night. I have a ton of people to thank for helping with the site and to the people who come check out this little blog, even when the posts are only weekly. Also must thank the people who link me. I do well with lists so we will start the thank you list.

Thank you to the ever changing staff
It seems like Midnight Maize gets a new roster every season. Like we drafting writers from the unknown. If anything it keeps it fresh.
Hulk-He really has never done much posting... Not sure if he has ever. He was the first person to show up on the live blog. He is like the first dollar bill that a business earns that they put on the wall. We haven't always seen eye to eye yet he brings good football knowledge from his coaching days. Thanks for showing up and splitting hairs with me.
SCS-Still helping out when he can. A Michigan Student who has a major passion for hockey. Something I would never cover. He also has a knack for starting soccer topics in Live Blogs. He has been a great help to me for a few years and I can say has made this blog better.
Dark Blue-He is the horse of a different color. He has posted lots for this blog and now can be found over at WLA. He brought a lot of off the wall humor to this blog and helped out whenever he could. I will always thank him for the great RCMB envasion from last year.
Seth9-Seth did a lot of conference stuff and off the field stuff for MM. He is a smart writer who brought something outside the box to this blog. Not sure what Seth is up to but he is a student at Michigan and will always be a great MM alum.
CMR-She did one post that I know of and it was a dandy. She may have also helped in the Knights of the Round Tables posts. I haven't seen her much even on Mgoblog these days but she is a great fan who gave us her all in this one post. She always ranked high in my top 15 live bloggers.
Scout Exile and Simply Complex-These two just started helping with MM and have done some great interviews you can find in the menu. I hope these two guys keep posting since they bring a lot of things I can't do to the site.
I really just wanna thank all these people for giving their time to Midnight Maize. They didn't have to. They weren't paid. They just did it for fun and to help me out. Thanks everyone.

Thanks to all the Midnight Maizer(as I call them).
Thanks to all the random people that have stopped in and said hi to me. Thanks to those who stayed up to 3am in the morning complaining about the gap integrity of Rich Rod defenses. Some just off the top of my head... TLP,Yak Attack,JC,Irish,OSD,The Other Brian,Mgo jen,MidMichigan Wolverine, Sec20,CPS and the dudes from the 24/7 board. If I forgot anyone I am sorry. But thanks all.


Thanks to the blogs who think we are worth linking.
Thanks to all the blogs who link Midnight Maize. Lots of them do. Some of my favorites are Touch the Banner / Mvictors  / In rod we trust  / SE Michigan Sports / Mgovideo / prevailandride
And I wanna give a very special thanks to Brian at Mgoblog. The Mother Ship. The Sun in the Michigan blogosphere solar system. With out him linking my paints and posts I don't think anyone would have found this place. He truly does give to us little people of blogging. With out his links I don't get linked on ESPN and on NY magazine for drawing a picture of nacho next to Armando Allen's foot. Thanks Brian.

A few neat Midnight Maize tidbits 
My favorite Paints: Michigan Gods vs Bad Luck / Back to Spartan Stadium / New Michigan Score Board / The Big Nardowski / Michigan Changes Helmets! / Sonic 16 / Michigan Hating God / Tate has fetuatitus(only banned MS Paint on Mgoblog ever) / Caption of the SS Troy / The Game Wars / OSUBusters / Pryors Punch out(linked on ESPN lunch links) / Charlie's Weis Punch Out / I saw Armando's Foot  / Big House 2025
MS Paint count: 50+
Coolest Midnight Maize Moment: Tate Forcier and a few players knowing my paints.
Lowest Midnight Maize Moment: Taking over for Mgoblog when it got a internet STD. I is failed at itzz.
Donations: We had many people donate tickets and shirts for the boys I work with. The last two years we have gone to Michigan football games and basketball games. Thank you to all the people who have donated to the boys I work with.
Live Blogs: 358+
Blog Awards: 0

So thanks to all who have came by this little blog. I hope for 100,000 more. Will happen? Who knows. Every year I say this is it and still find myself coming back for more. As long as I can keep up I will. Thanks for all the support and comments over the last few years. Enjoy the Bye Week and Go Blue.

Offense
So the offense shit the bed. No really they shit the bed. Instead of playing football Al got all cute. I like to mix in the Devin stuff but not make it our offense. We refused to run any running back. 10 carries for our backs just puts a ton of pressure on Denard. After a while the MSU Defense knew the running back wasn't getting the ball. It kills play action and zone read stuff.

When MSU started blitzing the hell out of us we didn't adjust at all. I swear the team hasn't practiced at all vs blitz packages. The OL,RB,WR and Denard were all clueless. WR and RB were not running hot routes. Denard was not checking anything at the line. I don't think this offense has been blitzed since Denard took over. Teams were to scared it would break Denard open. Now teams will use this to blitz him at will. So he looked pretty lost when MSU brought it. His OL didn't help and neither did anyone else. They will need to practice this all week since teams will bring it now. Al failed to solve the blitzing by throwing in a screen or anything to that nature. Maybe a RB draw if the blitz were coming from the edge. MSU didn't even try to hide  it.

The 4th and 1 play may have been dumbest play call I have seen in a while. Denard up the middle is the simple play to call. It works for a yard. Having him turn his back to a blitz is just dumb. You knew it was coming. Again trying to be cute. Just play football. Make it simple.

Defense
It wasn't great but it wasn't bad either. The edge is still a sore spot for this defense. Roh, Ryan were getting smashed on the edge all day. The defense still did a nice job with Cunningham and Cousins. Kept them in check. Martin got loose of course. Floyd was terrible on his one TD as he just lunged for Martin instead of trying to tackle him. Which would have brought on 4th down and maybe a FG attempt. Besides Countess all the DBs struggled. Thank god they were not tested much. T-Wolf needs to just sit out a game and get better. You can't help the team playing in a wheel chair. It wasn't a great outing by the defense but enough for a win. Mattison was the best coach on this day. That isn't saying much.

Dirty Play
Do I like it? No. He should have been tossed. He wasn't so I can get over it. Now call me a bad sport or whatever but there needs to be a little Dog in us.. Don't want a bunch of kitty cats. Do you think Mike Hart, Woodson and Woodley let their QB get cheap shot like that without something coming back on MSU? Now I am not saying hurt anyone but you can't let people just punch your teammates in the face and get away with it. This team is really nice at times. Sometimes too nice. We need a few dogs out there. We are missing that. Call me whatever but as a team we just took it. We looked scared and soft at times.

Toughness
Hoke coaches it. In fact he throws it down our throats. We know its something he preaches 24/7. So why did the team look soft again in a very physical game? People blamed that on Rich. Thought it was what the spread did to this team. I think that was always nonsense. My thoughts? I think the personality of this team from Denard on down is just a bunch of nice dudes. Good guys. Like I said earlier. The 97 and 2006 teams had some dogs in that locker room. We had some mean men who would kill you. Right now I think we lack that. We just do. We got great guys on this team but nice doesn't always when you find yourself is a nasty cock fight. The closest dog we might have is Lewan and that just isn't enough.

During our live blog Yak Attack from SE Michigan Sports was on a role. He helped soften a bad day.

YakAttack:I love how Shred tried to reel it back on topic. That's why I pledge my undying allegiance to this man

YakAttack:  I agree shred. At some point you have to retaliate, or you end up Adebisi's bitch. At least that's what I learned on Oz

YakAttack:  I wanna see Gholston and LaGarrette Blount in the octagon

The Good
-Wide Outs played well when they were given the ball
-Held Cunningham in check
-Mattison made some nice adjustments as the game went on
-ahh the first drive was good?
-Denard jet sweep
-Roundtree catch
-Defense was..aahh ok.

The Bad
-We are terrible on the edge still
-Roh was meh...again
-D-line and O-line getting zero push most the day.
-10 carries for our backs.
-No Shaw?
-Al like Rich has fallen in love with Denard to the point that it hurts the offense.

The Ugly
-Anyone know what a Hot Route is?
-Denard's lack of getting the F out of the pocket when he was blitzed.
-coaching... Al just got to damn cute. Forgot about the backs.
-Going all nuts with the Devin play package.
-Letting MSU punk us during and after play. Need some dogs on this team.
-execution on all fronts sucked.
-4th and 1 play will go down in history.
-All our QBs lock on. Zero Progression.
-Punting on the MSU side of the field.

Sorry MSU the cat is out of the bag. You guys are really Power Rangers. Nike made these special suits so you could fend off the evil Lord Zedd and protect Lansing Grove. I could really see Kirk Cousins as a power ranger. Mr.Eagle Scout would make a good one. I do think these suits give MSU a unfair advantage since when Michigan gets up on MSU all they will have to do pre-snap on a 3rd and 10 is... ITS MORPHIN TIME!





GAME OVER!

30mins later then normal.

Sometimes ten is hard to come up with. This time around... Ten wasn't enough. Even though I kept it at ten I could have gone 25+ easy.

10.The Movie 300

Thank god Hollywood came up with a crappy movie for Spartan fans to make their own. Its fitting since the movie is way over the top and so are most Spartan fans. I can't get enough of the dumb "Spartans what is your profession? chant during MSU games. It isn't tacky or annoying at all. What would you boobs do with out some terrible movie to make you feel better about yours selves?

9.Charles Rogers
Thanks for setting the Lions back 6 years. He was hyped as the next Randy Moss by many Spartan fans and NFL "gurus". He was anything but. He played in only 14 games before letting injuries and drugs take over. You know he was high 90% of the time at MSU. I think Charles smoked so much dope he might be forever high which I am sure this loser is fine with. As I type this out Charles and Jeff "Smoker" are sitting around sniffing coke of a dead hookers ass in a motel room down on MLK boulevard.

8.Tom and Lupe Izzo
Great shirt Tom. No but really who likes The Izzos outside of the East Lansing? No one. The West Coast don't even know they exist(lucky). Tom just makes me grind my teeth. He is such a spaz on the sidelines. He can never keep it together. I am sure 95% of his team hates his guts(its been proven over the years). I came to hate Lupe during the final four in Detroit where CBS showed a 1000 shots of her and each time she looked "blah" or "lifeless". Like she was in outer space. If you think that isn't a good reason not to like someone then you don't know me. On the bright side, the football program is so sad that it is accepting loans... err I mean donations from the schools basketball coach.

7.Green
I just have always hated Green. I hate Green cars,green house,green cups,green shits,earth day shirts,green leaves,green day music and green panties. You name it, if its green I don't like it. This dosn't have as much to do with MSU as to the fact I just hate green. It doesn't help their cause though that they picked the ugliest color in the world. I mean when I barf.. Its Green more times then not. Sometimes when people poop... Its green. Why should that color rep any school is beyond me. Good job state in choosing a color that poop and barf uses 85% of the time.

6.The 2001 Clock Operator
 How hard can it be? The start button. The stop button. Leave it up to a homer MSU clock operator to cost the 2001 Michigan team a win. The clock clearly stops before Jeff 'coke head" Smoker spikes the ball. It was such a shame wow the Big Ten did this.

The Big Ten changed its timekeeping policy for the 2002 season, having previously studied changing the policy prior to the Michigan State-Michigan game.^[4] Previously, the home team appointed an individual of their choosing to keep the official time in the pressbox.^[17] Now, time is kept on the field by a neutral official appointed by the Big Ten.

Michigan fans will always remember this one as I know it burns down in my loins. At least Denard went back in time and made this right.

5.Nike Pro Combat Jerseys
I really like a lot of them. Hell I want Nike back. I have made it no secret that I think Adidas needs to stick to basketball and soccer. Some how Michigan State got some of the worst Pro Combats I have ever seen. Its so bad it jumped Spartan Bobs Clock Gate scandal in 2001. Yes I get it. You guys used to use "bronze". There is a reason that you "used" to. Its freaking ugly. So now what we have here is Tommy the Green Power Ranger running around on a football field. Hell we got 11 of them. I have even saw a MSU fan list in his reason why they win... 1.Better defense 2.Pro combat jerseys.. Ahh ok. You guys will wanna burn them if Michigan wins this game. I really can't wait to see the MSU players put their gloves together a 100 times after a remotely positive play. Won't get old at all.

4.Spartan Stadium 
I went to the 2009 Michigan vs Michigan State game. I wasn't expecting a lot but what I got was a fucking shit hole. It looked like a refugee camp outside the Stadium. Trash was everywhere. All over. That is what stuck out the most. The Trash.  I won't even get into the drunk asshole that followed me from my car to the stadium giving me shit for being a Michigan fan. I have no idea how MSU fans can keep a straight face when they take shots at the Big House. Once we got inside it wasn't much better. Ads all over the place. A video board from 1988 at one end of the stadium so replays are not happening. I didn't mind my seat but getting down from the upper deck was like a hard turd leaving Tony Mandarich's asshole. It took forever. Lets hope there is never a emergency because no one is getting out alive. You would have a better chance surviving the Titanic. Its no wonder they can't sell out their games vs opponents not named "Michigan".

3.Mark Dantonio
Hey I gotta hand it to Mark. He has turned this turd into a something worth watching. Someone finally came along and did it and hasn't jumped ship for a better job. Gotta give credit there.You did your job beating some of the worst Michigan teams in history. You handled the game. That is where the praise stops. You are asshole. Point blank. I can't believe anyone would want to play for you. You have the personality of Hank Hill. I think this years recruiting class proves it since MSU is no longer "owning the state" since Hoke came in swooped up most of the talent in his first six months. Its hard to take a liking to a dude who roots for OSU even though it would hurt his team in the standings. How MSU fans rationalize that is beyond me.

2.Red Cedar Message Board
The RCMB is easily the worst college sports board on the world wide web. They are obsessed over Michigan year around. If anyone says anything remotely adjective about Michigan they are eaten alive. To this board Michigan is the heart of evil. They even have neat little nick names for everything since they are so clever. Some off the top of my head: DickRod(OMG so funny!) scUM, Duhnard, Velcro, Taint Forcier, umaa. They are pretty funny..... They are also some of the most prisoner of the moment idiots I have ever seen. A whole Michigan vs ND(I don't MGB holds MSU game threads.. Oh we don't care) thread consisted of "These teams are like two terrible high schools teams!" "we will crush ND" "Michigan's defense is even worse!". They do this for a 3 hour game in which they hate both teams. That takes commitment. I read now and then for entertainment purposes. The whole board is like a car wreak. I can't look away at times. If Michigan pulls of a win in Lansing this weekend head over to RCMB for the melt down.

1.The MSU fans
You people are are unbearable. Your jealousy for Michigan has drove most the fan base insane. Since MSU has beaten Michigan for the last 3 years it has caused the fan base to act even more idiotic due to having little success before for that. You can't stand it that the media talks about Michigan. You hate the Big House(even though you guys play in a pure outdated shit hole). I have even ran into fans who count on injury to Denard as a part of the game plan. I have ran into very few rational MSU fans. Must live just for the sole purpose to hate Michigan. They hate Michigan more then they love their team which is sad. You are a PATHETIC group that loves to call any Michigan fan who didn't attend Michigan a "wal-mart wolverine". Did I go to Michigan? NO I went to WMU. I grew a Michigan fan my whole life. I had Michigan season tickets as a student at WMU(I think I only attended like three WMU games). How am I any less of a fan cause I didn't attend the school? Do you think 75,000(lol 75k) alums fill Spartan Stadium every Saturday? Of course not you fucking morons. Most the MSU fans I talk to didn't even go to the school either. Do I make fun of them for that? Of course not. You just can't stand that Michigan has a giant fan base. Keep going on being obsessive pricks. We get a kick out of it. We like having the obsessed creep looking in our window year around. Its good for a laugh. You people...make me sick!

I really had a giant blank when trying to come up with something for Northwestern week. I struggled so much in fact, that I just drew the Northwestern's mascot Willie the Wildcat left mutilated on the 20 yard line(by what? I will let you decide). I got nothing. Enjoy the blood you sick bastards.

Disclaimer: I see Willie as a real fuzzy wildcat that lives in the wild. Not a man in a suit.

One of best offensive lineman in the state of Illinois is getting a lot of national recognition from some of the top schools in the country. One of these programs is Michigan. Growing up as a Michigan fan, Goebel has some serious interest in the university and the football program. His family likes Illinois and Ohio State,( Geobel's cousin is a nose guard there) but they are big time fans of Michigan's wrestling program.

Colin Goebel(on the left) opening a running lane for his running back.

Goebel was once a linebacker, but was later converted into an offensive guard. Standing at 6'4 and 275 lbs., Goebel has enough athleticism to play guard or tackle, but he says most schools are recruiting him at guard because that's were they believe he has the most upside at. Goebel is extremely athletic and fast, so he can pull well and stay on guys when's he's run blocking. Goebel does a fantastic job at finishing his blocks, as well. One of his favorite hobbies is wrestling, were he became the varsity heavyweight this year earning the position over 6 other heavyweights including a returning varsity senior and Colin’s performance helped earn his high school team finish second in the prestigious DVC Conference.


I was able to get in contact with Goebel and he allowed me to do an interview with him.

SimplyComplex: What's your favorite thing about Michigan?

Colin Goebel: "I love their great winning tradition and experienced coaches."

SC: With your cousin(Garret Goebel; DT for OSU) enrolled at OSU, How does this affect your decision and recruiting process?

CG: "No, not really. I'm open to all possibilities. Having my cousin their helps OSU, but I will consider all my options and just go from there."

SC: Do you know when you'd like to make your college decision?

CG: "I'd like to do it before my senior season, but things could get hectic, so that timeline could change depending on the situation."

SC:  What are you looking for in a university?

CG: "Good relationship with all the coaches, great academic structure, and good food.(laughs)

SC: Do you have any idea on what you'd like to major in in college?

CG: "I'm not sure, but both my parents majored in business and they're pretty successful. So I'll probably follow in their footsteps and major in business."

SC: Is distance a factor in your decision?

CG: No, doesn't matter. I could go to the East coast, West coast, Midwest, or go down south."

SC: What schools besides Michigan have been recruiting you?

CG: "Oregon, Iowa, Vanderbilt, Ohio State, Illinois, West Virginia, and USC."

SC: Who's your favorite Michigan player ever?

CG: "Dhani Jones. Great linebacker who's also a good leader."

SC: Would you consider yourself a run blocker or pass blocker?

CG: "I'd say that I'm a little of both. I'm better at run blocking,though."

SC: What can you bring to a college football team?

CG: "I'm definitely a hard worker, and I am very coach able.  I;'m willing to accept coaching suggestions and implement those suggestions into my workouts,practices, and games immediately.'

Goebel dominating a defensive end.

 Goebel is the third offensive lineman in the state of Illinois to be in contact with Michigan, the other two being Ethan Pocic and Kyle Bosch. Goebel is really good friends with Pocic and they talk with each other about their recruiting often. They also have discussed possibly attending the same university. Goebel is in attendance at the Purdue-Notre Dame game tonight. Goebel was named to Tom Lemming’s All Underclassmen Team for the 2010 season. Goebel should be a big time recruit in the next 14 months.

Even though Michigan is bringing in a great offensive line class in 2012, they are looking to add more "big uglies" to their 2013 offensive line recruiting class. Michigan is only planning on taking 3-4 offensive lineman next year, so they must offer prospects who they feel will help improve Michigan's rushing attack for years to come.

Ethan Pocic from Lemont, Illinois.

One prospect that Michigan has been in contact with is offensive tackle Ethan Pocic from Lemont, Illinois. Ethan Pocic stands at 6'6 285 lbs., and has great size for an offensive tackle. Pocic is very strong as he can squat 420lbs., and bench 305, respectively. Pocic comes off the snap with great quickness and generates a good push on the line. Pocic also has extreme toughness and isn't afraid to put players on their backs once he gets a hold of them. Even though Pocic has the ability to get to the second-level of the defense, he needs to gain more strength and get down to a healthier weight to become a better overall offensive lineman.

After Pocic's visit for the Notre Dame-Michigan game, I was able to catch up with Pocic for an interview regarding his recruitment.

SimplyComplex: How was your experience at the ND-Michigan game?

Ethan Pocic: "It was crazy. I've never seen an atmosphere like it."

SC: What do you think your strengths and weaknesses are at the OL position?

EP: "My strengths are-Toughness,Quickness, and getting to the second level of the defense.
Weaknesses-getting stronger and getting down to a healthier weight."

SC: Which schools are you recruiting you besides Michigan?

EP: "Illinois,Purdue,Michigan St.,Wisconsin,West Virginia, Arizona,and Notre Dame have all offered."

SC: Who are your favorite NFL and College player?

EP: "I like to watch Adrian Peterson and the Bears defense."

SC: On your visit, Did you meet with any of the coaches?

EP: "Coach Funk, but only for like five minutes."

SC: Do you have a timeline for when you'd like to make your decision?

EP: "Don't know yet."

SC: Who in your life inspires you?

EP: "My family inspires me the most."

SC: I's distance a factor in your decision?

EP: "No, not at all."

SC: What's your favorite thing about Michigan?

EP: "Everything!(laughs) My favorite thing is their rich tradition."

SC: Could you see yourself attending Michigan?

EP: "Yes, I could see myself attending any school that is interested in me."

SC: Do you think Michigan fits your style of OL play?

EP: "Yes, definitely."

SC: What are you looking for in a college?

EP: "The coaches and players[are important]. And a winning tradition,too."

Look for Michigan to offer Pocic in the coming weeks. Already a 4* prospect according to Scout.com, Pocic will likely be one of the best offensive lineman in the 2013 class. Pocic has already taken unofficial visits to Notre Dame,Wisconsin, and Purdue. All we can hope for is Pocic to visit, and commit to Michigan so he can become the next Jake Long.

Erik Magnuson, courtesy of La Costa Canyon High School Football
That recruit is 2012 offensive line commit Erik Magnuson. Magnuson stands at 6'6 and 275 lbs., and will be asked to anchor the offensive line for Michigan for many years to come. Magnuson is one of Michigan's most highly regarded commits, because he provides depth and a need at the OL position. Magnuson's best attributes at the OL position are his versatility, athleticism, and his aggressive nature. Magnuson is a consensus 4* recruit on all four of the major recruiting services, and turned down the likes of USC, Stanford, Miami, Notre Dame, Oregon and many others.
Fresh off his visit from Michigan, I caught up with Magnuson for a quick interview.

SimplyComplex: Do you think that you have improved on your game from this season compared to last?

Erik Magnuson: "Yes a lot. I learned so much this off season from camps."

SC: Have you been recruiting any (California) kids? Like Jordan Payton, Darius Powe, Joshua Garnett (from Washington) etc.

EM: "Yes I have. Jordan was in Ann Arbor the same time I was. Josh is from Washington,but I'm really good friends with him and really want him to come and play next to me."

SC: What's your favorite thing about Michigan?

EM: "The game atmosphere and the fans."

SC: How would you describe the Michigan coaches? Attitude, personality etc.

EM: "They know how to win, and what it takes to win. Very family like."

SC: What was your experience like at the Michigan-ND game?

EM: "It was unreal, words can't describe how crazy it was. The fans were nuts. I loved it. Made me happy to think I'm going to be wearing that winged helmet one day."

SC: Besides Michigan, what other schools were in your top group?

EM: "ND, Oklahoma, Miami, USC, Oregon,and Texas."

SC: What do you think of Denard Robinson?

EM: "The dude is a crazy athlete. Lots of fun to watch."

SC: What is your high school teams expectations coming into this season?

EM: "To win San Diego."
Magnuson (#77) gets into position to make a block to spring his RB for positive yardage. Photo courtesy of La Costa Canyon High School Football and Tom Mills.

Magnuson will be visiting for the OSU-UM game this November. This will be Magnuson's 4th visit to Michigan in the past 8 months. Hoke and his staff have been recruiting Magnuson since his days at San Diego State. So they have kept up and maintained a great relationship with him over the past year.