Black and Blue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan athletic director Bill Martin ducked out of a room in the bowels of Crisler Arena and addressed the only question that matters for the school’s football future.

Will Rich Rodriguez be back as the Wolverines coach in 2010?

Martin, the man who hired Rodriguez two years ago and who is retiring by next September, smiled as he blurted out his response.

“Rich Rodriguez is our coach,” he said. “I and the administration fully support him and you’ll see him in the future.”

Martin tried to walk away but the queries persisted. What if the NCAA, which is investigating the program, finds rules violations?

“He’ll be our coach next year … today,” Martin said, taking a few more steps toward the door, then stopping to clarify. “He’ll be here next year, no question about it.”

The only certainty on Saturday was how far this program is from competing nationally and in the Big Ten.

A nightmare season that started with a Detroit Free Press investigative report alleging excessive workouts and practice time by the Wolverines ended with a 21-10 loss to archrival Ohio State. Michigan suffered consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 1962-63. A sixth straight defeat to the Big Ten-champion Buckeyes marked the longest losing streak in the series since the 1920s.

Michigan finished 5-7 overall and 1-7 (last) in the Big Ten. There will be no bowl game for the second consecutive year after an NCAA-best streak of 33 postseason appearances. What remains is plenty of handwringing over whether Martin made the right call when he brought in Rodriguez to succeed Lloyd Carr.

A 3-9 record in 2008 did little to assuage the concerns of those who cheer for college football’s all-time winningest program. Following that up with an NCAA probe and a bottom-feeder finish provides the makings for an angry mob of Maize and Blue. Add to the mix that Martin is a lame duck as A.D. and unhappiness turns to uncertainty over the future.

Rodriguez, for his part, said he is not worried about his job security and that he has identified his team’s deficiencies. Simply put, he believes the program needs to recruit more conquering heroes on both sides of the ball.

“The last three or four Februarys [signing days] have put us a little bit behind. And the next two or three Februarys are going to be very, very critical to our program,” Rodriguez said ”That’s where it starts.

“I do have a pretty good idea of what it takes to win in this league and every other league. It’s about recruiting the right kind of student-athlete and developing them.”

Tate Forcier, the freshman quarterback Rodriguez recruited, imploded Saturday against the Rose Bowl-bound Buckeyes. Forcier threw four interceptions and lost a fumble, destroying scoring opportunities and sucking the last breath of life out of the season.

The tone was set when OSU defensive lineman Cameron Heyward prompted a Forcier fumble in the end zone, then recovered the bobble for a touchdown at 10:44 of the first quarter.

“I lost that game,” Forcier told the Associated Press in a text message.

Rodriguez’s spread offense needs a playmaking quarterback to run it. During Big Ten play, he rarely found one.

Forcier appeared to regress throughout the season and openly clashed at times with Rodriguez. The ABC broadcast crew said Rodriguez had mentioned that the San Diego native had slipped academically this semester also, a bit of unusual candidness from a head coach to the media.

Meanwhile, Forcier’s backup, fellow freshman Denard Robinson, did little to create confidence in his passing ability throughout the season.

Both quarterbacks will be challenged when touted recruit Devin Gardner, a swift, 6-foot-4 star at nearby Inkster (Mich.) High School arrives. Gardner’s talent level and physical skills are more in line with OSU’s Terrelle Pryor, who Rodriguez coveted before losing the recruiting battle to OSU and Jim Tressel. Pryor is now 2-0 against the Wolverines.

So the offseason begins, with dreams of new recruits and concerns over a full-blown NCAA investigation, the latest dart being the revelation that Michigan did not keep mandated logs of practice time. That won’t help the school’s case.

Rodriguez is in the second year of a six-year deal that pays him $2.5 million per. According to his contract, he can be fired for cause if the school, Big Ten or NCAA find he knowingly violated rules or if he is found to have committed a major NCAA violation.

The school may not have to buy him out. The contract stipulates that should Michigan complete a four-step process to fire Rodriguez for cause, U-M shall be “without liability to Rodriguez.”

So now there’s plenty left hanging for the Wolverines … Rodriguez’s status, Forcier’s future, Martin’s replacement.

Welcome to Michigan football, where nobody’s job is safe.