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The first installment in this week’s series on the first games of new Michigan coaches takes us back to 2011. Michigan was ready for a fresh start, and the Wolverines got a fresh hero in Brandon Herron. 

Priot to that game, few among the Michigan faithful had even heard of Herron. The senior linebacker from Dallas, Texas had mostly toiled in anonymity during his time in Ann Arbor, but the hiring of Brady Hoke as head coach signaled a return to Michigan’s core football approach, which included a heavy focus on defense. 

Still, midway through the second quarter, the Wolverines looked surprisingly sluggish, possibly due to a 30-minute weather-related stoppage. Western Michigan was threatening to take the lead for the second time, and the Wolverines were obviously in need of a spark. Freshman linebacker Jake Ryan blitzed and got just a piece of the ball, which landed in the waiting hands of Herron. Escorted by a squad of blockers, Herron made his way 94 yards into the south end zone of Michigan Stadium, and the Wolverines produced their first signature play of the 2011 season. 

From that point, Michigan methodically increased its lead to 34-10, punctuated by Herron’s second score of the game, when safety Jordan Kovacs forced a fumble that Herron gleefully returned 29 yards for a touchdown. With 1:27 left in the third quarter, ominous weather prompted officials from both schools to call the game, and for the first time in school history, weather forced an early end to a Michigan football game. 

After a slow start, Hoke’s first game as head coach produced a thoroughly Schembechler-esque domination. Kovacs led the defense with 10 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. Fitzgerald Toussaint was showcased as the team’s featured running back in a return to a traditional smashmouth Michigan running game, and quarterback Denard Robinson completed all five of his passes, foreshadowing a legendary performance just a week later. 

Most important of all, Hoke earned a victory in his first game as head coach, returning the team to its hardnosed roots, which would pay dividends later in the season.