Did Michigan's Mark Ortmann strike Illinois' Corey Liuget?
If precedent holds, Michigan might be without starting left tackle Mark Ortmann for its last best chance to qualify for a bowl game Saturday against Purdue.
Ortmann appeared to strike Illinois defensive tackle Corey Liuget in the midsection after Liuget recovered a Tate Forcier fumble early in the fourth quarter of Michigan’s 38-13 loss to the Illini.
Ortmann was on his knees next to Forcier when Liuget came up with the loose ball. Liuget walked into Ortmann, stood over him pointing in celebration, and Ortmann appeared to jab Liuget with his left fist.
Replays did not show where or if the punch landed - Ortmann’s helmet was in the way - but Liuget complained to an official after the play and walked hunched over to the Illinois sideline.
Earlier this year, linebacker Jonas Mouton was suspended one game by the Big Ten for violating the league’s sportsmanlike conduct policy after he struck Notre Dame center Eric Olsen under the helmet.
As with the Ortmann incident, no penalty was called on Mouton’s play.
The conference also suspended Purdue lineman Zach Reckman for striking a Northern Illinois player in a non-football manner earlier this year.
A Michigan spokesperson said coach Rich Rodriguez would have to review the tape before making any comment.
The Big Ten did not have any immediate comment.
Michigan (5-4, 0-4) needs one win to qualify for the postseason, and closes the season at Wisconsin and home against Ohio State.
Purdue is 3-6 overall, 2-3 in conference play.
Dave Birkett covers University of Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at 734-623-2552 or by e-mail at davidbirkett@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
Comments
maizenbluenc
Mon, Nov 2, 2009 : 5:39 p.m.
Look at the video again. Liuget celebrated by walking right up to Ortmann and shoving his crotch is Ortmann's face blatantly, at least twice. Why don't you report on that Birkett? If I was Ortmann, I would have shoved back too, and if I shoved Liuget in his manhood, then he'd deserve it. While were on the topic of negative reporting, take a look at the 4th and goal touchdown that was overturned. Review all the video. It looks to me like the ball came out just before Minor's elbow hit. It then flipped forward loose, and was recovered in the end zone by a Michigan player -- Schilling maybe?? As a Michigan fan reading an Ann Arbor based web publication, I'd much prefer to read about how the unsportsman-like action of the opposing player provoked a reaction from ours, or how the officiating crew overturned a touchdown on review, but didn't watch enough tape or somehow otherwise missed the fumble for a recovery which would have been a touchdown. I may have to add annarbor.com back onto my no read list.
MichFan4BorW
Mon, Nov 2, 2009 : 3:53 p.m.
Please BOYCOTT reading any of Dave Birkett's "reporting"! Why? Birkett's job is to report the news. Only if the Illini or Michigan or the Big Ten Conference actually do something should Birkett write a report. That's the job of a reporter. A true and bonafide reporter has NO bias. S/he does not place a spotlight on ambiguous evidence (was Ortmann's an open hand that pushed back for balance? or was it a closed fist?) and then use a questoin (presumably to mask the reporters bias)as a headline. A true and bonafide reporter does RESEARCH with the evidence to determine facts that s/he then repots. Birkett, do you understand how you're supposed to do your job?!? No matter. I for one will not return to read any of your writings (I still SUPPORT Ann Arbor.com, however, b/c one "reporter" doesn't make the whole bunch bad) b/c to do so only gives your advertisers more reason to continue to financially support you as a writer. I implore all true Michigan fans to boycott reading any of Birkett's writings. Go Blue (for better or worse)! BTW, the policy for commenting on AnnArbor.com prohibits the excessive use of caps-locked words -- I've been told that more than 3-4 words caps-locked and full sentences caps-locked will cause a particular post to be removed.
rightmind250
Mon, Nov 2, 2009 : 3:51 p.m.
Chosen1: My mistake, you are right. Corey did play for Cinci. Too Funny. The N word came from an interview on Rivals Radio. One thing I might add, When Legarrette through the punch at least he made it count. That punch by ortmann looked like something my 13 daughter would throw. Yes, the B10 commissioner will once again overrule RR.
chosen1
Mon, Nov 2, 2009 : 2:28 p.m.
rightmind, First of all its LeGarrette Blount, corey blount played basketball at cincy in the 90's. 2ndly, where is this "n-word" allegation coming from? In all the interviews on espn blount never alleged this. Blount was talking trash in the preseason about whooping boise state for last year. I doubt that if the kid used the n-word with his coach and 2 black teammates standing right there with him that he would still be on the team. Birkett is an entertaining writer here. And even espn covered the Brandon Spikes eye gouge before there was an announcement of a suspension. Birkett isnt snitching on u of m....U don't think zook took note of that yesterday in film session and sent it in himself? Its funny when writers write articles we disagree with call for their jobs or threaten to boycott them. The more I read on here, the more I see why the state of michigan is falling behind the rest of the nation.
rightmind250
Mon, Nov 2, 2009 : 1:16 p.m.
Provoked? Thats one of the best excuses yet. Ask Corey Blount at Oregon about being provoked. The guy from Boise called him the "N" word and rightfully got decked for it. Corey, a senior like Ortmann, lost his eligibility for the year. I didn't see the Illinois guy get in Ortmann's face. He is NOT eligible for the Perdue game.
rightmind250
Mon, Nov 2, 2009 : 11:05 a.m.
Please, do not fire RR. I repeat please keep him at UM. Brian Kelly will be available at the end of the year. I would hate to see him go to UM. I would rather see him at ND. Brian Kelly is the real deal. Wherever he ends up, they definately got the best coach available.
neer 69
Mon, Nov 2, 2009 : 9:51 a.m.
Poor Ole RR, its all about "kharma"!!! Send him back to WV we'll take him,,,,NOT! His house has been for sale since he left and he couldn't give it away. Maybe UM can move his house to Michigan so he can sell it... Where does everyone think ole RR will end up after this year? My vote is a high school in Montana....LMAO
BtheBall
Mon, Nov 2, 2009 : 9:40 a.m.
How can ANYONE say we will beat Purdue????? With our defense we will not win another game. I have attende UM games since I was carried into the stadium. Season tickets since 1966. Never.....NEVER have I seen a worse team on that field. Change needs to be made NOW.
saginaw
Mon, Nov 2, 2009 : 9:15 a.m.
It is pretty obvious what happened. The Michigan player was just totally frustrated, as many of us are. We will still beat Purdue, but the trip up to Madison is starting to look real bad. Bucky will be pumped and sky high after 2008.
Man in the Mirror
Mon, Nov 2, 2009 : 9:11 a.m.
It was clearly a punch to the groinal area. Watch how his elbow comes back and then up into the groin. No, this is not powderpuff football, and no, I did not see him really celebrating nor taunting. He was merely holding the ball into the air. So you could not even say he was trying to knock the ball loose. This is a bad year for strikers and getting caught on tape. Sure things happen in pile ups from little league football through proffessional ball, but to blatanly sock someone on national tv anywhere on the body is a lack of self control and discipline.
Fresh121
Mon, Nov 2, 2009 : 8:53 a.m.
Do you people forget coaches coach and players play its a 50-50 street RR can only do so much befor his players have to step up..I look at what RR had when he came in its like asking someone to bulid you a house with no wood no hammers then come back awhile later and be like weres my house? Its just not gonna happen im sure the real fans seen the mblog post about our D, we all need to thank the great LC for not recruiting from 2005(when he still was firmly our coach) to 2008 when RR got here.like i said befor its 1 giant crap storm all put together and here we are now And its all RR "fault" its not the HORRIBLE team he got passed onto him its not the young players not executing its not the undersized D LC left us its all RR yup i see it now RR ur at fault for it all boy! Child Plz
KeepingItReal
Mon, Nov 2, 2009 : 8:25 a.m.
tater, there's a difference between balancing oneself and throwing a punch. If he threw a punch he needs to suspended just like Mouton. NO double standards here.
chosen1
Mon, Nov 2, 2009 : 8:21 a.m.
Tater, what would your opinion on this matter be if the michigan player were the one celebrating and was punched???? seeing most of your posts i would assume you would be screaming for the opposition team to suspend or kick the guy off the team. People would be calling the kid a coward, a girl for a low blow shot. Lets call it what it is. Ortmann reacted and lost his temper and hit the kid. Cheap shot deserves a game off
chosen1
Mon, Nov 2, 2009 : 8:18 a.m.
Here's some advice for Rich....suspend him for the game before the big 10 commish gets the chance to rub salt in our wounds again. Don't deny or justify, simply put him on the bench for a half or a game, but heaven's sake we dont need the commish rubbing it in our face that our coach is a moron again
kerch65
Mon, Nov 2, 2009 : 5:47 a.m.
1block heres your example for blaming coaching the team is NOT improving they are getting worse as the season progresses watch the games look at the stats they dont lie most teams at this point have progressed NOT this 1 BRIAN KELLY NOW NOW NOW!!!!
kerch65
Mon, Nov 2, 2009 : 5:46 a.m.
1block heres your example for blaming coaching the team is NOT improving they are getting worse as the season progresses watch the games look at the stats they dont lie most teams at this point have progressed NOT this 1 BRIAN KELLY NOW NOW NOW!!!!
KeepingItReal
Mon, Nov 2, 2009 : 5:28 a.m.
For you M fans who keep using the excuse that M has a lot of young players. At this point in the season, that excuse does not hold water. These players have nine games under their belt. The problem is, M built its early wins on games that should have been left to AA ball and so we got a false sense of hope. If you go back and research some of the earlier comments, this exact same thing was predicted to happen when M reached Big Ten play by some of us. Tate Forcier is at best a Division AA QB. Part of his game is predicated on running but he suffers from the McGuffie syndrome and cannot take big hits. So, he is now becoming a one dimensional player; M Defense is too small for the Big Ten. This is not Big East Ball; Their running backs are too small and prone to injuries; and, quite frankly, I do not see the work of an offensive genius nor do I see the results of the master conditioner as Barwic was built up to be. M's defense looks tired too often. One interesting observation I would like to make. The announcers are so pro M that when M had that first drive, they had already begun to castigate Illinois. But as the game turned, they didn't know what to say so they said a bunch of mush. We can do away with these announcers who don't know as much about the game as many of us.
Mich
Mon, Nov 2, 2009 : 2:49 a.m.
other teams in the Big Ten are so Happy that dick rod is Coaching @ Michigan cause they can beat Michigan now..next Purdue is gonna beat us & they gonna have fun with are walk on Defense Key word walk on cause other teams walk into the endzone like they playing to hand touch. # 32 on are D is a walk on who don't need to be on the Team let alone the Game
Engineer
Mon, Nov 2, 2009 : 1:25 a.m.
Give me a break. The Illinois guy was taunting. He got exactly what he deserved. Illinois should have picked up the ball and headed to the sideline. I don't want a bunch of softies that are going to left another team intimidate them. Liuget continued to play so there was definately a lot of acting on his way to the sideline Roedel. This is big ten football not powderpuff ball.
LakeErieMaize/Blue
Sun, Nov 1, 2009 : 11:35 p.m.
Exactly,turnovers is apart of every program.My only concern with RR is he hasn't proven he can coach the players he have!Meaning,when you play a certain type of team and the spread ain't working,he doesn't seem to understand that there is OTHER ways to win a game!Against Toledo season,you mean to tell me we couldn't line up in a power-I and blow them out of the Big House!?We take an L because he doesn't want or know how to adapt!C'mon.That still burns me up.But until he proves he can COACH players he has,I will always wonder about his skills as a coach.And every coach in the league will say,yeah if I had that recruit or this recruit,we will win but when you,ve got or HAD talent,prove that you can win with them.Find away to win!That's it......just FIND AWAY!!!
Hogan
Sun, Nov 1, 2009 : 11:22 p.m.
Ya know the "young player" argument is getting old. You will always have turnover, you will never get all the players you want, so you work with it and try to win. If and when RR is gone, I will bet most of the defenders will be the first to throw him under the bus. Again the mission is "win and no excuses" because there really are none, only errors in management.
Commoncents
Sun, Nov 1, 2009 : 11:11 p.m.
AZWolverine: You're right that RR is a college coach at a public university making a LOT of money so you have the right to critisize him if you wish. I'm guessing you used to pay Michigan taxes or went to school at UofM so I'll count that as your right. Anyway, I would disagree that mental mistakes with a team that is 80% freshman and sophomores are coaching errors. Is that your only example? Can you be more specific how that is related to coaching? Anyway, not on here to argue... just looking for your best examples of big coaching mistakes. To me, the bulk of the problem is w/ the young players (talent, effort, experience, etc) Even if they were coaching errors, I'd give the guy at least 3-4 years to have his shot. Also, when I'm at the games and I hear arrogant people yelling at RR the SECOND something bad happens, many times before halftime even, it bothers me - maybe this is just reminding me of that and not your specific comment...
uminks
Sun, Nov 1, 2009 : 10:53 p.m.
The last time RR just blew if off and the NCAA than came in and suspended the player. May be if RR takes a pro active step like not allowing Ortmann to start the game and have him publicly apologize, than the NCAA may not override RR and suspend Ortmann for the Purdue game. Worth a try! but I can see how Ortmann was provoked by Liuget celebrating on top of him!
LakeErieMaize/Blue
Sun, Nov 1, 2009 : 10:29 p.m.
Hey Marineblue,life is not just POSITIVE!That can't be all that you see in life.As long as the comments are constructive and for the betterment of Michigan,ANYONE can voice their oppinions on this site!We all don't just BLINDLY follow orders(as your name suggest you do).If you believe something ain't right and can show evidence that support for your theory,SPEAK ON IT!!(nobody will make you do 100 push-ups.I promise!!)Good luck next week and as always,GO BLUE!!!
Hogan
Sun, Nov 1, 2009 : 10:20 p.m.
Looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, we will know soon but if proven this is U of Miami stuff.
Fresh121
Sun, Nov 1, 2009 : 9:41 p.m.
Same people with the same comments. Any more original thoughts from you guys?
InsideTheHall
Sun, Nov 1, 2009 : 9:10 p.m.
Nothing like ratting on the home team. Guys Watergate was 25 years ago time to move and report the news NOT make it!
azwolverine
Sun, Nov 1, 2009 : 9:01 p.m.
1block, What I see happening on the field, and what has now happened for two straight seasons, is that Michigan lacks discipline and mental toughness. When things go wrong, they snowball rather than bouncing back from adversity. That is a coaching issue. As for fans faulting RR when Michigan is losing, fans also praised him when we were winning. Funny thing. The reason? Coaches are ultimitely accountable for how well their team performs on the field...and at 2.5 million dollars per year, he better be.
Commoncents
Sun, Nov 1, 2009 : 8:43 p.m.
I think it's interesting when Michigan loses a couple in a row it's Rich Rod's fault. Where were those people when we were 4-0? They were quiet. I've been a michigan football fan since I was 4yrs old, but we have some of the worst fans in sports. Point is, Michigan is NOT a good team this year. A lot of the bad plays have nothing to do w/ coaching. When people come on here and say negative things about Rich Rod it would help me to understand if they used on the field examples of how he's driving the team in the wrong direction. I'm no expert, but I just don't see it.... Ohh and to comment on the hit - if they don't have film of it happening - IT DIDN'T HAPPEN! Rich Rod should punish the guy in practice and make his life hell (I'm assuming he did it - common sense would say he did), but if the Big10 comes in and suspends him for something they can't prove, that's going to cause some major waves...
azwolverine
Sun, Nov 1, 2009 : 8:35 p.m.
No, Michigan does no wrong under RR...that's why Illinois bombarded us 38-13.
Blue in the 614
Sun, Nov 1, 2009 : 8:13 p.m.
There is a big difference between trying to balance yourself and throwing a left jab to the groin, as this video seems to indicate.
Kaleb Roedel
Sun, Nov 1, 2009 : 7:33 p.m.
I was wondering what Liuget's waddling jaunt to the sidelines was all about. Ortmann clearly packed a good gut-punch. Sums up the Wolverines' poor reactions to adversity of late.