Toledo Blade:

Better first year for Rodriguez at Michigan

Mountaineers 3-8 in initial season

BLADE STAFF

With a win Saturday over Toledo, Michigan first-year coach Rich Rodriguez can equal his win total from his first season as West Virginia's coach in 2001.

Rodriguez went 3-8 in his inaugural season guiding the Mountaineers and just 1-6 in the Big East. Through five games, his Wolverines (2-3) are on pace to do better than his first West Virginia team, but Rodriguez said his initial UM experience does remind him of his early days with the Mountaineers.

"It is similar in some respects, unfortunately," Rodriguez said yesterday during the Big Ten coaches weekly teleconference. "We're going through some growing pains and it's a system change, some terminology changes. So I think that's similar in some respects."

Rodriguez said he had more experienced players on offense that first year at West Virginia than he does now. The Mountaineers improved greatly during their second season with him, going 9-4 overall and 6-1 in conference play.

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