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| Denard Robinson had 235 rushing yards and 1 passing touchdown in the 44-13 win |
Michigan's defense is awesome or Purdue's offense is terrible. I couldn't figure out which it was. I'm leaning toward the latter, really, because Purdue found it necessary to try three different quarterbacks and a bunch of trick plays. Don't get me wrong - Michigan's defense looked good. But Purdue couldn't do anything with consistency. A couple trick plays turned out fairly well, and Robert Marve's first few plays were productive. But otherwise, they just don't look like an offense that should scare any decent defensive teams.
I'm officially concerned about Fitzgerald Toussaint and the running game. Toussaint (17 carries, 19 yards, 2 touchdowns) looks slower this year, quite frankly. He also looks like he's dancing too much instead of burrowing forward for a couple yards when he can. Of course, it starts with the offensive line, and I haven't been impressed this year with what the offensive line is doing. None of the offensive linemen has taken a step forward this year, in my opinion. Taylor Lewan has taken a step backward, and the other guys are just average. Obviously, Denard Robinson (24 carries, 235 yards) was great, but the offensive line can't open holes for the running backs. Even Thomas Rawls, who had good numbers (4 carries, 33 yards, 1 touchdown), had to break tackles at the line of scrimmage to get anything done.
The broadcasters were terrible. One of them called it a "flea flicker" when Robert Marve hit a wide receiver on a hitch, then tossed it backward to the running back coming out of the backfield. That's a "hook and lateral." I thought the dumb interpretation of that was "hook and ladder" but the BTN guys took it one notch stupider. Also, there was no way that Denard Robinson was down at the 1-yard line on the play they reviewed. Even if the officials determined that Robinson's elbow hit the ground prior to the ball crossing the plane of the end zone, the ball should have been placed at about the 2-inch line. I couldn't believe that the refs didn't change the spot of the ball (or award the touchdown), but the announcers didn't point it out, either.
Raymon Taylor had an okay game. Taylor hasn't lit the world on fire and did get beaten on a slant for a touchdown, but I have to give credit where credit is due. This was his second consecutive game with an interception, and he returned this one 63 yards for a touchdown.
Denard Robinson zone read anger. Twice in this game, Robinson held onto the ball too long before pulling it out of the running back's stomach. The first time it worked okay for him because he gained a bunch of yards, even though his running back (Toussaint or Smith, I can't remember) got smoked. The second time it was disastrous because he got Smith crushed and, oh yeah, Robinson fumbled the ball in the process. He gains a lot of yards because he's a dynamic runner, but he's never been adept at running those plays.
I'm really liking the linebacker crew. I thought Jake Ryan (6 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack), Kenny Demens (6 tackles), and Desmond Morgan (6 tackles, 2 tackles for loss) all played very well. There's not much experienced depth, but the guys backing them up are pretty good, too. I like James Ross as a prospect, but I don't think anyone can really justify the talk about Morgan getting passed. Michigan should be able to field a pretty good inside linebacker crew next year from some combination of Morgan, Ross, and Joe Bolden, not to mention a few other good linebacker prospects.
I liked the game plan. If Denard Robinson can throw the ball fewer than 20 times a game, that's probably a good thing. Between good defense and running the ball well, the game wasn't on Denard's throwing shoulder. Offensive coordinator Al Borges said that he re-evaluated his play calls from the past couple seasons, and he seemed to conclude that throwing the ball with Denard is a bad idea. Good for him. Robinson still missed a wide open Fitzgerald Toussaint on a swing pass that would have gained a first down and had a couple other questionable throws, but a 50% completion percentage isn't so terrible when you're only throwing the ball 16 times.
If TTB isn't too busy this Sunday morning and is in the mood to discuss the O-line:
ReplyDeleteOmameh: He seemed so promising a few years ago. Is he good at only one thing (blocking in a spread-ish offense)? Too small or not powerful enough to be a good run blocker?
Schofield: He seemed promising last year when playing (seemingly, given his build) out of position at guard. Do you think he can ever play LT (say, next year) effectively?
Barnum: What is this guy's ceiling? As a 5th-year senior, is he close to it?
Thanks ...
My takes on the OL...
DeleteOmameh's strength was getting out on LB's under RR's zone blocking scheme. But he always struggled with the stud DT's. Under Borges, he is doing a lot more drive blocking and pulling. It is really strange to me that he is so good at blocking LB's but so bad at pulling. He and Barnum both were recruited by RR for their quickness. Hoke's OL recruits look nothing like Barnum and Omameh.
It's possible Lewan has played his way out of 1st round draft placement this year. Haven't heard early reports on Magnusson but if he is good, I think he will be the front runner in case Lewan bolts. Schofield struggles with pass pro on the right side. Everyone thought he would be an upgrade from Huyge, but I'm not seeing it yet.
There is still a lot to be played this year, so it's foreseeable that the OL can pull it together yet.
Regarding Omameh: Yeah, I think Omameh just doesn't fit in this offense. I would prefer to see him at tackle. He's not built like an offensive guard, and I think he was much better of a blocker in Rodriguez's zone system. Pulling is not his strong suit, and he struggles to stay low when trying to root out defensive tackles.
DeleteRegarding Schofield: The talk in the off-season was that Schofield looked like he had a good future at left tackle. I wanted that to be true and even bought into the hype a little bit, but I'm certainly not seeing it this season. He might be the best Michigan has next year (if Lewan leaves), but that doesn't mean he'll be good at it. I wouldn't be entirely opposed to seeing Schofield back at guard if a) Lewan stays and b) they can find a decent replacement at RT. The center and both guards will all need to be replaced next year.
Regarding Barnum: I have never been impressed with Barnum. He was injury prone early in his career, and I think he gets overpowered too much on the interior. I think he could have made a decent center for a primarily zone team (like for Rich Rodriguez) because he's fairly quick and built low to the ground, but he's not a drive blocker. For what Michigan WANTS to run, I really think these guards need to be 310-315 lbs. Instead, Barnum is 296.
I know there's a faction of Michigan fans who can't see anything but flaws in Denard's game, but I love the idea that the player now likely to become the greatest running QB in FBS history is "not adept" at running the play that makes up the core of the offense he's played for his entire career. Geez, imagine how many yards Denard would have if he were adept at zone reads? The mind boggles.
ReplyDeleteLots and lots and lots of his yards have come on quarterback "leads" or "isos" or whatever you want to call them. The zone read has not been his strongest of running plays, especially the outside zone read (where he reads the backside end).
DeleteI wanna know what you think about Dileo at punt returner? He made it look easy when he caught that one punt over his shoulder and then had a pretty decent return even though guys were right in his face. Gallon is a wuss and Dileo looks like he's got the skills.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Gallon is a wuss.
DeleteThat being said, Dileo does have good skills as a punt returner. He's not a guy who's going to break big returns (like Dennis Norfleet), but he is a guy with reliable hands who can make the first guy miss and get upfield. I think he could pretty consistently get 8- to 15-yard returns, but big plays aren't in the cards for him.
8-15 yard returns would be a HUGE step up from what UM is getting from Gallon. I like Gallon as a receiver, particularly on screens, but he has always been a liability at PR. I cannot figure out why he has been so solidly entrenched at that spot.
DeleteLogan88, did you watch ANY of 2011? Gallon was fantastic as a punt returner last year.
DeleteI disagree that he's a liability. He's been fair catching the ball, which is a step up from letting it bounce. The bottom line is that he's taking the safe play, which sort of falls in line with what I expect from a Hoke-coached team.
DeleteI consider a PR a liability if he routinely lets punts bounce and fair catches punts when he has 5+ yards of room between himself and the nearest gunner. That is giving up yards. Dileo or Northfleet would be better options IMO.
DeleteI do agree with your position, Thunder, that Hoke probably places more emphasis on just catching the punt over getting any significant return. Personally, I find that too conservative and would prefer a more dynamic returner.
Well, I'm not sure that Dileo would be much better as a full-time punt returner if he has the same instructions as Gallon to fair catch punts if anyone's class. Gallon is more dynamic with the ball in his hands than Dileo is.
DeletePurdue's defense seemed to key like crazy on Toussaint all game, which is possibly the dumbest game plan you can have against Michigan. Both of Denard's gigantic runs came on reads where three dudes went after Toussaint and all he had to do was cut past one guy and he was in the secondary.
ReplyDeleteProps to Roundtree for the block downfield on one of those runs. If Williams hadn't barely gotten Denard's shoestrings, that was a TD.
I agree that teams are trying to stop Toussaint. Perhaps that's because they think Toussaint is a threat, whereas Denard is a threat...but gets dinged up and turns the ball over, even if he's gaining yards. Stop the running back, hope Denard makes mistakes/gets hurt, and pray that you can win. It obviously didn't work, but I can see some team(s) employing that strategy.
DeleteAgree on all counts except the announcers. I actually like this BTN crew more than most. At least the color guy does not spout endless platitudes and actually modifies his comments based on what he is seeing on replays. I thought Denard scored as well but none of the individual replay angles showed both the elbow contact and the ball position. Anyway, I have seen much worse. This BTN color guy and ND's color guy (Mayock?) have been my two favorites this year.
ReplyDeleteI am also not sure how excited to get about the defense. Agree that the DT's and LB's looked quite sound. I think Mattison was dialed into Purdue though and also believe Purdue's OL was weak. Nice thing is that Mattison should have answers for Illinois and MSU the next couple weeks too.
I like Mayock as an NFL Draft analyst...but not as an in-game color guy. I thought he was terrible in the UM-ND game.
DeleteWho do you like as announcers? I can't remember the last time they didn't detract from watching a game. Even the 'A teams' are awful.
DeleteI like Al Michaels, Brad Nessler, Troy Aikman, Daryl Johnston, Jon Gruden, Ron Jaworski... I like Herbstreit as a color guy. Mike Tirico. I know several of those guys are NFL guys, but honestly, I rarely listen to college games. I think NFL announcers are much better.
DeleteNo doubt the average NFL announcer is better than the college counterpart. You have a lot of credibility, but put down the crack pipe regarding Herbstreit. He is the absolute worst in terms of pounding home platitudes and preconceived themes even when replays clearly tell a different story. He is also terrible during instant replays and bad calls by the refs - goes into PC mode. It is usually evident which team he is pulling for. Last but not least, he does not have any insight into line play and he is not quick to diagnose a play. So he falls back on platitudes (like, "the OL is really starting to assert itself" or whichever team is winning just has "too much speed").
DeleteMayock to me is like some of the best NFL guys in that he can determine the key blocks, missed assignments, etc. during live play. Most color guys need the aid of a replay to get into that kind of detail. I also like the fact that he is not afraid to take shots at ND players despite working with NBC and that ridiculous homer Tom Hammond.
So on the BTN, I like Derrick Rackley. Not a huge fan of Chris Martin because his voice sounds like he is perpetually about to cry and he overuses the word "burst" when describing players. I have no seen a game with Glen Mason yet but suspect he is good.
I guess I don't see that with Herbstreit. He seems to be pretty straight-up when it comes to staying impartial during games. Spielman is a total homer when it comes to OSU games, and he criticizes some teams too much. But Herbstreit comes across as making an effort to stay above that. And while I have heard Herbstreit back off of criticizing referees, I also think that's an okay stance. Referees do have a difficult job, and the criticism they receive is often too harsh.
DeleteThe golden lining in the O Line under performance is Lewan might stay for his 5th year/ Sr year. He hasn't exactly been great and if anything has had a number of dumb penalties like he did early in his career.
ReplyDeleteI was just looking at the depth chart the big gap between our current starters and the frshmen is really disconcerting. I guess the only silver lining is RR would have brought in more guys like Omameh and Barnum who are not ideal for the new offense.
ReplyDeleteOffensive coordinator Al Borges said that he re-evaluated his play calls from the past couple seasons, and he seemed to conclude that throwing the ball with Denard is a bad idea.
ReplyDeleteAmazing that it only took Al Borges two offseasons and 17 games to figure out that having Denard throw 35 times a game probably isn't a good idea.
Beating up straw men is fun, but this is way off. Denard has only thrown that many passes once under Borges (2011 Iowa, when he threw about 20 passes in the fourth quarter). Last year he threw 24 passes in the ND game, 24 against MSU and 17 against Ohio. This year he again threw 24 against ND.
DeleteThis sounds surprisingly positive for a Magnus post.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds surprisingly positive for a Magnus post.
ReplyDeleteI can't agree about Purdue's offense being terrible. They scored 17 against ND (more than anyone else has) and had back-to-back 50-point games against EMU and Marshall. (Okay, maybe those teams aren't the best, but hey, Sparty only scored 23 against EMU...)
ReplyDelete