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| Freshman tight end Jake Butt caught this touchdown pass to tie the game at 35 (image via MLive) |
Devin Gardner played his behind off. Gardner must have had the adrenaline flowing early in the game, because he looked like a different player out there. The guy has looked bruised and battered for the past several weeks, but this week didn't show it until late in the game when he tweaked his ankle. He finished the game 32/45 for 451 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions; he also ran 9 times for 10 yards and 1 touchdown. That's arguably his best career performance, even though it came in a loss. His numbers were a little better in this year's Notre Dame game, but that game also featured an ugly interception thrown in his own endzone. If he can stay healthy, this is the type of player Gardner should be every week.
The two-point conversion, Part I. I was critical of Brady Hoke's decision to go for it on 4th-and-2 against Northwestern, so I'm not being a Hoke slappie when I say that I think going for two was the best decision at the end of the game. Michigan was the underdog. While they were playing better than they have in weeks, the defense wasn't up to par (no James Ross or Jarrod Wilson, Carlos Hyde and Braxton Miller ran for a ton of yards, etc.) and Gardner was gimpy. If you extend the game there, you run the risk of having to slug it out for the extent of overtime with your most dynamic performer hobbled or potentially knocked out of the game. Hoke is a fairly aggressive coach when it comes to decision-making, and while it didn't work this time, I think he usually makes the right call.
The two-point conversion, Part II. What I didn't like was the play call. Maybe Ohio State was expecting it, but I was fully ready for Michigan to roll Gardner out to the right, where Drew Dileo had motioned into a trips look. And while that seems like an obvious call, it puts [an admittedly hobbled] Gardner on the edge, where he can make a play with his feet - or it puts him in an easier throwing situation with a rub route, a shovel pass, etc. On a critical play like that, I like to put my players in a situation that makes them comfortable, regardless of what the other team might do. Yes, Ohio State may have been expecting a rollout, but that doesn't mean they could have stopped it.
The brawl. I would love to sit here and say that the Buckeyes started it and they're clearly the enemy, but that was instigated by a crew of Michigan players who were intentionally crowding freshman returner Dontre Wilson after the play. Wilson needs to be smarter and not let stuff like that get to him, but the Michigan guys lit the match. I was glad that more players weren't ejected, but there probably could have been a couple more if the referees wanted to really take control. As it turned out, things worked in Michigan's favor, since all they lost was special teamer Royce Jenkins-Stone; the Buckeyes lost an integral part of their offense and special teams in Wilson and a starting offensive guard, Marcus Hall, who proceeded to give two middle fingers to Michigan's crowd as he went to the tunnel, all the while stomping and throwing things in a childish temper tantrum. Hopefully that will result in a suspension for Hall.
Michigan was in a bad place defensively. I have made no secret of not being a fan of Josh Furman's abilities at safety, and he was the culprit on a couple big plays, including a 53-yard touchdown pass to Devin Smith. Starting safety Jarrod Wilson was supposedly in a cast on the sideline, so I guess he wasn't an option, but Furman just isn't up to snuff as a safety. Despite very good speed, he doesn't recognize routes or read plays very well. It looks like he'll be in line to start next to Wilson next year, since both Courtney Avery and Thomas Gordon graduate, so hopefully his extended experience this season helps him improve. Meanwhile, the Wolverines were missing leading tackler James Ross after he got injured against Iowa last week. As far as I know, Ohio State was at full strength on defense, but the Wolverines' loss of two key players defensively - and the absence of placekicker Brendan Gibbons, who might have nailed a field goal instead of forcing Hoke to go for it on an ill-fated fourth down - could have made a difference.
Devin Gardner's fumble wasn't a fumble. His knees were down when the ball came out. Replay should have overturned the fumble. At the very least, the call should have "stood" but the referee said replay "confirmed" the fumble. Of course, that last sentence is pretty inconsequential.
The running backs are good? Freshman De'Veon Smith led the team with 7 carries for 57 yards, including a 38-yarder. His lack of breakaway speed was apparent, so hopefully people will stop saying that he's fast just because he ran away from a bunch of tiny kids at Warren Howland; but he did break a solid tackle attempt on that 38-yarder, so that's something. Senior Fitzgerald Toussaint had 5 carries for 33 yards and 1 touchdown, along wtih 4 receptions for 48 yards. Freshman Derrick Green had 12 carries for 47 yards. Overall, those guys combined for 24 carries, 137 yards, and 1 touchdown, which is a pretty solid day.
The offensive line is good? Hahahaha, just kidding, guys. No, the offensive line isn't good, but it has improved over the past few weeks. Michigan State and Nebraska were the nadir of the line, and now it has progressed to a mediocre level. I've said for a couple years that I think 2014 is where the offensive line starts to get it together, despite the losses of Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield, the latter of whom has never particularly impressed me. However, those running backs mentioned above were tackled for a grand total of zero losses, a clear improvement from weeks past. The line still allowed 6 tackles for loss thanks to 3 sacks of Gardner, a couple Gardner runs, and a Devin Funchess run.
Al Borges and Darrell Funk are saved? Boy, oh boy. If you're an Al Borges hater, this performance might have been the worst thing for you. If Michigan came out and laid an egg offensively, I think Borges would have definitely been out the door after the season. He still might, but this makes it a tougher call. The same goes for Funk, the offensive line coach. Of course, Hoke and athletic director David Brandon are paid to look at things objectively, not just in the aftermath of one of Michigan's best offensive performances this year. The overall product on the field has been subpar for the majority of the year. I like that Borges eventually capitulated to running bubble screens, the bubble screen draw, and various other screens, but it took too long for Michigan to get away from running power and iso this year. The Wolverines had a heyday with screens to Funchess, Gallon, Toussaint, and Butt in this game, and for good reason.
This was a great game. Even without Michigan's final touchdown, this was a great game. Michigan could have pulled off a whopper of an upset, and even though they lost a heartbreaker, they should be proud of the game the played. Stepping back from the "Michigan should be winning these games more often" mindset that a lot of entitled fans have, this particular team was overmatched in every single phase of the game. Ohio State's closest win this season was a 7-point victory against Wisconsin, and their Big Ten wins this year have averaged a score of 47-20. When I did my game preview, I felt that Ohio State was better at running the ball, throwing the ball, stopping the run, and stopping the pass . . . and the statistics backed that up. On top of those categories, the Buckeyes had momentum and a championship-winning head coach on their side. All those advantages added up to a one-point victory. Regardless of what teams 1 through 133 accomplished, team 134 should be proud of its effort and execution yesterday.
I agree Furman made a lot of bad plays. But I think it is also true that Gordon and Avery also gave up many big plays/touchdown plays. From the stands, it seemed as if adequate safety play from anyone would really have helped, maybe made the difference.
ReplyDeleteI thought Gordon was fairly solid in this one.
DeleteFurman is really bad. A prime example of overrated recruit (consensus 4-star and top-5 safety, I think) never panning out, and Rich Rodriguez's staff having little clue in analyzing recruiting tapes.
DeleteLooked like Gordon got beat on the first long TD pass?
Deletesuduri, I don't know where you got your information. Furman was a 3-star and nowhere near the top five:
Deletehttp://rivals.yahoo.com/michigan/football/recruiting/player-Josh-Furman-85057;_ylt=AoywonxetXvgiYg4yIgVIJvwOrF_
He had offers from Oklahoma and VTech, places not known for clueless defenses.
Yep, everything is RichRod's fault.
That was Furman, who was so horribly out if position that Gordon was trying to save his keester.
DeleteAnonymous, sorry I was referring to Scout, where JF is 4-star and top-7 safety. I must've skipped rivals when I looked at him. Yes, guys Rich Rod recruited in defense were mostly horrendous. Maybe except Jake Ryan. Most of defense's woes can be traced back to RichRod and his frends.
Deletehttp://maryland.scout.com/a.z?s=174&p=8&c=1&nid=4130474
Furman was another one of those defensive recruits who were taken based on physical measurables rather than demonstrated defensive skills on high school tape. He was tall and fast and had a great senior year as a running back. Hoke seems to be insisting that his defensive recruits are impressive in high school on defense. We have not seen as many athlete/reaches on defense in the last few classes.
DeleteIf Furman is starting next year and is ineffective, that will be on Hoke not Rodriguez.
DeleteHoke has brought in Carter, Gant, Clark, and Wilson in his first two years and all these guys could be upperclassmen next year, if they pan/panned out. Not to mention the 6 DBs he took in 2012 including Thomas and several 'big' CBs who could project to safety. If out of that many recruits you can't find a starter to pair with Wilson, it's time to stop blaming the coach from 4 years ago and look in the mirror.
I have to imagine that Thomas has the inside track to start in Gordon's spot next year. I never understood why the coaching staff kept saying that he was going to be the starting nickel corner during fall camp, and then abandoned that idea as soon as the season started. he was brought in to play safety though, which is an extremely difficult position to earn much playing time as a true freshman. if he really is everything they thought he was leading up to this season, i believe he gets the starting safety spot next to Wilson next year.
DeleteI agree that it will be on Hoke if Furman is starting and ineffective, but that still likely means that Rodriguez biffed on recruiting him in the first place. Unfortunately, that probably means that Hoke biffed on recruiting/developing other guys in the subsequent classes who could replace Furman.
DeleteProbably yes, but who knows - maybe Rodriguez always saw Furman as a LB or whatever.
DeleteI think we need to move on from the excuse of blaming Rodriguez as a program by next season for sure. Most coaches don't have the luxury of 10 years of stability behind them. Yeah, sure, I'd rather coach Hoke had his own 5th year players than "leftovers" from another coach. Maybe they weren't "Michigan caliber" players - these leftovers - but they're kids that Iowa and Minnesota would have gladly taken and probably turned into serviceable players at worst.
Next year, Hoke will have HIS guys as seniors. He'll have had 4 recruiting classes to fix whatever deficiencies he inherited. That should be enough to stop blaming others.
If they thought Thomas was going to start, I'd imagine he would have played more instead of Furman, Avery, and Clark. That's what they did with Wilson last year, even though he clearly wasn't quite ready.
DeleteI'm not even sure Thomas is ahead of Hill at this point. I respect recruiting rankings, but the bottom line is that Stribling, Lewis, and Hollowell played and Thomas did not. The coaches preferred to move Blake Countess inside to nickel than play Thomas there. The evidence says Thomas would need to make a bigger leap than his fellow freshman to start next year, just to be in the conversation of playing ahead of more veteran guys like Furman and Clark.
I would not be totally surprised if Raymon Taylor is moved to safety. He is small, yes, but bigger than Avery and more experienced. I think our coaches would rather let the CBs be Peppers, Stribling, and Lewis than put another inexperienced kid beside Wilson.
playing safety and playing corner are a quite different. safety is one of the most difficult positions for a true freshman to step into, and be able to succeed. i don't know why they ditched Thomas as the nickel corner. maybe they decided that since his future is at safety, they wanted him to focus on learning just that position, so he'd be ready for next year. Stribling and Lewis are corners, and that's why we saw them on the field. they weren't ready, that much was clear. but, they were playing the positions they were brought in to play. as far as them moving Countess inside in nickel situations, Hoke said that was going to be the plan from the beginning. it wouldn't have mattered who they were bringing in to play when they brought out the nickel, Countess was always going to cover the slot guy anyway. it's not that uncommon for teams to bring their best corner inside and let the extra guy take over on the outside in those situations.
DeleteGreat post. You covered it all. Gardner is one tough dude. I don't know that I have ever seen a UM qb take that much punishment in a season and not miss a game. We will miss Gallon big time. Unfortunately U are right. Big Al might have spared himself another year. Funk has to go. Him and or the strength coach. Our Dline was manhandled. Not having Ross killed us but Hyde outweighs him by 25 lbs. as much as this stings and gives them 11 of the last 13...I am still proud of the kids performance. Crappy call on the fumble. Good decision on the 2pt conversion, good play call as well. Who would have thought that with 4 defenders we would get single on Gallon and Funchess and they would double the primary read in Dileo. They played it well almost as if they knew it.
ReplyDeleteI have piled on Gardner heavily for his lackluster play this season, so I will have to give it up to him for a great game over-coming some very tough circumstances. He will need to come back next year to lead us to victory down at the horsepit in Ohio.
DeleteOur Dline was being held (especially Wormley) all game long and without Pipkins we were so thin that we had to play Richard Ash.
DeleteBTW-Even if we had made the two point conversion, they still had over 30 seconds and a timeout to get into FG range. I still loved the decision to go for it. If it had worked... we would be talking about it for years to come.
Absolutely. Even Hoke implied that it was defense that made him go for it. Had it worked... My God I was so excited at the moment I realized that they were going for it. We'd be talking about it for decades to come.
DeleteI really thought this was gonna be a mud stomping yesterday by Ohio. I was pleasantly surprised when we appeared to actually have a chance. Overall, the team played well with only some minor hiccups compared to what my expectations were. I am proud of the team for sending their seniors out with the closest thing to a win against their biggest rival. Right after the final play I turned to me wife and said, "kind of a fitting end to our season with that play!". Great call by Hoke to go for 2 points, fitting that Borges called an expected call and even more fitting that Devin threw an interception to a receiver he stared down the entire play. Still a great game and shows what this team was capable of all season. Go Blue!
ReplyDeleteI have said all season long the Defense has yet to really impress. They have had periods of decent play, but when called upon to take a stand and actually win a game for the team, they never come through. Yesterday was more of the same.
ReplyDeleteWhat is strange is you look at them individually, all around good to very good/ great... 4* type players, making some nice individual plays, but they don't play together as a unit.
I like Mattison as a person and a recruiter. But I do have to wonder now if his age has caught up to him and the game has passed him by? His D seems to have regressed (yes with the rest of the team) year over year.
Might be time to bring in both new D and O coordinators although unless they get completely throttled in the bowl game, I expect both to come back for "one more try".
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One thing to take into account is the terrible defensive recruiting during the RR years(especially 2010). The first year their seniors were all Carr recruits. Once you lose those seniors and are starting lots of young players you can regress. Without Mike Martin on the DL, it's been hard to generate a consistent pass rush and they are working to build back towards that but it doesn't happen overnight. OSU has young DL players but they are both better than Michigan's young recruits and have solid senior guys around them.
DeleteNo offense, but I think you're grasping at straws. Mattison's defense - minus its starting WILL and SS - held Ohio State to 7 points below its season average. It's a bit of a rag-tag bunch with a mix of Rodriguez's leftovers (Furman, Avery, Black, Washington, Ash), some really young guys (Gedeon, Lewis, Stribling, Charlton), and some experienced but not elite recruits (Beyer, Morgan, Clark). I believe Countess, Gedeon, and Beyer were the only universal 4-stars starting on defense. One of those is a freshman backup, one has played three different positions this year, and one is coming off of ACL surgery. That's not to say that you can't put together an elite defense (MSU, unfortunately), but it's not like this is a team of 4- and 5-star talent on defense. Michigan has had the #17, #13, and #39 total defenses in his three years at Michigan, and that's coming off a terrible three-year run from Rich Rodriguez. Why you would even suggest getting rid of Mattison at this point is beyond reason.
DeletePlease. There is enough talent there and a good mix of experience and youth. This isn't "overnight" -- it's year 3. I can kind of understand the complaints about the recruiting impacting the OL (though they should never have been THIS bad) as experience and size is critical there. But with defense, if you recruit talent, they can be very good from sophomore on, and even if they aren't that talented, three years of your coaching should make them good.
DeleteThe defense, unfortunately, was a bit of a disappointment this year. They didn't get a lot of attention b/c the offense was historically bad in so many games, but the amount of key drives they gave up against mediocre offenses (not to mention getting absolutely steamrolled yesterday by an excellent offense) was not good. UM plays in the B1G, which except for IU, OSU and Wisky has average to pathetic offenses. Hopefully, they'll turn it around from being 'pretty good' this year to actually good next year.
I agree that it's not overnight. But where did Michigan get beat yesterday? I would say it was mainly on the defensive line, since Hyde ran for 226 and Miller ran for 134. Beyer's in his third position, Black is undersized, Washington has had a bad back, Pipkins is out, Henry and Wormley are redshirt freshmen, Charlton is a true freshman, etc. Meanwhile, that was a very experienced and good offensive line, with the exception of Taylor Decker. I think you're underestimating how long it takes to overhaul an entire defense.
DeleteIf you compare it to OSU, all their defensive starters are juniors except Spence (5-star), Bosa (Rivals' #47 player), and Josh Perry (who was merely the #146 overall player to Rivals). If you look at the guys Michigan put out there yesterday, only Countess was truly a stud recruit, and he lacked offers from the big-time programs like OSU, USC, Notre Dame, Alabama, etc.
Michigan just isn't in the same class right now with respect to the talent on the field. I think the gap is getting closer, but aside from a miraculous coaching job - like what Narduzzi has done at MSU - I don't know how much one can expect out of this group.
Anyone suggesting we let go of Mattison needs to take a few steps back and look at the bigger picture. This defense was absolutely awful under GERG (like ranked 100th+) and Mattison came in and fixed it immediately with the exact same players. Like Thunder said above, its still a lot of Richrod leftovers and young players that Mattison has used to keep us in or win us games over the last three years. Once all these younger classes become upperclassmen - based on how he's doing now - his defenses will be dominating
DeleteNo. The D has not regressed. It's been good every year.
DeleteThunder, I'm not suggesting it doesn't take time to get a very good/great defense on the field. But UM's defense this year was not even good, let alone very good; it was just OK (perhaps slightly better than OK). UM ended up 62nd is scoring defense and 39th in yards allowed. And those rankings don't reflect the slate of truly mediocre to bad offenses we played (except OSU and IU). Do you think if we played Oregon, UCLA, Arizona State, Arizona, Stanford (i.e., a Pac-12 sched) or Texas A&M, Alabama, Mizzou, Auburn, LSU (i.e., an SEC sched) UM would have even been ranked that high? It would have been ugly.
DeleteBesides, beyond overall stats, they fell on their face at a few key junctures - last drive against PSU (freshman QB), late drive against Neb (at home, backup QB), late drive against Iowa. This was offset by key stops/plays against NU, UConn and I guess Akron, but those are some truly awful offensive football teams. I know there are reasons (injuries, recruiting rankings, some inexperience) but again, by year three, you've got to be better than that if you're one of the highest paid assts in all of college football. I'm not angry about it - just disappointed.
And anonymous, I don't think anyone (certainly not me) is suggesting we let Mattison go. Overall, he seems very good as a coach (not to mention as a recruiter). But him being very good does not excuse the fact the defense was basically just alright this year. They need to be better next year.
I was a bit disappointed with the defense as well, but look at who we were going against. That Carlos Hyde is a monster. He is so strong that our guys were having hard time holding on to the tackle sometimes. And Braxton Miller is a natural and amazing talent. I think even Alabama would have a hard time stopping them, although Bama probably would win.
DeleteThe Defense has plenty of top talent and that to date has underachieved. Yes the Coaching can be called on the carpet for some of it, lets be honest here and stop making excuses. If anyone would think Bo would be proud of the defensive performance shown on Saturday, I've got some land down near the Maumee River for you. Seems everyone prefers to pile on Borges yet gives Mattison a free pass.
DeleteMattison had a few stinker games this year but I agree with thunder that he was not playing with a full hand this season. None of the three units (DL, LB, DB) could be considered strong from a talent or experience standpoint. When you are playing guys like R. Glasgow and Ash against OSU, you know you are in trouble. The 2012 was critical for stocking the defensive depth chart and unfortunately, it looks like that class was weaker than originally thought at LB and DB. Not having safeties he could trust has been a big limiting factor for him.
Delete"Regardless of what teams 1 through 133 accomplished, team 134 should be proud of its effort and execution yesterday." Couldn't have said it better myself! So proud of these guys!
ReplyDeleteBeating the safeties seems to be a staple of Urban Meyer's offense. They suck you in with the power running game and then go over the top on play action. We've seen it several times the last 3 years and you see it often when they play other B1G teams. OSU was missing several defensive starters including Curtis Grant who was a top 5 recruit a few years ago and the starting middle linebacker (though definitely not up to the hype of a top recruit).
ReplyDeleteOn a related note, will OSU ever learn to tackle? They seem to love going for the big hit rather than the wrap up and it keeps costing them yards. I hope their defensive staff doesn't change and they keep at it, because it's been entertaining to watch.
I loved your closing remark and posted much like it on my FB page. I am so scared of losing Peppers that I lost sleep over it the other night. Here's hoping this performance keeps him a Wolverine
ReplyDeleteI was a bit disappointed with that little "I want to visit other schools" from Peppers, but he's a high school kid and I understand. From twitter it looked as if he was very impressed with the effort. Hopely he stays put.
DeleteVery good points indeed. I stood at row 16 behind our team, and since I am moving away from Ann Arbor in a few months this probably was the last home game I would be able to attend in a long time. My voice is still kind of gone, and I think I shed a tear leaving the stadium.
ReplyDeleteGuys played with a lot of heart. Gardner was absolutely a warrior and I am so proud of him. I am aware of the youth across the board as well as bad leftovers from Rodriguez regime. Had a bad feeling when I saw Josh Furman out there. Still too many freshmen. Let's hope our O and D lines will get better next year (which they certainly will) with more depth and experience. I am excited for the bowl game. I think our most likely opponent is Texas, which is a great program and I still remember the 2005 game. The bowl won't be prestigious, but I won't be any less excited for my team. Let's Go Blue!!
"Gardner was absolutely a warrior and I am so proud of him."
Delete"... bad leftovers from Rodriguez regime."
Make up your mind, eh?
Yeah, Rich Rod recruited Gardner. Along with Jake Ryan and Black, the three are the only decent players from that 27-men class. The others are a mess or not here. I think you know what I mean. There are more bad leftovers than "good" players.
DeleteI believe we have only nine guys left from that 27-man class. Assign responsibility for that however you want, but it's obviously really hurt us this season.
DeleteLet's see less of these guys on defense: Avery and Furman. Their safety play was absolutely attrocious. I'm hoping Delano Hill or Dymonte Thomas can come in as true sophomores and fill the void Gordon is leaving, because Furman shouldn't be in any backfield.
ReplyDeleteYup. Bad leftovers from Rich Rod's defense. I appreciate their efforts, but there will be better players replacing them.
DeleteMe and many others have been calling for Borges to simplify the playcalling - more straight-ahead runs and more short-passes and screens. Don't ask this OL to do too much. Make it easy on them (and everyone else, in turn.)
ReplyDeleteSeemed like that's exactly what Borges came out doing, finally. It gave Gardner confidence and he built from that. Excellent game called from Borges but, as in years past, it leaves you wondering - what took so long? what were you thinking in weeks past? why did we have to lose game on the offensive side of the ball to inferior competition to get here?
Loved all the screen calls to burn blitzing aggressive defenses. That throwback double pass looked really good if it had been executed too.
The run game seemed to be quicker-hitting and crisp.
I think Borges earned another year from enough blood-thirsty fans that Brandon/Hoke won't be forced to fire him (which clearly they don't want to do.)
Nice post Thunder.
I'm not sure what to think about borges I see some games like the ohio game and think man he comes out the woodwork with some plays and think if our offensive line is legit like it should be here in years to come with experience and talent but if you watch the 3rd quarter I am convinced he took a nap. If im not allowed to sleep while im at work why should he be able to take a nap
ReplyDeleteI'm not the biggest Borges fan, but what did he do that was so bad in the third quarter? One possession we drove to midfield before the "fumble" happened. The next we had a long drive until we turned it over on downs at their 12. We didn't score in the quarter, but it was still a pretty productive one for the offense (and the turnover was a terrible call by the officials).
DeleteI'm not sure what to think about borges I see some games like the ohio game and think man he comes out the woodwork with some plays and think if our offensive line is legit like it should be here in years to come with experience and talent but if you watch the 3rd quarter I am convinced he took a nap. If im not allowed to sleep while im at work why should he be able to take a nap
ReplyDeleteVery nice write-up, Thunder ... I always enjoy the even-handed and level-headed way in which you approach the analysis of these games.
ReplyDeleteThe decision to go for two after the final touchdown was the right one. I suspect Gardner was more injured than we know, and more than he was letting on. The lack of a roll-out call on that two point conversion play may have been due to a belief Gardner couldn't execute a rollout (or a QB run in any form) very well. Hence the shotgun snap and quick pass ... with Gardner essentially on one leg. If true that Gardner was hobbled more than we know, then the decision to avoid OT makes even more sense.
Also ... am I correct that Graham Glasgow didn't make any snap errors yesterday? :-)
Final point ... it seems to my untrained eye that Derrick Green was anticipating holes and timing his runs better in this game than in past. Yet another sign of incremental improvement.
I thought of the same w/ our freshmen backs. They are getting slightly better with experience. I also was very worried that Glasgow might mess up a snap, but he didn't. OL is coming along.
DeleteI think it's eminently fair to say that Borges spent the first 10 games of this season setting up those screens.
ReplyDeleteWell said.
ReplyDeleteBest overview I have read ...
jdon
Thoughts on the game and the younger players on our team.
ReplyDeleteBen Gedeon -- Wow, where did you come from man? The freak is a good nickname, you are playing like this as a true freshman! Can't wait to see the improvement and a few years of strength and conditioning. I am sure when Jake Ryan leaves Michigan, Ben Gedeon will step up and be the next great Michigan linebacker.
Jake Butt -- Finally we have a tight end again! One that acts like a true tight end, (I love Funchess but he is a WR). I also want to see Jake put on some weight and he is also going to be a lethal weapon in the run/pass game. Very impressive young man for a true freshman, it also gives us depth at TE over the next few years.
Dymonte Thomas -- one simple question from yesterday, where was he? Like Thunder says, anyone has got to be better than Josh Furman! Get our 5 star DB some experience in a big game, let the kid learn by fire. I think you have to throw him out there, especially considering he is a bigger body at the S position for run stuffing. Was really surprised to see Furman ahead of him.
Keeping up with the secondary and the future, it just shows why Peppers is such a much get. He is a shutdown corner but has the type of body you can play at Safety and expect to dominate as well. Our corners of the future are looking pretty good, we get Countess for another year or two, Ramon Taylor is between decent and good. Strib and Lewis should turn out to be good with the potential of being very good. Jarod Wilson put together a good year, and I hope next year he can be very good. Dymonte is a wildcard, but I hope he is ready to start next year beside Wilson. Having that flexibility in where to put Peppers would be absolutely amazing, we need him!
I thought the same about Gedeon. I screamed "go freshman!" once during the game, I think. He kept making plays and that was reassuring of the future. Jake Butt will continue to get good, providing out offense with a good extra dimension. I am excited for the future. The same thoughts about D Thomas. Furman is pretty bad. We need DT out there making plays,
Delete"We need DT out there making plays"
DeleteI think I recall a Mattison press conference where he talked about how defensive line pressure on the QB "starts on the inside" ... his point being that without interior push the edge pressure isn't as effective. Why exactly that's the case I can't say, but if true (I assume it is), then it explains a lot of the defensive problems this year.
I agree, DonAZ, but I believe "DT" in this case refers to Dymonte Thomas.
Delete@DonAZ: just look at our offensive line to see why interior rush is so critical. When pressure come up the middle, the QB is in a real bind; he has to scramble just to survive and its hard to get a play off. Outside pressure, assuming a clean interior, allows the QB to step up in the pocket and keep his eyes downfield. If he decides to run, he's already coming downhill.
DeleteInterior pass rush is devastating to an offense.
ReplyDeleteKyle Kalis -- Better game than I have seen him play, now I was just focusing on the OL in general, and yes they seemed to come apart a bit more in the second half, but they gave DG enough time given his abilities to make at least "something" happen.
Next year it will be interesting to see what we do, I'm assuming the 4 guys who got big playing time this year will start on the O-line this year. I think that means Kalis at RT, Bosch at RG, Kugler at C, Glasgow at LG and Mags at LT. They can play around with this lineup in ways, if Kugler isn't ready keep Glasgow at C and try Braden at RT, move Kalis back to guard. I am not sure in terms of progression how this years linemen are, I'd hope Kugler is ready. I thought Chris Fox would be a competitor here but he came in so out of shape this year and following injury, I am not sure. LTT, Samuelson seem like longer term projects that may never see much PT. If anyone has heard anything about practice reports from these linemen please speak up.
DL -- This is the part of the team most criticized and probably rightly so we don't get much pass rush. Frank Clark is a senior next year so I will focus on the younger players.
Ojemudia will be a junior next year, but I think he has slightly underachieved, I would have thought by now he would have been a starter at DE, he still seems small for the position though. He is more of a rush guy who we use on passing downs, I really would like to see him bulk up more for his JR season.
Pipkins is also very much on the hook, I know he had his ACL injury this year, but he was a 5 star guy -- by the time you are a true JR and SR, its time to play like a 5 star guy. He needs to be causing havoc on the interior as a DT and just run stuffing everything that comes his way. He was missed yesterday, but it will take a lot of discipline from him to come off the injury, keep the bad weight off and be in shape to contribute in a very meaningful way next year.
Taco Charlton -- This kid has impressed me as a true freshman DE, I'd like to see him bulk up a bit over the summer, but I see no reason why the other starting DE spot across from Frank Clark isn't his for the taking next year. By the time he is a JR I expect him to be a star, if his development goes right. Hoke & co found a diamond in the rough, this kid has all the athletic talent in the world lets just make sure he has the mental aspects of the game and is physically strong enough to play the positon.
Willy Henry -- This is another kid that I think has been very impressive the kid is only a redshirt freshman. He is the type of kid that the redshirt year did really help. He is still undersized a bit for DT, but he plays with a good motor and really came on strong and got better as the year went on. I think he can start or at least be in heavy rotation next to Pipkins next year at the DT postion.
Chris Wormley -- I think the ACL injury his freshman year was a huge setback, but he also has been good coming off his redshirt year. He is another guy thats gotten better and better. I think to play DT he needs more bulk, especially when going up against the massive 315+ linemen OSU has this year. If thats the type of player you are expected to run stuff against you better be 300+ yourself. Going forward into the future I hope to see big improvement by him this offseason as well, I think down the road he is a major contributor.
A lot of these guys on the DL we may be 2 years away from seeing them really dominate, I.E by Pipkins senior year, when Taco is a JR and Wormley and Henry are RS JRs. I can see us being really strong on both lines on both sides of the ball.
Good post anon 3:22.
DeleteI remember when Willie Henry committed that some guy named Magnus had a VERY positive preview of him and his future :-)
Phil
Henry is about three bills. I wouldn't call that undersized for the D-line.
Deletehttp://touchthebanner.blogspot.com/2012/01/willie-henry-wolverine.html
DeleteOriginal Willie Henry commit post, pretty spot on. A year or two in the weight room and he has put on 30 lbs, still has the athleticism and hopefully GMatt can teach him the technique, he can be a good one!
Good post. Regarding OL next year, I'd say that Mags and Glasgow are the only sure-fire starters next year. Kalis has some major flaws to work on (agility, use of hands) and Bosch needs to develop some power. With all of the RS-freshmen, at least there should be more competition. On the DL, Henry is definitely a starter next year, guessing at 1-tech and Wormley at 3-tech. Love Taco's potential, but he needs major strength work. He had a knack for getting pancaked by OL in pass-protection, which is unusual. If Taco can't hold up there, Mattison will go with a bulked up Beyer, Godin, or possibly Poggi there. Hoping that Pipkins and Ojemudia can bounce back next year - I heard somewhere the Ojemudia was playing hurt much of the season.
DeleteIf we learned anything this year it's that identifying 'sure-fire' starters on the OL is not easy. None of these guys that have played - Glasgow, Magnuson, Kalis, Bosch, is guaranteed to be a starter next year.
DeleteSadly, I think all 4 are guaranteed starters. At least until they lose the job. The guys pushing them have either never taken snaps or have taken bad ones (Bryant, Miller). There is a reason these guys have gotten PT: coaches see them every day in the weight room, film room, and practice field. Barring a huge leap by someone behind them, Magnuson, Bosch, Glasgow, and Kalis are 4 of your 5 starters next season. The jobs are theirs to lose. Lets hope they don't lose them.
DeleteI agree with pretty much everything you wrote. My only beef is all the talk about expectations going into this game. Yes, everyone expected us to lose big. I predicted 49-13 OSU (optimistic prediction was 35-17). Our team was clearly not as good as Ohio State's.
ReplyDeleteBut I think the perceived quality of our team was the function of self-inflicted wounds all season long. If there is a "true quality" or "potential quality" of a football team, I think our team is actually quite good this year, and most people echoed that during the lead up to the season and up until after Notre Dame. The majority of the Michigan blogosphere thought that we were a very good team after Notre Dame, odds-on favorites to win the Legends Division, and at least a toss-up versus OSU.
Then disaster struck. Opponents adjusted to us after seeing a couple games worth of tape. We didn't adjust back until yesterday. I'm no expert, but I was screaming for a pass-first offense with quick-hitters and screens to set up the run ever since Penn State (I know that you've made this call, too, Magnus). It just seems obvious that when teams are stacking the box and selling out to stop the run that you take advantage of that aggressiveness with misdirection, quick passes, etc. Not a screen pass sprinkled in every once in a while, but a fundamental shift in base offense. It took our staff two months to implement this.
In my opinion, if the changes we saw yesterday were made earlier in the season (like halftime against Penn State), we win against Penn State, Nebraska, and Iowa, and are 10-1 going into The Game. In that case, you would have had a lot of 40-40ish predictions and nobody feeling warm and fuzzy about losing at home to OSU.
I'm proud of our players, to be sure, but the staff did them no favors this year.
I got to agree with you about this. The season is in the books and we'll just have wait for the bowl game and next year, but earlier adjustments might've saved our season.
DeleteBorgie had some terrible games earlier in the season, but he made significant adjustments starting in the NW game (basically dropped the outside stretch/waggle, ran more inside zone/draws, more quick-drop passes). OL pass protection has been better the last three games too. But Gardner was atrocious against NW on the quick throws and the team left a lot of big plays on the field against Iowa. A big difference against OSU was that Gardner got hot and to some extent, OSU played more passively and stupidly on defense. The screens that gashed OSU have been blown up by other teams like Iowa. I am no big fan of Borgie, but give him a hot QB and he will sizzle defenses more often than not.
DeleteBorges should return half of his salary since half of his game plans were utterly useless. I would still like to see him gone but I think he saved his bacon for another year.
ReplyDeletenever #1 osu
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb-T45uu5R4
Hard to get too excited that we found yet another way to lose. Bottom line is that Hoke and company took over a 7-5 team, and three years later they are still 7-5, and looking not one bit better. This despite doing their own coaching on these guys for three years, and bringing in top-rated recruiting classes. No improvement. At all.
ReplyDeleteHoke has used up his slack, and his defenders have used up their excuses. If he doesn't go at least 10-2 next year, with a division championship, he needs to be gone.
We may have the same record as in 2010 but the way we've arrived there is very different. In 2010, we were repeatedly blown out of games, including three straight at the end of the year. It was an open question whether Rodriguez lost his team.
DeleteThis year we're 7-5 but we're pretty unlucky to only have that record, especially in Big Ten play. Four of our losses were by a total of 11 points. You can say that the coaching or execution, or both haven't been optimal, but there is no doubt that this team is still fighting hard for this coaching staff. I don't know if I've ever been prouder of a team in defeat as I was Saturday. We gave a top 5 team everything it could handle.
Well, you could just as well say that we were close to losing three other games this year, and could easily have been 6-6 or 5-7. And sorry, but I just don't see the "fighting hard". We've shown very little toughness on offense or defense. Our o-line has been manhandled in pretty much every game, and our defense went soft at critical moments more times than I can count. I do not ge the impression at all that these guys are afraid to play any less than their best for this staff.
DeleteBottom line, this team has gotten worse every year under Hoke, and they certainly did not improve from the start of this season to the end. Not a sign of the kind of progress we need, that's for sure. Other coaches have done a much better job turning programs around in no more time than Hoke has had. Look at what Harbaugh did at Stanford if you want just one example.
Not one bit better? The only team we got blown out was Michigan State. 2010 was a disaster. I think we lost to OSU that year by the score of 37-7 I believe.
DeleteOur defense may have been worse in 2010, but our offense was an equal disaster this year. The worst O-line play anyone has ever seen at Michigan, and more negative yardage plays than any other offense in the country. And we had an easier schedule and better talent than in 2012, and still got worse.
DeleteSeriously, if you had been interviewing Brady Hoke three years ago, and he had said "If you hire me, this team will still be 7-5 in three years, but we'll be losing by less. And we'll still be getting our asses kicked by State and Ohio, and I won't have us anywhere close to winning a Big Ten Championship", would you have said "Sounds great…you're hired!"? Really?
I share your frustration with the O-line development. Rich Rod really screwed us with recruiting (we are forced to throw in so many freshmen and many upperclassmen are duds such as Jeremy Jackson, Josh Furman, Avery, etc.) But the overall record speaks for itself. I think Hoke really needs to show up in the bowl game, and 2014 season should be the year he delivers the goods.
DeleteWell, the bowl game is neither here nor there as far as Hoke goes, but it'd still be nice to end the season on a good note. But yes, next year, if we're not at least 10-2 with a division title, he should be gone. He's outrecruited State and Nebraska for four straight years, so he has no excuse for not doing better than both of them on the field.
DeleteObviously, I don't think it's good that we're 7-5. But 7-5 with a lot of near-misses is different than 7-5 with lots of blowout losses. And I think this represents the nadir for Hoke, because we'll probably never again have so few upperclassmen on the team.
DeleteSo did it really take a high school kid to start rumors in order for some of these freshman to see the field. DeVeon Smith and Green should of been getting carries all year. PERIOD. It would not surprise me if Smith doesn't even see a carry in the bowl game and we will read how he might even start....and what about a quarterback coach next year? I don't see how a kid could think he has a shot of getting to the NFL with Borges and no quarterback coach. One game does not make up for this terrible season and what we have seen from these coaches.
ReplyDeleteYou can't assume that Smith and Green were in the same shape, and knew as much of the playbook, in September as they are now. Many freshmen aren't ready to play right off the bat. And the idea that the clueless high school dude is the reason they are now playing is a major stretch.
DeleteWhy are we assuming that nothing changes between the first practice and the last. Very few freshmen are ready to contribute right away. Derrick Green, for instance, was too fat. If nothing else, the coaches used it as a motivational tool: get in shape and you'll get your carries. You earn your time at Michigan. They earned it throughout the year.
DeleteBorges does not deserve another year. His stubborn refusal to adjust until after the season was effectively lost should be enough to make Brandon and Hoke realize that he has the team do what he wants to do instead of what the players are capable of executing. The play calling this game was much, much better than the previous half dozen, but it was obvious from the outset - when we had problems against Akron and UConn - that he needed to plan around the OL problems. Instead, he planned in a manner that exacerbated the OL problems until yesterday. Enough is enough. The players should not be subjected to his vagaries (or stubbornness) for another year.
ReplyDeleteThe stubbornness meme is lazy and tired. You (or me) don't know the first thing about Al Borges's psychological consistency. Its nonsense to just assume he's stubborn.
DeleteHis gameplans have been helter-skelter. I believe this to be due to a team with no real strengths. We can't run at all. Our line can't protect well enough to base our offense on Gardner's strength, which is the deep ball. So, since we can't impose our will on the defense, Borges has tried to exploit the defenses weakness. Where you see a hard-headed stubbornness (he won't listen to me!), I see a coach trying many things (too many, which makes for an offense without cohesion) and the opposite of stubbornness, a lack of conviction.
You know who is stubborn? Urban Meyer. His game plan is almost identical every week. Rich Rodriguez. Same thing on gameplans, throwing 2008 to the dogs in an effort to get his guys ready for future success. Bo Schembechler. And on and on. Stubbornness isn't a bad thing, provided you have a team capable of executing the things you wont waver from. We could have used some stubbornness this season, rather than trying a new game plan every week with a young team that doesn't even have a go to play, nevermind a few base plays to build upon with new wrinkles.