Sunday, October 5, 2014

Rutgers 26, Michigan 24

Devin Gardner (image via Zimbio)
The referees were kind of terrible. The best (or worst) example of this was late in the fourth quarter. Michigan finally used a half-roll - which I've been calling for all year - to get quarterback Devin Gardner away from pressure, and he hit Amara Darboh near the sideline. Darboh took two steps  with the ball in his possession, turned forward to stretch the ball across the first down marker, dove, lost control of the ball just before he hit the ground, and the pass was called incomplete. A review didn't come from the booth, so Michigan finally called a timeout. It was challenged, they went back to look at it, and the officials didn't even say the play "stands" - they said the call was "confirmed." Add to that a clear pass interference call they missed on a key third down when Jehu Chesson was hip-checked to the ground, plus a non-call against Jake Ryan, and a couple other iffy calls, and the refs were just bad. They were bad both ways, but at the most critical time, on a reviewable play, they botched the call terribly.

Jeremy Clark is not an answer. I've been wanting to say this for a few weeks, but for whatever reason, I've held off. Clark's lack of field awareness has hurt Michigan numerous times this season, and this time he cost Michigan an 80-yard touchdown pass. I don't really understand why the coaching staff makes him the deep safety because he's not a guy who makes plays in space. I will grant that he has decent speed, but it doesn't matter much if he's often out of position. The more experienced player, Jarrod Wilson, should be back there. The plays Clark has made this year have been tackling in the run game and pass coverage in the flats. He has not made a single impressive play from the deep safety position. He takes poor angles, gets caught flat-footed, doesn't properly recognize route combinations, etc. It's extremely frustrating that the coaches appear not to have a better answer yet.

The presence of Devin Gardner infuriates me. Granted, he makes at least one bonehead play a week, but he should have been the starter last week against Minnesota in a winnable game. This week's bad decision was a ball he lofted into the middle of the field with nobody but a Rutgers safety anywhere near the ball, except perhaps Devin Funchess, who was running up the left sideline. Otherwise, Gardner was 13/22 overall for 178 yards. His feet were a huge part of keeping drives alive and scoring touchdowns. The national leaders in sacks got him 3 times for -18 yards, but he ran 7 other times for 58 yards, including 2 touchdowns. He has enough arm strength to make all the throws in college, and he has some chemistry with a few Michigan receivers - Devin Funchess, Jake Butt, Amara Darboh, even Dennis Norfleet. Shane Morris, meanwhile, has yet to throw a touchdown pass and has shown no discernible chemistry with even a single receiver. I'm not saying that Michigan would have beaten the Gophers, but he would have given them a chance.

Don't let other "analysts" fool you about Gardner's abilities from under center. I have read numerous times that Gardner should not be taking snaps from under center, that Michigan's waggle is a disaster waiting to happen, that playing from under center takes away his running ability, etc. All of that is bull. First of all, this is Doug Nussmeier's offense. Just like Rich Rodriguez could not be expected to run a pro-style offense, we shouldn't expect Nussmeier to run a shotgun-only offense with all kinds of power reads, inside zone reads, midline reads, etc. Second, Gardner on a waggle or bootleg generally puts him in space with a player who is physically overmatched. I don't see how people watch things like Gardner's two touchdown runs in this game, and then walk away concluding that Gardner can't use his legs in this offense. People who say stuff like that are enamored with shotgun spread offenses, and in my opinion, their comments are being colored by an agenda rather than football knowledge.

Stop holding. I mean, come on, guys. Is this so difficult? Michigan took two holding penalties - by Mason Cole and Kyle Kalis - that put them behind the sticks. Why did they have to hold? They stopped moving their feet. If they keep moving their feet and working their hips around to the playside, then they wouldn't have to grab jersey. The holding call on Kalis was especially egregious on his part. I would think the son of an NFL lineman would know better by now. I don't know if it's coaching, stupidity, laziness, or a combination of all those things. There aren't many teams who can overcome 1st-and-20 or 2nd-and-20.

Has Michigan found a running game? It seemed like things started clicking in the fourth quarter, or maybe it was just Rutgers getting worn down. Either way, the Wolverines started having some consistent success in the running game, especially over the left side. Last week Derrick Green had a poor game, while De'Veon Smith had one good drive. This week it was Green's turn. He carried 12 times for 74 yards (6.2 yards/carry), and while he left some yards on the field by getting ankle-tackled, it was a solid night for him overall. Michigan actually out-rushed Rutgers by a wide margin (158 to 74).

Play action passing game improvements. Michigan had some success with inside zone runs out of the shotgun, and that helped set up some play action. It seems like Michigan has honed its backfield action to include a more believable mesh between quarterback and running back. I think that paid some dividends tonight, and it should going forward as well. That's a small detail, but I think it indicates some growth in the offense. Rutgers doesn't have a great defense, but Michigan looked better than they did against Notre Dame, Utah, or Minnesota. I still have faith in offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier that he can improve this offense. Unfortunately, it appears he may not get a chance to see it all the way through with Brady Hoke likely getting fired by/at the end of the season.

Why was Rutgers able to pass the ball so well? Most importantly to answer this question, Michigan does not have a consistent pass rush. A few times on the evening, they quickly got in the backfield - a Frank Clark rush from middle linebacker, a Willie Henry dismantling of the offensive line, a TE stunt by Taco Charlton, etc. The problem is that when Michigan didn't slice cleanly through the offensive line, they couldn't disengage quickly enough to put pressure on Rutgers quarterback Gary Nova. It's all or nothing. Meanwhile, Jeremy Clark is unfit to play his position, Delano Hill has been injured most of the season, and Jabrill Peppers has mostly been sidelined for one reason or another. Michigan is missing two of its five starters in the defensive backfield (Peppers, Hill), a third starter is very weak (Clark), and a lack of a pass rush hurts. You also have to tip your hat to Nova and company, who made some nice plays on the evening.

Can Michigan beat anyone left on the schedule? Yes. Penn State, Northwestern, and Maryland are all possibilities. I think Michigan State, Ohio State, and Indiana are all looking very unlikely. It's obviously a steep uphill climb to reach bowl eligibility at 2-4.

36 comments:

  1. I'm not disappointed. This was the outcome I expexted. This is the outcome is expect every week. They are very consistent.

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    1. Truthfully I was surprised it was that close. Nuss showed me he can adapt a bit, but the D continues to be unimpressive.

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  2. Dude, no need to be coy. If you want to call out Brian Cook, just say him by name. It's obvious to whom you're referring.

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    1. I like Cook and hope he makes it in his quest to become a U-M Regent. We need more like him and less of the establishment types.

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    2. I've been somewhat vocal about not running Gardner under center.

      My football knowledge is nowhere near Thunder's. But I have no agenda ... my reasoning was based simply on what I saw. Gardner is certainly *capable* of running under center. But I maintain it is not his most comfortable way to take the snap. In particular I maintain that Gardner is decidedly UNcomfortable standing still in the pocket. That's particularly true with the offensive line we have.

      If Gardner is Michigan's QB for the remainder of this year -- and he is, despite it yielding no more than a win or two beyond any other QB -- my belief is we tailor the game calling to be more suited for Gardner and his strengths. His strengths are more being mobile and reacting to things while mobile.

      His weakness is standing still in the pocket. I am skeptical of any argument that claims he is good at that. He may be better than Morris at it, but that doesn't make him *good* at it.

      So more of what we saw in last night's game -- Gardner running around trying to make yards and score points. It may mean a season of 4-8 rather than 2-10.

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    3. I'll do it! Brian Cook and mgoblog are full of pansies that have nothing better to do than bitch about the state of the program and further tarnish its good name by creating a mob mentality. I think its obvious where the program is, let's face it! So instead of constantly shitting on our team and coaches, why don't we try to notice improvements week to week and hope for the best in the future. Enough of this, this is rock bottom bitching, it'll never be the bottom until fans are will to build the positivity back up.

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    4. @Anonymous Coward 12:52

      Yes, let's just continue business as usual, pretend like there's no problems, and just keep clapping and yelling "Let's Go!" That's a fantastic way to generate positive change.

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    5. Coward? I don't think so! If you want to sit around and complain about every little problem, and never look at the positive things, do so! You're going to miss all the cool things in life and die angry. Am I dissapointed by the way things are going? Of course! But I also have enough sense and reason to realize where this program is, and can see when things are improving or not. Bottom line is, I'll always cheer for the team to succeed, and therefore will cheer for the coach to succeed. I've never seen a coach credited to a loss and not the team. That L or W shows up for both. You sir, are taking the cowards way out, it's easy to give up! I'm sure whenever the team is back on its feet you'll be there cheering right along! That is until the next mob comes calling for a coaches or admins head.

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    6. Yeah because what the fans are doing now, help the program so much! Lay off the tree, you and your buddies ust be floating around in space.

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  3. 1. That last call was infuriating. They really gave the game away to Rutgers.
    2. You are absolutely right about Gardner. He just can't do it under center.
    3. I don't think M can go bowling this year. We don't really have a chance.
    4. Hoke and his staff will have to go. A more qualified head coach will have to hire better assistant coaches, especially for the O-line and DBs. I just can't stand people I know from other schools (Minnesota last week, Rutgers this week) laugh and taught Michigan. Can't take it anymore.

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    1. Singing to the choir here Suduri

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  4. Ok this has become more and more frustrating that the writer refuses to call out Mattision! I have been railing on Mattison for a couple years now. He is overrated and past his prime. His D, with mostly very highly rated recruits and now mostly veterans, has let the team down consistently for the last couple of years. I will be happy when he and the entire staff is gone, the sooner the better.
    As for our final record, I have said for a 3 to 4 weeks now there is no way this team will be bowl eligible. I should start gambling I am so accurate with my predictions!

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    1. Yesterday was not a great game, but I don't know that scheme is the problem. The defense was #9 overall going into yesterday, I believe. It wouldn't be an issue if the offense didn't stall so easily.

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    2. Mattison doesn't have many veterans. And the back end is depleted with injuries. Any time that you see hollowell in the game, you know we are in trouble. He did have 1 nice play though. People want to blame the defense but it's on the field the entire game. And it's trying to defend a short field because the O goes nowhere. If we had a better offense, the defense would be just fine. Not perfect. But good enough to win some games

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    3. I understand, but Mattison's defense isn't as good as, let's say, MSU or Alabama's defense. This is his 4th year. I know we have some youth issues and all, but his defense just isn't that great. It bends just too easily. Not enough rush up front, and DBs get burned too often.

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  5. I don't think anyone can sit here and tell me that this program is better off with Brady Hoke, than Les Miles, but let me stand corrected and see what you all have to say.

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    1. Les Miles and LSU were blown out yesterday. The last thing we need is to bring him and Cam Cameron here. It made perfect sense in 2007, but not anymore. Jim Harbaugh is the only option if we want to beat Meyer and be an elite program.

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    2. Either of the Harbaughs and Dan Mullen would make sense and be better options than Miles. Mullen has to be in the conversation. He beat LSU and TAMU back to back with a lot less talent. His system works.

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  6. The refs screwed Michigan out of about 30 seconds on the final drive. The clock was at 1:49 when Rutgers ran a play and was called for a false start at 1:43. The refs than let the clock run before Rutgers snapped 20 seconds later. Michigan called a timeout at 1:19. The refs should have reset the clock back to 1:49. It cost Michigan 30 seconds and a chance of getting the ball back in a 2 point game.

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  7. I hope like hell Dave Brandon or the powers-to-be are holding onto a short list RIGHT $!@#ING NOW. Dan Mullen has to be in the conversation. I know he did that dumb "you are a baller" thing, but he just beat LSU and TAMU with a lot less talent. I am pretty sure he can take Michigan to the next level.

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  8. yeah i only watched that 80 yard TD live and then whatever replay they showed at the bar but it certainly looked like michigan was in cover 3 where countess carried the WR to the middle third only to find no safety help. i thought we all kind of shocked at beginning of year when hoke kept repeating that their safeties were once again interchangeable this season despite only 1 S with any meaningful experience - and it looks like theyve taken that a step further by using clark mostly at FS or single high. youre right, it just makes no sense.
    obviously they have no pass rush and its been an issue for several years. clark and beyer and ojemudia and those dudes are not natural pass rushers, not at all. taco charlton is teams best pass rusher at DE even in his limited role - ive said it all along he needs more snaps. other than him and the occasional willie henry pressure, this D has no ability to rush passer (we know jake ryan can but hes no longer edge player). its just bad technique, not enough athletic players and poor rotations by the coaches - beyer should never play another snap in third and long situations, its so unreasonable, he only gets pressure if unblocked, if has 5-6 seconds to work back to QB or he if stunting and even then its rare.
    and re gardner under center - its more comfort thing. his fundamentals / mechanics are so poor that he feels most comfortable and sets more naturally off play action from under center rather than on quick gun drops. but it does not really matter since he still cannot adequately read defenses or run his progressions. i agree he looks great in waggles, sprint outs and half rolls - its get him moving and allows him to focus on just 1 side of the field, he can tuck it and run with some forward momentum or he can make simple reads on combos to 1 side of field. its pretty obvious though that gardner cannot be that pro-style scan-the-entire-field type QB who recognizes and efficiently takes whatever the D gives on given drops like that. doesnt mean hes bad player or must run spread type system, i think hes michigans most athletically gifted player on O and hes unfortunately been stuck with almost nothing around him his career other than gallon (and healthy motivated funchess). he can make plays under center, they just really need to mix it up.
    but bottom line remains its impossible to run mostly pro style O without great complimentary parts - the OL is weak, the RBs are not great nor are they home run hitters, and they do not have many threats at WR or TE to out run defenders. teams run spread and gun principles for variety of reasons as many those schemes stress Ds in ways under center pro style Os cannot as well as allowing QBs to find comfotable rhythms with quick PA fakes and different footwork from gun sets. obviously this michigan team will not do so and thats hokes call - but they need to move gardner and roll him and sprint him out if they take out the successful zone read and gun sets that were successful in big games last year - just move gardner and flood areas of field with multiple reads so gardner is not trying to sit in pocket and run his progressions across the entire length and width of field bc thats something he cannot do especially not with this OL and supporting cast

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  9. Having watched AZ vs OR, MISS ST vs A&M , and OLE MISS vs Bama.. This game had a JV feel to it...
    The post game press CONF was a sad song, even the reporters felt bad for Hoke...
    Hoke seems like a great guy and would like to send my boyz to his summer camp, but sometimes your just not the right guy...

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  10. On offensive scheme. Rich Rod DID run pro-style as a pretty regular change of pace and seemed to want to do it more. The 2010 Iowa game seemed to be 1/3 I-form. http://mgoblog.com/content/upon-further-review-2010-offense-vs-iowa

    And Nussmeir has run a lot of shotgun too.

    Nussmeir's not going to be Malzhan but I think it's fair to say Gardner isn't being deployed optimally. The fact they started Morris over Gardner is telling, IMO.

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  11. I attended the game, and I had RUTGERS fans...like, straight up Jersey Shore rejects...apologizing for the Chesson hit and the review at the end.

    Clark busted so hard several times, and it was so obvious that we could pick out what went wrong from the corner of the endzone. If we could cover for half a second longer, we'd be sacking fools.

    The problem on offense is consistency. It's like my golf game. No one cares if you can hit good shots here and there. It only counts if you can string good shots together.

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  12. @ Thunder

    I think you're slightly missing the point of (some) of those calling for a move to spread offense. Clearly Nuss is not a spread guy - that's fine. I agree that asking Nuss to run a shotgun spread similar to that of Arizona/Miss St/Oregon is foolish.

    However, you often make the point that any offense can be successful if executed correctly - I don't disagree. Although, isn't college football to the point where a spread offense that infuses some high temp is almost unarguably a superior offense to that of a pro style? Even Alabama, the strongest point of evidence for a pro style being equally effective, is increasingly adopting the spread.

    I'll be honest - I'll be extremely disappointed if Michigan's next coach does not utilize a spread offense. Sure, a pro style offense can be successful is executed correctly. I think the evidence is overwhelming though, that a high-temp spread offense leaves a far higher margin for error and is by all measures a "superior" offensive system.

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    1. The vast majority of high school and college programs are adopting some or all of these concepts, which should tell you all you need to know. The game evolves.

      As a program we should be aggressively seeking out the NEXT elements of evolution, seeking out that ege, but we seem to want to look backward instead. It's frustrating. A lot of people think time should stop with what they saw when they were 15-25 years old. Human nature, to a degree, but it's sad to see our program lack any identify other than being one of those backward looking change-haters. Leadership there comes from the AD - he is one of those guys. I'm sure he sees himself very differently.

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    2. Couldn't agree more. That philosophy more than anything seems to be what is holding the program back. I can only hope that we have learned from the RR/Hoke years and are now able to embrace some of the less "traditional" moves that a coach like Mullen might make. (Would be ecstatic to land Mullen by the way - clear #2 for me behind the Harbaughs)

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    3. Absolutely. The game is evolving, and I wish our next coach will utilize some spread concepts in his offense. The manball stuff is the thing of the past, and you can't manball unless you basically overwhelm the opponent. Using bits of spread also allows your defense to be ready for them.

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  13. Start the Les Miles chant at the Penn State game!

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    1. It seems that the fan base is split on Les Miles. I'd say at this point, more don't want him than do. Les is 61, and his whole off-the-field-controversy with Coach Carr appear to be his two biggest negative qualities that Michigan fans exploit.

      I personally would be very happy with a Miles hire. I do not agree that Miles is running out of gas; LSU lost two games to two great football teams, and beat a good Wisconsin team. The blowout to Auburn was unacceptable, but I think you have to look at the fact that LSU had a true freshman QB breaking in, and sometimes a QB can be everything. I do fully expect LSU to get better as the season goes on, but I think Les is greatly under-appreciated within the LSU fan base, when the man has double digit wins in 7 of his 9 seasons, and has never not went to a bowl game.

      Les is a great football coach, and still has ten more years in him, and before you call me crazy look at Bill Snyder. Les is also not stubborn, and can change with the times. Not only that, he has a great coaching staff, especially Cam Cameron at OC and John Chavis at DC, Les gets all of the help he needs as a head coach.


      Lastly, I'd like to say that the talent is at Michigan. Next year they will have a really experienced OL, the DL keeps on getting better, Derrick Green and De'Veon Smith are showing flashes of brilliance, not to mention Ty Isaac will have his eligibility next year, the secondary will be plenty experienced, and if Funchess stays, there'll be a veteran receiving corps in Darboh, Chesson, Funchess, Norfleet, and Butt. Les and his staff would feed off of a talented Michigan team, and with the proper work ethic, this team could make a playoff appearance next year.


      Go Blue!

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    2. I'd prefer Dan Mullen over Miles any day. Mullen would probably cost less too. Miles really is a bit wacky for Michigan and its culture.

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  14. Les miles probably has more talent than anyone except Alabama. I think I could coach them to a winning record. Plus he is crazy as a loon. A lot of his players end up in jail. I just don't think he is the answer. I really can't believe that there are fans on here who talk about dick rod. He won 15 games in three years. His last two games at Michigan he got his ass handed to him. It was horrible. He has led his team to a couple of upsets over the last 2 years but he has also lost a bunch of games that he should have won.

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    1. Wow, you actually had a point going, until you called Rich Rodriguez "dick rod", and starting speaking unprofessionally. Rich Rodriguez was a better coach at Michigan than Brady Hoke in my opinion. Rodriguez improved his record each year, and should he had a fourth year, he would have been set up to have an identical record to Hoke's first year. The difference is, Rodriguez's team wouldn't have went 8-4, then 7-5, then whatever record we're going to get this year. Hoke won a BCS game against a team that probably didn't deserve a BCS appearance, then played decently in his next year, and was competitive against an SEC team. However, in his next two years with more of his guys they have considerably gotten worse. Hoke as a coach, is simply not a "Power 5" coach, yet Rich Rodriguez has proven he surely is.

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  15. We can agree to disagree. I'm from WV so I know all about RR. I think his wins would have went down. He didn't recruit offensive lineman and that's the main reason Hoke is having a hard time right now. Other teams have 5th yearsenior lineman and ours are 3rd year sophomores . I agree hokes bcs bowl was against a team that didn't deserve to be there, but he did get them there. RR couldn't do that. He got smacked by a very average miss st team. It wasn't even competitive. RR is also known to pad his schedule with cupcakes to make his w-l record look better.

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    1. BULL.

      Rich Rod didn't recruit linemen for Hoke because he did such a good job recruiting linemen for himself. His 'hit' rate was very high and in 3 years he sent 3 guys to the NFL and that's not including Molk. Unlike Hoke, he could make a functional starter out of RS Freshman. If Rodriguez was good at anything at Michigan it was getting and developing OL talent. Hoke's OL woes are on Hoke, and no one else.

      Rodriguez had a lot less OL talent to start with than Hoke did. You know what he did - he ran with the guys he had. He didn't have a bunch of 5th year senior NFL talent like Hoke did last year. He had to take a large OL class (6 guys) and turn them into players.

      RR set up Hoke to succeed. Thanks to Mattison and good dose of luck in 2011 they had a great year. We've had 3 other seasons to see that was fool's gold and the offense has gotten worse every single year since 2010.

      The "blame rich rod" argument continues to crumble but even with overwhelming evidence (see: Arizona, who plays in a superior conference, see WVU, which played in a conference equivalent to the current big 10) the same old bull gets tossed out there. They guy has been successful literally everywhere he has gone and at Michigan he got better each year. For any objective fan the conclusion is obvious. Rodriguez is one of the better coaches in the country. Michigan was impatient.

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