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| Jehu Chesson, Devin Gardner, and Devin Funchess combined for a great day on Saturday. |
Let's see less of this guy on offense . . . Joey Burzynski. Burzynski's start was like a gold star for his efforts over the last several seasons, including fall camp. He tore his ACL last year, and he was filling in for the partly injured Kyle Kalis on Saturday. Kalis took over for Burzynski shortly after the game began, and the fifth year walk-on is less likely to play when Graham Glasgow returns next Saturday. Thanks for your efforts, Joey, but Michigan needs bigger and better linemen in there if they want to compete with the big boys.
Let's see more of this guy on defense . . . Desmond Morgan. There have been hints that Morgan will be relegated to the bench in favor of Joe Bolden, but I still see Morgan as the superior player. He did a good job on Saturday and needs to see a majority of the snaps at either MIKE or WILL linebacker.
Let's see less of this guy on defense . . . nobody. Michigan didn't get any takeaways, but they put pressure on the quarterback and generally tackled well. Late in the game, Appalachian State bled the clock by running up the middle over and over again, but that mercifully allowed the game to end quicker. If they insisted on passing, Michigan would have hurt the quarterback(s), picked off some passes, and scored more points.
Play of the game . . . Ben Gedeon's return of a blocked punt for a touchdown. There were so many big plays from Devin Funchess, Devin Gardner, Derrick Green, and De'Veon Smith, but those blocked punt returns are always exciting to watch. Linebacker Mike McCray tipped the punt, and Gedeon fielded it in mid-air. As soon as I saw #42 fielding the punt, I said to myself, "This is gonna be a touchdown." Gedeon was an excellent high school running back and could probably play that position in college for some teams. He did a nice job of weaving, tiptoeing down the sideline, and diving to stretch the ball across the front edge of the goal line for a 32-yard touchdown return.
Player of the game . . . Devin Gardner. Gardner was 13/14 for 173 yards and 3 touchdowns, plus he rushed 5 times for 9 yards. Best of all, he made good decisions, put appropriate helpings of mustard on his passes, and put the balls where only his receiver could catch them. His one misfire was a crossing route where the receiver was wide open, but it's tough to argue with those numbers.
I was impressed with McCray getting to that punt. McCray showed himself to be a real nice combination of size, strength and speed getting there..
ReplyDeleteI thought a lot of interesting stuff happened on Green's third quarter run, including a very nice little move in the hole that completely froze a kid, a Heitzman hold that didn't get called, some excellent vision and a second little move from Green to help set up a lane.
And then best of all, Miller got his hands on a linebacker and was still driving the kid 15 yards up field. Dare I say it? Molkesque.
Miller was ok but he seems a bit slow and undersized. I wonder if he stays in the starting line-up next Saturday?
DeleteMiller's quickness does not bother me. His inability to get a push does. However, I look for a push from the OG and OT, but if the center can hold his ground/wall off a defender, I think that's usually good enough.
DeleteThoughts on how Jake Ryan looked at MLB?
ReplyDeleteNot great, not bad. He needs to do better against ND.
DeleteI think he looks uncomfortable. He might be better off at MLB against more traditional offenses, where he can stay in the box, blitz, and make plays. Going against a spread team that's trying to formation him outside of the box is tough, because it puts him in a place he's comfortable (on the edge) but with different responsibilities. I think he'll adjust, but it obviously hasn't been the smoothest of transitions.
DeleteParkinggod has highlights up at Youtube, not to steal Thunder's ... uhmmm ... thunder.
ReplyDeleteI'm LOL because the last play of the vid is Drake Johnson's nice little fourth quarter run where he makes two pretty nifty little bends to evade a tackler in the hole. I say bends and not cuts or jukes or any other word you want to use because they were absolutely bends. Then I remember Thunder's complaint about Johnson in his recruiting post.
Damn Thunder, you really do know how to evaluate an RB.
Then finally, and I promise to quit. I missed chunks of this game because I was doing kid stuff.
ReplyDeleteDymonte gets credit for 5 solo tackles in the box score, I can't remember one. Where/when did he get them.
They mostly came at the end of the game. He chased down some guys near the sideline. Nothing particularly impressive.
DeleteTo all the Devin neighsayers, I said he would be a really good QB if the line could simply protect
ReplyDeleteI think there are many who have been saying the same thing all along.
DeleteI've said in many posts -- here and elsewhere -- that Gardner needs a little time (not a lot, just a little time) so he can understand what's going on and make the right decisions. Two things happened on Saturday: (1) he got a little more time from his line, and (2) he understands the QB role a little better now with a half-year of Nussmeier coaching.
Gardner has always been a superior athlete ... what he needed was a better understanding of when to use that athleticism and when to keep it leashed and be a QB. Braxton Miller at OSU showed the same progression ... last year Miller looked great in the pocket, and his passing had nice touch to it. Gardner is on the same path now.
One of my pet-peeves last year was putting Gardner under center rather than from the shotgun ... he seemed to react to the defense better out of the gun. I need to go back and watch the "every snap" videos to see how many were from the gun vs. under center. If more from the gun, then I'll be even more pleased with Nussmeier.
I would not want to be Al Borges right now. Wondering what might have been would kill me.
I believe ND will try to rattle him giving him 'happy feet' and that is where he starts his mistakes.
DeleteI went and watched the "every snap" video -- Gardner was in the shotgun 23 times vs. 19 times under center (54% to 46%). Morris was evenly split, 7 and 7.
DeleteMaybe it's just wishful thinking on my part, but Gardner looks more comfortable under center on play action. I'm not sure what change is in effect -- maybe he's learned to better keep his eye on the defense as he drops back? Or maybe he understands the plays better and knows what to expect now?
As for ND trying to rattle him ... that must be the strategy for any defense when they go up against an athletic QB. I suspect Nussmeier knows this and is formulating coaching points just in case ND is able to get better pressure than App State did.
I'm coming to the conclusion that everybody is better working out of the shotgun, assuming you have a center that can snap accurately. The advantages to my way of thinking are incredibly obvious, starting with you don't have to turn your back or backpedal to a spot. The defense is right there in your view for your purview.
DeleteThe day I figured out spread to run, I thought to myself, outside of inside the 5, why go under center al all, and I'm not sure I'd ever do it.
I don't think the issue with Gardiner is "happy feet" so much as his eyes come down and he stops seeing the field or anything at all for that matter. I hate that goofy shot-put thing off his front foot so much I can't even begin to tell you, but ..... he's pretty accurate with it.
The other thing that just made me laugh like crazy was whoever was doing color commentary with whoever the girl was doing play by play, announced on one of Gardiner's shot-put throws that Nussmeier was responsible for those improved "mechanics". What a Marroon!!! Whoever it was that was annoyed by Brandy should spend some time with those two goofs.
I lied, I know.
"I thought to myself, outside of inside the 5, why go under center al all, and I'm not sure I'd ever do it."
DeleteI agree ... I'm not sure I see the point of it, but better football minds than mind may have an answer. One I'd heard is the 5- or 7-step drop allows receivers time to complete their routes. But I'm not sure I see what value having a QB take those steps as opposed to taking the snap from the shot gun and just standing back there waiting for the routes to develop ... unless there's something about a QB's eyes giving away the route choice or something.
Some of Gardner's play action from under center looking more crisp this year than last. It's as if he's no longer surprised by what he sees when he come out of his drop.
Whatever the cause ... good for him; good for us. Keep it up.
i also prefer majority shotgun systems but then again i love duel threats and think its almost criminal to play QBs with limited running ability in modern college football (the pros still little different). why bring in guys like speight with questionable arm talent and limited mobility when alternatives can really make defenses pay with their feet and grab 20 free yards on any given snap? it just adds a whole new dimension and all DCs will tell you its tougher to game plan for.
Deleteas for shotgun vs under center - 5 and 7 step drops typically allow for better traditional timing of routes bw QBs and WRs. its good to use both. but i prefer shotgun based O just as i prefer duel threats
Week one in the books and I hope this team looks like this every week. It is way too early to fully tell, but if Gardner stays the course like this I may have been dead wrong. He looked sharp on Saturday and made good choices with the ball. Once again his athletic ability clearly shined at times. This was a fun game to watch, even if I did have to find a live stream while camping.
ReplyDeleteThunder/Magnus, what is your opinion on how Ryan Glasgow played?
ReplyDeleteI haven't reviewed the defensive Every Snap video (if there even is one yet), but my initial reaction is that he did not do well. I've never been a fan of his abilities, and I'm frustrated that we're starting him. However, there aren't a ton of great options with Pipkins coming off knee surgery and Mone being a freshman.
DeleteAnd with the other Glasgow coming back next week, what should the offensive line look like? Sans Joey for sure(He probably works harder than anyone though).
ReplyDeleteI have very little confidence that this WILL happen, but I think Cole should be bumped from the starting lineup, Magnuson should bump out to LT, and G. Glasgow should be the LG. That gives you a solid LG/LT combination with Miller, Kalis, and Braden as the other starters, and then Cole is the first tackle off the bench. It's not that Cole is bad, but counting on a true freshman to be a full-time starter is dangerous, especially when he's just not very strong or big yet.
DeleteI'd like to see less of Glasgow on the d-line. He seems to get turned easily and is stood up often, at least in the plays that I noticed. We need a bigger body who does a better job of filling space and controlling the point of contact.
ReplyDeleteGlasgow is plenty big enough (6'4", 296) but he just isn't athletic enough to cut it at this level. I actually thought Mone was the most impressive of the NT's, with Pipkins 2nd, Glasgow 3rd, and Hurst 4th. Hurst got pancaked at least 3 times that I saw. I was very impressed with Mone. He was extremely disruptive on almost every snap I saw.
DeleteWho was in late when the D looked like Swiss Cheese??
ReplyDeletePoggi, a random tackle, a mix of linebackers that looked like they hadn't played together before, AJ Pearson, etc.
DeleteWe were also playing boringball, so it's not like the defense was put in a position to make serious stops.
Mike McCray, Ben Gedeon, I think Matt Godin, A.J. Pearson... They were all young and/or inexperienced guys.
DeleteAlthough it was obvious it was going to happen, I wasn't happy to see any of Mason Cole. Playing as a true frosh means that in a few years (with him graduating a year "early," as almost all OL redshirt), we'll have at best one rSR (JBB) and two rJRs (Newsome, Runyan) and then hopefully a bunch of 4 star redshirt sophs. Sound familiar? Of course, one or two of those future upperclassmen might wash out in the meantime.
ReplyDeleteNot incredibly worried about that right now. Hoke needs to win today, not 4 years from now.
DeleteMichigan has been recruiting the crap out of the offensive line. If they continue to do so, I'm not worried. They have been retaining their players, so while washouts are a possibility, that's just something you have to live with. If Michigan has a redshirt senior, two redshirt juniors, and two redshirt sophomores starting on the offensive line in 2018, that's not bad. I think you may have an inaccurate view of the makeup of offensive lines. Nobody's trotting out a line made up of entirely fifth-year seniors. When Michigan went 11-2 in 2011, they had redshirt sophomore Taylor Lewan, redshirt sophomore Michael Schofield, redshirt senior David Molk, redshirt senior Patrick Omameh, and redshirt senior Mark Huyge. So 3 seniors and 2 sophomores...which isn't far off from 1 senior, 2 juniors, and 2 sophomores.
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