2014 michigan state

Previously in this series covering the 2010s: Favorite Blocks, QB-RB-WR, TE-FB-OL, Defensive Line, Linebacker, Secondary, Worst Calls.

We were in the midst of assembling our list of best and worst plays from the last decade of Michigan football when someone suggested that a particular incident wasn't really bad or good, but was spectacularly dumb. Someone suggested a list of smartest and dumbest plays of the decade.

It will not shock the reader that assembling the list of the most stupefying things was far easier than best, worst, or smartest. Our top ten has 11 plays in it because we remembered something halfway through. It was that kind of decade. A stupid, stupid, stupid decade.

11. Any Play Against A Service Academy, Let's Pick This One

2019 ARMY

This was an RPS -2 play that set up a touchdown for Army but it's the vibe, man. The vibe.

Michigan did this three times! They signed up to play a bunch of maniacal option fanatics three times over the past decade so they could do a bunch of military frippery pre-game. I hope those dudes parachuting into the stadium was worth three hours of bowel-clenching terror, because that's what every one of these games was.

Last year's Army game noses ahead of the two Air Force outings because it was significantly more terrifying, a game that went to overtime even with the aid of Don Brown's "MOVE" false start. Also this was the year after Army took Oklahoma—Kyler Murray Oklahoma!—to overtime, and happened mere weeks before Michigan cancelled a home and home series against UCLA.

The Black Knights had embraced the tao of option fully by going for it on any plausible fourth down. This happened four times in regulation, each of them another twist of the knife. Michigan spent the game running basic inside zone and never running the split zone play their QB ground game was built on. Michigan scored 14 points in regulation; a few weeks later Tulane would put up 42 on Army.

Every single second this was happening every Michigan fan was thinking "why are we doing this again?"

-Brian

[After THE JUMP: a journey into the heart of dorfness]

FORMATION NOTES: MSU spent the entire game in their base 4-3 over aside from some passing downs in which they went to a 3-3-5.

Michigan was about as usual, with nothing particularly weird to call out.

SUBSTITUTION NOTES: Nothing unusual. Canteen got some more run than he has in the past.

[After THE JUMP: a very brief discussion and some charts.]

[ED: been slightly crazy around here recently, so UFR delayed. Look for both halves tomorrow. Not that they'll tell you anything you didn't already know.]

continuing this week's theme

The response. Brandon on the emails:

"I don't read blogs so I think it's nonsense. …  I'm here to get an award tonight, so I appreciate you showing up, but that's not why I'm here."

Would you describe this award as… major?

Also, from former CSG president Mike Proppe:

I've had multiple conversations with Dave Brandon. He has talked about @mgoblog before. So...yeah.

— Michael Proppe (@mikeproppe) October 29, 2014

Doesn't seem to be working. You know it's bad when the Alumni association publishes  a piece titled "Alumni React to Lower Football Student Ticket Prices" and this is the nicest thing in it:

"If the students are not part of the Athletic tradition, then it becomes just a business and commercial venture."

It's nice because it says "if." Other choice excerpts:

"I come to Ann Arbor to remember the days that I lived there, that I went to games with friends, that I remembered cheering for MY team. If I wanted a corporate culture, I'd just go to an NFL game."

"The athletic department procedures have emptied the cupboard of alumni support over the last several years and it will take a significant change within the department to bolster the level of support and fervor that existed then."

"It's appalling that the students are the ones being seen as just one more "market" to be considered...without student support of the University, you will eventually lose alumni support."

The comments are another continual carpet-bombing, including this comment left by Steve Strinko:

Our 1974 Football team is being honored at Homecoming and we did get 1 complimentary ticket, however, I am bringing the allotted three guests at a cost of $75 per ticket. Seem crazy to pay $225 for my family to join me at this event. Oh well, the state of Michigan Athletics, or at least football.

Strinko was the starting MLB on the 1974 team.

This is from the alumni association! When you've lost the alumni association, who do you have left?

This was made a month ago. Sometimes marketing does help, because how did no one see this until 11W?

Ripped from the headlines.

Mr. Brandon’s emails and @mgoblog made an appearance in today’s Business Comm class. pic.twitter.com/crjnXe0TXw

— Ben Fidelman (@TMDFidelman) October 29, 2014

@DrewCHallett @mgoblog To directly quote my prof: “Don’t be a dick to alums that could donate to the department.”

— Ben Fidelman (@TMDFidelman) October 29, 2014

Hope Brandon's taking this pass/fail.

It could have been much worse. In general, football games that feel like Michigan's latest outing aren't close. They are even less close than 35-11. Bill Connelly:

2x

In the end, even with State's late touchdown, the final score of Michigan State 35, Michigan 11 was kind to the losing team. The Spartans doubled the Wolverines on a per-play basis (6.6 yards to 3.3) and more than doubled them up in total yardage (446 to 186). And the game was played at a snail's pace, too (125 total plays) -- even an average pace would have resulted in a Spartan win of 30-plus points.

Finally, a justification for being the slowest team in the country.

I…  I can say nothing. Here is an Indiana blog talking about football, and landing body blows.

I, an Indiana football fan, feel bad for you.

Welcome to the Big Ten Underworld, Wolverine fans. The days are long, the nights are filled with six-touchdown losses to Ohio State, and one in every 5-7 seasons ends in a post-Christmas bowl in Detroit. Your program is now on a comparable level to a partly-incapacitated Indiana.

Well, at least I…

crap

Nevermind.

If you are interested in Indiana football, though. Here's a terrific blog with weekly film breakdowns. From their take on the IU offense under Zander Diamont:

By my count, Diamont only kept it on a zone read one other time. Given the state of the quarterback position, I imagine Diamont was under fairly strict instructions to hand the ball off to Coleman early and often. Probably for the same reason, we also didn’t see Diamont running any speed option or QB draw. He looked mobile on a few rollouts and he did a decent job of running for his life when Sparty put him under pressure.

To sum it up, as we discussed last week, expecting anything out of Diamont in this game was unrealistic. If we define “expecting nothing” as expecting Diamont to account for zero yards rushing or passing, well…somehow Zander failed to meet expectations. In non-garbage time, Diamont threw for -2 yards and ran for –12. While the numbers are troubling, I was more concerned with the way he missed a number of somewhat simple throws. He missed all four of the 5-7-yard hitches/outs he attempted, and three of the four weren’t close. His two attempts to get the ball downfield to Wynn missed badly.

Punt John Punt, it's called. Never say I didn't do anything for you, Jamie.

THE SMOKING GUNNNNNN. I feel confident in asserting this gentleman has a beard, on his neck.

Something nice. Basketball will hold an open practice on Wednesday from 6 to 7. Not today. Next Wednesday.

A blast from the past. A USCHO poster has unearthed and scanned in a program from the 1983 Michigan Tech-Michigan series—the last time M traveled to Houghton.

Quite an artifact.

[HT: SBN CH]

You may not be doing this right. I've seen a few different message board threads stating that Doug Karsch said that he's talked to two sources in the Brandon camp who are "bracing for a change"—same language in multiple places, so I thought it was pretty legit. So I wander over to 97.1's podcasts page and find that the only item posted today is…

…bzzzzt.

Etc.: Brandon emails dramatically performed by Drew & Marc. HSR gets emails from everyone. Bring Your Champions! Berenson on Marek vs Wyshynski

John Gasaway on offensive rebounding and how you shouldn't totally ignore it in favor of transition D. Michigan is classified as a team that "de-emphasizes" OREBs, FWIW, and is not exhorted to crash the glass. Northwestern is.