2017 cincinnati

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[Fuller]

You’ve got to be pretty pleased through three games with the way your guys are playing.

“Three really unique challenges. Obviously Florida with their ability, and despite them having two top-notch players out they still have a lot of firepower and I thought we did a good job going into that environment for our first trip on the road. That was kind of the piece that I was most concerned about was young guys on the road for the first time, how were we gonna respond? Obviously things didn’t quite go our way in the beginning but stayed really even-keeled. Just kind of kept playing the game, stayed in the moment, and kept executing at what I thought was a very, very high level. We really kept the pressure on the quarterback, so that was week one.

“Cincinnati really did a good job with their rub routes. I don’t know if that’s the legal term but I think that’s what the offensive guys call it, rub routes. They did a good job with the screen game. I was unhappy with a couple of the blocks but the reality is those tunnel screens are tough and I gotta do a better job in making sure we’re ready to play those.

“And then flip your hat, and I really tip my hat to my guys: Tuesday and Wednesday we took 230 snaps of option football. The gameplan was called on the line of scrimmage because they’re a team that has certain formations where they’re going to run the triple and other formations where they’re not gonna run option football, so everything’s all on the line of scrimmage getting called and I think we had one error. That was pretty good.

“But three different, unique challenges. The piece that’s really stuck out to me through the first three games is we can run, now. We’re pretty fast, and we get off blocks and run to the football as well as any group I’ve been around. That’s kind of a good thing. Forget the scheme and all that nonsense. It’s when guys can get off blocks, run to the football, and one of the things that doesn’t go unnoticed, at least from my perspective, is I think we’ve tackled really, really well. Sometimes early in the year that’s not always the case, but it has been the case for us for the first three weeks.”

[There’s so much good stuff after THE JUMP, just click already]

1 hour, 28 minutes

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Brian successfully dodged my cell phone camera

MGoRadio is recorded before a live retail audience audience at the Bo Store on Fridays before home games (and Thursdays nights at various locations before away games).

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The Sponsors

We can do this because people support us. You should support them too so they’ll want to do it again next year! The show is presented by UGP & The Bo Store, and if it wasn’t for Rishi and Ryan we’d be talking to ourselves.

Our other sponsors are also key to all of this: Peak Wealth Management, Homesure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, the Residence Inn Ann Arbor Downtown, the University of Michigan Alumni Association, Michigan Law Grad,, Human Element, DEO Bookkeeping, and Lantana Hummus

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After UFR: The Offense

starts at 1:00

Okay fine let's talk about Wilton Speight. We are getting sick of talking about Speight. He only had four incompletes in the charting, but they were again bad incompletes of the kind that sail into bad things territory. The OL is beefy on the right side and still learning; love that Cole doesn’t chase bad blocks. Zentry! has some route chops.

After UFR: The Defense

starts at 27:29

Okay fine let's talk about Mike McCray. He doesn’t seem to zone much and was not getting depth—that’s weird out of a 5th year guy. The secondary only busted a couple of times and should have been saved by the DL. Hayden Moore made a perfect throw while under duress on one of these. Brandon Watson was getting straight-up tackled so Michigan went to zone. Kinnel’s heroic tackle was amazing, his one miss was not so necessary.

Hoops & Hockey Recruiting

starts at 50:45

Michigan will get an official visit from the top overall player in the country, RJ Barrett, but that’s not going to happen. Ignas Brazdeikis we feel good about. Beilein looking to take a just-a-shooter in this class. Missed a couple of elite wings so Iggy is a big deal. Hockey: Mel is recruiting at prime Red level. Is more good news on the way?

Air Force Preview

starts at 1:09:21

They will cut you and cut you and run run run run until the pass comes and it goes for long. Their main wingback Tim “Unfortunately Named” McVey and their quarterback are back and excellent; they turned over everybody else except the middle linebacker. Michigan hopefully won’t play with a single high safety again. Are they really gonna man up Donovan Peoples-Jones? This feels like a big game for Grant Perry.

 

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MUSIC:

YouTube changed up their policies so we're trying to stay away from copyrighted music on live broadcasts. If you or a friend made some good tunes and don't have a label out scrubbing for them we'd be happy to feature you.

This week it's Greenland, who've been defunct for so long they probably barely remember they were in this band. The songs were “The Way It Is”, “Rip Van Winkle” and “Captain Jack”. Also: “Across 110th Street”

Bring a coat.

THE USUAL LINKS

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cincy punt lol

imagine the ferocity of James Franklin’s fist pump at this exact moment

Hello. Welcome to the inaugural 2017 Special Teams UFR. You like analyzing blocks on a kickoff return, seeing who got push on a PAT, and making fun of a decision James Franklin made in 2014? Great, we’ll get along just fine.

There are a couple of things worth noting before we dig in. First, special teams all-22 footage isn’t happening. It’s hard to find good footage; directors seem to use punts as their art house. That makes grading the blocking of each player on each unit impossible, so instead we’ll look at obvious gains and losses in terms of yardage. This is very much a work in progress, the point of which is to gain a better understanding of what’s going on in the third of the game that leads to Australians traveling thousands of miles from home to go full Superman on a prolate spheroid. Feedback? Hit the comments.

SUBSTITUTION/FORMATION NOTES: Peoples-Jones got five chances to field punts, did a nice job with two of them, then found himself on the bench in favor of Grant Perry. More on that later.

Kick returners were Crawford and Hawkins, with the ball never going anywhere close to Hawkins. He found himself forming a wedge with Mason every time.

Michigan’s PAT defense team is going to block one soon; with Metellus coming off the edge, Hurst teleporting through seemingly shoulder-to-shoulder linemen, and Rashan freaking Gary out there, it’s just a matter of time.

Cincinnati doubled Cesar Ruiz on every PAT and got knocked back the first time, then held his own. Not bad for a true freshman.

[After THE JUMP: Charts! Then Bolded Alter Ego (NTBAE)! Then more charts!]