eyabi okie

[Bryan Fuller]

12/3/2022 – Michigan 43, Purdue 22 – 13-0, 9-0 Big Ten, Big Ten Champions

After Will Johnson's second interception my twitter feed had consecutive tweets that were literally "Will Johnson has arrived."

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One was in all caps.

It may have been last week when Will Johnson arrived since he started against Ohio State and your Will Johnson-related memories of that game do not exist. Johnson took 70 snaps against the Buckeyes and he did not get dunked on once. But there's arriving quietly, like an offensive lineman who refines his assignments, and then there's going Fury Road on a version of Aidan O'Connell with glowing eyes and electricity coruscating down his forearms. Johnson has now arrived, loudly. He has a hype man. It is the internet.

It is a late-season cliché to say that freshmen are no longer freshmen. Sometimes this is not true because the freshman in question is completely the wrong size or just doesn't have it yet. You cannot assert that CJ Stokes is no longer a freshman. But you can for Will Johnson. You can for Colston Loveland. You can for Mason Graham.

Meanwhile in the realm of no longer sophomores: Donovan Edwards seems fully leveled up from last year's pad-seeker into this year's slashing missile, and we have answers about what happens when you put a game on JJ McCarthy's arm. McCarthy made one very bad mistake in this game, because he is not a 35-year-old All Pro yet. He also threw enough dead on downfield balls that everyone looking at the box score this morning can't believe he only had 17 pass attempts.

Going into the Ohio State game Michigan had questions. A wonky passing game, an injured star, a looming matchup against a real quarterback. In each case they had a player step up. The questions are no longer whether Michigan can. It is now merely whether they will.

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[Patrick Barron]

Mix in the rapidly-arriving youth with Ronnie Bell, Mazi Smith, Jake Moody, Brad Robbins, and Luke Schoonmaker--guys who took the long way around to get here—and you stand here, atop the Big Ten for the second straight year. This feels different, though. Last year the OSU win was shocking but a clear example of OSU dysfunction catching up to them. This year it eventually became clear they were trying to catch up to Michigan.

Last year Michigan entered a game against Georgia's generational defense more in hope than expectation that success would follow. It didn't take long to cast Michigan as a team not on UGA's level, one just hoping to stay in contact with a series of breaks. Upset minded. This year they'll enter the semifinal touchdown favorites against a feisty, insane TCU team that will enter hoping that they can keep up with Michigan's pounding ground game. Maybe they will; maybe they'll find that they're in the same position Michigan was a year ago: not quit there.

Michigan is there, or at least as there as they're ever likely to be. They have their five star QB locked in with a five star running back. They've got a defense that doesn't have Aidan Hutchinson on it but maybe just got a star. There's no time like the present to recalibrate from "just happy to be here" to a team with expectations even at the playoff level.

Some got here fast, some took their time. But they're here, individually and collectively. Michigan has arrived.

AWARDS

Known Friends and Trusted Agents Of The Week

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[Barron]

you're the man now, dog-2535ac8789d1b499[1]

#1 Will Johnson. Two interceptions, but that's not the whole story. Both were superior coverage on which Johnson had the route dominated and picked the ball off without any assistance. Since he's a corner the fact that he had just two tackles, one a third-down stop a yard downfield and one a screen TFL, is excellent. Johnson did get hit with a deserved PI and missed a tackle on a third down catch and run but two turnovers versus two instances of 15 yards is a massive win.

#2 Donovan Edwards. 25 carries, 185 yards, 7.4 yards a pop, two exclamation-point runs. On the first he dusted a cornerback and burst for 60 yards that could have been 70 but he ran out of bounds curiously early. The second was a ridiculous slalom through six Purdue defenders for a 27 yard touchdown. Project "quit running directly into guys" is a success. Imagine if he had two hands and was the receiving threat he was earlier in the year.

#3 JJ McCarthy. Just seventeen attempts, and did throw a turrible interception on one of those. Still managed almost ten yards an attempt; broke the pocket and created second chances on many of those. When he stood in the pocket he delivered at least three DOs, one on a rocket TD to Bell, the others on perfect arcing balls between levels in the Purdue zone. Elite business not that far away.

Honorable mention: Eyabi Okie had a couple of impressive QB pressures. Junior Colson was everywhere and didn't seem to have much blame for the early hiccups. The Offensive Line had some pass protection hiccups but my early take on their run blocking is that they were dominant and the only thing holding the run game down was free hitters. Mazi Smith consistently pressed the pocket, forcing a sack that Jaylen Harrell picked up; Harrell also had a solo sack of his own as he spun past the right tackle.

KFaTAotW Standings.

(points: #1: 8, #2: 5, #3: 3, HMs one each. Ties result in somewhat arbitrary assignments.)

51: Blake Corum (#2 CSU, #2 Hawaii, HM UConn, #1 Maryland, #2 Iowa. HM Indiana, T2 PSU, #1 MSU, T1 Rutgers, #3 Nebraska, #1 Illinois)

32: JJ McCarthy (#1 Hawaii, #2 UConn, HM Maryland, HM Iowa, #3 Indiana, HM PSU, HM MSU. HM Rutgers, #2 OSU, #3 Purdue)

24: The Offensive Line (#3 Iowa, #1 PSU, HM MSU, #3 Rutgers, #1 Nebraska, HM Purdue)

22: Donovan Edwards (HM Hawaii, T2 PSU, T1 Rutgers, #4 OSU, #2 Purdue)

18: Ronnie Bell (HM CSU, HM Hawaii, #1 UConn, #2 Indiana, HM PSU, HM Nebraska, HM Illinois)

17: Mike Morris (T3 Hawaii, HM Maryland, #1 Iowa, T1 Indiana, #3 PSU, HM Rutgers),

15:  Kris Jenkins (#3 UConn, T3 Hawaii, HM Iowa, T1 Indiana, #2 MSU, HM Rutgers, HM Nebraska), Mazi Smith (#1 CSU, T3 Hawaii, HM Maryland, HM Iowa, HM MSU, HM Nebraska, HM Purdue)

13: Mason Graham (HM Hawaii, HM Iowa, HM Indiana, #2 Nebraska, #2 Illinois)

12: Rod Moore(HM CSU, HM Indiana, HM MSU, T1 Ohio State)

11: Mike Sainristil (HM Maryland, HM Indiana, T1 Ohio State)

9: Cornelius Johnson (HM Hawaii, #3 Ohio State), Will Johnson (HM Rutgers, #1 Purdue)

7: Gemon Green (HM UConn, T2 Maryland, HM PSU), Jake Moody (HM PSU, #3 MSU, #3 Illinois).

6: Junior Colson (#3 CSU, HM UConn, HM PSU, HM Purdue)

5: DJ Turner (T2 Maryland), Luke Schoonmaker (T3 Maryland, HM Iowa, HM Indiana, HM MSU), Michael Barrett (#2 Rutgers), Eyabi Okie (HM CSU, HM Iowa, T1 Indiana, HM Purdue).

4: Jaylen Harrell (HM CSU, T1 Indiana, HM Purdue)

3: Derrick Moore (HM CSU, T1 Indiana)

2: Roman Wilson (HM CSU, HM Hawaii), Max Bredeson (T3 Maryland), Joel Honigford (T3 Maryland),

1: Braiden McGregor (HM CSU), Makari Paige (HM Hawaii), Rayshaun Benny (HM Hawaii), AJ Henning (HM UConn), Caden Kolesar (HM UConn), RJ Moten (HM Maryland), CJ Stokes (HM Nebraska), Andrel Anthony (HM Nebraska), Colston Loveland (HM Illinois)

Who's Got It Better Than Us(?) Of The Week

Johnson's second interception sets up a short-field touchdown and Michigan clinches a second consecutive Big Ten championship.

Honorable mention: Johnson's first interception. McCarthy's laser TD to Bell. Edwards's slaloming TD run. Edwards busts outside for 60.

image?MARCUS HALL EPIC DOUBLE BIRD OF THE WEEK.

Purdue's second drive is a mess of missed assignments and tackles, setting them up with a touchdown and announcing this was not going to be an Iowa 2021 walkover.

Honorable mention: Any of several different O'Connell throws that were eyepopping, or any of several Chuck Sizzle moments that were similarly eyepopping.

[After THE JUMP: unstoppable throw-god ahoy]
FLAG. PLANTED. [Patrick Barron]

I have watched football for a long time. Not as long as most of the people who will read this because I am 23 years old. But still, plenty long enough to have a massive sample size of football games to draw from. I'm sure there may be a more extreme example somewhere in the reaches of my memory, but as I sit here now in the aftermath of Michigan's decisive 45-23 victory over Ohio State, I am not sure I can recall a game with a more stark difference between the first half and the second half. Ohio State pushed Michigan around in the first half, outgaining the Wolverines by over 100 yards and whipped them routinely on a down-to-down basis. Michigan got to the break only down three thanks to two massive plays through the air, but it felt like Michigan was fortunate not to be down by more.

The second half? Total domination. Michigan outgained OSU by nearly 140 yards and outscored them 28-3, turning a game where it felt like Michigan was hanging in there into one where they ran the Buckeyes off their home field entirely. The big plays just kept coming, more success was found on the ground, Ohio State's offense was kept in the yard, and several key miscues (penalties and questionable punt decisions) by the Buckeyes had the effect of shooting themselves in the foot. The game began slipping, the Scarlet & Gray got even tighter, and turned it over twice late. A game that was tense only a half-hour earlier suddenly was a three score blowout. Remarkable. 

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[Patrick Barron]

Michigan won the opening toss and deferred to the second half, allowing Ohio State's vaunted offense to take the field. The Buckeyes looked to establish themselves on the ground and got better results than some may have expected. Giving carries to both Miyan Williams and half-LB/half-RB Chip Trayanum, the Buckeyes gained chunk yards through the rushing game by targeting the weakside of Michigan's defense. Toss in a beautiful contested catch by Marvin Harrison Jr. on a 3rd & 1 and the Buckeyes quickly drove into the red zone. After Michigan got stops on the first two plays, Ohio State was faced with 3rd & Goal from the four. Michigan's defensive alignment paid additional attention to Harrison and left Mike Sainristil isolated on Emeka Egbuka. Egbuka had inside leverage against Michigan's slot corner and CJ Stroud delivered an accurate ball for a TD. 7-0 Bucks. 

The first Michigan offensive possession was a big test for Blake Corum's health. His first carry went for four yards. His second one went for just two yards and he appeared to lack explosion and the ability to jumpcut on his bruised left knee. Michigan yanked Corum off the field and that would be the end of his day. The Wolverines would be without their best offensive player the rest of the way. On 3rd & 8 from the Michigan 43, JJ McCarthy faced pressure, rolled to his left, and hurled a ball for an open Ronnie Bell down the sideline and Bell held on. 33 yards and Michigan was moving. Unfortunately, on the very next play a blitz from OSU got home and McCarthy was flagged for intentional grounding and a loss of 10 yards. The Michigan offense had no answer after being backed up and settled for a long Jake Moody field goal attempt. The steady veteran kicker banged it through from 48 yards away and Michigan was on the board. 7-3.

Ohio State got right back in the groove on offense. A 17 yard passing play to Egbuka on first down got it going and a Junior Colson facemask penalty tacked on moved the Buckeyes into Michigan territory right away. Miyan Williams remained effective on the ground, picking up a 3rd & 3 a few plays later, and Ohio State was right inside Michigan's red zone again. Jesse Minter's crew knew they needed to be bend-not-break and this time, they did not break. A first down screen to Xavier Johnson was blown up, a Miyan Williams rush was stuffed and on 3rd & 9, Stroud's pass for Egbuka fell incomplete as the receiver got tangled up. Ohio State settled for a 32 yard Noah Ruggles field goal to make it 10-3. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: The better part of the game]

I disrespect your team. [Bryan Fuller]

The UFR Glossary.

Substitution Notes: Stuck to nickel personnel as IU was in 11 or 20 (extra scatback RB in place of a TE) all game. Starting DTs took most of the game with Graham and Benny on lengthy drives, and a little bit of Grant and Goode. DE was a solid rotation of Morris/Harrell/Okie/Moore, with bits of Upshaw (also at DT) and McGregor. LB was Colson and Barrett most of the way but lots of subbing for both Mullings and Rolder. Sainristil was present almost the whole game, with Paige and Moore and Turner and Green. Backup rotations for W.Johnson and Quinten Johnson, who was out there even more than Moten.

Formation Notes: Lots of weird ones from Indiana (hi Walt Bell) as they went tempo and snapped it before Michigan could figure out how to align, or the refs could count guys in the backfield for that matter.

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WR on the hash got M to treat him as eligible here.

I called that Gun H Stack (X) since the WR on the upper hash should have been covered. This was Empty Str Bunch.

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They also went Tackle Over—or "TO" in the labeling—like so:

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I called this defensive formation 404 Open because it ain't Tite.

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Also I shortened Tempo to "T" this time so my fingers wouldn't fall off. So like "T(31)" means they went tempo and snapped with 31 seconds on the playclock.

[After THE JUMP: Soft on screens.]

it's time to relax

An ultimately dominant showing that felt miserable to watch

i'm perfectly calm, dude 

Gemon Green is apologized to. The first Mazi Smith game.

it's all happening 

Caveat Ramus.

it is my solemn promise to not mention either quarterback in this post please disregard the picture 

wasn't a fair fight for the Rams today 

the shoes, they are large

get all your defensive updates here! (And special teams!!)