greg mathews

Hey, Butch Woolfolk, are you excited for the game tonight?

Agreed, Butch. How do you feel about it being the last Michigan-Notre Dame home game for the foreseeable future?

We're on the same wavelength, Butch.

[If you're wondering "why?" those are from the intros to the '81 ND game. For many more GIFs from Notre Dame games of the past, hit THE JUMP.]

Thinking about making this a regular feature when the inevitable corrections/comments come up on the 14k (this week) words put into UFR:

On the Savoy "drop" in the endzone. Millen's right and the ball got tipped, so I bumped that to a 2. Good if he brings it in, not a pure drop.

On Tate's interception. I doubted Greg Mathews' words here but everyone says I'm wrong in the comments, this guy most authoritatively:

Matthews made the wrong read

as a former Div I WR, I can confirm that this was on Matthews - the read was to settle in the seam - Forcier read the seam in underneath coverage and the DB running deep - there was a clear hole in the zone - Forcier read it and Matthews missed it - if he settles there, complete pass and he turns it up for a few more yards

Withdrawn. I don't have a category for "receiver runs wrong route," so I'll just redact the BR. Pretty remarkable that the huge "oh noes, freshman" screwup in the game was actually on the senior wide receiver, not the freshman.

On Cissoko. Okay, okay, I definitely shouldn't have said he's "not any good" after all of two games, especially considering the shoulder injury. That's going too far. But, man, even Rodriguez acknowledged that he had a rough day on Saturday:

Boubacar didn't have his best game, but he's a good football player, and he's a competitor, and I'm sure he'll come back and play better the next time.

So I stand by the assessment. He's unlikely to be so negative again if only because he's not going to face Michael Floyd. Can the Cissoko War in the user-generated content areas end now?

On Minor and thumping blocks. I failed to notice Brandon Minor totally burying a Notre Dame defensive end on the Odoms third down conversion:

RAGE.

On Koger and Webb. I misattributed a couple of excellent run blocks, saying they were Koger's when they were Webb's. Recalibrate your sensors on the tight ends accordingly.

On the run game. Genuinely Sarcastic has its run chart up; the right side of the line grades out very well, especially Molk and Moosman. A +4 from Huyge offsets some of his pass protection issues, which were mostly of the –1 annoyance variety instead of the –2 oh crap our QB is dead variety. Also oh snap from the GS comments:

Tate's TD run is omitted because it wasn't a designed run. That and I'm pretty sure there aren't enough plus signs in the world to accurately represent what he did to Darius Fleming.

Oh snap.

On "ability." Yes, yes:

Brian, again, it's ABILITY to destroy a planet.

Not Power.

We've been over this.

It's even written correctly right above!

I don't know which illegal, Translated-by-Taiwanese, rip-off videocassettes of the Star Wars Trilogy you've been watching, but I'm sending you a copy of Episode IV anyway (sorry -- it has the stupid Jabba scene and Greedo shooting twice. Keep your remote handy).

I'm sorry. Here' a picture of Pirate Yoda:

I assume this fixes everything. Hyyyarrr.

First we talked coaches, and now onto the players themselves.

Michael Shaw

• Shaw is hoping that he will be able to stay fully healthy this year. He has his burst back, and he just needs to get his confidence going full blast again.
• "I'm kinda favoring it [the injury]. My confidence is returning, and I just can't let up in rehab."
• The indication that there was something truly wrong was the Minnesota game. He was caught from behind for the first time in his career - "and I've been playing football since I was 7 years old" - and his dad called and said there must be something more serious wrong with him.

Kevin Grady

• The team had lots to prove in the offseason, and they took their workouts to a whole new level to prove it.
• Grady will play both fullback and tailback "whatever position helps the team win." Being able to play multiple positions gives the team more personnel versatility.
• "I haven't played with my brother since I was a sophomore [in high school], so it should be pretty cool."

Greg Mathews

• As defending the spread goes, it's the more experienced defensive teams that are best at trying to shut them down.
• Mathews isn't sure whether the spread offense will best help prepare him for the NFL. "I still have my old playbook, so I can always look at that." If anything, he says playing in multiple offenses over his career might help make him a better all-around receiver.
• Different offenses (such as the spread) work well in college, which is what makes the college game more fun to watch. However, in the NFL, there are so many good athletes on defense that it's difficult for these offenses to succeed.

Justin Turner

• He has only been in Ann Arbor a little over two weeks, though he participated in voluntary workouts over the summer. It was frustrating to wait at home and miss the first week of practice, especially because he needed to get going on the adjustment to college ball.
• Turner grew up a Michigan fan (and took grief from Ohio State fans once he committed to the Wolverines), and he has some family in the area, so if he feels homesick, they're only 20 minutes away.
• Charles Woodson was the reason that Turner liked Michigan as a child, and he was happy to get the #2 jersey to honor his idol. Though he hasn't met Woodson, his eyes lit up when told that he would probably have the opportunity. "Today?" Sorry, it will have to wait until the season.

Kevin Koger

• Koger will be used as a true TE, flexed out wide, and this year, they're adding in some packages as an H-Back.
• In terms of catching passes, his use won't be too different from last year - though hopefully he'll see more passes thrown his way: "If I'm open, I'll get the ball."

Brandon Minor

• He's looking forward to spending a year healthy. The wrist injury plagued him all last year - even after he made his breakthrough later in the season.
• It was a relief to break out against Penn State, but not too big because he was expecting to do it eventually. That doesn't mean he was too frustrated with his performance leading up to the game, though. He's forgotten about all of the struggles last year (both individual and team) and looking forward to this year.
• He doesn't care if splitting carries reduces his time in the spotlight, saying "I'll take them as they come. Whatever helps us win."

Don't forget about Paul's media day photo gallery, either. It features Michigan QBs holding hands, and should not be missed.