My Impressions of the Loss to Utah
My impressions of the game. Proviso: I am not an ultra details guy. I am a big picture, vision guy. I don’t do audits. Don’t copy edit. I don’t break down tape. I am a big picture, “feel,” guy. This is why I do not play bridge as partner to my accountant father who can remember every card played and deduce which cards are in everyone’s hand. With that in mind, these are my thoughts about this afternoon’s game against Utah.
The offence looked terrible. It was bad. There were only flashes something resembling the spread offence. We did not have a single sustained drive the entire game. Thankfully our offence was handed the ball inside the 35 enough times to make it look almost respectable on the scoreboard. They looked lost and confused like they really did not know what they were doing. One or two nice runs. A couple of good passes. But too many runs that did not happen. Too many balls thrown behind or over the receiver [think two point conversion!!!!]. Threet looked better than Sheridan. If the offence does not drastically improve it will be a long season.
Did we have a defense for the first 30 minutes? There were guys in uniforms out there, but they were not playing defense. Someone must have read them the riot act during half time. If they play the way they did in the last 30 minutes, and improve on that, we might have a chance to win a couple of games. Ezeh seemed to have steped up. Even though we brought pressure and shut down the run in the second half, we still have trouble tackling in space. The first half was awful, the second half was just bad. Can you teach guys to tackle? There were way too many plays where guys had too much space to run and made too many yards after contact.
Special teams were the only bright light, except the punting game which was underwhelming. Blocked kicks, a forced turnover…they looked great.
Another plus was that we did not take stupid penalties.
Coach Rodriguez looked pissed most of the game. I would not have wanted to be in the locker room at the half.
I am optimistic [blind faith] that we will be better. Threet took a step to earning the starting job.
Another plus...my two year old looked seriously cute in her cheer leader uniform we picked up at the MDen this summer, my wife made block M cookies, and sorted out a whole bowl of Maize and Blue M&M's for the game.
August 30th, 2008 at 10:31 PM ^
August 30th, 2008 at 11:14 PM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 9:37 AM ^
August 30th, 2008 at 10:40 PM ^
August 30th, 2008 at 10:40 PM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 7:39 AM ^
I will have to look for them next time we are in A2 visiting friends. Here in London, though, you have to make your own...any my wife loves me enough to do just that.
And by the time we had worked our day to flipping between the Alabama/Clemson game and the Sparty/Cal game, she actually said to me..."I think I could get to like watching football." She will be assimilated yet.
August 30th, 2008 at 11:04 PM ^
>>Another plus was that we did not take stupid penalties.
except for delays of game and motion
August 30th, 2008 at 11:15 PM ^
August 30th, 2008 at 11:57 PM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 12:23 AM ^
What was the deal with the offensive line freezing (staying in their stance) on the two plays where the defense jumped offside? Clearly it was some sort of coached reaction, but I've never seen that done before. Especially the second time, it somewhat backfired, seeing as the refs didn't call the offside and the pass was incomplete?
Other than that, it seemed like many of Brian's concerns were valid. The O-Line stunk. Panter and Evans underwhelmed mightily. I didn't see much to like about either QB. I look forward to seeing someone smarter than me break it down in the UFR.
The only thing that kept us in the game was Utah's willingness to try and give the game away. Felt like we were playing Sparty for a while there.
August 31st, 2008 at 1:01 AM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 1:07 AM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 1:23 AM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 7:34 AM ^
Chuckles to himself about offense/offence...a freudian slip?
What you are saying about things looking like they were taking to long on terms of getting to the line, getting the play in, getting the ball snapped and in terms of plays developing are spot on. It seemed to me like eveyone was thinking way too much, that nothing felt natural.
August 31st, 2008 at 1:31 AM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 3:55 PM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 4:45 AM ^
Fair comments on the game. Our offense never looked like we were in any kind or rythm and our defense played scared in the first half. Hope we can improve a lot before the ND game.
August 31st, 2008 at 9:08 AM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 9:23 AM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 1:14 PM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 9:31 AM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 9:48 AM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 10:01 AM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 1:19 PM ^
Unless, of course, you cant run the ball!
If we had sustained a single drive for long enough to even kick a field goal we would have won the game. That is it...one drive long enough to get a field goal...but our offense was so bad that we could not sustain even one drive...not one.
August 31st, 2008 at 2:52 PM ^
the sad, sad truth that concerns me the most honestly. But we could have run it there at the end of the half. Didn't need to get yards, just give Utah a long field with a punt instead of the int.
Sigh.
August 31st, 2008 at 3:08 PM ^
There is truth to what you say...but perhaps RR was trying to show us that we are in a new era and the old conservative playbook is no more...
But you are right...you can still control the ball in the spread...
August 31st, 2008 at 10:16 AM ^
The problem is that most of us are horrible at seperating the process from the outcome. In other words, we look at the outcome of a decision, and then judge the decision process faulty or successful based on that outcome. The problem is that the coaches don't know the outcome before the play.
For instance - I can't count the number of times I saw Lloyd Carr booed for run, run, run, punt at the end of the first half. However, we're ready to crucify Rodriguez for not doing something that the vast majority of us would be complaining about.
Rodriguez didn't call "Z-Right Wobbly Duck to the Cornerback". The fact that the ball was picked off doesn't mean Rodriguez made a bad decision - it means Sheridan threw a bad pass.
August 31st, 2008 at 10:55 AM ^
"For instance - I can't count the number of times I saw Lloyd Carr booed for run, run, run, punt at the end of the first half. However, we're ready to crucify Rodriguez for not doing something that the vast majority of us would be complaining about.
Rodriguez didn't call "Z-Right Wobbly Duck to the Cornerback". The fact that the ball was picked off doesn't mean Rodriguez made a bad decision - it means Sheridan threw a bad pass."
This isn't a valid arguement IMO. Lloyd was ridiculed because he had an offense with the ability to make the plays needed to score quickly, pretty much every time. RR should have realized that "Z-Right Wobbly Duck to the Cornerback" was coming after watching that same play all half from Sheridan. RR screwed this one up, no question about it.
August 31st, 2008 at 8:36 PM ^
You got me thinking Chitown...as I was driving back from an open house...who makes the mistake...the guy who calls the risky pass knowing that his quarterback will likely throw Z-Right Wobbly Duck to the Cornerback, but is willing to risk a loss to show everyone that this is a new Michigan...or the quarterback who doesn't execute the deep strike throw leading his reciever, getting the big yards..perhaps even a TD. If the QB does execute this one we think RR is a genius who is willing to trust his guys...blah, blah, blah...
As I thought about it...I began to think that perhaps RR needs to be commended for doing his thing...even if it did result in a preventable pic.
August 31st, 2008 at 10:48 AM ^
I think this is a case of knowing what to expect, confused, inefficient offense, but having to watch how that confusing and inefficiency played out causing angst. I also think we’ve got some Carr hang over here. The offense was terrible but not necessarily more terrible than other offenses just more terrible in a different way. For instance, I saw Henne’s first game and that offense sucked. Michigan plunged into the line over and over and ran ugly pass plays primarily on third and long (and not even always then.) Rather than run the old script of continual ineffective running (which is lower risk reward, simpler and easier to look less discombobulated but no more effective), RR moved the ball around and let his new QB pass. How many times have we all watched a Carr/DeBord offense and wondered if they were actually trying or really wanted to win? I know at half time of Henne’s second game (ND 2004) I had to sit myself down and repeatedly remind myself that Carr really did want to win. So, here we are, RR went the other way and tried different things and different people. I welcome the change if only for change’s sake.
One thing we learned, the offensive line is not ND 2007 bad. This can work, at some minimal level, to score points. Another positive—Michigan didn’t move the ball well but they put up 7 when they had the chance. There was no turtling for FG’s. Michigan’s best plays put the ball in the endzone. I hope that was by design and not random chance. The first half defense is what had me searching for the hemlock. For that, I’ve got no answer.
August 31st, 2008 at 1:28 PM ^
Maybe it is my not being a details X's and O's, breaking down tape kind of person, but I did not walk away from the game thinking the O-line stood out as being more terrible than any other part of the game. It seemed to me to be a more systemic thing, in that as RR himself has said...he has 105 freshmen...and that is how it looked.
It was bad, but if they keep improving, who knows. It could still be a very long, painfull season of learning.
In watching the post game interview with RR he made mention that they only used like five different packages. It was simplified for them, RR made it as KISS as possible but they are still a long way from being competitive.
The best upside. They got game time experience they can learn from.
August 31st, 2008 at 12:09 PM ^
September 1st, 2008 at 8:49 AM ^
it seemed like Magee was calling was actually about right. RRod said after the game that they only had three run formations and eight or nine pass formations in the entire package. The offense is dumbed down at this point out of necessity. We had ten freshman in the two-deep on offense. Throw in Sheridan and the rest of the inexperience on the o-line and basically our two deep consists of Mathews, Schilling, and Butler with any experience at all on offense. This makes me think that maybe we did well just by not turning the ball over eight times or getting our quarterback killed. Also, Utah's defense may be about the third best defense we see this season.
I just went over the game again this morning. Our d-line dominated the line of scrimmage the entire game. Brian Johnson just killed us. The first half looked a lot like the 2006 OSU game where they spread the field and use a lot of shotgun or short drops and quick passes to pick us apart. We gave up way too many yards on third down so some of it is variance. If we make just a couple more plays on third down, we kill drives and Utah winds up with something more like 200 yards in the first half. While the first half numbers by themselves don't look good, I'm actually encouraged by what I saw after breaking it down on video. I expect the defensive numbers to look much more like the second half than the first from here forward. There aren't many QBs out there capable of doing what Johnson did under pressure. He made it look effortless, just like Troy Smith in '06.
Graham had seven tackles and a sack. He also forced two holding penalties. Everyone is right about the OLB's, though. Evans and Panter looked lost out there.
August 31st, 2008 at 4:37 PM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 7:06 PM ^
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:53 PM ^
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