Utah Snowflakes: Offense

This wasn't a team that looked desperate in the end like they did last year...take away the pick 6 and there's a good chance that they might still be playing, or have won.

Utah looked really good. Really good. They have that reputation of being tough in one-score games, plus they have an added reputation of being really tough to beat at home. So...given all that, Michigan fought hard. It was a mess at times, but they fought hard and never gave up. There were big plays to be made that just missed. I can't say the same about last year's effort against Utah.

It's weird. The game became very very frustrating to watch.  And yet in the end I'm actually more optimistic than anything else. Harbaugh, I guess?

Pretty much what we knew/feared.

 

Rudock at his best is serviceable. At his worst, he's what we saw when we played Iowa a couple of years ago: FUCKING HORRIBLE. That's just what we have to deal with this year. Just ride it out until Brandon Peters gets on campus.

 

I was actually more concerned with the running game. That was supposed to further along by now. Ty Issac looked like the RB with the most pop. Seemed like Derrick Green is 4th on the depth chart right now, which is probably best.

 

Positives: Jake Butt is a star, Our WR's were open throughout the game, Pass protection was really good (for the most part).

Rudock won't be that bad again. Book it. Receivers looked good; two drops and a bad cut leading to INT. Murdock overthrows two open receivers and misses TDs. Butt is as advertised. Good pass protection for most of game. Backs run hard after contact, but o-line didn't make many holes. three offsides is bad, bet that gets cleaned up too. One TD game despite a red zone TO, two missed TD passes and a pick-six. Offense will be a lot better soon, and will hit competence-plus, I bet.

Cowherd was right about UM Utah not only gave UM 7 points on a late hit, they also missed two field goals. Utah really gave UM every chance to win.

So, future opponents watching tonight's game--who's afraid of us?  NOOOOOOBODY!

Once again, the offense was harmless.  There are teams all over college football these days regularly scoring 40 to 50 and Michigan has to scratch and claw to reach 17.  I know there were missed opportunities for more.  The optimist decides that bodes well for the future; the pessimist decides there is little reason to think those opportunities will ever be capitalized on consistently because it's who these guys have been for a couple of years now.  The optimist is hoping Harbaugh and company can change this.  I don't know.  I'm just tired of watching so many "explosive" offenses out there while over and over, Michigan is harmless to another team.

Why were we running up the middle so much tonight? The edges were weak and we kept slamming it up the middle all game long. We don't have the OL for that.....

There was a semi-consistent run game against a solid defense.  OK. 

The QB situation is dire.  

The one thing I had been thinking was that "as long as the offense isn't the turnover machine it was last year, we should be fine."  Well, that clearly isn't going to happen.   Turnover machine is still in play,  gonna be another looooong season.

Harbaugh has his work cut out for him.

 

Is to blame tonight. And he knows that. Hopefully he will be able to turn these negatives into postives. Utah is one of the best teams we are gonna face all year.

Overall, I think it could have been worse.

The passing game, other than about a half dozen plays, was much better than I was expecting. Butt was amazing. Darboh had a great game, but also had a crucial drop and a derp on his final WR screen running the wrong way. Chesson is getting open only for Tacopants to steal his glory. And Perry made some mistakes, but also had some big blocks and nice catches on the final drive. He is going to be good. This doesn't even mention Harris or Cole. And pass protection was pretty darn good against a team that gets after the QB. No sacks I believe, although there were a couple blown assignments. One from Isaac sticks out to me.

The running game. Welp. Still can't run block to save our lives. Missed assignments, getting beat, just bad. Of course, when they did actually give a hole the RB was not guarunteed to see it anyway. Or get to it before it closed. I think this was by far the worst area on the team and at this point we just may need an entire new recruiting class of O-linemen before it gets better. I guess Smith looked better than Isaac, but neither were exactly good.

Rudock was...not good. The first pick was definitely not on him, but I think the last two mostly were. He didn't look overly comfortable back there to me, and it's not like he was getting hit on every drop back. I think the worst part of his night, though, was missing open receivers downfield three times. Especially the first two to Chesson. The two TD throws were thrown about as well as they could have been, though. He also scrambled a few times with varying results.

Bottom line is the three interceptions and two missed deep balls could have swung the game for us. Not to mention little things like Smith cutting outside on that one run or Darboh just getting a first down. That said, those are all plays that need to be made. 

Interceptions. The end

Can't say Michigan didn't have every chance to win that game. It did. Rudock left 2-3 TDs on the field tonight with wide open receivers in the end zone.

Give credit to Utah, but once again, Michigan beat itself tonight. You can't throw three fucking picks and expect to win the game.

rub a, Duba, bubba Duba, chub a, tuba, Muba, suba. Thank you.

rub a, Duba, bubba Duba, chub a, tuba, Muba, suba. Thank you.

Jim Harbaugh post-game: "Deveon Smith played a heck of a game"

The problems that were supposed to be fixed - QB turnovers, uncomfortable QB, poor OL, RBs missing holes, D missing key tackles - were the same old problems. One word solution that's the same as Wittingham's for the win: Recruiting.

A QB who is not an NFL prospect should not be throwing 43 times. Smith has no vision what so ever. The OL was inconsistent but I feel if Smith saw better our run game is much better. Linebacks are slow (Peppers needs to be a box safety/linebacker type) Have to tighten up in our back seven

Imaginable for a first game of a new coaching regime. Michigan's receivers aren't very good aside from Butt, their QB play is nothing special, and their line is adjusting to power and wasn't very good.

So that offense went up against one of the best defensive front 7's in the country, a team whose only real weakness was against the pass, which ain't going to be Michigan's strength. Utah's really good on defense, and I wish Michigan could have opened against a patsy instead but hey that's the way it goes.

I'm not going to freak out, it's about what I expected. They'll get it fixed.

A couple of overthrown touchdowns and a pick-6.  Take those away and we win.

Did Smith have blinders on? He missed gaping holes and cutbacks the whole game that cost us. Same shit we dealt with last year. Is there a RB on this team that has any vision at all? Because that's who needs to be in there.

Where was Drake Harris? If the offense plays with the same tempo that they did in the final drive, it may help them score more

Certainly calmed fears about the receiving corp. Perry looks like a future weapon. Just can't turn the ball over like that.

both were fantastic. the pick 6 play could have been entirely avoided if smith hasn't run straight into the line. I actually thought rudock was ok. the picks were not entirely his fault.

As much as I want to scream, WE, not Utah, were the team that kept the other one in it. Should have been a 14-point win, but it was not to be. We moved the ball well - maybe two punts? One maybe? We just didn't capitalize on our opportunities once we moved into scoring position by INTs and that abysmal 4th and 1.

Fuck