Simple Stats on How Bad Our OL is
Exactly how bad is our OL? I think these two stats tell everything we need to know.
We have played 5 opponents. If we calculate their average tackle for loss and average sack per game (sans the Michigan game) and add them together, you get 25.8 for TFL and 6.25 sacks. This is what our opponents have done when they were not playing Michigan.
If you add up TFL and Sacks for the games that they played Michigan, you get 38 for TFL and 16 for sacks. Simply put, our opponents (defense) registered 50% more TFL than average and almost 3X number of sacks than average against our OL.
That is a tire-fire level badness. You don't need to look any further on why our offense is so bad.
P.S. There was a question about this stat not being tempo-free. I went back and checked and our opponents faced about 15% (at the most) more offensive plays than their average against Michigan. So adjust above numbers down by about 15%. It still does not explain that our opponents are registering 35% more TFL and 2.5X more sacks than against other opponents.
October 9th, 2017 at 12:26 PM ^
staaahhhhppp
October 9th, 2017 at 12:28 PM ^
October 9th, 2017 at 12:57 PM ^
And this brings some numbers into play not seen elsewhere, so it has some actual value.
Granted, more value like this and people will be jumping out of office windows, but that's not the fault of the OP.
October 9th, 2017 at 1:47 PM ^
I didn't want to start a new thread about this, it took me years to get the points I got, but if just half the O-line he recruited panned out to average we wouldn't be discussing this. Heck, we probably would have won the game. And the Ohio State game. And the Iowa game. Hell, we could be national champions.
October 10th, 2017 at 2:09 AM ^
October 9th, 2017 at 1:15 PM ^
Im about to start pouring vinegar to my already salted wounds
October 9th, 2017 at 12:29 PM ^
such that the results aren't so ugly?
I mean, MSU's O line is equally as young and it didn't seem even UM's D line was dominating the LoS like that.
October 9th, 2017 at 12:38 PM ^
Go more spread. We heard over the off-season that Michigan wanted to incorporate more spread concepts which was good b/c we had a plethora of young receivers/TE plus it would make it easier on our OL.
October 9th, 2017 at 12:43 PM ^
October 9th, 2017 at 12:47 PM ^
But just not running as much and replacing that with quick passes will definitely improve TFL and sack numbers...
October 12th, 2017 at 12:59 PM ^
Unless those quick passes aren't open and our WRs don't seem to be great at getting open.
October 9th, 2017 at 12:55 PM ^
msu has a young shitty offensive line, no wr talent or depth and a young first time starting qb. Their offense sure as hell isn't great but they scored two touchdowns on a superior defense. The coaching is failing right now.
October 9th, 2017 at 1:12 PM ^
I hate to say it but Dan Antonio's misdirection in the first half was not complicated and took advantage of known UM defensive tendencies.
It seemed by the playcalling our staff thought we had Bama's O line aand were just going to knock Sparty off the ball (or ride complex route trees to TD passes).
It would seem we need to dumb it down a bit (but I was a SE and CB and don't really understand the O line).
Mork has outcoached Harbaugh in every meeting thus far IMO.
October 9th, 2017 at 1:25 PM ^
October 9th, 2017 at 1:28 PM ^
First TD was gifted by Bush unsportsmanlike. Second TD was set up by a screen pass they've been saving all year. Their offense was absolutely dominated. We even outgained them by 50 yards, so let's not talk like their offense is anything to aspire to.
October 9th, 2017 at 1:43 PM ^
Why couldn't Michigan pull off a play they had been saving all year? Still 7 points if I've got that right. Seems like we could have used those 7.
October 9th, 2017 at 4:19 PM ^
October 9th, 2017 at 2:11 PM ^
October 9th, 2017 at 3:14 PM ^
Add more screen passes, play action, and even the occasional QB draw to slow the defensive line down. Reduce the number of inside runs since our line isn't strong enough to open holes.
Also, pick a running back and stick with him. Preferably Ty Isaac since he's the best in pass protection.
October 9th, 2017 at 1:41 PM ^
October 9th, 2017 at 3:17 PM ^
October 9th, 2017 at 12:31 PM ^
October 9th, 2017 at 12:45 PM ^
Embrace the suck. Next year ain't lookin' much better.
October 9th, 2017 at 12:55 PM ^
when is the Calvary coming?*
*I see what I did there.
October 9th, 2017 at 12:46 PM ^
You need tempo-free stats to make this argument. Raw totals are heavily influenced by other factors, such as Michigan's dominant defense meaning that they get more offensive snaps than a team with a lesser defense would.
I'm not saying the OL has played well -- it hasn't -- just that this isn't the right argument to prove it.
October 9th, 2017 at 12:50 PM ^
Just taking a quick look, I don't think tempo-free would be much better. I can run the numbers tonight, but because of how bad our offense is, the number of our offensive snaps against the opponents of our opponents will be that different.
October 9th, 2017 at 1:37 PM ^
Our opponents are facing about 66 opponent offensive plays per game. Our offense is averaging about 74 offensive plays per game, a 12% difference. That does not explain the 50% and 280% differences.
October 9th, 2017 at 12:56 PM ^
but we suck
October 9th, 2017 at 1:19 PM ^
October 9th, 2017 at 12:50 PM ^
October 9th, 2017 at 12:54 PM ^
I'm starting to wonder if the O-Line will ever be good again; it's been bad for like ten years now save a good left tackle here and there.
October 9th, 2017 at 1:08 PM ^
be fair to say that 2016 o-line was the 3rd best Michigan o-line of the last 10 years?
Take from it what you will.
October 9th, 2017 at 1:18 PM ^
That's probably true. And it's horrifically depressing.
2006 had a great OL. 2011 was pretty good by the end of the year, bowl game notwithstanding, but was average for the first half of the season. 2016 was good until it faced real defenses. Everything else was pretty awful.
October 9th, 2017 at 1:20 PM ^
"... it's been bad for like sixteen years now ..."
FTFY
Except for a few standouts (Jake Long, David Baas, Taylor Lewan, David Molk, etc.) it's been so-so or worse since the Hutchinson-Backus-Williams line.
Someone recently posted the picture from a 2006/2007 OSU game where the Buckeyes blow through the line. The misery extends past Hoke and RichRod into the Lloyd years.
October 9th, 2017 at 2:18 PM ^
October 9th, 2017 at 1:02 PM ^
Against Purdue and MSU in consecutive games, Michigan has given up 8 sacks. Those teams, coming into those games, had combined for 10 on the year.
October 9th, 2017 at 1:05 PM ^
The stat he uses and the eye test suggests major o-line problems. Skill development/talent problem at RT. Communication/missed assignment problems everywhere.
Lots of sacks. Also too many no-gain or TFLs on runs.
One small but relevant caveat, at least on the inside run plays: The play selection has been terrible. And that is on who ever is the main play caller (Drevno?).
Opposing Ds are usually playing stacked boxes and/or LB crashing gaps before even waiting for a read.
Insisting on so many inside runs on 1st and 2nd down increases the negative running plays. And it also makes for too many 3rd and long obvious passing downs, which increases the sack number.
October 9th, 2017 at 1:18 PM ^
Why is all the blame on the OL when there is no reason to believe that the WRs or 2nd string QB are not just as culpable?
October 9th, 2017 at 2:11 PM ^
October 9th, 2017 at 2:19 PM ^
October 9th, 2017 at 3:36 PM ^
October 9th, 2017 at 4:06 PM ^
October 9th, 2017 at 10:18 PM ^
October 9th, 2017 at 5:07 PM ^
44th in the run game will not do you much good against elite teams unless you have a Heisman-candidate QB. The OL/run game was decent last year but not good enough to bail us out when our QB made some ill-timed mistakes.
October 9th, 2017 at 10:24 PM ^
October 9th, 2017 at 1:21 PM ^
October 9th, 2017 at 1:24 PM ^
You don't need to tell me about enemies breaking through the line. I know it's bad.