podcast
podcasts
mgopodcast
Colorado State 2022
michigan football

MGoPodcast 14.2: Definitely Definitive Comment Count

BlueBarron September 12th, 2022 at 7:00 AM

1 hour and 43 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, SignalWire (use the code MUPPETS), Venue by 4M, where we recorded this, Team Fan Club, and introducing The View from the Cheap Seats podcast by the Sklars, who will now be joining us for the Hot Takes segments. Please go subscribe and like their podcast and leave your hot takes about this game in the reviews.

1. Offense vs Hawaii

starts at 1:00

Big Ten relegation! Let's talk about JJ. 11/12 on passing and the one miss hit Ronnie in the facemask. Harbaugh announces JJ as the starter for UConn without even checking the tape. JJ made some opponent invariant throws that we're excited about. Cade had every opportunity to keep his job and he just didn't execute. How can you explain his dip in performance as anything but him looking over his shoulder? CJ Stokes looks like a Karan Higdon type runner. Max Bredeson had a nice catch and started to outrun the entire defense! Donovan Edwards vs Blake Corum. Offensive line performance after shuffling people around - there is some room for improvement. Did the offensive line have a revolt against Cade when they gave up those sacks?? (No, no they did not).

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

 

2. Defense vs Hawaii

starts at 35:20

*slaps Seth on the wrist* Not a whole lot to say here. The 3rd string defense was... maybe not great? Rayshaun Benny looked pretty good. Michael Barrett was an insider linebacker which you probably don't want to do against Wisconsin (who Michigan doesn't play anyways). RJ Moten just needs to catch one. Amorion Walker on offense and defense? Did Rayshaun Benny bring back the belly rub?? 

3. Hot Takes, Special Teams, and Game Theory

starts at 51:43

Takes hotter than JJ McCarthy on Saturday night (there it is). Dave vs The Voice, find out what happens. Is it a sad field goal if you're Hawaii? Shouldn't Hawaii be getting a lot of great transfers? Because how awesome would it be to just live in Hawaii for four years (like their kicker/punter). AJ Henning punt return discussion - has some good returns, might've made a couple iffy decisions. No field goals but Jake Moody had a kickoff field goal. Brad Robbins punts it to the moon. Michigan scored touchdowns from within the red zone!

4. Around the Big Ten With Jamie Mac

starts at 1:13:39

10-7 is the perfect ¡El Assico! score. Kirk Ferentz, why have you not fired your son? Iowa blocked two punts and scored seven points?? Could this maybe be the beginning of the end of Kirk Ferentz? Georgia Southern put up 642(!!!) yards against Nebraska!? Both of these teams went 3-9 last season. Scott Frost was fired just after the recording of this podcast so that is not discussed. Coming into this game, Nebraska was 214-0 when scoring 35 or more points at home. Now they are 214-1. Wisconsin outgains Wazzu 401-253 but loses... This is not good Washington State either. Northwestern can't complete a 21-0 deficit in a 31-23 loss to Duke. Is Illinois... the best looking team in the West right now? Every other Big Ten game was a blowout. 

MUSIC:

  • "Regulate"--Warren G
  • "No Beginner"--Serengeti
  • "20Min"--Lil Uzi Vert
  • “Across 110th Street”
THE USUAL LINKS:

 

"This is the point of the podcast where I'm screaming at you that we have to keep this. So we're keeping it."

Comments

DonAZ

September 12th, 2022 at 7:25 AM ^

I've heard many people who do or have lived in Hawaii speak of the "island fever" one gets: that is, a feeling of being confined, and a desire to get back to the mainland.  Not everyone, but enough to make it noteworthy.

Hawaii (the football team) ... I'm always intrigued by the psychology of games like this.  Hawaii had to know their chances of pulling off an upset were practically zero.  (App State in 2007 was a far, far better football team than is 2022 Hawaii.)  So it's a "learning experience" exercise, and the coaches' challenge is to keep the team checked-in and playing.  To their credit, Hawaii seemed to do that.  Sure, again Michigan's 3rd-string ... but many Michigan's 3rd-string players would start for some Mountain West teams. So kudos to Hawaii for that.

That photo of Roman Wilson taking a bow is simply an awesome shot.

Joined: 12/05/2011

MGoPoints: 16761

goblu330

September 12th, 2022 at 9:37 AM ^

This game had the feel of a scrimmage.  Like, when it was 28-0 and Hawaii had a 3rd and 6 on their own like 35 and they sent out the punt team I thought to myself “why?”  Michigan was going to score regardless of where they got the ball so I didn’t really see the point.  
 

I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a game that was less competitive, nor do I think I’ve ever seen a team begin a game without the “intention” of winning.  I’ve seen a lot of games where a team clearly knew they couldn’t win but who nonetheless tried to.  That wasn’t the case here.  It was honestly kind of odd to watch.

Joined: 01/07/2022

MGoPoints: 32123

MGolem

September 12th, 2022 at 8:01 AM ^

No one ever seems to mention Minnesota when discussing the Big Ten West. I have no idea how good they are but they have some known entities that have been plenty successful in past seasons and no upheaval regarding coaching turnover etc. Could they be the class of the West?

Joined: 10/14/2010

MGoPoints: 13592

1VaBlue1

September 12th, 2022 at 8:17 AM ^

As podcasts go, this was as entertaining as the podcast of a 56-10 blowout of a clearly overmatched opponent could be.  Dave's hot take was pretty hot - I doubt Cade was in on his own demise!  Otherwise, not much to talk about with the game - it was the most lopsided I've seen in a long time (like, maybe forever) as far as the two teams on the field are concerned.  Although, to be honest, I've never watched the SEC's yearly butt-rape's of Samford and Sons and the like.

Meta complaint - for years now I've whined about Brian's voice often going so soft that he in unintelligible for entire sentences.  If you turn it up loud enough to hear him, then Seth and the others blast out your eardrums.  That issue was largely fixed for most of the last year, except it was back with a vengeance on this podcast.  Please - figure out some way to modulate his voice track to be even with everyone else's!

Joined: 01/31/2016

MGoPoints: 127087

outsidethebox

September 12th, 2022 at 8:29 AM ^

So JJ made some "opponent variant throws" eh??? He made as good or better throws against Georgia. I am really curious what the hell this kid has to do to confirm his incredible talent for some of you. Meanwhile, we have people on this forum who are crediting Cade for informing and teaching JJ what he needs to do and learn-stating that he is the reason JJ has ascended to this level of play. OMG. 

I will refrain from going on a full-blown rant in this regard. Otherwise, JJ is 19 years old.                     

Joined: 01/23/2017

MGoPoints: 18816

denverblue

September 12th, 2022 at 1:33 PM ^

Likewise, folks tend to use regardless and irregardless interchangeably, even tho the latter isn't typically considered a word in "formal" English* and forces my ears to cringe like nails on a chalkboard.

I prefer to say "dis-un-ir-regardless" to drive the point home

*Say what you want to say about the tenets of English as a language, but it is a highly flexible and adaptable language- the downside of which is it's awful to learn as a non-native/second language

Joined: 09/05/2009

MGoPoints: 1872

DetroitDan

September 12th, 2022 at 9:17 AM ^

This game was what I've always wanted from a blowout:

- exciting long passes and 6 TDs in the first half

- defense totally shuts down opponent in first half

- freshmen, 3rd string, and walk-ons play the ENTIRE SECOND HALF

It was fun to see the more competitive second half knowing that we had a huge lead and that everyone was getting a chance to play.

Joined: 01/14/2021

MGoPoints: 4058

Hab

September 12th, 2022 at 9:22 AM ^

Not sure how I feel (not that it matters) about all the revelry surrounding JJ taking over the #1 slot, at least, not at Cade's expense.  There's a classy way to treat this, and dorm-room giggling and taking a victory lap isn't it.  Take a moment, recognize what Cade did for the team last year, applaud him for how he's handled the competition, and encourage others to take solace in the fact that we've got probably the best backup QB in the country.  I get the excitement about the future of the offense, but we're fools to think that JJ is impervious to injury.  And it's not like our program doesn't have a history of rolling into the Game with an injured QB and then nothing in reserve.  If we want to beat OSU this year, we need both JJ and Cade.    

Joined: 01/02/2015

MGoPoints: 39666

bronxblue

September 12th, 2022 at 9:45 AM ^

Yeah, that first 5-10 minute chunk of the podcast was a bit obnoxious.  Cade McNamara not willing giving up his starting role to someone without a fight isn't some moral failing, and dancing on his grave feels a bit excessive.   

I'm happy McCarthy is the starter and played well but if anyone thinks UM isn't going to need McNamara to play well at some point this year they're fooling themselves.  

Joined: 11/22/2008

MGoPoints: 171743

goblu330

September 12th, 2022 at 9:48 AM ^

This.  The consensus seems to be that Harbaugh has handled the situation well.  I think it has been far from it.  If McCarthy was and has been clearly better (as it appears to nearly everybody) he should have just started the season as the starter.  There would not have to have been all this discussion and focus on it.  Michigan would have just had a really good experienced backup who played a lot the first three games. I can’t say I blame McNamara by being put off by the last two weeks.  This was more of a “rip off the bandaid situation” that played out for far too long, and it does appear to have impacted Cade’s psyche.

Joined: 01/07/2022

MGoPoints: 32123

bronxblue

September 12th, 2022 at 10:32 AM ^

It played out well but I also don't think this is how Harbaugh expected it to go.  Again, all reports from camp were that this was a 50/50 contest, and that nobody would have been shocked had McNamara held onto the job.  I mean, had McNamara even had a game similar to his WMU game last year I think we're still having a discussion about the long-term starter.  

These were probably the two worst performances we've seen from McNamara when factoring in opponent and the fact they happened in consecutive weeks made this decision easy.  But I really don't think there's a ton of evidence behind the idea that Harbaugh kept Cade in his spot out of some combination of pity and 9-dimensional chess to keep a lockerroom happy.

Joined: 11/22/2008

MGoPoints: 171743

OldSchoolWolverine

September 12th, 2022 at 12:39 PM ^

When in history has a QB who was essentially undefeated in conference as starter and 12-0, beats our rival which hadn't happened in 7 years, wins the conference title, and then not start the next season ?   This is unprecedented.  Harbaugh handled it well.  You could argue McCarthy won the job last year and Harbaugh was playing it safe, and you'd have an argument.  But, I didn't think mcCarthy was quite ready yet as the starter, vs the consistency of Cade.  

Joined: 11/03/2013

MGoPoints: 27130

HAIL 2 VICTORS

September 12th, 2022 at 10:03 AM ^

I am thankful to Cade for everything he did last year.  Cade beat Ohio State - free drinks in AA forever!  However I am also thankful that it is obvious beyond a shadow of doubt and hopefully by Cade's own recognition that JJ simply has ability and talent Cade does not possess. 

JJ has shown he is now competent in executing the offense and leading everything else in arm, accuracy and mobility is what we all thought it was in comparison.

No need to apologize to Cade or reserve judgment of Cade for what was last year.

Joined: 12/01/2009

MGoPoints: 21153

dragonchild

September 12th, 2022 at 10:43 AM ^

Right now Cade isn't even providing play worthy of backup.  He was outperformed by, and at this rate will get passed by, the third-string QB.  And thing is, we know he's better than this.

I don't know if he's hiding an injury or mentally stressed, but he's clearly off his game.  If he needs to take some time for himself, or what, hey, he's human and both physical and mental health are important.  But if this is just him getting flustered because Harbaugh didn't hand him the starting spot like it was a reward for last year (like it is for literally no other position in the program), he needs to get himself straightened out, stat.  A, that'd be entitled as all get out and B, we need him.  We rarely make it through the season with one QB.

I'm sure he's having a rough time of it, but this year's The Game is in Columbus.  What he's going through now, at least what we can see -- the booing, the QB competition, the media smelling his blood in the water -- is going to be prancing through flowers compared to the pressure that's waiting for him in late November.  If he needs to take care of himself, I hope he's given the space, but on the field, he's part of a team with other QBs on the roster.  If he expects to be the starting QB at Michigan, he needs to do a LOT better.

Joined: 10/13/2011

MGoPoints: 60909

goblu330

September 12th, 2022 at 11:16 AM ^

I agree with all of this, but am I the only one who doesn’t really feel like the other players are really playing that hard for Cade? Johnson did not look like he could much be bothered to just… bend down on Cade’s first pass of the season, and he got NO protection on his first half series against Hawaii.  I think it was Zinter who got scorched without even making contact with the d-tackle when Hawaii had not generated any pass rush the entire game.  Additionally, everything called for Cade is just milk-toast.  We had a ton of pre snap motion with JJ and lots of misdirection.  Cade is getting outs and stop routes.
 

There is just something off when he is playing, and it doesn’t feel or look like the issue is all him.

Joined: 01/07/2022

MGoPoints: 32123

dragonchild

September 12th, 2022 at 11:35 AM ^

Oof.  I wish you didn't touch that can of worms.  If the team doesn't have his back that raises questions about Cade's attitude, which is something I'm not comfortable discussing unless we know more.  It's not Occam's Razor with what we have; even All-Americans can dorf a play or two in a blowout.

Yeah I gotta admit, I saw what you saw, but I'm going to wipe it from memory for the time being, because I'm too tempted to speculate.  With regards to who should start, I can and prefer to keep it simple:  for now, Cade's performance is losing him the job.  I mean, if you're going to badly underthrow a pass that it gets picked off by Hawai'i, not much else is relevant.

Joined: 10/13/2011

MGoPoints: 60909

MGoBkExam

September 12th, 2022 at 11:59 AM ^

Are you saying that in the span of 3 or 4 weeks, the team that voted Cade as captain is not trying as hard for him as they are for JJ? Also, are you saying that the coaches are calling worse plays for Cade vs. what they are calling for JJ? Do you think they called worse plays for Davis Warren vs. what they called for JJ?

Joined: 04/26/2011

MGoPoints: 739