Michigan 33, Northwestern 7
If you surfed the Michigan fandom portion of Twitter.com at halftime of this game, you may have gotten the impression that this one was close at one point in time. Michigan held just a 10-7 lead at the long break, and though they had dominated the contest up to that point, tactical errors on offense inside the ten yard line and one ugly defensive bust left the 'Cats within striking distance at halftime. And Michigan Twitter, of course, had a very calm 20 minute break. The Wolverines came out of the half and marched down the field, scoring a TD, followed by a missed Northwestern FG. Two drives later, a Hassan Haskins TD run put Michigan up 24-7 and the game was more or less over. Despite the consternation at halftime, this game was not close.
Things got off to a sleepy start, with no points scored by either team in the first quarter. Michigan allowed just two Northwestern first downs on defense, while the Wolverine offense allowed a drive-ending sack on their opening possession and then failed to click in the downfield passing attack, which put an end to their second drive. Finally on the third drive for the home team, Michigan found their rhythm on the ground. Hassan Haskins and the mounds of meat in front of him moved the pile for an improbable 19-yard run, followed later by a strong AJ Henning carry off the edge, a shifty 3rd & 4 scamper by Blake Corum, and then Corum diving in for the game's opening score.
Not many issues from the defense today [MG Campredon]
A gang sack from Mike Morris, David Ojabo, and Aidan Hutchinson held the Wildcats to a three and out, and the offense went back to work, stitching together a long drive that frustratingly ran out of gas inside the five yard line. The culprit was questionable playcalling. On 2nd & Goal from the 4, Michigan decided to try and test the edge with AJ Henning, which was followed by a swing pass to Erick All. Both of which gained a lone yard, and after a timeout of contemplation, Jim Harbaugh kicked a FG from the two, and Michigan led 10-0.
The drive wasn't what Michigan wanted, but it was what occurred on the next two possessions that sent Michigan Twitter into meltdown. The first ugly run bust of the year happened on Northwestern's opening play of the next drive. The defensive tackles got moved too easily, Josh Ross and Junior Colson couldn't find the holes, RJ Moten let himself get consumed by a block, and Evan Hull took it 75 yard to the house. Suddenly, it was a 10-7 game.
There'll be more QB debate this week.... probably [Bryan Fuller]
The response from Michigan seemed promising. They moved the ball quickly, and with ease. A 16 yard catch and run by Erick All got Michigan to the nine with ~0:45 left in the half. That's when the offense hit the proverbial wall again. The timing on short passes to Schoonmaker and Sainristil were slightly off, and Corum gained three on his only carry. Oh, and the Sainristil pass saw the junior wide receiver fumble, recovered by Northwestern. The visiting team kneeled it down, and the UM lead was just 3 at the half. Commence the internet freak out.
[AFTER THE JUMP: The stuff that made the internet stop freaking out]
If there was anyone who seriously thought that NU had a shot, that conception should have been quickly dispelled by a dominant third quarter, one that saw Michigan outscore Northwestern 17-0 and put the game away. Corum's brilliance scored the first TD of the second half, and Northwestern's first drive saw the 'Cats threaten (in part due to a horrendous DPI call on DJ Turner II), but couldn't come away with points, as Charlie Kuhbander's FG attempt was wide left. NU's next drive was a three and out, followed by a Cornelius Johnson blocked punt that gave the Wolverines excellent field position. Three runs from Corum and Haskins later, and Michigan led 24-7.
Hassan Haskins = Pretty good [Campredon]
The final 20 minutes of play were less noteworthy. The Wolverines scored on their next two drives, a 44 yard Jake Moody FG and a four yard Haskins TD run, the latter set up on short field position thanks to a spectacular DJ Turner II interception. At this point, Michigan led 33-7. The defense continued to do its job, but a Donovan Edwards fumble and a Moody FG miss, his first miss in nine attempts, prevented the home team from pouring on any more points. Northwestern's final drive salted the clock away and the final score stood at 33-7.
In totality, Michigan outgained Northwestern 464-233. Their rushing game predictably sliced and diced the Wildcat defense, running 54 times for 294 yards, a 5.4 yards per rush clip. Corum and Haskins both had 100+ yard days, and both had two touchdowns apiece. The passing attack was more muted, with Cade McNamara going 20/27 for 129 yards, and JJ McCarthy finishing 3/5 for 34 yards. Erick All led the way in the receiving game, hauling in five passes for 34 yards. Michigan seemed hesitant to test the Northwestern secondary, which made sense given the weakness of NU's front seven (which I outlined in FFFF), and the generally solid coverage that their secondary was playing.
Defensively, Michigan's pass rush was tremendous, constantly subjecting Ryan Hilinski to fire, and helping to hold him to just 14/29 with an INT. Aidan Hutchinson dominated RT Ethan Wiederkher, and fire came from plenty of other places on the line, too. The run defense was strong, outside of the one disastrous bust: subtract that one run, and Michigan held Northwestern to 25 yards on 22 attempts (sacks included). The defense struggled with screen passes early, but began to lock in on them once it became the predictable playcall for nearly every 3rd down situation. The defense as a unit forced two turnovers, a fumble and the spectacular interception by DJ Turner II. It was Turner's best collegiate game by a wide margin.
Another strong game from the special teams [Campredon]
As usual, Michigan was decisively better than their opposition in special teams. Moody went 2/3 on FGs and was perfect on XP attempts. AJ Henning had a nice punt return, and of course Johnson's punt block was a major story. Meanwhile, NW went 0/1 on their FG attempts.
Michigan is now 7-0 for the first time since 2016 and just the second time in the past fourteen seasons. They will head northwest to face a fellow 7-0 squad, rival Michigan State, for a massive tilt next weekend. That game is slated to begin at noon eastern on Fox. Buckle in, gang.
October 23rd, 2021 at 4:20 PM ^
Good game by the boys in blue. I can hear Cade now, "Previous Michigan teams would have made this much closer"
October 24th, 2021 at 4:01 PM ^
"No disrespect"...
October 23rd, 2021 at 4:25 PM ^
I’ll take the stress-free second half. Ask Penn State how they’re feeling right now. Actually, fuck them.
October 23rd, 2021 at 5:16 PM ^
They are PED STATE!
October 23rd, 2021 at 5:40 PM ^
Yeah, UM’s systemic sexual abuse was of teenagers
October 23rd, 2021 at 6:41 PM ^
Michigan, OSU and MSU had team physicians abuse their power. Horrible, but it's somewhat comprehensible why people in power didn't act - they assumed the doctors had a legitimate medical purpose in doing what they did. It raises questions about how we can monitor medical abuse in large institutions.
PSU was a lot more incomprehensible. There, a football coach raped little boys. And even after he was quietly forced into retirement, he still was allowed access to the football facility.
October 24th, 2021 at 8:15 AM ^
I don’t know if you can comprehend this or not, but two events can both be bad. Yet one event can be significantly worse.
It’s really not a stretch here to say a football coach raping young children in the football facility showers and then being allowed to continue using the facilities after his “retirement” is a much more horrific event than medical personnel performing unnecessary rectal exams on adult men.
October 23rd, 2021 at 5:19 PM ^
Logged in just to upvote. Also, we are going to run it all over them.
October 23rd, 2021 at 9:44 PM ^
Holy crap. I just looked. 20-18 in 9ot. So glad I didn’t watch that shit
October 23rd, 2021 at 9:57 PM ^
It was pretty painful.
October 23rd, 2021 at 10:29 PM ^
The OTs were fun to watch.
October 24th, 2021 at 9:29 AM ^
The overtimes were pretty exciting
October 24th, 2021 at 4:05 PM ^
I watched from the late 4th quarter through the overtimes. It was frustrating in an entertaining sort of way. Very glad for Peters who missed an early throw that would have won it after coming in in relief, and that he got a chance to redeem himself at the end.
October 23rd, 2021 at 4:28 PM ^
We’ll barely remember this in two weeks.
Lots of people want JJ, which is understandable given the Cade passing offense is unimpressive, but he won’t fix the problems that the passing offense has had any more than firing Pep Hamilton or getting Shea or getting Cade last year.
Consistent intermediate passing: Michigan doesn’t do it. Finding space within zone coverages. Picking defenders apart. Michigan hasn’t done that since 2016 at the latest.
Cade has full command of the offense and avoids mistakes, and that’s what the staff wants. For good or for ill. So I’m fine with them sticking with him; JJ hasn’t looked notably accurate when not throwing bombs, and we know Cade avoids dumb stuff.
This is basically who Michigan has been since 2016 ended. The similarities between this team and 2018 are startling, with the one major difference thus far being that Michigan hasn’t had to play a good team early like 2018 did at Notre Dame. And our defense can play zone.
Looks like a rhythm to finish the year. Should-win game before tough game, repeat three times. The should-wins won’t look great, but as long as we win, I’m fine with that.
I’m not on the dump-Cade bandwagon, but I want JJ to get more time in the game. The offense functions with him and it’s important for him to get a chance to do the stuff Michigan needs him to do if he does eventually get the nod. He only threw a couple of passes today, and I want more. Just like Cade, if we want him to learn to dissect defenses he needs to see them.
October 23rd, 2021 at 4:34 PM ^
This team is really coming together. All the weaknesses spoken of before the start of the year are disappearing. These guys are really playing good complementary football, maybe better than anyone else.
October 23rd, 2021 at 4:41 PM ^
I agree. We need to practice our offense. Our WHOLE offense.
Here's the thing: if JJ gets the nod, does the playcalling open up? Is he allowed to actually read the option? I'm not so sure.
I posted this in another thread, but it sorta felt like we got outcoached in Q1 (and only Q1). Our coaches adjust relatively well, but it seemed like NW came in absolutely ready for what we were about to do out of the gate. That all went away and the game stopped feeling close after that.
October 23rd, 2021 at 5:18 PM ^
Why aren't you sure about the option? JJ actually ran an option, correctly pulled, and got a big gain.
October 23rd, 2021 at 5:55 PM ^
Experience has told us that in MOST games, the starter does not make a read -- that is, does not keep -- the vast majority of the time. The backup is allowed to read and keep. JJ is the backup, ergo, he can make a read, and he's damn good at it.
BUT (NTButt) -- experience also tells that the starter does read in big games. So I'm wondering if we'll see Cade actually read/keep against MSU. It would be nice if we could get 5-6 yard chunks from Cade and put that doubt into the defense's mind, loosening up the conventional (kick-ass) run game.
October 23rd, 2021 at 6:07 PM ^
Don't put too much stock in Q1, this was a pretty vanilla game plan. So NW came out prepared for Michigan's generic base plays, and thats what they got. Big deal... Those base plays, and some offshoots from those, eventually won the day pretty easily. I fully expect a more energized team next week.
October 23rd, 2021 at 8:22 PM ^
I don't really think this was the case. Michigan's first drive had two first downs and only stalled because of the sack on the safety blitz that Filiaga missed. It was a good blitz call and a missed assignment on what to my eye wasn't necessarily a base play.
The second drive Michigan threw two bombs on 1st and 2nd down which aren't exactly their base plays either. And our WRs just can't get separation and Cade wasn't perfect on them so from then on, they went to the base plays and just ran it down NW's throat the rest of the game.
October 24th, 2021 at 10:36 AM ^
I don't agree with this. NW gained 29 yards on their first play and one could tell that was a bi-week scripted play to mess with Michigan's Defense and it worked. Fine. Up until the 1 defensive play meltdown, NW had -6 yards rushing and only ~70 yards passing (again most of that came on the first play).
Coming out of a bi-week, NW had scripted several plays and again, up to the only defensive meltdown play, and accomplished nothing.
Expect more of the same this weekend with Sparty having a bi-week. My hope (and expect) these pending scripted plays do not result in long game changing scoring plays. Sparty will get their yardage, the main part will be to limit these chunk plays and not give up a score from them. The first quarter will be very interesting next weekend.....
October 24th, 2021 at 4:11 PM ^
if JJ gets the nod, does the playcalling open up? Is he allowed to actually read the option?
Does the playcalling open up? No, not much. In fact the playbook would be more limited to what he and the coaches are comfortable with him attempting.
Is he allowed to actually read the option? I'd say even less if he is the starter than when he is the backup coming in for a limited series.
October 23rd, 2021 at 4:48 PM ^
Can Cade be Jake Rudock?
October 23rd, 2021 at 5:07 PM ^
That would be great. People forget it now but Rudock could never complete a deep ball in the first 6-7 weeks of the season and then was a machine in the second half.
October 23rd, 2021 at 8:19 PM ^
Exactly what I was thinking about
and it seees suiting those finest 6-7 games it was just that close to clicking same here.
October 23rd, 2021 at 11:42 PM ^
I still remember the fumbled snap game against MSU.. Our last real drive of that game i remember Chesson running wide fucking open down the middle of the field for what would have been a touchdown and Rudock overthrew him by a mile...
We all know what happened after we stopped MSU on the next drive... so ipso facto, jake rudock lost that game not the dropped snap
October 24th, 2021 at 1:07 AM ^
Seems to be the antiJake….had the deep ball early and lost it.
bell injury is the seasons biggest story and we never talk about it.
bucks have 3! Number ones at wide out. Huge hole to have for your offense …think about the pluses for routes ran UFR used to hand out. It’s the intangibles and finer points of the game that’s eluding the passing game. Not all on the qb
October 24th, 2021 at 9:52 AM ^
Jake had another advantage over Cade though in that he could run
October 23rd, 2021 at 8:11 PM ^
Probably not because Ronnie Bell (or Jehu Chesson or Amara Darboh or Jake Butt) aren't walking through that door. Rudock had better pass catching weapons.
October 23rd, 2021 at 6:39 PM ^
Good take, Cade can do just enough to avoid mistakes and make plays to win...against most teams. However, we will need elite effort from the QB to beat OSU...regardless who is at the helm.
Bring on Sparty.
October 23rd, 2021 at 11:44 PM ^
i don't think there are more than 1 or 2 QB's in the country that are elite enough to beat OSU the way they are functioning on offense currently..
unless they truly shit the bed when they play a defense with a pulse, unfortunately they won't play one until they play MSU.. cause penn state just gave up almost 400 yards rushing to ILL today..
October 24th, 2021 at 7:30 AM ^
zack calzada.
October 23rd, 2021 at 8:09 PM ^
1. I think the lack of middle stuff is very much a staple of Gattis (and Moorhead) offenses. Idea being to hit the flats and edges and then go deep with verts with very little in between. I feel like the TE game in the intermediate middle has been good the last couple games taking advantage of the space there.
2. When it comes to the passing game, Cade hasn't been great but without Bell and with Wilson limited, the WRs core is probably just average. None of them can get any separation with much regularity and CJ at this time doesn't make the vertical plays even on a Hemingway level, and nowhere near Braylon or Nico of course.
3. I don't know why people always act like players aren't learning defenses in practice. He can learn a lot in practice. You can't replicate game speed pressure, so it's not identical but you can show him lots of coverages. JJ will play when ready. He certainly is an incredible talent. He's going to be fun to watch whenever he does take over (if not this year, certainly by next year, I would think).
October 23rd, 2021 at 8:21 PM ^
I agree, today as an example Northwester runs cover 2 almost exclusively. The openings are mid range towards the boundaries, didn’t call much of that though.
October 23rd, 2021 at 8:53 PM ^
As you note, QB practice cannot simulate live game play. And the fact is, you can show all the coverages you wish but the lack of true pressure renders said "practice" meaningless.
October 23rd, 2021 at 9:35 PM ^
Uh, no, practice is not meaningless. It's critical.
October 24th, 2021 at 7:31 AM ^
allen iverson has entered the chat.
October 24th, 2021 at 1:35 PM ^
right, there's a definite lack of middle stuff. except for the, you know, tight end stuff, which has been good the last couple of games taking advantage of the space there.
so, middle stuff, just not the middle stuff you'd like, or something. whatever.
October 23rd, 2021 at 8:34 PM ^
Yes there was some questionable play calling which can’t occur against better teams and I would have liked to have seen JJ in earlier not because of any concerns about Cade (and there are a few) but JJ needs the reps and playing time experience. I just watched ohio take out IU’s starting QB and if M has learned anything, the back up needs to be ready to play.
Though we had some an opportune turnover, we’re still + in the takeaways for the season and the blocked punt was a beaut. D was solid in spite of the blown play though they need to continue to mature and quickly.
October 23rd, 2021 at 8:40 PM ^
I am not on the "Dump Cade" bandwagon either. However, I am weary of all that he is leaving on the field. Devin's MMQB assessments have been too sobering. JJ is increasingly looking to be a difference-maker. I understand the dilemma this presents for the coaches. However, it is unfair to both JJ and the team to not increase his opportunities.
October 23rd, 2021 at 9:47 PM ^
People keep saying that Cade doesn’t make mistakes, but in the first quarter alone he took a huge sack today when he had plenty of time to at least throw it away and he threw a ball into traffic that should’ve been picked. I’m not convinced that taking the throw the defense is giving you precisely because it’s way short of the line to gain counts as the right read.
But maybe the GattisBaugh offense is just such crap that that is in fact what they want (I wouldn’t be surprised). I just don’t see Cade a game manager so much as a weakness that they scheme around. McCarthy looked like a plus athlete who can make throws that Cade seldom shows. You can’t beat teams with equal or better talent if your quarterback is going to throw for like 5 yards an attempt. That’s not just a muted passing game; that’s one with its jaws wired shut.
But I fully agree that this isn’t getting fixed under Harbaugh. Playing JJ just means waiting for him to be molding into the same middling starter level player that we saw in Patterson and Cade.
October 24th, 2021 at 11:04 AM ^
I did't neg you because:
A) I think people have a right to their opinions
B) Your half right
Now, I am going to say that I am NOT on the "Bag Cade" bandwagon, however..... (FYI, I was at the game so I don't know if these show up on TV or not....)
1) On the series killing sack, Corum released immediately to the flat on the wide side of the field. There was NO ONE within 20 yards of him. Even with the blitz, the OLine initially picked it up, but Cade was staring downfield too long. The need to recognize the blitz, quick check down field, no one open.....fine. Toss it out to your most explosive player in the flat, again who was blitheringly wide open. Sorry but that is 100% on Cade
2) Seam route to Schoonmaker. He was open, He had his defender at least 2 yards trailing. Cade slightly under threw that ball and that was the only reason it was broken up. Place that ball correctly, that is a TD....
3) The near pick. He threw that ball with very little velocity into a tight zone coverage....
4) Several of his swing passes were just off. Catchable yes, but the runners had to break stride to catch them and that hinders the effectiveness of the plays....
OK so I have pointed out the negatives, there are plus as many have noted. He rarely puts the ball in danger. Yes manages the game effectively. These are basics that he does well, but it is becoming more and more apparent that his skill set is limiting what the offense can really do.
With that all being stated. Starting Cade is still the correct decision, JJ is clearly the better athlete, appears to have an 'it' factor, has a significantly stronger arm, but is still in a learning curve of the playbook.
What I loved seeing is that they trotted out JJ, Corum, and Edwards all in the same set. My hope is that they spent the past biweek on a package of plays with those guys, but only showed the basic to be filmed this week for Sparty.
Continue to start Cade, but also keep increasing plays for JJ (particularly with the Corum/Edwards backfield).
My expectation/prediction is that whatever bowl game we get to, JJ will be playing the majority of the time....
October 24th, 2021 at 8:29 AM ^
The biggest difference for me is JJ’s mobility. If the passing game isn’t working for Cade, he has nothing. If Cade drops back to pass and nobody is open, it’s either a sack or he’s throwing the ball away. Or We have to rely solely on the backs. If the passing game isn’t working for JJ, he has that element of mobility that opponents HAVE to respect. Whether it’s designed runs, reads, or scrambles. Which in turn opens receivers up down the field.
Cade is the very safe pick. He’ll make the easy throws for the most part and hit the occasional deep ball over the top. He’ll protect the ball. But he’s not going to drive the team down the field consistently with his arm and he doesn’t have the mobility to make up for that. So there’s a limit to the offense with Cade under center that is going to become glaringly evident if/when we run into a team that can handle our running game. JJ is the more wildcard here, but there’s going to come a point in the not-too-distant future where his upside is going to be necessary to win games.
Obviously it hasn’t cost us yet and Cade has been good enough to get us to 7-0. I just don’t think I’ve seen enough from his arm to make up for his lack of mobility to really give me much confidence in him through the meat of the schedule. He’s on pace for 2,070 (159.3ypg) yards in a 13 game season and has 5 TDs through 7 games. He’s going to have to do more to get us through these games and I’m just not confident in that so far.
October 24th, 2021 at 8:54 AM ^
Looks like a rhythm to finish the year. Should-win game before tough game, repeat three times. The should-wins won’t look great, but as long as we win, I’m fine with that.
I would be if we weren't going to give up 60 pts to OSU, but alas. If that game is as ugly as it was in 2018, which I fully expect, it will be another ugly offseason until JH can find a way to be competitive in that game. This style of offense won't do it unfortunately even if it can win 10 or even 11 other games. And, I for one, and many others feel this way too, that we simply can't accept getting blown out to OSU every year.
October 23rd, 2021 at 4:29 PM ^
Was it windy at the stadium?
On deep passes from both teams it seemed like receivers slowed for balls which then went over their heads.
October 23rd, 2021 at 4:34 PM ^
Not really, but it definitely gusted up at times.
That said, still doesn't excuse Cade throwing the ball too far up field when all he had to do was lead his WR towards a side and away from the deep safety.
October 23rd, 2021 at 8:49 PM ^
Perhaps Bell’s injury has had a greater effect on the entire squad though it is great to see CJ surge. Cade and his receivers haven’t developed the sync necessary to take the pass game to the next level. They need to get it together quickly.
October 23rd, 2021 at 8:05 PM ^
I noticed this as well. It was very weird
October 23rd, 2021 at 4:34 PM ^
BTW I’m putting this here: PSU lost, so it looks like we’ll get Gameday next week.
In a thread earlier this week asking if we’d get Gameday I said something like: PSU-OSU is a cinch to get it assuming OSU doesn’t get upset by Indiana or Penn State gets upset by IlliniHAHAHAHA I can’t even say it nevermind.
Well I was wrong. I’d say the joke is on me, but I was simply incorrect online. The joke is on Penn State.
So: HAHAHAHA
October 23rd, 2021 at 4:35 PM ^
Wife just turned to me and said "maybe we'll get Gameday now!"
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