Upon Further Review 2012: Offense vs Notre Dame Comment Count

Brian

Formation notes: "second and seven under center play action":

ohyeaahh_color[1]

via NDMSPAINT.

Substitution notes: usual. When Lewan went out temporarily they made the same OL switch. No Rawls, FWIW.

Ln Dn Ds O Form RB TE WR DForm Type Play Player Yards
M25 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 Base 3-4 Run QB sweep Robinson 5
End around fake gets Te'o chasing Gallon way away from the play after he initially reacted quickly to the actual run. Kwiatkowski(+1) seals Tuitt inside impressively; Mealer cannot pass Nix off to Barnum and the other ILB and Motta are flowing freely. Schofield makes contact with the playside OLB at a hash; OLB tries to force it inside but Robinson just runs past him, jogging OOB as Motta comes up. Probably a push as far as yardage goes, but upside was greater on the cut.
M30 2 5 I-form twins 2 1 2 Base 3-4 Pass FB wheel trickery Kerridge Inc (Pen +15)
Kerridge offset. Gardner comes in motion and takes a pitch from Robinson, then sets up to throw. This doesn't really fool the OLB covering Kerridge but he is checking for a potential run and ends up a step or two behind. Gardner leaves it short, giving the LB a chance to catch up and interfere. (MA, 1, protection 2/2, RPS +1)
M45 1 10 Shotgun 2-back TE 2 1 2 Base 3-4 Run Inverted veer keeper Robinson 3
ND shifts from an under look back to their standard presnap. Lewan(-1) is smoked by Tuitt on the backside. Omameh and Mealer(-1) double Nix; when Nix takes the contact he pulls Mealer with him so that when Omameh releases he's free to run at the play, too. Denard pulls as he sees the playside LB bug out for the frontside but the two DL cut off the vertical hole and he ends up having to go back outside, which blows up all the blocking angles and lets a bunch of guys converge after three. +0.5 for Schofield, I guess, for fending off Lewis-Moore decently enough and giving Denard the little chunk he did get.
M48 2 7 Shotgun 3-wide tight 1 1 3 Base 3-4 Pass Slant Gallon Inc
I don't think this is a bad throw, actually, since the OLB was backing out into this route and if he leads Gallon he is potentially throwing an INT. Gallon gets his hands on it but it's behind him and dropped. (MA, 2, protection 1/1)
M48 3 7 Shotgun 4-wide tight 1 1 3 Nickel even Pass Scramble Robinson 7
Forever to look, but he can't find anyone. Kind of looks like a delayed drag from Gardner is his primary read after the other guys run off the coverage, but for whatever reason he doesn't like that and takes off, reaching for the first down dangerously. He's down before it comes out. (SCR, N/A, protection 3/3, Robinson +1 on ground.) On replay, he didn't really have anyone.
O45 1 10 Ace twins 1 2 2 Base 3-4 Pass PA fly Roundtree Inc
Under center PA fools no one, nobody open. ND only rushes three, leaving a spy back. Time and Robinson chucks it in the general direction of a blanketed Roundtree. That's so overthrown I think he's throwing it away, but if so just run the ball. There was room to pick up something. (IN, 0, protection 2/2, RPS -1)
O45 2 10 I-form 2 1 2 4-3 under Run Iso Toussaint 2
A corner blitz submarines this. A slant got Nix upfield of Barnum but Barnum gets a shove and Nix runs by the play, leaving a gap; Toussaint tries to hit it but is run down by the corner and a LB coming around the outside. RPS -1.
O43 3 8 Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 Base 3-4 Pass Dig Roundtree Inc
Double A gap blitz. Michigan almost picks it up. Toussaint chops down one LB, but he is fortunate enough to roll over to his feet quickly enough to get up and hit Robinson as he throws. He'd found an open guy but the pass sails since he literally cannot step into it. (BA, 0, protection ½, Toussaint -1)
Drive Notes: Punt, 0-0, 12 min 1st Q
Ln Dn Ds O Form RB TE WR D Form Type Play Player Yards
O10 1 10 Ace trips bunch 1 1 3 Base 3-4 Run Pitch sweep Toussaint -2
Play asks Roundtree(-1) to block a 250 pound OLB with predictable results. OLB beats him, strings it out, pushes Roundtree back, etc. Te'o shoots up in the gap to the interior of this block and convinces Lewan(-1) he must abort his pull outside Roundtree to take him. Toussaint ends up with no space and unblocked guys in his face. RPS -1.
O12 2 12 Ace 3TE 1 3 1 Base 3-4 Pass PA sack N/A -3
Play asks Toussaint to block Tuitt with predictable results. He whiffs, Lewan gets beat by Shembo, down goes Robinson. (PR, N/A, protection 0/4, Lewan -2, Toussaint -2) Also no one was open because not one ND player took a step towards the line of scrimmage, but hey when you can get Michigan's incredibly deep TE corps on the field on second and goal from the twelve, you gotta do it. RPS -2.
O15 3 15 Shotgun trips 1 1 3 Base 3-4 Pass Sack N/A -10
Barnum(-1) is shoved back into the pocket by KLM; Schofield(-2) gets crushed back by Tuitt and Denard has no pocket and an edge rusher, with predictable result. Looks like Tuitt got his rush by smashing Schofield in the face, which isn't legal, but it also isn't called. Meanwhile, everyone in the pattern is double covered. Woo! (PR, N/A, protection 0/3, Barnum -1, Schofield -2).
Drive Notes: missed FG(43), 0-0, 9 min 1st Q
Ln Dn Ds O Form RB TE WR D Form Type Play Player Yards
M12 1 10 Shotgun 2-back TE 2 1 2 Base 3-4 Run End-around Gallon 8
Similar to the Norfleet play from UMass. The OLB and corner to that side both hop out to contain; Gallon cuts it up. M gets lucky after a terrible block from JRobinson(-1), who's supposed to crack down on a linebacker and gives a weak shoulder shove as he falls to the ground. This means he accidentally trips KLM as he tries to release from Schofield(+1, I guess), and KLM falls into the linebacker who was gently caressed by JRob. Gallon(+0.5) cuts behind a charging Te'o on the corner and picks up an extra few yards.
M20 2 2 Shotgun 2TE twins 1 2 2 Base 3-4 Run Yakety snap N/A -6
Was going to be an inverted veer, it looks like.
M14 3 8 Shotgun 4-wide tight 1 1 3 Base 3-4 Pass Dig Gardner 18
Good protection; Robinson zings it in a tight window just as Gardner breaks open between two zone defenders. (DO, 3, protection 2/2)
M32 1 10 Ace 3TE 2 1 2 Base 3-4 Pass Throwback screen Gallon Inc
Third TE actually Kerridge, no Funchess. This one isn't going anywhere even if accurate, as Lewan got bumped by the OLB and cannot get out on the corner. OLB and CB will probably combine to TFL if caught. Denard turfs it. (IN, 0, screen)
M32 2 10 Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 4-3 under Pass Hitch Roundtree 9
Barnum pulls and falls over but ND is just containing, really, and there's no pressure. Big difference between this and the passing downs above. Corner to this side is playing three deep and is run off by a corner route; Roundtree is wide open underneath it as a linebacker tries to get out on him. This is a read he was making in his first start, FWIW. (CA, 3, protection 2/2, RPS +1)
M41 3 1 Shotgun 2TE 1 2 2 4-3 under Run QB power Robinson 2
Safety blitz almost blows this up as ND slants under the blocking and sends Motta; Omameh(+1) almost accidentally blocks him, but block him he does. Robinson(+0.5) can blast straight ahead to barely get it. Williams(-1) got slanted under dangerously; Lewan(+0.5) got enough movement on his guy to provide the tiny window exploited.
M43 1 10 Shotgun trips 1 0 4 Nickel even Run Inside zone Toussaint 0
Slant sends Toussaint into a corner blitz. Mealer(-2) got beat up by the slant and ends up in the backfield, forcing Toussaint into the unblocked contain. If the corner didn't get him the other unblocked LB would. RPS -1.
M43 2 10 Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 Base 3-4 Pass PA rollout dig Roundtree 11
PA half roll thing puts Denard in space with unblocked Tuitt. Denard stops, finds Roundtree in a spot on his dig route, and zips it to him without stepping into the throw. Flat footed, a dart. I bet this goes as well all other times. (DO, 3, protection N/A)
O46 1 10 Ace 3TE 1 3 1 4-3 under Pass PA hitch Gallon 12
Two guys in this pattern and ND still gets pressure as Barnum(-1) and Mealer(-1) get split. Denard has to roll away from that and zings it to Gallon, dangerously. CB was breaking on the ball and almost had a play. (CA, 2, protection 1/3, Barnum -1, Mealer -1)
O34 1 10 I-Form twins 2 1 2 Base 3-4 Pass PA comeback Gardner 9
Great protection this time, though again we're talking two guys in a route so maybe that's expected. Gardner comes open, Denard slings it to him. (CA, 3, protection 2/2)
O25 2 1 Shotgun 2TE twins 1 2 2 Nickel even Run Inverted veer keeper Robinson 15
Kwiatkowski(+1) erases the end, who I can't ID. Backup? OLB contains, Denard sees a lane, he pulls. Barnum(+1) gets a block on Te'o. Schofield fell as he released but did make the other ILB run around him enough for Denard(+2) to burst into the open field, where he does not get a block from Roundtree(-1) and ends up chopped down by a safety.
O10 1 10 Ace trips bunch 1 1 3 4-3 under Pass Halfback pass Dileo INT
You know about this. RPS punt; ND getting Te'o in Smith's face so fast he panics is because the line busts. Smith gets a BRX, if you're keeping score at home.
Drive Notes: Interception, 0-0, 1 min 1st Q
Ln Dn Ds O Form RB TE WR D Form Type Play Player Yards
M34 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 Base 3-4 Run Inside zone Toussaint 2
Kind of a midline look as Lewan flares out to block OLB Shembo and the 3-4 DE is let go. He's outside, so give. The end result of blocking Shembo is to remove Lewan from blocking the backside LB. Toussaint wants to cut back, but unblocked LB, so he has to go back into the interior, where he's dead meat. Given the angle of Toussaint's attack this is probably what he's supposed to do. Not sure what they think ND is doing that will make this work, but it doesn't. Mealer and Barnum managed to get enough push to crease Nix a little but that's a push at best; Schofield(-1) got beat up by Tuitt. RPS -1.
M36 2 8 Shotgun trips 1 1 3 Nickel even Penalty False start Toussaint -5
Derf
M31 2 13 Shotgun trips 1 1 3 Base 3-4 Run QB draw Robinson 2
They fake the bubble screen, which only proves that the bubble would have picked up like ten yards on this play. Of course, this should have as well, but Te'o makes Omameh(-2) whiff and Barnum(-1) does not get much of a block on the other LB.
M33 3 11 Shotgun trips 2 0 3 Base 3-4 Pass Corner Gallon INT
Toussaint motions out. M rolls the pocket to the field, which only succeeds in getting a three man rush instant pressure when Kerridge(-2) is assigned to Shembo and fails to cut him. Three guys block Tuitt, though. Guy in Denard's face, throws worst possible pass ever. Absolutely no one open, FWIW. Throw it away, Denard. (BRXXX, 0, protection 0/2, Kerridge -2) RPS -1, as best case this playcall is a sack since you singled up a freshman fullback on a great pass rusher on a three man rush.
Drive Notes: Interception, 0-0, 11 min 2nd Q
Ln Dn Ds O Form RB TE WR D Form Type Play Player Yards
M33 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 Base 3-4 Pass PA slant Gardner INT
PA leaves Te'o unblocked, who then runs into Denard's face. Denard finds Gardner, who's open, and throws it way in front of him. (INX, 0, protection 0/2, Smith -2, RPS -1)
Drive Notes: Interception, 0-3, 9 min 2nd Q. FWIW, the production on this game is fantastic. Great replays, no missed plays, Maycock saying a ton of smart things.
Ln Dn Ds O Form RB TE WR D Form Type Play Player Yards
M20 1 10 Shotgun 2TE twins 1 2 2 Base 3-4 Run QB sweep Robinson 3
PA fake with Toussaint going hard the other way doesn't hold anyone. Kwiatkowski(+1) gets a block on the playside end that forces him to give a ton of ground to come around it. That should secure the edge but a late move from Motta brings a ninth guy into the box and he aggressively fills that hole unblocked. Roundtree is hypothetically the guy who is supposed to block him but he's running downfield at the guy in man over him. (Who is twelve yards off the LOS. Bubble, etc.) Denard decides to cut back, which is worth three yards. Going at unblocked Motta is probably the same, so push. I liked Barnum(+1) sealing Te'o inside and giving Denard a lane; Lewan(+0.5) got a good kick so there is a spot. Mealer(-1) did not help Omameh seal Nix very much and he ended up not blocking anyone on the second level. RPS -1.
M23 2 7 Shotgun 2TE twins 1 2 2 Base 3-4 Run Inverted veer keeper Robinson 8
Lewan(+2) and Kwiatkowski(+0.5) get great push on the playside DE, which makes the LBs' jobs very tough. DE contains, Robinson pulls. Lewan then comes off a crushing block on the playside DE to get a LB. Barnum(+1) has cut off Nix; Robinson has a big lane and hits it up. He's about a foot from busting outside for a big gain but can't quite get behind Williams(+0.5) who had an extended backside block that fended off Shembo.
M31 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 Base 3-4 Run QB power Robinson 3
Schofield pulls. Barnum and Mealer get motion, but a LB shoots the gap on the backside. Te'o shows hard and gets outside at the LOS, funneling back; with the other LB pursuing Robinson doesn't have much of an option other than running up Schofield's back for a few. I think Nix was holding Mealer, FWIW, but it was subtle enough to not get called, because you never get called unless you literally tackle a dude. I think this is push all around.
M34 2 7 I-Form 2 1 2 4-3 under Pass Waggle derp Gallon INT
Notre Dame may be expecting this! Tuitt is on the edge, unblocked, and immediately shoots up at Robinson; nobody open, Robinson should just take a sack, but throws something in the general direction of Gallon that is both a terrible decision and inaccurate, turnover. (BRX, 0, protection 0/2, team -2, RPS -1)
Drive Notes: Interception, 0-3, 6 min 2nd Q
Ln Dn Ds O Form RB TE WR D Form Type Play Player Yards
M16 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 Base 3-4 Run QB power Robinson 2
This is set up pretty well with Lewan(+1) blowing up one LB and two blockers hitting it up in the hole to block Te'o. Robinson(-2) should hit it up like the play is designed, but instead tries to cut back, where Nix hacks him down since he's just invalidated Barnum's block. Funchess(+1) kicked out Shembo well.
M18 2 8 Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 Base 3-4 Run QB sweep Robinson 20
Kwiatkowski(+1) seals Shembo; Lewan and Barnum pull around. LBs are charging hard upfield at the snap, which gets one of them blocked by a releasing Mealer(+1). Te'o gets super aggressive and tries to shoot inside of Barnum to attack an outside run, which runs him out of the play. Lewan(+0.5) easily kicks the OLB, and the nose is the nearest guy as Robinson hits the LOS. Boom secondary. Robinson ducks OOB after picking up a bunch. RPS +2: caught the LBs with a play that exploited their aggression.
M38 1 10 Shotgun trips 1 1 3 Base 3-4 Pass Hail Mary Roundtree INT
Why is Roundtree just jogging down the field? Why is Michigan throwing a Hail Mary with 16 seconds on the clock and a timeout? We may never know. Not charted.
Drive Notes: Interception, 0-10, EOH
Ln Dn Ds O Form RB TE WR D Form Type Play Player Yards
M21 1 10 Shotgun 2TE twins 1 2 2 4-3 even Run Inside zone Toussaint 31
M seems so much more comfortable running at a four man line. Omameh(+2) takes on Nix one on one and blows him off the line. Mealer(+1) releases and kicks one of the ILBs. Te'o is not trying to hit the frontside gap and contains backside as he is again expecting this to be the belly. It looks like it but the Toussaint angle indicates it is not. The slight change gets two guys on the backside, where they're useless. Toussaint(+1) glides through the gap; Lewan(+0.5) gets an eh block on the corner, who gives up the edge, and Toussaint breaks a big one. RPS +1.
O48 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 Base 3-4 Run Zone stretch Toussaint 4
Again two guys end up containing Denard. Te'o is creeping forward at the start as Motta comes down over the TE to check any of those PA seams and bursts upfield in a flash past Omameh(-1), who does not recognize this and get a shove. Toussaint(+1) makes a cut behind this and gets some yards thanks to the double delay on Denard; Nix got moved by Mealer(+0.5) and Barnum(+0.5) and this helps as well. RPS push; guys on backside are good, but allowing Te'o to attack like this bad; bubble yadda.
O44 2 6 Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 4-3 over Run QB power Robinson -1
Toussaint runs to the opposite edge on a fake that holds some backside guys as Barnum pulls around the TE and Lewan. Te'o is running at the gap on the snap after having read the Barnum pull, presumably, and is aligned in such a way so that Mealer had no shot anyway. He shows in an otherwise well blocked hole (Kwiatkowksi, Lewan(+0.5 each), Barnum(+1). Denard has to run up the backs of his blockers and gets nil. RPS -1. Unblocked guy in hole due to ND D alignment.
O45 3 7 Shotgun 4-wide tight 1 0 4 4-3 even Pass Drag Gallon 8
Straight dropback; four man rush with Te'o spying. He comes on a delayed rush and the other LB bugs out for Toussaint flaring out of the backfield, opening up a cross. Denard steps into it and hits Gallon against three guys on the first level of the zone. He turns it up for the first. (CA, 3, protection 2/2)
O37 1 10 Shotgun 2TE twins 1 2 2 Base 3-4 Run Inverted veer keeper Robinson 9
OLB contains, pull. Kwiatkowksi(+0.5) seals a slow-reacting Tuitt inside. Te'o is outside of an attempted block from Schofield, which isn't really his fault. Barnum(+1) pulls around and nails him. Te'o contains, forcing it back inside. Motta assumes this is not happening and hops outside; Roundtree(+0.5) gets a block; Denard cuts behind. No flow from the inside as Omameh(+1) hammers Nix on a double. This is momentarily super exciting until Robinson(+1) runs into the overhanging corner as he tries to get the edge. Nice tackle but I think Denard needs to keep going straight upfield since this guy didn't screw it up this time. Schofield(-1) tried to block Te'o, missed, and then peeled back instead of just going further downfield, or he could have blocked the CB and put Denard one on one with the S for six.
O28 2 1 Shotgun 2TE twins 1 2 2 4-3 even Run Inside zone Toussaint 4 (Pen -10)
This is all Toussaint(-2), who has a gap to slam it up for a first down in as Omameh(+1) gets push on Nix; Barnum is giving ground but has fended off an OLB. Toussaint's going to get a yard or four and not much more, but that's a first down. Instead he bounces around a guy three yards in the backfield and a second guy further outside two yards in the backfield, into the boundary, which draws holding calls and gets him the same number of yards he would have had anyway.
O38 2 11 Shotgun 2-back TE 2 1 2 4-3 over Run End-around Gallon 5
Almost but not quite a big gain as FR Day is in at this end and is the guy M is trying to confuse. He pops up and contains the QB as Gallon gets the ball. Nix goes straight upfield, knocking back Barnum(-0.5) and delaying Omameh's pull, so he can get to Day before he realizes who's got it and starts chasing. JRobinson(+1) cracks down on the playside LB very well; Lewan whiffs on Te'o but to the outside, which makes him not relevant. Corner contains at the numbers and Day manages to run Gallon down from behind. Nice play by Day.
O33 3 6 Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 Nickel even Pass Drag Roundtree 10
Double A gap gets a guy in immediately, M has a route right beneath that from Roundtree. No one within 10 yards of him, easy completion and YAC for first. (CA, 3, protection N/A, RPS +1)
O23 1 10 Ace 3TE 1 3 1 Base 3-4 Run Inside zone Toussaint -1
Schofield(+1) locks out Tuitt and pushes him upfield. Linebackers flow hard to the playside, Toussaint(-1) sees massive cutback lane provided by Schofield, cuts into it... and falls down untouched. Glarble. Lewan(+0.5) and Barnum(+0.5) had blown up KLM, FWIW; Omameh and Mealer had a tougher time with Nix but did okay.
O24 2 11 I-Form Big 2 2 1 Base 3-4 Run Lead zone Toussaint 8
Nix starts pushing into the intended hole; Mealer(+0.5) and Barnum(+1) push him down the line and eventually pancake him, with Barnum popping out on a LB. Kerridge(+1) eases past the detour and booms the other ILB. Toussaint(+1) has a big gap now thanks to Lewan(+1) kicking the backside DE way out and cuts behind Kerridge into a big gap. He starts dancing as pursuit converges and picks up a nice gain.
O16 3 3 Shotgun 2TE twins 1 2 2 4-3 even Run Speed option Robinson 5
Kwiatkowski(+1) and Schofield(+1) blow Tuitt out, knocking him downfield; Mealer(+0.5) just manages to get his helmet across Nix and there's a crease Robinson(-3) hits. An arm rakes the ball out, drive over.
Drive Notes: Fumble, 0-10, 8 min 3rd Q
Ln Dn Ds O Form RB TE WR D Form Type Play Player Yards
M43 1 10 I-Form twins 2 1 2 Base 3-4 Run Iso Toussaint 2
Argh bubble etc. Schofield(-2) is head up on KLM and doesn't really get anything. No motion, beat to inside. Omameh(+0.5) and Mealer(+0.5) beat up on Nix pretty good and Kerridge(+1) plowed the MLB; Toussaint has to cut away from his blocking because KLM is all over it. OLB who should be covering bubble contains.
M45 2 8 Shotgun 2-back TE 2 1 2 4-3 over Run Inverted veer give Toussaint 1
DE comes down on Robinson so give. Smith hits him not too well but enough; Omameh is pulling around to block the LB trying to contain; Toussaint(-2) should bounce it outside after feinting in but just decides to run into defenders. Barnum(+0.5) neutralized a penetrating Nix and Omameh(+0.5) got to the POA despite some delay caused by that; Lewan(+0.5) seemed to have a pretty good handle on Te'o.
M46 3 7 Shotgun trips 1 1 3 Base 3-4 Pass TE out Funchess 5
Gallon runs the corner off and Funchess goes out to exploit the space underneath. Denard hits him but it's kind of a slow, looping pass that allows the corner to recover quickly enough to prevent any YAC and force Michigan in to a fourth down. (CA, 3, protection 2/2)
O49 4 2 Shotgun 4-wide tight 1 1 3 Base 3-4 Pass Out Dileo 4
Toussaint motions out to give an empty look. A couple of quick outs to the short side of the field are paired with a corner blitz so both Dileo and Gardner are open. Denard's pass is dodgy and low but Dileo digs it out. (MA, 2, protection 1/1)
O45 1 10 I-Form Big 2 2 1 Base 3-4 Run Iso Toussaint 5
ND reacting hard to inside zone action from the OL. Te'o is gone a gap away from the play as Mealer(+1) moves out on him after doubling Nix, who Omameh(-1) seals away. Nix comes upfield of Omameh's block and pursues Toussaint from behind. Kerridge(+1) pounds the LB and gets movement on him. Schofield(+1) blows up a backup DE and there's a gap; the Omameh block makes it smaller than it should be. Pursuit harasses Toussaint into the filling S.
O40 2 5 Shotgun 2TE twins 1 2 2 4-3 even Run QB power Robinson 1
Mealer pulls here. ND is just too aggressive on this one, but they have to have gotten help from a Jackson(-2) bust as he runs right by the OLB to this side to hit a safety. OLB contains, getting outside the Mealer block, Te'o fills unblocked, Robinson bounces out for a minimal gain. Man, Kwiatkowski(+0.5) is just sealing guys every time. Easy job? Or is he killing people?
O39 3 4 Shotgun 2TE twins 1 2 2 4-3 even Run Speed option Robinson 6
Omameh(+1) gets across the playside DT, who is a backup, and gets to the second level; Mealer(+1) then takes over and eventually puts this guy five yards downfield as he tries to flow. Schofield(+1) and Kwiatkowksi(+1) do the same thing to the DE, who is FR Day. Robinson sees the world caving in and just rams it up the backs of his OL for the first. Pitch was open too. Lewan leaves with a shoe issue.
O33 1 10 Shotgun 2TE twins 1 2 2 4-3 even Run Inverted veer keeper Robinson 5
ND has slid its LBs to the field and Robinson is reading the OLB, as M blocks the line. OLB contains, pull. Kwiatkowski(+0.5) and Schofield (now at LT, +0.5) seal Day, with Kwi popping out on a LB. Burzynski(+1) pulls around and hits Te'o. Hole. Robinson hits it up then cuts behind, which seems like a good idea, but Mealer(-1) lost KLM after getting a good seal on him and he flows down the line to tackle.
O28 2 5 Shotgun 2TE twins 1 2 2 Base 3-4 Run Inside zone Toussaint 3
Again they're flaring out to block that OLB and letting the 3-4 DE go; DE does not really commit anywhere and there is a handoff. Ride that mesh longer or you're not really getting anywhere here. Toussaint is attacking farther outside, but this time no holes. Mealer(-1) got pushed too far by Nix; Schofield(+0.5) got a decent push on KLM and Toussaint can run up his back for a few.
O25 3 2 Shotgun 2back 2TE 2 2 1 Base 3-4 Run QB power Robinson 3
Lewan back in. He(+1) blows KLM back a yard on the snap and to the inside. Kwiatkowski and Williams(+0.5) both take on players at the POA. Kwiatkowski has a DE, who wins easily but not fast enough to be relevant. Williams stalemates a LB. Omameh shoves him forward, Robinson burrow up behind. RPS +1; this was a pretty easy conversion with a spare blocker pushing a pile past the sticks.
O22 1 10 Shotgun 2TE twins 1 2 2 4-3 even Run QB sweep Robinson 0
Oof. This is one block away from being huge, and that block is Omameh(-2) not getting any kind of seal on a DT shaded inside of him. He fires out straight while everyone else steps right, Nix gets the edge on him. Kwiatkowski(+1) gets Tuitt sealed. Schofield and Mealer pull around. Schofield doesn't actually kick the OLB but he's moving way outside to contain. Mealer(+1) chops Te'o but the contain and pursuit from Nix ends the play when this is probably at least a first down otherwise. Denard tries to cut after being chased outside and slips, giving up a few yards.
O22 2 10 Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 4-3 even Run Inside zone Toussaint 4
Barnum(-1) does not step around Nix after he takes a Mealer bump and loses him to the playside. Omameh(-1) just gets beat by KLM. Toussaint(+1) bounces outside past both DTs and picks up a few thanks to Kwiatkowski(+0.5) and Schofield(+0.5) getting the playside DE back a couple yards.
O18 3 6 Shotgun 2TE twins 1 2 2 Base 3-4 Pass PA scramble Robinson 3
Play action fake does nothing except get two ND defenders in as they take off for Robinson. LBs suck up a little but get back on a little drag over the middle, and Funchess is blanketed by two guys. Denard dances around and gets tackled short of the sticks. (PR, N/A, protection 0/2, team -2, RPS -1)
Drive Notes: FG(33), 3-10, 13 min 4th Q
Ln Dn Ds O Form RB TE WR D Form Type Play Player Yards
M30 1 10 Ace twins twin TE 1 2 2 4-3 over Pass PA post corner Gardner Inc
Gardner starts in the backfield and then motions out. Denard gets great protection this time and can sit and survey until Kwiatkowski finally gets beat, whereupon he finds a miraculously open Gardner 40 yards downfield. Gardner again does the 360 as Denard takes him away from the safety; pass is in his hands; dropped. (DO, 3, protection 2/2, RPS +2) No idea why this could possibly work in this situation but it did. Borges sorcery ++.
M30 2 10 Shotgun 2-back 2TE 2 2 1 Base 3-4 Pass RB wheel Toussaint Inc
Toussaint motions out to the boundary, which is WR-free. Token play fake to Kerridge, protection pretty good but Omameh does make Robinson move his feet a little. He's staring at a bunch of covered guys and manages to put it over the head of a guy in great coverage on Toussaint, who has the ball in his hands a moment before Motta comes over the top and separates it from him after disengaging from Funchess, who he's covering. We don't get a wide shot to see if he had someone somewhere else; this is a great deep throw and a play equal to that from Motta. (DO, 1, protection 2/2)
M30 3 10 Shogun trips 1 0 4 Base 3-4 Pass Improv Gardner 13
Only a three man rush. Robinson steps up through it after his initial survey finds no one. This draws a couple of underneath zone defenders up; he tosses it over them to Gardner, who is still just a hair in front of the safety. Completion, tackle, first down. (CA+, 3, protection 1/1)
M43 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 4-3 over Pass Bubble screen Gallon 13
Boy am I glad it took 54 minutes to throw this. It's not a true bubble as the throw is delayed and guys get downfield to block but it's so open Gallon cuts inside of the OLB despite Roundtree setting up to block him so Roundtree can get outside. (CA, 3, screen, RPS +1!)
O44 1 10 Ace 3-wide 1 2 2 Base 3-4 Pass PA corner JRobinson 20
PA kind of threatens dread waggle. Barnum is flaring out to the waggle-ish side to block, though, and Smith has enough time to shut down Shembo on his otherwise unblocked charge. Denard sets up and now has a simple high low read on the corner, who is not sinking, so he throws the corner. Nails the other Robinson in the numbers on rhythm. (CA+, 3, protection 2/2, RPS +1)
O24 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 Nickel even Pass TE drag Funchess 5
Double A blitz. It's not timed as well as the MSU ones, which allows a pickup. Smith gets a cut but the LB does force a throw; it's the same drag M used a couple times earlier and is complete but this time ND is ready for an immediate tackle. (CA, 3, protection 2/2)
O19 2 5 Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 Base 3-4 Run QB draw Robinson 12
ND sends only three and starts dropping the LBs; by the time M releases downfield all those guys are at the sticks and moving backwards. Mealer(+1) shoves the NT to one side and that's Denard through the line. Funchess(+1) and Omameh(+1) pick up blocks on virtually stationary downfield defenders and Robinson shoots between them, getting chopped down by a safety inside the ten. RPS +1.
O7 1 G Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 Base 3-4 Run QB power Robinson 1
Funchess(-1) is blocking down and gets blown up by Day, which picks off Barnum's pull and makes Denard(-2) decides to go under it... which is where Day is. Go outside, take your chances, maybe get OOB.
O6 2 G Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 Base 3-4 Pass Sack N/A -8
All day, no one open. Robinson's timer goes off and he wants to scramble around; Day grabs him as he tries to break the pocket. Not Schofield's fault at all. Just a thing that happens on the goal line sometimes. (TA, N/A, protection 2/2)
O14 3 G Shotgun 4-wide 1 1 3 4-3 even Pass Corner Gardner Inc
OL collapsing all around him as ND knows he has to throw and is really coming hard this time w/ Te'o spying. Gardner is his best option and is kind of open. Denard misses, putting it off Gardner's hand but well OOB. (IN, 0, protection 2/3, team -1)
Drive Notes: FG(33) 6-13, 3 min 4th Q. EOG for offense

Dispensing with chatter.

This was the structural problem with the Michigan offense against ND.

fake-bubble-on-thistake-the-fucking-yards

two-yard-2

ND:

  • often showed extremely soft coverage,
  • ran cover zero behind it,
  • never had their corners tested, and
  • never had their OLBs put in a bind.

I'm not just talking about bubble screens here. In either of the top two frames, a simple smash concept…

trip-smash[1]

A and Z are running a smash concept that high-lows the corner

…is an easy read Michigan—one Denard was doing way back in the day—is in advantageous position on. Michigan ran some of these. They either should have kept going to that and curl-flat or bubble screens until ND was forced out of this defense.

They should also have protected Denard at all costs. Even in this game, when Robinson had time he was zipping it in.

Borges's late under center passes were max-protect sorts that kept Robinson clean and resulted in big gains (or should have) as ND's inexperienced corners got lost on Gardner, sucked up on a short route, opening up a longer one, etc.

On each interception*, Denard got quick pressure. On the first it was a three man rush with a rolling pocket that got a redshirt freshman fullback singled up against Shembo. On the second, Te'o flies up in the pocket unmolested. Smart Football suggested that Smith needs to abort the mesh point and just go block the guy, and yeah if that's what ND is doing and Michigan is prepared for it go for it. They apparently weren't. I've never seen M abort a mesh like that, or have to.

The third is second and seven under center play action that gets Tuitt in Denard's face. Is Gallon open? Yeah. Does that somehow erase the fact that Denard has thrown INTs on his past two throws thanks to pressure, has has thrown the ball away once this year and was amongst the worst guys in the country in interception rate last year? I mean, we know this happens. It has just happened against Air Force and UMass, at home. It is not going to stop happening. Calling plays that emphasize this flaw is insane. Everyone in the stadium knows that when Michigan goes under center a defender or two will make their top priority Denard containment. He'll be unblocked, and Denard will have to form up and make a throw with a guy in his face. Which he sucks at.

If you don't think that's stupid, I don't know what else I can tell you. Robinson was 24 of 40 for 244 yards, a TD, and no INTs two years ago against the Irish in a year when they finished with the #25 pass efficiency D. His regression is obvious despite having two solid years of QB coaching from Borges to raise him up.

If it's not the structure of the offense, what is it? Is Denard in Flowers for Algernon?

*[we're setting aside the Hail Mary because it's a Hail Mary.]

Now, Denard.

Losing this game was of course a joint effort. Passing table:

[Hennechart legend is updated.]

Opponent DO CA MA IN BR TA BA PR SCR DSR
2011 through MSU 13 66(12) 11(1) 34(1) 17 2 3 10 4 55%
2011 after MSU 9 77(9) 7 17 9 6(1) 5(2) 9 5 69%
Alabama 4 15(2) 1 4 3 - - 3(1) 1 71%
Air Force 1 14 3 2 1 - 2 1 - 75%
UMass 1 16(4) - 4 - 1 1 1 3 68%
Notre Dame 4 10(1) 2 4(1) 2 1 1 3 1 65%

Gardner had an MA, Smith an INX. UFR charts don't fully weight the horribleness of any particularly horrible throw and so the DSR does not reflect the horrible horrible INTs. It's still pretty bad. The run chart is worse for Denard: he ends up –2.5 after fumbling and missing some cuts.

I've gotten so many conflicting opinions on the Gardner route on INT 2 that I don't know what is going on there, but he's staring right at Gardner so even if the route is not as expected he should be adjusting to that. The most authoritative word I've heard said the route was fine in the eyes of the coaches, so the final verdict is it's on Denard (and the combination of events that literally prevented him from stepping into the throw).

Meanwhile, taking sacks or just chucking the ball away on the other two throws saves Michigan 100 yards of field position, with another 71 thrown away by the fumble. Thanks to the heroics of the defense, it took both Denard and Borges having awful games to lose it, but lose it they did.

FWIW, Denard did abort a throw in the second half, which resulted in… a failure to convert a third down and a field goal attempt after he got instant pressure on ill-conceived play action. If he had done that in the first half, Michigan punts and ends up in third and long on the two passes that were just WTF—ie, not the Gardner miss. FWIW, in that half he was 8 of 11 with two of the incompletions deep balls in the hands of his WRs on the final drive. Notably, he was not eating unblocked pass rushers as he did this.

How could the pieces fit together better?

Bubble, etc. Posts written about it before. Or flash screens or what have you, anything that forces opposition corners and linebackers to think about the slot guys on every play. They're more effective as in the box blockers when they are dragging guys out of the box than trying to deal with guys much bigger than them.

That brings the secondary up, and then you're either looking at a deep safety and a more consistent run game, opportunities to hit shots over the top, or zip gone TDs. Here's a nine-yard inverted veer from the second half:

They option off the OLB. The safety sitting twelve yards off the LOS flashes into the screen at the end; he's the guy who forced Denard into the cornerback. If Michigan has forced him to react to the possibility of a bubble screen, he is not available and this defense has just ceded a 42 yard touchdown, or Motta has made a fantastic recovery—look how he's beating Roundtree's block to the outside—and Michigan still gets nine yards.

Meanwhile, Michigan's best running play is that inverted veer.

Michigan has no play action off of it. They have no counter from it. They just kind of run it. And it's great! But if you want to get the explosion back you need to start screwing with opponents by faking your good plays. Michigan tried it last year, couldn't block it, and dumped it. They took an offseason and kept it dumped. Oy.

Michigan should be running more max protection schemes. Keep Denard clean, give him a couple options, and then tell him to take off. Maybe leak Toussaint or Smith (or Norfleet) out of the backfield after a delay.

What was with the Vincent Smith play? That didn't look right.

It wasn't. A reader pointed out what Michigan did against Minnesota, pulling both playside linemen. On the initial pitch play, Michigan pulled both playside linemen. On the ill-fated trick play, nobody pulls. According to Borges that's a call that did not get to the line, which yeah. I punt on the RPS there, shading to plus since if Smith didn't have to pull up so quickly it looked like Dileo was coming open.

Consider my objections there retracted. The play likely would have worked but for the bust on the line call.

Please give me something positive?

The offensive line went from battered to batterer at halftime, inexplicably. Michigan's first play of the half set the tone when Patrick Omameh(!) of all people blows Nix off the line of scrimmage:

Michigan manballed up late and blew a dump-truck sized hole in the ND OL plus got a Dudley-level thump from Kerridge:

On a speed option late, Michigan picked up a third and four by blowing ND down the line so far that it didn't matter that the pitch was unbelievably wide open.

Here's the run chart:

the ratio that is important for the OL. On a lot of plays they do okay and get a push.

Offensive Line
Player + - Total Notes
Lewan 8.5 2 6.5 Got quality motion.
Barnum 7.5 3.5 4 Much better day than UMass.
Mealer 8 6 2 Big time struggles early, did better, also bad snap.
Omameh 8 7 1 I'll take a positive day for him against that line.
Schofield 7 6 1 Roughed up a little, but came through okay.
Kwiatkowski 10.5 - 10.5 I must be giving him too much credit for easy stuff?
Moore - - - DNP
Williams 1 1 0 Kwiatkowski is getting more PT than these guys though.
Funchess 2 1 1 Not really tested.
TOTAL 53.5 26.5 67% Burzsnyski also +1. That's quality but the Kwiatkowski thing worries me about this number.
Backs
Player + - T Notes
Robinson 4.5 7 -2.5 Didn't really get many Denard yards.
Bellomy - - - DNP
Toussaint 4 5 -1 Couple of WHAT ARE YOU DOING cuts
Rawls - - - DNP
Smith - - - DNCarry
Hayes - - - DNP
Hopkins - - - DNP
Kerridge 3 - 3 Insert complaints about scholarship FBs x2
TOTAL 11.5 12 -0.5 Need better from the ballcarriers.
Receivers
Player + - T Notes
Gardner - - 1-  
Roundtree 0.5 2 -1.5  
Gallon 0.5 - -  
Jackson - 2 -2  
Dileo - - - --
J. Robinson 1 1 0  
Darboh - - - --
TOTAL 2 5 -3 [Comment not found]
Metrics
Player + - T Notes
Protection 32 19 63% Toussaint –3, Lewan –2, Schofield –2, Barnum –2, Kerridge –2, Smith –2, Mealer –1, Team -5
RPS 12 13 -1 I was super super kind on the Denard INTs.

So, the protection sucked, and the line was in tough but came out okay, and the ballcarriers didn't do much, and I must be Mike Kwiatkowski's secret dad or something. I don't know about the Kwiatkowski stuff, but he sealed guys away every time when Michigan went for the edge. That gave him a ton of relevant blocks that he accomplished and boosted those numbers up there. I probably should have started with the half-points more, but I'll keep an eye on him in the future. There is a reason he is playing a lot more than Williams in single TE sets (and sets with Funchess).

Receivers:

[Passes are rated by how tough they are to catch. 0 == impossible. 1 == wow he caught that, 2 == moderate difficulty, 3 == routine. The 0/X in all passes marked zero is implied.]

Player 0 1 2 3   0 1 2 3
Gardner 2 - - 3/4   9 0/3 1/2 10/11
Roundtree 1   - 3/3   4 0/1 1/1 7/7
Gallon 2   1/1 2/2   5 0/1 3/4 9/9
J. Robinson       1/1   1 0/1   1/1
Dileo     1/1     1 1/1 2/2 2/2
Jackson           1     3/4
Darboh                  
Chesson                  
                   
Kwiatkowski                 2/2
Moore                  
Funchess       2/2     1/1   7/7
Williams                  
                   
Toussaint   0/1   1/1     0/1 0/1 1/1
Smith       1/1       0/1 3/3
Kerridge   0/1         0/1    

 

Nothing to see here, really.

Heroes?

Kwiatkowski was a major part of Michigan's success on the ground, along with Lewan.

Goats?

Denard, Borges, Denard, Borges, Denard, Borges, Denard, Borges, offensive line pass pro.

What does it mean for the Big Ten schedule?

I don't know, man. I'm guessing they'll finally look at themselves and say "okay, let's just assume this is what happens when Denard gets pressured" and move to avoid that at all costs. That means more running, fewer plays on which they put Denard on the edge against an unblocked dude, and please sweet baby Jesus more easy quasi-running game throws that get Gallon more touches.

Even in this dismal game, Denard's passes when he did not get pressure were quality, so max protect the guy, give him easy hot reads against those double-A blitzes, and run the ball.

They can and will do better against the Big Ten. Yes. I believe this.

Comments

coastal blue

September 28th, 2012 at 7:16 PM ^

No, your theory thus far has been that Denard has never shown himself to be a good player against quality teams in any system, failing to understand that he had one year in the system he was recruited for (with, once again, all the factors I listed above) and is now playing quarterback in an offense that isn't emphasizing his skill set to the degree a RR offense would have....

You're using that theory to state that we shouldn't alter the offense in any meaningful way to skew towards 2010's model, because, once again, we weren't perfect in 2010 with our first year quarterback (see above factors again), which is just mind-blowingly stubborn and not at all thoughtful. 

I'm not at all saying what you're claiming, you either just don't understand my point or are refusing to because of its merit. 

 

mpbear14

September 29th, 2012 at 10:26 AM ^

You're using that theory to state that we shouldn't alter the offense in any meaningful way to skew towards 2010's model, because, once again, we weren't perfect in 2010 with our first year quarterback (see above factors again), which is just mind-blowingly stubborn and not at all thoughtful. 

I'm not at all saying what you're claiming, you either just don't understand my point or are refusing to because of its merit. 

Newsflash Coastal, this offense does have elements of 2010's offense, a lot of them.  Your point has no merit.  You're arguing for something that is already taking place.  

Just come out and say why you're really upset with Borges... ;)  

bronxblue

September 28th, 2012 at 7:14 PM ^

You're changing your argument here.  You started off by basically saying he never showed an ability to score against good teams, then backtracked into "meaingful" scoring, all the while ignoring the fact that nobody else on that offense was doing anything.  it wasn't Denard that struggled against elite defenses; it was everyone.  The fact the team scored anything in those games was due in large part to his playmaking.  And while some people talk up the "prevent" defenses he scored against, you earlier pointed out the magic of scoring 14 points against Alabama after being down 31-0.  If you thought Alabama was running its base defense at that point, then I'd argue every team in 2010 was doing the same.

mpbear14

September 29th, 2012 at 9:43 AM ^

Please go read my very first post on this article, then read the 2nd the 3rd the 4th and so on.  My argument and stance has been pretty consistent.  Denard is a bad decision maker.  He was a bad decision maker in 2010, 2011 and 2012.  You don't set the all time interception record at Michigan with half of the attempts and get to hold the title of good decision maker.

Denard is a phenomal athlete.  He has a strong arm.  He is a great leader.  He is inaccurate.   Though he is inaccurate, his athleticism, leadership and strong arm make up for it.

What his positives do NOT make up for are the turnovers, whether they be INT's or Fumbles.  No skill-set makes up for turnovers...

You two have made arguments that Borges needs to put his players (plural) in the best position to succeed, but your only gripe is that Denard isn't succeeding.  News flash, Denard is one player and he had one bad game this year.  I think you two need to calm down and wait a few more games before you try to make the claim it's Borges's fault.

What OC in the B1G would you trade Borges for?   Easy answer for me. 

mgoO

September 28th, 2012 at 6:41 PM ^

Unless you think Shane Morris is going to beat out Gardner and Bellomy next year, Borges is going to have a spread-type QB at the helm again so it's not just about Denard leaving.

I find it highly unlikely that occurs but if we're starting a true frosh QB next year the offense is going to stink either way.

 

 

mpbear14

September 28th, 2012 at 6:48 PM ^

I think Bellomy is going to be our QB next year and we will have 70% of Borges playbook in for him with left over running elements from the Denard Era.  That's my prediction.  By the time Shane Morris is ready to start, (Redshirt Freshman or RS Sophomore Year) we will have about 95% of the playbook in, and then we roll.

And Bellomy, is a Pass 1st run 2nd Spread QB. (Shane is actually quite mobile too, but is also pass first)   Denard is the opposite. 

I think the offense will actually flow better next year with Bellomy at the helm, a year more mature.  We may actually establish an identity.

mgoO

September 28th, 2012 at 6:56 PM ^

If given a fair shot I don't think Bellomy will beat out Gardner unless they just decide they need Devin at receiver and basically force the issue.

I think you're going to be very disappointed if you think Bellomy will be better than Denard next year with literally no meaningful game experience under his belt.

He might make fewer mistakes but you'll lose explosiveness on the ground and he doesn't have ideal arm strength for what we THINK Borges wants to do either.

bronxblue

September 28th, 2012 at 7:19 PM ^

Well, unless the offensive line makes massive gains after losing a first-rounder in Lewan and Fitz rediscovers how to run away from people, I expect Borges's offense to look a lot like this year's, but with even less success against good defenses.  The issue is part the system but also part the players simply not being at the level needed for it to succeed.  Some of that is system fit and some of it may simply be talent. 

But regardless, I do think the team is heading in the right direction.  Taking craps on the players currently trying their best to win, though, while propping up the future players as the "guys who will make it work" drives me crazy.  The reality is right now, and claiming the future is better simply because we haven't seen it yet (and thus don't have data points by which to divine if that is true) drives me crazy.

mpbear14

September 29th, 2012 at 9:47 AM ^

Lewan, as of now, is not going anywhere.  Lewan has been grading out pretty poorly this year by the Coaching Staff.   As of right now, He is not ready for the NFL.  Still needs to add strength and work on a ton of technique.  Jake long didn't have the greatest technique when he was here but he had the brute strength to make up for it.  Taylor doesn't have that gift, so he needs to master technique to make up for it.



I fully expect Lewan to be back next year.  Also, our OL will be much better next year than this year.  Kalis Schofield Lewan... Won't find a group of 3 OL better in the B1G than these 3.

bronxblue

September 28th, 2012 at 7:07 PM ^

Take the Maize-colored glasses off.  Nobody is saying that this is the University of Denard Robinson, but show me anyone else on this offense who is having an above-average year offensively?  Lewan is a first-rounder and maybe Gardner will pan out, but Fitz has been in neutral all year and Funchess is too young to really take over.  So for better or for worse, Denard is the best option this team has right now to score points.

And what sanity was lost?  UM fans love to talk about how much better we are than other fan bases, but as soon as this team stopped winning 8+ games a year everyone lost their marbles and the knives came out.  For goodness sake, people buried one of the better college coaches around after half a season, then watched as he predictable struggled and kicked dirt on him as he left.  Not saying he wasn't at fault for what happened, but this isn't some noble fanbase and school. 

You argue that, wow, UM scored 14 whole points against Alabama.  Of course, they couldn't score at all in the first half, and I saw precious little innovation that whole time.  Heck, one of the TDs UM scored was because the cornerback fell down.  That's some Borges magic right there!  Of course, against other defenses like MSU, ND last year, VT, even OSU to an extent, the offense sputtered and the only time the team moved the ball was when Denard just took over and did what he does best. 

I'm not saying he has to run the RR offense with Denard, but if he isn't going to allow the team to audible into plays that take advantage of the skillsets on the field (not just Denard, but Gallon, Gardner, etc.) because they don't mesh with his philosophy, that's on him.  And for all the talk about the PA being a "great" counter to blitzing, it works when you have established a competent running attack.  Outside of Denard this year, show me evidence that Borges or this team has established that as a threat? 

And yeah for Price in Washington.  He's a very good QB.  I'm happy he threw the ball away with immediate pressure.  He led Washington to a 7-6 record last year.  If you are going to ascribe a substantial amount of last year's 11-2 record to Borges' offensive prowess (which you did above), then Denard deserves a good deal of credit as well; similarly, the gangbuster offense coordinator at Washington must suck pretty badly because they barely won more games than they lost.  Of course, the reason they struggled last year was more to do with their offense, and I think Keith Price is one of the better QBs in the country.  And last year's UM team benefitted from a great effort by the defense.  But just like wins in baseball, records and an individual player's and coach's' abilities are not easily tied together.

blueheron

September 28th, 2012 at 9:34 PM ^

"UM fans love to talk about how much better we are than other fan bases, but as soon as this team stopped winning 8+ games a year everyone lost their marbles and the knives came out. For goodness sake, people buried one of the better college coaches around after half a season, then watched as he predictable struggled and kicked dirt on him as he left. Not saying he wasn't at fault for what happened, but this isn't some noble fanbase and school."

So true -- Rosenberg was on his ass before the first season started and the incomparable Lisa Horne (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/69799-captain-rich-rod-is-going-down…) was among the many who rushed to judgment.

Dirty the guy and then say "Look how DIRTY he is!" Simple, really.

Obviously history has shown us that RichRod was a mixed bag and a shaky hire for UMich. That's fine. But, a lot of Michigan fans clearly had too much invested in the bowl streak and string of undeafeated seasons. Because RichRod was at the helm when they ended, he'll forever be blamed for EVERYTHING, including the mediocre classes of '05 to '07. EVERYTHING.

MGoBlue96

September 28th, 2012 at 10:37 PM ^

bubble screen is not a spread only playcall or check. Not sure what games some people are  watching on Saturdays, because the bubble screen has become a counter type of play in both spread and prostyle offenses. I seem to remember MSU running mutiple bubbles against us last year that were highly effective, and they are strictly a prostyle offense.

Maize and Blue…

September 28th, 2012 at 4:18 PM ^

when the D doesn't fear your RB.  If Borges can't call plays that highlight Denard's talent then he doesn't belong here period.  Pitching a quick pass to a WR who has a corner 10 yards off of him helps give a QB confidence not to mention it puts you ahead in the down and distance game.  Borges seems to hate this and as we've seen before (EMU and Iowa last year) he is going to keep plays even if they are not working.

Sten Carlson

September 28th, 2012 at 4:29 PM ^

if Borges can't call plays that highlight Denard's talent then he doesn't belong here period.

Well, that doesn't make any sense, sorry to say. Denard is only going to be here for the remainder of this season. I don't know that firing the OC because he's, allegedly, misusing a QB that doesn't fit his system is the best idea.

kehnonymous

September 28th, 2012 at 3:31 PM ^

This play:

M31 2 13 Shotgun trips 1 1 3 Base 3-4 Run QB draw Robinson 2
They fake the bubble screen, which only proves that the bubble would have picked up like ten yards on this play. Of course, this should have as well, but Te'o makes Omameh(-2) whiff and Barnum(-1) does not get much of a block on the other LB

Is Al Borges just trolling you and Heiko at this point?  I'm 50% asking that in jest, but I'm 50% being serious at this point.  Opposing defenses concede the short screen pass because they know we're not going to run it.  Does the play risk a pick 6?  Sure, but so does every other damn pass play we've called this year.

 

jg2112

September 28th, 2012 at 6:10 PM ^

Guess what.

You really cannot call the bubble screen unless you set up your formation, assess the defensive alignment, and then check down to it.

That's how Michigan ran it in 2010, but it wasn't Tate or Denard making that check, it was Rich Rod signaling it in after Magee noticed the alignment from the press box.

Perhaps the coaches need to tweak the cadence so Denard looks to the sidelines and gets a cue from a signal sent in by Borges (who sits in the press box). If that's not going to happen however, then that's probably Denard's adjustment, and no matter what Borges says publicly, I'll believe Denard can audible to a bubble the next time I see it.

imafreak1

September 28th, 2012 at 3:37 PM ^

Clearly this game is going to bring up the subject of a regression by Denard.

However, I do not think that comparing the stats from this game to the stats from another game in 2010 is the best or even a reasonable way to demonstrate that. That is textbook apples to oranges and sample size issue.

Since prior to this point, there was some optimism for Denard improvement I think we need more data before we can reach any conclusions.

I think it is also hurting Denard a lot that his go-to guy has gone from Hemmingway the miracle worker to Gardner. To be charitable, Gardner is not helping Denard out very much with his route running or catching.

mgowill

September 28th, 2012 at 4:48 PM ^

This charts Denard's interception to touchdown ratio over 4 game averages (looking at it this way takes the huge spikes out of game to game performance).  What I found interesting is that he got worse in 2010 and better in 2011.  Have a look see -

2010 in the red and blue clearly show that as the year went on, his touchdown production leveled off as his rate of interceptions got worse.  2011 shows that he threw a lot of interceptions early on, but as the B1G season went on his production of touchdowns increased and he threw fewer interceptions.  I think we'll be fine as the year moves on.

Johnny Blood

September 28th, 2012 at 3:45 PM ^

For the last several years, Michigan has really struggled on offense on the road.  We have a few really big road games left, I hope we get it together for them.

That and the play-calling in the red zone.  It was really frustrating to watch us consistently get down there and then come away with nothing time and again -- often because we went away from the things that successfully got us down there in the first place.

Sten Carlson

September 28th, 2012 at 3:51 PM ^

Borges has known that Denard's weakness is passing while he's got blitzers in his face.  As such, I am sure that he's been working with Denard on the proper techniques for dealing with those blitzes.  Further, if Borges is calling plays in a big like the ND game, knowing that at least at some point ND is going to get through into Denard's face, he MUST have felt comfortable with how Denard was dealing with that kind of pressure.  Unfortunately, what Denard did in practice, likely didn't convert over to the game.

A coach never really knows how a player is going to react until they put them under the gun -- especially with a "work in progress" like Denard.  Unfortunately, Denard failed the test versus ND.  But, the good news is that Borges is likely to move to the other portion of the play book, the portion that is more of a known comodity, for the B10 season.

Let's face it, this likely wasn't going to be "Michigan's year" anyway.  I am not pleased that we lost to ND, nor Bama, but what I really want is a trip to Indy, and a B10 Championship.  The OOC games are go get to know your team for conference play, to find out what your still developing QB can, and cannot do.  Borges knows now.  Let's see if he does it before we ride him out of town on a rail.

 

jg2112

September 28th, 2012 at 4:02 PM ^

I think people should realize that a lot of this probably isn't Denard's fault, a lot of this probably isn't Borges's fault.

A lot of what is going on this year is because:

Hemingway (5 years of semi-regular starting)

Odoms (4 year starter)

Molk (4 year starter)

Huyge (3 year starter)

Koger (4 year starter)

Grady (2 years of solid contributions)

Shaw (4 years of being .... on the team)

are no longer on the team. Denard's two biggest safety nets at receiver are gone, as well as the Rimington Award winner. All in all, I see 5 guys above who were integral to the team's success in 2010 AND 2011. I'm not shocked at all the team is finding it difficult to adjust, especially given the grabbag of opponents they've encountered to this point.

The open week is at the perfect time. Michigan can regroup and win the conference.

Sten Carlson

September 28th, 2012 at 4:18 PM ^

I agree 100%.  Michigan is an overall weaker team, on both sides of the ball.  Further, last year was a "charmed season" with wins snatched from the jaws of defeat against ND and VT, basically on the strength of Junior going up and getting balls thrown up for grabs.

Leonhall

September 29th, 2012 at 8:57 AM ^

Say...one issue Denard is working with is the inability for fitz to be effective. Also the receiving corp isn't very good/and/or is very raw...not very good route running. The guys who can stretch the field, don't run consistent routes....the good route runners cannot stretch the field...

the unsilent m…

September 28th, 2012 at 4:22 PM ^

Die by the blitz. The best way to counter the blitz is to take advantage of the disadvantages it creates for a defense. No matter the type of quarterback, if he can make the defense pay for blitzing just one time, they back off. Denard didn't/can't. Just short of never running a pass play again, what can you expect Borges to do? Denard is one-dimensional and teams are taking that away- they have to throw.

bronxblue

September 28th, 2012 at 4:37 PM ^

Well, considering Denard was able to rush for 1700 yards and throw for 18 TDs two years ago despite quite a bit of blitzing from other teams, one has to wonder if Borges is missing some key plays that could maximize Denard's abilities.  I would think that a guy who can escape blitzers pretty easily and then have gobs of yards to run without only some cornerbacks to stop him would be a pretty useful weapon against blitzing. 

And stop it with this "Denard is one-dimensional" crap.  B.J. Daniels is one-dimensional.  John Navarre was one-dimensional (admittedly he was good at this one dimension, but no better than Denard is at his supposed dimension).  Eric Crouch, a Heisman trophy winner, was pretty one-dimensional.  Denard can throw the ball reasonably well when he isn't pressured, which makes him like 95% of college QBs.  He isn't super accurate and his decision-making at times is questionable, but show the dozens and dozens of college QBs who could carry this offense and make it competent and I'll believe you.  He's going to finish his career as one of the better QBs in UM history, and I think people (especially younger fans who maybe remember Brady, then Henne and Denard), will look back and realize that he is a far better player than people give him credit for.   

Decatur Jack

September 28th, 2012 at 5:00 PM ^

to Denard.

Yes, I realize that Denard is everyone's favorite player (mine included), but man, if a defensive tackle get manhandled all game, it's -13. If Denard throws FOUR(!) interceptions, he only gets -7? which comes out to -2.5 overall?

Frankly, I expected this UFR to put him at -20 overall, because INTs are so costly. Especially when several of those INTs ended up getting ND points.

Still love Denard, though. He'll get better. Hopefully we won't see anything like the ND game ever again from him.

BraveWolverine730

September 28th, 2012 at 6:45 PM ^

Well his INTs probably shouldn't factor into that number since it's his running chart that was -2.5. That is actually a very horrible number for Denard and I'd bet one of the worst if not the worst of his career.  You'd want to look at the Henne Chart for his passing grade and Brian even admits the chart doesn't give enough weight to HOW disastorous a throw is, only that it was a bad throw. 

turtleboy

September 28th, 2012 at 5:19 PM ^

I feel worse about losing this game because we absolutely should have won it. If they soundly beat us because they were better I could stomach it, but losing because of a career bad game is a tough pill to swallow, and on the heels of that ND announces the rivalry is done. Michigan was in control and the game was ours to win through it's entirety, but we blew every single scoring opportunity we had. We were the better team, what the hell happened, Al? It seems like he's building up a resume of trying things you, I, and everybody else know won't work well. Like he takes the weakest part of our game, or our worst matchup and focuses on it during games at times. Against bama he had smith running up the gut on consecutive plays after getting nowhere with it all game long. Now against ND it seems like he had very little sympathy for denards weaknesses. Denard got pressured regularly and made bad decisions, but it feels like instead of making it easier for him, Al made it tougher. After the games too it feels like everybody: Denard, Hoke, Lewan, Mattison, Tree all fight to see who can take the most blame on themselves but Borgess seems like everything's fine, and he wouldn't change a thing in press conferences. Grumble grumble grumble.

MGoNY

September 28th, 2012 at 5:17 PM ^

in this game was not taking what the defense was giving them by using the bubble/laser screen. we used it the first 3 games. it's easy to see it's a wide open play. you'd  figure someone in the box must have seen it.

 

i say heiko ask borges next time and complete the circle of hate.

the unsilent m…

September 28th, 2012 at 5:37 PM ^

And John Navarre was pole-axed for his lack of mobility. No one, save Lloyd Carr, came to that kids rescue. On the flip side, Denard is criticized for an apparent lack of decision making/throwing ability and there is a backlash in proportion to what Navarre endured. WTF? Mark May rant cause "he's not used right", a constant "further review" to see who's "really" to blame.... I'm as loyal as any Micigan fan, and I can see as well as too. He is one-dimensional, and therefore can only go so far, at this level and the next, same as the other quarterbacks on your list. Eric Crouch was drafted as a wideout, and Daniels struggles in the same way Denard does. Im not saying Denard should be NFL worthy, but the fact of the matter is at some point the limitations surface whether you like them or not. Against defenses that force him to pass, he doesn't cut it. Why in the f**k is that so painful to accept?

In reply to by the unsilent m…

bronxblue

September 28th, 2012 at 9:19 PM ^

But he CAN pass - we have 3 years of proof.  Does he make some bad throws?  Sure.  So do most college QBs.  He's not going to be Andrew Luck back there, but that's okay.  You don't need to be elite at throwing the ball to be successful; you just need to be asked to do what you can and not asked to do what you can't.  People act like Borges has 5 pass plays, 3 of which Denard is unable to do and the defense forces him to only run those plays.  Borges is the one calling these slow-developing routes when the other team is blitzing.  When he went max protection and let Denard have fewer reads, he moved the ball well in the air.  And over the past 2 years, we've seen bits and pieces of Denard being accurate as a thrower in certain contexts.  That's fine - I never saw him as an NFL QB, but that doesn't mean he can't be a successful college QB.  Hell, I don't think Cam Newton or Vince Young will ever be above-average pro QBs, yet both were DOMINANT college QBs.  There is an offense in Borges's system in which Denard can complete a good number of passes with minimal chances of turning it over, I just think he needs to give it a chance.

In reply to by the unsilent m…

bronxblue

September 28th, 2012 at 9:24 PM ^

Also, I am a huge Navarre fan.  I thought people crapped on him way too much - he wasn't a star, but Carr at that point was living a fantasy world with his offensive strategy at times.  But I was there when Navarre was on campus, and outside of idiots ranting to their friends about how he sucked, there weren't a million sports blogs, twitter, facebook, etc. where these voices could be heard.  I would be as strong a defender of Navarre as Denard if the times were different.

uminks

September 29th, 2012 at 1:54 AM ^

The offense played well between the 20's.  It was just coming away empty in the red zone that lost the game. Denard does not play well against physical hard rushing DL. Borges needs scheme better when playing aggressive defenses. IMO...we have already played our toughest DL! Purdue may try to blitz often...but I think that will back fire on them.

Leonhall

September 29th, 2012 at 8:36 AM ^

Was higher but he still struggled against the better defenses due to them loading the box and timely blitzing. His passing looked accurate because of the playcallls which weren't effective against teams who loaded the box because we threw so many dink and dunk passes.

robmorren2

September 29th, 2012 at 12:00 PM ^

I'm sick of seeing Denard line up under center and run play action. It seems like it's always a pick, sack, or pressure. Do you really need to run playaction with Denard!? Doesn't he basically make it playaction just by having the ball in his hands. The safeties are already sucked in, so why fake to the back. It's clear to me that he's uncomfortable when he has to turn his back to the defense, and it takes him forever to locate the receivers once he finishes his fake handoff and turns around. Keep him in shotgun so he doesn't have to turn his back to the defense and he can keep his eyes downfield ... even if he does fake the handoff in shotgun, he's still facing the defense and can keep his eyes downfield or on the pass rush. And on top of all that, we can't run the ball from under center worth a damn anyway, so who are we even faking. Every time I saw a playaction pass from under center I cringed.

cjpops

September 29th, 2012 at 10:29 PM ^

.....and this

"Denard...was amongst the worst guys in the country in interception rate last year? I mean, we know this happens. It has just happened against Air Force and UMass, at home. It is not going to stop happening. Calling plays thatemphasize this flaw is insane."

Brian Cook, FTW