Upon Further Review 2013: Defense vs Iowa Comment Count

Brian

iowa-header

A lot of big formations

Why did you do this?

Oh some attempt at achieving completeness or something. Without actually doing so, of course.

Please tell me you didn't do the other side of the ball.

I did! At least it was short.

Well then. You may as well detail what you discovered.

Ah yes, but let's put in a jump here.

[After THE JUMP: Clark against the best tackle in the league, inexplicable LB sub pattern, Washington falls off a cliff, corners are in your base]

Here is the big chart.

Ln Dn Ds O Form D Form Type Rush Play Player Yards
O13 1 10 Ace Big 4-3 under Pass 5 PA boot drag Ryan INT
Straight out of the 1950 playbook. PA naked boot from a big formation. Ryan(+2, pressure +1) reads it the whole way and is in Rudock's face as he turns around; Morgan(+1, cover +1) blasts the dragging TE off his route, not that it matters because Ryan hits the QB as he throws and the ball flutters to Beyer(+1) for an interception and free touchdown. RPS +3.
Drive Notes: Defensive touchdown, 7-0, 13 min 1st Q. M picks up an unsportsmanlike for removing a helmet on the field so the next KO is from their 20.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Form Type Rush Play Player Yards
O31 1 10 Offset I Form Big 4-4 under Run N/A Tackle trap Clark 11
TE motions to playside and seals Clark inside as the T pops outside of him. Clark(-2) really cannot give up the corner here and does, going upfield and inside of the TE. Then the rest of the D is in trouble as no one moves at all in response to Iowa moving their strength. Well, Beyer and Ryan do. But that's it. Ross(-1) gets blown up by a WR. Henry(-1) is out of position and easily handled. There's your crease. Gordon fills adequately.
O42 1 10 Ace twins twin TE 4-3 over Pass 4 TE corner Ryan 25
Nice pocket for Rudock as no one on the line gets much of a rush; Rudock finds his TE; Ryan(+1, cover +1) actually in very good position here and may actually get a touch on the ball. Tough throw and catch with the coverage. Pressure -2.
M33 1 10 Ace 4-3 under Run N/A Pin and pull zone Black 0
Zoning here with a block down on the playside DE as the tackle pulls around. Black(+1) runs down the line before the C can cut him off and forces a bounce; Henry(+0.5) had nimbly evaded a cut as well but does not get to be relevant. Beyer(+0.5) ends up taking a double here without giving much ground, so back has to go outside, where Black almost makes a TFL and and unmolested Ryan(+0.5) can finish it.
M33 2 10 Ace 4-3 even Pass 5 Hitch Taylor 6
M in a bit of an odd formation for them so not a huge surprise when they blitz from it. Play is a quick hitch against soft coverage that doesn't let the pressure get home; Taylor with an immediate tackle(+1). Mild irritation at cushion.
M27 3 4 Shotgun trips Nickel even Pass 4 Rollout out CGordon 4
Almost identical to what M runs in these situations with a bit of a pick from the lead receiver in a stack allowing the guy running a short out behind him to get open. No contact though and CGordon(-0.5, cover -1) doesn't even make contact after the catch, want something a bit better here.
M23 1 10 I-Form twins 4-3 over Pass 4 Throwaway Taylor Inc
Token PA and a Taylor(+1, cover +1) versus Polish Hat matchup that Rudock doesn't like as Taylor jumps the route. He's out of options on this side of the field and starts moving around, allowing Henry(+0.5) to read and run at him kind of impressively for a big guy. Rudock throws it away after the third guy in the pattern can't get open(cover+1).
M23 2 10 I-Form 4-3 under Run N/A Iso Clark 2
Running at Ross's face. Ross(-0.5) makes contact at the LOS and does okay but gets pushed inside, which means he's not funneling to Bolden, his unblocked help. Clark(+1) bails him out with a nice play in which he holds off the tackle and fills the gap inside. Bolden(+0.5) had a very fast flow around the DT mess right to the POA.
M21 3 8 Shotgun trips 3-3-5 nickel Pass 3 Scramble Clark 3
Clark(+1, pressure +1) gets enough of a rush on Scherff to flush Rudock up in the pocket, where he's got no immediate options since Bolden(+0.5), Countess(+0.5), and Taylor(+0.5) are in the pockets of their guys (cover +2). Ryan is spying and completes the flush, making an ankle tackle after a few yards.
Drive Notes: Missed FG(35), 7-0, 9 min 1st Q. Three and out followed by punt shank set Iowa up in good position for next drive.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Form Type Rush Play Player Yards
M45 1 10 Ace Big 4-3 over Run N/A Zone stretch Ross 2 (Pen -13)
Washington(+1) in at NT. He attacks and discards the backside G, cutting off any cutback lanes. Beyer(-1) sealed away. Clark kind of falls over in the way, not exactly textbook but he does further constrict Weisman's options; Ross(+1) dodges a blocker and makes a tackle near the LOS. Iowa picks up an irrelevant clip away from the play.
O40 1 23 Ace 3-wide 4-3 even Pass 4 Out CGordon 18
Absolutely zero pressure(-3) as Rudock has all day and finds a wide open WR as CGordon(-2, cover -2) sucks up on an underneath route instead of covering the long guy on first and 25. RPS -1; leaving CGordon out there against Martin-Manley in this situation is goofy.
M40 2 5 I-Form twins 4-3 over Run N/A Inside zone Bolden 10
M slants away from the play. Both Iowa OL who are over guys slanting away playside read it and immediately release, getting out on Ross and Bolden. Both try to go upfield; Ross makes it. Bolden(-1) does not. Beyer(-1) and Washington(-0.5) creased; think this is more Beyer but can't be sure.
M30 1 10 Ace twins twin TE 4-3 over Pass 4 Scramble Bolden 18
Big gap opens up on the right side of Michigan's line as Clark gets upfield and Washington tries to leap into Rudock's throwing lane. This would be fine except both linebackers go with the release valve out of the backfield. I am not entirely sure what the responsibilities here are but I am pretty sure that both have coverage of #3 if the guy comes out to their side. Guy comes out to Ross's side and then breaks across Bolden. Ross goes with him the whole play; Bolden(-2) takes three steps to the guy and then is like “oh crap.” Bolden is looking the QB here, in a robber zone, and lets it go. Cover +2, though.
M12 1 10 Offset I Form Big 4-4 under Run Rush Tackle trap Ojemudia 3
Same play that Clark got creased on earlier. Ojemudia(+1) isn't having that, flaring out when the TE motions to him and fighting him the whole way. With Henry(+1) winning his battle along the line there's no cutback, and there is a pile of everything eventually after a couple yards.
M9 2 7 Offset I Form Big 4-4 over Run N/A Zone stretch Ross 4
Black(-1) is lined up head-on the center and steps opposite the rest of the line on the snap, instant crease. Bad bad news for Michigan but Ross(+1) takes on a totally unfettered blocker in a bunch of space and manages to slip him to submarine the ballcarrier. Henry(+0.5) flowed down the line and helped tackle from the backside.
M5 3 3 Shotgun trips Nickel even Pass 4 Improv Wilson 5
No pressure(-3) and Rudock can scramble outside the pocket at his leisure. Then bad luck in the secondary as a good Ross chuck on Polish Hat knocks the TE right into Wilson(-0.5, cover -1) and when he bounces off that's some separation. Think Wilson should be getting over the top a bit faster. No Clark on this play, FWIW. Ojemudia. Unwise?
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 7-7, 3 min 1st Q. Three and out, shanked punt.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Form Type Rush Play Player Yards
M42 1 10 Ace Big 4-3 over Pass 4 Dumpoff Black 8
No pressure(-2); Black(-1) specifically gets out of his lane, allowing Rudock to step up and throw a dumpoff to Weisman that is about a two yard pass so the LBs have no time to react. Thus dumpoff is productive.
M34 2 2 I-Form twins 4-4 even press Run N/A Outside zone Clark -3
Stunt blows this up with Clark(+2) slashing into the backfield to hit the back almost on the handoff. Gordon(+0.5) also cutting off things; Henry helps clean up after the back is delayed by Clark. RPS +2.
M37 3 5 Shotgun empty Nickel even Pass 5 Slant Black Inc
Black(+1, pressure +1) bats it down. Think TGordon(-0.5, cover -1) was beat.
M37 4 5 Shotgun empty Okie zero Pass 5 Out CGordon Inc
Six guys at line for five blockers, Iowa lets outside guy go, Rudock looks to the other side. M is dropping CGordon(+1, cover +1) right into the flat here and he leaps to deflect the pass. RPS +2. This preyed on Iowa's assumed reaction to a cover zero blitz like this.
Drive Notes: Turnover on downs, 7-7, 1 min 1st Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Form Type Rush Play Player Yards
O3 1 10 I-Form Big 4-4 under Run N/A Inside zone Washington 5
Iowa straight singles both DTs to get to the LBs; Washington(-0.5) does meh, standing up the C and doing not much else, still creases. Ditto Henry(-0.5), who flows down the line to tackle from behind after a decent gain. Need your DTs to disrupt more if they're getting straight singled. Clark(-1) flew way upfield and there was a big cutback lane as he focused pass.
O8 2 5 I-Form Big 4-4 over Run N/A Zone stretch Ross 20
Washington(-2) gets caught going upfield and Iowa steps around on the stretch. Ross(-2) goes around a block to the inside, providing a nice lane for Weisman; Bolden(-0.5) slowed up to check a cutback lane that was patently not there.
O28 1 10 I-Form Big 4-3 under Pass 4 Flea flicker Avery Inc
Avery(+1, cover +2) is all over the top of this, no sale on the flea flicker, but takes a really bad angle to the ball and instead of having an interception allows the WR a play on the ball. Maybe the wind knocked this down? Doesn't look like the WR has much of an idea either. RPS +1.
O28 2 10 Ace twins twin TE 4-3 over Pass N/A Slot screen Ryan 1
I don't know what to call this; it's Michigan's throwback screen with the playside G and T booking but to a slot receiver on the hash marks. Ryan(+2) takes advantage of a poor throw to slash upfield and sling KMM to the ground after a minimal gain. Wormley and Bolden looked to have this covered for a few more if Ryan doesn't make a nice play.
O29 3 9 Shotgun trips 3-3-5 nickel Pass 3 Out Countess INT
Michigan drops eight, with Clark(+0.5) getting some harassing pressure that may induce a bad decision. That decision: throwing an out that the eight man coverage covers; Cam Gordon is out in the flat, Rudock thinks Countess is the flat guy, Countess(+4, cover +3) baits like that is his assignment, and then he drops into the route. Very similar to his ND pick. RPS +2.
Drive Notes: Interception, 7-7, 12 min 2nd Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Form Type Rush Play Player Yards
O24 1 10 Ace 4-3 under Run N/A End-around Clark 7
They've seen Clark getting out of his lane here and they call something to own that. Looks like a stretch, WR coming back around the backside, big hole as Clark(-1) gets upfield and Gedeon(-1) does not read it. RPS -1.
O31 2 3 Ace Big 4-4 over Run N/A Zone stretch Wormley 1
Bust by Iowa's center allows Henry(+0.5) a free run up the middle. Gedeon(+0.5) has a free flow and does well with it; Wormley(+0.5) comes off a block to finish the play after Henry slows it up.
O32 3 2 I-Form Big 4-4 over Run N/A Zone stretch Clark -1
Clark(+3) whips the inline Iowa TE, knocking him back, forcing a bounce, and then shoving off his blocker again to initiate a tackle. Solo TFL against a blocker is +3. Wilson(+1) flows down quickly to check that inside gap and then finishes the tackle. Henry(-1) got beat badly on the zone and Gedeon(-1) took a bad angle and then got thrown backwards by the OL.
Drive Notes: Punt, 14-7, 6 min 2nd Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Form Type Rush Play Player Yards
O13 1 10 I-Form Twins 4-3 over Pass 5 Waggle FB flat Taylor Inc
Corner blitz from M, but Michigan has this covered pretty well with Ross(+0.5), who is about to flow out to the FB... until the LT blocks him four yards downfield. They have to get this fixed. Taylor(+0.5, pressure +1) is in QBs face as he turns around and forces a bad throw that hits the ground. Waggles are dumb.
O13 2 10 Ace 3-wide 4-3 over Pass 4 Dumpoff Ryan Inc
PA, no sale. Rush just about stoned but Clark is coming through to harass so a pass; Coverage(+1) is good for two beats and then QB dumps it off; Ryan(+1, cover +1) does a seek and destroy on a badly thrown hospital ball.
O13 3 10 Shotgun trips Nickel even Pass 5 Hitch Avery 8
Corner blitz from short side with Clark dropping on other side. Does get Taylor(+0.5) through; QB dumps to the two yard hitch that Taylor vacated. Gets a bit dodgy as Avery does a sketchy job covering and tackling... but he does tackle with help. (Pressure +1, RPS +1).
Drive Notes: Punt, 14-7, 3 min 2nd Q. KO return sets up short field drive starting with 30 sec on clock.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Form Type Rush Play Player Yards
M39 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide Nickel even Pass 4 FB wheel Ross 17
I don't blame Ross for this; he got intentionally picked off this route by a WR and still forced a back shoulder completion. RPS -2; caught man coverage.
M22 1 10 Shotgun trips 3-3-5 nickel Run N/A Draw Taylor 3
Momentarily looks terrifying as M is in pure pass mode and only rushes three and LBs are taking unblocked guys way downfield and then the fact that it's zone comes into play and Taylor(+1, tackling +1) comes up to hew down Bullock. RPS even I guess? Looked big but then zone and fact Taylor is looking at it the whole way bailed them out.
M19 2 7 Shotgun trips 3-3-5 nickel Pass 3 Throwaway Clark Inc
Clark(+2, pressure +2) straight up whips the RT, forcing a throwaway into the sideline. Cover +1, not even close to a completion.
M19 3 7 Shotgun trips 3-3-5 nickel Pass 3 Scramble N/A 0
Coverage(+1) good for a beat and then Rudock takes off despite not particularly heavy pressure, getting nothing. Bad by Iowa more than great by M.
Drive Notes: Missed FG(36), 21-7, EOH. Iowa's FG is biffed as holder cannot handle snap.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Form Type Rush Play Player Yards
O30 1 10 I-Form Big 4-3 under Run N/A Inside zone Henry 13
Beyer(+1) does a good job to get under his guy and slide through the line, cutting off the A gap; Black(-1) gives up ground and ends up pancaked, though Beyer saves his bacon. Henry(-1) gets his head down and is shoved way too far down the line, opening up a big cutback lane; Ross(-1) is unblocked and while he's in a lot of space this should be his game against a meh back. He takes a bad angle and misses a diving tackle(-1) that would have held this to five.
O43 1 10 I-Form twins 4-3 over Run N/A Inside zone Black 2
M aligned oddly, suggesting blitz, and they do go with a twist blitz from both ILBs. Black is shooting playside as a result and gets his helmet past the C; he takes on a G and holds his ground as that G gets confused and tries to hit CGordon, expecting that the C will help. C's on one of the LBs. Black(+1) makes the tackle. RPS +1.
O45 2 8 Shotgun empty Okie two Pass 3 Slant Avery 55
Avery(-2, cover -2) blows the coverage, taking two steps to a flat zone that a guy dropping off the line is taking. TGordon(-3, tackling -3) then misses a tackle to tack on a bunch more yards... in fact one touchdown's worth.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 21-14, 13 min 3rd Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Form Type Rush Play Player Yards
O26 1 10 Ace 4-3 under Pass 4 PA dumpoff Ross 10
Play action; Clark(+1, pressure +1) beats the RT and forces Rudock up into the pocket; Ross(-2, cover -2) has blown a coverage, running after the TE who Wilson has and leaving a simple dumpoff open for a nice gain.
O36 1 10 I-Form Big 4-4 over Run N/A Zone stretch Clark 2
Not a whole lot of room here as Washington(+0.5) flows well and Henry(+0.5) beats his guy by ripping him downfield and running down the line. Clark(+1) blasts Scherff(!) back and disconnects to tackle; Canzieri can fall forward.
O38 2 8 Ace twins twin TE 4-3 over Pass 5 Sack Wormley -4
Zone blitz nails Iowa as Ojemudia(+0.5) and Ross(+0.5) cover both TEs very tightly, causing Rudock to pump and then think better of a throw to either(cover+1). By that point the blitz has gotten home, with Wormley(+3, pressure +3) ripping through an unprepared guard to swallow.
O34 3 12 Shotgun trips Okie one Pass 5 Throwaway Ross Inc
Another blitz; Ross(+1) shoots up the middle and oles the tailback, and Wilson(+0.5) is a free runner from the edge; those guys combine to nail Rudock as he throws(pressure +3, RPS +2); ball flutters nowhere in particular and could have been picked off if Michigan was a bit luckier.
Drive Notes: Punt, 21-14, 10 min 3rd Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Form Type Rush Play Player Yards
O47 1 10 Ace 4-3 under Run N/A Sweep Bolden 6
M gets caught in a bad play here as they are slanting away from the play, which I think they tip by putting Clark in a two point stance. CGordon(+0.5) does a pretty good job to not let the pulling T just obliterate him but the weight mismatch here is so bad that he can't do much else. Bolden(-1) shoots straight upfield on the snap and while he does just manage to redirect when he reaches the LOS that angle means he's chasing and has to tackle from behind a couple yards downfield. Ross(+0.5) did get over the top of his man but then the second puller nails him because Bolden ran himself out of the picture; despite that he still comes through to finish the tackle. RPS –1.
M47 2 4 Ace twins twin TE 4-3 over Run N/A Zone stretch Avery 2
Glasgow(+1) is in and gets held as he barrels the Iowa G to the ground; Iowa G brings him down with him. Refs(-2) miss it. He's still constricted the available space and Avery(+1, tackling +1) of all people is hanging out as an overhang guy, reads the hole, attacks it, and stands up the RB at contact.
M45 3 2 I-Form Big 4-5 over Run N/A Lead zone CGordon -1
Clark steps under the T as CGordon(+2) blitzes off the edge, hammering the FB well in the backfield and turning the play inside in little space as Bolden(+1) attacked hard, forcing the pile containing Clark backwards and removing any shot at a hole. RB stops, CGordon comes off his block and tackles with help from Heitzman.
Drive Notes: Punt, 21-14, 7 min 3rd Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Form Type Rush Play Player Yards
M43 1 10 Shotgun empty? 4-3 even Pass 3 Scramble Glasgow 2
Rudock looking for his TE on a quick out route that Beyer(+0.5, cover +1) has dropped into and then he freaks out when he's got short stop routes to the outside on both edges of the field. It looks like he's going to grab a decent chunk of yards when Glasgow(+1, tackling +1) grabs him at the LOS; pile falls forward. Clark(+0.5, pressure +1 ) was collapsing the pocket, causing the scramble.
M41 2 8 Ace twins twin TE 4-3 over Run N/A Outside zone Clark 3
Clark(+1) batters his guy a couple yards off the line, which immediately cuts off the outside and allows Taylor(+1), the force guy, to see that and read that the RB will cut up. He shoots upfield of the TE assigned to him and makes a tackle unfettered. Glasgow(-1) had gotten sealed away by a guy lined up inside of him and Gedeon(-0.5) took a block by the G and was then totally out of the play.
M38 3 5 Shotgun trips Okie one Pass 5 Hitch Stribling 6
Heavy blitz is just getting there as the play develops, with Black(+0.5, pressure +1) coming through a double that Iowa has to abandon when a blitzer comes. Can't complain too much about Stribling's coverage(+1) here as he's there to tackle on the catch and may have this down short of the sticks except for the fact that he's unfortunate the tackle is one of those events where the WR doesn't hit the ground right away because the DB is in the way.
M32 1 10 Ace twins twin TE 4-3 under Pass 5 Out Taylor INT
Blitz wins big time here. Ryan sent off the edge as both TEs go into patterns, drawing OT. Beyer ends up with the G, the tailback goes out in a route, and there is no one to check Bolden(+1, pressure +3), who times well and is in like a flash, hitting Rudock on the throw. This gives Taylor(+4, cover +2) the opportunity to undercut the pass and pick it off. Cover + reduced a bit since the ball was floating but this was a circus catch, so full marks for Taylor.
Drive Notes: Interception, 21-14, 4 min 3rd Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Form Type Rush Play Player Yards
O40 1 10 I-Form 4-3 under Pass 4 Long handoff Countess 0
Excellent job by Countess(+2, tackling +2) to wipe this out for zero gain despite playing off.
O40 2 10 I-Form 4-3 under Pass 4 Hitch Taylor 10
Taylor(-1, cover -1) late on this out, no real challenge.
50 1 10 Ace twins twin TE 4-3 over Pass 4 Dumpoff Bolden 17
Way too much time(pressure -2); Bolden(-2, cover -2) bites up on PA and then does not get out on the RB; his zone drop is the wrong way with Gedeon dropping to the same space. This was probably going to be a completion either way but that allows a healthy chunk of YAC.
M33 1 10 I-Form Big 4-4 over Run N/A Zone stretch Clark -1
Maybe they should run away from Clark(+1), as he makes a TFL after disengaging from the tackle; Black(+2) made that happen by reading the stretch and zooming past the center who's not really trying to block him, getting to the hole at the critical moment and forcing the back to stop.
M34 2 11 I-Form Big 4-3 under Pass 4 Scramble N/A 2
Excellent coverage(+3) offsets bad pressure(-2); Rudock scrambles and Black(+0.5) is in position to harass him OOB.
M32 3 9 Ace 3-wide 3-3-5 nickel press Run N/A Zone stretch N/A 8
Iowa saw this formation and took a TO, then come out in the same three-wide from under center; it is unbalanced and unsound as a rush D with the line and LBs shaded to the weakside, so Iowa decides to take advantage of it. Nobody even slides right on the snap; Ojemudia(-1) gets upfield and pancaked and that's all she wrote for run defenders. Avery comes up to push Bullock OOB just short of the sticks. RPS -2. This did force a fourth down, I guess, but one that Iowa can obviously go for.
M24 4 1 I-Form Big 4-5 under Run N/A Inside zone Washington 4
Washington(-1) blown out by a double team and that's all she wrote despite Gedeon making good contact with the FB in the hole.
M20 1 10 I-Form twins 4-3 over Pass 4 Waggle FB flat Gedeon 11
Seriously, they have to get a handle on this illegal man downfield stuff: this is probably going to work anyway but Gedeon is trying to recover from the PA fake when the OT attempts to cut block him five yards downfield! Refs -2. Clark(-1) was flowing down the line instead of upfield at the QB and does not pressure or cover, caught in-between. And yes, Gedeon(-1, cover -1) probably wasn't getting there anyway. Hooray your waggle got you ten yards and not a pick six this time.
M9 1 G I-Form Big 4-5 under Run N/A Inside zone Washington 9
Washington(-3) just picked up and carried downfield until he's pancaked at the five. I am shocked by his performance today. What happened to him? Taylor(-1, tackling -1) does have an opportunity to submarine him and get it to second and goal from the two but hits Weisman high and gets run over.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 21-21, 12 min 4th Q. The dam finally breaks.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Form Type Rush Play Player Yards
O34 1 10 I-Form 4-4 over Pass 4 PA out Taylor 21
Nil pressure as Rudock has a million years on a max pro PA thing that eliminates all of this front eight. (Pressure -3). Rudock eventually picks out a WR in front of Taylor(-1, cover -1), who is sold out, sure, but you'd still like him to have some chance of making a play.
M45 1 10 Ace 3-wide 4-3 over Pass 4 Hitch Countess 5
Five yard catch, immediate tackle.
M40 2 5 Ace twins twin TE 4-3 over press Run N/A Zone stretch Gedeon 5
Washington(-1) doesn't do much except get sealed away here, so a guy can get out on Gedeon(-1); Gedeon makes good contact in the crease and threatens to close the hole but takes the hit too high and then the Iowa guy is under his pads, driving him back. Henry(-1) also got put away so fast that Bolden got eaten up by another OL so there's even a cutback lane as well. I assume these guys are just exhausted at this point.
M35 1 10 Ace Big 4-3 under Run N/A Zone stretch Clark 8
Bizarre alignment as M runs up in a seven man front against a big formation with CGordon rolled up to the line. So Clark(-1) runs right at Rudock and then has to turn around when he does not have the ball, but because M seemed to misalign there is no one for the other TE to block and a huge cutback hole. Bolden(+1) had dodged a blocker and Henry and Washington seemed to flow well but doesn't matter. RPS -2. Wilson(-1) should have been much more aggressive here to try to hold it down.
M27 2 2 Ace Big 4-5 over Run N/A Zone stretch Henry 4
Henry displays impressive strength shedding an Iowa OL but went straight upfield and got creased as a result(-1); Black(-1) also put away. Iowa is getting across these guys facemasks all day now. Bolden comes up and hits a G, bouncing off to tackle, but there's no way he can stop the pile from lurching forward.
M23 1 10 Ace Big 3-4 base Run N/A Zone stretch Bolden 6
M slants away; Bolden(-1) catches a block after taking a hesitation step to the inside and cannot funnel to help. RPS -1. Slant made it tough.
M17 2 4 Ace Big 4-5 under Run N/A Zone stretch Black 2
Black(-0.5) blown up by the C momentarily, giving a bunch of ground, but he does manage to come through the block when the C releases and makes contact a few yards downfield. Not good, but not as bad as it could have been. Glasgow(+0.5) did a good job on the other G, pushing him backwards and potentially clogging this up.
M15 3 2 I-Form Big 5-4 under Run N/A Lead zone Clark -1
Clark(+3) times the snap exquisitely and is moving before anyone else, bursting past an attempted block to pick up a man-sized TFL. Wilson(+0.5) also shooting in to stop it. Henry(+0.5) seemed to have control of the G and this could have been stopped even without Clark beasting up.
Drive Notes: FG(33), 21-24, 6 min 4th Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Form Type Rush Play Player Yards
O31 1 10 Ace Big 4-3 over Run N/A Zone stretch Gedeon 22
Black(-2) turned in immediately and sealed away; Gedeon(-2) takes a bad angle to the hole and gets blasted inside, again giving his help no chance, and then it's secondary time.
M47 1 10 Ace Big 5-4 under Run N/A Zone stretch Wormley -2
No room at all this time with Wormley(+1) and Black(+0.5) flowing down the line effectively; Clark(+0.5) comes from the backside to clean up.
M49 2 12 Ace Big 5-4 over Run N/A Power O Wormley 2
Wormley(+1) crashes down into the intended hole, leaving Weisman with nothing on the frontside; his cutback gets minimal yardage as CGordon and Bolden(+0.5) are back there to combine to tackle. Bolden made a good read and scrape to get there, so he gets a plus, but CGordon was just hanging on the backside.
M47 3 10 I-Form Big 5-4 under Pass 4 Waggle TE drag TGordon 12
I mean. Thoroughly bad by TGordon(-2, cover -2), who has inside help and lets the TE so far outside of him he cannot even tackle on the catch on a waggle that is always going to send the TE to the sideline. Iowa can now kneel it out.
Drive Notes: EOG, 21-24.

This was a performance typical of the 2013 Michigan defense, at least before they were disassembled in the final two games: do a good to very good job until the endless parade of three-and-outs murder your thin DL, at which time you give up the ghost and the other team scores a couple times to either win or put the game out of reach. This a game in which a drive by drive overview is useful:

  1. INT, defensive touchdown.
  2. 51-yard Iowa drive, missed FG
  3. Short-field TD drive
  4. Four-and-out turnover on downs
  5. INT
  6. Three and out
  7. Three and out
  8. Short field, one first down, missed FG attempt
  9. Quick strike TD drive
  10. One first down, punt.
  11. Three and out
  12. INT
  13. 60 yard TD drive
  14. 50 yard FG drive
  15. 31 yard EOG drive

That's 15 drives faced. After 12 of those Iowa had netted 7 points and turned the ball over three other times besides despite Michigan facing consistently awful field position since their offense couldn't move the ball. (If you want you can give Iowa credit for the first missed FG drive; the defense still was kicking ass.) If the offense had gained more than six(!) yards in the second half by the time drive 13 happens, you win and the defense goes home heroes.

Obviously that did not happen. On the final three drives they ran out of steam and Iowa started grinding it in an F-U kind of way: five straight plays on the game-winning field goal drive were zone stretches from a big formation on which exhausted DL just could not prevent Iowa players from sealing them to the inside.

Despite that it's shocking that Iowa managed to crest 400 yards in this game. For most of it they seemed as or more inept than Michigan. But there can only be one worst offense (other than Purdue) in the conference, and it is (was) us.

Let's just do the chart then:

[Reminder that DL is a MAKE PLAYS position and being neutral is bad; for a full game you want +4 to break even.]

Defensive Line
Player + - T Notes
Heitzman - - - Didn't play much.
Washington 1.5 8 -6.5 Really struggled against Iowa's zone game.
Black 6.5 6.5 0 Had his moments but struggled late.
Clark 17.5 6 11.5 Had a really good day against tough opposition. Pressure number is mediocre though.
Wormley 5.5 - 5.5 Had an impressive sack.
Pipkins - - - DNP
Glasgow 2.5 1 1.5 Held up pretty well when turned to late.
Ojemudia 1.5 1 0.5 Isn't playing much with Clark turning it on.
Godin - - - DNP
Beyer 3 2 1 Not a strong day.
Henry 3 5.5 -2.5 Iowa's meaty line exploited his lack of technique.
Charlton - - - DNP.
TOTAL 41 30 11 DTs started to flag in his game.
Linebacker
Player + - T Notes
C.Gordon 4 2.5 1.5 A PBU or two.
Morgan 1 - 1 Absence in this game very strange.
Ross 4.5 6.5 -2 Put on skates a lot but with DTs struggling he was also going to do so.
Ryan 6.5 - 6.5 Created free touchdown.
Bolden 4.5 6.5 -2 Consistent mistakes; did help force an INT.
Gedeon 0.5 6.5 -6 Weird that he was even on the field.
RJS - - - DNP
TOTAL 21 22 -1 Was Morgan hurt or something? I don't recall anything along those lines.
Secondary
Player + - T Notes
Countess 6.5 - 6.5 I don't think he had a single pass completed on him.
Taylor 8.5 3 5.5 Great pick, a few bad coverages.
Stribling - - - DNP
Thomas - - - DNP
T. Gordon - 5.5 -5.5 Critical missed tackle led to only big Iowa play.
Avery 2 2 0 And his coverage oops led to the above.
Wilson 2 1.5 0.5 Eh
Furman - - - DNP
J. Clark - - - DNP
Lewis - - - DNP
TOTAL 19 12 7 Zero separation on M starting corners all day.
Metrics
Pressure 18 17 +1 I forgot to categorize it.
Coverage 26 16 +10 Most issues on TEs.
Tackling 6 5 56% Kovacs wouldn't have had that happen.
RPS 12 10 +2 Wore down late but that's not Mattison's fault.

Those numbers are relatively low; should be noted that they were better before the late collapse.

So… yeah. Quinton Washington got a bunch of playing time after beating up on Northwestern and was really bad. With Pipkins out Michigan probably felt they had no other choice despite Washington's performance; it's telling that as Michigan got gashed at the end they stuck with Black and even mixed in Glasgow some… Washington disappeared. And I get why. Stuff like this happened way too much:

Washington has to keep his helmet to the playside of the center, here he doesn't even occupy the guy after getting beat and he starts releasing downfield, inadvertently clipping Ross as he tries to make a spectacular, if unsound, play. I hit Ross for a –2 there for giving up that lane but Michigan was in big trouble as soon as Washington went 0-fer on his assignment. This happened a lot. It happened to Black, too, in what was an ominous foreshadowing of the next week.

At least it appears the seemingly odd lack of playing time for Washington was justified. Why, exactly, a very good player turned into a pumpkin for his senior year I don't think we'll ever know. 2012 Washington is worth another win or two on this team, but he went backwards in a way I don't think I've ever seen before. I have to assume it was an injury or mono or something… nothing else makes sense.

Clark was good though?

There were a couple instances where it seemed like he was confused on the edge and either gave up big cutback lanes when he charged after the QB or let the QB waggle for (relatively meager) profit. Aside from that he was impactful. He generally whipped CJ Fiedorowicz, Iowa's senior, 265-pound TE:

That guy went in the third round of the draft and gives up little in terms of weight to Clark. (Note that Henry got blasted one further spot inside, so if Clark doesn't make a big play this is an excellent gain.) This was not an isolated incident. His play really bailed Michigan out of some nasty spots since the DTs and Gedeon weren't doing well against the stretch.

And here's Clark beating Brandon Scherff:

And Clark beating Brandon Scherff:

And Clark ending Iowa's winning field goal drive after the rest of the line was about to die by timing the snap and going Brandon Graham beast mode:

I bet you a dollar Ferentz was one of the guys voting Clark onto the All Big Ten team. Clark had an out-and-out surge the second half of the year; if he maintains that level of play he will be ABT. If he improves on it he will be an All-American.

 

 

 

What was with Gedeon's number there?

For unexplained reasons Michigan pulled their starting linebackers out of the game for Bolden and Gedeon for the decisive collapse. That, too, is a mystery. Michigan had come close to stoning Iowa for most of this game, and then yoink here's a true freshman and a highly unreliable backup in at crunch time. Morgan hardly played after the first couple drives, and Ross was knocked out of the OSU game, so… injury?

I hope so. Gedeon made a number of rookie mistakes on which he got pwned by OL and did not even try to funnel to his help:

That video of Clark owning Polish Hat above also features Gedeon taking a crap angle and then getting flung yards backwards by an Iowa OL.

Bolden was better. He still made more bad plays than good. I'm really checking myself for confirmation bias when I look at him because the coaches put him out there a lot and are now raving up and down about him, but when I watch him I see problems. Here Michigan is slanting away from this sweep and Bolden just attacks straight upfield when it seems like he needs to flatten out here to either pursue and make the tackle himself or pick off one of the guys who ends up blocking Ross:

And on this scramble the back comes out of the backfield to Ross's side; Ross initiates man coverage on him that he maintains throughout the play. Bolden steps towards the tailback, creating a huge lane for Rudock to motor through:

Those are the sorts of plays I associate with Bolden currently. Errors. Bolden did thump the QB on a nice blitz to set up the Taylor INT; I do hope it really has clicked for him. If not he will be replaced by Desmond Morgan promptly. 

So what is with the personnel shifts if it's not injury?

We saw decision-making like this at safety for the Nebraska game, when Michigan inexplicably lifted both starters for Avery and Furman. My best guess is that the state of the offense slowly drove everyone over the edge and Michigan started making detrimental changes to the D in a state of panic just in case the new guys would make their rather good defensive performance good enough to win despite acquiring under 200 yards of offense. Here the in-game swap doesn't seem to make even that amount of sense, and there was no mention of injury in the aftermath. So… you got me.

Michigan's fritz out in decision-making through big chunks of the year (PSU, aforementioned safety thing, tackle over) reminds me of Aliens. When that location thingy is beeping people lose their minds.

So those corners: good?

I just want to point out that the two guys we don't think are going to start picked off another two passes in this game, and like all their other picks on the year these were not batted balls or passes that float directly to you; Countess and Taylor earned them. Countess:

Taylor's was aided by Michigan hitting the quarterback but is still a route jump and a circus catch that would have been a 1 if Taylor played offense.

Should be noted that other than the 55-yard TD, which had nothing to do with either CB, Iowa WRs had a total of 62 yards between them.

What was with that long Iowa TD then?

An error by Avery compounded by a missed tackle from Thomas Gordon:

I can't really remember the last time a Michigan safety has blown a tackle that gave up an extra thirty yards, so hooray I guess? Also both those guys were seniors so hooray I guess?

Any systematic problem with football beefs?

Illegal men downfield are out of control. I'm going to bring this up whenever I see it; here Ben Gedeon is trying to cover a fullback, which is difficult when there's an OL cut-blocking you five yards downfield.

That was likely to work anyway as Gedeon sucks into the PA hard but I mean come on. We should at least be able to agree that when an OL blocks a linebacker downfield on a pass play, that ain't right.

How about examples of why the waggle is the Atari 2600 version of the zone read?

Oh yes sir.

But when they didn't give up a free touchdown they did get up to 12 yards at a time for having their QB turn his back to the defense in the hope someone wasn't about to annihilate him when he turned around. The risk-reward there is just so broken.

Heroes?

Clark was the clear winner against Scherff and Polish Hat. The corners blanketed Iowa WRs.

Goats?

Well, mostly the offense. Washington did have a real bad day and Gedeon was not ready for prime time.

What does it mean for 2014?

Frank Clark had a very nice day whilst spending approximately half his time going up against Brandon Scherff. He fought him tooth and nail on the ground to good effect, and while he didn't get as much pass rush as you'd want overall it was encouraging.

If you get left out there for 15 drives against Iowa there ain't nothing you can do.

I am just not seeing it with Bolden yet. Disclaimer for the proverbial "click".

If dudes are pushing past Taylor and Countess that's impressive. I know I know they got torn up by Tyler Lockett but against human WRs Michigan did well, and then you'd expect those guys to improve.

Michigan needs more sources of pressure. If it wasn't Clark and I guess a little Wormley in this game it was nobody. Except on waggles.

Comments

kehnonymous

August 22nd, 2014 at 2:55 PM ^

For the love of all that is holy at least save Offense vs. Ohio 2014 for the last so we have something semi-pleasant with which to conclude this retrospective.

reshp1

August 22nd, 2014 at 3:01 PM ^

I seem to remember the fact Washington disappeared in the second part of the season was a bit of a mystery. I wonder if this bad showing was part of the reason Jibreel Black at NT became a thing later on.

EDIT: Nevermind, you covered it later on.

Md23Rewls

August 22nd, 2014 at 3:01 PM ^

I don't remember this game at all. Like, I definitely watched it, but I just read Brian's original game column and the ESPN report on it and I honestly don't remember a single snap.

I feel so lucky.

gwkrlghl

August 22nd, 2014 at 8:13 PM ^

If we win, I'll watch highlights tons of times, read all the articles, watch ESPN so I can hear them talk about our triumph, etc.

But when we lose, I basically pretend like it didn't happen. I honestly can't remember the score of this game or what happened in it

Space Coyote

August 22nd, 2014 at 3:09 PM ^

I'm pretty sure Morgan did get hurt in the 3rd quarter or so. I think it was a stinger type thing, but can't remember. Then it was Gedeon from then on out. I thought they had said so in the game and remember it being discussed immediately after. I bet if you reread the game recap from this game it said as much. 

Edit: Beat to it by Pearl

So an aside: I know it's one more thing to look for, and a diffcult thing at that given TV angles, but it may be nice to have a "Coverage" line in these. Michigan likes to mix up a bit, but it would be nice to get comfirmation where they're struggling in terms of pass coverage, run support, etc. Would also give hints at problem areas in communication and who made a nice/bad play and why. Just a suggestion, understand it isn't always easy, particularly when looking at everything else.

ST3

August 22nd, 2014 at 3:08 PM ^

I remember that first play like it happened 2 or 3 months ago. Can I stop reading after the 1st play? No? OK, I'll continue on...

alum96

August 22nd, 2014 at 3:39 PM ^

Who played DE most of the game opposite Clark? Beyer?  You had Heitzman as barely playing and Mario O as not playing much and Taco DNP so I assume it was Beyer all day with maybe a bit of Wormley?

I think as a fan base we are sort of glossing over Beyer as a DE.  We root for him since he has made position switches and we assume we will be fine since he is a senior but he is 256 lbs per the roster going against 300 lb tackles.  Worried about him getting swallowed up in the run game especically, was hoping he'd come back nearer to 270 than 250 after offseason work.  Think Taco is going to need to be a key contributor this year, because even an effective Beyer is going to get worn down at that weight.  Poggi hopefully can give us a hand as well - this is the 1 position on the line I am not very bullish on right now until I see evidence to the contrary.

Space Coyote

August 22nd, 2014 at 3:41 PM ^

In which case, expect one of the 3-techs or DT/DE combos to slide into SDE. But in Over I think Beyer is fine. He'll be on the edge taking on TEs more often than not. The Over is much, much kinder to him than the under. Remember that he was a WDE before his was a SAM before they put him at SDE to get the best 4 on the field.

WolvinLA2

August 22nd, 2014 at 4:46 PM ^

Agreed - in the Over he's fine.  In the Under they'll sub in Taco/Poggi/Strobel (whichever of those is the better player) or move a guy like Wormley or Godin who has played SDE over.  

Could you imagine a DL of Wormley/Godin - Pipkins - Henry - Clark?  That's an average of like 290 - more than some offensive lines, and far more athletic.  Roll that out on 3rd and short and say "Good luck MFers."

alum96

August 22nd, 2014 at 7:59 PM ^

Ok thx.  Makes me feel better.   I actually think Wormley might be a very interesting DE, he seems to have a serious nose for the ball - maybe Hurst has the quicker burst of the DTs but looking at TFL last year it was Wormley who quietly did the most damage on the line.  He seems like a guy with the most flexibility of inside and out.

Space Coyote

August 22nd, 2014 at 3:49 PM ^

Washington was always going to generally struggle against stretch teams. He wasn't the fleetest of foot. So catching people from the backside was going to be bad. But still, he was slow getting out of his stance, and even running he looked very tight. He was always better going against teams that tried to combo block him at the first level and just disregarding them, but looked really slow in the clips showed.

As far as Bolden, it's difficult to know if he's at fault without knowing the coverage. On the stretch pin and pull play, I think he actually plays it how he's taught. When he sees a pulling guy playside, he's supposed to shoot "clear" and ride right behind him to the ball carrier.  Whoever is playing SDE gets destroyed inside and in Bolden's initial "clear" read (Bolden is likely reading "Clear" or "Cloudy and being told to shoot gaps based on that to get penetration, a straight stretch play would very possibly see a different reaction from him, but I didn't rewatch the whole game). At that point he should jump a gap over, but he can't expect his 5-tech (who I'm guessing didn't read his keys properly, which is the hardest thing for young/inexperinced 5-techs and 3-techs in an Over) to just get destroyed like that. C. Gordon appears to be in man based on his initial drop, but needs to do better setting the edge so when Bolden shoots clear he can catch the RB. Then Ross is supposed to flow lateral (as he does) to the ball. Unfortunately, in this clip Bolden is still straight line fast and doesn't redirect well and still lacks some "physicalness" to get through the wash cleanly. That's likely an eyes (he's locked in on the ball carrier instead of seeing ball carrier and wash) and experience thing. If he's cleaned that up, you can see where his potential is. FWIW, this looks like a Cover 1 robber to me with a WDE drop which seems odd.

On the second play (QB scramble), again, it depends on what the coverage is (almost certain it's Cover 1). Typically, Ross would pick up a RB that leaked left, Bolden one that leaked right, and the other would spy the QB by sitting in the hole and reading his eyes in an attempt to jump anything underneath. Now, this is where it depends on what they are teaching the LBs. 1) Ross takes him anywhere now, Bolden plays "Jump" where he jumps anything that crosses in front of his face (note that Ross is a couple steps behind the RB, if Bolden leaves the jump that's a potential long gain); 2) Bolden should jump and Ross should then drop into the hole; 3) Bolden is now a QB spy, Ross cannot allow the RB to release inside of him. I doubt option 3 because the Iowa QB isn't known as a runner. The way Ross plays it, I don't think it's option 2. My guess is option one, where Ross plays the RB straight up and Bolden jumps anything in front. There is no spy. The problem, unfortunately again, stems from the DL giving too much of a crease.

This is the very risky part of playing Cover 1, and something we need to watch for this upcoming year.

Wolverine In Iowa

August 22nd, 2014 at 3:43 PM ^

I was at this game, and I almost got throttled by the surrounding Iowa fans when the pick-six occurred.  Very similar to the "Rick-six" that happened at the beginning of the game in 2009 (another bitterly cold game).

I could just feel the depression moving in when we could not do jack on offense, and the "offensive" series we had after the Iowa long TD in the 3Q were just excruciating.  I think there were more than two drops by Funchess that just killed us.

maize-blue

August 22nd, 2014 at 3:56 PM ^

One of three frustrating 2013 games (Penn St., Nebraska, Iowa) in which I felt UM had the better roster but the defense eventually folded because of offensive ineffectiveness.

acnumber1

August 22nd, 2014 at 4:34 PM ^

I read your "One of three frustrating 2013 games (Penn St., Nebraska, Iowa)..." and I was like MAIZE-BLUE ONLY FOUND 3 GAMES FROM LAST YEAR FRUSTRATING!!!  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? DID HE NOT WATCH ANY OTHER GAMES ...and then I finished reading and I was like...yeah.

 

 

steve sharik

August 22nd, 2014 at 6:12 PM ^

...(and rightly so), M has 9 in the box and Wilson is an unaccounted for, free hitter.  He would've made the play had not Clark.  IMO, this play is RPS +1 (or whatever).

ca_prophet

August 22nd, 2014 at 8:06 PM ^

We learn more from analyzing failure than success, and knowing how much of this is on youth, exhaustion, etc. tells us something about next year.

Your pain is not in vain.