Upon Further Review 2014: Offense vs Appalachian State Comment Count

Brian

FORMATION NOTES: Not a whole lot that was unusual. Michigan has changed the alignment of their backs in some shotgun sets:

M pistol-off

I called this "shotgun deep" since the QB is still at 5 yards but the back is behind instead of parallel. I imagine they did this for the same reason the pistol exists: to give the back downhill momentum when he takes a handoff.

Conventional shotgun sets were frequent as well, as were split TEs. This is the first snap of the game and features Hill motioning from an H-back spot to the slot; he'll block for Funchess on a successful flanker screen.

ASU 3-3-5 slide

Michigan would occasionally scrape up an I-Form out of whatever was laying around, like when Chesson motioned in here. This actually cut behind Chesson's force block to pick up 15.

M hback-chesson

SUBSTITUTION NOTES: OL was Cole-Magnuson-Miller-Burzynski/Kalis-Braden the whole way. Gardner obviously QB until garbage time; he got pulled a couple drives before Michigan did much non-WR substitution.

Feature backs were Green and Smith with Hayes apparently a third down option; Drake Johnson only saw garbage carries and should no longer be considered a playing time contender going forward.

At WR it was Funchess, Chesson, Darboh, and Norfleet rotating approximately equally; Canteen did not get on until late. Bo Dever is your backup slot, apparently. Tight end was mostly Hill and Williams with a bit less Heitzman sprinkled in.

[After THE JUMP: all things discussed.]

Ln Dn Ds O Form RB TE WR D Form Type Play Player Yards
M37 1 10 Shotgun trips 1 1 3 Nickel over Pass Flanker screen Funchess 11
M did this too: three guys in a 30 front with two LBs behind and a DE/LB type lined up outside one tackle in a two point stance. M motions Hill from a slot position to the short side to the wide side and uses him as an extra blocker. ASU doesn't respond much to his motion. Norfleet(+1) and Hill(+1) get their space blocks well; Funchess catches and runs, first down. (CA , 3, screen, RPS +1)
M48 1 10 I-Form 2 0 3 Nickel over Run Broken play Gardner 22 (Pen +5)
Uh, Chesson motions into an H-back spot here. So.. okay. Green(-2) goes the wrong way, Gardner improvises and finds the edge completely open. He gets some yards; comes back as Funchess got a holding call. Not dinging him because Funchess does not get this if the play is anywhere near where it should be. Gardner gets facemasked at the end of the play, so it's just a penalty bonanza.
O47 1 10 Shotgun Deep 3-wide 1 1 3 Nickel over Pass Bubble screen Norfleet 16
RB a yard behind the QB, which seems like it's tipping runs inside but whatever. ASU shows corner blitz, Norfleet claps at Gardner about it, Gardner dumps the ball out to Norfleet in space to good effect. (CA, 3, screen, RPS +1)
O31 1 10 I-Form 3-wide 2 0 3 Nickel over Run Draw Green 1
Kerridge motions to backfield from a tight bunch to the field. This looks almost entirely like draw action except Cole doesn't really set up to pass protect; he takes a guy moving inside, which is fine as Kerridge heads outside of him. Cole(-1) does not do a good job with his block, getting pushed back and not stepping around. Kerridge(-1) mis-IDs his guy, going after a linebacker Funchess is cracking down on, and Green(-2) still has a big gap with which he can pound out a couple yards or more if he breaks a tackle; instead he runs into enormous traffic.
O30 2 9 Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 Nickel over Run Inside zone Green -1
Burzynski(-3) is dismissed by the three tech. Green actually makes a nice bursting cut in an attempt to get around this guy and just about does, but guy grabs him around the waist and that's enough. Magnuson(+1) had buried the backside DT, for a comparison between Gs.
O31 3 10 Shotgun 4-wide 1 1 3 Nickel over split Pass Comeback? Chesson 19
Hayes your third down back. Williams in the slot here, which okay. We never see any part of this route so unknown how Chesson got so wide open here. He does. Gardner floats it into him a bit, would like this throw to be more on a line. (CA, 3, protection 2/2)
O12 1 10 Shotgun Deep twins 1 2 2 Nickel over Run Inside zone Green 3
Zero push from OL; Miller(-0.5) and Burzynski(-0.5) do nothing with the NT; Cole and Mags(-0.5) dont do anything with the playside end. With a linebacker charging into a backside gap Green(+1) has few options here. He ends up popping outside Williams, who saw his guy dive inside instead of act as force and gave too much ground for my taste, and then bangs out four yards against two unblocked DB types. They only give him three.
O9 2 7 Shotgun Deep 3-wide 1 1 3 Nickel over press Run IZ read keeper Gardner 0
I can't decipher this. Williams flares out, seemingly going on a pass route into the flat, and then peels back to block a linebacker. That looks wrong but could be some sort of clever arc block attempt? I don't know. Braden(-1) gets way off balance and loses his guy upfield after pushing back a couple yards; Burzynski plows the NT over but as a result a LB can shoot the backside gap, and Gardner aborts going outside in favor of just squeezing back to the LOS. I do think the handoff was the right read here but I really have no idea what this might be until I see some more of them that work. Uh, Gardner(-1).
O9 3 7 Shotgun trips 1 1 3 Nickel even Pass Out and up Funchess 9
Two guys bite on the out and that's all she wrote . Williams split all the way to the outside here. (CA, 3, protection 2/2, Funchess route +)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 7-0, 8 min 1st Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form RB TE WR D Form Type Play Player Yards
M22 1 10 Ace twins 1 2 2 Nickel over Pass Waggle hitch Funchess 18
Nobody on the edge and nobody on Funchess as Chesson's route to the inside is deeper and drags what I guess is a cover -3 cover deep with him. Funchess wide open for ten, almost breaks it long by hurdling another defender. (CA, 3, protection N/A.)
M40 1 10 I-Form 1 1 3 Nickel over Run Lead zone Smith 15
H-back Chesson again. What a country. Smith makes a nice cut here but either way will probably do as the two playside guys flare out way wide and barely have to be blocked; Kerridge(+1) buries the MLB, so a good gain beckons to the playside. But also the backside is wide open as the backside end flows too hard, with help from Cole(+1) and Chesson(+0.5) executing on their blocks. Cole pushed the guy a long way, I guess. Smith(+1) does get a brownie point for a decisive NS cut that erased a linebacker.
O45 1 10 I-Form 2 1 2 Base 3-4 Run Lead zone Smith 4
Pretty much the same thing with a rolled up safety; on this one M does scoop the NT effectively with Miller(+1) and Magnuson(+0.5) booting him out and getting to the second level. Burzynski (-0.5) kind of holds up before going to get his guy moving outside and as a result Kerridge has to pick through a little traffic to get to the LB; he does and there is a crease and Smith should probably hit it as the blocking is set up well with the scoop. Instead he cuts back, which isn't the worst idea or anything given the way this looks, as the backside DE went upfield at Gardner and vacated. Smith gets a couple Hart-like YAC yards by churning his legs.
O41 2 6 Pistol twins 1 2 2 Nickel over Run Zone stretch Smith 5
Should be more as Miller(+1) and Burz(+0.5) get their head across the NT and drive him five yards downfield. Mags(-0.5) takes on a guy Cole has chipped and gets driven back to the LOS while everyone else is yards downfield, so that's a mandatory cutback.This is still pretty fine, as Cole(+1) got that bump and then found a linebacker trying to charge up on the second level; there is a major crease. The backside end charges it down because Williams(-1) lost him immediately. Cumong.
O36 3 1 I-Form Big 2 2 1 4-3 over Run Zone stretch Smith 2
Stretch call is a winner as Miller(+2) turns in the NT in Molk-like fashion and then the playside DT stunts around him(!). Big hole; Braden(-0.5) makes contact with a linebacker and bothers him but again it feels like he's off balance and he ends up letting that guy upfield. This costs Michigan some yards as Kerridge and Williams were driving an end back and Smith could have gone up their backs for another four or five.
O34 1 10 I-Form 3-wide 2 1 2 Nickel over Pass Drag Funchess 34
Kerridge motion to FB again. PA, then Gardner has to start moving around in the pocket. M actually does a good job keeping connected to all their guys and pushes three of them past Gardner, all kinds of time, he pulls up and fires a weird no-step floater to Funchess that's basically the perfect pass; Funchess(+1) stiffarms a DB hilariously to get the last five. Hope the jump motion here is a reaction to the situation where the float is money. (CA+, 3, protection 3/3)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 14-0, 2 min 1st Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form RB TE WR D Form Type Play Player Yards
M27 1 10 Ace Big 2 2 1 5-3 over Run Zone stretch Green 1
Kalis enters. 2TE formation with Kerridge a wing TE. This basically works except for a miscommunication between Williams(-2) and Braden. They momentarily double the playside LB; playside LB keeps pushing hard playside, Braden(+0.5) successfully pops off on a linebacker. Williams then lets his guy go. That guy runs at Green; Green breaks his ankle tackle and then correctly looks to cut N/S for what could still be a nice gain when he loses his footing. Williams didn't block the next guy either. Everything else was good. Mags(+0.5) buried the NT when he went straight upfield and kind of fell over; Kalis(+1) ended up pancaking his guy with an assist from Braden's legs.
M28 2 9 Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 Nickel over Run Power O Green 19
ASU end plays this badly, which makes up for some bad blocks. Braden(-2) loses his end playside, which is a huge no-no, and this was easy for him. Williams(+1) maintains contact and drives his guy downfield, which gives Green the avenue outside; this is mostly bad play from the end, though, as if he plays a simple decent force this is bleah gain. Mags pulls around and hits the guy Braden lost; Green(+1) bursts outside the Williams block, helped by Chesson(+1) doing work on the outside.
M47 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 Nickel over Run Power O Green 6
This one looks designed to go outside from the start with Williams(+1) blocking down instead of trying to kick out only for the end to ignore him. Braden(+0.5) blocks his guy a bit further inside and Green hits the edge. Mags(+0.5) gets his guy and then the backside linebacker makes the tackle because Kalis was tripped by a DL slanting to his side as he released. Just one of those things, no minus.
O47 2 4 Shotgun 4-wide 1 1 3 30 slide Pass Sack N/A -8
Just a straight up rush with Cole(-1) and Magnuson(-1) combining to fail to pick up a stunt. (PR, N/A, protection 0/2)
M45 3 12 Shotgun 2-back 2 0 3 30 slide Run Draw Hayes -1
Gardner seems to check into this, and it's not actually the worst idea. Cole(+2) splatters the end who's lined up a bit inside of him and Miller(+1) turns in the NT; Kalis(-3) is smoked to the inside on a play where if you just let him go upfield he's gone and that guy makes a play on a run that otherwise had a good chance of putting Michigan in fourth and reasonable.
Drive Notes: Punt, 14-0, 12 min 2nd Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form RB TE WR D Form Type Play Player Yards
M44 1 10 Ace twins 2 1 2 Nickel over Pass Waggle hitch Darboh 26
ASU brings the slot guy down to make this a 4-3 under look as Kerridge motions across the formation, and then that guy bites so hard on the run fake that no one even has to block him on the waggle. Cumong man. Free on the edge, Gardner fires a dart to Darboh that he comes back to, breaking a tackle and picking up a major chunk of YAC. I thought this might be dodgy on the podcast; it wasn't. (DO, 3, protection N/A)
O30 1 10 I-Form 2 1 2 3-4 Base Run Lead zone Green -3
Miller(-3) gets blown two yards into the backfield by the NT, causing Kerridge to try to cut behind him. That's not a good block when that happens. Free LB tackles; DT would have anyway.
O33 2 13 Shotgun trips TE 1 1 3 4-3 over Pass Stop Funchess 9
I love this; ASU lines up with 7 in the box and M just takes the free yards. Funchess runs a one yard stop and grabs most of a first down before getting chopped down. (CA, 3, protection 0/0, RPS +1) This is likely a packaged play that is supposed to be a run unless Gardner sees a presnap abort to the stop.
O24 3 4 Ace 3-wide 1 1 3 Nickel over Pass Waggle WR drag Norfleet 6 (Pen -7)
Norfleet motions to the wing TE spot and then drags across the formation as if he's a FB, catches a ball, gets a first down. Play wiped out by a block in the back call that is probably legit but not relevant on Chesson(-1). (CA, 3, protection N/A)
O31 3 11 Shotgun 4-wide 1 1 3 30 slide Pass Dig Funchess Inc
Gardner has Funchess blitheringly wide open as he cuts across the field and misses him so badly he can't even get a finger on it. Oy. Only incompletion, though. (IN, 0, protection 2/2, Funchess route +)
Drive Notes: Missed FG(48), 7 min 2nd Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form RB TE WR D Form Type Play Player Yards
M18 1 10 Ace 3-wide 1 1 3 3-4 Base Run Zone stretch Green 59
The first big breakout carry; Miller(+1) and Magnuson(+1) combine to scoop the nose tackle. He is lined up head on Miller and does not step right so not too hard, still nice to see. Miller gets out on a misaligned LB without a lack of urgency as well. With the playside end taking a shove from Braden(+0.5) and then running outside there is a cavern for Green, who takes it. Norfleet(+2) bashes the slot LB back; contact is made five yards downfield and that guy ends up past the first down marker before he has a chance. This makes the safety pick a side. He picks the wrong one, Green off to the races with Chesson(+1) fending off a CB for the duration.
O23 1 10 Shotgun trips 1 1 3 30 slide Pass Bubble screen Funchess 6
Norfleet lines up off the LOS, threatening illegal formation, Gardner waves him up. Senior QBs hooray. Bubble open, taken. Norfleet(+0.5) does enough on his guy; Chesson(+2) ends up violently pancaking a CB into the sideline. Funchess stiffarms a safety and gets a nice gain. (CA, 3, screen)
O17 2 4 I-Form Big 2 2 1 4-3 over Pass Waggle sack N/A -3 (Pen +9)
Waggle is taken care of. Gardner has to get around one end, there's a LB running at his face, and he doesn't like either option. Hill short is definitely covered. He gets sacked by the facemask, which ain't legal. (TA, N/A, protection N/A, RPS -1)
O8 1 G Ace 1 2 2 Base 3-4 Pass Post Funchess 8
This is not stoppable. Throw could actually be higher. (CA, 2, protection 2/2)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 21-0, 4 min 2nd Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form RB TE WR D Form Type Play Player Yards
M27 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 30 slide Run Power O Smith 61
Playside LB dives in. Williams(+1) handles him, pushing him past the play without allowing enough penetration to disrupt the puller. Cole(+1) turns in the DE. Smith(+1) sets up Kalis(+1)'s block well to get rid of two guys, then runs through a leg tackle; Magnuson(+1) had found a guy on the second level and chased him after he tried to run around and go his block; Chesson(+1) again does work on a CB.
O12 1 10 Shotgun Deep twins 1 2 2 30 slide Run Inside zone Smith 12
Cole(+1) blows the backside end off the ball; Magnuson(+1) finds a second level LB. Miller(+0.5) does move ASU's enormous NT before he almost gets thrown away by a Henry-like bear-paw swipe. But he stays connected and makes it work. Kalis(+1) meets a DB and puts him in the endzone; Braden(+1) turned out the other end with authority, so Smith(+0.5) has an easy road to the endzone. I guess he ran over a guy at the end.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 28-0, 1 min 2nd Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form RB TE WR D Form Type Play Player Yards
M25 1 10 Pistol 2TE 1 2 2 Base 3-4 Run Inside zone Green 9
Miller(+1) and Mags(+1) seal the NT, Miller picks off a linebacker; Kalis(+0.5) gets a free release on another linebacker and gets it done; Braden(+1) does get movement on an end but I worry that he is again off balance; he eventually gets tossed away. Green reads the hole and hits it, getting chopped down by the S.
M34 2 1 Ace 1 2 2 Base 3-4 Run Inside zone Green 0
Exact same setup from O and D, different result at the NT goes right into Miller at the snap, so Miller takes him on alone and Magnuson releases. Miller can't get a seal on this guy but does end up getting him a yard downfield, so push. Braden(+0.5) again gets movement and again the DE sheds him eventually; there's a small crease for Green(-1) to hammer it up for a first down; instead he tries to bounce it outside and runs right into the guy shedding Braden. On the backside, Cole(-1) had let his guy under him, so no cutback.
M34 3 1 I-Form 2 1 2 Base 3-4 Run Lead zone Green 62
Not sure if this is intended to go outside or if Green just sees it early; ASU slants away and gets wrecked. Braden(+1) turns his guy inside, Heitzman(+1) releases and then adjusts to a guy trying to come under him. Kerridge(+1) kicks out an edge blitzer authoritatively. Miller(+2) gets into a LB and drives him yards downfield, again giving the safety a bad decision to make. Green(+2) hops over a tackle attempt and then sets the Miller block up to burst outside for a huge gain.
O4 1 G I-Form Big 2 2 1 Goal line Run Down G Green 0
M trying to seal the end in and pull Kalis around; Braden(-1) and Williams(-1) don't get him put away. Williams doesn't hit the guy hard enough and Braden doesn't rip him inside. Williams then pops off on a second level guy, allowing the end to impact Kerridge. Green has to cut back into guys getting up from successful cut blocks.
O4 2 G Ace twins 1 2 2 Base 3-4 Run Zone stretch Smith 3
ASU misaligned badly with no one even near Williams. Cole(+1) gets movement on one end; Mags(-0.5) helps but has to turn back to pick up a linebacker and can't really do so; Smith(+1) is getting tackled but runs through it to the endzone, or almost anyway. RPS +1, but all about ASU.
O1 3 G Goal line 2 3 0 Goal line Run Inside zone Green 1
Miller(+1) gets motion on the NT and that's all Green needs.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 42-0, 11 min 3rd Q. Failed onside sets M up on next possession.
Ln Dn Ds O Form RB TE WR D Form Type Play Player Yards
O44 1 10 Shotgun 4-wide 1 0 4 30 slide Pass Bubble screen Norfleet 17
Easy pickings as there are 7 in the box with just one corner and then tons of space, M throws the easy yards. (CA, 3, screen, RPS +1) Darboh(+1) gets an excellent block on the CB.
O27 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 30 slide Run Zone read keeper Gardner 3
Uh... no to this playcall at this juncture of the game. Gardner(-1) makes a bad read as there is an overhang guy just waiting for the keeper. He gets a few anyway.
O24 2 7 Shotgun twins 2 1 2 30 slide Pass Scramble Gardner 8
Gardner checks to this and then doesn't like the throw; he gets moved around by the pass rush a bit now but M has it under control. Gardner(+1) starts rolling around and then takes it down, juking one guy and running through an arm tackle to get the first down before being thunked by three guys. (SCR, N/A, protection 2/2)
O16 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 30 slide Pass Tunnel screen Chesson 3
Gardner takes Chesson off his feet with a dodgy throw. (IN, 2, screen)
M13 2 7 Pistol 2TE 1 2 2 Base 3-4 Run Inside zone Smith 13
ASU slants away with no one on the edge; M picks it up so no one shoots through, with Williams(+1) and Mags(+1) the key playside blocks. Burzynski(+2) does a very nice job to get around the DT after Miller(+0.5) spears him and gets to the second level; Cole(+0.5) gets a block; Smith(+1) gets to the outside and accelerates upfield past the last contain guy, running over a dude for six.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 49-7, 4 min 3rd Q. Shane Morris enters, rest of offense same.
Ln Dn Ds O Form RB TE WR D Form Type Play Player Yards
M39 1 10 Shotgun twins 1 2 2 Base 3-4 Run Inside zone Green 13
This cuts all the way back as ASU does a good job of jamming the frontside up and then the QB contain guy does a terrible job of recovering after the handoff. Actually the line does do a good job here with Braden(+1) bashing his guy off the line and getting out to the second level with help from Kalis(+0.5); Heitzman(-1) did not move his legs or get motion, instead ending up in the backfield with his guy to the inside so that doesn't look attractive; backside is there as Hill(+1) and Cole(+1) have gotten movement; Green(+1) makes a nice quick cut to get there.
O48 1 10 Shotgun twins 1 2 2 30 slide Run Inside zone Green 0
Dever in the slot. Green(-2) misses a cut that would be big yards. Mags(+2) takes on a guy way playside of him and gives a lot of ground but actually steps around to seal and that is a crease up the middle with a free release for the C, if Green cuts up behind Kalis's eh block he is running for days. I think he saw Mags give that much ground and thought there wasn't going to be a hole, but if you run to the side a DL is playing that's a lose.
O48 2 10 Ace twins 1 2 2 30 slide Pass TE Dig Heitzman 26
Morris's WHOAH throw. Miller(-2) thinks this is a run or something, releasing downfield and letting his guy go. ASU has a guy on the edge; Morris steps up past him and then the other guy becomes relevant. He's about to hit, Morris has to throw, can't step into it, still delivers a rope to Heitzman for a big gain. (DO, 3, protection 0/2)
O22 1 10 Ace twins 1 2 2 4-3 over Pass Comeback Darboh INT
Aaaand then the flipside. Replays are useless but live this looked way short? I would normally file this BRX and willl since my memory is not enough to go on. (BRX, 0, protection 2/2)
Drive Notes: Interception, 49-7, EO3Q
Ln Dn Ds O Form RB TE WR D Form Type Play Player Yards
M36 1 10 Pistol 3-wide 1 1 3 Nickel over Run Power O Hayes -1
Braden(-1) does not control his guy and he gets straight upfield; more problematic as LB shooting straight up the gap. Magnuson(-2) runs right by it, TFL.
M35 2 11 Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 30 slide Pass TE Out Hill 12
Nice rhythm throw from Morris that isn't lasered in and is nicely catchable for Hills. (CA, 3, protection 2/2)
M47 1 10 Pistol 2TE 1 2 2 30 slide Pass Waggle TE drag Hill Inc
This looks wide by Morris but Hill stumbles on his route. If he doesn't do that it hits him in the chest... for like three yards before he gets blown up by yeah. (CA, 1, protection N/A, Hill route -)
M47 2 10 Pistol 2TE 1 2 2 Base 3-4 Run Zone stretch Hayes 18
Both playside DL get reached, cumong man. Miller(+1) and Burzynski(+1) get the nose; Cole(+1) and Magnuson(+1) the playside end. Pick an enormous hole time for Hayes(+1), and first priority is always bounce if the end is sealed so he bounces. Heitzman(+1) gets a good downfield block to set up yet more yardage.
O35 1 10 I-Form 2 1 2 Base 3-4 Run Iso Johnson 0
ASU slants away and brings down an eighth guy into the box, who is unblocked. Houma(-1) ran right into a wad of guys instead of adjusting his flight path to go outside and into this gentleman; Magnuson(+1) had stayed attached to a guy slanting inside him and opened up a large hole. Johnson(-1) is in space with a DB and neither shakes nor YACs him, instead trying to bounce unsuccessfully and stumbling while he does it.
O35 2 10 I-Form 2 1 2 Base 3-4 Run Iso Johnson 27
Same play, same reaction, no safety in the box. Houma(+0.5) does bury a guy, Magnuson(+1) removes the slanter, Johnson(+0.5) runs through a weak arm tackle from a corner to pick up a big chunk. Gets tracked down from behind really quickly, though, which is a bad sign if his speed is supposed to be the thing that separates him from the crowd.
O8 1 G Ace 1 2 2 Base 3-4 Run Zone stretch Johnson 1
Burz(+1) turns in a DT slanting away; Mags(+0.5) buries a guy already falling; big hole with Miller and Braden(+1) getting to the second level; Johnson(-2) does not cut up, instead shooting to the edge where a safety is rushing up. On goal to go you should take the hole with blockers since the safeties are going to be crashing hard. But Johnson's in a lot of space so maybe he can make something happen... he cannot. His cut back inside is a rounded thing that allows one guy in a ton of space to tackle.
O7 2 G Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 Nickel over Pass Tunnel screen Canteen -1
Line must have got the wrong call, as they flare out for the tunnel screen on the wrong side of the field. Whoops! Ball is behind Canteen and slows him up, further dooming an already doomed outing. (MA, 2, screen)
O8 3 G Shotgun 3-wide 1 1 3 30 slide Run Power O Hayes 7
Miller(+2) absolutely flings(!) the nose tackle to the ground. That is a gitsum block. Mags(+1) slows up and finds the hole inside of Braden(+1) this time, getting hat on hat, and Hayes(+1) shows nice patience to let that hole develop before bursting into it. Almost a TD and almost certainly one if Burz(-1) doesn't lose a downfield block almost before it begins, allowing that guy to ankle tackle and slow Hayes.
Drive Notes: FG(18), 52-14, 4 min 4th Q. EO chart.

Let's get it over with.

I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about.

The level of competition disclaimer.

Oh. Actually, yeah. It was hard picking the worst thing App State did. This is a candidate:

There's no one on the edge at all and your linebackers are shaded away from the playside. That can never work; if Kalis wasn't inadvertently tripped by a defensive lineman this could be another enormous run. And Michigan didn't have to do much of anything to get that, just push the LB/DE guy inside.

Consider ourselves disclaimed. Now can we talk about running for like 12 yards a carry?

I liked it.

That's a bubble screen to Norfleet.

HA HA, so it is! Funny how that got there.

I would seriously like to talk about this so here is a direct question you have to answer sensibly. I thought we were going to be an inside zone team? What's with all this other stuff?

No one except Mike DeBord and the 1997 Denver Broncos run only one play, because then people cheat to it and it's not very effective. Having a base play is about being good enough for it to work when people are playing it straight up, expecting it. By biasing your game to the thing you rep most but mixing in the other things you keep people from cheating to your base and can still be effective with the stuff you maybe don't run as well because the DL expects the other thing.

So, runs by type:

  • Draws: 2
  • Inside zone and related (like IZ where Gardner keeps): 17
  • Power and related (like pulling the frontside G): 6
  • Stretch: 7

That's about 60% IZ, 80% zone in general, and a few power plays mixed in to keep 'em honest. Michigan had one 60-yard run of each variety.

Meanwhile, formations (goal line excluded):

  • Shotgun: 25
  • Pistol: 6
  • Ace: 11
  • I-Form: 11

And a few of those I-Form sets started out with Kerridge in a bunch formation as a quasi WR or wing TE. That is serious one-back orientation, with 80% of snaps having four potential vertical threats.

I came out with an average of 2.4 receivers per play, which feels low because Michigan had a bunch of snaps on which tight ends were split wide. This is faintly ridiculous right now; it will get far less so once Butt returns.

Can I talk about the bubble screen now? There's more stuff about the OL below but this is is the overall structure of the offense bit.

Oh, fine.

When they're giving it to you, you should take it. This is a philosophy as ancient as the first time a child was offered ice cream and I was at times literally hopping mad that Al Borges would allow opponents to align in easily exploitable ways without exploiting them. So, hooray. The Norfleet thing above is a two deep shell with seven in the box, and Michigan says "this is not an option for you. Choose again." Their options are single high against Funchess or an enticing box to run in or Norfleet on the edge. These are bad choices.

It is rare for things like this to not gain 4 or 5 yards unless it's the only thing you can do, and if they do stuff it that opens up other things. It is essentially a run play that is stupidly easy to execute that prevents the defense from doing a bunch of bad things.

I also loved this packaged thing they put in for times when the slot is uncovered.

The Devins don't even look at each other. I doubt Michigan has many routes that are "Funchess, stand in the slot," though, so this seems like an autocheck after App State's late motion leaves him without a guy over him. The line is run blocking, holding that linebacker in the box long enough for him to become irrelevant. Easy presnap read for a nice chunk of yards.

Meanwhile, the first Norfleet screen may also have been a presnap abort, as App State shows blitz, Norfleet claps at it to alert Gardner, and Michigan fires a ball out to where the Mountaineers just vacated. Hallelujah. Praise Neezus.

They're sitting out there waiting to give you their yards!  Are you going to take them? Seems like the answer is yes, finally. Not a panacea, not the Rosetta Stone, but easy stuff to do that forces the D to account for it and makes your life easier in the box.

CHART

We aren't nearly as aggressive on off

CHART

FINE

Devin Gardner 2013

Opponent DO CA MA IN BR TA BA PR SCR DSR
Central Michigan 2 10(1)+ 1 1 2* - - 1 3 82%
Notre Dame 7+ 16(1)++ 4(1) 2 3* - 1 4 4 82%
Akron 3 14(2) - 5 3** 2 1 3 1 59%
UConn 2 13(1) 1 5*+ - 1 - 5 5 76%
Minnesota 4+ 7(1) 4 1 - - - 1 2 92%
Penn State 7+ 12(2) - 5+ 2** 3 1 4 4 66%
Indiana 5 18(3) 1 1 3 3 - - 5 78%
Michigan State 1 15(2) 1 5 4* 6 - 4 1 50%
Nebraska - 17(1) 1 4(1) 2* 5 - 6 - 62%
Northwestern 5 21(6) 3 5 6***** 1 2(1) 6 4 65%
Iowa 3 12(5)+ 2(1) 5(1) - 2 2 4 3 68%

Devin Gardner

Opponent DO CA MA IN BR TA BA PR SCR DSR
App State 1 11(4) - 2(1)   1 - 1 1 82%

Gardner recovered from last year's brutalizing.

Shane Morris

Opponent DO CA MA IN BR TA BA PR SCR DSR
Central Michigan - 4 - 1 1* 1 - - - N/A
App State 1 2 1   1*          

Low sample size, obviously. Gardner had a nice day in that small sample. Probably the most encouraging bit was Michigan actually providing Gardner a pocket and Gardner stepping up into it to hit Funchess for his hilarious stiffarm TD. The throw ended up being weird (the inane Joey Galloway responded with "look at the change in his mechanics!" after a no-step floated jump pass) but was the right one for the situation.

And that's all I really have to say, I guess? He threw a lot of screens and not much downfield. I think his occasional accuracy issues are still there, as in this limited sample he winged one way wide of an open Devin Funchess and turned a promising Chesson screen into three yards by taking him off his feet. The only pressure minuses he faced were on the play he got sacked, and most of his throws were to wide open receivers.

So… ask again later.

LET'S TALK OFFENSIVE LINEMEN

OKAY

I HAVE SOME STRONG OPINIONS ABOUT THIS DO YOU

not really but here's a chart

Offensive Line
Player + - Total Notes
Cole 9.5 2 7.5 A fine debut
Magnuson 14 3.5 10.5 Reliable in assignments, still worry about power
Miller 14 3.5 10.5 Other than getting spectacularly blown up once, excellent
Kalis 4 3 1 So this isn't clear cut.
Braden 8 5.5 2.5 Also a worry, though poor play from ASU concealed that.
Burzynski 4.5 5.5 -1 Airball on early Green carry hurt.
Williams 4 4 0 Same guy.
Heitzman 2 1 1 Willing to see more.
Hill 2 - 2 More of a blocky WR currently.
Butt - - - DNP
TOTAL 62 28 69% Couple problem spots but left side looks solid.
Backs
Player + - T Notes
Gardner 1 2 -1 Neither keep was a good idea.
Morris - - - DNC
Green 5 7 -2 Some missed cuts and a busted play on him, but see below.
Smith 4.5 - 4.5 I do not agree with my numbers long term. This game, yes.
Hayes 2 - 2 Effective spread runner.
Johnson 0.5 3 -2.5 Don't see it.
Shallman - - -  
Kerridge 2 1 1 Role somewhat reduced.
Houma 0.5 1 -0.5 Only played late.
TOTAL 15.5 14 1.5 Ample discussion below.
Receiver
Player + - T Notes
Funchess - - -  
Chesson 5.5 1 4.5 #Chesson4TE
Darboh 1   1  
Norfleet 3.5 - 3.5 Key on first long run.
Canteen - - -  
Dever - - -  
Ways - - - DNP
TOTAL 10 1 9 Major reason RBs could run long way without dodging.
Metrics
Player + - T Notes
Protection 15 4 79% Miller-2, Cole –1, Magnuson -1
RPS 4 1 3 Screens mostly.

So, now, offensive line takes.

GIVE ME WHATEVER YOU'VE GOT: MILLER

With limited exceptions none of this is going to talk about technique beyond a basic level because I am not qualified to do so. I just evaluate things on whether they get the job done and seem like they will continue to do so.

Worth noting that while other Michigan players were dealing with at times hilariously undersized players, Miller drew a planetoid nose tackle. Tyson Fernandez is down to 328 this year. So while he's probably not real good this is the kind of player Miller has had issues dealing with in the past. In this one not so much. Miller was doing his best Molk impression on Michigan's various zone plays. This on a third and one is quite good:

Step around the guy and then push against him and that's a crease for a first down. It's no so much the step around, which the nose made easy by going straight upfield, but the control Miller shows after that happens. He rips the guy upfield with discernible effect and then stays connected. Chatter around the program has always held that Miller is one of the strongest guys on the team, but his overall lack of size has prevented this from being a major factor.

And, yeah, sometimes the planet blew him up.

That, as they uselessly say on the TV, Cannot Happen. Miller did cope on other plays, like one of the Smith TDs when he drew a one on one assignment and managed to not get Willie Henry'd when the planet tried to swipe him away with one beary paw. It's never going to be a strength.

Michigan logically responds to a planet NT like this by making him run with stretch plays or just running straight up iso into the gap between the NT and the DE, and when Michigan tried that approach Miller and whichever guard it was scooped that dude on every play, often creating lanes you could drive a bookstore through, if a bookstore was a vehicle. And possibly if it wasn't.

But that's why this 330 pound guy plays for Appalachian State instead of a bigger team. Probably. If Miller can get around the guys who can blow him up he is viable. I think he is strong enough to deal with human sized people now. On the last play I charted he completely destroyed a non-planet:

Yeah, that guy probably sucks. Ask again later. I will say that he was a zone guy recruited by Rodriguez so this is a system that suits him. He had an Omameh-ish downfield block to help spring Green. This was worlds better than anything last year, including the opener. Hope: incremented.

BRADEN

I'm worried about him. This is where I'll bring up some technique stuff: I have never viscerally understood what scouting types mean when they say a guy is a "waist bender," but I think they're talking about gentlemen who play like Ben Braden did in this game.

When you bend your waist to go get a guy you are off balance. When that guy tries to shed you, you are all of a sudden leaning against air and you stumble or fall over. There was a lot of lurching forward from Braden in this game.

Against a team that actually has a force player losing that block gives them a free hitter in the hole.

Braden does a good job to stay connected here but that is the bare minimum you can do and getting shed like this is an artifact of leaning on a guy:

There's always some of that because you're trying to push a dude somewhere; with Braden it was really obvious that he was playing top heavy. Maybe going up against bigger guys will actually be helpful to him here, as he won't have to go find a 230-pound dude somewhere down there.

On the bright side, barely noticed him in pass protection.

 

RIGHT GUARD MESS TYPE OBJECT

I wish this was as simple as "Burzynski can't play and Kalis can and it was only Kalis's back injury and nutty coaching that made this debatable." It's not. Kalis had some good plays; he also had some pretty awful ones.

Remember the third and twelve run that was a boggling callback to the 1990s? It was actually a check by Gardner to a play that was so, so there and stands a good chance of picking up the first down if executed. Everyone executes—Mason Cole in fact buries his guy in a heap—except Kalis, who airballs just as badly as Burzynski did earlier in the game:

You don't even have to contact that guy, you just have to make him run upfield of you and you won that block.

I think rather a lot was made of Kalis depositing a Mountaineer into the endzone on a Smith touchdown run. While that's a +1 for sure, it's also a free release at a defensive back, not exactly the toughest assignment.

Burzynski started off poorly but also got a couple of nice blocks, one a Molk step around. But… yeah. I wondered if something was up when he was so high on the depth chart and we've found out that there was indeed something holding Bosch back.  I can't see him holding up against bigger teams too well.

So it's no surprise that one of the official site videos accidentally leaked Hoke's Plan For The Offensive Line: Glasgow competing at right guard.

COLE AND MAGNUSON

Both were solid in both phases of the game. Magnuson blew one power play late by running past the hole; he then atoned by reading the play better and setting up a near-touchdown for Justice Hayes on the drive's final play. Cole had some mashing blocks and the sack allowed was more a missed stunt pickup than Cole getting blown up.

Mostly they just executed assignments consistently. I worry about both guys going up against big and strok folks; this was as good of a start as you could have hoped for.

Running back war! Go! Decide for all time who will be the guy we complain about not getting carries and who will be the guy we complain about getting carries!

I'm a lot more positive about Green's performance after watching it in detail. I know he got a –2, and RB is a MAKE PLAYS spot, but a  bunch of that came on a busted play on which he went the wrong way and two bad vision cuts. Must work on those things, obviously.

This section is going to be all feelingsball so might as well just say it: Green felt faster and more dangerous than Smith when I went over the tape. His early struggles were often a function of almost but not quite escaping defenders set free to fly at him by head-slapping blocks. Here AJ Williams decides to leave his guy inexplicably; Green runs around him and is in the process of making a hard upfield cut when he loses his balance so the second guy Williams didn't block can plunk him:

Green's balance is not nearly as good as Smith's but that's almost a really nice play. Similarly, when Burzynski airballed on a DE, Green's reaction made you think he might burst past the guy.

When he doesn't do so you're grumbling about not breaking a tackle. To me making that disappointing is something. (This stands in stark contrast to a late carry by Johnson during which he had a safety on the edge and kind of curved vaguely away from him for a really easy open field tackle.)

When Green was provided some less dubious opportunities, he showed an ability to surprise people with his burst, as when he juked a DB and hopped over his tackle on his big run in the second half:

And he made a nice quick cut backside after Morris came in:

I don't think he's able to make that cut last year without the backside end closing him down.

We have yet to see him really use his size as an asset. I cannot possibly defend a terrible read he made early when he didn't follow his fullback, seemingly because Michigan messed up some WR blocking and a CB came free. You are a 225-pound brick! Go run him over.  If he starts doing that, Michigan is in business.

In contrast—and this is more feelingsball—Smith seems more ponderous into and out of cuts.

This is in notable contrast to last year, so good job being Hulk, Derrick Green. I like Smith's balance and ability to squeeze out 2-3 yards after contact with eerie Hart-like consistency. He should be Michigan's first option on short yardage, no question. In this game Green felt like the better combination of change of direction, size, and explosion, especially since Smith wasn't exactly perfect with his vision either.

All conclusions tentative, of course.

The wide receivers seemed mean.

They did. Inspired by the idea their blocks were not futile gestures in a cold, unfeeling universe, the wide receivers kicked some ass on Saturday. On Michigan's first long one of the day, the key block aside from the scoop was actually Dennis Norfleet, who blasted a guy not looking at him from five yards downfield to here…

M Green decision point for S vs RB

…and made the safety choose which side of the block he would take well before Green did. That's the difference between a first down and sixty yards. Chesson also did excellent work against a corner later.

Chesson's best block didn't spring a guy for a ton of yards but it was ornery. Watch him take care of this corner on a Funchess bubble screen:

Spicy. Chesson had other good blocks on Green's 19-yarder, Smith's 61-yarder (wsg Darboh), and Smith's 15 yarder—on which they actually used him as a tight end(!). That is just such a big secret asset for Michigan if they can continue getting their tailbacks to the secondary.

Darboh got into the act some, as well.

FUNCHESS

Yes, yes, WR metrics:

[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.]

I'm going to try a new thing this year where if a route jumps out at me as obviously good or bad I'll make a note of it. A good route gets his guy wide open, a bad one allows a defender to make a play on the ball or results in an incompletion because the guy stumbles or falls down or whatnot.

Player 0 1 2 3   0 1 2 3
Funchess 1   1/1 6/6   1   1/1 6/6
Chesson     1/1 1/1       1/1 1/1
Darboh       1/1         1/1
Norfleet       3/3         3/3
Canteen     1/1         1/1  
Butt                  
Hill   0/1   1/1     0/1    
Williams                  
Heitzman       1/1         1/1
Dever                  
                   
Green                  
Smith                  
Hayes                  
Johnson                  
Kerridge                  
Houma                  

ROUTES: Funchess +2, Hill –1.

Funchess was not even vaguely coverable by these dudes. He had a Dileo TD, a vicious stiffarm TD, and a Megatron redzone TD. Defensive backs are going to be better about the first (maybe), but they aren't getting any taller or heavier. Oh, and he leapt over another dude by getting his legs easily four feet off the ground.

Other than that: Michigan was presented with a ton of easy catches and caught them all.

Ever seen a field goal hook and slice on the same kick?

I have now.

PHYSICS!

Heroes?

Funchess. The left side of the OL and Miller. Jehu Chesson, the Destroyer. Neezus.

Maybe not so heroic?

Right guard needs work; Ben Braden had a generally solid debut that could sour quickly against better competition; Williams doesn't seem to have gotten much better.

What does it mean for Notre Dame?

Expect Glasgow at right guard. Miller had a much better game than either option there and Braden, while shaky at times, was still better than the interior folk. Add in the fact that the dangerman on the ND line is DT Sheldon Day and Glasgow should be your starting RG.

The left side of the line could be solid. Highly encouraging start.

Funchess is going to be ludicrous. TOOT TOOT ALL ABOARD FOR THE BILETNIKOFF.

Michigan has some mean-ass wide receivers. If this continues against better competition the backs are going to be buying these guys some BTB.

Gardner looks real good when not pressured. Surprise.

Michigan will take easy yards if you give them to them and they will be an inside zone offense with clever attachments. Praise Neezus.

Not necessarily any of that. Quality of opposition.

Comments

Space Coyote

September 4th, 2014 at 4:28 PM ^

And it was the same for Rich Rod. If people remember, much of "Minor Rage" came from him being lined up behind the QB (the QB would generally take a step forward as well to receive the snap). It's a bit of a tip, but like you said, it can be mitigated with overpursuit and in a few other ways.

For instance,a lot of teams will run Power to the RB alignment when lined up next to the QB to counter OZ. You can easily run speed option or slide the QB to the opposite side pre-snap when he's behind the QB.

FWIW, it's typically difficult for box players to discern the difference quickly enough to adjust to it. That's why for years Lloyd Carr's teams got away with lining the RB up closer to the LOS on pass plays than on run plays.

dragonchild

September 4th, 2014 at 7:54 PM ^

This game doesn't really provoke questions about what Nuss has in store for ND so much as the short passes indicate Nuss doesn't trust his OL just yet.  If he didn't show some long routes in this game he sure ain't saving them for a far larger and more athletic D-line.

No, Nuss showed most of his hand this game but as I said in another thread, that's not a bad thing.  These plays didn't rely on surprise.  He showed that, unlike Borges, he'll take whatever easy yards the defense gives him and coached Gardner to make reads at the line.  That does mean ND will probably try to hide what they're doing by alignment, get into those "chess matches" Borges loathed, but it also means they can't overplay.  Corner blitz?  Screen to Norfleet.  7 in the box?  Funchess stop route.  We'll run IZ whenever we can but if you cheat it we'll take it.  These aren't the cards you mind the opposing DC getting a peek at.  Funchess' third TD catch was completely unnecessary (a FG would've made it 17-0) but A) Funchess' height is no secret and B) opposing DCs get to watch Funchess win a jump ball over two defenders.  LOLOL try to scheme for that.  The only thing we gave on that play was cold sweat.

I think this week will mostly focus on fixing the miscommunications that happened and repping the plays better.  I'd imagine any trick plays are already repped but won't be used unless, say, we're down a TD with seconds to go.  As for the gameplan, Nuss will probably be more aggressive with his assets.  He spread the wealth a lot against App. State, but if ND makes it close we'll probably go to our playmakers -- look for jump balls to Funchess and more runs by Gardner if the O-line struggles to get yards conventionally.

FreddieMercuryHayes

September 4th, 2014 at 4:28 PM ^

Did Kalis really play all that bad?  It seems like all his minuses came on one play.  A bad play yes, but not a ridiculously bad play where he got completely blown up.  More seemed to misjudge the quickness of the defender, and also falling for the outside fake.  Otherwise, we seemed to gather his plusses on several plays.  While not spectacular, I thought he was fine, and didn't seem to get physically overmatched like he did much of last year.

reshp1

September 4th, 2014 at 4:49 PM ^

Yup, I said the same above. It looked like maybe he didn't get the play call too. The offensive line also seemed to be aligned a little funky there, with the center well in front of the rest of the line. Between the extra space at the snap and the fact he took a big step back like he was pass protecting, it was more than enough for a smaller, quicker guy to shoot through the gap between him and Miller before he could react.

mgoBrad

September 4th, 2014 at 4:32 PM ^

...as "feelings-ball," becuase my feelings after rewatching the game are the exact opposite. Smith seemed quicker out of cuts, had better footwork, and was all-around more dangerous to me. His top-end speed is clearly lower, but he doesn't caught by the shoelaces like Green and has super-human balance, like you mentioned. Smith's "ponderous" run showed excellent vision and patience, I thought. His cutting and footwork remind me of Brandon Minor (plus the #4) while his balance is Hart-esque. I will say that Green does look much improved from last year... will be interesting to see how they run against better defenses. I have a feeling that Green's difficulty breaking tackles will put him back at #2 on the depth chart once we start facing teams that don't allow RBs yards downfield before touching them. Trust your quantitative data Brian!

Reader71

September 4th, 2014 at 5:26 PM ^

But that's why film review exists. Almost everyone thought Smith looked better after one live viewing. But sometimes, when you can slow it down and pause it and you know what the play is and so on, you can more properly form your opinion. For example, Brian pointed out a play that went for 0 yards that was a good run for Green, because you get to see his talented feet in the face of the terrible blocking. Live, we say damn he couldn't make him miss. Upon further review, we say damn, what a great job of almost making him miss.

JamieH

September 5th, 2014 at 11:57 AM ^

would Brian's "feelings" be the same if Green didn't happen to be a big-time recruit, or is he falling guilty to "must like this guy better because he's SUPPOSED to be better"?

 

I thought it was pretty clear that Smith was the better back, even when I watched the plays a second time.  We'll see how the coaches see is as the season goes on I guess.

Magnus

September 5th, 2014 at 12:51 PM ^

I think it's pretty clear that neither conclusion is clear. Smith is better at some things, and Green is better at some things. To me, it really depends on the OL. A good OL means Green can get the ball and do more things on the second and third level. A crappy OL means Smith needs to see the ball so he can at least gain 2 or 3 yards by breaking a couple tackles on every play.

LSA Superstar

September 4th, 2014 at 4:34 PM ^

Let's talk about "waist bending."  Some people get confused because they think it's referring to the actual anatomical waist; it's not.  It's referring to bending at the hips, like right above the belt level.  Here's a good portion of an offensive line "manual" I pulled off the internet.

"KNEES It is necessary to keep the knees bent. Our knee bend will enable us to move quickly and react to the movement of the defender. Knee bend is the way we lower our center of gravity, which is essential in all of our blocking.

WAIST We can never bend at the waist. When linemen get tired they begin to straighten their knees and so they bend at the waist to stay low. However, this does not lower their center of gravity. It does not matter how low your helmet is, it is your center of gravity which is important. Bend in the waist makes you more susceptible to being pulled forward and beaten. No bend in the waist will keep your chest up and form a slight arch in your back."

Another way to imagine the difference is like this.  Drop a penny on the ground.  Pick it up without bending your knees.  You'll "hinge" at the hips (or the waist); from the side you'll look like the capital letter "L" rotated to the right by 90 degrees.  Like this:

If I was facing you, it would end really badly for you if I tried to yank you forward or to the side, because your center of gravity is way in front of your feet and I'd tip you over.  But suppose you bent at the knees:

Now look at where the center of gravity is - over the feet.  If I tried to pull this dude forward his feet would come with him and he could leverage his strength to compensate.

Now go back and look at the videos Brian linked to - Braden does like the former picture when he's trying to hurry to reach a block.

I have limited coaching experience, but from what I've seen there are three solutions:

1.) Hamstring flexibility needs to increase.  Offensive linemen are sometimes extremely inflexible in the lower body because their upper bodies can be so massive.

2.) Squat more.  WAY more.  It's tough to get tired when your thighs, hamstrings and glutes are so used to carrying big weight that carrying your upper body is a piece of cake.

3.)  Focus on avoiding lunging by allowing yourself to "play slow."  Sometimes coaches emphasize "getting to the block" so much that it becomes second nature to lunge.  Instead, take it easy.  Use practice time to make it natural to approach the block keeping good position and gradually speed up the approach.  Braden's a slower guy - that's fine.  It's possible to succeed at offensive line with bad foot speed.  But not if you double down by adding bad leverage to your bad foot speed.

CodeBlue82

September 6th, 2014 at 3:34 PM ^

Men have a higher center of mass than women do. A woman with her hips aligned over her feet can flex her torso forward and stay balanced. An arabesque by a ballet dancer on pointe or a gymnast on a balance beam is a good example. A man, having greater mass in his shoulders and chest, must align his chest over his feet. If he leans over to pick something up, like the woman in the picture, he's likely to topple.

CodeBlue82

September 6th, 2014 at 5:22 PM ^

Those are excellent suggestions. With regard to improving flexibility, it's extremely important for muscles to be thoroughly warmed up (stretch during or after a workout),stretch slowly and gradually without "bouncing" and hold each stretch for a minute or two so muscles will relax and lengthen without triggering reflex contractions of opposing muscles. The object is to build long, flexible muscles, not lax joints.

A routine proven to be effective is to stand on one leg and rest the working leg on a barre, table or counter with both knees straight. Gradually flex the ankle toward the knee while pressing the heel away and hold the stretch. Then try to stretch farther. When you can't extend the active stretch, grasp the ball of the foot with both hands (incline the torso as necessary to reach) and gradually pull toward the extended knee while pushing the heel away. Hold the stretch. Then try to stretch more.  

A 2012 study of Olympic athletes (Graci, et al. Gait and Posture 36, 461-466) suggests single leg squats with a coach or instructor to correct misalignments may be helpful. I expect "shoot the duck" ice-skating drills would be too.  

The FannMan

September 4th, 2014 at 4:40 PM ^

Watching the package play to Funchess, I think that a quicker OLB may get a pick 6.  He takes a few steps outside before the stamp as if he has coverage for the slott.  If he takes one more step to outside, or doesn't bite on the run, he is positoin to pick off that pass.

Here is my question - is this a read where Devin has an option to give the ball or it is a pass all the way?   My guess is that ND will coach the OLB to take that extra step outside to see if they can bait Devin into a mistake. 

carlos spicywiener

September 4th, 2014 at 4:49 PM ^

I remain iffy on this coaching staff's ability to get the most out of their star recruits, but thrilled at the way they develop their under-the-radar players. I'm getting an almost Beilein vibe at this point.

I went back and looked at Willie Henry's 2012 recruiting profile and we were competing with Illinois for him.

Illinois.

There isn't a program in the Big 10 that wouldn't want an upperclassman Willie Henry.

MGlobules

September 4th, 2014 at 4:48 PM ^

I think. And Brian's analysis mirrors other people's post-game harder looks at what happened. I  think both guys are still learning, and both can be pretty darned good. Would be so great if we could sneak past ND, I'm tellin ya. 

Greg McMurtry

September 4th, 2014 at 5:12 PM ^

Green's style of running makes me believe he'd benefit by becoming a smaller (lighter) speedback, as he's really not a power runner.  Unless he still has some of that bad weight on from last year, if he remained at 225, but as a leaner athlete, that may help him.

charblue.

September 4th, 2014 at 5:16 PM ^

guys see if they got their lines down. Openers are like that. This blog community and many in this fan base know the potential of this team. I have great optimism for the season. I think the big issue was the Oline going into App State. And now, thanks to Brian's usual good stuff, we know where things might be solid and where they might not be. 

It's always about the matchups. Which takes me to Saturday and the fact that I like this team to exploit the Irish through the air on a perjorative basis, in the secondary, ND's weakest link.

Give them lots of four wides and verticals and stretch the field so they have to double Funchess and then his crew exploits the remaining open space. And then we go on the ground boys, and when we do that, we're going to the left of them, the right of them, and up the middle, we're gonna getem on the run, and keepem on the run.

And when our guys go on defense, we're going to press and rush, challenge and outquick, confuse and outsmart, we're going to alter protections and force changes at the LOS, we're going to contain with aggressive pursuit. And we're gonna make this team wish the school had canceled this series after losing last year because domination.  

Perd Hapley

September 4th, 2014 at 5:41 PM ^

--So, hooray. The Norfleet thing above is a two deep shell with seven in the box, and Michigan says "this is not an option for you. Choose again." -- LOL ..all I could think of was, "these are not the droids you are looking for."

markusr2007

September 4th, 2014 at 6:33 PM ^

and how dangerous and problematic these dudes are going be for opponents this fall, I'm excited about whether Michigan's RBs will get in the receiving mix as well, creating yet more headaches, especially with pposing DL's wanting to t-off and rattle Devin Gardner like last year.

Maybe it's not necessary anymore with the starting lineup of WRs and SRs and Jake Butt returning and Michigan's OC being an NCAA record crushing QB himself.

I realize that Michigan RBs of out the gun may be needed for pass protection a lot more.

Still, there could be some really nice derivative pass plays (TB screens, dump passes, shovel passes, etc.) off of Nusmeier's base plays.

alum96

September 4th, 2014 at 10:29 PM ^

I am curious on that point too.  No idea how good either of these main RBs are at catching the ball.  Looking at last year's stats Fitz had 18 catches which is essentially 1.5 a game.  Seems like a staple for a lot of other teams that we have not been doing much of.  Curious if that is a trend nationwide or I am comparing the NFL to NCAA where in the NFL its very much a staple.

gwkrlghl

September 4th, 2014 at 7:54 PM ^

I know this is nit-picky but play #3 - the bubble screen to Norfleet - I thought for sure would be a 'Dead On' (DO). I don't know that I've ever seen a better bubble screen. Right on the money and allows the WR to carry his momentum forward. Perfect throw ime

Elmer

September 4th, 2014 at 8:45 PM ^

With all the discussion on Green vs. Smith at RB, it makes me wonder how Issac would have fit in?  He participated in fall camp. so they have a decent idea on how he compares to the other backs.  

Has any insider info leaked, or is the Fort sealed too tight these days?

Sopwith

September 4th, 2014 at 10:20 PM ^

For the Glengarry Glen Ross reference in paragraph above CHART.

EDIT:  oh crap, I didn't even notice he hyperlinked to the video.  I was going to do that here. 

OK, -0.5 for being unsubtle about the reference.  

bronxblue

September 5th, 2014 at 9:21 AM ^

I know both backs made mistakes, but I still think Smith looked better overall. everything said about Green seemed to come with caveats that it would be nice if he did X or Y a bit better. That's fine in general, but for a number 1 back I rather have consistency. Smith isn't great, but he seems to move forward and get the yards there

cjpops

September 5th, 2014 at 2:49 PM ^

I don't know, I have high expectations for this guy. Wasn't he an all world recruit? Love these kids, but, no running back performance blew my mind on Saturday.