Upon Further Review 2015: Defense vs Rutgers Comment Count

Brian

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FORMATION NOTES: A few new things. I'm using "heavy" to denote lineups on which Michigan plays four true DL. Without Godin those are almost always both NTs with Henry and Wormley. This was 6-2 heavy:

6-2 heavy

For a period late in the first half Michigan ran a dime package on which the NT split out. This was a pass rush package without much pass rush and didn't return; I called it "3-2-6 dime split":

dime split

And Michigan has been running this one-high nickel package with eight guys in the box enough that I thought I should note it. This is "nickel even 8":

nickel even one high

It is frequent on passing downs that feature some run threat.

SUBSTITUTION NOTES: Injuries biting into the DL a bit now. Michigan was rotating Hurst and Glasgow until Glasgow went out, at which point Hurst had to go the rest of the way himself. I do think they bought him a little rest by inserting Henry at the nose. Wormley and Henry played most of the game as well; Godin got one snap shortly after Glasgow exited. He must be close, but not close enough.

RJS returned to buck. Ross spotted him in passing downs. I called those dime packages; YMMV. With Gedeon out Morgan and Bolden got all the ILB snaps.

Secondary saw a shift as Dymonte Thomas got significantly more time than he has before; I would say he displaced Delano Hill as the starter. Hill played a fair share as well, both in nickel and dime. Second corner rotation was as per usual with an edge to Clark in snaps. Brandon Watson saw maybe a half dozen snaps at nickelback as Michigan tried to save Peppers a bit.

[After THE JUMP: are you disappointed yeah kinda is that rational nah]

Ln Dn Ds O Form D Form Type Rush Play Player Yards
O20 1 10 I-form twins 4-3 over Run N/A Yakety snap N/A -3
Whoops.
O17 2 13 Ace trips tight bunch Nickel even one high Pass 4 PA rollout cross Lewis Inc
Millen asserts this is dropped it's not, it's Lewis(+2, cover +2) doing Lewis things by getting his hands around the WR's body and grabbing both hands as the ball arrives for a PBU. RJS(-1, pressure -2) didn't read the PA and gave Laviano a lot of time.
O17 3 13 Shotgun trips tight bunch 5-1 dime Pass 4 Scramble N/A 1
They motion a WR to the trips side; they have covered one of their WR types and keep him in to block as Rutgers runs a flood to the boundary; M covers(+3) all three guys and Laviano just runs for a yard.
Drive Notes: Punt, 0-0, 9 min 1st Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Form Type Rush Play Player Yards
O28 1 10 Ace 3-wide Nickel over Run N/A Power C Morgan 2
I guess? This pulls the center. TE motions to h-back and tries to sell that the play will go further inside; Morgan(+1) doesn't bite on that and scrapes to the hole to get a tackle that ends the play. RJS(+0.5) got penetration sufficient to knock the pulling C off balance; he can't get to Bolden(+0.5), who comes down to tackle as the back cuts. Glasgow(+0.5) also fought to the hole.
O30 2 8 I-Form Base 3-4 Run N/A Zone stretch Wormley 55
Glasgow(+2) beats his guy and is to the backfield; he almost ends the play there but takes a block and allows a cutback that should be dead. Wormley(-2) got pancaked, though, so when Ross comes back to the play and is still getting blocked by a DE the back has a spot to cut back in. He pops through the line. Bolden is getting his balls held off(refs -2) without a call; Lewis(-2) took a very bad pursuit angle that provides a crease when the play should end at about ten yards, and Thomas(-2) gets way too aggressive with his fill; he does have a blocker which makes things hard but he needs to mitigate and slow which he does not do. Peppers(+1) runs the dude down, causing Millen to moan like he's watching Denard I LIKE MILLEN OKAY.
M15 1 10 Ace trips tight bunch 4-3 even Pass 4 Throwaway RJS Inc
This time RJS(+2) does a good job to hit the WR releasing into the flat and then explode upfield into the QB. The hit prevents that flat route from getting open; the explosion cuts off Laviano and forces a throw OOB. (Pressure +1, cover +2)
M15 2 10 Ace 3-wide Nickel over Run N/A Power C Hurst 0
Watson in at nickelback. Hurst(+2) drives single blocking back, closing the hole and cutting off the pulling G; he then rips back when the RB cuts up and makes a tackle. Henry(+1) drove through an attempt to reach him to also hit and prevent any YAC.
M15 3 10 Shotgun 3-wide 3-2-6 dime Pass 5 Wheel Thomas Inc (Pen +6)
Thomas(+1, cover +1) demonstrates his impressive athleticism. He's sent on a blitz he has to convert into coverage when the RB release to his side of the field and mirrors him really really well, forcing him to the sideline. Throw is not catchable, Thomas isn't doing anything except tracking the guy with his arm, and he gets a ridiculous PI call. (Refs -3) M had looped Ross(+0.5) around and Hurst(+0.5) worked his way through so a throw had to come (pressure +1)
M9 1 G I-Form Big twin TE 6-2 heavy over Run N/A Power O Wormley 4
Wormley(-2) gets hit and moved by a TE and that's the gap in the line. He gets held, probably, but he's not even fighting back to the ball so impossible for the refs to call this. Bolden(+1) gets around a block to get a tackle in and prevent this from gaining another couple yards.
M5 2 G I-Form Big 6-2 heavy over Pass 4 PA corner Lewis Inc
Badly overthrown. Lewis(+0.5, cover +1) probably in position to do something about it if not.
M5 3 G Shotgun 3-wide Nickel even Pass 4 Sack Wormley -9
M checks after Laviano starts calling signals from what looks like an all out blitz to something more conservative. Laviano initially wants a route that Clark(+1, cover +1) has very well covered and then Wormley(+3, pressure +3) just Brandon Grahams past the LT for a sack.
Drive Notes: FG(32), 7-3, 4 min 1st Q. This was two stops in one thanks to the inane Thomas PI.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Form Type Rush Play Player Yards
O21 1 10 I-form twins 4-3 over Run N/A Power C Charlton 3
M slants away; Charlton(+0.5) takes a TE block and sheds it to get to the hole; Morgan(+1) flows up fast, hits the puller, and sheds to the inside to initiate the tackle.
O24 2 7 Ace trips tight bunch ??? Pass 4 PA sack Morgan -3
This is just a two man route. One guy is blanketed by Lewis and three guys are on the TE; nowhere to go(cover +2). Morgan(+0.5) gets a good drop on the primary read. At this point Hurst(+1) rips up through the middle to pressure; QB avoids and RJS(+0.5, pressure +2) comes from behind to sack.
O24 3 10 Shotgun 3-wide 3-2-6 dime Pass 4 Angle Thomas Inc
Hurst(+0.5) drives through on his stunt to occupy a guard; Ross(+1) is very fast as he loops around and nails the QB on the throw. It's an angle route to an outside receiver trying to duck inside; Thomas(+2, cover +2) makes an impressive break on the ball for a Lewis-like PBU.
Drive Notes: Punt, 14-3, 14 min 2nd Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Form Type Rush Play Player Yards
O20 1 10 Ace trips tight bunch 4-4 over Pass 4 Scramble Wormley 8
Heavy set w/ both NTs. This isn't relevant to the play but holy crap Hurst(+2) basically picks up and flings the C backwards, picking off one pulling OL and an H back pulling behind and then pancaking him. This is of course play action. Wormley(-1) gets confused and doesn't realize QB has the ball for way too long; no pressure (-2) and when QB cannot find anyone (cover +2) he has a rushing lane for a nice gain. Glasgow runs him down and injures his shoulder on the tackle.
O28 2 2 I-Form twins Nickel over 8 Pass 4 Screen Henry 1
Glasgow is out for the remainder. This is a screen with poor timing; QB throws it way late and this allows Henry(+0.5) to rally. Ross(+0.5) discards a FB to get to the ball carrier after Henry delays; Wormley bashes into the tackle from behind to give them a little YAC. Refs get this spot wrong by almost two full yards; replay overturns it.
O29 3 1 I-Form Big 6-2 heavy over Run N/A Power O Bolden 4
Godin in at NT for just this snap. Rutgers has a hat for a hat in the box with M safeties playing off and just barely gets everyone blocked. Bolden manages to hit and shed a DL to get to the hole at the LOS and get in a tackle... that he misses(-1, tackling –1). Missed opportunity. Charlton and Godin held up but didn't do much more; Ross(+0.5) almost closes the hole entirely on the edge; Wilson cleans up after the missed tackle.
O33 1 10 Ace quads tight bunch 4-3 over Run N/A Pitch sweep Bolden 9 + 15 Pen
RJS(+1) goes upfield and inside of the TE who lines up just outside of an inline position, which looks bad until he surges through to pick off a puller and get a two for one. Ross contains. Morgan(+1) nails a TE back on contact and gets outside right at the hash to force it back. Henry(-1) is flowing down the line and cannot quite get there because his angle is a hair upfield, and then there's a crease because Bolden(-2) got left behind. He stopped to go around an attempted cut block instead of outrunning it, which he almost certainly could do. Bolden then gets hit with a facemask penalty on the tackle.
M43 1 10 Shotgun empty TE 4-3 over Pass 4 Fade Hill 18
Motion of the back to the short side of the field sees Peppers and Hill match up. RB runs fake screen that Peppers takes; Hill(-1, cover -1) bites for a second on it as well, opening up a longish throw. Still a relatively tight window. Pressure(-2) weak.
M25 1 10 Ace twin TE Nickel under Pass 4 PA TE seam Bolden Inc (Pen +10)
Big window as Morgan(-2, cover -2) sucks up on the PA fake. Bolden(+0.5) gets something resembling a chuck on the TE to knock the route timing off a little but this is mostly just the QB flat out missing. Henry providing reasonable pressure. Peppers(-2) hit with a holding call.
M15 1 10 Shotgun trips bunch TE Nickel over Pass 4 Flare screen Morgan Inc
RB flips sides late and flanks out wider than normal for a handoff; Morgan(+1) goes with him and when a TE tries to crack down on him he swims past it and gets out in a way that will probably end the play; ball is dropped. Peppers was getting held extensively but with an incomplete pass no flag comes out.
M15 2 10 Shotgun 3-wide Nickel even Pass N/A Tunnel screen Peppers -3
On what planet do you think this will work? Peppers in motion with Grant; outside WR releases and Lewis covers him as he tries to block; nobody out there for Peppers(+0.5) and he bursts upfield into Grant. Can't make the tackle but delays a bit; RJS(+1) read this very quickly and is there to clean up immediately. He can't tackle either but again delays and now the cavalry is here. Peppers recovers and picks Grant up like he is a fair caught punt. RPS +2; unblocked Peppers on screen.
M18 3 13 Shotgun trips tight bunch 3-2-6 dime Pass 4 Rollout out Peppers 8
Rollout out on which the throw isn't great and Grant falls down; Peppers(+0.5) probably there to tackle anyway; with Wilson and Stribling rallying this was never likely to get the requisite distance.
Drive Notes: FG(27), 28-13, 4 min 2nd Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Form Type Rush Play Player Yards
O25 1 10 Shotgun trips 3-2-6 dime Pass 4 Scramble Ross 11
QB escapes as a stunt sees both Ross(-1) and Hurst in the same lane; this works better with a heavier player who can press this gap shut forcefully; Ross runs out of gas when his initial momentum gets stymied. Laviano breaks a pocket that's collapsing and scrambles for a first down. (Pressure -2, RPS -1)
O36 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide 3-2-6 dime split Pass 4 Fade Stribling Inc (Pen +15)
Another complete horseshit call (refs -3) on excellent coverage(+1, cover +1) by Stribling.
M49 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide 3-2-6 dime split Pass 3 TE seam Morgan Inc
No room to complete this as Morgan(+1, cover +1) backs out and is right underneath the TE with Wilson(+0.5) over the top; Laviano tries to hit the tiny window and can't manage it. Pressure(-1) not there on a three man rush.
M49 2 10 Shotgun 3-wide 3-2-6 dime split Run N/A Draw Lewis 6
Back inexplicably bounces this as M has split their nose well wide of the center and tried to fill in with LBs; they give a bunch of ground and could get creased. RB decides to bounce and Michigan does an adequate job of holding the yardage down. Lewis(-0.5) could take a better angle to the sideline and maybe keep this from getting 5. RPS -1.
M43 3 4 Shotgun trips TE 3-2-6 dime split Pass 3 Flat Wilson 4
Not digging the repeated three man rushes with guys in spy zones. Laviano checks it down after good time(pressure -1) and Wilson(+1, tackling +1) comes up to get a great stick that should keep him slightly short of the sticks; refs(-1) give them the first down anyway.
M39 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide 3-2-6 dime Pass 4 Corner Wilson INT
Peppers is underneath this and is going to have a play on a lot of balls but Wilson(+4, cover +3) not only gets over the top of this route at the numbers as a safety—two deep—but makes an impressive diving interception. Hurst(+1) just getting through to the QB after getting held. They say the flag is on the RT but I'm pretty sure they messed that up because the blocking on Henry looks legit. Pressure +1.
Drive Notes: Interception, 35-13, 1 min 2nd Q. Ensuing drive is the punt return after the targeting fiasco.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Form Type Rush Play Player Yards
M9 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide Dime under Pass 4 Corner Lewis Inc
Laviano again with reasonable time(pressure -1) before someone comes through; does have to throw. Lewis looked like he was in press man but bailed to a deep third zone that cuts off this corner route as Lewis(+1, cover +1) ends up between the WR and the ball. RPS +1.
Drive Notes: FG(28), 35-16, EO1H
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Form Type Rush Play Player Yards
O25 1 10 Ace trips tight bunch TE 4-3 under Pass 4 PA throwaway RJS Inc
M looks like they're lined up such that they could be in trouble if Rutgers runs to the bunch but that's not what they get. RJS(+1, pressure +1) is on the edge looking to contain a rollout and gets up in the QB's face. Laviano chucks it at the flat route's feet; Thomas(+0.5, cover +1) was right there.
O25 2 10 Ace trips tight bunch 4-3 under Run N/A Wham Bolden 13
M lets both DTs go and they fly upfield to get picked off by trap blocks. Henry(-1) and Hurst(-1) are your victims. Linebackers get creased as Bolden(-2) leaves the gap he's in, gently takes an OL block, and never even realizes he needs to fight back to the middle of the field. Compare and contrast Morgan. RPS –1.
O38 1 10 Ace trips tight bunch 4-3 over Run N/A Pitch sweep Ross 3
Ross(+1) draws a WR block and wrecks the dude. He drives the guy about five yards in the backfield, forcing a cutback and eliminating a blocker who's gone outside of Ross. Wormley(-1) did not flow down the line TE fends him off a bit and then he goes upfield of that block, so there's a gap. Morgan(+1) actively hits a pulling OL and initiates a tackle; Bolden(+0.5) gets more effectively blocked but does help tackle.
O41 2 7 Offset I twins 4-3 over Run N/A Inside zone Wormley 0
M stunting Hurst and RJS while blitzing Peppers off the backside; this doesn't end up that relevant until cleanup time. RJS(+0.5) does dissuade a cut upfield and Wormley(+2) drives the TE back and sheds him easily to initiate a TFL. Back slips a couple tackles but is delayed sufficiently for the D to rally.
O41 3 7 Shotgun trips TE 3-2-6 dime Pass 6 Sack Wormley -11
Stunt gets Wormley(+2) free up the gut at Hurst(+1) gets excellent penetration to give Wormley a quick flight path; Wormley gets upfield so quick that the QB has no chance to escape. (Pressure +3)
Drive Notes: Punt, 35-16, 12 min 3rd Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Form Type Rush Play Player Yards
O25 1 10 Shotgun empty TE Nickel even Pass 4 Hitch Peppers 11
Charlton(+0.5) just about gets around to bat the QB's arm and create a dangerous situation but the ball gets out; Peppers(-1, cover -1) ends up too far inside as M plays cover three; he's checking a seam route and the horizontal displacement is enough to open this up. He's not close enough to tackle before the WR can grab a first down.
O36 1 10 Ace 3-wide 4-3 over Run N/A Zone stretch Wormley 1
Wormley(+2) takes on the LT; LG then hits him pretty hard in an effort to kick him out. Wormley is momentarily off balance but continues driving the LT back and sheds to tackle the back two yards in the backfield. Henry(+0.5) avoided a cut and flowed down the line to join.
O37 2 9 Ace trips tight bunch 4-3 even Run N/A Wham Morgan 1
M slants away and this borks the attempted trap blocks here. Morgan(+1) is left unblocked but in a lot of space; he reads and fills, making a tackle near the LOS. RPS +1.
O38 3 8 Shotgun 3-wide 3-2-6 dime Pass 5 Scramble Wormley 2
Same blitz and stunt that just got the sack and same result with Wormley(+1) shooting into the backfield as Hurst(+1) drives him a lane. QB manages to escape this time but he's got nobody (cover +2) and is being pursued heavily and can only grab a couple yards. Pressure +2.
Drive Notes: Punt, 43-16, 9 min 3rd Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Form Type Rush Play Player Yards
O25 1 10 Offset I 4-4 even Penalty N/A False start N/A -5
Whoops.
O20 1 15 Ace 3-wide Nickel even Pass 4 Flare screen Charlton 3 (Pen -5)
Charlton(+1) reads it and chases it down as the nearest DL. RB has to get by him by running nearly on the sideline and Charlton forces him out after a modest gain. Illegal formation on Rutgers.
O15 1 20 Ace 3-wide Nickel even Pass 4 Y cross Clark? 20
This is too deep for the camera shot and we don't get a useful replay so I dunno man. Pocket completely clean(pressure -3) on a route that takes forever to develop. Guy is open; M appears to be in a pattern matching 3-deep of some sort on which Clark, the deep third to this side of the field, simply evaporates on. Thomas looks like the guy at fault because he's the closest and makes a tackle but I suspect this might be Clark; really I have no data and have to throw up my hands; cover -2.
O35 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide Nickel even 8 Pass 4 Scramble Charlton 11
Coverage(+2) good initially; Laviano steps into the pocket momentarily and then steps back and around, breaking outside; this somewhat understandably sucks Charlton(-1, pressure -2) inside and lets him escape to the sideline. Bolden(-1) comes up to contain, and you'll have to take my word on this because it's not on the film but I saw this live and he was in a short robber zone; he didn't see this developing very quickly and is late to get out.
O46 1 10 Shotgun empty TE 50 dime Pass 5 Fade Thomas Inc
M checks to this and sends five; Morgan(+0.5) gets a free run and RJS(+1) ducks inside on a stunt; both guys nail the QB as he tries a desperate throw. (Pressure +3, RPS +2). It's a fade route that Thomas(+2, cover +2) is in good position and he finds the ball and makes an excellent leaping INT... that gets jarred loose when he hits the ground.
O46 2 10 Ace 3-wide Dime even Pass 4 Circle Clark 22
Nobody anywhere near Laviano(pressure -2); M gets stuck in man coverage that is very bad for this route combo. One WR releases inside on a driving slant that Peppers is covering; Grant runs a circle route under this that uses the other route as a legal pick. Clark(-2, cover -1, tackling -1) should give up a catch here but he's unable to stick with Grant's quickness and eats a stiffarm after about 8 yards to give up another chunk more. RPS -1.
M32 1 10 Offset I 4-3 over Pass 5 PA Y cross N/A Inc
Henry(+0.5) does just get through here(pressure -1) but it's not great bob; throw is well off due to miscommunication. BTN director DGAF anymore and isn't offering any useful replays so dunno what happened.
M32 2 10 Ace 3-wide Nickel 3-4 Run N/A Zone stretch Hill 11
Michigan gets RPSed here as they are in a pass rush stunt that drops Henry out to loop behind two guys. He vacates the POA and Hurst can't fill it because that would be impossible. Morgan gets doubled by two OL and can't get there. Hill(-2) hits a WR hard and drives him back but just buries himself in that dude and never tries to get off a block; he could hold this down with a nice play; instead he just removes himself. Peppers fills behind to end the play. RPS -2.
M21 1 10 Ace 3-wide Nickel over Run N/A Zone stretch Charlton 1
M again stunting and getting caught by zone blocking; Henry presses away from the play and Hurst tries to come around; both guys get handled. Charlton(+3) rescues it himself by hitting the LT, finding the ball, and ripping around his guy to the outside he comes through so fast he tackles the guy by himself in a very tough situation. RB widened out to let this happen because Henry flashed on his stunt and spooked him; still a tough play and one that saves a chunk of yards. RPS -1.
M20 2 9 I-Form 4-3 over Run N/A Lead zone Morgan 2
Wormley(+0.5) doesn't get sealed and widens out to constrict space. Morgan(+2) makes the play by clubbing a free releasing guard back a step and then disconnecting to submarine the back; very nice play.
M18 3 7 Shotgun empty TE 3-2-6 dime Pass 5 Fade Lewis Inc
Charlton(+1) beats the tackle and shoots inside of him as Morgan(+1) loops around on a stunt to get in Laviano's face(pressure +2); he punts a hopeful ball to the sideline that Lewis(+1, cover +1) is in perfect position on. Wilson(+0.5, cover +1) is about a step away from another INT but can't quite get there on an overthrown ball.
M18 4 7 Shotgun trips bunch 3-2-6 dime Pass 5 Fade Lewis Inc
M sends the house; QB decides to go at Lewis(+2, cover +2) on a fade route that ends like they all do. Pocket was collapsing but no one got through clean.
Drive Notes: Turnover on downs, 46-16, 2 min 3rd Q>
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Form Type Rush Play Player Yards
O15 1 10 Shotgun empty TE Nickel even Pass 5 Hitch Morgan Inc
Five yard hitch turfed. M shifted very late; this gets Morgan(+0.5, pressure +1) in and may force the incompletion; likely to be a five yard hitch with nothing after anyway.
O15 2 10 Ace 3-wide Nickel over Pass 4 Screen Hurst -1
Hurst(+1) drives at the playside G and gets so much of him that he cannot release to the flat; Morgan(+1) is out there and tackles(+1) in space unfettered. Hurst helps finish. Rutgers got a holding call on RJS(+0.5) that is pretty weak. Refs +1. Hurst leaves with a head hit, and TV focuses on Morris because of course.
O14 3 11 Shotgun quads tight bunch 3-2-6 dime split Pass 3 Screen Thomas 14
Only three guys in the rush so you can forgive them a hell bent rush on the QB. He dumps it off on a screen. Thomas(-1) reads and jets to it super fast but misses a tackle(-1); he still gives the D a chance to rally; they do not. Unfortunate more than anything. If Thomas just forces the guy to the sideline this is a stop but the fluke spin inside discombobulates. I do think Hill(-1) gets too aggressive, occupying space that other guys have covered, and on the cutback he should be tackling a yard or so short of the sticks but is gone. If Thomas had just delayed slightly more this is a stop.
O28 1 10 Ace 3-wide Nickel even Pass 4 Out Stribling 4
Uncontested five yard out, push.
O32 2 6 Offset I 4-3 over Run N/A Counter RJS -2
RJS(+1) shoots inside of the pulling G and forces a bounce; FB goes inside this block and has no angle for Bolden(+1, tackling +1); Bolden reads and attacks and gets a TFL.
O30 3 8 Shotgun trips tight bunch TE 3-2-6 dime Pass 5 Flat Morgan Inc
Morgan(+1, pressure +2) loops around the NT and Ross and gets in super fast; G can't come off Ross and QB has to throw. Flat route that HIll(+0.5, cover +1) has for a minimal gain unless there is a screwup. RPS +1.
Drive Notes: Punt, 49-16, 11 min 4th Q.

I AM DISAPPOINTED.

Like this guy?

PRETTY MUCH.

Well, here's our drive breakdown so we can talk about what we're talking about. I didn't do the final ten minutes of the game when Rutgers had their backup QB in:

  • two three and outs
  • three first-down-and-outs
  • 36-yard drive featuring a ridiculous PI on Stribling that ends with the Wilson INT.
  • FG drive with the 55 yard run on which M punches Rutgers off the field only for an inane PI to give them a second chance; M punches them off the field again.
  • 62-yard FG drive
  • 57-yard drive that ends with a turnover on downs.

Michigan also defended one play from the nine at the end of the first half after the punt return fiasco.

That is not quite up to Michigan's ridiculous standards from the triple shutout streak. It is not bad. Rutgers's offense isn't good but it's not bottom of the barrel; Michigan held them to 225 yards and six points. OSU gave up 289 in a game with approximately as much garbage time. We may have forgotten this but occasionally opposing offenses move the ball even if they're not the best.

So what happened?

When they moved the ball a little?

Yeah.

They moved the ball a little. Michigan lost Glasgow midway through the second quarter, which didn't help. Without Godin they were down to a starting three and a little bit of Taco Charlton, so the line was not as fresh as they usually are. I wouldn't say they necessarily got worn down, but they weren't able to go all out every snap like they've been able to do most of the year. A few DBs got out of position on a few passes against a relatively good passing offense. They gave up a 55-yard run due to a confluence of factors.

Look it's all in the

DISAPPOINTED

you're supposed to say chart

IT'S AN AD LIB

chart.

Defensive Line
Player + - T Notes
Henry 2.5 2 0.5 Mostly a nonfactor.
Glasgow 2.5 2.5 Injured relatively early.
Wormley 8.5 6 2.5 Pancaked on 55-yarder.
RJS 8.5 1 7.5 Last week looks pretty weird in retrospect.
Charlton 6 1 5 One +3 play when he rescued M from a chunk.
Hurst 10 1 9 No falloff here at least.
Godin DNP
Marshall DNP
Pallante DNP
TOTAL 38 11 27 Pressure metric also a large comedown, but still good.
Linebacker
Player + - T Notes
Morgan 13.5 2 11.5 Lot of contested tackles for him.
Bolden 4 6 -2 Is what it is.
Ross 3.5 1 2.5 More comfortable when not used as DE
Gedeon DNP
TOTAL 21 9 12 Nice to see Morgan bounce back.
Secondary
Player + - T Notes
Lewis 6.5 2.5 4 Minuses for tackling pursuit angles. Impeccable in coverage.
Stribling 1 1 PI call was ridiculous. No other targets.
Peppers 2 3 -1 Took a holding call that was legit.
Wilson 6 6 Excellent INT, almost got a drive-ending stick on a flat route.
Hill 0.5 4 -3.5 Nothing egregious but got out of place a few times.
Clark 1 2 -1 Beat on that circle route pretty bad.
Thomas 5.5 3 2.5 Best day at M, I think.
TOTAL 22.5 15.5 7 Also, coverage number.
Metrics
Pressure 22 17 +5 Worst number in a while. Still good, but +25 a week ago.
Coverage 34 7 27 Very few places to go.
Tackling 3 3 0 Eh.
RPS 7 7 0 Eh.

This is a bit of a step back, but all three levels of the D came out significantly positive and M won the two most important metrics, "coverage" decisively. If we had not had the last eight games we'd look at this and high-five each other; since we've acclimatized to things like "DL gets a +51 lol" it feels disappointing. Thus message board threads across the internet expressing concern.

This isn't quite as good a defense as we thought it might be during the shutout streak; it is still very, very good. Better than Alabama good? PFF says so. I'm a bit skeptical of that but they're in the conversation for best in the country no question.

What happened on the 55-yarder?

Generally when the nose tackle almost gets you three yards in the backfield and forces you behind him the offense is going to have a bad time. For that to turn into a 55 yard run requires a lot of problems elsewhere, and Michigan collected them.

If you're so inclined you can watch this a couple times, once focusing on Wormley (down lineman to bottom of screen), once on Lewis (man press to the top of screen):

Wormley gets buried and pancaked. That provides the crease the back gets. Lewis is in a pursuit angle and takes it too far upfield; he should be angling away from the LOS and instead actually runs up to it after the WR clears.

That's a first down or so. The rest of it:

Bolden is materially held without a call and Thomas ends up too aggressive; he puts himself definitively on one side of a blocker and allows that back to cut decisively. Thomas needs to put more indecision in the back, maybe get some sort of slowing tackle attempt in. He doesn't need to actually tackle the guy, just allow Peppers to rally much earlier.

Thomas is not a boring safety.

No, he is an interesting times safety. His day was up and down, starting with the poor run fill that cost Michigan 20-30 yards. The PI call he got was a miserable call:

That guy is already out of bounds, the throw is nowhere near, and it is just the usual hand-fighting between DB and WR that nobody ever calls. I gave him a plus, because Thomas is sent on a blitz he has to convert into coverage when the tailback releases on the wheel route. That's hard to do and Thomas's ability to blanket that route is a demonstration of his impressive athleticism. Also in that department: the squib kick return and a tackle on a wham play that he burst to deal with before the deep safety got there.

He also got a PBU on which I legit thought he was Lewis until the 5 on his jersey became clear:

And he just about picked a ball off right before Dr. Harbaugh aired his nuts.

That's all good, and so was about 95% of this screen:

That happened right in front of my seats and after seeing Thomas flash to the backfield I said "who is that?" It was super impressive. Then he misses the tackle so badly the guy goes and gets a bunch of yards. It's still kind of impressive. He is all the way on the backside of the play, reads it, and closes the distance after bending around the traffic and finding a gap to hit.

Thomas feels like a guy who is almost there*. Michigan played him a lot in this game. I am not entirely certain but I think he and Hill basically swapped roles, with Hill coming in mostly for dime packages and Thomas getting the bulk of the game. After Hill's last couple games that's understandable, but I don't know if that's entirely because of a couple busts.

Thomas may be getting there as a safety. He'll be a guy to watch against Indiana. A second-half surge would be most welcome.

*[This column will not be held responsible if and when Thomas is directly responsible for a million-yard TD against Indiana.]

Jarrod Wilson is boring though.

Also to be fair to Jarrod Wilson he did do a very un-boring thing in this game. He also stuck a dude on tackle that probably should have brought up fourth down, but a dubious spot prevented that from being regarded as a big play.

Also, we like boring. The last couple weeks Hill and Thomas have provided glimpses into what not boring looks like. Boring is good.

Is it just me or was the defensive line a little less ravenous than they've been?

They were. I hadn't seen an opposing quarterback get that much time all year, and there were blips on which guys got blown out or didn't flow well. Linebackers were more relevant in this game than they usually are.

Wormley was actually a lot more up and down than I thought live. He got blown up on the long one and I thought he was more moveable than he's been much of the year, especially early.

That might be a hold but Wormley doesn't find the ball and try to work back to it for the duration of the play, thus creating a situation for the linebackers and a productive first and goal. On a second-half pitch a tight end actually blocked him, which has literally not happened all year.

On the other hand, Wormley had two sacks, one of them not at all stunt related. The other was completely stunt related but you still get a cookie when you fly upfield so fast the QB cannot escape. And he still had his share of run plays on which he drove and discarded blockers to blow them up. On this one he takes a hit from a second blocker that hopes to kick him out and still beats his man to tackle:

Hurst maintained his level of productivity; the other guys were relatively quiet. Rutgers got Michigan on a wham play; both DTs blew upfield and were gone. Michigan appears to be spreading trap blocking through the league; I've seen more traps run against the Michigan defense this year than, like, ever.

The overall performance drop is probably just one of those things; injuries started to pile up in this one and Rutgers is actually quite good at pass protection. I should mention that Charlton had one pretty terrific play to rescue Michigan when they got caught stunting against a zone play; that was rock to Rutgers paper but  Charlton beat a block to tackle:

Also I am solely including this eventually irrelevant Hurst play because it is awesome.

You might see that in next year's season preview. Maybe.

Is it just me or does Michigan not do a good job of pressuring rollouts?

They don't do a good job at all, or at least they haven't so far. It did seem like they had a better plan this week, as RJS did get out on a couple to force a quick incompletion.

As a bonus RJS whacks the guy trying to release into the flat and allows the guys actually covering him time to recover from the play action fake. That's the best they've done all year on waggle action.

On others I think maybe he could have done the same thing but didn't realize the QB had the ball. It seems clear Michigan worked on it some last week. They still have problems when opponents roll to 300 pound guys instead of their buck, but they can usually rely on the QB to roll out to the right so this may be on the verge of getting fixed.

Jourdan Lewis has set the all-time single season PBU record for Michigan. This is not a question.

He did, and he set that record in the way that he does. He got an early PBU by being in the pocket of a crossing route:

And he dominated a fade route for the record. I have nothing new to tell you about Jourdan Lewis. He is the best corner Michigan has had since at least Leon Hall; personally, I think you have to go back to Woodson to find someone better.

Lewis also demonstrated his speed and shiftiness on a kickoff return he got out to the 40; on it he threatened inside before bouncing out in a way that reminds you that a lot of people thought he'd be a terrific slot receiver. I'm a little surprised we haven't seen him go both ways a bit, too.

Morgan had a bounce-back game.

There was one play-action bite that Michigan got away with early; otherwise he was very solid, back to nailing offensive linemen such that they go backwards. He had more opportunities in this game than usual since plays were actually getting to him.

Morgan consistently blew back the Rutgers OL and disconnected to tackle. He also got a smattering of positive marks for well-executed blitzes that saw him get to Laviano. None of this is new; this is what Morgan is except for that one game against Minnesota.

Insert generic weekly thing about mild frustration with Bolden. Here's a pretty good contrast between the two linebackers as they try to get off blocks:

this play is a good example of what a wham is supposed to look like

Morgan reads the back, moves to fill a gap he does have to get to and then fights back to the play, almost making an ankle tackle. Bolden gets blocked, stays blocked. He's also in the wrong gap—he's got Thomas as a spare linebacker behind him—because he isn't reading the play as well.

Is what it is at this point.

Peppers Peppers Peppers Peppers?

Uh. Actually not too much from him in this game. He got a legit holding penalty on one of the field goal drives.

The most important thing he did on defense in this game is deadlift a wide receiver and not suplex him. When this play ends I was thinking "oh god he's going to suplex him and get a personal foul" because all football players inevitably suplex opponents they have managed to lift off the ground; Peppers merely waited for the forward progress whistle and set him down like he was a fair-caught punt.

audio is not quite right as per usual, whistles came after the deadlift

Shade Peppers is the best.

But other than that he wasn't tested much. Rutgers didn't try any edge stuff aside from that screen and I don't think his guy was targeted except on the Wilson INT. Michigan lifted him a bit, inserting Watson at nickel.

What is even going on with Big Ten refs?

I have no idea but they were again bad in this game. I don't care about the intent to deceive penalty; as written the refs have wide latitude to call stuff like that back. But the above pass interference on Thomas, the overturned targeting call on a blindside hit on which helmet knocked helmet, and this pass interference on Stribling…

…were all just bogglingly bad calls. Michigan also got a super weak holding call in their favor.

Heroes?

Morgan bounced back; Lewis was Lewis; Wilson was not boring in a good way; Hurst and RJS maintained the usual level of DL play.

Maybe not so heroic?

Bolden accepted a lot of blocks; Hill had a few plays on which I think he gave up more yards than was strictly necessary.

What does it mean for Indiana and beyond?

Please get healthy, DL. Glasgow is in a sling, which probably means he's not practicing. I'd hold him out against Indiana unless things get hairy. Godin should be close to returning. Michigan saw a drop in production from the line as Michigan had to pace themselves instead of going hell for leather all day.

Dymonte Thomas could be putting it together. I don't think he's ever going to be a guy who's particularly good at preventing 20 yard plays from going 50, but with his athleticism he provides a suite of capabilities that can make up for that deficiency. He is a guy who you can put in man coverage relatively confidently, that Minnesota play nonwithstanding. He's come a long way this year; he has a moderate way to go. Cross your fingers.

The Ross at buck thing made no sense but at least it was immediately dumped. Hooray for that.

Morgan is Morgan again, Bolden still Bolden. That's a net positive after a real off week against Minnesota.

Jourdan Lewis is too small for the NFL until next year. Real talk. REAL TALK.

Comments

alum96

November 11th, 2015 at 3:29 PM ^

Only worry about Bolden is Gedeon is not taking time from him (not this week for obvious reasons but in general).  We are all saying next years LB corps is "Gedeon and somebody" but if Gedeon was better than ross or bolden he'd be playing much more this year.  The fact he is not judged better than Bolden makes a bit worried about Gedeon.  Put another way our "best" LB next year at this point is graded worst by the staff than our worst LB this year. 

Hopefully he improves quite a bit the next 8 months.

As for Wormley the one play he was pancaked if I am seeing it right 2 guys were on him ... -2 seems harsh for being driven back by 600 lbs.

I do think Wilson and Morgan ("the boring guys") won't be missed until next year's defense.  They are sort of guys you take for granted until ehh "more exciting guys" take their place.

rutgers OL is ranked #63 by FO so I wouldnt call it pretty decent - its mediocre in a P5 kind of way.  UM is #78 by comparison. It's not an end all be all measure but just for perspective.  Think when you take potentially the 1st or 2nd best player off the DL it changes things.  Esp when he takes 60% of snaps.  No shame in saying DL is not the same without Glasgow.

Also very happy to see these rjs scores which jibe with PFF.  I will admit I thought the Mario loss would be pretty devastating as he was not a great player but the variance btw him and backup might be one of the biggest on the D.  Just another case of a staff who is getting more out of players we once thought of as Josh Furman.

Mr. Yost

November 11th, 2015 at 6:11 PM ^

It's REALLY hard to unseat a senior captain with a TON of experience who isn't awful, but isn't outstanding.

You can't really blame Gedeon, that's a tough circumstance to overcome and earn the starting job.

All it means is that Gedeon isn't All-World....but even if he's close to the same thing, most coaches are going to play Bolden 10 times out of 10.

We need more from the position, but we could do a lot worse than Bolden 2.0 who's got an entire offseason to get better and work with THIS coaching staff.

Bolden playing doesn't say much...he's a captain, a leader, he's got as many snaps as anyone...he's going to play unless you've got Jaylon Smith or someone behind him.

Bodogblog

November 12th, 2015 at 3:10 PM ^

I've been a fan of Bolden, but again he hasn't lived up to his spring hype.  Earlier in the year he was popping OL a bit more, and I was hopeful he'd made that improvement.  But he's really reverted in the last several games, may be injured.  He just doesn't lay the wood on people like he should.  This was evident all the way back to high school video though. 

What he does do very well is be vocal and get the team in the right set.  This was critical in spring and fall ball with a new DC.  It's probably less so now given the D doesn't seem lost much.  But to the other guy's point, it's hard to surpass a starter of any type who's doing OK.  Coaches make changes when the back-ups are just charging and killing it in practice, or the starter is lacking.  It's very possible that Gedeon does some things better, but isn't as vocal or knowledgable about the defense.  

Also hard to make changes when you've got the #1 D in the county by some accounts, though that didn't seem to prevent the Ross-to-Buck move over RJS. 

MaximusBlue

November 11th, 2015 at 3:23 PM ^

How awful these B10 officials have been this season all across the board. Makes it scary to be in a tight one because they just might screw your season up.

Also hope they eventually do away with this terrible targeting rule. The intent is good but the execution has been a fail.

Michigan Fan L…

November 11th, 2015 at 3:26 PM ^

It seems like Dymonte Thomas is always in the right place.  I just wish he could hold onto one or two those possible interceptions.  He reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Jerry talked about first aid during the prehistoric days.  The first aid guys would show up at the injured person's cave and although they didn't have any equipment or bandages or vehicles or medication, they could always say, "We made it.  Yep, we were there.  Got there pretty quickly too."

Throughout the first half I kept waiting to see that "push" from the defensive line that I've become accustomed to but it just wasn't happening.  By the third quarter I decided to just watch and see what happens when the ball reaches the secondary.  Hopefully they can bounce back next game. 

Gooooooooo Blue!!!

Maizen

November 11th, 2015 at 3:28 PM ^

Still pissed Hoke didn't redshirt Dymone Thomas. Imagine if him and Hill still had two years of eligibility left.

Oscar

November 11th, 2015 at 8:21 PM ^

The point was not to minimize his contribution, but to point out that a blocked punt against a school we rolled is generally not reason in itself to burn a redshirt.

WolvinLA2

November 11th, 2015 at 4:51 PM ^

No, it's absolutely a "hindsight is 20/20" situation.

People are way too critical of these burned red shirts. It's getting unreal. You're gonna have to play a lot of freshmen, and a chunk of those guys aren't going to contribute as much as frosh as you think they will. But coaches don't have crystal balls to know this. Hoke played Thomas because he was an insanely athletic kid who he thought could contribute early on, getting lots of special team reps as a frosh so he's ready for solid PT as a soph. That didn't happen, but that doesn't mean it was a bad decision at the time.

wahooverine

November 11th, 2015 at 5:19 PM ^

And remember it was a young team anyway.  It's not like there were great older players available. Might be different had Hoke did better at bringing out the talent of guys like Furman, but at that point they werent performing and young talented guys were needed. Like any coach Hoke was trying to win now (just not a great coach like Harbaugh is).   In any case, it's spilt milk at this point.

Jonesy

November 11th, 2015 at 7:50 PM ^

You shouldnt be mad at burning redshirts because you think they arbitrarily burned a redshirt.  You should be mad at the juniors and seniors sucking or not being around due to bad recruiting or coaching that necessitates a true freshman playing.  As Harbaugh ramps things up there should be less and less redshirt burning as presumably there will be less instances in which the true freshman is the best option and those instances will usually be because the true freshman is a Jabrillian stud.

pearlw

November 11th, 2015 at 7:42 PM ^

Also Thomas started in the bowl game against Kansas St. No one seems to remember that..so by the end of the year, he started a game. the criticism of the Gedeon non-redshirt is ridiculous also...Gedeon started vs OSU as a freshmand and had 5 tackles in that game I recall.




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MI Expat NY

November 11th, 2015 at 3:34 PM ^

On the 55 yard play, a big contributing factor is Ross who is playing Buck (?) on the play.  He gets owned by the TE in the perfect way as to prevent Henry from getting a shot on the RB.  I'm not sure Henry makes the play, but I think he at least makes contact and then Lewis, Peppers or someone could probably make the tackle after a reasonable gain.

Brian notes that Ross still getting blocked by the DE creates the hole, but it does more than that as it cuts off the backside pursuit.  I may be wrong, but I highly doubt that the offensive play design anticipated the TE blocking Ross that far back into the middle of the line. 

ST3

November 11th, 2015 at 3:39 PM ^

Morgan's got better knee bend allowing him to change direction more quickly. Bolden is standing up straight and has no leverage to get off the block. At this point in their careers, it is what it is.

mikegros

November 11th, 2015 at 3:41 PM ^

- I'm a little concered about Hill, he's had a number of rough weeks in a row. I guess that's life as a safety who isn't boring, but it seems like opposing offenses have been attacking him pretty effectively as the weak link in our secondary.

concerned about Hill

- Morgan, other than his epically bad week last week, is having quite a year. He's a good counterpoint to the argument that Bolden's numbers look rough only because LBs are having all the pluses stolen by the awesome d-line:

Morgan bounceback

- Wormley had his first day with any real noticable mistakes in 2 years. It's great having such awesome D-linemen:

Wormley

There are more plots at the link below. Plots are up to date but the text probably isn't (also forgive my poor writing skills):

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mikegros/ufr_exploration.html

Champeen

November 11th, 2015 at 4:13 PM ^

Good writeup as usual.  Disagree on a few things though -

1) Mentioned Wormley getting buried on that play a zillion times.  That is actually a plus for Wormley.  Number 1, he gets doubled.  ANY time a Defensive lineman is absorbing 2 guys, it should be a plus.  And Wormley actually holds his ground for a few seconds until the RB gets to the line before finally succombing to both blockers.  Should NOT be a negative, and should probably be a positive that he is good enough to demand and absorb 2 blockers.  At minimum, should be a zero.

2) Peppers should get a point on that play for being the only guy to run as fast as Bo Jackson and easily catch that guy from behind.  Peppers saved a TD - give him a point.  He has been doing it all year.  Maybe your so used to him doing it its a given, and you yawn now.

Other than that, nice writeup as usual.  Easy for me to sit back and spend 5 minutes scrutinizing when you do 5 hours of work on it ;)

ST3

November 11th, 2015 at 5:20 PM ^

seems conservative to me. I'd guess it's more like 10-15 hours. I've tried UFR'ing a few plays here and there and I have to watch each play 4 or 5 times to figure out what's going on, who's doing what, who is who. I'll even watch in slo-mo. Then you have to type up the

CHART

yes, the chart.

Gulogulo37

November 11th, 2015 at 11:12 PM ^

But Wormley didn't "absorb" 2 guys. He got moved out of there. The RB runs right through where he was. He definitely didn't hold in place for a few seconds. That whole play was only a few seconds. He starts getting moved immediately. It's not like he's expected to throw those guys off of him, but don't you at least just want him to hold ground and get shoved back a yard or 2?

Hail-Storm

November 11th, 2015 at 4:13 PM ^

I think I remember reading that he is the heir apparent to Peppers in that position, which is critical in this defense, so him getting reps over the next year and a half is good news. Indiana and Penn State's passing games might make it hard to get him reps though. 

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

November 11th, 2015 at 4:16 PM ^

So a thing on the pressure metric.  In general, a + basically means "got pressure on the play" and a - basically means "did not get pressure on the play".  So a final pressure rating of zero would more or less mean (assuming the numbers all balance out pretty much with a +3 here and a -3 there, etc.) that we got pressure on half the offensive plays.

Shouldn't that be considered pretty frickin' awesome?  The worst thing that happened in this game on a pressure+ play was a two-yard scramble.  Everything else was incomplete, INT, sack.  All three of these things crank up the probability of ending the drive on that series.  If half the time the QB drops back, he is pressured, I would think that's fantastic.  A +5, I know it doesn't mean we got pressure on five more plays than not, but it seems to me any time the pressure metric is positive, let alone +25, that would be beyond exceptional.

gwkrlghl

November 11th, 2015 at 4:48 PM ^

Such a relief that the staff tried Ross at BUCK, realized it was a disaster, and actually went back the other way.

How many times have I seen Richrod or Hoke's staffs do something that seems insane and easily fixable but just continue to try to slam that square peg into the round hole no matter how fruitless it is. Borges POWER OFFENSE, Young AJ Williams as starting TE, Craig Roh as a linebacker, the 3-3-5, etc

readyourguard

November 11th, 2015 at 4:49 PM ^

It's unfair to characterize Wormley as getting "pancaked" when it was the result of a double team.  Joe Bolden, on the other hand, was on fucking skates.  That's terrible linebacker play.

Jonadan

November 11th, 2015 at 4:55 PM ^

With the rise of Sparty-esque "hold and interfere subtly all the time and take your lumps a couple times a game when you get caught defense", I'd expect the proportion of bad calls to actually rise, because you end up with refs knowing there's going to be shenanigans there sometimes and sort of guessing when it's actually happening.  Fairly or unfairly, our D has got the reputation this year of being that sort of defense, so I think we're picking up a lot of those WTF flags.  Would be interesting to get a completely disinterested party (say, a UCF fan - they've got nothing to play for and no real relationship to M) to go through game tape with a super-detailed approach and find out (a) what's being called that shouldn't and (b) if/where the defense is getting away with stuff.

Yooper

November 11th, 2015 at 5:09 PM ^

"Disappointed" with giving up 6 points and 225 yards?  Debating whether we might have slipped to being only the second best defense in the country?   Cheer up, I think the D will be okay. 

ST3

November 11th, 2015 at 5:26 PM ^

relative to expectations, which just goes to show how high our expectations have become. What was weird to me was that even though Rutgers only gained 225 yards, they still had 17 first downs. Take away the 55 yard run and that's 170 yards and 16 first downs. They were getting zero bonus yards but still seemed to squeak out a lot of first downs. Granted, 4 of them were from penalty, but that only adds to the frustration level.

HarbaughToKolesar85

November 11th, 2015 at 5:51 PM ^

It amazes me that virtually half of our d-line rotation was injured before we lost a noticeable degree of productivity.

Godin-Barely usable recently and might be back this week

Ojemudia and Mone-Out for the year

Glasgow-Probably out for the Indiana game (maybe back for PSU?)