[Eric Upchurch]

SPONSOR NOTE: Reminder that Matt is hanging out at the Charity Tailgate at 327 East Hoover (if you were at the preseason MGoEvents this year and last it's the same place). Food trucks, beer, TVs, and also those things. When not tailgating Matt is also a person who will get you a mortgage right quick from the comfort of your own home. If you need one, he's the man, man.

FORMATION NOTES: A bit more balanced, with Michigan going shotgun (or pistol) on about 40 snaps and under center on the other 30. All murderback snaps were three TE ace sets:

Nebraska stuck in a 3-4 with their line shaded to the run strength for most of the day, frequently adding their strong safety into the box after starting him from the gray area.

SUBSTITUTION NOTES: Patterson, then McCaffrey and Peters at QB. No Milton, boo. At RB Higdon a clear #1, Wilson a clear #2, and Samuels sprinkled in on a couple carries before garbage time. By the middle of the third it was Samuels and a debuting Christian Turner. Mason got some run at RB, obviously. Jared Wangler got some backup FB snaps.

Collins and DPJ your primary outside WRs with a healthy dose of Oliver Martin, who stayed out there deep into the game. Ronnie Bell got a bunch of second-half snaps; Ambry Thomas got three total. TE the usual with maybe a little more Eubanks because of the 3TE sets and garbage time. Redshirt freshman walk-on Carter Selzer got snaps in the fourth quarter, which is a definitive statement that Schoonmaker and Muhammad are redshirting.

OL was the usual on both first and second units, except that Michigan brought in Andrew Vastardis at C after one drive and bumped Stephen Spanellis out to RG. Stueber and Paea got the last drive.

[After THE JUMP: down G over and over]

Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M36	1	10	Ace	1	2	2	Base 3-4	7.5	Pass	Dumpoff	Higdon	7
M leaves Gentry in and uses Eubanks to chip the OLB. Pocket holds, forever and a day. Patterson checks down to Higdon(+1), who breaks a tackle to make this a nice gain. (CA, 3, protection 3/3)
M43	2	3	Shotgun 2-back TE	2	1	2	Base 3-4	7.5	Run	Down G	Higdon	46
Mason starts playside and inserts to the backside of the line as M shows trap action back there. Meanwhile down G to the frontside. Slot blitz from Nebraska kicked by Bredeson(+1). Gentry(+1) gets a guy slanting away and shoves him inside. This combo is coupled with a LB sliding over the top; LB #2 buys the FB action. That LB is jetting way too far outside as he misreads something or other. Higdon jets. Ruiz(+0.5) got out to finish the other LB. DPJ(+1) tracked and got a CB; Higdon(+1) dodges a safety who had a tough job. RPS +1.
O11	1	10	Pistol twin TE	1	2	2	Base 3-4	8.5	Run	Trap	Higdon	2
This is the trap, with Collins threatening a jet. Nebraska is moving around a ton pre-snap and SAM LB is moving literally as the ball is snapped so Michigan gets its blocking wrong, probably. Gentry(+0.5) has not shot at the guy inside of him slanting to the play. He latches on and pushes him. Onwenu(+0.5) and JBB are hammering a DT way off the line. Hard to ask them to make that adjustment. Higdon(+0.5) cuts behind Gentry, gets an unblocked LB, and does well to grind out a few. Mason(-1) mostly missed his trap block and his guy helps finish the play. RPS –1.
O9	2	8	Ace 3TE	1	3	1	Base 3-4	8.5	Run	Down G	Mason	7
Gentry(+1) gets rocked back a bit but holds his guy in place long enough for Mason to jet by. Onwenu(+0.5) gets his kick McKeon(+0.5) gets a decent second level block. Mason(+2) gets three yards downfield before LB contact and picks up four YAC. Steamroller.
O2	3	1	Ace 3TE	1	3	1	Goal line	10	Run	Down G	Mason	1
Other way, similar result. Gentry(+1) fires his guy in the endzone. So does McKeon(+1). Bredeson(-0.5) elects not to kick and goes through. He does hit a LB usefully but this feels like the wrong choice. That guy is able to grab Mason’s legs and get him down barely before the endzone. Mason gets targeted here but no call (refs -2).
O1	1	G	I-Form Big	2	2	1	Goal line	11	Run	FB Dive	Mason	1
No contest as Runyan(+0.5) and Bredeson(+0.5) blow their guy into the endzone.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 7-0, 10 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
O44	1	10	Shotgun 2-back TE	2	1	2	Base 3-4	7	Run	Down G	Higdon	44
This time the playside LB follows the fullback to oblivion. Nebraska is hoping to replace him with a safety but he’s charging from ten yards and DPJ(+2) gets over to hammer him out of the play. Runyan(+1) turns in a DE; Bredeson(+1) gets his kick. Higdon(+1) doesn’t have to do much except run fast. RPS +3.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 14-0, 9 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M34	1	10	Ace tight	1	2	2	Base 3-4	7.5	Pass	Waggle TE flat	McKeon	15
Wide, wide open as the LB level is freaking out about all runs. Easy. (CA, 3, protection N/A, RPS +1)
M49	1	10	Shotgun 2-back TE	2	1	2	Base 3-4	7.5	Run	Stretch G	Higdon	-2
This ends up looking a lot more like a stretch play with Neb flowing hard playside and stunting the DTs. Ruiz(+1) gets a reach and leaves his guy with Onwenu(+0.5); McKeon(+1) and Runyan(-1) end up blowing playside end out but Runyan runs by a LB instead of popping out on him. That guy shows up in the hole, running hard laterally. Higdon(-2) should run him over and get what he can, which is probably 3-4. Instead he tries to bounce it outside a very set edge and gives up a TFL.
M47	2	12	Shotgun empty TE	1	1	3	Base 3-4	7.5	Run	Jet sweep	Samuels	0
Touch pass jet sweep with no misdirection and no plan to block the LB level. There’s some screen action to the boundary but the line is blocking IZ the other way. I guess Patterson could run it himself but Nebraska doesn’t respect that at all. RPS -2.
M47	3	12	Shotgun trips TE	1	1	3	Nickel even	6.5	Pass	TE drag	Gentry	21
This is a TRIPLE A GAP BLITZ. Michigan picks up the two linebackers just fine but the third rusher, a safety who took off from eight yards deep, gets through. Nebraska LB busts the coverage as Gentry drags across and Patterson’s able to get the ball out before the walls cave in. Michigan could handle this slightly better by passing off a LB and getting to the S but one of the tradeoffs of blitzing from eight yards is sometimes they get the ball out. (CA+, 3, protection 2/3, TEAM -1)
O32	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	1	1	3	Base 3-4	7	Run	Down G	Higdon	-1
DPJ(-2) motions in presnap and moves to crack a LB. He whiffs entirely. That guy flows hard and Bredeson feels he’s got to pick the guy off. He probably does. With CB playing zone he’s able to read and fill quickly. Higdon has nowhere to go. Gentry(+2) turned and pancaked the playside LB. If DPJ gets his block Higdon is to the safety in a flash. Ruiz(+0.5) cut off the other LB.
O33	2	11	Pistol twin TE	2	1	2	Base 3-4	8	Run	Trap?	Higdon	3
I can’t figure this out because Nebraska again moves their line right before the snap, by accident, and the resulting blocking is jumbled. It’s also weird. Ruiz pulls around Bredeson. Bredeson seems to hit and seal his guy, and then he moves on. None of this relevant as Higdon is taking a vertical handoff to the other side of the line. Mason shoots inside as if he’s trapping, but nobody is let free. Maybe he should hit the DT Bredeson left? Cutback? JBB and Onwneu push some guys downfield a bit and Higdon can burrow for a few. This is weird but cool.
O30	3	8	Shotgun trips TE	1	1	3	Exotic	7	Run	Inside zone	Wilson	26
Six men on the line and one LB. M does option one off, with LB on pass rush going vertical; Patterson takes a couple of steps to help sell it. Wilson(+2) then takes two or three steps indicating he’s going to shoot right up the gut before making a great cut outside and jetting. Onwenu(+0.5) and Ruiz(+0.5) successfully doubled a couple guys to help delay pursuit. Runyan(+0.5) and Bredeson(+0.5) didn’t move mountains but held up enough to provide the crease. RPS +1.
O4	1	G	Ace 3TE	1	3	1	Goal line	10	Run	Down G	Mason	4
McKeon motions across and brings the other CB with him. Down G that way. Gentry(+1) locks up and drives playside OLB. Onwenu(+0.5) gets a close to free kick. McKeon(+1) cuts off the playside S, and the corner either busts on his crack replace or simply decides that discretion is the better part of valor when it’s Dicaprio Bootle versus Ol Murderface.
Drive Notes: Touchdown (missed XP), 20-0, 3 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M13	1	10	Ace tight	1	2	2	Base 3-4	7	Pass	Cross	DPJ	Inc
Max pro PA but no pulling G; M runs a flood route that Nebraska covers all of. Patterson thinks Bootle’s been run off. He has not; his throw is interceptable but not quite directly at the guy. (BR, 0, protection 2/2, RPS -1)
M13	2	10	Shotgun 3-wide	1	1	3	Base 3-4	6.5	Pass	Bubble screen	Perry	0
This looks good presnap with the playside CB at 8-9 yards but Martin(-1) gets blown back on contact and Perry’s gap gets eliminated. S triggers hard and is there at the LOS. (CA, 3, screen, RPS -1)
M13	3	10	Shotgun trips TE	1	1	3	Exotic	7	Pass	Tunnel screen	DPJ	Inc
Thomas in, fake jet. Tunnel attempt against straight press man. DPJ doesn’t sell a release that well and his man is able to come around McKeon and tackle. Playside DE might get this if the CB doesn’t. (CA, 1, screen, RPS -1, DPJ route -1)
Drive Notes: Punt, 20-0, EO1Q. Nebraska muffs it right back.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
O35	1	10	I-Form Big	2	1	2	4-4 even	8.5	Pass	Post	Martin	Inc
PA, max pro. Eubanks is able to clear out the safety. Patterson correctly picks Martin and throws an inch perfect pass. Martin got inside Bootle but hasn’t gotten much separation. He does have superior position, which might be enough; Bootle jumps on his back well before the ball arrives without a call. (DO, 0, protection 2/2, RPS +1, refs -2)
O35	2	10	Ace twins twin TE	2	1	2	4-3 even	7.5	Run	Zone stretch	Higdon	3
Backside OLB shows no respect for a potential waggle and hauls after Higdon, which eliminates all cutbacks. Onwenu(-0.5) sees his guy fire out vertical, which is normally a situation where you can step around and seal a guy. Onwenu gives some ground and tries to get around but can’t quite. McKeon(-0.5) gives a little ground and is controlled; when Higdon tries to hit it between those two blocks the two Nebraska players can shed and tackle.
O32	3	7	Shotgun empty twin TE	1	2	2	Exotic	7	Pass	TE drag	Gentry	Inc
Higdon motions from a boundary WR spot all the way across; decoy. Tips man. Nebraska blitzes and gets a guy through. This is a line call issue as the line sets left and too many guys are there. Patterson gets the throw off and misses Gentry; he was getting tackled anyway because a last second Nebraska adjustment threw off the mesh rub. (IN, 0, protection 1/3, TEAM -2)
Drive Notes: FG(50), 23-0, 14 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M41	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel over	6.5	Pass	Corner	Collins	24
Slick chunk play here. Collins first breaks inside of a press corner and then bends his route back outside. Patterson hits him dead in stride on the sideline. I wonder if Collins has an option to convert this route? It seems like he’s won inside w/o safety help and can just run straight downfield. (DO, 2, protection 2/2). Should note the pass rush here, which is feeble.
O36	1	10	Shotgun trips TE	1	1	3	Base 3-4	7.5	Run	Inside zone	Higdon	2
Slot guy blitzes off the edge and nobody gets options so 6 blockers for 8 guys. Nebraska taking advantage of covered Gentry. JBB(-1) ends up running by a DE who slants outside of him. He’s direct to the backfield. Ruiz(-0.5) and Onwenu(-0.5) move the NT a little but but get split. Higdon has little choice but to burrow for what he can get. RPS -1; Neb got an advantage because they knew Gentry was not eligible.
O34	2	8	Shotgun 2TE	1	2	2	4-3 even SAM	8	Run	Power O	Higdon	3
Maaaaaan. Jet fake to DPJ. Backside G and T both pull. Gentry arcs out and blocks, which gets rid of an OLB expecting something perimeter to that side. Backside DE held enough by pull threat. Slot LB comes charging down super fast and Bredeson decides he’s got to deal with him. This is the guy the jet fake is supposed to erase. Bredeson does get a shove and does help provide a lane, but I’d prefer he takes his chances with that guy. Because Runyan(+1) gets a kickout and there is one guy between Higdon and a safety who started absurdly deep. RPS push since the blitzer did get Nebraska an unblocked guy but Maaaan.
O31	3	5	Shotgun 3-wide	1	2	2	Bear 3-4	7	Pass	Hitch	DPJ	10
Easy pitch and catch as DPJ turns his CB and gets wide open. (CA, 3, protection 1/1, DPJ route+)
O21	1	10	Pistol 2TE	1	2	2	Base 3-4	7.5	Run	Down G	Wilson	3
So here’s the thing I was saying about Down G earlier. If the LB level reads it and gets to it they’re +1. Here Runyan(+1) blasts his guy inside and Bredeson(+1) has a pull become a seal as his guy moves down as well. Gentry harasses one LB but with both flowing hard to the playside the other guy is unblocked. Wilson able to scratch out a few. RPS -1.
O18	2	7	Ace	1	2	2	Base 3-4	7	Pass	Waggle cross	Martin	Inc
Waggle, no edge pressure. Flat is covered; Patterson takes his time and fires to the second level, where Martin has a step on his man. Patterson misses. (IN, 0, protection N/A, RPS +1)
O18	3	7	Shotgun 3-wide	1	1	3	Base 3-4	7	Pass	TE out	Gentry	6
M runs slants that get undercut by zone defenders so it’s either this or an endzone shot at DPJ on the other side. The TE out here is a very tight window and a dangerous throw but Patterson fits it in and Gentry holds on despite a guy coming around him to deliver a heavy rake on the catch. (CA, 2, protection 2/2)
O12	4	1	Goal line	2	2	1	Goal line	11	Run	Down G	Higdon	3
Bredeson(+1) gets a good kick on a charging guy. Runyan(+0.5) and Gentry(+0.5) get decent lead blocks. McKeon(+2) stands and drives a LB. Mason runs by a CB but on fourth and one I think you want him running straight upfield in the gap to hit the first thing he sees. A CB coming from the side is never going to get it done and he doesn’t, with Higdon(+0.5) running him over for the first down.
O9	1	G	Ace 3TE	1	3	1	Goal line	10	Run	Down C	Mason	4
Down C is just down G except they’re pulling the C. JBB(+0.5) stalls out his man, gives a wee bit of ground. McKeon(+1) finds a second level block; Ruiz is flaring for a kick he never has to make. Gentry(+0.5) gets a second level block. Mason(+0.5) meets that LB who doesn’t have a blocker in Down X schemes two yards downfield and grinds for ol murderyards.
O5	2	G	Goal line	2	2	1	Goal line	11	Pass	PA TE seam	Gentry	5
M fortunate here as the Nebraska DB on Gentry falls down and Patterson can flip it out uncontested. Otherwise this guy was jamming Gentry and it was going to have to be the buttzone or nothin’. (CA, 3, protection 2/2)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 30-0, 8 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
O34	1	10	Pistol 2TE	1	2	2	Base 3-4	7.5	Run	Down G	Higdon	25
Well, it’s back. S blitz for edge, Bredeson(+0.5) kickout. McKeon(+2) hammers the playside OLB down the line and across the hash, which gives Higdon(+2) a lane to the interior despite Nebraska delivering an unblocked LB to the hole. He takes a very outside angle as if he’s tracking down a perimeter run and Higdon just runs by him. Ruiz(+2) bashed the NT back and immediately gets out on a linebacker to provide the rest of the lane. Higdon then runs through a couple of DB tackles.
O9	1	G	Ace tight	1	2	2	Base 3-4	7	Run	Power O	Higdon	8
JBB(+2) fires playside DE two yards downfield and seals him inside. Gentry(+1) free releases, finds LB, hits him twice, into the endzone. Perry(+0.5) harasses a S. Bredeson(+0.5) and McKeon(+0.5) are the pullers and show up to find just one guy to block, so they both block him. DBs are really slow to react on power, because it’s uncommon now, and Higdon(-0.5) should have a TD, but he trips. RPS +1.
O1	2	G	I-Form Big	2	2	1	Goal line	10	Run	FB dive	Mason	1
This should actually be easier but Mason doesn’t run at the gap in the line and the double. Instead he hits the back of Ruiz, who’s one on one, before eventually finding the gap. JBB(+0.5) and Onwenu(+0.5) provide said gap.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 37-0, 5 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M23	1	10	Shotgun trips H	2	1	2	Base 3-4	7.5	Pass	Flash screen	Collins	5
Covered slot; M runs a screen to the trips side. McKeon(-2) airballs his block and Collins(+1) has to dodge immediately; DPJ(+1) gets his guy and pushes him sufficiently to open up a small gain. (CA, 3, screen, RPS +1)
M28	2	5	Shotgun trips H	2	1	2	Base 3-4	7.5	Run	Midline zone read	Wilson	4
M lets a DE through free. He charges at the mesh point. Patterson gives. Is that a real read? Dunno. If it is this is a midline zone read that worked very well except for Wangler blocking the guy who they optioned and leaving the MLB untouched. If it is not then this is a trap play that has no one to account for the MLB. Going with the former. Wangler -2. Anyway Wilson(+2) does really well to spin off two tackles including the very unblocked MLB and grind out a good gain.
M32	3	1	I-Form Big	2	2	1	Base 3-4	9	Run	Power O	Wilson	9
Mason(+2) with a hammer blow to a guy who’s trying to spill this power play to a cornerback who’s unblocked and charging. He roots that guy out of the gap in a way you don’t see much. McKeon(+2) helps Runyan(+1) turn in playside DE and then gets a second guy, and then a third. Onwenu pulls and does a good job to redirect inside the Mason block, but again no one shows up to hit. Kind of wish he looked back inside to the last guy in the box but again this is short yardage and the backside LB is not a threat, so I get it. He’s able to ankle tackle Wilson.
M41	1	10	I-Form Big	2	2	1	Base 3-4	8.5	Pass	PA TE corner	McKeon	14
This isn’t Patterson’s best throw, it’s a bit too far downfield and inside and might give the DB a play. McKeon(route +) has gotten a fair amount of separation and is able to bring it in. (CA, 2, protection 1/1)
O45	1	10	I-Form Big	2	2	1	Base 3-4	8.5	Run	Power O	Wilson	3
Again going up the middle against Nebraska’s attempted spill with Mason(+1) winning but not quite as emphatically. Runyan(+1) turns in the end and gets him downfield. McKeon(+0.5) helps there and then stands up a LB but falls off. Onwenu(-1) falls and can’t deliver another hit to that guy; tackle.
O42	2	7	I-Form Big	2	2	1	Goal line	10	Pass	PA sack	N/A	-9
Line over-sets left and Runyan(-1), Bredeson(-1) and Ruiz(-1) all collectively fail to read that they need to get a guy further out. Patterson has a blitzer in his face as he turns around and can’t escape. (PR, N/A, protection 0/3)
M49	3	16	Shotgun 3-wdie	1	1	3	Exotic	7	Pass	Screen	Wilson	9
Orbit motion from Thomas. He takes a DB with him and now things are very open. Collins is blocking a DB; Ruiz(-1) and Bredeson(-1) release into space and do a poor job of recognizing that they have absolutely nothing in front of them. Neither peels back to get pursuing DL and those DL pursue Wilson to the sideline. Wilson(+1) is able to spin past them and get a solid gain. M runs the clock down to ten seconds. RPS +3. Coulda shoulda TD.
O42	4	7	I-Form	2	1	2	Base 3-4	7	Pass	Fly	Collins	Inc
PA does bring the SS and gets Collins a one on one matchup against the CB, which is pretty good for the situation. Collins is able to get a step but can’t get away well enough to prevent hand-grabbing, hand is grabbed. That was PI last week. DB then grabs Collins around the collar well before the ball arrives, and that should be PI every week. Ball could have been further outside. (CA, 1, protection 2/2, refs -1)
Drive Notes: Turnover on downs, 37-0, EOH
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M13	1	10	Shotgun 2TE tight	1	2	2	Base 3-4	7	Run	End around	Perry	5
Gentry(+1) seals his guy inside; DPJ(+0.5) locks his guy up; that guy sets up to force it back. Perry(-1) should cut up behind this and try to juke the S and get 8-ish or a ton but instead tests the force guy and loses.
M18	2	5	Ace trips tight bunch	2	1	2	Base 3-4	7	Run	Counter trap	Samuels	0
Nobody gets the backside LB; Runyan(-2) instead doubles a guy who isn’t at all relevant to the gap M wants to attack here. OLB is able to get in the backfield quick enough to disrupt this counter trap, which does require a second to develop. Ruiz(-1) and Onwenu(-1) double the NT and get split as Ruiz doesn’t step around as Onwenu leaves. That guy eats Samuels after Samuels breaks the first tackle.
M18	3	5	Shotgun 3-wide	1	1	3	Base 3-4	6.5	Pass	Hitch	Perry	9
Perry runs to his spot and sits down; easy pitch and catch as the safety stumbles. Probably a catch and instant tackle without that. (CA, 3, protection 1/1)
M27	1	10	Ace tight	1	2	2	Base 3-4	7	Run	Power O	Samuels	9
Runyan(+1) and McKeon(+1) move and seal their guys inside, Playside MLB decides to go for broke and flings himself upfield but misses as Samuels(+1) is able to shift past him. Onwenu(-1) turns upfield and wastes the opportunity; Gentry(+0.5) is able to stand a LB up; Collins(+0.5) kicks a CB. Samuels is met by an S near the sticks.
M36	2	1	I-Form Big twin TE	2	2	1	Base 3-4	8	Run	Counter trap	Samuels	6
Bredeson(+1) keeps his head up on the LB and when he doesn’t charge he goes to bump Ruiz’s guy. He then goes to the LB and gets most of him. Wangler(+0.5) does get the trap block this time but the DT gave it to him pretty easily. Runyan(+0.5) kicks playside OLB. Samuels finds the big gap and cuts past the LB Bredeson is on but trips over the LBs legs; other LB can tackle. Probably only gave up a couple.
M42	1	10	Shotgun 2TE	1	2	2	Base 3-4	7	Run	Power O	Wilson	-2
Trying the jet with power behind it again. This time it gets smoked. MLB reads it and jets between the McKeon/JBB double and Ruiz. JBB(-1) has to see this and cut the guy off, McKeon has blocked down on the DE and should be able to handle him. That guy tackles in the backfield. M again has a puller block the guy who should be held by the jet, and this time he’s widening out instead of blitzing.
M40	2	12	Shotgun 3-wide	1	1	3	Base 3-4	7	Pass	Yakety snap	Perry	-9
This snap is a little high but the problem is that Patterson has turned his head. Dunno if that’s him or Ruiz. Patterson picks the ball up and throws it to Perry… for a big loss. Not charting this. Please don’t do this again.
M31	3	21	Shotgun trips	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Pass	Screen	Wilson	Inc
Nebraska sniffs it out and Patterson wisely turfs it. (not charted, 0, screen, RPS -2)
Drive Notes: Punt, 39-0, 10 min 3rd Q. Backups get the rest of the game.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M25	1	10	Shotgun 2-back	2	0	3	Nickel over	6.5	Run	Zone read keeper	McCaffrey	75 (Pen -4)
McCaffrey keeps as the DE looks to be crashing down. He’s able to edge that guy and then cuts inside Martin and… runs for a 75-yard TD? What? The sheer unbelievability of McCaffrey(+2) keeping wipes out the whole D; the guy he outruns to the endzone is actually the DE. The holding call is… questionable. Martin’s got a grab on the guy but to the inside and McCaffrey cuts inside of him.
M21	1	14	Ace twin TE	2	1	2	Base 3-4	7	Run	Counter trap	Turner	2
Spanellis(+1) turns in the NT right away and Filiaga(-1) has a tough time redirecting after expecting to hit that guy. He cannot get to the playside LB except late and options get limited for Turner when that guy gets outside and funnels back to his help.
M23	2	12	Shotgun 3-wide	1	1	3	Base 3-4	7	Pass	PA waggle out	McCurry	16
PA; zone. McCaffrey waits until the corner comes up on DPJ, who he’s looking at, before going to his second read, which is McCurry just behind the guy McCaffrey baited. (CA, 2, protection N/A, RPS +1). Ball is a bit behind but moving the CB keeps this a CA.
M39	1	10	Pistol 2TE	1	2	2	Base 3-4	7	Run	Down G	Samuels	4
Nobody for the playside LB so he shows up in the hole. Hole is big, though. Filiaga(+1) gets a big kick. Mayfield(+0.5) and Eubanks(+0.5) drive their guy inside and downfield to pick off the other LB. Samuels cuts past the one guy for a few YAC.
M43	2	6	Ace tight	1	2	2	Base 3-4	7	Pass	PA waggle cross	Martin	14
Flat covered but the LB level sucked up hard and Martin’s open for an easy first down. (CA, 3, protection N/A, RPS +1)
O43	1	10	Shotgun 2-back TE	2	1	2	Base 3-4	7.5	Run	Down G	Samuels	4
Same play from earlier in the game. Playside LB is still hesitant, amazingly. Seems like McCurry(-2) needs to crack that guy but he decides not to after checking it. You definitely want that crack replace. Rest of the play is good; Filiaga(+0.5) gets a good kick. McKeon(+0.5) controls his guy; Mayfield(-0.5) maybe not so much. Samuels(+0.5) does break the LB tackle to get a couple more.
O39	2	6	Shotgun 3-wide	1	1	3	Base 3-4	7	Pass	Scramble	McCaffrey	17
McCaffrey wants a TE out that a LB is under. He tries to come off it to a second read and then wants to move as Honigford is having some trouble. He stays attached and pushes the guy to the ground so no minus, but that does cause McCaffrey(+1) to move, and then he’s got green grass so he keeps moving. (SCR, N/A, protection 2/2)
O22	1	10	Pistol 2TE	1	2	2	Base 3-4	7	Run	Down G	Turner	2
Vastardis(-2) releases free and gets run behind by one MLB. That guy is able to come behind and run Turner down, preventing him from cutting up for some additional yards. Turner can probably cut behind Eubanks(+0.5) for a solid gain if this does not happen. Mayfield… eh, push.
O20	2	8	Shotgun 3-wide	1	1	3	Base 3-4	7	Pass	Waggle PA corner	McCurry	Inc
Rollout, McCaffrey gets ambitious by throwing at a covered short guy. Ball is high and over the head of McCurry. PI pleas are probably wrong; no replay here but in-stadium they had a couple angles and it was rubbin’s racin’ kind of stuff. McCaffrey probably should have taken the hitch to DPJ. (BR, 0, protection N/A)
O20	3	8	Shotgun trips	1	1	3	Base 3-4	7	Pass	Fade	Martin	Inc
This on the other hand is a very good fade that Martin momentarily catches before the CB is able to rip it out. This could be farther outside and maybe short but not bad. (CA, 1, protection 2/2)
Drive Notes: FG(38), 49-3, 1 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M44	1	10	I-Form twins	2	1	2	Base 3-4	8	Pass	Fly	Thomas	Inc
Thomas(route+) gets behind the D by about four yards; McCaffrey finds him and fires it. Ball is a bit short but Thomas has an opportunity to catch it clean and does not; CB is then able to punch it out. (CA, 3, protection 2/2)
M44	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	1	1	3	Base 3-4	8	Pass	Fly	Bell	56
Bell can’t quite run by Jackson; CB gets a shove in but Bell is able to keep his feet and McCaffrey’s ball is dead perfect. Bell brings it in, woops a guy, and scores. (DO, 2, protection 1/1)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 56-3, 14 min 4th Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M30	1	10	Shotgun 2-back	2	0	3	Base 3-4	7	Run	Down G	Samuels	1
Down G with FB leading it out this time. Hudson(+1) turns DE inside. Wangler(-1) seems to biff it here as he hits the same guy Spanellis is hitting. He does pop off to hit a LB sliding outside but seems like he should dive inside Spanellis and hit the first thing he sees. Unblocked LB hits Samuels(-3), who fumbles. M recovers.
M31	2	9	Shotgun 3-wide	1	1	3	Base 3-4	7	Pass	Dumpoff	Wangler	Inc
Happy feet from McCaffrey here as he has a good pocket and an open guy to the top; doesn’t like interior reads and starts moving up. Makes a smart decision to use his FB checkdown after he’s draw guys up. Ball is a bit high but goes through Wangler’s hands; otherwise a first down. (CA, 3, protection 2/2)
M31	3	9	Shotgun trips	1	1	3	Exotic	6	Pass	Fade	Martin	Inc
Martin(route -) pretty decisively loses as he tries to release outside; McCaffrey misses anyway. (IN, 0, protection 1/1)
Drive Notes: Punt, 56-3, 12 min 4th Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
O45	1	10	Ace tight	1	2	2	Base 3-4	7	Run	Power O	Turner	19
Peters in. Like this from Spanellis, who pulls around tight and gets through a little traffic to take on the playside LB and get enough to give his guy a gap despite Selzer(-1), walk-on TE, getting obliterated. Turner(+2) runs through a LB tackle at two yards and breaks a second for a nice gain.
O31	1	10	Ace	1	2	2	Base 3-4	7.5	Run	Inside zone	Turner	1
Jet fake, play goes to the vacated side directly into the CB who got released from duty. RPS is off, but RPS. If this is supposed to be a cutback to the jet side Vastardis(-1) getting rocked back one on one prevents it.
O30	2	9	Pistol 2TE	1	2	2	Base 3-4	7.5	Run	Stretch G	Turner	5
Slant playside turns this into more of a zone stretch version of down G. Vastardis(+1) gets most of a reach block; Mayfield(+0.5) and Selzer(+0.5) blow a guy out. Turner(+0.5) makes a good decisive cut.
O25	3	4	Shotgun 3-wide	1	2	2	Base 3-4	7	Pass	Waggle corner	Eubanks	INT
Everybody short is covered so YOLO is good. Eubanks is a large target and probably has the corner of the endzone; Peters leaves it well short and the Nebraska S makes a crazy good INT. (IN, 0, protection N/A)
Drive Notes: Interception, 56-3, 7 min 4th Q. Final drive is not charted but I grabbed a couple plays.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M25	1	10	Pistol 2TE	1	2	2	Base 3-4	7	Run	Stretch G	Turner	7
Mayfield(-1) loses his guy to the outside; Turner(+2) makes up for it with an excellent read and cut back inside.

WHEEEE /linebacker whizzes by

pretty much

THEY MADE THE WHOLE PLANE OUT OF DOWN G

uh... also pretty much

YOU SAID THEY COULDN'T DO THAT

I meant in a holistic-season long way. Michigan will play games against teams with edge players who don't crumple to the ground when you breathe on them and linebackers who know what they're doing. In this game, sure. Michigan got up so big that they just kept running down G and a particular trap play and stuffed whatever else they'd prepped for Nebraska back in the bag.

But to start it was pretty rad. Higdon's first two big carries were both down G Nebraska couldn't play right. On the first the playside LB seemed to interpret the G pull as an indication Michigan was trying to get to the sideline. #5 gets way way too wide here:

(He'd repeat this later.) But also: Nebraska's line is slanting away from the play, which should mean both LBs are going to fill opposite the slant. #7, Mohammed Berry, is Nebraska's best LB but the fullback action confuses him and allows Ruiz plenty of time to get out and cut him off.

On the second the playside LB followed the fullback and ended up in that screenshot of the LBs holding hands. One paving DPJ crack block on the safety later and the only thing between Higdon and a touchdown is an ill-prepared 5'10" cornerback:

These are more about Nebraska's defense suddenly reverting to 2017 form and a very successful RPS tweak than punishing Michigan blocking, but pre-game projections that Michigan's tight ends would beat up on Nebraska's small edge defenders turned out to be correct. Every time Michigan ran down G they got no resistance from anyone on the first level and usually got a big hole to run in.

Michigan kept throwing different versions of it against Nebraska and was a little unfortunate not to rip off some more big plays. This one omits the fullback and seeks to get the other LB with a DPJ crack block. DPJ misses. If he gets it Higdon is direct to the safety for ten or a TD:

#9 WR to top

Instead the puller has to take the LB when he flashes and the CB is able to contain it. Also featured above: Zach Gentry pancaking the playside OBL.

But... can they make the whole plane out of down G?

They can continue to dress it up but it feels more like the crack sweeps from last year than a base play. If the LB level does read it you are going to be down a guy:

Nobody has a real shot at the playside LB. Maybe Bell missed an assignment and is supposed to crack on the guy, but usually M motions the WR tighter if they're going to do that.

Like anything that's really successful the opponent will devote resources to stopping it. I bet we see Michigan shift away from it as they incorporate other stuff into the offense. It'll still be present. I'm more interested in how they can futz with the LBs if they start keying on frontside pulls. One notable tweak that already appeared: "down C." It's Ruiz who pulls here:

Cs who can pull effectively are reputed to be rare; Ruiz's ability gives Michigan another tool in its quest to turn linebackers into quivering mush.

What's this stretch G business in the chart?

A few different down G plays played out more like stretch plays, possibly because of what the defense was doing and not because Michigan actually has two different versions. Buuut maybe they do. Seth proposed that Michigan runs it differently based on even vs odd fronts, which is a good theory.

So this feels more like an old-timey Harbaugh kitchen sink game, doesn't it?

It did. Michigan had three or four new things that they pulled out that confused the opposition and got them a bunch of RPS yards. The two flavors of down G, minus stretch vs not, are described above. They did have that trap as well, though it never quite came off. And they debuted an odd sort of power that was a hair away from a big play. The way the various parts of this fit together is really nice:

In parts:

• Michigan arcs Gentry out to occupy a linebacker and threaten a QB keep.
• The backside G and T both pull, with the unblocked guy back there held by the threat of a QB keep.
• The jet fake should hold the slot defender.
• Michigan has two guys pulling around for two LBs and the Nebraska safety has returned to Nebraska.

This doesn't come off because Nebraska blitzes the slot guy and Bredeson decides to shove him; a linebacker is thus free. That's defensible but I kind of feel like you want to trust that your fake will hold him and swing for the fences. That's also Nebraska guessing right and hoping the jet doesn't get around this dude, which is a strong possibility. When M ran it a second time a Nebraska LB rolled the dice and shot a gap, but it'll come.

Anyway, this play has three run options and can incorporate post-snap reads if M is so inclined, in addition to various play action off it. There's a lot going on for the defense, but it's relatively simple for everyone offense except Patterson in a real-read situation. This is a modern setup that's at odds with the basic, frustrating stuff that Michigan ran against ND. Don't know if football is in a Beilein situation here where the offense doesn't get ramped up until midseason because there are a lot of moving parts, but... maybe?

It's nice to be talking about a blizzard of stuff that baffles the opposition. By the late second quarter Michigan could run plain ol Power O, the most basic of all run plays, and have a Nebraska linebacker with a giant question mark over his head:

Nebraska ILB #7 to bottom

Gentry puts him in the endzone; Harbaugh primed him for that. Diabolical.

In other tweaks: is this a midline zone read? If not... shouldn't it be?

No one for the MLB and it seems like that's a bad thing. Also Wangler just misses the block because guy is charging straight at Patterson. Main problem is that this year a Michigan OL turning you completely free is suspicious.

But Nebraska sucks and is in year zero?

Yeah, prove it and all that. Northwestern will be a real test. They're a top 25 S&P+ defense attached to some grim-ass offense.

Nebraska is not that.

No, they are roadkill. Check out the

I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE

chart?

Offensive Line
Player	+	-	Total	Notes
Runyan	7.5	3	4.5	Consistently turned in the opposition.
Bredeson	6.5	1	5.5	Heads up plays and a lot of down G kickouts.
Ruiz	4.5	2.5	2	One real masher.
Onwenu	4.5	4	0.5	Had a couple ID errors on pulls.
JBB	3	2	1	One crunching block on power that got down to one
Spanellis				DNC
McKeon	12	2.5	9.5	Down G vs bad LBs is TE scoring party.
Gentry	9.5		9.5	See above.
Eubanks	1		1
Mason	5.5	1	4.5	Was +3-1=+2 blocking, which is what makes the total.
TOTAL	51.5	16	76%	Just 16 minuses is a really low number.
Backs
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Patterson
McCaffrey	2		2	Just had to call it back.
Higdon	6	2.5	3.5	Mostly ran straight but had some broken tackles and is fast.
Evans				DNP
Samuels	1.5	3	-1.5	Fumble.
Wilson	5		5	Nice cut and one grinder.
Turner	4.5		4.5	Two +2s late.
TOTAL	19	5.5	13.5	Just one real running error on day.
Receivers
Player	+	-	T	Notes
DPJ	4.5	2	2.5	Clobbered guys on two long runs, whiffed one.
Collins	1.5		1.5
Perry	0.5	1	-0.5
Martin		1	-1	Run over on a bubble.
Thomas
McCurry		2	-2	Elected not to crack.
Black				DNP
TOTAL	6.5	6	0.5	Cost M a couple of big gainers with missed cracks.
Metrics
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Protection	19	6	76%	TEAM –3, Bredeson –1, Ruiz –1, Runyan –1.
RPS	12	10	+2	Big lead, put things in barn, catchup.

(Backups I don't want to put on the chart:

• Hudson: +1
• Vastardis: +1, –3
• Mayfield: +1, –1.5
• Filiaga: +1.5, –1
• Spanellis: +1
• Selzer: –1
• Wangler: +0.5, –3.

The backup OL was 8/8 in protection.)

That, as they say, is a paddling. The constant down G boosted the tight end numbers into the stratosphere, especially because Nebraska OLBs did nothing. All day. Nothing. Negatives were sparse, with maybe two or three mental errors on the day.

Is this... the Warinner effect?

Maybe? I think it's real. Michigan errors against stunts and various blitzes tend to be rare and largely understandable. The heaviest pressure Patterson got in this game was a triple(!) A gap blitz that Michigan picked up the first two bits of. A safety who started from eight yards did get through, but...

...when you're blitzing from that depth the ball often gets out before you can get there even in the best case scenario. Like the Ruiz issue on a safety blitz in the SMU game, I don't mind that even though I duly gave out a TEAM –1 in the protection metric.

LBs and DL are not getting through clean at anywhere near the rate they did last year. I think this was one of only two events in this game:

And even that is potentially caused by the OLB bouncing around pre-snap and potentially fouling reads. Michigan is picking up twists and blitzes and the like and from time to time I catch an OL doing something that seems advanced. Here Bredeson is locked on the LB but when he doesn't charge he takes the opportunity to help Ruiz out, and then goes to the LB;

LG #74

There is always going to be a requisite level of confusion, and Michigan had a couple hard to decipher plays in this one. Like this:

uh, #74 LG, #51 C, and #42 H-back

Soooo: Bredeson brushes by a G and then lets him go. Ruiz pulls around this and is surprised to find a free DL. Michigan hands it off to the backside of the line so this isn't relevant except Mason looks to be hunting a trap block. Presented with a big white object he passes it up. Higdon runs away from big white object and burrows for 3. I dunno. But almost nobody got to run straight at the RB without someone hitting him. That happened so much last year. It's happened some this year. But a minimal amount.

The SMU dorfs are the exception to the rule as Michigan consistently hits and exceeds our Good Run Blocking mark for the first time in a long long time. Maybe ever? 76% is a Mason Cole at tackle number; this entire performance was Mason Cole at tackle good.

The Gaz is next.

Let's see how far we've come since ND.

Pretty far! Please!

I don't know. Michigan's pass protection was very good but should come with a caveat: these guys suck at rushing the passer. Check out both of Michigan's tackles here:

They win, but both defenders just latch on and start pushing ineffectually. No moves. No explosion. Nothing. All of Michigan's pass pro minuses were for alignment issues where Michigan let guys through free. Not one Cornhusker made it to the quarterback when he drew a blocker. That's good! I don't know how relevant it is against better players.

FWIW, Michigan has decided that they can get away with Runyan most of the time and that Bushell-Beatty can survive if shielded from edge rushes. Michigan chipped for him on their first snap and returned to that much of the day when they decided to throw from the pocket:

#82 TE to bottom, also #76 RT

Eubanks is there to dissuade an immediate speed rush that would expose Bushell-Beatty on the edge, and then he goes in a route. There's a cost to that—Eubanks can only be used as a dumpoff option, really—but it's one worth paying.

In related OLB news, those numbers for the TEs.

Yeah. The tight ends got a clear win against an overmatched opponent. I'd be interested to see the Nebraska defense PFF grades, which I imagine are especially abysmal for the OLBs. This was largely the TEs whipping up on 'em.

#84 TE to bottom

McKeon also got a couple of good driving downfield blocks, like this one that cleared the decks on fourth and one:

#84 TE to bottom

Gentry trips there but he also turns in his guy enough that he's not a factor. Again I wonder how replicable that is. Worth noting that after some mental errors against SMU Michigan's starters cleaned it up in this game.

The other thing, with the ball in the air?

Passing. Yes. There was some more of it. But not much. Patterson is maintaining an eerily consistent level of performance:

SHEA PATTERSON

	Good				Neutral			Bad					Ovr
Game	DO	CA	SCR		PR	MA		BA	TA	IN	BR		DSR	PFF
Notre Dame	2+	18(4)+	1		5	1		1(1)	2	2	1*		77%	-
WMU	3++	9(2)++			2	1			1	2			77%	-
SMU	3+	9(1)+	3			1			2	1	2*		74%	-
Nebraska	2	11(2)+			1					2	1		79%	-

A quiet day, but he did uncork this corner route:

A couple of misses and one semi-dangerous ball; otherwise metronomically effective.

Patterson's YPA would have been better if Michigan had gotten a couple of obvious PI calls. The gears get ground a little bit when Michigan suffered a dubious PI flag fiesta last week and this stuff doesn't get called one week later:

Different crew, different league. Let's just be happy we drew the O'Neill crew in a 56-10 blowout. May they return for Rutgers.

McCaffrey showed some new things, though?

Yes. He had a Patterson-ish day, albeit abbreviated.

	Good				Neutral			Bad					Ovr
Game	DO	CA	SCR		PR	MA		BA	TA	IN	BR		DSR	PFF
Notre Dame		2			2	1			1	2			40%	-
Nebraska	1	5	1							1	1		78%	-

(FWIW, Peters had a single throw that charted as IN: the INT.)

He put to rest many of this space's questions about what happens when he opens it up downfield. He took four shots, one of which was the inch-perfect bomb to Bell:

Two others were also good throws. Ambry Thomas should have had his; Oliver Martin had a TD raked out...

...and a final fade to Martin was well covered and long. Those throws weren't dead perfect but any time you're 20+ yards downfield and your WR should catch it 75% of the time you're doing well.

He was also calm and collected on a couple of waggle rollouts. Here he moves the CB by looking at DPJ before hitting McCurry on the second level:

Or at least he waits for that guy to make a decision before hitting McCurry.

Oh and also he ran 75 yards for a TD that probably should have counted:

Nebraska is so baffled by the keep there that no members of the secondary even enter the screen. The DE McCaffrey outran chases him all the way to the endzone.

Any murder you want to show us?

Sure. Michigan debuted Ben Mason as a single back and duly delivered him to the second level. When you are not a DL and get hit by a full-steam Ben Mason the pile only goes one way, and does so fast and far.

That is head on contact with an unblocked LB and Mason plows out 5 YAC. Later a cornerback decided he wanted no part of that, which is unfortunate. This touchdown is more entertaining if Mason has a bug splatter on his windshield at the two:

Mason's not going to do anything fancy in the hole but if Michigan can deliver him a yard downfield he's getting four. Higdon is likely to be preferable when it's crunch time against top foes since he'll be able to repair damage Mason can't. Minnows will get clobbered, which saves some tread on Higdon's tires.

BTW when not carrying the ball Mason had a couple of jolting blocks to make power plays work. Nebraska is playing to spill—ie, jam up the middle and force the RB to bounce the ball into an unblocked edge player—this power. Mason takes the guy trying to jam up the works and roots him out, providing the interior lane:

#42 FB

He was mostly a decoy or a ballcarrier in this game but did get some thwacks in.

I DEMAND MY TARGETING APOLOGY.

Granted. A big ol "whoops" to point two on my targeting hot take. This absolutely warranted an ejection:

That is a crown-first launch that results in helmet to helmet contact. The roulette is unkind this year.

Boy there were a lot of running backs.

A plethora. Higdon mostly ran fast into big holes and ground up some interior yards. While the long stuff was fairly easy Higdon takes advantage of his opportunities in a major way when he hits the open field. He's fast, able to run by or over DBs, and generally makes the most of it when he gets to the second level. Per Bill Connelly Higdon had 7 "highlight yards" per opportunity* last year, which was better than open-field maestro Chris Evans; this year he's at nearly 12. That'll come down; it still demonstrates Higdon's explosiveness.

*[Yards you get after 5. So the average Higdon run that went at least five yards last year went 12. It's a rough measure of explosiveness once you get past the LOS.]

Higdon did have one recurrence of his occasional vision issues; Michigan had blocked a down G well enough for a few yards but Higdon tried to bounce it outside a very set edge and gave up a TFL.

Wilson didn't do a ton but did have some blitz pickups and two excellent carries. The first one was the cut on third and eight. Fox had a ground-level replay that really showed how Wilson's motion got the relevant DL to commit his weight inside:

Once he does that you have him, because you're much more agile and not being blocked. Wilson also got the sole LB to commit inside and take on a block; if he runs in a straight line the whole play he's less likely to have success.

The second was a pinball run on which he turned zero yards into third and one:

It feels like he should not be able to do that at his size but every game we get a run or two like this where Wilson is able to grind out YAC in a pile of dudes.

Two (largely) new contributors each had their moments. O'Maury Samuels gets a linebacker going for broke here and is able to smoothly shift around him with little apparent loss in momentum:

He feels like the quick-twitch guy his testing numbers imply. He did fumble.

Christian Turner had a couple of impressive runs, one on a broken tackle where four different guys hit him without actually putting him on the ground:

He's smaller than Higdon but you can see the resemblance. Also the ND fan take that he's Darius Walker 2.0 seems pretty good as well.

His second run was a nifty cut once the frontside wasn't looking so hot:

At this point he's probably going to redshirt; those couple flashes are headed directly for his 2019 season preview section.

Receivers?

[0 = uncatchable, 1 = circus catch, 2 = moderate difficulty, 3 = routine]

	THIS WEEK					SEASON
Player	0	1	2	3		0	1	2	3
DPJ		0/1		1/1		1	0/1	1/1	13/13
Collins		0/1	1/1	1/1			0/1	2/2	5/5
Martin	2	0/1		1/1		2	1/3		4/4
Perry				2/2		1	0/2		6/6
Bell			1/1					1/1
McCurry	1		1/1					1/1	1/1
Black
McKeon			1/1	1/1		1		1/1	5/5
Gentry			1/1	2/2		3		2/2	8/10
Eubanks	1					1			1/1
Mason
Evans									4/4
Higdon				1/1					1/1
Wilson									1/1
Thomas				0/1					0/1

Wangler also dropped a 3. If he actually has a role in non-blowouts I'll add him in.

ROUTES: McKeon +, Thomas +, DPJ +-, Martin -.

More degree of difficulty on the catches and a couple of notable drops. I did file the Thomas drop as routine even though it was deep since it hit him in the chest. On the other hand, dang was that guy open.

Heroes?

Both tight ends. Bredeson. Most people who ran the ball.

Maybe not so heroic?

Nobody who looks likely to play in meaningful time.

What does it mean for Northwestern and the future?

Another day without disaster. Organized. Few free runs. Mental errors in the run game limited. RB pickups pass entirely without mention because they are all made. A very low number of run game minuses. Michigan might get run over by the Gaz but by God they'll put someone in front of him first.

Bringing it out. Mike Onwenu said that Michigan still had vast depths of the playbook to plumb and we're beginning to see that happen after the initial stabilization phase. The two-back shotgun approach was reminiscent of early Harbaugh when he'd bring out a T-formation against Maryland just for kicks.

Chips will be the thing. Michigan knows they need to help their tackles and will do so. They'll hope to make up for it with Patterson and the WRs.

Boy it would be nice to get this edge blocking again. TEs dominant and while DPJ did miss one he made a couple of safeties collapse in a heap. Nebraska is probably terrible at this though.

Tru Wilson: pretty good. Couple more runs for the instinctive runner pile, another one for the weirdly capable of YAC pile.

McCaffrey makes a statement. He's calm, he makes good decisions, and if he's going to hit 3/4 deep balls on a regular basis the Joe Milton hype train might have to wait.