Substitution Notes: DT rotation featured lots of Graham in the 5-2, and plenty of Benny and Grant rotation even in the 1st Q. DE was Morris and a mix of (in order of snaps) Harrell, Upshaw, Okie, and a drive each for D.Moore and McGregor. LB was Colson and Barrett exclusively until garbage time. Will Johnson got starter snaps at CB with Turner, with Green rotating in for both. Safety was Moore and Moten, who gave up a couple of drives to Quinten Johnson. Here's the roster for the last drive for depth chart purposes: DL Grant, Benny, Rooks, Juice, and Guy. LBs Rolder and Velazquez except one snap for Mi.Pollard. CBs Ger.Green and Kechaun Harris. Perry (probably technically the nickel since it was 5-2 personnel) and Q-Jo at safety.

Formation Notes: Reminder that  a parenthetical in an offensive formation is a player covered, and a hyphen is motion. They often motioned WRs to backfield spots so I noted those with the player and then the position he motioned to, examples: "H-F" (slot receiver motions to fullback) or "Z-R" (flanker motions to running back). They also tried a lot of unbalanced formations. I used "TO" for tackle-over, which is when they flip a tackle and a TE, e.g. this is "Pistol FB TO".

Note the guy at the bottom of the formation is a TE and eligible receiver. I called Michigan's reply "46 Bear" but purists point out a Bear front means the nose and both guards are covered so this doesn't count. To me three DL to one side, three LBs to another and a safety (Moore on the top hash) at linebacker level like he's Doug "46" Plank is a 46 Bear.

[After THE JUMP: The shortest show yet.]

Ln	Dn	Dst	OForm	DPack	Front	Hi	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yds	EPA
O25	1st	10	Gun Trips R (H)	4-2-5	Nk Split	2 bdy	Run		F Insert	Colson	4	-0.11
Everyone sets up right and they go down the middle, catching M slanting away (RPS-1). Colson(+2) fixes it by dodging the lead blocker and making the stop himself.
O29	2nd	6	Empty 4x1	4-2-5	Nk Over	1 off	Pass	4	Bubble Screen	Sainristil	0	-0.65
Neb sets up 4 to the field and M almost overpursues. Sainristil(+2) flies past his blocker and sets an edge at the numbers for a 4-5 yard loss. Colson(-1) needs to be on the other side of this or communicate he's got the edge so Mike can clean up. Morris(+1) flows by with two blockers arrives to clean up and does communicate. Okie(-1, tackling-1) has a shot to clean up but whiffs. Sainristil does it himself.
O29	3rd	6	Gun Str	4-2-5	Okie	2 press	Pass	5	Fade	Turner	30	3.60
M brings six on a loopy rush that gets stoned (PR-2, RPS-1). Turner(-2, cov-2) gets crossed by a WR who sold in on a circle route and got physical.
M41	1st	10	Offset Trips 4w	4-2-5	Nk Wide	2 fld	PRO	n/a	Bubble/Stretch	Moore	3	-0.28
Colson blitzing from the slot for a easy read but that means SS is charging down pre-snap while two guys go for the Nk. Moore(tackling-1) charges in but whiffs but productively, sending the WR into where Sainristil(+2) set up an edge and a quickly-arriving Johnson(+0.5) have squeezed the route shut.
M38	2nd	7	Offset TO	4-2-5	Nk Over	2 off	RPO		Power/Y Seam	Smith	3	-0.32
Tackle over is meant to get Moten(+0.5, RPS+1) to lose the TE on run action but he's not fooled. TE's release means nothing to hold the backside. Barrett(+1) notices and goes hard at the puller. Colson is a bit slower but does get by his releaser but it doesn't matter because Smith(+2) rips to the other side of his OL to stuff this.
M35	3rd	4	Gun Trips Bunch	5-2-4	5-2 Over	2 fld	Penalty		False Start	n/a	-5	-1.09
Oops.
M40	3rd	9	Gun Wk F	4-2-5	Nk Splits	2 press	Pass	4	Sack	Colson	-1	-1.18
Morris(+1, PR+1) is lined up wide and immediately around the LT. This should be sack city but Okie(-1) is also shooting upfield to try to sack alone instead of making sure Purdy stays pocketed, and lets him get outside. Now it's a rollout but RB was chipping and no threat so Colson(+2) flies up to sack, keeping this out of FG range.
Drive Notes: Punt. 0-0. 11 min 1st Q. Oh man if the drive the fade connects doesn't get points you in trouble.
Ln	Dn	Dst	OForm	DPack	Front	Hi	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yds	EPA
O12	1st	10	Pistol Twins (Y)	5-2-4	5-2 Odd	2 fld	Run		Wham	Jenkins	2	-0.19
They wham Grant(-1), who doesn't expect this but is big so the TE hits him and goes doink. Jenkins(+3) bent back a T. Refs-2 miss an easy call as Moore(+0.5) chucked a cracking WR who then pulled him to the ground. Woulda been declined anyways.
O14	2nd	8	Pistol FB TO	5-2-4	46 Bear	1 fld	Run		Lead Zone	Benny	2	-0.22
Full Bear! Lol what century are we in? Plan here is for the WR to crack a S and the FB get a LB but the Bear (RPS+1) makes that tough and both guys hit Moore, letting Barrett(+2) flow freely into the gap behind the FB who's looking to kick since the WR cracked. RB bounces but right into Benny(+1). Grant(+1) also controlled his block then crossed him to be useful before the bounce.
O16	3rd	6	Pistol FB TO	5-2-4	4-3 Over	2 off	Pass	5	TE Deep Cross	Moten	Inc	-0.15
Bring both LBs drop Upshaw. D-Mo(+1) discards the LT but nobody else is close as Benny has a double and Jenkins(-1) flew upfield with no bend on the other edge (which okay he's a DT not a DE). Purdy can move around in that space to find his TE that Moten(-2, cov-2) didn't look up as he dropped. Purdy puts it way behind the TE and Moten drops a gift INT. Hat-2.
Drive Notes: Punt. 7-0. 3 min 1st Q. Lucky they sucky.
Ln	Dn	Dst	OForm	DPack	Front	Hi	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yds	EPA
O24	1st	10	Pistol Twins	5-2-4	404 Tite	1 bdy	Run		Dart	Graham	3	-0.28
Graham(+2) gets a double, gives ground then times the release of one to swim past the other. He gets the RB's leg and doesn't let go. Barrett(+1) dodges the one that released to help stuff.
O27	2nd	7	Gun 2TE Twins	5-2-4	404 Tite	1 off	Play-Action	4	Rollout Out	Harrell	Inc	-0.53
M is slanting the other way (RPS-1) so when Smith(+1) breaks through there's nobody else close vs max pro (PR-1). Harrell(-1, cov-1) didn't get enough depth on his drop under the out so there's a chance this is completed over his leap but not a big one. It goes well over Harrell and the WR can only get one hand on it.
O27	3rd	7	Empty 5w	4-2-5	Exotic	2 bdy	Pass	4	TE In	Barrett	6	0.13
Smith(+0.5) and Morris(+0.5, PR+1) are collapsing the pocket to maybe speed this up. Barrett(+2, cov+1) has a tough job (RPS-1) with a clearout route under him that he plays perfectly, waiting for the clear then coming down to contest the catch and make a crucial tackle short of the sticks when the TE brings it in anyways (Hat+1).
Drive Notes: Punt. 7-0. EO1Q.
Ln	Dn	Dst	OForm	DPack	Front	Hi	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yds	EPA
O20	1st	10	Gun Wk RB	5-2-4	5-1 Odd	2 fld	Pass	4	Comeback	Johnson	Inc	-0.56
Barrett and Moore stacked in the slot means blitz and they do, dropping Harrell. RU doesn't recognize (RPS+1, PR+2) and Barrett(-0.5)'s in free but forms up to be an anvil with no hammer. Upshaw(+1) also beat the LT to Barrett's side. Purdy (Hat+1) retreats to 15 yards behind the LOS and throws something almost catchable off his back foot to a guy trying to come back under Johnson(+1, cov+1) who is diving over. WR traps it.
O20	2nd	10	Gun 2TE Twins RB	5-2-4	5-2 Odd	1 off	Penalty		False Start	n/a	-5	-0.27
Oops.
O15	2nd	15	Offset FB H-Orbit	4-2-5	Nk Under	2 fld	Run		Insert 3-O	Colson	0	-0.11
Triple-option that's supposed to work like an RPO, reading the Nk and giving on the Iso if he hangs outside. Moore is flying down (RPS+1) to free Colson(+2) who dodges the FB and tracks down the RB. Graham(+1) held up a double and McGregor(+0.5) set a good edge.
O15	3rd	15	Gun Wk Tight	4-2-5	RC Split	2 press	Pass	4	Scramble	Barrett	12	0.24
DTs are stunting outside as Morris(+1) draws 3 guys. Okie(+1, PR+1) gets credit for putting the RT on skates and getting held around the head with no call (Refs-2) to save a minus, but also the ONE thing he can't do on this pass rush is get pushed past the QB because the DEs are supposed to be taking the inside. Upshaw(-1) should still have enough angle with the LT coming off Morris late to pay this off but gets widened and Purdy can sneak by. Nobody inside now because DTs were the edge rushers, so Purdy takes off, which I guess is okay because it's 3rd and 15. Johnson(+1) rallies and runs Purdy into Barrett(-1, tackling-1) with 7 yards to spare, MB overpursues and Purdy dives for 4 more. 4th and 3 is still punt here, fortunately.
Drive Notes: Punt. 7-0. 12 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Dst	OForm	DPack	Front	Hi	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yds	EPA
O25	1st	10	Gun 2TE Twins RB	5-2-4	5-2 Odd	1 off	Play-Action	4	Scramble	Graham	13	1.12
PA buys time but nobody open (cov+2). Smith(-1, PR+1) is singled and beats the RG to flush Purdy, but is large and can't turn around fast enough to finish the job, results-based charting. Graham(-2) should be there to clean up but gets too far upfield and detaches from the C too late so Purdy can scramble for a 1st.
O38	1st	10	Empty 4w	5-2-4	404 Tite	1 off	Pass	4	Hitch	Turner	Inc	-1.09
Neb goes spread with 22 personnel. Turner(-1, cov-1) is playing off so the hitch is open but the WR turns too far inside (Hat-1) and can only knock it down.
O38	2nd	10	Gun Wk RB	4-2-5	Nk Split	2 fld	Play-Action	4	PA Out	Q.Johnson	4	-0.13
Catch M in Cov3 (RPS-1) and for a free 4 yards, Green(+0.5, cov-push) and Q-Jo(+0.5) are both hammering down to keep it to just 4.
O42	3rd	6	Gun Wk Z-In	4-2-5	5-2 Odd	1 off	Pass	4	Mesh	Colson	13	2.69
M trying an Amoeba, only Morris(+1, PR-1) gets anywhere close even though Upshaw(-1) and Jenkins(-1) are singled. Colson(-2, cov-2) dropped from Edge and doesn't look up the crosser to make this wide open, though M also has two guys playing cone over a deep route. WR tries to hurdle noted non-fool Sainristil(+1, tackling+1) and gets tag-teamed by him and Turner(+0.5)
M45	1st	10	Pistol Ace	4-2-5	4-3 Over	1 off	Play-Action	4	PA Pick	Colson	Inc(+15)	0.66
Upshaw(PR+2) around the LT and might have affected the throw. He also picks up a pretty light roughing the passer but that's how they call it. Colson(+1, cov+1) gets through a pick by the RB and is in position to get the TE down after 2-3 yards. TE slows up for no reason and can't bring it in (Hat-1).
M30	1st	10	Pistol FB TO	5-2-4	5-2 Over	2 press	Play-Action	5	PA Scramble	Smith	7	0.35
Harrell(-2, PR-1)'s edge rush is completely wiped out—I hate how bad he is at this. Jenkins(-1) also goes high. Graham(+1) gets off his block and is coming in on the right side to force Purdy out of the resulting clean pocket, but Smith(-1) was fighting left side of the RG and can't get back before Purdy escapes. Why is he going left? Why is the freshman the only guy doing this right? Moten(+1, tackling+1) scoots down to hold this short of the sticks.
M23	2nd	3	Gun Str H-Cross	4-2-5	4-3 Over	1 fld	Pass	5	Curl	Moten	Inc	-0.59
LG jumps early (Refs-1) but that just cues Barrett(+1, PR+1) to fly through untouched by the RB. He's got a sack that Morris(-2) robs him of by going inside instead of being the anvil. Purdy can roll away and throw on target to Palmer (Hat-2) at the sticks under Moten(-1, cov-1) who had to track a crosser across the whole formation, but it's dropped.
M23	3rd	3	Gun Str	4-2-5	Nk Split	2 off	Pass	4	Scramble	Smith	8	0.49
AGAIN they lose contain. Morris(-2, PR-2) is the main culprit, flying way upfield to give up the edge, but I understand if he expects Harrell(-0.5) not to get dominated on his pass rush from a wide 9 on the back side. Smith(-1) is slow to replace Morris's lane, gets a little held, and Purdy is able to escape for the first. He slides down awkwardly and goes out for the game. Neck Sharpied.
M15	1st	10	Empty 4w R-Flare	4-2-5	Nk Wide	2 press	RPO		QB Power T/Bubble	Barrett	3	-0.10
Colson read and M in Cov2 so 5-man box vs 5 (RPS-1). Benny(+2) starts to win that back by whipping the RG. Barrett(+2) cuts under the pulling LT and the two get to Smothers trying to run into Graham(+0.5)'s gap.
M12	2nd	7	Gun Wk	4-2-5	Nk Split	1 fld	Pass	4	Near Sack	Graham	0	-0.33
Graham(+3) swims through the LG and is sacking Smothers as he blindly chucks it to the ground at a pick that Johnson(+2, cov+2) dominated so thoroughly the fade guy was running into the slant. Sainristil runs the ball the length of the field just in case they want to rule fumble.
M12	3rd	7	Gun Trips Z-Cross	4-2-5	Exotic	1 off	Pass	6	Yackety Snap	Okie	-7	-1.54
Smothers doinks it (Hat-2) off his donglebees but Okie(+1) gets a star for beating the RT who has to jump on his back to prevent him from getting to the ball first. Refs-2.
Drive Notes: FG(37). 14-3. 4 min 2nd Q. Next drive is a kneeldown and not charted. A dollar says they talked about pass rush lanes at halftime.
Ln	Dn	Dst	OForm	DPack	Front	Hi	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yds	EPA
O8	1st	10	Pistol Trips H-F	4-2-5	Nk Over	1 press	Run		Split Zone	Morris	5	0.07
Morris(+2) slides in, discards the kickout and initiates the tackle. Smith(-1) gets planted inside. Colson(-1) is clean but hanging back instead of helping to finish this so the RB can fall forward a bit.
O13	2nd	5	Gun TTB	5-2-4	5-2 Over	2 off	Run		IZ	Smith	3	-0.15
And they make up for it. Smith(+1) stacks and sheds the C to force a bounce behind him. The backside of his double sees but doesn't block (Hat-1) Colson(+1) who uses that as his cue to fill in behind Smith and stuff this. RB powers through for a couple.
O16	3rd	2	Gun Trips 4w	4-2-5	Nk Wide	2 bdy	Pass	4	Dumpoff	Moten	4	0.54
Morris(+1, PR+1) is around the LT so Smothers gets rid of it to an RB well in the backfield. Moten(-2, tackling-2) has him lined up then whiffs the tackle to give up the 1st. Sigh.
O20	1st	10	Gun Str H-R	4-2-5	4-3 Under	1 fld	Run		Counter Trey	Jenkins	0	-0.56
No 3rd read and no chance as M slants behind this with a CB blitz (RPS+2) that should kill this but Jenkins(+3) slips through a downblock then redirects into the RB for a TFL. Johnson(+2) came under his WR and dodged the TE to meet him there a second later. Harrell(+1) also came under the kickout. Sorry Nebraska this is our play now.
O20	2nd	10	Pistol Heavy	4-2-5	4-3 Even	1 off	Run		Duo	Smith	2	-0.17
Jenkins(-0.5) tries to get low through a double and the backside guy shoulders him to the ground..interesting response. Smith(+1) shucks his double, his backside guy and Jenkins's frontside guy both go for Barrett, Colson(+0.5) pops Mazi's other guy, and Smith is back in the backfield in a flash to bounce this out to Morris(+1) who held up holds up to his. Another bounce where Sainristil(+0.5) has set up an edge and Moore(+1) came through a TE grabbing his shoulderpad to stick for minimal gain (tackling+1). Sainristil strips after the guy is on the ground. Replay is obvious but they take 5 minutes anyway to get some commercials in (ESPN-3).
O22	3rd	8	Gun Wk Z-Cross	4-2-5	RC Split	2 off	Pass	5	Rollout Out	Johnson	0	-0.17
Megasplit with Okie alone. They roll to the heavy side and the blitz is picked up but Smith(+1, PR+1) comes through. Johnson(+2, cov+2) tracks the Z from presnap to the throw and plunks the guy. Throw was inside (Hat-1) to make that a little easier but this is authoritative and WJ's angle was to the spot it should have gone.
Drive Notes: Punt. 17-3. 7 min 3rd Q. Despite the score this feels done.
Ln	Dn	Dst	OForm	DPack	Front	Hi	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yds	EPA
O25	1st	10	Gun Str H-Cross	4-2-5	4-3 Even	2 bdy	Play-Action	n/a	PA Flood	D.Moore	0	-0.70
Halve the field and roll and D-Mo(+2, PR+1) steps down with PA then races outside to trap Smothers against the sideline. Nobody's open (cov+3) the whole way so he chucks it OOB.
O25	2nd	10	Offset TTB	4-2-5	5-2 Odd	1 bdy	Run		Iso	Harrell	5	0.04
This works like a bash on the DE. M is pinching (RPS-1) which gets Jenkins(+1) in the backfield to harass. Harrell(+1) gets bopped by the TE but manages to stay in his gap and initiate the tackle. Colson(-1) set up on the wrong side of a TE trying to pin him inside but dodges out of the way at the last second. Green(+0.5) came down to help Harrell. EO3Q.
O30	3rd	5	Gun Wk R-Z	4-2-5	RC Wide	2 off	Pass	4	Slant	Johnson	6	1.59
Oh man this should have been a 65-yard TD as M busts big time (cov-4). RB motions outside, Colson follows and Sainristil(-1) sends him back. Sainristil is over the H but blitzing and Colson(-2) is nowhere near, just covering some grass in the hole. Smith(+1, PR+2) and Okie(+1) save the day by getting instant pressure so Smothers never sees his open guy, throws the slant under Johnson(-1) and connects. Announcers(-2) don't notice because they're obsessing over a fan who was yawning.
O36	1st	10	Pistol FB TO	4-2-5	404 Tite	1 off	n/a		Yackety Snap	n/a	-3	-1.49
Oops. Hat-2.
O33	2nd	13	Pistol FB TO	4-2-5	Nk Over	2 off	Run		RB Draw Iso	Barrett	8	0.40
RPS-1 as M is blitzing Colston. Barrett(-1) doesn't catch the insert and ends up wrongsided. Moore(+1, tackling+1) wraps up where Barrett could have. M calls TO.
O41	3rd	6	Empty 5w	4-2-5	Exotic	1 bdy	Pass	5	H In	Sainristil	0	-0.61
Smith(+2, PR+2) comes through the LG and gets his hand in the way of the pass. Looked good under Sainristil(-1, cov-1) playing soft but WR drops it (Hat-2) and Moore nearly intercepts.
Drive Notes: Punt. 24-3. 13 min 4th Q. In another universe Neb connects on that, M fumbles it out of the endzone, and Nebraska has the ball down 24-10. Instead it's 31-3, backups are in, and we're turning off RPS.
Ln	Dn	Dst	OForm	DPack	Front	Hi	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yds	EPA
O21	1st	10	Gun TTB	4-2-5	4-3 Even	2 fld	Pass	4	Out	Sainristil	8	0.82
CB blitz on the backside is lackadaisical. Sainristil(-1, cov-1) lets this WR get too far outside and can't contest.
O29	2nd	2	Gun TTB	4-2-5	4-3 Even	2 bdy	Run		Iso	Graham	1	-0.83
Graham(+3, tackling+2) stands up his blocker inside, stacks and sheds after the lead blocker goes by, and tackles sideways to keep this short of the 1st down. Moore(+1) was pointing at this gap before the snap and attacked it through the lead blocker, so if Graham doesn't make the play the guy it was running at has it.
O30	3rd	1	Offset Trips	5-2-4	5-2 Over	2 press	RPO		Down T/Bubble	Jenkins	0	-0.59
LT moves (Refs-1) but they miss it. Neb also forgets to block Jenkins. Grant(+2, tackling+1) throws his blocker into the backfield so hard the guy decides he should block Jenkins after all. Barrett(+1) found his way into the backfield to help. Graham(-1) was stood up and walked out so there was room if Grant doesn't destroy this.
O30	4th	1	Goal	6-2-3	Goal	n/a	Run		QB Sneak	Grant	1	1.32
They get it.
O31	1st	10	Offset Ace (Y)	5-2-4	5-2 Odd	2 press	Pass	5	Sack	Graham	-4	-1.33
Neb has 8 min on the LOS and covered TE goes downfield (Refs-2). They're running mesh but Jenkins(+2, PR+3) spins off his G and Graham(+2) chucks his G to finish as Jenkins is pushed by Smothers.
O27	2nd	14	Offset Trips	4-2-5	404 Tite	2 off	PRO	n/a	Bubble/Down T	Rolder	-3	-0.35
Looks like a presnap decision. Smothers(Hat-3) throws it short and the WR in a hoodie catches it on his knee 3 yards deep. Oops. Not charted.
O24	3rd	17	Pistol FB TO	4-2-5	Nk Over	2 off	Pass	4	Sack, basically	Jenkins	1	-0.06
DTs stunt, Morris(+1, PR+2) puts the RT on skates and forces Smothers to pull it down when he's about to throw, Upshaw(+1) spins off his block to prevent a scramble, Okie(+0.5) and Jenkins(+0.5) rally to clean up but QB falls over the LOS so it's not officially a sack. Upshaw also takes out Morris's leg at the end. If we lose that guy because he was in for this play...
Drive Notes: Punt. 31-3. 5 min 4th Q. ESPN crew is ripping M for playoff propaganda purposes and next drive is 3 runs under a minute left so we're done here.

What does this mean for The Game?

You're not supposed to do that until the end.

What else is there?

We can talk about Saturday's game.

Is there anything in Saturday's game that is relevant to The Game?

Yes.

And that is?

Please forgive me if we get the negative part of a largely positive day out of the way first, but I am worried about the pass rush. Since the Huskers were basically practice, Michigan used the opportunity to try rushing four with their four starters. The results were a complete mess. That link goes to the Neck Sharpies on this, which was a carve-out of a section that was dominating this piece when it started. To summarize, there were three main issues that cropped up in this game:

1. Some of our guys are just not good edge rushers. Jaylen Harrell is not built for it. Kris Jenkins, who gets asked to rush sometimes when 5-2 personnel catch a spread formation, rushes like he's a DT. Taylor Upshaw has his limitations.

2. Everyone wants to be the hammer, nobody is acting like the anvil. Morris and Okie and Barrett all attack like they have to do it themselves so nobody's setting up his teammates. This one was the most frustrating:

Morris is Michigan's most consistent pass-rusher and he beats the tackle here, then runs into Barrett while gunning for the sack while Purdy rolls away from danger. The other guys aren't anvil'ing for Morris either.

3. Guys aren't staying in their rush lanes. The reason this game wasn't a shutout was the one drive when Purdy kept scrambling. Part of that is playing a true freshman at DT. Graham has to see where Smith is attacking and make him right; instead the kid is fighting upfield and towards the hashes.

#55 the bottom DT

It's more of a concern that the guy Graham is learning from mades this same mistake a few snaps later:

#58 the nose

Michigan was lucky that another blown contain was on 3rd and super-long, and the resulting 4th and short was still in don't-go-for-it territory:

In this case the DTs were looping and it was up to the DEs to be inside. Morris has three guys occupied so he's fine, but Okie getting pushed past the QB is inexcusable, except I excused him for getting held. I probably should not have. The inside is his. Spin off. Stop. Shove. You gotta do whatever it takes. Here, watch Upshaw:

#91 the DT on top

Okay, don't injure Mike Morris with 6 minutes to go in a 31-3 game, but the rest of it do. Upshaw is Michigan's most responsible lineman. I bet you a dollar this is why Okie hasn't passed him. As for the younger guys, it's only a matter of time before Derrick Moore is a star.

But with a true freshman I'm sure whatever development issues Okie has go double or triple for D-Mo. I think the hammer/anvil piece and the rush lanes can get cleaned up if they put some focus on it. The talent is the talent.

Please tell me you're not knocking the talent on an elite defense that just crushed another comer.

No but I can no longer avoid one of the guys getting a cyan on the FFFF chart. People are going to take this badly I'm sure, but Jaylen Harrell hasn't won a pass rushing rep since Iowa, whose tackles we now know will let anybody through. This was his third negative day this season, along with MSU and Maryland, and he's been consistently scoring well below the other edges on plenty of volume. His one good day against a team with a pulse was Penn State, because Harrell was good at beat their zone reads. If we play another team that plays like that, by all means have this guy in there.

Harrell is also still a plus run defender despite being a lot smaller than ideal for his position.

#32 the edge on the top

But when the competition level rises this asset diminishes to a negative. It's a matter of size and length--I don't have the measurements for these battles, but watching OTs corral him and Harrell's inability to get unstuck are case studies for why NFL teams care so much (I'd argue too much) about those measurements. Some rushers get around their measurables by being stronger, faster, or more agile, but Harrell isn't that.

So why are they playing him? Do you know more than the coaches?

The explanation for Harrell starting over the kids still is also pretty simple: he's the one Edge who can play linebacker well enough to activate Barrett and Colson blitzes with Amoeba fronts. Everybody's had their chances to drop into coverage, but they never let the other guys do more than take away a flat. I think they'll trust Harrell on a TE or in a zone without babysitting. He's not great at this; if you were to judge that aspect of his game as if he was a true linebacker it would not do. But he's on the true linebacker spectrum, which is well more than you can say about Okie, McGregor, or D.Moore. He could start there for MSU, let's say.

Why is being an MSU-caliber linebacker at Edge such an asset that he's starting on a Michigan-caliber defense? I am workshopping a theory that playing Harrell—or specifically having his versatility on the field—is a contributing factor in the rise of Michael Barrett.

Oh, so now you love the linebackers!

I think I should show you the numbers.

Alright show your hater chart.

Uh, I should be clear that "Hater" is extremely relative in that this complete dismantling of a bad team wasn't as impressive as previous dismantlings.

Defensive Line
Player	Snaps	+	-	T	Notes
Mazi Smith	33	9.5	4	+5.5	Got out of his lane, ate doubles, wrecked stuff.
Kris Jenkins	32	9.5	3.5	+6	Wrecked stuff, not a defensive end though.
Mason Graham	19	12.5	3	+9.5	Total carnage. Lane integrity an issue.
Rayshaun Benny	9	3	0	+3	Kinda ridiculous.
Kenneth Grant	11	3	1	+2	Threw a man.
Michael Morris	32	9.5	4	+5.5	Himself, want him to be an anvil sometimes.
Jaylen Harrell	22	2	3.5	-1.5	Cannot pass rush, not in for enough runs to matter there.
Eyabi Okie	18	3.5	2	+1.5	Meh day.
Derrick Moore	6	3	0	+3	Impactful few snaps.
Taylor Upshaw	18	2	2	-	Doesn't screw up, doesn't chart much.
Braiden McGregor	4	0.5	0	+0.5	Unimpactful few snaps.
TOTAL	213	58	23	+35	My pass rush concerns are lessened by the carnage.
Linebacker
Player	Snaps	+	-	T	Notes
Junior Colson	39	8.5	7	+1.5	Still managing to hide his negatives well.
Nikhai Hill-Green	0	0	0	-	DNP
Michael Barrett	46	10	2.5	+7.5	Another very good day. Is he tracking to stardom?
Kalel Mullings	0	0	0	-	DNP
Jimmy Rolder	10	0	0	-	DNC
TOTAL	98	18.5	9.5	+9	I am encouraged. Do I believe it?
Secondary
Player	Snaps	+	-	T	Notes
DJ Turner	38	0.5	3	-2.5	Is the star getting wobbly?
Mike Sainristil	30	5.5	3	+2.5	Not his best day, but he's no fool either.
Gemon Green	19	1	0	+1	Let the kid play.
Will Johnson	36	8.5	1	+7.5	The kid can play!
Rod Moore	45	3.5	0	+3.5	Star watch is back on.
Makari Paige	0	0	0	-	DNP
RJ Moten	36	1.5	5	-3.5	Eesh. Cyan watch begins.
Quinten Johnson	15	0.5	0	+0.5	Quiet and boring is good.
TOTAL	228	21	12	+9	Only one pass deep, WJ was balling out.
Metrics
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Pressure	21	7	51%	Getting in backfield is easy. Catching the QB an issue.
Coverage	12	11	+1	Played off and disinterested.
Tackling	7	5	+2	One big bust. Lots of dinks underneath saved by Hat.
RPS	6	8	-2	Coordinators did some stuff early then called it a night.
Hat Tip	2	17	-15	Nebraska lost a lot of this game all on their own.

So you were saying about Barrett…

That Harrell lets you access him. Harrell's main role on this team—though he plays on any down—is the swingman of their heavy defense. When opponents put two TEs on the field Michigan tends to answer with their 5-2 instead of the 4-3 that most teams use or true 3-4 that non-4-3 teams deploy. The 5-2 has three true DTs on the field, plus Mike Morris. Harrell as the fifth man is important because lots of teams will just use their TEs like receivers.

If both of your edges are Mike Morris types, you've got a problem, because you want to change your front to a nickel but that's going to ask one of your edges to cover a tight end in space. Harrell's got so much linebacker DNA that it's no problem. Okie I'm guessing would not be so natural.

And Barrett?

I'm getting to that. Because Michigan's defense can morph if needed, they can deploy an extra tackle instead of a linebacker, and that in turn can keep linemen from getting to Barrett. Now I don't want to overstate this—the guy is up near 230 pounds which is well on the curve for the position. But Barrett still looks and plays very much like a Viper, and you don't want to take that away from him.

Nebraska kept using this Tackle Over* formation with a TE lined up as a fullback—real 1970s stuff. Michigan answered with something like the old 46 defense, with SS Rod Moore lined up like a linebacker (top hash) like the defense's numbersake, #46 Doug Plank. The other linebacker, the one on the bottom, is Michael Barrett. Watch him closely.

#23 LB in the middle of the field

Barrett doesn't make the tackle, but he's able to flow cleanly to take away the gap after the lead blocker's already gone through and forces the RB to cut into the protected edge. All that beef on the frontside keeps the blockers from having any angle to stop Barrett, who gets a +2. There were a handful of plays like this where Barrett got help dodging the guy earmarked for him or fly in untouched. The fact that he's activating goes to the amount of experience he's piled up this year.

Not everything Barrett did was set up by a DT. This was a similar setup to the dagger TD that Florida scored against us Harbaugh's first year. The RPO drew Colson towards it, and with both safeties high Michigan only has 5 guys for 5 OL and a QB. Barrett spots the guy assigned to him and shoots through him to stop the play before it gets out of the backfield.

#23 the LB on the bottom hash

Barrett got moved around a bunch early in his career, and the transition from Viper meant having to unlearn all kinds of responses that he'd trained into his subconscious. Coming out the other side, he's rounding into a good linebacker, period. I really hope we get him to use his COVID year.

* [Tackle-over means the guy on the bottom is a tight end who's swapped spots with an OT on the top of the formation. The TE on the bottom is still an eligible receiver.]

I see you found a way to hate on Junior Colson even if he wasn't responsible for any of the five events we can remember from this game.

Yeah, so Colson might have a case in this one that his negatives weren't really his.

We'll start with this –2. The pressure was part of the reason why the Huskers' third-string QB didn't get to his second read (he did convert to his first). But count the Michigan players on screen before the play just to assure yourself there isn't a safety you can't see, then hit play and watch the receiver in the slot. Colson is #25, the LB who follows the RB outside then gets sent back to the middle.

Yeeeeeesh. That started when Colson followed the running back outside and then was sent back in by Sainristil, the guy over that slot receiver, who must have known he was blitzing. Somebody didn't get the check here. I don't actually think that slot should be Colson's responsibility. If I had to guess, Michigan had a weird blitz on and didn't plan a call for 5-wide into it. Had they, it's doubtful the answer would be to have the MLB play high safety over a slot receiver. Colson's the one who let the guy by, and that deserves a –2, but that's just half of the (potential) bust.

I also held the open crosser on 3rd & 6 against Colson. You do remember this play, but not as the open crosser on 3rd & 6.

See? You remember now. There are two DBs over the receiver who went vertical to that side, and we didn't see an all-22 of this after because these were the last announcers in the world who were going to let football get in the way of a good nutshot discussion. The other three minuses were run game issues where he hung back watching or got to the wrong side. Linebacking is hard stuff.

On the other hand?

ON THE OTHER HAND, Colson is starting to do some really linebackerish linebacker things that are not just "has talent, will travel." Here he dodges a lead blocker to get into the backfield and clean up after Smith has dented the line.

#25 the middle linebacker

Here he's jetting into the backfield at Bush speed past a lead blocker while his DT keeps the OL from getting off the line of scrimmage.

#25 the middle linebacker

He flies up from depth to turn a rollout throwaway into a sack.

#25 the middle linebacker

Like Barrett, though not to the same degree, the light is starting to go on. When Colson sees it he jumps on it, and look how dang fast he moves when he jumps on it. The total is starting to pass where Josh Ross was at the end of last year, and the trajectory is up. I wanted Colson to be further along than this, and went in really hoping I'd get to announce he's out the other side of his youth. Coming out consistently positive against an outfit that was designed by Scott Frost and used all sorts of weird formations is another step forward.

Kalel Mullings didn't play again, and Jimmy Rolder only showed late, so Barrett and Colson are it. To war.

Do you have any clips where I'm not also watching the DTs do something awesome?

Uh, not this game. I gave you my Mazi Smith contain complaint above so now we can just marvel at how much damage he's doing to the offense's plans. Taking on doubles and shedding them to initiate the tackle is just normal behavior for Smith these days.

#58 the top DT

The big bust never gets to that read because Smith blew up the inside of the line. Meanwhile Jenkins is taking advantage of his occasion single-blocks to explode into the backfield. This Counter Trey dies before it gets out of the backfield because Jenkins's slant takes him past a downblock attempt, and then he has the agility to redirect into the RB. Michigan has a corner blitz on to kill this, and when Johnson arrives to pay that off he finds Jenkins already in control of the objective.

#94 the DT above the hash

This wham block attempt on Grant goes off (even if Grant doesn't move much) because Jenkins put his OL in the backfield, put his arm out, and caught the running back.

#94 the top DT

And when I say Jenkins isn't a great pass-rusher on the edge, I mean he's not a defensive end who can speed rush a tackle. As an interior rusher his agility and balance are weaponized, and his normal-sized arms are able to help him in ways they can't against the guys outside.

#94 DT on the top

And then there's the kid. He's the bottom DT on the play above, and just as much a part of it. Mason Graham had the best game of any of them, to be honest. I still instinctively clip Graham when he does something cool even though the library is already well stocked for preview purposes. If I limited myself to just the +2s however we're still going to have a section to rival the length of any of Alex's foe film dangermen. It's just…okay you be the judge which one I should leave out here.

Option 1: When Graham took on a double, waited until the right moment when one of them was about to release, then violently shed it to grab the RB himself.

Well okay, if that's your choice then you can't keep the one where he burrows through a guard then pulls Smothers under like the Death Star trash compactor monster.

Oh that's your pick? Then I guess you aren't interested in the time Graham stuffed a 2nd & short run all by himself by planting his blocker behind the line of scrimmage, throwing him off, and popping a hard-charging RB sideways when he wasn't looking or ready to prevent his momentum from being halted short of the line to gain.

Yes this is decreasing the lifespan of your scroll wheel. I am not sorry.

Is that it for the tackles then?

Not remotely. We haven't even gotten to Rayshaun Benny and Kenneth Grant yet. Benny featured already in some of those plays with Barrett. But Grant is in one of those too. And yes, this is still the 1st quarter.

DT #26 on top and NT #78 in the middle.

Grant also chucked a guy into the backfield so hard the dude decided he should do something about routine backfield denizen Kris Jenkins instead:

#78 the nose

For those counting, that's five defensive tackles with multiple +2 events in this short game. Cam Goode didn't play in this one but showed out against Rutgers. And before you say that won't work against Ohio State, the one issue the Buckeyes have been having on offense this year is the highly rated tackles they play at guard are struggling in the running game (because they're there to be pass protectors). They didn't get Slade when they played MSU so Michigan's tackles should be several runs better than anything they've faced this year. They might not be Hutchinson-Ojabo disruptive, but the DTs were just okay last year, so this year's make up a good portion of what was lost.

How is there so much film on the DTs from this game?

Nebraska sorta…went at them.

No!

Yeah. It was weird.

Why would they do that?

First off, that's the design. Like the 2016 team front, Michigan's edges are taught to hold everything inside and force it back to the tackles. The only plays that escape out the edge these days are QB rollouts. But it was also by choice. Nebraska had no hope of passing downfield, especially once Purdy went out near the end of the first half. Instead it was a bunch of frippery with the running game. They had covered formations, tackle-over, receivers motioning to backfield positions, heavy personnel on 2nd & 10. They also tried running Michigan's plays, which was weird considering those tend to emphasize interior OL blocks versus DTs. Duo (the Harbaugh play of Harbaugh plays) against Smith and Jenkins is definitely a choice you can make.

I have more sympathy for trying to run Counter Trey, even though that's a Michigan thing now too, because that was the bread and butter of Tom Osborne, and if you can't run Trey you don't deserve to wear the sans serif N.

Indeed. So you got nothing on the secondary? What about the long pass they gave up?

Uh, that was on Turner.

The annoying thing was it happened on 3rd and long, and it was early in the game so we had to wonder if this is how they get you. It didn't happen again, but it's going to keep happening when they show man press on 3rd and long because it's been so productive. I'm not ripping away his star for that—it's just one event—but it would be nice if he could be moved back to field corner or put on smaller faster guys. The biglargehuge types are getting these with too great a frequency, and every time when you go back to look it seems to just be a size issue. Even this one gets hairy when contact is made and Turner gets crossed up on his feet.

It did lead to a Sklars Hot Take™ that Will Johnson is Michigan's best cornerback. He's not, but he was in this game. Smothers never has a chance to get this ball out, but it was supposed to go to one or the other side of the same slant/fade combo that Rutgers hit us with twice last week. Johnson doesn't play it soft this time.

#2 the CB on the bottom

That dude just wants to break outside and there's a 6-3 cornerback in the way until he's literally running into the guy he was supposed to be setting a pick for. This is part of a pattern of Johnson using his size to move guys while running their routes for them. The freshman also had to track this route across the whole formation, dodging plenty of traffic, and arriving exactly on time.

Jenkins beat Johnson to the punch on the attempted Counter Trey, but had this play not been blown up by the DT doing something ridiculous it would have been blown up by the CB executing a tricky blitz.

That's on top of several passes where Johnson seemed to be in good position when Purdy escaped a hammer/hammer pass rush.

It wasn't all roses; Johnson was the outside CB on the major bust—I don't think that was his man, but if Michigan wasn't prepared for five-wide on their nickel blitz, a likely cause is having a true freshman cornerback in the coverage. But we're at the point now where Marlin and Woodson were starting, and Johnson seems to be operating on the same level I remember from 2001 and 1995. As advertised.

Did they try to edge Mike Sainristil this game?

They did.

Did it work out for them?

Nope.

The readers are not going to let you use that as his nickname.

It's too bad because it was fun yelling this that in the stadium when a guy tried to hurdle him.

Did that work out for him?

[Barron]

See?

Nope.

Philistines.

Rod Moore. We were looking for signs that he was back on track to stardom after the bye. Any updates?

He didn't get to do much but when he was on screen he popped. This was just a +1 but I really liked how he came through a tight end on the play that we momentarily thought they fumbled.

#19 the safety on the 32 below the hash

He didn't get to do anything wild, but he was around the football, and authoritive in tackling when they let it get to him. It's not enough for a star after playing Nebraska. On track.

What's going on with RJ Moten?

He started a second straight week with Makari Paige out. I was really hopeful for Moten this season, and he wasn't bad (or on screen much) earlier in the year, but since getting passed the few Moten events keep trending negative. He could be working through something or going through something—that's not in the purview of this site. One of Nebraska's 3rd down conversions was on Moten flat-out whiffing a tackle on an RB who was lined up for a TFL.

He also got caught covering grass, which is a phrase I wish we weren't using so much this year. His almost interception a) should have been an interception, and b) was thrown behind an open receiver.

But these are two events, and with safeties not being on screen is usually a sign you're in the right spot. He was 100% cleared of any wrongdoing on the one fade to Turner, since that was a single-high coverage, where the CB's only friend outside is the sideline. He's on cyan watch, but I suspect he won't get the designation.

How is it we played Nebraska and neither Michael Barrett nor Blake Corum vomited?

The guest who requested it was a no-show.

How many times did you use the name Smothers in this article?

As many as I could. Why are you asking inane questions that have nothing to do with the football game?

I thought I was setting you up for the obligatory Mark Jones/RG3 complaining section.

Something about the Pathfinder Mission to Mars? Debut of the show Red vs. Blue? No that was 2003. Just hold on I'll get it.

Mark Jones clearly doesn't give a shit about football anymore but this game was probably one of the most boring of the year so whatever. I do wonder if RGIII gets drawn into the whole bro-cast thing by Jones. The far more annoying thing was the long commercial breaks right on top of each other.

Heroes?

Michael Barrett, Will Johnson, and Mason Graham. Despite some pass rush issues Smith/Jenkins/Morris continued to be pretty awesome overall. Kenneth Grant and Rayshaun Benny rotated with the starters without a drop-off.

Maybe not so heroic?

Jaylen Harrell, RJ Moten, the pass rush in general, DJ Turner the one time he was targeted, Nebraska.

What does it mean for Illinois THE GAME?

Gotta get those passing lanes cleaned up. Starts with the ends not overrunning the QB, extends to the DTs reacting to what's in front of them. Extra drills this week.

Gotta pay off the pass rushes when you win them. Time to figure out a plan, whether it's Amoeba and Morris is your anvil, or Upshaw and Morris your hammer, or Okie in the starting lineup, or having the DEs play contain and trusting the DTs to collapse the pocket.

Gotta hand it to Taylor Upshaw. Has raised The Taylor Upshaw Line past the Rondell Biggs Line. If you want to play over him, you'd better be as responsible as he is.

Gotta not give up fades on 3rd and long. Maybe that's something that can be Will Johnson's job now?

Will Johnson is ready to work. Got some run as Green was working his way back. Looks ready to get an equal rotation with the starters.

No NHG no problem. Except they still don't have viable depth. Barrett is all the way there: a good linebacker. Colson's making plays even if he's also still blowing them here and there. Using DTs to soak up linemen helps them maximize these guys.

Apologies to Cam Goode for the depth chart. We said it was Smith & Jenkins and freshman, not that the freshman wouldn't be bonkers. Jenkins is an upgrade on Hinton and probably isn't leaving as early. Mason Graham could be the best DT in the Big Ten as soon as next year. Benny and Grant are going to be stars themselves. Even Rooks looks good.

Hurdle fools and fools only. By now you should know Mike Sainristil isn't one.