PERSONAL NOTE: Sorry about the delay here. New computer meant there were a ton of technical issues to fix getting back up and running and there was a lot of time I had to spend on (non-emergency) family stuff this week.

FORMATION NOTES: Michigan had two major departures from last year. One was a resurgence of TE snaps. Of 55 charted snaps there 22 with two TEs and five with three. The other was a smattering of under center stuff that was not short yardage.

Meanwhile, CSU was consistently a Durkin-esque 4-3 defense with one very high safety at 15 yards and a box safety who was invariably counted as half in the box by my reckoning.

SUBSTITUTION NOTES: McNamara, then McCarthy, then Bowman at QB with a couple of Orji cameos. Corum a clear 1 and Edwards a clear 2 at RB, with Stokes #3 and Dunlap used in the Cat Orji. Johnson and Bell 1A and 1B at WR with Wilson most prominent after. TE was Schoonmaker/All as expected but in 3TE sets, and even 2TE sets Honigford got a ton of run and popped up as a surprise grading star. Hibner also got some scattered snaps before deep backup time.

With Hayes out OL was Barnhart/Keegan/Olu/Zinter/Jones, and then Keegan/El-Hadi/Olu/Zinter/Jones after Barnhart tweaked his ankle.

Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M25	1	10	Ace 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 even	7.5	Run	Inside zone	Corum	4
Zinter(+0.5) doesn’t really get a chip on his double but Jones(+1) is able to shove his guy down the line, opening up a lane behind him. Olu(-0.5) didn’t get off his double in time to cut off a linebacker coming in over the slot. Zinter gets a second level block. Schoon(+0.5) did a solid job despite being given the dread off-LOS-vs-DE TE block.
M29	2	6	Gun empty	1	1	3	Nickel even	5.5	Pass	Hitch	Johnson	Inc
Jones buries a DE trying to dive inside of him, open edge. McN is looking left for two beats, doesn’t like it, and then comes off of it to the other side of the field when his timer goes off and he starts moving. He finds Johnson stationary for the first down and puts it at his ankles. Catchable, sort of, but also a six yard throw at a stationary WR. (IN, 2, protection 2/2)
M29	3	6	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel even	7	Pass	Hitch	Johnson	Inc
Quick 1 v 1 man beater to Johnson soloed at top of formation; timing is good and the play is there by McN wings it wide (IN, 0, protection 1/1)
Drive Notes: Punt, 0-0, 14 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M20	1	10	Gun twins	1	2	2	4-3 even	7.5	Run	Power CT	Corum	19
Late shift from CSU sees slot LB blitz. M is running away from this (RPS +1) and gets two free blocks from it. Still a lot to do. Playside DE let go, Olu(+1) kicks with authority. Barnhart(+1) and Keegan(+1) are doubling a DT and Keegan in particular does a good job to recognize no LB level to peel off on so he stops and cuts off Zinter’s guy, who’s slanting away and Zinter has little shot at. Jones(+1) pulls through all this and gets enough of the last LB so that Corum(+0.5) can jet through the gap. Schoon(+0.5) with a solid kickout.
M39	1	10	Gun trips covered	1	1	3	4-3 even	8	Pass	Flare screen	Wilson	61
PA fake keeps entire 8 man CSU front looking at Corum, RPS +2. Flare screen to Wilson; Bell(+2) engages and moves primary defender, giving Wilson(+2) a direct path upfield. Johnson(+1) gets his job done but CSU guy is looking to contain long after that’s a bad idea. Wilson fast, and then makes a good cut at the end to finish the TD. (CA, 3, screen)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 7-0, 10 min 1st Q. Moore INT sets M up in redzone.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
O13	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	2	2	4-3 over	7	Pass	Drag	Johnson	Inc
All motions out, draws a guy clearly in man coverage and Johnson gets loose since his guy has to run around other defenders. He’s got two steps and is probably turning this up for close to a TD; McN puts it way behind him and Johnson can’t make a tough catch. (IN, 1, protection 2/2)
O13	2	10	Gun 3TE	1	3	1	4-3 even	7.5	Run	Pin and pull	Corum	0
Not a real fan of this call since M snapped it, ran this exact PNP, and then it got blown dead because CSU called timeout since they had ten guys on the field. Honigford(+1) buries an end who tried to pick off Olu. Keegan(+0.5) pulls and kicks. Schoon(-1) comes off the ball with a bad angle and has to pass up the playside LB. He gets the MLB but now Olu(+0.5) has to spend himself on playside LB and unblocked S at seven charging makes a tackle a the LOS. RPS -1.
O13	3	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel under	6.5	Pass	TE angle	All	Inc
Do not get the presnap read here as we have one deep S on the left hash and the play’s putting three guys to the field. Meanwhile CSU is 3 vs to the boundary. Edwards motions out last second; McN looks up All(route -) on a TE angle that’s going to get tackled for 6 or 7 yards in almost all cases. Ball looks like it will be complete but for stumble, for whatever that’s worth. Meanwhile Wilson corner route wide open on other side. (BR, 0, protection 1/1)
Drive Notes: FG(30), 10-0, 8 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M21	1	10	Gun 3TE	1	3	1	4-3 over	8.5	Run	Power	Edwards	6
M pulls Keegan and backside wing TE Hibner here. Honigford(+0.5) washes an end down somewhat dubiously but gets the job done. Schoon(+0.5) seals playside LB, who took a false step as he interpreted M line action as IZ. Keegan(+0.5) comes around and kicks. Hibner(+1) gets to and flattens the safety; Jones(+1) was able to fight through a double and harass the MLB; not enough to cut him off entirely but this was work to get here.
M27	2	4	Gun 2TE	1	2	2	4-3 even	7.5	Pass	TE hitch	Schoonmaker	8
Quick pitch and catch underneath the CSU zone. (CA, 3, protection 1/1)
M35	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	2	2	4-3 under	6.5	Run	Inside zone	Edwards	2
CSU DL able to dig in against double, extending an arm on Keegan and fighting to get to his right. Keegan(+1) does put him decisively to one side. Barnhart(-2) does not read this at all and pointlessly continues the double. He never gets off of it. Edwards has no choice but to cut back into an unblocked LB. Zinter(-1) also got stoned at the LOS; nice kick from Jones(+0.5)
M37	2	8	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 over	6.5	Pass	Slant	Bell	9
Bell slot safety blanket instances: 1. Solid catch on ball slightly behind desired location. Bell almost spins out of the tackle and goes and gets another ten but his forearm did come down. (CA, 3, protection 1/1)
M46	1	10	Pistol TTE	1	2	2	4-3 over	7.5	Run	Power	Corum	1
Playside double momentarily locks out DT but Keegan(-1) cannot keep that guy locked out. He gets push-pulled off of him. Zinter(+1) is pulling and puts the DE on the ground when he tries to dive inside. Schoon gets bumped by the DE but is able to climb over that and get to the playside LB. Bell(-2) airballs on the slot LB, who charges up to contain. Corum has no choice but to cut back inside where that DT tackles.
M47	2	9	Gun trips TE	1	1	3	4-3 under	7	Pass	Dig	Johnson	15
PA, guard pulls. LB level doesn’t buy it because D&D. Johnson doesn’t get much separation because he draws a holding call(route+, I guess?) and a LB almost gets a hand on this ball but it is slung into Johnson’s chest and he traps it there. (CA, 2, protection 2/2)
O38	1	10	Pistol trips tight bunch	1	2	2	4-3 even	7.5	Run	End around	Henning	6
Power look similar to a couple previous plays with pulling TE passing up a DE who goes nuts running at the QB and is gone. Schoon(+1) gets a good block in space but Honigford(-1) goes too vertical and can’t really harass his linebacker, so two guys close in space instead of two. RPS +1.
O32	2	4	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel over	6.5	Pass	Dumpoff	Corum	9
Left side does a meh job against a stunt, failing to pass off but managing to make contact on both guys and hinder them. Keegan(-1) appears to be the issue here because if he comes off when his lane is vacated then Barnhart can follow suit. McNamara has All for the first down but just moves a little bit and dumps it to an open Corum(+1), who dusts a tackler for nice YAC. (CA+, 3, protection ½)
O23	1	10	Pistol 2TE tight	1	2	2	4-3 even	7	Run	Pin and pull	Edwards	8
Honigford(+1) turns in and seals the playside end. Some confusion on the pull as Zinter slows up as a guy dives inside of him but he does not turn back and instead goes back upfield after a pause. Olu(+1) buries the aggressive LB. Bell(+1) gets an extended kickout. Barnhart has harassed a LB (all he can do given his angle) and he’s pursuing at about five yards depth. You want Edwards(-1) to realize he’s got Zinter and try to cut off his butt, which sends him to the safety, but he just runs straight into that harassed LB.
O15	2	2	Gun trips TE	1	1	3	Nickel over	7	Run	Inside zone	Edwards	9
Keegan(+1) turns out a guy shaded inside of him to create a nice crease. Zinter(+1) and Olu(+1) double through the other DT with Olu climbing to a linebacker. Barnhart releases direct to second level, leaving a DE who’s held just enough by the McN mesh point. Edwards goes right up the gut.
O6	1	G	I-Form 2TE	1	3	1	Goal line	10	Run	Down G	Corum	-4
Zinter(-2) pulls around from his guard spot and the CSU edge guy successfully shoots inside of him for a TFL. Honigford(+0.5) did a solid job on the playside end.
O10	2	G	Gun twins	1	2	2	4-3 even	8.5	Run	Power GT	Corum	2
What is this playcall against a nine man box on second and goal from the ten. Woof. CSU has a DT twist on so Zinter’s block is free and a DT scrapes over the top of that. DE dives inside; El-Hadi(+1) does a good job standing him up and clearing a path behind him. Keegan comes over the top of this block and he’s got two guys to block. RPS -2, hot garbage given down and distance.
O8	3	G	Gun trips TE	1	1	3	Exotic	7	Pass	Throwaway	N/A	Inc
Keegan(-1) has kicked out to RT with Barnhart’s exit. He gets beat around the corner but not clean. He’s pushing. Rest of pocket is clean and McN can step up but instead he flushes to the boundary, which has no guys running routes, and throws it into the sideline. (TA, N/A, protection ½)
Drive Notes: FG(29), 13-0, 14 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M35	1	10	Ace trips tight bunch	1	2	2	4-3 over	7.5	Run	Inside zone	Corum	5
CSU doesn’t set an edge. Edge guy tries to dive inside of Bell(+0.5), who does just enough to put him off. Corum(+1) bounces. Honigford(-1) got spun off of on the key block to the interior.
M40	2	5	Gun TTE	1	2	2	4-3 even	7.5	Run	Split zone	Corum	6
CSU DE flies upfield direct at QB, insanely. Schoon just watches him fly by. Jones(+0.5) locks out a LB holding the edge. Zinter(+1) crunches his guy inside, so there’s a big gap for Corum(+1), who dusts a safety in the fairly large hole and gets a nice gain. I am extremely dubious about running play that delivers your back to unblocked S at zero yards, RPS -1.
M46	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 even	7	Run	Arc read give	Corum	3
McCarthy snap. Arc, with McCarthy(ZR+) correctly handing as DE flies at face again. Keegan(+1) blows in a DE; Jones(-1) slanted under and Corum has to cut back into unblocked MLB. Gets a few.
M49	2	7	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel even	6.5	Pass	Comeback	Bell	Inc
Protection is fine; McNamara takes a while to decide and then gets to Bell on a hitch at the sticks. Ball is a little wobbly but this is a straight drop. (CA, 3, protection 2/2)
M49	3	7	Gun trips	1	1	3	Exotic	7	Pass	Sack	N/A	-8
Jones(-2) torched for instasack (PR, N/A, protection 0/2)
Drive Notes: Punt, 13-0, 11 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
O48	1	10	Ace twins	1	2	2	4-3 over	8	Run	Zone stretch	Edwards	1
Keegan(-2) gets beat to the inside and his man shoots upfield. Edwards has to cut inside of this and does. Rest of OL is doing an okay job, particularly El-Hadi(+1) and Olu(+1), who blow out the NT and climb. Zinter(+0.5) and Jones(+0.5) do similarly but with less oomph. All(-1) fails to meaningfully delay the backside end and the forced cut by Edwards allows DE to tackle.
O47	2	9	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel under	6.5	Run	Split zone	Edwards	4
All motions in just before the snap so this is not quite a 3-wide with a TE but close enough. Relatively light box for CSU. DE tries to dive inside Jones(+1), who gets enough to give Edwards the corner. Zinter(+0.5) gets a free release to a LB but once the bounce happens he doesn’t have an angle to maintain the block. Edwards did well to see the bounce and out run the LB but when a safety comes up he tries to dodge him laterally and ends up gaining no YAC.
O43	3	5	Gun 2TE	1	2	2	4-3 over	6.5	Run	Split zone	Edwards	7
Standup DE flies upfield at McNamara, expecting pass; Bredeson is the split flow blocker and has nothing to do. CSU seems to bust a twist call with both DTs pinching in; Zinter(+1) thoroughly removes his guy anyway. El-Hadi(+0.5) has a free climb to the second level and gets a block. Jones(+0.5) has some targeting issues but is there well enough to cut off a linebacker, and Edwards(+1) does a nice job slaloming through the gates.
O36	1	10	Gun trips covered	1	1	3	4-3 over	7	Run	Inside zone	Edwards	7
Punishing double from Zinter(+1) and Olu(+2) first decisively seals the DT inside, allowing Zinter to get a second level block. Olu then puts this guy on the ground and finds himself impacting a safety backwards, providing a lof of the YAC impetus. Jones got a free kickout. Edwards(+0.5) kept his feet nicely.
O29	2	3	Gun 2TE	1	2	2	4-3 even	8	Run	Split zone	Corum	19
I believe this is a Hat +2 play, per Seth, in that this is a big gain but CSU doing some goofy stuff is a big chunk of it. Split zone again on a run down, DE again flies upfield at QB and is gone. In addition a linebacker shoots outside and never has to be blocked. Zinter(+1) cuts off a DT slanting away and all that’s left is easy climbs to the second level for Jones(+1) and Honigford(+1). Corum is then fast(+0.5).
O10	1	G	Gun 3TE	1	3	1	Goal line	10	Run	Power	Corum	3
Schoon(+1) and Honigford(+1) double and eliminate the POA end, with Schoon getting to a linebacker. Hibner(-2) is pulling through the hole and gets confused as El-Hadi(+1) gets a forceful kick. Hibner momentarily targets the same end and ends up late through the hole so his guy tackles Corum. Corum could have maybe slowed up and tried to develop that block but tough ask.
O7	2	G	Gun 3TE	1	2	2	Goal line	10	Run	Pin and pull	Corum	7
TE #3 in this case is Bell, who motions in. Honigford(+1) and Schoon(+1) batter in the two guys closest to the LOS as Zinter(+1) and Olu(+1) both pull around and get their guys, with Zinter absolutely burying his guy and Olu picking off a charging guy. Corum(+1) too fast to the corner to get caught.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 20-0, 5 min 2nd Q. Next drive starts with 49 seconds in half.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
O47	1	10	Gun 4-wide	1	1	3	Nickel over	6.5	Run	Speed option	Edwards	5
Air quotes around option. This is almost a big play but McN doesn’t draw in the DE sufficiently to quite get Edwards past. All(+1) wipes a DB after going out in a route for a beat; Keegan(+0.5) gets out on a LB and can’t really make contact but that’s because the guy is running way wide. DE is able to ankle tackle Edwards, otherwise this might go a long way. RPS +1, took an excellent play from this DE, would have been big otherwise.
O42	2	5	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel under	6	Pass	TE stick	All	22
Hoo boy am I conflicted about this. McN surveys the field and has All open at the sticks but doesn’t throw; he also has Johnson wide open on the numbers. All then converts the hitch into a stick route, dragging across the LB and pointing upfield a bit. McN half rolls and fires it into a now very covered All; All makes an incredible catch with this LB all over him and breaks a tackle for a big chunk. BR? CA? MA? Uhhhh. (MA, 1, protection 2/2)
O20	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Pass	Out	Johnson	5
Nice tempo thing here from Michigan as they get a quick snap and then hit an out that stops the clock. (CA, 3, protection 1/1, RPS +1)
O15	2	5	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Pass	Hitch	Johnson	Inc
Jones(-1) beat around the corner but stays attached and is pushing so step up would be possible but El-Hadi(-1) did not read a stunt and the guy pressing the gap gets way too much penetration so there’s no pocket. McN fires in the direction of an open Johnson. This sails way over his head. Is this a throwaway or a legitimate attempt? I can’t tell. Benefit of the doubt, I guess. (PR, 0, protection 0/2)
O15	3	5	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Exotic	8	Pass	Throwaway	N/A	Inc
CSU sends the house, rushing 7 against 6. Two guys come up the middle, Edwards cuts one but incompletely; McN rolls out and gets a DT running to him. He gets cut off and dumps it. I feel like he has Johnson and has time to find him. (TA, N/A, protection 0/2, TEAM -2)
Drive Notes: FG(32), 23-0, EO1H
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M40	1	10	Gun 3TE	1	3	1	4-3 even	8.5	Run	Power	Corum	11
Field side corner starts creeping off of Anthony presnap and then blitzes with the deep S trying to get over the top. AA(+2) does a great job getting to this guy despite a big disadvantage presnap. Now there’s no edge so Corum(+1) busts outside and hurdles a fool for a first down. Honigford(+1) got enough of a DE slanting under him to push him past the pullers. Olu(+1) and Schoon(+1) pull around and cut off LBs.
O49	1	10	Gun trips TE	1	1	3	4-3 under	7	Pass	Flare screen	Wilson	4
Better defended here; Bell gets a block in but gives ground instead of pounding his dude and Wilson has to bend around him significantly. Anthony fends his guy off for a bit but can’t maintain that block for long enough given the bend. Push? (CA, 3, screen)
O45	2	6	Pistol trips TE	1	1	3	4-3 even	7.5	Run	Split zone	Stokes	1
Keegan(-1) clearly expecting a chip from El-Hadi(-1), who immediately goes to the second level. Keegan doesn’t have an angle here but gets stacked and shed here with a push-pull move. Schoon(-0.5) also stood up so no room behind Keegan’s block to squeeze anything out.
O44	3	5	Gun 3-wide	1	2	2	Nickel even	6	Pass	Dumpoff	Edwards	4
FWIW, I hate this director and his pore-o-vision, we get like five yards downfield so no idea if anyone’s ever open. McNamara checks this down to Edwards(-1), who’s open for an easy conversion except for the fact that he tries to juke a guy with leverage and fails, giving up 3-4 yards. (CA, 3, protection 2/2)
O40	4	1	Gun 2TE tight	1	2	2	4-3 even	8	Run	Dive	Edwards	2
Tempo dive. Schoon(-1) is off the LOS and gets slanted under, no idea why you would do this, but Keegan(+0.5) and El Hadi(+0.5) pound their dude; ditto Olu(+0.5) and Zinter(+0.5)
O38	1	10	Gun trips	1	2	2	Nickel even	6	Pass	Hitch	Schoonmaker	Inc
Schoonmaker split out as the lone WR to the 1 side of 3x1, gets man coverage. He does not get open against a CB, which I’m not going to route minus because he’s a TE. McN throws it anyway, and puts it sort of away from Schoonmaker, not in the buttzone. Best I can figure is that he expected zone and that Edwards in the flat would open something up? Just bizarre to look up this side of the field when you have Bell and Johnson running routes on the other side of the field. (BR, 0, protection 2/2)
O38	2	10	Gun twins	1	2	2	4-3 over	8	Run	Power GT	Stokes	18
Backside G and T pull with All running a brief route before cutting off the LB. Guys over the pullers run directly at McC. Schoonmaker(+2) crushes and moves a DE; Zinter(+1) gets a thunking kickout. Jones(+0.5) gets hung up a bit and Stokes runs into him but he does get a second level block. Keegan released to the second level and he’s like where is everybody. Stokes(+0.5) doesn’t have to do a ton but does keep his feet after the contact with Jones and slides through to the S.
O20	1	10	Gun trips covered	1	1	3	4-3 even	7.5	Run	Arc read keep	McCarthy	20
Schoon(+1) sells the split zone block by lunging at the DE, who then tries to put a shoulder in Schoon before getting ghosted; Schoon then thunks the edge guy. Interior is well blocked with Keegan(+0.5) and El-Hadi(+0.5) doubling through a DT and Zinter/Oli(+0.5) each doing the same. McCarthy(read+, +1) gets in space and bursts past the S for a TD.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 37-0, 6 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M42	1	10	Gun TTE	1	2	2	4-3 over	8	Run	Arc flat keep	McCarthy	18
TE into flat, not a real pass play as WRs all block. No free edge guy as DE dives into Keegan(+0.5), who fends him off. LB shoots up as they exchange and has to track Bredeson into flat. McC does not appear to have a real mesh read, the option here is the flat. When LB goes with Bredeson McC(+1, read +) turns it upfield and goes. RPS +2.
O40	1	10	Ace 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 even	7	Pass	TE drag	Bredeson	3
God I hate this director. We get five yards downfield here, no idea if anyone is open. Protection very good, pocket breaks down as Jones’s guy gives up the edge to dive inside. McC calmly breaks pocket and hits TE drag route. Running probably the better choice here but this would be a harsh BR since it’s first and ten? (CA, 3, protection 2/2)
O43	2	7	Pistol 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 even	7	Run	Arc read keep	McCarthy	18
DE shuffles down and does not attempt to hold edge so pull is good (ZR+). Bredeson passes DE up as he does not present immediate threat; AA(+1) cuts off slot LB. DE redirects and almost gets to McC(+1) but does not; he runs through ankle tackle. Clemons(+1) holds playlong DB block and McCarthy scampers OOB. RPS +1.
O25	1	10	Gun trips bunch	1	1	3	4-3 even	6.5	Pass	Bubble screen	Anthony	5
Schoon(-1) airballs on his guy; he’s able to redirect and get a diving tackle attempt in that AA(+0.5) breaks but that does slow him up enough for the slot LB to nail. (CA, 3, screen)
O20	2	5	Gun TTE	1	2	2	4-3 even	7.5	Run	QB power	Orji	0
Orji in. Keegan(-1) stood up by DT and Zinter(-1) has to pull around this; then he decides to hit the same guy. Questionable, as that doesn’t create a gap, Orji has to flow outside and gets chopped down by an unblocked guy.
O20	3	5	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 even	7	Pass	Out	Henning	7
Henning gets the slot LB shaded inside of him in what looks like and is clear man to man so the out is an easy pitch and catch. This is to the field and out there quick, FWIW. (CA, 3, protection 1/1)
O13	1	10	Gun twin TE	1	2	2	4-3 over	7.5	Run	Power	Edwards	12
AA in motion across, which only sort of threatens any kind of jet but draws a ton of guys outside. Hibner(-1) has a DE fly way upfield of him and violates Never Turn Upfield; free guys on edge. Zinter is heading way wide too so this appears to be the desired POA but there’s a ton of guys there so Edwards(+1) cuts away from that and finds a hole to the interior that Keegan(+1) and Honigford(+1) created by doubling in a DE and then Honigford popping out to get just enough on a LB. RPS +1, I guess? Also unreasonable focus on McC by S helps here.
O1	1	G	Gun 2TE tight	1	2	2	???	10	Run	Dive	Edwards	1
Tempo dive again. They get it. RPS +1.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 44-0, 14 min 4th Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M28	1	10	Ace TTE	1	2	2	4-3 even	7	Pass	Dumpoff	Stokes	15
Almost all backups here except for Jones and McCarthy. PA sees Atteberry(-2) beat almost clean up the middle; he then holds (uncalled, refs +2). McCarthy(+1) has to bounce and does, easily getting around a DE charging upfield and calmly dumping to Stokes for a nice gain. (CA+, 3, protection 0/2)
Drive Notes: McCarthy exits and deep backups vs CSU is not worth charting. I did clip the Colson Loveland delay rumble.

 

Well, I suppose you're going to launch into a quarterback diatribe.

Yes I am.

Go ahead then.

After going over everything in exacting detail McNamara's performance was worse than at first blush.

CADE MCNAMARA

	Good				Neutral			Bad					Ovr			Reads
Game	DO	CA	SCR		PR	MA		BA	TA	IN	BR		DSR	GRADE!		RPOs	ZRs
W. Michigan		5(2)+			2	1			2	3	2		42%	oops		0/0	0/0

There may be some truth to the idea that Michigan didn't do McNamara any favors with their playcalling, but the bulk of Michigan's redzone struggles with McNamara in the game are directly attributable to him. Also the lack of real zone reads is not a playcalling thing, it's a McNamara thing.

So the other guy has a cannon arm that can effortlessly deliver that 15-yard out to the field that's a requirement to NFL quarterbacks, and he's a much better runner. McNamara can combat that by being the guy who always does the right thing and always puts the ball in the right place. We did not see that in this game, to say the least. He nearly turfed a six-yard throw to an open Johnson on the first drive and when Michigan was set up in the redzone by the Rod Moore INT he threw behind Johnson on a two-yard drag:

Even if you believe Johnson should catch that, the inaccuracy of that ball is going to get him tackled after a minimal gain instead of probably score a touchdown.

Two plays later, the nadir. This is the play we talked about on WTKA, the angle route to All that was nearly intercepted. To me the throw is fine here; All likely catches it in stride without the stumble. Then he gets six yards and you kick a field goal. This is our concern dude.

What I don't get is how our presnap read maven is looking at this and not salivating about what's going to happen to the field.

To the short side of the field you've got two Michigan receivers and three CSU defenders. The playcall is going to flare Edwards to the field. There is a deep safety but he's not in the middle of the field, he's on the same hash you are. When Edwards goes in motion he does not get a chaser, so it's zone, and you have a corner route on for Roman Wilson.

2 v 3 to top

3 v 2 to bottom

At this point CSU is picking how to lose to the field. They chose the worst option, leaving Wilson achingly wide open on a corner route, but even if they don't do this either Bell or Edwards is going to be wide open.

I have been saying things about small sample size but if I'm being completely honest this single play has flipped me from being a shruggie-deploying QB agnostic to full-on team JJ. If Cade McNamara isn't making this read in year two—if Colorado State is absurdly overplaying him to a tendency to throw to the boundary and winning—it's just a matter of time.

Is this "McNamara doesn't want to throw to the field" really a thing?

I can't say either Seth or I picked up on it last year, and nobody was talking about it until this game. Now that it's a meme you start seeing it everywhere whether it's warranted or not. Does Michigan not have a check here when CSU shows pure cover zero on second and goal from the ten?

Or is that to the field and McNamara doesn't want to run it? I don't think it's the latter but now I'm looking at everything owlishly.On one level it doesn't matter, because "McNamara didn't check" and "we don't have this check" both point to JJ being the guy. Once again: the way McNamara stays ahead is by not letting Michigan run into a -2 box on second and goal from the ten.

Then on the very next play McNamara gets a bit of pressure. He's got a clean pocket, though, and can step up and fire. Instead he rolls to a side of the field with nobody on it and boots it out of bounds.

Let's beat the dead horse one more time: McNamara stays in front by knowing to step up and keep his options open. Who cares if you get sacked? Keep the play alive.

Here's a throw to Schoonmaker, who splits wide, and is lined up against a corner, and is very much not open:

I like Schoonmaker as a guy running up the seam against a linebacker, but he's not one of those Notre Dame wonder tight ends who can just go play receiver and it's fine. But that's the boundary sooooo…?

Well, this is a lot of dumping on a guy who won the Big Ten last year.

I'm not done! Also in direct contrasts to McCarthy, he gets cut off by a DT here and boots the ball out of bounds:

McCarthy gets around Iowa linebackers, he's getting to the corner there and finding an open Cornelius Johnson on the drag. McNamara should probably try that anyway; there's a good two yards of separation there. Instead, field goal time. I do not want Jake Moody to win the Groza again.

This is exceptionally harsh. Have you the memory of a goldfish?

Yes, take a breath, toss it in the garbage, and move forward. This may have been the worst game of McNamara's career, given the context. That's alarming but also that's not his baseline moving forward.

You're about to say "but"

BUT!

JJ MCCARTHY

	Good				Neutral			Bad					Ovr			Reads
Game	DO	CA	SCR		PR	MA		BA	TA	IN	BR		DSR	GRADE!		RPOs	ZRs
W. Michigan		3+											100%	oops		0/0	4/4

Not a whole lot here but what is here is good.

Also that arc flat was nice. More encouraging than the arc reads that were pretty blinding was McCarthy looking at a gray-zone DE shuffling and calling his own number. This is not obvious:

Maybe that doesn't work against an NFL level guy; we'll see. To me it looks like that DE played it about as well as you could and still got beat to the corner. After that you can hand off and McCarthy functionally blocks a guy:

CSU LB #17 to top

There weren't a whole lot of throws and nothing went downfield but given the above, the velocity on a seven-yard out to the field is notable:

And we had a somewhat analogous play to the shoulda-coulda drag to Johnson when McCarthy eased around a DE and dumped it to Stokes.

Everything felt easier with McCarthy out there. Also sometimes when he wasn't but it seemed like he was. The bizarre subplot of Michigan's all-run touchdown drive is that CSU lost its mind and flung guys at the QB like it was 2011:

CSU DE to top

This was particularly bizarre on the Corum chunk. What is 17 doing here?

CSU LB #17 to far right

I designated this a "Hat +2" play, as there's not a whole lot of points assigned for a 19 yard block. That's a freebie. I do think it is meaningful in a way, because the running output there wasn't McNamara checking into a bunch of stuff that exploited the CSU alignment. It was the kind of stuff you'd expect with McCarthy out there. Against teams not in their first game under a new head coach we're only going to get the McCarthy reaction when he's, you know, on the field.

It is possible to get free blocks when McNamara is in there—Corum's first chunk run saw Michigan successfully run away from two field-side blitzers without blocking them. It's just harder, and sometimes there's a play where you're like "ooooh what if", like that speed-option-type-substance at the end of the first half:

CSU DE to bottom

Any extra bit of hesitation from that defensive end and Edwards is one on one with a safety for a touchdown.

We did not see a whole lot from McCarthy to indicate that whatever wildness he showed in practice has been mitigated, and we probably won't get to see it against Hawaii since he might be choosing between wide open guys. What I do think is clear is that his mobility is a real weapon both on the ground and in the air and that if he's anywhere near McNamara in terms of game management it's his job.

I would like to rabble about the running game.

Go ahead.

Rabble, rabble, rabble.

I feel this rabbling is unwarranted. CSU is not good but I don't think they're abject like the next two opponents, at least in this department. Corum and Edwards combined to average 5.6 YPC on 25 carries despite having a long of 19. As a team Michigan put up 254 yards on 39 carries, 6.5 per. A couple of chunk plays were almost there; add one of those and we're talking whiz bang numbers.

Well then why are you having me rabble?

Because, bolded alter-ego, I felt myself internally rabble during the game, and in UFR when Michigan dumped out 3TE sets. I must admonish myself after going through everything. If only there was some sort of convenient device with which I could summarize information.

Like a chart?

Ah yes one of those.

Offensive Line
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Hayes				DNP
Keegan	7.5	5	+2.5	Two pass pro minuses. Got a –2 on a stretch where he was T not G.
Oluwatimi	9.5	0.5	+9	Ok, transition made.
Zinter	11.5	4	+7.5	Mashing.
Jones	7.5	1	+6.5	Agile enough to pull from T.
Barnhart	1	2	-1	Out relatively early.
El-Hadi	4.5	1	+3.5	Pleasantly ready to go. No mental errors discovered.
Atteberry	0	0	0	Got a –2 pass pro on the last snap I charted.
Crippen	0	0	0	DNP
All	1	1	0	Sea change in run blocking usage.
Schoonmaker	8.5	3.5	+5	Moving people. Couple of misses in space.
Honigford	8	2	+6	Much improved, regardless of competition.
Hibner	1	3	-2	Some promise but hesitant through hole
Bredeson	0	0	0	DNC
Selzer	0	0	0	DNP.
TOTAL	60	23	+37	72%, well above Mendoza line.
Backs
Player	+	-	T	Notes
McNamara				No runs.
McCarthy	2	0	+2	also 4/4 on mesh decisions.
Orji	0	0	0	DNC
Corum	6	0	+6	Consistently hit the right gaps.
Edwards	2.5	2	+0.5	Needs to set up blocks more consistently.
Stokes	0.5		+0.5	Looks jittery.
Dunlap	0	0	0	DNP.
TOTAL	11	2	+9	Nothing eyepopping, no +2s, just a steady stream of +1 from Corum.
Receivers
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Johnson	1	0	+1
Bell	3.5	2	+1.5	One paving on TD, one miss that erased a profitable bounce.
Henning	0	0	0
Wilson	2	0	+2	Fast.
Anthony	3.5	0	+3.5	Cut off a CB blitz.
Clemons	1	0	+1
TOTAL	11	2	+9	Got some work done for McCarthy and on screens.
Metrics
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Protection	17	8	68%	-3 Jones, –2 Keegan, –1 El-Hadi, –2 team. A –2 for Atteberry is not in the %.
RPS	12	4	+8	Only a couple safeties delivered unblocked to LOS, otherwise pretty good.

Overall numbers aren't that high because I didn't chart a ton of snaps. But aside from a disappointing pass protection number that's an excellent start. Michigan got contributions from expected guys. They got a dynamite opener from their transfer center. And they even added a couple of guys to the "might be good?" list.

#1: Gio El-Hadi looked very plausible. Degree of difficulty caveats apply but here he's able to stand up and control a DE coming into him with a significant amount of momentum:

LG #58 pulling to bottom

And this is a quality stretch combo block with Oluwatimi:

LG #58 just below center

He did not dorf anything, which is a win in and of itself for your #7 OL getting his first meaningful time. I kind of like him better than Barnhart already, at least at guard.

#2: This site appreciates Joel Honigford making a last-ditch bid to validate his Sleeper of the Year nomination. Michigan used him a lot and he whipped some guys. Here he crushes the one good DE CSU has:

#84 TE on LOS to top inside of Schoonmaker

Michigan used him a ton, and usually next to Schoonmaker. All's blocking was virtually unused, which says something about something.

We also saw Hibner in non-garbage time action (insofar as any of it was non-garbage time action for the first time). I clipped a couple of blocks he made largely for season preview purposes. He did look the part in terms of size and agility.

So what are we rabbling about?

Basically any unsuccessful run, because *gestures at schedule.* The shuffling on the left side contributed to some bad play. Barnhart is a jack of all trades across the line and maybe that contributes to some mental errors. I issued a –2 to him here for this double, which is pointlessly extended:

LT #52 second from top of line

It's questionable whether he needs to double at all here, but as soon as Keegan puts that guy decisively to one side Barnhart needs to find other work. By the time he decides to he's running past the LB burying Edwards at the LOS.

Here's Oluwatimi providing a demo:

#55 center

That is also a guy lined up shaded outside of his partner; Olu chips to put him to one side and then he's  gone to the second level. You may be saying… wait, we have a convention for this.

If this is the same situation at a different spot on the line why does Barnhart moving around matter?

uhhhhh good point. Maybe that's why he's a backup.

There were issues that can be directly traced to the shuffle, though. Edwards got boxed in on a one-yard zone stretch largely because Keegan, at left tackle, let a defensive end shoot inside of him. If a DT does that he's just put up a –3 and you're getting a chunk, so it's understandable why giant question marks appeared above Keegan's head on this play. Usually he's at guard, where this is not an issue.

But those grades!

Yes. The good news is that multiple players generated a ton of movement. That's necessary but not sufficient to declare them good given the level of competition, of course. It is still heartening to see large men consistently blasted. Here's Zinter:

RG #65 just above the center

And here's Oluwatimi:

center

An Olu/El-Hadi combo was crushing on the McCarthy TD; while not directly relevant to the play whenever a linebacker sees his DT getting wrecked he's going to move up and try to put out the fire, so there was no one left but the safety.

And here's a combo from Schoonmaker and Honigford:

TEs 84 and 86 to top

This pairing was surprisingly frequent and got the job done. Michigan ran over them on the next play, which was the easy Corum TD.  Both guys looked like they'd made major leaps from last year, when Honigford was extremely inconsistent after dropping 30 pounds to be more of a tight end and Schoonmaker was up and down for former QB reasons. Here Michigan relied on them to carve out edges with some frequency.

#86 to top

Both came in for big scores.

Jones's athleticism was on display as Michigan pulled him from right tackle on multiple occasions:

RT #53 second from bottom on LOS

 

Unfortunately for this site's season preview predictions, which projected Jones would be a downgrade on the ground and an upgrade in pass pro, he was shaky on the outside. There was the thundersack given up to Kamara:

That's the most ominous thing that happened on Saturday.

We need something to properly welcome you back. Something traditional.

Maybe I could complain about a running back?

That'll do, yes.

Feel a little bit like R Lee Ermey coming back to the barracks here but I had a few problems with Edwards. I am still not sure about his vision and ability to maximize his blocking. Here he's breaking to the second level.

What do you want him to do? Cut off Zinter's butt since that LB turned 90 degrees from square isn't doing anything if you cut back. If the other guy gets you whatever. Instead:

That's in addition to the two questionable decisions to give ground in an effort to dodge tacklers.

Edwards did slalom through the gates well on a couple other runs…

…so it's not all bad. I just cannot remember Corum doing anything like the above. There are levels of polish; Edwards is still climbing towards Corum's.

Receivers?

I have very little to say about the WRs other than catch the ball please. With a near total lack of downfield vision both live and on replay I don't know if they were open.

	THIS WEEK					THIS YEAR
Player	Uncb	Circus	Tough	Routine		Uncb	Circus	Tough	Routine
Johnson	1	0/1	1/2	1/1		1	0/1	1/2	1/1
Bell				1/2					1/2
Wilson				2/2					2/2
Anthony				1/1					1/1
Henning				1/1					1/1
Clemons
Walker
All	1	1/1				1	1/1
Schoonmaker	1			1/1		1			1/1
Honigford
Hibner
Bredeson				1/1					1/1
Loveland				1/1					1/1
Corum				1/1					1/1
Edwards				1/1					1/1
Stokes				1/1					1/1

While Anthony didn't have much impact as a receiver on his two targets I want to shout him out for a superior block:

WR #1 to bottom

You do not often see WRs do anything there. Also in this category, welcome back, Ronnie Bell. Yes, he caught a pass and almost fought through two guys tackling through him for another chunk but this was the most Ronnie Bell event of the day:

He moves that guy enough that Wilson does not have to break stride or change direction and that plus Wilson being very fast is what turns a basic screen into a 61-yard touchdown.

Heroes?

Pretty much anyone run blocking but Oluwatimi, Honigford, and Schoonmaker are a nose ahead. Corum. McCarthy, and McCarthy hypnotizing CSU into thinking he was on the field on that one drive.

Maybe not so heroic?

Unfortunately, McNamara.

What does it mean for Hawaii and beyond?

Advantage JJ. McNamara did not display the things that make him win the job. McCarthy displayed some of his toolbox but not all of it.

New blood, some of it old. El-Hadi, Honigford, and Schoonmaker were surprise standouts. All have to see if they can ramp it up against better competition later in the season. I'm betting they do.

Wondering about Jones. Most of the pass protection minuses came from guys who probably aren't going to play much or weren't playing at their natural position. Jones had two bad pass pro events and now we're going to be nervous about him until we shouldn't be.

Not a whole lot else. I have no WR takes.