FORMATION NOTES: Indiana frequently looks like Iowa, and then they pounce.

Eight man front with a soft shell behind it, ok whatever, and then the deep S and the cornerback activate and fling themselves at Corum. Indiana was very multiple in this game, moving between even, under, over, and odd fronts with an emphasis on even. They threw a lot of stuff at the OL.

SUBSTITUTION NOTES: With Wilson out, Andrel Anthony and AJ Henning got more run; Anthony got 28 snaps to Henning's 21. Colston Loveland got ~15 snaps. Barnhart replaced Jones at TE. Otherwise standard.

[After THE JUMP: It's true. It's not fatal, but it's true.]

Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Motion	Player	Yards
M23	1	10	Ace TTB	1	1	3	Nickel even	6.5	Pass	Deep cross	N	Henning	16
This PA from under center but the LB level is not drawn in. It does catch a CB blitz against Schoon being left in, though, and this flood concept runs off the boundary corner and sucks up the relevant LB on Corum, leaving Henning wide open. I was going to ding McCarthy here for pulling Henning off his feet but Henning goes to his knees and then the ball hits him in the upper chest, whereupon he traps it. This is not a perfect throw but I think the thing that takes Henning off his feet is Henning. (CA, +0.5, 3, protection 2/2, Henning route -)
M39	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6.5	Pass	Flash screen	WR	Bell	4
Slot corner comes again; JJ has an RPO(+) option to get the ball out to Bell and takes it. S at 10 yards IDs and charges to take this down after a modest gain. Four yards so RPS push I guess. (CA, 3, screen)
M43	2	6	Gun 2TE	1	2	2	4-3 even SAM	7	Pass	Out	N	Bell	6
DE drops out and chucks the heck out of Schoon and may threaten this underneath but he’s not actually a factor. JJ fires high and wide; Bell is able to grab it outside his frame and stab a foot down. (MA, -0.5, 1, protection 1/1)
M49	1	10	Ace TTE	1	2	2	Base 3-4	7.5	Run	Inside zone	TE	Corum	50
Man IU just went from passive to maniacal. You can see playside LB creeping along with the deep S, who isn’t deep at all presnap. Also a CB lined up at six yards blitzes. By the time JJ extends the ball to hand it off there is one Indiana play er not charging at the LOS. This is nuts. LB shoots inside of Schoon(+0.5) and this is a surprise to him since he’s got to figure that LB is going to be force. He manages to get a little piece of him and that’s enough for Corum to get outside of him. This puts him in the crosshairs of 3 Indiana players, Corum(+4) dips through two tackle attempts, then cuts past two more guys and the one IU player not charging is the last guy. I have no idea how the officials(refs-1) say he doesn’t score but apparently he doesn’t. OK. RPS -2.
O1	1	G	Goal line	1	3	1	Goal line	11	Run	Down G	N	Corum	1
This is a walk-in so points will be issued. Honigford(+0.5) and Schoon(+0.5) blow in charging IU players. Zinter(+1) crushes the edge guy. Bredeson(-1) goes for the same guy but it doesn’t matter because the gap’s so big.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 7-0, 12 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Motion	Player	Yards
M20	1	10	Pistol 3-wide covered	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Run	Arc read keeper	WR	McCarthy	8
Truly baffling from IU here because M has a covered slot WR and is in pistol and this time they don’t blow up the world. JJ pulls(ZR+) as the DE slides inside and then Schoon passes up the MLB, who has also dug inside; Jones(+0.5) gets a hold-ish type substance on him(refs+1) but lets go quickly as Schoon(+0.5) goes for S. He takes care of the S but LB is able to force JJ out. M gets more yards if Schoon plays it safe here but this was one more false step from the LB from six. RPS +1, I guess.
M28	2	2	Gun 4-wide1	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Pass	TE out	N	Schoonmaker	4
Quick out on a shot down where IU is dropping two S super deep. Converts. (CA, +0.5, 3, protection 1/1)
M32	1	10	Gun trips TE	1	1	3	Nickel even	6.5	Run	Zone read keeper	N	McCarthy	4
Slot LB blitzes off corner and is the guy read as DE dives inside. He is 100% back and pull is correct(ZR+) but IU is scraping behind it with the MLB so JJ(+1) has to avoid that guy; he does. Bell(-1) does not engage with a DB who is defending bubble screen motion so he’s able to close down JJ, who baseball slides and almost gets lit up. Dive forward is less dangerous and more yards.
M36	2	6	Pistol 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6.5	Run	Zone stretch	N	Edwards	-5
Pistol look into boundary stretch and hooboy BOTH corners blitz. Both LBs blitzball. This is just vastly irresponsible but they trust their read I guess. DL dive inside and shoot upfield, which is normally death on stretch but fine because CB shoots up and TFLs. I don’t know if I can even grade these blocks because IU is just doing wild stuff because double CB blitz. RPS -3.
M31	3	11	Gun trips TE	1	1	3	Nickel under SAM	6	Pass	TE drag	N	Schoonmaker	6
Kind of want JJ to take a shot at one of the three WRs here but it does kind of look like Schoonmaker has the edge here as he breaks into his drag; IU LB is able to recover and tackles. (CA, +0,. 3, protection 2/2)
Drive Notes: Punt, 7-0, 7 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Motion	Player	Yards
M25	1	10	Gun TTB	1	2	2	Nickel even SAM	7	Pass	Waggle flat	WR	Schoonmaker	7
Bell motions from the tight bunch to the field and runs a route; Schoonmaker in split flow. PA, deeper routes covered, JJ gets a blitzing SAM in his face. He pumps and gets around the guy to make sure this is open and then hits Schoonmaker. (CA, +1, 3, protection N/A)
M32	2	3	Gun trips TE covered	1	1	3	4-3 even	7	Run	Inside zone	WR	Corum	5
Trips to the field with #2 on the LOS and ineligible; threatened bubble holds 3 IU defenders and eliminates corner blitz. 6 v 7 in box so always going to be a free guy; M blocks this well. SAM LB held outside since JJ has kept a couple of times; Schoon(+0.5) initially attacks DE and then stops to cut that guy off. Hayes(+1) drives a DE three yards downfield. Keegan(+1) gets two yards of depth on the other DT. Corum finds the lane and the MLB is able to get him.
M37	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	2	2	Nickel even	6.5	Pass	TE pivot	N	Schoonmaker	9
IU in cover 3 with guys dropping so deeper options are dubious; Schoonmaker(route+) sells an out, gets a bite, and then drives back inside; JJ hits him on time and in stride. (CA, +0.5, 3, protection 2/2)
M46	2	1	Ace twins	1	2	2	4-3 even	7.5	Pass	Waggle deep out	?	Bell	26
Very weird from IU as they’re in maniac mode on second and one. PA, waggle., JJ has everyone open as eight guys bury themselves in the LOS. JJ puts it over the one guy in the area and Bell can go get some more. (CA, +1, 3, protection N/A, RPS +3)
O28	1	10	Ace trips	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Run	Power	N	Edwards	0
Again bubble holds 3 guys outside. Backside is held by JJ threat(ZR+) and correct give. Olu(+0.5) kicks a DE and Jones(+1) controls a DT, who gives ground to get around but late. Hayes pulls outside of Olu, which is probably a mistake but not sure if he’s authorized to improvise. Edwards(-2) has an interior lane he can cut into where he’ll be one on one with a safety after a few for a TD but attempts to bounce outside against a set edge and gets nothing.
O28	2	10	Pistol 2TE	1	2	2	4-3 even SAM	7.5	Run	Lead stretch	TE	Edwards	2
This has Dantonio safeties at 7 and 9 yards, as this is pistol. Bredeson starts before snap and is trying to find a place to insert himself frontside. Blocking is dubious there with Hayes(-1) and Loveland(-1) losing blocks and giving ground while Keegan(+1) is able to reach a DT; this is not a full scoop that allows him to leave so one of those safeties is filling hard. Backside is open thanks to a reach by Jones(+2). Edwards(-1) finds it but does not press frontside enough to get a LB in the wrong gap. He goes down on first contact. RPS -1.
O26	3	8	Gun trips TE	1	1	3	Base 3-4	7	Pass	Deep out	N	Bell?	Inc
Five guys sent as M puts five in the pattern; protection mostly good except for Zinter(-1) getting partially beaten and picking up what looks like a pretty weak holding call(refs -1). McCarthy fires it downfield where Bell and Loveland are within a yard of each other. If this is to Bell it’s inaccurate; if it’s to Loveland it looks like it’s right on point… except for Bell getting a finger on the ball and functionally PBUing it. I guess Loveland route minus, but I can’t chart this. (not charted, protection ½)
Drive Notes: FG(44), 10-7, 1 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Motion	Player	Yards
M23	1	10	Pistol TTB	1	3	1	4-3 even SAM	8.5	Run	Counter	N	Corum	4
Bunch is three TEs with Schoon and Bredeson pulling across along with Keegan. Keegan(+1) turns in a DE and Schoon(+0.5) kicks a LB; Bredeson heads outside and another LB goes with him. Jones chips on a DT Zinter(+1) puts on the ground; he goes to the second level and finds a linebacker but cannot sustain a block on him. This was cover 3 with a functional eight man box so RPS even.
M27	2	6	Ace TTB	1	2	2	4-3 even SAM	7.5	Run	WR insert	N	Corum	1
Basically insert iso using Bell as the insert guy. Bell(-2) runs by the playside LB to get a soft cover 3 corner, woof. Schoon(-0.5) loses his kickout; Honigford(+1) controls a DE.
M28	3	5	Gun trips	1	1	3	3-3 stack	6	Pass	Post	WR*	Bell	Inc
Note that the motion here is from Schoonmaker but he is not motioning into the box so I’m filing it as WR motion. IU has a sim blitz on from a LB near the LOS while they send the other two; Keegan(-2) inexplicably chases the sim blitz guy and one of the blitzers gets in scot free. Blitzer appears to get a glancing hit on JJ as he throws, which causes the pass to flutter away. Had Bell for a chunk. (PR, +0, 0, protection 0/2)
Drive Notes: Punt, 10-10, 10 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Motion	Player	Yards
O42	1	10	Gun trips TE	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Pass	Improv	WR	Bell	9 +15 pen
Henning motions into the backfield and then zips into the flat for a threatened flare screen. IU has this covered with their spacebacker. JJ pumps it and wants to go deep but IU S on Bell is ten yards off and not biting at all on the fake. Protection is great so JJ has time; Bell realizes the jig is up and breaks off his route into a comeback as JJ motions him back. (CA, +1, 3, protection 3/3, Bell route +, RPS -1). S rips the ball out well after the play, drawing a PF that doesn’t need to be called (refs +3).
O19	1	10	Ace twins	1	2	2	4-3 under	7.5	Run	Zone stretch	TE	Corum	-3
This eats another corner blitz from the field, also the linebackers are absolutely hammering at this. Hayes(+1) neutralizes a DE for a moment but Keegan(-1) reads it wrong and initially wants to double with Olu and when Hayes leaves the DT penetrates. Schoon(-2) has a guy hammering at him who dives inside because of the CB blitz and he penetrates. Corum(-1) stops and gets TFLed; he should just go outside Schoon and get whacked at the LOS by the other LB. RPS -2, this looks like a Tecmo Bowl play where you picked the right one.
O22	2	13	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Pass	In	N	Johnson	12
This team is so committed to CB blitz that the field guy actually takes a step to the LOS here before correcting on a play that is second and thirteen from the gun. This gives Johnson some separation and JJ lasers it in for YAC. (CA, +1, 3, protection 2/2). Also this looks like read three for JJ.
O10	3	1	Gun 2TE	1	2	2	Goal line	9	Run	Dive	TE	Corum	3
Only five guys against M’s seven man run surface so Hayes(+0.5), Keegan(+0.5), and Olu(+0.5) can just plow ahead.
O7	1	G	Gun twin TE	1	2	2	Goal line	9	Run	Inside zone	N	Corum	-1
Now six guys so there’s not nearly as much room and M cannot move the big IU tackles. Olu(-0.5) can’t get any push and Zinter(-1) gets shed. Hayes(+0.5) and Keegan(+0.5) able to combo through their guy but gap behind him is cut off by slanting. Schoon(+1) and Loveland(+1) actually do excellent jobs to grab these guys and shove and shove and shove; Corum(-1) doesn’t take that delay step and gets too close to the LOS too fast; when he tries to redirect he falls; a little more patience and he can go behind the TEs for a few.,
O8	2	G	Gun twin TE	1	2	2	Goal line	9	Pass	Fade-slant	N	Bell	Inc
Bell sells fade and then breaks to the slant. DB is beat so he just grabs Bell from behind and yanks him back into coverage. Refs -2. (CA, +1, 0, protection 2/2)
O8	3	G	Gun trips TE	1	1	3	Nickel under slide	7	Pass	Improv	N	Henning	Inc
Four man rush against max pro so JJ has all day. He’s got nothing so he waits. Henning(route+) pops open on move #3 in the back of the endzone and JJ lays it in; this is a bit weird since Henning again starts falling for seemingly no reason but the ball hits him in the hands and he drops it. (CA, +1, 3, protection 3/3)
Drive Notes: Blocked FG(26), 10-10, 6 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Motion	Player	Yards
M20	1	10	Pistol 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Run	Split zone	TE	Corum	2
Bredeson(-2) in motion from a WR spot to become the split flow blocker; he simply runs past the Indiana DE. Corum has to cut away from up the gut, which looks pretty good with Keegan(+0.5) and Hayes(+0.5) doubling one DT off the ball and Olu(+0.5) and Zinter(+0.5) putting the other to the outside of Zinter with Olu releasing to the second level. DE hews down Corum as he tries to hop outside. Jones injured, with Barnhart coming in at RT.
M22	2	8	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 even SAM	7	Pass	TE out	N	Schoonmaker	6
Five man pressure picked up; dink route to sideline is ok. (CA, +0.5, 3, protection 1/1)
M28	3	2	Gun 4-wide	2	1	2	Nickel over	6	Pass	Slant	WR	Edwards	10
Edwards just lined up at WR here, motions in to be next to Schoon, double slants against zone, LB goes after Schoon, easy pitch and catch completion. (CA, +0.5, 3, protection 1/1, RPS +1) Overplaying Schoon.
M38	1	10	Ace trips TE	1	1	3	4-3 even	7.5	Pass	Deep out	N	Bell	15
PA, leave in Schoonmaker, switch routes on outside while Bell runs an out. Bell’s open but this ball is way behind and Bell’s forced to grown-man the ball away from the DB. (INX, -2, 1, protection 2/2)
O47	1	10	Gun 4-wide	1	1	3	Base 3-4	7	Pass	TE out	N	Schoonmaker	Inc
Blitz off the field side slot with a DE dropping into the boundary; JJ is looking to the boundary, where neither guy is a good option. Ball is accurate but broken up; both guys to the field were open. (BR, -1, 0, protection 2/2)
O47	2	10	Pistol 3-wide	1	1	3	Base 3-4	6	Run	Inside zone	N	Edwards	8
Another blitz off the corner; LB also comes as IU is shifted way under. Schoon(+1) stands up the LB. Blitzing spacebacker has to hold up a second in case JJ pulls—and honestly this could easily be a pull anyway, ZR push—so Edwards can zip through. Barnhart(+1) and Zinter(+1) clubberate a DE and Edwards shoots up the back of those two guys; DE folding back is able to come around and ankle-tackle, nothing Hayes could do about that. Olu(+0.5 ) controlled his guy. RPS +1.
O39	3	2	Pistol 3-wide	1	1	3	Base 3-4	7	Run	Dive	N	Edwards	0
Olu(-2) gets swum, DT falls but is right in the lane; he’s able to get up enough to trip up Edwards as the MLB, who Zinter doesn’t have a path to because Olu fell, finishes it off. Hayes(+0.5) and Keegan(+0.5) both got their blocks so this was probably good otherwise. This is an insane spot. Edwards gains a yard and a half here and is awarded nothing. Refs -2.
O39	4	2	Ace TTE	1	2	2	Goal line	10	Run	Dive	TE*	Corum	-1
So M motions in Bell(-2), except he’s not actually lined up next to the TE. He’s two yards outside. He’s asked to block a guy lined up two yards inside of him, and this doesn’t work at all.
Drive Notes: Turnover on downs, 10-10, 1 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Motion	Player	Yards
M2	1	10	Pistol 2TE tight	1	2	2	4-3 over	7.5	Penalty	False start	N/A	Corum	-1
Corum -1.
M1	1	11	Gun twin TE	1	2	2	4-3 under	7.5	Run	Inside zone	N	Corum	3
Zinter(+0.5) controls and gets a step or two of depth. Olu(+1) peels off a double to thunk a charging LB. Keegan is wrestling that guy and doesn’t get a ton of depth; Hayes(-0.5) can’t get to the second level fast enough to hit the other LB. Corum is able to squeeze out a few.
M4	2	8	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel over	6	Pass	Corner	N	Johnson	Inc
Slot corner blitz with DE dropping out on other side. JJ knows he wants Johnson from the drop. Johnson breaks inside and then goes vertical before breaking to the corner and is wide open as he’s got a cover 3 guy with his hips pivoted inside. JJ puts it on him… drop. Johnson is one broken tackle from 96 yard TD. (DO, +2, 3, protection 2/2, RPS +2)
M4	3	8	Gun trips	2	1	2	Exotic	6	Pass	Drag	WR	Bell	14
Edwards starts in backfield and then motions out to the slot. Field guys take three defenders deep and Schoon gets carried to the sticks by a LB. Bell is dragging across and he’s got that freshman DE dropping into his zone, no way he keeps up. JJ fires it after coming off a read and converts. (CA, +1, 3, protection 2/2, RPS +1)
M18	1	10	Ace TTB	1	2	2	4-3 even	8	Pass	Smoke screen	N	Bell	4
CB shows bail to C3 presnap so JJ aborts the run play to just toss it to Bell. I’m surprised this only got 4; seemed like a good idea. (CA, 3, screen)
M22	2	6	Gun trips TE	1	1	3	4-3 over	7	Pass	Dig	N	Anthony	17
So this is good. Route concept has Schoon on a drag that he sits down on and Anthony running behind him; Bell drags another zone defender out of the way. JJ has Schoonmaker. He can hit him and worst case is third and one. He waits, he looks at Schoon, he sucks up a zone defender, and when he sucks up he zips it in to Anthony for a chunk. This is wide open and usually a 15 yard hit is not a DO but he made this with his eyes so I’m DOing it. (DO, +2, 3, protection 2/2)
M39	1	10	Gun twin TE	1	2	2	4-3 under	7	Run	Inside zone	N	Corum	18
I think this might be an intentional cutback play, but it’s pretty much impossible to tell. I think what M wants to do is widen the EMLOS to the field with the JJ threat and then block him out and have Corum cut back into that gap. WLB gets Barnhart(-2) releasing to him and either susses it out or has a gap responsibility M doesn’t expect and dusts Barnhart to the outside. Barnhart then violates Never Turn Upfield. Corum(+3) dusts the LB in the gap and then busts through 3-4 tackles to get a chunk. Schoon(+1) and Honigford(+0.5) carved out a big hole to give Corum room to maneuver. Olu(+1) got a second level block after comboing through a DT.
O43	1	10	Pistol 3-wide	1	2	2	4-3 under	7	Run	Inside zone	N	Corum	3
Schoon in slot and just runs downfield, would love some sort of check here because IU is super soft on the edge. A pull is plausible here but with no end left unblocked I don’t think it’s live. Honigford(-1) gets jammed back into the lane and with the other DL slanting across there aren’t any frontside gaps. Barnhart(+1) and Zinter(+1) do well to fire those guys down the line but Corum has to cut back into the free hitter and the guy slanting against Honigford. OL start scrumming and get a couple more yards but this gets blown dead as M is surging forward, which costs M a yard or two. Refs -1.
O40	2	7	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Exotic	6	Pass	Fly	N	Bell	Inc
Fake check. This does get the drop on Mullen and would be amazing if Mullen was in press. He’s literally 11 yards off the LOS, though. So… yeah. This does result in a very confused and late blitz from IU that does nothing and it gets Johnson screamingly wide open on a dig, but JJ fires the fly. I think this is a perfect throw but for the delay Mullen is able to induce, FWIW. (BR, -1, 0, protection 2/2, RPS +1)
O40	3	7	Gun trips	1	1	3	Exotic	6	Pass	Scramble	N	McCarthy	9
Five man rush almost picked up but Keegan(-1) does let his guy through. He’s able to shove him some and gives JJ a moment to go, so he goes. He’s able to beat the LB and pick it up. (SCR, +1, protection ½). If this doesn’t happen he’s probably firing to Colston Loveland for a first down, FWIW.
O31	1	10	Pistol 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel under	6	Run	Counter	N	Corum	2
LBs just pouring over the top towards this and it gets hard to deal with. Zinter(+0.5) gets around and blocks the DE diving inside, spill. Schoon(+0.5), ditto. Johnson goes for a safety instead of cracking the LB but that’s probably because he’s expected to, this is a six v six run surface. Hayes just cannot get to the backside LB because that guy is flowing so fast and he gets over the top to tackle, RPS -1.
O29	2	8	Gun 2TE	1	2	2	4-3 even SAM	7	Pass	Drag	WR	Johnson	29
JJ waves Johnson out so he can motion back into his original position, and we’ll embed Devin Gardner here to explain that in the meat of the post. M catches that old double A gap twist blitz with a sim from an outside LB and doesn’t pick it up. Barnhart blocks no one, Zinter wants to pass his guy off to Olu, Olu’s blocking a guy. JJ just rolls out to the empty side of the field and hits Johnson, who dragged his M2M defender through two different routes and has a ton of separation. Rest of the secondary can’t rally, TD. (CA+, +1, 3, protection 0/2, TEAM -2)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 17-10, 7 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Motion	Player	Yards
O33	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Pass	In	N	Bell	6
Quick pitch and catch under the zone. (CA, +0.5, 3, protection 1/1)
O27	2	4	Gun twins	1	2	2	Goal line	9	Run	Split zone	WR	Corum	2
Dude this is pure zero coverage from Indiana on the 27. How is this not a check? The deepest IU player is six yards downfield. Bell motions across to confirm that yes this is man zero. In any case. Zinter(-1) gets a DT slanting to him and gets stalled at the LOS; Schoonmaker does an OK job on a DE; he gets yard of depth and eventually seals the guy out. Corum tries to go to this gap because he doesn’t really have any other choices. I guess I am not RPSing this since the other guys weren’t relevant.
O25	3	2	Pistol FB twins	1	2	2	Goal line	8.5	Run	Split zone	N	Corum	5
Bredeson(+1) at FB, runs at SAM and thunks him, stalling him out. Schoon(+0.5) gets enough of a DE. Ditto Zinter. Corum(+0.5) finds the gap and hits it hard. LB fires in wrong gap so no one for Barnhart to get to.
O20	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6.5	Run	Arc read give	N	Corum	2
Oof missed pull from JJ(ZR-, -2) as this gets a CB blitz and this guy is never going to redirect in time after thinking Schoon is going to block him. M has no intention of blocking DE who is crashing on Corum, so no gain. RPS +2, this was a TD if kept.
O18	2	8	Gun empty	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Pass	Skinny post	N	Bell	INT
INT has already been dissected to death by everyone. LB makes a terrific play to carry Bell to the endzone, JJ thinks he’s got Bell vs LB for easy TD, puts it right on the money, deflected, INT. In retrospect any kind of run conflict here is TD but empty. (BR, -2, 0, protection 1/1)
Drive Notes: Interception, 17-10, 3 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Motion	Player	Yards
M5	1	10	Pistol 3-wide	1	2	2	Nickel under	6.5	Run	Split zone	TE	Corum	2
I mean you’ve got eight guys in the box and two of the three LBs are charging at the snap. Bredeson(+0.5) corrects his earlier error by getting down on that DE who’s sliding down. Olu(+0.5) controls a DT; Hayes(+1) and Keegan(+0.5) double through a DT. LB shoots outside Schoon and another CB is containing McCarthy so there is a gap here that Corum(-1) can hit but he instead runs into the back of Hayes, costing M some yards.
M7	2	8	Gun trips TE	1	1	3	4-3 over	7	Pass	Dig	N	Anthony	15
Same deal as previous Anthony shot except JJ doesn’t have to be as patient because the LB immediately runs up on the TE. (CA, +1, 3, protection 2/2)
M22	1	10	Pistol 2TE	1	2	2	4-3 even	7.5	Run	Lead stretch	TE	Corum	-2
Yeesh. This is nine guys tearing after Corum. IU takes the TE motion as a slant cue, eight V seven on front with no realistic keep chance, LB cleans up back, everyone can overplay frontside gaps. Corum gets swarmed in backfield. RPS -3, I’m not grading these impossible blocks.
M20	2	12	Gun 4-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Penalty	False start	N	N/A	-5
Zinter(-1)
M15	2	17	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel over	5.5	Penalty	False start	N	N/A	-5
Olu(-1)
M10	2	22	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel over	5.5	Pass	Hitch	WR	Johnson	11
Blitz off slot, Hayes picks up slot blitzer but line sets right so DE gets through untouched. JJ gets lit up but is able to fire it out to Johnson, who makes a circus catch. (CA+, +2, 1, protection 0/2, TEAM -2)
M21	3	11	Gun trips	2	1	2	Dime even	5.5	Pass	Improv	N	Bell	10
Three man rush, forever, JJ goes into Ishtar mode. This is correct as he has nobody open. He dodges a guy, finds Bell, and Bell reaches out just as he steps OOB and looks like he’s got it. Refs(-2) don’t see the stretch and mark him a yard short. Throw these guys in a dumpster. (CA+, +1, 3, protection 1/1)
Drive Notes: Punt, 17-10, 14 min 4th Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Motion	Player	Yards
M44	1	10	Ace 2TE	1	2	2	4-3 under	8	Pass	PA TE cross	N	Schoonmaker	15
PA, LBs suck in, three v three deeper. J finds Schoon but leaves the ball way short and forces him to dig it out, which he does spectacularly. (IN, -1, 1, protection 2/2) RPS +1.
O41	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Pass	TE out	TE	Schoonmaker	6
Schoon motions into wing TE spot except he’s a yard or soo outside the tackle. Quick out, some yards. (CA, +0.5, 3, protection 1/1)
O35	2	4	Gun twin TE	1	2	2	4-3 under	7	Run	Inside zone	N	Corum	6
Again hard to tell if this is windback. Schoon(+0.5) and Bredeson(+1) bury guys inside and Corum(+0.5) cuts back into the open space behind despite a CB blitz.
O29	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Run	Inside zone	N	Corum	6
Dantonio safeties. With 11 minutes left up 7 in FG range I guess you live with it. Blocking good; Schoon(+1) and Barnhart(+1) combo through a DT and get a charging LB. Zinter(+1) gets a lot of depth on DT solo. Keegan(+1) kicks a guy upfield. Honestly, Corum has a blocked gap for a big chunk that he does not take but Corum(+1) also goes Full Sanders on the Dantonio safety filling to meet him so we’ll call it good.
O23	2	4	Pistol 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel under	6	Run	Split zone	TE	Corum	9
Motion works here as IU blitzes from the boundary and M has split to the field. Bredeson(+1) doesn’t have anything to do but also hit the DE diving inside but he does it and seals him. Corum(+1) threatens upfield and then bounces, eliminating MLB. Zinter gets a surprise DT shooting upfield and I am dubious about this but It kind of looks like if Corum hits it up the gut he might make it, push. Olu(+1) crunches a DT to make the interior threat real.
O14	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Run	Inside zone	N	Corum	5
Keegan(+1) turns out a DT; Olu(+1) ejects a blitzing LB. Barnhart deals with a DT(+0.5) decently; Zinter(+0.5) gets to a LB. Corum gets hit by a DT shedding a few yards downfield and falls forward.
O9	2	5	Gun twins	1	2	2	4-3 even	7.5	Pass	RPO TE flare screen	TE	Schoonmaker	9
Slot LB charges, he’s the read guy, McCarthy(RPO+) pulls. LB replacing might be able to get out there but Bell(+1) gets driven back at the last second after a good, long block and LB runs into him. Schoon extends to the sideline and scores. Johnson(+1) the other key block, RPS +2.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 24-10, 9 min 4th Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Motion	Player	Yards
M40	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 over	7	Pass	Rollout deep out	N	Bell	21
JJ looks up backside WR at start; decoy as this is a planned rollout into a flood concept. Bell(route+) breaks in and then out to get a couple yards of separation and JJ puts it on him. (CA, +1, 3, protection N/A, RPS +1)
O39	1	10	Gun 2TE	1	2	2	Base 3-4	7	Pass	Drag	WR	Bell	6
Bust leaves Schoon wide open but Bell is open enough on first read; IU CB is in man and doesn’t get disrupted by the other TE route so he’s able to rally and tackle after a little YAC. (CA, +0.5, 3, protection 2/2)
O33	2	4	Gun trips TE	1	1	3	Nickel even	6.5	Run	Zone read keeper	WR	McCarthy	5
Bubble holds DBs; LB off edge charges, pull. Barnhart(+2) gets enough depth on this that his man trips a LB trying to recover. JJ should probably just get the first down and dive down with two players converging; he slows down and tries to spin inside of the S, getting lit up by a recovering LB. Ouch. (ZR+)
O28	1	10	Pistol 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel over	6.5	Run	Arc read give	N	Edwards	4
Hayes(+1) blows a guy off the line. Arc holds one LB and one DE; Keegan(+0.5) gets to another LB. Olu(+0.5) controls his guy and gets a yard of depth. Edwards doesn’t have a crease and just runs up the backs of his OL.
O24	2	6	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Pass	TE out	N	Schoonmaker	5
Cover 2 corner hops up on Schoon so McCarthy wants to get behind that; Bell(route-) stumbles as he breaks to a corner. JJ has to come off that again and is drifting back trying to buy time; CB has sunk a bit as he reads JJ’s eyes so the TE is open for a bit. (CA, +1, 3, protection 2/2)
O19	3	1	Gun TTE	1	2	2	Goal line	9	Run	Dive	TE	Corum	2
Insufficient guys on LOS here so M just doubles the DTs and gets it.
O17	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Run	Inside zone	N	Edwards	6
LB off slot, has to respect keep. DE driving inside; Honigford(+1) gets a couple yards driving him with a little chip from Barnhart(+0.5); Zinter(-0.5) gets driven back a bit and frontside gaps are not available. Edwards(+0.5) gets to the gap just outside Honigford and the LB checking JJ can get him down, but only after a good gain. RPS +1.
O11	2	4	Gun 3-wide	1	2	2	4-3 under	7	Run	QB lead zone	TE	Orji	3
Opens up as Hayes(+2) clobbers a DE six yards downfield by the time the play’s over. Olu(+0.5) helps escort a slanting DT down the line; Edwards(-1) contacts a LB but more or less throws a weak shoulder into him; he’s able to shed and tackle.
O8	3	1	Gun 2TE	1	2	2	Goal line	9	Run	Dive	N	Corum	2
Now there are guys on the DL so we have a key block here from Keegan(+1), who drives his guy off the line and gives Corum a lane to jump into.
O6	1	G	Gun TTE	1	2	2	Goal line	9	Pass	RPO flash screen	N	Johnson	6
Abort into the screen here as IU stacks their DBs; Bell(+1) hammers the guy on the LOS and this is easy. It is also beyond the LOS and a clear OPI(refs +3) of the variety IU got flagged for earlier in the game. (CA, 3, screen, RPO+)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 31-10, 2 min 4th Q.

 

I did not like that? Or did I?

So we gotta talk about Indiana's defense. Last week Iowa sat back and let it happen to them until very late. This week Indiana picked their spots to maniacally attack. When this happens we start getting into crabby crab fests where coach proxies subtweet the bloggers and say everything is fine while the bloggers zapruder very bad playcalls that should feel bad. This is not going to be too crabby because Michigan actually did a great job in all respects but two.

Anyway. When Indiana gets frisky and gets it right this happens:

That exact thing is the Indiana thing. They send more corners than anyone else in the Big Ten, so linebackers get to surprise tight ends who expect them to be the edge contain. Schoonmaker is assuming that LB will have to fight over the top, but the charging CB to the outside is the force player.

When they get it wrong this happens:

Iowa was happy to bleed down the field gradually and try to stiffen in the red zone. Indiana wants to put you in long yardage situations and is willing to give up chunks when they guess wrong.

How does Indiana get away with a zillion corner blitzes?

A lot of them aren't outright called:

The coverage is the coverage, but why these concepts worked so well in 2020 basically comes down to how Coach Teegardin and the defensive staff under defensive coordinator Kane Wommack were able to “steal” defenders in the run game, by alleviating them from pass responsibility. That came in two ways: with pre-snap communication from coverage defenders to trigger blitzes by formation and the post-snap “Center read” principle that was built in for the Mike and Stinger to quickly identify and react off block progressions to get an extra defender in the run game.

Pre-snap communication to trigger blitzes by formation will maaaaybe be relevant later in the post. IU is a heavy tendencies defense, unlike Iowa, and they are hair trigger dudes. This compromises their pass coverage sometimes. Check the topmost corner on this in to Johnson:

That guy is attacking the LOS on a play with no mesh, and his attempt to recover is always going to be difficult.

This has been "Brian UFRs this again after a year off and remembers why Indiana is so annoying to play against."

First… how much did the Hart incident affect things?

This is impossible to really know, but I will just point out that between the Hart incident and halftime Michigan started spitting out mountains of –2s. Here Bell is inserting and runs by a linebacker:

WR #8 to top

Next play, Trevor Keegan pursues a sim blitzer three yards downfield.

LG #77 just below C

In this same approximate period of time: Bell and Loveland run the same route, Edwards bounces against a set edge, Bredeson runs past a DE, Bell dorfs the fourth down. Is that just trap game stuff or were people distracted? No idea. Does feel like there was a loss of balance.

One guy who was able to keep it level the whole time: JJ McCarthy.

Give me a word to describe his performance.

In a word, yoooooo.

JJ MCCARTHY

	Good				Neutral			Bad					Ovr			Reads
Game	DO	CA	SCR		PR	MA		BA	TA	IN	BR		DSR	GRADE!		RPOs	ZRs
Colorado State		4+											100%	oops		0/0	4/4
Hawaii	4	8(1)+											100%	+14		1/1	3/3
UConn	2++	5(6)			1	2							100%	+11		1/1	1/2
Maryland	2	15(1)	1						1	5	3**		67%	+1.5		1/2	1/3
Iowa	3+	11+(4)			3	3			1	3			78%	+8		1/1	2/3
Indiana	2	22++(3)	1		1	1				2*	3		83%	+16		4/4	4/5

(Run +/- is in the other chart; the above is solely a passing/decisions grade.)

That is heavy usage and 25/30 on DSR, plus 8/9 on mesh point decisions—actually more than that on decisions since I need to remind myself to check RPO handoffs and those bubbles were not there and therefore not thrown. His mistakes are infrequent for anyone, let alone a first-year starter.

McCarthy's calmness and instincts just jump out. Here he's got bog standard waggle and a guy coming to him, pump it and get around hm so this guy can't block your pass:

Here Michigan's trying to run a fake bubble into a shot but Indiana does not bite at all, so he just rolls out, tells Bell to come back, and rifles it in for a good gain:

McCarthy hand motions were a running subplot in the game. I did not catch this because I am not a former QB but Devin Gardner did:

ICYMI, on the MMQB film study with @devingardnerXCI we detailed another example of @jjmccarthy09's command and growth on the shallow cross TD to @CorneliusNation. #Michigan #GoBlue - https://t.co/Cqvxy7St7a pic.twitter.com/4A0V9ltR04

— Sam Webb (@SamWebb77) October 12, 2022

Sam also said that McCarthy was frantically signaling at Bell to motion in on the failed fourth down, although I failed to clip that.

And he continues to improve on going through his progressions. Our Watch JJ's Helmet play of the week:

Left side of the field, doesn't like it, slant covered, in fired. Second place in this department:

He's got Schoonmaker here.

If he lays that in worst case scenario is third and one, and even that's pretty far-fetched. But he knows he has something bigger if he can just get that LB to commit, so he stares down his TE until the LB comes up and rifles it in behind him. Most young quarterbacks are going "ooh, open" and getting that out ASAP.

It might be insane to say McCarthy's accuracy was a little off? I think it is, but I wrote that before I put the chart together and I am now realizing that pretty much any ball that is not right in someone's chest stands out as a wild deviation from the norm. Bell and Schoonmaker were indeed asked to make circus catches (twice, in Bell's case) they brought in. Emphasis on "a little," though, because most throws in the intermediate range were right on point. The WR chart has nothing (NOTHING) in the tough category; if it wasn't a circus catch it was routine or broken up, and the broken up passes were about to be right on a dude's facemask.

McCarthy was 0/3 on throws beyond 20 yards in this game, which is A Concern since Michigan hasn't been able to hook up on deep ball in a while, but this was one of those throws:

Everyone had a nice "aaaargh" at that.

The main other negative was a couple incidents where McCarthy seemed to lock in a presnap decision and ride with it even when it was untenable. The interception was one, obviously, and the fake check play was another:

Mullen has this covered, and Johnson is wide open on the dig, but the idea with the fake check is to get a big play so JJ tries to get a big play. This would have been great against press. Indiana is very much not in press. On the other hand, I think that's complete if Mullings isn't slowing down Bell (legally), so a tentative sign we can get back to bombs away.

RPO/zone read decisions were generally very good except for this achingly bad one:

That looks like a touchdown to me on a keep. That DB is going to have to stop and brace for contact before Schoonmaker ghosts him, he's not redirecting in time and there's 3 for 3 the rest of the way.

Schoonmaker is moving opponents?

I mean, they went to him three or four times very early and then Michigan did a very good job exploiting that. In addition to the two shots to Anthony on digs, Michigan stuck Edwards in the slot on one third down and slants were good:

As I said, Indiana is a tendencies defense and just look at that LB look up Schoonmaker. Same thing happened on the critical third and eight conversion, as a linebacker ends up carrying Schoonmaker exclusively and a freshman DE gets stuck trying to chase down Bell:

I thought this was going to be an RPS massacre and it was not—I have Michigan +7!—in part because of things like this. In fact let's see that chart.

I say chart now.

Ok.

Chart.

Offensive Line
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Hayes	8	1.5	+6.5	Got a couple crunchers in.
Keegan	9	1	+8	3 pass pro minuses, otherwise very good.
Oluwatimi	7.5	3.5	+4	One pretty bad whiff.
Zinter	7	3.5	+3.5	Solid.
Jones	3.5		+3.5	Left halfway through with injury.
Barnhart	6	2	+4	One –2, one +2.
El-Hadi				DNP
Anderson				DNP
Persi				DNP
All				DNP
Schoonmaker	8	2.5	+5.5	YMMV on guys shooting inside and barely getting contact.
Honigford	3	1	+2	Yup.
Hibner				DNP
Bredeson	3.5	3	+0.5	One targeting issue on split.
Loveland	1	1	0	They must like him.
TOTAL	53.5	19	74%	I must be getting soft.
Backs
Player	+	-	T	Notes
McCarthy	1	2	-1	Good decisions except once.
McNamara				DNP
Orji				DNC
Corum	10	4	+6	Had three magnificent events but left some yards on the field.
Edwards	0.5	4	-3.5	Did not get the yards that were there.
Stokes				DNP
Gash				DNP
TOTAL	11.5	10	+1.5	Rabbling above.
Receivers
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Johnson	1	0	+1
Bell	2	5	-3	Two very costly missed assignments.
Henning
Wilson
Anthony
Clemons				Hold, but I get it.
TOTAL	3	5	-2	Could dump those Bell –2s in the OL metric above since they were basically TE blocks.
Metrics
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Protection	43	8	84%	-4 TEAM, –3 Keegan, –1 Zinter. Domination.
RPS	17	13	+4	Run game blowups vs pass game openings.

So this is a very big blocking score given the results, but pretty much all of the RPS minuses are on the ground and pretty much all of the pluses are in the air. Edwards got hewed down for a TFL early and no blocks were relevant so it was RPS –3 and no blockers got dinged. That sort of thing.

Other notes in the chart: great pass pro performance, with a couple of missed blitz pickups against Blitzy McBlitzerson, one very weird Keegan sojourn, and a couple of –1s set against 43 positives. This was always likely to be in the cards given IU's talent level but seeing it come through was very good, especially as Barnhart didn't miss a beat.

How was he, by the way? Asking for a friend who is also all Michigan fans.

Pretty good.

He was a little bumpier on the ground but his one big minus was a whiff on a play where he's moving to the second level and gets ole'd by a linebacker who is either doing something very dumb or very smart:

M RT #52

Normally that LB will be trying to climb over the tackle because the play is likely to go off the frontside. This might be an intentional cutback play, though. It's always hard to tell what subtle inside zone variants are going on but Schoonmaker seems to check up on Honigford's guy to make sure he's not slanting his way, and then when he doesn't feel pressure he pivots to lock out the DE who's been held outside by the threat of McCarthy keeping. Normally this would not happen—the point is that you don't have to block the DE when he has to wait. So either the Indiana LB smells a rat or he's just attacking a far backside gap that is unlikely to be relevant. But anyway Barnhart does not expect him to do this and because he's sort of lunging into the block he can't redirect, and then he violates Never Turn Upfield instead of finding someone else to hit.

When not doing this he was picking up a steady string of half points and the occasional full point. It'll probably be fine?

My god. Blake Corum.

I mean:

And I'm like?

What else is there to say?

But Edwards not so much?

I'm not going to put too much on this since Edwards was visibly shaken by Mike Hart going down, as you would expect, and had a couple of runs where he messed up. This edge is very set and you need to threaten the bounce and then slash upfield after you commit the guy outside:

There's a safety charging hard so maybe this doesn't go very far but it's at least a decent chunk instead of zero, and if Johnson can get to that S…

Then on the next play he had a stretch that had a gap backside but he didn't press frontside enough to commit an Indiana LB. Again, much of this was immediately after Hart went down and let's just memory-hole it. It is another explanation for the gap between blocking scores and yards gained, which is why I mention it.

Ok, here we go. What about Klatt's thing with the motion?

I charted with a little bit more detail than just "motion" by charting whether it was TE or WR motion based on whether the motion was in the tackle box or outside of it. So on two plays I charted WR/TE motion as the other. They were the ill-fated fourth down where Bell came into the box and a play where Schoonmaker moved a bit but was still the #2 WR in trips (ie, the middle one) after he was done. Drumroll:

• No motion: 26 passes, 20 runs.
• TE motion: 11 runs, 1 RPO, 1 pass.
• WR motion: 9 passes, 4 runs.

Is there a tip there? Well, Corum's Houdini act was one of those plays. There was also a nine yard split zone. Three of the plays were short-yardage dives that gained three yards total, one of which was a failed fourth and two that didn't really have anything to do with tipping a play. The other six runs out of TE motion went a total of five yards. If we give Corum five for the Houdini play that's two yards per carry, and the chart here has notes like "this is nine guys tearing after Corum, " "the linebackers are absolutely hammering at this," and "I mean you’ve got eight guys in the box and two of the three LBs are charging at the snap." The Houdini play sees Indiana commit everyone to the field except one guy. This is the moment of the handoff:

Any PA here and the two WRs are 1 v 2. That is wildly irresponsible and to me says you've tipped your run/pass call.

Klatt's statement on-air was not correct but I think there is some truth in there. Michigan tipped a bunch of run plays in this game with TE motion. They got back a nine-yard TD on the RPO and a six-yard TE out, which seems like a poor return for six downs set on fire—seven if you don't expect your running back to Barry Sanders it.

And then your hobby-horse.

Is it a hobby-horse if it's true? Through three Big Ten games Michigan has run it 100% of the time when they line up in pistol. Indiana seemed to think this was too obvious and did not go quite as nuts about it as they did the TE motion stuff but they did pick and choose their moments to Genghis Khan their way across the line of scrimmage. Michigan's first pistol snap was an arc keeper Indiana did not go after. The second was this:

Those corners are not blitzing if this is a pass—this is a variety of trap coverage—but the certainty of this corner's read is thunderous. He is charging at the LOS before it is even confirmed that Edwards has the ball. That turns a likely third and short into third and eleven and Michigan ends up punting. That's a big swing. Via Seth's EPA numbers that's –1.36, which is about a third as swingy as the Corum 50-yarder.

This is a second and ten—generally a passing down—in pistol, and look at those Dantonio-ass safeties:

A bit later Corum picks up two, and I momentarily thought I should minus Johnson for going after the safety instead of cracking the linebacker but 1) that safety is at nine yards and charging on run action and 2) the plan for the play has to be to get one of the OL out to this LB. Nobody can be because look at these guys charging:

Indiana clearly knew about this tell and blew these plays up. There were 14 pistol plays in this game, all runs, and they picked up 42 yards—three yards a carry. Two of these were short yardage, so a full dozen snaps were really low upside runs. I don't think Michigan should have a package that averages three yards a play.

And the thing is, Michigan used an exact opposite approach, philosophically, with the QB run game.

Uh what?

Michigan's second drive—which is still part of the script, I'd imagine, after what was functionally a four-play TD drive to start—had two zone read keepers in the first three plays. Michigan established the threat of McCarthy's legs and then got the benefit of them the rest of the game without having to go back to the well much:

IU slot LB #1

Just making Indiana honest about who has the ball is really helpful. They got chunks on three or four different plays where they did not have to block a guy, and the cost-type substance were three McCarthy keepers that picked up 8, 5, and 4 yards.

How is this philosophically different?

This is about creating uncertainty. Michigan is ignoring the benefits of uncertainty with its pistol run calls and TE motion playcalling, and occasionally reaping benefits when Indiana is certain about something and completely wrong.

That wins by having a guy run fast in the wrong direction.

The zone read game holds guys in place. It makes them uncertain about where the ball is going, on every iteration. Here Michigan gets a blitzing spacebacker… but then he has to stop.

IU DB blitzing from top

This isn't blazingly wide open like the waggle video in the first section. It is enough.

So when Michigan created uncertainty this looked less like Mongol archers pouring over the border and more like Michigan's generally efficient offense to date. When Michigan gave Indiana the threat of a post-snap read they became decorous. Here Michigan's in gun and they've got a bubble attached so the corners can't come charging willy-nilly:

Nobody gets surprised by a force player suddenly driving inside of them, Corum easily completes the first down.

But all this added up to a win? So why are you complaining?

I'm a Michigan fan.

OTHER THAN THAT

Well, having very predictable run tips is going to catch up with you. I don't mind 70% or even 80%, but 90-100% is giving away expectation. I liked the way Michigan used their zone read stuff, which very effectively put question marks over the head of relevant defenders. I would prefer that approach to allowing folks to tee off on your ground game.

Because… what is the cost here? Running play action three times out of pistol has no cost. So, do it?

Receivers?

	THIS WEEK					THIS YEAR
Player	Uncb	Circus	Tough	Routine		Uncb	Circus	Tough	Routine
Johnson		1/1		3/4		2	1/3	1/2	9/10
Bell	4	2/2		9/9		3	2/2		22/24
Wilson						3	1/2	1/1	7/7
Anthony				2/2		2			5/5
Henning				1/2					2/3
Clemons
Walker
All						1	1/1		1/1
Schoonmaker	1	1/1		8/8		1	1/1	3/4	18/19
Honigford
Hibner
Bredeson									4/4
Loveland									2/2
Corum									2/2
Edwards				1/1				2/2	6/6
Stokes									1/2

Routes: Henning +, –; Bell +, +, –; Schoonmaker: +; Loveland: –.

So Michigan targets go 4/4 on circus catches not bad. Those four were three dubious throws from McCarthy—the early Bell toe-stab, the ball way inside to Bell, the Schoonmaker dig-out, and the one-handed Johnson dig-out. Then, the Spooky McCarthy Zone where literally nothing is filed as "tough."

But! We do have things to say this week. The first is not so great. I don't think AJ Henning is going to be a thing downfield. He had two opportunities in this game and ended up falling to the ground on both. McCarthy's opening throw was going to be an MA and then I looked at it again and… AJ Henning does not need to leave his feet here.

That is ~waist-high if Henning doesn't go down, and then he can keep running. The near-touchdown in the back of the endzone was sort of hard to decipher but it clangs off Hennings hands as he goes down.

That one I can understand more because there's no YAC to be had, but, like, catch the ball.

Speaking of catching things, Ronnie Bell.

Grown man!

I've seen various takes about Michigan's WRs not being able to get separation in this game without Roman Wilson and I would like to defend him from that. The PBU on the goal line (not the INT one) was Brandon-Watson-quality interference. This dude is beat so he yanks himself back into position:

I am going to +2 that on D because it's subtle enough to evade detection and issue a refs –2 for that.

Meanwhile on the attempted deep shot he's trying to make up an eleven yard cushion on Mullen.

Mullen isn't playing as well this year but nobody is going to pull that off. Bell got plenty of separation in this game when not tasked with impossible stuff. The INT is the one exception.

What's up with Colston Loveland?

You know me, I'm always up in arms about redshirts. He got about 15 snaps here, picked up a couple run events, and may have been the target on the pass where two guys are in the same area. He was also likely to get a target on the play that turned into the scramble.

We haven't seen him do much on the field, but that he's playing at all is probably an indication he's going to be a star. Even without All, Michigan can run out Schoonmaker, Bredeson, Honigford, and Hibner. For Loveland to leap into a fair chunk of snaps already is outstanding.

Got any refereeing complaints you will die if you do not utter?

YES

Well?

Wooooof. So you've got the PI on Bell above, the two completely superfluous PFs, the eons it took to call the OPI on Indiana, the failure to call the OPI on Michigan, an illegal substitution that should have been held, and then this fiasco at the end of the first half:

Somehow a running back who was not touched until he reached the LOS and fell forward was awarded zero yards. This spot was so incomprehensible that Michigan dialed up a QB sneak and then had to burn their last timeout because they realized that the spot was a yard and a half off. (Also: use your challenge? You already called TO.)

Block of the Year of The Week?

This has no chance because of the play results but here's a full-on reach block from the backside tackle on a stretch:

RT #53

Get well soon.

Heroes?

JJ McCarthy, ye gods. Blocking in general. Bell, Schoonmaker, and Johnson minus that one drop.

Maybe not so heroic?

Team-wide first half malaise. Edwards had a tough day. Henning had a key drop and could have had some YAC on his catch. Pistol/TE motion playcalling.

What does it mean for Penn State and the future?

McCarthy's ready. He might not be able to drive the bus to a 400 yard game against a team like Penn State but if he gets some help he can certainly co-pilot something with Corum. He made 10-15 good reads in their RPO/ZR game, he picked apart the zone, he is spooky accurate. Gotta see it against a team at another level, but I think we're going to on Saturday.

Corum. That's the tweet.

Barnhart's probably fine? Aside from one hiccup was basically seamless with Jones. I'm sure there's a downgrade or he'd be starting. I don't think it's a big one.

The receivers can actually bail a guy out. Good to know. Better that we didn't have to until game six.

Michigan has major formation/motion tells that will hamper the rushing offense against tendency-based defenses. We'll see if they break those tendencies against Penn State. (Note: it is not my fault if they don't, TIA.)

Schoonmaker is a pro. He is 18/19 on routine stuff and is huge and the last thing we need to see from him is some seam action for the complete TE package.

The zone read package can get to another level. I bet Michigan has some stuff up their sleeves here now that they finally have a guy who is consistently reading it out post-snap.