UFR GLOSSARY is here.

FORMATION NOTES: PSU gets weird so some nomenclature reminders. This is Gun Wk Stack, which they used a lot.

This is Pistol Diamond.

And a reminder for some of my nomenclature, this is Gun Trips (H) Y-SB:

Trips is the receiver alignment and I use parentheticals around the (H) because the slot receiver is covered/an ineligible receiver. A dash means motion, so Y-SB means the tight end motioned to a superback spot. "Empty 2x1" means 2 wide to the field, 1 wide to the boundary, and the rest are tight ends. You should be able to interpret the rest of the weirdness from there. You also won't need it again because PSU fired their OC on Sunday.

SUBSTITUTION NOTES: Penn State often used a TE as a slot receiver; M sometimes matched that with regular nickel personnel but often had an extra safety in the slot and moved Sainristil out to cornerback. Snap counts are in the chart now but there was finally a clear delineation between "starters" (Graham, Jenkins, Grant, the four DEs, Colson, Barrett, Paige, Moore, Wilson, Sainristil, and Johnson) and "rotation players" like Goode, Benny, Hausmann, Q-Jo, and Sabb. That's everybody who played.

[After THE JUMP: Draft ding-a-lings.]

Ln	Dn	Dst	OForm	DPack	Front	Hi	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yds	EPA
O26	1st	10	Gun TTE	5-2-4	Nk Under	2 fld	Run		Counter Trey	Grant	1	-0.61
M is slanting away which should be an RPS-1 but the C doesn't realize it and falls down trying to block down on Grant(+2), who goes right around him and pursues clean. McGregor(+1) spots the puller and cancels his slant to set up the puller on the LOS and then come inside of him. Paige is firing down and Johnson is there so this is probably a 2-yard gain but Grant arrives and makes it more like half a yard.
O27	2nd	9	Gun 3x1	4-2-5	5-1 Odd	1 off	Pass	4	Throwaway	Barrett	Inc	-0.43
Barrett(+2, PR+2) times his blitz perfectly and nobody picks him up (RPS+1). Allar is looking at a hitch under Sainristil(+1, cov+1) who's playing CB and breaks fast enough to have a play on the ball if it's accurate. It is not. (Hat-1).
O27	3rd	9	Empty 3x2	4-2-5	Nk Under	1 off	Pass	5	Slant	Johnson	Inc	-0.18
Johnson(+1, cov+1) is matched in the slot on Keandre Lambert-Smith. Harrell(+1, PR+2) is around the RT and Graham(+1) penetrates through the RG and C. He goes down but Allar can't step up and Jenkins is now free to loop up the middle so Allar tries to dump it KLS who doesn't even get his head around until the ball goes by it because WJ pressed him off his route.
Drive Notes: Punt. 0-0. 10 min 1st Q. Next drive starts after Refs-3 pick up a running into the kicker for no reason.
Ln	Dn	Dst	OForm	DPack	Front	Hi	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yds	EPA
O31	1st	10	Gun Trips RB	4-2-5	404 Tite	1 fld	RPO		Stretch/Bubble	Grant	0	-0.89
Check w me before this. C releases without helping on Grant(+1) which is kinda dumb considering it's a run to the boundary and doing that necessitates a lot of runway (Hat-1). Graham(+2) puts Fashanu upfield, fights across him and would participate in the TFL if his shoulderpads weren't getting ripped out (Refs-1) but putting an edge on it is enough for Grant to rope the back down.
O31	2nd	10	Gun TTE	4-2-5	Nk Split	2 fld	Pass	5	TE In	Paige	19	2.66
PSU playing cheap games as Allar does a slap count and LG twitches his arm, which gets Barrett to tip the WLB blitz. No flag but lots of pointing. Stewart(+1) is bear-hugged the whole play by Fashanu, which eliminates the pressure and allows Allar to step up and fire just as his TE crosses Paige(-1, cov-1), who gets dragged for YAC. Refs-3 (-2 for the hold, -1 for missing the false start).
50	1st	10	Gun Str	4-2-5	404 Tite	2 fld	RPO		Counter Trey/Hitch	Barrett	5	0.10
Twitch trick again. Couple M guys jump, get back and point. (Imagine if they spent this time learning to block!) Also: RG/RT starting to align a yard off the LOS, which will be relevant later. Stewart(+0.5) crashes on the kick and sets a good edge and Barrett(+1) pops the lead blocker in the hole. Cutback lane opens because Grant(-2) got blown down by the LG so bad the C can lead out of there. D-Mo(+1) flows across the RT and tackles before it gets dangerous.
M45	2nd	5	Gun Wk Stack	4-2-5	32 Dime	2 off	Run		ZR Power	Paige	6	0.60
Weird setup for M where Sainristil(-1) is the JACK and Stewart is out with the stack at the boundary. That's good if they're throwing a screen out there but it's just power and the TE buries Sainristil (RPS-1) to create a huge lane. Colson(+0.5) pops the lead blocker and Paige gets down to meet after 4 yards but Singleton (Hat+0.5) powers through them for the 1st.
M39	1st	10	Gun TTB	4-2-5	4-3 Over	2 off	Pass	4	Quick out	Johnson	Inc(+9)	0.33
Maaaannn. Ball is wide, Johnson(-1, cov+1) is in good position, gets his hand on the hip very briefly, WR hops and turns 100 degrees. Giving Johnson a minus for getting caught, KLS a Hat+2 for making it look good.
M30	1st	10	Pistol Diamond	5-2-4	5-2 Under	2 fld	Run		Split Flow Give	Colson	6	0.21
Benny(-1) gets washed out by a double. McGregor(+0.5) does a good job on the kickout to constrict the gap inside the hash. Barrett(-0.5) is checking the QB after not seeing the handoff. Goode(+1) crossed up the center but gets his facemask yanked (Refs-1), which gives Singleton room to downshift in the backfield, press Colson(-1) behind Benny, and run into the open lane. Paige(+1) comes down and sticks to limit the damage.
M24	2nd	4	Gun Wk Stack	4-2-5	Nk Over	2 fld	Pass	4	Scramble	Goode	11	0.06
Goode(-2, PR+2, tackling-2) is immediately past the LG and has a sack if he sets up, but he gets sack eyes and misses. Lane with a big DT in it is now wide open and man coverage downfield means Allar can run for a chunk.
M13	1st	10	Pistol Diamond	4-2-5	4-3 Over	1 press	Run		Split Flow Give	Sabb	9	0.61
Grant(-1) washed down by the C with minimal help from the RG who picks off Sabb(-1), who is playing SAM and weakly takes on the block. Grant is fighting back but Sabb is getting moved. Also the RG has Sabb's shoulderpad all the way to his ear. Grant finally gets on the back's back and brings him down. Refs+1 win back a minus for the hold by marking Singleton a yard short.
M4	2nd	1	Gun Trips RB	4-2-5	Nk Over	n/a	Run		Belly	Colson	0	-0.56
Colson(+2) shoots the gap and Stewart(+1) flows through a TE to stuff.
M4	3rd	1	T-Form	6-2-3	Goal Line	n/a	Run		Sneak	Goode	1	1.02
Goode(+2) got under and stuffed. Jenkins(+1) too. Refs-1 spot it exactly on the 3 yard line then for the drama they bring out the chains that were exactly on the 13 yard line. Okay.gif.
M3	1st	Goal	T-Form R-Exit	6-2-3	Goal Line	n/a	Run		Lead Zone	Barrett	0	-0.75
Singleton motions out and draws Stewart. This is all Barrett(+2) slipping under the lead blocker and making contact behind the LOS. Allen (Hat+0.5) has to fight to get back to the LOS.
M3	2nd	Goal	Pistol Wk H-Jet	6-2-3	Goal Line	n/a	Play-action	4	Throwaway	Graham	Inc	-0.41
Graham(+2, PR+2) is coming through the LG who is holding the shit out of him (Refs-2, egregious). By now McGregor has discarded the RB who chipped him and Goode(+1) is flying up so Allar chucks it out of the endzone at nobody.
M3	3rd	Goal	Gun TTE	5-2-4	4-3 Under	1 press	Play-action	n/a	Corner Fade	Johnson	Inc	-0.29
Johnson(+2, cov+2) leaves this no room, good throw that gets to the WR's arms but WJ rakes it out with his back hand. EO1Q for defense.
Drive Notes: FG(20). 0-3. 2 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Dst	OForm	DPack	Front	Hi	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yds	EPA
O25	1st	10	Gun Trips (H) Y-SB	4-2-5	Nk Split	2 fld	Run		F Insert	Hausmann	9	1.25
Finally an Iso. Hausmann(+1, tackling-1) pops the lead blocker but can't make the tackle. Live and on the podcast we thought it was Barrett not funneling but his help is Q-Jo(-2) who comes to far inside and gets ridden out by a crack. Johnson(+1) angles to get in front of Allen and sets up with his feet on the 1st down line then stops the RB's momentum with a helpful shoulder from Moore(+0.5). This will be important.
O34	2nd	1	Offset TTE	4-2-5	425 Tite	2 off	Play-action	n/a	Flash Screen	Moore	-1	-1.47
Lots of checking. Paige at SAM Sainristil at CB; do I need a name for this? 425? 425. Quick screen to the 30 when Moore(+2, tackling+1) is on the 45 (RPS-1). Should get some yards but Allar's throw takes the WR off his feet (Hat-1) and a yard backwards, which gives Moore time to get there.
O33	3rd	2	Empty 2x1	4-2-5	425 Over	1 off	Run		QB Counter Trey	Graham	1	-0.50
Group effort against a good playcall. Jenkins(+2) popped the RT backwards so the kickout collides with him, then takes on the lead blocker, giving Paige(+1) space to fly in from the backside. He can't get Allar down but trips him up a bit, which gives Graham(+1) and Hausmann(+1) time to shed blockers who'd moved them and EFFORT a stop half a yard short of the sticks, with Graham pulling back with everything he's got and Hausmann going almost completely horizontal. RPS-1 because QB run vs a super-high safety means M was 10-on-11.
Drive Notes: Punt. 7-3. 10 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Dst	OForm	DPack	Front	Hi	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yds	EPA
O25	1st	10	Gun Wk Stack	4-2-5	Nk Over	1 fld	Run		Power GC	Grant	34	2.84
D-Mo(-0.5) gets around a DE's downblock but too inside and the guy gets on his back and pushes him by. That should be enough delay if Barrett(-2) gets playside of the lead blocker, but he doesn't. Colson(-1) flowing but takes a bad angle and can't slow. Moore(-2, tackling-2) comes down and gets run through. Now it's a footrace that (checks notes) Kenneth M'F Grant(+3) wins. I hear chimes.
M41	1st	10	Pistol Diamond	5-2-4	5-2 Odd	2 off	Run		Lead Zone	Hausmann	4	-0.10
Playing defense vs OSU (RPS-1) with two high which gets Grant(-1) doubled and moved. Jenkins(+1) cuts off the frontside by planting the RG in the backfield and the lead blocker runs into him. Allen cuts back where Hausmann(+0.5) used the Jenkins delay to get behind the lead and initiate a tackle at a yard. Allen (Hat+1) takes the contact and spins so that he's falling forward to make it a decent gain.
M37	2nd	6	Gun Trips (H) Y-SB	4-2-5	425 Over	1.5 off	Run		Lead Dart	Colson	1	-0.71
Dangerous for a second as D-Mo(-0.5) gets bonked on a kickout and Benny(-0.5) gets moved, but crucially doesn't let the Dart puller get around. Colson(+1) pops the lead blocker, Allen (Hat-1) slips trying to press Colson out of his gap.
M36	3rd	5	Offset Str RB	4-2-5	Nk Over	1.5 off	RPO		IZ/Slant	Benny	-1	-1.27
M slants (RPS+1) and the PSU C declines to block Benny(+2, tackling+1, Hat-1) who dodges and swallows Allen.
M37	4th	6	Gun Wk	4-2-5	5-1 Eagle	2 press	Pass	5	H Out	Sainristil	13	2.64
WLB blitz and drop an edge with man outside. Barrett(+1, PR+1) gets through the RB but Sainristil(-2, cov-2) bites on a move upfield that gets the WR open by three steps. If it was one step the bad throw makes this possible to break up. As it is the WR has to make a circus catch to bring it in. RPS-1 they tipped the Cover 1 hard and this is a man beater.
M24	1st	10	Gun 1x3	4-2-5	335 Over	1 off	RPO		Stretch/Bubble	Goode	4	-0.03
Tempo(30). Graham(+1) and Goode(+0.5) both stall their doubles, with Graham's a yard in the backfield. McGregor(+1) sets up outside and this is getting stuffy. Barrett(-1, tackling-1) is a little passive waiting for the back to pop back out the cutback and gets run over, turning a loss into a 4-yard gain.
M20	2nd	6	Offset Wk Stack	4-2-5	Dime Even	2 off	RPO		Power/Flash Screen	Colson	1	-0.36
Sainristil(+1) has to play edge and uses his speed to get around the kickout, who has to turn back and grab him. Cutback but Graham(+0.5) has his guy in the backfield and Colson(+1) is set up in the lane. Allen (Hat+1) hops away from him into Graham and McGregor(+0.5) who grabs the squirrelly back and hangs on as a pileup ensues.
M19	3rd	5	Empty 3x2	4-2-5	5-1 Odd	1 press	RPO	3	QB Draw/Stops	Colson	4	-0.06
This is a draw--there are OL releasing--and McGregor(-1) gets clubbed on the shoulder as he tries a move on Fashanu and stumbles completely out of the play. LBs all dropping (RPS-1) which means there's lots of room to rumble except Graham(+2, PR+1) delays Allar's release by popping the center back into him, then tracks him down from behind 1.5 yards short of the sticks. I still hate that they get a free half yard in these situations.
M15	4th	1	Ace Heavy	5-2-4	Goal Line	n/a	Play-action	n/a	Philly Special	Johnson	4	0.61
1:07, 1TO. It's Johnson(-1, cov-1) they get. Barrett was on the TE and comes off to tackle. RPS-2.
M11	1st	10	Gun 2x2	4-2-5	Nk Even	2 off	Run		QB Lead Draw	Graham	11	2.49
0:35. Graham(+2) is in the lane and gets flagrantly bear-hug tackled (Refs-3). Jenkins is also getting his shoulderpad ripped off. Sainristil(-0.5) is late getting over, Colson(-0.5) funnels to him but is on a RB and shouldn't be blocked out this badly.
M3	2PA	3	Ace TTE Z-in	5-2-4	Goal Line	n/a	Play-action	4	Bootleg	Johnson	Inc	-1.03
0:23. They want to whip Sainristil(+1) but he's all over the corner. Harrell(+0.5) and Colson(+0.5) now shooting up (PR+1) so Allar throws at KLS on a cross. Johnson(+2, cov+2) knocks it away.
Drive Notes: Touchdown (2PT Failed). 14-9. 23s 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Dst	OForm	DPack	Front	Hi	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yds	EPA
O25	1st	10	Pistol Diamond	5-2-4	5-2 Odd	2 off	Run		Split Flow Give	Paige	5	0.09
Hold is material (Refs-1) this time--not the guy ripping Graham's shoulderpad off but Jenkins(+1) put the LG in the backfield and crossed him and can only get a hand out. Paige(+0.5) comes down to thunk. RPS-1 two safeties back on this again.
O30	2nd	5	Gun TTE	5-2-4	5-2 Over	1 off	RPO		SZ/Bubble	Colson	0	-0.75
M goes 1-high and slants backside. Decent gap forms but the playside TE can't leave Harrell or he'll crash so split TE becomes a puller late. Too late, in fact as he doesn't see Colson(+2) shoot up behind him and start the tackle. Playside TE tries to help and that means Harrell gets to as well. RPS+1.
O30	3rd	5	Empty 3x2	4-2-5	5-1 Odd	1.5 off	Pass	3	Scramble	Barrett	8	1.78
Graham's poor sleeve gets a workout (Refs-1) but it only matters on pursuit because it's a 3-man rush (PR-1) and the LG can pop him while he's engaged with the C to spring another QB run. LBs are all way back with nobody spying. RPS-2.
O38	1st	10	Gun TTE	4-2-5	425 Over	2 fld	Pass	4	RB Flat	Wallace	6	0.40
Seven-man protection, Harrell is grappled by Fashanu (Refs-1) so nobody gets home (PR-1). Allar doesn't see anything vs Cov2 so he dumps it to Singleton, Wallace(+0.5, cov+2) is there, can't make the tackle and Paige(+0.5) cleans up.
O44	2nd	4	Pistol Diamond	5-2-4	6-1 Even	2 off	Run		Split Flow Give	Stewart	2	-0.73
Many men on the LOS, slant with the stretch (RPS+1) but Colson(-2) is hanging back accepting a ride from the RT when he should be around him and cleaning up. That means it's up to Stewart(+2) to run it down from the backside, and he does, blasting through the kickout TE and tacking on his own.
O46	3rd	2	Empty 2x2	4-2-5	Dime Even	1 press	Run		QB Counter Trey	Benny	FUM	-4.96
D-Mo(+1) sets up the kickout high and inside and that bumps the lead blocker off stride. Benny(+3) eats a double, fights through a hold, and punches the ball out as Allar goes by. Paige(+1) sees it, flies in, and falls on it before anyone else knows where it is.
Drive Notes: Fumble. 14-9. 11 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Dst	OForm	DPack	Front	Hi	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yds	EPA
O25	1st	10	Offset Wk Stack	4-2-5	Nk Over	1.5 off	Run		Power GC	Q.Johnson	5	0.09
M slanting backside and rolling down a safety so they're undersized (RPS-1) and Johnson is too high when Q-Jo(-1) gets cracked. Sainristil(+1) does a good job with Fashanu to prevent a bounce. It's here I have a hard time grading because Hausmann(-1) comes up center mass on the leading C and that guy waits for impact to bring his arms up and yanks Hausmann to the other side (Refs-1). It's an intentional, material hold, if not the kind that always gets flagged, but also the LB is supposed to hit his blocker's shoulder. Stewart(+1) flows to hold it down.
O30	2nd	5	Offset Str RB	4-2-5	Nk Under	2 bdy	RPO		Stretch/Curl	D.Moore	2	-0.48
There's a huge cutback lane until Moore can roll in (RPS-1) but as soon as Allen hops there D-Mo(+2) rips the TE by and tackles. Allen (Hat+1) manages to stay on his feet while engulfed and twist for 2 yards.
O32	3rd	3	Empty 3x2	4-2-5	Nk Eagle	1 off	Pass	5	Rollout TE	Moore	6	1.51
M goes zero, PSU sees it, checks, and gets the play off. It's a TE out and M is in Cover Zero so it's going to convert unless they switch. They cannot because the WR is straight up blocking Q-Jo. Refs-2, RPS-1.
O38	1st	10	Gun Wk Stack	4-2-5	Nk Split	1 off	Play-action	5	H Out	Johnson	Inc	-1.09
WLB blitz and the ball is out immediately (RPS-1) with M playing way over this. Should be a catch for 6 yards, but Grant(+1, PR+1) teleported around his blocker and though Allar has time to step up he doesn't and throws it inside, stopping the CB and giving Johnson(+2, cov-push) time to break and knock the catch out of his hands. Hat-1.
O38	2nd	10	Empty 3x2 Y-Fly	4-2-5	425 Eagle	1 off	Pass	n/a	TE Bubble	Barrett	2	-0.45
Motion the TE to the boundary and throw at him with a TE and WR blocking. Barrett(+2) chucks the WR to the ground, Sabb(+0.5) and Sainristil(+0.5) get around the other TE to shut this down after a short gain.
O40	3rd	8	Empty 3x2 F-In	4-2-5	5-1 Over	2 off	Pass	4	H Out	Johnson	6	0.20
Another quick to the line and lots of time to check the D..so envious. They catch what they saw, which is Harrell dropping into a C/F zone vs an out. This play makes sense if they're going for it on 4th and short because it's a free 5 yards, but on 3rd & 8? Maybe they don't expect Johnson(+0.5) to fly down so fast? Cover push.
O46	4th	2	Empty 3x2 Z-Fly	4-2-5	5-1 Splits	1 press	n/a		n/a	n/a	0	-0.76
This time they get the play in too late, have an illegal formation to the boundary when KLS goes in motion. Wallace is slow to follow and if they were lined up correctly they have him beat I think. Franklin calls timeout. No play but RPS+1.
Drive Notes: Punt. 17-9. 1 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Dst	OForm	DPack	Front	Hi	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yds	EPA
O28	1st	10	Gun Bone	4-2-5	425 Under	1.5 off	Pass	4	Z-Out	Sainristil	Inc(+5)	-0.18
Another quick pass to avoid pressure. Sainristil(+2, cov+2) is set up outside of the WR this time and is there to break it up. Play comes back because Harrell(-1) was offsides.
O33	1st	5	Gun Trips (H) Y-SB	4-2-5	Nk Over	1 off	Run		Lead Dart	Barrett	1	-1.13
Goode(+1) stands up a double that wants to dart around him. Colson(+0.5) activates and pops the lead blocker. Barrett is sifting through this to get the cutback but doesn’t have to because Jenkins(+2) shoved the RG back so far the guy can't even grab Kris as he pursues and slams the cutback closed just past the LOS.
O34	2nd	4	Pistol FB	4-2-5	425 Split	1.5 off	Play-action	3	Flea Flicker	Paige	Inc(-9)	-1.71
Harrell(+2) wins a spin move vs the RT and McGregor(+1, PR+2) is fighting through the kind of hold they almost always call (Refs-1) so Allar panics and chucks it at Darrius Clemons (bronze star), who brings it in with one hand. Since Clemons is a sitting on the Michigan bench, and the WR that Paige(+2, cov+2) checked when the saw the flicker gave up on the route, the officials confer and begrudgingly call grounding.
O25	3rd	13	Gun Str	4-2-5	nk Split	0 off	Pass	4	Fly	Wallace	Inc	-0.11
Both safeties are down so they chuck it down the sideline. Uh, okay? Wallace(+2, cov+2) runs the WR OOB and it falls ten yards further downfield.
Drive Notes: Punt. 17-9. 12 min 4th Q.
Ln	Dn	Dst	OForm	DPack	Front	Hi	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yds	EPA
O12	1st	10	Gun Wk Stack	4-2-5	4-3 Under	2 fld	RPO		Stretch/Flash Screen	Stewart	1	-0.32
Colson the WLB blitzer with Hausmann at MLB. D-Mo(+1) sets a good edge, Graham(+1) holds a double at the LOS and that's the anvil for Stewart(+1) to hammer down from the backside.
O13	2nd	9	Empty 3x2 Y-Fly	4-2-5	Nk Split B	1.5 off	Pass	5	Back shoulder	Johnson	Inc	-0.20
Supposed to look like the screen they just threw. M blitzing Sainristil(+1, RPS+1, PR+2) from the backside and he closes the distance quickly so Allar has to bail, which gets Graham(+1) flying up from his twist. Time to unload; it's a back shoulder to the TE who was lead blocker on the screen at the sticks but Johnson(+2, cov+2) is there as well and almost picks it off from the guy's hands.
O13	3rd	9	Gun 2x2	4-2-5	Nk Over	0 press	Pass	4	Drag	Paige	0	-0.08
M has nobody deep and even brings a S down late because there is ZERO respect for a downfield pass, and you know what, they're right! D-Mo(+1, PR+2) is around Fashanu in a hurry, Stewart(+1) has the RT backed into the pocket, and Allar has to throw it off his back foot at a drag short of the LOS. Paige(+2, cov+1, tackling+1) was the guy who came down and tracks this down for no gain. Refs+1 flag PSU for a tetchy superfluous illegal formation.
Drive Notes: Punt. 17-9. 7 min 4th Q.
Ln	Dn	Dst	OForm	DPack	Front	Hi	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yds	EPA
O26	1st	10	Gun Str	4-2-5	Nk Split	2 bdy	Run		Counter Trey	Colson	4	-0.12
Everyone does their jobs which makes the superhero wrong, ironically. McGregor(+0.5) sets a fine edge, Colson(+0.5) pops the lead blocker, and Graham(-1) just has to be there but he late-crosses his downblock, which is normally a superior play, but Singleton senses it and cuts behind him. Barrett(+0.5) is there to replace so it's just 4 yards.
O30	2nd	6	Gun 2x2	4-2-5	Nk Split	1 off	Pass	4	Y Corner	Paige	Inc	-0.68
Harrell(+2, PR+2) spins through the RT clean so Allar has to force this into coverage. Paige(+1, cov+2) and Moore have it bracketed, with Paige in position to intercept if accurate, is not.
O30	3rd	6	Empty 3x2	4-2-5	Nk Split	1 off	Pass	4	Dig	Sainristil	Inc	-0.33
WLB blitz is seen and picked up, clean pocket (PR-1) and Allar fires behind a receiver who's actually past the 1st down marker who's got Sainristil(-1, cov-1) beat but is about to take a shot from Paige(+1). He drops it. And still takes the shot.
O30	4th	6	Empty 3x2	4-2-5	Nk Split!	0 off	Pass	4	Option Route?	Johnson	Inc	-4.05
You should be punting Frames. M overloads the edges and drops both DTs, getting Sainristil(+1, PR+2, RPS+2) in free. I think he wants KLS in man on Johnson(+1, cov+1) who is in the slot with Colson/Singleton outside of them but it's covered and now it's panic time so he chucks it. TE's zip route can't possibly be open yet so it's possible KLS had a 2-way go on Johnson.
Drive Notes: Turnover on downs. 17-9. 4 min 4th Q. Michigan quickly scores and it's 24-9 so RPS is off if it bleeds clock.
Ln	Dn	Dst	OForm	DPack	Front	Hi	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yds	EPA
O25	1st	10	Gun 3x1	4-2-5	Nk Split	2 fld	Pass	4	Duck	Q.Johnson	Inc(+15)	1.32
D-Mo(+1) is pushing the RT into the QB and Grant(+2, PR+3) is coming through the RG and this would normally be a sack but Allar (Hat-2) puts up a duck while getting hit. He is *extremely* lucky that review shows Q-Jo(+1, cov+2) trapped the ensuing free pick. Barrett(-2) took his helmet off in celebration so instead of Michigan ball it's a free 15 yards.
O40	1st	10	Gun Str RB	4-2-5	Nk Even	2 fld	RPO		Stretch/Curls	Barrett	10	0.92
Grant gets playside of his double so Barrett buries himself behind. Harrell(+0.5) is setting a good edge and Grant should have a TFL but the LG is like YOLO and yanks him back by the shoulderpad (Refs-2). Sabb(-0.5) comes down to stop for 5 yards but Allen (Hat+1) twists for another 5.
50	1st	10	Gun Str	4-2-5	Nk Even	2 fld	Run		Counter Trey	Graham	6	0.35
Tempo(28). Good edge by Harrell(+0.5) but Graham(-1) tries to swim through a double and gets picked up and transported. Barrett(+0.5) pops the lead blocker to spill to Harrell and Sabb(+0.5), and Colson(+0.5) who picked around the Graham mess to be relevant.
M44	2nd	4	Gun Str RB	4-2-5	Nk Split	2 fld	Play-action	4	Hitch	Johnson	11	0.59
Tempo(27). Token PA works (RPS-1) on the DTs. D-Mo(+1, PR+1) beats a TE to force a quick throw but they have a hitch under Johnson(-1, cov-1). WJ is running where the ball should go but Allar (Hat-1) puts it high and inside where Cephus has to jump for it. Johnson fixes his position and gets it down without YAC but 1st down acquired.
M33	1st	10	Gun 1x3	4-2-5	Nk Even	2 off	Pass	4	TE Seam	Barrett	Inc	-0.64
Tempo(35). Graham(+1, PR+1) wins inside and this has to go immediately to the buttzone between both Barrett and Hausmann who can break up anything accurate but not this. If it's an inch higher it's perfect and an inch lower it's an interception to Q-Jo but it's where the TE can only tip it and Q-Jo has it go off his facemask. Not charted.
M33	2nd	10	Gun 2x2	4-2-5	Nk Split	1 press	Pass	4	Scramble	Goode	11(+11)	1.02
Goode(-2) has his hands up in the LG's facemask and it draws a call. RT is ripping Stewart's sleeves out and Fashanu has McGregor in a bear hug and neither draws a call (Refs-2) even as Fashanu yanks Braiden back when Allar leaves the pocket because nobody's open after three beats (cov+2). Goode chases but is outrun and Wallace(-1) can get him out at 5 yards but gets shoved in the back a little and whiffs so Allar can tiptoe for another 1st down.
M11	1st	10	Gun Str	4-2-5	Nk Split	2 press	Penalty		False Start	n/a	(-5)	-0.32
Oops. Hat-1.
M16	1st	15	Gun 2x2	4-2-5	Nk Over	1 bdy	Pass	4	Scramble	Goode	8	0.23
More ridiculous holding as Stewart is completely enveloped by Fashanu (Refs-2) at this point they're literally not calling anything. RG puts a mean hit on McGregor as he tries a spin move (Hat+1) that’s going to end up on that guy's XFL highlight reel but also means nobody but Jenkins(+1, PR+1) is threatening and Allar can escape again, with Goode(-1) pursuing slowly.
M8	2nd	7	Gun Wk RB	4-2-5	Nk Over	1 bdy	Pass	4	Throwaway	Paige	Inc	-0.29
Tempo(28). Ludicrous hold as Stewart(+1, PR+1) is coming around Fashanu, spins inside, and ends up hugged, Refs-3. That buys Allar time to survey but nobody is getting open (cov+2) and finally Jenkins(+1) comes upfield and gets a hand out and it's bugout time. Fashanu finally releases Stewart after the QB goes by but Allar's out of the pocket now and can throw it out of the endzone. Paige comes off the TE he was covering to try to intercept but it's too high.
M8	3rd	7	Gun 2x2 H-Fly	4-2-5	Nk Split	0 fld	Pass	6	TE Seam	Colson	8	2.87
Bringing the house. It's picked up for the second it needs to be (PR-2) but M should have the right coverage with Moore on the TE and Colson(-2, cov-2) helping inside. Except instead he's covering grass. Sigh.
M3	2PA	3	Swinging Gate	5-2-4	Goal Line	n/a	Pass	n/a	TE Snap	Johnson	Inc	-1.03
PSU tries the swinging gate trick where the center is an eligible receiver. Michigan knows it, with Barrett(+1, RPS+2) the one to point at the TE snapping it first yelling "he's eligible." They cover everybody, Allar gives up on finding one open and chucks at the guy Johnson(+2, cov+2) has covered. He nonchalantly PBUs.
Drive Notes: Touchdown (2PT Failed). 24-15. 2 min 4th Q. Michigan runs out the rest.

I've come to be validated for my ref takes.

Which are?

They're holding every play!

I'm sorry, is this the Michigan blog doing a Penn State game or the other way around?

Were they called for any holds?

No.

Did they commit any holds?

Many.

 

Well?

Well that's nothing new. Franklin teams play cheap, especially at home. Big Ten refs are lenient on holds. You'll note Michigan's offense didn't get flagged for any either. This benefited Penn State because Michigan's OL are the two-time Joe Moore winners, and Penn State's goobers are can only keep their quarterback upright by turning into huggy bears. The most infuriating was the free touchdown.

Things got downright silly in the 2nd half, especially on the last drive. But that's how Franklin teams are coached. They also had a 4th down pass with a receiver blocking the only guy who could get it, and had a lineman getting Michigan to give away their early blitzes with a subtle arm twitch. I'd rather they be putting their efforts into that than learning how to use their arms for anything else. Michigan isn't losing any OL recruitments to PSU anytime soon.

So you don't think there's a conspiracy.

No I don't. The officiating was highly unfavorable, but nothing unusual for a true road game and lazy Big Ten referee incompetence. I'm less mad about the spot on the QB sneak because I think the RB got it on 1st & 10. The running-into-the-kicker thing was silly but sometimes someone thinks they saw something. Offensive pass interference is missed all the time. The facemask on Goode was material but those things often come out in close rewatches and aren't spotted live. And the officials were sympathetic enough to Michigan that PSU picked up a chintzy illegal formation penalty on what could have been a crucial moment. So really the abnormality was the grabbiest team in the Big Ten got away with more holds.

You need way more than that for a conspiracy. The Big Ten's malevolence for Michigan is manifest, but referees are so pedantic and prideful they turn into pumpkins if you suggest a whiff of transparent accountability. Any attempt by the league office to influence them would be met with something between laughter and a walkout. I find it hard to believe that's the explanation when there's a valid one in front of us.

How much did it affect—

I've said my piece now. Don't bring it up again.

Ok. Can I ask why it felt like they got five free yards every first down or is that…?

No, that's a valid question. Penn State was having more success than normal on 1st down. Non-garbage snaps since 2020:

Down	2020	2021	2022	2023	THIS GAME
1st	5.4	5.0	5.0	3.6	5.9
2nd	6.0	4.5	3.7	3.0	3.5
3/4/2pa	5.6	3.9	4.3	2.0	2.7
Total	5.6	4.5	4.4	2.9	4.2

You could say "this was a game against a Top-10 team with blue chips in the backfield" but you've probably watched Penn State enough to be a little concerned that they were able to move the ball, especially after they could not against Ohio State. As discussed on the podcast, that was because Ohio State was playing Penn State and Michigan was playing Ohio State. That means leaving two safeties back to control the deep passing game, and trusting your DTs to stand up to doubles and linebackers to make them right while playing down a man in the box.

Here's a typical 1st down run for this game. Penn State has just two eligible receivers within five yards of the line of scrimmage, and Michigan has two safeties and a cornerback playing off.

You want Colson to stay in his gap, but ideally you have him flying into one of those two guys doubling Benny because a safety is around to replace someone on the linebacker level. I remind you that Penn State's passing offense is last in the conference in air yards per target. There is no Earthly reason to show this "downfield is lava" outfit that much respect unless you are using them for practice for the #1 air yards per target offense in the conference. And I know this because as soon as they got to 2nd & medium Michigan turned their front-6 into a 7 and clobberated.

It was most apparent on the 3rd & 2 stuff, which featured a high safety uninvolved while their opponent was running their quarterback.

Later in the game when they were up by 8 points and trying to finish it, the defense got a lot more aggressive, running zero coverage at least once, showing it twice more, and lining up with no safeties deep at all. You only line up like this if you have no fear whatsoever of getting beat deep.

And…

Allar threw one target downfield against this, Wallace was high on top of the route, ran the receiver out of bounds, and the ball came down harmlessly 10 yards deep.

Stop me if this was…what we talked about earlier…but what was with all the scrambles?

The scrambles were mostly that—Allar was under pressure and ran out. The other two problems were three-man rushes, and tackles getting nosy. I can only fault Cam Goode so much for trying to get himself a stat. It's 2nd and 4 from the Michigan 24, where a sack puts them nearly out of field goal range in 3rd and long. Shoot your shot, and take the minus if you miss.

Jenkins gave up another scramble, but he stayed in his lane, and in game with any semblance of rules that was a sack for Stewart.

The other issue was Michigan rushing three and not having a spy. One of those "scrambles" was actually a QB Draw with a quick RPO read attached. It was hard to tell because Graham beat the center back and Allar got stuck longer in the pocket than he wanted to. But those linemen are releasing, so any pass beyond the first read is going to be illegal. It's a clever build that I bet other teams are copying.

From Michigan's perspective, however, it's the same question: why don't we have a spy if it's three linemen rushing? Both linebackers end up next to each other, which means one of them was probably supposed to be checking the quarterback. They gave up a 3rd & 5 earlier with another three-man rush. When you do that the DT holding the middle is likely to draw a double, which means they have the ability to move him out of the lane if needed, so it's up to the other rushers to funnel the quarterback into each other. If there are only two other rushers, someone from the linebacker level should be keeping an eye on the backfield.

Anyway that makes two weeks in a row that draws have been chewing up yards against the Michigan offense, and we've got Taulia Tagovailoa on deck, so the rushing will be dialed back regardless. Next pocket passer however they need to have a Colson or some other fast player in the front seven assigned to it.

Like Kenneth Grant?

Oh man.

I heard the draft chimes.

I put them there.

This is the very obvious Tackle of the Week. It wasn't the only thing he did, of course. It's just…that's a thing.

This is all very vague language.

You want specificity?

I want to know how to feel. Is Grant a freak who does something cool sometimes or a freak who is catching up to Mason Graham?

I think I may have a way to represent this.

A chart?

A chart.

Defensive Line
Player	Snaps	+	-	T	Notes
Kris Jenkins	32	9	0	+9	Uncredited hero on 3rd & 2 stuff, many other plays.
Mason Graham	43	14.5	2	+12.5	How's the hand, king?
Kenneth Grant	33	9	4	+5	RIDICULOUS
Cam Goode	18	5.5	5	+0.5	Good pass-rusher, awful pass-rush finisher.
Rayshaun Benny	14	5	1.5	+3.5	Breakout game.
Jaylen Harrell	39	6.5	1	+5.5	Very good as usual.
Braiden McGregor	35	4.5	1	+3.5	Very held as usual.
Derrick Moore	31	8	1	+7	All four DEs are dangermen.
Josaiah Stewart	27	8.5	0	+8.5	The best of the four dangermen this week.
TOTAL	272	70.5	15.5	+55	Why Penn State has to cheat.
Linebacker
Player	Snaps	+	-	T	Notes
Junior Colson	54	8.5	6.5	+2	Back to the Janus.
Michael Barrett	58	10	5.5	+4.5	A couple of big mistakes, lots of little things.
Ernest Hausmann	17	2.5	1	+1.5	Presence felt on not a lot of plays.
Jimmy Rolder	0	0	0	-	DNP
TOTAL	129	21	13	+8	This is who they are.
Secondary
Player	Snaps	+	-	T	Notes
Rod Moore	53	2.5	2	+0.5	Missed tackle on Grant rundown, otherwise fine/left alone.
Makari Paige	45	10	1	+9	Quietly had the game of his career.
Quinten Johnson	19	1	3	-2	It would have been less annoying if he caught it.
Keon Sabb	11	1	1.5	-0.5	Still learning, but a valuable piece now.
Mike Sainristil	57	8.5	4.5	+4	You think he's having a bad game then you see.
Will Johnson	60	13.5	3	+10.5	KLS got nothing. Harrison battle will be epic.
Josh Wallace	47	2.5	1	+1.5	One missed tackle, good in coverage.
Keshaun Harris	0	0	0	-	DNP
Ja'Den McBurrows	0	0	0	-	DNP
Amorion Walker	0	0	0	-	DNP
DJ Waller Jr.	0	0	0	-	DNP
TOTAL	292	39	16	+23	Nice to have everyone back and healthy.
Metrics
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Pressure	29	5	24/30	Won individual battles, holding was out of control.
Coverage	29	8	+21	Mostly excellent, mostly unpunished when not.
Tackling	3	6	-3	Didn't charge Allen's constant extra 2 yards on them.
RPS	10	17	-7	PSU getting to the line early enough to make checks.
Hat Tip	8	10	-2	PSU RBs were good, QB was a disaster.

ohmanohmanohmanohmanohmanohman.

Yeah, this was the breakout game. You've got the highlight moment when the NFL Draft music chimes, but you've also got the regular ol' plays he makes where he teleports through the center and starts eating things in the backfield.

#78 DT to the top

Or when his speed and power combine to slam down the back of your stretch play far sooner than your scout team prepared you for.

DT at the bottom

At 339 pounds! We already saw his pass-rushing earlier this season, and in this one he was getting starter snaps. In fact Grant was on the field one more snap than Kris Jenkins. He's one of the starters now.

Not that he doesn't make mistakes. Grant still got moved a couple of times by downblocks by getting too high. This is something that happens to all DTs—there's an example of it happening to Graham as well—but it's a bit too frequent still to call Grant NFL-ready. He's going to factor against Ohio State for certain, and combine with Graham to form the best duo in the league next year.

Gifts from the gods.

And it doesn't end there. Before this game we projected Rayshaun Benny to end up in the backups pile, getting a drive or two when the others were winded. He did only get 14 snaps, but boy did he make hay with them. The one where he caused the fumble wasn't just that—he was shrugging off a double-team and fighting through a hold when he did it.

The other development was Benny reacting appropriately when Michigan slanted across a blockdown. Previous iterations of Benny were flowing or stopping to figure out why he wasn't being blocked. Benny of this week twisted to make sure the blocker couldn't fix his mistake, set up in the backfield, and let the play come to him.

DT just above the hash

Benny did get washed down by a double on a couple of PSU's big gains, but on one of them he kept the linebacker clean to replace him, which earns points in our book.

So, um, I appreciated the DT talk—you know I do—but I was kinda manohmanning about Will Johnson?

Oh.

Sorry.

No, I get it. Second week in a row he's been dominant despite not being targeted much. His PBUs in the endzone are starting to become routine enough that I wonder if I need to keep clipping them. Then I clip them because I haven't enjoyed a cornerback this much since I learned to drive.

The interesting thing about Johnson in this game is that Michigan started having him shadow Keandra Lambert-Smith, who's PSU's only real B10-level threat among the receiver corps.

This included leaving him in a two-way go on the back-breaking fourth down. We're looking at the slot to the bottom.

Klatt calls it a sight read, which was Lloyd Carr's term for it too. They're also called option routes. The point is Johnson is isolated there against KLS, who gets to pick a side to go based on how Johnson is aligned. His quarterback is supposed to see the same thing.

Johnson set up to the outside, which Allar took to mean he had the slant open, but after the snap he hopped inside to take that away without making the read easy. At least I think that's what happened on this play. It could have been Allar just completed a dig to the field side #2 receiver from the same look on the previous play, and figured there would be a guy there. For our purposes it's enough to know that Michigan was willing to leave Johnson in that situation without help.

Help, you say?

Are you referring to Colson covering grass on PSU's final touchdown.

I am.

I am disappoint.

This is his old bugaboo, and after Purdue had zero throws around him I was hopeful it was solved. This is just one mistake, but Colson's focus drifted back to his sophomore form several times in the running game as well. Benny needs help here but Colson locks eyes with the linebacker and lets himself get pressed.

The play Stewart made on the backside wouldn't have been necessary but for a similar issue. I wonder how much of this is actually Michigan coaching him to play conservatively so the DL can win their blocks. Whenever Michigan got in a situation to be aggressive Colson was shooting his gaps and making a mess of PSU's plans. Other than Johnson on the fade nobody did more to stuff PSU's five chances from the 4 or 3 yard lines.

#25 the lone LB

Barrett had his share of foul-ups as well, though he was able to come out well in the positive with his blitzing, his 6th year senior awareness, and his signature move of hiding from lead blockers then exploding behind them.

#23 the LB to the top

The Barrett Bad moments in this game were unusual: he spilled to the wrong side of his blocker on the run that Grant ran down (you can watch it again if you must), and he took off his helmet in celebration when they all thought Quinten Johnson had an interception, which is a 15-yard penalty for some pissy reason I don't understand.

They say Olu Fashanu is an NFL-bound left tackle. Did we learn anything about our ends?

It was hard to tell because Fashanu doesn't know how to play like an NFL tackle. I ended up with high grades for all of Michigan's edges, but most of that was garnered against Penn State's power running game, which had to do a lot of cutting back and hopping into tight windows because the pullers weren't moving people. My favorite play from the group was Stewart crashing through a tight end to flow behind a stretch play that had legs once Colson got stuck behind a downblock.

#5 the 2nd man down from the top on the LOS

Derrick Moore had one to add to the pile of evidence that he's actually a 4th year pro named Merrick Doore who owed money to Biff Poggi, because what true sophomore gets into a cat and mouse game with a running back on the backside of Stretch like this?

McGregor had the quietest day among the four, but if you re-watch the play Grant ran down from behind you can see McGregor on the bottom edge having the awareness to cancel his slant for a moment to save his momentum for running into the kickout blocker, which becomes the wall that Singleton runs up to before the horror scene with the 350-pound creature begins.

#17 DE at the bottom

I mean, my heavy Michigan bias says he got put on the hashmark then tackled a defender in the running lane, but I can see how in some PSU fan's eyes this is a pancake. You do you bros.

I did a search for the word "bonk" and Harrell didn't come up.

I know, right? He got a few half points in the run game and spun through the right tackle to create a couple of pressures. Nothing that I clipped. But another good day for him.

The numbers in the secondary look weird. Explain yourself.

I was kind of surprised myself when I added everything up, particularly with Makari Paige. I went through my charting on him again just to make sure, and I had actually dialed it back. Paige events:

• TE crosses him up, good throw, dragged for YAC (-1).
• Several 1st down runs stopped for less than they should gotten. (+1 and two +0.5s)
• Shoots in from the backside on the 3rd and 2 stuff and trips up Allar. (+1)
• Recovers the fumble (+1)
• Dominates a corner route, in position to intercept if Allar doesn't throw it away. (+1)
• Dominates the route that gets called for grounding (+2)
• Stops the crossing route for no gain on 2nd & 6 of penultimate drive. (+2)
• Thunks the WR on 3rd & 6 to guarantee no circus catch (+1)

That's a +10/-1 day for a safety. I didn't credit him for the throwaway in the endzone where he was trailing a TE and fell off to try to intercept. Some other throws had they been accurate looked more likely to end up hitting Paige's hands than the receiver's.

I did not initially ken this as a great game from him, probably because his one bad thing was at the beginning. This is an issue with my process: when the game starts every event is game-defining. When I fire up a copy for the Sunday morning rewatch I start out super-meticulous, then rush through the second half before we record the podcast. When I go to do the charting, the early events are embedded in my consciousness, and others have started to blur.

When I go over the charting, it's not in game order, and certain plays that were maybe sandwiched with others get to stand out. Like this one.

The other thing that was different was Paige playing more in the slot. Penn State likes to use 2TE formations more than any previous '23 opponent, but usually one TE is just replacing a receiver. Michigan's response to this was to put Paige at nickel, move Sainristil to cornerback, and bring Quinten Johnson or Keon Sabb on as a 3rd safety. Sabb got a shot at nickel as well. For Paige, it meant more opportunities to get in the action, and it's safe to say it was a good result. He did some of this hybrid linebacking late last year too, to similarly positive effect.

This is all to say that Makari Paige has earned his star.

I did not get nearly as much from Rod Moore, which makes sense because he was spending more of the game way high and waiting for Marvin Harrison's son to visit. He whiffed a tackle on the Grant rundown, which is a little concerning because of how Moore came back this year. He also slammed down a screen, which was less impressive on rewatch because it's a terrible throw.

I didn't really get enough from Sabb or Quinten to change our thoughts on them. They're pretty even now I think.

Did you say Paige was the nickel?

Only sometimes; usually he was—oh is this your bit?

You underrated Sainristil of the week!

This is becoming a less fun bit.

Why, because your setups are as cringey as Brian trying to segue to reading the podcast sponsors?

No, because there continue to be real blown plays by Sainristil and I want him to be the guy who breaks up the Stover pass every play. Like this was almost a –3.

He just bites on a move downfield, on 4th and 6. And we just mentioned the 3rd & 6 where Allar's throw and Paige's thunk bailed Mike out. And he was set up way wide and late getting over when Colson spilled to him on the bear hug TD. And then there was the time they asked him to play defensive end.

Okay, now you are underrating Sainristil on purpose.

How so?

You still graded him well into the positive.

Well that's because MIKE SAINRISTIL IS AWESOME!

Can he play cornerback?

HE CAN PLAY CORNERBACK!

Can he play defensive end?

He actually did okay with the kickout the next time. And that was on top of several more nickel events where he was racking up +1s by sticking to receivers in space and disguising his blitzes well and stuff. There's a lesson in all of this. Don't underestimate Mike Sainristil.

I have some questions about the playcalling.

Like the swinging gate thing? Sure! Oh man, you know how much I love explaining weird football plays!

No I meant how did Jesse Minter lose RPS to an offensive coordinator who got fired after this game?

Oh. Well Yurcich is probably a fall guy for Franklin and Allar. But I chalk a lot of this up to road factor and not caring. A few of the negatives were the part about playing Ohio State: PSU would have a heavy run formation, Michigan would set up like Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison were outside, and that would be an RPS-1.

But a lot of it was Michigan betraying their playcalls and Penn State checking into what they thought could beat it. Brian noted they were huddling but I think that was mostly performative and at the beginning. Penn State is mostly a check-with-me team. Most of the time they got to the line of scrimmage, clapped, looked at who moved, and got a call from the sideline. The fourth down conversions were RPS: two were catching Michigan in man and running a quick out, and the last was a Philly Special.

Michigan just didn't seem to care if Penn State knew what they were running. Sometimes that created a disadvantage and Penn State was able to capitalize. What thought went into this gameplan was mostly on how to deal with PSU's defense. If they changed anything up it's that they went away from Cover 3, which made sense because Allar loves short passing to the flats and that's where Cov3 is weakest. Other than that this was pretty base stuff against yet another overmatched offense.

Any more specific x's and o's questions from this one?

Explain the swinging gate thing? What were they pointing at?

Sure! Oh man, you know how much I love explaining weird football plays! So PSU is trying to test whether Michigan understands the rules that govern who's an eligible receiver. These rules go back to the early 1900s, and make more sense in the context of the game at that time. Anyway in order to make sure the game didn't just turn into passy-ball, the four backs and the two ends were designated as eligible receivers, and the five linemen between the ends are not eligible. I made a graphic once.

These are not roster designations. When the offense sets up there should always be 7 guys on the line of scrimmage, and whoever's outside is an "end" and whoever's in the backfield is a "back" and whoever's between the ends is a lineman. Also anyone on the line of scrimmage can snap it.

So…

The tight end snapping the ball was also an eligible receiver. This was supposed to surprise the defense—whoever heard of an eligible receiver snapping the ball?—except Michigan has some old experienced players on the defense. They also have a swinging gate in the playbook, or at least they did when they played Maryland in 2019. The linebackers start pointing at this TE: "he's eligible he's eligible" and determine Barrett will cover him. Their ruse detected, and already short on timeouts, PSU can only sit in horror and snap the ball.

I love being the nerd school so much.

Okay nerd. You said the offsides set up the illegal formation. How?

Just a thing I noticed. Often on passing downs you see a wedge-like formation, with the tackles barely (or not) overlapping the center. Setting back like that gives you more time to react to an upfield rusher, and that's why almost every team sets their tackles back a little on obvious passing downs. The rule is part of your body (usually the helmet) still has to be inline with the center('s butt).

PSU had their RG and RT both set up further back than usual. That's still legal as long as there's an overlap, but once it was time to pass their way to a comeback the OL kept trying to inch back further and further, until the gap between the OL and DL was getting up to 2 yards. Harrell, who's used to being at least in shouting distance of an OT, got flagged for being offsides here. He is.

Afterwards you can see him telling the official that PSU is lining up illegally. In this case, they weren't.

But they were coming close already. In fact the play-that-was-not-a-play just before this one had an illegal formation that caused PSU to take a timeout.

Usually you check with the officials (if you've ever seen a WR issuing a thumbs up to the sideline that's what this is). But lining up quickly for a 4th & 2, this TE at the top of the formation did not ever look to the sideline. On tape you can see Franklin say something to the ref, and the ref shakes his head. My guess is PSU asked if the TE checked/is on the LOS, the ref said he is not, and with receiver in motion 3 seconds before the snap they couldn't fix it, so Franklin called timeout. When they came back, they punted.

So it's in the refs' minds. They don't flag this one

…and Harrell says something again. The next passing down:

It gets flagged. They don't convert anyways so it's all superfluous, but I wanted to share so you can point at the TV and look smart when Maryland does it this weekend. For the record I think the above is super minor and without the setup I don't think it ever gets called.

Redshirt updates? No change. Shorter roster meant everyone who played has already played five. As long as Jyaire Hill doesn't play again until the postseason he's good. Benjamin Hall can play against Maryland or Ohio State if needed. Hibner could too, though he's already in the portal. Marshall, Etta, Calhoun, Stokes, Cabana, Herring, Rolder, Bell, Tonielli, Efobi, Link, Bahr, Koumba, Ishmail, Bridgeman, Hewlett, Hayden Moore, and Samaha have all now successfully redshirted.

Heroes?

Will Johnson, Mason Graham (as usual), Makari Paige, Kris Jenkins (as usual), Josiah Stewart, Derrick Moore, Kenneth Grant.

Maybe Not So Heroic?

Tony Petitti is a lock for worst conference commissioner since Vic Schmidt.

What does it mean for Maryland and Beyond?

Ready or not: Will Johnson. This week will be a good shaking out of the various coverages they want to run to take advantage of the futility of running routes against this guy.

Scrambles and QB draws are our concern, dude. Bad time to lose lane integrity or were they just trying to get their sacks in before the stretch run? Probably the latter?

Welcome to the club, Grant. There's always room for another starter. Not that anyone can keep him out from anywhere he wants to go.

Makari Paige: 1st Team All-B10. We're well beyond boring, but also still so boring we don't know it.

Colson is and shall always be. And I will keep coming up with less plausible reasons why he sometimes just sits and stares other than he doesn't have the instincts.

Your Moment of Zen: