FORMATION NOTES: Though Nebraska was touted as a 3-3-5 coming in, in this game they were highly multiple. I had them in some variety of a 4-3 on a majority of plays, mostly under-shifted with a five man line.

Note the unusual depth of the linebackers, generally around five yards instead of three. Nebraska played with light boxes a fair bit and would spin down a safety late. Michigan didn't do anything unusual.

SUBSTITUTION NOTES: Henderson got his first start at LT, kicking Barnhart to RT. When Tuttle Time started Michigan put El-Hadi at LG and Trente Jones at RT, then gradually replaced the rest of the starters. Notably, Andrew Gentry played at LT and Jeff Persi played at RG. This is a shift from earlier in the season when Gentry snaps were at guard, and suggests to me that they've decided he's LT of the future and are going to rep him there the rest of the year.

RB snaps were split down the middle between Corum and Edwards, though Edwards got a half dozen snaps on the Tuttle time drive. Mullings got 8. Non-RB skill position snap counts again favored TEs, but less so than last week:

• Barner: 36
• Loveland: 35
• Johnson: 32
• Wilson: 26
• Morris: 25
• Clemons: 24
• Moore: 20
• Bredeson: 20
• Morgan: 18
• English: 16
• Beetham: 16
• Klein: 14

Clemons got in for a fair number of snaps with McCarthy on the field and got a dig target, which is a good sign for his future.

[After THE JUMP: it expands]

Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M25	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	3-3 under SAM	6.5	Pass	Out	Morris	5
One of those get your QB settled throws; kinda sorta takes Morris off his feet but not enough for an MA. (CA, 3, protection 1/1, JJ +0.5)
M30	2	5	Gun trips	1	1	3	3-3 stack	5	Run	Power GT keeper	McCarthy	10
Five man box, which OK. M pulls both the backside G and T; DE to that side crashes hard; JJ(+1, ZR+) pulls. This should probably be more but Morris(-1) initially goes after the slot LB, who Wilson(+0.5) has handled. Morris does correct his mistake and harass a safety. Johnson(+1) gets a play-long block. RPS +2.
M40	1	10	Gun twins	1	2	2	4-3 even	7	Run	Split duo	Corum	9
Motion Loveland across, he resets, he pulls back to the other side for split zone. Henderson(+1) and Keegan(+1) batter a DL; nobody has to pop off because a Nebraska LB flings himself into the interior. Loveland(+0.5) gets a kick. Barner gets to release immediately, finds no one at the LB level, and heads for a safety, but Corum gets there so fast he can’t get to a block. Slot LB held outside by JJ threat. RPS +1.
M49	2	1	Gun 2-back	2	1	2	4-3 under	7	Pass	In	Edwards	Inc
Edwards kind of shuffles outside and gets in man on a linebacker, which should be money. Edwards cannot sell the guy on a feint outside and he does a good job to mirror and close. JJ still gets the ball in before he can do anything about it, and I can’t really tell how good of a throw this is. It looks like it’s outside the frame of Edwards but it also looks like Edwards gets two hands to it but cannot bring it in. (MA, 2, protection 1/1, JJ -0.5)
M49	3	1	Gun trip TE	1	3	1	4-3 under	8	Run	Dive	Corum	3
I don’t think the entire line has the same snap count, as the TEs don’t fire out. Doesn’t matter as the NT hops right on the snap and nobody tries to fill. Henderson(+0.5) and Keegan(+0.5) get good contact and that’s all she wrote.
O48	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	3-3 stack	6	Pass	RPO out	Edwards	3
Edwards in the slot with Mullings the deep back. This is a straight up six man box and the slot guy sort of over Edwards backs out instead of attacking; this should be a give 100%. JJ -1, RPO-. Zinter(+0.5) and Loveland(+0.5) get good blocks and this is just wide open. JJ then throws it well behind Edwards, forcing him to make a tough catch that pulls him off his feet; that I think is on Edwards since this is zone and he should sit down so he can fire upfield instead of drifting into the flat corner. (CA, 2, protection N/A, JJ push, Edwards route -)
O45	2	7	Ace twin TE	1	2*	2	4-3 over	7.5	Run	Duo	Edwards	4
M motions from an empty set into this; Nebraska sends a DB to shoot the gap between Bredeson and Wilson(-1). Wilson fires out too vertical but also this is asking a lot of a WR to block a blitzing DB given that he’s not lined up next to Bredeson, RPS -1. Edwards(+2) gets this guy in the backfield, threatens outside to freeze him, and then shoots past him up the gut. Nice. There’s a gap as Nugent(+1) controls and puts his guy definitively to one side. Keegan and Henderson have some difficulty with Hutmacher; they’re able to drive him a yard or two but they’re never comboing through him; when Keegan tries to leave for a linebacker Henderson has no angle and he grabs Edwards. Push for both.
O41	3	3	Gun 2TE	1	1	3	Nickel over	6	Run	Dive	Corum	2
Wilson motions in to be 2023 Ronnie Bell, and this gambit works fairly well as Nebraska only has six guys on the line. Any dive is going to struggle to get more than two, but if you’re going you’re going so this is fine. Henderson(+1) and Keegan(+0.5) blow out a DE to get the two.
O39	4	1	Gun trip TE	1	3	1	4-3 under	10	Run	Dive	Corum	2
Nugent(+1) chips Hutmacher heavy and then peels out to get a linebacker; Keegan(+0.5) finishes the Hutmacher block. Zinter(+0.5) easily controls a DE.
O37	1	10	I-Form	1	2	2	4-3 under	7	Run	Power	Edwards	8
This meets a stunt that almost gets guys through but not quite. Henderson(+1) is trying to block down on a DE who suddenly hops outside of him. He gives the dude a one-handed shove before moving on to a linebacker. Barner(-1) doesn’t cut off the dude slanting inside of him; Zinter gets picked off. Bredeson(+0.5) gets a kickout. Edwards(+1) is able to zip through the hole because the guy Henderson shoved is still regaining his balance; he then lowers the boom on a safety and picks up 4 YAC.
O29	2	2	Gun trips	1	1	3	3-3 stack	6	Pass	Improv	Wilson	29
M sees a blitzy look and checks to the sideline; Nebraska checks. Neb then rushes two. Two! JJ surveys and eventually finds Wilson; this is a good decision not made fast enough, and then the throw is short because of the wind. It still gets past an outstretched hand and then Wilson makes the catch of the year. (CA, 1, protection N/A, JJ+0.5)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 7-0, 9 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
O29	1	10	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel over	6	Run	Duo	Corum	4
Light box, run at it; backside end held by JJ threat. Zinter(+1) clobbers the NT and climbs to a linebacker; Barnhart(+0.5) gets a kickout. Corum hits the gap but the LB is able to stick out an arm and barely grab Corum’s ankle to bring him down. RPS +1.
O25	2	6	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Run	Power GT	Corum	5
Barnhart(+1) fires in a DE, moving him laterally a yard or two. Keegan(+0.5) gets a kickout; Henderson(+1) is able to redirect and get the last LB. Charging S comes up for Corum(+1); Corum dusts him but again a desperation ankle grab rolls a critical hit and Corum goes down.
O20	3	1	Gun 3TE	1	3	1	4-3 under	10	Run	Belly	Mullings	20
Excellent counterpunch at a team that just ate three dives. Nebraska sells out to the interior. Barner(+0.5) posts up a LB and Loveland(+1) blows him way down the line. Bredeson(+1) realizes he’s got nothing to do the interior and redirects to pick up a DB. Another DB checks up on JJ. Mullings(+1) threatens the inside properly and then smoothly shifts to the outside gap, running through an arm tackle attempt to score. RPS +2.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 14-0, 7 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M12	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 over	7	Run	Inside zone	Edwards	2
This is a live read and it’s debatable whether JJ should keep. End dives inside but it’s a twist and a linebacker has eyes on JJ and is moving towards him; JJ gives. Probably right, ZR+. Barner has flared out to block the OLB if JJ does keep so this is arc without the arc. Barnhart(-1) does read the twist but too late and can only get a fairly ineffectual push in. Zinter(+1) turns NT upfield and out; Nugent(+0.5) gets a second level block. RPS -1.
M14	2	8	Ace trip TE	1	3	1	4-3 under	8	Run	Belly	Edwards	1
Once too many times back to the well here; also a reason belly is an effective short yardage counterpunch but not something you want to run a ton of. Loveland fires in a DE, big gap backside; LB moves up but scrapes over the top of this block and is unblocked in the gap. Edwards tries to cut away from this; Keegan(-1) got beat to the inside after a chip from Nugent, so the second tackler prevents YAC. RPS -1.
M15	3	7	Gun trips	1	1	3	Exotic	6	Pass	Dig	Barner	16
Fast motion from Wilson draws a man to man defender and also sucks away an underneath guy in a zone that looks specifically designed to rob the drag. Edwards runs an angle route that causes his defender to stumble JJ is locked in on Barner(route+) who drives into the DB’s jam to create separation and turns around to find a ball rifled in on his numbers. (DO, 3, protection 2/2, JJ +2, RPS +1)
M31	1	10	I-Form	1	2	2	3-3 stack	6.5	Run	Power	Edwards	6
S inserts late to make up the numbers for a light box. He doesn’t time it exactly right and M runs away from him. Henderson(+0.5) does peel off his hinge block to get him just in case; smart to blunt the momentum of the guy running at full speed. On the playside Barner(+1) and Barnhart(+1) blow out the POA DL and Barner climbs to a LB. Keegan(+0.5) and Bredeson(+0.5) get kickouts. Edwards(+0.5) hits the hole after a little hesitation; unblocked S is able to come down and get the play down.
M37	2	4	Pistol TTB	1	2	2	4-3 under	7.5	Pass	PA TE flat	Barner	10
Loveland motions across the formation just before the snap; Barner goes after. PA; everyone sucks inside, Barner runs into the flat with no one near him. JJ flips him the ball, easy conversion. (CA, 3, protection N/A, JJ +0.5, RPS +1)
M47	1	10	Pistol 3-wide	1	2	2	4-3 under	7	Run	Split duo	Edwards	3
NTs split Zinter(-1) and Nugent(-0.5) and is able to get in a diving arm tackle attempt. Edwards loses some balance. Other double goes better with Beetham(+0.5) and Barnhart(+1) ejecting a DL; Beetham’s second level block is iffy. DE hugs the back of Beetham so Loveland has to come down on him and has no shot at inside leverage; LB pops outside to be force. Edwards slams it up to get what he can. RPS -1.
50	2	7	Gun TTE U	1	2	2	4-3 under	7	Pass	Flicker dig	Johnson	20
Flea flicker; three man route with Loveland going directly upfield as Wilson runs a fly and Johnson runs a dig under it. JJ has forever and lasers in the dig. (DO, 3, protection 3/3, JJ +2.) No RPS here? I don’t think it really bought M a ton. Gold star for Nugent on a pass pro pancake.
O30	1	10	Gun trips	1	1	3	3-3 stack	5	Run	Inside zone	Edwards	9
Five man box! First and ten! Against Michigan! Nugent(-1) gets shed by NT; Edwards(+1) bounces as Henderson(+1) got depth against a DE. Then there’s no one until a safety. RPS +1.
O21	2	1	Gun 4-wide	1	2	2	Nickel even	6	Pass	Scramble	McCarthy	21
Zero blitz with man to man behind it; somehow Nebraska doesn’t end up with a free rusher? The three interior rushers all pile up in the middle; Keegan is able to see the LB trying to jet through and gets a shove on him as he passes; guy ends up falling. Barnhart has mirrored his DE way upfield; JJ steps up into the space vacated and sees nothing but grass so he goes. Johnson(+0.5) gets a downfield block. (SCR, N/A, protection 4/4, JJ +0.5 for decision, +1 for fast)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 21-0, 11 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M35	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 even SAM	7	Pass	PA corner	Johnson	Inc
Morris motions across the formation; PA; max pro; flood concept. He finds Johnson with a step on his guy about 30 yards downfield but puts it wide. (IN, 0, protection 2/2, JJ -1)
M35	2	10	Gun trips	1	1	3	4-3 under	7	Pass	Hitch	Loveland	Inc
Hitch against cover 3 is open at the sticks; JJ’s throw is a little high but this is easily within Loveland’s catch radius and here’s the first drop of the year. (CA, 3, protection 1/1, JJ +0.5)
M35	3	10	Gun trips	1	1	3	Exotic	6	Run	Split zone	Edwards	0
Six men at the OL so you can sometimes hammer people with a run when LBs back out… but you have to actually block the guy first. Nugent(-2) goes after the nose, leaving a LB completely unblocked; Edwards has to cut away from the POA and gets buried.
Drive Notes: Punt, 21-0, 9 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M45	1	10	I-Form twin TE	1	3	1	Nickel over	7.5	Run	Power	Corum	-3
Twist from NU on the backside of this play shoots the DE past Nugent(-2) before he can react. Corum gets eaten. RPS -2.
M42	2	13	Gun empty	1	1	3	3-3 stack	5.5	Pass	Drag	Johnson	12
This is just a dumb little drag route but the timing on this is important as a LB lifts into the coverage and sets up nine yards downfield; the ball is halfway to Johnson by the time he gets moving forward. Johnson(+2) evades the guy and then stiffarms him to the ground, hitting the sideline for a conversion. (CA, 3, protection 2/2, JJ +0.5)
O46	3	1	Gun trip TE	1	3	1	4-3 under	8	Run	Duo	Mullings	6
Not a dive, with various guys just going one on one and not leaving the edge defenders unblocked. Nugent(+0.5) and Keegan(+0.5) double the nose and drive him back; LBs fire inside because short yardage. Mullings(+1) regaps as one of the LBs threatens to pop through; Zinter(+0.5) and Barnhart(+0.5) have controlled their guys enough to provide Mullings a lane; Barnhart’s guy falls off to tackle. Mullings runs through 95% of that tackle.
O40	1	10	Gun trips TE	1	1	3	6-1 even	7	Run	Split zone	Corum	10
Twist backfires for NU this time as the nose just plows into Zinter(+2) and gets stoned, then moved, despite the DE shoving him as well, then trying to loop around. Barnhart(+0.5) gets to wash his guy down the line virtually for free. Barner(+1) controls and drives his guy. Huge gap. Corum(+0.5) woops past a DB to add 3-4. RPS +1.
O30	1	10	Gun twin TE	1	2	2	4-3 under	7.5	Pass	Drag	Wilson	5
Time now a factor; 1:26 on this snap. M two TOs. NU gets a little pressure here as a DT is able to split Nugent and Keegan as Nugent(-1) first checks a guy looping around and does not get to the dude shooting inside Keegan until it’s too late; the two guys do stall the DE out. JJ is able to drift back a couple yards in the pocket to find Wilson near the sideline. (CA+, 3, protection ½, JJ +1)
O25	2	5	Gun trips	1	1	3	3-3 stack	6	Run	Inside zone	Corum	3
1:21. M sees a five man box and runs at it; Keegan(-0.5) attempts to chip the nose but gets no movement on him; Nugent(-0.5) gets fired back a half yard. Keegan leaves for a LB; Corum cuts behind the Keegan block and NT tackles. Zinter(+0.5) turned out a charging LB so there could have been space if M was able to move Hutmacher.
O22	3	2	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 under	7.5	Run	Inside zone	Mullings	6
43 seconds. NU stunts a DT right out of the middle of this play. Nugent(+0.5) doesn’t take the bait and heads for a LB. Zinter(+1) doesn’t let the slant DT cross his face and eventually turns him out entirely. Mullings(+0.5) can just ram it up the middle; he doesn’t meet resistance until the sticks and then he OBLITERATES a linebacker. Ol’ Bonesaw. RPS +1.
O16	1	10	Gun trips	1	1	3	3-3 stack	6	Pass	Improv	Wilson	16
31. Henderson(-2) does get beat quickly largely because the DE rips his hands away; on the podcast I thought maybe this was a failure to help by Keegan because Hutmacher is also threatening in his area but it’s a -2. JJ spins out of the pressure, gets the corner, approaches the sideline, and unleashes a 30-yard rocket to the back of the endzone while rolling away from his throwing arm. Wilson is like hey cool TD. (DO+, 3, protection 0/2, JJ +3)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 28-0, EOH
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M22	1	10	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel over	7	Pass	Dig	Loveland	Inc
Another twist; Henderson is on his way to picking this up when Corum(-2) runs into him, allowing NT to come around and hit JJ on the throw. Even so this is very close to an excellent DO as he hits Loveland between three defenders...except for the fact that the ball is a couple yards too high because of the pressure. (PR, 0, protection 0/2, JJ push)
M22	2	10	Ace 3TE	1	3	1	4-3 under	7	Run	Zone windback	Corum	0
This is a counter that looks like split zone but wants to hit outside; Corum correctly sees that there’s a safety acting as force here and he’ll get nothing if he goes out there. He still gets nothing because Zinter(-2) largely misses a chip on the NT and stumbles out of that break, leaving him unable to do anything about a linebacker; if Zinter is able to get this block the cutback is a nice gain. Loveland(-1) did not read a twist and ends up inside of the looper, so Bredeson has to spend himself on that guy and there are actually two dudes outside. Barnhart(+0.5) and Barner(+0.5) double through a DE, who fights outside; Barner shoves him way down the line laterally so the cutback lane is huge. Nugent(+0.5) seemed to have NT under control.
M22	3	10	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Pass	Hitch	Loveland	13
Zinter(-2) doesn’t pick up a stunt at all and JJ gets quick heat. He fires a bullet to Loveland, who’s three yards short of the sticks but in a pocket in the zone; Loveland(+1) is able to break a tackle and surge upfield to convert. (CA+, 3, protection 0/2, JJ +1)
M35	1	10	Ace trip TE	1	3	1	4-3 even SAM	8	Run	Duo	Corum	4
The double on the NT goes nowhere as dude is able to burrow in, but also that’s all he’s doing. He is not facing the play at all, he’s just staying where he is. This is relevant as Corum heads at the TEs. Loveland(+0.5) and Barner(+0.5) are able to drive their guy off the LOS and Loveland pops off on a second level block; their guy is able to fight outside of Barner. Corum(-0.5) has a cutback lane; I kind of understand why he doesn’t hit it because his peripheral vision is all red jersey; instead he runs up the backs of his TEs for a meh gain.
M39	2	6	Gun TTE U	1	2	2	Exotic	8	Pass	PA Dig	Clemons	18
PA sucks up the LBs; Wilson draws a deep bracket; Clemons(route+) wins inside against a guy with inside leverage and JJ rifles it in. Slightly low but probably on purpose? I gave him a borderline DO earlier so (CA, 3, protection 2/2, JJ +1)
O43	1	10	Gun 3-wide U	1	2	2	3-3 stack	7	Run	Split zone	Corum	9
Barner(+1) fires in a DE and then climbs; Henderson(+0.5) comes off a slanter to pick up the DE. Bredeson(+1) gets a thumping kickout. Corum(+1) hits the hole and then runs over a safety at five yards to make it 9.
O34	2	1	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 over	7	Run	Duo	Corum	15
Loveland(+1) chips the backside end and leaves him; backside end takes one step to McCarthy and he’s gone. Loveland then gets to a second level block. Barnhart(+1) and Zinter(+1) blow out a DE, Barnhart climbs; Corum to the second level. He’s unable to make something happen. RPS +1.
O19	1	10	Ace 3TE	1	3	1	4-3 under	7	Pass	Waggle flat	Wilson	8
Wilson’s actually on the LOS here, which is unusual for run a guy in the flat play. World sucks in in PA, easy. (CA, 3, protection N/A, JJ +0.5, RPS +1)
O11	2	2	Gun twin TE U	1	2	2	4-3 even	8	Run	Power GT	Corum	7
This is potentially evil. O’Leary is to the field and motions across; both TEs are also to the boundary and those three guys all split wide on the snap. That action takes three defenders with them. Backside end checks JJ(+0.5, ZR+). Michigan even on numbers now and blocks it up. Barnhart(+0.5) goes directly to the MLB. Keegan(+1) gets a moving kickout. Zinter(+0.5) fires in a DE; Henderson hits this block as he goes through but is still able to get through enough to freeze the LB; Corum(+0.5) runs through the last man for 3 YAC. RPS +1.
O4	1	G	Gun TTE	1	2	2	Goal line	9	Run	Duo	Corum	3
Another twist gets through but Beetham(+1) and Barnhart(+1) viciously pancake the slant guy so it does not matter that the looper is able to zip in behind Beetham’s block. Zinter(+1) gets a heavy chip and climbs as well.
O1	2	G	Goal line	1	4*	0	Goal line	11	Run	Power	Corum	1
A walk in; Bredeson, Zinter, Henderson, Jones all +0.5.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 35-0, 6 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M25	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel under	6	Run	Duo	Edwards	2
Tuttle time. Also El-Hadi and Jones come in. Not much on the interior here as Barner(-1) gives ground and another twist is picked up but Nugent(-0.5) gets stalemated at the LOS. El-Hadi(+0.5) and Henderson(+0.5) do get movement on the other guy but there’s no gap.
M27	2	8	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 over SAM	7	Pass	Slant	Clemons	Inc
An accurate slant that would convert if the officials(-3) didn’t ignore some blatant PI on Clemons. I will track protection here since it’s 3/5ths of the starting line. (CA, 0, protection 2/2, Tuttle +1)
M27	3	8	Gun trips	1	1	3	Exotic	6	Pass	Quick seam	Barner	Inc (Pen +20)
NU jumps, free play. NU sends six; Tuttle is able to get it out to Barner, who is wide open by formation as soon as NU sends six. The throw is good, but he spent a beat or two looking at Not Barner and the throw is late as a result; Barner gets crushed on the catch and the ball pops out. (MA, 1, protection 1/1, Tuttle push) NU then gets an unsportsmanlike conduct.
M47	1	10	Gun trips TE	1	1	3	4-3 under	7	Run	Inside zone	Edwards	2
This play wants to hit frontside but El-Hadi(-1) doesn’t chip a guy lined up right over him; Henderson tries to come over but this is a tough ask. LB El-Hadi is going to is five yards deep, too, no need to get out so fast. Nugent(+1) battles with the NT by himself and while he doesn’t get movement when Hutmacher tries to shed he puts him on the ground. Edwards has to cut back behind Nugent because of the El-Hadi error, which then ruins El-Hadi’s angle and allows LBs to converge. Zinter(+0.5) got a good block to help open the gap.
M49	2	8	Gun trips	1	1	3	3-3 stack	6	Pass	Drag	Clemons	10
Drag against off man coverage; DB has a false step as the RB releases so Clemons has plenty of room. Clemons(+1) turns it up and spins past the DB to convert. (CA, 3, protection 2/2, Tuttle +0.5)
O41	1	10	Gun 3TE	1	3	1	4-3 even	9	Pass	PA TE flat	Bredeson	5
PA does not draw in the D this time so the two deep routes look like bad ideas; Tuttle wisely checks down. (CA, 3, protection 2/2, Tuttle +0.5)
O36	2	5	Gun 3-wide	1	2	2	3-3 stack	7	Run	Split zone	Edwards	1
Late shift sends eight guys into the box as NU goes zero. Nugent(-2) gets blasted back by NT and NT disconnects to get a diving tackle attempt in. Jones(+1) hits one blitzing LB into Zinter(+0.5) and then moves to pick up a second twisting outside. Barner(-0.5) doesn’t read it as well and ends up hitting the same guy. Unmolested LB helps tackle.
O35	3	4	Gun trips	1	1	3	Dime even	5	Run	Pin and pull	Mullings	5
I think? No double here so PNP for me. Henderson(-1) gets driven back and there’s no gap between Nugent(+0.5) who gets a good kick, and Henderson. Jones can’t get through, let alone Mullings. Mullings(+1) has a cutback, though, as a LB at the LOS is executing a sim pressure and El-Hadi(+0.5) runs out to block him. Mullings slashes back to this gap, finds an unblocked DB, and then regaps to the other side of the El-Hadi block. This robs him of his momentum but Jones(+0.5) shoves him across the line to gain.
O30	1	10	Pistol TTE	1	2	2	4-3 even	9	Run	Split zone	Edwards	4
RPS is off but this is RPS as it’s zero from NU again and they fling a LB M can’t block across the LOS. Persi in at G, Persi(+0.5) and Nugent(+0.5) double a guy off the LOS, so Edwards(+0.5) can threaten inside and then bounce outside of El-Hadi for an ok gain.
O26	2	6	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 over	6.5	Pass	Tunnel screen	Morgan	8
Tuttle’s throw is upfield of Morgan, which works out but since the whole DL is gone it looks like this screen is better off if this is accurate. Morgan(+1) adapts and is zippy upfield; Jones(+0.5) and Barner(+0.5) get second level blocks. (MA, 3, screen, Tuttle -0.5)
O18	1	10	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Run	Inside zone	Edwards	4
Late shift to six guys on the LOS; Henderson(-1) is not forceful enough and lets a guy cross his face; no help will come because everyone’s at the LOS. Jones(+1) aggressively kicks out a LB on the other side, giving Edwards a lane that he takes; Crippen can’t get a DT who’s twisting; Edwards(+0.5) is fast enough to get outside and fall forward.
O14	2	6	Gun trips TE	1	2	2	4-3 under	7	Run	Split zone	Edwards	2
Gentry(+1) gets a slanter to him and rips him past the gap and then follows it up. Jones also correctly finds the twist guy and sets up to block him… but Barner(+1) is blocking him from the other side so Jones gives ground. There’s a gap but a narrow one and Edwards can’t hit it with speed because he has to pick through it. LB comes up to finish it. Bredeson(+1) hammered a guy on his kickout.
O12	3	4	Gun trips	1	1	3	Exotic	6	Pass	Sack	N/A	-3
Edwards(-2) gets a blitzing LB and instead of trying to take out his legs he faces him straight up; momentum wins and Edwards gets driven back into Tuttle’s lap. Tuttle breaks the pocket and runs out for a loss. (PR, 0, protection off)
Drive Notes: FG(38), 38-0, 14 min 4th Q. I clipped the Denegal TD.

I feel… okay.

Okay?

I may have tweeted that I just don't know about this offense after the three and out.

…

Look. I mean. Ain't played nobody.

I'm going to dispute that, at least insofar as it applies to the run offense. It's true that Nebraska also Ain't Played Nobody until this game, but after charting them I think their rush D is mostly real. For one, Hutmacher is exactly what you want in a nose tackle in a three-man front. Doubles didn't move him much and when Michigan singled him he usually got a yard or two of penetration. They did not do this much. We have not seen an opposing DL reset the LOS against the Michigan OL this year:

For two, Nebraska's D is a pile of well-executed stunts and twists that Michigan sometimes had trouble picking up, and with Henderson in the starting lineup this OL is literally all seniors. I think by the end of the year they'll have one of the better rush Ds in the league and Michigan put up 249 yards at 4.9 YPA without breaking anything longer than 21 yards.

Anyway, because of the nature of the Nebraska defense people were popping up in unexpected spots all game. Sometimes Michigan handled this with aplomb, like this chunk for Edwards. The DE lined up over Henderson ghosts out of there; Henderson 1) still manages to get a shove in on that guy and 2) then gives up and gets a second level block:

LT #73

The shove is material because the shovee is still off balance when Edwards passes.

Sometimes not so much, as on this TFL. Keegan pulls, the guy over him dives inside; Henderson has no shot and Nugent doesn't read it fast enough:

NEB DE #9 to bottom; M C #60 

This was an exception, though. I was impressed with Michigan's ability to handle those. The RPS came out solidly positive because Nebraska gave away some yards when dudes vacated the point of attack. This was the only TFL of the game.

But 4.9 is kind of meh?

This was a team giving up ~60 yards a game coming in. The chart

chart

is a step down from the blastings of the previous two weeks but you can see the dent Hutmacher made:

Offensive Line
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Henderson	7.5	2	+5.5	Two minuses were in Tuttle time, nice.
Keegan	5	2	+3	Lot of interior stalemates.
Nugent	6	8	-2	Hutmacher was a bit much.
Zinter	11	3	+10	Yeah, he's the best one.
Barnhart	7.5	1	+6.5	Unexpected until I added it up.
Jones	3.5		+3.5	Nice job in Tuttle time.
Gentry	1		+1	Now LT.
El-Hadi	1	1	0
Crippen				DNC
Bredeson	4.5		+4.5	No minuses two weeks straight.
Barner	6	2.5	+3.5	A couple hiccups but nothing major.
Loveland	1.5	1	+1	Also +1 for YAC
Beetham	1.5		+1.5	Coming out our ears.
Mullings				DNC as blocker
TOTAL	56	19.5	74%	Also: Persi +0.5.
Backs
Player	+	-	T	Notes
McCarthy	1		+1	Fast.
Orji				DNP
Tuttle				DNC
Corum	3	0.5	+2.5	Didn't defenestrate anyone.
Edwards	5.5		+5.5	Flipped his last week.
Mullings	3.5		+3.5	Dude.
Stokes				DNP
TOTAL	13	0.5	+12.5	Edwards got right but now we need Corum to ghost guys.
Receivers
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Johnson	3	2	-1	+2 of this for YAC.
Wilson	0.5	1	-0.5	Consistently getting his blocks.
Morris		1	-1	Won't help playing time quest.
Clemons	1		1	YAC
Morgan	1		1	Smooth, slippery
Moore				DNC
TOTAL	5.5	4	+1.5	Making some yards after the catch.
Metrics
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Protection	22	7	76%	-2 Zinter, –2 Henderson, –2 Corum, –1 Nugent
RPS	14	6	+8	M hung even in the stunt game and won elsewhere.

Hutmacher provided an opportunity for Michigan OL to separate from each other, and Zinter separated. He was the only guy to be able to move him one on one, even when Hutmacher was slanting to him and Zinter got harassed by another DL:

RG #65

Nugent, as you can see, had some issues. Both of the runs embedded above the chart are –2s for him; he had a third –2 when a linebacker dropped out from the LOS and Nugent went to Hutmacher, never leaving as Edwards got hung out to dry. He was fine the rest of the day, but three runs that go nowhere largely because of you are hard to recover from, grading-wise.

Henderson tho?

Henderson was good, and given the discussion above about the Nebraska run defense I think you have to regard any solid performance as a notch or two above Hinton's best output to date. Henderson did better than solid; he was completely free of negatives until Tuttle time.

I already embedded the shove-n-climb on that twist, and I'd like to revisit this pull on power GT:

LT #73

The game column mentioned that his ability to redirect and get a block is good; I will further note that as he's sealing this LB inside he sees a DE trying to pursue over the top of his block and moves to obstruct him somewhat. I love it when guys go above and beyond their rote assignment when they see an opportunity to harass a guy, and by the end of Michigan's first drive Henderson had done it twice.

Pass protection was mostly good with two incidents of note. One was the rollout TD on which Henderson got beat to the inside quickly; I hemmed and hawed about it but finally decided it was just a straight-up L. The other one I gave him a pass on because Corum bumps into him and if that doesn't happen I think he's able to pick up this stunt:

LT #73

YMMV. I don't think Henderson projects as an elite pass protector by any means but he should be good enough, particularly with JJ's ability to play off-schedule.

So… battle over?

I'd think so. Hinton had the one pass pro error but was otherwise way more consistent. When he picked up his –1s they were for getting reset a yard in the backfield. This is not good but neither is it a play-destroying ole block. If you have Michigan's OL it seems like the guy who's going to keep you on schedule is the pick over the inconsistent guy with massive upside. Hinton might get there if you stick with him, but you know Henderson is going to be solid and on this team you don't need to swing for the fences.

Michigan said Hinton was injured, but you wonder since they made this switch right at the four game mark that allows him to put on a redshirt.

JJ: WE'RE SO BACK

I see you've been on the internet recently.

I CAN HAZ CHEESEBURGER?

…and not so recently.

Well, yes. We are so back and you can has cheeseburger. Chart:

JJ MCCARTHY

	Good				Neutral			Bad					Ovr			Reads
Game	DO	CA	SCR		PR	MA		BA	TA	IN	BR		DSR	GRADE!		RPOs	ZRs
East Carolina	6+	14(2)++++				5				2			91%	+20		0/0	0/0
UNLV	2	15++	1		1	1				1			95%	+12.5		0/0	1/3
Bowling Green	1	6+	1		1	1				3**	2**		61%	-3		0/0	2/2
Rutgers	3	13++(1)	3		1				1	3	1		79%	+12		0/0	3/4
Nebraska	3+	10+	1		1	1				1			94%	+13		0/1	3/3

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

+3 on 16 throws and 4 read events is silly. McCarthy's incompletions were a catchable ball to Loveland, a play on which he got hit, a thirty-yard corner route he missed wide, and a ball zinged to Edwards that was probably catchable. I did ding him –0.5 for the Edwards throw; the Johnson miss and the RPO decision were the only other negatives. He offset that with dig city, baby. Most of the conversation about McCarthy on our podcast this week was about dig routes and how this edition of Michigan is uniquely set up to throw them. You have to bracket Wilson deep; it's hard for linebackers not to suck up on play action, and McCarthy throws rockets. Yeehaw.

(Incidentally, Nugent burying Hutmacher on this play is our Block Of The Week, and is probably our second ever pass pro block of the week. The first was Mike Onwenu blocking two guys back against… Army? I think it was Army.)

I have to assume that these balls are a little low on purpose because of the consistency with which they are. Here's the replay of the Clemons catch:

I assume the last thing you want is for a ball over the middle to sail high, or be high enough where a DB could punch it out so that the ball floats upwards.

When not throwing digs McCarthy felt extremely polished, picking apart zone coverage, buying time in the pocket when necessary and firing out darts when buying time wasn't going to cut it. I thought this third down, while fairly pedestrian on the surface, was telling:

JJ's going to get crushed so he just gets the ball out but it's there so fast and in a spot that allows Loveland to catch it without breaking stride, so he's able to break a tackle and convert. If this ball is anywhere else, or a hair slower, it's time to punt. The spectacular things he does are spectacular, but now that he's a junior the pedestrian things he does are also kind of spectacular? I particularly enjoyed the little dump to Wilson before the end of the first half where he got pressure, drifted away, and calmly picked up five yards while stopping the clock. BGSU is a bad dream and we correctly memory-holed it. Speaking of…  could it be possible that you have something to say to me?

I have lots of things to say to you.

Perhaps of the apology variety?

Never that.

I'm going to take that as an apology…

HEY

…because JJ-should-be-cautious-on-the-sideline-rolling-away-from-his-throwing-arm discourse is in shambles today:

Let JJ cook.

Three zone read decisions seems kind of suboptimal though?

I mean… not really? They ran him on the second play and never again, scramble excepted, and just that one ten-yard run was enough to get Michigan ~four RPS points across the rest of the game when unblocked DEs checked McCarthy for a fatal step. Always try to get your QB a carry on the first drive.

And while reads weren't a huge part of this game Michigan did hint that their playbook here goes beyond the basics. Michigan started their third drive with what looks like arc without the arc:

wing TE #89 to bottom

I was torn about the give decision here but finally decided it was right because Yet Another Nebraska Twist turns into a scrape exchange where the LB is the guy checking the QB; if it's a keep he could shoot the gap and blow it up. I kind of want McCarthy to test that because even if he gets run down for minimal gain you get benefits on other plays… and given how fast McCarthy is he could beat this LB to the corner. But if in doubt, hand off.

Anyway: for the purposes of this section it's eyes emoji that if JJ does get a keep read he's got a protector out there to help him get the edge.

The second one was even more deviously tantalizing, as it gives JJ three dudes in the event of a keep:

both TEs to bottom

You get to run power GT and if that DE isn't I'm-dating-your-daughter respectful of the keep JJ pops outside with three lead blockers. Meanwhile the TE action widens out various back seven members and the WR motion means that the unconflicted deep guy is a cornerback spinning backwards on the snap, so when he meets Corum that's going to be YAC every time.

Michigan's first power GT this season was almost run down by a backside defender but they've put that guy under control; they've also run power GT opposite the zone read version of "triple option" where McCarthy has the option to chuck it in the flat. McCarthy missed the read on that one, keeping instead of handing off; here he gives and even though the blocking isn't great—Henderson gets picked off trying to pull through—it's still a good gain. I suspect we have not seen a third of the power GT-plus-read-frippery package and look forward to its gradual introduction.

Finally, while this isn't a zone read per se it was McCarthy's legs impacting the game:

We have not seen McCarthy leave the pocket to run much in his career, but when it's man zero it's free real estate. Also I am beginning to question my policy of not giving out positives for pass pro; this play has six rushers and five blockers and there is no free rusher. Keegan gets over to shove the would-be free guy and the three DL in the middle of the field just get stuck there.

Add this to the list of reasons that playing man coverage against Michigan is asking for an uppercut.

Oooh. Stuff. I like Stuff. You got any more stuff? 

Yeah, I got stuff. Michigan pulled out its first RPO of the year on their first drive; this saw a six man Nebraska box with both LBs stepping back off the snap and really should have been a handoff:

McCarthy slung it to Edwards on a quick out and took him off his feet. I charged that to Edwards because it's zone and Edwards should sit down so he doesn't get blown up by the flat CB. YMMV.

The read error is fine. IIRC, McCarthy screwed up the first live read he had this year; it's natural to get your first RPO and be biased towards pulling and throwing. We've seen enough from him to believe he'll be good at it. I'm just glad it's in there, because adding that on top of all the other stuff Michigan is doing is going to be hell on linebackers.

Also in Edwards things that may be relevant, mmm Texas. This doesn't go to him but there will be a time it does:

RB #7

This is an "angle" route, sometimes referred to as "Texas" because it's often part of a passing concept called Texas with a deeper TE route. It is asking a LB to have the same change of direction as Donovan Edwards. In a word: no. Michigan actually had a screen concept off an angle route back in the early Harbaugh days that I'd like to see make a comeback.

And in Frustrating Areas Formerly The Province Of Matt Weiss?

Michigan's redzone/short yardage run game continued to diversify. I apparently did not bother to clip the goal-line power play that was a walk-in touchdown for Corum, but they ran a goal line power play for Corum that was a walk-in touchdown. Folks can get cranky about pulling backside guards in the low redzone because you get a lot of gap-shooting and the like as the defense is incentivized to roll the dice, but when it's a constraint play it's fine. Nobody's running a goal line defense to defeat power when Michigan is going to run a dive most of the time.

And this is technically not redzone but it is third and one from the twenty:

Sam called this duo and it could be but when I see EMLOS go for a ride horizontally, which he does courtesy of Colston Loveland, I'm thinking belly. At this point in the game Michigan has already called three successful dives—if turning third and three into fourth and one counts, and on this Michigan team I'm thinking it does—and you can see the team-wide freakout about #4.

In the past I've complained that Michigan seems to wait until their main play has been stopped before trying the counter to it; this year it feels like Sherrone Moore has a good feel for when to pull out the tweak.

The other thing about the belly play above is what happens to CB #6. Here's one of our RPS +1s after McCarthy kept the ball on the second play from scrimmage. On the third play McCarthy's threat held a guy outside on a nine yard run and here one false step is all it takes to get Mullings past the CB clean. Compare that to last year when Michigan did not run McCarthy until the third quarter against OSU and TCU. As a rule, if you're going to run the QB you should do it as quickly as possible so that you can reap the benefits of indecision for as long as possible. Very happy to see it.

I have noticed fewer plays where I turn to my bolded alter-companion and moan "once too many times back to the well."

I'm glad you have a friend, and enjoy saying things last popular in dickety-three.

Also, it's true. Last week Michigan got a third and long conversion on a fast-motion drag from Roman Wilson. This week they ran the fast-motion drag into a defense set up to kill it and McCarthy stared it down before popping off onto Barner the exact second Barner came out of his break. Note the Nebraska linebacker who drops off the line of scrimmage right into the drag zone:

That is too polished to be a genuine, impromptu decision, right? That feels like McCarthy knows the Wilson drag isn't open and Barner is because Michigan anticipated a reaction to last week's very flashy new thing and counterpunched before taking the lost down.

You're always going to get got occasionally, but I have charted some RPS debacles against the likes of Army. Michigan has been well ahead of the opposition the whole year.

That's quite a score for Edwards when he put up 3.8 YPC.

I'm not worried about the YPC; Edwards maximized what was there. Also, Edwards's use was particularly conspicuous on the final drive with only parts of the starting OL in. After Michigan had lifted McCarthy, Edwards got six carries to bring his total to 14. Almost all of these went within the tackles, and while Edwards didn't break anything big he did flash the ability to free and then burst past a guy on a play where he found an unblocked Cornhusker in the backfield:

I thought ~all of his decisions were correct. Once they start getting him to the perimeter again it'll be devastating.

I assume we're just ignoring Corum again.

Maybe not. I may have been premature in asserting that Corum was all the way back because last year it felt like a safety in the open field literally never got him down. This was probably not true, but it felt true, so when Corum broke into the open field here and met a safety I was expecting more fireworks:

We've seen him slide by guys some but we have not seen any Bill Raftery "lingerie on the deck" moments like he turned in on the regular last year. We're almost halfway through the season and Corum has not ghosted through four defenders or made the crowd go "ohhhhhh." FWIW, his PFF grading has dropped considerably. Since he's Blake Corum that means he's an 85… but last year he was a 96. Last year he forced 73 missed tackles on 248 attempts, a 29% rate. This year he's at 9 on 74, a 12% rate.

This will be something to monitor as we get into the back half of the season. We're at the point where sample size is large enough to think this is a regression.

Y'all gonna give me some of those K-pop fan cams of Mullings, Stan?

Yes, fine, fine. Well struck. It remains the case that the touchdown was probably Mullings's least impressive carry of the day because I believe the cutback to the TEs is the play design and all he has to do is run through an arm tackle. And even that is a smooth regap that shows off his feet. But feet? Feet? You want to talk about feet?

…ok this is getting weird even for me

NOT LIKE THAT, LIKE FOOTBALL FEET

Mullings sees a linebacker in the dive gap and just regaps—at 240—and then cuts right off a Nebraska player's butt, then runs through 95% of a tackle. At some point Mullings is going to step through some ankle tackles and carry several defensive backs on his back like baby sloths, but the larger point I want to make is how unnaturally instinctive this run is. Not only does he pop in a different gap, he seems to feel that the DL Zinter is blocking will not be relevant even if he pops to that side of the block, and he's right. This guy is in his first season at Michigan as a full-time RB.

And then there's this:

That play is done as Henderson gets shoved back to close the gap. Mullings regaps far enough away from a DL to avoid his tackle, runs through a tackle, regaps again, and keeps his feet so Jones can scrum him across the line to gain. This is not just agility; it's instincts. It's incredible that a guy who looked lost as a linebacker looks like a natural at running back.

In addition to that, Mullings does the 240 stuff as well. Unblocked LB gets under your pads a bit and then is sent to the shadow realm:

I think he'll be the guy next year.

Receivers?

	THIS WEEK					THIS YEAR
Player	Uncb	Circus	Tough	Routine		Uncb	Circus	Tough	Routine
Johnson	1			2/2		4	1/2	2/2	12/12
Wilson		1/1		3/3		3	1/4	3/3	15/15
Morris				1/1			0/2		4/4
Moore						2		1/1	1/1
Clemons	1			2/2		1			3/3
Morgan				1/2			1/1		2/3
O'Leary				1/1					1/1
Loveland	1			1/2		2		2/2	12/13
Barner		0/1		2/2		2	0/1		6/6
Bredeson				1/1					2/2
Hibner
Beetham
Corum									4/4
Edwards			1/2					1/2	7/7
Mullings
Hall
Stokes

Routes: Clemons+, Barner+, Edwards +-

It is site policy not to denote an uncatchable ball as caught but it got tested:

I expected that Michigan's WR corps would not have much of a dropoff this year; I did not expect Roman Wilson to start flying up draft boards. He's day two now… with upside?

I include the following embed mostly to note how unusual it is:

I debated whether that was a 2 or 3 because it's a little high and hard but when a ball goes through your hands and deflects downwards you could get all of both hands on it, so I went with routine. This is Michigan's first routine drop this season. (Semaj Morgan had a second but wisely waited until charting had ceased.) Part of this is Michigan's receivers performing; part of it is that I have rarely spent any time debating whether a throw is routine or not because they're usually at the receiver's number.

Any randos popping up from the depths of the tight end depth chart?

Always. Welcome to the party, Josh Beetham:

TE #40

With reports that Matt Hibner's going to redshirt and transfer after the season, Beetham has been elevated to TE #4… if he wasn't TE #4 already. Hibner never did that to a guy.

Heroes?

McCarthy, Zinter, Wilson, Bredeson, Barnhart, Henderson.

Maybe not so heroic?

Nugent was the only guy who had something you could consider a bad game.

What does it mean for Minnesota and beyond?

I'm probably going to be pounding the table for Sherrone Moore the next time Michigan has a coaching search. Last year I had a lot of issues with what Michigan was doing, philosophically, particularly when it came to QB run and redzone stuff. With Weiss gone and Moore the full-time OC it feels like the large majority of those are taken care of. Moore is a great OL coach, everyone seems to love him, and if Harbaugh leaves in the near future the #1 priority will be maintaining the program culture. David Shaw did work at Stanford for a long time before falling off.

Also Moore is running a flea flicker every game. Is it a plot to get this blog on board for a HC candidacy? Maybe! Is it working? Yes!

BGSU never happened. We're back to the sheer insanity of routine ball after routine ball and DOs sprinkled in with CAs.

Henderson is your other starting tackle. He'd have to have a real rough game to open the competition back up.

Corum isn't ghosting guys as much this year. Injury? Rust? In any case, it's a bummer.

Edwards is working through it. He'll get there.

Nugent isn't Olu. He's fine. He's not winning the Rimington.

Michigan has a lot of frippery in the garage. They're dribbling it out bit by bit; given what we've seen from Moore so far I believe they're putting small parts of larger packages on film.

Kalel Mullings. Yessir.

MOTS. TEs, Zinter, Keegan. No slowing down from them.