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BiSB

Notre Dame 31, Michigan 0

Tire Fire

Michigan had never been shut out in the history of the Michigan/Notre Dame rivalry. Michigan hadn’t been shut out in any game since Ronald Reagan’s first term. Neither of those things is true right now. In fact, nothing is true but the alcohol.

Football is strange sometimes. Michigan outgained Notre Dame 289-282. If you find comfort in this fact, I applaud your zen-like quality, or the quality of your alcohol. Devin Gardner turned the ball over four times. Matt Wile missed two field goals badly. Devin Funchess may be hurt. Raymon Taylor may be hurt. Jabrill Peppers was too hurt to play. On a day in which the Big Ten looked terrible, Michigan’s performance stands atop the flaming heap as the worst of the day.

This game will cause many questions to be asked. For now, I can provide you with only one answer.

Comments

bighouse22

September 7th, 2014 at 9:55 AM ^

More time for RR would not have mattered.  He never got full support!  The whole thing was set up to fail from the beginning, starting with the ugly departure from West Virginia and Carr encouraging athletes to transfer.  

If he had full support from the start maybe, but it was never going to happen at Michigan.  Michigan is like a bloated old company that is still running based on past success.  Too much group think stuck in the past with no new or transformational ideas.  The only thing that changes the trajectory is an extended period of poor performance, then real change can happen.  

Unfortunately, I don't think the program has hit rock bottom yet.  Until that happens, Michigan will continue down the "Michigan Man" path and keep floundering.

What seems to be missed is that Bo was an outsider and a transformational leader.  He wasn't trying to be someone else.  Everyone that is being brought in is trying to emulate Bo in some way.  They need someone truely transformational but it wont happen without an extended down period.  

I hope I'm wrong, but all the big programs have been in the same state at some point and until they went outside (USC w/Pete Carroll, LSU w/Saban then Miles, Alabama w/Saban, Florida w/ Meyer).  The one thing in common is they all went outside, they did not go after Alabama men or SEC men, they went after the best coaches in the country. Period.

klctlc

September 7th, 2014 at 12:53 AM ^

Long story why, but what a f*ckin joy.  Fans were actually really good, but why shouldn't they be?  They were euphoric. 

One comment I found interesting. Sat next to a ND regular who has seen all the ND/MI games at south bend since they restarted.  He looked at me in the third quarter and said he has never seen a team this flat, ever.  Just dead.

Not sure how it looked on TV, but there was literally nothing to cheer about.  Funchess had the big gain, then we take a stupid illegal motion.  opening drive, clank a field goal. We couldn't sustain anything.

DB's looked bad,  They could have thrown for 300 yards. No pressure from the d line.  I guess our DB's looked great in practice because they were checking our receivers.  Where in the hell was anybody but Funchess???? 

Do we have DE's when they pass?  let me know next time one of them gets  beats his man on the outside.

We got no space and the routes took forever.  Gardner is man he made some really nice throws and got popped. he rarely had time. 

Oh well. Great experience for my son and I, but what a fuckin let down.

2manylincs

September 7th, 2014 at 1:43 AM ^

Granted, i quit this tire fire after the 1st half, but I saw clark beat his man repeatedly to the out side, only to have Golson step up bc the DT's gave no pressure..

Beyer, i dont remember seeing all day, but Clark was a man!  I was more disappointed with Henry and Wormley getting out of their lanes.

Now, maybe Brian's UFR will tell me that I was missing something, but I thought that Golson just did a good job all night.

 

gte896u

September 7th, 2014 at 2:23 AM ^

the pass rush was so undisciplined, but unfortunately Clark was part of the problem at least once that i remember. Golson had clear lanes to step into and angles to the sideline all night, while Gardner had hands on his jersey every time he tried to anything after his initial drop. Even the tuck fumble, Miller actually held up to the bull rush for the most part, but Miller's guy stayed disciplined and put his hand in Gardner's throwing lane.

ifis

September 7th, 2014 at 8:30 AM ^

My impression was that the d line did that to prevent Golson beating them with his feet. They accomplished that. In retrospect, we should have gambled with a more aggressive pass rush, but the d was not bad and the o was so bad it would not have mattered. Golson and Day make ND a formidable team this year, perhaps the best we will face.

klctlc

September 7th, 2014 at 12:37 PM ^

Sorry do not agree.  Golson had all day. Frank clark may have come close but even if he is above average. Where the hell is the other side?  Beyer is run stuffer, Ojumedia has done nothing as far as pass rush.  We now can stop the run, which is so much better than RR defenses.  That is good, but we are built like a defense who plays wisconsin and MSU every week.  Many posts have hit on this, no playmakers on the field right now. Frank Clark is good, but come on Shilique Calhoun or many others will get drafted higher than him.  

2manylincs

September 8th, 2014 at 10:36 PM ^

a 250/ 260 pound SDE as a run stuffer?

even in an incompetent over that features a 2013 lions style pair or wide 9s. that would have to require the worst DC ever..

beyer is not a run stuffer, hes there to rush the passer..

if we wanted a run stuffer opposite Clark, we would have stayed with the under.. now, hes asked to eat 2 blockers more often than Clark is, but Beyer is in no way in the game to be a run stuffer, hed be well behind Taco and Wormley and maybe even godin at SDE if that was still the job..

snoopblue

September 7th, 2014 at 12:57 AM ^

Everything is terrible. Maybe this was just a hiccup? Maybe me saying that is my own delusion. They just lost what I thought was the most winnable rivalry game. I'm assuming ohio state offensive line and qb will get better as the season goes on, because that is what average to good coaching staffs do over a season. What looked like a boring and easily undefeated home slate suddenly looks potentially exciting. The bad kind of exciting.

 

 

ifis

September 7th, 2014 at 1:05 AM ^

I really think our struggles boiled down to the online and passive defense. We can get better than this and I expect us to. Didn't think the d was that bad though. Nd has a VERY good offense. Holding them to 20 or less would be tough to do.

M-Dog

September 7th, 2014 at 1:25 AM ^

The offense's problems are cause and effect - the OL is not good enough at this point to protect DG.  And DG is the kind of QB that needs time in the pocket.  He just does.

He (and Denard) were able to mitigate this with their feet the last few years.  But I saw no attempt to let him do that this year.  There were no zone read plays, no designed QB runs, very few rollouts.  

I wonder if Nuss will rethink this.  The OL is not good enough to have a pocket QB and a straight-ahead running game.  Devin has to be in motion to be successful.  Can this happen without getting him hurt?

As far as the defense, it's deeply troubling.  There is no simple cause and effect,  They can't get a rush on the QB and they can't defend in man.  

The Offense will get better as the line gets better.  The D is a serious problem with no solution in sight.

Don

September 7th, 2014 at 11:53 AM ^

The d-line consistently is unable to generate meaningful push and pressure at key times, regardless of the youth or inexperience of the O-Linemen they're going up against.

Considering the many of our DL are highly-ranked recruits, I suspect the problem is at least partially due to the simple fact they're not strong enough.

bigt6450

September 7th, 2014 at 1:31 AM ^

I love this school and I love this team. But y'all make me want to give up on the year, and im sitting in my couch as a 26yr old how could probably beat 75% of you in an arm wrestle. We need to quit reminiscing as a fan base and move on. We have had bad years. But we have had a hell of a lot of good years too

nowayman

September 7th, 2014 at 2:14 AM ^

You're drunker than I am. 

Did you just preface your rant on the fact that you could arm wrestle better than us?  

Sure, you probably could, but you'll have to drive to Texas to prove it here boyo.

And if you're a hot chick I recommend that you do.  

If not, I live in Washington.   

buckeyekiller1

September 7th, 2014 at 1:46 AM ^

I don't care about the language tonight. How the fuck do you end the ND series like that? Unreal. What the hell was that? We haven't been shut out since I've been fucking born...and in the last ND game in sight we lay the biggest of all eggs?!? Too pissed to put into words. Sweet, sweet alcohol take me to ignorant bliss

vablue

September 7th, 2014 at 2:45 AM ^

The game stats tell a different story than the score.  The eye tells a different story than the game stats.  The offense actually moved the ball quite well in the first half, they just couldn't finish.  The defense felt like it gave up far more yards then it did.  We certainly found out that the CB depth is not what we thought.  And as I have said before, Countess is not great in man coverage.  He was abused tonight.

Bossman23

September 7th, 2014 at 3:51 AM ^

I still feel awful and I can't sleep. I looked everywhere, but I can't find him. All I want tonight is for Carlos Spicyweiner to hug me and tell me it's going to be ok. :(

looty

September 7th, 2014 at 7:01 AM ^

"I wish my eyes could errase what my eyes have seen"! Felt like I got kicked in the nuts with a fuzzy slipper.....still hurts no matter what your wearing.  First half of a 48 hr shift at the FD and being sober as the pope made this hurt that much more.  Today I realized Hoke must be replaced.  Of course, once he is let go we will witness the greatest transfer rate any of us have seen in years.  Peppers will jump ship and end up in the SEC winning 3 nation championships, Ty Issac, and anyone who has more than 4 stars.....Goodbye~

True Blue Grit

September 7th, 2014 at 7:27 AM ^

When it got to 28-0.  I normally never do that, with that much time left.  I think the Syracuse game in 1998 I turned it off before the half.  At least we scored in that one and made it respectable.  This game was a total disaster that will set us back on a number of fronts.  God bless Devin Gardner, but he will never lead this team anywhere.  He can't seem to read defenses, panics too often, and constantly makes poor decisions.  And with an OL that can't run block consistently, it's time to break out more booze, because it's going to be a long season.

west2

September 7th, 2014 at 7:49 AM ^

Didn't watch the second half, I had seen enough.  Interesting that statistically M was ahead in most categories offensively.  What coordinator is going to get fired now?  So whats the problem?  The leadership, the leadership, the leadership.  Hate to say it but...bye bye brady.

Michigania

September 7th, 2014 at 7:57 AM ^

hardly a mention abt gardner. I swear, with all the feel good stuff with him being good student, wearing 98, the OSU effort loss, yet the blindness here. He wilts every time. Can't handle it mentally. A wr playing qb.



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Kfojames

September 7th, 2014 at 8:06 AM ^

I am really starting to question Hokes ability here. His ability to motivate young men. I know the old saying that you shouldn't need someone to get you up for a game like this but.....if this team was coached by Nick Saban, or anyone else with a competitive bone in their coaching body they would've pulled the team aside and generated some mojo for CSakes. Joke is just too much of a nice guy! He just wanders around aimlessly hoping something great is going to happen. HIS defense looked bad! Especially on 3rd downs. Hoke needs to light a little fire under his own ass here. Show a little emotion and passion!