5 things to take from this: Shootouts sure are exciting.

Submitted by Lordfoul on
Whew.  We certainly dodged a bullet with this win.  After that second touchdown by Carlos Brown I was thinking about how Michigan was going to rotate in the second string for some valuable experience and then BANG!, the world turned upside down and things started to feel like last year.  Our offense seemed to slow down and get tentative.  Yakety-Sax showed itself and we suddenly couldn't hold onto the ball or even snap it correctly (more on that later).  Indiana was driving with authority on our defense.  What looked like a sure win on paper was turning into a nightmare in real life.

Then came the 4th quarter and again something changed.  Tate got a different look about him.  Important adjustments were made and Michigan began to take control of the game.  Drives continued to stall but the field position battle started to swing in our favor.  Then we broke through on a beautiful touchdown drive capped by Tate learning to fly.  Two point conversion is good.  There was a lot of time left but we had been holding them to field goals for a while, right?  Maybe they could tie it up but...

SHIT!

One play later I was looking at my feet, feeling sorry for myself and this team.  I was sure the game had been lost with that TD run by that F^&%@&! Indiana back that gashed us all day and looked like he should be slow but we couldn't catch up to him?!!  Somebody get him!  The sanity of the universe depends on it!!!  NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

We three and out.  It's over...

Indiana three and out.  But Tate is wounded.  But we already had our chance...

Then it happens.  Tate takes the field with a right arm that dangles loosely, seemingly useless at his side.  And he leads us.  He makes great reads, scrambles for first downs, and hands off to two senior running backs that will not be denied.  Third and six with Denard Robinson in the game.  Maybe Shoelace can be the hero this week.  Really can't blame Tate, dude's obviously hurting badly.  Wait, is that Tate coming back on the field?

He takes the snap and scans downfield.  Where is the quick hitch just past the sticks?  Forget that, there is still magic in that boy's arm.  As he releases it I catch my breath; that arm is hurt and that pass looks floated, and interception, and I can't LOOK, and, and, and...

OMG TOUCHDOWN!!!!!

Tate is the real deal folks, able to play through obvious pain and make amazing plays.

There is still a lot of time on the clock but the anxiety ends mercifully quickly.  Did Indiana get hosed on that call?  I certainly thought so at the time, but I didn't care.  This game was already ugly and I would take the win no matter how tainted.  Michigan fans won't let it sit like that and so we get further analysis like this from Maize 'N' Brew:


http://www.maizenbrew.com/

So let me adjust these Maize and Blue glasses a bit... Yep!  No doubt a clean pick!  We win!  Yay!

4-0.  Such a difference a year makes.

Five Things:
  1. Shootouts are an exciting way to win games and this team is well equipped to win more than their fair share.  Michigan has speed on offense like it has never seen and can strike at any time.  They can exchange blows and cover up mistakes by the defense.  But in crunch time they need Tate Forcier to win these games.  Please be just a bruise.
  2. The defense has issues, we already suspected this.  They did show a lot of heart though in holding Indiana to all of those field goals.  One or two touchdowns instead would have made this into a blowout loss.  The good news is that with the offense clicking, every small improvement by the defense will be magnified.  Please GERG, don't suck.  We need continuity.
  3. Being so thin on defense is very stressful.  Every gimpy limp between plays makes me hold my breath.  Who didn't groan when Martin had to be looked at?  I am impressed with RR and staff for making something out of walk-ons, Jordan Kovacs made some nice plays on blitzes, but their lack of 1-A level speed leads to plays like that Willis run. 
  4. Stonum was crazy awesome on KO returns to the tune of 218 yards on 7 attempts (31.1 yds/per).  He set us up in great field position over and over again.  Hats off to him.  I still like Mathews on punts though. 
  5. The adjustment to taking snaps under center late in the game was a good one.  It got the offense back in sinc and allowed for the first comeback TD drive.  Moosman may get a little better at the shotgun snap but will probably continue to be a liability.
Looking Ahead:

Michigan now heads into the meat of their schedule.  They have showed what this offense is capable of and will surprise no one with their ability.  The defense needs badly to get healthy and stay healthy if there is to be any hope for a New Year's Day bowl.  I don't think Michigan will be shut out of the post season this year at least.  Yesterday was a great day for watching football and based on what I saw, here are my impressions of the next stretch:

@Michigan State:  I give this one 50:50 just based on the situation.  Sparty has wounded pride, is playing at home, and probably needs a W more than us.  This will be a true test of this team's character.  Win this and the sky's the limit.

@Iowa:  Scary D-line Kill Mr. Forcier?  I think this is a real concern considering how much they got to Clark last night.  I don't expect us to win this one but just coming out with both QBs intact would be nice.

Penn State:  A little far out to be looking at but maybe we can take this one.  It won't look anything like last night's game if we do.

I expect we will have no problems with DelSt. and will probably get to at least 7 wins at this point.  If Tate can remain healthy I say 8-9 wins still.  Awesome.


I hope that everyone was able to enjoy this game and that everyone made it home safe and sound.  Have a great week.

Comments

teldar

September 27th, 2009 at 10:15 AM ^

Our linebackers NOT named Brown figure out how to shoot into the hole that the RB is coming through and they are able to do something other than put a shoulder into said RB when they actually make a decent read.
I saw it again. LB runs forward and dives into the pile. A second later, RB comes out the pile about 3 players down the line and breaks off a run.

Last year I blamed it on coaching. Primarily Schafer. Now I'm thinking Hopson? And definitely the players.

If our linebackers learn to read the play a little better, we could have a decent defense. With as thin as DL is, I could be marginally happy with the D next year with NO DL recruits as long as we get an LB or two who can stop a play occasionally.

ScottGoBlue

September 27th, 2009 at 10:42 AM ^

One other potential step forward was the coaches throwing in the towel with Cissoko. He's very fast and can keep up with any WR ... but he's too short to make his speed matter.

The coaches yanked him somewhere in the 1st Qtr, I think, and that was a good move. Giving the JT's (Floyd & Turner) some playing time will pay divedends down the road IMHO. They can't do any worse than Cissoko, and may develop into decent compliments to Warren.

raleighwood

September 27th, 2009 at 5:58 PM ^

It looks like Turner is going to redshirt this season, although it sure would be nice to have a little extra depth out there. Floyd played a pretty good game and will get better with experience. You're right that it's tough to justify putting Cissoko on the field as an every down CB right now. He just gets burned repeatedly.

Wallaby Court

September 27th, 2009 at 11:14 AM ^

I think Iowa's D-Line has a ferocious pass rush, but an average run-stop. The terror that Iowa wreaked in the PSU backfield had alot to do with JoePa's inexplicable decision to pass in monsoon. Royster still tallied 80 some yards on 17 carries, good for 4.1 ypc.

For the Iowa game, this means we should be able to execute some MINOR RAGE on the front four. If and when we do have to pass, the solution to that terrifying pass rush is to just runaway. Rollouts and bootlegs to keep Tate away and alive. We're going to be in trouble if we have to resort to a standard dropback game, because I don't think the Iowa line is going to give Tate time to make an actual read before he's going to be running for his life.

octal9

September 27th, 2009 at 11:33 AM ^

I was sure the game had been lost with that TD run

Never ever ever ever lose faith.

I guess it helped that I had the three biggest Indiana douchebags known to man right behind me (no seriously, biggest douchebags I've ever met) but at no point did I ever feel doubt about our ability to win this game. Some teams just know how to win, even in games where they could lose. This one showed me that against ND, and backed it up with this game. The rest of the season is going to be quite thrilling.

DocV8

September 27th, 2009 at 11:57 AM ^

But yeah, lots of echoes of 2008 in this one. Negative turnover margin, yakkety sax snaps, two quarters of ineffective offense, and a mostly porous defense. I think UFR or Steve Sharik will show that the 85-yd touchdown run was again due to a bad angle by our walk-on safety. Last year it would have been a loss.

But many good things happened as well. Tate obviously played with enormous heart and courage, putting mistakes behind him and directing the winning drive with a shoulder stinger or partial sep or whatever it ends up being. Among guys who don't get much press, Van Bergen and Kevin Grady had moments where they stepped up with fire and determination.

This game was like the old cliche about a good movie: it put you through every emotion from pure rage to pure joy, and in the end you were glad for the experience. The team will continue to gel through stuff like this.

imablue

September 27th, 2009 at 12:36 PM ^

I didn't see the MSU-WISC game, but they were getting pounded
and it looks, by the score anyway, that they made a valiant
comeback but came up short. Next Sat will be a tough one. Hopefully that game took enough out of them to compensate for
the home field advantage.
I guess we're going to have to live with these shootouts, I take a couple Zantac before the game. We've got 4 wins out of 4, take 'em any way we can get 'em.
We need to work on the shotgun snap, that's scary.

Eyebrowse

September 27th, 2009 at 12:38 PM ^

The huge upside from the D was the redzone/end of drive play. Sure there were some serious holes that IU exploited with (what looked like) relative ease. But the fact that so many of IU's scoring drives were held to FGs won the game for us. Anyone want to shed some light on how that happened? I did notice more blitzing during the end of the series. Was GERG pulling out some different looks on D to make those effective? Was it simply IU's limited play options once the field shortened? Not so sure what happened, though I'm more than happy that it did.

Go Blue!

DLup06

September 27th, 2009 at 4:04 PM ^

but considering that our corners generally play back, but wouldn't have to in the red zone would be my answer. Teams have been able to exploit us horizontally both because of our fear of the deep ball, and the ability of a quick strike passing game to neutralize our DLine, which is quite clearly our #1 asset on D. Shortening the field brings the corners in enough to disrupt the short passing game and allow our DLine to make more of an impact. Very much a bend-but-don't-break mentality.

tksnoke

September 27th, 2009 at 4:54 PM ^

why every game the d gives up big plays. where was the secondary all game? thats not going to work out very well the rest of the season except delaware st. everyone here in ohio is ready to trade pryor irony is beautiful.

jsquigg

September 27th, 2009 at 5:58 PM ^

Richrod said he hoped that the team would get to the point that they could play badly on both sides of the ball and still win. As for the issues, I think we'd have been in better shape without the muffed snaps (obviously). As for chalking up Iowa as a loss, I don't think it's fair to judge based on the Penn State offense. I know I'm being ridiculously optimistic, but I think we still have a lot of complexity that hasn't been shown and Iowa's offense is horrible. If we don't turn the ball over I think we have a fighting chance even though they have a beast of a defense.
If we can blow Sparty out of the water I think I'll be happy for a while, though.

krag19

September 27th, 2009 at 6:42 PM ^

Does anyone have any idea why Greg Mathews took every punt return as a fair catch on Saturday? I can understand in the midst of last years ungodly amount of botched punt returns he may feel safer in just completing the fair catch. It seems to be a reoccurring trend this season. This is such a small part of the game however, a punt return would add another notch to the special teams belt. Any ideas? or am i just being overly critical?

Ziff72

September 27th, 2009 at 8:06 PM ^

Let's not let the facts get in the way of a good story. Matthews did not fair catch every punt. He is not a great punt returner but when there is an opportunity he does try to return it. I do think with the upgrade in competition we may need to try Odoms or Robinson if the O is stalled out on the road.