Best and Worst: App St.

Submitted by bronxblue on

For a variety of reasons, this is going to be a (relatively) short edition of this diary.  I’ll try to touch on a couple of points, but the fact that this wasn’t Horror II: Electric Boogaloo is all most UM fans hoped for.

Best:  They’re Learning

I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.
-Thomas Jefferson

I never thought UM would have any trouble against Appalachian State.  Though 2007 was a mere 7 years ago, even at glacial-pace UM there have been wholesale changes to the football program and its view of the sport’s landscape that it might as well have been 70 years. 

Chief amongst these changes has been a necessary expansion in how the program views the college football landscape.  Though they still sometimes talk about it with dismissive tones, the coaches today recognize that up-tempo, spread-style offenses are viable and gameplan accordingly, unlike in 2007 when the lessons of Troy Smith in The Game were ignored due to pride, stubbornness, or idiocy, only to be ruthlessly duplicated by proto-Denards Armanti Edwards and Dennis Dixon to start the season.*  That doesn’t mean UM can’t be beaten by such a team (OSU did it last year with a variant), but at least now the defense seems suitably equipped to respond, unlike when Johnny Sears was trotted out and led to this prescient outlook from Brian before Oregon came to town.

[Oregon] Will shred us. Our linebackers are clueless, we're going to spend the entire game in a nickel against four and five receiver sets, and the Ducks' talent level is vastly higher than Appalachian State's. Only errors from Dixon will keep us from playing Purdue 2006 opposite them; thankfully Dixon is the kind of guy who makes tons of errors. I figure the preparation levels will be better, but I also don't buy that Michigan can not be prepared to defend 21 instances of a basic running play. The defense sucks.

And that’s the thing – the ass-kicking by Oregon, had it not been preceded by the Appalachian upset, may not have been enough to force the types of changes we saw in the intervening years.  Oregon was a major college program, from a power conference, and UM faithful could have waved their hands and justified the loss due to Oregon’s “gimmicky” offense combined with D1 talent.  UM had been blitzed by good teams before, and this probably wouldn’t have been viewed as nothing more than a bad day and a bad opponent.  But when a body-bag game rises up and Weekend at Bernie’s you, change went from a luxury to a necessity.

That 2007 loss will forever remain a prominent footnote to UM’s history, but I believe it set into motion the type of maturation and evolution that was necessary for the next stage of Michigan football to take shape.  It begat RR, which led to Forcier, Denard, and Gardner, and even when Rodriguez was fired the influence of the spread lingered in Hoke’s first couple of seasons.  Though the offense itself appears headed to more heavy artillery, with rocket arms and galloping trees replacing super goats, the defense has the types of players you need to compete against a far wider array of offenses than years ago. 

This ASU team is a shadow of the program that came to Ann Arbor years ago, but what it embodies hasn’t, and the fact UM dominated them without breaking a sweat shouldn’t be overlooked. 

* And from a personal standpoint, I had watched UM struggle against mobile QBs for years, from Donovan McNabb at Syracuse to Jarious Jackson at Notre Dame.  While it can be said that players like McNabb could make most teams look bad defensively, it felt like the coaches were the British taken aback by the colonists using clever ambushes and non-traditional tactics to defeat them.  Lloyd Carr and co. ascribed to the rules of engagement, and at times it seemed they were incapable of responding if you didn’t follow suit.

Best:  Snake on an ATV 

I know I’m getting the reputation around these parts as the guy who writes about professional wrestling too much, and I’m honestly trying to cut down on the references because they lead to tangents, but just when I think I’m out of the woods…

Can I get a Hell Yeah!

But honestly, it was fun to hear him talk about football on Gameday, and getting Lee Corso to share a drink on screen is the second-most enjoyable moment I’ve had watching Lee in years.  We all know the first.

Best:  Ghost Hunters

So before I started writing this diary, I was trying to think of other famous upsets and if there was some parallel between teams getting their “revenge” later on.  I’m thinking Chaminade over UVa in 1982, Temple over VaTech in 1998, and the like.  I know that teams can’t erase upsets, but perhaps future domination helps to ease the pain from that historic misstep, a balm to soothe the burn.

What I realized, though, is that those upsets aren’t stains as much as they are ghosts.  UVa has beaten Chaminade, and Virginia Tech slipped by Temple a couple of years later, and yet I had to look those up games for 10 minutes while I remember both of those upsets (along with James Madison over the Hokies in 2010 and Stanford beating USC in 2007 before we all realized Harbaugh was a dickish genius) like they were yesterday.  These losses linger because there is no way to exorcise them, and that’s kind of the beauty of college sports.  These upsets aren’t malevolent spirits out to desecrate the affected institutions; they are simply a reminder that on any given Saturday one team can find those couple extra inches** and win the game.  And what happens before and after is meaningless for them to remain a part of the teams’ fabrics.  App St. will always have that win and UM will always have that loss, and that’s okay.

So I was never bothered by Brandon signing up for this game again.  UM shouldn’t “run away” from the past, as if everyone will just forget about the biggest de-pantsing in college football history if the victim always wears a belt and suspenders.  I can accept that a better opponent could have been scheduled based on results on the field, but that was never the argument.  UM’s now evened up their series with the Mountaineers, and if Brandon wants to schedule them again in the future because it’s an easy win and fills up the stadium, by all means do it.

** I know it’s cliche, but I still love that scene.  Dumb movie overall, but that’s a great bit of delivery.

Best:  Oh Yeah, The Game

We’re a thousand words into this thing and I haven’t really talked about the specifics of the game.  Well, there’s a reason for that – this was a blowout from the opening whistle.  UM was up 35-0 at halftime despite not playing amazingly well, holding the Mountaineers to under 100 yards of total offense and a couple first downs (including a penalty-assisted one due to Frank Clark laughing at the mortal construct that is the “punt shield”). Gardner had a great first half (though he had a little arm-punt action on his second TD), going 13/14 for 3 TDs (all to Devin Funchess), and after some early struggles the running game pumped out 350 yards on the ground at nearly 10 ypc.  Both Green and Smith broke 100 yards rushing, and the offensive line opened up holes and kept the QBs pretty clean through.  Funchess proved his worthiness of the #1 jersey to people who seemed unnaturally infatuated with a number previously worn by a guy with a pretty extensive “Legal issues” section to his Wikipedia page, pulling in 7 catches for 95 yards and generally looking like a first-round draft pick. 

Like all games, there were definitely some minor issues.  Jake Ryan The defense let up a bit in the 2nd half when Mattison liberally inserted 2nd- and 3rd-teamers and eschewed even token pressure on many downs, and Morris looked every bit the part of a backup still trying to match his physical tools with the mental elements of the game at the collegiate level, but those are minor nits.  This was the type of performance you expect from a good team against a below-average Sun Belt squad, and regardless of opponent it was nice to see heading into South Bend next week.

Best:  They blocked people!
Worst:  Eventually…

I’m definitely not an offensive line guru, so I defer to the experts in this estimation, but overall it felt like a positive step for the offensive line marked by a number of lingering issues that will be there for most of the year.  The inside of the line struggled early on getting a significant push, and while that can happen from time to time it was still jarring to see guys like Miller and Burzynski get pushed back with (relative) ease.  Mason Cole is a true freshman, and while his potential showed he also suffered from the usual struggles of a first-time starter, including giving up an early sack of Gardner. As the game progressed the line definitely seemed to be more in sync, and both Smith and Green showed much-improved running form in no small part due to the fact that they didn’t have guys in the backfield every time the ball was snapped. 

Make no mistake about it – as Brian noted in his season preview, mediocre is the bright, shiny beacon in the distance for this year’s line, but it wasn’t a trainwreck and considering this was a team that couldn’t get 100 yards from any of its backs against CMU last year, I’ll take this as a positive.  Next week against Notre Dame should be a stiffer test, but that defense looked a little shallow even before the suspensions, so perhaps the not-Morrissey times will keep going in South Bend as well.


Best:  The defense

On one hand you’d hope a defense comprised almost exclusively of top-rated players and/or experienced returning starters wouldn’t struggle shutting down a mediocre offense, but on the other it was extremely gratifying to watch UM give up one long-ish run to start the game and then basically close the door on Appalachian State until the contest was very much decided.  The box score only shows 2 sacks and 2 more TFLs, but the line was constantly pressuring App St.’s QB and bottling up their running backs in that first half. 

The secondary wasn’t tested much, but even with some meaningless drives in the 2nd half that helped to inflate the numbers it held App. St. to about 50% completion percentage and under 4 ypa.  It looked like a “vintage” Michigan defense, and the logical maturation of the unit that held up pretty well last year until they played OSU.  They really do have 3-4 corners who could be starters on most teams in the conference, and Thomas getting some serious run in the 2nd half was nice to see even though it seemed like the defense was in a bit of a shell.  Also, that punt block was McCray was pretty awesome, with Gedeon’s rather athletic return for a TD punctuating a great day by the defense.  Just another couple lottery tickets I know, but the young guys looked solid out there.

Overall, it looked like a defense that can win games provided the offense is at least competent, and right now it is probably the 2nd-best unit in the league.  Time will tell how they’ll hold up against the more explosive outfits in the conference, but I can definitely see why people were calling it a potential top-10 unit in the preseason.

Best:  100a and 100b

I know people want there to be a clear #1 RB, but right now (a) I don’t think either player has distinguished himself sufficiently to warrant the bulk of the carries, and (b) I don’t think it really matters.  Smith definitely looked shiftier and sturdier while Green continued that unnerving trend of going down on less contact than you’d expect, and on Gardner’s first run of the year it sure seemed like he was expecting Green to be there and not running the opposite direction.  So it’s a work in progress.  But having two backs who can produce at a high level is perfectly fine for this offense.  Both are young and still developing; in a perfect world one would have red-shirted last year. I would be fine if UM continues to play a backfield by committee as long as everyone continues to average over 10 yards per carry.


Worst:  Just Stop Talking

I’m happy I wasn’t the only one who noticed, but my gawd were the announcers vapid and useless.  Mowins was trying out there, but sometimes a lot can be said by saying very little, and telling me that jerseys have numbers on both sides and that throwing passes to wide-open players is a good sign for an offense are probably best left unsaid.  Though it was nice for her to wax poetically about Union Hall, that historical landmark on UM’s Brooklyn campus where well-to-do “alternative” parents can play Bocce and talk about their lives before they became saturated with urban beekeeping and baby DJ’ing.  She probably felt like she had to compensate for charisma vacuum Joey Galloway, who probably would have had more fun taking selfies and trying to color inside the lines than actually call a football game.

Quick diatribe:  I remain flabbergasted that former athletes keep getting recruited for on-air speaking roles based on whatever minimal “name recognition” they have from their playing days.  I know Troy Aikman has become a competent announcer, but this was me for years listening to him call a Cowboys-Eagles game.

They rarely bring meaningful insights to the proceedings, and for every Spielman or Collinsworth you get a dozen Robert Smiths and whoever that former Northwestern DB who can’t string two sentences together.  Not to make light of the situation, but lots of these guys stopped playing in part because their bodies were breaking down and they had suffered untold cranial injuries.  At their best most of these guys were average public speakers, yet every year we keep putting suits on them, handing them a hot mic, and expecting them to be great orators.  There’s a reason Robert Smith isn’t a doctor like he always said he would be, and while that’s probably in large part due to him being a f**king pretentious goober, the concussions probably didn’t help.  It’ll never change, but one of these days I hope executives wake up and just let people who know about football talk about it and not try to shoehorn in these human props in 3-piece suits.


Worst:  You ate my last Fig Thing
I’m pretty down on Notre Dame, even with their solid win over Rice.  It looks like a team with talented starters and a huge chasm to the backups.  Golson is a weapon, but I just don’t see the playmakers like they had in years past, and the defense is replacing NFL draft picks with question marks in the front 7.  It will be close because these games tend to be, but UM should enter this game the favorite regardless of ND’s pre-season ranking.

What makes this a worst is that this is the last scheduled matchup for the foreseeable future between these two programs, and the fact it is should bother fans of college sports beyond the two fanbases.  I understand the logistics of why Notre Dame backed out of the last years of the pairing, and neither program has been as dominant as they once were, but it remains one of the more “fun” rivalries in college sports, the right mix of distaste and respect that leaves you enjoying a win without worrying about some fan doing something crazy.  I’m sure it will be just as fun playing Virginia and Duke in September.

Anyway, let’s hope the game is as entertaining as past meetings, and that UM one more great win.

Comments

Princetonwolverine

August 31st, 2014 at 10:40 AM ^

Great diary. 

What I find incomprehensible is that this was a nationally televised game and the best Espn2 could come up with is Mowins and Galloway. 

Perhaps this was a message from Espn that all they care about is the SEC.

They certainly made enough cash on all of the commercials. Speaking of which, is it a known fact in the advertising psychology world that replaying the same commercial every 5 minutes for 3 hrs is effective?  I will now avoid Wendy's in protest.

LBSS

August 31st, 2014 at 11:50 AM ^

You say that, but later this year you're going to be driving somewhere on the highway, with hours to go until your destination, and you'll be hungry. And you'll see on an exit sign that there is a McDonald's, a Subway, and a Wendy's at the next exit. And some deep part of your brain will say, "Chicken and gouda." You may not even be aware that it's happening. And your hands will turn the wheel into the Wendy's parking lot, and you'll order up.

 

Bon appetit, mon ami.

aiglick

August 31st, 2014 at 11:18 AM ^

Thank you and ST3. I love your post game wrap ups including the wrestling tangents even though I'm not a fan of the pro sport.

I humbly request that we continue to use the Gandalf "You shall not pass" gif after games where the defense has been dominant.

Also, if our defense is approaching dominant against MSU I think a gif master should create something with Gandalf facing off against the three trolls from The Hobbit and then showing the scene where the scene where the three trolls are statues from The Fellowship of the Ring. If we have defensive dominance against OSU I request a similar gif only this time Gandalf facing down the Balrog and then killing him on the mountain too which somehow appears at the bottom of the cavern. I realize this is a huge ask and understand if this is ignored but I can't make gifs for my life and I think this would be awesome.

Buckle up it's going to be an interesting and hopefully very fun season.

Mgoscottie

August 31st, 2014 at 11:26 AM ^

being over, playing them isn't that great.  I could pick a good 10-15 teams I'd rather play and I'd take Duke or Virginia some years as being not as good in order to get some variety in teams we play.  I'd rather play Duke, Virginia, VaTech and Oklahoma than ND, ND, ND, ND.  

schreibee

August 31st, 2014 at 4:22 PM ^

I wish i was allowed to downvote this post >100 times, WHY delete ND to play a UVa or Duke? Why not, for example, repalce Miami OH or (Appy fergodsakes) with a "Power Conference" opponent?!

Why should we wish to continue to play ND every, or nealry every, year? Well, how about the two winningest programs of all time? How about a history that goes back over 100 years? Regional rivals who frequently compete for the same recruits?

With the advent of the Playoff committee, it will become increasingly important to upgrade strength of schedule. Let's hope we can becomce once again the type of opponent (as opposed to Duke) that makes ND WISH they had us on the schedule instead!

True Blue In Ohio

August 31st, 2014 at 11:53 AM ^

Joey Galloway is a Suckeye Homer and should not call Michigan games.  I heard a great comment from Mowins about "the most confident person in the stadium."  Is that just a nice way of Mowins saying Galloway is an Asshat?  LOL

WolverBean

August 31st, 2014 at 1:46 PM ^

She mostly kept it professional, but that jab and the other about him being a terrible downfield blocker stood out to me. Her tone didn't seem like friendly teasing, so much as getting in a dig when she could. Seems like maybe Beth Mowins dislikes Joey Galloway as much as I do. Which good on her if that's true.

Also, did anyone else catch the very beginning of the broadcast at the switchover from the Bristol anchors to the actual announcing team? I could have sworn the lady anchor at ESPN introduced the broadcast team as "Joey Galloway and Pam Mowins." Ouch.

devinfunchessgoblue

September 1st, 2014 at 9:04 AM ^

First of all Great diary.But just wondering are you down on our left tackel Mason Cole?

When we were up 14 - 0 in the late first half I heard Joey Galloway say that Appachalin state could win???? What the crud does that mean. I don't want  2007 again/ Alot of go blue fans may have shut off the tv after that. C'mon espn2??? Joey Galloway and her assistant##

AFMich

August 31st, 2014 at 6:05 PM ^

UM shouldn’t “run away” from the past, as if everyone will just forget about the biggest de-pantsing in college football history if the victim always wears a belt and suspenders.

Best line of prose I've read on this blog in a while. I'm not even saying I agree with you, but your writing style should be front paged.

bronxblue

September 1st, 2014 at 12:35 PM ^

Glenn wasn't a bad receiver; that was a pissing contest between Parcells and management that he was drawn into.

Boston, though, was the poster child for how lax drug testing was back in the 90s.  People looked at a 6'2", 240lb WR with 3% body fat and said "looks legit to me."  

Bill in Birmingham

September 1st, 2014 at 9:21 AM ^

Really thought Mowins was fine. (I did wonder where when the building that was attached to West Quad when I lived there 35 years ago was renamed Union Hall. Thanks for explaining the Brooklyn campus angle.) However, Galloway's announcing career needs to be taken out back and killed with an axe. He was atrocious.