Best and Worst: Utah

Submitted by bronxblue on

Note:  This gets saucy.  

Worst:  Death of an Optimist

People who have followed this diary know I'm a pretty optimistic guy.

But I'm done.  I'm done with this season, with this coaching staff, with this whole f'ing show.

It isn't the losing; teams lose games.  Utah isn't a good team, but neither is UM, and this was one of those games, like ND, where the breaks of the game are zero-sum; "good" plays require the other side to have a "bad" ones, but those constructs aren't always tied to the overall qualities of the two teams.  In other words, while Utah's punt return for a TD is because Brady Hoke is a dinosaur with his head up a slightly less-evolved dinosaur's ass, a college kicker connecting on a couple of 50-ish FGs in a rain storm is just kinda ¯(ツ)/¯.

But I'm getting off track.  I'm not a fan of hypoerbole, but this is the Mississippi State game for RR times a hundred.  Last year's MSU game was horrible but it was expected given how poorly the offensive line looked and how tough MSU's defense turned out to be.  But Utah isn't a good team defensively, or at least isn't the type of defense that should be able to hold UM to 3 points offensively.  It isn't the points that matter, though, because that would be comically simple and depressing.  Both Idaho St. and Fresno St., two teams with a combined 2 wins in 7 tries between them, scored more points against this Utah team, and both of those games were on the road.  And it isn't the yardage or statistics, as UM outgained Utah on the ground, took fewer penalties, dominated TOP for most of the game, and for long stretches looked dominant defensively.  Like against Notre Dame, the team played better than the numbers on the scoreboard.

So maybe this is just another bad break, you say.  And maybe Utah is poised to go off on another undefeated, fantastic season, and Michigan was just the first of many unlikely victims.  And honestly, that mindset would have been me a couple of weeks ago.  But things have changed.  No, what happened Saturday is more than a bad loss, because those happen to good teams all the time.  And it wasn't just that the f'ing winningest team in f'ing college football history, with a 5th-year QB and a 1st-round WR and oodles of talent up and down the roster (young as it may be), couldn't score more than 3 points against f'ing Utah.  No, what killed my optimism about this team and this staff, about this program as it is currently stumbling through another shitty year, is how absolutely true-to-form it is to the dreams of the men in charge.  Which brings me to my next point...

Worst-est:  This is Michigan Football

For Dave Brandon and Brady Hoke, this is the perfect embodiment of football.  No, not the losses, but that's secondary.  To both of them, this brand of Michigan football is a perverse homage to a bygone era in football when men were men and you won because of grit and heart and having institutional advantages over smaller programs due to years of recruiting tactics, demographics, and inertia.  It's stupid punting formations, always huddling without any sense of urgency, the 100k attendance record, and wringing every last possible dollar out of a fanbase that for decades was all too happy to do so if you stroked its ego and won 8 or more games a year.  The Michigan that we all see on the field isn't what most of us want, but it's what the hive mind in Schembechler Hall thinks is good for business in Ann Arbor, and so nobody with the power to change it wants to right the boat.  And that's a f'ing tragedy, because the lights are going out and Jack ain't coming to put UM on a door until the rescue party arrives.

Michigan isn't what it was, and "what it was" was never how a certain subset of the fanbase, including apparently this administration, remembers it.  I know it is blasphemy to question the "fabled" history of UM football, but since the 1940s Michigan has been the definition of a high-level "plugger", the type of team that won games by showing up and beating the teams they should and losing to the teams they should by following a simple script.  And yet as the game kept changing, Michigan remained its anachronistic self, buffered somewhat by this conference's stupidity-sealed bubble that talks about competing nationally while the University of Kentucky out-recruits everyone not named Michigan, OSU, or Nebraska and hiring every mediocre MAC coach with a pulse while the rest of college football laughs and points.

And when the fanbase seemingly had had enough of being run off their own field by a bunch of fowl, and the administration took a shot on a guy who helped bring about the current age of the sport and won everywhere he coached, a bunch of faux sentinels of the "good days" cut off his legs at every chance and sat back as a combination of self-inflicted wounds and the rotten core of a dying program ending his run.  RR's failure as a head coach at Michigan is one thing; you can be a good coach and not be a good fit at certain places.  But Brandon and his cohort didn't view Rodriguez's ousting at UM simply as a bad fit, but instead as "proof" that this new-fangled version of college football, where smart guys try to take advantage of inefficiencies in the game and implement offensive and defensive systems to do so, is just a fad and the good old days of swinging your member around on the sidelines and expecting the opposition to be scared off are back.  Instead of trying to find another good coach and help him with the PR element, Brandon did what he learned as a one-time CEO of a mediocre mass-market pizza maker (acquiring the position only because his investment firm was trying to flip Domino's for a short profit) and hired a guy for a short-term PR bump and to goose the bottom line without considering the long-term ramifications for the program.

And that gets us to Brady Hoke, the last guy in the room when the music stopped.  Hoke seems like a perfectly nice human being (when not talking to the press) who was a mediocre head coach before he came to UM (though I do think the under-.500 record part is a dumb metric) and who rode some nice pieces to an 11-win season before reverting to what he is; a guy who isn't very aware of modern college football and doesn't care much for what he has heard.  Brian keeps referring to Hoke and Brandon thinking the ideal football was played in 1997; to me, that's being generous.  That team may have been conventionally similar to past units, but for one year Carr recognized he had great talents in guys like Woodson, Griese, Tuman, Thomas, Ray, etc. and put them in positions to succeed.  Hoke looks at a team with a 5th-year QB who can outrun most defenders and who has a physically dominant WR and tries to nut up for 3 yards a carry after bleeding 30 seconds from the game clock.  He's not an idiot (the guy has forgotten more football than I've ever known), but he is stubborn, myopic, and as beholden to his "system" as any coach; the problem is his system should have been buried with hair metal and New Coke when its expiration was hit.

And sadly, even if Hoke and Brandon are gone at the end of the year, I don't see how things really change around here.  Michigan isn't going to try to get an up-and-coming AD with a focus on fan appreciation; they'll just hire another suit who talks about brand management, synergy, and "keeping true to tradition" while everyone else in college football politely nods in public and laughs in private.  And best-case scenario (for some) Michigan gets a Harbaugh or a Harbaugh-type, which means UM probably wins for a couple of years behind a dynamite recruiter before he pisses off enough people (or gets enticed back to the NFL) and then we start this song-and-dance again.

So I guess that's the state of Michigan right now: a degenerate looking for his next quick fix, afraid to venture outside of his comfort because it might mean truly having to change.  Michigan is no longer the "leaders and the best", but a f'ing punchline to discussions about antiquated football and how the new guard of college football teams are making their mark.  This is Michigan, and it ain't going to change anytime soon.

Worst:  The Offensive Playcalling

I'm not going to crap on the offensive players too much because (a) I'm not a fan on picking on college kids when they are clearly competing, and (b) they didn't do THAT badly.  Yes, there were a distressing number of TFLs, and the offensive line looked out of sorts at times, but many of the issues felt like miscues more than an inability to perform.  Devin Gardner was off all day, Funchess seemed limited by a lingering ankle injury that was totally worth the 4-yard gain he picked up against Notre Dame when Michigan was losing 31-0, and nobody else seemed able to catch the ball or get open downfield.  Green ran well when he made a decisive cut, but struggled at times with decisions and being asked to run parallel to the line against a small-but-fast Utah front 7.  It was a bad performance, but it felt in large part due to the playcalling.

Man was this an awful game to watch from a coaching perspective.  It reached its nadir when Chris Spielman loudly pointed out that Michigan showed absolutely no sense of urgency in the 4th quarter despite, you know, being within 2 scores of a lead/tie.  He kept using this word "tempo" and "speeding up the game" as if this coaching staff had ANY FUCKING clue what that meant beyond that fact that it was what "pussies" used when they couldn't play football.  Every play was stare at the sideline for the signal, huddle up, walk to the line, act like you are going to check into something else when the only playcall was to slam your collective dong into the doorjam again, run the clock down to near 0, then repeat.  It was playcalling for appearances instead of purpose; Brian equated it to looking like you were playing football when you really weren't trying to.  Today was worse than when it happened against ND because at least there the game was out of reach and I suspected that the staff didn't want it to get any uglier by taking more risks with a young team on the road.  But this was was a home game against a meh opponent that Michigan was absolutely still in; a TD score at any point in that second half turns that into a very real game and maybe changes the outcome.  But the offensive playcalling stunk of quitting, of trying to keep the boss happy.  It was disheartening and frankly offensive to the fans, and one more middle finger to everyone from guys whose arms should be tired by now.

Michigan never tried to throw deep, or if they did it was only after botched play-action passes that needed eons to set up and left Gardner eating well-timed blitzes in the gut or throwing into quad coverage because the captain has turned on the "THROW TO FUNCHESS" sign in the cockpit.  Maybe with Funchess being hurt they lacked a deep threat, which is sad but could have been mitigated somewhat with the type of slants, crossing-patterns, picks, etc. that other teams have in their arsenal.  When it became apparent that parts of the line weren't going to be able to hold up against Utah's until-this-game mediocre pass rush, nobody on Michigan's sideline thought to turn the playsheet over and try to throw from the shotgun to at least give Gardner a chance to see the rush and survey the field.  Norris and Orchard were living in the backfield for most of the game and Michigan's response was apparently to keep running their base offense and, I don't know, hope they get tired.  I stopped keeping count of the number of 2nd-and-longs and 3rd-and-longs that Michigan set on fire with draw plays and short throws to the outside, and for every nice playcall (e.g. the pitch for the 1st on 4th down), there were absolutely boneheaded ones (Gardner's scramble on the failed 4th down conversion where Michigan had 1 blocker for 3 Utah defenders).

Now, I recognize that some of the struggles were in execution versus playcalling; Nussmeier and Hoke aren't calling in for Williams to whiff on a block or for Funchess to short-arm the catch on Gardner's first INT.  I'm sure Gardner has been instructed to work through his progressions, but in this game it seemed like it was 1-and-scramble.  And I'm willing to cut Nussmeier a bit more slack because, well, the guy has only been here for 4 games and it is hard to un-teach some bad habits.  But Borges is gone and the same stupid shit keeps happening, and this feels more and more like a mandate from Hoke, or at least a desire to run the most inefficient offense imaginable.

Worst:  About Those "Hidden Yar..."

Worst:  You Stupid Ass, Stop Punting Like it's 1970

So yeah, you know how Brian talked about "hidden yards" in the preview against Utah and how Michigan's punting formations have bitten them in the ass since Hoke showed up?  Well, Utah took one to the house to take the lead in the 2nd quarter and finished with 83 yards in returns.  Michigan?  They finished with 3 yards, with a long of 9 that was basically Norfleet making a bunch of guys miss.  I don't think it made a huge difference in this game, but it remains one of the MANY embarrassing elements of this coaching staff.

Best:  The Defense Deserves Better

Under Rich Rodriguez, it was trendy to say that Michigan's offense deserved better than the historically bad defense they had, and while that wasn't 100% true it did feel like the offense suffered somewhat by the defense being unable to get off the field.  Well, under Hoke it feels like the tables have turned; the defense has become one of the better units in the country while the offense has regressed tremendously.  Outside of an RPS 67-yard pass in the first quarter, Michigan's defense was sufficiently dominant in the first half.  It scored on an INT and constantly harassed Utah QBs, including a tombstone piledriver the likes of which you usually only see in bingo halls surrounded by Juggalos.

Even as the game progressed and Utah pulled away, the defense kept Michigan in it.  Utah had three total drives over 54 yards on the day, ending in a total of 10 points.  The two second-half FGs were just great kicks; when a college kicker puts 48- and 50-yarders through the uprights with yards to spare in a driving rain storm, you just have to shrug and move on.  Plus, both of those scoring drives came after offensive turnovers, one on downs and the other on Gardner's second INT.

For the game UM held Utah to around 2 yards per carry, 35% on 3rd-down conversions, and under 300 total yards despite facing 69 plays.  They had 11 TFLs, including 3 sacks.  The unit still lacks a dominant playmaker, but it is rapidly-improving and has shown it against a couple of good offenses.  Put this unit with IU's offense and the Hoosiers are winning this conference in a walk.  Though it is unlikely in the event of a coaching change, it would behoove Michigan greatly to keep Greg Mattison and the bulk of this defensive staff together, especially if it means they can move Manning out of the secondary and into a better fit.

Frank Clark continued his great season with his first sack, and if he continues to play like this he'll be hearing his name in the first couple of rounds of the NFL draft.  I thought Jourdan Lewis played really well, getting to breakups and generally keeping up with Utah's WRs.  Countess looked comfortable at Nickle, and Jake Ryan looked as disruptive as we've seen all year.  Willie Henry had his fat guy TD, and was able to get a push inside that really disrupted Utah's entire offense for long stretches of the game.  It was a performance worthy of a win, and my lagging hope for this team rests squarely on the defense keeping them in games against the dreck of the conference coming up.

Worst:  Can You Have a QB Controversy When Everybody Struggles?

Gardner looked like a mess after that first quarter, but Morris didn't look any better when he came in the 4th quarter.  Gardner was throwing late all day, and got Funchess crunched a couple of times on balls that shouldn't have been thrown; you are seeing what 3 OCs in 5 years (and no real QB coaching) can do to a guy.  Part of the blame should fall on him for repeating the same mistakes, but it's hard to imagine that Gardner would have to go on an impressive hot streak to come close to approaching the numbers he put up last year, one that many Michigan fans consider a disappointment.

Morris showed a bit of life and still has all the tools to be a top QB, but it's been 2 years and the game still seems to be flying by him a million miles an hour, and next year I guess he'll just have to figure it out on the job, because there is nobody waiting in the wings to step in unless Malzonne comes in like a house of fire.  If you want to throw in the towel on the season then I guess you give Morris more reps and see what happens, but based on Hoke's press conference he seems set on the farce that Michigan can still compete for conference titles and will roll with Gardner to the end.  Gardner still feels like the best option, but at this point I'm not sure it matters.

Worst:   Michigan Screwed Michigan

One of the seminal moments in modern wrestling history was the night that the "Vince McMahon" character became an on-screen entity during the infamous "Montreal Screwjob".  The Cliffnotes version is that then-WWF/E champion Bret "The Hitman" Hart had agreed to sign with WWF/E's main rival WCW, and before leaving Vince McMahon wanted Hart to lose the title to "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels.  Now, Hart and Michaels did not get along for a variety of reasons, chief amongst them the fact that Michaels was a notorious asshole at the time and Hart came from the old-school wrestling Hart family.  Hart had absolutely no desire to lose the belt to Michaels, and had told Vince he'd drop it to anyone else.  Making the matter even more difficult was the fact that the next PPV was Survivor Series in Canada, Hart's home country and a place where he is a beloved son.  Varying accounts note that both sides had agreed on a screwy finish to the match such that Bret retained against Michaels but he would lose the title shortly thereafter.

During the course of the match, Michaels locked in Hart's signature sharpshooter submission hold.  This is a common trope in wrestling, and typically doesn't lead to a finish in the match but instead simply some added drama.  Yet, as soon as Michaels had locked in the hold and the referee started asking Hart if he submitted, McMahon called for the bell and informed everyone that Hart had tapped and awarded the title to Michaels.  Mayhem ensued, with Hart trying to kill people in the ring and beating up McMahon backstage.  Hart left for WCW shortly thereafter and only semi-recently made peace with the WWF/E.  For his part, McMahon became one of the most hated/beloved heels in wrestling history, and helped kick-start the Attitude Era that was the last boom period for professional wrestling.

So why bring this up here?  Well, because the story morphed from McMahon screwing over Bret Hart to Hart doing it to himself by failing to evolve and work with the direction wrestling was going.  Hart was a popular champion but not a transcendent one, and while his in-ring work was top-notch he wasn't pushing PPV gates and merchandising enough to justify his salary.  He was poached by WCW as much to piss off McMahon and weaken his promotion than because WCW felt Hart would be a huge star for them; though his career was cut short following a concussion during a match with Goldberg it wasn't a smashing success after the initial excitement of the move.  Hart wasn't a dinosaur by any means, but like Michigan he seemed always a bit stuck in the past, a little too earnest and milquetoast for an entertainment medium that was moving closer to the edge of raunchiness.  It didn't mean he couldn't be successful, but the ceiling was there for him.

I know this is repeating stuff from above, but Michigan put themselves in this position by ignoring most of the changes that have been going in college football for the past 10-15 years.  They are scared of change not because they are afraid of failure as much as they are afraid of ever having to explain WHY something didn't work.  Hoke would rather stand there in front of the press and say they didn't "execute" or "make enough plays" to win instead of saying he tried something new and he believes in it even though short-term results are poor, because with the prior you can harken to the past and at least say you were doing your job.  But try something new, anything new, and you have to justify why, and my gawd is that impossible right now for this group of guys.  Maybe Hoke and the team will rally; again, this is a terrible conference and they could lose to MSU and OSU and still finish with a decent bowl game.  But the past ain't coming back, and the longer this school keeps its head in the sand about it the more irrelevant they will be.

Best:  Minnesota

I'm calling this a best because Minnesota can't throw the ball and is even less creative offensively than Michigan; Michigan will probably win this game and Hoke will be able to stand at the podium and spout off about "heart" and "resiliency".  But this season is already lost, and the sooner it is put out of its misery the better.

Comments

dipshit moron

September 21st, 2014 at 2:07 PM ^

damn you got some skillz man. its nice to read something that doesnt sound like someone just whining and crying beacause their  team let them down. mich has been passed by because of their refusal to change. they were on the right track with richrod. but that felt like a man that thought he had to make a big statement right now so he neglected alot of things that sombody building a program wouldnt have. i am old enough to tell you that people dont realize that bo   came in and totally changed michigans culture . its funny this whole thing about a mich man leading the mich program was started by someone who was as far from being a mich man as you could be. bo being hired was comparable to now days going and getting someone with roots to your main rival and leaving history behind. what bo did in 1969 was bring to mich what was winning at the time, but doing it better than most everybody else. that took alot of guts by a very strong ad, canham to make a hire like that.if you arnt from that time there is no way you could understand just how dramatic a change that was.

STW P. Brabbs

September 27th, 2014 at 1:18 AM ^

So what you like about this diary is that there isn't much whining and crying?

I, too, appreciated its measured tone, and steadfast resolve to avoid extravagant self-flagellation.

Birds of a feather, you and I.

Shop Smart Sho…

September 21st, 2014 at 2:18 PM ^

For all of the people who are against the idea of letting Hoke go mid-season; I have a serious question.  What is wrong with the idea of Mattison taking over?  For the most part, everyone has been happy with his work to this point.  He is an excellent recruiter.  While not completely versed with the most modern defenses, it doesn't seem to matter, because what he is accomplishing opposite two years of tire-fire offenses is terribly impressive.  Coming from the NFL, it seems like he would know enough to get completely out of the way of Nuss on offense. 

If they do it quickly, there could even be an argument to let him have next year as well.  The only reason I bring that up is because hopefully the Regents and President will see that Brandon is not the guy for the AD position.  It gives them time to find someone new, and keeps a sense of continuity.  At the end of next season, he'll be 66.  At that age, it is easier to spin him stepping down as a retirement, which avoids a lot of the issues that would involved with going through yet another head coach in such a short span.  As someone who obviously loves Michigan, it doesn't seem like such a tough sell.

aiglick

September 21st, 2014 at 2:50 PM ^

Very depressing but nicely written.

So what do we do?

Would you advocate organizing a boycott for a single game and having the stadium half filled so this AD can finally "get it".

I was there for those last seven minutes last night. It felt like there were a few hundred people there. I just don't know it is really frustrating. We really have no control and people can say trust the coaches but aren't we the fools to keep supporting and enabling this program when time and time again they show they don't give two shits about us. They just want us to keep spending money and be good little consumers and keep on keeping on.

It's just sickening and to borrow a word my sister likes to use heinous.

bronxblue

September 21st, 2014 at 4:46 PM ^

I think boycotts and the like are unnecessary; it wouldn't change much and all it would do is throw even more gas on the tire fire.  

It will be remedied by people in control of the University; I kinda doubt those people in power care all that much about what fans complain about.

Lucky Socks

September 21st, 2014 at 3:46 PM ^

Death of an optimist indeed.  I've been designing scenarios where we can redeem ourselves and Hoke will look like the guy for the job.  Brandon hasn't been that bad, I say, it's the losing that rubs everyone.  After this one...I'm on life support.  I won't go as far to say the season is lost, because you still have to play the games.  It sure as hell doesn't look likely, but sports are crazy.  He's going to ride the hot seat all season.  I just don't think you can fire him in the middle of the season.  The only reasonable option is to keep him around and make phone calls to John, Jim, and Les with the hope to pounce on one after their respective seasons.  It's a longshot, but Hok will still get the opportunity to win the rest of the games on our schedule. 

Beating Minnesota would be a nice start.  

MGlobules

September 21st, 2014 at 4:03 PM ^

it's hard to see this changing anytime soon. I could still kill Brandon for not getting RichRod a D coordinator. THAT is the salient fact that keeps resurfacing in the DEEP WELL OF LONGING FOR GOOD MICHIGAN FOOTBALL that I feel. (And tell me that Rich didn't care about defense one more time and I will explode and leave your hide enshrapneled in the bad burger I had for lunch.)

BTW, Rich went to 4-0 on a wild Hail Mary against Cal last night. 

Cranky Dave

September 21st, 2014 at 4:33 PM ^

Very well written. I really hope Brandon, Hoke, the administration, etc read this and throw caution to the wind. if the proverbial definition if crazy is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result then the whole program is crazy

Maize and Blue…

September 25th, 2014 at 9:36 PM ^

This game was lost on the first drive of the game, if anyone has the intestinal fortitude to rewatch the first drive, you will see Michigan moving the football down the field into Utah territory, on a key scramble for positive yardage, Gardiner gets hit by a Utah player late way out of bounds. No flag is thrown, no Coach gets in the official's face, no player confronts the Utah player as he leaves the sideline, and even Speilman remarks that Utah got away with one there. It is clear that, despite appearances, and rhetoric, this is not a well-adjusted, close-knit team that looks out for each other.

You NEVER, EVER allow amother team to come into YOUR house, hit your Quarterback late out of bounds, and walk away with impunity. If you are a Coach, you passionately get in that Official's face, and demand to know why HE is putting your Quarterback's health in jeaprody by letting a late hit out of bounds go unadressed, and if you are a player, you go after the offending player on your sideline, and make him run for his life to get off of it. Even if that means a penalty, the message you send that early in the game is far more valuable to both their team, and yours, than any fifteen yards.

Not doing anything, put Utah into a comfort zone, and allowed them to just go out and play their game, thus the Heisman pose, and it may have been a contributing factor in Gardiner's poor preformance, in that he knew his coaches and teammates, did indeed, NOT have his back. One of the most important elements of any group in a stressful, competitive enviornment is how well they stand up for each other and are willing to sacrifice for the group, whether that arena be the Battlefield, the Boardroom, or the Playing field. I have not seen that in this group, and it translates on the field of play.

JT4104

September 21st, 2014 at 5:38 PM ^

+all the points.......just damn spot on.

Reading your previous work and no question you are a true optimist but this hits the nail on the head.  When your true optimists don't want to watch anymore you know this entire university and Athletic Department is run by the bluehairs of yesteryear.

Damn shame that Michigan has gotten to this point and seem like as long as the bluehairs are willing to throw out money to talk about summer vacations during football games then this is the result we get.

jrj84105

September 21st, 2014 at 6:17 PM ^

Michigan played the 2011 #3 PAC rushing defense, the 2012 #2 PAC rushing defense, the 2013 #3 PAC defense. Michigan lost the special teams battle to the PAC's best punter (preseason 1st team PAC), the current top return man, and the PAC's top place kicker (preseason 1st team PAC). And yet people are surprised that Michigan struggled to run the ball and got beat on special teams solely because the opponent has a name with less cache than Michigan.

bronxblue

September 22nd, 2014 at 7:16 AM ^

It's not the name, but the poor play displayed.  Utah gave up 28 points a game last year, giving up close to 300 yards per game passing and 130 yards rushing.  And a number of those defensive players were gone. 

Yes, they struggled a bit running the ball, but it certainly didn't feel like Utah was dominating the line of scrimmage or really disrupting the running game.  And frankly, that wasn't what bothered me.  It was the mediocre play-calling, the stupid punting, the lack of urgency, etc. that drove me crazy.

Waves

September 21st, 2014 at 8:14 PM ^

Well put, my friend. Awesome article.

This line alone speaks volumes: "The Michigan that we all see on the field isn't what most of us want, but it's what thewhat the hive mind in Schembechler Hall thinks is good for business in Ann Arbor..."

I see Hoke as a symptom of the same ingrained dysfunction that gave us the RR debacle.

maizenbluenc

September 21st, 2014 at 9:04 PM ^

This was really well written, and I think the This is Michigan Football section is spot on. I am assuming they have sold more than 100,000 tickets per game so the attendance record will stand, but I am guessing 100,000 seats have not been filled yet this year, and they have to be feeling it in game day sales already.

The funny thing is, it seems like a lot of us are waking up and realizing that maybe keeping Rich Rod may have worked out better. heck at this stage, I am wondering if we should have kept Borges. They are both probably laughing today.

 

Hannibal.

September 22nd, 2014 at 9:13 AM ^

Keeping RichRod would have  not worked.  His recruiting by the time he was finished was laughable, and he would not have made any meaningful changes to his defensive staff (as evidenced by the fact that he brought Tony Gibson with him for his first season at Arizona).  We replaced one very poorly performing coach with another one.  It wasn't a mistake to fire RichRod any more than it was a mistake for Notre Dame to fire Bob Davie or Tyrone Willingham. 

In the RichRod vs. Hoke battle, I think that I still give the edge to Hoke for one reason: recruiting.  At least Hoke will leave a well stocked cupboard for the next guy. 

bronxblue

September 22nd, 2014 at 10:19 AM ^

I agree that RR's recruiting was poor, but it also sounds more and more like Mattison and Manning are leading the charge with recruiting, and while Hoke is good enough at it I'm starting to wonder just how much influence he has.  

Regardless, RR made mistakes defensively but at least part of that was due to money being an issue under Martin and not under Brandon.  Force RR to hire a competent DC like Hoke had to do with Nussmeier and I think he's successful at UM.  

It should also be said that the recruiting issues with RR were hurt somewhat by a string of bad luck and all of the negative energy around the program brought about by Stretchgate and the like.  He definitely is to blame, but let's see how good Hoke's recruiting holds up as this season progresses.

Hannibal.

September 22nd, 2014 at 10:35 AM ^

You might be right about the assistants and recruiting but hey, I'll give the guy in charge the credit.  I might as well since at this point I am assigning pretty much all of the blame to him for everything that has gone wrong.  For what it's worth, Hoke has always struck me as a guy who radiates enthusiasm, and especially enthusiasm for Michigan football.  I think that has helped him recruit.  It looks like he has not only pulled in lots of great recruits, but he has also sold them on Michigan, as evidenced by the lack of attrition.  At least he won't be leaving the cupboard bare. 

You Only Live Twice

September 21st, 2014 at 9:20 PM ^

Well written, thoughtful, and hard hitting at times - but with knowledge and objectivity.  I don't know if I agree 100% with all you said... but then, I don't know enough to know where I'd be wrong.  Thanks for providing a more balanced context on Gardner and Funchess, too.

You certainly make your points and tie things together with insight and clarity.  And even though this isn't one of your "optimist" articles, there's a sense of humor throughout that connects with the reader.  Nice use of sarcasm where warranted. 

ESPN doesn't have one tenth of the writing talent that's here on MGoBlog

Hannibal.

September 22nd, 2014 at 9:08 AM ^

The Minnesota game will be close and ugly.  Our dumbass coaching staff will probably decide for this one game that they don't want to play press coverage, so they will let Minnesota's talentless offense nickel and dime them down the field like they did last year.  One thing that I have learned to expect over the years with shitty coaching staffs is that they don't watch film and they don't exploit mismatches.  I have seen this time after time after time after time.  We probably have enough brute force talent to win it but nothing would surprise me at this point.  This team fucking sucks. 

Gardner has been abysmal this year.  He has regressed to 2010 Spring Game Gardner.  The 2013 Notre Dame Gardner is gone and it looks like he is gone forever.  In his place is a freshman year Steven Threet clone who has led his team to a whopping three points in 7 and a half quarters against teams from a power five conference this year.  In those games he is averaging a paltry 5.8 ypa with zero TDs and six turnovers.  It can't get worse than 3 points in 7 quarters, 5.8 ypa, with zero TDs and six turnovers.  You can't blame the running game this time, since we gained a very respectable 140 yards on 32 runs if you remove sacks against Utah.  Since you're not using his legs for anything but shitty waggle plays, then start Morris.  If he sucks horribly, then at least he has experience for next year.  I wish I knew why Gardner has regressed so badly.  Maybe he's just sick and tired of all of the coaching incompetence that he has been subjected to and he has been broken mentally.  I can't blame the kid.  But there's no denying that he has hit rock bottom.  I have never been on the Morris bandwagon until now.  And I'm not really on the bandwagon as much as I am reluctantly shrugging my shoulders and accepting that if you are going to suck, it might as well be in a way that benefits the team for the future. 

I'm a little more optimistic than most fans that Brandon will make a change.  I am clinging desperately to the hope that somewhere, beneath all of those layers of stupidity and airheadedness, there is at least some basic judgement ability or introspection.  Brandon has got to know that his future political aspirations will take a serious hit if he lets this continue.  Ticket receipts, donations, and concession sales have got to be dropping.  Brandon is extremely stupid, but I think that even as stupid as he is, he realizes that the flagship sports team has to win games for the money to keep flowing.  The desire to make money has got to work in our favor one of these days.

You Only Live Twice

September 22nd, 2014 at 10:32 AM ^

how does anyone know if they are watching film or not?  I have to believe coaching staff would be watching film as part of their job. 

I know people disagree with this but for me, it's still too early in the season to stop giving them the benefit of the doubt.   There are concerns but concerns can be addressed, going into the conference games.

Skapanza

September 22nd, 2014 at 1:38 PM ^

Not to pile on Gardner, because I think the staff deserves more blame than a player who is trying as hard as he can BUT... Steven Threet and Nick Sheridan scored 20 more points against Utah than M's offense did this weekend. And that was a Utah team that went on to beat Bama in the Sugar Bowl. This Utah team may be good, but I doubt they are that good.

SFBlue

September 22nd, 2014 at 8:36 PM ^

From what I recall of that 2008 game, Michigan was gifted around 21 points from Utah turnovers.  None of the score 'drives' started from Michigan's side of the 50 yard line.  And Sheridan looked worse than any Michigan QB I have ever seen, with the possible exception of Bellomy in 2012 at Nebraska.  Come to think of it, it was a miracle Michigan scored 23 (and was within a 2 pt conversion of tying).

Swayze Howell Sheen

September 22nd, 2014 at 9:39 AM ^

FRONT PAGE! FRONT PAGE! FRONT PAGE!

Bravo.

I kept thinking I would cut + paste the parts I like to highlight them here, but it would include basically every paragraph.

The only weird thing is your deep knowledge of fake wrestling.

CompleteLunacy

September 22nd, 2014 at 9:44 AM ^

I think several of the more optimistic posters (or benefit-of-the-doubt type of guys) turned after Saturday. I am most definitely one of them. Generally I am a benefit-of-the-doubt type of guy. One 31-0 loss on teh road does not indicate a pattern. Two games of ZERO offensive red zone appearances and a bajillion turnovers is significantly closer to a pattern.

 I'm just depressed. All I can think about are questions which have no obvious answers.

How come this offense is incapable of running ANY up-tempo except for that 4th and 1 thing? How come Nussmeier - a proven, capable OC from previous stops - is so far incapable of calling a cohesive game and getting his offense to succeed? Why was Utah made to look like Alabama on defense? 

How in the heck did Hoke and Mattison decide to adapt their defense to the spread-type offenses they face this year, yet Hoke seems completely unwilling to even consider adapting any other part of the game? (How did it take them 3 seasons to get to that point anyway?) The lack of the shield punt is by far the most damning...but the offense is just as baffling. Even modern pro-style teams spend more than half the time in shotgun...why are we taking a dual-threat QB and putting him under center 90% of the time? I can forgive it against Miami...maybe they took that game to practice weaknesses. But against a very capable Utah team? Why? The huddling thing doesn't bother me...the complete inability to just play faster (I'm not even calling it "up-tempo") is what gets me. You're down by 16 in the 4th quarter...where is the urgency, guys? Why do they play so soft? How can the defense play with urgency the whole game yet the offense cannot muster one urgent drive? 

How can a guy like Hoke preach family atmosphere and deliver truly great recruiting classes not understand that modern football has changed?

And why the f^&( do we keep punting the ball on the opponent's side of the field? I understand defense is our strength, I can even understand it when it's 4th and 13 (that's too far to really consider it)...but if you're struggling to score points, I would think going for it to give your offense another chance to make a play is the better option, because even if they don't get it you have a stout defense ready to take over anyway. 

Why the hell is Gardner so bad? If he's injured, ok...but that doesn't make it any better, because why the hell is he playing if that's true? 

How in the hell can this team get so thoroughly out-coached by freaking Utah? How can a team with fantastic (or at the very least above-average) coordinators fail so badly?

 

Skapanza

September 22nd, 2014 at 1:32 PM ^

I appreciate your RR section. Curious what the RR haterz who were so glad to see him go have to say about the precipitous decline of M football after Hoke won 11 games with RR's roster, but I'm betting they are ready to axe Hoke too.

alUmnUs801

September 22nd, 2014 at 2:22 PM ^

I've been lurking this site for the past few weeks....even posted on a thread last week.  Let me first say, this site is probably the best overall fansite I have come across.

Now, I know you're pissed off.

And, I'll also accept that since you're a citizen of the Michigan football establishment, you're probably entitled to certain assumptions that generally go unquestioned when relating to the Michigans of the college football world.  But, I'm going to go ahead and take serious issue with your post.  I'll give it a little slack for being emotion-based, but here's the deal:

I know the PAC12 is viewed as an offensive-minded league and Utah probably isn't a name team on Michigan fan's radar, but Utah may very well be the best overall defense that Michigan will face the rest of this year - which could bode well for Michigan going forward since the B1G overall seems to lack much offensive firepower. Michigan State and Penn State appear to have some pretty stout defenses, as do your Wolverines, but I suspect such defensive "prowess" will only be bolstered by a lot of 13-10 barnburners (a la Penn State/Rutgers) that the offenses in your league are bound to produce this year.

And before you scoff at the comparison to say, oh I don't know, Sparty for example, keep in mind that even in our 5-7 campaign last year our defense kept us close in a game in Eugene that was 17-13 in the 3rd quarter until Oregon blew the doors off (much like they did against MSU) - and even at the end of the day, Utah didn't quite give up the 318 in the air, 173 on the ground and 46 points that Michigan State gave up to Oregon this year.  Oh and let's not forget that Utah also beat the same Stanford team that Michigan State topped in last year's Rose Bowl.

I posted on this site earlier in the week that Utah is a defense-centric team and that Utah's strength coming into last Saturday's game would be their ability to stop the run - which not surprisingly didn't bode well for Michigan because Michigan can't pass the ball. Utah's program has been built around defense and anyone who knows anything about Kyle Whittingham knows that he is a defensive-minded coach.  Utah pops top-notch defensive players into the NFL like kids pop candy.  

BTW, that "up until" Saturday "mediocre" Utah rush you spoke of - after 3 games and a BYE week - still #1 in the nation is TFL per game and Sacks per game.  Look for the number to rise again next week as Utah's defensive front eats Wazzu QB Connor Halliday for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Clearly, the worst unit on the field Saturday was Michigan's offense.  You know MIchigan's O has problems - everyone else does too - it's obvious.  But, I empathize.  Michigan's run game is pretty strong, but ran into a good Utah run D. You have a defense that could keep your team in every game if your offense was not so inept. Welcome to the life of Utah fans since joining the PAC12 - where our offense has been our opponents' best defense.  

I thought Brady Joke was a terrible hire from the get go and remember at that time, I would have been much more familiar with him because Utah was also just coming out of the Mountain West conference where he came from.  So, I have a no confidence vote in his ability to turn it around which is unfortunate for a program like Michigan.  At the same time, I look at what the MIchigan brass did and think "didn't anyone see this coming?" The hiring of RichRod was like if Apple hired Elon Musk to get out of the smartphone business - putting Michigan football identity, strategy and player personnel on a completely differenct trajectory outside of its competency.  At the end of the day, Michigan didn't have the stomach to await such a drastic change in fundamental strategy and like in any business, it's product took severe hits and then took even more severe hits when the "management team" miserabley failed to recorrect course by making an even worse reactionary move of handing over the program to Hoke.

Good luck the rest of the way and we'll see you next year on a Thursday night in Salt Lake City.  You can be sure Utah will show up big for that game. Can't wait, but will.

 

alum96

September 23rd, 2014 at 2:40 AM ^

"but Utah may very well be the best overall defense that Michigan will face the rest of this year"

I would buy this except for the fact you lost your best  LB to a dislocated wrist, and had very little experience there.  Both your corners are first time starters and one is a converted offensive player, your DTs are replacing last years starting DTs and our DE on the other side of Orchard is a solid but not spectacular player.  Basically you have 2 very good safeties and a demon in Orchard.  That should not demolish an offense.  Plus the fact the way our offense plays almost any defense not named Indiana left on the schedule will have a lot of fun with. 

It's not you...its us. ;)

alum96

September 23rd, 2014 at 2:43 AM ^

Curious if you come back to read this - I know Utah has slowed down since they joined the Pac 12 but why has no one come and made a serious play for Whittingham?  He seems like a good solid coach that is at a program where a larger program would make a play for him after a decade.  After I was listening to Spielman wax poetic about the coaching of Utah I was sitting there wondering if Hoke had been Utah's coach and Whittinhgam UM's for the last 4 yrs how different this game may have been.

alUmnUs801

September 23rd, 2014 at 3:31 PM ^

First of all, your reference to Whittingham (the LB with the dislocated wrist, not our coach) being Utah's best LB is bit laughable and not even close to accurate IMO. 

I mentioned on the single post I made on this site last week that one of Utah's major liabilities was the LB corp - personally at the top of that list for me is Whittingham - so you were at least right about Utah's lack of experience there.  Our two best LBs were both injured in spring ball, one of whom is NOT Whittingham and the other of whom is Gionni Paul.  Utah fans have been waiting for over 1 1/2 years for the debut of Gionni Paul and we've known since he had a foot injury in spring ball that the Michigan game was likely going to be his debut.  We were not disappointed...AT ALL.  In fact, he would have started over Whittingham last week in any case. 

Secondly, neither of our corners were first time starters.  While you were correct that one of them was moved over from the offense for this season (he actually still plays both ways because the coaches love his athleticism), both of our corners have starts and significant playing experience from last season.  In fact, we have starters in this spot from last season on the sideline in favor of these two.

Utah has rotated 9-10 defensive lineman for years now.  DLine at Utah is the stalwart of the program and nobody ever worries about what gets put on the field at this spot year after year.  We still even kept our best true freshman in the rotation on Saturday (including Star Lotulelei's little brother Lowell).  Aside from these two and transfer Jason Fanaika, everyone along that DL has significant game experience.

I still wouldn't say things at UM are as dire as they are at, oh let's say, Texas for example.  You guys can at least run the ball (even though that didn't go too well Saturday against a defense that you seem to think isn't really that good, but has kept Utah at least competitive in a league full of high-powered offenses, while it's own offense has sputtered miserably).  And since the B1G is offensive in all the wrong ways this years, I'll wait and see what happens with your team the rest of the way.  Offensive problems aside, it seems pretty clear the biggest hurdles your team will have to overcome this year are mental - morale is terrible in your program right now and it really doesn't look like Hoke is garnering confidence votes from anyone.

Hopefully UM will get it together more by next year because that opener in Salt Lake City is going to be br-ute-al. 

Lastly, regarding Whittingham.  He's a Utah Man.  He's not going anywhere unless maybe an NFL opportunity comes along, but I highly doubt it.  He's a family man through and through. All of his kids and siblings' families are here and the Whittinghams are so established in this area...they are an insititution.  He's been at Utah forever and has seen every part of Utah's rags to riches journey and is now at the helm of writing the future history of Utah football. Tennessee did make a play at him after the 2008 season and he turned it down.  I think everyone else got the idea after that.

Utah would never have touched Brady Hoke with a 20 foot pole.  Still can't believe Michigan did.  If Whittingham ever does leave Utah (heaven forbid), it then becomes Gary Anderson's program.....maybe you guys would like that?

 

alUmnUs801

September 23rd, 2014 at 3:49 PM ^

Speaking of DL, Utah fans were super bummed that Bryan Mone chose Michigan and did not stay home.  I'm really hoping to see great things out of him.

Both Bryan Mone and Sione Houma would know many of the Utah players very well (probably related to a lot them...poly connections) and both attended the same high school as Nate Orchard.

And I'm not trying to be rude in my comments above about Hoke,  but honestly, that whole episode on Saturday which showed Hoke getting the verbal slapdown by his assistant (was it your DC?) and then just kind of cowering back into the sideline fold seemed quite telling.

alum96

September 23rd, 2014 at 2:37 AM ^

Amen.

I saw when you finally broke in the live chat.  I though Brady was done after the ND game but when I see optimists like you finally breaking I knew that was when he was really done. 

Very detailed piece.