Hoke for Tomorrow Misses its Chances

Submitted by Lordfoul on

 

“Opportunity does not knock, it presents itself when you beat down the door.”
 
-Kyle Chandler
 
It's a good thing that Brian and others had done the analysis for this game so thoroughly beforehand, because without a script that game would have been much harder to watch.  It certainly was never comfortable as Michigan literally traded scores with AFA, never putting a comfortable margin between them.  Not that there were no opportunities to do so, Michigan just missed them, or the real and palpable "grit" of Air Force slammed the door shut in their faces. 
 
So when the Blue Screen of Death popped up and was followed by "Bonus Coverage" of a game being televised mere channels on the dial away, I did feel a quite natural urge to choke the bitch that was all perky and uncaring in an ESPN studio.  Thankfully the Michigan defense finished the matter and we could hold our heads a little higher than last week.
 
Learn from yesterday...
 
This game really was a crash course in missed opportunities; lucky for us not all of them were missed by Michigan.  Air Force drove inside the Michigan 20 on both of their first two possessions but came up with only three points.  The Michigan defense bent but didn't break and gave the offense a chance to put some points on the board.  
 
Michigan missed chances to get off the field, giving up frustrating first downs on third and medium-to-long time and again.  Brady Hoke missed a great chance at points to end the first half with some terrible clock management, ending up with a TO in his pocket. With Michigan up 14-3, Vincent Smith missed a chance to extend Michigan's drive and possibly their lead by tipping an accurate third-down pass from Denard up for an easy interception; Air Force would score a TD and keep it close for the rest of the game.
 
Other things we learned...
  • Denard looks like he is indeed much improved as a passer.  His throws were mostly accurate lasers and his ball placement looked very good.
  • The Devins create a bit of a problem for the opposing defense and are a wonderfully athletic duo to have. Hopefully they will be a mismatch in our favor the rest of the year.
  • Toussaint does not look ready for prime-time.  In fact, he looked slow and indecisive.
  • Troy Calhoun seems to have a problem down under.  I can't recall ever seeing anyone grab their junk so much on national television.
 
Live for Today…
 
Michigan needed all of this:
 
  • Funchess - Looked the part of the athletic freak mismatch, hauling in 4 passes for 106 yards and his first Michigan TD (congrats).  We may have a very special talent here.
  • Gardner - Was much improved in his routes it appeared, reeled in another TD and generally looked like a receiver.
  • Norfleet - Didn't bust one but you can feel it coming.  Ran one back to the 36 but must have ran 72 yards to get there.
  • Denard - Gets his 20 carries when he is about as big as anyone on the opposing defense; made the most of them. 200+ yards rushing and passing.  Should have had no INTs too.  Please stay healthy.
  • Troy Calhoun's Crabs - Proved just distracting enough to let Michigan escape his clutches.  Hard to clutch anything when one hand is so constantly occupied.
 
Hope for Tomorrow
 
Michigan needed this win and got it, not much else can be said.  I think they would be ready for any other hypothetical triple-option offense they might face... too bad their aren't any (not really, please let's not face that again).  The rest of the schedule is still somewhat of a mystery:  Notre Dame and Purdue couldn't figure out how to let the other team win, Nebraska went out west and got handled when it mattered, Michigan State played a directional school, Illinois got clobbered, Iowa (lol)....
 
The BIG championship is still right there for the taking.  Hopefully Hoke, Mattison and Co. can stiffen up this defense and work out some kinks next week.  I am ready for a shut out.
 
(Note: With Ace providing an immediate game summary I don't know that I will do these every week anymore.  Don't want to be a "snowflake" or whatever.)

Comments

Matthew

September 9th, 2012 at 6:11 PM ^

Troy Calhoun seems to have a problem down under.  I can't recall ever seeing anyone grab their junk so much on national television.

 

Hahaha ^^^^^^ THIS!!!!

I was like, "Is this dude trying to show our sideline how well equipped he is?"  Must of had to dig deep in the underwear drawer and only had some undies that didn't fit right.

ST3

September 9th, 2012 at 6:37 PM ^

I noticed ABC/ESPN gave him the Elvis treatment starting in the fourth quarter. They only showed him from the waist up, but by then, the damage had already been done.

Blueroller

September 9th, 2012 at 7:14 PM ^

He was probably in such ecstasy over how effective his offensive schemes were that he thought he was having great sex. I swear, I thought the guy was laughing out loud at times. How many receivers were ridiculously open, how many counters were sprung? It was a coach's wet dream. Either that or he was so busy gameplanning that he didn't shower all week.

Brhino

September 9th, 2012 at 8:12 PM ^

I didn't notice any Troy Calhoun junk-grabbing from my seats.  I did notice him wandering halfway out to the center of the field on numerous occations.  We were really shocked they never got a sideline warning.  Between that, the uncalled illegal forward motions, and a few other things we just figured the refs were feeling extremely patriotic.

Banister

September 9th, 2012 at 8:48 PM ^

I really enjoy reading these every week, don't stop just because ace also does a recap. You do a great "fan" break down, which is a style that I like. Please keep doing them.

BlueBadger

September 9th, 2012 at 9:30 PM ^

was very nerve racking for me because I was streaming the game. I had no idea that the station was having the trouble, I just assumed that my stream died at a terrible time. Then I tried some other streams, and they were all like that. I thought I wouldn't be able to see the end of the game at all.

Tater

September 10th, 2012 at 7:32 AM ^

I was at the Notre Dame game, years ago, when they came out in the triple option with a second-string QB and beat a favored Michigan team.  If I was an opposing coach, I would seriously think about installing some option plays.  At the very least, I think we can expect to see a lot of play fakes from other teams within the parameters of their standard offensive schemes. 

Hopefully, AFA ends up being "one of those games" from which the coaching staff can take a lot of "teachable moments," and the defense is a lot better because of the experience.

kicknback1

September 10th, 2012 at 1:38 PM ^

I'd like to see Borges do the same thing with us

Put a few option packages in to mix it up and keep the opposing defenses back on their heels.

Think about it; Denard, another speedster like Norfleet or Hayes, a bigger back like a Rawls or Hopkins. Run the triple option and also throw out of it. Defenses would have their hands full.

maizenbluenc

September 10th, 2012 at 9:56 AM ^

and they solidified in time for the bulk of the B1G season. There was such wholesale change up front, that I am hoping for a coached up noticable improvement by the time we play State (and hopefully ND). the loss of Molk, Huyge, and Koger seem to have similarly impacted O line leadership and chemistry. Again hoping for some gelling as we progress.

We knew these were the spots that would be question marks. In years past we have watched Michigan State coach up a new dline, and Ohio do the same. So lets hope for question marks becoming good exclamation points.

riverrat

September 10th, 2012 at 11:36 AM ^

I'm observing the same things from Denard's passing (increased accuracy, better footwork), but I'm wondering how long the 'Denard is a terrible passer' meme sticks around in the national media discourse...

thisisme08

September 10th, 2012 at 1:14 PM ^

1. ROTFL about Calhoun as his junk, my wife who gives 2 shits less about watching football was pondering the meaning of life after watching him grab his junk so much (seriously I had to spend 3 quarters with her asking me "why do men grab it all the time?")

2. "Choke the bitch in the studio", I was ecstatic that I actually go the game on a local channel and didnt have to resort to a web stream so when the feed cut out, and my foray into internet radio resulted in the same shitty ESPN coverage I was about to blow a gasket.  Glad to see others acted that way.   

CoachBuczekFHS

September 11th, 2012 at 1:35 AM ^

I like the option idea, but it's too late now. The tripe option as AF, Navy, or GT run it requires timing and practice and isn't something you can run with any positive effect after only a few hours of practice. It also requires a completely different blocking scheme and techniques. Now if we were to run it out of a spread with more spread option principles...I love it. This is something that wouldn't take a great deal to scheme since our guys already know it, and would be very effective with our current players.