Looking Back/Hats Off/Looking Forward - Utah
I have to say that was one of the more confusing games emotionally that I have witnessed as a Michigan fan. By half time I was inconsolable but in the fourth quarter I came out of my funk better than in the past. It helped to be watching with a Nebraska fan, who coached me in dealing with my consitantly dominant alma matter turning into a huge pile of fail. Thanks Luke.
Looking Back - Some thoughts looking back on the game after sleeping on it:
Obviously the offense looked scary-bad for most of the game. I don't see this turning around very quickly. Bullets:
- Sheridan's throws over 10 yards looked like punts IMHO. Only one pick in the 1st half was very lucky indeed. He is far too slow to make use of his legs and can't throw so I can't fathom how he beat out Threet to start.
- Threet was a much better option at QB as displayed by the long TD throw. He may be slower but his arm allows us to keep defenses honest. Too much excitement let to overthrows I think. Hope he starts going forward.
- The offensive line started out bad but did improve I thought. This had a lot to do with the "Barwis Effect" (more on this later).
- The running backs looked tenative and the gameplan for going outside on most runs was the wrong one in hindsight I think. McGuffie did look more confident than the rest and seemed to have a toughness that I admired.
- If Mathews is hurt seriously that is a HUGE blow. The other receivers will do well I think but we need that consistant guy with experience right now.
- This offense needs a hero to step up. I think it will be McGuffie at this point.
- Why so many long passes in the first half? Sheridan was awful and yet we persisted in throwing up lame duck jump balls until it finally bit us in the arse. That pick at the end of the 1st half cost us the W and I put the blame squarely on RR. I was praying for a Lloyd-like run,run,run,punt and a one-score deficit at the half. We were really only in the game because of luck and good fortune, but regardless we have the W without that pick. A pretty bad coaching gaff IMO.
The defense looked really bad for a while too, but really stepped it up as the game went on. We were simply playing a very good offense with a great QB. Their gameplan was solid but we still had a chance. Bullets:
- We do not have enough guys that are great in coverage to handle 4 receivers in the spread. From what I saw it wasn't Trent/Warren getting torched most of the time, but they couldn't cover two guys each.
- Our linebackers didn't seem to make plays and were very bad in space. Having them cover receivers was futile as BJ picked us apart in the first half. Ezeh had the pick and seemed to be in on a lot of plays. Watching Evans slow up and throw his hands in the air as Asiata trucked around him on a swing pass was painful.
- The DL did well but only after the "Barwis Effect" (more on this still later) came into play late in the game did they really dominate. Our contain of BJ was solid all game though I thought.
- Bottom line is that this defense will get much better going forward and will look very good against 2 receiver sets and against lesser QBs (which is probabaly all we will face, BJ is awesome).
Hats Off Awards:
- MIKE BARWIS - The "Barwis Effect" is finally something tangible and we saw it in the fourth quarter. Our superior conditioning finally had our OL protecting better, our DL getting pressure and sacks, and our team on the comeback trail. I waited all game telling my Nebraska fan buddy that it was coming. I am glad that it did.
- Shaw, McGuffie, Hemingway, Threet, and Sheridan (+ Lopata) - Watching Wolverines get their first TDs is always special. Hats off to you guys. Nice catch Junior. Nice 50 yard boot K.C.
- Brian Johnson - This guy is almost definately the best QB we will face this year. He looked like a future pro and shredded us. If we had him at QB, like, wow.
- Sakoda - This guy beat us by himself almost. Any one of his 4 FGs would have lost it for his team had he missed. His 53 yarder was a killer. His punts at the end of the game sealed the deal.
- DC Shafer and the Michigan D - Make no mistake, they made plenty of mistakes. I really think this was a great offense they were facing however. Without the pick leading to a touchdown at the end of the half, they did enough to win. Six sacks is a solid number and 3 points allowed in the second half gave me hope for the future. Speaking of that...
Looking Forward:
Michigan should win next week easily as MiaOH got killed by Vanderbilt of all teams. It should be a good game to work out some kinks on offense and get some swagger back. I think this loss may be a good thing for the future of this team as it highlighted glaring problems on both offense and defense and the players will remain hungry. We need Threet to calm down and lead this team better at QB because Sheridan doesn't seem to have it. Threet's arm could give us the downfield passing game we need to help our running game. I liked McGuffie's effort and toughness and think he will be the star we need if anyone will. We should look much improved for ND in two weeks and our defense will line up better against them than they did against Utah. All is not lost, but we do suck.
August 31st, 2008 at 10:33 AM ^
Couple of follow ups to your post:
1.) Lay of Obi Ezeh. He played very well, and made a couple of david harris-esque plays sniffing out where the ball was going and knifing through traffic for tfl's or short gains. The play you referenced above (throwing up the arms while Asiata ran by him) was #9 Marrel Evans. What in the world was that effort? Plus Warren missed an easy tackle on that play giving him another 10 yards. Is there another play that you're speaking of?
2.) Yes, Schaffer adjusted in the 2nd half, but it was a soft, soft defense in the first half. He let them call their shots the whole first half before adjusting at half.Everyone bitched that English did that a lot. Very disappointed in Schaffer's first game as our DC. I think the team was told to play soft coverage and it killed us until we adjusted, which we did way too late.
3.) Of course, the back breaking TD at the end of the half never should have happened. Bad game management by our new head coach. It was painfully obvious we needed to get into the lockerroom to regroup. Run the football, take some time off, force Utah into using the TOs on D. Its basic strategy. RR failed there. The old regime were maestros at game management in cases like this. In the 2-minute drill, Bo always ran on the first play in hopes of A.) to surprise the D and B.) force a TO if the play does not work. Sheridan threw the bad pick, but RR's primary goal the final three minutes of the half should have been not giving the ball again to Utah and get to intermission.
4.) Barwis. Yes, we were fresher. He deserves a lot of credit for that. I liked that the team did not quit either. That's a mentality that also originates from off season workouts and bonding, of which he oversaw. Of course, the sun helped too. Our sideline was in the shade; theirs in the hot late summer sun for the whole second half.
Otherwise, excellent post and good recap.
August 31st, 2008 at 10:39 AM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 11:30 AM ^
The game wasn't *too* far off from what I was expecting. However:
* Defense was definitely disappointing - they were dominant in the 2nd half but putrid in the first. We're gonna need them to step up and be more consistent down the road.
* We knew the QBs and O-line would suck, but what was so disappointing is that I still had a (potentially delusional) belief that we'd be able to run the ball effectively. I figured with all of the misdirection in the offense and the speed of our skill players we'd break off a few long gains, enough to sustain the offense and make it halfway decent. Such plays throughout the game were limited to:
(1) TD pass to Shaw (off misdirection play-action)
(2) Screen pass to McGuffie (effective draw/run)
(3) 20-yard run by Minor
And that was it (off my memory). If we can't take advantage of our offensive skill players on a near-consistent basis ... we're in deep shit. The QBs and especially the O-line will improve as they get more experience as we get deeper into the season. But winning the Notre Dame game in two weeks is going to be huge, in my opinion, because of the Wisconsin/Illinois/Penn State run (3 of 4 games) immediately following the ND game. If we don't beat ND, we could easily be 2-5 after the PSU game, and the negative media about the program will run 24/7. There are 4 very winnable games on the schedule after the PSU game, but I *REALLY* don't want to be 2-5 at that point.
I had us at 7-5 before the game yesterday, now we're at 6.5-5.5 according to my monkey math. Need to handle our business against Miami (OH) next week, then the ND game will have huge implications for me, unusual seeing as it'll be a cripple fight.
September 1st, 2008 at 2:31 AM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 1:41 PM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 1:57 PM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 1:59 PM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 2:09 PM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 2:45 PM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 3:05 PM ^
Perhaps I overstated it...but this is still an offence that is learning...and learning to execute and learning to make decisions on the field. It is hard to judge that late interception without knowing what was called and what was supposed to happen on that play.
The one that was obvious in a global sense on the offence is they seemed to be making poor decisions, were slow making them and were not executing.
In my mind, a bigger reality than any one bad call or any one poor on the field decision, or any one play that was poorly executued is that this offence never got into enough of a groove to put together even one drive.
August 31st, 2008 at 2:56 PM ^
Two quick hats-offs re: special teams:
* KC Lopata's 50 yarder would have been good from 55. That was a beautiful kick. If he does that again, we might need a more complimentary nickname than "kicking competency."
* WE BLOCKED A PUNT! And it gave us a short field that (when combined with two Utah penalties) led to a score, and turned the momentum of the game for a while. And a blocked extra point at the beginning of the game put us a two-point conversion away from a tie game at the end. Plays like this reinforce the importance of special teams, and I'm glad to see the improved emphasis on that part of the game.
August 31st, 2008 at 2:57 PM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 2:52 PM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 5:14 PM ^
I try to root for OSU "in every game but one." I learned this from my dad who is an OSU alum/fan who always did that for Michigan. I kind of do it because I see UM and OSU as two cosmic, diametrically opposed entities that are destined to play that one game in November to decide the fate of all the Big 10. Okay, so there should be room for other teams to win the Big 10 championship, and it does happen. In fact, I don't want OSU to become the first team to win 3 consecutive outright Big 10 titles. I can't handle that right now.
The point is, I want both teams to be strong. I don't want OSU to have an 0-12 season. 1st, it would embarrass the Big 10 (not like it's gonna happen anytime soon though), and 2nd, it takes away from the rivalry and the specialness of beating the other. It's much better to beat a good OSU team than a crappy one, obviously.
August 31st, 2008 at 5:16 PM ^
You are on your own now. You gotta beat USC if you want credibility.
Beating the rest of the B10 won't get it for you. After yesterday, there is no B10 win that will look like a "quality" win. Maybe Wisky, but the media never gives them credit for being good, due to their style of play and where they are from.
August 31st, 2008 at 2:53 PM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 2:59 PM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 3:05 PM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 3:50 PM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 4:27 PM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 4:46 PM ^
August 31st, 2008 at 5:14 PM ^
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:15 PM ^
I'm impressed that you know so much about McGuffie and how much he'll improve week to week.
He was so awed by his full ride to Michigan that he almost signed with Cal.
August 31st, 2008 at 5:17 PM ^
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:14 PM ^
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:21 AM ^
September 1st, 2008 at 8:53 AM ^
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