Beat Nebraska.

Submitted by MichiganMan14 on

So...Saturday was embarassing as hell.  That is all that needs to be said about that.  We will get better or we will end up with a NEW staff.  It's that simple really.  We all love Michigan football and the best option at this point is just take this thing one game at a time.  Let us start with Nebraska.......who we will beat and likely soundly. 

 

Nebraska will be without Taylor Martinez and we will play inspired at home.  If this staff did not feel the fire after the PSU disaster....they most certainly do now.  I expect 30 plus points on offense and a sub- 20 defensive performance.  This win will put us at 7-2 and despite being out of B1G contention, that is still respectable.  This win will also jumpstart our homestretch of which is far more manageable than most think.

 

@Northwestern  is an inferior team and we will score a lot of points on them.

@Iowa.  This is a classic "trap" game but we should have enough on both sides of the ball to steal a late victory here.  Iowa has not been very impressive this year.  Very winnable game here gentlemen. 

Ohio.  We have not lost a home game in 2 years.   They will be a double digit favorite.   They will also not respect us and expect to party.  This is exactly why I like our chances despite having a much lesser team at this time.  Upsets are simply inevitable in college football and our season will be saved on this date.  We aren't supposed to have a chance in this game and thats precisely why we will. 

 

10-2 folks.  The dark skies will part and light will soon shine.  We do need a new offensive staff.  We do need Brady to do better coaching wise.  We do need more talent and much better player development.  We still have one of the greatest teams in the world to root for and I for one am excited to watch the boys take the field on Saturday.  Go Blue! 

Beat Nebraska!

 

PS.  Im writing this on a work break rather quickly so grammar police...feel free to dissect it. 

MichiganMan20

November 5th, 2013 at 12:44 AM ^

I love me some positivity. I still think this team is capably of finishing at least 8-4, with 9-3 being most likely and who knows? If they enter the osu game at 9-2 maybe that will give them enough momentum to spoil their undefeated season. Go Blue!

Creedence Tapes

November 5th, 2013 at 1:02 AM ^

I like your optimism. People are way too down after a loss to the #1 ranked defense in college football on the road in the rain. This years MSU Defense is playing on par with Alabama's last year, but somehow we are surprised at the similar result. We're not going to play this bad the rest of the year, 10-2, maybe 9-3 at worst. 

ijohnb

November 5th, 2013 at 7:09 AM ^

Beat down was worse, IMO. We lost to state by a real score of about 20-6. The defense was considering their party options for later that night on the last two state scores. We were a score away from being right in that state game deep into the second half, Alabama was a complete depantsing with no relevant scores coming after the first quarter.

Gustavo Fring

November 5th, 2013 at 10:09 AM ^

When Michigan played Bama it was playing a team that had an entire offensive line bound for the NFL, Eddie Lacy, TJ Yeldon, and that insane defense.

Last Saturday, Michigan's defense let Conor Cook, Jeremy Langford, and Bennie Fowler move the ball on us (and if they knew how to catch the ball, it would have been uglier much more quickly). 

Alabama also did not affect our chances of winning the B1G.  MSU pretty much delivered the final nail in the coffin on that end. 

At least basketball's back

bleed_trueblue17

November 5th, 2013 at 12:53 AM ^

Iowa did put up 24 points on osu. That's just Iowa offense bein Iowa offense too nothin special. If Indiana game uofm offense shows up it all comes down to stop Braxton and Hyde. I don't think we will win but writing us off isn't fair either! Like you said be positive!

MichiganMan14

November 5th, 2013 at 2:39 AM ^

It's time we give Little Brother some damn credit.  I hate Dantonio but he is an excellent coach for MSU.  Their coaching and player development is superior to ours and we need to bridge that gap and get better.  They are consistently exceeding expectations while we aren't meeting them. I still think that Michigan will be Michigan when all is said and done.  We need to expedite the process though.

jaysvw

November 5th, 2013 at 1:02 AM ^

We must be watching different Michigan teams.  The Michigan team I've been watching all year really hasn't done much to prove that it can beat anyone other than stone cold lifeless, body bag teams.  How long do we hang our hat on Notre Dame?  Predicting road wins?  Predicting beating OSU?  You must be trolling.    

Creedence Tapes

November 5th, 2013 at 1:09 AM ^

If anyone is trolling on mgoblog is the guy who thinks we have not shot to beat Ohio. GTFO dude. Ohio hasn't played anyone tough all year other than Wisconsin, and that was a pretty close game. Northwestern doesn't really count as a road game, and they are 0-5 in the BIG. Iowa will be tough at home but not unbeatable, and Hoke is still undefeated at the big house.

Creedence Tapes

November 5th, 2013 at 1:17 PM ^

Yes, he is undefeated. Last year he had that huge 52-49 win over Indiana, a 1 point win against MSU,  overtime wins over Purdue and Wisconsin, and a 5 point win over Michigan at home, that could have gone either way. This year they've blown out some weaker teams, but their only real win is against a not very impressive Wisconsin. 

MichiganMan14

November 5th, 2013 at 2:59 AM ^

Ohio has a better team.  They will be favored but that does not mean that we have no shot.  Michigan has beaten far better Buckeye teams than this one.  The difference will be that we were better than our records were in those years and might be a little worse than our record this year.  We will compete hard against Ohio and I like the matchup actually.  Our Offense will score on them.  The crowd will fire our kids up and we will play "up" to them.  If we lose it will be under 2 posessions and closely contested.  I say we pull the upset and then all the fairweather fans will come back.

 

Our program is not where it should be right now.  We have coordinator issues.  This will all be rectified soon.

Reader71

November 5th, 2013 at 8:27 AM ^

I don't really like the matchup, but the game is at home where Hoke is undefeated, so do we just pencil that in as a win as people are penciling in all road games as losses?

We will beat Nebraska, we should beat NW, Iowa will be 50-50, Ohio will be a double digit favorite. 8-4, 9-3 most likely. I don't like to fire coaches that go 9-3.

Gustavo Fring

November 5th, 2013 at 10:12 AM ^

Put up 63 points on a Penn State team that held Michigan to 27 rushing yards on 27 attempts.  There is very little to suggest that Hoke will be able to win at Kinnick. 

My prediction is 8-4 (and that might be disrespectful to Nebraska).  Another fun time watching MSU and OSU play for the B1G title.  Another meaningless bowl game.  Another bluster-filled offseason.

Blue Mike

November 5th, 2013 at 7:20 AM ^

He was responding to how we can't win against anyone who isn't a lifeless body bag.  I like how we all throw out the wins against ND (7-2) and Minnesota (also 7-2) because they don't fit with the narrative that this team stinks and can't beat anyone.  Are they dominating? No.  Have they won their share of games?  Yes.  Why is that before the year started most people predicted 9-3 this season, and now that it is entirely possible that we end up 9-3, the season is a disaster and will never get better?  

Ham

November 5th, 2013 at 1:28 AM ^

To quote(ish) Bob Ufer:

"They came to bury Michigan, all dressed in Maize and Blue. The words were said, the prayers were read and everybody cried. But when they closed the coffin, there was someone else inside! Oh they came to bury Michigan, but Michigan wasn’t dead. And when the game was over, it was someone else instead. Eleven Michigan Wolverines put on the gloves of grey, And as Rivelli Pasquale played ‘The Victors’, they laid Woody Hayes Urban Meyer away.”

Stranger things have happened.

ThadMattasagoblin

November 5th, 2013 at 1:40 AM ^

We have a shot at Ohio.  Look at how bad NW is and how they played in Evanston.  How many hostile environments has Ohio played in this year? Ryan Field? I'm sorry if you're upset that I'm not predicting we finish 6-6 while losing every other game we have left by 50 points.

TennBlue

November 5th, 2013 at 1:54 AM ^

are their Sacks and TFLs.  Those are most directly related to defensive line play, and they're as good as MSU there.  They've had trouble with linebackers and injuries, so their overall numbers don't look good.  Nebraska fans tell me their defensive line is actually about the only part of their team that does well.

 

Which is a possible ticket to another disaster.  A strong d-line means pentration, and the offense blows up yet again.  Fortunately, their offense is having problems, and we may squeak through it.  It's going to be close, though, from what I can see.

 

I think we win, but it will be close and a late turnover may decide it.

MH20

November 5th, 2013 at 11:21 AM ^

Minnesota absolutely gashed Nebraska play after play after play on the ground to the tune of 271 yards. Northwestern gashed them for 245.  I know we're super down on the O-line right now but I just can't see Michigan not being able to run the ball halfway decently on Saturday.

tricks574

November 6th, 2013 at 12:28 AM ^

If Michigan somehow struggles running the ball against Nebraska, it's a pretty heavy indictment of a lot of people involved with the program. That front 7 is just so bad, even a terrible offensive line should find some success.

BlowGoo

November 5th, 2013 at 1:58 AM ^

The thing about being an inconsistent team: sometimes you're bad...

... but sometimes you're damned GOOD!

 

We can definitely pull off a win against Nebraska!  Yes, we looked bad against MSU, but let's not sell their defensive line short.  So part of it was us playing poorly, but part of it was MSU playing well.

 

Nebraska's defense is not nearly so formidable.

 

We'll worry about Ohio when we get to Ohio.  Let's just get the first win of our new winning streak under our belt.  Nebraska is entirely beatable.

 

It'll be a great game for Devin.

UMFan95

November 5th, 2013 at 10:59 AM ^

LOL, or may be urbie gives hokemania the biggest ass whipping we see in the big house to date worse than richrod years, because urbie wants to go to the championship, no time to mess with michigan.  He comes to our house and lays the wood on us.  Feel really bad for devin because he will get another beating.  Then my man HOKE, well ummmm we didn't execute

LSAClassOf2000

November 5th, 2013 at 6:06 AM ^

It was discussed a little in another thread, but from a predictive analytics (because this is what we all use, right?) standpoint anyway, you won't find a wholly unmanageable game left on the schedule. Yes, of all the games, the biggest gap exists in the OSU game, but using Sagarin's numbers, we wouldn't be much more than a one-TD underdog, which I could actually buy from a matchup standpoint. 

Nebraska and Northwestern are definitely winnable, and the Iowa game would be more or less a good either-way bet, primarily because the game is in Iowa City. All in all, the numbers would seem to say that 2-2 is quite likely the rest of the way, with 3-1 definitely possible. 4-0 would be awesome but less likely. No outcome impossible at this point, of course. 

lilpenny1316

November 5th, 2013 at 7:22 AM ^

A nice win over a "name" program would help the bruised feelings on the team.  But sometimes the W-L record can feel hollow or overrated.  I can't remember too many games this year where I felt good after a win.  ND might have been it.  

If I'm not mistaken, I believe Nebraska and NW have pretty soft D-lines, so maybe we can at least build up the confidence of the O-line going into the OSU game.

Maybe I'm crazy.  I'm still holding on to a 5% chance that Sparty loses two more games and we win out to force a three way tie atop the standings and give us a spot in the B1G title game.  

MH20

November 5th, 2013 at 7:44 AM ^

If this blog doesn't win the Tears Of Unfathomable Sadness and the Scott Tenorman Of The Week then I just don't know.

(EDIT: OP, this is not directed at you, I love your optimism!)

UMgradMSUdad

November 5th, 2013 at 7:41 AM ^

It took a last second Hail Mary from Nebraska, at home (and yes their home crowd is into games and loud) to defeat Northwestern, who is winless in the B1G right now.  Nebraska should be the easiest win left on the schedule, so I am confident about that game and Northwestern. 

BlueGoM

November 5th, 2013 at 8:02 AM ^

Next three are winnable, Nebraska, NWestern, and Iowa.  I can see us dropping one of those, maybe, but not all 3.  Nebraska has been less than impressive.  NWestern has dropped 5 in a row.  Iowa gave OSU a game but has generally been unimpressive as well.

Ain't beatin' Ohio.  Maybe we'll make a game out of it but I doubt it, unless Gardner plays out of his mind; which he'll have to, considering the poor OL play.