In defense of Borges
First, Michigan scored 34 points in regulation. I don't think anyone was unhappy with how the 3rd quarter worked; despite the 1st half, we were in a position to win. Then, we put on the brakes, which presumably gave the game away. Let's see how that worked.
with 6:35 left in the game, Michigan led 34-27. Herein lies the following drive:
7 rushes, 1 pass.
What did this "putting on the brakes" do?
It gave us the ball on the PSU 28 yard line, on first down, with NO PSU timeouts left. The time read 3:10.
We ran twice, for 1 total yard; there were less than 2 minutes left and Michigan was within field goal range at the 29.
I just don't understand how this could be construed as a failure. We took off 4 minutes left, and drove to within field goal range; if we made the field goal then the game is effectively over as we're up by two scores with less than 2 minutes left.
The failure:
Michigan then takes a delay of game. (Blame goes equally to Borges, Gardner, and Hoke). The DOG makes it 3rd and 14 from the 32 yard line; there are 80 seconds left and PSU has no timeouts. What would you do here? an incomplete pass gives PSU 30 more seconds, a QB draw is OBVS(!), and a run is also OBVS(!).
Borges chose to run it, and we lost 3 yards, taking us out of field goal range. Yes, this was a problem, but I think it follows sound game theory. A run takes the clock down to 50 seconds, and the punt means PSU has to drive it 80 yards, with a FRESHMAN QB. I mean, everything had to go perfect for us to lose. Playing not to lose isn't really a bad strategy when everything has to go perfect for you to lose. I don't think too many people were moaning about the choice to punt it after the failed run.
OT
Then, people are bitching about the OT. In OT #1 and #3, all we had to do was make a field goal. I don't know what everyone's seeing, but I still think that game strategy dictates that you just take the 3 free points and go home with a win. The fact that Gibbons missed/had blocked 2(!) field goals is not on the play calling.
OT is really what gets me. How does a pass, an end around, etc improve our odds of winning? We've got one of the best FG kickers in Michigan history, and were out around 25 yards. Of course, a TD could win it; DG also has 3 TOs at this point. Why not just take the easy 3 and go home?
October 13th, 2013 at 9:08 PM ^
Nobody can defend Borges. Ever. It's out of the question. You can't tell me he's a good offensive coordinator when he runs the same up the middle play over and over with no different outcome. He is bad.
October 13th, 2013 at 9:12 PM ^
October 13th, 2013 at 10:21 PM ^
The spread is effective and Borges knows it. But he is afraid of getting Gardner hurt, ala Denard. He does not want DG to wind up being our de-facto feature back like Denard was. But I don't know what other choice he has this year. GIven that that's what DG was brought here to do by RR, he's gonna have to risk it. DG is larger and more durable than Denard, so injury is not inevitable.
October 13th, 2013 at 9:14 PM ^
The only reason we were moving the ball was because Devin could scramble.
October 13th, 2013 at 9:18 PM ^
Was it not out of the question to run a PLAY ACTION to Fitz on that 3rd and 1 late in the game and bam Devin finds a wide open Funchess down the middle?! You'd think...since they had 8 or 9 in the box all game and new what was coming it just might have worked, but what do I know?
Yes I am still upset.
October 13th, 2013 at 9:20 PM ^
October 13th, 2013 at 9:45 PM ^
That has me wondering also. I didn't see Devin making many changes before the snap at all.
October 13th, 2013 at 10:15 PM ^
October 13th, 2013 at 10:36 PM ^
I thought every pass play that UM runs involves pass action.
October 13th, 2013 at 9:21 PM ^
Borges is doing the best he can with the personnel he has. If he screws up with a great team, I will be concerned. I am still giving every one five years before I start judging harshly.
October 13th, 2013 at 9:46 PM ^
October 13th, 2013 at 9:57 PM ^
Michigan is still hurting really badly from that 2010 class.
18/27 kids flamed out. 67%.
- 1 offensive lineman signed and he flamed out
- Only two WRs left and one that can play on the big stage
- Zero RBs left.
Give Hoke 5. At least he doesn't have to deal with people inside the program attacking him.
October 13th, 2013 at 10:36 PM ^
Have you posted a single insightful post in reaching your point number? This one is there next to your endless string of white noise posts about your bowels and toilets. Quality contributor. Oh, and as usual, you couldn't be further from right to think these fundamental offensive coordinator and offensive line coaching flaws will be solved with two more years of status quo. Drive through.
October 13th, 2013 at 10:38 PM ^
October 13th, 2013 at 9:52 PM ^
October 13th, 2013 at 10:11 PM ^
next year it will be "but we lost 2 nfl linemen". then in 2015 it will be "but we are breaking in a new QB and lost funchess". if hoke decides to keep borges, it will be to his demise. borges is his gerg. funk is his tony gibson.
October 13th, 2013 at 10:21 PM ^
We shouldn't have that excuse next year at all. Hell, we shouldn't have any excuse NOW. I realize the interior line is inexperienced, but for fucks sake the entire OL looks worse now than they did in the beginning of the season. That's on the coaches.
October 13th, 2013 at 9:24 PM ^
October 13th, 2013 at 10:46 PM ^
is where the wheels started falling off. Up until this point, it had been a pretty solid second half. However, a 45 yd FG is anything but a gimme in college. They needed to get some more yds. Heck, another first down is game over.
October 14th, 2013 at 6:46 AM ^
But the biggest loss in there was the delay of game penalty, and that's not on Borges. That penalty also gave the PSU D a chance to catch its breath. Prior to the penalty we had gained one yard on the first two plays - not great, but not a loss.
The other thing to remember is that Borges was also trying to kill the clock, and we did run it down pretty low. 50 seconds shouldn't be enough time for a team to go down the field without a timeout.
October 13th, 2013 at 9:52 PM ^
When they called that late punt, I had flashbacks of Lloyd punting inside ohio's 35-40 yard line in 2005 with the lead late.
October 13th, 2013 at 10:13 PM ^
that was the only thing missing.
October 13th, 2013 at 10:28 PM ^
YOu are losing the forest for the trees. Al called a horrible game but this is just another in a now sizeable line of datapoints evidencing he is just not a quality offensive coordinator. Pause and think about the fact that the only thing that worked on offense last night - Gardner's legs - is precisely the style of offense AL IS TRYING TO MOVE AWAY FROM. Literally everything "pro style" about last night failed.
Pause and ponder his inability to mesh together an offensive line comprised of the #1 offensive lineman in the nation, a senior tackle, and a 5 star redshirt freshman recruit. Experience? Youth? MY ASS. Learn to coach the line. Some latitude can be tossed the way of inexperience, but 1 yd/attempt over 25 carries?
Pause and ponder the fact that these problems came as no surprise. They have been evidence since Akron, and was Al able to make any improvement at all? NO! ZERO!!!
Take away Gardner's legs, and put in a pro style statue like Al recruits, and instead, we lose by 2 or 3 touchdowns to the tirefire team in Happy Valley.
STOP SUGARCOATING! Al must go come year end. He must. When we lose 45-14 to Ohio later this year, in Al's third year, perhaps you'll come around to the obvious.
But Al won't go. Funk will be fired instead, and we'll have another year or two of this mediocre offensive coorinator at best. The GERG of offense.
October 13th, 2013 at 10:28 PM ^
I'm going to laugh when Michigan wins the division and goes to the B1G Championship game and makes every chicken little on here look stupid.
October 13th, 2013 at 10:35 PM ^
October 14th, 2013 at 12:07 AM ^
LOL, now that is funny. I'll give you 2 reasons why that is fantasy. An offensive line that is in shambles... and a coaching staff, that has lost confidence in their starting QB. Please tell me what your drinking, I would like to get some.
October 14th, 2013 at 4:21 AM ^
Another 10 so really Al managed17. Take away the deep ball to funchess and the offense was absolutely atrocious!!!!!!!
There is no more in defense of Borges. The guy has cost is several games in three years it's become a trend.
October 14th, 2013 at 6:58 AM ^
Borges called an okay game, we scored 34 points with all those TO's. The problem with this team is turnovers. This is something you can't pin on borges, couple that with the most ineffective running game in college football, no play caller is going to make a difference. for our remaining games, if gardner doesn't turn it over, we will win most, if he turns it over at least 3 times, all will be a dogfight.
October 14th, 2013 at 9:36 AM ^
I thought Borges called a terrible game overall. He spent the first half calling bad plays just to break tendencies (running stretch at the short side with an unbalanced line, passing out of unbalanced, etc.) instead of playing to his own team's strengths. He did better in the second half, but that was after Michigan was down 21-10 at halftime.
October 14th, 2013 at 8:26 AM ^
From what it looked like to me, Gardner was chewing out Graham Glasgow on that delay of game penalty. I don't necessarily think that's on the coaches. We have a young (redshirt sophomore) player at a new position (moved from guard to center two weeks ago), and that hurts sometimes. In addition to the fumbles he's been partially responsible for, I'm not 100% sure that removing Jack Miller was the best decision.
October 14th, 2013 at 9:08 AM ^
October 14th, 2013 at 11:16 AM ^
Borges is let go at season's end, because let's face it Michigan's offense will be one of the worst in the league this year, and then Hoke panics and decides to hire Stan Parrish as OC for 2014.
Yeah, that Stan Parrish. Nightmare to KSU fans.
Michigan's velocity from bad to worse increases.
October 14th, 2013 at 12:20 PM ^
Actually, I agree with much of what you said. Ahead by a TD, I really don't have a problem with running the ball, especially given DG's proclivity for turning the ball over. And in OT, we have one of the better kickers in Michigan football history, so those choices weren't terrible, but they were playing not to lose instead of to win.
What you're missing is the rest of the game: too many wasted first downs, too much under center, too little passing. In a game that went to four OTs, we only attempted 28 passes. With Gallon and Funchess as weapons in the passing game, that doesn't make much sense to me.
Yes, I understand that DG has been turning over the ball alot. Yes, I know if DG throws another INT we probably lose too. But the strength of this team is working from the shotgun in both the running and the passing game, and for our RBs to run 30 times for 28 yards is inexcusable. You can't call those plays 30 times if they're not working.
Look, Borges should NOT be the scapegoat. The O-line can't block, DG is a turnover machine, and Hoke is ultimately responsible for the team's philosophy. But to say he doesn't deserve a share of the blame is just silly.
That said, I don't believe firing Al Borges will fix anything, and I'm not (yet) in favor of doing so.
October 14th, 2013 at 12:31 PM ^
Why Borges needs to be shipped to Bolivia:
1) He's as stubborn as any OC we've ever had. To run the plays that he did consistently on first down and throughout OT (minus the PA pass) you have to be stupid. You don't have to be spread or up tempo to take advantage of one on one coverage or to have a decent audible system.
2) The QB and line play has simply regressed since 2011. There has been little to no improvement even from players who have been in the offense more than one year. Devin's turnover problems have worsened. The interior line seems to get worse each week in every facet. Youth may be an excuse, but good/great coaches seem to get better immediate results that they sustain or improve upon.
3) The lack of creativity. Feel free to cite the results against inferior competition or the few well called games. We've had just as many abominations against inferior competition or otherwise. The offense consistently breaks the huddle with 15 or less seconds and doesn't consider the defense before running the play, and if an audible is called, it is either late in the play clock and/or insufficient in terms of its success. I can also mention the breaking out of new schemes or plays against lesser opponents only to see better competition obliterate those looks the next week. This offensive style no doubt would be effective 15 years ago, not unlike the pro style punt formation. The lack of any type of modern thinking and the vocal rejection of many of these concerns/questions raised is infuriating given the failure of the plays/schemes the coaches want to run.
After this latest game, I have taken a step toward joining Henri, the otter of ennui. I don't see Hoke making the necessary changes in staff decisions, and in fact I think Borges has adjusted a bit to what Hoke wants to do. This pains me since I have been to a few games since the experience at the Big House, to me, has been cheapened by gimmicky piped in music and endless whoring of "the product." On top of that we are more than a decade behind in offensive and special teams theories. If you feel differently, more power to you.
October 14th, 2013 at 2:14 PM ^