Denard v. 2011 SEC Starting QBs

PSU = McGloin. Yikes!

But it also doesn't make me feel worse, so that's something... 

Arkansas (Wilson) had the following stats:

22/35 for 63%, 185 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT

Arkansas Rushing:

19 rushes for 17 yards, No TD

They threw the ball more, and with a much better percentage, but if you remove the PI INT and account for Denards rushing TD, I'd say the numbers are comparable.  Michigan went for bigger shots, thus lower %, but had more yardage.

which is what makes it valuable. The statistics adduced contain many limitations, but they show that Denard's performance was more or less on par with the SEC and PSU's performance against Alabama last year. No more, no less. Given that the fans were shouting "SEC," as if the conference had beaten us, and Brent Mussberger was insinuating that we weren't SEC quality, the analysis has value.

To me, at this stage, it seems like the Johnwaynebutthurtsuckitupcharlies are spinning their wheels more than those who are carefully picking their way through the wreckage for the signs. I mean, that's what you do after every game, win or lose, right? How many times can you tell your fellow board members to suck it up, and just how much does that really get your rocks off?

/rantover, but take that anti-intellectual sh*t outta here once and for all

Very true.

The kid plays one of the greatest games I've seen a Michigan player play to end The Streak and beat Ohio (And even though Ohio was 6-6, remember Michigan lost to a 7-5 and 8-4 Ohio team while LC was coaching, with far superior records) and people still can't wait to see him out the door. 

I think its because they view him as the remains of the RR era and because they hate RR, they just want all memory of him erased. That's why last year's 11-2 season is all down to coaching, coaching, MICHIGAN FOOTBALL, toughness and coaching.

Other, more rational fans, don't dislike Denard, they just want to see a staff line up with its personnel and Denard being here stands in the way. I feel that this is the majority of the fans and they aren't really that upset by it, they are just being realistic. 

I think we will still have a very good season, but I feel it will be a lot easier being a Michigan fan in two years. 

But is Borges forcing him into his system? Didn't Denard have like 1200 yards rushing last season? Didnt we run from the gun for the better part of the year? I know we're not running full on spread offense, but I don't think Borges is forcing Denard into anything, I just think that Denard running a lot wasn't part of the game plan for this particular game, and that's OK. Had Denard settled down just a bit at the beginning of that game, we might be talking about his 300 yard passing game against the country's top defense, and no one would care about Borges forcing anything.

Yes, a lot of people are excited to get back to old school Michigan offense, but none of that is Borges' fault.

4 players selected in the first 35 picks of the NFL draft.  I do not think this years defense will produce similar results.

Yeah. If only Alabama had high 4 and 5 Star players waiting in the wings.

If we say that Arkansas was the most comparable opponent, remember that last year Arkansas had a future NFL QB and three 4th round WRs in their passing attack. 

This year, Denard has a QB starting his first season as a WR, a slot guy forced to play outside and Jeremy Gallon. 

I think this pretty much negates Bama's losses in the comparison and really, there wasn't anything about that defense that made me think they would be anything less than last year's crazy 8.8 PPG unit. 

You don't know that it would have been picked. That was an outstanding play by that CB... simply put.  That could have happened to any QB.  The pick 6 was a bad decision, but as I rewatch that play i see Schofield getting pushed back, so the pressure was there.

You make two complete leaps and another outright falsehood. 

First, it WAS blantant pass interference as the ball had left Denard's hand when the contact was inititated.  It was close, but the ball was gone -- watch the replay again.

Secondly, to say, "that pass was probably getting picked" is ludicrously unsupported.  It was a fade, and one that never developed because Tree was laying in the Bama bench.  It might very well have been a 50/50 ball, but to say it was probably getting picked is asinine.

Lastly, how can you say Milliner had solid position on Tree when Tree wasn't able to complete his route?  Maybe he was going to run right by him, or give him a inside fake, that he would have bit on.  Bottom line, the play never developed enough to make anything but a guess at what would have happened.  I am all for expressing what you think might have happened, but your statement isn't stated as opinion, but as fact.

Agree with the point about other QBs numbers not being adjusted.  Further, if you're going to play the "what if game", why only take away the things that made Denard look bad?  For example, what if you take out the 71 yd completion to Gallon, then Denard's numbers don't look so hot (about same yds, lower % completion, 2x interceptions). 

I have a feeling that as long as Nick Saban and Kirby Smart are at Alabama, and they don't endure some kind of heavy sanctions that would cause massive attrition, there is no such thing as a "rebuilding" year for that defense. I hate to be so cliche, but they really do just reload there now.

Will their defense be as historically good as it was last year? I'd say no. But I think it easily could be. Saban's got his depth to a point where when one stud leaves for the NFL, he just plugs in another five star in his place that's been waiting in the wings for a year or two, knows the system, and has been learning from one of the best position players in college football. The guys behind Barron, Kirkpatrick, Hightower and Upshaw will undoubtedly be just as good as they were, or if not, pretty darn close.

When/if Smart leaves, I think the Tide defense will experience a minor dropoff, but not much.

Taking this chart, then just taking regular season stats, ten teams managed to go a cumulative 128 for 257, good  for a 49.8% completion percentage, accumulating 1,349 passing yards, 5 TDs and 13 INTs along the way. Excluding Michigan, the individual teams here averaged 13 of 26 for 128 passing yards, 0.4 TDs and 1 INT.