Hawaii Snowflakes: The Defense

Submitted by LSAClassOf2000 on

This will be the repository for thoughts on the defense and overall defensive quality / coaching.

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stephenrjking

September 3rd, 2016 at 3:23 PM ^

DL injuries are worrying. And when Hawaii went to spread slant stuff they were having their way. Not sure if this is a problem or just Michigan's combination of backup CBs and a choice not to open up other parts of the playbook in a game that was already out of reach.

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UMFanInFlorida

September 3rd, 2016 at 4:00 PM ^

The same one you did.  The final drive of the first half Hawaii went empty and we had tough time defending that.  They got deep into the redzone and would have had a chipshot FG chance if not for a bone headed penalty and wasted timeouts earlier in the half.

It's small sample size, but yes, the defense strugged that drive once Hawai'i made some changes.

I will say it's refreshing to be arguing/nit-picking one drive of the game instead of fundamental flaws that cropped up throughout the game.  It's good to be back.

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bamf16

September 4th, 2016 at 12:41 AM ^

"Had their way" may be a bit strong, but I felt some of the same frustrations.  Michigan didn't do so well for a short stretch against Hawaii's spread when they went to it in the third quarter.  I think the DL played fine and I thought McCray showed some flashes from his linebacker spot.

 

Channing Stribling does a great job when the QB throws the ball directly at him and surprises him by putting the ball right in his hands, but when he has to make a play on a receiver or the ball, it's still not there.

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stephenrjking

September 3rd, 2016 at 3:47 PM ^

You're missing key pieces of language. "Moved to spread/slant stuff," "Game out of reach," etc. Obviously, by the time they were getting some slant yardage, the outcome wasn't in doubt. And I suggested that as one possible explanation for Michigan not adjusting to it. I'm not tearing my clothes or calling for firings, just curious about it since it is something we did not give up last season with a different scheme.

So yeah, there are possible explanations. But it was something to observe. 

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UMForLife

September 3rd, 2016 at 6:42 PM ^

I think in the last drive before half they were definitely spreading us out. In the second half, I was very pleased with how we bottles them up on the edges. They were definitely hitting some slants and vertical throws were working to an extent. It was not perfect but I saw good adjustments. I am expecting this to only get better.

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Perkis-Size Me

September 3rd, 2016 at 3:27 PM ^

Holding an opponent to 3 points is great, but potential injuries on the DL are very concerning.

Mone and Charlton may have just been held out as a precaution, but if it's an extended period of time, it could be a problem in a few weeks when the schedule gets tougher.



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coldnjl

September 3rd, 2016 at 4:23 PM ^

They stopped showing the playbook and went bland after they scored 35 points. They could have given up less than 80 yards all game if they wanted but why show your good stuff to the teams that truly matter. Take a breath and a step back and see the big picture. MSU had to play their whole playbook longer in their cupcake game. We now have that tape. They may have 20 plays where we gave a damn on film. Advantage us

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WSU to Blue

September 3rd, 2016 at 3:30 PM ^

But I agree. When they switched to a more spread attack it seemed to give us problems. Definitely something that can come around to bite us later. Overall the defense looked pretty solid. Depth looks great as well.

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UMFanInFlorida

September 3rd, 2016 at 3:30 PM ^

Defense has some work to do. There were a lot of uncontested passing plays. I don't remember that many wide open receivers last year.

The DL didn't get home enough either especially considering all the blitzes.



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SalvatoreQuattro

September 3rd, 2016 at 3:48 PM ^

Hawaii ran a spread from the very start. I believe you mean a pass spread. At that point UM did not have Taco, Mone, or Lewis in the game. They also were up 35-0. I also think people final to understand that Hawaii does have some decent talent at WR. Kemp in particular made a couple of nice catches.



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Michology 101

September 3rd, 2016 at 4:23 PM ^

A spread passing attack with a bunch of WRs on the field. That's not something they were regularly doing from the start of the game. The commentators were even mentioning how Hawaii's success came when they started using more WRs on the field. We didn't seem to be covering guys well in those sets. I don't think the score of the game had anything to do with our lack of coverage ability at that time. I believe our starters were still trying hard to keep the shutout going. Sorry, maybe I should've said when they spread the field with a bunch of WRs instead of spread attack. I think Lewis coming back will help with some of those issues.

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UMForLife

September 3rd, 2016 at 6:49 PM ^

The backup QB made some solid throws to the back shoulder. You can't take that away. I was impressed with how McCray got to the edge to defend it. That was big for us. You can't shut everything down. If we can defend the edge and the middle, then we can have the teams become one dimensional. I am not an expert, but I definitely felt that the defense in second half protected the run much better. When we get our All American corner back, we will be jn a better shape. It is on tape and I am looking forward to that aspect of the defense being fixed. One step at a time.

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