October 14th, 2017 at 4:00 PM ^
Our defense can't carry this team the rest of the year. Our schdule is going to get brutal, they need some help on the other side of the ball.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:04 PM ^
The defense looked exhausted at the end. Rashan Gary's breathing was so labored at the end that I wonder if that's the reason Harbaugh called the timeout.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:06 PM ^
Oh forsure. They were gassed. They played with every ounce of energy they had. They've been carrying us all season. They need help.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:39 PM ^
Penn State is going to give M the Sandusky treatment--at night, in a white out, under the lights, in a prime time slot, on national TV.
I'm not sure how likely that is before next Saturday. The O's difficulties are sobering: line play (but thankfully M got back to its power run game today!), dropped balls on accurate passes, not noticing open receivers, etc.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:00 PM ^
Fuck our offense with a rusty saw blade
October 14th, 2017 at 4:00 PM ^
This game convinced me that the offensive play calling is most likely not the biggest problem. Speight and O’Korn’s inability to go through their progressions and properly read the defense is severely hampering the offense. Today O’Korn threw a PA bomb to Crawford in double coverage rather than looking to Gentry on a wide open underneath route. He also had terrible play clock awareness, which blew a great shovel pass play call.
Obviously the OL is not good and WRs and TEs dropping catchable balls has been a huge problem as well. Perry and Mckeon both had terrible drops today and Crawford has two left feet for hands.
People are going to bitch about the early RB rotation, but we can’t telegraph the offensive tendencies based on personnel. Higdon can’t catch as evidenced by the dropped screen pass, and we should probably abandon the zone run game completely. That said, Higdon bailed his offense out in an extremely competitive contest. I wouldn’t mind seeing our offense go the conservative route the rest of the season, relying on isolations, power pulls, and lead counters with PA bombs mixed in to keep the defense honest. Higdon should see 20+ carries every game.
Lastly, Brock Huard, aka Great Value Kirk Herbstreit, is the worst color commentator in college football. I’d rather listen to Beth Mowins call a double header.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:03 PM ^
Everytime they show the wide angle shot, there are guys open. They're getting guys open by play design, O'Korn's just not coming off his pre-snap read at all.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:10 PM ^
Yeah some of those plays they showed against MSU were just appalling. Dudes with no one around them for 15yds in any direction.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:14 PM ^
Exactly this...
Re-watching those clips from the MSU game, with receivers running wide open with JOK oblivious to them was sickening.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:03 PM ^
I listed to game audio for about a minute and he was fellating Michigan's opponent, as usual.
I'm OK with Tresselball for this offense.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:04 PM ^
I'd rather slam my nutts in a sliding glass door rather than listen to Brock Huard call another game.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:04 PM ^
I didn't mind Brock as much; his play diagnosis on some of the offensive busts was spot on.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:11 PM ^
I really dislike listening to Huard. But you're right, he was dead-on correct in some of his analysis of plays Michigan got wrong. The PA throw into double coverage, for example-he was on that right away.
As with most color guys, it's not the smarts that are the issue. It's the communication style.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:17 PM ^
too much credit for criticizing the deep pass into double coverage. Pretty much anyone watching. the game understood without hearing him say a word that making that choice was dumb. And the wide open TE jumped out on the wide angle shot. I find him insufferable. Went to “mute” after the first half.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:24 PM ^
I was impressed that he predicted their zone read keeper in OT. He nailed that one.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:14 PM ^
My big problem with Huard is how obvious he makes it he dislikes Michigan every time I hear him call a game. Gets old.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:24 PM ^
To be fair, they broke the huddle with 10 or 11 seconds left on that shovel pass, and the play required Evans to go pretty far in motion.
Typical of Drevno though, finally come up with a play with some creativity that's been set up by previous play calls, and you got your thumb up your ass and take too long sending it in.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:02 PM ^
14 pt favorite?
October 14th, 2017 at 4:02 PM ^
Is a big issue and way too conservative at the end of games. But even when Drevno/Pep call a good play, JOK reads wrong. It’s such a dumpster fire. Changes NEED to be made.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:09 PM ^
I thought the play calling was good at the end of the game. Considering they can’t throw the ball at all, opting to go with an all rushing attack and to be as successful at it as they were was kind of impressive.
All I wanted in that second half was don’t let O’Korn screw it up and just run the ball. And they did that pretty well.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:13 PM ^
Tressel/Lloydball. All the way. Need to be tighter on those punts, though.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:02 PM ^
Because at this point I am starting to think he might be merely a myth. There's no way we got a backup if O'Korn is still playing.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:11 PM ^
I was at least expecting some shots of him on the sideline or something.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:13 PM ^
people clamoring for Okorn (so, like 75% of us): what makes you think the 3rd string QB on this team would do any better? I mean, this is literally the WORST QB situation M has been in since at least 1987-88*.
LOL, if anything, Speight's injury has definitively proven the Harbaugh knows exactly what he has at QB. if Peters had shown ANYTHING in practice up to this point, he'd get his chance.
There's no Tom Brady sitting on that bench. Brian Griese aint sitting on that bench. No Chad Henne either.
*and by 87-88 I mean 2008
October 14th, 2017 at 4:15 PM ^
Sheridan/Threet. John Navarre. Shane Morris. Maybe even the Driesbach years. We're down to our backup QB here, let's not get carried away.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:23 PM ^
But this is year three of Harbaugh. We shouldn’t have Threet or Sheridan level backups at QB.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:35 PM ^
How is a top 50 recruit that has had almost two years on campus under the tutelage of our supposed QB whisperer not ready to take over from John Fricking OKorn at this point? That is very troubling.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:26 PM ^
You leave Navarre out of this.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:41 PM ^
To win an outright big ten title.
October 14th, 2017 at 5:25 PM ^
In what fantasy land is John Navarre not a good quarterback? People are losing their grip here..
October 14th, 2017 at 5:38 PM ^
He wasn't good in 2001, and his backup was Jermaine Gonzalez, who couldn't throw.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:17 PM ^
I was wondering why 2008 didn't figure into that analysis.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:19 PM ^
You must not remember Threet & Sheridan
October 14th, 2017 at 4:21 PM ^
Harbaugh obviously knows his QBs. We don’t. Second half Purdue was a mirage. Speight won the job for a reason, and if Peters were ready to go, we would have seen him by now.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:25 PM ^
Unless Peters is deeply afraid of the game football and will collapse on the ground while cradling the football after every snap...it can't be any worse than O'Korn.
Let's at least see what we got? Oh no, we might get really bad QB play, like really bad floaters into double coverage or overthrowing guys on easy screens. That'd be *such* a change from what we get now.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:13 PM ^
I get it to a point, do you really want him playing with no experience next week at Happy Valley in a white out? I know JOK is frustrating to watch, but what do we gain by throwing him to the wolves? I'd rather let him sit and learn this off-season. Just my opinion, I do see your point. I just feel like we're in a lose-lose situation with our QBs.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:15 PM ^
Let Penn State batter O’Korn, go run heavy with the offense, and then just start with Peters the next week. Gives you this week and next in practice to ramp up his snaps and get him ready for the homestretch of the schedule.
October 14th, 2017 at 5:43 PM ^
Agreed.
I want Peters to play but it would be disastrous to have him start at Happy Valley next week. Just accept that UM will lose that game and start Peters against Rutgers the following week.
October 14th, 2017 at 5:49 PM ^
Agreed... I think.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:02 PM ^
a solid running back now. That helps. If we run it more last week, we win
October 14th, 2017 at 4:02 PM ^
Higdon.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:03 PM ^
Higdon
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October 14th, 2017 at 4:03 PM ^
Forward, we have a 5th yr. Sr. QB who the coaches are afraid to let throw the ball, this should end well.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:03 PM ^
Me no like.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:03 PM ^
If Higdon doesn't get 75% of the carries next week I won't go to another game this year
October 14th, 2017 at 4:08 PM ^
I'll buy your Minnesota tickets then. at face of course
October 14th, 2017 at 4:03 PM ^
Basically, at least least for this game, I predict this thread to be:
1) Karan Higdon
2) Other
And I would agree with this assessment.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:03 PM ^
Indiana has a redshirt freshman QB that played pretty well. Worries for Peters that he hasn't seen playing time yet despite who's in front of him on the depth chart?
October 14th, 2017 at 5:50 PM ^
It's the scheme and that has been my beef. NFL pro style scheme that peters "isn't getting" the heck? How about simplifying the scheme a bit and use his talent as QB / throwing to actually have a passing game vs an offense before a forward pass was invented ? I'm as preplexed as many of us here specially sans spring game. Why showcase peters like that if he can't throw for 58 yards...