Iowa Snowflakes: The Defense
December 4th, 2021 at 11:44 PM ^
BIG TEN CHAMPIONS!!!
December 4th, 2021 at 11:46 PM ^
Everything we could have hoped for. Took the few punches they had. Adjusted.
Dominant.
Aidan Hutchinson is the most important Michigan player of the century.
December 5th, 2021 at 11:35 AM ^
Is he ? Or is it the leadership of Cade ? Don't forget how bad we were with Milton...and Hutch was on the team.
December 5th, 2021 at 11:44 AM ^
Without being in the locker room we'll never know.
And honestly they both seem to lead their respective units, so 'both' is an acceptable answer.
December 4th, 2021 at 11:48 PM ^
I just heard a post-game interview with Josh Ross.
What a great guy. His whole family are Michigan fans, and have been forever. He gave a shout-out to Wojo. Great interview. Listen if you're able to find it online somewhere.
December 5th, 2021 at 7:23 PM ^
Agreed! The interview is on the “In the Trenches” podcast with Jon Jansen, and can be found on mgoblue.com under the BTCG recap.
December 5th, 2021 at 12:59 AM ^
Looks like the dude that posted this just won a boat load on Michigan -11. Perhaps it's Elno?
December 4th, 2021 at 11:53 PM ^
3 points!
3 stops in the red zone!!!
December 4th, 2021 at 11:55 PM ^
Red zone D...truly the way to win
December 4th, 2021 at 11:56 PM ^
Pure poetry
December 5th, 2021 at 7:30 PM ^
Speaking of poetry, Gus Johnson’s line after Aidan Hutchinson’s sack was an all-timer:
”Folks, he will roll up on you and let you smell his cologne!”
December 4th, 2021 at 11:59 PM ^
HUTCH FOR HEISMAN!
December 5th, 2021 at 10:00 AM ^
I don't think he did enough in terms of counting stats, unfortunately, but he terrorized Iowa all night long. They completely planned their offense around stopping him by chipping, doubling, and getting the ball out as quickly as possible. Even then he got his sack, got pressures more often than not and also chipped in in the run game as well.
December 4th, 2021 at 11:59 PM ^
Truly outstanding. Hutch, Dax, Josh, Ojabo, DJ, everyone. Very impressed with Junior tonight. Played like a wylie veteran, only a freshman. Our DC is a red zone wizard.
December 4th, 2021 at 11:59 PM ^
They gave up some Iowa chunk passing which was annoying but it was obviously the right call to give them nothing on the ground and make them beat us in the air. 3 points says it all
Aidan winning MVP feels more like a lifetime acheivement award rather than a game award. Iowa's gameplan today was to avoid Hutch and Obajo at all costs
December 5th, 2021 at 12:58 AM ^
Yeah I was struggling to predict an MVP for the game since so many did things and no one did it all. Edwards was my best guess. But I might be spoiled by what Aidan does all the time.
December 5th, 2021 at 3:49 AM ^
I agree. It almost seemed like part of an impromptu Heisman campaign (which, sadly, is probably moot given that Georgia shockingly failed to show up in a game that had no stakes for them but where the ESS-EEE-SEE would benefit if they lost).
December 5th, 2021 at 9:37 AM ^
I stand by my assertion that the SEC offered Georgia extra incentives to get 2 teams in the CFP.
December 5th, 2021 at 8:37 AM ^
I had the same feeling. But then I looked back at some of their play calls and game decisions and it was obvious Iowa was frightened of Hutchinson, which had broader impacts on their gameplan.
December 5th, 2021 at 8:40 AM ^
I thought it was a very consistent game by Hutch. Only one sack, but pressures on every other passing play. You can run, but you can’t hide from number 97. What a beast!
December 5th, 2021 at 12:00 AM ^
3 point given up!
December 5th, 2021 at 12:00 AM ^
That MVP trophy should go a long ways for getting Hutch a Heisman. No one is more deserving. Double- and triple-teamed tonight. Iowa completely changed up their offense because of him. Greatest player in the country this year.
December 5th, 2021 at 12:41 AM ^
He is, but Young won it this afternoon, unfortunately. Needed UGA's defense to hold up.
December 5th, 2021 at 8:42 AM ^
Young did a great job with post-snap reads, but the bottom line is that he picked apart a badly flawed coverage scheme. That was was some bad secondary play on Georgia’s part.
December 5th, 2021 at 12:03 AM ^
We bend and then we break you. We broke Iowa so many times today. Never stopped playing. We did not wilt. What a game by D..
December 5th, 2021 at 4:39 AM ^
“We bend and then we break you@
I love that so much! Well said!
December 5th, 2021 at 12:03 AM ^
We bend and then we break you. We broke Iowa so many times today. Never stopped playing. We did not wilt. What a game by D..
December 5th, 2021 at 12:09 AM ^
incredible turnaround with this defensive staff.
I love how the staff actually made adjustments in game instead of hoping they could deal with the other team like the previous staff did.
December 5th, 2021 at 12:11 AM ^
While Iowa has been dubbed a conservative offense, their previous lowest score in a game this season was 17 to Northwestern.
Normally; they score in the 24-35 range.
McDonald just held them to 3.
….3!!!
December 5th, 2021 at 12:45 AM ^
Not to diminish MacDonaod and the players at ALL, but… goodness they had a lot of help from Brian Ferentz in that department, woof.
December 5th, 2021 at 1:01 AM ^
Which is more likely?
1) Brian Ferentz just randomly called his worst game of the season.
2) The Michigan defense left Ferentz with few good playcalls to make.
December 5th, 2021 at 1:12 AM ^
It wasn't so much that his playcalling is bad, it's just Iowa's offense is antiquated. Michigan clearly knew what was coming most of the night, and Iowa taking forever meant that we played confident as soon as we went up 2 scores
December 5th, 2021 at 1:17 AM ^
Ferentz actually called a pretty good game in the 1st half.
3 step drops. Misdirection. LOTS of cuts on the edges to slow down Hutchinson and Ojabo.
Michigan scoring on two quick, successive possessions put them against the ropes; they had to start to press, and neither of their QBs were accurate enough to be able to make passes against tight man to the WRs. Macdonald was going to let them hit screens and drags to move the sticks but nothing deep and make them sustain long drives.
December 5th, 2021 at 12:50 PM ^
Nearly impossible for an offensive staff to scheme around not having anyone who can throw on the roster, as UM learned sadly in games led by O'Korn, Milton, etc.
December 5th, 2021 at 12:16 AM ^
We must keep MacDonald
The defense is fierce
December 5th, 2021 at 12:17 AM ^
historically Michigan is usually flat in their bowl game after beating OSU.
I don't recall Iowa ever getting blown out like that.
December 5th, 2021 at 8:19 AM ^
You're right. But historically, there's no championship at stake in the game after OSU.
That being said, being able to dial up and maintain that intensity one week later is damn impressive.
It's all house money from here. We'll may be an underdog to an SEC team and God forbid these guys feel disrespected. GO BLUE!
December 5th, 2021 at 12:20 AM ^
Watching replays on youtube, I noticed that both Petras and Padilla started off relatively hot and then--once the defense had them figured out--cooled off considerably. Petras had nearly 100 yards on his first 9 (?) or so passes, but finished with only 137. Padilla started out 6 of 7 for 29 yards, but only managed another 9 yards on his next 8 passes.
To me, that suggests that Macdonald and crew are adjusting nicely. They're not perfect by any means (do I even mention that MSU game? nah) but goddamnit I like what I see so far.
December 5th, 2021 at 1:14 AM ^
I think “losing” to MSU is a large part of what we beat OSU. Learned a major flaw and fixed it.
December 5th, 2021 at 12:37 AM ^
I've never seen a quarterback get rid of the ball just half a second from being squashed, more often than Petras and Padilla did today.
December 5th, 2021 at 4:42 AM ^
Goddamn I was so disappointed when that guy got rid of the ball a millisecond before Jeter put him in the turf. If anyone deserves a sack it’s Donovan!!
December 5th, 2021 at 12:39 AM ^
The redzone stops were absolutely massive. And the effectiveness of the halftime adjustments cannot be overstated.
December 5th, 2021 at 12:40 AM ^
Beautiful adjustments all game. Red zone D was phenomenal. Aidan was a force. I'm really glad they got that pick too. Loved seeing everyone congratulate him on the sidelines afterwards.
December 5th, 2021 at 12:50 AM ^
Iowa’s offense is not good, but we still only allowed 3 pts. You would have liked for them to keep Iowa out of the scoring zone so often, but at the end of the day the did their job.
I found it very interesting that Harrell and Jenkins got so much run. They both played quite a bit to start the season, but their PT has disappeared some as others like Ojabo stepped up. I wonder and have to assume if this was a schematic choice? But this again just continues to show how much of a true team this is. So many guys have played critical roles.
December 5th, 2021 at 1:13 AM ^
Love what I've seen from Harrell and Jenkins. Harrell is so disciplined, seems to know his assignment every play and executes it well. Jenkins just makes plays.
December 5th, 2021 at 11:48 AM ^
This is true. Every play Harrell is in I notice him having good effect on outcome. He is gonna be a good one. Same with Jenkins... He is about to grow into a man in the offseason. Those are two starters.
My only concern on defense is the LB Hill-Green. Although he had a good rush at end of game, he always blows pass coverage. With Ross gone, we might be in deep at LB
December 5th, 2021 at 11:51 AM ^
Frequently had a 5 man line out there. That's a bunch more snaps for the d- lineman
December 5th, 2021 at 1:04 AM ^
Iowa got yards early and was in position to cut the lead to 8 points. Even after half they had the opportunity to make it a 4 point game. Denied denied denied. This D is not going to wow like a revenge tour Don Brown defense (minus OSU) but they come up big when they need to.
The pieces of this team fit together to make the whole. The whole is 12-1 right now and it is the most successful Michigan football team since the 1997 national champions. So excited for Tuesday evening and learning who our next opponent will be.
EDIT: not sure about Tuesday. Whenever the hell they announce the CFP final 4. You know what I mean.