M vs Utah, Friday Morning Snowflakes
I figured I'd start a thread for those that either went to sleep after the game or couldn't get MGo to load last, or to simply discuss the game after a night of sleep and sober minded, figuratively and literally.
Mine:
It went about how I expected, honestly. Thinking the team from last year, or even the one from the spring game for that matter, was going to enter Jim Harbaugh's submarine like a catepillar entering a cocoon and then re-emerge a month later as an ass-kicking butterfly was really just asking for disappointment. Even under Harbaugh, this was always going to be a work in progress.
The signs of incremental improvement, as a direct result of the coaching change, were there however, even if you had to squint a little more than expected. We played a good team tough on the road, at night, and looked better as the game went on. The staff seemed to make the necessary adjustments and find success despite the obvious deficiencies in RB and OL that we're now all too familiar with. Even the futility in the run game would have paid dividends in some RPS +3 plays downfield if Rudock could only hit the pass. Special teams looked solid to good, and even with the miss, it at least wasn't ugly (the extra point on the other hand....). This game is fairly analogous to the ND game last year in terms of the who-what-when-wheres, but I think we can all agree both the outcome and the feel of the game were totally different.
We left a lot of opportunities and very probably points on the field, and handed the opponent points as well. In a tight, winnable game, that always stings, but at the same time, I have full confidence it Harbaugh to make the corrections and I expect this team to continue to clean those up and make incremental improvements through the season and be on the verge of legitimately good by the end.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:23 AM ^
If you didn't know who was on the sidelines, could you really distinguish this from a Hoke game? I don't think I could. And that's okay, I wasn't expecting miracles overnight. But I think people are kidding themselves when they talk about how clearly the team is well coached compared to previous years and how obvious the differences are. The problems are the same as last year, and they're going to take time to resolve.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:45 AM ^
could you really distinguish this from a Hoke game?
yes
September 4th, 2015 at 8:53 AM ^
September 4th, 2015 at 8:57 AM ^
September 4th, 2015 at 9:07 AM ^
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September 4th, 2015 at 9:16 AM ^
You could say the same thing about any number of Hoke games that we lost. Every OSU game. Every Northwestern game.
Look, I'm not trying to disparage Harbaugh's awesomeness. I think we're going to be fantastic, eventually. I'm just saying, based on the play on the field, this team was not obviosuly different from the past few years. Can't run the ball, erratic QB play, very good defense. I expect we'll improve on that, but not overnight.
September 4th, 2015 at 9:26 AM ^
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September 4th, 2015 at 9:19 AM ^
September 4th, 2015 at 9:24 AM ^
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September 4th, 2015 at 2:06 PM ^
not so much on the O or the D
but FUCK YES on special teams.
September 4th, 2015 at 9:34 AM ^
It was absolutely distinguishable from a Hoke-coached game on many levels. Others have mentioned this, of course, but on offense - though we can talk about the 3 INTs and the run blocking and so forth - those drives looked calculated and designed to compensate for things they knew may not work so well. Sometimes, the execution was not quite there, but there was a definite strategy. It's one game, but I get the sense that this is a better-coached team now that is looking at the field, making adjustments (we made those - 2nd half was played better than the first, IMO) and staying in the game at all times.
September 4th, 2015 at 10:01 AM ^
You were neg'd on this, but there is a grain of truth in what you said from this perspective: We got ourselves so worked up watching Stanford Orange Bowl videos and the like that our expectations of how much different this would look than a Hoke team were way out of line.
It still looked closer to a 2014 Michigan team under Hoke than a 2010 Stanford team under Harbaugh. That's to be expected. That we would assume otherwise at this juncture is on us.
September 4th, 2015 at 11:44 AM ^
People are saying there were differences, maybe so, but the end result was the same, turnover prone offense and a defense that was good but not good enough to overcome the offense's gifts to the opposition.
Harbaugh has his work cut out for him.
September 4th, 2015 at 1:33 PM ^
but, just having Harbaugh looking like a head coach is HUGE. I don't care if he ever says a word (but he said plenty), but just the fact that he knows what his coaches are doing, shows that he's in charge. When he puts his arm around Rudock after the last int, it feels honest, instead of seeing Hoke clap his way through a game. I know there's no way to measure that in terms of points, but to me it's legit. When the head coach is running the sideline huddle and motivating the players by being in their face, that inspires kids. The head coach is still a coach. Hoke was more of a CEO on the sideline, and that doesn't work. Maybe that's why Brandon liked him. I think this change will pay dividends throughout the year, probably in terms of several comeback wins. One thing I predict, the defense will have far fewer closing TDs allowed (half-time scores like in ND, Rutgers, MSU and other games). Notice they did keep Utah from scoring at the end of first half (missed FG, I believe).
September 4th, 2015 at 8:30 AM ^
Disappointed? Sure. Discouraged? No fucking way.
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September 4th, 2015 at 8:31 AM ^
But the true difference last night was QB play. Utah's was exceptional and Rudock looked like the "new" kid, although I saw more good passes in one game than I saw ALL of last year. If he hits that HR ball for a TD - I think it would have changed a lot of things. BTW - that was beautifully set up by Harbaugh, as it came off a 2 TE look - that completely fooled the Utes.
Many people were whining about the running game and the OL. The running game needs Drake back at tailback. Smith seems to look for a wall to run through and he missed a couple of big holes in the 4th qtr. He also dropped a pass that most 8th graders would have caught for a 1st down. Issac looked good, meh on Green. The OL kept Rudock clean the entire game - IIRC Utah led the nation in sacks last year. IMO - OL was solid.
Peppers got schooled in the first half by the freshman wideout - but he absolutely responded in the 2nd half. Overall the defense was very good ... especially considering their QB was on fire.
Cannot wait for the home opener next week !!!
Go Blue!
September 4th, 2015 at 8:31 AM ^
A QB known for a low turnover rate had three picks on the road against a good Pac 12 team on the road and they lost by a TD. I expected them to go 3-1 in the non-conference portion of the schedule but with a loss to BYU. Now, they have to beat BYU instead. They look good enough to handle Oregon St and UNLV at home.
Also, this team will probably get better every week. I am pissed that they lost, but this really wasn't all that bad for a first game with a new QB and new coaching staff. I expect the team we see at the end of the year to be much better than what we saw tonight.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:48 AM ^
I disagree somewhat. The team looked like they were crisper executing plays. The special teams looked much better. The pass protection was very good. The overall defensive play was more consistent.
The team looked like it had upside, instead of appearing to be patched together and falling apart. Had a few plays been completed, I think we'd have won. I never had that feeling in a Hoke loss.
September 4th, 2015 at 9:07 AM ^
September 4th, 2015 at 9:29 AM ^
Agree on running game. The fact we have so many highly rated running backs on this roster and so many say we cannot run unless Drake Johnson plays tells me we still have issues with the OL. A good OL will make holes for any # of backs. It seems impossible to me we have 1 player on the entire team that can hit a hole. They cant all be completely unable to read a play properly save Drake.
September 4th, 2015 at 10:07 AM ^
No, but Drake plays well to the current OLine's weakness. Watch the RB preview videos again, Drake is just a diferent critter. It looks like the videos were sped up when he runs. He does not need large holes and he does not need them held open for as long. Smith does and he's great when he gets that. But our OLine can't do it consistently, especially against a front 7 like Utah's.
Given the current state of our OLine, he is a difference maker right now.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:37 AM ^
Up-
Wide Recievers looked better. Darboh looked strong on the bubble screens, Grant Perry, aside from the ints thrown in his direction was a great asset as a blocker, and Chesson looks like a deep threat who just needs to get a downfield pass connected with him
Butt was awesome, will probably lead the team in most receiving categories
Jordan Lewis was shutdown
Peppers really improved in the 2nd half, and the one time he played kick returner he looked good doing it
Oline pass protection didn't give up any sacks (to my knowledge)
Blake O'Neill look good at punts
Dline, especially Chris Wormley were very good, they stuffed a very good running back most of the game.
Down-
Oline run blocking and rb vision was a major disappointment. There are times there would be holes and Smith would just miss them horribly and there were times the RB's were getting smashed in the backfield. Especially disappointed by the 4th and 1 stuff late in the game
Linebackers missed way too many tackles, and were unable to bring down checkdown throws to Booker which killed us
I've actually watched a lot of Iowa play (why I don't know) so I was very frustrated with Rudocks play. He had struggles connecting with the deep ball there, but the INT's were just killer. I didn't expect them at all. I think he can play much better than what we saw last night.
Defense has to force more turnovers as well, it sucks we couldn't recover that late Wilson fumble.
Overall there's obviously a lot to improve, but i was pleased that the team didin't keel over and die after being down 17-3 and 24-10. They showed a lot of fight and i'm very excited to see how they can improve throughout the year
September 4th, 2015 at 9:11 AM ^
Excellent summary as it reflects my thoughts...hence it is excellent.
I'll add I'd like to see Peppers better in coverage. Getting torched by what was prob a 2 star freshman Wr has me concerned on his short area quickness. Obviously he is straightline fast and his run support-esp in the 2nd half was great but he needs to be able to cover better. We'll see how that shakes out as the year goes by.
2 of my concerns this off season bore out. The linebackers lack a lot of speed and suffer in space in pass coverage. Teams with more proficient weapons will exploit that badly. Utah is not a team with a lot of burners on it.
Defense was also unable to create turnovers - which was a massive problem last year too.
And we continue a 30 year tradition of getting punked by any QB with mobility. Wilson looked like a poor man's Taysom Hill out there-the lack of speed on our edges scares me vs BYU.
The other was while everyone mocked Iowa for how they used rudock (super conservatively) my concern was they used him that way for a reason. They saw every practice he is a not a guy you want to open the game up for but manage it conseratively - so maybe they are not just idiots. It is way too early to tell but you sure the hell dont want him throwing 40x a game. But without a valid run game you are forced to.
FG kicking is also a concern - this team is not going to blow out too many teams and will be in many dog fights due to this offense. So a lot of games will be within 5-7 pts which is where a lack of FG kicker can cost you 1-2 games in a year.
Taking a step back Utah was a team that is low scoring and wins with defense and special teams - their special teams let them down and they still won. Despite UM having a major advantage of no playbook for Utah to study. Utah was built for UM to stay close to. Offenses like BYU, OSU, and MSU won't be. A lot of stuff has to be fixed before BYU shows up. Thankfully we have 2 teams that look like the right prescription between now and then.
September 4th, 2015 at 9:37 AM ^
I get what you're saying but part of that was being down in the 4th quarter. 12 of his attempts came on UM's last two possessions.
When you're running backs are averaging 2.5 yds/carry, you're probably going to end up throwing the ball more than you want. Also, a lot of his throws were wr screens/throws at the line of scrimmage - some people just consider those long hand offs.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:35 AM ^
September 4th, 2015 at 8:38 AM ^
TL;DR, Offense looked much improved even though we lost the turnover game. Defense will be solid. Special teams... we had all 11 men on the field.
I was stupid and started reading articles in the Freep. Don't read any, it will just get you frustrated with the world.
Much improved team. I would give Rudock a 6/10, but he's someone that we'll see improve a lot as the season moves on.
OLine, total shock here, I would give them an 8/10.
- 0 Sacks
- solid pass protection
- solid overall blocking
- needs more time to work on run game (our RB needs to find read the holes better too)
DLine, and anyone who came in the box did a great job at stopping their run game. We covered the flat and got in their backfield a lot. Although only 1 sack, still a solid game for them. Peppers had great second half and made a cuople plays on his own. I honestly wasn't expecting that to happen yet.
Corners still need to be figured out, only time will tell.
Smith looked good, solid. Nothing impressive, but no fumbles and he showed that when he found the hole that he can take a couple defenders with him for a couple yards. Good pad level and everything.
Darboh and Chesson did very good, Perry I think did well too for the amount of experience he has. The first INT I think was on him for running a bad route. The pick six was on Rudock for telegraphing to the defender that he was throwing to Perry. I forget about the second INT, but I think that was thrown in Perry's direction also. I think it was a bad throw, don't recall.
Our safety play was good, honestly I don't remember anything out of our other safeties besides Peppers. I think that's a good thing, so no mistakes basically.
Special teams: we had 11 guys on the field!!
Last but not least, Butt. Wow and he did what I think we all hoped he would do. He will be a beast this year.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:42 AM ^
I don't get how people think the OL played so well. 2.6 YPC! Two point six! That is not good. And that's without big sacks dragging the number down. That should alarm you for the rest of the season, much more than the picks, which are fixable issues.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:55 AM ^
Don't get me wrong, I agree with you. I just see a lot of potential. I don't think that will be the norm this year. Running game needs more improvement than the passing game.
September 4th, 2015 at 9:10 AM ^
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September 4th, 2015 at 9:18 AM ^
So you think the 2.6 YPC is all on Smith? I saw a couple of missed reads. Lots and lots of nowhere to go.
Maybe I'm wrong. We'll see how the review bears out.
September 4th, 2015 at 9:50 AM ^
No I don't think you are wrong at all when you consider we only have one game to look at. Maybe my perspective is too skewed. The only point you made that I disagree with is it being a sizeable problem throughout the season. I think the run blocking will improve as the season will move on. I think the bigger issue is our RB's reading the holes.
September 4th, 2015 at 10:41 AM ^
On the 4th-and-1, Kalis pulled and ran right past the hole he was supposed to lead, and right past two unblocked defenders who nailed Smith for a loss.
September 4th, 2015 at 2:17 PM ^
the tea party in Michigan's backfield that half of Utah's defensive front attended.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:35 AM ^
I blacked out at half time so I'm only going on the first half of information.
You're pretty spot on with your analysis. It looked like our offensive line couldn't handle their very talented defensive line but it wasn't such a huge mismatch as 2013 MSU. Rudock made a few mistakes that ended up costing us dearly. If he connected on that TD pass it could very well be a different game.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:35 AM ^
The morning after is always a better time to evaluate, for me. Last night was pretty much an inebriated rage of, "Great, another fucking year of expecting no more than two yards when I see the QB hand off, and being terrified when I see him drop back." I feel like things are a little more measured this morning. I don't see anything that can't be corrected, unless the Rudock hope truly was just a mirage. I'm inclined to give him at least some benefit of the doubt until I've seen him after he's had a little more time to get comfortable. Remember, he wasn't even around in the spring. The O-line's issues run blocking are scary, no doubt. BUT, Utah is also one of the better front sevens they'll face this year. And the pass protection was a world away from what we'd become accustomed to.
On D, I also feel like I need to see a little more. But, the way Wilson was able to pick up yardage definitely makes the BYU game feel a little more ominous, to say nothing of Ohio State...
September 4th, 2015 at 9:07 AM ^
Agreed, I usually try to stay off the internet after losses for this exact reason. UFRs are another step in that direction of stepping off the ledge.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:36 AM ^
Individual position groups, offense:
QB:
Obviously 3 INTs and 2-3 missed TD passes aren't going to win you any accolades, but I actually came away feeling pretty good about Rudock. A check down machine he was not, and arm strength was definitely there. He hit a few NFL windows down the middle of the field, threw guys open on slants, got screen passes out fast enough for the the WRs to get the edge, and the 2 minute drill was masterful. He also made good decisions to run or throw it away when things weren't there. I think the INTs will regress to the mean (especially since 1 or 2 weren't completely his fault) and Harbaugh will coach him up on putting some air under it.
OL:
Oof. It didnt look good. This was the one spot I believed there could be an instant GERG-->Greg transformation, but at least in game one it didn't seem to be the case (it should be noted, the 2011 defense looked rough early too though). The interior was getting blown up 2 yards into the backfield pretty repeatedly, especially early on. It seemed to get better as the game went on and I noticed more holes and sealed edges. Not sure if that's due to technique or scheme adjustments. Pass pro was pretty good, although they still let a few DTs loose right down the middle.
RB:
Deveon Smith night was basically running to the wrong spot, getting drilled, and then still cranking out decent YAC somehow. Isaac looked decent, if a bit plodding and hesitant, I was surprised they didn't throw to him more. I don't think he missed as many holes, but hard to tell live. Both guys seemed to do much better in pass pro. They got over late a couple times, but generally were able to harass the rushers enough to buy Rudock time to throw.
WR:
Big surprise here. Darboh and Chesson both legitimately good and the screen game was clicking all night. Grant Perry seemed to be getting separation with good route running, when he wasn't screwing his QB by turning the wrong way. Jake Butt will be a 1st rounder at this rate. I'm not sure why they brought AJ in for targets, but any misdirection you gain is more than offset by the huge step down in athletecism.
September 4th, 2015 at 9:12 AM ^
Why do ALL of our RB's look so slow? I know none of them are "burners" per say, but they looked like they were plodding out there. Is it the indecision hitting the hole? TO me that was one of the most glaring aspects of the game.
September 4th, 2015 at 9:53 AM ^
Why do ALL of our RB's look so slow?
Fred Jackson
September 4th, 2015 at 2:21 PM ^
or are they being coached to wait for a hole to open that never does?
September 4th, 2015 at 8:37 AM ^
Our offense is a long way from being a true threat. Rudock did not impress me; made some bad reads, and the first overthrow of Chesson was inexcusable for a 5th year senior. Smith runs hard, which is nice to see, but he runs hard to the wrong place half the time. The receivers were somewhat of a surprise, but Perry's routes aren't quite good enough to see as many targets as Rudock gave him. Jake Butt is amazing, and he'll have to play like this all season if we want to have any success going forward.
Defense was a bit hit-and-miss for me. The DL seemed to get really good penetration, which was nice to see; however, I fully expect RJS to get some serious minuses on Wilson's TD run - he boned that play as bad as you possibly could. The LBs were good against the run for the most part, but got really exposed through the air. They're lucky there aren't a whole lot of dangerous passing attacks in the conference. Lewis is the real deal, and by the end of the game Peppers was fantastic.
All in all, it played out somewhat like I expected (though I did not imagine Rudock would have 3 INTs, even if one wasn't his fault), as I guessed 23-17. I did see enough that makes me think this team will improve as the season goes along. But, if it was possible, I'm even more skeptical that they'll provide much of a challenge to MSU or OSU in the division.
September 4th, 2015 at 9:41 AM ^
The safety completely boned that play too. They all crashed hard on the sweep and left a gaping hole in the middle.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:37 AM ^
Line needs to open more holes.
Defense was about what you could hope for but still can't generate TOs.
SPECIAAL TEAMS! DAT PUNT DOE
Rudock throwing to young WRs, man. WRs are a key element of an effecient passing game and it was glaringly obvious why that is last night.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:48 AM ^
September 4th, 2015 at 8:57 AM ^
OMG TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THAT PUNT.
DAFUQ!!
That was such a fantastic play.
September 4th, 2015 at 9:09 AM ^
No kidding. I was half expecting our gunners calling for a fair catch. That was maybe the best executed punt I've ever seen.
September 4th, 2015 at 9:23 AM ^
I thought for a second that it was a fake, then I realized that he actually had extra time to allow the gunners to get upfield.
September 4th, 2015 at 10:14 AM ^
That's good coaching there.
Last year we had great punts . . . that all outkicked the coverage. Lots of wonderful 60 yard punts with 30 yard runbacks that netted only 30 yards.
September 4th, 2015 at 11:17 AM ^
OH right, I also forgot that was where it seemed like he was standing in teh backfield for 10 seconds before punting. Yeah that was awesome. Well executed.