Ray

October 25th, 2015 at 8:16 PM ^

should more than cover.  I think the over/under on us should be around 40 points.  Don't see MN scoring many more than 7 on our D.  And I think the D will be measuring themselves by first downs allowed rather than TDs.

I'm still thinking pretty seriously about heading up there.  Seems like a fun place to see a game.  Let the healing begin with an old fashioned, Bo Schembechler era Gopher beatdown. 

Joined: 07/05/2008

MGoPoints: 7044

991GT3

October 25th, 2015 at 8:14 PM ^

is a lot of points especially with our offense. Minnesota plays similar to Michigan i.e. run the ball and pass when necessary. If Minnesota shuts down the running game (a distinct possibility) forcing to Michigan to pass, the game will be closer than 14 points.

Joined: 12/14/2013

MGoPoints: 1133

Perkis-Size Me

October 25th, 2015 at 8:23 PM ^

It might be more a matter of which Michigan team shows up. Minnesota has no offense no matter how you slice it, and that doesn't bode well for them against our defense.

If the Michigan team that played Maryland shows up, it could be a sloppy game that is like a 14-3 kind of affair. If the Michigan team that played BYU and Northwestern shows up, this could be a 35-0 kind of game that isn't even that close.



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Joined: 11/30/2011

MGoPoints: 105503

Brandon_L

October 26th, 2015 at 2:26 AM ^

it's a question of which Minnesota shows up, this team is what it is. TCU is bad at defense. Without Boykin TCU is not undefeated. Minnesota exploited a bad defense and I cannot wait to see Baylor still beat TCU even without Seth Russell because TCU doesn't play defense and Baylor sometimes does play defense. Either way I wish I could see Michigan's defense vs TCU. Rudock would even have a career day against TCU.

Joined: 11/23/2009

MGoPoints: 2467

Fezzik

October 25th, 2015 at 8:20 PM ^

If teams completely sell out to stuff the run and blitz our guards the game will depend on Ruddock hitting deep one on ones (or back shoulder fades) and special teams. If I'm coaching defense against us I'm forcing us to do the one thing we have not been able to do all season.

Joined: 09/11/2015

MGoPoints: 5556

UMForLife

October 25th, 2015 at 9:54 PM ^

We are not world beaters, but the implication of stacking up the box is that we can't move the ball at all. That is not true, even against MSU and UTAH. Everyone keeps saying defenses should stack the box to beat M. I think Harbaugh has proven that he will burn them. May not be a 300 yard running team, but they have enough tricks up their sleeve. That is all I am saying.

Joined: 11/04/2013

MGoPoints: 63393

I dumped the Dope

October 26th, 2015 at 5:06 AM ^

This is quite a serviceable offense from my view, as compared to the last couple of years.  I recall so many times running for loss of down or loss of yardage into a stacked box, only to be sacked on 3rd & 11 trying to pass.  As you say, not going to light up the opponent with an air raid show.  I hope it gets incrementally better.  We have a serious contest with a really good offense at the end of the season.

Joined: 09/22/2013

MGoPoints: 2342

Brandon_L

October 26th, 2015 at 2:22 AM ^

Special teams? You make it sound like special teams is all luck, or not part of the game. Without the play of our special teams this year we are not 5-2. The most important strategy in football is position. I hate to bring it up, but Jim Tressell was great because of special teams and this is a big reason we struggled to beat his Buckeyes. Great special teams puts the defense in a better position to create great position for the offense. For Michigan this year it's all about special teams and this team was built to beat Sparty and their not so reliable special teams and then when it came down to it the coaches failed by putting Michigan's special teams in a bad position, by not aggressively trying to win the game at the end by getting a first down and then not putting a punt safe formation on the field when State had no return man deep.

Joined: 11/23/2009

MGoPoints: 2467

I dumped the Dope

October 26th, 2015 at 5:13 AM ^

About the punt-safe formation.  Its 10 blocking 11 on that play no matter how you slice it.  And with an Aussie kicker it isn't hard to guess which side of the formation to overload as they are taking a step right towards that side.

Add in a low snap its bad.  Add in a bobbled ball that gets behind the punter, its double bad.  I think if its a chest high snap that's handled cleanly its off 98 times out of 100.

Hard to pin it all on the coaches.

Joined: 09/22/2013

MGoPoints: 2342

UMForLife

October 26th, 2015 at 8:44 AM ^

It is all relative. I think you are forgetting how bad our running game was last few years against good defenses. At one point in the fourth quarter we were out rushing MSU and it was in 70s. I consider that huge progress against MSU. If you want to be skeptical about M, that is your right. But I believe this team has an improved offense that was good enough to beat everyone so far and anyone they play in the future, except may be OSU.

Joined: 11/04/2013

MGoPoints: 63393

DHughes5218

October 25th, 2015 at 11:21 PM ^

The problem is you don't get to erase plays here and there. If you're going to pick a play to erase against msu, pick a different one. If Connor Cook didn't play well, the game wouldn't have been close, but he did and it was.

Joined: 10/04/2014

MGoPoints: 7206

Brandon_L

October 26th, 2015 at 2:14 AM ^

Erasing plays, but that play to the fullback was a great call by MSU staff against our defense at that point in the game. Joe Bolden was ejected at that point and they exploited our linebackers by getting the fullback in space and unaccounted for. this is something Harbaugh would do to a team considering the weakness for us was our middle linebacker was out of the game and Bolden would have been responsible for the fullback in that situation. No matter what the defense would have been caught with their pants down because I believe the call was a blitz for the middle linebacker and the fullback was unaccounted for. This is also a play that they knew they could use and likely saved it for late in the game. Just like Harbaugh waiting 7 weeks to put peppers on offense. It's all a chess match. Cook was held in check and the game had been won by Michigan until the end where our staff was out coached. Plain and simple.

Joined: 11/23/2009

MGoPoints: 2467

Brandon_L

October 26th, 2015 at 2:03 AM ^

is that cool "dropped dimes"? Yes he did put the ball where it needed to be and sometimes his receivers dropped passes. Michigan's defense had this game in check, and the game had been won. Connor Cook did not go buck nasty on us and dominate. 17-39 is not dropping dimes. I would say 30-39 would have been dropping dimes, but if that were the case Michigan would have lost by two scores. The defense made necessary plays and kept cook between the 20s. Statistically Michigan was dominated in yards, yet we had the game won until the last play.

Joined: 11/23/2009

MGoPoints: 2467

Avon Barksdale

October 25th, 2015 at 10:19 PM ^

This matchup is perfect for us. The only thing that worries me about the spread is both teams are ball control grind it out teams which could shorten the game.

We should win handedly, but it would not surprise me if it's a 20-7 type game just due to both teams running the ball so much.

Joined: 04/27/2013

MGoPoints: 12859