Outback Bowl Snowflake Thread

*Gallon was awesome.  The way he way was getting out of his breaks and how he highpointed the ball was impressive.

*Wile kicked the ball very well overall while impersonating Mike Gillette.  

*Gardner showed solid leadership and despite missing some throws gave Michigan a chance to win.

*A lot of underclassman gained valuable playing time against a top 10 team.

*Vincent Smith still has his head attached.

Gibby was still solid sans hair.

Just got back from the game. What a great experience. Our fans were awesome - it felt like a home game for us just walking around. After the first series, I feared another Alabama debacle, but this team showed great character and that they came to play. Regardless of Gardner's inconsistencies/indecisiveness and our suspect secondary play, we kept South Carolina honest, kept Clowney in check for most of the game, and our offense held its own against a good defense, first time we've done that all year. Someone's gotta lose, and we did, but it wasn't a foregone conclusion. Holding my head high in St. Pete Beach tonight, still wearing my M wear. 

Not too much to add. I agree with many comments already made. Early on, this game could have been lost, but they fought and fought and fought. A couple of things I haven't seen here:
1. In person, Swearinger was the SEC personified. He was a clown all game and showed his character when his coach tried to pull him back and he shoved the coach.
2. I was pretty frustrated that Denard wasn't in on the first play, or that series. We needed the QB oh-noes play so badly in this game and it would have worked so well. SC did everything possible to contain Denard.
3. I am so proud of team 133. After the game we waited for the players to come out, and they were gracious and magnanimous despite having lost the game. What a great example of character for my 8 year old son about how to carry yourself.
4. I thought Gardner was pretty good, but he seemed jittery early. He settled in later.

Two comments to reiterate. The "inspirational loss" comment above rings very true. And OMFG were the jerseys awful!!!!! It was impossible to read the numbers on the field, and we had pretty good seats.

With all the trick plays and everything I kept thinking about the Bourbon Bowl in The Waterboy...

"Last game of the year, can't hold anything back now"

Overall, as disappointed as I am with the big plays we gave up, I feel like we played better than we did in the Sugar Bowl last year. Sucks to lose on a busted coverage though.

           The kid cannot (yet) block for spit.  SC's D-line would have destroyed him, and this knowledge was common knowledge.  Hence putting him in game gives none of the deceptive benefits of a pass catching TE-- he's just a giant slow WR with good hands at this point in his career.  He will eventually be very good though, IMHO.

Gardner was just a bit too up in the first half; if Tacopants existed and was suited up, we are in an entirely different situation.  Another slow start against a very well-matched opponent, and we just couldn't dig out of the hole we dug.  I come down on the side of Lewan clearly besting Clowney over sixty minutes, but Clowney did what impact players need to do, and that won them the game. 

I agree Floyd is no lock-down corner, but I think he would have performed better than Raymon today, and would have prevented SC from knowing where to throw on every single down.

Any way that Lewan assauges the pain by deciding to stay for a shot at a B10 championship?

After going 2-2 today, our kickers finished the year 18-21.  Wow.  And we get them both back next season.

hit was the football gods saying "no Michigan, you did not earn that first down and now you must pay"

Clowney hit was amazing, textbook for a man of his size to get so low on Vincent Smith, all the newschool football mumbo jumbo aside (helmet to helmet).

It seems to me that this year, anytime an offense got close to a first down on 3rd down or earlier, then the refs would just grant the first down rather than taking time to measure. Almost like a second baseman not having to touch the bag on a double play.

((Never on 4th down w a change of possession hanging in the balance, however.)

Has anyone else noticed this (or heard anything about it)?

Perhaps the "close enough" first down was a misapplication of a new unwritten rule?

I do believe the coaches kept it close.  The size and talent discrepancy was very noticable to me.  

It's never good to lose, but if this is what Michigan looks like while Hoke is still building our roster, sign me up for the good times.  That was a very good SC team and we went toe to toe with them.  We were playing freshmen extensively on the defense, have no running game outside of Denard, Devin has played receiver most of the year, and our O-line is lousy (although they were decent today, I have to say).  What will our '14 team look like?  I think we may well be playing a few days after New Years Day a couple of years ago, as Hoke builds our team further upwards.  Very proud of the Wolverines today -- smash mouth football played against what is probably a better roster.

I think we played well and should have won this game.  It gives me a lot of hope for the future.  We just have to learn how to finish games like this. 

Did anyone else notice how many B1G receivers dropped the ball today?  That to me was the big difference in the games today.  SEC receivers do not drop the ball, period!   

PS  I liked the uniforms.  They were a little different, but clean looking.  I think I'm one of the few that liked the matte helmets.

I predicted a Michigan loss because we had so many problem issues including:

Featured RB gone and subpar back ups
Starting QB recovering from injury back-up QB with limited snaps
Starting QB moved to other position with minimal practice
No deep WR threat
underperforming O-line
Suspect playcalling from the OC
Questionable time management from the HC
weak defensive backfield with 2 season starters missing
special teams player promoted to defensive backfield
lack of pass rush without blitzes
suboptimal punt formation/coverage

I think just about every issue reared it's head in one form or another.  Devin hurried/sacked & missed some throws.  Interception. The running game was mostly Denard, but with limits.  We couldn't get to their QB "enough".  We let them return a punt for a TD.  Our secondary gave up many big plays.

But I'm not that upset about this loss.  Strangely, I think Al did a better than average job with plays, though I think Denard was  a bit underutilized.  Devin needs work but is getting there.  The secondary got torched, but it wasn't a surprise (Never Forget® the sequel? )and I think Mattison was right to be as aggresive as he could.  I'm dissapointed in the loss, but we played hard.  Lewan looked good :-(  Kicking game was great, Gallon rocked, etc.
No crying in my pillow tonight.

SC made the plays that were given to them, and we didn't. We had open receivers for long passes and missed them. We had a sack on the last drive and didn't tackle. We had good coverages called and didn't make plays.

They hit long passes in tight seams. They made a fumble out of a hand off. They just made a few more plays than we did.

In my opinion, we had a chance to win the game and didn't execute. Sure the coaching could have been better. But we missed chances that were there and they took the opportunities we gave them.

I look forward to having a better offensive line, an improved DG, and an even better defense next year. I think we will make a few more plays.

In the last 25 years, B1G Teams are 72-88 in bowl games 40 -52 in games on NYD or after.  Michigan has a winning record of 12-11.  They have 2 national championships with PSU getting hosed in 1994.   Their worst bowl season had to be in 08 with a  1-6 record.  So get used to it young ones, nothing will change considering we will always play out our area.   The B1G just use they bowl games as extra practice time anyway.  In the last 5 years, the B1G has a record of 14-25, 8 -18 for games that happened NYD or later.

 Michigan Football-  


 What you gonna do when hokemania RUNS wild over you?

I'll add to the pile of snowflakes.

Positive:

• Borges play-calling. We had some long drives there. Very creative plays (statue of liberty, Denard running, direct snap, receiving, and passing.
• Mattison play-calling. He disguised blitzes, played a zone that kept receivers covered, did a good job.
• Hoke's guttsiness. I commented during the game that Carr never would have gone for it the same way, or done the same trickeration.
• Offensive Line. Given Clowney et al, they did a great job.
• LB play. I thought our linebackers did fine.
• Denard's play. 100 yards, very solid.
• Gallon's receiving. Boy did he ever get open. And he's back next year.

Negative:

• Defensive Line tackling. They just didn't get to the QB enough.
• Devin's passing. I started counting the number of passes that were either uncatchable or close to that. I'm waiting for the UFR on this, but I recall at least 4 - 5 passes to Gallon that were off the mark, and needlessly so.
• Secondary gouged with big plays. IIRC, there were four huge pass completions against our secondary.
• Punt coverage. Admittedly, Ace is a great returner.

It just kills me that there were 3 passes where our secondary was torched, along with the punt return TD. Our defense generally did a great job. If our secondary and special teams stop half those plays, we win.