PFF Grades UM-MN Game

Submitted by alum96 on

This is sort of like a Cliff Notes UFR.  PFF remains in love with the DL.  Wormley had 5 hurries in their system.  Taco graded really high - I didn't really notice him in real time so we'll be curious what UFR says with him.

Also threw in the pertinent MN comments - I thought their OL created some nice lanes for the rush game and gave Leidner time.  PFF was much less positive apparently!

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/11/01/grades-for-michigan-mi…

Michigan Wolverines

— Once again the Michigan defensive line was utterly dominant, both as pass rushers against the run. Chris Wormley (+6.0) had five quarterback hurries, while defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow (+4.2) was fantastic against the run. The strength of the line, coupled with how much the Minnesota offensive line had struggled, makes the decision to try to win the game with a quarterback sneak much more questionable. They may have only needed half a yard, but that was half a yard against the best defensive line in all of college football.

— Safety Jabrill Peppers (+2.4) had a big game on defense, on offense and on special teams, making plays in all three facets of the game. He had two big returns on special teams and ran the ball in for a score on offense. Yet, as impressive as the big plays were, it was his work on defense where he really stood out. Targeted five times in coverage, he surrendered just one reception while finishing the game with two pass breakups.

— De’Veon Smith (+1.3) has been the Wolverines star runner this year, but it was Drake Johnson who stood out last night. He averaged 6.3 yards per carry, forced a missed tackle, and had runs of 13, 14 and 13 yards between the tackles. Smith on the other hand was held to 1.7 yards per carry.

Top performers

Chris Wormley (+6.0)
Maurice Hurst (+4.7)
Ryan Glasgow (+4.2)
Taco Charlton (+4.0)
Willie Henry (+3.2)

 

Minnesota Golden Gophers

— They faced their toughest challenge of the season so far, but there wasn’t a single player on the Minnesota offensive line who finished the game with a positive grade. Left tackle Ben Lauer (-6.2) struggled the most, with the lowest run blocking grade on the line and allowing a hit and three hurries in pass protection.

— One of the most interesting matchups of the game was the battle between Minnesota’s top receiver KJ Maye (+1.0) and Michigan’s star cornerback Jourdan Lewis (-0.9). A total of seven passes where thrown to Maye when Lewis was covering him, with Maye just about coming out on top with four receptions for 40 yards, including two receptions on the final drive of the game.

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A2MIKE

November 2nd, 2015 at 12:28 PM ^

LB Play was atrocious.  Quite possibly the worst game of the year for Ross and Morgan.  Bolden wasn't much better.  Dymonte Thomas had a poor game as well.  Felt very much like last year, where 1-2 guys biff a play and it blows up for the whole team.

Joined: 10/10/2009

MGoPoints: 1811

Mr Miggle

November 2nd, 2015 at 7:06 PM ^

Imo, Ross is a very good player who's been underutilized. Finding a way to get him on the field more makes sense. The fact that RJS played nearly every snap the first game after Mario went down probably says more about Marshall's progress. He has been competing entirely with seniors. I guess we'll get to see next year when the competition should be wide open. 

Joined: 10/07/2010

MGoPoints: 47566

Space Coyote

November 2nd, 2015 at 1:12 PM ^

I also didn't think Smith looked 100%, in fact, he looked worse than he did against MSU. That said, a major reason for Johnson's success was Minnesota's scheme. They keep wide DEs (as noted in the Fee Fi Foe article) and then just insert defenders - 3 LBs and at times a safety - into the interior gaps. If you can't threaten the edge, it's very tough sledding between the tackles.

Michigan tried to counter this with some quick hitting plays, trying to beat the LBs to gaps, but without much success up front. The answer was all the Johnson runs on the edge, along with the Peppers runs and Chesson runs. Probably 75% of the 2nd half runs were a direct reaction to what Minnesota's defense was doing in the first half, and the reason Johnson had much more success: he can threaten the edge.

Joined: 06/18/2009

MGoPoints: 38962

Bodogblog

November 2nd, 2015 at 12:25 PM ^

Taco had a big QB hurry in the latter stages of the game.  Was it the final drive?  Maybe the play before the 4th & 5 conversion for Minny?  A roll-out that he charged and forced a quick throw by Leidner.  

Would have like to see their take on the LB's. 

 

Joined: 06/08/2010

MGoPoints: 26674

Marley Nowell

November 2nd, 2015 at 12:31 PM ^

I feel like the defense played well and then on 3rd or 4th down some flukely shit happened and they got a first down. That 4th completion on Lewis was utterly ridiculous.

Joined: 07/31/2008

MGoPoints: 10412

LSAClassOf2000

November 2nd, 2015 at 12:57 PM ^

Even more interesting to me, when I go back and peruse the numbers, is that we were still 5/14 (35% or so) on third down conversions allowed, which I believe is technically the worst performance this year but still not terrible in the grand scheme by any means. It is what was allowed to happen on a few of those that stands out, hence the discussion (rightly so) of LB play in particular in this game. 

Joined: 01/07/2011

MGoPoints: 130603

EGD

November 2nd, 2015 at 3:35 PM ^

On the 4th down play, I'm not sure it's possible to cover Maye any better than Lewis did.  The throw was inch-perfect and Maye made a phenomenal catch (if he, in fact, caught it).  The previous reception on Lewis was also covered well, with another NFL-throw and Lewis getting a rake on the ball, but the receiver held on.

If that's the kind of stuff our D is going to give up, then so be it.  We need to start hanging onto the INTs though.  

Joined: 09/16/2009

MGoPoints: 35199

Reader71

November 2nd, 2015 at 12:49 PM ^

The difference between these grades and UFR: These guys give points based on how each player does his job on each play, regardless of outcome. Brian has mentioned that he tries to fit his grades into a sort of scale, where a 10 yard gain is worth say +3, and he divvies those up accordingly. Most guys on most plays do not get a plus or minus. In PFF's system, we can give up an 80 yard TD and end up with 10 out of the 11 getting a positive score. This system of grading is much closer to what coaches do, FWIW. You want to give a guy feedback for every snap.

Joined: 08/30/2009

MGoPoints: 22968

Reader71

November 2nd, 2015 at 3:28 PM ^

In my experience, coaches are rarely ever positive at all, much less PC or psychologically gentle. I've seen guys get a pancake and a brow-beating at the same time. He might have put the defender on his back, but he still didn't use his hands properly, that type of thing. Feedback usually means criticism. Never satisfied and all that.

Joined: 08/30/2009

MGoPoints: 22968

1974

November 2nd, 2015 at 1:06 PM ^

"... but that was half a yard against the best defensive line in all of college football." Never thought I'd live to hear that said about a UMich defensive line. With a few exceptions (1997 with Hall, Steele, and Williams a notable one) that area was filled with "pluggers" and overachievers until the late Lloyd years. If a dominant D-line winds up being Brady's greatest legacy, I won't be surprised.

Joined: 04/17/2011

MGoPoints: 7799