October 3rd, 2015 at 3:30 PM ^
Harbaugh made adjustments. That's what good coaches do.
The offense needs a LOT of work, but a win is a win. And this defense could prove to be elite. Two straight shutouts is almost impossible to pull off. Don't care who you are or how much talent you have on the sidelines. That's hard to do.
Got a big, big challenge next week in Northwestern. Happy that it's at home.
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October 3rd, 2015 at 3:33 PM ^
I liked the adjustments. No more screens after the first two didn't work. I bet the "blocker" on those plays will have extra practice this week.
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October 3rd, 2015 at 4:10 PM ^
He is a true frosh and will get better.
October 3rd, 2015 at 8:12 PM ^
Also Canteen I believe
October 3rd, 2015 at 6:56 PM ^
Didn't Johnson score on a screen and Butt have a huge gain on a perfectly called screen?
October 3rd, 2015 at 8:13 PM ^
Bubble screens / long handoff is what I took him/her to mean
October 3rd, 2015 at 3:43 PM ^
The UNLV and Oregon State games might as well been shutouts too. Oregon State had that opening drive then nothing, UNLV didn't even cross midfield until late in the 3rd and got two NFL throws out of their QB as he was getting crushed for their only score.
14 quarters shut out football of the last 16 played.
October 3rd, 2015 at 3:32 PM ^
Felt like this for a while
Ended up feeling like this.
October 4th, 2015 at 5:07 AM ^
I can't stop looking, thank you so much!
October 3rd, 2015 at 3:35 PM ^
Came out trying to play neanderthal football (because of weather?). We're still not good enough on the trenches to move the ball against a defense that knows what's coming.
Give credit to the coaches to make adjustments, figure out how the defense is playing to stop you and punish them for it.
Defense was great as usual.
October 3rd, 2015 at 3:35 PM ^
I was wondering this after the last game and while this was Maryland, the whole unit looks like it'll be pretty good this year. You've got to imagine he'll get some inquiries to take a HC position.
October 3rd, 2015 at 10:43 PM ^
folks will sleep on Durkin the way they did on Narduzzi and we can keep him for quite a few years. However, it is hard to imagine folks not looking at him right away, if UM runs off a much better than anticipated record this season.
October 3rd, 2015 at 3:36 PM ^
Brady who?
October 3rd, 2015 at 3:39 PM ^
Tom Brady is the only Brady I am familiar with
October 3rd, 2015 at 3:40 PM ^
The next two games will reveal just how good.
October 3rd, 2015 at 3:41 PM ^
Great adjustments at the second half! Love this coaching staff, and I feel good going into next week.
October 3rd, 2015 at 3:46 PM ^
These are games the previous coaching staffs either barely eked out or found a way to lose.
2014: Maryland, Rutgers, Northwestern
2013: Akron, Uconn
Rich Rod had many but Toledo comes to mind at first.
October 3rd, 2015 at 9:38 PM ^
2013 Nebraska too. And 2012 Ohio State and Nebraska due to not having Gardner ready as backup QB. And 2011 MSU and Iowa were on the coaches as well. But man, we gotta let it go.
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October 3rd, 2015 at 3:53 PM ^
Thank god Harbaugh is the coach, hoke would have lost OSU, Byu, and probably this one.
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October 3rd, 2015 at 5:46 PM ^
Let it go.
October 3rd, 2015 at 3:59 PM ^
Coaches absolutely deserve snowflakes... But I'm gonna partially hijack on behalf of the special teams. Pep was electric in the return game. Kicker made 2 of 3 FGs in windy conditions. Converted the 2 pt try. Punter was pinning them deep... And no Will Likely big plays!!!
October 3rd, 2015 at 4:04 PM ^
Blake O'Neill might be the most valuable grad transfer we got this year.
October 3rd, 2015 at 10:32 PM ^
Best-performing grad transfer, yes. Most valuable, no.
October 3rd, 2015 at 5:51 PM ^
Maybe I'm optimistic or saw a different game, but actually this was a huge step forward. Why?
1. They won a decisive road game.
2. They did so despite not playing great.
3. They did not let the other team hang around.
4. They got in front, stayed in front and squeezed the life out of the other team.
The good teams win they are playing badly. They also crush the weak teams. They play up when faced with great opposition but don't play down with a weak opponent.
So Harbaugh and his team are right on schedule.
October 3rd, 2015 at 8:58 PM ^
the offense has no history that says they just played badly today.
October 3rd, 2015 at 4:20 PM ^
There were some head scratching calls on offense in this game.
October 3rd, 2015 at 4:28 PM ^
Not BYU good. But good enough. The only real head scratching play to me was the onsides kick. Poorly set up and not good timing. But it didn't end up costing us.
October 3rd, 2015 at 6:00 PM ^
While it didn't get the ball back, it did keep the ball out of Likely's hands. Our D was simply not allowing anything, and it felt like the only way Maryland was going to score was on ST.
October 3rd, 2015 at 9:17 PM ^
Wasn't that a squib? Harbaugh said in the post game that they hadn't practiced it much or at all.
October 3rd, 2015 at 4:32 PM ^
Great adjustments. A true test next week. We have the best coach to get the best out of Rudock. I expect more open playbook next week and we will see a different offense. I am expecting us to be surprised next two weeks.
October 3rd, 2015 at 4:38 PM ^
Tough 1st half to watch but ended as it should. Best coaching staff I can remember given the short season thus far, short of Bo. Adjustsments get made with this staff, and plays get mad that make a difference. Ultimately results are defined by wins, regardless of how ugly. First half was very ugly and painful, but nice to see a coach get fired up, and one who is disturbed by bad play and pulls players who need to learn a lesson. We have tremendous talent at all assistant coaching positions which is a tribute to Harbaugh who put it together. Special teams success has been remarkable given our failures over past decade. Harbaugh's success will lead to attrition, and DJ and Drevno will have plenty of enticing offers and be first to go if our success continues. Hopefully our head coach spauns multiple future head coaches, and continues to recruit the best new talent to UM.
October 3rd, 2015 at 4:45 PM ^
very poorly conceived to me. Only a handful of plays were well designed and excuted all day. Way too many passes that were shorter than they needed to be, thrown to guys who were covered, falling down or both. Some of that is just Rudock being a non-very-good passer, but we have good athletes with experience as pass-catchers. Is it really that hard to design plays to get them open against a mediocre defense?
October 3rd, 2015 at 5:55 PM ^
I don't think you know what you are talking about. I saw no issues with play design. The execution could have been better on a number of plays, but I thought our coaching staff called a great game.
October 3rd, 2015 at 6:56 PM ^
catching the ball and doing it in stride than I did. Our YPA was really poor (5.6), against a defense that gave up 8 YPA the week before.
October 3rd, 2015 at 7:44 PM ^
You just made his point...it was the execution not the playcalling.
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October 3rd, 2015 at 9:00 PM ^
our plays were not well designed to get receivers open with room to run.
October 4th, 2015 at 5:03 AM ^
Doesn't throw the ball at a 6'3" receivers feet, or behind him when he's running
October 4th, 2015 at 8:21 AM ^
The original comment I responded to doesn't appear to be there anymore
October 3rd, 2015 at 5:59 PM ^
I might be alone on this but I think our run blocking has been blow average.
October 3rd, 2015 at 9:19 PM ^
With all their sacks isn't the Terps line pretty good?
October 3rd, 2015 at 10:34 PM ^
Yes. Pass rush is probably the strongest part of Maryland's team after their kickoff/punt return teams.
October 3rd, 2015 at 6:05 PM ^
On the 2- point conversion. So close to a pick play by the TEs. Rudock waited for it to open up.
Harbaugh knows when he needs to dial up a call. Set up the jet sweep in the first half and then cut Chesson loose in the second half.
October 3rd, 2015 at 8:55 PM ^
The 2 point conversion looked like what the Pats did in their opener for a TD.
The sweep was sweet - the handoff was really smooth, Chesson didn't seem to hesitate or pause. Great blocking as well.
October 3rd, 2015 at 8:30 PM ^
Durkin and Mattison were flawless again.
Special teams solid.
Offensive coaching & Harbaugh great just some execution issues
Grade: A
October 3rd, 2015 at 8:31 PM ^
I didn't like the Offensive game plan -- smoke screens against Will Likely? Terrible Idea, that is equivalent to running them against Peppers. But then later we faked it and went over the top. I liked that wrinkle, just wish we would have hit it.
I love John Baxter. Perhaps the single greatest improvement this year is special teams. Likely got nothing in the return game. Can you imagine what would have happened on that 59 yard punt to Likely under Hoke? Easy TD. I love having a Special Teams coach.
October 3rd, 2015 at 8:32 PM ^
we are underestimating how much better Harbaugh's staff is than maybe every other staff. The player development and strategy has been so impressive for some of the positions that I was highly skeptical of coming into the year.
October 3rd, 2015 at 8:35 PM ^
Jim said John had some good observations today. This might be a really stupid question but what are the rules about having another coach (especially from the NFL) active on your sideline? Giving input?
Note: I was in a wedding (idiots) so I had to miss a lot of the game.
October 3rd, 2015 at 9:07 PM ^
any sort of NCAA or B1G violation occured by having John Harbaugh on the sidelines today. No way he was coaching the Michigan team in any way, shape, or form. And nothing wrong with them having conversation between each other as the game progresses, whether it concerns the game itself or not.
If John Harbaugh spotted some tendancy or other and pointed it out to Jim, how is that any different than what I do during games at The Big House? I'm constantly yelling suggestions to the Michigan coaching staff and have been doing so for years. And, IMO, I'm nearly always right.
October 3rd, 2015 at 9:32 PM ^
I was wondering the same thing, it was an odd sight seeing John "sneaking" an observation to Jim here and there. I'm sure the NCAA would prefer that not happen, but then again there's not a rule because WHAT OTHER COACH WOULD HAVE AN ACTIVE NFL COACH ON HIS SIDELINE, IN SEASON. I mean that is seriously awesome.
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October 4th, 2015 at 6:30 AM ^
Than Will Ferell or Snoop Lion providing suggestions to Sark at USC, in a sense or a random recruit/ their HS coach.