So what's the deal with Fitz?

2 things:

1) Denard Runs = 1 extra blocker (the running back) v. Fitz Runs = no extra blocker

2) BOUNCEBOUNCEBOUNCEBOUNCEBOUNCE

Based off the result, it really seems like Purdue's goal was to stop the RB on any zone read. Obviously it didn't work out well, but how else can you explain Denard getting pretty clear lanes through it all day while there wasn't much for Fitz? Even if he didn't bounce around so much, it would've been maybe 2-4 yards rather than the 1-2 he was getting.

He's bouncing too many runs east and west, often giving up a couple yard gain in the process of losing a yard near the sideline.  Sometimes you gotta take the two yards.

On 40% of his carries it seems, and that causes him to become impatient and bounce it outside. Regardless, the O line has not opened many holes for him and it seems like a lot of his run plays are slow developing that get blown up before they start.

I think the biggest reason is that Fitz isn't seeing/feeling the holes/cuts like he was toward the end of last year.  It took him a bunch of games last year to get in a groove, and I think he's still working on it this year.  On the year, he hasn't had that many carries.  As a secondary issue, I think he looks just a little bit slower than last year. 

I like Rawls, but I don't think his style fits as well in the read-option as Fitz.  I think you need speed to go along with power to succeed in the read-option.  Maybe bring in Rawls here and there as a change of pace.

The OL is weaker, but he is trying to avoid tackles instead of lowering his shoulder and hitting the hole.

This is a common mistake in youth football it's hard to teach players to run into the tackle and bounce off/get more yards.

He sees a linebacker then stops before the hole, behind the line of scrimmage and starts trying to make moves to avoid the tackle. Only a few players elite can really do this - Barry Sanders and Denard for example.

I don't know.

Excuse the staggering football ignorance, but here goes:

I don't understand the concept of 1 extra blocker on read options. It makes sense on designed QB runs (10 blockers+1 ballcarrier vs 11 defenders), but not so much on options. When you option off the DE, it takes on person to do it (the QB/RB who doesn't have the ball). I haven't really noticed Fitz blocking for Denard after Denard keeps, or vice versa. So isn't it really [9 blockers+1 ball carrier] vs [10 defenders] with either Fitz or Denard+the DE taken out of the play?

If that's the case, then the only real runs in which there's a structural advantage to Denard running as far as I see it is designed QB runs. But Denard, when he keeps, is way more productive on the option than Fitz is. Hence I'm tempted to minimize Decided Schematic Advantages as an explanation for why Fitz isn't getting it going.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

It's obvious that it is John Navarre's fault.

i would be fine letting rawls,hayes and norfleet get a shot just to see how it plays out. but im not the coach so whatever.

Play calls that require an edge to be sealed, just are not working.  Fitz is running 15 yards east / west and gaining nothing.  Is this a line play issue ?

Then he has started to develop the "Mike Cox jutter step" rather than being an agressive runner.  How many times have we seen Denard place a hand on his blocker then dart to the opening.  If Fitz sees his own blocker in front of him, he jutters - which stops his north / south inertia and once you stop, the defensive players have the advantage.

It was great to see TR look so strong late in the game.  Hopefully he'll get to see some "real game" action against Illinois.

Go Blue! 

I'm going to say it's scheme.

We had three "bread and butter plays" during the Rich Rod era: zone read, QB zone, and HB sweep.

This year, our "bread and butter plays" are: inverted veer, QB power, and "Down G" to the left. 

The reason why Fitz isn't able to break any big runs is because he is automatically at a disadvantage on 2 of those 3 plays given how defenses try to stop Denard, but during the Rich Rod era, those same plays would be favorable to the HB as well.

For the zone read, the weakside end is in *pursuit* of the running back and his gap is the option by the QB (because of zone blocking), but in the inverted veer, the play-side end is free and he crashes down into the lane of the HB. The playside tackle is kicked out and the weaksides are man-blocked to leave a huge gaping hole down the center of the field for Denard to take. As is evident, there IS an option concept in both plays, but the HB is vastly more favored in the zone read than in the inverted veer. 

As for the sweep vs. Down G, our line was.. *okay* at sweeping when Rich Rod was here, but it's ludicrous to try it with these guys now. I believe we did try to sweep against Bama maybe thinking their 330 pound defensive tackles would be slow (wrong!). The sweep is a perimeter play, and so the weakside linebackers/safeties are ineffectual, and so the HB does have a numbers advantage IF the O-line can block effectively. However, Down G is a down-the-middle play and since defenses tend to put 7/8 in the box, no amount of man-blocking can win that battle. 5 v 7 will ALWAYS be a lose for the offense.

The way to set up Fitz to his true ability, in my opinion, is by setting up the run by bubble screens or "lazer" screens. When we run 1-1 shotgun there's no reason to have 7 guys in the box and then run Down G! Throw some lazers and get at least one of those 7 outside. 

He's trying to run sideline to sideline and I'm not sure Hes big enough to be a bruising north and south back.Thomas Rawls looked good enough to actually maybe starting splitting carries with Fitz.

Fitz was doing some dancing on a couple plays, but a lot of the running plays kind of went sideways by design. I seen a lot of handoffs/tosses/sweeps to the outside, but hardly any power runs or traps attacking the middle. I know Purdue has a good dline and all but still. Michigan will be Michigan again when we can run the ball up the a and b gap routinely regardless of who a team like Purdue has on their dline.

If you look back at last year, he dominated on field turf surfaces. I know it seems far fetched but that may be the problem.

It seemed yesterday that after they got beat by Toussaint last year, they tried the "make Denard carry it and hope he takes enough hits that we knock him out of the game" strategy that Notre Dame tried in 2010 (it didn't work that time either).

But I'd have still hoped to see Fitz look better than he did yesterday.  Something's gotta be up.

I am almost certain it's (mostly) B. Purdue especially was keying on him, which is why Denard kept getting 8 to 45 yards on ZR keepers all day, and Fitz was immediately bottled up every time he got the ball. He did miss 1 or 2 cuts that could have been big gainers, and at least once I saw him jump outside when he could have slammed it up for 4 or 5. That's probably coming from not getting enough carries to get in rhythm and hone that 6th sense of where tackles are coming from you get from lots of attempts.

If teams are going to focus on shutting down Toussaint until Denard is breaking rushing records and gets lots of clean passing lanes, that's more than fine for me, since it means Toussaint won't be in a position to rush off to the NFL after this year, while Denard gets invited to New York.

Also credit to OP for "what's the deal..." when Seinfeld is in town. Subtly played young man.

We seem to be running the ball fine out of traditional sets.  With the read option there isn't room for anyone, cept Denard

He seems to be dancing more than before, looking for the home run when it might not be there.  He did the same thing last year, but was able to get more positive gains out of it.  I also think the playcalling has been suspect - UM has so many formations that scream run that the defense throws 8-9 guys in the box and it is hard for him to get running room.  I mean, Purdue didn't even attempt to double UM's receivers when Denard went to pass, so Fitz wasn't get lots of running room.

It's easier for a running QB in that situation because that RB is going t block for him and college players are just not as used to catching running QBs as RBs.  It's a different angle where they come from, differnet responsibilities when there is a chance the guy will throw the ball, etc.  Borges needs to shake it up and also get Denard to hand off enough times in different formations that defenses are not able to guess on him pulling on every run.

I was at the Clemson game yesterday -- man was Death Valley rocking -- and it occurred to me that Sammy Watkins is making no impact this year, and just like Fitz he started out with a suspension and the whole dark cloud.  It makes you wonder if the season was just tainted for Fitz by the DUI and the suspension.  It seems that way for Sammy and I would not be surprised for it to be true of Fitz.

Well, I doubt Fitz suddenly forgot how to run. So I'd have to guess the problem is scheme, blocking, or both.

Fitz is down a little over 2 ypc from last year.  At the same time, Denard is up a little over 2 ypc from last year.  The overall production is identical to last year, it is just coming from a different spot. 

That doesn't mean the line is worse or that Fitz suddenly sucks or that Denard got way better in the offseason.  AF was able to shut down Fitz, but doing so cost them 11 yards every time Denard kept the ball.  Purdue did the same and Denard burned them for 10 ypc.  ND held Denard to 3.5 ypc (more if you take out sacks) and Fitz's numbers were a comparable 4.5 ypc. 

Some teams are choosing to concentrate on stopping Fitz.  When they do so, Denard is killing them on the ground.  End of story.

...and I would say that you can't put all the blame on the O-line or the schemes, although both of those are part of it, but in watching several of his run plays again, I noticed a few times that Fitz just missed the read.  There were a few seams where there was a small lane that he could have ran through up the middle, for a modest gain, but Fitz instead chose to dance around in the hole and eventually ran it to the outside where the Defense could catch him.  Bottom line- Fitz needs to be more decisive, and run it up the middle where the lane is- even if the lane isn't a huge lane like he's expecting, because when he dances around it gives the D a chance to string him outside and push him out of bounds for no gain, or even a loss.