Spread in the Big Ten

Submitted by michman79 on

I've seen and heard alot about the spread not working in the Big Ten. People say the weather, the big defenses etc.

However, if you look at the Big Ten vs. spread teams from the south and out west, it is clear that it is designed to take advantage of big slow teams (See Mich v. App State, OSU v. Florida, Michigan v. Oregon, etc).

I do not buy that the spread will not work in the Big Ten. I do however think that a defense filled with freshmen, 3* recruits, and wlakons will not work in the Big Ten.

Heisman212

November 7th, 2009 at 6:14 PM ^

We scored 36 Pts in a loss. I think you should win 90% of your games with that output. It is hard to belive we have the highest scoring average on the Big Ten. I just don't understand the defense at all. Is RR involved on the schemes of the defense? The speard is working based on our offensive stats. What I don't know is if the defense that comes with a spread team will work in the Big Ten.

Tweeter

November 7th, 2009 at 6:13 PM ^

that the spread works fine in the Big Ten. Michigan has moved the ball on pretty much everyone this year. The failures on offense should be attributed to a ton of turnovers, most of which are on the freshman qbs, and injuries to the offensive line.

The big problem with this team is cleary the defense right now. This team needed a defense that could keep them in games while the offense learns and grows. Instead, the defense has faield repeatedly to stop anyone.

bronxblue

November 7th, 2009 at 6:17 PM ^

Offenses work when you execute, but so do defenses. Right now, an average defense and this team is 7-3 right now. Next year I expect the D to be better (even just a bit) and the offense to continue to grow and improve.

imdwalrus

November 7th, 2009 at 6:29 PM ^

If the D is only just a bit better then you shouldn't hope to win more than 2 Big Ten games.

No.

We've already won one Big Ten game. Iowa and Purdue were both two point losses. MSU was an overtime loss. With a better defense, I think we could have won all three of those games, because the offense clearly was executing well enough to give those teams a run for their money. We'd only have to win one of those to get your two Big Ten wins. That's definitely feasible with a stronger defense.

imdwalrus

November 7th, 2009 at 11:36 PM ^

I could ask you the same question - I took that wording directly from your post.

More players who were deemed good enough to be scholarship players would be a start, yes. So would more experience - no disrespect to Kovacs or any of the other players, but the fact that we're starting freshmen, sophomores, and walk-ons by necessity shows just how little depth we have.

Though, at this point, I'd accept a defense that can make tackles with some consistency.

nazooq

November 7th, 2009 at 6:27 PM ^

No rational person claims the spread won't work in the Big 10. This young, incredibly mistake-prone offense is still scoring points in bunches. Once they're more mature, they'll move the ball and put up points against better defenses like MSU and PSU.

Njia

November 7th, 2009 at 7:51 PM ^

Big Ten Spread. Or is it butter?

My boss is a dyed-in-the-wool Buckeyes fanatic. We had an interesting conversation this week after the Illinois loss. He told me that IHE B10 defenses (I don't know to whom he was referring, but I imagine OSU, PSU and UW) are "fast enough" to cope with the spread. He also doesn't think that the spread will return UM to the top of the conference.

He may be right about the second part, but not because defenses can handle the scheme. The history of B10 games vs. spread teams is pretty clear: spread (or some version of it) usually wins.

I think the issue is one of physics and physiology. Going up against opposing players who significantly outweigh yours is going to take its toll over the course of a season. Think of it as the difference between a SUV and a sports car in a collision. Over and over again. The SUV is going to get some dents, but the sports car is getting towed.

In my mind, that's what Rich Rod has to prove about the spread in the B10: can the players take the punishment over the course of a season? Barwis's program is good stuff, but it doesn't make up for getting "hit head on" by an opposing player coming at you with a full head of steam, and who outweighs you by 50 lbs or more.

NOLA Wolverine

November 7th, 2009 at 8:05 PM ^

News flash, the Big Ten doesn't hit anyone. That was 10 years ago. "Physics" is not a limiting factor of the spread, i've yet to see a team get smacked so much week in and week out that they fail because of their size. The spread works at Florida and they get smacked harder in any one conference game than Michigan players will all year. And defenses are just fine with the scheme, it's not complex at all, the problem when we play out of conference spread teams is they have a lot better players and beat the crap out of us.

bronxblue

November 7th, 2009 at 8:30 PM ^

I know UM doesn't seem to hit anyone on defense, but I'm fairly certain that the defenses in the Big 10 still have to tackle. Teams win or lose because they execute well and they limit mistakes. That has very little to do with "toughness" and far more to do with cohesion and talent. Some teams in the Big 10 might have less talent than others, but that is true across every conference. Florida has a fast that can hit; but so does OSU, Iowa, and PSU. USC was rocked hard by OSU this year, and PSU is dominating some good offenses this year. Stuff happens in college football.

Njia

November 7th, 2009 at 8:42 PM ^

One of the Purdue offensive lineman answered a reporter, who had asked whether they were confident they could control the line of scrimmage, that Michigan was under-sized. They simply pushed our D-line off the ball. Over the course of game, fatigue from battling a guy who outweighs him by 50-70 lbs will wear down a defensive lineman, of course.

But, over the course of the season, its the damage to joints and ligaments that stack up. I'm not even referring to traumatic injustires such as ACL tears, etc. I'm talking about minute injuries from repeatedly being stressed. A smaller player has less body mass through which to distribute the forces associated with game contact. That puts a good deal more stress and strain on the joints, ligaments, muscle and bone, and weakens them.

That's different than saying the player "fails". It simply means that the player's body becomes less capable of performing up to its potential.

A Case of Blue

November 8th, 2009 at 1:39 AM ^

... is not always that different down here. The southernmost team in the SEC is UF, and they are up in Gainesville, which has a markedly different climate from SoFL, despite being only five hours away. People seem to think it doesn't rain in the Southeast, which is not at all true, especially at this time of year, which is more or less rainy season.

It's true that temperatures are higher and that it usually doesn't snow, but bear in mind also that the SEC is the only conference that is exclusively Southern.

Even though Miami (and USF, etc.) play in a subtropical climate at home, they have to travel quite far north, and whatever scheme they have is designed to work in a variety of climates. The Big East plays outdoors from Tampa to Piscataway (I'm not counting Syracuse because they play in a dome); the ACC, from Miami to Boston.

I'm incoherent, but the fact of the matter is that teams who run the spread do so successfully in a variety of climates.

chunkums

November 8th, 2009 at 1:59 AM ^

This whole: "spread in the big ten har har" talk is so ridiculous I can't stomach it. The spread is a series of formations featuring slightly more wide receivers and a shotgun snap. What the hell about a formation makes it suddenly cease to work due to the fact that we are in the midwest? Is that third wide out baffled by the sight of snow, or do they need the big burly tight ends on the line to keep everyone warm? Do small halfbacks develop a layer of frost on their joints limiting their movements? I am so confused as to why someone would say the spread doesn't work in the big ten.

Big ten teams running a spread:

-Michigan
-Northwestern
-Purdue
-Penn State
-Sparty about half the time
-OSU sometimes
-I've even seen Iowa use some shotgun sets with 4-5 wideouts this season.
-Indiana (Lots of pistol)
-Illinois