Sugar Bowl Open Thread - Postgame

Submitted by Mr. Yost on

Everything this defense and Gibbons have gone through...a big stop and a big FG...amazing.

NFZ

January 4th, 2012 at 12:13 AM ^

Wooooooooooo!!! We're all gonn get laid. i just teared up during Junior's little speach. I apologize for all my angry post during the live blog. I love all of you. Gibbons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EDIt: BRING BACK THE POS-BANG!

MGrether

January 4th, 2012 at 12:10 AM ^

Our Offense (somehow) did just enough to put points on the board. Our defense was put in horrendous situations (though failing to get off the field on long 3rd & 4th downs was aggrivating), and still held VT to field goals instead of TDs. 

That is the story of this game. That is also how the really good teams of the past decade have been built... Great Defense & Special Teams.

I, for one, am now not looking forward so much to playing Alabama, the way that our Offense got manhandled.

dragonchild

January 4th, 2012 at 12:19 AM ^

7 FGs in this game.  Add two PATs and 6 punts for good measure.

I commend Michigan and VT's soccer teams.  Most exciting PK shootout since Japan-USA Women's World Cup.*

 

*Not denigrating the Women's World Cup.  That was an effin' awesome game.

Dolphonkey

January 4th, 2012 at 12:12 AM ^

But I can't help but feel this one may have been for Bo.  It wasn't pretty, but for the first time since 2006 things just feel...good. This game and this season were for team 132 and for those who stayed, but I think it was for Bo too.

dragonchild

January 4th, 2012 at 12:28 AM ^

VT called for a very stupid fake punt, threw an untimely pick, extended Michigan's drives with penalties, allowed the only real big play of the game and overall played right into a bend-don't-break red zone defense.

On Michigan's side, the only people who really underperformed were Denard and Borges.  Molk played hurt, the secondary was overmatched. . . and while the defense was overwhelmed, they held.  And held.  And held.  VT gained over 350 yards and got in the end zone. . . once.

You can outplay your opponent for the entire game and still lose because of a few critical mistakes.  VT, for the most part, owns those mistakes.  And they faced a defense that wouldn't quit if they had bone shards sticking out of their jerseys.

P.S. Uprated your comment because I see your point, even if I don't agree with it.

SalvatoreQuattro

January 4th, 2012 at 12:31 AM ^

If Vatech did not make mistakes at the most inopportune time we would be sitting here venting over a loss. But they did. 

 

As a great coach once said, if you are in a situation for a bad call to cost you a game you only have yourself to blame. Michigan has to apologize to no one.

 

Besides, this was not Charles White phantom TD. The ball clearly scraped the ground and his elbow simultaneously hit the white of out of bounds. Would I have overturned it? No, but there was reasonable doubt.

dragonchild

January 4th, 2012 at 12:38 AM ^

As I posted in the game thread, I think Mattison realized his secondary can't stay with VT's receivers.  So he had them play conservatively, even giving up an exasperating number of third-and-longs if it meant taking away the 40-yard post route TD.  I mean, they'll still cover the routes, but the principle is better soft & safe than aggressive & burned.  Stay disciplined, stay patient, let them into the red zone where the short field neutralizes their speed advantage, then tighted up.  There, the secondary can play a more aggressive zone.  The red zone is where a safety can cover half the end zone and still dash out in time to prevent a run from getting in.  Kind of hard to do that at midfield when the CBs are having trouble covering 40-yard post routes.

It's why Mattison is worth every dollar.  It takes guts to give the other team FG after FG, and some awesome coaching to get the secondary to execute that strategy.

As for the offense, it really only had one good drive, and that was extended by a penalty.  VT's D othewise shut down Borges, but VT's O kept giving them more chances.

I would say VT's O and D both played hard -- if rather mistake-prone.  Borges was a downright liability this game, whereas the Michigan D played their hearts out against an offense that should've owned them.

Kind of fitting, really.  The redemption of Michigan's defense is complete.

triangle_M

January 4th, 2012 at 12:40 AM ^

Gibbons was money.   The D-line was money.  Junior was money.  Special Teams was money.  We won 2 out of 3 phases of the game, most times, that's all it takes to win on the scoreboard.

Sopwith

January 4th, 2012 at 12:41 AM ^

Yeah, so it was an ugly chick and we don't really want to go back and watch the video tape (except the money shot at the end), nevertheless, we just got laid.

And that's a good thing.  

Geaux Blue!!!  

smotheringD

January 4th, 2012 at 12:46 AM ^

Love the win.

Feel really dirty.

Kinda disappointed at how badly Borges got outcoached by Foster.  It was like their team speed, especially their defense, caught us totally off guard.  And then we had no answer, no adjustment.

And VT's third down offense was great.  We had a heck of a time getting off the field.

But we scraped and we clawed and their fake punt was really really dumb.

reshp1

January 4th, 2012 at 12:51 AM ^

Looking back, I don't think it was that bad. Our D was the definition of bend but don't break all night. Our O stunk but was able to capitalize on opportunities when it counted. The no-catch was meh... I mean it was called a TD and there wasn't that much to overturn it. On the other hand the ball moved and touch the ground, both seem to be criteria for no-catches. And although the elbow hit the ground inbounds, by the time he really secured the ball, he had slid out.

reshp1

January 4th, 2012 at 12:59 AM ^

I've also not seen so much hesitation from Denard and Fitz running. I know there were people in there lanes that they probably weren't used to seeing, but still... I thought we could have made 3-4 yards a lot of time just making contact and falling forward but instead they would full stop and get gobbled up for a loss or no gain.