We are not as far away as people think

Submitted by UMxWolverines on

I'm just as bewildered as you guys about how we managed to stay with this OSU team for 3 quarters despite looking like total crap for the other games besides Appalachian State. 

But I think it comes down to talent and playing to their potential, and we have it. Gardner played well for the most part that day. For some reason Hoke could get everyone to play well for the OSU game as shown by 2013 as well. 

Now we have Harbaugh who will get everyone to play that way for every game. It all comes down to the QB and WR positions for 2015 though. 

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MChem83

January 2nd, 2015 at 12:16 AM ^

the first few years with Hoke, every time he had a presser and said good stuff, every time he signed a good recruit or added an assistant. We've seen how much any of the hype means. Winning real games against real competition is all that matters, and Harbaugh has yet to do that for us.

Joined: 04/17/2014

MGoPoints: 414

Ty Butterfield

January 2nd, 2015 at 12:40 AM ^

I agree. I said this earlier but it seems like Michigan is cursed and all the luck has swung in the direction of the Buckeyes and Staee. Hoping the Harbaugh hire gets things back on track but it is hard to be optimistic after the last seven years.

Joined: 09/07/2009

MGoPoints: -81685

jcouz

January 2nd, 2015 at 12:11 AM ^

is not really fair. By that logic, Indiana and Penn St are not that far away either. Getting Harbaugh gives me optimism but Michigan is currently not close to OSU on the field.

Joined: 07/08/2011

MGoPoints: 3246

UMForLife

January 2nd, 2015 at 12:13 AM ^

I think we will be very good defensively. We have the talent on the defense. Our rush defense was very good except for one game. Pass defense not so much, but I blame that on injury and lack of coaching. We lose Ryan, but we should be good in LB next year. I am confident we will be really good defensively. Offensively, we will be playing more manball. Which is ok, if your defense can be great. It is going to take two years for the offense. The one thing to look for is ST. Our special team was not special at all. It looks like we are getting some coaches who will make a difference there. I will not be surprised if we do really well next year, just because of the defense and special team.

Joined: 11/04/2013

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CoverZero

January 2nd, 2015 at 12:26 AM ^

Drake Johnson kept us in the game.  Shows you what an effective RB can do for an offense that was struggling.

Joined: 08/30/2014

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ESRoss2015

January 2nd, 2015 at 12:36 AM ^

I've seen lots of comments in this thread that we don't have enough fast players on the team to compete, and I tend to disagree. There is no way so many highly rated recruits that were pursued by other teams who are thought to have better speed than us just happen to be slow busts. I think the bigger issue is that the poor coaching our players received caused them to lack confidence and therefore they played slower than they actually are. Once Harbaugh installs his system, I think we'll see our players flying around the field like you see with other elite teams.

Joined: 12/13/2014

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big apple 3 am

January 2nd, 2015 at 12:37 AM ^

What I've seen from the B1G today just re-enforces how far behind we have been. I believe Harbaugh will bring us back quickly but there is definitely a lot of work to do.

Joined: 10/04/2014

MGoPoints: 193

MIMark

January 2nd, 2015 at 12:59 AM ^

The team is a QB and an OL away from being a contender. Harbaugh has demonstrated success developing both. I'm definitely looking forward to what Morris can accomplish under Harbaugh's guidance.

Joined: 05/05/2009

MGoPoints: 3735

alum96

January 2nd, 2015 at 1:14 AM ^

What you saw is OSU improved a lot as the season went by.  MSU did so last year too - they were horrid in Sep 2013 on offense.  That is Beilein type coaching.  That is what we want to see next year - it will probably be rough early with the non conf but you want to exit the year on a high and with players improving individually and as a grroup.  When was the last time we said that about UM football? It's been ages.   We need Beilein type improvement WITHIN a year and YEAR over year.

Lots of work to do.  Both MSU and OSU have their own players and systems firmly in place with their HC picking all the players.  Harbaugh will be working wth someone else's players.  There will be some time but next year we want to see the team far better in Nov then Sep.  And a QB ready to go and firmly estabished in 2016.

Kudos to Urban - dude is a serious coach.  We have 2 very good coaches in our own division.  Now there are 3. It's going to be a battle.

Joined: 04/28/2012

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uminks

January 2nd, 2015 at 1:30 AM ^

can develop one of our young QB or will he have to recruit the right one? Once JH finds his man at QB, we will be winning B1G championships and playoff games!

Joined: 11/10/2009

MGoPoints: 32049

big john lives on 67

January 2nd, 2015 at 2:12 AM ^

In his first year, JH authored a +3 game improvement at Stanford, and a +7 game improvement at SF which is pro-rated to +5.6 game improvement over a 13 game schedule. Considering we will have much better talent available than that Stanford squad did, and maybe less than the SF squad, a conservative improvement for M next year with JH at the helm would be +4. So my guess would be 9-4 or 10-3 including a bowl game. We have our guy as a coach. Let's get behind him and show some optimism. I know we have been conditioned for failure in the recent past, but that is over now. Who has it better than us? NOOOOOBODY!!!!

Joined: 02/15/2009

MGoPoints: 3973

BlueinLansing

January 2nd, 2015 at 9:02 AM ^

3 years away minimum. 

 

We might go 9-3 next year but I think thats our ceiling, we might pick off one of the MSU or OSU at home but I doubt it.

 

In 2016 we get both of those games on the road and add Wisconsin to our crossover Big Ten games

In 2017 we get OSU and MSU at home Wis  away and add Florida.

 

and don't forget Minnesota may be a functioning repeatable good Big Ten program in 3 years.

 

We have a tough road ahead regardless of the coaches talents.

Joined: 09/01/2009

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ford_428cj

January 2nd, 2015 at 9:08 AM ^

We are one year away at most. We will give everybody a run for their money next year - & could pull off a NC run even, if the cards fall right

Joined: 10/28/2012

MGoPoints: 997

OMG Shirtless

January 2nd, 2015 at 9:45 AM ^

January 2nd and UMXWolverines is already setting the stage for his first meltdown of the 2015 season.   Michigan will lose a game that he finds UNACCEPTABLE. He'll link back to this post in his scorching hot take.  The mods will delete his post.  He'll threaten them in public.  I can see it now.

Joined: 08/16/2009

MGoPoints: 1435

ford_428cj

January 2nd, 2015 at 10:10 AM ^

Whoever negged me - can go fuck theirself.

 

We could have beat OSU this year with a good QB - Drake Johnson - Jabrill ... & of course JH. Why couldn't we make a NC run then -  if they are in it.?

Joined: 10/28/2012

MGoPoints: 997

growler4

January 2nd, 2015 at 12:34 PM ^

We are quite far removed from those elite teams until we prove we're not. On the field. Period. End.

I don't care how many recruiting stars are next to the names on our roster. The high school valedictorian is just another freshman when entering colleg

Joined: 11/24/2014

MGoPoints: 1700

big john lives on 67

January 2nd, 2015 at 1:58 PM ^

M over the past couple of years is the poster child for the extremely fine line between winning and losing in college football. We have the guy now who will push us by brute force over to the right side of that line. RELAX!

Joined: 02/15/2009

MGoPoints: 3973