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The Syr/Lou game video shows some of what Izzo talks about in his coaching vid. Louisville has a couple of plays where someone sneaks in behind the zone and several drive and kick plays similar to what Izzo is talking about. .What also is apparent from the game video is that the Louisville center has a nice 15 foot shot if the zone backs off him. Also the center makes lots of key passes as the offense seems to run a lot from an entry pass to the center at the high post.  I hope that our bigs will have excellent shooting touch and passing savvy next Saturday.

Schadenfreude!

We lost twice to an outstanding Illinois team in 1989 before beating them in a thrilling national semifinal in 1989,  We then went on to win the title against Seton Hall with Rumeal Robinson making the key free throws at the end.  This is the flashback that came to my mind.

Maybe this is our year to beat Indiana in the semis and beat whoever makes it through in the final game.  Much like this year, we were undefeated in pre conference play with all our losses occurring in conference play. There were multiple Big Ten teams in the tourney in 89 as expected this year.  Indiana won the Big Ten but lost twice to Illinois and recieved a #2 seed with a #1 going to Illinois even though they came in second in the conference.  We were a #3 seed that year.  Iowa and Minnesota also made the tourney that year.  GO BLUE!

It was totally inconsistent and at times just plain bad. We got a lot of calls early in the second half but then it was as if they were trying to not see the MSU mayhem.  This type of inconsistency is the hardest to deal with as a player.

With about 11 minutes left in the game Michigan gets into the bonus.  There would be only one additional foul called on MSU over the next eleven minutes while there were six called on us until McGary was fouled intentionally with 8 seconds left.  After the game I spent ½ an hour and reviewed the period right after the 11 minute mark going in slow motion at times and trying to be as fair as possible.  The refs were just awful to us. 

10:46 Hardaway drives to the hoop between two defenders both of them grab him and rip the ball away.  No foul. We get the ball out of bounds

9:15 Burke drives the lane and is grabbed and pushed and has to dish the ball to Albrecht who misses an open three.

8:44 Both teams scramble for a missed shot rebound. An MSU player grabs Hardaway by the shoulder and pulls him backward as he positions for the rebound.  The ball hits both of them and goes out. MSU gets the ball.

8:08  Burke drives and is fouled once before he get to a massive pick set by GRIII. He gets pushed in the back as he makes the layup.  No call.

8:02  GRIII is backing up as Appling jumps into him and attempts a shot which McGary cleanly blocks.  I think this is a fair call until during the time out they show highlights from a first half play where MSU did the exact same thing to us and did not get called for a foul (i.e. first defender on the ball bodies up on the drive and the second defender cleanly blocks the shot as it goes up.)

7:08  Burke get fouled on the drive with no call and dishes to Lavert who lays it in awkwardly as Nix throws him to the floor.  No call.

6:45  Morgan pulls in a rebound with two player on his back. The as he turn to throw an outlet pass he is fouled again a couple of times by an MSU player trying to steal the ball.  No call on either.

6:39  Burke drives and is grabbed and pushed and has to dish the ball. No call.

5:35  Burke is fouled at least three times on a drive to the hoop and makes the bucket anyway.  He shouts something at the refs in displeasure which is something I do not remember him doing very often if ever.  I guess he was fed up also.

4:36  Burke is fouled at least three times as he tries to bring the ball up the court.  Only on the third shove that sends him to the floor does the whistle come.  He makes both ends of the one and one.  This is the first foul called on MSU in over 6 minutes and the last foul shot we get until McGary is fouled intentionally with only 8 seconds left.  I could go on with a description of additional missed calls but we won so now I will just have some cheese with this whine.

3:53  Payne gets a rebound and then walks at least 4 steps after getting a rebound off a missed FT. No call.  This was the worst miss of the entire game and almost unbelievable that it did not get called. Enough already!

TL;DR summary- The lack of consistency of calls in this game was shameful.  However, this is not happening just in our games but across the board in B1G games this season. (I have watched quite a few non-Michigan games on BTN this year).  I have been playing the game myself and watching B1G b-ball since Cazzie and I have never felt the refs were this piss poor.  I have also ref’ed b-ball myself so I know how hard it is to be fair and balanced but SHEEESH it’s bad this year.  

It would be interesting to see if the Rivals rankings regression model matters more for offensive or defensive players or linemen vs skilled players.  

Man I would love to play for this guy.  I have a new appreciation for the assistant coach(es) contributions to this team.  

Thanks for these posts.  They always get me thinking.  If you break out the offense and defense into rushing and passing categories does that matter?  There are some who believe that the key stat in the NFL is yards per pass attempt. (see Craig Ross "The Obscene Diaries of a Michigan Fan")  The team that gives up fewer and gains more per passing play seem to win a lot more in the NFL.  How does the college data stack up?

Oh my god!  A Helen Keller joke.  How politically incorrect (and dated).  I am going to be brutally honest and admit that I laughed...a lot and repeated it to others. There goes my karma.

The article notes that a couple of Michigan football player taught the game to ND in 1887.  ND had been playing for 10 years when this game happened.  

When I first looked at this acronym I thought it said AIRBAG.  Maybe that is what the Iowa coaches should put isnide the running backs uniforms so that they will deploy on conatct to protect the few backs that they have left or maybe they should make them practice in bubble wrap. 

There were bumpersickers around town that said

Jesus redeems, Dryden saves!

walk while dead.

Hey I just was trying to get objective.  I had no idea that there would be these differentials which I admit may be multicausal but cleaarly staistically significant.  There is not easily accessible data about home v. away.  Please notice that Iowa Minnesota which have similar W/L records to Uof M had 550 and 200 more foul shot attempts than Michigan.  The data does show that foul shots attempts are significantly associated with wins. (No surprise there.) Here is the data table for all the teams and seasons team free throws and free throws for opponents.

Hopefully some of the other D lineman like Ash, Wahington or Brink will surprise us like Heininger did this year and give us better depth than one might otherwise think we have.  I also believe that with another spring and summer set of practices, growth and conditioning and the outstanding coaching that seems to be going on with the defense that this is more likely than not going to be the case.  Also with the depth and competition at linbacker, even competent D lin play will be enough for us to be one bitch to run against next year.

France

Charles Michael Romes (born in Verdun, France) was an NFL cornerback with the Buffalo Bills and the San Diego Chargers. He played college football at North Carolina Central University.

Richard Tardits (born in Biarritz, France) played college football at the University of Georgia. He held the record for most sacks in a career at his Alma Mater, until David Pollock broke his record in 2004. He was referred to as “Le Sack” by fans because of his French birth.

Tardits played for the New England Patriots in the NFL.

That is all....

• Nick Bellore - Linebacker, New York Jets^[8]
• Antonio Brown - Wide Receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers^[9]
• Josh Gordy - Cornerback, St. Louis Rams^[10]
• Brett Hartmann - Punter, Houston Texans^[11]
• Cullen Jenkins – Defensive End, Philadelphia Eagles^[12]
• Dan LeFevour – Quarterback, Jacksonville Jaguars^[13]
• Joe Staley – Offensive Tackle, San Francisco 49ers^[14]
• Frank Zombo - Outside Linebacker, Green Bay Packers^[15)

I checked out the above names and several of them were in the 2010 draft or undrafted free agents who did not play until 2010.  Still it makes me lose some faith in databaseFootball.com that they do not list Joe Staley who is going to the Pro Bowl this year and was active before 2010 (drafted in 2007 1st Round).  I will do some added checking to see how far off some of the other data is.  

Paterra, Greg (1989 - 1989) 
Porter, Ricky (1982 - 1987) 
Sanders, Chuck (1986 - 1987) 
Thomas, Enid (1926 - 1926)

492 total and 19 playing

This might be the best defense that M has played in years.  I am loving it.

I bow at your feet my Hegemon of Mgoblog.  This post was both educational and fun. More please.  "Was Brady Hoke lucky that Tressel was caught lying?  Maybe. Maybe he pulled a Peter Wiggin and dropped a few well placed emails. "  This is deep.  How many of the Mgoblogosphere have read Enders Game let alone the entire series which I assume you have.  Very deep reference, very deep...but fun for me anyway.  Write on brother, write on.

www.youtube.com

was actually just after the Revolutionary War.  The British had ceded Ohio to the US but someone forgot to tell the Indians.  The battle happened just outside of Maumee about 10 miles south of the Michigan border.  The Anthony Wayne school district does not include the battle site but who cares.  This is Ohio for God sake (to paraphrase BH).  The battle actually allowed Ohio to be safely settled after the Treaty of Greenville with the Indians (which we promptly violated- this is OHIO FOR GOD SAKE) and the next thing you know they founded tOSU.  In summary,  its all his fault and we should be mad at Anthony Wayne (the person not the school district).

The twelve square mile area that included the fort and battle site was divided for settlement bustrophredonically!  (This is the word of the day and if you say it in the presence of Groucho Marx a little duck will come down to congratulate you but I will you look it up).  Here is a clue.

of the dopey things they say and compare them to the insightful things they say.  We could even have a........Chart?

just swallowed his gum.

oops

Any info on who the others were?

More than one empetus is empetwos....I think.

Pretty incredible scenery on the Na Pali trail and up on the Palis that overlook the ocean in Koke state park.  Easy to learn surfing at Hanalei, sunsets in Poipu...... damn I was just thinking about football and now I feel like I need a Hawaii fix. 

in fact I am sure of it.  Note that I said that I enjoyed the band more not less.  Looks like I am not the only one who missed the stats and I am glad that they are fixing that. 

I have been going to games since 1957 so I guess I do enjoy the game day experience or would not have gone to the last 300 games or so.  Thought the board was just such a place where somewhat off topic subjects could be shared.  My "hippie" sister in law is a Lutheran school teacher.  Not sure why she comes in for name calling.  She was just happy to hear the band better for a change. 

I turned to my brother as he was out on the field teaching technique.  I do believe we have a coach for whom kids are to run through walls.

but not as explosive.  I squirmed through that entire game as he constantly eluded or D line and scrabled for yards.  I do not think there were as many plays that were actually set up for him to run.  My recollection is that most of the yards were off of scrambles.  This was a game I would like to forget.  So thanks a lot for making me squirm again.  Grrrr.

Any data on 40 yrd dash speeds to add to this data since mass x velocity = force.

Watching Bball at UM since Cazzie and  last years team managing to make the NCAA tourney with a win over Sparty at El was the most fun ever.  Right up there with the national champ year for fun and intensity.  Just loved the intensity and scrappiness.

I will add a comment that my brother made to me on this subject of the corruption of college football by money and it seems worthy of further discussion.  The problem with college football (and to some extent basketball with the rare Kobe, Lebron, like exceptions) is that there is no minor league for high school students to choose.  In the other big money sports, (baseball, hockey, soccer, tennis, golf) there are no barriers to going pro to make some money right away if that is your interest instead of school. 

One of his runs for a TD starts from a dead stop at his 35 and seven seconds later he is in the end zone after outrunning the d backs.  Speaking of outrunning the d backs, he seems to do it over and over in these clips.  This is D 3 competition but still seems big AND fast. 

On the film there is a breakaway run for a TD and from about a dead stop at his 40 to their twenty takes less than 5 seconds on the video.  He outruns the safeties who have the angle on him to the endzone.  Hmm not fake and pretty fast i'd say. 

Toledo has a brand new arena The Huntington Center downtown for our Walleye minor league hockey team with about 8000 capacity and hotels all around it.  It's a beautiful facility and a fairly neutral venue.  It is easily accesible to many of the CCHA teams.  I would push for that if the Joe is considered too much of a home venue for UM and MSU since they play there regularly. 

Gonna beat the spread with at least 20 points on the officials. 

They didn't give Hightower a hug?

Same official every time. 

Indeed we are not deep but we are griity and will perservere.

A-R

Just checked the box score.  Douglas lead the team in rebounds with 7.  He also had 4 assists and two steals.  Love the hustle.  you never know who will come up sneaky big. 

Smotrycz actually was able to get to the hoop on the two breakaway layups without being caught from behind.  I thought they would catch him both times and I was wrong.  Maybe MS(phew) just didn't have the heart to chase him down. 

My favorite plays of the game were Smotrycz' move under the bucket finish, fouled and made the ft.  Very old school and I loved it.  Morgans pick and roll to stop the bleeding late in the second half.  Warmed the cockles of my basketball heart.  That is how the game is supposed to be played.

He's the most fundamentally sound freshman big man that I have seen.  Is he really that much better due to the great coaching he got from hisw dad and will he plateau at where he is now, not that he's not very good now just really wonder about his future growth/ improvement relative to others.;

Dogs have owners...Cats have staff...

Posts that are well reasoned, thoughtful, funny, informative, and challenge stereotypical thinking are the reason that I check out mgoblue every day.  Brian's posts clearly meet all of the above satndards as do many of those of you who post here regularly.  We should hold ourselves and those who post here to those standards and gently educate those who fail.  I post little, read much and personally neg bang only the serial offenders.   Go Blue and MGo Blue. 

If you're traveling in the north country fair
Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline
Remember me to the coach who was there
His offense was once a true love of mine.

Well, if you go bowling when the snowflakes storm
and your defense freezes and your season ends
Please see if he's wearing a coat so warm
To keep him from the howlin' winds.

 

At least our qb’s hair is still hanging down

And it curls and flows for the leaders and best
Please see from me his shoelaces hanging down
That's the way I remember him best.

If you're traveling in the north country fair
Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline
Remember me to one coach who was there
For his offense once was once a true love of mine.


 

Wasn't most of this already in the book of Revelations?

I guess you don't notice as much when you win.

make a difference?  Coaches almost always defer to the second half when they win the toss.  Is there evidence that winning the toss has a measurable effect on wins and losses or on points scored or given up?  Since you have found that being the home team has a 9% advantage, I wonder if there are stats on the effect of winning the coin toss.  Does anyone even track this stuff? I posted this question on the board and people had very strong opinions about whether to take the ball or defer the choice.  What got me thinking about this was how good our offense is and how bad our defense is.  Given the likelihood of shootout games I think I want to score first if I can.  Data beat opinion.

data?

Our cuurent RB's are not exactly chopped liver and Denard is going to get a lot of carries.  DH might be better than our current young RB crop but still lots of competition here too remember.

Tate is.  Devin isn't (yet).  Tate sees the field and reads the option better (for now). But I agree with those who note Devin's long ball skills.  What a great problem to have...three talented qb's.  IMO we should be redshirting both Tate and Devin at some point so that we are deep at qb for the next 4 years.  We are also deep at tackle and at running back and pretty deep at wr too.  I just wish the same problem existed on the defensive side at several positions.  Sooo glad that Denard and Tate are only slightly nicked up. 

I think that Roh is a much better DE than LB so that when he has to play LB we lose twice. We lose his motor and edge rush from the DE and his LB play is just not as good as his DE play.  I think we are palpably better with Roh at DE and Herron at LB.  Hopefully Herron will be back soon.

Denard is playing ---na   na na na   na na   Can't touch this.

I feel we are arguing about whether mice like cheese.  Football is an athletic endeavor that requires characteristics that every coach that recruits look for in players they want for their teams.  Size, speed, stregnth, brains, endurance, leadership, coachability, and heart.  Any team with more players that combine these characteristics is going to be hard to beat.  The more interesting question that comes up is to what extent each of these interact ( that goes to the multiple regression question mentioned above).  Good post in my book.  I di think theat this blog is more thoughtful than most.  (or maybe were all just football nerds).

What really bothers me aboutr Ezeh is his inability to get off of a block.  Does he lack upper body stregnth?  He seems to catch blockers and then he is done.   He can't shed them or push them off.  He takes bad angles on the inside running game and ends up chasing people from behind he should have tackled closer to the line if the angle of pursuit had been right.  He never seem to make much difference on the blitz unless he comes through untouched.  I hope we get a chance to see Moundros or one of the other back ups in the next two games if we get ahead.  Perhaps Ezeh is the best we have and he will continue to improve.  Hate to be so harsh but I played some linebacker and he is hard to watch.  Good enought to win at ND with him in there so maybe I should just shadup. 

It was clear that the safety was thinking interception instead of bend don't break.  We will see a lot of games like this against quarterbacks who are as good or better than Crist.  Hopefully the d backs will watch the film and learn.  Still they did intercept a few and we seemed to get good pressure up front at times.  I give the the overall defense a C- but if you were to look at the scores its a mix of B, D and F plays.  Enough to win at ND with the best quarterback performance in the history of the the world --no the universe (dlithium crystals are not availble here yet except somewhere inside Denard).

Do not bother to rush/blitz  Ezeh since 90% of the time he cannot get off the block.  Does he lack upper body stregnth? He just seem to catch the players trying to block him and he's done at that point. Can't weem to shed them.  Seems to take bad angles on the inside run game. No motor like Roh or Mouton.  I seriously would consider letting Moundros get some experience if we get ahead in the next couple games. 

The big E cannot get off a block. 

On the last ND pass of the half to the three, the cornerback had no one in front of him and should have continued to drop into coverage but the safety was late getting over to that side as well.  we were lucky.

It seems to me that bad teams get behind and have to throw the ball more and more recklessly.  Could turnover margin just be an indication of a team that gets behind and has to throw more?  How many of the fumbles are those of a qb getting blindsided while trying to make one of those desperate passes?  Do bad teams have more turnovers because they are behind most of the time?

I statrted going to U of M games in the 1950's with my U of M parents and they loved the Slippery Rock schtich.  How long has this been going on ( can you here the Mo-town?) been going on.... Reaaly does anybody know when they first started announcing the score?