My biggest takeaway from the running “struggles” was the constant rotation of tackles. Outside of the IOL, the big boys were getting a lot of reps. I’m guessing this will be the constant theme over the first 3 games until they settle.
No doubt! Walker and some of those young guys are coming. As much as I like Bell, he’s def better suited as slot guy (not an outside 1-2 type) and CJ has been a bit of a let down this year after really breaking out. Also, losing All has been a huge bummer. Michigan’s passing game continues to be bootstrapped by the dominant running game. And I’m ok with that.
The first half of this game felt a lot like the PSU game. M completed dominated the stat box, but struggled on the scoreboard. Felt like a weird Rutgers night game juju.
Tough sledding for JJ, but when your OL is operating with two backup tackles, weird things happen.
Also, I feel like we are going to see 3-4 “routine” catches not made in UFR this week. Tough go for JJ but his WRs definitely were not helping him.
I'm ok with splitting carries. My biggest gripe is that the situational carries always seem to be questionable. 1) I'm a firm believer that when the going gets good, ride the wave until the other team can stop it (without becoming outright predictable) and 2) It's almost as if the wrong back is playing in the wrong down and distance at times.
I'm really going to miss Charbonnet. I really hope his usage was due to nagging injuries verse incompetence. He had power and burst, decent hands, and could pick up backers. Sounds like an every-down RB to me.
But where do these expectations spawn from? One undefeated season in 1997? Or was it before that when Michigan was actually relevant on the national scene back in the 40s? Let's face it, traditionally M is a 10 win team that occasionally pops.
That's hard to swallow as a life long Michigan fan, but Michigan will likely continue to be out-recruited by the likes of all SEC schools and O$U because the standards are different at those schools.
Sure, losing a great player like worthy is punch in the gut, but with the changing rules in the NCAA, transfer rates are through the roof all over the country.
Refreshing outlook. I have been extremely pleased with all things Michigan basketball this year. Regardless of what happens in the tournament, the future looks great!
If McGrone can get healthy (and undue his regression), he and Hood would be a fun tandem to watch with that level of athleticism. Glad to see the wrap on the early signing period stage a solid haul!
My thoughts exactly. Continue to press with an incredibly inexperienced secondary and they get torched? How about some zone or bracket coverage? Also, the front 7 was extremely vanilla after McGrone left the game.
Questions about the defense hinge on, "where did Dax and Barret go?" The defense played far better with these two and they seemed to disappear in the second half. The first half made slight mention of Barret fighting an illness, but no injury report on Dax. This left me scrambling for the roster sheet as I asked myself, "who the hell is #7 and #22?"
Also, I feel the DL faired well against an OL that is probably on a similar level as Wisconsin. McGrone seemed to continue his freshman ways of getting sucked under blocks, so I did not love that (but hey, first game).
I have nothing to say about the offense. I was pleasantly surprised with Gattis' sets and his movement that kept Minny on their toes all night.
Good luck to this young man in the League. He was an outstanding talent and seemed like a good guy. It's a bummer that he spent three years with three different offenses and two (kinda 4 with the 2017 disaster) different (middling) QBs. May all Michigan fans remember him for his Paul Bunyan poses and him streaking across the field wide open only to watch the ball be forced somewhere else.
Metellus has been a very "meh" safety who is good around the LOS but has never been great in coverage. However, his leadership will be missed. Hudson was always an uber talented boom or bust guy, but that is what happens when you ask a guy to know 5 different positions on the defense. If he was given a pure OLB role, I think he would be fine. These players will be missed, but will be replaceable.
OSU: The duo of Dobbins and Fields is as good as any in the country. Really, they are who we thought they were. They also have a ton of speed on the outside that they can exploit over the middle or down the field. Terrifying offense.
Their defense on the other hand can be had. Michigan did a great job of taking away Young without much consequence elsewhere (2 sacks all game?). Michigan racked up 400 yards of offense and left a ton of additional yards on the field with dropped passed and missed executions by the RBs. I think Michigan had a fantastic game plan that teams like LSU and Clemson won't miss on...
Michigan: Mistakes and petty penalties. How are you going to take a dude's shoe off right in front of the back judge and expect to get off the field against an OSU? How you going to fumble a ball on the 10 yard line about to put the game within 1 point and expect to hang with OSU? How you going to go offside on a 4th down punt and give the ball back to the offense and expect to play with the big boys? How you going to drop 6 (!) footballs and fail to move the chains and expect to stay in the game?
It hurts me to look at the final score because watching the game I watched a Michigan team move up and down the field and keep it within two scores (15 points) late into the game. Several times the offense stalled because of drops. Patterson played really well and final numbers are not an indication of his play but rather his WRs inability to come up with easy to medium catches. The defense even bailed them out a couple of times and got the ball back!
The difference in this game is the level of execution that OSU brings to the table. They are a really good football team that doesn't make a lot of mistakes. I'm not going to sit here and say Michigan should have won that game, but if they play a clean game, they certainly could have kept everyone on the edge of their seats.
Upon further review of "hey it worked again," I really wish that Patterson would get that ball a little deeper and to the left. If he does that, Collins is walking into the endzone for six instead of making a miraculous catch.
I could not get over the commentary on the WRs. The WRs have legitimately (minus the PSU game), been fantastic, if not elite all year. The numbers aren't there for other reasons...SMH.
Strangely underwhelming, yet delightfully fulfilling. Enough with the Hokey business. Harbaugh beats the teams he is supposed to beat and competes with the ones that are "big" games (for the most part). You had no idea what you were going to have week to week with Hoke teams. One week you would lose to Maryland, the next have -47 yards to MSU, and then well, you get the point. I will take the current staff over that misery any day.
Also, to say Hoke ever did anything good is a fallacy. Under Rich Rod, they won 3, 5, and 7 games. Then Hoke came in (with RR's players) and won 11, 8, 7, 5. One was going up and the other down. Harbaugh comes in and wins 10, 10, 8, 10. CAN'T YOU ALL JUST BE HAPPY!?
I agree. I think it comes down to body of work. Collins and DPJ have shown enough on the field when given the opportunity for NFL teams to gravel. Black needs another season to show what he is capable of. Even if Collins and DPJ leave, M will still be ripe with Black, Bell, the plethora of slot bugs, and several TE targets. However, I would like all of them to come back...as well as Chris Evans...
I liked 2nd half against PSU offense. Let's offense like that the rest of the year....
Also, the irrational Michigan fan that claims "THIS IS MICHIGAN" fails to realized that Michigan has one national title in the past 70 years. Yes, competing for the B1G would be nice, but the national stage teams come around far less (and Harbaugh has had them dancing in the top 5 twice). Does he have to win the big games? Of course. But when are the irrational fans going to realize that 9-10 win seasons are what Michigan is?...
Keeps fighting. That was the most promising thing for me. My buddy and I were chatting before that last drive and he said, if Shea is ever going to meet the hype, this is his moment...I think he did...(early woes looked the same, but he was a man possessed in the second half).
1. Drops. Why now? This WR corps has been damn near elite at catching the ball. Some early drops could have negated some of that early pain (and late pain...)
2. Penalties/Execution. Early in the game, a TO, a couple of false start penalties. Still have a lot of things to work on there...
3. Grit. FINALLY. This team got punched but didn't go away. That was refreshing to see, only for the heartbreaking finish. But I truly felt good about every possession in the second half.
4. Kids. Gotta remember ya'll, these are just kids. I feel for Ronnie Bell.
Final thoughts. If this second half team comes out and plays for the rest of the season, they could very well be a 9 win team going into OSU week. I feel a lot better now going into a home game vs ND than I did a week ago. Synchrony. It just felt like Harbaugh, Gattis, and Brown were all squarely on the same page in the second half...LET'S KEEP DOING THAT.
I love Glasgow. I love all Glasgows. Let's bring them all back to play this Satruday. With that said, I think Glasgow is a very nice piece. Fast? Adequately. His real "downfall" is his lateral ability. As far as brains go, he is the most cerebral guy on that D. He ALWAYS knows where he needs to be. I think he will be a really nice special teams guy for a long time in the NFL.
I LONG FOR THE PIN AND PULL. All season I have been watching (missed reads? injury?) Patterson hand the ball off into a crashing DE thinking NOOOOOO! Even if the safety can crash it should be 3+ instead of running into a mauling bear. PLEASE PIN AND PULL TO KEEP THE D HONEST.
The problem is that Shea is really good given 1-2 progressions. He can make all the throws. However, he hesitates to throw the ball into windows and struggles beyond his second progression. He has the arm and athleticism, but he seems to have hit his cerebral ceiling.
They pretty much did by not allowing Turner to play, and then he played and promptly fumbled. Ugh. I give Charbs a pass because that was a bizarre fumble and he gets the frosh treatment, but Wilson, well, that was silly. But the "bench those who fumble rule" would leave us with McCaffery at QB (I'm ok with this), and only Haskins at running back (which, he has actually looked ok...), EFFF it, LET'S ROLLLLLLL>>>
I think the PSU line will take a big shift when the odds are released today or tomorrow. The tilt will go to PSU because it's in Happy Valley, at night, and they ARE REALLY GOOD under those conditions. If M can secure the ball, they will be right there...
Tale of the game. Dominant first half. Controlled the LOS as expected, but didn't ask much of Patterson. Third Q derailed by some wonkiness, asked Patterson to do things, results as MEH. Short stints on O left the D winded and UI capitalized by keeping the bubbas on the field. Fourth Q, M finally does some things and puts it away. I was satisfied for 3/4 of the game.
Takeaways: Patterson is still a good athlete that struggles to lead when needed. The D is taking shape since Dwumfor returned and McGrone has emerged. Don't forget M played that game without Hill in the secondary...AND THE BEST STAT OF THE NIGHT was watching PSU look normal and beatable against a common opponent. If M can somehow not put the ball on the turf they will be in good shape next week.
I like clean, mistake free football. It was as good as anyone could ask for after the first three weeks. Patterson and the offense looked like they were in complete control the entire game. Gattis being on the sideline seemed to be a huge improvement...
Tru hit the double whammy on that "hold" call. First, he's thinking, "well damn, I'm about to get chewed for missing that block." This thought is erased when he watches a perfectly thrown ball sail into the endzone for a TD. Then, he's thinking, "damn, how in the world is that holding?!" I'm just as confused as the next guy. Efff B1G officiating and their nonsensical bologna. I hope Patterson goes full "Paul Crew" in the next game.
Much needed confidence boost. I'm looking forward to the offensive breakdown fellas. That way I can determine if I feel any better about the tackles. Please tell me they were better. Please?...
4200 yards and 32 TDs in 2010. Screw Cam Newton and Andrew Luck. Denard was a boss. And yet, I can't help but sit here and think of Ryan Mallet slinging the rock and Nard Dog toting it around...
I was shaking my head thinking, man, this JB team staying alive with D? That's 2 BTT games now (Iowa and MSU) that the D kept them in it. I kept saying, CUMONG MOE!, hit a shot, put it in the basket. Man, if he doesn't get going we in for a bumpy ride.
But Alas! Moe has swag. MAAR is commanding. Simpson is LOCKDOWN! Matthews showing flashes of a lottery pick. I like this team.
Have any of those people every heard Norm McDonald or watched anything in his career? I mean, the guy has been pretty consistent with his material this whole time. What did they expect? Silly kids and their feelings.
That would be treating the 15 yard line like the goal line. However, the peg of a marker is probably only 1/4 the width of a field marker. Therefore, what if the chains were at the front of the 15? Then he isn't close. But if they are at the base, he is over. The ball has to cross the marker.
My only issue with the spot of the ball isn't whether or not he "got" the first down. It was the officials confidently spotting the ball and without thought, signaling for a first down. In all my years of football (and close marker calls), I have never seen them not bring out the chains for something that close. The fact that people use the, "the tip of the ball touched the line, therefore it's a first down" makes zero sense. That would be treating the 15 yard line like the goal line. However, the peg of a marker is probably only 1/4 the width of a field marker. Therefore, what if the chains were at the front of the 15? Then he isn't close. But if they are at the base, he is over. The refs man. If they overturn that call, the Ohioan refs would return home to burning houses. They made a business decision.
Recent Comments
Thanks for all the hard work! Can't wait for the next HTTV and shirt! Go Blue!
I could stomach the tickets if the dang airlines weren't also price gouging us into oblivion!
My biggest takeaway from the running “struggles” was the constant rotation of tackles. Outside of the IOL, the big boys were getting a lot of reps. I’m guessing this will be the constant theme over the first 3 games until they settle.
No doubt! Walker and some of those young guys are coming. As much as I like Bell, he’s def better suited as slot guy (not an outside 1-2 type) and CJ has been a bit of a let down this year after really breaking out. Also, losing All has been a huge bummer. Michigan’s passing game continues to be bootstrapped by the dominant running game. And I’m ok with that.
To pile onto that, I think JJ made some next level throws. The incompletion (would be TD) to Schoon and the TD to Edwards were 🔥.
Also, Bell is the king of making circus catches that don’t count. 😂
The first half of this game felt a lot like the PSU game. M completed dominated the stat box, but struggled on the scoreboard. Felt like a weird Rutgers night game juju.
Tough sledding for JJ, but when your OL is operating with two backup tackles, weird things happen.
Also, I feel like we are going to see 3-4 “routine” catches not made in UFR this week. Tough go for JJ but his WRs definitely were not helping him.
"Add that to a defense that has been elite all season, and, baby, you’ve got a stew going."
I'M DEAD.
I'm ok with splitting carries. My biggest gripe is that the situational carries always seem to be questionable. 1) I'm a firm believer that when the going gets good, ride the wave until the other team can stop it (without becoming outright predictable) and 2) It's almost as if the wrong back is playing in the wrong down and distance at times.
I'm really going to miss Charbonnet. I really hope his usage was due to nagging injuries verse incompetence. He had power and burst, decent hands, and could pick up backers. Sounds like an every-down RB to me.
But where do…
Expectations?
But where do these expectations spawn from? One undefeated season in 1997? Or was it before that when Michigan was actually relevant on the national scene back in the 40s? Let's face it, traditionally M is a 10 win team that occasionally pops.
That's hard to swallow as a life long Michigan fan, but Michigan will likely continue to be out-recruited by the likes of all SEC schools and O$U because the standards are different at those schools.
Sure, losing a great player like worthy is punch in the gut, but with the changing rules in the NCAA, transfer rates are through the roof all over the country.
The "ceiling is the roof, man."
Refreshing outlook. I have been extremely pleased with all things Michigan basketball this year. Regardless of what happens in the tournament, the future looks great!
Since the Livers injury, my outlook is:
Sweet 16 floor
Elite 8 ceiling
PROVE ME WRONG 2018 SQUAD.
If McGrone can get healthy (and undue his regression), he and Hood would be a fun tandem to watch with that level of athleticism. Glad to see the wrap on the early signing period stage a solid haul!
My thoughts exactly. Continue to press with an incredibly inexperienced secondary and they get torched? How about some zone or bracket coverage? Also, the front 7 was extremely vanilla after McGrone left the game.
Mel Tucker can retire from MSU with dignity. Going .500 overall and .1000 vs Michigan.
I am pleased. Very Pleased.
Questions about the defense hinge on, "where did Dax and Barret go?" The defense played far better with these two and they seemed to disappear in the second half. The first half made slight mention of Barret fighting an illness, but no injury report on Dax. This left me scrambling for the roster sheet as I asked myself, "who the hell is #7 and #22?"
Also, I feel the DL faired well against an OL that is probably on a similar level as Wisconsin. McGrone seemed to continue his freshman ways of getting sucked under blocks, so I did not love that (but hey, first game).
I have nothing to say about the offense. I was pleasantly surprised with Gattis' sets and his movement that kept Minny on their toes all night.
STEVE HOLTZ!
Good luck to this young man in the League. He was an outstanding talent and seemed like a good guy. It's a bummer that he spent three years with three different offenses and two (kinda 4 with the 2017 disaster) different (middling) QBs. May all Michigan fans remember him for his Paul Bunyan poses and him streaking across the field wide open only to watch the ball be forced somewhere else.
Metellus has been a very "meh" safety who is good around the LOS but has never been great in coverage. However, his leadership will be missed. Hudson was always an uber talented boom or bust guy, but that is what happens when you ask a guy to know 5 different positions on the defense. If he was given a pure OLB role, I think he would be fine. These players will be missed, but will be replaceable.
Final synopsis of the Michigan vs. OSU game.
OSU: The duo of Dobbins and Fields is as good as any in the country. Really, they are who we thought they were. They also have a ton of speed on the outside that they can exploit over the middle or down the field. Terrifying offense.
Their defense on the other hand can be had. Michigan did a great job of taking away Young without much consequence elsewhere (2 sacks all game?). Michigan racked up 400 yards of offense and left a ton of additional yards on the field with dropped passed and missed executions by the RBs. I think Michigan had a fantastic game plan that teams like LSU and Clemson won't miss on...
Michigan: Mistakes and petty penalties. How are you going to take a dude's shoe off right in front of the back judge and expect to get off the field against an OSU? How you going to fumble a ball on the 10 yard line about to put the game within 1 point and expect to hang with OSU? How you going to go offside on a 4th down punt and give the ball back to the offense and expect to play with the big boys? How you going to drop 6 (!) footballs and fail to move the chains and expect to stay in the game?
It hurts me to look at the final score because watching the game I watched a Michigan team move up and down the field and keep it within two scores (15 points) late into the game. Several times the offense stalled because of drops. Patterson played really well and final numbers are not an indication of his play but rather his WRs inability to come up with easy to medium catches. The defense even bailed them out a couple of times and got the ball back!
The difference in this game is the level of execution that OSU brings to the table. They are a really good football team that doesn't make a lot of mistakes. I'm not going to sit here and say Michigan should have won that game, but if they play a clean game, they certainly could have kept everyone on the edge of their seats.
Until next year, Go Blue!
Watching O'Korn repeatedly miss wide open WRs in that game still haunts me...
Upon further review of "hey it worked again," I really wish that Patterson would get that ball a little deeper and to the left. If he does that, Collins is walking into the endzone for six instead of making a miraculous catch.
I could not get over the commentary on the WRs. The WRs have legitimately (minus the PSU game), been fantastic, if not elite all year. The numbers aren't there for other reasons...SMH.
Strangely underwhelming, yet delightfully fulfilling. Enough with the Hokey business. Harbaugh beats the teams he is supposed to beat and competes with the ones that are "big" games (for the most part). You had no idea what you were going to have week to week with Hoke teams. One week you would lose to Maryland, the next have -47 yards to MSU, and then well, you get the point. I will take the current staff over that misery any day.
Also, to say Hoke ever did anything good is a fallacy. Under Rich Rod, they won 3, 5, and 7 games. Then Hoke came in (with RR's players) and won 11, 8, 7, 5. One was going up and the other down. Harbaugh comes in and wins 10, 10, 8, 10. CAN'T YOU ALL JUST BE HAPPY!?
How is it that pants can be "fittingly" off? Sounds like an oxi-moron.
I agree. I think it comes down to body of work. Collins and DPJ have shown enough on the field when given the opportunity for NFL teams to gravel. Black needs another season to show what he is capable of. Even if Collins and DPJ leave, M will still be ripe with Black, Bell, the plethora of slot bugs, and several TE targets. However, I would like all of them to come back...as well as Chris Evans...
I. AM. HAPPY. GO BLUE!
With the potential weather in the forecast, this might be the only option...
I wholeheartedly agree with this message...
I liked 2nd half against PSU offense. Let's offense like that the rest of the year....
Also, the irrational Michigan fan that claims "THIS IS MICHIGAN" fails to realized that Michigan has one national title in the past 70 years. Yes, competing for the B1G would be nice, but the national stage teams come around far less (and Harbaugh has had them dancing in the top 5 twice). Does he have to win the big games? Of course. But when are the irrational fans going to realize that 9-10 win seasons are what Michigan is?...
Keeps fighting. That was the most promising thing for me. My buddy and I were chatting before that last drive and he said, if Shea is ever going to meet the hype, this is his moment...I think he did...(early woes looked the same, but he was a man possessed in the second half).
I have so many emotions for the game.
1. Drops. Why now? This WR corps has been damn near elite at catching the ball. Some early drops could have negated some of that early pain (and late pain...)
2. Penalties/Execution. Early in the game, a TO, a couple of false start penalties. Still have a lot of things to work on there...
3. Grit. FINALLY. This team got punched but didn't go away. That was refreshing to see, only for the heartbreaking finish. But I truly felt good about every possession in the second half.
4. Kids. Gotta remember ya'll, these are just kids. I feel for Ronnie Bell.
Final thoughts. If this second half team comes out and plays for the rest of the season, they could very well be a 9 win team going into OSU week. I feel a lot better now going into a home game vs ND than I did a week ago. Synchrony. It just felt like Harbaugh, Gattis, and Brown were all squarely on the same page in the second half...LET'S KEEP DOING THAT.
Go Blue!
I'm Prison Mike, and I approve this message.
I love Glasgow. I love all Glasgows. Let's bring them all back to play this Satruday. With that said, I think Glasgow is a very nice piece. Fast? Adequately. His real "downfall" is his lateral ability. As far as brains go, he is the most cerebral guy on that D. He ALWAYS knows where he needs to be. I think he will be a really nice special teams guy for a long time in the NFL.
I LONG FOR THE PIN AND PULL. All season I have been watching (missed reads? injury?) Patterson hand the ball off into a crashing DE thinking NOOOOOO! Even if the safety can crash it should be 3+ instead of running into a mauling bear. PLEASE PIN AND PULL TO KEEP THE D HONEST.
The problem is that Shea is really good given 1-2 progressions. He can make all the throws. However, he hesitates to throw the ball into windows and struggles beyond his second progression. He has the arm and athleticism, but he seems to have hit his cerebral ceiling.
They pretty much did by not allowing Turner to play, and then he played and promptly fumbled. Ugh. I give Charbs a pass because that was a bizarre fumble and he gets the frosh treatment, but Wilson, well, that was silly. But the "bench those who fumble rule" would leave us with McCaffery at QB (I'm ok with this), and only Haskins at running back (which, he has actually looked ok...), EFFF it, LET'S ROLLLLLLL>>>
I think the PSU line will take a big shift when the odds are released today or tomorrow. The tilt will go to PSU because it's in Happy Valley, at night, and they ARE REALLY GOOD under those conditions. If M can secure the ball, they will be right there...
Tale of…
Hard to...EVEN...
Tale of the game. Dominant first half. Controlled the LOS as expected, but didn't ask much of Patterson. Third Q derailed by some wonkiness, asked Patterson to do things, results as MEH. Short stints on O left the D winded and UI capitalized by keeping the bubbas on the field. Fourth Q, M finally does some things and puts it away. I was satisfied for 3/4 of the game.
Takeaways: Patterson is still a good athlete that struggles to lead when needed. The D is taking shape since Dwumfor returned and McGrone has emerged. Don't forget M played that game without Hill in the secondary...AND THE BEST STAT OF THE NIGHT was watching PSU look normal and beatable against a common opponent. If M can somehow not put the ball on the turf they will be in good shape next week.
I like clean, mistake free football. It was as good as anyone could ask for after the first three weeks. Patterson and the offense looked like they were in complete control the entire game. Gattis being on the sideline seemed to be a huge improvement...
Tru hit the double whammy on that "hold" call. First, he's thinking, "well damn, I'm about to get chewed for missing that block." This thought is erased when he watches a perfectly thrown ball sail into the endzone for a TD. Then, he's thinking, "damn, how in the world is that holding?!" I'm just as confused as the next guy. Efff B1G officiating and their nonsensical bologna. I hope Patterson goes full "Paul Crew" in the next game.
Much needed confidence boost. I'm looking forward to the offensive breakdown fellas. That way I can determine if I feel any better about the tackles. Please tell me they were better. Please?...
Let's dream up some potential nicknames for a Bush - Gil "dread"ful combination on the field...
"Dreadlockers"
"Dreadpool"
"Oh look, a bunny"
4200 yards and 32 TDs in 2010. Screw Cam Newton and Andrew Luck. Denard was a boss. And yet, I can't help but sit here and think of Ryan Mallet slinging the rock and Nard Dog toting it around...
I was shaking my head thinking, man, this JB team staying alive with D? That's 2 BTT games now (Iowa and MSU) that the D kept them in it. I kept saying, CUMONG MOE!, hit a shot, put it in the basket. Man, if he doesn't get going we in for a bumpy ride.
But Alas! Moe has swag. MAAR is commanding. Simpson is LOCKDOWN! Matthews showing flashes of a lottery pick. I like this team.
Yes, I like them very much.
Loss will cause me to... read a bunch of internet hot takes placing Michigan below Rutgers in next year's Big Ten East.
OMG dying
Bold strategy Cotton, let's see how that works out!
Have any of those people every heard Norm McDonald or watched anything in his career? I mean, the guy has been pretty consistent with his material this whole time. What did they expect? Silly kids and their feelings.
The name plate should be first name only...Iciro/Yao style
That would be treating the 15 yard line like the goal line. However, the peg of a marker is probably only 1/4 the width of a field marker. Therefore, what if the chains were at the front of the 15? Then he isn't close. But if they are at the base, he is over. The ball has to cross the marker.
Happens everygame. In fact, probably every game Harbs is involved in he tosses equipment. It was laughable when they threw that flag.
My only issue with the spot of the ball isn't whether or not he "got" the first down. It was the officials confidently spotting the ball and without thought, signaling for a first down. In all my years of football (and close marker calls), I have never seen them not bring out the chains for something that close. The fact that people use the, "the tip of the ball touched the line, therefore it's a first down" makes zero sense. That would be treating the 15 yard line like the goal line. However, the peg of a marker is probably only 1/4 the width of a field marker. Therefore, what if the chains were at the front of the 15? Then he isn't close. But if they are at the base, he is over. The refs man. If they overturn that call, the Ohioan refs would return home to burning houses. They made a business decision.