Hoke besting Rodriguez by 118 points
Brian's latest weekly "Dressing Down of Borges" post, and I suppose the first 150 pages of "Three and Out" have got me to thinking. Besides the obvious record differential, just how has Borges's "grab bag" offense fared compared to last year's?
Through 8 games, it comes down to...Borges losing. 283-278, 5 points. To be fair to Borges, this assumes that Michigan wouldn't have scored in the fourth quarter against Western. So yeah, with equal time Borges's offense would probably be beating Rodriguez's.
Just for fun, I decided to look at the defenses through 8 games. You come up with Hoke winning 117-240, a difference of 123 points.
So yeah, that looks like a net difference of 118 points. We can argue strength of schedule I suppose, but Umass, Bowling Green, and Indiana weren't exactly loaded either. Age and experience caveats still apply.
In conclusion, Hoke Uber Ales. Cant wait to see that 2012 class suit up(or better yet-redshirt!) Gotta love the direction of this program.
November 2nd, 2011 at 4:37 PM ^
with kitten.
November 2nd, 2011 at 10:44 AM ^
In fairness to Rodriguez, the 2011 team is nearly the same team as last year with a year of experience. That's not to say expectations haven't been exceded, especially on defense, but any comparison is apples and oranges.
November 2nd, 2011 at 10:46 AM ^
Good Lord!
I genuinely thought I had an original thought when I posted. I guess I'm just not fast enough.
November 2nd, 2011 at 10:47 AM ^
"Exponentially" better, as [Rodriguez] put it. [Regarding expectations for the 2011 team.]
Then he was fired.
"We saw the light at the end of the tunnel," he said Tuesday in a 30-minute interview with The Associated Press. "Heck, we had 24 starters coming back, and the player of the year in the league—he's a sophomore and still learning. Recruiting, we thought it was going really well even with all the drama.
That's the frustrating part about it is we didn’t get a chance to finish the job."
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/OK-now-they…
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:03 AM ^
There is so much more to talk about and belabor.
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:08 AM ^
I love the job that Hoke and Co. is doing right now, and I think the short- and long-term picture is looking progressively prettier. But I have to be honest, I think Michigan football would have been pretty exciting this year if Rodriguez were still around...well, on offense at least.
November 2nd, 2011 at 12:33 PM ^
May have been exciting on defense too, but not necessarily in a good way.
November 2nd, 2011 at 12:09 PM ^
Easy to say when you don't have to do it. This would have been another year of garish shootouts (and a couple blowout losses), which I'm thankful to have been spared.
November 2nd, 2011 at 12:45 PM ^
also didn't finish the year very well last year. There seemed to be a regression in the offense rather than an improvement.
Just because we had 24 starters returing doesn't mean the offense would have improved under Rick Rod
November 2nd, 2011 at 2:37 PM ^
This was pretty assholish of Rich Rod to say. Basically he is discrediting Hoke this season, as any success Hoke has is to be expected. Just another example of Rich Rod deflecting blame and pointing to next year.
November 2nd, 2011 at 10:47 AM ^
is losing by more than that. I remember at least 3 defensive TD's this year.
One of the biggest takeaways from the book for me is that the game cannot be boiled down to numbers much like baseball can. It's too interconnected and with small sample sizes, minor plays can be a huge difference in numbers.
The players and coaches believe in momentum in the book, which is something the numbers don't usually explain. It exists if only if the players believe in it and thus is an factor even if the numbers don't bear it out.
November 2nd, 2011 at 10:54 AM ^
"Hold hard!" said I at this, 'tell your story as you ought, Senor Don Ojos Claros, for you know very well that all comparisons are odious, and there is no occasion to compare one person with another; the peerless Dulcinea del Tobos is what she is, and the lady Dona Delerma is what she is and has been, and that's enough.'
(Apologies to Cervantes.)
P.S. Your title is deliberately provocative and may deserve the scorn that it invites.
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:04 AM ^
Hear me now
Oh thou bleak and unbearable world,
Thou art base and debauched as can be;
And a knight with his banners all bravely unfurled
Now hurls down his gauntlet to thee!
I am I, Don Quixote,
The Lord of La Mancha, þ
My destiny calls and I go,
And the wild winds of fortune
Will carry me onward,
Oh whithersoever they blow.
Whithersoever they blow,
Onward to glory I go!
November 2nd, 2011 at 12:19 PM ^
actually revoked one of the points someone had given me for this. Show yourself, coward! You are lower than an ant's anus!
November 2nd, 2011 at 10:51 AM ^
Why all the wailing and gnashing of teeth still?
Our main fear of the Hoke regime versus Rodriguez was that Borges = DeBord. That did not happen, will not happen, plain and simple.
Be at peace. Take yes for an answer.
November 2nd, 2011 at 10:51 AM ^
This year, we are basically clock killing in the 4th quarter. Last year, we'd be down 3 TDs against good teams and tied against crappy teams. Either way, since our defense was so pathetic last year, we were gunning until the end.
November 2nd, 2011 at 10:55 AM ^
1) Defense is playing better this year. (My theory is 4-3 > 3-3-5 and technique)
2) It's impossible to know what would happen in an alternate universe with different coaches absent a time machine.
3) We have reason to be very proud of our players, and I don't think they're worried about what this season would be like under anyone else.
4) Flame wars suck. Stop please.
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:07 AM ^
Let me correct your first point 4-3 >>>>>>>>3-3-5.
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:24 AM ^
Let me correct his first point and your point 4-3>>>>>>3-3-5 when 4-3 is coached by competent coordinator and 3-3-5 is being forced down someone's throat who has no idea how to run it.
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:27 AM ^
I accept your correction, but I still think the 3-3-5 is inherently not that great of a defense, regardless of the co-ordinator.
November 2nd, 2011 at 12:09 PM ^
November 2nd, 2011 at 1:46 PM ^
If every offense ran primarily a spread, one could argue that the 3-3-5 would be superior because it gets lighter, faster players to the ball against smaller slot receivers, etc. In practice, I don't recall a 3-3-5 being successful in the B1G or a conference where offensive lines are large and there's a reliance on MANBALL. 3-3-5 also seems very good at getting better performance out of lesser talent, but not sure it brings out the best in large, athletic, talented defenders.
November 2nd, 2011 at 1:47 PM ^
November 2nd, 2011 at 10:57 AM ^
...that Hoke beats Rodriguez in terms of shoe size also.
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:15 AM ^
You know what they say about big feet....
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:32 AM ^
It'd be more difficult for Hoke to stick his foot in his mouth?
November 2nd, 2011 at 12:17 PM ^
Big Shoes.
November 2nd, 2011 at 10:57 AM ^
Won't even get into the specifics of this. Just hoping you don't do statistical analysis for a living, at least not where someone's well-being may be at stake.
November 2nd, 2011 at 10:59 AM ^
Hoke Uber Ales? Is that kind of like a really great beer?
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:02 AM ^
Hoke Premium Pils is better.
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:02 AM ^
Points more than Rodriguez
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:04 AM ^
in just to see how many down votes this would get...
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:05 AM ^
Points more than Rodriguez
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:05 AM ^
If you care about being part of this blog I would be careful about what you say about RR. You will be silenced and have blogging privileges taken away if you criticize RR. What Brian and the rest of you RR lovers don't understand is that the spread offense is done. I bet the next three BCS national champions will be teams that run a pro-style offense. The spread is for teams that have inferior talent. Auburn won the title because they had superman as QB. Florida won two with a spread because they had superman at QB. Both QB's won the Heisman. RR will never win a national title with his offense.
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:09 AM ^
Are you?
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:24 AM ^
I'm having trouble figuring out what the last team was that won the national title without a Heisman winner on the team. My point is you need great players no matter what system you are using.
November 2nd, 2011 at 12:26 PM ^
2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007
November 2nd, 2011 at 12:22 PM ^
thinking back four years? LSU in its bitchslapping of Ohio State did not have a Heisman winner. Florida (Tebow), Alabama (Ingram) and Auburn (Newton) followed.
November 2nd, 2011 at 12:27 PM ^
What if RR had a heisman-winning QB?
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:07 AM ^
I also cannot wait to see the Class of 2012 redshirt.
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:07 AM ^
We get a separate section for diaries that involve beating a dead horse and continually analyzing shit that doesn't matter to a lot of us.
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:51 AM ^
actually morph into something quite entertaining.
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:17 AM ^
small talk on a slow day, what's wrong with that? you people can be absurdly harsh at times. I find the information provided, interesting. Who cares which coach you prefer? Facts were stated, he shouldn't be negged for that.
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:26 AM ^
My guess is that a lot of people, like me, just finished reading Three and Out and are particularly unhappy to see anything that stirs up internal division (even just among readers of the blog).
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:17 AM ^
Gasp! Rich Rodriguez didn't do very well here!?
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:18 AM ^
Hoke is also besting Rodriguez by 118 pounds, at least.
#NotanydumberthantheOP
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:27 AM ^
For so many reasons.
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:34 AM ^
Yep, that stats only been on here 39 times this week.
November 2nd, 2011 at 12:36 PM ^
Link?