snowflakes [ED:BiSB - All ND blatherings go here]
Well, that sucked. While these are fresh in my head, here are my thoughts on the game:
1. Defense - we played a great defensive game. When you turn the ball over 6 times, some of those well into your own territory, and only give up a single TD and 2 FGs, that is some damn good defense. I was especially happy with our safety and LB play against the run. Kovaks was just awesome today.
2. Defensive turnovers. I am somewhat concerned about why we are not creating fumbles on defense. Not a knock agianst our defense, which see above, but are we just not swarming the ball and tacking hard enough or is it something else? We will need to create turnovers to win the game.
3. Defensive pressure - again, see #1, but we really do need to get more pressure on opposing QBs. NDs QB situation is shit, but against teams with better QBs, allowing that much pocket time is going to hurt us.
4. Ok, the offense. I know that we put up a big 6 points, but the offense actually looked OK. Denard ran well, and Gallon continues to be - in my mind, at least - our best receiver. That kid is consistent and catches just about everything thrown his way. No, he is not going to be Megatron, but he is a great possession receiver.
5. Denard - sometimes, you just have a crappy game. This was definitely that. Let's not extrapolate too much from this. Hopefully, he will never see a LB as good as Teo again this year (until the Rose Bowl?). He just had a crappy game, and there is not more to say. Yes, we all know about the problem with INTs, and no he is not going to pick a team apart like Tom Brady, but this is nothing new. Denard will continue to save us in some games and cost us in others.
6. Fitz - he really needs to get his game back together, because he is just not impressive. Not sure, though, if it is on him or his line. Either way, if we want to have a chane to win the B10, we need to develop some non-Denard running game and fast.
OK, that's all I got. What are all of your thoughts?
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:25 PM ^
He's pretty rotund, I would guess fairly poor shape.
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:46 PM ^
0-0 Big 10, and it ain't murderer's row.
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:26 PM ^
His blood sugar is a little high but he can run a few miles w/out much problem, so that's good.
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:25 PM ^
Denard Robinson is the most dynamic player in college football.
Denard Robinson is also the worst decision maker in college football.
Unfortunately we saw more of the latter tonight.
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:29 PM ^
Absolutely correct, State Street. I basically stated what you just did in a Mgoboard post, but I get shived.
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:26 PM ^
I am not overly worried about not forcing fumbles. All of the teams we have played have had experienced and very good backs. The defense is playing better, but rushing four down lineman on passing downs will not cut it. I suspect they had a game plan for gholston (sorry if I am mispelling his name) and did not change it when Rees came in. Lets hope they put in some more blitz packages for the big ten season.
The bright side is pretty bright. Fitz was starting to look like his old self in the second half. This team has every reason to believe they can win the Big Ten this year. We all knew this was going to be a rough season. Brady is rebuilding the roster, as evidenced by the number of freshman playing, and we have a killer schedule. If we can come through and win the Big Ten, that would be great.
Bottom line, we beat ourselves tonight but the future is bright. Time to stay positive.
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:29 PM ^
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:31 PM ^
That's all I got. Sad Panda. Denard regressed to freshman Denard @ Iowa.
How do you have:
- 300 total yards
- Over 50% 3rd down effeciency
- 19 First downs
- Only Punt once
And only score 6 points?
Son I am dissapoint.
At least the B1G is horseshit this year. @Purdue, @Neb, @OSU scare the crap out of me though. 9-3 would be unicorns at this point. 8-4 acceptible/understandable.
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:32 PM ^
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:58 PM ^
Pretty much, yeah.
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:33 PM ^
i really hope fsu scores some more points, i bet me dad they would win by at least 21 points over clemson
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:34 PM ^
I was pretty impressed by the front seven, and I'll be very happy if the flea-flicker fusion special never sees the light of day again.
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:34 PM ^
- Take wife to dinner to celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary (The Melting Pot ... Great place for mommy and daddy to go sans kiddies).
- Let wife indulge her fondness for dark chocolate and Chambord fondue (don't judge).
- Don't watch the game.
- Worry about Denard's misfiring synapses tomorrow.
September 23rd, 2012 at 12:11 AM ^
September 23rd, 2012 at 12:24 AM ^
When you are actually pretending to be two human beings who don't have to worry about whether their son is telling poop jokes at the table. At that point, a trip to the Dairy Queen would suffice, so Melting Pot is a better place than most.
September 23rd, 2012 at 12:43 AM ^
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:36 PM ^
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:57 PM ^
2008 and 2009 were much worse. People seem really reasonable tonight.
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:36 PM ^
It'll be interesting to see how everyone graded out in the UFR. I think we'll be encouraged. Can't wait for Big Ten games.
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:36 PM ^
Different than the last 3 games the O line looked good moving the ND D line off the ball when Denard went under center and Michigan ran straight at them. I don't know if that was caused by good blocking or NDs "shell" defense to stop Denard and his running. My guess is it was the later but either way I wish Borges called more runs for Fitz in the second half in that power formation (full back and Fitz in the I) since it seemed to be working.
September 23rd, 2012 at 12:35 AM ^
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:37 PM ^
I feel a strange desire to BURN MY COUCH!!!! ...or drive to East Lansing and burn one of their couches. Dammit Denard, why must you electrify us one week, then punch us all in the dong the next.
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:37 PM ^
Pressure on the QB makes all the difference in the world. Our defensive line is just nowhere close to where it needs to be. Nowhere remotely close, and I just don't think its going to get much better as the year goes on. I hate knocking our guys, and I know they're putting in the effort, but its time like these where you can really see how much of an effect guys like Martin and Van Bergen had. Both physically and emotionally.
Our defensive line is a patchwork. It will only get better with recruiting (I am salivating over the idea of a Pip, Poggi, Charlton, and Ojemudia Death Stare D-Line). Those guys will be living in an opposing backfield.
Other than that, I feel much better about our defense after tonight. Jake Ryan is a manbeast. Wilson did make a stupid mistake in the red zone, but he's a freshman. He'll make freshman mistakes.
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:40 PM ^
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:43 PM ^
I didn't see him in once. I almost always keep an eye out for him, but seems after Air Force he hasn't seen the field much at all.
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:39 PM ^
So I'm actually encouraged by this horrible horrible loss. Here's why:
- The defense really stepped up, especially against the run. Congrats to the linebackers, who looked a lot more assertive than they have previously.
- The offense DID have some success before committing yet another egregious turnover. Odds are Denard's not going to have another game even remotely close to this bad in the turnover department. If we only have one or two (or just have our customary success in the red zone), we win this game by a couple touchdowns
- Norfleet is a machine.
Listen, we all know that Michigan does and will have at the very least a competant offense. I was encouraged by what I saw on defense and special teams. This bodes well for competition in the New Big East.
Also, WTF Lewan? He got torched on the first couple of drives, not sure if he stepped up later or not without looking at the UFR
September 23rd, 2012 at 6:55 AM ^
We did a pretty good job containing ND's rush game - 94 yards on 31 attempts, so we were only giving them about 3 yards per attempt, which is actually a substantial improvement over the previous three games. We swarmed to the ball quickly and snuffed out virtually every attempt in what I would say is a reasonable amount of time that will keep us in every game if we keep that performance up.
If you disregard the turnovers for a minute, especially ones in the red zone, we were getting 4 yards per carry and 10 yards per completion and sustained, for a time anyway, some reallygood drives. We were ust short of 300 yards total offense for the game, and with fewer turnovers (an aberration, this game - unlikely to repeat itself), so it is clear that we can be ruthlessly efficient on offense, and I will take that going into conference play.
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:42 PM ^
Now I know how ND felt last season. They outplayed us all game but turned the ball over in the red zone, which ended up the difference in the game.
Sucks because our D looked outstanding. Our Offense looked like it was really handling their front 7. Just a few bad decisions and a few good plays by their D cost us the game.
I also think our missed field goal cost us some momentum in the beginning. I know I know, it was just a field goal in the first quarter, but that would have had us capitalizing on their turnover and could have put much more pressure on them instead of stopping us and gaining momentum that early.
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:45 PM ^
ND has a very good defense, but not nearly as stout as Alabama's. Michigan's offensive woes can be put on the entire offense, including coaches. Overall, I think Borges called a good game, but there were a couple of plays in the red zone that seemed to be over thought, including the option pitch that was just not smooth at all, and of course the Smith pass.
Denard seems to get too amped up in some of these games, and it affects his passing. There were other missed assignments in blocking, etc. that led to sacks or pressure that shouldn't have been there, but the interceptions were just ugly.
It's still really hard to tell how good ND and Michigan are after this game. Neither team looked like a top ten, let alone a top twenty team, and I got the sense that if these two teams played each other ten times, Michigan would have won seven or eight of them. Maybe it's just the turn of the wheel of fortune, and it's ND's turn to win after outplaying Michigan last year and coming away with the loss.
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:51 PM ^
Open question: would the outcome have been different if Golson had gone the distance instead of Rees subbing for him?
I think it may have. I think we could have forced another couple of turnovers if he'd stayed in there. Rees was a good game manager tonight and made a couple of excellent throws. It's sure a luxury to have a guy like that to come off the bench.
September 23rd, 2012 at 12:15 AM ^
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:54 PM ^
The funny thing is that we could've won that game even with every single one of Denard's turnovers.
September 23rd, 2012 at 12:05 AM ^
...the fact that we turned the ball over that many times, and yet STILL had a chance to win the game. Our D stepped up.
September 22nd, 2012 at 11:55 PM ^
From the first loss against Bama, I have stayed optimistic. After tonight, though, I just don't know how we can consistently win games with the way Denard plays against decent defenses, especially with most of them being on the road for the rest of the season. I know it is definitely possible and somewhat likely that we will in fact play in the Big ten championship game in the weak Big Ten, but if we've got the rest of the team playing their hearts out like they did tonight (Defense especially), and Denard's over here throwing 2+ interceptions and giving up fumbles, I don't know if we can consistently win games. Denard has to get out of the mindset that he can turn the ball over 2-4 times a game, complete less than 50% of his passes and still pull off a win like he did last season, for example in the games against Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, and somewhat Northwestern... Those were all examples of the opposition beating themselves instead of us beating them. I can still see us winning the Legends Division, winning the Big Ten championship game, and moving on to the Rose Bowl, but only if we cut back on the mistakes, especially with Denard. GO BLUE!!!
September 23rd, 2012 at 12:05 AM ^
I'm scared to make a thread about this, but here's what Denard said post game.
"I want to say sorry to everybody who watched football, watched Michigan football and whoever followed Michigan football.... It won't happen no more. I'm going to be accountable for the rest of the season, I can tell you that much. I will do whatever it takes to win and whatever it takes for the team to win, that's what I'm going to do.... I don't want to feel like this anymore. I'm disappointed in myself... The 22 years I've been living, this is the most disappointed I've been in myself."
September 23rd, 2012 at 12:12 AM ^
He really is a great person, but how does he break these bad habits that he still has in the middle of his senior season? Throwing off balance, rushing throws due to pass rush, trying to force the ball into triple coverage, or just simply making poor decisions? He is making mistakes that are understandable for a Freshman or Sophomore QB, but he's a Senior. I love Denard the human being, and appreciate his words after this game, but I'm just not sure how he can break these bad habits if he hasn't broken them by now.
September 23rd, 2012 at 12:45 AM ^
However, I see where you're coming from. He's just doesn't have the instincts that you need to be a precision passer. That being the case, you do have to put a lot of the blame on Borges. The five interceptions came on five consecutive throws. Obviously you can throw the first one out and probably the last one too (basically a hail mary), but still, when your qb throws two straight picks, the next time you have him throw it should be a screen play or a 5 yard out route. Denard was continuously under a lot of pressure in the pocket; why would you try to go over the middle yet again?
Part of it though may just be that he's trying to hard. He needs to know that most Michigan fans, especially when they're not drunk and venting, aren't going to hold this against him. Denard is still my all-time favorite Michigan player, and no meaningless (for the most part...) loss against Notre Dame is going to change that.
To hell with Notre Dame. They'll get picked apart by Stanford and USC. Meaningwhile, we have a legitimate shot at the Rose Bowl. Purdue will be dangerous though. Better hope we don't get lulled to sleep on that one.
September 23rd, 2012 at 12:15 AM ^
If you look back to his speech at the Big Ten Media Days Kick off Luncheon, you can already tell he is a class act. He is very respectable, likeable, and I am glad that he is representing the University of Michigan the way he is. And just from those couple of sentences I am already over the fact that he pretty much killed the game for us. This reminds me of the Tim Tebow incident a few years ago where he said "you will not see anybody work as hard as I will for the rest of the season." Denard will redeem himself, I look forward to watching him for the rest of the season, and I really hope more than anything that after his career at Michigan he will succeed at whatever he does, whether it is the NFL or pursuing another career. A real class act and give him props for taking responsibility like he did tonight.
September 23rd, 2012 at 12:20 AM ^
He's a good guy. He needs to pick himself.
September 23rd, 2012 at 1:07 AM ^
September 23rd, 2012 at 10:02 AM ^
He's a great kid. What a shame that he had this happen on his birthday. I believe he'll bounce back.
September 23rd, 2012 at 12:06 AM ^
The defense was a surprising plus and Notre Dame wasn't as scary as I thought they would be.
We kept shooting ourselves in the foot and I don't put that blame on any particular player or coach. You win as a team, you lose as a team and no matter what some say, I like Denard as our quarterback, faults and all.
Any update on Gardner's condition?
September 23rd, 2012 at 12:15 AM ^
no teams truly scare me now that the D is not giving up huge plays and can keep us in the game seemingly single-handedly four quarters.
September 23rd, 2012 at 12:09 AM ^
I feel really badly for Denard. He just wants so badly to make plays, and for whatever reason he just doesn't deal well with pressure right in his face. Maybe it's his height, or lack there of. But pretty much every poor throw that he made had someone coming straight at him. When the center of the pocket is clean, he's fine. In fact, he was actually efficient and down right good. I have to imagine that Borges is constantly trying to get him to just evade and/or throw the ball away.
What a horrible birthday for the kid, to bascially singlehandedl lose the game for your team. I know it's a team game and all, but it's hard to look at this game and say most all of the INT's are on him. I suppose that OL could have picked up the blitzes bit better, but the book on beating Denard is get pressure straight at him, and he'll turn it over.
Oh well, I know he'll get over it, and so will we. But at the OP said, this game was right there for the taking. Even with 5 turnovers, we're only down 10 points at the half, get the a three and out in the first possession of the 2nd half.
Go Blue!
September 23rd, 2012 at 12:26 AM ^
I have to agree ith you. This game was really tough to watch, just because Denard struggled so much. I guess the positive to take out of this is that we weren't going to win a national title this year no matter what, so this loss doesn't kill us there. We still have a chance to reach our ultimate goal of a B1G title. As terrible as Denard was tonight, throwing passes straight to ND players, I still have faith in him to lead us to the Rose Bowl. Let's see him have a huge bounce back game in a couple weeks.
Go Blue!
September 23rd, 2012 at 12:33 AM ^
Feel really bad for the guy as well. Hopefully this one doesn't affect his psyche. Just a crap game that I hope he can get over.
September 23rd, 2012 at 12:50 AM ^
September 23rd, 2012 at 10:04 AM ^
Perhaps, but he had some poor days throwing the ball in 2010 under Rodriguez, too (MSU, Ohio, Miss St come to mind). I think defenses have caught on to some of his tendencies as a passer.
September 23rd, 2012 at 1:05 AM ^
September 23rd, 2012 at 1:09 AM ^