September 12th, 2009 at 9:07 PM ^
let me feel good about this for the night before asking deflating questions like this!
September 12th, 2009 at 9:10 PM ^
ND looked like an excellent, excellent team the whole game. They were fast and physical and talented and trained and we beat them. It says way more about Michigan.
September 12th, 2009 at 9:17 PM ^
ND moved nearly at will on us. Yet, we found a way to win.
I expect ND to be our third or fourth toughest game this year. (Iowa bounced back nicely today.)
September 12th, 2009 at 9:22 PM ^
Iowa's win wasn't that great. It was a very ugly game; Iowa's QB continuously overthrew his WRs. ISU isn't very good, as Chizik left that program in bad shape. Zero offensive playmakers on ISU's team. Iowa still has alot of issues. ND will be our 3rd toughest game, with OSU and PSU the 2 remaining difficult games.
September 12th, 2009 at 9:22 PM ^
Possibly the toughest other than OSU. Those receivers are insane. You can't downplay the fact that Floyd and Tate were obscenely good and impossible to cover. If we had 2 Donovan Warrens then maybe they could have been held a bit more in check. But they went right after Cissoko, and he had no chance against Floyd.
September 12th, 2009 at 9:14 PM ^
us that this team is all in for Michigan and their coach. Did you see RR and Tate hugging after the game? That is top 3 games I have ever watched!
September 12th, 2009 at 9:34 PM ^
I hadn't seen that mentioned yet until your post, but that is one of those small things that really spoke volumes to me as well!!
September 12th, 2009 at 10:10 PM ^
I am not ashamed to say that, when I saw that hug play at halftime of the OSU USC game, one single tear rolled down my smiling face
September 12th, 2009 at 9:17 PM ^
It tells us about us!!!! And how we fucking rock way more than anyone thought we would! This ND team is no slouch, they actually seem legit and I would say better than the 2006 version. I think we just never gave up, and took their asses down! FUCK. SHIT. UP!!!!
September 12th, 2009 at 9:16 PM ^
There's no way Michigan would have won this game a year ago. RR has QBs he's been looking for and it paid off for the past 2 weeks. There's a great chance of being 4-0 before heading to E. Lansing and a great chance of beating Sparty at their home turf as well.
September 12th, 2009 at 9:25 PM ^
Both teams had their mistakes, but for the most part pretty good. We outplayed them and won, which is the kind of game I like to see.
Obviously, both teams had some problems.
On our side:
- For the first half, Cissoko vs. ND's wideouts had me curled up on the floor, in the fetal position, thumb in mouth, whimpering sighs of dismay. He looked better in the second half so I'm glad to see he stepped it up, but the secondary still makes me nervous. (Plus, looked like we made some good adjustments in the 2nd half getting more pressure on Claussen. The fact that we adjusted at halftime and stepped up is encouraging.)
- Is it me or did the tackling not look as good this week as last? It just looked like their tailback was having his way w/ us... It just seemed like we weren't getting to him and making hits.
- Injuries are a concern. Harkening back to secondary=scary, hopefully Williams' injury isn't too severe. Plus, Moosman was injuried, and Stonum... Hopefully we have them all back next week, along w/ Hemingway. With Hemingway and Stonum out, our WR depth seemed lacking at points. I'm glad Matthews stepped up, had a solid game and caught that last touchdown pass. For the long-term, I'm now *much* more pleased that RR is recruiting a bevy of WRs!!
- On a positive, obviously, Tate is epic. Also, Koger is quickly becoming one of my favorite players. The guy just gets it done, and I love it.
I predicted 7-5 before the season. If we can stay healthy, keep up the great momentum we're building, and Tate keeps executing like he is, 8-4 is very feasible, and dare I say it - 9-3 now looks possible.
Especially because it looks like a lot of our B10 competition isn't as good as we may have thought. The only games we're *serious* underdogs in, from here on out, are OSU and PSU. MSU, Iowa, and maybe Wisconsin are more in the toss-up range, I think we win 2 out of those 3, and if we do, we're looking at 9-3. Maybe I'm being optimistic, but barring lots of injuries or major collapse this is very possible.
September 13th, 2009 at 12:08 AM ^
5 WR's in the current class? We need the depth! (when Hemingway, Stonum, go down, and some guys flame out.)
September 12th, 2009 at 9:27 PM ^
First, Tate is the real deal. This was a huge game today, as ND played good D. Aside from the TDs, Tate was impressive in keeping his composure while we had to come back from behind twice. As he gets more games under his belt, he should have a great career at Michigan.
Second, the whole team has a tremendous character. We were the underdogs today, and rightfully so. ND made mistakes that cost them the game, but that still doesn't take anything away from the resilience our guys showed.
Finally, not only are we very thin on D in terms of depth, but I also wish they will be able to bring in some serious talent with recruiting. We weren't able to put much pressure on Clausen during the game, and our corners were at their receivers mercy for good chunks of the game. They ran the ball pretty well I thought.
Overall a great game. Go Blue!
September 12th, 2009 at 9:29 PM ^
This team has heart. We wanted it more than they did and we took it.
September 12th, 2009 at 9:32 PM ^
The biggest missing element of our offense last season was QB. We've got one now. It also tells us that our secondary is a bit weaker than we thought, ND has two top level WR's and a good QB themselves, but still, Cissoko was really targeted today. Ouch.
It also tells us we'll very likely be 4-0 heading into Spartyville. 8-4 season isn't out of the question, maybe 9-3, as long as Tate "Our Savior" Forcier stays healthy.
In summary, we no longer suck.
September 12th, 2009 at 9:55 PM ^
Tate and Floyd are absolute beasts. Not many teams have a 1-2 like that...so I wouldn't worry about Boubacar. I do agree our secondary was pummeled today, but I'd like to believe that reflects more on ND than on us.
September 13th, 2009 at 2:50 PM ^
8-4 season isn't out of the question, maybe 9-3
At this point I'd go so far as to argue that, barring injuries, 8-4 should be expected. I don't see five Big Ten teams beating us (and I'm not even sure there are four that can).
September 12th, 2009 at 9:40 PM ^
tate led an epic 2 min drill to win the game, and basically scored 2 td's, since the first one was dropped.
ill be interested to see how ND's defense shows out. i know their offense is the real deal, and will carry them to an excellent record (cupcake schedule not withstanding). hopefully, their defense actually is pretty good, and the offense is this good.
last year, as injuries mounted and threet wore down, i think our team actually digressed. frustration of forcing a round peg into a square hole boiled over nd our team didnt improve like you hope. i think the opposite happens this year. good vibes, good fit, and good coaches (run and hide doubters!) and michigan will be even better in november than in september.
September 12th, 2009 at 9:41 PM ^
It tells me to save some vacation days because we're going to a bowl game!
September 12th, 2009 at 9:51 PM ^
If there was a game to see this season for Michigan without a doubt today was THE game to go see. I'm envious jealous and incredibly excited for the people here who got to go. I couldn't make it up unfortunately but I will be there this weekend!
September 12th, 2009 at 10:43 PM ^
Fuck an Emu....
FUCK RUDY
...and that I like Gentleman's Jack...a lot.
September 12th, 2009 at 10:10 PM ^
It tells us we are better than Notre Dame!
September 13th, 2009 at 5:42 AM ^
They have been in football hell for 15 years and it does not look like they are getting out any time soon.
September 13th, 2009 at 12:41 PM ^
Come on, dude. If you were not thoroughly impressed with their offense you're high. Let's not sit here and pretend our last second comeback was anything other than a last second comeback.
September 13th, 2009 at 1:47 PM ^
Our victory over Notre Dame tells us that we're better than Notre Dame.