UM at Ohio last year on BTN

Submitted by OmarDontScare on
Currently in 2nd quarter. Frank Clark just destroyed Braxton. I'd advise not watching the 2nd half as our OC decided to completely telegraph every play.. Oh, lining up a guy that literally cannot throw (due to injury) at QB will work...they won't stack the box with 9 guys when Gardners out? Nice strategy Al.. On second thought don't watch...just horrible

LSAClassOf2000

July 23rd, 2013 at 9:01 PM ^

It's a memorable but poignant moment, but this game - as most undoubtedly know - contains Denard Robinson's last TD as a Wolverine (67-yard rushing TD, and a beauty as well). 

OmarDontScare

July 23rd, 2013 at 9:02 PM ^

Sorry guys, Im really pissed too when I turn this on. I know people love Al bc of Heiko and other interactions but I'll never forgive him for this game. Ever. That may sound like an overreaction but I challenge you to watch it and disagree.

GoBlueInNYC

July 23rd, 2013 at 9:06 PM ^

This was the game when I knew that my girlfriend actually had been paying attention when I made her watch all those games. "Why does he keep running that guy up the middle?!" she howled, as my heart grew three sizes just in time to be crushed by Borges' aforementioned terrible play calling.

MGoBlue96

July 23rd, 2013 at 9:08 PM ^

of years with a more familar scheme, so I have no interest in watching this game again. I was angry at Al enough the first time, don't need to get angry at Al all over again. No doubt in my mind that they win this game with better playcalling.

GoBlueInNYC

July 23rd, 2013 at 9:21 PM ^

If his grandkids play Madden at all like I do, it'll be a Hail Mary each and every play. With a healthy dose of mixing up your buttons and throwing to a different receiver than you intended (which still works about half the time).

Which might not be the best game plan, but probably beats a "bench Denard to run Smith between the tackles" game plan.

TheGhostofChappuis

July 23rd, 2013 at 9:26 PM ^

In all seriousness, a hail mary every play really might have been better.  We still likely would have scored zero points in the 2nd half, and Devin can certainly throw the ball more than 45 yards in the event of an interception.

OmarDontScare

July 23rd, 2013 at 9:24 PM ^

Man, the defense really played well this game. Feel horrible for Denard on his last Ohio game - he didn't even have a shot

exmtroj

July 23rd, 2013 at 9:33 PM ^

Al Borges' gift to the state of ohio. I still place some blame on Hoke, though. As the head coach, you have to take charge and tell him to un-fuck himself and call something that makes sense. This was inexcusable.

denardogasm

July 23rd, 2013 at 9:36 PM ^

Is it just me or did our Dline have its way with their Oline?  Their line can't be THAT much better from a year of experience can it?  Why is it so vaunted?

OmarDontScare

July 23rd, 2013 at 9:42 PM ^

Heiko - I understand that this has been covered but it would really help a lot of M fans look optimistically toward the future if we could get the answer to the following questions:

- 2nd half, OSU - Did it cross your mind that they may know what you were doing before every snap?

- Did Denards run in the late 1st half influence you?

- Are you thick-headed?

aiglick

July 23rd, 2013 at 9:47 PM ^

I didn't remember but apparently Frank Clark had some great plays in this game. Maybe foreshadowing for things to come?

I actually am getting more excited watching this game.

UMxWolverines

July 23rd, 2013 at 10:02 PM ^

I forgive him (for now) but my lord I don't know if I've ever been so frustrated by playcalling in my life. It ws the most painful thing ever watching the 2nd half knowing I could pick out a random play from NCAA 13 and have better success coaching that offense. 

Leonhall

July 23rd, 2013 at 10:17 PM ^

Never forget this crappy play-calling. By far, the most pissed I've been after a game during the hoke era. And like the guy above mentioned, this falls on Borges, but also hoke for not stepping in, putting on some headphones and asking what the fuck is going on?

Boom Goes the …

July 24th, 2013 at 1:53 AM ^

I thought the Oline play was 50% of the problem.  Lewan looked disinterested, and the 2 guards and center were allowing penetrating especially on all those short yardage situations.  Everyone points to "how can you run the ball with Vincent Smith on 3rd and 2!!!" but there isn't much he can do when he runs into his lineman's back 3 yards in the backfield.  Did he call a great game? No, and I was frustrated as anyone else...but it seemed like the Oline just couldnt get a push.  Just my .03

YtownBlue

July 24th, 2013 at 7:23 AM ^

That's what I saw for a lot of the games, the interior 3 O lineman were average at best. I don't care if you have 5-6 Vincent Smith back there, you have to make holes for the RB's. that nastiness from past Michigan OL's will be back starting this year. I hear Braden & Kalis have a mean streak

OmarDontScare

July 23rd, 2013 at 10:37 PM ^

The following is BS in my opinion- Iowa gameplan was flawless - OSU gameplan was 100% different for no apparent reason other than to lose

“There’s a lot of criticism, I know, from the Ohio State game, which the plan was very similar [to the Iowa game] and there was a lot of the lauding or praises for the Iowa game. A lot of the [Ohio State] plan was in the Iowa game. There was a lot of the same stuff. There was a little more nuance that we actually ended up running in the bowl game -- I’m telling you something I haven’t told anyone before -- but the second half of the Ohio State game we didn’t get to a lot of those calls because we failed on third-down-and-short situations several times. We failed, we turned the ball over a couple times. A lot of those calls don’t get out of your mouth. You see what I mean?

“I told you guys this in the press conference, and I remember saying this: everybody’s going to complain about the play-calling and who’s touching the ball, you know? Getting carries? If you’re not getting first downs, you’re not getting calls out. You don’t get that turn. You lost that turn, because something went wrong and you didn’t move the chains. You turn the ball over. And now everybody’s going to think you screwed it up, which, at the end of the day, maybe you did. It’s not all the players; it’s the coaches, too, now. We don’t always make the perfect call. But the bottom line is at the end of the day, if you don’t get a lot of chances to call plays, you’ll always be short. You won’t rush the ball very well. Nobody will rush for 100 yards. You won’t have a receiver catching over 100 yards. Your quarterback won’t have good numbers. You have to keep the chains moving so the play-caller can get more calls off. You’re in a constant situation where you’re trying to set plays up, but if you don’t get to those plays, you never get to the counterpunch.”

I see. So for your offense to be successful, you need the opportunity to run plays so you can set up other plays.

“Mmhmm.”

There were plays that you ran in the bowl game that you didn’t run against Ohio State because you weren’t able to set them up?

“Exactly.”

What would happen if -- let’s say there’s a run play that has pass component as the counter punch. If the run wasn’t successful, could you still call the pass?

“Doesn’t work that way. Because you have to understand the residual effect of football plays. This is very difficult for fans to understand. And I’m not being condescending, because it would be for me if I were [a fan].

"People sometimes don’t understand the value of a failed play. Sometimes the defense overdefends a play and gives you another play by doing so. So you may run a run in there and it doesn’t gain anything, and obviously people say, ‘Quit running the ball up the middle!’ How many times do you hear that? ‘Don’t run the ball up the middle!’ Well sometimes running up the ball up the middle will afford you the opportunity to pull the ball out and throw the ball down the field, because people are so aggressive with playing that play up the middle. I call it the residual effect of football plays. What’s the leftover effect of what we just did?

"If both plays don’t work, then you probably have a problem. Either the plan wasn’t good or your execution’s off. There’s only two ways plays fail. The plan isn’t good or your execution is lousy. Overdefended, underexecuted. That’s why plays fail. But you have to understand that a play, just because it fails, doesn’t mean it’s a bad play. It may give you something down the line. For example, if you ran the ball into the line of scrimmage and gained a half a yard. But the play-action pass off that play gained 35 yards. What’s the average of the two plays?”

Haywood Jablomy

July 23rd, 2013 at 10:47 PM ^

Omar's is exactly right. I am standing 2' away from my 47" flat screen screaming, why not put him at tailback? WHY? WHy? Why? why, whywhywhy. Seriously, why? The Iowa game was the game plan on how to use Denard.

gwkrlghl

July 23rd, 2013 at 11:04 PM ^

How different this off-season wouldve been if we hadn't gone into a shell in the second half. People would be talking about how Michigan is the chief of the Big Ten and people wouldn't be declaring that Urban and Ohio State will never ever lose a game again. So close

mgowill

July 23rd, 2013 at 11:07 PM ^

This game was a show of respect to Denard.  The fact they put him in the game knowing he couldn't throw the ball said so much for the respect they had for him.  If Borges was worried about his legacy as a coach, he would have played Gardner all game and left Denard on the bench. 

TheGhostofChappuis

July 23rd, 2013 at 11:50 PM ^

How is it respectful to put a player in a situation where his physical abilites do not allow him to succeed?  If anything, it was disrespectful. He was destined to fail almost everytime he took the field in the 2nd half. In his final game, he was completely failed by his coaches.

samdrussBLUE

July 24th, 2013 at 12:30 AM ^

Except if anyone could have just broken one and gave us one more touchdown it would have been him. This is what he is saying. We want you out there and yes, we are hoping you have just a bit more magic. I get what you are saying, but there are definitely two sides to this coin

yoopergoblue

July 23rd, 2013 at 11:48 PM ^

Al called a terrible game in the 2nd half after a solid 1st half in this game.  Man I was pissed.  After this season I have a feeling we'll all be kissing his fat ass because he will make us forget any of this happened.  Our offense is going to surprise a lot of people.