Gameboy

September 3rd, 2013 at 5:16 PM ^

DVR'd it since it was on NBC. Not impressed at all. If Temple did not have the worst field goal kicker ever, seriously, the freshmen Gibbons pwns this guy, the game would have been much, much closer.

The D Li e looked bored and didn't really show up. They probably will for us.

MidnightBlue

September 3rd, 2013 at 5:45 PM ^

when people were knocking kelly and ND, i saw the rise... now im saying... lets give credit to kelly for bringing ND back... they were in the title game last year, sheesh.

i think itll be a far better game than anyone thinks.. lets just hope it goes our way.

RioThaN

September 3rd, 2013 at 5:56 PM ^

Of only someone would pay me to sit on my butt and watch games all day... I'd be rich, I also enjoy this being an amateur and all, thanks, you saved me money I was thinking on spending in beers at the bar tonight!

robmorren2

September 3rd, 2013 at 6:58 PM ^

Thoughts: Limit Davaris Daniels and win the game. Same as ND with Floyd and ND with Eifert. Tommy likes his security blankets, and he locks on. Devin locks on to Gallon, but Tommy can't take off and regularly run for first downs. That's my opinion. I don't see ND beating us unless we are just horrible on turnover +/-. I'm actually glad Devin got 2 bad throws out of his system on Saturday. I'm a firm believer in statistics and averages, and Devin was the highest rated QB in the stretch where he was a starter last year. With 2 picks out of the way, he should be due for a lot of attempts with very few interceptions. Also, Devin moved the ball pretty easily against South Carolina, and that SC team has a better defense than this year's ND team. The back 7 of ND's defense isn't very impressive.

clarkiefromcanada

September 3rd, 2013 at 7:13 PM ^

A few Temple honk observations for the board. But first a small preface...I came home to this game on my DVR after coming back from AA and the Chips game. Of course, I was hoping for the Temple win (I went to graduate school at Temple) and had some hopes for the new regime under Matt Rhule. Actually, I think Matt Rhule is a good fit at Temple and will have about as much success as Al Golden (for whom he was an assistant). Fun Fact: Matt Rhule's wife never quit her job at Temple while Rhule was coaching with the Giants.

On to the observations and related Michigan takes:

a) Temple was able to move the ball on Notre Dame regardless of the NBC/Notre Dame fan's desire to change the narrative to "Bob Diaco runs bend not break defenses". While I think Temple offensive linemen Kyle Friend and Pete White would probably start at Michigan I was still remarkablhy impressed by the push they achieved in the first half. I am also amazed with how fat Louis Nix has become...he occupies space and will give Jack Miller fits but he won't play well on Sundays unless he can get down to around 320. He looks like about 360 now and jumped offside twice. I think he had a personal foul in there also.

b) Matt Rhule don't go for it at Notre Dame on the six...take your points. I have no worries about this with Brady Hoke, friend of Lloyd.

c) The Temple secondary is brutal; particularly on the safety covering deep. Multiple completions over 30 yards (I counted 3 or 4) by week one Heisman candidate Tommy Rees should not happen against Mattison's defense. 

d) Temple lacked the athleticism on the edge rush that Michigan *should* bring with Frank Clark, Mario Ojemudia and Taco Charlton. Accordingly, one should not expect Rees to have the hour and a half in the pocket he had to check each option (twice) before launching it downfield for 30 yards.

e) Temple's secondary should *not* play man to man agains the superior athletes of Notre Dame. Once they went zone about half way through the second quarter the things settled down a bit re: Rees hammering them with big completions. Excepting the Niklas completion ND couldn't get much done through the second half. I am *not* buying the ND narrative that "BK saved his good stuff for Michigan, either".

f) Connor Reilly went 23-46 against the ND secondary. This was his first start at Temple after being the holder on PAT and field goals last year. Connor Reilly does not equal Devin Gardner. 

g) Temple averaged 4.6 ypc against the vaunted Notre Dame front seven. Michigan will average five ypc. Book it.

h) Temple's new uniforms with the Cherry T on the helmet and white background look phenomenal. Dave Brandon call Under Armour please! Imagine what our friends at Under Armour could do with the classic Michigan uniform? Based on these Temple Uniforms and the recent classic at Northwestern I'm confident they could do better than Adidas 'uniformz'. Also, the recruits like UA.

i) Notre Dame plays Temple next year in Philly. It will be closer than this game.

 

 

BlowGoo

September 3rd, 2013 at 8:17 PM ^

I wonder how ND will do without the Phantom Whistles that plagued us AND Stanford last year at South Bend.

Fricking cheaters - hope they get their Chicken McNugget beatdown in the Big House.

BlowGoo

September 3rd, 2013 at 10:28 PM ^

Sporting News wrote this, post Stanford game 2012:

"After his media session was over, Shaw said—without provocation—that a key play in the fourth quarter was caused by a whistle from the stands that contributed to his team’s loss of seven yards on third-and-short inside the Notre Dame 15. Stanford lost seven yards on the running play and had to settle for a field goal.

"The Michigan coaching staff also complained earlier this year about a whistle in the stands at Notre Dame Stadium.

"'They heard a whistle,' Shaw said. “Heard a whistle, stopped playing. I don’t know what the rule is on that. I’ll double-check with the head official and make sure that whatever we can do gets done in that situation. That one hurt.”

"Said Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly: “I didn’t hear a whistle.”"

BlowGoo

September 3rd, 2013 at 10:23 PM ^

Yeah, that was the most bullshiat loaded game.

Remember them blasting music from their PA system even AFTER we lined up and DURING the QB snap count?

I'd NEVER seen that Mickey Mouse crap at this level before.

We were all pissed off enough at that point. And unbeknownst to us at the time, Brandon by then had already been handed The Letter to suspend the rivalry.

I'll ALWAYS associate ND with the outrageousness of that game, seeing it all first hand. I know what they did. I am certain Hoke remembers as well, though he was to classy to harp on it.

ND's behavior in SB was beyond classless. The retreat from the rivalry is just so illustrative of what a tacky outfit they have there.

No margin of victory over them would be enough. I hope we humiliate them. Unlike against other programs, it would be justice.

It's probably this "hero's" fault: a guy who can emulate a ref's whistle without a whistle.
Video of him doing it in front of TD Jesus:

http://collegespun.com/national/video-notre-dame-grandpas-whistle-sound…

UMgradMSUdad

September 3rd, 2013 at 11:16 PM ^

ND's OLine seemed to dominate the Temple DL, and, as others noted, their receivers were often open by several yards;  Tommie Rees is no heisman candidate, but if given time to throw can be quite dangerous.

michiganfanforlife

September 4th, 2013 at 11:26 AM ^

this one live with one of my best friends who is a ND fan. The last game I brought a ND fan to was UTL 1 and that worked really well. This time we won't need last minute magic to turn it around. I really think this team will thrive with the crowd and atmosphere, and we are about to impress a bunch of recruits. I have a sneaky feeling this is Derrick Green's coming out party. Go Blue!!!

Ron Utah

September 4th, 2013 at 12:34 PM ^

First, a few observations:

  • ND is FAST.  At WR and DB, they made Temple look like a bunch of HS kids.
  • Kelly uses the pass to set-up the run.  
  • ND's O-Line is a tale of two sides: the left is VERY good, the right (esp. the RG) is not very good.
  • ND is a big play offense, and we will need safety help over the top.  We're likely to play with seven in the box more often than not, IMO.
  • Rees still sucks if you rattle him.
  • ND's LBs do not look as good as last year.
  • ND plays mostly man coverage on defense.
  • Both Daniels and Jones are dangerous on every play.

The keys to victory for Michigan on DEFENSE:

  • Limit the big play from Daniels.  He is good.  Bracket coverage and help over the top are necessary.  Jones is also good, and will require extra attention.
  • Stop the run with seven in the box.  We'll need our safeties to help prevent big plays, so our front will have to stop the run.  Cam Gordon/Nickel CB (not sure it will be Countess this game) will have to help against the run since ND uses the spread.
  • PRESSURE REES.  This is, I believe, the key to the game.  If we can rattle Rees a bit, he will make bad decisions and bad throws.  Their RG is not very good, especially at pass-blocking; QWash, Pipkins, and whomever else is in there will have to abuse him to create inside pressure, because the left side of their line is strong.  Using Beyer as the SDE on passing downs is highly recommended.

The keys to victory on OFFENSE:

  • Devin Gardner.  I hate to put so much pressure on one guy, but Temple's Connor Reilly shredded the ND defense on scrambles, and he is NOT Devin Gardner.  The ND secondary is better than it has been in recent years, so DG needs to take the opportunities when they're there, especially in the short and intermediate passing game against the ND LBs, who appear to be just okay in coverage.
  • Al Borges and the O-Line.  Temple's gameplan was actually pretty good, and did a lot to neutralize the ND D-Line.  Using stretch plays, double-teaming Nix, and some misdirection could help open the running game against some susceptible LBs.  Jack Miller can't handle Nix; he'll need help all day, and Glasgow and Kalis will have to make sure they get their reads right so that help is coming from the proper side every play.
  • Funchess, Dileo, Norfleet, and the RBs.  Why this group?  ND is not going to give away the big play easily.  Their CBs play a lot of press coverage, look pretty darn good, and they're fast.  They have safety help over the top.  What this means is that shorter routes should be open, and we'll need our slots/TEs/backs to get yards after the catch to try to get those ND safeties to sneak up a bit.
  • It does look like we can run the ball against ND.  Big plays will be few and far between, but I think we can keep ourselves out of third-and-long, and that sets DG up for success with his arm or legs.

Overall, I do believe we should be favored.  ND has some playmakers and a solid defense, but they have some holes we can exploit.  If we can keep them from making big plays on offense and put some pressure on Rees (which go hand-in-hand), I think we'll win.  I do think we'll score 20+ points against this defense.  And, of course, we can't turn the ball over six times.

For the first time in a long time, I actually believe we have the better team.