Michigan First downs in the First Half
Since I've seen a lot of arguments regarding what we do on first downs, and a few people think that Borges still called a bad game re: first downs, I've tried to quantify the play-calls on our first downs through the first half. (Sorry about the table. It's not working for some weird reason?)
October 20th, 2013 at 2:34 AM ^
Bosch seems to be doing pretty damn good at left guard.
October 20th, 2013 at 8:18 AM ^
2013 Interior OL: Never Forget 2.0
October 20th, 2013 at 9:16 AM ^
I'll be excited to see his UFR because he played EXTREMELY well. I watched him extensively the 2nd time around.
That said, it's Indiana. So we'll see. But Bosch and Magnuson seemed to be the answer. Kalis played well as the 6th OL that comes in when Lewan goes to TE.
October 20th, 2013 at 6:14 PM ^
I thought he was pretty good too. He looked a little shaky here and there, not very polished, but did a great job fighting through the whistle and in some cases even though he got beat initially, he was able to recover and still get a good shove on a guy.
For whatever reason, I was thinking back to the 1v1 drill video that got released during fall camp and I remember some of the more observant posters say that Kalis was slow off the ball. That, it seems, was foreshadowing of doom to come. Kalis's few snaps this game looked pretty rough again. He almost false started on a couple and other times he was noticeably slow off the snap and let guys come to him. Still plenty of time for him to work through his issues though.
October 20th, 2013 at 3:24 AM ^
The way this blog and forum has behaved the last week, sheesh. The last thing they want is a rational analysis of data. All I've seen around here the last week has been an all-out conniption because we lost one game, on the road, at Penn State. Never mind that it's a road game against a conference opponent who recruits well. And nevermind the fact that Michigan wins if not for ALL of the following being true:
Gave up 80-yard drive in less than 1 minute including perfect passes from true freshman QB that were good by inches.
Missed 50-yd field goal at the end of regulation.
Blocked 40-yd field goal in overtime.
Missed 33-yd field goal in overtime.
Failed to stop on 4th-and-1 in overtime.
To string all that together into a loss required some serious bad luck -- again, on the road, against a quality conference opponent. Yeah, I didn't agree with all the calls either in that games, especially the third down play in the first overtime when Gardner just planted in the middle of the field for a long field goal attempt. But, empirically, it's hard to argue with what they got. Michigan had to be very unlucky to lose that game.
Borges has been fine. To expect an offensive line with three new starters, chocked with youth on the interior, to just go dominate running the ball is foolish. The offense has been fine, and Borges has been fine. We have a loss because we have a QB who hasn't started that much who has a serious issue with turning over the ball, and because we were VERY unlucky in that Penn St. game.
But this is not the place for empiricism. This is the place for wailing and gnashing of teeth. What's that you say, we set an all-time school record for yards and barely won a shootout game? Well, one thing's for sure, when the subject is Al Gorgeous after a game like this: Mgoblog is NOT impressed.
October 20th, 2013 at 8:13 AM ^
I agree with much of what you wrote, but any "rational analysis" has to include what I understand to be the worst RB performance (27 carries, 27 yards) in the modern era of UMich football.
I don't know who (Borges / O-line / Touissant / Brady-behind-the-scenes) is at fault there, but I tend to believe that a more balanced and unpredictable offensive game plan would've made bad luck irrelevant.
October 20th, 2013 at 8:54 AM ^
I believe it was actually 30 carries for 29 yards.
October 20th, 2013 at 9:22 AM ^
What was presented is a rational analysis. If you've got a preconceived notion, the rational thing to do is pick out and analyze the data that supports your idea. Just to be clear, I'm not supporting what happened last week. But, to try and invalidate people's reactions because it is based on the limited data of one game (which BTW I don't think is true, because Akron and UConn also played a role), by presenting an opposing set of limit data seems inconsistent. It is just as bad to say "Al Borges: Vindicated" based on the IU game as it was to say "Al Borges: Fired" based on the PSU game.
October 20th, 2013 at 10:28 AM ^
October 20th, 2013 at 10:43 AM ^
So basically, whenever the offense has a bad game, it's the coaches' fault? Is it possible that sometimes the offense just has a bad game, and it's not really any one person's fault? We seem much more level-headed when it comes to our analysis of the defense. It's had its share of bad games too, but we don't fly off the handle when they happen. But when the offense plays poorly, somehow it's the worst thing in the world and heads must roll everytime. Sometimes it's hard to believe we've won over three-fourths of our games with this staff in charge the way people constantly complain about it.
As for QBs "regressing," you don't think Gardner is coming along? I think he's played very well the last three weeks overall.
October 20th, 2013 at 12:45 PM ^
October 20th, 2013 at 2:03 PM ^
October 20th, 2013 at 9:36 AM ^
I tend to believe that a more balanced and unpredictable offensive game plan would've made bad luck irrelevant.
I don't think PSU was Borges's best game as a playcaller, but still, if you look at the Mathlete's analysis of the game, there were three different points in the 4th Q/OT where we had a 90+% chance of winning and we didn't. At each of those points when we were super-close to victory and didn't finish the job, it wasn't the offense that was on the field. People have singled Borges out like he was personally responsible, when clearly each unit of the team let us down at various points. Apparently, there have only been six teams in all of college football in the last 10 years to go 80 yards in the final minute of a game with no timeouts - that's how rare that occurrence was. And then the FG unit had three chances to put the game to bed and failed all three times. Blame the whole staff for that game if you will, not one guy. Or just acknowledge that it was one of those insane games that happens once in a blue moon.
October 20th, 2013 at 8:36 AM ^
October 20th, 2013 at 9:17 AM ^
...it doesn't make you right.
October 20th, 2013 at 10:35 AM ^
Complaints regarding Borges go far beyond last week. He's called many poor games over the last three years. More importantly, players with talent have either not developed or regressed.
October 20th, 2013 at 10:44 AM ^
"We’re going to try and do it every week. As soon as we have a bad game, you guys are going to be bashing us again.”
It was the bashing, not the facts, that many of us objected to. And anyone who says there wasn't a lynch mob out there is blind. Those people deserve ridicule. We lost a four-OT game and they peed themselves.
October 20th, 2013 at 2:10 PM ^
Last week was pretty bad around here (and really, everywhere else M football is discussed). Fans need to stop projecting all their bad memories onto the current team. It's not the 2013 team's fault if the RR teams always went into a tailspin after the first loss. This has not happened under a Hoke-led team, so there is no reason to assume it will now.
October 20th, 2013 at 3:37 AM ^
Who has said Borges called a bad game against Indiana? I haven't seen that said but maybe it has. I am curious who is saying that, or is this nothing but a strawman argument you are making?
What I have seen being said is that the opponent was Indiana who has a terrible defense. Therefore, it is hard to take seriously the numbers from today. That is a reasonable argument. Indiana gave up 42 to MSU who has had a dreadful offense all year.
Lets see if Borges goes back into his shell for MSU before acting like he has suddenly seen the light.
October 20th, 2013 at 7:50 AM ^
October 20th, 2013 at 9:01 AM ^
RRs offense always put up gaudy numbers against terrible opponents, and typically struggled against quality defenses. So -- RRs offense and Borges's offenses? A wash.
October 20th, 2013 at 6:46 AM ^
Much like against PSU we clearly were the better team, but unlike PSU(bad play call/coaching) it was the offensive style that kept IU in the game
October 20th, 2013 at 9:13 AM ^
They have the 121st ranked total defense and 112th ranked scoring defense both of which are significantly worse than any other team Michigan has played this year (CMU, Akron, UConn included).
Indiana is good-to-great on offense, but worst ever on defense. Almost an exact replica of 2010 Michigan!
October 20th, 2013 at 9:30 AM ^
Granted IU is bad on D. But, the rankings don't necessarily allow you to make a relative comparison between them and other individual teams unless they've played similar scheduled wrt the quality of the opposing offenses they've faced. Also, IU plays so up-tempo that their D potentially faces a lot more plays which also hurts the ranking of the scoring D.
October 20th, 2013 at 9:36 AM ^
My initial comment was a tip of the cap to the coach because he has a game plan he can pull off some upsets with.
October 20th, 2013 at 8:46 AM ^
I disagree. I think it was Indiana's defense that put up all those records. Not since GERG has there been such a pathetic lack of defense in the B1G. Pathetic.
October 20th, 2013 at 9:16 AM ^
Indiana's defense is obviously pretty bad, but prior to yesterday, it had never been this bad.
Against PSU, it gave up 24 points and 410 yards.
Against MSU, it gave up 42 points and 473 yards.
We scored 63 and gained 751 yards. That's an order of magnitude better than everyone else on their schedule has done.
October 20th, 2013 at 9:32 AM ^
Wouldn't an order of magnitude better than MSU have been 420 points and 4,730 yards?
October 20th, 2013 at 12:41 PM ^
Not saying you're wrong but what were the yards/ points per play? We got the ball back quickly and ran a lot of plays since we gave up a lot of quick TDs.
October 20th, 2013 at 1:46 PM ^
October 20th, 2013 at 1:57 PM ^
I like your line of thought, but it might be impossible. Maybe we can dip into his family's assets. The bastard.
October 20th, 2013 at 9:07 AM ^
Why the need to defend Borges for THIS game?
Anyone who says he didn't call a good game is an idiot and you shouldn't waste your time trying to pull stats to prove what is CLEARLY correct.
That's like me saying "winter is coming" and defending my point with "it is getting cold, it's gettting darker earlier, birds are flying south, bug aren't as noticable, leaves are falling." No, it's October 20th...winter is a couple of months away. The date is all that's needed.
In your point, we scored 63 points without OT. Anyone who has a problem with the game Borges called vs. IU isn't worth the time of day.
October 20th, 2013 at 9:14 AM ^
...if you're saying this to justify Borges in previous games, most notably, PSU...then you've got work to do.
There's nothing that he could've done vs. Indiana at home that would justify the poor job he did vs. PSU or even in some of the earlier wins.
He's been erratic all season, just like Gardner. We just have to hope that he's officially scraped the MANBALL plan and he's going to stick to the spread as the primary offense with pro-style stuff sprinkled in.
As for his playcalling, it was a lot better. More 1st down passes, more screens, more off tackle and LESS stretch plays. As long as we stay in manageable down and distance I think most people are happy. It's when we run a stretch play on 1st down for a -3 yard loss that we all scream...and you should too.
Having Gardner in manageable situations puts SO much pressure on the defense. When Borges calls plays and we don't get that, he handcuffs the whole offense. Gardner isn't a threat to run and the playaction that we run so often doesn't work. That's a HUGE chunk of what we do!
October 20th, 2013 at 12:08 PM ^
October 20th, 2013 at 9:22 AM ^
October 20th, 2013 at 10:02 AM ^
To add a little bit to this, we've been slightly more successful passing to get first downs as well, at least by my count, but strangely our use of this strategy - by the numbers - is far more varied throughout the year than rushing in this respect. Of course, there are numerous things that contribute to that - down and distance, run blocking issues, etc...
October 20th, 2013 at 10:23 AM ^
a blocker totally wiffs on a block against MSU like they did at PSU, I will call for Borges to be fired
October 20th, 2013 at 10:49 AM ^
October 20th, 2013 at 11:06 AM ^
For a huge percentage of mogokids, Borges will be criticized no matter what he does. The offense had a monster game yesterday -- and people use that as grounds for retroactive criticism, going back to THAT trick play against ND last year, and THAT trick play against MSU two years ago. It's laughable, really.
BRIAN -- any of the MODS -- install an "ignore" or "block user" function on this website. PLEASE.
October 20th, 2013 at 11:26 AM ^
you say you don't mean run on every 1st down but you know safe means manball running on 1st down and TFLs...that equals 3rd and 13s which are NOT SAFE.
I can guarantee you that UM run/pass will be more run heavy vs. MSU on 1st down and they will blitz the A gap like crazy and get multiple TFLs in the 1st half.
Why should the gameplan play into this? Why not PA pass or straight up shotgun on 1st down just like we did against IU? Would it not be more effective against an MSU team loading the box and leaving DBs on islands? Would manball be more effective than the screens we actually threw this game. The quick hitters to gallon in the flat? the rub route to get Funchess the edge outside the numbers? All these faster developing plays on the edge that WE DID NOT SEE vs PSU...
why does reverting back to manball up the geu and 3rd and 13s seem like the better strategy against a load the box team with ball hawks at CB??? I ask why bc we know we will see it in 2 weeks. UM will go "safe" and put Gardner in very tough 3rd and longs..
October 20th, 2013 at 12:17 PM ^
October 20th, 2013 at 12:35 PM ^
October 20th, 2013 at 12:52 PM ^
October 20th, 2013 at 5:17 PM ^
I am impressed not only by your willingness to make your own arguments, but also your willingness to tell your opponents what their arguments are.
October 20th, 2013 at 6:12 PM ^
October 20th, 2013 at 2:06 PM ^
I, for one, never had a problem with the 2011 MSU gameplan. I don't know why it gets cited as one of Borges's weaker ones. 2011 Iowa and 2012 OSU, I can understand the criticism, but in '11 MSU, we took what the defense gave us. MSU shut down the run and dared Denard to beat them with his arm, and we tried that. We weren't successful (partly because of the poor weather conditions) but I don't think we'd have been any more successful running the ball 50 times. To beat a Narduzzi defense, you've got to pass to set up the run.
October 20th, 2013 at 4:18 PM ^
October 20th, 2013 at 5:19 PM ^
You might want to reconsider that evaluation. Merely losing isn't a cause to cite a plan as bad.
October 20th, 2013 at 6:16 PM ^