Notre Dame Snowflakes: The Offense
September 2nd, 2018 at 7:40 AM ^
Waited too late to play with any sense of urgency. All thunder and no lightning...
Really could have used Evans in the first 3 quarters. Underutilized Nico Collins and Grant Perry.
We may not be ready to run 5-wide because we simply can’t block more than 3 pass rushers half of the time.
Power football gets us 2-3 yards if we’re lucky. It’s time for Jim to stop trying to emulate Bo from an Xs and Os standpoint. It’s killing the offense.
September 2nd, 2018 at 7:43 AM ^
Right now, I’m afraid of being embarrassed by Western next week.
September 2nd, 2018 at 7:52 AM ^
I do not want to hear any more bull shit about new muscles , new offence , just want to see some positive playcalling , this game has me wishing I did not spend $200 on tickets for WMU
September 2nd, 2018 at 11:13 AM ^
agreed.. .now maybe all the assholes here can realize that dumping on gittleson for barwis for x for y for herbert, was low grade amateur hour crap....
September 2nd, 2018 at 8:20 AM ^
Every stinking winter, spring and summer I go from pessimistic to mildly optimistic to optimistic. I’m starting to feel like Izzo’s B-ball teams. Gonna win it all at the outset and then don’t even make it to the Sweet Sixteen.
The worst part is my grandkids are likely never to experience the pride and tradition of a winning M football program like I did as a kid and my own kids did. Very sad.
September 2nd, 2018 at 8:25 AM ^
The Irish DL is very good and Michigan’s OL needs to get better. Not surprising Michigan’s OTs were beat frequently forcing Patterson to run for his life. Important that the young OTs see the field in coming weeks.
September 2nd, 2018 at 9:07 AM ^
What’s crazy to me is that it seems like the most dynamic players on the team don’t touch the ball enough or at all. Perry should have many more targets and Evans is a guy that needs 15 touches every game. Evans basically didn’t play until it was too late, and guess what, he made plays.
Its seems Ambry Thomas is the most dynamic player on the roster and is wasting away as the 2nd string nickel, does anybody realize how crazy that is. I know he will most likely start at corner next year, but why not have him play at least a small role on offense and please return punts.
September 2nd, 2018 at 9:09 AM ^
I’d like to see them under Center more; mix in more information with Higdon and Evans; seemed like too much spread.
September 2nd, 2018 at 9:13 AM ^
Just feels like the offense is designed to score 25 points on a good day. That leaves very little room for error even by don brown’s D.
September 2nd, 2018 at 9:15 AM ^
It starts with the line. If you can’t block effectively that really hinders your offense’s ability to do much of anything.
I don’t how you can scheme around bad tackles.
September 2nd, 2018 at 9:27 AM ^
We all know you can't scheme around poor tackles, oline, blah blah blah. The problem is he has had 4 years to build a serviceable one. All indications thus far seem that he has failed miserably.
September 2nd, 2018 at 9:35 AM ^
We knew the line sucked at pass protection, so it was likely going to be much of the same this year. However, what in the hell happened to being decent run blockers? They couldn’t even do that last night
September 2nd, 2018 at 9:42 AM ^
I’ve slept on it, and I’m still pissed beyond belief. The exact problems that plagued the team last year are still there. New coaches, new strength guy, new weight room, new QB, new attitude....same OLD results.
If Harbaugh can’t get it done with this years team, it won’t ever get done. His recruiting has fallen off sharply, and his 3 Star guys aren’t winning a National Championship anytime soon.
September 2nd, 2018 at 9:52 AM ^
UM is recruiting better this year than last.
QBs look more competent than Peters, Speight or JOK. OL permeability directly impacts that.
The offense is shambolic because Harbaugh wants to run power, but can’t because he doesn’t have the OL. So they run spread-lite. There are also too many chefs in the kitchen.
It has gotten to the point where Harbaugh either hires a single full time OC to handle the offense or he goes back to the NFL.
We’ll have to suffer through another season of bad play before we get to that point of course.
September 2nd, 2018 at 2:44 PM ^
Just promote McElwain, the guy has the experience and is a good coordinator based on his past. They can promote him mid season with hardly a ripple, let him take the coordinator job and run it his way, can't be worse than last night could it? Something will come together with that OL, play the freshmen if needed and take JUCOs in the off season next year to ramp it up quickly.
September 2nd, 2018 at 11:16 AM ^
recruting hasnt fallen off a the key position of QB.
we just need a solid OL.. havent had it since 2006. gotta laugh how ruiz and runyan and bredeson sit there and talk how its night and day... realize that theyd NEVER had been able to say this stuff if Bo were coach.... jim wants to emulate bo...but isnt doing it..... bring in les miles.... need a prick again.
September 2nd, 2018 at 10:20 AM ^
Runyan should never start at LT again. He was HORRIBLE. JBB wasn’t near as bad. In fact, I didn’t notice JBB like at all.
All the pressure seemed to come from the left.
September 2nd, 2018 at 2:46 PM ^
Every team watches film, if they start him there again at LT he will instantly be exploited by oppossing coordinators.
September 2nd, 2018 at 10:14 PM ^
I saw a few instances were JBB joined in blocking a DL to his left, allowing a blitzer to completely go free to his right....maybe the RB was responsible to pick up the block but I don't think so.... if so, it was as if he were completely unaware of the blitzer to his right. Although on the fumble JBB was the only guy who made a real effort to tackle the ND player... maybe put him on special teams..
September 2nd, 2018 at 10:31 AM ^
The offense looked stagnet. Runyan shouldn’t ever start again. Feels good to have a decent QB. McCaffrey looked good, future is bright for him.
Our season isn’t over. It was a tough loss on the road, at night, against a solid ND team. Our goal is to win the B1G, which we still can & will.
September 2nd, 2018 at 12:09 PM ^
Given how Penn State looked against App St, MSU against Utah St and OSUs defense giving up 31 to Oregon St, the B1G is very much up for grabs.
September 2nd, 2018 at 10:40 AM ^
Not scoring a touchdown on that opening drive, let alone any points, really was a huge difference in the outcome
September 2nd, 2018 at 8:57 PM ^
Same for the touchdown we didn’t score later is the game when we were first and goal. We came away with 0 points
September 2nd, 2018 at 10:41 AM ^
- QBs completed 67% of passes for 250 yards despite Runyan getting massacred on every passing play. This is a night and day improvement over last year.
- The running game was mostly lackluster, but there's plenty of time to work on the new spread rushing attack. We can work on it over the next five games.
- I really, really hope we sub in Hudson for Runyan and deal with the growing pains over the next 5 weeks.
September 2nd, 2018 at 10:47 AM ^
After some sleep, it feels worse.
The score doesn’t indicate how bad our offense was. We had 90 yards in the first half and 3 points of offense through 55 minutes. We got most of our yards when ND went to prevent. The first half offense was an embarrassment. We have no identity on O, and we are running too many schemes IMO.
This offense was supposed to have the element of surprise, we were supposed to catch ND off guard because they had no film of our new offense and QB. It looked like we fit a square peg in a round hole. Th single read spread concepts were ineffective because we don’t have spread personnel, mainly small fast WR who can get to the quick pit at break neck speed.
We looked pitifully easy to defend, and that’s not going to improve after teams get film on us now.
September 2nd, 2018 at 10:48 AM ^
Patterson needs to learn how to protect the ball better too.
September 2nd, 2018 at 11:28 AM ^
Down 14-0 and you run three times and punt
September 2nd, 2018 at 11:36 AM ^
I feel better about the offense than in previous years. As bad as it looked at times, they actually moved the ball well during 5 separate drives. 3 of those drives yielded zero points and that is unacceptable. Receivers got open, the throws were accurate (when given time), and Higdon ran the ball hard against a pretty good ND defense. Eliminate the negative plays and turnovers and Michigan will be fine. This game was eerily familiar to the 2015 opening game @ Utah with a brand new QB in Rudock.
September 2nd, 2018 at 11:46 AM ^
Agreed. Game 1 against a top-15 team on the road at night with a new QB and a pretty different look on offense. We learned some things (replace Runyan with Hudson plz) and this isn't the end of the world. A similar ND team pounded MSU last year in East Lansing, so let's not go shrieking about that one yet.
September 2nd, 2018 at 11:52 AM ^
We've lost 5 in a row and are 1-6 against rivals.
Those who hold Michigan to a higher standard than Minnesota football haven't begun to Shriek
September 2nd, 2018 at 12:15 PM ^
This is a bit hyperbolic with the Minnesota comparisons, isn't it? Last year's Michigan team was the youngest in several decades and went 8-5, which is the ceiling for a team like Minnesota. I'm bummed about losing to a top-15 team on the road at night, but let's not be extreme. ND obliterated Michigan State at home last season and returned 10 of 11 starters from a very good defense. We do need to be better against our rivals, but I'm a believer that things will eventually go our way in tight games. 5 of those 6 rivalry losses have been by razor-thin margins in games that could have gone either way. One, which kept us from a winning record against MSU, was a result of the most improbable play in my life.
September 2nd, 2018 at 11:53 AM ^
Things can hopefully get turned around. People were saying much worse about Ohio State after their game vs. Virginia Tech in 2014 and we saw how their offensive line turned it around. Common denominator is Warriner. We can hope.
I say go with the players with the most upside and build for the end of the season run like Hudson.
Gee it was 4 or 5 years ago we were all moaning about our poor interior line play.
September 2nd, 2018 at 1:16 PM ^
whenever they get within the 15 yard line, i hate the playcalling... never do they strike to the endzone.. usually a 2 yard higdon run, then an incomplete five yard pass, followed by a sack on 3rd down... there is NEVER going for the jugular.... all this fluff and praise (and players do read it) about how tall gentry and collins, and how great dpj is...and never an endzone strike....
I ABHOR the playcalling in the redzone.
September 2nd, 2018 at 12:11 PM ^
Maybe no one will mistake M's O-line for Wisconsin's. But:
- Shea still hit on 67% of his attempts (20/30) for 227 yards. These are not John O"Korn numbers. In fact M passed for 249 net yards as opposed to ND's 170. Of course, a number of ND's 170 yards were long bombs for Hail Mary catches (pun intended), but Shea is the real deal, and M's passing game looks to be in good hands.
- And no, 1.8 yard rush average is not good (ND's average was only 2.8). Still Higdon did rush for a net 72 yards, including one TD. And speaking of that TD, did everyone see the block Onwenu made on the ND D-lineman that sprung Higdon into the endzone? It was authoritative.
- Total offense M 307 against ND's 302. M even won TOP.
So yeah, first game against a ranked opponent whose QB might have had a career night. M was breaking in a new QB (read Jake Rudock) and a reserve WR (who had a good game). D basically picked it up in the second half. Now a couple games against less formidable opponents to get ready for the conference schedule. Don't expect miracles, but M will most likely surpass last year's 8-5. Left tackle? Who knows, but unless young Runyan vastly improves over the next couple games, look for one or two of those youngsters to get a shot. Go Blue.
September 2nd, 2018 at 12:18 PM ^
I think to a certain degree, a lot of people were so disgusted with the hideous first quarter that nothing else mattered. Wimbush got like 120 of his 170 passing yards in the first quarter and ND didn't really do much of anything on offense after that. Like 70 total yards in the second half.
September 2nd, 2018 at 12:42 PM ^
Credit to Don Brown. He consistently put his defensive players in position to make plays. The teo first ND touchdowns cam after Michigan players flat out dropped interceptions that were in their hands. That's not the fault of Don Brown.
But more importantly, it's not a credit to Jim Harbaugh. We can instead credit Jim Harbaugh for piss poor clock management, piss poor play calling, and offensive line that can't protect the quarterback and an anemic run game. That's Jim's legacy at Michigan. Congratulations.
September 2nd, 2018 at 1:17 PM ^
I’ll admit I threw in the towel on the game after the first quarter. I thought we just dug too deep of a hole to get out of.
But I give them credit for battling back and making a ballgame out of it. Losing sucks, but we lost to what I think will be a very good team by the end of the season.
I think winning the conference is still possible. We need to fix our tackle situation (which is no easy task) but we have a few weeks to get things clicking before the brutal part of the schedule.
Go Blue.
September 2nd, 2018 at 12:58 PM ^
That Hail Mary to the end zone and Winovich's horrible penalty were the back breakers. DB's need to knock that down or pick it off. And your 5th year senior DE cannot take penalties like that. I think our guys wanted that game so bad that they played tight, out of position, over pursued, etc. Last night was more mental than anything else.
September 2nd, 2018 at 8:46 PM ^
...again.
September 2nd, 2018 at 12:39 PM ^
Fire Jim Harbaugh, and don't pretend like no coach in America is willing to take the job and the paycheck.
September 2nd, 2018 at 1:01 PM ^
Who’d you have in mind that’s better? And don’t just say “someone”.
If if you want him fired you better have a name that’s better.
September 2nd, 2018 at 1:34 PM ^
That’s my exact mentality. I’d be open to a new coach but I don’t know of a better option.
September 2nd, 2018 at 2:52 PM ^
No need for a new coach, there is a NEED to straighten out the coaching by committee nonsense with the offense. Appoint McElwain the full time coordinator and let the other coaches work under him. Can't be a worse outcome than last night could it?
September 2nd, 2018 at 2:10 PM ^
58 yards rushing and 1.8 ypc.
Michigan continues to lose the battle upfront against any competition that is at or above mediocre.
Michigan will not defeat the MSUs, PSUs or Ohio States with a talent and depth deficient offensive line.
Takes years to develop good offensive lineman though, and sometimes you recruit top guys who ultimately flame out or get injured. And sometimes you get 2* and 3* guys who you can develop, and will be able to destroy Cincy, Illinois and WMU DTs, but will simply never cut the mustard against above average competition.
That all said, warts and all, Michigan played well enough to win the game last night.
But sometimes even 2 turnovers and seven penalties for -52 yards is enough to destroy your chances.
September 2nd, 2018 at 4:20 PM ^
Or Wisky or SCar
September 2nd, 2018 at 3:01 PM ^
may help if center doesnt tip every single shotgun snap
September 2nd, 2018 at 3:18 PM ^
BTN fired Braylon Edwards last night due to his drunkTweeting.
September 2nd, 2018 at 3:52 PM ^
It's really hard to believe that Michigan's offensive line could be this bad, for this long, with no hope in the future. Unless Harbaugh can bring in some top-flight offense of line Talent, 8-4 is about as good as it's going to get. And that's on a good year
September 2nd, 2018 at 4:03 PM ^
One thing that became apparent to me last night was how ssslllooowww this entire team was. Not just the players but the coaches. Our OL yes, but just getting the damn ball snapped, the horrific 2 min O late in the game, inability to chase down Winbush (3rd and 18, really?). It’s like our S&C program only trained with weights to get them bigger but now they are slower. If last night was as fast as this team can play at all facets, I’m cringing thinking about playing even WMU.