September 4th, 2015 at 1:44 AM ^
Agreed. I get its game 1 but UM lost purely on stupid fuck ups and that was supposed to be the ONE thing Harbaugh fixed immediately.
September 4th, 2015 at 2:32 AM ^
The immediate thing was fixing that the team tried to do stupid stuff. And that happened. We were in position to make the plays to win the game. This was actually a failure of execution. Which is fixable with good coaching staffs, which we have. It would have been nice to flip the order of the first two games, because playing a good PAC12 team on the road as your opener is rough.
September 4th, 2015 at 1:03 AM ^
I'm confused as to why Mich waited so long to go into hurry up offense. We were down 14pts almost all of the 4th and it seemed like things were moving in slow motion until about 2min left when the game was all but decided.
September 4th, 2015 at 1:05 AM ^
I'm sad, but watching a real coach in control tonight - at Michigan - was priceless. The future is bright men.
September 4th, 2015 at 1:09 AM ^
Peppers on returns is just awesome. Gonna be a fun thong to watch this yr. what a physical freak.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 4th, 2015 at 1:11 AM ^
Haven't met a thong that wasn't fun yet.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 4th, 2015 at 8:17 AM ^
But I don't want to shatter your happy place.
September 4th, 2015 at 1:09 AM ^
Perspective from SLC
Utah fans were very friendly. The stadium was rockin', especially after big plays and on 3rd and 4th down for us. Team looked well organized and confident. Coaches were decisive and engaged. This looked like a team in game 1 in a season with a brand new coach. There's definitely enough talent. The coaches just need to put the right combination on the field. I still think we are an 8-4 ish team. But we will be in every game, I think.
September 4th, 2015 at 1:11 AM ^
I think the offense would be better if we didnt run the interception play 3 times.
September 4th, 2015 at 1:17 AM ^
+1
Informative
September 4th, 2015 at 1:11 AM ^
I think the offense would be better if we didnt run the interception play 3 times.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:18 AM ^
If you had triple posted.
September 4th, 2015 at 1:12 AM ^
Plain and simple: You're not going to win very many games throwing 3 INTs to 1 (bascially a punt in the endzone). Had our chances. Gotta take advantage, whether those are coachable or not.
September 4th, 2015 at 1:14 AM ^
Call me the ultimate homer, but I was actually pretty encouraged by the performance. Obviously the turnovers are a big concern. Cannot continue to turn it over, especially when there's points to be had after driving. The missed throws down the field were huge, but the execution was there. Simply have to make the plays.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 4th, 2015 at 8:52 AM ^
Everything looked improved except the running game. Overall I am pleased
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 4th, 2015 at 1:16 AM ^
I'm sure most of it has to do with LSA2000 doing Gods work all night, but we are surprisingly civil after a game like that. I've seen boards looking a lot worse that this.
September 4th, 2015 at 1:59 AM ^
I assume its because they held their own and fought to the bitter end on the road against a decent team.
You know, the things that DIDNT happen under Hoke.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 4th, 2015 at 1:22 AM ^
With a tougher schedule than last year's. I see plenty of improvement but 7 - 8 wins.
September 4th, 2015 at 1:28 AM ^
GIVE ME SHANE
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 4th, 2015 at 1:54 AM ^
If he could. Shane has a better arm, is more mobile and has had more time in A^2. Unfortunately he still has not acquired "touch" on his throws, sound judgment or leadership. I hope Shane improves.
September 4th, 2015 at 1:58 AM ^
Shane has been seen in practice by Harbaugh and Ruddock is the better QB based on the decision to start him and keep him in.
September 4th, 2015 at 4:53 AM ^
Nobody wanted to win this game more than Harbaugh. What we saw tonight was the best chance he had to win. Rudock scored us two touchdowns. That's two more than Shane ever has.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:51 AM ^
And I'll give you 6-6
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 4th, 2015 at 9:28 AM ^
That's being kind
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 4th, 2015 at 2:02 AM ^
Didn't see the game. Very odd mix of comments. Seem to range from "can see improvements in some areas, coaching was better" to "really? same crap as last year." I really hope Harbaugh can turn this thing around. Too many people are ok with losing and I am sick of Michigan being a national joke.
September 4th, 2015 at 2:20 AM ^
Review tomorrow's write-ups here. The team improved substantially in practically every single area from last year and this was unmistakable. There were a few crucial ferk ups, but the team looked pretty tight. We were close to winning at times, including late in the game.
September 4th, 2015 at 2:48 AM ^
Play-calling: first of all, who is calling the plays? Harbaugh? Drevno? Fisch? Whoever it was, I feel comfortable giving a B+ here. However ineffective the run game appeared (even if you don't want to talk about missed RB reads), it did seem to open up opportunties on play action and standard passes down the field. Chesson could be what we were hoping Drake Harris would be in terms of a downfield threat. Could it have been better? I'm sure there were a couple of iso's on 2nd and long were a bit too predictable...but overall we had guys in the right positions to make plays. Screen game looks a lot better, and for everyone criticizng Perry on routes, his blocking was good.
Clock management: Probably a C+ here. End of the first half was questionable, and however justified the TO's were, the fact is we could have used them at the end of the game.
Player development: Rudock probably is what he is right now. He might not have the arm to hit recivers 50 yards downfield (could have put more air under the deep ones). But receivers looked better. Line held up ok, didnt' dominate in run game Overall a B+.
I liked what I saw from Harbaugh. He's also still getting used to this team. Calling a third down play with AJ Williams is different from calling one with Vernon Davis or Delanie Walker.
Adjustments: Give Isaac a shot at starting. If Jake continues to miss or shun big plays, see what Morris gives you. Peppersn shouldd alwaus play speecial teams
September 4th, 2015 at 4:50 AM ^
Well, it was nice to kind of be in this game as it ended. I can say I enjoyed that. I don't think Jake Rudock understood the pressure of being a michigan quarterback until half way through the first quarter. I can't say he'll be great but I think he'll be much better. He missed some throws. He also had some tough breaks but this was our second toughest road game. As long as play continues to develop this should actually be a pretty good season. I am excited for Drake Johnson to play at some point too. I feel like Johnson has a burst and much better vision than Smith. The defense did well tonight. Special teams weren't as bad as I thought they'd be. It all come down to our old pal. You cannot turn the ball over and win, we all know that. Overall, not too bad and I can honestly say I'm happy after a loss. This team will not roll over and be out of games after they're down, we can be assured of that.
September 4th, 2015 at 6:24 AM ^
Simply put the defense is good again. Offense struggled to run but we converted more third downs last night then I've seen in a few years. Pass protection was pretty damn good, I'm not sure why the OL can't figure out how to run block. The two minute offense was great. Past teams could not have made that game 24-17. It boiled down to the pick six killing us and Rudock missing some deep passes for Td's.
Being optimistic I will say this. Look for Harbaughs team to improve each game and not slip back. They will learn a lot from this game and get better going forward.
September 4th, 2015 at 6:28 AM ^
The D was good? Really?????? I'm going back to bed.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 4th, 2015 at 7:51 AM ^
They gave up 17 points with 4 turnovers. Not bad.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:36 AM ^
the defense kept us in this game! 17 points given up, when they could've imploded after the 3 picks and the turnover on downs. Both teams are better than last year.
September 4th, 2015 at 9:16 AM ^
Put that D out against MSU or dare I say OSU, and say the same thing! Go back and watch the game again. Utah shot themselves in the foot over and over with bad play calling that in turn hurt their rhythm. We had no answer for the read option and the short passing game tore us apart! If that QB could do what he did against us, Jones/Barrett/Cook will shred our D. A lot of guys out of position and we are missing a lot of skill in skill positions.
Last night was more of an indictment on how poor the recruiting was under Hoke. He literally missed on at least half his recruits and recruited by stars instead of talent. It's going to take a while, but when we get there I want you to come back in this board and tell me this D was good!
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 4th, 2015 at 9:42 AM ^
Those kids had offers from pretty much everyone else too. If Hoke "missed" on them, so did all the other major programs in FBS.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 4th, 2015 at 10:15 AM ^
The difference is good coaches can develop talent. It's going to take some time, but part of JH's plan is going to be to improve overall team speed.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 4th, 2015 at 7:37 AM ^
It is indeed nice to be able to look back on this game and not be able to recall any blatant coaching errors. However they probably should have gone for it instead of trying for that second field goal and you could tell Coach Harbaugh second-guessed that decision. I also felt like there was a lack of urgency at the end of the game and we had a too-little-too-late (albeit effective) two minute drill. That nervously reminded me of the past couple seasons.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 7th, 2015 at 7:03 PM ^
We would have been fine on our fourth quarter drives had Smith not dropped an easy first down and had Darboh not stalled on 2nd and 3.
Unlike Hoke's "execution" excuses, there were real examples of players making mistakes in this game that had very little to do with coaching.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:07 AM ^
I came away thinking Utah is a top-20 team this year. They looked very well organized, in great shape and overall they just looked more ready. Utah played like a team, Michigan still looked like a collection of individuals on offense until late in the game. It is refreshing to see the team bet better as the game went along though. Continuous improvement is all I want.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 4th, 2015 at 8:29 AM ^
I was impressed with his demeanor on the sideline, especially with Rudock after the interceptions. Not Hoke-like clappy hey we'll get 'em next time, nor Brian Kelly Purple faced demon. Arm around the shoulder, one QB talking to another was the vibe I got.