M vs Utah, Friday Morning Snowflakes
I figured I'd start a thread for those that either went to sleep after the game or couldn't get MGo to load last, or to simply discuss the game after a night of sleep and sober minded, figuratively and literally.
Mine:
It went about how I expected, honestly. Thinking the team from last year, or even the one from the spring game for that matter, was going to enter Jim Harbaugh's submarine like a catepillar entering a cocoon and then re-emerge a month later as an ass-kicking butterfly was really just asking for disappointment. Even under Harbaugh, this was always going to be a work in progress.
The signs of incremental improvement, as a direct result of the coaching change, were there however, even if you had to squint a little more than expected. We played a good team tough on the road, at night, and looked better as the game went on. The staff seemed to make the necessary adjustments and find success despite the obvious deficiencies in RB and OL that we're now all too familiar with. Even the futility in the run game would have paid dividends in some RPS +3 plays downfield if Rudock could only hit the pass. Special teams looked solid to good, and even with the miss, it at least wasn't ugly (the extra point on the other hand....). This game is fairly analogous to the ND game last year in terms of the who-what-when-wheres, but I think we can all agree both the outcome and the feel of the game were totally different.
We left a lot of opportunities and very probably points on the field, and handed the opponent points as well. In a tight, winnable game, that always stings, but at the same time, I have full confidence it Harbaugh to make the corrections and I expect this team to continue to clean those up and make incremental improvements through the season and be on the verge of legitimately good by the end.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:40 AM ^
Harbaugh's a great coach. Let's give him time and temper the expectations a bit. He's not a magician.
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September 4th, 2015 at 8:42 AM ^
anyone else wonder if the WR could hove dove for the balls?
or i am still drunk?
September 4th, 2015 at 8:45 AM ^
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September 4th, 2015 at 10:35 AM ^
the guy above said, when you dive, you have deaccelerate, theres no way those are caught by diving, if anything if Chesson doesn't slow down slightly/hesitate he may make the catch, go back and watch...he hesistates during the route. To dive though, you must slow down before you lay out.
September 4th, 2015 at 11:43 AM ^
Darboh had a chance to dive though. And he had already slowed down. That wasn't the best throw, but of the long ones that was Rudock's best.
The Chesson throws were completely on Rudock, on this we are in agreement.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:45 AM ^
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September 4th, 2015 at 9:31 AM ^
The second one looked catchable to me. Not by diving, but by Chesson staying in high gear and getting under that ball. To my eye it looked like he took his foot off the gas the last few steps as the ball was coming down.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:56 AM ^
I don't think those balls could have been caught with a dive. You don't accelerate by diving - you need to be fairly close, and then you're diving to extend your (yore?) reach or catch a long ball. They were far too overthrown to be catchable, even with a dive.
As to whether you're (yore?) still drunk. Doubtful.
BTW, one thing that was lost on me until this a.m. is that while it sucks that Rudock overthrew those balls, it was great to see the WRs get open on vertical routes. If that holds up through the season, it will be a great development.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:43 AM ^
As Ace put it in his game summary, Hoke doesn't wash off easily. Harbaugh lost each of his opening games at all his other college stops, and things turned out OK.
I was shocked that Rudock missed at least two, probably three wide open WRs for what should have been touchdowns. Historically he's not been an INT factory, so I'm guessing that will settle down over time.
We'll be fine. It's happening.
September 4th, 2015 at 11:06 AM ^
but why were you shocked Rudock missed the long balls? He's not that good of a long ball thrower. His game is short to medium range passes.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:43 AM ^
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September 4th, 2015 at 8:44 AM ^
in years. That's a spectrum I never want to be on, but, IMO, there really were a lot of positives last night. Big mistakes will always cost you games, and that needs to be fixed. I think it will. But, I saw Michigan do a lot of little things that good teams do.
I know I will be excited for every game this season. I haven't felt that way the past several years and it killed me. I have the feeling that the Michigan team we see in November would soundly beat the Michigan team we see in early September. That development will be an enjoyable process to watch.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:44 AM ^
It's never fun to lose but today's pain will all be forgotten if Michigan plays competitively against conference rivals in coming months. The fact we could see the pathway to being a good football team is very encouraging. Moving forward we'll see the talent difference between Harbaugh's coaching staff and that of the previous regime. There are plenty of coaching opportunities to be taken from last night and I fully expect this staff to make the necessary adjustments. A loss is a loss but it's very different from last year's Utah game. Michigan IS competitive this year and will not be embarrased again by Sparty. This is progress!
September 4th, 2015 at 8:45 AM ^
there are some good plays in there on offense -- especially on those quick outside throws (minus the pick six, obviously). The play where Perry cut blocks the CB was beautiful, it worked great the 2-3 times they threw it out there. That looks like a much more reasonable play than expecting the slot guy to get out there and block the CB to the inside. A few throws where Chesson was able to get 5-6 yards by just taking what the defense gave them. Those plays are the ones that used to drive us nuts under Hoke, where it was just doomed from the start because defenders are right on the line or the blocking was just inept. The WRs + Butt were much more promising than I expected.
As I said in another thread, the running game picked up slightly in the 2nd half, after being horrible in the 1st half. I don't think this will ever be an elite OL that blows open huge holes that make it very obvious where the RB is supposed to go, so I like Smith's tenacity in this situation. Did he miss some holes? Sure. But Smith makes sense based on what you have.
Rudock...what can anybody say that hasn't already been said. He missed a lot of throws and it's disappointing to see our QB play in such a bad state that we just have to accept that because there's nobody better. There is some incredible lack of talent at QB that neither Morris or Speight can do better than that.
Defense played great, I think. If you told me they would give up 17 points for the game, I would have taken it in a heartbeat. There was some sloppy defending and missed tackles out there, but they didn't just flat out blow coverages and give up huge plays. Some promising play by Wormley in the first half and the run defense looks great. Still no pressure on the QB, though, with just one sack.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:48 AM ^
Everything is there for Michigan. Even with the mistakes Michigan had every chance to win on the road against a good team. In the first game of the season.
I'm looking forward to watching the BYU game. That will be a good marker of how the team is improving, and hopefully we can get out of ooc play 3-1.
September 4th, 2015 at 9:44 AM ^
Part of the reason for the offensive turnaround was they benched their starting QB and inserted Cook as the starting QB.
September 4th, 2015 at 10:11 AM ^
I was thinking about that season, too. They came roaring back much to the surprise of everyone not associated with that program. I fully expect us to do the same.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:49 AM ^
The Good:
- Recievers! We have some.
- Pass pro looked for real.
- Second half Peppers on D and returns.
- D-Line. Wormley should be renamed Pythonley.
- Aussie, Aussie, Aussie. Oy, Oy, Oy!
- Harbaugh was surprisingly well-mannered on the sidelines and post-game.
The Bad:
- O-Line. Still a big work in process. Seven years and counting . . .
- RB. Smith is great once he gets through the LOS, but it takes him forever to get there. Drake Johnson, wherefore art thou?
- 1st half play calling. Very 27-27.
- Field goals. He's right, he should have gone for it.
- D against the zone read spread. Can we reschedule BYU?
The Ugly:
- MGoBlog Server. I had to go to MLive's Sparty troll-infested forum. Yuck. If MGoBlog can bring down an imperial AD it should be able to get a server that can handle more than a noon MAC game load.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:59 AM ^
Re: Field Goals
First one (33 yarder?) was dead middle, half way up the goal posts.
Second one (44 yarder) had great distance, and was still 3/4 up the uprights when it passed. Also, only missed by about 3 to 4 feet. In comparison to the Utah kicker (who is supposed to be good), whose two misses made him look like Rich Rod kickers.
One of the PAT's looked ugly though. Really low. Probably should have been blocked. But I think we can iron those out.
Overall I thought Kenny Allen looked pretty good for never kicking a FG in a game before.
But yes, Harbaugh has to go for that. College kickers will be college kickers, and the wind at the game last night wasn't going to help matters.
September 4th, 2015 at 10:10 AM ^
Agree ... Kenny Allen did not look horrible. That missed FG had the distance, just off by a bit.
His kickoffs were all out of the endzone.
He gets some confidence under his belt and he may be okay.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:48 AM ^
Ruddock was the difference in the game, in my view.
He was mentally erratic (choking) in the first half. I'd seen enough before halftime and was calling for him to sit at least one series to calm his nerves.
We will never know whether or not Shane could have come in and been more effective. On the one hand, I understand not creating a QB controversy; but on the other hand, Ruddock was the weak link last night.
I love Jim Harbaugh. But sticking with Ruddock in this game hurt the team.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:56 AM ^
September 4th, 2015 at 8:57 AM ^
He was, but it's not all his fault. 1.5 of those INT's were on the frreshman. The running game did nothing to help him. Nor did the Borges 27-27 play-calling that kept putting him in 3rd and long.
We don't know how much not sticking with Rudock was really an option. I'm not seeing Shane exactly passing the test on all those 3rd and longs uder pressure either. That's been a big weak area for Morris.
We really need a healthy Drake Johnson. He hits those small rapidly closing holes fast and squirts through at full speed, keeping Rudock out of those constant 3rd and longs. He's a difference maker.
September 4th, 2015 at 12:27 PM ^
I dont recall a whole lot of 3rd and longs. I think Michigan did a good job of having managable conversions.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:58 AM ^
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September 4th, 2015 at 9:16 AM ^
Back up QB is always the most popular player on the team. It's doubly funny in Shane's case, since he went from people calling for him to come in for Gardner, promptly calling for him to be benched for Rudock, and then just as quickly for Rudock to be benched so Shane can come back in. That, right there, is a textbook example of the grass is always greener on the other side.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:53 AM ^
Two unanswered questions after watching the game:
1. Deep Ball - Rudock hasn't proven at any time in his career that he can hit the deep ball, even occasionally. If this continues to be a trend, every opponent from now on will put 10 in the box and dare the offense to go over the top. This issue works hand-in-hand with the run game. It's going to be harder for the OL to get any push and for the RBs to have big gains if opponents are constantly putting 10 in the box. Effectively this means we have no chance against teams that have good LBs who can cover the short routes.
2. LB Play - Just find it incredible that Michigan defenses are still highly vulnerable to any sort of spread offense. The LBs are too slow in coverage and can't catch guys going to the edge. Utah did this the entire night without much speed and without going deep. I'm not sure this can be fixed except for maybe bringing the safeties closer. Just a talent issue. BYU with Taysom Hill is not looking very good right now.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:59 AM ^
All those Harbaugh 2-star but highly athletic linebacker recruits are starting to make sense.
We are athletic in spots, but not across the board like OSU is. Harbaugh is recruiting to fix that.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:53 AM ^
September 4th, 2015 at 9:01 AM ^
I hated that 4th and 1 call, espically given the way the QB sneak was easily stuffed the play before. Play action could have gone for a TD there.
September 4th, 2015 at 9:06 AM ^
Needed PA on 3rd and 1.
September 4th, 2015 at 9:19 AM ^
Yeah, agree. You already know you are going to go for it on 4th down. Take a shot on 3rd. We needed a quick TD anyway.
I hope the play calling opens up and what we were seeing is just the impact of a new system with several key new players.
Harbaugh clearly was not calling each play, it was likely Drevno. He's an unknown commodity at OC for us. Too early to tell if he is just getting loosened up or if he has an evil DeBord-Borges love child inside him.
September 4th, 2015 at 9:19 AM ^
Darboh should have set up his block on 2nd down and picked up the first down easily. Instead he runs away from his block. He probably still could have gotten the first but at the last minute he realizes his mistake and comes to a complete stop to cut it back and gets tackled short.
September 4th, 2015 at 10:30 AM ^
September 4th, 2015 at 8:54 AM ^
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September 4th, 2015 at 9:04 AM ^
Utah does not have the secondary to be a top program at the end of the year. This is not really a "good" loss, it's just a loss because we did not play well. We lick our wounds from here and move on and get better.
September 4th, 2015 at 9:14 AM ^
Is not Heisman canidate, Rudock play was the difference. If he hits one of those three open longs balls and does not throw just the last pick 6, I think we win.
September 4th, 2015 at 8:55 AM ^
September 4th, 2015 at 9:05 AM ^
This thread is a great idea. A lot of people at work today, and many HOT TAKES are going to end up taking up slots of football content on the MGoBoard.
Only wish it was sooner so we could have skipped the following Hot Take Threads:
OL: inferential leap in competency
Chances that Shane Morris starts week two?
September 4th, 2015 at 10:13 AM ^
September 4th, 2015 at 8:56 AM ^
September 4th, 2015 at 9:00 AM ^
In Hoke's first year, we all ran around like nut jobs because we were winning games we had "no right to win". After losses, things were quiet because the ineptness was embarrassing.
This morning, I got two "Go Blue"s when I stopped for gas. Everyone seems satisfied with the game. They lost, but they had every right to win, rather than winning with no right.
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September 4th, 2015 at 9:04 AM ^
September 4th, 2015 at 9:05 AM ^
I'm still drunk
September 4th, 2015 at 9:06 AM ^
We can still win the big ten! *ducks*
September 4th, 2015 at 9:11 AM ^
Which will surely put us in the playoff, so we can still win the National Championship!!
14-0, er, 13-1 baby!
September 4th, 2015 at 9:09 AM ^
The receivers and pass protection looked surprisingly good. Until Drake Johnson comes back, we will need to pass to set up the run, instead of the other way around. Two straight interior runs for 2 yards and then a third and 8 pass under pressure is not going to get it done.
Open it up . . . put Rudock in the shotgun more and let him hit his go-to short throws and get in a rhythm.
September 4th, 2015 at 9:13 AM ^
Obviously the most dissapointng aspect last night was Rudock. They had 10 guys in the box and our WR's did get open deep and he just missed them, generally without pressure in his face. He also got happy feet a couple times and bailed out of a perfectly sound pocket. Deveon Smith got good yards after contact but has never seen a cut back he likes and that is a problem.
The thing I was most dissapointed with on the defensive was the handling of the read option, both by the players and coaches. We were totally unprepared for it going into the game and never really adjusted either. I'm a big fan of what the Ravens do to stop it. Hit the QB every time. You take away the reading part and have the unblocked guy hit the QB every time. Trust your defense to not give up more than 3 yards 10 on 10 and eliminate the threat of the QB running. Just look at the TD run, the whole defense was flowing to the running back, if it had been a hand off would probably have been a 4 yard gain and a DE can generally take a QB on flat feet shuffling horizontally. If they just attack.
September 4th, 2015 at 9:48 AM ^
Bad assignment on the QB.
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September 4th, 2015 at 9:13 AM ^
I saw a team that was prepared, tough on D and the moment wasn't too big for them. They could've easily packed up shop after the pick-6 but they kept on fighting. I liked what I saw especially on the road in a hostile environment.