Don't Blame Blake Thread
Ultimately, Michigan should have won this game. I think it's alright to feel physically sick (I do), but when you feel like piling on Blake just remember no one feels worse than he does. That play was one in a million and we had them beat, however it would have been nice to open things up more offensively when we had them down more. This will suck forever but the Big Ten isn't settled yet and the future is bright regardless. God must hate first year UM coaches vs Staee no matter how awesome they are.
October 17th, 2015 at 10:10 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
October 17th, 2015 at 9:39 PM ^
@CollegeSpun: Michigan Punter Blake O’Neill Getting Death Threats, Suicide Suggestions On Social Media http://t.co/p7VRXJNorp
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
October 17th, 2015 at 9:42 PM ^
unfortuantly, stuff like that happens all the time. Kicker misses a FG in a big game and gets death threats. QB throws a pick and gets death threats. I remember it being really bad for the Boise kicker who missed 2 chip shots back when they were really good. In that sense, I dont think it looks that bad for UM.
October 17th, 2015 at 9:46 PM ^
October 17th, 2015 at 9:59 PM ^
October 17th, 2015 at 10:25 PM ^
well, then, we AREN'T already there. how can you read a post and comment on it without even understanding the point of the post? the point was that nobody should be able to say those things while hiding behind their account, not just certain people.
October 17th, 2015 at 10:35 PM ^
There are plenty of Internet tough guys everywhere, including on mgoblog. Something about it just grinds my gears. I'd love to see miscreants like this (those threatening Blake, that is) outed and identified and held responsible.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:44 AM ^
Assholes like this guy should be doxxed and publicly called out
: 
October 18th, 2015 at 3:19 PM ^
He deleted those first two, lmfao. What a fucking coward...
October 17th, 2015 at 9:49 PM ^
October 17th, 2015 at 10:12 PM ^
Oh get a fucking a grip. That is a sports fan problem, not a Michigan problem. You're already projecting this onto recruiting issues? Laughable.
October 17th, 2015 at 9:39 PM ^
October 17th, 2015 at 10:29 PM ^
exactly! this kid is a fantastic punter and sometimes shit just happens. why it seems to happen more to us than anyone else is a good question though. take a deep breath, look around and realize it's not that bad. it's just a game.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:36 AM ^
Now you are starting to sound like my mother with the "it's just a game" stuff. This isn't lawn dart's or horse shoes. This is a rivalry that goes back long before most of us were born. I can't imagine my life without Michigan football.. It's not just a game. It's in my bones.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:25 PM ^
He/She isn't saying that about fans that are pissed that we lost. He/She is saying that about fans that are pissed that we lost and choose to vent by publicly threatening harm/murder towards a college kid along with suggesting that he kill himself.
Between that or an "it's just a game" attitude, every single one of those maladjusted fucktards should choose to cope with the latter.
October 18th, 2015 at 7:06 PM ^
I took it as he/she was commenting on the loss in general at the end. I wouldn't ever agree with the vitriol that some dumbasses have flung at O'neill over the past 23 hours. The same as I would never agree with the dumbasses cackling with glee that Watts-Jackson suffered a season ending injury on that last play.
October 17th, 2015 at 11:46 PM ^
that he wouldn't be aware of the fact that he is supposed to cleanly punt that football..
The fact he didn't punt that cleanly probably had more to do with his lack of experience in that type of game situation on such a big stage than the fact he's Australian.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:25 AM ^
I would hope they would have gone over with him on how punting in American football works by now. The fact that he kicks rugby style as some people have been using as a negative has nothing to do with it. He fumbled the snap which happens every now and then. Then panicked in trying to pick it up and kick it anyways. Could have happened to any punter.
The fact that it happened on the very last play of the game was a bummer. The fact that it was against Imo our more annoying rival was most unfortunate, but you know sometimes the football gods throw a thunderbolt your way and fuck all of your shit up. The only thing you can do is pick yourself up, dust yourself off, sacrafice a few farm animals to the gods, and keep going.
October 17th, 2015 at 9:40 PM ^
October 17th, 2015 at 9:42 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
October 17th, 2015 at 9:41 PM ^
Let's not chase out our VERY good player who has done nothing wrong other than drop a bad snap. He doesn't deserve that. Let's be good people over avid fans.
October 17th, 2015 at 9:41 PM ^
Yeah, it isn't Blake's fault. It's a tough loss. It's football. Beat OSU and the season will still feel sweet.
October 17th, 2015 at 9:54 PM ^
It kinda is his fault.THere were plenty of contributing factors, but his bad play literally gave up 7 points and the only way possible we lose that game.
But who cares. It sucks...move on....embrace the kid; the best punter we have had at UM since Zoltan.
October 17th, 2015 at 10:04 PM ^
October 17th, 2015 at 11:15 PM ^
No, you really can't argue that, IMO. I'm not blaming him for the game's outcome.
That said, let's call it the way it was - A guy who has done a great job for Michigan this year just completely blew it on this play. He dropped a snap he would catch 999 times out of 1000. Then he completely and totally panicked and did a series of things that were approximately the worst possible choices in this situation.
I believe those to be the facts. Again, does it make the loss his fault? No.
There are other facts. They didn't max protect. They didn't get the MSU guy on the ground (another thing that would have sealed the game).
Lots of questions that have nothing to do with O'Neill:
Why didn't they max protect? Heck, you could have snapped to Jabrill Peppers and have him play keep away in the Michigan half of the field for 10 seconds. Lots of things that could have worked. But the truth is, Michigan's coaches had confidence they could execute the fundamentals under pressure, and this time, for whatever reason, all the hard work, all the great coaching, all the preparation - didn't stop a basic breakdown in sports execution. I think if you had this situation to do over again, the coaches will have the same confidence in their guys to get the job done, and my belief is, they will be right the overwhelming majority of the time.
Rob
October 17th, 2015 at 10:05 PM ^
He is a great punter who failed in a very high pressure situaton. None of us have the talent to even be in that spot.
He choked. But he is a great punter, who will help us win more games.
For the clowns who think the responses to him will hurt us in recruiting, take a look at Alabama fans comments after the iron bowl loss on the short fg.
Just stupid.
However, this pain is really bad. I am in a fog. I didn't make one tackle today, didn't make one block, but I feel horrible. This is so irrational.
October 17th, 2015 at 9:41 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
October 17th, 2015 at 9:42 PM ^
Yes, lay off the kid.
The game hinged on lot's of different mistakes. Penalties, dropped passes, missed tackles, blown coverages, over thrown balls that would have been a TD, etc..
October 17th, 2015 at 9:53 PM ^
There's no need to sugar coat it here. Blake and Sypniewski really did lose us the game. That doesn't mean people should rip into them on social media or be asshat fans. But let's be real. It was kinda their fault. As a scholarship long snapper, you're supposed to deliver the ball at a reasonable height, and as a scholarship punter, you're supposed to catch it. They blew it, it happens (once every 50 years), try to move on.
October 17th, 2015 at 9:59 PM ^
It's just another "what if" in a game that will always be full of them in hindsight. Definitely not complaining about his play, but if Peppers could have gotten the first down earlier it's possible M has another four points on the board. If the refs hadn't ejected Bolden for that bullshit maybe he would have been in for the 75 yard fullback play and made a tackle early. If O'Neill had shanked the eighty yard punt maybe MSU is in victory formation with nine seconds left on the clock. Or maybe M is if Rudock/Chesson had connected on the second to last drive.
It's a tired cliche, but this is a team sport. O'Neill and Sypniewski didn't lose a game tonight, Michigan did.
October 17th, 2015 at 10:05 PM ^
October 17th, 2015 at 10:13 PM ^
The reality of football is that plays are magnified at the end of the game. Yes, mistakes were made earlier. Yes, any number of plays could have changed the outcome of the game. But that was an absolutely catastrophic mistake that we see maybe once every 30 years, it cost us the game, and it did so because we couldn't adjust strategically after it happened. The game was over. I don't see the point of ignoring that basic fact.
October 18th, 2015 at 1:03 AM ^
But the only reason this play could occur was in the context of the game at large, which was the play of the entire team. If Peppers got that first down and Rudock connected with Chesson it doesn't matter that M couldn't adjust strategically, because M would be up after the final play.
Again, tired cliche but they win as a team or lose as a team.
October 17th, 2015 at 10:07 PM ^
Not even close to his fault, that was a low snap but very catchable. O'neill ran to punt the ball before he caught it. If he falls on the ball rather than trying a wild ass punt, we still win. MSU Gets the ball with 5 or 6 seconds back from the 40. Other than a hail mary it is over.
October 17th, 2015 at 9:43 PM ^
October 17th, 2015 at 10:01 PM ^
That was a hard last second fluke of a loss and rare. We have a solid team and kicker. He put us in the position to well kinda win the game. The real shocker was the way it was lost not won. Michigan didn't get its ass kicked today! We were not pummeled on the field. The guys played a hard hitting game and basically outplayed the sparty boys. They know it.
I hope Sparty really celebrates the Victory on this game I don't see another like it for years to come. Michigan is heading in the right direction and things are getting turned around quicker than I ever dreamed. The team didn't deserve this loss the way they played today and it really was a fluke. I have watched enough football to see a botched punt, just can't remember the last time that it was in the last 10 seconds of a game. It was a good call from the coaches, our kicker has been spot on for weeks and has done one hell of a great job on the team. It just happened he got a low snap and tried to get it off in time.
Heart Broken in the loss. Not heart broken with the Team or the Coaches. They are doing a great job.
I don't think alot of idiots would be on here complaining without too much thought if they didn't care so much. We will recover. Be back watching Michigan football in a couple of weeks and I can't wait.
Go Blue!
October 17th, 2015 at 9:44 PM ^
October 17th, 2015 at 9:50 PM ^
I think the play calling could have been better on the last drive. Have running plays that just don't go straight up the middle to take little extra time off. If the first 3 plays just took off 2 extra seconds each...then on 4th down you just have Rudock throw a bomb deep to run off the final 4 seconds.
October 17th, 2015 at 9:58 PM ^
October 17th, 2015 at 9:44 PM ^
October 17th, 2015 at 9:46 PM ^
October 17th, 2015 at 9:46 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
October 17th, 2015 at 9:46 PM ^
Blame the universe all you want, but leave the kid out of it.
October 17th, 2015 at 9:47 PM ^
October 17th, 2015 at 9:48 PM ^
October 17th, 2015 at 9:48 PM ^
He kicked an 80 yard punt.
80.
yards.
October 17th, 2015 at 9:48 PM ^
October 17th, 2015 at 9:50 PM ^
Nobody is talking about this, but they should be. Baxter coached that play miserably.
October 17th, 2015 at 9:52 PM ^
At the very least I'm surprised they didn't call a timeout to talk about it. Michigan did not look prepared for how MSU lined up.
October 17th, 2015 at 9:54 PM ^
Did we have one left?