Run-heavy offense
With the QB situation being what it is - and no real improvement in sight - the attention is turning toward the run game as far as salvaging the season is concerned. It became obvious down the stretch vs Indiana that the coaches shifted their approach to a 'let's avoid passing if at all possible' type of plan.
Now if you look at the numbers you will see that while Michigan has always featured a slight emphasis on the run game - we're still notably more pass-happy than teams like Wisconsin, Georgia or Alabama who feature the run heavily without being 'specialist' teams like Navy or Army.
The question is - can we do that? Can we reliably run the ball to set up the pass just often enough to keep them honest? The three teams in question also have *highly* efficient passing games, in other words, when they do pass the ball, they usually do a decent enough job at it. That is where we differ from them so far. But would it really be beyond possibility for O'Korn to actually make 2 or 3 good play action passes for chunk yardage a game IF we can run the ball reliably?
On the 'con' side - we have had too many runs stuffed for minimal gain or loss due to blown up blocks to do this. But maybe this is more easily fixed by focusing on what we do well with the O-Line than any other part of the offense. If we can fix this - and there were signs vs Indiana that we're improving here. Then this would open up a simplified passing game that perhaps we can pull off We still wouldn't be high scoring but with 3 TDs we'd be in every game.
tl, dr - Is our future power running it 70% of the time?
October 15th, 2017 at 10:23 AM ^
However, you can “steal” a game from a better team if you get lucky and the bounces go your way. Hate to tear off the scab and rub salt in the wound, but that’s Michigan States thing. Force turnovers, get some bounces to go your way, buy a ref or two, and win with less sheer talent than the other team. It can work in the short term, but it’s not a recipe for prolonged success.
To your point, and in the very immediate future, can Michigan pull this off next Saturday against Penn State? Uh, if they get breaks and turnovers. This defense of Michigan’s is very good, but they haven’t forced a ton of turnovers. A punt is fantastic, don’t get me wrong, but turnovers are where it’s at when you know your offense can’t march down field.
October 15th, 2017 at 10:38 AM ^
October 15th, 2017 at 10:55 AM ^
October 15th, 2017 at 11:09 AM ^
October 15th, 2017 at 11:12 AM ^
October 15th, 2017 at 12:00 PM ^
Have to get another solid win of the remaining 3. And you have to win the 3 you should. If not, I’ll be expecting another 8-9 wins again next year
October 15th, 2017 at 11:32 AM ^
Yeah, stealing a game is the only way I think they finish better than 3-3. The best chance for Michigan to beat any of PSU, Wisconsin or OSU is to get some D/ST TD's, or super short fields (inside the 5). Possible but not likely.
That said, my hope (and it is likely a long shot) is Harbaugh rolls with Peters at Rutgers and he isn't as bad as O'Korn and we have some semblance of a competent passing game going forward.. giving us a chance to beat OSU. For the record, I don't think that'll happen but it'd be nice to see what Peters can do. I saw it on another post but Rutgers really would be the perfect game to break him in. I mean, c'mon it's a great rivalry!
October 15th, 2017 at 10:24 AM ^
October 15th, 2017 at 10:29 AM ^
October 15th, 2017 at 12:07 PM ^
I'm perfectly fine with Tresselball at this point.
October 15th, 2017 at 1:20 PM ^
We just need to call it something different. It feels dirty when we call it Tresselball.
October 15th, 2017 at 2:43 PM ^
Harball
October 15th, 2017 at 2:44 PM ^
Wasn't it Lloydball before it was Tresselball?
October 15th, 2017 at 10:32 AM ^
October 15th, 2017 at 10:39 AM ^
If we want to win those games, we have to throw to keep the defense honest.
October 15th, 2017 at 10:42 AM ^
October 15th, 2017 at 4:27 PM ^
I think Michigan needs to get the ball in the hands of playmakers, like DPJ or McDoom on jet sweeps or bubble screens, etc. Something safer than throwing downfield to receivers who can't get open or suffer occasional drops. The recent MGoFilm analysis commented how slow the receivers were to get into their routes. Traditional downfield passing will not be Michigan's consistent means to getting the ball in the hands of an athlete in open space.
Does anyone else think they would be better to focus on short dink & dunk stuff hoping an athlete (DPJ?) occasionally breaks off a big chunk, rather than trying to get all their passing yards by throwning downfield?
October 15th, 2017 at 4:47 PM ^
October 15th, 2017 at 10:40 AM ^
Tressel Ball for the rest of the year.
We can and will beat Rutgers, Minnesota and Maryland.
We can beat Wisconsin, and we have a good enough defense to beat Penn State.
OSU is tough, but if our D can hold them to 20 or less we have a shot.
I expect this team to get to 9-3. 8-4 is the floor, 10-2 would be amazing. I think we can achieve this playing Tressel Ball, obviously on the backs of our defense. If we can win the must wins straight up, and turn the 3 big games into rock fights then we have a chance. Purdue should have beat Wisconsin this weekend. They will make mistakes, and if we can shut down the run they don't have much. Penn State's OL is a sieve, they are worst in conference in TFL given up. We can win a field goal battle in Happy Valley and Madison.
October 15th, 2017 at 11:45 AM ^
Yeah, I think that's fair. But we need a lot to fall into line there.. OL needs to keep whatever they did yesterday up, Higdon needs to keep rolling and not cough up the ball. O'Korn needs to hit at least one or two deep balls to make PA a remote possibility.
Personally, I think a dink and dunk passing offense would work for them. There were plenty of open guys yesterday but JOK forced it to go deep more often than not. Keep it all short and quick passes to the OPEN guys, not pre-determined reads, and I think we can get to 9 wins.
October 15th, 2017 at 11:55 AM ^
He often has a guy or two open on any given passing play. If his throw to DPJ was accurate yesterday and he checks to Gentry instead of throwing to Crawford in double coverage, he would actually have had a pretty good passing line. His throw to Perry on 3rd down of the opening drive was a tad high but Perry got both hands on it.
He's not playing well, obviously. However, he's only a couple plays a game from being serviceable, if our running game and defense hold.
October 15th, 2017 at 10:42 AM ^
October 15th, 2017 at 11:10 AM ^
October 15th, 2017 at 11:46 AM ^
October 15th, 2017 at 10:51 AM ^
October 15th, 2017 at 10:57 AM ^
However, it CAN possibly get us to a 8-4 or 9-3 season which is what we predicted at the start of the year. We always knew this was a rebuilding year with a young team.
It's not unreasonable to take what the offense has shown--a flashes of strength in the run game--and build in it this year, relying on our defense and special teams to win games and maybe pull off an upset against PSU or OSU.
Then you come back best year with the run game largely installed/developed and have the ability to put more focus on the passing game during spring ball and fall camp with the hope that by the start if the season, run game is humming along at 85-90% capacity and the passing game is now at least a threat/average.
October 15th, 2017 at 11:03 AM ^
October 15th, 2017 at 11:20 AM ^
October 15th, 2017 at 12:37 PM ^
October 15th, 2017 at 12:43 PM ^
That sounds exactly like Rich Rod...don't win now because we're building something for the future!
October 15th, 2017 at 3:38 PM ^
Where did he say or suggest that JH doesn't want to win now? Even suggesting that is crazy. Almost as crazy as comparing JH to RR.
October 15th, 2017 at 12:09 PM ^
JOK is not accurate outside the pocket. He needs a scramble-produced breakdown in coverage to produce an open wide receiver within 10 yards of him to complete a pass.
Hard to string a bunch of those together.
October 15th, 2017 at 10:59 AM ^
October 15th, 2017 at 11:18 AM ^
We're going to need at least a +2 TO difference and to succesfully run new things on both offense and defense. If we hold Barkley to under 100 total yards and we don't turn the ball over, I think we win. Tall orders, obviously.
October 15th, 2017 at 12:06 PM ^
Walker can move that pile for 3 yards every time.
3 yards and a cloud of dust = 12 yards on 4 downs.
I'll take that.
October 15th, 2017 at 11:00 AM ^
October 15th, 2017 at 11:12 AM ^
October 15th, 2017 at 11:18 AM ^
October 15th, 2017 at 12:03 PM ^
The difference is that Lloyd had a bunch of NFL first rounders on offense.
He did not have to play that way, he chose to play that way.
The 2007 season Cap One Bowl demonstrates that.
We don't have the same choice in 2017. We have to play Lloyd ball to survive.
I'm just not sure we can do it.
I'd kill for that "game manager" 1997 offense right about now.
October 15th, 2017 at 12:16 PM ^
Lloyd had more talent than most teams in the country and still played conservative. He had all big ten QBs and NFL receivers everywhere and still did it. It's not a choice in this situation, we pretty much have to.
And we have a better defense than any year under Lloyd besides 1997. So let's make it work.
October 15th, 2017 at 11:18 AM ^
We're Les Miles LSU right now. Great defense, infuriating offense. Except we don't have an all world running back making the medicre Offensive line look good.
October 15th, 2017 at 11:31 AM ^
October 15th, 2017 at 11:32 AM ^
I'm stunned. Not a signle "hire Fisch" to cure the offensive problems because he and UCLA laid another egg with one of the nation's best QBs (UM would be unbeaten and ranked #2 with Rosen). I have very low hopes for Saturday (remembering I was in the stands for the PSU-UM game in 97 when both teams were unbeaten).
October 15th, 2017 at 11:45 AM ^
against a RichRod defense last night, lol, i'm inclined to agree with you...rather have a Favre-like gun-slinger like Rosen with the Michigan suporting cast than what we have now...
October 15th, 2017 at 11:39 AM ^
October 15th, 2017 at 11:52 AM ^
Im sure a triple option is easy to install in one week
October 15th, 2017 at 11:58 AM ^
Just have our scout team for the Air Force game run it.
I knew that game would pay off somewhere down the road.
October 15th, 2017 at 11:57 AM ^
Clearly you've never played NCAA Football '14.
You just go into User Settings and go to "Change Playbook" and find Georgia Tech (or Air Force or Navy).
Then you go to Depth Chart and put Evans at QB...then go to Formation Substitutions and sub Higdon, McDoom and Isaac where you want them.
...then you're done!
October 15th, 2017 at 11:53 AM ^
We can and should run more...but we don't have any diversity in our run game. It's the same 4-5 plays.
We have to run more of that short pitch counter stuff like we did to Evans against Purdue.
Run that shovel pass play we ran yesterday to Khalid Hill.
Run some read option and have O'Korn actually keep it.
Run more counters and misdirection.
What happened to the jet sweep w/ McDoom?
What happened to the fake jet sweep w/ McDoom then pitch back to the RB going the other way?
What happened to the fake jet sweep w/ McDoom, then stop behind the QB and sprint back to where you started...snap the ball and hit McDoom on the swing pass?
Have we every run a "Pop Pass?" Why not run one with DPJ?
O'Korn can run...why not run a speed option for a short yardage pickup?
...why can I come up with my creativity in 30 seconds on my fucking couch than our offensive minds getting paid millions of dollars?
October 15th, 2017 at 11:59 AM ^
Harbaugh knows what he's doing. He's insanely competitive. This is not a man who is out of his depth or who is lazy.
I agree with that overhauling the offense just for JOK doesn't make sense. If he's got a 2-3 year overhaul plan, you don't scrap that just to salvage a game or two with your back up 5th year senior QB.
Maybe develop one or two wrinkles for JOK, but doing a mid season total overhaul and killing any traction that the OL and WRs are starting to get would be shortsighted.