Some interesting Penn State box scores this year
For UM to win Saturday they have to protect the football and commit to running the ball. Only watched bits and pieces of the Pitt game but the IU-PSU game ended 45-14 but was strangely much closer than that. IU scored two special teams TD's (one on a KO return, the other on a muffed IU punt). They also scored twice off IU turnovers on a shortened field and got the benefit of a blatant OPI flag picked up in the endzone on another TD. They really only had one sustained TD drive all game. They look like a slightly better version the team they were last year. They couldn't block IU on offense and were getting suprisignly gashed on the ground one defense. This is a game JOK needs to use his legs as Ramsey did and not commit any turnovers. Do that and Michigan has a good shot at a win.
October 16th, 2017 at 11:41 AM ^
that is not something that a person should say. Like, I am not prone to overreaction about stuff like that but you may have some issues. I can't think of a high schooler that would make that "joke."
October 16th, 2017 at 11:49 AM ^
around these parts. Disgusting, but slightly amusing.
October 16th, 2017 at 11:55 AM ^
Went overboard. Going for some mud slinging on their sorry apologetic Joepa defenders
October 16th, 2017 at 10:58 AM ^
WIN THE GAME... also respect to Maizen for actually posting some analysis instead of bashing UM.
October 16th, 2017 at 11:04 AM ^
October 16th, 2017 at 11:42 AM ^
if Maizen's posts can suddenly improve, then maybe O'Korn....
October 17th, 2017 at 8:06 PM ^
So you're saying .... Finkle is Einhorn?
October 16th, 2017 at 11:57 AM ^
because JB is pulling in some recruits, throwing him off his game
October 16th, 2017 at 1:35 PM ^
basketball season.
October 16th, 2017 at 11:00 AM ^
I see those not-so-good 3rd down conversion rates and become hopeful, especially with our defense.
October 16th, 2017 at 11:07 AM ^
Seriously though, with the hostile environment, the calls that will probably go against us as they always do in big road games, and Penn State looking to avenge last year's Sanduskying, this one will be a tall order. Out of 3 scenarios (we blow them out, they blow us out, close game) the only two that are plausible are the last two. This game could be a severe beating if offense is status quo, which will solidify Drevno's post season fate to OL coach relegation, or it will feature Purdue JOK with a lot of Grant Perry and we'll have a shot because we know the D and Don Brown's mustache will show up.
Results aside, fuck Penn State and their child rapist enabler apologist fanbase.
October 16th, 2017 at 12:02 PM ^
October 16th, 2017 at 12:47 PM ^
Agreed on Frey but Frey has little to do with 58 yards passing vs IU, etc., etc.
October 16th, 2017 at 1:38 PM ^
which somehow means they get a pass, I guess, and the Supreme Leader is not to be criticized, so the scapegoat around here is Drevno, even though the interior line has been pretty good and the run game has been pretty good as well.
October 16th, 2017 at 5:36 PM ^
October 16th, 2017 at 11:47 AM ^
God Bless and GO BLUE !!!
October 16th, 2017 at 11:14 AM ^
October 16th, 2017 at 11:34 AM ^
For UM to even hope for a chance at winning this they will have to play their cleanest game of the year.
Gadget plays, personnel changes, playcalling, etc. are secondary topics.
With UM it isn't about "walk before running" it is about correctly tying their shoelaces.
October 16th, 2017 at 11:16 AM ^
October 16th, 2017 at 11:46 AM ^
turn out that way.
But CFB is weird. Michigan beating Penn State would be a lot less strange than Syracuse beating Clemson, or Arizona State beating Washington, or Baylor beating Oklahoma.
Those are all unranked teams beating then top 5 teams.
October 16th, 2017 at 1:41 PM ^
beat Oklahoma, but yeah, those all qualify as far bigger upsets than what we're about to do to PSU.
October 16th, 2017 at 3:09 PM ^
The big difference between those upsets and us potentially upsetting PSU, is those top ranked teams may have had issues "getting up" for those opponents. They are teams that no one expects to be able to compete and should just roll over as the highly ranked team rolls through town. PSU is not going to have any trouble getting up for us this weekend. I fully believe we can win this game and there are multiple scenarios I can see where we do indeed pull the upset. I just think there is a big difference between our circumstances and those surrounding the upsets by Syracuse, ASU and ISU.
October 16th, 2017 at 11:54 AM ^
October 16th, 2017 at 12:29 PM ^
October 16th, 2017 at 11:19 AM ^
Are also interesting. PSU only averages 4 penalties per game (tied for 7th in country) and we are at 8.5 (120th.) Young team or not, we need to cut down on these in order to keep this game from getting out of hand on Saturday.
October 16th, 2017 at 11:53 AM ^
I don't know how many of them were offensive holding calls, but it felt like a lot of our drives this year, especially near the red zone, were impacted negatively by penalties. We don't have the experience yet on offense to consistently overcome 2nd and 3rd and long.
JH knows what he has on defense. I expect a heavy emphasis on holding onto the football and playing clean football this week.
October 16th, 2017 at 1:46 PM ^
going into a home game two weeks ago, in inclement weather, against an inferior team that literally could only have won by winning the TO battle by multiple TOs.
Something tells me the coaches didn't just forget to emphasize holding onto the ball two weeks ago. So the team needs to execute, regardless of the emphasis.
October 16th, 2017 at 11:22 AM ^
The game is winnable, but a lot of things have to go right:
No stupid penalities that kill drives or give Penn State fresh sets of downs. I unfortunately see a lot of false starts coming our way in a loud night game on the road in probably the roughest, and by far the loudest environment we'll see all year. Hope Harbaugh is blasting the surround sound in the practice facility this week to try and simulate how loud it'll be.
Protect the football. Don't give Penn State a short field to work with. If they're going to beat us, make them go the length of the field to do it. Win the field position battle.
Sustain drives. Clock-killing drives that end with some kind of kick. Keep Barkley off the field for as long as humanly possible. Most importantly, keep the defense fresh.
October 16th, 2017 at 11:23 AM ^
If we score more points than Penn State, we definitely win this game.
October 16th, 2017 at 12:01 PM ^
October 16th, 2017 at 11:28 AM ^
Waiting on "49-10 last year" guy to chime in
October 16th, 2017 at 11:29 AM ^
"improvement" week to what Michigan had. Comes out and lays an egg on their home field.
Fingers crossed!
October 16th, 2017 at 11:29 AM ^
looks like PSU doesnt commit/isn't called for penalities Please no Oneil this weekend.
October 16th, 2017 at 12:22 PM ^
ScottyP won't watch if it is, know im sayin?
October 16th, 2017 at 11:31 AM ^
October 16th, 2017 at 11:38 AM ^
If we're going by history, our recent track record against PSU is quite a bit better than that...
October 16th, 2017 at 11:40 AM ^
October 16th, 2017 at 11:39 AM ^
But we are 5-1 with one of the best defenses in the land. And Harbaugh still knows what he's doing as a coach. We will not roll over for penn state. It's great that they are number 2 and heavily favored. The team, the team, the team will be ready!!
GO BLUE!!
October 16th, 2017 at 11:41 AM ^
October 16th, 2017 at 11:43 AM ^
manhandle (yes I said it) PSU and we've got a fighters chance to steal one as well
Ths PSU squad is nothing special and will end up with a couple losses at the end of the year whether we defeat them or not.
October 16th, 2017 at 12:11 PM ^
#7 Wisconsin vs. #8 Nebraska looked like a great match-up on paper, but looking into it deeper showed Nebraska looked a little overrated (unconvincing wins vs meh Washington and Fresno State teams) and sure enough, Wisconsin blew Nebraska's doors off 48-17
If we don't get PSU, I suspect Gameday will be in Columbus next week for a top 5 match-up in the Shoe, and OSU will likely win 56-14 or something
October 16th, 2017 at 12:42 PM ^
October 16th, 2017 at 12:49 PM ^
OSU will win against PSU, which is good to shut that fanbase up. We can then taken down OSU in hour house.
Raback it.
October 16th, 2017 at 11:44 AM ^
October 16th, 2017 at 11:44 AM ^
October 16th, 2017 at 11:44 AM ^
I think Bushell-Beatty is a big upgrade on the ground over Ulizio. He played really well against IU: executed his assignment, got some movement, even pancaked a guy. He was rough on a few snaps of pass pro, had that offsides penalty, and wasn't perfect, but he and Onwenu are guys you can run the ball with. Bredeson looked to have the roughest game (and Gentry if we're talking non-OL, woof on some of his misses), but it was a cohesive unit. Take away some penalties, the Higdon slip (hate to note one of his few mistakes on a fantastic day, but that play was going places), and some brain farts, and Michigan was close to shove-it-down-your-throat territory at times.
That's good stuff and may be repeatable. Elminate those penalties and general this-week-in-clownshow mistakes and this game is already a lot closer than most think.
Yes, O'Korn has got to hit on the couple of attempts he gets. Or scramble and throw, or scramble and keep it. But I'll be fine with a hand off on 3rd and 6 unless the game is 10 points away in the fourth quarter.
October 16th, 2017 at 11:52 AM ^
but they're good. 13th in S&P+ bears that out.
It's definitely a "step up in competition" versus what Michigan has faced thus far. Namely, the 83rd, 113th, 44th, 70th, 78th and 90th best offenses in the land (again per S&P+).
Michigan's defense will be a "step up in competition" for Penn State's offense as well, of course. But not quite the same: PSU has faced the 95th, 108th, 83rd, 23rd, 22nd, and 56th best defenses thus far. Iowa & Indiana have been decent tests, and PSU has had some success against both.
October 16th, 2017 at 12:45 PM ^
October 16th, 2017 at 11:56 AM ^