Proud of our boys

Submitted by BlueChitown on

I am proud of our boys in the maize and blue.  Yeah, they got outplayed yesterday.  But they didn't quit, and they played their hearts out and hung with the #2 team in the nation and the Heisman frontrunner for a good portion of the game. 

The D got shocked with 14 in the opening minutes, but buckled down and made it a game for the better part of 3 quarters.  The offense was not good, but we knew that already.  JOK was largely serviceable and made some good plays.  Receivers need a lot of work.  PP and run blocking needs tons.

But I think this will be a game to build on going forward, actually.  Watch for that score to flip again next year.

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BlueChitown

October 22nd, 2017 at 12:07 PM ^

How many of his recruits have started at QB?

As someone has said already, at defense we have seen little drop off (although they got exploited last night).  At offense we have not been stellar for the last couple years.  Even with good Speight last year was just above average.  Rudock was apparently an anomaly, and he was a transfer, not a Hoke recruit.

Joined: 06/26/2009

MGoPoints: 1718

UMxWolverines

October 22nd, 2017 at 12:52 PM ^

You're telling me Darboh, Chesson, Funchess, etc are all putrid? Or are these guys just putrid because they're not being coached correctly? So what's the Peters excuse then? Harbaugh hand picked him but he's not good enough to play yet? How many more mental gymnastics can you use to justify a bad team?

Joined: 03/01/2009

MGoPoints: 65436

sharklover

October 22nd, 2017 at 5:04 PM ^

Yeah, and if neither were here, we wouldn't have had any god damned quarterbacks to play football.

What the hell, do you think that Harbaugh should just be able to shit out an Andrew Luck quality quarterback every season? These are kids. Sometimes transfers work out. Sometimes they struggle.

Joined: 11/30/2015

MGoPoints: 6140

Ham

October 22nd, 2017 at 2:48 PM ^

“How many of his recruits have started at QB?” Well considering his recruit is so bad that the tire fire we’re seeing is somehow still better than him, 0. I fail to see how this should leave me optimistic about the future.

Joined: 01/10/2011

MGoPoints: 37223

Ham

October 22nd, 2017 at 2:48 PM ^

“How many of his recruits have started at QB?” Well considering his recruit is so bad that the tire fire we’re seeing is somehow still better than him, 0. I fail to see how this should leave me optimistic about the future.

Joined: 01/10/2011

MGoPoints: 37223

LSAClassOf2000

October 22nd, 2017 at 12:40 PM ^

Well, buried on the OP's word - if I am interpreting this correctly - is something that makes some sense. We all went into 2015 with some very guarded expectations then were promptly fooled a bit by the immediate bump. In 2016, we took 2015 and rolled that into slightly higher expectations, perhaps forgetting those last Hoke recruits - the beneficiaries of vastly improved coaching - were about to leave. In 2017, they've left and we have what I think we thought we might get in year one, just in a different form. It's rough to watch, but a few astute bloggers did put the warning flag up in August about what this year might be. So far, their tempered predictions are turning out to be mostly accurate thus far.

Is it bad coaching? Well, it could be improved in one aspect of the game in particular, but the "Harbaugh bump" is still a thing as I cannot imagine what this team would look like had Michigan pursued another path in December 2014. In any case, the university has made it quite clear that Jim IS the plan, so what needs to happen around him is the question that is open to debate. 

Joined: 01/07/2011

MGoPoints: 130636

RedRum

October 22nd, 2017 at 3:29 PM ^

We don't need you! This is a rebuilding year and we will have 8 wins. The narrative seems to be if Harbaugh isn't winning national championships or conference championships, he is a bad coach. If this is your assessment then all but 10 coaches in the country should be fired. Further, at the end of three years, let's compare records of RR Hoke and JH. Get back to me on that, because we are already well ahead. Big ten is a really deep conference this year. We might be fourth. Fine. Harbaugh has Zero Juniors of his recruiting playing. Find another team bra

Joined: 08/20/2017

MGoPoints: 21518

YoOoBoMoLloRoHo

October 22nd, 2017 at 12:05 PM ^

It was encouraging to see the frosh/soph defense play until the very last seconds and keep PSU from the endzone.  Paye's appearance was a positive; Solomon & Dwumfour can be a force next year; young LBs and CBs will be a force for the next couple of years.

The next 10 months of maturation and S&C are crucial for the program.  If a couple of the young guys stepup to show leadership along with Rashan, this group can create a long-term foundation for the program.

The score and some positions were painful to endure, but the "quit" on display in the RR and Hoke years did not occur.  Tough situation and the guys deserve appreciation.

Joined: 11/01/2012

MGoPoints: 18054

CoverZero

October 22nd, 2017 at 12:16 PM ^

O'Korn took a beating and had multiple guys in his face all game.  He deserves much more respect for being tough than what is given on this blog.

Joined: 08/30/2014

MGoPoints: 14571

sharklover

October 22nd, 2017 at 5:01 PM ^

He was getting hounded from all sides by rushers that were either unblocked, or barely blocked, and his receivers were dropping very catchable balls on the few occasions that they were able to get uncovered. He has a great attitude and he puts out a great level of effort. He is not "The Man," but he plays his heart out, and he is still probably a step up from the other QBs on the depth chart. He clearly is learning and growing in this offense. No one thinks O'Korn is going to win the Heisman, or take us to a championship. But you have to give him credit for preparing and trying to improve by learning from his mistakes.

Do I wish that we had Tom Brady, Chad Henne, or Drew Henson lurking in the wings to carry the team to glorious victory? Sure. But we have John O'Korn, instead. John O'Korn ain't the messiah, but he has the potential to play some gritty football and win us some games. I don't know what you expected out of him yesterday.

Joined: 11/30/2015

MGoPoints: 6140

MWolverine7

October 22nd, 2017 at 12:16 PM ^

Agree as well. Like it or not this is a bridge year. Before Harbaugh, we screwed up the last 2 coaching hires. We now are rebuilding the QB, receiver, and OL depth. I for one don’t think Peters is a bust, but time will tell. There’s a reason coaching continuity is important in college football, we are now paying the price for that lack of continuity. We need to support this team. That being said, do I think changes may be needed with the offensive coaches - absolutely. Do I think Harbaugh knows this - I think he does and we will see him make changes at the end of the year.

Joined: 12/14/2013

MGoPoints: 5190

The Denarding

October 22nd, 2017 at 12:43 PM ^

I concur with Nate. I support any fans right to complain in regards to the game or our performance but if people honestly believe that this program is Hoke level then all I can say is ...I heard he is available. Apparently willing to crawl here from Knoxville over shards of glass or something to that effect. I shouldn't be surprised. This is the fire Beilein crowd so this isn't a shock really. For the quality content and in depth analysis that thoughtful posters and Seth, Brian and Ace provide you will get the poorly rationalized takes. I remember going to the Orange Bowl last year and saying this will be the best Michigan team for the next couple of years. Offensive line will take some time to assume an identity and get to where we have known it to be. This PSU team is highly likely to be playoff bound and Moorhead understands how to get his best players in space against yours. We didn't switch to zone and rush 4 and we should have - that would have slowed the death but it wouldn't have prevented it. You saw a team that wanted to beat us badly and did. I have complete confidence we will be that team over the next couple of years. If you don't well you can be sullen on your own with unmitigated rage against an event you can't control. You've got that going for you....

Joined: 11/29/2010

MGoPoints: 1679

gmoney41

October 22nd, 2017 at 2:43 PM ^

I don't hear anyone say fire Harbaugh, but regardless of youth, the team has been massively worse than what I thought they would be. I figured 8-4 9-3 level was going to be the record this year. But I didn't see us playing so poorly. We have had one game where we looked decent, and that was the first game of the season. We have looked atrocious offensively in every single game since. Hell we had 2 weeks to prepare for MSU and we were completely unprepared for them. An average offense would have mopped the floor with them. But we had no wrinkles, no imagination. Just the old Lloyd Carr/Hoke "execution" bs. This coaching staff should be able to put scheme anyone, but penn fucking state and Franklin just gave Harbaugh and brown a scheme masterclass. They had an answer for what we do, and we had no answer for them. That's fucking embarrassing.

Joined: 07/13/2009

MGoPoints: 3938

RedRum

October 22nd, 2017 at 3:35 PM ^

We have decades of good things to come. That it is not right HERE RIGHT NOW, MOMMY I WANT MY WINS NOW!!! This is not JHs problem. He owes you nothing. I know the loss is bitter. Find a whiskey to put it in and move on. Life, and its metaphor, football is hard. Stop crying and aim to be a better fan. Good Lord. Go Blue!

Joined: 08/20/2017

MGoPoints: 21518

The Fan in Fargo

October 22nd, 2017 at 1:02 PM ^

The boys have been smacked now a few times. I remember as a sophmore we were young and got our asses handed to us by upperclassmen. By the end of the year though we knew what it felt like to take the hits and punches. We were right there throwing haymakers back at the highest ranked teams. We knew we were young but had a team of athletes and swagger. Despite getting our asses kicked a few times. We just played to kick ass. We wanted to beat the piss out of every damn team that got in our way. That season made us one of the most dangerous and best teams in the state the next three years, finally winning a state championship the year after I graduated. This team and season has all the fixings for a team to be just like that and play the year out with nothing to lose. Trust in Harbaugh and his team. Get em fired up Jim, let's get it fuckin done. Run the remaining schedule. Here's my personal message to the cheaters in cbus and the bedshitters in cheese country. Yeah, uh huh, you know what it is...

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Joined: 09/04/2016

MGoPoints: 1877

mjagger

October 22nd, 2017 at 1:02 PM ^

I'll pull and root for M 'till the bitter end. Last night doesn't make me any less of a fan and I won't be behind this team any less than before.

Joined: 10/11/2011

MGoPoints: 1131

Bigly yuge

October 22nd, 2017 at 4:32 PM ^

I think a combination of youth, offensive scheme complexity, execution, and some poor playcalling is mostly to blame for our struggles thus far this season. Obviously the injuries to Speight and Black haven’t helped either. I’ve never been a big fan of running a complex nfl pro system in college. Look how quickly PSU got better on offense after going away from the pro style to a much simpler system. Three wins in a row will get us to 8-2. Wisconsin has played nobody all year long, a winnable game if our defense is back to their usual selfs. A third straight 10 win season is still attainable, but we must make things easier for our younger guys as well as those with little experience. JOK came from a much simpler spread offense. You can see John’s indecisiveness at times during games. JOK has to go through so many more reads / progressions than he would’ve in Houston’s system as a freshman. Michigan football was broken, and you can’t fix it in a short amount of time. Michigan lost many intricate players to the draft last year. If we still had Glasgow, and Newsome didn’t get hurt, or OL would probably be really good right now. A number of factors went into our OL turning to shit. Inexperience and poor depth at tackle have forced Michigan into rolling with a rag tag bunch. Playing QB is already tough enough. Doing so with constant pressure in your face is really difficult. I’ve always thought that the best offense is a pro / spread hybrid. I’d like to see us incorporate some quick stuff that allows our athletes to get our athletes in space. Keep your heads up, we have a bright future

Joined: 09/23/2017

MGoPoints: 3166

Epic-Blue

October 22nd, 2017 at 5:58 PM ^

Getting embarrassed on national television? Looking totally incompetent on both sides of the ball? A offensive coaching staff that reeks of nepotism! That was a complete and total ass whipping they took last night. How can they get up for Rutgers next week? O’Korn and his comment about the fans...I don’t know, but all is not well down at schembechler Hall. I know it sounds crazy but I think we’re going to be in dog fight next weekend. Chris Ash remembers what happened last year in New Jersey.

Joined: 10/06/2013

MGoPoints: 920

HailHail47

October 22nd, 2017 at 7:34 PM ^

We can still make this a successful year. We need to win against Minnesota, Rutgers, and Maryland then pull off an upset over OSU or Wisconsin to get to 9 wins. If we somehow win our bowl game and get to 10 wins that would be fantastic. Worst case we are probably 8-4 which is pretty meh but not a surprising result considering youth and injuries.

Joined: 10/07/2017

MGoPoints: 5305

Michiganguy19

October 22nd, 2017 at 7:37 PM ^

Team is 5-2 and likely on the way to 8-2 with two big and final games looming... This game was a loss on the schedule regardless or most factors.

We get to 8-2 and have two huge shots to be 9-3 and 10-3 after a bowl victory. For a team this young with changes/questions at QB - this is as expected.

I know it feels good to complain - but PSU has a Heisman candidate at RB and a solid QB with a great Def.

Joined: 07/05/2008

MGoPoints: 1496