This is not normal.

Submitted by Toby Flenderson on

I have no words, I have never seen a collapse like this before. I don't even know where to begin. Is it the coaches? Players? Inexperience? I don't know. But this did not feel normal today, something is wrong in the program. Maybe I am overreacting after losing 19 starters, maybe it is just lack of execution.  I just don't know and I am just sad.

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lhglrkwg

January 1st, 2018 at 3:39 PM ^

And do something about his side of the ball. He’s been riding Don Browns success for the last 2 years. Clean up the staff on that side of the ball and fix it. Good lord I haven’t been this embarassed by Michigan football in years

Joined: 07/03/2008

MGoPoints: 87934

SpikeFan2016

January 1st, 2018 at 4:03 PM ^

Yes, the turnovers were huge. And no, this is not mostly on the defense.

 

However, the defense shares blame and did not play well enough. You can be too aggressive. When South Carolina has no conventional offense, not sure why we are bringing tons of pressure every play just to get murdered on easy screen plays. 

Joined: 04/03/2015

MGoPoints: 6659

ScooterTooter

January 1st, 2018 at 4:04 PM ^

This is such a stupid fucking take. 

When it was 19-3, South Carolina scored three straight TD drives. Two of them went for 77 and 81 yards. One of them had a 3rd and 17 inside their own ten. 

But yeah tell me more about turnovers or exhaustion or whatever stupid excuse people want to make up to pretend like there are no issues with the defense. 

Joined: 06/01/2017

MGoPoints: 5841

JonnyHintz

January 1st, 2018 at 3:53 PM ^

Yeah that’s going to happen when your offense can’t move the ball and you turn the ball over twice inside your own 20 yard line. Gets pretty demoralizing. Add in opponents getting away with blatantly holding defensive linemen and they’re going to wear down as the season and games go on

Joined: 01/11/2015

MGoPoints: 48366

True Blue Grit

January 1st, 2018 at 4:19 PM ^

These are just young men, not grizzled NFL veterans.  If the defense loses confidence in the offense and sees them constantly screwing up, they're going to get demoralized at some point.  Football is a game of inches and razor thin margins of advantage.  5 turnovers in one half will kill any team.

Did anyone notice the referees basically not calling any holding or pass interference penalties?  That just encourages teams to do it, and I think SC started doing more of it in the 2nd half, which didn't help.  

Joined: 01/21/2011

MGoPoints: 32373

ScooterTooter

January 1st, 2018 at 4:32 PM ^

Why does this only affect Michigan? 

South Carolina's defense was in the SAME FUCKING POSITION ONLY THEY WEREN'T UP 19-3. 

Michigan's defense gave up THREE STRAIGHT TD DRIVES up 19-3. Two went for over 75+ yards. 

Do you guys dying on this "the defense was demoralized" hill even watch the games? 

Joined: 06/01/2017

MGoPoints: 5841

JonnyHintz

January 1st, 2018 at 6:35 PM ^

The difference being that Michigan couldn’t call a competent offensive gameplan to capitalize on it. Add in the fact that by halftime Michigan was without three starters on an already shaky offensive line, and you’re not going to capitalize on that very easily. Not to mention, Michigan was within reach of putting this game away. Up 19-3, inside the 10. Higdon fumbles. You REALLY think SCar’s defense wasn’t demoralized up to that point? They got the little bounce they needed to go their way to change all of that. While when Michigan needed something to go their way, Peters throws a pick in the end zone or DPJ muffs the punt. It’s not that it only affects Michigan. It’s just that when something had to happen, it didn’t go Michigan’s way. Some of that is on play calling. Some of that is on player execution. And some of that is just flat out lucky bounces. All I’m saying is you can only expect the defense to bail you out for so long. The difference in this game, was that South Carolina’s offense was able to capitalize on great situations created by their defense and Michigan couldn’t.

Joined: 01/11/2015

MGoPoints: 48366

JonnyHintz

January 1st, 2018 at 6:40 PM ^

The defense can only bail you out so much. If the offense can’t do their job and they continuously put the defense in bad situations, frustrations are going to mount and they’re going to get demoralized. That doesn’t mean they’re going to give up and stop playing hard, but it is going to affect their play on the field. They’re going to wear down and mistakes are going to be made. Today, you turn the ball over a total of 5 times. Twice inside your own 20. What exactly are you expecting out of your defense?

Joined: 01/11/2015

MGoPoints: 48366

RobM_24

January 1st, 2018 at 3:39 PM ^

This game is like a cliff notes reenactment of every close game in the JH era. We turn it over inside the 10 when we're about to control the game. We find ourselves without timeouts at the end of games. We have drastic shifts where the game feels like it's in cruise control and suddenly we're losing. The defense randomly disappears when it feels like they can't be budged. I dunno man, I still love JH, maybe we're just cursed.

Joined: 01/27/2014

MGoPoints: 63594

SlickNick

January 1st, 2018 at 4:20 PM ^

When will we stop this bullshit youth excuse...Making excuses for redshirt sophomore, redshirt freshmen who have had multiple years in the progrm. True freshman that have had an entire year to improve...we are still making the same mistakes, with plenty of new ones as well. Other teams are playing freshmen, RS freshmen, and walkons at key positions and improved all year.  SC made enough mistakes for us to win by 30 today. Kicking it out of bounds, turnovers, untimely penalites, their offense could hardly move the ball most of the day. I like to think I'm usually an optimist but I do not see 2018 being our year like so many seem to think. If we looked like shit at the begining of the year and continued to get better each week, maybe I'm more optimistic...but to come out and play a game like that after "christmas camp" or whatever the fuck they call it...should tell you all you need to know. It is not just the players...all year our play calling has been terrible....capped off today handing it off to the TE who has never taken a handoff at a crucial time, running delayed draws out of the shotgun in goal line situations,  pass plays that are either essentially WR screens to the sideline or routes that take way too long to develop...nothing in between. Continuing to throw the fade routes...I honestly don't know if we have hit one of those all year.

Our defense will keep us in most if not all of our games again for 2018 but our offense needs a big time wake up call. In my opinion Tyrone Wheatley, Jedd Fisch, John Baxter and recruiting coordinator were not properly replaced and it has showed big time. We need to get a stud WR coach/ passing coordinator type guy immediately. Jay Harbaugh needs to go..our pass protection from the RBs was a weakness all year and seemed to go totally unaddressed. I could write a small book on the failure of a hire Pepp Hamilton has been...but I'll keep it short and say we need to cut our losses and start over in that role. Mistakes showed up all over the place on special teams this year...the foundation that was started by Baxter is unraveling, return game was terrible all year, our pressure on kickers went from one of the best in the country to non existant.

I will be a Michigan fan until my death, I would watch every game even if we lost them all, but the team, and coaching staff I have seen this season will not beat Wisconsin, PSU, MSU, ND or OSU next year without drastic improvements across the board. We have good enough players to win all those games..but we need the staff to develop this talent. This is a defining offeseason for Harbaugh if he is not willing to look at the failures of this team, this staff, and himself personaly, we will see the same results we got this season. 

Joined: 09/28/2015

MGoPoints: 6037

Mgoczar

January 1st, 2018 at 3:40 PM ^

Yea Peters isn't that great yet. He may or may not improve, I'm not a coach but people who think he is the answer have blinders on. You get a sense that a QB can deliver, drive and win you game. I don't get that feeling from any QB right now. Heck I have more confidence in Lewerke

Joined: 09/29/2017

MGoPoints: 4198

Ty Butterfield

January 1st, 2018 at 3:40 PM ^

This is normal for Michigan and has been for a long time. People wanted to keep hiding their heads in the sand and say Harbaugh would fix everything. Maybe now people will finally realize this program is in deep trouble.

Joined: 09/07/2009

MGoPoints: -81685

ScooterTooter

January 1st, 2018 at 3:41 PM ^

Literally the only thing that gives me any comfort during this game is how often I heard the word freshman today. 

It's a young team. That and Shea Patterson are the only things to hang onto in hope for improvement going into next year. 

Everything that happened on offense isn't entirely on Peters (the line is bad, the receivers don't help out, playcalling questionable) but that didn't look like the QB of the future. Thought he'd look a lot better than he did today with all that time to prepare. 

Joined: 06/01/2017

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