Official Post-game Opinion Thread

In the first half of the game U Conn had no answer for Roh and Martin. Mike Martin busted into the backfield so many times it was amazing. Our O-line and D-line were lightyears ahead of where we were last season.

The ability of the O-line to open holes allowed the offense to be as productive as it was. D-Rob is indeed a beast. I don't think there was ever a down or distance that I didn't think that he could actually convert if he wanted to.

I was very impressed in how Rich Rod managed the clock in the final 6 minutes. Having D-Rob wait until 1-2 seconds left to snap the ball helped with our time of possession. U Conn can't score if they don't have the ball. In earlier interviews when asked about slowing down the offense to keep the defense off the field RR said he wouldn't change his play calling. He was definitely not telling the truth.

Lastly, I loved the vanilla nature of the game. We didn't show anything to ND that they didn't already know...D-Rob is scary fast. D-Rob has become a proficient passer and doesn't get happy feet in the pocket. I'm looking forward to rolling out more of the play book next week.

Friends of mine who went to the ND opener were texting me during the Michigan game. They felt ND was either not as good as they thought or that Purdue was better than they thought. They felt the ND game was somewhat sloppy.

If the biggest improvement is from game 1 to game 2, I can't wait until next weekend. 

1. Secondary is about as expected.  ND will be a challenge next week (more so than UConn today).  There were a number of dropped passes by the Huskies that won't be drops by ND's recieving corps.

2. I was pleasently surprised by Shaw's running.  Though I still think V. Smith is the go to back, Shaw seemed shiftier out there than he has in previous years and he did run through some arm tackles.  The running backs are really going to be a plus and with so many that is one position we won't have to wait with bated breath if someone goes down.

3. Which leads me to the O-line.  Fucking hell can they play.  Those downfield blocks were something to watch.  Damn was that exciting.

3a.  My heart sank when Molk looked injured.  Thankfuly he seemed more than okay after that.

4. Holy Moses Denard looked good.  One bad decision/throw over the middle when he was pressured, but other than that it was smart and consistent play all around.

5.  D-Line looked good.  Got some pretty decent pressure out there and had some key stops.  "Bend don't break" is fine with me when that offense is clicking like it was.

And now that life has meaning and I can breathe again, on with the season!

EDIT (forgot one thing):  Was it just me, or did this team and coaches seem like they were in the driver's seat from the get go?  After our first offensive series I was pretty much sold on us winning that game.  Pace was good, we held on to the ball longer, the D didn't seem to be tired, the offense seemed to move the ball with ease.  Geeze that whole game was a joy to watch.

This team appears to be the antithesis of the 2008 team. 2008 had a defense with the potential to be good but the offence couldn't stay on the field which made it extremely difficult for the defense to hold up through the second half. This year the defense could potentially be pretty bad but today the offence stayed on the field long enough for the defense to only have to hold up for a limited time which they were able to do (a pleasant surprise) 

I agree with a lot of what people said above.

1. Offense looks like it will make for an exciting and fun season.

2. Defense looks like it will make for an exciting and heartstopping season.  Our best defensive players were the UConn WRs who had about 15 pass breakups.

3. Matt Millen was hilarious when he was talking about the stadium booing Edsall for calling a timeout, "I've heard much worse."

When the U Conn's punter shanked it, Millen said "That was pathetic!"  He stated early that Michigan would do well because the offensive line was dominating.   Stay in the booth Mr. Millen and please don't manage another football team.

Well, our O looked good pretty much in every way. I'm still concerned about our D-against the rush and the pass.

Aside from everything else, Michigan was a well coached team today.