MGoPodcast 10.4: She Doesn't Deserve It Comment Count

Seth

1 hours and 23 minutes

The Sponsors

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1. Offense

starts at 1:00

Game was out of hand too quickly to see downfield throws—what with PI turned off and all, 5.5 YPA isn't a concern. Higdon TD they inserted Mason on the back side of the line, playside LB followed him. Mason as the Mooseback inside the 10: yum. Hidgon looked more tackle-breaky, better fit for M's offense. McCaffrey looks to have seized #2—arm strength eh, run speed McCaffreyian. Michigan may have something in Ronnie Bell. Ambry Thomas Pepcat package? Tru Wilson setting up blocks. Pass pro better?: Michigan chipping especially on JBB's side. Vastardis is the 3rd center.

2. Defense

starts at 27:36

Targeting on Khaleke Hudson was complete and total garbage from the WORST officiating crew in the Power 5. He's tackling the quarterback with his face in the QB's chest. That's what you want! Glasgow had some busts and some plays. Bush got an ooooh hit from the crowd. Rashan Gary read the message boards this week. Josh "Martellus" good all-around game. Deeply unfair PI calls: hate PI on terribly thrown balls when the DB is in a better position than the receiver.

3. Special Teams/General Thoughts

starts at 54:23

David doesn't believe in "getting on the board." Brian isn't properly impressed enough at DPJ's return. David isn't properly impressed by Oliver Martin's athleticism. Nobody was expecting Will Hart's Heisman campaign. Nebraska uses the return fair catch rule correctly and the Michigan fans booed them.

4. Around the Big Ten with Jamie Mac Without Jamie Mac

starts at 1:14:56

Jamie couldn't make it. How does the Purdue defense hold [annoyingly good former M commit RB] to under 100 yards? The Gio Rescigno Era resumes, Buffalo more than covers the spread. #FloatTheBoat. Weird Penn State was willing to play on a Friday night, but it's on the road vs Illinois and gives them an extra day before OSU. Pass to open up the run against MSU and throw inside: Whop had a big day, IU did not. Wisconsin survives Kinnick at Night, Iowa couldn't field a punt.

MUSIC

  • "MMMBop"—Hanson
  • "Scotty Doesn't Know"—Lustra
  • "What You Meant"—Franz Ferdinand
  • “Across 110th Street”

THE USUAL LINKS

You and your sad field goals.

Comments

bronxblue

September 24th, 2018 at 12:51 PM ^

It was a good throw and very accurate, but I was much more impressed by his touch than a D1 QB throwing the ball 25 yards in the air under minimal pressure.  When people say "arm strength" it's more can he really get the ball there quickly in small windows.  That jury still feels like it's out, even though early returns are high.

His throw to Thomas was a safe throw, but it would have been nice if he had thrown it a bit farther.  That felt like a throw he'd hit with more experience.

Kevin13

September 24th, 2018 at 12:33 PM ^

His arm strength is fine and he has been the #2 qb since the first week he is now just widening the gap between him and Peters.  I would expect Peters to grad transfer after this year unless he just wants to be the backup to McCaffrey for two years 

That was targeting on Hudson  he needs to put his head on the side of the qb and not up under his chin. Stupid play on his part 

A2toGVSU

September 24th, 2018 at 12:44 PM ^

I disagree with Brian on both of Hudson's targeting calls. The one against SMU was a terrible call, shoulder-to-shoulder hit with glancing head contact against a runner between the tackles. 

The hit on Bunch was definitely targeting. He launched headfirst into the QB's chin. I said "that's targeting" before the flag even came out. It was obvious.

mitchewr

September 24th, 2018 at 12:47 PM ^

This is my biggest issue. Refs consistently call targeting against Michigan players in "iffy" situations, but routinely ignore blatant acts of targeting by opposing teams. That hit on Mason was one. We've had a couple others this season too, not to mention the hits that injured Speight and Peters last year.

Either make the call on both ends of the field, or don't make the call at all.

And while we're at it, can we stop with the utter trash "roughing the passer" calls? I mean, every freakin time this season we've been called for it our defender is full speed going after the QB before the ball is out of his hand. What is a defender supposed to do?? React in nano-seconds and defy the laws of physics and all of his forward momentum and just come to a complete stop?? It's beyond absurd!

OkemosBlue

September 24th, 2018 at 8:37 AM ^

It's politically incorrect to state this, but, while I didn't like last week, I thought this week was targeting (although not malicious).  As Harbaugh said, don't lead with the head.   Don't put it in the chest-neck area.  It could accidentally pop up and cause permanent damage to the QB.

 If you watched the NFL yesterday, I saw that exact situation three times.   Each time, the defender put his head to the side of the QB's shoulder.   Still tackled the QB hard.  

ak47

September 24th, 2018 at 8:49 AM ^

Brian’s obviously didn’t watch the play. Hudson didn’t put his face into the qbs chest, he put the top of his helmet into the guys chest. His eyes are looking straight down at the ground rather than at what he’s hitting.

just replace targeting with spearing in your head and nobody would have a problem with the call.

ak47

September 24th, 2018 at 10:13 AM ^

I just don’t think this was actually that tight. It’s a hit on a qb which gets more scrutiny, there were no other players around to block a view or that were mitigating factors, and it is incredibly clear the first thing to make contact is the top of Hudson’s head. People associate targeting solely with hits to the head. The idea of it is also to protect tackles that are dangerous for the tackler so its also about head position when hitting any part of the body. Hudson's targeting is just what used to be spearing because he led with the crown of his helmet, where he hit the QB is immaterial to the penalty.

There is a reason none of the coaches on the Michigan sideline were upset at the time or after the game.

dcmaizeandblue

September 24th, 2018 at 11:45 AM ^

We've already seen a play that was called nothing on the field be stopped and assessed a targeting so I don't buy the mitigating factors. On TV I saw at least 3 easy targeting calls on Nebraska using the criteria that got Hudson out of the game, so there's no consistency. I've watched it several times and it's a weak targeting call. Brian is right.

bronxblue

September 24th, 2018 at 1:25 PM ^

The hard part for me was the angle when he made contact.  I agree that you have to be under extra scrutiny when hitting a QB, but Michigan has been called for 3 targeting penalties in 4 games this year, and yet you watch these games and guys are hitting Michigan players in largely the same way and nothing comes of it.  

So I will concede that Hudson should be punished here because it was a bad hit.  But the argument for egregiousness also feels a bit loaded because we focus on the times refs call targeting or roughing the passer, not when they don't.  Like, we might remember when, say, Speight is sat on late by a Purdue defender, but if memory serves me right nothing came of that.  You could argue he hasn't really recovered from that hit yet, and that has changed the course of his career.  But because they didn't spend 15 minutes reviewing the hit from the booth, it just sort of faded into the ephemera.  And so if the goal here is to protect players, then I fully support that.  But it feels like a lot of it has been disproportionately applied against Michigan in a way that seems incompetent.

Gulo Gulo Luscus

September 24th, 2018 at 10:11 AM ^

Here's my question- do the usual rules/requirements of completing a catch apply here? Because if a WR did the same thing downfield (but let's say he throws it backwards to remove the question of an illegal forward pass) you'd have to say he never had possession and it would be ruled incomplete. The intent was clear, the QB didn't simply bat the ball down. I'm just not sure you could say he had possession under the strict rules we've seen applied to WR downfield. Really weird play.

FreddieMercuryHayes

September 24th, 2018 at 11:50 AM ^

I have to strongly disagree about MSU’s speed option on 4 and short.  Against UM it will the play action off that speed option they’ve been running in that situation for the past few years.  That’s the kind of long con Dantonio will plan for just the UM game.  I predict if they get into that situation, MSU will show obvious speed option, then Leweke will pull back and hit a wide open WR that faked blocking and streaming down the field wide open.

evenyoubrutus

September 24th, 2018 at 11:53 AM ^

Remember how they jumped our snap count every single year under RichRod and he never once figured it out? Then we said, Brady Hoke will surely notice that and do something. And they did it AGAIN in 2011 and they didn't have an answer for it. They finally figured it out in 2012. Thabk goodness Harbaugh actually knows how to scout an opponent. 

FreddieMercuryHayes

September 24th, 2018 at 12:16 PM ^

I mean, except, first, wasn't ND jumping the snap counting in the first game this year?  They were pretty heavily doing it in the first half at least.  And second, the whole point is that Dantonio saves a bunch of crap for just UM.  Like in 2016 when MSUs opening drive with their ineffectual run game featured every counter to every tendency they had displayed up until then and executed perfectly.  I think UM will know when the speed option is coming.  I am not confident they will prepare for the play action off of it.

Late Bluemer

September 24th, 2018 at 12:21 PM ^

With regards to the fair catch booing on Nebraska - i think that was their fans more than Michigan fans.  The one's around me (and there were many) were highly critical of Nebraska's special teams play and in particular their return game.

DonAZ

September 24th, 2018 at 1:35 PM ^

That was a wonderfully enjoyable podcast.  Thanks for helping me get through a long layover in the Charlotte airport.

The podcasts are definitely getting more polished and snappier as the season goes on.  Very nicely done.