FORMATION NOTES: Michigan didn't do anything particularly unusual. Everything was from the gun, and much of it featured two tight ends. This has Ben Mason as a wing TE:

I tried to file Mason as a RB because I think that's a better representation of what Michigan can do when he's on the field but I may have missed some snaps like this where he's lined up at TE.

Minnesota spent virtually the whole night in this 4-3 over, frequently with a standup end. Probably! This game featured extreme pore-o-vision and it was at times difficult to tell who was on the field.

SUBSTITUTION NOTES: Milton, then McNamara briefly, at QB. RB was a near-equal rotation between Corum, Haskins, Charbonnet, and Evans. There were a few snaps with two RBs and one wildcat snap.

At WR, another blender. Sainristil, Wilson, Bell, Johnson, and Jackson all got a significant number of snaps. AJ Henning and Jake McCurry made cameos. McCurry was mostly out there for the heavy package.

At TE/FB, All got a large majority of the snaps, probably 80%. Mason was in for ~50% of them; Schoonmaker and gussied-up OL Joel Honigford got maybe a dozen each. 6'8" beanpole walk-on Carter Selzer got in for a snap.

OL was Hayes/Filiaga/Vastardis/Stueber/Mayfield as expected. Zinter got a little time when Stueber got dinged; Barnhart got the last handful of snaps at LT. Second team OL appears to be Barnhart/Korican/Carpenter/Zinter/Jones.

[After THE JUMP: smoooooooth]

Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M30	1	10	Pistol offset	2	1	2	4-3 over	7.5	Pass	Flare screen	Corum	24
Charbonnet at FB next to Milton, fake handoff one way and a flare screen the other. Guy on Corum(+2) does not bite and flows up on him but he’s got no chance (sound effects). Sainristil(+1) and Bell(+1) stalk block DBs eight yards off and mostly eliminate them. Corum busts one tackle but the delay allows a LB and DB to converge. (CA, 3, screen) RPS push? This is asking Corum to beat a guy in space but it is also an unblocked LB who didn’t false step.
O46	1	10	Shotgun twins twin TE	2	1	2	4-3 over	7.5	Run	QB pin and pull	Milton	3 -15 pen
I’m counting Mason as an RB since I think that’s more accurate but here he’s lined up as a TE with his hand in the tires. Also Honigford is the other TE-type substance. Honigford(+1) and Mayfield(+1) blow in the right side. Mason(+1) locks up and drives back a LB, and then keeps going and going and going(-3), to pick up a flag. Stueber(+0.5) gets a big kick. Vastardis(-2) pulls around and does not ID the MLB he’s supposed to get; that guy is able to zip past and ankle tackle.
M41	2	23	Shotgun 3-wide	1	1	3	30 nickel slide	6	Pass	Quick post	Jackson	Inc
Max pro and only three in the route; Milton finds Jackson and confidently steps into a throw that’s behind Jackson. Jackson is able to twist back and get two hands to it but can’t bring it in. (MA, 2, protection 2/2)
M41	3	23	Shotgun empty	1	1	3	Prevent	3	Pass	Sack	N/A	-7
Hayes(-1) driven back by Mafe. He is able to anchor but Milton is uncomfortable and attempts to spin out of the pocket; Mafe impressively comes off his block and tracks him down for the sack. Borderline PR/TA here but he probably should have sat in the pocket. (TA, N/A, protection ½)
Drive Notes: Punt, 0-0, 13 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M30	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide tight	1	1	3	4-3 even	7.5	Run	Power O	Charbonnet	70
Mason motions in from wide. Michigan runs a standard power play. Stueber(+1) hammers his guy inside. Mayfield(+0.5) extends for a LB. Mason(+1) gets a DE slanting across his face and adjusts to it, firing that guy well inside. Filiaga(+1) pulls around very tight to the line and gets vertical right behind Mason’s block, then picks off the S who came hard. Wilson(+0.5) fends off a corner; Minn MLB did not get slant call and is gone and CB is way outside, gone. Charbonnet(+1) does not get caught. RPS+1? This is more MN busts than anything crazy M did.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 7-7, 12 min 1ste Q
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
O45	1	10	Shotgun 4-wide	1	1	3	4-3 over	6.5	Pass	Slant	Jackson	5
Flare action from Evans, slant inside of it. Quick pitch and catch doesn’t get any YAC from Jackson as he gets hit immediately. (CA, 3, protection 1/1)
O40	2	5	Pistol Offset Big	2	2	1	4-3 over	7.5	Run	Power O	Haskins	0
Meaty formation, blocking difficult to decipher. Hongiford(-1) lets DL get his hands into him and gets extended back a yard. Stueber is pulling super tight and ends up going inside of this, seems odd. Hayes(-1) chips but then falls so MLB is free; Filiaga(+0.5) got some motion and his guy tries to come around; he stays stuck on and his block is probably good enough.
O40	3	5	Shotgun empty	1	1	3	Exotic	5	Pass	Quick post	Wilson	18
Another dart between levels in the zone that’s a little behind the WR. This one requires less twist and is a little borderline but it is 20 yards downfield. (CA, 2, protection 2/2)
O22	1	10	Pistol Offset Big	2	2	1	4-3 under	8	Run	Power O	Haskins	8
Ah so that’s what it’s supposed to look like. Minnesota is shifted away from the playside here so the line is much more certain about what to do. Schoonmaker(+0.5) momentarily engages with a DE and then passes him off, he gets a kickout on the corner. DE used his arm swipe on Schoonmaker and is thus unprepared when Stueber(+1) clocks him. Further inside Filiaga(+0.5) and Hayes(+1) thunk a DT, with Hayes seeing a linebacker trying to shoot a gap inside and deciding to stay and finish the DT. Mason(+2) crumples the MLB. Contact is one yard downfield; MLB ends up on his knees after giving three yards. Vastardis(+1) puts his guy on the ground as he tries to shoot the gap. Haskins doesn’t have to do a lot to get eight yards, where the S cuts him down.
O14	2	2	Pistol Offset Big	2	2	1	4-3 even	8	Run	Power O	Haskins	0
They flip which side it goes to. Mayfield(+1) fires down on a DT and moves him. Filiaga(-1) decides to hit this guy? They are pulling so tight on these that I think that they’re being coached to do something sort of similar but this is unnecessary. Honigford sees his block swam outside of; Mason(+0.5) picks him up as Honigford moves out to try to correct his error. Haskins(-1) has a decent gap to the frontside that’s going to be filled with LBs but he’ll either get the first down or very close; he cuts away from the design and gets hit by a backside DB.
O14	3	2	Shotgun 3TE	1	3	1	4-3 over	8	Run	Pin and pull	Charbonnet	-6
MN LB times this up beautifully and shoots the gap. M rules are about guys on the line and he gave no hint he’d come so nothing to do. He blasts Stueber in the backfield, bend, MLB shoots a gap, TFL. RPS -3, this is doomed.
Drive Notes: Missed FG(38), 7-7, 7 min 1st Q. M scores a defensive TD and then gets the Barrett return.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
O8	1	G	Pistol offset twins	2	1	2	4-3 under	8.5	Pass	PA TE fade	All	Inc
M ran this a little last year. PA, TE blocks a bit, then releases. Milton hits this throw but All either has his arm held or just doesn't go up with two hands to grab it and it hits the turf. Doesn’t look like the DB had his hand. (CA, 2, protection N/A)
O8	2	G	Shotgun 2TE tight	2	1	2	4-3 under	8	Pass	PA TE flat	Mason	8
Arc read except Mason releases to the flat. LB to that side is focused on Milton run, dump to Mason, Mason(+0.5) is able to hurdle a S coming up on him to score. (CA, 3, protection N/A, RPS +1)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 21-10, EO1Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M23	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 over	6.5	Pass	Out	Sainristil	14
Token PA drags in a couple LBs, Filiaga pulls and gets a nice block on the edge as impromptu RT. Vastardis gets a knockdown on Mayfield’s guy; Milton smoothly steps up and wings a ball that’s a bit high and hard to Sainristil, who brings it in. (CA, 2, protection 2/2)
M37	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 over	7	Run	End-around	Jackson	5
All(+2) gets an edge block that ends up with a pancake after starting from a wing TE spot. Charbonnet(-0.5) checks the DE (interesting) and then keeps going; He extends to a safety. He probably should have seen a LB that Hayes(-1) didn’t get as he fires out too vertically and gets run around.
M42	2	5	Shotgun 3-wide	1	2	2	4-3 under	7	Run	Zone read keeper	Milton	9
Standup DE shuffles down tight to Mayfield’s back on belly; Milton(+1, ZR) pulls. M motioned All(+1) to a WR spot to the boundary and he occupies the CB for the whole play. Milton pops OOB after beating the DE to the corner. RPS +1.
O49	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 over	7	Pass	Post	Wilson	Inc
Another pull from Filiaga; Corum picks up a blitzer but gets rocked back a bit; All verges on a minus by picking up a looper late but does push him past Milton. Milton loads up and fires at Wilson, who’s covered step for step, and misses by ten yards. (IN, 0, protection 3/3). This could be BR as it looks like two guys are open underneath Wilson.
O49	2	10	Shotgun trips bunch	1	1	3	30 nickel slide	6.5	Pass	Bubble screen	Henning	14
Good setup for this right after the deep shot; MN CB/S both take steps back to start play. Milton puts it out right on Henning’s facemask, Bell(+2) has one of his trademark obliterating cut blocks; All(+1) does well enough with his. Henning(+0.5) is fast. RPS +1. (CA, 3, screen)
O35	1	10	Shotgun TTE	1	2	2	30 nickel slide	7	Run	Zone stretch	Evans	4
LB blitz with two playside DL slanting to the play. DE is able to get outside of Mayfield and upfield a bit to cut off the outside, Mayfield(+0.5) is able to control and widen him. Vastardis(+1) notices he’s got no one to block and stops to get a piece of the blitzing LB. Possible that Evans runs past him if Vastardis goes to S but no guarantee. Filiaga just kind of hand fights with the NT, push. Evans(+0.5) cuts up but gets chopped down by a safety blitzing from depth.
O31	2	6	Shotgun trips tight bunch	1	1	3	Nickel under	6	Penalty	False start	Hayes	-5
Hayes -1.
O36	2	11	Shotgun empty twin TE	1	2	2	Nickel over	6	Run	QB pin and pull	Milton	9 (Pen -2)
This is stealing. Two LBs, one shaded in the gray area so not really in the box; he steps to an outside move by Wilson. So M has seven blockers for six(!) defenders. Filiaga(+1) gets big movement on the kickout on the CB. Hayes(+2) drives his man yards downfield. Schoonmaker engages a DE and drives him a little; not able to entirely control him. All(+1) clunks the remaining LB. Milton ends up with a choice of trying to run outside, where Schoonmaker’s guy is poking through but probably has to settle for a diving arm tackle attempt, or cutting back into the cavern Hayes has created. He chooses the latter, which is defensible but maaan he had Stueber headed for a safety on the outside. RPS +2. Schoonmaker(-1) got hit with a hold… I guess? I don’t think it had anything to do with the outcome.
O38	2	13	Shotgun TTE	1	2	2	4-3 over	6.5	Penalty	Offsides	N/A	5
oops
O33	2	8	Shotgun empty twin TE	1	2	2	4-3 over	6.5	Pass	Scramble	Milton	6
Mayfield(-1) driven back too far; Milton gets uncomfortable and bugs out. He’s also got Mafe coming from his blindside; Hayes is attached and pushing but that’s dangerous. Milton(+1) is able to get the corner on the NT and outrun Mafe. (SCR, N/A, protection ½)
O27	3	2	Shotgun TTE	1	2	2	4-3 under	7.5	Run	QB pin and pull	Milton	23
Flare motion from the back deletes a LB. MN twists at the point of attack so Honigford gets whacked by a LB as the DE pulls around. Vastardis(+2) pulls around and pancakes him. All(+1) popped the LB and made the twist a little slow, setting that block up, and then seals he other LB. Mayfield(+1) gets another big kick to open up the gap. Milton(+1) gears down to let Vastardis get there and accelerates for a chunk. Stueber(+0.5) got a seal as well but that one was fairly easy.
O4	1	G	Wildcat 3TE	2	4	1	4-3 even	8	Run	Inside zone	Haskins	4
Haskins and Mason in the backfield with both TEs and Honigford, heavy. Many gaps. Mason heads outside; Haskins runs away from him. Double a twist from MN, Vastardis(+2) handles mostly himself. He whacks and stalls the first guy, with Stueber then realizes the second is shooting through the gap; Haskins cuts away and Vastardis gets to him. First LB stumbles as Vastardis pulls the chair on him and Haskins gets through. Stueber(+0.5) maybe should stay on LB #1 but leaves and erases a safety, as does Schoonmaker(+1) after he drove a LB back. Mayfield(+2) eventually pancakes his guy as well.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 28-17, 5 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
O29	1	10	Shotgun 2TE	1	2	2	4-3 even	7.5	Pass	Bubble screen	Bell	3 +13 pen
Free money. MN LB is five yards off and two yards inside; CB is at 8, S at 10. Sainristil(-2) airballs his block. Bell’s able to scrape out three and then a facemask is fortunate. (CA, 3, screen, RPS +1).
O13	1	10	Pistol offset 3-wide	2	1	2	4-3 under	7.5	Run	Lead stretch	Evans	1
Vastardis(+2) is able to pick up the NT, step around him and shove him to pick off the backside LB. Stueber(-1) chips and tries to get off on a LB who is coming hard; he can’t make it. LB flies up into Mason, LB on edge free and tackles. Mayfield(+1) put the DE on the ground. RPS –1, blitzball LB is tough ask for Stueber.
O12	2	9	Pistol offset twins	2	1	2	4-3 even	7.5	Run	Power O	Evans	8
Mayfield(+1) and Stueber(+1) blow in the DT with Mayfield extending to a LB. Filiaga(+0.5) pulls to get a kick; Mason(+1) thunks a linebacker and moves him out. Schoonmaker(+0.5) chipped the end and got a corner. Evans zips straight up the field; S chops him down. Evans(-3) does put the ball on the ground, though he recovers it himself.
O4	3	1	Pistol offset twins	2	1	2	4-3 even	9	Run	Power O	Haskins	4
Same play. MN meets it with a twist blitz that Stueber(+1) and Mayfield(+1) pick up; big gap right up the gut as those LBs give ground. Vastardis(+0.5) controls and moves his guy a bit, so Haskins(+0.5) can dive in easily.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 35-17, 1 min 2nd Q. M gets ball back with 26 seconds.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
O47	1	10	Shotgun empty	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Pass	TE seam	All	Inc
A little worse than I remembered as this LB is in All’s chest and the ball isn’t in the Buttzone. PBUd by the back of a helmet. (BR, 0, protection 2/2)
O47	2	10	Shotgun trips TE	1	1	3	Nickel even	6.5	Pass	Improv	Jackson	Inc
Mafe gets Hayes(-2) again, getting around at eight. He stumbles a bit, allowing Hayes to recover, and Milton scrambles up in the pocket. He could run for the first down but instead he flicks a wobbler across his body that uh ends up barely missing Jackson 50 yards downfield. Actually this hits Jackson in the hands as he lays out? (CA+, 1, protection 0/2)
O47	3	10	Shotgun trips	1	1	3	Exotic	6	Pass	Dumpoff	Evans	11
3 man rush; Milton checks down. Evans(+1) able to shimmy past a LB and the sticks. (CA, 3, protection 2/2)
O36	1	10	Shotgun trips tight bunch	1	1	3	Nickel even	6.5	Pass	Out	Bell	7
Easy pitch and catch as the other routes buy Bell some room to the sideline. Milton just seems smooth. (CA, 3, protection 1/1)
Drive Notes: Missed FG(48), 35-17, EOH
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M32	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 over	7	Pass	Waggle cross	Jackson	12
PA, rollout. Flat covered, deep covered. Milton correctly goes for Jackson; LB gets a fingertip on it. Still goes directly to Jackson. Neat. (not charted, 2, protection 1/1)
M44	1	10	Pistol 2TE	2	1	2	4-3 even	7	Run	Power O	Charbonnet	4
Filiaga pulls and is pulling super tight, like run up into the backs of his OL on purpose tight. This is to the detriment of this play, probably, but is obviously as coached so whatever. Mason(+1) finds a DE and drives him; he’s slating inside so things get gummed up. Mayfield(+0.5) and Stueber(+0.5) also drive their guy; Charbonnet cuts outside where Johnson(-1) has done little to a corner; corner comes off and tackles as safeties fly up.
M48	2	6	Shotgun TTE	1	2	2	4-3 even	6.5	Pass	TE flat screen	All	6
Mesh point, TE pulls across, WRs on outside are blocking, dump to All. Bell(-1) appears to look back at All for some reason and gets knocked over; All(+1) able to take contact and spin through it for the first down. RPS +1. (CA, 3, screen)
O46	1	10	Shotgun empty TE	1	1	3	30 nickel slide	6.5	Run	QB pin and pull	Milton	9
Not a light box here but M makes it work. Honigford(+1) gets a DE who does try to fight outside him after a false step but he is controlled and eliminated. Mayfield(+1) gets out and drives the force guy to open up the corner. Milton(+1) threatens inside enough to slow up a corner and then takes it to the outside, getting the edge. All(+0.5) didn’t control a LB but did hit and harass him to slow him down.
O37	2	1	Shotgun 2-back TE	1	1	3	Nickel even	6.5	Run	Belly	Corum	7
Jackson motions in from the slot to the backfield and then runs flare motion. This deletes an ILB on short yardage. Hayes(+0.5) and Filiaga(+0.5) beat up on a DE; mesh point holds the SAM a hair, and Corum(+0.5) is able to burst upfield for a solid gain. RPS +1.  Milton ZR+.
O30	1	10	Shotgun TTE	1	2	2	4-3 over	6.5	Pass	PA TE post	All	Inc
PNP action deletes everyone; Milton pulls up for a simple pitch and catch TD; All drops it. Gah! (CA, 3, protection 1/1, RPS +3)
O30	2	10	Shotgun TTE	1	2	2	4-3 over	6.5	Pass	TE flat	All	27
Very similar to the previous flat but WRs are running routes here and not blocking. M catches a blitz from the field-side LB that removes him and no one replaces. DBs to field are busy covering routes so All gets to lope inside the five without really needing a block. RPS +3. (CA, 3, screen)
O3	1	G	Shotgun 2TE tight	1	2	2	Goal line	10	Run	Inside zone	Evans	1
Evans(-0.5) should probably take this off the frontside. Mayfield(+0.5) got a good kick; Stueber(+0.5) got to a linebacker; it’s promising. Instead he goes vertical and gets two unblocked guys. Vertical near goal line is never bad, per se.
O2	2	G	Shotgun empty twin TE	1	2	2	4-3 under	8	Run	QB pin and pull	Milton	2
Schoonmaker(+0.5) pins in a DE who shot upfield of him. Vastardis(+0.5) pulls and hits a linebacker. All(+0.5) gets a good chunk of a LB. Milton(+0.5) sees the gap inside thanks to the DE shooting upfield and hits it.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 42-24, 5 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M4	1	10	Offset I twins	2	1	2	4-3 over	7.5	Run	Split zone	Haskins	66
No read here, FWIW. MN SAM hops in on the snap off of All and sneaks inside of Mason. Not really much he can do about it. If this was a read this would be a pull. Blocking OK but no gaps, jammed up. Vastardis(-0.5) gets driven back a hair. Haskins tries to hit a gap to the left but bumps into his own OL and reverses field. Mason(+1) shoves the SAM far enough inside and Mayfield(+0.5) got a little push on his guy that Haskins(+3) can scoot into the open field. Then he stiffarms a corner and is off to the races. He does not win the races.
O30	1	10	Offset I twins	2	1	2	4-3 even	6.5	Run	Power O	Corum	7
Zinter(+1) in for Stueber. LB blitzes into him and gets put away. Filiaga(+0.5) gets a kickout on the DE after a TE chip; can't quite seal him out. Mayfield(+1) goes direct to a LB and gets him. Mason(+1) whacks a safety. Corum shoots behind those blocks with Filiaga's guy able to come off and tackle after a significant gain.
O23	2	3	Offset I twins	2	1	2	4-3 over	6.5	Pass	RPO slant	Wilson	16
Flare action from Evans. Charbonnet the offset FB and takes a mesh point as M shows PNP on the line. Milton pulls as the LB widens out. Anyway the flare sucks one LB out and the PA gets the other two so Milton is firing at a defense that has nobody in the middle of the field. Easy pitch and catch. (CA, 3, protection 1/1, RPS +2)
O7	1	G	Offset I twins	2	1	2	4-3 even	9	Run	Pin and pull	Charbonnet	2
Same thing except they run the PNP. Also the WRs block for the flare screen. MN slants away and brings numbers from LB level. Schoonmaker(+0.5) seals away DE. Stueber(+0.5) gets a kick. Filiaga(+0.5) pulls around and hits a LB. Extra guys get there from slant. RPS –1.
O5	2	G	Offset I	2	1	2	4-3 over	8.5	Run	Power O	Evans	5
Again the tight pull from the G. This looks heavy so MN LB level is on the interior; DE dives inside Filiaga(+1), who puts him on the ground. Mason(+1) is expecting to go inside but once he sees the mess Filiaga is making he hops out and eliminates a LB; Evans(+1) jumps outside were there are no people and scores, running through a tackle from an S that All(-1) got very little on.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 49-24, 14 min 4th Q. MN goes on a seven minute drive ending in a punt so the rest is desultory. Starters get one more outing.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
O13	1	10	Shotgun 2-back TE	2	1	2	4-3 over	7.5	Run	End-around	Henning	6
New: a young skill guy has the ball and cuts up when I think he could take his edge run to the sideline. All(+1) seals his guy inside; Mason(+0.5) flanks a DE who’s flowing out very well. Henning decides to shoot inside of this as there’s a safety also in good position; S keeps running, DE just barely able to redirect and hold this down before Henning(+0.5) slaloms past the All block.
O19	2	4	Shotgun 2TE twins	2	1	2	4-3 over	7.5	Pass	Bubble screen	Bell	30
Another formation that begs to get bubbled gets bubbled. Sainristil(+1) gets the block on the edge this time, sealing his guy inside. Bell(+2) then chucks the S to the ground and turns a first down into a chunk. RPS +1. (CA, 3, screen)
O49	1	10	Shotgun 2-back twins	2	1	2	4-3 even	7.5	Pass	RPO slant	Bell	33
PNP look deletes LB level, this is probably a real RPO. Milton(RPO+) pulls and fires at Bell, on point and fast. Bell(+1) breaks a safety tackle and is gone until he Daniel Joneses. (CA, 3, RPO, RPS +2)
O16	1	10	Pistol Offset twins	2	1	2	4-3 even	7.5	Run	Split zone	Corum	3
No read; 5 minutes left so no reason to risk the QB. MN +1 in box as a a result and Corum cuts away from a big gap because it has an unblocked LB in it. Nothing else shows so Corum(+0.5) eventually spins back to it. Blocking universal push.
O13	2	7	Pistol Offset twins	2	1	2	4-3 over	7.5	Run	Belly	Corum	-2
Filiaga(-1) gets ripped through and mostly shed as DE slants inside. Milton should pull this if it’s not garbage time; he’ll have to deal with a safety pretty soon but the D is selling out on the interior run. No RPS because having MIlton keep is insane right now.
O15	3	9	SHotgun trips	1	1	3	4-3 over	7.5	Pass	Fade	Bell	Inc
Milton attempts a back shoulder fade and misses badly. (IN, 0, protection 1/1)
Drive Notes: Missed FG(33), 3 min 4th Q. Milton exits but starting OL so ok.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
O30	1	10	Pistol offset twins	2	1	2	4-3 over	7.5	Run	Zone stretch	Corum	9
Mayfield(+1) chucks his DE to the ground; Zinter(+1) finds and ejects a linebacker. Vastardis(+1) doesn’t get a seal on his NT but rides the guy until he’s two yards downfield and Corum(+1) zips behind him, love this cut.
O21	2	1	Pistol offset twins	2	1	2	4-3 over	7.5	Pass	PA FB flat	Mason	5 (pen -5)
standard waggle flat setup that Mason grabs and converts with. (CA, 3, protection N/A). Mysterious penalty brings it back. Illegal formation? Doesn’t look like it.
O26	2	6	Pistol offset twins	2	1	2	4-3 over	7.5	Pass	RPO slant	Wilson	Inc
Standard RPO slant that McNamara throws a little late. Wilson should still be able to bring in a ball that’s a little low and behind. (MA, 2, RPO)
O26	3	6	Shotgun empty	1	1	3	Nickel over	5.5	Pass	TE seam	All	Inc
This looks like a good throw but a dropping LB gets a hand on it. Reasonable decision to throw, good throw, incomplete, punt, (MA, 0, protection 1/1)
O26	4	6	Shotgun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel over	7	Pass	Corner	Jackson	Inc
MN blitzes; Vastardis(-1) and Stueber(-1) set the wrong way and a guy gets through. FIRST MISSED PICKUP TODAY THOUGH. McNamara has to boot it and picks a very covered corner route. He’s got a shorter guy wide open. (BR, 0, protection 0/2)
Drive Notes: Turnover on downs, 49-24, 2 min 4th Q. Last snap is a kneel.

HELLO

…Ben Mason?

NO I'M JUST TALKING LIKE THIS IN HONOR OF OUR MOHAWK HYDRAULIC PRESS GOD

Ah, well, you're not wrong, in Mason's specific case and more generally. Remember last year how we were pining for the fjords a hybridization of Harbaugh manball and speed in space? Well, the quarterback is running and the wide receivers are getting screens and also Michigan's second snap featured a fullback and a bonus OL who both obliterated their opposition:

Whoops! Wrong video.

TE #85, TE #42 to bottom

That play is one Vastardis block away from being another chunk. Michigan had 2TEs or more for half their snaps.

And yes, Mason was terrific, getting major motion on a large majority of these blocks. This drew a mention in the game column but it's too pretty not to embed again:

FB #42

Hey linebacker! You're in the… crumple zone. [sunglasses] [explosions]

This looked more like it.

You know the thing that was completely wrong about last year's offense from the preview?

[this looks like] what Michigan's going to try to do:

Reads. Two of these plays are genuine post-snap reads, and many more were sprinkled throughout.

Edges. Michigan threatens the edge on all these plays. The split zone that kicks it off freezes the playside DE because McCaffrey is a threat to keep and the arc is a threat to have that keep go a long way. A stretch naturally tests your edge. Then a speed option and the capper: threatening one edge and attacking the other one.

Tight ends. Gattis has the offense but he's not sticking his fingers in his ears and shouting "na na na." Warinner and Harbaugh have their influence and you can see it in this package. Michigan's 2TE packages gave them an absolute ton of stuff they could do with arc games last year—more even than you may remember, because there were a number of plays that were there tactically but weren't executed because of a lack of familiarity. It looks like Michigan is building on last year's arc game.

That looks a lot closer to reality this time around. My favorite Gattis item in this game was a late RPO slant to Wilson:

You've got one linebacker chasing the flare route that Michigan's already thrown. You've got the other two chasing the pin and pull Milton's killed them with. Your slot receiver is 4.3 dude Roman Wilson so Minnesota isn't getting up in his face. The result is a wide open chunk play because Michigan effectively threatened both edges. The middle of the field, traditionally a minefield for young quarterbacks, is as empty as the grass Milton practiced in this offseason.

Do you… like Michigan's offensive coordinator?

I think I do! This adds to a run of clear tactical wins against teams not named Maryland, for some reason, now stretching back eight games. This game broke in a new quarterback by emphasizing his positives, keeping it simple, and still panicking the Minnesota defense into many errors.

Michigan kept Milton's plate relatively light, easing him in with some speed in space and continually hitting Minnesota when they did the dumb alignments:

Eight of Milton's 22 attempts were either screens or close enough (the throws to TE/FBs in the flat). They gained 117 yards, 14 per attempt(!).

Arc dropped out of the playbook almost entirely. The only vestige of it was in the passing game, as Michigan repeatedly leaked tight ends into the flat who were wide open as defenders concentrated on the threat of a run. Mason's touchdown was one example:

So was the play after the All drop, a 27-yard TE screen that required zero blocks until about 20 of those yards had been covered:

Those LBs chasing take angles that are not flat out pursuit to the sideline of All. Probably wouldn't have made a difference since the playside LB blitzes and nobody moves out to re-balance the numbers. But still.

Also, this was the play after the attempted bomb to Wilson:

Both Minnesota DBs to the playside step back on the snap, possibly because they just got tested deep. That sets up the trademark Bell full-body cut block and an easy conversion.

Play sequencing was excellent. In addition to the All screen above there was the aforementioned RPS +3 touchdown All dropped. Michigan set that up with QB pin and pull.

Does this… is this… I mean?

Yes, as Bryan mentioned in the TWO there are shades of Denard going on here. Denard was absolutely devastating after taking a step to the line of scrimmage and then drawing back for a pass, and Michigan picked up a worst Waldo play that should have been a dirt simple touchdown:

It is good. Michigan was +15 in RPS.

Now tell me about Milton. Be EFFUSIVE.

First I want to pump the brakes

I TOLD YOU TO BE EFFUSIVE

This was a beautiful way to break in a new quarterback against a team that didn't really know what was coming and the number of different things Michigan asked him to do was relatively limited. We don't know how good he is at throws that aren't screens and wide open slants/posts across the middle.

Post snap reads were minimal. These days it's extremely hard to tell if something is a genuine RPO or a called pass where the OL sells run and stops before getting more than three yards downfield (or it's an RPO with a set stopping point) but there weren't even many opportunities to puzzle about it. They kept it simple.

THIS IS NOT EFFUSIVE

…but I lead with that because Milton was extremely good at what they asked him to do, at least once he got calibrated. The main thing he did other than throw screens was hit guys across the middle behind the LB level. The first one was an incompletion behind Jackson that I hemmed and hawed about; I eventually filed the first incompletion as an MA since Jackson had a reasonable chance to catch it:

That was a –0.5 in numerical grading (now a thing!) FWIW.

He got more dialed in on these as the game progressed. He was still a little behind on a quick post to Wilson for a chunk. Maybe more important: the endzone cam appears to show Milton going through three receivers in short order. He starts with Sainristil, moves to Jackson, and then Wilson is #3:

Then a decisive throw over a dropping linebacker, which was a rarity for Patterson.

Michigan kept throwing the slants and he eventually started hitting them in stride:

His overall accuracy was very good.

Milton did not have much opportunity to display the arm strength he's renowned for unless you count the post to Wilson that was about ten yards overthrown. There were two incidents, though. The first was the 15 yard out widely reputed to be the throw that demonstrates you have an NFL arm. This throw should have a Batman POW box that says "whang!" show up:

The second was the casual improv flick that went 50 yards and hit Jackson in the hands:

He's going to do something like that and complete it.

FWIW, that post to Wilson looks worse on review because he's got underneath guys clearly open. The seam to All was also much lower than I remember and got broken up by a helmet. But these were blips:

JOE MILTON

	Good				Neutral			Bad					Ovr			Reads
Game	DO	CA	SCR		PR	MA		BA	TA	IN	BR		DSR	GRADE!		RPOs	ZRs
Minnesota		17(6)	1			1			1	2	1		75%	+4		2/2	2/2
MSU
Indiana
Wisconsin
Rutgers
Penn State
Maryland
OSU
Bonus

I've decided to try to come up with an overall grade from my charting since last year some very divergent Patterson performances were coming in with DSRs very close to each other. Work in progress. I've got some dots for very minor positive things like completing a screen that are currently… 0.1 points?

Not all of this grading exactly corresponded to the charting above—the opening MA behind Jackson was –0.5—but since I decided to do this as I wrote this there's no grading in the chart. Work in progress. Anyway for Milton I had:

• 4 points of minuses
• 5 dots, 7.5 points of positives

So he was:

• +4 on ground
• +4 in air
• +2 on reads if we give him a 0.5 for each one he gets right and –1 for each incorrect one.

And so he's +10?

Okay… fairly effusive now. What's this about Milton on the ground?

This is the spot to radically revise expectations upwards. Milton's upside as a runner is tremendous for the offense. He's huge and can take some hits. His claimed 4.6 40 is fairly believable given his acceleration on the third and three conversion:

And he gears down there to let Vastardis get his block before exploding through the gap. Some quarterbacks run like they're just trying to get it over with. Milton is processing the situation in front of him. A later chunk pin and pull saw Milton angle like he was considering the inside and then hit the edge, because it was open:

He's neither mechanically cutting it up because that's the play design or heading for the sideline because then he won't get hit. He's making decisions.

Milton's ability to pass and run with equal competence resulted in some situations that someone who trudged through last year's offense found literally incredible. Michigan goes empty here but has two tight ends. Minnesota responds with a six man box with a gray area LB who steps to the edge on the snap. Michigan is plus one on the ground.

This was my only slight problem with Milton's day as a runner: if he follows his blocks here he either gets tripped up by a guy Schoonmaker is mostly in control over or he's gone, because Michigan blocks this to a safety.

Schoonmaker takes a holding call there that is obscured; Schoonmaker does have to let go faster if it's legit but also the cutback makes a hold more likely.

Michigan did have a couple of post-snap reads that worked. This was the only Milton run that had a read attached to it:

That is belly,—watch the LT and LG double the DT and fire him inside—an old Rodriguez staple, and belly is always about reading the DE. As soon as he shuffles down the pull is on, especially because he'll be shuffling down farther to keep that interior gap closed.

A second belly did get a handoff as some frippery drew a LB wide and there was no one immediately behind the LT:

2/2, good start, going to expand that part of the game.

If he can maintain this level of vision, Milton's ability to run from an empty backfield will be brutal for opposition defenses.

Jeffrey

DO NOT SAY TOOBIN

Jeffrey glad I didn't say banana?

I am going to interpret this as a request for the run chart, which is also maximally encouraging.

Offensive Line
Player	+	-	Total	Notes
Hayes	3.5	3	0.5	One +2, run game was very right handed
Filiaga	6	2	4	Lot of pulling.
Vastardis	10	2.5	7.5	Organized! Also had 3 really impressive blocks.
Stueber	6	1	5	Mashing, no penetration ceded.
Mayfield	13.5		13.5	Mauling, massive improvement from last year.
All	9	1	8	+4 for blocks as WR and +1 for YAC, so only 4-1=+3 is counted below.
Eubanks				DNP
Schoonmaker	3	1	2	Functional.
Mason	10	3	7	-3 for penalty is not counted below.
Honigford	2	1	1	Bonus TE snaps.
TOTAL	60	11.5	84%	Also: +2-0 for Zinter.
Backs
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Milton	4		4	**QB IS POSITIVE ON GROUND**
McNamara				DNC
Charbonnet	1	0.5	0.5	Fast in straight line.
Haskins	3.5	1	2.5	Broke the big one mostly himself.
Corum	4		4	Gonna be a dude.
Evans	2.5	3.5	-1	-3 for fumble
Turner				DNP
TOTAL	15	5	10	Can be tough for RBs to rack up points when blocking is dominant
Receivers
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Bell	6	1	5	Dusted a guy on bubble, crunching block on another.
Sainristil	2	2	0	Airballed on a bubble.
Wilson	0.5		0.5
Johnson		1	-1
Jackson
Henning	1		1
McCurry
TOTAL	9.5	4	5.5	No downfield runs and no screens.
Metrics
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Protection	21	6	78%	Hayes –3, Mayfield –1, Vastardis –1, Stueber –1.
RPS	20	5	+15	Get some.

An 84% run blocking metric may be a record against a Big Ten foe. Mayfield was Michigan's top performer, and while we sort of took it for granted he was going to be a dude remember that last year his blocking was up and down even deep into the season. This was his best outing at Michigan by some distance save for going toe to toe with Chase Young.

The even better news is that everyone else on the line came in positive and negatives were close to nonexistent. Vastardis in particular outperformed reasonable expectations. There was a lot of twist blitzing and with one exception it was defeated. The line calls appeared to be on point 95% of the time. I don't think there was anything Michigan could have done about the early run that got blown up and forced a field goal attempt. This is more about timing up the snap than anything:

The rest of the day featured ~no missed pickups until the last real snap.

Meanwhile Vastardis did some exclamation point things. The previously-embedded Milton pin and pull features Vastardis pulling from C and getting a pancake nearly on the numbers:

C #68

The very next play he pulls the Onwenu by briefly blocking two guys at the same time. This is a twist blitz where he gets on the first LB with Stueber and then is able to redirect to pick off the second guy:

C #68

Here he is tasked with reaching a DT; he does so and gets depth to pick off a linebacker:

C #68

Mobility to get to the edge, reaction time and smarts to find guys, and the ability to reach a guy and then get depth on him. Yo.

Vastardis did fail to ID a linebacker on Milton's first pin and pull; there were a couple other blips. But the dropoff from Ruiz to Vastardis was minimal in this game. Going to have to wait a while to confirm or disconfirm that, obviously. Could not have gone better.

Any other OL make it look like the opposition was inner tubing?

… i hate you so much

Uh, yes. The right side feels about as heavy as Onwenu and Mayfield did last year. Stueber isn't Onwenu but Mayfield looks much more powerful this time around. It seemed like Michigan's goal was to pick off the DE with the puller and rely on the double on the downblock to carve out space. Frequently it did:

RG #71 and RT #73

Also Zinter got in briefly and thunked a linebacker.

The heaviness of the line was emphasized by the way Michigan was running a staple. Michigan ran a lot of power in this game, and it was a manball version of the quintessential manball play. This approach is very, very downhill, because the pulls were very vertical, occasionally resulting in the OL getting hung up on the first flash of red cloth he saw:

LG #66 pulling

I minused Filiaga there for hitting a guy that is mostly under control but the way they were moving it felt like there was something in the gameplan that made these incidents more likely. I assume they believe that their massive guards will get movement on DTs a lot* and that their best approach is to go tight behind this.

This more successful outcome gives a picture of what the goal is here:

LG #66 pulling

Who is the unblocked guy? The LB to the top of the screen. SAMs play force a lot, and Filiaga's guy is not clearly holding the corner, so he's stuck out there. Mason gets to head for the safety, a defender in better position.

If you can root out those DTs that's your reward: moving the unblocked player from the safety to a guy who can only tackle from the side. We'll see if Michigan thinks this is a one-off based on the Minnesota defense or a staple in the coming weeks.

Minnesota only successfully spilled this once, and it was not that successful:

LG #66 pulling

Mason is able to regap outside to take on one LB: a second doesn't trust that the spill will actually happen and buries himself in the line; Evans would get in untouched if All gets more of a block.

*[downblocks on power usually feature a double from the guard and tackle; the tackle leaves for a linebacker and the guard gets most of the job on the DT]

We have not discussed Michigan's first two 50+ yard runs since 2018?

The 70 yarder was more a Minnesota bust than anything Michigan did. First question on any long TD where the RB doesn't get touched: where are the unblocked guys? There are two on this play. They are the leftmost and rightmost Minnesota players:

The safety on the left is checking confirmed run threat Joe Milton in case he's got the ball. The corner on the right is playing force at the same time the overhang LB is playing force. Michigan did induce this bust by starting Mason wide and motioning him in. Minnesota must have an auto-check for that but whatever it is they didn't execute it.

The rest is Minnesota slanting away from this and the MLB not getting the call. He slams left with the rest of the line; LB level should be moving opposite a slant. Also Mason and Stueber hammer guys out of their lanes and Filiaga gets a charging S. Assigning credit:

• Minnesota busts: 40%
• Michigan inducing those: 10%
• Good blocking: 20%
• Milton, credible run threat: 20%
• Charbonnet is fast now: 10%

The other giant run was less clean and fairly hard to grade. Usually a big run has a bumper crop of blocking positives. Here I had a couple of half-points and a full one for Mason. Haskins got the bulk of the credit:

Jammed up runs like that are susceptible to breaking big because everyone gets close to the LOS. This one is some dumb luck that Minnesota closes the gap Haskins is trying to hit; Haskins bumps into Vastardis and suddenly has momentum in a different direction that happens to have no edge. Let me beat this to death further: one reason it has no edge is that a safety is checking on Milton despite this not being an actual read. The seven carries Milton had in this game had ramifications well beyond the yards he picked up.

Any obligatory first game takes about new guys poking through?

I don't know if Corum should be in this section but we're here. Corum is going to be a dude. May already be a dude. Michigan has no need to use him this year but they decided the first snap should be a flare screen to him. When you assume you don't have to block a linebacker in man to man on your RB and are correct you are going to get a chunk play unless one of your WRs blows his downfield block:

I didn't RPS that because there's no hesitation or confusion from the LB, he just gets dusted.

Now combine that with the kind of runner who also does this kind of stuff on the regular and you've got a stew going:

He cuts right off Vastardis's back—brushes his jersey—with an incredibly quick change of direction, his second in a couple of steps, and all of it takes him vertical. Then he carries a linebacker for a few steps. The combination of vision, agility, and power is really enticing and then also see above about what he does in space.

Also: AJ Henning had the bubble screen (conclusion: is fast) and got a second touch on a late end-around. There he did something surprising: he cut it up! As a freshman!

WR #3

Makes for a great still:

22: uh where'd he go

You can tell he spent a lot of time as a running back. Unfortunately Mason had won outside against his guy and it was only six yards. This was a spot he could have gone outside and it would have been justifiable, and he still cut it up. I seent it.

Receivers?

[0 = uncatchable, 1 = circus catch, 2 = moderate difficulty, 3 = routine]

	THIS WEEK					SEASON
Player	0	1	2	3		0	1	2	3
Bell	2			4/4		2			4/4
Johnson
Sainristil			1/1					1/1
Jackson	1	0/1	1/2	1/1		1	0/1	1/2	1/1
Wilson	1		1/2	1/1		1		1/2	1/1
Henning				1/1					1/1
McCurry
Eubanks
All	2		0/1	2/3		2		0/1	2/3
Schoonmaker
Charbonnet
Haskins
Corum				1/1					1/1
Evans				1/1					1/1
Mason				2/2					2/2

No routes either way.

Still considering actual grades here. As far as the catching goes: the one drop from All and then a 50% performance on 2s is a wee bit disappointing.

Heroes?

Mayfield, Vastardis, and most of the rest of the line. Milton. Gattis. Targets got so spread out it's hard to put skill guys in this spot but Bell is first amongst them.

Maybe not so heroic?

No one.

What does it mean for MSU and the future?

Milton prognosis: upgraded. Calm, light on mistakes, run game is a massive crutch to rely on as the rest of his game ramps up. Will have to shed training wheels eventually to maintain this level of performance as teams take away the things he showed in this game.

Ed Warinner: [sound effects]. Four new OL, one missed blitz pickup. Two games away from beating the Vastardis is draftable drum. Mayfield took a leap. Stueber is a masher.

BEN MASON FOR MAYOR OF DOOMVILLE. Incredible weapon in 2020 when people are not ready for the smoke. Should continue having a major role even after Eubanks returns.

Corum: dude. Doesn't take long to see it. Other backs were about on par with expectations.

Gattis has imbibed the Harbaugh. This game saw tons of 2TE sets featuring a fullback and picked up 117 yards on wide receiver screens or dumps in the flat. Massive improvement from the beginning of the season last year. Everyone's on the same page.

Wide receiver still remains up in the air. No targets for Cornelius Johnson knocks him down a peg or two in our imaginary two deep. Wilson creeps upwards.