Who wants to be the linebacker on this one? [Bryan Fuller]

Upon Further Review 2022: Defense vs UConn Comment Count

Seth September 20th, 2022 at 3:54 PM

Help, what are all these words? The UFR Glossary.

Second reminder: Eyabi [was Anoma]'s name is now Eyabi Okie.

Substitution Notes: The only starters who got even 2/3rds of a full day were DJ Turner, RJ Moten and JR Colson, but the benches only cleared very late as Michigan spent more time getting its two-deep practice. The DT rotation is Smith/Jenkins/Graham/Benny, with Morris moonlighting as a pass rush DT and Rooks/Grant your Jess Speight Memorial third pairing. Edge was primarily Harrell/Morris/McGregor with a sprinkling of Upshaw. Barrett/Mullings got equal time at LB. Will Johnson replaced Sainristil at nickel when the starters went out and got 2nd teamer's minutes, so those two plus Gemon and DJ are your four at CB. Safety was similar with Makari Paige rotating with Moore and Moten.

Formation Notes: Reminder that "Fritz" in our parlance means two offset FBs and a deep RB. Michigan brought back the dime with three safeties and Morris at DT.

imageI gave up trying to specify who was stacked behind whom and appended "Stack" to those formations. The one above is "Empty Y Stack," the one below is Pistol FB Stack.

image

Note: I treated 6'4"/220 Nigel Fitzgerald (#2 on line at the bottom hash) as a WR but he's a TE/WR tweener lined up at both. M couldn't decide, sometimes going 5-2 when Fitzgerald was in with another TE, or as above, sticking with nickel. That doesn't account for all the times I listed 11 personnel and a heavy formation. Sometimes they used their 5'8" slot receiver as a tight end:

image

[After THE JUMP: It was a silly game.]

----------------------------------------

Ln Dn Dst OForm DPack Front Hi Type Rush Play Player Yds EPA
O25 1st 10 Gun Str 4-2-5 404 Tite 2 fld Pass 4 Hitch Green Inc -0.70
Drop Harrell and bring Sainristil(+1, PR+1) who beats a TE inside. The other 3 rushers are doubled so this has to get out. Green(+2, cov+2) is in press and PBUs, then thinks "man I might have intercepted that."
O25 2nd 10 Pistol Fritz 5-2-4 4-3 Under 2 fld Run   Lead Stretch Jenkins 2 -0.23
Hurst-level pwnage by Jenkins(+2) who stuck his OT 2 yards in the backfield to cut off the TE trying to get out on Harrell then shed and made the tackle himself. G can't help so he release and bearhugs Colson like he's been coached that way. Not gonna ref or neg Colson for it. That guy leaving means Smith(+1) is singled and rides the C to stuff himself if need be. RPS+1 Michigan was slanting at this and brought the backside CB so no cutbacks and lead blocker can't even get out of the backfield.
O27 3rd 8 Empty Y Stack RB-Fly 4-1-6 Dime Eagle 2 press Pass 4 Tunnel Screen Colson -5 -0.33
M has this scouted and owned. Colson(+2, cov+2) shoots down as soon as the QB's eyes go that way and Green(+2) abandons his WR to beat Colson there. RPS+2 Michigan had Moore over here too so this was dead.
Drive Notes: Punt. 7-0. 12 min 1st Q. I see you Gemon.
Ln Dn Dst OForm DPack Front Hi Type Rush Play Player Yds EPA
O18 1st 10 Empty 5w 4-2-5 Nk Even 1 off Run   QB Trap Jenkins 3 -0.22
They try to trap Jenkins(+2) on QB Power and he takes out both Gs, the one who can't release and then getting his head inside the trap puller and tackling with the help of Smith(+0.5) who stood up his C, and Colson(+0.5) who shot up into the releasing LT.
O21 2nd 7 Pistol Ace Stack F-In 5-2-4 5-2 Under 1 press Play-Action n/a PA Zig Sainristil 8 0.93
PA gets Colson(-2, cov-3) to bite so hard to the frontside that Mullings passes him while trying to carry the TE, who would have been wide open as Moten(-0.5) bit as well. QB doesn't see it but his zig route got loose of Sainristil(RPS-1) who's got no help inside and overplays the slant because of it. First down, could have been worse (Hat+2).
O29 1st 10 Pistol FB H-Fly 4-2-5 Nk Under 1 fld Run   Stretch Mullings -4 -1.22
M is stunting the DTs which gets a 2-for-1 with Jenkins and should deliver Mullings to the RB. We never pay it off because they fumble the exchange (Hat+3). Blitzing Sainristil(+1, tackling+1) shoots past the TE and takes down Zion after he collects it. RPS+1
O25 2nd 14 Pistol FB TE 4-2-5 4-3 Over 1 fld Run   Lead Stretch McGregor 2 -0.15
Should be a mismatch (RPS-1) running at M's lighter personnel but McGregor(+1) plants the TE in the backfield and sheds to tackle the RB's head. Nowhere else to go because Paige(+2) shot down from LB level and rocked back the G doubling Smith(+0.5). LT has to block Mazi instead of hunting Sainristil who gets to shoot in and help tackle.
O27 3rd 12 Empty Y Stack 4-1-6 Dime Eagle 2 off Pass 4 Comeback Sainristil Inc -0.15
McGregor(+1, PR+1) around at 8 and is going to sack or force into Smith coming off a stunt (RPS+1), or maybe Harrell who's around at 9, until the RT jumps on his back and bends him over. WTEF Refs-2? Rollout drill time. Sainristil(-1) tries to split space between a TE and the QB, but on 3rd and 14 w guys behind him he should err to coverage. Zion flips it to that guy who drops it (Hat+2) and Paige gets a shot at a diving INT.
Drive Notes: Punt. 7-0. 7 min 1st Q.
Ln Dn Dst OForm DPack Front Hi Type Rush Play Player Yds EPA
O25 1st 10 Gun Str RB 5-2-4 5-2 Odd 1 off Run   ZR Stretch Grant 0 -0.70
Benny(-0.5) gave ground to a double but kept in contact. Barrett(+0.5) shot into that and gets yanked back, while Benny's guy is doing the same more subtly. (Refs-1) Fortunately Upshaw(+2) set up two yards deep, shed the RT and drove this back into Grant(+1) who one-armed his blocker into the backfield. Upshaw collects as the RB goes by and Colson(+1) shot past the last releasing OL to stick for a loss.
O25 2nd 10 Ace Twins Z-Jet 5-2-4 5-2 Odd 1 fld Run   Split Z Benny -3 -4.57
Fumbled exchange (Hat+3) and Rooks(+2) has his T planted inside the hash and his head outside so he sees it and chucks the OL: MINE!!! Smith(+1) stood up a double so this was going nowhere.
Drive Notes: Fumble. 14.0. 2 min 1st Q.
Ln Dn Dst OForm DPack Front Hi Type Rush Play Player Yds EPA
O25 1st 10 Gun Wk Bunch 4-2-5 4-3 Even 2 fld RPO   Split Z Flow Keep Turner 5 0.09
It's Split Flow but with a slot WR. M has Turner(-1) blitzing with Barrett on a scrape exchange, which means Turner shouldn't let the QB get outside of him. He and Barrett run Zion OOB.
O30 2nd 5 Pistol Fritz 5-2-4 5-2 Under 2 off Run   Stretch Smith 4(-14) -1.16
Graham(-1) doesn't set for the chip and gets knocked off balance, allowing the C to Barrett(+0.5) who just managed to scamper across this guy's face and get the RB to trip over him. Also they got this release by trying to chip Smith(+2) who hopped over it so that guy grabs his ankle and the cheapies finally get flagged. EO1Q.
O20 2nd 15 Pistol Fritz 4-3-4 4-3 Even 2 fld Run   3O Pitch Barrett 6 0.07
M is running a scrape exchange (RPS-2) and gets caught as Okie crashes and a blitzing Green forces a pitch with Barrett(+0.5) still at the hash. He deals with it, forcing back in and initiating a tackle that Colson(+0.5, tackling+1) finishes authoritatively to keep this 3rd and long.
O26 3rd 9 Gun Trips Demi 4-1-6 Dime Eagle A 1 fld Pass 4 Slant Turner Inc(+4) 1.38
Morris and Colson drop, Moore(RPS+1, PR+1) is on him immediately. Pass is behind the WR and takes him off his feet so Turner(+2, cov+2) arrives a hair early going for the ball, which draws an extremely weak flag (from two refs) and pops up a free INT for Colson that he drops.
O30 1st 10 Pistol 2TE 5-2-4 5-2 Odd 1 off RPO   Split Z Flow Flat Moore Inc -0.86
M is playing off this so it could get 5-7 if thrown accurately; it goes to Tacopants 4 yards behind. Hat+2.
O30 2nd 10 Gun Ace Twins 4-2-5 Nk Even 2 off Run   ZR Stretch Moore 2 -0.30
F Return motion gets Colson(-1) stepping inside and Smith(-1) gave up a lot of ground to keep him clean: trouble. McGregor(+2) keeps the hole tight by putting his TE 2 yards deep then getting a hand on the RB's feet, and Moore(+2) flies in past the LT to blow it up. Guy who got to Colson then gets away with a lot of extra business in front of two refs.
O32 3rd 8 Empty 5w 4-2-5 Nk Eagle 0 1 bdy Pass 4 Fade Sainristil Inc -0.30
Okie is blown past and McGregor is stoned while Colson takes a late loop, so there's a clean pocket (PR-2), but Zion has his eyes on a fade all play (Hat+1) and throws it. Sainristil(+2, cov+2) has it dominated.
Drive Notes: Punt (Blocked). 17-0. 13 min 2nd Q. Here's the block: Kolesar and McGregor option a G and UConn takes the edge guy instead of Caden.
Ln Dn Dst OForm DPack Front Hi Type Rush Play Player Yds EPA
O25 1st 10 Gun Str Y-Cross 4-2-5 4-3 Over 1 off Run   ZR Stretch D.Moore 0 -0.70
LG releases leaving LT singled with Benny(+2) who puts him into the RB's path: bonk. However this induces Graham(-1) to spin inside where he thinks this is going but he's quickly replaced by Colson(+1), who dives in to induce a final bounce outside. That puts him in the shop of D-Mo(+2, tackling+1) who let the crossing TE go by, set up business a yard inside the hash and backfield, and hung a RT in the window.
O25 2nd 10 Pistol FB Twins 5-2-4 5-2 Odd 1 off Pass 5 RB Flat Turner Inc -0.35
Goode/Rooks in, bring Paige and 4 DL, drop Morris the SDE. Benny(+1, PR+1) is through a TE who shoves him down but Zion wants the ball out and never looked off his RB. Turner(+2, cov+2) abandoned his zone to thunder down at this dude, is going to make contact in the backfield, but the ball sails.
O25 3rd 10 Empty Stack RB-Fly 4-1-6 Dime Eagle A 1 bdy Pass 3 Tunnel Screen Harrell Inc -0.16
RPS+1 they're all reacting to this, Harrell(+1, cov+3) especially but Upshaw is right behind him. They're lined up for a thunk in the backfield, ball goes through the WR's hands.
Drive Notes: Punt. 24-0. 11 min 2nd Q. Next drive starts at the UConn 4.
Ln Dn Dst OForm DPack Front Hi Type Rush Play Player Yds EPA
O4 1st 10 Ace 2TE tight 5-2-4 4-4 Over 1 off Run   Duo Harrell 5 0.06
Extra OT and everyone tight creates a sea of gaps. They go at Harrell(-0.5) who's lined up as a pure LB but doesn't react like one so this gets a few after Smith(+0.5) and Graham(+0.5) stood up to doubles.
O9 2nd 5 Pistol FB tight 5-2-4 4-3 Under 2 fld Run   Toss Sweep Green 2 -0.20
Four heroes. Jenkins(+2) one-arms a TE to cut off the LG. Harrell(+0.5) hopped outside the FB's path to set an edge. Green(+1) came down past an OT and Colson(+1) picked his way through traffic. Either could end it; they both do.
O11 3rd 3 Gun Quads (X) 4-2-5 Exotic 1 press Run   ZR Stretch Jenkins 2 -0.13
M has ten players Amoeba'ing around the LOS and slants at this with a CB blitz forcing a give. Slant (RPS+2) gets Jenkins(+2, tackling+1) playside of the LG, whom he sheds to collect the RB. Singled Smith(+0.5) controlled the C so no backside cuts. Mora gets livid at one of his signal-callers after...was the grad assistant saying go for it?
Drive Notes: Punt Return TD. 31-0. 6 min 2nd Q. Special teams out here making my UFR so much longer than Brian's this week. The return. The replay. Mostly backups from here.
Ln Dn Dst OForm DPack Front Hi Type Rush Play Player Yds EPA
O25 1st 10 Pistol Fritz 4-2-5 404 Tite 1 off RPO   Lead Split Z Flow Keeper Johnson 2 -0.35
Sainristil at CB, Johnson at Nk, Kolesar at FS. Johnson(+1) plays it well, taking away the the flat but shading to the QB. Mullings(+0.5) and Barrett(+0.5) get to the QB so Zion dives for what he can get.
O27 2nd 8 Gun Twins RB 5-2-4 5-2 Split 2 fld Run   QB Lead Jenkins 0 -0.58
TE tries to block down on Jenkins(+3) and this time you can't stop me from the big score as he chucks this guy inside while delaying the RT's release, two-gaps him, then stretches Millen to the edge and tackles. Harrell(+0.5) with a nice edge, Mullings(+0.5) was there to clean up if Jenkins didn't destroy it himself.
O27 3rd 8 Gun Trips Demi 4-1-6 Dime Split 2 off Pass 4 RB Angle Moten 0 -0.22
Clean pocket as an Okie/Upshaw stunt is shut down. Moten(-1, cov-2) lets RB cross his face, throw is accurate for a first down but RB drops it then Paige(+1) levels him. Hat+2.
Drive Notes: Punt. 31-0. 4 min 2nd Q.
Ln Dn Dst OForm DPack Front Hi Type Rush Play Player Yds EPA
O25 1st 10 Pistol FB Tight 4-2-5 4-3 Over 2 press Play-Action n/a Rollout Out Sainristil Inc -0.70
CB blitz and Sainristil(+1, PR+2, RPS+2) slaloms in to meet Zion as he turns around, inducing a throwaway over a WR that Moore(+1, cov+1) had dead to rights.
O25 2nd 10 Gun Twins FB-Fly 5-2-4 5-2 odd 1 off Run   ZR Stretch Grant 3 -0.15
Slant sends Harrell at the RB and Moore at the QB: RPS+3. Benny(-1) blew up the edge but fell down, and Grant(-2) got blown out by a double so there's room to fall forward as Harrell(+1, tackling+1) connects. Could have been dangerous if he hadn't.
O28 3rd 7 Gun 4w 4-2-5 Nk Wide 2 fld Pass 4 Scramble Benny 14 2.37
Sigh. This is a sack with better communication and not sure which DE to blame. Both sides stunt and I'm putting it on Harrell(-3, PR-2) is about to get a free shot then hops back outside when he thinks Zion's going that way, giving him back the pocket. McGregor was going out there to replace Harrell, which leaves just Benny(-1) who got on the wrong side of his T while closing in for the kill. He's a DT and gets edged, and there's nobody else for 20 yards.
O42 1st 10 Ace Str Tight 4-2-5 5-3 Split 1 off Play-Action 4 Scramble Grant 2 -0.53
2:18, 3 TO. Morris(+1, PR+1) around at 7 which forces a flush. Benny(+0.5) reroutes him inside but Grant(-0.5) is stuck on a double at the LOS so this gets a couple before Zion gives himself up.
O44 2nd 8 Offset Wk Y Flex 4-2-5 Nk Over 1 fld RPO   Trap/Out Benny 9 1.48
1:45. Benny(+1) gets to the right side of the trap blocker but the guy grabs on and yanks away the shoulder in time to prevent this (Refs-1). Barrett(-1) got in his gap but wasn't expecting the RB to come through so fast and has to tackle from behind as he goes by.
M47 1st 10 Gun Str 4-2-5 Nk Under 2 fld Pass 4 Fly Turner Inc -1.05
0:55. DTs rushing but Zion has a few clean beats, stares down this fade, WR tries some light OPI to get space, Turner(+1, cov+1) contests, ball goes through the guy's hands.
M47 2nd 10 Gun Str Stack 4-2-5 Nk Even 2 press Penalty   False Start n/a -5 -1.11
Oops. Hat+1.
O48 2nd 15 Gun Str Stack 4-2-5 Nk Even 2 press Pass 4 Slip Screen Barrett Inc -0.78
0:42. Barrett(+2, cov+2) shadowing RB in m2m (RPS+1), reads it, and hits as the ball arrives, RB wisely lets it fall.
O48 3rd 15 Gun Str 4-2-5 Nk Eagle 7 2 off Pass 4 RB Dump Barrett 9 0.68
0:38. Morris(+0.5) and Harrell(+0.5) single-blocked and put a timer on Zion who checks down to his RB. Paige(+1, tackling+1) and Barrett corral well short of the sticks.
M43 4th 6 Gun Str Bunch 4-2-5 Nk Splits 1 fld Pass 6 Slant Johnson Inc -3.66
0:27. Finally an interesting D as M drops both edges and Double A gap blitzes the LBs with Moten trailing behind. McGregor(+1, cov+3) dropped right into the lane and Johnson(+1) is all over the WR too. RPS+3.
Drive Notes: Turnover on Downs. 38-0. <1 min 2nd Q. First drive to get into Michigan territory.
Ln Dn Dst OForm DPack Front Hi Type Rush Play Player Yds EPA
O25 1st 10 Gun Trips TE (Y) 4-2-5 5-2 Split 1 bdy Run   Arc Keeper Barrett 18 1.61
M gets got as both Morris(-2) and Barrett(-1) hop inside AFTER the pull. Turner(+0.5) sets an edge so Barrett can run it down from behind.
O43 1st 10 Pistol FB tight 5-2-4 5-2 Odd 2 off Run   Toss Sweep Jenkins 8 0.98
Jenkins(-2) gets upfield and stuck on a cracking TE. Harrell(+0.5) on edge, Moore(+0.5) crossing the other TE, and Colson(+0.5) getting out on a T all do their jobs to force it back but he's not there. Barrett(-0.5) was slow to get across too and Moten(-0.5) took a very conservative angle. Graham(+0.5) flowed down to keep it from getting a 1st.
M49 2nd 2 Gun 2TE F Inset 5-2-4 5-2 Under 2 fld Run   ZR Wham Stretch Jenkins 1 -1.03
Interesting play where they pull the C backside and wham the nose. M is blitzing Green at it to force a give (RPS+1) and ruin what I imagine was supposed to be Mora's big play. Wham also barely moves Smith(+0.5) before he's chucked while Graham(+1) puts his G a yard in the backfield so this has nowhere to go but the wall where Jenkins(+2, tackling+1) got playside of the LT and Harrell(+0.5) set a good edge. DTs converge.
M48 3rd 1 Offset I 5-2-4 5-2 Under 1 bdy Penalty   False Start n/a -5 -1.25
Oops. Hat+1. Too bad because Jenkins got under this and M had a stuff.
O47 3rd 6 Pistol Str 4-2-5 5-1 Odd 1 press Run   Stretch Smith 7 2.23
Both Smith(-1) and Jenkins(-1), RPS-1, trying to get upfield and fall down when zone blockers get playside and fall down in front of them. Colson(+1) has to quickly re-gap to hold this down. Moore(-0.5) stumbled a little or he might have a shot at sticking it just short of the marker.
M46 1st 10 Offset I Heavy (Y) 5-2-4 Unset 1 off Run   Dive Graham 5 0.10
UConn lines up in an unbalanced formation quickly out of the change, M (RPS-1) is still adjusting to this at the snap with Graham(-2) trying to swap with Jenkins. Barrett(+2) handles it well, setting up on one side of the free-releasing T then hopping to the other to take the RB off his path and spill to Colson. Smith(+1) stood up a double that would have been relevant but for the rest.
M41 2nd 5 Ace RB-Return 5-2-4 5-2 Split 1 press Run   Reverse Morris -10 -3.05
RB takes on a jet and shorts the flip to the SE who falls on it (Hat+4). Morris(+1) had that edge controlled vs two guys so he gets a point, Barrett got sucked in but hard to know if he might have recovered. This is UConn's last play in M territory.
O49 3rd 15 Gun Str Demi 4-2-5 Nk Splits 1 press Pass 4 Fly Turner 0 -0.48
Morris(+1) and Smith(+0.5) win a stunt and both are coming upfield. McGregor(+1, PR+2) also got around, LT gets away with another hella hold to cancel a sack (Refs-2). Turner(+2, cov+2) put his WR on the sideline and left him no room.
Drive Notes: Punt. 38-0. 10 min 3rd Q. Kolesar nearly blocks another when they get two shield guys to stop Welschof.
Ln Dn Dst OForm DPack Front Hi Type Rush Play Player Yds EPA
O25 1st 10 Gun Wk Demi 5-2-4 5-2 Odd 2 off Pass 5 RB Flat Colson 5 0.09
UConn has 3 pure WRs on the field and is in 4-wide and M insists on being 5-2. Okay. D-Mo(+1, PR+1) beat his T cleanly and gets to wear him as a cape while Zion dumps it down. Colson(-0.5, cov-push) was on this at 3 yards but wants to churn and Jr holds out until help arrives. Help is Mullings(-0.5) who falls off the guy's butt and Colson has to give up 2 to get him OOB.
O30 2nd 5 I-form Heavy (Y) 5-2-4 4-3 Under 2 fld Run   Dive Mullings 3 -0.31
6OL. Smith(+1) stands up a double, sheds, and tackles. Graham(+0.5) did well with his too so there are two free ILBs here. Mullings(-0.5, tackling-1) could stick but comes in shy so it falls forward a bit.
O33 3rd 2 Ace 2TE tight 5-2-4 5-2 Under 0 off Run   Tight Zone Harrell -1 -0.68
6OL again. M is blitzing a S off the frontside but it's Harrell(+3) who knifes in and wrecks this. Had he not, Jenkins(+1), Smith(+1), Graham(+1) and D-Mo(+1) all had their OL in the backfield (Mazi through a double).
Drive Notes: Punt. 45-0. 3 min 3rd Q. Deep backups won't count in the totals, scores in brackets also won't be in the final charting.
Ln Dn Dst OForm DPack Front Hi Type Rush Play Player Yds EPA
O25 1st 10 Gun Trips RB 4-2-5 404 Tite 2 fld Pass 4 Levels McGregor 5 0.09
They roll to a flood concept but everyone's covered (cov[+2]). McGregor(-0.5) blasted the RB but ended up inside of him so Zion can edge him for a handful. K.Jones(-1) gets tied up with his (OOB) WR instead of coming up to help.
O30 2nd 5 Pistol Fritz 5-2-4 5-2 Odd 2 press Run   Lead Stretch McGregor 2 -0.48
Two unblocked guys on the backside (RPS[-1]) means a mass of humanity coming at McGregor(+1), who sets a hard edge and Benny(+1), who jams up the other side of the gap by Benny'ing the G and catching the first lead blocker as he tries to get through. Goode(+1) has the C planted deep so the other lead crashes into him. Pile lurches a yard and falls down.
O32 3rd 3 Ace Heavy H-Jet 5-2-4 5-2 Under 1 off Run   Jet Sweep Harris 2 -0.33
Guy(+1)'s edge isn't authoritative but he takes two TEs at the hash to force a quick cut upfield (Hat+1, one of those guys doesn't belong there). Rolder(-1) is a beat late to follow but Harris(+1, tackling[+1]) was down in the box and stuffed short of the line. M calls TO as they try to sneak it quickly.
O34 4th 1 Gun Trips TE (Y) 4-2-5 Nk Over 0 press Run   Speed Option Okie -4 -4.38
Lol. Benny(+1) bops the C into the backfield and both the TE+T outside him release on Rolder, allowing Okie(+1, tackling+1) a free plate of QB with Velazquez(+0.5) redirecting to take away the pitch. RPS[+4] too bad it's off.
Drive Notes: Turnover on Downs. 52-0. 11 min 4th Q. Who's ready for real opponents?
Ln Dn Dst OForm DPack Front Hi Type Rush Play Player Yds EPA
O25 1st 10 Gun Ace Twins 5-2-4 5-2 Odd 1 off Run   Midline ZR Stretch Benny 1 -0.59
I could watch Benny(+2) vs stretch all day. He plants his guy in the backfield, Grant(+1) gets playside of the duo who wanted to scoop him, and D-Mo(+0.5) got control of his edge at the hash and ends it.
O26 2nd 9 Gun Str Demi 4-2-5 Nk Over 2 off Pass 4 Square In Harris Inc -0.41
Drop Guy, bring K.Jones at nickel with a free shot RPS[+1] and PR[+1], Harris(+2, cov[+2]) is all over it.
O26 3rd 9 Gun Str 4-2-5 Nk Eagle 2 fld Pass 4 Hitch Harris Inc -0.17
Guy(+1, PR+1) spins off his T and now it's a matter of time so the throw's out quickly. Harris(+2, cov[+2]) is all over it.
Drive Notes: Punt. 59-0. 7 min 4th Q. Might as well do the last.
Ln Dn Dst OForm DPack Front Hi Type Rush Play Player Yds EPA
O16 1st 10 Pistol Trips H-Jet 5-2-4 5-2 Odd 1 off Run   H Flow Guy -3 -0.62
I'm sitting next to Brian at this point and he goes "Well, at least I know I'm not charting this part" and then this play happens and I go "well I have to chart THAT." It's Split Flow but the TE is already frontside, with a slot in jet motion going inside of him with the TE as his escort in the flat. Guy(-1) sifts through it all then steps inside where he can do nothing and where Rooks(+2) already fought through his blocker and the dive fake to force it outside. Hood(-1) can make Guy right but comes up inside him. Sabb(-1) gets popped hard while tracking the backfield by the TE. But! But the QB stumbled (Hat+1) and then in flies Zeke Berry(+2) to stop in the backfield.
O13 2nd 13 Gun Trips Flex 4-2-5 Nk Over 2 off Pass 4 Slant Spurlock 7 0.12
Spurlock(-1, cov[-1] doesn't get to his zone and M is playing pillow soft so this guy gets a freebie vs 3 guys to his side.
O20 3rd 6 Gun Wk 4-2-5 Nk Over 1 bdy Pass 4 Flare Okie 0 -0.19
Everyone is doubled, PR[-1] but Okie(-1, cov[-1]) is slow to follow the RB out and dumpoff should get this if accurate. It is not: Hat+2.
Drive Notes: Punt. 59-0. 3 min 4th Q. Bring on the real teams.

Three games in the books. Are you ready to say something definitive now?

I am.

Let's hear it.

I was right; Colorado State's right tackle was indeed the worst player Michigan is going to face this year.

You are an impressively atrocious ambassador for your football analysis product.

But I see why people were telling me to wait until I've see UConn's offense, which is an absurd portrait of 21st century football by an artist who both hates and cannot fathom his subject.

Jim Mora Jr. clearly wants to be a 1990s "pro-style" team running Spider 2 Y Banana to the fullback in the flat. UConn only had a handful of successful plays, but after each one he ran out Pistol FB formations. Once the game was out of reach he went under center with goal line formations. He used traps and whams and added lead blockers to stretch zone, and 6th offensive linemen, and heavy formations that didn't match his personnel. If he lasts long enough to recruit to this, UConn could be a weird Harbaugh-at-Stanford program that goes under center and whumps you with fullbacks. Unfortunately he's trapped in this hell where he has to run Rich Rod stuff with a one-read true freshman. His fullback and tight end right now are 228 and 220 pounds, i.e. lighter than the linebackers they're supposed to be moving out.

And nobody but the right guard knows how to do anything. Since Mora's using practice time on tying shoelaces and the letter people, Minter was allowed to call few line slants and win an RPS knockout without putting anything remotely interesting on film until 4th down.

Ooh, give me interesting things on 4th down.

Congratulations you've reached our daily Double-A gap blitz:

This thing from the Amoeba tree is nasty, a Cover Zero upgrade to the old Dantonio staple where both DTs take the attention of the guards so the center has linebackers on either side to deal with. The Zero upgrade is converting the free safety to a Dog blitz (meaning he comes if the RB stays in).

image

That's too much for the protection either way: if the RB stays in to block, Moten's in free, and if he doesn't one of the ILBs is. And here's the real kicker: there's no outside pass rush. Both edges dropped into coverage. The QB goes to throw his outlet—a slant to the field—and Braiden McGregor is there to intercept if it's on target. Turner's only hope is to throw it behind and get a play from his WR.

image

It's early yet but if they're breaking the glass on this for UConn it's more evidence Minter's got a Mattison-deep bag of tricks for creating pressure from weird fronts.

And we're going to need it right?

You are concerned about the pass rush again.

It's not like Edge was the #1 concern going into the season or anything. Also the CSU Sack Party seems so very long ago now.

The UConn Huskies were more downfield-averse than the Rainbow Warriors but still in the same "GET IT OUT!" hemisphere of the matrix I just came up with.

image

X-axis is trust in protection, Y-axis is trust in your QB's arm. Matrix ignores option routes vs route combos because that shouldn't matter to a defense.

It's hard to learn much about your pass rush when 3rd and 8 is Screensville. When not overthrowing his RB in the backfield, Turner would lock onto one guy and either throw it in his general direction or take off the second he got a whiff of a rusher. When he got time to look at more than 1.5 options it was because the refs thought being UConn was punishment enough without having to obey the rules. The good news is Braiden McGregor has started generating Refs-2 events.

#17 off the top edge

Just from his usage it's clear McGregor has now moved up to the starter tier—he literally started over Mike Morris, even if that only lasted one play. It's also clear that this is because McGregor can actually generate pressure.

Jaylen Harrell—who had another great game overall—is the guy rushing the other side and even if he does everything right you can feel the physics are not in his favor. One of these guys is around at eight yards (the line of scrimmage was the 27) and is set up to resist going further upfield. The other is around at nine yards and in no position to keep it that way.

image

The full hope here was C+ versions of Hutchinson/Ojabo as edge rushers. I think McGregor is at Hutch C-, while Harrell is still a D- version of Ojabo. The other candidates got a lot less run in the relevant portions of this game as the coaches shifted reps to guys who are going to be part of the main rotation, IE Morris, Harrell, and McGregor.

Those reps proved necessary, as these guys are still trying to get a feel for each other. The play where Benny ended up getting edged by Zion Turner should have been a sack until both Harrell and McGregor went to secure the same edge:

I can't be sure who's to blame here but I put it on Harrell because McGregor's playing off of him and going outside because Harrell had the inside lane.

image

That's a sack if he just goes and gets him, but the overly responsible adult who rules Harrell's brain decides no, I have to keep contain and let somebody else get the credit. Meanwhile McGregor has two blockers assigned to him and is trying to play off of what's happening with Harrell. He sees his buddy's got a lane to the QB and just needs to cut off the escape route to the boundary. The result is two guys covering exigencies and nobody in sales.

image

You hate Jaylen Harrell?

Far from it; he's an everything but, and pass rush is the "but." And before you say "That's a big but" remember the run game matters in football as well. You can tell Harrell is a guy the coaches love because he's always Doing His Job™. That job includes picking up six +0.5s a game for setting an edge that I thought made somebody else's life easier than expected. The offense might be doing something complicated, but Harrell come at it like he knows where to be and what to do when he gets there every moment.

OLB #32, middle of the field between the DL and LB levels

If you have a guy like and some elite athletes to pair with him you've got the makings of an elite defense. Harrell is also a guy you can trust to pay off a good Rock/Paper/Scissors call by the coordinator.

You'll find him I promise.

I got mad last year when Michigan ran this on short yardage because there's no way for that tight end to block an edge slanting inside of him. Harrell has the subtle shoulder dip that gives the TE even less of a target, and an aiming point that changes the RB's momentum from forward to sideways, which is more important in this scenario than securing the tackle (he also secures the tackle).

Room for improvement from Harrell is to develop his true LB skills. Michigan occasionally will move him back to a 4-3 SAM, and as long as he's still setting an edge that doesn't change anything. But there was one time he actually had to read how a DT's block in front of him went and shoot into the gap, and Harrell stood there shuffling a good beat after you want the decision made.

It's been this blog's assertion that Harrell's development as a true linebacker is his path to staying on the field as an edge who can't pass rush—the more he can take on Colson's duties the more they can shift Harrell's pass-rushing responsibilities to superior athletes. That part of Harrell's game is still a work in progress. It's also very hard. But that's reality when your game has a big but.

Heh heh you said big butt.

That's a Taylor Upshaw segue. He came, he saw things like a senior, he conquered a stretch.

Taken with the first two games Upshaw is providing a similar suite of things that they're getting from Harrell, even if he's not built like a linebacker, because dropping him is more of a surprise and Upshaw knows where to be. My guess is he continues to factor in to give the three "starters" a breather without much drop-off until one of the newer comers passes the Upshaw line.

The other thing working against Upshaw is McGregor is developing as a run defender before our eyes.

#17 edge on the bottom

That isn't as confident but you see the advantage McGregor's Hutchinsonian arms provide in the amount of separation he can maintain while the battle for outside leverage. UConn's TEs are pretty bad so I wouldn't expect McGregor to have as easy a time moving them in Big Ten play, but the physics don't change.

So I'm dumping stock on Anoma Okie and Moore?

That…remains to be seen.

Why? What have you seen?

Nothing of interesting (on 11 snaps) from Eyabi Okie but Derrick Moore (also on 11 snaps) once again flashed as an athlete who's way too agile for his size, and way too polished for his class.

My hottest defensive take is continuing to buy stock in Moore as his playing time diminishes and McGregor establishes himself, but the long-term indicators are all there. If you're into short-term trading you can go either way on Okie and trust you can sell a short when he disappears for three games or offload futures when he has two sacks against Penn State.

As long as four guys on the two-deep are a B, C-, D-, and F at pass-rushing, Moore and Okie have a path to the field. It's also going to continue to shift general pass defense work to the tackles, the LBs, the secondary, and Jesse Minter's whiteboard.

Cool. Did we learn anything about them from spending the first quarter of our season playing Kenpom 300 teams?

I mean, the starters kicked more butt, but against it's hard to tell what's real. I've seen Mazi Smith go against All-Americans; watching him embarrass Jake Guidone and Noel Ofori-Nyadu tells you nothing.

Maybe if you tallied up their scores and presented them in some organized manner?

You mean a chart.

I could mean.

Note: guys in italics aren't counted in the final scores. Also I added headers for a couple of position groups because the preseason roster is so long.

Tackle
Player + - T Snaps Notes
Mazi Smith 10 2 +8 36 Why would you single this man?
Kris Jenkins 14 3 +11 28 Maybe because you want to single this man?
Mason Graham 3.5 4 -0.5 18 Finally a freshman moment. But don't single this man.
Rayshaun Benny 8.5 2.5 +6 18 Oh you want to run stretch huh?
George Rooks 4 0 +4 10 I keep saying RVB, Brian keeps insisting that's an Anchor.
Kenneth Grant 2 2.5 -0.5 10 Passed Goode, gonna be really good.
Cam Goode 1 0 +1 4 Fine.
Edge
Player + - T Snaps Notes
Michael Morris 3.5 2 +1.5 23 Bit on an arc keeper, M's best pass-rusher.
Jaylen Harrell 7.5 3.5 +4 31 Sets a marvelous edge, not remotely a pass-rusher.
Taylor Upshaw 2 0 +2 11 Man does job. Man is not a pass-rusher.
Braiden McGregor 7 0.5 +6.5 23 Losing sacks to uncalled holding is very Hutchinson.
Eyabi Okie 1 1 - 11 Quiet day.
Derrick Moore 4.5 0 +4.5 11 I'm still banging the drum here.
TJ Guy 2 1 +1 6 Harrell in training.
Julius Welschof 0 0 - 4 DNC
DL TOTAL 65.5 18.5 +47 220 Can't combo through them.
Linebacker
Player + - T Snaps Notes
Junior Colson 7.5 3.5 +4 40 I'm sorry I ever doubted.
Nikhai Hill-Green 0 0 - 0 DNP
Michael Barrett 6 2.5 +3.5 22 Actually getting more comfortable at LB things.
Kalel Mullings 1 1 - 22 When he picked up the blocked fumble we were all like…
Jimmy Rolder 0 1 -1 7 Not making the rotation yet.
Joey Velazquez 0.5 0 +0.5 1 Ditto.
Micah Pollard 0 0 - 6 Dito.
Jaydon Hood 0 1 -1 3 D'toh.
Deuce Spurlock 0 1 -1 3 Di'e'toh.
LB TOTAL 14.5 7 +7.5 84 Playing well but nothing is getting to them.
Cornerback
Player + - T Snaps Notes
DJ Turner 7.5 1 +6.5 40 Why would you target this man?
Mike Sainristil 5 1 +4 26 Fades do not scare me.
Gemon Green 5 0 +5 33 Is keeping it up.
Will Johnson 2 0 +2 15 Played some nickel again. Looks viable.
Jalen Perry 0 0 - 0 DNP
German Green 0 0 - 4 DNC
Kody Jones 0 1 -1 6 Played nickel. Not as spicy today.
Myles Pollard 0 0 - 6 DNC
Keshaun Harris 5 0 +5 10 3rd and short stuff and two PBUs.
Amorion Walker 0 0 - 0 DNP on defense.
Safety
Player + - T Snaps Notes
Rod Moore 4.5 0.5 +4 31 Not tested in coverage, shoots into running game.
RJ Moten 0 2 -2 37 Let an RB angle cross his face one time.
Makari Paige 4 0 +4 23 Solid part of the rotatoin now.
Caden Kolesar 0 0 - 7 DNC, huge role in both big special teams plays.
Quinten Johnson 0 0 - 10 DNC
Keon Sabb 0 1 -1 6 Eyes up kid.
Zeke Berry 2 0 +2 3 Feeling good about recruiting comp: Rod Moore.
DB TOTAL 28 4.5 +23.5 212 Step up in competition, shorter list next week.
Metrics
Player + - T Notes
Pressure 11 4 +7 Ball's out before it matters.
Coverage 22 5 +17 Ball's thrown at a guy who's well-covered.
Tackling 8 1 +7 Yards after contact this game: 4.
RPS 19 6 +13 Minter saw patterns, Mora saw red.
Hat Tip 21 0 +21 Barely edges out Hawai'i for worst of M's non-cons.

Cavea—

Stop it. Stop saying "caveat" like you're a fancy 18th century attorney who uses Latin phrases colloquially.

Admonition Connecticut.

Wasn't UConn supposed to be the good offensive line?

The good?

…you know, relatively?

Uh, they're still not good.

So we're just gonna say the opponent is bad and nobody played more than 30 snaps and shruggie away two-thirds of September.

A long and proud Big Ten tradition, this.

What if we like, piled all the games together into one giant Franken-tuneup opponent, could you glean anything from that?

I could glean.

Glean.

Kris Jenkins is real.

That's quite a thing to glean.

Well it's not like this is coming out of nowhere. His last five games he's been +7.5, +6.5, +6, +10, and +11. That includes Iowa (caveat: he wasn't facing Linderbaum) and Georgia. This year on about 60 snaps, which would be a full game, his charting line is +31/-4 = +27. I don't care what opponent you did that to—that's a dude.

And it's not like all of these events are pushing guys around or flashing talent. I remember 2018 Notre Dame DTs shocked when a puller trap blocked them. Jenkins handles it like this happens every day, getting low, getting his hat across, and forming up in the hole he was supposed to be booted from.

#94 DT just under the hash

When they go stretch—and UConn used a lot of it—Jenkins isn't content to sit in a gap, or too in a hurry to get upfield. He sees the lineman's step, matches it, and controls his blocker and gets in the hard gap so a teammate can take an easier one.

Glean more.

Uh, sure. I don't think we'd be seeing Jenkins doing this much if not for the emergence of Mason Graham as a second true DT. That freed up Jenkins to be the guy who Wormleys the life out of tight ends in Michigan's 5-2 sets, a job the young DT was already very good at a year and 19 pounds ago.

#94 at the top of the formation

Except now he can do it to tackles as well.

#94 at the top of the formation

You can caveat this still because the UConn tight ends are terrible. I'm not looking for Jenkins to be putting up +0.5/snap in UFR against every opponent. But even against terrible competition the consistency with which Jenkins is winning his blocks has got to mean something.

#94 DT second from the bottom of the formation

He's not yet seeing many doubles, but when you're next to Mazi Smith they can't double everybody. Watch the plays above and find Smith (the huge nose wearing #58). What are you going to do, NOT double that guy?

And having Graham be an instant Ryan Glasgow means Jenkins can just ply his trade. It became clear in this game however that Michigan wants that to be the case to a degree where you have to wonder if Jenkins isn't powerful enough if put in that position.

The one freshman –2 I've been able to hand out to Graham thus far was a play in this game when Michigan was caught not lined up after a change.

Everybody got to their spots quickly except Graham and Jenkins, who were supposed to swap to each others' sides of Smith against a heavy unbalanced set. I took this as a sign Graham hadn't yet learned it's best to stay put and take the slight mismatch than to stand up and try to swap spots, but it doesn't happen if the coaches aren't drilling them on their roles.

I want to go back to one of the plays I showed you above because it really shows how well these tackles function together. You saw Jenkins already but this time watch Mazi Smith, and then watch it again for Mason Graham:

Smith is #58 the nose just above the hash mark. Graham is #55 the DT just under the hash.

Smith got a wham block—a backfield player replacing a lineman. Even surprised, Smith is too strong for that, and throws the guy aside. Meanwhile Graham got a player on the backside trying to reach him and dominated the block to the point where it's Graham, not Smith, who's arriving first to relieve Jenkins from two-gap duty. When Harbaugh said Graham was a starter with the other two in preseason I was like "yeah, in their base 5-2 that they rarely use." They're using it a lot, actually, but that's beside the point; Graham is on the same level as the other two guys, a three-man rotation that can all play together against 2 TE sets+. What an exciting development.

Speaking of exciting developments, I recall you wanting to see Rayshaun Benny against a team determined to run zone on him.

So let's explain quickly what a "Raekwan Williams" is. Michigan State had this dude with long arms and ridiculous feet, and because, being not fast in the racing sense, he only had one sack, he annoyingly wouldn't frickin' leave college zone teams alone. Zone teams want to combo through DTs or at least get them stuck somewhere they can't keep closing gaps you're trying to open.

#99 DT, 2nd from the top of the formation

It was massively important to win Rayshaun Benny from MSU, because it denied them another Raekwan in addition to giving us the antidote to the world's favorite running play.

#26 DT second from the top of the formation

See what I mean? This was a very good game for Benny because Stretch is UConn's best run play. There's no good answer for a guy like this. If you double him he'll transport the double wherever the back is going. If you move downfield and leave him single-blocked, now he's the lineman wherever the back is going.

#26 DT 2nd from the top

Unfortunately an upgrade in QB speed from Hawai'i to UConn meant Benny was outmatched athletically on the edge when Zion Turner escaped. If his fate is 1 sack a year and that holds off the pros until Benny's exhausted four years of eligibility I'll take it.

Does the DT rotation goes four deep or five?

I'm of the mind that George Rooks is a couple steps ahead of Benny, but he's that guy who's going to fill the Jenkins 5-2 role very well because he's built sort of like an offensive lineman.

#54 DT 2nd from the bottom

I keep saying that's Ryan Van Bergen and Brian is like no RVB was a 4-3 Under's 5-tech and I'm like this the 5-2 SDE is the same thing and it's all very weird because this is nobody's idea of a DT but it works because Rooks has those massive legs that plant him in place and great hands to get him free of whatever came at him. The explosion isn't there, but Rooks has some usefulness in this defense beyond third-string DT for a drive.

As for the role of third nose, Cam Goode got passed by yet another freshman, though in Kenneth Grant's case this is speculation based on DIOS MIO!

#78 on the hashmark

Grant is the freshman still most likely to stand up and get moved by a double, but the flashes portend, man. We could see it come together later this year or he could redshirt, but I'm still feeling good about the Johnathan Hankins comp.

Goode is an alright floor if Grant can't be productive yet without Hawai'ians, Huskies, and a herd of ex-Nevadans to manhandle. Considering the dark years between Hurst and Mazi-Hinton are still fresh, it feels kinda good to be thinking of Michigan's DT roster like a typical Ohio State depth chart even if their scores are bound to come down from here.

Okay, now glean linebacker.

I can't. They're too clean.

Use all three games.

That's the thing; the defensive line isn't letting anything get to the linebackers. UConn actually tried releasing linemen downfield but since they hadn't dealt with the DTs first these plays invariably ended with the action near the line of scrimmage and a blocked linebacker shrugging off his lineman to join in celebration. I'm not negging a linebacker who gets an OL on him immediately.

What I did do more of this game was give out +0.5s for the LBs who were getting around that and contributing to the stacking game, and full marks for shooing past a blocker to be the tackler of record. That was mostly Colson:

#25 the bottom LB behind the 1st down line

#25 the middle LB:

Colson is also showing in the screen game, because he can get out on a guy so quickly. It was pure unfairness against a team like UConn who's so bad at converting downfield their opponents are looking for screens on 3rd and 8. Still, there's the speed linebackers usually get to these things, and there's the speed that defensive backs use to get thunder TFLs on the non-scrimmage hash. Colson…

#25 above the hash mark on the 32 yard line

…gets there at DB speed.

Barrett got one of those as well, part of a mostly good day shadowing the running back. As we've been saying, he can be effective as a tiny linebacker because the DL aren't letting linemen get to him. The one time a lineman forgot to line up in front of him however, Barrett fixed it by hopping to either side of the blocker.

That's encouraging. Barrett isn't really a safety—he doesn't have the speed for it—but giving him these few weeks to really get a feel for linebacker seems to be having an effect.

So too has Mullings. He's been serviceable, but also made me miss Nikhai Hill-Green on several opportunities when a linebacker throwing his body at a guy would make a 2-yard difference. This isn't the biggest deal, and Mullings is getting to his spots. They can survive with him if they need to. It's just…well when he picked up the blocked fumble and dusted some guys, man oh man.

This is going to be a thing all year, but if Barrett can keep being Jordan Glasgow out there maybe we can teach Mullings to hurdle a fool, is all I'm saying.

And help from below?

Not happening this year. Rolder would be like forcing Colson into action last year. Their playing time was relegated to the last two drives in this one, as the coaches looked to give Mullings and Barrett and Colson as many reps as possible.

And help from deep?

Hard to tell when all they do is screen. Once again the safeties were out there being boring except for the rare linebacker mishap that led to a chance to shoot down. As far as whoa moments this is the first time in a long time I can remember a free safety rocking an FBS guard back like a linebacker. Then came Makari Paige.

#7 the safety on the bottom

Once again, Noel Ofori-Nyadu is only a "starting FBS guard" by technicality so this won't be a recurring thing, but you can certain extrapolate both a willingness to thunk a guy, and more importantly a level of confidence from Paige in what he saw. Linebacking is hard because you have to make split-second decisions that pay off in small ways if you're right and really hurt you if you're wrong. If you go linebacking as a safety, the result if you're wrong is six points. To have a guy who's willing to go for it because he knows he's right is an accomplishment of coaching and development.

It's also an opportunity to play dime, which we haven't seen around these parts since the DB depth chart rolled over during COVID. The fact that Michigan's now playing six of them is directly attributable to Paige being a better option on those downs than Michael Barrett. He's arrived.

Also in development, Rod Moore is just a teen, which is easy to forget when he's showing up, setting up, and ruining well-blocked plays versus a six-man box.

Moten was out there most the game but only appeared one time when he and Barrett stepped in too far on an arc read.

We could let it go at that, and believe me, baking in the sun with my back and butt both on cushioned seats (not mine) at the 50 yard line when it was 59-0 nothing, that was the plan. This is what interrupted the plan:

I see you Zeke Berry. Perhaps not this year, but we shall see each other again.

Dare I ask if we learned anything about the cornerbacks?

I mean, they held Zion Turner to 4/16, and UConn to 5/20 for 24 yards as a team.

And was all of that Hat?

Some of it. Some of it was Green.

#22 CB at the bottom of the screen

We're not dealing with A+ cornerbacks but a hitch is a hitch and there isn't a Smith-Njigba route or a CJ Stroud arm that could complete one against that. The UConn Difference is the ball's in the air a tenth of a second longer, and thus plausibly interceptable instead of merely PBU-able. What's translatable is #16 is 6-foot-2 and gets the full length of his arm on Green, and it doesn't matter because Green is a spider person who can downshift when the receiver does and break without losing contact or interfering.

Green also turned on a new level of aggressiveness as Michigan began incorporating CB blitzes. This had to be something they were looking for--nobody's blitzing the field corner at a tunnel screen on 3rd and 8 against a sound passing game--but even so you have to tip your hat to a cornerback who gets there that quickly.

One benefit from the Tour de Tomato Cans was a big thing missing from Green's game in years past appeared to be simple confidence. The first couple of weeks I thought Green was gaining that. Now it's obvious. And when you add Turner that's a pair of corners you can go to war with.

Speaking of Turner.

There's nothing to learn from these moops that we couldn't get from Turner keeping up with 1st rounder Chris Olave in last year's 42-27 victory over Ohio State in which Ohio State lost to Michigan by 42 to 27 and Michigan beat Ohio State, who were the losers to Michigan by a 42-27 score. As for Turner's penalty…I hated it. I didn't refs- the call; I hate that it's the call.

That ball was thrown inside, which forced the WR to hold up a beat and jump. Turner's breaking on it and has the better path to the ball, and that (as opposed to hitting the guy) is what he's going for. Against Hawai'i they let this go, and it was spiritually correct. Vibes based officiating!

Also we are hashing over this because finding more catchable throws to grade was difficult. I should point out Mike Sainristil absolutely negated Zion Turner's best shot.

#0 the slot CB on the hash

If you're a veteran of the Bad Fades days you'll recall Tyree Kinnel setting up outside of the slot to make sure he had leverage. Sainristil is doing this without a pre-snap edge, which means he's not giving up an edge in slants to take away the long ball. Take this with his edge work in Week 1 and we're at the ceiling of what we might get from the Dax Hill replacement against this level of competition. Rakim Jarrett is a wholly new level of test.

Finally, garbage time yielded three good plays by Keshaun Harris. If the name rings a bell, he's the walk-on converted from the track team who got some hype last spring that we took for <gulp> cornerback news. With the benefit of post-2021 hindsight it may be that Harris can play a bit.

Or maybe I'm just reading too much into the dumbest preseason since the days when Michigan was so desperate for opponents they would schedule Grand Rapids high schoolers.

Heroes?

Kris Jenkins, Mazi Smith, Rayshaun Benny, Braiden McGregor, Junior Colson, DJ Turner.

Maybe not so heroic?

Canceling the UCLA game for a third meatball opponent because Michigan ABSOLUTELY NEEDS an 8th home game. Maybe we need a rule that fans get half their money back if they leave before halftime.

What does it mean for Maryland and Beyond?

McGregor is one of the guys. This is what we wanted, remember. I would be a lot more worried if Okie won the battle.

Graham is one of the guys. The grade this week is harsh—he was winning +0.5s on battles that ended up running away from him and got a –2 for a team-wide fire drill.

Barrett is one of the guys. As long as the DL can keep this up we get to access all the fun things you can do with a viper for the price of an ILB spot.

Colson is becoming a dude. The + events are outnumbering the wrong-way events by 4-to-1, 5-to-1, and now 6-to-1.

Holding any team to 5/20 for 24 yards is what you want to see the week before Tagovailoa and the Downfield Death Squad. Just don't specify which team.

Comments

bronxblue

September 20th, 2022 at 10:30 PM ^

Yeah, I heard them talking about this play on the podcast and believed I must have missed another DPI because that was pretty clearly a penalty.  I get it wasn't going to be a huge gainer either way that's some Guiness Book of World Records-level "hair" early considering the receiver was being swung around by the contact when the ball arrived.

blueblooded14

September 20th, 2022 at 11:02 PM ^

And it should be an interference call. A poignant difference between this situation and the underthrown ball on the outside that gets a trail technique CB to "interfere" is the DB's positioning. Here, the DB can see the ball - in the other case, they cannot. One is someone arriving early and the other is a bamboozling. 

Big Boutros

September 20th, 2022 at 4:18 PM ^

Not that it means much but my eye test strongly agrees with the Keshaun Harris +5.

He really stood out live. I know it was garbage time but he looked like a rotation guy getting punitive snaps as opposed to a walk-on getting rewarded.

rob f

September 20th, 2022 at 4:26 PM ^

Good observations in the substitution notes, Seth, in regards to the two-deep getting extended playing time in the 2nd half. 

We were discussing this in our section at The Big House on Saturday during the 4th quarter while taking notice of it that (barring injuries), these are all the young "dudes" who'd potentially be playing major minutes through the remainder of this season and next.

MGolem

September 20th, 2022 at 4:43 PM ^

I saw an article on the Athletic today discussing the overall decrease in sacks, or at least their importance in the game today. Georgia has 1 sack this season yet they are absolutely bludgeoning teams. Creating chaos and errant throws to well covered WRs seems to be just as effective as sacks themselves. Michigan hasn’t gotten home much the past two weeks but they haven’t had much of a chance. Kirby Smart was quoted in the article pointing out how the game has changed with few QBs sitting back and scanning the field. We may not have Hutch and Ojabo level talents on this defense but if the players available are disruptive, and sound in their assignments, this could still be an elite unit.  

MGoManBall

September 20th, 2022 at 4:53 PM ^

Teams adjust to pressure by throwing hot to slants and outs. Good defenses like Georgia and Michigan are dropping sneaky guys into those lanes and making quick tackles when they do complete. 

Maryland likes to air it out so we should very well see a handful of sacks this weekend if pressure gets home. 

MGoBlue96

September 20th, 2022 at 9:01 PM ^

Wonder how much refs not doing their damn jobs on calling holding  enough also contributes to lower sacks. At least 3 different times in this game a UM defender would have probably got home without an obvious hold. Offenses feel more emboldened to commit them because they know at most they will be called once a game. 

Joby

September 21st, 2022 at 7:52 PM ^

In his limited snaps, Okie has shown some more polished run defense than I was expecting. McGregor is getting more chances to learn (and trust his injury recovery) and is doing OK with them. Would be great to see them both get after it.

 

Graham is never going to get doubled playing next to Smith and Jenkins, so he’ll probably hold up until at least MSU. 

reshp1

September 20th, 2022 at 4:52 PM ^

I get opponent caveats, but Michigan shredded their tomato can opponents without a hint of drama and that's worth something. Given some of the question marks on the team, a glorified preseason for new players to work into their starting roles isn't the worst thing.

Blue Middle

September 20th, 2022 at 6:28 PM ^

THIS.  We've opened with weak opponents before and not looked as dominant.

That said, there are concerns.  On defense, it's the pass rush.

On offense, it's the pass protection.

But we've already seen how this coaching staff knows that and is mitigating those challenges:

- exotic blitzes on defense

- WR screens and RPOs on offense

This can work.

stephenrjking

September 20th, 2022 at 6:44 PM ^

Also agree.

There's a lot we still don't know about this team, but we *do* know that they can annihilate bad teams without a hint of struggle. There have been a number of Michigan teams dating back to the Carr years that have not shown such ease in such a convincing fashion. 

I mean, just last week we were recalling Devin Gardner's brilliant home game against Notre Dame, in the context of JJ's brilliant first outing against Hawaii. But then Michigan promptly played bad Akron and UConn teams and barely won. This Michigan team... did not struggle to win.

I'm interested to see what the defense does against Maryland. They have a real offense. If there are cracks in the secondary they'll find them; if the pass rush is a problem, we'll find out. But even if both of those things exist, Michigan is likely able to make do against a team like Maryland. The question is, probably, whether this defense is just "good enough to win 10 games" or whether Ryan Day starts waking up in cold sweats at night. 

PopeLando

September 20th, 2022 at 8:13 PM ^

Agreed. You're SUPPOSED to hit home runs at the Home Run Derby. Your ability to crush home runs doesn't say much...but if you DON'T crush home runs, that says something. 

I remember 2009 when Brandon Inge went on a hot streak the first half of the season. 21 home runs before the All Star Break. And so he was invited to the Home Run Derby...where he got a whopping ZERO home runs. We should have known it was over right then. The rest of the season, he slumped pretty hard and finished with 27.

Anyway, Michigan hit home runs. 

BuckeyeChuck

September 20th, 2022 at 8:06 PM ^

Michigan shredded their tomato can opponents without a hint of drama and that's worth something.

If some other team, like Alabama or Wisconsin, or (gasp) Ohio St shredded tomato can opponents...would anybody here think that was "worth something"? I highly doubt it.

Everybody would be like "let's see them do that against somebody with a pulse."

I do think that they way Michigan handled these opponents does mean something, but let's keep it consistent when talking about other programs too.

Thanks.

/psa

bronxblue

September 20th, 2022 at 10:39 PM ^

The value of these blowouts is that they were actual blowouts, as opposed to times in the past when they've played middling-to-bad G5 teams and struggled to put them away (looking at you, 2013).  It's of small value but not valueless.  Nobody is going to crown Michigan a playoff team because they beat 3 teams by a combined score of a billion to 17, but the first-team defense hasn't given up a score and barely allowed these teams to cross the 50-yard line while the offense has laid waste to any attempts to slow them down.  And considering we're a quarter of the way through the season that's the only data points one has so you have to extrapolate a bit.

When Wisconsin was good they absolutely demolished bad teams and coherent fans generally assumed they'd be pretty good, though the "flaw" you could see with their approach was it relied on being physically superior to their opponents and so if they ran into a team that could handle that physical running game the outcome could be different.  As for teams like Alabama and OSU, people absolutely recognized that when they ripped the face off bad teams it confirmed they were at least pretty good, and the same could be said for UM.

stephenrjking

September 21st, 2022 at 9:06 AM ^

Nobody is putting us in the playoff or pencilling in a win in Columbus yet. It is worth something, to us, because we’ve had seasons with high expectations where the team struggled against bad opponents before. We have sweated out narrow wins against military academies and not-great Cincinnati teams and out-manned MAC teams.

It doesn’t necessarily mean we’re winning the national title, but it does mean that one concern doesn’t exist.

Here, at least, there aren’t a lot of people looking at blowouts by OSU or Bama and saying, “nah, they’re not actually that good.” We see OSU and Bama blow teams out and assume that they are elite teams.

I mean, you were here last year. There were a few who were cautiously optimistic about the OSU game, but most of us thought it was going to be bad. 

njvictor

September 20th, 2022 at 5:38 PM ^

So it next year when we get the McGregor huge breakout? His body seems like it needs to be at 270-275 instead of 260 to see his full potential, but he's started doing some good things and being productive even when he still does look a little slight

njvictor

September 21st, 2022 at 7:11 AM ^

Fair, I think it hard to tell until he’s physically where he needs to be. It seems like he needs that extra 10-15 pounds for that power rush aspect to his game and so he doesn’t get pushed off his path so easily. From my prospective, what we’re seeing from him right now is pretty protectable to being a solid player once that happens