FORMATION NOTES: Rutgers uses a blizzard of different fronts but spends the game in a nickel with said nickel over the slot almost all the time, and then that guy gets nosy in the box almost all of the time.

Here they've shifted their line over to the strength of the formation and the nickel is the littlest LB closes to the center of the field.

SUBSTITUTION NOTES: Usual at QB, obviously. Edwards got more carries earlier than usual; seemed like Corum may have been ill and Michigan was trying to limit his usage. At TE, Schoonmaker went out for a portion of the game and this led to more Loveland snaps. At OL, Persi took over for Hayes. On some goal line snaps Persi went out, El-Hadi came in and Keegan kicked out to tackle. Also El-Hadi got the last drive with the starters when Keegan got dinged.

WR saw more rotation with Wilson out. Walker and Morris both got targets and Anthony was a bigger part of the gameplan. No Clemons.

[After THE JUMP: a much more interesting defense]

Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Motion	Player	Yards
M25	1	10	Ace TTE tight	1	2	2	4-3 over	7.5	Pass	Waggle deep out	N	Bell	35
Under center PA into a rollout; Rutgers actually does not bite very much on this but with Johnson running off the safety the CB to this side lets Bell get behind him as waggle rollouts usually don’t go this deep. Bell points downfield to indicate where the ball should be and McCarthy puts it on him. (DO, +2, 3, protection N/A, RPS +1)
O40	1	10	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Pass	Slant	N	Anthony	7
Anthony soloed up to the boundary, quick glance to the field to draw the LB, slant at soft coverage. This is a bit upfield of where you want it. (CA, +0.5, 2, protection 1/1)
O33	2	3	Gun TTB	1	2	2	4-3 over	7.5	Run	Inside zone	N	Corum	0
S times up a blitz from eight yards deep and while I sympathize with Zinter(-2) since this is a real weird thing to have to pick up, he doesn’t pick it up. Olu(+0.5) comes off the DT when he slides outside and goes to the MLB, then feels Zinter next to him and goes to another LB, just in case. Corum(+0.5) is able to dodge the S in the backfield and scramble back to the LOS. RPS -1.
O33	3	3	Gun trips TE	1	1	3	Nickel over	6.5	Run	Split zone	N	Corum	33 (Pen -5)
Schoonmaker steps back off the LOS; no one on the trips side steps up, illegal formation brings this back. But that’s irrelevant to our grading. Slot blitz gets held by JJ threat; Schoon(+1) comes across and kicks the DE. Olu(+0.5) washes a guy slanting away from him down the line. Keegan(+1) and Persi(+0.5) both get free releases to the LBs so Corum(+2) goes direct to the safety at a high rate of speed and that’s only ending one way. RPS +2, with the JJ threat holding the blitzer this is 6 v 6 in the box.
O38	3	8	Gun trips TE	1	1	3	Okie	6.5	Pass	Scramble	WR	McCarthy	12
Five man pressure that sends the guy lined up over Bell and drops two out. CB gets through as Persi(-1) looks him up but then focuses on a DT; at least they failed to block the outside guy. This gives JJ(+2) a chance; he moves up in the pocket thanks to Zinter blasting one of the blitzers and then takes off, breaking a tackle to convert. (SCR, +2, protection 2/3)
O26	1	10	Gun twins	1	2	2	4-3 over	7	Run	Pin and pull	N	Edwards	12
Another safety blitz; this one allows the MLB to rip up an inside gap. Keegan(+0.5) is generally in this guy’s way but if Edwards(+2) runs outside this is a massive TFL; he sees it and stops, then bursts directly upfield. Schoon(+1) IDs and takes care of the safety; Barnhart(+0.5) is trying to seal a DE inside and can’t because he’s driving hard outside but that movement continues once the DE goes uh-oh.
O14	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 under	7	Run	Insert iso	TE	Edwards	5
DT slants into gap; Keegan(+1) sees it and stops for him and walls him off; LB shoots into gap behind and Persi(+0.5) cuts him off. Schoon(+0.5) gets to the other LB and stands him up. Olu(+0.5) walls off the other DT. Edwards(+0.5) again hesitates and then goes after he sees the gap.
O9	2	5	Ace 3TE	1	3	1	Base 3-4	7.5	Run	Inside zone	N	Corum	3
Generic mashing mostly in the push category that gets Corum a few yards downfield; Zinter(-0.5) and Barnhart(+0.5) blow back a DT but when Zinter tries to come off on the linebacker he falls to his knees and the LB can thwack Corum without having to fend off the momentum of an OL. Olu(+0.5) and Keegan(+0.5) also get blocks; Honigford(-0.5) gave a lot of ground.
O6	3	2	Gun twins	1	2	2	4-3 over	7	Run	Dive	N	Corum	4
One NT vs Keegan(+0.5) and Olu(+0.5) ends one way. Zinter(+0.5) and Barnhart(+0.5) blow up the other one.
O2	1	G	Gun 2TE	1	2	2	Goal line	9	Run	Dive	N	Corum	1
This is basically successful IMO but the refs(-1) short M an important half yard. Nothing pops out as anything other than a push.
O1	2	G	Gun TTE	1	2	2	Goal line	9	Run	Dive	N	Corum	0
At this point Rutgers is just cutting out all the legs of the Michigan players so there are not really blocks to grade here; Corum has to leap over the pile and gets stoned by the LB(Hat -1). RPS -1.
O1	3	G	Gun 2TE	1	2	2	Goal line	9	Run	Dive	N	Corum	0
Another pileup here; Loveland(-1) basically airballs on the LB on the end of the LOS and Corum has no choice but to run up the backs of guys who haven’t gotten anywhere; Olu -0.5, Keegan -0.5, Zinter -0.5.
O1	4	G	Gun TTE	1	2	2	Goal line	9	Run	Dive	N	Corum	1
Huzzah. Keegan(+0.5) fires down on a guy trying to chop out the legs of Olu and opens the crack.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 7-0, 8 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Motion	Player	Yards
M18	1	10	Pistol FB Big	1	3	1	4-3 under	7	Run	Counter GH	Reset	Edwards	6
This goes from four-wide to very much not four wide. Persi(+0.5) and Keegan(+0.5) turn in a DT and Persi then releases to a linebacker who almost thunked himself into the OL but redirects. Want Persi to get out here a little faster. Zinter(+0.5) pulls and kicks. Bredeson(+1) delivers a thump to the playside LB. Edwards(+0.5) hesitates a beat and then burrows behind Persi.
M24	2	4	Gun twins	1	2	2	4-3 even	6.5	Run	Split zone	N	Edwards	6
Olu(+1) manages to wedge out a DT and create a gap right up the gut, which appears to be a surprise to a LB, who has to gap over; Zinter(+0.5) free releases to that guy. Edwards(+0.5) again burrows and gets some YAC, helped by Olu staying attached to DT and bowling him over. Keegan(+0.5) also neutralizes his guy.
M30	1	10	Gun twins	1	2	2	4-3 over	7	Pass	PA post	N	Anthony	Inc
Argh. McCarthy puts this exactly one yard long; Anthony can lay out for it and gets both hands on it but this would be an incredible catch. (MA, -0.5, 1, protection 2/2, RPS +1)
M30	2	10	Gun TTB	1	1	3	Nickel even	6.5	Run	Inside zone	N	Edwards	6
Refs(+1) miss a Schoonmaker flinch. Schoon(+2) then blasts a DE, first sealing him out a yard downfield then driving him as he tries to get around; this ends up as a pancake. Zinter(+1) and Olu(+0.5) double through a DT and Barnhart(+0.5) chips and gets to the other one; those guys are charging up so it’s not a ton in there; Edwards(-1) appropriately pops it outside of Schoon, but he’s got a ton of momentum five yards downfield and a safety still five yards away; this should be a first down or close to it but he tries to break it outside and goes laterally, getting tackled well short of the sticks. Consequential mistakes.
M36	3	4	Gun trips TE	1	1	3	Base 3-4	7	Run	Split zone	N	Corum	-1
Olu(-1) and Keegan(-2) get split by the nose tackle and he gets a solo TFL. Schoon(+0.5) got a kick FWIW, and Persi(+0.5) found a second level block so if this guy doesn’t make a capital P Play this is a likely conversion.
Drive Notes: Blocked punt, defensive TD, 7-7, 5 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Motion	Player	Yards
50	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	2	2	4-3 under	7	Pass	Fade	N	Walker	Inc
Well, this one isn’t on JJ, who puts this right on Walker. Walker does not try to high point this at all, maybe because he’s stumbling, and the ball ends up going through his hands at his waist. Very strange. (DO, +2, 2, protection 2/2)
50	2	10	Pistol 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel over	6.5	Run	Counter G	N	Corum	43
CB blitz that M runs away from. Olu(+2) seals the DT, physically wrenching him out of the gap. Persi(-1) falls prey to a stack and shed from his DT; he gets yanked forward and his DT is able to lunge at Corum and get a tackle attempt in. Corum is stalled out but breaks it and there’s no one else. Zinter(+0.5) finds his guy on a pull and Schoon(+0.5) kicks out the force guy; Keegan(+0.5) gets out to one LB and Barnhart(+2) puts the end four yards downfield and Corum(+2) breaks out through the front seven. Henning(+1) takes out a corner, JJ(+1) cuts off a safety(!) and Johnson(+1) gets enough of a corner. Corum gets tracked down… probably because he’s beefasaurus this year.
O7	1	G	Gun 3-wide	1	2	2	Base 3-4	7.5	Run	Split zone	TE	Edwards	4
Persi(+1) whips this same DE, who turns out to be Aaron Lewis, briefly an M player, FWIW. Keegan(+0.5) and Olu(+0.5) combo through a DT; Bredeson(-0.5) is in motion for the split block and does ID and go after the OLB who is crashing hard but he can’t get inside of him; that guy tackles and Edwards grinds up a few.
O3	2	G	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 over	8	Run	Split zone	TE	Corum	2
Functionally identical play. Keegan(+0.5) and Olu(+0.5) the key double, Schoon again cannot get under the EMLOS but bashes him into the endzone.
O1	3	G	Goal line	1	4	0	Goal line	11	Run	FB dive	N	Bredeson	0 (Pen +0)
They don’t get this but Rutgers is playing with 12. Persi lifted, El-Hadi inserted at guard with Keegan LT.
O1	3	G	Gun 2TE	1	2	2	Goal line	9	Run	Dive	N	Corum	0
There’s really nothing to grade here since it’s just guys getting low one on one but El-Hadi(-1) gives ground here in ways his teammates don’t, and Rutgers is just flinging a linebacker at Corum expecting this to result in a Corum leap over the pile.
O1	4	G	Ace Big	1	3	1	Goal line	10	Run	QB sneak	N	McCarthy	1
yeeeeeesh, this is close. OL cannot get push; Corum(+1) beefs his QB into the endzone.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 14-7, 1 min 1st Q
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Motion	Player	Yards
M12	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 over	6.5	Pass	Cross	N	Bell	Inc
McCarthy gets late pressure when a LB green dogs after some hesitation; Barnhart(-2) is looking him up and sees him stop, then focuses on his guy; I have some sympathy here but Schoonmaker is staying in so passing your guy off is low cost. JJ holds the ball an extra beat so he gets hit, and a DB is able to separate Bell from the ball; a LB is flying backwards with his back turned to the play after getting to the LOS. This throw is pinpoint accurate but late so Bell gets blown up; checkdown to Edwards is the better option but can he get there with the pressure? (CA, +1, 1, protection 0/2)
M12	2	10	Gun TTB	1	1	3	4-3 under	7	Pass	TE delay	WR	Schoonmaker	13
Ol’ Delay. (CA, +0.5, 3, protection 2/2, RPS +2)
M25	1	10	Gun TTE	1	2	2	Base 3-4	7	Run	Duo	N	Edwards	2
Keegan(-0.5) shocked back and DE extends his arms. Keegan stays attached but those gaps are gone. Edwards cuts back into the backside which is a mess. OLB is going entirely for RB; this needs a read attached; RPO bubble looks real good with CBs at 8 and 10. OLB tackles; Interior blocks are going the right way without a crease and if they can control the OLB this is four or five, probably. Olu(+1) ends up with a pancake after an assist from Zinter(+0.5) and Schoon(+0.5) puts Lewis on skates again. RPS -1.
M27	2	8	Pistol TTE	1	2	2	Base 3-4	6.5	Pass	TE deep out	N	Schoonmaker	Inc
Lewis rips down Barnhart’s arms and gets around at 8; this has to come out. Barnhart -1. JJ loads up and fires a dart at Schoonmaker that is well outside his frame; Schoonmaker is able to get his fingers to this but it would be a spectacular catch. (IN, -1, 1, protection ½)
M27	3	8	Gun trips	1	1	3	Exotic	6	Pass	Bat down	N	???	Inc
Schoonmaker lost for a bit here so Loveland gets a bunch of snaps in here. Just a four man rush; JJ steps up and takes a shot but it gets returned to sender by a DT. Butt says he’s throwing into double coverage downfield but the two short guys I can see are covered and it’s third and eight so YOLO. (BA, -0.5, N/A, protection 2/2)
Drive Notes: Punt, 14-10, 11 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Motion	Player	Yards
M38	1	10	Pistol FB twins	1	2	2	Nickel over	7	Run	Split zone	TE to FB	Edwards	1
Same MLB blitz with a replace that got M earlier. They get a hat on a hat for everyone but they all go in the wrong direction. Honigford(-1) gets slanted under and gives ground as it looks like an OLB is blocking Honigford backwards to help his DL get penetration. Keegan(-0.5) picks up the LB and gives up a bunch of penetration; understandable but want him to create more space. Persi(-0.5) gets the charging S but only a glancing blow. Edwards has to hop outside into an unblocked force player and just burrows for a yard. RPS -1.
M39	2	9	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel over	6	Pass	TE hitch	N	Loveland	6
Quick pitch and catch, immediate tackle. (CA, +0.5, 3, protection 1/1)
M45	3	3	Gun TTE	1	2	2	4-3 over	7	Run	Inside zone	N	Corum	5
Another blitz up the gut that M handles; Zinter(+1) escorts a slanting DT outside and moves him. Olu(+1) puts a shoulder into the blitzer, as does Keegan(+0.5); Olu then gets a chunk of a safety ripping up into the play. Corum goes off the side and is about to be off to the races but Lewis retraces and gets him.
50	1	10	Pistol trip TE	1	3	1	4-3 even	8.5	Run	Pin and pull	N	Edwards	5
Honigford(-2) whiffs on Lewis, who sheds in a flash and pursues outside. Loveland(-1) has a very questionable block but gets away with it thanks to a lack of awareness by the guy he’s blocking; it is sufficient for the play to work. Bredeson(+1) cuts off the playside LB. Persi(+0.5) gets a kickout, or is at least in position to make the kickout run around him unproductively; Keegan(+0.5) hits Lewis but can’t seal him; he does shove him back a couple yards and give Edwards some space to run into. If Lewis is cut off he can got to the safety; instead safety and Lewis combine to tackle for 5. Olu(+0.5) dumped a guy to the ground behind the play, which did provide an unlikely to be taken cutback lane.
O45	2	5	Pistol FB twins	1	2	2	4-3 over	6.5	Run	Counter GH	TE to FB	Edwards	7
Persi(+0.5) and Keegan(+0.5) double and blow out a DT; Zinter(+0.5) and Bredeson(+0.5) get kickouts as they pull around; Loveland(+0.5) walls off a corner. S comes down hard to hit Edwards(+0.5) at about four; he keeps his feet and comes off of a pretty solid tackle attempt, gaining a healthy chunk of YAC.
O38	1	10	Ace TTB	1	2	2	4-3 under	7	Run	End around	N	Henning	0
Another MLB blitz, this one knifing through Olu(-2), who hits a DL who Keegan’s already engaging. He’s going so fast that even though this is an end around he’s able to push it to the sideline. Loveland(-1) also passes up a DE who also extends it to the sideline.
O38	2	10	Pistol trips	1	1	3	Nickel under	6	Pass	Drag	N	Johnson	5
Johnson sees zone and sits down; JJ expects him to keep going and throws it wide; Johnson is able to make a diving catch but no YAC as a result. If in his frame he probably turns it up and nears the first down. (MA, -0.5, 2, protection 2/2)
O33	3	5	Gun 4-wide	1	1	3	Nickel over	6.5	Run	Arc give	TE	Corum	1
This isn’t a really conservative playcall that deservedly got eaten, it’s a great spot to pull out something you’ve been setting up. More below, but M has been sending the TE to fight with a DE who’s shuffling down hard all day and this time Loveland passes him up to go to the blitzing slot CB. DE turns 90 degrees from square, both LBs commit, this has to be a pull. It is not (ZR-, JJ -2). Loveland(-2) then airballs the kickout so maybe this gets stuffed anyway but this is JJ one on one with a safety. RPS +2.
Drive Notes: Missed FG(50), 14-10, 5 min 2nd Q. Next drive is a two minute drill.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Motion	Player	Yards
M32	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6.5	Pass	TE pivot	N	Schoonmaker	Inc (Pen +15)
Schoonmaker sells an out and then breaks back inside, looks like he’s open and probably has some YAC on the way when the guy he just beat yanks him back, no call, WTF, refs -2. McCarthy gets lit up as Keegan(-1) leaves a DT to go help Persi, who does not need help. Barnhart(-1) gets his hands ripped down again by Lewis and McCarthy gets crunched by two guys right after the throw. Extremely dubious roughing call follows, refs +3. Michigan nets ten extra yards on the doofery. (CA, +0.5, 0, protection 0/2)
M47	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel over	6.5	Run	Split zone?	N	Edwards	7
I think this is split zone on which Schoon(-2) has an MA and runs it like it’s insert iso, which no one else is blocking. Blitzing CB is left unblocked as a result; Edwards(+2) jets past him and hops through an ankle tackle, then lowers his shoulder into an unblocked LB at two yards and runs the dude over. Dude is able to get a desperate ankle tackle in but that's 5 YAC. Barnhart(+2) gets some revenge on Lewis by blowing him five yards downfield; Zinter(+1) gets a ton of movement on a free release.
O46	2	3	Gun 4-wide	1	1	3	Nickel over	6	Pass	Sack	N	N/A	-12
McCarthy can get this out but does not, and then the pocket collapses with Keegan(-1) eventually letting a DT through as Lewis again gets around the corner on Barnhart(-1); JJ tries to spin out of it and beats Lewis but the DT gets an ankle tackle in. (PR, +0, protection 0/2)
M42	3	15	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Exotic	6	Pass	Screen	N	Edwards	12
Mostly a give up and punt; Olu(+1) and Keegan(+0.5) get good blocks out on the perimeter and Edwards is tackled a few yards short. M lets the clock run and then Rutgers calls TO. (CA, 0, 3, screen)
O46	4	3	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel even	6.5	Pass	Hitch	N	Johnson	7
Johnson(route+) just wins one on one against press and JJ fires it in. (CA, +0.5, 3, protection 1/1)
O39	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Exotic	7	Pass	Scramble	N	McCarthy	4
Zinter(-2) gets baited by a guy who feigns a stunt and then goes right up the gap once Zinter commits to the interior guy. Schiano can D up, man. JJ has to break the pocket and gets a few yards and then gets lit up; just get OOB in this situation, it’s like a yard. (SCR, +0.5, protection 0/2)
O35	2	6	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Pass	TE out	N	Schoonmaker	3
Real conservative call here as everyone is within a few yards of the LOS; would prefer JJ to look at Johnson to the field since he’s got the arm to get it there. Catch, instant tackle. (CA, +0.5, 3, protection 1/1)
O32	3	3	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Exotic	6	Pass	Deep out	N	Bell	Inc
Persi(-1) sets too deep and doesn’t realize it’s a stunt until too late and Keegan has to stick with the DT forever; Persi does come over; Keegan sort of awkwardly flings his back at the looper. Another pressured throw, this one high but very catchable to Bell; Bell brings it in and gets hit OOB. Probably a completion if the DB isn’t right there to knock Bell OOB. (DO, +2, 0, protection ½)
Drive Notes: Missed FG(50), 14-17, EOH.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Motion	Player	Yards
M46	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6.5	Pass	Flash screen	N	Johnson	0
Flash screen against off coverage that JJ throws way low, forcing Johnson to go to a knee to catch it. (IN, -1, 2, screen). Even with the bad throw this picks up five. Refs miss the spot by a yard and a half, refs +1. RPS +1.
M46	2	10	Gun empty	1	1	3	Nickel even	5	Pass	Fly	N	Edwards	18
Cover two corner hops up on a Schoonmaker out route, making this hole shot easy money. That is a choice, for real. (CA, +1, 3, protection 2/2). Kind of feel Edwards should try to juke this S instead of just going OOB?
M28	1	10	Gun empty tight	1	1	3	4-3 even	7	Pass	Seam	Jet	Schoonmaker	Inc
Well, on the one hand this is an NFL level throw in tight coverage that is perfectly placed for a TD except for a Rutgers player who manages to rip the ball out. On the other hand, ain’t nobody covering Colston Loveland. Is this a DO*? I don’t know what to do with my hands. (DO, +2, 1, protection 2/2). Can I do that? RPS +1, the Corum motion completely ripped this coverage apart.
M28	2	10	Gun TTE	1	2	2	Base 3-4	7.5	Run	Power CT	N	Corum	1
Run blitz gets past Honigford(-2) but I sympathize, these LBs seem to have M downloaded. LB fires hard upfield and is able to squeeze between Honigford and Barnhart, who is escorting a DT out of the picture. Olu(+2) has a pretty incredible block here as he picks up an OLB who is coming hard and then drives that guy so far back he picks up a DB coming sort of in the wash. Persi gets knocked by two different guys coming through and stumbles but is marginally effective; Honigford’s guy gets to Corum. RPS -1. This was blockable but really hard.
M27	3	9	Gun trips TE	1	1	3	Base 3-4	6.5	Pass	Out	N	Morris	9
Weird spot to go to a true freshman but OK. This ball is behind Morris and requires a bit of a turn back but is still in the frame of the body so it’s borderline CA/MA but probably on the good side. (CA, +0.5, 2, protection 2/2)
M18	1	10	Ace TTB	1	2	2	4-3 even SAM	7.5	Run	Yo-yo end around	N	Anthony	-2
Michigan goes back to the yo-yo well and Rutgers whips it. Playside SAM makes an incredible play, getting upfield of Bell and this is where he should die but he’s so upfield he’s in Schoonmaker’s way, and then he yanks Schoonmaker’s jersey, hard. This is probably a penalty, refs -2, but an incredible rubbin’s racin’ play. He completely destroys Schoonmaker’s momentum and also slingshots himself past the Bell block into the backfield. Hat -3. Got damn. Anthony has to cut inside of him and does well to limit the damage. RPS -2, I guess. F.
M20	2	12	Ace 3TE	1	3	1	Nickel over	7	Run	Off tackle	TE	Corum	6
This superficially looks like split zone but can only go off tackle to the TE side. Honigford(+1) seals in a DE; Bredeson(+0.5) kicks a CB, somewhat dubiously but effectively enough; Schoon(+0.5) gets an easy seal on the relevant LB, who is looking at inside gaps. S at 8 so Corum doesn't have a lot of time/room to juke, and he makes the tackle.
M14	3	6	Gun empty	1	1	3	Nickel over	5.5	Pass	Fly	N	Edwards	14
This S has no chance to stick with Edwards; dude is five yards off and can’t press and also should be ten yards off. Easy read, JJ leaves this a bit inside but it works. (CA, +0.5, 2, protection 1/1)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 21-17, 8 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Motion	Player	Yards
O10	1	G	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 even	7	Run	Insert iso	TE	Corum	9
Insert is money here as Persi(+0.5) fires out and turns out a DE; Keegan(+0.5) chips and gets a chunk of another LB with Olu(+0.5) turning in that DT. Schoon(+1) slides through that gap and finds a LB in a weird spot; Corum(+0.5) gets some YAC. RPS +1.
O1	2	G	Goal line	1	4	0	Goal line	11	Run	Off tackle	N	Corum	1
Honigford(+1) able to turn in a guy and then drive him when he tries to shed. Bredseon(-1) the FB and eats contact from a charging S(?!) and gets rocked back. Corum(+1) runs into this block and there’s a free hitter and he’s able to shake those guys and lunge in to the endzone. Rutgers was offsides, FWIW.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 28-17, 6 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Motion	Player	Yards
M8	1	10	Gun 4-wide	1	1	3	Nickel over	6.5	Pass	Skinny post	N	Bell	Inc
This might be the most CATCH THE BALL event of the game, which isn’t exactly horrible for the WR corps. JJ puts in a ball basically right on Bell, maybe a split hair behind, and he’s got a moment before the safety hits him; safety hits him and the ball comes out. (CA, +1, 2, protection 2/2)
M8	2	10	Pistol 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel over	6.5	Run	Counter G	WR	Corum	4
Persi(-0.5) and Keegan(-0.5) kind of get stuck on a DT, who holds up and forces a release from Keegan instead of Persi; he never has an angle to a LB who is not held by the counter action. Schoon(+1) kicks out a DE effectively. Zinter(+0.5) is pulling through and there but Corum has to track away from the ideal path and runs into Zinter’s guy.
M12	3	6	Gun 4-wide	1	2	2	Nickel over	5.5	Pass	Hitch	N	Johnson	Inc
Quick hitch that JJ gets out there in a flash. Ball is humming, catch is difficult, but Johnson is around and the separation here is minimal so IMO this is the necessary throw and you just need Johnson to bring this in. (CA, +1, 2, protection 1/1)
Drive Notes: Punt, 35-17, 2 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Motion	Player	Yards
M31	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 under	7	Run	Split zone	TE	Corum	28
We get another one of these TE/TE combo blocks that I adore. Schoon(+1) hops inside the DE, who pauses to shed that as Schoon moves to the LB level and locks up his guy. Loveland(+1) then comes across and whacks the stationary DE. Poetry. Persi(+1) picks up and moves a blitzing LB. Keegan(-1) releases and whiffs on a LB; guy folds back on the TE motion and is around. Corum(+2) dusts both these guys. Ump then throws a critical block(refs +2) on a safety. Johnson(+1) gets a CB block, and when he inevitably loses that redirects to a S.
M3	1	G	Goal line	1	4	0	Goal line	11	Run	Off tackle	N	Edwards	-3
Blatant defensive holding on a DT Zinter is trying to pass up; he gets yanked back and cannot get to this charging S, refs -3.
M6	2	G	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel under	8	Pass	Slant	N	Johnson	6
Johnson(route+) shakes the DB and gets a yard of separation; JJ puts it on him. LB covering Schoon almost PBUs this, margins are so tight down here. (CA, +1, 3, protection 1/1)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 42-17, EO3Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Motion	Player	Yards
M29	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 under	7	Run	Inside zone	Orbit	Edwards	1
This is a missed RPO(-) from JJ(-1) who has a seven man box and soft shell and sees the SAM come; this should 100% abort into a flare screen. Instead handoff, SAM runs Edwards out of the good gaps and into the free hitter.
M30	2	9	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel under	6	Run	Inside zone	N	Edwards	1
Reads obviously off at this point and so is RPS, but would be RPS. Slot blitz, probably should be a pull but 42-17 vs Rutgers. Zero blitz basically with both S headed to the LOS, whatever.
M31	3	8	Gun TTB	1	1	3	Nickel under	6	Pass	Drag	N	Bell	8
Persi(-1) shed to the inside and El-Hadi does a nice job to come over and thunk that guy over; he’s still in the backfield and prevents any sort of step up. Barnhart does ok with his guy but that guy gets around at ten and because of the other incident this is an issue; JJ fires a drag to Bell and he’s able to stretch out to convert. (CA+, +1, 3, protection ½)
M39	1	10	Pistol FB twins	1	2	2	4-3 over	7.5	Run	Counter GH	N	Edwards	46
So good from Edwards(+3). Counter. Barnhart(+1) and Zinter(+1) double a DT and Barnhart climbs to a LB; both guys are done. El-Hadi(+1) pulls and bashes out an end, guy hops and moves on contact, big kick. Edwards hops outside for a moment, and that’s all she wrote. LB steps out; Bredeson(+1) kicks and seals him. S commits outside and is done. Edwards jets through the gap. One pursuit angle barely gets him by the ankles, otherwise TD.
O15	1	10	Pistol 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 under	7	Run	Counter G	TE	Edwards	5
Same play basically but they get to it a different way; I do not have the vocabulary here to quite encompass all of it. Barnhart(+1) turns his guy in with authority. Honigford(+0.5) and Bredeson(+0.5) both shoot guys in as well but are a little wobblier. El Hadi(+1) pulls and thunks the kickout. Only thing holding this down is a safety at 8 shooting down and ankle tackling.
O10	2	5	Gun TTB	1	1	3	Nickel under	7	Pass	RPO slant	TE	Bell	Inc
RPO, not entirely sure this is a good idea with guys leaping in the passing lane, but CB tackles Bell(refs -3) with no call, and then JJ just punts it. (not charted)
O10	3	5	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel under	6	Pass	Post	N	Bell	Inc
Stunt gets through. Not sure whether this is an El Hadi issue or a an Olu issue; JJ has to get rid of it. Given circumstances I think this is pretty good. Bell is doubled but has a window; JJ leaves it a little behind but not in INT range. More time he probably comes off that but instead of eating it he shoots his shot. (MA, -0.5, 0, protection 0/2, TEAM -2)
Drive Notes: FG(27), 45-17, 11 min 4th Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Motion	Player	Yards
M44	1	10	Gun 4-wide	1	0	4	Nickel under	5.5	Run	Inside zone	N	Stokes	5
Bit of a hinge back from Barnhart(+0.5) gets a DE upfield; Zinter(+1) gives a DE the business; Olu(-0.5) shocked back a bit. Stokes(+0.5) cuts to the backside and burrows.
M49	2	5	Gun 4-wide	1	0	4	Nickel over	6	Pass	Flash screen	N	Walker	Inc
Bell(-2) just gets beat by this CB and he impacts Walker on the catch, forcing an incompletion. (CA, +0, 1, screen)
M49	3	5	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel under	6.5	Pass	Throwaway	N	N/A	Inc
Rutgers sends the house with seven rushers. M has seven in but Persi(-1) and Loveland(-1) mis-id and JJ just boots it OOB. (PR, 0, protection 0/2)
Drive Notes: Punt, 45-17, 8 min 4th Q. Last drive is backups and not charted. Raheem Anderson did a good thing though.

 

I AM STILL FRAZZLED.

Here, have a Red Bull.

IS THAT GOING TO HELP?

Horseshoe theory?

THAT'S NOT WHAT THAT MEANS

Maybe just think of the third quarter.

Ok. Better. HOW SHOULD I FEEL

Well, let's Evaluate Some Drives™:

• TD drives of 75, 50, 54, 31, and 10 yards. (Also the backups had a 58 yard TD drive.)
• FGA drives of 30, 36, and 61 yards.
• Four first-down-and-outs or three-and-outs.

Given what feels like a Catch The Damn Ball negative outlier game and a 33-yard touchdown deleted by an irrelevant procedure penalty, that's a very solid outing against a team that entered this game with the #29 SP+ defense. And it's a different kind of challenge than the other good defenses Michigan has faced.

How so?

So it seems like every week I'm starting off with a general description of the opposition defense's whole deal, and once again I feel compelled to do so, because Rutgers is not a passive Iowa/MSU sort of defense. These guys get after it, with frequent blitzes from the slot and even the safety level. The first time Michigan faced one of these was the very first run play of the game, and Michigan did not pick it up:

Rutgers S on the bottom hash moving to LOS

This was eventually an outlier. A few more Rutgers blitzes managed to jam things up and force stuffs. Outside of goal line/short yardage items, which we'll talk about in a bit, there were 10 runs of two or fewer yards. The costs were severe, though, as Rutgers gave up chunks of 46, 43, 33, and 28. (One was called back on a formation penalty, but counts spiritually in a way that a run facilitated by a hold would not.) So this was high risk, high reward relative to the infinite parade of 5-10 yard runs against softer defenses.

One thing that seemed consistent with previous Rutgers outings: QB keeps were all but off. I think there was one genuine zone read in this game, and it was not made. Other stuffs were just unblocked backside guys coming down to tackle:

Rutgers OLB to top

That needs a read attached, whether it's an RPO or a bubble into the boundary.

What about that stunt 4-3 stuff?

They're not really doing that anymore. They do not have a cocked nose tackle and they threw a ton of different fronts at Michigan. That's not to say that they're not tricky customers still. I caught them doing some fun stuff. Here the OLB to the bottom more or less blocks Schoonmaker back so that the DT gets into the backfield:

Rutgers OLB to bottom

Extremely hard for a TE to go anywhere but backwards when he's the one getting doubled.

And this pass rush is Rutgers's DL taking advantage of Michigan being well coached. He sells that he's stunting, and Zinter is very good at picking up stunts so he immediately turns to help on Oluwatimi's guy. Oops:

Rutgers NT #90 / Michigan RG #65

And when Michigan brought back the previously lethal yo-yo end around their OLB made an incredible (probably illegal) play by grabbing Schoonmaker and using him as a slingshot into the backfield:

Rutgers OLB #25 to bottom

Defensive holding? Probably. Is Hypothetical Rutgers UFR Guy handing out a +3 there? Yes.

This was much more interesting to chart than previous Not In The Face defenses. It is immediately apparent why Rutgers has been stoning any mediocre run game they come across. They're well coached. They're talent deficient, but they ain't scared of you.

That third and five call that led to the first 50-yard FGA still makes me mad.

That was not a playcall issue but a bad decision by JJ McCarthy that Michigan had actually set up beautifully. The Corum chunk run that got called back was a split zone on which the backside defensive end got kicked out. Since he is not the Rutgers force player—they blitzed off the slot—that was a disaster:

Rutgers DE #71 to top

(By the way, that defensive end is Aaron Lewis, who was briefly part of the program before transferring back home.)

Subsequent split zones saw the Rutgers DEs sell out to get inside of that block at all costs. Michigan tight ends were consistently fighting with that guy, making contact, seeing him get inside, and then that guy tackles the RB from the side as Michigan gets 3-4 yards. So when you get into third and medium you go arc read with the tight end kicking out the force guy, and you get this:

That DE is hugging the hip of Persi and is turned 90 degrees; the LBs are committed inside, it's a perfect setup for a pull. Oops.

It's possible that gets blown up anyway because Loveland more or less airballs that kickout (this was the portion of the game Schoonmaker missed with a minor issue) but the concept is great.

Okay. You mentioned something about catching the damn ball?

I thought I would come out with a decent grade for McCarthy because a lot of his throws were under duress and catchable. I did not expect to get, uh, this.

JJ MCCARTHY

	Good				Neutral			Bad					Ovr			Reads
Game	DO	CA	SCR		PR	MA		BA	TA	IN	BR		DSR	GRADE!		RPOs	ZRs
Colorado State		4+											100%	oops		0/0	4/4
Hawaii	4	8(1)+											100%	+14		1/1	3/3
UConn	2++	5(6)			1	2							100%	+11		1/1	1/2
Maryland	2	15(1)	1						1	5	3**		67%	+1.5		1/2	1/3
Iowa	3+	11+(4)			3	3			1	3			78%	+8		1/1	2/3
Indiana	2	22++(3)	1		1	1				2*	3		83%	+16		4/4	4/5
Penn State	3	9(5)	2		2	1		1		1(3)	2		78%	+4.5		5/6	3/3
MSU	2	12(1)++	3		2	3				3	2		77%	+8.5		2/2	1/2
Rutgers	4	12(2)+	1		2	3		1		1(1)			89%	+10		0/1	0/1

(Run +/- is in the other chart; the above is solely a passing/decisions grade.)

He ate –3 in decisions and still came out +10. I have one downfield IN and the batted ball. Everything else was at least hypothetically catchable. And yet: < 50% completions. How can we reconcile this? Well, Rutgers was in good coverage most of the night. The opening snap was a wide open chunk play…

…and there were a couple of shots to Edwards that were also pretty big windows. Those were relatively rare, at least when we're talking about things more than a few yards downfield. I think this might be a legitimately excellent pass defense. They're giving up 6.2 YPA and held OSU to 6.4. That only places them fifth in the league but the teams ahead of them are either Big Ten West teams playing Spencer Petras and Derpity Doo week-in, week-out, or Michigan/OSU. Notably those teams don't have to play themselves. Rutgers doesn't get to play against Rutgers and they're still up there.

So. There were not a ton of guys running open, and Michigan gave up a bunch of pressure minuses. So this was a relatively hostile environment and I only charted three entirely uncatchable balls. Two of those were Bell getting shoved out of bounds in the air after catching the ball and an uncalled PI on Schoonmaker. (A third, also uncalled PI, was booted out of the endzone and not charted.)

The Anthony deep shot was the theme of the day. This is not a perfect throw. It is not a catch that should be made. It is a catch that could be made, though:

It felt like with a couple of exceptions that almost all of the could-be-made catches hit the turf. (Also, check McCarthy's helmet. He does not come to Anthony until just before he throws it; he's moving the safety with his vision like he was doing earlier in the year.) McCarthy put a fade right in Amorion Walker's breadbasket and it just slips through his hands…

…he hit Bell between two guys but the ball got jarred loose…

…he dialed up an NFL dime to Schoonmaker that got ripped out…

…he nailed Bell on a post and the ball again got jarred out…

…he zinged a hitch out to Johnson only for the ball to go through his hands…

…you could be forgiven if you moaned "catch the ball" repeatedly on Saturday night.

On some of those you can say the throw should be better or he should have found a different player (the Edwards dumpoff on the Bell one, Colston Loveland on the Schoonmaker one) and that is true. Frequently McCarthy was getting a guy in his face, though, and did not have time to come off whatever he was looking at right that second.

So this adds up to a very different receivers chart than usual:

 

	THIS WEEK					THIS YEAR
Player	Uncb	Circus	Tough	Routine		Uncb	Circus	Tough	Routine
Johnson			2/3	2/2		2	1/3	1/2	13/14
Bell	2	0/1	0/1	2/2		6	2/4	0/1	31/33
Wilson						3	1/3	1/1	11/11
Anthony		0/1	1/1			2	0/1	0/1	6/6
Henning									2/3
Morris			1/1					1/1
Walker		0/1	0/1				0/1	0/1
All						1	1/1		1/1
Schoonmaker	1	0/2				1	1/3	3/5	23/24
Honigford
Hibner
Bredeson									4/4
Loveland				1/1		1			4/5
Corum						1			5/5
Edwards			1/1	2/2		1		2/2	12/12
Stokes									1/2

Routes: Johnson: ++.

Going into this week I had charted a total of 11 tough opportunities and 11 circus opportunities in eight games. In this game there were five circus opportunities and eight tough opportunities, only three of which got brought in.

Since 1) most of those tough opportunities were not because of the quality of the ball but the proximity of Rutgers defenders and 2) Michigan's pass protection was dodgy, McCarthy came in for pretty stunningly good grading. Sometimes you add up your tally marks and put in the chart and say either "whoah" or "uh-oh" because you probably got something wrong. This feels like a whoah.

YMMV disclaimers: I did not ding McCarthy for accurate throws into good coverage when there were other guys who were open if he was about to get lit up. I did not ding him for the Schoonmaker dart that got broken up even though Loveland was very open, because that was a decisive throw that is often complete. Even if you move those to the MA or even BR/IN columns, I think this performance is really encouraging.

You probably need to say some negative things here to retain a shred of non-homerdom.

We are reaching a point where some tendencies have been put on tape and McCarthy has yet to adjust to opponent's adjustments. He seems to lock in on Bell sometimes. Here Rutgers brackets him, and while there's a window it's a small one. This is on Bell's frame and still gets PBU'd.

Ideally he sees the bracket and comes off onto Johnson, who will easily convert third and six on his in route.

I do think we've seen the accuracy go from uncanny to merely very good. Pressure might have something to do with that. He got a lot more of it in this game than in any of his other starts. He generally handled it well. The things that happened when he got pressured is that he got the ball out to a guy and 1) he was pretty well covered and it got broken up or 2) the ball was a little bit off but still catchable.

The other major negative was post-snap reads. Michigan did not run a lot of RPO stuff in this game but I didn't like McCarthy's decisions when they did. I mentioned the missed keep above, and the one time they gave Henning a chance at one of those orbit motion flare screens this has got to be thrown instead of handed off:

This is a few weeks now where there have been a number of nits that add up to inefficiency Michigan might not be able to afford against OSU, when nits will spiral into larger systemic problems.

Speaking of systemic problems, what is the dang deal with runs inside the two?

Well, for one, Rutgers was very well prepared and Michigan decided to Make A Statement. The last five plays of Michigan's first drive were all dive plays, and Rutgers just got lower and cut Michigan's OL to the ground on most of them. When that's happened this year Corum has leapt over the pile to score, but Rutgers had a linebacker tasked with defeating this strategy:

Rutgers DB #22 mirroring Corum presnap

Here he is doing it again:

Meanwhile the replay of the eventually successful QB sneak gives you the best view of what was going on on these plays between the OL and DL:

The proverb is that you have to get lower than the opposition but I don't see a whole lot of room to do that.

Michigan managed to get in on fourth and goal on both of these drives. So it was eventually the correct strategy. Getting there was agonizing.

Are we worried about this strategy not working down the road?

Rutgers put down a blueprint for how to stuff Michigan's preferred short yardage play, but 1) they are very well coached, 2) they are very good at preventing short-yardage conversions, and 3) they stuffed it by completely selling out. Anything that doesn't go directly up the gut is a walk-in, and I'd expect that Michigan diversifies what they're doing in the low red zone somewhat as we reach Ohio State time. Just bringing back that down G that didn't work against PSU but was blocked to work would go a long way towards making the Rutgers strategy untenable, because you've got a DT flinging himself under a guard who's no longer there and you just got a freebie.

I do not think it will be dive, dive, dive down the road. They have established that is their baseline and now they can slightly deviate from that for profit, as they did on the last TD drive from the starting offense when an insert iso from the 10 got them down to the 1.

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the blocking?

…I don't think… nevermind.

The blocking was a hair down from whomping on MSU, and then pass protection was an issue.

Offensive Line
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Hayes				DNP
Keegan	10	5	+5	Doubles, doubles, doubles.
Oluwatimi	13	4	+9	Couple of humdingers.
Zinter	7.5	3	+4.5	-2 on first run and otherwise nice.
Jones				DNP
Barnhart	8.5		+8.5	Two +2s for whipping Lewis.
El-Hadi	2	1	+1	Interesting goal line cameo.
Anderson				DNC, but I got a clip.
Persi	5.5	2	+3.5	Throw anyone out their and they'll perform.
All				DNP
Schoonmaker	9.5	2	+7.5	One MA, otherwise no negatives.
Honigford	2.5	5.5	-3	Had some difficulties with the blitzing and slanting.
Hibner				DNC
Bredeson	4.5	1.5	+3	Had a carry, even.
Loveland	1.5	5	-3.5	Reality check for true freshman.
TOTAL	64.5	29	69%	A couple TEs had hiccups/issues, but the line crushed it.
Backs
Player	+	-	T	Notes
McCarthy	2		+2	+1 for a block, +1 for scramble run part.
McNamara				DNP
Orji				DNP
Corum	9		+9	Lol safety
Edwards	9	1	+8	There is another?
Stokes	0.5		+0.5
Gash				DNP
TOTAL	20.5	1	+19.5	!!!
Receivers
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Johnson	2		+2
Bell		2	-2	Whiff on a screen.
Henning	1		+1
Wilson
Anthony
Clemons
TOTAL	3	2	-1	Meh?
Metrics
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Protection	26	14	65%	-5 Barnhart, –4 Persi, –2 Keegan, –1 Loveland, –2 TEAM
RPS	10	7	+3	Not a whole lot of whizbang tactics from M.

Some caveats must be built in here. Former Michigan DE Aaron Lewis was polarizing for the grading. He is a fascinating player. On the one hand he got his ass kicked pretty much every time someone blocked him. He was a magnet for Michigan +2 blocks. Here it's Schoonmaker:

Michigan TE #86 wing to bottom of line

Here's Barnhart:

Michigan RT #52

Barnhart racked up another +2 on him later, and he's probably Michigan's least powerful OL.

On the other hand, Barnhart had a ton of trouble trying to contain him on pass rush:

Michigan RT #52

Two other incidents were pass pro minuses when he violently ripped Barnhart's hands down and got around at 8-9 yards. He's a redshirt sophomore; I think he might end up being pretty good as an upperclassman. But that's how you get both Barnhart at +8.5 with no minuses and also how you get part of that ugly 65% pass pro number.

Rutgers's approach put a lot of stress on the tight ends; Schoonmaker and Bredeson handled it well; Loveland and Honigford not so much.

How did Persi look?

Persi didn't look out of place, we can say. Michigan did not make him a heavy emphasis in the ground game but the times when he was relevant he was generally doing the right thing. Here he combos through the topmost defensive tackle and gets to a linebacker. You do want him to get through this faster and get to the LB a bit quicker, but the job gets done:

LT #79 second from top

 

He did eat a bit of a stack and shed on the long Corum chunk that stood:

LT #79 second from the top

That almost ends the play after a couple yards but Corum is able to slip the ankle tackle.

Persi's pass protection was okay. He picked up a –1 when he didn't realize that a stunt was coming and get over in time; he also picked up scattered –1s across the game. This is less good than at first blush, but for a first start against a real D you'd have to consider this encouraging.

Anybody else put up a thing for the season preview next year?

Very much enjoyed Raheem Anderson's block on this Dunlap run:

C #62

Also Morris had a catch that was duly clipped but you all saw it. It was definitely a catch.

I see we're just going to ignore a +17 from the backs again.

Uh… I have a lot to say about Donovan Edwards?

AND WHAT ABOUT BLAKE CORUM

I… like him? I place him into the Aidan Hutchinson zone?

…fine

Anyway, Edwards. Hell yeah. I issued a sort of mea culpa to Edwards in the game column and a rewatch did not change my opinion. Edwards had one bad cut when he went lateral on a second and ten that he should have converted a first down on:

This should not end up being six yards:

Edwards knows that too, as he got up tapping his chest.

Other than that, his day was close to perfect. Complaints about how he didn't always see the field in the way it feels Corum does were blown away. Sometimes all you have to do is gear down and let the defense commit, and then when you're Donovan Edwards you can put down the accelerator and it's like you never slowed down at all, except you've got a big ol' hole:

(Seth covered this play in Neck Sharpies if you want even more on it.)

We saw him take a couple carries like this outside earlier in the year. That's a big improvement. And maybe you can say "okay, that's pretty extreme, there's a guy way upfield, what about a more run of the mill play?" Here's a more run of the mill play where he gears down after taking the handoff and allows Schoonmaker to get over and make his block before he hits the hole:

And then the big one is also more mundane since no one's charging into the backfield. It is a perfect example of what I say when I say you can't be a no-cut runner. Edwards threatens outside with one step, and that's enough for two different Rutgers players to take steps outside, and then they're done:

This is a luxury you only have if you have faith in your OL not to do something terrible that gets you eaten in the backfield; you need to trust them to give you time to gear down. Clearly this OL has earned that, and Edwards is beginning to take advantage of it.

Also in Donovan Edwards things, he ends up bringing the wood sometimes because he's very fast. As a stationary blocker he's pretty miserable at this point in his career but he bounces off a surprising number of tackles. This isn't the first guy he's put on the ground this year:

I love Blake Corum but I am also hyped for the Donovan Edwards year.

And then the other thing?

Oh yeah right, on a night where Rutgers didn't leave much that was easy in the passing game, Donovan Edwards matched up against a safety is easy.

Full time Edwards is going to be hell to line up against.

Block of the week?

This one is not one player dominating one-on-one—Aaron Lewis provided plenty of those moments—but a TE/TE combo block I don't think I've seen before this year. It's Schoonmaker and Loveland combining to kick out a DE and provide Corum a lane, with Schoonmaker hopping inside and delaying the DE long enough for Loveland to come across the formation and kick him out; Schoonmaker is already gone to a linebacker:

TE #86 to bottom and TE #18 motioning to bottom

I love this. It's so weird.

Second place is the ump on this play.

Heroes?

Edwards. Corum. JJ McCarthy, somehow. Oluwatimi and Schoonmaker.

Maybe not so heroic?

The receiving corps generally, although this is a mild admonishment since they didn't have a routine drop between them. The pass protection was dubious. Loveland and Honigford had some issues.

What does it mean for Nebraska and beyond?

Donovan Edwards plus downshift is kind of incredible. If he's able to sustain this performance hoo boy look out. He doesn't have various Corum things but he's also an NFL-level wideout so that'll check a lot of boxes.

Corum still Corum. One of these days I'll write something about him again. Perfect human, no notes.

Michigan's OL is approximately eight deep with reasonable Big Ten starters and the starting five is the best in the conference and perhaps the nation. They seem to be clearly ahead of OSU after OSU has struggled to do much of anything against PSU and Northwestern, and they've been missing their right tackle for a big chunk of the season without it mattering much. Pointing at schedule strength doesn't really work here because they've played good defenses opposite horrible offenses most of the year and they've whipped up on everyone. The level of organization is incredible. I don't think I've seen a guy set free without an attempt to block them more than once or twice this year.

Loveland needs to polish the blocking. Obvious, but true.

Got a projected starting LT. Assuming that Hayes does not take his COVID year, Jeffrey Persi has the stature and mobility to be a highly projectable LT, and he turned some of that projection into actual stuff in this game. Still not all the way there, but he's got almost another year to polish.

Michigan's wide receivers are probably not going to go 3/13 on difficult balls the rest of this year. I stake my claim that this is an outlier. Relatedly…

JJ McCarthy is not falling off. This was a good performance under considerable duress.