Frost/D'Antoni

Submitted by Ecky Pting on May 1st, 2019 at 1:42 PM

Here's an interesting read in Football Study Hall. It's quite insightful given the shift in M's offensive mindset under Gattis, not only from the standpoint of how we might expect the matchup to go against the stout Sparty rush defense, but also regarding how the M defense might expect to handle Frost's wily schemes going forward.

Master class chess games of 2018: Frost vs. Dantonio

In year one at Nebraska Scott Frost had to take on the Big 10’s best run-stopping defensive program in a chess game that may be played out multiple times in the coming years.

Frost/Nixon

oriental andrew

May 1st, 2019 at 5:51 PM ^

I give the guy a pass. I very clearly spend way more time here than stjoemfan and there's a ton of stuff that goes over my head because I didn't participate in a liveblog or get sucked into a megathread or get involved in some random board spat/feud. Although the D'antoni thing IS pretty all over the place.

Indy Pete - Go Blue

May 1st, 2019 at 1:58 PM ^

That 9-6 game was embarrassing for all parties involved - and Ecky Pting wants me to read more than a dozen paragraphs about it?

And here I am reading about it...  I would ask for an intervention, but if you are reading my comment, you probably need a similar intervention.  

S5R48S10

May 1st, 2019 at 2:07 PM ^

I'd hardly say he missed it.  He did a lot of winning and took MSU to heights rarely seen in EL.  The only reason I wouldn't say he 'maximized' the opportunity is that he could not upgrade MSU's recruiting profile to sustain the success as UM climbed back into it.  

Carpetbagger

May 1st, 2019 at 3:40 PM ^

Yessir. Whatever you think of the man personally, the guy can coach. He has no business having the success he has had at a 2nd rate college football program. I think any Michigan fan would gladly take the on-the-field results that Dantonio has produced since 2007. I would.

Michigan should be very glad every attempt State has made in improving their talent base under his regime has ended poorly. Can you imagine that team over the last 5 years or so with Michigan's recruiting talent. Scary.

Bambi

May 1st, 2019 at 2:10 PM ^

Seems like the TL:DR of it is Nebraska out schemed MSU but didn't have the players to execute. If we run similar concepts I don't think players will be an issue.

DoubleB

May 1st, 2019 at 10:04 PM ^

But having the players to execute is part of the scheming. Putting your bad QB to throw quick outs he can't hit isn't outscheming--it's putting your kid in a position to make a play he can't make. If you can't block the OLB with your flexed out TE on bubble that's not outscheming, that's getting outcoached yourself. For all we know, Dantonio and his DC were willing to give that up thinking they couldn't get beat on that play.

Frost has some good stuff--the Quads Empty with a BS TE is a damn problem, particularly if you have a QB who can run. And maybe this was a year to get his stuff in and then put the players he recruits in this coming season to actually execute it, results in 2018 be damned. They did seem to get better as the year progressed. But scoring 9 points in a football game in this day and age is hardly outscheming anybody.

Hold This L

May 1st, 2019 at 2:15 PM ^

I thought mike dantonio coached volleyball? What is this football nonsense? 

lostwages

May 1st, 2019 at 2:56 PM ^

Really enjoyed that article... great illustration of how tactics can win the battle.

Bo always seemed to be a master tactician... something we've missed since Carr left.

There was a quote years ago from Lou Holtz "I don't know what happens to Michigan at half-time, but it always does..." identifying that Bo always seemed to have the answers and could implement them at half-time to churn out a Win.

I think this more than anything, is what us seasoned fans, are looking for. A coach that understands where he's being beat, and makes those corrections!

lostwages

May 1st, 2019 at 3:24 PM ^

Yeah... I should have written that differently, Bo being a master tactician, and Carr being an understudy...

But... Carr was still better than Rich Rod, Hoke, and Harbs (at this point). Harbs is trying too hard to be like Bo, and failing miserably.

ijohnb

May 1st, 2019 at 3:37 PM ^

Carr subscribed to the theory that given enough opportunities, opposing teams would beat themselves.  He was often correct.  The only issue I had with it is that, given some of the rosters he had, it would have been a lot easier to just beat the shit out of the other team from the opening kick instead of waiting on them to beat themselves in the fourth quarter.

Ty Butterfield

May 1st, 2019 at 6:52 PM ^

In the game against Staee last season it seemed like Michigan did pretty well running the ball in the late 3rd and 4th quarter. The defense for Staee was gassed and just didn’t have anything left. 

Vote_Crisler_1937

May 1st, 2019 at 7:43 PM ^

I think MSU will be really good next season. Excellent defense and, if healthy, and upperclassman Lewerke. 

Michigan will make 2-3 huge costly mistakes against MSU (ex from last 2 years include: Evans fumble, Isaac fumble, McKeon fumble). 

Michigan will completely forget about Lewerke’s legs. 

Brian will talk about how bad/low-ranked/injured State’s O line is and then they will push M’s D line off the ball at will. 

MSU offense will have 3-5 plays just for M that nobody has seen. MSU will also run a variation off a trick play they have already run in an earlier game and M’s D will look so lost you would think MSU just invented the play (ex. Trick play at the goal line last year, nobody covered the quarterback.)

M’s defense will be much worse than 2018. 

Put all that together and I’m not confident about the MSU game if MSU is playing healthy.