Perspective
After the Notre Dame game, most of the board was out with torches and pitchforks. Some of that was justified. I personally felt Michigan wasn't emotionally or mentally ready to play (including the coaching staff).
I'm seeing the opposite over-reactions now in all this glad handing. Suddenly the offensive line is a bulldozer.
Here's what I saw:
1. Nebraska 's defense line is undersized
2. Probably half of them have checked out already with the coaching change (Frost implied as much post game)
3. They failed to do the ONE thing that Michigan's O line has yet prove they can manage: the mayhem from twists, stunts and frequent linebacker blitzing. Instead they tried to play us straight up like Wisconsin / Iowa.
I'm happy to see we executed a relatively simple assignment. But by the end of the first quarter I was shaking my head and thinking, geez, Nebraska D coordinator, what are you thinking, your game plan just sucks and I'd hate to be a Nebraska fan right now
So, perspective is in order. We played our first complete game of the season. What matters is playing this type of complete game against the gauntlet we have to run in a few weeks ... we'll see ...
September 23rd, 2018 at 8:24 PM ^
Could you please link to your post from week one asking for perspective.
Or is dumping on a team as an over reaction no biggie but over reacting with hope, now that must be contained. Lol
September 23rd, 2018 at 9:01 PM ^
Good thing there are smart people like you willing and ready to set the rest of the board straight.
September 23rd, 2018 at 9:20 PM ^
Yeah, I didn't like to hear Winovich say how they checked out and weren't into it as much, about a team on the road. Easy for him to say while at Big House..yet in South Bend the same thing could be us .
September 24th, 2018 at 9:18 AM ^
We did not check out in South Bend. The opposite is true. It took us a quarter-and-a-half to check in. After that, we were highly competitive. Nerves; arch rival on the road at night; new QB, overconfidence(?); etc.
September 23rd, 2018 at 9:22 PM ^
Debbie D is never too far from the mgoboard. Can't even enjoy an almost flawless victory without someone trying to piss in my Corn Flakes....
September 23rd, 2018 at 9:45 PM ^
Perspective? Sure, I'll share. I turned 40 this year and had my first prostate exam during my physical last week.
To be honest, I haven't come to terms with how I really felt about it. I didn't hate it, and I'm not sure what that means. But all in all, happy to be healthy!
September 23rd, 2018 at 10:21 PM ^
I hear you. I turned 50 in July, and I have to schedule my first colonoscopy. I’ve never been under anesthesia, so I’m a bit apprehensive.
Both of our kids are in college, so my wife and I are learning to be a couple again, not just “mom and dad.” And we just celebrated our wedding anniversary today.
Perspective, man. Perspective.
September 23rd, 2018 at 9:50 PM ^
Nebraska is Rutgers bad. Taking the only positive away from this game is that no one got hurt and we got some practice. Basing our season on this win is foolish. ND, MSU, PSU, Wisc, OSU could all put just as large lopsided win on Nebraska as we did.
September 23rd, 2018 at 10:07 PM ^
All in all, I agree with your "perspective" stance but to be fair I think the over reaction also has to do with our schedule looking less daunting.
2 weeks ago I would have notched Nebraska, Wisconsin, and MSU as automatic losses But now that we smoked Neb, and Wisc and State looked vulnerable, our chances look much better.
Let's hope that Harbaugh keeps up the intensity so we beat up the bad teams and allow our 2nd string get reps.
September 23rd, 2018 at 11:54 PM ^
You pegged Nebraska as a loss? What is wrong with you?
September 24th, 2018 at 12:08 PM ^
After watching us trip over our own feet against ND and making Wimbush look like a Heismen candidate, then seeing Nebraska go toe-to-toe with Colorado, why would I have any confidence? Harbs was 9-9 in last 18 at that point, and we looked like utter garbage. No one though Frost would lose to Troy and look this bad.
Oh yeah, and Wimbush is no longer the starting QB anymore.
September 23rd, 2018 at 10:19 PM ^
This is not a thread. This is a mediocre post in one of the snowflake or other threads yesterday/today
September 23rd, 2018 at 10:26 PM ^
“Offense, protection, particular groups. It was only a nice feeling."
September 23rd, 2018 at 11:07 PM ^
well, normally i am pretty pessimistic...but i think that Michigan played pretty well on Saturday.
even though Nebraska is going through a rebuild, the DL was arguably their strongest unit... not sure if that is say that much, but as a comparison, even the mgoradio preview, saw Nebraska as a tougher opponent and i believe that the predicted scores were not blowouts...
i've been fairly pessimistic since the ND game and this game is something that has made me a bit more optimistic about the remaining schedule.
I've always felt that 9-3 was a acceptable season in Year 4 because of the difficulty of the schedule...9-3 with a win over MSU or OSU would be good season....and 9-3 with a win over 2 of MSU/OSU/PSU would be very good season.
This game makes me feel that scenario 2 is definitely possible, which i didn't think following the ND game
September 23rd, 2018 at 11:21 PM ^
Cautiously optimistic is my perspective. we have depth at all skilled positions on and the OL improves consistently through 4 games. I am encouraged by the progress and look forward to next week again NW. Let's take one game at a time and not worry about the opponents to be faced later.
September 23rd, 2018 at 11:50 PM ^
I honestly think this Nebraska team might be in Rutgers of the last few years bad territory.
September 24th, 2018 at 1:53 AM ^
OK - Nebraska is currently a bad team and should feel bad.
Michigan crushed them - because they were a bad team, like the "good old days - when the team could crush teams 70-14".
The next test will be on the road at the site of the infamous M00N game.
After 4 games or 1/3rd of the season - OK - Defense is good, Shea Patterson is meeting expectations after a slow start. Karan Higdon looks in good form.
September 24th, 2018 at 2:03 AM ^
It was a nice performance and I'm excited for the rest of the season, but I won't believe they're a different team until they actually show up and beat a quality team in the road. Otherwise it's the same damn team just another year.
September 24th, 2018 at 5:09 AM ^
Did last years team have a performance like this....?
No, its not the same ole team that's for damn sure.
September 24th, 2018 at 5:08 AM ^
Here's what I saw and am seeing...
A well coached team with a hypercritical and scarred fanbase. I think there is a method to Harbaugh's madness and what we saw in the first 3 games is the foundation of a good to possibly great team.
UM is improving and the coaching is evident in every area. The weaknesses from a year ago (OLine, safety play, ST,QB) have ALL been addressed and its a matter of just how much better at this point.
But good, well coached teams do what UM did on Saturday against an inferior opponent.
And with so many back ups getting significant playing time for the first time in quite awhile you can seen the blueprint of a strong PROGRAM forming...one that will have a shot at sustainable success over JH's tenure and beyond.
Dude knows how to coach and build a program..period. There is still much to prove but this is shaping up to be a fun season with more to come.
September 24th, 2018 at 6:26 AM ^
The jury is still out on his ability to build a program. The 0-12 season at UCF the season before Frost took over is an outlier.
September 24th, 2018 at 7:15 AM ^
Huh, who's talking about Frost?
September 24th, 2018 at 8:11 AM ^
That's my fault.
September 24th, 2018 at 7:07 AM ^
Step by step. I just want to see them play looser and more confidant on the road, starting this week.
September 24th, 2018 at 7:17 AM ^
Wow. So many thoughts!
- In general, perspective is good. Michigan isn't as bad as people thought after ND. And they're probably not as good as some people think after Nebraska.
- There have been an awful lot of negative nancies in the fan base. For those of us who lived through the good years, things have sucked since late Lloyd. The positivity after Nebraska isn't all bad.
- There still are segments of the fan base who display irrational exuberance. I can live with that. But I'm not a fan of smug arrogance. Wish that was stamped out forever. Winning against an 0-3 team doesn't prove a whole lot.
- Until Michigan actually beats MSU, PSU, and OSU at least 50 percent of the time, the BPONE (Black Pit of Negative Expectations) is going to sway everything.
- I do think that Warinner is making a difference, and that the OL is heading in the right direction. This for me is the biggest thing in the game. Getting actual PT in real games is huge. They still have a long way to do with playing against stunts and top level DLs. I still have huge doubts about playing TOSU.
- I for one am happy with largely vanilla playcalling, and with holding back trick plays and wrinkles for the games where they are really needed. If the OL and RB can establish a dominant run game, that will help everything. And with Shea at QB, that helps keep opposing defenses from cheating against the run (packing the box) or adding an extra defender in the secondary.
- For me, I try to remember "it's just a game" and not to have my mental happiness based on whether or not a bunch of kids 40 years younger than me win or lose.
I have adjusted my expectations for the season somewhat. At this point, 9-3 would be good and 10-2 would be wonderful. Most games should be winnable. A key goal is to obliterate MSU. And if Michigan could win vs. either PSU or OSU I would be delighted. Win against both? I would be ecstatic.
September 24th, 2018 at 7:33 AM ^
Should be going into the OSU game with a chance to win Big Ten East, and favored in champ game if they do.
That meets or exceeds any reasonable expectation, and may also result in a CFP bid.
September 24th, 2018 at 8:42 AM ^
I'm just going to enjoy this win. It was a lot of fun.
September 24th, 2018 at 10:38 AM ^
Look, was our dominating performance at least partly attributable to Nebraska being bad? Yes absolutely.
But did our OL also show *basic competence* that it hasn’t shown, even against equal or worse opponents, since 2016? Also yes.
I don’t expect us to mash MSU or OSU into fine dust, but I don't expect us to get utterly *mashed* anymore either. I do think we are seeing real, tangible progress since that week one loss. Our OL is progressing nicely.
September 24th, 2018 at 11:32 AM ^
There's enough here to feel like progress was made. Nebraska held Colorado to under 3 ypc, and Colorado has put up 6.4 and 6.1 ypc in their other two games. Troy rushed for 4.2 ypc vs the Huskers. Does it mean we'll DESTROY ALL COMERS in the rest of the season? no. But progress is being made. Warinner mentioned on a podcast recently that he feels Lineman take until game 4-5 to really hit their stride, and this his first year with this group. If we continue to see progress from them against NU and Maryland and this team is 5-1 and mauling people as Wisconsin gets to the big house, there is reason for optimism for the final 6 games of the regular season.
Despite the ND game, the questions for this team were O-Line, QB and Punting. We have a great QB, a good back up QB, and punter who is destroying the ball. If we have an competent o-line that can put up a fight against good D-Lines, we are in every game from here on out. None of our remaining opponents save OSU are flaw-free juggernauts. PSU defense is giving up a ton of yards to bad teams. MSU can't defend the pass or run the ball on offense. Wisconsin has looked bland in all phases. So yeah. Optimism. Measured, but optimism.
September 24th, 2018 at 11:51 AM ^
Michigan did what good teams do against bad teams - trucked them. Now most everybody here seems to be in cautious-optimism mode. If they beat Wisconsin and PSU that same way, that'll say plenty, even to Buckeye fans.