UCLA @ ASU
September 25th, 2014 at 11:49 PM ^
and scratching his head.
September 26th, 2014 at 12:46 AM ^
September 25th, 2014 at 11:53 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 25th, 2014 at 11:58 PM ^
on both sides of the ball. That db looked quick all the way on that pick 6.
September 26th, 2014 at 12:31 AM ^
September 26th, 2014 at 9:11 AM ^
Support the troops! What are you, a communist? What do you hate freedom?
September 25th, 2014 at 11:53 PM ^
Too bad the Pac-12 lets itself and its teams get marginalized by playing one of the top 5 games of the year on Thursday night, on Fox1, because this is a great game.
Who are these stoogies in the studio though? I think one of them is a (coked up?) Wannstedt.
September 26th, 2014 at 12:00 AM ^
Since he can't coach, it's time for a career change.
September 26th, 2014 at 12:16 AM ^
Its a shame abotu the time but when can you play it? If its at 8 PM its 5 PM local time. People have to work and get to a game - you cant start that early. And if you put it on a Saturday night thats when every conference is putting all their top games. So its not easy for them.
p.s. Arizona plays Oregon in 2 weeks from tonight in the same time slot.
September 26th, 2014 at 8:37 AM ^
September 25th, 2014 at 11:59 PM ^
Is there any reason we wouldn't want Todd Graham to coach here?
September 26th, 2014 at 12:03 AM ^
in the middle of the 3rd quarter.
September 26th, 2014 at 12:06 AM ^
My expectations have been dashed to such a degree by ten years of mediocrity that my first reaction is "why the Hell not?" Defense has not been ASU's forte, but they are fun to watch.
September 26th, 2014 at 12:36 AM ^
Todd Graham is actually a defensive oriented coach. But he wears an earpiece so he knows what the hell is going on. He was a DC at West Virginia in fact for a cup of coffee. He handles the defense and then finds a great mind for the offense - he had Auburn's coach who is widely recognized as an innovator as his OC and now has a guy named Norvell I believe who has been with him for a few years.
If you took 9 of 11 starters off UM's 2013 defense it wouldnt look very good either - that is what he is dealing with right now. They have a bunch of new faces out there. The only way they are going to win in 2014 is outscoring folks.
September 26th, 2014 at 12:27 AM ^
He had one really bad departure at Pittsburgh after 1 year that people kill him for. He did leave Rice after 1 year... and turned them around from a 1 win team to 7 win team in a season. Then went to Tulsa, was able to identify Gus Malzahn and hired him as an OC and won 10+ games 3 times. He stayed 4 years. He went to Pittsburgh and yes left too early to go to ASU. ASU is a better program with way more potential in a better conference.
People rip on him but Saban left MSU and LSU after 4-5 years. Saban left Toledo HC after 1 year to be a coordinator in the NFL. Brian Kelly left CMU quickly to go to Cincy, then left after 3 years to go to Notre Dame. These guys have only so many years in their career and sitting for 6 years is at stepping stone schoole is what a coach like Hoke does, because he has to. There was no demand for Hoke until he went 12-1 in year 6.
People would kill for Saban and Brian Kelly here, and rip on Graham for doing the same thing those guys did to advance their careers. All he does is improve his teams - quickly. He now has experience at a Big 5 conference and took an underachieving program run by Dennis Erickson for 5 years and quickly made them better. His record is not going to be great this year due to that defense but he doesnt make excuses about transitions, he wins big by the 2nd year everywhere he goes. He has never had to access at talent like he would have here. ASU recruits like MSU and Wisconsin level.
I'd take a winner like that for 4 years even if he wants to go to the NFL next. Everyone says he will leave quickly but where to after UM? Unless its Alabama or Texas most programs are not a "step up" from Michigan. So its either here for a long run or go to the NFL - if he is a success here. Which based on track record he is.
September 26th, 2014 at 9:40 AM ^
A bad choice of words.
In all seriousness, I think he would be an unpopular hire. Just because we are unhappy with Hoke at the moment doesn't mean we should be delighted with any possible replacement.
September 26th, 2014 at 12:44 AM ^
What has Todd Graham shown to warrant being hired at Michigan? He's done some nice work at lesser programs, but we can do much better.
September 26th, 2014 at 12:54 AM ^
Ok after Harbaugh 1, Harbaugh 2, Saban, Miles, Gundy, Sumlin, Shaw, who are your 3 candidates for guys who are "much better" that Michigan can get. All the candidates I listed are like 5% chance combined - these are names everyone throws out there and most are complete jokes in terms of UM getting them.
So who are the great candidates you have? Graham has done more than Franklin or Strong.
Give me a top 3 list...
September 26th, 2014 at 1:09 AM ^
I can't give you a top 3 list because I don't know what the coaching landscape will look like at the end of the season or who will have interest in taking the job. I do know that if our best candidate is a guy whose career highlight is a 10-4 season at ASU with a bowl loss, we're in serious trouble. Graham's career winning percentage doesn't even crack 65%, and he's had four head coaching jobs in 9 years. He's a slightly better version of Brady Hoke.
September 26th, 2014 at 1:34 AM ^
Graham's career winning percentage is 64.8%. He has four 10 win seasons under his belt as a head coach. He also has successful stints as a DC.
When Hoke was hired, he was a sub .500 coach with one 10 win season. He also had no experience as a DC or OC.
At the end of his time at Stanford, Harbaugh's career winning percentage was 68%, and he had one bowl win to his name.
Not saying that Graham is a Harbaugh equivalent, but saying he is a "slightly better version of Brady Hoke" is not really fair.
September 26th, 2014 at 1:59 AM ^
And if Hoke had stayed at Ball State for a few more years, he may have had a few more 10-win seasons. I just don't care what Graham did at Tulsa. It's Tulsa, and he still lost 17 games in 4 years. Show me something at a real program.
Harbaugh took over a one-win Stanford and they became a powerhouse, and he turned around the 49ers in one year. Let me know when Graham does the same.
If we hired Graham, we'd be hiring a guy who had some success at a lower conference program for a few years and one decent year at a mid-level FBS program. We've been down that road already, and the results sucked. No thank you.
September 26th, 2014 at 2:19 AM ^
An elite coach should be able to turn things around in 3-4 years. Not require 5-6 (Hoke)
There is currently no candidate I can find similar to Harbaugh. He had 3 seasons, 2 of them excellent at SD before going to Stanford. So to find a similar caliber candidate you'd have to find someone at a non power 5 conference who immediately won and won big but didnt have much experience otherwise. I dont see a guy like that and I think that is a risky move in fact - I'd rather have someone who either (a) has been involved with the Big 5 conferences as a HC or (b) has had more than 1 coaching stop if he doesnt have Big 5 conf experience on his resume as a HC. That would have been a guy with a resume like Urban Meyer after Utah.
Based on what you said about Graham you would not have hired Harbaugh after his experience at SD. "Yes he won 10+ games twice but show me something at a real program." You would have hired Harbaugh AFTER Stanford at which point every AD in the country would have. The trick is finding the guy before he becomes obvious and entrenched - i.e. Sumlin.
Look at Sumlin - everyone's new wonder child... 4 yrs at Houston (Conf USA), no different than Tulsa (Conf USA). His record: 8-5, 10-4, 5-7, 12-1. That is 17 losses in 4 years. The exact same as Graham. You'd hire Sumlin in a second and you dismiss Graham out of hand.
Sumlin went 11-2, and 9-4 at A&M. 6 losses in a Power 5 conf....with a Heisman Trophy winner. Graham went 8-5 and 10-4 at ASU without the level of recruits A&M gets, and without Manziel. Yet Sumlin is a guy everyone wants and you Graham is not worth of consideration? They look very similar on those comparisons. Not saying Graham is better or equal to Sumlin, just saying I dont understand which candidate out there would fit your criteria.
September 26th, 2014 at 8:56 AM ^
September 26th, 2014 at 9:33 AM ^
It's funny how winning changes perception. Brian Kelly comes off an arrogant, hot headed, purple faced annoying brat. But he is a winner wherever he goes and has changed jobs at almost an equal rate.
I don't disagree he has a perception problem because of his departures. I disagree if he came here and had four 10+ win seasons out of 7 no one would care.
September 26th, 2014 at 1:56 AM ^
Bingo. And I am not saying he is the next Harbaugh either - Harbaugh immediately became one of the top 5 coaches in the NCAA. Finding the next guy to do that is going to be nearly impossible.
And also I dont just look at W/L. It is not that simple. If you take over a tire fire and improve them significantly that is more impressive to me than taking over a 7 win team and making them a 9 win team. So if you only look at W/L you see a 9 win season and think so and so is a great coach. Nah. You have to look at offensive and defensive ranks as well and how they were before coach showed up and how they looked in the ensuing years. Graham took Rice from 1 win to 7 wins in 1 season. So in career winning % that looks like a bad .500 type of year. But to turn around a nobody program like that in 1 year from Miami of OH level to respectable means something. See what Cultcliffe has done at Duke - hell a 7 win season at Duke is a miracle but would put you at just over .560 or whatever. So if you only judge him on career winning % you say nah! It's a lot more complicated than that.
And as you said Graham has had four 10+ win seasons in 8 years as a HC. And we're pissing on candidates like that because its not Michigan material?
There is a very small group of guys in the power 5 conferences who are not at the top schools AND doing something with their team. Guys like Graham and Cutcliffe are part of that small group of maybe 4-5 guys. If you dont want that kind of guy - your next group of guys are people who are doing it at Conference USA level or Big West or whatever. Like the guy from East Carolina who probably is surging in people's eyes nationally. The other group are guys who were great when they were in bad conferences but have struggled once they got to a bigger conference - Gary Patterson or Whittingham from Utah.
If you dont want an of these guys you are going with a coordinator or can just show up here daily shouting Miles and Harbaugh. Yes I'd take Harbaugh over anyone - but if that's not viable we have to find a real candidate that would actually move, and has success wherever he goes.
September 26th, 2014 at 1:18 AM ^
Craig Bohl from Wyoming. Won 3 FBS titles with ND state before going to Wyoming this year.
Also Narduzzi.
September 26th, 2014 at 1:24 AM ^
Respectfully disagree on both. Bohl has zero experience in running a major college football program and he's also 56 years old. I don't care what he did at North Dakota State. His offense at Wyoming is also among the worst in the country. We need a proven winner at the Power 5 level if possible. As for Narduzzi, he has never been a head football coach. No way he's even considered.
September 26th, 2014 at 1:43 AM ^
Narduzzi was a candidate for Connecticut and Louisville 6 months ago, and only was offered 1 of those 2 and now he is a Michigan candidate? Cmon. Doesnt mean one day he wont be a good or great or who knows coach - but he has zero track record. Not sure UM can go with elevating a coordinator from any school in the country at this point and having him train on te job as a HC.
Bohl might be the next Tressel or not. Who knows. Unlike LordG I am not going to piss on him for not turning around Wyoming and their incredible talent in 4 games - he is going to need a few years to prove he is anything at FBS level. By which point he is almost 60 yrs old.
September 26th, 2014 at 1:55 AM ^
It would be much more enjoyable to discuss head coaching possibilities with you if you could lose the saracastic, vitriolic discourse.
I was not "pissing" on Bohl. I was simply saying that given the fact that he has 4 games at the FBS level and his offense stinks, we don't know enough about him yet. In other words, I came to basically the same conclusion you did, which you might be able to see if you weren't so focused on writing like a child.
September 26th, 2014 at 2:01 AM ^
Oh don't be so sensitive, vitriol is fun in moderation.
And I am agreeing with the Bohl view. He is basically a 10 year older version of Tressel - OSU took a huge risk on Tressel and hit a home run. He also happened to know the state inside and out. Not sure how many similar success stories have ever happened like that.
Not sure UM can take another risk like that - which you agree with. Bohl is difficult to judge due to how much work he has to do at such a small program, probably going to take him 3 years to really impact them. And even then - its Wyoming. If he went to Boston College or that sort of program it would be easier to get a read on him.
September 26th, 2014 at 2:03 AM ^
Who is your #1 choice right now other than Graham?
September 26th, 2014 at 2:30 AM ^
If the criteria is
- Current college head coach in a power 5 conference
- Realistically getting him (i.e. not Saban, not Sumlin)
- Have a salary we can beat easily to draw him here (i.e. not Art Brile who is making $3.4M on a 10 year contract)
Graham to me is the most sure thing in terms of his PAST ability to turn around teams. ASU was a lot like UM under Dennis Erickson; a major .500 type under achiever. If Duke goes 10-2 this year I have to look at Cutcliffe too only because damn that's crazy with their enrollment and history. Both these guys do more for me than a Dan Mullen. Graham has a profile to me that is a mix of Brian Kelly, Sumlin, and early Urban Meyer (who only 2 years at BG and 2 years at Utah so was a "job hopper just like Graham and Kelly have been). Cutcliffe basically was Dan Mullen before Dan Mullen was around (4-5 years at a mid tier SEC school with modest success) I don't think Charlie Strong or James Franklin's HC resumes have anything on these type of candidates.
Willingham from Utah and Patterson at TCU are also viable candidates - the question with them is they did great when they were in the Mountain West (where Harbaugh was) but in their short times in Power 5 conferences they have not been able to replicate the success. In 2 years will they? Who knows. But the Utah team that waltzed in here had two 4 stars on it and made us look like shit. So that's coaching.
But who is going to move? Cutcliffe and Whittingham have both turned down Tennessee in the past 4 years. So maybe they won't want to leave their spots.
Last. Dantonio was all of 18-17 at Cincy before leaving. So you just never know.
September 26th, 2014 at 12:04 AM ^
*sigh
September 26th, 2014 at 12:10 AM ^
September 26th, 2014 at 12:11 AM ^
ASU 20 first downs to UCLA's 11s
SH** like this is why people who focus on stats are focused on the wrong stuff. ASU's backup QB is also costing them this.
ASU defense was pretty good last year but lost 9 starters, they are going to need to outscore teams to win this year and without Kelly they will have a difficult time. That said DESPITE being a backup QB they still have 20 first downs in a HALF with a BACKUP Frigging QB.
September 26th, 2014 at 12:22 AM ^
Sheenus. Three UCLA plays in the third quarter, including kick returns, two touch downs.
September 26th, 2014 at 12:23 AM ^
I just don't get it. I look at the athletes on the field for these other teams and nearly all of them look superior to ours in terms of speed, strength, and overall athleticism. I mean just look at that return by Adams. Nobody on our team looks even close to that.
September 26th, 2014 at 12:28 AM ^
but he had no Michigan offer. I'm not sure why. He had a nice pick 6 earlier in the game and now the kickoff return. He looks explosive.
September 26th, 2014 at 10:17 AM ^
September 26th, 2014 at 12:41 AM ^
Generally I agree too. But on offense at least when you know what you are doing you play a lot faster. When you are confused or not well coached you play slow. O
Outside of scheme everyone was excited about our move to "bigger WRs" - well we dont have any burners now. Chesson was supposed to be a guy who stretches defenses but I dont see it. Drake Harris is supposed to be fast but has disclosed hamstrings. Those are the only 2 outside WRs who came in with a recruiting profile of fast.
Slot guys? Canteen we have not seen make an impact, Norfleet is quick not fast.
RBs? Deveon Smith might be the slowest RB we've had in years and Green is fast(er) but he is a 220 lb dude who is not a speed back per se.
Our fastest guy plays for Jacksonville Jaguars nowadays.
Peppers is explosive I assume based on HS film but hasnt had an INT return. Hayes is the only other guy who seems to have any speed on and has the ball in his hands at all.
'Crootin
September 26th, 2014 at 12:28 AM ^
September 26th, 2014 at 12:34 AM ^
Game is getting away from ASU - two 80 yard pass plays and a kickoff return. Well UCLA needed to make a statement and is getting it.
September 26th, 2014 at 12:49 AM ^
4 of UCLA's scores tonight
- Kickoff return
- 1 play drive (80 yards)
- 2 play drive (23 yards)
- 3 play drive (83 yards)
Fun fact - ASU has way more 1st downs (28-15) and more total yards. They've had the ball 6 more minutes.. So they can go to their blog tonight and act confused why they didnt win, because more yards wins football games. (pss - 4 turnovers)
ASU's backup QB has 337 yards passing thru 3 quarters. Even as their running game has over 100 yards thru 3.
Pretty amazing a team can score 27 pts despite 4 turnovers.
September 26th, 2014 at 1:22 AM ^
is out of position and take poor tackling angles, UCLA's athletes have torn them apart.
Not expecting much from ASU the rest of the way, except high scoring games.
September 26th, 2014 at 1:17 AM ^
slow football with slow players.
September 26th, 2014 at 1:24 AM ^
September 26th, 2014 at 1:41 AM ^
Eric Mangini?
Jack Del Rio?
Jim Schwartz?
September 26th, 2014 at 10:15 AM ^
September 26th, 2014 at 1:37 AM ^
LOL - 38 first downs! 622 yards in offense! And losing by 35. That's a first.
I don't recall ever looking at a box score and seeing 38 first downs. That's like 3 games for us.
Went back and looked at ASU's defense in 2012, and 2013. They had the 2nd best Pac 12 defense in 2012 behind Stanford. They had the 4th best Pac 12 defense in 2013 behind USC Stanford Oregon. So adjusting for the Pac 12 offenses (which is like adjusting for Big 10 play) they have played good defense under Graham. This year looks like its going to be a disaster though with all those newbies out there getting Hundley'd.
September 26th, 2014 at 1:53 AM ^
USC and Stanford the next 2 weeks. Going to get ugly for them.