Way too early next year questions
Offense- is the O in an awful "in between" style that really hurts them when the QB running game isn't there and they are forced to pass?
Denard/DG- Can Denard become an effective passer. Is DG a better QB for Al's offense. (I love Denard, but I love him way more when RR was calling plays).
Oline and RB- at some point they both need to step up. Will they next year?
Let's hope the bye week gives them time to heal and focus and they come out strong in 2 weeks.
Go Blue
October 15th, 2011 at 4:15 PM ^
Lewan is going to remember the punches and apparently he was upset by the taunting at the end of the game. I've heard a few articles about his mean streak, I'm looking for it to show up in a big way next year against MSU.
October 15th, 2011 at 4:30 PM ^
He should have remembered to have 'it' show up today, you know, on the actual day they were playing the game.
October 15th, 2011 at 4:32 PM ^
On the last drive we had, MSU rushed three guys and one of them went right through Lewan, that was very suprising and cost us a shot at staying in the game
October 15th, 2011 at 5:25 PM ^
He bumps him to the inside. The other o-lineman (don't remember who) is looking the other way, blocking no-one, while Lewan is clearly assuming the double is coming.
Don't think it was his fault. He will remember and come out strong next year.
In fact, both our lines were pretty poor today - especially the d-line. Lots of time to think about this. I would also hope they remeber #44 twisting Dernard to the ground, injuring him; Gholston spearing Dernard and twisting his facemask. Clearly these were attempts to injure.
October 15th, 2011 at 4:36 PM ^
Why not take that mean streak into the next 6 weeks, he and the rest of the offensive line should take today's game personally. MSU came out and said "you can't block our blitz with your OL" and we had no answer. Hope every player on our OL takes the loss as a slap and comes out and proves a point from the Purdue game forward.
October 15th, 2011 at 4:15 PM ^
dude it's one game if we come out and score 50 points in two weeks everyone will be talking about how good the offense is. We can still beat everyone else on our schedule.
October 15th, 2011 at 4:17 PM ^
Denard was no better with RR as coach, the main difference between today's game and the one last year was the defense. They allowed 21 points and we had the ball on the 9 yard line. The held MSU again after that and we simply couldn't take advantage of it.
October 15th, 2011 at 5:11 PM ^
Look at the stats man. Hell, just comprehend what your eyes are telling you. He was far more efficient under RR.
October 15th, 2011 at 4:24 PM ^
Next year MSU won't have a quarterback. So, that'll be nice.
October 15th, 2011 at 4:37 PM ^
It'll be nice but they didn't really pass today. Most of their passes were 5-7 yards that were pretty wide open. There were only a couple that required difficult throws. We got gashed by the run for the most part, and that's what Sparty has been doing for the past few seasons. Make Kirk a game-manager and let the RB's do the brunt of the work. So not having Cousins next year won't hurt as much as we'd like it to
October 15th, 2011 at 4:25 PM ^
But we started passing. I called 10 wins and that's still going to happen. But we should not have lost this game.
October 15th, 2011 at 4:34 PM ^
I disagree on the running well, we had lots of runs with Vincent Smith being eaten alive for 2-3 yard losses, and the times we got beyond the line of scrimmage we didn't get much more. State did the same thing NW did in clamping down on the run forcing Denard to beat you passing. However his arm was unable to deal with the 35+ mph wind and that killed us.
October 15th, 2011 at 4:44 PM ^
We ran well on the opening series of the game. After that, pretty much the only running play that gained more than two yards was a jet sweep with Denard.
October 15th, 2011 at 4:25 PM ^
Way to early - so why the hell did you post it?
October 15th, 2011 at 5:34 PM ^
Not sure. I was thinking of places to post my thoughts on UM football. Not the place?
October 15th, 2011 at 4:25 PM ^
The offense is fine - yes, they need a legit running back, but that isn't going to happen this year. But MSU has a good defense, and they made UM pay for its mistakes. Denard is still a good QB for this offense; he missed some easy throws and seemed to play the second half with some minor injuries. It happens.
October 15th, 2011 at 5:05 PM ^
October 15th, 2011 at 8:23 PM ^
I didn't ask about MSU's schedule, but thanks for the heads-up. Should net Dantonio another lifetime contract.
October 15th, 2011 at 5:13 PM ^
Serious question. Which part of the offense looked fine? Because none of it looked fine to me.
October 15th, 2011 at 8:26 PM ^
Today they looked lost at times, but this is still a very good unit that moved the ball reasonably well against what is statistically a very good defensive unit. Plus, the wind didn't help out there, nor did the play-calling and lack of reviews toward the end of the game. Convert on that 4th-and-1 (which should have happened with virtually any other play call beyond under-center pass), and that game could have been tied. So no, saying the offense sucks after one mediocre game is not a fair assessment. MSU got worked over by ND's offense a couple of games ago as well, yet they seemed to have recovered. Bad games happen, and bad conditions didn't help. I still think this offense will be there to win games all year.
October 15th, 2011 at 4:27 PM ^
What in the hell would make you think that DG is such a better choice to run the offense? They both have a lot of room to grow.
October 15th, 2011 at 4:52 PM ^
He clearly is the better passer. Not as polished yet, but definitely more upside in Borges' system. Denard just cannot throw consistently enough to make opposing teams pay for loading the box.
October 15th, 2011 at 5:33 PM ^
Which brings to mind the question, if we're comitted to Denard as our Starting QB then why don't we make teams pay for stacking the box and blitzing? Screens, hitches, stuff that will get 5-6 yards a play that will let us move the ball consistently.
October 15th, 2011 at 8:29 PM ^
I don't think we can say he is clearly a better passer. This feels like the backup QB/goalie corrolary - you see the guy play a couple of downs/games and everyone figures he is better than the guy we see all game. Devin had some ugh throws as well, and wasn't taking nearly the beating Denard did all game. Devin is a good QB and should work in this system, but neither him nor Denard have the type of mechanics and experience in the pro-style offense Borges is most comfortable with. Doesn't mean they won't be successful, but I don't think he is better than Denard as a QB or a passer right now.
October 15th, 2011 at 4:28 PM ^
Offense: Al Borges maintains that QB's take major strides in year two of the system. O-Line will be better. MOAR RAWLS and bigger too!!!! The receiving corps will be more polished next year and basically replaces Hemmingway with 5th year Stonum. Senior Denard Robinson will be a very complete player, just wait!
Defense: A complete full year under Mattison will pay huge dividens. Upperclassmen with experienced underclassmen contributing. Senior Kovacs, Senior BWC, Senior Roh, Senior Demens, and hoping Senior Flyod is better. Junior Black, Junior Washington, Junior Gordon, Junior Avery. Sophomore Countess, Sophomore Ryan.
Add in possible Freshman contributors from the 2012 class such as Ondre Pipkens to fill some of the gaps.
October 15th, 2011 at 4:33 PM ^
I said pre season that I expected 1 loss between nd and sparty, and said I would be haooy to be 6-1. Maybe too much cool aid? I stilll think 10-2, 11-1 could happen or do I sound like mr holtz about nd?
October 15th, 2011 at 4:43 PM ^
You're pissed because this game just ended. If we go 10-2 or 11-1, then believe me, you won't be pissed as we're celebrating an OSU win.
<br>Let MSU have their fun one last time. With the way they acted, let's just hope that Hoke & company show no mercy in the coming years.
October 15th, 2011 at 4:45 PM ^
You're pissed because your team played poorly. If we had played well, and it had been close up to the end, you would be disappointed and heart-broken, but not mad. It really isn't the loss, it's the fact that we looked so terrible, and the fear it brings up from years past.
October 15th, 2011 at 4:49 PM ^
Yup, I agree. I am not surprised that we lost. Thought the game could go either way. However, I never expected that we would look so awful, especially from an offensive perspective. That is what is so frustrating.
October 15th, 2011 at 5:04 PM ^
Agree 100%.
October 15th, 2011 at 8:34 PM ^
I agree, but for all the crap we saw out there, UM was still in the game late into the 4th quarter, and could have tied or taken the lead with better playcalling. People point out that MSU had a bunch of penalty yards and that kept UM in the game, but when you are cracking a QB after the whistle or holding WRs down the field, those are plays that impede the offense in playing its game ad being effective.
MSU played and won this game because they were better running the ball, but this was not like the past couple of years when MSU just took the game over. Look for this team to continue to improve and play even better in two weeks.
October 15th, 2011 at 4:47 PM ^
"QB running game not there and forced to pass." I disagree completely. How many QB runs did Denard have that weren't scrambles. Officially ESPN has him for 18 carries, but half of those had to be scrambles. The QB running game wasn't their because we never called those plays. And the score and time never really "forced" us to pass. Even when we got the ball back with over 4 minutes left and 2 or 3 time outs, we didn't need to pass. We were on the 35 yrd line. Almost 5 minutes is an eternity. It was awful play calling all day. I don't like Spielman and Meyer does ok, but I both of them were baffled all game at the lack of QB runs called for Denard, and I have to agree. This was the first time all year I felt we were out-coached, at least from a play calling perspective.
October 15th, 2011 at 4:49 PM ^
The advantage of being in SEC territory is that I can discuss Michigan's performance objectively with my southern buddies. They were surprised when I told them at the beginning of the season that I would love to see DG have a shot to run the offense. I told them that Denard is a seriously gifted and flawed QB and that if I mentioned that to other Michigan fans they would lose their minds.
We are stuck in a transition period. If we pull out a 10 win season that is a great accomplishment and one that not too many fans foresaw after the Spring game. We are not physical enough to impose our will on other teams (Indiana and Minnesota excluded). I've always said that 2014-2015 is when we will see Brady Hoke's vision of Michigan football.
October 15th, 2011 at 4:54 PM ^
start Russell bellomy.
October 15th, 2011 at 4:54 PM ^
If I was the coach I would use the remaining recruits for lineman, split equally on both sides of the ball.
October 15th, 2011 at 4:55 PM ^
yes devin gardners skill set is probably better for a borges offense. unfortunately though we don't have the offensive line to run borges offense. denard isn't the only reason we are running the spread.
October 15th, 2011 at 5:03 PM ^
We've been lucky so far to get by on great talent, a little bit of luck, and pretty solid defensive play. I think what we saw today was a lot of bumps in transition, and an OC who has never coached the type of players we have on the team now. Give it a few years, and these bumps will even out, especially with the new players coming in. The goal should still be to be competitive in every game this year, maybe get to 9 wins. Can we go 3-2 with our remaining opponents? Or, a better question is (because Purdue really doesn't count) can we go 2-2 against Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, and Ohio? I would hope so.
October 15th, 2011 at 6:45 PM ^
or both
October 15th, 2011 at 6:39 PM ^
This team is only going to get better - that's the key difference between this crew and their coaching staff and what we had previously. It's a whole new, no bullshit attitude.