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The word "underutilized"…

The word "underutilized" always comes to mind when I think of OSU's backs. They have always been somewhere between great and elite, it seems like. And at times I wonder why they don't run more. Their 3rd and short problems seem more to do with OL and physicality than anything related to the RB coach. 

Bet.

Bet.

It was already summarized…

It was already summarized for us.

"Business is finished" - Blake Corum

If the bad snaps don't…

If the bad snaps don't happen, Bama probably wins. But that cuts two ways...take away the dropped punt, the missed XP, and the missed FG on Michigan's side, and they're up a lot more than 3 points at half. Shoot, what if their FG kicker misses one of his 50-yarders (as good as he is, it's hard to hit those consistently). 

But at the end of the day,  they had as much of a chance to win despite their poor snaps as Michigan did despite their special teams. The mistakes sort of evened the game out. And Michigan rose to the occasion at the end while Bama flinched. The better team won.

 

 

 

Both?

Bama's center had a…

Both?

Bama's center had a history of iffy snaps. So it's nothing exactly "new" for him. 

But I mean Michigan's DL was clearly a disruptive force. And the constant blitzing made it more of a nightmare for them. When you are put under pressure, you may revert to bad habits and tendencies. Like snapping the ball poorly. Or panicking on a bad snap and running straight into the line on the last play like Milroe did.

 

I also think you'd see a…

I also think you'd see a concerted effort to play more to his strengths.

They didn't this year, because they had Corum back and Corum is the #1 guy. Sure, would have liked to see them utilize Edwards more to his strengths, but not at the cost of what makes Corum and the run game so dangerous to opponents. There are so many weapons on the offense, and Edwards was just never really able to showcase his abilities this year outside of a couple runs against Penn State. 

 

It wasn’t pretty. But I don…

It wasn’t pretty. But I don’t care. You beat Bama in overtime in a round 1 CFP matchup. You are legends. Just gotta put the definitive stamp on it next week.

Urban Meyer won a natty with…

Urban Meyer won a natty with a 3rd string QB. 

OSU is littered with 5 star talent. Yes it hurts to lose you QB and all-everything WR, but they should certainly be good enough to put up more than three damn points against Missouri. I mean, sure, Missouri has a decent defense (#33), but like, I'd think a supposed "elite offensive mind" could manage better than that. 

YOou know, you'd think being…

You know, you'd think being a coach of a P5 team means you were smart about football. And yet...

"They're different now."

Really? It wasn't that our best three opponents were the final 3 games, and that we had our HC absent for those games (unexpectedly so, in the case of PSU and Maryland), and that this scandal has been hanging over the program's head the whole time, and then we had to fire our LB coach? And that our QB actually got injured during the PSU game, and Michigan won by multiple scores anyway? Then went on to beat an elite OSU team despite no HC, a recovering but not still 100% QB, an injured elite corner, and our leader on OL getting his leg snapped? 

No no no, you guys, it was THE STOLEN SIGNS. 

Nevermind that Michigan played two full games after the sign stealing shit came to light and blew the doors off of both MSU and Purdue. Because those games don't count for...reasons, I guess. 

It’s happening. Missouri is…

It’s happening. Missouri is gonna get the death penalty.

Have you seen Washington or…

Have you seen Washington or Texas’ offenses? They’re far better than this Bama. Bama hasnt exactly been setting the world on fire offensively or defensively this year…though of course it will be a challenge. 

Good for us that UGa can’t…

Good for us that UGa can’t seem to figure out how to get the Bama monkey off of its back. Even when they beat them a couple years ago it was a toss up. They didn’t look like typical Georgia in the game yesterday, let Bama dictate the pace. 

Are you sure they’re the…

Are you sure they’re the best?

They needed a miracle to beat Auburn. They lost by ten at home to Texas. 
 

I think they’d lose to Texas again, and Washington might beat them too. 
 

Every CFP team is going to be very good to elite. I’m not sure how Michigan matches up against Bama but I’d take playing a freshman QB over either of the two alternatives. 

If your name is Bama or Ohio…

If your name is Bama or Ohio State, the powers that be will bend over backwards to make sure typical logic doesn’t apply to you negatively. 
 

This year is top heavy but the final 4 *should* be straightforward. And yet, Gid forbid the SEC is the conference locked out, so we gotta bend logic to make sure that don’t happen. It’s “FSU is on their 3rd string QB, thus not one of the best”…yet when it’s OSU they don’t care. They hold Louisville - a good offense - to a season low 6 points yet it’s apparently not enough. You must appease the “eye test” gods or else Bama gets in. 

But let’s also not pretend…

But let’s also not pretend that they’re going to play the same way against Iowa as they did OSU.

They played this game knowing Iowa wasn’t going to do much on offense. They will adjust strategy based on opponent. They will be better in the playoffs.

I want to believe it was…

I want to believe it was deliberately uncreative and conservative once Michigan got to 10-0. 
 

But it was honestly ugly. JJ threw at least two interceptable passes. Missed an obvious scramble and tried to force it to Roman downfield. OL let the most pressure all season (we clearly missed Zinter). Our sure-handed TEs suddenly dropping perfect passes that would have been big plays. Corum looked off too, too bouncy and noncommittal. 
 

But whatever, the most important thing was to win without drama. They got the job done without sweating much. They converted both goal to go scenarios…as good as Iowa’s D was, they didn’t put up much resistance in either situation. And that was ballgame.

 

 

Yeah I have no idea why that…

Yeah I have no idea why that part of it hasn't been a bigger story. Why are PI's allowed to be hired to find dirt on rival programs and present the evidence to the NCAA and conference? Does that not seem to be rather...*gasp* unsportsmanlike? I mean that's what the Big Ten punished Michigan over. It seems they should be just as invested in uncovering who the hell hired this PI firm in the first place, because it certainly wasn't Michigan.

 

Yup, got a championship to…

Yup, got a championship to go win tomorrow. Don't fucking care about OSU anymore. They're in the rearview mirror just like the rest of the teams Michigan dusted. 

Yes, Day has squandered some generational talent recently. But when's the last time OSU  has not had generational talent? 

Play like you are playing in…

Play like you are playing in a championship game. Because you are. 
 

Give Iowa respect. We all laugh at their offense, but I don’t want our defense disrespecting them in that way. In fact, I’d love to see the D give Iowa a taste of their own medicine - score a defensive TD. Michigan will likely be annoyingly conservative at times on offense, because it’s incredibly obvious Iowa wins only if they can force some turnovers. I just hope they let JJ air it out a little bit - being conservative doesn’t mean taking no chances.

Can they get it off of New…

Can they get it off of New Year’s Eve while we’re at it? Fucking hell I have other plans on NYE. At least let the games start earlier…the only way I could watch the TCU game was because it was the earlier game. 

There’s been so much chatter…

There’s been so much chatter about Oregon winning that I half expect Washington to pull it out again somehow.

It’s like everybody is already assuming Oregon will win. Even though they lost the first time

I’ll never forgive his…

I’ll never forgive his pandering for Bama to get a CFP spot last year during the Big Ten Championship. They had zero legit case to be in. It was disgusting to watch Saban argue on bad faith that his team deserved a chance over the better teams that actually did qualify. Yes, even OSU.

 

FSU is this year’s TCU. They…

FSU is this year’s TCU. They certainly are having a special season…but I’d pick everyone else in the top 8 to beat them in a potential matchup. 

Moore cried too, to be fair…

Moore cried too, to be fair.

But here's the difference. People like Day manufacture emotions, it's all about appearances. So he called out Lou Holtz because he's been told he's soft and at OSU you can't be soft...which is why he went all "emotional tough guy". Except it came across as a WWE performance. In other words, FAKE. That is the same word I'd describe his penguin jump around "hype" dance.

Moore though? That was real emotional outburst. You can argue whether it was over the top or whatever, but you cannot deny the emotions were real and the pressure he and his team were under was real. Not manufactured "us against the world" because some geriatric coach said something in a random podcast...but real "us against the world" where the rest of the Big Ten hates Michigan for "cheating" and must rush to punish them to derail the season, even if the "cheating" did not provide that meaningful of an advantage compared to anyone else. (In a sport where far worse cheating  - tampering, pay-to-play - are all going on out in the open without so much as a sniff of investigation)

I hate the guy with a…

I hate the guy with a passion, but Game Recognize Game. He gives Sherrone the props that is 100% deserved. Something that whiny butthurt OSU fans (and some coaches!) can't seem to do. So many can't seem to fathom that it wasn't the flu, or the weather, or  "just 5 plays", or Connor Stalions' Vast Network...it is simply that Michigan has better players and better coaches than them right now. Which - shocker! - is probably true of a team that has gone 37-3 since 2021. 

 

He was pure, unabashed…

He was pure, unabashed Michiagn homer in this one. It felt a bit dirty to watch at times. But it also perfectly encapsulated the psyche of the Michigan fan in this moment. we've taken SO MANY LUMPS in the past month, and the feelings of BPONE were starting to creep back in. And yet...the team rallied to calm the nerves of fans at PSU, and the fans rallied to galvanize the team at OSU when they needed it. It's one of the best "fight through adversity" stories I have ever witnessed in my sports fandom. I wore my "Michigan vs. Everybody" shirt proudly last weekend. Half of the hate is because they're jealous.

Whatever, I love this team, and not just because they win. But because they are full of great men who embody everything it means to win with cruelty and win with character. They truly love each other and build each other up when one or more are having a bad day. JJ was not great against maryland due to injury? No problem, JJ, the run game and defense and special teams have your back. No Zak Zinter, no Will Johnson, no Jim Harbuagh? It's ok, Corum and Trente and Sherrone and Mikey and everybody else have your back.  It's such a joy to watch them overcome all the obstacles and outside noise. I just hope we get to see them do it 3 more times!

I feel like JJ is more…

I feel like JJ is more hampered with his leg injury than we really know. The only reason I can come up with for why he didn't reach or dive for the 1st on that play...he was probably concerned with getting out of bounds and avoiding a hit. Why else would we see only two called QB runs in the game, and they both went to Alex Orji?

I think a lot of it was Joel…

I think a lot of it was Joel Klatt, honestly. Which was a rare moment of WTF from a guy I generally like and listen to. 

I mean Wilson had the ball, it gets immediately raked and loosened, but Wilson manages to keep it in his possession until he crosses the goalline and is tackled, only then is it fully dislodged. I get the argument being made, but it would be patently ridiculous to say that Wilson never possessed the ball while carrying it for 5 freaking yards and into the endzone. And it would be doubly so to look at that on replay and say "it must be overturned". This was 100% a "call stands" situation, and if I had to choose which one is probably correct, it has to be the one where it's probably a TD because of how long he had the ball in his arms (though my bias is obvious lol)

This one was far less controversial than the catch and fumble in the 4th quarter that benefitted OSU. They kept saying in the broadcast "he almost had that 3rd step", but last I checked "almost a 3rd step" does not count as a football move...though even there, it was close enough that I understand why they stood with the call, even if I didn't like it. 

Because the whole world is…

Because the whole world is collectively losing its mind since Michigan had a low-level staffer, on his own, bend and break an obscure rule to maybe make sign stealing slightly easier for him, at a time where we know schools are sharing already decoded signs with each other. 

And the only reason we know this is because of the drip drip drip of a PI that Michigan did not hire. Which OSU insiders knew about before Michigan ones did, despite Michigan being the direct target. 

It absolutely matters. Do we really want boosters hiring PI firms against rival schools in a wild wild west? Does that seem like a "spirit of the rules" thing to do for competitive sports? Doesn't that seem like a violation of sportsmanship too? 

I know we're all a bit naive about the things going on behind the scenes that schools do to gain a competitive advantage, but this seems ridiculous even by naive standards. LIke, tampering level bad. The sport has a serious rot in it right now, and its because the NCAA is spineless and useless as a "governing body". Yet, this is the scandal that dominates headlines? A guy who, on his own (possibly with the help of some random booster), pays for peoples' tickets to record iphone footage from the stands (something fucking anybody can do at a game)?

It was so obvious. He was…

It was so obvious. He was whining and complaining to the refs at any mildly controversial call. Including one where replay was actively reviewing and overturning the call in OSU's favor

Clear as Ryan Day that he was overwhelmed with the pressure of the moment. The funny part is his team didn't seem to be. And if Day was capable of analyzing the game that was actually in front of him rather than acting on his own insecurities, maybe he could have coached them to a victory. 

In 2021, soft meant their…

In 2021, soft meant their team was soft. In 2023 they’ve improved physically and even a bit mentally…but they can’t comprehend how it’s still not enough to beat Michigan. And that we still call them soft.

Because they’re soft. Because somebody in or near that program hired a Pi firm and drummed up a PR hitjob on Michigan. And they lost anyway.
 

Because Michigan is anything BUT soft, they lean in on the adversity. I mean it was a tie game when their veteran all American leader on the OL went out…and Johnson was injured too…no head coach…could have been the moment they lost the plot and OSU went on to win…instead Michigan rallied around the TEAM. And they found a way with their backs against the wall.  Bet, indeed.
 

Thats lil bro energy to have a COACH bitch about what an opposing player said about their team, especially after your team lost. It’s literally “I’d like to know where Lou Holtz is right now” bitch made energy.

Your team is good, elite even. They turned the corner on wilting when Michigan dares to do well against them.

But y’all still Charmin soft and can’t handle losing. And you call US arrogant? Hah!

You’re really gonna sit…

You’re really gonna sit there and pretend you know what Harbaugh is thinking? Get off your contrarian  high horse dude.

To quote JUB “ Nobody knows anything”

All of this.

And he has no…

All of this.

And he has no one to blame but himself. His team was playing at an elite level. I don’t understand how MHJ is a magnet for footballs. All their receivers were once again catching anything remotely catchable. Their DL and OL put in real work, it was a stalemate in the trenches. RBs grinding out tough yards. A first year starting QB throwing dimes at times.

And yet. Day punts on 4th and 1 near midfield. Decides to settle for a 52 yard field goal with over 30 seconds in the half. Calls a putrid series after Michigan retook the lead in the 3rd quarter. Is shown constantly whining and complaining to the refs *even when they were reviewing the play and were likely to overturn the call*. And ultimately, played from behind the whole game because of his overly conservative approach. Meanwhile zMoore is not afraid to go for 4th downs, converts 3/3, and duals up some creativity in key moments to get the team down the field. Aggressive when the moment called for it.

That was a game that frankly OSU should have won, but didn’t because of a bunch of small but significant ways that Day was outcoached. He had the deck stacked in his favor and still got outcoached.

Nah it’s the Michigan Rule:…

Nah it’s the Michigan Rule: it’s only illegal when Michigan does it. When others do it it’s just “part of the game”

I mean the obvious thing is…

I mean the obvious thing is of the offense plays like that next week, they lose

But that was the case last year when they scraped by Illinois. And we saw what happened the next week.

Im not overly worried, so long as we get Henderson and Wilson back next week. I’d be shocked if JJ turns in another bad performance.

 

Beat Ohio. Please.

I don’t care what it looked…

I don’t care what it looked like. They won. Get out of there and get onto next week. It wasn’t even as close as last year vs Illinois, and this was a road game to boot. Maryland showed up. Michigan had some attrition. JJ looked off. The whole offense was off.

Whatever, the defense and special teams stood up when they absolutely needed to. And while Maryland had the ball 2-3 times with a chance to take the lead or tie, they never left their end of the field. 
 

No apologies needed. They got out of a trap game with a win. The next one is all that matters.

And I don’t care. 
 

This…

And I don’t care. 
 

This is a Patriots deflategate level scandal. Lots of pounding the table over a minor infraction at best.

Do Pats fans or Brady fans care? Fuck no. It still says they’re champions. Let the haters scream “cheaters” all they want, the excuse rings hallow now if Michigan somehow manages to pull it off anyway despite all this turmoil. “OMG I have the vapors because we gotta change signs that anyone can see in public!!!” Please.

 

Well good thing I give…

Well good thing I give exactly zero shits what Paul Finebaum thinks about a Michigan National Championship lol.

Great. Fantastic.

Great. Fantastic.

So...our vociferous defense…

So...our vociferous defense of Michigan was based on the "lone wolf" defense. And this sort of blows that up.

Harbaugh did not know (NCAA and Big Ten still admit as much), but some of his assistants clearly did. That is a far stronger case for suspending the HC based on the NCAA rules. And now our conceding makes complete sense. This is the only way to salvage the season...accept the imposed suspension and fire those who knew, and in return the Big Ten closes the case. It is up to the NCAA to enforce anything more than what we have now...and at that point we're hoping that they take their usual "hand off" approach, despite clearly having an axe to grind with Michigan.  But this at least gives Michigan the chance to still compete in the postseason, unless the NCAA does something unprecedented before then.

Fucking hell. 

 

 

It's abundantly clear there…

It's abundantly clear there are exactly two insiders you can trust now: Sam Webb and JUB. 

Everyone else is throwing shit at the wall and hoping it sticks. 

JUB has consistently stated …

JUB has consistently stated "nobody knows anything", and it's what I am clinging to even now.

The thing that people need…

The thing that people need to realize is the war isn’t over. The battle is lost, sure, but I highly doubt Michigan just did a 100% about face from the bluster of last week. 
 

Whatever reasons for conceding, I expect Michigan to throw its weight around in the Big Ten more going forward, and seriously threaten to leave if nobody listens to our concerns. 

Precisely this.

The Game is…

Precisely this.

The Game is in Ann Arbor. Moore and the team just demonstrated they can beat a top ten opponent on the road despite their HC's sudden absence. Barring injury this weekend (KNOCK ON WOOD FOR THE LOVE OF GOD), we will also be healthier than last year headed to The Game. OSU is the weakest they have been on offense for as long as I can remember. Their defense looks legit, but also I'm not sure they've really been stressed much this year...Michigan's offense is a different animal, you have to literally pick your poison. Want to die a slow death by 1000 runs? Or let JJ carve you up with his speedy #1 WR and his excellent two TEs?

And Harbaugh gets to coach the rest of the week.

There's nothing ideal about any of this. But everything is still RIGHT THERE for the taking. 

We literally just beat a top…

We literally just beat a top ten team on the road with less than 24 hours notice of the head coach being suspended.

Im disappointed but I don’t think they would compromise here without good reason. Michigan still gets Harbaugh the other 6 days of the week to coach and game plan. The team is experienced enough to handle it, even against a team like OSU. 

It’s not great news, but the year isn’t done guys. Win it all anyway, get Harbaugh’s contract signed, fuck the haters. 

I agree but you still don’t…

I agree but you still don’t want to get beat the same way over and over…switch things up to keep the offense off balance. Michigan was clearly fine with a run-first approach to deal with PSU’s hyper aggressive pass rush. Even on 3rd and long. So try something else…you might catch Michigan off guard. And then next time Michigan thinks pass, you can go back to your original plan. 
 

It’s like they had one and only one pitch - a 100 mph fastball. It’s very Don Brown-esque philosophically. Sure, will work great against most everybody on the schedule. But the moment a team with equal or better talent and coaching comes in, they will be able to adjust to your approach and find something that works by using your own strength against you. 

Basically my feelings. In…

In addition to the fits caused by beefing up the line, PSU got burned on multiple 3rd and longs because they didn't even consider it a possibility that Michigan would run it. And against most other teams, that's a pretty good assumption. Against Michigan, it's a gamble. I'm just surprised Diaz didn't adjust at all after the first two times it happened. 

As far as a judge concerned,…

As far as a judge concerned, the bylaws are a contractual obligation that all member institutions and the Big Ten itself agree to abide by. The court doesn't care what the rules are, but they DO care if an entity abuses or misuses the rules to unfairly punish someone. Michigan is basically arguing this punishment is a breach of contract...the Big Ten disputes it. It's by no means a slam-dunk case, but I don't think any respectable judge is going to have the attitude of "it's a treehouse club that sets its own rules so who cares?" There are real, monetary damages on the line here, not to mention the damaged reputation of Harbaugh and the university.

The last paragraph is how…

The last paragraph is how Michigan wins on Friday I think. The Big Ten may broadly have agency to punish the institution based on what we know now, however, it seems rather twisted to place an institutional punishment on exactly *one* person on the staff, who as far as we know had no knowledge of the infraction. Especially if there is no precedent for it and no writing that directly states it as a possibility (that is an NCAA rule, not a Big Ten rule). 

Frankly, Michigan could lean into the lateness of the decision to help derail any argument about "player safety". If player safety is so important, don't you think yanking a team's head coach at the 11th hour before a game puts their players more at risk than they were before? The coach is in charge of managing his players, after all.

There's a couple arguments…

There's a couple arguments that might not move the needle ("everybody does it" is generally not a very good argument to make). But good thing Michigan has an array of arguments to use as to why, to quote Woodson, "it's all bullshit".