Jimmy Clausen is sporting a new ‘do and was showing it off against SDSU. Check it out:

Posted under Video

For this second straight year, this game could look a little something like this:

Of course, last year, Michigan ended up pantsing The Worst Team Ever, and the Irish limped to a 3-9 season (that, in all honesty, should have been worse). So, what do we know about this years game?

When I previewed the Irish back in the summer, I was slightly skeptical that they would see tons of improvement. However, that didn’t stop nearly every preseason magazine from anointing them the #1 most improved team, including Phil Steele. Against San Diego State, however, the Irish looked downright pitiful against a team that got completely smoked by a 1-AA squad the previous week, and needed the benefit of a couple pretty bad calls to put away the Aztecs.

The Irish offense was once again bad. I am still shocked that John Latina has yet to be fired, as the offensive line is completely terrible once again (please don’t fire him, Notre Dame, we love him). Four starters return from last year’s line, so inexperience can no longer be the excuse for getting dominated at the point of attack by one of the worst teams in 1-A.

Jimmy Clausen and the running backs seemed to carry over some of the same major issues they had last year, as outlined (with video!) in this post. However, just from a one-game sample size, I would name Clausen the most improved Irish player.

On defense, the Irish didn’t dominate, but they did only allow 13 points to the Aztecs. Then again, one must take into consideration that San Diego state put up 379 yards on Cal Poly, and 345 on Notre Dame. This puts the Irish into “about the same quality as Cal Poly” territory.

Michigan hasn’t exactly excelled themselves this early in the year, but the moribund performance from the Irish has to put some hope into the sails of Wolverine fans. Of course, the majority of SDSU’s yardage came through the air, and Michigan’s quarterbacks are far from stellar. That said, there is little question that they are more talented than the Aztecs’ Ryan Lindley. Considering San Diego State was a blown call away from icing the Irish early in the fourth quarter, Michigan should have a little hope.

Predictions
Michigan’s defensive line should prevent the Irish from getting anything going consistently in this game. Clausen looks much better on the deep ball than he did in 2007 ,but I don’t think he’ll have a lot of time to throw it.
On offense, Michigan should be able to incrementally increase their production, as the execution gets better with a little more game experience.
Michigan wins 17-3.

By the way, here’s a way more complete list of prospect who will be at the game.

Posted under Analysis

All information (past and present) lives on the board.

New Information:
VA QB Kevin Newsome. Still nominally considering Michigan, though Forcier’s commitment pretty much shuts the door on the Wolverines re-landing him. More on Newsome: Michigan isn’t one of the 3 locks to make his top 5.
OK RB David Oku. Spoke less-than-effusively about his Louisville visit. This is recruiting-speak for “I couldn’t have hated it more.” However, he rescheduled his announcement for next Wednesday. Without having visited Michigan, the Wolverines’ chances seem pretty low.
GA TE Terrell Mitchell. Michigan is still on him.
MI DT William Campbell. Some more information on his decommitment, including that he plans to enroll early wherever he chooses. Re-recruitment article from the Freep. Sam Webb discusses Campbell in the Detroit News. Quoth the mother:

“He’s still basically committed to U-M, but I said there is nothing wrong with going to visit a few schools. There is nothing wrong with that.”

This doesn’t sound too bad. Also, the article says he won’t announce his decision until the Army game, which would contradict a recent assertion that he will enroll early.
NJ DE Anthony LaLota. Michigan and PSU are widely regarded to be his de facto top 2. Also, Scout indicates that he is likely deciding soon.
MI S Thomas Gordon. The Cass Tech player has said he’d be a near-lock to Michigan were he to get an offer, and now he has it (info in header). Is his commitment just a matter of time?
FL S Jonathan Scott. His brother transfers from OSU. I guess coming to Michigan would no longer let them engage in sibling rivalry.
MS S Dennis Thames. Fluff, including top schools (Michigan still up there). His injury will keep him out 4-6 weeks.

Removed:
MI RB Hersey Jackson. He is out for the season with an injury. He hadn’t earned a Michigan offer, and needed a big senior year to get one. So much for that idea.

Analysis:
Like I said immediately in the wake of the Campbell “decommitment,” nothing has really changed for Big Will. When he was “committed” he said he’d take 5 visits and probably pick Michigan, and following his “decommitment,” he’s saying… that he’ll take 5 visits and probably pick Michigan. On that basis alone, there’s nothing to freak out about (if we didn’t really have him before, did we really lose him).

Etc.:
NC S Devonte Holloman. He will take visits other than Clemson. Typical “not including elsewhere-committed prospects” rules apply, but keep in mind that one of them will be to Michigan. He is planning to enroll early, fwiw.
MI WR Commit Bryce McNeal. A bit of fluffy stuff.
TX QB Commit Shavodrick Beaver. Don’t forget, he plays on ESPN2 in a couple hours.

Michigan Targets Visiting South Bend This Weekend:
NC OL Xavier Nixon (though he’s not on the board anymore, could a strong game from the Wolverines rekindle his interest in Michigan?).
SC DE Chris Bonds (have seen a “maybe” next to this one).

Posted under Recruiting

Hear ye, hear ye.

Come one, come all to your television sets to witness the Wichita Falls Rider Raiders take on their rivals from Sulphur Springs, tonight at 9 on ESPN2.

The Raiders are helmed by University of Michigan commit Shavodrick Beaver, and they look to get on the right tracks after falling to Cedar Hill last week.

VB will have an AWESOME FULL GAME REPORT on Beaver’s play later this weekend.

Posted under Recruiting

Unfortunately, we were not able to secure a phone interview with a representative from Notre Dame. Instead of having a polite, respectful interview with a member of another school’s media, we took a different approach. Enjoy:

Special thanks to Comrade Dex from Wolverine Liberation Army. Keep fighting the good the fight.

 

 Ripping on Notre Dame [25:17m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Posted under Blogcast

The format of this feature is a work-in-progress. If you have any suggestions, let me know. The video quality problem from last week should be resolved..

For this week’s Inside the Play, we’re going to look at something that should be familiar to regular readers of this blog by now: the zone read option.

It’s 1st and 10 for the Wolverines, and they have the ball dead-center on their own 30 yard line. With a 10-point lead in the middle of the first quarter, another touchdown could start to open the floodgates.

Posted under Analysis

Your hosts may be found over at Maize n Brew.

1. We’re two weeks in and everyone in the Big Ten, minus the two Michigan schools and Illinois, are undefeated. This week marks the end of your early “tune-up” or serious OOC play. Are you satisfied with the way your team has played against the cupcakes on your schedule, or happy with the way they’ve competed against serious competition?

Ever since the third quarter of the Utah game, I’ve been pleased with the defensive effort. However, the offense has been pitiful against both Utah and Miami. Overall play is going to have to improve, or this team is destined to be Notre Dame 2007.

2. You knew this was coming. This week’s OMG Game of teh Century!!!!1!!1!! until next week’s OMG Game of teh Century!!!!1!!1!! is Ohio State versus Southern Cal. Who are you pulling for and why? Further, if you’re pulling for one particular team tell me why they’ll win, or won’t. If you’re like me and will be attempting to cure a sunburn from over exposure to the sun during the Michigan Notre Dame game by drinking large quantities of whiskey instead of watching the game, state your excuse.

I’m pulling for Ohio State, because I’m a pretty big believer in conference loyalty, and I’d love to see the Big Ten win a statement game. Also, my dad went to Ohio State, and I’ve always liked them as one of my favorite teams, and even cheer for them in most Big Ten matchups, because it gives more meaning to The Game for each team to be good.

3. Besides the above mentioned Game of the Century, there are actually some decent match ups this week in the Big Ten. Purdue v. Oregon; Wisconsin v. Fresno State; Michigan v. Notre Dame; Michigan State v. Florida Atlantic; or Iowa v. Iowa State. I said decent. I didn’t say they were all good. Pick the best game from that group, pick the worst game from that group, and Minnesota and Illinois bloggers must post an apology for scheduling Montana State and Louisiana Lafayette respectively.

If you like offense, I think the Purdue-Oregon game might be pretty entertaining. Of course, Oregon’s defense isn’t that bad, so it might be the Ducks doing all the scoring. If, on the other hand, you hate offense, Michigan-Notre Dame is the matchup for you. The worst matchup is probably Iowa-Iowa State because I simply couldn’t care less about the outcome, and neither team is particularly exciting at this point in the year.

4. Out of Conference scheduling is always something that draws the ire of journalists and bloggers alike. You all know how weak your OOC really is. Admit it. You’re sad. So fix it. Pick two teams out of conference you really wish your school would schedule. Nursing colleges and the Center for Veterinary Sciences are verboten. Pick two major conference middle to heavy weights or two heavy weight non-BCS conference programs to add to the schedule. (Please note you get to keep your two patsies per season).

This year, I would be happy playing 4 crappy out of conference teams (I’m lookin’ at you, Northwestern and Indiana) while the team can, like, learn to play football. Of course, this year isn’t going to be an easy one, and the Wolverines already have a mid-major heavyweight (Utah) and a tradition-rich program with lots of five stars (Notre Dame, and thankfully Charlie Weis sucks). However, assuming we aren’t locked in to the Notre Dame game for all time (which we are), I would love to see home-and-home series with teams like Georgia, UCLA, and other teams that are near but not always at the top of BCS conferences.

5. All college football fans love to tailgate. Even you, you mothers’ basement dwelling bloggers, you. Name your beverage of choice on game days. Alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage, your readers need to these things about you, to judge you. Confirm all their suspicions.

I don’t drink before games, but afterwards, it depends on the situation. If it’s on someone else’s dime, I’ll drink whatever’s available. Otherwise, I’ll either go for a PBR-type (cheap and not quite terrible) or Oberon-type (not cheap but better than PBR) beer. After a game that I go to, I’ll often need to hydrate with Gatorade or water before starting the heavy lifting.

Bonus Question!

6. Rivalry games dot the schedule this week. If your team is playing in a rivalry game, say something nasty about your opponent then predict a lopsided score to infuriate the opposing fanbase. If you’re not playing a rival, then start a rivalry by saying something nasty about your opponent and then predict a lopsided score to infuriate the opposing fanbase. Or just give me a non-offensive prediction and a reason to watch.

lolCharlie Weis is fatlol. Michigan will win by a score of Charlie Weis’s weight-Rita Rodriguez’s dress size.

Posted under Analysis

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Southern Cal	1
2	Oklahoma	3
3	Georgia	1
4	Florida	1
5	Ohio State	4
6	Texas	—
7	LSU	—
8	Penn State	2
9	Missouri	2
10	Wisconsin	1
11	Auburn	1
12	Alabama	2
13	Oregon	2
14	Oklahoma State	3
15	South Florida	2
16	East Carolina	10
17	Utah	1
18	Texas Tech	8
19	California	3
20	Kansas	4
21	Arizona State	—
22	West Virginia	14
23	Illinois	—
24	Wake Forest	5
25	Miami (Florida)	1

Changes: Dropped OSU a little further down, which doesn’t bother me too much since they’ll have a chance to recover with a win this weekend. Decided I hadn’t previously been harsh enough on West Virginia, and dropped them further. Conversely, East Carolina moved up a couple more spots. I tempered my enthusiasm for Kansas as well.

Posted under BlogPoll

Massey from Buckeye Commentary reviews Michigan’s performance in the Miami game. For my take on OSU’s performance against Ohio, head over there.

What I Saw

Michigan was improved, kinda. The team appeared more focused initially going 80 yards in 5 plays for a quick score. Two plays later they grabbed the fumble and I expected them to go for Miami’s throat. That next series went nowhere, but they got a field goal out of it. It was not a horrible possession but it did not totally capitalize on the momentum. Their third possession was going swimmingly on the ground and then two incompletions and a missed FG ruined the offense for the next two quarters.

I also saw a defense that could not get off the field. They played well, but Miami was 8-19 on third down and held a 10:00 advantage in time of possession. Of course, the offense was not helping them rest, either.

Finally, freshmen running backs McGuffie and Shaw appear to be the main guys going forward.

What I Didn’t See

An offensive identity. I understand the spread can be used to pass or run, but the Wolverines seem to have much better success running at this point. Aside from the opening play (a screen no less), running plays were responsible for all of their yards on the first three drives. They ran two-thirds of the time but there was no flow to the possessions.

I also cannot say which quarterback is better. Last week I said I believed Sheridan would eventually be the guy and I will stick by that statement, but that situation has not resolved itself. I am sure the coaches would like it to.

Who I Watched

After it became clear that Miami could not move the ball consistently, I watched the offense exclusively and the running backs as the focus. To that end, McGuffie looks like he is headed for a very productive career. His stats were not overwhelming but you get the impression that he has adjusted to the speed of the college game and will master the spread before any of the other backs. A one-time crowded backfield appears to be thinning out.

What I Expect Next Week

A better defensive performance. The defense has been good so far, but has not played at the level I expected. I expect the defense to recognize that they have to lead the way to a victory, if one is to be had.

What This Can Tell Us About The Game

After a summer full of practices and two games, Michigan is not ready to exploit Ohio State’s inability to stop a mobile quarterback. They have nine more games to figure that out and become consistent. If the Wolverines could learn to connect on some of those big plays they could loosen up the defense and allow their running game more room to run.

On defense, Michigan is stopping the run, which would be key against Beanie. Obviously, Utah and Miami do not carry elite on their rosters, but it is better than nothing. The way that Michigan gets after Clausen and Co. will tell me a lot about how they will be able to defend Ohio State – at least when Boeckman is in the game.

Posted under Analysis

Didn’t participate last week, but here it is for week 2. Hosted by Braves & Birds.

1. How would you rate your program’s service to you in the first two weeks of the season?

Michigan’s accomplishments are approximately as I expected, but the manner in which they got there is troubling. I can handle a loss to Utah and a Victory over Miami, but I’d really prefer if the offense didn’t look quite so anemic in the process. Hopefully the early-season kinks will be hammered out soon. Alas, there is no guarantee that this team is capable of doing much better, given the talent that they have.

2. How happy are you with your program’s overall scheme? We are in a period in which the spread has become a total obsession in the media. If you’re a fan of a spread team, are you happy with the way your program has implemented it? If you’re a fan of a non-spread team, do you wish that your program would convert to this Xenu of offenses?

Michigan’s schemes look good, but execution errors are killing the offense. The o-line performed better against the RedHawks than they did against Utah, but it still isn’t good enough to get by your average Big Ten defense, and certainly not a team like Ohio State.

Also, I think Steven Threet needs to be named the starting quarterback permanently so at least one of the options can gain confidence. I think if he had a chance to get settled in, Threet would have fewer errors due to being overwhelmed or excited, and it would benefit the team in both the long and short runs.

Defensively, I’m impressed. The linebackers are young (and showing it), and Stevie Brown is a constant liability, but the schemes themselves are working pretty well. Hopefully Brown will be able to put it together mentally a little later in the year, and this defense could start to really dominate.

3. Rate your stadium’s cleanliness and menu options.

I rarely use any portion of Michigan Stadium that isn’t my seat or the exit. The seats are same as always, but the mode of egress from the Stadium is obnoxious and impossible to accomplish in fewer than 20-ish minutes. I’m sure the bathrooms are rockin’ pisswall as well as they always have.

4. As an incentive to provide your valued feedback, you will be entered into a drawing for exciting prizes! What one prize would you like for your program?

Terrelle Pryor, plz.

5. Since we’re all about choices, take one of the following two options for entertainment’s sake:

b. If your program were a casual dining chain, which one would it be? Yes, this is a tricky question because the defining characteristic of a casual dining chain is its sameness. No one said this Roundtable would be easy. Bonus points if you can make a compelling case that your program is Chotchkie’s or Flingers.

Something that is undergoing a radical change with some growing pains, that’s for sure. Maybe a Long John Silver’s that’s being transformed into, say, a Friday’s. In the long run, it will be an improvement (though maybe Friday’s isn’t the best example), but for now, they’re trying to use crappy fried fish as ingredients in everything.

Posted under Analysis, BlogPoll