For the final time this season, Massey from Buckeye Commentary drops by to give his opinions on Michigan’s game.

What I saw: Ohio State’s big play offense, which had been largely absent for the entire season. Wells had two runs of more than 50 yards, Boom Herron tore off a 50-yarder, and both Pryor and Boeckman threw passes of more than 45 yards. In fact, the Buckeyes’ big plays were all that was necessary during a two-play, 92-yard drive that only took 45 seconds. Throw in the often disciplined, and sometimes suspended Ray Small’s third quarter punt return and you saw a more offensive bursts than Ohio State had produced all year.

I saw the Ohio State defense have its hardest hitting game of the year. Sheridan was constantly getting drilled and even seemed to be knocked out of the game briefly (although Feagin’s appearance could have been planned).

What I didn’t see: Michigan’s offense was did not have much success but I did not see the mistake laden productions that they have put on in the past. Michigan had one nice drive, but was otherwise stifled by the Ohio State defense. The Wolverines’ offense was not good, but they hardly shot themselves in the foot (relatively speaking). I did not see repeated fumbles or penalties, which tells me that they were prepared but totally outmanned.

I did not see a great game from Pryor. He receives so much praise that it is easy to only remember his flashes of brilliance. But a closer inspection of his performance, reveals some great plays – the 3rd quarter scramble and pass to Sanzenbacher and the deep ball to Hartline – mixed in with plenty of poor plays – the interception and holding the ball too long and taking some sacks. I understand that he was really pumped at the beginning of the game, which resulted in some high throws but his overall passing performance cannot be termed anything other than a work in progress.

I also did not see a super offensive line play from Ohio State and their play was certainly frustrated by Michigan’s front four. As an Ohio State fan you have to be excited by the dynamic runners on offense (Wells, Pryor, and Herron) but nervous about the prospects of the offensive line they run behind.
Who I watched: I was interested in the Michigan lines. I wanted to see if the defensive line would be able to consistently get into the OSU backfield and if the offensive line would be able to push around the underachieving Buckeyes’ front four.

In comparison, the defensive line played much better. As mentioned, Ohio State had some big plays but, in general, the Michigan front four played as well. I know that sounds crazy, but most of the Buckeyes’ long plays were the result of a bad linebacker and/or secondary play. If you watched Herron’s run, the safety is in position and gets burned near the line of scrimmage.

The Michigan offensive line had no such success. When a teams gains less than 200 yards there cannot be good offensive line play. The Ohio State defensive got pushed around on the Michigan scoring drive but won that battle the rest of the game.

What I expect next year: Michigan will be improved; they have to be. But I wonder if the record will be markedly better. I do not think they will be 3-9 again, but I could see 6-6 or 7-5. To me, it seems like that Rodriguez will play Feagin more or even opt for one of the incoming freshman quarterbacks. The upside for Threet or Sherdan does not seem to be there. All the Wolverine skill position players will be back. If they can get decent offensive line they could put up some reasonable stats.

On defense, I am less sure what to expect from the Wolverines. With three seniors on the defensive line (with 82 combined starts) along with draft-eligible Brandon Graham, the potential for an entirely new d-line is good, which is bad news. The linebacker corps is young and really seemed to struggle as the year went along, but they have an off-season to get it together. I think their secondary will only get better with the subtraction of Trent and Harrison. I think they are overrated. Put Cissoko back there and hope that some safeties appear on the scene in spring practice.

One thing I do not expect next season is to beat Michigan by 35 points again. I do not know if I will ever see that again.

Posted under Football

Massey from Buckeye Commentary stops by to give his weekly take on Michigan’s game.

What I saw: Blah, blah, blah. You don’t care what I saw last week. We have talked enough about all those boring second-rate conference games. This week is the real deal. No matter how old I get and regardless of how many other things I have going on, this game makes me feel like I am 13-years old again. So, I am sure as hell not going to tell you to “get a life.” This game is very important.

Let’s skip ahead, shall we…

What I expect this week: Michigan has not been this excited for a game since the opening contest against Utah. In that game, the Michigan defense held Utah to 36 yards rushing on 43 attempts (.8 yards/rush). That turns out to be 150 less than the Utes’ season average.

A motivated Michigan defense can cause a lot of problems for this Ohio State offense. It is fashionable these days to say that the Ohio State offense has turned the corner, but a closer inspection reveals some big plays mixed in with a lot of short gains (1-3 yards) and even negative running plays. Pryor is a difference maker because he can run so well and Michigan has had difficulty defending a running a quarterback but, then again, lots of teams have difficulty stopping mobile quarterbacks. Just ask every SEC defense that faces Florida.

And, unless the Ohio State coaching veers dramatically from its recent trend (which they have been known to do in this game), the number of designed runs for Pryor will be a relatively low number. Stopping Wells will be the obvious focus of the Wolverine defense.

The problem is, Ohio State has a defense, too. And it has been playing really well of late. Combine that with the fact that Michigan’s offense is injury-riddled, which never allowed them to gain an appropriate rhythm, and you have a recipe for unleavened offense. Without gaining short fields off turnovers, it will be very difficult for the Wolverines to mount multiple scoring drives. I honestly believe that 250 yards of total offense would be an achievement for Michigan.

There has only been one time in the last 15 years when I was totally free of nerves for this game and that was 1998. That was the most talented Ohio State team I can remember and they were playing an average Wolverine squad coming off a national championship season. Michigan had no chance that afternoon. But I do not feel that way this week.

Michigan’s chances are not great but they have a little history on their side and sometimes that is all you need in a rivalry like this one. I have seen Shawn Springs fall down. I have seen Biakabutuka run for 300 yards. I have seen Stanley Jackson run a counter play to a Michigan LB.

I do not expect to see Nick Sheridan combine for 300 yards of total offense. But then again, I do not expect Tressel to be in a position “to go for three.”

Posted under Football

Massey from Buckeye Commentary drops by to offer his take on Michigan’s game against Minnesota this week. For my view on the Buckeye game, head over to his site.

What I saw: I saw the Little Brown Jug stay on the same sideline as it has for 35 of the last 38 years. Sometimes Minnesota makes the game more interesting by taking a huge lead into halftime only for Michigan to wake up, storm back, and leave the Gophers emasculated. The Michigan defense spared us the suspense on Saturday by playing like the defense I originally expected to see after taking he last month or so. Call it an Italian-style defense, except the Wolverines took October off, instead of August.

The defense held Adam Weber to about a quarter of his yardage total from the previous week while completing neutering the Gophers’ offense. Minnesota could not have had more than 50 yards in the first half, while punting every single possession. Aside from their opening second-half drive, Minny was a complete embarrassment on offense, to Michigan’s credit.
What I didn’t see: The schizophrenic offense or the Nick Sheridan sleeper hold. With Threet concussed and still having headaches, Wolverines’ fans have to feel a little better. Sheridan was not spectacular but he was waaaaay better than I ever dreamed he would be. Sure, he threw some questionable passes but he did not infect the entire with ineptitude like I figured he would.

Who I watched: K.C. Lopata was so money. He is a good kicker so the fact that he was 5-for-5 on the day is not a surprise, but he had not attempted a meaningful field goal in a month and that was against Toledo. Ugh.

I also watched Justin Feagin play for the first time this season. I do not keep up with Michigan football as closely as you all do, but what was the reason that Rodriguez did not play him until facing a 7-2 team, on the road, with a successful season totally out of reach? I understand that he had the bulk of his yardage on one carry but I would be lying to you if said I did not expect him to be the starting quarterback in September 2009.

What I expect to see next week: Uh, more Feagin? It sounds like Minor and Threet will still be out against Northwestern but the Cats are coming unglued. NW’s offense is essentially a carbon copy of Minnesota so there is no reason that the Michigan defense cannot put the same vice on the Wildcats. I would be a total fool to predict another flawless offensive performance but their confidence must be at a season high.

What this can tell us about The Game: I have worried in the past that Michigan would magically put all the offensive pieces together against the Buckeyes. It would not be magic anymore but simply building on past, improved performances.

More alarming for Ohio State fans is the play of Michigan’s defense. Pryor and Wells are played better against Northwestern but that is only in relation to the miserable performance against Penn State. The Buckeyes offense can be stopped by an athletic defense that makes it difficult for Pryor to make his reads because, after 10 games, the Buckeyes clearly lack a consistent running attack. If the offense is not self-destructing, while the defense plays like last week, and Lopata is bombing field goals The Game may be a lot closer than most people anticipated.

Posted under Football

Massey from Buckeye Commentary stops by to give his weekly take on Michigan’s game. My contribution can be checked out over there.

What I saw: There are occasions when watching Michigan is similar to an old science fiction movie (think Mystery Science Theatre 3000). You are witnessing the present one moment but then there are strange flashes to alternate spaces and realities. You assume they are imaginary, but those flashes make you question whether they are the true reality because they seem to make perfect sense at that moment. Then something dreadful happens to drag you back to the previous real moment. The transitions are never smooth or well-explained.

The Wolverines offense creates this same sensation for me. I have watched enough to know the likely outcome of each play, but for some inexplicable reason, I am constantly fooled when they appear to be progressing or finding a groove. It happened to me at the beginning of the games versus Notre Dame, Illinois, and now Penn State. There are moments when you can see exactly what the offense will look like in the future, and then BAM! Suddenly, the offense is shaken from the flash-forward and the predestined awfulness that is the real team returns in full Technicolor.

Part of this reverse déjà vu is that I have seen it before – in similar uniforms, to boot – with Rodriguez’s West Virginia teams. So, it does not seem foreign when Michigan succeeds. Quite the contrary, actually. When you couple Rich Rod’s past success with the Michigan tradition, I expect to see Michigan’s offensive plays actually gain positive yards. It just does not happen for more than a few drives per game.

What I didn’t see: A reason to ever play Nick Sheridan again. If Threet cannot play – meaning he is dead – they should play Feagin. If that is not plausible (as yet, an unexplained phenomenon) they should line up Minor or McGuffie or Odoms or anybody else at QB. Sweet Jesus! I may not write about college football forever, but no matter how long I do, the Sheridan proclamation will be my worst ever.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot: tackling.

Who I watched: Brandon Minor looked impressive early on, but the flash-forward ended and Michigan was lucky to punt on the remainder of its possessions. Still, Minor looks more controlled, which I guess is to say, more traditional. McGuffie is whirling dervish (minus the chanting). Minor’s yards look more dependable. Perhaps Minor just fits my perception of Michigan’s past offenses better, but he seems like a better choice. I suppose if he does not fumble he is the starting running back, but that appears to be a big “if” – for everyone on the offense. Then again, I thought McGuffie had the starting spot locked after the ND game.

What I expect next week: I expect to be fooled again. Last week, I told you that I did not expect Michigan to be blown out as Vegas predicted. For almost three quarters I looked like a genius. Then, I looked like more normal, mostly-wrong self.

Michigan State was totally one-dimensional against Ohio State but that was a weird game. Ohio State’s instant lead plus Hoyer’s injury created a terribly unfriendly rushing environment for MSU. Who knows, if a couple of those fumbles turn out differently the Spartans may not have been playing catch up all day.

I doubt Ringer will have two bad games in a row and Michigan needs to tackle this time out, but with MSU’s quarterback situation I imagine Michigan will be selling out to stop the run. I want to say that Michigan will be competitive, but that could be a pre-game alternate reality.

What this game tells me about The Game: Last weekend was the single most disparate week of the season for Ohio State and Michigan. Ohio State had its best game while Michigan had its worst. Of course, the Wolverines played the league’s best team while OSU got to play the league’s best pretender. If Michigan were to tackle that poorly in Columbus, Wells and Pryor would have a combined 250 yards rushing. But that probably will not happen so there is no sense talking that way.

I know I keep saying it, but Michigan has these flashes of greatness and for whatever reason – lack of execution, talent, poise, discipline, creativity – it never lasts for entire game. But, what if it does? Penn State has a nice defense with a defensive line far better than Ohio State’s and Minor was running straight through it. What would happen if they played well for an entire game? Is that possible?

We will know a lot more on Saturday night, and then we can apply the non-existent transitive properties based on mutual performances against PSU.

Posted under Football

Massey of Buckeye Commentary gives his weekly Wolverine Commentary.

What I saw/heard/read: More than the game itself, I started seeing/hearing/reading a palpable drumbeat of disdain for this team. Yeah, we (you and me) see it all over the Interweb, but most people do not troll the Information Superhighway like we do. The masses consider John Saunders a font of information. So, when I saw Braylon Edwards wearing a Penn State shirt a red flag went up. I am aware that some people believe it is a tradition to wear the opposing team’s logo/shirt/something the week before the game, but considering Edwards earlier confrontations with Rodriguez, most people likely see this as another flank in the passive aggressive Michigan revolution. To top it all off, Michigan AD Bill Martin came out and said Rodriguez has his full support. No shit, the guy has only coached six games. But, Martin would not say that if he had only received a handful of complaints from long-time-fans-first-time-callers. He must be getting it from all sides. This is unbelievable.

Michigan is not good this season. So what? They were not going to be great with Carr either, which is why I am so bemused by fans’ collective response. I suppose this reaction is a testament to Michigan’s incredible, consistent success over the last 30-plus years; the idea of one poor season is cataclysmic.

Believe me, Michigan football will be more than fine. Saban lost to Louisiana Monroe last year and The Tide seems to be doing okay this season. The greatest current threat facing Michigan fans is developing an over-inflated sense of entitlement ala South Bend.

What I did not see: Any reason Nick Sheridan should play besides Threet’s injury. Even then, it might not be warranted. Man, was I sooooooo wrong about him claiming the starting spot before this season ended. Sorry about that one. I also did not see Justin Feagin, which after seeing Interception Pants, truly surprised me. What could possibly be holding Feagin back? Has he been injured? Struggled with the playbook? Mouthed off to coaches? It is time to burn that redshirt in the name of hope and progress – in the name of 2009.

Who I watched: Once he came in, I watched Nick Sheridan. I was so prepared to be vindicated for my previous position. Yeah, how did that one work out? In the end, I got tired of watching Nick Moore catch more passes than anyone I have ever seen and look better than all of Ohio State’s receivers in the process. Yeah, Moore is from Columbus. [/Loud thump heard in distance]

What I expect next week: I have no idea. I could say “a total thrashing beyond all Michigan fans’ wildest nightmares,” but I do not believe that. I know they are 24-point-ish underdogs but the Wolverines played their best game against their best opponent to date, Wisconsin. I do not think it will be 31-0 at the halftime. Honestly, I really don’t. Penn State is good – the best team in the league by a country mile – but Michigan has yet to roll over and I actually think playing on the road will help them. No more home fans booing and cascading debris upon error. No more walking to and from the locker room seeing dejected faces in the stands. Something has to help, right?

What this tells about The Game: If both teams play relatively decent defense, the first team to 10 points wins that game. In case you missed it, the USS Pryor ran aground against the league’s WORST defense. It is only slight hyperbole to say that Ohio State’s offense is almost as bad as Michigan’s. Statistically speaking, the difference is 30 yards/game. If you brought someone back from the dead who died in the mid-70s to watch that game there is a very good chance the game would kill them.

Posted under Football

Massey of Buckeye Commentary drops by to give his weekly look at Michigan’s game.

Illinois v. Michigan Review

Let me be honest, it is getting very difficult to parse the seldom-traveled road of Michigan this season. I do not know what to say. One moment reveals a nice scramble on third and eight; the next is an inconceivable fumble. I cannot tell if they want to pass or run (I know coaches would say “balanced”), and I don’t know at which they are more proficient. The problems occur on both sides of the ball and they can border on comedy. I am not trying to be incendiary, but I know that at least half of you have chuckled in frustration whenever Michigan fumbles in the most unexpected situations. You are fans. You watch every play with same emotion I do Ohio State and you do not need me to recite their successes and follies. We can all agree that they are inconsistent and leave it at that.

I will continue to mention that actual play on the field, of course, but I may shift my focus to watching the intangibles of the team.

What I saw: I think for the first time this season, I saw a result that would have been similar even if Carr was still coaching the Wolverines and the previous systems and schemes were in place. Michigan just could not stop Juice and co. I could nitpick and mention the bad calls that hurt Michigan, but this was simply the case of the better team winning.

The Wolverines played well initially and the first quarter felt like they had picked up right where they left off against Wisconsin. Odoms was great on returns (despite the late fumble) and his first-half receiving stats were impressive with big gains on the two early scoring drives.

For all intents and purposes, the game ended after Illinois scored on the screen to Dufrene. A perfectly lofted dagger, it seemed to pierce the offense’s hearts as much, or more, than the defense’s. The offensive line seemed to play well early on and the announcers were all over them, but that edge slowly dissipated during the second quarter and the offense eventually became impotent.

The defense generally played well but the tackling would be poor from time to time and Illinois always seemed to capitalize on those missed tackles. The Wolverines best defender was Mesko. His punting consistently pinned the Illini deep. He was Michigan’s player of the game. Seriously.

What I didn’t see: The fourth quarter. I apologize. I know I am supposed to watch the entire game for this weekly exchange but FSU/Miami was really heating up and my football-laden DNA required me to change the channel as watching it via Gamecast was wholly insufficient.

In some ways, what I saw was what I did not see. I did not often see good tackling, pass coverages living up to realistic expectations, or an ability to hold onto the ball. It that thing covered in lard?

What I expect to see next week: Ball State blanked Toledo last weekend and the Rockets appear to have no offense, gaining 157 yards against the Cardinals (somehow they managed 600 yards and 54 points against Fresno State, but that was in overtime). I expect a Michigan win along the lines of the victory over Miami (OH).

I do not expect to be able to draw many conclusions from that game, however, as I am totally incapable of predicting Michigan’s performance game-to-game, half-to-half, or even play-to-play with any degree of accuracy.

What this can tell us about The Game: Most likely, Ohio State will be running a very similar offense to the one Illinois dominated with on Saturday. Will Pryor, Wells, and [insert Ohio State WR] be able to replicate those results? Illinois scored on big plays caused by blown assignments and missed tackles with a sprinkling of bad officiating. If those things magically disappear, the Wolverine defense is formidable.

If Michigan’s offense can perform as they did in the first quarter versus Illinois for the entire game against Ohio State, there is no reason to believe they will not be able to move the ball. We have talked about it before, but the Buckeyes have struggled against running quarterbacks. Threet may be shaky but his best moments are good enough.

I still maintain that this is a dangerous game for Ohio State, especially if the Buckeyes are lucky enough to be playing for a Big Ten Championship. Michigan will have the opportunity to ruin the Buckeyes season and set the tone for Rodriguez’s tenure. They will have to play their best game to win. Would any of you be surprised if Michigan put together their best effort on November 22?

Posted under Analysis

Massey from Buckeye Commentary offers his take on Michigan’s win over Wisconsin. And hey! He actually watched the game this week.

What I saw…

Wow. I will tell you what I saw – an entirely different team appearing from the locker room after halftime. Let’s focus on the action after halftime. No need to dwell on that first half.

That was an impressive turn around considering their performance for the previous 6 quarters. They never quit and even stepped up their play. The team obviously believes in Rodriguez and continues to play hard for him. I am not sure what a galvanizing win is supposed to look like, but a new Wolverine team has showed up in the second stanza. At the very least, the players have to feel good about their performance and believe that execution will lead to more victories. I think this win is more important to the program at large than this particular season.

Posted under Analysis

Massey from Buckeye Commentary offer his thoughts on Michigan’s game. My views on OSU’s game can be found over there.

Michigan – Notre Dame

What I saw…
…was something no Wolverine fan wanted to see. A collapse in the biggest game of the year, to date. (And, before you jump down my throat, I know a collapse when I see one after attending Ohio State’s last three debacles on the national stage.)The big game meltdown practically became a trademark of Rodriguez before he left West Virginia. You do not have to look any further than the Mountaineers last regular season game in 2007.

I also watched a game eerily reminiscent of the Buckeyes’ blowout loss at the hands of the Trojans. Decent defense hampered by horrendous offense and turnovers.

I have no love for Michigan but they are a better team than Notre Dame. Their personnel is better at virtually every position save quarterback and some offensive line spots. The defenses should not be mentioned in the same sentence. Yet, they were never really in this game. Sure they piled up more yards, but the mistakes were crippling and immediate. After ten minutes, Notre Dame was averaging 3 points/play (7 plays = 21 points).

I know I said it last time, but I continue to be impressed with McGuffie.

What I Didn’t see…
…was an offense that can offer any support to the defense. The seven consecutive second-half possessions ending in punts or turnovers was, well, OSU-esque. As of right now, Michigan is 9-for-37 on third down. That’s 24%. Whoa.

I also did not see any progress from Nick Sheridan. I take it all back. In my review of the Utah game, I said Sheridan would eventually take over as the starter. Judging from these last two weeks, I could not be more wrong. I will not be surprised if you have seen the last of him for a while now. Why bother playing him?

Who I watched …
…McGuffie was hard to ignore. Why? Because his main competition fumbled away opportunities to get reps. The other four RBs only had 10 carries while McGuffie received 25 carries and caught four passes. That means he touched the ball on almost half of the Wolverines offensive plays (29 of 70, 42%).

What I expect next week…
…is a lot of practice holding onto the ball. I know the weather was nasty in the second half when most of the turnovers occurred, but the Irish managed to hold onto it. Aside from that, I would be willing to bet that Threet and McGuffie get plenty of reps together in practice in order to build timing and backfield cohesiveness. They have to be the starting backfield at this point. There are no other viable options. They should receive 90% of the work. Michigan needs to take advantage of this bye week with the back-to-back home games versus Wisconsin and Illinois up next.

What this can tell us about The Game…
Michigan is lot farther from beating Ohio State than the Buckeyes’ dismal performance in Los Angeles might suggest. Ohio State has trouble protecting the quarterback against an aggressive defense. Michigan, on the other hand, did not sack Clausen last week after registering 8 in 2007. If the Wolverines cannot get through that offensive line, I have little faith that they will be able to penetrate OSU’s porous unit.

It also tells me that Rodriguez needs to prove that he can win the most important games on the schedule, whether they be generated by circumstance or rivalry. I have not seen that from him yet.

Posted under Analysis

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

Each week, Varsity Blue will have a guest poster, Massey from Buckeye Commentary, give us his thoughts on the Michigan game. In return, I’ll guest post on BC. Check out my view of Ohio state’s game over there.

Utah v. Michigan – August 30, 2008

What I Saw

On offense, I saw a surprisingly inept running game. No one was expecting Nebraska circa 1995, but I viewed the running backs as the strength of the Wolverine offense. Sam McGuffie, Brandon Minor, Michael Shaw, and Carlos Brown (shoulder) were totally ineffective, however. None of those four had any rhythm because of limited carries. I knew the offensive line was all new, but I was surprised that the misdirection plays were not more effective. Hell, a few of them fooled me on the couch, not to mention the camera operators. They were slightly better catching passes out of the backfield

The offensive staff clearly wanted to throw down field early in the game, which should have signaled to me that they needed to spread out Utah’s front seven because the ground game was poor. Even though the deep passes were not overly effective, 106 of Michigan’s 167 passing yards came on four completions. The short passes seemed far easier for Michigan to execute and the play they ran to get their first touchdown was borderline indefensible. After that, I was expecting to see a ton of those short throws.

Honestly, I though Nick Sheridan was better than Steve Threet. I know Threet made a nice toss to Hemingway, but he had the advantage of coming in late and having relatively little pressure. It could not get much worse when he stepped into the huddle. You could view that battle as a lesser of two evils, and I know I am in the minority, but I think Sheridan ends up being the starter, unless Justin Feagin bursts onto the scene.

What I Didn’t See

I sure as hell did not see the defense I expected in the first half. The first half defensive performance was crippling. Were they even calling defenses in the huddle? The Utah receivers could not have been more open. On 3rd and 19, Johnson hit a wide-open slant for a 50 yard gain. Huh?

I thought Terrance Taylor (foot injury), Will Johnson, Tim Jamison, and Brandon Graham would cause significant disruptions in Utah’s backfield, keep everything in front of them, and force Utah to march slowly down the field. But that did not happen until the second half, when their defensive adjustments yielded six sacks on Brian Johnson. Half of those were drive killers.

If the defense can continue at their second half level, and not get tired of carrying the offense, they could become a formidable unit before this season is done.

Who I Watched

I could not ignore sophomore Obi Ezeh, who was everywhere. He was great as a freshman and will be very good by the end of this season. If he showed up in Scarlet and Gray tomorrow, he would start. Aside from the defensive line and Ezeh, I have not heard of any of those players.

I was interested in the quarterbacks, of course, and I watched McGuffie with YouTube-tinted glasses. I would be lying to you if I said I did not imagine Pryor running that offense a few times. He is the real thing and far beyond any QB talent on Michigan’s roster at the moment. Otherwise, Michigan shuffled in so many players, I had trouble keeping track of who was doing what.

What I Expect For Next Week

I have no idea. Honestly. At the very least, I expect the defense to play well for the entire game. Miami (Ohio) is a MAC challenger, but they are not at Utah’s level.

Despite my earlier proclamation, I bet Threet starts at quarterback. I also expect the rushing attack to receive more attention, if not improve. But, the Wolverines were opportunistic against the Utes, and will need to be again if they want to put up some points.

What This Can Tell Us About The Game

Nothing, for the moment. I think we can all agree on the outcome if The Game were this weekend. But, it’s not. The Wolverines have an entire season to get better offensively and get meaner on defense. Every fan knows the role emotion plays on that last Saturday and you cannot discount the confidence and camaraderie the Michigan players may build as they collectively learn this fall.

For Michigan, every game is step towards November 22 and all we learned this past weekend is how many steps Michigan has to climb.

Posted under Analysis