Game Week Countdown - Indiana #2

 If you thought the 2010 game had a lot of offense, let me introduce you to the 2013 game.

IU passed for over 400 yards and ran for almost 200 more, Michigan topped both numbers.

Devin Gardner was 21-29 for 503 yards, he also rushed for 80 yards and 3 rushing TDs. Fitzgerald Toussaint finished with 151 yards on the ground and 4 TDs. Jeremy Gallon was the primary target for Gardner, catching 14 passes for 369 yards.

Michigan totaled 751yards of offense!

Like the 2010 game, IU scored first and that was their only lead. From there the score went 7-7, 14-7, 21-7, 21-14, 28-14, 28-17, 28-24, 35-24, 35-31, 35-34, 42-34, 42-40, 49-40, 49-47, 56-57 before reaching the final score 63-47.

Nebraska game leads to maniacal laughter

So many things were horrible in Michigan's loss to Nebraska yesterday it is tough to compile them all. Not surprisingly, checking twitter after the game did not make me feel better.

Hoke "I liked the play calling".
— angelique (@chengelis) November 10, 2013

Brady Hoke is satisfied with the play calling. So was Nebraska.
— Tony Gerdeman (@GerdOzone) November 10, 2013

Look away> NCAA stats updated - Michigan #123 (of 123) in Tackles for Loss Allowed - 9 per game
— MVictors (@MVictors) November 10, 2013

it does not get better

Hoke trying to get running back pass pro fixed...
— Mark Snyder (@Mark__Snyder) November 10, 2013

 

@mgoblog that tweet you sent about how we should've known Neb's D was bad after the kid scored at the spring game, it's not funny anymore
— Scott Thomas Genzink (@ScottGenzink) November 9, 2013

M is who we thought they were - kinda

Michigan is 7-2, back in July I had predicted at this point they would be 6-3. Why don't I feel better about their record than I do?

Problems
The offense in general - compare the numbers to last year after 9 games (it is worth noting that the 3-OT games against Illinois is included in the 2010 stats)

Offense	2010	2011
Points	350	294
First downs	218	197
Rushing yards	2461	2090
ypc	6.2	5.6
passing yards	2362	1763
y/a	9.2	8.4
Comp %	65.2	53.1
Interceptions	10	13

Decrease of 1000 yards of total offense
Loss of over half a yard per play
Way too many interceptions (10 is pretty high btw)

But beyond the numbers, nothing seems to work well consistently in the offense. Last year there were several "go-to" plays - from the standard Denard sweep; to some version of the read option (not that the truly optioned much); the play action hash pass pass; bubble screens.
What have been Michigan's most successful plays this year? Toss it up to Hemingway? They seem to have a collection of plays, not an offense.

Denard is obviosly uncomfortable in this offense. The coaches and DRob himself may tell us differently, but I don't believe them. He's been told the offense needs a drop back passer, so that's what he wants to be - to his and the teams detriment. If it isn't there - quit forcing it and run. He's not punishing the defenses for cheating tight on the receivers. If there's no one open - then he MUST be. How many times was he standing flat footed looking to force a pass to his 2nd or 3rd read? RUN!!!

The Devin package seems to have diminishing returns. There really hasn't been too much success from any of the alignments. And if they do have something new - stop showing it against Minnesota and Purdue and save it for a real opponent...

What's wrong with Hagerup? He was a great punter this year. The suspension really seems to have caused him to take a step back. Was it for PEDs? A huge punt played a role in the LSU-Alabama match-of-the-millenium, Michigan needs to get better there.

Where was Thomas Gordon? Against a power runningback like Coker, M benches one of its leading tacklers and substitutes Woolfolk. Woolfolk was a failure at corner and is not a good tackler. And Gordon doesn;t even get in for a snap?

How many times does Desmond Morgan have to get blown up before he comes out of the lineup? I prefer Hawthorne to Morgan, not sure what the coaches see.

How does the 4th down play not include a run pass option? Denard running >>>> Denard passing, Denard passing with the threat of running >>>>> Denard passing from the pocket.

I had Michigan winning 2 of their final 3 games, I would be surprised (pleasantly) if this happens.

About Drob against ND

The amzing thing is that he did again. Everyone knows what he is capable of after the UConn game and he still was able to put up impossible numbers. He can't do this every game, can he?   He certainnly isn't going to do it against UMass and hopefully not against Bowling Green because he shouldn't play but half the game if M does what it is supposed to.  I hope.  He could, I guess, have 3 carries for 210 yards in the only three plays he is out there.   
-I don't think he had the holes like he did against UConn. That is a little concerning
-He was responsible for 84% of the plays.  Yikes  I don't know if the team can rely on one person so much and expect to succeed for 12 games.  Losing him could be the collapse of the offense.  Not just a significant setback, but the collapse.
-I love that play where he looks like he is running a sweep.  He is actually closer to the line of scrimmage, so it doesn't even seem like he would do anything else.  Then, when the safety (isn't it?) comes in to make the play on him, he tosses it to the slot receiver right where the defender had been playing.  Amazing.  In some ways it reminds me of the Tim Tebow option/shovel pass play where it seemed there is no way to stop it.  Of course, Drob could have run the play more times than the passes and I just didn't notice it, and he could have had no gain. Anyhow, I like it.
-Drob's passing was OK, even with the number of incompletions.  I'm still not convinced he can be a successful downfield passer.  That one in the end zone that Roundtree couldn't come up with, though, was a very good throw.  I will comment on that during my offense (Non-Drob) roundup.   No interceptions, and I really expected at least two this week.  As long as the receivers get open (enough) and/or Drob can hit them on the perimeter and they get positive yardage, he will continue to not throw interceptions.
-I was surprised last week that Drob didn't break a long run.  His TD wasn't short, but I really expect that with his speed he will be having extra-long TD runs every game.  85 yards is extra long.  I expect this too happen at least every other game (50+ yards).  Every time he is running it, there is a possibility.  He is fast, after all.  This will easily keep his rushing yards to a crazy high number.  Probably 100 every game.  Even when he doesn't have to win it for M like he did against ND.
-Speaking of fast, he isn't just fast at running. But on that one play when he was bogged up on the left side, reversed field and ran right, he went from holding the ball as a ball-carrier and pulling it out to pass it so quickly, even watching the replays I can't figure out how he did it.  Amazing.
-Denard's numbers definitely are heading towards the Heisman.  If he keeps this up, there is no way they could not give it to him, even if M finishes 6-6.  But after 2 games in 1990, Jon Vaughn was definitely on his way to a Heisman if he kept up his average of 244 yards per game average.  He didn't.  And in 1991, I thought Desmond Howard...(oh, wait).

The Offense Against ND (except Drob)

The OLine did not make the holes as often as they did against UConn.  I never really felt any running back had a good hole to be able to make their own play.  If they have this problem against better teams, there could be some other Drob miracle finishes required to win.
-I was surprised there weren't more perimeter plays.  Where were all of the screens/bubble screens, end arounds, etc.  ?  The ND D seemed to shutting down the inside pretty well.
-This game emphasized that there are not big play receivers on this team.  They catch the ball fine, they get a few yards after the catch pretty well, but I don't expect to see any of them making a great move and blowing past the DBs after a catch.  I don't expect any of them battling with a DB for a ball in the air and coming down with it.  I don't think there is a receiver on the team that would have caught the Roundtree ball in the end zone.  And that is sad.  It was very catchable, though difficult.  I just don't have the confidence in the receivers to catch a ball that is thrown to a well-covered receiver. Good, scrappy, serviceable.  Not playmakers, necessarily.  If we ever need a receiver to win a game for us, I just don't think any of them will be able to do it.  I much more confidence in the RBs.
-So, about  days ago I admitted that I didn't like Odoms.  Since then, he has made some nice catches on key plays (he seemed like the only receiver getting open early on) and whenver there is a play downfield, you see him preventing his man from getting to the ball carrier.  He is scrappy and he is a decent receiver.  No worse than the other ones M has.  He has done everything you could ask out of an undersized, scrappy split end.  If he continues this, I will take back my not liking him.
-Not much to say about the RBs, as the Oline didn't do much for them. It will be interesting to see how they do against Indiana and MSU
-I was surprised about the lack of penalties against UConn and I expected more this week on both sides of the ball, but there were way too many.  And some of them were at the most horrible times.  I'm assuming the norm will be somewhere in the middle.
-Other than wanting more perimeter plays at different times during the game (especially screen), I like the play selection.