Thoughts on being 4-1
Lot of emotions and anger came out of watching Michigan fall to Michigan State in OT. A frustrating day of where the offense just couldn’t get into any kind of rhythm. The defense consistently put Michigan State in third and long situations but couldn’t get off the field. A remarkable comeback by possibly my favorite UM player to watch in recent history in Tate Forcier. The kid is simply great when it’s crunch time and his back is against the wall. To go 92 yards in a driving rain with no timeouts after his offense struggled all day is a story we would have heard about for years to come should Michigan have pulled out that game in OT. In the end, Michigan got outplayed badly by State, who appeared to have a gameplan that worked and UM had a tough time adjusting.
Should RR Have Abandoned the Run?
It appears as though the loss of David Molk is more significant of an injury than anyone initially thought. Michigan got pushed around up front and lost the battle. Minor and Brown simply had no where to go, no room to run. A game plan is a game plan and you try and get your offense into a rhythm when they haven’t had a chance to get on the field much. I’m not a big time of possession guy, but it gets to a point where the offense simply doesn’t get a shot. Michigan had the ball for 7:20 in the first half compared to MSU having it for 22:40. That’s a HUGE difference and Michigan was doubled up on time of possession in the game.
All that being said, I don’t blame Rich Rodriguez for not abandoning the run sooner than the fourth quarter. I’ve heard it over and over, MSU’s glaring weakness was there secondary and RR should have attempted to exploit that from the get-go. You play to your opponent’s weakness, but you don’t change your identity to do so. If Stonum doesn’t fumble that catch and run to MSU’s 10 yard line, Michigan may have been able to cut that lead to 7 with about 10 minutes to go in the final quarter.
Tate In the Rain / Det. News
Tate Forcier is Mad Clutch
Was there much doubt when Tate had the ball 92 yards away, 2 minutes to go with no timeouts? Well yea, but probably not in his mind. He continues to prove that he’s got some serious poise, moxy, it, whatever you want to call it that all great quarterbacks possess. Shit is this guy exciting and fun to watch. It’s chaotic, madness, and successful. I love watching the kid play and think he’s got some very bright days ahead of him at Michigan. Look at the pic – in a driving rain with poor snaps – Tate gets it done on that last drive.
Why Can’t the Defense Get Off the Field?
Frustrating is a light term for how I felt as I watched a three man front rush Kirk Cousins on 3rd and 15 – Cousins gets all day to decide whether he feels like running for the first or throwing underneath a zone for the first down. Time and time again this happened. FRUSTRATING. I can’t imagine how frustrating Greg Robinson was watching this happen right in front of him.
It’s really becoming clear that Michigan’s linebacker play is NOT good. It’s G Damn terrible. Obi Ezeh makes a lot of tackles against a power running game, but in other situations he is SLOW, very slow. Did you see him try to attempt to catch cousins on one, or any, of his long third down scrambles? I don’t know what has happened with Jonas Mouton, I expected better and quicker play from him this season as well.
All in all, the defense is young and inexperienced. Brandon Graham had a huge, NFL caliber day. Donovan Warren did his job. It was the killer third down conversions that enabled Michigan State’s offense to stay on the field. I think G. Robinson will do well at Michigan, he just needs some time and some additional talent to work with.
What’s It All Mean?
Michigan is young and probably a bit ahead of schedule. Most analysts and fans expected Tate Forcier to play like a freshman, not like a veteran that can bring his team back when his back is against the wall in yea – about every game. As negative as the game was in several facets, Michigan found a way to cut the lead and eventually tie up the ball game. Michigan’s inexperience and young talent is going to make for some exciting games this year.
As the week progresses, we’ll get more into the upcoming Iowa game, but I think this Michigan team views this loss as a learning experience and ultimately an opportunity. Momentum will not be lost, in fact gained. A win at Iowa would be huge – and it would put Michigan right back in the hunt for the Big Ten Championship.
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