MGOFootball » Game Analysis

The 2010 Jumpoff: Michigan 30 – UConn 10

Mike P. — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 01:43:42 +0000

Saturday was an all around great day. Based on the degree of sunburn on my forehead, you’d never believe it was downright chilly at times Saturday leading up to the game. It felt like a mid-October day in Ann Arbor. Before the game my cornhole skills were put to the test as the wind was swirling in all directions. There were fireworks all day – beginning with rededicating the Big House, The Mealer Story, and an overall team performance that led to a huge opening day win. I felt like the crowd was on par with how loud last year’s Notre Dame game – and it was electric when Brock Mealer walked out of the tunnel with his mother and brother Elliot. A heartfelt moment to say the least, an incredibly sad story that finally sees some positivity.

To the game…

On Offense…

You are almost guaranteed to win a college football game when your offense does the following…

28 first downs
1 penalty
0 turnovers
Nearly 37 minutes of possession
14-19 on 3rd down conversions
4-4 in the red zone, 3 touchdowns
Drives of 14, 19, 11, and 15 plays

Do these things and you are winning that ball game every single time. The ability of Denard Robinson to throw the ball completely handcuffed UConn’s defensive unit, see every third down and 7+ that Denard converted on.

Thoughts on the QB Depth Chart
I don’t doubt that Denard can continue to play extremely well. I also still believe that, based on the comments from Tate Forcier’s father, that Rodriguez wasn’t done disciplining Tate. There’s no way Devin Gardner has passed up Tate on the depth chart. Michigan is going to be in games where Denard’s legs for one reason or another, can’t convert over 50% of third downs. Coach Rod knows that Denard’s 29 carries is probably too many – and the scare when Denard went down at the end of the 3rd quarter is what happens when you have a guy like Denard. Denard’s fearlessness is fantastic, but it may get him injured at some point. Bottom line, it’s my presumption that Tate’s influencers around him are echoing these same things and letting him know that he is going to be critical to this team’s success at some point this season.

Denard Robinson…
Because the Denard media binge and love-fest is already outta control – briefly…Denard has learned to read the defense and do what the coaches are teaching. In turn, defense exhibit A could not contain him and he effortlessly converted 2nd and long, 3rd and long and got 7+ yards time after time on first down. I’d be willing to bet that Denard is the only QB in the country accelerating through defenders as he does in the clip below. Now that he’s proven he can throw effectively, tiny running lanes are all Denard needs to convert.

Mike Shaw…
I thought Mike Shaw had a great game carrying the ball, despite any lacking in the box score. He seems stronger this year and he ran with authority on Saturday. More than once, he easily could have been tackled behind the line of scrimmage, but busted a move and managed to churn out something positive…like the below… On the touchdown, Mike showed that he can run with authority and hit the hole going full speed while keeping his balance. He showed that he’s going to be an asset out as a receiver out of the backfield as well. Was impressed with this guy on Saturday.

Vincent Smith…
I dig what Vincent Smith brings to the table. He’s a grinder and much more often than not he is pushing the defender back for an extra yard or three. He’s short, but powerful, and it can’t be easy for opposing defenders to find him as he is patiently picking his way through the zone blocking in front of him. On his first touchdown, Vincent got lost in the shuffle, was patient and broke a tackle to get in to the end zone.

The Offensive Line…
Ton of credit to these guys. They opened up holes for Shaw, Smith and Denard all day long. Definitely a scare when Molk went down, but he looked more tired than anything. He came back in almost immediately, much like Denard after he went down with an apparent injury in the 3rd quarter. If these guys can stay healthy, Michigan’s offense should continue to have lots of success on the ground and through the air all season long.

Receivers / Slots…
Give these guys a lot of credit as well. While most of the yards came on the ground, they converted when given the opportunity. Not all games will play out like this one – the passing game will be more prevalent as the season gets under way. Finally, Terrance Robinson got into the action on a beautiful bubble screen fake from Denard that forced the safety out of position – opening up the entire middle of the field. I thought Grady did okay with his opportunities, but I think he needs to show more if he wants to keep getting as many touches. Odoms and Stonum were both solid and these two guys look to be the most consistent, well-rounded of the bunch.

On Defense…

Defense came out and played well – holding UConn to 10 points was not expected by anyone. The consensus was a thirty something to thirty something ball game. Some stats worthy of noting…

UConn completion rate held to 47%
Forced 1 turnover
UConn 4 – 15 on 3rd down conversions
1 blocked kick
10 POINTS

Obviously, only allowing 10 points is key. Forcing a turnover in the red zone and blocking a field goal – both extremely critical in Michigan’s general comfort level that grew as the game pushed on in the 3rd and 4th quarters. All in all, based on what happened last season, I don’t envision this defense getting full of themselves at any point this season. The degree of last season’s defensive collapse was so severe that there’s no way it escapes the minds of the coaches or returning players.

J.T. Floyd & James Rogers
Both these guys had solid games – and I was pleasantly surprised by the play of James Rogers. He was extremely active and seems to be a ball hawk. Makes me wonder where he’s been his whole career. J.T. was solid as well, especially in run D support and he may have had the biggest play of the entire day…below my friends…

Linebackers…
Obi Ezeh and James Mouton both lead the team in tackles with 9 and 8 respectively. Mouton laid the wood on some UConn guys on a few plays. Craig Roh lead the team with 2 tackles for loss. Based on the eye test, I would have to say that both Roh and Mouton outplayed Ezeh. I noticed Obi was out of position or seemed to over-pursue on a few plays. Overall speed was good and they were out to hit someone. Moundros looked good out there and definitely looks the part.

On Special Teams…

Michigan only punted one time for 51 yards – not bad for young Will Hagerup. The kicking game had some issues – it was to be expected in light of the youth and also the swirling winds. Gibbons missed from 43 yards out and made from 24. Gibbons also missed an extra point – and it sounds like Drew Dileo had some issues getting the ball down as the holder. A must fix before heading to South Bend this week. Kick coverages weren’t bad.

Some extra… Andy Staples CNNSI, Forcier – don’t be foolish stay at Michigan, Denard love @ Dr. Saturday, UConn happy it’s over.

Thoughts on being 4-1

Mike P. — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 03:48:03 +0000

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.

Michigan is 4-0, but…

Mike P. — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 14:48:02 +0000

Well, Michigan is through September with a perfect 4-0 record. The record is perfect, but the play on the field is far from it. Rich Rodriguez and his coaching staff are going to have a field day when they go back and watch film of yesterday’s game. The linebacking play is terrible and Obi Ezeh is not having a stellar season as he continues to miss tackles and not make plays. Those snaps, GEEEEEEEZ…get it right. Michigan lost almost 50 yards and blew opportunities left and right because of problems with executing a shotgun snap.

Thoughts on Beating Indiana 36-33

Ouch for the Defense
What happened to the fundamental improvements when it comes to tackling, handling gap responsibilities, taking proper pursuit angles and getting off blocks? As I mentioned above, Obi Ezeh continues to miss tackles and play poorly and Jonas Mouton had his fair share of missed tackles and poor pursuit angles. A big factor in this game was the lack of a pass rush. I think Brandon Graham made a handful of plays and busted through a couple times, but in general the D-line was not impressive and their size again played in Indiana’s favor. Cissoko again played terrible at corner and was replaced by an undersized JT Floyd. A win is a win, but damn that was frustrating to watch.

Offensive Inconsistency
Scoring points is a lot of fun and big plays are a lot of fun, but as a Michigan fan you have to remember and consider the youth of Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson. Every game you can see their upside and their potential, however, against Indiana you saw Forcier try and do too much at times. I think, as he matures, those mistakes will be minimized. The bad snaps will not continue, but man did they have an affect on this game in a big way. David Moosman is not experienced enough to snap the ball early if a defender jumps across the line of scrimmage. Doing so took away a scoring opportunity and Michigan wound up punting.

Minor or Brown?
This is tough – Brown continues to score on big plays and produce, while Minor tends to make an impact in smaller doses at critical times in close games. RR must continue to use both, but it will be interesting to see how each will continue to receive playing time. I think Minor is the better back running between the tackles, but doesn’t quite have the breakaway speed that Brown has – although he is fast and bursts through a hole with serious force. And Brown is a bit better catching the ball out of the backfield and moving upfield in a hurry. Nobody knows if Minor is truly banged up with a nagging ankle injury primarily because when he gets in the game he looks to be 100%. Michigan is better when both are playing and both are healthy – let’s hope they both continue to make an impact.

Tay Odoms / Det. News

Tay Odom’s TD
Over 4 games Martavious Odoms hasn’t quite filled up the stat sheet, but there is no doubt that his presence on the field makes a difference. He’s made several great blocks and some clutch catches – most notably on the final drive against Notre Dame. It was great to see him get in the endzone and pull in the game-winner yesterday.

Thoughts on Being 4-0

The Eye Test
The eye test is an easy one – after watching 4 games – do they pass the eye test? Well, Michigan is averaging 37.5 points per game so far and have pulled out two games in the final minutes. Exciting, yes – perfect – of course not. The offense is producing big plays and scoring points when it counts. The defense is an issue and needs to focus on the fundamentals once more. If the defense continues to play like it did against Indiana – Michigan will struggle against 3 of their next 4 opponents – Michigan State, Iowa and Penn State. In general, Michigan has grabbed some national media attention and has passed the eye test.

Tate Forcier / Det. News

T. Force & D. Rob
Both Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson have made some plays that really only scratch the surface of their potential. Rich Rodriguez is still trying to figure out his strategy when it comes to playing both of these guys. Forcier’s health is becoming a concern – without him healthy I’m not sure how far this team can go. Although, I would be interested to see Denard taking snaps for an entire game – how many long ones would he break and can he throw the ball with any consistency.

The Defense Struggles
This has to be the greatest concern for the remainder of the season. The defense started the season strong – hammering Western Michigan – then allowed Notre Dame to pile on over 400 yards of offense. Notre Dame’s supposed high-powered offense allowed Michigan to give the D a pass, but against Eastern Michigan the D again looked weak. Against Indiana, ouch. Seriously, IU busts an 85 yard 4th quarter touchdown run where tackles were missed and the pursuit angles were terrible. Michigan’s season might be full of shootouts where the offense will have to be spectacular late in games because the defense simply lacks the talent and depth to control games.

4-0
Michigan has played four games and has won all four. You can’t do any better than that. Finding ways to win games is what counts – last year Michigan found ways to lose games – quite a difference. Michigan will learn a lot in the next two weeks going on the road to face Michigan State and Iowa. So far it’s been fun, because there’s a zero in the loss column and Michigan’s young stars are making plays when it counts.

Michigan’s Story of 2009

Mike P. — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 23:21:03 +0000

The 2009 season has been defined by highs and lows – thankfully there have been a few more highs than lows and the lows seem to happen off the field more than on. Michigan fans have experienced more on the field excitement after three games than they have seen in the past 5 years. The shear speed of Denard Robinson is rare – and it’s also rare to have that speed at your quarterback position. The Big House is louder, much louder. The Notre Dame game was the loudest that I have heard Michigan Stadium. There have been three games so far – three chapters. If this were a book, I’d title the first three chapters: (1) The Relief (2) The Glory (3) The Reminder – what brilliantly titled chapter will this Indiana game bring? Let’s just start from the beginning.

Denard Robinson / Det. News

Chapter 1: The Relief
A media-driven beat down of the Michigan program was in full swing before any game was even played. Free Press subscriptions were victims of fire, burn and newly found hatred. Rich Rodriguez basically got peed on when you consider the allegations and add the real estate lawsuit that went down that week. Then it came – all hail gameday! Michigan comes out and dominates what is supposed to be a decent MAC opponent in Western Michigan. Tate Forcier’s first touchdown pass was all that any Michigan fan needed to see in that entire game. Michigan had a quarterback and that meant – Michigan had a competent offense that would be able to either stay on the field or put points on the board. What a relief. WHAT A RELIEF for the Michigan program to start the season 1-0.

Chapter 2: The Glory
The media’s love affair with Notre Dame was all geared up to officially launch after a victory in the Big House. Na, nope, don’t think so and not so fast Jimmah! Michigan came out and made a statement and if you were there or even if you watched it from your living room – the day ended in pure glory. The little freshman with a huge heart and level of poise – brings Michigan one of its most memorable wins in recent history, most definitely in the Rich Rodriguez era with only the Florida bowl victory coming close if considering the past few years. The glory poured in for an entire week. Every sports writer in the country wanted some Rich Rodriguez and Tate Forcier tiempo. “Michigan’s back” was the general feeling across the nation that Saturday night and throughout the ensuing week. The GLORY of that day may last for quite some time and Michigan starts the season 2-0.

Tate & DRob / Det. News

Chapter 3: The Reminder
Notre Dame was last week and who really cares about it anymore as the nature of college football makes each next game matter more than the last – so a let down would tear down the greatness and glory of the ND victory. Eastern Michigan walks in and manages to play a game that forces Michigan fans to remember – this is a young, young team. Inexperience is on both sides of the ball and at the most important positions. Mistakes are going to be made this year – hopefully they are made at times where Michigan can recover or absorb the blows. This game also served as a reminder to Michigan fans why Rich Rodriguez was hired. When I see 45-17 on a scoreboard, I assume the game was relatively lopsided and the victorious team probably walked away happy. I’m gonna say – not this Michigan team. The game was close at half and the defense looked sloppy at best. The Michigan passing game was somewhat stale. But Rich Rodriguez exploits a defense by utilizing a scheme that forces a defense to get out of position. Rich Rodriguez exploits a defense by utilizing speed at critical offensive positions. Yes, it wasn’t pretty and thank you for the reminder that this team is going to struggle, goof, be ugly – but I’m taking it because the upside is enormous. Michigan starts the season 3-0.

The Next Chapter: Indiana

Wolverines / Det. News

10 Observations from Saturday’s Game

Mike P. — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 03:27:35 +0000

Thoughts and observations from Saturday’s ridiculously amazing come from behind victory over Notre Dame:

The crowd was electric and I’m officially a fan of the piped in music. I found myself and the others around me getting louder when the music was playing – which carried over into being loud during gameplay.

Tate Forcier has restored the faith of the fan base in the Michigan football program as a whole. His playmaking ability, his poise, his claim that he “never gets nervous” all amount to a kid with a ton of character. He’s going to win a ton of games in a Wolverine uniform.

Allen out of bounds

Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis – or CFB, Coach Front Butt – decided that it wasn’t his team that lost the game – it was the officials. This shot pretty much closes the book on this issue – although the camera angles did leave some question as to whether the evidence was enough to reverse the call.

Darryl Stonum finally answered the call and lived up to his hype. Coming in as a highly touted Texas recruit Stonum has had some impressive moments – but this was far and away his best performance. Stonum wound up with 4 catches for 54 yards, an impressive kickoff return to put Michigan up 14-3 late in the 1st quarter and kept Forcier’s punt inside ND’s 5 yard line.

Brandon Minor is one impressive specimen. Lookout when he gets free and begins to run downhill. Seriously, I feel sorry for all safeties in the Big Ten this season because once Minor gets to that second defensive level he’s punishing someone. Minor netted over 100 yards in his season debut. Minor’s return was very solid and I fully expect him to continue to make a huge impact in each game he plays in.

Martavious Odoms continues to be a complete player. In the first two games, he hasn’t had any break out plays on offense like he did last season, but he’s made some critical blocks and plays that definitely have not gone unnoticed. Odoms makes one of the bigger plays in the game on 3rd and 4 during the game winning drive – one play after he does a good job of eluding an ND defender to grab some yards after catch on 2nd and long.

AP - Bill Fundaro

Obi Ezeh needs to spend some time watching film and realizing when and where he isn’t making plays. Ezeh misses some easy open field tackles in this game – check the first drive when ND’s tight end Rudolph runs right through his tackle attempt.

The secondary – yes they were exploited Saturday – but those ND receivers are really, really good. And Jimmah Clausen has figured out how to deliver the ball. I don’t think Michigan faces a better unit all year. Booboo Cissoko clearly had a rough day as Donovan Warren played significantly better. Still, it was a struggle back there all day long.

The defensive line got very little pressure on Clausen all day. Going into the game – I assumed that Michigan walks out of that stadium with a loss if they can’t put a hat on Clausen. It should be noted that ND’s O-line is huge and outweighed Michigan’s D-line by almost 50 lbs. on average.

Kevin Koger is a great tight end. He’ll improve his blocking ability, but he’s got great ball skills. He showed his athletic ability on his TD grab where he had to bend down to catch the ball and then twist his body to get himself over the goal line. And of course, it was a great effort and pass on the part of Forcier.

Game 1 Media Binge

Mike P. — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:03:18 +0000

Your media coverage and aftermath of Michigan’s glorious opening day victory over Western Michigan.

Wolverine Historian is always providing us with great highlight montages.

Kevin Koger’s ridiculously impressive one-handed catch from a high Forcier pass later in the game after Michigan had already dropped 31 – this one is thanks to Michigan SportsCenter

And hear the crowd chant “RICH ROD-RI-GUEZ” in the third quarter while the refs work out a clock situation

Here are some photos from AnnArbor.com coverage of the day’s events.

One of my favorite shots that I have seen from Gameday – Tate and Denard taking in the scene before the game starts.

Photo from MVictors

From over on MVictors.com – video of the post game player celebration and Michigan running out of the tunnel

Check out a boatload of pics from Mike Desimone.

Western Michigan: 1st Half Offensive Breakdown

Mike P. — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 19:49:08 +0000

I’ve decided to break down the first half of play from Saturday. Michigan doesn’t have a scoring drive in the second half (damnit man!). If you like the break down – LEAVE A COMMENT – so I can change accordingly or add to it.

1st Quarter - 1st Series

Matthews fair catches a punt at Michigan’s 48 yd. line

Play	Down	Pos.	What the Hell Happened	Yards
1	1-10	Mich 48	Forcier hits Hemingway for a gain of 5	+5
2	2-5	WMU 47	Brown runs left for a gain of 3	+3
3	3-2	WMU 44	Forcier makes 3 potential tacklers miss and gets the first down	+3
	1-10	WMU 41	PENALTY – Illegal Motion on Odoms	-5
4	1-15	WMU 46	Forcier gets 4 on an option keeper	+4
5	2-11	WMU 42	Forcier hits Brown about 7 yds downfield on the sideline and brown does the rest for the first down	+14
6	1-10	WMU 28	Brown for no gain – WMU D line gets good penetration up the middle	0
7	2-10	WMU 28	Forcier scrambles up to the line of scrimmage and lofts a beauty to Hemingway down the sideline	+28

Drive Summary – 7 plays, 52 yards – Forcier looks great on his first drive as Michigan’s quarterback – Hemingway begins his coming out party by getting it done running the scramble drill along the sideline.

MICHIGAN 7 – WMU 0

1st Quarter - 2nd Series

Matthews fair catches a punt at the Michigan 11 yd. line

Play	Down	Pos.	What the Hell Happened	Yards
1	1-10	Mich 11	Forcier keeps the option right and goes down after a short gain	+4
2	2-6	Mich 15	D. Robinson comes around in motion and gets nothing on the handoff	0
3	3-6	Mich 15	Forcier drops back and takes off immediately – no gainer	0
4	4-6	Mich 15	Mesko punts for 47 yds

Drive Summary – 3 plays, 4 yards – RR shows some different looks this series getting Denard Robinson involved.

1st Quarter - 3rd Series

Matthews fair catches a punt at Michigan’s 16 yd. line

Play	Down	Pos.	What the Hell Happened	Yards
1	1-10	Mich 16	Forcier eludes 2 potential tacklers on an option keeper – shows some solid speed	+8
	2-2	Mich 24	PENALTY – Holding on David Molk	-10
2	2-12	Mich 14	Kelvin Grady drops a screen pass – goes right through his hands	0
3	3-12	Mich 14	Forcier goes deep for M. Webb – looks like he should have tried to hit Hemingway deep	0
4	4-12	Mich 14	Mesko punt goes 44 yards out of bounds

Drive Summary – 3 plays, -2 yards – Forcier looked great on an option keeper – Carlos Brown had a huge block on third down to buy Forcier the time to go deep. Good to see Forcier taking some shots deep after the play breaks down a bit.

1st Quarter - 4th Series

B. Cissoko returns interception to the WMU 38 yd line

Play	Down	Pos.	What the Hell Happened	Yards
	1-10	WMU 38	PENALTY – Illegal Procedure on Mark Ortmann	-5
1	1-15	WMU 43	Denard Robinson ignites his jet engines after fumbling the snap – LOOKOUT FOR DROB!	+43

Drive Summary – 1 play, 38 yards – Wow, Denard Robinson might be the fastest player to ever wear a Michigan Wolverine uniform. After fumbling the snap, he goes opposite of the play call – breaks one tackle and in about 4 seconds he’s in the endzone.

MICHIGAN 14 – WMU 0

1st Quarter - 5th Series

Matthews fair catches a punt at Michigan’s 32 yd. line

Play	Down	Pos.	What the Hell Happened	Yards
1	1-10	Mich 32	Robinson runs a QB draw off the right side for a decent gain	+5
2	2-5	Mich 37	Robinson throws a high bullet to Kelvin Grady – nice catch on Grady’s part	+7
3	1-10	Mich 44	Robinson and Hemingway had some miscommunication – ball winds up in the dirt	0
4	2-10	Mich 44	Robinson fakes the reverse and crosses midfield before an ankle tackle brings him down	+7
5	3-3	WMU 49	Robinson drops back then takes off up the gut – should have cut left – gets stopped short of the first down	+2
End of 1st Quarter
6	4-1	WMU 47	Brown picks up 6 running off the left tackle – 1 for 1 on 4th down conversions!	+6
7	1-10	WMU 41	Forcier keeps for a tough gain	+5
8	2-5	WMU 36	Forcier hits Koger on a hitch – Koger does a good job reaching for the first down	+5
9	1-10	WMU 31	Fake reverse to Grady – handoff to Brown up the gut for a solid gain	+11
10	1-10	WMU 20	Same play as before – this time Forcier hands off to Grady on the reverse	+11
11	1-G	WMU 9	I-formation handoff to Brown off the right side for a couple	+2
12	2-G	WMU 7	Play-action rollout left and Forcier finds a wide-open Koger for 6	+7

Drive Summary – 12 plays, 68 yards – Great 12 play drive. Forcier looked sharp and the offensive line opened up some holes for Brown. At this point I was surprised not to see RR toss in Vincent Smith or Michael Shaw to grind it out down the field. Forcier has complete control of the offense. Kelvin Grady is looking really good and fast -comparable to a one Steve Breaston.

MICHIGAN 21 – WMU 0

2nd Quarter - 1st Series

Matthews finally gets to return one – a clean catch yields a solid cut upfield and about a 15 yard return.

Play	Down	Pos.	What the Hell Happened	Yards
1	1-10	WMU 42	Miscommunication between Forcier and Hemmingway – Forcier tosses for a deep corner route incomplete	0
2	2-10	WMU 42	Robinson back in – tosses out to Savoy for a decent gain – another hard throw from D. Rob	+11
3	1-10	WMU 31	Shaw shuffles forward for an earned fiver	+5
	2-5	WMU 26	PENALTY – Holding on David Molk	-5
4	2-15	WMU 36	Forcier back in – tosses a great ball on the run to Brown along the sideline – after review it’s incomplete	0
5	3-15	WMU 36	QB draw and Forcier slips around to get UM in field goal position	+10
6	4-5	WMU 26	Olesnavage makes a 44 yd field goal with plenty of leg

Drive Summary – 6 plays, 16 yards – Forcier again makes plays that would not have been made last season. Michigan puts 3 more on the board instead of giving the ball back to Western. It’s little plays in the drive that may make the difference this season when comparing it to last. Good to see Olesnavage confidently hit a relatively long field goal and be pumped up about it afterwords.

MICHIGAN 24 – WMU 0

2nd Quarter - 2nd Series

Play	Down	Pos.	What the Hell Happened	Yards
1	1-10	Mich 15	The O-line opens up a gaping hole for Brown to get up the middle	+12
2	1-10	Mich 27	Play-action pass and Forcier whips it out to an open Matthews along the sideline	+10
3	1-10	Mich 37	Brown up the middle for a nice gain – still waiting for Brown to break a long one	+6
4	2-4	Mich 43	QB draw – if Brown blocks the linebacker Forcier would have had a chance	-4
5	3-8	Mich 39	WR screen to Hemingway – solid blocking and good running by Hemingway converts the 3rd down	+14
6	1-10	WMU 47	Forcier throws deep – nobody open	0
7	2-10	WMU 47	Forcier keeps it around the right side – not much room to run	+3
8	3-7	WMU 44	Forcier throws another beauty down the sideline to an open Hemingway for a TD!	+44

Drive Summary – 8 plays, 85 yards – Good all around series. David Molk had a great play on the 3rd down conversion when Hemingway went for 14. He made one block and got off that to make another. Forcier again showing off his ability to throw an accurate ball.

MICHIGAN 31 – WMU 0

Game 1 Links, News and Notes

Mike P. — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:43:31 +0000

Several articles over on Bleacher Report worth reading:

Over on Scout

Gameday Musings: Week 1

Coverage from the Detroit News

From Rivals

Michigan Team Report
Relieved Michigan: Martin and Rodriguez are Happy
hand sanitizers in Michigan Stadium

ESPN’s Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg

Michigan moves past drama, makes statement

The Diag

Game 1 Reactions: Wolverines impress many in opener

Western Michigan Stream of Thoughts

Mike P. — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 13:44:39 +0000

Later today I will be posting a drive-by-drive game analysis for both the offense and the defense. First, here are some thoughts and observations gained from yesterday’s smackdown.

Michigan looked crisp and like they were on a mission. The crowd was louder than usual. Once a lead was solidified – the student section began a RICH ROD-RI-GUEZ chant. I know it was supposed to be a decent Western Michigan team – and perhaps they will be – but Michigan played like a team possessed and a team that was very prepared.

Michigan definitely passed the “eye” test. They looked fast, very fast, especially on defense.

The offense executed. Forcier and Robinson made plays that we, as fans, wouldn’t have dreamed of seeing out of who Michigan had behind center on the field last year. Forcier plays within himself and is very talented. He is quick, very accurate, and seems to play with a maturity level that is beyond his years.

This may have been Junior Hemingway’s coming out party – he looked very solid getting in the endzone twice. Carlos Brown was solid as well – although expected Brown to break a long run – maybe he is saving that for Notre Dame!

Kelvin Grady reminds me so much of Steve Breaston – taking long strides and is very fast at the same time. He looked fast and a lot like Breaston on an end-around play that went for about 10 yards. He also had a nice catch on a ball thrown high and fast from Denard Robinson.

Denard Robinson, holy shit, this guy can absolutely fly and he appears to be the type of guy that will slip out of a tackle or bounce off of a would be tackler to get those legs churnin’ again. In time I look for Denard to be a little more patient on some of those QB draw plays.

The cornerbacks, Warren and Cissoko blanketed Western Michigan’s receivers and looked very good on their open field tackles. Safety play was solid as well.

Greg Matthews looks to be a sure-handed punt returner – he understands and apparently has the ability to catch the damn ball! Matthews actually showed some ability to get up field after the catch as well – with a 15 yard return early in the first half.

Tight end, Kevin Koger, looks as though he will be a key piece of the offense going forward. With a few catches, a TD from Forcier, and a ridiculous one-handed catch I expect Michigan to get a lot of production out of both Koger and beast Martell Webb.

The defensive line put steady pressure on Hiller throughout most of the afternoon – and a couple of the young guys recorded sacks. Mike Martin had the only solo sack of the day – Ryan Van Bergen and Craig Roh added a sack.

Michigan wins the turnover battle – with Sheridan’s interception being Michigan’s only turnover. That being said, it’s apparent that Foricer’s and Robinson’s play will buy them sole ownership of the QB role going into next week against Notre Dame.

The defensive unit as a whole played well – getting several blue jerseys around the ball on every play. Overall speed seems to be better than a year ago. Stevie Brown played a solid game and seems to be a leader out there on D. Obi Ezeh played very well and was in Hiller’s face and making some good open field tackles.

I advise all to stay away from the Detroit Free Press website – but I can’t help but read how they are now trying to cover their own ass with this story.

The Michigan Spread Offense 101

Mike P. — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 20:37:02 +0000

The program has taken a sharp turn from the Lloyd Carr era into the Rich Rodriguez era. Many things have coincidentally changed along with the obvious – the stadium construction brings change to one of college footballs most sacred temples, the Spring Game now is an event that should soon attract 80,000 – 100,000 fans, Rich Rod doesn’t mind talking details and being cordial with the media, and the offense is no longer the pro-style offense that utilizes your typical, tall, John Navarre-esque drop back quarterback. In light of such an offensive scheme change, it’s beneficial to holistically understand the basics of the scheme.

Generally speaking, the spread offense makes it hard for opposing teams to prepare by forcing them to have to defend everything – no cheating against the spread. The Michigan Wolverine spread offense attack will stretche defenses horizontally – effectively widening the field for the offense, forcing the defense to defend more space, and making it easier on the quarterback to read the defense. The defense naturally has to declare what they are doing because they spread out and get out of the box – also creating some undesirable mismatches for the defense. A well-oiled spread attack is very dangerous and can be a nightmare to defend, especially when the QB can do more than just.

So if the spread offense is so hard to defend, why doesn’t everybody run it? Oh right, there are some drawbacks that are worthy of mentioning. The QB is going to inevitably take some physical pounding and unless he has great natural passing ability – he may not get enough dedicated time in practice to polish passing skills. So it is a must to have multiple capable quarterbacks in case your starter gets dinged up and can’t play. In considering the 2010 recruiting class, Michigan will have at least 4 quarterbacks that have the athletic ability that fits into the infrastructure of the offense.

Versions of the spread offense around the Big 10
Pure zone read option teams: Michigan, Illinois, Penn State, Indiana
Run first spread: Northwestern
Pass happy dink and dunk spread: Purdue, Minnesota
Pro-style teams that adapt to the spread based on personnel: OSU, Wisconsin, Iowa, MSU

Here is a video of Rich Rod talking through the different options that the scheme allows for – enabling the quarterback to have as many as 4 different possible options and decisions to make on any given play. The zone read is relatively simple- the QB reads the end and makes a decision to hand-off or keep the ball if the end bites on the back. In any given option play, there are effectively four possible decisions or options that the QB chooses from in a split second: inside run, outside pitch, QB keep or throwing some type of bubble screen. Check out the vid to hear Rich Rod go through some of the options while he had Pat White at West Virginia.

Here are some numbers that Rich Rod’s spread offense piled up at West Virginia. Let’s hope we see similar results in the near future in the Big House – how about we start on let’s say…September 5th, 2009.

West Virginia ’07: #3 in rush offense 297.23 ypg, #1 in rush ypc 6.15 ypc, #9 scoring offense 39.6 ppg
West Virginia ’06: #2 in rush offense 303.00 ypg, #1 in rush ypc 6.68 ypc, #3 scoring offense 38.8 ppg
West Virginia ’05: #4 in rush offense 272.42 ypg, #11 in rush ypc 5.23 ypc, #31 scoring offense 32.1 ppg
West Virginia ’04: #7 in rush offense 252.83 ypg, #10 in rush ypc 5.14 ypc, #29 scoring offense 30.1 ppg