SB Nation - Stephen Schilling

Michigan preview

BoilerTMill — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:59:54 -0000

It has come to this. All of the dreams we have of playing in a bowl this football season come down to winning in Ann Arbor. Doing so would be the first such victory since Griese was at quarterback. I don't mean Brian in the late 90's for the Wolverines either. Our favorite taco-loving announcer was Purdue's quarterback on October 15, 1966 when we won 22-21 in Ann Arbor.

It is a difficult position to be in, but I wouldn't have it any other way. When I was in school, I always tackled the hardest projects first. I knew if I could finish them, everything else would be easy. That is what we face now. Winning at Michigan is the most difficult of our remaining three games. Win, and we have a better chance to win the final two games. Lose, and it is all about building for next year.

Before the season, this was the only loss I had put in sharpie, as the Boiled Sports guys say. I even gave us a chance against Ohio State at home because we play the Buckeyes well and we were at home. Michigan is quite different. In the three victories over Michigan I have personally witnessed (1996, 2000, 2008) we have had to hang on until the final play in each one. Don't even get me started on our visits to Ann Arbor, which have gone as follows:

1969: L 20-31

1972: L 6-9

1974: L 0-51

1975: L 0-28

1978: L 6-24

1980: L 0-26 (This loss cost us the Big Ten title and Rose Bowl that season)

1982: L 21-52

1983: L 10-42

1985: L 0-47

1989: L 27-42

1991: L 0-42

1993: L 10-25

1995: L 0-5

1999: L 12-38 (Our other four losses that season were by a touchdown or less)

2001: L 10-24

2003: L 3-31 (This also cost us the Big Ten title and Rose Bowl)

2007: L 21-48

That is 17 straight losses at the Big House. In six of those games we didn't even score a single point. Kyle Orton, Drew Brees, Mark Herrman, and Jim Everett never even came close to a win. Shoot, Rick Trefzger in 1995 came closer than any of them. This is what we have to look forward to on Saturday. There is good news though: Joey Elliott led a pair of touchdown drives in the last two minutes during our last visit, so he had a better game in half a quarter than most Purdue quarterbacks.

A rare close game by Purdue at the Big House.

2009 Record: 5-4, 1-4 Big Ten

2008 Record: 3-9, 2-6 Big Ten

Bowl Result: none

Blog Representation: MGoBlog, MVictors, Varsity Blue, Michigan Sports Center, iBlog for Cookies, Maize'n'Brew, Maize & Blue Nation

Series with Purdue: Michigan leads 41-13-0

Last Purdue win: 11/1/2008 at Purdue 48-42

Last Michigan win: 10/13/2007 at Michigan 48-21

It is hard to believe that Michigan started 4-0, but their one win since came in a D-1AA exhibition against Delaware State. Even more unbelievably, they got drilled by an awful Illinois team last week. I can't figure this team out right now. They haven't even been competitive the last two weeks against two teams (Penn State and Illinois) they have historically dominated.

Michigan offense:

The key to any victory this time around will be stopping the Wolverines in the first quarter. Michigan has scored 111 points this season it the first quarter of their nine games. By comparison, they have just 28 third quarter points in that time. If we can prevent them from jumping on us early we have a chance. I am also encouraged that they run a similar offensive style to Oregon. Our defense did a good job of stopping the Ducks (remember, 17 of the 38 points given up were because of turnovers) and Oregon has better personnel running it.

We will definitely see two quarterbacks. Tate Forcier (107-193-5) has nine touchdowns and 1,429 yards passing. He is by far the bigger passing threat. Denard Robinson (11-22-4) has two touchdowns and 179 yards passing. With four interceptions in 22 attempts we want him to throw. Make no mistake. This is by far a run first team. Robinson has rushed for 287 yards and five touchdowns while Forcier has 214 and two scores.

Even though we won last year, we couldn't stop an offense that had struggled all year. They have been more successful this season, so we had better hope we have improved in that area. Brandon Minor (332-5) had a field day against us, going for a career high 155 yards and three scores, but he has been battling injuries of late. Carlos Brown (465-4) leads the team in rushing, but Michigan is at its best when it is spreading the ball around in the running game. Vincent Smith (208-1) and Michael Shaw (181-2) have been known to get in on the action too.

While Michigan's passing game isn't highly productive, it is balanced. Martavious Odoms (22-272-1) is the leading receiver, but Greg Mathews (18-204-1), Kevin Koger (15-211-2), Junior Hemingway (13-233-2), and Darryl Stonum (12-189-1) provide balance across the board. Roy Roundtree, yes that Roy Roundtree, has produced 6 catches for 136 yards and a score.

Michigan has had some issues of late with the offensive line. The unit has given up 19 sacks on the season, and has had some trouble opening holes for the running game. This is not a hulking line like Wisconsin's last week. Four of five starters are under 300 pounds, while Stephen Schilling is the biggest guy at 304 pounds. We should have some room to operate and be disruptive with our defensive line this week.

Michigan Defense:

This is where Purdue has struggled historically. They have been unable to generate any points against the Wolverines. In the four games in which Purdue topped 20 points during this streak most of them came after game was well decided. It is not so much that Michigan has had a lights out defense in that time. It has just been that Purdue has been unable to do anything against it.

Our offensive line could have its hands full with Brandon Graham at the end position., Graham has 6.5 sacks on the season, 17.5 tackles for loss, and is generally a disruptive force in the defensive backfield. Defensive tackle Ryan Van Bergen (32 tackles, four sacks) can also cause some problems. Michigan typically goes with a 3-4 set as opposed to the 4-3's we have seen most of the year. That means faster linebackers will be on the field, but there could be more room to run.

Obi Ezeh is the most active of those linebackers, leading the team with 63 tackles. Stevie Brown (55 tackles), Jonas Mouton (53 tackles) and Craig Roh the the remaining linebackers. It is an interesting mix of youth and experience as Ezeh, Mouton, and Brown are seniors while Roh is a true freshman.

Michigan has had some problems in the secondary. Donovan Warren is a solid cornerback with three interceptions, but they are hurting from the loss of Boubacar Cissoko, who was dismissed form the team before last week's game against Illinois. Troy Woolfolk and Michael Williams man the safety positions, but neither has an interception this season.

Michigan should be more vulnerable to the running game than Wisconsin. Illinois went nuts on the ground last week, and they had no discernable running game until two weeks ago. Their pass defense has been suspect as well. If we can limit turnovers and get back to moving the ball we might have a chance.

Michigan Special Teams:

Behold Zoltan, destroyer of worlds! Zoltan Mesko, aside from having the coolest name in the Big Ten, is a pretty good punter averaging almost 45 yards per kick. It's not like we have a punt return game anyway, so we should get ready to field deep kicks.

Jason Olesnavage is a decent kicker, hitting on 8 of 9 field goals with a long of 44. Bryan Wright is actually a kickoff specialist apart from Olesnavage and Mesko. He is holding teams to about 22 yards per return. Michigan's return game itself is pretty dangerous. We all know what Odoms did to us last year. Stonum has a kickoff return for a touchdown. Also of note, Graham has a blocked punt returned for a score, but it was against Delaware State.

Intangibles:

Do I really need to point it out? The Boiled Sports guys and I discussed how a new coaching staff and new players can make a difference. They do not have the history of the 17 game losing streak on them. The truth is that it hasn't mattered. Every team we have taken up there, with different players, coaches, and philosophies, has gotten drilled for the past 43 years. I gave up two years ago when I went to the game and saw us fall behind 48-7 to a team that got worked by a 1-AA squad. This team has reached a rare level for me. I won't believe we can win there until I see it happen. I held the same attitude toward Notre Dame Stadium until 2004, but even then we had a series of close losses leading up to that win. There is no such history here.

Michigan has ownership over us on their home field rarely seen in college football. It is not that they have won 17 straight. They have done it with just two games being remotely close. Yes we have had some bad teams in this streak, but we have had some very good teams (1999, 2001, and 2003 were all in the top 15 at kickoff) get drilled in Ann Arbor. Technically in 2007 we were ranked at game time, so we have taken a ranked team in our last four trips to the Big House and been outscored 141-46. That is even with two meaningless touchdowns late in our last game.

The numbers are just not there to make me believe we can suddenly turn it around. Right now, I feel more confident about winning in any other venue in the Big Ten, maybe even the country, than I do about winning in Ann Arbor.

Keys to the Game for Purdue:

Catch the football
Limit turnovers
Limit special teams mistakes
Play against the run like we did against Oregon
Don't crap ourselves like we always do in Ann Arbor.

The Endzone Through Carlos Brown's Eyes

Maize n Brew Dave — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:00:38 -0000

First down. Where are we? At the ten? Cool. I'm getting the ball, right? You just gave it to Michael Shaw for a series, you're damn right you're givin' it to me. Cool. Looks like that doofus with the red gloves is wavin' his arms. Time to roll.

Everybody runnin' out. Me an' Tate in the backfield. Love that kid, but he's always joggin' out of the TV timeouts. Think I'll put some shaving cream in his socks. Teach him a lesson. Don't know who he thinks he's foolin' with that razor and shaving cream in his locker. Little man ain't never shaved in his life. A'ight. Time to get set. What we got? Molk's smilin. Means he's about to hurt someone.

Tate to my right. Eastern Safeties split. Two backers. Third LB down weak on the slot an Martel. He's got the leftside DE. Schill's got the NT. Three wide. We're going right up the middle. Dave's my man, I'm followin him.

Got the count. SNAP. Quick right. Two hands. Martell crossin, Schill levelin. Damn. I could drive through this. Mark's got the left backer. Dave crushin the right. One safety, up an to the right.

It's just you an me, boy. An you ain't gettin near me

John T. Greilick via Detroit News.com

Endzone.

Know thy Opponent 2009: Michigan Wolverines

BoilerTMill — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:03:17 -0000

I will go on record before even starting this preview that we will lose the Michigan game. It does not matter how good we are or how bad Michigan is. We have proven over the last 40 years that we simply cannot play good football at Michigan Stadium. We have had great quarterbacks like Drew Brees, Mark Phipps, Kyle Orton, and Mark Herrmann go winless there. Some of our best teams in school history, such as our 9-4 team in 2003 that was very close to being 12-1, have gotten blown out there. Even when we have a miracle and a Jim Colletto coached team holds the Wolverines to five points in 1995 we couldn't get one damn touchdown to win the game.

Since Bob Griese and company went in and won at the Big House 22-21 on October 15, 1966, Purdue is 0-17 in Ann Arbor. The closest games were a 5-0 loss in 1995 and a 9-6 loss in 1972. In six of those losses we haven't even managed to score a single point. All but the 1995 and 1972 game were at least two touchdown defeats. We don't just lose there, we get blown out.

Theoretically, this should be the year we're at least competitive. Then again, in theory, communism works. Michigan won't be "Michigan" this season or, in my opinion, as long as Rich Rodriguez is their head coach. There is absolutely no excuse that with the talent Michigan recruits without even trying they should ever have a 3-9 season. Still, that doesn't mean we're going to win there this year. The Michigan game at Michigan officially reached the "until I see it happen" stage as far as predicting a win goes. After we rolled over and died against a team that couldn't stop a 1-AA team two years ago I no longer have any hope for ever seeing a win up there.

This is your typical Purdue-Michigan score in Ann Arbor, though we usually don't get 21 points. Thanks, Joey Elliott, for the meaningless touchdowns in the last two minutes.

2008 Record: 3-9, (2-6 Big Ten)

Bowl Result: none

Blog Representation: MGoBlog, MVictors, Varsity Blue, Michigan Sports Center, iBlog for Cookies, Maize'n'Brew, Maize & Blue Nation

Series with Purdue: Michigan leads 41-13-0

Last Purdue win: 11/1/2008 at Purdue 48-42

Last Michigan win: 10/13/2007 at Michigan 48-21

Last Season for the Wolverines:

Rich Rodriguez is very lucky I am not Michigan's athletic director, because I would have fired him after last year's 3-9 debacle. Michigan was very lucky to win the three games it did win. Michigan probably played its best in a 25-23 loss to undefeated Utah in the season opener. In that game, a missed 2-point conversion in the final minutes cost the Wolverines the tie. It got worse from there. Home losses to Illinois, Toledo, Michigan State, and Northwestern meant just a 2-5 home record. On the road, the Wolverines managed just a 29-6 win at Minnesota to go unbeaten in the Metrodome. It was bad, but it was made even worse by the fact that this is a team filled with more raw talent than 110 other teams every year. Like Notre Dame in 2007, there was absolutely no excuse to be that bad.

This year's schedule does not guarantee a return to a bowl, either. Western Michigan is a very good MAC team that could win the season opener. They are certainly better than Toledo was last year. Though we will be cheering for the Wolverines, a victory in game 2 over Notre Dame is far from a guarantee. It is never a good sign when Indiana thinks they can beat Michigan. Road trips to Michigan State, Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin in conference play are not easy, while Penn State and Ohio State come to Ann Arbor as conference favorites. Michigan should be better in year #2 of RichRod simply because of more experience, but making a bowl game could be a stretch.

Michigan offense:

Michigan did not have consistent quarterback play last season, but that was blamed on Steven Threet and nick Sheridan not being the right guys for the system. Threet is gone and Sheridan has been relegated to backup for true freshman Tate Forcier. With Forcier, the Wolverines may now have an edge in the cocky quarterback who hasn't accomplished anything of note department over 2-year defending champ Jimmy Clausen. At least Clausen didn't open a website to flaunt his recruiting and high school championships.

Seriously though, Forcier is expected to be the savior of Michigan football. He is a great passer while on the run and he has the ability to make something out of nothing with his legs. While his high school numbers were good, he doesn't have an overwhelming amount of size at 6'1" 187. He will be an exciting player to watch, but I am encouraged that we see many of quarterbacks of his style (Jeremiah Moseli, Chandler Harnish, , mike Kafka, Terrelle Pryor, and Juice Williams) before we see Forcier. He will be the least experienced of that group, so if our defense handles those before him well we should be able to handle Forcier.

One player that does scare me is running back Brandon Minor. Simply put, Minor owns us. He had just 553 yards rushing and nine scores last season, but against Purdue he went for 155 yards and three scores. If not for an injury after three carries in the 2007 game he would have even more yards. As it was in that game, we allowed Mike Hart to run for 102 yards and two scores in a half, followed by third string Carlos Brown's 66 yards and two scores. Both Brown and Minor are back as the top two running backs. We have proven that we cannot stop any Michigan running backs based on our last three games with them, so I have little hope we will start now.

With as bad as Michigan's quarterbacks were last year, the receivers were non-factors in most games. Martavious Odoms had the biggest impact as a receiver in last year's game, and that came on a 73-yar punt return for a score in the first quarter. It was his only touchdown last season, though he did lead Michigan in receiving with 49 catches for 443 yards. Greg Mathews (35-409-2) ranked second on the team, and tied Minor for first in touchdown receptions. Michigan only generated 11 passing touchdowns last season, but two of them came against Purdue. Junior Hemingway should emerge as a solid third receiver after missing most of the year with an ankle injury. Roy Roundtree, the four-star recruit that spurned Purdue for Michigan before last season, redshirted and is still busy getting splinters out of his rear end. He is not on the two deeps at receiver.

The offensive line wasn't great, but wasn't awful last year despite losing three starters. While it was a weakness last year, it should be a strength as this season all five projected starters have starting experience. Right guard David Moosman and center David Molk are the anchors as they started every game at their respective positions last year. Mark Ortmann also has plenty of experience at left tackle, leaving Stephen Schilling and Mark Huyge to start at left guard and right tackle, respectively. Their biggest problem last season was learning a new blocking scheme as the offense drastically changed. They took some blame, but they are not the reason Michigan quarterbacks threw 12 interceptions and completed less than 50% of their passes.

Michigan defense:

It is hard to argue what was worse in 2008. The Michigan offense averaged barely 20 points per game and scored more than 20% of its season total against Purdue alone. The defense gave up 29 per game and got burned by a third string quarterback making his first career start. That game was a microcosm of Michigan's season. Just as the offense finally figured some things out the defense turned in an even worse performance. It doesn't matter how much better the offense gets this year unless there is marked improvement on the defense.

A rare positive moment for Purdue against Michigan.

The defensive line could be a huge liability this season. Only Brandon Graham (46 tackles, 10 sacks) is a proven performer up front. Michigan will probably play quite a bit of 3-4, meaning Mike Martin at nose tackle and Ryan Van Bergen at the other end position will have to play well as starters. True freshman William Campbell at 6'5" 330 pounds will likely see time in the rotation at tackle as well. This was supposed to be the best part of the defense last year, but it was a disaster with all its experience. Now they will have to improve without much proven experience.

Linebacker Obi Ezeh had a good year, leading Michigan with 98 tackles. It was a good freshman season for him on the outside, but more will be expected from him. Jonas Mouton started every game except the Utah game and was second on the team with 76 tackles. There is a question of when he will be ready after missing spring practice with shoulder surgery. Brandon Herron and Steve Brown will provide speed at the other two linebacker positions, with Brown being a hybrid safety/linebacker

Safety is the one position on defense where Michigan appears to be totally set. Troy Woolfolk, Steve Brown, and Michael Williams will all start the season, but much is expected from incoming freshman Vladimir Emilien. Emilien is expected to make a huge impact, and could be starting by the time the Purdue game rolls around. At cornerback, Michigan has plenty of good tacklers, but there isn't a true shutdown corner. Donovan Warren had 52 tackles and an interception last year. He will be joined on the other side by Boubacar Cissoko. Cissiko is a bit undersized at 5'9", but we lack a big receiver to take advantage of that.

Michigan Special Teams:

I love the guys over at Maize N' Brew. Not only was I able to meet Dave after last season's Purdue game, they have developed a cult following around Michigan's punter. Zoltan Mesko, whom I would call Destroyer of Worlds with a name like that, has been dubbed the Space Emperor by the staff at Maize N' Brew. It may be because he had so much practice due to Michigan's awful offense, but Mesko may be the nation's best punter at 43 yards per boot. He pinned opponents inside the 20 24 times last year and opponents only averaged 7.9 yards per return.

Odoms will likely handle punt return duties, but his best day by far was against us. He and Cissoko will likely handle kick return duties as Michigan averaged 21.4 yards per return there.

Michigan must find a new placekicker this season after the departure of K.C. Lopata. Bryan Wright, who was a kickoff specialist last season, and freshman Brendan Gibbons will battle for that job.

Intangibles:

On paper I have a hard time seeing how Michigan is going to be much better than last year. The only guaranteed wins are Eastern Michigan and Delaware State. Still, this game is at Michigan. Their dominance of us is perplexing because there have been many different factors, but the result has always been the same. They blow us out nearly every time. If this game were at Purdue, where I have been personal witness to three of our all-time 13 wins against them (all since 1996), I would give us a major advantage. If they were winless and we were undefeated I would still pick Michigan by two touchdowns because of our baffling inability to play good football up there.

Game Outlook:

I expect this to unfold like every other Purdue Michigan game in Ann Arbor since 1966. The Wolverines will dominate in the running game. Brandon Minor will have a he day by running for close to 200 yards and a couple scores. No matter how well we are playing, we will have stupid turnovers and be unable to capitalize on the few mistakes that Michigan makes.

It doesn't have to be this way, either. This is absolutely a game we should, on paper, be able to win easily. Tate Forcier is at least a year away from running that offense with precision. The Michigan defense looks to be extremely vulnerable against the run. All we should have to do is run the ball, make a few pass completions, and stop them from running the ball. We should have a better chance at winning here than we do at Minnesota or Wisconsin, but because of our history in Ann Arbor I fully expect to get rolled.

Prediction:

If it doesn't happen this year, I doubt it will ever happen. We have got to break our long drought at Michigan Stadium. If Toledo and Appalachian State can do it, why can't we? It is because we are Purdue, and we leave all football playing ability at the Ann Arbor city limit. Michigan 24, Purdue 6

McGuffie Back in the Fold?

Beauford — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:22:00 -0000

Some news, updates, etc. on the PANIC OMG PANIC moment of the week, via Scout($) and ESPN:

Wide Receiver Zion Babb was kicked off the team for violating rules. This is not a transfer, it's a dismissal. I can't find the exact rules that were violated, but suffice to say he is no longer with the team.

Sam McGuffie is EXPECTED TO PLAY this Saturday against Ohio State after attending a funeral in Texas. I fully expect him to be staring ice-daggers from his helmet at anyone who so much as talks to him this weekend, friend or foe. Welcome back, Sam. We'd all love to get ice-daggered for the next 3 years if you don't mind.
Now go kick some Ohio State ass.

Steve Schilling, arguably the most talented and certainly most experienced offensive linemen has injured his knee and is questionable for Ohio State. More Arg.

Steven Threet is practicing, but in a backup roll to Nick Sheridan who continues to get the first team snaps. I also expect to see Feagin in an expanded roll because, really, what do we have to lose?

Finally, defensive tackle Jason Kates has left the team voluntarily after not playing much this year. With Mike Martin expirimenting with various levels of awesome this year as a true freshman, and with a whole slew of very talented DT's coming in next year's recruiting class, the transfer is probably not unexpected. I wish Kates the best as he continues to pursue life, wherever it takes him.

Also of note, Orson Swindle of EDSBS had a dream last night that Michigan beat Ohio State. Why is this of note? Because of this statement:

Remember, though: someone’s getting their head kicked in on Saturday. It’s probably [Michigan], but sometimes, people are wrong about those foot-to-head roles.

Keep. Hope. Alive.

Keep. Hope. Alive. Indeed.

Celebratory Brews, Wags of the Finger, and All Things Inbetween: Elavuating Michigan Football's Performance Against Wisconsin

Maize n Brew Dave — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:51:42 -0000

Sure, it's Wednesday, time to move on. But there are still things to discuss. Like what we can take away from the game and the things we need to work on. With that in mind I dish out a few Celebratory Brews and a couple of Wags of my finger!

Celebratory Brews:

The Defense: There aren't enough superlatives to do justice to the job they did on Saturday. Aside from a few missed tackles (more on that later), one of the best defensive performances the Big House has seen in quite some time. Taylor, Johnson and Max Martin get massive props for Standing up Wisconsin's massive line, and winning. Also, while Taylor and Johnson were great, I hope everyone is paying attention to just how good Mike Martin has been (as opposed to Max Martin, who's name I erroneously used before). And he's a freshman. But a freshman who shed a double block on the failed two point conversion to smash Evridge as he threw on the game's final, and most important play. If he continues to play like this we're going to be memorializing his name in song very shortly.

Halftime Adjustments: Until this year I'd only heard of them. When the coaching staff realized the horizontal game plan wasn't working, they changed it. I back sets. Some traditional power game. The deep ball. The offensive coaching staff should be commended for an excellent second half.

Jonas Mouton: Just an outstanding game by the young linebacker. Mouton was all over the field from my vantage point; in a good way. He seems like a hybrid DE/LB in the Shawn Crable mold, except without the constant penalties that make you want to break things. Mouton routinely shed his blockers to make a play, blitzed his way into Evridge's helmet, and took down backs in space when he was the only thing between them and 30 yards. That added up to 8 tackles, a sack, and a boatload of props. Monster game.

Brandon Graham: Defensive POW in the Big Ten. I still maintain my prediction that he's going to break someone in half by midseason. He saved the game sacking Evridge at the six. Leads the Big Ten in TFL.

Brandon Harrison: Quickly becoming my favorite player on the 2008 squad. I've never seen someone his size hit like that. Cus D'amato once said of Mike Tyson, "He hits with bad intentions." So does Harrison. Harrison laid a hit on PJ Hill halfway through the second quarter that made my teeth rattle, and it should be noted that Hill sat out the rest of that series. Harrison also lit up Wisconsin's receivers whenever they touched the ball. At five foot nothin' he plays like the biggest guy in the defensive backfield.

All your conciousness are belong to Brandon Harrison. via mikedesimone.com

Donovan Warren: Served notice that the left side of the field is his, and his alone. Throw there at your peril. Best corner in the Big Ten at this point in the season. Warren also showed he can play some run defense, as he took down a handful of stretches to his side and made a touchdown saving tackle on Clay when he busted contain in the second.

Minor/McGuffie/Grady/Brown: All of them chipped in something big. Minor busted the "holy crap we can win this" run. Grady gave us hope with the "this is our season" 4&1 conversion. Brown gave Threet his first passing first down and seemed to settle Threet with that effort. McGuffie capped the comeback with a ballsy, 3& goal cut to the endzone. Sure some longer runs would've been nice, but these guys provided consistent effort and great pass blocking all day. They also provided 14 points.

Steven Threet, Version 2.0: Not to be confused with the Version 1.0 that spent the majority of the first half flailing about the backfield like a trout on dry land. While V2.0 wasn't perfect, he was pretty damn good and showed himself to be an above average college level quarterback on Saturday. He showed some touch, threw a couple of outstanding deep passes, and made the proper decisions at crucial times in the comeback. Plus, that pass to Koger was beautiful. His intermediate, middle of the field passes still need work but the majority of what he showed us from the 30 minute mark onward was outstanding.

The Offensive Line: While this group wasn't terrific during the opening half, they were more than serviceable. The fact Michigan couldn't run the ball had more to do with 9 man fronts more than anything else. Even on the rare occasion someone got to Threet in the backfield, it was usually on a broken play or that infamous late hit. Face it, they controlled the line of scrimage the second half of the game. Threet may have been hit from time to time, but the line didn't give up a sack. Not bad for a bunch guys the media called no-names, back-ups and underachievers at the beginning of the year. Steve Schilling, at least from where I was sitting, looked pretty impressive.

Wags of the Finger:

First Half Offensive Play Calling: When your wife is describing the the play calling as Weis-esque, you know something is wrong. She alos mockingly asked when we hired Bob Davie to run our offense. That may have cut to the bone, but, damn son, I married a good woman. While I will grant you Threet V1.0 was terrible, even that shouldn't have handcuffed the Michigan offense to the extent we saw. Wisconsin was stacking the line, over pursuing, and locking in on the totally obvious screens we were running. A little misdirection, mabye even a single deep ball in the first half would've helped to keep the defense honest. It wasn't pretty.

Throwing to the Shortest Guy on the Field in the Middle of the Zone: I may be in the minority on this, but the continued attempts to get Martavious Odoms the ball on these little run to the hole in the zone pass plays are driving me crazy. Yes, Threet was inaccurate on a majority of those throws, but if there's a linebacker anywhere between Threet and Odoms that's a tough throw. It's also going to be a throw where an extra 6 inches in height and arm span come in handy. If the backer's in there, there's got to be height on the throw, and its got to be a hard throw because otherwise the safety will knock it away or intercept it. We tried it at least four times and got one completion. Two bad passes, one drop, and one completion. Those numbers scream "Don't Ever Use Me Again," at least until Threet proves he can make the throw and Odoms proves he can catch it.

Martavious Odoms: I'll be honest, this is a stretch, but Odoms looked a little lost. He failed to turn around for the ball twice on passes to him. He dropped a ball or two that should've been caught, and looked a little tentative. He's here because of the misunderstandings on the pass plays. We're lucky those didn't get intercepted and run back.

Morgan Trent: Maybe I'm being too harsh, but Trent had a rough day. The fumble on the kick off was just maddening. On the second quarter Clay near-touchdown run, Trent blew the tackle that allowed Clay to scamper an extra 20 yards before Warren pushed him out of bounds. On the game's last touchdown, he got beat, stumbling on his own two feet, on a single move to the middle of the field. Sure Brown had the inside of that play, but Trent's stumble allowed the free release before Brown could get there. In his defense, one of the bright spots was an absolutely wicked hit he put on Jefferson. Even so, I'm sure this is a day #14 would like to have back.

Steven Threet Version 1.0: Horrid. Bad decision making. Bad option release. Bad arm mechanics. Bad throws. I think he'd agree with me on this.

Officiating: These guys were terrible. Failure to review plays that warranted it (Mathews fumble). They missed, at a minimum two blantant Pass interference calls in one series, a dozen obvious holds, and blew at least on call on replay (the completion on UW's final drive).

Hi, I'm Bobo, and I'll be the lead Big Ten Official for your game!

Special Teams: Two more fumbles and an anemic return game. WHY?WHY?WHY?WHY?WHY?WHY?WHY?WHY?

All Things Inbetween:

The Linebackers: Great game from Ezi and Thompson. Under normal circumstances they'd be at the top of the Celebratory Brews list, but I ran out of space. One thing that deserves special note is Thompson's individual effort to string out a stretch play while being blocked by a fullback and tackle, and still make the stop during UW's second possession of the Second half. He was the only thing between UW and a big gain, and he made things happen. Quietly, these guys played great.

The Booing: Meh. Everyone's chimed in on this. Brian hates it. Varsity Blue's annoyed. M Victors didn't like. Maize and Blue Nation had an anurysm over it. On the other hand, Michigan Sports Center and I have owned up to being among those who voiced their displeasure. To each their own. In hindsight I wish I'd kept my emotions a little better in check and not done it, but I don't blame people who did. That was the worst played half of football Michigan's ever played in the Big House, and to paraphrase Chris Rock, "I'm not saying you should've done it, but I understand."

Block M in the Student Section: Wooooooo!

via mvictors.com

Kevin Koger: Welcome to the show kid. From the looks of things Koger will be Michigan's starting tight end for the foreseeable future. Mike Massey tries, God bless him, but unfortunately isn't as good as the effort he puts forth. Carson Butler, much to my reget, can't stay out of anyone's doghouse and was benched for the game, despite suiting up. Blocking wise Butler is probably the best tightend on the team and he certainly adds an offensive deminision you love, but if Koger can get open like he did Saturday Butler's playing time may go out the window until he proves he can stay out of trouble and in the good graces of his coach.

Greg Mathews: Good and bad day for #13. Bad fumble on his punt return. Great and crucial catches throughout the second half.

Stevie Brown and Charles Stewart: Good game boys. Keep it up.

Five Minutes of Perfection Prove To Be Enough for Michigan Football in Win Over Miami (Ohio)

Maize n Brew Dave — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:00:07 -0000

For five minutes on Saturday I was in heaven. I know I was. Clear as day, there it was. Michigan’s new offense was humming along like a choir of angels right before they break into song. Playfully kidding around, as if what they were doing was effortless and just for fun.

Photo Courtesy John T. Greilick / The Detroit News, via multimedia.detnews.com

Freshman quarterback Steven Threet ran the spread to perfection during those first five minutes. Ball fakes, deft runs, even they occasional shake and bake for an extra yard. Martavious Odoms frittered down the field like the little water bug we’d heard he was all summer. Sam McGuffie was our main tailback and ran like he was on air. Then finally, a beautiful ball fake and zone read by Threet turned into a 12 yard touchdown prance, as he walked into the endzone untouched for Michigan’s opening score on its opening possession. I cheered, happy, almost giddy that the spread we’d been promised had finally arrived. Even if it was a week late, I didn’t care. It was marvelous. It was also 7-0 Michigan, en route to a 16-6 win over the Miami of Ohio Redhawks.

If only Michigan could live the rest of the season in those opening five minutes.

From that point on it was a frustrating afternoon. Whether it was Threet overthrowing receivers, a confusing game plan from the coaches, or Sheridan doing his best tree imitation, nothing seemed to work. Easy passes were overthrown or under thrown. Michigan running backs alternated 15 yard sprints with getting dropped at the line of scrimmage or 4 yards deep in their backfield. Any forward pass designed to go farther than 5 yards was banished from the playbook after Threet and Sheridan showed no ability to complete them. The offensive line was performing passably, but took a huge hit when starting left tackle Mark Ortmann left the game with an injured right arm and was replaced by a former walkon.

Even on defense things were spotty. This may be a strange thing to say when the defense limits a team to 252 yards and less than 50 rushing yards, but there were holes evident in the linebacking corps and safety positions. On more than one occasion the linebackers were sucked up into the line of scrimmage for no reason, leaving the corners of the line exposed for first down runs. At the safety position, while I thought Brandon Harrison was one of Michigan’s best players on Saturday, Stevie Brown had his second straight shaky game. Brown repeatedly found himself trailing receivers that were his responsibility only to be bailed out only by an overthrow or the receiver bobbling a sure catch.

It was as if those opening five minutes were there just to taunt us. Despite the promise of those fleeting moments nothing went the way it was supposed to afterwards. Threet was supposed to claim the starting quarterback slot as his own. The linebackers were supposed show continued improvement. The Defensive line was supposed to get continuous pressure. The receivers were supposed to actually catch a ball. The play book was supposed include more than four plays. But all those things didn’t happen.

Despite that, Michigan won. And they produced a win that had some benefits. Michigan showed everyone it is capable of running the ball even though it can’t throw it. Sam McGuffie showed he is, in fact, the real deal rushing for 74 yards on 17 carries. Michael Shaw wowed everyone with two electric runs for 45 yards before leaving with a groin injury. Brandon Minor reappeared from his fumble induced seclusion to fight for one of the best 15 yard touchdown runs you’ll ever see. Maybe even more importantly, the guy that made Minor's touchdown dive possible with a crushing block was... Carson Butler!?

Yes, that is Carson Butler crushing some fool.
Photo via Kirthmon F. Dozier cmsimg.freep.com

Further, Steven Threet showed his feet are not made out of cement or tar. Steve Schilling had, at least on my recollection, an excellent day and was the focus of the Michigan running game. Brandon Harrison broke up a sure touchdown and had a number of hard, outstanding tackles. Jonas Mouton looked fairly competent at linebacker, despite making a couple of errors in his reads. Donovan Warren continues to be awesome on defense even if he’s fairly useless as a punt returner. On the other hand, Boubacar Cissoko is electrifying with the ball in his hands. I can’t wait to see more of him. So there are positives to take away from Saturday’s game.

However, even with the positives the same questions that followed the Utah game remain to be answered.

Who’s our quarterback? Dunno. Steven Threet appeared to be the best suited quarterback to run the offense, but Rodriguez pulled him toward the end of the first half after Threet’s arm had proven as accurate as a SCUD missile. Even so, it’s not as though Sheridan did anything with his feet or arm that makes anyone think his future is brighter than Threet’s. Even with Threet’s overthrows he managed to avoid putting the Michigan defense on a short field with interceptions or stupid forced throws. More importantly for Rodriguez’ system, Threet looked substantially more mobile than Sheridan has at any point under center. 5 carries for 26 yards isn’t bad. And when you consider the difference in arm strength and potential in the passing game, 5.2 yards per carry out of a quarterback is more than adequate out of a guy like Threet.

Why are we still playing zone against experienced teams and shouldn’t there be a few more blitzes? Your guess is as good as mine. For some reason Shafer likes his DBs 10 yards off the receivers. Maybe he thinks it takes the pressure off his linebackers to react to things they’re not ready to manage. I don’t know. When Michigan brought its linebackers to the line, it left the corners of the line wide open, so perhaps he wanted to limit the ground game, but that is just a guess. Michigan got pressure simply overloaded the Miami line. But when the D Line went mono-y-mono with Miami’s very large line, Miami’s QB had enough time to make a sandwich, as well as air out a couple of bombs against Stevie Brown or Morgan Trent. When faced with more talented receivers, the pressure and the coverage could be problems.

Are we ever going to try a forward pass again? Maybe. Maybe not. Threet had receivers wide open and flat out missed them. At least two of them (an overthrow of Butler on Michigan’s second possession, and a sideline over throw of Hemmingway later on) would have resulted in touchdowns. After Threet’s second sideline overthrow, it was apparent that McGee did not trust his quarterbacks to throw the ball vertically ever again. However, even prior to the three overthrows that banished Threet to the headset, the majority of Michigan’s passes were glorified running plays with the QB throwing a quick 90 degree pass to Odoms or one of Michigan’s other jitterbugs. Until Threet learns not to let his emotions/adrenaline get the best of him, Michigan’s vertical passing game may remain tucked away in the "break glass in the case of 21 point deficit" box.

No matter what the answers are, we’re not going to know them until after Michigan’s matchup with Notre Dame. We’re not going to know whether those 5 minutes of heaven were merely a tantalizing glimpse into what this offense is capable of, or more a freak occurrence more akin to a lightning strike than competency.

Never the less, for five minutes on Saturday, Michigan was beautiful, competent, effective. And those five minutes will have to carry us until Michigan gets off the bus in South Bend this Saturday.

Poll

Who was Michigan's best player on Saturday against Miami (Ohio)?

Sam McGuffie

124 votes

Michael Shaw

26 votes

Brandon Harrison

15 votes

Jonas Mouton

5 votes

Terrance Taylor

6 votes

Will Johnson

8 votes

Tim Jamison

12 votes

Brandon Graham

11 votes

Brandon Minor

9 votes

Martavious Odoms

9 votes

Steven Threet

13 votes

Other

6 votes

244 votes | Poll has closed

Michigan Football Opponent #2: A Maize n Preview of Miami (Ohio)

Maize n Brew Dave — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:09:25 -0000

Due to a number of reasons, the usual Maize n Preview failed to make its appearance for the Utah game. I personally take the blame for the loss. I simply did not know my power. A mistake I will not duplicate.

Maize n Preview! A Misinformed 2008 Preview of Miami (Ohio) at The University of Michigan

University: Miami University
Location: Oxford, OH
Founded: 1809
All Time Football Record: 648-374-44
Team Name: Red Hawks
Conference: MAC
Number of National Championships: 0
Number of MAC Championships: 21
Last League Championship: 2003
First Season of Football: 1881 (0-1)
Last Season: 2007 (6-7)
Head Coach: Shane Montgomery
Stadium: Fred C. Yager (30,012)

via perfectperspectivesaerial.com

Fine Miami Blogs: Miami Hawk Talk

A (Very) Little Insight Into The Miami Redhawks

Since the departure for Indiana of the now deceased Terry Hoeppner (R.I.P) in 2004, Miami’s been through a rough ride. 2005 saw a 7-5 season which was followed by a 2-10 disaster in 2006. But last year saw Miami reach the MAC championship game, and this year Miami returns 17 starters and looks to be one of the best teams in the MAC.

Coaching

Shane Montgomery ran Terry Hoeppner’s offense from ‘01-’04, including the magical 2003 season when the Redhawks put up an obscene 602 points over 14 games (averaging out to 43 points a game)! Their lowest output that season was 3 points versus Iowa then 33 against Bowling Green. The guy can coach offense. To aid him on the defensive side he brought in Jay Hood from basic obscurity as his defensive coordinator. Overall the stats were actually worse than 2006 on defense, but Miami led the MAC in scoring defense, sacks, yards per carry, yards per catch, and was second in total yards per game. Once he got his feet wet and hit the conference schedule, Hood turned out to be a decent coordinator. At least that’s what his stats say. Hood plays an aggressive defense that stacks the line and leaves a lot of man coverage available.

Miami's Offense

Numbers wise, this should be a relatively good Miami offense. While last year wasn’t pretty, the Redhawks offense put up enough points to win six games before falling in the MAC championship. This year the Redhawks have the advantage of 3 returning starters on the line and its two new starters played in 11 and 12 games, respectively last year. It’s a upperclassmen laden bunch with the only youngster being Bob Gulley, who oh-by-the-way started 3 games last year and played in all 12.

On the wings the Redhawks sport some decent receivers, though none of them are considered burners. Even so, the fastest and most dangerous of the group is Dustin Woods, a 5’11 junior who led the team in receiving yards and was second in receptions despite missing time due to injury. The other two options are Eugene Harris and Armand Robinson, both of whom hauled in 35+ passes last year. Miami likes to put a slew of receivers on the field and spread out the defense in their own little modified spread offense. Tight end Tom Crabtree is an option, but not one Miami looks too that often.

The big questions are at running back and quarterback. Daniel Raudabaugh remains the starter for Miami despite throwing three picks against Vandy. He’s tall, lanky, and slow. Hey. Wait a second. Shouldn’t he be starting for us? (I keed, I keed). Last year Raudabaugh passed for almost 2500 yards and rushed for an amazing 27 net yards. Didn’t help that he got popped for at least 22 sacks last year. He’s adequate, but throwing into Michigan’s secondary will probably be just as treacherous as throwing into Vandy’s. And if he’s anything like the 19 for 41 performance he had against Vandy, I get the feeling he could get the hook early. If he goes down, or gets yanked, another statute takes his place.

Even though there are no major injuries at any position on the offense, the Miami running game hasn’t come around. Miami lost its two top rushers to graduation and this has forced sophomore Tom Merriweather into the starting position. Merriweather only touched the ball 10 times against Vandy, but still managed a 5.9 a carry average. He’s got a little bit of speed, but won’t make you turn your head in awe. Merriweather should have a decent year in conference, but will probably fair about the same or a little bit worse against Michigan’s run defense.

Miami's Defense

Despite the heathly number of yards surrendered to an appently legit Vandy team, defense will be this year's calling card for Miami. The RedHawks possess a veteran and substantial defensive line, arguably the best linebacking corps in the MAC, and a good secondary. This group is going to make it difficult on Michigan's young offense.

The Miami defensive line returns three starters, and most critically for this game, mamoth 330 pound DT Martin Channels. If he plays anything like Utah's DT, Michigan's run game is in trouble, I just have visions of David Molk being picked up a thrown into the stands by this guy. While he's no superstar in the making, he's competent as are the rest of his line mates. The Miami D line held MAC foes to the lowest YPC in conference, and returns most of its 2 deep. Miami also has the ability to bring some pressure off the wings with two returning starters in Joe Coniglio (6.5 sacks) and Travis Craven (3.5 sacks). Sure they had trouble containing Nickson in the Vandy game, but so have a lot of teams. A less mobile target in Threet will make them look a lot more competent. They're big enough and veteran enoug to get some penetration, so control of the line of scrimage is not a definite in Michigan's favor.

The linebacking corps is pretty damn good. Two of their starters notched more than 100 tackles including Clayton Mullins's good-holy-god-are-you-kidding-me 144 tackles. Usually you're going to see numbers like this when a team's offense isn't very good, and Miami in 2007 was no exception. But still. Jeebus. That's a lot of tackles. Another reason for the high numbers is the style of Miami's D. The linebackers play close to the line and are very adept a flowing to the gaps. While they're not athletic freaks of nature like Crable was, they are effective and worth watching. One thing worth noting is the linebackers are all big dudes. As a result, though they're not slow, they're not fast or quick either. They have trouble keeping up with speedier Tight Ends and if they get out of their lanes or have to get to a corner quickly, it just ain't going to happen.

Miami's secondary is veteran as well and no stranger to man coverage. because the defense generally and agrressively plays the line of scrimage, the Redhawk's corners tend to find themselves on an island often. And to their credit they are usually up to the challenge. Where they tend to get beat is against burners and taller receivers. They're not to good at the whole PBU thing either. Corner Jeff thompson had 3 picks last year but really isn't a shutdown corner, even though that's what he has to be in this defense. The quality drops off considerably after him, even though the top three corners return. The safeties are good, but more along the lines of additional linebackers and run supporters than ball hawkers. One thing that's also apparent is the secondary's difficulty with containing shifty runners, as Nickson who's got some move's but ain't Pat White bounced around for 166. It's hard to get a read on how this group will fare against Michigan simply because there's not enough data this season. Nickson only threw 16 passes, completing 9 of them for 91 yards. How thesecondary will match up on Saturday is somewhat of a crap shoot but one that seems to favor Michigan.

Miami Special Teams

They exist. Just barely. Place kicker Nate Parseghian was 13 for 20 last year. Not a particularly strong or accurate leg. Why, God, couldn't he have played for Utah? Punting? Jacob Richardson's got a decent leg, but doesn't strike fear into the masses they way the Zoltan does (from his space throne, of course).

Predictions

After re-watching the Utah game and going through Brian's UFR, I am less convinced today than I was on Tuesday that the line will be sufficient to keep Michigan afloat this year. One of the main reasons is the interior of the offensive line. Some of the push Utah got was downright scary. What also makes me a tad nervous is the fact Miami ran up almost as many yards as Vandy did (340 to 360) and managed as many first downs. Just like Utah, Miami's primary means of moving the football was through the air (244 yards in the air). If the Redhawks don't toss three interceptions or waste their downs recovering their own footballs, it might have been a different game.

That said, Michigan should wins this game by two touchdowns. Quarterback play makes or breaks a football team (see: Carolina, South). What's important to realize is Michigan's pass defense is far better than Vanderbilt's (first half against Utah be damned), and Utah's offensive line and running backs aren't nearly as good as Utah's either. So defensively, Michigan has a tremendous edge over Miami's skill position players on offense, and frankly a big advantage on the line.

When Michigan's offense is on the field, I have to admit I'm nervous about the running game. The interior line was adequate from time to time, but there were some glaring problems with maintaining the interior of the line during running plays. And honestly its not like Ortmann or Schilling set the world on fire either. Michigan has to get a better push or the running game isn't going anywhere.

What will help this, surprisingly, is the retun of Kevin Grady. A skull crunching fullback was one of the more practical and entertaining elements of Rodriguez' offense in West Virginia. Grady possesses both the size and the speed to be a big factor in Michigan's running game. While I'm sure he'll be used to kill incoming linebackers, an up the gut hand off or two is certainly in the play book this weekend. Grady's presence should help provide some blocking and easy some of the pressure the line is facing.

Strangely, I feel pretty good about the passing game this week. Even though Michigan is missing its traditional Gazel bounding down the sidelines toward the endzone, Michigan's receivers are better than Miami's corners and safeties. Look for Rodriguez to spread the catches around and get Threet and/or Sheridan some easy throws early to settle them down. Threet is slated to start. If he struggles, on comes Sheridan. But if Threet remains master of his domain, I think rodriguez has to let him complete the game simply for the experience with a rested Notre Dame team waiting a week away.

I think Threet grabs the QB position by the throat this week and doesn't let go. Grady and Brandon Minor get on Track. Junior Hemmingway pulls in another sweet TD and Toney Clemons emerges. The defense breaks someone in half, then doles out pieces of a beaten an broken Raudabaugh to fans as party favors.

Michigan wins 31 - 13.

Poll

Who will make the biggest impact for Michigan against Miami?

Obi Ezeh - LB

19 votes

Steven Threet - QB

25 votes

Terrance Taylor - DT

8 votes

Kevin Grady - RB

11 votes

Brandon Minor - RB

6 votes

Junior Hemmingway - WR

4 votes

Sam McGuffie - RB

26 votes

Morgan Trent/Donovan Warren - DBs

7 votes

Other

2 votes

108 votes | Poll has closed