SB Nation User Blog: Maize n Brew Dave

At Least It Was a Nice Day: Michigan Football Gacks Up Another Loss to Purdue

Maize n Brew Dave — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:15:40 -0000

Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez shouts words ~~of encouragement~~ to his players . (AP Photo/Tony Ding)

November is an odd month. Some years it is the most miserable 30 days on the calendar. Others, you think it was June and summer was around the corner. This year seems to be a combination of the two, and Saturday provided us with one of the most beautiful November days I've seen in Ann Arbor since I first set foot on campus in 1994.

Unfortunately, the weather was the only thing I could compliment on Saturday.

Despite a 14 point halftime lead, Michigan allowed 21 unanswered points to Purdue en route to a heartbreaking 38-36 loss. Well, "heartbreaking" probably isn't the proper word. "Maddening" is. Despite throttling the Boilermakers in the first half, the Wolverines allowed poor play and decision making to cost them a game they should've won. There's little more to it than that.

We can go into great detail about the colossal pooch screwing that occurred when Michigan fumbled at its own 19 yard line. Or about the 91 yard drive immediately following Michigan's follow up score. Or the blown onsides kick. Or the inexcusable screw up that allowed a 54 yard touchdown on a play action pass.

GaaaaaaaaaaaH!

(more after the jump)

I'm done with dissecting this stuff because it doesn't serve any purpose. The harsh reality that has been deposited at our doorstep these past five weeks is that this team is not very good. Specifically, this defense (with the notable exceptions of the Defensive linemen) is god-awful horrible. I will not mince words on this. After three defensive coordinators in three years, the same fundamental mistakes keep popping up. Tackling. Basic positioning. Coverage responsibilities in man-coverage (yes that's redundant, but that's the point). I'm tired of blaming coaches for the mistakes on the defensive side of the ball. We've done that twice already and nothing has changed. Our linebackers are just as bad in 2009 as the were in 2007. Sean Crable and Jonas Mouton are basically the same player, and make the exact same mistakes. We have no middle linebacker to speak of. Our safeties are perennially a target of 50+ yard completions and missed tackles.

At a certain point, the players must be held accountable for their performance on the field. And at a certain point, we as fans and supporters must realize that some their deficiencies may not be curable. Michigan's recruiting at two vital defensive positions (safety and linebacker) has been nothing sort of abysmal for the better part of five years. We have two converted safeties and a fullback as our starters. Or two walkons. We need to acknowledge that you're not going to play for a Big Ten title if that's what you're rolling out at the defense's most important position. Since Jamar Adams left, safety has been a barren wasteland. It's so bad that we're starting another walk on, and he's better than the four star recruits we thought we had.

The bottom line is this team will not improve until its defensive recruiting does. Michigan doesn't just need athletes, it needs smart ones. It needs players that can execute at game time. Players that tackle well in games as well as in practice. Other than the defensive line, those players are few and far between on our roster.

Now before you torch Rodriguez for not recruiting better players, please keep in mind that the 2007-2008 recruiting class was 90% Lloyd Carr's. Rodriguez came in with approximately 3 months to hold onto Carr's last class and add on top of it. And he did. We've had one full Rodriguez class hit campus, the 2009 class, and it's pretty good. If you look at our deficiencies, we're not going to have new kids ready to step in until at least next year. Our biggest defensive holes are holes that should have performing upperclassmen from Carr's tenure, but don't. With the exception of Kovacs, Warren, Woolfolk and Williams were all Carr recruits. Ezeh, Mouton, and Brown signed under Carr and English.

Honestly, I'm starting to think I owe Scott Shafer an apology.

We all got fooled by a 4-0 start. We were fooled by a close loss to Iowa and a blow out of a D1-AA team. But we've seen the real team the last few weeks. A team capable of putting up 36 points and just as capable of giving up 40. But that's what this team is. This is not a 8-3, 8-4 go to a crappy bowl game and be pissed that we lost a game we shouldn't have team. It's not even close. This is not, repeat not, a talented defensive team. And until that changes, Michigan's Saturday fortunes won't.

Still. Saturday could've been worse. A year ago I sat through a miserable downpour in 28 degree weather to watch Michigan lose to a Northwestern team they probably could've beaten. But Saturday wasn't like that.

Saturday was sunny.

A Little Reality in an Otherwise Interesting Season for Michigan Football

Maize n Brew Dave — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:05:06 -0000

More photos » by TONY DING - AP

15 days ago: FILE -- This is a Sept. 19, 2009, file photo showing Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier (5) embracing offensive lineman David Molk (50) after an NCAA college football game against Eastern Michigan, in Ann Arbor, Mich. Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez says center David Molk is out for the season after tearing a ligament in his right knee against Penn State. (AP Photo/Tony Ding, File)

Browse more photos »

For all the grinding and gnashing of teeth I've read and heard since Saturday, you'd think the rapture had occurred. It seems as though the rest of the Big Ten was taken in a divine light, leaving only Michigan to contend with the SEC and other evils left on this world.

Not so much. Saturday sucked. But the reality is Saturday's Michigan loss to Penn State was not unlike other games or years we've seen as Michigan fans. Michigan got thumped by a better team. Penn State's defense was far better than we were willing to give it credit for, and their Defensive Tackles and Linebackers ate our average offensive line for lunch. Darryl Clark was a far better passer and game manager against Michigan than I, personally, gave him credit for. Michigan also shot itself in the foot with drops, stupid penalties, drops, a safety inducing bad snap and more drops.

It was ugly. But we've seen just as bad or worse.

If you're looking for a parallel, don't look at 2008. That's not a particularly apt analogy. Look at Game 2 of 2007. Yes. The season we'd all like to forget. The Oregon game. If you're looking for a game where Michigan came out of the tunnel gamely, put seven points on the board, then collapsed like a New Orleans levy against stiff breeze, that's the one. Saturday's Penn State game wasn't even close to that. Oregon dominated every last aspect of that game in a manner that completely eclipsed the loss to Penn State.

Even worse. Look at the Iowa game in 2002, when Michigan lost 34-9. I have no clue how we got 9 points. None. They should've deducted points from Michigan's score. Then there was the 2007 Ohio State game. Or, look back to Donovan McNabb steamrolling the Wolverine defense in 1999. Even a moment's reflection reveals this sort of thing has happened before. It's happened to good teams as well as bad ones. So please, let's not act like Michigan never lost a game in poor fashion before Rodriguez showed up on the sidelines.

The sad reality is that this isn't a very good football team. Sure there are some exciting players. Sure there is talent. But this is the same team that went 3-9 last year, only it's a year older and starting sometimes two freshmen quarterbacks. The same defensive and offensive liabilities still exist. The difference is, this year, we're beating teams we're supposed to beat. We're just not ready to beat teams we shouldn't.

Going into the Michigan State game I was genuinely afraid that people would look past this team's obvious deficiencies, and work themselves into a delusional frenzy. Check. We played marginally against Iowa, and came within two points of beating the Hawkeyes before blowing the doors off cupcake Delaware State leading up to the Penn State game.

Woo. We're 5-2 with wins against crappy competition! Let's go crazy! Woo! Seriously. Look at who we've beaten. Western Michigan. Eastern Michigan. Indiana. Delaware State. Out best win is against a highly over rated Notre Dame squad that should've lost to Washington, Boston College, and Michigan State. Woo! World Beaters! We deserved to lose both prior games. The only reason Michigan remained in either the Michigan State or Iowa games was because both teams let Michigan stick around and seemed determined to give the game away for no good reason.

Penn State didn't. Penn State played like a good team. And good teams beat mediocre ones.

And let's be honest. This is a mediocre Michigan team. They're not bad. They'll go to a bowl game. But they're not good enough to play poorly and win. But given how bad things were last year, I'll take it.

What's amazed me the most about this season isn't the progress, it isn't the work they've put in. It's just how short Michigan fans' memories are. Michigan's recruiting and talent level was in a nose dive from 2005 onward. 2007 (minus Jake Long) showed that. While poor game planning didn't help anything, Michigan got whipped on both lines by "inferior" opponents. Look at the linebackers and safeties. The upperclassmen we're supposed to have aren't there. Look at the offensive line, our upperclassmen are adequate at best. Our best players are freshmen and sophomores. When that's the case, you're not going to win a lot of games.

After four wins over bad to mediocre opponents there a portions of the fan base expecting the world. Questioning the play calling. Questioning personnel selection. Insinuating different decisions would've netted wins rather than losses. No. They wouldn't have. And if you think they would've, you're fooling yourself. So stop. Please. Stop. You're giving the rest of us a migraine.

The Penn State game turned when David Molk left in the first quarter. The following series, Michigan fell apart. Molk is the key to this offensive unit because he's the only reliable center we have. More importantly, he's our best offensive linemen and arguably the most important player our offense has. He brings a nastiness and purpose that was sorely missing with his departure. Without him, the line was in disarray and Tatenard spent the rest of the game running for his life.

We're not far enough along where we can over come an injury like that. Frankly, there aren't a lot of teams in D1 football that can. Look at the Oklahoma Sooners. A new offensive and they've already lost more games this year than in the last two combined.

Things are getting better. One game doesn't change that. Michigan is still much better than last year. We're 5-3. We're better playing much better than last year. Saturday was both an aberation and an expected outcome. The Penn State defense that dominated the Michigan offensive line and a linebacking crew that confused the hell out of two freshmen. Being freshmen caught up to Tate and Denard over the last four games. That said, I think you'll see a tremendous step forward as the season goes on. We got beat by a game plan that actually executed itself to exploit our weaknesses. It happens.

But ask yourself if you would've taken 5-3 at this point before the season began. You bet your ass you would've. And the fact is this team is getting better, even if it didn't play like it on Saturday. Better days are ahead.

You've just got to be patient.

Michigan Penn State Question and Answer with Black Shoe Diaries

Maize n Brew Dave — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:12:06 -0000

We're two days away from the Michigan Penn State Game, and dammit, we're excited here at Maize n Brew. In the interest of gaining as much inside information as possible, we tracked down Mike from Black Shoe Diaries at his bunker in northern Siberia and forced him to answer some questions. Well. Not really. Mike tracked me down and roused me from my two week slumber and forced me to talk about Michigan. He also had me sign all sorts of papers, including something in hindsight I'm certain was a power of attorney. I'll deal with that later...

Mike's posted my answers over at Black Shoe Diaries for the Penn State crazies to pick apart. So now's my turn. Here's all you intel on Penn State.

On to the Questioning!!

Maize n Brew Dave: Injuries are going to play a big part in this game. Is Sean Lee actually going to play on Saturday? Who else is banged up for Penn State and who, if anyone, is out for the game?

Black Shoe Diaries: The word is that Sean Lee is going to play. Last week against Minnesota he saw the field for about 15 snaps before he felt a "twinge" in his knee and they shut him down. On Monday he said the knee is sore, but he's practicing this week so that's a good sign.

Stephfon Green is most likely out with an ankle injury. So there will be no repeat of last year's 80 yard screen pass. This probably means more carries for Evan Royster in the game. Penn State likes to limit him to about 15 touches, but now he'll probably get over 20. Durability has been an issue with him in the past, but he has held up pretty good this year.

My big concern is at right tackle where Penn State is basically down to the ham sandwich. DeOn'tae "Insert Random Punctuation and Capitalization Wherever You Want" Pannell and Nerraw McCormack are both trying to recover from ankle injuries. Last week Penn State had to start junior college transfer Ako Poti in their place. I'm sure Poti was just thrilled to see Evan Royster getting Brandon Graham fired up in the media this week.

MnB Dave: How good a feel do you have for this year's Nittany Lion Squad? We all knew there'd be turnover this year, but I've seen so many different things out of PSU (good and bad) that I really don't know how to gauge them. At 6-1, Penn State has only one marquee game on the resume and that was a loss at home. Minnesota and Temple are arguably your best wins (both at 4-2). Are you satisfied that you know what to expect game in, game out from this squad?

BSD: So far the season has pretty much gone like I expected. I knew there were going to be games where the offensive line didn't look so good. That's just part of replacing four starters. I was hoping they would use this soft schedule in the beginning of the year to come together, and for the most part they have done that. They're playing well now and Evan Royster has averaged 112 yards his last three games. He only managed 102 yards against Akron and Syracuse combined.

I did not expect the receivers and secondary to perform as well as they have. Derek Moye has been a pleasant surprise. He's fifth in the conference in receiving yardage and he has become Daryll Clark's favorite target. The secondary is leading the conference in pass defense and held Eric Decker to just one catch last week. D'Anton Lynn and Stephon Morris have played really well at cornerback which was the position I most worried about on this team before the season.

Penn State has used the soft schedule to play themselves into a good team, but unfortunately they weren't ready in time to play Iowa.

MnB Dave: I have to do this. Why do Penn State fans call one win a "streak"?

BSD: I agree with you. That's ridiculous. That's why I prefer to call it 761 days since Michigan last beat Penn State.

(more questioning after the jump....)

MnB Dave: As much as I fear Royster, Clark seems to consistently be the PSU player most responsible for Penn State's wins and losses. Whether this premise is right or wrong, give us a brief look at Clark's positives and negatives. Where does he excel and where does he come up short?

BSD: First and foremost, I love Clark's leadership. The team really responds to him and believes in him. It's completely evident in their play. He's tough. He'll lower his shoulder and fight for that extra yard, or he'll run down field and throw a block if the play comes back his way. Players love that in their quarterback. On top of that, he's just a good quarterback. His mechanics are sound and for the most part he makes the right decisions.

But he does have some flaws. He's a really emotional player. In big games he tends to come out a little too amped up and he'll overthrow some guys until he gets settled down. And sometimes he will have a mental breakdown if you can get him frustrated. Teams that can get pressure on him can force him into making some unadvised throws. Iowa did this very well as did USC and Ohio State last year. The manual for defensing Daryll Clark should say "GET TO THE QUARTERBACK" in big bold letters at the top.

MnB Dave: What game this season is most representative of this PSU team, good and bad? Why?

BSD: That's a tough question to answer because this team is so different than they were at the beginning of the season. They're playing much more like a unit than they did against Akron and Syracuse. But at the same time, their best games have come against Illinois and Minnesota...not exactly World beaters, so I'm a bit hesitant to get too excited. So I'll cop out and answer in cliche. You're only as good as your last game, which happens to be a 20-0 shutout over Minnesota.

MnB Dave: I'm gonna turn the tables on you, what part of the Michigan offense and defense do you think you can take advantage of?

BSD: On offense I think Penn State should be able to pass the ball against the Michigan secondary. Clark is good at spreading the ball around and finding the open man. If Evan Royster can get going in the running game, Penn State could get some big plays off of play action.

On defense, I think Penn State should be able to get to Tate Forcier and pressure him into making some quick decisions. They have a good pass rush, and the linebackers are always active in their blitzing. Penn State has even been mixing in some corner blitzes here and there which is new for a Tom Bradley defense. If they can fluster Forcier, I think the defense can come away with a few turnovers.

MnB Dave: Let's go the other way, what part of the Michigan offense and defense causes you consternation and heart palpitations?

BSD: I'm worried about the Michigan running game. I must admit I did not realize how good they were until I looked at the stats this week. The zone read options are going to test the linebackers and defensive ends. If Sean Lee is healthy, I'm not one bit worried about he and Navorro Bowman defending the edges. But our defensive ends are still pretty green and haven't seen a lot of zone read option offenses. They did a good job against Juice Williams and Illinois, but Michigan is more athletic with their running backs.

And on offense, like I said before, as long as the offensive line keeps Daryll Clark upright and gives him time to throw, they'll be fine. The offense is balanced enough that they can take advantage of whatever the defense is trying to do.

MnB Dave: I've made my prediction, now it's your turn. Make your prediction.

BSD: Well, I have to go with Penn State. On paper they have more talent, more depth, and more experience than Michigan. I feel good about this game, but then I felt good going into Ann Arbor in 2005 and 2007. Something about Maize and Blue makes Joe Paterno pucker up. I think this game will be close, but like I said, I have to go with the good guys. Penn State wins 27-24.

Special thanks to Mike at Black Shoe Diaries for putting this together and for his great answers. I hope his whole team comes down with swine flu prior to the game.

Growing Pains: Michigan Football Falls to Iowa 28-30

Maize n Brew Dave — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:38:23 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Neibergall - AP

about 1 month ago: Iowa's Tony Moeaki (81) runs for a 34-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter of this NCAA college football game against Michigan, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Browse more photos »

When I saw a clearly distraught Denard Robinson collapse onto David Moosman following Michigan's fifth and final turnover Saturday night, my frustration and anger disappeared. I simply couldn't be angry or disappointed anymore. After years of watching Michigan, sometimes emotionlessly, drop close games, I've been programmed to go into a deep funk lasting several days. I'd watch Henne, Brady, Navarre, Henson, or whomever else slowly walk off the field unbuckling their chinstraps with their heads down or stare onto the field in a vacant trace with mouth wide open search for something to say. It was business. It was over. Onward to the next game, meeting, scrimmage, etc. It's over. Move forward.

This was something new to me. I saw a small glimpse of it last week when Tate Forcier threw what in hindsight was not a bad pass to a covered Marataveous Odoms. On the pattern, Odoms shirt was grabbed just as the ball left Forcier's hand, pulling him back and giving MSU's safety a slingshot towards the ball Odoms would normally have caught. When it was over and MSU hand come down with the ball, Tate lied there on the field turf, obviously upset with himself and distraught, until a hand from one of his linemen lifted him up. As if to say "Come on kid, we're with you."

But this week it truly set in. When Denard's final pass ended up in the wrong hands, though his eyes were obscured by the mask he wears everyday in practice and games, I knew they were filled with tears of regret and disappointment. Turning to his left, Robinson looked as though he was looking for a place to bury his head, to find a place for his own misery in that moment. This was new to me. This was not the vacant stare I remembered and the internalization of pain that I so often saw from Michigan's quarterbacks. Robinson was visibly crushed by his mistake. And as the freshman turned to either collapse or stumble off to the sideline, David Moosman was there to hold him up.

In that moment of disappointment, this Michigan team became something more than wins and losses.

Over the past several years Michigan has been a collection of superbly talented individuals that sometimes played as a team. Henne. Hart. Edwards. Manningham. Terrell. Harris. Woodley. All talented young men who stood out and above. This is not that generation of players. No one on this team can transcend the team itself. And no one seems to want to. For all the nonsense this team, coaching staff and individual players have dealt with this season and last, this is the closest I've ever seen a Michigan team. And no amount of second guessing is going to change that.

Look no further than Moosman. David Moosman's playing days at this level, possibly at the next, are numbered. He could have, should have, been mad, angry, or consumed by some emotion other than compassion. This was the second straight week that an interception had ended a Michigan comeback attempt. Michigan had outgained and largely outplayed Iowa to that point without Tate and Denard's turnovers Michigan likely would've emerged victorious. But there wasn't the slightest hint of that coming from Moosman. He picked his quarterback up just like a big brother aiding his younger. He was there for his teammate.

This team is fine. Please. Please. Please. Don't look for reasons to pick it apart. Like it or not this is part of the process. The growing pains we all knew would eventually come. Don't delude yourself into thinking otherwise.

Much has been made of Forcier's benching at the end of the fourth quarter. I'll say this right now: it was the right decision. Forcier was absolutely awful on Saturday night. If you believe he was going to win that game, you're fooling yourself. He wasn't. Hopeless 40 yard chuck after hopeless 40 yard chuck, it was obvious the kid was rattled and totally lost as to what he was supposed to be doing.

I'll say this too, it's natural. It's supposed to happen. No one becomes a savior overnight. Tim Tebow had his growing pains. Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy were both wallopped too. Look at Henne and Brady. These things happen when freshmen start ballgames at quarterback. Occasionally they melt down. This was one of those occasions. When I saw a clearly razed and befuddled Tate Forcier wander back to sidelines after throwing three straight WTF passes from his own endzone, I knew his night was over. Denard Robinson was the right call. He was accurate and athletic leading a critical drive in the final quarter, and frankly was a misread away from doing what Tate had done two games previously. Robinson has done it in high school. Robinson will do it in college. Saturday was simply not his time.

Several months ago, looking at the upcoming season, I wrote the following about the Iowa game:

A win at Michigan State (regardless of our record) and everyone on the Maize n Blue bandwagon will be going out of their mind. We'll overlook all kinds of problems and flaws, because we won, and because of that we'll now expect to beat anyone on our schedule. Conversely, a loss at Michigan State and everyone will expect this to be the big rebound game, despite the fact it's AT Iowa.

Folks, this team isn't there yet. They are not world beaters yet. The scalps on their belt are WMU, EMU, Indiana and a vastly overrated Notre Dame squad. This is not the finished product.

Give it time. When the growing pains subside, you'll understand that this is all part of the process.

Live Podcastin': Black Heart Maize Brews Launches at 7:30PM (CST) Thursday Night

Maize n Brew Dave — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:08:08 -0000

In a world devoid of news, we make our own. After much deliberation and tireless research, Hawkeye State of Black Heart gold Pants and I have decided to launch yet another interwebz podcast. We'll talk Michigan Iowa, the Big Ten Slate, and mock each other's cultural heritage. Should be a good time. We're on TalkShoe tonight at 7:30PM CST. Call in's are welcome, so if you've got praise for me or something nasty to say about Iowa, by all means call in.

Here's the link:

http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=66148&cmd=tc

Phone Number: (724) 444-7444
Call ID: 66148

We have no idea how badly this little trainwreck is going to turn out, so that means nothing but fun for you. Everyone likes watching a trainwreck. So join us at 7:30 for an hour of your life you'll never get back, talking Big Ten football.

Carlos Brown Doubtful For Iowa Michigan Game

Maize n Brew Dave — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:42:49 -0000

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

about 1 month ago: Michigan running back Carlos Brown (23) outruns Indiana cornerback Donnell Jones (10) and safety Austin Thomas (20) for a touchdown during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Browse more photos »

After a series of ongoing reports of Carlos Brown being limited in practice this week, MGoBlog is calling the likelihood of Carlos seeing the field this week "very doubtful."

According to MGo:

A reliable source says [Brown] was concussed in a full-contact drill and he is very doubtful for this weekend.

No word in the papers or the official team site as to whether Brown is actually out or not, but all signs point to no. Ann Arbor.com had this to say about Brown's condition:

Running back Carlos Brown did not practice Wednesday because of an undisclosed injury. He missed part of the Indiana game with what was originally termed "sore knees" and later described as an ankle injury.

So, nothing to verify the concussion possibility yet, but I'm taking Brian at his word on this. I don't think we're going to see Mr. Brown on the field in Iowa City. On the other hand, that does mean a bigger dose of Brandon Minor and Michael Shaw. Rodriguez said that Minor is as close as to 100 percent health as he’s been all season (according to AAdotCom).

"The past few weeks he’s been limited during the weeks," Rodriguez said. "Tuesday practices are our most physical practice and (this week) he went through the whole practice on Tuesday. It’s probably, and again talking to him, it’s the best he’s felt in several weeks."

A healthy Minor should off set the loss of Brown to some degree, though I seriously doubt Brandon is going to be able to make the cuts he could make at the season's start on his gimpy ankle. In Brown's stead, especially in the two back set, Iowa's going to see a lot of speedster Michael Shaw, who's ability seems to mirror Brown's. Including, unfortunately, his penchant for getting injured.

The Game We All Knew Was Coming: Youth Catches Up To Michigan Football in Loss to Michigan State

Maize n Brew Dave — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:02:04 -0000

More photos » by Al Goldis - AP

about 1 month ago: Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier (5) is tackled by Michigan State's Marcus Hyde (11) during overtime of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009, in East Lansing, Mich. Michigan State won 26-20 in overtime. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

Browse more photos »

He's only a freshman.

Funny. We've said that so many times over the last month in so many different intonations that it seems to have twenty different meanings. Tate Forcier is something of a revelation for Michigan fans a year removed from the purgatory of a 3-8 season, but he's only a freshman. He's only a freshman starting behind an offensive line that lost its best starter to a foot injury; a defense that seems to regard yardage against as a Christmas present to the opposition; and a squad teeming with inexperience. He's only a freshman starting his first college away game.

There's no such thing as a good loss. For some programs there are, but not at Michigan. A loss is a loss regardless of how well or how badly you lost. There are, however, losses that tell you something about the state of your team. This was one of them. First and foremost, Saturday's game showed how resilient this year's squad is. Despite being down 14 points with less than 5 minutes to go in the game, this team fought back to tie it in the game's dying seconds. In fact, 160 of Michigan 251 total yards on the afternoon came after the 4:47 mark of the fourth quarter. This team is explosive, mentally tough, and will never quit on a game or each other. That is something to be commended.

We can also take some solace in the fact that Brandon Graham and his defense limited the Spartan's offensive output in regulation to just 20 points, despite receiving no help from its offense. There are many people who say that time of possession is an over hyped and unimportant statistic. I disagree. When your opponent possesses the ball at a 2 to 1 margin, it's going to wear your defense out. Michigan State had the ball for a mind boggling 39 minutes, 46 seconds in regulation. That's 40 minutes of running full out on defense. If you're looking for a partial explanation for our tackling problems late in the contest and overtime, it could simply be exhaustion from being run ragged by MSU's 20 first downs and 417 yards of total offense. Still, like the offense, the defense is resilient. Their bend but don't break policy limited the Spartans to two field goals and two touchdowns on an afternoon where the score probably should've been worse. I can live with that.

What happened on Saturday was just proof of a simple postulate, a team can only live dangerously for so long before it catches up to them. In five games Michigan has been forced to come from behind in the fourth quarter three times. Saturday's game was the second time they'd been forced to make up a double digit deficit to tie or lead in the fourth. We saw shades of what might happen in the Indiana game. Blown assignments. Tate forcing passes. Holes in the offensive line. Giving up chunks and chunks of yardage. These were all issues we were aware of, yet intentionally (as fans) chose to overlook or convince ourselves would be fixed overnight. They weren't, and they are issues that Michigan will continue to battle for the remainder of what is still a promising season.

4-0 start gone 4-1, this is still a staggeringly young team. Our safeties are freshmen and sophomores. Our Defensive line has one upperclassman. All but one receiver is an underclassmen. Our quarterbacks. When you have a lot of inexperience, you're going to see it at some point. Whether it's hitting people rather than tackling them or forcing a pass you shouldn't, it's going to show. And for the second time in two weeks, it did. This time it cost us.

But to hell with that. This team is exciting. Sure we knew we'd drop one eventually, but I'll take the pulse pounding excitement this team generates over the dirge-like march of last season. We finally had to pay the tab for starting all those young faces, and I'm okay with that. Because by paying that bill, and learning the lessons of a loss on the road to an arch rival, these kids learned something valuable. There's a lot more in their tank than they put on the table on Saturday. When Michigan turned it on, Michigan State damn near crumbled. Three and outs. 92 yard touchdown drives. Sacks. 60 yard TD passes. When they wanted to be, they were unstoppable.

Now they must learn from it. Grow up a little bit. We all knew this game was coming. So did they. Now comes the most critical part. Dealing with disappointment and turning that disappointment into something positive. Working harder than ever to correct those mistakes, bad reads, missed tackles, and poor decisions. There's a lot to play for, and at 4-1 Michigan is still a team to be reckoned with whether it is young or not.

We all knew this game was coming, but we also knew something else was right around the corner. The chance to show that Michigan's youth is growing up.

Unit by Unit: Breaking Down Michigan Football's Defense After Its Win Over Indiana

Maize n Brew Dave — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:28:01 -0000

Time for the second part of our Michigan Indiana Unit by Unit breakdown. Each week we take a hard look at the players and the coaches for each particular unit on the team, and bring them in for a pat on the back or a wag of the finger. After we've looked at each position, we'll give you a final wrap on the team's play on Offense and Defense (Special Teams too!). If you're looking for more detail, game bullets are here, the wrap up is here, the boxscore is here, the general AP recap is here, and the Unit by Unit Breakdown of the Offense is here. If you're looking to peruse the Michigan Official photos from the game, check out this. There are the links, so now let's take a good hard look at....

The Defense

He really could be yelling anything. Photo via John T. Greilick Detroit News.com

When anyone gives up 467 yards to Indiana, they should be concerned. When it's a young Michigan team who really needs its Defense to step up and keep a team below 30 points a game, it could be cause for alarm. However, with six trips inside the red zone, Indiana came away with 4 field goals and just one touchdown. On one hand, two of those field goals came on drives that totaled 34 yards. On the other, Indiana maintained drives of 80, 67, 52, and 70 yards and produced two touchdowns and a pair of field goals. Oh. And the defense gave up an 85 yard touchdown run. It was an odd, odd day. Michigan actually looked truly competent for most of the day, but made some horrible mistakes that cost them yardage at inopportune times. Deficiencies in the Secondary and at Linebacker continue to be exposed while the Defensive Line continues to grow and gain strength and depth. On second glance, the game wasn't nearly as bad as I thought, but it still wasn't good. Hopefully this will help to answer some of your questions and maybe allow you to throw out the brick you've stashed by the TV before you chuck it through the tube this Saturday by offering some reassurance that things might actually be okay in the long run

The Defensive Line

via John T. Greilick Detroit News.com

Hands down the best unit on the defense against Indiana. It wasn't even close. Despite getting just a single sack, I thought the line had one of it's stronger games. I was impressed to see the diversity of names up at the line. Brandon Graham, Ryan Van Bergen, Mike Martin, and Craig Roh all started, but Greg Banks, Renaldo Sagesse, and Brandon Herron all saw playing time. Where the defensive line depth was a serious cause for concern going into the season, a quarter of the way through, it's turning out to be one of our deepest units. I can't believe I'm typing that either. What Robinson has done with this unit borders on amazing. They're not world beaters yet, but they're not the gaping hole feared we might find. In fact, they're actually pretty good.

Brandon Graham was in Ben Chappell's face all day long. Usually double teamed, Graham would shed one or both of the blockers to either disrupt the play or make the tackle at or behind the line of scrimmage. He planted Chappell a milisecond after the QB released the ball on several occasions and was generally stout in the running game. There were, however, times that Indiana used his over aggressiveness to their advantage, and ran behind him. Even so, it's hard to find fault in his game. Graham racked up 6 tackles on the day and 1.5 of them of loss, a good number for a safety, let alone a lineman. All of that despite being blatantly held in every game so far. Regardless, he's still getting pressure. When his sacks start to come, they're going to come in bunches.

On the interior, it was a quiet day. Mike Martin, Greg Banks and Renaldo Sagesse all played well, with Martin leading the way. Martin was stout all day, and managed to shed the double teams for the occasional penetration into the backfield. But for the most part, with Indiana running to the corners or throwing on three step drops, his presence was largely in support. I was surprised to see Banks play as much as he has and be as effective in the middle as he has. Sagesse was only in for a handful of downs and didn't do anything to make me notice him. I point this out because Indiana spent the majority of their day running directly behind their left tackle and guard. They didn't seem afraid to run directly at Graham, though they did double him when they went his direction. The point is they avoided Martin like the plague.

(more after the Jump.......)

Ryan Van Bergen on the other hand, well, he had an interesting day. He was tipping passes, dropping into coverage, stuffing the run, missing a crucial assignment (or so he says), then singlehandedly destroying an Indiana drive. RVB is really a jack of all trades for Greg Robinson and his staff. They dropped him into coverage on the goal line successfully. They send him after the QB and he gets a sack at two PBUs. They tell him to stack the line, he ends up with six tackles. RVB was active most of the game, but seemed to disappear in terms of results for long stretches. Then he got mad. He got us the ball.

Outside, Craig Roh (mostly) and Brandon Herron (some) had an okay day. Roh continues to use his speed to get into the opposing backfield, but sometimes overruns or over pursues a tad. In my notes I only mention Roh and Herron twice, however, I know that Roh dropped off into coverage relatively well, and Herron made some nice stops in run support.

Overall, it was a good day from the line, but I am concerned about some of the cavernous holes that opened up on the right side of the defensive front. Indiana cleared a couple of pretty big holes for their backs to run through, so I'm sure there's work to be done. Of course, those holes are supposed to be filled by linebackers so...

The Linebackers

via David Guralnick Detroit News.com

Yeah. Where do I go with this one? Let's be honest, anyone not named Stevie Brown has been a little bit (sometimes a lot) of a disappointment. Over the last four weeks the play of the linebackers has broken down into a couple of steady themes. Ezeh and Mouton are not good in pass coverage. Brown is still a little too small for the position. Ezeh doesn't attack the ball carrier and lets the action come to him. Mouton has horrible angles in pursuit and attack. Apply these tenants to any game this season. They'll explain the linebacker play perfectly.

If there's a caveat, it's this: Stevie Brown never should've been a safety. He should've been a linebacker from day one. Since the first game of the season I think it's safe to say the Brown has been Michigan's best linebacker. He's excellent in pass coverage (never in a million, billion years did I ever think I'd say that). He's aggressive at the point of attack and drives into the guy he's tackling. He's wrapping up his tackles and driving MFers to the dirt. He's fast sideline to sideline. Finally, he's brought some stability to a unit that otherwise would probably be an unmitigated disaster without him. I'll give Robinson credit, Brown's emergence as our best linebacker is the single most impressive thing he's done with any one player on this defense. I thought Stevie was excellent on Saturday and shed blockers well and got after the QB and running backs as well as any Michigan linebacker since David Harris' departure.

Jonas Mouton's day was a little more difficult to figure out. It seems he alternates great plays with bad ones from time to time, but has stretches of good play that vary as the game goes on. I'm not an authority on schemes and assignments, so I can only comment on what I see from the plays that are made, but more often than not Mouton is in the right place to make a play. Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't. Mouton's biggest weakness right now seems to be his angles. Rewatching the game, when Mouton is pursuing at an angle or covering in one, he's usually off target. His pass defense also seems shaky. In zone and man, Mouton didn't look good, which is weird to say about a guy who used to be a safety. Both Mouton and Ezeh had an awful time adjusting to simple crossing routes by Indiana's big n' slow receivers and tight ends. On the other hand, Mouton was fairly solid in run support. When he can run straight line at someone, oh baby. Mouton made several good run support tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage. Looking at his 11 tackles (5 solo, 6 assists), I was surprised he only had .5 tackles for loss. He also looked great applying pressure on the blitz. Still, his angles on the option looks were atrocious and I tagged him for mistakes on both early Indiana touchdowns. Then on one of Indiana's FG drvies in the redzone he makes up for it by reading the play properly and tagging the QB. It was a mixed bag, but this was one of his better games this season. He's not great, or really even good, right not. He's passable with the potential to be good. I'm not going to go so far as to label his season a flop or a regression, or anything like that. I just don't think he was that good last season, and is still playing like a guy that's learning his position. He showed some good things on Saturday. He's getting away from arm tackles and is made some authoritative stops. But he's got to be better in pass coverage and in attack for this defense to get better.

As for Ezeh, he wasn't good against Indiana. The boxscore has him at ten tackles, but I think that's generous. Very generous. As stated above and in previous Unit by Unit wrap ups, Ezeh has a nasty habit of letting contact come to him. As a result, when he makes a solo tackle the RB, QB, TE or WR drags him for another 3 yards. This is not a good thing. Every time I mentioned Ezeh in my notes it was not for a good reason. On one of the redzone touchdowns and the 85 yard run, I noted that Ezeh allowed himself to get sealed off by the linemen without much resistance. In both cases he was late reacting to the play. The place where he's most effective is rushing the passer, something he really wasn't able to do as much because Robinson was sending Jordan Kovacs on safety blitzes most of the day to cover up for his lack of coverage speed. Kind of a no win for Ezeh. As a result of Kovacs at the line, Ezeh was back in pass coverage where he's only moderately effective. It appeared he did have a nice breakup, but I'm crediting Brown with ripping out the ball out of the receivers hands. Ezeh got sucked up on too many play action passes and left the middle of the field open on a couple of occasions. When he needed to make a tackle, he whiffed on an arm tackle or got dragged along. Really, it was a rough day. How he got to 10 tackles is beyond me, and maybe the scorer just gave an assist to him because they saw him on the top of a bunch of gang tackles. But I thought he was the least fundamentally sound of the group.

The Secondary

Donovan Warren = Awesome.

The Rest = Meh

Warren was terrific in coverage and run support all game. His only mistake was one blown tackle. I think he more than made up for that. With regard to the interception, when first saw the play, I was positive they were going to overturn it. When it was upheld, I thought Indiana got hosed. I've since loosened on that conviction. None of the replays are conclusive, and the Big Ten Network explained in detail that possession between receiver and DB isn't a reviewable issue. Also, this photo from UMGoBlog.com made me change my mind on the issue.

Warren's got the ball and possession. Blecher missed it and is reaching back. As an added bonus, there was a referee in centerfield, less than five yards away who saw the whole thing right in front of his eyes. Maybe this couldv'e gone either way, but the ref's location and these photos make me think Warren caught it, and Blecher was trying to rip it out.

Now, other than Warren, it was a shaky day. Boubacar Cissoko got yanked in favor of J.T. Floyd for some horrible coverage and some terrible decisions in goal line defense. Boo Boo inexplicably ran inside on the option TD, freeing up the sideline for Indiana to waltz in. And this was after getting burnt crispy on a "go" route that didn't feature a single move and one that he had a ten yard cushion on at the snap! I think the poor kid's got the "yips" something bad right now after getting torched by Notre Dame and getting a couple of inexplicable flags in the EMU game. He just don't look right out there and it was a good call by the coaching staff to sit him.

In his stead, J.T. Floyd had a rough start but seemed to get better as the game went on. Everyone was yelling about how the ball was uncatchable on his PI call, but face it folks, J.T. had enough jersey in his hands to be a post-game sorority girl. They were calling the obvious hold, which is a hold regardless of where the ball is, whether they called it PI or not. However, after the PI call, I thought he played pretty well. I don't think he's got the wheels to keep up with elite receivers, but after MSU and Regis Benn, there really aren't a lot of top flight receivers on our schedule. He got bowled over on an early tackle, but after that point he just stoned people. The best tackle of the year, so far, was his pile driving of an Indiana receiver short of the first down marker on a third down in the redzone. Floyd should be adequate if Boo Boo continues to struggle and I thought he had a decent game after some early nerves.

At safety, it's clear we need Michael Williams back. Jordan Kovacs was at the line of scrimmage almost the whole day, more to cover up for his lack of speed in coverage than for any other reason. That said, he acquitted himself well in the run game, getting behind the line and making some stops. The one thing he lacks is speed. He's just not that fast and all the Barwis in the world ain't going to change that. He's been great as a walk-on. Honestly, he's been better than our safeties last year. But Michigan's going to have to have speed in the secondary to continue to win and Kovacs doesn't have it.

Frankly, I'm still in shock that Darius Willis outran the entire Michigan secondary for that TD. Yikes. Hopefully it's a bit of a wake up call for the boys in the backfield.

At the other safety position, I thought Troy Woolfolk played fine. He bit on one or two play actions, but otherwise was stout in the passing game. There's not much else I can add to that as he was playing deep the majority of the game to guard against the big play. Something I suspect we'll see from him again this week against Michigan State.

The secondary gave up a lot of yards, but most of them came on underneath routes that the Linebackers have to be better at covering. For the most part, the deep coverage was there and they group forced a number of throw aways by Chappell. It wasn't a great performance by any stretch, but it was enough considering Kovacs was in and Boo Boo seems to be having some problems. Still, the secondary is going to have to play considerably better against MSU for Michigan to have a chance.

The Special Teams

via John T. Greilick Detroit News.com

Surprisingly, the best unit on the field for Michigan was it's kick off return team. Darryl Stonum has been a revelation returning kick-offs and came close to breaking two or three touchdown runs. No matter where he got the ball, he was getting to the 30 or better. Compare that to any point last year. His worst return got to the 26. Two returns went past the 40, six total went to the 30 or better. I mean, damn, son. Give credit where credit is due to the return team. They were excellent.

Punt returns continue to be consistently non-turnoverish. I'll take fair catches any day on bad punts. I'm sure if Mathews thinks he's got something he'll run it back, but right now holding onto the ball and not screwing up are enough for me. It should also be noted that the block team almost got one against Indiana. Michigan's going to get to a punt soon. Mark it.

Speaking of punts, Zoltan Mesko was awesome (per usual). A 48.1 average, two inside the 20 and a 59 yarder? So awesome. His punts were so awesome that only one of seven allowed a return. During the second half his punts pinned IU deep in their own territory and helped shift the field of play in Michigan's favor. All Hail the Space Emperor.

Our coverage teams were fairly good, though Michigan did require a shoestring tackle by Bryan Wright to save a TD on a kickoff. That excluded, everyone was disciplined and played well. Overall a great special teams weekend.

Unit by Unit: Breaking Down Michigan Football's Offense After Its Win Over Indiana

Maize n Brew Dave — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:26:36 -0000

Hey! Lookit this, we're not running hopelessly behind, so it's time to get started with the Michigan Indiana Unit by Unit breakdown. We'll take a hard look at the players and the coaches for each particular unit on the team, and bring them in for a pat on the back or a wag of the finger. After we've looked at each position, we'll give you a final wrap on the team's play on Offense and Defense (Special Teams too!). If you're looking for more detail, game bullets are here, the wrap up is here, the boxscore is here, and the general AP recap is here. If you're looking to peruse the Michigan Official photos from the game, check out this. There are the links, so now let's take a good hard look at....

The Offense

David Guralnick via Detroit News.com

It's funny to think that when our offense puts up 36 points we're sitting here, at least initially, thinking it was a rough day. But the numbers bear this out. Michigan was outgained by Indiana 467 to 372. Forcier looked like he was pressured the whole day and the offense stagnated for large stretches of time. In hindsight however, I am nowhere near as concerned about the offense's performance after rewatching the game. The offensive line did a more than passable job. The receivers had three drops but were dependable and picked up crucial yardage when we needed it. The run game was nearly unstoppable, even when Tate or Denard took off. A handful of bad snaps killed some drives and two turnovers (one just a horrid horrid play by Forcier, the other a fluke hit on Robinson) did the rest. Despite those issues, Michigan had the lead in the fourth and still rallied to win even after the Defense gave up it's first truly big mistake of the season. You can have some gripes about personnel, play calling, execution; but they're all minor after a second glance. All in all, the offense performed pretty well when it didn't shoot itself in the foot with bad snaps. Take away the bad snaps and Michigan is easily over 400 yards for the game and they're still averaging over 35 points a game.

The Offensive Line

David Guralnick via Detroit News.com

My initial reaction to the game was that the O-Line had it's worst performance of the year. After review, I actually think they had a decent game. Quite a turn around, eh? How's that happen? The answer is in the blocking. Despite David Moosman's issues with snapping the ball in the second half, the line did an excellent job opening up running lanes for Carlos Brown, Brandon Minor, and Denard Robinson. A lot of the penetration I saw was on blitzes by the outside LB's that the Tight Ends probably should've picked up. The biggest issue the line faced all day was that there was a new center. There were numerous instances where two to three guys moved early. One play in the second both Ortmann and Schilling left early when Michigan was trying to pooch punt. These types of procedure penalties didn't happen with Molk in, and I'm guessing there's still a little communication problem on assignments and snap counts that Moosman will need to resolve as the Center going forward.

Regarding the illegal formation penalty, the first one was legit, IMO. The second is a 50/50 call, but could've been made. Michigan's formations were arcing badly as they tried to ward off Jamie Kirlew and Indiana's outside pass rushers. And don't sleep on Indiana's pass rush. There were two instances where Michigan tried to block Kirlew with Koger or Brown, one ended in disaster (Forcier INT) the other almost did (Forcier's last second pitch to Brown on the last drive).

(more after the jump......)

Indiana got pressure with it's blitz or when Michigan tried to get cute with one of the Conference's best pass rushers. Otherwise, the Line generally got a good push and opened up some mammoth holes. Had Minor been at 100%, some of those TFLs never would've happened. Better communication and better snaps will eliminate most of the issues the line had on Saturday. And if you look past the bad snaps and procedure penalties, the Line actually had a decent day. Michigan's linemen were consisently clearing space and getting to the second level on run plays and were standing their ground on passing downs. Perry Dorrestein was more than passable at left Tackle. Michigan spent most of the day running left behind Mark Ortmann and Steve Schilling, successfully. Mark Huyge had a great block second level block on Minor's TD run.

You can't give it more than a C grade because of the mistakes, but there are a lot of positives to take away.

The Running Backs

David Guralnick via Detroit News.com

Carlos Brown should never, ever, ever leave the field. Ever. He is by far Michigan's best and most effective back right now. He's showing us a cut back ability I never knew he had. He's running with authority, carrying tacklers for an extra five yards. He's breaking away from everyone. He's our best pass catcher out of the backfield. Never take him out. Ever. If I'm right, and I think I am, after Brown's second touchdown (in just the second series of the game) he didn't get another carry for the next NINE SERIES with his next carry coming a couple of plays into the tenth series after his second touchdown! That's insane. He's the hottest player on the team. You have to feed him the ball, and that's a big mistake by the coaching staff. Maybe they want to protect him, but in a close game getting away from him almost cost us. 146 yards on just 12 total touches. Seriously. Give him the ball. I'm begging you.

Whew. I needed to get that off my chest.

Outside of Brown, I thought Brandon Minor had a good game though it's clear he's still not 100%. Minor had some very good straight ahead runs, but I can count only one play where he was forced to make a cut (or the play called for it) where he was able to move laterally as quickly as we're used to. Straight ahead though, man, he was awesome. He plowed Indiana like a cornfield, picking up 51 yards on 12 carries. Honestly, if he was 100% I think he'd probably have been in the 70-80 yard range. The ankle's healing, he was great in pass protect, but I think he still needs another week to two weeks to be totally healthy and the Brandon Minor we all expect to see.

A special shout out to Kevin Grady who is becoming one of my favorite role players on the team. Kevin was huge in run blocking and showed great hands, shiftiness, and determination picking up two first downs on two catches. I think we're going to start to see more of him in this offense as a Tatenard safety valve. Also, give Grady massive props for his blocking on Tate's dive to the endzone touchdown. I really want to see Grady score a TD this year after all he's been through. One more note, Michael Shaw saw some limited action but largely watched this game, getting only two touches.

When the running backs got the ball, I thought they were great. I'll get into why they didn't get as many touches when I talk about the Quarterbacks. Overall, the Running Backs turned in an outstanding game in all aspects.

The Receivers

Couldn't be any other photo, courtesy David Guralnick via Detroit News.com

Martavious Odoms is the man. I wasn't sold on him going into the year, but now I'm a believer. He just keeps getting better and better. It's not just the great route running and TD catch, it's the little things. His blocking on Carlos Brown's TD run, was the reason Brown went in clean. On the two point conversion, he saw Tate sprint for the endzone and closed off the safety. Sure he had a drop of a poorly thrown ball, but the kid truly is something special. Like Odoms, Kelvin Grady had a busy day. He did have drop on a questionable screen pass by Forcier, but still managed three catches including a crucial 19 yard pickup on Michigan's final drive. Watching him, I get the feeling he's still getting his bearings on the field, but the fact that he's contributing in such a meaningful way so quickly is amazing to me.

The rest of the receiver corps had an okay, not great, day. It's hard to stand out when you throw the ball 24 times, 3-4 are throw aways, 3-4 are drops, 3-4 are bad passes, and the ball spread around to 8 different receivers. Greg Mathews deserves some praise for his run blocking and drawing a flag for PI that got (even though it shouldn't have) picked up. But overall, like Junior Hemingway, Michigan's bigger receivers were largely shut out of the boxscore (one catch between them). Regardless, Hemingway had a great game run blocking and helped clear the way for a lot of yards on the ground, including Brown's first TD and Forcier's 10 yard scramble on Michigan's second to last scoring drive. Roy Roundtree made and appearance and notched a 35 yard catch at the end of the first half, but nothing more.

The Tight Ends had a decent day. The highlight was Kevin Koger's outstanding 36 yard grab that set up Minor's TD run, which Koger also added a good block on. Martell Webb's day was a little rougher, in that the only ball thrown his way was dropped and he didn't see a lot of playing time.

Overall, the receivers were great in run support, good in passing game, and came through when it mattered.

The Quarterbacks

David Guralnick via Detroit News.com

Well, if you were expecting a game where Tate truly played like a freshman, this was it. Even so, he played like a senior leading two critical scoring drives in the fourth quarter. You take the bad with the good sometimes, and dammit, the good keeps prevailing. Prior to the fourth quarter, Tate was not having a good day. Early in the game he was gunning everything at 100 mph. His first throw was rifled to Tacopants, and his second throw to Brown required the back to make a much harder than necessary catch before sprinting to the endzone. Tate was victimized by some drops, but only one throw was material (Webb's drop). The drops by Odoms and Grady weren't good throws or good decisions. Tate chucked one ball over junior Heminway's head that should've been picked, then scrambled around like a fool before throwing a "I'm getting tackled THROW IT!" pick that he should've just eaten. He also picked up an intentional grounding penalty and could've been called for another that ended up just being a sack. In the run game, I think he's got the Notre Dame game stuck in his head. Six legit rushes (sacks and bad snaps excluded): three scrambles and three really bad decisions on the zone read. He misread the DE on some, didn't see the late blitzer on another. He needs to keep handing that off for the time being, especially when the runningbacks are picking up 5 a carry on the opposition.

Now all that criticism aside, damn, what a fourth quarter. Forcier was on target whereas earlier he hadn't been. He showed some great athleticism scrambling for some first downs, and his pass to Odoms and TD runs were things of beauty. The Kid isn't perfect, but he is really, really good. One thing that I especially liked is that he used his safety valve when the home run wasn't available. The biggest thing he's gotta work on is realizing he's not the most athletic guy on the field anymore, and getting rid of the ball rather than running around like a chicken with his head cut off. It'll come with time, but overall, even though the middle of the game was kinda meh, a good start and finish for Forcier.

While Forcier took a minor step sideways, Denard Robinson took a HUGE step forward on Saturday. The kid is just electric on the ground. I know he fumbled before the half, but the fumble was a helmet on football occurrence. There's not a lot you can do when that happens. Robinson's rushing numbers are distorted by two bad snaps and a couple of dropped snaps, but when he actually got the ball off the hike, he was dangerous and picked up some tough yards. Where he impressed me the most was in the passing game. His pass the Koger was absolutely beautiful and perfectly thrown. He had one bad pass to Grady that was behind Kelvin, but he's showing he can handle the full offense and make the team vertical in the air. Right now he's light years ahead of anyone under center last season and a solid number two quarterback. While he's clearly the number two guy, he played like 1A when called in on Saturday. Great game from Denard.

Lessons in Youth, Patience, and Determination: Michigan Football tops Indiana 36-33

Maize n Brew Dave — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:12:37 -0000

When the pass left Tate's hands I didn't think it had a prayer. After of day of misfires and mistakes, watching the ball spiral toward a receiver well out of the camera's view filled me with an awful trepidation. It looked under thrown. Tate was hurt. He was walking around the field turf gingerly holding his right arm so as not to make any unnecessary movements. Yet, despite the obvious pain in his throwing shoulder, there he was throwing deep on third down. Balls out. Going for it all.

Nine months earlier against Indiana a similar story unfolded. Missed chances. An inexplicably inept offense that looked like a world beater not two weeks earlier. A porous defense that couldn't stop the conference's worst offense from scoring at will. Michigan was clinging to the ropes in a game that, on paper, shouldn't have been close. And as the clock quickly ticked toward nothingness, another iceberg cold shooter lifted up for one more triple in an attempt to tie the game. When I saw Laval Lucas-Perry launch it, I was certain it would be yet another brick in the bunker Michigan had been building all night. But, dammit all, if Michigan was going down, they were going down firing.

And the ball hung up there. Seemingly forever. Gliding down on its arc toward its destination. It going to be short. No. Maybe its got a chance. It's almost there. Oh god.....

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Just like that the fortunes of an afternoon seemed to shift. Michigan was back on top or tied. They could win this one. Then it hit you. The defense had to make a stop. The same defense that had been gashed on the corners, up the middle, on basic screen plays, for long bombs. The defense would have to be the difference after a day it would rather forget. But then, 25 seconds later, a 15 footer bounced harmlessly off the rim and Donovan Warren broke on the ball a step quicker than Damarlo Belcher and Michigan had escaped with a win it really shouldn't have wrested away.

(more after the Jump....)

Saturday's contest against Indiana was not a pretty one, or one that people will want to look back on as a shining example of Michigan excellence. It was ugly. Defensively, Michigan received an all around torching at the hands of one the Big Ten's historically most inept offenses. Indiana averaged 6 yards a carry, and 13 yards a completion. The Hoosiers took every inch of ground the Wolverines soft coverage allowed them and exploited Michigan's linebackers in the run game. With that, Indiana still mounted drives of 11 and 12 plays in the second half. During the first half, the Defense was run ragged by the Indiana offense, surrendering 23 points and allowing Indiana to control the ball for over 18 minutes. Then there was shifting away from Indiana's 85 yard fourth quarter touchdown run.

The Offense, after two quick scores, immediately went to sleep. Horrid snaps that killed drives. Drops. Bad reads and throws. Fumbles and interceptions. Shelving Carlos Brown despite gaining over 100 yards in his first four series. Indiana danced all over the Michigan backfield, amassing an incredible 7 tackles for loss including two sacks. The offense seemed to be outsmarting itself, passing when it didn't need to and abandoning its running backs for prolonged stretches of time.

Yet, Michigan was never out of the game and never outside of a touchdown from the lead.

For all the errors and frustrations, Michigan answered its mistakes with stellar individual efforts. Ryan Van Bergen emerged in the second half as a force in Indiana's backfield, picking up a crucial sack and nearly picking off an Indiana screen. Zoltan Mesko single handedly shifted the playing field, pinning Indiana deep in its own territory on nearly every occasion. Tate Forcier overcame his worst game to date in the passing game by scrambling for first downs, touchdowns, and to make time in the passing game. Donovan Warren, well, you know. Martavious Odoms adjusting to Tate's final throw for a touchdown he never would have caught a year earlier. And Carlos Brown being the guy we all knew he could be.

And then there were the team victories. When it mattered both the offensive and defensive lines stiffened. Walk-ons and no-names stepped into vacancies left by four and five star injuries and performed admirably. Michigan's defense allowed Indiana only 3 points from Indiana's second half trips into Michigan's red-zone. On offense, when it mattered, Michigan marched 52 yards in 8 plays for the game winning touchdown, sealing it in dramatic fashion.

It was exhilarating and exhausting all at once. Constant frustration matched with heart pounding excitement. It wasn't supposed to be this way. Saturday Michigan was supposed to take care of business. They were supposed to play the way we've built them up in our minds to play.

Just like January 7, 2009, Michigan isn't there yet. A big win here and there had us believing they're a team they haven't grown up enough yet to be. Michigan is a good young team with plenty of potential. We've seen glances of that potential and on Saturday we finally saw full view just how young they are. On Friday we were debating rankings, bubbles, brackets, and bowls. On Monday we're wiping away beads of sweet realizing we dodged a bullet we were too cocky to notice was heading our way.

But LLP's shot still found the twine, even if it bounced around on the rim before finally heading through; and Tate's pass found Odom's waiting fingers when it mattered. This Michigan team, like its basketball brethren, will not give up. They are a determined bunch. Injuries, mistakes, and tough competition may bring out their youth. But it will also bring out their best. They showed that on Saturday.