SB Nation User Blog: grahamfiller10

The Rivalry Is Watching You: Wisconsin DE O'Brien Schofield v. Indiana

grahamfiller10 — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:32:23 -0000

I am watching Wisconsin's All American defensive end O'Brien Schofield this week. How would Indiana protect Ben Chappell from this TFL demon? Would Schofield be tested by the tricky playcalling of Bill Lynch? How much NFL talent does this hybrid DE/OLB possess?

First Quarter

Wisconsin doesn't alter their defensive scheme the entire game, showing little fear of the Indiana attack. Schofield plays in the three point position the entire game, coming off the right side of the Wisconsin 4-3. The Badgers run a stunt maybe twice the whole game, showing tremendous confidence in their cornerbacks playing one on one, even if this confidence wasn't totally in line.

Schofield (OS) will be taking on #76, big James Brewer, most of the day. Early on, the Hoosiers run away from OS, but get stuffed by JJ Watt and the solid Wisconsin LB corp. The Badgers force a punt, only to watch the punt returner muff the catch. Indiana throws a couple quick passes and it's 7-0.

Wisconsin evens the score at 7 and OS lays out the kick returner. What is the star defensive end doing on the kickoff team? The Badgers get another stop and we see Indiana double teaming OS on every single play. On one play, the Hoosiers hit OS high with an OL and low with a cut block. Looks illegal and painful. Indiana punt and Wisconsin drives down for a field goal, 10-7.

Second Quarter

Indiana hasn't generated a single thing offensively yet. The base of their problems lies in Wisconsin's ability to jam the Pistol run game. It looks like basic man blocking and the running back is coming from 7 yards off the ball; Wisconsin is winning most of those one on one battles. IU runs at OS for the first time - Schofield holds up Brewer and helps stuff the play. Wisconsin takes over after a Ben Chappell INT and runs over IU for a TD. 17-7, Badgers.

OS is beating Brewer on angles in the run game, firing himself low into double teams and around #76. OS gets his first tackle, well maybe a half tackle, but Chris Borland cleans up nicely. Indiana punts and Wisky scores AGAIN. 24-7 and I'm worried this could be about it.

Whoops, spoke too soon. Chappell makes two deep throws, good for about 80 yards combined, and the Hoosiers make it 24-14 with a few minutes to go in the second quarter. OS is being doubled one every play and then Brewer even gets a pancake block, pushing OS down and laying on him. Send that tape to the NFL scouts James!

Wait a minute James, maybe hold off on sending that tape. After stopping another OS spin move, Schofield goes to his bread and butter: power and speed off the edge. OS blows by Brewer and gets a big sack to end the last Hoosier drive before the half. He baited James and used his 4.6 speed and agility to get to the QB. Beautiful. Halftime.

Third Quarter

Some clever playcalling by IU to begin the half. Screens to the middle of the field, quick slants...IU is moving the ball, chipping and doubling OS at every chance. Lynch has also made an adjustment at the half, the mark of a good coach I might add. Seeing the off tackle Pistol running wasn't working, he switches to simple dives with Bryan Payton, who gets 7 yards a pop as the Badger DT's are blown off the LOS. The second pass play IU runs, OS beats Brewer like Belushi destroying a guitar, but barely misses a sack.

Quick aside here - Schofield gets major plus points here for his on-field IQ. When he recognizes that a power rush won't work, because of a rollout or double, he instantly shuffles back into the middle of the field to look for dump offs or QB scrambles. Very mature move for a pass rusher.

Indiana is driving deep into Wisky territory until Schofield's second impact play ends the drive. He uses a combo of speed and power to push past Brewer's outside shoulder and hits Chappell as he throws - the ball flutters into the arms of a waiting Borland. The camera zooms in on Schofield's fashionable fohawk on the sideline.

Lynch learns his lesson and spends the next possession doubling Schofield. This fails on the first running attempt and OS blows up a run. IU tries a reverse (damn Bill Lynch, he'll try anything) and Schofield holds his ground, showing that tremendous sideline to sideline speed and almost catching the speedy IU receiver. For the first time we see a negative in Schofield's repertoire of pass rush moves - the spin move is completely ineffective and slow, much different than the vicious whirling spinner of Greg Jones. Every time Brewer sees OS put on the spin cycle, he simply pushes the body of OS and neutralizes it. In the meantime, IU punts and it's still 24-14.

Fourth Quarter

Wisconsin spent the rest of the game giving up deep passes to IU and trying to blow leads. To the conclusion!

Conclusion, Stats, Impressions, Etc...

Game Stats: 1 Sack, 3 QB pressures (one which directly led to a pick), 1 tackle...Pancake blocked once...

Season Stats: 44 tackles, 18.5 TFL's, 7.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles

Accolades: Bednarik Award Semifinalist

Wisconsin Rush Defense in the Big Ten: Allowed no 100 yard rushers...Allowed no team to rush for 100 yards...70 ypg rushing allowed...

Impression and NFL Draft Discussion: OS is a true pass rusher, as the TFL's and high number of sacks suggest, but is quick enough to play outside linebacker. His speed off the edge, combined with excellent agility, make him a scary figure to block one on one. Agility allows him to dip below the hands of offensive lineman. Loves exhibiting 4.6 speed and really pumps his arms and legs to get leverage. Wasn't asked to do much pass coverage against IU, but the one time he dropped into a zone, got physical with a receiver instantly. Truly a defensive leader, as some pre-game inspirational yelling suggests, and obviously loves screwing up offensive gameplans with his individual skill. Projected in the third round of the NFL Draft and I'm sure some team can make room for a 6'2'' 250 lb ball of energy with a great attitude. Does have a bit of the Jared Allen "always moving, always fighting" on-field personality, but is much smoother.

The Blind Side Trailer Pisses Me Off

grahamfiller10 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:19:44 -0000

If you haven't read "The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game," you probably need to take an hour this weekend and go find this book somewhere, anywhere. It's just a great great book that lays out how the improvement of passing games changed the focus of the offensive line to the left tackle and then segways into the Hollywoodesque Michael Oher story. If you are unfamiliar, Oher was an unknown 310 lb. young man from Tennessee who, after a horrendous upbringing amidst squalor, was adopted into a wealthy Memphis family and began attending a private school. At this school, he learned how to play football at the urging of his family and the coaches and was quickly rated the #1 offensive lineman in the nation. He was just recently drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft. Michael Lewis, who wrote The Blind Side, tells an enrapturing story full of anecdotes and gives an in-depth look at Oher's controversial recruiting. I couldn't put the book down.

When I heard a movie was being made of The Blind Side, I assumed Hollywood couldn't screw this one up. This had blockbuster written all over it. Great imagery of football, a boy's changing personality amidst his fame, Phillip Fulmer doing a cameo when all the coaches were watching Oher destroy opposing d-linemen.

Now it looks like the screenwriters turned it into just another cliche-driven "sports" movie that deep down is really a chick flick. Check out the trailer below:

A spirited Sandra Bullock...a plucky tutor played by Kathy Bates...Swelling music by The Fray, singing "How To Save A Life"...Tagline: "You're changing that boy's life....No, he's changin' mine"...Two football scenes, 7 Sandra Bullock "being a spirited hardass with a heart of gold" scenes...

Damn it. I'm not a movie critic, but I've seen this movie before. It's called Glory Road Miracle and every other damn mainstream sports movie in the last 15 years. The unquestioned star in this trailer is Sandra Bullock, playing the woman who brought Oher into her house and helped him succeed. The star of the book was the game of football and Oher himself, a painfully shy young man who just happened to be 310 pounds and athletic. Is it that hard to take an interesting angle on a sports story?

You all don't know that Law Buckeye, while attending Miami of Ohio, made a couple full length movies, the second one with SAG actors and on a $10,000 budget. We frequently talk about the importance of a movie having correct verisimilitude, being cohesive, and giving the viewer something surprising or edgy. It seems the producers took the easy way out, going for a small box office profit instead of staying true to the book and taking a chance of making an interesting movie.

Apparently Hollywood is betting you're going to see this movie because you love Sandra Bullock and inspiring stories...and maybe I'm just cynical and annoyed that an excellent book has been twisted into a probably teary melodrama. Either way, this book would have made a killer movie - I envision an in-depth look at Oher as a person or a football player, the way rules will bend for athletic young men, and the recruiting process that makes gods out of young men overnight.

In the book, Tom Lemming visits a practice with Oher, who heaves a 250 lb defender 10 feet during a blocking drill. That night, Lemming spreads the word that he may have seem the next Orlando Pace...and things go nuts for Oher and his private school after that. How cool is that??!! You're telling me you wouldn't watch a football related movie with those kinds of scenes dominating the action? Instead we get to watch Sandra Bullock hug people.

Poll

Will you go see The Blind Side in the theatre?

The Rivalry Is Watching You: Indiana MLB Matt Mayberry v. Iowa

grahamfiller10 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:34:52 -0000

A huge thanks to Jason from Chicago for the tip to watch Mayberry.

I hope you enjoy this week's "Watching You," one week late but still relevant. When you think of Big Ten linebackers, Sean Lee, Bryan Rolle, Navorro Bowman, Pat Angerer, and Greg Jones instantly come to mind. Apparently MLB Matt Mayberry of Indiana has flown under the radar, so I wanted to watch him against the power running of Iowa on October 31. How would he react to the Hawkeye's physicality? Was he an oasis of talent in the bare bones of Indiana's LB / secondary corps?

First Quarter

Indiana scored first, taking a 7-0 lead. Keep this in mind.

The Hoosiers are running a stilted 4-3, leaving 7 in the box and hoping to slow Wegher early. MM is at his usual MLB spot. There is little blitzing early because the Hawkeye's are slowly power rushing down the field. For whatever reason, the Hawkeyes are running away from MM, but when they do, he makes a play. A simple off tackle run throws 280 lb Riley Reiff into MM's way - Mayberry smacks him aside and stuffs the play for a short gain. On a Stanzi dropback, MM gets an excellent bump on the receiver and drops smoothly back into coverage. Eventually the defense stiffens and Murray misses a 40 yarder.

Second possession and MM begins to lobby for an All-Big 10 spot. After standing up the 210 Wegher on first down for no gain, Mayberry picks the perfect time to blitz and picks up a sack. A Stanzi pick ends the possession. The Hoosiers have allowed zero points in the first quarter and have withstood some early smashmouth football.

Second Quarter

A third possession showcases the quickness of MM. He blitzes again, avoids a block with some nifty lateral movement, and gets a QB hurry. I realize that Pat Angerer is higher on NFL boards than Mayberry, but Mayberry is quicker. It bears mention that the IU defensive line is pressuring Stanzi too, allowing MM to roam around freely. Punt time.

Iowa, sensing they are being beat up at the LOS, switches to zone read runs. This leads to...nothing much more. MM has six tackles by now and the off-tackle runs have been corralled. It takes until the third quarter for any semblance of a Hawkeye run game to show up. Towards the end of the quarter, Stanzi throws a couple solid deep balls and Wegher punches it in to make the score 21-7 - MM got manhandled by 280 lb. OL Rafael Eubanks on the touchdown.

We go to the half...6 tackles, one sack, one quarterback hurry, 7 Hawkeye points. I'd also like to point out that Indiana had a cornerback named Donnell Jones. Some halftime entertainment then? Donnell...

Third Quarter

Iowa begins run faking and rolling out on almost every play - the Indiana outside linebackers are biting, but not MM. A second down blitz by Mayberry and he almost gets his second sack. After Stanzi drives the Hawkeyes 40 yards, his first pick of the half ends the drive.

An Indiana punt follows, but another Stanzi pick stops us from viewing MM's progress. At the base of Indiana's success is slowing Wegher - now that he's ineffective, the zone is deeper and harder to throw against.

The crazy apeshit Pick Six makes the score 21-14, followed by the controversial non-touchdown to Turner. 24-14 Hoosiers. Stanzi is sacked at the onset of the third possession of the quarter and then MM get's an interception with an assist from the referee, who screens the Iowa receiver. MM almost has the Holy Defensive Trinity (sack, pick, fumble recovery) and most definitely has good agility.

Fourth Quarter

Avert your eyes, Indiana fans, the fourth quarter from Hell is about to begin. Stanzi connects for a 92 yard touchdown and MM can only watch helplessly as the safety blows coverage badly. Safety went man and everyone else went zone. Damn you. 24-21 Indiana.

Anddd a different safety blew coverage on the next offensive play for the Hawkeyes. Touchdown, 66 yards, 28-24 Iowa.

On Iowa's third possession of the fourth quarter, fatigue and momentum combine to hamstring Mayberry. Wegher runs for 8, 4, 4, 4, 6 yards on five consecutive runs. MM has a bad missed tackle where he simply bounces off the ball carrier and then over pursues lazily on the touchdown while Wegher flies by. 35-24 and we're all set here.

Conclusions, Statistics, Etc.

Stats: 8 tackles (by my count), 1 sack, 1 QB hurry, 1 INT, 1 Blantant Missed Tackle

Yearly stats: 84 tackles, 9 TFL's, 3.5 sacks, 2 INT's

Game Discussion: Played like a man possessed in the first half, standing up blockers and ball carriers while running sideline to sideline. Along with the strong defensive line, was a key to stuffing Wegher early. Got tired in the fourth quarter after the Indiana secondary fell apart and squashed momentum.

Mayberry Discussion: CBS has him listed in the Top 25 of senior LB's in the nation and I won't argue. 6'2'' and 237 pounds will get you a look at the NFL, but so will a mature and physical approach to playing football, which MM has. His agility is excellent and he doesn't rely on hand fighting with offensive lineman, choosing instead to swim move or body up to them. Loves hitting, just like Angerer, Jones, and Lee Campbell.

Intense Disaster Sequences, Big Ten Style

grahamfiller10 — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:04:52 -0000

Apparently there is a movie coming out, called 2012, which talks about the end of the world as the Mayan calendar predicted. Or something. Either way, the trailer I saw yesterday looked a lot like what happens when Michael Bay's fantasies mate with Independence Day. At the bottom of the "rating" bar for the movie, these three warning words are shown:

INTENSE DISASTER SEQUENCES

That's a lot less interesting than a good old "nudity" warning, but it does a damn good job of describing Saturday's action in the Big Ten. Four teams were "upset," undone by their Achillies Heel. Consider:

-Penn State was sunk by the offensive line's ineptitude and Daryl Clark's big game struggles, exactly the same issues that hampered the Nittany Lions against Iowa this year.

-Michigan's famously poor pass defense was shredded AGAIN, this time by Joey Elliot. Total yards given up by a motley collection of walk ons, underperformers, and player's playing out of position: 494

-Turnovers and bad offensive line play (7 sacks) helped sales of Molson go through the roof in Minneapolis as the Gophers lost a bad one to Illinois.

-2009 will be known in Iowa City as "that year when God smote everyone who wanted to play a skill position for the Iowa Hawkeyes." Stanzi went down in the 2nd quarter and I finally get to use this graphic:

There is a throne, and Kings of Leon is sitting on it...Sorry Hawkeye State

Because the Big Ten Conference believes that curbing fans' ability to watch Big Ten games is good business policy, I've only actually seen the Michigan game, Ohio State/PSU, and the Iowa upset, which Hilary covered here. This was the best week for Big Ten football so far in 2009, so my DVR will catch me up.

Oh and we'll see if Law Buck can make a gravestone for Iowa's MNC hopes, which is sad because it would have been great publicity for a Big Ten team to even enter that discussion undefeated.

Defensive Discussions, Week 10 In The Big Ten

grahamfiller10 — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:27:42 -0000

It's been a thrill to watch the different Big Ten defenses operate this year. Coaches make their little adjustments, defensive's sag under the weight of bad offensive's, and unknown 2 or 3 star recruits become big-time players. If this was NFL Films, Steve Sabol would be smoothly walking into your living room...

Sabol: "2009 saw a fresh wave of Midwest heroes on the gridiron. But these weren't your pretty faces or All-American quarterbacks, no, these were the pug nosed brutes of the Big Ten. Cornfed strong and smart, these monsters chewed up opposing signalcallers and sniffed out running plays. Ladies and gentlemen, these are the defensive stars of the Big Ten Conference in 2009."

Anyways, last Saturday was a trainwreck for a couple teams defensive units and a strong affirmation of others strengths. Let me answer the questions I posed last week quickly -

How will Indiana attack the relatively vanilla attack of Iowa? The Indiana offense was the key here, opening up a lead and forcing Stanzi to throw into zone coverages. Five INT's followed.

How does Fitzy gameplan against Clark and Royster? 146 first half yards for the Lions showed that Fitzy's players were on point early, but the Wildcat defense tired late in the game, crushed by the offensive units inability to move the ball.

Can Michigan stop giving up big plays for long enough to survive Illinois? NO NO NO NO. Good God no. The LB's took bad angles, the safety's took bad angles...and the big plays were plentiful. 7 plays over 20 yards in fact.

Will the Spartan 4-3 be tested at all versus Mini? Whoops, stupid question. The run defense was stout, as always, but the pass coverage made Adam Weber look like Tom Brady. That vanilla 4-3 barely moved the whole game, letting Weber know exactly what sports would be open.

Did Purdue's D-Co learn anything from OSU about stopping Wisky? No! The Boilers allowed Wisconsin's Student Body Right sweeps and off tackle power runs to be executed with nary a hitch.

This week, I'll take a look at what defensive adjustments should probably be made in the Big Ten games, the games you WILL NOT BE WATCHING BECAUSE:

The Big Ten doesn't allow night games in November.
The Big Ten conference hates increased revenue and self-promotion, which if it was the Dalai Lama, would be an admirable characteristic.

Onto the games...

Will Wisconsin for the jugular early against Indiana? The Badgers have seen enough of the Bill Lynch Pistol to know exactly what's coming - quick slants, quick sit down routes, and the occasional Wildcat (Wild Hoosier?) formation. Fortunately for Bielema, he has the dogs to fluster Chappel early. Will he bring Schofield and the LB's on early blitzes, leaving his corners exposed against the HUGE Indi receivers?

Will Illinois bring pressure against Adam Weber? Illinois runs a 4-3 scheme similar to MSU. They don't blitz a lot, but aim to pressure the QB with Clay Nurse and delayed blitzes from Ian Thomas (a very talented Soph LB). The only danger of laying in that cozy 4-3? Illinois has nondescript corners and Minnesota just had their biggest offensive confidence booster of the year against the horrendously lax zone of MSU.

How will Greg Robinson stop the bleeding against Purdue? His 3-4 and 4-4 schemes are being shredded weekly, albeit in different fashion. Illinois ran inside/outside zone reads, exposing the indecisive tacklers of Michigan. Notre Dame, Indiana, and Penn State used deep routes to expose weak cornerback play. Purdue will attack with straight forward off tackle runs at first and when that's slowed, will resort to throwing to receivers sitting down comfortably against the weak kneed defenders. Greg can blitz early, but Iowa showed what that results in (long touchdowns to slot receivers or tight ends).

Who will smash Pryor first? You can usually throw out typical expectations during these monster matchups. Jacked up on adrenaline, someone will do something out of character early and change the games atmosphere. The most likely suspect is Pryor, who our own Law Buck is predicting (or at least praying for) a breakout game. His scrambling from broken pockets is a sight to see, all stiffarms and loping strides. I assume Sean Lee will have spy duties and this clash of titans will lead to someones Waterloo.

How will Northwestern stop Brandon Wegher? This true freshman looks extremely comfortable slamming into the holes created on those wonderful off tackle runs Iowa executes so well. Wisconsin slowed these by pushing the Hawkeye offensive tackles deep into the backfield and rerouting the running back into a linebackers arms. Will NW follow suit using Corey Wootton's speed?

2009 Big Ten Quarterback Rankings, Third Edition: cMONN I Thought We Were Better Than This!

grahamfiller10 — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:35:25 -0000

I am extremely happy with the increased usage of Jerry Seinfield's "cMONN" in pop culture. PS3 commercials and comedians have mined this excellent use of overwrought disbelief. So to those who called the Big 10 a "rushing conference" with backwards offensive philosophies, I wanted to say cMONNN guys, get with the program. Look at Daryll Clark's arm, Pryors legs, Forciers wiliness, Kafka's versatility, and the overall improvement from last year.

2009 QB Rankings, First Edition: Optimism!

2009 QB Rankings, Second Edition: Back to Reality!

But alas, good defense, windy conditions, and the occasional drop has made my point somewhat moot. The quarterbacks are much better than last year, not to mention healthier. But they are making no impact nationally or on the NFL's radar. Also, I will now use the phrase "Ricky Stanzi's Third Quarter" as a way to describe someone's complete and utter failure at a certain task. No matter, you can still enjoy the third edition of my 2009 Big Ten Quarterback Rankings.

Make sure to go back and submit your picks for Week 10 of the Obligatory Predictions Contest. Weekly winners get a chance to write 500 words on the site.

	QB	Team	Comments
#1	Daryll Clark	PSU	Tore up Michigan with swing passes, using automatic checkdowns...then tore up the Wolverines with deep sideline routes. Leading the Big Ten in efficiency.
#2	Kirk Cousins	MSU	Made a highlight reel play v. the Gophs, spinning away from tacklers and wafting a perfect ball into the end zone. Throwing an extremely catchable football and avoided the INT flu which seems to infect every QB that takes on the Hawkeyes.
#3	Mike Kafka	NW	The great existentialist has moved up a shocking 5 spots in my rankings, basically on the strength of two things. 1) His running has become a real strong point after an early season aversion to running. 2) He refuses to turn the ball over nearly as much as basically every other Big Ten QB.
#4	Ricky Stanzi	IOWA	Leading the league in picks, but also second in touchdowns with 13. His mechanics haven't suffered as the season as worn on, but his penchant for whipping the ball into coverage continues to amuse and astonish friends and foes. Basically I could have written the letters WTF and avoided writing the last two sentences.
#5	Terrelle Pryor	OSU	Had his worst career performance against Purdue, but bounced back to look somewhat exceptional against Minnesota. I still can't get that third quarter in Lafayette out of my mind. He looked like Ricky Stanzi out there, giving the ball to the other team like Scrooge throwing chickens and money at the poor London residents at the end of A Christmas Carol. Ahhhhhh the specifics of my Dickens knowledge is a bit convoluted.
#6	Scott Tolzien	WISC	Brother is dropping down my ratings here - that's what 5 picks in two games v. Iowa and OSU will do. It's good to see how confident he is throwing deep sideline routes, but it's bad how cavalier he is with the ball. Wisconsin coaches need to focus on some shorter routes so he can avoid the sacks and hits which come with the current offensive system.
#7	Joey Elliot	PUR	Beat Ohio State - go forward one step. Beat Illinois at home - not so bad. Go 5-23 against Wisconsin and get picked off once during a 37-0 loss - take that step back. Purdue's receivers dropped approximately 8 balls, so Elliot can't be blamed for that. Statistically, having a much better season than we expected. Facing three pansies to finish the season will probably move him up the rankings. Consider - 281 yards v OSU, 313 v. NWU, 299 v. Mini.
#8	Ben Chappell	IND	Sports quite a low passer rating (3rd worst in the league) for someone who appears so confident at times. Shredded Iowa for a half with a mix of quick throws and skinny posts. The entire Iowa game was a microcosm of his season - dominant and dangerous early, flustered and turnover prone late.
#9	Adam Weber	MINI	416 yards against MSU was probably a fluke, helped on by the porous MSU pass defense which has been lit up by basically everyone except Juice Williams. Weber's strengths were obvious when he had time to throw - the strong arm, the perfectly thrown deep balls. Than why is he at #9? Probably because he was so ineffective against Purdue, PSU, and OSU, compiling a "you've got to be kidding me" quarterback rating of 35 combined.
#10	Tate Forcier	UM	Tate has looked awkward and uncomfortable in 80% of Michigan's passing situations lately. Pretty much the only ball he's thrown effectively is the running quick throw to a WR waiting on the LOS. He's fallen farther than any QB in my ratings, but he is just a frosh.
#11	Juice Williams	ILL	220 yards of total offense and 2 touchdowns versus Michigan showed a confident Juice, eerily similar to the Juice of two years ago. It was probably an aberration - He still isn't throwing the ball downfield well and the run game worked because Michigan has the Big Ten's weakest linebackers.

Burnt Like a Couch on Grand River: The Michigan State Secondary

grahamfiller10 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:34:01 -0000

During that wild Minnesota win Saturday, I had the luxury of drinking some Japanese beer at a sushi bar and strolling over to an Animal House-esque Michigan State Halloween house party. Amidst this fine East Lansing bedlam, I was unable to watch the entire contest between the Gophers and Spartans.

Today, I remedied this by watching the memorable game in its entirety. I wanted to see if, upon further review, the Spartans defense was as bad as advertised.

Here are the non quantifiable stats I picked from the Minnesota offensive possessions:

Missed Tackles in the Spartan Secondary: 1...Surprisingly low for a unit that gave up 416 yards passing. Instead of whiffing on tackles completely, the defenders were simply in bad position.

Completely Blown Coverages: 3...Most of these were early in the game, as the Spartan defenders were unable to keep their zone integrity. When a receiver cut across the field towards the opposite sideline, the zone wouldn't move with that player. Ross Weaver and Eric Gordon were the main culprits early, but Chris L. Rucker spent the second half being lit up.

QB Pressures: 4...The Spartans didn't touch Weber until the third quarter. Talk all you want about the confused zone, but any cornerback looks bad when he has to maintain coverage for 4-5 seconds.

Important Defense Adjustments: 2...If you give up 270 first half passing yards, I would hope for some changes. In the second half, I saw one cornerback blitz and a few linebacker blitzes. Also, MSU threw in a 3-3 scheme on one third down scenario - the Gophers converted anyways. Narduzzi has his base defense and really won't do anything - three linebackers ALWAYS and little change elsewhere.

Impressive Minnesota Catches: 4...Sweet catches were plentiful as Weber had time to whip the ball deep and to the sidelines. Tow-Arnett made a touchdown grab so sweet that the announcer referred to Tow-Arnett as Weber's "blankie." Love it.

Impressive Weber Throws: 4...The man was dialed in all night, but he zipped a couple balls down the middle that were especially well done. He also tossed two touchdowns on one possession - the first got reversed, but the second stood.

So in conclusion, the torchable Spartan secondary (Jeremy Ware, Rucker, Weaver, Marcus Hyde) showed little interest in keeping their zone coverage intact, while the front four refused to pressure Weber. Pat Narduzzi stuck to his 4-3 guns and failed to mix up his coverages, but he can't be blamed for the circus catches made by the Gopher WR's. I'll be keeping a close watch on this Spartan team as Mark Dantonio tries to pull his squad back from the edge of the Queso Bowl.

Recap of Week 9 in the Big 10: Bob Davie is the New Pam Ward, Stanziballs, Purdue Drops

grahamfiller10 — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:47:22 -0000

Iowa 42, Indiana 24

Bob Davie is the new Pam Ward, an announcer whose voice and comments make me want to implode. Bob was at his best Saturday, playing up the old "aw shucks, I don't have any idea what's going on" persona. Some lowlights:

Referring to Adrian Clayborn as "Adam Clayborn" about 5 times.
Davie flipped his lid after the late Stanzi touchdowns. "Some quarterbacks would have literally, literally gone back in the lockerrom, but Stanzi came out here and made plays," Davie commented incorrectly, as I have never ever seen a quarterback go sit in the lockerrom out of pure frustration.
"3-3, 177 yards is an unbelievable 4th quarter, that's 41 yards per reception!" Wrong.
"Who would have believed that Ricky Stanzi would be 3-3 for 177 yards in the fourth quarter? Who?" Davie's partner is silent, confused, probably embarrassed.

Terrelle Pryor had a tremendously bad third quarter against Purdue, throwing two picks and leading the Bucks to -7 yards. Ricky Stanzi had a much worst third quarter, whipping one unbelievably bad pick after another into the confused Indiana secondary. People at my gym were watching the game in disbelief, pointing at Stanzi and whispering excitedly like schoolgirls. Weird, weird times.

I love scoring clutch TD's, I love scoring clutch TD's...

The Hoosiers refuse to finish games after starting out like a house of fire against Michigan, NW, and Iowa. What gives? Two main reasons are behind this. First, the Hoosiers offense is built on clever misdirection passes from the Pistol formation, which allows them to succeed even with a little less talent on the offensive side of the ball. Once defenses get accustomed to the fakes and short passes, Indiana's offensive options become limited. Second, the Hoosiers secondary isn't very talented. When teams have to throw, this unit tends to break down.

Here's a fun Hoosier statistic:

First Half Points v. Michigan: 23...Second Half Points v. Michigan: 10

First Half Points v. NW: 28...Second Half Points v. NW: 0

First Half Points v. Iowa: 21...Second Half Points v. Iowa: 3

Minnesota 42, Michigan State 34

I still think I was right in calling for Weber to be benched in favor of Gray. Wait, what's that? 416 passing yards and 5 touchdowns?

Michigan State's 4-5 record serves as a constant reminder that 1) you should never ever gamble using my advice and 2) Pat Narduzzi's secondary is probably the most embattled unit in the entire Big Ten.

McKnight, Tow-Arnett, and Green stepped up with big time catches at a time when no one expected them to. Odd how the loss of Decker brought out the best in that young group. There's going to be a pitched battle between Andrew Quarless and Tow-Arnett for 2nd team All-Big 10 tight end.

Wisconsin 37, Purdue 0

Worst game of Hope's year, worse than the 7 turnover performance against Northwestern. There was no creativity, no run game, no toughness.

Worst case of the drops I have ever seen and I mean that. I'm guessing 8 drops by the receivers. Carlos, Smith, Valentin...Elliot's 5-23 performance probably could have been 15-23 or so.

Apparently the key to stopping Wisconsin...is exactly the same as it was the last 10 years. Slow the run game early and force the quarterback to throw into coverage. In Big Ten play, Clay has averaged 150 ypg rushing in wins, 67 ypg in losses. Purdue couldn't budge the Wisconsin line, averaging 320 lbs, and the Badgers picked up 266 yards on the ground.

Lance Kendricks: 4 carries, 91 yards, mostly on end arounds that kept Purdue off balance.

Illinois 38, Michigan 13

Big plays all day baby. I predicted Illinois didn't have the firepower to gash Michigan like everyone else has this year. I was wrong. The Illini has plays of 79, 70, 36, 35, 28, 27, 26, 22, 23 on their way to 500 total yards. The UM secondary was out of place on most of the zone reads and lacked the quickness to at least mitigate damage.

Michigan is a year away, just as we predicted at the start of this season. The biggest issue for RichRod and the coaches to work with Tate this offseason? Getting rid of the ball and taking care of the ball. Tate fumbled three times, and not even while taking big hits.

I am off the opinion that Denard Robinson and top recruit Devin Gardner are the future of this spread.

It was 31-13 with 9 minutes left in the fourth quarter - Michigan had the ball inside the Illinois 20, 4th and 6. Instead of kicking the field goal to turn it into a 2 possession game, RichRod decided to go for it. The pass failed and the game was over. Just some bad game management.

Defensive Discussions, Week 9 In The Big Ten

grahamfiller10 — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:48:36 -0000

How will Indiana attack the relatively vanilla attack of Iowa? Indiana runs a basic 4-3 and they are most effective when an explosive front four gets pressure and clogs running holes. Jammie Kirlew, Greg Middleton, and Larry Black Jr. will try to push the Iowa offensive tackles upfield, forcing that patented Iowa off-tackle run back into the middle of the defense or making TFL's.

How does Fitzy gameplan against Clark and Royster? Northwestern's base 4-3 features an underperforming defensive line that stepped up big against Indiana in the 2nd half of last weeks game. Pressuring Chappell and stuffing any semblance of a Hoosier run gave enough time for Kafka to lead a comeback. But PSU is a different beast, again featuring the Big Ten's best passing attack. What should Pat Fitzgerald be doing to slow PSU's well rounded attack? Play zone. The Wildcats feature one of the least talented linebacking corps in the Big 10 - they can't cover Quarless down the field in man. And we've seen what Graham Zug can do against the one on one coverage of Michigan. Drop into a zone and pray for some front four pressure, Iowa style.

Can Michigan stop giving up big plays for long enough to survive Illinois? It's actually a perfect storm for the Wolverines. Illinois's offense has generated fewer long gains than any offense in the Big Ten, while Michigan seems to give up long passes against any talented team they play. ND? Clausen throws for almost 400 yards with a couple of long tosses. Indiana? 85 yard run late in the fourth, long bomb to Doss. Iowa? 2 TD's, 35 and 42 yards, to a wide open tight end. Michigan is pressing on defense, trying to make big plays and leaving safety's on islands or in bad position. If any team won't be able to exploit this Wolverine D, it's Illinois. GregRob should leave his safeties deep, roll his corners up, and make Juice or Charest throw between defenders - something they haven't done successfully all year.

Will the Spartan 4-3 be tested at all versus Mini? This unit, headlined by All-Everything LB Greg Jones, is giving up only 103 yards per game rushing, third best in the Big Ten. Talented DT's who shoot gaps and an active, physical linebacking corp make the 4-3 an effective run defense. But the secondary is prone to penalties and breakdowns. Expect Narduzzi, the MSU defensive coordinator under fire for pulling out a prevent defense late versus Iowa, to stick to his vanilla 4-3 guns here with full confidence that his improved defense is more talented than the Gophers injury prone offense.

Did Purdue's D-Co learn anything from OSU about stopping Wisky? The Buck's executed a solid gameplan to slow John Clay and Co, slowing Clay early by jamming the middle and then dropping into a deeper zone and picking Tolzien three times. The Bucks could do this because of their outstanding talent, but Purdue is an improved team across the board defensively. Ryan Kerrigan will get the lions share of media attention, but the key will be the linebackers here. If Wisky cannot run early, Tolzien will be throwing those beautiful 20 yard out routes and seam routes into multiple defenders.

The Rivalry Is Watching You: Minnesota MLB Lee Campbell v. Ohio State

grahamfiller10 — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:45:44 -0000

Minnesota gave up over 500 yards to a previously struggling Buckeye team. I'm going to take a concise look at Lee Campell, one of the senior leaders on defense for Minnesota. How did the second leading tackler in the Big Ten factor into this defensive breakdown on Saturday? What are the NFL chances for the Big Ten's second leading tackler? Can the 240 lb. Campbell run with Pryor?

First Possession, First Half 0-0

He's the MLB in this 5-3 formation on first down. Mini puts everyone in the box, stopping OSU for a two yard gain. After a Pryor scramble, LC blitzes from his MLB position but makes no impact on the Pryor incompletion. Punt time

Second Possession, 0-0

Again the MLB, OSU is in shotgun one back formation, while the Gophers have walked five men up to the line dating Pryor to throw. LC moves smoothly in the backfield, onlto to find Brandon Saine running free to the other side. After a quick first down throw by Pryor, the Bucks have a first on their own 19. The Gophers aren't moved by a Buckeye power run and on second down, Campbell drops deep into zone coverage. It's third and long and LC goes into man on the tight end, physically bodying up on the TE. It doesn't matter - Triplett is beaten badly on a Pryor scramble and it's OSU first down on their own 33.

Mini has backed off of their 5 man front, switching to a 4-3 stack, with the LB's focusing on the middle of the field. Spread Read right and Campell is sucked up into the blocking zone, but a Gopher cornerback pops up to make a great TFL. On second down, LC drops into zone coverage and forces another Pryor scramble for three yards. Third and long, Pyror finds a hole in this Mini zone and its first down on the 50.

Tradition I by the Bucks, LC doesn't bite on the play fake and follows Pryor on the rollout before Pryor completes a 17 yard pass. The Bucks are driving thanks to TP's arm and Campbell hasn't made an impact play yet. First and ten on the MN 34: Pryor option runs right. LC picks up his first tackle after fighting off two blocks, but he finds TP 7 yards downfield. Second and short and the Bucks run right at Campell, who falls back under the weight of Browning and a knocked over Gopher DT. First down again.

Quick slant to Posey, who gets smacked in the face by LC, forces the pass incomplete. I'll call that a pass breakup. On second zone, Saine runs righ, hurdles over a blocker and is leveled by Campbell for another tackle. We hear LC yell CMON into the HD mics. That play made me feel alive. It's third down and Pryor runs right before getting dragged down to cause fourth down. The Bucks go for it on a power dive with Saine - LC gets blocked right before he almost makes a TFL. You can't deny that this guy has a nose for the ball.

This drive is making my fingers hurt from all the typing. God. First and ten on the 13, Pryor runs away from LC's side and Triplett and Sherrills contain the play. After a TP incompletion, the Gophs blitz on third down and stuff Pryor. Field Goal MISS, the Gophers have held.

Third Possession, 0-0

A zone read doesn't fool LC, but he gets sucked into the zone blocking hole and vacates middle. Saine runs for 15. First mistake by LC. First and 10 on the OSU 37. Again LC gets sucked in middle and Saine makes a small cutback for 5. After a PI call - a really bad PI call, Pryor challenges the Gophers zone pass coverage and throws over LC incomplete. Quick pass right and its third and five. Minnesota runs a clever defensive formation, putting Triplett and LC into blitz lanes, than only sending Triplett, who knocks the ball down. No impact plays for LC, but its punt time.

Fourth Possession, 0-0

Mini is not in the 5 or six man line anymore, figuring OSU can throw the ball a bit today. A reverse is sniffed out by LC and another Mini defender for a TFL. That great play is wiped out by a personal foul...Everyone knows what happens next, Posey touchdown deep.

Fifth Possession, 7-0

First and ten on the Bucks own 33, basic 4-3 from Mini. Tackle by LC (his third), but Saine gets 6 anyways. The DT's are being moved any which way. Second and short and LC smacks Saine at the first down marker while someone causes a fumble, which apparently wasn't a fumble. Fourth tackle by LC and third and inches, Pryor sneaks for a first down.

Pryor goes deep on first down after a Minnesota blitz is stopped easily. Second down, LC misses his first tackle as Pryor shakes him off in the backfield on route of a 12 yard gain. Negated due to holding and after another incomplete deep ball by Pryor, it's third and long hasn't challenged LC in the middle zone. TP scrambles and I would like to make an observation - Triplett has looked lost today against Pryor.

First and ten, OSU runs up the middle by Small, Triplett and LC stuff him. Another TP incompletion, third and long and a bit longer thanks to a false start. Short completion and another Buckeye punt.

Sixth Possession, 7-0

Mini stunts and blitzes on first down, but TP gets away and throws over LC. First down and Mini has dropped into a zone, TP rolls around until he gets sacked. A surprisingly accurate throw right in front of Sherrills leads to third and short, when TP drives forward for a first down. After Pryor breaks two sack attempts and throws a ball away, Mini blitzes but TP throws the ball to a breaking Posey. The Minnesota man defense is giving up mucho yards. Tired of his success on this drive, TP throws the ball to Kyle Theret and the half is complete.

At the half - 279 Buckeye yards, 7 points, one missed FG, one interception

Seventh Possession, 7-0

A Gopher fumble hands OSU the ball deep in Mini territory. LC and Triplett get sucked into the middle again and Jordan Hall gets a first down before LC late hits him oob - no call. First down on the OSU 15 - a simple off tackle picks up four before Campbell makes a big hit. On second down, Minnesota plays the zone read perfectly, except TP stiff arms a defender in the face and glides in for a TD.

Eighth Possession, 14-0

Zone read is stuffed by the DL, but second down sees a TP scramble right for a first down. No way Campell is catching TP from the side pursuit. First and ten from around the OSU 40, everyone takes a shot at Jordan Hall and then LC cleans up - 5 tackles, 1 TFL. Incompletion, punt time

Ninth Possession, 14-0

Weber fumble and I'm back already. Buckeye ball on the MN 22. Finally, an effective Gopher blitz and a dump down leads to a loss of four. Second and long, Pryor runs for a TD on a cutback - this is quickly negated by a holding call. First down on the MN 16, power run up the middle and Campbell wards off a block to drag down the RB before the chains can be moved. Third and one, Campbell gets another tackle, grabbing Small's foot and tripping him after a two yard run. OSU is running downhill now, as the momentum has tipped to the Bucks. Hall runs away from LC's side and #4 of Minnesota gets sucked in horribly. LC drags Hall into the end zone and pops up to stare menancingly at the side of the Gopher defense which showed so little panache on the last run.

Tenth Possession, 21-0

Campbell hides between two blockers and stands up Hall for a one yard run. Another LC tackle, he is a monster run stopper. Second and 9, TP throws a strike to the sidelines on a rollout, first down OSU. Rollout pryor on first down and #27 got beaten like a mule. Game over flip flip flip.

In other news, Bob Griese cannot imagine why fans would be upset with Tressel after OSU imploded against a 1-5 Purdue team. In other news, Bob Griese went to Purdue in the 1960's and can't imagine why any team would be upset after losing to that superpower program.

Eleventh Possession, 28-0

A power I formation for OSU leads to a power run up the middle. Campbell is set as the MLB and slams into Jermil Martin for another tackle, but Martin gets six yards. Second down and short, OSU is just pounding the ball and it's another Buckeye first. The Bucks haven't fallen asleep and run a reverse - the ball carrier is pulled down by Triplett but LC had smelled it out also. Second down and here comes Martin again - the Gophers are worn out and LC is eaten up by an unimpeded blocker while Martin rolls into the endzone for a long TD run. I've had enough of this, time for conclusions.

Conclusions, Statistics, etc...

Stats: 10 tackles, 1 TFL

Discussion: Campbell hits with all of that 240 lb. frame and he is rarely overrun by lineman (except on the final TD). He missed one tackle all day, whiffing on Pryor in the backfield. His lateral movement is not as fluid as Greg Jones, but that's expected of a 240 lb. man. As run stopping linebackers go, Campbell is right there with Pat Angerer as the complete package.

One issue I have is the schematic problems that Minnesota's defense sets up. The two stud linebackers, LC and Triplett, are grouped too closely together in the middle of that 4-3 when they should have had more space between. This bad spacing led to about 5 instances where they both flowed to the play and then watched the ballcarrier cutback for big yards.

Campbell will quickly find himself in the discussion for All-Big Ten. As of now, I say: First Team: Pat Angerer, Greg Jones, Brian Rolle. Second Team: Some combination of Campbell, Triplett, Jeremiha Hunter, Navarro Bowman, Josh Hull...