Posts under: Blog

Maybe This Is As Good As It Gets

The Ohio State program is humming along at a pace that’s unprecedented for the Buckeyes. They have finished 1st or tied for 1st in their Big Ten division for the last eight seasons. To put that in perspective, Woody Hayes had six straight seasons finishing #1 or tied for #1 in the Big Ten, and Jim Tressel had five (six if you count the aborted Tatgate season). They have also beaten Michigan 15 out of the last 16 meetings, with the lone blip coming against one-year interim head coach Luke Fickell.

Hit the jump for more.

Wild Haskins 4th-and-1 Failure

The game was pretty much decided by this point, but on 4th-and-1, the Wolverines decided to run the (a.k.a. my) dreaded Wild Haskins formation. Michigan did indeed throw a changeup at Ohio State’s defense, sending sidecar fullback Ben Mason from the playside to the backside of the play, where he was kicking out the defensive end. (Most Wild Haskins plays have Hassan Haskins following Mason.)

Follow 74 for a touchdown. Instead the back does whatever the hell he wants and the OL get blamed for it pic.twitter.com/FTZQfBAkYc

— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) November 30, 2019

This is one of those plays where I’m not sure who to blame based on the film.

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Ohio State 56, Michigan 27

The seniors played like crap. I said this on Twitter, and someone responded saying they’re looking forward to the seniors moving on. I wouldn’t go that far, but I was very disappointed in their lack of poise. I was reminded of Shawn Crable hitting Troy Smith late out of bounds…and that reminder came numerous times. Why did senior captain Carlo Kemp untie Dobbins’s shoe? 15 yards. Why did senior captain Khaleke Hudson jump offsides on a 4th-and-4 Ohio State punt? 5 yards and a first down. Why did Hudson not keep outside contain when OSU got under center and ran the ball at him? Huge gains, one of which was a touchdown. Why did senior quarterback Shea Patterson keep trying to run outside instead of cutting up to follow his blockers? -3 yards each time. Why did senior Josh Metellus decide not to play his deep half in cover 2? Touchdown. These were major gaffes. It annoys me that Cam McGrone hit Justin Fields out of bounds when Fields was already losing yards, but at least McGrone is just a young guy who’s only been starting for less than a full season. The seniors have no excuse.

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Visitors: Michigan vs. Ohio State

2020

Reece Atteberry – C – Aurora (CO) Eaglecrest: Atteberry is committed to Michigan (LINK).

Elijah Gaines – S – Alexandria (VA) Episcopal: At one time Gaines had set up an official visit to Michigan for this game, but he committed to Penn State in the meantime.

Darion Green-Warren – CB – Harbor City (CA) Narbonne: Green-Warren is a 6’0″, 187-pounder with offers from Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State, and USC, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #13 cornerback, and #209 overall. His crystal ball is 88% in favor of USC and 0% for Michigan right now. UPDATE: Green-Warren is visiting in December.

Jaylen Harrell – DE – Tampa (FL) Berkeley Prep: Harrell is a 6’4″, 235 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, and Miami, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #14 weakside end, and #301 overall. This is an official visit.

Nikhai Hill-Green – LB – Baltimore (MD) St. Frances: Hill-Green is committed to Michigan (LINK).

Myles Hinton – OT – Norcross (GA) Greater Atlanta Christian: Hinton is a 6’6″, 308-pounder who is committed to Stanford. His brother Chris is a Michigan defensive tackle, and Myles has visited several times this year, largely to see his brother. There’s an outside chance that Michigan can flip him.

Kris Jenkins, Jr. – DE – Olney (MD) Good Counsel: Jenkins is committed to Michigan (LINK).

Jayson Jones – DT – Calera (AL) Calera: Jones is a 6’6″, 340 lb. prospect who has been committed to Alabama since June of 2018. He has long insisted that he would take a visit to Michigan, even though some have doubted whether it would happen or not. He’s a 4-star, the #18 defensive tackle, and #174 overall.

Hit the jump for more visitors.

Preview: Michigan Defense vs. Ohio State Offense

You can find the Michigan offense vs. OSU defense posts here (LINK).

Hit the jump for the second half of the preview.