Karan Higdon (image via USA Today)
John O’Korn was bad. I expected a better John O’Korn to show up on Saturday, but that wasn’t the case. He finished 10/20 for 58 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. He also ran 2 times for 8 yards. Early in the game, he missed a wide open deep post route to Donovan Peoples-Jones that might have given him and the team some confidence, but it was overthrown by a few yards. O’Korn did pull some magic out of his hat when he escaped three seemingly unblocked defenders in the pocket to scramble to his right and find a well covered Peoples-Jones. Otherwise, he just locked onto his primary receiver and never came off the read. It was astounding how little he went through his progressions. Believe it or not, I actually think O’Korn played better in the Michigan State game, because a couple of his interceptions were decent ideas but bad throws. Against Indiana, the bad ideas and bad throws combined for a very ugly game.
Hit the jump for more on Saturday’s win.
Karan Higdon was excellent. Fortunately for Michigan, the terrible game by O’Korn was combined with the best game of Higdon’s career and perhaps the best game of the season by Michigan’s offensive line. Higdon ran 25 times for 200 yards and all 3 of Michigan’s touchdowns. The first and third touchdowns were similar plays where Higdon bounced inside runs to the left sideline, while the second touchdown was a 59-yarder right up the middle against split safeties. Higdon’s previous career high in carries (13) was against Rutgers in a blowout last year, and this year he carried the ball 12 times twice. The last time Michigan had a 200-yard rusher as a running back was Mike Hart in 2007.
The referees were way too involved. Michigan had 16 penalties for 141 yards on Saturday, and there were a few declined penalties, too. There were a couple ticky-tack penalties, but many were legitimate and should have been called – false starts, too many men on the field, etc. A couple pass interference penalties should probably have gone uncalled – on both sides – but Indiana in particular seemed to be running a bunch of pick routes, none of which were called. The game lasted almost four hours, and while there was an overtime, it was an overtime in which one team scored on the first play. Meanwhile, Indiana was penalized just 5 times for 55 yards. Michigan is now #118 in penalties (74.3 yards/game) and #67 in opponent penalties (53.7 yards/game), so Michigan is losing over 20 yards/game in that exchange. Add in that Michigan is #105 in kickoff returns and #50 in punt returns, and the Wolverines aren’t making up for their stagnant offense on special teams or in penalties.
What is targeting? Volume MMCXVII. Really, nobody knows what targeting is. O’Korn gave himself up to slide in the first half, and Indiana linebacker Tegray Scales went low and hit O’Korn in the head with his shoulder. Targeting was called (and then reviewed, like all targeting calls). In the end, it was called a late hit without targeting, and Indiana was able to keep its best defensive player on the field. It brings to mind when Joe Bolden was called for targeting against Michigan State on a similar but weaker hit, after he was pushed from behind. Two years ago, Jake Rudock kept getting targeted when he slid, so Harbaugh started teaching Rudock to dive head-first. Maybe that less needs to be taught to O’Korn.
Is it Brandon Peters time? People have been calling for Brandon Peters for months, especially in the immediate aftermath of the spring game, when Peters played very well. With Speight out, the calls started growing louder. Now they seem to be at an all-time high. Imagine the cacophony of calls if Michigan hadn’t managed to win this game. I don’t think this is the right time to insert Peters with an upcoming night game against Penn State, because that could damage the redshirt freshman’s confidence for good. Peters is already lacking some confidence and leadership ability, and that would not help his situation. Unless O’Korn gets injured, I hope Peters doesn’t see the field until the Rutgers game.
Lavert Hill looks outstanding. There was concern voiced in the off-season and pre-season about which cornerbacks would step up this year. Rumors out of Schembechler Hall were that Hill was very good but always banged up, and perhaps not as tough as he should be. Now Hill leads the team with 2 interceptions, and he was in receivers’ hip pockets all day on Saturday. He was flagged for pass interference, which happened quite a bit to Jourdan Lewis, too, but he has great ball skills and awareness. It wouldn’t be out of the question for him to be all-conference this season.
What happens next week? Michigan can’t pass the ball, which isn’t too surprising, considering they have lost their starting QB and #1 wide receiver. It comes down to the running game, and Penn State is #24 in rushing yardage allowed and #15 in yards allowed per carry (3.09). Higdon isn’t going to be able to run wild against PSU like he did against Indiana. It’s going to be very tough sledding for the Wolverines. Unfortunately, I think PSU will win this one, but that’s not altogether unexpected at this point.
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Was the OL improvement due to it truly getting better, or was it more due to Indiana defense not being as good? Did you see improved technique across the line?
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Great question. We should know better than to watch one game and read too much into it.
But there are a couple reasons to think the progress is real. 1. pass protection also seemed better. 2. rivals guys have said the team has been focusing on this. 3. signs of improvement in spells the last 2 weeks (2nd half of Purdue, first couple drives against MSU). 4. Indiana’s D seems to be pretty legit based on the last couple years and having some NFL talent.
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OL obviously looked better. I do agree with the announcers that Indiana is built to stop the spread and UM pulled IU out of their natural alignments with the multiple TE formations. I noticed some shots of UM coming up to the LOS and it was pretty striking how much they towered over the IU Interior DL.
Looked to me like the big improvement was how they were finding the right guys to block in space when pulling or getting out on LB’s directly.
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I thought Michigan simplified the running game a little bit with fewer schemes inside. They were probably able to do this because Indiana isn’t great on the defensive line. They have a strong NT (Hoff) and a couple solid inside linebackers (Scales, Covington), but they don’t have that guy who can be a mismatch on the edge against Juwann Bushell-Beatty. That meant better pass protection. But I think Michigan believed they could wear down Indiana, and I think they did. That’s why Higdon kept getting big chunks in the second half, even though Indiana knew Michigan was going to run the ball and had abandoned the pass.
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This is an interesting point. I was so busy noticing the Michigan D getting fatigued in the 2nd half I forgot to notice Indiana doing the same.
I also think the point about weak DE vs JBB is a good one. Indiana has a good D but doesn’t generate much pressure. This may just have been a good matchup where Indiana’s strengths didn’t align with Michigan’s weaknesses. Certainly worth tempering expectations for the OL against PSU…
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anyone who still needs to temper expectations for OL or the team in general vs PSU prob isnt being too realistic
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Yes but … I think you a lot of fans are going to get caught up in Higdon’s 200 yards the same way they got caught up in O’Korn’s game against Purdue.
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Nice work. I always appreciate that you get these up the next morning.
Kinda agree that O’Korn was better against MSU. He actually made some reads that game. But, it does have to be acknowledged, he did a better job avoiding mistakes. That was the difference between winning and losing in two very similar games.
O’Korn threw more to the outside, which seems wise. Even when he completed some passes last week he was taking chances between multiple defenders. Since he wasn’t, you know, going through any reads, this was probably coaching. It was probably wise too. We can do some things with the no-read pass game if we’re smart about it (screens, bombs, and sideline passes…or bail to a throw-away or scramble).
Pick routes do not get called. — We need to be running them.
The thing about Higdon’s day is that he was good for all of it. Even before he broke his long run (a great playcall but also brilliantly executed by Higdon trusting and staying tight on his blocks) he was being consistently productive and impressive. But he made a lot of yards by himself today and seemingly never went down on first contact, fought for extra yards, etc. It’s no coincidence that we had a great day from a RB at the same time the OL put it together. Both deserve plenty of credit.
Thank you for the sanity on Peters.
I’m not sure it’s as simple as Michigan can’t pass so they have to run next week. The run game has had plenty of struggles before this week’s breakout. Even then we had how many 3 and out drives? This is not a one-dimensional run-only team (though they were yesterday) anymore than they were a pass-only team against Purdue. They still have more passing than rushing yards on far fewer plays. Michigan is going to need to manufacture something in the pass game to beat PSU, even if the progress in the run game continues. They’ll need to take whatever the defense gives them. After this week, you can bet PSU will sellout to stop the run. We’re going to have to beat them in a Indiana/MSU-style slog.
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Not saying I believe the comments from Balas. Maybe they become true but I wouldn’t play Peters now. He isn’t prepared to succeed. If we lose games with JOK then so be it. By the way, Balas said Peters appears to be a huge recruiting mistake.
I personally believe we are dealing with a guy that could play but doesn’t have all the necessary tools right now to succeed and Harbaugh is being careful especially since he thought he was going to have the Speight from last year and a competent OL, etc.
Now here are some thoughts I think people will probably disagree with. I think JOK can be successful IF
1. The OL and run game become very good to excellent. See IU. He can’t be successful if they have to pass to set up the run consistently. LK is wrong. UM has no other choice that to run to set up the pass. JOK doesn’t consistently make the right reads. He will make the mistake. I think everyone now understands why the staff tended to put the handcuffs on him before PU.
2. JOK can make a pass here and there but it seems that it has to be a one route play with all the other plays to set up the one pass route. He throws a nice ball. He only sees 15% of the field right now.
3. The PSU defense is absolutely going to stack the box. I agree with LK but that doesn’t mean UM should abandon the run and be willing to ‘slog’ as LK says or be willing to punt.
Now this is the key point where I disagree with LK. Passing the ball stops the clock if incomplete. It doesn’t generate 2 yards here and there if incomplete. Punting at the 40 yard line is much better than punting at the 33 yard line. It is absolutely crucial for this team to play field position ball.
It has to establish the run somehow (JOK running on draws or rolling out) and then the bigger pass plays are on play action like 2nd and 3 and go over the top or to the TE. It can work but UM is going to have to be willing to punt and play field position.
Get PSU further into the box. Don’t be afraid to punt the ball. Don’t abandon the run game for 2 yards. It will set up the play action later. Trust the defense to play a dominant game. UM can win this game by focusing on Higdon and the defense and use the qb as a decoy for a big play. UM can win this game having JOK throw the ball 15 times. Does it want to win or look pretty? Bleed the clock. As one guy said better than I, Tresselball. Craig Krenzel.
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The slog comments assumes we will run a lot, as you said. I don’t think we actually disagree much but for recency bias in your confidence in the run game. To me, running a lot means not scoring very quickly. It means limiting possessions to try to beat a better team in a low scoring game (MSU style). But we have to pass too. We can’t repeat Indiana strategy against Purdue because we happened to eke out a one-possession win instead of losing one. PSU is better than that.
There is next to no chance we have a very good to excellent run game for the rest of the year. Better than the chance that O’Korn was going to be Purdue O’Korn for the rest of the year but still not realistic.
We’ve seen the error in taking one game and projecting out ‘answers’ for the rest of the year. Some problems have been fairly consistent, but we’ve also seen a variety of issues from game to game. QB accuracy, QB avoiding huge errors (pick 6s), QB decision-making, lack of big plays, lack oof consistency. Different game, different “problem”. Different problems lead to different solutions.
The slog comment is not my desire, just reality. The closest thing to a good offensive game we had was Florida – or Purdue if you’re willing to look past the 1st half and degree of difficulty. Florida was mostly a collection of big plays that, as I said at the time, were probably not sustainable. That was the first game of the year. The scouting report is out and you me and everyone reading here knows that stacking the box and pressuring the QB works against Michigan.
The run game is needed to beat PSU but will struggle more than they did against Indiana. We need O’Korn to play better than he did against MSU and Indiana.
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Purdue just held Wisconsin to 17 points at Wisconsin, so its D seems to be at least okay. I was surprised that when our receivers did catch a pass, they went nowhere. Did we have any YAC at all?
One other thing. Not that I thought O’Korn played particularly well, but if he is only going to look at one target, we should be doing what we can to make sure that target – by play design – will be the target that is open and not expect him to be looking for the third checkdown.
And one last thing. I did not think the receivers did much to help O’Korn yesterday. If DPJ stayed at max speed, he may have caught the long pass that hit his fingertips. There were a few other passes that could have been caught. And I don’t recall seeing any receiver make a really tough catch.
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Agree 100%
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It’s not so much recency bias but more seasonal bias against the pass game. I don’t want JOK throwing too many passes. I don’t trust him or our OL. I wouldn’t want Speight throwing the ball that much because of the OL.
It has to be certain types of passes. It has to be primarily runs because that at least gives you less of an opportunity to lose the game. If UM falls behind 14 pts in this game, their done. If you offered me 10-6 PSU at half time I would take it.
The run game may go back to it’s mean but it’s better than the alternative. People may think I am Joking but I don’t have a problem punting the ball 10 times in this game assuming the score is close.
I’ll tell you why UM lost that game against MSU. Yes, MSU was better and beat UM straight up in the 1st half but the real reason was the staff PANICKED in the 2nd half. They were down 4 and were playing the game like they were down 14 pts.
Here is the only way UM can win in my opinion. Trust the defense. Trust your ST’s. Ask JOK to make one big throw. Run Higdon 25 times, Evans and Isaac another 10 times, and pass very little (15). Try and play field position. Try and set up the offense for later in the game.
Dead serious. I’d rather see the following. 3rd and 5 at the UM 35 yard line and run the ball for 3 yards and be willing to punt. Ask yourself this question. Is it worth throwing the ball when the game is close to get a 1st down when it could stop the clock or worse? I think it is when you are in PSU territory. Play extreme Lloyd Ball.
I think you spend the entire game trying to set up the offense to win the game at the end. ROPE A DOPE.
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The pass game has been more productive than the run game this season. Total yards and average per play.
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Is it noteworthy that teams average more yards per pass play than per run play? That’s normally the case. But it’s not feasible to drop back and throw every time, because you risk sacks, turnovers at a higher rate, etc.
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It is not feasible to run it every play either, obviously.
Is that true about higher rate of turnovers? In O’Korn’s case probably…
It is not news that passing is more productive than running. That’s why the game has steadily evolved towards more and more passing.
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Passing is more productive when you have a QB. This year, we haven’t had a good one yet, except Purdue for three quarters
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Before Indiana, Michigan’s pass game had >200 yards more than the run game. Remove Purdue and the edge still goes to passing.
Michigan’s had more passing yards in 4 of 6 games.
I’m sure you won’t let facts get in the way of your statements, but it may be interesting for others.
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My statement was far more simple than you made it out to be (probably in hopes of more debate). I’ll try again: passing is more productive with a good QB, than with a bad one (or two)
What’s Michigan ranked (nationally) in on the ground? In the air?
Comprende?
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a recruiting mistake in the sense that he doesnt have the head, mentality and/or demeanor to succeed as harbaughs QB in this scheme?
i guess i could see that bc peters clearly has arm talent and looks like an athletic kid. if thats the case, thats why coaches talk to everyone possible, try to get prospects on campus and in camp settings, recruit kids over several years period, etc – they should be avoiding many of those type issues via due diligence.
obviously hope thats not the case though bc they need peters to push mccaffrey and others over next few years, cant just roll with 1 QB and expect to be all good. okorn clearly gets happy feet in the pocket, lacks complete understanding of the concepts or lacks the ability to register and follow his keys and read out progressions, etc and thats a huge problem – severely limits his production and kills his confidence and kills coaches and teammates confidence in him. damn, i hope that recruiting mistake comment is just overreaction or bs (though if peters were truly the #5 rated QB in his class and harbaughs guy then by this point he should be able to consistently move the team at least slightly better than current okorn) bc thatd be a depth killer and not great by harbaugh
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They’re recruiting 2 QBs in 2018, so that’s a sign it’s not BS.
Also, it’s worth noting that the staff preferred several other targets to Peters. He wasn’t far down the list but he wasn’t at the top of it either.
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Perhaps it’s better to roll the pocket with O’Korn and give him some RPOs and easy reads. He seems to throw better on the run than in the pocket.
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You would think that’s a good idea, but it doesn’t really seem to be this staff’s forte.
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Agree. And maybe run the waggle. If receiver isn’t open, OK uses his running ability.
I don’t think anything this staff tries to do will transform OK into an adequate pocket passer. Let’s move away from his weaknesses and play to his strength — mobility.
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As bad as O’Korn was you can’t start a redshirt freshman at night in Happy Valley. It would be a disaster. Getting a few series against Rutgers would be the best option. Think Michigan is just going to have to take their lumps this year as I don’t see the offense getting much better. Opposing D’s will crowd the line, put 8 or 9 in the box and make O’korn or whoever is at QB beat them. Not to sound like a broken record but I can’t see either Tim or Pep coming back next season!
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I agree on JOK. He’s a backyard guy, better off the bench than when planned/scripted for
“O’Korn did pull some magic out of his hat when he escaped three seemingly unblocked defenders in the pocket to scramble to his right and find a well covered Peoples-Jones. Believe it or not, I actually think O’Korn played better in the Michigan State game”
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On the bright side, IU held S Barkley to 56 yards on 20 carries at Penn State.
I do agree with an early comment, ROLL JOK out with RPO’s, give him easier reads with basic route combos and ability to scramble for 5. I also like that ESPN game day will be at PSU.
Why I think Michigan will win next week.
Big time underdog and they can play with nothing to lose
ESPN game day distractions
OUR Defense
Lastly, IU beats Sparty next weekend.
Finally looks like there appears to be a glimpse of Identity on Offense.. if some of those passes were completed it would have been a different story line.
Thunder, enjoy this blog,, Great Job and Recap!
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My prescription is fewer reads, not more. You have 1 guy – if he’s not open tuck it and run. Solve your problems with simplicity.
Otherwise, it’s going to be turnovers that this offense isn’t good enough to get back.
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Agree with fewer reads, but I don’t know how many hits JOK can take. We don’t have the depth at QB to lose another
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Honestly, I don’t think it matters a great deal if we lose O’Korn to injury. I’m not saying I want him to get injured, but you have to take some risks when you don’t have consistent play from the OL, WR, QB, etc. Even with O’Korn, Michigan’s chances of beating the best teams on its schedule (PSU, OSU, Wisconsin) are slim. Like we talked about last weekend, this looks like a team that’s bound to go something like 8-4. I don’t think losing O’Korn would drop that expectation a bunch.
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Strongly disagree. Right now we’re FAIRLY locked in to 8-4 with a decent chance at pulling off an upset to get to 9-3. Very low chance of dropping to 7-5 if O’Korn is healthy.
Put a freshman QB in and suddenly Minnesota is a toss up, @Maryland is a toss up, hell Rutgers would be a couple bad breaks away from a scare. We’ve been through this with Morris. Peters could be worse.*
*Not saying he will be worse, but you’re hearing the “recruiting mistake” talk a lot sooner than you did with Morris. It’s on the table. So is being an all-american.
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9-3 and 7-5 are very different seasons. For perception, for recruiting — it matters.
Anyway – all our goals are still on the table. Michigan controls it’s own destiny. There is not a single game they can’t win. Nobody thinks we’ll run the table but stranger things have happened.
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There is no reason to feel the need to ride it out with JOK. Last couple weeks, he has played like one of the worst QB’s in Div 1. I’d rather have either of Indiana’s QB’s than JOK. When someone is truly playing that bad, unwillingness to give backups a shit sends a bad message to the team. If JOK continues his poor play against PSU, they will need to give extended snaps to backups against Rutgers.
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PS calls for Malzone. That’ll fix it.
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O’Korn is in his 3rd season with this staff. They know exactly what they have. They are not surprised but what you saw the last 2 weeks. This is why they did not replace Speight when he was struggling.
They know O’Korn’s limitation. Yet they are not putting Peters out there.
That tells you all you need to know.
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You’re saying that he’s more likely to get hurt if he runs?
I don’t buy that. Speight almost never runs and he’s been seriously injured in 2 of the last 8 games. Denard ran every other play and got seriously hurt once in 3 years of starting. Sit in the pocket with this OL is asking for it.
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Yes, I am
And Denard only got hurt once seriously, but was banged up as early as his first start (burned DGs RS), Bowling Green (Tate’s 5TDs), and throughout 2010. When Borges failed to make him a pocket passer in 2011, he stayed healthy (minus a few snaps at ELansing). 2012 the coaches woke up, and he didn’t last…
I don’t think JOK is very good, I was too emotional after Purdue (admitted this same day), but after him it’s Peters and a burned RS for Mac
JOK’s not a great runner anyway, so probably not worth it (I’ll let you dig up his ground stats)
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I forgot about Bowling Green, but the larger point stands. Denard was as healthy as any QB you can name that spent 3 years starting.
A couple other errors above not worth nitpicking.
The myth that running QBs are hurt more often has been debunked in larger studies, outside of the anecdotal experience at our school.
JOK is an average runner. The point is not to exploit a strength it’s to mitigate a weakness. If he runs he doesn’t have to go through his reads or make risky throws.
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The larger point stands? This is why you’re reputed to “move the target”
YOU bring up DRob as an example, but when the point gets proven incorrect, you change it to “larger studies,” or some other attempt to distract with unrelated stats
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No JE. Me acknowledgingvyour point that Denard got hurt twice in 3 years instead of once doesn’t “move the target”. The point stands that 2 times in 3 years is less than 2 times in under a year and a half.
Adding additional info to the conversation doesn’t move the target either.
I’ll put it a different way – there’s no evidence that running QBs get injured more. Period. This is a myth based on stodgy old conservative thinking. Possibly with racist undertones.
You can google it yourself but here’s a starting point:
http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2013/02/quarterback_injuries_are_mobile_qbs_like_colin_kaepernick_more_injury_prone.htmlhttp://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2013/02/quarterback_injuries_are_mobile_qbs_like_colin_kaepernick_more_injury_prone.html
There’s other studies that actually indicate running QBs are hurt LESS often, which seems to be our experience with Michigan. This is not unrelated, it’s a large sample size of the topic.
You are wrong.
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I’ve seen the studies that say mobile QBs aren’t more likely to get hurt, but you’re presenting some false information. Denard Robinson got hurt during these times in his career that I remember:
2010 against UConn
2010 against BGSU
2010 against Iowa
2010 against Illinois
2010 against Ohio State
2011 against Michigan State
2012 against Alabama
2012 against Illinois
2012 against Nebraska
That’s 9 times over a span of three seasons as the starting QB.
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Just got back, and Thunder beat me to it
Another failed attempt Lank!
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OK Thunder point taken. I had forgot a lot of those.
But let’s be honest – most of those were dings. Like Uconn for example. I don’t remember him missing that game and no other QB attempted a pass. I’m sure you’re right and he missed a snap or a series or
whatever.
We can count up dings if you want (I call that moving the target but I’m sure you disagree.)
We have a QB who has separated his shoulder (or whatever) and BROKE HIS GD BACK!
But ya’ll want to talk about dings. OK. You win the ding war.
I guess I’ll just “move the target” to the point of the conversation –> that there is no logical basis for JE’s concern.
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Oh, okay…dings aren’t injuries. I didn’t know that a guy could miss an entire half of a football game, and it could just be attributed to a “ding.”
Sure, Speight broke his back. That’s somewhat of an outlier. When was the last time a starting QB at Michigan broke his back? When was the last time a pocket QB missed a big chunk of any season? Do we have to go all the way back to 2004 when Matt Gonzalez hurt his shoulder in the pre-season? Does that count?
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Nice try JE. But you are dodging again. Denard or no Denard, the facts say you are wrong.
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No logical basis, except for historical precedence
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More dodging.
No response to the facts.
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I brought up three, thinking that was enough. Thunder closed with NINE. Those are facts that support my initial post, and then response to your BS “larger point”
You were wrong, again
Learn to let go
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Using Denard to illustrate my point was a mistake. I forgot a bunch of his injuries. At the very least I should have said serious injuries to be specific.
Regardless, the point of this conversation is not Denard. It is running QBs being more likely to get hurt.
That’s the issue you are dodging. Still.
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@Thunder
We’ve had running QBs for much of the last decade. So, there’s not that much to go on as far as pocket passers go. None of Henne, Rudock, or Speight were healthy by the end of the regular season. That was true for Gardner and Robinson too.
You can slice this and dice this different ways I guess.
As with most things, a bigger data set and more robust study would be informative. That’s been done.
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And Gardner is sort of in between anyway. A guy who could be a running QB but was put in a traditional offense, sometimes, mostly.
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Holy crap, Lank just admitted to being wrong!
But I never said “running QBs get hurt more.” What I said was, we don’t have the depth to withstand another QB injury.
This puts us at 3d string, halfway through the season, with a burned RS for Mac likely…
I think this is the latest example of you arguing for the sake of it, and then creating/exaggerating the other side’s position to keep it going
“Using Denard to illustrate my point was a mistake. I forgot a bunch of his injuries
Regardless, the point of this conversation is not Denard. It is running QBs being more likely to get hurt. That’s the issue you are dodging”
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I didn’t admit to being wrong. I admitted to making a bad point. Your comprehension needs work.
Here is what I asked about: “You’re saying that he’s more likely to get hurt if he runs”. You said yes. The data says no.
As I said, it was a mistake to bring up Denard – it doesn’t illustrate my point because he was dinged a bunch of times that I forgot about. That was my mistake that I rectified. I added evidence that was bigger and better to support the point. You call this “moving the target” because, again, your comprehension sucks.
The target is the same, I just reacted to making a bad argument by making a better one – that you continue to dodge. Again and again.
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yes
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Agreed Peters should not start, we will live and die with O’Korn.
If we can win the time of possession and rushing battles, keeping our D off the field as much as possible, we may keep this game close and have a fighters chance at the end.
I think we have seen in a few games, especially yesterday, that the D this year is not as deep as last year. If we constantly go 3 and out on O, it will only be a matter of time before PSU beats our D into submission.
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Agreed. I think “keep our D off the field” also means limiting possessions (i.e., shortening the game). This is a classic strategy for an upset. Smaller sample size, bigger variance, false results. A great way to for the better team to lose.
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Curious on other’s thoughts on DL yesterday. I know they were gassed late and managed to have a great last stand in OT, but when M rush 4 I felt they did not get great pressure or contain? It seemed like the QB had plenty of time. Had to dial up blitz’s frequently which were somewhat effective?
Bottom line I was hoping for more pressure when M rushed only 4.
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I thought Indiana did a good job of staying solid up front. They seemed to really keep their splits tight on the inside, and Ramsey was getting the ball out pretty quickly across the middle.
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Surprised me. All we heard was IU OL was not too good. Hurst is a beast, but winovich was very quiet until the last play.
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good stuff.
I did not notice a number of plays where they only really rushed 2 or 3 guys. There was often at least 1 guy whose job it was to watch for scrambles. This approach was effective, despite the lack of sacks because Michigan really did a solid job containing their QB scrambles for most of the game.
Mattison talked about Gary sacrificing for the team last week in his press conference when somebody from the media mentioned him being disappointing. I noticed a lot of ‘zone’ defense from Gary in this one. I buy it.
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That is sort of what PSU did to OSU last year…well sort of. ST’s and slow the game down. PSU is the better team or at least overall the better team. Playing at home. I would assume the pressure will be on PSU if the game is close at the end.
I don’t think PSU comes into this game winging it. I think they will look to play somewhat smart football since UM isn’t a threat offensively. Get it to Barkley which is another way to grind the clock.
UM can win this game IF they hold PSU to fg’s, don’t turn the ball over, JOK hits one big play and play well on ST’s. Game really needs to be something like a 14-13 score.
I said the other day that UM needs to put 27 pts on the board. I apologize. I was dreaming. That ain’t going to happen. UM was lucky on that last td against IU. Should have been a 4 yard loss except for Higdon. Had the big run play. UM can’t put together more than one 75 yard drive a game.
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In an earlier post I was critical of the play-calling but I’d like to give credit where it’s due and take that back. Harbaugh called a pretty decent game yesterday. I have a few nit-picks (like the throw to McDoom) but overall it seemed like they did a decent job. Credit for getting the run game going and avoiding costly errors from O’Korn.
What I do have a problem with is the decision at the end of the 1st half to not even TRY to take a shot at scoring. 2 minutes left. At least you can run 3 plays and see if Higdon or Evans or Isaac can just happen to break one off and get you into field goal range. D playing soft to avoid a TD. Kicker that can boom it from 50+. We just let the time run which played straight into Indiana’s strategy.
I’m not saying take risks by throwing, but at least run the ball and try. You might have to punt, I know, but it’s worth the risk with our D and our FG kicker.
If both coaches want the same thing, you know something is wrong.
Harbaugh is supposed to be Mr. Competitive. This was anything but.
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Playcalling was solid. No problem I was encouraged actually that the coaches seem to have learned a lesson from MSU.
1. Higdon is the best back
2. Run primarily inside and don’t sway from that recipe because no other options exist other than a power sweep.
I would normally want to be more aggressive to move the sticks at the end but trust the defense. Think they got tired but I’d rather punt the ball than have JOK throw into triple coverage in a stacked box.
MSU was about Drevno. IU was about JOK. PSU is going to be about both of these guys. Both have to call and play a good game.
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Until Higdon had that first breakaway, I thought Isaac had looked every bit as good, but the staff does not seem to give him many touches.
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Isaac produced well on limited carries, but “looked tentative” I’m guessing he’s either nicked up, or mentally bruised from that rib injury against Air Force
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Isaac always gives me the impression that he is a pretty boy rb. Softish. Doesn’t want it bad enough. He is the guy you bring in when the opposing defense is tired. He is a good backup player. Not a fighter. Stiff. I prefer him to Smith but nothing to write home about. Tweener but more on the finesse side. He always gives me the impression he is more interested in his own performance than the team. Mild mannered. Saw him on the bench with Higdon and he looked down because he wasn’t playing and knew he was the backup. Isn’t that what the issue was with him that he wasn’t a tough runner?
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All 3 backs have almost identical numbers of touches.
Isaac had a nice run where he lowered his shoulder and didn’t shy away from contact yesterday. Good to see him making progress. For a freshman this is very encouraging.
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You mean Walker? Yes, I loved that run. He exploded and wanted to hit. Looked like a faster Higdon. Compliment. Can you imagine a mature Higdon and a quality back like Walker plus a 3rd down back in Evans who gets thrown screen passes?
Oh please. I’ll stop teasing the board.
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no
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I’ve grown weary of the Harbaugh QB guru krap – he isn’t? Maybe he isn’t?
An idea for discussion – Yeah i posted sumware bak a week and gave enuff info 4 any1 who kared to investigate tho no1 did…… majun tha!
I’m tired of Michigan fan base giving Harbaugh free pass as being such a QB guru kawz not sure he iz? Mayb he iz? Buh maybe he ainn’t?
Ok – posted that Dantonio has put more QB’s into NFL than Harbaugh – only ads an example kawz other fbs coaches r there as well but I’ll keep it at Dan Tonail….. jez sayin
Michigan fan base wants to give Harbaugh FULL FUKING KREDIT for very QB he’s kum ne’er 2 tha has gone on 2 NFL………
E.G. :
Michigan fanbase gives Harbaugh full kredit 4 Ruddock being in NFL win Harbaugh coached Ruddock 4 only his last year of 5 years in college – Ferentz coached him for 4 fuking years but that is all meaningless as Harbaugh’s 1 year with Ruddock is all that counts? Ferentz gets no credit?
And now 4 more Hypocrisy:
Harbaugh gets FULL CREDIT by Michigan fan base for putting Luck and Josh Johnson into NFL when in fact Harbaugh did not coach either one of them in Luck or Johnson’s last year in college………. yet harbaugh gets full credit? How come Caragher for Johnson and Shaw for luck don’t get full fuking credit? They coached them their last year in college just as Harbaugh coached Ruddock his last year in college?????????!!!!!!!!!
You’re all so much fuking BULLSHIT DIX!!
Here’s reality:
HRBAUGH Gets .75 credit for Johnson at USD
HRBAUGH gets .75 credit for Luck at Stanford
Harbaugh gets .2 credit for Ruddock at Michigan
This equates to Harbaugh putting 1.7 QB’s into NFL from his coaching in College.
Then Re: DantONAIL……..
dan tonail coached Foles .2
Hoyer…….. .4
Cousins……. 1.0
Cook……. 1.0
= Dantonio has put 2.6 QB’s into NFL basically ! More than Harbaugh.
And thats Dantoenail we’re not even talking about other coaches. Want me tho go there? Harbaugh is NO great QB guru. You think Sp8 or Korn will b n NFL??
I’m assembling my case re Harbs boy – he’s a good coach but great? No – not yet anyway……….
QB guru – no good qb coach but GREAT!? Nope no record of it less ur a Mishigun homer………….
I hope Harbaugh gets Mish to a NC game vs FSU – game i want to see but don ‘t go emotional Harabaw aint wurth it – BOnehead.
INTJohn
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The whole QB-whisperer label that gets thrown around in college and the pros is overblown. Harbaugh is a good coach and he obviously trains QB’s in a way that prepares them for how the NFL uses QB’s. However, talent (especially the mental aspects) is what sustains an NFL career. That is why you see successful NFL QB’s come from different types of college systems with different quality of QB coaching.
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I agree. I think in most cases, you can make a mediocre qb into a good qb in time. It’s hard to make a mediocre qb (Navarre) and turn him into a very good college qb or NFL guy.
do think the bigger part of the equation is to scout and then get a commitment from a guy who has the traits to be successful. This is where a guy like Peters and McCaffrey are going to be judged on the Harbaugh ledger.
I can almost assure you that if Newsome was healthy along with Higdon that Speight would be playing and doing a GOOD job. As I mentioned below, Speight was not impressive on film. He wasn’t. I thought Gentry was more impressive as a qb than Speight on film and he is playing TE.
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So how would you explain the turnaround with Alex Smith?
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Some of this stuff is funny. Why does Harbaugh get credit for Rudock? Because Rudock had a pretty poor redshirt junior season and got benched, and he wouldn’t have been an NFL draft pick if not for coming to Michigan and playing for Harbaugh. Nobody was going to draft him if he was Iowa’s backup in 2015. Why does Harbaugh get credit for Josh Johnson? Because he developed into a high-level QB during Harbaugh’s tenure (70 TDs, 13 INTs), and his 2007 season was a step forward (43 TDs, 1 INT) but largely a continuation of his performance under Harbaugh. I think it’s kind of silly to simply give coaches mathematical credit based on how many years they coached a kid.
Of course, that’s not to mention that in roughly the same time as head coaches, Harbaugh spent some time at FCS San Diego and then four years in the NFL. In nine full seasons, Harbaugh has put out roughly 0.2 NFL quarterbacks per year. In thirteen full seasons, Mark Dantonio has put out roughly…0.2 NFL quarterbacks per year.
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It’s too early. Harbaugh got a transfer qb from Iowa. He was in desperation mode. He inherits Speight and get a backup from Houston. I need to see him develop either Peters or McCaffrey. Until then it’s all petty stuff. Obviously you need some talent. I think Speight has been developed but I wasn’t impressed with his h.s. film. Were you? Morris seems to be doing better. Harbaugh walked into a unsatisfactory situation at both the qb and on the Oline and walked into a dream on the defensive side of the ball.
I think some people are really in denial about how bad the UM qb situation was originally to start his tenure. I, and others, had no idea how this thing was going to play out and thank GOD for Rudock. Arguably the biggest get in the Harbaugh era.
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“Better” is a very relative term for Morris. 55% completions, 12 TDs, 11 INTs in the MAC.
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Here you are saying you were not impressed with Speight’s HS film yet he was 3rd in passing efficiency in the Big Ten and nearly matched Rudock’s numbers. We know that wasn’t from Borges because Speight didn’t look good at all in 2015.
Talent was there on D but Harbaugh has also made excellent hires. Zordich, Mattison, Durkin, and of course Brown. All killed it. Half the guys starting on D are guys he recruited – and they’re playing great.
Why not the same on O – one wonders.
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but of course you’re assemenet totally ignores the possibiltiy that the players themselves might have had something to do with it – that they themselves put themselves at least to some degree into the NFL ; completely disregarding – or maybe even in spite of anyones particular coaching influence
YOU are still remainning jez bullshiy – players get to NFL because of themselves and in many instances inspite of if not despite dumass coaching.
ME muthafukah ………………INTJohn
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Ummm…you were the one assigning credit to Harbaugh and Dantonio.
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It was for discusion idea exploration purpose only as is generally all of my commentary. We’re talking about football here not the General healthy future of the Species ina global sense.
I can go there too if you’d like but given its a footbal blog prally want discussion kept to a general stupid humanistic albeit Murahkin level.
Jez sayin …………….intjohn
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