Michigan Football Blog

Breaking Down the Break Down for the Tennessee Volunteers

2008-09-10T11:24:00.003-07:00

Breaking Down the Break Down for the Tennessee Volunteers

Well, it has become abundantly clear that the Tennessee Volunteers are not as good as many hoped. Given the inherently unpredictable nature of the game of college football, I really suppose that we shouldn’t be all that surprised—in all honesty, I am not.

I offered a few thoughts immediately after the game which began to discuss a few of the problems as I saw them. As is usually the case with my brand of half-baked analysis, I didn’t want to rush into criticisms based wholly upon my knee-jerk reaction to losing a game that I had down as a “W” in my preseason predictions.

All this goes to show is that I have no business making predictions…

Having now had a more than a week to ruminate on the realities of the game, I feel a little more prepared (and yet equally unqualified) to offer a few more observations and thoughts which have emerged from my slightly out-of-sync head.

Offense

Running Game:

I have to say that I was pretty impressed with Tennessee’s 5.2 -ard per carry average (especially considering all of the yards lost due to sacks). What bothers me is that the team essentially gave up on the ground game in favor of throwing the ball away.

Obviously, Arian Foster has got to hang on to the ball — just like his mother needs to stay off message boards. Still, the fumble aside, both Hardesty and Foster looked good with their somewhat limited carries (Hardesty: 12 att. / 70 yds., Foster: 13 att. / 100 yds.).

Passing Game:

Can Crompton turn it around?

I knew Jonathan Crompton was not going to put up gaudy numbers in his first game as the regular starting quarterback at Tennessee. I also expected a few bad decisions—making throws into coverage, etc. I did not expect him to go 19-42-1 or for the passing game to pretty much collapse.

At times, Crompton seemed utterly bewildered and lost. At other times, he had open men who—given the altitude of his passes— appeared to Crompton to be 15 feet tall. Finally, any defensive pass rush at all seemed to get him completely rattled.

I also found his unwillingness to run or roll out when pressured a bit unusual based upon what we saw from him in 2006. That makes me think either:

he is still trying to shake-off the ankle problems he had earlier this year;
he is being over-coached into being a pocket-passer; or
he is thinking entirely too much.

My guess—which is worth nothing—is that it’s a little bit of all of these.

In the end, Crompton looked extremely uncomfortable in the pocket all night, but by the same token unwilling to leave the pocket. Thus, the passing game was essentially dead…

In Crompton’s defense, he did do a fine job of managing the final drive of regulation to get the Vols into position to play for overtime. More importantly, I can completely understand why he seemed uncomfortable in the pocket, because the offensive line’s pass protection just plain sucked.

Offensive Line:

Crompton spent the better part of the night watching Bruin linebackers blitz at him, and right past the offensive line. Last year, the Vols set an NCAA record by allowing a meager four sacks.

A lot of that was due to Erik Ainge’s willingness to heave the ball into the cheerleaders if pressured (although Tee Martin still takes the prize in that regard for actually managing to hit a cheerleader in the side of the head while in a pyramid formation—he must have really not care for the spirit squads).

Still, as one of the more veteran units on this year’s team, with five starting upperclassmen, their hapless play was as uncharacteristic as it was unacceptable—especially considering they were fully aware that the signal-caller was just getting his legs under him.

Simply put, the O-Line must improve…

Offensive Play Calling:

The play calling on offense was unimpressive, but I’m not so sure I’d call bad. True, it was hardly what I expected as the debut of Dave Clawson and his “Clawfense,” but the reality is that it was pretty much the same sort of white-bread scheming Tennessee had run for over a decade, albeit favoring the pass a bit more. The second-half calls were essentially the same as the first—which surprised me a bit since I was led to believe that Clawson excelled as a second-half coach.

Dave Clawson

I will give the Clawfense some credit for using the G-Gun set (I believe) five times with some success. On the flip side, as much as I have longed for a more wide-open passing game, I cannot understand why the Vols seemed to completely abandon the run despite the relative success it had shown.

All that said—and style points aside—I cannot criticize the offensive play calling too much. Why, you ask? The main reason for my reluctance to attack the offensive calls is due to the fact that the gameplan, though unremarkable, was sound. It was based upon fairly basic fundamental football conventions.

The problem with the offense lay in the execution…

Had Tennessee made the plays as called, then the Vols walk out of the Rose Bowl with a double-digit victory. I won’t attack an offensive call when the players completely fail to carry it out properly.

Of course, the issue of preparation is a different matter, which I touch on below.

Defense

In my post-game thoughts I suggested that, defensively, the game was a tale of two halves. That, however, isn’t really accurate. With the exception of the final two defensive series, the defense really looked top notch.

The defensive line and secondary were as aggressive and as physical as I’ve seen in years. Furthermore, the “missed-tackle-itis” which Tennessee defenses have traditionally shown—especially in early-season games—never reared its ugly head. Despite those last two UCLA possessions, I believe the Vols’ secondary may be one of the best in school history. The blitz schemes were great and the coverage like glue.

This defense did everything it could to win the game—from the four first-half interceptions, the safety that the referees refused to call, the pressure on the quarterback, and the 0-yard net gain by UCLA in overtime—the effort and playmaking ability was outstanding.

This unit could be really special, which is a damn good thing given the offensive woes…

Defensive Play Calling:

The play calling—just like the performance—was strong early and weak late in the game. I question why during UCLA’s final two drives in regulation, the Chief refused to change up the defense to try and put the Bruins’ second-wind on ice.

UCLA QB Kevin Craft put on a short-pass exhibition late in the game—using screens as artfully as I’ve seen in a while. Tennessee, however, stayed with four- and five-lineman sets and soft over-top zone coverage, rather than switching to a 3-4 (or similar package) with either man or underneath coverage to kill the momentum.

That said, the defense spent entirely too much time on the field in the second-half due to the anemic performance by the offense. I suppose it is possible that the coaches did not feel that the defense had enough left in the tank to successfully execute man coverage at that late point in the game.

There is no question that fatigue was working against the defense. To me, however, it seemed like the defense still had hustle left in them, and I question the refusal to change.

Nonetheless, had the offense taken care of business it wouldn’t have mattered…

Special Teams

Press the kicking game. Here is where the breaks are made.

Game Maxim No. 6

– Gen. Robert R. Neyland

Well, UCLA made General Neyland look prescient…

Punting:

First, the blocked punt—leading to an immediate touchdown—was simply unacceptable. Chris Cunningham, in his first start as a Volunteer (courtesy of Britton Colquitt who was probably passed-out in the parking lot) should never have been put in that position. The block was all the fault of the line, not Cunningham.

That single play decided the game. The punt team must protect the punter better than that.

Field Goal Unit:

I feel sorry for Daniel Lincoln. While it is true that either of his first two missed field goals would have won the game, and his third miss handed the victory to UCLA, Daniel Lincoln did not cause the loss.

I question the decision to even attempt two 50+-yard field goals which were both beyond his effective range. Given the often fragile psyche of kickers, I would not have set Lincoln up to miss two early—I would have punted.

The final miss in overtime was—by all appearances—all Lincoln, but had he not hit an attempt with only seconds in regulation, overtime never even comes into play. Finally, in what is becoming a common theme, had the offense done their job then we would not be talking about this.

Kick Returns:

This was the bright spot of the special teams unit. This squad actually looked improved and seems primed to add a bit of excitement to things this year. I look forward to watching Dennis Rogan, Gerald Jones, and Brandon Warren on returns this year.

Coaching (Preparation)

In the interest of full disclosure, I feel it is only fair to first go on the record as being a “Homer” when it comes to Coach Fulmer and the Tennessee staff.

Actually, I would say that I am more appropriately a Homer for all coaches across the landscape of college football who are constantly questioned, rebuked, and derided by tens of thousands of armchair geniuses.

It is a peculiar characteristic of so many fans that they believe that simply being a follower of a team for a given length of time makes them an expert in how things should be done. Make no mistake, as a sports blogger, I am as guilty of this offense as anyone, at least to some extent.

There are things that anyone with a brain can assess and analyze based purely upon common sense, life experience, and the fluff that resides between our ears. (Upon further review, considering I do this sort of thing all the time, we’ll lower the standard to “half a brain” and remove the “common sense” requirement.)

Even the dullest of individuals realizes that “scoring more points” is always the key to winning a game—Lou Holtz included.

These sorts of basic truths are fairly and frankly within the grasp of us all, and thus the rightful ability to comment on such profundities resides with each and every person who follows college football. In much the same vein, I think it is reasonable for many (note, I did not say “all”) long-term fans of the sport to comment on what a given team does, or in most cases, did.

Beyond that, however, it seems to me that trying to profess what the best way to coach a football team—a team which most have no access to except through their televisions—is an endeavor which necessarily makes the speaker feel smart and important, while simultaneously making them look foolish and arrogant.

That said, here are my thoughts on the coaching, I’ll start with the good news…

Defensive Unit:

This was the best I’ve seen a Tennessee defensive unit look in the first game of the season in as long as I can remember from the perspective of fundamentals. Their tackling skills looked solid and their ball awareness outstanding.

Even when UCLA was driving on their final two possessions in regulation, the defense was executing—making hits as soon as the ball was caught. The open-field tackling by the secondary never let up. Any criticisms of the fourth-quarter play calling aside, Coach Chavis had the defense ready to play.

Offensive and Special Teams Units:

I don’t know what caused it, but these squads were simply not ready to play—not by a long shot—and at times looked completely clueless. I don’t have the foggiest idea what went wrong, but if the coaches don’t get it fixed, then Tennessee is going to lose at least four or five more games—badly.

Things must improve …

Final Thoughts

Tennessee showed their best and their worst against UCLA, and made Rick Neuheisel look like both a goat and a genius.

The offense had three interceptions handed to them in the first-half (Nevin McKenzie went ahead and ran the fourth interception in for a touchdown on his own) and did little with them.

Still, at times, it became apparent that the Vols have what it takes to be great. Will they realize any of that potential? I do not know, but I hope so.

Either way, this was but one game and a non-conference game at that. What’s more, this team deserves a chance to redeem itself—which I imagine it will be dying to do.

It is far too early to write this season off. Ignoring any issues those in the Orange Nation may have with the coaching staff, the players deserve this, they have earned it through all of the hard work they put in to get to this point, for all of the effort they put in to playing the game that all of us enjoy.

For that reason, I am concerned but remain hopeful—not just for the future of this team’s potential, but also for the Tennessee fanbase. I hope they will get out and give this team their full support, come what may.

As for me, I’ll have my orange on and my backside will be planted firmly in Section Y7 of Neyland Stadium. That is, until kickoff, when it’s time to stand and cheer.

View from Section Y7

Hopefully, I won’t be the only one…

What Do the Florida Gators Need to Do During Their Idle Week?

2008-09-10T11:24:00.001-07:00

What Do the Florida Gators Need to Do During Their Idle Week?

1. Devote time to preparing for Tennessee

This is a circle your calendar, play their fight song, piss on their logos, get ready for a fistfight type of rivalry game. Every Gator player, coach and fan has this game marked down from the time the schedules are released.

It does not matter what the records are, or the difference in talent levels; this is the early measuring stick game for both schools.

Florida has two wins behind them, and that's where they should be, behind them. Dial in and get ready for the first road trip of the year.

2. Quit dwelling on the Miami game

Get over it. You won. Move on. Quit making the field goal a bigger issue than it really was. You weren't going to punt from their 25 anyways.

There are bigger issues than "Did Urban Meyer run it up on purpose?," like: "Can the offense get it back on track?" or "Where did all the running backs go?"

3. Develop your gameplan

Pick apart Tennessee's game films. Obviously UT plays UAB on Saturday, so they should have an easier time than they did with UCLA. The UCLA game film should have a little bit more of Tennessee's offense than the UAB game will.

The UT offense should be pretty vanilla on Saturday. Tennessee did a lot of things well in the UCLA game, and a lot of things not so well. There is talent on the Tennessee sideline, and Florida should prepare for their playmakers.

Miami played Florida's offense pretty close through the majority of the game, and Tennessee will look to do the same. Dan Mullen and Urban Meyer have to develop a serious gameplan with potential adjustments, because they can't have the play-calling/personnel misuse that occurred Saturday night.

The defense needs to prepare again for two solid running backs, and Tennessee has two better backs than Miami. Tennessee's X-factor will be Gerald Jones, and the Gators must stop him on defense in order to be successful.

4. Take advantage of the bye week

Heal injuries, rest legs, correct mistakes, and practice solidly during the off-week. Watch Tennessee's game on Saturday, and look at the players you will face. Come in ready to go next Monday with a focus and a purpose of beating the Vols, in what has always been a great atmosphere at Neyland Stadium.

Enjoy the week off Gator Nation, and look for the keys to beating the Vols next week.

Monday Presser Notes (Week 2)

2008-09-09T02:08:00.003-07:00

Rich Rodriguez:

The offense "made some steps" during the Miami game.
Mark Ortmann dislocated his elbow and "is more than likely out for this week."
Perry Dorrestein and Bryant Nowicki will compete for the starting job at LT with Ortmann out. Freshman Patrick Omameh will also be over on the left side.
Greg Mathews should play Saturday.
Michael Shaw should practice tomorrow.
Terrence Robinson is "getting better."
Rich Rodriguez and Charlie Weis met for the first time last year and talked football.
Michigan is relying more on their defense now than they will in the future.
The QB rotation from the Miami game may be used against Notre Dame as well (Threet starts the game and Sheridan goes in if things aren't going well).
Threet "was making some pretty good decisions," but rushed it on a few plays.
Rodriguez didn't receive an explanation about the reviewed call that resulted in a redo for Miami. He didn't even know that was possible.
There's still a chance that Kevin Koger will play.
"Stevie (Brown) played pretty well."
Notre Dame loves to blitz and does so from all angles.
West Virginia played at Notre Dame in Rodriguez's first year as head coach.
Martavious Odoms is in the rotation to return punts and Boubacar Cissoko may also get a chance.
Jonas Mouton was "pretty active" in his first start at linebacker.
Quarterback changes happen based on feeling.
Carlos Brown practiced in a white jersey for the first time in a while on Sunday, meaning his injuries may finally be gone.
Justin Feagin is still working out as a quarterback, but is helping out at slot as well.

Steven Threet:

Threet has been to three Michigan-Notre Dame games in South Bend as a U-M fan.
Notre Dame has a lot of tradition.
Michigan "left a few plays on the field" against Miami.
He and Sheridan do a good job of just taking the reps they get.
He's feeling fine body-wise.

Nick Sheridan:

It's disappointing to lose Mark Ortmann, but Bryant Nowicki did a nice job filling in.
On Friday nights before a home game and on road trips he and Threet room together.
The most difficult part of the offense is the philosophy behind it.

Morgan Trent:

The seniors will have to show the younger guys that road games are business trips.
The rivalry with Notre Dame is a little different than the rivalries with MSU and OSU.
Trent saw the press clippings on Charlie Weis' "to hell with Michigan" comments, but not the video.
You can see the offense improving in practice.

MSC's Week 2 BlogPoll

2008-09-09T02:08:00.002-07:00

Now that we have gone through two full weeks of college football, I am starting to get a better idea of where each team stands. When I put together my week 2 BlogPoll I started to take the first two weeks of play into consideration more than anything else.

By that I mean that predictions have taken a backseat and what teams have actually done on the field means much more now. A big aspect of how my poll is formed still has to do with mythical head-to-head match-ups, which is why East Carolina, despite having the best resume in the country, is only ranked 10th.

Here is the full breakdown:

1-5: Ohio State's terrible performance against Ohio University caused them to drop down to 5th in the nation this week. With that, USC became the new #1. Behind the Trojans I have Georgia jumping ahead of Oklahoma and then Florida moving up a spot thanks to the Buckeyes' slide.

6-10: LSU, Texas, and Missouri all moved up one spot this week as I removed Auburn from the top 10. Yes, they did beat Southern Miss by two touchdowns, but my Auburn Kool-Aid has run out. Penn State's impressive blowout of Oregon State was good enough to get them into the top 10, and then East Carolina debuts at #10.

The Pirates have started the season with wins over Virginia Tech and West Virginia and definitely deserve to be ranked where they are. Heck, I nearly ranked them even higher as they do have the best resume in the country. Ultimately I didn't do that, though, as I do not necessarily think they are better than the 9 teams in front of them. Even so, they will have a chance to move up throughout the rest of the season as they have a very good chance of going undefeated.

11-15: As previously mentioned, I decided to move Auburn out of the top 10, putting them at 11th in this week's poll. After that comes Arizona State, who had an impressive win against Stanford, and Alabama, who nonchalantly beat Tulane. California moves up 6 spots after annihilating Washington State, and Wisconsin falls 2 places due to what other teams accomplished. They did blowout Marshall, but their slide was only because other teams looked good enough to improve their own position in this poll.

16-20: Oregon remains at #16 after putting on a clinic offensively against Utah State. I then dropped Texas Tech to 17th since they struggled against Nevada. Kansas falls back a spot because of what other teams did, and Wake Forest jumps into the top 20 thanks to a close win over Mississippi. Finally, rounding out the top 20 is BYU, who dropped a couple spots after being taken to the brink by Washington. Had it not been for a really crappy unsportsmanlike penalty called on the Huskies at the end of the game, BYU probably would have had to go to overtime against Washington, so they are lucky they didn't drop even farther.

21-25: Fresno State was idle this week but moved up a spot anyways. Illinois jumped past Utah as it's becoming obvious that the Utes' win over Michigan wasn't exactly all that impressive. Still, they were able to move up a spot as South Florida was dropped 5 spots after only beating Central Florida in overtime. To close out the top 25, I put West Virginia on the edge of missing the poll as their loss to East Carolina was embarrassing. Don't get me wrong, ECU deserves credit for the beat down they gave the Mountaineers, but it was very telling to see how lackadaisical WVU looked. I thought that with Bill Stewart as their head coach they would slowly turn into a second-rate program in a few years, but I never really expected it to happen this quickly. Not all is lost for their season, but if they play like they did against ECU then Bill Stewart better start looking for a new job.

Dropped out: To add East Carolina to the top 25 I had to get rid of Clemson. I seriously considered removing them from my poll altogether last week after they got manhandled by Alabama, but decided to keep them in for the time being. As you can see, the "time being" is the key phrase there as Clemson no longer is ranked in my poll.

Week 2 Big Ten Recap

2008-09-09T02:08:00.001-07:00

Ohio State - 26 :: Ohio - 14

I don't know if it was because Beanie Wells didn't play or because the USC game is next week, but Ohio State really stunk in this game. Ohio was up 7-6 at the half and took a 14-12 lead into the fourth quarter before the Buckeyes made a comeback. That comeback came thanks to a fumbled punt return by Ohio, giving OSU great field position that led to a touchdown. Then the game was put out of reach on a punt return by Ray Small that went back for a TD.

Without a doubt this game was a scare for Ohio State as they really were lucky to win. Still, at the end of the day they did get the win. It doesn't do anything for their image as they dropped to #5 in the polls, but that means nothing as they head to LA to play USC this Saturday. A win against the Trojans would silence all critics, although I don't expect that to happen. USC looked like the best team in the nation against Virginia and with the way OSU played against Ohio, this one doesn't look like it's even going to be close.

Prediction: Sort of correct (OSU won, but not in a blowout)

Wisconsin - 51 :: Marshall - 14

The Badgers were actually trailing 14-0 in this game. When I saw the score I tried to think that Wisconsin was going to be upset, but they do this all the time. Slow starts are not unusual at all and the fact that they rattled off 51 unanswered points really isn't all that surprising. Wisconsin now looks ahead to a tough game at Fresno State. The Bulldogs are hoping to make their run at being a BCS buster, and they have to get by Wisconsin in order to do that.

Prediction: Correct

Illinois - 47 :: Eastern Illinois - 21

Illinois also got off to a slow start in their game this past Saturday before scoring 33 unanswered points. They went into the second quarter tied at 7, and by the time the fourth quarter got underway were up 40-7. Juice Williams had more usual passing stats in this game compared to last week as he only threw for 124 yards.

Prediction: Correct

Purdue - 42 :: Northern Colorado - 10

The Boilermakers opened their season with an easy win over a cupcake team. There's not much else to say about this game other than that Curtis Painter threw for 286 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Prediction: Correct

Michigan State - 42 :: Eastern Michigan - 10

Javon Ringer ran for 135 yards and a whopping 5 touchdowns as he led the Spartans to a solid win over EMU. The Spartans had a good game all around and now look ahead to Florida Atlantic. Some may consider that game as being a potential upset as FAU isn't bad by any means. I'm not one that thinks that'll happen, but it could be close early on before MSU really starts rolling.

Prediction: Correct

Iowa - 42 :: Florida International - 0

Really there isn't anything to say about the Hawkeyes this season. There won't be anything worth talking about until they play a real team as Maine and FIU don't exactly provide much competition. We will get a better look at Iowa when they host Iowa State on Saturday, especially since the Hawkeyes always have trouble with their in-state rival.

Prediction: Correct

Penn State - 45 :: Oregon State - 14

The result of this game caught me by surprise. I expected Penn State to win, but I didn't think they would do it in such dominating fashion. The Nittany Lions simply destroyed Oregon State and looked very impressive en route to their blowout victory. Nothing should change for PSU the next two weeks as they play a terrible Syracuse team on Saturday and then host Temple on September 20.

Prediction: Sort of correct (PSU won in a blowout, not comfortably)

Indiana - 45 :: Murray State - 3

Kellen Lewis threw for 170 yards in this blowout win over a cupcake. Indiana definitely put together their schedule in a way that will give them a chance to make another bowl game, but don't write off their next game on September 20 against Ball State. The Brady Hoke-coached Cardinals aren't a bad team and will be looking for the upset.

Prediction: Correct

Northwestern - 24 :: Duke - 20

The Blue Devils really played better than Northwestern in this game, but the Wildcats were able to hang on after a Duke touchdown pass was called back due to a holding penalty. It wasn't pretty, but Northwestern did manage to get revenge for last year's loss to the Blue Devils.

Prediction: Correct

Minnesota - 42 :: Bowling Green - 17

I definitely was wrong about Minnesota in this game. I predicted a Bowling Green victory and that was completely incorrect. Minnesota pulled away from the Falcons with three fourth quarter touchdowns and ended up winning by 25 points to improve to 2-0, already doubling last year's win total.

Prediction: Incorrect

Blogpoll Preliminary Ballot: Week 2

2008-09-09T02:07:00.002-07:00

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Southern Cal	1
2	Ohio State	1
3	Oklahoma	2
4	Georgia	--
5	Florida	2
6	Texas	--
7	LSU	--
8	Penn State	2
9	Missouri	2
10	Wisconsin	1
11	Auburn	1
12	Alabama	2
13	Oregon	2
14	Oklahoma State	3
15	West Virginia	7
16	South Florida	3
17	California	5
18	Utah	--
19	Kansas	5
20	Texas Tech	6
21	Arizona State	--
22	East Carolina	4
23	Illinois	--
24	Wake Forest	5
25	Miami (Florida)	1

Dropped Out: South Carolina (#16), Brigham Young (#20), Colorado (#25).

Games Watched: Michigan-Miami U, Ohio-Ohio State, Minnesota-BGSU, Notre Dame-SDSU, Ole Miss-Wake Forest, West Virginia-East Carolina, BYU-Washington, Miami of Florida-Florida, Battle of Directional Floridas, Penn State-Oregon State, portions of Arkansas-ULM.

Again, I'm not married to this order, but I'm actually more comfortable with my preliminary ballot this week than I was last week.

Wake and South Florida both looked bad in wins, hence their dropping (and BYU looked bad enough to drop completely out). For anything else, let me know if something seems to be amiss, and I'll adjust accordingly.

Mike Gundy Responds to Big Ten Coaches

2008-09-09T02:07:00.001-07:00

Mike Gundy is sick and tired of Big Ten coaches telling lies and misleading not only the public, but also unwitting recruits. He's here to set the record straight. Enjoy

Join Varsity Blue!

2008-09-09T02:07:00.000-07:00

Not the blog, punks.

If you're a Michigan student who has any interest in football, I urge you to check out the TV version of Varsity Blue. If you're interested in joining the crew, show up on the west side of South Quad's 9th floor today at 6:30.

As a producer emeritus of the show, I recommend checking it out, I loved it in my undergrad days (and it led to my starting this here blog). If you're interested but can't make it today or want more information, e-mail the producer, Alex Prasad.

Monday Quick Hits: Miami Game Observations

2008-09-08T06:38:00.004-07:00

Before I get into the Miami game, I want to mention that Tom Brady reportedly is out for the season with a torn ACL. Brady's knee was hit by a Chiefs player and it flexed. Immediately it was known that something was wrong as Brady went to the ground and was screaming in pain. If the reports about him being out for the year are true, New England is screwed. Their starting QB will be backup Matt Cassel or someone from the outside, such as Chris Simms, who is being brought in for a workout today.

The announced attendance for the Miami game was 106,724, which is the lowest attendance for a Michigan home game since 1997. That was before the capacity was raised to 107,501, showing you the effect of the current renovation on attendance this season (and next season, too). As the game was getting underway a huge block where visiting fans normally sit under the south endzone scoreboard was completely empty. Fans filled it in as the game went by, but there was no one there leading up to kickoff.

The quarterback controversy will continue this week as neither Steven Threet nor Nick Sheridan separated themselves from one another. Personally, I think Threet should be the starter. Threet ran the ball well and sells fake handoffs better than Sheridan, although he can't hit an open receiver to save his life. At the same time, I don't have any trust in Sheridan if he has to throw the ball beyond the line of scrimmage and don't believe he ran the offense any better than Threet did.

I'm sure we'll start to figure out who the starter will be later on in the week assuming Rodriguez doesn't name someone in his weekly press conference that will take place today. My guess is that Threet will get the start, but just as we have seen in the previous two games, chances are Sheridan will play as well.

I really would like to see Michigan line up in the I-Formation more often. They did so maybe five times against Miami and usually gained quite a few yards on each run when the QB was under center instead of in the shotgun. Being in the I-Formation allows Michigan running backs to work with better holes as the blocking seems to be better, and fullback Mark Moundros got a carry, which was cool to see for a change.

Starting left tackle Mark Ortmann went down in pain due to an elbow injury. Ortmann left the game and never returned as the injury appeared to be very painful. Bryant Nowicki replaced Ortmann, which should tell you just how little depth Michigan has on the offensive line. Even one injury can be devastating, and if Ortmann is out for an extended period of time that's exactly what this injury will be.

During and after the game I wondered why Michael Shaw only got 2 carries, but it turns out he left with a groin injury. That makes much more sense now as Shaw gained 45 yards on the only 2 carries he had, leaving me to wonder at the time why he didn't play more.

Brandon Minor scored a touchdown on the only carry he had during Saturday's game. He saw such little playing time due to a wrist injury that is still bothering him.

Greg Mathews did not play due to an injury, but should be back against Notre Dame this coming Saturday.

After the game was over the team made their way to the student section to sing "The Victors." There have been random times in the past where the team would celebrate a win with the student section ('02 vs. Washington, '02 vs. Penn State, '04 vs. MSU, and '05 vs. PSU), but that was only because Michigan won in dramatic fashion or on the last play of the game.

Rich Rodriguez stated in his postgame press conference that the players asked him to do this, so it appears we have another new tradition. As I said in the game recap, I like it.

Defensive tackle recruit and one-time commit William Campbell was at Saturday's game. He talked with John Heuser and gave the impression that Michigan still is at the top of his list for now. Campbell simply is re-opening his commitment as he prepares to visit other schools. I don't get why he decided to actually decommit considering his plans always called for him to take visits, so I don't necessarily understand what changed.

Regardless of the fact that he did decommit, what scares me most is this:
Campbell said his top three schools are Miami (Fla.), USC and Michigan, in no particular order.
If Campbell even gets on a plane to USC I'll consider Michigan's chances of landing him to be zero. USC has been able to land the top prospect in the state of Michigan the last two years, and both of those players at one time were considered leans to U-M.

The first to head west for USC was Ronald Johnson, who reportedly silently committed to Michigan on two separate occasions before suddenly deciding to go to USC. Similarly, Nick Perry was strongly considering going to Michigan until he visited USC. RoJo hosted him and that was that as far as his recruitment went.

All I can say is that if Campbell visits USC, I won't exactly have a very good feeling about him coming to Michigan.

No offense to Donovan Warren, but can someone else please return punts? Warren has done a good job of catching punts, but his returns have been pretty bad. Considering Michigan has such a tough time moving the ball offensively, punt returns are a big way that they can improve their field position. I just don't see that happening with Warren back there, though, as he hasn't been able to make the first guy miss.

Boubacar Cissoko returned kickoffs and did do a nice job. He broke one that went all the way to midfield, but a penalty brought it back. Still, he showed signs that he can take one back to the house at any given time.

Kevin Grady returned from his suspension and gained 6 yards on 3 carries. He is definitely a situational back that will primarily get the ball in short-yardage situations. Beyond that he isn't going to get a whole lot of playing time as his strength is powering forward to pick up yards rather than make defenders miss.

Am I the only one that wishes Michigan would bag this running punt formation and let Zoltan Mesko go back to being an NFL-caliber punter? Mesko has struggled in the new formation and doesn't have the distance on his punts like he used to. He was the recipient of a couple nice bounces on Saturday to pad his average, but I really miss seeing him just boom the ball down the field.

My early thoughts on the Notre Dame game are that Michigan has a chance to win, though it won't be easy by any means. It'll be tough considering this is the first road game of the season, but it's not like Notre Dame is a great team or anything. At times against San Diego State their offense looked just as bad as Michigan's has this season. Both offenses will likely struggle, so this game will probably come down to defense. If Michigan's defense can play like they have the last one and a half games then the Wolverines should leave South Bend with a victory.

Notre Dame is actually very lucky to be 1-0 right now. San Diego State, who lost to Cal Poly in week 1, was leading Notre Dame 13-7 in the fourth quarter and had the ball inside the 1-yard line. That is when one of their players fumbled the ball right as he was about to cross the goal line. Notre Dame fell on it and drove down the field for a touchdown to go on top 14-13. SDSU was done at this point as the wind completely went out of their sails. ND added one more TD to put the Aztecs away by a score of 21-13.

This week's polls are out and there is no change at the top. Ohio State dropped to 5th in both polls after greatly struggling against Ohio. East Carolina is 14th in the AP Poll after destroying West Virginia, and somehow Notre Dame got 3 votes in the Coaches' Poll.

Michael Rosenberg published an excerpt from his book on Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes.

Braylon Edwards and Michael Phelps are pretty good friends. Edwards worked out with Phelps once during the offseason and actually told him that he would double Phelps' gold medal total in Beijing by the way of touchdown passes. Edwards said that before the Olympics actually happened, so if he wants to come through on his statement he'll have to catch 16 or more TDs this season.

Speaking of Phelps, he is going to host Saturday Night Live this week and will be on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno today.

Inside the Play: Utah

2008-09-08T06:38:00.003-07:00

The format of this feature is a work-in-progress. If you have any suggestions, let me know. Also, the video quality is really poor for some reason. It should be better in future weeks.

The Situation
It's the first quarter, and Michigan's offense has already looked kinda bad. A Utah pass interference penalty has given the Wolverines the ball inside Utah's 10 yard line, and a Sam McGuffie rush sets up a second and goal from the 8. A touchdown here could help Michigan set the tone early in this game.

The Personnel and Formation
Michigan comes out in the shotgun with two tailbacks and three wide receivers. Nick Sheridan is flanked by Brandon Minor on his right and Michael Shaw on his left. Greg Mathews is split wide left. Darryl Stonum is split wide right, with Martavious Odoms in the slot to that side.

Utah lines up in a 4-3 defense. To the strong side, the corner is head-up over Martavious Odoms, with the safety deep, but aligned with Stonum. Mathews has a man head-up over him, showing press technique.

The Play

At the snap, Sheridan fakes to Minor, who cross in front of him to the left, and then fakes again (slightly less convincingly) to Shaw, who goes in the opposite direction. After the fakes, Sheridan rolls out to the right. He hits Michael Shaw at the seven yard line, and Shaw races to the corner for a touchdown.
Why it Happened Like it Did

Utah was playing man coverage on this play, keeping one safety in a deep zone, and one linebacker spying Sheridan (Cover-1 Spy). The Utah linebackers bit on the fake to Minor, freezing them long enough for Shaw to beat his man to the outside, and for Sheridan to have enough time to roll out and make the pass. With Odoms and Stonum running crossing routes, Shaw was given a clear path to the endzone.

Now you know what it was like Inside the Play.

Friday Night Lights 2009: September 7

2008-09-08T06:38:00.001-07:00

A weekly look at how Michigan's football commitments performed in their high school games. Check back throughout the day, as there may be updates. Also, high school news isn't particularly easy to come by in all cases. If you were there, or have an article/video that can give more insight, I encourage you to share in the comments.

TX QB Shavodrick Beaver Rider loses a mistake-filled game 34-27. Beaver had a 37-yard TD run, a 1-yard TD run, and threw for a 44-yard TD pass.
MI RB Teric Jones Cass Tech defeats Detroit Pershing 21-7. No game article found.
OH RB Fitzgerald Toussaint Liberty wins 40-13. Toussaint had 261 yards and four TDs on 15 carries. FYI, that's an average of 17.5 yards every time he touched the ball.
FL RB Vincent Smith Pahokee defeats Palm Beach Gardens 44-3. Vincent gets 73 yards and 2 TDs on 12 carries. More articles.
MN WR Bryce McNeal Breck defeats Brooklyn Center 25-8. I counldn't find a game article.
FL Slot Jeremy Gallon Apopka beats Lake Brantley 33-14. Gallon finished with 253 rush yards and a TD.
IL OL Michael Schofield Sandburg loses to Marist 15-25. Sandburg seemed to be subpar moving the ball on the ground.
LA DT DeQuinta Jones Bastrop's game against Istrouma cancelled.
IN LB Jordan Barnes Homestead beats East Noble 20-19. Sounds like a thriller, though there was no BArnes mention.
FL LB Brandin Hawthorne Pahokee defeats Palm Beach Gardens 44-3. No stats given for Brandin.
FL S Mike Jones Edgewater loses to Dr. Phillips 6-28. No game article found.
OH S Isaiah Bell Liberty beats Campbell 40-13. No stats given and no mention of Bell.
OH CB Justin Turner Washington defeats Normandy 45-14. Turner had 156 rushing yards and 3 TDs.
TX CB/WR DeWayne Peace South Grand Prairie defeats Martin 27-17. Peace had 5 catches for 80 yards and three touchdowns.
TX K Anthony Fera Pius is downed by Columbia, 16-7. Fera hit the extra point.

Well, that's what I found. Time to help out, readers. If you happen across an article, video, etc., about any of these guys' games, drop a comment.