25% of the regular season is already over. Some observations depending on how you look at it:
Glass Half Full: Offense
1. DPJ is looking like the real deal. He has touched the ball just 3 times on offense and is averaging 33 yards per touch. And he's only going to get better. Our first 5-star offensive player in a long time that looks like he will live up to the hype.
2. Kugler is holding his own at OL. I'm no OL expert, but he has to be a pleasant surprise.
3. Light finally went on for Ty Isaac. 112 yards per game and 7.1 yards per carry. Raise your hand if you thought Ty Isaac would even begin to approach either of those two averages. I don't see any hands.
4. Zach Gentry isn't there yet, but he could be a future star. Averaging 24 yards per touch and improving quickly as a blocker.
5. The right side of the line is better than expected in that when they don't make a mental mistake, they get push. Onwenu and Ulizio have been hurting guys when they latch on.
6. Michigan has left big plays on the table. That's good news: the plays have been there. Michigan just hasn't executed. By the end of the season those plays will be executed.
Glass Half Empty: Offense
1. Wilton Speight is holding it together. A 4th year player and 2nd year starter should be doing more than simply holding it together. 1 or 2 inexplicable mistakes per game just isn't going to cut it. He's a hesitant player lacking confidence making fundamental errors that are compounding his inaccuracy. How many fade patterns can he throw that land 5 yards out of bounds? His poor play is hurting Michigan's run game because teams do not respect the pass so they load the box and overwhelm the line - several plays Saturday Michigan's OL all executed their blocks only to have 3 additional players overwhelm the ball carrier.
2. Despite Speight's struggles, apparently he is still Michigan's best option. I say that based on what I've seen out of JOK. JOK throws a nicer ball, but you can see he lacks the pocket presence that Speight has. I can't issue an opinion on Peters because I haven't seen him play.
3. We're still talking about the OL as a weak spot. The right side of the line makes a lot of mental mistakes. I'm not an OL expert, but I look at it like this: do you trust them to be able to get a first down if Michigan had to run it 3 times in a row? They're basically boom or bust and there's going to be a lot more bust now that conference season has started.
4. Despite his emergence as the #1 back, Isaac is soft, soft, soft, and it has cost Michigan. He's 6'3 230 but he dances like he's Barry Sanders. That has cost Michigan first downs, one of them critical on a 3rd and 1 where the blocking was there. Regardless, now he's injured so Michigan is forced to play Evans and Higdon - two players who were expected to be the main guys but simply haven't gotten it done. Evans, in particular, has been very disappointing especially when you consider the August hype.
5. As a unit, Michigan's WR's have been a disappointment in that they seem to struggle to get open. When they do there have been too many drops, especially by Crawford who this poster thought would really be good. Michigan needs more from this unit to give their struggling QB confidence.
6. Tarik Black: sad face.
7. Playcalling has left something to be desired. Whether it's that they don't trust Wilton, don't trust their OL, they're just out-thinking themselves or they're not thinking at all, I don't know. Pep Hamilton really may be a genius, but after 3 games his genius has been lost on me.
8. Everyone on offense is making mistakes here and there, making it very difficult to clean up. Death by 1000 cuts. Missed blocks, dropped passes, dumb penalties, poor throws, hesitant running backs. It's something on every play. How do you clean that up?
Glass Half Full: Defense
1. Shouldn't the glass really be almost completely full? They've been outstanding. 2nd in defensive TDs scored. 5th in total defense. 6th in sacks. 6th in tackles for loss. 7th in passing efficiency defense. 9th in rushing defense. 12th in total passing yards allowed. 13th in 3rd down conversion defense. This defense has been as advertised: fast and nasty.
2. Devin Bush is a flat out stud. It's been a long, long time since Michigan had a weapon at LB. He's on track for 1st team All Big Ten, and maybe more.
3. Thank you for staying in school Mo Hurst. Gary and Winovich have been terrors, but IMO Hurst has been the driving force behind the dominant DL. He is basically unblockable and always in the backfield.
4. The secondary has been better than expected. Hill and Long are improving every game, Metellus and Kinnell have been stout at safety, and Brandon Watson has come out of nowhere to have an excellent first three games of the season.
5. Don Brown is fantastic. For two many years Michigan was content to just keep the ball in front of them and not give up the big play . . . only to still give up big plays and get burned in the end. Don Brown is what we've all been craving for: if we go down we're going down swinging. Michigan's defense forced Florida to give up, battered Cinci's QB (tho credit that kid for being very tough), and played great football against a quirky Air Force offense. Purdue may get some points early next week, but how will their offense be holding up in the 4th quarter? My guess is not very well.
6. This defense is dominant and Gary hasn't even had a breakout moment (I don't really count his QB hurry and hit as a breakout moment). And you know he will. I'm fine with that coming against OSU.
Glass Half Empty: Defense:
1. Those great stats belie that two of Michigan's opponents were not passing threats. So the passing defense stats are inflated. Michigan's young defensive backs have been burned more than once, but offenses aren't making them pay. Offenses that can make them pay arrive as quickly as this Saturday. Michigan's outstanding DL is helping to cover up the weaknesses in the secondary, but for how long?
2. Mike McCray will continue to be exploited in pass coverage.
3. Metellus hasn't really been tested. His midterm exam is this Saturday.
Glass Half Full: Special Teams
1. Quin Nordin. Stud.
2. DPJ is a weapon. He got over some freshman mistakes and showed us why he was chosen as Peppers 2.0.
3. Kickoffs are going very well. Either unreturnable or returned short.
Glass Half Empty:
1. Michigan has more shanked punts through 3 games than all of last season. Inexplicable.
2. Kick returns have been awful. Poor blocking and poor returning.
Conclusion
Glass Half Full - it's all still there for Michigan, perhaps even more so than most people predicted before the season because some didn't think we'd beat Florida. Michigan has had some kinks, but they're all fixable and Michigan's young players will only get better. With this defense, Michigan will have an excellent chance against every team it faces. Individually, Michigan has several players, not just 1 or 2, who can take over games and be difference makers. Michigan is ascending and, hopefully, will reach the pinnacle against a very beatable OSU in the Big House. Michigan is still coached by Jim Harbaugh and Don Brown.
Glass Half Empty - Michigan is what the national media thought they were: an inexperienced team with a mediocre QB who is good enough to beat most teams on the schedule, but not good enough to beat the best teams or guarantee Michigan victories over better than average teams. Michigan's offense is lost and adrift. Michigan's OL and secondary are the Achilles heels we thought they would be. Michigan still doesn't have a stud RB and the guy that emerged is now injured. Despite plainly being better than their first three opponents, Michigan squandered good starts and opportunities to bury all three early by giving the ball away. The Big 10 looks a lot better than it did this summer with all teams on Michigan's schedule except Rutgers looking better than expected. Michigan is more talented than almost every team they'll play, but the way they've been playing they could lose to any team except Rutgers.
Glass Half Full: Offense
1. DPJ is looking like the real deal. He has touched the ball just 3 times on offense and is averaging 33 yards per touch. And he's only going to get better. Our first 5-star offensive player in a long time that looks like he will live up to the hype.
2. Kugler is holding his own at OL. I'm no OL expert, but he has to be a pleasant surprise.
3. Light finally went on for Ty Isaac. 112 yards per game and 7.1 yards per carry. Raise your hand if you thought Ty Isaac would even begin to approach either of those two averages. I don't see any hands.
4. Zach Gentry isn't there yet, but he could be a future star. Averaging 24 yards per touch and improving quickly as a blocker.
5. The right side of the line is better than expected in that when they don't make a mental mistake, they get push. Onwenu and Ulizio have been hurting guys when they latch on.
6. Michigan has left big plays on the table. That's good news: the plays have been there. Michigan just hasn't executed. By the end of the season those plays will be executed.
Glass Half Empty: Offense
1. Wilton Speight is holding it together. A 4th year player and 2nd year starter should be doing more than simply holding it together. 1 or 2 inexplicable mistakes per game just isn't going to cut it. He's a hesitant player lacking confidence making fundamental errors that are compounding his inaccuracy. How many fade patterns can he throw that land 5 yards out of bounds? His poor play is hurting Michigan's run game because teams do not respect the pass so they load the box and overwhelm the line - several plays Saturday Michigan's OL all executed their blocks only to have 3 additional players overwhelm the ball carrier.
2. Despite Speight's struggles, apparently he is still Michigan's best option. I say that based on what I've seen out of JOK. JOK throws a nicer ball, but you can see he lacks the pocket presence that Speight has. I can't issue an opinion on Peters because I haven't seen him play.
3. We're still talking about the OL as a weak spot. The right side of the line makes a lot of mental mistakes. I'm not an OL expert, but I look at it like this: do you trust them to be able to get a first down if Michigan had to run it 3 times in a row? They're basically boom or bust and there's going to be a lot more bust now that conference season has started.
4. Despite his emergence as the #1 back, Isaac is soft, soft, soft, and it has cost Michigan. He's 6'3 230 but he dances like he's Barry Sanders. That has cost Michigan first downs, one of them critical on a 3rd and 1 where the blocking was there. Regardless, now he's injured so Michigan is forced to play Evans and Higdon - two players who were expected to be the main guys but simply haven't gotten it done. Evans, in particular, has been very disappointing especially when you consider the August hype.
5. As a unit, Michigan's WR's have been a disappointment in that they seem to struggle to get open. When they do there have been too many drops, especially by Crawford who this poster thought would really be good. Michigan needs more from this unit to give their struggling QB confidence.
6. Tarik Black: sad face.
7. Playcalling has left something to be desired. Whether it's that they don't trust Wilton, don't trust their OL, they're just out-thinking themselves or they're not thinking at all, I don't know. Pep Hamilton really may be a genius, but after 3 games his genius has been lost on me.
8. Everyone on offense is making mistakes here and there, making it very difficult to clean up. Death by 1000 cuts. Missed blocks, dropped passes, dumb penalties, poor throws, hesitant running backs. It's something on every play. How do you clean that up?
Glass Half Full: Defense
1. Shouldn't the glass really be almost completely full? They've been outstanding. 2nd in defensive TDs scored. 5th in total defense. 6th in sacks. 6th in tackles for loss. 7th in passing efficiency defense. 9th in rushing defense. 12th in total passing yards allowed. 13th in 3rd down conversion defense. This defense has been as advertised: fast and nasty.
2. Devin Bush is a flat out stud. It's been a long, long time since Michigan had a weapon at LB. He's on track for 1st team All Big Ten, and maybe more.
3. Thank you for staying in school Mo Hurst. Gary and Winovich have been terrors, but IMO Hurst has been the driving force behind the dominant DL. He is basically unblockable and always in the backfield.
4. The secondary has been better than expected. Hill and Long are improving every game, Metellus and Kinnell have been stout at safety, and Brandon Watson has come out of nowhere to have an excellent first three games of the season.
5. Don Brown is fantastic. For two many years Michigan was content to just keep the ball in front of them and not give up the big play . . . only to still give up big plays and get burned in the end. Don Brown is what we've all been craving for: if we go down we're going down swinging. Michigan's defense forced Florida to give up, battered Cinci's QB (tho credit that kid for being very tough), and played great football against a quirky Air Force offense. Purdue may get some points early next week, but how will their offense be holding up in the 4th quarter? My guess is not very well.
6. This defense is dominant and Gary hasn't even had a breakout moment (I don't really count his QB hurry and hit as a breakout moment). And you know he will. I'm fine with that coming against OSU.
Glass Half Empty: Defense:
1. Those great stats belie that two of Michigan's opponents were not passing threats. So the passing defense stats are inflated. Michigan's young defensive backs have been burned more than once, but offenses aren't making them pay. Offenses that can make them pay arrive as quickly as this Saturday. Michigan's outstanding DL is helping to cover up the weaknesses in the secondary, but for how long?
2. Mike McCray will continue to be exploited in pass coverage.
3. Metellus hasn't really been tested. His midterm exam is this Saturday.
Glass Half Full: Special Teams
1. Quin Nordin. Stud.
2. DPJ is a weapon. He got over some freshman mistakes and showed us why he was chosen as Peppers 2.0.
3. Kickoffs are going very well. Either unreturnable or returned short.
Glass Half Empty:
1. Michigan has more shanked punts through 3 games than all of last season. Inexplicable.
2. Kick returns have been awful. Poor blocking and poor returning.
Conclusion
Glass Half Full - it's all still there for Michigan, perhaps even more so than most people predicted before the season because some didn't think we'd beat Florida. Michigan has had some kinks, but they're all fixable and Michigan's young players will only get better. With this defense, Michigan will have an excellent chance against every team it faces. Individually, Michigan has several players, not just 1 or 2, who can take over games and be difference makers. Michigan is ascending and, hopefully, will reach the pinnacle against a very beatable OSU in the Big House. Michigan is still coached by Jim Harbaugh and Don Brown.
Glass Half Empty - Michigan is what the national media thought they were: an inexperienced team with a mediocre QB who is good enough to beat most teams on the schedule, but not good enough to beat the best teams or guarantee Michigan victories over better than average teams. Michigan's offense is lost and adrift. Michigan's OL and secondary are the Achilles heels we thought they would be. Michigan still doesn't have a stud RB and the guy that emerged is now injured. Despite plainly being better than their first three opponents, Michigan squandered good starts and opportunities to bury all three early by giving the ball away. The Big 10 looks a lot better than it did this summer with all teams on Michigan's schedule except Rutgers looking better than expected. Michigan is more talented than almost every team they'll play, but the way they've been playing they could lose to any team except Rutgers.
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