Michigan fell 62-39 in Columbus, and that one’s going to sting for a while.
There’s not sugar coating this one a few days later. It was a stink bomb from the top down. Before we get into the ugly truth after watching the film, here are some things we’ve picked up, a few areas that absolutely have to improve and some thoughts about the future.
First, “The Co-Champs of The East” probably wasn’t what Louis Elbel had in mind when he wrote “The Victors.” We’ve never gotten a more hollow email from the Big Ten than the one that started this way after the win over Indiana:
Michigan Earns Share of East Division Title
Wolverines clinch at least a share of first division title
ROSEMONT, Ill. – With a 31-20 victory over Indiana on Saturday, Michigan earned at least a share of the Big Ten East Division title. The Wolverines claimed at least a share of a division title for the first time since divisions were added in 2011.
The Wolverines improved to 8-0 in the East Division and 10-1 overall. The East Division participant in the Big Ten Football Championship Game presented by Discover will be decided next week, with the winner of the Michigan-Ohio State game earning the right to face Northwestern. The Wildcats earned the outright West Division title on Saturday with a win over Minnesota.
That brings to mind the line from Top Gun in which Iceman said, ‘The plaque for the alternates is in the ladies’ room.’
First ... that’s sexist, Iceman. And there are a lot of our women subscribers who should take offense to that.
When we asked a former Michigan All-American where they’d put that trophy in the building, he responded “shut the #$%^ up.”
Exactly how we’d expect him to react.
“Do we all get gold stars with it, too?” he asked when we told him U-M would seriously get a trophy.
So … that’s how that’s being received.
The pick here before the season was 10-2 with losses to Wisconsin and Ohio State. Wisconsin turned out to be no good, Notre Dame really solid (and first game of the year played into that one, though the Irish improved, too), and OSU was a “show me” game.
Again, we got caught up in the hype, but the thinking before the season was “we’ll believe it when we see it” as it pertained to going into Columbus and winning.
That’s where we are again.
One of our posters noted that head coach Jim Harbaugh is now seventh in the country in overall record since he arrived in Ann Arbor. That’s Lloyd Carr type success, and yeah, it’s hollow without any wins over Ohio State.
There are two reasons in particular it’s not better (in our opinion and those close to the program we’ve spoken with):
1) Offensive line recruiting/play. Recruiting mistakes happen. There were quite a few of them. But the problem has been identified, and they have been/are addressing it.
Coach Ed Warinner was brought in to address it, and he’s brought this group along nicely. But to the “this is Michigan’s ceiling” crowd, you’re overlooking the fact that this line is still average, and against better teams is below average at a position or two.
One in particular was unacceptable Saturday, and we strongly believe next year’s line will look much different. You simply can’t go into an OSU game with the mentality that it’s okay to make a block for just long enough, and then watch football for the next several seconds.
That’s not winning football.
A few who know Big Ten line play better than anyone we know (and are close to the program) believe four-star guard Nolan Rumler could be an impact player at guard as a true freshman. He also loves Karsen Barnhart, the three-star out of Paw Paw, and believes he’ll be very good in a couple years.
One guess on the lineup for next year, left to right: Jalen Mayfield, Ben Bredeson, Cesar Ruiz, Rumler and Jon Runyan Jr.
That doesn't mean Andrew Stueber can’t play. He will certainly get his shot in spring and fall, too, and he played okay in the first half of the Ohio State game. He wilted in the second half, but he’s a redshirt frosh and his better days are ahead of him.
2) Quarterback play. Harbaugh has gone two years with good quarterback play, one year with adequate and one with below average.
That’s going to change. Shea Patterson’s play this year was a huge upgrade, and he was really good. We strongly believe Dylan McCaffrey is going to be outstanding (and so does everyone close to it), both as a leader and passer (he throws a better ball than Patterson).
They’re going to continue to stockpile quarterbacks, and you’re going to see some great play there in the years to come.
An opinion after watching every game multiple times this season, including the last game — and this is not a knee-jerk reaction — more with the wide receivers and less with the tight ends, please.
Harbaugh said a few weeks ago junior Sean McKeon was playing at a very high level after the Rutgers game, but he and redshirt junior Zach Gentry aren’t among the top 15 tight ends we’ve seen at Michigan over the last 30 years or so as either blockers or pass catchers. Gentry has dropped way too many balls in his career to be a first option in a huge game, and he wilted under the pressure Saturday.
That’s not to say he’s not a “good” tight end, but if you’re going to be a decent at best blocker, you’d better catch the ball.
But sophomores Donovan Peoples-Jones and Nico Collins, redshirt freshman Tarik Black and frosh Ronnie Bell are future strengths on this team. Play to them. That doesn’t mean drop back and pass and go five wide on every down, but don’t pretend it’s Jarrod Bunch at fullback, Tony Boles at tailback, Jeff Brown and Derrick Walker at tight end out there and that you have the ability to blow people off the ball the way you did in the 1980s.
It’s one thing to use great receivers as complements when you’re great or elite at every other position on offense. When you’re not, you’ll be good enough to beat okay and even good teams, but not the great teams.
Defensively, that was Don Brown’s worst effort Saturday. At Penn State two years ago, elite players made very good plays, and Brown admitted he didn’t have enough tools in the toolbox. He brought a bunch with him Saturday, but none of them mattered.
It happens. As we posted yesterday, Brown has a better track record than the other so-called best coordinators in college football (Bud Foster, Brent Venables, etc.), and we trust him to make changes. He had very good game plans the last two years against the Buckeyes.
This program has made strides under Harbaugh, and it can (and we believe will) continue to get better. The next step is even more mental toughness and a few more athletes. They were mentally tough at Michigan State in dominating that game, and folks can discount that win all they want to … it’s a tough place to play, and OSU struggled there for most of the game (and has for many recent past years, too).
****
Now, as it pertains to this game … things that stood out on film …
We feel bad for Brandon Watson. The fifth-year senior was put in positions in which he simply couldn’t succeed. When U-M went zone, it got gashed, too. As John Beilein said when asked if he expected Villanova to zone his team up, he said, “that’s not what they do, and it’s awfully hard to throw something out there like that when you don’t practice it regularly.”
Brown might have to spend more time in the offseason preparing for that game. Hell, Ohio State prepares for Michigan 365 days a year, and Bo Schembechler said it days before he died when asked if he did something for OSU other than during game week …
“Every DAY!”
The first quarter was actually okay despite many missed assignments, in large part because Patterson made some plays behind the sticks. It should have been 10-7 after one with U-M having held the ball for 12:30, but Gentry’s drop in the end zone was huge (and inexcusable).
U-M still held and got the ball back at midfield down 7-6, but Patterson, who had been subject to sketch at best protection to that point, threw behind a wide open Peoples-Jones (otherwise U-M would have been deep in OSU territory instead of fourth and two at the 40). They went for it, but junior Mike Onwenu, who had had a rough series (and game) to this point, jumped, and U-M had to punt.
That’s inexcusable in a game like this. Between that and a plethora of missed assignments in the first half (probably seven or eight), game planning for tight ends who were struggling (McKeon, too, appeared to run the wrong route on a key third down play on the sideline), it’s a strong opinion that lack of execution was as much to blame for the offense’s struggles as scheme.
A lot of the new “wrinkles” Harbaugh said we’d see were subtle … different pulls by the guards or the center, maybe a new route (like the beautiful third down pass to Gentry that should have been a touchdown). But they were often effective when guys did their jobs.
Onwenu had a rough game. We would love to see him drop weight he needs to be able to move better and learn from Bredeson how to play to the whistle and get nasty.
We're not going to write him off. We made that mistake with Juwann Bushell-Beatty, and he became serviceable-plus this year. But the offseason is huge for Onwenu.
And yes, nastiness can be taught. Our own Doug Skene wasn’t exactly the Stay-Puft Marshmallow man playing prep ball in Texas, but he wasn’t mean and nasty. That changed when center Steve Everitt influenced him and others to play mean.
Some want to see Bredeson have that effect on his teammates, too. We expect him back next year, and hope to see that kind of influence from him.
For the “the offense scored 39 points” crowd – no. Those were Matt Stafford/Detroit Lions points after the game was no longer in doubt. Body language changed after Gentry dropped a poorly thrown (given how open he was) but very catchable third down pass and OSU blocked a punt for touchdown. That made it 34-19.
It was over when OSU picked off a deflected pass and went in for six points a few plays later.
Game over, man. Game over.
Part of offense is protecting the ball. Two picks returned deep in U-M territory led to 14 points. The blocked punt … seven more. So no, all 62 points weren’t on the defense.
But yes, the defense played poorly. And it started up front. They mixed in plenty of zone, etc. but none of it matters if you don’t get pressure up front.
The Wolverines’ best players didn’t show up. Period. They lost just about every one on one match-up.
One game does not predict the future, or how next year will go, etc. Ohio State will get players and will be good, but they did that during the John Cooper era, too. U-M will never sell its soul to win games the way the Buckeyes do, but they can still win games in this rivalry, as soon as next year.
****
Finally, look for the Wolverines to go to one of three bowl games. They’ve been talking most with the Rose (if OSU goes to the playoff), the Peach Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl.
Selfishly … would love to see the Fiesta Bowl. It’s been a long, long time and U-M would be represented very well there.
We’d love to see all of the Michigan players play in this game, too. It would be a huge disappointment if they didn’t, regardless of the current climate of college sports.
But if they’re going out there just to go through the motions so they don't get hurt, they’d be best not playing.
There’s not sugar coating this one a few days later. It was a stink bomb from the top down. Before we get into the ugly truth after watching the film, here are some things we’ve picked up, a few areas that absolutely have to improve and some thoughts about the future.
First, “The Co-Champs of The East” probably wasn’t what Louis Elbel had in mind when he wrote “The Victors.” We’ve never gotten a more hollow email from the Big Ten than the one that started this way after the win over Indiana:
Michigan Earns Share of East Division Title
Wolverines clinch at least a share of first division title
ROSEMONT, Ill. – With a 31-20 victory over Indiana on Saturday, Michigan earned at least a share of the Big Ten East Division title. The Wolverines claimed at least a share of a division title for the first time since divisions were added in 2011.
The Wolverines improved to 8-0 in the East Division and 10-1 overall. The East Division participant in the Big Ten Football Championship Game presented by Discover will be decided next week, with the winner of the Michigan-Ohio State game earning the right to face Northwestern. The Wildcats earned the outright West Division title on Saturday with a win over Minnesota.
That brings to mind the line from Top Gun in which Iceman said, ‘The plaque for the alternates is in the ladies’ room.’
First ... that’s sexist, Iceman. And there are a lot of our women subscribers who should take offense to that.
When we asked a former Michigan All-American where they’d put that trophy in the building, he responded “shut the #$%^ up.”
Exactly how we’d expect him to react.
“Do we all get gold stars with it, too?” he asked when we told him U-M would seriously get a trophy.
So … that’s how that’s being received.
The pick here before the season was 10-2 with losses to Wisconsin and Ohio State. Wisconsin turned out to be no good, Notre Dame really solid (and first game of the year played into that one, though the Irish improved, too), and OSU was a “show me” game.
Again, we got caught up in the hype, but the thinking before the season was “we’ll believe it when we see it” as it pertained to going into Columbus and winning.
That’s where we are again.
One of our posters noted that head coach Jim Harbaugh is now seventh in the country in overall record since he arrived in Ann Arbor. That’s Lloyd Carr type success, and yeah, it’s hollow without any wins over Ohio State.
There are two reasons in particular it’s not better (in our opinion and those close to the program we’ve spoken with):
1) Offensive line recruiting/play. Recruiting mistakes happen. There were quite a few of them. But the problem has been identified, and they have been/are addressing it.
Coach Ed Warinner was brought in to address it, and he’s brought this group along nicely. But to the “this is Michigan’s ceiling” crowd, you’re overlooking the fact that this line is still average, and against better teams is below average at a position or two.
One in particular was unacceptable Saturday, and we strongly believe next year’s line will look much different. You simply can’t go into an OSU game with the mentality that it’s okay to make a block for just long enough, and then watch football for the next several seconds.
That’s not winning football.
A few who know Big Ten line play better than anyone we know (and are close to the program) believe four-star guard Nolan Rumler could be an impact player at guard as a true freshman. He also loves Karsen Barnhart, the three-star out of Paw Paw, and believes he’ll be very good in a couple years.
One guess on the lineup for next year, left to right: Jalen Mayfield, Ben Bredeson, Cesar Ruiz, Rumler and Jon Runyan Jr.
That doesn't mean Andrew Stueber can’t play. He will certainly get his shot in spring and fall, too, and he played okay in the first half of the Ohio State game. He wilted in the second half, but he’s a redshirt frosh and his better days are ahead of him.
2) Quarterback play. Harbaugh has gone two years with good quarterback play, one year with adequate and one with below average.
That’s going to change. Shea Patterson’s play this year was a huge upgrade, and he was really good. We strongly believe Dylan McCaffrey is going to be outstanding (and so does everyone close to it), both as a leader and passer (he throws a better ball than Patterson).
They’re going to continue to stockpile quarterbacks, and you’re going to see some great play there in the years to come.
An opinion after watching every game multiple times this season, including the last game — and this is not a knee-jerk reaction — more with the wide receivers and less with the tight ends, please.
Harbaugh said a few weeks ago junior Sean McKeon was playing at a very high level after the Rutgers game, but he and redshirt junior Zach Gentry aren’t among the top 15 tight ends we’ve seen at Michigan over the last 30 years or so as either blockers or pass catchers. Gentry has dropped way too many balls in his career to be a first option in a huge game, and he wilted under the pressure Saturday.
That’s not to say he’s not a “good” tight end, but if you’re going to be a decent at best blocker, you’d better catch the ball.
But sophomores Donovan Peoples-Jones and Nico Collins, redshirt freshman Tarik Black and frosh Ronnie Bell are future strengths on this team. Play to them. That doesn’t mean drop back and pass and go five wide on every down, but don’t pretend it’s Jarrod Bunch at fullback, Tony Boles at tailback, Jeff Brown and Derrick Walker at tight end out there and that you have the ability to blow people off the ball the way you did in the 1980s.
It’s one thing to use great receivers as complements when you’re great or elite at every other position on offense. When you’re not, you’ll be good enough to beat okay and even good teams, but not the great teams.
Defensively, that was Don Brown’s worst effort Saturday. At Penn State two years ago, elite players made very good plays, and Brown admitted he didn’t have enough tools in the toolbox. He brought a bunch with him Saturday, but none of them mattered.
It happens. As we posted yesterday, Brown has a better track record than the other so-called best coordinators in college football (Bud Foster, Brent Venables, etc.), and we trust him to make changes. He had very good game plans the last two years against the Buckeyes.
This program has made strides under Harbaugh, and it can (and we believe will) continue to get better. The next step is even more mental toughness and a few more athletes. They were mentally tough at Michigan State in dominating that game, and folks can discount that win all they want to … it’s a tough place to play, and OSU struggled there for most of the game (and has for many recent past years, too).
****
Now, as it pertains to this game … things that stood out on film …
We feel bad for Brandon Watson. The fifth-year senior was put in positions in which he simply couldn’t succeed. When U-M went zone, it got gashed, too. As John Beilein said when asked if he expected Villanova to zone his team up, he said, “that’s not what they do, and it’s awfully hard to throw something out there like that when you don’t practice it regularly.”
Brown might have to spend more time in the offseason preparing for that game. Hell, Ohio State prepares for Michigan 365 days a year, and Bo Schembechler said it days before he died when asked if he did something for OSU other than during game week …
“Every DAY!”
The first quarter was actually okay despite many missed assignments, in large part because Patterson made some plays behind the sticks. It should have been 10-7 after one with U-M having held the ball for 12:30, but Gentry’s drop in the end zone was huge (and inexcusable).
U-M still held and got the ball back at midfield down 7-6, but Patterson, who had been subject to sketch at best protection to that point, threw behind a wide open Peoples-Jones (otherwise U-M would have been deep in OSU territory instead of fourth and two at the 40). They went for it, but junior Mike Onwenu, who had had a rough series (and game) to this point, jumped, and U-M had to punt.
That’s inexcusable in a game like this. Between that and a plethora of missed assignments in the first half (probably seven or eight), game planning for tight ends who were struggling (McKeon, too, appeared to run the wrong route on a key third down play on the sideline), it’s a strong opinion that lack of execution was as much to blame for the offense’s struggles as scheme.
A lot of the new “wrinkles” Harbaugh said we’d see were subtle … different pulls by the guards or the center, maybe a new route (like the beautiful third down pass to Gentry that should have been a touchdown). But they were often effective when guys did their jobs.
Onwenu had a rough game. We would love to see him drop weight he needs to be able to move better and learn from Bredeson how to play to the whistle and get nasty.
We're not going to write him off. We made that mistake with Juwann Bushell-Beatty, and he became serviceable-plus this year. But the offseason is huge for Onwenu.
And yes, nastiness can be taught. Our own Doug Skene wasn’t exactly the Stay-Puft Marshmallow man playing prep ball in Texas, but he wasn’t mean and nasty. That changed when center Steve Everitt influenced him and others to play mean.
Some want to see Bredeson have that effect on his teammates, too. We expect him back next year, and hope to see that kind of influence from him.
For the “the offense scored 39 points” crowd – no. Those were Matt Stafford/Detroit Lions points after the game was no longer in doubt. Body language changed after Gentry dropped a poorly thrown (given how open he was) but very catchable third down pass and OSU blocked a punt for touchdown. That made it 34-19.
It was over when OSU picked off a deflected pass and went in for six points a few plays later.
Game over, man. Game over.
Part of offense is protecting the ball. Two picks returned deep in U-M territory led to 14 points. The blocked punt … seven more. So no, all 62 points weren’t on the defense.
But yes, the defense played poorly. And it started up front. They mixed in plenty of zone, etc. but none of it matters if you don’t get pressure up front.
The Wolverines’ best players didn’t show up. Period. They lost just about every one on one match-up.
One game does not predict the future, or how next year will go, etc. Ohio State will get players and will be good, but they did that during the John Cooper era, too. U-M will never sell its soul to win games the way the Buckeyes do, but they can still win games in this rivalry, as soon as next year.
****
Finally, look for the Wolverines to go to one of three bowl games. They’ve been talking most with the Rose (if OSU goes to the playoff), the Peach Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl.
Selfishly … would love to see the Fiesta Bowl. It’s been a long, long time and U-M would be represented very well there.
We’d love to see all of the Michigan players play in this game, too. It would be a huge disappointment if they didn’t, regardless of the current climate of college sports.
But if they’re going out there just to go through the motions so they don't get hurt, they’d be best not playing.
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