ND 24, Michigan 17

[paul daugherity]

Or Sparty. Or Wisconsin. Or Penn State.

It's time to face facts. M is average. Our recruiting and/or development isn't good. Our coaching staff is mediocre and Harbaugh is way overrated. UM is now a basketball school.

[froot loops]

It isn't just the line, they have no skill players who you have to game plan for. Maybe in year 4 some guys emerge but right now that isn't the case.

[Cody_Russell]

[Rocky Bleier]

I'm doubtful that Harbaugh can recruit the players he needs to turn this around. Brian Kelly went 4-8 in 2016 but still had the 10th best class in 2017 (24/7). Michigan won 8 games last season and fell to #22 in the rankings from #5 the previous year. A win at MSU is imperative this year or he'll quickly become Hoke 2.0.

[CGVT]

It isn't just the line, they have no skill players who you have to game plan for. Maybe in year 4 some guys emerge but right now that isn't the case.

This is true.

There were times that Alabama's third string back would have broken big plays and Michigan's back got three yards. They are not very talented on offense

[Cody_Russell]

That falls on recruiting then.

My favorite thing in all of this: Harbaugh is 8-8 in his last 16 games. Urban Meyer only has 8 losses at Ohio St.

[Rocky Bleier]

Here's the problem at OT. On one side is a kid who's on scholarship because his dad was an All-American at Michigan, and on the other side is a kid who was given a scholarship because he played high school ball with Jabrill Peppers. Neither of them were ever supposed to be #1 on the depth chart.

[iam416]

Yes, but UFM is bad. Better to lose with honor!

[froot loops]

1. There's no shame in losing to ND in South Bend
2. You should be able to work with that offensive line
3. Shea Patterson may be a 5 star recruit but he didn't show it tonight. His pocket awareness was really bad. The footwork was suspect and ND dared them to throw deep.

[JRB]

It's almost eerie how this game in many respects echoed the 2015 season opener against Utah. That game finished 24-17 as well, and like this one, even though Michigan lost by one score, it never really felt as if Michigan might prove themselves the better team. Michigan had slightly more yards that night than the opposition(which also happened tonight, though it sure didn't seem like it), but too many mistakes from a transfer QB making his first start killed the offense, and the defense made a couple more mistakes than it could afford.

Of course, the loss at Utah felt understandable at the time. This loss just feels familiar. Michigan has two games to work on what went wrong tonight before Big Ten play starts, but it's tough to see how things get much better. I suppose the pass protection might improve marginally as the tackles settle in, and I doubt the defense gets obliterated on back-to-back drives to start a game again, but right now, this program just seems to be spinning its wheels.

[AlabamAlum]

Oh, fuck off, Berzerkley.

[JRB]

OK.

[AlabamAlum]

Wait....

[Cody_Russell]

[Jeff Buchanan]

Well, that wasn't fun.

Poor Ol play remains the biggest obstacle to Harbaugh coached teams winning championships. It's noteworthy that in the past 10 years M hasn't had an elite OL and neither has it won road games v. ranked opponents. 2-6 v. conference rivals in the Harbaugh years can probably be pinned on bad OL recruiting and bad OL play.

Patterson is an improvement but behind a porous OL he'll make the same kind of mistakes he made at Ol' Miss behind their bad OL play v. good defenses.

Don Brown got depantsed in the first quarter by ND's OC, Chip Long. A Jeff Brohm devotee, the ND offense showed it. That M held ND to 3 points in the 2nd half shows why Don Brown is good despite what happened in the first quarter.

Get an OC Jim. You're not it. I think this is the second biggest obstacle to M/JH winning championships. It should be no mystery that the tackles are going to be a liability to the offensive scheme that JH and Pep are trotting out there. Adjust.

Shea had the most problems under center and executing a 5-step, pro-style drop. He's best at quick throws from the gun, on roll-outs and on improvising given what the OL can and cannot do. There was much less adapting the offense to Shea's skill set than I thought there would or should be. The playbook from 2018 looks pretty much like the one from 2017. Winbush had success against man coverage by arcing it out there off a quick drop and set or from the gun and letting his receivers run under and go up for it. That JH/Pep are having Shea do the same thing that got Speight, O'Korn and Peters killed is beyond disappointing. Take a few lessons from ND, their OC Chip Long and Winbush who, despite his limitations, looked beyond good in getting M to play from behind right out of the gate .... a tough row to hoe on the road.

Continuing with the offense: Play calling inside the RZ remains questionable. Clock management by the players on the field and the lack of urgency when it was called for was a problem. Huddling during a 2 minute drill? Don't know where any of that came from (sidelines or Shea). Favor the later as JH was angrily signalling to get to the LOS and get the play off.

The receivers where underwhelming in this outing including TEs, named Gentry.

On a positive note:

Goals are still achievable.

McCaffrey is good. NB, Peters is still #2 - he tweaked his knee in practice per reports.

Bush will play next week (tacky ejection call occurred in the first half).

The D is still good aside from the brain fart and 14 ND points in their first two possessions.

Generally, M will get better in the next two games, the OL may gel or at least a good LT will emerge in Mayfield, Hudson or a shuffle the entire deck. Warriner is not an idiot.