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**THE_WIZARD_** · September 7, 2018, 06:51 AM

**hack** · September 7, 2018, 07:14 AM

That was just me trying to confuse you. Then I realized it's a default setting.

**Jeff Buchanan** · September 7, 2018, 11:04 AM

Here's the cliff notes on Seth's Fe-Fi-Foe-Film, WMU Defense.

This should be interesting. WMU's strength, if you call it that because their DEs are lightweights but speedy, slicing, stunting dudes, are their DEs. They'll be matched up v. M's questionable OTs and an OL that still doesn't do well against a slanting and stunting DL. Good thing is that M's OL should handle WMU's DTs potentially giving Patterson the ability to step up when the DE's break through. We'll have to wait and see how much pressure WMU brings with the all out blitzes they ran v. Syracuse.

WMU brings it's Ss up and appears to blitz a lot to overcome the weaknesses at the DT and LB positions ..... sort of an all or nothing approach. This was against a very spready Syracuse team so, this may not be what they do v. M out of their base 4-2-5 or 3-3-5, ala, MSU quarters sets. Their LBs were not good v. Syracuse and will have to play against a totally different offensive scheme v. M. That could be tough as the video shows that they looked confused and/or just waiting for something to come to them.

The back end of the WMU defense is very average. Their corners are experienced but not great in coverage; their Ss are not experienced and slow.

The bottom line for me is that the OL MUST do well against the WMU front 4. This means both OTs need to give Patterson better protection than he had v. ND, a WHOLE LOT better, because the talent difference between ND's DL and WMU's DL is huge. The DEs are going to get through occasionally because they are actually very good, athletic, if not undersized. Fine. I want Patterson to have a pocket to step up into and do that instead of trying to run laterally away from the DEs. He won't outrun them like he couldn't out run ND's either.

In the run game, the OL should be able to create places for Higdon to run through unless WMU constantly risks blitzing from a loaded box. M's offense has ways to burn that approach with their sweeps and screens game among others and if a pass is on and Patterson gets good protection on a blitz pick-up, he'll hit some cheer worthy bombs to DPJ or Martin. But I'd rather see M's OL knock some people of the LOS, create some holes and make blocks at the second level whether they are outnumbered or not.

Fee Fi Foe Film: Western Michigan Defense 2018 | mgoblog

https://mgoblog.com/content/fee-fi-foe-film-western-michigan-defense-2018

Second Tranquill in as many weeks [via wmubroncos.com] Previously: The Offense So the thing you should know about WMU's defense is they have another Tranquill. Yes, the same family as that WLB who knifed through everything Michigan was trying to do last week. Drue's younger brother Justin was the highest-rated high schooler to ever commit to a MAC school at the time he pledged to WMU. His 4-star ranking slipped over a senior year lost to injury. Then he lost his freshman year four games in to another ACL tear. Then he was all-MAC in 2016, but his 2017 season again ended with an ACL injury, this time while covering a punt in the 2nd quarter vs MSU. That time it was 2 games. Justin, a strong safety, is playing again this year, but with braces on his legs. He's clearly not the same player. But nobody thought to tell his coordinator. #2 aligned in the slot Personnel. My diagram: Beyond Justin the secondary is all rather new to K-zoo. Sophomore FS A.J. Thomas gets out of position a lot when there's any kind of backfield motion—Syracuse's tempo was especially hard on him. Boundary CB Stefan Claiborne is a rare returning starter, though he took over just nine games into last year and was getting run by in this game. The field CB is Juwan Dowels, a grad transfer from Syracuse, who couldn't crack the secondary the WMU offense just torched last week. The linebackers rotate a bunch and none of them are much good at reading and reacting. The best is WLB/HSP Drake Spears, who got tossed from the game last week as part of the fight in the 3rd quarter, and is listed behind true sophomore Treshaun Hayward in this week's game notes. MLB Corvin Moment, a redshirt freshman, isn't good for much more than blitzes since he thinks he's instinctive and isn't. Regular SLB Alex Grace is the opposite: he's patient and gets a lot of tackles, but he's also 6'1"/220, easy to push around, and liable to get himself in the wrong gap while he's trying to do the math. The ends are all smallish; the one who gets the most hype is senior SDE Eric Assoua, once a Don Brown target at Boston College, but he's just 240 and was set back last year by a leg injury that's hampered his development some. WDE Antonio Balabani and DE swingman Ali Fayad, who plays as much as the nominal starters, are closer to 230. I liked Fayad best, who gets really low like a young Craig Roh and has a few nasty tricks. To mitigate the DTs they often go with a 3-3-5 that uses SLB Najee Clayton, a Rutgers transfer who's barely 220, as the edge attacker since he's good at it. The DTs are a weakness they cover up for by sending them upfield. 3-tech Ralph Holey is undersized and NT Wesley French was an offensive linemen until spring practice. Depth behind them is shallow, though true freshman DT Andre Carter (Cass Tech) is already well up past his listed 255 and showed flashes of a good player down the road. Base Set? 4-2-5 or 3-3-5, with the safeties rolled waaaaaaay up. I mean waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay up. Srlsy. Yeah, five yards, why not? [Hit THE JUMP for why..? How…?]

**Hannibal** · September 7, 2018, 05:38 PM

**hack** · September 7, 2018, 06:33 PM

So eager to see if they go with the kids at tackle.

**WingsFan** · September 7, 2018, 09:33 PM

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**WM Wolverine** · September 8, 2018, 05:49 AM

If Western packs the line of scrimmage and blitzes all day, M will hit a ton of big plays and win easily.

**Jeff Buchanan** · September 8, 2018, 06:58 AM

Deep ball? Not unless the OL can keep Patterson clean.

Screen game, quick out, yes.

**Jeff Buchanan** · September 8, 2018, 08:04 AM

The comments sections of stuff at mgo can be frustratingly douchy and filled with dumb-ass comments but there are also some pearls. You have to know where to look for them.

There is a great discussion regarding whether or not M was actually running RPOs. In Brian's UFR he states that it didn't look like they were and that Patterson was just going through the motions in executing a pre-planned play coming in from the sideline. Basically no RPO at all.

Space Cyote posts that yes, Patterson was executing RPOs becasue it's clear he is reading the ND OLB to see what kind of numbers he has for a run play or a pass play. He was also running, as I saw and Brain saw, packaged plays that looked like an RPO. So, a little of both.

Brian actually posted in the comments section of his own ND UFR in his usual acerbic way when he thinks he's being questioned. He gets real defensive and this has been on going for as long as I've been reading mgo. I think he got called on the black and white statement in the UFR that M didn't run any RPO. They probably did and way more than Brian gives the coaching staff credit for.

The importance of this argument goes to the question of whether or not Harbaugh has upgraded the 2018 offense and incorporated more creativity. My take, that I posted in another thread, is that he debuted a throttled back version of his hybrid-power offense v. ND that took into account the weakness of the OTs and his wish not to lose his QB to a big hit in the first game of the season. I think that was an overly cautious approach ........ he's playing not to lose (or get his QB hurt) instead of playing to win and that was a key differnce in the first quarter of the ND game between M and ND. Kelly took the weakest part of his QB's skill set and bombed the shit out of Don Brown's D scoring on a long pass play or setting up all 3 TDs off of successfully completed bombs.

That's a valid criticism of M's coaching staff and of JH himself.

**Rocky Bleier** · September 8, 2018, 10:58 AM

Confirmed: Aubrey Solomon had successful knee surgery. Details unknown. Also reported that Lawrence Marshall is not dressed today either. Starting off like another lost year...

**Jeff Buchanan** · September 8, 2018, 11:09 AM

Soloman actually took some snaps v. ND. This is probably a meniscal injury, maybe a piece of it the knee compartment. Fiber optic knee surgeries have gotten so technically advanced, if its simple cleaning/repair, players can be back to full speed in a matter of weeks, not months.

**Cody_Russell** · September 8, 2018, 11:13 AM

**Cody_Russell** · September 8, 2018, 11:22 AM

Great throw on the run by Shea + the catch by O Martin.
I would have liked if they hurried up to the line and snapped the ball. Smart teams do that when there is potential of the booth buzzing in and reviewing a close call.

Higdon!

**WM Wolverine** · September 8, 2018, 11:26 AM

Beautiful block by Mason, opening up a huge hole for Higdon.

**Wellington_beefhouser** · September 8, 2018, 11:26 AM

Originally posted by Cody_Russell View Post

Great throw on the run by Shea + the catch by O Martin.

Higdon!

Tremendous throw by Patterson to Martin. Against his body with a guy on his ass. Special talent.

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Western Michigan @ Michigan, Saturday, Sept. 8th, Noon EDT, FS1/FSgo Video

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