Michigan Football - 2025 Season.

[Mike]

The day we’re looking up to PSU, I’ll have a fucking tag in my toe! Heh.

And USC at home without Caleb Williams shouldn’t keep anyone up nights. That defense of theirs travels!

[lineygoblue]

Yeah, I get that, Mike. PSU with Franklin is 3-6 against Michigan so they have a ways to go to catch up. Franklin was running his mouth again today about Michigan, and how they schedule games. He's got his panties in a twist because Michigan has been buying back contracts of OCC games (he says) to soften their schedule. As if PSU doesn't do that at all ... or anybody else ..

I think Michigan 2024 is going to be a spoiler type team. Not really in contention for playoffs or conference title, but a team capable of smacking an opponent that takes them too lightly.

I'm hoping for a really good 2025 recruiting class. That would help the next rebuild a lot.

[Whitley]

I don't know but I can feel a possibility of JJ staying next season. There is Caleb Williams and Mayne that are going to be the top 2 QBs taken. You have Sanders the Younger as well.

[WM Wolverine]

That's just you wishing, Whitley

[Mike]

Nix and Penix will be gone, too.

[lineygoblue]

This will be a QB heavy NFL draft, but JJ is going to draw a lot of attention. A lot would depend on how he does at the combine, should he decide to go.

[Jeff Buchanan]

One of the continuing complaints about M football this season is the lack of a punishing run game. It's OK but, in most peoples minds who care to offer an opinion, not elite. Well, it appears to be getting there and the progress demonstrates why these are still mostly under 20 yo players - still kids really. This stuff is not easy.

M's base running play is "duo." Duo is an inside power run play and means the OL doubles the tackles to create gaps forcing the defense's MLB to chose a gap to blast into for the stuff. The RB jumps to the gap the MLB didn't chose. The plan is for that gap to produce unencumbered entry to the second level to put a 230+RB v a 180 LB back end defender. Defenses have been successful in stuffing this and a big reason for that is that's all M had up until the IU game where a decent counter that works appeared.

With respect to explaining why the run game isn't a dominating one, the explanation is that defenses facing Michigan are selling out stop the run by loading the box v. the inside runs. There's lots of pinching inside by the DTs to attempt to defeat the run play at the point of attack (one or the other A or B gaps). Accordingly, you get a lot of bodies that are "loading the box."

You'll remember in the first couple of games, M's offence was thought to be practicing outside runs with stretch plays as a counter to Duo and weren't very good at it. No good counter to duo is the primary reason duo got stuffed a lot. While the stretch play got shelved for a while, it appeared again in the IU game and looked different. Its been dubbed the "Windback." I think it is pronounced as in "wine" or wined back not "win" back. Whatever. It has turned out to be a very good counter to Duo and accounted for some of Corum's most productive runs.

Seth, writing Neck Sharpies, explains it way better than I can. A good read. https://mgoblog.com/content/neck-sha...er-outside-run

[WingsFan]

If Michigan did everything perfectly and completely destroyed every opponent into oblivion, by 70 points. People would complain its boring.


Just do it to Sparty

[Hannibal]

One of the continuing complaints about M football this season is the lack of a punishing run game. It's OK but, in most peoples minds who care to offer an opinion, not elite. Well, it appears to be getting there and the progress demonstrates why these are still mostly under 20 yo players - still kids really. This stuff is not easy.

M's base running play is "duo." Duo is an inside power run play and means the OL doubles the tackles to create gaps forcing the defense's MLB to chose a gap to blast into for the stuff. The RB jumps to the gap the MLB didn't chose. The plan is for that gap to produce unencumbered entry to the second level to put a 230+RB v a 180 LB back end defender. Defenses have been successful in stuffing this and a big reason for that is that's all M had up until the IU game where a decent counter that works appeared.

With respect to explaining why the run game isn't a dominating one, the explanation is that defenses facing Michigan are selling out stop the run by loading the box v. the inside runs. There's lots of pinching inside by the DTs to attempt to defeat the run play at the point of attack (one or the other A or B gaps). Accordingly, you get a lot of bodies that are "loading the box."

You'll remember in the first couple of games, M's offence was thought to be practicing outside runs with stretch plays as a counter to Duo and weren't very good at it. No good counter to duo is the primary reason duo got stuffed a lot. While the stretch play got shelved for a while, it appeared again in the IU game and looked different. Its been dubbed the "Windback." I think it is pronounced as in "wine" or wined back not "win" back. Whatever. It has turned out to be a very good counter to Duo and accounted for some of Corum's most productive runs.

Seth, writing Neck Sharpies, explains it way better than I can. A good read. https://mgoblog.com/content/neck-sha...er-outside-run

The run game isn't bad but it's a significant step down from 2021 or 2022. I think that people are nervous about having to win with a different formula than what we have been successful with. We're down .7 yards per carry from last year despite not having played a decent team yet. It's not a huge shock to me since I thought that Olu Oluwatimi might have been the best center in our program's history and pretty much unreplaceable. Seniors graduate and you have to adapt your style and playcalling Michigan appears to have done that so far this season, but once again, it's against cream puffs and I don't think that it is Harbaugh's comfort zone.

I love what Sherrone Moore is doing as an OC so far. Early returns on him in that spot are very promising.

[Hannibal]

If Michigan did everything perfectly and completely destroyed every opponent into oblivion, by 70 points. People would complain its boring.


Just do it to Sparty

People say this a lot but I don't remember people complaining about the 78-0 Rutgers game or the 59-0 UConn game. Michigan fans have this reputation of never being satisfied, but I'd argue that most of our complaining has been commensurate with our success rate.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Ah, the secret to Harbaugh turning the program around: CHEATING

NCAA investigating No. 2 Michigan amid sign-stealing allegations - ESPN

[Cody_Russell]

Shit, that’s the secret sauce for SEC success. M might actually win a title this season! Let’s gooooo.

[lineygoblue]

NCAA investigating No. 2 Michigan amid sign-stealing allegations - ESPN

In the article, they claim that Michigan sent 'scouts' to watch playoff opponents ...

Wow, that really worked good, didn't it?

[Mike]

It said future opponents and possible playoff opponents. That sounds to me like they were checking in on Georgia, et al.

[Hannibal]

Wait -- it's against the rules to have your scouts attend the games of your future opponents? What a retarded rule and a waste of time. You can just get film/tape on them anyways.