Michigan 35, UNLV 7

[Jeff Buchanan]

UNLV is not much different than ECU when it comes to 2022 national rankings or style of play. UNLV will feature a Dennard look alike, Senior QB,Doug Broomfield in it's offense. That he looks like Dennard is where the comparison stops.

Will M's approach to game-planning be different with Moore returning as play-caller and Mike Hart replacing Minter as temporary HC? Energy levels the same? That's TBD. I enjoyed M's offense and player energy, especially the first quarter of it, but the rest of the game after M's first possession of the 3rd quarter, seemed to be "why bother." There was a distinct absence of the crispness and synchronization that characterized M's play in the first half compared to the 2nd half.

Since the book is out on how to stop M's prolific run game with run blitz packages, I suspect UNLV will do the same. If that's the case, FCS, don't do on offense what M did on it's five tries to score a TD in the 2nd half from inside the 5 v. ECU - that's run the same inside power running play with Edwards into a 9 man, run blitzing front when that defense screams, "try to do something else."

Opening Odds has M a 38.5 point favorite. O/U is 58.5. M did not cover the spread v. ECU. They won't cover this one either if M's approach to the 3rd and 4th quarters and execution after the half time break remains the same as v. ECU.

M 45, UNLV 10

[WingsFan]

Its no secret to load the box vs Michigan (see Ohio State/TCU) the question was can JJ make them pay? It looks like he is becoming possibly the best QB Michigan has had. Harbaugh loves building up his players, but he might not be exaggerating about JJ - Yes it was ECU but those throws yesterday were perfect, unlike last year, he said after the game - last year his shoulder was still bothering him.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Its no secret to load the box vs Michigan (see Ohio State/TCU) the question was can JJ make them pay?

It's not just putting 9 guys in the box. If you stop the Peacock tape right before the snap, both DEs are set to crash inside. They line up right at or inside the tackle box. On rare occasions, they'd shuffle outside of it. Besides that, the two deep guys (a DB and a S) are threatening Cover 0. You can't always see what they do at the snap but I saw plenty of plays where one of them blitzed the A gap. If the timing was right that's how they'd rack up TFLs and if I remember the stats correctly there were at least 4 of those.

I think for the most part, Minter/Campbell punished that with PA or McCarthy's version of the QB Waggle. In the face of these A-Gap blitzes from a S or DB, McCarthy also ditched the pocket several times and made good with an improv play. Besides his mostly perfect and crisp throws, his ability to improvise along with his receivers finding space, look down field and hit a big play may have been the best part of his overall performance.

But hitting your opponent who wants to run blitz and play a risk reward game with cover 0 with the passing game misses an obvious opportunity to punish that defender with RO and RPO. I get that McCarthy didn't run any RPOs, at least none that I saw as that play design, M's offense didn't need those but M's best run plays were outside hitting the edges. Here the OL and TE blocking looked bad at the second level failing to seal pursuit inside and letting that pursuit make tackles. That needs work because M should keep running that play v. a D that is playing like TCU and ECU did and when it works keep running it until the defense stops it. Too much defaulting to inside power to stubbornly prove in Harbaughesque fashion, "we are bigger and stronger than you are." Try playing smarter.

[lineygoblue]

But the way McCarthy played yesterday, he could make me look like a smart HC. The kid was nearly perfect in the first half, and had a solid 2nd half as well. His decision making seems to have improved, and if it is possible, his arm strength seems to have gotten better. If opponents line up to stop the run, he's going to make them pay, as long as he has permission to change plays. I saw one pass yesterday where he stepped backward about 3 steps, just so he could see better, and nailed a nearly perfect pass to Wilson. So even when the opponent hurries him, he can still make them pay. Michigan has played a countless number of quarterbacks just like that, mostly from Ohio. Now we have one of those.

Corum and Edwards may not get the rushing yards we all anticipated they would until defenses start defending the passing lanes better. As long as they challenge McCarthy the game plan will change to whatever his arm can do. Opponents will have to pick their poison.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Does Tarkanian still coach the Rebels?

[WingsFan]

Ha, that's all I think about is Tarkanian and biting his towel when that school is brought up.

Meanwhile, HARBAUGH said that he had ̶c̶h̶e̶e̶s̶e̶b̶u̶r̶g̶e̶r̶s̶ sandwiches at Sherrone Moore’s house Saturday. during the game today.


Mike Hart said Blake is fine no troubles with the knee today, I'm sure he was a little gun-shy yesterday. Liney said he doesn't have to be Barry Sanders, and he did try to bounce a couple of runs outside and went directly into the defender when I watched the replay. Im am sure he will work off the rust after a couple of games.

[Jeff Buchanan]

On this Sunday's edition of Inside Michigan Football, Jon Jansen diagrams why M's run game was less than dominating. There were two factors: (1) ECU often put 11 defenders within 5-10y of the LOS guaranteeing a free hitter on both inside and outside power. They were not going to allow M to run between the tackles. (2) Out of the two TE set, there were too many missed assignments, Colston Loveland being the target of the one Janson diagramed. With Corum running outside power to the strong side, the TE has to force his defender into the middle where the wad of defenders and OL are concentrated. ECU was good at getting a defender cleanly to seal outside running lanes with TEs missing blocks. Jansen emphasized this is fixable and not a systemic problem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEzjoAtVCp0

[Da Geezer]

As a UM fan, I don't like this new rule that keeps the clock moving on first down. UM has always used the running game to wear down an opponent and then take victory in the second half. Chip Kelly has bitched about this change making for fewer drives available in each half.

Also of interest is that the time of the games this weekend was virtually unchanged. The time "saved" by running the clock was taken up totally by more commercials.

[Jeff Buchanan]

That's a good point. I was definitely aware of longer than last season's media time outs on the Peacock (NBC) broadcast. Last year TV timeouts with ABC/ESPN and FOX lasted 2 minutes and 30 seconds with three of these breaks per quarter. This season I believe the new TV contract with the BIG (FOX, NBS, CBS) allows 4 media time outs per quarter that can be up to 3 minutes long. Every one of us who posts here are sick of the conference money grab at the expense of the fans and the game itself. Realistically there is nothing we can do about it and the broadcasters and the company's that own them know that.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Less Michigan on my TV is never a bad thing...

[WingsFan]

Yikes this is terrible if correct, someone crunched the numbers on the FSU/LSU game - 131 ads - one hour of commercials


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[Jeff Buchanan]

I'll be in Ann Arbor for the BG game that starts at 7:30pm. I suspect the game will last well past 11:00. Of the 100K+ fans that attend night games, it's been my experience that a good 75 to 80% of them stay till the final gun. It takes about 20m to get outside the stadium gates and if you get to your car and leave immediately you'll face a 90m traffic jam heading out of town. Back home around 1am is normal and that alone sucks.

ll games and especially night games inside the stadium were bad enough last season with contractually allowed media time outs - 3 of them per quarter at 2m and 30 seconds each. Now there are 4 allowed per quarter, up to 3m each. Good tally of the wasted hour you will have to sit through that you will never get back. Awful.

[THE_WIZARD_]

How dare those dastardly broadcast and streaming companies make a profit!

[CGVT]

Yikes this is terrible if correct, someone crunched the numbers on the FSU/LSU game - 131 ads - one hour of commercials


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This part of the reason that I like to watch group of 5 games. There is a lot less commercial time and there is still some semblance of the kids actually being "student athletes"

[Jeff Buchanan]

If you like Xs and Os, there's a good article at mgo - the return of Neck Sharpies - on how M found leverage in the passing game and McCarthy optimized it. The concluding sentence in the article is that if UNLV does the same thing that Illinois, osu, TCU and ECU did - commit to stop the run game and leave your DB's to hang out to dry - they'll get the same thing M delivered to ECU. A pinpoint passing game from McCarthy who sees what's happening down field and receivers that find space with leverage (a term well explained in the article).

https://mgoblog.com/content/neck-sharpies-what%27s-mccarthy-seeing#read-more