Michigan 31, BGSU 6

[Jeff Buchanan]

You'll need what ever your cable carrier or primary streaming service calls it's "Sports Package" to see this BTN production on your TV. You can stream it on your phone or PC at FOX. I'll be in Ann Arbor for this one and the following weekend for Rutgers.

Former M assistant coach Scott Loeffler coached BGs loss at its away opener to Liberty, played yesterday at home and rolled Eastern Illinois. BG QB Conner Bazelak was McCarthy like 23-of-28 through the air for 319 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in the win. Bazelak is a 23yo multiyear journeyman QB who played at Missouri, Indiana and now BG via the portal. This is Bazelak's first year with BG. It's hard to get a fix on him beyond a very good performance against an Eastern Illinois D that I have zero familiarity with nor the energy to look it up. So, who knows how he'll fare v M's back end and pass rush.

I did find that BG's 2022 OL was bad, gave up a lot of sacks and ranked somewhere in the FBS bottom ten in that metric. At first glance, that OL returns minus one OG who graduated. So, it looks like that the '23 OL kept Bazelak upright more than his predecessor v. Eastern Illinois.

Odds aren't out yet to my knowledge. I've seen one betting site's score prediction as M 40.8, BG, 22.8. Maybe M, unlike the first two games, will be challenged by the Falcons.

M 45, BG 17

[THE_WIZARD_]

I was unaware that M had a bowling team...

[klondike]

Yawn. Is there anything positive that can come from this game.

[lineygoblue]

Aren't you late for the annual Ogalala Tractor Mud Bog?

indian-tractor-stuck-in-the-rice-paddy-mud-andhra-pradesh-india-BY7GHY.jpg

[THE_WIZARD_]

Hey that wasn't my fault...

[Jeff Buchanan]

Yawn. Is there anything positive that can come from this game.

Well, yes, actually there is. If there's a "needs improvement" unit on M's offense it is the OL ..... and I don't care that both of M's first two opponents used the TCU recipe in defending M's offense.

M's OL was ranked by multiple services to have the #1 offensive line in the country beating the likes of Georgia, Alabama, Oregon and USC for that honor. Yes, executing run plays when the defense has a numbers advantage is hard but I like Jon Jansen's take: the OL is having trouble identifying then handing off responsibility for the defensive player(s) that is/are an immediate threat to the planned axis the play is designed to follow. Jansen thinks this will come as the season progresses but for now, it's the reason we're seeing free hitters making tackles on the ball carrier at or just after the LOS.

A lot of that falls on the new C, Hinton's shoulders. The fall off from Oluwatimi to Hinton is reflected in the lack of a dominating run game against M's first two opponents. in 2022, with Olu at C, M's ground game was good against every opponent except TCU that loaded the box and run blitzed a lot. Jansen thinks it's just a matter of live reps and synchronization on the OL that will improve Hinton's efforts, get hats on defenders that are threats and open lanes at the LOS and the second level for Corum and Edwards.

[klondike]

If they don't get 250+ yards vs. Bowling Green rushing it will be a disappointment. Have to get the run game humming going into big 10 play. C and T have been big underachieving so far.

[Hannibal]

If they don't get 250+ yards vs. Bowling Green rushing it will be a disappointment. Have to get the run game humming going into big 10 play. C and T have been big underachieving so far.

No shit. Really gotta figure out how to run it in this one. If they can’t gash BG that will make three failures against cream puffs.

ECU got whipped by Marshall yesterday. They are not good.

[Jeff Buchanan]

If they don't get 250+ yards vs. Bowling Green rushing it will be a disappointment. Have to get the run game humming going into big 10 play. C and T have been big underachieving so far.

No disagreement from me in the context of missing a solid scouting report on BG's DL, LBs and Ss. But let's not generalize. For sure, these are the positions that M's OL is having trouble with. On the eyeball test, ECU had some hard hitting Ss that more often than not were the free hitters v. both Corum and Edwards. There was also, to a lesser impact v. ECU, some unexpected speed at the LB position but fundamentally my sense is that some of M's play-calling is just not good. 5 tries running basically the same inside power play (or variations of it), at the ECU goal line? ..... and then this goofery carried into the UNLV game on a 4th and 2. DC's have scouted M's tendency to run inside power in short yardage situations and planned defensive sets and player assignments for just these situations. Like Corum trying to leap over the pile at goal line and getting smashed by a LB assigned to cover just that situation.

So, beside Hinton not getting the OL into the right sets, the play-calling is less than innovative ..... way less I'd say. A run game that features inside zone and power is only going to prosper if the defense has to account for the possibility that McCarthy will run. He posed no such threat v. ECU and the run gain was below average at best. He ran the ball 3X, 1x on a QB draw and 2 others off RO v. UNLV and Tuttle ran a RO 1x. The 3 ROs plays were successful against the interior focused fronts and crashing DEs M faced. But the play-calls where the QB has the greenlight to run the RO looked like afterthoughts rather than appropriate counters to inside power as part of the offensive flow and game plan.

So, to me, you've got two fixable problems in the run game: I've already described Jon Jansen's fix for Hinton's fixable issue. The RO and QB draw must become a larger part of the offensive game plan blueprint. I get it's not a great idea to run McCarthy and if you bring in a back-up to run those plays that's a massive hey, look, the next play is a QB run play. Actually, that's fine because the mere threat - and Tuttle is now a threat to run and so is McCarthy - will occupy the Ss and DEs and keep them from shading into the box.

I hate generalizations without offering some specifics to back them up along with potential solutions. You're welcome.

[WingsFan]

They will get going, maybe missing HARBAUGH is bigger than everyone thought? Last year everyone wanted more passing, this year it's running, wait till Jim gets back. And a full game with starters would bring that number up. Just seen CBS Sports gave Michigan an A+ for the game.

[Mike]

People gloss over the fact that we’ll let a pizza vendor call a series. These are all just scrimmages for fun.

That said, I expect much more with Sherrone Moore in charge for BGSU. We should be blowing people off the ball more than we are.

THAT SAID, it’s a two game regular season. Enjoy the bludgeonings.

[WingsFan]

Have to get the run game humming going into big 10 play. C and T have been big underachieving so far.

I watched the game over and what I already was seeing is Hinton isn’t as strong getting out on his blocks and Nugent doesn’t make the same reach blocks as Olu did. But that could be the timing cohesion thing might see Jones get some time in there. Hinton on several plays looks slow and lost at times. Jones seems to be much more athletic in pass and run game. Hinton releases to the second level often and struggles to identify who to block.

[lineygoblue]

I think we'll be seeing the best QB so far this season versus BG. And Scott Loeffler is a doggone good QB coach, so I expect BG to be much better at that position than our first two opponents.

[klondike]

No disagreement from me in the context of missing a solid scouting report on BG's DL, LBs and Ss. But let's not generalize. For sure, these are the positions that M's OL is having trouble with. On the eyeball test, ECU had some hard hitting Ss that more often than not were the free hitters v. both Corum and Edwards. There was also, to a lesser impact v. ECU, some unexpected speed at the LB position but fundamentally my sense is that some of M's play-calling is just not good. 5 tries running basically the same inside power play (or variations of it), at the ECU goal line? ..... and then this goofery carried into the UNLV game on a 4th and 2. DC's have scouted M's tendency to run inside power in short yardage situations and planned defensive sets and player assignments for just these situations. Like Corum trying to leap over the pile at goal line and getting smashed by a LB assigned to cover just that situation.

So, beside Hinton not getting the OL into the right sets, the play-calling is less than innovative ..... way less I'd say. A run game that features inside zone and power is only going to prosper if the defense has to account for the possibility that McCarthy will run. He posed no such threat v. ECU and the run gain was below average at best. He ran the ball 3X, 1x on a QB draw and 2 others off RO v. UNLV and Tuttle ran a RO 1x. The 3 ROs plays were successful against the interior focused fronts and crashing DEs M faced. But the play-calls where the QB has the greenlight to run the RO looked like afterthoughts rather than appropriate counters to inside power as part of the offensive flow and game plan.

So, to me, you've got two fixable problems in the run game: I've already described Jon Jansen's fix for Hinton's fixable issue. The RO and QB draw must become a larger part of the offensive game plan blueprint. I get it's not a great idea to run McCarthy and if you bring in a back-up to run those plays that's a massive hey, look, the next play is a QB run play. Actually, that's fine because the mere threat - and Tuttle is now a threat to run and so is McCarthy - will occupy the Ss and DEs and keep them from shading into the box.

I hate generalizations without offering some specifics to back them up along with potential solutions. You're welcome.

[klondike]

We were tabbed as having the #2 best OL in most pre season mags and pundits. I think a generalization is apt here.