Michigan 27, Minnesota 24

[Jeff Buchanan]

I'm seeing it effectively argued that what you saw Saturday v. USC IS the Orji offense that was installed and repped in spring preseason and fall camp. It is very likely to be the offense you see from here on out. There's a bit of a mystery of why, after the tea-leaves suggested Orji would be the starter v. Fresno State, that Davis Warren trotted out on the field to take the first snap as starter. At this point, it's irrelevant. Orji is the starter now. M's offense isn't a spread and shred offense. It isn't a pro-style offense. In fact it very much looks like it is an offense designed and suited for Alex Orji who is going to grow into it potentially expanding the tool box game by game and in that process becoming diverse enough to beat Oregon and OSU.

In the Orji offense, M's base running play is Split Zone. Seth makes that play design easy to understand. It's not new. Moore is intimately familiar with it so it should be no surprise to anyone that it was used to excellent effect - to the tune of 300 yards rushing - against a legitimate P5 defense. And then there are the three explosive plays,2 by Mullings, 1 by Edwards that sealed it for M. There were a few ROs thrown in there and if there was a Read-Pass-Option in there, it was pre-ordained to be run a certain way with one receiver as the go to guy. The goal is to expand the RPO and that will come with live game reps.

It's also being pointed out that Orji is not dumb. He is an avid student of the game and has invested the necessary time to know the play-book. What he and the coaching staff are realizing in live action is that Orji is dealing with a common, first year starter's issue that live games games are moving faster than Orji is comfortable with. It's not like practice where the QB is wearing a red shirt. The cure for that is more live reps. As the game slows down for him and he has more perceived time to process the reads, he'll get better at passing. M has a decent interval right now (v. Gopher's and Huskies) to make that kind of practice happen facing opponents that should be at a lower level than Texas and USC. Orji does not need to be a 300 ypg passer. 125 would be a nice number to hit to compliment what it appears Moore wants his offense to be - a Power- Read-Option, with enough Read-Pass-Option and Play-Action thrown in there to keep opponents from bringing their Ss into the box.

[klondike]

Minny will still load up to stop the run. Even a poor team like that can stop a one dimensional offense. The hope is UM will just wear them out in the fourth if they need to.

[iam416]

Gophers graduated a ton of 5th/6th year seniors last year, they don't have much returning talent. This shouldn't be close but Michigan has the 18th best QB in the B1G.

18th best STARTING QB in the B10.

[Hannibal]

Minny giving up a crapload of rushing yards to Iowa is somewhat encouraging. Hell, we are Iowa this year.

[maxreturn]

I'm seeing it effectively argued that what you saw Saturday v. USC IS the Orji offense that was installed and repped in spring preseason and fall camp. It is very likely to be the offense you see from here on out. There's a bit of a mystery of why, after the tea-leaves suggested Orji would be the starter v. Fresno State, that Davis Warren trotted out on the field to take the first snap as starter. At this point, it's irrelevant. Orji is the starter now. M's offense isn't a spread and shred offense. It isn't a pro-style offense. In fact it very much looks like it is an offense designed and suited for Alex Orji who is going to grow into it potentially expanding the tool box game by game and in that process becoming diverse enough to beat Oregon and OSU.

In the Orji offense, M's base running play is Split Zone. Seth makes that play design easy to understand. It's not new. Moore is intimately familiar with it so it should be no surprise to anyone that it was used to excellent effect - to the tune of 300 yards rushing - against a legitimate P5 defense. And then there are the three explosive plays,2 by Mullings, 1 by Edwards that sealed it for M. There were a few ROs thrown in there and if there was a Read-Pass-Option in there, it was pre-ordained to be run a certain way with one receiver as the go to guy. The goal is to expand the RPO and that will come with live game reps.

It's also being pointed out that Orji is not dumb. He is an avid student of the game and has invested the necessary time to know the play-book. What he and the coaching staff are realizing in live action is that Orji is dealing with a common, first year starter's issue that live games games are moving faster than Orji is comfortable with. It's not like practice where the QB is wearing a red shirt. The cure for that is more live reps. As the game slows down for him and he has more perceived time to process the reads, he'll get better at passing. M has a decent interval right now (v. Gopher's and Huskies) to make that kind of practice happen facing opponents that should be at a lower level than Texas and USC. Orji does not need to be a 300 ypg passer. 125 would be a nice number to hit to compliment what it appears Moore wants his offense to be - a Power- Read-Option, with enough Read-Pass-Option and Play-Action thrown in there to keep opponents from bringing their Ss into the box.

100% agree and there is no better time than this game for Campbell to develop schemes that will allow Orji the opportunity to get over the century mark in passing.

[Hannibal]

I'm pretty sure that the scheme that you have seen so far is what we're going to get. Maybe we get a wrinkle here and there, but by all accounts, they haven't installed an offense for Orji.

He needs to be in the shotgun or the pistol just about every play though, unless they want him running the triple option or the speed option.

[Mike]

I think they've installed an offense for Orji. We saw all 3 plays of it on Saturday: The hand-off, the keeper, the incomplete pass.

[THE_WIZARD_]

I think we can all agree a good Orgy is a good thing...

[Mike]

Especially in the endzone!

[THE_WIZARD_]

disturbing

[Jeff Buchanan]

I'm seeing it effectively argued that what you saw Saturday v. USC IS the Orji offense that was installed and repped in spring preseason and fall camp. It is very likely to be the offense you see from here on out.

I posted this up thread yesterday. Brian at mgo posted his thoughts on the game today. They are mostly, the opposite of my take:

We've talked about how a lot of this stuff is an expensive install, and it feels like Michigan spent the offseason trying to make Orji into JJ McCarthy instead of adapting the offense to his skillset. Orji is not a jet engine like Denard who can run wide and turn safeties into fairy dust in the open field. He is a tank, and you need to get vertical with him to maximize his utility. Michigan barely ran bash and never ran power read—another zone read option that emphasizes getting the QB north and south. Orji appeared to screw up one zone read that should have been a keep (another looked like a screwup but was just a blown block on the backside), and I guess you could argue that Michigan shouldn't run this stuff if the QB can't execute it. But why can't the QB execute it?

https://mgoblog.com/content/streetcar-named-kalel#read-more

Brian has a much better eye for the game than I do so, I can't dispute this even though the alternate view I've written about has it's supporters. I don't think it really matters. It remains that this is the offense we're going to see the rest of the season although I fully believe it will improve.

In the same article, there's a video of Urban going to the chalk board and explaining what playing "Bash" actually means. It appeared to me to be a different way of explaining the nuances of "split Zone." Whatever it is to be called it is what M is running as it's base set and it was "Bash" or whatever ..... and yes, Brian is correct in asserting that Bash was "barely" run but when it was, that broke Mulllings twice and Edwards once for TDs or, in one of Mullings runs, to set up the go head TD in the final seconds of the game.

[lineygoblue]

Based solely on what we saw on Saturday, I think M should cover the spread. If Minny can't stop the run, that plays right into Moore and Campbell's hands. And I don't think Minny can handle what Michigan's defense will bring. Home game, LBJ in the line.

I saw an article today where USC fans are griping about Michigan "holding" on the final TD. Apparently they believe that Bredeson's block was a hold, and M would have been short of the goal without it. I saw other replays of the play, and I can agree to a point that Bredeson's block could have been something of a hook, but I couldn't see if he had his arm extended or not. The guy who got blocked (IMO) wasn't going to make the play anyway. Mullings was in beast mode, and it was going to take more than one guy to stop him.

Anyway ... Mich - (The Jug really belongs to us) .. 32
Minny (its ours, its ours, its ours) 13

And one further prediction: Fleck will be more of a dink that James Franklin.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Fleck is almost as big a douche as Talent.

Almost.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Interesting FFFF Minnesota at mgo. The Gophers have been a run monster for most of the years that I've followed the BIG and Minnesota football. Surprise......in 2024 they are a passing team. Fleck brought in an All American FCS dude, QB Max Brosmer from University of New Hampshire. He's decent, not great. He's hamstrung by a lack of depth in the WR room. His primary and only producing receiver is Daniel Jackson. He's a 5th year senior and caught a TD last year against us. He's good. He'll line-up facing Will Johnson. Should be an interesting match-up. Brosmer also throws a lot to his two backs including check downs when he's under pressure. Minny's OL is bad and will be working against the nation's best DL. Not a good match-up for the emerging Gopher passing game.

Minnesota has two good running backs but they will be operating behind the same bad OL that the passing game must deal with. Iowa held Minnesota to 79 yards rushing. All toll, the Gophers gained 288 yards - 202 of it passing - against Iowa.

Decent special teams from looking at stats in the box score that the author of FFFF, Alex Drain, didn't comment on.

The weather ain't looking great with rain showers and winds from the remnants of hurricane Helen potentially mucking things up. That weather may or may not happen as this is SE Michigan and there are always questions when bad wx is forecast. I'm sticking with my 24-10, Michigan victory prediction. Lots of rain and lots of wind could pull the scores down though. I have tickets but I can watch at home and be warm and dry if the wx turns bad. Looking out the window a few hours before KO is usually the best way to decide to go or stay home.

Unrelated ....... Wink Martindale's presser this week was Wink on the defensive pushing back on the narrative that he's Don Brown. Basically said unnamed analysts (meaning Joel Klatt in particular) and M fans don't know the difference between a blitz and pressure. Wink might be the Charlie Wise of 2024 football claiming he's put together defenses for his players that have a "schematic advantage." Not seeing it.

[JRB]

I tend to agree with MGoBlog's analysis of Martindale. I don't think he really wants to be the defensive coordinator at Michigan. He wants to be in the NFL, and he'll take the first opportunity to return to that level, even if it's as a position coach. I also agree with the contention that Michigan has to fix its defensive structure behind Martindale's blitzes(or pressures, or whatever he wants to call them). USC had far too easy a time throwing in the direction pressure was coming from. Michigan's going to have to shore that up, or they're going to get picked apart again.

As for Minnesota this week, this figures to be a very. bad matchup for the Gophers. As long as Michigan's offense doesn't turn the ball over, they should be OK, and I don't see Minnesota's offense accomplishing much.

Michigan 27, Minnesota 9.