M-Borg vs. THE Flavortown U Thread, Orig. by Buckeye Paul, absconded w/by talent.

[Jeff Buchanan]

You two are laughable. No one that counts themselves among the buckey nation can possibly be happy about this:

osu ranks 69th in total D nationally giving up 400 ypg. They are 53rd in scoring D at 25ppg. Meanwhile Michigan under Hokeattison has moved to #10 in total defense nationally ....... this after hanging around in the 90s after UA and tAFA.

A stunning turnaround, don't you think? This is called improving game to game. It's important in CFB, it wins games, it wins championships. I'm not sure ufm has shown any of that despite his coaching rep that includes 2 BCS championships.

Those and 50 cents will get you into the first pay toilet stall that's available.

[lineygoblue]

If we give up 49 to Indiana, just think how many MORE points Nebraska or even Sparty will put up on us!

Ok, Dr. Einstein. What is your explanation as to why the feared football Hoosiers were able to hang 49 points on the mighty Buckeyes? I mean, in BASKETBALL, I would expect the Hoosiers to hang 49 on the Schmucknuts, but in football?

[Dr. Strangelove]

I'm not happy about giving up 49 to Indiana or the state of the defense all year. But we've already played better teams than the Hoosiers, games where the defense played better, so until we actually face somebody we can't outscore, I'm not going to whine and bitch and moan like a Michigan fan about it.

Urban's already won more games than we won all last season. Jeff sees no improvement. Shocking. But remember this: Jeff predicts Urban Meyer's "SEC style" offense will be a dismal failure in the B1G.

Jeff also sees the UM defense turning into the '85 Bears since the Air Force game. He believes it is a testament to the awesome genius of Mattison. It helps when your opponents are ranked in YPG:

#76 Notre Dame
#78 Purdue
#114 Illinois
#118 UMass

[WM Wolverine]

talent/dsl are right; M's 4 wins were against lousy competition...

We'll find how good this M team is against MSU.

[whodean]

talent/dsl are right; M's 4 wins were against lousy competition...

We'll find how good this M team is against MSU.

Another game against lousy competition?

[WM Wolverine]

MSU is awful offensively but very good defensively, they are a couple levels better than anything UMass, Air Force, Purdue & Illini put on the field.

[whodean]

I thought MSU's defense would be really good before the season but hey haven't dominated.

[Jeff Buchanan]

MSU is awful offensively but very good defensively, they are a couple levels better than anything UMass, Air Force, Purdue & Illini put on the field.

Agree ...... but they gave up 282 yards passing and 27 points to Indiana selling out against the run. Narduzi will pull the same shit he did last year against M .... sell out against the run.

The question is going to be, will Denard do a better job throwing the ball than he did in the trash can with a leaf blower pointed into it .... the EL conditions of 2011.. My bet is that he will.

I think Denard will be contained in the run game but he might have some effectiveness throwing the ball against an MSU D that is bringing it (8 guys) all the time.

I've liked what Borges has done in the 3, TE sets. You get numbers this way and I don't care how good the MSU DL is. When you have the numbers, you have time. Notwithstanding his shitty performances against UA and ND through the air, I'd say he's gained the confidence in the last two games to rip a few big plays.

I'm not as negative as Hannibal is about Borges. I'll admit, I have some questions about him and whether or not he can design a good offensive game plan against a good D is one of them.

I think the TE's are going to be key in both pass-pro and in getting open for big plays. I'm counting on a match up analysis better than anything I can do to see what is exploitable and what isn't with regard to MSU's defense. But with a blitz happy Narduzi, a more experienced Deanard and an emerging TE in Funchess with a nice pair of hands, the TE screen and a wheel route or two look to be bread and butter plays. Would not doubt that Gardner might see a few balls thrown his way. He's do for a big game. He's getting better against man. Denard will see plenty of it. If he can get the ball out there to him without that big arc he seems to like, i could see a big play or two from him as well.

It's clear the current MSU team is not going to be playing with a lot of confidence. If M manages a way to kick them around some early, my prediction is they'll cave.

[iam416]

At least that's actual football talk. Though, of course, it's nonetheless hilarious to watch M fans insist the entire UFM reign is doomed to RichGOD-like failure because of the 4th quarter against IU. Surely those 15 minutes are a better indication of UFM's coaching skills than anything else he's accomplished. In fact, I've just about been told as much.

I'm happy to discuss OSU defensive issues for this team. They certainly have them. Principally, they were razor thin at LB to begin with and are now beyond desperate at the position. Sabino and Shazier are probably the two players they can least afford to lose. And they lost Sabino and Shazier is banged up. Klein injured himself against IU. Curtis Grant can't play against spread offenses. So Zach Boren is fucking playing LB. The LB trainwreck aside, they also managed to drop at least 4 interceptions, had one of them oddly overturned, gave up a miraculous onside kick and played most of the second half without Travis Howard.

They have some real issues stopping spread offenses at the moment. Hopefully Sabino gets back in another 2-3 weeks. That would do wonders. But mostly, it's just going to be about getting young kids experience and building the LB corps.

However, to suggest, as some unadulterated nincompoops have, that all of this somehow says that Urban Meyer can't coach defense and his teams never play defense and his teams can't stop the spread is profoundly stupid and flies in the face of gads of evidence to the contrary. For example, Florida's defense laying the wood to the most prolific spread offense of all-time. Apparently, however, those countless examples are to be dismissed and ignored. The 2nd Half in Bloomington is all that counts. It's mind-boggling.

[hack]

Meyer hired Mattison once upon a time. But are you really saying the difference between what's expected and eking out a win against IU (we know how that feels) is a few LB injuries? I could see letting them play with you and then stiffening up at some point in the 3rd or something, but...

Sabino really back in 2/3? Wasn't that a broken bone?

[hack]

I mean, look -- deep down I doubt anyone here really believes that Michigan's defense is actually good. There's a difference between getting a good result and being a good defense, and that's an important distinction in the Hokattison era. The assumption is that Meyer's staff should doing something similar. You yourself last year spent most of the year talking about how the defense was young but set up to be superb this year and next.

[iam416]

I'm not losing sleep over the IU game, Hack. Shit happens. I could go over the entire game with you, but it's not a result that gives me much concern. Setting aside the first 56 minutes, even, OSU is up 52-34, IU converts a 4th down against shitass soft coverage, ends up scoring, picks up a ridiculous onside kick and again scores against soft prevent defense. That was just one of several points in the game where OSU could have made a play (offensively or defensively) and run out easy 3 score winners. Eh, whatever.

My concern is still that OSU gives up waaaay to many big plays. IU had two of them yesterday. Even if OSU had won 52-21, those two big plays would give me pause. I'm also irritated that Devin Smith is so inconsistent. He dropped a sure TD. Speaking of drops, I'm irritated that the secondary can't hang on to gift interceptions.

Finally, against a spread, you need LBs who can run and play in space. Have to have them. Zach Boren isn't an answer.

[iam416]

Oh and Sabino -- fibula, I think -- no weight-bearing break. Said 3 weeks at the earliest (about a week ago). They'll absolutely need him against Wisky. Not having against PSU will hurt.

[Pasadena Blue]

PSU and Wisky suck... have you actually seen them play early this year. PSU maybe a little better than Wisky, but half there team is gone.

Let's face it when Ohio and M play this year, UM will be playing for a perfection in his first season.

[Rob F]

Klein injured himself against IU. Curtis Grant can't play against spread offenses. So Zach Boren is fucking

Klein---is he a "cutter", or is it some other type of self-inflicted injury? A shrink might be of some assistance, at least suggest the kid gets some counseling.

I'm not sure how you connect the dots between Klein 's disorders, Grant's inabilities vs. the spread, and how it all affects Boren's ability to "get lucky", but you did, for some reason.

I'll just have to take your word for it, I suppose.