Michigan @ Minnesota, Saturday, 10/31, 7pm EDT, ESPN

[Jeff Buchanan]

Of course there's a bye next Saturday. No sense in posting a thread for that.

The game v the Gophers will be televised on one of the ABC ESPN networks but that hast been finalized yet. Stay tuned.

On paper M should win this one. Should is the operative word. There is no telling how the players will respond to the MSU loss. The one thing we know is this is a great coaching staff that will have two weeks to make these guys play better and feel good about themselves before they head to Minnesota.

[iam416]

Methodical mauling with enough breathing room to further integrate Peppers into the offense.

[klondike]

I think they will play mean out there on Saturday. Minny is coming of a tough loss and they won't be a pushover.

Should be a Physical low scoring game.

[Rocky Bleier]

Great time for a bye week. I hope the idiots will stop giving Blake Oneill the Steve Bartman treatment by the time the Minnesota game comes. Good for him it's a road game.

[Ghengis Jon]

Roger that. Until I see those flapping gum jackasses in uniform and on the field, they can shut their effin' pie holes.

[Cody_Russell]

Michigan wins 27-3.
Minnesota's offense is mainly I-formation, run the ball right down the middle.
Their QB, Mitch Leidner, is awful throwing the ball down the field.

Good matchup for Michigan's defense.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Game time changed to 7pm EDT on ESPN.

ND and temple will play on ABC at 8p.

Thread title updated

[Jeff Buchanan]

@ Minnesota could prove annoyingly hard. It's the kind of game where I could see M's offense bog down. However, barring an improbable game from Bitch Leidner, the Goofer offense won't do shit. So, worst case scenario is a seige that HARBAUGH!!!! eventually wins. (talent)

I moved this over here from the M/MSU Game Day Thread. It deserves comment.

I think most of M's games going forward are going to be annoyingly hard. That is because the offense is basically one dimensional and every DC M plays knows it. It does not take a genius to put your Ss up no matter what version of Cover 1, 2, 3, quarters or whatever you want to call it a DC is running.

So, M is always going to be handing off to a ball carrier with up to nine guys playing between the tackles on the opponent D pretty much knowing exactly what is going to happen. (No, not just follow the Full Back ..... thank you Matt Millen ..... you're an idiot so STFU).

The defenses are also flowing to the plays now if M goes outside, nobody but Chesson or Peppers have a chance of getting to the edge before a S on a well timed blitz or quick DE/LB, who understands the concept of containing, gets to the ball carrier; even then the Ss are being coached to take good angles. None of these plays are going to become chunk plays.

Just as I said elsewhere, I'm lowering my expectations because of the clear limitations of this offense. We're 1/2 way through the season. I suspect this is about as good as the offense is going to get. Clearly, Rudock looks like he is absolutely terrified of an INT, goes though his reads, missing open receivers in the process, holding the ball too long and if he does make a read he is wildly inaccurate more than 1/2 of the time. When he is accurate, the receivers are not great at making the catch, their timing is off or they're not quite where Rudock expects them to be .... or a combination of all of these.

It's tremendously frustrating watching this. Out of the next 6 games, I see M losing at least 2 of them (in order of probability from high to low: PSU, Minny, IU). I'd like to see M beat osu in AA but from what we've seen of M to date and that it appears ufm has settled on an offensive identity with JTB at the QB position, I'm becoming more skeptical that M can pull it off.

[The Oracle]

LOL, like a got damn woman. So wishy washy. These same offensive limitations have been here all year and before a dropped snap by the punter you were buying M playoff tix.

[lineygoblue]

I get the opposite impression of the team at this point.

They're getting better on defense with each game, and giving the offense more chances to score.

The offense is multi talented, with Jake Butt, and Jehu Chesson getting multiple chances each game. The running game is still strong with Deveon Smith getting better with each game. Just because we didn't smack MSU with 400 yards of offense doesn't mean the offense is ineffective.

Teams with weaker defenses than MSU (Minnesota qualifies as weaker, IMO) are going to have a hard time containing it.

Rudock is doing fine. As we suspected in the pre-season, he's not going to make anyone forget Tom Brady, but I think he's doing the things he's being asked to do. Also, if anyone saw his post game comments following MSU, you might have just seen a bit of fire in that young man's eyes.

I think Minnesota is in trouble with our guys. They're going to be ready to play this one.

[iam416]

Buchanan way underestimates the team; Liney considerably overestimates it; Oracle with appropriate sass.

Buchanan:

M isn't going to face a front 7 as good as MSU's until Penn State. M's problem against MSU was that MSU has real secondary weakness and M just isn't able to exploit that with any consistent success. As you noted, Rudduck and the WRs just aren't able to pose any real downfield threat. So M's offense had to play to MSU's defensive strength.

I think Minnesota is one-dimensional in the much the same way, except their OL and RBs aren't as good as M's and their defense isn't particularly close. M ought to control the LoS on both sides of the ball and win comfortably. As I said, worst case is something like a 16-10 siege.

M will maul Rutgers and IU. Penn State could prove annoying. They have a better RB than M, but their OL is not better. They have a good front 7, but not as good as M's. And their passing game is every bit as "un-field-stretching" as M's. I dunno, I think M gets that one, too.

As for OSU, we'll see. I don't think JTB is some sort of magic cure-all elixir. I do like the seeing the read-option back in the mix. I think opens things up. But the WR unit is decimated and they're one more injury away in the secondary from being proper fucked. We'll have to see what the team looks like. Advanced Stats, though, says 71% chance of a M win!

[Prime2]

As for OSU, we'll see. I don't think JTB is some sort of magic cure-all elixir. I do like the seeing the read-option back in the mix. I think opens things up. But the WR unit is decimated and they're one more injury away in the secondary from being proper fucked. We'll have to see what the team looks like. Advanced Stats, though, says 71% chance of a M win!

LOL, best worry about coughing up 5 Benjamin Franklins the evening of the 28th of November. My Rhodesian Ridgeback has greater success.

S&P at week 7:

Week 1 20-17 -54%
Week 2 25-25 -49%
Week 3 28-24 -54%
Week 4 29-21-2 -57%
Week 5 27-28 -49%
Week 6 27-28 -49%

Overall 156-143-3 = 52%

As impressive as a coin flip.

[Rocky Bleier]

My interest has moved on to recruiting season after Saturday's giveaway.

[lineygoblue]

You're going to miss some good times Rocky. This thing isn't over.

[Rocky Bleier]

I'll still watch the games, but I feel they're about as good as they're going to be, and that's not as good as I was hoping before Saturday. The offense in particular has reached its ceiling in my opinion. Harbaugh is going to ride the Rudock Train into the sunset. They'll lose 1-2 more games and the delusional Brady Hoke will say,"Well, you know I could have done that." :smile:

SI interview with Hoke:

http://www.campusrush.com/brady-hoke-talks-about-michigan-wolverines--1416414061.html