Michigan @ Iowa, 8pm EST, Game Day, Post Game Discussion.

[hack]

It's strange in that the defense is a deviation from the Bo/Carr philosophy on defense. That is to stop the run at all cost and don't give up the big play on passing...preferring to keep the ball in front of the defenders and make the receivers pay when the catch the ball.

Not on purpose but it's become a bend/don't break. They get sliced between the 20s. Which is why I would have been fine with a FG and going up 5. Make Iowa drive the length of the field for a TD. Don't risk Speight's shaky arm.

[WM Wolverine]

I'll wait till UFR but thought the LB's were awful holding their gap, tackling and less so, coverage against screens.

The screens were the only play they could count on for third downs and they couldn't defend one even when everyone knew it was coming; imo the mistakes I saw fell on the players in coverage than the actual play call.

Little issue with the defense, not a good performance but good enough to win if the offense & special team holds up their ends. Iowa was given a few real short fields that helped them get a couple of their scores and put M in poor field position.

[WingsFan]

The offense didn't help by staying on the field either, still 12 points and blaming the D? First real road test and fail, I would drop this team to #8

[jaadam4]

M's offensive line was abused all game by Iowa's defensive line. Tough to throw when you have quick pressure and there are seven in coverage...

This is exactly where play calling should have been altered. Its called let the pressure come and throw a screen

[jaadam4]

but instead we go with a fucking wildcat

[WM Wolverine]

Screens are effective when a defense is over aggressive with its linebackers. The calls for screen in this game are so far off-base. Iowa was just sitting back in their base defense with three linebackers in zone coverage, defending the middle.

Screen plays requires the interior offensive lineman to block the linebackers or ideally, they (LB's) rush the QB. A defense that is blitzing a linebacker or two will get abused by a screen, a defense that is just sitting back can usually defend the screen quite well.

[maxreturn]

OSU will run with impunity against this defense. That alone is enough to hand us another loss in two weeks. I also agree with the comment about the wildcat with Peppers; not fooling anybody. Speight also continues to struggle with accuracy throwing the deep ball. The play calling was truly bad in the 2nd half. Finally, enough with Smith in the backfield. He just doesn't run with enough authority.

[BlueInCostaRica]

A few thoughts.

1. Even the very best have a miserable outing now and then. Hell, even Alabama loses once in a while.

2. While M was the subject of some bad calls, they were the beneficiary of a roughing the center call, which was crazy, and it lead to a score.

3. Even as enthusiastic as we were before, there was no way we were going to beat OSU in Columbus, unless they suffer #1 above.

4. Do we really want M in the CFP where they will suffer the same level of humiliation and degradation that MSU did last year?

[Wellington_beefhouser]

Man, if M is able to connect on just one deep ball...they win.

I have a more confidence in M winning the game. It's gonna be a slobber knocker and it should be close. We don't see it because of how fresh this loss is but there is a shit ton of growth in a loss. Hopefully Speight's shoulder is ready to go. Mentally, he seems like a tough SOB. Just one deep ball away from a completely different convo this morning.

It's crazy to say we'd rather not see M in the CFP. Give me a shot at a title anytime any day and I'm there.

[BlueInCostaRica]

I only asked the question, didn't give an answer.

[Jeff Buchanan]

The consensus after reading around this morning seems to be (in order of how often I saw it):

(1) Speight makes any number of the deep throws that he missed and this is a win for M. He was rattled and probably not 100% after a few hits. We worried to start the season that he wasn't a championship QB. He may not be.

Multiple comments were made about the second half play calling that seemed to place a high reliance on the deep ball - something Wilton wasn't doing well with. The net result was 3rd and long and a pounding for Speight.

(2) Stribbling's INT of a Bethard throw at around 2:30 remaining should have ended the game .......... if M makes one first down. If I were to name one vitally important series that doomed M, it was that one. It wasn't the play calling. It was execution, namely, the blocking of the OL/TEs. Most commented that this was an issue the entire game. A supposedly weak Iowa DL, combined with some timely LB blitzes, owned Mason Cole and Kyle Kalis.

(3) The total M rush offense amounted to just over 100 yards against an Iowa rush defense that ranked 87th and that just gave up over 300 rushing yards to PSU.

(4) The officiating was bad (inconsistent) but not the proximate cause of the loss. It was mentioned that when a rugby style punter is doing that, he is a runner and can be tackled. The rules says yes ...... when the punter is outside the tackle box (defined to be laterally between the OTs) he is a runner. I think this was close. Bad spots. Phantom face mask on McCray. Phantom defensive holding on Dymonte Thomas.

The point of the criticism of the officiating was not to blame it for the loss but rather to point this out: CFB spends millions on coaches, equipment, facilities and has part time, sometimes incompetent officials that by their incompetence can have an inappropriate impact on game outcomes.

[hack]

I don't think the roughing-the-center call was crazy at all. Michigan had one of those called against it earlier this year. Iowa broke a rule, and a flag was thrown. That's how it goes. We had two roughing-the-punter calls in a row, and, no complaints. Guilty as charged.

Now, we lost this game because of Special Guest Playcaller Al Borges, but that still was a pretty damn special case of home cooking. On that interception the refs didn't call a PI available to be called, and in doing so swung the balance of the game. Well, fair enough. You don't expect that call on the road. But then, if you're going to expect them to allow a little contact, why would they swing the balance AGAIN by handing Iowa field goal range on a completely bullshit call after just hosing Michigan moments earlier? That's pretty egregious.

For Michigan, this year, whatever. We still go to the playoff if we win out anyways, and the real concern, IMO, is that teams with no passing game can run up and down the field on us now. But, for the long term, for the good of the sport, that shit can't happen. We need to blow it off and move on but the B10 needs to discipline some refs.

[hack]

Really -- the second roughing-the-punter call wasn't legit? Well then, time to rant and scream. It won't change the outcome, but that's part of working the refs off the field.

CFB spends millions on coaches, equipment, facilities and has part time, sometimes incompetent officials that by their incompetence can have an inappropriate impact on game outcomes.

Absolutely. Same's true of other sports as well. There's enough money in the system, and this is simple. Pay them properly and demand accountability. But I don't think it'll happen, so I would like to help with some public shaming. I need funding. If I ever meet Rasheed Wallace, the crusader for reffing justice that he was, I would love to see about getting some seed money for this plan: chart every call in every game. Build a database and start checking the patterns. Which refs call the most fouls on which players? Who offers up the most home cooking? I don't know who, but certainly after a few years, the patterns will emerge and the volume of data will speak for itself.

[BlueInCostaRica]

"For Michigan, this year, whatever. We still go to the playoff if we win out anyways"

it is true that, in that sense, nothing has changed. We win out, we go to the CFP, and that was true before yesterday.

Aside from the Tide, there are no undefeated teams (Sorry Western M), so at least 3 one-loss teams will be in the playoff.

[Rocky Bleier]

Michigan has been hearing how great they are for awhile. Apparently they believed it. They looked unprepared and unmotivated. Road Warriors they are not. Iowa was embarrassed last week and was ready to play.

Michigan's lack of depth at LB is hurting them. Gideon, McCray and Peppers have played a ton of snaps. The Bush targeting call didn't help.

The O-Line is still very average, and next year's group will be much worse.

Four average RBs are not as effective as one really good one.

Wilton Speight a Heisman contender? Perhaps if he only plays in Ann Arbor versus Maryland, Rutgers, Purdue, and Illinois.

Harbaugh should quit recruiting so many TEs, and pay a little more attention to areas of need like LB.

November 26 @ The Shoe: OSU 31 U-M 7

Wisconsin beats Pedophiles in the B1G Championship Game.