Michigan @ osu, Game day and Post Game Discussion (Closed)

[maxreturn]

honestly i'd rather have a fully healthy qb start than a less than at the helm.

Adjust with O'Korn stepping up in the pocket and get him into groove early on with high percentage routes.

Couldn't agree more. Ok to throw the ball deep a couple of times but for the most part get creative with the short passing game. More passes to Butt and the backs.

[iam416]

This time Talent is right on the Buckeyes, they aren't as good as they've been recently. They are every bit as talented as they've been, they are just really young; especially relative to M who has seniors everywhere. 19-21 year olds vs 21-22 year olds...

You all should read and re-read this. And re-read it again. And, in the case of Alabam"Alum" and "The" Wizard, learn to read, read this and then re-read it.

The fact of the matter is that this is UFM's 3rd best team at OSU -- at best. I'm not sure if it's any better than 2013, TBH. It's far closer to 2012 and 2013 than it is to 2014 and 2015. Michigan starts like 37 seniors and most of them are 7th year seniors. OSU's seniors are in the NFL. It's grown ass men against children. Very talented children, but children nonetheless. The only reason anyone anywhere should think OSU has a chance is that they might...MIGHT...have and advantage at QB if, in fact, Speight is truly wounded.

Buckeyes played a top 6 team IN Wisconsin and were out-gained and for the most part, were outplayed.

The last part is not true. They were trucked in the 1st quarter, including their typical concession of a huge play, but settled into the 2nd quarter, kicked their ass for most of the 2nd half and decidedly won in OT. And that includes a JTB interception in the end zone at the start of the 2nd half when the skies opened up for a deluge that lasted, literally, the 3 minutes OSU was inside Wisky's 10.

[AlabamAlum]

Talent,

At this time in November, the talented "young" are young no longer.

No, into Columbus the young men in maize in blue march to face the impossible prospects of stopping the Scylla of the Bucknuts run game and the Charybdis of their pass game. Years from now poets will write of M's bravery and songs will be sung in their honor. But the songs will not be dirges, no, just the opposite! They will be happy songs with an upbeat melody and crafted by the most talented of the electronic dance beat artists of the day because this game will unite the nation states of the Upper Peninsula and lead to the eventual defeat, in years to come, of Xerxes Myers and his half-human marauders.

[iam416]

Cogently prophetic.

[AlabamAlum]

Thanks.

[CGVT]

Nationally, from what I've seen anyway, everyone seems to think that OSU handily beating M is a foregone conclusion.

Like I was driving into work this morn listening to the local sports radio here in Dallas, and the two morning guys are just assuming that M is going to get steamrolled. And one of them said that M didn't even belong in the top 4 -- that they were pretenders.

That is pretty much how I see it. I don't think M is as good as its record, but I don't know how you could put anyone else in their spot in the rankings.

[hack]

They've defeated three of the other teams in the top ten, and one of those games was an absolute beatdown. If they get absolutely steamrolled, it's not because they aren't worthy of their ranking. It's because they are missing their starting QB. I would have liked our chances with a healthy Speight. I still don't think it will be a blowout, though I do suspect OSU gets on the board early the rest of the way, and controls the game without quite putting it out of reach. I do fear a first-drive score. If the defense can avoid that slow start they have been prone to, that would be a big deal to me IMO.

[froot loops]

Michigan may not be as good as its record would normally indicate, but that is perhaps based on how mediocre this year has been for college football in general. You get this late in the season and only have one loss you are a very good team.

Meyer is a great coach but he can unleash a stinker, unfortunately for Michigan that may have been last week.

[Tom W]

I'll be bold and say that M takes this one soundly, say around 27-10- if only for the following:
a. I'm a homer
b. there's nothing on the table and no accountability
c. November 2016 is just not the month for pre-ordained forces of evil.
d. It will piss Talent off

happy thanksgiving.

[Detroit Dan]

Tom W-- That was the most concise and objective analysis and prediction I've seen yet. You make a lot of well reasoned, salient points.

[Detroit Dan]

Harbaugh: QB Speight practices this week for UM
You can feel the momentum shifting (if you close your eyes and feel really hard)

[jaadam4]

I'll be bold and say that M takes this one soundly, say around 27-10- if only for the following:
a. I'm a homer
b. there's nothing on the table and no accountability
c. November 2016 is just not the month for pre-ordained forces of evil.
d. It will piss Talent off

happy thanksgiving.

Tom W-- That was the most concise and objective analysis and prediction I've seen yet. You make a lot of well reasoned, salient points.

This!!

[Jeff Buchanan]

This is worth talking about. IU runs a ton of zone stretch plays. M got murdered by this last year and osu watched IU/M tape, turned around and did the exact same thing the following week ...... crushed M with this kind of play.

This particular play is not as much about the DEs sealing the edge and forcing the play inside as much as it is about Glasgow (absent last season) getting off a block and making a tackle on Redding.

[ame]https://youtu.be/0CLcwDmFCnI[/ame]

Here's another one that takes the zone stretch a little bit further to the edge - another play where Elliot torched M's D - with the same result for Redding. This one is more about Carlton sealing the edge with Glasgow cleaning up.

[ame]https://youtu.be/6bsH4asMNvk[/ame]

[Jeff Buchanan]

Lastly, Samuel runs this kind of play exceptionally well and is a skill and speed level above any slotty guys M has played this season. osu, again, hammered M with it last season.

At the start of the frame, you'll see the two Ss, Thomas at the 34 yard line and Hill at the 35. Also note how close the LBs are to the LOS and what they do at the snap. Two things stand out: The D is in a cover 2 (2 hi Ss). The play is figured out by the Ss shortly before the rub route that's run in the part of the field right where IU thinks the LBs are going to screw this up.

Surprise, the Ss are responsible for this zone and making this play instead of how Durkin had it defended last year with this zone being the LB's responsibility. This kind of match-up is much more favorable than having LBs defend in space.

[ame]https://youtu.be/Pa_YW8JEQpg[/ame]

[Jeff Buchanan]

To be fair, M didn't defend all the IU plays that osu will replicate well.

According to Brian, IU ran 16 pin and pull plays like this. Only 4 of them were defended well by M, the other 12 produced 62 yards (5.2 YPC). It was by far the most productive play for the Hoosiers. Note to which side of the D this is being run. #8 is over there and predictably gets beat. Expect to see both Weber and jtb to have success with this unless it's been cleaned up. I don't see this weakness of Stribling's, abundantly clear game to game, is going to go away. It is a weakness that ufm will attack.

[ame]https://youtu.be/Ekjkb4R-kZk[/ame]