2015 unlv

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FORMATION NOTES: By this point the defense is pretty well established. We got a few glimpses at what Michigan intends to do against pro-style formations; this is a 4-4 with the line shifted over (to the strength of the formation), Ross at SAM, and Hill threatening off the weakside:

Wilson, the free safety, is about 20 yards downfield.

I'm calling the thing where they drop the buck off the line like so…

…"30 nickel buck" to distinguish it from an actual 3-3-5.

This is what I mean by "triple stack" on UNLV's part;  Michigan is in their standard nickel even:

SUBSTITUTION NOTES: Line was close to the first two games with Henry/Glasgow/Wormley backed by Charlton/Hurst/Godin except that you could replace Henry in the starting lineup with Godin based on snaps played. Henry got cut a bunch on the backside of zones and didn't see much time in the middle of the game.

WDE/buck was the usual 70/30 split between Ojemudia and RJS.

Lawrence Marshall got in on the last drive, as did Brady Pallante.

Linebacker was the same; a little more James Ross at SAM in this game; Gedeon and Ross also got a couple drives as ILBs in the nickel.

Secondary saw the same rotation as per usual (Lewis/Peppers/Wilson/Hill with Stribling or Clark in the nickel) except that Wayne Lyons was the dime back. Brandon Watson got in on the last drive as well.

[After THE JUMP: defense crush]

[Upchurch]

If you’re like most people, watching movies-- especially movies in the same genre-- has a sort of comfort to it, an ease of accessibility that comes from well-tread narratives that we’re familiar with. That isn’t a mistake. There’s a good piece from The Atlantic that details the great lengths studios go to in order to produce thoroughly average and increasingly similar movies. They’re happy releasing something that won’t be remembered long after it’s released but is good enough to bring an audience in and make the money needed for the studio to see some return on its investment, and they’re finding that the key to bringing audiences in is giving them something they’ve basically already watched.

As Derek Thompson wrote in the aforementioned piece:

They are the product of Hollywood's exquisitely designed factory of average-ness, which has evolved as the industry has transitioned from a monopoly to a competitive industry that can no longer afford to consistently value art over commerce.

Hollywood keeps making the same movie over and over because we don’t really want things that are all that different. We get used to something and there’s a standard that’s set, and that becomes what we expect to see. If you’ve watched Michigan this season, you’re getting familiar with this feeling. The stats for the UNLV game are strikingly similar to those of the Oregon State game. If the UNLV game didn’t feel as interesting as the Oregon State game it’s because in most ways we’ve seen it before. Michigan deviates from Hollywood in the quality of its output, but right now they’ve both flipped the switch on the assembly line and are letting the same thing roll off over and over.

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Michigan again faced an outmatched opponent in week three and did about what you’d expect to them. The second half didn’t have the same feeling of total dominance the Oregon State game had mostly on account of not wholly and completely dominating, but the stats are still kind to Michigan’s performance. Getting the whole wet blanket thing out of the way early, keep in mind that though Michigan’s defense looked great they’ve done their best work against offenses ranked 114th (Oregon State) and 121st (UNLV) in S&P+. But hey, Utah’s offense is ranked 66th and the defense did alright against them. That sounded more comforting in my head.

The advanced box score for Michigan v. UNLV is lopsided from the most basic stats on down. Michigan scored 21 more points than UNLV despite having one less drive (13 to 12), though Michigan did run one more play (64 to 63). Michigan outgained UNLV in yards per play (5.67 to 3.89) and had six scoring opportunities to their two, though Michigan’s points per opportunity was a meh 4.67. Then again, UNLV’s was just 3.50 and they only had two scoring opportunities, so that’s basically a recipe for disaster. As if things weren’t bad enough, Michigan’s average starting field position was the 37.1 while UNLV’s was the 22.8. Success rate was similarly ugly for UNLV, with Michigan holding things together at 53% compared to UNLV’s 32%. Michigan even had a positive turnover margin(!). (It was just +1, but this is Michigan and any movement toward the mean is appreciated.)

[After THE JUMP: Mathlete’s four factors and a whole lot of S&P+ stuff]

[Fuller/Barron]

Four or five of your nine tackles came on Saturday. Was that a game that things just kind of clicked for you? Was it where you were just able to take advantage of an opportunity? How do you view it?

James Ross: “I just view it like basically all the guys out there, we do our best to do what we can on the field at any given time. I just made those plays, but a lot of guys, we’re just running to the ball. Anybody can make a play at any given moment, you know; JD [Jourdan Lewis] or corners, safeties, we all run to the ball at the same time so there’s going to be a lot of assisted tackles.”

How many plays does it take to get the hat? [ED. (Adam)- It says ‘Ball Hawk’; Lewis was wearing a ‘Ball Hawk’ track jacket]

JR: “How many plays? This was in practice, in camp. Got a couple of forced fumbles.”

Jourdan, what was this week like for you, obviously dealing with a concussion and whether you were going to play? Also, four pass breakups was obviously a career best. What did you do and see in that game that helped you out?

Jourdan Lewis: “Just using my technique. Trying to get back as fast as possible from that concussion. Just excited to be out there, obviously.”

Jourdan, obviously a bigger challenge from the BYU receivers, a little bit bigger. What do you see from them on film, and when you’re attacking a larger group of receivers like that when you’re not as big how much do you have to rely on your technique and what do you have to do?

JL: “We haven’t seen much film on BYU yet. We’re actually going to watch film today, so I actually haven’t seen them.

“Commenting on the larger receiver thing, it really doesn’t matter to me. Small receiver, large receiver, it’s all the same. Just using my technique.”

[More, including Ben Braden, after THE JUMP]