2022 hawaii

The Sponsors

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The Broadcast:

TECHNICAL NOTES: I believe I've fixed the audio offset issue.

FORMATION NOTES: Michigan didn't do anything particularly unusual. A reminder for chart aficionados:

This gets listed as "Gun TTB", for "trips tight bunch." Usually this is two tight ends so far this year but in the past it has been one TE and a couple WRs. "Gun TTE" is "twins twin TE", with two WRs to one side of the formation and two inline TEs.

Hawaii was a 4-3 with few surprises or alterations.

SUBSTITUTION NOTES: You probably do not need to be told that it was JJ/Cade/Warren at QB. Regular rotation at RB, with Stokes clearly third, Dunlap fourth, and then walk-ons. We still do not have any short yardage carries to evaluate what the deal is there, but it seems unlikely it's going to be anyone but Corum.

WR was the usual blender with Bell/Johnson/Wilson at the top and then Various Artists after. Hibner and Bredeson got some first-team time at TE behind the three starter-type guys.

The bench OL was Persi/El-Hadi/Anderson/Connor Jones/Trente Jones at first, and then Guidice and Bounds came in at RG and RT respectively. No Crippen.

Ever since Mike Macdonald arrived, and continuing into Jesse Minter, I've been throwing around the term "Amoeba Defense" in reference to Michigan's disguised fronts and coverages. I probably should get into what that means, and how they're using it. The concept is actually a suite of ideas that are old and ubiquitous at all levels of football:

1. Hybrid defenders.
2. Zone blitzes.
3. Pre-snap motion.

This is not original. It's the thing Jerry Sandusky was most known for before the other thing. It's what Dick LeBeau made his Hall of Fame career on. It's what Michigan ran as its base defense the last time we imported a Ravens defensive assistant in 2011-'12. Bob Davie is credited with coming up with it when trying to counter the Run 'n Shoot. Even without the talent disparity, the Amoeba's origins made it particularly well-suited to combat an Air Raid run by Hal Mumme's son in Game 1, let alone a Run 'n Shoot coached by a June Jones quarterback (who until last year was coaching under Hal Mumme's son) in Game 2.

It has been my assertion that Michigan dipped its toes in Amoeba world last year, then shelved it for two reasons:

1. David Ojabo emerged as an elite old-school pass-rusher, which is still the best way to get pressure if you can find it.
2. Vincent Gray and Brad Hawkins were savvy zone defenders with speed limitations.

It's too early in 2022 to say Minter's going to run this stuff all year, but it's at least being deployed more often that Macdonald used it last year pre-Ojabo breakout. Why now? What do they need to keep using it when the talent curve turns? Let's investigate.