hamburger scandal

Note: No Brian today; we got John U. Bacon to fill in.

Things Discussed:

• Recruiting: Sam: look at the portal too. Seth: Barham is a GREAT pickup.
• Mark my words: in 4 years Michigan's 27 players are going to wind up providing more value to Michigan than Miami's 27 players are going to provide to Miami.
• But I would like to see us get better at the up-front bag game for cornerbacks and wide receivers and quarterbacks who have a lot of value on the open market because the skills you see in high school are more likely to translate.
• You aren't winning a 5-star who takes the bag to go to A&M. You should be winning 5-stars against Ohio State and Georgia and Alabama who know they're going to win and get developed AND get paid. Up-front payments are a line we won't cross, and I wish that wasn't the case, even if it does lead to stress-free signing days.
• Burgergate: Congrats to Ohio State for getting the #1 player in the country without using NIL as an inducement, because if you buy a cheeseburger and try to cover it up the NCAA is on the case. Releasing the NOA on signing day should erase any doubt whether this investigation exists for any reason other than a vendetta.
• Harbaugh NFL Round Whatever This Is: Yes be afraid of the Chargers, be very afraid if by some chance Las Vegas doesn't stick with their guy, don't be so afraid of the Bears.
• Contract: Craig says there's no point unless there's an assumption of reasonableness.
• Seth: It's not Michigan or Harbaugh we're worried about being reasonable, it's the Big Ten and NCAA, who have demonstrated conclusively that they are going to use any means at their disposal to hurt Michigan as long as Harbaugh is around. Is that hate ta Michigan problem or a Harbaugh problem? That's the question they need to resolve, because there's no way to keep Harbaugh unless Michigan has his back.
• Opinion: They'll probably hate any other coach who's as successful at Michigan as Harbaugh. Also this probably has more to do with how much Warde and some of the regents are tired of dealing with it than what's right for Michigan.

[Hit the JUMP for the player, and video and stuff]

9/2/2023– Michigan 30, East Carolina 3 – 1-0

Well, here we go.

The best kind of thing to take from a game against a solid G5 program that's just turned over the vast majority of their personnel is one that is opponent-invariant, and the most opponent-invariant thing in football is quarterbacks dropping dimes. This space has long maintained that if the offensive executes perfectly, they just get to win. Via that lens the most important development from the opener is the prevalence of "nice try, I win" plays. ECU had some moments of excellent coverage that just did not matter.

McCarthy started out hot, casually dropping in an NFL-level 15-yard out to the field on Michigan's first drive that featured passes:

In addition to the Here Look At My Arm Talent plays he also moved opponents with the power of his mind. Folks have already pointed out the little pump fake on the third Wilson touchdown but this one is probably even better. Wilson isn't open until McCarthy focuses on Loveland:

ECU CB to bottom

Live I thought that was a weird coverage bust; no, it was just McCarthy manipulating the defense. This is something he did last year, particularly early, but it was an occasional thing. That felt like promise; here it felt more like a preview.

There is a warm blanket of a feeling you get when you are suddenly a fan of a football team with a quarterback who is obviously an NFL dude. The ability to drop back and rifle in lasers to guys who are sort of open changes the feeling of third and seven from "yikes" to "you have insulted my family by creating this third and medium situation and now I will exact my vengeance."

McCarthy did a version of this early last year as well, turning in 100% downfield success rate performances against Hawaii and UConn. This was different, though. ECU might not be good but this did not feel like the rote walkovers from last year. ECU asked McCarthy some questions, and he answered them. In addition to the two plays embedded above there was the throw to Loveland where ECU sent the house; McCarthy backpedaled to the left a bit to buy another half-second of time, then formed up and delivered a dart. This was not the McCarthy who went on a couple endless sojourns against Maryland last year. He was decisive. He was confident. He was in command.

He was locked in to the point where we can individually consider his incompletions:

• Wilson has the ball punched out early.
• McCarthy throws behind Johnson on a quick out during the one-minute drill.
• A linebacker with freaky long arms gets his hand on a ball that's arcing towards an AJ Barner touchdown in the back corner of the endzone.
• McCarthy breaks the pocket and can't quite get it to Wilson.

I don't think 1 and 3 are negatives, but just good plays from the defense, and 4 was a difficult proposition. I did think he'd broken the pocket enough that he did not need to pull the trigger immediately and could have run closer to the LOS. At that point the throws are easier and you can just run if necessary. So that is my complaint from this game. He's going to come in for a silly UFR grade.

The season preview said that if Michigan was going to Beat Georgia the McCarthy training wheels needed to come off, and they did. After the first drive 11/16 McCarthy first downs were passes. Michigan ran all the play action we begged for over the offseason, because ECU came in with an aggressive, OSU/TCU game plan.

Michigan said no, that's not going to work anymore. Try another idea.

AWARDS

Known Friends and Trusted Agents Of The Week

schwangle! [Barron]

you're the man now, dog

#1 JJ McCarthy. See above.

#2(T) Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson. Wilson was more prominent in TDs but Johnson had the best catch of the day, a leaping stab of a ball a bit behind him to pick up a first down. Between them they caught everything that could be caught and seemed to be on the same page as McCarthy in a Jeremy Gallon sort of way.

#3(T) Ernest Haussmann, Kenneth Grant, Mike Sainristil, and Josh Wallace. It is extremely difficult to come up with a defensive player for this game because of the huge amount of rotation. Only Keon Sabb and Keshaun Harris had more than 36 snaps and 25 different players had at least 10. But also ECU was held to three points so lets sprinkle some holy water on the D, too.

Haussman led Michigan in solo tackles and had a couple of legit sticks; Sainristil had a pick and shut off the outside; Grant induced the Sainristil pick; Wallace almost had a stunning INT of his own but for the vagaries of fate and gave up zero completions on his two targets. Two points each to distinguish them from the clawing pack.

Honorable mention: Tommy Doman blasts some balls, including a That's Bait Kickoff. Kris Jenkins and Mason Graham delete all interior runs at them. Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards both flash their ability in mercifully limited opportunities.

KFaTAotW Standings.

(points: #1: 8, #2: 5, #3: 3, HMs one each. Ties result in somewhat arbitrary assignments.)

8: JJ McCarthy (#1 ECU)
4: Roman Wilson (T2 ECU), Cornelius Johnson (T2 ECU)
2: Ernest Hausmann (T3 ECU), Kenneth Grant (T3 ECU), Mike Sainristil (T3 ECU), Josh Wallace (T3 ECU)
1: Tommy Doman (HM ECU), Kris Jenkins (HM ECU), Mason Graham (HM ECU), Blake Corum (HM ECU), Donovan Edwards (HM ECU).

Who's Got It Better Than Us(?) Of The Week

JJ McCarthy looks off a flat defender and lays in a gorgeous touchdown to Roman Wilson in the corner of the endzone. 

Honorable mention: Replay official has the over and lets the first Wilson TD stand. Blake Corum bursts off the left side, giving us some of them good Blake Corum feelings. Mike Sainristil picks off a pass that's a duck because the quarterback is trying not to be flattened by Kenneth Grant.

MARCUS HALL EPIC DOUBLE BIRD OF THE WEEK.

Michigan runs dive after dive in an attempt to get Edwards a touchdown, resulting in a goal line stand after a fumbled exchange on fourth down.

Honorable mention: Michigan's first drive is three runs under the shadow of their own goal line that gets stuffed. ECU's punter is annoyingly good at dropping in line drives just inside the sideline that roll forever. XP is missed.