power o

Letters: I’ve taken to adding them (p=pass pro, y=YAC, c=catch, b=block for RBs) to pass event +/- since it’s included in the charting now. So Hayes(-1p) means he got a pass pro minus versus a run blocking minus.

Formation Notes: Penn State often swaps their SAM, #23 6’1”/230 Curtis Jacobs, for their nickel, #25 5’9/180 Daequan Hardy, but a) uses them exactly the same and b) is lying their asses off about Jacobs’s size since he’s looks 6’0”/205 at most. Since their numbers look alike on digital film, I think I labeled them incorrectly a few times before it hit me that the HSP looks like he’s shrunk. PFF says Jacobs got 43 snaps to Hardy’s 24, for what it’s worth.

They also use a lot of different formations with their base personnel I called this one “4-3 Over 4i” to denote the SDE is lined up inside the T’s shoulder (that’s Jacobs on the top).

And this is Nickel Odd Split:

Michigan added a pure tackle over formation (“T-Over”) that preserves that TE as an eligible receiver (their MSU version did not).

Substitution Notes: Cade the whole way, Haskins almost always with Edwards in for a few, another big chunk of Trente Jones, WRs went Johnson-Sainristil-Wilson most of the way, with Anthony, Baldwin, and Henning rotating in. Erick All was limited but in on crucial downs.  Snap counts are here.

Weather note: Heavy winds, sleet at times, and the ground got soaked and remained one big splooshy puddle of ploopiness, so adjust your expectations accordingly.

[After THE JUMP: I deserve that, Michigan deserved to win.]

FORMATION NOTES: Michigan didn't do anything particularly unusual. Everything was from the gun, and much of it featured two tight ends. This has Ben Mason as a wing TE:

I tried to file Mason as a RB because I think that's a better representation of what Michigan can do when he's on the field but I may have missed some snaps like this where he's lined up at TE.

Minnesota spent virtually the whole night in this 4-3 over, frequently with a standup end. Probably! This game featured extreme pore-o-vision and it was at times difficult to tell who was on the field.

SUBSTITUTION NOTES: Milton, then McNamara briefly, at QB. RB was a near-equal rotation between Corum, Haskins, Charbonnet, and Evans. There were a few snaps with two RBs and one wildcat snap.

At WR, another blender. Sainristil, Wilson, Bell, Johnson, and Jackson all got a significant number of snaps. AJ Henning and Jake McCurry made cameos. McCurry was mostly out there for the heavy package.

At TE/FB, All got a large majority of the snaps, probably 80%. Mason was in for ~50% of them; Schoonmaker and gussied-up OL Joel Honigford got maybe a dozen each. 6'8" beanpole walk-on Carter Selzer got in for a snap.

OL was Hayes/Filiaga/Vastardis/Stueber/Mayfield as expected. Zinter got a little time when Stueber got dinged; Barnhart got the last handful of snaps at LT. Second team OL appears to be Barnhart/Korican/Carpenter/Zinter/Jones.

[After THE JUMP: smoooooooth]

SPONSOR NOTE: Upon Further Review is sponsored by HomeSure Lending and Matt Demorest. Rates are the lowest they've been in three years so it can't hurt to check whether you can save money on a refinance. Or you could buy a house in Ann Arbor! Good luck with that!

Matt's relocated the bus to Pioneer this year, BTW, and invites everyone to stop by and say hi. There's beer. I mean, obviously. Matt. Matt and beer: a good pairing.

FORMATION NOTES: Another day spent about evenly between a 3-3-5 and the more standard 4-2-5, with about 10 jetpack snaps with no DTs on the field. Note that while I listed Michigan as playing two deep frequently, there's deep and there's Michigan State "deep"; Michigan got nosy as it became clear the Maryland passing game was nonfunctional:

Safeties at six and eight yards deep is not something we've seen before.

SUBSTITUTION NOTES: The usual until garbage time. On the DL, Hutchinson, Paye, and Kemp are mainstays with Danna spotting the DEs and Dwumfour getting a couple dozen snaps when Michigan is in their 4-2-5. Uche gets 50-60% of the snaps. At LB, Hudson/McGrone/Glasgow the whole way. At DB, the usual three man rotation at CB; Hawkins and Metellus go the whole way; Dax Hill gets dime snaps.

Some notes of interest in garbage time:

• Mazi Smith got his first snaps of the year; they can play him the rest of the regular season and still get him his redshirt.
• Upshaw and Vilain are your #4 and #5 DEs, it appears.
• Backup LBs were Barrett/Jordan Anthony/Gil. Our Josh Ross Is Redshirting thunder was rather stolen by Harbaugh's press conference, but, yeah: Josh Ross is redshirting. He can still play one more game.
• Backup secondary appears to be Gemon Green/Jaylen Kelly-Powell at corner and Sammy Faustin/Hunter Reynolds at safety.

Anthony Solomon also got a few snaps. He's played consistently on special teams and is this year's least explicable burned redshirt.

[After THE JUMP: many plays, no points]