You forgot to add "and MSU will be playing like their very lives depend on the outcome of the game."

If you gave the State fanbase (and probably most of their players) the choice of "win against Michigan but lose all your remaining games OR lose against Michigan and win all your remaining games I'm pretty sure they'd chose the former, not the latter.

Eh, I said the same in stadium. He turned and pitched so quickly it appeared to have negligible effect on IU. Given their own backward pass for TD play, I’m sure they were coached for the trick play. 
 

Edit: I agree with your first paragraph too!

Good points and I generally agree.  I'm guessing Michigan views that play as an extended (enhanced?) play-action rather than a trick play.  They're just trying to get one or two guys to bite on it - whether that's the safeties or linebackers.  They're limiting the downside - as you said - while still messing with the defensive keys.

Is this a bot?

It'll be like having 2 Haskins and the OL replacements will have roughly 2 games worth of time together on the field just from Tuttle time this year!

Might Edwards be only our 4th best running back this year? 

Secondary cohesion/communication is much like offensive line cohesion/communication. That is why developing the depth needs to stop starting with MSU. Just look how much our line has gelled in 3 weeks of a consistent lineup. The secondary needs to do the same, lots of non-verbal communication that needs to be practiced IN GAME. I rarely disagree with Brian but practice reps are NO WHERE NEAR AS VALUABLE as game reps, not even close...

They don't throw downfield because Allar would get killed!  Their OL doesn't seem very good at pass pro, which is why they make quick throws all the time.  They sure as hell aren't going to have time to wait for someone to get open against the best DL they'll have seen all year.

Except that there's a clear advantage to us using JJ's legs, while PSU throwing downfield may not in fact help them out (given their uncertain pass protection).

We'll see if he throws downfield against OSU.  I disagree a bit with Jamie that PSU's offense is doing what they need to and are comfortable grinding downfield; they've not been asked to score much in these games because their opponents are comically inept at offense.  I mean, they've played Illinois, NW, UMass Delaware, AND Iowa's offenses thus far.  WVU is by far the best offense they've seen and they're 53rd per SP+.  OSU can move the ball against them, and if they do they may have to throw the ball more than 5-10 yards downfield to get a score and then we'll see.

Allar strikes me as your classic first-year starter where the coaches protect him and set him up for success.  And that's what you're supposed to do, but he's not an elite athlete and that line still lets guys through at a rate that will get him in trouble against better defenses.

I do think the game state will matter a lot. Ohio State is likely going to have to rely on explosives, I doubt they'll be able to consistently drive off script. The OT issue is a big one for Penn State but they also will need to test the secondary. 

I do think the game state will matter a lot. Ohio State is likely going to have to rely on explosives, I doubt they'll be able to consistently drive off script. The OT issue is a big one for Penn State but they also will need to test the secondary. 

Respectfully disagree.  The ferret comment was about the games where M would only be winning by a few points at halftime but then completely dominate the 3rd and 4th quarters.  The 2023 team is (BGSU excepted) often holding a dead ferret in the 2nd quarter.

I don't know if this is our thinking or not, but the more plays you run, the more you expose your players to potential injury.   If your objective is to make it to week 12 (OSU) with as healthy a roster as possible, you don't want to be playing a lot of unnecessary extra snaps in games like these.

Do you even know who Jim Harbaugh is, let alone who he was mentored by?  Have you not watched the last 7 years of Michigan football?

I don't understand why this needs an explanation.  Sure, we all want a faster pace.  But we also want to have more money than Elon Musk.  Some things just aren't going to happen...

As a team Michigan was 19 - 22 passing against Indiana. Michigan had 42 carries. Out of 64 total plays, with the new rules, the clock basically never stopped running when Michigan was on offense (yes, I know last two minutes it stops, but you get the point).

The math:

40 seconds per play clock

Guessing Michigan's average snap time is 8 seconds remaining on the play clock using 32 seconds between plays

Average play length is 4 seconds

64 total plays, 61 plays when the clock didn't stop

64 * 4 = 256

61 * 32 = 1952

256 + 1952 = 2208 total seconds of Michigan doing something on offense

2208/60 = 36.8 minutes out of 60 used up by Michigan "doing stuff" on offense.

That left Indiana 23.2 minutes to try to score 53 points. 

Because Michigan's defense is so good and the offense is so efficient and able to finish drives with points, Michigan is basically depriving other teams the chance to keep up.

In other words...The boa constrictor. 

I think Klatt mentioned on the broadcast after the offside play that all the fake claps we do are designed to diagnose opponent blitzes so we can get the protection right. That seems to be what nearly every good NFL offense does as well. 

As  a counterpoint, consider USC. 109th in time of possession. In their game against Arizona, they scored 28 points in regulation over 11 drives. Those drives averaged 2:13. Against Colorado their average drive was 2:00. And their defense just got worse and worse as the game went on. Look at the drive chart: 2:27 TD, 1:32 punt, 0:48 TD, 1:19 TD, 3:38 punt, 0:43 TD, etc.

The always gets more plays thing ignores 2 things: 1. going super fast also gives your opponent more plays, and they are significantly less likely to score while you have the ball and 2. players arent machines and get tired, especially defensive players which have to react to offense.

So yeah there is probably some balance that needs to be struck. Going super fast in an attempt to get a lot of plays can easily backfire.

Jim Harbaugh knows football. If uber-competitive Harbaugh thought that running more plays would give him a tactical advantage, he would absolutely be doing it. Seems like he thinks the exact opposite, based on how the games have actually been played.

Yes but winning the time of possession limits the OTHER team's ability to run offensive plays. Also, with our style of play, taking our time to wear them down is where we make our money. We do not need fast scores, we need long sustained drives which also allows our defense to get the rest they need. Quick scores don't wear down their defense either, which we capitalize on huge late in games.

On the other hand: fuck Ohio.

Also Frames gonna Frames.  He's better at home, but still.

It's mainly that we trust Frames to muck things up against us while we're still getting over our OSU PTSD.

Based solely on this season, I do think PSU looks better than OSU, though.

Very reasonable. But as someone else stated above, it basically comes down to Fuck Ohio. My plan is for Michigan to win all the games so it doesn't really matter.

Penn State has only allowed 4 sacks all year.  The write-up is not correct.