Michigan 34, Miami (NTM) 10
WITH AUTHORITY [Eric Upchurch/MGoBlog]
The gulf between box score and eye test is vast this evening.
The box score says Michigan gave hapless Miami their 19th straight loss with authority, outgaining the RedHawks 460-198, moving the ball well on the ground (6.1 YPC) and through the air (8.4 YPA), and ultimately cruising to a 24-point victory.
My eyes saw Michigan cough up three turnovers in the second quarter, allowing Hapless Miami to tie the game at ten apiece and hang around for a while.
The box score shows that Miami scored ten points against the Wolverine defense, but the eyes know those should be charged against Michigan's offense, as those scoring drives covered all of 26 and 21 yards following U-M turnovers.
The box score doesn't contain a giant red "WTF" flag. My eyes saw this at the end of the first half:
You can click to enlarge that picture, or I can just tell you that Michigan ran a four-minute drill with zero urgency or effectiveness. After Michigan tried to run a quick play on fourth-and-1, only for Miami to call a timeout before the snap, Brady Hoke decided to punt on 4th-and-6 from the Miami 37 when the Wolverines took a delay of game penalty coming out of that timeout. The decison to punt was so surprising Miami didn't put out a returner, then called a timeout of the "you can't be serious" variety. Finally, U-M took another delay of game to give Will Hagerup more room to boom a punt that hit the end zone on the fly.* Insert giant red "WTF" flag here.
The box score shows Devin Gardner had an efficient 184 yards and two TDs on 20 attempts, with one lone interception blemishing his stat line. The eyes saw his mechanics, which are all over the place, and at least two should-be interceptions hit the turf or, in the case of Jake Butt's first catch, get rescued by a great effort on the receiver's part. In fairness to Gardner, the box score also doesn't show that his interception was tipped at the line.
A crease, that. [Upchurch]
The box score and eye test agree on a couple things, at least. The offensive line did a fine job opening up holes after Miami stopped packing the box with eight defenders; when the RedHawks had to adjust to account for Michigan's wide-open receivers, Derrick Green went off, finishing the game with 137 yards and a pair of scoring runs on 22 carries. Green showed off patience, vision, and the decisive cuts necessary for success in a zone running scheme, and the numbers say as much.
Amara Darboh also looked good as he stepped into a starting role with Devin Funchess in street clothes; the redshirt sophomore caught six passes for 88 yards and Michigan's first touchdown—when he caught a quick slant and powered through a tackle to poke the ball across the plane—though he did lose a fumble during that stressful second quarter. Jake Butt looked healthy after playing sparingly against Notre Dame, finishing with three catches for 59 yards and a score on a clever fake screen called by Doug Nussmeier.
The defense thoroughly dominated Miami. RedHawks QB Andrew Hendrix could only muster 165 yards with one TD and one INT on 26 passes. The Miami passing game fared a whole lot better than their running game, which managed a paltry 33 yards on 24 attempts. The defensive front looked great, and even without starters Ray Taylor and Jarrod Wilson, the secondary held strong. Jourdan Lewis recorded his first career interception with a leaping grab on the sideline, while Jabrill Peppers impressed with his physical man coverage, forcing throw after throw to sail into the sideline.
The box score, which must be taken into account—our lyin' eyes being what they are—says Michigan turned in a dominant performance, with the final score a bit deceiving thanks to those turnovers. While it took longer than anyone hoped or expected, the Wolverines ultimately dispatched a bad team with relative ease.
On my drive home, however, I'll remember the groans that accompanied Hagerup's ill-fated punt, and the boos that followed the team into the tunnel, and I'll wonder what that kind of first-half performance would result in next week, when a plucky Utah squad coming off a bye week visits the Big House. The mental image isn't a pleasant one.
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*Apologies for initially screwing up this sequence of events; now edited for accuracy, though the general "WTF" feeling stands, of course. This was horrible clock management and an infuriatingly conservative call in a one-score game against an overmatched opponent.
September 13th, 2014 at 10:46 PM ^
I thought Green looked pretty good today. He was hitting the holes fast and running hard. He did cut into some tackles, but he was much more decisive in his running style today. I think it is a good sign. I'll be convinced he turned a corner if he can continue his progress against better teams.
The line looked solid today. At this point I agree with sticking with your same oline and green as the starting RB. They will only get better with more and more game experience and repetition.
Just stick with it.
September 13th, 2014 at 8:25 PM ^
I understand you are angry about the decisions at the end of the half, but you are not being honest about the sequence of events.....Michigan WAS GOING FOR IT on 4th and 1, THEN there was the delay of game where it seemed the entire staff was befuddled because the refs never notified the play clock was running. This whole "the entire staff is incompetent" thing is bullshit from the fans, all the coaches questioned the decision, and they know more about football than you, Ace.
Michigan decided to punt when it was 4th and 6....a reasonable decision. The punt however sucked. This is why brady has not a care in the world for media people like you....because you spin things like this. I'm not the biggest fan of Brady right now either, but don't just make up facts.
September 13th, 2014 at 8:33 PM ^
Yeah, outside of the turnovers there was nothing horrible in this game (and it would've been a 30+ point win), and the interception that actually happened was the fault of a tipped ball. It's not a great team, but they did what they had to today.
September 13th, 2014 at 8:56 PM ^
September 13th, 2014 at 9:12 PM ^
We won. It wasn't close, it never really was. They only scored off of bad turnovers. We still won by 24 points. We saw progress, we know there are a lot of areas the team needs to improve on - and they did. And yet people still want to whine that we didn't win by 80.
Seriously, at what point can you say 'they did what they had to, good job'? For a lot of you out there, there's absolutely nothing that'll satisfy you.
September 13th, 2014 at 11:14 PM ^
September 13th, 2014 at 11:57 PM ^
They seemed to have an ok season after that without getting 'decisive victories' early on
September 14th, 2014 at 10:29 AM ^
They scored 7 offensive points against a terrible Purdue defense.
September 13th, 2014 at 11:49 PM ^
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September 13th, 2014 at 8:54 PM ^
Is still a lousy decision. Punting inside the 40 on a makeable distance, period, is objectively bad. Somewhere on the internets are stats to back that up-- they've been posted enough times on this blog to not require further debate.
And the "coaches know more than you, Ace" line is total bullshit. If that were true, you'd never see bad coaching, I guess? How about the stats backing up teams that spread punt vs. dinosaur punt? Are the numbers bullshit?
September 13th, 2014 at 9:05 PM ^
"Objectively bad" assumes that the object of the exercise was to maximize the pointspread.
This was essentially a preseason exhibition game and as long as the game was won the primary object was to get reps, run your stuff, and play well without embarrassing the other guys.
I'm reminded of a game at Northwestern when they were at their bottom (late 70s or early 80s, I can't remember which season it was) when Bo ran the fullback up the gut for two yards on third and long. Not even a draw, just a belly play designed for short yardage. That was objectively wrong. But NW had been hurt enough and they weren't Illinois which meant there was no reason to humiliate them.
This wasn't the same, because the game was still objectively close at that point. But unless Miami's offense had actually shown some ability to do damage, I don't think there was any way Michigan was ever going to go for a 4th and medium-to-long outside field goal range today.
September 14th, 2014 at 2:25 AM ^
And it's not about it costing us this game, it's becoming a pattern that Hoke doesn't know what the fuck he's doing
September 14th, 2014 at 10:59 AM ^
Hoke knows exactly what he's doing. He's a hell of a lot smarter at football than most of us. You can justifiably disagree with his in-game decisions, but to say he has no idea what he's doing? That's so utterly disrespectful. If he had no idea what he's doing, then I guess that means Mattison, Nussmeier, and a whole bunch of 4 and 5* recruits have no idea what they're doing either. So I call bullshit on that meme.
September 13th, 2014 at 11:20 PM ^
In the final minute of a half, I think the case for a punt becomes stronger. Miami was unlikely to try to score in that time unless it got good field position.
September 13th, 2014 at 8:28 PM ^
September 13th, 2014 at 8:34 PM ^
2.0
I kid, I kid
September 13th, 2014 at 8:56 PM ^
September 13th, 2014 at 11:46 PM ^
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September 13th, 2014 at 8:35 PM ^
September 13th, 2014 at 8:36 PM ^
I really disagree. I thought the eye test showed Michigan in much more control than the box score. They gave up three turnovers, but those turnovers were not the overly concerning type.
Michigan's defense looked dominating, as it should and the offensive line mostly looked good. I also think you missed what happened at the end of the half. Hoke wanted to go for it but the clock operator did not reset the play clock coming off a timeout resulting in a delay of game. They than took an additional delay of game on purpose to back up the punter, to no avail. I am not sure it is fair to rip them for playing with no urgency there as they really did not need to, had they not got that delay of game coming off of a timeout (i.e. they weren't wasting a running clock) they would have had plenty of time for their field position.
I am not saying this was a great team, but I don't think you can say this was a terrible performance either. I really don't think it told us anything. They readily dispatched with a team they should have. Even when the game was tied, it was never in question.
The good news is that even if this is a mediocre team, that may be good enough to compete for a Big Ten title this year.
September 13th, 2014 at 8:40 PM ^
Wow, just wow man.
September 13th, 2014 at 8:52 PM ^
I am not going to spend a lot of time getting concerned over a fumble that probably wasn't actually a fumble, a tipped pass interception (though admittedly not his best throw), and a miscommunication on special teams. There is no evidence that these are systematic. Turnovers happen, these just all happened at once. I was much more concerned with interception Gardner threw last week. Today's were not something you expect to be repeated.
September 13th, 2014 at 10:06 PM ^
What's troubling is not that any individual kind of mistake is systematic; it's that in the larger picture, mistakes and inconsistent play are systematic.
September 13th, 2014 at 11:50 PM ^
If by systemic, you mean random.. then yeah.
September 13th, 2014 at 8:53 PM ^
I really don't think that another team will be able to take advantage of a short pooch kickoff dropped by Shallman. Darboh (or was it Chesson?)'s fumble was arguably not a fumble, and a guy just got his hands on the ball. It happens. The interception was a tipped pass. That also happens.
September 13th, 2014 at 11:50 PM ^
He's not wrong. The fumble was the only "real" turnover. And even then, he was probably down but it was called fumble on the field and they couldn't overturn it. The tipped pass is just something that happens, it happens to everyone. The other was an onside kick that surprised us. We had the opportunity to catch it but Shallman didn't, and took out Hayes at the same time. Then the bounce went right to a Miami player. At least 2 out of 3 of those are in the shit happens category.
September 13th, 2014 at 8:43 PM ^
I thought the team played a pretty solid 1st qtr. The 2nd was a mess, the end of the half, a classic WTF!!!!
The beginning of the 3rd had me really upset/nervous/hating life, but finally the team began taking care of business. The 4th was obviously solid.
My biggest issues today are:
Negs
1. Where is the fire and intensity? We show some at times, but it typically seems like M is flat compared to other teams. Loose and fast makes plays, M seems to be 'trying' to make plays.
2. Is it just me, or would Miami's passing numbers look a lot better if their recievers could hold onto the ball, or their quarterback wouldn't miss a wideopen receiver? I thought their receivers were getting way to much separation from the secondary, this being players from Miami OH and all. I'm still having flashbacks to ND.
3. Special teams....... uhhhhh. Elite teams usually have special teams as a plus, not constant omg inducing moments.
4. DG.... I just don't know. He still stares down his intented target, though it did get better as the game progressed. The mechanics though.... some pretty weird throws out there.
Pos
5. The OL, though some ugly plays, started looking pretty good. I know Miami isn't great, but M got better as the game progressed. If only the OL will continue improving, anything can happen!
6. Loved watching the DL/LBs today.
7. RBs had a much better day today.
8. Butt makes a hell'ofa difference out there. Welcome back!
I was ready to pull my hair out at halftime and after the first two series in the 3rd. From that point on, I loved it. Running game doing its thing. Mixing up some real nice play calls. D on top of everything. Finished real strong!
September 13th, 2014 at 8:44 PM ^
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September 13th, 2014 at 11:42 PM ^
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September 14th, 2014 at 2:28 AM ^
Until he wins a single big road game. Just one. Just fucking one. Or come back and tell us how great he is after State whips his ass by 30
September 14th, 2014 at 12:12 PM ^
September 13th, 2014 at 9:03 PM ^
September 13th, 2014 at 9:13 PM ^
He basically had to build a depth chart from the ground up. That does take time. And he has done very well at doing that.
And, I don't know about you, but I do think thiis team is improved from last year. It is not perfect, by any means. But last year we couldn't even push around AKRON. We imposed our will on Miami when we weren't facing fluke turnovers.
This was a solid performance for the most part, which was greatly muddied by an error in officiating at the end of the first half (the play clock started early, no one noticed, we had a delay of game called) and a couple of fluke turnovers.
Honestly, it doesn't matter. People outside the program will see what they want to see. The team is a LOT closer to being good than they were last year. If that will translate to more wins, only time will tell. We could learn a lot next weekend.
September 13th, 2014 at 11:15 PM ^
September 14th, 2014 at 2:31 AM ^
Everything is Rod's fault! Gosh darn it, if only he had recruited better we could have hung with Notre Dame last week!
September 13th, 2014 at 9:10 PM ^
Purdue, yes that Purdue is up 14-10 on ND right now. Just thought I'd throw that in here. Apologists and revisionists can neg bang this all day, but I didn't see anything in today's game that would lead me to believe that we win more than 6 games this year. By every account Miami (NTM) is a terrible football team, a MAC team with 18 straight losses kept it a game with Michigan well into the game. We all have seen this movie before, not sure why some people think this ending is going to be different.
September 13th, 2014 at 9:14 PM ^
September 13th, 2014 at 9:22 PM ^
I'll take words only UM grads know for $200, Alex.
September 13th, 2014 at 9:15 PM ^
Since when has ND ever played well the week after they play Michigan?
September 13th, 2014 at 9:15 PM ^
If we do go 6-6 this year, by all means, let''s fire Hoke. I honestly don't see how people can think that will happen. Miami was not in the game today, no matter what the score read midway through the third.
September 13th, 2014 at 10:56 PM ^
/s
September 14th, 2014 at 12:04 AM ^
They lost 4 more players in the first half (Carlisle (WR), Lombard (RG), Redfield (S), Barrati (S who replaced Redfield). When you're already down 5 other players, stuff like this really hurts because your back-ups may be close to the starters, but the 3rd string is usually a precipitous drop. Even so, they shut Purdue down and closed the game comfortably. I swear some of you people are trying your hardest to make Michigan look as bad as possible.
September 13th, 2014 at 9:12 PM ^
September 13th, 2014 at 11:40 PM ^
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September 13th, 2014 at 9:17 PM ^
Look, all along, Hoke and Nuss have been saying this is an inconsistent team. MY look at the boxscore shows just that. Reviewing confirms that Mich was driving for a 17-0 lead when Darboh "fumbled", then gifted Miami with 10 points via interception/kickoff fumble. Unlike Akron or UConn, this game never felt in doubt to me, just frustrating that it wasn't a total ass whooping.
A year ago, a SIGNIFICANT number of posters after the ND game said Gardner was headed to the NFL, which of course was silly reactionism. Don't fall into the same trap of negative overreaction this year re both him and the team. Just relax and enjoy the (sometimes frustrating) ride while a young team gains its consistency.
September 13th, 2014 at 9:21 PM ^
But no, we didn't win by 20205295023905 points against Miami! FIRE HOKE! GARDNER IS TERRIBLE! MORRIS FOR PRESIDENT!
C'mon people, it's gotten completely out of hand at this point. There was improvement from last week and the team is trending overall better (heck, if you read the UFR even last week wasn't a complete debacle). If we go 6-6 this year, then yes, fire Hoke... but we're THREE games into the season!
September 13th, 2014 at 9:23 PM ^
September 13th, 2014 at 9:26 PM ^
Yeah, it's getting as bad as the RichRod days.
September 14th, 2014 at 2:35 AM ^
Miami hasn't won a game since October. Of 2012. If they play that first half against a team with a pulse they are down 14 going into halftime.
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