FORMATION NOTES: Indiana didn't do the thing.

There was maybe one corner blitz all day. They lined up in off coverage and the only instance of a hard cover two trap was the weird play on the goal line where Johnson ran the wrong route. For much of the second half they were content to sit with six in the box against three-wide and insert safeties late.

SUBSTITUTION NOTES: Wilson, Johnson, Loveland, and Barner in a dead heat around 40 snaps for the leader amongst WR/TE sorts. Morris and Bredeson got about 20 each. Moore, Morgan, and English got around 10, mostly late. For the sickos curious about the third string line: Gentry/Herring/Anderson/Guidice/Noah Stewart.

[After THE JUMP: same thing, different week]

Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M48	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	2	2	4-3 under	7	Pass	Out	Loveland	Inc
A settle-in throw; Loveland is open and will get to turn this up for 8-9 but drops a ball thrown at his helmet. (CA, 3, protection 1/1, JJ+0.5)
M48	2	10	Pistol FB twins U	1	2	2	4-3 over	7.5	Run	Power C	Corum	3
Nugent pulls; playside OLB slides down to more or less chip Henderson before he can get out; Nugent pulls around and fires him inside. Bredeson heads inside of this either because he doesn’t adjust to the evolving situation or Nugent got shed quickly and he’s trying to repair the situation. Corum bounces outside and is able to break the free CB’s tackle but Henderson cannot maintain his block because of the delay and has to let the LB go lest he pick up a holding call; he’s able to clean up. Nugent -1, I’m saying. Corum +0.5.
O49	3	7	Gun empty	1	1	3	5-1 nickel	6	Pass	Sack	N/A	-14
IU sends six against five blockers. Edge OLB set free. JJ tries to spin away from him but OLB latches on for a big sack. He needs to get the ball out to Johnson on a drag immediately but this guy is on him so quick it’s asking a lot. (PR, N/A, protection 0/2, TEAM -2, RPS -2)
Drive Notes: Punt, 0-0, 12 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M41	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel over	6	Run	Duo	Corum	6
Been a minute since we’ve seen a duo run against something that’s not specifically trying to blow it up. Frontside double from Zinter(+0.5) and Barnhart(-0.5) moves a guy out but Barnhart gets his hands thrown away and DE is able to dive inside. Nugent(+0.5) and Keegan(+0.5) get about a yard of depth on the other double. Loveland(+0.5) and Henderson(+1) successfully pass off a DE hopping outside; Henderson has to read this, shoves the DE, and seals a LB. Corum(+0.5) threatens the frontside gap and cuts backside, putting a LB in the wrong gap.
M47	2	4	Gun 4-wide	1	1	3	4-3 under	7	Pass	Sack	N/A	-3
JJ looks to the field, where Wilson and Johnson are, and it seems like he should really throw an open out to Wilson but he comes off of it. Second option is Morris, which he is in the middle of throwing when he realizes there is a linebacker robbing this and has to stop. At this point he’s out of time and breaks the pocket; Barnhart let his guy around at ten and he’s able to sack. (TA, N/A, protection 2/2, JJ -1)
M44	3	7	Gun trips bunch	1	1	3	Nickel over	6	Pass	Post	Wilson	Inc
This is the right read as Wilson clears the LB and is going to have a window away from the deep safety, but JJ throws it too far inside. This slows up Wilson, brings the safety into play, and allows the LB to make a desperation wave at the ball when Wilson puts his hands up; dude gets a PBU while not looking for the ball. This is still complete a lot of the time. (MA, 0, protection 2/2, JJ push)
Drive Notes: Punt, 0-0, 5 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M23	1	10	Gun trips U	1	2	2	Nickel even	6.5	Run	Duo	Corum	2
The doubles move dudes but one gap is occupied by a safety quickly and the other one gets clogged as Barner is stalemated and then his guy dives inside. Barner(+0.5) recovers to push this guy downfield and I think Corum(-1) has to bounce this as by the decision point I think the LB hanging back is committed to the inside. Keegan(+1) drove his guy back by himself; Nugent(+0.5) and Zinter(+0.5) combo through the other guy. Vaguely possible JJ should be reading the LB?
M25	2	8	Pistol trips bunch	1	2	2	Nickel even	6.5	Pass	Sack	N/A	-2
Loveland motions in; max pro PA with the two WRs headed deep against three IU defenders. Loveland(-1) allows a quick pressure. JJ climbs the pocket; he sees a lot of grass and bugs out for a scramble but does not set up Barner’s block and gets tackled, fumbling out of bounds. (MA, N/A, protection ½, JJ –3 run)
M23	3	10	Gun 4-wide	1	2	2	Exotic	6	Pass	Out	Loveland	11
IU shows six, sends four, drops guys out.. Boundary safety becomes a flat guy and runs out on Barner; CB turns his hips as he’s playing cover 3. JJ fires it in to Loveland before the flat guy can react. (DO, 3, protection 2/2, JJ +2)
M34	1	10	Ace TTB	1	3	1	4-3 over	8	Run	Lead windback	Corum	14
Duo look; LB level slams into line. Wilson(+1) peels off the LOS and comes across the formation; after a counter step Corum follows him. Bredeson(+0.5) gets a kickout; Loveland(+1) stands up and moves a LB; Wilson gets through to harass a CB. One LB is able to read and recover from the backside and forces Corum back into the CB. RPS +2. Corum(+0.5) gets some nice YAC.
M48	1	10	Ace 3TE	1	3	1	4-3 over	8	Pass	Waggle flat	Loveland	13
Your average waggle flat; LB hesitates on the fake and that’s all she wrote. (CA, 3, protection N/A, JJ +0.5, RPS +1) Loveland(+0.5 ) slips a tackle to add some YAC.
O39	1	10	Pistol twins	1	2	2	Base 3-4	7	Run	Stretch G	Corum	3
Backside is stretch, frontside you get a downblock double and the playside G pulls. Lingo from here. Playside DE does a very good job setting the edge against Zinter(+0.5), who turns him upfield and ejects him, but Corum still has to cut upfield. This allows a backside OLB to get in a diving tackle attempt because Michigan ran Loveland into the flat instead of using him as a blocker and nobody goes with him. Corum(+0.5) breaks that tackle but has lost his momentum. Barner(+1) gets motion on a double with Barnhart and then peels off for a LB; the delay allows the doubled DT to grab Corum as Barnhart doesn’t step around him. RPS -1.
O36	2	7	Pistol twins	1	2	2	Nickel under	6.5	Pass	Cross	Johnson	15
PA, LBs don’t really bite, max pro. IU is in a three deep but has a safety specifically robbing crossing routes; JJ throws it anyway; the ball is behind Johnson and literally three inches away from the outstretched grasp of the robber. Johnson is able to haul this in despite it being behind and getting significant visual interference. I could DO this or BRX it. Since there are no other good options and this gets fit in, our results-based charting philosophy means it’s going to be a positive. (CA, 1, protection 2/2, JJ +1, RPS -1)
O21	1	10	Offset I	1	2	2	4-3 under	7	Pass	PA scramble	McCarthy	1
PA to Corum, fake end around to Morris, JJ flips around to see that IU didn’t buy it and Bredeson is very covered on the wheel route. LB is sucked in by the PA and decides to blitz, getting in free but widening for the potential end around. JJ sees his WRs are covered and just runs for what he can get. Probably should have dumped it out to Morris. (MA, N/A, protection N/A, JJ push, RPS -1)
O20	2	9	Gun empty	1	1	3	4-3 under	7	Run	Crack sweep	Corum	15
Michigan will frequently split a RB wide and then jog him back into the formation presnap, and that’s what this looks like until suddenly it’s a crack sweep. Barner(+1) wipes the playside end. Loveland(+2) gets into the playside LB and drives him way downfield as he tries to disengage; this is more agility than power but this guy only gets off the block at the 5. Barnhart(+1) pulls and buries a CB. Zinter is sprinting out to get the S and could get there but Corum(+2) just runs the guy over instead. He goes out at the five when he could have gotten a couple more. RPS +2.
O5	1	G	Ace 3TE	1	3	1	Goal line	11	Run	Split windback	Corum	4
Another subtle duo counter you can divine from the RB’s flight path, with a counter step and then a clear backside attack. Loveland(+1) and Barner(+1) both win one on one blocks, displacing their guys laterally; Bredeson gets a kickout. Corum(+0.5) takes contact at the three and pounds out a couple more. RPS +1.
O1	2	G	Goal line	1	4*	0	Goal line	11	Run	Down G	Corum	1
Loveland(+1) is again the POA block and wins against Andre Carter(!), the 270-pound WMU transfer who’s pretty good. Bredeson(+2) buries a safety with a pancake block and Corum just has to pound out a half yard after contact.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 7-7, 11 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M13	1	10	I-Form Big	1	3*	1	4-3 even	8	Run	Hybrid Duo	Edwards	1
Unusual as Jones gets a single block against Carter and Henderson/Keegan double a DT; usually your TE and OT are doubling in the end. I assume this is an intentional cutback. Power action sucks a LB outside. Jones(-0.5) is stood up by Carter and gets stuck at the LOS. Double on the DT gets two yards of movement but Henderson(-1) and Keegan(-1) miscommunicate both guys leave the DT, who crunches Edwards at the LOS.
M14	2	9	Gun trips 1	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Pass	Dumpoff	Edwards	17
Good read by JJ as IU drops a DE into his first read, which is Barner on a hitch, and then a LB hauls ass to get enough depth on Wilson post that is read two. JJ gets through these reads quickly and checks down to Edwards(+1), who jukes a guy and picks up a chunk. (CA, 3, protection 2/2, JJ +1)
M31	1	10	Pistol FB twins U	1	2	2	4-3 over	7.5	Run	Power Trap	Edwards	3
Power but Zinter takes one of those paths where he doubles a guy getting a downblock; Zinter(-2) does not read that this block isn’t going to be possible until it’s too late to redirect; he trips over Barner’s legs and can’t get to the LB, who hops on Edwards. Bredeson(+0.5) got a kickout; Henderson(+0.5) climbed to the second level and cut off a LB; Barner(+0.5) had Carter handled for the most part.
M34	2	7	Gun twins	1	2	2	Exotic	7.5	Run	Arc duo give	Edwards	1
JJ(-2, ZR-) misses obvious keep read as the unblocked backside end does not square up; he’d have Wilson leading him out against a safety. Instead that DE forces Edwards away from the backside gaps and into traffic for a minimal gain. Barnhart(+1) and Zinter(+1) had clobbered a DT with Zinter popping off on a charging LB and if this DE gets held Edwards zips off the backside for a nice gain.
M35	3	6	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel under	6	Pass	Improv	Morris	23
IU jumps on a clap and M snaps it, RPS +1. IU kind of quits on the play so pass rush is negligible. IU manned up across the board and JJ doesn’t like anything immediately; he vacates the pocket and finds Morris well downfield, open by ten yards. (CA+, 3, protection 2/2, JJ +1)
O42	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel under	6	Pass	Flicker cross	Morris	14
Flea flicker; IU safeties are in an unconflicted three deep so no sale. LBs do step up and then one bails deep after the deception is made clear, which opens up an easy throw to Morris. (CA, 3, protection 2/2, JJ +0.5, RPS +1)
O28	1	10	Gun 4-wide	1	2	2	Nickel under	6.5	Pass	Back shoulder	Barner	18
Pretty similar to the Loveland TD last week where a TE outside hitches up at five yards and then releases downfield. Barner gets the bite but the CB does a good job to chip him as he passes, knocking him off stride and getting the CB back in phase. JJ is like ok whatever back shoulder. (DO, 2, protection 2/2, JJ +2)
O10	1	G	I-Form Big	1	3*	1	Base 3-4	7	Run	Power	Edwards	2
Slant away from this; Jones(+1) hammers an OLB way down the line; Henderson(+0.5) escorts the playside DE out of the picture. Zinter(-2) pulls but when he meets the charging LB he gets rocked back; LB disconnects. Bredeson(+0.5) gets out to the other LB and seals him in; Zinter’s guy forces Edwards away from this block. Edwards(+0.5) correctly cuts it back and might have a shot a decent gain if it’s just the LB Bredeson is blocking but Zinter’s guy joins the party.
O8	2	G	Gun TTB	1	2	2	4-3 over	7.5	Pass	Fade	Johnson	Inc
Johnson is lined up just outside the field hash and the CB on him is turned 90 degrees to the inside and a yard inside as well. WTF, and then the CB charges inside on the snap. This should be the world’s easiest red zone fade route and that’s what McCarthy throws; Johnson(route-) actually runs two steps of a slant before going whoopsie and trying to get to the corner. Incomplete; ball hits just inside the sideline and is basically perfect. The rare (CA, 0, protection 1/1, JJ +0.5)
O8	3	G	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Exotic	8	Pass	Scramble	McCarthy	6
IU drops eight and JJ doesn’t have anything at first; he’s got a tripled Barner in the endzone, two guys way short of said endzone, and Wilson running into a safety’s area. If JJ is a hair more patient Wilson will clear the S and he can fire the ball in for a TD but he gets spooked with a little penetration given up and breaks the pocket; he’s able to get upfield and nearly to the endzone but not quite. (SCR, N/A, protection 1/1, JJ push, JJ +1 ground)
O2	4	G	Gun TTB	1	2	2	Goal line	10	Pass	Cross	Wilson	2
Very token PA is still enough to get IU to surge forward and that’s all she wrote. Corum gets a gold star cut block, and both Wilson and Loveland are wide open. Wilson gets blessed by the touchdown fairy. (CA, 3, protection 2/2, JJ +0.5, RPS +1)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 14-7, 3 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
O46	1	10	Gun trips 1	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Run	PNP keep	McCarthy	3 + 15 pen
DE dives, JJ pulls (+1, ZR+); IU is stunting a DT into this lane and he gives chase but it shouldn’t be a problem for JJ to outrun this guy if he gets some blocking; he doesn’t as Morgan(-1) and Wilson(-1) get split by a CB and he’s able to force the play back inside to the DT, modest gain. DT then takes one of the dumber PFs you’ll see.
O28	1	10	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Run	Split duo	Edwards	3
Feels like IU has a bead on M run/pass here; this has two high safeties and turns into quarters, which IU almost never runs. Johnson comes off the line against press coverage and thinks he’s got to block the CB; CB bails and Johnson comes off to get the safety but safety is too far upfield already so Johnson has to pivot back out to the CB. Barnhart(+1) whoops a DE; Zinter(+0.5) moves a DT; Loveland(+0.5) gets a kickout; Edwards has to eat the safety after a few yards. RPS -1.
O25	2	7	Gun 4-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Pass	Hitch	Wilson	7
Red Sea parts in the middle of the field as one LB covers a Loveland out and another is looking up Edwards on a flare; JJ fires it in for a first down. Protection questionable as IU stunts and Keegan(-1) never gets over to help out Henderson; Carter gets inside position and bulls Henderson back but Henderson is able to anchor just enough for JJ to get the ball out. (CA, 3, protection 1/2, JJ +0.5)
O18	1	10	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel even	6.5	Pass	Improv	Edwards	16
Safety slides down late and gets a free run as a DE drops out into a sim pressure and a DT slanting outside to replace him draws two guys. JJ is looking to Johnson to the boundary side, where the DE drops out, and it feels like his spidey sense goes off when he sees the DE. He comes off it, glances to the blitzer, and steps forward to make him miss. He bails. Edwards is wide wide open, looks around, and makes frantic BALL BALL BALL motions with his hands; he mirrors JJ and JJ flips it out audaciously to him. (CA+, 3, protection 0/2, TEAM -2, JJ +2)
O2	1	G	Pistol 3-wide	1	1	3	Goal line	8	Run	Dive	Edwards	1
Zinter(+1) and Barnhart(+1) obliterate a DT who ends up two yards in the endzone. Nugent(+1) gets a yard of depth on a DT then pops off on a LB and then Zinter picks off the guy Nugent left when he sees there’s no LB. Edwards(-1)… just runs into his own guys instead of cutting right slightly and scoring.
O1	2	G	Goal line	1	4*	0	Goal line	11	Run	Down G	Corum	1
Keegan(+0.5) gets a kick; Bredeson(+0.5) hammers a guy at the POA; Barner(+1) blows a guy down the LOS.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 21-0, EOH.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M35	1	10	Gun trips	1	1	3	Base 3-4	6	Run	IZ keeper	McCarthy	11
Gray area keep from McCarthy(+2, ZR+) that takes advantage of a lean and gets JJ on the edge. Loveland(+0.5) and Wilson(+0.5) give JJ a lane; JJ(+1 run) outruns the wrong-footed LB and then runs through a safety tackle, but then gives himself up at the sideline.
M46	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel over	6	Pass	Hitch	Morris	8
Zone beater triangle to the bottom with Edwards on a flare and Loveland/Morris moving to eight yards of depth and turning around; JJ has his pick on the deeper routes and fires it in to Morris. (CA, 3, protection 2/2, JJ +0.5)
O46	2	2	Pistol twins	1	2	2	4-3 under	7	Run	Pin and pull	Corum	-3
Motion counter productive here as when Johnson shoots across the formation IU spins down a safety and goes to a cover 3 shell; Barner(-1) takes contact and gives ground, though he is able to anchor. MLB and S hammer hard at this action so Keegan can only kick the charging MLB out. Corum… well, this is Corum’s first -2 in living memory. He’s got a clear edge set and doesn’t cut up behind Keegan, then gets TFLed. If he does cut behind Keegan he’s not getting a ton but he’s either converting or setting up third and one.
O49	3	5	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Penalty	False start	Morris	-5
Morris -1. Good lord I almost forgot what I do when there’s a presnap penalty.
M46	3	10	Gun trips bunch	1	1	3	3-3 stack	6	Pass	Improv	Loveland	54
Henderson(-2) clearly expects help inside that is not coming; he passes off a blitzing LB and no one picks him up; he goes out to get a blitzer outside who Edwards also contacts, gingerly. I’m charging this to Henderson but it could be Edwards, YMMV. JJ gets quick pressure but Carter isn’t upfield so JJ just rolls away from it, gestures Loveland downfield, and hits him for an easy TD. (CA+, 3, protection 0/2, JJ +1)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 28-7, 12 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M48	1	10	Gun 3-wide	2	1	2	4-3 over	7	Run	Hybrid Duo	Corum	9
Oh, God, I don’t know. M again runs a power-type thing where the TE to the playside gets a single block and the DT gets hammered with a double. Barner does a meh job on Carter, posts him up but doesn’t move him. Zinter(+2) pulls, chips Carter when he rips to the play, and immediately moves on to a LB. LB is able to get a tackle in but the Zinter 2-for-1 means there’s a ton of YAC. Henderson(+1) gets a big chip on the double and gets out to a LB; Wilson(+1) flies in from the slot to get the kickout block; LB who Zinter got was nosy inside because of the double. RPS +1. WTF do I call this. False Duo Weird Power? Power Cutback? Ok.
O43	2	1	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel under	6	Run	Duo	Corum	11
Barnhart(+2) gets excellent drive on a DE to start and then sees a LB shooting the gap inside of him and is able to harass the dude as he passes; Corum(+1) thus gets to cut behind this and then cut past a LB Zinter(+1) harassed after clubbing a DT.
O32	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 over	7	Pass	Scramble	McCarthy	22
Barnhart lets his guy around at 9-10, which is fine but does cause a step-up from JJ; Nugent also does fine but DT comes free after a beat or two. JJ bolts out of there and takes off, dodging a tackler for an excellent gain. Barner(+1) gets a late downfield block to extend the play. (SCR, N/A, protection 2/2, JJ +1, +1 run)
O10	1	G	Gun twins	1	2	2	Exotic	9	Run	Duo?	Corum	3
Weird formation from IU with super tight DL to the field and a big gap between the G and TE to the boundary. I think this is duo with an arc but it doesn’t look like it much because of the formation. JJ gives(+0.5, ZR+) correctly as the DE forms up. Zinter(-0.5) gets rocked back; Barnhart(+0.5) cleans that up; Barner(+0.5) gets to a second level block. Corum cuts and gets what he can. RPS -1; this felt low upside given the fake into the boundary and the near mandatory cutback.
O7	2	G	Gun empty	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Pass	Flash screen	Morgan	7
Absolutely should not work but does. Zinter(+2) is just trying to cut off a DT and mostly does; when that DT releases to try to give ground to get around Zinter drives him. When a guy Nugent can’t quite get runs into this the two IU defenders get tangled and everyone goes over. Barnhart(+0.5) gets barely enough of a push to get a dropping DE. Morgan dodges that guy, thinks about reversing field, sees a wall of dudes, and nopes out. He’s able to get to the five thanks to the Zinter mess; Morgan(+3) then runs over two guys and burrows through a third to score. What? (CA, 3, screen, JJ push)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 35-7, 8 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
O15	1	10	Ace TTB	1	3	1	4-3 under	9	Run	Lead windback	Edwards	2
Well, here’s what happens when your windback doesn’t bait the LB level entirely. MLB doens’t suck into the LOS and is free to scrape so he’s got a free run at Edwards. Reaching Poor Damn territory RN. RPS -1. Loveland(+0.5), Bredeson(+0.5), and Wilson(+1) all got blocks.
O13	2	8	Pistol 2TE tight	1	2	2	Exotic	8	Pass	Sack	N/A	-4
Barnhart(-2) whooped by a DE on a bull rush; JJ steps up and DE just disconnects to strip sack. (PR, N/A, protection 0/2)
O17	3	12	Gun trips1	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Run	QB draw	McCarthy	7
Why? I guess it’s possible this opens up but Carter doesn’t edge rush, instead dipping inside; JJ has to break outside to pass the LOS and gives up some time; JJ(+1) does what he can but he’s not converting. I’m not RPSing this but I want to.
Drive Notes: FG(28), 38-7, 5 min 3rd Q. Tuttle time ensues.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M49	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel over	6	Run	Pin and pull	Corum	0
This play asks Barner to block Carter while Barner is a wing TE and Carter is slanting inside of him. In a word: no. I mean, actually Barner(+1) does an amazing job here to engage the dude and drive him so that Corum can cut behind him but the play timing is busted. Henderson tries to fire in a guy but angles blown, etc. RPS -2.
M49	2	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Pass	Hitch	Morris	9
IU runs Tampa 2, dropping out a LB; M runs a WR right into the vacated area. RPS +1. (CA, 3, protection 1/1)
O42	3	1	Gun trip TE	1	3	1	Goal line	10	Run	Split duo	Hall	8
Nugent(+1) engages a DL and then pops off on a LB; Zinter(+1) emphatically finishes that guy. Henderson and Keegan(+0.5 each) kick dudes out.. Barnhart(+0.5) gets a drive too. Hall(+0.5) converts easily then rucks out a bunch of yards.
O34	1	10	Ace TTB	1	2	2	4-3 over	8	Pass	Waggle flat	Wilson	5
Well, it’s this play. (CA, 3, protection N/A)
O29	2	5	Gun TTE	1	2	2	4-3 Even	8	Run	Insert iso	Hall	19
Nugent(+2) chips a DT and then sort of teleports to a LB block; Zinter(+1) takes a slanting DT and shoves him across the formation; Bredeson(+1) clearly wants to go inside Zinter and has to regap; he does and picks off the MLB. Keegan(+0.5) gest a kickout; Barnhart(+0.5) same. Hall(+1) hesitates, sees the gap and hits hit hard, then bounces to the outside to pick up another chunk.
O10	1	G	Gun TTE	1	2	2	4-3 over	8	Run	Insert iso	Hall	4
So good from Hall. Keegan(-0.5) wants to fire the DT in and does but DT is able to sort of shed and get vertical. Bredeson(+0.5) finds and hits a LB. Hall(+2) stutters, then leaps outside to dodge the DT, then bursts upfield.
O6	2	G	I-Form Big	1	3	1	Goal line	10	Run	Pitch and pull	Edwards	4
PNP action with a pitch. Beetham(-2) blocks down on a DE and gets shed and chucked to the ground. Henderson(+1) pulls and gets a moving kickout; Keegan(+1) also pulls and picks up the guy who dismissed Beetham, driving him. Bredeson(+0.5) leads through and gets a hit.
O2	3	G	Goal line	1	4*	0	Goal line	11	Run	Down G	Edwards	2
Zinter(+0.5) pulls, fends off a LB, kicks another; Bredeson(+0.5) levels the posted-up defender. Beetham(-2) again gets swum by; Jones(+0.5) gets enough; Edwards surges into the endzone.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 45-7, 12 min 4th Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
O36	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 under	7	Run	Power GT	Hall	5
DT hops outside, Jones(-1) gives him one of those post-up chips and moves on. That part is fine but I think he mis-IDs his block, going for the backside LB instead of the frontside one. Frontside guy then gets to shoot into the gap, where Hinton(+0.5) finds him and hits him, but no room. Beetham(+1) got playside of the backside end on a reach block and handles him, so Hall(+1) can cut back behind all this and get a decent gain.
O31	2	5	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel over	6	Run	Duo	Hall	2
Pinched DTs so Crippen(+0.5) gets stuck with a one on one block; he gets a half yard of depth and controls the guy before he has to peel off for a charging LB. Persi(-1) and Hinton(-1) don’t really know what they’re doing here with the end; that guy splits them and Hinton leaves the block to go hit no one. Free LB in the gap. Hall is able to bounce off the LB thanks to Crippen’s block and grind out a couple.
O29	3	3	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel over	6	Run	Hybrid Duo	Hall	8
Again the tackle here gets a one on one block as the playside G and C double. When DT hops outside Jones(+0.5) passes him up and goes to a LB. This is the same thing I just wanted to ding him for. LB shoots the gap but that DT fights to get inside of Persi(+1) as Beetham(+1) gets a good kickout; Hall(+0.5) hits that gap; he gets run down by a DT who can flow as El-Hadi leaves early for no one in particular and Crippen doesn’t have an angle.
O21	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel over	6	Pass	Dumpoff	Hall	0
Tuttle checks down to Hall in the flat but throws it behind him; Hall juggles it and has to spin 360 degrees so IU has time to rally. (IN, 2, protection off, Tuttle -1)
O21	2	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 under	7	Run	Belly	Hall	12
Vertical path from back makes me believe this is belly, not duo, YMMV. Playside LB checks on Tuttle and Hall(+0.5) is able to burst past him into the second level. Marshall(+1) got the key block to wash down the end and give Hall room. RPS is off but RPS +1.
O9	1	G	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	6-1 over	8	Run	Inside zone	Hall	2
This may be duo but just one double because IU loads up the LOS. Persi(-0.5) and Crippen(-0.5) get driven back as the NT has a good get off; they can’t move anyone or climb. Hinton(+1) gets movement on a DT and eventually pancakes him but I’m leery of how much this is him leaning over; Beetham(-0.5) gives a ton of ground as he tries to seal out a DT; enough room for Hall to hit the gap but not enough for him to do anything except get tackled by a free MLB.
O7	2	G	Gun twins	1	2	2	Goal line	9	Run	Inside zone	Hall	-1
Marshall(-1) slanted under but this is one of those doomed wing TE blocks where you’re almost certainly going to lose because the guy has a positional advantage on you; Hall gets swallowed.
O8	3	G	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel even	8	Pass	Drag	Moore	4
IU covers the endzone routes so Tuttle checks down to the drag. (CA, 3, protection off)
O4	4	G	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel over	7	Pass	In	English	4
English(route+) stutters and gets the IU DB to shift his weight forward, then bursts past him, curving his route to get open; TD. (CA, 3, protection off)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 52-7, 6 min 4th Q. Final snap omitted.

I swear to God I am going to meet Greg Schiano with torrents of hellfire.

I…

The NCAA will meet my wrath, and it will be… wroth.

I was writing a UFR here

NOBODY CARES, WE'RE ON THE WARPATH

can I just say my things

IS THERE AT LEAST ONE QUIP ABOUT THIS WHOLE SITUATION

yes

FINE, CARRY ON.

Anyway, welcome to yet another edition of the only game Michigan plays this year. The details are increasingly interesting, but the high level picture is the same:

• Touchdown drives of 87, 77, 46, 65, 52, and 51 yards, the last with Jack Tuttle in.
• Two three-and-outs and a three-and-out that is a field goal because of a turnover.
• Also a 36-yard TD drive with all the backups.

Two of the three-and-out type substances were the first two drives, thus the mild annoyance. Everything else was more or less the same.

In a good way, though?

Well… I mean, yeah. McCarthy doing McCarthy things:

JJ MCCARTHY

	Good				Neutral			Bad					Ovr			Reads
Game	DO	CA	SCR		PR	MA		BA	TA	IN	BR		DSR	GRADE!		RPOs	ZRs
East Carolina	6+	14(2)++++				5				2			91%	+20		0/0	0/0
UNLV	2	15++	1		1	1				1			95%	+12.5		0/0	1/3
Bowling Green	1	6+	1		1	1				3**	2**		61%	-3		0/0	2/2
Rutgers	3	13++(1)	3		1				1	3	1		79%	+12		0/0	3/4
Nebraska	3+	10+	1		1	1				1			94%	+13		0/1	3/3
Minnesota	1	11+(2)			1	1				3			80%	+8.5		2/2	3/3
Indiana	2	11+++(1)	2		2	3			1				94%	+15		0/0	3/4

(Run +/- is in the other chart; the above is solely a passing/decisions grade.)

YMMV events: I filed the Wilson incompletion as an MA, not an IN, because I felt that was complete most of the time and the IU LB was pretty lucky to knock the ball away. The Johnson incompletion was a CA, which was admittedly speculative but the ball hit the turf a yard inside the white chalk so if Johnson just runs the right route I can't see how that's incomplete. McCarthy picked up a TA—throwaway—for the second sack, when I thought he could get the ball out to an open Wilson.

Other than that, another day of uncanny accuracy and off-schedule magic:

Incompletion accounting includes a routine drop from Loveland, the aforementioned busted route from Johnson, and a post to Wilson that was a yard or two too far inside and PBUed by a guy not looking at the ball. One of those is a minor mistake by JJ; everything else was on point. Except for this one:

Yikes. If a completion set out to test our results-based charting philosophy, it's that one. That was a +1 CA but if you want to file it as a BR I understand.

Against that collection of negative-type substances McCarthy had a series of NFL level throws, quick reads, and off-schedule daggers. The first third down conversion of the game saw IU run a funky coverage that turned a safety into a flat defender and could have resulted in a PBU or an INT if McCarthy doesn't get this ball out on a rope at the exact moment he needed to:

Quick read; so was this. I handed out a rare +1 on a dink throw because of how quick JJ processes this. A DE drops out into his first read; a LB goes Tampa 2 on him and drops into the Wilson post, and you can see his helmet go pop-pop-pop as he goes from read 1 to 2 to 3 and zips out the checkdown.

The rapidity with which he makes those reads is the difference between the flat DE making an instant tackle and Edwards getting to juke the guy and pick up a chunk. Also I kind of feel like McCarthy sees the DE drop out here and has some sort of spidey sense event go on, because a DE dropping from one side frequently means a blitzer is coming from the other side. This guy is pure blindside until the last moment and JJ is able to dodge him:

Here is a stop and go Michigan runs for Barner that doesn't get Barner open, so JJ just throws a perfect impromptu back-shoulder fade:

I mean. What more do you want?

If we're trying to dredge up a concern, the IU pressure got to him from time to time. Sack #2 is on McCarthy, who passed up an open Wilson and held the ball for 3+ seconds:

Sack #1 was pretty tough to avoid but he does have Johnson on a drag route that should be his hot read:

On the other hand if he does break the pocket it seems likely he'll convert via scramble and the DE is juuuust able to grab him. I'm not sure a third and seven drag is a better bet to get the job done. It is here, because it's Indiana and the DB on Johnson gets picked by the ump. I'm not sure JJ's decision was worse, you know, holistically.

Also, McCarthy did have a couple bad decisions. There was a badly blown zone read that would have been a chunk (although there was another gray-area keep that was successful), and the third-and-goal scramble was impatient. At first I thought Michigan was running a bunch of nonsense short of the sticks but Wilson is going to clear the safety in the middle of the field and be open for a TD if JJ just hangs in against a three man rush a hair longer:

WR #1 in slot

By this point he'd already gotten a lot of pressure so I'm sure that's what sped him up.

Speaking of pressure… concern?

First, chart:

Offensive Line
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Henderson	4.5	1	+3.5	Not spectacular but steady.
Keegan	4	1.5	+2.5	Shrug.
Nugent	5	1	+4	Late surge.
Zinter	11.5	4.5	+7	Two minus 2s, otherwise Zinterian.
Barnhart	8	0.5	+7.5	Maybe his best game on the ground but gave up a sack.
Jones	2	1.5	+0.5
Persi	1	1.5	-0.5
El-Hadi				DNC
Crippen	0.5	0.5	+0
Bredeson	7		+7	One minus in four weeks.
Barner	7.5	1	+6.5	The same.
Loveland	7.5		+7.5	also +1 for YAC.
Beetham	2	4.5	-2.5	Not in total.
Marshall	1	1	0	Also not in total.
TOTAL	48.5	12	81%	Pretty much par for the course.
Backs
Player	+	-	T	Notes
McCarthy	4	3	+1	Fumble vs scrambles.
Orji				DNP
Tuttle				DNC
Corum	5.5	3	+2.5	Missed a cut and suffered TFL.
Edwards	1.5	1	+0.5	Didn't get the blocking.
Mullings				DNP
Hall	5.5		+5.5	Got dang.
TOTAL	16.5	7	+9.5	RB1 in 2024 just got interesting.
Receivers
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Johnson
Wilson	3.5	1	2.5	Lead guy on windback.
Morris		1	-1
Clemons
Morgan	3	1	+2	yeehaw little man
Moore				DNC
TOTAL	6.5	3	+3.5	Getting better?
Metrics
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Protection	28	10	74%	-4 TEAM, –2 Henderson, –2 Barnhart, –1 Keegan, –1 Loveland
RPS	11	10	+1	Tom Allen can scheme up a D.

 

So 74% isn't great. We had two pressure events and three plus marks on McCarthy's charting, which are items that would get filed as pressure events if McCarthy hadn't made something positive out of them. Michigan's tackles are fine but if there's one thing that I'm worried about against OSU and PSU it's their defensive ends disrupting the passing game with organic pressure. IMO Barnhart is more of a worry here than Henderson. When Henderson has put up a pass pro minus it's always been a guy getting inside of him because the opponent is running a blitz of some sort and Henderson is expecting help inside. Like so:

LT #73

Barnhart got bull-rushed into McCarthy for a sack/strip in this game…

…and while I didn't minus him on Sack #2 above, he let a guy around at ~9 yards, uncomfortably close to the 7-8 that is usually a thundersack. In a world where he's able to mirror better McCarthy just pops out for a scramble.

I guess the good news is that the Barnhart sack was the only example of Michigan giving up a –2 pressure that was not blitz-related, and Tom Allen has always been very good at scheming up blitzes. Michigan's tackles aren't NFL locks but neither are they turnstiles. We have an idea of what Barnhart looks like against the PSU and OSU DEs, and it's fine. It might be less fine this year because it seems like the DEs have leveled up and Barnhart is pretty close to his ceiling. It shouldn't be disastrous.

Those are some big ground numbers for a meh output.

YPC was pretty bleah against an Indiana defense that had been pretty bad to date. I came up with a few more negatives than last week—Michigan dropped from 89% to 81%—but I think the bulk of the YPC issues are not really line issues, per se. Michigan's one of the best teams in the country in adjusted line yards per carry:

X axis: offense, Y axis: defense

That excludes garbage time and does attempt to adjust for opponent. Line yards in this one were quite bad—1.8—and my grading still came out very positive. In these circumstances we look to the backs, who weren't great if not named Ben Hall, and the RPS. That was about even and almost all of the Indiana positives were safeties and late movement getting guys down with unblocked gents. Meanwhile, Michigan got no explosives on 22 carries from Corum and Edwards. Corum had a long of 12, Edwards 5.

A lack of explosives has hung over the entire season. Last year Michigan led the Big Ten in every single bin when it came to long rushes, often by huge margins. Michigan had 33 runs of 20+; second place OSU had 21. Michigan is still pretty good there—second to Nebraska with 10 but they've only had 3 of 30+.

I don't know; I was pretty encouraged by the blocking, for the most part, and the approach, and then you get bleah results. These are often One Guy situations where everything gets blocked and one guy screws up. One guy was subject to most of the One Guy plays.

Rabble, rabble, Edwards, rabble, 2.2 YPC, put in Mullings/Hall.

Some of Edwards's travails this year have been on him. With one small exception, that was not the case here. Edwards is coming off a Poor Damn Donovan Edwards game, because guys just did not get it blocked for him. On his first carry he correctly cuts away from a jammed up point of attack only to find that both guys who were doubling the defensive tackle left for the linebacker:

IU DT #92 below hash

Ow.

Here Michigan attempts to run their power trap—I assume that based on Zinter's path on his pull—but the interior lane isn't there and Zinter can't adjust fast enough:

pulling RG #65

His next run is swallowed by an unblocked DE as JJ blows a keep read:

And then in the redzone Zinter got blown up by a linebacker for the first time all year. Edwards didn't leave any yards on the field, he just ate virtually all of Michigan's blocking mistakes.

Well… okay, he left one yard on the field:

Slide to the right and your touchdown comes with McCarthy on the field.

Aside from that, Edwards's runs just didn't come off because one guy screwed up.

But you liked the approach?

I did. Michigan is currently putting a blizzard of different stuff on film every week, and they're iterating off of it.

Let's start with duo, which has been Michigan's most common run play for a couple years. Because everyone Michigan plays is prepared to tee off on it we have rarely seen an instance of the play this year that looks like it "should." By "should" I mean that the defense plays it relatively normally and Michigan executes it relatively normally. Duo has a couple of extended double-teams, which means that a linebacker is usually free. But the double in the middle of the formation has two gaps around it and when the DT gets moved, the LB has to decide which gap he's going to be in before the running back does, so running back gets to put a foot in the ground and win. Like so:

Here is your classic LB duo dilemma:

He's got gaps to each side of the double on the hash and a good running back will make him wrong every time. He is one yard from a glob of players; Corum is two yards from the glob. When the double is really moving a guy sometimes the LB sitting there will get engulfed by the glob before he even has a chance to make a wrong decision.

So opponents get sick of eating five or six yards on every play and start running all sorts of stuff to prevent this from happening. One frequent strategy is to fling more guys into the line, either by lining up with five or six guys across the front or blitzballing your linebackers. This opens up other opportunities, obviously against the pass—dig city, baby—but also the run. #1 is the Dread Duo Bounce. There was an OSU game a few years ago where this was happening to Michigan all the time; an interior run would suddenly bust outside the tackles for a big gain; at the time I didn't know what was going on. They were desperately trying to help their inadequate DTs and leaving the edges exposed.

Michigan had an opportunity for this after the above duo. These IU LBs get blitzbally:

At this point 1) there are no obvious interior gaps, 2) Barnhart has gotten a yard of depth on the edge guy, who is no longer an edge guy, and 3) the one remaining LB is preparing to take on Henderson.

This should be Dread Duo Bounce, but Corum doesn't hit it. That's one explosive chalked off.

Here's where the windback stuff Seth detailed in Neck Sharpies comes in. Long story short, windback seeks to punish teams that get nosy by hitting them where they ain't:

This is the scripted version of the bounce.

But windback is not a base play, it is a constraint. A base play can be run against base defenses and succeed. A constraint only succeeds if the defense is not expecting it. Later in the game Michigan returned to windback but Casey was wise to it, did not bury himself in the line of scrimmage, and blew up the play:

IU LB #44 just above bottom hash

File another one under Poor Damn Donovan Edwards.

Alright, so that's the duo related package. And then there was… stuff.

Surely you have something better to call the stuff.

It used to be so simple: I labeled plays based on the NCAA Football playbooks, which were as close to a lingua franca as CFB had at the time. Then Harbaugh showed up and I could no longer do that because the computer video game playbooks do not have a legion of subtle tweaks to the same dang play.

The way this works is this. I see a play that seems a little weird, chalk it up as a response to something the defense is doing, file it as something basic like power or inside zone, and then I see it again and get suspicious, and then I see it a third time and sigh expansively because now I have to come up with some nomenclature that is reasonably specific and intelligible to the layperson.

So yeah here's "stretch G," which is kind of like a down G in that the frontside guard pulls but is also an outside zone on the backside:

Michigan sends Loveland into the flat there and no one goes with him except a safety who might as well be on the moon, which allows the backside end to chase Corum down and stall him out; this was blocked for a 6-8 yard gain otherwise. The idea here is that you get to run away from a DE, but instead of the running back having to cut to daylight at the right instant he's just headed for the gap-blocked bit of the play. Zone stretch for dummies people who have to run every other football play that's ever been invented.

Here's a crack sweep, which I at least have lingo for:

That one benefits heavily from Michigan's frequent practice of bringing in a split out back for a leisurely re-set. IU is clearly not prepared for the snap.

And then Michigan started running something that was superficially similar to power, but weird. Usually on power your TE/OT will double someone and shove them inside. Michigan had three different instances where the playside tackle single blocked the end while a double occurred one gap inside. The rest of the play was just power, but the design is for the RB to cut back to the double team after the power action sucks guys outside, maybe? Or the play design is for the double to draw a linebacker inside and allow the RB to pop outside:

IU MLB just below hash

Or maybe it's just make the linebacker wrong. I dunno. This late Hall edition of the play works because 1) the LB thinks it's duo and shoots the gap inside while 2) the DT thinks it's power and gets inside because he's playing to spill:

Edwards's first doomed run saw this cut back after the LB shot outside; that would have been a solid gain. I called this hybrid duo, FWIW.

BEN HALL BEN HALL BEN HALL

Yes, yes, fine, save some caps for your Schiano fury. I don't think Mullings is getting Wally Pipped but I wouldn't be surprised to see a 1A/1B situation after seeing Hall in this game. Some guy just have It, and the two times Hall has gotten extensive run—the other time was the spring game—he has displayed It in spades.

He's got the rugby scrum ability Mullings has:

His stop-start in the backfield is inherent in his running; he does it every time. Some backs don't have that rhythm and have to work on it. Hall does not. It is downgear, read, burst. Next down: downgear, read, burst.

I already mentioned this in the game column but since this is 100% season preview material next year here's that four yard run again:

There are not a lot of backs who get those yards. He sees the threat and pops left to let Keegan clear it and then finds the daylight. I'm in. 234, pretty fast, doing this stuff? In.

Receivers?

	THIS WEEK					THIS YEAR
Player	Uncb	Circus	Tough	Routine		Uncb	Circus	Tough	Routine
Johnson	1	1/1				4	2/3	2/2	14/15
Wilson	1			3/3		4	1/4	3/3	18/18
Morris				4/4			0/2		4/4
Moore				1/1		3		1/1	1/1
Clemons						1			3/3
Morgan				1/1			1/1		4/5
O'Leary									1/1
Loveland				3/4		2		2/2	13/15
Barner			1/1			2	0/1		8/8
Bredeson									2/2
English				1/1
Beetham
Corum						1			4/4
Edwards				2/2				1/2	10/11
Mullings									1/1
Hall			1/1
Stokes

Routes: Johnson –, English +

Not a whole lot to talk about here, but the aforementioned busted route by Johnson is one of the weirdest things I've seen in a while. What on Earth is this defensive approach from Indiana?

If Edwards just drifts to the pylon Michigan has an easy touchdown.

Other than that you have the usual near-total lack of non-routine balls. Note that the Hall one was thrown by Tuttle and the Barner one was a perfect back shoulder fade; the only ball that was not ideal was the iffy decision that caused McCarthy to throw a ball behind Johnson.

What about the sign stealing?

Now that you mention it, I thought it was kind of sus that Indiana ran quarters on this Edwards run with a minute or so left in the half:

They never run quarters, and adding those safeties defeated a well-blocked Michigan run.

Block of the Week?

Oh, right, forgot about it in all the rabbling. Come on down, Drake Nugent:

C #60

Meaningful chip and then he's into a linebacker at depth in a flash. Very nice.

Heroes?

McCarthy. Tight ends, as per usual.

Maybe not so heroic?

Nobody really. Some guys were a little off their usual standard but nobdoy was outright bad.

What does it mean for MSU and beyond?

Increment your sample size. Hey look it's the same game with the same players playing the same way. Doesn't change anything, does make for a slight uptick in confidence. One more game that is the opposite of Bowling Green from McCarthy is under the belt.

Harbaugh doing Harbaugh things on the ground. It's getting weird. It's going to get weirder.

Ben Hall is legit. I've seen enough.

RB explosives are an issue. Michigan is not getting those 2-3 plays a game where Corum teleports through four guys or Edwards just leaves two in the dust. That more than the blocking seems like the main reason the run game feels more blah than last year. By most success rate/line yard measures Michigan is doing great.

Better keep JJ in the pocket. If you don't you're dead. If JJ starts getting the Sean Clifford mush rush treatment, lordy.