Hawaii Snowflakes - The Defense
September 11th, 2022 at 12:21 AM ^
Pass rush remains promising
September 11th, 2022 at 9:52 AM ^
Should we be concerned about the lack of sacks against the Hawaii offensive line? 7 against CSU versus 1 against Hawaii. Pressure was good, considering the Hawaii QB had to get rid of the ball very quickly most of the time.
September 11th, 2022 at 12:22 AM ^
Third string D needs a little work.
September 11th, 2022 at 12:52 AM ^
The third string defense was still playing against Hawaii’s starters. They played fairly well.
September 11th, 2022 at 1:02 AM ^
I would've liked not to have seen third/fourth string when -51 was on the line. That Hawaii TD was back breaking.
First half the D lit them up. Hawaii yards were contested at every inch. The 10 points doesn't diminish my view of the Michigan D at all. Garbage points. And garbage points are the gambler's worst nightmare, or wet dream. It all depends.
September 11th, 2022 at 1:13 AM ^
Stop gambling, problem goes away. Imagine that.
September 11th, 2022 at 10:07 AM ^
OK but what problem are you alluding to here? I literally wager less than $5 per bet. And I can show you my transaction history to prove it. Don't be fooled by my over-dramatization, I like to have fun with it. So if it sounded like I was complaining, that wasn't my intention.
I enjoy betting on CFB. My wagers are never overbearing or remotely endanger anyone's lifestyle. I understand there are those that don't want to hear about the spread or over/unders or game results vs these things, but many people do. So, to each their own.
September 11th, 2022 at 12:55 PM ^
I don't have a problem with gambling like I don't have a problem with having a few drinks, but gambling is definitely the next society wide addiction (like alcoholism) we're well on the way to normalizing with how easy sports betting is now
September 11th, 2022 at 2:31 AM ^
Stop gambling.
September 11th, 2022 at 6:48 AM ^
Harbaugh doesn't pay attention to the line. The portal makes 3rd string minutes likely, as does early redshirt rules (aka WR at CB), as does respect for Chang. Chang wanted to season his QB in the big house. This game was managed as any gambler should have factored. Gamble all you want. Just don't @players. God Bless 'Murica.
September 11th, 2022 at 10:10 AM ^
I know, I get it. If a coach is paying attention to the line then he probably has ulterior motives that are probably not good. I just don't see the harm in integrating the bettor's viewpoint of game results into conversations. I mean, what is one of the first things people talk about in any game week? The betting spread.
September 11th, 2022 at 11:26 AM ^
I don't gamble, but if I did, I wouldn't give 50+ points.
September 11th, 2022 at 1:58 PM ^
It was pretty clear that Jim was going to go DEEP into the bench, so I stayed off the -51. The only issue with taking the other side was whether or not our backups were going to keep scoring -- and if they were going to consistently stop the Warriors. That made it murky enough to stay off that side too.
No bet on this game for me. And, don't worry, like Durham, I bet $5-$7 a game.
September 11th, 2022 at 12:23 AM ^
Harrell is a bad man
September 11th, 2022 at 2:34 AM ^
Oh-jah-bo...in my best Gus Johnson voice.
September 11th, 2022 at 12:24 AM ^
Strong start and disappointing finish, but I’m used to that.
September 11th, 2022 at 12:27 AM ^
Your wife is used to it as well.
September 11th, 2022 at 12:29 AM ^
Sam bringing the hammer down on the poor blogger
September 11th, 2022 at 12:37 AM ^
Sam on Cam crime.
September 11th, 2022 at 2:44 AM ^
That was the joke
September 11th, 2022 at 12:30 AM ^
First string was generally good. They need a bit more pressure on the QB in base packages (and without blitzing). Second string seems like adequate depth. Third string needs a lot more work. I was expecting more out of them then they showed against Hawaii.
September 11th, 2022 at 12:39 AM ^
More out of a bunch of true freshman? You've got high expectations.
Amorion Walker doesn't even play defense full time and he was out there with no name on a second uniform.
September 11th, 2022 at 12:49 AM ^
We have highly recruited players vs a bunch of schlubs. They should hold their own and were exposed on a few occasions. Just more reps and not an indictment of their abilities. It just X’s and O’s.
September 11th, 2022 at 12:53 AM ^
The third string defense was playing against Hawaii’s starters. They still held their own, holding them to only 10 points.
September 11th, 2022 at 1:02 AM ^
And how many of those Hawai’i players did we recruit?
September 11th, 2022 at 1:13 AM ^
Most of those players will have 1-2 seasons and up to 16+ games before they will be starting. Thats a lifetime away.
September 11th, 2022 at 12:58 AM ^
2/10, less confused garbage next time
September 11th, 2022 at 12:39 AM ^
The points Hawaii scored were against a group of mostly true freshman getting their first extended action. Nothing to glean from that.
September 11th, 2022 at 1:36 AM ^
and in a pretty complex Defense to the point that we dumbed it down quite a bit last year -- for the starters -- because of the learning curve involved.
September 11th, 2022 at 12:38 AM ^
We lost some big names from last year. This defense is coming along and did quite well. Improvement each week is visible. We are seeing a couple of guys starting to generate pressure on their own. Great first half. Promising and expect this defense to be in full form in a few weeks when the competition gets stiff
September 11th, 2022 at 12:43 AM ^
Uh, there are some Dudes on this defense. Looking forward to Harrell going against some more legit OL play. Mazi Smith needs to feast in a more competitive game. We already know Mike Morris is good, but he might actually be even better than that. Makari Paige looked much advanced from last time I saw him in live game action. I'm pretty much OK with Amorion Walker just playing on offense though.
September 11th, 2022 at 11:52 AM ^
Sainristil has been a nice surprise. He seems to have a nose for getting in the right position.
September 11th, 2022 at 1:19 AM ^
Good defense
September 11th, 2022 at 2:44 AM ^
McGregor is gonna fill the shoes of Hutchinson, if not pretty damn close. Bet it now. Harrell is a beast. Mazi is Maurice Hurst 2.0. Junior Colston is Devin Bush 2.0.
Don't care if you agree or not. We've reloaded on D.
September 11th, 2022 at 6:11 AM ^
We are keeping plays in front of us and disguising coverages. Even when there is a blown coverage, our hats to the ball mitigates the damage.
Edit: Our DEs refuse to let a TE block them. Damn near every time it happens we have instant penetration.
September 11th, 2022 at 8:11 AM ^
The starters look crazy good, but I'm a little worried about the depth after this game.
September 11th, 2022 at 11:40 AM ^
You must worry a lot :)
September 11th, 2022 at 8:22 AM ^
Michigan is a good defensive team, no glaring weaknesses so far. Plus they tackle well, especially in the open field.
September 11th, 2022 at 8:47 AM ^
Give credit to Hawaii for playing their hearts out during the second half and managed 10 points. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th stringers held their own and the goal line stand as time was running out in the 4th quarter was encouraging.
I was expecting at least one Pick 6 or scoop and score from our defense but Hawaii was able to avoid that.
Overall: A-.
September 11th, 2022 at 2:05 PM ^
Should have been one pick-six for sure. Will Johnson had nothing but green grass in front of him, but the INT went through his hands.
September 11th, 2022 at 9:43 AM ^
More turnovers would be nice, but that's about the only thing to even kind of complain about.
September 11th, 2022 at 11:49 AM ^
I’m glad to see the depth get some reps. Under Don Brown, Junior Colston still would have been out there in the 4th quarter.
I know I’m wasting my breath here, but those young guys going out and making mistakes now is a good thing. It’s part of building a long term successful program- making mistakes when you can afford to, so when you need someone to go step up they’ve actually played. Yes, many are 4 and 5 star guys going up against one of the worst schools in FBS and they gave up some plays. Those guys also get considerably less practice reps, don’t play as much together, and also learn other schemes on the scout team.
September 11th, 2022 at 9:45 PM ^
Let's show some love to Makari Paige!
First off, hats off to Makari for sticking with it, he didn't transfer...didn't pout, he just got better. Rod Moore was out this spring and he fully capitalized on the opportunity.
He made some great plays last night, and deserves his flowers.
However, his growth could be HUGE for us this year. I'm looking at our DB depth and we have 2 starters, 1 guy we trust will grow into a role where we're comfortable when he's out there...and that's it at CB. Jalen Perry was next up, and that's where this thought started. Any update on him?
I look at depth like Harbaugh does, it's not who is literally first on the field...it's who is at a "starters level." Perry wasn't there yet, but he was next at CB.
With Perry out, we have 2.5 CBs, 3.5 when you add Sainristil, and that's it.
Insert Makari Paige, his growth allows us to move Rod Moore around, if and when needed. Moore played a lot of NB last year and does it this year when Mike is out. That puts us back at 4.5, which feels a heck of a lot better.
Without Paige, I'd go 5-wide and just pick on the weak link all game like (re: Watson in the OSU game). Paige is a legit starter and keeps us with 6 DBs we can consider starters. That's the bare minimum, but until Will Johnson is ready, having Paige is HUGE.
September 12th, 2022 at 11:20 AM ^
There was a time when I looked away from the field and looked back mid-play and confused our DBs for WRs, Hawaii was that bad.
This side of the ball is really looking strong, and ability to keep it up will ultimately decide how far this team goes in my opinion.