Lessons from TCU for When We Play OSU
I've watched the entire OSU vs. TCU game so far. Obviously the game is not decided, but TCU is about to presumably go up by 8 points (after this PAT). Regardless of the outcome, however, I think there are definitely some takeaways from how our offense could attack OSU's vaunted defense. My impressions:
1. It's striking how similar-seeming (I'm not a football expert, just an enthusiastic amateur viewer) TCU's offensive game plan is to Michigan's 2017 OSU game plan. Even if its not true tactically, it seems to be true spiritually. There is lots of misdirection / lots of forcing the ball to the edges as quickly as possible and then using smaller, speedy athletes to either turn the corner or do work in space.
2. It's not that TCU doesn't ever run straight up into the teeth of the defense. However, I really think that TCU's opening drive (in which they basically went the length of the field and scored a TD that was then called back for a rather unnecessary holding call) set the tone with the OSU defense. They attacked the edge so quickly that it was clear that OSU's defense couldn't get comfortably set and couldn't predict where the ball would go at all. After this, OSU was forced to second guess and run to the edges which made them more vulnerable to the straight up running game.
3. TCU seems to be using lots of motion to get to the edge - e.g., they'll have a small speedy guy run as fast as possible to the edge but it's not a jet sweep hand-off. It's more of a dump-off pass which works because the tracking defender (OSU plays man mostly it seems) can't follow TCU's skill guy fast enough to not get outflanked.
4. TCU used incredible tempo (at least initially). It might have been some of the fastest football I've ever seen. OSU was clearly unprepared.
My fears are that Michigan is not willing to change its offensive philosophy enough to take advantage of 1) tempo, and 2) attacking the edges. The worst thing that we could do in my view is try to play the OSU defense straight up with the run game. I do not think we can get any push against the athletes on that defensive line / linebackers. Harbaugh showed that he could put together something different for OSU last year - hopefully there's something similar this year. If we play our normal offense, I don't have much hope.
Defensively I do not have much to say other than I'm really scared. Haskins' accuracy is absolutely incredible, and his poise is just shocking for such a young player. OSU's missing piece essentially since Meyer has been there is an accurate passer that can take pressure off the run game... I think it's safe to say they now have that. Haskins is just deadly. I think our defense will be in for a long game.
September 15th, 2018 at 10:47 PM ^
Lesson #1 - beating your wife pays off
September 16th, 2018 at 4:46 AM ^
Probably not as mad as you that everyone was so unfair to Urban :(
September 15th, 2018 at 10:47 PM ^
I think we win
September 16th, 2018 at 12:09 AM ^
Oh really?
September 16th, 2018 at 2:36 AM ^
You should really try 11 warriors. On a real note OSU should roll through B1G play until Michigan. An uninjured OSU team should outlast Michigan. OSU should win the B1G title with no mishaps. In the end Bama will go back to back this year.
From Wyandotte Wolverine Fan
September 15th, 2018 at 10:48 PM ^
I would like to hire TCU’s OC. That would help.
September 16th, 2018 at 7:34 AM ^
It would be nice to actually have someone with the title "offensive coordinator."
We went out and hired a top defensive coordinator. Why shouldn't we do the same on the other side of the ball.
September 15th, 2018 at 10:52 PM ^
TCU is choking this game away, so I guess they are following Michigan’s 2016 & 2017 game plan against Ohio State.
September 15th, 2018 at 11:51 PM ^
We win last year's game with Patterson or a healthy Speight as QB. Same with 2016.
If Shea stays healthy this year I think we win. Harbaugh had an outstanding game plan last year. We just didn't have QB capable of hitting the broad side of a barn.
September 16th, 2018 at 12:00 AM ^
"
The officials in the @OhioStAthletics @UMichFootball game will never give Michigan a fair shake. It's embarrassing."
12:02 PM - 25 Nov 2017
-Mark May tweet during The Game.
September 15th, 2018 at 11:57 PM ^
There was a lot of choking wrt to that over the last few years, unfortunately it was done by Zach smith and the zebras. Fuck ohio
September 15th, 2018 at 10:52 PM ^
We need to play with more tempo. The game has changed the players this day and age are used to playing fast.
September 15th, 2018 at 10:53 PM ^
watch out for guys laying down in the endzone on kickoffs
September 16th, 2018 at 7:03 AM ^
We should try this since our end zones match our uniforms now.
September 15th, 2018 at 10:53 PM ^
Ugh - you're jinxing it.
September 15th, 2018 at 10:55 PM ^
While I am impressed with how Haskins is spinning it out there, I'm coming away from this game more confident that we can beat them, if of course we continue to improve on offense. I get that Urbz isn't there, but they're damn near air raid with Haskins at the helm.
Haskins is only sort of mobile and not dual threat, which imo should allow us to man up better on them because the extra man they gain (QB) when we're in it, isn't really dangerous at all as a runner.
This is good. It allows us to focus our backfield efforts almost completely on the RB, which could lead to us shutting the run down. While we are of course vulnerable to slants and what not per usual ( and who will cover #21?? Kaleke? Metellus??? Lort!), I like our chances.
Their run d is also vulnerable imo. Has been for a minute now. They are super athletic, but the thing about teams like that is you can oftentimes go right at them. Which I felt we should've done the last two years against them. This is a good game though. Go Horny Toads!
September 16th, 2018 at 12:27 AM ^
Haskins looked mobile enough when he was running for first downs against our defense last year. Unless Don Brown fixes that problem, teams are going to continue to use that against us.
September 16th, 2018 at 11:55 AM ^
Could not disagree more. Haskins right now looks like the best QB they have had since Troy Smith. He will always be an RPO threat in that offense. Absent injuries I just do not see how we win this game.
September 15th, 2018 at 10:58 PM ^
You couldn't wait until the game was over to post this?
September 15th, 2018 at 11:26 PM ^
Who cares, there's no such thing as jinxing something.
September 15th, 2018 at 11:58 PM ^
If you believe in jinxes I assume you’re six years old.
September 15th, 2018 at 11:04 PM ^
TCU was in command of this game and then in the blink of an eye went into a tailspin. Hope they can still pull it out but if not, damn, they served this game up on a silver platter.
September 15th, 2018 at 11:09 PM ^
Stop praising haskins. You can rattle him. Hes not Deshaun Watson here.
September 15th, 2018 at 11:27 PM ^
Hes a better passer, not nearly as good of a runner as Barret
September 16th, 2018 at 12:07 AM ^
That’s kind of obvious considering Barrett was a bad passer and super effective runner.
September 16th, 2018 at 12:22 AM ^
Barrett was a decent runner, but he wasn't anywhere near Denard or Braxton Miller in that regard. Actually he was probably the least talented QB Meyer's had, outside of that last year at Florida. They seemed to play better whenever he got hurt.
September 16th, 2018 at 1:11 AM ^
osu moved miller to wr so barrett could take over at qb. so not sure miller > barrett. in fact, he wasn't. terrible passer.
September 16th, 2018 at 10:17 AM ^
Miller switched positions because he wrecked his shoulder and lost his passing ability.
September 16th, 2018 at 12:18 AM ^
Have you watched D-Train? The guy is the real deal when it comes to passing, clearly a 1st round NFL draft pick q.b., he doesn't get happy feet, always looking down field. When did he get rattled? Are you watching the same damn game everybody else is? He'll be in New York for the Heisman ceremony. He's also a level headed kid, he doesn't seem to get too up, or too down, the same reaction is always on his face.
September 16th, 2018 at 12:24 AM ^
Let's list every single first round OSU qb in the history of the universe.
Ok, I'm done
September 16th, 2018 at 1:09 AM ^
I never said there was, but D-Train is.
September 16th, 2018 at 7:31 AM ^
“D-train, D-train, Night-train, D-train.” What does that even mean? Reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where he tries to cheer up his sick buddy in the hospital but fails miserably. Let’s see, how about D-money, D-licious, D-nice? D-parture. D-sposable, D-nominator could work as well.
September 16th, 2018 at 9:29 AM ^
It's just a name people are giving him.
September 16th, 2018 at 10:38 AM ^
Well it makes you sound like a tool.
September 16th, 2018 at 8:49 AM ^
It's still rather early in his career, but I could see it. He's got all the skills necessary to make it happen.
I hate the Buckeyes as much as anyone, but the dude is undeniably a beast.
September 16th, 2018 at 9:23 AM ^
Oh D train eh? Only OSu slurpies quick to anoint players will less than imaginative names.
He played well. Have you seen Shea?
Your "D train" is not going in first round. Nie scurry away back to the brain killing activity you call 11 warriors
September 15th, 2018 at 11:19 PM ^
We're gonna get waxed ny OSU. Sorry guys. We'll still win 9 games though.
September 15th, 2018 at 11:40 PM ^
Said this before and I’ll say it again. We’re not getting waxed by OSU. Why? Because the football gods won’t allow such an easy death for Michigan. They’re a sadistic, masochistic bunch of fuckers when it comes to Michigan.
I’ve seen enough UM-OSU games were we should’ve been skull-fucked to death that instead involved Michigan playing above it’s head, had a legit chance to win, and instead involved us losing in some heartbreaking fashion because we couldn’t stop getting in our own way.
My guess for this year’s edition of The Game? We show up 7-4 or 8-3, playing for pride (again), we all think we’re going to get annihilated, we actually play well for 2-3 quarters, and then like clockwork, OSU methodically works it’s way back into the game, we force them into 4th and 15 with 2 minutes to go in the 4th, one stop wins the game, and then we get to watch Haskins skate circles around the defense as he scrambles 60 yards on a broken play for the go ahead TD. Patterson throws a pick on the very next play. Game over.
18 years of torture forces me to ask myself how any outcome other than misery is possible,
September 16th, 2018 at 12:07 AM ^
This hits the nail on the head. Oh and if Ohio St is the only Big Ten team with a chance at the playoff going into the Michigan game (and as we sit here today that looks like a very real possibility), we might as well not even show up. We will get fucked early and often by the refs.
September 16th, 2018 at 12:21 AM ^
Excuses excuses excuses, maby scUM should just get better. Don't ya think? When we had Coop in the 90's, our only excuse was John couldn't win the big game.
September 16th, 2018 at 12:43 AM ^
And yet, U of M is consistently ranked as a top 20 university in the world, and top 1-4 of US public universities. Meanwhile OSPoo (hey, I can make funny letter arrangements too!) is generally in the, what, 20s for US public universities? OSU grads don’t even have the highest starting salaries for Ohio universities (that would be Dayton). GTFO of a Michigan blog with that “scUM” garbage. I like OSU fans on this blog who can be amenable, but you sir (or madam) can get stuffed.
September 16th, 2018 at 1:11 AM ^
Go to bed!
September 16th, 2018 at 8:42 AM ^
How the FUCK is this troll still posting under the same screen name? At the very least, ban this account so he has to come up with a new alias to troll with.
September 16th, 2018 at 11:26 AM ^
I think he tried hard to resist the troll that lurks inside every Buckeye. He has posted here for a while and avoided the whole scUm thing. Alas, the troll is too strong in Buckeye DNA, and he lost all his rivalry cred with a word.
September 16th, 2018 at 9:24 AM ^
Scum?! Lol save that garbage for 11w. Or when you are hanging out with your other mouth-breathing, wife beating, cooler shitting, turd necklace wearing buddies. Either exercise some restraint or GTFO
September 16th, 2018 at 1:25 AM ^
Now, don't you agree that, say, 16 years ago, is when the program should have moved on from Carr and replaced him with someone who could beat Tressel? Notably from the OSU tree... thats how we got Bo and beat Woody....
September 16th, 2018 at 1:17 PM ^
How many national championships does Bo have?
September 16th, 2018 at 12:42 PM ^
This gave me a good chuckle.
Someone said that all comedy is rooted in truth...and the truth behind it (as a Michigan fan over the last decade) is halarious.
Yet, I still say with tortured pride...Go Blue.
September 15th, 2018 at 11:20 PM ^
Play fast.
Be explosive
Get athletes in space and score easily.
Be creative with play calling.
Oh well. Never mind.