Let’s all point and laugh at Scott Frost
I initially found Scott Frost’s comments extremely funny until I realized that his comments also sum up Michigan’s offensive game plans. Now I has sad.
September 1st, 2021 at 3:49 PM ^
After the 2004 Rose Bowl:
"Tatupu said the Trojans ran five new blitzes on the Wolverines. Coach Pete Carroll refused to reveal what he saw that made him come so hard with the corners. Whatever he saw, corners Marcell Almond and Will Poole got the first two sacks, and on the opening drive. Poole sacked John Navarre again on the first play of the second quarter, running forever before he reached the quarterback.
"When [Michigan] said, 'We better take care of the corner pressure,' that really heated up the guys inside," Carroll said. "We really could have easily had 12 sacks."
The heads of the offensive linemen turned into Lazy Susans. The rest of them looked a little lazy and a little Susan, too. Michigan gave up 15 sacks all season, but nine on Thursday.
"It was a guessing game," Michigan offensive tackle Tony Pape said. "They usually rushed with their four down guys. This time they didn't. They had a lot of five- and six-man blitzes. It really wasn't the blitzing guy who made the tackles. It was the guys going one-on-one. You don't want to give up nine sacks. That's a terrible statistic."—
After the 2006 Rose Bowl:
"USC's center, Ryan Kalil, and its defensive end, Lawrence Jackson, both talked about the predictable nature of Michigan's strategy -- on both sides of the ball. Jackson called U-M's defense traditional and stale. Meanwhile, USC -- after mustering only three points in the first half Monday -- scrapped its plan and came out throwing.
Carr: "What we discussed at the half we are still in the game at 3-3 was going earlier to our two-minute offense [shotgun formation, more open plays]," he said. "But we wanted to protect our defense, so we decided to stay with the plan."
Cushing.... praised the Wolverines afterward because that is what players are taught to do and there is no percentage in not doing so. But he also admitted that he had been well-enough prepared to know what was coming with just about every Michigan trip to the line of scrimmage.
"Yup, pretty much so," he said. "I understand what they were trying to do," Cushing said. "It is the Big Ten mentality to try and overpower you."
September 1st, 2021 at 4:44 PM ^
That 2006 game was a travesty. Michigan was *loaded* with talent and to be so thoroughly outclassed in the second half due to a simple coaching move by Carroll was a sign it was time for Carr to go.
Or course, it got worse after that, but still.
September 1st, 2021 at 5:08 PM ^
I think Carr doesn't get enough credit for his overall career at U-M, but this was one of several notable situations where criticism was warranted.
Unfortunately, since Schembechler arrived our bowl record has far too many games like this, where both our players and our coaching staff simply didn't seem prepared.
September 1st, 2021 at 8:53 PM ^
What made Carroll come hard with the corners? We had a lamp post as a QB. I know Navarre threw for a lot of yards, but let's face it--he was less mobile than Tom Brady and not nearly as accurate. If you got pressure on him, bad things usually happened to Michigan.
September 1st, 2021 at 8:58 PM ^
Honestly, there's no bigger Pete Carroll fan than Pete Carroll himself. That said, ask any Seahawks fan these days if Pete Carroll is the coachi.ng genius he proclaims himself to be. Beauty, as it were, rests in the eye of the beholder.
I do agree with your later point about Carr not getting enough credit for his coaching success at Michigan. I think we have an overall tendency to focus on things like that USC game, or the "Horror", etc. I watched an interview with Ryan Leaf this week where he lamented that the refs didn't allow him to clock the ball with :01 second left. Honestly, I forgot that game even ended like that. Ask me how the 06 OSU game ended and I can draw you a stick figure play by play. Human nature.
September 1st, 2021 at 10:17 PM ^
Did Ryan Leaf's sorry ass forget the blatant offensive pass interference the ref literally pulled his flag out for but then didn't call right before? No? Me either.
September 1st, 2021 at 5:54 PM ^
Amazing. Goes to show the fan expectations at our school as well. Nebraska hasn't been relevant since we were and yet Harbaughs seat is hotter than Frist despite this statistic.
September 1st, 2021 at 9:30 PM ^
Goes to show the fan expectations at our school as well.
That's bullshit.
All that inflated record shows is Michigan beating up on MAC and Hawaii and Rutgers.
Harbaugh doesn't have 9 win seasons without Tomato Can U.
September 1st, 2021 at 10:18 PM ^
Sure, but Frost doesn't even have that.
September 2nd, 2021 at 7:36 AM ^
Nebraska takes on perennial juggernaut Fordham this weekend.
September 2nd, 2021 at 11:15 AM ^
Cool. So they are gonna pad their schedule just like Michigan does.
...and I wonder for the people negging Michigan padding the schedule, how many of those hypocrites cry about Clemson.
September 1st, 2021 at 8:14 PM ^
Gotta give the thumbs up for the Karl Pilkington Gif here.
September 1st, 2021 at 2:41 PM ^
Don’t need to twist my arm…..hahahahahahahaha
September 1st, 2021 at 2:46 PM ^
Saw this on Twitter and as a former high school coach of 10 years, this made me cringe.
1. You should be ready to see both odd and even fronts.
2. While it may have been a surprise, it should have taken a conversation on the sideline with your offensive staff/players to make adjustments and not have to throw out 1/2 your game plan.
Couldnt believe he said that.
September 1st, 2021 at 9:59 PM ^
As someone with similar experience, I disagree. Of course you're prepared for both even and odd. But if your opponent has been 100% 40 defense then your PLAN better be 100% geared to go against that. If not, you're a dummy. Now, of course you know how to attack a 30 and have practiced it at some point so you can go to it (hello, Don Brown), but to criticize the plan is incorrect. I'm guessing that the half of their plan that was still good is designed to work against 30 or 40.
September 1st, 2021 at 2:50 PM ^
"About half of our game plan was out the window when they lined up how they did." - Scott Frost
Not only is this total coaching ineptitude, the stupidity to say that publicly is astonishing. On top of that, it gives a road map to every other team on the schedule to just mix it up a bit against NEB.
Can't wait to bust out the Hassan Haskins wildcat against them! He'll never see it coming!
September 1st, 2021 at 3:16 PM ^
Can we have Bubble Screens?
September 1st, 2021 at 3:45 PM ^
Did Dave Brandon move to Nebraska to attend Scott Frost's coaching meetings? sure seems like it
September 1st, 2021 at 9:53 PM ^
Honestly it's quite common. If you've seen them run nothing but a 4 man front and your plan is built around attacking that (as it should be), and they come out in a 3 man front, naturally most of your game plan is out the window. This is one thing I find zero fault with Frost for.
September 1st, 2021 at 10:32 PM ^
How would they have any idea on what they were going to run? The Illini have a completely new coaching staff.
September 2nd, 2021 at 1:05 PM ^
You research the history of the new DC. The coach is new to Illinois, not to coaching.
September 1st, 2021 at 2:50 PM ^
That's hilarious about Nebraska, but you aren't remotely close to accurate about Michigan.
September 1st, 2021 at 3:11 PM ^
Right, Michigan keeps its dumb game plan in even when the defense dictates otherwise. If only we would throw out half the game plan. Like, can a brother get a fake run and throwback to Corum?
September 1st, 2021 at 3:19 PM ^
Pffff. What would doing that prove?
Manliest manball dictates telegraphing your play then running exactly where the defense expects on the count the defense knows you're going to snap the ball on. Gaining two yards that way surely demoralizes the defense because they realize just how manly you are.
Throwing the ball to Corum proves what exactly? He'll have it but he'll be all alone with nobody to try and stop him from scoring. That's sissyball my friend and we'll have none of that around here.
September 1st, 2021 at 3:40 PM ^
Don't forget that true Michigan tradition as established by Bo Schembechler is to always run a sweep to the short side of the field. That way you let the sideline function as a 12th man for the defense, which is the sporting thing to do.
September 1st, 2021 at 3:57 PM ^
Go* da** that always pissed me off. I've never seen anyone else but Michigan do it either. Perhaps the Lions? Not exactly a ringing endorsement there.
I'd get up mumbling all the way to the fridge or out to smoke or something after the obligatory 2 yard gain thinking there HAD to be a reason why we did that and NOONE else.
September 1st, 2021 at 5:05 PM ^
LOL, I thought I was the only one frustrated by that. Too funny.
September 1st, 2021 at 8:29 PM ^
The coaching reason to run to the short side of the field on a sweep is that the defense has one less defender on that side (usually).
I'm not justifying Michigan's game planning, play calling, or in-game adjustments (or lack thereof), just providing an explanation for the play.
September 1st, 2021 at 4:16 PM ^
Bo also loved to run the option from the 1 yard line.
September 1st, 2021 at 11:25 PM ^
You need to be careful. You compromise field position by scoring touchdowns!
September 1st, 2021 at 4:56 PM ^
Come on, man. You know every bit as well as we all do that it doesn't matter where or how the defense lines up. Just execute your blocks on each play with precision. They can't stop that! Executing your offense perfectly is the way to win.
And boy ohh boy do I wish Michigan's offense would have been executed a few times...
September 1st, 2021 at 2:51 PM ^
Not sure if this could have been predicted, but i saw some film gurus (coaches) on twitter talking about how on the first play of the game you could see how bielema had learned a bit from belichick. Not trying to make excuses but learning from the master has to count for something.
September 1st, 2021 at 3:15 PM ^
The issue is not so much what Bielema did.
The issue is that Frost is essentially saying he was unable to adjust his own game plan to what Bielema had done. Sure, sometimes you can't make effective adjustments against a superior opponent--but this was Illinois. Illinois hasn't had a winning record in a decade and hasn't won more than 7 games in a year since Lloyd retired.
That Frost admitted he couldn't make adjustments is just appalling.
September 1st, 2021 at 4:08 PM ^
Don’t sell Illinois short. Lovie Smith is undefeated against Dantini.
September 1st, 2021 at 7:14 PM ^
True! They were the only B1G team Lovie didn't lose to, though.
September 1st, 2021 at 9:29 PM ^
Illinois has been to a Rose Bowl more recently than Michigan
September 1st, 2021 at 10:41 PM ^
Which is sadly true, but Michigan beat them in Champaign that year and finished tied with them for second in the Big Ten.
They also haven't had a coach leave Illinois with a winning record since John Mackovic left for Texas in the early nineties.
September 2nd, 2021 at 10:12 AM ^
Bielema is a better college fb coach than Lovie and was operating a new system. Illinois will be better this year and will continue to improve. So, I can understand what Frost was thinking... but he NEVER should have said it.
September 1st, 2021 at 2:53 PM ^
I can't make fun of Scott Frost since I had no idea until reading this thread that they already played a game.
September 1st, 2021 at 3:20 PM ^
Where the hell have you been, man?
September 1st, 2021 at 4:59 PM ^
I can understand if life gets busy sometimes and you can't find time to watch Michigan play football on Saturday...
... but no true Michigan fan misses a game played by an ex-Wolverine like Oliver Martin, who practically secured his place as a Heisman candidate with 103 receiving yards.
September 1st, 2021 at 10:32 PM ^
And as a true Michigan fan, you have say "Go* Damm**!!" every time he hauled in a pass because you just know he should've been doing that for the Wolverines because "moar wasted talent!!"
September 1st, 2021 at 9:55 PM ^
This is America, Jack! Making fun of Scott Frost is your inalienable right and you should never apologize for doing so under any circumstances.
September 1st, 2021 at 2:59 PM ^
At least they out hit Illinois
September 1st, 2021 at 3:10 PM ^
Scott has thrown in the towel
Its all over but the buyout
September 1st, 2021 at 3:13 PM ^
Scott Frost looks like that kid in middle school/high school that wore all the great athletic gear, coaches loved him, parents helicoptered around his teams, played varsity as a soph, hon. mention all-conference, etc, but when you played against him in practice he never seemed as good as his reputation.
September 1st, 2021 at 3:35 PM ^
Also an apt description of his work as Nebraska's quarterback.
September 1st, 2021 at 4:10 PM ^
logged in just to upvote that - well said.