Ranking M's performances thus far this season
Without question, the victory over Wisconsin is Michigan's best WIN of the season, but is it the team's best OVERALL PERFORMANCE of the season thus far?
Answer: yes.
...especially in the second half. The first half didn't have everything go Michigan's way, but it was far from the sluggish first-half starts the team has had. Consider what had been the every-other-week trend:
Week 1: sluggish first half @ ND, played better in 2nd half.
Week 2: Came out quickly in the throttling of WMU!
Week 3: sluggish first half vs. SMU, probably the team's worst half of the season.
Week 4: Came out on fire against Numbraska!
Week 5: sluggish first half @ NW, then dominated the 2nd half.
Week 6: Came out dominating Maryland, just took some time for the scoreboard to reflect it.
Week 7: had the trend continued, Michigan would have had a sluggish first half. I think Michigan broke that trend because I would not have described Michigan's first half as sluggish, although their second half was indeed even better.
Besides, Michigan just got lucky......on about 85% of all the plays. Luck, luck, luck...over and over again. All just a bunch of luck...a big ol’ tub o’ luck. /sarcasm
There were enough of you to suggest that Michigan's performance against Maryland was better than their performance against Nebraska, so we'll flip-flop those. There was also sentiment to consider putting M's performance against NW below their performance against WMU...and when NW was 2 scores behind Nebraska I thought to do it, but we'll keep it as is for now.
Best overall performance of the season thus far: vs. Wisconsin
#2: vs. Maryland
#3: vs. Nebraska
#4: @ NW
#5: vs. WMU
#6: vs. SMU
Worst overall performance of the season thus far: @ ND
Last night was the best win of the Harbaugh era. (amirite?) Now the team needs to go get the program's best road win since........Lloyd Carr???
October 14th, 2018 at 2:51 PM ^
Last night may have been the best defensive performance in Don Brown's time here.
October 14th, 2018 at 3:02 PM ^
I'm not arguing with you (you may be correct), but i find myself thinking this after most weeks. DB deserves a statue (hyperbole, don't @ me).
October 14th, 2018 at 3:35 PM ^
That mustache memorialized in bronze would be truly breathtaking
October 14th, 2018 at 3:38 PM ^
How about a statue of just the 'stache.
October 14th, 2018 at 2:58 PM ^
They get clearly better every week. Just waiting for them to hit their stride as a team.
But, I do have to say, I don't like the 4th qtr defensive fades against Maryland, and yesterday.
October 14th, 2018 at 3:05 PM ^
I doubt those fades happen if the game is in question. It’s annoying that the stats don’t look as good, but I wouldn’t call it an issue.
October 14th, 2018 at 3:17 PM ^
Man, it sucks they held Wisconsin to 25 yds passing for 3 qtrs, then they get 75 in the 4th. Still #1 in the Nation. And 100 against an elite team is great. But 25 for a game would have been absolutely awesome!
October 14th, 2018 at 3:05 PM ^
You mean the garbage time points?
My only concern with the defense is the long drives they sometimes give up in the first half.
Garbage time points with backups in do not bother me.
October 14th, 2018 at 3:15 PM ^
It was not back ups.
They looked tired in the 4th qtr. This was a big problem last year.
I'm not being negative. I just hope it doesn't show up against State next week. They would love to beat us.
October 14th, 2018 at 3:28 PM ^
Winovich was out most of the drive & I’m sure there were others. No wonder you keep getting banned, skypanther.
October 14th, 2018 at 3:39 PM ^
You are nothing but a troll.
October 14th, 2018 at 4:33 PM ^
State wants to beat us?? Hm. I thought Mork's 2nd favorite team was Michigan. At least he's graceful and full of decorum when speaking about us. Classy lad, that.
October 14th, 2018 at 3:25 PM ^
I’ve said the same things and the people I converse and watch Michigan football with neg/mock me. Finish the game! The starters just looked uninterested that last TD drive for Wiscy. Put some back ups in that will still play hard and not give up those garbage points and yards. When the playoff committee looks at a game like this and sees 38-7 it looks a lot better. Holding a team to single digits just looks better to the human eye, and now that humans determine who makes the playoff and not a computer, we need all the help we can get.
October 14th, 2018 at 3:29 PM ^
You could see they were tired. I don't think it was uninterest on their part.
October 14th, 2018 at 3:49 PM ^
I hope you’re not being serious...the game was 38-7. I’m fine that the D gave up a TD in garbage time, because garbage time means absolutely nothing.
Look more to how the played vs. NW andND...absolute strangleholds in the 2nd half, including a clutch 3 and out when we needed the ball back for a chance to tie at ND.
October 14th, 2018 at 3:28 PM ^
NW was second to worst, next to ND. Does not bode well for road game @ East Landfill.
October 14th, 2018 at 3:47 PM ^
Northwestern was second to worst performance by MSU at home. Advantage Michigan just with that opponent.
October 14th, 2018 at 3:52 PM ^
Rah Rah Michigan forever.
October 14th, 2018 at 4:34 PM ^
THE TRANSITIVE PROPERTY DOES NOT APPLY IN FOOTBALL
October 14th, 2018 at 3:29 PM ^
I feel sluggish reading the first half of this thread. Last night was Michigan’s most impressive performance of the year to date.
October 14th, 2018 at 3:31 PM ^
Didn’t we beat 3 top 10 teams in 2016?
Including a blowout of the BIG Champ PSU?
Seems like one of those is probably the best win of the harbaugh era.
October 14th, 2018 at 3:44 PM ^
I'd say this was comparable to 2016 PSU including how we won both of those games. I'd also say winning in E Lansing would immediately become the biggest win to date.
October 14th, 2018 at 3:46 PM ^
But this Wisconsin team may end up losing two more games. PSU 2016 is bigger IMO.
And winning next week will NOT be the biggest win of the era. Sorry but if we win Sparty will be 4-3. Yes it’s a rival but come one.
October 14th, 2018 at 3:51 PM ^
No, it will definitely be the biggest win by far because of the rivalry and our recent history and it's a road game and it keeps us in the playoff race. The importance of a win is not strictly a function of a team's record.
October 14th, 2018 at 3:58 PM ^
Well by that logic I’m looking forward to Rutgers being Jim’s biggest win in a few weeks.
Biggest win by far? This is objectively wrong. Full stop.
The importance of a win is also not just determined by the next game. Or by past years. Yesterday’s game will be a bigger win even after next week.
October 14th, 2018 at 4:41 PM ^
Harbaugh beat MSU in 2016 in EL.
October 14th, 2018 at 5:54 PM ^
Yeah, as a 24.5 favorite against a team that won 3 games while the narrative for the program was still overwhelming positive. A little different than being a TD favorite vs a ranked MSU team that just beat PSU in happy valley and the narrative is we can't beat our rivals or when on the road.
October 14th, 2018 at 3:54 PM ^
2016 was a great year. A fumble on the Ohio St 2 changed things that year.
October 14th, 2018 at 3:42 PM ^
Wisconsin
NW (17 point come from behind on road in B1G)
ND (responding to being 14 down under the spotlight)
October 14th, 2018 at 4:00 PM ^
Full game, half game, half game
October 14th, 2018 at 5:59 PM ^
Well to be fair it was more full, 3/4, 3/4
But not turtling after going down 17 & 14, applying the tourniquet D and mounting coming backs are far more valuable to create a championship team than EZ wins.
October 14th, 2018 at 4:14 PM ^
Best performance no doubt. But we still have a lot to do we have to win this game in easy landfill. This will take a lot of pressure off of harbaugh. Let’s get it done. GO BLUE!!
October 14th, 2018 at 6:08 PM ^
Personally, I choose the 2016 Citrus Bowl against UF as Harbaugh's needy game.
But the UW game is a close second.
October 14th, 2018 at 6:25 PM ^
IMO best win of Harbaugh era was 2016 Ohio State ;).
Really though it's 2016 PSU (blew out big ten champs), then 2016 citrus bowl vs Florida, then it's between this and '16 MSU just for beating them and at home to boot.
October 15th, 2018 at 12:25 PM ^
I expect this to change come next week!
GO BLUE...Beat state!