So what went wrong in the passing game?
Lot of hand wringing about the passing game, maybe justified, maybe not. I have no problem with 44 yards passing because we probably could have won without ever throwing, but certainly 15 attempts for 44 yards is not ideal. So was the issue the play calling, Cade, the protection, the WRs or all of the above?
From rewatching the game it looks like we certainly made a conscious effort not to make risky throws downfield. A lot of short side to side passes that Washington was well prepared for. I noticed a couple times some whiffs on blocks that led to immediate tackles after the catch. Cade also looked a little antsy in the pocket.
My hope is that the ground game continues to pave people which should open up some play action down the field. Utilize the tight ends over the middle and stretch the field by threatening the edges with the slot guys. Having McNamara throw it 15-20 times a game is probably ideal but we need to get 10-15 for 140 yds as opposed to 7-15 for 44.
September 13th, 2021 at 12:59 PM ^
Well, we'll agree to disagree on that. Your name summarizes both of our positions well.
September 13th, 2021 at 12:48 PM ^
double post.
September 13th, 2021 at 6:39 PM ^
I was ecstatic that we dominated a team that a while back I thought we might lose to, and I was pretty happy that we completely broke their will to play defense with the ground game.
That said, TRVB's point RE: OSU is a good one. We will need excellent rushing AND passing attacks to have a shot in that game -- and others, for sure. It would have made sense to get Cade some work in garbage time, even as much as we were paving them. Keep grinding, for sure, but maybe five more pass attempts would have made sense.
As I said in another thread, 20 pass attempts versus NIU would go a long way toward me believing "we didn't need to pass against UW" instead of "we were scared to pass against UW".
September 13th, 2021 at 1:00 PM ^
Another thing driving me nuts. Here's our passing game line from week 1;
13/17 for 216 yds and 3 TD's. That's not good enough? I'm telling you, I totally get people's hesitancy, but my God......
September 13th, 2021 at 1:51 PM ^
This is it, I prefer the run over the pass-happy games we see week in and week out, but the concerning thing for me was, that when we did call a pass play, it looked extremely disjointed with everyone out of sync. Not sure if it was nerves, blocking or poor route running/design, I will leave that up to the experts, but noting looked natural in our passing game.
September 13th, 2021 at 12:08 PM ^
6 yards a carry when washington KNEW michigan wasnt even interested in attempting to throw.
September 13th, 2021 at 12:09 PM ^
I'm pretty sure it's Bo who said if you guaranteed him 3 yards a carry he'd never throw the ball.
Sure, I'd love to see a complimentary passing game too, but in the 4th quarter the W deep safety was still lined up in the parking lot and we were paving them on the ground. If W was going to let us do what we do best, do it.
September 13th, 2021 at 12:15 PM ^
A guaranteed 3 yds a carry guarantees a TD every drive!
September 13th, 2021 at 12:39 PM ^
Was it Bo who said that there are 3 things that can happen when you throw the ball and 2 of them are bad?
September 13th, 2021 at 10:18 PM ^
I think that was Woody.
September 13th, 2021 at 12:15 PM ^
No. We need to practice passing in game situations to get better at it. Just like the defense needs to practice running zones even if we can beat a team with man coverage. We won't beat OSU without a passing game.
September 13th, 2021 at 1:17 PM ^
Right there with you brother. The "lets find something to complain about crowd" on a glorious dominating win, makes me physically ill. Any Coach at any level would love to say f it, run it down their damn throat until they stop us. "oh we can't beat Ohio State playing like this", irrelevant, we were playing a team not called Ohio State.
September 13th, 2021 at 3:40 PM ^
Are you serious? Michigan hasn’t had a serious passing attack in 6 years under Harbaugh. We didn’t expect them to have a great passing game this year and now they’re down their #1 receiver. You can yell “absence of evidence is not evidence of absence” all you want, but the available evidence suggests the passing game is going to be a problem. You act as if the coaches are perfectly confident in McNamara and the receivers but the running game was just sooooo good that they couldn’t possibly try to pass the ball after the first quarter. 7/15 for 2.9ypa is just an anomalous small sample size. Okay man
September 13th, 2021 at 4:44 PM ^
"but the running game was just sooooo good that they couldn’t possibly try to pass the ball after the first quarter."
That is exactly what I'm trying to say. Ok then, what about week 1? MAC school and it was all Ronnie Bell right? I just don't think that's accurate. Cade threw confidently and accurate in that game, and I don't think it's totally impossible for him to do it again
September 13th, 2021 at 12:08 PM ^
I think it was the play calling frankly. Part of the eye sore that was McNamara's passing numbers was anecdotal. Early in the game, up until about midway through the second quarter, Michigan was attempting some short, easy throws that were getting them nowhere (CoJo's back shoulder fade aside). Then they seemed to realize they really don't need to pass the ball to win the game, and decided to basically just shut down the passing game entirely until Washington dictated otherwise, and obviously they never did.
While that's not necessarily a bad strategy at all, it did create some weird optics for Michigan's offense. Does that mean Michigan can't pass at all? Does that mean Gattisbaugh is Pass-O averse to a fault? The reality is that we really don't know. We do know through approximately a quarter and a half against Washington, the passing game did not look good. We know that basically the only strength Washington has on their team is their pass defense. If the game played out differently where it was more obvious Washington was a threat to score, and they weren't going to let Michigan gash them on the ground and force McNamara to pass, it's possible the passing game would have opened up and gotten into a rhythm once Washington stacked the box and brought their one-high safety out of the parking lot.
I think the next chapter of this season will answer whether or not Michigan can pass the ball, or if Gattisbaugh is willing to pass the ball when the game dictates it. Teams now know, Michigan is perfectly happy and capable of bludgeoning you to death on the ground if defenses are not willing to sell out to stop the run. I imagine we'll start to see some teams now adjust their defenses for that, and we'll get to see if Gattis can scheme up a decent intermediate-to-deep passing play calls, and if McNamara can execute.
They reality is we just don't know yet what this team can do in the air, because they have firmly established they are a run first team, and we know they'll run the ball until your defense proves they can stop it. Once a defense proves they can slow down the rushing game, we'll get an answer as to the competence of the play calling and execution on some deeper throws. The unknown I think is what has people concerned, and I think that concern is rationale based on what we've seen from Gattis thus far.
September 13th, 2021 at 12:20 PM ^
I big part of those short passes not going anywhere was the poor ball placement by Cade on those throws. Gardner's podcast on WTKA referenced back to when he 'handcuffed' Al Borges against UCONN in 2013, because he couldn't hit the wide side of a barn. It was a great anecdote. Definitely worth a listen.
September 13th, 2021 at 12:31 PM ^
Yeah, that is a good point, and absolutely part of the equation. Cade did not look comfortable early on throwing the ball. He missed a on a few easy throws and was a beat late on a couple early throws at the line of scrimmage; which can kill screens and bubbles against a good passing defense like Washington. Definitely could have been nerves, and that would be reasonable for a quarterback starting his first game in a raucous environment. Also reasonable for a play caller to do what he can to help the quarterback out.
That's probably another point in Gattis/Harbaugh's favor on pressing the rushing attack until Washington proved they could stop it.
September 13th, 2021 at 12:11 PM ^
you touched yourself at night
September 13th, 2021 at 12:13 PM ^
Didn't the game dictate what happened? Washington was playing a safety 20 yards off the line of scrimmage making the running game 11 v 10. Washington has two NFL cornerbacks covering inexperience wide receivers. If any game was set up to abandon the pass game - this was it. Smart coaching!
Plus once we were ahead 10 - 0 and running the ball why increase the risk of turnovers by passing over the top?
Let's reserve judgement about the passing game until after the next two games.
September 13th, 2021 at 12:58 PM ^
Let's reserve judgement about the passing game until after the next two games.
What? A measure, logical approach. No. I demand that we pass judgement immediately. I am obviously not alone.
September 13th, 2021 at 3:14 PM ^
I'd say it's 10 v 10 because there were not a whole lot of reads, but that's just nitpicking. In the second half Washington was also throwing one of their OLB or Nickel at the wide side edge like every other play, which was basically another guy that didn't need to be blocked if you were quickly attacking with runs between the tackles. They continued to do this despite the fact that M ran what, 3 outside runs in the second half?
I get some of the handwringing, I really do. I also think this was a somewhat bizzare game where a team getting paved on the ground never really did a whole lot about it, and we have the type of staff where they don't need much of a dangling carrot to keep running the ball.
September 13th, 2021 at 3:19 PM ^
Yeah MSU would have 9 guys launching between the guards. This last weeks offense could be easily stopped with a decent defensive play caller. Bringing another player down to basically where the TE is was a waste of player.
September 13th, 2021 at 4:06 PM ^
But aren’t you CONCERNED???
(/s obviously)
September 13th, 2021 at 12:13 PM ^
Crappy reads, slow recognition/throws by McNamara, perimeter blocking.
September 13th, 2021 at 12:18 PM ^
when you find a good spot and the fish are biting..... after about a half hour, you decide to go try another spot..... get there and catch nothing, so you try a third spot. No fish there either. Then you go back to the first place you were and don't catch anything.....
Don't leave a spot that is producing.
When the running game is working, WORK IT!
September 13th, 2021 at 12:40 PM ^
Very true. Also, if the fish are rising, don’t tie on a nymph . . .
September 13th, 2021 at 12:22 PM ^
This was the first Michigan game in almost 2 years that brought me actual joy. I refuse to be worried about the passing game until I need to be worried about it, and that isn't until we play in Madison (where we always lose anyway).
September 13th, 2021 at 12:35 PM ^
Rutgers is not a gimmie anymore. They look decent.
September 13th, 2021 at 12:38 PM ^
Was all set to click 'Thumbs Up', but then read that paren'd clause.
Loser attitude begets losing. You can't win unless you're positive about winning!
September 13th, 2021 at 2:22 PM ^
Hey, I'm always Miss Mary Sunshine when it comes to our team, but it has been exactly 20 years since we won in Madison (I actually thought it was longer). Maybe this is the year.
September 13th, 2021 at 12:24 PM ^
Here is what I have heard. We were stopped on 4th and 1 near the goal line in the first half. JH wanted to send a message to the team, and especially the OL/RB, that you are tough and you should be able to get 1 yard on any running play. Also, JH wanted to know that in a close game in November, he can rely on the running game to close out the game or keep the other offense off the field. That led to the decision to open the 3rd Q with runs. The success of that first drive of the 3rd Q led to the next decision to keep running the ball until they stop us. We were trying to have a 60/40 balance in the first half. The success of that drive changed it to 95/5 for the second half.
People should stop reading too much in this game. We will be a 60/40 team.
September 13th, 2021 at 12:54 PM ^
Heard from who?
September 13th, 2021 at 1:32 PM ^
Cade's little brother, while playing Fortnight on the PS5
September 13th, 2021 at 3:18 PM ^
Raven's mafia
September 13th, 2021 at 12:47 PM ^
To be honest - where would the expectation that we have a particularly good passing game come from? It can't really be based on a QB as that position once again is a question mark with a new and as of now unproven starter, and it can't really be based on the receiving corps either as that certainly does not look anywhere close to what was once penciled in for 2021.
The passing game certainly seems like something that could be quite challenging. And it would seem obvious to me that the staff isn't totally ignorant of that. With that in mind, it's not surprising that they will if given the option keep things on the ground.
If the ground game is really good though, a passing game that's "acceptable" rather than "great" might be all we need though to get to the 9-10 wins this year that would make this season a reasonable success.
September 13th, 2021 at 1:07 PM ^
Cade just finished his second full game at QB. I think we'll see more out of the passing game in a few weeks, but right now I think Harbaugh is trying to get this team ready to win in Madison the traditional B1G way, with a powerful running game and sound defense.
September 13th, 2021 at 1:17 PM ^
At this point I have to think this game was an outlier as I don't see us doing this again for the rest of the year. Our early passing game wasn't too good but the running game was working so well that it made sense to keep pounding the ball. I was okay with it eventually but I would have liked to see them try some kind of pass on those 3rd and longs. I think not having Ronnie Bell for this game made them extra conservative and hopefully as the other receivers get more practice they'll feel more confident with them.
September 13th, 2021 at 1:48 PM ^
How frustrating was the play calling with Mich had the ball first and goal at like the three? Cade was playing tight and the offense could not open up. Its almost like the offense felt close doff and suffocated and the only comfortable option was trying to pound the rock. Not sure what to make of this will need another sample size to see what happens if the ground game is stopped
September 13th, 2021 at 1:48 PM ^
How frustrating was the play calling with Mich had the ball first and goal at like the three? Cade was playing tight and the offense could not open up. Its almost like the offense felt close doff and suffocated and the only comfortable option was trying to pound the rock. Not sure what to make of this will need another sample size to see what happens if the ground game is stopped
September 13th, 2021 at 2:05 PM ^
In the first 20 plays of the game, 9 of them were passes (so a pretty good balance). 22 offensive plays (not including 4th down) occurred in the 1st quarter. After the 1st quarter Cade was 3-9.
2nd quarter - 1 pass play (12 offensive plays total)
3rd quarter - 3 pass plays (21 offensive plays total)
4th quarter - 2 pass plays (18 offensive plays total)
Obviously the first quarter was all Gattis needed to see to change his mindset for the rest of the game.
September 13th, 2021 at 2:11 PM ^
The 9 passes in the first quarter (caught passes in bold):
Offensive play #4: 2nd and 5 - bubble screen for 3 yard loss
Offensive play #5: 3rd and 8 - Deep pass; good coverage
Offensive play #7: 1st and 10 - Bubble screen dropped
Offensive play #9: 3rd and 6 - Short pass incomplete. Cade was pressured on pass.
Offensive play #10: 1st and 10 - Swing pass behind line for no gain.
Offensive play #13: 1st and 10 - Cade hit on pass. Poor pass blocking by Haskins.
Offensive play #14: 2nd and 15 - Short pass to TE dropped or deflected (couldn't tell).
Offensive play #15: 3rd and 15 - Long completion to Johnson.
Offensive play #20: 2nd and goal - Incomplete pass thrown away. Snap looked to catch Cade off guard.
September 13th, 2021 at 4:02 PM ^
That Haskins “block” was ass.
September 13th, 2021 at 2:08 PM ^
Working on a 2min offense against Northern Illinois in a live setting is a must at this point. We can't afford to go into conference play having never successfully ran one. There's nothing stopping Harbaugh and Gattis from taking a series or two against a lesser opponent and working on it.
We did this quite a bit under Carr: 2nd Quarter against a MAC opponent, come out and run a 2min drill. Not because we were losing, or time was running out, but because we would need to run one at some point in the season in order to win the game.
Year 7 and I don't think we've ever ran a hurry up offense that wasn't a scripted series to start a half.
So yes, this win was awesome. We thumped a P5 school without having to throw. However, if we don't see any desire from Harbaugh to work on a 2min drill next week, be worried. That's a big sign things haven't changed much and the season could end up being a long one.
September 13th, 2021 at 2:20 PM ^
I don’t think it is Cade whatsoever. I think it was Washington’s corners being very good and Michigan’s receivers not being able to get separation. Michigan was running the ball at will so they decided to not even throw it.
There were a few series though that were concerning with the 3 hand off calls on & long situations. Seemed like the coaching staff was content with running time off the clock.
September 13th, 2021 at 2:22 PM ^
We've had this conversation at least four years running now. A group of people say they're worried about the passing game another group says why worry, of course we'll see the passing game when we need it. Every year there's never any consistent utilization of an above average passing game. This could in fact finally be the year but I don't see why being skeptical is unreasonable.
September 13th, 2021 at 2:34 PM ^
Nothing went wrong. We took what we were given. Next game they'll run the ball until we get a big less then you'll see the passing.
September 13th, 2021 at 3:12 PM ^
This game was the closest thing to the Stanford Virginia Tech bowl game that I expected in 2015 from Harbaugh.
Screen execution and external blocking was sloppy. Too much lateral passing and not hitting RB with momentum. But that’s been the story for several years.
Cade also held the ball too long on a couple of plays.
But that’s football. It’s not a game of perfection.
September 13th, 2021 at 3:19 PM ^
Passing game?
September 13th, 2021 at 4:05 PM ^
I think the simplest answer is 1) Washington's pass defense is legit excellent 2) their run defense couldn't stop Michigan on their best day.
"Balance" as in 50-50 pass throw is bullshit. if they can't stop you from doing X, keep doing X until they do something about it. Washington never did, so Michigan never did either.
September 13th, 2021 at 5:30 PM ^
Looking back on it,
I guess you could add in that Michigan’s defense was also stopping their offense