TCU head coach: "We gotta stop the run because that stops their offense."
Apparently TCU is going to start out with the OSU plan. I'll guess we'll see how that works out. I suppose you have to pick your poison.
December 23rd, 2022 at 10:24 AM ^
I mean, it more or less worked for OSU for about 23 minutes.
December 23rd, 2022 at 10:31 AM ^
I mean, solid plan, if you're the better team for 23 minutes, well then you're clearly the better team and just need to clean up a few lucky plays here and there in the other 37 minutes
December 23rd, 2022 at 10:57 AM ^
with OSU it was when there were 45:23 left that the real magic started to happen
December 23rd, 2022 at 12:02 PM ^
The TCU coach is right, at least partially. If TCU doesn't stop the run, it will be a long day for them. But stopping the run doesn't kill the offense. TCU being 67th in the nation at stopping the run makes things very dicey for the Frogs. They're going to have to pick their poison: 1) Commit more people in the box to stop the run which opens up passing lanes (OSU game revealed 45 reasons why this might be a bad idea), 2) play standard defense and hope your D-Line can match up against our O-Line (PSU game revealed 41 reasons why this might be a problem - hey did you know M gained 421 yds on the ground in that game?), or 3) disguise / mix & match. Really, TCU have to go with the third option and hope that JJ won't be able to read their defense and put offense in the right play. I'm OK with that plan as a M fan.
December 23rd, 2022 at 12:35 PM ^
If I'm the defensive coordinator for TCU I'm first worried about Edwards (and Corum?) running behind the best offensive line in college football. Then about JJ's legs. After that it's Loveland and Schoonmaker. And, if somehow that all can be kept in control, there is really nice group of wide receivers. Michigan has made the first three elements work all year without ever really deploying the deep passing game. If TCU can actually neutralize the running backs, JJ's feet and the tight ends they will be the first team to do so. Their reward will be having to account for the wide outs. The Horned Frogs defense just isn't that good. Maybe Georgia's NFL talent level on defense is that good but finding out will mean we a playing for the National Championship.
December 23rd, 2022 at 1:16 PM ^
(OSU game revealed 45 reasons why this might be a bad idea)
Well, technically 14 of those reasons came on two running plays for 160 yards.
December 23rd, 2022 at 10:36 AM ^
TCU better get up by double digits at half then. Michigan's 2nd halves have been so dominant outside of the one game we had neither Corum nor Edwards. If Michigan is within a score at half I feel a win is almost automatic.
December 23rd, 2022 at 10:46 AM ^
Only exception to the 2nd half trend was the Illinois game but I don’t think TCU is tooled to do that like the Illini were (good D, good run game)
December 23rd, 2022 at 12:11 PM ^
Yes, compared to TCU, Illinois has the better run D, better D overall, and we were missing our top 2 RBs in that half
December 23rd, 2022 at 3:35 PM ^
TCU is the comeback king
December 23rd, 2022 at 3:35 PM ^
TCU is the comeback king
December 23rd, 2022 at 11:28 AM ^
Didn't really work for OSU. Loading the box with 8 or 9 was OSU's only shot to stop the run and they were hoping JJ was a Denard (sorry, love him too but need to call it like it is) level passer.
JJ was really good on intermediate passes all year and one of the best in the nation on play action passes (dominant running game obviously helps). JJ has also proven to be a really good passer on the run as well. JJ was only subpar on deep shot throughout the year as he was overthrowing on a bunch of these that often looked flat or like laser shots.
I understand OSU's game plan of not wanting to get bludgeoned to death again, but with those corners...ooof. JJ indeed found his touch and if this becomes a trend the offense will be really tough to stop.
All that said, TCU may not be as soft as OSU and need to put 8 in the box every play to limit the run. We shall see.
December 23rd, 2022 at 12:08 PM ^
Denard was pretty damn good as a spread QB. Hoke/Borges trying to turn him into a pocket passer was his downfall.
December 23rd, 2022 at 12:55 PM ^
Criminal mismanagement. I still can’t believe Hoke was once our head coach.
December 24th, 2022 at 12:19 PM ^
Please be reminded that Denard Robinson did not finish his career as a QB. He was unable to throw the ball at the end due to injuries. Denard was injury prone and Hoke did all he could to protect Denard and extend Denard's career.
I find it odd that so many speak as if Denard went on to a hall of fame career in the NFL or that he beat MSU or OSU single handedly (or ever) when Rich Rod was coach. Most people don't remember that Denard was unable to run or throw effectively late in the season,
December 23rd, 2022 at 3:34 PM ^
They didn't make Denard a pocket passer. DR kept his offense. DG was the one who had the different offense.
December 25th, 2022 at 4:18 AM ^
You're right that DG was asked to do more pro-style stuff, but Denard was placed under center by Hoke and Borges and was asked to go through reads. You can't run a spread with zone reads under center. You lose too many natural advantages. He had a productive year, but as a spread QB he would have put up even greater numbers and had a better 2012.
And Denard was not "injury-prone." He had one injury.
December 23rd, 2022 at 3:35 PM ^
They didn't make Denard a pocket passer. DR kept his offense. DG was the one who had the different offense.
December 23rd, 2022 at 10:25 AM ^
LOL!! Guess he's buying into the OSU propaganda that it was only a few plays that brought on the downfall.
Good luck with that, boys...
December 23rd, 2022 at 10:47 AM ^
Awesome, will start looking for National Championship tickets if that is TCUs plan
December 23rd, 2022 at 11:56 AM ^
I’m not worried about a B12 defense stopping this mauling running game. OSU has a better defense and I’d say it isn’t close.
December 23rd, 2022 at 11:57 AM ^
"Ohio State DOMINATED the game, if you take away all of Michigan's scoring plays" was always a weird narrative.
OSU sold out to stop the run, and tbh it kinda worked for a minute. But, and Seth really drove this point home, it was a VERY Big12 kind of defense. Meaning that all of those defenders spending themselves on stopping the run were REALLY missed on pass defense.
TCU is a bit more of a hybrid than a typical Big12 team on defense. But can they really think they're better than Ohio State? Do they think they're going to score more than Ohio State?
December 23rd, 2022 at 12:21 PM ^
Also - do they have the same level of athletes OSU has. That would be a 'No'.
December 23rd, 2022 at 12:18 PM ^
It's funny when people use that argument. That's how every team jumps out to large margins. It's off the back of big plays. I find it incredibly weird that anyone thinks you just dink and dunk down the field and somehow surmount a large lead. Sure, it can happen but more often than not it is off the back of big plays.
Mind you, those big plays are often setup by creating tendencies. Michigan creates tendencies with the run and then all of a sudden changes it up resulting in a big play. It's not like the big plays ONLY just randomly happen out of nowhere.
Every team this year has thought they had us solved. They all said "just stop the run and they can't score." Yet, they either found out it wasn't that simple or they eventually couldn't "just stop the run."
December 23rd, 2022 at 12:59 PM ^
If you took away all of Urban's big plays, I'm fairly sure Brady Hoke would have been .500+ against them.
If you took away their heroic plays in 2021, we probably would have beaten them 42-7.
December 23rd, 2022 at 10:26 AM ^
Go ahead…make my day
December 23rd, 2022 at 11:08 AM ^
"You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do you, punk?"
December 23rd, 2022 at 11:14 AM ^
to tell you the truth, in all the excitement i forgot the count and what i audibled to, but you just have to ask yourself, what if you're in the wrong gap....?
December 23rd, 2022 at 2:19 PM ^
Go ahead…make my millennium.
December 23rd, 2022 at 10:32 AM ^
I semi-sincerely think it's an advantage for Michigan that opponents keep underestimating JJ McCarthy
December 23rd, 2022 at 10:47 AM ^
Totally. There is a good distance between where JJ is right now and his ceiling. What he has shown so far is just the tip of the iceberg. And with bowl prep practices I think we'll see an even better version of JJ than we saw throughout the season, which was good enough to beat the #2 ranked Buckeyes.
December 23rd, 2022 at 1:56 PM ^
Hopefully this has given some time to just focus on the basics.
I think often times his misses getting into the season wasn't ability, it was just getting out of alignment with proper mechanics and trying to rely a bit too much on arm strength vs. foot positioning and mechanics.
December 23rd, 2022 at 10:51 AM ^
I completely seriously think that. I would love to see TCU put 8 or 9 men in the box all game.
December 23rd, 2022 at 11:08 AM ^
What's great about it is that JJ will get more game reps throwing the ball, which he needs. Like the pick he threw against Purdue, the throw he made to Ronnie in the endzone against the Nuts that drew the PI. and how about that NFL dart he threw to Ronnie in the back of the endzone against Purdue, on a rope!
This is just his first year as a starter and he has so much upside. JJ gets better every time he takes the field. He just needs more game reps with the ball in his hands.
Go ahead, stack the box horned frogs, please.
December 23rd, 2022 at 11:45 AM ^
You forgot to mention the throw to Loveland in the front left corner of the EZ against tight double coverage. Man, that was an NFL level throw to a playmaking TE if ever there was one!
December 23rd, 2022 at 10:32 AM ^
The first half of his statement is spot on. Against this team, you HAVE to stop the run. If you don't, we will churn out yards and first downs and scores and you will have no shot at winning.
The second half, while at times this year has looked accurate, was proven patently false against OSU.
There's a middle ground, which is what I'd assume any rational coach would do, where you sell out to stop the run but still keep SOMEONE deep to prevent Michigan from taking the top off. When guys aren't running completely wide open there is still a smidge of doubt in my mind that JJ can hit those deep throws.
December 23rd, 2022 at 10:38 AM ^
Hopefully the td pass to Loveland in the B1G title game alleviated some of that doubt
December 23rd, 2022 at 12:11 PM ^
That pass was different than what he had done most of the season. Early he was missing everything too long. The pass to Loveland he put up in traffic hoping his big TE/receiver could come down with, which he obviously did.
December 23rd, 2022 at 11:37 AM ^
Yeah, Michigan's oline is good enough to give McCarthy some time, even against kitchen sink blitzes, and McCarthy is then athletic enough to get the ball out. Ohio State did Michigan some favors with its "make McCarthy make a play under duress" strategy because McCarthy is basically the anti-Stroud.
OTOH Michigan humiliated OSU's defensive backs. The game plan gave the DBs tough assignments, but this isn't Rutgers, they should be able to stay in the picture, and they just couldn't. Loveland has emerged as a pass-catching demon, and if you add in a healthy Edwards, then the passing game should get some (gus)WIDE OPENs(/gus) against a stop-the-run defense.
December 23rd, 2022 at 10:35 AM ^
If only we had the best offense line in the country… maybe then we would have the opportunity to say “try and stop us” before we exert our will and run the ball down their throats.
December 23rd, 2022 at 1:22 PM ^
If only we had the best offense line in the country
Well we did last year.
December 23rd, 2022 at 2:34 PM ^
Insert joke going over your head gif
December 23rd, 2022 at 10:36 AM ^
Hopefully they knowles how to run zero coverage
December 23rd, 2022 at 10:37 AM ^
He's bluffing. They'll start out with a cover 3 because he knows.
December 23rd, 2022 at 11:34 AM ^
I wouldn't be surprised to see them come out with their safties in the parking lot, and leave them there the whole game.
December 23rd, 2022 at 3:20 PM ^
I was thinking this as well, I mean I think it might be better to have at least one safety downfield.
December 24th, 2022 at 2:51 PM ^
let the paving commence...
December 23rd, 2022 at 10:38 AM ^
Think they will go Don Brown? Lord I hope so.
December 23rd, 2022 at 10:49 AM ^
The Don was then, the real Don is now
December 23rd, 2022 at 10:39 AM ^
Great point the coach makes. Michigan cannot throw the ball. On offense, I think Michigan is close today 2:1 ratio of run to pass. I hope TCU leverages everything the Buckeyes exposed - and fill the box. I believe that’s the key to the game.
If only JJ was a mobile QB who could use play action or his legs to buy some time.