Washington Snowflakes: The Offense

The good: Haskins and Corum are both legit backs and the fact that we could get a billion rushing yards when Washington knew that was what was coming every time is great to see. They couldn't stop it

The bad: we clearly have almost no passing attack. I don’t know if Bell was that important to the passing game or what but they clearly didn’t want Cade passing tonight. You might say ‘well they’re saving it for later’ but we’ve all seen Harbaugh teams before. He is never ‘saving things for later’ – the team on the field is what it is and this is a team that appears to have a serious passing game problem. When we run into a good run defense, it's going to be a mess

Also feels like Harbaugh is overruling 'speed in space'. This was a whole lot of Harball tonight

Look I share everyone’s concerns about the passing game, but our OL turned a respectable defense into a parking lot, and our running backs carved these guys apart. Might be one of the best running attacks in the nation. So at least there’s that 

I thought this game would tell us a lot about the trajectory of this team but I’m not sure that it did. It seemed much more that Washington was bad than that Michigan was good today. Buy we’ll see how it pans out over the next few weeks 

It was perfect.  They will throw it when they need to throw it.  Otherwise zero passing yards and run it down their throats is beautiful.  

I didn't expect U-M's running game to dominate UW as much as it did, since UW has, on paper at least, a very good defense. Well done by the OL and the RBs.

Passing needs to get better. I know U-M didn't need it this game (and I'm not complaining), but I don't think that U-M will be able to run like this against good B1G opponents.

Corum just said in the postgame on-field interview that they heard what Washington said about stopping Michigan from running the ball. He said it made the offensive line and the running backs mad. Obviously, the coaches paid attention, as well.

Love smash mouth football, but legit have concerns about facing teams like Wisconsin and Ohio State if we can’t throw the football effectively.

Also, with how amazing our run game is, shouldn’t that make us excellent with play action? Our PA game seems non-existent. 

Pretty fucking impressive that they won this convincingly on the ground. The O line was great. Now I can happy drink! 

WE'RE A RUNNING TEAM NOW, OKAY?

Corum and Haskins are really good but they're both going to be dead by week six at this rate. I think losing Ronnie Bell is going to be catastrophic, because no one else involved in the passing game looks very competent. But the play calling doesn't help. You HAVE to get the passing game going in an in-game environment because you're going to need it in the future. Instead we're headed toward the retrograde offense that failed in the first place. It just isn't going to work against better competition. 

The good: The running game, obviously. The OL competently uses gap schemes, inside/outside/split zone, all of it. The RBs are both terrific (Charbonnet looks good! The reason he transferred is that we've got really good guys in the room). Washington was keying on edge stuff and Michigan's decision to consistently attack the middle with the run was rational and successful. And we scored a lot against a defense that might be good and won by multiple TDs.

It's fun to pound the ball down a defense's throat.

The bad: Woof, the passing game. Calling runs on 3rd and pass downs multiple times. Absolute refusal to throw on first down. 

The exact reason can't be known yet... but it's a bad reason that shouldn't be in place. Good offenses throw the ball, even with leads, even when it looks like the lead is safe in the first half. Forget "keeping stuff off film." They aren't giving their QB the slightest look at coverages, and he needs that for the times when Michigan needs to throw.

This looks very much like the "body blow" offense in 2018, which was good enough to win some games and not good enough to beat the hardest teams. One might think this is odd, because there's a completely different offensive staff... but the HC is the same. It was the HC then, and it's the HC now. 

I have consistently resisted reactionary attacks on the OCs under Harbaugh, because Harbaugh is the party whose influence is most clearly visible in the offense's peculiar character. 

It is what it is. Maybe this is enough to win 10 games. I don't know. 

I am not sure who instills more confidence, Cade McNamara or Robert McNamara. 

I…I got nothing.

Michigan hammered Washington.

…and yet…I feel lucky we’re on the timeline where that taunting play kept the drive going.

Still don’t have confidence in offensive scheme. You still have to occasionally pass. You even had to in 1978.

Go Blue.