What’s our offensive strategy in this game?
No, I don’t literally expect anyone to know the exact answer, but what I mean is I wonder how we will approach this. I think that it’s quite obvious that we are a better team when we can run the ball and control the clock. It seems like we have gone back to doing what has worked well last year and that’s an improvement. However, undoubtedly the strength of MSU is stopping the run. And unlike years past, they definitely do not seem to have the secondary to shut people down in the passing game. Brandon peters through four more yards versus MSU than Rutgers, Purdue, Wisconsin, and Minnesota COMBINED. I really hope we can establish the run early. If we can, that will certainly open up some play action deep shots.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:00 PM ^
Score more points then them! Usually a pretty successful strategy.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:14 PM ^
But...with respekt.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:22 PM ^
Is this the opposite day style post that we had the other day? WITH respekt??
November 11th, 2019 at 3:40 PM ^
And kick Sparty's butt while doing it.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:40 PM ^
And kick Sparty's butt while doing it.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:40 PM ^
And kick Sparty's butt while doing it.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:41 PM ^
Damn, I came here to say this.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:00 PM ^
Talk to text kind of screwed me there. Should have read threw for more yards, not through four more. Because that doesn’t make sense. My bad.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:26 PM ^
To be honest with you when we saw the title we weren't exactly expecting quality in the post itself so don't worry about it.
November 11th, 2019 at 4:25 PM ^
Are you saying questions that no one outside a select group of people can answer are not good thread titles? Because you're right.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:01 PM ^
Score as often as possible. That's all.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:02 PM ^
Score at many points as possible and win by an large of a margin as possible.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:04 PM ^
I think that it’s quite obvious that we are a better team when we can run the ball and control the clock
Says *EVERY* football coach in America.
It seems like we have gone back to doing what has worked well last year and that’s an improvement.
Not an improvement. It either means Michigan is going to continue to run mediocre stuff against mediocre teams or JH still controls the offense or speed in space is a failure thus far.
November 11th, 2019 at 5:03 PM ^
That offense put up 39 points on the road against OSU. Not sure why everyone hates it so much.
November 11th, 2019 at 6:27 PM ^
This is beating a dead horse but here we go: they put up some points when that game was well decided. Our offense never put the kind of pressure on opponents defenses like any of the great-elite offenses.
If you were able to shut down our run game we were in major trouble. We need more of a passing threat to win those extra few Big 10 games we’ve lost during the Harbaugh era.
Hopefully we knock those bastards from East Lansing in the dirt and step on the throat. Mork is due an ass beating for all the shit he’s done. Hopefully he finally reaps the whirlwind Saturday.
November 11th, 2019 at 6:39 PM ^
Against the worst OSU defense since the 80’s...
Probably ought to skip the part where we go down 41-19 and don’t score in the 3rd quarter.
The 20 4th quarter points were great...might need to avoid giving up 21 though.
November 11th, 2019 at 7:35 PM ^
"What worked well last year" and what's working well this year is the running game. Gattis' running scheme was bad and didn't work. They need to run the stuff Harbaugh and Warriner succeeded with last season that worked so well against ND and 2nd half PSU.
Keep Gattis' bubbles on the outside, Harbaugh's inside run game, and someone tell them to go deep to Collins.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:05 PM ^
November 11th, 2019 at 4:04 PM ^
those last two words don't seem to bode particularly well for us...
November 11th, 2019 at 5:16 PM ^
Exactly. This seems to be completely the opposite of what has been happening this year.
November 11th, 2019 at 5:31 PM ^
At least with Shea. Dylan seems to have zero problem making quick decisions. Sometimes to our detriment.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:06 PM ^
Score points.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:08 PM ^
Balls to the wall, attack, attack, attack. Right from the opening whistle. It's a mentality that Michigan must swallow whole or it will never get over the hump. Every got damn team that's been really good over the last several years has played with that kind of attitude.
I love Jim Harbaugh as the Michigan coach, particularly how seriously he takes his job as a leader of young men.
But on the field he needs to release his football id. Little Jimmy Harbaugh needs to come out with his hair on fire.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:38 PM ^
Wow, that's... something. I take it you're feeling a little deflated after a Wife Day which fell short of a climax. Nothing like a good rivalry week to get pumped up again. I'm sure you'll be feeling just fine after the first score.
November 11th, 2019 at 4:30 PM ^
So open the playbook wide open? Put it all on tape for Indiana and OSU to download?
November 11th, 2019 at 6:47 PM ^
I mean it’s mostly out there by now. We’re good at a few things but this is not a complex scheme yet. Still trying to master the basics. Gattis comes from Franklin’s tree, old James isn’t known for deviating from his core offense and Josh sure seems to follow that plan.
meanwhile, OSU was throwing out all kinds of new plays and formations last week against Maryland just to make PSU and Brown think about defending new looks. Hell, they might come out in I formation with a fullback next week.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:08 PM ^
Same as it ever was.
November 11th, 2019 at 4:47 PM ^
"look where my hand was"
(obviously a lyric about coaching the proper technique for linemen)
November 11th, 2019 at 3:11 PM ^
I think they need to run the touchdown play a lot.
November 11th, 2019 at 5:44 PM ^
I hope they don't run the play where the running back puts his hands on the ground during a screen pass so the opposition can catch the ball.
November 11th, 2019 at 6:07 PM ^
Ever since my son heard a genius announcer on one of our telecasts say, "They need to run the touchdown play. It's really hard to stop"
We have repeatedly yelled at the screen in subsequent games, "RUN THE TOUCHDOWN PLAY!!!"
(in the voice of the girlfriend at the end of the ATT commercial, "Use the cocktail stick!")
November 11th, 2019 at 8:27 PM ^
That is a funny commercial.
November 11th, 2019 at 8:54 PM ^
I'd like to see them run the touchdown play 9-10 times. I feel if they do that they can be successful.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:14 PM ^
We breaking the triple option out baby. Some inside the tackle runs, some QB edge runs, some pitches for edge runs, and roughly 6 passes the entire game.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:14 PM ^
As the season has wore on, it's clear that JH is scheming around his QB, focusing more and more on the run game. Even though this is MSU's strength on D, this is the approach I'm pretty sure we'll take, at least for the first part of the game. If it works, we might win by 21-24 points, but more likely, that strategy will turn the game into a slog. 20-13 type game. I do think we win though.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:15 PM ^
Follow up question. We seem to be “protecting” Shea by limiting the amount of passes he throws in big games. Do we really want to attack their secondary but putting the ball up a bunch of times knowing it could lead to sacks, fumbles and INTs?
November 11th, 2019 at 3:34 PM ^
Found JH's account. Hi Jim.
Seriously though. This is his thinking. He's got a meh QB and he's tremendously risk-averse.
75% run on Saturday.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:16 PM ^
Score 14 points. Assume MSU will Yakkity Sax the ball away on each of their offensive possessions. Win game...
In all seriousness, in some insane number like 49 of the last 50 games, whoever runs the ball more wins the game. I'll bet we run it between 60-75% of plays.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:38 PM ^
yup, run 60-75% of plays into a stacked, 9 man box for an average of 2.125 yds per play.
Then we play-action the shit out of them and THROW IT TO NICO!! or dpj, or one of those dudes.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:16 PM ^
The offense seems to be getting back to the Harbaugh 60/40, run/pass split. There have been many threads on Shea. He is what he is. We've seen enough to know he is not going to throw for 300-400 yards nor would the coaches call enough pass plays to reach that mark.
We've been waiting game after game for the air game to explode. I doubt it's going to happen.
If they can get 250 from the ground game, 150 through the air, I'd expect a double digit win.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:18 PM ^
Yeah but running for 250 yards will not be easy on that run defense.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:39 PM ^
We did it to Notre Dame, and they’re at least as solid on D.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:41 PM ^
250 is optimistic. 125-200 is more likely. It all depends on how much fight is left in Sparty.
I think Shea can get to 150 on this secondary. They have been torched multiple times this season.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:19 PM ^
Speed In Space. If that doesn't work, then resort to body blows. The main focus should be sending Dantonio off with the worst taste in his mouth possible. This will likely be the last time he faces us as CMD, and he deserves a classless beat down to make up for all his classless moments in this rivalry.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:22 PM ^
Throw to Nico
November 11th, 2019 at 3:24 PM ^
Win the Game
November 11th, 2019 at 3:26 PM ^
Sweep the leg! No Mercy!!
November 11th, 2019 at 3:26 PM ^
Their DBs aren't very good. Even Scott has come back down to earth after his freshman season that saw him get hit with a lot of under thrown go routes that should have been TDs (DPJ being 1).
If they're playing their normal 1/4s defense and have safety help over the top, it might not be great to throw up a ton of 50/50 balls, but if Michigan can get them to commit a Safety to the box against the run and leave their CBs on islands, then there is no excuse to not throw 50/50 balls to Collins and DPJ like the one that ended the game last year.
Running is going to be tough. Williams is still very good, their LBs scream downhill to take fill any gap they see open. Running last year had some success by eliminating everyone but 1 guy and relying on Higdon to break 1 tackle to bust a big one. Haskins and Charbonnet have proven capable of doing that as well plus they find gaps like Higdon didn't.
Scrap the zone crap, it hasn't worked on MSU in years. Get Onwenu and Bredeson to their LBs and try to get Williams upfield away from the play.
November 11th, 2019 at 3:29 PM ^
Please no inside / outside zone read option stuff. It hasn’t worked all season and is doomed against a great run defense like State.
My wish list:
- Pin/pull, Down G with counters and traps
- Way more Ben Mason to smash Sparty in the f-ING mouth
- Play action pass deep to (1) Collins and DPJ like 2 times per quarter (2) then underneath to the slots often enough to make Sparty ?
That’s it. Don Brown pitches a shutout would be fun. Something like UM 35 - MSU 0 ... would be an awesome way to send Dantonio into retirement.
Go Blue !!!
November 11th, 2019 at 3:30 PM ^
Pedal to the floor, don’t let up.