What can be done to fix our lack of explosive plays?
We are getting 5.3 yards per play, thats the lowest of any ranked team. The playoff contenders are getting around 7 (OSU, ND, Clemson, PSU) with some of them even higher (Oklahoma 9.9, Bama 8.4, LSU 8, UGA 7.9). Our number is so much lower because we lack explosive plays. WHY IS THAT? Even on deep completions it seems the receiver always gets tackled shortly after. There has only been one run of 20+ yards all year. ZC for 41 in the 4th quarter against MTSU (we didn't even score on that drive). We have the talent to compete. 247 has us ranked 11th in talent on the roster and we have the same number of 4*s and 5*s on the roster as Clemson (40). What happened to speed in space? Why does it seem like our guys can't make a man miss or break a tackle? It's painful to watch all the other games where guys are regularly going for 20 after the catch or slipping out of a tackle and scoring. Explosiveness has been missing since at least the 2016 team, how do we bring it back?
October 6th, 2019 at 3:13 PM ^
Beans and Salsa
October 6th, 2019 at 3:14 PM ^
Find a QB who can get our explosive players the ball
October 6th, 2019 at 3:16 PM ^
Hire Jon Gruden?
October 6th, 2019 at 3:18 PM ^
Please take him from my Raiders
October 7th, 2019 at 11:36 AM ^
You have a seriously disturbing obsession with Shea Patterson. Seek help.
October 6th, 2019 at 3:17 PM ^
Finding a running game would be a good start.
October 6th, 2019 at 3:50 PM ^
I keep hearing that we “couldn’t” run the ball yesterday and I don’t know what game people were watching. Freaking Herbstreit repeated this and he’s usually pretty good.
Our issue yesterday was that we didn’t run enough! We ran for a sack adjusted 4.8 ypc against a good run defense. We should have run damn near every play yesterday. The OL played well and when we spread the field Iowa had super light boxes. We were gashing them on the ground from spread formations, Gattis went away from the run too much.
October 6th, 2019 at 4:10 PM ^
Yes, I saw some promise on the ground there. The TD was as good a goal-line run play as we've had in a long time.
October 6th, 2019 at 4:20 PM ^
Makes me optimistic about the OL going forward. However abandoning an efficient run game will destroy us against PSU. If Gattis gets those light boxes we have to check into a run.
October 6th, 2019 at 5:49 PM ^
I am really glad about Ed Warinner being here. I don't wish to sound negative, but I wish Michigan had a coach of his high level coaching the passing game/OC.
October 6th, 2019 at 4:28 PM ^
I only remember one rush resulting in a loss. I agree, the run game was a strength.
October 6th, 2019 at 4:37 PM ^
I was skeptical of this take .... then I went down the play-by-play list at ESPN. Lot's of promising series ended with Patterson incompletions - and that's not a rap on Shea. I think Shea's problems are occurring as a result of a combo of things.
After the long throw to DPJ for 51 yards, Iowa went to an almost exclusive use of C-2 Zone and presented M with 5 defenders v. 6 blockers at the LoS, 7 if you factor in two TEs (22 personnel fronts) that got some run.
There were a few 3 yard run plays that were well defended by Iowa winning the RPS battle by jetting a S or a LB into what they thought would be the POA (usually A or B gap) and guessed right. That result on 1st down gets a particular Gattis series off-schedule probably dictating a 2nd or 3rd down pass. Shea wasn't making those enough of the time but I think pass-play calling and design contributed to his woes. Straight up though, M's run game had some nice runs as you point out.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/playbyplay?gameId=401112194
October 6th, 2019 at 4:46 PM ^
This was pretty much my take on the game. Shea was up and down, but was hampered by playcalling and a few drops.
The playcalling was borderline bad yesterday. We had a few drops that ended drives (Black and Bell) and we had a poor effort on a catchable ball in the endzone (Black) that traded a TD for a FG.
There's a version of yesterday's game that we win 17-3 or 20-3 or even 24-3, and we all feel a tiny bit better today.
October 6th, 2019 at 5:34 PM ^
And the trick play was hampered by All falling down, leaving DPJ with no intended receiver. All was open and that's probably a big gain if DPJ throws it to him. Instead it turned into a 9-yard loss.
October 6th, 2019 at 5:44 PM ^
Actually, I don't think so. Their safety to that side read it perfectly and stayed high. He takes like 2 steps toward the LOS and then sees All start to leak as All falls down. That play was doomed.
Here's the vid: https://youtu.be/KwuBiMJokh0?t=1339
October 6th, 2019 at 5:50 PM ^
Looking at it again, you're right. Probably a short gain. Though it still wouldn't be the drive-killing loss of yardage that it was.
October 6th, 2019 at 6:02 PM ^
Yeah, bad awareness/decision by DPJ to take a 9 yard loss there. Once you see All fall down you should throw that away or go into scramble mode. Instead he just eats 9 yards and we're screwed.
October 6th, 2019 at 7:20 PM ^
DPJ play: WHY?! Was Michigan calling a trick play at all? Why that moment? It felt to me like Michigan was finding success and didn’t need any disruption and that play was a major disruption. How much practice time was spent on it?
October 7th, 2019 at 10:25 AM ^
I had a similar issue, and that is:
Why not set that play up? At no point this year (unless I'm remember incorrectly) have we run a play where a wide receiver ran behind the QB to take a handoff, and we also haven't had success with the jet sweeps, anyway.
You have to have success with jet sweeps before running a jet sweep pass. That's the trouble with having a team that doesn't get good at any one thing. The defense doesn't have to overreact to anything Michigan is doing right now, because the offense isn't good at anything. If we were good at running the ball, we could throw play action. If we were good at passing, we could run draws and screens. If we were good at jet sweeps, we could run jet sweep passes and throwbacks. If we were good at throwing screens, we could run a bubble-and-go.
Michigan's offense has no identity.
October 6th, 2019 at 4:51 PM ^
Tru Wilson brought some fire to the RB position, and in true Michigan fashion we sat him on the bench. Tru and Zach couldve down a lot more damage given the chance. 30 carries between the two of them. We WON because we didnt let them run, we almost lost because we didnt win the easy way. 4.8 per carry your way to a 24 point game. Easily.
October 6th, 2019 at 4:56 PM ^
Yep. Gattis kept trying to get things that weren't clicking to click, instead of riding what was actually clicking.
October 6th, 2019 at 6:47 PM ^
Gattis kept trying to get things that weren't clicking to click, instead of riding what was actually clicking.
That seems to be a theme with Michigan playcalling.
October 6th, 2019 at 10:11 PM ^
It keeps with the mantra that Michigan does absolutely nothing the easy way. Wide open receiver in the seam? F that, throw the blanketed sideline route. Running the ball effectively? F that, dial up two pass plays in a row or a ridiculous trick play. I said it a few weeks ago after the Army game -- we are not playing smart football. That was a dig on both the offense and defense at the time. Don Brown wised up. Gattis, not so much.
October 6th, 2019 at 5:45 PM ^
I liked what I saw from Hassan Haskins.
And Christian Turner is tougher than his size appears to be.
October 6th, 2019 at 6:03 PM ^
Turner is tough, but his vision seems to be the worst of the four backs right now.
October 6th, 2019 at 6:41 PM ^
Probably because Gattis sees all those shiny objects with those future NFL WR and Tight Ends. Probably should stick with the run first and establish that before throwing too much.
October 6th, 2019 at 6:49 PM ^
Just take what's working - all you need to establish is what the other team is giving you. If the other team is clearing out the box and running Cover 4 and Cover 6, run! If the other team is playing man or very basic Cover 2, throw!
October 6th, 2019 at 6:58 PM ^
We needed to run the edge though; quit jamming it up the middle repeatedly
October 6th, 2019 at 7:19 PM ^
Well, no, if you have a light box you're not going to call a toss to the field where they have their defenders set up.
Our RBs are missing a good amount of cuts. Running inside zone from spread formations against light boxes gets you a lot of hat on hat blocking, and it's up to the RB to make the most advantageous cut. There were a few plays yesterday where the OL had everyone blocked and Charbonnet just runs into the B gap for a yard or two, but could've bounced it and got 5+. When you've got a hat on a hat in the box and you get everything blocked, it's on the RB to make the most of everything.
October 6th, 2019 at 7:00 PM ^
1st play of game was like a quick option and got 7-8 yards, never saw that again.
October 6th, 2019 at 3:17 PM ^
When your top weapons have 13,13 and 9 receptions after 5 games it’s a problem
October 6th, 2019 at 4:56 PM ^
Wow, I didn’t realize the numbers were that anemic. Yeah, that’s definitely a problem.
October 6th, 2019 at 6:11 PM ^
Touché.
October 6th, 2019 at 6:22 PM ^
To be you're leaving out Bell and his 17 catches.
October 6th, 2019 at 7:50 PM ^
That's kind of the point
October 6th, 2019 at 3:19 PM ^
Arm punt to the insanely talented WR’s on this team.
October 8th, 2019 at 8:40 PM ^
That was basically what McSorely did at PSU. Gattis was there. Coaching WR's. Not sure what his issue is here but he seems to have forgotten everything he learned from Moorhead.
October 6th, 2019 at 3:20 PM ^
Run deep routes.
October 6th, 2019 at 3:21 PM ^
Play Dax on offense, design some plays to get him the ball. And, design and execute some plays to get our WR's the ball. And speed in space rather than slowness and indecision in space.
October 6th, 2019 at 3:51 PM ^
Don’t make Dax play in all three phases right now. Giles Jackson being more involved would be just fine.
October 6th, 2019 at 4:19 PM ^
Sounds like another Pepcat disaster. Promising talent wasted on poorly conceived and predictable plays
October 6th, 2019 at 3:24 PM ^
I have all the answers. Sadly my wife doesn’t allow me to share.
October 6th, 2019 at 3:29 PM ^
Remember the Point-A-Minute Michigan legends?
Wow, that must have been awesome.
Bo would be proud of this team. He could have a couple of Millie's cookies at halftime, take a nap and not miss any scoring.....
Hail to those Founding Victors!
October 6th, 2019 at 3:51 PM ^
“Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence...the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake, since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of explosive offense.” Washington’s Farewell Address, 1796
I, too, love the wisdom of our Founding Victors.
October 6th, 2019 at 5:08 PM ^
Does this mean we shouldn't ask Ukraine for any dirt they may have on James Franklin?
October 6th, 2019 at 5:21 PM ^
I regale the linguistics of the daddios that founded us.
October 6th, 2019 at 10:55 PM ^
Point a minute? Michigan Wolverines? Or a Michigan high school team?
It was the second game of the 1929 season, and Menominee manhandled Kingsford 150-0 — yes, 150-0. These weren’t the mighty Flivvers that you know today, and their coach atonishingly elected to keep kicking off each time the Maroons scored. It was a quirky rule which gave coaches the option of receiving or kicking off, and their coach lost his job soon afterwards.
Tallent scored nine touchdowns and he rushed for 527 yards in that game. He scored on three kickoff returns of 85 to 90 yards.
“I was so tired running up and down the field,” Tallent once told the Menominee Herald-Leader, “that after one touchdown I leaned against the goal post, out of breath and panted to one of the Kingsford players, ‘Either catch me or quit chasing me. I can’t keep this up.’”
https://ehextra.com/PrintArticle.aspx?aid=45430&uid=7485fd2a-1bbe-4851-b1c4-f38cccc8f1f7
October 6th, 2019 at 3:28 PM ^
Here's why it's so fucking frustrating. It's literally a two step process:
1. Decide to do it
2. Actually throw the ball to the open guys.
That's it. Gattis and Harbaugh know how to design plays - they haven't forgotten, despite our snark. So it's either one or the other reason. Pep, as we know, made a conscious decision to avoid big plays; in his own words, it was "about one shot a quarter." For that alone, I hate him.
But that's NOT Gattis, and it's NOT what we've seen from Harbaugh previously, so... maybe the "throw the ball to the open guy" part is the problem?
October 6th, 2019 at 6:08 PM ^
Even when Nico Collins is covered we see him catch it. So...... I don't care if he's open or covered. Throw it to him until it doesn't work.
Here he is making four catches against Ohio St last year. In one the defender fell, leaving him uncovered. But in other three he is covered. In fact,on the fourth catch he is double covered.