What can UM's staff do to make linebackers better in a hurry?

Submitted by Eastern Wolverine on

For the second year in a row UM's linebacking core appears to be the weak link on defense late in the season. This is troubling, but can it be fixed...and quickly? Last year Ryan Glasgow's injury was a huge loss but we can't blame line injuries now. What can UM's staff do to help improve the play of say Mike McCray? Is the answer simply playing a more athletic Devin Bush Jr.? I'm not football smart enough to know but it sure seems ineffective linebacker play is UM's Achilles' heel versus the run and intermediate passes on an otherwise elite defense.

If the mods feel this has already been hashed out let's move on but I'm still unsure as to the answer.

Go Blue! A big Thank You to all student athletes for working your *sses off this season!

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amaizenblue402

November 16th, 2016 at 1:17 PM ^

Because Penn State played OSU at home in a night game, with a raucous crowd, a white out. Just like we lost at Iowa. 

Home field advantage is a thing in college football. OSU would beat Penn State handily in Columbus, just like we would beat Iowa handily in Ann Arbor.

Joined: 09/18/2010

MGoPoints: 14596

LJ

November 16th, 2016 at 10:43 AM ^

Is there really that much of a problem?  We've given up 15 total points on defense over the last two games.  Iowa got 230 yards.  Every linebacker is going to struggle when singled up on a running back in coverage.  The offense has to give up other things to get that matchup.

Y'all need to relax.

Joined: 07/05/2008

MGoPoints: 18306

ChiCityWolverine

November 16th, 2016 at 11:00 AM ^

All of my thoughts exactly. Akrum Wadley is good and broke/evaded some tackles. He still only hit 115 yards on 23 carries, a solid performance but not a dominating one. It's crazy to expect the defense to have an absolutely perfect game every week. If they only give up 12 offensive points, it's pretty fucking reasonable to expect a competent offense to win the game comfortably. 

That didn't happen. The Speight injury situation confounds things, but we'll have to see if this was a one game blip or the start of a disappointing trend. 

Joined: 07/08/2011

MGoPoints: 3757

Crisler 71

November 16th, 2016 at 11:58 AM ^

This defense is built to stop spread-to-run teams..  It will have problems with Pro-style offenses like Wisconson, MSU and Iowa.  Peppers is a line backer because he can cover the wide runs.  The defensive line is a penetrating one, but not great on power plays between the tackles on standard downs.  One on one corners, and safeties if it comes to that, so that the front seven can concentrate on the gaps and wide.

I'm not worried about them for the next two weeks, but WI in the championship game will be toughr on them.

Joined: 05/23/2011

MGoPoints: 964

wahooverine

November 16th, 2016 at 2:16 PM ^

Against those teams we gave up 42 points for a 14 ppg avg. A massive chunk of those points came from MSU garbage time and Iowa's short fields resulting from turnovers which are not the defenses fault.   Against the rest of the schedule we gave up 8.4 ppts per game mostly on some early season busts.  The defense is still a top defensive unit. Few LB's aren't liabilities in deep coverage. They need to clean up tackling and setting the edge and Brown's need to adjust how we align to support that but we are still real good.  I'd be shocked if the game is a shootout. I expect the offense's performance will be the deciding factor, more so now that OKorn is running the offense.

Joined: 11/14/2011

MGoPoints: 6799

Squash34

November 16th, 2016 at 11:53 PM ^

Had 70 yards of offense on the first drive. The another 100 more from then to the forth. At that point the refs added them in getting 230 in that quarter. To me, that is not struggling with an offense. Iowa had 230 total yards on far to many possession because the offense was stagnant. To me, that is not struggling either.

Joined: 09/13/2016

MGoPoints: 3062

Jeffgetsbuckets

November 16th, 2016 at 11:55 AM ^

Right, but if the linebacker corps struggled with Wadley, imagine how they're going to do when they're faced with Curtis Samuel and Mike Weber. The buckeyes also have a much more potent run-game in general and a significantly more competent OC who you can bet will know how exploit any deficienies in our run-D.

Joined: 09/27/2016

MGoPoints: 79

1VaBlue1

November 16th, 2016 at 12:44 PM ^

Niether of them can do what Wadley did - those friggen jump cuts.  Dude went from full speed straight on to jumping 90° either direction - it was not right!  Samuel is good in space, dangerous, but they usually try to get him the ball outside or over the middle (against a Mike - D'oh!!).  Weber is more of a straight ahead power runner.  Yeah, he can cut, but he's no Wadley, Evans, or even Higdon in that department.  I expect our DL to contain him relatively well (along with Barrett when he tries to come through the line).

Samuel worries me.  But if its one player that worries you, the defense will win.  Samuel will gets his yards, but one player isn't going to beat UM if M's offense is hitting on 7 of its 8 cylinders.  I think it was banging around on 2 or 3 cylinders against Iowa...

Joined: 01/31/2016

MGoPoints: 127087

Yooper

November 16th, 2016 at 12:01 PM ^

Our defense continues to play very well, including the linebackers.  By this point in the season teams have studied each other and try to exploit certain situations.  We lost at Iowa because we didn't put points on the board, simple as that.  

Joined: 09/01/2009

MGoPoints: 11269