alaric jackson

Resources: My charting, Iowa game notes, Iowa roster, CFBstats

Yep, it's Iowa.

The film: Yep, it's El Assico. Yes, Iowa has played two of Michigan's opponents—Rutgers and MTSU—since their 38-14 opening romp over Not THAT Miami. The only one of those with a pulse was ISU, a rain-soaked event in Ames that ended in a perfectly El Assico 18-17. For the un-EDSBS initiated, this rivalry is referred to "El-Assico" because it takes place early in the season before either team has really had a chance to remember how to football correctly. This particular episode will probably be the example we use in the future to show what that means. There was a rain delay. People were falling down. Linemen and linebackers, possessed by evil spirits, ran right past eminently hittable opponents to attack ghosts, or teammates.

Personnel: My diagram:

PDF version, full-size version (or click on the image)

Two NFL-bound OTs are the highlight here of course. Tristan Wirfs is a donkey-hatin' Taylor Lewan minus two inches, and easily the best run blocker I've ever charted. Left tackle Alaric Jackson, the Detroiter who was all set to sign with Michigan until Drevno didn't send an LOI, has been out most of the season with a knee injury. He dressed but did not play last week versus MTSU, and is listed second on the depth chart at LT this week behind Wirfs. I'm guessing they'll try to get him out there, but he won't be 100%. He has a star for past performance, which had him PFF's top offensive tackle in the conference and one of the best pass protectors in the nation.

In the event Jackson can't go, Iowa has been playing around with two responses, both fine. One is to put one of the twin vikings, sixth OL Levi Paulsen (+3.5/-0, –1 pass pro), at right tackle and move Wirfs to left. The other is to leave Wirfs where he is and play a redshirt sophomore named Mark Kallenberger (+3/-1, –0.5 pass pro) at left tackle. I think they believe Paulsen's a better run blocker, but I thought Kallenberger was the better answer; he's less refined but a load as a run blocker, athletic enough for pass pro (Paulsen is more of a guard), and allows Wirfs to stay at right tackle, where he's more comfortable smashing puny humans' faces into dirt.

[after THE JUMP: EL ASSSSSIIIICCCCOOOOOO]

Mailbag! Most of these are twitter questions. I'm not answering anything that's directly addressed in the upcoming season preview, so if your question didn't get picked maybe that's why. Maybe.

does BPONE fit under any of the categories of mental disorder listed in the APA's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders?

— RYCERATOPS ᕕ[ ᐛ ]ᕗ (@ryanmopo) August 20, 2019

The Black Pit Of Negative Expectations is not a mental disorder, it is a defense technique based on a rational extrapolation of past feelings to future events. BPONE trades lower highs for higher lows and is thus a wise approach for people who may wander into the streets to rend their clothing and wail without BPONE.

BPONE is therapeutic. Never tweet during BPONE.

If McCaffrey plays every game, is it a couple of 2nd Quarter drives, or is it a couple of one-off plays each game? Or something else?

— Jonathan Drouin (@JonDrouin) August 20, 2019

To me, "play every game" implies more than some goofy one-off trick plays. If I had to bet, we're going to see McCaffrey get one or two drives per game. This isn't a Henson/Brady situation where the starting job is truly being contested during the season—Patterson is the starter. It is a spot where Michigan has so much faith in their backup QB that it makes sense to get him some meaningful reps in case Patterson is unavailable at some point.

[After THE JUMP: quit asking me about worst case scenarios you BPONE maniacs]

Sponsor note. In addition to getting you out of trouble if you punch a police horse facilitating your small business through the vagaries of contracts and, uh, legal stuff, Richard Hoeg now has a podcast about law as it impacts the games business:

If that seems like your jam, subscribe away. If not, keep Hoeg in mind whenever you get a great idea for a small business or punch a horse. 

It has been stressed to me that if you punch a horse you're on your own, at least in re: Hoeg. I'm sure there are other lawyers for that kind of stuff. Ron Kunstler? 

So Signing Day is in December now. It was… yesterday? Tuesday? Something like that. Nothing happened except the ejection of Amauri Pesek-Hickson from the class; Pesek-Hickson landed at Kansas. Pesek-Hickson seems pretty pissed off. His coach is less so:

Coaches typically bring the hammer down on schools they feel have mistreated their players during the recruiting process. Pesek-Hickson has now publicly stated his belief that he was mistreated by Michigan. Yet when Sims was asked if there will be any issues with Harbaugh recruiting Blue Valley North in the future, he shot down the notion without equivocation.

“Oh no, no, no, no,” Sims replied.

“As far as my feelings with Coach Harbaugh, he has always been upfront and honest with me. He has always done an awesome job every time he has come into my school. He is a great coach from my vantage point.”

“So, I think moving forward, I don’t see any issues that would ever keep Coach Harbaugh out of any one of my schools.”

Webb asserts that Michigan made it clear that a grayshirt was a possibility, and… I mean, when they don't sign you in December* what do you think that implies? Do you receive this news and think "this is fine"?

Michigan probably shouldn't have offered the kid but rather encouraged him to keep his options open past the early period. But also the father's story doesn't pass the sniff test.

*[Quinten Johnson did sign, FWIW, but it was kept quiet so his high school could do a signing day thing.]

2019 basketball recruiting isn't done. Michigan's setting up a visit with Lester Quinones, a 6'5" shooting guard:

Among the schools on him the hardest?

“Maryland, LSU, Michigan, Memphis, Georgia, Ohio State, Pitt, and Miami, been texting a lot.”

Visit plans?

“Michigan is the next visit. It’s getting planned, there is no exact date."

Quinones has a commitment timeline of "late spring," which should give Michigan enough time to determine whether they're suffering attrition, whether it's NBA or otherwise, and thus have a spot for him.

[After THE JUMP: Kansas crocodile tears, Nik Stauskas as an NBA badminton, wyd Tim Drevno]