dylan mccaffrey is fast like a mccaffrey

(I wrote two this week. Second, longer one will post tomorrow)

Whether Michigan was correct to go for two to make it an 18-point game with over 20 minutes to play against an opponent with a top-15 offense is an argument best left for people who care if a team runs up the score.

HOW Michigan got its two-point conversion however is much more of mystery, thanks to ESPN's director failing to capture the play until a second after the snap, or show a review. I thought it highly unfair that Ryan Day gets the all-22 of this while Michigan fans never get to find out what happened. So I watched it a lot. And I'm pretty sure here's what happened:

Michigan used the old swinging gate tactic, caught at least one IU player (the WLB) napping, and ran a QB sprint option with the snapper as pitch-man and a travel pass option (plus two pick routes).

[After THE JUMP: How it worked, and how is it legal?]

It was far from a flawless debut. Two Michigan fumbles, including a Shea Patterson miscue on the season's first play from scrimmage, led directly to Middle Tennessee State touchdowns. The receivers couldn't haul in a handful of catchable passes. The offensive coaches repeatedly tried a two-quarterback package that produced little but confusion. The O-line couldn't get the needed push on a fourth-and-goal. The second-string secondary yakety saxed a late deep ball into MTSU's third touchdown.

The natural progression of the season should work out many of those problems, however, and what was left was exciting indeed. Examine Michigan's opening drive of the second quarter, for instance, if you want to understand the optimism surrounding first-year offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. After a Patterson keeper for five yards, Gattis called consecutive run-pass options to free up Tarik Black for big gains, then a conventional play-action bomb to Nico Collins for a leaping 28-yard touchdown. Four plays, 67 yards, no huddles, 1:14 off the clock, seven points. This isn't last year's Michigan offense.

There were other signs of a contender. Blue chip freshman running back Zach Charbonnet got the start, ripped off a 14-yard gain on his first career carry, later added a 41-yard dash through contact, and made multiple blitz-killing pickups. Christian Turner made some nifty cuts and displayed surprising power, while Dylan McCaffrey hardly had to use his arm to move the offense downfield. Michigan finished with 252 rushing yards at 5.9 a pop.

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Deep fly to right-center. [Fuller]

The aerial attack didn't quite produce as much, though that had more to do with gameflow than anything else. Before the quarterback shuffling began, Patterson looked comfortable and confident; he began the game 15-for-20 for 188 yards and three scores before scuffling to a 2-for-9 finish in a choppy, frippery-filled second half. Collins and Black looked dominant, combining for 129 yards and two scores on nine targets and seven catches. Sean McKeon bulled through a safety to finish off a 28-yard touchdown up the seam. True freshman Cornelius Johnson reeled in a difficult catch when he plucked a comeback route out of the air that he appeared to expect over the other shoulder.

The defense also had a somewhat uneven performance, letting MTSU QB Asher O'Hara rip off some annoying runs, though they were relatively dominant statistically until the backups ceded a 59-yard touchdown pass deep into garbage time. That allowed the Blue Raiders to edge over 300 yards; unless Michigan's secondary depth is tested against a stronger opponent it shouldn't be too relevant. It felt like the defense could do more—perhaps because Lavert Hill not only muffed a punt but also let an easy pick-six slip through his fingers—but in reality they did about as much as they could.

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Ambry Thomas stood tall in the secondary. [Patrick Barron]

We may have even seen a couple questions answered. While injuries held Donovan Peoples-Jones, Donovan Jeter, and Jon Runyan Jr. out of the game, cornerback Ambry Thomas took his place in the lineup after fighting off colitis. He made an impact, too, cutting off a throw to the flat for a leaping interception, then later coming up with a fumble recovery.

His cornerback counterpart, redshirt freshman Vincent Gray, was the biggest unknown in the starting lineup, and he passed his first test with flying colors. Gray looked adept in coverage and fought through traffic for a few jarring, no-YAC-allowed tackles in the flat. With Thomas evidently healthy, Gray looks like the third corner everyone hoped would emerge.

Not everything clicked tonight. That's a season opener for you. Even with the errors, you didn't have to squint much to see a very dangerous football team on the Michigan Stadium turf.

[After THE JUMP: the box score]

[Eric Upchurch]

SPONSOR NOTE: Reminder that Matt is hanging out at the Charity Tailgate at 327 East Hoover (if you were at the preseason MGoEvents this year and last it's the same place). Food trucks, beer, TVs, and also those things. When not tailgating Matt is also a person who will get you a mortgage right quick from the comfort of your own home. If you need one, he's the man, man.

FORMATION NOTES: A bit more balanced, with Michigan going shotgun (or pistol) on about 40 snaps and under center on the other 30. All murderback snaps were three TE ace sets:

Nebraska stuck in a 3-4 with their line shaded to the run strength for most of the day, frequently adding their strong safety into the box after starting him from the gray area.

SUBSTITUTION NOTES: Patterson, then McCaffrey and Peters at QB. No Milton, boo. At RB Higdon a clear #1, Wilson a clear #2, and Samuels sprinkled in on a couple carries before garbage time. By the middle of the third it was Samuels and a debuting Christian Turner. Mason got some run at RB, obviously. Jared Wangler got some backup FB snaps.

Collins and DPJ your primary outside WRs with a healthy dose of Oliver Martin, who stayed out there deep into the game. Ronnie Bell got a bunch of second-half snaps; Ambry Thomas got three total. TE the usual with maybe a little more Eubanks because of the 3TE sets and garbage time. Redshirt freshman walk-on Carter Selzer got snaps in the fourth quarter, which is a definitive statement that Schoonmaker and Muhammad are redshirting.

OL was the usual on both first and second units, except that Michigan brought in Andrew Vastardis at C after one drive and bumped Stephen Spanellis out to RG. Stueber and Paea got the last drive.

[After THE JUMP: down G over and over]