Michigan 24, Army 21 (OT)
What did we say about scheduling a military academy?
Army, as expected, was misery. They played trench warfare, basketball before the shot clock, bash your face against the wall ass football. They ran the ball on damn near every play at a halting 3.3 yards per carry; this worked well enough because they converted all three of their fourth-down tries. There were very few scenarios in which this game wasn't at least going to be profoundly annoying.
Michigan conspired to make it a near-catastrophe. They lost three first-half fumbles, two of which led directly to Army's pair of regulation touchdowns. The other came one play after Josh Metellus was incorrectly whistled down while picking up an Army fumble en route to the end zone. Shea Patterson was scattershot as a thrower and limited as a runner, seemingly ordered not to keep on a read-option no matter how much Army overplayed the running back. The deployment of Dylan McCaffrey was again confusing and ineffective. Zach Charbonnet churned out 100 yards and all three Michigan touchdowns on 33 carries; he also had no chance on a pair of fourth-quarter fourth downs that were dead to rights.
hnnnnnnnnnnngh [Campredon]
So there we sat, collective butts clenched, as Army's freshman kicker attempted a 50-yarder as time expired to put this game on the ultimate upset highlight reel. Cole Talley's boot slipped just wide to the right, and Michigan had new—if not wholly earned—life.
After the two teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime, it appeared the Wolverines would give that gift right back to the Black Knights. Patterson missed an open Nico Collins in the end zone before throwing two incompletions Tarik Black's way, leaving Jake Moody to salvage three points and giving Army the chance to win with a touchdown.
Then the defense, which had fought tooth and nail against the triple option all afternoon, saved the day. Aidan Hutchinson ripped through the line for a tackle for loss that set up third and long, not a specialty of Army's. As Kelvin Hopkins Jr. dropped back to pass for only the fifth time on the afternoon, Kwity Paye flew around the edge and met Hutchinson at the quarterback. Hopkins couldn't hang onto the ball and Paye eventually pounced on it, bringing a sudden end to a miserable slog.
Let's never do this again.
[Hit THE JUMP for the box score]
September 7th, 2019 at 4:46 PM ^
What I don't understand about the Charbonnet fails on 4th down and every single snap inside the 5... Remember the entirety of Michigan Harball? When Michigan had a variety of unstoppable sets to pound the ball for short yardage? Ben Mason is still on the sidelines. And yet they're running shotgun reads that get blown up, every single time.
Is Gattis' whole deal never running under center, ever, with impunity?
September 7th, 2019 at 4:48 PM ^
Wasn’t the first TD from under center.
September 7th, 2019 at 4:50 PM ^
It was. One play from under center, TD.
Anyone here able to diagnose what the deal is with Patterson's accuracy and inability to read and get rid of the ball quickly? Does he just have a much lower ceiling than many of us have wanted to admit?
September 7th, 2019 at 7:08 PM ^
Aren’t those the exact same traits that he was supposedly excelling at?
September 7th, 2019 at 4:50 PM ^
Michigan was fine running out of the gun last year. There’s no under center package, which I’m fine with. The OL’s push is bad, and that one fourth down with BVS also on the field was a weird bust of some kind with the OL going one way and the backs going the other (which could well be a Gattis-related issue).
I think the #1 issue is Shea not pulling on legit zone read blocking. I don’t know what to make of it, because it’s no mystery to anyone.
September 7th, 2019 at 4:55 PM ^
You are correct in saying we shouldnt run from under center, but we should at least have the option to do it in short yardage. Today we looked like we refused to because of... (I really don’t know why). There are running with your principles, but this was a bit excessive. I’m sure there is a package, but 4th and 2, the play calling has to be better.
September 7th, 2019 at 4:57 PM ^
I am far from expert, but it rarely looks to me like he is looking past his first read, either. He may well have been instructed not to run it today, but I think he's a player of considerable talent who gets the yips.
If Dylan were heads and tails above I assume we'd be seeing Dylan.
September 7th, 2019 at 5:17 PM ^
I agree with your last statement.
If you’re talking about his passion reads, I need to rewatch this week to see. He certainly made a couple of great snap reads away from his initial field of view last week.
A fair amount of “reading” happens presnap, followed by a pretty standard which-guy-is-open read that isn’t visible to the fan.
He has made some great throws. And he’s had some weird ones. The three passes in OT (that everybody wanted!) were... not great.
September 7th, 2019 at 5:25 PM ^
Yeah, and his pre-snap reads are, from my limited perspective, stellar. But if I try to watch the swing of his head after the snap I (often) think he's locked in on his first option. Having said that, I think that Army was playing very disciplined ball in the defensive backfield.
September 7th, 2019 at 6:18 PM ^
You're a better man than I am if you are able to rewatch this game!
September 8th, 2019 at 12:11 PM ^
Agreed. I tried, but after Shea's high school fumble on the first drive, I then skipped to the strip fumble to win the game. Made for a very quick re-watch. It was worse than when I was in the stands ...
Go Blue!
September 8th, 2019 at 12:38 AM ^
From what I've seen in Brian's UFR's is the poor throws are Shea locking onto the second or third best option on a play with the best option running at least 3 yards free of any defender. Same goes for the read option gives. Shea had chunks of yards available if he kept but handed off to the RB only to get stuffed or lose yards when it mattered the most.
To me, it truly is a lizard brain thing which is difficult, if not impossible, to coach out of a QB. It could also be called "the yips" as another poster said. I think the people that opine for DCaf probably sense it. I have been a Shea defender but I found myself screaming at my TV to start DCaf in the second half. I don't know if he's better right now than Shea but maybe he has that innate poise that we desperately need.
September 8th, 2019 at 6:58 AM ^
I have been a Shea defender as well but I was calling for Dylan too. I just wanted the QB to keep it ONE TIME! If Shea was too hurt to pull it, than put Dylan in to run it on occasion. This offense cannot work if the QB won't keep it from time to time. Guess what happens when you throw that wrinkle in? The holes up the middle open up a bit more. His performance yesterday was JOK'eske.
It's 3rd and 3 on the last drive in regulation with the game on the line, and the QB still can't keep the ball when it continues to be wide open. WTF are we doing? That was the most unpleasant, poorly coached, and poorly executed games since the RR days. I promise we will no longer be favored in all remaining games. We might be a full TD underdog at Wisc in two weeks.
September 8th, 2019 at 1:38 PM ^
My only disagreement is that you don't have to go back the the RR days to find a wretched Michigan game to watch. Most contests in the last two Hoke seasons were awful in terms of both coaching and execution. So too frankly was the Florida bowl that ended last season.
That said, this was a really un-fun game to watch, right down there with the dregs.
September 7th, 2019 at 4:47 PM ^
The offense is a concern. Several things are wrong (including the OL on running plays, something they were good at last year with the same concepts). The QB situation is bizarre.
This might portend very bad things for this season.
Or it might be a blip against an excellent (by their standards) service academy that is largely forgotten by October.
The pressure is on in two weeks.
September 7th, 2019 at 4:56 PM ^
The sloppiness is the worry. Seems like we got rid of Pep to end the era of 3 yard runs, only to import a new offense based on 3 yard runs. Plus this offense comes with the chance of complete implosion. I think the worst days of this offense should be behind us, but this is our concern, Dude.
September 7th, 2019 at 5:06 PM ^
The OL is confounding. It seems like they ought to be shoving teams like Army down the field. That said, running games sometimes come together as the year goes on. And running the QB, which I assume they'll do eventually, ought to at least help with spacing.
September 7th, 2019 at 5:20 PM ^
Running the QB will make a huge difference. The number of non-reads where there was space was startling, and frequently contributed to blocking issues—the OL was blocking 6 or more guys with 5 men.
On several stuffed plays I did a quick rewind and saw decent blocks that were swarmed by extra defenders. That’s not the OL’s fault. But there were a lot of straight-up runs that just didn’t have push, too. That’s plain weird.
September 7th, 2019 at 9:14 PM ^
I doubt the returning interior OL just forgot how to block. It’s got to be defenses clogging the lanes because they have an extra defender that we aren’t doing anything to confuse. The only other thing I think of it that Ruiz might be struggling a bit with the shift to the shot gun with no snap count. He looked like he had a couple of dorfs today. I wonder if that’s taking his focus away from his blocking.
September 7th, 2019 at 4:47 PM ^
There is something to be said for playing really poorly and still winning.
But this team cannot expect to play like that and compete for championships. Never thought a week 3 bye would be so crucial. Defense actually played pretty darn well, it’s just that army is more than happy to get three yards a play, and when the offense is playing so poorly, it actually works perfectly for Army, as they get to burn ~3 minutes per set of downs.
Hopefully the errant plays by Shea are attributed to an injury that will get healed by Wisconsin.
Good game Army, but let’s not play them again.
September 7th, 2019 at 4:47 PM ^
Our offense is fucking putrid. All this talk of “speed in space” over the off-season was smoke and mirrors. I have absolutely no faith in this coaching staff, this has Hoke’s last season written all over it. 7-5 campaign with embarrassing blowouts against +.500 teams along the way. Absolutely disgusted in this product.
September 7th, 2019 at 4:50 PM ^
Overreaction much?
September 7th, 2019 at 4:52 PM ^
We were a play away from losing to fucking Army.
September 7th, 2019 at 4:55 PM ^
So was a Heisman winner-led team last year.
September 7th, 2019 at 4:56 PM ^
Oh gee wiz I guess that means we’re going to the CFP this year!! /s
September 7th, 2019 at 5:59 PM ^
No, it means Shea Patterson is winning the Heisman.
September 7th, 2019 at 4:58 PM ^
At the risk of some smart ass comments which will for sure follow, couldn’t we make the argument that this Army team is more experienced and perhaps better than the team that lost to Oklahoma last year.
Disclaimer: I am not trying to use a transitive property here and say Michigan is greater than last years Oklahoma. Just trying to say Army is pretty dang good.
September 7th, 2019 at 4:59 PM ^
yes, and so was a CFB playoff team last year.
September 7th, 2019 at 5:00 PM ^
Just to be clear, under Hoke, we were a play away from losing to Akron and UConn, who were appreciably worse than Army... and that wasn't even Hoke's last season, when we finished with a losing record--not 7-5.
September 7th, 2019 at 4:52 PM ^
More like ShittyMessageBoardCommenter, amirite?
September 7th, 2019 at 4:54 PM ^
you seem like a real hoot.
enjoy your misery.
September 7th, 2019 at 5:00 PM ^
Maybe it's because I'm an alumnus, and a bit old-fashioned, but I find it hard to look upon kids as products. There isn't anything in your post that we haven't seen 20 times already today on the board. Is actually saying something of any importance to you whatever?
September 7th, 2019 at 5:56 PM ^
Wasn't Hoke's last season 5-7?
September 7th, 2019 at 5:57 PM ^
Bet my last bottom dollar you whined about last year’s O too.?
September 7th, 2019 at 4:48 PM ^
If you’re reading this, stop. Gonna be nothing but cancer in this thread.
September 7th, 2019 at 4:57 PM ^
Is it malignant, like the play-calling?
September 7th, 2019 at 7:40 PM ^
Thank you for the helpful advice.
September 7th, 2019 at 4:50 PM ^
If Shea is too injured to pull the ball and run, then play McCaffery.
September 7th, 2019 at 5:37 PM ^
I was surprised we didn’t go to McCaffery in the 2nd half. Thought the offense could’ve used his wheels
September 7th, 2019 at 4:52 PM ^
sparty's offense is garbage
September 7th, 2019 at 4:54 PM ^
I just hope we can get healthy and clean up the miscues. Also pull the ball every so often and profit.
September 7th, 2019 at 4:55 PM ^
Honest question:
if Army can take us and Oklahoma to the wire with that offense, and a good D, utilizing a much smaller talent base than we can have access too... why don’t more D1 schools with great recruiting run it?
Give other defenses fits instead of being yet another spread?
September 7th, 2019 at 4:59 PM ^
Tom Osborne is smiling right now.
Edit: Before I get trounced by the purists. I understand that the triple option is not the veer and that Osborne had more talent. I am just saying that they won a lot in the 90’s with a run heavy offense that featured a run first QB. They didn’t have the “best” talent.
September 7th, 2019 at 5:25 PM ^
the comments on recruiting are valid, I hadn’t thought of that. But it is intriguing. If you could pull it off it would be like being the first spread When everyone else is running pro
September 7th, 2019 at 5:58 PM ^
Osborne kept losing in the Orange Bowl to Miami and FSU in the late 80s and early 90s. He finally started to recruit those kids which was brilliant in his option scheme and in his defense.
Like most successful coaches, he was ahead of the curve on some things that made a difference to the bottom line. The lifting protocol was revolutionary for the time. Nebraska threw Spurrier's Florida team around like a ragdoll in the 95 title game.
Georgia Tech is a pretty good example of what happens when you run the flexbone scheme at a high level. You can be successful and even get to a major bowl game. But just as it's hard to get blown out in that offense, it can be hard to blow other teams out. The Tennessee game from about 4 years ago is instructive of that.
September 7th, 2019 at 5:02 PM ^
I think the same thing, but Georgia Tech runs similar stuff and they struggle to find success.
I really think it’s probably hard to get kids who have NFL ambitions to buy into an option attack. It’s perfect for Army because these guys buy into the team concept better than anyone.
September 7th, 2019 at 5:25 PM ^
*Used to run. Paul Johnson retired and that era is over.
It worked pretty well, too. But they were the ideal sort of program to run that offense and there was a hard ceiling on their success. A team like Indiana could be effective with it, without underperforming expectations.
The problem is that when you play that in a conference, your conference opponents learn to stop it. Georgia Tech had some success, and pulled upsets against teams like Georgia, but those teams they played every year learned to defend the offense and didn’t have to work hard to install new concepts to do so.
September 7th, 2019 at 6:34 PM ^
The last statement couldn't be any more false and shows how little you know about flexbone offense. Paul Johnson has a lot of wrinkles in his offense with belly, trap, counter, speed option, FB dive, pitch, veer, etc. It was a lot more diverse than Army and Air Force. Navy is the one that is the closest to what Paul Johnson runs in terms of run game diversity.
September 7th, 2019 at 7:13 PM ^
Army and Air Force have some of those wrinkles, but that is irrelevant and was never discussed in the previous post. The issue is that, whatever the "wrinkles," the unique nature of these offenses require unique defensive schemes. Teams that encounter the offenses every season, such as those in the ACC and the service academies, tend to learn what works and what doesn't on defense, and have defenses installed that they run from year to year to counter it.
Army scored 17 points against both Air Force (which did not have a winning season) and Navy last season. Those teams have less talent than Oklahoma, but Army scored 21 against Oklahoma anyway. Army's lowest scoring total last year? 14 points against Duke... which plays in the ACC against Georgia Tech.
It doesn't mean that the offenses are "solved," because they are still offenses that are very effective, particularly with the right players. But it does mean that the ability to shock and surprise with the system is reduced within their own conference against teams that are accustomed to playing them. There run out of games where the defense fields a scheme that is fatally flawed (see: Michigan-Air Force in 2012, or Georgia Tech's 45-point explosion against a good Georgia team in Johnson's first year in 2008).
I'm not even sure what you're objecting to here. It seems your main purpose is to discuss "how little [I] know about flexbone offense," which seems like an odd tack to sail. I never discussed
September 7th, 2019 at 4:55 PM ^
No mention of the 4th and 2? Only would have won the game for M in regulation or saved their asses for OT had the Army kick gone in.
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