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FORMATION NOTES: about 50/50 between 4-2-5 lineups and 3-3-5, with a couple of series in a bonafide stack on standard downs:

Michigan did pull out its first five-man DLs of the year in some goal line situations, with Jeter the extra guy. These didn't go well; the two point conversion was a run right at Jeter's face.

SUBSTITUTION NOTES: With Paye, Ross, and Lavert Hill out rotation was limited. Danna, Hutchinson, and Kemp got almost all the snaps. Dwumfour rotated with Uche about 50/50; Vilain, Jeter, and Hinton had cameos.

At LB, McGrone, Glasgow, and Hudson the whole way, give or take some dime snaps.

At DB Gray, Thomas, Metellus, and Hawkins did not come off the field; Dax Hill only got ~10 snaps. That's more situational—Michigan did not run nearly as much jetpack this week with the limited Illini passing game.

[After THE JUMP: good and then eh and then good]

Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O25	1	10	Shotgun 4-wide	3-3-5	30 nickel slide	Press one high	Run	N/A	Zone stretch	Kemp	0
Team effort; Kemp(+1) pushes to the sideline; Glasgow(+0.5 ) comes up to hit the guy releasing from Kemp at the LOS; Danna(+0.5) holds the edge; McGrone(+0.5) blitzes and comes around to finish from the backside.
O25	2	10	Shotgun 3-wide	4-2-5	4-3 even	Press two high	Pass	4	PA fly	Thomas	Inc
PA, decent pocket. Dwumfour(+0.5) comes through to force a throw a little late but pressure push. Thomas(+2, cover +2) more or less step for step and gets a PBU on an iffy ball.
O25	3	10	Shotgun trips	3-3-5	Nickel over	Press one high	Run	N/A	QB draw	Hudson	7
A give up and punt looks momentarily dangerous before Glasgow(+0.5) and Hudson(+0.5) shut it down.
Drive Notes: Punt, 0-0, 13 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O25	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	30 nickel slide	Press two high	Run	N/A	QB arc counter	Uche	-3
Power GT one way, QB pulling and a TE leading out the other. All of this is boned. Danna(+1) is unblocked backside but keeps his wits and flares out when he sees the keep; Williams has to go back inside. There he meets many people. Uche(+2) flings a blocker past him and explodes to TFL as soon as Williams stops.
O22	2	13	Shotgun 4-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press two high	Run	N/A	Inside zone	Danna	8
M blitzes Metellus off the corner and also sends McGrone. This feels like a pass blitz where Danna wants to press the LG so he can’t get out on McGrone and this creates a situation where there’s a big crease up the middle and a vacated MLB. Danna(-1) and Kemp(-1) get split and since Kemp gets the RG and has an optioned Hutch behind him I kind of think he needs to be hammering this shut more quickly; Glasgow(+1, tackling +1) goes from a zone drop to a nice tackle to hold this down; RPS -1, blitz was nerfed.
O30	3	5	Shotgun 4-wide	4-2-5	5-1 even SAM	Press one high	Pass	4	Waggle improv	N/A	Inc
Rollout, Michigan covers(+2) everyone, more or less. Metellus has the flat; flat guy turns it up. Metellus follows, there’s a tiny window that Williams can’t hit. Uche(+0.5) got a shove in that distracted Williams and ate up a little time.
Drive Notes: Punt, 7-0, 10 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O20	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	4-2-5	4-3 even	Press two high	Run	N/A	Split zone	Hutchinson	11
This looks bad for Dwumfour but it’s actually Hutch(-2) who blows this as M blitzes Thomas off the corner. This should mean Hutch dives inside to spill at worst but he just does the usual force thing and then there’s a big gap. Hudson gets thunked by a free releasing G as a ILB but is able to get the back to hit this block and slow it down. Cavalry rallies.
O31	1	10	Pistol 3-wide	4-2-5	???	Press one high	Run	N/A	Zone stretch	McGrone	15
Tempo, M can’t get aligned but things turn out okay; line slants away from this and the LBs have to rally. McGrone(-2) goes under the TE leading out and gets blocked; no funnel to help, first down. Glasgow was there.
O46	1	10	Pistol 3-wide	4-2-5	4-3 over	Press one high	Run	N/A	Zone stretch	McGrone	0
Dwumfour(-1) again goes vertical. This could be 2 but other guy trying to block him falls; McGrone(+2) shoots around this and has the speed to track down Corbin near the LOS.
O46	2	10	Shotgun 3-wide	4-2-5	4-3 over	Press one high	Pass	5	Drag	Thomas	12
Five man pressure gets Glasgow(+1, pressure +2) through clean but mesh catches pure man coverage and Thomas(-1, cover -2) gets lost in the wash for a big chunk of YAC. RPS -1; Thomas made up a lot of ground to tackle there.
M42	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide H	4-2-5	Nickel even SAM	Press two high	Pass	N/A	Arc read bubble	Thomas	6
Arc zone with a bubble attached that the QB throws. Probably shouldn’t as McGrone(-2) sucks inside on the RB and is on top of Danna, who shuffled down. Glasgow has an arc defender blocking him and will get kicked out for a chunk play. QB unwisely throws. Thomas(+0.5) gets off a block and falls, shoved by his blocker; he did force the WR inside the numbers and made him bend a bit; Hawkins(+1, tackling +1) comes up for good open field tackle. Wonky way to get 6.
M36	2	4	Shotgun trips bunch	4-2-5	Nickel even	Press one high	Penalty	N/A	False start	N/A	-5
oops
M41	2	9	Shotgun trips	3-3-5	30 nickel slide	Press one high	Pass	4	Screen	Danna	-16
Danna(+2) reads the screen and drops into the passing lane. Robinson makes a very bad decision to not throw it away; Uche(+1) is able to get up after a cut block and sack Robinson. Robinson chucks it away, they drop the grounding flag. RPS +1.
O43	3	25	Shotgun trips bunch	3-3-5	5-1 fold	Press two high	Pass	4	Drag	Kemp	5
Pocket okay for a read until Kemp(+1, pressure +1) is able to drive through a guard and compress the pocket to force a throw. This is a dink checkdown that Glasgow(+0,5, cover +1) immediately tackles on.
Drive Notes: Punt, 7-0, 1 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O29	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press two high	Run	N/A	Pin and pull	Hudson	-3
Michigan brings the thunder here with Hudson(+1) knocking over the first puller and forcing Corbin to bend around this and then extend; McGrone(+1) blasts the second guy back; Uche(+1) has a clear path for a TFL.
O26	2	13	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Pass	5	PA back shoulder fade	Gray	14
PA, cut blocks, this has to go out and can because it’s always 1 v 1. Smalling makes a ridiculous catch on a pass too far upfield but if this is thrown more reasonably Gray(-1, cover -1) still appears to have no play on it.
O40	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Pass	4	Back shoulder fade	Gray	Inc
Gray again gives a window here but this one is smaller, push; WR falls down attempting to make the catch and Gray might have a rake at the ball otherwise.
O40	2	10	Shotgun 4-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Pass	4	Scramble	Danna	Uh
Danna(+1, pressure +1) around the corner and gets held; Robinson flushed. Illinois trying to get the OPI in route again but Michigan zones it; I kind of feel like Gray(-1) should come off of this; instead he follows it all the way across the field, just like McGrone. This opens up a big pocket of space for Robinson to run in; Hutchinson(-1) runs out to track him down but misses the tackle(-1); Uche(-2) comes up and delivers a late hit. UH means they wipe the play, take away ten yards, and then mark off 5 and a first down.
O45	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Run	N/A	Pin and pull	Hudson	3 (Pen -7)
Pin and pull against a three man line sees 3 vs 2 away from the play and thus gives M a couple of bonus guys in the area. Corbin can probably get a decent gain by hitting it up off tackle; Uche(+0.5) waits unblocked a few yards off the LOS; he tries to bounce, which Hudson(+1) has covered until he gets held. Refs(-1) mess up the spot, giving Illinois the gain on the play despite the foul occurring at the LOS. RPS +1.
O38	1	17	Shotgun trips	4-2-5	Nickel even	Press two high	Pass	5	Tunnel screen	Hudson	7
Dangerous as M spends their five guys on the screen and doesn’t have a spy coming back; Hudson(+2) first dodges a WR then splits two OL to get in a tackle after 7; he can’t finish it but the delay is enough for Hawkins(+0.5) to get the guy down. RPS -1.
O45	2	10	Shotgun 4-wide	4-2-5	Nickel under	Press one high	Run	N/A	QB dart	Hutchinson	-6
Draw with the C pulling around the G. At least that is the idea. Hutch(+2) puts his guy on the turf and runs at the QB. Big gap up the middle for a second until Kemp(+1) fills it, coming off a block trying to seal him inside the B gap. QB back to Hutch, TFL.
O39	3	16	Shotgun empty	3-3-5	Dime over	Press one high	Pass	4	Throwaway	N/A	Inc
Happy feet from QB, who throws it away. Danna(+0.5) and Hutch(+0.5) pushed the pocket a bit(pressure +1) and Dwumfour was looping around them and contained a little.
Drive Notes: Punt, 14-0, 12 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O25	1	10	Shotgun 2-back	4-2-5	Nickel even	Press two high	Run	N/A	Yakety snap	McGrone	-1
Low snap disrupts timing. Fortunate for M as Kemp(-1) is turned in and Danna(-1) takes a big kickout so this stretch is likely to work; McGrone(+1) I able to TFL because of the delay. Honestly he might have gotten there anyway.
O24	2	11	Shotgun 2-back	4-2-5	Nickel even	Press two high	Pass	4	Slant	Hudson	Inc
OPI on press man guy again, Gray picked off and then goes to cover the wheel. Throw is open for 6 + YAC; Hawkins(-1, cover –1) is swapping onto this and needs to be more aggressive. Smalling mostly drops this himself but hits from Hawkins and Hudson(+0.5) help.
O24	3	11	Shotgun trips	Jetpack S	Okie two	Press two high	Run	N/A	QB draw	Glasgow	5
A give up and punt. M sends just four and drops to a zone so Glasgow(+0.5) is unfettered in part because Danna(+0.5) drove his guy such that the C got knocked around a little.
Drive Notes: Punt, 21-0, 11 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O40	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Run	N/A	Inside zone	Kemp	-2
Kemp(+2) drives the RG, disengages, and TFLs; Hutch(+1) able to win his block as well to cause the hesitation that Kemp takes advantage of.
O38	2	12	Shotgun 4-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Pass	4	Scramble	Glasgow	5
Uche(+2, pressure +2) tips that he’s coming and still fires an OL back into the lap of the QB; Hutch(+1) whips past another OL; Williams exits the pocket. McGrone(-2) doesn’t hold contain and this looks real bad for a second; Glasgow(+1, tackling +1) is able to rescue it before Williams gets a first down and maybe a bunch more.
O43	3	7	Shotgun trips	Jetpack S	Okie one	Press one high	Pass	5	Cross	Hudson	Inc
Glasgow(+1) is able to burrow through a couple of OL and force the QB to step around this mess; he tries to re-set and throw but by then Hudson(+1, pressure +2) has gotten off a cut block and blasts the QB in the back on the throw. Coverage(+2) looked like it was there for both underneath guys.
Drive Notes: Punt, 21-0, 7 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O26	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press two high	Run	N/A	Split zone	Kemp	1
Slant, McGrone(+0.5) replaces behind. He’s free. He contains. Danna(+0.5) slanted inside and took on the split block; Kemp(+1) wins his block and comes off it to tackle with help from the cavalry. RPS +1, slant got OT blocking air.
O27	2	9	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Pass	4	Sack	Uche	-3
Waggle rollout, everything covered(+3) with Uche(+1) flying out on the flat route that’s the primary read. QB stops; Danna gets juked but causes a big bend that allows Glasgow(+0.5) and Uche to rally; Uche comes up to force QB OOB.
O24	3	12	Shotgun trips	3-3-5	Nickel line slide	Press two high	Pass	4	Cross	McGrone	Inc
McGrone(+1, pressure +1) blitzes and drives the LG all the way to the QB; want him to come off this and finish but he disrupts the QB’s throw and now he’s moving around. He’s able to climb the pocket; throwing to a guy on a crossing route. Ball is not well thrown; Glasgow(+1, cover +1) gets a hand on it and knocks it down; if accurate probably no PBU but receiver likely hit/tackled short of line.
Drive Notes: Punt, 28-0, 3 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O33	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Pass	N/A	RPO slant	Metellus	18
OPI slant but this time Thomas sticks with the outside WR. This makes sense as an adjustment, so Metellus(-2, cover -2) probably has an MA here; he goes with the wheel as well, slant wide open.
M49	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Pass	N/A	Bubble screen	Hawkins	4
Tempo. Bubble handled okay, in part because the throw is a wobbler that takes a while to get there. Hawkins and Glasgow track it down; push.
M45	2	6	Shotgun 4-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Pass	4	Tunnel screen	Hawkins	6
Jet fake one way, tunnel the other. Gray(+1) is able to beat the OT coming to him and get a grab in at the ankle of the WR. Can’t tackle but does delay; Hawkins(-1, tackling -1) comes up and should be able to finish but misses. Kemp does finish but after the first down.
M39	1	10	Pistol 3-wide	4-2-5	4-3 over	Press one high	Run	N/A	Zone stretch	McGrone	1 + 15 Pen
McGrone(+1) extra deep, where no OL is getting to him, and runs down an outside run no problem. RB missed a cut as Dwumfour(-1) goes down backside. Kemp gets what is to all appearances an entirely phantom facemask call(refs -3).
M23	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press two high	Pass	5	Fade	Thomas	Inc
Quick fade, no pressure can get there. Thomas(+2, cover +2) ends up letting WR over the top but appears to allow some separation at the end here because he reads the ball and high-points it. Can’t bring in the INT.
M23	2	10	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	Nickel even	Press two high	Pass	4	Improv	McGrone	23
M sends four; stunts Dwumfour but someone doesn’t get the message as the DL doesn’t shoot down hard enough; Uche(+0.5) around at eight but falls; still he has been productive if only there was a pocket. There isn’t, pressure -2, Danna -1. M flows up to contain, too hard. McGrone(-2, cover -2) is the relevant zone defender who goes after the QB when Glasgow is closer and has it handled.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 28-7, 1 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O37	1	10	Pistol 3-wide	4-2-5	Nickel even	Press one high	Run	N/A	Zone stretch	Kemp	3
Kemp(-0.5) gets lateral but when he gets passed off to the second OL that guy is able to drive him downfield. Glasgow(+1) and McGrone(+1) are able to run up, take on blocks, and tackle, but with no support from the DT this is still 5 yards. Dwumfour(-1) completely out of the play, way behind even the backside T.
O40	2	7	Shotgun 3-wide	4-2-5	Nickel even SAM	Press two high	Pass	5	Bubble screen	Glasgow	4
M aligns such that this going to get yards without a play from someone; Glasgow flows out well but this only gets held down as the WR stumbles. RPS -1.
O44	3	3	Shotgun 3-wide	Jetpack S	4-3 under	Press two high	Pass	5	RPO slant	Hudson	14
This is the play where two M players leap at a slant. This goes about six inches past the outstretched hand of Hudson; Hawkins(-1, cover -1) is further inside and sucks further outside; Gray is giving up inside leverage so that these guys can make a play.
M42	1	10	Pistol 3-wide	4-2-5	4-3 over	Press one high	Pass	4	Scramble	Danna	7
Danna(-1, pressure -1) is the edge defender unblocked; he goes very vertical and gets beat to the outside. Coverage(+2) good.
M35	2	3	Pistol 2TE	4-2-5	4-3 even	Press zero	Pass	N/A	RPO slant	Gray	Inc
This is a nine man box, more or less, with both safeties at six yards. Both guys suck in on PA, Gray(-2, cover -2) plays this like he expects safety help when it really seems like he should not expect safety help. WR slows down route, which is lucky.
M35	3	3	Shotgun trips bunch	3-3-5	30 nickel slide	Press one high	Pass	4	Scramble	Uche	9
Uche(-1) and Hutch(-1) get split and lose pocket integrity (pressure -2).
O26	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Run	N/A	Split zone	McGrone	4
Tempo, M still getting lined up, RPS -1. McGrone(-1) reacts late, gets contacted four yards downfield; Glasgow(+0.5) does not have similar issues. Kemp(+0.5) and Hutch(+0.5) both do pretty decent jobs to get to the hole and make it narrow, with diving tackle attempts. McGrone’s absence pushes this to a decent gain.
O22	2	6	Shotgun 3-wide	4-2-5	4-3 even	Press one high	Pass	4	Waggle comeback	Gray	Inc
Waggle, Hutch(+0.5) contains okay. Only two guys in the route and both are covered(+2), QB throws to the deeper one anyway. Ball is OOB, if accurate Gray(+1) and Metellus(+1) both in position to INT.
O22	3	6	Shotgun trips	Jetpack S	5-1 fold	Press one high	Pass	5	Fade	Hutchinson	Inc (Pen -10)
Hutch(+2, pressure +2) zips past the C and gets held, flag. QB still has to drift away; McGrone(+0.5) comes up on the edge to force a throw; Thomas(+1, cover +1) in the pocket of the WR, ball is off anyway.
O32	3	16	Shotgun trips	3-3-5	30 nickel slide	Press one high	Pass	4	Rollout cross		Inc
Rollout away from this guy’s throwing arm and that’s ambitious. Uche(+0.5) contains through an RB block; Hawkins(+1, cover +1) has this route blanketed on a throw that’s nowhere near.
Drive Notes: FG(50), 28-10, 10 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O20	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	4-2-5	4-3 even SAM	Press one high	Pass	5	PA slant	Hawkins	9
Hawkins(-1, cover -1) way off and has no shot on this slant. Metellus(+1, tackling +1) with a stick. RPS -1; presnap alignment and blitz made this difficult to deal with.
O29	2	1	Shotgun 3-wide	4-2-5	4-3 even	Press two high	Run	N/A	Split zone	Hutchinson	3
Tempo, M still getting set and doesn’t react well(RPS -1). Hutch(+1) slides down inside the TE and gets a tackle attempt in; spun through but still a potential stop if he get support. He doesn’t. McGrone(-0.5) does come up to contain but late and that’s a conversion.
O32	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	4-2-5	4-3 under	Press two high	Run	N/A	Zone stretch	Kemp	4
Tempo, M does get set. Stretch, and everything seems like a push? Not quite. Dwumfour(-0.5) flows down the line; he’s in a good spot but then gets shoved downfield a bit. Kemp(+0.5) delayed enough by a cut for a crease but helps narrow it down and gets a tackle attempt in from the side. Glasgow(+0.5) does run this down from the backside quickly to prevent more damage.
O36	2	6	Shotgun 3-wide	4-2-5	4-3 even SAM	Press two high	Run	N/A	Power GT	Danna	12
I don’t get this from the line. Hudson shifts down late to the run strength; Illinois pulls away from this and uses an H-back TE to cut off Hutchinson. Hudson blitzes uselessly at the backside of this play, so slant away? Eh, no. Line sort of collapses down from both sides. This is a worst of both worlds situation. Free release for an OL to McGrone. Danna(-1) collapses down and gets sealed inside. McGrone is able to climb over that guy, but has to go at speed and then eats a lead OL. Glasgow tries to come down but with no funnel direct to secondary. I’m filing this as RPS, I guess. Hawkins(+1, tackling +1) shut this down well after to broke to the second level. RPS -2.
O48	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	4-2-5	4-3 even	Press one high	Run	N/A	Pin and pull	McGrone	1
McGrone(+1) and Hudson(+1) both read this well, flowing pretty much on the snap. They get to the pulling OL a yard in the backfield. Hutchinson(+0.5) got sealed inside but dives upfield to bother the back and prevent thoughts of a cutback that wasn’t going to get much but probably more than a yard.
O49	2	9	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	30 nickel slide	Press two high	Pass	5	Dumpoff	Thomas	Inc
Pitch PA, M doesn’t bite. Coverage(+1) good for one read and then Robinson bails; he can get to #2 but doesn’t have the patience. McGrone and Uche are both in the area but not that threatening; Robinson moves up and then throws a long slow pass to a guy at the LOS. Thomas(+0.5) comes up to hit and prevent a completion but this was a gimme for him.
O49	3	9	Shotgun trips bunch	Jetpack S	5-1 fold	Press one high	Pass	5	Fade	Metellus	35
Pocket comfortable (pressure -1); QB punts it up. Metellus(-3, cover -2) massively misjudges this ball when he did good work to get over and should be able to at least PBU.Gray(-1) gets separated from as well and cannot do anything on this catch.
M16	1	10	Pistol 3-wide	4-2-5	4-3 over	Press one high	Run	N/A	Zone stretch	Dwumfour	6 (Pen +5)
Tempo, M still lining up. Dwumfour(-2) shoots straight upfield, easy reach. McGrone(-1) goes upfield, doesn’t funnel to help. Glasgow(+1) is able to get over to this anyway, this is just as impressive as the Williams tackle. M had 12 on the field. RPS -1.
M11	1	5	Shotgun 3-wide	4-2-5	Nickel under	Press one high	Run	N/A	Split zone	McGrone	2
Stunt on backside opens up a big gap as Danna fires down and gets cut off by the TE while Dwumfour loops outside. Kemp(-1) gets a little push but goes down in the backfield. M fortunate here as OL violates Never Turn Upfield and tries to track Dwumfour instead of blocking McGrone(+0.5), who takes advantage and tackles in the hole.
M9	2	3	Shotgun 3-wide	4-2-5	4-3 under	Press one high	Run	N/A	Split zone keep	Glasgow	0
Man, TE pulls Hudson backside as Danna dives inside to cut off lanes. Bad pull read from QB. Probably doesn’t matter as Dwumfour(+1) blows his guy into the backfield; Kemp(+0.5) and Hutch(+0.5) bracket; this is going nowhere. Neither is the pull as Glasgow(+0.5) and Hudson(+0.5) contain. RPS +1.
M9	3	3	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	Nickel under	Press two high	Pass	4	Rollout out	Dax Hill	3
America’s Rollout Out. This version drives the press corner and has Dax Hill(+1, cover +1) at S come up and hit on the catch; possible dislodge, but WR hangs on. This is still short, albeit barely.
M6	4	In	Pistol 3TE	Goal line	Goal line	Press zero	Run	N/A	Iso	N/A	1
They get it.
M5	1	G	Shotgun 2TE	4-2-5	4-3 over SAM	Press zero	Run	N/A	Inside zone	Dwumfour	1
Dwumfour(+1) able to penetrate and force it inside of him even though he falls; Kemp(+0.5) gets down the line and creates a narrow window that Hawkins(+0.5) shuts.
M4	2	G	Shotgun 2TE	4-2-5	4-3 over SAM	Press zero	Run	N/A	Inside zone	McGrone	1
Dwumfour(+0.5) doubled, able to paw one guy past him, and he goes down. McGrone(+1) attacks, able to get around this guy as he goes down and show up at the POA at the LOS. Kemp(+0.5) flows down line against a block and helps stop momentum; D rallies.
M3	3	G	Shotgun trips bunch	4-2-5	Nickel unver	Press zero	Pass	5	Improv	Hudson	Inc (Pen +1)
Hudson(-2, cover -2) gets beat to the inside on a corner route and holds such that he draws a flag . Uche(+1, pressure +1) cut off the outside and stopped a throw that probably scores at a picked Metellus on ARO again. Kemp(+0.5) and Danna(+0.5) make that pay off, except for the penalty.
M2	1	G	?	?	???	?	Run	N/A	?	N/A	1
TV misses this play almost entirely.
M1	2	G	Goal line	4-2-5	Goal line	Press zero	Run	N/A	QB sneak	N/A	1
They get it.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 28-17, EO3Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
M36	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Run	N/A	Reverse	Hutchinson	2
Reverse; Hutch(+1) reads it and able to get out to the numbers on this, bending the WR and delaying him; Hawkins(+0.5) and Metellus(+0.5) are able to rally and force it out after a short gain.
M34	2	8	Shotgun trips	3-3-5	30 nickel slide	Press two high	Pass	4	PA rollout fly	Gray	21
M in zone; PA, with a QB keep. Watch the RT move two yards downfield, have no one, and dead stop. QB rollout, WR fakes like he blocks, Gray(-1) gets beat to the inside, Metellus(-1, cover -2) bites on the keep, understandably, WR gets over the top for a chunk.
M13	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Run	N/A	Zone stretch	Kemp	4 (Pen -10)
Set-ish, still dodgy. DL holds a the LOS, mostly; Kemp(+1) gets yanked to the ground and is probably useful enough to stop this for no gain or close enough if he doesn’t suffer the hold.
M23	1	20	Shotgun trips	4-2-5	Nickel even	Press one high	Pass	5	Tunnel screen	Hudson	19
Various issues. Hudson(-1, cover -1) failing to read the screen and going with the WR way too long is the first; a five man rush that doesn't have anyone spying is another. Gray(-2, tackling -2) airballing a tackle and letting the WR outside is a third. RPS -2.
M4	2	1	Shotgun 3-wide	4-2-5	Nickel even	Press zero	Run	N/A	Split zone	Danna	1
Dunno what Corbin sees here but the cut to the TE is pretty obvious as Kemp(-1) gets fired downfield a bit. He extends to sideline; Dwumfour(+0.5) gets a decent win at the LOS; Danna(+1) gets outside and is going to surge upfield to cut this off when he gets held, Nth WTF no hold on an edge run this year, refs -2. McGrone(+1) able to get to this at the LOS but RB’s momentum wins. Danna is the king of blindingly obvious holding calls that aren’t.
M3	1	G	Shotgun 2TE	4-2-5	4-5 even SAM	Press zero	Run	N/A	Speed option	McGrone	2
Nice playcall as M blitzes Glasgow and Danna slides inside only to get cut; McGrone(+0.5) is out in space and takes an angle that allows QB to cut inside; he’s just able to get him down. RPS -1.
M1	2	G	Shotgun 2-back twins	Goal line	Goal line	Press zero	Run	N/A	Split zone	Kemp	1
Not a they get it; Kemp(-1) goes over and Danna can’t make it up.
M3	PT	PT	Shotgun 3-wide tight	5-1-5	5-1 over	Press zero	Pass	6	Improv	Thomas	Inc (Pen +2)
Danna(+2 pressure +2) bursts through the line; QB rolls out. Danna grabs him but QB is able to get off enough of a pass to draw a flag as Thomas… gets a hot garbage PI call. Mutual handfighting, Thomas grabs jersey as WR pushes off to create separation. Woof.
M1	PT	PT	Shotgun twin TE	5-1-5	Goal line	Press zero	Run	N/A	Inside zone	Jeter	1
Jeter(-1) beat on a single block, RB walks in.
Drive Notes: Touchdown(2PT), 28-25, 13 min 4th Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O25	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	4-2-5	4-3 under	Press two high	Pass	5	Sack	McGrone	0
PA rollout. McGrone(+4, pressure +1) fires at this. He goes upfield. He grabs the QB and stuns him with the fact that he’s no longer moving, then punches the ball out. Glasgow(+1) recovers. That’ll do.
Drive Notes: Fumble, 35-25, 8 min 4th Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O12	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	4-2-5	4-3 even	Press two high	Pass	4	Bubble screen	Thomas	1
Thomas(+1) able to threaten inside and then pop back outside of his blocker when the WR takes the bait; he meets the guy at two yards and that's’ that. Nice play.
O13	2	9	Shotgun 4-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press two high	Pass	4	Sack	Hutchinson	-12
Hutch(+2, pressure +3) goes WOOP on the RT and gets instant pressure. QB is just able to dodge him but Danna(+2) comes from behind and hits, raking the ball free. Kemp(+1) catches it and nearly scores.
Drive Notes: Fumble, 35-25, 6 min 4th Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O25	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	4-2-5	4-3 even SAM	Press two high	Run	N/A	Zone stretch	Dwumfour	-2
Dwumfour(+0.5) pushes to the backfield; he falls but mess, RB forced outside. Hutch(+0.5) there to bottle that up. Cutback from RB met by Kemp(+1), who dodged a cut and fended off another block to get here.
O23	2	12	Shotgun trips	4-2-5	Nickel even	Press two high	Pass	4	Slant	Gray	Inc
Behind the WR on a quick throw; push tackle likely if completed.
O23	3	12	Shotgun trips bunch	Jetpack S	Okie two	Press two high	Pass	4	Sack	Uche	-3
Happy feet a bit; good pocket as Danna(+0.5) and Hutch(+0.5) are in spots to prevent an easy pocket exit; Uche(+1, pressure +1) is able to come back off an OL and sack.
Drive Notes: Punt, 42-25, EOG.

It was all going so well, and then WHAP

Bit of a thing where they score a TD with the assistance of a bust and a weird call and you're like whatever and then you blink and they've put up 25 straight, yeah.

And then BANG, turnover turnover goodnight.

Ah yes the reassertion of dominance by the alpha male keeps the pack in line.

I feel alarmed that Penn State is just going to go POW

are we doing a Batman thing

Not on purpose until the last one.

Ah.

Well, Penn State is a bit outside the scope of this column but despite the general Rutgers feel of the first 25 minutes of game time, Illinois is not in fact Rutgers. They had a guy run for 8.5 YPC last year and have a functional, occasionally zesty offense that makes sense even if they have no quarterbacks. Their offense currently sits 52nd in SP+; Rutgers is 108th. This is not Rutgers.

Look, here's a chunk play from the second half. Watch the RT release, get two yards downfield, and stop dead because he doesn't want an illegal man downfield penalty; then watch the WR bait Gray and get over the top of him:

This is not Rutgers. The offense didn't dorf things and make it easy; it's well coached. How this unit exists on the same team with the Illinois defense-type substance I don't know. Illinois did annoying things that picked up chunks of yards despite having a giant personnel deficiency across the board. I think Rod Smith might be a pretty good coordinator. Look, a screen!

Bet on a five man rush, delete the guy left in the middle of the field, profit. I wish we could run a screen.

Anyway, let's check that drive summary:

• 6 3-and-outs, 1 first-down-and-out
• 28 yard drive ending in punt, 31 yard FG drive, 36 yard TD drive
• 67 yard TD drive, 80 yard TD drive
• nearly back to back game-killing fumbles

That's 14 drives in a weird game with a lot of quick turnovers/scores. Nine are very good; three go about 30 yards, and two go most of the field. Illinois—again, a decent offense—does not crest 300 yards*. All of them come in one brief burst, and then Michigan crushes two TOs out of them to end the game.

It's fine?

*[unfortunately the blocked punt distorts this since it shows up as a –32 yard rush, but even when you add it back total yards for Illinois: 288.]

Is it?

Yes, pretty much. Some guys came in with substandard performances; as a whole this was a performance mostly on par with the usual.

Defensive Line
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Paye				DNP
Dwumfour	4	5.5	-1.5	Got reached a few times.
Kemp	12.5	5.5	7	Second consecutive productive day against bonafide B10 OL
Hutchinson	13.5	4	9.5	Main driver of fumble #2, other near solo TFL, consistent.
Danna	12	5	7	Solid day, got some rush.
Uche	11	3	8	Not a +22 like his stats suggest but another productive day in 50% of snaps.
Jeter		1	-1	Got hit on 2PT conversion
Mason				Only offense
Hinton				DNC
Vilain				DNC
TOTAL	53	24	+29	No one was overwhelming but together, ah yup
Linebacker
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Hudson	7.5	3	4.5	Blew up one dangerous screen, couldn't do it twice.
Ross				DNP
Glasgow	12		12	find this man a sixth year
Gil				DNP
Anthony				DNP
McGrone	16	10.5	5.5	Mouton gonna Mouton when young
Barrett				DNP
TOTAL	35.5	13.5	22	extensive discussion
Secondary
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Metellus	2.5	6	-3.5	fade error created ILL TD
Hawkins	4.5	4	0.5	Some nice tackles, couple poor coverage bits.
Lavert Hill				DNP
Thomas	7	1	6	3 PBUs, no completions against?
Gray	2	8	-6	Got got a few times. Missed tackle on screen was important.
Dax Hill	1		1	Set up a fourth down.
Woods				DNP
TOTAL	17	19	-2	Big gains should have been defended better.
Metrics
Pressure	18	5	+13	Couple of busted pockets but otherwise the usual.
Coverage	21	19	+2	Uncharacteristic.
Tackling	6	4	+2	Higher numbers than usual here as more space opps.
RPS	4	13	-9	Tempo, tempo, tempo.

The parts that didn't live up to the usual:

• RPS, where Michigan struggled with tempo and got hit with some screens while conjuring up no free runs on their blitzes. The tempo gets charged to Harbaugh; it's close enough to zero otherwise to shrug.
• CB #2, which was a struggle.
• Josh Metellus making two big errors.
• Cam McGrone doing everything good and bad.

In addition you had Dwumfour struggling on the ground.

The tempo stuff was familiar. There was a notable difference in Michigan's efficacy against stretch plays when Illinois went uptempo. The first snap of the game was a stretch on which Kemp was able to push to the sideline and string it out with help from a number of different players:

DT #2 to top

But when struggling to get set, Dwumfour had a few incidents where he shot directly upfield and got reached pretty much immediately:

DT #50 to bottom

When that happens the opposition is getting yards, it's just about how many.

It seemed like tempo put Michigan in a default mode where they were worried about getting set and getting off on the snap, so they just got off as hard as they could and were thus vulnerable to the stretch. This is almost exactly what happened to Mo Hurst in the 2015 Indiana game. The Hoosiers, still a Kevin Wilson #chaosteam at that point, wore Hurst out by edging him on stretch plays after tempo.

He adapted later in his career. Hopefully the same process plays out here. Dwumfour didn't have much opportunity to contribute because of this approach, and Michigan's going to see it until they're better at it.

Man that is a gap between the two corners.

Yeah. We haven't talked much about Michigan's outside cornerbacks in… well, years. Last year they went virtually unchallenged until OSU, and that was all Watson getting torched. This year opponents are testing them more, and Ambry Thomas has come through vastly beyond expectations given his colitis.

He picked up another few PBUs in this game, generally when he was step for step with Imhatorbhebhe and able to get his head around:

CB #1 to top

This near INT saw Thomas high-point the ball in challenging conditions; the separation there appears to be because Thomas read this ball better than Imhatorbhebhe:

Imhatorbhebhe is enormous so there's always a window. Thomas made it as small as possible and was comfortable finding and doing something with the ball. PFF's "passer rating when targeted" stat always has a lot of caveats that come with it, especially when you've faced the schedule Michigan has, but he's leading the country.

Thomas also turned in a really nice play on a bubble that probably should have got more yards:

CB #1 to top

Baits the guy outside and then shows up when the WR tries to edge him. Thumbs up.

Thomas got lost in the wash on a drag route for his only charged minus; he was up for it against a very burly, leapy USC transfer.

Gray, on the other hand, had a rough day. He whiffed on that first and 20 screen, turning it from a good play to a TD waiting to happen…

CB #31 to bottom

…and he was beat a couple times by Smalling and Imhatorbhebhe without getting his hand on a ball in compensation. Michigan escaped a likely Imhatorbhebhe TD when he played an RPO like he expected safety help when the safeties were at 6 yards.

Redshirt freshman three-star M flipped from Mizzou, so not a total surprise he'd crack at some point this year. I liked this era when the state spat out a bunch of high-end CBs and Michigan got them all. Wary of what happens next year.

And then McGrone is exploding in all directions.

He has young linebacker disease. He goes under everything. When it works, it's an impressive +lots play:

And when it doesn't he gets a –2. This chunk off tempo is actually contained decently since the LBs get on their respective horses to deal with a line slant, but McGrone goes under the OL and doesn't funnel to Glasgow and Hutchinson, so a decent gain (four yards?) turns into a chunk:

MLB #44

We've been talking a lot about Jonas Mouton because his Janus-like performances have been relevant to a few different players this year, but McGrone takes the Mouton crown because this behavior is literally the thing that drove me craziest about Mouton. It's linebacker heroball.

Other negative events were also young LB stuff like failing to read a pull…

LB #44

…allowing the QB to break the pocket on the scramble Glasgow tracked down, and vacating the middle of the field on Illinois's opening TD:

LB #44

That's a lot of issues directly traceable to McGrone; thus the double-digit negatives.

He did a lot of good stuff, too. He displayed an ability to go thump people that hadn't been a prominent part of his game before. It's one thing to get a free run or dodge a running back. It's another to meet a guard and put him in the QB's lap:

LB #44 blitzing

He also hammered that guy on the Hudson shatter machine pin and pull and made a nice play with Glasgow to come up and hit OL, then collapse on the back:

both LBs

When not presented with a situation where he needs to give himself up so someone else gets a tackle he plays his run responsibilities really well. Here he diagnoses pin and pull early and gets to the puller in the backfield, then runs through him for the tackle:

McGrone didn't get a free run at the QB all day and still racked up a bunch of plays.

I am very much on board the McGrone bandwagon, but it's clear why he started the year a little ways down the depth chart. He makes big errors with some frequency. Thus far he's made up for them and then some with explosive, game-changing plays. And he turned one of those in, which pushed him over to the positive on the day.

I think we're going to have to live with the heroball a bit longer, because it's worth it. But I also expect that Josh Ross will have an opportunity once he returns—they'll yank McGrone after a –2 to send a message.

Will they play Ross at WLB maybe?

Maybe, but jeez Glasgow's game was even better in detail. He did not take a wrong step, and erased a bunch of other folks' mistakes. After the Rutgers game everyone was like "Glasgow is slow" and then uh

LB #29

Okay.

That wasn't his only rescuing tackle in space; earlier he shut down a very dangerous zip up the middle from Illinois before it could get to the safeties:

LB #29

That set up a third and five and a three and out.

He also was able to rescue a McGrone goes under situation by getting to the sideline despite not being the playside LB:

All of these involve going fast in a straight line against a guy who's not trying to juke him, a la Blackshear. Maybe that's a weakness. If so, I'll take it in exchange for what he brings to the table.

Glasgow also created a QB pressure by burrowing through the interior of the line. That created a delay that allowed Hudson to whack the QB on the throw:

LB #29 standing between NT and DE to bottom

Plus blitzer, excellent sideline to sideline, reliable tackler. Draftable? Not crazy, right?

That's a weirdly uniform DL grading there.

Yes; everyone except Dwumfour came in with a B+/A- game. Each guy got hit by Illinois at points, racking up 4-5 points of minuses. Each guy slid over 10 in the positive department.

The process of doing this was most encouraging for Hutchinson, who added to his list of eye-opening pressures. Nobody out there is Tristan Wirfs, who he got last week, but the Illinois right tackle is coming off a PFF All Big Ten season and he got smoked a couple times by Hutchinson. This is an attempted QB run play that never comes off:

DE #97 to right

He drew a hold on a quick interior(!) move:

NT #97

And the sack/strip that set Michigan up at the one was mostly a Hutchinson activity:

DE #97 to bottom

If he can get that increment better and be a true edge rusher at 280 you're looking at a high draft pick when the time comes. He's a true sophomore who's gone straight up ever since his commit; no reason to believe he won't get there.

Danna finished the play Hutchinson started above and had a day where he pushed the pocket to pick up a bunch of scattered positives without thunderously introducing himself. He's a good player, and a tremendous luxury to have.

Meanwhile, it took longer but Kemp is coming into his own a bit, maybe? He's moved from a guy who doesn't do much against Big Ten lines to one who has a decent amount of impact. He had a solo TFL on which he drove a guard and disengaged…

…and this was not a common sight last year. Or an extant one. He got a little rush, too. I think the Illinois line is decent—probably better than the interior guys for Iowa—but PSU will be the test for Kemp against an upper-echelon-ish Big Ten line.

I thought Uche would have a zillion points?

Uche's game was a bit less impressive than his statline—5 TFLs, 3 sacks. One of his sacks was an intentional grounding when Robinson didn't throw a screen; a second was Williams running out of bounds in the backfield with Uche the nearest defender. His numbers were rough justice for his play this season even if he wasn't as impactful as they imply.

He did turn in some of the usual OL destruction, don't get me wrong…

Standup DE #6 second from top

…but this game didn't feature the whiz-bang dip-around-at-eight-yards stuff that he's so good at. Instead he chipped in points here and there, dropped into coverage some, and helped string out runs. In a way that's even more encouraging.

But it's not a recipe for +22.

What happened to MGo-Fave-Rave Josh Metellus?

Metellus had a couple of big errors and that'll sink a safety's rating every time unless they do some crazy stuff. The first was what looked like a missed switch. Illinois was running that thing MSU used to where the inside receiver would run a wheel that picked off the press man guy. Michigan decided to switch it, with poor results. Here Hawkins hangs back way too much and should give up nine yards until Ricky Smalling does what comes naturally:

S #20 to top

When Illinois came back to this later Metellus did not switch:

S #14 over slot

That was an 18 yard chunk that got the first Illinois TD drive underway.

Then he did this goofy thing:

S #14 to top

That's a 35 yard chunk on third and nine where he is over the top. The wind clearly causes him to misjudge the ball; hopefully that won't be a major issue going forward when the wind isn't the trademark downstate Illinois unpredictable cyclone. The WR should be the priority, anyway: it's third and nine, an interception is barely better than an incompletion, if it is at all.

One MA and one big error will muck up your day; this is very much an outlier and I don't expect a repeat going forward.

Any tags you are overjoyed to unearth?

Yessir.

Khaleke Hudson's been a good player for a long time now and has about justified our hype for him when he was coming out of high school. The one thing he hasn't done that we thought he might is rack up the bone-jarring, fumble-causing hits that induced the "khaleke hudson shatter machine" tag. It's been sadly dormant. No longer:

LB #7 moving to bottom of line

Note that McGrone gave the other puller the business, too. This was not a banner play for the Illinois OL.

Any complaints you need to complain about to prevent your liver from getting choked?

Yes!

After a sometimes-frustrating game against Iowa where Michigan had a couple of seemingly obvious holding calls go uncalled, Michigan again got a mixed bag on one specific event: an edge player getting upfield/outside of their blocker and trying to release. This got called:

(Somehow this turned into first and 17, by the way, despite the hold being in the backfield.)

This did not:

DE #4 to bottom

That's about the fourth one this year where you're just baffled.

Also in this category, I've looked at Kemp's facemask penalty way too much and there's just nothing there.

"Tell me about it" –the Detroit Lions

Quien es el hombre del mundo?

Did you just butcher that?

I don't know?

I guess if you knew you wouldn't have butchered it. Mr Worldwide:

1. Jordan Glasgow. Covered up for McGrone heroball impeccably. Kenny G hair and bear shirt means elevation to icon is as unlikely as Pitbull's. Growing up with Ryan and Graham as older brothers must have been a lot like hanging out under a highway overpass.
2. Mike Onwenu. Underappreciated by the Michigan fanbase no matter how many Midseason All-America lists he ends up on. (Oops there's another one.) Mashing blocks helping Mayfield keep it together. Is essentially a highway overpass with feet.
3. Nick Eubanks. Made his teammates better by moving guys out of their way, particularly on the Bell catch and run. I have no idea what is relationship to highway overpasses is.

Standings:

8: Mike Onwenu
5: Khaleke Hudson, Jordan Glasgow
3: Zach Charbonnet, Mike Dwumfour
2: Carlo Kemp, Ronnie Bell, Josh Uche
1: Ryan Hayes, Josh Metellus, Nico Collins, Mike Danna, Nick Eubanks

Heroes?

Glasgow. Thomas. The DL minus Dwumfour.

Maybe not so heroic?

Metellus and Gray had iffy days.

What does it mean for Penn State and the future?

Tempo: not fixed. Illinois might have done Michigan a favor by revealing how Michigan hasn't really changed much from last year in this department.

McGrone has young linebacker disease and Glasgow is covering for it. I have resumed believing Glasgow is draftable. McGrone has all the potential in the world and is already pretty good but he's not Devin Bush, the guy who had an NFL All-Pro dad and had the world downloaded by year two. Freshman Ryan Shazier, maybe?

Danna: starter-caliber. I mean, approximately. Maybe not a star but a good player.

Slight Gray worries are warranted. Difference between Gray and Thomas suddenly looks a lot bigger. In part because Thomas was excellent. I wouldn't get bothered about the Metellus errors, we have enough of a track record to indicate those are rare.

Kemp might be breaking through? That's two Big Ten OLs he was more than Just A Guy against. Bad Big Ten OLs? Probably. But last year he was JAG against those lines. PSU will be interesting.

Hutchinson is going to be a dude next year. Approaching dude this year.