FORMATION NOTES: First, a complaint. This game was spent in extreme pore-o-vision when Minnesota had the ball so there are a number of plays where I have no idea what the coverage shell is because I can barely see outside the box. Many attempts are extrapolated guesses.

Anyway: Michigan's defense threw a lot of stuff at Minnesota. I try to keep the charting relatively high level—I don't want to have to have a different name every time a guy is in a different gap—but that was a challenge here, so there's stuff like "5-1 fold"—LB on LOS tucked inside a DE—and "5-0 shift"—a 5 man front with no linebackers and the three DL all to one side of the center. Even that can fail to grasp things that Brown does that are odder. Here's a thing that's nominally an under shift but also uh lookit that gap:

This was the Barrett chest imploder.

Also debuting: off coverage!

CB #4 to bottom

Michigan also did a bunch of shifting when Minnesota checked, so various one-high or two-high safety assertions do not necessarily reflect what Michigan ran. Tough on charting, good for the unpredictability of the D.

SUBSTITUTION NOTES: Much less rotation here than on offense. Gray, Green, and Hawkins did not leave the field. Presumably Dax Hill would not have either if he wasn't forced to by what's supposed to be a minor injury. Makari Paige replaced him; before that he was the nickel. After it was Hunter Reynolds, who got maybe a half-dozen snaps. (Probably, see above.)

The LB corps was similar, with McGrone, Ross, and Barrett getting the vast majority of the playing time until midway through the fourth quarter. VanSumeren got the 3-3-5 snaps; Anthony Solomon got some run late. Als appearing late in the game: David Ojabo (as a SAM) and Kalel Mullings. Walk-on Adam Shibley got a couple of snaps in the first half for whatever reason.

On the DL Paye and Hutchinson were nearly omnipresent. Upshaw and Vilain got a few snaps. DT is the only spot that saw real rotation. Kemp got most of the snaps; Jeter and Hinton were about even behind him, and Welschof got a dozen or so snaps. Smith got in for one snap late.

[After THE JUMP: well, your Dax is on the fritz, that'll do it]

Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
M17	1	10	Shotgun TTE	4-2-5	4-3 over	Off two high	Run	N/A	Duo	Hutchinson	3
Hutchinson(+1) drives the inline TE back and sheds him. Barrett(+0.5) drives into the wing guy and contains. Ibrahim has nowhere to go except straight ahead. He is able to grind out YAC impressively. Kemp(-1) got blasted out by the double and is not able to provide any support. McGrone is running hard straight at Kemp’s blockers and gets buried but I don’t know if that’s the plan or not.
M14	2	7	Pistol offset 3-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Half press two high	Pass	4	Waggle cross	McGrone	14
Stack look threatens BVS and sends Barrett, picked up. Michigan executes a Paye/Jeter twist badly as Jeter(-1) stops instead of driving hard to his left to carve a route. Waggle means rolling away from Paye anyway and there’s no edge because o the twist. RB in flat is wide open as Ross(-2, cover -2) bites hard in PA and will probably give up a TD if thrown. Not thrown because guy deeper is also wide open as McGrone(-2, cover -2) bites hard.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 0-7, 12 min 1st Q
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O25	1	10	Shotgun TTE	4-2-5	4-3 even SAM	Press two high	Run	N/A	Duo	Barrett	4
Barrett(-0.5) on the LOS against a TE and gives ground. Hutch(+0.5) rips down his guy and pops up in a gap but can’t quite get back over to the back. McGrone comes off a block to the interior to help finish. If Kemp(-0.5) was able to hold his ground better McGrone is free and probably able to hold this down more.
O29	2	6	Shotgun 2TE	4-2-5	4-3 even SAM	Press one high	Run	N/A	End around	Kemp	-5
Kemp(+3) has the guy over him pull and shoots the gap in a flash, almost taking the handoff. He goes after an assumed RB/QB mesh; ball actually goes to a WR, but he has to gingerly step over the C Kemp obliterated and falls.
O24	3	11	Shotgun trips tight bunch	4-1-6	Dime over	Press one high(?)	Pass	5	Sack	McGrone	-10
I don’t know who’s on the field but Paige is and Ross probably isn’t. Hutch(+0.5) fires hard inside on his stunt and draws attention; McGrone(+2) gets a step on the RT and dips around him, grabbing the QB and throwing him off; can’t quite finish. Welschof(+1) looped around the other side and does. Pressure +2.
Drive Notes: Punt, 7-7, 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	Nickel under split	Press one high?	Pass	5	Sack	Barrett	-5
The thundersack and TD. Barrett over the receiver to the boundary with Hawkins stacked right behind him. M shifts line heavily to boundary, so Minnesota is like what’s with this line shift, not what’s with the secondary stack. M does nothing? No slant, no blitz, just willing to get hammered if they run. Barrett tears off the corner; there’s no one to pick him up because of the line shift, and hellooooo nurse. Barrett(+2) has a free run but does have to redirect off the back to sack and delivers a must-fumble clean blow. Jeter(+2) fired his guy back for a point and then is able to catch and score with the fumble. RPS +3, pressure +3.
Drive Notes: Defensive touchdown, 14-7, 7 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O10	1	10	Shotgun TTE	4-2-5	4-3 even	Press one high	Run	N/A	Power O	Paye	0
This should work. MN runs a power-type substance. Kemp(-1) gets a double but he’s just gone. So you’ve got Hutch fighting inside to cover that ground and the puller steps to him; Hutch fights inside, and the puller steps around him. Now there’s a gap the outside with Barrett and Hill your defenders. They’re getting blocked and trying to get off those blocks when Paye(+2) comes around from the very back side of the play and tackles the back, saving Michigan a big chunk. Freak list play.
O10	2	10	Shotgun twin TE	4-2-5	4-3 even SAM	Press two high	Pass	5	Fly	Green	45
Paye(+2, pressure +3) smokes the LT and will blindside sack on anything that isn’t an instant throw. This is a baked in quick fade route so blah. Green(+1, cover +1) in tight coverage and gets his head around for the ball but WR pushes him past(refs -3) and comes back to a poorly thrown ball. Racin’s rubbin.
M45	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	4-2-5	4-3 even SAM	Press two high?	Run	N/A	Insert iso	Barrett	5
This looks weird as Paye dives inside an OT expecting to kick him out and then goes outside of the FB to funnel back inside, but I think it’s supposed to be insert iso. Jeter(-0.5) gets a single block and doesn’t give a ton of ground but does get turned and can’t do much. OT released downfield after Paye dove inside and harassers Barrett(+0.5) but he’s able to scoot past him and get in an ankle tackle attempt that Ross finishes.
M40	2	5	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Pass	4	PA stop and go	Hill	Inc (Pen +15)
Straight play action. Crushes the LB level, which ends up a yard from the LOS, but there’s no route behind these guys. Instead Bateman tries to sell Hill(+2, cover +2) on a slant and then goes. Hill mirrors this and is in terrific position; he makes some contact as the ball arrives but the ball is yards overthrown so what are we doing here(refs -3)?
M25	1	10	Shotgun twin TE	4-2-5	4-3 even SAM	Press two high	Run	N/A	Edge pitch stretch	Barrett	3
This is a better play than the spike Barrett(+2) will have later. He’s on the LOS, gets a TE block, sheds it, and is able to tackle Ibrahim after a couple yards when this is the first outside run of the day for Minnesota. Hudson-esque. Michigan was going to contain this after a few more yards, probably, with Hawkins coming up, but against this team three vs five yards on first and ten is very big.
M22	2	7	Pistol offset twins	4-2-5	4-3 under	Off one high	Run	N/A	Iso	Ross	9
Michigan’s deployment here doesn’t make much sense. they’re shifted away from the TE/FB, they send Barrett off the edge again, and they don’t slant back to the strong side. Paye(-1) gets clunked back two yard by a tackle. Ross(-1) is on the edge and sort of shuffles down the LOS instead of setting an edge; he takes a block and then a second guy knocks him over. Hawkins(-1) tries to fill on the edge but isn't in position, gets a blocker and may get slightly held. Someone did something wrong here. FWIW, Hinton(+1) got depth and shed so if forced back he had a good shot at a play.
M13	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	4-2-5	4-3 under	Press one high	Run	N/A	Split zone	Hutchinson	0
Stunt does work here for M as Hutch(+1) is able to fire inside so far that he cuts off B gaps as Kemp pulls around him. TE who is split blocker whacks Hutch. Barrett has him in man and is now free on the edge; he should tackle but RB stumbles. RPS +1.
M13	2	10	Shotgun trips tight bunch	4-2-5	4-3 over SAM	Press two high	Run	N/A	Zone stretch	N/A	11
Stunt kills M. DT twist on a zone stretch just runs Welschof out of the play and Kemp(-1) goes upfield, getting cut by the backside tackle(!). That means M DTs occupied zero interior OL. Bad news. Hutch(+1) stands his guy up and forces a cutback inside the hash, which is usually great, but no one there. Barrett(-1) got clunked by his blocker. RPS -2.
M2	1	G	Shotgun twin TE	4-2-5	4-3 over SAM	Press zero	Run	N/A	Duo	Barrett	2
Again Barrett(-1) against a Minnesota TE and he gets ejected. Hutch(+1) is able to stand up his guy and shed to start a tackle at the LOS; Hill joins in, but Ibrahim makes it anyway. Dude is a dude. Called back for illegal formation, oof.
M7	1	G	Shotgun twin TE tight	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press two high	Run	N/A	Jet sweep	Barrett	-4
Barrett(+1) gets slid back to safety here and they run a jet sweep at his side of the field. BVS is at LB level and causes some confusion, with two Minnesota players going after him. Barrett jets past, slowing Bateman. McGrone(+1) has cut through trash and explodes to the spot to finish it. Green(+0.5) beat his block and was likely to be useful if necessary. RPS +1, stack gave M a lot of chasers here.
M11	2	G	Shotgun trips tight bunch	4-1-6	Dime over	Half press two high	Pass	4	PA Y Cross	Green	Inc
PA, Michigan gets some pressure but it’s more about Minnesota not blocking Barrett(+0.5), who runs up the middle. Closing speed still nice. Green(+1, cover +1) in press on the target and is step for step with a play on any ball. Overthrown. Pressure +1.
M11	3	G	Shotgun empty	4-2-5	Nickel over	Press two high	Pass	4	Dumpoff	Paye	1
Ojabo(+1) in as a standup end. He dives inside, drawing the T, Paye(+1, pressure +2) loops around this. Morgan dumps it to a guy at the LOS with no chance.
Drive Notes: FG(29), 14-10, 1 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O25	1	10	Shotgun TTE	4-2-5	4-3 even	Press one high	Pass	5	RPO hitch	Ross	8
Pore-o-vision so I don’t know why this is so open. M seems to be playing very soft. Ross(+0.5, tackling +1) does a very good job to limit the damage here. Cover -1. Jeter almost batted this down FWIW. RPS –1.
O33	2	2	Pistol offset twins	4-2-5	4-3 even SAM	???	Run	N/A	Split zone	?	7
This has to be a bust as there’s a fullback moving opposite the line and he has no one to block until Dax Hill. M backs three guys off here so it looks like they’re more or less conceding the first down and don’t want to give up a big play. RPS -2.
O40	1	10	Pistol offset twins	4-2-5	4-3 over	Press one high?	Run	N/A	Split zone	Hutchinson	0
M far more aggressive here and it pays off. Hutch(+1) rips down a TE and shows in the intended gap. Kemp(+0.5) does a better job of holding up. He gets crunched and ejected eventually but not immediately and absorbs two blockers the whole play, McGrone is free. RB cuts back; Barrett(+1) took on the FB block and beat, it standing Ibrahim up with a stick tackle as Hutch forces the play to him.
O40	2	10	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	Okie	Press one high	Pass	5	Slant	Hill	9
M shows heavy pressure and tips a blitz, Minnesota checks. Hill(-1, cover -1) has Bateman in the slot by himself, tough ask, and gets beat, no contest on the catch but immediate tackle. Hutch(+0.5) is driving an OT into the QB, no throw that takes longer than this is going to succeed.
O49	3	1	Wildcat twin TE	4-2-5	4-3 over SAM	Press one high	Run	N/A	Split zone	Barrett	3 + 15 pen
Barrett(-1) on LOS, loses against TE. He gets controlled and pushed downfield. Hutch(+0.5) gets some depth and gets a tackle attempt in, which is unfortunately high and draws a facemask flag. Hawkins(-1) comes in and gets decked by the split zone blocker, so real hard to hold up when you’ve got two guys losing.
M33	1	10	Shotgun 4-wide	3-3-5	Okie slide	Press one high	Pass	5	Flare	Ross	-4
M baits this as they shift their line to the field away from the back, and then they back Ross out and shoot him laterally just before the snap. Minnesota takes the bait, throwing the flare. Morgan throws it very badly, inducing the a catch that results in a no contact TFL. Ross(+0.5) likely had this dead to rights anyway. RPS +1.
M37	2	14	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press two high	Pass	N/A	RPO slant	Ross	14
Ross busts here. Hill is sent off the slot and will crunch any run that cuts back to the field side. Ross(-2, cover -2) still steps up to three yards deep and vacates the RPO slant spot he’s supposed to be in. If he’s there and forces a delay this is a repeat of the Barrett sack. RPS +2.
M23	1	10	Pistol 2TE	4-2-5	4-3 even	Press two high	Run	N/A	Zone stretch	Hill	3
Refs(+3) miss an incredibly blatant defensive hold on Hinton, who takes a double, is about to get sealed while a playside guy releases, and then yanks him to the ground. This is beyond rubbin’s racin so -1. This gets called 90% of the time. Deleting a blocker allows McGrone(+0.5) to shoot a gap and push Ibrahim outside, where Hill(+1, tackling +1) flies up and thumps him. YESSIR, shouts someone on the sideline
M20	2	7	Pistol 2TE	3-3-5	Exotic	Press one high	Run	N/A	Zone stretch	Welschof	4
BVS tucked inside Hutchinson and next to Welschof. Minnesota checks to a run directly at this. Hutch(-1) flies upfield and goes to the ground after a shove. BVS(+0.5) and Welschof(+0.5) both get single blocks and stalemate them at the LOS, then come off for tackles as RB creases the line.
M16	3	3	Shotgun trips tight bunch	4-2-5	5-1 fold	Press one high	Run	N/A	Duo	Hawkins	16
M has five guys on the LOS who all go and an overhang safety to the boundary. MN run strength to field. MLB runs… to boundary. Hawkins(-2) also dives inside a flanked TE block, which loses leverage and is about all she wrote. Ross(-1) has to be stepping the wrong way as well. Hill does miss a tackle here but there’s so much room—he’s barely outside the hash—that I don’t think it’s worth a minus.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 21-17, 9 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O25	1	10	Shotgun TTE	4-2-5	4-3 even SAM	Off two high	Run	N/A	Zone stretch	Hutchinson	5
Paye(+1) drives his guy and extends, cutting off a potential gap as Jeter(+0.5) sort of gets scooped but moves the second guy so far he’s probably fine. RB cuts back all the way. Kemp(-0.5) in the right area but off balance and turned 90 degrees so he can’t get a tackle attempt in. Hutch(-0.5) went a little vertical on the snap and can only tackle from behind after five.
O30	2	5	Shotgun TTE	4-2-5	4-3 even SAM	Off one high	Run	N/A	Edge pitch stretch	Hutchinson	1
Hutch(+1) drives through a double and forces both guys to stay with him for the play. Barrett is force and gives some ground; push. McGrone(+0.5) is free and tracks and tackles in a little space; Green(+0.5) comes up with a stick to prevent a fall forward.
O31	3	4	Shotgun trips bunch	3-3-5	5-1 nickel	Off one high	Pass	5	Slant	Green	Inc
McGrone(+0.5) comes from depth and charges over a cut block from the RB; QB shuffles feet. Hutch(+1, pressure +1) is bursting through and forces a throw. Throw is behind his WR and Green(+1, cover +1) PBUs. Not +2 because this is well behind but Green probably has a play on anything but an inch perfect ball.
Drive Notes: Fake punt(nope), 28-17, 3 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O25	1	10	Shotgun trips	3-3-5	Okie	Off one high	Pass	5	Screen	Hutchinson	0
Ojabo in at SAM. M has stunts on and one of them loops Hutchinson(+1, tackling +1) into the interior, where he sees the screen develop and runs right into it underneath the OL. RB is able to get around him; Ojabo(+1) sees it to and shed a guy to contain, allowing Hutch to come back and tackle. RPS +2.
O25	2	10	Shotgun trips	3-3-5	5-1 shift	Half press two high	Pass	4	Slant	Green	4
M with a zone blitz; cover two with a clear gap where this slant goes. Bateman falls, saving M 3-5 yards of YAC. 42 seconds left with Minnesota on their 25 so no funny stuff.
O29	3	6	Shotgun empty	3-3-5	Nickel under	Press two high	Pass	4	Improv	Hutchinson	Inc
Hutch(+1, pressure +1) bull rushes the RT directly into the QB. QB flushes. He throws a dangerous ball that is exactly on point and almost a great leaping reception by a guy Barrett and McGrone(+0.5, cover +2) are all over.
Drive Notes: Punt, 35-17, 37 seconds 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O29	1	10	Shotgun TTE	4-2-5	4-3 even SAM	Press one high	Pass	4	Throwaway	Hutchinson	Inc
Hutch(+2, pressure +2) blows through a TE and discards him, flushing Morgan in a hot second. Morgan dumps it OOB.
O29	2	10	Shotgun 3-wide	4-2-5	Nickel over	Press one high	Run	N/A	Inside zone	Hinton	7
M twists the DTs; Hinton(-1) loops around Kemp and gets met by the RT; he gives ground and ends up upfield out of the play. Hutch(-1) gets moved and locked out by a FB briefly but does almost come around to tackle; Ross(+1) blitzed, shooting past a G set up to block him and nearly tackles himself.
O36	3	3	Shotgun trips	3-3-5	5-0 dime slide	Press one high	Run	N/A	Inside zone	N/A	5
Morgan sees M’s weird D, which is a five man box on third and three, and checks into a run right at BVS and Ross, lined up as the right side of the five man front. BVS backs out at the snap, McGrone is send from the other side. So you've got Paye lined up head on against the center and Ross trying to hold this down with no LB support. Ross(+1) actually does a great job here to rock his OL back and come off to tackle but Paye isn’t a nose and gets a chip from a guy who has no one to block so he loses and it’s a conversion. RPS -2.
O41	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	5-1 fold	???	Run	N/A	Duo	Hutchinson	0
This probably isn’t going anywhere anyway but Hutch(+2) explodes through the RG and knocks RB off balance as he tries to cut back. Ross(+0.5) there to clean up. This was at the backside of the line where M had BVS and McGrone but M had Ross read and react and was going to be there unblocked; looked dangerous on the other side of the line though as Kemp does not fight over a gap. RPS +1.
O41	2	10	Shotgun 2TE tight	3-3-5	4-3 slide	???	Pass	4	Waggle TE Y cross	Paige	15
PA, boot, zone from M. Paige(-1, cover -1) takes a false step early despite the lack of anyone in the flat and that step is about the difference between this, which is a shoulder block tackle after the catch, and a contest.
M44	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	4-3 slide	???	Run	N/A	Duo	McGrone	7
I assume this is a bust by McGrone(-2) because three guys slant to the boundary and LB action should go the other way. BVS(-1) gets blown out here; Barrett does a decent job to come off his block and help tackle. Hawkins comes up to mitigate the damage. I want to RPS minus this but I’ve decided it can’t be what was run.
M37	2	3	Shotgun TTE	4-2-5	4-3 over SAM	Off one high	Run	N/A	Zone stretch	Jeter	4
Jeter(-1) goes vertical and gets reached. Hinton(-1) also goes vertical; he doesn’t get reached but ends up running four yards upfield. Big gap between the two DTs. Ross(+1) again delivers a blow to an OL and gets off his block to tackle in a dangerous situation; McGrone(+0.5) is able to do something similar.
M33	1	10	Shotgun TTE	4-2-5	4-3 over	Off two high	Pass	4	PA TE seam	Green	Inc
Green gets inverted back to safety here and is able to read the QB and step in front of his throw for a PBU(+2, cover +2). This is PA, not an RPO, so Morgan would have time to come off and see Bateman, who is open near the sticks. It’s probably not as bad as it looks since Barrett will come over if the QB’s eyes move but it’s probably a completion. Morgan is sped up.
M33	2	10	Shotgun 3-wide	4-2-5	Okie	Press two high	Pass	4	Slant	Paige	24
Hutch(+2, pressure +2) swims around a TE in a flash and will sack on anything but this throw. This is out in rhythm and Paige(-3, cover -1, tackling -2) gets beat for a no-contest completion. Then he airballs a tackle, losing leverage, and this goes from third and short to first and goal.
M9	1	G	Shotgun trips TE	4-2-5	Nickel over	Press one high	Run	N/A	Duo	Barrett	4
Tempo, unbalanced from MN, lot of pointing presnap. This almost goes well as Hutch(+0.5) initially gets depth and cuts off a lane inside where Kemp(-1) is getting doubled and eventually is going to end up on the ground. Barrett(-0.5, tackling -1) comes up quickly and puts a hit on Ibrahim. He’s able to spin through it and then there’s no help because Kemp is gone and McGrone went to go hit an OL on the other side because everyone is worried about DT doubles. You don’t want Barrett to fall off this but the reason this gains yards is mostly that the interior isn’t holding up.
M5	2	G	Shotgun twin TE	4-2-5	4-3 even SAM	Press zero	Run	N/A	Duo	Hutchinson	5
Hutch(-1) does get washed here. Barrett(-1) gets spiked by a TE and gives a bunch of ground and Hawkins(-1, tackling -1) gets a tackle run through.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 35-24, 9 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O18	1	10	Shotgun TTE	4-2-5	4-3 even SAM	Press two high	Run	N/A	Duo	Paige	25
M backs off to a 4-3 look with no SAM just before snap. Kemp(+0.5) holds up against double decently and Hutch(+0.5) stands his guy up; RB cuts back. Paige(-3, tackling -2)) is unblocked and should have this dead to rights but is hesitant at first and then overruns it, losing leverage without touching Ibrahim. Gray(-1, tackling -1) gets stiffarmed as he tries to adjust.
O43	1	10	Shotgun TTE	4-2-5	4-3 even SAM	Press one high	Pass	5	PA slot fade	Gray	38
PA, M DL is understandably very convinced. Kemp(+0.5) and Paye(+0.5) do get some pressure after a beat; push. This is a chuck at man coverage, Gray vs Bateman. Gray has the jersey on the shoulder and doesn’t let go, fair call. Also Gray(-2, cover -2) just falls down, though, leaving this uncontested. Not great.
M19	1	10	Shotgun TTE	4-2-5	4-3 over	Off one high	Run	N/A	Duo	Ross	3
Line slants. Kemp(+0.5) gets a bit of penetration to cut off some frontside gaps. McGrone blitzes and is a yard in the backfield a little further inside but may get a little too aggressive and create a gap. Hinton(+1) took a double and chucked a guy to the ground. RB cuts back; Hutch well outside, TE releases to Barrett, Ross free. Ross(+0.5) plays this conservatively but ends up in a lot of space and is able to shut this down without a lot of damage. Hutch(-0.5) fought upfield of a force block and makes this hole bigger and harder to shut down.
M16	2	7	Shotgun trips tight bunch	4-2-5	4-3 even	Press two high	Run	N/A	Belly	Kemp	5
This feels wrongly aligned or something. M is in event with a heavy MN formation to their left and the LBs both go right without a slant. M twists Hutch and Kemp(-1); Kemp comes off tight, doesn’t try to set an edge, and gets shoved back a couple yards. Barrett(-0.5) is a little passive and takes a hit that rocks him back but is at least able to get off the block and help tackle. Hawkins(+0.5) comes up and hits a WR and also helps tackle but this is an easy backside cut that Ibrahim immediately hits. RPS -1.
M11	3	2	Shotgun twin TE	4-2-5	4-3 even SAM	Press two high	Run	N/A	Duo	Hutchinson	3
The dilemma of M’s D. So Hutch(-1) overpenetrates here and gets cut behind after driving his guy. Next to him Kemp(-1) twists with Jeter and ends up three yards downfield. He takes two guys with him but he’s gone. If Hutch doesn’t go erase that gap same result, probably? Barrett(+1) does a nice job to get his guy rocked back and disconnects to tackle but no support so fall forward and first down.
M8	1	G	Shotgun TTE	4-2-5	4-3 over	Press two high	Run	N/A	Duo	Hutchinson	4
Very similar cut off the backside as LBs flow hard in the direction the OL steps. Paige(-2) is force and tries to come inside well before Ibrahim commits, so he bounces. He’s going to score except Hutch(+1) has shed a TE and gets in a shoestring tackle.
M4	2	G	Shotgun twin TE tight	4-2-5	4-3 under	Press one high	Run	N/A	Belly	Hutchinson	0
Designed cutback as entire left side of line blocks down. Barrett(-1) and Hawkins(-1) gets blasted and bowled over. Green is unmolested but that doesn’t seem likely to go well, and then Hutch(+3) blasts the tackle back and grabs Ibrahim to spike him to the ground.
M4	3	G	Shotgun TTE	4-2-5	4-3 even sam	Press zero	Pass	4	Slot fade	Green	Inc
Green(+2, cover +2) step for step and gets his hand up to mirror Bateman. The ball is the only ball that gets over Green’s hand and Bateman can touch; it clangs off. Can’t do this much better. Green got that arm grab in for good measure.
M4	4	G	Shotgun TTE	4-2-5	4-3 even	Press zero	Pass	4	Improv	N/A	Inc
This is a solo route for Bateman with the other WR running a fake tunnel, whole goal is to get their best WR to beat M’s corner. Bateman stumbles. Green(+0.5) is in his pocket. Improv time; M lets Ibrahim get open in the back of the endzone (cover -2) and Morgan misses.
Drive Notes: Turnover on downs, 42-24, 1 min 4th Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O25	1	10	Shotgun twin TE	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press two high	Run	N/A	Duo	N/A	14
3-3-5, no blitz, so Jeter and Hutch both get doubles. Hutch throws one guy to the ground but there is another guy. Jeter steps left; McGrone steps left. McGrone(-2) has been filling gaps with DL in them most of the night. If he’s able to get over and even gesture at blocking this gap Mohan(+1) instantly shed a TE and is coming around hard; he’ll tackle. Instead chunk.
O39	1	10	Shotugn twin TE	4-2-5	4-3 even	Press two high	Pass	N/A	RPO scramble	Paige	2
Morgan pulls for some reason. He’s looking at Paige(+1, cover +1), who isn’t biting and is underneath this route the whole way. Pull is wrong, pulled, Morgan scrambles.
O41	2	8	Shotgun TTE	4-2-5	4-3 over	Press two high	Pass	4	PA TE wheel	Gray	Inc
PA, comfortable pocket for Morgan(pressure -1) though the nature of the MN offense makes it hard to expect a pass. Gray(-2, cover -2) and Hawkins(-1, cover -1) both suck up and let a stumbling TE get over their heads. Gray is at a deep S spot and has no one else he might cover and is still moving up well after it’s clearly a pass. DYJ. M is fortunate Morgan misses.
O41	3	8	Shotgun empty	4-1-6	Dime even	Press one high?	Pass	5	Hitch	Hawkins	14
Paye(+1) is able to drive two guys on a classic 2019 M stunt. Welschof(+1, pressure +2) is able to loop around tight and hit the QB. Morgan just dumps it to his RB sitting at five yards. Hawkins(-2, cover -2) is nowhere near this on third and eight and only gets a tackle in because Ibrahim stumbles. Not great.
M45	1	10	Shotgun twin TE	4-2-5	4-3 under	Press two high	Run	N/A	Duo	Kemp	4
Hutch(+1) discards his guy like he is nothing and explodes to the RB; no support as Kemp(-1) gives two yards and McGrone gets caught up. Hinton(+0.5) did a solid job of sticking at the LOS against the double and Hutch is able to tackles when the back cuts up.
M42	2	7	Shotgun twin TE tight	4-2-5	4-3 slide	Press two high	Run	N/A	Stretch	Paye	-4
M puts Paye and Hutch next to each other and MN runs at it. OK. Paye(+3) obliterates the LT and solo TFLs; Hutch(+2) had immediately chucked a guard and was going to TFL if RB cut back. RPS +1 for opening your maw and watching Minnesota run in?
M46	3	11	Shotgun empty	4-2-5	5-0 dime	Press one high	Pass	5	Mesh	Gray	12
Outside leverage on MN's best WR on obvious man coverage. Gray doesn't really have much he can do. He  goes around a MN WR who tries to OPI, best bet here was probably take contact from him and explode. Any delay is a sack as Hutch(+1) and Paye(+1) both win (pressure +2). RPS -2.
M34	1	10	Shotgun TTE	4-2-5	4-3 under	Press one high	Pass	5	Sack	Paye	-11
Cover sack as pressure takes time to get there (cover +2) but Bateman got a bracket from Paige(+0.5) and Green(+0.5) so MN is out of ideas. Paye(+1) eventually comes through and Kemp(+0.5) cleans up. RPS +1, bracket was a win.
M45	2	21	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	30 nickel slide	Press one high	Pass	4	Sack	Paye	-7
Paye(+3, pressure +3) olés the LG in a flash and then shoots upfield for a sack that’s going on his NFL draft reel.
O48	3	28	Shotgun trips	4-1-6	5-0 dime	Off two high	Pass	5	Sack	Paye	-7
Paye(+3, pressure +3) gets a pure edge rush around at eight and down. Hello.
Drive Notes: Punt, 49-24, 7 min 4th Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O20	1	10	Shotgun TTE	4-2-5	Nickel over	Press two high	Run	N/A	Inside zone	Ross	3
MN confusion. McGrone(+0.5) shoots up on a blitz and peels back on the handoff; he got depth and pushed the RB wide. MN TE airballs on Hutch(+1) and the other guy flares out for Barrett. Ross(+1) in a lot of space and shuts down Ibrahim.
O23	2	7	Shotgun 3-wide	4-2-5	4-3 even SAM	Half press two high	Pass	4	Waggle cross	Ross	INT
PA, rollout. Ross(+3, cover +2) reacts quickly and gets out, then sits down as Morgan’s eyes tell him to stop. He stops, INT.
Drive Notes: Interception, 49-24, 2 min 4th Q. Last drive is academic and uncharted.

This one is far more ambiguous.

Yeah, I don't know how I feel. Let's check in with the list of drives:

• doomsack defensive TD, Ross INT on second play of drive
• 3 three and outs
• 10 play, 17 yard drive ending in Paye doom
• 78-yard drive ends with turnover on downs
• FG drive of 79 yards
• TD drives of 75, 71, and 17 yards

That is about evenly split between Minnesota driving the length of the field, or close to it, and doing nothing. Makari Paige errors were about half of two long drives, so points a little more towards optimism as long as Dax Hill returns. And a big chunk of another long drive was the completion where Green got pushed by the WR.

So we'll call it a modest success. Michigan sought to stop two things: Bateman and Minnesota's duo/inside zone. They had middling success at both; if Minnesota's offense is close to their 2019 output "middling success" is great. If they take a step back—which is likely since bracketing Bateman is now a viable strategy—this will look okay to good at the end of the year.

I would like to see some shiny DE numbers now.

This I can oblige:

Defensive Line
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Paye	18.5	1	17.5	back to back to back sacks will do that
Hutchinson	27	5	22	AA
Kemp	5.5	8	-2.5	Opponent is not his jam.
Jeter	2.5	2.5	0	I'll take it?
Hinton	2.5	3	-0.5	Same.
Welschof	2.5		2.5	Half a sack and some other plays chipped in.
Upshaw
Ojabo	2		2	SAM snaps but I'm filing as DE
Speight				DNP
Smith				DNC
TOTAL	60.5	19.5	+41	Brandon Graham time
Linebacker
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Barrett	8.5	6.5	2	Fought TEs as SAM, slight L, also caused defensive TD.
McGrone	6	6	0	Not much rush impact, spent game running up into double team of DL
Ross	9	6	3	Late INT pushed him above zero.
Solomon				DNC
BVS	0.5	1	-0.5
Mullings				DNC
Mohan	1		1	Fast around the corner
TOTAL	25	19.5	+5.5	Lot of gaps unfilled.
Secondary
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Hill	3	1	2	Coverage with BS PI, stick
Hawkins	0.5	9	-8.5	Missed a few tackles and blew a coverage.
Gray		5	-5	PI and catch, other coverage issues.
Green	9		9	Won vs Bateman.
Paige	1.5	9	-7.5	Lost leverage three times.
Faustin				DNP
Turner				DNP
TOTAL	14	24	-10	Wither Jourdan Lewis
Metrics
Pressure	27	1	+26	lol
Coverage	14	21	-7	Wither David Long
Tackling	3	7	-4	Losing leverage.
RPS	13	10	+3	RPO checks mostly outside scope of UFR.

There's a lot in there. Let's start with the best bit: two Brandon Grahams. Michigan's DEs are All-Americans if they play near this level the rest of the year. Here's what happened when Michigan lined them up next to each other and Minnesota ran at them:

DE #19 to bottom, DE #97 next to him

This experiment was not repeated.

Hutchinson was everywhere. Here's what happened when Minnesota slid their protection to match Hutchinson up with a TE:

DE #97 to bottom

Here's Hutchinson playing three-tech, essentially, and wrecking the LG:

DE #97, top-most player with hand in dirt

And the left tackle for good measure:

DE #97 to top

He had some bad moments but even some of those were overpenetration, which is a lot easier to fix than no penetration. He was a down-to-down terror to the point where you were surprised when Hutchinson didn't do something crushing.

Meanwhile, Paye didn't have a nondescript game and suddenly show up late. He was murdering all attempts to pass block him even early:

DE #19 to bottom

What happened late is that Minnesota couldn't restrict themselves to RPOs and quick fades on which pass blocking is essentially irrelevant. Paye set to work demonstrating that offseason takes about his rudimentary pass rush are outdated. This is probably the first thing that will pop up after he gets drafted:

DE #19 standing up second from bottom

It's not only the move around the guard it's the upfield explosion afterwards.

The very next play was that edge rush I didn't think he could add:

DE #19 to top

He was around at eight yards multiple times in this game.

Paye did have a game somewhat similar to this against Indiana's very bad OTs last year and Minnesota may be in the same boat, especially minus two starters. I'm buying, though. The athleticism he displayed in this game is going to stand up against anyone. Even the threat to turn the corner is going to help him out with his already-decent power rush.

Paye also maintained his incredible record of avoiding negatives. Hutchinson got so amped up sometimes that he'd mess something up, or he'd try to cover for someone else and get out of position. Paye is metronomic.

"Try to cover for someone else" sounds… not great.

Obligatory caveats: Minnesota is not a team where incremental improvements that take Michigan's DTs from real bad to decent stand out. Minnesota is Oprah, and she is handing out doubles to DTs. It is mildly encouraging that Jeter and Hinton had some moments and generally didn't get clunked.

Stephen A Smith: BUT!

Yeah this is not that different from last year. The defensive ends have leveled up and the second DT is (hopefully) plausible. It's still the DEs covering for the DTs. The first snap was the story of the game.

DE #97 to bottom, DT #2 just inside of him

Kemp gets ejected. Hutchinson wins his block and slides over to help fill the gap behind him. On this play he's able to two-gap the TE and meets Ibrahim at the LOS. A still from a later play that Paye rescued with a Freaks List backside trackdown:

That is a wall of meat with Hutchinson trying to shut down all of that space by himself. The OL steps around him and Ibrahim looks like he's gone when Paye trips him up.

I think this is in the heads of defenders other than the DEs. Michigan's persistent issues with fitting duo are often a failure to set an edge. This is a chunk that looks like Michigan playing Illinois last year:

Ross slides down and takes on a tight end, and there is no edge:

One of Hawkins or Ross has to be force but both end up concerned about something bursting straight upfield and the edge is given. This is largely how Michigan's run D fell apart against OSU last year. This kind of thing keeps happening after an offseason and a training camp almost two months longer than an average one; they probably got gashed up the middle in practice over and over again.

Well, that's cheery. That can't be everything, though?

Other failures to contain Ibrahim were straight up busts or player errors. This second and two conversion sees a Minnesota fullback have no one to touch until Dax Hill:

Theory: that is not what Don Brown wanted to happen.

Similarly, the second Minnesota touchdown cannot be right. Hawkins clearly screws up but even if he does accept a kickout block Michigan has zero second level:

Ross is running to the boundary and never has a shot at getting to the backside. Something similar happened a bit later as 1) Michigan slides its 3-man line weak, 2) slants weak, and 3) both linebackers flow weak?

LB #44

Can't be right.

Part of this is that Michigan LBs were hopped up on goofballs attempting to help out their DL. Michigan's LBs bit so hard on the second play from scrimmage that Minnesota had two different guys open for a TD:

Linebackers playing behind DL who go backwards a lot can often feel desperate; McGrone would go hit a lineman next to Jeter or Kemp and not fill gaps.

So Kemp wasn't that different?

It's possible he'll feel different against teams that do things other than blast him with play-long double teams. He flashed an upfield burst that was shocking when Minnesota pulled the guy over him:

DT #2

You could stick that on a Mo Hurst highlight tape and it would stand up. I don't think that's likely to be common even against teams with more finesse in their run game, but even occasional would be a major upgrade.

Otherwise, no, he's still not a nose tackle and against Minnesota any DT gets the level of doubles a nose does.

Anyone else potentially useful?

Jeter struggled to do much with constant doubles as well. When Michigan did shift the line into weird spots that allowed him a one on one opportunity he did a couple things. He was in position to score on the doomsack because he'd crunched a single block from the C into the backfield

NT #95

inton also shot some guys back when singled. If that play above actually had an edge he might have gotten a stuff.

NT #15

Later he'd have one of the most blatant uncalled defensive holding penalties I've seen after mostly getting sealed. This is not relevant I just want people to see this incredible defensive holding. 

Other than the above they mostly ate doubles and didn't get blown out enough to warrant negatives. Ask again later.

Julius Welschof does look promising. He picked up half a sack when he was able to get around on a stunt and finish what McGrone started:

DT #96

Note that is a guard chasing him all the way around and not a tackle switching onto him. He had some push on other snaps but was relatively sheltered and clearly fourth in the pecking order for snaps. He's the guy who could come on super fast; let's hope.

Those secondary numbers are… uh… diverse.

Only the hottest takes about the secondary this week. Gemon Green was excellent. The bad thing was the first thing, and everyone was tugging their collar in the aftermath:

CB #22

As has been discussed, this is clear OPI and shouldn't be held against Green. Later he got rotated back to safety and didn't bite on a super long mesh point, which allowed him to PBU:

CB #22

That should probably be an interception, yeah. After the averse Paige incident, Michigan swapped Green onto Bateman and this went well. He defends this fade perfectly:

CB #22

Not only is that window essentially nonexistent he's grabbing Bateman's arm so he can't go up with two hands.

Green got stuck on what might be the best WR in the league unexpectedly and did very well. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop, because that offseason position switch saga didn't come out of nowhere. So far, massive relief.

Unfortunately Green's compatriot at corner, Vincent Gray, had a rough outing in relatively few gradable events. He was the victim on the long bomb to Bateman, suffering the catch/interference combo:

He's grabbing Bateman's shoulder the whole way, can't complain about the call, and then he falls over. The other completion he gave up was mesh against Bateman while he was in man, so there wasn't a whole lot he could do about it.

His other graded events were getting stiffarmed by Ibrahim and getting burned on play action that Michigan was fortunate Morgan missed his TE on. Wouldn't put too much on it because Gray was barely on the screen. I didn't think his 2019 was that encouraging, so this is more of the same.

I too have a theory: Michigan needs the five star safety guy.

Ah yup. Hill looked like he was living up to the hype as well, with the rare +2 on a PI flag:

That is Bateman giving him a double move that gets Hill to jump the slant and there's still no air between them. In a word: what. Bateman did get a slant on Hill that he couldn't contest but I don't think it's a coincidence that Bateman had about six yards a catch when Hill went out.

Also: not afraid of contact.

S #30 shot out of cannon

"YESSIR." –guy on bench

Paige was rough. He is a true freshman who got thrown in the deep end, so he was always going to be rough. The Bateman slant he broke back was a major swing. No contest on the completion isn't great, but that's still third and short if you can tackle him:

S #7

The first play of the next drive saw Paige come down unblocked on Ibrahim and lose leverage again:

S #7

He gave up leverage a third time on an Ibrahim run that would have been a touchdown if not for a shoestring Hutchinson tackle.

I don't think this means much of anything long term since it's the equivalent of baptizing a baby in frying oil. Safety depth for this year is alarming.

I thought Barrett was going to come in for a massive number too.

He got put in a difficult position as a viper going up against a 2TE manball outfit. He was asked be a Jake Ryan SAM quite a bit, so he ended up nose to nose with tight ends who outweigh him by 30 pounds. He had trouble holding up:

SAM LB #23 to top of line

When tasked with a more even battle he did well. Here he thunks a fullback and sheds to tackle:

SAM LB #23 to bottom of line

(Fun game: watch Hutchinson on various plays embedded for non Hutchinson reasons and watch him wreck shop.}

 

He won against those tight ends some as well. This didn't have the sauce the other two hits did but it's probably Barrett's best play of the day. He stalls and sheds a TE as Ibrahim takes it outside and is able to keep Minnesota's first outside run from hurting Michigan:

SAM #23 LB to top of line

That is Hudson-esque.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE DOOMSACK

I mean okay I'll embed it again.

So the line shift is weird, and Sam asked why Morgan didn't hand the ball off since Minnesota has a run pointed right at the giant gap in the line. I can only say "dunno." We have no idea what anything outside the box looks like because of pore-o-vision.

Why did this work?

• The line is shifted really far left and fires into the OL.
• Assuming this is an RPO, the RB cannot abort the mesh point.
• Therefore Minnesota literally cannot block Barrett.

Barrett checks the back first because it seems like this play's plan on the handoff is "really hope Barrett gets there" and then redirects to obliterate the QB.

The other flashy Barrett play came when he shot up from a deep safety spot (interesting) to TFL Bateman on an end-around:

S #23 to top

There's no blocker for him there. Still impressive to flow up hard and then come under control to mostly get Bateman down.

I hate the 3-3-5 and want it to stop.

The stack is still kicking and probably will continue to kick on standard downs until the DT situation is resolved positively. If it is resolved positively. There were 18 3-3-5 snaps. Two were passing downs (2nd and 14, 2nd and 10); three more were 2nd and 10. These were all passes, so let's set them aside. The other 13 were all plausible running downs that were split about evenly between passes(7) and runs(6).

The runs went: 14, 7, 5, 4, 0, and –4 yards, with that latter the Bateman end-around. Interior runs against the stack averaged 6 yards a carry; if you add the end-around in it's a little over four, but our issue with the stack is that it's too easy to run up the gut against.

So: probably not as bad as you remember but also not good. There was a particularly frustrating check from Minnesota that got them an easy first down:

Lining up with a big RUN HERE sign on third and three and then backing out half of that sign seems unlikely to work.

I don't want to make too much of that since I didn't even remember to be bothered by Minnesota's constant checks with the sideline until this play. Previous experience with check-with-me under other defensive coordinators was nowhere near as pleasant. Don Brown has a whole bucket of things he does to combat it:

Michigan's defense gave Minnesota's RPO offense fits on Saturday night. Super fun gameplan by Don Brown to change their pre snap look on defense whenever Rashod Bateman was in the slot after Minnesota checked to the sideline to get a new play

The cat and mouse game: pic.twitter.com/p1Mkpwfnau

— seth galina (@pff_seth) October 28, 2020

I'm sure the 3-3-5 bought Michigan various things that I didn't pick up. Just please don't run it on third and three.

Heroes?

Paye and Hutchinson crushed Minnesota. Gemon Green was always in the right spot.

Maybe not so heroic?

Hawkins, Gray, and Paige all came in for big negatives, which is foreboding. The DTs remain just guys.

What does it mean for MSU and the future?

CB1: Green. He was put on Bateman, QED.

The defensive ends are monsters. I was thoroughly optimistic about both this offseason and this performance blew even my expectations out of the water.

Hopefully the DTs can grow into the season. Kemp's a fifth-year senior and is what he is. The other guys all have reasons to believe they'll get better, maybe fast.

Barrett is a close analogue to Hudson. He might have more upside.

Michigan really needs Dax Hill. They do not have enough athletes in the secondary without him. I would expect Michigan to look at reshuffling if a couple of performances don't improve down the road.