TECHNICAL NOTES: I believe I've fixed the audio offset issue.

FORMATION NOTES: Michigan didn't do anything particularly unusual. A reminder for chart aficionados:

This gets listed as "Gun TTB", for "trips tight bunch." Usually this is two tight ends so far this year but in the past it has been one TE and a couple WRs. "Gun TTE" is "twins twin TE", with two WRs to one side of the formation and two inline TEs.

Hawaii was a 4-3 with few surprises or alterations.

SUBSTITUTION NOTES: You probably do not need to be told that it was JJ/Cade/Warren at QB. Regular rotation at RB, with Stokes clearly third, Dunlap fourth, and then walk-ons. We still do not have any short yardage carries to evaluate what the deal is there, but it seems unlikely it's going to be anyone but Corum.

WR was the usual blender with Bell/Johnson/Wilson at the top and then Various Artists after. Hibner and Bredeson got some first-team time at TE behind the three starter-type guys.

The bench OL was Persi/El-Hadi/Anderson/Connor Jones/Trente Jones at first, and then Guidice and Bounds came in at RG and RT respectively. No Crippen.

Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M33	1	10	Ace twin TE	1	2	2	Base 3-4	7.5	Run	Inside zone	Corum	25
Bell motions in to be a third TE, functionally, as M goes right up the gut. Or at least they would if Hawaii set an edge, which they don’t. Corum(+2) busts outside and dusts a safety for a big chunk. Blocking on the interior looked like it was good enough for five or so. Olu(+1) controlled a DT one on one; Zinter(+0.5) got a free release to a LB; Jones(+0.5) turned a guy out; Schoon(+1) got some depth on his block, opening the edge.
O42	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Pass	PA post	Wilson	42
Candy has been deleted from baby. Both Hawaii safeties shoot towards the LOS upon mesh point. Wilson is one on one with a hybrid S/LB type and just runs right by him. JJ makes the very easy read and puts it on Wilson(route+), who does have to slow slightly to catch this ball. I promised this would not be a DO on the podcast but it’s a 40 yard ball right on the money so it is. (DO, +2, 3, protection 2/2, RPS +3)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 7-0, 13 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M23	1	10	Gun twins	1	2	2	4-3 even	8	Run	Pin and pull	Corum	8
Playside SAM takes a false step so dead meat. Schoon(+1) seals in playside end, Hayes(+1) seals the false-step SAM; Olu(+1) buries LB over the top. This sends Corum to the safety level but he barely steps out at the 31. Hat +1.
M31	2	2	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel slide SAM	6.5	Pass	Drag	Bell	31
M has three eligibles to the boundary and Hawaii has the MLB on the in-breaking routes. He appears to step to where a snag would be and then goes oh no when Bell runs across his face. JJ surveys and it appears that Bell is read #2; he calmly dumps it perfectly in stride for giant gain. (CA, +0.5, protection ½) Zinter(-1) got beat by this DT but he falls as he’s trying to get to JJ. Hmm. Also McCarthy looks off the MLB, it seems.
O38	1	10	Pistol 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6.5	Pass	Arc flat	All	10
Arc variation we saw against CSU where the arc guy just goes directly to the flat. Against CSU he got a chaser and JJ ran; here he gets nobody so throw. You can see the S charging up at JJ(+0.5) to open this up. I am going to file this as a ZR+. (CA, 3, screen, RPS +1)
O28	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6.5	Run	Power	Corum	16
UH brings a safety up late to add a guy to the box but MLB does not funnel to him, instead just eats a second level block from Jones(+1). Schoon(+1) seals in end; Keegan(+0.5) pulls and kicks. Hat +2.
O12	1	10	Ace TTE	1	2	2	Nickel even SAM	7	Run	Inside zone	Corum	8
Zinter(-2) whiffs on a DT, who’s off balance but busting through the front side of the line and shutting off gaps. Corum(+1) cuts away from this. He has to go all the way to the backside but there’s a little lane there as Schoon(+1) and Honigford(+1) drive their guys down the line; SAM sets up to be force and then there’s a gap inside to shoot through.
O4	2	2	Ace 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 even	8	Run	Counter	Corum	3
El-Hadi(-1) pulls and mis-IDs his block momentarily as the DE hugs tight to Jones; he does get there eventually and block but Schoon(+0.5) sees that and also goes to the same guy so there’s an unblocked dude on the edge. Jones(+1) and Zinter(+1) handle a DT, with Zinter smartly popping off to cut off a LB trying to shoot a gap, so Corum can burrow inside of the free hitter to approach the goal line.
O1	1	G	Goal line	1	4	0	Goal line	11	Run	Down G	Corum	1
He gets it. Persi in as bonus OL, Schoon, Honigford, and Hibner your other three with Bredeson a nominal fullback.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 14-0, 7 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
O43	1	10	Ace 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 even	7	Pass	Waggle flat	Schoonmaker	6
Jet fake, PA to Edwards, shoot Schoonmaker into the flat, get what you get. (CA, 3, protection N/A)
O37	2	4	Gun TTE	1	2	2	4-3 even SAM	7.5	Run	Arc read keeper	McCarthy	16
Jet motion from Edwards, arc the other way. DE shuffles so far down that All doesn’t even have to gesture towards him, keep(ZR+). JJ gets out on the edge and puts a hand in All’s back to indicate he should go get someone; All(+1) does cut off a LB and JJ(+0.5) is fast. RPS +1.
O21	1	10	Ace trips tight bunch	1	2	2	4-3 even	8	Run	Counter end around	Wilson	21
Nasty as M shows power, pulling El-Hadi and having All pull across the formation for two steps. Then All stops and comes back the other way. Meanwhile, Olu(+3) takes on a DL on a downblock, chucks him past, and pulls too(!). This is a tough ask and he gets around and cuts off the most relevant defender. Zinter, Hayes, and All have no one to block. Bell(+1) gets the corner and all eventually hits that guy too because why not. RPS +3.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 21-0, 4 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M6	1	10	Pistol 3TE	1	3	1	4-3 even	8.5	Run	Outside zone	Edwards	0
Blocked well but M has no one for overhang CB. Hayes(+1) and Honigford(+1) double and seal the playside end, with Hayes securing a reach. Schoon(+2) puts the SAM on skates and shoves him yards and yards back. Keegan(-1) hits a DT but doesn’t do much to him and Olu can’t step around; he’s able to flow so that when Edwards cuts inside the CB there’s no room. RPS -2, this is a good result for most of the blocks but you’ve got a totally unblocked guy a yard in the backfield.
M6	2	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Pass	Slant	Bell	Inc
UH drops out into zone with a MLB in this area but JJ gets this out in rhythm and fast so LB can’t get a hand on it. Depending on POV this is either fitting it in or a dangerous throw. Results-based charting service here. Ball is in Bell's frame and hits him in the hands but is dropped. (CA, +1, 3, protection 1/1)
M6	3	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Exotic	7	Pass	Drag	Bell	6
Can’t see other routes but I think Schoonmaker is covered and Johnson bracketed so this is his best option. Bell(-3) catches it but makes a mistake by not getting upfield immediately, which is his best shot at converting here. He dodges around a linebacker and a safety puts a helmet on the ball, forcing a fumble. Bell’s able to fall on it. (CA, +0.5, 3, protection 2/2)
Drive Notes: Punt, 21-0, 1 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M10	1	10	Pistol TTE	1	2	2	4-3 even	8	Run	Split zone	Corum	2
Good job by a UH DT to get skinny through a double and swim Zinter(-1) past him; he pops up on the frontside. Olu(-1) moves out and doesn’t block a guy Keegan(+0.5) turns out and can’t redirect to a LB. Corum has to cut back to the split block and he’s got a free hitter in the gap. Honigford(+1) blew his guy out but not enough.
M12	2	8	Gun 3-wide tight	1	1	3	4-3 even	8	Pass	Hitch	Bell	15
Triangle designed to split two underneath zone defenders with Corum into the flat, where he pulls a linebacker, and Schoon sitting down at six yards. This provides a window to hit Bell for the first and JJ does it immediately. (CA, +1, 3, protection 2/2, RPS +1)
M27	1	10	Gun TTE	1	2	2	4-3 even	8	Run	Lead zone	Corum	6
Uhhhh. So Bredeson is in a wing TE spot and dives inside Hayes, the LT. Then he ignores the playside LB to go for the MLB, which is really weird. But it works? Zinter(+0.5) and Olu(+0.5) combo through one DT as Keegan(+1) turns out the other one. Bredeson(+1) does manage to make this block, and Corum(+0.5) shimmies through the small gap before the playside LB makes the tackle. One false step from the LB on McCarthy makes this a big play, so that’s why the odd blocking approach.
M33	2	4	Gun trips tight bunch	1	2	2	4-3 under	8	Pass	PA Post	Johnson	54
This isn’t Mills because they’re not on the same side of the formation but it’s basically Mills. Johnson post, Bell dig. JJ(+3) sells the dig and then immediately pops off of it for the post, which is now open. Ball is basically perfect. I love this to bits, McCarthy appears to look off the S with a tiny motion. (DO, 3, protection 2/2)
O13	1	10	Gun TTB	1	2	2	4-3 even	8	Pass	RPO slant	Bell	13
RPO, LB step up, JJ fires in a dart to Bell that almost gets there before Bell can get his hands up. (DO, +2, 3, RPO+)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 28-0, 12 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M41	1	10	Gun twin TE	1	2	2	4-3 over	7.5	Run	Counter	Edwards	25
Zinter(+1) turns in DT, gone. Jones(+0.5) hops to second level in a flash and gets a freebie as LB goes upfield. Olu(+1) bashes out a kickout on his pull, big movement; Schoon(+1) negotiates through the gap to get the other LB. Honigford(-0.5) fights with the playside end and gives ground, making the Schoonmaker block harder and maybe a better DE gets off this block. Edwards(+1) cuts hard off of Schoon’s butt and explodes into the second level.
O34	1	10	Gun empty	1	2	2	4-3 even	7	Pass	Fly	Edwards	33
Saquon’d. Empty, Edwards draws LB, game over. JJ(+2) again takes a beat looking elsewhere to hold S and then comes to his WR, firing in a line-drive-ish dart that only his guy can get. I am fanning myself. (DO, 2, protection 2/2)
O1	1	G	Gun 2TE tight	1	2	2	Goal line	11	Run	Dive	Edwards	1
They get it.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 35-0, 8 min 2nd Q. Cade gets next drive.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M34	1	10	Gun twin TE	1	2	2	4-3 even	8	Pass	Drag	Bell	9
Probably the right decision to take the underneath item since it looks like the seam is bracketed and Anthony is running a fly at a guy who’s in off coverage. Dump down to Bell gets a solid gain, (CA, 3, protection 2/2, +0.5). Could ding Hayes for a protection minus here but this is pushing a guy around at nine, McNamara can step up and also should probably be a yard closer to the LOS.
M43	2	1	Ace TTB	1	2	2	4-3 even	7.5	Run	Counter	Corum	20
Power at the weak side of the formation. Jones(+1) gets an efficient chip and extends to the LB; Zinter(+0.5) finishes that guy. Keegan(+0.5) has a guy dive inside and gets enough to push him past; Schoon(+1) gets a big kick. Corum(+0.5) zips past into the second level, breaking an ankle tackle for some YAC. Anthony(+0.5) got a solid stalk block.
O37	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 even	7	Pass	Dumpoff	Corum	2
Hayes(-2) beat clean around the edge and McNamara has no choice but to step up and find someone, which is Corum leaking out of the backfield. He gets lit up immediately. Looks like 3 deep against verts so he’s either throwing a back shoulder here or doing this. (PR, 3, protection 0/2)
O35	2	8	Gun 3-wide tight	1	1	3	4-3 even	7	Pass	Dumpoff	Stokes	Inc
Now it’s Jones(-2) beat clean, this time to the inside. McNamara again takes the outlet to the back; Stokes drops it. Conspiracy time. (CA+, +1, 3, protection 0/2)
O35	3	8	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Pass	Sack	N/A	-10
Zinter(-2) with Michigan’s third consecutive minus two in pass pro. Woof. (PR, N/A, protection 0/2)
Drive Notes: Punt, 35-0, 3 min 2nd Q. Next drive starts with 2:14 and JJ gets it.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M47	1	10	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel over	5.5	Run	Inside zone	Stokes	20
This is a very empty box for a two minute drill starting at the 47 with a full 2 minutes. Keegan(+1) gets a yard of depth and stays attached when DT tries to shed, pushing him, big gap. Olu(+0.5) climbs to MLB for free. Hayes(+0.5) gets a kickout. Stokes(+2) stiffarms a filling safety and busts to the outside, lowering the shoulder for a nice finish. RPS +1. Looks like a real read? ZR+.
O31	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6.5	Run	Counter	Stokes	8
All(+1) fires in the playside end. Keegan(+1) pulls around and gets a driving block in space against a safety type. Stokes(+1) presses that block and then cuts up decisively behind it, maximizing this.
O23	2	2	Gun 3-wide tight	1	1	3	4-3 even	7	Pass	Out	Bell	6
All outs from Michigan; JJ takes his shot at Bell to the boundary. I kind of want to clip this extremely routine throw because it just feels confident and polished but nah. (CA, 3, protection 1/1, +0.5)
O17	1	10	Gun TTB	1	1	3	4-3 even	7	Pass	Improv	Johnson	17
Excellent pass pro sees no one anywhere near McCarthy and Keegan pancaking a guy upfield, so he’s got a ton of room to move up into. Johnson(route+) sees what’s happening and breaks away from coverage to the sideline and JJ puts it on him. (CA+, +1, 3, protection 3/3)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 42-0, EOH. Cade comes out for second half.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M12	1	10	Pistol 2TE	1	2	2	4-3 under	8	Run	Counter	Stokes	3
Backup OL in with exception of Jones at RT. Hibner(+1) turns in and controls playside end. Connor Jones(-2) gets instatrashed by a DT who pursues Stokes. Anderson(-1) lunges at a LB who falls in the path of Stokes(+0.5), who leaps over that dude and gets what he can.
M15	2	7	Ace TTB	1	2	2	4-3 even	7	Pass	Waggle flat	Hibner	5
Bog standard waggle flat dumpoff. (CA, 3, N/A)
M20	3	2	Gun trips bunch	1	1	3	Exotic	7	Run	Split zone	Dunlap	0
Dunlap stuffed by everything and everyone; Anderson(-0.5) and El-Hadi(-0.5) get no movement on a double; Jones moves past an end as Bredeson(-2) also shoots past him to hit an EMLOS guy who should probably be held by a potential keep, at least as they draw it up. Unblocked blitzer from frontside also there.
Drive Notes: Punt, 42-0, 13 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M13	1	10	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Pass	Sack	N/A	-7
Connor Jones(-2) torched for thundersack up middle. (PR, N/A, protection 0/2)
M6	2	17	Gun 4-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even SAM	6	Run	Split zone	Stokes	4
CJones(-1) stood up at LOS so Stokes has an uncomfortable decision to make. With an LB diving inside on an exchange with another LB Stokes bounces into an edge that’s not quite set but also not quite open. He gets a few.
M10	3	13	Gun empty TE	1	1	3	Nickel slide weak	6.5	Pass	TE delay	Loveland	10
13 is too many for third down TE delay but that’s what’s dialed up anyway. Protection excellent. There’s other guys in routes but I have no idea because pore-o-vision. (MA, 3, protection 2/2)
Drive Notes: Punt, 42-0, 9 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M25	1	10	Gun TTE	1	2	2	4-3 even SAM	7.5	Run	Pin and pull	Stokes	1
Starting OL back in; Trente Jones(-2) gets insta-shed by this DT, who I now think is pretty solid, and that guy flows over the top to tackle at the LOS. Hibner(+0.5) turned in his guy
M26	2	9	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6.5	Pass	Fly	Anthony	INT
This is not a great route by Anthony(-), who gets pushed almost all the way out of bounds and does not give his QB much of a window. Cade leaves it short and to the inside and offers up an easy INT. (INX, 0, protection 2/2, -3)
Drive Notes: Interception, 42-3, 3 min 3rd Q. Davis Warren time.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M9	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Run	Power	Stokes	6
Persi(+1) gets a chip that moves a DT and climbs to a LB; Giudice(+0.5) pulls and gets a kick. Hibner(+0.5) gets a stalemate on the DE; Stokes pops outside and gets hewed down by Morris’s guy; kind of think he should have slammed this more vertical for a few more.
M15	2	4	Gun TTE	1	2	2	4-3 even	7.5	Run	Arc read keeper	Warren	11
No edge from the DE, who is shuffling down hard to support a very effective slant from Hawaii that puts two guys in the backfield. Warren(ZR+) pulls and Bredeson(+1) arcs around to pick off a linebacker sucked inside. Warren(+1) isn’t JJ but shows good wheels to get a chunk play.
M26	1	10	Pistol 3TE	1	3	1	4-3 even SAM	7.5	Run	Counter	Stokes	3
Loveland(+1) turns in the playside end. Vertical initial path of Stokes sucks in MLB, he’s gone. Persi(+1) gets depth on A DT; Anderson(+0.5) pulls around for a hick and Bredeson looks like he’s about to give the last LB the business when Stokes(-1) makes a bad decision to bounce. This is well blocked and the edge guy’s able to force him out after three.
M29	2	7	Gun TTB	1	2	2	4-3 even	8	Pass	TE post	Bredeson	54
The lol what throw. Bredeson breaks out for a step, drawing attention from the DB on the LOS, and then runs a post behind two Lbs dropping deep. Warren(+3) lays in an unbelievable throw for anyone in between three players and Bredeson(+2) breaks two tackles to spring this for a huge gain. I have to say there is a 1000% chance that McNamara is checking this down to the back. (DO, 3, protection 2/2)
O15	1	10	Gun 2TE?	1	2	2	???	???	Run	Pin and pull	Stokes	15
We come to this play very late. Hawaii seems to be missing a guy who should be dealing with this because M can’t double through the playside end to the LB level and they still have a blocker for that guy; Stokes(+1) does make a smart cut upfield here to maximize this. Hat+2.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 49-3, 14 min 4th Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M35	1	10	Gun TTB	1	2	2	4-3 even	7	Run	PA Post	Walker	Inc
Decision here is fine as the S pulls up on the PA fake and Walker gets over the top; with a significant amount of separation. Warren is not JJ though and can’t just casually chuck 50 yard balls; this is way short and allows the defenders to recover. Walker reads it a hair late and doesn’t quite high point it; he takes contact as the ball arrives and incomplete. (IN, 1, protection 2/2)
M35	2	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 even SAM	7	Run	Arc zone give	Stokes	5
Orbit motion from Morris, arc zone the opposite way. This looks like a blown keep read(ZR-) as the playside end is shuffling and Loveland has him covered, so this will get to the S for a decent gain. M eats a blitz, with Giudice(+1) admirably picking it up and moving a guy even if he’s slicing into the backfield; Persi(+1) also cleans up a guy diving inside of him. Stokes(+0.5) has to cut behind this into the shuffle end and a guy Anderson had no angle on due to the blitz; he’s able to cut back inside and grind for some YAC.
M40	3	5	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel over	6	Pass	Slant	Morris	9
Easy pitch and catch as Hawaii sends five and drops a DT into the wrong spot; soft coverage behind. This ball is a touch behind Morris but still on frame. (CA, +0.5, 3, protection 1/1)
M49	1	10	Gun TTE	1	2	2	Nickel wide	6.5	Run	Inside zone	Gash	7
DTs split wide and M just goes right up the gut. Free release for Anderson(+0.5) to second level. El-Hadi gets stacked and eats a push-pull but stays attached and doesn’t quite get a holding call; rubbin’s racin. Guidice’s(+0.5) guy goes straight upfield, getting useless penetration. RPS is off but RPS +1.
O44	2	3	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Run	Power	Gash	3
Hibner(-0.5) not able to maintain control of his guy; DE ends up fighting outside and can tackle. Nice kick from El-Hadi(+0.5).
O41	1	10	Gun TTE	1	2	2	4-3 over	7.5	Run	Power	Dunlap	3
Loveland(-1) shocked back by DE, jamming up the POA; Anderson(+0.5) with a big kick on a CB, Dunlap doesn’t have much choice but to run up the back of his other puller.
O38	2	7	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Pass	Dig	Morris	Inc
Walker(route-) gets blasted into the sideline; beef up son. That’s Warren’s first read. He comes off it. He has Loveland on a drag but that’s covered; he pumps that and decides not to throw. Giudice(-1) gradually loses control of a DT and Warren has to get rid of it. He does find Morris on a dig that’s a reasonably good decision but he’s throwing off his back foot and the ball sails. Uhhhh. (TA, 0, protection ½). This is very inside baseball but TA also applies when you can’t find a guy fast enough.
O38	3	7	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel over	6.5	Run	Inside zone	Gash	38
This should not go a long way because there’s an unblocked guy up the gut. Anderson(+2) pancakes a DE and Giudice(+1) picks up a blitzing backer and moves him so there’s a big gap. El-Hadi gets tripped by the crushing nature of the Anderson block and can’t get to the other LB; Gash(+1) just jets by him in the space that Anderson carved out and the LB does not expect. Then he keeps his feet to score.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 56-10, 8 min 4th Q. Just two desultory run out the clock plays left, those are not charted.

FALL TO YOUR KNEES

ok

YOU ARE NOT WORTHY

yeah

DON'T SAY THE THING

just Hawaii?

YEAH DON'T SAY THAT

Okay, so… I don't actually want to say that?

JJ MCCARTHY

	Good				Neutral			Bad					Ovr			Reads
Game	DO	CA	SCR		PR	MA		BA	TA	IN	BR		DSR	GRADE!		RPOs	ZRs
Colorado State		4+											100%	oops		0/0	4/4
Hawaii	4	8(1)+											100%	+14		1/1	3/3

McCarthy did not feel like a young quarterback just getting to grips with things in this game. We'll see how this holds up when the coverage is tighter and the pressure more extant; for now, it's impressive how McCarthy looks like the crafty veteran McNamara was supposed to be. His helmet moves. This huge catch and run features the Hawaii MLB running right while Bell runs across his face:

UH MLB

What could induce this? Watch it again and you'll see McCarthy looking either at the MLB or slightly to the boundary before coming back to Bell just before the throw.

This was not isolated. The consistency with which McCarthy took unusual opportunities or moved/held defenders with his eyes was eyepopping. The Johnson post was a remarkable thing. Near as I can tell the only thing he's looking at until he decides on this play is the deep safety himself…

… at least until he flicks his head left for a nanosecond and then the safety bites and he knows he's got it. I was going to screenshot it but it's just too subtle to see it except on video. Just correlate the motion of McCarthy's head with what the safety's doing. I believe that McCarthy induced the safety bite by staring him down, flicking his head to Bell, and then as soon as that guy reacts at all he's dead meat. It is a blip. It is three frames. But it's there.

And then he followed that play with this:

After the game Bell said this was primarily a run and McCarthy was like nah. Courage is easy to come by when you're on a heater against Hawaii, sure. I still think that says something about something, yanking the ball out of your running back's chest in the redzone in start one when you're playing for Jim Harbaugh.

On the next drive he got the Saquon-McCray mismatch and didn't screw it up.

Note the head movement just before the throw and the line this is thrown on. It is not a loop. It is not a fade. That is about as much of a line drive as you're going to get on a 35-yard throw. The combination of the head movement and the line means he beats a safety who was cheating to the obvious mismatch—watch him backpedal towards the Edwards fly on the snap—by yards.

And I don't know, I clipped that hitch to Bell just because it felt good?

This is a triangle concept that should shred cover 3, which only has 4 underneath guys and can't account for everyone in the flat/snag/hitch triangle to the top. Hawaii gets it and McCarthy lays it in at high velocity. We had almost nothing off-schedule in this game, and the one notable incident was also, you know, real good:

We may have lost sight of the fact that McCarthy was a five star quarterback largely because of his arm. He's not a running QB. He's a pocket QB who can run.

Even though McCarthy only ran once in his game, his legs were still a big part of what made Michigan successful. I have to believe that Hawaii's second snap was a bust by someone, because who runs cover zero on first and ten from midfield?

On one level, whatever, Hat+3, move on. On another level, is this happening with McNamara on the field? Probably not. Is it a coincidence that the Hawaii pressure went from nothing to a problem when McNamara entered? Partially, yes. Not entirely.

A bit later we got the other half of the arc flat item we saw in the opener:

Safety charges up at McNamara, dump, easy first down that coulda shoulda been more but for a Wilson blocking whiff. CSU chased the flat guy…

…and McCarthy got a chunk run. This is a triple option. The handoff is live. Michigan can do some things with McCarthy in the game. Some Denard to Roy Roundtree things, except with an NFL arm.

Surely he was not perfect, though?

He was closer than anyone charted in this space. There was only one thing that McCarthy did that even debatably slots into "not good," and that was the slant that Bell dropped.

On the one hand that hit Bell in his frame, if a hair behind, and would have converted second and ten. On the other hand, that Hawaii linebacker's hand is uncomfortably close to the ball and a better LB might deflect that or worse. Here are both sides of the argument, as presented by Devin Gardner and Al Borges:

A peak inside today's portion of our film study. Just as I got done with @devingardnerXCI, Al Borges showed up to begin his review, and an argument over @jjmccarthy09's slant throw ensued. Did he stare the slant down or did he freeze the LB with his eyes to open the window? pic.twitter.com/c9ZhLZtf5d

— Sam Webb (@SamWebb77) September 12, 2022

I'm agnostic about the decision on this play. I think both sides are probably right, in a way. Fully Brady-ized McCarthy does wait for the second window. But McCarthy does come off that slant and freeze the linebacker and fit it in because he's got a cannon. So even if this isn't as polished as it could be it's a guy in his first start knowing where he wants to go and then staring down a linebacker to get himself the throw. That's a great sign for McCarthy's future even if you're on team Bad Play here.

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THIS WAS ALL A CONSPIRACY AND THAT JJ WAS LOCKED PRESEASON

No, absolutely not. But…

BUT?!???!?

I stared at this one a long time before coming to a conclusion here. So this features Max Bredeson as a wing TE who goes through the LOS to the left of LG Trevor Keegan, which is a completely normal thing to do if the running back is also supposed to run through that gap. Corum doesn't though. Corum charges right upfield and Bredeson makes a very awkward block on the MLB by running downfield and around:

wing TE 82 to top

He makes it, though, and then the other Hawaii LB tackles. I've never seen this before. It's really weird. So I'm processing and processing and then I think: what if it's a scrape exchange by Hawaii? IE, what if the DE who gets blocked is supposed to collapse on the play and he can't because he's blocked and then the LB who tackles Corum is flying out on McCarthy? Then it's Corum vs safety for touchdown.

To me this looks like a new way to exploit zone read reactions. It's a play that's supposed to crush you if you are expecting the usual McCarthy package. This says many different things:

1. self scouting, hooray
2. the zone read package is deep enough that we've got this thing in it
3. the zone read package is deep enough that we've got this thing in it and are willing to run it against Hawaii
4. man that's a lot of zone read depth

This thing existing means there was a lot of zone read install.

DO YOU BELIEVE THE PLAYERS WERE IN ON IT?

No, absolutely not. But…

BUT?!??!?!?!?

I mean, Poor Damn Cade McNamara. He comes in and gets a first down after a nine-yard completion on first down, and then three straight 0/2 protection events including a drop:

Michigan's protection was 16/17 with McCarthy on the field; Cade ate 2/8 on his first drive. Yeah, McCarthy's mobility helps him out there. Not that much

OKAY BUT THEN THE COMPETITION'S STILL ON?

Not unless McCarthy opens the door. Possible, not likely. McNamara seemed like he felt the job was slipping away and so he took an uncharacteristic shot:

You have to be who you are and that's not McNamara.

CADE MCNAMARA

	Good				Neutral			Bad					Ovr			Reads
Game	DO	CA	SCR		PR	MA		BA	TA	IN	BR		DSR	GRADE!		RPOs	ZRs
Colorado State		5(2)+			2	1			2	3	2		42%	oops		0/0	0/0
Hawaii		3+			3					1*			75%	-1.5		0/0	0/0

McCarthy looked well ahead of McNamara in the departments that were supposed to be Advantage Cade, so… yeah. We're done here.

I want someone else to be the backup now.

Bad alter-ego. Did you boo?

No! Maybe. Not much.

I chastise you. Michigan will be very fortunate to have Cade McNamara around if and when McCarthy gets dinged. But…

But?

I was sort of skeptical of the Davis Warren talk after the spring game; I didn't think he had the arm to be a high major QB. I no longer think that.

DAVIS WARREN

	Good				Neutral			Bad					Ovr			Reads
Game	DO	CA	SCR		PR	MA		BA	TA	IN	BR		DSR	GRADE!		RPOs	ZRs
Hawaii	1	1							1	1			50%	+2.5		0/0	1/2

I graded the whole game largely because it looks like Warren is going to be the backup QB next year—I assume McNamara transfers to be the starter somewhere and this is year six for Alan Bowman. He opened some eyes, particularly with this:

Dropping it over a linebacker who's turning to run is a "yoooooo" moment. And we're not here to dump on McNamara but what are the chances he would dump this to the back?

High.

I thought his process of going through his reads here was a hair slow but generally promising. Walker is his first read, and he gets blasted OOB. The drag is covered, and then he gets to read three. He's getting pressure and has to throw it off his back foot so it sails, but he did get to it:

I filed that as a throwaway, which is what we use when a QB cannot find an open receiver, but it's a promising one? I also clipped Warren's slant to Morris, largely for season preview purposes.

Warren also displayed some mobility:

His arm is not JJ's arm:

But he looks viable as a D1 QB.

All right, great UFR, see you next week.

There are ten other people playing?

Ah, right. So… those guys, perhaps with some sort of informational organization?

Overall numbers are low here because Michigan kept scoring quickly and the starting OL got two quarters, more or less:

Offensive Line
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Hayes	2		+2	Michigan was right handed on the ground and used TEs a lot. Two pass pro minuses.
Keegan	4.5	1	+3.5	More consistent when asked to play just G.
Oluwatimi	7	1	+6	Block of the year candidate on the end around.
Zinter	3.5	3	+0.5	Had 3 bad plays against DTs; 3 pass pro minuses.
Jones	4	2	+2	Two pass pro minuses.
Barnhart				DNP
El-Hadi	0.5	1.5	-1	Had a targeting issue on a pull.
Anderson	3.5	2	+1.5	Not in total.
Persi	3	0	+3	Also not in total.
All	2		+2	One arc block, very little inline.
Schoonmaker	8.5		+8.5	Hello.
Honigford	3	0.5	+2.5	Will this pairing hold up against real comp?
Hibner	2	0.5	+1.5	Some promise but hesitant through hole
Bredeson	4	2	+2	One bad whiff but otherwise quite good. +2 for catch and run not in total.
Loveland	1	0	+1	Not in total.
TOTAL	39	11.5	76%	4:1 positive to negative is good. Also: Giuidice +3, Connor Jones –3.
Backs
Player	+	-	T	Notes
McCarthy	0.5		+0.5	One arc read only.
McNamara				N/A
Warren	1	0	+1	Also one arc keep.
Corum	4	0	+4	On nine carries.
Edwards	1		+1	One nice cut.
Stokes	5	1	+4	Bad bounce cost him some yards but otherwise looked like a guy.
Dunlap	0	0	0	DNC
TOTAL	11.5	1	+10.5	Stokes is a find.
Receivers
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Johnson	1	0	+1
Bell	1	3	-2	Fumble
Henning	0	0	0
Wilson	2	0	+2	Fast.
Anthony	3.5	0	+3.5	Cut off a CB blitz.
Clemons	1	0	+1
TOTAL	11	2	+9	Got some work done for McCarthy and on screens.
Metrics
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Protection	18	7	72%	-3 Zinter, –2 Hayes, TJones, CJones, –1 Giudice. Backup minuses not in total.
RPS	10	2	+8	One unblocked guy near LOS, otherwise mostly vanilla stuff with occasional evil tossed in.

The requisite paving you need to have against a defense like this to have any confidence going forward. The guy who pops out for the second straight week is Luke Schoonmaker, who along with Joel Honigford has all but eliminated Erick All from inline blocking duties. All's run events in this game were 1) an arc read keeper and 2) the end-around. You could credibly assert that All is a flex TE now.

This is probably good news. We know what All looks like as an inline blocker: dedicated, not huge. Schoonmaker is huge and Honigford is a former OL. If they've passed All they've both improved a bunch from last year.

Meanwhile, All still seems to be the best option if you've got a WR screen or arc to get done:

wing TE to bottom

So far so good, and given All's track record I think it's a really good sign that Michigan believes they don't need his services there.

I am uncomfortable with one number in the chart.

The one bad thing is the protection number, given the context. I only put the starting OL numbers in the chart so that 72% is not influenced by backups. QB pressures were not entirely limited to McNamara snaps. The Bell drag saw Zinter get beat to the inside; Michigan was fortunate he stumbled:

RG #65 just above C

And then he got torched for a sack in that run of three straight pressures:

RG just below C

The hopeful theory there is that McCarthy's presence nerfed the opponent rush and that maybe the transition to McNamara caught Michigan off guard. There's a fair chance of that, but at this point pass protection is the new "oh no what if" for the offense. It'll probably be fine. Probably.

But other than that?

So far so good. Multiple OL are turning in eye-opening plays, whether it's Trente Jones pulling from tackle or Olu Oluwatimi doing basically anything. The sheer nastiness of Michigan's end-around to Wilson has been noted a few different places, and I co-sign. By God, it was nasty. But also just look at Oluwatimi's task on this play:

C #55

Sell a downblock, then chuck that guy past you, then cut off another linebacker. And when you've clearly won against your second block of the play, throw your hands up to make sure there's no holding call. I love this guy. I only wish I had more time to chart him.

Meanwhile I like Jones and think he'll get there. The pass pro hiccups in his first game are likely to get smoothed out. Most of the time he's out there he seems like he's got the athleticism to fix that. I'm a sucker for good chips that get you to the second level:

RT #53 to bottom of line

You see guys get hung up on that so often, or just brush by without actually doing anything. That skill is hard. Delivering a blow and not letting it slow you up… nobody's Khalid Hill against Colorado, but if you remind me of that block I'm listening.

I do have to point out a Zinter issue in addition to the pass protection issues. He got dusted on a redzone carry that Michigan was fortunate went okay despite the dorf. Here he lunges and gets ole'd:

RG #65 just above C

As the world's leading Zak Zinter proponent I'm not too worried but I will be keeping an eye out against UConn for signs of improvement.

That's a nice running back score.

It's possible we don't appreciate Corum like we should at this juncture in the season because it's like "oh whatever, bad teams." True, but also Corum managed to rack up a +6 last week in not that many carries and he's got another nice score this week because he just doesn't miss. If the bounce is there, he'll take the bounce:

If not, he flings himself upfield through the slalom gates at unfathomable speeds.

It wasn't just Corum. Michigan's backs got close to the maximum available. After complaining about Edwards last week it's only fair to note that this was exactly how you do it:

Press outside, defender commits, cut off butt of OL.

Meanwhile, CJ Stokes looks like he's going to be at least a guy. He has the instincts to stretch it to the sideline and then put a foot in the ground to go vertical:

And he's got open-field speed to pair with a decent stiffarm:

Finally, here's your moment of Gash:

Mike Hart has guys coming out of his ears.

 

Receivers?

Spectacularly little to say about them because look at that routine column:

	THIS WEEK					THIS YEAR
Player	Uncb	Circus	Tough	Routine		Uncb	Circus	Tough	Routine
Johnson				2/2		1	0/1	1/2	3/3
Bell				6/7					7/9
Wilson				1/1					3/3
Anthony	1								1/1
Henning									1/1
Clemons
Walker		0/1
All				1/1		1	1/1		1/1
Schoonmaker				1/1		1			2/2
Honigford
Hibner
Bredeson				1/1					2/2
Loveland				1/1					2/2
Corum				1/1					2/2
Edwards			1/1					1/1	1/1
Stokes				0/1					1/2

Routes: Anthony –, Walker –.

Despite the high rate of bombs, the only passes not in the routine bin were the go route to Edwards, the interception from McNamara, and the deep ball Warren left considerably short for Walker. I may have been harsh not putting a couple of Bell opportunities in the "tough" column—the dropped slant and the RPO touchdown—but usually if it's in your frame I'm marking that routine even if it's hummed a zillion miles an hour. The RPO was right at his facemask.

The route minuses were just young guys who need more strength. The Walker one is a good example of why 6'4", 180 pound receivers need some more time in the birthing vat:

WR #4 to top

Just need time.

Heroes?

JJ McCarthy's 100% DSR will do. Schoonmaker was a force on the ground. Corum, Edwards, and Stokes combined to lacerate the opposition. Keegan had a nice game on the ground and didn't get beat in pass pro.

Maybe not so heroic?

Nobody really but McNamara wasn't himself and Zinter had an off game.

What does it mean for UConn and beyond?

He's the man. JJ McCarthy is your starting quarterback and is incredibly promising.

Oluwatimi transition costs are close to nil? I have not noticed any blocking dorfs that are traceable to a missed line call. Maybe a blitz here and there but that'll happen, and what pressure is coming is almost always guys beating blocks, not running unfettered. In addition to that, Olu moves guys and moves himself. Virginia should always have a Rimington finalist center and a retiring head coach.

Schoonmaker and Honigford might be a thing. Second straight game these guys have deleted poor opposition. At the very least that gives Michigan a lot of flexibility if there are edge guys who seem attackable.

CJ Stokes is a find. He's going to be Karan Higdon level, minimum.

The offense is going to do evil things with the triple threat at QB. The arc + RPO stuff is going to be brutal for opponents to defend. Michigan's offense thus far is very integrated, with a lot of things playing off staple plays. I can't wait to see where this is going now that they've made a decision.

Pass protection could be an Achilles heel. Both tackles got beat clean and Zinter had some issues. We saw Jones have a couple issues against CSU and elite rushers gave Hayes the business last year. I'm not saying it's going to be a problem, but it looks like the most likely problem.