FORMATION NOTES: UNLV was highly multiple, with a slight tendency towards running the 404 tite stuff mentioned last week.

Note the safety at 15 yards; UNLV was less aggressive than ECU, also less weird.

UNLV also ran some stack fronts and regular old 4-3.

They rushed their three down linemen a bunch; the eighth guy in coverage did not help.

SUBSTITUTION NOTES: OL and QB the same as last week. Michigan intended to give Jack Tuttle most of the fourth quarter but he got a cheap shot on his first play so Warren got the rest of that drive and then Jayden Denegal got in.

At TE, Loveland and Barner both got around 30 snaps with Bredeson picking up about a dozen. Jones got four snaps as bonus OL. Matt Hibner got scattered snaps before garbage time so he's likely back to full health. At WR, Johnson got 40 of the 50 snaps the first team offense was in for; Wilson and Morris were about ten back. Morris was much more prominent in this game after ceding third WR snaps to Fred Moore in the opener.

DIRECTOR NOTES: CBS gets a +2 for the copious replays.

[After THE JUMP: NBA jam time]

Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M20	1	10	Ace 3TE	1	3*	1	404 tite	7.5	Pass	PA RB flat	Corum	20
Play action, seven man protection with Wilson and Barner out in the route; Corum follows into the flat as Michigan floods the field side. Wilson gets a bracket and a LB sucks up then hauls for Loveland; JJ could try Loveland but Corum is wide open and picks up a chunk. (CA, 3, protection 2/2, +0.5, RPS +2)
M40	1	10	Pistol 2TE	1	2	2	4-3 over	7.5	Run	Zone stretch	Corum	1
Stretch into a DL heavily shifted to the playside. Keegan ends up doubled by two DTs and gives ground; Barnhart(-2) whiffs on the DE as he dives inside and then turns around to follow him, violating Never Turn Upfield. Corum is able to cut behind the mess as Keegan stabilizes once Nugent comes over to shove the NT wider; Zinter(+2) reaches the backside DE and Corum(+0.5) finds the crease. Nugent(-1) can’t control his guy and he’s able to spin back; backside OLB is unblocked as M tries to run away from him and is able to track this down; Morris(-2) airballs on the corner.
M41	2	9	Pistol 3-wide	1	1	3	404 tite	7	Run	Power	Corum	1
-1 in box. Blocking is fine here, with Zinter(+1) pulling and firing in a guy diving inside of him and Barnhart and Keegan getting freebies as the line slants away, but a LB pops up in the gap because of the slant. RPS -1. Bredeson is also pulling and finds the edge player; Corum(-1) hesitates for a beat and then just runs directly into the free hitter. The bounce looks like it's there.
M42	3	8	Gun trips bunch	1	1	3	3-2 dime	5	Pass	Dig	Morris	16
Three man rush with Edwards staying in so everyone gets doubled; JJ steps up and rifles a dagger between three guys in their eight man zone drop. (DO, 3, protection 1/1, +2)
O42	1	10	Ace 3TE	1	2*	2	4-3 even SAM	8	Pass	PA deep out	Wilson	25
Split zone PA; SAM blitzes off the edge; Bredeson picks him up but gives a little ground; JJ is able to drift left in the pocket to buy a little time and lay in a strike to Wilson. Wilson ran a fly and then cut it off twenty yards downfield. Borderline CA/DO. (CA, 3, protection 2/2, +1, RPS +1)
O17	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	2	2	4-3 even	7	Run	TE lead zone	Loveland	-3
Hinton(-2) airballs on a DE who slants away from him presnap. Zinter(+0.5) gets the same action and gets a decent hit; his guy ends up a yard deeper and wider and that makes a big difference here. Hinton tries to retrace but the interior gaps are not easy to get to; Johnson(-2) doesn’t even touch a corner who focused on him on the snap and Loveland gets nailed. Barner(+1) had a very good second level block. Keegan(+1) reached a DT.
O20	2	13	Gun 3-wide tight	1	1	3	404 tite	7	Pass	Drag	Johnson	6
Three man rush; JJ almost throws it to Loveland and then decides that’s covered; Johnson(route+) has sat down in the middle of the field against the zone and is a checkdown option. (CA, 3, protection 1/1, +0.5)
O14	3	7	Pistol trips bunch TE	1	2	2	3-4 wide	7	Pass	Split zone	Corum	11
Loveland motions in from the bunch presnap. S comes across with him and is concerned about a potential route into the flat so he never gets involved in the play while Loveland kicks a guy, Barner(+2) gets a definitive win against a LB; Keegan(+1) chips a blitzing LB and gets to a second level block; Barnhart(+1) controls the blitzer Keegan chipped. Loveland(+0.5) gets enough on the kickout. RPS +2, there are two DBs who are never involved in this until the conversion.
O3	1	10	Gun tight	1	2	2	3-3 goal line	11	Run	Dive	Corum	3
Tempo prevents a sub so UNLV is real light and the wedge blows into the endzone. This is a triple team on the nose. RPS +1.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 7-0, 7 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M25	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Tite strong	6.5	Run	Power	Corum	6
A light box with three deep safeties at 10+ yards. Nice. M runs at this. UNLV has no one on the LOS outside of Zinter, let alone Hinton. Hinton(+0.5) fires in that guy as he slants away. Keegan(+1) and Barner(+1) find the LBs, who both are shooting inside; Johnson(+1) corrects his earlier mistake and gets inside of the CB to kick him out. Corum skates to the third level and… well, he tries to pop it to the outside(-0.5) and gets hacked down with no YAC. RPS +1.
M31	2	4	Pistol 3-wide	2	1	2	3-3 stack	6	Run	Zone stretch	Corum	8
Another light box, yeehaw. Loveland(+1) releases and gets a moving kickout on an OLB. Nugent(+1) and Zinter(+1) combo through the backside DT; Keegan(+0.5) and Barnhart(+1) do the same to the frontside guy. Keegan can’t quite step around the DT so Barnhart’s release to the other LB is not complete; he kind of sticks with the double and uses one hand on each block. LB is able to extend and tackle from the side. RPS +1.
M39	1	10	I-Form	1	2	2	4-5 over	8	Run	Edge pitch	Edwards	0
Not great here from Edwards(-2), who bounces outside a set edge and gets nothing. EMLOS jumped inside Barnhart(+0.5), who is able to adjust and shove the guy; Barner(+1) gets a good, extended second level block; Keegan(+0.5) getes out on another LB. Can’t evaluate Bredeson’s block because he’s kicking the force guy and Edwards goes outside of him. This is at least 5-7 if Edwards doesn’t do this.
M39	2	10	Gun TTE	1	2	2	6-1 under	7.5	Pass	Quick out	Wilson	4
UNLV shows blitz over the slot and runs it. Quick out to Wilson under the safety isn’t thrilling but is an easy gain to set up a reasonable third down. (CA, 3, protection 1/1, +0.5) Officials short Michigan a yard(-1).
M43	3	6	Gun 4-wide	1	2	2	Nickel over	6.5	Pass	Improv	Morris	15
Really good job by Hinton to track a guy trying to dive inside of him and plaster him across the formation. Also Nugent looks for work and pancakes Keegan’s guy. Big gap up the middle. JJ runs up in the pocket, drawing a linebacker, and rifles it to Morris just as he’s crossing the line for a conversion. (CA+, 3, protection 3/3, +1). I don’t give individual pass pro positives but you can give Hinton and Nugent gold stars in your head if you want.
O42	1	10	Pistol 3-wide	1	2	2	Nickel over	6	Run	Duo	Edwards	0
Tempo here; M snaps with 27 on the clock, which means a late stem from a safety has to happen post snap. Michigan runs duo here but the UNLV DL just… stay there. Bit concerning. Keegan(-0.5) and Barnhart(-0.5) can’t get motion on a double; Nugent(-1) gets stood up by the nose; Zinter(-0.5) and Hinton(-0.5) get nowhere on a DE. Nothing to the interior so Edwards has to bounce it into an unblocked safety. Yikes. Officials again short Michigan a yard(-1).
O42	2	10	Gun TTE	1	2	2	4-3 over SAM	7	Pass	Dumpoff	Corum	3
UNLV drops seven and JJ doesn’t test the middle this time. Some dodgy pass pro from Barnhart sees a guy almost get around at eight before Barnhart shoves him to the ground; JJ moves up in the pocket and his clock accelerates as a result so he just takes the checkdown; immediate tackle. (MA, 3, protection 2/2, JJ push)
O39	3	7	Gun 4-wide	1	2	2	Nickel over	6	Pass	TE stick	Barner	12
Protection is good as Keegan and Barnhart manage to pick up both halves of a stunt; the looper will get to JJ if JJ doesn’t move up but there’s another gap in the middle of the pocket so he’s able to move up and rifle in a dart to Barner(route+), who drifted away from a zone defender to put himself in the right spot. (CA, 3, protection 2/2, JJ +1)
O27	1	10	Ace twins	1	2	2	404 tite	7	Run	Zone stretch	Corum	8
Morris(+2) checks in with a strong second place in Block Of The Week here by getting inside of a corner who blitzes once he sees the line action. Unfortunately for him, Hinton(+3) checks in with one of the most ridiculous donkey rides we’ve seen in a minute here, clobbering the playside end literally seven yards downfield before the inevitable pancake. Got dang. Zinter(+0.5) gets an easy LB block because LB almost gets caught up in that mess. Barner passes up the corner once he sees that Morris is in okay shape, which turns out to be a mistake since the CB is able to fight back inside at the last moment and make a diving attempt at Corum(+0.5). That doesn’t get Corum down; he just jumps through it. It does force him farther inside and eliminates Barner’s angle on the S.
O19	2	2	Gun TTB U	1	3	1	Bear over	9	Run	Arc zone keep	McCarthy	17
This is irrelevant to the result but Hinton(-2) lunges at an OLB and self-pancakes; that guy then eats Corum. Corum doesn’t have the ball, though. Bredeson(+1) and Hibner(+1) pull to the backside; Bredeson turns in the edge defender while Hibner checks the guy who ole’d Hinton and smartly passes him up once he sees him go for Corum. He then eliminates a linebacker. JJ one on one with a safety, who takes him down. Probably get OOB there. ZR+, RPS +2.
O2	1	G	Gun twins	1	2	2	Goal line	9	Run	Dive	Corum	2
They’re not submarining yet so they just get dumped in the endzone. Zinter(+0.5) and Keegan(+0.5) look like the guys doing the most damage. Hinton(+0.5) too.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 14-0, 14 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M41	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	2	2	4-3 over	7.5	Pass	TE stick	Loveland	9
Loveland(route+) sells the slot corner on an out route then breaks in. JJ thwomps it in his facemask. (CA, 3, protection 2/2, JJ +0.5)
M50	2	1	Pistol 3-wide	2	1	2	404 tite	7	Run	Zone stretch	Edwards	4
Corum in the slot, FWIW. Barnhart(-1) driven back by a DE who is able to erase outside gaps and then fall off to tackle as Edwards passes; Hinton(-1) attempts a cut block on the backside DE and doesn’t get him down. Nugent(+1) and Zinter(+1) double through the nose and shoot him three yards downfield; Keegan(+1) IDs and blows out a charging LB. Edwards is able to shoot through the gap up the middle before the guys the tackles were blocking converge.
O46	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	404 tite	5.5	Pass	Corner	Johnson	20
First and ten and UNLV presents a 5.5 man box, wild stuff. M runs a straight dropback; UNLV drops eight. JJ stares down Johnson on his corner route, causing the flat corner to bail on Loveland and start dropping into this. He cannot recover to Holeshotlandia in time because JJ lasers it in. This is an area for improvement; glance to Loveland here and you don’t have the small window. But also it is an NFL throw. (DO, 3, protection 2/2, JJ +2)
O26	1	10	Gun TTE	1	2	2	4-3 under	8	Run	Lead stretch	Edwards	4
Throwing at the light boxes and running at the heavy ones. M put this on tape last week and UNLV looks very ready for this with LBs firing hard on this action. Keegan(+1) turns in a linebacker; this isn’t really a reach because the guy is slanting to him. Bredeson(+1) gets another moving kickout, eventually putting this guy three yards downfield. Barnhart gets out pretty quick after checking the LB Keegan picks up but the LB is flowing so hard that he can only chase him, really. Barner(-0.5) takes on a linebacker and gets stalemated; that guy is able to fight to the ball. Lots of guys converge. RPS -1.
O22	2	6	Gun TTE	1	2	2	404 tite	6.5	Run	Power CT	Edwards	1
A One Guy play as Edwards is just about to burst through the line and do damage when a linebacker grabs him from behind. Barnhart(-2) released to him and didn’t touch him once the LB decided to shoot the gap. Barner(+1) got a yard or two of depth on a one on one block with a DE; Nugent(+1) got a moving kickout; Hinton(+1) pulls and obliterates the guy coming to him. Duerr thought he gets too deep here but IMO that doesn’t have a lot of relevance; Edwards is delayed because he has to pick through some traffic and the LB gets him.
O21	3	5	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	3-2 dime	5.5	Run	Power GT	Edwards	3
M checks to this after seeing the light box and it should work. Keegan(+0.5) seals the nose. Zinter(+1) pulls and puts a DE definitively to one side. Hinton(+1) correctly IDs a LB shooting inside and puts him on the ground. Barnhart(-2) again releases to the LB and that guy shoots the gap again without being touched. Edwards(+1) bounces smartly and then gets chopped down because Johnson(-2) airballed on the safety.
O18	4	2	Gun 2TE	1	2	2	Goal line	9	Run	Dive	Corum	1
UNLV sells out; the crucial player for them is the DL diving under Zinter’s legs in the middle here. I don’t think it’s realistic to expect Zinter to be able to do anything with this. RPS -2.
Drive Notes: Turnover on downs, 14-0, 8 min 2nd Q
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M17	1	10	I-Form	1	2	2	Base 3-4	7	Pass	Deep slant	Johnson	18
PA sucks up the linebackers and Johnson runs a ~15 yard slant behind them. They’re attempting to recover and one guy is in good position but he’s had to flip around entirely and by the time he gets his head back on McCarthy the ball zips by him. (CA, 3, protection 2/2, RPS +1, JJ +1)
M35	1	10	Gun TTE	1	2	2	4-3 over	7	Pass	Comeback?	Moore	Inc
Going to have to assume that the freshman WR here is supposed to be running an option route and that when he sees off coverage he’s supposed to run a stop route after threatening the fly. Moore (route -) just keeps going. Barnhart on the verge of a pass pro minus as he gets bulled back a bit. (not charted, 0, protection 2/2, JJ push)
M35	2	10	Gun trips bunch	1	1	3	3-2 dime	5	Run	Inside zone	Corum	3
OTOH have to file this as a ZR- because Michigan leaves an end unblocked and this has to be a pull (JJ -2, run). Instead Corum(+1) has to spin out of a tackle in the backfield and get what he can.
M38	3	7	Gun trips bunch	1	1	3	3-2 dime	5	Pass	Dumpoff	Edwards	15
Coverage lifts beyond the sticks by a couple yards or so so McCarthy takes the checkdown to Edwards for a conversion. (CA, 3, protection 1/1, JJ +0.5)
O47	1	10	Pistol 3-wide	1	1	3	3-2 dime	5.5	Run	Zone stretch	Corum	2
Hinton(-2) gets bulled back by a defensive and and then shed just as Corum passes for a near TFL. Nugent(-1) and Keegan(-1) do not control the NT so he is flowing down the line largely unimpeded; he ends up tripping over Nugent’s leg at the last second but even if Corum isn’t being tackled there’s really no gap here.
O45	2	8	Pistol TTE	1	2	2	3-3 stack	6.5	Pass	PA dumpoff	Edwards	2
Time becoming a factor; 1:46 on snap. PA doesn’t suck in the LB level and JJ checks down; immediate tackle. No downfield replay so no idea if he had a window. (CA, 3, protection 1/1, JJ push)
O43	3	6	Gun 4-wide	1	2	2	3-2 dime	5.5	Pass	Stick	Morris	9
1:05 on snap, yeesh. 3 TOs I guess. Morris(route+) looks to have an option route here; he sells an interior move and then breaks out; JJ lays it in with excellent timing. (CA, 3, protection 1/1, JJ +1)
O34	1	10	Gun 4-wide	1	2	2	3-2 dime	5.5	Pass	Scramble	McCarthy	7
40 seconds on snaps, and while M scores a TD on this drive they’ve really blown this clock management. Hinton(-1) gets beat around the corner and JJ flushes up, but three man rush so whatever. JJ grabs what he can and gets out of bounds. (SCR, N/A, protection 0/1, JJ +0.5)
O27	2	3	Gun trips	1	1	3	3-2 dime	5	Run	QB draw	McCarthy	14
34. Nice call here as the box is very light and has been; Loveland(+1) gets the key second level block, latching onto a LB and staying attached on a rip. Zinter doesn’t get a block because LB goes right upfield of him but he can’t tackle. Ditto Keegan; pushes. JJ +1. RPS +2. M TO.
O13	1	10	Gun empty	1	1	3	4-2 nickel	4.5	Pass	In	Wilson	13
I thought I’d see this set up earlier; it’s not. Wilson(route+, I guess?) breaks down and then breaks in; DB appears to expect hitch and then looks up JJ; when his eyes come back to Wilson, Wilson has crossed his face. JJ puts it on his number and Wilson can stroll in. (CA, 3, protection 1/1, JJ +1)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 21-0, EOH
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M31	1	10	Gun 2-back	2	1	2	3-3 stack	6	Run	Power GT read triple flat	Edwards	2
This mouthful of a play: M runs power GT with a zone read attached and Edwards an option in the flat. JJ(run -2) misses this read (ZR-) which has the two backside guys moving out into the field in response to the Edwards motion. The Corum run looks like it’ll be good. Barnhart(+1) and Keegan pull and fire guys in; Johnson’s block is made but dubious as the CB chucks him downfield; possible Corum runs past this but no way to tell. Anyway, JJ keeps and gets one of those linebackers to him so he takes option 3, which is dumping it out to Edwards in the flat. UNLV does a good job to spin out of a couple of blocks; Edwards(+0.5) dodges the first guy, who Loveland(+0.5) is still attached to. Then he gets decked by two guys.
M33	2	8	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	3-3 stack	6.5	Run	Zone stretch	Corum	5
Keegan(+1) and Nugent(+0.5) double through the NT; Nugent can’t step around but does get a couple of yards of depth. Keegan gets to a second level block and has no real chance of sealing; guy is flowing hard. Loveland has a kickout and makes it but lets the guy fall off and rally; push. Zinter(+0.5) and Hinton(+0.5) combo through the backside end. Corum runs up the back of Keegan for a decent gain.
M38	3	3	Gun TTB	1	2	1	Nickel even	6.5	Pass	Slant	Johnson	Inc
M sets the line left and UNLV blitzes a linebacker through a gap to the right. Could be Nugent or McCarthy not setting the protection correctly or Corum for not aborting his route and going after the LB. JJ throws it into the facemask of the LB. Maybe he could have tried a weird arm angle thing on a throw to Loveland but that’s asking a ton. (PR, 0, protection 0/2, TEAM -2, JJ push)
Drive Notes: Punt, 21-0, 13 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M36	1	10	Pistol TTE	1	2	2	4-3 under	7.5	Pass	Hitch	Johnson	12
Massive cushion here as the field corner bails presnap; JJ takes the free real estate. (CA, 3, protection 1/1, JJ +0.5, RPS +1)
M48	1	10	Ace TTB	1	2	2	4-3 even	8	Run	Duo	Corum	5
Key block here is Barner(+1) and Bredeson(+1) blasting a DE off the ball. Wilson(+2) rips the force guy to the ground. Dude. Hinton(+1) gets a good chip and then climbs to the second level; Corum has a big avenue off the back that he hits. S comes down; Corum slashes inside of him instead of trying to dust him and gets chopped down after a solid gain.
O47	2	5	Pistol twin TE	1	2*	2	4-3 under	7.5	Pass	Dig	Wilson	47
Keegan(-2) whiffs on a DL and M gets a bit lucky here as Nugent and this guy get tangled up, knocking Nugent over and knocking the guy beating Keegan off balance. This allows JJ to step up past the pressure and find Wilson on a dig route after coverage sucks up on Bredeson. Wilson(route+) has a step on his guy and since JJ puts it on his facemask Wilson can turn on the jets before the sideline intervenes. (CA+, 3, protection 0/2, JJ +1)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 28-0, 10 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M33	1	10	Gun 2TE	1	2	2	404 tite	7.5	Run	Power	Edwards	1
Blocked fine; Edwards issue. Barner(+1) gets a DE hopping outside of him and wins, firing him outside. Keegan(+1) turns in the NT. Barnhart(+1) puts a LB trying to scrape over him on the ground. Zinter pulls(+0.5) and gets a hit on a CB blitzing that Morris had no shot at. Bredeson, also pulling, smacks an aggressive LB. He goes outside. There’s a lane inside. Edwards(-2) runs into this LB.
M34	2	9	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	404 tite	7	Pass	Dumpoff	Edwards	3
Three man rush; JJ looks to the field for a while and then checks down. (CA, 3, protection 1/1, JJ push)
M37	3	6	Gun trips	1	1	3	3-3 stack	6	Pass	Corner	Wilson	Inc
Three man rush again except there’s a LB spying and he eventually moves up into the line. UNLV covers this well with the aid of a pretty blatant holding call on Loveland(refs -2); JJ takes a shot a the only route likely to convert. That’s a corner route to Wilson that JJ fires high; Wilson can only stab at it as the DB rakes at his arm. This needed to be shorter so Wilson could separate from the DB. (IN, 0, protection 1/1, JJ -1)
Drive Notes: Punt, 28-0, 6 min 3rd Q.																										7
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M24	1	10	Pistol TTE	1	2*	2	3-3 stack	8	Run	Power	Corum	19
Hey, power, cool. Keegan(+2) gets an initial chip from Nugent but mostly just crushes the NT himself and then seamlessly peels off NT to cut of a linebacker, badass. Zinter(+1) has a tough job on his pull as a DE is slanting hard inside; he stops and walls the guy off; Bredeson(+1) has a very relevant kick; Barnhart(+1) moves a LB out of the lane. Corum(+0.5) does a nice job to slide over between the Bredeson/Zinter blocks and then bursts upfield but gets taken down by an ankle tackle from the safety.
M43	1	10	Pistol trips bunch TE	1	2	2	6-1 under	8	Pass	PA dig	Johnson	26
Bredeson motion to a bunch and then motions back in as JJ gestures. PA, seven guys step forward. JJ fires a bullet to Johnson in between the sucked up LBs for a chunk. (CA, 3, protection 2/2, JJ +1, RPS +1)
O31	1	10	Gun TTB	1	2	2	404 tite	7	Run	Yo-yo end around	Johnson	26
Tempo, UNLV defaults to tite. M runs their yo-yo end-around where a TE, Loveland here, pulls like it’s power and then reverses. EMLOS bites and is gone. Barner(+0.5) turns in a DE and holds him there. Morris(+1) gets a good downfield block on a TE; Loveland finishes this but likely not necessary. Zinter(+1) gets way downfield and obstructs a DB; he loses him eventually but meh. Nugent(+1) cuts off that guy after he escapes and that’s why there’s a safety barely able to prevent a TD. RPS +2. Officials(refs -1) short Michigan a yard and a half.
O5	1	G	Ace twin TE	1	2	2	404 tite	7	Run	Split zone	Corum	5
Playside DE buries himself into the turf because it’s dive o’clock; M does not run a dive. Loveland(+0.5) gets an adequate kick and Barnhart(+0.5) an adequate second level block. TD. RPS +2.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 35-0, 3 min 4th Q. Backups time now.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M46	1	10	Pistol TTE	1	2	2	3-3 stack	8	Run	Counter GT keep	Tuttle	14 +15 pen
Hey Jack Tuttle, IU transfer. Tuttle sees a charging DE that Crippen has no real shot at bearing down on Mullings and has a +2, ZR+ moment where he yanks the ball out at the last second and surges upfield, baffling everyone. How is this even a live read? I have seen nothing like this before in Michigan’s offense. It is wondrous. Then a DB chucks him into the wall and we get no more Tuttle. (Tuttle run +3)
O25	1	10	Ace TTB	1	2	2	Exotic	7.5	Run	Duo	Mullings	3
Mullings should probably just hit this up the middle as there is a fair bit of movement. Beetham(+0.5) drives his guy a couple yards downfield; he gets chucked but still solid. El-Hadi(+1) thunks the C on a chip then comes off on a charging LB. There’s a pocket of a couple yards downfield. Mullings(-1) decides to bounce, which is OK, but he cuts upfield after he sells the DB outside… and then cuts outside again. This costs Michigan 2-3 yards.
O22	2	7	Gun TTE	1	2	2	Exotic	6.5	Pass	Drag	Beetham	Inc
Jones gives a little ground but not too much; seems to speed up Davis, who throws at a very covered Beetham underneath, PBU. (BR, 0, protection 1/1, Davis -1)
O22	3	7	Gun empty	1	1	3	3-2 dime	5	Pass	Hitch	English	INT
Hideous INT into the chest of a zone defender while WR is surrounded by three other defenders. (BRX, 0, protection 1/1, Warren -4)
Drive Notes: Interception, 35-0, 14 min 4th Q. Nothing worth noting either; unfortunately my tape does not have the Denegal downfield completion.

Let's talk about the good thing first.

This is unlike you.

The good thing is so good that it seems more important than the bad thing.

Ah so. Well, here's the chart:

JJ MCCARTHY

	Good				Neutral			Bad					Ovr			Reads
Game	DO	CA	SCR		PR	MA		BA	TA	IN	BR		DSR	GRADE!		RPOs	ZRs
East Carolina	6+	14(2)++++				5				2			91%	+20		0/0	0/0
UNLV	2	15++	1		1	1				1			95%	+12.5		0/0	1/3

(Run +/- is in the other chart; the above is solely a passing/decisions grade.)

McCarthy did not post a +20 largely because I gave him a lot of +1s; UNLV did not provide many tight windows. But here's possibly the freakiest thing I've ever charted: there is not a single tough or circus catch in the wide receiver charting. Everything is routine. Nothing was outside the frame of the receiver's body. There are three uncatchables: the batted-down pass, the Moore miscommunication, and the corner route over Wilson's arm that was the sole negative he picked up on the day. Ye gods, part two.

McCarthy started his day by casually dissecting an eight man zone drop on third and eight:

Yes, I would like to throw across the middle on a straight dropback on a passing down. That sounds like a delight.

Stare down a corner route but it doesn't matter? Ok.

You'd like to see McCarthy glance to Loveland here to control the flat corner but maybe McCarthy knows he doesn't need to bother. After those move-guys-with-your-head plays from the opener it's a possibility.

Okay, so the throws that are impressive are one thing. The other thing that is impressive is McCarthy's metronomic consistency on making the reads. I'm not sure there's been more than one or two plays this season where you could make a case that he went to the wrong guy (in part because we didn't see downfield on some checkdowns). And when the defense is offering free money, he takes it. He must see the corner bailing out of the corner of his eye here because there is no doubt in his mind where the ball is going:

Individually this is just a throw to an open receiver. Once you get to "is completing 85% of his passes," you have to start crediting McCarthy's ability to find open receivers. Last week McCarthy was finding guys with a crack as ECU stayed in pretty decent contact on ~half of his attempts. This week he's slicing up a zone that frequently dropped eight guys.

The other other thing that's impressive is McCarthy's lethality once he breaks the pocket. UNLV provided a fair few of these opportunities because they rushed three a lot. McCarthy would calmly step up, draw a response from the coverage, and then find a guy. This wasn't a three man rush but it was the best example, as you can see the LB level suck up to Bredeson/McCarthy once he escapes pressure:

McCarthy's eyes are always downfield when he does this, and not in checkdown range. His ability to throw on the run is going to result in more big plays over the course of the year.

I want to see this chart of yours.

Sure, look at it.

	THIS WEEK					THIS YEAR
Player	Uncb	Circus	Tough	Routine		Uncb	Circus	Tough	Routine
Johnson	1			5/5		2		2/2	8/8
Wilson	1			4/4		1	0/3	2/2	8/8
Morris				3/3					3/3
Moore	1					2		1/1	1/1
Clemons									1/1
Morgan
O'Leary
Loveland				2/2					5/5
Barner				1/1		1			1/1
Bredeson									1/1
Hibner
Beetham
Corum				2/2					4/4
Edwards				3/3					5/5
Mullings
Hall
Stokes

Routes: Wilson ++, Morris +, Johnson +, Barner +, Loveland +. Moore –.

JJ McCarthy is throwing so accurately that Michigan can't even drop a routine one.

Might as well talk receivers now.

 

Not a ton to say that's not rabbling about blocking since, you know, literally no opportunity to help the QB out. I do have a couple of things. Wilson's speed makes his route running pretty simple against everyone except super-elite defenders. There is going to be a lot of this over the course of the season:

I think he's been McCarthy's most favored target largely because he's frequently open by default. FWIW, I did not detect any setup to the Wilson TD before the end of the half; just an assumption from the DB that a hitch was coming. Also, we've complained about WR blocking a fair bit so it's only fair to point out Wilson giving a guy the business:

WR #1 motioning in to top

This was… uh… not typical.

Meanwhile McCarthy's target distribution might shift a little because it looks like Tyler Morris is going to be the chain-mover slot we projected him to be preseason. It's telling that he's in the game, and in the slot, for this conversion:

I like the quick head dip inside even though just running the quick out is also going to work given the inside alignment of the defender. On plays like these the timing is crucial and McCarthy's said he knows exactly where Morris is going to be a lot of the time. He looked polished; he might be the man when Michigan needs someone to go Drew Dileo.

Man that's a Name Some Guys.

You do that little endzone shimmy against MSU to win a game, you get to be namechecked at a later point and time.

All right. Fine. Hit me with it.

So here's the other chart… which is good news? Ish?

Offensive Line
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Barnhart	4.5	7.5	-3	Got ghosted by LBs two plays in a row.
Keegan	10.5	1.5	+9	PFF 75. Don't think you're out of the woods yet, Mr. Focus.
Nugent	3.5	3	+0.5	Top OL per PFF… some disagreement here.
Zinter	9.5	0.5	+9	There you are Peter
Hinton	7.5	7.5	0	Jonas Mouton, OL Edition
Jones				DNC
Henderson				DNC
El-Hadi				DNC
Crippen				DNC
Bredeson	4		+4	Steady. Could have had more but for some Edwards cuts.
Barner	8.5	0.5	+8	Hello. Competition level a Q, obvs.
Loveland	2.5		+2.5	This is a good use of Loveland as a blocker. Present.
Mullings				DNC
TOTAL	50.5	20.5	71%	Mendoza cleared again.
Backs
Player	+	-	T	Notes
McCarthy	2	4	-2	Two badly missed reads cost Michigan chunks.
Warren				DNC
Tuttle	3		+3	Miraculous save on single snap.
Corum	2.5	1.5	+1.5	Not yet on last year's level.
Edwards	1.5	4	-2.5	Apparently did not take contact in fall, shows.
Mullings		-1	-1	Too many cuts on charted carry.
Stokes				DNC
TOTAL	9.5	6.5	+3	Not up to last year's standard.
Receivers
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Johnson	1	4	-3	Two airballs; got to clean this up.
Wilson	2		2	Emphatic pancake(?!?)
Morris	3	2	+1	One real nice block, one airball
Clemons				DNC
English				DNC
Moore				DNC
TOTAL	6	6	0	Little better, still a problem.
Metrics
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Protection	28	5	85%	-2 Keegan, –2 TEAM, –1 Hinton
RPS	18	4	+14	Other than nerfing Dive #3 UNLV did little that got M tactically.

Last week the run blocking graded out at the same level, a level that usually corresponds to a much bigger day on the ground. But now we're all balanced and such, so we have to look at per-carry results. Michigan first-stringers combined to go for 153 yards on 25 carries, which is 6.1 per rush. You can't discount the JJ/Johnson outside runs because those are so open because teams are focused on stopping runs up the middle.

So our agony here is maybe a little over the top?

NO IT IS NOT.

I… well, fine. I am also experiencing some discomfort about this. I don't get certain things, like why Michigan is suddenly running a ton of outside zone.

What is all this about outside zone? Aren't we a POWER team that runs POWER?

I charted 28 run plays; 9 were outside zone or equivalent. (Edwards and Loveland got "jet sweeps" that are just OZ with a lead blocker, and the pitch play to Edwards was OZ blocking.) If you remove the QB draw and the three dive plays, which are highly situational, that's almost 40% of Michigan's standard ground game that used outside zone blocking. Those nine plays gained 29 yards. Yuck. One of the successful plays was run at a six man box.

So maybe they can run it against a good look where the playside just gets caved in but when things are more difficult there's always one guy making an error. Here it's two and a half, as Barnhart runs by a DL, then violates Never Turn Upfield and Morris airballs a cornerback while Nugent can't definitively put his guy to one side:

LT #52, WR #8 to bottom

Michigan gets a reach block from Zinter and Corum goes in the right gap but that corner—who Barnhart could have done something about if he didn't uselessly chase that DL—closes it down with the guy spinning off of Nugent. I think it's indicative that Michigan has a fifth year senior here acting like a freshman lineman. Barnhart is deeply unlikely to do this on anything except outside zone.

Meanwhile I am pretty dubious about Myles Hinton's ability to run OZ. Last week we saw him entirely fail to impede backside guys twice and here he gets beat to the interior, forcing this play wide:

RT #78

Johnson airballs on the CB, yes, but if Hinton gets a block that doesn't matter because Loveland can cut it up into acres of space:

On a subsequent run stop Hinton gets shoved into the backfield and then shed:

RT #78

You can also go back to that play and watch the UNLV nose tackle, who goes straight upfield and gets chipped by Nugent; Keegan is unable to step around him to finish the scoop and that guy flows relatively unimpeded; even if Hinton doesn't get beat here this play isn't going much farther.

I'm not sure Michigan has the personnel to use outside zone as anything other than a gotcha constraint play.

The tackles are horrible?

I would not say that. I would say that it is confusing that Michigan has ended all talk of four starters and is just rolling with Barnhart and Hinton given their performances to date.

I sort of get it with Hinton. I mean, when he gets it right…

RT #78

…he gets a +3 for the kind of donkey ride we haven't seen around here since Taylor Lewan. This is obviously our Block Of The Week. He also absolutely buried a guy on a pull from tackle. But this was the play immediately after the donkeying:

RT #78

 

Hinton's run blocking ticked up from last week (-3) but remained mediocre. See the zone stretch section above.

On the other hand, his pass blocking might be pretty good. I had him for one pass pro minus that ended up irrelevant because it was letting a guy around the corner on a three man rush, and he occasionally turned in something eye opening. This ability to mirror a guy diving inside of him and then just eject him from the pocket is real nice:

RT #78

(Also one gold star to Nugent on this play for wiping a guy out.) This is after a game with seven pass pro minuses and against UNLV, but I'm trying to make sense of why a guy who is grading out a hundred times worse than Trente Jones did last year is the obvious starter over him.

While I don't understand what's going on here, at this point Sherrone Moore could put a poodle in a cowboy hat out there and I'd have to say "that's weird, but we gotta let Sherrone cook." If Hinton can pull off the Jon Runyan Jr over the course of this season these early struggles will have a payoff in spades. Seems like there's a long way to go.

Meanwhile, Barnhart was mostly fine but had real trouble adjusting to the fact that UNLV linebackers were shooting the gap.

LT #52

That's going to the safety if the LB loses even a step during his Barnhart interaction; he does not. The very next play the same thing happens, forcing the Edwards bounce that didn't work:

LT #52

Those were 4 of his 7.5 minuses. He was clean in pass pro.

THE RUNNING BACKS ARE HORRIBLE?!?!?

Well. They're way off their game after not being hit the entire offseason, apparently. This was Michigan's second play from scrimmage. UNLV gets an unblocked linebacker in the hole Michigan's attacking but this edge isn't really set…

You can see the OLB leaning inside already. Last year it felt like Corum had a preternatural ability to read what the defense was doing and punish them for their sins; he would threaten inside and then bounce into green grass. Here he just runs into the LB.

On the next drive Edwards would come up against a very set edge…

… and bounce it outside for zero yards.

Later, Edwards did not gear down to see what would happen with Bredeson's block and ended running directly into a linebacker when the gap behind was open for a good gain:

We didn't get much to offset this. Corum had a couple of nice cuts and spun out of one tackle but didn't mass defenestrate anyone, and Edwards couldn't use his speed. I think this will be fine; RB instincts do not just evaporate and by the end of last year both Corum and Edwards were established as top-end backs.

Anything else hampering us?

Miscellaneous issue #1 is blocks on which wide receivers do not even touch players they are trying to block. Johnson had two –2 whiffs and Morris had one. As Alex would say, bad!

Miscellaneous issue #2: missed reads. McCarthy came in for two ZR-s. On the first, he did not keep when Michigan left an end unblocked and he went right for Corum.

I have to assume that when Michigan runs this that JJ's read is live. This, like some of the running back stuff, feels like rust because this is not a close decision, the DE is absolutely hauling after Corum.

I also think he missed the read on Michigan's nouveau triple option play.

At the mesh point two linebackers have widened out in response to the Edwards motion, and the LB just below the hash took two steps away from the power play; the only way he's getting involved in this play is in pursuit.

He is in good position to deal with a keep, and that's what he does, forcing the flat throw that doesn't really go anywhere. You can insert my long-winded complaints about how not repping stuff in games has a cost here.

Any bright-ish spots?

I thought Barner had an excellent week. Here he whips up on his guy:

TE #89 inline to bottom

Also here:

TE #89 inline to bottom

This double with Bredeson looks like it could be Zinter and Olu:

TE #89 inline to top

And this is controlling a DE for the whole play:

TE #89 inline to bottom

He was +3 –1 last week as a blocker (he got a –1 for a flag) and came in for a big score here. I'm cautiously optimistic Michigan will get Schoonmaker level production out of him on the ground.

Also, we're beginning to see some reaction to JJ being on fire. Michigan got a six man box on the first snap of their second drive:

Maybe this run game is a step back from the last two years and Michigan won't be able to stare down stacked boxes and pave away, but it's still plenty good enough to run against even boxes. The next play was an easy eight-yard stretch against a six man box.

What about settling your eternal feud with PFF over Trevor Keegan's grading?

Those sons of guns gave him a 75 this week, so I can't complain. Here's Keegan road-grading an NT and popping off on a linebacker anyway:

LG #77

It'll be interesting to see if PFF and I sync up more about Keegan. This might be the first time we're in the same ballpark.

I know that the RPS is 18 to four.

Buuuuuuut…

But I have to complain about dive. Wedge. Wedgedive. You know.

So yeah, when you get a third and seven conversion with two tight ends on the field against their passing down package, a tempo dive on first and goal is a solid idea.

Even if you don't score you're probably at least halfway there. Michigan punched in another TD with dive… and then the fourth and two. A third consecutive short yardage dive is asking for it, and UNLV sells out. The key guy is the one attacking Zinter:

LG #65

Dude just flings himself into Zinter's legs and goes down, which is what they used to teach 210 pound DTs to do in the 1950s. I don't think there's anything Zinter can do at that point. The downside to this approach is that if the opposition doesn't run a dive directly up the gut you have self-pancaked:

UNLV DE to bottom

We saw a version of this issue last year against Rutgers; I hope there's some down G or—gasp—stretch at some point. Stretch qualifies as a massive changeup in short yardage at this point.

Heroes?

McCarthy, McCarthy, McCarthy, McCarthy. The wideouts collectively ran good routes and caught all the routine balls they were fed. Keegan and Zinter were excellent, as was AJ Barner.

Maybe not so heroic?

Both tackles were up and down on the ground. The running backs left more yards on the field than they created. The wide receivers whiffed three more blocks.

What does it mean for BGSU and beyond?

McCarthy's headed to NYC. Zero non-routine balls. Zero. Zeeeeeeero.

Wide receiver corps is legit good. Morris looks like he's going to be a useful, polished piece immediately. Wilson and Johnson are thriving now that they are getting downfield targets.

Both running backs are rusty after an offseason sparing them from contact and need to get back into the flow. These guys are not playing like they did at the end of last year.

I don't get the tackle situation. I'm not sure Hinton can really run OZ and he is as likely to toss someone into a dumpster as fall over unprompted. We'll see how it develops.

Barner might be Schoonmaker. Very impressive blocking outing, and looked pretty natural on his catch.