Who needs defense?

Lon Horwedl / annarbor.com


One of the reasons I enjoy having football season tickets is that even in the midst of disappointing seasons you get these moments and games that are pure magic. In the middle of our first rose bowl less season in four years, 1979, we got Wangler to Carter, the greatest play in the first 100 years of Michigan football. In the middle of the Year of Infinite Pain, 2005, we got Manningham's dagger in the heart of Penn State. Even the awful 3-9 2008 campaign produced a comeback for the ages against Wisconsin.
That's what saturday's game was. Put aside all the disappointment from the last three games, all the concerns about the defense, all the speculation of will he stay? or will he go? and just enjoy an entertaining game. It was interesting that we heard little if any booing during the game. Sure there were no shortage of sarcastic comments or cheers, including a hearty round of "Save your job, Save your job" during the first overtime, but there wasn't the booing or "We want Harbaugh" chants we heard at the iowa game. Maybe the first play TD strike to Roundtree placated the fans a little. Or maybe we've just moved past the anger and depression stages of grieving for our defense and moved on to acceptance. Illinois just scored on a 60 yard run. So what? We know our defense sucks, when's the offense coming back out on the field?
Long ago, when I was much younger and was particularly down that my plans in life didn't seem to be working out, a good friend told me, "If you can't figure out a plan for life, just figure out a plan for today." So we take this approach going forward - the big picture will take care of itself, we will focus on each game, trying to get as much enjoyment out of the four(!) remaining Michigan football games as we can and worry about the big picture items later.
Other thoughts:
-Any doubts the last three games might have created about this offense were emphatically erased by this game. The Illini were the #15 defense in the country and hadn't given up more than 26 points in any game this year, despite playing three top ten teams, Missouri, OSU, and MSU. We got that in a half. The hadn't given up more than 390 yards in any one game this year, we got 386 in the first half. There is no doubt that as long as Rich Rod stays here, we will have one of the best offenses in the country.
-Despite the massive numbers, I acutally thought there were signs of progress on defense. Craig Roh is much better as a Dlineman than a LB. Courtney Avery palyed well, and made a good open field tackle on a player that was very similar to the one against Iowa that he missed and allowed them to get their last field goal. Finally, I think Cam Gordon is a better fit at the Spur position than at safety because of his size.
-I loved the reverse on the kickoff but don't understand why Jeremy Gallon is allowed to continue to return kicks after he fumbles one. I also think that we should be onside kicking every once an a while. With our defense, the opposition can (and will) score from almost anywhere. Why not take a chance on getting the ball back? If they are going to bring in new defensive coaches, they should consider finding one or two who have experience coaching special teams.
-I hope Tate Forcier realizes how important a good backup QB is in this offense. At the start of the year, all the buzz was about Denard and how he was a one man offense. In this game (and to a lesser extent the Iowa game), Tate showed that this offense is lethal no matter who is pulling the trigger. If he comes back next year, we will have the best QB situation in the country.
-Nice to see Michael Shaw back at something approaching 100%. Vincent Smith ran a lot better because he didn't have to shoulder all (or most) of the load.
-The receivers had a very nice game (obviously). We don't have that one dominant reciever that we had in the past with Braylon or Manningham, but we might have as much depth there as we've had in a long long time.
-Hurry back Carl Grapentine. The substitute PA guy was awful.
-I think it's safe to cross Arizona off the list of teams that could possibly beat Oregon. They were dominated by Stanford and have to travel to Eugene in three weeks. After a game at Cal, who just won their first road game of the year at Washington State, this weekend, they get a bye, Arizona at home, and then must travel to Corvallis to play Oregon State. Interestingly enough, the Beavers have already played (and lost to) TCU and Boise State. The season ending tilt against the Nike Ducks might be the last chance those two teams have to reach the championship game.
-Another classic game in Baton Rouge. it's too bad they won't get a chance to play in the SEC championship game, because I think they might be the best team in the league.

Much Better

Now that's the way games against over matched opponents are supposed to go: Offensive excellence early and often, defense getting enough stops and turnovers to keep the game out of reach, and lots of young players getting their first substantial action on both sides of the ball. In the long run this game probably means about as much as last week's game -- its a win, read more into the game at your own peril -- but it is certainly funner to discuss and to relive, so here goes:
-The media seems to be overplaying the Denard injury just a little bit. It seemed fairly clear that he was alright, based on the way he was jumping around on the sideline. I still don't get the idea that he would be any more prone to injury as a QB running the ball than a running back carrying the ball.
-Yes, patsy opponent and all, but Tate Forcier looked good. The ovation he got when he took the field was heartwarming, and his comments after the game were encouraging. I know I was ready to write him off after his comments in the immediate aftermath of the UConn win, but his subsequent walk back of those comments and behavior since then show that maybe, just maybe, he's grown up a little bit through this whole ordeal.
-Gardner also looked good, but I think if Denard were to go down for any period of time, we'd be better off with Tate at the helm, even though he doesn't bring Devin's overall athleticism. I think Tate just brings some better reads and more accuracy. Either way, we have some of the better QB backups in the country.
-I liked the new punt formation, with three returners back, Odoms, Gallon, and Dileo, to combat the rugby style roll punts from the spread formation that a lot of teams are running these days. The extra returners allowed us to return a few punts that previously had ended up bouncing 20 yards, or had turned into turnovers when Gallon tried to dive after the ball.
-Not a bad first career carry by Fitz Toussaint, huh? I'd worry more about him being caught from behind if he weren't wearing a knee brace.
-I thought the freshman Ray Vinopal showed a good nose for the ball on his late interception. Now if we could just put a few pounds on him so he doesn't cough the ball up after his interception.

Thoughts from other games:
-I wonder if Alabama's come from behind win in Arkansas was just the first of many such games for the defending champs this year. With the way their schedule is set up, with many teams getting bye weeks before they play them, they're gonna get everyone's best shot, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them fall behind against Florida, LSU, South Carolina, or Auburn. But they just seem to have that Rasputin like quality that they're never dead even after you think you've killed them.
-What the heck has happened to Georgia? Losing to Miss. State? I don't know anything about the situation on the ground in Athens, but from the outside it doesn't look good for Mark Richt -- losing record this year, losing ground in the rivalry with Florida, a new AD, and a gaggle of legal troubles for this players. His only saving grace might be that Tennessee might be worse, and the luster is coming off Paul Johnson at Georgia Tech a little bit.
-Speaking of the Vols, you gotta feel a little for UAB, miss five field goals in regulation and lose in 2OT to Tennessee. Ouch!
-I couldn't help but think in the wake of UCLA's somewhat shocking demolition of Texas that it was the Bruin's 66-3 win in Austin that effectively ended the last Longhorn coach's tenure. I don't think Mack Brown is going anywhere anytime soon, but maybe they shouldn't invite UCLA to town anymore.
-I watched a little bit of the Temple / PSU game. It's kinda a shame that the Big East kicked Temple out, since I think that if Al Golden stays there, they will outgrow the MAC real fast. If they are seriously considering adding Villanova, they should first bring Temple back. Of course, Golden's a Penn State alum, so he might be on their short list if/when Paterno finally hangs them up / kicks the bucket (whichever comes first).
-Odd Stat of the week: Every touchdown scored in Florida's 41-14 win over Kentucky was scored by #8 -- Florida's Trey Burton (who scored six touchdowns), Jeremy Brown (INT returned for a TD), and Kentucky's Chris Matthews (Two TD receptions) all wear number 8. I wonder what the odds are on three different players with the same number all scoring in the same game, let alone scoring nine touchdowns.
-Some more Golden rankings stuff later this week -- conference rankings and a look at a new rankings feature this year, looking at average points scored and allowed vs. the opponents averages.

Week one of the I-A playoffs

That's what this past weekend of major college football felt like, the opening round of a national playoff. It produced one of the best weekends of college football in recent memory. Oregon and Oregon State played a barn burner on Thursday night where the key plays down the stretch were not long pass plays or lightning quick touchdown runs, but an old fashioned, grind it out, eat up the clock 7 plus minute drive by Oregon that featured a couple of fourth down plays and stiff-arm to end all stiff-arms by Oregon's tank of QB. Friday's Mac championship was slightly less entertaining, but still worth a look-see. Saturday's early game was a "leave-the-defense-at-home" shootout between the ground game of Pitt and the spread attack of Cinncy. After a dud of an SEC championship game, the weekend finished off with a trio of interesting games - Georgia Tech / Clemson in a back and forth ACC championship game, UConn / South Florida in the snow (the way football was meant to be played), and the Pièce de résistance, a near all time upset in the Big 12 championship game which featured a bone-headed play that almost cost Texas a Big 12 title and a chance at the national championship. It was a treat to watch, and they were all games that would have been more meaningful if we had a full 16-team playoff, instead of the abomination we have now. Even the MAC championship game would have had a large TV audience if the winner go an autobid to go play at Alabama or at Texas in the first round of the really, really, Big Dance.

Bullets:
-What the heck was Colt McCoy doing? I'm only a marginal Texas fan, and I was freaking out and yelling at the TV. I can't imagine what it must have been like for Longhorn, Cornhusker, Horned Frog, or Bearcat fans watching it live. I also don't understand why Mack Brown didn't call timeout once the clock went past :10 and the ball had still not been snapped. I understand wanting to take one shot at the end zone, but call your TO before the play, set it up, and then run the FG unit out after the incomplete pass. Like in the Les Miles fiasco against Ole Miss, i don't understand how coaches who make millions of dollars, can't find one cheap grad assistant willing to work for peanuts whose sole job is to watch the clock and tell the coach when a timeout is needed.
-I wonder if Jesus ever had as bad a day against the Romans as Tebow did against the Tide.
-Boise State has finished three of the last four regular seasons undefeated and has not gotten a single first place or second place vote in the coaches' poll or Harris poll. Great system we got here.
-I was disappointed to see that the Richmond / Appalachian State game, a match up between the champions of FCS the last four years that was won in the last 30 seconds didn't even warrant a minute of highlights on Sportscenter. I understand why the game didn't get televised except through ESPNU, but come on, throw us a bone.
-There were a couple of interesting comments at halftimes from coaches who run offenses similar to Rich Rod's. Oregon and Cincinnati both run spread offenses that stretch the field vertically and horizontally and incorporate zone read options, bubble screens and the like. I think that if, or when, the offense gets going here, it will look very similar to both the Ducks and the Bearcats - quick strike, fast paced, not much concern for time of possession. Both teams trailed at halftime of their respective games after their opponents had put together long, grind-it-out drives. When asked by the sideline reporter what was wrong with their defense, Chip Kelly responded, "Our offense" In other words, if we execute better on offense, defense won't matter. When asked nearly the identical question, Cinncy's Brian Kelly responded, "We are who we are." In other words, we'll have to try and outscore them.
-The Big Ten bowl match ups almost make me glad we are staying home for the holidays. Texas Tech might throw for 1000 yards on our defense, and Miami would play action us to death. Don't even want to think how bad our linebackers would look trying to stop Georgia Tech's triple option attack. Perhaps that's just another indication of how bad we are - when you look at all the bowl teams, and none of them look beatable, maybe you're not ready to go bowling.
-The Boise State / TCU Fiesta bowl is horrible. Not bad as in it won't be a good game, but bad as in neither team gets a chance to prove themselves against a big boy. It's a perpetuation of the "nobody will play you" / "Who have they beaten" cycle that all mid-majors go through in both football and basketball.
-Anybody have a clue what's going to happen with the Heisman? My ballot has McCoy, Suh, Ingram, CJ Spiller, and Toby Gerhardt, but I'll be darned if I can figure out the order.
-In news you may have missed, both Hofstra and Northeastern dropped their football programs this week. While that might not seem like a big deal, it might change the balance of power in the FCS subdivision. Both were members of the Colonial Athletic Association, which had four teams in the elite eight, and has two remaining teams in the FCS Final Four. The disappearance of two of the bottom teams in that league might force some of the stronger teams to look for scheduling opportunities in the FBS division. League champ Villanova beat Temple, Richmond beat Duke, and the league was responsible for four of the five wins by FCS teams over FBS teams this year.
-Golden Rankings, and the 16 team bracket coming tomorrow evening.

A Day in Death Valley

So our dear friend in New Orleans invited me down for a weekend to visit the Big Easy and attend the Alabama/LSU game in Baton Rouge. It seems that he discovered that members of the Louisiana state high school coaches' association can get complimentary tickets to any LSU game, provided you get there early enough.

So we left New Orleans around 9:30 for a 2:30 game. Traffic there was pretty light until we got about two exits from the campus. We parked just north of campus, in what appeared to be a typical student "ghetto". Along the walk to campus, there was plenty of "talent", all appropriately dressed for a warm, late-fall day. We stopped in a convenience store that was packed with young adults from both LSU and Alabama looking to buy beer. First time I've ever seen a security guard in a gas station. After a brief stop to visit an old colleague, we made our way over to the stadium. Because we wanted to make sure to get there early, we didn't get to sample the famous Tiger tailgating scene, other than just to walk through it.

We got to the stadium about an hour and a quarter before game time. Most of the student section was already full. The marching band was already in their seats, as was the Alabama band. Our seats were in the upper deck along the eastern sideline. Because there are no basements in Louisiana, the stadium is not built into the ground at all. It appears to be a Huey Long-era, all-concrete project that has been added to and updated numerous times. The upper deck starts about six stories above the ground. It is also quite steep. Unlike Michigan Stadium, where the seats in front of you are at your ankles, the seats in front of you are below your feet. I could have put my feet up on the shoulders of the people in front of us, without too much problem. From our seats we could see downtown Baton Rouge, the state capital and the mighty Mississippi. The combination of the height and the angle was just enough to kick start my fear of heights and make me slightly uncomfortable, at least until the game started.

Shortly before the game started, the band left the stands and came onto the field for a pre-game show. No dramatic entrance like the high steppin' MMB, but still some nice numbers with nice formations and good audience participation. The entrance of the team was a big production with smoke, fireworks, and piped in music. The piped in music continued throughout the game, but the crowd really didn't react to it as much as they did to the marching band. According to our friend the piped in music is new this year, so maybe people haven't gotten used to it. Hopefully they'll reconsider and get rid of it. The sound system was pretty bad. As far as I could tell, there were no speakers in the upper deck. The video screens were also quite small, nothing like Texas' monster video board.

When the game started, the fans were very engaged. The fans near us stood to start the game, and remained standing for the entire first series. I was quite impressed, and wondered if they would actually stand for the entire game. Eventually, as the teams settled into the game, the fans did as well, sitting down for most of the action, but still standing at appropriate times. The noise level in the stadium was good, you can really tell how much the steepness of the stadium affects the noise level. It was curious that a lot of people who were sitting near us left early, starting in the 2nd quarter. To be fair, there didn't appear to be anyone checking tickets in each section, so it's possible they moved to lower seats. It was also clear that the fans were much more engaged in the second half. At the start of the fourth quarter, the PA announced, "The sun has now found it's home in the western sky. Night has come to Death Valley" With that the band played a number of tunes that got the fans fired up, and the team came alive. You could really tell that there is something special about night games there, and the fans and team knows that.

Interactions between Alabama and LSU fans around us was limited, but there were a few odd occurrences. At one point an old guy sitting near us stood up and started shouting at a few young Alabama fans about ten rows behind us. He threatened them, called them faggots, and told them he'd kick their asses if they were man enough to come down to his seats. The weird part is that there hadn't been any interaction between the guy and the Tide fans before his outburst. The whole thing had a "get off my lawn" type feel.

Only a few people said anything to me about my Michigan jersey. One guy told me that Michigan was losing to Minnesota (I found out later that there weren't) but not to worry, because Rich Rod would get it turned around in three years. Another kid informed me that Michigan was 3000 miles to the north. If I had thought quicker, I would have told him, "We're 2-7 and that's the best you could come up with?" I got a few other weird looks, and met one guy after the game who was from Michigan and was doing the same thing I was. "Had to see some good football this year," he said.

The game itself was a classic. The blocked field goal at the end of the game was unbelievable, the atmosphere was absolutely electric. I think they are both solid teams, with few weaknesses, save one glaring exception. LSU has a real issue at Quarterback. Like Michigan, they were hurt when the expected starter this year (Ryan Perriloux) left the team in the off season. His replacement, Jarret Lee, threw four interceptions, which is about his average for the season. I think their defense played well, and for the most part their lines got the best of Alabama. Alabama has few if any weaknesses, but they don't have many difference makers, other than freshman WR, Julio Jones. They remind me a little of the 2002 OSU team that upset Miami. I do think they will get trounced by Florida in the SEC championship game.

All in all, it was a great experience, and I hope I'll get a chance to get down there again.

Additional thoughts on last weekend

In no particular order:

-I think we've seen the last of Carson Butler as a starter. I'm guessing he didn't play in the game due to discipline reasons arising from his getting tossed out of the game in South Bend. Kevin Koger's emergence towards the end of the game might be just what Rich Rod needs to bench Butler for good.
-Mike Martin is going to be a beast. I've always liked to watch the D-line with by binoculars during the game, and he was just destroying double teams of a fairly good oline.
-Finally saw a crossing route from Odoms in this game. I would like to see more of this. I think it backs the linebackers out a little bit and makes the bubble screen and the zone read that much more effective.
-Bielema must really be kicking himself for not playing Travis Beckum the entire game. Despite his gaffe on the 2-pt conversion (he was the one who lined up wrong causing the illegal man down field penalty), he brings a dimension to this offense that was sorely missing. I'm guessing if he plays, they score more than 19 points in the first half.
-I know a loss like this is tough to take, but I don't think it really changes the season outlook for the Badgers. I still think the make the Rose Bowl if they run the table, there is no way Michigan escapes without a couple of losses. I don't think they had a reasonable shot at a national title, even if they were undefeated. This loss only means something if they can't rebound from it this week.
-This is getting to be pattern for USC: Finish with the top recruiting class in the nation, with twice as many 5-star players as the next team. Have more players drafted into the NFL than anybody else. Start the year ranked number one, or very close to it. Win a couple early non-conference games in impressive fashion. Become the unanimous number one team. Lose to a shitty Pac 10 team that has no business coming within four touchdowns of you. Win out, and watch some SEC team beat OSU in the championship game, when everyone in the country knows you are the best team in the country. Finish the year by beating an over matched Big Ten team in the Rose Bowl. Have all the pundits proclaim you as the team to beat for the next year. Rinse, rather, repeat.
-I never really thought Nick Saban was a good as everyone made him out to be. His teams at MSU were only slightly over .500 before his last year, his five year record there was only a couple games better than the first five years of his predecessor. I think he got somewhat lucky at LSU in that he got to play a national championship game against the #3 team, instead of the #1 USC. He was awful with the Dolphins. I always thought he was a good coach, but not the walk on water type he was portrayed as. I must admit, I am impressed with what is doing at Alabama this year. We'll see if they can keep it up, but if they do win the SEC west, I take back the negative things I've said about him in the past, except the part about him being the Larry Brown of college football.
-I'm not buying this Penn State Spread HD thing. Wait until they play a defense with a pulse.
-I hope that the BYU/Utah, BYU/TCU, and Utah/TCU all get the national TV audiences they deserve.