Back to the Future

It's been a pretty obvious parallel to draw the last couple of years - stadium under construction, team under construction. Holes in new structure, holes in depth chart. Unpoured concrete, unfinished tackles. So maybe it's fitting then that on a day when they opened the new bigger Big House, we got to see a team that may finally be beginning to resemble the finished product that Rich Rodriguez envisioned when he first arrived here almost three years ago.

The offense we saw on Saturday reminds me of the old Michigan offense. Not the traditional pro set we had under Carr and Moeller, but the "three yards and a cloud of dust" offense of the mid and late 70s. An offense where the rushing attack is so precise and potent that the passing attack doesn't need to be overly complex to be successful. It relies heavily on the athleticism and decision making of the quarterback. On Saturday, Denard Robinson ran it to near perfection. His reads in the Zone read play were good, his passing was accurate and on time, and his knack for finding the right hole and hitting it at top speed was outstanding. It will be hard to top this game against a team that some suggested might be the best in the Big East.

Even with the workman like effort by the offense, it was perhaps the defense that was the most pleasantly surprising. It is not a stretch to say the last two years have been the worst defenses in Michigan history. a simply mediocre defense this year will be a huge improvement, and might be enough by itself to secure a bowl bid. and that's what we got on Saturday, a simply mediocre defense. There were some bad angles taken by safeties and bad reads by linebackers, but there were few of the crushing missed open field tackles that led to long touchdowns last year. There were no sacks, and the defensive line didn't beat blocks one on one, but there was enough pressure on the QB from linebackers to make the UConn QB uncomfortable. Most importantly, the defense got a key turnover at the most opportune time, something they hadn't done for the last two years. Is this a championship level defense? No. is UConn an offensive powerhouse? No. But there was enough positive play to suggest that maybe, just maybe the defense will be good enough to get us to the winning season we've been waiting for.

Other thoughts:
-I was hoping we see more kids play, especially on defense. I'd like to see what Marvin Robinson can do at Jordan Kovacs SS/Bandit position. I'd like to see more of Will Campbell, and hope he gets his act together soon. I'd like to see Stephen Hopkins take a turn at RB to see if he can fill the runaway beer truck role that Owen Schmitt manned at West Virginia. I was hoping to see Drew Dileo at punt returner, especially after Jeremy Gallon dropped his first punt (HOLD ONTO THE DAMN BALL!)
-I'd like to see Tate Forcier stick around, just for emergency purposes, but after his disappearing act after the game, I won't be broken up if he transfers. The guys at MGoBlog, of course, were right on top of this story after the fact, talking to his dad. That interview sounded a lot like damage control, and given the family history of transfers not working out, I would guess his dad wants him to stick around. But it's clear that he's not happy, and it will be hard to convince a 20 year old kid who's been raised all his life to be a star quarterback that he should be content to be a backup with little chance to play meaningful snaps unless someone gets hurt.
-Outside of the kick block, special teams were pretty mediocre. Although I think the wind played a big factor, kicking will be an adventure all season.
- You could see David Brandon's influence all around the stadium on Saturday: The band was miked up and you could actually hear them; there was no piped in music, save for one snippet of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" at a quarter break; they announced a Slippery Rock score for the first time since the early to mid 80s (a report from some younger friends was that the students were very confused by that score and the cheers that it was met with); the band's halftime show was a salute to The Blues Brothers, complete with formations that actually matched the music (a Dodge with moving wheels, a hat and sunglasses). It could have been a show from the mid 80s. Hopefully we'll see more shows like that and less salutes to opera or boy bands like we had last year. I wonder if the annual salute to the school of animal husbandry will return.
-Some extra added food options this year look really yummy. We saw one stand selling roasted corn on the cob. Will definitely have to try that out.
-Overall a pleasant day at the corner of Stadium and Main. We now have six seats together, so my son came and brought his best friend with him (see the picture at the top of the blog). They had a grand time and even paid attention to the game most of the time. I'm not sure this game changes the overall season outlook - the goal is still to get to a bowl game, anything more is gravy.

Big Open House

Like thousands of others around the Ann Arbor area, my wife and I decided to take our son and one of his friends to the Big House last wednesday to take a tour of the new additions to the Big House. In our visit to the two club levels and one suite level, we were impressed by the attention to detail, the closeness of the playing field (you don't feel like you're a mile up, like you do in some suites) and how much they've strived to blend the old brick style with the new architecture. Needless to say, the additions were a hit. Pictures below:

Depth Charges

More than anything else, games like yesterday's game against Eastern are about depth - developing depth by giving backups and second and third stringers a chance to play, and using depth to avoid the inevitable letdown that comes when you play a team you're expected to beat handily.

It's clear that we have developed the depth we need to be a championship team in some areas, but are still sorely lacking in others. We have as much talent at the offensive skill positions (QB, RB, WR, TE) as anyone in the league. The depth certainly helped yesterday. Tate Forcier had his worst game of the year. He missed a number of passes. Not Threet or Sheridan missed, but turn a 20 yard gain into a 5 yard gain type misses. A number of times he passed up a sure couple of yards trying to make a big play. It seemed pretty clear that he had read some of his press clippings this week and wanted to show that he was the newest superstar. As a result, our passing game was not nearly as efficient yesterday as it was the previous two weeks. In it's place was a devastating rushing attack. From the first snap, it was clear that Carlos Brown was going to have a great game. Eastern had no answer for his speed. Michael Shaw looked almost as good.

On the other hand, it's equally clear that we are nowhere near a championship level defense, and we are amazing thin there. With the Big Ten suspending Jonas Mouton just a day before the game, we were left starting a walk-on, Kevin Leach at linebacker. What's worse, he appeared to be the better of our two inside linebackers. Obi Ezah just seems lost out there at times -- tentative, slow, and consistently out of position. EMU basically had success with two plays, a sort of counter that sucked the linebackers into the line, before the RB bounced the play around the end, and a play action waggled that got the linebacker open crossing in front of the moving QB. Both plays really took advantage of the decision making of our linebackers. Given that poor play, I was disappointed to not see more of the backups once we got up big late in the second half. If backups like Kenny Demens, Brandon Smith, and JB Fitzgerald can't get playing time against Eastern, the chance of them helping later in the year is slim to none.

Bullets:
-Eastern may have provided the game plan to beat us this year -- run, run, run, play action to the TE. Keep our D on the field.
-Denard clearly has a long way to go at QB. He made a couple of bad reads that led to our two turnovers. But he has good arm, decent mechanics, and of course could turn off the light and be in bed before it gets dark. The bar is not very high for his passing competency. He only needs to be adequate at passing to make him a quarterback capable of moving the ball against good defenses.
-I was hoping to see more of the OL backups - Omaneh, Barnum, Khoury, Mealer.
-I hope Andy Schmitt is ok. He's a good QB, and Eastern really has no chance of having any sort of season without him. I was watching him with the binoculars when he went down, it looked bad. He planted and his knee buckled.
-There were a couple of spreads this week that looked like fool's gold. Unfortunately this fool only recognized one of the three before the games were played. What's the old saying, "It's not the Xs and Os, it's the Jimmies and the Joes." In college football, most times, talent wins. That's why OSU wins 10 or 11 games every year with the world's dullest offense. There were three games where the talent gap between the two teams seemed to be at odds with the spread:
1) BYU was favored by a touchdown over Florida State. While everyone focused on BYU's win over Oklahoma and how they executed, the truth is, even as much as the 'Noles have slipped in recent years, they still have a lot more talent than BYU
2) Oklahoma was only favored over Tulsa by 18. Everyone wondered if OU could recover from the loss of Sam Bradford. But remember that a program as good as OU always has talent waiting in the wings. Given a couple of weeks, It should have been obvious that Landry Jones (the backup QB) would be just fine.
3) Florida was favored by 30 over Tennessee. With all the hype about Kiffin's comments and conjecture about how much Florida would run up the score, we lost sight of the fact that Tennessee's problem in recent years hasn't been their defense, and that they still have a fair amount of talent, with a very good defensive coordinator, Monte Kiffin.
-Watching the Texas - Tex Tech game, it appeared to me that the new enclosed end of the stadium, which was only partially completed when we went there, makes a big difference in the noise level of the stadium. Perhaps I should attend another game there.
-I think that the end might be near for the USC "dynasty" They really looked quite mediocre against the Huskies and I wouldn't be surprised to see them lose to Cal, UCLA, or even, gasp, Notre Dame. I think Carroll should really think about opening up the offense a little, there appears to be little imagination in what they do.
-Is it just me, or did it seem like Tennessee wasn't really trying to win the game against Florida, so much as just keep the score down.
-I didn't really see much of the MSU/ND game, but it looked very similar to our game against ND a week earlier, except that the absence of Michael Floyd hurt the Irish in the stretch run. I was kinda surprised how much the announcers were commenting on every penalty the Irish got. I think that they've bought into what Weis was trying to convey last week - they only lost to us because of the officials.
-The Arkansas / Georgia game was absolutely bonkers. Ryan Mallet is going to make opposing defensive coaches in the SEC sweat for three years. Of course the Razorbacks don't have enough other talent to win a title, but their games will be fun to watch.
-Ditto for the Fresno / Boise game on Friday night. Boise may have a great rushing attack and some good skill players, but they will get carved up when they play a BCS conference team on New Year's if they don't improve their rush defense. A lot. And why did Fresno keep kicking the ball deep, after giving up two kickoff returns for TDs (one that counted) and two other 60 plus yard returns? Pat Hill is vastly overrated as a coach. Did you realized that he has never won a conference title?

Big House Revival

When I met my dad at the stadium yesterday, he commented that the walk to the stadium was one of the weirdest ones ever.
"How so?" I asked.
"It was very quiet. Usually I can hear the crowd, the PA announcers, or if I'm late enough, the band taking the field for their pregame performance. I thought maybe I had gotten the game time wrong. But now..."

He didn't need to finish the thought, we both knew what he meant, and I probably couldn't have heard him even if he did finish the thought. With the new additions to the stadium, the sound that once drifted off into the surrounding neighborhoods where we usually park now bounced back into the stadium. It was easily one of the loudest games I've ever been to. Even before the game, there was a buzz of sound that enveloped all of us. You couldn't hear the band across the way clearly, as their music bounced off the east suite structure and seem to reach us in rounds. it was a cacophony of excitement that washed over all of us.

The "controversy" of the last week seemed a long way off in the grand old stadium yesterday afternoon. It was clear from the start where the loyalties of just about everyone there lay. If there was anyone who had doubts about the coach and the program, they kept them hidden. All over were signs showing support for the team and the coach: "In Rod we Trust", "Done with the Free Press," "All in for Rodriguez", "Rosenberg Punches Dolphins" (not sure what that last one means). At several points during the game, the chant started from the student section, bounced off the eastern sideline and spread all around the bowl: "Rich Rod-ri-guez, clap clap clapclapclap"

The team did their part to lend to the exuberant atmosphere. A near perfect first half included:
A freshman starter who did his best Colt McCoy impersonation: strong and accurate arm, good pocket presence, and an impressive command of the offense. He showed just about anything you'd want from a QB. His first game line is eerily similar to McCoy's first game: Forcier: 13/20, 179 yds, 3 td/0 int, 37 yds rushing (0 td); McCoy: 12/19, 178 yds, 3 td/0 int, 38 yds rushing (1 td).
-A backup quarterback who showed everyone why people had been raving about his speed. I don't remember if anyone else has every scored in his first play as a Michigan Wolverine. The rest of the game, you could hear everyone murmur with excitement whenever he touched the ball. It's the same buzz Desmond got during his Heisman campaign, or went through the stadium anytime anyone was stupid enough to throw in Charles Woodson's general direction. I'm not saying that Robinson will be as good as those two, just that his first carry set the stage for a season's worth of anything can happen type plays.
-A top receiver, Junior Hemingway, who ran good routes, showed decent speed, and could be a legitimate deep threat all year. He missed all of last season with injuries.
-A TE, Kevin Koger, who caught one TD and made a fantastic one-handed grab.
-A defense that was quick to the ball, and featured few, if any, of the missed tackles that were all over the place last year. Especially surprising on that side of the ball was the play of Troy Woolfolk, and true freshman DE/LB/"Spinner" Craig Roh, who showed a variety of different moves in getting penetration.

It's hard to find too much to complain about in this game. The final score was not indicative of the closeness of the game. It easily could have been 50-0 if Michigan hadn't taken their foot off the gas. If last year was any indication, this was one of the top teams in the MAC that we demolished yesterday. They had the 11th ranked passing offense in the country, and they had 81 yards of total offense in the first half when the game was in doubt (if it ever was). The result doesn't mean that we are going to go 12-0, or even challenge for the Big Ten title, but it does make it clear that this team will not be 3-9 this year. Last year Western beat two teams that we lost to, and there are at least 4 teams left on our schedule that have less talent than Western (IU, Purdue, Delaware St, and EMU). Given Iowa and Illinois' struggles yesterday, a 7 or 8 win season does not seem unreasonable. Win next week, and the ceiling will get even higher.

New and Improved

One of the interesting things about Michigan Stadium is that despite being the biggest stadium in the country, it is unique in that it doesn't really have an "inside" That is to say there is no covered concourse. Or at least there never was before now. In that sense, the new additions to stadium will radically alter the experience of the average fan, at least when they are not watching the game.

Some thoughts on the changes:
-We got to the game on Saturday several hours earlier than we normally do, in part to walk around the stadium and in part because of the warnings of long lines to get in. I think most other people had the same idea. I can't remember the last time when there wasn't a line to get into our section at kickoff.
-Every time I went under a low beam, I couldn't help but think it would look good with an "M Club Support You" banner attached/
-Good idea to limit the number of concessions under the structures. I didn't really think that there was anymore congestion around the concourse than normal. In fact, I think the area behind the press box was actually easier to navigate because the leveled the ground.
-Why didn't they make the new M-Den in the north structures bigger? There was still a line to get into the store before and after the game.
-I like that they exposed some of the columns from the original entrance to the stadium on the eastern sideline.
-They should tear down the western wall of Crisler, and just combine it with the stadium, since there is now not more than 40-50 feet separating the two structures. You could use the new area for concessions, thereby eliminating some of the congestion on the concourses around Crisler.
-The stadium did seem louder at times in the second half, but perhaps that was just my imagination. I think that is sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy. If enough people believe the stadium will be louder, they will be louder to try and keep up.
-When I looked about 10-15 minutes before game time, the new wheelchair seating all along the eastern sideline was about 40-50% full.
-Looking at the ends of each structure, it is very easy to see how they could extend those all around each end, so that you had an upper deck over each end zone.