Upon Further Review: EMU Offense

1	G	O10	Run	Martin	8	Nice blocking by Thompson, taking out two Eagles.
2	G	O2	Run	Martin	1
3	G	O1	Run	Martin	1	Touchdown.
Drive Notes: Not much to say. It's Eastern. I do think Martin looks pretty good here.
1	10	O20	Run	Martin	8	Martin makes a nice read here, cutting up into the hole as soon as it opens. Kraus gets enough of the EMU linebacker to give him the lane.
2	2	O12	Run	Martin	2	This is a really nice run, actually, as Henige gets beat and his man is right in the hole, as is a blitzing linebacker. Could have been a loss of 4.
1	G	O10	Run	Martin	10	Touchdown. Again a couple of nice cuts. Martin seems to understand his blocking pretty well.
Drive Notes: See previous drive.
1	10	O49	Pass	Breaston	8	One of those long handoffs to a WR. The route is stop and wait for the pass.
2	2	O41	Run	Grady	3	Not much push from the line, but Grady leaps and spins for the first... his YAC ability is closely related to his fumbling, I think.
1	10	O38	Pass	Avant	Inc	Avant is wide open and Henne misses him. Nice triple route to the left that Henne reads correctly, though.
2	10	O38	Pass	Breaston	11	Breaston makes 3 after the catch by cutting inside the corner. Henne sort of sidearms this, disturbingly.
1	10	O27	Pass	Avant	13	Easy, easy short pass where Avant is wide open. They're on the 27 and giving a 10 yard cushion.
1	10	O14	Pass	Avant	14	Touchdown. Henne gets nailed as he releases this due to miscommunication between Mitchell and Riley, who fail to block the DT. That's on Mitchell, who doubles the other DT even though Riley clearly has the responsbility to take the DE.
Drive notes: Well, 4/5 for Henne here. All I remembered from the game here was the badly missed Avant. There's no coverage at all, so it doesn't mean much.
1	10	M33	Pass	Avant	8	Long handoff. EMU is all like way back and stuff.
2	2	M41	Run	Jackson	5	Jackson looks quick.
1	10	M46	Run	Jackson	2	This another missed block by Mitchell, who just sort of runs at the DE without engaging him. He's not ready.
2	8	M48	Pass	Bass	Inc	This looks like a bad pass from Henne but postgame someone mentioned that Bass rounded his route off and was in the wrong place when the pass was thrown, which I buy given the location of the pass.
3	8	M48	Pass	Bass	Inc	Ball was there but not well thrown and Bass dropped it. Would have been short anyway. Major problem with the play, though, is Riley, who gets beaten badly by the DE, who hurries the throw even though Riley held him.
Drive Notes: First disturbing play from Riley on the day, who had trouble with the EMU DE.
1	10	O40	Run	Martin	7	Another sweep, facilitated by a nice block from Paul.
2	3	O33	Run	Martin	4	Mostly just crushing blocking here. Ball pops out when Martin hits the ground--not what the coaches wanted to see, even though it wasn't a fumble.
1	10	O29	Pass	Avant	3	Long handoff is well defended this time.
2	7	O26	Pass	Avant	26	Touchdown.I mean, it's nice and all, but so easy that it probably doesn't mean anything. Avant's open by a couple yards.
Drive Notes: Like the NIU game, the running game is unexplosive but very steady. The coaches must like Martin's vision and cuts, because they keep giving him the zone stretch play that Terrell Davis made famous and Fred Russell drove me nuts with.
1	10	M39	Pass	Grady	10	Just a flat dumpoff, appears to be the primary read, too. Grady breaks a tackle and makes five extra yards.
2	1	M49	Run	Grady	10	Sweep with the crushing blocking again. Key block is Ecker, who seals the DE with authorita(!).
1	10	O41	Run	Grady	7	Crushing blocking again. Very Big 2, Little 8, this blocking.
2	3	O34	Pass	Avant	5	Quick out for Avant, which EMU can't defend if they insist on playing 10 yards off the line of scrimmage.
1	10	O29	Run	Martin	-2	Draw and EMU stunts… I think this is just a defense winning the rock-paper-scissors.
2	12	O31	Pass	Avant	Inc	Avant dropped a pass! My world is ending.
3	12	O31	Pass	Henne	Scramble, 13	You can hear the sorostitutes screaming as their precious Henne starts rolling down the field
1	10	O18	Pass	No one	Sack, -7	Riley beaten like something beaten a lot (insert domestic violence joke).
2	17	O25	Pass	Grady	17	Screen, and Grady puts a nice juke on to get six or seven yards.
3	1	O9	Run	Grady	5	They run behind Steno and Henige and they crushify the opposition.
1	G	O4	Run	Martin	-2	The DT slips behind Kraus here on the zone sweep they run with Martin a lot and he makes the tackle.
2	G	O6	Pass	Thompson	6	Touchdown. Henne had Thompson open earlier but took a while to get to his read here. Nit, yes, but nits is all you get against EMU. Hyyyaaaaarrr!
Drive Notes: Yes, I knew the screen was coming, but it worked anyway. Second incident of Riley being beaten by the EMU DE.
1	10	M14	Run	Martin	5	Another zone sweep which Martin cuts up inside.
2	5	M19	Run	Martin	4	More outside. I think he got what he could but Breaston misses his block entirely or he could have gotten the corner and gone zip.
3	1	M23	Run	Martin	4	Finally an inside run for Martin, who picks the right hole, but is seemingly a little slow in getting there.
1	10	M27	Pass	Henne	Scramble, 3	This was supposed to go deep but Henne pumps and decides better of it.
2	7	M30	Run	Martin	3	Martin against cuts it up inside as Riley gets shoved back a bit.
3	4	M33	Run	Martin	13	Martin gets to the corner and fast.
1	10	M46	Pass	Breaston	Inc	Henne shortarms the long handoff.
2	10	M46	Run	Martin	6	Sweep!
3	4	O48	Pass	Avant	10	Slant, easy.
1	10	O38	Run	Martin	4	Martin cuts it back outside when the planned run doesn't appear to be there.
2	6	O34	Pass	Massey	17	Massey's wide open underneath the coverage.
1	10	O17	Run	Martin	4	This is a run that Martin could have broken bigger but getting outside faster.
2	6	O13	Run	Martin	-6	All I see of this is the very end as a replay replaces the play. Thanks ESPN+!
3	12	O19	Pass	Avant	Inc	This comes out of Henne's hand funny and launches on a ridiculous trajectory that takes it out of the end zone.
Drive Notes: FG. At this point I should note that Martin is running exclusively outside. Gutierrez takes over after this.
1	10	M39	Run	Martin	4	Sweep!
2	6	M43	Run	Martin	3	Draw. I think Martin is tentative when he's facing opponents, he doesn't set them up and juke past them, a la Hart.
3	3	M46	Run	Martin	7	Gaping hole and Martin does make a few yards after contact before going down.
1	10	O47	Pass	Avant	13	Slant and then six or seven yards afterwards.
1	10	O34	Run	Martin	8	Some miscommunication, as Martin has Bihl out with him and one corner to block, and he cuts inside of Bihl, who misses the corner.
2	2	O26	Pass	Thompson	8	Gutz loops this one out to Thompson… the difference in arm strength is remarkable.
1	10	O18	Run	Grady	3	Draw, meh.
2	7	O15	Pass	Gutz	Scramble, -3	Rollout that Gutz just takes out of bounds when no one is open.
3	10	O18	Pass	Manningham	3	This looks like a bobbled pass at first glance but it's actually a GREAT catch where he sticks one hand out to slow a ball too far out in front of him and then makes the catch and cuts upfield.
1	G	O5	Run	Grady	-2	Jean-Olivier Gagnon-Gordillo!
2	G	O7	Run	Martin	3	Martin gets to the outside but can't beat the corner and get in.
3	G	O4	Pass	Breaston	Inc	Caught out of bounds… Gutz can't come off the covered Ecker in time to get it to Breaston in the end zone.
Drive Notes: There's noticably less to critique because everything works, essentially. That Manningham play was the definition of tantalizing--smartly spearing and catching a poorly thrown ball and then making 12 extra yards with moves that would make Smoove B proud. FG.
1	10	M12	Pass	Tabb	Inc	Gutierrez has all day, all night, and then a taco afterwards, rolls around and then nearly throws a pick. Not his best play.
2	10	M12	Run	Martin	12	Huge hole up the middle and Thompson gets a good block. Martin does well here to get all he can.
1	10	M24	Run	Martin	10	Another hole, and he makes a good cut to pick up another five, but his cutting doesn't look like it will work against better teams.
2	in	M34	Run	Gutierrez	1	Sneak.
1	10	M35	Run	Grady	2	Cuilla pulls around but doesn't block the linebacker in the hole.
2	8	M37	Run	Grady	2	Seems to make the right cut outside here but can't get by the guy that Bihl's blocking.
2	6	M39	Pass	Massey	7	Wide open, again.
1	10	M46	Run	Jackson	14	A cavernous hole on the right side features Kraus pancaking a guy and Jackson just sort of cruises up the sideline.
1	10	O40	Pass	Manningham	22	12 YAC with some dipping and diving and moving and stuff. I think he's the real deal.
1	10	O18	Pass	Bass	11	Long handoff and Bass shows his stuff, juking two guys out of jocks and making five after contact. Woohaa.
1	G	O7	Run	Jackson	7	Touchdown. Jackson takes the corner on low at the four yard line and just plows into the end zone.
Drive Notes: I like 'em both.
1	10	O41	Run	Jackson	3	Kraus can't get out on the LB quick enough.
2	7	O38	Run	Bass	2	Bass lines up under center and runs a sweep, he slips so it's hard to tell if it would have worked.
3	5	O36	Pass	Tabb	5	Kind of a low, sloppy throw from Gutierrez.
1	10	O30	Run	Bradley	-5	Alijah Bradley? Yeah, this is the last drive I'm blogging.
2	15	O35	Pass	Tabb	17	Should have been a pick six by the EMU defender. I think the concerns about Gutz's arm strength are legitimate.
1	10	O18	Run	Bradley	3
2	7	O15	Run	Bradley	13
1	G	O2	Run	Bradley	1
1	G	O1	Run	Bradley	1	Yay 5'2 walkon touchdown.
Drive Notes: I can't believe I blogged this. Someone get me into detox.

So... what does it all mean?

Probably not a whole lot. It was interesting to see the running game completely change with Martin in the game--runs between the tackles were few and far between, zone stretches as far as the eye can see, etc.--but the only thing we really learned is that we really need Kolodziej back as soon as possible, because Riley just isn't a tackle.

New guys who impressed?

Alex Mitchell got extensive playing time and did all right, though he missed a couple blocks, one of which got Henne killed. Manningham and Bass... well, I wish one was redshirting, but it looks like both are the kind of guys that when they say "I want to play as a freshman" you nod and say "yessir," Manningham in particular. It might be next year when they come to the forefront--both had some freshman issues with their routes (mostly Bass, though)--but the kids are all right.

Max Martin also counts as new, since I'd never really seen him with an opportunity for extensive playing time. You can see why the coaching staff likes him. He does have a very high top speed and has good vision when it comes to picking a hole at the line of scrimmage. He's big enough that he can deliver a whack at the end of the play, too. But he's not much for making guys miss and Michigan didn't even attempt a pass to him--either they're keeping it under wraps (certainly possible) or the whole Martin's-like-Reggie-Bush thing was just a private joke the coaches were playing on us.

And Henne?

Impossible to tell. Eastern rarely got pressure and what they did get was all due to Riley or Mitchell. The results were a sack, an incompletion, and a 26 yard touchdown to Avant. A lot of his completions were long handoffs to receivers and he badly missed a couple passes. The chart looks good, though:

Team	Dead on	Catchable	Inaccurate	Bad Read	Throwaways	Batted
NIU	19	4	5	2	2	1
ND	15	7	9	5	3	5
EMU	12	2	4	0	0	0

The competition was so soft it's meaningless, though, and a large portion of those throws were very short and easy. He gets an incomplete for the day.

What does it mean for Wisconsin?

We'll probably see Martin start and a lot of Manningham.

Grade: B+.