Unverified Voracity Thinks He's Younger Than Hannah Montana

Michigan's 2010 hockey recruiting class will be epic if the kids who have committed stick to their commitments. D Jon Merrill and F Luke Moffatt are generally regarded as the best kids at their position in their age bracket and are potential top-ten NHL draft picks. F Jared Knight is a bit less hyped but would have been an OHL first-rounder if he wasn't planning on going the NCAA route. His size will depress his spot in the NHL draft, but initial indications are he could be anywhere from TJ Hensick to Andrew Ebbett. (I haven't stumbled across anything that indicates how highly regarded Hotchkiss Prep D Mac Bennett, the fourth commit, is.)

The 2010 class will be super mega epic if F Colin Jacobs joins the show. Jacobs is getting oodles of hype...

“Colin certainly has huge upside and is a player we are monitoring closely,” said Chris Lepkowski, assistant personnel director for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP), based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “Our program is one that requires the highest level of dedication by the player and his family. We are not only looking for the most highly-skilled player, but a player who has character, can handle adversity, and will be able to effectively manage his time. Colin’s on-ice talent is in line with the NTDP’s past players.”

... oodles ...

Some scouts hype Jacobs as the best American-born player since Mike Modano.

... and despite being ranked one of the top prospects available in the WHL draft he fell to the fourth round, an excellent indicator he plans on taking the college route:

Here is what Alan Caldwell had to say about Jacobs:

"Jacobs is one of the best 1993-born players in the United States. The fact that he went this low means he'll be a tough sell on the WHL. First-round talent if he comes."

If Jacobs doesn't end up in the WHL he's very likely to be with the NTDP. Just an advisory to keep his name in mind.

Oh, so that explains it. Bill Martin talked to the Big Ten Network, explaining that Michigan's basketball program now has the funding for a practice facility:



Now that we're practicing, look out, world.

Just one transfer away from a return. Indiana safety Jerimy Finch was a top-50 player in the class of 2007 who 1) committed to Michigan early in the process, 2) inexplicably visited Indiana with a bunch of his teammates, 3) even more inexplicably decommitted from Michigan and committed to Indiana, 4) decommitted from Indiana and eventually signed with Florida because Urban Meyer was apparently calling anyone on Rivals' top 100 list.

After his recruiting sojourn, we have more numbers: 5) got move to linebacker against his wishes, 6) broke his leg in the third game of the season, 7) pretty much failed out of Florida, and 8) is now transferring back to Indiana.

He's projected to be Michigan's starting free safety in 2010.

The Big Ten Network: feel the excitement! Presented without comment other than the obviously snarky lead-in:

Dance gala to be aired on Big Ten Network

"Performing Iowa: Dance Gala," the University of Iowa's first original non-sports cable TV program for the Big Ten Network, will be screened at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the auditorium of the UI Art Building West.

No, wait, one comment: damn you, Comcast. This is the last straw.

Speaking of, yet another article that claims a Comcast-BTN deal is imminent:

The Big Ten Network and Comcast — the nation’s largest cable provider that replaced Insight Communications this year in Springfield — likely will announce an agreement in late August, said John Ourand, a reporter for SportsBusiness Journal.

“Both sides are saying they expect something before the football season,’’ Ourand said.

An announcement could come in as soon as two or three weeks.

Late August or in two or three weeks? It don't matter to John Supinie of the Springfield Journal-Register! The article does have an interesting suggestion: though Comcast and the BTN always talk about a potential deal like it stands alone, the BTN's association with Fox means that there are dozens of channels and stations and so forth and so on in constant flux between the two media titans.

Side note: a WCHA channel? WTF?

Ha-ha. A reader sent along this lol-worthy State News piece wherein the outgoing sports editors "reflect on years of Spartan sports memories." You know where this is going: the Horror features prominently despite, you know, not actually being a Spartan sports memory in any way. Even weirder:

1. MSU football vs. Michigan, Oct. 1, 2005: Domata Peko’s 74-yard fumble return touchdown

1) Michigan State lost that game (obviously). 2) The play referenced here may in fact be the worst call in the history of college football. That sounds bombastic, but not only was Chad Henne's arm obviously hit during his throwing motion, just as obviously going forward at the time, and just as obviously propelling the ball forward before it hit the ground -- making this a trifecta of incredibly obvious items that indicate a forward pass -- but they actually reviewed the incredibly obvious forward pass and called it a fumble anyway. Incredibly obvious missed calls from yesteryear can't compete because they weren't validated by some batty old zombie up in the booth. (The video on the post disappeared, but if you want the relevant section of the NCAA rulebook it's here.) We actually spent the entirety of the remainder of the game bitching about that call, enraging an elderly Spartan fan to the point that he wanted to fight us.

Another editor cites the first half of a game Michigan State got blown out in; only the girl who is apparently one of the three Spartan hockey fans manages to name two things that are actual Spartan sports memories that aren't kinda humiliating.

Zing! SI's "Truth and Rumors" is basically a news aggregator that takes snippets from articles and reposts them to SI. Today we have this on GA S Darren Myles:

Coaches from Georgia, Illinois, Marshall, Michigan, Ohio State and Ole Miss were on hand to get a glimpse of junior free safety Darren Myles Jr. and his teammates during opening day of spring football practice at Carver on Monday. Myles, whose marquee scholarship offers are from programs such as Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, South Carolina and Tennessee, enjoyed a productive day at the Nike camp in Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Saturday.

A wag in the comments:

So the hot news here is that if your school has a name, they are still in the mix of getting a commitment from this guy?

biminator | 05/06/08, 08:22 AM

That's all.

Etc.: Purdue teetering on the edge of APR sanctions; UMHoops analyzes the Udoh departure.

Stuff Green And White People Like

Steal, steal, steal.

Appalachian State. Every one of Michigan's rivals (and, frankly, the rest of the planet) loves them some Appalachian State after The Horror, but State fans latched on to it harder than anyone else. Ohio State fans have their own -- for a given definition of "own", anyway -- accomplishments to brag on. Penn State fans have a decade of futility against Michigan and shreds of dignity and self-awareness. And Notre Dame would have lost to Appalachian State by 30. After a brief whooping period they kind of got over it.

Not so at State. Running back Jehuu Caulcrick:

“It felt like we won two games today,” he said.

State is long-plagued by similar upsets -- Louisiana Tech, Rutgers before that was respectable, Central Michigan, Central Michigan again -- and improbable snatch-defeat-from-jaws-of-victory losses -- oh, God, too many to name -- so for Michigan to finally get the short end of the stick was sweet, sweet justice. Go to Michigan State's campus in the fall and you'll see so many people wearing black and yellow that you'll pull out a roadmap and mutter "how the f&#$ did I end up in Boone, North Carolina?"

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Wooo, motherfuckers, woo.

Talking about how hot the chicks are. Approach any Michigan State fan, grad, or provost and mention the words "Michigan," "Ann Arbor," or "University," and you will immediately be regaled with a dual-part homily. Part A will describe the Michigan acceptance letter the fan, grad, or provost has framed upon their wall. Part B will be a rousing encomium to the ladies of Michigan State.

Even the women will do this. It does not matter that this fan, grad, or provost might, say, be a 180 pound 5'2" woman, or, more commonly, a moderately in-shape girl with a blond dye job and a face Sarah Jessica Parker would find unpleasantly equine. She will regale you with tales of all the hot poon available for any brah with a barbed-wire tattoo and a 30 of Natty Ice.

Do you think I'm kidding? I am not kidding. The first two identifiable Spartan comments on the EDSBS "Things Maize & Blue People Like":

>> Michigan may be rocking its fair share of beddable, biddable, beautiful women

You’ve never actually been to Ann Arbor, have you?

Comment by SpartanDan — March 26, 2008 @ 1:54 pm

Concur with #42. On my HS visit to Ann Arbor, I made a conscious effort to count all the beautiful women. There were about 3. The entire day.

Also Orson, there used to be layers. Now, the ladies wear tights posing as pants. It helps a little, but still, it’s a cold, hard winter.

Luckily, Oberon just came out, signaling the start of spring.

Comment by Ground0EastLansing — March 26, 2008 @ 1:58 pm

Their degrees may be worth $6.25 on the open market, but by God they've gotten to look at the asses of women they'll never have a chance with* every day.

*(They post comments to college football blogs.**)

**(other than the virile, model-nailing populace of this fine establishment, that is. You go, model-nailing virile commenters!)

This guy.


Hitting that. Yeah, they'd hit that. What is it? Doesn't matter. They'd hit it.

Melissa Theriau: they'd hit it.

Madeline Albright: they'd hit it.


Lenin's corpse: they'd hit it. They would reanimate it with their genitals, brah!

Sand: they'd hit it.

The Crab Nebula: they'd hit it. It's all nova and shit.

Notre Dame Stadium. Michigan State -- MICHIGAN STATE -- has not lost at Notre Dame since 1993, a streak of six games. During that time Notre Dame has usually been somewhere between mediocre and flailingly bad, but that still has to be one of the weirdest current records in college football. I haven't bothered to look this up, but I'm willing to bet the only other teams that share that distinction with Notre Dame are teams State hasn't played since '93.

Rioting. This was going to be a cheap shot based on some long ago Final Four shenanigans until some of the brahs obliged over the weekend:


There isn't a group this side of Palestine more acquainted with the sweet smell of tear gas. I hear the Dupont '95 is developing a lovely honeyed nose, but the East Lansing police insist on using crap from South America that's well past its peak.

Update: Dude, Brah, it was intense:



Strapped like the Navy. Make sure to check the comments out.

Basketball. This is natural when you're the "state" -- or, like, "commonwealth" in Virginia -- school in any state with a flagship U-of that consistently beats the hell out of you in football, but State fans take it to a preposterous extreme. Anecdotal evidence from just last week: after Michigan took out Clarkson we decided to hang around the bar we were at for a while to catch a portion of the CC-Michigan State game, Michigan State being the one team Michigan did not want to face at any point during the tournament. At the same time, Derrick Rose and company were busy beating the everliving hell out of Michigan State.

Ann Arbor is the reluctant home of many Spartan fans and the owners of this place are alums, I believe, so the place was packed with brahs, all of whom looked like... well, probably a lot like I did during this year's Ohio State game. They were purely miserable. Meanwhile, the hockey team was a huge underdog -- a third place CCHA team playing the WCHA champs at altitude on an Olympic rink on their home ice -- and scored. No reaction whatsoever from anyone except the Michigan fans still around. They scored again. No reaction. At this point we start pointing at the televisions carrying the hockey game and begging them to pay attention to their very successful hockey team that's about to pull off a killer upset. It's halftime. Michigan State is down 30 to Memphis. And no one even looks when State scores again, because hearing Clark Kellogg say something like "JESUS CHRIST, if there are any women or children watching please turn on EWTN" is more important than actual success.

Michigan State's hockey team is the defending national champions.

I'm not sure if this is a compliment or an insult or what, but at this point State basketball fans are basically Michigan football fans, except with more brah, brah.

Anyone who does anything that harms or slightly inconveniences the University of Michigan in any way. See: Appalachian State.

300. Every Michigan fan who made the unwise decision to watch "300" spent the entire running time thinking two things: "my God those are some oily, slow-moving sixpacks," and "goddammit I bet whenever I go to a Michigan State sporting event, party, or commencement they're going to reference this movie in a really annoying fashion."

Yeah... check.



Apparently they've got a big Hoohoohoo factory in East Lansing.

Next Year. Because, man, that's the year they beat Michigan.

Mailbag!

Brian,

It's probably too early to have much of a take on 2009 recruiting at this point but MSU's two recent RB "commitments" got me to thinking... For as long as I can recall, UM has dominated in-state recruiting. In the past it hadn't been that big a deal because the state would produce about one bigtime recruit each year and maybe a couple other decent ones if we were lucky. Here's how I remember it off the top of my head (UM commits in bold, others in red):

98 Drew Henson

99 TJ Duckett

00 Charles Rogers

01 Ernest Shazor; other notable - Kelly Baraka

02 Gabe Watson; other notable - Drew Stanton (was he in this class?)

03 LaMarr Woodley; other notables - Doug Van Dyke (Purdue), Jake Long, Jim Presley

04 Will Johnson; other (sort of) notables - Morgan Trent, Roger Allison, Alex Mitchell [correction, Mitchell was the top prospect in the state. Allison was like 8 or 9. -ed]

05 Kevin Grady; other notables - Terrance Taylor, Antonio Bass

06 Brandon Graham

07 Ronald Johnson (USC); other notables - Dionte Allen (FSU), Joseph Barksdale (LSU)

08 Nick Perry (USC); other notables - Boubacar Cissoko, Dann O'Neill

09 William Campbell...

Basically, that's major pwnage from 98 until 06 (Duckett was an MSU legacy and Rogers was from Saginaw, and a shady prima donna). But in more recent years, as the State of Michigan has been producing more topflight talent, UM's grip on in-state recruiting has loosened. Normally this would only be mildly bothersome and written off as aberrational (such were my thoughts in 07 and w/re: Perry this year).

But with the coaching/offensive philosophy change, I wonder what's going to happen as we move forward. Simply put, certain offensive players won't want to go to UM anymore -- e.g. dropback passers, certain WRs, and bigger RBs like Edwin Baker and Larry Caper in the 09 class. Maybe that's not such a big deal. A quick look back shows that the only guys UM would have missed out on over the last decade or so are Henson, Duckett, Grady, and Johnson, two of whom they lost anyway. And indeed, the biggest fish of 09 has already committed to UM (though he's a defensive player). But here's what I worry about:

UM used to offer every in-state player who was any good, regardless of position. With the spread, however, more thought is put into personnel that "fits" the offense. That's fine, but it's my belief that such emphasis on fit will eventually hurt UM's place in the in-state recruiting. Obviously, MSU will never surpass UM in the long run but now there is much more opportunity for them to gain momentum in any one year.

Look at this year -- they already have commitments from two of the (arguably) best players in the state. It doesn't matter that UM didn't really want those guys because it sets up the illusion that "something special" is happening at MSU. Such an attitude is completely unfounded but could spread to other recruits. Then, all of a sudden, guys who should be UM locks might [stupidly] start looking at MSU as a viable option. And if MSU is able to get something going, then what stops other (read: better) schools from getting in there too. Just look at what USC has done the last few years. Frankly, I am uncomfortable with other programs thinking they can come in and try to get recruits that in the past would have been Blue all the way. I prefer the old design, where MSU knew its place and was content with nothing better than UM's scraps; and where other schools knew not to bother because all of the bluechippers were pegged for UM.

Anyway, that's a super long email. I'm actually not too panicked about any of this because it's probably not a huge deal. But I just wanted to see if someone else had an opinion on these concerns. What do you think?

Best,

Mark Bilski

UM '01

Mark points out one of the hidden costs of moving to the spread offense: a partial withdrawal of the boot Michigan placed firmly upon State's neck after the Charles Rogers class. The instate dynamic now returns to something like the days when John L Smith was running his crazy, sometimes crazily effective, spread offense and Michigan was running the pro-style attack it adopted in the late 80s. Certain players who were Not A Fit for Michigan but pretty good prospects in their own right found an attractive instate option under the mad hatter. Similarly, State now has free reign to nail down Michigan's new Not A Fit prospects -- quarterbacks with a tendency to chew their cud, Caulcrick/Hunt style mashers, and uninterestingly slow tight ends -- without interference from big brother. Call this the "Better Fit Effect."

How big of an effect is it? Eh... the results of Michigan State's better-fit haul under JLS: QB Keith Nichol, a top 100 QB who liked the idea of being the next Stanton and committed to MSU his junior year. (JLS would be fired before Nichol signed his LOI; he decommitted and went to Oklahoma.) That's, like, a guy in four years. Off the top of my head I can't think of a single other player State picked up because of the divide in offensive philosophy. Heck, Antonio Bass was a top 50 recruit who wanted to play quarterback and he still chose Michigan.

Michigan State's already got at least one guy from the BFE this year: the instate QB named Maxwell, a true water buffalo sort. If Carr and Co. were still around Maxwell might be holding out for a camp offer or something; with Rodriguez he knows the chances of picking up an offer are none and none. Depending on what you believe about Larry Caper and Michigan's Jonas-Gray-like interest in him, he might be a second.

So at most it appears to be a couple kids here and there. Defenders and offensive linemen won't care. Fast little bastard wide receivers and dual-threat QBs will pick Michigan if Michigan is interested. Traditional wide receivers will probably be unaffected. Running backs will split based on perceived fit and opportunity. Michigan's ceded the lumbering sorts that make a power running game go. Okay.

The instate recruiting swing because of a better offense never materialized under JLS despite the same split between offensive philosophies, and it won't happen under Dantonio -- or if it does, it won't be because of the spread and shred.

There's another salutary factor here: the past three years have provided an unheard of bumper crop of recruits. Michigan has the two top-rated backs in-state (for the moment, at least) and Michigan doesn't even have to leave the State to find the guy who turned in the fastest 40 time at the Army All-American combine. That would be Will Campbell's Cass Tech teammate Teric Jones.

This is the third year in a row that Michigan will be pursuing a half-dozen plan A recruits within state borders. That's a remarkable turnaround from the 2006 class when Michigan had little interest in anyone other than Brandon Graham until they turned up a few prospects at summer camp, or the 2005 class when Michigan swept the three top-100 guys and then grabbed Chris McLaurin and Carson Butler as late sleeper sorts, or 2004, when Michigan again swept the top three and then got picky because future immortals Carl Grimes, Dwayne Holmes, and Justin Hoskins were the next three kids in the rankings. In the past it was extremely important for Michigan to lock down the two or three real in-state blue chips; now they can miss a few and still find the 6 or so kids instate they usually do.

That's the long way of saying I'm not particularly concerned. State's exploited a one-time window provided by the staff switchover to good effect; now that a young, energetic, and exciting Michigan staff is building relationships in the state things should return to normal.

Hi Brian,

I know I wrote to you about our gymnastics team once before. At the risk of being terribly annoying, I have to try just one more time because I think this is worth mentioning. Our gymnasts continue on undefeated, even after facing the #1 team in the country last Saturday.

"The University of Georgia women's gymnastics team came into Michigan's Crisler Arena on Friday night as the three-time defending NCAA champion and the No. 1-ranked team in the GymInfo national poll. The Bulldogs went home with a 197.6-196.95 loss to the No. 4 Wolverines." mlive.com

I am a recent alumnus of the University of Michigan. I was raised in the Wolverine tradition of academic and athletic excellence. I have extreme pride in not only our football program, but in all Michigan sports. This gymnastics team is no exception. They are OUTSTANDING this season and have been outstanding for as long as I can remember. Since I am also a Pats fan, I'm a little wary of planning a parade while my team is 15-0, but isn't that an amazing accomplishment? I can only hope the best is yet to come at the Big Ten and NCAA Championships. Let's give these fine young ladies the recognition they deserve.

Go Blue,

Jessi Ferri

Indeed, it is. I linked the gymnastic team's accomplishments in the sidebar but they deserve a broader hearing. Heck, their fans are getting harassed for being too rowdy when they go on the road (for a given definition of "rowdy"); non-student basketball fans could learn a thing or two from them.

Their next home meet is at 6:00 next weekend, the 22nd. This is an unfortunate overlap with what will hopefully be the hockey team's shot at the CCHA playoff crown, but the Big Ten championships are the next weekend at 2. Bound to be less depressing than the basketball team.

This next one is a reference to the home video footage of the 1959 OSU game posted in this space a couple weeks ago. I wondered what the students were assembling with their placards; I got a pretty cool reminiscence of Michigan football of old:

The “Polarbear” 1959 Michigan-Ohio State footage brought back some pleasant memories. That game was during my junior year. I was in the student section on November 21^st, 1959, hoping for but not really expecting a Michigan win. In those years Michigan had sunk to a second-tier B10 program. In the late 50s and early 60s, Wisconsin (B10 Champion in ’59), Iowa (B10 co-Champion 1960), and Minnesota (NC 1960) were among the first-tier teams. In 1959 M finished 4-5, but the Buckeyes did even worse, at 3-5-1.

Anyway, a couple things still stand out about that game, which the Wolverines won 23-14. First, the limited substitution rule was in effect, which meant that many of the team members were two-way players. Michigan QB Stan Noskin played safety when M went on defense. During that ’59 game Stan intercepted a pass in the end zone that was otherwise a sure Buckeye TD. It was a game-changing play: maybe not quite up to Charles Woodson standards, but it went a long way toward preserving the Michigan victory.

Second, before each game the stadium staff would set up wooden folding chairs along both sidelines. I don’t remember who was supposed to sit in them, but there they were, neatly lined up on either side of the player’s benches. At one point during that ’59 game Woody, clad as always in his white short-sleeved shirt and his blue cap, became so frustrated with what was occurring on the field that he picked up one of those folding chairs and flung it about 15 yards down the eastern sideline, toward the north end zone. Fortunately no one was injured.

As far as what the card section was supposed to display in that film, I can’t help much. I recall that the efforts to organize and to implement the card section were at best only partially successful. Few students were really interested in holding up cards during the game when they could be drinking and socializing. In 1959 the rules regarding what liquid refreshment one could bring into the stadium were lax to nonexistent. Beer-filled coolers were not uncommon; some students would even bring gin and vermouth into the stadium and enjoy a martini or two during the game. It was a different time.

There's also this:

The placards were done by the students in the Card Section. Ran from about the 20-30 yard line. If you were a Freshman ( as I was that year), it got you seats on the 20 as opposed to behind the goal post. You flashed cards during half time. I do not remember when they stopped but I was in it for 3 years. As I recall, we won that game in Bump Elliott's first year. It went down hill for the team after that until the 1964 team that went to the Rose Bowl and if not for a 1 point loss to Purdue ( Bob Griese), we would have won the National Championship.

Ron Grabois

The general conclusion is "who knows what's on the damn flashcards? Let's have a martini." Word.

Sparty, No!

A lot of inexplicable things have happened over the last couple days. Terrelle Pryor decided to not decide. Michigan stole commitments from Penn State, Purdue, and Florida. Sam McGuffie went on some sort of vision quest. (Fortunately, his totem animal is a wolverine.) And sooner or later Michigan will give a full ride to a long-snapper. It's been the craziest Signing Day in the internet era of Michigan recruiting.

But it doesnt hold a candle to the local media's reaction to MSU's class. I discussed this a bit on the Fanhouse:

Michigan State struck out on instaters Nick Perry (USC) and Mark Ingram (Alabama) late; Ingram's decision to flee is especially grating since his father was one of Michigan State's best wide receivers. Ohio linebacker Taylor Hill took an official visit to MSU and liked it so much he committed to Michigan on the way home. Hell, linebacker Yourhighness Morgan took a look at MSU and said "thanks, but I'm going to play for Florida."

Florida Atlantic.

MSU ranks 7th in the Big Ten, and this was both their new-coach-bump year and a year in which Michigan changed coaches. Michigan's little brother continues to bow down.

If there was ever going to be a year in which Michigan State wrested instate recruiting from Michigan, this would be it. The results are Fred Smith and, depending on who you listen to, Tyler Hoover. Though Hoover claimed a Michigan offer, he ended up ranked a three-star at both sites. If he was part of the Michigan class, he would be the at best the #18 recruit in it. This is MSU's silver medal recruit. By any standard this is an immensely disappointing class... unless you're in the media.

You sort of expect spin like this from the Steve Grinczels of the world who make their living by telling State fans "wait till next year":

As things stood through Tuesday, MSU ranks in the bottom half -- as low as ninth by Scout.com -- of the Big Ten.

However, that should not be interpreted as an indictment on the overall quality of the players coming in, according to CSTV recruiting analyst Tom Lemming.

Sure. The fact that this is a class on par with Northwestern's shouldn't be interpreted as an indictment of the players' quality, just their ability to play football. Which they have none of.

This is even funnier:

Ray, who committed early, joins a full stable of running backs that returns senior starter Javon Ringer, junior A.J. Jimmerson, Andre Anderson and Ashton Leggett from last year's recruit class.

The addition of Ray allowed MSU to make four-star running back Mark Ingram Jr., of Flint Southwestern, less of a priority even though he was rated higher.

Yes, the reason they didn't get Ingram Jr. -- remember Ingram Sr was a star for MSU -- was because they snatched Caulton Ray away from the MAC. Meanwhile, Ingram is part of the #1 recruiting class in the country.

It gets better:

National signing day turned out to be a day of bold statements at Michigan State, including the one Mark Dantonio made to one of his top recruits, Charles Burrell, on Wednesday morning.

"Look down at your feet," Dantonio said to Burrell, a safety from Detroit. "Now you just imagine those feet playing in the Rose Bowl, because that's where they'll be within four or five years."

(One of MSU's top recruits on why he didn't pick Michigan: "I didn't receive a scholarship offer from Michigan. That was the school I always wanted to go to. It was kind of disappointing they didn't offer me. I worked real hard to receive an offer.")

Tim Brewster, meet Mark Dantonio. You're both bats. Except you can recruit, Brewster.

Lemming again pops up for a ludicrous quote:

"They basically battled to a draw with (U-M) on in-state guys, which is big," said CSTV recruiting analyst Tom Lemming.

In-state recruits with M and MSU offers who went to M: 5, including three of the top four kids in the state. The reverse: 2.

More spin:

"I know a lot of people nationally don't think this class stacks up with a lot of classes in the Big Ten [including me], but I think it does [except I don't]," said Jeremy Crabtree of Rivals.com, which ranks MSU's class No. 7 in the Big Ten and No. 47 in the nation [see?]. "They got a lot of the best kids from Michigan [that no other Big Ten teams wanted]. Any class that has (Detroit receiver) Fred Smith in it, I'm a fan of. If anything, this class could have used a couple more home runs [good players]."

Aaand then:

MSU thinks it got three from its back yard in Smith, Hoover and Burrell. They helped MSU compete closely with U-M for in-state talent, for the first time in recent memory.

Asked how the Spartans did against the Wolverines, Dantonio stuck with the tone of the day. Bold.

Indeed, "compete closely" now means pick up one guy Michigan wanted, one other they were kinda lukewarm on, and none of the top four guys in the state.

This is expected from Lansing party organs. But what's the deal with Drew Sharp writing his bi-annual positive column about one of the worst recruiting classes in the Big Ten? And Mike Rosenberg trashing Rodriguez for "running off" malcontented, disrespected, and teammate-hated Ryan Mallett?

Rosenberg's piece is especially disappointing, as it lingers on the off-the-cuff comment provided by Rodriguez when he was surrounded by reporters at halftime of a basketball game:

A month after Mallett left, I’ve not forgotten what Rodriguez said about him. A reporter asked where Mallett was going.

“I don't care,” Rodriguez said. “He's not playing for Michigan. I'm concerned with who's playing for Michigan. … I recruited him once, I recruited him twice, and after the third call, I'm thinking, ‘OK, three calls is enough for me.’ It's a great institution, and if somebody doesn't want to be here that's already here, you wish them well and move on.”

He doesn't care. Why should he care? Mallett decided to leave the program, at which point he no longer cared. Follow up:

The problem is that Rodriguez didn’t just say that to Mallett, or to the media. He acted like the wronged party, and he made a Michigan freshman look bad in the process.

I do not understand the leap from "I tried three times and he does not want to be here, I wish him well" to "I am a wronged party! Mallett should look bad in your eyes!"

You know who else was about to run off Ryan Mallett? Saintly Lloyd Carr, who according to a source told him "I don't like anything about you" and then hurled transfer papers his way halfway through this season. Mallett almost transferred two seconds after he showed up on campus, then almost transferred the summer between his early enrollment and fall, and then actually did transfer as soon as Rodriguez was hired. There's a common thread here. It is not Rich Rodriguez.

About every week I got an email from someone on campus who had seen the kid getting high or trashed. Some talked to him; all who did came away with the opinion that the guy didn't care about anything. Sources inside the program confirmed multiple times that Mallett had a major attitude problem, something that was so pervasive that it even worked it way into one of the local newspapers. The dissent was evident on the sidelines during the disastrous Wisconsin game, when Mario Manningham bitched him out on the sidelines, or during Mallett's disastrous stint in the Illinois game, when Carr bitched him out for two solid minutes.

In October I wrote this based on multiple sources:

The situation here is precarious; without a major attitude adjustment things could be very sketchy at quarterback next year.

I have heard it far and wide and so many times from so many sources that the conclusion is indisputable: Ryan Mallett is the reason Ryan Mallett transferred, no matter what Ryan Mallett's mom -- no doubt the least biased source around -- says.

Mallett would be on his way to Arkansas and failure no matter who Michigan's coach is.

Meanwhile... Drew Sharp. What can you say?

There were no news conferences from attention-hungry teenagers announcing there wouldn’t be a news conference. There were no last-minute decisions that left the recruiting-obsessed almost breathless in anticipation.

"No one decided to go to Michigan State."

There was little buzz surrounding Michigan State’s fresh list of football signees because it’s boring building a foundation.

Also boring: Northwestern's class.

There’s only one “four-star” player coming to MSU? Detroit Southeastern wide receiver Fred Smith. But the commitments don’t seem to include the illogical reaches that defined many of John L. Smith’s recruiting classes.

This class looks more Big Ten than Mid-American Conference.

MSU's 2008 class: #49 to Rivals. MSU under JLS: #16, #35, #33.

For Michigan State, it’s not about the number of four-star recruits it signs now, but the two- and three-star players that can help develop a sturdy program. That’s the foundation from which championship seasons and Rose Bowl appearances are inevitably erected.

That’s how Jim Tressel did it in Columbus.

Indeed. Tressel's second recruiting class: #5. A foundation of... uh... three five-star recruits and fourteen four-star recruits. Just like Michigan State's class.

There are private whispers around East Lansing that Rich Rodriguez’s radical transformation of Michigan football creates opportunities for the Spartans. While the new guy from West Virginia introduces himself to the local prep coaches, Dantonio is already in the door, gaining familiarity.

Indeed, Rodriguez, who hopes to have a spring game at Ford Field and will invite every coach in the state to come to his frequent clinics and camps and finished his first recruiting class with a flourish, will have to fear Michigan State's insane short-joke-making curmudgeon. Because Jesus, man... they got a guy!

This is what you need to know about Michigan State's class: its second-best guy would be Michigan's 18th, and this year is the first time in 40 years Michigan changed coaches. Meet the new boss, little brother.

Bow Down Shirt Is Live

Presenting shirty proof of our MSU dominance:



Aaaand the back:



Available at Rich Robots effective immediately.

Upon Further Review: Offense vs State

Video trouble? Try VLC.

Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
M29	1	10	I-Form Twins	Run	8	Hart	Zone left
Kraus appears to be the permanent center, BTW. This is all Hart: there's a crease as Moundros and Kraus take out the playside DT – barely – and Long(+1) does his thing as Boren picks off a LB. A safety run blitzes at the snap and should have this at the LOS; Hart jukes him and heads for eight.
M37	2	2	I-Form Twins	Run	5 (pen)	Hart	Zone left
Butler starts out wide; we motion him in. A commenter informed me that this “handoff” block I was searching for nomenclature on was actually a scoop block, so that's what we'll call it. Anyway, a scoop on the DT between Kraus and Ciulla doesn't go so well; the DT runs down the line and tackles. Rest of the play well done. Doesn't matter, as MSU is offsides.
M42	1	10	Ace Twins	Pass	5 (pen)	Arrington	Waggle
Arrington starts out on the other side, motioning to Manningham as the play starts; we have a TE off the line on the side of the waggle tasked with blocking the DE who often shoots into the backfield. Arrington gets open on a circle route; Henne hits him but takes him off his feet doing so. A short gain is negated for another offsides penalty. (CA-, 2, protection 1/1)
M47	1	5	Ace Twins	Pass	15 (pen)	Manningham	Fly
Inverted TEs here, with the guy lined up off the line inside the one on it. Michigan drops back and bombs it for the first time; live I thought this was inadvisable but results-based and all that. (CA, N/A, protection 2/2)
O38	1	10	I-Form	Run	-4	Minor	Zone right
Minor in. This is the stupid playcall I mentioned Monday where Arrington is covered up; Butler comes in motion and they run right. Schilling(-2) is owned by The Sackmaster; the DE is right through and tackles for loss. Might Hart break this tackle?
O42	2	14	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	1	Manningham	Stop
Henne misses Butler busting wide open on a seam route, instead settling for a little dumpoff to Manningham that's covered. MSU blitzed; M picked it up. This should not be a one-yard completion. (BR, 3, protection 3/3)
O41	3	13	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	Inc	Manningham	Fly
Oh, this Henderson guy got owned by a double move and fell down; Henne whiffs badly on a potential touchdown. Announcers claim this could be a penalty, but it looked to me like Henderson was trying to commit one but couldn't manage it. (IN, 0, protection 2/2)
Drive Notes: Punt, 0-3, 8 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
M38	1	10	I-Form Twins	Pass	10	Butler	Stop
Inverted TEs; Arrington motions out of the twins. Henne looks at Manningham, then comes off him and has his pick of three wide open guys on little stop routes on the other side of the field. Maybe a decoy read? He picks Butler out; he rumbles for a first down. (CA+, 3, protection 2/2)
M48	1	10	I-Form	Run	3	Hart	Zone left
Motion Butler to the right side of the line and run left; both safeties fly up. By the time Hart gets the ball both are committed to the run. I always hate seeing this; where is our play action? Anyway, Hart should be thinking cutback and eventually does; Ciulla(-1) failed to cut the backside DT, who meets him at the LOS. Butler(-1) also completely whiffed on The Sackmaster. Not relevant to the play, but a really poor job of blocking.
O49	2	7	I-Form Twins	Run	38	Hart	Inside zone?
I'm not sure what this is, but I'm sure that this wasn't supposed to happen. It looks like Hart's supposed to pick a hole on the right side of the line; Boren is defeated by the weakside DE; Hart decides that the intended hole is not for him. On the backside, oddly, Long is blocking the DE as Butler just sort of wanders off downfield. Moundros ran up and plugged the MLB; the WLB, however, is unblocked and shooting through the hole. Hart hops around him as both safeties come up way too hard. Hart runs for a long while. Like the first play of the game this required Hart to make an awesome play to avoid a TFL. I have my doubts about the long-term viability of such a strategy.
O11	1	10	I-Form	Run	0	Hart	Zone left
Reach block for Ciulla on the backside DT just doesn't work; he flows down the line. No minus, as these are hard when the DT slants right away. Kraus gets no push on a Spartan linebacker on the second level; neither does Moundros.
O11	2	10	Ace	Pass	11	Manningham	Fade
Manningham takes a couple of stutter steps off the line, then bursts outside Henderson. Henne lays it in perfectly. (DO, 3, protection 2/2)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 7-3, 4 min 1st Q. Hart's long run here reminiscent of one of the long ones the last time M played at Spartan stadium: some poor blocking that Hart makes do with and safeties who get way too aggressive.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
M46	1	10	Ace Twins	Run	-1	Hart	Zone right
MSU again swarming this at the snap. Ciulla and Kraus end up doubling a DT, but no one gets out on the LB, and since he's really selling out on the run he's at the LOS almost at the handoff. Long can't make a reach on the backside DE; Schilling doesn't get any push but doesn't get beat, either.
M45	2	11	Ace	Pen	5 (pen)	--	Offsides
you are so SMRT
50	2	6	Ace	Pass	Inc	Arrington	Deep out
A token draw fake as MSU blitzes; Michigan picks it up. Henne finds an open Arrington for 15 yards; he drops it. DB made a hit but this is a drop. (CA+, 3, protection 3/3)
50	3	6	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	Inc	Manningham	Out
Wide open; Henne has a 2005 flashback. (IN, 0, protection 2/2) Butler(-2) gets an MSU-level personal foul afterwards.
Drive Notes: Punt, 7-3, EO 1Q. A really crappy punt combines with the personal foul to change the field position..
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
O42	1	10	I-Form Twins	Run	32	Hart	Zone left
Again, this teeters on the edge of a TFL. MSU has shifted its defense to the left side of the line; the weakside DT is shaded well inside Mitchell (new to the game), so when Michigan shows zone left he shoots into the backfield. Mitchell has no realistic chance to block him; Hart runs through his tackle. On the frontside, Moundros, Kraus, and Long have all gotten crushing second-level blocks and Boren has sealed away the DT. Long's block also picks off a DE tracking back, Hart runs up into Moundros' back for a moment before popping outside and motoring downfield. +1s for all mentioned, +2 for Moundros, whose driving, extended block sprung Hart into the secondary.
O10	1	G	I-Form	Run	-1 + 5	Hart	Zone right
MSU swarms this; Mitchell(-1) blown back and Boren(-1) fails to do anything useful with the backside DT Moundros trips on fallen bodies as he gets to the hole; virtually no one is blocked and Hart is snowed under. A personal foul on MSU follows the play. Sparty, no!
O5	1	G	Ace Twins	Pen	-5	Mitchell	False start
woo
O10	1	G	I-Form	Run	5	Hart	Zone left
We motion Butler away from the offset TE; perhaps as a result of this the backside DT does not flow down the line on the snap of the ball, instead taking his first step upfield and immediately putting himself behind Mitchell. A big hole results, as Long and Boren kick their guys out. Kraus takes out one LB, Moundros the other; Hart is taken down from behind by The Sackmaster, who got chopped but got up and made a good play; without it high probability of a cutback behind Butler and a TD.
O5	2	G	I-Form	Run	0	Hart	Zone left
MSU blitzes a corner right into this; Hart has no option to cut it up as an MSU LB dashed inside of Long(-1). Maybe the -1 is harsh here, since Long has to expect the guy to attempt to keep contain. Without the corner blitz here this would be suicide on his part. Hart spectacularly leaps the CB, avoiding a loss, but the delay means he's swarmed under.
O5	3	G	I-Form	Pass	5	Butler	TE Out
Yeah, MSU blitzes seven(!!!) guys. Michigan has Manningham on one side and runs three guys on different levels to the other side of the field. Henne lofts it to an open Butler. (CA+, 3, protection 3/3). Say goodbye to Good Chad. It's Evil Chad for the next two quarters plus.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 14-3, 12 min 2nd Q. If I can digress for a moment: I think the five-yard run on our second first-and-goal on this drive is an example of how Michigan's playcalling hurts them. To wit: we almost never see this sort of error out of a DL. The first step upfield was deadly and opened up an immediate, huge hole for Hart. This never happens: it's all slant slant slant as Michigan hardly ever runs misdirection. 80% of our run plays are zone stretches; how easy to defend is that? Quite. Also, put on your ugly hats, folks.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
M6	1	10	I-Form	Run	2	Hart	Zone right
Butler spread out wide to start; he motions in. The MSU DT times the snap perfectly – tipped by the Butler motion? -- and drives Mitchell back instantly; Hart has to cut up, powering through arm tackles for a couple yards. No minus; excellent play from MSU.
M8	2	8	I-Form Twins	Run	5	Hart	Lead draw
MSU gets split immediately as the defensive tackles slant, anticipating a stretch. On the second level, Moundros(+1) effectively cuts the MLB; Butler(-1) whiffs on an OLB, forcing Hart to leap over the FB detritus and turning a potential first down into five yards.
M13	3	5	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	2	--	Scramble
Hart(-1) left to take on a DE; he cuts him but not that well and he gets up; Henne decides to scramble out. The ball's punched loose and there's a scramble for it; a Michigan OL falls on it. (PR, 0, protection 1/2, Hart)
Drive Notes: Punt, 14-3, 10 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
M7	1	10	I-Form Big	Run	1	Hart	Zone left
Butler(-1) blown back and controlled by the DE, causing Hart to cut back up into a mess of bodies when otherwise it looked like he could shoot into a gap between Butler and Long and maybe beat a safety for a nice gain. As it is, he's tracked down by the backside DT, who Mitchell(-1) could not do much with.
M8	2	9	I-Form Big	Run	6	Hart	Zone left
Frontisde completely jammed by Spartan jumping the play, but the extra TE in this formation allows Michigan to block the backside DE and there's a cutback lane Hart takes for a decent gain. Hart limps off.
M14	3	3	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	Inc	Minor	Flare
Schilling owned by the Sackmaster and shoved aside as he comes up inside, forcing Henne to get rid of it early. He does find an open Minor leaking out of the backfield, but throws off his back foot and sends it wide. (IN, 0, protection 1/2, Schilling -1)
Drive Notes: Punt, 14-3, 5 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
M20	1	10	I-Form	Run	0	Brown	Zone right
Mitchell(-1) and Boren(-1) both get beaten by DTs, and when that happens your play dies.
M20	2	10	Ace 3-wide	Pass	Inc	Arrington	Skinny post
Butler(-2) gone right around by Saint-Dic, forcing Henne to get off a hurried throw on a skinny post to Arrington. This is actually excellent given the situation, a tough catch for Arrington with great coverage from the DB, who knocks it loose. (CA+, 1, protection 0/2, Butler -2) If Henne had more time he could have come down to Manningham on a wide open stop for the first.
M20	3	10	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	Inc	Manningham	Stop and go
Saint Dic goes right around Butler again, who should probably be flagged for holding; as it is Henne's forced into a quick throw to Manningham on an stop and go. There's room to make this completion, though not much, and a MSU DB leaps up and just gets a hand on it. Maybe a little bit harsh, but (IN, 0, protection 0/2, Butler -2) On review, no... this is just way short and the IN is not harsh.
Drive Notes: Punt, 14-3, 3 min 2nd Q. Mesko launches one.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
O41	1	10	Ace 3-wide	Pass	6	Mathews	Out
Mathews comes in motion, revealing zone as no one follows him; Arrington drives off the CB with a deep route and Michigan hits Mathews on a short out with decent room in front of him. (CA, 3, protection 2/2)
O35	2	4	Ace 3-wide	Pass	-2	Arrington	Long handoff
I mean, seriously, can we block the frickin' DT on a WR screen? This has to be the only WR screen in history to be broken up because of pressure. Kraus(-2) just ignores the man lined up directly over him, causing the throw to be low and forcing Arrington to his knee to make the catch. (PR, N/A, protection 0/2, Kraus -2)
O37	3	6	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	3	Manningham	Circle
This is open for the first down but Henne's throw is upfield, forcing Manningham to come back and allowing the Spartan DB to close him down before the sticks. (IN, 3, protection 1/1)
O34	4	3	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	Int	Manningham	Slant
Excellent play by the DB to chuck Arrington, then start watching Manningham; when he moves to the slant he jumps it and finds the ball, intercepting. Poor decision. (BR, 0, protection 1/1)
Drive Notes: Interception, 14-3, 1 min 2nd Q. IMO, two clock errors on the 4th down play. 1) why wouldn't Michigan run the clock down all the way? 2) why would MSU, which will have a minute and field position at the 35 if they stop Michigan, waste a TO?
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
M31	1	10	???	Run	0	Minor	???
ABC screwup.
M31	2	10	Shotgun 3-wide	Run	7	Minor	Draw
A stunt gets a DE in unblocked and Minor has to cut it outside. He does so – Long(+1) has stoned his guy and driven him back – and gets a decent gain out of it.
M38	3	3	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	Inc	Arrington	Out
Henne throws it wide; a potential completion, otherwise. Butler was holding anyway. (IN, 0, 1/2 Butler -1)
Drive Notes: Punt, 14-3, 13 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
M35	1	10	I-Form Twins	Pass	Inc	Manningham	Fly
A 65 yard touchdown waiting to happen; Henne overthrows it but only just. Manningham needs to lay out for this ball. (IN, 1, protection 2/2)
M35	2	10	I-Form Twins	Run	1	Hart	Draw
Ah, the incredibly surprising second and ten draw. MSU blitzes right into it. Also, Boren(-1) lets his guy inside of him.
M36	3	9	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	-3	--	Sack
Protection is fine, but Henne can't find anyone. Saint Dic eventually gets loose and sacks. (TA, 0, protection 2/2)
Drive Notes: Punt, 14-10, 5 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
M1	1	10	I-Form Big	Run	1	Hart	Iso
MSU, as you might expect, jumps all over this. There are just too many to block; Boren(-1) didn't do a good job on a Spartan DT.
M2	2	9	I-Form	Pass	47	Manningham	Fly
Arrgh, stay on your feet! Uh... yeah, other than that a perfect pitch and catch. (DO, 2, protection 2/2)
M49	1	10	I-Form Twins	Pass	Inc	Manningham	Fly
Manningham wide open again; Henne overthrows him. (IN, 0, protection 2/2)
M49	2	10	I-Form	Run	3	Minor	Zone left
Mitchell(-1) blown back into the backfield on what might be a designed cutback... we again motion the TE to the backside of the play and block the DE out there; Minor hops out there but the penetration slows him up enough to make this a short gain.
O48	3	7	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	Inc	--	???
Saint Dic stunts around two other defenders, getting in clean. He hits Henne as he throws, the resulting pass is to no one. Don't know how you pick this up, but someone busted. (BA, 0, protection 0/2, team)
Drive Notes: Punt, 14-10, 1 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
M27	1	10	Ace 3-wide	Run	-1	Brown	Zone left
Long passes Saint Dic off to Butler(-1); Saint Dic just splits the pair and forces Brown up into bodies.
M26	2	11	Ace Twins	Pass	Inc	Manningham	Fly
State in a four deep coverage with cornerbacks bailing at the snap; Henne bombs away despite the DB having yards on Manningham and it falls incomplete. (BR, 0, protection 2/2)
M26	3	11	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	-7	--	Sack
Boren(-1) gets fooled on a stunt between a DT and a linebacker, picking up the DT and allowing the LB in unfettered; Minor(-1) attempts to chop the guy and does a crappy job of it; Henne sees the pressure and sets up to throw but is sacked by the LB; corner coming unblocked meant he had to get rid of it right away anyway. (PR, 0, protection 0/2)
Drive Notes: Punt, 14-17, 13 min 4th Q. Another bad punt from Mesko.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
M21	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	12	Arrington	Out
Arrington wide open on the sidelines, catching it nine yards downfield and running up for the first down. (CA, 3, protection 2/2) Henne limps off.
M33	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	11	Hart	Fumble
Wooo Hart! Can't really blame Mallett for this, as the corner is totally unblocked as there's a protection screwup and he's looking at the other side of the field. Hart scoops the ball up and motors. (PR (not charted), N/A, protection 0/2, team)
M44	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	12	Manningham	Out
Manningham this time; same play to the other side of the field. (CA, 3, protection 2/2)
O44	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	4 + 15	Mathews	Quick out
Henne throws this little out late, so Mathews can't turn it upfield. The play's over by like ten seconds when MSU pops him. Sparty, no! (CA-, 3, protection 1/1)
O25	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	12	Arrington	Out
Virtual replay of the first catch. (CA, 3, protection 2/2)
O13	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	Inc	Arrington	Flare
Our second time out. Debord, you only have two plays, please get one of them in. Henne misses Arrington largely because Arrington was shoved with the ball in the air 15 yards downfield. No call. I'm not charting this one. (N/A, N/A, protection 2/2)
O13	2	10	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	13	Mathews	Wheel
Henne loops it over the DB's head; a perfect throw that needed to be. A stunt got a DE in unblocked again. (DO, 3, protection 1/2, team)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 21-24, 6 min 4th Q. Good Henne.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
M35	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	9	Arrington	Out
And it's wide open again. Henne throws it upfield, forcing a tough diving catch from Arrington. (CA-, 1, protection 2/2)
M44	2	1	Ace 3-wide	Run	1	Minor	Zone left
MSU's trying to stunt here; Boren(-1) can't seal the DT and no-one bothers blocking the stunting DE; all Butler(-1) had to do was step inside and he was auto-sealed; the DE is free to track Minor down. Minor manages to reach out near the first-down marker and gets it.
M45	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	Inc	Manningham	Fly
Way long; Henne complains for a flag afterwards; ABC shows a replay of Mathews, so his complaint goes unevaluated. (IN, 0, protection 2/2)
M45	2	10	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	9	Manningham	Out
Jesus Christ, Mario, get the first down! Aaaaigh! (CA, 3, protection 2/2)
O46	3	1	Ace 3-wide	Run	-10 (pen)	Minor	Zone right
Butler(-1) driven back and holds as Mitchell and Schilling double the DT, driving him back; Minor manages to squeeze through the MSU tackle.
M44	3	11	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	12	Arrington	Drag
And it's a long, long drag as MSU rushes three and gets no pressure. Henne puts it just past the outstretched arms of the LB to Arrington, who has room up the sideline for the first. (CA+, 3, protection 2/2)
O44	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	15	Manningham	Drag
MSU sends the house; Manningham's drag route is wide open. Henne hits him. Good pickup from the OL. (CA, 3, protection 3/3)
O29	1	10	Ace 3-wide	Run	-2	Manningham	Draw
Kraus(-2) driven way back by Baldwin, lined up as an NT; Minor has to bounce it out. Manningham(-1) doesn't even bother blocking the CB opposite him.
O31	2	12	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	Inc	Manningham	Out
Manningham falls down. (N/A, 0, protection 2/2)
O31	3	12	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	31	Manningham	Fly
Well... goddamn, son. (DO, 2, protection 3/3)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 28-24, 2 min 4th Q.

I can't decide if I should be mad or thrilled. I hate Henne! I love Henne! I hate Manningham! I love Manningham!

Yes. God willing, any ESPN Classic replays of this game will excise the vast majority of the second quarter. I've never seen such a schizophrenic performance. We should just head right to the--

Charts?

Charts.

Mallett
Team	DO	CA	IN	BR	TA	BA	PR
Oregon (1/2)	3	7	2	3	1	1	2
ND	2	7	4	1	0	2	0
PSU	3	12	6	3	6	1	2
NW (1/2)	2	5	4	1	1	1	1
Illinois (1/3)	0	4	2	2	0	1	0
Minnesota	3	9	7	1	3	2	1
Henne
Team	DO	CA	IN	BR	TA	BA	PR
The Horror	2	22	8	2	1	0	2
Oregon (1/2)	1	13	6	3	1	0	3
NW (1/2)	1	19	4	1	1	1	0
EMU	4	16	1	0	1	2	1
Purdue	3	20	1	1	1	1	2
Illinois (2/3)	5	15	4	0	1	1	3
MSU	5	14	9	3	1	1	3

(Hennemallettchart Legend)

That's a tough day. Making it weirder is the breakdown (Good Henne == up until the second touchdown; Robot Henne == final two drives; Evil Henne == everything in-between):

Team	DO	CA	IN	BR	TA	BA	PR
Good Henne	1	5	2	1	0	0	0
Evil Henne	1	2	6	2	1	1	3
Robot Henne	3	7	1	0	0	0	0

There is some mitigation here: there were a lot of bombs into a swirling wind, Henne was playing hurt, and it's no coincidence that the three PRs came when Henne was in Evil Henne mode. During the middle of the game, Henne got pounded time and again.

In fact, to fully appreciate Henne's day we should check...

PROTECTION: 58/74, Hart -1, Schilling -1, Butler -5, Kraus -2, Minor -1, Boren -1, Team -5.

Minuses assigned to "team" were generally stunts that got MSU players through.

Ugly, ugly, ugly, especially on the part of Butler, not only complete fail in pass protection but also the culprit on several run plays that went nowhere and the recipient of two critical penalties, one a stupid personal foul and the other a comically inept holding call on Michigan's final drive.

We can break this down further, as well. The final two drives were 26/29, and one of the minuses was on Henne's touchdown throw to Mathews. The rest of the day was 32/45. That's a failure rate of 29%, well into the completely unacceptable range.

A glimpse at the Hart Chart tells a similar story in the run game. For the first time all year the totals are negative, and that's only charting Hart's 15 carries. The numbers would undoubtedly be uglier if Minor and Brown's collective eight carries for -4 yards were included. Our line got straight up owned.

What happened in the shotgun offense?

Part of it was the exceptional generosity of the MSU corners. Time and again they got driven off and receivers were wide open. I don't think Henne had to find a second read on either drive; if I was, god forbid, an MSU blogger the D UFR on the the last drives would be something like:

AAAAARGH they're running the same out for the FIFTH STRAIGHT TIME and no one is even in the same ZIP CODE as these guys. (Cover -2) Someone give me a kitten to strangle.

#*$#!!!!! What are you thinking, Kendall Davis-Moron? I hate you! I hate you so much! I hate you so much I am giving up on saying anything clever about you and just calling you Davis-Moron! Where is my whiskey? I drank it during the Northwestern game? AAAARGGGHHHH

When kids are that open it's hard to get to the QB. Also, MSU started dropping eight guys into coverage, which was something they actually did to good effect earlier in the game, as the faked blitzes often would end up getting The Sackmaster one-on-one on Butler anyway, resulting in pressure against an eight-man zone. Michigan managed to fix that protection somehow and the same three-man rushes were just invitations to give up yards. It was an outstanding performance that pushed the final protection numbers up to mediocrity. Football is so weird sometimes.

Receivers?

Oh, yeah. Ye receive:

	This Game					Totals
Player	0	1	2	3		0	1	2	3
Manningham	8	0/1	2/2	6/6		24	3/15	13/16	48/51
Arrington	1	1/2	1/1	3/4		8	5/12	15/18	30/32
Mathews	-	-	-	2/2		4	0/4	2/6	24/26
Hemingway	-	-	-	-		3	-	-	2/2
Massey	-	-	-	-		2	0/3	1/1	3/3
Butler	-	-	-	2/2		1	0/2	-	13/13
Webb	-	-	-	-		2	-	-	-
Hart	-	-	-	-		4	-	-	9/9
Minor	1	-	-	-		1	-	0/1	3/3
Moundros	-	-	-	-		-	0/1	1/1	1/1

Nothing of particular note except the "8" in Manningham's uncatchable column, which was 50% of his season total before this game.

REHFGHERARG DEBORD.

Yes... yes. I do hate to be That Guy, and plead guilty to some That Guy pessimism earlier in the year, but one of my bedrock beliefs about football is that it's stupid to be as predictable as Michigan is and this game was a good exemplar of that.

Simply-titled Michigan blog Blue, run by oft-cantankerous commenter Meechigan Dan, helpfully points out Michigan's first down playcalling, which was... not particularly creative. Here's the first half:

First Quarter

1-10-MI29 (11:14) Mike Hart rushed for 8 yards.
1-10-MIST38 (9:00) Brandon Minor lost 4 yards.
1-10-MI28 (5:45) Chad Henne passed to Carson Butler for 10 yards.
1-10-MI48 (5:27) Mike Hart rushed for 3 yards.
1-10-MIST11 (4:35) Mike Hart rushed for no gain.
1-10-MI44 (1:31) Mike Hart lost 1 yard.

Second Quarter

1-10-MIST42 (14:40) Mike Hart rushed for 32 yards.
1-10-MIST10 (14:04) Mike Hart rushed for 5 yards.
1-10-MI6 (11:15) Mike Hart rushed for 2 yards.
1-10-MI8 (6:50) Mike Hart rushed for 1 yard.
1-10-MI20 (4:17) Mike Hart rushed for no gain.
1-10-MIST41 (1:57) Mike Hart rushed for 6 yards.
1-10-MI18 (0:16) Chad Henne lost 1 yard.

The last one is a kneeldown and doesn't count, but that's 11 runs out of twelve opportunities. Things got slightly better in the second half; before the dual desperation drives started Michigan had three runs and two passes. Total: 14 runs, 3 passes. I don't care how much confidence Michigan has in its ground game, that ain't right.

Exemplar: I had an odd moment whilst reviewing the game for UFR. Michigan was on its final touchdown drive and had just gotten down to the MSU 29. They went under center and ran Brandon Minor on a zone left. MSU's defensive end bizarrely cut inside the DT and I couldn't understand what in the hell he was doing; for a moment it looked like he had lost his mind. Then it occurred to me: they were stunting. Why was it so hard to identify this? I mean, look at the above. Many of the mentions of pressure on Henne involve a stunt. MSU stunted all the time when Michigan found itself in obvious passing downs. But not once did they ever stunt when Michigan was running the ball until they were in, yes, an obvious passing down.

If Carson Butler had just decided to block the DE Minor would have had a nice gain, but he did not and it was a TFL. So... didn't work out so well, but MSU put itself in a bad position. By my estimation they did this all of once the rest of the day, that on Hart's run from the MSU 10 to the 5 on Michigan's second touchdown drive. Michigan opponents make very few mental errors because Michigan hardly ever puts them in a position where they can make a mental error. Scant misdirection; limited play action; low variety in the run game. This thinking belongs to another era of football.

Caveats can be extended for this game: the pass blocking was bad -- though no worse than the run blocking -- Henne seemed dinged, and the wind was nasty. But this is no one-game trend.

I'm sorry, I know: beating a dead horse. Or dying horse. Or retiring. Whatever. Beating a very tired and old but not quite dead horse over and over again. I'm obviously never going to stop or I would have by now, but please accept my profuse apologies.

Heroes?

Robot Henne, Mike Hart's one good leg, and Mario. And Long, always Long.

Goats?

Evil Henne, Mike Hart's one bad leg, and Mario. And OH MY GOD CARSON BUTLER BLOCK SOMEBODY. Seriously, I would not be surprised to see a lot of Criswell coming up. We don't really need a dynamic receiver at TE. We do need someone who can block.

What does it mean for Wisconsin?

There's a VEQ coming up; in it Bruce Ciskie says the UW safeties have been atrocious and Ikegwuonu pretty average; second starting corner Allen Langford is also out. Ciskie also says the run defense has been atrocious; starting DT Jason Chapman is also out. So all right we run them the hell over yay!

Uh... probably not. Wisconsin is likely to note Michigan's difficulties on the right side of the line, which only get worse when Carson Butler is put over there, as the expectation of nonexistent help is worse than the cold knowledge of your infinite loneliness versus The Sackmaster, and blitz like hell. The return of Alex Mitchell probably says more about the situation at right guard than Mitchell's health and motivation -- dude looks way out of shape -- and Debord... well... if he ever sat down at a poker table I was at I'd get tingly. It'll probably be MOTS: ugliness interspersed with good and 20-something points.

Upon Further Review: Defense vs State

Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
O26	1	10	Ace Twins	Base 5-2	Run	2	Off tackle
Hey, wow, no nickel. I'll attempt to distinguish between a conventional 4-3 with actual linebackers and a 5-2 where two MLBs sit behind five guys on the LOS. On MSU's first play they motion the TE across the line, then bring him behind the guard as the play snaps; he acts as a lead blocker. BG(-1) is shoved downfield after a momentary double; Taylor(+1) refuses to get sealed and bashes into the pulling guard; no hole. Ezeh(+1) picks through the traffic and makes a tackle as Ringer tries to bounce it out.
O28	2	8	I-Form	Base 5-2	Run	5	End-around
Handoff fake coupled with an end-around to Thomas in approximately the same area the play would go, except more outside. Jamison(-1) manages to shoot past the blocker intended for him but comes too far up inside on the initial handoff fake; Thomas runs around him. Englemon comes up to tackle after a decent gain.
O33	3	3	Shotgun 3-wide	Nickel	Pass	17	TE Out
Adams(+1, cover +1) is right there, swiping as the ball arrives. Unfortunately, it's high and outside; Davis reaches up but can only bat in the air. It comes right back down to him, and he rumbles for significant yardage. Bad luck and a great catch.
50	1	10	I-Form Big	Base 4-4	Run	3	Iso
Caulcrick in the game. Not sure why he decides to cut away from the fullback – looked like a good gain was possible – but he does; the backside looks open but two guys are attempting to block Pollock and another two have engulfed a DT, allowing Graham to close unblocked.
M47	2	7	I-Form Twins	Base 4-3	Pass	8	WR Screen
This WR screen is actually a RB screen as the “WR” in question is Ringer, who's motioned out of the backfield. This is not good: we're zone blitzing Crable and Ezeh, leaving Graham to chase Ringer down all the way from the backside. Adams does a good enough job of forcing the play back to him; Ringer slips between two tacklers, nearing a first down.
M39	1	10	Ace	Base 4-3	Pass	18	Out
Johnson(+1) dives into Hoyer's knees just as he throws; the resulting pass is has no velocity on it. But it is accurate, as there's a ton of room in front of Trent. (Cover -2, pressure +1) This was man, so -1 Trent, too.
M21	1	10	Ace	Base 5-2	Run	2	Off tackle
Adams comes up and is clearly in man cover over a motioning tight end. This play is the same as the previous off tackle but run to the opposite side of the line. Johnson(+1) reads his man pulling and starts flowing down the line; CG(+1) shoots into a gap, forcing Caulcrick to bounce it out a bit; Johnson is there to tackle with help from Ezeh.
M19	2	8	I-Form Big	Base 4-4	Pass	Inc	TE Corner
Davis wide open for a touchdown (cover -2, CG -1), but Hoyer throws off his back foot and sails it to Tacopants. Taylor(+1) was coming and may have helped save the TD, as another second or two and Hoyer might be more accurate. (Pressure +1)
M19	3	8	Shotgun 3-wide	Nickel	Pass	Inc	Cross
Wow. Michigan clears out the center of the zone; one LB chases a TE on a corner route as the other deploys a very, very delayed blitz that has no hope of getting home. (CG -1, pressure -1). A shallow cross to Thomas should be wide open except for Englemon(+2) reading this from the instant Thomas cuts his route inside and clubbing him just as the ball arrives. Outstanding. (Cover +1)
Drive Notes: FG(36), 0-3, 11 min 1st Q. In our 4-4 package Max Pollock comes in as a strongside linebacker over the TE. I can't remember another non-FB walkon who played actual downs on something other than special teams. Can anyone?
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
O18	1	10	Ace	Base 5-2	Run	0	Pitch sweep
Well, if you're not going to block the CB on this he's probably going to come up and do something about the run. Trent does this (he's in zone, allowing the quick reaction). Ringer cuts up into Jamison(+1) and Taylor for no gain.
O18	2	10	I-Form Twins	Base 5-2	Run	5	Iso
Man, we shift the front again, leaving that 5-3-1-7 gap between Johnson and Jamison; they run right at it. CGraham shoots up, burying himself under the fullback as Johnson is doubled and a major hole opens up. A safety eventually fills. Hard for Michigan to stop this given the shift.
O23	3	5	Shotgun 3-wide	Nickel	Pass	3	Stop
Excellent coverage (+1) forces Hoyer to come down to Thomas; Harrison(+1) is right there and tackles immediately.
Drive Notes: Punt, 0-3, 6 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
O20	1	10	Ace Twins	Base 5-2	Pass	5	WR Screen
Don't know if this is poor timing or what, but it seems like this play has no hope of succeeding as Hoyer throws a pass a couple yards backwards to Thomas. Trent(-1) meets him at the LOS and should have him for no gain but gets bowled over for five yards.
O25	2	5	Shotgun 2-TE	Base 5-2	Penalty	-5	False start
O20	2	10	Ace Twins	Base 5-2	Pass	-7	Swing
The swing pass CGraham(+2) reads and destroys. (+1 cover)
O13	3	17	Shotgun 3-wide	Nickel	Pass	Inc	?
Jamison(+1) bats it down. Usually this is a pressure +1, but Michigan blitzed and didn't get anywhere near Hoyer.
Drive Notes: Punt, 7-3, 2 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
O41	1	10	I-Form Big	Base 5-2	Pass	Inc	PA Fly
A miscommunication here as Trent(-2) obviously thinks he has deep safety help and lets Thomas go by him without even pretending to cover until it's too late. No pressure(-2); Hoyer loads up... and underthrows his guy badly. (Cover -2)
O41	2	10	I-Form Big	Base 4-4	Run	1	Counter
MSU motions the TE away from the offset fullback, then runs to his side after a counter fake from the RB, pulling an offensive lineman around with him. CGraham(+1) picks his way up into the hole and makes initial contact; a mass of bodies ends up with Ringer on the ground.
O42	3	9	Shotgun 3-wide	Nickel	Pass	Int	Seam
Hoyer throws the seam without bothering to check if Jamar Adams might be in the middle of the field, which he is. He breaks and picks it off(+2). (Cover +1)
Drive Notes: Interception, 7-3, 14 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
O37	1	10	I-Form Twins	Base 5-2	Run	-2	FB Dive
Ringer motions out. They hand it to the FB, but Taylor(+1) shoves into the backfield right in his path and BGraham(+1) finishes the play.
O35	2	12	I-Form	Base 5-2	Pass	Inc	PA TE Flag
A play action fake kills the pass rush, giving Hoyer lots of time (pressure -1); he throws to Davis, blanketed by Adams(+1, cover +1). Adams breaks the play up.
O35	3	12	Shotgun 3-wide	Nickel	Pass	-8	Sack
Wow... Michigan sends three delayed blitzers. Crazy. I don't necessarily mind one delayed blitzer, but Jamar Adams from eight yards off the LOS? None of them get anywhere near Hoyer, but that's okay because Taylor(+1) and BG(+1) both bust through from the DT spot after a moment or two. With the crappy blitz, good job by the secondary to cover(+1).
Drive Notes: Punt, 14-3, 12 min 2nd Q. Mathews lets the punt go over his head; a disastrous shift in field position from a seventy-yard punt.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
M44	1	10	I-Form Twins	Base 5-2	Pass	Inc	PA Out
Thomas open (cover -1) as a State deep route pulled off the coverage and the linebackers bit; Jamison(+1) manages to get free of a pulled pass blocker and knock Hoyer as he throws, forcing the one-hopper. (Pressure +1)
M44	2	10	Shotgun 2-TE	Base 5-2	Run	3	Counter
Thomas comes in motion as a potential end-around target. Taylor(+1) reads the counter action, fighting his way back inside; CGraham(+1) had also popped up in a hole. Ringer's fortunate to fall forward after finding himself surrouded by Wolverines.
M41	3	7	Shotgun 2-back	Base 5-2	Pass	-10	Holding
Good coverage(+1) but no pressure(-1) ends up with Hoyer rolling out of the pocket and finding his TE on an out for the first down. It comes back for holding, as Taylor was tackled trying to chase down the rolled out Hoyer.
O49	3	17	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5 Nickel	Pass	5	Screen
Thompson(+1) does a good job of tracking back on this; Adams comes up and tackles.
Drive Notes: Punt, 14-3, 7 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
M49	1	10	I-Form	Base 5-2	Run	9	Pitch sweep
Johnson(-1) late reacting and allows a TE to block him out of the play. Taylor does a good job of fighting down the line, but his dive at Ringer's feet fails to trip him up. CGraham eventually tracks him down after picking through a lot of traffic.
M39	1	10	I-Form Big	Base 5-2	Run	1	Iso
This time it's MSU with the unbalanced line, as soon as Crable sees the shift he demands a safety come up and shifts the LBs to the overloaded side; MSU duly brings the other TE in motion to the unbalanced side of the line. CGraham(+1) knifes through the line and gets a hand on Ringer; Ezeh finishes. Taylor absorbed a double team; no second level blocks were offered by the MSU OL.
M38	2	9	I-Form Big	Base 5-2	Pass	Inc	PA Out
Ton of time(pressure -1); Hoyer eventually throws it way high to a pretty well covered Thomas(+1 cover, Warren +1).
M38	3	9	Shotgun 3-wide	Nickel	Pass	Inc	Bomb
CGraham(+1) times a blitz well and is in too quickly for the RB to do anything but knock him off balance; Hoyer has to throw. Hoyer overthrows Thomas, who blatantly interferes with Warren and doesn't get called for it. (pressure +1)
Drive Notes: Punt, 14-3, 4 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
O28	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	Base 5-2	Run	-2	End-around
Thomas motions into the backfield as he's done before; this time he gets the handoff and Ringer acts as a lead blocker. Crable(+1) stands his guy up and drives him back, forcing Thomas wide. For some reason, two guys go to block Adams; Ezeh(+1) read and picked through the traffic, hammering Thomas in the backfield for a loss.
O26	2	12	Ace 3-wide	Nickel	Run	-6	Screwup
5-3-1-7 shift to the strongside; we don't adjust as they motion the TE. Odd. They're trying to run a trap right at the gaping hole but the OL bumps Hoyer and he never makes the handoff. After scrambling out for a bit he falls over. Fortunate, as this looked bad if they didn't screw it up.
O20	3	18	Shotgun 3-wide	Nickel	Pass	Inc	TE Seam
No pressure(-1) whatsoever; CGraham(+1) in great coverage, tipping the ball and getting the PBU. (Coverage +1)
Drive Notes: Punt, 14-3, 2 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
O30	1	10	Shotgun Empty	Nickel	Pass	22	Flag
Michigan in a zone; Warren(-1) stops on a shorter route, allowing this flag to come open as CG can't possibly cover this guy any longer. (Cover -1, pressure -1)
M48	1	10	Shotgun 4-wide	Nickel	Pass	Inc	Out
Michigan sends six but does not get there; Hoyer does roll out. He eventually finds a guy open on the sidelines, but throws it wide. (Pressure -1)
M48	2	10	Shotgun Empty	Nickel	Pass	Inc	TE Cross
A huge bust in the middle of the zone has Davis open for a TE cross with a ton of room in front of him; he drops it. (Cover -2)
M48	3	10	Shotgun Empty	3-3-5 Nickel	Pass	Inc	Stop
Jamison(+2) schools an OT, forcing a quick throw from Hoyer as he's hit. It's high. (Pressure +1)
Drive Notes: Punt, 14-3, EOH. Lucked out a bit there. Where's Crable?
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
O25	1	10	Ace Twins	Base 5-2	Run	2	Inside zone
State OL still having major issues getting off their blocks and into the second level; this time Taylor(+1) fights off a double and tackles in the hole with help from an unblocked Ezeh.
O27	2	8	I-Form	Base 5-2	Run	7	Iso
We shift to the 5-3-1-7 shaded front before the snap, they run right at the gap. Why are we doing this? Johnson(-1) doubled and gone, CGraham blocked out of the play by the FB. Ezeh(-1) meets Caulcrick three yards downfield and gets trucked.
O34	3	1	I-Form Big	Base 5-2	Run	2	Iso
Taylor(+1) gets great penetration here, forcing Caulcrick to cut back; Ezeh(-1) and Graham(-1) are late, missing an opportunity to punch MSU off the field.
O36	1	10	Ace	Base 5-2	Run	6	Off tackle
Taylor(-2) clubbed out of this play by the double., ending up four yards downfield and getting Ezeh caught up in the wash. Everyone else did fine, but when your NT gets blown four yards back and they're running right at him it's ugly.
O42	2	4	I-Form Big	Base 5-2	Run	2	Iso
Johnson(+1), not even the playside DT, drives his guy into the hole behind the penetration of Taylor; Caulcrick is robbed of his momentum and gets surrounded by Michigan defenders.
O44	3	2	I-Form Big	Base 5-2	Run	3	Iso
Taylor does an okay job on the POA; Crable comes from the backside to grasp; the linebackers flow up but Caulcrick squeezes through.
O47	1	10	Shotgun Big	Base 5-2	Pass	21	PA TE Cross
They fake the end-around they've run to Thomas before; both LBs bite (Ezeh -1, Graham -1) and Davis is wide open. (Cover -2)
M32	1	10	Ace	Base 5-2	Run	9	Pitch sweep
BGraham(-1) slants inside, giving up the outside immediately. Adams(-1) has filled, as Michigan is coming up hard against the run, for a minimal gain but Ringer spins past him and stumbles near first down yardage.
M23	2	1	I-Form Big	Base 5-2	Run	6	Counter
BG(-1) blown down the line, opening up a considerable hole as Crable gets cut. Ezeh gets thumped by a blocker, reaching out to slow Caulcrick as he passes, but that's a tough job.
M17	1	10	I-Form Twins	Base 4-3	Run	8	???
We get to this play late; CGraham(-1) has overpursued and left a huge cutback lane, which Caulcrick uses. Should probably be another minus in here but I can't tell with the late showing of the play. And if this isn't a fumble – which it isn't – has the tool who called the exact same play a fumble when it happened to Antonio Bass been tarred and feathered?
M9	2	2	I-Form Big	Base 4-4	Run	1	Iso
No creases and a good fill by CGraham(+1) causes a cutback for minimal yardage.
M8	3	1	I-Form Big	Base 4-4	Run	2	Iso
F***, CGraham, you bolt into the backfield all awesome like and should have this dead to rights, then miss a tackle. Come on. No plus/minus, as CG did slow him up at least.
M6	1	G	Maryland I	Goal-line	Run	5	Iso
Yeah, we have ten guys on the field after a bunch of switching. Awesome. Anton Campbell(-1) in the game; he should have Caulcrick for a one-yard gain but gets trucked. Why is Anton Campbell in the game? Englemon got knocked out a few plays earlier.
M1	2	G	Maryland I	Goal-line	Run	1	Iso
Plowed in from six inches.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 6 min 3rd Q. Well, that was repulsive.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
O28	1	10	Ace	Base 5-2	Run	9	Pitch sweep
Fairly simple explanation as to why this works: Crable is held blatantly without a call. Ringer pops outside, as Crable's understandably lost contain.
O37	2	1	Ace	Base 5-2	Pass	15 (pen)	Fade
Warren(+1, cover +1) blankets Dell, but gets the world's weakest PI call, which happens to be like ten seconds late. Awful.
M48	1	10	Ace	Base 5-2	Run	4	Off tackle
Ringer shoots through a hole that appears to not exist, as Ezeh came up and took out the lead-blocking pulling guard and did well; Taylor stood up to a double team okay. Somehow he leaks through between the two and darts for decent yardage.
M44	2	6	I-Form	Base 5-2	Run	-2	Pitch sweep
Crable(+2) blows the trapping guard into the backfield, discarding him and closing Caulcrick down for a loss.
M46	3	8	Shotgun Empty	3-3-5 Nickel	Pass	6	Out
Michigan sends six, but the blitz is ill-timed and doesn't really get there fast. Johnson(+1) eventually hits Hoyer; he still gets a pass off, which is complete but close enough to the sidelines that the WR can't turn it up.
Drive Notes: Punt, 14-10, 3 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
O17	1	10	I-Form Twins	Base 5-2	Pass	6	WR Screen
Stevie Brown(-1) in, coming up and moving in on Caulcrick, ignoring the WR screen. Trent has to fight off a cut and get up to tackle with no help; he does so.
O23	2	4	I-Form Twins	Base 5-2	Run	71	Pitch sweep
Well, hell, Crable(+1) busts into the backfield and slings Ringer around. 99% of the time this is a TFL by him or someone else; he didn't tackle him but he also set MSU up for a big loss. Jamison(-1) relaxes, thinking the play's over, and Ringer shoots out to the other side. Brown(-1) has also vacated the backside. Ringer takes off, you know the rest. I don't know who to blame.
M6	1	G	???	???	Pass	6	PA TE Seam
My copy of the game doesn't actually have this play. As I recall, MSU ran play action and had a guy wide, wide open. (Cover -2)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 14-17, 15 min 4th Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
O48	1	10	I-Form Big	Base 5-2	Run	7	Off tackle
BG(-1) blown off the ball by a double; a pulling guard comes through and blocks one LB as the guy on the double peels off.
M45	2	3	Ace Twins	Base 5-2	Run	4	Inside zone
5-3-1-7 shift and they run at the overloaded side... maybe. This might be an intended counter, as the predictably large gap opens up on the backside and they've motioned Davis right over that spot. For some reason Davis and the OT double Jamison, though, leaving CGraham unblocked in the cutback hole; he tackles but only after Ringer picks up the first down.
M41	1	10	Ace Twins?	Base 5-2	Run	-5 (pen)	Inside zone
Hard to tell what happens here – poor production – but Taylor(-1) and BG(-1) are blown off the ball... possibly another shifted front since there's a big hole and it looks like Johnson is offset. Caulcrick just pounds ahead. Illegal formation brings it back.
M46	1	15	I-Form Twins	Base 5-2	Pass	9	Bubble screen
Michigan in obvious zone; Brown lined up significantly inside of Thomas and can't get an angle; Trent playing back. (Cover -1)
M37	2	6	I-Form Twins	Base 5-2	Run	16	Iso
Massive cutback hole as Johnson again tries to flow down the line of scrimmage, but it's CGraham(-2) who abandons the backside here instead of meeting Caulcrick in the developing hole.
M21	1	10	I-Form Big	Base 5-2	Run	5	Iso
Johnson(-1) blown back by the double, allowing an MSU OL to peel off and hit a LB.
M16	2	5	I-Form	Base 5-2	Run	1	Iso
Slocum(+1) is in at NT; he's double but holds up, causing Caulcrick to slow as he reaches the hole; Crable comes around and grabs him, but Caulcrick falls forward.
M15	3	4	I-Form Big	Base 4-4	Pass	9	Broken play
MSU runs the fumblerooski throw that worked for a touchdown versus Notre Dame; Michigan is not fooled. (Cover +1). Trent, initially up on Thomas, gets too close and lets him run past him to the sideline; Hoyer makes his best throw of the day and completes it for a first down.
M6	1	G	I-Form Big	Base 4-4	Run	2	Iso
Johnson(+1) holds up on the frontside; Caulcrick cuts back into an unblocked Adams and falls forward for two.
M4	2	G	Maryland I	Goal-line	Run	3	Iso
Michigan has this stopped, or should, but Thompson(-1) falls down as he attempt to tackle, allowing Caulcrick to grind forward. A big play that turns this from third and goal and the three to third and goal at the one.
M1	3	G	???	???	Run	1	???
Tape does not have this play.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 14-24, 7 min 4th Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
O25	1	10	I-Form Big	Base 4-4	Run	1	Off tackle
Jamison(+1) makes this play. driving Davis back and into the center of the line, taking out a pulling guard and allowing CGraham to close and tackle unblocked.
O26	2	9	Ace	Base 4-3	Run	7	Off tackle
Well, this isn't exactly great by the DL but it's not horrible either. Jamison(-1) is effectively controlled and pushed back, though. Ezeh(-1) is hesitant, allowing a man to peel off onto him and CGraham(-1) does not close the hole.
O33	3	2	I-Form Big	Base 4-4	Run	0	Pitch sweep
Crable(+1) gets enough push on the pulling guard to convince Caulcrick to cut it up, where a host of Michigan defenders meet him. Taylor(+1) did a good job flowing down the line and creating the pile.
Drive Notes: Punt, 21-24, 5 min 4th Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
O31	1	10	Shotgun Empty	3-3-5 Nickel	Pass	7	Stop
A little stop in front of soft coverage. (Cover -1)
O38	2	3	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5 Nickel	Pass	4	Circle
Curry beats Harrison; a blitz was sent but did not get there. Harrison does make an immediate tackle. ( Pressure -1)
O42	1	10	Shotgun Empty	Nickel	Pass	3	Stop
Jamison in unblocked due to a blitz (Pressure +1); Hoyer finds a quick stop route that Warren escorts out of bounds for a minimal gain. (Cover +1)
O45	2	7	Shotgun Empty	Nickel	Pass	5	Stop
Again blitzing more guys than they can block; Hoyer finds Davis for a short gain. (Pressure +1).
50	3	2	Shotgun 3-wide	Nickel	Pass	17	Cross
I think this is a combo coverage with zone on the left side and man on the right; Warren breaks out to a deep zone and the safety takes the short flat. This would make this bust CGraham's, as he got way too far inside on the TE and allowed Thomas to cross into the middle of the field with no one within 10 yards of him. (Cover -2) On replay.. i dunno. This could be Ezeh, as the swing was covered by Englemon and he was flying up towards it. I think it's Ezeh(-2).
M34	1	10	Shotgun Empty	Nickel	Pass	-8	Sack
Six men cross the line, one of them is an unblocked Crable(+1); Hoyer hesitates on his stop route – Crable just too fast – and is lost. (Pressure +2, cover +1)
M42	2	18	Shotgun 3-wide	Nickel	Pass	Inc	Drag
Max pro for MSU; Michigan rushes only four and still gets pressure from BG(+1), forcing the drag dumpoff. It's dropped; Brown(+1) comes up to tackle anyway; two yards even if caught. (Cover +1, pressure +1)
M42	3	18	Shotgun 3-wide	Nickel	Pass	Inc	Out
Morgan Trent(+1) jumps this out, which is late, and breaks it up. (Cover +1)
M42	4	18	Shotgun 3-wide	Nickel	Pass	Inc	TE Seam
Harrison in good coverage(+1); ball is overthrown anyway; Hoyer had to rush it because of a blitz and Jamison(+1) coming free of a blocker.
Drive Notes: Turnover on downs, 28-24, EOG.

I'm so confused. Was that a good performance or not?

I tentatively suggest it was. Obviously, the first half was great: 85 yards and three points despite facing a ton of possessions, many of which started near midfield. After halftime things got dicey, but the end results were still 352 yards -- about 75 under MSU's season average -- and 24 points on 15 MSU possessions. That's around 24 yards per drive.

Also, how much do you want to blame the D for Ringer's reverse-field 70 yarder? I tend to look at those things as fluke occurrences and not reflective of defensive quality; that was fully 20% of their yards. (This is the second straight year Shawn Crable has missed a potential TFL and an opponent has turned it into a long run by using the impetus provided; last year it was Beanie Wells. Crable, wrap up plz.)

But what happened in the second half?

Well, let's look at the char--

Chart?

Chart.

Player	+	-	T	Notes
Jamison	7	3	4	Quiet statistically but batted a pass and caused a few others to be inaccurate with his pressure.
Johnson	5	3	2
Taylor	8	3	5	A couple diving tackles that really helped out the befuddled linebackers.
B. Graham	3	5	-2
Crable	6	-	6	A couple plays on those pitch sweeps; no real pass-rush presence until the end.
Slocum	1	-	1
Ferrara	-	-	-
Patterson	-	-	-
Banks	-	-	-
Thompson	1	1	0
Ezeh	2	6	-4	More on this later.
C. Graham	9	7	2	Eventful!
Logan	-	-	-
Trent	1	4	-3	Was fortunate not to give up two big plays.
Harrison	2	-	2	Mostly watched.
Warren	2	1	1	Still can't believe that PI call.
Adams	4	1	3	I will miss these safeties...
Englemon	2	-	2	...such a weird thing to think.
Brown	1	2	-1
"Pressure"	10	10	0	In reality worse than this, as many of the +1s came on MSU's final drive when State went empty and M sent six.
"Coverage"	17	18	-1	Decent day, though the D was fortunate not to

Right, on Ezeh: Carr provided effusive praise for him in the postgame and I'm not so in love with my numbers to totally dispute him... but I didn't think he did much, and I assigned a couple pieces of blame to him that I may or may not be right about. Thirteen tackles is a lot, but on most of those he was cleanup or getting the benefit of the doubt in a pile or getting run over by Caulcrick.

I tentatively suggest this was confidence building and pride in his work ethic more than praise for his play. It is nice that we have a mediocre starting MLB who's a freshman; he should have an excellent career by the time things are said and one.

So, anyway, what happened in the second half?

A couple things: sometimes we shifted into that shaded 5-3-1-7 front with the big NT-DE gap and State usually ran right at it, picking up good yardage. Also, they attacked Brandon Graham successfully. He's got a -2 up there, by far his worst total of his career, and it was largely because he got booted out of the line by double teams frequently.

About that shaded front: I don't get it against this offense. I understand its purpose against the zone read, but when MSU is lining up under center and can hypothetically attack any portion of the line without a shift it seems... odd.

A contribution from Greg Simmons, who you may know if you've been reading the comments. He's a defensive coordinator at a NC high school. He thinks the problems in the second half were not schematic but rather on a player level. These are paraphrased:

Problems:

• DTs getting blown off the ball or collapsing, leaving a hole no non-All-American LB could fill. These were three or four different people. (I thought Taylor was pretty good, though he did get blown out once. Johnson was similar, and Graham a frequent culprit.)
• Missed tackles; LBs and safeties putting their heads down and diving for feet, instead of wrapping up and driving. [This was definitely an issue on a particular second and goal that should have been one yards and was instead three.]
• LBs and safeties not correctly scraping to open gaps on the power off tackle, either out of stack [labeled Maryland I above] or out of I with a pulling tackle or guard. They suck up on the iso, and fail to scrape when the linemen squeeze the down blocks in front of them.

Too many people on Michigan's defense are trying to make all the plays themselves. Why is Taylor trying to spin his way into the backfield when he is getting a double team from a nose and a guard? Because someone is teaching or allowing him to try to make every big play, instead of making a pile and allowing unblocked LBs to make the play.

But what if you think your LBs are terrible, and the strength is the DTs and ends? Then don't play gap responsibility, which means dropping the 4-4 scheme or the 3-4 50 scheme that Michigan has employed since I was born.

I do think the scraping issue is something that is a real problem but it's a subtle one I don't quite understand as a layman. When and how a linebacker should move remains one of the truly arcane aspects of football to the interested observer.

What does seem clear is that whereas last year our linebackers were always thumping people at or near the LOS and gaps were hard to come by, this year guys are squeezing through small gaps and blowing through large ones; some of that is on the linebackers and their scraping.

I also have some disagreements, most prominently on Taylor and with the schematic issues, as the shaded front seem an invitation to run right at the gap... but it's food for thought, anyway. Anyone with technical thoughts is invited to comment.

(A clarification for those who fear my latent grumpiness: it's not like they're terrible. Remove the Ringer thing and MSU backs averaged just under 4 YPC. They are what they are, average. )