Unverified Voracity Ejects Bits

Note: lately, I've been dumping a lot of things into UV that could rightly stand on their own as posts, and I'm going to try to split those things out in the future. Often I'll hold something for a day or two until the next edition and by that time every Michigan blog has already said their piece and I feel stupid. Also, much of the time I end up throwing a bunch of disparate stuff together -- that's kind of the point -- and it mucks up the categories. If you click "baseball" or something on the right sidebar you get posts with baseball, but often leetle pieces of baseball in a larger post.

So, anything that's news or news-y I'll post ASAP, and anything program-related and longer than a few lines will also get split out.

House. I should probably start plugging Michigan-relevant stuff I post on the Fanhouse since every couple days I get an email asking why I haven't covered X when there's a post up over there. So: Want Michigan tickets? Cut your legs off.

(It's already happening!)

On a more serious note, yes, it's a little annoying that handicapped fans get to cut in the season ticket line and get their PSLs waived, but those were probably conditions of the settlement and in the long run said settlement saved Michigan some coin, and a lot of seats.

The point. It's fashionable, and somewhat accurate, to bash Bill Simmons these days. But everything you need to know about why sports columnists are thrashing around in their death throes can be found in his post-Celtics victory column, and it's all about his dad. I am a little sick of Simmons' schtick, incredibly sick of Boston teams winning championships, and was sort of annoyed at parts of the column, but...

Dad bought a single season ticket for the Celtics for the 1973-74 season and carried me into the Garden for the next four years, sitting me on his lap and even letting me sleep on him during the famous triple-OT game against Phoenix in 1976. When I became too big to sit on his lap, he bought a second ticket even though we really didn't have any money at the time. And we've had those two tickets ever since. How do you repay someone for a lifelong experience like that? You don't. You can't.

...this and the discussion that follows it is about the strange thing fandom is, something only a lifelong fan could communicate. Often, I think, we start pulling for a team by proxy. I wanted Michigan to win when I was a child so my dad would be happy. When Michigan was trailing by 21 in the Water Buffalo Stampede Minnesota game, my girlfriend at the time wanted Michigan to do well so I wouldn't accidentally shove her off the couch again in rage. Now that I'm friends with the sort of Auburn fan who involuntarily screams things like "GO LESTER" on every run longer than three yards, I want Auburn to win.

At some point a switch flips and the rooting is no longer by proxy and now you're just sort of infected with this thing. And it makes you do and think very strange things about completely irrelevant external events, and coping and dealing with this weird little disease of passion requires a sort of support group.

In general, newspapers have chosen to strip the passion out of their sports section in favor of objectivity. They've been so successful at it that Bill Simmons -- a "blogger" according to sneerin' Rick Reilly -- is the most famous and influential sportswriter* in the country.

*(writer. Wilbon, Kornheiser, etc... TV.)

Man down. Alabama cornerback Lionel Mitchell, he of the severe back problems that sort of held him out of spring practice, -- brutal! -- is yet another medical scholarship recipient. Will Alabama make it? This is exciting!

EEEEEE Barwis:



Via MVictors, which helpfully picks out this sentence:

“If you can’t make it intense, and make the environment an environment that elicits greatness, and get into that environment, coach, and make kids energetic about, and fired up about putting 500 pounds on their back and hittin’ reps and running sprints until they throw up and pushing themselves to the absolute limits of their mental and physical capabilities then you’re not doing anything, you’ve wasted your time with your science because they’re not going to grow if they’re not pushing themselves to those points…”

Dude, Faulkner just threw up in a bush.

Thin, thin. Antonio Henton, the dual-threat Ohio State backup quarterback who is not Terrelle Pryor, is transferring. Probably:

Ohio State quarterback Antonio Henton has reportedly told his Buckeye teammates he’s headed for GSU, an ESPN writer confirmed to the Statesboro Herald Wednesday. Georgia Southern’s B-term for summer classes begins next week, and second-year GSU coach Chris Hatcher said he couldn’t discuss transfers until then. Henton could not be reached for comment.

That leaves Ohio State with eh starter Todd Boeckman, Pryor, and thousand-year-old walk-on(? - I think) Joe Bauserman. They aren't much deeper than Michigan, though they are more experienced/hyped/diapered.

Dash. Wisconsin people say don't get your hopes up for Charter or Time Warner:

"I think they're going to be really, really lucky to get it done by football season," Prof. Barry Orton told The Capital Times. "It means they have to turn this around in a month and a half or so. That's tight. I would think we're safer to say (a deal will be done) probably by basketball season and maybe by the end of football season."

Yes, yes it does. NBC's extended their contract with Notre Dame another five years, and they're very proud of it:

“We are thrilled to continue this landmark partnership with Notre Dame," Ebersol said during a conference call. “Notre Dame defines who we at NBC Sports are: from the Olympics, to the U.S. Golf Open to Notre Dame.”

From the Olympics... to golf... to Notre Dame football! NBC sports: the home of soft-focus quasi sporting events that only appeal to white people!

Meanwhile, the Rock Report writes from an alternative universe:

Who kills the magic at Notre ame? Often times it's the very network that supports it... NBC has been a good partner, but it is time ND started demanding more from NBC.

Like ponies.

Past snark, the new NBC contract is lame for ND, the Big Ten, and college football in general. It guarantees seven home games and an eighth "neutral site" game that ND controls the gate and TV for. If you fit that into a conference framework, ND has four home games and four road games like any Big Ten team was, then three nonconference home games and a "neutral site" game... if a Big Ten team tried that their nonconference schedule would be Wisconsin's. And with home-and-home slots given over to USC, Navy (-ish), Michigan, and three Big East teams, Notre Dame is going to have to push out traditional rivals like Purdue and Michigan State to make it work.

To ND fans' credit, they loathe this state of affairs as much or more than Michigan fans hate the idea of the MAC-MAC-Utah at best-ND nonconference schedule that seems to be Michigan's fate for the next thousand years. Again, I say: the NCAA can stop this if they care to. Force five true road games a year. Limit commercial time in broadcasts. Stop trying to squeeze every nickel out of a supposedly nonprofit enterprise.

Chances of this happening: zero.

Etc.: New IU blog Cannot Falter highlights some interesting chatter from the Knight commission on APRs and infractions; here's a theory as to why Mendenhall hates Zook. 20 questions on M from the OZone... IMO, not up to Gerdeman's usual standard. Recruting notes from UMHoops.

(What a good job I did of cutting this down.)

Rivalry

My sophomore year at Michigan was 1998, one of only two years during the long and glorious reign of John Cooper that featured an Ohio State victory in the Game. That one was in Columbus and so I watched in a crowded dorm room that quickly settled into a pissed little funk. A few doors down, we heard the wrong kind of shouts coming from another room. Someone was pulling for Ohio State. Loudly.

It's inevitable that a few poor souls who grew up fans of Ohio State want to be engineers or lawyers or American Studies PhDs (#1 in the country, baby! woo!) and common sense leads them to That School Up North even if their skin crawls at every block M they see. And surely there are a few Michigan fans who wish to learn the fine art of motor vehicle repair. They still carry the rivalry in their blood.

In 1957, one Woody Hayes published a 1957 tome titled "Football at Ohio State".* A faithful reader points to the title page of the University of Michigan's copy:

(Click for big.)

Thirty years of back and forth smack-talk. "1968 - ONE WE WON'T FORGET" meets "HOW ABOUT 1969?" Three different people mention that "Roses are Blue." One Ohio State fan scribbles scores from the Ten Year War down. And, of course, "FUCK MICHIGAN." You stay classy, etc.

This is the heart of rivalry, at once stupid and glorious.

*(Which is a totally fascinating book I demand some Ohio State blogger dissect thoroughly. Page 82 is titled "The Causes of Interceptions" and starts "Since the vogue nowadays is to think positively, some pedagogues no doubt will look askance at such an obviously negative approach as this." Woody Hayes may have been a linebacker-punching, hate-filled lunatic but the number of coaches who would deploy "pedagogue" as a snooty put-down in 2008 is between zero and Mike Leach, and you have to respect that.)

Mailbag!

Brian (or whoever reads this email),

My name is Josh and I was one of the OSU students up in section 47 and the one who actually started the chant. Indeed, we were chanting Tres-sel and had no idea that what we were saying would be misheard as ass-hole. Only later when an employee, not an usher, came running up the steps to our section did we realize what had happened. He asked us what we chanted because they all thought we were chanting ass-hole on the court. Frankly, we were shocked. We quickly apologized and said we chanting Tres-sel and made it clear that we would never chant ass-hole.

We can't speak for other Ohio State fans just as you can't speak for other Michigan fans, but I would like to assure you that we would never dishonor Mr. Rodriguez or any other staff/faculty/student with that type of a chant (though some of the commenters on the article would not be quick to believe).

I hope you can understand that we were only trying to rekindle the spirit of our Rivalry, the best in college sports, not to trash talk your new coach. We hope that Mr. Rodriguez can throw more fire into the Rivalry and make our future games more enjoyable for both sides. Trust me, while a victory over you guys in football is awesome, the dominance that Tressel has had these past couple of years has really taken the edge off the Rivalry. I think my favorite game, as a Senior at OSU, was the game two years ago in the Big House. Our Rivalry needs more games like that. I am sick and tired of hearing how the SEC has better rivalry games than we do, and we are glad at least you were able to take care of an SEC team in your postseason, while of late we have been less than stellar...but we are improving.

On a funny side note, we had ushers up in the section threatening to throw us out. Obviously we weren't and we weren't jeering them. But they did say that you guys don't do anything like that at our stadium, which we were quick to remind him that there are students/fans that do worse to us. But, we never swore at them or did anything to offend them except remind them of our rights to free speech.

To conclude, I hope that this email clears up the confusion of what happened at the game yesterday, and so you at least know that there are indeed classy Buckeye fans that do want our Rivalry to be the best it has ever been. Congratulations for winning yesterday and we look forward to seeing you guys in the Big Ten Tournament and at the Shoe next year. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me back. I've always believed that we can be rivals on the field but work together off the field to better one another.

Go Bucks........and *cringe* Go Blue

Josh Friedman

I've gotten a couple other emails to this effect, though none quite so restrained, and must conclude that they're telling the truth and that they weren't chanting "asshole," for what that's worth. It's still rude to scream throughout someone's speech and the idea that the rivalry needs to be "rekindled" a year after a #1-#2 game is pretty laughable. I wouldn't have attempted to compare Michigan fans' dastardly tendency to invade Columbus and get harassed and physically threatened with their actions, either. But FWIW.

On the topic of Vijay's nonbinding LOI idea:

I see one problem with the NBLOI idea you discussed - Roundtree would still be at Purdue. It sounds like he never would have left unless he had known Michigan was interested. He couldn't have learned that under an NBLOI, because Rod couldn't talk to him.

Response?

Jason

Maybe, maybe not. In our hypothetical world where the NBLOI is an option, it's just an option. Roundtree might have "committed" to Purdue without signing the NBLOI. And even if he had, Michigan could communicate their interest through Roundtree's coach, and at that point Roundtree could ask for the NBLOI to be rescindent. Joe Tiller would then get to offer that Ball State kid.

If that sounds like it kind of defeats the purpose of the NBLOI... well, sort of. There still couldn't be direct contact if the player had signed and the kid couldn't go on a campus visit. Someone like Michael Shaw would either have not signed in the first place or signed, then repealed his NBLOI; either would be a clear signal to Penn State that Shaw's "commitment" was not particularly strong. Despite the tussle with BSD after Signing Day, I do sympathize Penn State and Purdue's positions here, especially Purdue's. (Penn State should have seen the Shaw thing coming, and indeed most PSU fans were fretting about a potential defection for a couple weeks before it actually happened; the Roundtree thing was much more sudden.) The NBLOI and the mechanisms would put some actual teeth behind the idea of a "commitment," would save coaches and players time, annoyance, and effort, and would create even more jobs in the ever-expanding NCAA bureaucracy. Everyone wins.

Hearing rumors about a damaging article that he [Carty and the AANews] is about to publish about athletic department violations...any comments on this?

Dan

I haven't heard anything specific that hasn't been batted around on message boards, but there's enough independent smoke out there that, yes, there's something nasty coming down the pipe from the Ann Arbor News. There appear to be two camps of panickers:

• Aieeee! Florida State!
• This is going to be embarrassing, but that's all.

I don't know which side to believe but lean towards the latter out of simple disbelief that anyone in the Michigan program would have the sort of underhanded dealings that the FSU people did.

If I had to guess, I would say that the big reveal is going to be something like the recent USC and Auburn quasi-scandals where kids finagled their way into easy classes and/or abused "independent study" with cooperative professors without the cooperation of the athletic department. In the Auburn case they had someone rat out a professor whose independent "study" classes were wholly fictional; here I've heard different versions of the severity involved. One skeptical take from a message board I frequent that jives with other things I've heard:

The gist of it is that Carty’s jihad against the general studies program has led nowhere. It’s a real program with lots of non-athletes (as well as athletes) in it. But lots and lots of FOIA requests led to something that is somewhat troubling (although not out of compliance).

It turns out that a bunch of athletes have enrolled in independent study courses over the summer. These are legitimate courses, but arranged one-on-one with faculty members. Turns out there were a bunch of them in Psychology and the Ed School over the past few years, many supervised by just a few faculty.

It appears that the work was actually done, and non-athletes did similar work. But it’s not too difficult to portray this as a scandal, which it appears that Mr. Disingenuous is trying very hard to do. Not making a lot of progress, but this will be the basis of his bid for immortality and a ticket to a real newspaper.

Remember, there do not appear to be violations here. It’s not an Auburn situation where kids got grades for no work.

If all they've got is "isn't it suspicious, hmmmmmmmm" but the kids have actually done the work required of them this will be a big dud, albeit an irritating one that will work its way into the "scUM" lore of PSU, MSU, OSU, and ND message boards.

There is the separate question "should athletes be taking independent study classes en masse," the answer to which is definitely "no." But that's life when you have players spending something like 40 hours a week year-round on their chosen sport.

The Way I Figure It

2/17/2008 - Michigan 80, Ohio State 70 - NCAA bound, baby!


...is that we go like 4-1 the rest of the season, then sweep through Illinois, Michigan State, Indiana, and Purdue to grab a shock NCAA tournament bid. Being a sub-.500 team that actually kind of sucks, we're sent to the play-in game in Dayton. Seventeen thousand Michigan fans pack the arena to 150% of capacity as the Wolverines blow out Monmouth.

From there, it's pretty rote: one ho-hum victory after another and a second national championship banner. Michigan basketball fans go from abused to jaded and irritating faster than Bill Simmons. The end.

Or maybe not, but it's amazing what three consecutive wins will do for one's psyche, even if they're against utterly dire, mostly dire, and kind-of-dire competition. The last time we checked in on the basketball team around these parts the results ("I want to die," or words to that effect) fully warranted this blog's "emo" tag; nowadays you can visit your Michigan message board of choice and find multiple threads on how this team is so going to the tourney next year, which it almost definitely isn't.

While the bipolarity of fandom is a well-established phenomenon, bipolarity of basketball teams isn't. The last time Michigan played OSU they hung tough for most of the game until a crippling stretch late wherein they couldn't find a shot even close to "good"; the resulting drought lasted for a good chunk of the game's closing ten minutes and turned a narrow Michigan lead into yet another dispiriting loss. This time they continued scoring via turnover and steal and even the occasional drive to the hoop. A month ago against Minnesota they were so depressing it seemed Michigan would never, ever have a good team again; they have now won three straight.

Hell, midway through the first half against Iowa I got an IM from Black Heart Gold Pants impresario Oops Pow Surprise to the effect of "you have the worst basketball team in the known universe," which was true at that moment in time when the score was 22-7 and Michigan had 7 FGAs. I did not receive the corresponding "AAAAARGH AAAAAARGH AAAAAARGH" note during the 18-2 second half run that erased Michigan's deficit and staked them to a lead they would maintain for the rest of the game, but I sensed it in the cosmos so that was all right.

What happened to the clueless team from earlier in the year? Well, with Harvard spiraling its way towards last place in the Ivy League we can safely assert that it takes more than a couple months to organize a system at maximum entropy, and it takes more than a couple months to turn the smartest basketball team in the land into a confused gooey mess. The progress Michigan was decidedly not making from the Amaker era -- at points during the first Ohio State game the offense was indistinguishable from the random, purposeless ball movement of yore -- has all come in a rush.

So for now the future is bright. Check back in two weeks.

Bullets.

• Rushing the court? Seriously? Whoever started that should be given a swift kick in the appropriate place. I realize this is a beaten-down program, but Ohio State isn't ranked and is (now) likely headed for the NIT. It would have been much better to stay in place and deliver a "drive home safely" chant at the OSU retards occupying the upper reaches of Crisler.
• Speaking of, there was again an organized opponent student section, which, like... WTF. The athletic department has got to put a limit on the number of seats anyone can buy and spread these people out. They did provide a moment of terrific irony by chanting "asshole" at Rich Rodriguez during halftime. Buckeye fans will never change. I have a feeling we're on the downswing of the Well Behaved Buckeye Fan pendulum after the relentless focus OSU had on not being cavemen last year. As soon at that relaxes the slide begins; their pathological antipathy for Michigan is so deep-rooted it can go no other way.
• I say this every time I mention Thad Matta, but I don't think much of his ability to do anything except recruit. What was that 2-2-1 press? Kelvin Grady can't do that much yet but his handle has always been the best part of his game; OSU didn't execute a single effective trap off the 2-2-1 and gave up a lot of open looks because of it. And it was immediately apparent that the only Wolverine with even the vaguest hope of checking Koufous was Udoh, so why did OSU settle for a bevy of perimeter shots during the three-or-four minute window in the second half in which Udoh was on the bench? Zach Gibson comes in the game and Koufous sets up for a three-pointer. Uh... okay.
• Since 75% of college basketball is recruiting, it doesn't really matter.
• The Gibson conundrum -- he can't defend anyone and is the only backup post -- means that incoming C Ben Cronin is going to be key next year. He's 7'1" and ponderous, according to the gurus, but it's hard to ignore a stat line with 17 blocks on it even if this team photo indicates this isn't exactly downtown Philadelphia:
  There's one guy on the team Cronin isn't a foot taller than. (Picture during Cronin's sophomore year, so he's probably less spindly now.)
  

• Michigan had four turnovers at halftime and nine for the game. I... uh. Is that legal? I don't remember.
• Eleven Warriors recap.
• Anthony Wright's emergence into a guy who can shoot and maybe be useful for 20 minutes a game is a huge boost to the program going forward. I don't think anyone was counting on him to do anything except be mini-Ba; now he's obviously the best SF on the roster. Faint praise, perhaps, but since the State game he's shooting 39.3% from three. Though can't really do much else at this point -- in that stretch of six games he has 28 three-point attempts and eight two-pointers, though he's made six of them -- no other SF on the team can do anything. Wright turning into a useful piece is like adding another Stuart Douglass to the recruiting class.
• Anyone looking for more extensive basketball coverage should check out UMHoops.com, a promising new blog with a self-explanatory name.
  

Quarterbacks Mailbag!

Brian,

This is the first year I've really followed recruiting much, so maybe this is an old issue. But, what is the deal with Charlie Batch serving as a "recruiting mentor" to Pryor? Granted, it seems like a great idea - had anyone beyond a few local DIIIs had any interest in me in high school, I'll bet such a mentor would have been a godsend. That said, is it legal? Is he a sort of "agent"? I'd be suspicious if I were the NCAA, unless of course this was something approved fifteen years ago that I've never heard of.

Jason

Batch's involvement with Pryor is totally on the up-and-up. This comes up in hockey all the time, as most of the top prospects have "family advisors" that are basically agents without the contracts. As long as the prospect doesn't sign with the agent in question (or take eligibility-crushing gifts/payments from him, cough cough Reggie Bush cough), the NCAA can't really do anything. Each recruit is allowed to bring one other person with him on an official visit and get that person's airfare/other stuff paid for; Batch is occupying that slot for Pryor.

Of course... the Batch thing is pretty weird in another way. Pryor has two parents, neither of whom he lives with, and the ol' live-in godparent. None of these people are going on Pryor's trips with him -- though now it seems that the only trip Pryor will go on with Batch is the M one, so "trips" is something of a misnomer.

Speaking of that Pryor guy...

Hi Brian,
Let me get this out of the way upfront - I am a die-hard OSU fan. Also, let me make it clear I am not writing to say 'ZOMG ED MARTIN.' In fact, for the purposes of this email, let's assume Pryor did take a Corvette/gifts/money from an OSU booster.

I am writing more about your presentation of the situation. You have sources, you stand by them, and are right more often than not. Thinking about the Lloyd Carr situation, you were famously referred to as 'not exactly a rock of journalistic credibility', when in fact, that's exactly what you were. You called it before anyone else that I know of. And wrote a long post about how you were right, and did the right thing. (It's not a rumor.)

My point is this; you of all people should know that blogs struggle to be taken seriously in this day and age as a real news source, yet people like us do use them as a source for news. When you write something like the Carr article, backed up with sources and stick to your guns, you give blogs credibility.

When you write something like the Pryor piece...you fall back into what the New York Times and every other major outlet sees when they see the word 'blog'. Innuendo about Pryor - which could be far more damaging to his career than your leaking Carr's retirement was to his - is out of line. Have sources (and for God's sake, not a Scout article). Back it up. Be the 'rock of journalistic credibilty' that you claim to want to be. OR be a blog like Perez Hilton.

But you can't have it both ways.

Thank you for a great site, and wherever pryor goes, I wish him the best. Especially when he's tooling around Columbus in a sweet '99 Corvette that I'm not sure he can even fit in. (kidding - I have no inside sources...)

Ben McClellan

Perez Hilton? Ouch.

Ben has some salient points, and many OSU fans have emailed to suggest that the infamous Sarniak meeting could have been to warn him off some potential eligibility-compromising behavior and not an opportunity to sit around twirling their mustaches and laugh evilly about their diabolical plot to abduct poor innocent Terrelle Pryor. There's nothing here approaching proof of anything except questionable choice in tuxedos.

Am I a bitter Michigan fan spinning fantasies about OSU to make myself feel better when Pryor commits to OSU? Well, yeah, sorta. Except for the "fantasies" part. OSU fans will no doubt disagree but from this perspective it looks like there are three iron-clad cases of Ohio State boosters flouting NCAA regulations in just the last few years. As any hacky features writer knows, three is a trend.

It's terribly frustrating to see that trend get established and for OSU to catch nothing from the NCAA, especially when Michigan's basketball program was pretty much obliterated for the same see-no-evil approach to people outside the program providing extra benefits.

As far as Pryor goes... well, there is a lot of evidently weird stuff going on. The quotes from his coach are unusual. Bringing Batch in is weird. His living situation is weird. His relationship with Sarniak is weird. Sarniak's brief cameo in that Scout article is weird. And the rumors flying around are crazy. It's worth commenting on, isn't it? I guess you can be upset that I'm implicating OSU in potential wrongdoing, but I hope I've made clear that it's only one guy's opinion and that guy has no pretense of being a neutral party. Thus the trim colors, you know.

One more extremely useful item:

Brian,

The Corvette in the picture you posted is at best a 2004 model (C5). All of the 2005 and later models (C6) have a sleeker body design and standard headlights (the older models had the flip-up lights). So if I am TP, unless I am into "vintage" Corvettes from 2004, I would be offended by someone giving/loaning me a Corvette--as a bribe or not--that was not a current model or a classic from the 60's. FWIW, a used 2004 Corvette with a soft top (as it appears) would probably Blue Book for about $35,000, slightly less than $60,000 you'd have to drop for a brand new 2008 convertible.

Regards,

Erik

He's offended! He's coming to Michigan! Word.

Brian –

Given that we have about 7-9 unused scholarships right now, what’s your opinion on how to use them? Let’s assume we only fill 3-4 of them with guys that Michigan normally recruits. Would you sign some lower level talent to fill the spots or save those spots for next year?

My guess is that if you can target a position of need (LB, OL, S) you take a flyer on some guys and see if Rodriguez and Barwis can turn them into something. How would YOU handle this recruiting class in the final two weeks? I’m particularly interested in QB. I REALLY hope we sign someone other than Pryor and don’t bank our entire QB situation on Threat and the hope of Pryor. We should do whatever we can to lock up one of these two FL quarterbacks or get a JUCO or something. I’m worried that there isn’t enough talk out there about us targeting other QB.

If the staff can find a guy who they believe has a chance to contribute, they should take him. Brandent Englemon was a two-star afterthought Michigan yoinked from Kentucky on signing day who turned into a solid player and multi-year starter. You don't bank scholarships just to bank them.

But does Rodriguez have guys in mind who would jump at the late offer? I don't know. He and the staff are beating the bushes for uncommitted guys who he thinks can help out, turning up two-star running backs from Mississippi and small-school quarterbacks in Florida. I expect we'll find a few more names emerge in this last week before signing day, but a 25-man class looks unlikely. That's fine. 23 or 24 and an open scholarship isn't going to kill Michigan.

One odd item: if the chances of getting to 25 are so remote, what is the deal with Michigan's lukewarm pursuit of commit Christian Wilson? Even if he's not an ideal fit with the spread he's a four star athlete who at least has a shot at being a Big Ten level performer. He has a better than zero percent chance of being a contributor; if he decommits Michigan is likely to replace him with nobody. Weird.

Re: QBs. As noted, Michigan is pursuing BJ Daniels and Justin Feagin from Florida and seems in good position for both. Both have a couple of meh schools as their other finalists and then big flashing offers from a Michigan program with a gaping void at QB. There is no way one doesn't take a shot at it.

I don't know what will happen with Pryor, and neither do either of Michgian's QB targets, but the situation with both is this: Michigan can take silent commitments from them with the understanding they might choose to sign elsewhere should Pryor commit, and the silent commits can rest assured the likes of Memphis and Syracuse and USF and Rutgers are not going to turn them down for a lack of room on signing day. I kind of expect both to end up at Michigan if Pryor does not. The temptation of the job is just too great.

The last mailbag had a bit on Scott Shafer's run defense and the possible distorting effects of lots of sacks. A reader points out one stellar performance that can't be put on the pass rush:

Quick note from a WMU alum about the impact of sack yardage on Western's 06 rush defense. I think you are correct in noting that WMUs pass rush was a significant element in their final NCAA ranking. I would note that Western turned in a few games where you could infer that Shafer schemed well against the run. The best example being their win over Northern Illinois.

Holding Garrett Wolfe to 25 yards on 18 carries isn't a small feat.

No, especially since that was the year he was a fringe Heisman candidate. Wolfe led the country with 1,928 rushing yards.

What Is Love?

OSU fans are, as you might expect, displeased with the Pryor items over the last couple days:

Leading the charge in trying to unravel something is MGoBlog, which is really a shame, because Brian has spent the better part of the past two weeks railing against the “jihad” WVU has launched against Rodriguez.

Two major differences: I am not a member of the Michigan athletic department with a credulous reporter in hand, and I am not making obviously false statements like "it's like nothing ever existed." I am making a fairly logical leap from "OSU fans are basically Alabamans" and "OSU coaches are having dinner with a guy who lets Pryor borrow his Corvette" to "something fishy is going on." Point the second has been covered over the past couple days and has been confirmed by Jeanette locals, OSU's Scout site, and Scout guru Bob Lichtenfels.

Point the first: Basically Alabama. Ohio State boosters are awesome. Local dealerships are exceptionally generous with their test-drive programs:

Clarett sat out the 2003 season after he was charged with misdemeanor falsification for filing a police report claiming that more than $10,000 in clothing, CDs, cash and stereo equipment was stolen from a car he borrowed from a local dealership. He later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

Ohio State suspended Clarett for misleading investigators, and for receiving special benefits worth thousands of dollars from a family friend.

"Family friend" indeed. A poor kid from Youngstown in his first year in Columbus just happens to have a close personal friend who owns a car dealership.

You can find super-awesome jobs:

During his sophomore season, after he claimed the starting quarterback job and beat Michigan — a feat that cinches your celebrity in Columbus — he walked into a local health-care provider looking for a summer job and came out carrying an envelope with $500 in it. The cash was given to him by an Ohio State season-ticket holder named Robert Q. Baker, who bragged to co-workers that he owned Smith.

You can find a place to live:

Salyers claims the Roslovics reneged on a verbal agreement, allegedly orchestrated by then Ohio State assistant coach Paul Biancardi, to pay her $1,000 a month plus reimburse expenses if she would provide for Savovic during his time at Ohio State. In depositions, Salyers describes how over a four-year period she became a surrogate mother to Savovic, giving him food, shelter, clothing, transportation, spending money and other expenses.

(It should be noted, given the OSU denials later in that article, that Savovic was later declared ineligible and OSU was forced to vacate the games he played.)

There's a pattern of behavior here even if you don't include the documentation of widespread academic fraud in the New York Times, the Maurice Clarett ESPN the Magazine story, and the $3000 AJ Hawk just happened to have lying around. (I know Hawk looks like a caveman, but he's probably heard of a bank.) It involves Ohio State fans with lots of money ignoring NCAA regulations. Sure, all these things could be a completely innocent athletic department beset on all sides by those who would destroy it without cause. Occam's razor says otherwise.

(No doubt this assertion will draw "OMG Ed Martin" responses from the yokel crowd. 1) Ed Martin is not a pattern, he's a dead guy. 2) Martin was a Detroit numbers-runner looking to ingratiate himself with local basketball talent and maybe launder a few hundred grand or so, not a super-enthusiastic booster. Until Martin was provided gratis Final Four tickets he had no connection with the program. You are comparing one outlier with no real interest in Michigan's athletic program except as the most conveniently local source of potential NBA players to a pattern of malfeasance; you are stupid.)

Ohio State fans saying "I'm shocked, shocked!" when the pristine reputation of their athletic department is brought into question is somewhere between comical and infuriating. Please. Just because you've managed to rationalize it away doesn't mean everyone else has to.

-----------------------

Does it matter in the long run? Likely no. The NCAA has all the investigative might of Inspector Clouseau. The appearance of funny stuff will remain but an appearance.

The bigger issue here is Pryor's eligibility. Michigan fans remember the glorious three-month period when Kevin Gaines wasn't a psychopath, Jamal Crawford was eligible, and Michigan basketball looked like it was on the upswing under Brian Ellerbe of all people, and cringe. This is what happened to young Jamal:

Jamal Crawford is a rookie with the Chicago Bulls and making a lot of money. But Crawford still wishes he was playing basketball at Michigan.

"I miss college a lot," he said. "I live in a college area now because I like to be around college kids."

Crawford felt trapped last year when he decided to leave Michigan following his freshman season.

He already had served an eight-game suspension for one mistake -- sending the NBA a letter that said he intended to enter the 1999 draft before he enrolled in college. He had missed six other games and was ordered to repay $15,000 in benefits to a Seattle businessman, whom he had lived with for three years during high school. The NCAA later said he could give $11,300 to the charity of his choice. If he didn't pay, Crawford would lose his eligibility.

The infinite kindness of the NCAA: instead of paying the Seattle businessman 15 grand you don't have, you can give Jerry's Kids 11 grand you don't have. Crawford entered the draft, blew up at a pre-draft camp, and was picked 8th overall as Michigan fans clutched their head between their knees in a futile attempt to keep it from exploding.

Crawford was a nice kid with a lack of foresight who got offered stuff and, as most people would, accepted. Pryor's been offered stuff and has evidently accepted. How much stuff and how much of a paper trail there is will determine if the NCAA comes knocking.

It would be just like Angry Michigan Safety Hating God to allow Pryor to commit to Michigan, start six games his freshman year, and then have the NCAA pull a Crawford; this is kind of what I expect to happen because recent experience has taught me that this is what I should expect.

Who Is Ted Sarniak?

Ted Sarniak is a businessman who lives in Jeanette, Pennsylvania. He owns a glass factory:

"Jeannette Specialty Glass is the longest-running glass company in the city," Howard says. The factory has been in existence since 1904. Ted and Kathleen Sarniak have owned the facility since April 1976.

"It was founded by a family named Crock, and the factory stayed in that family until we purchased it," Ted Sarniak says. "It was previously known as Jeannette Shade and Novelty. As we got into making more items, we changed the name to Jeannette Specialty Glass."

His glass and glass-type things have been touched by the stars:

"We've made sinks for most of the major hotels in Las Vegas, for Ringo Starr and Celine Dion," Ted Sarniak says. "Our line of gourmet dinnerware and serving bowls will be used in upscale restaurants and homes all over the world."

He's not above the occasional bribe:

The investigation began in April when Peck received a complaint that Sarniak bribed police to avoid arrest. Sarniak crashed his car into the utility pole at the corner of Lowry Avenue and Division Street following the Jeannette-Central Catholic football game.

When patrolman Justin Scalzo arrived, he "found Sarniak uncooperative, smelling of alcohol, glass in his hair and a damaged windshield," according to Peck.

Sarniak was taken to Mercy Jeannette Hospital for treatment of a head injury but refused to allow medical personnel to draw his blood to determine his alcohol level. In Pennsylvania, a reading of .08 meets the legal presumption of intoxication. Refusal to submit to a blood test or Breathalyzer carries an automatic one-year license suspension, Peck said.

After the incident, Peck said Sarniak contacted another Jeannette patrolman, Keith Rosky, and told Rosky he had only two drinks that night and was not drunk. Peck said Sarniak did not ask Rosky for any favors, but Rosky mentioned the conversation to Scalzo and asked him not to charge Sarniak with drunken driving.

He is very generous to people in the community, and likes football:

Sarniak regularly has given gifts to city police officers, Peck said. Rosky and other officers have received Steeler football tickets from Sarniak.

"Although there was no direct link between the gift of the tickets and the intervention of Officer Rosky in the incident, one would be naive to believe that such gifts were not helpful in Mr. Sarniak receiving a willing ear from Officer Rosky," Peck said.

A smooth mover, Ted Sarniak is probably the richest man in Jeanette, Pennsylvania.

Why is he meeting with Ohio State coaches?

“It’s crazy and it’s going to get worse as it gets closer,” Reitz said. “It’s like playing poker: Everybody wants to have the last trump card.”

Last week, OSU’s coaches made an appearance and had a Thursday night dinner with someone close to Pryor believed to be Ted Sarniak, a Jeannette businessman. The following day, the 6-6, 225-pound Pryor headed to Ann Arbor for his second official visit.

And why has that Scout article, emailed to me by four different people in the span of ten minutes last night, been changed to read like this?

Last week, OSU’s coaches made an appearance and the following day, the 6-6, 225-pound Pryor headed to Ann Arbor for his second official visit.

Scratch a message board remotely connected with recruiting and you will encounter a vast network of rumors about Sarniak, Pryor, and Ohio State: Pryor has a new Corvette and worked at Sarniak's factory this summer. Sarniak has a business in Dublin, Ohio, that's doing quite well. OSU coaches and Sarniak had dinner before Pryor's trip to Michigan. None can be proven, and all seem like sour grapes from schools not likely to end up with Pryor on their team.

But... yeah, Maurice Clarett was driving around an SUV he didn't own and Troy Smith was suspended for taking money from a booster and Jim O'Brien bought a bunch of Yugoslavians or something. Ohio State fans are an enthusiastic bunch, aren't they?

Upon Further Review: Defense vs OSU

Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
O34	1	10	I-Ginn(?)	Nickel	Run	-1	End-around
So last year Ohio State frequently lined up Ted Ginn just outside of the tackle or right end about five or six yards off the LOS. 90% of the time this was shotgun, and this was dubbed the “Shot-Ginn,” which is fine because jargon like that communicates complex ideas quickly. So OSU's first play is sort of that, except with Boeckman under center, Wells lining up in a standard tailback position, and Ray Small in the shot-ginn position, except of course this isn't the shotgun and this isn't Ted Ginn. But anyway, when OSU does this it will be noted as such. This is a three WR set that gets Michigan in a nickel; Harrison is actually playing as a sort of WLB to Small's side. OSU fakes a dive to Wells, then runs an end-around to Small out of said I-Ginn. Jamison(+1) is unblocked and maintains contain, forcing Small to take a long detour; Will Johnson(+1) uses the time Jamison buys him and takes Small down behind the LOS.
O33	2	11	I-Form	Base 5-2	Run	5	Iso
Player intros: Jim Cordle looks sixteen and Steve Rehring has a future in ogre-dom. Michigan shows eight in the box, then backs out; Ohio State runs it right up the gut. Taylor(-1) doesn't hold up well against a double and Ezeh(-1) is very hesitant, allowing Wells to move up in the hole despite Johnson doing a decent job and CGraham taking out the fullback early.
O38	2	6	Shot-ginn	Nickel	Pass	8	Scramble
Ezeh(+1) reads Boeckman's eyes and starts drifting over towards the slant that Harrison's covering; Harrison's gotten a bit of jam, too. He comes off it (cover +1) and takes off; Ezeh(-1) gives the point right back by overrunning it and allowing the conversion.
O46	1	10	Ace Bunch	Base 4-3	Run	6	Dive
A single back set with two TEs, both of them to the short side of the field; they are inverted; a WR is out there with them. Michigan shifts away from the strength of the formation a bit but has Crable as a sort of short-side corner obviously in zone. They run at the apparent gap in the Michigan formation; BGraham(+1) holds up pretty well and two Michigan players meet Wells for what should be a meh gain; Adams(-1) and Ezeh miss their tackles and allow him to spin three into six.
M48	2	4	Ace Twins	Base 5-2	Run	5	Iso
Taylor(+1) does a great job getting through his man, forcing the fullback to take him. (And take him he does with an absolutely crushing block; not really TT's fault). Still, this is an ISo play stripped of the FB by a DL and it works. Why? CGraham(-1) runs up into a blocker and gets his little stubby arms engulfed. Crable comes around from the backside.
M43	1	10	I-Form	Base 5-2	Run	3	Iso
Michigan stunting here and is unfortunate to be stunting right into a play set up to handle it; BGraham runs right into a guy who's doubled TT and moves to the second level. Ezeh's blitzing himself out of the play; CGraham(-1) is clocked by the FB; big hole. Wells makes a questionable read, cutting it back inside, and falls as BG(+1) gets off his block and forces a cut a bit harder than he wanted.
M40	2	7	I-Form	Base 5-2	Pass	3	PA TE Drag
First pass comes with token draw play action; corners bail out deep and Boeckman checks down. Adams(+1, cover +1) is right there to tackle for minimal gain. (Additional cover +1 for the deep routes.)
M37	3	4	Shot-ginn 5WR	Nickel Press	Pass	Int	Flag
Wow, M in press man with a single deep safety. A very Arkansas w/ Chris Houston thing to do. Boeckman calls TO; M and OSU line up in the same fashion when they come out of the TO. This play is all marginal: Jamo gets cut a bit but stays up, so does he hurry the throw? The throw is a terrible one, way short, on a flag route Trent got torched on. He recovers and manages not to draw a flag by whipping his head around and attempting to locate the ball when he notices Hartline slowing up. Could this be PI? Maybe. Hartline, OTOH, kind of tackles Trent in an attempt to prevent the INT.
Drive Notes: Punt, 0-0 10 min 1st Q. No surprises so far from the D: bad linebackers kill all. On replay I think Trent has the recovery speed to deal with Hartline on this. Tressel punts on 3rd and 4 from the 37 and gets what he deserves: touchback.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
O32	1	10	Ace 3-wide	Nickel	Pass	6	Out
Trent in very soft coverage on Robiskie; OSU takes the easy out, though it's looped and this removes any YAC opportunity. (Cover -1)
O38	2	4	Ace Bunch	Base 5-2	Run	1	Delay Iso(?)
Same setup on both sides of the ball as the previous Ace Bunch play; M clearly has a gameplan for this. Crable(+1) is blitzing off the snap; since he's very nominally lined up as a corner the TEs ignore him and he's in unblocked, albeit from a position not often associated with success. He gets hand on the passing Wells; Johnson(+1) has fought inside his man and ends the play. Taylor effectively singled blocked by Cordle. As for Iso(?): there's no FB, but the play is a delayed handoff and the RG pulls around to act much like a lead blocker would.
O39	3	3	Ace 3-wide	3-3-5 Nickel	Pass	5	Short In
Play design is clearly a pick w/ the TE coming to rub as the WR takes a little in route. M is in zone, which should be advantage M. CGraham can't get there in time, but this was generally well executed by OSU and it's hard to blame him. Immediate tackle.
O44	1	10	Shotgun Empty 2TE	Base 4-3	Pass	-5	Fumbled Snap
Right, you're all like ??? about the formatioin, but yeah there you go: base personnel for OSU, Wells split wide. Would have been interesting to see what they intended to do with this, but this is the first Boeckman fumble pratfall. Probably irrelevant, as a clever blitz got Crable(+1) in unblocked in the interior. (Pressure +1)
O39	2	15	I-Form 3-wide	Nickel	Pass	-8	Free sack
Adams comes up as a seventh guy in the box, and again we don't know what would happen because as Boeckman drops to throw, presumably deep with his 7-step drop, he slips to the turf.
O31	3	23	I-Form 3-wide	Nickel	Run	-5	Counter
A give-up-and-punt playcall that doesn't even get the five or so yards it should because Michigan stunts into it; Jamison(+1) blows his guy into the backfield – his guy is an interior lineman! -- and forces Wells to change direction; he slips, too.
Drive Notes: Punt, 0-0 6 min 1st Q. I liked those plays.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
O27	1	10	Ace 3-wide	Nickel	Pass	15 (pen)	Fade
Adams up as a blitzer, Michigan in an aggressive press again with a cover-one behind it. Warren(-2) does interfere here, getting behind Robiskie and grabbing him to prevent a completion. (Cover -1)
O42	1	10	I-Form Big	Jumbo 5-3	Run	2	Iso
Pollack in as the SLB. They again double Taylor and attack the gap between him and BG – part of the gameplan to go after BG, who was pretty shaky against MSU's power running? Ezeh(+1) manages to get the guard peeling off the double on his heels a bit, forcing Wells to slow in the hole. BG(+1) has beaten his guy to the inside and comes back to tackle; Adams also there. BG leaves the game, injured.
O44	2	8	I-Form	Base 4-3	Run	4	Delay
Adams brought as a late blitzer; both LBs charging at the snap. A lead delay; CGraham(+1) reads it well and avoids the peeling C, leaving two LBs against one blocker. CGraham makes contact at the LOS... and misses the tackle(-1). He did slow him enough for help to arrive relatively quickly.
O48	3	4	Shot-ginn	Nickel	Pass	-6	Free sack
Wells motions out; Boeckman drops to throw and drops the ball without provocation. Another free sack.
Drive Notes: Punt, 3-0, 15 min 2nd Q. They had a Clausen exorcism after this.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
M44	1	10	Ace 3-wide	Nickel	Run	1	Delay
Same play as the Delay Iso earlier; this time CGraham(+1) attacks it well, getting to the FB in the backfield and making a tackle at the LOS.
M43	2	9	I-Form Big	Jumbo 5-3	Pass	5	Waggle
Delay fake and a Boeckman rollout; the TE has gotten outside Crable(-1); Adams(+1) reads it and tracks him down for minimal YAC. (Cover -1)
M38	3	4	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5 Nickel	Pass	9	Slant
Quick drop; Harrison(-1, cover -1) beat in one-on-one man.
M29	1	10	Ace Bunch	Base 5-2	Pass	7	Out
Trent in soft coverage and OSU takes advantage. (Cover -1)
M22	2	3	I-Form Twins	Base 5-2	Run	5	Iso
Taylor(-1) blown out and buried by a single block. Ezeh clubbed out of the hole by the FB; no chance to prevent the first.
M17	1	10	Ace 3-wide	Nickel	Run	12	Delay
Pulling guard takes out Crable blitzing from the outside and an ill-fated stunt gets Jamison out of the outside lane. result: acres. Englemon(-1) misses a tackle after a few yards; Adams tracks Wells down at the five.
M5	1	G	Shotgun Empty	Nickel	Run	4	QB Draw
Empty backfield inside the five? Not technically an ISQD, but as close as you can get. Ezeh(+1) actually does a great job of plowing the pullling guard and getting a hand on Boeckman to prevent the TD.
M1	2	G	Goal-line	Goal-line	Run	1	Iso
Well, when Wells meets Brandent Englemon head-on needing a yard we all know how that battle ends.
Drive Notes: TD, 3-7, 10 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
O39	1	10	I-Form	Base 5-2	Run	8	Iso
Big gap opens up between BGraham(-1) and Johnson(-1). Michigan's linebackers are on a stunt blitz; CGraham does a good job getting to the right side of the FB, but the hole's too big to close.
O47	2	2	I-Form Big	Base 5-3	Run	1	Iso
Jamison(+2) gets inside the tackle and forces the pulling guard to take him, then slips past said guard to make a tackle for no gain.
O48	3	1	I-Form Big	Base 5-2	Run	2	Iso
Well played by M; Wells bowls over Banks for the first.
50	1	10	Ace Twins	Base 5-2	Pass	Inc	Deep comeback
Plenty of time as M rushes four (pressure -1); Taylor is particularly ineffective. Boeckman waits, then throws awkwardly off his back foot; ball is off target. Coverage evidently good. (Cover +1)
50	2	10	Shotgun 3-wide	Nickel	Pass	Inc	Screen
Either well-read or poorly executed; Crable reads this and makes the throw a bit difficult by leaping in the passing lane; tough catch for Wells and it's dropped. Wasn't going anywhere anyway. (Cover +1)
50	3	10	Ace 3-wide	3-3-5 Nickel	Pass	3	Scramble
Jamison(+1) swims outside the tackle, then slashes up past the TE to get to Boeckman before the play can develop. Boeckman scrambles out as Jamison misses the tackle, but this drive's over (Pressure +2).
Drive Notes: Punt, 3-7, 5 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
O4	1	10	I-Form Big	Jumbo 5-3	Run	3	Iso
Standard: distressing hole, good FB block and decent LB play; Adams comes up to tackle.
O7	2	7	I-Form Big	Base 5-3	Run	1	Iso
Taylor(+1) plows his guy back and into the path of the FB; Wells cuts behind and has unblocked players up the wazoo. Good job by Banks to flow down the line, too.
O8	3	6	Ace 3-wide	Nickel	Run	0	Draw
Taylor(+2) shoots past his guy and is hog-tied to the ground, drawing a holding flag. Wells falls over the mess, ending the drive.
Drive Notes: Punt, 3-7, 2 min 2nd Q. Tressel has already pulled in the horns, no?
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
O20	1	10	Ace 3-wide	Nickel	Run	4	Draw
Should really be a no-gainer as both linebackers have shown up in the approximate hole well and there's only one blocker. CGraham(+1) cuts off the inside; Ezeh(-1) somehow manages to get shoved and contrives to let Wells between himself and the OL.
O24	2	6	Ace 3-wide	Nickel	Run	7	Delay
Warren comes up, forcing Wells inside of him; Graham(-1) has gotten blocked out of the play but Ezeh has beaten his blocker... just in time to get run over by Wells. Is this his fault? I dunno.
O31	1	10	I-Form	Base 5-2	Pass	15	Stop
Boeckman has all day despite a blitzer (pressure -2), eventually finding Robiskie open for a 15-ish yard gain in front of Warren, well off. (Cover -1)
O46	1	10	Ace 3-wide	Nickel	Pass	-2	Sack
CGraham is flaring out to cover a short TE out and in doing so looks like he's about to cover Boeckman's slant; Boeckman hesitates. (Cover +1). Jamison(+1, pressure +1) bowls over Wells and Boeckman decides to attempt to scramble, getting nowhere.
O44	2	12	???	???	Pass	Int	Duck
Tape only has a replay of this. Crable(+1) shoots in on a blitz, inducing Boeckman to fling a duck off his back foot that Englemon makes an easy interception off of. (Pressure +2)
Drive Notes: Interception, 3-7, 30 sec 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
O38	1	10	I-Form Twins	Base 5-2	Run	62	Iso
A simple iso play is the game-killing dagger, and the fault is all on the safeties. Adams(-2) is coming forward at the snap but fails to fill the hole between Crable and Banks, instead getting caught inside where Ezeh is taking on the FB. Banks gets a -1 for getting driven back badly and making this a more difficult play for Adams. So this puts Wells into the secondary for what should be a 20-yarder or so; Englemon(-2) is in position to make a tackle but overruns it, falling, and Wells runs to the endzone.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 3-14, 14 min 3rd Q. Sadly, the main thought in my head was “this game's over” and that didn't seem like unwarranted pessimism to anyone around me.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
O32	1	10	Ace	Base 5-2	Run	6	Iso
Taylor(-1) gets a bit of a bump from a second man after standing up the first guy; this knocks him off kilter and he ends up pancaked. BGraham(-1) failed to take advantage of the opportunity to get inside the tackle and there's a gaping hole that linebackers can only close after a significant gain.
O38	2	4	I-Form Twins	Base 5-2	Run	12	Iso
Ezeh(-1) stood up by the blocker; BG(-1) completely dominated by the LT. Adams misses a tackle and Wells looks like he could be headed for the endzone until he slips to the ground.
50	1	10	I-Form	Base 5-2	Run	1	Iso
Englemon an additional guy in the box, allowing both linebackers to come up into the hole, which is between the C and G. CGraham(+1), unblocked, sticks Wells in the hole.
M49	2	9	I-Form Twins	Base 4-3	Run	4	Iso
Saine in. A Crable blitz blows up the FB in the backfield and forces Saine outside, where CGraham(-1) should have an angle for a no-gain tackle; he overruns it and misses it. The Crable-induced delay means this is only a mediocre gain anyway.
M45	3	5	Ace 3-wide	Nickel	Run	6	Delay
Taylor(-1) crushed backwards by a double team; Michigan is blitzing Ezeh from the outside leaving only CGraham to combat this run up the middle. He actually does a decent job given the situation – Taylor's inability to hold the POA has made it impossible to flow to the ball. It's still a first down as Saine manages to fall forward.
M39	1	10	I-Form Twins	Base 5-2	Run	2	Iso
Slocum in, getting decent push. Ezeh is submarined by the FB; Slocum(+1) peels off to tackle after a small gain.
M37	2	8	Ace 3-wide	Nickel	Run	3	Delay
Both safeties moving to the LOS at the snap. Englemon fills a hole near the LOS; OSU simply doesn't have enough blockers to get a hat on him.
M34	3	5	Shot-ginn	3-3-5 Nickel	Pass	Inc	Throwaway
Harrison(+1) sent on a corner blitz and is roped to the ground; no call. Since Boeckman doesn't know Harrison's going to get tackled, he starts scrambling around, eventually throwing the ball away. (Pressure +1)
Drive Notes: Punt, 3-14, 8 min 3rd Q. The remote defensibility of this OSU punt is sad, sad, sad.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
O36	1	10	I-Form	Base 5-2	Run	23	Iso
Will Johnson(-2) is momentarily doubled, then hurled to the ground. He was caught out as the NT on this play as OSU switched the strongside by motioning the tight end and Michigan didn't do their customary tackle flip. CGraham has to deal with the Johnson chipper and cannot – no surprise at this point in his career. Wells into the secondary.
M41	1	10	Ace Bunch	Base 5-2	Run	4	Iso
TE from the bunch comes in motion to act as a lead blocker; another Iso. This one goes better as Johnson manages to hold up decently, though not exactly spectacularly. The chip guy is delayed and can't get out in time to block Ezeh; Johnson dives at Wells' feet near the LOS; the two combine to tackle.
M37	2	6	I-Form	Base 5-2	Run	0	Iso
Taylor(+1) stands up a couple blockers, jamming up the intended POA, and Ezeh fills the weakside hole at the LOS. Wells slips trying to cut.
M37	3	6	Ace 3-wide	Nickel	Run	-2	Draw
Michigan blitzing right into this; Ezeh(+1) evades Cordle and is into the backfield, as is Adams.
Drive Notes: Punt, 3-14, 4 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
O19	1	10	I-Form Twins	Base 5-2	Run	-1	Iso
Safety blitz from Englemon forces Wells to cut away from the FB. Taylor(+1) has stood up a single block and Ezeh cuts in to make a TFL.
O18	2	11	I-Form Big	Jumbo 5-3	Run	1	Iso
Patterson(+1), slanting, occupies one blocker and plows him into a second; Wells soon follows. He bounces off, then meets Crable.
O19	3	10	Ace 3-wide	Nickel	Pass	Inc	Waggle
Jamison(+1) maintains QB responsibility – not hard on third and ten – forcing Boeckman to chuck it into the ground. (Pressure +1)
Drive Notes: Punt, 3-14, 14 min 4th Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
O9	1	10	I-Form Big	Jumbo 5-3	Run	3	Iso
Right, same thing as before. Ezeh scrapes well and Englemon fills.
O12	2	7	Ace Bunch	Base 5-2	Run	0	Delay
Nine guys near the LOS, Michigan swarming to the ball as OSU runs the only run play they've used out of this formation today.
O12	3	7	Ace 3-wide	Nickel	Run	3	Zone left
Give up and punt.
Drive Notes: Punt, 3-14, 11 min 4th Q. Tressel has packed it in, obviously.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
O26	1	10	I-Form Twins	Base 5-2	Run	5	Iso
Good job by Johnson; Ezeh(-1) crushed downfield and pancaked.
O31	2	5	I-Form	Base 5-2	Run	4	Iso
Okay. I don't care. I just don't care. Something happens on this play and Ohio State gains four yards.
O35	3	1	I-Form Big	Base 5-2	Run	0	Iso
Still don't care.
Drive Notes: Punt, 3-14, 8 min 4th Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Def	Type	Yards	Brief
O33	1	10	I-Form Big	Base 5-2	Run	4	Iso
Good job by Crable(+1) to cut off the outside; Ezeh defeats the FB block and tackles.
O37	2	6	I-Form Big	Base 5-2	Run	-1	Iso
Slocum in; pushes his guy back into the backfield and tackles for loss.
O36	3	7	Shot-ginn	Nickel	Run	-6	Counter draw
Jamison shoots in unblocked and ends this in the backfield.
Drive Notes: Punt, 3-14, 4 min 4th Q. This game has ended.

You don't care?

Uh... sorry. This enterprise has seemed irrelevant, though. What does it tell us about Michigan's future? Virtually nothing, as the coaches are gone and this 3-3-5 stack is coming in. What does it tell us about Michigan's game against Florida? Virtually nothing, as Florida runs an offense diametrically opposed to Ohio State's. Pants.

Well, the performance seemed okay.

The defense gets an incomplete, IMO. A couple first-half drives were stopped by (literal) pratfall instead of any swarming viciousness on the part of Wolverine defenders; Tressel packed up shop after the Wells touchdown run, figuring that an obviously-broken Henne and an offensive line that couldn't block anyone (this, on one particular play, was also literal) was not likely to throw up two touchdowns in the second half. And it's just not that hard to stop an offense that doesn't complete a pass, as anyone who read the offensive UFR knows.

Chart?

Chart.

Player	+	-	T	Notes
Jamison	7	-	7	After a dismal performance versus Wisconsin, was the D's best player.
Johnson	2	4	-2	Ineffective.
Taylor	6	4	2	Positive day, but a disappointing one nonetheless. Given his status as Michigan's most consistently disruptive DT and the steady diet of iso plays, he should have had a bigger impact.
B. Graham	3	3	0	Meh.
Crable	4	1	3
Slocum	2	-	2	Shaping up to be a force next year.
Ferrara	-	-	-
Patterson	1	-	1
Banks	-	1	-1
Thompson	-	-	-	DNP, I think.
Ezeh	4	5	-1	Needs to make a leap next year.
C. Graham	4	5	-1
Logan	-	-	-
Trent	-	-	-	Gave up a couple outs, otherwise not tested much.
Harrison	1	1	0	Mostly watched.
Warren	-	2	-2	Just the one PI.
Adams	2	3	-1
Englemon	-	3	-3	Critical missed tackle on the long Wells TD.
Brown	-	-	-
"Pressure"	7	3	4	Hardly any throwing, but a decent job of getting to Boeckman when he did.
"Coverage"	6	6	0	Meh.

Heroes?

Jamison was a standout, frequently getting to guys in the backfield and not being directly liable for any of the long Wells runs.

Goats?

Taylor should have done better against a steady diet of interior running; the linebackers were meh; the safeties combined to yield OSU's second touchdown.

What does it mean for Florida?

As noted, not much.

Upon Further Review: "Offense" Vs OSU

Just don't. I know it's here. That doesn't mean you have to read it. Every play found worthy has a video clip associated with it.

Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
M20	1	10	Ace 3-Wide	Pass	Inc	Manningham	Bomb
OSU in a base set; Michigan gets tricky by not running zone left on the first play of the game. It's a straight go route and it's well covered and it's badly underthrown and to the inside and it is not, in fact, all that clever. (IN, 0, protection 2/2) Good coverage everywhere, btw.
M20	2	10	I-Form	Run	6	Hart	Draw
Neither is the second-and-ten draw particularly clever, and Ohio State has a safety rolled up so he's nearly in the box at the snap, and he's moving forward, and just... well. I think it's kind of fitting the Carr-Debord era ended with these two shocking playcalls Michigan had clearly set OSU up for all season – we run left first play always lol – and they just didn't work. Fish. Anyway, this probably shouldn't work but Mitchell (+1) gets a great, crushing block on his guy and drives him downfield and Laurinaitis gets caught up in wash he shouldn't and Hart has a seam.
M26	3	4	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	Inc	Manningham	Circle
Or a zag or something. This doesn't actually have a circle but it's a slant-out, and it's open for the first down. Henne overthrows it. (IN, 1, protection 1/1)
Drive Notes: Punt, 0-0, 10 min 4th Q. This will quickly become the story of the day: Henne is just broken. Well. There are competing stories, the other being “AAARGH SCHILLING”.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
M36	1	10	Ace 3-Wide	Pass	8	Manningham	Out
Wide open out that should probably go for a first, looped out all Clausen-like, though, and kept down. Henne obviously has no arm strength. (CA-, 3, protection 1/1)
M44	2	2	?	Run	5	Hart	?
We miss this play recapping Michigan's season.
M49	1	10	Ace Twins	Pass	Inc	McLaurin	Waggle
Butler kept in to block on the waggle side, so Henne has plenty of time. He fires well high of a covered McLaurin, but it appeared everyone was completely covered and he had nowhere to go; the decision here was probably the best available: try to make a near-impossible throw to a well-covered guy. This is sad. (IN, 0, protection 1/1)
M49	2	10	Ace Twins	Run	9	Hart	Inside Zone
Very well blocked. Long crushes the nearside DT; Kraus gets his head across the weakside DT, and Boren, executing a zone double w/ Long, helps kick out the Dt then crushes Freeman. Hart bursts into the secondary, spinning through Freeman for near first-down yardage. (+1 for all! They're not tracked, but who cares!)
O42	3	1	I-Form Big	Pass	5	Arrington	Long handoff
Arrington's brought in motion and, as is often the case in these situations, the corner is forced to loop around his defense to follow and is not able to press at the LOS. This gets Arrington the room to catch this ball and make first-down yardage. I like this call and how aware it is of little football fobiles. (CA, 3)
O37	1	10	Ace Twins	Run	6	Hart	Iso
We come to this play late, but just in time to see it happen. Kraus(+1) is doubling a DT with Mitchell as two OSU LBs fire into the hole; Moundros chops Freeman as Kraus does a fantastic job to make a late peel and pick off Laurnaitis, allowing Hart a cutback lane behind him and a significant gain.
O31	2	4	Ace	Pass	6	Butler	Stop
A number of short zone stretch routes designed to pick up the first down by providing Henne easy targets; Butler comes open and Henne hits him. Ver' nice pickup from Hart on Gholston on a protection slide. (CA, 3 protection 1/1)
O25	1	10	I-Form Twins	Run	12	Hart	Inside Zone
I was informed by a couple people that the block previously termed “handoff” in a bit of made-up jargon was actually a “scoop” block; this is a scoop blocked play. Boren fires off in to the DT and hands him off to Kraus; Kraus then pounds the guy backwards. Mitchell(+1) gets a nice downfield cut on Freeman and once Hart pops through the scoop-created hole he's got room to motor.
O13	1	10	I-Form Twins	Run	-1	Hart	Zone left
OSU blitzes right into this with perfect timing; Freeman into the backfield unblocked, forcing a cutback. Hart slips and falls; if he hadn't there was the possibility to pick up a few yards.
O14	2	11	I-Form Twins	Pass	-6	--	Sack
Gholston completely destroys Schilling(-3). Gholston then sacks. No chance for Henne, who would have had a shot at Arrington on a post for a TD otherwise. (PR, 0, protection 0/3)
O20	3	17	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	5	Butler	TE Out
Pretty bad decision here spurred by an OSU blitz. It's picked up and there's man cover all over the field. Henne takes the dumpoff that gets Michigan very little. Tenuously CA, but suspicious. (CA-, 3, protection 3/3)
Drive Notes: FG, 3-0, 1 min 1st Q. Goodbye, scoring.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
M18	1	10	Ace 3-Wide	Run	-1	Hart	Zone counter
Difficult to tell what happens here, but Butler pulls around a la those plays against Oregon, but Hart does not cut back, instead running into Gholston, who's beaten Schillng at the line. Failure there was irrelevant though, as Freeman was unblocked due to the TE pull. Misread by Hart, IMO.
M17	2	11	Ace 3-Wide	Pass	Inc	Manningham	Out
Hart offset and Butler out wide; pass all the way. Henne throws an out to Tacopants that's nearly intercepted. It's at this point his ain't-rightness is an obvious factor. (IN, 0, protection 1/1)
M17	3	11	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	-7	--	Sack
Long(-1) not infallible! OSU sends the two guys on the right side of the line on a late developing stunt that gets the DT in through a gap between Long and Boren. Falling, the DT sacks Henne, though he had time to survey the field for a bit previous. (TA, 0, protection 1/2)
Drive Notes: Punt, 3-0, 14 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
M20	1	10	I-Form Big	Run	3	Hart	Zone left
OSU's DT shoots past Boren(-1); Hart manages to move past him. Mitchell's lost his block on the backside, otherwise Hart might have a hole on the interior. As it is he's forced to run up Long's back a nd get what he can.
M23	2	7	I-Form	Run	1	Hart	Zone left
A late cut to the play because we're focused on the band. Anger! Hard to tell what happens as a result, but one of the OSU DTs has dove forward and taken out a couple of Michigan OL. Freeman is unblocked, and Hart gets nowhere.
M24	3	6	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	10	Manningham	Comeback
This might have been an out or something. As it is, it's a comeback that floats out to Manningham. It's short; Manningham does a good job to dig it out. (CA-, 2, protection 2/2)
M34	1	10	Ace	Run	-10 (pen)	Hart	Zone left
I don't know what Hart's thinking here, as the Buckeye LB is clearly set up outside of Butler here and there's a potential lane to cut up in. He takes it outside, where Butler(-1) duly holds his guy, still doesn't block him very well. Washington comes up for the TFL.
M24	1	20	Ace 3-Wide	Run	0	Hart	Draw
Hey, guess who's not fooled even a little bit by this? Those guys. Freeman bolts into the backfield unblocked.
M24	2	20	Ace 3-Wide	Pass	Inc	Manningham	Out
Thrown well upfield and glances off Manningham's diving hand. (IN, 0, protection 1/1)
M24	3	20	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	Inc	--	Throwaway
Schilling(-2) owned by Gholston. Henne rolls out and throws it away. (PR, 0, protection 0/2)
Drive Notes: Punt, 3-7, 7 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
M21	1	10	I-Form Twins	Run	2	Hart	FB Zone counter
We shoot the FB to the backside DE, so this is sort of a counter. Problem: eight guys in the box; Mitchell is blown back by the DT here, allowing Laurinaitis in unblocked; the eighth guy in the box comes through the weakside hole. Hart has nowhere to go.
M23	2	8	Ace 4-wide	Pass	5	Manningham	Out
Hart lined up at WR but motions in; M takes an out to Manningham. No zip on these. (CA-, 3, protection 1/1)
M28	3	3	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	Inc	--	Throwaway
Gholston owns Schilling(-2); Henne hit as he throws. (PR, 0, protection 0/2)
Drive Notes: Punt, 3-7, 3 min 2nd Q. Zoltan murders a punt.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
50	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	Inc	Manningham	Stop
Stop route right in Manningham's hands is dropped, though it was going for five at most as someone was shooting out into the flat. (CA, 3, protection 1/1)
50	2	10	Ace 3-Wide	Pass	5	Mathews	Circle
Completed for a decent gain, but again looped out and little YAC opportunity. We're also avoiding the middle of the field like whoah. (CA, 3, protection 2/2)
O45	3	5	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	Inc	Manningham	Skinny post
Henne's best throw of the day so far, a skinny post that's a little behind Manningham but for good reason, as it needs to fit in a place in the zone. Eminently catchable all the same; Manningham drops it. (DO, 2, protection 2/2)
Drive Notes: Punt, 3-7, 2 min 2nd Q. A truly killer drop there, and a truly killer missed opportunity going into the half.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
O36	1	10	Ace 3-Wide	Pass	Inc	Manningham	Out
Thrown late, giving Jenkins an opportunity to break on it, and sailed. (IN, 0, protection 2/2)
O36	2	10	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	Inc	--	Throwaway
Good protection; Henne pumps once then throws it to no one in particular. (TA, 0, protection 2/2)
O36	3	10	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	3	Manningham	Drag
Checkdown; OSU has it well covered and there's no YAC. (CA, 3, protection 2/2)
Drive Notes: Missed FG (48), 3-7, EOH.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
M14	1	10	I-Form	Run	-1	Hart	Zone left
Kraus(-2) gets driven back into the path of the FB, who piles into him; Hart soon follows. Result: loss.
M13	2	11	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	Inc	Hart	Screen
Freeman is all over this, actually batting it down like a DB. We used to be good at these, right? (CA, 0)
M13	3	11	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	Inc	Arrington	Out
Thrown wide, well into the sideline. No chance for Arrington. Well covered, FWIW. (IN, 0, protection 2/2)
Drive Notes: Punt, 3-7, 14 min 3rd Q. Well, that's an inspiring way to start the second half. Wells goes for a touchdown on the next play from scrimmage and Michigan is looking at a two-score deficit.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
M19	1	10	Ace 3-Wide	Pass	8	Butler	Stop
The multiple-stops we run with some frequency. Henne comes off Arrington and eventually finds Butler for a moderate gain. Good protection. (CA, 3, protection 2/2)
M27	2	2	Ace 3-Wide	Run	-1	Hart	Zone left
Excellently timed corner blitz gets Jenkins in unblocked and turns this play into no gain. It's like they have some idea what we'll run. Without the blitz this is meh but likely enough for the first down.
M26	3	3	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	Inc	Mathews	Slant
Completely overthrown. Hello, Tacopants. (IN, 0, protection 1/1)
Drive Notes: Punt, 3-14, 12 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
M18	1	10	Ace Twins	Pass	5	Butler	Waggle
Standard TE dumpoff that looks open for a nice gain; OSU closes quickly. (CA, 3)
M23	2	5	I-Form Twins	Run	-3	Hart	Inside Zone
Must be some miscommunication, because Mitchell doubles down on Gholston as Kraus moves to the second level, leaving a DT wholly unblocked; he engulfs Hart.
M20	3	8	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	Inc	Manningham	Drag
Woo! Tacopants! Not going for more than two yards even if completed. (IN, 0, protection 2/2)
Drive Notes: Punt, 3-14, 6 min 3rd Q. Next drive is Mallett's.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
M20	1	10	???	???	0	Hart	Zone left(?)
We're watching Henne trot off the field as the play snaps, and so miss the privelige of watching Carson Butler (probably) whiff badly. Hart snowed under after no gain.
M20	2	10	I-Form	Pass	8	Arrington	Out
Good protection; Mallett provides a throw with actual velocity, but it's behind Arrington, forcing him to the ground to catch this ball and removing any YAC possibilities. (CA-, 2, protection 2/2)
M28	3	2	I-Form Big	Run	6	Hart	Zone right
OSU slants right tat the snap and attempts to shoot a linebacker between Gholston and a blitzing Jenkins, but Helmuth manages to get enough of Jenkins, Gholston's slant takes him out of the play, and Butler actually gets a good block. There's a hole, and Michigan gets the first down.
M34	1	10	I-Form	Pass	15 (pen)	Arrington	Out
Well, sort of. Jenkins is all over Arrington here, drawing an obvious PI... except that the ball is ten yards past the pair as it looks like Mallett's throwing a flag and Arrington's running an out. Probably should have been uncatchable, though you might have gotten Jenkins for holding anyway.
M49	1	10	I-Form	Run	-8 (pen)	Hart	Zone left
So Michigan's actually got something resembling a drive started, Hart finds a crease and goes for eight on first down, and what brings it back? If you said “Carson Butler holding penalty,” give yourself a pat on the back. But a small one: this trivia is strictly $200 Jeopardy! stuff.
M41	1	18	Ace 3-Wide	Pass	-6	--	Sack
Gholston destroys Long(-2) this time and sacks Mallett. Michigan's run the “everyone stop” routes again, which OSU has covered well, and Mallett's hesitation ends poorly. (PR, 0, protection 0/2)
M35	2	24	Ace 3-Wide	Pass	Inc	Mathews	Seam
Hey, Mallett, if we wanted our QB to overthrow his receiver by yards we'd have Henne in. Mmmm. Bitter. (IN, 0, protection 2/2)
M35	3	24	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	Inc	Arrington	Wheel
Arrington's beaten Washington downfield here and actually has a shot at a catch and run for the first down; Mallett throws it well behind him. (IN, 0, protection 2/2)
Drive Notes: Punt, 3-14, 1 min 3rd Q. Henne returns.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
O46	1	10	Ace Twins	Pass	Inc	Manningham	Waggle
A bit of a variant here with the TEs staying in to block the weakside DE. Henne has all day to throw and tries for Manningham deep; well underthrown. (IN, 1, protection 2/2)
O46	2	10	Shotgun 3-wide	Run	-1	Manningham	End-around
Mark Moundros 1) doesn't line up on the LOS out at WR and 2) completely whiffs his block on Washington. Result: loss.
O47	3	11	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	-2	--	Fiasco
Oh, I'd forgotten about this one. Henne believes he's doing a check, lifting his leg then approaching the center to bark out an audible; the center snaps the ball into his chin. Fumble.
Drive Notes: Punt, 3-14, 13 min 4th Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
M30	1	10	I-Form	Pass	15 (pen)	Manningham	Waggle
Similar setup to the last waggle bomb; this time an OSU DB takes a flagrant PI.
M45	1	10	I-Form Twins	Run	-1	Hart	Zone left
Vijay's infamous screenshot play.
M44	2	11	I-Form	Pass	Inc	Arrington	Deep cross
And, of course, when Henne actually finds an open receiver downfield and hits him the guy drops it. (CA+, 2, protection 2/2)
M44	3	11	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	Inc	Arrington	Drag
An attempted dumpoff, as Henne has sat and surveyed but now things being to collapse. Well behind Arrington, not going for the first anyway. (IN, 0, protection 2/2)
Drive Notes: AAAAAAAAAARGH AAAAAAARGH AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH AAAAAAAAAAARHG
Ln	Dn	Ds	Form	Type	Yards	Player	Brief
M32	1	10	I-Form Twins	Pass	-8	--	Sack
Eight minutes left in the game, two score deficit, we still have a fullback around. We run play action; Henne drops to throw deep; Gholston owns Schilling(-2) and clubs Henne to the ground. (PR, 0, protection 0/2)
M24	2	18	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	7	Manningham	Slant
Accurate; OSU playing off. (CA, 3, protection 2/2)
M31	3	11	Shotgun 3-wide	Pass	Inc	Arrington	Post
Gholston crushes Schilling(-3), knocking him over, and pressures Henne. Henne nearly throws an interception as a result. (BR, 0, protection 0/3)
Drive Notes: AAAAAAAAAARGH AAAAAAARGH AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH AAAAAAAAAAARHG. With 6 minutes left in a two-score game and Michigan punting, this charting bullshit is over.

Let's get this over with.

Amen.

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
Wisconsin	3	13	11	6	2	1	2
OSU	0	1	2	0	0	0	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
Wisco (Brief)	0	3	2	0	0	0	0
OSU	1	13	12	1	1	0	4

(Hennemallettchart Legend)

Despite missing a drive, Henne set a new UFR record for INs; collectively Michigan QBs piled up 14 between them. Applying our standard Metric of Suck -- remove screens, add CA + DO, put in a ratio with IN + BR + TA -- yields 12 good results and 14 poor ones, a 46% success rate. This sucks butt, but not quite as much as Mallett's Wisconsin game; Henne's 2005 Wisconsin game remains his low point.

Of course, there's one obvious reason this happened: Henne's separated shoulder. He was obviously broken and it's hard to blame him for that performance.

Argh! Gholston!

That guy has got to be on roids.

Protection: 40/55. Schilling -12, Long -3.

Awful, and every minus received was because of Gholston.

Receivers?

Ye observe balls flying ten yards over your head!

	This Game					Totals
Player	0	1	2	3		0	1	2	3
Manningham	4	0/2	1/2	4/4		35	3/18	14/18	55/59
Arrington	2	-	1/2	1/1		17	6/14	20/25	33/36
Mathews	-	-	-	1/1		4	1/7	3/7	25/27
Hemingway	-	-	-	-		3	-	-	2/2
Massey	-	-	-	-		2	0/3	1/1	3/3
Butler	-	-	-	4/4		1	0/2	1/1	17/17
Webb	-	-	-	-		2	-	-	-
McLaurin	1	-	-	-		1	-	-	-
Hart	-	-	-	-		4	-	-	9/9
Minor	-	-	-	-		1	-	0/1	3/3
Moundros	-	-	-	-		-	0/1	1/1	1/1

Basically irrelevant, though the two opportunities Michigan receivers had to make big catches were dropped.

Goats?

Everybody.

Heroes?

Pfffft.

What does it mean for Florida?

If Henne is not healthy we have no chance. If he playing at his apex we have a shot. Our running game is uncreative and full of fail and, like everything Mike Debord does, makes babies cry. We should use our killer wideouts and attack the Florida secondary, the Gators' weak point, but we might have to do so with the burned out husk of Henne or Mallett's suck festival.