B1G Week 9 Thread

B.A.R.

B.A.R.

CTG Partner
Staff member
Well, must be my week in the alternate week system, sorry for the late start but plenty of time left in the week to discuss and get some good information hopefully...

Thoughts from last week...

-Good for Rutgers to get that 2nd straight win in conference. Look at the s--k breakdown this game wasn't a boxscore win that is for sure but the final is what matters. It couldn't happen to a better person, in Brohm.

-Wisconsin did Wisconsin stuff and won just about how you thought they would. The FG to cover on purpose doesn't show much class but I do think opposing coaches get keeping boosters/etc happy. It wasn't like it was a blowout where the cover was in hand.

-Indiana just cannot close a game. They are not pretty but they fight hard. The question about the QB will come up obviously, again. This game was Hunt's definition of watching paint dry. Indiana backers should be used to these horrid non-covers with late game stuff the last several years. It just happens to them a lot. LJ Scott is a bonehead but what else do you expect a college kid to do? He has enough on his mind worrying about fumbling that ball going in. I am appreciative of IU for playing that the correct way though. It screwed a lot of people but if all coaches did the right thing late in games we all would be happier. I know the local peeps who bet their home teams every week feel vindicated with a Sparty cover after that Minnesota 4th quarter.

-Iowa and Northwestern was another crowd pleaser. I have not much else to say there. I saw nothing and do not even care to look at it. Both teams are off my radar for now.

-Minny and Illinois was another paint dry game till the 4th quarter. These teams are just not good. That B1G 10 West is brutal.

-Ohio State had a bye week before the big game this week.

-Nebraska had a bye week but somehow Tanner threw 2 picks. Weird.

Alright, on to the next post...
 
Penn State- Michigan

First of all, great game by PSU. They were ready to go for this and had been waiting 13 months to exact revenge. They also had not lost in Happy Valley since UM was there the last time... I knew going in they had all the intangibles...

And they got it going in the most perfect way...

Before you could blink PSU had set a tone and got to the UM defense right away. I love Coach Brown but the time to get him is early in a game. From there, Michigan fought back pretty well for a bit but that late drive hurt a lot. Basically every fear about the UM defense came true here. As I say about many college teams, their weakness may not have a chance to be exposed but this was the game to do it, especially after a blitz outta the gate like that. The final score is what it is, there were short fields later on and some different things going on. We got that UM tt part right. I played PSU live after 14-0 too and that was easy too. The line was 12 and went to 8.5. I get it, somewhat. But, after watching that game a fair line is about 13.5 On this night though, one team wanted it for a long time before the game and they executed pretty damn well.
 
Now, I actually have some positives from that game which may sound a bit weird but to me they are 'baby steps'.

In one of the toughest night venues in the country, Michigan fought back to basically a tie. Obviously that was short-lived but they showed some resolve.

Michigan stuck with one back for the most part. That has been the gripe. Even if the rushing yards were not there they stuck with a main back. They have to do that moving forward.

I like Ambry back on kick returns. He is a future AA many think and I love his attitude and confidence.

They actually threw some routes over the middle and some semi-creative passing plays in the first half. I know it didn't seem like it, but this is actually an improvement.
 
Now, block out team names/hatred/media bias etc and lets think about this...

Team A projected season wins was 9, and at times 8.5. There were 10's out there juiced to the under like a mofo though. We'll use 9 as the base number for now.

Team A is 5-2 and will be favored in 3 of their last 5 games.

Team A should win those 3 games and could possibly split the dogged ones.

Team A was expected to be 5-2 right now (just switch out Fla and MSU games) by most on this forum.

Team A lost "40 seniors" and has the "youngest team in america"

Now, obviously we can go in and break this down a lot more and find more negatives than positives but it is what it is.

Fact is, other than CUM, through 33 games no one has put up better records at their respective schools. Saban was exactly 25-8 as well. Dabo was like 19-14 I believe. Those are just two.

You can see the major problems here, QB and Oline play. Look at the worst parts of Hokes leftovers (oline is a crapshoot anywhere to recruit).

There is one Harbaugh QB recruit who has played on roster. That is a whole nother stort with many plots but I'll leave that to Hunt to discuss. It tends to get him fired up.
 
Okay,

Now we are at week 9.

We have the big game in Columbus. If PSU can get up for this after last week they deserve to be the playoff rep from the B1G even if they do not beat Wisky in championship game. This is OSU Super Bowl for the year. They have to be stinging from last year. This is their first test since OU but they have gotten going real nice since then. Props to JT. I mean, he is like my modern day Eddie George. I cannot hate the kid, he is just a good dude it seems for most part and he is having a revival of sorts. I guess getting pushed by a star in the making helps? I dunno. Obviously this is his first test since the OU disaster.

I've had this game circled as a DD OSU win for months, so..we'll see...

Wisky goes to Illinois for another exhibition game. I'd rather watch Fondy do yoga that see or bet anything dealing with this game.

I believe Rutgers will improve upon last years margin of defeat to UM. All i hope is Peters gets at least 4-5 series. They need a blowout. In reality, I see something like 33-10.

Michigan State with a big road game at Northwestern. The lucky charm team keeps rolling on. Hey, until they play a really good passing offense they will be in every game. Well coached, can run and Lewerke is keeping the turnovers down more than even the Sparty faithful thought. This game has ugly as hell written all over it. I am thinking Sparty 20-14.

I am not sure how IU gets up for this game at Maryland at all. They have to be totally deflated. This game reeks of something like 12-10.

Minnesota and Iowa. Yawn. Great history here and should be a good ole fashioned game...21-17 either way...lean Iowa...

Nebraska and Purdue in a night game. This is like a punishment to be honest even having to type about it. I couldn't even tell ya what to think here. Points? 3 overtimes? Lets go with 33-30 here.
 
Fact is, other than CUM, through 33 games no one has put up better records at their respective schools. Saban was exactly 25-8 as well. Dabo was like 19-14 I believe. Those are just two.
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Brady Hoke was 25-8 also...with a Sugar Bowl win. Hope it ends up better for you. I pull for most coaches and teams, I pulled for Hoke. I want Harbaugh to do well, it makes football better with a character like him at a school like Michigan when they are winning. I don't want Michigan losing, makes life too easy for all my Ohio State friends.

It does take time. The Stanford job was monumental to bring them back. Michigan shouldn't take that long. 4-8, 5-7, 8-5, 12-1 at Standford. There was much more rebuilding there. Year 3 in Ann Arbor everyone has high expectations, as they should. Recruiting failures of past staffs only goes so far. Coach 'em up. It's been Harbaugh's team since December 2014. Michigan could finish 4th in the East this year.
 
s--k said:
Brady Hoke was 25-8 also...with a Sugar Bowl win. Hope it ends up better for you. I pull for most coaches and teams, I pulled for Hoke. I want Harbaugh to do well, it makes football better with a character like him at a school like Michigan when they are winning. I don't want Michigan losing, makes life too easy for all my Ohio State friends.

It does take time. The Stanford job was monumental to bring them back. Michigan shouldn't take that long. 4-8, 5-7, 8-5, 12-1 at Standford. There was much more rebuilding there. Year 3 in Ann Arbor everyone has high expectations, as they should. Recruiting failures of past staffs only goes so far. Coach 'em up. It's been Harbaugh's team since December 2014. Michigan could finish 4th in the East this year.
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I generally do not like getting into this/that on here as it is a waste of time but I respect you so I will..

Yes, since Dec 2014. National signing day was 5 weeks later. That class was already decimated that previous fall. He had a couple of late pickups.

The previous staff only would recruit one QB a year. That is the big problem. So, injuries/transfers/depth/different systems all come into play here. Hence why they have tried a grad transfer and another transfer. The talent just isn't there yet. Top QB's commit very early in the process so his first class was a wash. Peters was his big one the next year. Everyone wants him in with his talent. Is he ready? Will he get punished behind that line? Does he have the mental make-up? Who knows but it would be nice to find out. After that they have DMC who was this years recruit. He 'apparently' would already be ahead of Peters if they would burn his redshirt. My personal opinion is that they want to make sure they have a 3-4 year starter locked in and that is why they will not burn it even if they wanted too...

Offensive line is the toughest position to recruit. Hoke got a lot of good recruits but not many panned out or got 'coached up' it seemed. There have been medicals/transfers/dismissals/etc with this group. The damn near career ending injury to Newsome last year looms large this year. If he makes it back next year, great but the bigger thing is he didn't lose his leg. Horrific. That is the best OL they have. There just is not a lot of depth here and the coaching is, um, interesting at this spot. That is all I'll say there.

Otherwise, plenty of young talent. The key is, young. A lot of those guys have stepped up real nice early on but they will still make some mistakes. It is what it is.

Trust me, I wish I could say this team was ready this year to be that team to make the next step. I had a feeling that they could have a real fast, special defense. It is getting there. They still have a couple parts to improve. The skill positions are getting better. Oline and QB are next. QB I am not worried about unless it is bad 2 years from now. The Oline I am, to say the least. They just need to be adequate. They have gotten better at run blocking but I fear for any QB there.

Again, expectations were around a 9-3 season. Most of the 'media' and this forum had them as very overrated as a preseason #13 or #14 team, so that is about what we have here... the difference is 20 years ago this would be a team going through motions. Nowadays, it is so highly talked about because of the coach and overall disdain for the program.

Going back to the coaches though...there are a few concerns...

-The offensive staff needs a major shakeup. Jim has done what he needed to on the other side of the ball but now it is time for the next step.

-Jim, himself, seems so much more reserved this year. This discussion could go on for paragraphs but he definitely has toned it down on the sidelines since that weird ass penalty last year. And to be honest, that isn't him and I don't personally like it.

-Simplify the offense. When they do, they move the ball a bit. The defense is good enough to keep them in games unless they play a top 5 team in the country.


It sucks to be patient. This isn't the first rebuild ever and won't be the last. It is a no win situation. If they had gone 8-4 both the first two years the media would be all over him/them. So, he wins more games than expected and in fact should have won at least 2-3 more total and everything gets played up now. They knew this year wasn't going to be easy after losing 14ish players to the draft. They have mostly their guys now. The end of this year and the next 1-2 will be when you can truly grade this staff out.
 
s--k said:
Brady Hoke was 25-8 also...with a Sugar Bowl win. Hope it ends up better for you. I pull for most coaches and teams, I pulled for Hoke. I want Harbaugh to do well, it makes football better with a character like him at a school like Michigan when they are winning. I don't want Michigan losing, makes life too easy for all my Ohio State friends.

It does take time. The Stanford job was monumental to bring them back. Michigan shouldn't take that long. 4-8, 5-7, 8-5, 12-1 at Standford. There was much more rebuilding there. Year 3 in Ann Arbor everyone has high expectations, as they should. Recruiting failures of past staffs only goes so far. Coach 'em up. It's been Harbaugh's team since December 2014. Michigan could finish 4th in the East this year.
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Couple other points. I am a diehard fan and have been for 30+ years now but that Sugar Bowl Berth was mostly about their 'Name' than anything. It was definitely borderline that they should have gotten in. It was nice at the time and they somehow won despite getting outplayed big time by VPI.

The new 'narrative' the past few years of where schools finish in a division is funny. Unless it is 1st, who cares what it is? The Big Ten is so unbalanced that if you had one division and even with unbalanced schedules, guess what place they would finish...um....4th...nothing more, nothing less.

And as far as 'coach em up'. They did a wonderful job of that with Hokes seniors. Those guys needed that extra push and had a helluva season last year despite 3 losses in the last minute.
 
Hopefully responding to the jabs and criticism now are just bumps in the road. Go Blue.

:shake:
 
I had a buddy make the same comment about the offense that BAR did. Essentially just saying that with a better QB they would be great but the offense is so complex that you can not have an underclass man come in there and run it properly.
 
mich/rutgers opened at -21...

is this mich team roughly 50 points worse than last year's?

as shitty as the situation for mich was going into HV last week (and it was BAD)...isn't this as equally as shitty for rutgers coming into AA with mich off a humiliating loss? harbaugh can't be too happy right now and this seems like the perfect opponent to bully into submission.

I understand that the mich offense is struggling but do you really think they can't drop 40+ on garbage ass rutgers?
 
10/22 4:26pm MICH-21 -110 RUTG+21 -110
10/22 4:28pm MICH-22.5 -120 RUTG+22.5 +100
10/22 4:29pm MICH-23 -120 RUTG+23 +100
10/22 6:21pm MICH-23 -110 RUTG+23 -110
10/22 6:50pm MICH-23.5 -110 RUTG+23.5 -110
10/23 12:02am MICH-24 -110 RUTG+24 -110
10/23 8:03am MICH-24 -113 RUTG+24 -107
10/23 12:04pm MICH-24 -113 RUTG+24 -107 44.0 -110 44.0 -110
10/23 1:58pm MICH-24 -105 RUTG+24 -115 44.0 -110 44.0 -110
10/23 2:26pm MICH-24 -105 RUTG+24 -115 43.5 -110 43.5 -110
10/23 3:13pm MICH-24 -103 RUTG+24 -117 43.5 -110 43.5 -110
10/23 5:11pm MICH-23.5 -110 RUTG+23.5 -110 43.5 -110 43.5 -110
10/23 10:34pm MICH-24 -110 RUTG+24 -110 43.5 -110 43.5 -110
 
AliShaheed said:
mich/rutgers opened at -21...

is this mich team roughly 50 points worse than last year's?

as shitty as the situation for mich was going into HV last week (and it was BAD)...isn't this as equally as shitty for rutgers coming into AA with mich off a humiliating loss? harbaugh can't be too happy right now and this seems like the perfect opponent to bully into submission.

I understand that the mich offense is struggling but do you really think they can't drop 40+ on garbage ass rutgers?
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Obviously before the season they could be starting Alex Malzone and laying 21 at home vs Rutgers would have been a no-brainer. They are due for a blowout yes but here are my concerns with them ever laying points as well as some positives...

Michigan chews a lot of clock. They are below average in the country in plays run per game

Michigan red zone has improved but is still not great, leading to FG's.

They are going to run, run and run and keep things simple.

I can see them being happy getting a win and moving on.

Rutgers should be good for around the team total. So, you need to trust Michigan to score mid-thirties at minimum.

Now, Michigan can score 7-20 points via the defense and ST's perhaps? Sure, that is possible. I would assume they force some turnovers this week.

Weather is gonna be sketchy this week.

At least it is a noon game. That is the time frame they seem to excel in (obviously factor in the opponents here).
 
Good article by Connelly


On the Michigan end, he is incorrect about the number of QB's though.

Malzone was recruited by Nussmeier and already committed.

There are two QBs so far. That is it by this regime. TWO.

Now, the contra there is all these schools nowadays have QB's that are young and starting as frosh and sophomores. That is the issue, obviously. Again, I'll defer to QB guru Hunt on that one...
 
So I got the pleasure of watching the Michigan at Penn State game again this evening on ESPNU (Actually still watching it in the 4th quarter) and had a few additional comments.

1. Michigan is an offense designed to not be behind more than a possession. You can make that comment about a lot of offenses but it seems much more apparent to me with Michigan. The percentage of Michigan pass plays in their playbook that involve play action seems very high to me. They run a play action pass and and the defense is stunting a player around three michigan pass blockers and getting to the qb before he has time to examine his situation. You aren't fooling anyone with play action in these types of situations. In other words, their passing game is highly dependent on the threat of the run.

2. I sort of felt the key point of the game was the late first half score in rapid fashion by PSU and I still largely feel that is the case for how the winner of the game was determined. But I think the Mich QB fumble at the beginning of the fourth quarter was when Michigan started to hang their heads. They fought back first half and down 28-13 they had just overcome a chop block penalty for a first down at midfield. It felt like they were fighting and possibly getting a little momentum and might be able to get Penn State to play under pressure, against a believing defense were they to score that drive. But after that fumble it was over for the Wolverines.

3. I had missed the TD run by Barkley the first time around. I saw it tonight and it was, I believe, the first time that Michigan saw the direct snap look to Barkley and the scheme created a huge gap on the weak side of the play and it was an easy TD. I saw a couple other direct snap plays with Barkley that at least work mildly well. But he got completely shut down .. and I mean completely shut down in their base set. I thought PSU did a good job of using McSorley's legs and Michigan did a bad job of defending it. There were way too many instances where one defender had to choose between defending Barkley's feet or McSorley's and that player almost always made the right choice but the next player to account for the QB run was very late on a consistent basis. In this respect, I think the PSU coaching staff, with their scheme and with their "new wrinkle" outcoached Harbaugh and his staff.

4. No one could cover Hamilton. Granted a lot of his catches were the same slant type of play with the ball thrown nearly perfect every time from McSorley even when it was covered pretty well. He looks to be a solid player.

5. The PSU scheme seemed to take the wheels away from the Michigan DL a bit. The PSU oline is not that great and where I thought the Michigan DL would dominate them they seemed to be more reactionary than aggressive compared to other games that I have watched Michigan play this year. I think the Michigan DL played ok for the most part, but seemed to lack their normal edge.

6. The score is somewhat deceiving in its final, though PSU clearly outplayed and outcoached Michigan. I feel like if Michigan could have made a big play on offense somewhere and made the lions grip a little, things could have played out differently, certainly with respect to the point spread but also with putting the game in question. And it occurred to me ... they don't really seem to have big play players. Outside of a couple of the offensive linemen, their best offensive players in my mind are the tight ends and that is a tough way to make big plays.

Anyway, thought I would share some of this since this is the big thread. And almost all of this is my opinion on what I saw and based on what I know of the teams. It certainly doesn't mean I am right about what I saw or that I am interpreting what I saw correctly.
 
Great post.

And to talk about #1 again...

I never feel comfortable with this current team in a deficit. I was fine with it against Florida but I knew Florida wasn't gonna score much so that is that.

In all three of the years, I have felt uneasy in 2nd halves without the lead. It is just one of those feelings. I dunno.
 
B.A.R. said:
Now, block out team names/hatred/media bias etc and lets think about this...

Team A projected season wins was 9, and at times 8.5. There were 10's out there juiced to the under like a mofo though. We'll use 9 as the base number for now.

Team A is 5-2 and will be favored in 3 of their last 5 games.

Team A should win those 3 games and could possibly split the dogged ones.

Team A was expected to be 5-2 right now (just switch out Fla and MSU games) by most on this forum.

Team A lost "40 seniors" and has the "youngest team in america"

Now, obviously we can go in and break this down a lot more and find more negatives than positives but it is what it is.

Fact is, other than CUM, through 33 games no one has put up better records at their respective schools. Saban was exactly 25-8 as well. Dabo was like 19-14 I believe. Those are just two.

You can see the major problems here, QB and Oline play. Look at the worst parts of Hokes leftovers (oline is a crapshoot anywhere to recruit).

There is one Harbaugh QB recruit who has played on roster. That is a whole nother stort with many plots but I'll leave that to Hunt to discuss. It tends to get him fired up.
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I don’t agree with the whole Harbaugh narrative that is out there after this game ( overrated , etc). But as an outsider looking at it, I think if it I was a fan of said team I’d like to be competing for BiG10 titles and playoffs by year three with a coach coming in with this much fan fare .

Dabo didn’t come in with the cache of Jim, and Clemson isn’t or at least it wasn’t when dabo took over considered to be a powerhouse like Michigan was .

The expectations were probably un realistic for Jim, I guess let’s see what happens in the Ohio State game

Jim isn’t going be granted much lee way by the press especially from down south .
 
braves said:
I don’t agree with the whole Harbaugh narrative that is out there after this game ( overrated , etc). But as an outsider looking at it, I think if it I was a fan of said team I’d like to be competing for BiG10 titles and playoffs by year three with a coach coming in with this much fan fare .

Dabo didn’t come in with the cache of Jim, and Clemson isn’t or at least it wasn’t when dabo took over considered to be a powerhouse like Michigan was .

The expectations were probably un realistic for Jim, I guess let’s see what happens in the Ohio State game

Jim isn’t going be granted much lee way by the press especially from down south .
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The narrative is funny from certain parts for sure...

Every opposing school that wants him gone says he is wanted by 5-10 NFL teams. That is funny right there.

A lot of the media got caught with their pants down back in December 2014 with him ('Oakland still in play') and they do not like that at all. Then his personality with some media definitely doesn't help it. It is a whole different interview when it is someone he respects and quite fun to listen to.

As far as fanfare and they should be better...

To most CFB people Michigan has only been relevant for a few seasons in the past 20 years. So, what do you expect? He definitely overachieved the first two years when many thought he was underachieving. It was always known this was the bad transition year. It looked like maybe they could weather it a bit though...
 
I did have a nice laugh when Paul put up some stat about how him and Butch Jones had the same record the last 15 games or so( does any rational person think Butch Jones and Harbaugh are equals?) It was Paul trolling at it’s finest
 
The most successful college coach other than Saban in the last 10+ years is Meyer.

***For all comparisons here I'll use 3 years or 33 games...just for context ***

Meyer has a great record overall. He is smart too, the last two stops he walked into very good situations overall...

At Florida, in his first 3 years he went 31-8 overall. Now, he was left a great base by a terrific recruiter in Ron Zook who was a horrible coach. He came in, was a hell of a coach and they took off pretty quickly.

When he got to OSU, that was a calculated move. OSU never had a 'down' time and really hasn't in my lifetime. Tressell had great recruiting and obviously the tattoo/etc stuff got him gone...but they still had a great base. Once the Fickell era was over Urban stepped right into a great situation and started off 38-3. He is no dummy, he sat in the TV booth waiting for that opportunity. And he is a great coach. This is the ultimate example of sliding right into a great situation without having to 'build' or 'rebuild'... business as usual and an upgrade with a HOF coach down the line...

Nick Saban...

First 3 years at MSU 19-16-1
First 3 years at LSU 26-12
First 3 years at Bama 33-8 (25-8 his first 33 games)

He came into not good situations in the first two. Two middle of the pack teams that he slowly made better...aka building a program. Obviously at Bama he took off pretty quick en route to a historic 10 year run.

James Franklin

First 3 years at PSU 25-12

Again, a guy who came into a blue blood program but one that needed a boost and wasn't ready to win right away...

Mike Dantonio

First 3 years at MSU 22-17

Generally regarded nationally as a top 5-10 coach in America. He had to build a program. Although not a blue blood, still a school with one of the best 25 records of the past 50 years(sparty fans will tell ya)

Dabo

First 3 years 25-16 (19-15 his first 33 games)

Brian Kelly

First 3 years 28-11

This is as blue blood and as close to Michigan comparison you can get. And they have had similar 10 years before to be honest. Take away Harbaugh NFL experience and you get the same type of hype as Kelly starting at ND.

Bob Stoops

First 3 years 31-7

Jimbo Fisher

First 3 years 31-10

He had to retstart a program sort of much like the UM situation.
 
braves said:
I did have a nice laugh when Paul put up some stat about how him and Butch Jones had the same record the last 15 games or so( does any rational person think Butch Jones and Harbaugh are equals?) It was Paul trolling at it’s finest
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That is all Pete is, a troll. It is what sells for him and he does it well. Sick world we live in when the likes of Paul, Skip, Stephen A etc make boatloads of money for not really having much of a clue about anything.
 
Seeing that list peaked my interest in some other first 3 year runs.

Chip Kelly 34-6 first 3 years
Oregon was a high level the last few Bellotti years, Chip elevated it further.

David Shaw 34-7 first 3 years
Harbaugh handed him the keys to an elite program he built.

Bobby Petrino 28-6 Louisville part 1
Bobby Petrino 26-13 Louisville part 2

Chris Pederson 27-14 at Boise WAC

Rich Rodriguez 26-14 at Arizona

Todd Graham 28-12 at Arizona St

Kyle Whittingham 24-14 first 3 years Utah MWC

Gary Patterson 26-8 TCU MWC

Bronco Mendenhall 28-10 at BYU

Jim Mora 29-13 at UCLA

Pete Carroll 27-8 at USC

Bo Pelini 29-12 Nebraska Big Xll

Brett Bielema 28-11 at Wisconsin

Mark Richt 30-7 at Georgia

Jim Tressel 30-6 at Ohio St

Mack Brown 27-10 at Texas

Larry Coker 33-2 at Miami
All he had to do was put the cherry on top

Ralph Friedgen 29-7 at Maryland

Jeff Tedford 24-12 at Cal

Rich Neuheisal 25-9 at Washington
 
Interesting tidbit a buddy mentioned to me today: Both Saquon Barkley of PSU and Jonathan Taylor of Wisconsin were originally committed to Rutgers before flipping to their current schools. That would make for quite the offensive backfield.
 
EFC1878 said:
Interesting tidbit a buddy mentioned to me today: Both Saquon Barkley of PSU and Jonathan Taylor of Wisconsin were originally committed to Rutgers before flipping to their current schools. That would make for quite the offensive backfield.
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I'm sure there are ton of guys from that area. I remember Ray Graham was a Rutgers commit I think before going to Pitt. Dion Lewis from that area I believe too. Hope they can keep some difference makers home. Would be nice to see them be somewhat competitive and able to pull a surprising upset now and again.
 
I was rewatching some of the Sparty/Indiana game. Lewerke reminds me a lot of Jake Bentley. Lewerke is mobile and can make things happen when a play breaks down. But he would so much better if he could improve his mechanics and develop consistent accuracy especially on throws down the field. He struggles to set his feet when throwing on the run and this minimalizes the effectivity of his mobility. All like Bentley. A lot of upside for both kids
 
Everything you said is basically what they expected from him. I'd almost say he is slightly ahead of schedule... Moreso he figured to be more of a turnover machine.
 
EFC1878 said:
Interesting tidbit a buddy mentioned to me today: Both Saquon Barkley of PSU and Jonathan Taylor of Wisconsin were originally committed to Rutgers before flipping to their current schools. That would make for quite the offensive backfield.
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#FenceTheGarden


I knew about Barkley...had no idea about Taylor.

And for the next few years as you see Haskins star at OSU..remember he was originally pledged to Maryland.
 
s--k said:
I'm sure there are ton of guys from that area. I remember Ray Graham was a Rutgers commit I think before going to Pitt. Dion Lewis from that area I believe too. Hope they can keep some difference makers home. Would be nice to see them be somewhat competitive and able to pull a surprising upset now and again.
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Minkah Fitzpatrick is a Jersey guy
 
This is a very big game for Mich State. The next two after this should be losses so you are talking about a potential 9 win season before the bowl game, which would be a huge turnaround, or a ho-hum 7-8 win season. That is still a great turnaround after last years stench but they have been winning the games they should so far this year and this should be no exception.

Tough game to cap, still, as it should be a low-scoring affair but I do see a MSU victory in the 2nd half.
 
I'm personally over the excuses. There is some kind of disease in Ann Arbor. No one knows how to coach or develop players there, and everything that could possibly go wrong, does go wrong.

You have a QB who couldn't hit Fondy in the stomach if he was taking a shit 1 foot away. Speight wasn't much better. When your best pass is a play action but you don't have the personnel to do it correctly, you're in trouble. This isn't Sunday Night football. It's CFB..even Bama uses RPO. When the hell has bama ever had a dual threat qb? I thought that would be last place to run the RPO. Saban gets it.

Time to evolve Harbaugh, manball/powerball doesn't win in CFB anymore..get with the times, run an RPO and use a QB that can complete a forward pass.

Sure I want Harbaugh to succeed but I'm starting to think Michigan must be the cesspool of CFB for coaches.

My thoughts along with 90% of other UM fans.

Good luck this week. Michigan loses by 2
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Not saying BAR is using excuses by the way..just Michigan fan base in general.
 
HUNT said:
Not saying BAR is using excuses by the way..just Michigan fan base in general.
Click to expand...
Fwiw, and I am sure this goes for most fan bases...

But I cannot stand 80-90 percent of the Michigan fanbase...just brutal...
 
And they are not excuses, everyone gets frustrated. It is just reality. Numbers speak higher than perception/opinion.
 
for the love of god..put in BRANDON PETERS.

OKORN and SPEIGHT aren't even better than SUGAR SHANE
 
Even the most consistent program of the last near 30 years had some down seasons to start a new tenure...

4-6-1
8-4
7-4-1
8-4
 
As for tomorrow...

No way I am betting anything on game but I would lean Michigan a bit more now at -23...

I do not think Rutgers gets more than 10 now...so cap the Michigan scoring from there...
 
Here are my projections for B1G play tomorrow, don't take as gospel but about where I see the games going...


Michigan 39-10
Nebraska 24-23
Maryland 20-16
Wisconsin 34-10
Iowa 21-17
Michigan State 20-16
Ohio State 34-21
 
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