September 2nd Plays and Analysis Thread

B.A.R.

B.A.R.

CTG Partner
Staff member
I will add to this thread over the next few weeks. I have already played some games when the Pinny lines came out so if the lines are different it is becasue I already had played them in the first week of August.

Utah @ UCLA

Lets look at this UCLA team first. They definetly were one of the most exciting teams last year with all their combacks and the fun it was to watch the offense. If you had them minus any point it was always nervewrecking as they could blow an ATS victory at any time. The Drews are gone and so is top reciever Lewis. The bowl game against NW showed the future at running back as Markey and Bell combined for almost 300 yards against the porous NW defense. Only 12 starters return this season(6 each side of ball).

As far as I am concerned last years Bruin squad was smoke and mirrors. The offense was awesome but that defense was horrid. It was so horrd, that the offense actually got outgained by almost 75 yards per game. Thats telling as can be. Their home non-conference games last year were Rice and OU. The OU game they broke away late and it was only OU's iffy offense that prevented the Sooners from scoring more than 24.

Lets turn the tables now and look at Utah. Just like UCLA's record may have been better than team play showed Utah's was worse IMO. A young team that wasn't mature yet had some tough road losses but have learned from those and should be muh stronger this season. The stat I find crazy from last year is they OUTGAINED opponents by over 85 ypg and they finished 7-5. This completely opposite of UCLA.

Thirteen returning starters this season for the Utes. Obviously they are more experienced and dep as hell at QB. The defense was below average last year giving up 24 a game but with more experience should improve mightily. The O-Line has 4 outta 5 back and the transfer from Hawaii.

The Bowl game against GT can only help with the teams confidence entering this season. Yes, the Jackets didn't give a fuck but bottom line that doesn't matter to the kids at Utah. They played great and got a huge victory for themselves.

Why I like Utah in this game:

-D-Line will be solid. UCLA is gonna try and run a lot IMO with a new QB. This isn't NWestern defensive line. Markey and Bell won't have same success IMO

-The QB posistion heavily favors Utah in this first game of the season

-UCLA may have improved somewhat on defense but its still gonna be a poor unit.

-Going off of last year, both teams records were a bit skewed IMO. I honestly had this game around a a pickem..so I'll take the points for sure

Lets get trendy:

-Utah 9-3 ats last 12 road openers
-Utah 21-4 ats as road doggy
-UCLA 10-2 su/ats home openers

Utah +5 -106 (One Unit)
 
Line has fallen to +3.5. I'm sure you still like the Utes getting a FG+hook.

The line I set on this game is Utah -5 so a ML play may be the way to go.
 
RJ.....I will play ML as well most likely. No doubt in my mind that Utah should win this game. I saw that 3.5 and was damn glad I got the 5 August 1st.

But, I will put a half uni on ML as well most likely. I wish I had played game intially for 2 units. Oh well, we'll see, if it goes back to 4..maybe.
 
Are you guys not confident in Olson making his first start? I know they lost their WR, TE and QB but they have some more than servicable backups.
 
I will pretty much never touch or just plain go against a first time starter.

They may well do okay running early and he gets confident. The fact is, they will be nowhere as explosive as last seson on offense. The defense is gonna give up a lot and I can't see them making a miraculous comeback or staying in a shootout in the kid's first start.
 
Big Al, I love it and will definitely be on it! Thanks for posting this write-up -- I won't have to do one now.
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abcs--thelegend said:
Are you guys not confident in Olson making his first start? I know they lost their WR, TE and QB but they have some more than servicable backups.
Click to expand...

I'm confident that Utah, looking at their program history, will be up for the game big time. UCLA has lost too many weapons and starting a new QB. Utah has a 2nd year QB, 3 returning OL, 3 returning DBs who will improve on the 220 pypgs allowed, and 3 returning DL. Last year I think Utah could have beaten UCLA and this year they have a better chance to do so.
 
Good to see PlayWithMe

I am glad that a lot of knowledgeable guys are on it as well :)
 
[FONT=Helvetica,Arial]Deseret Morning News, Sunday, August 06, 2006[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica,Arial]No. 1 Ute priority: Picking a quarterback[/FONT]
State of Johnson's repaired knee could be big factor
[FONT=Verdana,Helvetica,Arial]By Dirk Facer[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Helvetica,Arial]Deseret Morning News[/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia,Verdana]When it comes to Utah's impending quarterback controversy, head coach Kyle Whittingham favors a "sooner, the better" scenario.

3169678a.jpg

[FONT=Geneva,MS Sans Serif,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial]Brian Johnson | Tommy Grady | Brett Ratliff[/FONT]
xclear.gif

[FONT=Georgia,Geneva,MS Sans Serif,Helvetica,Arial]Deseret Morning News file photos[/FONT]With the Utes' Sept. 2 season-opener at UCLA less than four weeks away, the clock is ticking on the battle between Brian Johnson, Brett Ratliff and Oklahoma transfer Tommy Grady for the starting job.

"The date I have in my mind is the first day of school, which is Aug. 23 — 10 days out from the UCLA game," Whittingham said. "That would be a good time to have it settled."

All three scrimmages will have been completed by then, he noted.

"We're not going to make that an absolute drop-dead date," Whittingham said. "If we have not sorted things out by then and we need a couple more days, then we'll certainly do that."

An announcement, therefore, could come as late as the Monday of game week.

When players report for camp today, the depth chart features both Johnson and Ratliff sharing the top spot. Johnson is back after knee surgery, and Ratliff is riding high after leading the Utes to season-ending victories over BYU and Georgia Tech.

"They've got to be the co-No. 1s. They both have strong arguments to lay claim to the No. 1 spot," Whittingham said. "We'll sort things out. The X-factor is Brian's knee and making sure that it is 100 percent. Not in any way, shape or form are we going to put him at any risk."

Johnson, he explained, is just about 100 percent healthy.

"He's as close to it as you could get as far as his state of rehab. It still remains to be seen once he puts the knee through the rigors of two-a-day fall camp and how it's going to respond," Whittingham said. "It feels good now, but the real litmus test is when you go out and practice on a daily basis."

Sorting things out at quarterback tops Utah's list of priorities this fall.

"That's the first order of business," said Whittingham, who noted that questions also loom at running back and linebacker.

Former USC tailback Darryl Poston is projected to be Utah's primary ball carrier, while a couple of linebacker spots are expected to be hotly contested. Senior safety Casey Evans is moving to rover in place of Mountain West Conference tackles leader Spencer Toone, who graduated.

The Utes expect 56 returnees, including 35 lettermen, to report for camp today. Practices begin Monday with newcomers working out in the morning and veterans taking the field in the afternoon.

"We're all looking forward to it," Whittingham said. "After finishing last year with a bang, that confidence level and enthusiasm carried right over into spring ball and summer conditioning. Hopefully it's going to carry right into two-a-days."

Utah's voluntary offseason program drew 100 percent attendance with 91 participants.

"We're excited to get going and get focusing on UCLA, Sept. 2 — that's all we're focusing on," said All-American candidate Eric Weddle. "You have to work out — run and lift —- to be the best you can be."

Teammate Casey Evans agrees.

"It's exciting. You wait all summer to get to camp," Evans said. "It's finally here. And when you get there you wish it wasn't camp. It's all a big, long process that builds up to the first game."

The summer kind of drags on, explained junior Steve Tate, and everyone is eager to get the season going.

"We've got to continue where we left off last year," he said. "It's exciting, but in the same task we've got to get the job done and what not. It's work."

The Utes have 22 practices, including three scrimmages, scheduled over 16 days.

EXTRA POINTS: Practices at Ute Field are closed to the public . . . Middle linebacker Joe Jiannoni (foot) and right guard Eric Pettit (back) are expected to see limited action early in camp . . . Senior receiver Fano Tagovailoa has been reinstated after missing all of spring ball following an off-the-field incident . . . Prized recruit Joe Faifili, a defensive tackle, has yet to receive academic clearance . . . The Utah ticket office has sold approximately 3,500 tickets to the UCLA game.
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Seems like the trendy sharp play and what looks like a game where public will pound UCLA late... especially around 3 or 4 points.

I'll be on the play... I'm not hitting any lines for another week or two... would love to get this at 4 or better. Anything less will probably be just a unit here.

BAR, what else you liking first weekend?
 
GL Al... Looks great, some real good cappers recommending this one to me
 
Spek....I got a few...but don't wanna post em w/o at least a paragraph on em..

I will be getting to them next few days. I already played more than a handful for the long weekend when the lines came out last week.
 
I know it does Vas..lol

Imma tailin yo ass on a few too..

you is the Don and all

We be doin some work 'behind the scenes' this year
 
Article Last Updated: 8/10/2006 01:49 AMUtah Football Notes: Defense could be getting fresh perspectiveBy Michael C. Lewis
The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake TribuneThe Utah Utes could wind up using about a half-dozen freshmen this season, which would be not much different from last season. What could be different, however, is which ones see the playing time.
Coach Kyle Whittingham rattled off the names of several freshmen who had impressed him during the first three days of training camp Wednesday, and almost all of them play defense.
Cornerbacks Joe Dale and Justin Jones caught the coach's eye, he said, along with defensive linemen Pauli Latu and Zeke Wiley. The only offensive player Whittingham mentioned was Walter Watts IV, whose father played basketball for the Utes and was part of the 30-4 team that reached the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1991.
"Time will tell," Whittingham said. "It's still way too early to make any determination. Those are the guys who stand out in my mind, at least to this point."
Last season, the Utes used nine freshmen, either redshirt or true, and seven of them were offensive players. Offensive guard Robert Conley and receiver Brent Casteel turned into starters, along with cornerback Brice McCain. The others played either in reserve roles or on special teams.

Setting the pace

Having gone through their split-squad practices and their acclimation period, the Utes have put on the pads and are preparing for their first workout with the whole team together today in advance of the first scrimmage of the season this weekend.
And if there is one thing Whittingham has noticed, it's that his team is ahead of schedule.
"We're further ahead right now than we were last year at this time," he said. "I don't think there's any doubt about that. Second year with the coaching staff, second year with the offensive system that was tweaked a little bit. . . . I'm very confident that I can say that we're further ahead right now than we were at this point last year."

Recruiting update

The Utes pulled in their fifth oral commitment of the recruiting season when offensive guard Louis Finner of Plano West High School in Texas agreed to play for them next season.
A 6-foot-3, 290-pound senior, Finner will join five Texans already on the roster as the team has steadily increased its presence in the talent-rich state over the past five years or so. Whittingham said recently he would like to sign five or six Texans every recruiting season.

The kicking plan

Knowing that sophomore Louie Sakoda can both kick and punt adequately has kept the Utes from fretting too much about the loss of accurate starting kicker Dan Beardall.
"Our hopes are that someone will emerge and take either the punting or the place-kicking off his plate," Whittingham said. "If not . . . he's very capable of handling" kickoffs, place-kicking and punting.
However, Whittingham said he's wary of the "wear and tear" that much work would put on a kicker's leg over the course of the season, so he would prefer to split up the duties. Freshman Anthony Santella is the best bet to claim the punting job, Whittingham said, while sophomore Ben Vroman is the frontrunner for the kicking spot vacated by Beardall.
 
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Offseason work paying dividends

Quarterback Olson looks sharp in the early practices as he vies for the Bruins starting job.

By ROBERT KUWADA
The Orange County Register
LOS ANGELES – Through three days on the practice field, UCLA quarterback Ben Olson has looked quicker and smoother than he did in voluntary workouts and 7-on-7 skirmishes over the summer.
The pieces, he said, have come together. He is seeing more, reading defenses more quickly and getting the ball out of his hand and to the right receivers.
While Coach Karl Dorrell said he is not close to designating a starting quarterback, a decision would seem to be best made sooner rather than later to get the No.1 quarterback more repetitions in practice heading into UCLA's Sept.2 opener against Utah at the Rose Bowl.
Those snaps are a valuable commodity given the inexperience of Bruins quarterbacks.
Olson played in two games and threw four passes last season as a backup to Drew Olson, but he has not played extensively since 2001 when he was one of the top high school quarterbacks in the country at Thousand Oaks High.
Sophomore Pat Cowan, also in the mix, played in the fourth quarter of the Bruins' 63-21 rout of Rice but did not attempt a pass.
"Repetition is the law of learning and the more reps you can get the better. I'd like to take every rep if I could, but that's not realistic," Olson said.
"But the more you do anything the better you get and it's the exact same thing with football."
Last season, Dorrell did not announce Drew Olson as the starting quarterback until a week before the opener.
At that point Ben Olson, the No.2 quarterback, had suffered a broken hand and had been out for a few days.
The Bruins' fall scrimmage is scheduled for Aug.19, two weeks before they open the season.
"Sooner rather than later would be great. But that's really out of my control," Olson said.
"I'm just trying to do everything that I can right now. I took on the role of being the starting quarterback this offseason, trying to organize everything and be that leader.
"And until I'm told otherwise that's the mentality that I'm trying to take."
COWAN INJURED
Joe Cowan, the Bruins' leading returning receiver, will be out for at least two weeks because of a sprained right knee ligament and could have surgery that would keep the senior flanker out for at least the first part of the season.
"He possibly has some ligament damage with his (posterior cruciate) ligament)," Dorrell said. "We don't know for a fact that's the case. We feel he needs a couple of weeks to get the inflammation to calm down, and we're not certain he will need surgery or not. Sometimes with PCL's you don't have to have surgery, so we're going to wait and see."
NOTES
Flanker Brandon Breazell was bothered by a hip flexor in practice but did not come off the field.
Freshman tackle Sean Sheller went down because of a right knee injury late in practice. His status will be re-evaluated today, but the injury appeared to be serious.
Split end Marcus Everett was not in practice because of the death of his grandfather. Everett is expected back Sunday.
The Bruins had two prominent recruits watch practice - defensive end Akeem Ayers (6-3, 220) and receiver Reggie Dunn (5-9, 160) from Verbum Dei in Los Angeles.
 
The more I look at this game and the uncertain Utah QB situation the more I needa stay away...just too many questions for me...GL brother.
 
HUNTDOG said:
The more I look at this game and the uncertain Utah QB situation the more I needa stay away...just too many questions for me...GL brother.
Click to expand...

There's one thing for certain about the uncertain QB situation -- whoever the coach decides on, he will have a damn good starting QB and two excellent reserves!
smoke.gif
 
Den....thats a great point about the QB situation and thats why I am not worried about who starts. The starting QB in that game will have a huge game and be sky-high after facing that UCLA defense.

Thanks for the well-wishes fellas..
 
Chalk it up.....Florida/So Piss thoughts and play.

Alright, the first big chalk I will play this season is the Gators of Florida. Does the whole losing 10-20 plays a game with new rule changes scare me? Yes, but not on all big spreads. It is just wise to select from them carefully. Veagas ain't too dumb(lol). All the big dogs will not cover.\

Why I like Florida:

-Second year of Meyers' system. Its been noted many times how that took off at Utah and I expect the same here asw well. Maybe even more so.
-With this schedule, they need to get going right away.
-First time Leak has had ame system 2 years running at Fla
-in OOC games...45-16 average margin. Two covers outta 3 last year including FSU

Why I don't like So Piss:

-New QB starting in Swamp
-Like UCLA...were outgained by a solid number last season(nearly 40 ypg)
-They are shady(lol)

With the Golden Eagles having a new QB, that will negate the young Florida secondary. In fact, Florida backfield may grow up quickly with some early turnovers creating good field position for Leak and the talented skill position guys.

Also, whoever the new QB ends up being, the venue and a defense that I really like are going to give him fits. I expect 4+ turnovers from the Eagle offense which will dictate poor field position all day long.

The So Miss defense is not too shabby at all. That being said, I expect UF to be very precision like from the get go and to eventually wear down USM. I think that once they get down big say late first quarter they will kinda wilt. They are not going to get the help of the offense and T.O.P. should be heavily in UF's favor. Add in a the heat and humidity and the Gators roll.

I think the spread is covered by half and Meyer will not let down early second half as he needs his offense in tip-top shape with this brutal SEC schedule this year.

Florida..lets say....43-13

Florida -21 -105
 
Hmmmm . . . . interesting play, Big Al. I'll have to do some thinking on that one. Good luck!
stpatrick2.gif
 
Play on.....

Pitt -4 -102 (1 unit)

it woulda been -3 -126. I like to eliminate the juice. I know you should look for best possible line but in this case with the line jumping elsewhere I think this will be just fine. I see a 27-13 type of game.

Analysis of this game can be found in SoonerBS/BAR combined discussion thread in this forum

http://www.cappingthegame.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1251
 
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Sunday, August 13, 2006
Kibble puts off return

He is resting after having symptoms of multiple sclerosis, but not as severe as before.

By ROBERT KUWADA
The Orange County Register
LOS ANGELES – Robert Kibble made it through the first four days of preseason camp, but his comeback from an episode with multiple sclerosis last spring has put his return on hold.
The UCLA safety again is experiencing symptoms of the disease. They are not as bad as they were in the spring, when he was hospitalized, but bad enough that he is on medication and resting at his apartment.
"He's not able to play or do anything right now," Bruins coach Karl Dorrell said. "He's able to walk and use all his extremities and all that, but we're just trying to head off any issues before it gets any worse than what it is."
The symptoms started Friday afternoon, after the squad's first practice in full pads.
If Kibble is out for an extended period, the Bruins, depth at the safety positions will become as tenuous as at the cornerbacks spots.
Dennis Keyes solidified his spot as the starting free safety through the first week of fall camp, and Chris Horton is a fixture at strong safety.
But the backups at both positions, Aaron Ware and Bret Lockett, have little or no experience.
Ware was redshirted last season, and Lockett played primarily on special teams. He did play four snaps in the Bruins' victory over Rice.
DUAL THREAT
Freshman running back Chane Moline, an All-County and second-team all-state selection last season at Mission Viejo High, worked in short-yardage and goal-line situations in the morning session Saturday, a role that he could fill this season.
He will work at both running back and fullback through fall camp.
"I like what I see out of him," Dorrell said. "We've put him in some situations already and he's been very effective, which is what I thought he was when I saw him in high school.
"He's an efficient power runner. He's not flashy. He just kind of gets it done. You can always find a place for someone like that, especially with that kind of productivity."
NOTES
Defensive tackles Kevin Brown and Brigham Harwell, who had been working with the second defense, were back with the first team during the morning session. But Dorrell said they had not yet regained starting positions.
"We're just intermixing guys, trying to figure out who is the best group. We're just getting him some reps," he said. "We're just trying to intermix some guys, playing some different guys in there to see the best combination. You'll see that again from time to time."
Chase Moline (Mission Viejo High) has been playing with the first defense at nose tackle, ahead of Brown.
Defensive end Nikola Dragovic did not practice after slipping during a pass rushing drill and tweaking his right hamstring. He is expected back on the field today.
Craig Sheppard, a walk-on at running back, has left the team. He is the second walk-on to leave this week, following safety Charlie Schuh.
 
Not sure about a dose of MS...but I know that disease pretty well and one of the main things is fatigue. He won't be getting much better on this. Too bad for the kid. Hope he keeps his head up.
 
One of the nation's more underrated QB battles has taken a turn. Brian Johnson, who is working his way back from a serious knee injury, is going to redshirt, leaving Brett Ratliff and OU transfer Tommy Grady to battle it out for the Utah starting job.
"He was having a nice camp but the knee was getting sore [with] a little bit of swelling," coach Kyle Whittingham told the Deseret News. "It just wasn't quite right." My guess is that ultimately the strong-armed Grady will emerge as the starter, although it may take a few games for it to get settled.
 
Thanks, Sooner, for that...Shit!

Need to look at this again re Grady and Ratliff. Grady is good enough to be 3rd best at OU and Ratliff is also very talented. Just no in-game snaps at Utah.

:dookie emoticon:
 
Grady was 3rd best because he did not fit the style of QB Oklahoma wanted to have -- mobile QB. Grady is a "pocket passing" QB with a very good arm.

Remember, RJ, Oklahoma allowed Troy Aikman to transfer as well, because he was not the style of QB Switzer wanted to go with.
 
SoonerBS said:
Grady was 3rd best because he did not fit the style of QB Oklahoma wanted to have -- mobile QB. Grady is a "pocket passing" QB with a very good arm.

Remember, RJ, Oklahoma allowed Troy Aikman to transfer as well, because he was not the style of QB Switzer wanted to go with.
Click to expand...

True that. Like I said, my main concern is lack of game snaps, not talent.
 
SoonerBS said:
Grady was 3rd best because he did not fit the style of QB Oklahoma wanted to have -- mobile QB. Grady is a "pocket passing" QB with a very good arm.

Remember, RJ, Oklahoma allowed Troy Aikman to transfer as well, because he was not the style of QB Switzer wanted to go with.
Click to expand...

Utah-UCLA offline right now at Pinny.
 
I'm about to run out for happy hour, but want to make a suggestion to those following the Utah-UCLA game and line:

Go to www.blocku.com

It is a Utah blog with alot of info. They are also monitoring Bruinnation.com, a UCLA blog.

Here is what BlockU wrote after the 8/17 practice:


Coach Whittingham wanted a quarterback by the end of the week and he very well might get his wish. Utah held an early morning scrimmage where Brett Ratliff and Tommy Grady took all the snaps for the Utes, while last year's starter Brian Johnson watched from the sidelines. Johnson has decided to redshirt this upcoming season, meaning that the three-man race to become Utah's top quarterback has now turned into a two-man race between Ratliff and Grady.

In today's scrimmage, Grady was the leader in an impressive showing. He completed 11-16 passes for 212 yards and 3 touchdowns, though he was intercepted by cornerback Brice McCain -- who returned the pick for 28 yards. Ratliff completed 7 of 16 passes for 116 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Utah receiver Derrek Richards caught five balls for 115 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Fano Tagovailoa sprained his knee after catching 3 passes for 31-yards. He's day-to-day and the injury should not cause him to miss the UCLA game. Freddie Brown hauled in a 36-yard touchdown pass from Ratliff and recorded another touchdown catch during Utah's red zone drills. Receiver Bradon Godfrey was leveled by McCain, giving Godfrey a mild concussion. He's expected to be just fine heading into the final week of practice. Mike Liti was Utah's leading rusher during the scrimmage, recording 37 yards and a score on 6 carries.
 
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Bruins offense looks shaky in scrimmage



By ROBERT KUWADA
The Orange County Register
LOS ANGELES – The UCLA Bruins have issues, beyond just picking a starting quarterback.
In a 100-plus play scrimmage Saturday at Drake Stadium, the Bruins' offense struggled with blitz pickup and did not run the football effectively. They again were hindered by dropped passes and were not able to sustain drives behind quarterbacks Ben Olson or Pat Cowan.
Olson, likely to emerge as the starting quarterback this week, opened the scrimmage with a three-and-out and missed a third-down pass on his next series.
He went three-and-out again, and then fumbled away a snap from center to open another series. His next shot with the football was ended by an interception by corner Michael Norris.
It took 10 series - between Olson and Cowan - before the Bruins made it into the end zone. Starting from midfield, Olson worked his way left, away from a blitzing Aaron Whittington, and hit Andrew Baumgartner with a 28-yard touchdown pass. They beat cornerback Rodney Van, who was left in man-to-man coverage on the blitz, with no safety help.
The left-hander ended up completing 14 of 23 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns, with the one interception. But Cowan was only 10 of 25 for 92 yards and three touchdowns and went three-and-out on seven consecutive series midway through the scrimmage.
"Both guys had their bright spots and struggled with a couple of things," offensive coordinator Jim Svoboda said. "I don't know the stats, I don't know any of that stuff. I know it wasn't consistent enough with where we want to be with it."
The performance of the quarterbacks can be mitigated to some degree by the fact the Bruins were working without four of their top six outside receivers because of injury, including Junior Taylor and Marcus Everett.
But they were caught flat at the start by some of what first-year defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker brought to the scrimmage. The Bruins' defense had five sacks, including four from blitzing linebackers Kyle Bosworth, John Hale (Los Alamitos High), Whittington and Christian Taylor.
"We didn't know exactly that they were going to be running the stuff they were running, so I think everybody was going out there with the mindset that not a whole lot of blitzes were going to be coming in," Olson said.

Coach Karl Dorrell put his best positive spin on the play of Olson and Cowan. "I thought the quarterbacks looked good, threw some nice balls, nice and crisp and pretty accurate," he said. "There were some drops out there from some guys who are in our depth, both at the receiver and tight end positions. I'm not really concerned about that, though."
If there is a positive for UCLA it is that two weeks remain till the season opens Sept. 2 against Utah at the Rose Bowl. They are expected to have a starting quarterback tonight or Monday, giving Olson or perhaps Cowan more practice.
"I think that's going to be important," Svoboda said. "But having said that, between them, they've thrown 600 balls in fall camp. They've thrown 300 passes apiece. They're getting a lot of reps in the long haul, but it will be helpful from the standpoint that they get work with the same guys all the time, the guys that are around them."
 
Michigan Vs Vanderbilt

Okay, lets get a lil Meeeechigan talk into the thread. Hell, it should dominate the thread(lol).

What pisses me off about Michigan off and on since Nattie Championship of 1997?

-Off and on poor coaching
-Kickers at times
-Lack of speed
-Conservative

Well, its a new fall(again) in Ann Arbor and its time to see if UM really is a changed team. I believe they are and i think they and Michigan State will suprise and place 2 outta top 3 in the conference(that being 1 and 3).

Here's what I like about Michigan offense a lot this year:

-Chad Henne took a lot of blame last year but to me it was more of a sophomore slump and high expectations than anything. This kid is a damn good QB. He had Braylon in year one to help him along and he learned last year to use other weapons as well
-The running backs are as deep as any in the country. Mike Hart, if healthy, is a beast. Sophomore Kevin Grady is a super talent who matured with some important carries in big games last year. The X-factor is Carlos Brown. He brings that dimension that we need. SPEED. He, unlike the first two, can break huge plays. If Carr uses Hart wisely and mixes in Grady/Brown the Wolves will have a lethal trio IMO. Jerome Jackson isn't too bad himself.
-Stevie Breaston. IF, and this is a big if, he can stay healthy, he will have a dynamite year. I think he has the potential for a mini-Desomd Howard year. Encompassing returns, runs and catches into huge plays. Ask Texas and Nebraska how scary this guy is. He had unreal bowls against both.
-Manningham, Arrington and the TE's provide very good threats as well.


This group is gonna be very good IMO. The x-factor here is Mike Debord is back as OC(he was here 97-99..pretty good run around here). I think the offense opens up a bit more. Its the hope at least. If not, Uncle Llyod may be a goner even though his pre-season press release contradicts that.

Why I like the Michigan Defense this season:

-Eight starters back
-PPG improved from 24 to 20 from '04 to '05
-The defensive backfield should be very good
-A bit more speed, need this to counterattack a certain QB in Columbus.
-New coordinater Ron English has the defensive players attacking more.

The defense had to improve. Speedy QB's are killing them and frankly UM was behind the times as far as recruiting speed. If you don't have a lot of speed, then the system must differ somewhat. English brings that. I think you will see a more old style UM defense this year. That being, one that can win games

My Vanderbilt-UM prediction

First of all, Vandy is gonna struggle this season. Thats obvious. Me and Hunt would like to thank the Dores for the money they made us early last season. This game will be over early and the final score will be the only interest after halftime.

A typical UM game in OOC schedule is a strong start and a non-cover late against shit schools it seems. Last year, Northern Illy got the backdoor late(pags..you member).

I see this UM team flying out of the gate on Sept 2. They will score early and often and field position will lead to some short drives. I expect them to be up by a score of about 31-3 at halftime. Typically, Carr likes to go easy in a second half. Thats why I do not chalk it up with UM against patsie's. Lets say UM 41-16 final(lol)

The play

Michigan 1st Half -13.5 -110

1 unit
 
Recap..so far

Let me add. I have played Hawaii several weeks ago. I read Hawaii guys thread at Covers and another one somewhere and I fell in love with the play.

They will put up points, and the travel factor is negated with this being game one of thec season. I see an under here too and that only helps a big dog.

So, a few more already played and will be written up by end of weekend. I want to be able to start working on Week 2 games by Monday of next week.

Hawaii +17 -105
Utah +5 -106
Florida -21 -105
Pitt -4 -102
Nebraska -20 -106
Michigan 1H -13.5 -110

all for 1 unit:smiley_acbe:
 
I can't argue with any of them, Big Al, looks like you'll have to call a Wells Fargo truck to carry all your money to you after week #1.
money2.gif
 
I hope so Den. Would like a helluva start at the new so no less.

I think we all will be happy.
 
alright

The last new play(s) and two additions to previous plays.

Michigan State 1H -16.5 -110 1 unit
Utah ML +185 1/4 unit
Michigan 1H -13.5 -110 1 unit
Pitt -4 -102 1 unit.

Added a ml for Utah and doubled up Pitt and UM first halve plays. That should be about it for me for Saturday. I will could add something else if it is good later in the week.

Thanks for all the responses in the thread and Sooner BS help with write-ups(dual) and articles in it.
 
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