Team 137 - Game 11 - Michigan vs. Indiana
/So that happened. Yup, Michigan lost. And it’s perhaps the best thing that could have happened to Team 137. The loss is irrelevant for Michigan’s post-season hopes (we’ll get to that), yet it provided a necessary reality check to a team that has yet to taste defeat … no doubt Coach Harbaugh’s post-game verbal bitch-slap had an impact as well. Big Blue fell 14-13 to unranked Iowa in a game that featured classic Big Ten football … it wasn’t pretty, and the edge went to Kirk Ferentz and his Hawkeyes by way of a last-second game-winning field goal … there were few other interesting highlights.
As for the post-season, let’s just say that last weekend’s college-gridiron activity appropriately followed the unexpected upset of last Tuesday night’s presidential election -- a fitting conclusion to what had been a rather dumbfounding week.
Week 11 saw #2, #3, and #4 teams in the AP all go down for the first time since 1985 – oddly enough, the only other time in recorded history that we’ve seen such a pattern happened to be when Harbaugh himself was quarterbacking a #2 Michigan squad that also fell to Iowa on a last second FG.
Out in ACC-land, the #2 Clemson Tigers fell to unranked Pittsburgh in a shootout in Death Valley. Pitt K Chris Blewitt (best kicker name ever?) drilled a 48-yard field goal to stun Dabo Sweeney and the Clemson faithful, 43-42. Meanwhile, in the underwhelming Pac-12, USC had itself a statement game on the road upending Heisman hopeful Jake Browning and his Washington Huskies, 26-13. In the newly released CFP rankings, Alabama remains at #1, OSU rises to #2, Michigan stays at #3 despite the loss, Clemson drops two spots to #4 and Washington drops two spots as well to fall to #6 and out of playoff position. Heisman frontrunner Lamar Jackson and Louisville sit patiently at #5 (but Bobby Petrino and his Cardinals now find themselves embroiled in a bit of a scandal … what, someone questioning Petino’s integrity?), but fell to Houston Thursday night this week to add further volatility to the ride.
Looking at it from a Big Ten perspective, the Michigan loss creates some interesting drama at the top of the Big Ten East. UM, OSU, and PSU all sit at 6-1 in conference play and will be jockeying for the top spot during the final two weeks of conference play. Here’s the deal – if Michigan beats IU and OSU, UM heads to Indy for the title game, likely against Wisconsin … no different than was the case before last Saturday’s shakeup at the top. If OSU beats UM, however, that’s where the drama ensues, and honestly we don’t really give a shit in this appropriately biased forum. Sooooo … ain’t no difference in our world – Big Blue needs to win out and in doing so will control its own destiny. Ok, enough post-season speculation, as that’s what Mike and Mike are for, not this M Den.
Let’s break down the performance in Iowa City and then look ahead to this weekend’s rebound match-up against the visiting Indiana Hoosiers.
Michigan vs. Iowa – The Recap
While Michigan’s Saturday-night stumble made the national headlines, Blue Nation emerged from the cornfields with far greater concern than notching its first L of the season; the Maize and Blue seemingly lost its go-to QB, Wilton Speight, for the remainder of the season with a broken collar bone … and that’s a bummer.
The latest update from Harbaugh is that he refuses to rule Speight out for this weekend’s game, as he considers his status day-to-day. While many have speculated that the diagnosis effectively ends Wilton’s season, Jimbo maintains that he hasn’t received that news from the doctors and that he’ll continue to monitor progress closely. O’Korn, however, is still tapped to be under center should #3 not be ready to go.
The loss itself is of no surprise to close followers of the program, as the Big Ten is a tough place, and Iowa is a tough team. While the Hawkeyes came into the game unranked due to some embarrassing performances earlier in the season, let’s remember that this team was pre-season AP #17, and 11/12/16 is a date that had been circled on the Schembechler Hall calendar since the schedule was announced. We lost to a good team … no, we didn’t play top-notch Michigan football, but we also met a strong opponent, and the result was a battle ‘til the end … one which we lost, even if by a slim margin.
The Michigan Offense
UM OC Tim Drevno’s unit finished the game with just 201 yards, its lowest output of the year. QB Wilton Speight went 11 for 26 for 103 yards (his lowest output of the season) and an INT, and again underwhelmed … until he decided to go all “tough guy” on us and play with a broken collar bone, which appeared cool but was actually fucking stupid … reminiscent of any other story in the national news of late? Anyway, well done, Wilt, as your immature machismo likely cost you your season and put Team 137’s fate in the hands of John O’Korn … John O’fucking who? Right, John O’Korn. Let’s examine.
O’Korn was a 3-star recruit out of Huntingdon, PA who led St. Thomas Aquinas to the Florida state title as a senior. In his first year at Houston, he won the starting job and ended up winning the American Athletic Conference’s Freshman of the Year award after throwing for 3,117 yards and 28 TDs in 11 games.
He committed to Michigan as a transfer in 2015 after a change in direction at the top of the Cougar program. Johnnie Boy sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, spending the entire year running the Big Blue scout team and living with fellow St. Thomas Aquinas alum, Jake Rudock (last year’s UM QB). O’Korn was slated to replace Rudock, but Speight engaged him in a competitive race during spring ball and ultimately won the job, much to the surprise of Blue Nation. He’s the closest thing we have to a dual-threat QB, with enough speed to make things happen and the ability to throw the rock. He’s served dutifully in the back-up role for Team 137, appearing in 8 games and going 13 for 18 for 114 yards and 2 TDs. The O is ready for O’Korn, and it believes in him as a leader and as a guy who can put the team on its shoulders and win games … ok, maybe that last part is a bit of a stretch … time will tell.
Kidding aside, there’s some merit in comparing the O’Korn situation to that other national-news story. Pundits are quick to write off UM’s title shot with Can O’Korn at the helm, much like how most American pundits doubt the ability of the free-world’s new leader (by the way, it still amazes me that The Simpsons predicted a Trump eventual presidency all the way back in 2000 … funny how the writers expressed their regret for the comical speculation in the episode following the election). However, in the immortal words of Lloyd Christmas, “So you’re telling me there’s a chance!” Yes, Lloyd, there’s a chance. This guys has competed at the highest level both in high school and college and has the best coach in the game by his side (unlike that new ‘tard in Washington, who chose Steve Bannon as his co-head-coach …Come on, Man! ).
We live in a country where you’re innocent until proven guilty (unless your name is Nasir Kahn and you're the protagonist in The Night Of, in which case you’re fucked). To that end, Blue Nation must give O’Korn a shot to prove his worth, just like the American people need to give Señor Small Hands a fair chance until performance proves otherwise (granted, Bannon wasn’t the strongest shot out of the gate, but it was only move #1 in the chess game that is the presidency). Sure, the consequences are vastly different – the fate of the free world vs. a national-championship run on the football field, but the same logic applies. After all, O’Korn doesn’t need to “make Michigan great again,” as Coach Harbaugh already did that … he just needs to continue to play mistake-free football and listen to Coach Jimbo and the rest will take care of itself. Fuck, if only we could get Harbaugh to replace Bannon as the White House’s Chief Strategy Officer, this country’s struggling ship would be righted before you could say ‘Gina.
Back to Kinnick Stadium, the Wolverines ran the ball 35 times for 98 yards, and a 2.8 ypc average won’t get you far in this league. Big Blue did score on two of its first four drives, but it scored only once in its final eight possessions, and that makes it hard to win in the Big Ten. Yes, the Wolverines’ 77 second-half yards were due in part to an effective Iowa front seven, but blame also has to fall on the coaching staff for not identifying the right course during halftime to come out and dominate in the second half.
Chris Evans led the Blue ground attack with52 yards on 8 carries, while De’Veon Smith and Jabrill Peppers also saw backfield action. Jake Butt led the Wolverines in receiving, with 4 catches for 39 yards, while Jehu Chesson added another two grabs for 30 yards … no, neither number impresses … further evidence of what happens when the Michigan O underperforms against a strong Big Ten defense.
The Michigan Defense
Iowa managed just 230 yards of total offense, but it was enough to get the job done. QB C.J. Beathard passed for just 66 yards, as the Hawkeyes wore down UM with a consistent and effective ground attack. Jr. Akrum Wadley ran over the Blue D, gaining 115 yards on 23 carries and also hauling in 5 receptions for 52 yards and a TD. Wadley was the bulk of the Iowa offense, accounting for 167 of 230 yards, and Harbaugh and company could / should have adjusted at the half to contain #25.
Dymonte Thomas posted 10 tackles to lead Big Blue, with Ben Gedeon adding 9 and Mike McCray 7 … all in, not a bad defensive showing for Don Brown’s crew putting aside the inability to adjust to contain Wadley’s studliness.
After all, Channing Stribling did have a gorgeous interception inside the two-minute mark that should’ve sealed the deal ... the offense couldn’t convert a first down … the defense couldn’t hold … ball game. The defensive line acknowledged post-game that the piss-poor run defense it exhibited against Iowa simply won’t fly moving forward. Coming into the final home game of the campaign, rest assured the D will be fired up to regain right the ship and remind people why it’s one of the best in the land.
Michigan tallied 14 first downs to Iowa’s 17 … UM was 5-15 on third down while Iowa went 4-16 … Big Blue posted 201 yards of total O to the Black and Yellow’s 230. The biggest statistical differences in the game were that of time-of-possession (Iowa won by five minutes) and turnovers, where Iowa gave the ball away once to Michigan’s twice … those slight gaps proved the difference, and the Hawkeyes came out on top. We learn from experience, and no doubt lessons will come from last weekend’s visit to corn country. But we keep our heads up and look to fight the next battle … and that’s against Indiana this weekend. Let’s get it on.
Michigan vs. Indiana – The Preview
This weekend the Wolverines get to rebound with IU at the Big House. The boys from Bloomington come to town with a 5-5 record (3-4 Big Ten) and little less than a hope and a prayer at competing with the Maize and Blue after last weekend’s let-down … rest assured that Coach Harbaugh has his men ready to pounce.
Harbaugh gives credit to the IU D and calls it aggressive, athletic and fast, but he also knows his job is to make sure the team responds, and respond is what UM will do come Saturday afternoon.
IU’s wins have come over FIU, Ball State, Sparty, Maryland and Rutgers, while it’s fallen to the likes of Wake Forest, OSU, Nebraska, Northwestern and Penn State. QB Richard Lagow has thrown for 2,800+ yards on the season with a 61% completion rate and a 17/13 TD/INT ratio, and his strongest weapons include RB Devine Redding (56 carries for 901 yards and 5 TDs) and WR Nick Westbrook (44 receptions for 793 yards and also 5TDs).
This is the 65th meeting between these programs in a series that dates back to 1900 (Michigan won that game, 12-0). UM holds the overall edge by a count of 55-9, and Michigan is on a 20-game win streak against IU -- last year’s game saw UM come out on top in a shootout 48-41 down in cow country.
This year we’re at the Big House and Big Blue is primed to post big numbers. Plus, to add fuel to the Michigan fire, Big JC will be on hand Saturday – no, not as an Honorary Captain, as it’s Senior Day in A Squared. But a simple presence (with Mrs. Go Blue, of course), in those foofy Club Seats reserved for out-of-town boosters who can’t help but continue supporting their alma mater, the Maize and Blue is bound to get a boost. It’s sure to be a food-infested frenzy leading up to the on-field action, but the gridiron activity should satisfy as much as those Count Twists.
As for the food prospects, it’ll be business as usual, but of course … likely with a few twists baked into the plan … sorry, “twists,” as in “surprise delights,” not as in those delightful Charley’s Count Twists, which already are on the agenda – oy, the salivary glands start pumping just at the mere mention! A panoply of options await at Pizza House, some waffle fries and the best soda in town at the joint previously known as Red Hot Lover’s, a healthy handful of visits to Zingerman’s, a Frita Batido and more than a few stops at Espresso Royale for that perfect latte served in the familiar tall glass.
But of course, the writing of this very blog happens, in large part, at Zingerman’s during these campus weekends. Pink Floyd playing overhead … breakfast and lunch both hit the table as the hours pass by … people-watching competitive with anyplace on Earth and a vibe that’s hard to find outside of Ari Weinzweig’s joint on the corner of Kingsley and Detroit in Ann Arbor’s Kerrytown district. Exiting I94 at State Street and starting the drive towards campus brings joy, peace and a sense of belonging … a place that always will feel familiar … like returning home for Thanksgiving break during your freshman year … your bed never felt so good, and that’s the feeling that sweeps over me as I find my way towards central campus.
We’re in the midst of an epic football campaign, and that’s cause for celebration. But as I re-acclimate to the Ann Arbor lifestyle (backpack, flannel, the works!), I find true joy in the simple fact that Ann Arbor has played such a meaningful role in my development as a person and in the formation of my family, long ago and current day. Returning to our roots is special, and never should go unappreciated. Now let’s get on with the food train and bring home a W on Saturday!
The early prediction is now in … Michigan 45 – Indiana 10.
Go Blue!