Team 136 - Game 2 - Michgan vs Oregon State

Hope Falls Short in Utah...Bring on the Beavers

The Michigan Wolverines carried hope onto the football field last Thursday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium – hope for Blue Nation that the coming home of Jim Harbaugh meant the return of Michigan football greatness … hope for the Big Ten that maybe, alas, Michigan vs. Ohio State again would live up to the hype of the greatest football rivalry in the history of the game (except for maybe the ΣΑΜ/ΖΒΤ match-up in Nose Bowl Stadium with Touchdown Maccabee looking down from above) … hope for Americans that football is here again. 

That hope went only so far, though, and Big Blue came up short, falling 24-17 to a strong Utah team … posting its first ever loss on September 3rd in the program’s 136-year history.  Welcome week is behind us, and it wasn’t pretty … it’s now time to focus on forward progress and getting the first W … and with Oregon State coming to town this weekend, optimism abounds.

Harbaugh’s Debut

Coach Jimbo showed up as advertised – blue long-sleeved shirt tucked into those awful Walmart khakis, blue block M cap and lanyard with whistle attached.  Unfortunately, the boys wearing Maize and Blue also showed up as predicted, and he starts his Michigan career with a road loss.  But he’s focused on the future, on learning from mistakes and missed opportunities, on looking forward every week. 

And hey, at least he had the Blue Khaki Bus goin’ for him, which is nice.  Seriously, Jimmy is pissed and he won’t forget about that loss … ever.  He’s a competitor and wants to win more than anything.  I love what he said about that earlier this week: 

Some people go with the 'It takes 24 hours to get over a game, 48 hours.' Everybody is a little different. Some people walk right out of the locker room and are over it. I'm not one of those guys. It stays with me, and I treat it as it stays with my team, it will stay with us. There's a bad taste in my mouth to lose a football game.  There's only one mouthwash for that: winning a football game. I'm going to make darn sure I focus on that.

Hell yeah, Jimbo!  Let’s get it on and crush them Beavers!  Hang on, hang on there, Willie, we got some digestin’ to do first of the Utah stumble before we can jump into Beaverville. 

Michigan vs. Utah Recap

While the Michigan defense impressed as expected, the offense looked poised barely to compete in the Bel Air Pop Warner league – Big Blue’s erratic QB play and lackluster run game (featuring an O-Line less effective than judicial orders in the state of Kentucky) ultimately spelled defeat for Big Blue.

 Michigan had some chances against a very good Utah team, and came out and put up a fight when it could have shit the bed in front of a live national audience – actually, 2.8 million viewers to be exact, giving our friends over at Fox 1 an impressive 1.73 Nielson household rating for its biggest college-football number in its brief history.  Fortunately, it wasn’t the embarrassment many in Blue Nation feared.  But rather than walking off the field with hope under one arm and a W under the other, the Wolverines left the Great Beehive State (seriously?) faster than a freshman caught at Rick’s with a shitty fake-ID.

Coach Willingham’s Utes took an early 10-3 lead in a low-scoring first half, and then struck first to start the second half, opening up a 17-3 lead that had many in Ann Arbor wondering whether this would be the embarrassment we feared.  

But then Michigan scored on a 19-yard Jake-Rudock-to-Jake-Buttt TD strike over the middle, and we had a game – at this point, for the first time all night, I felt that Big Blue was in it to win it … an anemic offense tries to awaken, and a glimmer of hope appears for the Maize and Blue. 

But that glimmer faded quickly, as too much sleep clouded those offensive eyes and Michigan yet again couldn’t move the ball on offense and therefore couldn’t catch the Utes.  And this wasn’t like, “oh, we kept it close and stayed in it.”  No, this was like, “hey, we’re finally in this, let’s put some fucking points on the board and catch these Mormom-loving pests!”  Yup, I was fired up.  And then the Michigan offensive machine shot more blanks than a senior co-ed at Fraternity Semi-Formal weekend.  It tried and tried again, and each time came up empty – missing an open receiver or unable to find a hole at the line of scrimmage.  It was so frustrating. 

Harbaugh’s boys did make it a seven-point game with less than a minute to play on Amara Darboh’s 10-yard TD reception, but didn’t convert the onside-kick attempt and the buzzer sounded … defeat in Week 1, and cause for at least a bit of mourning i-shiva style (check it out, it’s the latest contribution to the sharing economy, yenta style).

Kyle Willingham’s Utes earned their third straight victory against Michigan, a stat that really speaks for the shitty status of Michigan football in recent memory – granted, the state of Utah football is the strongest its ever been, but it’s fucking Utah and it’s still embarrassing.  Boy did we did draw the wrong Pac-12 team for our opener … I sure would have liked to visit Palo Alto instead, as it would have been fun to watch two inept offenses play to a 7-7 tie.  Ok, let’s unpack a few of the particulars from the Big Blue effort, and then roll into this weekend’s match-up at the Big House.

The Butt Sidebar

In his post-game remarks, Coach Jimmy claimed he saw “a lot of positives, a lot of good things to build on.”  Sounds generic enough … I was hoping he’d say something more along the lines of, “Brothers and Sisters of Blue Nation fear not, for this is all part of the grand mission, and I will take you to the Promise Land.”

Ok, maybe I’ve been watching too much Stephen Colbert … how ‘bout that 6.6-million number he posted in viewership for his premier this week? The Daily Show finally goes mainstream.  I mean, we all loved Dave, and Johnny before him, and we tolerated Leno and otherwise have hated most late-night talent in the last twenty years -- that is, until Jimmy Kimmel came along, right out of LA’s own 106.7 KROQ as our beloved Sports’ Guy, and started the push towards innovation in the space, followed by Jimmy Fallon who many of us grew up with on Saturday Night Live.  So in the ultimate of ironies, mainstream media turns to Jon Stewart to provide the next generation for this genre. Stephen Colbert’s entrée should be interesting to watch – some say he sold out for network tv and won’t maintain the following in his new digs, while others are optimistic this new breed will spark the time slot.  However you look at it, he’s no Jon Stewart and that still pisses me off.

Sorry, I digress … again ... oy.  Ok. The Michigan coaching staff certainly witnessed some impressive individual performances from the Utah game.  But none impressed more than TE Jake Butt – haha, he said Butt!

Yup, the butt of loads of annoying Michigan humor, Butt had eight catches for 93 yards and a TD, and everyone in Ann Arbor now has a Butt obsession.  We’ve got some declaring Butt to be Coach Jimbo’s first real star … and others just like to say the dude’s name … but come on, it’s gotten a bit out of hand when he’s got himself on the pseudo-cover of SI’s Swimsuit issue … I mean, c’mon, man!

Ok, let’s just get this on right now given that we’ve mentioned Professor Berman and his boys … the return of September also means that NFL season is back upon us … and it’s about time.  Yes, we’ve all been watching the Brady drama over the summer, and I just need for the chatter to stop … it’s time to play the games.  Yes, we all love Tommy Boy given that he DID play starting quarterback for the greatest college-football program in the world.  But let’s be honest, King Tom … you brought this madness upon yourself and you need to deal with it.  You should have come out and just said, “My bad, I like my balls a little light and on the airy side, so I told my guys in the locker room and they did what they did at my direction.”  Done.  Slap on the wrist, sit out a game and it all goes away.  But NO, instead you instead decide to take the dumb-ass approach -- dodge the heat, do the bob and weave and get caught for doing it AND lying about it.  You got a strong backhand from the Commish, partly for the attitude, and you had to go to court and drag the annoying American media into the drama surrounding your status.  Thanks for that, man.  Regardlesss of where you come out on Deflategate, it’s time to move on … the NFL is back and I’m excited … are you ready for some football?

Ok, apologies again for the sideways jaunt … back to Michigan football and Coach Jimmy’s new toy tight end, big-boy Jake Butt.  Harbaugh loves his TEs and has used them as powerful assets during his coaching career – there was Coby Fleener and Zach Ertz at Stanford and then Delanie Walker and Vernon Davis with the 49ers.  And now there’s Jake Butt at Michigan, a guy Harbaugh believes has a ton of promise.  A 6’6”, 250 lb junior from Pickerington, OH, Butt should be a major force in this year’s campaign.  

Granted, he’s no Jay Remiersma (I still remember the over-the-middle ball he caught with 31 seconds left in South Bend in 1994 … I was sitting in the end zone, staring up at Touchdown Jesus while I watched Todd Collins lead Big Blue down the field for the game-winning field goal after a roller-coaster of a fourth quarter.  And while I vividly remember the winning kick as well as I do Derrick Maye’s TD catch from Ron Powlus in my end zone with 52 seconds left to put the Golden Domers ahead, for some reason Rimiersma’s down-the-middle catch stands out most in my mind … go figure), but I, too, have high hopes for Senor Butt.  But let’s take it one game at a time and remember what happened to Devin Funchess after last year’s impressive opener.

Yes, Jake Butt deserved his own section for a variety of reasons, and we’re done.  Back to a fundamental review of last Thursday night.

The Michigan Offense

The Michigan O laid a giant duck fart against Utah and deserves full credit for Big Blue’s 0-1 start to the year – I mean, let’s just call it how we see it … this offensive performance was gross. The unit put up 355 total yards (with 80 of those coming on the final, meaningless drive), with only 76 on the ground (off 29 carries, for a nauseating 2.6 yards-per-carry average and no run play longer than 7 yards!).

Coach Timmy’s O-Line that we worried about last week was worse than we feared … our boys were able to rack up just 76 rushing yards against a D that ranked 51st in the nation against the run last season, and while Big Blue’s RBs ran hard and did miss some gaping holes that my Grandma Claire could have seen AND hit, it starts and stops with the O-Line, which was weak and underwhelming, and that’s being nice.  Coach Jimbo tried various backfield combinations, but the big boys up front didn’t get any push … and the result rendered our offense predictable – a couple of short-yardage rushing plays followed by a medium or long passing play on third down that didn’t convert because of inconsistent QB play.

Speaking of the man under center, we need to lay some blame there as well.  I was disappointed to hear that Jake Rudock had beat out Shane Morris for the starting nod – another example of Harbaugh not trusting the establishment and needing his own guy for the job …  Rudock is a transfer from Iowa who showed up in Ann Arbor a couple weeks ago and still can’t spell Zingerman’s – and, let’s be honest, if you can’t speak the language of love for foodies from this part of the Great Thumb State -- “I’LL TAKE A MARY’S COMMUTE, PLS, NO EXTRA MAYO AND I’D LIKE IT ON GRILLED CHALLAH … YEAH, WITH A NEW PICKLE AND ONE OF THEM RIDONKULOUS LATKE’S … YES, WITH BOTH APPLESAUCE AND SOUR CREAM … AND A BOYLAN’S FOUNTAIN SODA! – then I’m sorry son, you can’t start for the football team.

Rudock is a graduate student who’s already finished college and is just on campus to throw the rock.  He started the last two seasons for Iowa and was billed as strong and steady – a good decision-maker who wouldn’t make many mistakes – and given that he’s something like 25 years old, that was believable. 

He wasn’t a rock star at Iowa, but he completed 62% of his passes and threw only five picks last year – he was supposed to keep us in games longer than the potential of unproven Shane Morris.  I mean, this guy looks like Harbaugh, stands in the pocket like Harbaugh used to and probably wears fucking khakis from Walmart when not suited up in pads.  And so Coach Jimmy went with his guy over the guy with at least some experience in the program … and Coach Jimmy’s guy shit the bed against a beatable defense in a way Harbaugh couldn't have predicted.

On those few occasions when the O-Line actually gave him some time, he was Taco-Bell terrible.  He twice missed open sprinter Jehu Cheson on deep throws, and he threw a nasty pic that cost his team the game when he fed Justin Thomas a 55-yard pick-six for the game-winning score.  Rudock did throw a few nice balls down the middle of the field, but he missed some throws that a Michigan QB needs to make.  He went 27-43 for 279 yards and two touchdowns – not terrible numbers – and he stayed on his feet all night and didn’t suffer a knock-down or sack.  But he was far less impressive than a traditional UM pocket passer, and the effort isn’t going to suffice for Harbaugh.  Honestly, I think there’s a decent shot Coach Jimbo puts himself in as QB this weekend … someone better tell him that’s not allowed.

The other bright spot on offense was Amara Darboh’s first outing as UM’s undisputed go-to wideout … the 6’2”, 215-pound senior caught 8 balls for 101 yards and a TD and looks to have speed and good hands, two valuable assets if our QB can stop throwing picks.

As Harbaugh pointed out in his post-game interview, De’Veon Smith did run hard, but 47 yards on 17 carries is hardly the kind of output required to really open up Michigan’s offense and allow the unit to achieve to its potential.

The Michigan offense was bad … real bad … and it starts and stops with the guy under center (okay, and his O-Line).  Hopefully, Coach Harbaugh will have taken Young Jake out by the bike racks this week and instilled some of that Harbaugh-style charm into the lad … and hopefully the result is fewer mistakes and more positive output this weekend at the Big House.

The Michigan Defense

On the other side of the ball, DJ Durkin’s defensive squad looked strong, with power, speed and agility that should challenge opponents all season.  While Utah QB Travis Wilson completed 73% of his passes, he only posted 8.7 yards per completion (a number we can stomach), and he only took a few shots downfield because he wasn’t presented with the opportunity to do so very often due to the Michigan defensive front’s domination of the line of scrimmage and solid pass coverage in the secondary. 

The run defense, a major strength last season, looks ready, willing and able to take on this year’s campaign.  Utah star RB Devontae Booker started slow and gained just 69 yards on 22 carries – at 3.1 yards per carry, an indicator of success for the Big Blue D.  Seven Wolverines took part in a tackle for a loss, suggesting breadth among the unit, and a couple of studs stood out as superstars to watch this season. 

Senior 300lb lineman Chris Wormley was quicker than whichever Utah blocker was trying to get a hand on him – he recorded three tackles for a loss and twice stuffed Booker in the backfield.  And on the outside, young blue-chipper Jabrill Peppers proved that the hype surrounding his playmaking ability is deserving … I just can’t wait to see him return a kick with some space to roam, as it’s going to be scary with his speed and agility. And LB Joe Bolden posted 13 tackles, including 6 solo stops and 1 tackle for a loss … pure stud.

Coach Mattison left the defense in good shape, and new Defensive Coordinator DJ Durkin looks ready for the big time as he settles in to Schembechler Hall as the resident defensive expert. 

We give Michigan a B- across the board for overall effort and performance against the Utes – that’s going to have to improve against this weekend’s foe, the Oregon State Beavers.

OREGON STATE PREVIEW

Coach Jimbo comes home for his first match at the Big House as BMOC, and odds-makers like Big Blue’s chances to even its record to 1-1 after this weekend’s outing.  Michigan has a 112-18-3 record in home openers and has posted a 4-0 record against Oregon State, including a 3-0 mark at Michigan Stadium (the only other meeting came in the 1965 Rose Bowl).  And after a 29-year hiatus, the two programs will renew the series on Saturday, when the Beavers come to town … ok, all you Leslie Neilson fans, let’s here it … Nice Beaver! Ok, that’s out of the way, and I feel better.  No, this is not the OSU we hate with a fiery passion, it’s the Pac-12 squad from the Pacific Northwest that’s won the Pac-12 5 times, most recently in 2000.

Oregon State comes to town 1-0 after a 26-7 win over Weber State last weekend.  OSU outgained Weber State 391-178, but entered the fourth quarter ahead just 13-7 and scored 13 unanswered points to pull away.  Yeah, that was Weber State … and yeah, I know, I’ve said that before … but still, Weber State!

The Beavers have a young and inexperienced defense with a lot of new faces … Michigan’s offensive front SHOULD be able to get some push and open up the run game.  As long as Rudock doesn’t repeat his inconsistency woes (yes, a big IF), the run game should have enough success to provide him with some big-play opportunities … or, for fuck’s sake, just a few 12-yard out patterns to move the ball down the field.  Success on offense will start and stop with that O-Line and both our QB and RB abilities to stay patient and execute.

 OSU’s primary offensive weapon is 6’3”, 195lb Frosh QB Seth Collins, who likes to run and is damn good at it.  He threw the ball only 18 times last week, completing 10 passes for 92 yards and two TDs.  But he racked up the most rushing yards for a Beavers’ QB (152) since 1996, and his legs are of primary concern.

 Collins connected with six different receivers, but don’t let that fool you … this is a mobile QB that we need to contain in the pocket and force to throw the ball.  Collins clearly can run, and if does it with any success, it will hurt … if we contain him, we win.

 New OSU HC Gary Andersen knows the Big Ten well after coaching Wisconsin the last two seasons before abruptly splitting town.  It doesn’t matter … Coach Jimbo is pissed that he’s 0-1 and he’s even more pissed that his team made some of the mistakes it did last week.  But he’s “positive,” and he’s looking forward, not back … and that spells trouble for the Beavers.

 Hope wasn’t enough in Salt Lake City, but substance wins out over form this weekend at the Big House –Coach Harbaugh and his Wolverines snag their first W of the season.

The early prediction is now in … Michigan 31 … Oregon State 10

Go Blue!