Team 136 - Game 5 - Michigan vs Maryland
/Bring on the Big Ten!
The Michigan Wolverines took the field last weekend against #22 BYU at the Big House, not having beaten a Top 25 opponent since September of 2013. There was excitement in the air for what could be … Maize and Blue was everywhere … and then it happened.
James Earl Jones got the place rockin’ with the new kick-ass UM promo piece, and Big Blue took control of the game from the opening drive, never looking back. Coach Harbaugh’s boys ran off the field with a 31-0 victory and just like that – POW!
Michigan is 3-1 and finds itself back in the Top 25. Coach Jimmy has Uncle Mo on his side as Big-Ten play starts this weekend.
And this wasn’t just a Michigan win, it was an old-fashioned Mormon pounding the severity of which hasn’t been seen since the 7’6” Stormin Mormon Shawn Bradley averaged 5+ blocks per game during his final year at BYU (and we haven’t seen someone dunked on so much in the NBA ever since). Booyaah! (who else misses the legend as football season swings into full gear?)
The experts initially listed Michigan as a 4.5-point favorite over BYU, and that number increased all week until it hit 7 before kick-off . The experts had this one right. A good old-fashioned bitch-slap closes out September with Michigan’s first shut-out since blanking Illinois in October of 2012.
All things considered, this was the most satisfying Michigan victory since that Notre Dame come-from-behind win in 2013 Under the Lights II, and Michigan is rolling as conference play opens this weekend in College Park, Maryland (that is, assuming that Hurricane Joaquin behaves, as first a time change and now continued storm-tracker uncertainty infuse some doubt as we’ll get to see an opening kick on Saturday).
Let’s unpack the Cougar-bashing and then look ahead towards this weekend’s match-up against Maryland.
The Michigan football team joined with more than 108,000 fans in welcoming the boys from BYU to the Big House. And while the crowd was focused on football, it’s impossible to visit the Big House and not talk food (yup, the President’s Tailgate now is catered by Zingerman’s and it’s kitchy messaging … public kale exposure aside, Ari and team brought BBQ Beef and BBQ Chicken sliders amongst a shit-ton of other goodies … kudos, President Schlissel, for taking your tailgate seriously and arming us with sufficient rations to last the day inside the Maize and Blue madhouse).
Any trip to Ann Arbor requires the body to adjust to Ludicrous Mode (sorry, but yesterday was delivery day, so a reference was in order) in order to truly appreciate the food culture in Michigan’s greatest small town. There’s old and there’s new … there’s tradition and there’s trend-buckers … there’s greasy and there’s (semi)healthy … and, of course, there’s Zingerman’s, one of the greatest food establishments (and entrepreneurial stories) on the planet. I arrived at the Campus Inn at 1am Friday morning, which led to a shortened night’s sleep, as the plan was to arrive at Zingerman’s for the (unpublished) 6:55am opening … two different food orders over the course of the hour-and-a-half work session started the day, all before the start of 9am committee meetings.
I had four more meals on Friday (that’s right, FOUR!): Ray’s Red Hot’s quick lunch during conference call – as weak as it’s ever been, it’s sad that I no longer look forward to my Red Hot’s visit, as this place has become an embarrassment to the hot-dog genre … the waffle fries still satisfy, but that’s the lone thread hangin’ on; Backroom slice while walking around campus on that same conference call – same story, as the pizza has gone from sub-par nostalgic to downright shitty and I’m done … and that’s okay); Frita Batidos for an afternoon snack (more on this below); and Good Time Charley’s for Count Twists to end the evening with a local brew and some solid people-watching – still finger-lickin’ good, cheesy grease and all.
The madness continued at a similar pace for the remainder of the weekend, with two key stops at Pizza House and another Zingerman’s double-session, complemented by Espresso Royale visits to keep up the pace.
The food highlights of the weekend include an old-school shocker and a new-school love affair. On the walk to the stadium, we needed food and made the quick call to “dine” at Pizza Bob’s rather than Mr. Spot’s. I know, the 30-somethings in the crowd just fucking gasped and lost a lot of respect, whereas the 50-somethings feel the love and are now tuned in more than ever … let me just say that I think this was my first Pizza Bob’s chipati since freshman year, but it scored big time. I had the Pizza House chipait later that day (of course), and it greatly disappointed … it was organic-looking in nature, not chopped and tried to pass itself off as a weak version of the Stage Deli chopped salad (you’re welcome, WB natives!) inside a Pizza House whole-wheat pita, and it barely satisfied. Pizza Bob’s original, on the other hand, was old-school beauty, processed cheese crumbles and all, and it was delicious.
As for the new-school winner, Frita Batidos is fucking ridonkulous … seriously, one of the best fast-food establishments I’ve visited in the last year worldwide. I know, you’re thinking “who, now?” Settle down. This Cuban street-food joint has two types of food – Fritas (Cuban hamburgers – pick your base to start from spicy chorizo to beef to chicken to fish to black-bean veggie) and Batidos (Cuban milkshakes made with fresh fruit and other goodies) … Boom!
No chance an Anthony Bourdain visit to Ann Arbor happens without this spot making his itinerary … I waited in line for half an hour at three in the afternoon, with all sorts of people crowding the place, and it was worth every minute … yup, I had to do a double, but did so on one order for efficiency’s sake … scrumdiddlyumptious!
A Squared’s food scene is a microcosm of Ann Arbor and UM in general – an evolving place based on tradition and tied to its mission of greatness. Yes, campus life and surrounding infrastructure have changed – the difference between the mid-90s and today is stark and impressive at the same time … although it appears that the national footwear of Michigan hasn’t changed – for fuck’s sake, spot the Sperry Topsider and rest assured the foot grew up somewhere in the Great Thumb State (and yes, I have more pics).
But the students, the mission and the vibe remain unchanged … and so it feels much the same today as you stroll State Street and South U. Sure, now there is a dispensary on Tappan and a Cuban street-food joint on Main Street, and the Frieze Building has been replaced by state-of-the-art North Quad and the Ross School of Business looks more like something from North Lake Shore Drive in Chicago rather than on the corner of Hill St. and East U. I applaud the forward progress, and I cherish the same old crunchies walking the diag that did so 20 years ago but just looked a bit younger and with dreads that were a bit less “worn.”
But Sweet Jesus, just wait until weed is recreationally legal in Michigan, as the Birkenstock-wearing crazies who still permeate the town will multiply and come from corners far and wide (sorry, it’s been a while since we’ve enjoyed a good Curb reference, and this one is the shiznit! … thanks SE for the inspiration). Then it will really be cause to return for a visit … just don’t expect the lines to get any shorter at Frita Batidos.
Ok, that felt good … until it didn’t … yup, still recovering, and trying to do so with a few days in NYC makes that mission more difficult, that’s for sure. But back to the gridiron. BYU Coach Bronco Mendenhall (whose team already has played Boise State and UCLA) said that this was the best team he’s seen this season, and that includes Top 10 UCLA. Coach Harbaugh is less enthusiastic, but optimistic nonetheless.
All-in, the Har-Bug was in the zone, and this was a great Michigan performance … let’s break it down.
The Michigan Offense
The Michigan O was clicking on all cylinders Saturday afternoon. The boys pinned 448 yards against what was considered a respectable BYU defense, and did so with a solid balance of ground and air. Big Blue had 22 first downs and zero turnovers … numbers that have to make Coach Jimmy proud. I mean, say what?
Watching a Michigan offense go turnover-free for an entire 60 minutes of football is like seeing a line out the door for dinner The Blue Nile … hard to remember the last time that happened … but that’s okay, as it happened, and we’ll take it!
As for the passing game, Jake Rudock scored two TDs on the ground and went 14-25 for 194 passing yards. Old Jake threw five picks over the first three weeks of the season, and he threw as many TDs in the first half against BYU as he had in his previous three outings combined. He played a near-perfect game – he stretched the Cougar D and completed necessary passes, managing the game and avoiding negative plays along the way.
Michigan wide-out Amara Darboh, who was granted US citizenship last Thursday and has an amazing war-time-orphan-to-big-time-football-star story, had a ridiculous Odell-Beckham-Jr-like one-handed catch to set Big Blue up for its first score of the game half-way through the first quarter (QB Jake Rudock’s first career rushing touchdown in Maize and Blue).
Darboh added a TD catch to cap the next drive, which went 90 yards and took more than four minutes. And Jake Butt, while quieter than usual, pulled in a 41-yarder for his longest career reception and contributed to the success of the pass game.
On the very next drive, De’Veon Smith broke through the middle of the Cougar D to go 60 yards for another score and Big Blue was up 21-0 before you could say “Champions of the West.” The rout was on.
The ground game also was in full force, adding 254 yards (125 from De’Veon Smith, on just 16 carries) and looking like the run game we knew and loved when Tyrone Wheatley was lining up behind the QB (congrats to Tyrone, by the way, for the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame induction for that legendary 1993 performance … what took so long? Unfortunately, Smith went out in the third quarter with an ankle injury, but that’s okay, as our running-back-by-committee approach should still work with an improving O-Line and more cohesiveness to the entire offensive squad.
The O-Line domination was evidenced by our winning the time-of-possession battle, 28:38 to 21:22 … a sign of good play-calling and control of the line of scrimmage … that’s right, the “run-it-behind-the-big-boy” team strategy that defined Bo’s existence on this planet showed signs of emergence Saturday afternoon … but a “modernized” version with some big-play tactics thrown in for excitement … a version that could be crafted only by someone who played for Bo … who led an offense for Bo … Coach Harbaugh is back in the driver’s seat, and for good reason.
Run, pass, line of scrimmage – it all was working for Michigan’s Saturday afternoon … about the only thing we could ask for was more second-half production, but let’s not split hairs, as the boys put up 31 points in the first half and that’s enough to satisfy this Monday-morning quarterback.
The Michigan Defense
On the other side of the ball, let’s start with the fact that DJ Durkin’s unit allowed 105 yards in total offense to a team averaging 432 so far this season … Big Blue forced a Cougar three-and-out 8 out of 12 drives and held BYU QB Tanner Mangum to 55 yards in the air – and this is a guy who was leading a 310+-yards-per-game passing attack leading up to his Ann Arbor visit. The defense really stepped up the effort and shut down a strong (even with backup QB) offense.
At 203.8 yards per game, the Michigan D is #2 in the nation (only Boston College is better), and UM is #4 nationally in scoring defense (9.5 points per game allowed), having allowed only 14 points over its last 12 quarters of football.
Big Blue’s D is playing on another level right now … forget “room for improvement,” this was an A+ performance last weekend, yielding just 75 yards and 5 first downs through three quarters. This unit was tougher to get through than NYC traffic with the entire fucking UN in town …
Not to digress … but I landed at La Guardia Sunday evening and it took me almost two hours to get to midtown … I mean, I’m from LA and I get standstill traffic on the 405 … but NYC has gotten to a point where maneuvering through the city is virtually unmanageable. Cops everywhere … headdresses, long robes, beards of all types … and I’m not talking about just the Uber drivers. Wow. LA traffic is bad, yes, but you can always find a path that involves forward progress … NY this week made me question why anyone would tolerate that sort of chaos in their daily life … I mean, the pizza is good and the bagels are the best in the world, but still. I did get a kick out of the Putin / Obama drama, though … a passive incompetent chats with an aggressive irrational (thanks, HuffPo) … I know, it sounds more like Real Housewives than geopolitics, but so goes the 21st century.
Anyway, back to the dominant D … Ryan Glasgow earned the Player of the Game nod, but it really was a team effort, including a couple dime packages featuring Jabrill Peppers playing linebacker, putting a premium on having speed on the field for every play. I’m not sure about the rest of you, but I can’t wait to see Mr. Jabrill in the open field on a punt or kick return one of these days … nobody’s had the balls to kick to him yet, and for good reason … this kid has serious speed, and when it breaks one into the open field, can you say SportsCenter Top 10?
Michigan heads to Terrapin Station optimistic and ready for battle.
Maryland is 2-2 on the season and is reeling after taking a 45-6 pounding last weekend at West Virginia. The Terps threw five picks against the Mountaineers last weekend and have no stability at QB or in any of the other skill positions.
Maryland joined the Big Ten in 2014 after 62 years of lackluster performance as a founding member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The Terps finished last season 7-5 (4-4 in the Big Ten), with victories over Penn State, dear-old Jake’s Hawkeyes and Big Blue.
But this is a different year for Michigan football, and we all know how Coach Harbaugh feels about revenge … let’s just say he has a taste to make things right, and that bodes well for the Wolverines this weekend. I mean, any head coach who makes his players hunt and kill their pre-game meal means business. Expect to see that hunting fire in each and every player’s eyes as they (hopefully) take the field at Byrd Stadium on Saturday afternoon, weather permitting.
The experts see Big Blue as a 13-point favorite … that seems light to this innocent bystander. As easy as Lil Dicky’s making an epic music video for no money (amazingly fun to watch every time), Michigan rolls through Maryland at a hurricane’s pace … winning!
The early prediction is now in … Michigan 35 -- Maryland 10
Go Blue!