Team 136 - Game 8 - Michigan vs Minnesota

Reflection … peace … Gopher-hunting

Ah, late fall.  In some parts, leaves are turning and apple-picking is a popular weekend activity.  In the land of fruits and nuts, we wear cardigans at night and look forward to East-Coast travel to see those spectacular fall colors.  But that’s okay, as we know it’s fall because grocery stores have extra supplies of cheap candy and every other billboard is for a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte.  Halloween decorations permeate my ‘hood (we’re a little nuts, and proud of it), and I’m fired up about late-season college football.  Boo!

I know … your response: “Wait … what?  How can you be fired up about college football after that shit-show of an ‘unfortunate’ ending two weeks ago?”  The answer: reflection.

Oh, don’t worry, we’ll get to that train-wreck of a finish … but hang on.  The bye week (or opportunity week, according to Coach Jim) came at the perfect time … time for reflection … time to consider where we’ve been, where we are and where we’re going … time to take inventory and consider next steps … time to move on.  Namaste!  

The process, although painful, proved therapeutic, and we move forward.  Michigan football is back, Blue Nation is louder than it’s been in a decade, and Team 136 is focused on the most important game of the season … the next one. Coach Harbaugh is settling in for his first Ann Arbor winter in as long as he can remember, likely recalling days of walks in the snow to Pioneer High School dreaming of life in the big leagues.  Reflection is healthy … time heals most wounds.

So let’s reflect a bit on the travesty that was Sparty, and then let’s move on, looking ahead to this weekend’s match-up against a good Minnesota team. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to get back to football … enough of the Twitterverse commentary and social-media mockery of our last outing, let’s play ball.

Michigan is 5-2 and ranked #15 in the country … we’re still in the Big Ten hunt, and the drive is there to continue to outperform.  This weekend is all about The Little Brown Jug, the prize that goes to the winner of the annual battle between the Wolverines and the Golden Gophers from the Land of 10,000 Lakes … and the Wolverines are ready to kick some gopher ass … Did someone say, gophers?  Let’s get it on.

Michigan v. Michigan State – The Recap

Fine, Sparty first.  For those who may have been living under a rock the last two weeks (or who have been catching up on Homeland, eager to join the rest of us in watching Carrie Mathison navigate her way through the doldrums of the US government and its clandestine operations in the Middle East), Michigan lost the annual in-state-rivalry game to Michigan State, 27-23, in front of a 111,000+ packed, and ultimately stunned, Big House crowd. Yes, Michigan led 23-21 with 10 seconds left and Big Blue’s Special Teams snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in a still-unbelievable manner …

FUCK, LET’S JUST GET THIS OUT OF THE WAY NOW.  AHHHHHH!!!!!!!! I mean, this requires an extensive rant, so stay with the program and keep up or get the fuck out, I really don’t care.  With 10 seconds left in the game, Michigan has the game all but won, and Coach Harbaugh decides to send his punt team out onto the field with the ball near mid-field as his preferred approach for putting the dagger into Mark Dantonio’s squad.  UNDER WHAT RATIONALE DOES COACH HARBAUGH LINE UP IN PUNT FORMATION?  AHHHHHHH!!!!!!  Seriously, think about it … you line up in punt formation and at least three really bad things can happen: (1) a bad snap leads to an “unfortunate” ending … yup, we saw that one play out in real time, and let’s just say the result wasn’t ideal; (2) a blocked punt returned for a touchdown; or (3) a punt return for a touchdown.  And to add fuel to the fire, you have an Australian kid as your punter … yes, we all love the legs of these Aussies and Brazilians because of their soccer or rubgy prowess, but the fact that these kids can’t spell the word PUNT is a problem.

So for starters, Coach Jimbo makes his first real mistake on the job.  What do you do instead, you ask?  Well, how about taking a knee?  Or a run up the middle for three yards?  Or you could get cute and have your QB take the snap in shotgun formation, run backwards for 20 yards and throw the ball as high and as far as possible so as to drain as much time off the clock as feasible?  It doesn’t matter … anything but PUNT was the right call.  And yes, “anything but punt” means you give MSU the ball back with somewhere between three and five seconds on the clock, and you give them one more chance at a miracle.  Let’s best honest, we have the best defense in the country and our secondary has been sharp all season … if MSU beats us Kordell-Stewart-to-Michael-Westbrook style, that would have sucked … and it would have been 100 times better than losing the way we did.  AHHHHHHH!!!!!!! 

Ok, I’m done … and no, I don’t feel any better … I'm pissed, frustrated and angered by the whole situation … in case you can’t tell.  I think the best articulation of the clusterfuck stuffed inside a shit-fest glazed with an ass-blast frosting was the Sklar brothers’ NFL piece last week (well produced, DN) … funny guys back in Ann Arbor and funny still today.  But I’ve been meditating again (yes, that’s just how we roll in the land of fruits and nuts), and I’m healing … reflection. 

True, a win over MSU would have put Michigan in the Top 10 and positioned Big Blue for a run at the title … but we dismissed that Tom-Foolery speculation earlier this season and we’ll do so again now.  The idea of Michigan losing just three games this season – to Utah, Michigan State and Ohio State – was hopeful, to say the least, just two months ago … but that’s where we sit as we approach November, and we need to focus to finish strong. 

College football continues to amaze and entertain, and the fact that this season has been defined by game-winning plays on special teams (hello, Florida State) is further evidence that endless hours drafting ridiculous copy about a bunch of guys throwing around a piece of leather in the Great Hand State is time well spent. 

The loss to Sparty doesn’t put us out of the race for the division, which still would be a coup for Harbaugh and company.  But Coach Jim is un-phased … focused on the next game.  As he said after the game, “we played winning football,” even if we didn’t get the result.  This guys’ a fucking rock … it’s not hard to believe that he starts his days with wind-sprints through Ann Arbor – he’s got his head on straight (maybe a little tighter than advised in the manual), and he has his men ready to move forward.

As for the game on the field, he’s right … Big Blue showed up and played at least close to potential.  Let’s recap … quickly, as it’s painful, I know … and then let’s move on … for good.

Michigan Offense

The Michigan offense was effective, even if uninspiring, against MSU.  QB Jake Rudock went 15-25 for 168 yards … mostly plain vanilla … but importantly he avoided any turnovers and kept his team in the game from start to finish.  Michigan moved the chains on 4-13 third-down situations, including five straight failed conversions to end the game … yeah, that probably could use some work, Coach.

No heroics by Jake Butt … WRs Jehu Chesson and Amara Darboh barely combined for 100 yards … and running-back-by-committee was quiet, aggregating less than 100 yards and with two rushing TDs coming from senior fullback Sione Houma (who?).  No, the offense didn’t turn the ball over … but the unit certainly didn’t live up to its potential either … we don’t need fireworks from this group every time it touches the ball because of the strength of the Big Blue D, but we could use more than we got, that’s for sure.  Then again, State’s D was strong and definitely played a role in Big Blue’s lackluster offensive performance.

Michigan Defense

On the other side of the ball, DJ Durkin’s D showed well against a strong Spartan attack.  MSU QB Connor Cook was 18-39 for 328 yards and a TD against the nation’s top-rated defense, improving his career record to 30-3 and inserting himself into the Heisman talk with the win (I know, really?). 

WR Aaron Burbridge had 9 catches for 132 yards (the most any receiver has put up on Big Blue all season), a very strong outing.  But the Spartan rushing attack amassed less than 100 yards all day, evidencing Big Blue’s defensive up-front strength. 

Willie Henry earned Defensive Player of the Game for Michigan, with 5 tackles (3 for a loss) and 2 sacks, although his Unnecessary Roughness penalty in the third quarter was inexcusable and hurt his team.  And speaking of penalties, Coach Jimbo likely will be making his boys run extra this week, as 8 penalties for 70 yards is horrible, particularly when considering that half of those flags resulted in first downs for MSU, including that Willie Henry call.  All that being said, the Targeting penalty on Joe Bolden that resulted in his ejection was total horse-shit … the Big Blue blogosphere was blowing up after that call, and rightfully so (even Michigan-haters were disagreeing with the call) … penalties rarely are the reason a team wins or loses, but they certainly didn’t help our cause against Sparty.

Michigan Special Teams

As for Special Teams, well let’s see … senior kicker Kenny Allen added a trio of field goals, which seems miraculous for a Michigan kicker given recent years’ performance … and that Aussie punter hit an 80-yarder in the first quarter, which was the longest punt by any player in the FBS this season.  And while all of that’s great … there was that punt-attempt-gone-bad to end the game which caused some discontent among the masses … AHHHHHHHH!!!!!! 

Reflection … meditation … peace … we move on.

Michigan v. Minnesota – The Preview

This weekend Team 136 takes on the Minnesota Golden Gophers in one of the oldest rivalries in college football… the battle for The Little Brown Jug, a piece of earthenware traded between these two schools each year since 1892.

ESPN’s Saturday-night spotlight will pit #15 Michigan against an erratic Minnesota team, one that hung tough against #5 TCU in the opener (falling 23-17) but got blanked by Northwestern (27-0) and lost 45-28 to a mediocre Nebraska team.  The Golden Gophers come in 4-3 overall (1-2 in the Big Ten) and vulnerable to a Michigan rebound.

The Little Brown Jug currently resides in Minneapolis for just the fifth time since 1967 after last year’s 30-14 Minnesota victory, where the Golden Gophers held UM to just 171 yards at the Big House.  Michigan leads the all-time series 73-25-3 and is looking to bring the prize back to Schembechler Hall.

Minnesota brings in a balanced offensive attack that will test the nation’s best defense. QB Mitch Leidner has a 59% completion rate this season and has thrown for 1,310 yards and 7 TDs (but he’s been picked 6 times, which is a stat that makes Jabrill Peppers and company salivate like late-night hosts watching The Donald perform in a presidential debate).  WR KJ Maye has a team-leading 33 catches for 350 yards and 3TDs, and he’s complemented by RB Shannon Brooks and a mild-to-decent ground game.  But this Michigan D is crazy strong, and we expect it to put a stop to the Golden Gopher offensive arsenal.

Michigan will have to create running lanes to break through the Golden Gopher defensive middle, with LBs Cody Poock, Jack Lynn and and De’Vondre Campbell all waiting to stop the Big Blue ground game.  But a combination of a steady Jake Rudock performance with a ground game that at least keeps the Minnesota D honest gives Big Blue the edge and positions Coach Harbaugh to start another upward swing.

Michigan comes in a 13.5-point favorite and the experts have this one right yet again.  Coach Harbaugh seems calm and focused, but we know he’s pissed.  The boys who wear his colors have been trained to come across un-phased, but we know they feel the pain of Sparty and will throughout the duration of this campaign.  There’s a lot of rage under those coaching clipboards and under those uniforms, and it comes out Saturday night against a Minnesota team that doesn’t know what’s coming.

The early prediction is now in … Michigan 35 – Minnesota 3.

Go Blue!