Moving On

Note: I haven't posted here in long time and probably won't for a long time after this. The past three seasons have been wearisome and grad school takes up far too much of my time. I suppose more than that I haven't felt I had something that was meaningful enough to contribute to the Michigan blogosphere. I'm not sure I do now either, but the urge to write was overwhelming. I'm sure Brian won't agree with much of the following, but that's okay. We've always disagreed.

I haven't missed a Michigan game since The Horror. I'm sure I've neglected to catch a few plays here or there, but not many and always regretfully. I was in Boston for Appalachian State, and with no broadcast to be found, glued to ESPN's game tracker. I'm not sure if it would have been more painful to watched the game or not, but I still haven't seen it. I don't think I ever will. But, I was away from home and it was easy to escape from everything and forget.

This summer I left Michigan for grad school and won't be back home until Bowl Season. I certainly miss it, but the distance would be so much more bearable if on Saturday afternoons I could just be happy. In a lot of ways football feels like my one true bond with my roots. That may seem melodramatic, or insane, but I know it's true. I talk to my parents and my friends, see my dog through Skype, but in so many ways those fleeting moments are just a reminder of the distance. They only make the homesickness worse. Watching Michigan is different. Everything else washes away in the glow of the TV and all I'm left with is a beautiful tunnel vision. Every Saturday I get lost in something larger than myself; something that invokes happiness from as far back as I can remember. In so many ways Michigan is home, even if I can't be in Ann Arbor.

Yet, instead clutching that contact as long as I can, all I want to do is forget. It's so easy to become disconnected from it all; to slip away. No one is obsessed with Michigan here. No one asks me about the game. The chatter isn't in the air. I can forget. I can hole myself away from it all.

I don't have any thoughts on the game right now, they fled away with the last fleeting image of riotous white as the television faded to black. I don't have any comments about the angry villagers that are surely storming the castle back home right now. All I can do is sit here and write.

I know next week I'll be right back in front of that television, on the edge of my seat, working on that same ulcer. It's not something that I could ever give up on, I know that with every fiber of my being. I'll wait and hope and grimace and cheer and hopefully things will turn out all right in the end.

Because I need it to. Goddamn do I need it. In so many ways, I feel as if it's the most important thing in the world. Because I'm obsessed, because I cannot help but wallow in nostalgia, because I need something, anything to look forward to, but most of all, for the simple reason that at the end of the day everything is still the same. Because when all is said and done nothing has changed except for the position of some padded men on a chalk-marked field. I don't say this to make light of the game, no... I say it for exactly the opposite reason. The truth is: it's so damn important because it doesn't matter. I know that's a paradox and you probably all think I'm insane, but I believe that wholeheartedly. With football I can pour everything I have into it, and lose myself completely, exactly for that reason. I know most of you are out for blood, and I understand that, but I'll be right here waiting, offering no judgments and reaching out for that connection for the rest of my life. It's all that I can do.

Disillusionment

Michigan State 34, Michigan 17; 5-1, 1-1

I said yesterday we'd find out a lot about this Michigan team based on the actions and events that took place during this football game.

Well, as it turns out, we did. As it also turns out, a football team takes on the personality of its head coach; and that matters. If you had to treat a football team like some sort of dish with a bunch of ingredients, the personality would be something that has to be thrown into the mix. Other things matter, like how you recruit, how fast your players are, how big and strong they are, etc. It's a very complicated process that is even harder for outsiders like us to decipher.

Today, it was simple: Michigan State takes on the personality of its head coach. Dantonio is a lot of things. He's a hypocrite, a trash talker, and way too dramatic. But he's also tough, hard-nosed, determined, and he has successfully instilled that mindset in his football team.

On the other side, Michigan's defense plays like it's an afterthought - just like their head coach treats them.

I don't pretend to have all the answers, or even any of the answers, really. If you come here looking for seer-like wisdom about what has to happen for things to be fixed, you're probably better off going elsewhere. All I can offer here is my opinion about the state of affairs and why things are the way they are. I don't pretend to have all the facts. I base what I believe off the information that becomes available to me. So if what I have to say here upsets you and you accuse me of being a "fairweather" or "fake" fan, I respectfully tell you to kiss my ass. I've been keeping this inside since the UMass game because I didn't want to be one of "those guys" that feels the need to harp on negativity when the overall outcome is still positive. Well, after today, I no longer have that obstacle, and I'm about to bust out the flamethrower. So here it is.

Rich Rodriguez is an offensive genius. It's not his fault that Denard Robinson missed Stonum in the endzone, and misjudged a pair of crossing patterns that resulted in redzone interceptions. Certain people in certain circles will use this game as more "proof" that the spread doesn't work in the Big 10. I don't buy that even a little bit. Before the game got out of hand, Michigan went up and down the field against MSU, and their sophomore QB in his 6th career game finally cracked under the weight of having the carry an entire program on his shoulders. What Rich and the offensive coaches have done is very, very impressive.

On the other hand: Rich Rodriguez is guilty of borderline criminal negligence in regard to this so-called defense. Did Lloyd Carr leave a stocked cupboard? No. But this is Year 3, and we have no direction, no goal, no ANYTHING on defense. Why? Because our head coach is a glorified offensive coordinator who pays no attention to the other side of the ball. Because Rich Rodriguez hired Scott Shafer in 2008, and then stood by as his buddies cut Shafer's balls off and ousted him as defensie coordinator. Shafer was fired after the season, rendering the entire 2008 season moot. The stench of 3-9 sticks, but any miniscule lessons any of the players learned along the way went swirling the drain when the coordinator and scheme changed.

And then, as if trying to one-up his own stubbornness, after another catatstrophic meltdown in 2009, Rich Rodriguez "recommends" the 3-3-5 defense to his second year coordinator, Greg Robinson. It's bad enough that in Year 3, we were once again headed down a new path, defensively. It's even worse that we decided to go to a scheme that takes a defensive lineman off the field and puts an extra defensive back on. I don't have an issue with the 3-3-5 in principle. With the proper personnel and proper coaching, just about any scheme can succeed. But we decide to install a scheme (with a coordinator who has never run it before) that marginalizes our defensive line, puts more strain on our worst unit, and calls on our linebackers to react quickly and fill gaps, something they have almost no capability of doing. It's asinine, it defies logic, and it'd be laughable if it wasn't so ridiculous.

So who's to blame? Obi Ezeh was a Lloyd recruit...and in year 3 Rodriguez has failed to find anybody to get Obi off the field. Rodriguez has failed to dedicate himself to a scheme on defense like he did on offense. Rodriguez has failed to hire the proper coaches to coach the defensive side of the ball. There are massive, massive personnel deficiencies in the defensive backfield, I understand. Rodriguez didn't tell Boubacar Cissoko to lose his mind and become a thug. He didn't tell JT Turner to be lazy and not put in any effort. He didn't break Troy Woolfolk's ankle. He didn't tell Donovan Warren to leave early and go undrafted.

But he did take a gamble on Vlad Emilien after an ACL tear; didn't work out. He chose to pursue Demar Dorsey and Adrian Witty instead of trying for other recruits with better academic prospects. He has chosen to leave Tony Gibson in charge back there, when Gibson is universally mocked as nothing more than Rodriguez's drinking buddy. This kind of nepotism had Michigan fans breathing fire at Lloyd Carr for employing Mike Debord as offensive coordinator. Rodriguez isn't exempt.

So what's the solution? I ask, because I don't know. There is not a single redeeming quality about this defense. It does nothing well. I thought they'd be able to hold their own against MSU's running game. That thought was comically extinguished when Edwin Baker was GONE the second he got past the line of scrimmage, because I knew our linebackers had blown it and our DBs weren't going to be able to stop him. In a sense, this game was lost in the first quarter just like last year, because our own ineptitude allowed MSU to dictate control of the game. Last year, it was the defense being unable to get off the field despite three (!!!) MSU personal fouls, giving up a 12-minute drive culminating in MSU's touchdown to make it 7-3. This year, in a situation where we know the defense sucks and we know the offense had to be balls to the wall...we get 3 points in two drives in the redzone. Should've been 14-0 Michigan and an entirely different complexion to the game. Instead, it was only 3-0, and MSU was allowed to get into a rhythm with their offense, and of course, our defense was entirely incapable of doing anything correctly.

This is a radical thought considering what we've seen the last two and a half years, but it really DOESN'T take an act of God to install a sense of toughness and basic fundamentals in a defense. All you need are competent coaches and the proper attention to detail. Michigan has neither. Rodriguez pays no attention to the defense and leaves them to their own devices, running a scheme they (and their coordinator) are new to. The results are predictable. Apocalyptic, but predictable.

And with that, my patience runs thin with this whole experiment. Having a glitzy, rock and roll offense only goes so far. Try to remove the maize and blue glasses and look at today's game from an objective point of view. One team was physical on both sides of the ball, more or less fundamentally sound, tackled well, played solid assignment football and executed their gameplan brilliantly. The other team failed to execute in the redzone and lacked any kind of competence, execution, or toughness on the other side of the ball. Which program looks to be in better shape going forward?

Again, this isn't a blind "Fire RR" post. I'm asking. What's the solution? If you think Greg Robinson is the problem, what coordinator is out there that can stabilize things? Who can step in and install some form of toughness? Look at how the tables have turned. In a matter of what, four years, Michigan and Michigan State have become complete opposites. Michigan has gone from the old-school "boring" offense and more or less smashmouth defense to the explosive spread offense with nothing even close to a mediocre defense, while MSU has gone from the John L spread and no D to the old Michigan look of run, run, playaction, play D. Curious how this reversal of attitudes has accompanied a reversal of game results...

I'm out of answers. Disillusionment has set in, and I now look at every game left on the schedule as one we could very well lose. What's different about Iowa that will make it a different result from today? Wisconsin and Ohio State will do the same. Penn State? On the road? At night? Even with their issues, do you expect this defense to shut them down? Illinois and Purdue? Even with their personnel losses, after all the points they've put up on us the last two years, how can they be viewed as slam dunks?

With this defense, nothing is a slam dunk. And against the first truly sturdy, competent defense they've seen, this offense stalled. How many times this scenario repeats itself will determine the future. But even then, if he survives, has Rich Rodriguez done anything to cause any sort of optimism about the defense after this year?

Sure hasn't for me. In fact just the opposite. Frankly, I'll believe a Rodriguez-coached Michigan team will field a competent defense when I see it. And the way I see it, we're light years away.

What Do You Go Home To?

Some form of judgment: Saturday, 3:30 ET

	Explosions In The Sky - What Do You Go Home To? .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

What do you go home to?

For the majority of people, folks like you and me, life is, despite the drama we make of it, largely simple. We wake up in the morning, perform the tasks we have carved out for ourselves, eat at some point, socialize with colleagues at other points, and at the end of the day, at some point or another, we find our way back home, more often than not into a safe place where the world is simple and the sweet release of sleep undoes any type of stress we accumulated during the previous day. Life is a vicious circle in that the pattern of stress and agitation repeats itself; and life is cool in that there will always be that warm, cozy bed to collapse into when the day is long past and the sun is long set, and for hours, there is no trouble, no turmoil, no trepidation.

For an unlucky portion of us, the setting of the sun on the onset of fatigue offers no quarter. The soundless hours of night reserved for sleep sometimes offer a hauntingly lonesome silence, which some of us find ourselves trapped in, knowing the issues of one day are not erased by eight hours of unconsciousness. For some, what we do on any given day stays with us, no matter how terrible, and no matter how responsible we actually are for the circumstances. It's a cruel fact of life, I suppose, that even if you're a good, decent human being, sooner or later, you will find yourself awake at 3:00 AM, staring at the ceiling, unable to escape into the land of hope and dreams, trapped in the real world where there are people who despise you for what you've done and are intent on seeing your poor circumstances worsened, no matter what.

This is a situation Rich Rodriguez has found himself in for over two years now. The debate about how responsible he is for the given situation over the past 24+ months will never end, even long after he's dead and buried. But at some point, the time for debate passes, and the time for action arrives. Rarely is an opportunity presented to someone where they have the chance to exterminate a massive portion of the cancerous monkey that occupies your back, heart, and mind 24/7.

Tomorrow around 3:30, that opportunity will present itself to Rich Rodriguez.

It's been mentioned before, and has increased in frequency this week, but it's not hyperbole: This is the biggest game of Rich Rodriguez's Michigan tenure. But it's bigger than that. This is the biggest game for the winged helmets since that fateful, wretched day in Columbus in November 2006. Everything that has plagued the Rodriguez era in Ann Arbor, it all boils to the surface tomorrow afternoon at Michigan Stadium. Back to back losses to "Little Brother." Back to back seasons without a bowl game. A mythical perception of in-state dominance being lost, both in recruiting and in the eyes and minds of the public. The equally mythical perception that Rodriguez's offense is "finesse" and cannot succeed against physical Big Ten teams.

All of the above can be doused in gasoline and set ablaze in front of 110,000+ people tomorrow under the Ann Arbor sun. It will be difficult. It will be nerve-wracking, physically draining, and heart attack-inducing. With the defense being what it is, nothing is assured, no matter what. A shootout seems likely. And if I could pick only one coach in America to coach my team through an offensive explosion, I would pick Rich Rodriguez.

The moment he arrived in East Lansing as Michigan State head coach, Mark Dantonio had one priority in mind: Make the Michigan-Michigan State game matter again. Under John L, the game became a farce because MSU was so woefully coached. They could always be counted on to make the critical mistake and were just generally outclassed in essentially every aspect. It became an afterthought on Michigan's schedule. Dantonio vowed to change that, to make the Spartans tougher, to make them matter to everyone of the maize and blue persuasion; players, coaches, and fans alike.

Congratulations, Mark. You have our complete attention.

There will be no more underestimating. No more overlooking. No more dismissive waves from Michigan fans who can't be bothered to invest any time worrying about State. Since he opened his stupid, childish, hypocritical mouth three years ago, I've wanted to see Mark Dantonio suffer. He's made it abundantly clear how important this game is to him, black mark on the soul, all that theatrical nonsense like he's some kind of character in a dramatic football movie. When he had his heart attack last month, all that was set aside. That's not the kind of fate I wish upon the man. I want him to live a long and very healthy life. The kind of suffering I have in mind for that miserable wretch is the kind that Michigan can inflict on him tomorrow. I'd prefer to see 60 points and 700 yards and Sam the Eagle (Google it) trudging off the field with that same hateful look on his face like he just watched his dog get plowed by the mailman's truck in slow motion. Those extravagant numbers aren't realistic, so I'll settle for a small victory. One point more is all that's needed. A one point differential is all that's needed to extinguish the Big Lie, to push the mute button on the noise, to put the kids back in the crib.

I alluded to it last summer. The doomsday clock is ticking down once again. Around 6:30, 7:00 tomorrow evening, it will strike 0 for somebody. When that happens, what will we go home to?

Run Chart: Indiana

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
1-10	Shotgun H-back	Smith	Zone read stretch	4	Dorrestein, Robinson	Molk
2-6	Shotgun H-back	Robinson	QB draw	72-TD	Koger, Omameh, Molk, Lewan, Stonum, Robinson (3)	-

1st and 10: Correct read by Denard as the read end stays at home. Molk doesn't really get *beaten* by the playside DT per se, but he gets pushed back enough that it forces Smith to cut upfield, which sort of sours the play. Dorrestein mashes the backside DT enough so it still gets 4 yards.

2nd and 6: Koger moves in from the H-back spot to serves as the lead blocker, and he does so superbly. Omameh crushes the DT inside and Molk erases a linebacker on the second level. Lewan gets away with a hold obstructs the DE enough for Denard to pull away, and Stonum's block downfield on the corner sends Denard blazing to the endzone. WOOSH.

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
1-10	Shotgun H-back	Smith	HB dive	4	Webb, Molk	Lewan
2-6	Shotgun slot left	Robinson	Zone read keeper	5	-	Robinson
3-1	Shotgun 2 H-back	Robinson	QB draw	27	Molk (0.5), Schilling (0.5), Webb, Lewan	-

1st and 10: Pretty sure there's no read here as Webb peels back from H-back position to nail the unblocked end, which he does perfectly. Molk gets to the second level to take out one linebacker, but Lewan is drilled up high by the other and is badly staggered, falling backward and to the ground (!), allowing that linebacker to hold this play down.

2nd and 6: Wrong read here, the end is staying home and they have a linebacker scraping over. Luckily Denard freaks them out with a couple steps outside enough that he has room to cut back and Denard his way to 5 yards here.

3rd and 1: Smith going in motion out of the backfield causes one of Indiana's players to freak out and jump offside and then fall down. Molk and Schilling double the playside DT, while Webb and Lewan bury a DB and DE, respectively. Pretty impressive that the safety from the other side of the field was able to track Denard down downfield.

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
1-10	Shotgun 4 WR trips left	Robinson	QB draw	2	Dorrestein, Omameh	Molk

1st and 10: Dorrestein and Omameh have handled the DE and DT on the backside of this play, so when Denard cuts that way, there is tons of room for him...but Molk didn't get to the linebacker for some reason, and he makes the tackle. Molk got to the second level cleanly, had his eye on the linebacker...and hesitated. Not sure if he expected Omameh to drive the DT through and clean them both out or what.

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
1-10	Shotgun slot right	Smith	Zone read handoff	4	Robinson, Lewan	Schilling
1-10	Shotgun slot left	Robinson	QB off tackle left	13	Molk, Schilling, Koger	-
2-3	Shotgun slot left	Smith	Zone read stretch	6	Robinson, Schilling, Molk, Omameh, Webb	-
1-10	Shotgun slot left	Robinson	QB sweep left	28	Koger, Schilling, Odoms, Roundtree	-
1-G	Shotgun ace	Robinson	"Midline" zone read keeper	5	Robinson, Koger, Lewan	-
2-G	Shotgun 2 H-back	Robinson	QB draw	1	-	Omameh

1st and 10: Correct read. Lewan easily gets inside of the backside DE and turns him away as Smith cuts up. Schilling is beaten inside by the DT and gets away with a hold. Smith falls forward for 4.

1st and 10: Both Molk and Schilling pull around here to lead the way as Koger seals the DE inside. Schilling gets popped by a linebacker but stands his ground so Denard can zip past. Molk chucks another linebacker about 5 yards downfield.

2nd and 3: Correct read again. Schilling gets a nice cutblock on the backside linebacker to prevent him from running this down down the line. Webb gets a nice push, and Omameh has locked onto Jibreel Black's older brother. Molk scoots around and shoves the safety backward. There's clutter, but enough space for Smith to pick up 6.

1st and 10: Schilling pulls this time and neutralizes a linebacker as Koger once again mashes the DE inside to give the edge. Once on the edge, Denard gets good blocks from Roundtree and Odoms, and slips inside of them to pick up an additional 15 yards or so.

1st and goal: Oh look, new stuff! This is a zone read, but instead of the entire line zone blocking one way, Koger stays on the read side to kick out the edge linebacker (which he succeeds at). This is sort of a version of the midline zone option that Jeremiah Masoli and Oregon used to eviscerate USC last Halloween. It's not quite the same, as Denard is reading the standup defensive end and not a defensive tackle. The Ducks ran this play most notably against Washington, USC and Arizona last year, with execution on the goalline resulting in Masoli walking in mostly untouched into the endzone. In this case the end crashes down on Smith and Denard correctly pulls the ball. The safety has eyed him all the way, so he has to cut back. Lewan has buried the middle linebacker, so this picks up 5. I'm excited to see this debut, and I hope it becomes a staple of our offense.

2nd and goal: Larry Black sheds Omameh and prevents a touchdown.

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
1-10	Shotgun 4 WR trips left	Smith	Zone read dive	2	Robinson	Schilling

1st and 10: Correct read, but Schilling gets kind of overwhelmed inside and Smith runs right into him. The guy beating Schilling and the unblocked end combine to tackle.

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
1-10	Shotgun trips right	Robinson	QB blast	8	Dorrestein, Omameh	-
2-2	Shotgun H-back	Smith	HB dive	1	-	Webb

1st and 10: Dorrestein kicks the end out and Omameh gets enough of the DT to push him back and create a seam. Denard hits it, goes down, and is hurt. Sigh.

2nd and 2: Tate in now, straight dive all the way, but Webb misses the block from the H-back position. Wouldn't have made a big difference, Indiana was sniffing this out all the way.

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
1-10	Shotgun split slot left	Smith	Zone read stretch	56-TD	Robinson, Dorrestein, Omameh, Molk, Schilling, Stonum	-

1st and 10: Correct read. Dorrestein kicks the DE out, Omameh and Molk execute a perfect scoop block to seal the tackle and get to the linebacker at the same time. Schilling cuts the middle linebacker to the ground with ease, Stonum picks off the safety, and Smith is gone. Poetry in motion.

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
1-10	Shotgun split slot right	Smith	Zone read stretch	1	Robinson	Molk (-0.5), Schilling (-0.5)
3-9	Shotgun 4 WR	Robinson	QB draw	8	-	-

1st and 10: Molk and Schilling both engage the playside DT, but get no push on him. That combined with the blitzing linebackers, and this play dies after only a yard. Another correct handoff by Denard, though.

3rd and 9: The nature of the QB draw is to give the illusion of pass blocking, so rarely are they pluses for the OL. None here. And there aren't any real errors either. This is the play that drove me mad when we ran it with Tate last year; he's almost never going to pick this up. Denard can, but doesn't here, as Indiana had men dropped in zone and were able to contain.

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
1-10	Shotgun heavy	Robinson	"Midline" zone read keeper	11	Robinson, Webb	-
1-10	Shotgun 4 WR trips right	Smith	Zone read (?) handoff	2	-	-
2-8	Shotgun slot right	Robinson	QB off tackle right	3	Omameh	Webb

1st and 10: Same as the last "midline" play, really. H-back Webb picks up the man blitzing off the edge while the rest of the line blocks down, and the unblocked end crashes down on Smith. Denard correctly keeps the ball and has plenty of space.

1st and 10: I can't tell what this is. There is no unblocked end to read here. Is Denard supposed to be reading the linebacker? If he is, he's not even looking at him. I'm gonna leave this one alone.

2nd and 8: Omameh pulls around and pops a linebacker, but Webb can't maintain his block on the DE. IMO Denard should stretch this out further toward the sideline to try and get the corner, but whatever.

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
1-10	Shotgun heavy	Robinson	"Midline" zone read keeper	3	Robinson, Koger	Robinson
2-7	Shotgun heavy	Robinson	QB sweep right	0	-	Omameh, Koger

1st and 10: More midline-type stuff. Koger steps out and blocks the outside linebacker as the end crashes down and Denard pulls the ball out...and then for some reason, despite there being a huge seam and nobody there, Denard stuttersteps and tries to bounce it outside around Koger. Sweet jesus. The worst case scenario is the safeties converge properly and hold this down to about a dozen yard gain. Jeez.

2nd and 7: Nobody bites on the fake reverse to Roundtree, and this is general crappiness. Omameh gets shoved backwards and falls, and by now Denard has been forced to stretch this out far too much. Koger's man spins off of him and tackles.

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
1-10	Shotgun slot right	Robinson	QB sweep left	8	Stonum, Lewan, Schilling, Molk, Omameh	-
2-2	Shotgun 4 WR 0 back	Robinson	QB blast	17	Schilling, Lewan, Stonum	-
1-10	Shotgun slot right	Robinson	QB sweep left	2	Lewan	-
1-G	Shotgun 2 H-back	Robinson	QB sweep left	4-TD	Smith (2), Webb, Lewan	-

1st and 10: Lewan locks onto the playside DE and drives him away, getting away with a hold at the very end. Schilling slips through to the second level easilly and erases the playside linebacker. Molk gets leveraged back by the playside DT but does a good job standing his ground and preventing his man from releasing so Denard can go by. Omameh provides obstruction, preventing the backside DT from flowing down the line unimpeded. Stonum drives the boundary corner back as well.

2nd and 2: Schilling mauls the DT inward and chucks him to the turf as Lewan gives the DE a similar mauling and gets away with another hold. Stonum with another good block downfield.

1st and 10: When I watched this play live I figured this was Rich Rodriguez's way of spiking the ball. He strikes me as a man who absolutely despises completely wasting a play with a spike, so he calls a QB sweep to the sideline that either goes out of bounds and stops the clock or possibly sees a crease for a big play. Either way, Indiana gets some decent penetration, and Lewan - for the third play in a row - holds Darius Johnson, which allows Denard to get the corner and go OOB. Johnson is fed up and flat out gives Lewan a huge shove well after Denard steps out. To hell with the as-usual incompetent Big Ten refs. Bad enough they missed what could've been holding on Lewan three straight plays. Denard was past the white on the sideline and almost to the actual bench when Johnson threw Lewan to the ground. It should've been a personal foul then, not two plays later when those mouthbreathers thought Lewan tried to step on him. Gimme a break.

1st and goal: Vincent Smith with onions again, brilliantly cutting a blitzing linebacker who had this play sniffed out all the way. Denard then follows Webb, who escorts the safety out of the way. Lewan provides the final level of protection by (possibly) once again holding Darius Johnson. Heh. He ends up burying Johnson at the goalline as Denard dives in.

Game Chart:

	Yay	Nay	Total
Lewan	8	1	7
Schilling	6.5	2.5	4
Molk	6.5	2.5	4
Omameh	7	2	5
Dorrestein	4	0	4
Stonum	4	0	4
Roundtree	1	0	1
Odoms	1	0	1
Koger	5	1	4
Webb	5	2	3
Smith	2	0	2
D. Robinson	12	2	10
TOTAL	62	13	49

Thoughts:

• This offensive line is in much, much better shape headed into the State game than it was last year. Lewan has been a big upgrade over Huyge, Schilling is playing better, Omameh is an upgrade over Moosman, Dorrestein has been under the radar awesome, and of course, Molk is healthy and mauling as usual. This will be almost a complete 180 from what MSU saw last year in terms of a Michigan running game.
• For comparative purposes, here is last year's Indiana Run Chart: Schilling actually a little worse, Lewan comparable to Ortmann, Molk, Omameh and Dorrestein upgrades over Moosman the center (obviously), Huyge, and 2009 Dorrestein. Biggest difference (and the most underrated difference overall in the running game): the tight ends and wideouts are much, much better at blocking this year, and, of course, Denard is running this offense infinitely better than Tate did last season.

Comprehensive Chart:

	UConn	ND	UMass	BG	Indiana	TOTAL
Huyge	4	-4	3	N/A	N/A	+3
Lewan	N/A	N/A	10.5	8.5	7	+26
Schilling	8	-3	4.5	6.5	4	+20
Molk	10	8	10	8.5	4	+40.5
Omameh	-6	6.5	6.5	11.5	5	+23.5
Dorrestein	4	4	9	7	4	+28
Koger	-2	5	3	4	4	+14
Webb	2	3	5	5	3	+18
Grady	1	-1.5	N/A	2	N/A	+1.5
Odoms	1	2	N/A	1	1	+5
Roundtree	1	3	N/A	N/A	1	+5
Stonum	0	N/A	1	2	4	+7
Stokes	N/A	-1	N/A	N/A	N/A	-1
T. Robinson	1	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1
McColgan	1	1	2	1	N/A	+5
Shaw	-2	-2	3	2	N/A	+1
Smith	4	4	-1	1	2	+10
Hopkins	N/A	N/A	N/A	0	N/A	0
Gardner	1	N/A	N/A	3	N/A	+4
Forcier	N/A	N/A	N/A	3	N/A	+3
D. Robinson	-2	1	4	6	10	+19
TOTALS	26	26	60.5	72	49	+233.5

Run Chart: Bowling Green

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
1-10	Shotgun split slot right	Smith	Zone read dive	5	Robinson, Shaw, Schilling	-
1-10	Shotgun split slot left	Smith	Zone read stretch	5	Robinson, Shaw, Molk, Omameh	Schilling
1-10	Shotgun split slot right	Shaw	Zone read stretch	11	Schilling (2), Lewan	Molk
1-10	Shotgun slot right	Robinson	QB power right	9	Molk, Omameh	-
2-1	Shotgun slot left	Shaw	HB dive	3	Lewan, Schilling	-
1-G	Shotgun ace	Shaw	HB dive	2	Omameh, Schilling	Schilling
2-G	Shotgun ace	Robinson	QB blast	2-TD	Koger, Dorrestein	-

1st and 10: Right read by Denard, and Mike Shaw is the lead blocker up the middle here. He gives the read end a shove, and that coupled with Schilling sealing off the slanting DT gives Smith a relatively easy 5 yards.

1st and 10: Again, correct read to handoff by Denard. Shaw sticks a linebacker in the hole, and Molk and Omameh seal the middle linebacker and playside DT, respectively. The backside DT, however, has slanted toward the play and gotten away from Schilling. He makes a shoestring tackle on Smith, saving a huge gain and possibly a touchdown.

1st and 10: No yay/nay here on the read, as the "read" end isn't completely unblocked anyway. Schilling doesn't exactly "block" the playside DT, but he puts a hand on him and runs him off enough while Lewan latches onto the playside DE and turns him inside out, providing a lane for Shaw to run through...once he sheds the tackle of the linebacker that Molk missed. Schilling gets an extra yay for having the instincts to give Shaw a not-so-subtle shove that picks up an extra 5 yards.

1st and 10: Omameh pulls around and gives a linebacker a big shove. This combined with Molk doing the same upfield to another linebacker gives Denard plenty of space.

2nd and 1: Straight dive play, no read. Schilling and Lewan smash the DT here, plenty of room again for the ball carrier.

1st and goal: Yes, I'm plussing and minusing Schilling on the same play. Omameh gets a perfect seal on one DT, and while Schilling gets a good push on the other, he doesn't contain him. A good enough block to pick up a couple yards, but it could've been better. Nitpicky?

2nd and goal: Dorrestein does a good job mashing (...kind of holding) the playside DE inside, and when Denard bounces outside Koger gets enough of the safety so Denard can zip in untouched.

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
2-1	Shotgun 4 WR	Robinson	QB draw	24	Hopkins, Dorrestein, Omameh, Stonum, Grady	-
2-2	Shotgun 4 Wr trips right	Hopkins	Zone read dive	0	Robinson	-
3-2	Shotgun ace	Robinson	QB off tackle left	47-TD	Lewan, Dorrestein, Webb, Stonum, Robinson (3)	Schilling

2nd and 1: Stephen Hopkins in and serves as lead blocker. Dorrestein gets away with another could-be-hold, but it works. Omameh drives the DT backward, and once Denard zips through as a result of Hopkins hitting the linebacker, he's able to bounce to the outside and pick up an extra 15 or so because of downfield blocks from Grady and Stonum.

2nd and 2: I suppose this is the right read. The end does end up right in Denard's face, so I guess he makes the right decision to hand off...it's just that BG sends a blitzer as well, and this play goes nowhere.

3rd and 2: Schilling gets leveraged backward by the playside DT, which makes Denard take a wider approach (might've actually been beneficial). Lewan mashes the DE inside, and from here Denard ninjas his way from contained on the sideline to past the sideline and back to the middle of the field, where he's goooone. Dorrestein, Webb and Stonum provide cover downfield. I'm a bit murky when it comes to giving out pluses and minuses to actual ball carriers (aside from fumbles and zone read decisions), but this is just too good for Denard to not get rewarded.

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
1-10	Shotgun split slot left	Robinson	QB draw	47	Smith, Molk, Omameh, Schilling, Odoms, Grady	-
1-10	Shotgun split slot right	Gardner	Zone read keeper	1	Gardner	Gardner, Odoms
1-10	Shotgun split slot left	Gardner	Zone read keeper	2	-	Gardner

1st and 10: Lead blocker Smith pops a filling linebacker in the hole. This allows Denard to scoot through because the interior OL has creased the defensive front perfectly. As Denard zips through, Kelvin Grady nails the safety downfield, just crushes him backwards. Odoms occupying the corner on the boundary gives Denard an alley to blaze another 35 yards before he hits his knee out of bounds and is finished for the game.

1st and 10: Devin in now, easy (but correct) read as the end crashes down and he pulls the ball out. There is a lot of open space here, the type of the space a 6'4, 210-220 pound fleet-footed QB should rumble through for 10 yards or so. Instead, Gardner does what Tate Forcier did last year and tries to go outside with it. Works in high school when you're playing a bunch of nobodies. Against D-1 athletes, you're just a freshman. Doesn't help that Odoms fails to get to one of the corners. Still, this is mostly on Devin.

1st and 10: This should've been handed off to Smith, as the design of the play has Shaw cut blocking the end who's crashing down. Alas, Devin keeps it and the backside blitzer gets him. FWIW, I don't blame Devin too much here. Rich Rodriguez and Calvin Magee can talk all they want about how Devin's advanced and has a firm grasp of the offense. In the heat of battle, he still looks like a freshman, and I personally think the coaches should make things simpler for him. He's doing the most simple thing there is here, he's reading the end, and when the end crashes down on Smith wildly, he pulls the ball out. That should be the extent of it. But hey, that's me.

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
1-10	Shotgun 4 WR	Hopkins	Zone read dive	4	Gardner	-
3-1	Shotgun H-back	Hopkins	HB dive	7	Omameh, Molk, Schilling (0.5), Lewan (0.5)	-
1-10	Shotgun H-back	Hopkins	Zone read stretch	19	Dorrestein, Omameh, Molk, Gardner	-
1-10	Shotgun split slot left	Smith	HB dive	4	Dorrestein, Omameh, Hopkins	-
2-6	Shotgun H-back	Hopkins	Zone read stretch	-2	Gardner	Molk, Omameh, Schilling (-0.5), Lewan (-0.5), Hopkins (-2)

1st and 10: On the other hand......with both the end and outside blitzer coming down, Devin hands it off. I agree with Brian's interpretation of this play: Devin is reading the outside man here. Possibly designed that way because Hopkins is the RB? After all, he's the power back and gets 4 yards despite running into the arms of an unblocked tackler. Shrug.

3rd and 1: No read here as Webb peels back to pick up the unblocked man (who has run himself out of the play by coming too far upfield). Omameh mashes one DT with a tiny assist from Molk, who then peels off seamlessly onto the linebacker. Schilling and Lewan double and crush the other DT. Easy first down.

1st and 10: Correct read by Devin. Dorrestein gets leverage on the playside DE and drives him away. As Brian also notes, this is where Molk and Omameh shine with the "scoop block". They're moving to the right with the zone blocking, but maneuver themselves so they're facing left and walling off a DT and linebacker. This is a vital aspect of this offense, and is one of the reasons (one of many) we've been hit or miss on offense the last two years. Outside of Molk picking it up midway through the 2008 season, we haven't really had the interior OL capable of executing this. Omameh can, and Molk excels at it at this point.

1st and 10: The playside DT maneuvers around Omameh, but Dorrestein blocks him off. Hopkins cuts the playside DE and Omameh latches onto a linebacker. Smith has room for a few.

2nd and 6: Gross. Outside of Devin correctly handing off on the read, ugliness all around. Lewan and Schilling combine to commit an illegal chop block as Lewan goes low on a guy Schilling had up high. Molk and Omameh both get beaten (rather badly) on the inside, and to top it all off, Hopkins fumbles and loses the ball. @#$%

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
1-10	Shotgun H-back	Smith	HB dive	9	Lewan, Schilling, Koger	-
2-1	Shotgun H-back	Smith	Zone read stretch	11	Gardner, Lewan, Schilling, Molk, Omameh	-
1-10	Shotgun heavy	Gardner	Zone read keeper	3	-	Gardner
2-10	Shotgun H-back	Shaw	Zone read stretch	3	Gardner, Koger, Lewan	Dorrestein

1st and 10: Koger peels back as the H-back and blocks the unblocked man, which is important because Smith cuts back to that side. Schilling owns the backside DT, giving Smith space when he makes the cut. Lewan is on the linebacker in a blink of an eye and tosses him.

2nd and 1: Correct read by Devin. Omameh and Molk escort the playside DT and LB, giving Smith a lane. It's there because Lewan has cut the backside DT to the ground. This was allllllmost another chop block because Schilling was dangerously close to being engaged with the DT be necessity. Nevertheless, he avoids him and manages to shove the backside LB, preventing him from making the tackle.

1st and 10: Freshman mistake. Absolutely should've been a handoff.

2nd and 10: Bowling Green has Michigan's OL badly fooled on this play, as we epically fail to pick up the slant on their DL. Thankfully, a) Devin makes the correct read by handing off, and b) the handoff is going the opposite direction of the DL slant. Koger and Lewan do a great job sealing, giving Shaw some room, but Dorrestein didn't get to the linebacker on the second level, and he chases this down.

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
1-10	Shotgun 4 WR	Forcier	Zone read keeper	5	Forcier	-
2-5	Shotgun H-back	Shaw	HB dive	9	Webb, Lewan (1.5), Schilling (0.5), Molk	-
1-G	Shotgun 2 H-back	Shaw	HB dive	8	Koger, Dorrestein, Omameh	-
2-G	Shotgun 2 H-back	Shaw	HB dive	2-TD	Dorrestein, Webb	-

1st and 10: This is what I've wanted to see Denard do a little more. The end isn't recklessly crashing down here, but he's shuffling inside. Tate keeps, the end is flat footed and can't get to him, and Tate jukes a linebacker a bit and falls forward for 5. Denard always hands off in this situation; I'd like to see him pull the ball when the end shuffles down like that. He's not going to catch him.

2nd and 5: Webb peels back and hits the unblocked end. Molk seals one DT inside, while Lewan and Schilling double the other and drive him back. Lewan has reflexes like a cat though as he swiftly shifts off the DT and also neutralizes a linebacker all on his own. Color me very impressed.

1st and goal: The "Wolverine Heavy" formation, I suppose. Brian provides a picture of it in his UFR. Koger serves as lead blocker from one H-back spot and picks up a linebacker. Dorrestein stonewalls the DE, Omameh seals the DT, and Shaw flies through, a desperation dive by the backside linebacker the only thing preventing him from going in standing up.

2nd and goal: Same play I think. Dorrestein buries the DE inside, Webb drives the edge blitzer back, and that's enough for Shaw.

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
1-10	Shotgun split slot right	Shaw	Zone read stretch	2	-	Dorrestein, Omameh
1-10	Shotgun H-back	Shaw	HB dive	8	Omameh, Molk, Schilling	-
2-2	Shotgun 2 H-back	Shaw	HB dive (counter?)	2	Schilling, Webb, Lewan	Koger
1-10	Shotgun 2 H-back	Shaw	Zone read stretch	9	Forcier, Koger, Webb, Lewan, Odoms	-
2-1	Shotgun 2 H-back	Smith	Zone read dive	0	-	Lewan, Forcier
3-1	Shotgun 2 H-back	Smith	HB dive	3	Omameh (0.5), Molk (0.5)	-
1-G	Shotgun 2 H-back	Smith	Zone read dive	4	Forcier, Dorrestein, Molk, Omameh	-
2-G	I-form heavy	Shaw	Iso	0	McColgan	-

1st and 10: Another slant by BG catches the offensive line offguard. A safety coming down to the LOS prompts Forcier to hand off despite the end crashing down; we'll call it a wash. Omameh and Dorrestein are leveraged backward by the slant, which causes this play to drag out all the way to the sideline from the opposite hash.

1st and 10: Mosh pit inside as Omameh, Molk and Schilling bulldoze the defensive tackles and middle linebacker. Easy pickings.

2nd and 2: ...Did Rich Rodriguez design a play specifically to take advantage of Michael Shaw's insane tendency to cutback at the drop of a hat? If he did, he's an evil genius. Schilling muscles the DT backward, Lewan occupies one linebacker while Webb occupies another, and the only thing preventing a touchdown on this play is Koger just missing on the safety who comes screaming down.

1st and 10: Correct read by Tate. Koger with a great blitz pickup on the edge, and Webb erases the linebacker who steps out as Lewan mauls the DE til he can turn him inside. This gets Shaw to the second level, and Odoms running off and shoving the corner turns 4-5 yards into 9.

2nd and 1: I'm not sure if this is an actual read...since there's nobody there to read. If Tate keeps this he most likely scores, so I feel compelled to neg him. Regardless, the playside end gets the jump on Lewan and smothers this.

3rd and 1: Molk and Omameh crush the soul, spirit and body of the DT here, doubling him and burying him in the ground. Schilling actually falls and loses his guy, but I won't neg him because we got the first anyway.

1st and goal: Correct read by Tate. Omameh sort of rides his guy out of the play...looks like ah hold to me, eh. Molk sort of ghosts the other DT away (he's slanting as it is) and gets to one linebacker as Dorrestein gets to another.

2nd and goal: McColgan gets a nice block...but Shaw doesn't follow him, and the OL gets nothing.

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
1-G	Shotgun split slot left	Smith	Zone read stretch	8-TD	Forcier, Dorrestein, Omameh, Molk	Schilling

1st and goal: Correct read. Dorrestein clears the DE out. Omameh does the same to a linebacker while Molk just abuses the DT and throws him down to the ground. Schilling whiffs badly on the backside linebacker, and Smith has to shed the tackle. He does, and scoots in.

The 44-14 score and appearence of Michael Cox on the next possession signals the end of significant play. Thus, the chart ends here.

Game Chart:

	Yay	Nay	Total
Lewan	10	1.5	8.5
Schilling	11	4.5	6.5
Molk	10.5	2	8.5
Omameh	13.5	2	11.5
Dorrestein	9	2	7
Stonum	2	0	2
Grady	2	0	2
Odoms	2	1	1
Koger	5	1	4
Webb	5	0	5
McColgan	1	0	1
Shaw	2	0	2
Smith	1	0	1
Hopkins	2	2	0
Gardner	6	3	3
Forcier	4	1	3
D. Robinson	6	0	6
TOTAL	92	20	72

Some thoughts:

• Same as last time, not much of anything. We won't face a run defense worse than this one this year...I think. Teams like Indiana, Illinois, Purdue...we should run through these teams with relative ease. Not to the tune of +72 overall, but with devastating efficiency.
  

Comprehensive chart:

	UConn	ND	UMass	BG	TOTAL
Huyge	4	-4	3	N/A	+3
Lewan	N/A	N/A	10.5	8.5	+19
Schilling	8	-3	4.5	6.5	+16
Molk	10	8	10	8.5	+36.5
Omameh	-6	6.5	6.5	11.5	+18.5
Dorrestein	4	4	9	7	+24
Koger	-2	5	3	4	+10
Webb	2	3	5	5	+15
Grady	1	-1.5	N/A	2	+1.5
Odoms	1	2	N/A	1	+4
Roundtree	1	3	N/A	N/A	+4
Stonum	0	N/A	1	2	+3
Stokes	N/A	-1	N/A	N/A	-1
T. Robinson	1	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1
McColgan	1	1	2	1	+5
Shaw	-2	-2	3	2	+1
Smith	4	4	-1	1	+8
Hopkins	N/A	N/A	N/A	0	0
Gardner	1	N/A	N/A	3	+4
Forcier	N/A	N/A	N/A	3	+3
D. Robinson	-2	1	4	6	+9
TOTALS	26	26	60.5	72	+184.5