Damn it. Damn it all to hell.
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Same terrible offense as last year. The defense is going to have to win games. 8-4 again.
I was at the game so it was a bit difficult to see, but who was mainly responsible on the offensive line for the absurd revolving door? Also who wasn’t disciplined in their contain on the D-line?
Side note: Notre Dame football = one of the worst fan bases I’ve ever encountered. It was cringeworthy how highly they thought of themselves.
Runyan was abysmal at LT. He can’t block anyone. There’s no way he should be the starting LT. I don’t think Bushel Beatty is much better either. They still have trouble as a whole picking up stunts too.
Looks like another year where they will have to coach around their OL and I haven’t seen much from Harbaugh and co. that they can figure it out.
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Not the start I expected in year 4 of JH football. These are his guys and hoping for a strong finish, lots of ball left to play but time for results.
The OL got even worse and everything else is about the same. Not sure how we get to even 8 wins tbh
I thought the quarterback play was improved, but not much else.
The game felt a lot like PSU last year. They blew us out in the first few possessions and we couldn’t catch up.
I am disappointed with the defense, not the offense. This is supposed to be one of the best defenses in the country?? They got manhandled in the first half by a team running a boring, predictable offense. Mano a mano, they got whipped. Yeah, they looked better in the 2nd half. But a least some of that was Brian Kelly getting cautious.
Offense, well the QB is an improvement. Shotgun sucked, IMHO. But they were playing a solid defensive team on the road in the first game of the season. Offense will be OK, if not great.
First game of the season, lots of football to be played.
Can’t run the football and can’t protect the passer. What’s new over the past decade? Next.
If I hear “who’s got it better than us” again before this team beats a rival I’m going to lose my mind
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Quarterback play was definitely much improved. Shea’s interception and fumble weren’t ideal, but he spent the whole day–including those two plays–running for his life. Against worse teams, I think Shea’s quality will show through. The O-line made every other facet of the offense look worse. Higdon had no room to breath. Last night really just proved that our ceiling is capped by how quickly the line can become mediocre.
The defense was bad for about 5 minutes, and then just made mental lapses. Winovich and Hawkins each cost us at least 2 TDs. Then losing contain a couple of times. Im not worried about the defense, though assuming theyd be at least as good as last year was alway tough, considering how well they played and that they lost their best player (Hurst). Playcalling was pretty bad on a few occasions, including the play action on 2nd and goal, from the 3.
Harbaugh needs to reinvent himself (as Coach Beilein has successfully done a few times) to help the team adjust. Coach Harbaugh otherwise is getting out-coached every game. He’s getting paid WAY too much $$$ for that to be happening!
Ugh!
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I always thought that Harbaugh coming in late in the recruiting cycle his first year and having to piece together a half class was going to hurt him in the long run. Next season is when I think he will be in a make or break position.
His biggest problem has been the failure to recruit offensive tackles.
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And a marquee running back. Lost Mike Weber to Ohio State and Najee Harris to Alabama after they verbally committed to UMichigan.
Najee Harris never committed to Michigan. We were trying to flip him from Alabama at the last minute.
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Michigan has not 1… not 2… not 3… not 4… but 5 top 10 Pro Style QB recruits on their roster and yet they run a read option??? What the heck is that? Young linemen back peddling all the time is no way to develop them. Get the big guys drive blocking and chip away some yards so they can have some play action success.
It was a roster issues when he took over and it’s still a roster issue. Every other position, I feel comfortable with the talent and depth to at least challenge for the conference title most seasons. But OT is just abysmal and no obvious fix in sight. I have faith in Warinner, but it’s not going to get better overnight. Play calling is up and down for me, but limited when you factor in the OL. Defense got off to a slow start, but nothing made me think they won’t be a top 10 unit all season.
I am not as despondent as many after the ND game. That game is always fluky and it never really tells you which way your season will go. ND could go on to the playoffs or they could lose 4 games. We could run the table if we learn to block, or we could be in for another 8 win season. Time will tell.
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I think our AD took a bit of a gamble with the schedule and it ended up hurting us in the end. I have no idea why we would agree to start the season at Notre Dame only to have the Ann Arbor game next year in late October. Huge advantage Notre Dame. Every other marquee matchup of the opening weekend was on a neutral field.
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Not sure how many of you guys have access (I know Dylan reads the site), but I thought this article: https://cleaningtheglass.com/the-perfect-pass-additional-notes/ did a great job of highlighting the reasons behind some of the struggles the team experienced on offense (especially the line) last season. Many have commented that the scheme was too complex last year – that players were confused and thinking when they performed – rather than “playing fast.” This article highlights how technique and execution are more important than scheme, from The Perfect Pass by S.C. Gwynne. I don’t know how much of that spilled over to the first game this season, but the line play certainly doesn’t look like it has improved.
As it relates to Michigan basketball, while many opine about Beilein’s complicated offense and the fact that he has a penchant for X’s and O’s, I don’t think any would argue that he sacrifices anything in the execution department. He is known for his focus on the fundamentals and execution is of the utmost importance (extensive work on pivoting, passing the proper way, turnovers drive him crazy, etc). Maybe Harbaugh and the football staff could learn a thing or two from that element and its driver in the success of the basketball program.
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