Ask a Michigan Fan
So we're going to play each other for the first time ever (at least according to http://football.stassen.com/records/opponent.html). I find it odd and kind of improbable that there has not been a match-up in the 131 years of Michigan football and the 108 years of VT football (this is year 132 of Michigan football). Michigan has a proud football tradition, with 11 national championships (only 1 in the last 50 years though, 1997), 42 Big Ten Championships, and the most wins of any college football program (894). You will find most of our fans respectful and well-informed. There are lots of trolls in any fan base (standard disclaimer).
The main place where Michigan fans gather is mgoblog.com. It is a free site and anyone can register there. We break down film, past games, upcoming opponents and just about everything else related to Michigan football. It is obsessive and posts are made 24/7. Most of your questions about the team can be answered somewhere on that site. If you don't want to visit mgoblog, I can answer some of your questions and I'll get some other UM folks over here to help me. I'm not an expert on Michigan football, but I have followed it for over 30 years, attended dozens of games and have an opinion on just about everything.
So superficially, our stars on defense are basically two guys, the senior DTs Mike Martin and Ryan VanBergen. Jordan Kovacs, a former walk-on is also noteworthy for his football IQ alone. He always ends up at the ball. We have freshman starters (Ryan and Countess) who will probably be four year starters given their performance this year. Michigan's 4-3 defense is predicated on bend don't break, pursuit and getting as many hats to the football as possible. In his first year, defensive coordinator Greg Mattison has turned this defense from 108th in scoring defense last year to 9th this year. Its a sea change that no one could have predicted.
On offense, you probably haven't seen a player like Denard Robinson. Fitzgerald Toussaint (RB) and Robinson both have rushed for over 1000 yards this season. David Molk is an outstanding center despite his height. Michigan runs a hybrid offense with a lot of zone reads and a lot of shotgun. The offense has really hit their stride has put up 85 points in its last two games (Ohio and Nebraska) and is averaging 38 points / game in conference play. Robinson has stopped throwing interceptions as he has finally adapted to offensive coordinator Al Borges's system. It could be pointed out, and its fair to say that Borges has also adapted to Denard.
Team 132 has suffered more than any other program in Michigan history. They've had three coaches (Carr/Rodriguez/Hoke), been through several defensive coordinators, an NCAA probation, and the worst 3 year (W/L) stretch in the history of Michigan football. They have been through the crucible and are ready.
This first match up between two great programs with great traditions should be exciting. I look forward to your questions.
Go Blue.
Tweet, Like, Send, 1-Up and Follow
| Tweet |
|
|
Comments
I'll start it off, and encourage the commentariate to ask away. #
How much has Al Borges transformed the offense from the one installed by Rich Rod, a coach Hokies are very familiar with? From the games I've watched it seemed like Borges kept most of the spread around because it fit the personnel better. I'm asking because losses to WVU in 2002-03, and the rise in popularity of the spread, prompted Bud Foster to switch from his 4-4 defense to the 4-3 we run now. Going forward we had much more success against stopping WVU, and other spread teams, save Clemson, but that's another story. Also in the 2004 Sugar Bowl the Hokies were able to keep Borges' offense in check.
Do you like Devin Gardner package where he's in at quarterback and Denard goes out to the wing?
I'm looking for a great game, and some good conversation, welcome and thanks for dropping by!
David Wilson eats Chick-fil-A on Sundays.
quick reply #
I'll start with the second question first.
Q: Do you like Devin Gardner package where he's in at quarterback and Denard goes out to the wing?
A: We call that formation, The Fritz. No I don't like it, almost no one does. I'm results oriented and although it averages 9.3 ypc, it fools no one and exposes Denard. Most of the time its good for 5-7, but has some real OH NOEZ potential. What it does do, is gets Gardner involved (Gardner may have had his redshirt needlessly burned by Rich Rod and needs some time to develop as a back up). Expect to see it one or two times nonetheless.
Q: How much has Al Borges transformed the offense from the one installed by Rich Rod, a coach Hokies are very familiar with?
A: Quite a bit, and not very much. There's a good article on mgoblog about this very topic (http://mgoblog.com/content/funes-manballious) and I'm going to steal from it to answer this question.
Total percentage of plays by formation 2011
Shotgun 74.0%
I-Form 14.0% (5.2% of plays against UNL/Ohio)
Ace 7.7%
DR Jet 2.4%
Fritz 1.6%
Proset 0.4% (used exclusively against Nebraska)
For the Sugar Bowl, you can expect about 75% of plays to come out of the gun. About half of those are zone-reads. Our big plays come out of the Ace set including a very effective throw-back screen that is created because everyone is playing Denard. I still don't feel like I've answered your question though. Its a true hybrid. At the beginning of the season, with Brady Hoke talking MANBALL, I-formation we were afraid that the spread would give way to 3 yards and a cloud of dust. Borges tinkered with that before we got to the heart of the B1G conference play and basically gave up on it. What UM has this year that they haven't had before is a reliable halfback in Fitzgerald Toussaint. So the zone-read option presents a serious problem for most defenses and Michigan does it so often that you need to be defending against the spread.
If you can get regular backfield disruptions with a DT then it will be great for you and miserable for us.
wow #
i am insanely jealous of the amount of football knowledge you have bro. thanks for sharing and glad to have you on this board - the best us hokies have to offer.
carry on.
-coop.
VT COOP
its not me #
Like I said, I'm shamelessly stealing this from the mgoblog community.
MANBALL #
Offensive scheme not withstanding, do you guys consider yourself a physical football team? Was getting beat up against Sparty an outlier on the season, or the trend? I know Iowa manhandled what everyone thought was a tough GT team in 2009, and Stanford has us screaming, "Uncle," by the end of the game. I think it's fair to say Tech has struggled with bigger, more athletic teams that get after us.
This is not really relevant to our game, but I am interested in what you think anyways. Is that the future once Denard has graduated, or do you think the hybrid will stay around with Gardner waiting in the wings?
David Wilson eats Chick-fil-A on Sundays.
re: Manball #
I think we are more physical this year than we were under RichRod. Other than the MSU game we have played fairly well in conference. I think offensively we are very physical with several skill players who are excellent blockers and a pulling guard who likes to blow up linebackers and push them into the safeties. Defensively Martin has out-matched nearly every offensive lineman who has had the misfortune of having to go up against him 1x1. Mattison preaches that each play on the defensive line begins with a blow to the opponent, so yes they have been trained to be physical. Whether or not they have lived up to that in every game is open for debate. There is a big difference between being physical and being dirty and I have only seen one or two deliberately nasty penalties this year by the defense so I don't really think that part of the game is a concern.
I think Gardner was recruited to run the spread but he's no Denard. Its going to be difficult for many of Michigan fans to go back to a pocket semi-mobile passer after four years of dilithium. As far as the future, after Gardner, we have Bellomy, another mobile type but no Denard. Our 2013 class already has in-state Shane Morris, a 5* committed. I believe he is on the top of the 2013 position rankings. He is mobile, but not a spread-read type of player and recruited to be more or less a statue. So yes, pocket passers are in our future.
I'm really enjoying this dialog and I hope you guys are too.
I'm definitely enjoying the the back-and-forth. #
I'be learned a bunch of stuff about Michigan football that would otherwise taken me sometime to figure out from watching film.
David Wilson eats Chick-fil-A on Sundays.
D-Line #
Hearing that your two best defensive players are stud DT's bothers me. How big and how disruptive are we talking here? Can we expect to see a D line on par with what Clemson had that gave us fits?
@scobeard
38-0 bro
MIke Martin and Ryan VanBergen #
I'm not sure about Clemson's D-line. I watched the ACC title game and didn't come away from it impressed with their D-line. Maybe I need to watch it again. One of the great things about the Michigan community is our obsessive desire to understand the game. As a result we have complete offensive and defensive film cut ups for every game courtesy of MGODISNEY. Here's the example I'll be using for this answer:
Michigan D versus Nebraska, every snap. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnepI46utc4
Mike Martin #68 is a stud, but its not his height 6'2" or his weight 300# (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/381841/mike-martin). He has outstanding pad level, gets a great jump, has excellent backside pursuit, gets off his blocks in the run game and is tireless. He is a complete football player and will play on Sundays, but most likely be a middle round pick. He is the most disruptive player on the defensive side of the ball. It doesn't show in his stats (3 sacks, 4TFLs) but he does a good job of breaking the play and funneling the backfield to the ends or whoever is responsible for containment. VanBergen #53 (6'6" 290#) is a solid DT in his own right but keys off of Martin's strengths. It is very likely that they will move around (pre-snap) as well once they find the weakness on the Oline. For instance, at 4:50 Martin is lined up at the DE and again the results are depressing for Nebraska (TFL/no gain). We love Mike Martin.
Mattison is great at getting a defensive player unblocked to the QB, if you look at the link below (3:50), you'll see the pressure we get rushing 4 and dropping Martin into the underneath. VanBergen has the sack on that play. Also, 3 and 1 / 4th and 1 have not been gimmies all year. If you're going for it on 3/1 4/1, you should attack the edge, especially WLB #44 Morgan. Morgan can get pancaked on nearly every play and we don't have the speed on the edge to contain a sustained attack there. We do a good job of limiting big plays there, but its surprising to me that more teams don't attack that area of the defense as it can be good for 5-10 yards / attempt.
Highlights:
Martin at :40, 1:40, 2:00; 3:33; 4:35
Treason #
"If you're going for it on 3/1 4/1, you should attack the edge, especially WLB #44 Morgan. Morgan can get pancaked on nearly every play and we don't have the speed on the edge to contain a sustained attack there. We do a good job of limiting big plays there, but its surprising to me that more teams don't attack that area of the defense as it can be good for 5-10 yards / attempt."
Michigan Alum here: Cease highlighting weaknesses immediately. Ask a michigan fan does not include game planning against us. That my friend, is treason. The rest of your article is accurate and informative. Good luck.
I hope you are joking #
All of this information is already on Brian Cook's UFRs, which are publicly available. The coaches don't read these blogs, they are for fans. If a coach needs to read a fan blog then they shouldn't be coaching.
I have nothing left to post here. #
Thats like saying companies dont use Social Media with bad intentions.
This should be something interesting to look out for #
The first could times Tech gets into "3rd-and-Logan," will they attack the weak perimeter, like you suggest? Or will they continue the trend of attempting to bulldoze up the middle.
Also, if Tech's O-line is able to seal the edge, do you feel the Michigan LBs have the lateral speed to catch David Wilson before he hits the second level?
I can't say I'm terribly familiar with Michigan. The only game I watched a majority of was the Notre Dame game UNDER THE LIGHTS, and that game played out in such a bat-shit insane manner that I couldn't get a solid grasp on team strengths and weakness. There will be much studying of mgoblog in the coming weeks.
Bring back the Pro Rev!
Wilson/Thomas vs Michigan Defense #
We've played speedy backs and against SDSU where we shut down Hillman (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKTy9C2Subg) and against UNL we shut down Burkhead. However, I don't think we've matched up against a back this year who looks as good as Wilson. I don't think we have the speed at LB the edge to deal with him effectively. That said, our DC Mattison knows what he is up against. Honestly, I expect us to play you like we played SDSU. Not necessarily the same final score, but Hillman is pretty close to Wilson. VT has better athletes than SDSU so I expect it to be more of a battle, obviously. We rattled Lindley pretty badly with the various defensive fronts and shifts that we showed so that he never got into a rhythm until garbage time when were playing the bench. Mattison was the DC with the Ravens before coming to Michigan, so he knows how to confuse young quarterback. I don't expect Thomas to be as confused.
Our team strengths are different than they were in the UTL game. It was only the second game of the season and we were still cutting our teeth with the coaching staff. One thing that is the same is that the team never quits. Our running game is vastly improved and Denard has been lights out the last few games both passing and running. Against Ohio we were exposed defensively because we challenged Braxton Miller to throw on us by keeping Kovacs in the box all game long. Put a true freshman (Countess) on an island against a future NFL receiver (Posey) and you're going to have problems. Its doubtful that we repeat that against Thomas.
Pretty sure the coaches have #
Pretty sure the coaches have film on Michigan already.
@scobeard
38-0 bro
Undoubtedly #
I hope so, I put that link here for you guys, not for the VT coaches.
UM Offense #
Just from looking at the scores on ESPN, it looks like only Michigan State and Iowa were able to contain Denard and the UM offense. Were these games just a match-up problem for UM, or did they have specific looks defensively to contain an otherwise explosive offense?
Iowa and MSU #
MSU
MSU is just brutal inside and simply beat us up on the line. Worthy #99 for them is a monster and a likely 1st round pick. Every fanbase likes to make excuses for why they lost, but MSU was just more physical than we were. There were swirling 30-40 mph winds that day which made Denard's sometimes inaccurate passing into a QB OH NOEZ fest. Normally the O-line has been excellent, but with no passing game, we became one-dimensional and they put 8 in the box and cheated the other safety.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM18sAZRnIU go to time mark :29. argggg
Iowa
This was the worst-executed game of the year for us combined with the worst-officiated game of the year. A inordinate amount of drops, missed PAT, several batted passes, multiple non-call PI's, Denard derping (fumbles and picks) led to a perfect storm of underwhelming offense. Despite all of this we still had a a good shot at winning but the officials had other plans. Watch the last minute of this for some good old home field advantage officiating:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0wTCaQOQ8E
Sometimes you eat the bar, and well, sometimes the bar eats you. Nonetheless, we played poorly and didn't deserve to win the game. Iowa played well when they had to.
Kind of #
MSU was more physical, but if we played them now, we would win (and I mean in East Lansing, not a neutral field). Fitz also wasnt running hard and we had some key plays go against us. They did beat us.
Iowa: the refs were blind. Literally.
Hokies reading this...we respect you very much. Hoke will have us ready to play. Good luck.
Thanks! #
I appreciate the insight. From what I've seen from the clips and of UM during the season (ok ok I was rooting for you guys the whole way vs Notre Dame) this game should be a great one. And there will be no face-mask ripping, Jesus that looked terrible.
Yes #
We were not pleased with that play. Denard is adored by most of the Michigan fan base and we were displeased that Ghoulston was not ejected from the game. Ghoulston also had another personal foul called for punching one of our offensive lineman (Lewan) in the throat during that game. Needless to say, when Denard was asked about it after the game he only would say, "Football is a dirty game."
If I may... #
First, let me say that I'm excited that I have a legit reason to check out what is considered one of the best college football blogs around. Secondly, I'm very excited that Michigan and Virginia Tech will be playing for the first time. I hope it's a great game. My name is Craig Barker and I am one of the authors at The Hoover Street Rag, a Michigan focused blog. We're nowhere near as in depth as MGoBlog, but really, very few are.
To answer your question, there were a couple of factors that, in my opinion, limited Michigan against Michigan State. One was "the trash tornado", sustained 30 mph swirling winds that made Denard's already less than perfect spiral a little more wobbly. Secondly, the physicality to the point of excess of Michigan State's defense was effective. It may not have been kosher, but it did leave an impression. All of that said, Brian Cook's UFR, which while it takes some time to learn the jargon, does break down the tape very clearly, can be found here for the MSU game.
With regard to Iowa, one of the critical issues was once Michigan went down 24-9. Borges let Denard go back to much more under center. This is why Michigan, I feel, was able to move quickly, make it 24-16, get a stop, and then drive the length of the field and nearly score on four separate plays, only to have one thing or another blow it up (we still would have needed the two point conversion just to go to Overtime, so this is not a "oh, so close" lament. Similarly, it wouldn't have put Michigan in the B1G Championship game because Michigan's loss to Michigan State would have been the tiebreaker. Just a note.) The Offensive UFR for Iowa can be found here. I encourage you to read through at your leisure.
Anyway, like I said, looking forward to a showdown with VPI, no matter what the national buzz is. Go Blue!
Craig Barker || The Hoover Street Rag
"The Michigan fanbase: a cynical, Eeyorish bunch even in the best of times." --Doug Gillett
And I see... #
That RaleighBlue has a similar train of thought, which makes me feel better that it's not just me.
Also, one more correction. When I say "Borges let Denard go back to much more under center", I meant "Borges let Denard move out from under center to much more shotgun where I think Denard feels more comfortable." My apologies for the error.
Craig Barker || The Hoover Street Rag
"The Michigan fanbase: a cynical, Eeyorish bunch even in the best of times." --Doug Gillett
Hey #
Great to have another Michigan fan here to help. Please feel free to correct me or smack me around if I get something wrong or misrepresent the Michigan community.
Go Blue!
Michigan Man with a Hokie for a wife... #
I may be the only person in this chat room to attend (2) MICHIGAN games and (2) Hokie games. My family is from Birmingham MI and we've been BLUE since the 30's. My wife is a 4th Generation Hokie and we're proud season ticket holders living in Washington DC (for the record, we can make it to Ann Arbor faster than we can make it to Blacksburg).
If anyone wants to know anything about either team please feel free to fire questions this way as well.
Some other good MICHIGAN blogs:
http://michiganzone.blogspot.com/
http://touchthebanner.blogspot.com/
If you're on twitter and want MICHIGAN information, I recommend you follow:
@tomvh
@mikerothstein
@ChantelJennings
Looking forward to a great game.
GO BLUE!
(2) Michigan Games and (2) Hokie Games #
Should have clarified, we attended the MICHIGAN/notre dame game...MICHIGAN/sdsu...VT/clemson (#1)...VT/unc.
Buckeye trolls #
Not really here.
You guys have a ton of football knowledge... #
Wish I could be a little more up par with my X's and O's, but I seemingly get everything that I know from reading French60Wasp's explanations..
Logan 3:16
It takes some effort #
I think it works like this, I don't know for sure, I'm not an insider there
Someone records the game, then uploads it as a torrent. People download it, someone else does the cut up (purges commercials, the drivel from the announcers, and basically puts the action back to back).
Once you have the cut up it takes about 15 minutes to watch the platoon's performance for the whole game. Pattern recognition become much easier if you see them closer to each other, and breaking down film is a lot of pattern recognition.
Usually a guy (BlueSeoul) will do a quick break* down like this: http://mgoblog.com/diaries/ohio-game-wrap-pics
and then we'll get the full UFR a few days later. Like I said, the Michigan fan base is obsessive, and mgoblog is the place where our appetite for MOAR FOOTBALL is quelled.
Some of these guys are paid, some just do it out of their love for Michigan football.
*I say quick only because it appears a few days after the game and before the UFR and is basically highlights or noteworthy items, not the full game. I have no affiliation with mgoblog except that I am a reader and sometimes casual poster there.
I feel like I am out of a #
I feel like I am out of a job.
I didn't get to watch a whole bunch of Michigan this year, but the most comparable team the Hokies played offensively is Arkansas State. Granted, Denard Robinson is a MUCH better runner than the Arkansas State QB. I would envision that Michigan will run the zone play strong side, leaving Robinson one on one with Tariq Edwards all day. They will probably gameplan to stay away from Kyle Fuller in space. Meanwhile, their zone dives will likely bend back at Fuller, forcing him to deal with Michigan's offensive line all day.
Viva El Guapo
Another good read is #
Another good read is Burgeoning Wolverine Star. http://www.burgeoningwolverinestar.com/
The guy does picture pages and offers really good analysis. I have learned a lot by reading his blog.
indeed #
mgoblog can be overwhelming and certainly there are lots of good offerings on other sites. I always love the picture pages and I enjoy burgeoningwolverinestar too.
wow #
@Joe, is this our second bowl season on TKP? I only ask because I don't recall seeing anywhere near the amount of sincere interest in getting to know Hokie Nation as we are seeing now. I guess week to week there isn't much time during the season, and also The Cardinal fanbase passion was surely lacking last year prior to the Orange Bowl, they barely had their own blogs active.
This is awesome guys, thanks for stopping by and actively posting here and in the other articles.
my thoughts as well. #
mad respect to you blue guys + gals.
VT COOP
Bowl Season Numero Dos #
I think the only thing Stanford and Michigan fans have in common is they both wanted Harbaugh to coach their team.
I'm very happy they all decided to stop by, I've learned a crap ton already.
David Wilson eats Chick-fil-A on Sundays.
Molk named All American #
So I said Molk was an outstanding center. I guess I understated it. He is now our 78th All American and this year's Rimington award winner. He was named second team all B1G by the media . . . shows you how much they know.
Men of Michigan, Classy #
That's starting defensive tackle Mike Martin on Twitter.
David Wilson eats Chick-fil-A on Sundays.
Do you guys have any questions for us? #
There's a lot of time until the Sugar Bowl. If you guys have anything specific you want to know about Tech please post it too. If it's a simple someone will reply in the comments, otherwise I can turn it into a post.
David Wilson eats Chick-fil-A on Sundays.
I will most certainly have questions for you #
But I'm going to do some scouting this weekend so I don't ask the obvious ones.
Offensive diversity #
Brian Cook, proprietor of mgoblog pointed this out and I think its of interest to students of the game.
found at http://mgoblog.com/content/upon-further-review-2011-offense-vs-osu
OC Al Borges has been around a long time. Expect much of the same for the bowl game. Being physical and quick is the best defense against this attack.
Next insight . . .
The inverted veer is a favorite play. It basically has all the advantages of a zone read plus you get another guy free to block (so 11 offensive players against 9 defensive players (both DE's are taken out of the play - the far side is unblocked and so far away from the action he won't get to it and the playside DE who gets suckered on the zone read). Its a great play and is discussed here:
http://smartfootball.com/run-game/what-is-the-inverted-veer-dash-read
VT runs some inverted Veer #
not enough, but when it's working with the threat of wilson on the outside, logan has a lot of room.
VT has a matchup problem in the middle, so I don't expect to see a lot of that this game.
eric
twitter.com/beercontrol
"My advice to you... is to start drinking heavily."-John Blutarsky
Sugar Bowl Uniforms #
Sugar Bowl Uniforms
re: unis #
There's also a commemorative patch . . .
Some teeth gnashing over on the Michigan boards about these. I like them. They are much better than the ones we fielded for the game vs sparty. Anyway, you all get to see them for the first time and we'll probably only wear these for the bowl.
Cheers
Go Blue
look hot #
i have always loved the maize pants.
vt in maroon lid and jersey. supposedly they don't have maroon pants, i hope the find them by jan. 3rd.
the left is what I want. the right is what i expect. the pants are too white.
eric
twitter.com/beercontrol
"My advice to you... is to start drinking heavily."-John Blutarsky
I wish we still had Nike #
.... Adidas is not even close
adidas has #
stepped their game up. use to be worse. i like all the special unis michigan has worn this year.
eric
twitter.com/beercontrol
"My advice to you... is to start drinking heavily."-John Blutarsky
I dig #
the regular Maroon helmets moreso than the Striped ones. Gotta have maroon pants by next season though because we need the maroon effect for the FSU game!
Logan 3:16
Orange Helmets #
I don't think they had them at the beginning of the year, so hopefully with 5 weeks they can order up some pants. I think everyone wants to see all-maroon, including myself.
David Wilson eats Chick-fil-A on Sundays.
vs Boise State #
it looks like you wore the ProCombats. Have they said what you're going to be wearing yet? Our uni choices seem to always be leaked though the various retailers.
all maroon is my jank. #
bring it on. PLEASE!!!!!!
VT COOP
Maroon #
Very much all about the maroon!
No question #
Also plain maroon (no stripes) jersey with plain white pants.
so glad #
Nike doesn't play with our unis like their baby...
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0909/cfb.orego...
last time? #
When was the last time we wore the all Maroon? I know it has been a couple years at the very least.
all maroon #
definitely a fan of the all maroon.
Running Game preview #
Touchthebanner posted a running backs preview of the Sugar Bowl here:
http://touchthebanner.blogspot.com/2011/12/running-back-preview-michigan-vs.html
I encourage folks to read it.
Highlights:
I don't really think I agree, I think Wilson is better athlete and a better runner. We have a wide array of backs, big backs, speed backs, etc. I'm not that familiar with VT's backs but I have watched Wilson enough to understand he is the better back.
Wilson's backup is Josh #
Wilson's backup is Josh Oglesby (90 carries 336 yards), and that's really the end of our running back depth. Quite a contrast from having Wilson, Oglesby, Williams and Evans on the roster last year. If Josh O gets his touches, and has a chance to get into the flow of the game, like against ECU (9 carries, 46 yards, 2 TDs), he's a capable back. However, he struggles in spot duty off of the bench.
I'd argue any running game analysis of Michigan or VT would be incomplete without mentioning Denard and Logan Thomas. For Tech, LT3 is as important running the ball as Wilson because of his reliability to gain the tough yards between the tackles. Denard adds a whole other dimension to Michigan's rushing attack. When you consider each teams quarterback and number one running back it sounds like a push to me.
David Wilson eats Chick-fil-A on Sundays.
I think this sells Toussaint short... #
The first paragraph at least.
Michigan was using a running back by committee approach for the first half of the season (as mentioned in paragraph two). Looking for "The guy" out of a stable with a lot of potential. Toussaint didn't become that guy until mid season. He didn't break 14 carries in a game until the end of Oct with game 7. He put up 645 of his 1011 in the last five games... Which included 2 of the top 3 defenses we played all year.
Wilson averaged .3 more yards per carry against weaker opposition. Although, Wilson does have a clear advantage as a threat in the pass game.
Wide reciever preview on Touch the Banner #
Once again, TTB has put up another preview here:
http://touchthebanner.blogspot.com/2011/12/wide-receiver-preview-michigan-vs.html
The skinny:
To me it is much less about the receivers than it is about Denard. Denard was terrible passer for a few games this year. That has really changed. He was fighting a nasty staph infection in his throwing hand and arm that adversely affected his play. I think this is a push. Make sure you take in all of TTB's offerings, I'll update them here as I stumble across them.
Comparisons #
Per NCAA stats VT has 11th toughest schedule based on cumulative oppostion, 17th on past oppostiion. MI is 13th on cummulative and 22 on past. Combined records of opposition VT 80-54, MI 80-55.
So much for the weak schedule argument.
agreed #
UM has played 10 bowl-bound teams this year. Other teams that have played more than 8:
Okie State, LSU. Y U NO PLAY TOUGH GAMES BAMA?
Bowl Bound Teams #
I dont look into this too heartily. We've played Arky State, Marshall, UNC, GT, UVA, Clemson, *Miami (inelligible), and Wake. Not more than 8 but still somewhat respectable.
www.twitter.com/BeaunerJam
"To be the man, you gotta beat the man" - Rick Flair
agreed #
I wasn't comparing VT to UM here, as the poster above lays out the SOS similarities.
Gotcha #
I know you dont think our SOS was garbage or anything but wanted to further prove it to be more respectable than first thought with all those bowl bound teams. Thanks for your insight thus far. Its been great!
www.twitter.com/BeaunerJam
"To be the man, you gotta beat the man" - Rick Flair
Typical #
I get to my hotel in NOLA and I'm running a fever, have chills, joint aches etc. Looking like another great NYE. #FML