Monday, September 17, 2018

Week #3 - Another Yawner Heading Into Nebraska


"Bobby Boucher"


Player #3 for the SMU Mustangs is named James Proche.  But I swear to God, every time the Michigan Stadium Announcer Carl Grapentine called his name, and he called it a LOT, it sounded like he was calling “Boucher!”, after the famed Waterboy who played for the University of Louisiana.  And if felt like Proche was going to single handedly find a way to beat the Wolverines.  I cannot tell you how many times his name was called, but it was a lot…The game was not the cake walk everyone thought it was going to be.  But before the analysis: 

REF RANTS

I need to get this off my chest.  The REFEREE’S IN THIS GAME absolutely blew. 
I won’t say that they blew one call.  I won’t say that they blew several calls.  They more or less sucked the entire game.  When you have THE BOOTH making a Targeting call on a running back, that’s a problem.  From the Detroit News:

Penalties on top of penalties
Michigan is one of the nation’s most-penalized teams, ranking 117th of 129. The Wolverines had 13 penalties for 137 yards against SMU, bringing their total to 27 for 244 yards through three games. They rank 118th in penalty yards (12th in the Big Ten) and 114th in penalty yards per game. They’ve had two targeting calls, including on Khaleke Hudson against SMU. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh disagreed with the penalty on Hudson.
“Are we going down that road of we’re going to review every play in that box area?” Harbaugh said after the game. “Running backs are going to be going through there, they’re going to be lowering their head and defenders are going to battle to see who can get lower when you have a runner versus a tackler. Interesting it wasn’t called on the field, it came from the booth. That seems like a high level of scrutiny to be placing on a play between the tackles.”
So, I’m not really mad at Michigan.  I’m mad at referees that can’t let kids just play football.  They have to be able to play, plain and simple.  Let’s see where this goes as we enter B1G Play this weekend and we have B1G Referees….

Not happy with the refereeing.  Not Happy…And Michigan loses Hudson for the first half of the Nebraska game this weekend.  Which could be a problem.   I’m so pissed at the referees from this game…And no, I haven’t seen a replay yet, so I don’t know how it looked on TV.  Just saying in person, the refs were atrocious.  The last penalty that was a roughing the passer was absurd.  Totally and completely absurd.

SMU Was Better Than Originally Advertised …

So, yeah.  There was a game on Saturday.  Michigan showed up.  Michigan won.  As expected.  Michigan got a LOT OF HELP from SMU’s dumb play-calling and penchant for kicking On-Sides Kicks on two kick-offs.  Dykes must have read about the high school team that never punts and kicks on-sides on EVERY Kick-Off. 


The part that wasn’t expected?   SMU had a decent offense that was able to somehow amass over 300 yards of offense against what is supposed to be one of the BEST DEFENSES in the country…Proche…And this was the SMU team that last week lost to North Texas “The Mean Green” 46-23.  WTF…

Is that a cause for concern?

Amongst the slappy fans, the short answer is yes.  Michigan won the TOP so the defense wasn’t on the field that much. There’s no way the SMU offense should have been able to generate that many positive plays, even with the Referee’s assistance.  Which, by this fan’s calculation, more or less gave the Mustang’s a 3rd quarter drive that resulted in 70 or 80 of the total yards gained.  There were at least 3 Pass Interference Calls (that weren’t) that totaled 40+ yards of SMU offense.  Why PI isn’t reviewable is beyond me, but it needs to be addressed.

Immediately after Metellus picked up a non-PI call from the worst referees ever, he picked off a SMU pass and took it 73 yards back to Michigan’s End Zone and scored right before the half ended, taking the score to 21-7, which felt right, but the game felt closer than that. 

Patterson, while throwing 3 TD’s to DPJ and finding Gentry on critical 3rd downs, appeared to this fan as average, at best.  There was the INT and another toss that should have been an INT…In fact, if I were to break Patterson’s overall game down, I thought it could have been a lot better.  Granted, he’s still not getting any O-Line assistance, but there were decisions he made where there were better options available.  That’s the one thing I noticed on Saturday.  Open guys were overlooked for a more difficult pass.  That’s a problem that hopefully the QB Whisperer (Harbaugh) can fix with a couple of film sessions.

Higdon didn’t play due to an injury sustained in practice and Chris Evans got the hook after an unknown injury, which resulted in a long look at Tru Wilson.  And he was more than adequate.  He was a pit-bull the entire 2nd half and just kept taking it to the SMU D.  However, up to that point, the Michigan ground game appeared out of sorts.  And it wasn’t because SMU had a great defense, but they were putting 8 in the box.  Still, Michigan should be able to rush against a team like the Mustangs. 

More good news?  Michigan was 3-3 on 4th Down attempts.  FWIW. 

So, yeah, it was a win, but against better competition, and if Michigan is continuously playing against the ref’s as well, there’s going to be problems

The Rest of the Mess

The Mailbag…

Dear MMQ:  I’m siding with the FMQ on this one.  What the hell?  I spend all day Sunday and then Monday morning looking forward to that e-mail with the link that I can click on and read and enjoy at lunch.  Over the years, I’ve come to understand that those occasionally show up on Tuesdays.  Last week I missed the heckling of Sparty and their loss in the desert, not to mention the almost upset of Clemson at the hands of Texas A&M.  You denied us all of that last week! 

So sorry.  I will go back two weeks and call out the

CUD- Complete Unmitigated Disasters from Week #2

LNU – Without a doubt, this had to be the worst game from Week #2.  LNU didn’t look good in the 1st half (at least what I saw of it as I napped from the 2nd quarter until the 4th quarter) and then decided to stop blocking and tackling in the 4th quarter.  Herm Edwards made D’arougfnr look bad when he played for the Figgie and kicked it through.  I still don’t know how bad (good?) LNU is because so far, they haven’t really shown us anything.  I guess their bye week came at the right time…

GATORLAND – Losing to Kentucky after 35 consecutive victories is not a good look for your program.  In fact, it’s a reality check that things are getting really bad in Gatorland.  Gatorland is a shell of its former self at this point.  In fact, shell is a bad word.  When Kentucky has better athletes than you, you suddenly become very aware of how LONG the re-building process is going to be.  It’s going to be very long indeed…

PITT – This was inexcusable.  This rivalry for all intents and purposes just ended for the next 15-20 YEARS.  And you got blown out in the 2nd half.  For not very good reasons.  Pitt has suddenly become the “play against” team for 2018.

UCLA – I’m not sure Kelly or the fans are worried at this point, but the program is going to have to dip lower before it gets better. 

USC – Completed the debacle of Southern California by getting their collective butts kicked by Stanford.  Luck treated the USC defense like his own tissue paper and Stanford didn’t even look tired at the end of the game…

Come Back Off The Ledge – Week #2

Purdon’t – I watched a replay of this game and things just didn’t go the Boiler’s way.  EMU was affective and got the job done.  Was Purdue looking ahead and dismissing the double-digit dog at home?  This could be a character building loss for the Boilers, but it just made getting to a bowl game that much tougher…Not saying they can’t, just a longer road.

Texas A&M – Actually, I’m not sure there’s any Aggie fans that actually go to the ledge last week, but last Saturday, there may have been a few that considered flirting with it as a result of the near miss.  It was a grand opportunity blown and the absolute worst rule in all of CFB screwed the Aggies in the worst way.  Close to tying the score, the Aggies tried forcing the ball into the endzone and it was slapped away by a Clemson defender.  And fumbled “over” the pylon and into the endzone.  The rule states that it’s Clemson’s ball at the Aggie 20-yard line.  And Clemson never recovered the ball.  Just forced a fumble.  This rule really needs to change so that the possession is retained by the team with possession prior to the fumble and they get the ball at the 5 or 10-yard line.  The rule is too punitive to the possessing team the way it stands.

We Won But…We Should Be Worried Week #2      
 
WVU – Looked GREAT offensively – Scored 52 on Youngstown State.  But gave up 17 points to Youngstown state.  That’s not a great offense at YSU this season.  And the Big iiX has better offenses than that.  WVU is going to have to stop some people in the Big iiX if they hope to have any chance of winning that conference.

The Rest of The Mess Week #3

Back on Track!  Let’s get into it!

CUD – Complete, Unmitigated Disasters!!!

The B1G – The last time the B1G lost 7 non-conference games on the same day?  Gotta’ go back all the way to 1936 to find a similar Saturday where the B1G lost 7 non-conference games.  And this was the conference that went 9-1 in last season’s bowl games…Sigh…To run them all down:

Wiscy loses to BYU.  Completely unexpected – Wiscy was a 24-point favorite in this game.  What’s really sad:  BYU more or less beat Wiscy at their own game.  Hornibrook was a MAJOR Achilles heel in this beat down, throwing an INT and completing the game with a QBR of less than 50%.   

Nebraska lost to Troy.  Granted, Troy beat LSU last season, but still. It’s Troy.  And you’re a B1G Team.  What the hell?

Northwestern lost to the Akron Zips.  Akron IS NOT the MAC’s best football school.  Yes, Akron won the MAC East in 2017, but went 7-7 overall.  This was a TERRIBLE LOSS for the Purple Kitties…Akron hadn’t beaten a B1G team since 1894. 

Rutgers lost to KANSAS.  This, in the MMQ’s Opinion, is probably the worst loss by the B1G on Saturday.  Kansas is a decade away from posting a winning season and going to a bowl game.  Rutgers is a mess and Delaney will forever have this “badge of honor” associated with his legacy by letting this school into the B1G.

Illinois lost to USF.  In a way, this was expected.  It’s just that when you add it to the rest of the mess, it magnifies how bad the B1G is at the lower end…

Purdue lost by a Figgie to Mizzou.  Which takes Purdue to 0-3 on the season.  This is now a huge problem for Brohm if he expects to get the Boilers to a post-season game.  6 wins in the last 9 games is a tall order.  Probably not gonna’ happen…

And finally, after knocking off Texas in Week #1, Maryland loses to Temple.  Yes, Temple.  I know, I know.  How can that possibly happen after the Terps beat Texas in the opening game?  I dunno.  I really don’t know…but it’s an ugly look for a conference that a lot of prognosticators had as one of the best in the Power 5.  Now, the B1G is the laughingstock of all of college football. 

CBOTL – Come Back Off the Ledge

These are losses that looked bad, but there’s no reason to panic and sell the season duckets yet.

Auburn – Yes, you lost at home to LSU, who’s now 3-0 on the season and the new darling of the SEC West that may be able to knock off Bama when the time comes.  Losing to LSU is not a bad loss and you’re technically still in the CFP discussion, assuming you can win out.  That’s a big assumption, but still:  don’t panic!

PGL – Pretty Good Loss

Vandy – Really, should have beat the domers and played well enough to win.  I really don’t know how good or bad the domers are at this point, but the ACC games will start to peel back the layers of the onion. 

WWB – We Won, But…We Should Be Worried

Domers – see Vandy above. I’d be a very nervous 3-0 football fan if I’m rooting for the domers right now.  They haven’t looked at all good in the last two outings. 

The 5 Stages of Slappy Fan Grief

  1. Denial and Isolation –USC Trojans.  This fan base has to be wondering when it’s going to get better…   
  2. ANGER –Any B1G Team that lost to inferior opponents. Let’s put Maryland, Nebraska, Rutgers and the Purple Kitties in this category. 
  3. Bargaining –Seminoles at 1-2, there is huge buyer’s remorse in Taggart...
  4. Depression –Any 2-0 team that had their game cancelled due to Hurricane Florence.  WVU immediately jumps to mind… 
  5.  Acceptance – Not yet!  Season’s still young….

Speaking Of Buyer’s Remorse…

A Quick review of the newest coaches in their latest positions.  Which fan bases are happy and who’s pissed off?

Happy With Their Purchase

LSU, Texas A&M.  Orgeron and Jimbo have made fans at both of these institutions farely happy campers, even though Orgeron will be on the hot seat as soon as LSU loses a game this season. 

Not So Happy – Did We Keep the Receipt?

Nebraska, FSU, UCLA, Texas, Arizona and Miami.  Scott Frost still hasn’t won a game as the coach of the Huskers.  That’s a problem.  And he just might be 0-3 as he heads to the Big House on Saturday.  Taggart is really 0-3, but somehow found a way to get a W against Samford, where the game was in doubt in the 4th quarter.  Kelly is stumbling and bumbling around at UCLA, where the Bruins literally got pantsed by Fresno State.  FRESNO STATE.  Texas losing in week 1 to Maryland still stings, even after dominating USC at home, so Hermann finds himself with a very frustrated fan base.  And Richt has not had Miami looking at all like the team they were last season after 3 games this season. 

Idle Thoughts from Saturday

-3:30 Games are definitely the worst
-You have to leave in the morning to get to your parking spot
-Yes, you get bonus Tail Gate Time
-But it becomes a really long day
-I didn’t roll into my driveway after the game until 9:30 PM
-And I left my house at 9:45 AM.
-That’s 12 hours.
-That’s a LONG DAY.
-And it makes Sundays even longer…
-What’s with the referee’s in this game?
-Are they drunk or high?  Both???
-Metellus returns an interception for a TD!
-Good for him.  Seems to be on the bad end of some calls…
-OMG!  A delayed Targeting call?
-On Hudson?
-ON A RUNNING PLAY???
-Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot
-First half-time that I’ve hung around for in a long time.
-And THE BAND pissed me off…
-How you ask?
-The band paid tribute to some of the “Greatest Presidents” of our time.
-They put quotes up on the scoreboard…
-And one of the quotes was O’Bama’s….
-And Reagan wasn’t mentioned at all!!!!
-Yes, I booed. 
-And yes, I pissed off several fans around me.
-Too Bad. 
-If you don’t study history and if you drink the Fake News Kool-Aid, you’ve got problems.
-Michigan was efficient but didn’t look like a top 10 team.
-SMU is better than I gave them credit for.
-Everything can’t be summed up in a statistic
-But usually numbers don’t lie. 
-Proche sounds a lot like Boucher when Grapentine says it.
-Bring on the Huskers.

THE MMQ’s “I DON’T NEED A COMMITTEE!”
Will return when the Committee makes their first ranking!

The Hot Seat

The Hot Seat just got an infusion of coaches with some of last Saturday’s debacles! 
ZAPPED List

We’ll keep track of who’s gone as the season progresses….

  1. Durkin – Maybe this is premature, but I think we’re just waiting for the investigation outcome which is rumored to potentially have criminal charges associated with it?

Electric Chair of Death Seat!
  1. TaggartSyracuse blew FSU out of the stadium.  You can lose close, but you can’t get hammered by Syracuse.  Taggart may be the first coach to get canned in his first season.  And I’m not saying at the END of the season.  It might happen during... 

The Hot Seat

  1. Kelly - UCLA  0-3 is a bad look regardless of whether or not you’re a new coach or a seasoned head coach.  Kelly is gonna get scrutinized
  2. Brohm – After getting the boat sailing straight last season, again, 0-3 is a bad look….
  3. Ash - Rutgers – Sooner or later, Chris Ash is going to have to beat someone.  And losing by a load to Kansas is just bad.
  4. Sumlin - Arizona –Kevin has already worn out his welcome.

ETC
GREATEST FAKE EVER!!!
North Texas Punt Returner Pulls Off Greatest Fake Ever!
SMH…This is unbelievable!
On Thursday night, FCS Davidson beat Division III Guilford, 91-61.
The game appeared to set both of these records:
  • Most yards of offense in an FCS game by one team (964 for Davidson; record is 876 )
  • Most rushing yards by one team in an FCS game (685 for Davidson; record is 681)
And there were even more records that didn’t officially count, since Guilford is DIII:
  • Most points in an FCS game by both teams (152 in this game; FCS and DI record is 141)
  • Most yards of offense in an FCS game by both teams (1,662; FCS record is 1,549)
  • Most rushing yards in an FCS game by both teams (1,005; FCS record is 850)

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