We’re half way there…And I really don’t think Michigan is living
on a Prayer at this point. In fact, I’m
liking a lot of what I’m seeing.
“If it would have snowed this morning we would have had all 4
seasons in one day!”
This was AJ as we took our seats in what turned out
to be a blisteringly warm afternoon in the Big House after experiencing cool
temperatures, RAIN, Lightning resulting in a game delay and everything else
Mother Nature can throw at you on an October Saturday. Needless to say, tailgating was “cozy” as
everyone tried to move and get under the tent.
Oh, and there was a game.
Here are the Highlights:
Some tape times you may want to jump to in
order to catch some of the better plays:
2:19 – Shea
5:40 – Shea
6:15 – Razzle-Dazzle
9:30 – Shea
11:29 – Wangs
In addition to that (and I didn’t catch it on
the highlight reel) but there is a Twitter post of Tru Wilson that you must see. Tru Wilson is a BEAST. He pancaked a linebacker and then finds a
lineman to pancake ON THE SAME PLAY!
Yes – Tru Wilson is a FOOTBALLER!
The Defense has proven that it can play regardless
of who’s playing. Gary and Evans were
both in street clothes, but methinks they could have gone if needed. I think Michigan looked at film and saw
enough vulnerability on Maryland that they decided to rest them an additional week
for Wiscy.
Not to say that it was anything worth
mentioning. Yes, the Terps had a
kick-off return for a TD but when the MMQ exited the Big House in the early 4th
quarter, the Terps still had less than 100 TOTAL YARDS OF OFFENSE.
To say that I was shocked – SHOCKED! – that their
total appeared to me on Sunday as 220 Total Yards was a bit of a mystery
shrouded by a true thought of, “Michigan’s Back-Ups on Defense aren’t doing
their jobs.”
Shea Patterson has more or less proven himself to be the QB we
all thought he COULD be. He made throws
on Saturday that were as good as any I’ve seen in the Big House, and I’ve seen
a few QB’s go through there that have gone on to play in the NFL and enjoy long
careers. As this offense becomes more comfortable to
him, you can bet that he’ll be even more affective. Even with the pass pro as leaky as it is
(trust me – still the biggest issue on offense), Sheay finds a Way. Collins, Gentry and DPJ were all in on the
act with Shea and have proven to this fan that they can compete with
anyone in the conference.
As I tried to watch a replay yesterday, I
still didn’t make it through to the 4th quarter, so I’m still not
aware of how those yards were gained by the Terps. But I can tell you that Michigan’s defense
was so smothering, that the terps only had 5 first downs midway through the 3rd
quarter.
I was more nervous about this game than I
probably should have been. Something
about Durkin and the fact that I think (thought) he is a good coach and has
taught solid fundamentals. Maybe
I give Maryland way too much credit, but this is still a team that beat the
Shorthorns in the first game of the season – convincingly.
And Michigan DOMINATED Maryland,
convincingly. They were dominating on
Defense. The Terps were WAY Dominated on
offense. Michigan did things
offensively in this contest that I hadn’t seen in quite awhile, or in some
cases – EVER – and that’s a good sign. Michigan
is opening up more and more of the playbook as they get into the more important
games of the season.
So what does it all mean, 6 games in?
It means that the defense can weather
injuries and still perform. The offense
is a LOT BETTER with Shea at the helm
Right now, with the exception of Satan’s
Warriors, I’d give Michigan a 50-50 chance against anyone in the Top10. That’s how good they’ve looked to this fan,
at least in person in the Big House.
If Michigan could play everyone in the Top 10 at HOME, they might even
be better than 50-50.
Game Day will be in Ann Arbor for the Wiscy Game this
Saturday. Michigan will be tested on
Defense as Wiscy brings one of the nation’s top rushing offenses to town. In a night game Under the Lights. Weather is looking iffy, meaning that both
sides could be rushing the ball often.
Let’s have some fun!!!
The
Rest of the Mess
CUD-
Complete Unmitigated Disasters – There Were Several
LSU – As
suspected by the FMQ, the Tigers from Louisiana are still not quite
ready for Prime Time, at least, they’re not ready to take the Death Valley Show
on the road. Gatorland proved to be too
much on offense and the defense was able to hold it’s own. It was a tight, low scoring affair, but what
SEC rivalry game isn’t? LSU is not out
of it, but the path needs to be handled perfectly moving forward. And they need to beat Satan’s Warriors at
home.
Laters– Oklahoma was down BIG
in this game, found a way to get back into it, and then let the Shorthorns win
it on a late game Figgie. What does all
of this mean for the Big iiX? For Mike
Stoops, DC at Oklahoma, it means the end of his job as he was released from his
duties on Sunday. As the MMQ predicted in the Pre-Season
Spectacular, I didn’t think the Big iiX would have a team in the CFP. I predicted then, and still believe today,
that the best the Big iiX will produce is a one or two loss champion at the end
of the season. Right now, WVU
and the Shorthorns control their own destiny.
LNU – I had to suffer a lot of
ribbing last week as many, MANY LNU fans were giving me crap due to Michigan “squeaking”
out a victory in Evanston. Lol,
LNU fans. I’m guessing you’re glad Hoops
season has started. Northwestern is
better than their 2018 record and LNU is worse than theirs. That’s 3 wins over LNU in a row for the
Purple Kitties. LNU was lucky to beat Utah State
(who just knocked off BYU) and they should really be an ugly 3-3. Of course, this means the entire
season now falls on October 20th and if they can “win that game”,
all will be fine in LNU’s F’d up world.
Let’s hope Michigan disappoints them.
AUBURN– The Torch
and Pitchfork crowd is alive and well in Auburn and are ready to can Malzhan
mid-season. Contract buyouts are
under review and Tiger fans have had it.
Will ANOTHER National Championship coach be canned at Auburn? Would they really do it again? Yeah, they would. Especially with a loss as embarrassing as the
loss to MSU was. Moorehead is going to
be a great coach there...
Kentucky – It’s
hard to win on the road in any conference, much less the SEC. Kentucky was on a roll, but the Aggies, Jimbo
and Kyle Field proved to be just a little too much for the wildcats to handle. And, after all, those fans can’t be
distracted by Football now that hoops season has started so that gives them an
excuse to stop paying attention.
Come Back Off The Ledge
The Hoosiers – The
Hoosiers gave THE Sex Toy University a game for 3 quarters of football. In fact, they were only down 1 score going
into halftime after leading by double digits.
Haskins put on a show in the 2nd half and the
Hoosiers couldn’t answer. But don’t be
surprised if Indiana beats someone they’re not supposed with what remains of
their schedule- Iowa, The Gophers, Michgan, Purdue, PSU and Maryland should all
be worried.
Stanford – Looked
ugly in their loss to Utah and should deservedly be OUT of the CFP discussion. Bryce Love simply can’t stay healthy and all
the Cardinal can do right now is throw the ball, which is never going
to win you a NC. But, they can still be
a nuisance in the Pac 12.
Florida State – Yeah,
they’re
3-3. But they led a top ranked team in
Miami by three scores and then let them BACK IN THE GAME and the Canes eeked
out the W. FSU may prove to be a
problem for some ACC teams moving forward.
You never want to play a good team that’s playing for pride. They can always find a way....
We Won But…We Should Be
Worried Week
Miami – As mentioned above, they
were lucky to eek out a W against the noles and they are probably the most
over-rated team in the Top 15. The Canes
aren’t going to represent the ACC, but they can be a problem for everyone else
in that conference.
THE STU– Also
mentioned earlier, THE STU has proven that they are vulnerable on Defense. Youth is fast and athletic, but you can never
coach experience. THE STU should
be concerned moving forward as there are still Spoilers on their schedule. Including Michigan.
Domers– Defeated
the Hokies
in convincing fashion. The domers are
going to be the “Fly in the ointment” come CFP time based on the fact that the
rest of their schedule looks very manageable, unless USC can find an
offense in the near future. Pitt, Navy,
Syracuse, USC, FSU and Northwestern are all going to get a shot, but the domers
look pretty good right now. Can they
keep it up and stay focused?
The
5 Stages of Slappy Fan Grief
- Denial and Isolation –LSU
and Auburn. Two fan-bases that have
questioned the Head Football Coaches since they were hired and are still
questioning them now that they are effectively out of the CFP discussion.
- ANGER –Shorthorns – And
they fired their DC because everyone wanted blood. Lincoln Riley’s next DC better be a good
one…
- Bargaining –Nebraska still here from last week and
still looking for 1 W for the Win column. Just to say they earned one…
- Depression –Every school
that either lost a critical game or was eliminated from the CFP.
- Acceptance – Cornhuskers. It’s over. Spoiler time and 1 win would be great kind of attitude.
Buyer’s
Remorse…
1. Frost – Still no wins but looking a little
better. Free Beer when the Huskers Win
their first game!
2. Kelly-If you’d have bet me that half way
through the season neither Frosty or Kelly would have a win, you’d have made
some money off me. Not much, but some…
3. Taggart – Ugh…Had the Canes right where
you wanted them but couldn’t seal the deal.
Idle
Thoughts from Friday/Saturday
-Started Homecoming weekend
off right on Friday night in Ann Arbor!
-the Premier of “The Bob Ufer
Story” played at the Michigan Theater on Liberty.
-Ran into a lot of people
including “Touchdown Billy Taylor!”
-It was a great evening.
-And yes, when it becomes available,
if you’re a Michigan and Ufer Fan, you have to buy and watch the movie.
-It’s pretty good.
-I hate rain!
- 70 degrees in October!!!
-I’m
ready for fall weather.
-Sunny, cool crisp mornings
and afternoons.
-Not Thunderstorms and
lightning and humidity that you can cut with a knife.
-Great – Game Delay.
-and More rain...
-Lovely.
-It’s Matt the Drum Major that
started the “Head To the Ground Back Bend!”
-He knows a Holland Tailgater
- LD.
-Here’s What I wrote about
Matt and what happened in 1993:
-Matt’s take varies from what
this fan remembers.
-He claims he didn’t go down
during the opening day game band show.
-This fan (and several others!)
remembers it differently!
-Matt did clarify that he was the
first (and only?) Drum Major to do the back bend holding the hat on his hip.
-THAT PART may be very true.
-Can’t remember another Drum
Major that held his cap.
-Maryland could be a problem.
-Damn. Kick-Off return. That’s how these things start…
-Okay, Michigan back on top.
-Terps CANNOT move the ball.
-2nd quarter and
they only have 3 first downs.
-Huh. Can someone explain to me why I was worried
about this game?
-Maybe Maryland and up and
down team?
-Nice PASS Shea! Collins interfered with and still made the
grab.
-Oh, I like a little Razzle –
Dazzle!
-Yep, Maryland’s toast.
-Higdon Solid.
-Nice Pass!
-HOLDING MY ASS!
-I Hate referees at this
point.
-Here’s the replay…Wilson was
holding???
-That was holding? WTF!!!
-IF THAT WAS HOLDING, YOU
BETTER START CALLING A LOT MORE ON MARYLAND!
-OMG - DID YOU SEE WHAT TRU
JUST DID?
-OMG! What a play that will NEVER show up on the
stats line.
-But he’ll be a hero come film
room time!
-Maryland just not very good…
-Wiscy on the docket.
-I have a feeling they’ll be
better prepared and ready for Michigan.
-That’s kind of a Big Game
next week?
-I wonder where Game Day will
be Saturday?
THE MMQ’s “I DON’T NEED A COMMITTEE!”
The Committees Rankings come out October 30th,
but it’s time for the MMQ to do a little logical review of who’s in and who’s
out!
I’m not going to “rank” the teams per se, but I
will tell you which conferences and teams have a favorable position and who’s
in deep doo-doo.
SEC: Bama
and Georgia – IN. NEED A
LOT of help: LSU, Florida. Most likely representative: Winner of the SEC Championship. And that’s probably it due to the SOS
of both Georgia and Bama not measuring up to the top teams in the B1G SOS. Speaking of:
The B1G:
OSU, PSU and Michigan – IN. NEEDs
A LOT OF HELP: Wiscy. Michigan and PSU are in if they win out,
finish 12-1 (including conference title) and control their own destiny at this
point. Wiscy needs to win out and win
conference title, but the loss to BYU looks worse and worse each week
and the SOS will continue to plague them, even if they manage 12-1. Still I would THINK Wiscy would get
the nod...
ACC:
Clemson – IN - maybe. Everyone
else NEEDS A LOT OF HELP (keep your NC State is undefeated! Comments to
yourself). At this point, there’s
nobody
in the ACC that even begins to pass the sniff test even if someone pulls off
the upset against Clemson.
Clemson could be in jeopardy if they lose and the following knuckleheads
run the table:
The domers: A 12-0
domer team won’t be denied one of the 4 spots in the CFP if they run the
table. The SEC will also be in with at
least one team. The B1G champion is most
likely in (with at least one team) leaving the Pac 12, Big iiX and the ACC
(the domers would effectively become the ACC Team) looking in from the sidelines.
The Big iiX:
IN – NOBODY. Needs a
LOT OF HELP: WVU REALLY NEEDS A LOT OF HELP: Texas & Oklahoma. Basically, WVU controls their own destiny and
an undefeated WVU will be difficult to ignore. Texas with 1-loss would probably be left out
as the loss to Maryland continues to look worse with each Maryland loss. Oklahoma blowing it in the Red River Shoot-Out
really hurt the Big iiX’s chances of landing a team in the CFP.
The Pac 12:
IN – Nobody. Needs a
lot of help: Washington. REALLY NEEDS A LOT OF HELP – nobody. This is a one team conference at this point
(I know, Colorado is undefeated) and they more or less have to run the
table. I’m not sure Colorado can win out
and if they do, the SOS is going to hurt them.
The Hot Seat
ZAPPED List
We’ll keep track of who’s gone
as the season progresses….
- Durkin – Criminal charges pending. Can’t fire a guy and make him look guiltier.
Electric
Chair of Death Seat!
- Ash – Rutgers: I really don’t know how this gets any better in New Jersey. This is a mess. Ash will probably get to the end of his contract. Too bad as I thought he was a decent coach.
The Hot Seat
- Frost – Nebraska. Until he wins a game, the seat’s warm
- Kelly - UCLA winless keeps you on the
hot seat.
- Sumlin – Arizona
- Malzhan – Losing to MSU
is a fireable offense in Auburn
- Orgeron – Losing to
Gatorland is never a good look...
- Dantieonao – LNU. Three in a row to the Purple Kitties…
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