Okay. So the title of
this post is a cliché. But IT’S A DAMN
APPROPRIATE CLICHÉ!
I THOUGHT the Badgers would be ready for this
game. I KNEW that Michigan might have
been winning against teams that simply weren’t that good. I KNEW that there would be a day of reckoning
at some point this season…
Saturday wasn’t it.
Michigan more or less dominated the cheeseheads from
the opening kick until mid-way through the 4th quarter. And Dominating isn’t even an appropriate
word.
Michigan OWNED the Badgers.
Michigan could have scored more. They chose not to.
The Defense held Hornibrook to 25 passing yards
with 7 minutes and change to go in the 4th quarter, and then garbage
time took over…and Hornibrook managed to get 75 more yards in meaningless football
time. Hornibrook had a QB rating with 7
minutes left in the 4th quarter of 0.7.
Yes, you read that right – 0.7!!!
25 passing yards…Let that sink in for a minute.
Michigan literally took their foot off the
gas once they knew the game was out of reach.
That was at 31-7. After the
brilliant run by McCaffery. Wiscy had
nothing in the bag of tricks to come back from a 24-point deficit.
WISCY HAS NEVER BEEN BEHIND BY 24 POINTS IN THE LAST DECADE!
Okay, with the exception of that B1G
Championship game against THE Sex Toy U.
But that’s it.
What really cracked me up? The onsides kick after the last TD by
Wiscy. And this was after they punted on
4th down with 7 minutes to go…I thought Chryst was a good coach, but
he’s proving me wrong with each and every game decision he makes…
NO ONE BEATS WISCY like Michigan just beat Wiscy. Bill Connelly Agrees…
There were QB runs (Shea – 2nd
quarter – McCaffery – 4th Quarter). There were TD’s. (too many to list). There were INT’s for TD’s. Thank You Lavert
Hill! (THAT was sweet!). And
there was some hard-core football played in Ann Arbor – the kind of football
that Michigan Fans haven’t seen in a long time.
Yep – I’m not ready to proclaim it just yet,
but the B1G Title for 2018 might have to go through the Wolverines. Just a hunch.
Under the Lights is special in the Big House. You can go to all the games you want during
the day, but on a nice evening in Ann Arbor, there’s nothing quite like
it. The field looks bigger. It’s in your face. The crowd was TOTALLY into it. And, yes, it’s always better when you win!
I’d like to say that Michigan is ready to go to East
Lansing and kick some LNU Ass. But that
would be presumptuous. And it would make
me look like an Arrogant Ass.
But, hey, when you’re talking about the Little Brother, it’s all
fair in love and war.
The
Rest of the Mess
CUD-
Complete Unmitigated Disasters – There Were Several
Cornsuckers – Nebraska was 98%
to win the game when they recovered the onsides kick against Northwestern at
the end of the game.
98%
That win percentage dropped to
92% when they pinned the Wildcats at the 1-yard line with 2 minutes left on the
clock and no timeouts. Sorry Frosty, but that loss is on you. You recovered the onsides kick. You HAVE TO BE ABLE TO GET A FIRST DOWN in that
situation. A first down and then you can
run the clock out. Instead, you
went 3 and out and then your defense couldn’t get the job done. What’s worse, you made a TERRIBLE decision going for it on
4th down in OT instead of kicking the Figgie (I get that you didn’t
trust your kicker at that point). 98%. That’s gotta’ be on the coach. And no, no one wants to fire you even though
articles were popping up everywhere with the frost buyout of $30M, including
assistants. But you need to take care of
business better than that…
PSU – Franklin,
Franklin, Franklin. If you had LISTENED
to the FMQ (and MMQ) you would have known that LNU literally baited you
in to trying to rush the ball after that early 80+ yard run by Miles in the
first quarter. They let that happen in
order to make you “think” you could keep running the ball. McSorely should have been utilized way more
than he was. Yeah, he had an off
game. But jeez. And LNU played with that “Chip” on their
shoulder, which is always dangerous for the opposing team. PSU is completely out of any CFP discussion
and playing for a New Year’s Day game, if they’re lucky.
DAWGS of Georgia– No, you’re
NOT THE 2ND coming of Alabama.
Frankly, I’m not sure you’re the 2nd best
team in the SEC. LSU sort of made a
statement on Saturday that said, “Yeah, we lost a tough game to Gatorland. But we’re not finished this season. In fact, we’ve only just begun!” If I was anyone else in the SEC
(Bama) I’d be very worried about having to play in Death Valley this season.
Auburn – You beat Washington,
a CFP Favorite to open the season. And
then you more or less flamed out. What’s
really sad is you have a Defense that is bordering on great (they get off the
field a lot) and your offense can’t seem to support anything. Tennessee hadn’t won an SEC game since 2016
and you were their victim. At home. The Torch and Pitchfork crowd wants blood. The problem is that Malzhan isn’t going anywhere with a $24M buyout in his
contract. Auburn fans are going to
suffer for a LONG TIME...
WVU – And
here I was singing the praises of Holgersen and the ‘Neers just last week
stating that they could be the Big iiX’s favorite to win the entire enchilada
as their defense was playing better and I didn’t see Grier slipping up
against anyone that was left on the schedule.
NOBODY KNOWS NUTHIN’!!!
CANES – Miami
was still hanging by a thread in the CFP discussion and all they had to do was
go to Virginia and take care of business.
That’s it. Not only didn’t they
accomplish that simple task, but they made the Cavalier’s look decent in the process
of losing to them. The ACC is a mess and Clemson,
even though they didn’t play, is looking like less of a CFP due to the overall
malaise that is hanging over the ACC right now. Clemson is going to have to play for style
points from here on out.
Washington – You
were the one and only hope for the Pac 12.
Oregon “Stanforded” you with an OT win.
Peterson is probably sorry he left Boise where he could lose 1 or 2
games a season and the fans would still love him. Now, he’s looking at potential Hot Seat
issues as he tries to explain a loss to a rival.
Come Back Off The Ledge
The Gophers – You
know, when you pull for a team to beat a team you really hate, you sort of
start to feel the pain of those fans.
And believe me, when the Gopher QB threw that ball up for grabs in the 4th
quarter, I had a bad feeling. In fact, I
had a bad feeling when the Gophers missed those figgies that would have
tightened up the game. That being said,
I like where the Flecker is taking this team.
Patience, patience, patience…
Purdue– I
know, they won and usually this section is for a team that lost. But Purdue demolished the Illini. And they are still 8 points away from being
undefeated. Purdue is probably
going to ruin a lot more seasons before this season is over. They don’t call them the SPOILERMAKERS for
nothing.
Pitt – Seriously? That game you played in South Bend on
Saturday was like being at a strip club and having a lap dance that takes you
to the edge and then doesn’t quite deliver.
Why bother getting that close and not closing the deal? Again, Pitt under Narduzzi can find a way to
win the Big Games but can’t win the games they should win....
We Won But…We Should Be
Worried Week
Domers – As mentioned above, the
domers have 5 games left where they’re probably a 60-70% favorite in each
game. But when you do the math, that
means there’s only a 30-35% chance of the domers winning every game
left on their schedule. That’s the crux
of playing an easy schedule in October and November. When everyone thinks you should win easily,
any close contest or even a loss really counts against you more than if you
were playing a top 20 team.
THE STU– The
Gophers exposed you. I’m not
sure that defense gets any better moving forward. After 6 games, you are what you are. THE STU is a great offensive team with a
Defense problem. In other words, THE STU
is not that hard to score on, just like the co-eds that attend the
university. Again, just like the domers,
they don’t get to improve because they don’t really play anyone until November
24th. And that offense coming to Columbus is
improving each and every week...
Shorthorns – Baylor
made it a game and, by all accounts, the Shorthorns probably should have lost
this game. But they won, keeping their
Big iiX record intact. But now with WVU
and others playing spoiler, do the Shorthorns have what it takes to keep things
perfect in conference? So far, they
haven’t shown it….
LNU – You
can only
show up once you’re out of it. Yep,
Dautoionseoius can only coach them up when they have a “chip” on their
shoulder:
Michigan State’s players all had a poker chip when they
arrived at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, and when they walked into the locker
room, they slammed them on the table.
It was all in an effort to regain an attitude that
has served the Spartans well over coach Mark Dantonio’s tenure.
“We play better when we’ve got that
chip-on-the-shoulder attitude,” senior wide receiver Felton Davis said. “We go
into the weight room and our shirts have that chip on the side of it. That’s
what we carry with us all the time, our lunch box. Just going to work and
that’s how we like it.
The
5 Stages of Slappy Fan Grief
- Denial and Isolation –Georgia
Fan. They believe that they
can still win the SEC Championship and have a shot at the CFP. But that was a blow-out loss. Don’t be surprised when the next one
happens.
- ANGER –Laters – Losing
that Texas Game is going to loom larger and larger as the season wears
on. They might get revenge in the
Big iiX Championship, but will it be enough to get them into the CFP?
- Bargaining –Georgia. Just win out and everything will be
fine!
- Depression –Wiscy. I was shocked when the Wiscy Fans wouldn’t
even participate in the “Light Up The Night!” in the Big House between the
3rd and 4th quarters! I mean, all you had to do was turn the
flashlight of your cell phone on!
For craps’s sake, be part of the event even if you’re team is
getting crushed!
- Acceptance – Cornhuskers, Auburn, PSU, Washington. It’s over. Spoiler time and praying for a New Year’s Day bowl…
Ref
Rants
If anyone had a ref rant over
the weekend, it has to be PSU. I saw more
holding in the replay of that game (against LNU) than I’ve seen all season THAT
WAS NEVER CALLED! The LNU secondary was
getting away with murder! PSU
should file a formal complaint against the crew that was in Happy Valley. I just hope the same crew isn’t in East
Lansing this weekend. If so, it’ll be a
long day...
Buyer’s
Remorse…
1. Frost – Still no wins. And the last loss is on Frost. At least Frosty is in the record books as no
Nebraska Team has ever gone 0-6.
2. Kelly-When they win, win HUGE! 37-7 over the Cal Bears is impressive. And could be an omen of things to come in
Bruin Country!
3. Taggart – Byes are nice…
Idle
Thoughts from Friday/Saturday
-Corso is getting old.
-I hate to say they should let
him go, but…
-I mean, I love the guy.
-But he’s just not able to do it any more…
-And I’m not mad because he
picked Wiscy.
-If anything, I’m kind of
happy he picked them!
-Whenever he picks Michigan,
it’s usually a disaster.
-7:30 kicks suck..
-Night games – Love ‘em &
Hate ‘em.
-You miss everything else
going on
-And Saturday had to be a
great sit on the couch and watch football day
-Granted, we were able to
check out most of the games at the Tailgate behind us
-But still, I like getting
into the games.
-The Gophers are looking good!
-Gophers - HOW
DID YOU MISS THAT FIELD GOAL? From the 8
yard line?
-Flecker – talk to that
kicker. Pump him up
-That was a terrible pass,
Gophers– and intercepted.
-Sigh. Gophers are Gophers
-LNU hanging with PSU
-The FMQ blew that call
-LNU with a “Chip” on their
should is dangerous
-Great. PSU out of any discussion. One more team in the B1G playing for pride.
-And Michigan still has to
play both of them.
-Lovely.
-Here we Go!
-The Big House under the
lights is quite a sight!
-I know I hate night games,
but I love ‘em too!
-Weather was actually quite
balmy!
-Yes, I long johns are a great
invention!
-Wiscy doesn’t have answer for
our Defense.
-OK, well, that jet sweep
seems to work for them.
-Hornibrook has nothing
tonight.
-Shea is ON!
-Oh, LOOK AT THIS! GO SHEA!!!!
-That is one of the best plays
I’ve seen all season.
-Too bad we had to waste it on
the Cheeseheads.
-Surprisingly, no penalties.
-Don’t look now, Cheeseheads
down two scores.
-The Cheeseheads are NEVER
down two scores.
-DOWN THREE SCORES!
-McCaffery! It’s over!
-That was another sweet run!
-Michigan no longer has a QB
problem.
-In fact, Michigan’s offense
is coming into its own!
-If this was one of the better
defenses in the B1G, I’m not impressed.
-But I don’t think it is. Wiscy has a lot of injuries.
-So many upsets and near
upsets!
-They call it “Shocktober” for
a reason!
-CFP potentials took hits
today.
-Even Bama was exposed…again.
-Could things be coming
together in Ann Arbor?
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! As of October 15th, there’s really
only 8 teams left that have a shot at the CFP.
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 –
IN. NEEDs A LOT of help: LSU, Florida, Georgia. Most likely representative: Winner of the SEC Championship. Georgia hurt themselves on Saturday, but can
still control their destiny. I still
believe only one team from the SEC gets in.
I just don’t see how a 1-loss team from this conference gets in based on
the SOS.
The B1G: THE
Sex Toy U and Michigan – IN. NEEDs
A LOT OF HELP: IOWA-Maybe. Wiscy and PSU are both out of the picture
with Eliminator losses on Saturday. Iowa,
sitting with one loss to Wiscy, is the leader in the West at this
point. But they’re so under ranked nationally
that I don’t see a way they can creep up in the polls high enough unless some
other teams in the B1G lose and they win out.
ACC:
Clemson – IN - maybe. The
ACC is such a mess at this point that an argument could be made that even if
Clemson goes undefeated, they may not be worthy, especially if the domers win
out:
The domers: Pitt
screwed up on Saturday and that would have been the nail in the coffin for the
domers. However, a 12-0 domer team won’t be denied
one of the 4 spots in the CFP if they run the table. Still, there’s only a 35% chance of that
happening, and each game will be a little more difficult as the season wears on.
The Big iiX:
IN – NOBODY. Needs a
LOT OF HELP: WVU, Texas & Oklahoma. This conference took a hit with the Laters
losing to Texas. WVU & Texas both
need to win the rest and win the Big iiX Championship game to have any
chance. Losses to Iowa State and
Maryland simply put them at the bottom of the 1-loss team column.
The Pac 12:
IN – Nobody. Needs a
lot of help: Oregon - Maybe. Now that Washington and Colorado have tanked,
I really don’t see a team from this conference making the cut for the CFP.
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.
- Mike Jinks – Bowling Green. I guess starting out 1-6 in the MAC gets you canned now…
Electric
Chair of Death Seat!
- Ash – Rutgers: I guess Rutgers is simply going to ride this train till the end of his contract. I mean, who are they going to get?
The Hot Seat
- Frost – Nebraska. Until he wins a game, the seat’s warm
- Sumlin – Arizona. What a disaster of a season…
- Malzhan – Losing to Tennessee
is a fireable offense in Auburn
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