Game Recap: Eastern Michigan

Note:  I thought I posted this Monday, but obviously not.  It's a little late for a game recap, but I took the time to write this so what the hell.

Well, the neighbors from down the street came over on Saturday for a little game and that's just what the home team showed them:  little game.  After two straight weeks of slow starts, I'm not sure why I expected anything different this time around (other than it was freaking Eastern) because both sides of the ball came out asleep again.  It is so frustrating to me to see a team come out and sleep walk through the early parts of a game.  If you're not jacked up and excited to go out and play, I have no use for you.  Yes, you have to control that and you can't just go out there like a wild man and expect to play well, but come on.  These guys looked like they were taking a nap and someone woke them up and shoved them on the field.  I saw zero intensity on the field on Saturday.  Zero emotion.  Zero passion.  Several times in the first quarter I screamed at my TV "WAKE THE F@#$ UP GUYS!!!".  This is made even more pointless by the fact that I was watching the game for the first time several hours after the fact on TiVo.  Whatever.  You can't just turn this stuff on, either in a game or later in the season.  There are going to be games that they are going to need that passion and emotion and intensity if they want to win (like this weekend against SDSU) and they aren't going to be able to just flip the switch and make it happen.  And for the record, the late arriving crowd that seemed to be half asleep too didn't help any.  Poor effort by the crowd Saturday it seemed.

Ron English looked  jacked Saturday, too bad Michigan's team didn't play the same way. [John T Greilick, Detroit News]

More of this please...

Competent Safety play.  Thomas Gordon played a pretty decent game and made a nice one handed pick as well.  We know Kovacs will do what he is supposed to and it's nice to see someone next to him do the same thing.  Although Eastern hardly threw the ball the entire game (six attempts, 29 yards) this is an encouraging sign that is hopefully going to continue and end the years of miserable play by Michigan Safeties.

Third down success.  This is also encouraging and is one of the key stats to gauging an offense's and defense's effectiveness.  Michigan was 9-14 (64%) on Saturday offensively and held Eastern to just 4-12 (33%), both very solid efforts.  This helps the opposite side of the ball each time it happens.  The offense converting on third down keeps the drive going and allows the defense time to rest.  The defense coming up with a stop prevents them from getting tired.  Perhaps more importantly, each third down success on either side of the ball swings field position more in your favor as well.

I wish you were faster.  [Greilick, Detroit News]

Vincent Smith.  I've liked this kid since he got to Ann Arbor.  He's tough, he blocks and picks up blitzes well, he doesn't blow assignments or make mistakes, he catches the ball, he returns kicks; he's just not very fast.  Well, that and he's not going to run between the tackles all day with much success.  I think you have to have Fitz in there to get some touches and change it up, but I think Vince has earned the right to start next week.  He's not a feature back that you can give the ball to 15 or 20 times a game but he's effective with the ball when he gets a chance.

Few penalties.  This has been very welcome this year.  Again Saturday we saw very few penalties on Michigan.  I can live with two flags for 17 yards.  I hope this continues, particularly on the road.

Michigan made a field goal?  Wow, 1-1 on FGs this year.  I'm impressed.  Now don't attempt another one the rest of the season please.


...but I could do without this, at least until it's fixed.

Run Defense.  Yes, EMU was averaging a billion yards rushing per game going into this.  It's hard not to do that when you opened with St. Mary's School for the Blind and Ypsilanti Elementary on the schedule.  The DL got pushed around way to much considering the guys they were going up against, the outside 'backers routinely lost contain (especially on the Pop or Jet Sweep) and the Eagle ball carriers took advantage in chunks.  Give credit to Eastern for having a good game plan and using different formations and motion to create what they wanted but this has to be shored up before Michigan plays a real live opponent, like the next one.  SDSU and Ronnie Hillman will make those mistakes hurt.  Bad.

Waaaaay too much of this.  [Greilick, Detroit News]

Denard running every play.  Obviously, my prediction about the number of times Denard would carry the ball on designed runs was way off this week.  This can't continue.  Yes he's the best player on the team and is most effective when he's running the ball, but he shouldn't have to carry the ball 26 times against Eastern.  Seriously.  Part of this is because he seems to have forgotten how to throw the ball (more on this in minute) but if this is the gameplan the rest of the season, he's going to need a wheelchair pretty soon and Michigan is going to have a sub .500 conference record again.

Not exactly textbook.  [Greilick, Detroit News]

Um, passing game?  Wow this bad right now.  Hoke and Borges have pinned this on Denard's poor footwork and that's a great place to start.  He knows it's not good and it's not good a lot of the time.  Make no mistake, this is not an easy thing to learn nor is it easy to do.  It seems to me, though, that I recall hearing all spring how much his footwork has improved and how it has improved his passing.  Where did this go?  7-18 for 95 yards is not going to get it done.  He was the victim of some drops but one in particular I recall he is not without blame on.  The RB wheel route to Fitz that he dropped was floated way to high and too softly.  Yes he should have caught it anyway, but if he throws that ball properly then Fitz probably does catch it and has time to do something with it.  Denard almost seems like he is aiming or guiding the ball instead of throwing it. 

Standouts

The Good - Offense:

Smith - Good day for him.
Running Denard - He did his thing.
Koger - We could use more guys that block their ass off even when they lose their helmet.

The Not So Good - Offense:

Wide Receivers - Where are you guys?  Roy?  Please?
Passing Denard - Yikes.
OL - I expected much more from them in this game.  Need consistency.
When are we going to see some boots and run/pass option plays for Denard?  The offense could be doing so much more to stress the defense.

The Good - Defense:

Gordon - Good to see.
Roh - Welcome back.
Kovacs - Steady and reliable. (Whoa, when was the last time two Safeties were both good in the same game?)

The Not So Good - Defense:

Discipline - everyone
OLB - contain, contain, contain
DL - Also lacking consistency.
Ryan - Needs to learn he can't play balls to the wall aggressive on every play and how to play with leverage.
Hawthorne - This was a disappointment after his game last week.  Seems like he struggles unless it's in coverage or on a run blitz.
Getting the QB on the ground - Missing too many opportunities to sack the QB when the rush is there.

Player of the Game

Denard?  Smith?  I really don't know.  This was an ugly game to me on both sides.  I suppose it really is a good thing that I can feel so put off by the play of the team and they still won 31-3.  It's almost like old times.  You know what?  Screw it.  Gibbons is the player of the game because he made a damn field goal.

Next Week

Count me among those extremely worried about this game.  SDSU is a sound football team that can run the ball and capitalize on play action. They have a very good running back and an accurate and smart QB.  The defense will blitz relentlessly from every possible place on the field and will do it's best to confuse and fluster Denard.  We saw this work to great effect (albeit from a different defensive system) in the bowl game last year.  This is going to be a real test and it's going to take a much better effort from both sides to win it.  I think the early line on this game is ridiculous.