MGoBlog: The MGoPodcast

Things Discussed:

 

When was the last time M averaged 70 yards/game?

Craig: At least 20 plays. This was as bad as it gets. Three holdings that weren't holding, five really bad spots, block in the back on their return. Seth: The holds on runs that go outside are the outlier.

Bryce: INT he's expecting Marsh to stop. To go from someone who was staring down the play to someone moving defenders w his eyes was great. Throwing dots all game. Flea-flicker to Buchanan was great. Moving the pocket to get the Buchanan TD was a 30-yard throw on the move downfield; he flicked one that was incredibly catchable.

Two Duos in this game, Iowa does the Jet Kill thing on one, next time they don't do it and they get a good gain.

In the break: Kanka is a great development. He killed a power play, got that sack with Boney. His emergence means Lea'ea gets to be a specialty 3-tech not the backup nose.

Minnesota: Not impressed with their OL. Defense is one good one one bad one at every position.

Hoop preview with Noland/Gayle: will be a good team, not the defensive nightmare they were last year. Go watch this video by Jess Speight—who's got some directing chops apparently—about Rez for the part about building last year's team. They knew they were going to be special when they found lottery guys going underused at Illinois and UCLA.

Hockey: They're going to have a 1st rounder on the 3rd team, will have to scratch a good defender every night, M/MSU the top two teams again.

1 Hour and 47 Minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1
A brief discussion of the US Open in-person experience. Then season preview part 1, running through all of the forwards. Returning stars like Hage, Horcoff, Perron, and new faces like Hurlbert, Nesbitt, and Sima dot a loaded group of scorers
 
Segment 2
Season preview part two looks at defense. Reid and DuPont join Mews, Robertson, Barnett, Schock, and DRM to form the Avengers. Ivankovic is back and somehow Stephen Peck is too? Discussion of lines and pairs + a brief look at the schedule. Is this the year?

  
MUSIC

NHL on ESPN Theme

"Don't Let's Start" -- They Might Be Giants

Ice Hockey (NES) theme

2 hours and 22 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, Radecki Oral Surgery, Long Road Distillers, Applied Fitness Solutions, The History of Michigan Football, an online course by Greg Dooley, and Venue by 4M where recorded this.

1. Offense vs Iowa
Starts at 0:54

The way we feel about this one is probably the way you felt about the Trouble With The Snap game. But in this game it wasn't one play that makes you go "oh come on" it was like eight. The team looked vastly improved and Iowa's defense will probably end up as a top 15 unit. Bryce was able to integrate into the run game and take advantage of that in the passing game. The defense did everything you could ask except for some tipped passes. Underwood had two huge errors - the QB sneak and the interception. Whose fault was the interception on? Are we in an inverse Wile E. Coyote year? Bryce had ways to attack the zone that were effective, it helps that he has two NFL wide receivers. They were crushing the defense until they shot themselves in the foot. There was consistent movement from the offensive line, injuries are becoming a concern. We started seeing some real production from the running backs. These holding calls are getting ridiculous, in part because they're holds that rarely get called. They ran Kuzdzal with Bryce as the lead blocker again. They only rushed for 3.8 YPA but that's enough when you're throwing for 9.9 YPA. Hogan Hansen is alive! Hoffman looked much improved. From a Bryce standpoint we're back on track to where we wanted to be. Throw it to a Rhino at least once!

2. Defense vs Iowa
Starts at 38:22

There's not much more you could ask. There were multiple tipped catches for Iowa that are usually more likely to get picked. Hill had a little bit of a rough game. Trey Pierce dominated a lot in this game and Bobby Kanka made some nice plays. Iowa's biggest run of the game? 8 yards. There was more Staehling in this game which was nice to see. Do you want Hank Brown to make a fade on the final play? They ran press man. Iowa also ran perfect offense on the final play, what can you do. Iowa hasn't had a solid Big Ten quarterback in a minute, they have one now. 

3. Hot Takes, Special Teams, and Game Theory
Starts at 57:47

Takes hotter than Brian on the stairs in Michigan Stadium for 20 minutes after losing to Iowa on the last play of the game. Special teams made field goals, yay. Punting was okay, not Cam Brown's best game. Are you on team "don't return kickoffs"? A lot of Iowa kickoff players were out this game. You can't give up a straight line kick return, don't squib kick it. Kirk Ferentz still doesn't know how to call a timeout to call a Hail Mary. Kirk Ferentz isn't going to suddenly decide to go for it on 4th and 1. Run Hiter inside the five yard line? The play before Michigan's 4th down that Bryce lept was spotted short. Was he supposed to do a QB sneak and made his own decision to leap it? He learned a harsh lesson and he won't do it again. Was running the ball on the final 3rd and 5 the right move or do you let Bryce go and win the game on that final drive? He has thrown picks and screwed up a QB sneak earlier. You don't assume that Iowa's offense can go 91 yards in 1:40. All of these holding plays have been on defenders who are already out of the play. Zeke Berry's personal foul - a really soft call. There should have been three seconds after John Henry Daley got hurt so Iowa didn't just get a free play. 
 

4. Around the Big Ten with Jamie Mac
Starts at 1:33:01

Revenge of the Big Ten West

Oregon 41, USC 27
Ban baseball slides. Desman Stephens should have played his last college football game. Sometimes you have sympathy for the defender but this was head hunting. But Dylan Raiola comes in and Nebraska fans get to watch him be a good quarterback! 19/25 for 289 yards and two touchdowns. 

Indiana 29, Northwestern 23
A score that would not have been surprising three years ago. "Trophy go brrrr" -Jaime. Free Aiden Chiles! Northwestern stayed in this game by throwing to their tight ends. Indiana might only be good not great on both sides of the ball. 

Wisconsin 24, Penn State 20
Penn State takes a 17 point off turnovers, but their offense got put in a locker. Was that the slowest 71 yard touch down pass you've ever seen? The Badgers are 12-4 under Luke Fickell when the expected starting QB starts and finishes a game. 

Minnesota 27, Washington 24
Washington had 40 yards on 27 carries, they just can't run the ball. Washington fans are starting to turn on Jedd Fisch. Minnesota also can't run the ball, QB Drake Lindsey played alright but Washington's defense is suspicious. 

Nebraska 31, Michigan State 13
Michigan State only has 257 yards of offense, turns the ball over three times, and gives up six sacks. State doesn't look badly coached, they just don't have guys this year. Milivojevic's skill position players are... Fred Moore? How real is Nebraska, actually?

UCLA 54, Maryland 3
Total yards are 475 to 181. It did take UCLA a quarter to get going. Mike Locksley might not get fired, he might just leave and see if anyone would notice. Should the next team with a coaching vacancy just hire the James Madison coach? (No, their head coach is Billy Napier). Could UCLA make it to the Michigan game with only one loss and have playoff conversations?? 

Lightning Round:
Rutgers 58, Howard 7
Notre Dame 49, Purdue 10
Ohio State 42, Illinois 19

MUSIC:

"Gravity Blues"—Geese

"Neverr Everrr"—Viallgerrr

"I Missed Again"—Phil Collins

“Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

The Sponsors
We want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, Radecki Oral Surgery, Long Road Distillers, SignalWire where we are recording this, and introducing Applied Fitness Solutions, and The History of Michigan Football, an online course by Greg Dooley.

Featured Musician: Madison Ambush

THE VIDEO:

[After THE JUMP: The show notes, eventually.] 

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1. Iowa Preview: Defense
starts at the top

They shut down two bad teams and an unknown in ISU. We know they're historically good, run Cov2 and lots of Cover-6 and Cover-8. Seems like the DTs are soft and LBs are making them hold up, which should be exploitable. Cam Buffington is a young Jack Campbell. What's going on in the secondary? Lutmer emerged last year, Anthony Hawkins might be losing is job to a JMU transfer. ISU got them on the edges because the LBs were stepping down and the ISU LT got out on the LBs.

2. Iowa Preview: Offense
starts at 20:11

Alex has a hard time getting a bead on these guys. Return two OL from last year's Joe Moore OL, Seth thinks all three interior OL are centers but they have a great LT (should be a G in the NFL) in Trevor Lauck. Kamari Moulton was great last year but banged up, so is transfer RB LJ Phillips. Tony Diaz has emerged as TE DJ Vonnahme has been hurt. Hank Brown: meh. Fast straight-line speed.

3. UTEP After Review
starts at 42:20

Encouraging play from Bryce Underwood. Made better decisions than it looked, might be a beat late but can get to a better look. Defense: Tariq Boney was amazing, hard to learn more from the DL against this. Earls and Bracy both at fault for 1st TD. Bracy was not at fault for the 2nd TD. Weird to have a DC who just presses the "NOPE" button. Noticed another bust between Earls and Mason Curtis.

4. Roddy's (and Noland's) Eligibility, Rivals Payola, and the PCSA
starts at 1:10:55

...is what I think we are talking about this segment. Roddy wins Round 2; Round 3 is the NCAA's appeal and that's the most important. Rivals is charging $500 to come see your kid—it's gross but also they're getting in on a world that's been exploiting athletes for tens of thousands. They pay for camps already. They pay their own travel to visit and work out for schools. They pay tuition at private schools or buy houses built by boosters to go to the big programs where they'll get noticed. This isn't "you have to pay $500 or we won't look at you;" it's another option. Where it damages is the Rivals rankings. But Old Rivals got a reputation for favoring the guys who went to their camps.

Featured Artist: Madison Ambush

I know nothing about these guys except this sampler kicks. Also they were probably listening to Frank Marino around the same time my friends and I were. The only way I can describe it is it's from some alternate reality where hair metal got to keep developing as a music form without veering into glam or getting upended by grunge. There's so much energy here, and also so many ideas buried, especially in Stray Time Bomb, which has what I think is a guitar wail recorded backwards behind the chorus?

This sampler came home with me from a 2005 trip to New York, a night I was bouncing around the music scene with a friend who was working for Atlantic (the buddy who went on to found Metalsucks) and others he knew from work, but that's all I remember about its acquisition. The back cover says they're four guys: Marc Andrew (vocals/acoustic), Joe Brannan (electric guitars/keyboard), Don Donnerund (drums), and Frank Ruso (bass), and then there's a fifth name: David Geschwendt and a fifth guy in the photo further down. It says it was recorded in Astoria, NY, but mixed in Copley, Ohio. The website is offline. The internet has one other CD by them, but Brannan is now "guitar, keyboard" and Geschwendt is replaced by a guy named Fatcat. They're here on Spotify.

Songs:

Versus       

Good Day for a Change       

Stray Time Bomb

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken down, the opener and outro:

“The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark

“Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

Things Discussed:

Iowa: are they going to zone us? We think Michigan has that in the arsenal, just haven't had to use it yet.

Michigan's run game: TEs and RBs have often been the guys screwing it up. Problems haven't been moving guys off the LOS. Tactical issues with one-man power because defense isn't buying it.

Offense hasn't punished safeties triggering on run action either, because they haven't really had to. Hardly any shots downfield at Buchanan vs quarters safeties.

Attacking Iowa: they can really key down on your best WR, might not be able to hand two.

Hansen's return: looked good. Might be a difference-maker with Beigel out.

Tariq Boney: HOLY COW. He was blowing up runs at the EOH drive to give Michigan a chance to drive for a lead at halftime. He got to the QB before Meadows. Sam: He's just a dude that plays angry. NFL has been underrating smaller guys because they've been obsessed with measurements, and then B-Graham wins a Super Bowl.

Against most defensive lines Michigan should be able to move people. Wish we had Sprague and Beigel for this game. Hoffman struggled early in the year, next man up: Eli Owens?

Roddy's trial: Don't know. Think he gets good news this week, could be bad news next week. NCAA is just shooting themselves in the foot trying to fight this: they gave everybody a 5th year who was on a roster in 2020, and they give everybody a 5th year in the 2023 class and beyond, so it's just the 2021 and 2022 guys who have to live by the old rules? Why stand so hard on this? It's just a small class of players who make your product better.