MGoBlog: The MGoPodcast

WSGs the Sklar Brothers. Reminder: MGoTailgate tomorrow, noon at Venue, sponsored by AFS.

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, Applied Fitness Solutions, and The History of Michigan Football, an online course by Greg Dooley, and SignalWire, where we are recording this.

Featured Musician: Canada

THE VIDEO:

[After THE JUMP: The show notes.] 

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1. Penn State Preview
starts at the top.

OFFENSE: Meh. Becht has been starting for Matt Campbell for four years, is decent at reading out a defense but his level of play has dipped as the competition surpassed his ability. He's not a Brock Purdy sleeper NFL QB. Both RBs are just guys. WR Chase Sowell is on his 4th school but has been ranked higher in the portal every time, is now their most important offensive player because downfield threat Koby Howard is injured. OL doesn't scare us; Malachi Goodman is not ready for Big Ten pass pro and the other guys don't move people. Their TE room is pretty okay—they did work by playing a bunch of them together.

DEFENSE: D'Anton Lynn is one of the Ravens guys, the safeties coach Baltimore hired when Minter left for Vanderbilt. After the system didn't take in SoCal he's brought it to Happy Valley, and brought along players from UCLA and Iowa State to run it. One difference: the HEAVY OLB becomes the END in their 5-2 sets, which effectively means they're adding a DE not a DT when they go out of nickel. For Michigan it might mean they can try to plow against a defense that is built to not allow that first and foremost. For PSU it means they've been a little sus against quick-hitting offenses. The Wing-T blew them apart. Experienced LBs make it work most downs however. Hope Beck's finally got his head out of his ass. All-Big XII safety Marcus Neal got benched, and might be moving to LB.

2. Hockeytalk, and a little Hoops
starts at 26:52

A 4-0 start for the icers goes on the road to the defending champions with the #1 ranking on the line; does their weird juju apply to the regular season as well? Most impressive performance so far might be that return game at Bowling Green, where they were outplayed for a period then roared back. Ivankovic has been better than anyone realizes. Jayden Perron has been outstanding. Landon Dupont everything advertised.

 

3. After Further Review: Minnesota
starts at 41:49

Unnnnghhhh. Jason Beck's offense is all counters, no meat, and does nonsensical things like pull a guard on a passing down. Avery Gach had a rough outing IDing his blocks, which is understandable since he was a guard until thrust into duty, and those blocks are unique to TEs. But everyone wants to know about the defense, right? Tackling was an issue because they got tired. Tariq Boney met his match in lengthy OTs who can grab at will and don't have to dropback pass pro.

4. Sklars!
starts at 1:04:41

The brothers are in town all weekend, with shows last night, tonight, and two on Saturday (they'll hold the start of Show 1 for people coming from the PSU game).

Featured Musician: Canada
They call themselves a "seven-piece chamber folk-pop band." I call them a perfect distillation of the kind of music coming out of Ann Arbor in the mid-2000s, when they put out the How Dare You EP, which I had in the band box. I think I actually bought this one when they opened for Saturday Looks Good to Me. Unfortunately it's scratched to shit, so I went on Spotify, found their 2021 album "Put Singing Birds Into Your Messy Hair," super dug it, and used songs from that. If you do want to check out their early stuff, start with This Cursed House, which includes some of the songs from the EP but better recordings. Fun story I found googling: They produced that album in a barn, using a soundboard that they presumably got from ILM, since it was used to mix the original Star Wars trilogy.

Canada got together with some other bands to create Quite Scientific (Qui-Sci) Records, so I still think of that whole group "Qui-Sci" (rhymes with Phi-Psi). They also have weird names. One of them is Aaron Saul, another is Aaron Shaul, and another is Ryan Howard (no not THAT power hitter for the Phillies). This isn't the first or last time I feature Qui-Sci bands—the label was pretty important in local music in my era—but I think Canada is their definitive act.

Songs:

"The Farthest Shore"

"Homes and Jewells"

"Half-Hearted Laughter"

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

THE USUAL LINKS:

Helpful iTunes subscribe link

General podcast feed link

Direct download link

What's with the theme music?

 

I'm sorry man, if you have any self respect as a football program you have to win this game.

Things Discussed:

Tactical issues: They run constraint plays without establishing the base, so they overreactions to what they're doing.

They don't punish the safeties being at 8 and 6 yards.

Two different OC types: Lindsay type attaches his stuff to what you're doing; RR/Beck types want to install their offense.

Watch Utah last year: Beck last year would not like what Beck does this year.

Feels like Jason Beck is on tilt; he's trying to win the game with every playcall, and he's not getting the homers.

You can put Max Bredeson on the field but he's got to be at least a little bit of a threat.

Alex Bauman? He's a blocking TE who makes good reads so he might be an answer. But Zack Marshall was that guy.

How many seams have we thrown this year? None. How did Purdue get a big run vs Minnesota at the start of the game, threatened the seam, safety steps back, blockers win.

They don't run Dagger. They don't throw to anyone but their first two receivers.

Brian got a QB running game and the monkey's paw curled.

This is probably the biggest disconnect between expectations and reality we've ever faced.

Hockeytalk: Michigan has an incredible concentration of talent, they're not the only ones. Heady time to be a college hockey fan because there are some great teams out there because CHL players are now in the Big Ten. Think the season will be less frustrating but the Tournament will be brutal because several schools (MSU, Denver) have their best team ever.

Hoopstalk: Not last year's team but pretty good. Trey is the star but he's a shooter; his offense should be shoot or go downhill. Expect them to do some shooting, work in Quinn Costello as a movement shooter, and OREB. Thiam has to learn better shot selection, develop a two-man game with Cadeau. He can't be taking the bad shots because the other guys should be taking those so Thiam and Estrella can put them back.

2 hours and 23 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. The Backcourt
Starts at 0:54

Michigan beats Eastern Michigan in an exhibition game 87-62. Getting Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney back should form one of the best backcourts in the Big Ten. McKenney was a 6th man last year but was dripping with talent. Cadeau's room for improvement is suppressing the turnovers. McKenney you'd like to see improvement as a movement shooter and a finisher at the rim, it's okay for him to take mid-range shots (which aren't very prone to turnovers). The sky's the limit for the backcourt. Kenny Noland comes in from Columbia as a backup, he brings some Mike Smith vibes. His assist and turnover rates could've been better but you got to grade him on a Columbia curve. He brings beating full court ball pressure to the table as well as a structured offense. Roddy Gayle is your projected starting small forward, his 3rd year on the team. He's a glue guy and one of the better ones in the league. His three point shooting had a lot of streakiness to it. He can be aggressive going downhill, also he's an older guy who you can't intimidate. He shows his chest at the rim and makes his free throws. Brandon McCoy is out for the year. Ricky Liburd is most likely to get the backup 20ish minutes per game. He's projected to be a good 3 point shooter. Joseph Hartman might not be an impact player but he has a good bit of polish and is a play finisher. He has comparisons to freshman Isaiah Livers, maybe? Malachi Brown is just a little too small to be viable in conference play this year. 

2. The Frontcourt
Starts at 28:08

Moustapha Thiam comes in from Cincinnati and was the anchor of one of the best defenses in America last year. This was a vital addition to the roster. He's an anchor and a rim protector and looks the part. He takes a lot of bad shots but somehow makes them while having a low turnover rate. He'll have a better offense around him this year to hopefully make better shot opportunities off of. Thiam's a good defender but he's no Mara. J.P. Estrella comes in from Tennessee as the projected 4. He played a lot of 5 overseas but didn't look the part. Estrella was a great offensive rebounder at Tennessee but has some defensive issues that you hope Thiam helps mitigate. Estrella has been very efficient offensively but what happens when he gets extended play time? There are a broad range of outcomes here and we don't really know what to expect. Freshman F Quinn Costello was an excellent shooter in high school, even as a movement shooter. Can he handle all the switches on this Michigan defense? Marcus Møller looked fairly promising overseas. He's a bit underweight but give him a year and his skillset could be really good. He had some Mara vibes. Jalen Reed comes in from LSU, where if he stayed he could've been a starting anything. He reminds us a little bit of Morez Johnson. He's got the muscle mass and the skills if he can just stay healthy. Oscar Goodman has a Will Tschetter vibe - good glue guy but just not quite an established player. He's a guy for a different age of college basketball. 

3. Hot Takes, Season Expectations, and The Big Ten
Starts at 1:00:02

Takes hotter than the entirety of Michigan's 2025-26 basketball season. We are going to have to come back to earth a bit. They still look like a clear tournament team in the 4-6 range but it's not fair to compare them to one of the best basketball teams in the last few decades. There are a lot of Big Ten teams with high floors but not many that look like an amazing team (besides maybe Illinois). Michigan State is pretty much the same team from last year. The non-conference schedule is pretty brutal, including UConn, Marquette, Villanova, and Louisville. What will Boynton's coaching style be? The biggest conundrum is what does he do with Estrella? Last year's team needed to win a national championship, this year you need to just build a program. What's their Big Ten Tournament seed and NCAA Tournament seed? 
 

4. Around the Big Ten with Jamie Mac
Starts at 1:34:30

Indiana 20, Nebraska 17
Nebraska outgains the Hoosiers 391 to 365, Indiana just couldn't run the ball. Nebraska Jim Knowles'd themself and it came back to bite them. The winning touchdown was a rhino play! Colandrea is an annoyingly good QB at Nebraska, he's always doing something positive. Nick Marsh had 57% of Indiana's yards. 

UCLA 17, Oregon 15
Oregon only gained 265 yards of offense, 179 of that was on their final three drives in the last eight minutes of the game. Oregon has to feel disturbed that this is the way their season is going because of a dirty hit against USC. Oregon did their "go for 2" on their first TD but missed it and it came back to bite them. The Ducks had seven (7!) turnovers in this game. 

USC 31, Penn State 23
Penn State's run game is absent, will the Michigan game be "who has to rush less"? USC does not believe you need to cover tight ends (this would work well againt Michigan). Penn State's running backs don't have a run greater than 8 yards, Rocco Becht is the only one with double digit rush gains. Their center looks like David Molk with one foot. 

Illinois 38, Michigan State 37
Ref outrage!! Pat Fitzgerald flips off the field. Fred Moore is Michigan State's top wide receiver.

Purdue 41, Minnesota 13
Purdue ran for 305 yards, that feels bad! Minnesota ran for 27 yards. That also feels bad! When is the last time a Michigan team lost to a Big Ten team that didn't make a bowl game? Could Purdue make a bowl and be competitive against Indiana?

Iowa 41, Washington 24
It was 27-3 at halftime, this was a blowout. Washington had -3 rushing yards, and this was a home game. 

Lightning Round
Northwestern 45, Ball State 14
Ohio State 45, Maryland 16
 

MUSIC:

"Opening Night"—Arctic Monkeys, War Child Records

"Backseat"—Balu Brigada

"Crush"—Indigo De Souza

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

1 Hour and 12 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
What can we learn from two Anchorage blowouts? Power plays, shorthanded goals, Drew Schock, and more. Then a look at interesting early results in college hockey.
 
Segment 2
Previewing all other 6 B1G teams in depth and an early estimate on how the power rankings stack up,

MUSIC

NHL on ESPN Theme

"Off To Dutch Harbor" -- Hobo Jim

Ice Hockey (NES) theme

Things Discussed:

Brian on the offense: The dysfunction is too great to be one thing. Media narrative that they're too perimeter-based isn't based in reality; they were an outside zone team last year. There isn't a one thing they can go to the lab and fix. Running base plays will probably help; too many constraint plays that are too easy to stuff.

Don't see Beck scheming up any explosives. Part of that is it's because he doesn't repeat things that work enough to get a reaction. #1 thing that's hurting them are those explosives.

Defensively they're fine. DEs were a little injured; Tariq Boney ran into an issue with long tackles if they get their hands on him because they don't call holding (except on Michigan) in this conference. A lot of the tackling issues were they were exhausted.

Responding to Devin Gardner's assessment: It's wrong to say Bryce can't make zone reads. He's getting these right, even when they're complicated, except when Hiter clamps down, which is not speculation.

Rhino: Gach is a 2nd year player who just moved here and doesn't know how to make the complicated reads yet. Sam: Teams are reacting to it belligerently. Lack of a counter. Seth: Problem is the Rhino is inviting safeties into the box to replace a linebacker who replaces a DE in complicated ways, and they don't have the experience yet to deal with that.

Why is Rhino their most effective in YPC/YPA? Because they're not getting any explosives.

Beck problem is he's not getting explosives. Ratio of meat & potatoes/fancy plays is totally out of whack—too much fancy and too many ways to diffuse them, so they're not getting guys in wrong positions. Michigan drives are stalling out inside the opponent's territory.

Bryce problem is he falls apart when he gets uncomfortable. The Bryce hit + Marsh drop, Hiter clamp, Delay of Game sequence rattled him and he wasn't reading after that. Not uncommon for a 19-year-old quarterback. If you go Tommy you're just putting another freshman in.

You can't bench Bryce right now. Sophomore Syndrome: Let's talk about Evan Link: he's a pretty good Big Ten left tackle now, and he was unplayable in Year 2. Bryce is Year 2.

If they do use the Rhino what can they do to punish defenses? Slants to Buchanan and Marsh

Where's Dagger? That would work great.