From the Ann Arbor News:

In the second half, Sheridan took over at quarterback for Threet, who suffered an elbow injury before halftime.

Before people lose their minds over Michigan's loss to Toledo and call for people's heads because Sheridan was in the game instead of Threet, the official line is Threet got injured. Everyone please take a deep breath. Now come in off the ledge. It may get worse before it gets better, but it will get better.

We kinda need this one.

(Ed. Note - No. I can't spell. And yes. I did change the originally misspelled "Evaluating" to "Evaluating." kthnxbi!)

Sure, it's Thursday, time to move on. But Michigan Football's performance on Saturday left plenty of things to discuss. Like what, if anything, positive we can take away from the game and the things we need to work on. With that in mind I dish out a few Celebratory Brews and a boatload of Wags of my Finger and wonder out loud just how rough this season is going to be.

Celebratory Brews!

Um...

Well... Someone had to have done something good... oh yeah... kinda...

Offensive Play Calling - Despite Brian's excellent breakdown of the failures of the Zone Read against Illinois' defense, I thought the play calling was aggressive and relatively well suited to the players. Sure Threet's throws weren't the best from time to time and offensive execution wasn't great by any means, but the Coaches put the offense in a position to be successful. The players just couldn't make it work against the Illini.

Martavious Odoms' Kick Off Returns - The fourth quarter fumble be damned, Odoms was awesome in the return game. Michigan started every drive north of the 25 yard line and usually around the 30 or better. On seven returns he averaged 26 yards a return and made something out of Michigan's horrific return blocking.

Greg Mathews - 4 catches, 73 yards and touchdown. When Michigan threw his way Mathews was dangerous. They just didn't throw his way enough.

via www.mikedesimone.com

Zoltan Mesko - Keeps doing his job. A 47 yard average, including a 55 yarder, 3 downed inside the 20. Not too shaby. The Space Emperor is living up to his name.

and we're done here....

Wags of the Finger!

Good God, where to start?

The Defensive Secondary - There is only one other non-USC, non-bowl related pasting of Michigan's secondary that is even remotely in this category, and that is Dennis Dixon's aerial dismanteling of the Wolverines last year. During that game the Wolverines surrendered passing touchdowns of 85, 61, and 46 yards, and Dixon threw for 293 yards.

During the Illinois game Michigan gave up passing plays of 46, 57, and 77 yards, with the last two resulting in touchdowns. Illinois' receivers ran free, as though they were happy gazels in a lion free tundra. Nothing went right. Tackles were whiffed on, angles were poor, decision making was terrible. Everyone in the defensive secondary was bad. You can't point to a single guy and say, "well, he was okay." No. He wasn't. He was bad too. Five games into the season the fact that the secondary's problems in recognizing the difference between a run and a pass play do not bode well for Michigan's chances against any remotely competent quarterback.

Fumbles - Someone please make this nightmare stop. Karma? The WLA has a point. For four years Mike Hart didn't fumble once, unless it was during a bowl game. Now Karma has come around to bite us in the ass. Hart's two fumbles were just a warning of the flood that was to come. Michigan leads the Big Ten in fumbles and fumbles lost. Actually, they lead the COUNTRY in fumbles lost, tied with Wyoming, and Army at 117th in football protection. Woo! We're number #1(17)!

No one besides McGuffie can keep from fumbling. Brandon Minor can't hold onto the damn ball. If he could, he'd be an integral part of this offense. To pilfer from MGoBlog (comment #19) Commenter Other Chris, the fumble percentages look like this:

McGuffie: 1 fumble in 96 touches -- 1% fumble rate
Odoms: 1 fumble in 36 touches -- 2.8% fumble rate
Minor: 3 fumbles in 15 touches -- 20% fumble rate
Grady: 1 fumble in 12 touches -- 8.3% fumble rate

Just to make you a little more nauseous, Threet has eight fumbles (losing four of them). I maintain the back breaking fumble against Illinois was Shaw's fault, so that total should be 7/3, but it's still horrific. Worse, at least two of those fumbles were unforced "the ball slipped out of my hand" fumbles inside the red zone. Seriously. WTF!? Worse, the fumblitis is getting to people that aren't even playing that much. If you want to count Mike Shaw's touches (4 rushes, 2 KOR, 4 receptions) he's got two fumbles for a 20% fumble rate, per touch. The ball may be coated in tephlon, this is just one of those freak things, it could also be a coaching issue. My money's on all three.

At a certain point you just throw your hands up and shake you head in disbelief for a final time. Maybe this will get better, but it probably won't and it'll be an achilles heel that will more likely than not keep Michigan out of a bowl game this year. These are, after all, kids. I'm hopeful that with age and experience this trend will go down and ball security will improve, but I'm not expecting it any more than I expect a puppy not to piss on my carpet. It's going to happen. I know it. The puppy knows it. There ain't nothing I can do about it.

Refereeing - This is getting comical. And not Lewis Black or Chris Rock funny comical. Carrot Top comical. Comical to the point you want to jump off the balcony to end your suffering comical. Referees directly infront of a play aren't making proper calls while back judges are flinging flags on plays they can barely see. This is hitting Sun Belt levels of quality. The officiating must be overhauled immediately, because even though the officiating didn't cost Michigan this particular game, it's going to cost a front running Big Ten team a game in the near future. No matter what game I'm watching the Referees are missing obvious calls while calling the borderline and not even close kind of penalties. This has to stop. Otherwise the repuation of a Conference in decline continue to grow in validity because of people that aren't even playing the game. And that's even more nauseating than Michigan's fumble problems.

Everything Else - I could wag my finger all day long, but I'd type until my fingers were worn down to the bone. The errant throws. The lack of pressure. The linebackers' horrific, horrific play. The Offensive line being incapable of blocking in the second half. Everything. Everything in the world and time up till now. Everything. For Shame!

All Things In Between

Noise - For what its worth, the construction around Michigan Stadium is making the Stadium a lot louder. The last two games have been the loudest I've ever heard in the Big House. For all the criticism bloggers and the media have leveled on the fans, for the most part, people have been incredibly supportive of what is a bad football team. And those same fans were yellin', screamin' and clappin' as loud as they can first through fourth down during the first three and a half quarters. In my section, which is full of old folks and alumni, no one sat down and everyone was yellin. The House is getting louder, and as this team improves, it's going to be a huge advantage.

Illinois Fans - For the most part, you were nice people. A couple of you were schmucks, but for the most part nice enough. I wish your football team luck with the remainder of your schedule. You beat us in our house and I tip my cap to you.

Certain Illinois Fans - We need to talk. Mostly about your shirt selection. Now I realize you're in college and the idea that you can curse and swear and wear whatever you want is new to you, and the fact that you can do all of those things on a T-shirt makes your insides all tingly, but grow up. Maybe it's not exclusive to Illinois fans, but the highest percentage of visiting fans to wear the oh so clever "Muck Fichigan" t-shirts are the Illini. Muck Fichigan. He he. It's like I'm swearing, but I'm not. Because the letters are swapped. It's da bomb brah.

Yeah. Ha ha. You're a dumbass. If you own or wear a shirt like that (this includes anyone with a "-uck [School]" t-shirt of any kind), I'll say it again so I'm crystal clear on this point. You're a dumbass. You can think you're clever, but those shirts and signs have been around for decades and they were stupid then too. The same with the "Ann Arbor is a Whore" t-shirt. Attention, dumbass, they've been circulating since the 60's. If you're wearing either of these shirts in public, you're not only a dumbass but you're an unoriginal dumbass. Come up with something new. I beg of you. Please prove to me there something else to do in Chambana than drink grain alcohol and pledge the Greek system.

It's been a little while since I participated in a BTB Roundtable. Part of it is that life hasn't cooperated and the other part is it seems like we're always asking the same questions. So my hat's off to The Only Game That Matters for taking the bull by the cajones and coming up with a fresh way of looking at this.

In an effort to switch things up combined with a weird obsession with Jeopardy, I've decided that this week I'm going to write the answers - you guys write the questions.  The questions can be one-liners, paragraphs, whatever.  The goal is to be as funny as you can, and I expect pot-shots taken at various teams and bloggers whether warranted or not (Call me a dumbass for these roundtables, and you might just make the side-bar).  Let's get a little life back into these things.

Cool. I can get behind this. So what's the deal? Where's the screen?

That's better. I'll take Big Ten Blogger Roundtable for $100.

And the answers are:

1)  Jay Paterno and the Spread HD:  What is a Mirage?

Jay Paterno is still the same incompetent yokel whose head Penn State fans have been calling for over the last five years. The fact that Darryl Clark can run down the field without spearing himself in spite of Jay Paterno's coaching is arguably the greatest mystery of the college football season. In fact, it should probably be its own Jeopardy category.

2)  Joe Tiller's Mustache:  What is Diabeetus?

Bitches don't know.

3)  The Color Purple:  What is a sad, yet heart warming story of a family torn apart in the early 1900's? Oh. Wait. Not the movie?

Then what is the strangest sight atop the Big Ten in 12 years? Goddamn Fitzgerald.... Grumble...

4)  Brains:  What is not just for breakfast anymore?

via img518.imageshack.us

5)  Hawkeye State:   Who is a proud member of the Lemon Party? (That's just too easy.)

6)  Rudy:  What is,

I hate Rudy.

7)  Knee Ligaments:

What are more painful to watch snap than any other part of the human anatomy?

8)  Terrell Pryor:

Who is the second coming of Maurice Clarrett?

9)  Mark May:

Who is covered in Lou Holth spittle?

10)  Rich Rodriguez:

Who is going to make the Big Ten his bitch in the next two years?

Thanks again to The Only Game That Matters for hosting. The Round-Up will be posted there on Friday. Make sure to check it out.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Thumbin' Through, I bring my Treo to every game and thumb out my thoughts as the game goes on. This is complete stream of consciousness. The idea is to put you right inside my head as the game goes on, play by play, Being John Malkovich style. Sometimes it's funny. Sometimes it's painful. Often it's obscene. But it's never boring. So if you have delicate sensibilities, I would recommend you skip this posting and continue on to the rest of site. Regards - Ed.

UM Ill!

Odoms deep for KO rtn

Holy crap. Rtn to 37!
1d mcguff buried on rn to rt.
2d minor in - 2&10 - 2 backs - pass rt to mthews hi enf to get ovr lb
perfect thr

1d - I form - mcgf rt mid for 3 bhnd moundros
2d - koger in - pass rt for nthn miss pass
3d - thrt for pass nthn tucks and scrmbls for 20

1d  - zn rd keeper - nthn for
2d - thrt roll out lft mcgf out of bf. Nthn sack whn no one open
3d - thrt read deep ball odoms rds shrt. total mis com. I'm blaming odoms.
4th - fg from 42 - tipped blkd.

Play calling aggressive. Good. lots of time to throw. No one open.

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via mikedesimone.com

It's not getting into space that'll kill you, it's the re-entry.

A week after Michigan's Football team sent its fan base into orbit with a dramatic come from behind victory, things came crashing back to earth in a giant Illini Orange fireball. Michigan had no answer for either Arrelious Benn or Juice Williams on Saturday and any momentum from the Wisconsin game quickly dissipated as Illinois rolled up 28 unanswered points en route to a 45-20 win over the Wolverines, their first in the Big House since 1999.

But, at least for a quarter, the Wolverines gave us a glimpse of what they can be. For 15 minutes the young Wolverines played inspired football. Passes were crisp. Runs gashed the Illini defense. 14 points dotted the scoreboard for the good guys and the defense looked stout. However, from the second quarter on every warning light on the Michigan board started blinking, offensive systems started to fail, and Juice Williams ran and threw wild over an overmatched and over extended Michigan defense.

Last week, it was apparent that the defense would have to carry this squad until the offensive woke up and/or found itself. It wasn't exclusively a play calling or execution issue as much as it was a confluence of offensive issues that led to Michigan's slow start against Wisconsin. But when Michigan took the field Saturday, those issues seemed resolved. 14 quick points and a drive that resulted in a blocked field goal try seemed to tell us the offense was alive and might actually spot the defense a few minutes of rest and a few points in support. Unfortunately, my optimism after 15 minutes of play was misplaced.

After the Wisconsin game I wrote about my disappointment with Michigan's first half play calling. This week I can make no such complaint. Michigan was aggressive, pushing the ball deep and running the routes you have to throw to be successful. The coaches' faith was placed in the hands of their play makers. Unfortunately, on this day those play makers simply weren't able to deliver.

Michigan couldn't run or throw the ball effectively after the first quarter. Running McGuffie almost exclusively, Michigan found no running room against Illinois' active linebackers and aggressive line. The passing game, which was succesful early on, quickly followed the running game into oblivion. Despite having his best day as a Wolverine statistically, quarterback Steven Threet was at best erractic, alternating excellent throws with confusing decisions and poor mechanics.

The target of the majority of these throws was the diminutive Martaveous Odoms. While Odoms statistically led the Wolverines in receiveing, he too had a mixed bag of a day. Odoms turned himself around on a sure touchdown pass and alternated great catches with the wrong route or a dropped ball.

Through three quarters I charted 13 passes to Odoms. Unless you're throwing to a Senior Braylon Edwards, AC, or Mannigham against Notre Dame, that's way too many throws to an unproven freshman receiver. If there was a failure on the part of the coaching staff offensively, it was the overt and obvious focus on one player and the failure to get Greg Matthews or Kevin Koger more involved. But then again it's hard to be too hard on them when just about every one of Michigan's receivers is hurt or playing hurt. And it's even harder when your quarterback is spending the second half on the ground.

The Offensive Line also had a day to forget. Running lanes were hard to come by. Blitz pickups were spotty. Protection in general was questionable. Michigan's Running Backs totalled a paltry 90 yards total rushing. Sweep after sweep met the waiting arms of an Illini linebacker and Michigan couldn't have put a hole in the Illini defensive front with a buzz saw. Nothing worked.

On Defense the Wolverines mirrored their quarterback, alternating moments of brilliance with crushing mistakes, the majority of which occurred in pass coverage. Unlike Wisconsin, which lacks a vertical passing threat, Illinois possessed the ability to stretch the field and did so repeatedly. Using play action over and over again to draw up safeties Stevie Brown and/or Charles Stewart, Illini torched the Wolverine secondary in a manner reminisient of the loss to Notre Dame earlier this season. Simple coverages were blown. No one seemed to know where Illinois' most dangerous receiver, Arrelious Benn, was.

Screen passes went for 57 yard touchdowns. Michigan would bury the pitch man a half second after he made the pitch then grasp helplessly as Illinois picked up 12 yards after the initial hit. First and second down were dead ends, yet third down was a freeway.

It's easy to point to any aspect of the game and find flaws and fault to dish out. But there was something different about this game that makes it different from its predecessors. There are a number of reasons I can't get upset about this loss. First, Illinois was the better team on Saturday. They played better. They defended better. They exploited Michigan's weaknesses and played to their own strengths. That is something to be commended.

Second, and most importantly, this was the type of game I expected to see out of Michigan a couple of times this season. A game where a few things go right, but the majority don't. A game where we show our age, show that we're still a work in progress and remain a bunch of kids learning new systems on both sides of the ball. This wasn't the hopeless, pit of despair feeling I got against Wisconsin during last week's first half. It was different. It was a feeling that if execution was there, we've been in it. If that pass hadn't sailed. If we'd picked up on Illinois' offensive set earlier. If we just had that extra half second. If, if, if... things might have been different.

These are things that come with age and experience. And they will come to the team as the season rolls on. It's impossible for a team like this to stay in orbit too long. They're too young. Too inexperienced. Just a hair too slow to maintain the velocity they need to remain on top of the Big Ten.

This isn't to say they'll never get there. They will. It will just take time. For every successful rocket launch during the 50's and 60's, NASA must've blown up six more on launch pad. This stuff isn't easy. Maybe as fans we've gotten to the point where we believe the difficult is routine, even a given, when in fact those things we took for granted are more difficult than we'd ever imagined.

Last week Michigan showed us they were capable reaching the Big Ten stratosphere. This week they showed us they're still kids who haven't learned how to deal with success, let alone stay in that orbit. And so it's up to the coaching staff to pick up the pieces from this humbling crash back to earth, learn what they can from it, and build a better rocket out of the parts they have.

It's a difficult process. One that won't be completed quickly and one that will envetiably result in a few more launch pad explosions before the Wolverines finally take flight. But even when that happens it'll be up to the coaches to remind their players that once you're up there your work isn't complete.

Because when you reach that height, it's a long, very hot way to fall.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Sure, it's Wednesday, time to move on. But there are still things to discuss. Like what we can take away from the game and the things we need to work on. With that in mind I dish out a few Celebratory Brews and a couple of Wags of my finger!

Celebratory Brews:

The Defense:  There aren't enough superlatives to do justice to the job they did on Saturday. Aside from a few missed tackles (more on that later), one of the best defensive performances the Big House has seen in quite some time. Taylor, Johnson and Max Martin get massive props for Standing up Wisconsin's massive line, and winning. Also, while Taylor and Johnson were great, I hope everyone is paying attention to just how good Mike Martin has been (as opposed to Max Martin, who's name I erroneously used before). And he's a freshman. But a freshman who shed a double block on the failed two point conversion to smash Evridge as he threw on the game's final, and most important play. If he continues to play like this we're going to be memorializing his name in song very shortly.

Halftime Adjustments:  Until this year I'd only heard of them. When the coaching staff realized the horizontal game plan wasn't working, they changed it. I back sets. Some traditional power game. The deep ball. The offensive coaching staff should be commended for an excellent second half.

Jonas Mouton:  Just an outstanding game by the young linebacker. Mouton was all over the field from my vantage point; in a good way. He seems like a hybrid DE/LB in the Shawn Crable mold, except without the constant penalties that make you want to break things. Mouton routinely shed his blockers to make a play, blitzed his way into Evridge's helmet, and took down backs in space when he was the only thing between them and 30 yards. That added up to 8 tackles, a sack, and a boatload of props. Monster game.

Brandon Graham:  Defensive POW in the Big Ten. I still maintain my prediction that he's going to break someone in half by midseason. He saved the game sacking Evridge at the six. Leads the Big Ten in TFL.

Brandon Harrison:  Quickly becoming my favorite player on the 2008 squad. I've never seen someone his size hit like that. Cus D'amato once said of Mike Tyson, "He hits with bad intentions." So does Harrison. Harrison laid a hit on PJ Hill halfway through the second quarter that made my teeth rattle, and it should be noted that Hill sat out the rest of that series. Harrison also lit up Wisconsin's receivers whenever they touched the ball. At five foot nothin' he plays like the biggest guy in the defensive backfield.

All your conciousness are belong to Brandon Harrison. via mikedesimone.com

Donovan Warren:  Served notice that the left side of the field is his, and his alone. Throw there at your peril. Best corner in the Big Ten at this point in the season. Warren also showed he can play some run defense, as he took down a handful of stretches to his side and made a touchdown saving tackle on Clay when he busted contain in the second.

Minor/McGuffie/Grady/Brown:  All of them chipped in something big. Minor busted the "holy crap we can win this" run. Grady gave us hope with the "this is our season" 4&1 conversion. Brown gave Threet his first passing first down and seemed to settle Threet with that effort. McGuffie capped the comeback with a ballsy, 3& goal cut to the endzone. Sure some longer runs would've been nice, but these guys provided consistent effort and great pass blocking all day. They also provided 14  points.

Steven Threet, Version 2.0:  Not to be confused with the Version 1.0 that spent the majority of the first half flailing about the backfield like a trout on dry land. While V2.0 wasn't perfect, he was pretty damn good and showed himself to be an above average college level quarterback on Saturday. He showed some touch, threw a couple of outstanding deep passes, and made the proper decisions at crucial times in the comeback. Plus, that pass to Koger was beautiful. His intermediate, middle of the field passes still need work but the majority of what he showed us from the 30 minute mark onward was outstanding.

The Offensive Line:  While this group wasn't terrific during the opening half, they were more than serviceable. The fact Michigan couldn't run the ball had more to do with 9 man fronts more than anything else. Even on the rare occasion someone got to Threet in the backfield, it was usually on a broken play or that infamous late hit. Face it, they controlled the line of scrimage the second half of the game. Threet may have been hit from time to time, but the line didn't give up a sack. Not bad for a bunch guys the media called no-names, back-ups and underachievers at the beginning of the year. Steve Schilling, at least from where I was sitting, looked pretty impressive.

Wags of the Finger:

First Half Offensive Play Calling:  When your wife is describing the the play calling as Weis-esque, you know something is wrong. She alos mockingly asked when we hired Bob Davie to run our offense. That may have cut to the bone, but, damn son, I married a good woman. While I will grant you Threet V1.0 was terrible, even that shouldn't have handcuffed the Michigan offense to the extent we saw. Wisconsin was stacking the line, over pursuing, and locking in on the totally obvious screens we were running. A little misdirection, mabye even a single deep ball in the first half would've helped to keep the defense honest. It wasn't pretty.

Throwing to the Shortest Guy on the Field in the Middle of the Zone:  I may be in the minority on this, but the continued attempts to get Martavious Odoms the ball on these little run to the hole in the zone pass plays are driving me crazy. Yes, Threet was inaccurate on a majority of those throws, but if there's a linebacker anywhere between Threet and Odoms that's a tough throw. It's also going to be a throw where an extra 6 inches in height and arm span come in handy. If the backer's in there, there's got to be height on the throw, and its got to be a hard throw because otherwise the safety will knock it away or intercept it. We tried it at least four times and got one completion. Two bad passes, one drop, and one completion. Those numbers scream "Don't Ever Use Me Again," at least until Threet proves he can make the throw and Odoms proves he can catch it.

Martavious Odoms:  I'll be honest, this is a stretch, but Odoms looked a little lost. He failed to turn around for the ball twice on passes to him. He dropped a ball or two that should've been caught, and looked a little tentative. He's here because of the misunderstandings on the pass plays. We're lucky those didn't get intercepted and run back.

Morgan Trent:  Maybe I'm being too harsh, but Trent had a rough day. The fumble on the kick off was just maddening. On the second quarter Clay near-touchdown run, Trent blew the tackle that allowed Clay to scamper an extra 20 yards before Warren pushed him out of bounds. On the game's last touchdown, he got beat, stumbling on his own two feet, on a single move to the middle of the field. Sure Brown had the inside of that play, but Trent's stumble allowed the free release before Brown could get there. In his defense, one of the bright spots was an absolutely wicked hit he put on Jefferson. Even so, I'm sure this is a day #14 would like to have back.

Steven Threet Version 1.0: Horrid. Bad decision making. Bad option release. Bad arm mechanics. Bad throws. I think he'd agree with me on this.

Officiating: These guys were terrible. Failure to review plays that warranted it (Mathews fumble). They missed, at a minimum two blantant Pass interference calls in one series, a dozen obvious holds, and blew at least on call on replay (the completion on UW's final drive).

Hi, I'm Bobo, and I'll be the lead Big Ten Official for your game! 

Special Teams:  Two more fumbles and an anemic return game. WHY?WHY?WHY?WHY?WHY?WHY?WHY?WHY?

All Things Inbetween:

The Linebackers: Great game from Ezi and Thompson. Under normal circumstances they'd be at the top of the Celebratory Brews list, but I ran out of space. One thing that deserves special note is Thompson's individual effort to string out a stretch play while being blocked by a fullback and tackle, and still make the stop during UW's second possession of the Second half. He was the only thing between UW and a big gain, and he made things happen. Quietly, these guys played great.

The Booing:  Meh. Everyone's chimed in on this. Brian hates it. Varsity Blue's annoyed. M Victors didn't like. Maize and Blue Nation had an anurysm over it. On the other hand, Michigan Sports Center and I have owned up to being among those who voiced their displeasure. To each their own. In hindsight I wish I'd kept my emotions a little better in check and not done it, but I don't blame people who did. That was the worst played half of football Michigan's ever played in the Big House, and to paraphrase Chris Rock, "I'm not saying you should've done it, but I understand."

Block M in the Student Section: Wooooooo!

via mvictors.com

Kevin Koger:  Welcome to the show kid. From the looks of things Koger will be Michigan's starting tight end for the foreseeable future. Mike Massey tries, God bless him, but unfortunately isn't as good as the effort he puts forth. Carson Butler, much to my reget, can't stay out of anyone's doghouse and was benched for the game, despite suiting up. Blocking wise Butler is probably the best tightend on the team and he certainly adds an offensive deminision you love, but if Koger can get open like he did Saturday Butler's playing time may go out the window until he proves he can stay out of trouble and in the good graces of his coach.

Greg Mathews: Good and bad day for #13. Bad fumble on his punt return. Great and crucial catches throughout the second half.

Stevie Brown and Charles Stewart: Good game boys. Keep it up.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Thumbin' Through, I bring my Treo to every game and thumb out my thoughts as the game goes on. This is complete stream of consciousness. The idea is to put you right inside my head as the game goes on, play by play, Being John Malkovich style. Sometimes it's funny. Sometimes it's painful. Often it's obscene. But it's never boring. So if you have delicate sensibilities, I would recommend you skip this posting and continue on to the rest of site. Regards - Ed.

Thumbin Through Michigan Football v. Wisconsin!

UM UW
Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

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via mikedesimone.com

Maturity is something that, by definition, comes with age. It's something you get as you go through life's little challenges and emerge from them with a little scar to remind you of the things you're really not supposed to do. Maturity takes time. I mean it's not like you can learn what to do and what not to do in an afternoon. You grow into things. You take your knocks. You eventually emerge from it stronger, and sometimes victorious.  But it doesn't happen in an afternoon, does it?

Saturday afternoon started the same way the last three have. Fumbles. Mistakes. Fumbles. Mental errors. Fumbles. Poor play calling. Fumbles. So, as Michigan left the field at the end of the first quarter, the Michigan faithful, men and women, rose to their feet and voiced their displeasure. Could you blame them? Five turnovers. One first down. Negative seven yards passing. And the fifth turnover was an end of the half interception that nearly found its way back into Michigan's endzone. And as the chorus of boos rained down on the field, much to my surprise, I found myself riding this wave of frustration and anger and let loose a good hearty "Boo!" 

It was a first for me. I'd seen worse beatings inflicted on Michigan during an opening half, last year's Oregon game for instance. 2002's Iowa/Brad Banks' delivered butt-whuppin'. This year's Yackety Sax in South Bend. But as I glanced back through my treo at my thoughts on the first half, I'd used more expletives than a longshoreman's convention and used the word "criminal" in describing the play calling more than once. I wasn't mad at the kids on the field. I was mad at the situation they'd been put in. And, well, honestly, I was a little mad at the kids who kept fumbling. Human nature being what it is, right? How could we spend two weeks "getting better" and do the same damn thing we'd done against Notre Dame? Why was our offense so damn inept?

Seriously? The offense was a disaster. Wisconsin stacked the line, keying on any movement by McGuffie or anyone else in the backfield. It was as if the two coaches were in a staring match and Michigan kept blinking, determined to not blink first and run the ball until it found success. Student body left. Student body right. Those were Michigan's two plays for the first half. That and the 15 yard scamper by Stephen Threet that resulted in him both getting plastered by Wisconsin's safety and losing the ball. Michigan's passing game was strictly horizontal, even more so after Threet sailed every down field pass into geostationary orbit. The running game was predictable. The line was getting beat. Nothing was going right. It was as if DeBord never left. And what the hell was with the constant fumbling?

via mikedesimone.com

Buried in the specactular, steaming turd the offense left on the field was a diamond of a performance by the defense. Despite spending the entire first half on the field the defense held Wisconsin to just 19 points. 19 points when three Wisconsin drives started inside the Michigan 40, and their own touchdown drive of the first started at the Wisconsin 40 yard line. For the first time this season Stevie Brown and Charles Stewart weren't just serviceable, they were actually pretty good. Even more important, Jonas Mouton was a force at Linebacker. Making plays in the backfield, pressuring the quarterback, tackling and wrapping up. And the line, oooh boy, the line, was just awesome. Both Jamison and Graham were in Evridge's face the entire day and the Taylor/Martin/Johnson rotation was simply dominant against a line that they were giving up an average of 30 pounds to. More on this later.

But defense wins championships and offense wins games, and without any signs of life from the offense when Michigan went into the locker room everyone in my section looked as though they'd just seen Seven Bells not only euthanized but thrown on the barbeque.

Unbeknowst to those of us in the stands or at home, the defense not only controlled the first half, but the locker room as well. At halftime, apparently before the coaches reached the locker room, Terrance Taylor went off. Not-fit-for-print went off. He teed off on everyone, challenging them. In my head I imagine it went something like this:

Reggie Dunlop: Goddamn lard-ass Barkley Donaldson, I'm tellin' you he jumped us!
Steve Hanson: [nodding head] Mm huh.
Reggie Dunlop: Gloves off, stick down, no warning, he challenged the Chiefs!
Steve Hanson: Called us names!
Reggie Dunlop: Called us names! But Dave was there.
Steve Hanson: Dave's a killer!
Johnny Upton: Dave's a mess.
Reggie Dunlop: But Dave's out. Who's gonna take his place?
Ned Braden: Is the answer Jesus?
Reggie Dunlop: [looks at the Hanson brothers] Ok guys. Show us what you got.

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Whatever he did, it worked. Michigan's offense was entirely different in the second half. Maybe it was effort. Maybe it was emotion. Maybe it was the fact Michigan had to throw the ball vertically. But things were different out of the locker room.

The most notable difference was Stephen Threet. After his first half performance I was fairly certain we'd see Nick Sheridan in the game. In hindsight there's no way in hell Sheridan would've been put in, but it's difficult to describe the level of despair that settled in following his first half performance. But there he was. And he looked pretty good.

His passes were where they were supposed to be. His deep balls were Henne-esque (and I mean that when I say it), and he managed the game within himself rather than trying to win it with every throw. A couple of quick sideline passes to Mathews and Brown and Threet had finally found his rhythm. And then, after a bulldozer performance by Kevin Grady on 4&1 picked up five, Threet lofted the perfect 20 yard pass to a streaking Kevin Koger over two linebackers right down the middle on his third read. It was an incredible thing to watch, really. Even from the other side of the field I could see his head turn from read to read, finally settling on Koger. It may be hyperbole to say you saw a quarterback grow up before your eyes, but that may be what we saw.

Then the defense stepped up again, forcing two punts in quick succession and giving the offense the opportunity to make something happen. They did. If there's one thing the Michigan coaching staff isn't calling enough of, it's the deep pass. Threet has an amazing ability to put the ball into a bucket 40 yards downfield. On the same series he launched to moon scrapers that found the hands of his receivers 30 plus yards away only to have one dropped on a circus catch and the other batted away by excellent coverage. Even though they fell incomplete, they left Wisconsin just enough time to do something stupid, like nail Threet two seconds after his throw and pick up a personal foul for roughing the passer. After that, it was Threet making things happen, even when things went wrong. A couple of drops and a third and long later, Threet scrambled for a first down on an obviously broken play. It was his show now.

The next two plays were all Threet. On a quick read he found Minor to his right on a short pass that went for 11. And then, obviously arguing with the play calling, Threet gave the sideline the bird (though it had to be a signal or something, but it sure looked like the ole' eff you), caught Wisconsin in an obvious blitz, checked off to a run, and Brandon Minor did the rest, sprinting 36 yards to paydirt right before my eyes.

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Minor's run was beautiful to watch. Sitting in the corner of the endzone has tremendous advantages. For one, it gives you and excellent vantage point to observe the whole field, including the holds, gaps and lateral issues you can't really see on TV or at a direct or perpendicular view. Second, when Minor blew threw the gap in the line and broke right for the endzone, he was running right at us. Legs churning, eyes darting for the safety he knew he could beat, showing us why we got so excited about him as a freshman/sophomore, and why we expect so much from him today. When he crossed the goal line, highsteping away from a diving safety, all of a sudden it was real. Michigan could run this spread thing we'd heard so much about. Michigan could win this game. Some how, some way, despite the half from hell, Michigan was the better team and they were playing like they spotted Wisconsin 19 points just to make it fair.

A play later this suspicion was confirmed. For some reason offensive coordinators feel like it's a good idea to keep challenging Donovan Warren. I haven't figured out why. Even on a three step drop, when Warren is in tight coverage throwing at him is simply asking for trouble. Seemingly oblivious to this, on Wisconsin's first play after the Minor touchdown, Evridge took the snap at UW 20, took three steps back and fired a bullet to his left. It was a good pass. Really. It sure looked it. the only problem was Warren read the play and got the the ball and the reciever at the same time, deflecting the ball skyward and eventually into the happy hands of Johnny Thompson.

All of a sudden, there was Thompson, surrounded by a sea of blue jerseys running right at the same spot Brandon Minor had recently christened as comeback corner. In front of him was the entire Michigan defensive line, looking for someone to block and/or inflict pain on. It was like the whole thing was in slow motion. As Thompson dodged the first defender, Taylor lined up an offensive lineman and drove him halfway to Philadelphia. Behind this wall of Thompson rumbled into the front right corner of the endzone, setting off jubilation in the stands.

Good lord, we're winning.

The next possession for Wisconsin ended nearly as quickly. Three short plays and a punt to the Michigan 23. Everyone was thinking the same thing. We're up a point 20-19. We're running the ball.

A year ago this would've meant Hart running into a line stacked with Badgers three times before punting the ball away. Maybe after the first half when Michigan showed no ability to disguise its runs or any ability to move the ball in an unconventional way, Wisconsin thought they'd figured things out. That's when Threet showed us he's more than capable of making the other team pay for underestimating him and his offense. On the first play following the punt, Rodriguez sent in Minor, seemingly signifying that Michigan was going to run the ball down Wisconsin's throat and chew up the clock. You could see the linebackers key on Minor as Threet went into his cadence and lock onto him as he darted to the right following the snap, taking a quick step toward and away from Threet behind a wall of blockers.

Only Minor didn't have the ball.

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Reading the over aggressiveness of the defense, faking the hand off to Minor, Threet tucked the ball under his right arm and darted through the open gap vacated by the linebackers and weakside DE. This type of manuever you expect to gain 10 or 15 yards with a guy like Threet in the ball game. But just like with the passing game, Threet showed everyone he's got a lot more in his system than measureables. With a quick first step, Threet seemed to be at full speed by his second stride, he blasted through the linebacker contain before the LB even completed his dive at Threet's feet, and simply outran the Wisconsin safety for a 58 yard gain before he was finally hauled down by a cornerback. Describing the visual of a 6'6" quarterback, whose pre-season mobility was likened to office furniture, outrun Wisconsin's hyped linebackers and safeties is as difficult as it was remarkable. Threet may not be Pat White, but goddammit he is one competitive sonofabitch who is full of surprises. 

Five plays later Sam McGuffie, who'd been kept in check all game, rumbled into the endzone behind increasingly impressive roadgrader Mark Moundros. All of a sudden it's 27-19 and everyone, coaches, players, fans, and more importantly, Wisconsin, knew Michigan was a legitimate football team. 27 unanswered points will do that to you.

Then it was time for the refs to try to screw Michigan out of a victory and for the Defense to say to Hell with it and win it anyway. Despite the referees awarding a first down on a juggled, trapped first down catch and finding Wisconsin on 6 yard line, Brandon Graham and his buddies stiffened and knocked the holy hell out of Evridge forcing a fumble that Taylor recovered.

To Wisconsin's credit, they forced a punt, then caught Michigan off guard on several plays, before beating Morgan Trent to pull within 2 points. On the two point conversion somehow Brandon Harrison got matched up on Travis Beckum, and Wisconsin seemingly tied the game with 14 seconds to go. But this time the officials got one right. Bekum lined up improperly, negating his game tying catch. The next play, negative five yards later, saw Michigan in a three man rush and Max Martin beat a double team to smash Evridge just as he released the ball, forcing it high and harmlessly into the stands.

Then, it was over.

A kneel down by Threet followed by a jumping chest bump with Mathews, and Michigan's greatest home comeback was complete.

Everyone in our section stayed. Shaking. Unbelieving but believing at the same time. No one could believe the turnaround. No one could believe that the team we saw during the first period was the same team we saw in the second. But we'd seen it with our own eyes. We'd seen the comeback. We'd seen a young team mature in 30 minutes and dominate the 9th or 8th ranked team in the country. Hell, we'd seen them post 27 points in 18 minutes.

From a todler to a full grown team in 30 minutes. That doesn't happen, does it? We'll know for sure next week when Illinois comes calling. But for a day, we saw a team grow up before our eyes and pull off the greatest comeback in Michigan Stadium history.

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All photos courtesy the Detroit Free Press, Detroit News, Wolverine Photo, the Associated Press and Mike Desimone, who put all these together.