September 23, 2024 • 20 mins
In this thrilling episode of the Jolly Good Fellow podcast, we dive into Michigan's stunning victory over the 11th-ranked USC Trojans. Despite achieving only 32 passing yards, Michigan's relentless ground game and solid defense secured a memorable win in the Big House.
The episode captures the electric atmosphere from the start, with Michigan jumping to an early lead and showcasing their explosive runs. The defense played a crucial role, with standout performances like Will Johnson's game-changing pick six.
However, the game was far from straightforward. Costly turnovers and defensive lapses allowed USC to stage a comeback, putting Michigan fans on edge. But in the end, a heroic 63-yard run by Kalel Mullings sealed the victory, epitomizing the team's grit and determination.
We also reflect on the broader implications of this win, discussing Michigan's evolving strategy, the importance of complementary football, and the potential for further improvement as the season progresses. Join us as we celebrate this iconic win and look ahead to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for Michigan football. Go Blue!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
It's only rock and roll, but I like it, was the Rolling Stones' 1974 hit.
About that song, Jagger said, the idea of the song has to do with a public persona at the time.
I was getting a bit tired of people having a go, all that, oh,
it's not as good as their last one, business.
It's only running the ball, but I like it. A lot is being said about Michigan's
(00:23):
victory, only getting 32 passing yards. They got the win versus USC in the big house.
Welcome to the Jolly Good Fellow podcast. What a game it was.
Right from the start, the crowd looked amazing. You had Michigan,
the underdog, entering the game, getting off to a really fast start. We were up 14-3.
(00:44):
We had great explosive runs in the first half. The defense looked absolutely
suffocating against USC.
USC ends up staging a comeback. back. And this is where the point,
if you're a Michigan fan, you started to wonder, are we going to be able to pull this off?
Will Johnson, of course, had the amazing pick six.
I called for that in the preview. I said they would need to make a play.
(01:06):
And that's the second time this year. He did this against Fresno State too,
where he is just sitting on that underneath route, waiting and waiting.
And his break is so fast.
Like he shot out of a cannon going the other way. I don't even know if Usain
Bolt would be able to catch this guy before the end zone.
Just an amazing play by Will Johnson.
(01:28):
That's what you need to really cement your legacy and your legendary status.
Kudos to you, Will Johnson.
Even with that play, though, Michigan's still a two costly turnovers and a bunch
of coverage busts on defense that allowed USC to take the lead.
The first turnover was technically a Kenneth Grant fumble.
(01:52):
He had picked up a fumble, started running the other way.
You know, you started thinking flashbacks. We're going to see this big lineman
go 90 yards in the other direction. Ends up getting the ball stolen from him
from the USC running back, which was unfortunate.
And that's just one of those plays where you're watching it.
(02:12):
And it's like, it's just not our day. We had this game in hand. We were looking great.
And just luck is against us.
And then not too long after that, Diamond Edwards is running the ball.
He gets stood up. A USC defender comes in, punches the ball out of his hands in our own area.
We have a nickelback, blitz off the slot, leaving the slot wide open.
(02:36):
That had to be some sort of miscommunication, and USC takes the lead.
Meanwhile, probably the most frustrating thing for Michigan fans,
other than those mistakes, the offense had looked completely barren in the second
half, couldn't get anything going, had trouble moving the chains at all.
We get the ball back, just over two minutes, and Kalel Mullings makes what will
(03:02):
go down in Michigan lore as just an iconic, iconic run as he breaks through the line,
breaks through a tackle, spins through another tackle,
into the arms of another USC defender, runs through that, takes it 63 yards.
Into USC's territory, and then from there, we're able to run it.
(03:26):
We get to fourth and goal, and Kahlil Mullings changes the trajectory of this
season by being able to get in the end zone.
It was an amazing block by the captain, Bredesen, and Bredesen,
Somehow, Michigan, by running, bumbling, stumbling, rumbling,
all of those adjectives, is able to take the win with only 32 passing yards.
(03:52):
And you know what? I'm more than happy with it. This was synergy.
This was complimentary football.
We've seen this time and time again in the Big Ten.
The national fans don't like it. Teams that don't understand Big Ten football,
Michigan football, don't like it.
Even some in our own fan base. I was shocked by some of the negativity in the
blogosphere and some of the commentary around this of like, well,
(04:14):
we won, but we can't pass the ball.
It doesn't matter if you pass the ball for 1,000 yards or one yard.
What matters is the scoreboard at the end of the game.
And if this last three years has proven anything, you can win in modern college
football by running the ball. The 2017 Iron Bowl.
Auburn upset number one Alabama, 26-14. 2014, they only had 21 yards passing.
(04:42):
2003, Navy beat number 23, Kansas State, with only 16 yards passing.
Navy's a service academy, of course.
Then after that, you have to go all the way back to 1982, where Air Force upset
number 18, Notre Dame, where they threw one pass for eight yards.
I had to go all the way back to 1982 to get a troll on Notre Dame in this pod.
(05:04):
But that's it. that's your list of teams that have won against a ranked opponent
with less than 32 yards passing so this will definitely go down in in Michigan
history as a great win this game had it all and,
this was that synergy and complementary football that we were talking about
run the ball try to possess the ball give the defense a rest win with some field
(05:30):
position wear them down in the running in game, play good defense.
There's a recipe there for success.
And this is a recipe that Michigan can build on.
And if we would have played the way we did the first few weeks on offense,
trying to dink and dunk the ball down the field, throwing the ball on first
and 10, throwing the ball on second and 10 with no pass protection,
(05:54):
we've proven at this point, even in this game where we were hardly passing at
all, the pass protection is just still a huge area of opportunity on this team.
This game would have looked a lot like that Texas game. It was only by moving
towards the running line,
type offense that allowed us to get those big runs.
(06:17):
They had to worry about the threat of orgy running, even though he didn't have
much success personally.
He pulled an extra defender, opening up holes for Cleo Mullings and Donovan
Edwards to get the big runs.
Also, guess what happens? You keep your team in the game. And now all of a sudden
that Will Johnson pick six, right, is there for the taking.
(06:37):
If the game's 31 to 10 and already out of hand, And, okay, cool,
you make a play, but you've got to stay in the game and you've got to give yourself
a chance to win late, which is what this team did.
By running the ball, possessing the ball, and actually having something to build
on, I'm going to give you something that's scary for the rest of the big and
(07:00):
also the rest of the country.
This team just beat the 11th-ranked USC team.
Michigan was kind of written off, right? Like, they're too flawed.
They're not going to be able to make any noise this season.
But they just beat the 11th ranked USC team that has a win against LSU,
had looked great against Utah State.
(07:21):
Quite frankly, this was Michigan's C-plus game running this style.
There were a lot of opportunities for them to build off of this and grow and play even better.
And there's a world where Michigan does some things a little bit different.
A few plays go a little bit differently. Michigan wins this by a few scores going away.
(07:41):
And if we go back and that boa constrictor is still alive, this Michigan team
is going to be a scary team to play late.
Do I think they're going to be a national contender?
Probably not. But we might be in that playoff conversation. We might be good
enough to put a scare into Oregon and Ohio State.
And so when I say C-plus game, what am I talking about?
(08:03):
In the preview, I called for a full-on orge fence, right? An orgy offense.
And they did do some things, but this was far, far, far from optimizing him.
This is like they went 10 degrees in that direction.
There's room to get this guy going.
I think he had, he was used as a running threat, but he had 13 carries for 43
(08:27):
yards. That's only 3.3 yards per carry.
That's not enough to get it done. That very first drive was really the microcosm
of his run game where it's third down and eight.
He breaks out to the outside and isn't able to outrun the defender out there
and gets taken down by his shoelaces.
That's a play, if we're leaning on your legs as a big piece of this offense,
(08:52):
you've got to be able to break that and make a move there to pick up those chains.
Gains for example Michigan in this game we
were four for 15 on third down
conversions we ended up doing better on fourth down three for three
but four for 15 what happens if through the use of orgies late legs we get to
(09:13):
seven for 15 or eight for 15 if you can pick up three or four extra first downs
a game that goes a long way in making this a good offense so there's room there to grow throw, right?
We took a few also along the same lines. We took a few deep shots,
but no real schemed up wins in the passing game.
(09:34):
I think we're going to be able to figure some of that out.
Like most people, I'm still hoping and praying we decide to finally use Donovan
Edwards split out wide, run some goal patterns with him and just take some deep shots.
Even if you don't convert them, you make the safeties pull back,
makes the running game that much more effective.
This one is mind-blowing to me. Someone's going to have to fact-check me on this stat.
(09:58):
The star of the game, we'll dub him the jolly good fellow of the game,
Kalel Mullings, he had eight carries until that last drive.
That can't be right. Eight carries?
Think about that. How does this game look if going into that last drive,
he had 25 carries or even 15 carries?
The guy is a force and the best offensive weapon we got. Speaking of that.
(10:25):
We were slightly edged out in the possession battle, 30-29.
I was kind of surprised when I saw that. And so there's room there where we
don't give up some of these turnovers.
We do pick up a few more first downs where we possess the ball even more,
give our defense even more rest.
Because depth is one of our concerns on defense, we obviously have the high-level
(10:47):
NFL-type talent, especially on that D-line.
Keep those guys a little more fresh. That will help us out as well.
And then the defense they played great in the first half suffocating defense
but then we ended up having a couple busts late especially after the turnovers
the defense was on the field a lot we cleaned that up play a full game on defense
(11:08):
now all of a sudden we're looking even better,
and then I talked about this in the game preview we got to play discipline football
we can't afford the turnovers we gave up two fumbles yes one was kind of a fumble
we got on our own so I don't know if we should count that or not,
but both of those led to backbreaking touchdowns for USC and allowed them to
(11:29):
come back and take the lead late,
which facilitated the need for our last minute drive to win the game.
And so I'm not, I listed out several bullet points there, but we don't necessarily
have to even improve on all of them.
If we can just improve one or two of these things, if we just take away those
two turnovers, Michigan probably wins this going away. The Valix Orgy,
(11:50):
instead of averaging 3.3 yards per carry, averaged 7 yards per carry.
We win this game going away.
We scheme up a deep shot or two.
We win this game going away. So we just got to put it together.
And the fact that we were able to win with our C-plus game, there's an opportunity to build here.
(12:11):
But without a doubt, I am thrilled with this game plan. And I mentioned this at the top.
I'm surprised at some of the negativity in the blogosphere about this game and the win.
Where it's like, yeah, it's great we won, but do we need to go back to Davis Warren? Can this work?
(12:31):
Folks, this is who we are. We have some flaws.
Our pass protection is not going to get any better. and with that being the
case we're not going to be able to stand in the pocket and deliver the ball
deep even if Davis Warren was J.J.
McCarthy without time to stand back there and pass it's going to be difficult
and we cannot afford with this defense to give up all of those turnovers and
(12:56):
essentially waste the talent that this defense has not be able to possess the ball,
This is the path forward, and we've seen the last three years,
similar to when we beat Washington in 2021, everyone was saying,
yeah, that's great. This is kind of who Michigan's been.
They're going to run the ball. They're going to play great. But it's not going
(13:17):
to matter against Ohio State. Well, the last three years have flipped that on its head.
You can win big time in college football by running the ball,
and that's what we need to do.
Now, do we still need to figure out this offense, And do we have a long way
to go before we're a real national contender?
And even I would argue a contender for the Big Ten.
(13:38):
Yeah, we do. This offense needs to be more consistent.
We need to find a way to get something in the passing game.
You know, I keep referencing, how about some play action, deep shots that we actually can hit.
Let's scheme some guys open. Donman Edwards, get him on a linebacker.
I think there's some things we can do. Also, we need to make sure,
(13:59):
get to a point where Alex Orji is actually not just a decoy,
but a force with his legs.
But there's a path here where we get a little bit better, and we are going to be in the conversation.
And one thing I called out for a reason why I doubted Michigan's ability to
win this game in the preview was logic.
And so I have to say, they came out, the coaching staff came out,
(14:23):
and this game plan made sense.
And when it makes sense.
It allows you to play that complimentary football and you end up winning the game. So it's amazing.
You know, one of the things that when things aren't making sense,
you start thinking, how are we going to be able to improve?
You could put better players on this team. And if we're not going to use them
(14:46):
correctly, what difference is going to make?
Right. Because you always see coaches that do more with less.
And you see coaches that do less with more. And you always want to be the one doing more with less.
And when you're making decisions where you're not optimizing what you do have,
it leads to the question, how can this team improve?
(15:06):
Well, we saw improvement in this game that leads you to think we can continue
to improve and be a better team in November than we are right now.
So speaking of the path forward, the 3-1, their 1-1 against ranked teams have
a loss to the number one team in the country in Texas, have a win over the then
11th ranked USC Trojans.
(15:29):
They get Minnesota. They're 10-point favorites right now. Noon on Saturday.
You travel to Washington. Washington's a decent team. It's always going to be
a hard game on the road. Then you get a bye week.
Can you get to the bye week at 5-1? Seems like they can.
Neither of those games are gimmies. They're going to have to go out and play.
But can we use this formula, get to 5-1 in the bye week?
(15:52):
Then you have a ranked Banked Illinois team, I think they're 20th,
coming off a win over Nebraska.
They're feeling good about what they have. They're going to try to pound the
ball. It's going to be like looking in a mirror when we play them.
And then you get little brother at home.
There's a path to 7-1 going into November, and that's about six weeks away.
(16:13):
We make little improvements each week. Now we're in November playing big games.
All the stakes are there. All of our goals are ahead of us.
In six weeks, can we put in new wrinkles and find a way to optimize the orch
fence and clean up some of these issues? And.
(16:34):
We see the path forward. It's there, right there in front of us.
Run the ball, especially with Kahlil Mullings.
One thing they've been doing that's
so puzzling in this game is they're alternating drives with these guys.
It's Edwards one drive, then Mullings, then Edwards. And I can see why you do that in a way, right?
You want to ride the hot hand and give guys a chance to get into a rhythm.
But at some point, Mullings needs to be getting more carries to the tune of
(17:00):
like 2-1 versus it being split even.
Donovan Edwards is an amazing player. He made an amazing run in this game.
As soon as he turns the edge, when he gets a crease, he's without a doubt a
top-notch home run hitter.
But we need to use him more end-to-rounds in the receiving game,
use his receiving skills. That's what he's going to be at the next level.
(17:24):
Let's get more creative with how we're using him. We need to ride Kahlil Mullings.
But to end, amazing, amazing win.
So proud of this team that was a gritty win when
you are up and you have a new quarterback orgy's
first start and things start to fall apart you face some adversity will johnson
(17:44):
stepping up this defensive line stepping up really all game making plays flow
mullings down the stretch at the end there this team has some real players some
real guys that will not be denied that just want it more.
And I'm excited to watch this team play the end of the year and excited to see
them gel because I think they can do some amazing things that they keep improving.
(18:08):
And I want to remind you one more thing.
All right. Everyone looks at the stats like, oh, well, this isn't perfect. That's not perfect.
And I think that's easy to do when you're coming off a 15 and 0 national championship season.
It's like, well, are they quite as good as last year? Well, Very few teams in
Michigan football history are as good as last year.
So that's a tough measure to measure up to. But Sharone Moore gets the upset win.
(18:34):
Jim Harbaugh started coaching Michigan in 2015.
It wasn't until 2021 versus Wisconsin
before he got his first betting odds upset win. Think about that.
And he had some good teams. He had 2016. 2016, he had the revenge tour.
He had some teams that were going in to play Ohio State with a Big Ten championship
(18:57):
berth on the line, playoff berth on the line.
Obviously, we know he had trouble getting it done there in the early part of his career.
But to not have any upset wins, it just shows you how special this win was.
This team had a gritty, gritty performance, and I can't wait to see what they
do against Minnesota. Go Blue!
It's only rock and roll, but I like it, was the Rolling Stones' 1974 hit.
About that song, Jagger said, the idea of the song has to do with a public persona at the time.
I was getting a bit tired of people having a go, all that, oh,
it's not as good as their last one, business.
It's only running the ball, but I like it. A lot is being said about Michigan's
(00:23):
victory, only getting 32 passing yards. They got the win versus USC in the big house.
Welcome to the Jolly Good Fellow podcast. What a game it was.
Right from the start, the crowd looked amazing. You had Michigan,
the underdog, entering the game, getting off to a really fast start. We were up 14-3.
(00:44):
We had great explosive runs in the first half. The defense looked absolutely
suffocating against USC.
USC ends up staging a comeback. back. And this is where the point,
if you're a Michigan fan, you started to wonder, are we going to be able to pull this off?
Will Johnson, of course, had the amazing pick six.
I called for that in the preview. I said they would need to make a play.
(01:06):
And that's the second time this year. He did this against Fresno State too,
where he is just sitting on that underneath route, waiting and waiting.
And his break is so fast.
Like he shot out of a cannon going the other way. I don't even know if Usain
Bolt would be able to catch this guy before the end zone.
Just an amazing play by Will Johnson.
(01:28):
That's what you need to really cement your legacy and your legendary status.
Kudos to you, Will Johnson.
Even with that play, though, Michigan's still a two costly turnovers and a bunch
of coverage busts on defense that allowed USC to take the lead.
The first turnover was technically a Kenneth Grant fumble.
(01:52):
He had picked up a fumble, started running the other way.
You know, you started thinking flashbacks. We're going to see this big lineman
go 90 yards in the other direction. Ends up getting the ball stolen from him
from the USC running back, which was unfortunate.
And that's just one of those plays where you're watching it.
(02:12):
And it's like, it's just not our day. We had this game in hand. We were looking great.
And just luck is against us.
And then not too long after that, Diamond Edwards is running the ball.
He gets stood up. A USC defender comes in, punches the ball out of his hands in our own area.
We have a nickelback, blitz off the slot, leaving the slot wide open.
(02:36):
That had to be some sort of miscommunication, and USC takes the lead.
Meanwhile, probably the most frustrating thing for Michigan fans,
other than those mistakes, the offense had looked completely barren in the second
half, couldn't get anything going, had trouble moving the chains at all.
We get the ball back, just over two minutes, and Kalel Mullings makes what will
(03:02):
go down in Michigan lore as just an iconic, iconic run as he breaks through the line,
breaks through a tackle, spins through another tackle,
into the arms of another USC defender, runs through that, takes it 63 yards.
Into USC's territory, and then from there, we're able to run it.
(03:26):
We get to fourth and goal, and Kahlil Mullings changes the trajectory of this
season by being able to get in the end zone.
It was an amazing block by the captain, Bredesen, and Bredesen,
Somehow, Michigan, by running, bumbling, stumbling, rumbling,
all of those adjectives, is able to take the win with only 32 passing yards.
(03:52):
And you know what? I'm more than happy with it. This was synergy.
This was complimentary football.
We've seen this time and time again in the Big Ten.
The national fans don't like it. Teams that don't understand Big Ten football,
Michigan football, don't like it.
Even some in our own fan base. I was shocked by some of the negativity in the
blogosphere and some of the commentary around this of like, well,
(04:14):
we won, but we can't pass the ball.
It doesn't matter if you pass the ball for 1,000 yards or one yard.
What matters is the scoreboard at the end of the game.
And if this last three years has proven anything, you can win in modern college
football by running the ball. The 2017 Iron Bowl.
Auburn upset number one Alabama, 26-14. 2014, they only had 21 yards passing.
(04:42):
2003, Navy beat number 23, Kansas State, with only 16 yards passing.
Navy's a service academy, of course.
Then after that, you have to go all the way back to 1982, where Air Force upset
number 18, Notre Dame, where they threw one pass for eight yards.
I had to go all the way back to 1982 to get a troll on Notre Dame in this pod.
(05:04):
But that's it. that's your list of teams that have won against a ranked opponent
with less than 32 yards passing so this will definitely go down in in Michigan
history as a great win this game had it all and,
this was that synergy and complementary football that we were talking about
run the ball try to possess the ball give the defense a rest win with some field
(05:30):
position wear them down in the running in game, play good defense.
There's a recipe there for success.
And this is a recipe that Michigan can build on.
And if we would have played the way we did the first few weeks on offense,
trying to dink and dunk the ball down the field, throwing the ball on first
and 10, throwing the ball on second and 10 with no pass protection,
(05:54):
we've proven at this point, even in this game where we were hardly passing at
all, the pass protection is just still a huge area of opportunity on this team.
This game would have looked a lot like that Texas game. It was only by moving
towards the running line,
type offense that allowed us to get those big runs.
(06:17):
They had to worry about the threat of orgy running, even though he didn't have
much success personally.
He pulled an extra defender, opening up holes for Cleo Mullings and Donovan
Edwards to get the big runs.
Also, guess what happens? You keep your team in the game. And now all of a sudden
that Will Johnson pick six, right, is there for the taking.
(06:37):
If the game's 31 to 10 and already out of hand, And, okay, cool,
you make a play, but you've got to stay in the game and you've got to give yourself
a chance to win late, which is what this team did.
By running the ball, possessing the ball, and actually having something to build
on, I'm going to give you something that's scary for the rest of the big and
(07:00):
also the rest of the country.
This team just beat the 11th-ranked USC team.
Michigan was kind of written off, right? Like, they're too flawed.
They're not going to be able to make any noise this season.
But they just beat the 11th ranked USC team that has a win against LSU,
had looked great against Utah State.
(07:21):
Quite frankly, this was Michigan's C-plus game running this style.
There were a lot of opportunities for them to build off of this and grow and play even better.
And there's a world where Michigan does some things a little bit different.
A few plays go a little bit differently. Michigan wins this by a few scores going away.
(07:41):
And if we go back and that boa constrictor is still alive, this Michigan team
is going to be a scary team to play late.
Do I think they're going to be a national contender?
Probably not. But we might be in that playoff conversation. We might be good
enough to put a scare into Oregon and Ohio State.
And so when I say C-plus game, what am I talking about?
(08:03):
In the preview, I called for a full-on orge fence, right? An orgy offense.
And they did do some things, but this was far, far, far from optimizing him.
This is like they went 10 degrees in that direction.
There's room to get this guy going.
I think he had, he was used as a running threat, but he had 13 carries for 43
(08:27):
yards. That's only 3.3 yards per carry.
That's not enough to get it done. That very first drive was really the microcosm
of his run game where it's third down and eight.
He breaks out to the outside and isn't able to outrun the defender out there
and gets taken down by his shoelaces.
That's a play, if we're leaning on your legs as a big piece of this offense,
(08:52):
you've got to be able to break that and make a move there to pick up those chains.
Gains for example Michigan in this game we
were four for 15 on third down
conversions we ended up doing better on fourth down three for three
but four for 15 what happens if through the use of orgies late legs we get to
(09:13):
seven for 15 or eight for 15 if you can pick up three or four extra first downs
a game that goes a long way in making this a good offense so there's room there to grow throw, right?
We took a few also along the same lines. We took a few deep shots,
but no real schemed up wins in the passing game.
(09:34):
I think we're going to be able to figure some of that out.
Like most people, I'm still hoping and praying we decide to finally use Donovan
Edwards split out wide, run some goal patterns with him and just take some deep shots.
Even if you don't convert them, you make the safeties pull back,
makes the running game that much more effective.
This one is mind-blowing to me. Someone's going to have to fact-check me on this stat.
(09:58):
The star of the game, we'll dub him the jolly good fellow of the game,
Kalel Mullings, he had eight carries until that last drive.
That can't be right. Eight carries?
Think about that. How does this game look if going into that last drive,
he had 25 carries or even 15 carries?
The guy is a force and the best offensive weapon we got. Speaking of that.
(10:25):
We were slightly edged out in the possession battle, 30-29.
I was kind of surprised when I saw that. And so there's room there where we
don't give up some of these turnovers.
We do pick up a few more first downs where we possess the ball even more,
give our defense even more rest.
Because depth is one of our concerns on defense, we obviously have the high-level
(10:47):
NFL-type talent, especially on that D-line.
Keep those guys a little more fresh. That will help us out as well.
And then the defense they played great in the first half suffocating defense
but then we ended up having a couple busts late especially after the turnovers
the defense was on the field a lot we cleaned that up play a full game on defense
(11:08):
now all of a sudden we're looking even better,
and then I talked about this in the game preview we got to play discipline football
we can't afford the turnovers we gave up two fumbles yes one was kind of a fumble
we got on our own so I don't know if we should count that or not,
but both of those led to backbreaking touchdowns for USC and allowed them to
(11:29):
come back and take the lead late,
which facilitated the need for our last minute drive to win the game.
And so I'm not, I listed out several bullet points there, but we don't necessarily
have to even improve on all of them.
If we can just improve one or two of these things, if we just take away those
two turnovers, Michigan probably wins this going away. The Valix Orgy,
(11:50):
instead of averaging 3.3 yards per carry, averaged 7 yards per carry.
We win this game going away.
We scheme up a deep shot or two.
We win this game going away. So we just got to put it together.
And the fact that we were able to win with our C-plus game, there's an opportunity to build here.
(12:11):
But without a doubt, I am thrilled with this game plan. And I mentioned this at the top.
I'm surprised at some of the negativity in the blogosphere about this game and the win.
Where it's like, yeah, it's great we won, but do we need to go back to Davis Warren? Can this work?
(12:31):
Folks, this is who we are. We have some flaws.
Our pass protection is not going to get any better. and with that being the
case we're not going to be able to stand in the pocket and deliver the ball
deep even if Davis Warren was J.J.
McCarthy without time to stand back there and pass it's going to be difficult
and we cannot afford with this defense to give up all of those turnovers and
(12:56):
essentially waste the talent that this defense has not be able to possess the ball,
This is the path forward, and we've seen the last three years,
similar to when we beat Washington in 2021, everyone was saying,
yeah, that's great. This is kind of who Michigan's been.
They're going to run the ball. They're going to play great. But it's not going
(13:17):
to matter against Ohio State. Well, the last three years have flipped that on its head.
You can win big time in college football by running the ball,
and that's what we need to do.
Now, do we still need to figure out this offense, And do we have a long way
to go before we're a real national contender?
And even I would argue a contender for the Big Ten.
(13:38):
Yeah, we do. This offense needs to be more consistent.
We need to find a way to get something in the passing game.
You know, I keep referencing, how about some play action, deep shots that we actually can hit.
Let's scheme some guys open. Donman Edwards, get him on a linebacker.
I think there's some things we can do. Also, we need to make sure,
(13:59):
get to a point where Alex Orji is actually not just a decoy,
but a force with his legs.
But there's a path here where we get a little bit better, and we are going to be in the conversation.
And one thing I called out for a reason why I doubted Michigan's ability to
win this game in the preview was logic.
And so I have to say, they came out, the coaching staff came out,
(14:23):
and this game plan made sense.
And when it makes sense.
It allows you to play that complimentary football and you end up winning the game. So it's amazing.
You know, one of the things that when things aren't making sense,
you start thinking, how are we going to be able to improve?
You could put better players on this team. And if we're not going to use them
(14:46):
correctly, what difference is going to make?
Right. Because you always see coaches that do more with less.
And you see coaches that do less with more. And you always want to be the one doing more with less.
And when you're making decisions where you're not optimizing what you do have,
it leads to the question, how can this team improve?
(15:06):
Well, we saw improvement in this game that leads you to think we can continue
to improve and be a better team in November than we are right now.
So speaking of the path forward, the 3-1, their 1-1 against ranked teams have
a loss to the number one team in the country in Texas, have a win over the then
11th ranked USC Trojans.
(15:29):
They get Minnesota. They're 10-point favorites right now. Noon on Saturday.
You travel to Washington. Washington's a decent team. It's always going to be
a hard game on the road. Then you get a bye week.
Can you get to the bye week at 5-1? Seems like they can.
Neither of those games are gimmies. They're going to have to go out and play.
But can we use this formula, get to 5-1 in the bye week?
(15:52):
Then you have a ranked Banked Illinois team, I think they're 20th,
coming off a win over Nebraska.
They're feeling good about what they have. They're going to try to pound the
ball. It's going to be like looking in a mirror when we play them.
And then you get little brother at home.
There's a path to 7-1 going into November, and that's about six weeks away.
(16:13):
We make little improvements each week. Now we're in November playing big games.
All the stakes are there. All of our goals are ahead of us.
In six weeks, can we put in new wrinkles and find a way to optimize the orch
fence and clean up some of these issues? And.
(16:34):
We see the path forward. It's there, right there in front of us.
Run the ball, especially with Kahlil Mullings.
One thing they've been doing that's
so puzzling in this game is they're alternating drives with these guys.
It's Edwards one drive, then Mullings, then Edwards. And I can see why you do that in a way, right?
You want to ride the hot hand and give guys a chance to get into a rhythm.
But at some point, Mullings needs to be getting more carries to the tune of
(17:00):
like 2-1 versus it being split even.
Donovan Edwards is an amazing player. He made an amazing run in this game.
As soon as he turns the edge, when he gets a crease, he's without a doubt a
top-notch home run hitter.
But we need to use him more end-to-rounds in the receiving game,
use his receiving skills. That's what he's going to be at the next level.
(17:24):
Let's get more creative with how we're using him. We need to ride Kahlil Mullings.
But to end, amazing, amazing win.
So proud of this team that was a gritty win when
you are up and you have a new quarterback orgy's
first start and things start to fall apart you face some adversity will johnson
(17:44):
stepping up this defensive line stepping up really all game making plays flow
mullings down the stretch at the end there this team has some real players some
real guys that will not be denied that just want it more.
And I'm excited to watch this team play the end of the year and excited to see
them gel because I think they can do some amazing things that they keep improving.
(18:08):
And I want to remind you one more thing.
All right. Everyone looks at the stats like, oh, well, this isn't perfect. That's not perfect.
And I think that's easy to do when you're coming off a 15 and 0 national championship season.
It's like, well, are they quite as good as last year? Well, Very few teams in
Michigan football history are as good as last year.
So that's a tough measure to measure up to. But Sharone Moore gets the upset win.
(18:34):
Jim Harbaugh started coaching Michigan in 2015.
It wasn't until 2021 versus Wisconsin
before he got his first betting odds upset win. Think about that.
And he had some good teams. He had 2016. 2016, he had the revenge tour.
He had some teams that were going in to play Ohio State with a Big Ten championship
(18:57):
berth on the line, playoff berth on the line.
Obviously, we know he had trouble getting it done there in the early part of his career.
But to not have any upset wins, it just shows you how special this win was.
This team had a gritty, gritty performance, and I can't wait to see what they
do against Minnesota. Go Blue!
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