IT EXISTS
GENERAL NOTE: I am not doing the chart because of Michigan's uniformz. It was just about possible to tell white guys from black ones and big ones from small ones but an awful lot of the time I had no idea if a player was Beyer or Roh, Morgan or Bolden, Pipkins or Washington, Clark or Black. I noted this early but eventually I just started going "eh." I did do the plus minuses in the chart but adding them up is an exercise in futility that people will take as gospel in a year. Nope.
It's not going to be that exciting anyway. Because of the nature of the game the linebackers and linemen all had very few opportunities to even get +/- and the secondary just got destroyed. If you want to imagine it: Black and Washington are good, Campbell was bad, Wilson got destroyed, as did Taylor, Kovacs and Gordon are moderately negative, and all the linebackers get 0-0-0.
FORMATION NOTES: Michigan had some oddities going on but the exotic packages were kept to a minimum by their inability to substitute in the secondary and South Carolina consistently spreading the field. One thing of note was Michigan's frequent deployment of a 3-4, like so:
South Carolina was little threat to run—the starting tailback had 5 rushes for 6 yards and the only reason SC got anything on the ground was two Will Campbell busts on midline zone read plays—and Michigan used this to send four man rushes from a variety of angles. A GERG-like side effect was a large number of three- and even two-man rushes.
They did this a bit on passing downs. Note that the DT in there standing up is a linebacker:
As per usual I called this 3-3-5 nickel.
SUBTITUTION NOTES: Again because of the uniformz I'm partially guessing here. Mostly, actually. The line seemed to be the usual in four-man fronts but Michigan spent a big chunk of the game in that 3-4; when they did that it was Roh/Washington/Black as your first options on the line with Clark and sometimes Cam Gordon as the extra LB type. In the linebacking corps, Kenny Demens left early and never returned (probably), leaving Joe Bolden to pick up a ton of snaps.
The secondary lacked JT Floyd, of course, and Michigan responded by putting Avery and Taylor outside and really, really trying to avoid nickel packages. When they did run nickel—mostly on the last drive—they brought in Jarrod Wilson and shuffled Gordon or Kovacs down as the nickelback. This would end in disaster.
[After the jump: a big damn table and moaning about big plays.]
Show show.
| Ln | Dn | Ds | O Form | D Form | Type | Rush | Play | Player | Yards | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| O33 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun trips TE | 4-3 even | Run | N/A | Inside zone read give | Washington | 0 | ||||||||||
| Michigan lines up in an even front, shifting Gordon (probably) down over the trips side after the move and moving Avery (probably) down to hang out over the right tackle. On the snap, Washington(+2) and Clark (probably) stunt, with Washington swimming right through the unprepared guard and into the backfield. Avery, blitzing, is to the outside. Back tries to cut back but Washington latches on and hurls him to the ground. Even if he could escape, Ryan was sitting unblocked on the backside and this wsa not likey to go anywhere. (RPS+1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| O33 | 2 | 10 | Shotgun twins twin TE | 4-3 even | Pass | 3 | Hitch | Demens | 11 | ||||||||||
| Michigan drops out, rushing only three, no pressure(-1). A gap opens up in the zone despite the extra guy as Demens(-1, cover -1) is too far inside and Sanders picks up the first down. Ryan was moving out onto the flare route and it looks like both ILBs fail to recognize that they are needed further right. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O44 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun twins twin TE | 4-3 under | Pass | 5 | Fly | Taylor | 56 | ||||||||||
| Michigan sends a blitzer and runs a fire zone behind it with four underneath and two deep. Kovacs has to take the slot receiver going vertical, leaving the outside guy one on one with Taylor(-3, cover -3), who just runs right by him. RPS -1 for one one one coverage deep. One DL who I think is Washington (probably) gets some token pressure(-1) to force Shaw to move around a bit, but no one is following up. I hate these uniforms. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Drive Notes: Touchdown, 0-7, 13 min 1st Q | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ln | Dn | Ds | O Form | D Form | Type | Rush | Play | Player | Yards | ||||||||||
| O31 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun trips | 4-3 over | Pass | 4 | Zip screen | Avery | 0 | ||||||||||
| TE split out a yard or two and stood up; Roh (probably) moves out and goes in a two-point with him. Play is a PA WR screen where the outside receiver peels back for the ball as the slot tries to block for him. TE is occupied by Roh. Avery(+1, tackling +10 reads it and rips past the blocker, tackling on the catch. Morgan(+0.5) also read well and was there to help. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O31 | 2 | 10 | Shotgun 3-wide | 4-3 over | Pass | 3 | Flare | Ryan | 3 | ||||||||||
| Ryan(+0.5) and Bolden(+0.5) rally after the flare; SC failed to run off that zone effectively. Ryan tackles; Bolden helps. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O34 | 3 | 7 | Shotgun empty TE | Nickel | Pass | 3 | Seam | Wilson | Inc | ||||||||||
| I'm totally guessing on the personnel grouping. Again no pressure(-1) on a three man rush with Ryan hanging out at the LOS, being all suspicious. Shaw loads up and tries to hit a seam route, leaving it short. This was a tight, tight window (cover +1) that Wilson(+1) had covered if the pass was accurate. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Drive Notes: Punt, 0-7, 10 min 1st Q. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ln | Dn | Ds | O Form | D Form | Type | Rush | Play | Player | Yards | ||||||||||
| O34 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun 2-back | 3-4 base | Pass | 3 | Out | Avery | 5 | ||||||||||
| 30 front with a guy standing up on the end; he acts as a QB spy as M again sends just three. Roh gets a decent rush; QB is throwing anyway, an out that floats and is way upfield. Avery and others rally to tackle thanks to that. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O39 | 2 | 5 | Shotgun 2-back | 4-3 even | Run | N/A | Delay | Pipkins | -1 | ||||||||||
| Pipkins(+1) drives the G back a couple yards further than he wants to go and then disengages as the RB threatens the POA. This forces him to bounce, where Beyer(+1), who also ducked inside, now bounces out with the RB, grabbing him and initiating the tackle. Pipkins comes through to help finish. Kovacs(+0.5) also beat a block quickly to assist; Ross(-0.5) got blown up by the FB. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O38 | 3 | 6 | Shotgun 2TE | Nickel rush | Pass | 3 | Flare | Gordon | 5 | ||||||||||
| Ross lines up as a nominal standup DT, doesn't come, M rushes three. Blitz was faked, which get Black(?) a nearly free run at the QB until the LT comes over late. That is enough to convince the QB to dump off a flare route that Gordon(+0.5) and Ryan(+0.5) are there to bump out of bounds short of the marker. (RPS+1, pressure +1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Drive Notes: Punt, 3-7, 5 min 1st Q | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ln | Dn | Ds | O Form | D Form | Type | Rush | Play | Player | Yards | ||||||||||
| O25 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun 2-back | 3-4 base | Pass | 4 | Jailbreak screen | Bolden | -2 | ||||||||||
| Nominal backup QB in for SC. Fake flare to a jailbreak screen to the other RB. Bolden(+2, cover +1, tackling +1) rips upfield and tackles on the catch. Normally a by yourself TFL is 3, but I think SC messed up, making it easier. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O23 | 2 | 12 | Shotgun 2TE | 4-3 under | Pass | 4 | Dumpoff | Morgan | 3 | ||||||||||
| Roh(+0.5) and Black(+0.5) get decent pressure, forcing a throw underneath after coverage(+1) is good downfield. Morgan(+0.5, cover +1, tackling +1) is there to put the guy on the ground immediately. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O26 | 3 | 9 | Shotgun empty TE | Nickel rush | Pass | 5 | Seam | Gordon | 70 | ||||||||||
| Kovacs sent from the slot as a delayed guy; Bolden also sent; M sends Morgan on a hash to hash drop that has no chance of getting deep enough to handle this vertical route. There's just no one in the middle of the field at all. A bust by someone... must be Wilson (cover –5, –5), as everyone else is playing a defense that makes sense if someone is playing FS, but no one is. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M4 | 1 | G | Shotgun twins twin TE | 4-5 under | Pass | 6 | Rollout out | Taylor | 4 | ||||||||||
| Michigan shows man, runs it, Taylor(-1, cover -1) gets beat easily on an out. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Drive Notes: Touchdown, 10-21, 10 min 2nd Q | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ln | Dn | Ds | O Form | D Form | Type | Rush | Play | Player | Yards | ||||||||||
| O13 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun 3-wide jet | 3-4 base | Run | N/A | QB counter | Bolden | 7 + 15 pen | ||||||||||
| Very token jet fake into a QB counter play. Michigan sends Ross(-1), who doesn't read the C pull and flies up into the same gap Washington(?) is in. Bolden(-1) also follows the fake; big gap up the middle. Shaw gets a few until Taylor comes down; Bolden gets a miraculously weak roughing penalty for a reflexive shove on Shaw. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O35 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun 2TE twins | 4-3 over | Run | N/A | Inside zone | Ojemudia | -3 | ||||||||||
| Washington(+2) shoves the backside G three yards into the backfield, which causes problems. RB has to slow up, decide which side to go on. He chooses poorly. Ojemudia(+2) slides inside the RT in a flash and puts his helmet on the ball for a TFL and FF; Ryan(+0.5) gets a half point for the recovery because his speed after he recognized it was impressive. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Drive Notes: Fumble, 10-21, 7 min 2nd Q. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ln | Dn | Ds | O Form | D Form | Type | Rush | Play | Player | Yards | ||||||||||
| O27 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun empty 2TE | 4-3 under | Pass | 4 | Corner | Ryan | Inc | ||||||||||
| Ryan(+1) beats a block around the edge and M sends Morgan(?) up the middle unblocked; Ojemudia(?, +0.5) also beats a block to get pressure(+1); three guys meet at Shaw just after he throws. Shaw tries a TE corner route that he misses; Beyer in decent at best coverage. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O27 | 2 | 10 | Shotgun empty 2TE | 3-4 base | Pass | 3 | Scramble | Beyer | 5 | ||||||||||
| Coverage(+1) good with eight in the pattern and then Roh(?) gets some token pressure that flushes shaw up in the pocket. Beyer is in a short zone spying, and also defending a TE. He can't quite get out on the edge to prevent a decent gain. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O32 | 3 | 5 | Shotgun 3-wide | 3-3-5 nickel | Run | N/A | Speed option | N/A | 11 | ||||||||||
| With three linebackers shaded to field and only three linemen this was a first down on the snap. Black(-0.5) did not read the pla and pop out on the edge, which could have helped; Bolden(? -0.5) got cut, but that was going to be super hard for him to make a play anyway. RPS -2. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O43 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun empty 2TE | Nickel even | Pass | 3 | Sack | Black | -1 | ||||||||||
| Coverage(+2) lasts through two short-side reads, and then Black(+1) comes through a double to flush, with Washington helping out. Clark, spying comes up, Shaw falls over. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O42 | 2 | 11 | Shotgun empty TE | Nickel even | Pass | 4 | Sack | Black | -13 | ||||||||||
| Blitz gets Cam Gordon(+1) in free as the RT aborts to take the MLB. Black(+2) makes the sack inevitable by ripping through a guard and coming through on the other side. He runs over Shaw. (Pressure +2, RPS +1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| O29 | 3 | 24 | Shotgun trips | Nickel rush | Run | N/A | QB draw | CGordon | 4 | ||||||||||
| A give up and punt. Michigan was sending three and dropping CGordon so he forces Shaw away from the middle and prevents any real damage. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Drive Notes: Punt, 13-21, 1 min 2nd Q | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ln | Dn | Ds | O Form | D Form | Type | Rush | Play | Player | Yards | ||||||||||
| O10 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun empty TE | 4-3 over | Run | N/A | QB power | Clark | 0 +15 pen | ||||||||||
| Clark(-2) gets good penetration by putting his hands in the face of the OL and eventually ripping off his helmet, drawing a flag. That penetration screws up one of the pullers; Kovacs(+1) blasts into another one, making for a constricted hole that the QB trips in. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O25 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun 3-wide | 3-4 base | Run | N/A | Midline zone read keeper | Campbell | 64 | ||||||||||
| M sends both outside backers. Both DTs get in the backfield clean, only one on purpose. Campbell(-2) goes after the back when the QB is his guy, and it's trouble. Kovacs(-3, tackling -2) misses a tackle at the first down marker, turning it into a huge play. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M11 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun 3-wide | 4-3 even | Pass | 5 | Throwaway | Morgan | Inc | ||||||||||
| Morgan blitzes, and while he's effectively cut by the back that spooks the QB. He stumbles as he tries to esacpe the pocket and chucks one OOB as he's falling down. (Pressure +1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| M11 | 2 | 10 | Shotgun 4-wide | 4-3 even | Run | N/A | Jet sweep | Morgan | 6 (Pen -5) | ||||||||||
| Morgan(-0.5) doesn't adjust himself presnap to the jet motion and is behind as he tries to get out on the edge. Beyer(-0.5) waits as if it's a read when the QB isn't looking at him and takes an upfield angle that the WR can get around. He is in position to tackle when a filling safety slows the ballcarrier down. It comes back because of a penalty we know not wot of because we have to talk to Marcus Lattimore for most of the third quarter. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M16 | 2 | 15 | Shotgun 4-wide | 4-3 even | Pass | 4 | Corner | Avery | Inc | ||||||||||
| Beyer(? +0.5) gets around the corner and provides some token pressure; Avery(+1, cover +1) is step for step with the wideout in the corner of th endzone but can't prevent this play from coming off if the WR plays it better since this is a perfect throw. WR gets turned around and can't. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M16 | 3 | 15 | Shotgun 4-wide | 4-3 even | Pass | 4 | Improv | Ryan | Inc | ||||||||||
| Ryan(+1) smokes the left tackle and gets in immediately (pressure +1), but the QB manages to sense Ryan coming for the killshot from behind and spins out just in time. Thompson is on the corner with time but has a restricted set of options now; he throws it to the back corner of the endzone, where Taylor(+0.5, cover +1) is there to bother the WR and bump him. Only a half point because the WR had an opportunity here despite the coverage. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Drive Notes: Missed FG(33), 13-21, 11 3rd Q. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ln | Dn | Ds | O Form | D Form | Type | Rush | Play | Player | Yards | ||||||||||
| O25 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun 4-wide | 3-4 base | Pass | 2 | Dumpoff | N/A | Inc | ||||||||||
| A two man rush, ugh. A DE who may be Black fakes a rush and then drops into a short zone. Shaw doesn't like his first look (cover +1) and then rifles it at his tailback too hard, incomplete. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O25 | 2 | 10 | Shotgun 2TE twins | 3-4 base | Pass | 2 | Seam | Bolden | 37 | ||||||||||
| Getting frustrated here. Another no-rush situation. M drops nine and still gives up a huge frigging hole in the zone. Bolden(-3, cover -3) does not carry the tight end deep. RPS -2. WTF. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M38 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun 4-wide | 4-3 even | Run | N/A | Inside zone | Black | 2 | ||||||||||
| Black(+1) drives a guard into the backfield; he gets a momentary double and then the C moves out, but RB has to cut back inside without question since CGordon(+0.5, ?) does the same with the T. Ross(+1) sets up outside that C and dives to tackle; Bolden was waiting if there was a cutback. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M36 | 2 | 8 | Shotgun trips | 4-3 under | Pass | 5 | Tunnel screen | Ross | 1 | ||||||||||
| M loads up a bit and sends a zone blitz, and this looks like a tunnel screen except there's not really anyone blocking. Bust on SC's part? Maybe. Ross(+1, tackling +1) is dropping hash to hash and reads and tackles effectively in space on Ace Sanders. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M35 | 3 | 7 | Shotgun 3-wide | 3-3-5 nickel | Pass | 5 | Fly | Taylor | Inc | ||||||||||
| Black(?) gets pressure on a stunt as Michgian sends five, and Shaw just loads up and fires deep. Ball is outside but vaguely catchable and Taylor(-0.5) gets beat over the top. A better throw is six. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M35 | 4 | 7 | Shotgun trips | 3-3-5 nickel | Pass | 3 | Sack | Black | -1 | ||||||||||
| M gets a decent rush on a three man pressure by looping Roh all the way around the nose tackle thanks to Black(+0.5) occupying two guys and banging into the guy trying to check Roh(+0.5); Shaw can't find anyone (cover +1) and starts rolling around. Shaw fakes a throw, fumbling, and that's a turnover on downs. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Drive Notes: Turnover on Downs, 16-21, 4 min 3rd Q. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ln | Dn | Ds | O Form | D Form | Type | Rush | Play | Player | Yards | ||||||||||
| O17 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun 2TE twins | 3-4 base | Pass | 3 | Throwaway | N/A | Inc | ||||||||||
| No pressure(-1), though with a TE staying in this is 2 on 1 everywhere. Shaw can't find anyone(cover +2) despite the time and eventually rolls to the sideline and chucks it OOB. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O17 | 2 | 10 | Shotgun trips TE | 4-3 over | Pass | 4 | Dumpoff | Taylor | 11 | ||||||||||
| Roh and Clark(?) get decent pressure on the edge but nothing that really affects the QB; coverage(+1) is good and SC has to take a dumpdown. Taylor(-1, tackling -1) should be able to close this down for five or so but gets juked by a TE and gives up first down yardage. Taylor slipped, FWIW, if you want to give that minus to Adidas. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O28 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun 4-wide | 4-3 even | Run | N/A | Midline zone read keeper | Campbell | 11 | ||||||||||
| Campbell(-2) again blows the QB responsibility and gives SC an easy march upfield. Gordon makes a nice fill and tackle(+1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| O39 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun trips | 3-4 base | Pass | 4 | Fly | Avery | Inc | ||||||||||
| Nothing even approximating pressure(-2); Shaw can load up and go for a deep one. Avery(+1, cover +1) is step for step, ball is way underthrown. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O39 | 2 | 10 | Shotgun 2TE | 4-3 even | Pass | 4 | Comeback | Avery | 20 | ||||||||||
| No one even close again(pressure -2); this time Shaw comes down to a wide open comeback (cover -2). Avery(-1) got turned around and then slipped as he tried to recover. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M41 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun 3-wide | 3-4 base | Pass | 5 | Bubble screen | TGordon | 8 | ||||||||||
| Not really much Gordon can do about this since he's well off on th snap, but I guess he didn't crush the block so -0.5. No one else is in the zip code, easy eight yards. RPS -1. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M33 | 2 | 2 | Shotgun 3-wide | 4-3 even | Run | N/A | Power off tackle | Washington | 4 | ||||||||||
| Washington(-2) blown off the backside of the play by a single block. Campbell(+1) took a double and came through it as the RB threatens the POA, forcing a cutback. Beyer(+1) got into the hole as well. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M29 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun twin TE | 4-4 even | Pass | 5 | Wheel | Taylor | Inc | ||||||||||
| Kovacs(+1) sent. He gets around the tackle and gets tackled; no call. Refs -2. SC has a wide open wheel route (cover -3) behind the Kovacs blitz as Taylor(-2) has to pick between a post and the wheel. I think the way to handle this is to slide to the wheel and rely on Gordon in center field to get over to the post. Shaw just whiffs. Fortunate. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M29 | 2 | 10 | Shotgun 2-back | Nickel even | Pass | 4 | Screen | TGordon | 5 | ||||||||||
| M sends Morgan and drops out Clark. Clark drops into approximatley the screen area, so it's three on three. Clark keeps leverage, Bolden(+0.5) hops around a downfield block nicely but Gordon's fill is only meh, so it's a decent gain. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M24 | 3 | 5 | Shotgun 4-wide | Nickel even | Run | N/A | Speed option | Ryan | -1 | ||||||||||
| M shows blitz, SC check. They run the blitz, and should get burned as it's a speed option to the field and there's not much in the way of personnel out there after a double blitz up the middle. Ryan(+2) heads out to the pitch, convincing Shaw to cut it up. He then collapses down to tackle the guy with help from Roh(+1), who dragged himself across a blocker to cut down the angle. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Drive Notes: Blocked FG(42), 22-21, 9 min 4th Q. The block is nice but it's mostly because the kick was super low. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ln | Dn | Ds | O Form | DForm | Type | Rush | Play | Player | Yards | ||||||||||
| M31 | 1 | 10 | ??? | ??? | Pass | 4 | Post | Gordon | 31 | ||||||||||
| We don't get the snap because of Clowneymania. Pressure mediocre but kind of there; Michigan has tow guys in deep coverage against two SC WRs. TGordon(-1, cover -1) does get beat over the top but only by a step; perfect throw to beat the coverage. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M3 | 2PT | 2PT | Shotgun empty | Nickel over | Pass | 6 | Seam | Wilson | Inc | ||||||||||
| Michigan sends more blitzers than blockers, getting a run up the middle. Wilson is in decent position on the TE and kind of forces a difficult throw but there is a window that the QB hits. It's out front of the TE and he can't bring it in. Okay, I guess (+0.5 Wilson, cover +1) since he forced a difficult throw and catch attempt. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Drive Notes: Touchdown(missed 2PT), 22-27, 8 min 4th Q. Final drive starts with 3:23 on the clock, ton of time. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ln | Dn | Ds | O Form | D Form | Type | Rush | Play | Player | Yards | ||||||||||
| O30 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun 2TE twins | 3-4 base | Pass | 3 | Dumpoff | Ryan | 4 | ||||||||||
| All day (pressure -1) again; checkdown because of good coverage(+2) and immediate tackle. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O34 | 2 | 6 | Shotgun 3-wide | 4-3 over | Pass | 4 | Sack | Black | -4 | ||||||||||
| M sends Ryan and drops Clark. Black(+1) shoots up in the pocket, flushing Shaw forward, whereupon Ryan(+1 comes off a guard to smother Shaw. Pressure +2, cover +1) as Shaw had a window to find someone before Ryan collapsed on him. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O30 | 3 | 10 | Shotgun 3-wide | 3-4 base | Pass | 3 | Hitch | Taylor | 7 | ||||||||||
| All day (pressure -1); TE comes open for decent yardage and is hit. Throw and catch are meh otherwise this could be first down with some YAC (cover -1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| O37 | 4 | 3 | Shotgun 3-wide | 3-3-5 nickel | Pass | 5 | Slant | TGordon | 6 | ||||||||||
| Michigan brings six, dropping out a DE once he draws the attention of a RB. Gotta be quick; Sanders beats Gordon in man coverage and dives to preserve the game for SC. That is a tough matchup for a safety. (Cover -1, TGordon -1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| O43 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun trips | 3-3-5 nickel | Pass | 4 | Comeback | Black | 7 | ||||||||||
| This is kind of the game right here. Coverage(+1) prevents a first read throw. Morgan(+0.5) is blitzing and leaps/swims past the RB at the same time; Black(+1) has driven his guy in the backfield. Shaw starts to move around, away from Morgan and right into Black, then chucks the ball just as Black sacks him. This goes right to Ace Sanders. Gordon tackles, and it's not a huge gain but it is a 15-yard swing. (Pressure +1, cover -1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 50 | 2 | 3 | Shotgun empty | 3-3-5 nickel | Pass | 3 | Dumpoff | Black | 7 | ||||||||||
| Aaand this is also the game. Black(+1) beats the LT clean and tries to sack; he can only fling the QB in a circle. Shaw manages to keep his feet and dumps it off to Sanders, who Ryan(-1, cover -1) abandoned to come up on Shaw. Shaw is not the danger, man. Two yard pass turns into lots of YAC. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M43 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun empty | Nickel even | Pass | 4 | Hitch | N/A | 3 | ||||||||||
| Short hitch that you can't cover or get to the QB on; minimal yardage. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M40 | 2 | 7 | Shotgun 4-wide | Nickel over | Pass | 3 | Scramble | Ross | 1 | ||||||||||
| Black(+0.5) and Roh(+0.5) both kind of get the corner as they are one on one with the tackles. NT is three on one and going nowhere. QB scrambles up; Ross(-1, tackling -1) misses him in the open field, turning a six yard sack into a small gain. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M39 | 3 | 6 | Shotgun trips | 3-3-5 nickel | Pass | 6 | Tunnel screen | Kovacs | 7 | ||||||||||
| M gets caught by the playcall. Kovacs(+1, tackling +1) does a good job to beat a block and tackle before this can get super dangerous. RPS -2. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M32 | 1 | 10 | Ace 3-wide | 3-3-5 nickel | N/A | N/A | Spike | N/A | Inc | ||||||||||
| 17 seconds. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M32 | 2 | 10 | Shotgun empty | Nickel even | Pass | 4 | Seam | Wilson | 32 | ||||||||||
| M gets a free run with four guys, running a fire zone behind it. Kovacs is in a short zone; Jarrod Wilson(-3, cover -3) is dragged away from the center of the field for no reason and this is open all day. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Drive Notes: Touchdown (missed 2PT), 33-28, EOG. | |||||||||||||||||||
Ow.
My balls.
So what happened there?
A super weird game in which South Carolina did nothing or everything, with no in-between. South Carolina first downs in the first three quarters:
- UNDER 30 YARDS: 2 (also one by penalty)
- GREATER THAN 30 YARDS: 5. One 56, one 70, one 64, one 37, one 31
In the fourth quarter the Gamecocks went on a couple of actual drive-type substances; before that they did nothing save for four huge plays (and an Ace Sanders PR TD).
So let's take a look at those five plays and the sixth long one.
- Taylor smoked over the top one on one by Damiere Byrd
- M gets caught in a blitz and has three deep against four verts because there is no FS.
- Campbell blows a midline zone read and Kovacs misses his first tackle in like three years.
- Another all-verts finds a hole in the zone behind Joe Bolden.
- Thomas Gordon beaten over the top by Ace Sanders.
- FS is playing man on a TE rather than covering a post in the middle of the field.
Other than the once-in-a-generation botched fill by Kovacs (against a moderately mobile QB, of all people) those are all the secondary getting crushed by Spurrier's verts addiction and a lack of athleticism.
That's, like, the exact opposite of Michigan's defense the last three years.
They were already hanging by a thread with JT Floyd around, and without him Michigan had no answer to verts verts verts because their options on those seams up the middle of the field were
- Freshman linebackers.
- Not-that-quick Desmond Morgan.
- 110 pound cornerbacks.
- Slowish safeties.
- Bringing in Jarrod Wilson.
They took doors 1, 4, and 5. None worked. You're not just asking Michigan's secondary to keep up with average slot receivers, you're asking them to cover Ace Sanders, who turned in the top shuttle time at the most recent NFL combine. On his touchdown against Gordon his change of direction got him a step, and while it couldn't get him any more than that because Sanders's straight line speed isn't amazing one step was all it took.
Meanwhile, Taylor getting blown by was just a guy getting beat. He needed to bail out a lot faster there against a guy with blazing top-end speed.
It should be noted that South Carolina did a great job of maximizing their opportunities. No hands-on-helmet moaning for SC. When presented with an opportunity, they took it ruthlessly.
What happened on the last play?
A preview of life without Kovacs. If you look at the play from the Extremely Helpful Robot Camera Angle—which I love—you can see the problem. It's the two guys on the left hashmark:
At the moment of the throw, Jarrod Wilson is on the opposite hash from Bruce Ellington, a lightning-quick slot receiver that Jordan Kovacs has carried about ten yards downfield and is playing outside of. Michigan ran a zone blitz on this play, and before the snap Wilson walks from the center of the field to the left hash and points at the tight end:
Wilson's approach to the play is essentially to be a deep bracket on that guy, as the rest of Michigan runs a three-deep zone. He blew it. He was out there because JT Floyd got suspended.
So… verts.
Michigan struggled to cope all day. On the 70-yarder Michigan runs a zone blitz with a hash-to-hash drop from Morgan. This implies there will be a deep centerfielder, because if the hash receiver goes vertical Morgan has a zero point zero chance of covering it. Instead it looks like both Avery and Thomas Gordon start playing outside-oriented man coverage… like there is a centerfielder.
There is no centerfielder. Kovacs was sent on a blitz, so who might draw that responsibility? Jarrod Wilson, who's in since this is a nickel package. Jarrod Wilson is standing on the 40 on the other side of the field:
I wish I had done this when I should do this, because then I could have gotten a proper head of steam on my panic about replacing Kovacs, and would have both welcomed and not been surprised by the Courtney Avery move.
So…
The Floyd suspension blew it all up. Instead of bringing Courtney Avery in and relying on Gordon and Thomas to fill centerfield, that duty fell to Jarrod Wilson, and twice Jarrod Wilson busted spectacularly. Those 14 points were enough to lose.
IS THIS WHAT IT'S LIKE
This is what its' like.
I remember feeling like this. I remember waking up and not knowing when the next fifty-yard touchdown was going to happen, but knowing it would be far too soon. I remember walking in the rain because I could feel no more. I was not dead then, but neither was I alive. I was… between.
This strikes me as a perfectly reasonable reaction to the situation.
Is there any good news?
When not being triple-teamed on three-man rushes, Washington and Black showed pretty well. Well… I think. Washington in particular was a guy that this game virtually ignored (five carries for the tailback!), but I'm guessing part of that was the fact that Washington indicated he wasn't going to be blocked on run plays on the first snap:
Washington was also a key actor on the fumble recovery, battering a guard way into the backfield and paving the way for Ojemudia to bring the wood.
Pipkins did a similar thing a little later:
I don't think South Carolina's offensive line is too good, but the DL was a positive in ways that do not include pass rush, and it's hard to ding them too hard there with all the three-man rushes.
Black actually flashed quite a bit in pass rush, ripping through a guard for a sack and then almost-but-not quite sacking Shaw on back-to-back plays on the final drive.
Heroes?
Black is about the only guy who had an identifiably good day. Washington as well, though he had few opportunities.
Not so heroic?
Wilson, Taylor, and to a lesser extent Gordon and Kovacs, much as it pains me to say it.
What does it mean for 2013?
Jarrod Wilson had a long way to go then and likely has almost as far to go now given that Michigan is trying to put anyone but Wilson in the lineup.
Jibreel Black feasted on some slow South Carolina linemen and may be productive against Big Ten guards.
Michigan needs to upgrade their athleticism in the back four badly, because ain't no Kovacs cleaning up mistakes.
That's about it. Run defense was nonexistent in this game.