Michigan Wolverines: Minnesota — What Happened and What it Means — Part I
Sep 27, 2014; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines players take the field before the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Posted at 5:30am — 9/30/2014
Michigan Wolverines: Minnesota — What Happened and What it Means — Part I
Minnesota versus Michigan Game Wrap-up
Tough Times Continue
The trip up the pike from Cowtown was different this Saturday. The leaves showed far more turn than a mere seven days ago on the Utah weekend. The change in football success was nil. The soybeans are coming down, as is much of the corn. There still remains work to be done in the fields and work to do within the Michigan football program. The problem is that completing the work in the fields is straightforward, cut and dried, so to speak; there are no tough choices or a plethora of strategies for final decisions. This luxury does not exist for Michigan football. The path forward has only two forks: (1) vast improvement or (2) vast change.
Sep 27, 2014; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines quarterback Shane Morris (7) passes the ball in the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY SportsThose who were firmly in the change camp were pleased to see the pregame announcement of Shane Morris as starting quarterback. More on the final results of the above mentioned “change” or “the experiment” later.
First of, below is a list of bullet pointed general impressions that will proceed game specifics.
• Minnesota is a sound team and the return of home state quarterback Mitch Leidner really made a difference. He has size and sufficient speed. He gets rid of the ball very quickly and there is little doubt where the ball is going. But the routes are quick and the cuts are fast. The out patterns and deep outs gave Michigan trouble. The cuts were quick, the defender driven off slightly, and the ball delivered on time and with good location. The deep patterns were near misses for Minnesota, foiled by some good defense.
Sep 27, 2014; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Jerry Kill on the sideline in the first quarter against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports• Jerry Kill runs a no-nonsense, common sense football program. Frills and entertainment value are not the prime products. Kill is similar to Coach Snyder of Kansas State in demeanor. The offense is a little more wide open in Manhattan, Kansas and the Minnesota offense is more Iowa-like, as with patience it will set a team up and take what the defense sacrifices to stop one option. When a team can run, as Minnesota did well enough, play action is more effective and the offensive coordinator looks smart.
• Minnesota is more veteran and the mistakes of last year did not happen. Michigan is now an amazingly putrid minus 12 turnovers on the year.
Sep 27, 2014; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers running back David Cobb (27) rushes in the first half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports• Senior David Cobb has come into his own as a senior after being just another good option the past few years. Minnesota did indeed run the inside series very well and the Minnesota offensive staff caught Michigan several times with no middle defense, a condition that allowed several successful little dump screens or release passes over the middle. Michigan continues to blitz, not get to the quarterback, and give up critical first downs. The defensive package has been very predictable.
• The press coverage and the lack of edge contain allowed Leidner to roll out on a reverse waggle bootleg and walk into the endzone. Not one defensive back saw the play. Teams with running quarterbacks will take note of this and if Michigan does not contain big plays will result.
• Minnesota had a huge advantage in field position starting from the opening drive. This is every team’s objective. Michigan simply could not move the ball out of the shadow of the end zone, usually the southern variety. Minnesota had several short fields, a condition that once again stressed out a defense struggling like crazy to keep a team in the game.
Sep 27, 2014; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers fullback Miles Thomas (41) rushes in the first quarter against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports• The Minnesota special teams far outplayed the Michigan units. In fairness Matt Wile had little chance to show his ability. The Minnesota field goal unit executed flawlessly and the kickoffs went through the end zone time after time. During warm-ups, the author watched Will Hagerup hit shots from the back of his end zone to the opponent’s 30-yard line. But during the game, when conditions were tighter, he hit line drives and bricks. A couple of fortunate rolls helped, but his inability to flip the field contributed to Minnesota’s short field luxury. The lanes for kick returners continue to present a condition that may lead eventually to long returns. The Minnesota coverage personnel were quicker down the field.
• Minnesota has a decent defense, just decent, nothing close to special. But the Michigan offense was mega predictable. The philosophy of having a small package has consequences if the base plays do not yield yardage. This coupled with an inability to execute in any phase of an offense scheme yields the clear results of Saturday, when Michigan had barely over 100 yards well into the third quarter. Any team that cannot run and then struggles when forced to pass makes the opposing defense look special.
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Written by GBMWolverine Staff — Doc4Blu
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