Michigan Tuesday: New Season and Win #1

The reigning National Champs took the floor officially for the first time last night with some returning players and lots of new ones.  I questioned if Oakland should've been nearly a 30-point dog and I was right.  Oakland gave the Wolverines a ton of problems with its 1-3-1 Beilein type zone defense, but Michigan came away with an 84-68 win.

McKenney (shot 5-12) seemed to have an off night with 17 points, which was matched by Gayle who started at small forward for the Wolverines.   JP Estrella was dominate at times and added 15 points but also fouled out.  Michigan played 10 players without big man Moustapha Thiam who was out with an illness. 

Hard to see what this team will be without Thiam in the lineup, but the defense and rebounding will need some work.  Michigan also didn't shoot that well going 31-71 or 44% from the field, but that will get better.  Quinn is a knock down shooter but a liability on the defensive side of the ball as he learns D1 basketball.  

A win is a win, and I'm excited to see what this team looks like with Thiam in the lineup, Coach Boynton seemed reluctant to put Moller the other 7-footer in the game.

• JHD and Nichols are expected back for MSU 

• Babalola is healthy but not ready to play yet 

• No new news on Sprague 

• There will be an open kicking competition in practice this week 

• Oklahoma fired their OC on Monday

Post Game: Never Easy

                                    Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect

Michigan played like a a 2 TD favorite for most the game. The only issue was that they also kept Rutgers in the game with self inflicted wounds. Nobody is popping bottles with a 7 point win over a Rutgers crowd that probably had more Wolverine fans then Scarlet Knights.

On to the Cheers and Jeers!

Cheers:

• Tommy played very well and saved Michigan with his feet for two TD's.
• The defense hasn't given up a completed pass in back to back weeks in the 2nd half 
• I love JJ! 
• I love Bracy! 
• Beck had a decent day with the offensive play calls 
• Hiter ran hard 
• Hello again TE's! 
• Marsh had 7 catches 
• Benny Patterson had his best day as a Wolverine
• Moa 1 catch for 44 yards and good decisions on the punts
• Cam Brown averaged 46.5 yards per punt 

Jeers:

• Trey Missfieldgoalski should be watching the rest of the season 
• The offensive line had a terrible 1st half 
• Mason Curtis catch the ball! 
• Sowden less penalties please! 
• Jordan Marshall tackled himself 
• Defense giving up two big plays that kept Rutgers in the game 
• Those officials should be suspended, they can't figure out a DPI or OPI or Kick catch interference to save their lives.  WR's are now just grabbing CB's in hoping the Ref thinks its the defense. 
• Tommy has to get the ball to Marsh on those long throws, those were two easy TD's if he throws it further 
• Rutgers QB had 3 completed passes for 123 yards, WTF?
• Michigan never making anything easy 

This is a Win and that's about all you can say about it.  Michigan dominated but kept Rutgers in the game with bone head penalties, missed scoring chances, and blown assignments.  I like how aggressive Hill's calls are, but it was pretty obvious they were going to call a run into that blitz in the 2nd half.  The QB wasn't completing passes and their best WR was out. 

Lastly, the Offensive line has to play better. Jake Butt was highlighting how bad they were in the 1st half. 

Learn, clean up the mistakes, scout the soccer team, get healthy, and Beat State. 

Rutgers Halloween Preview

Time: 12:30

Location: SHItadium 

Weather: 57 No Rain 

TV: BTN 

Line: Michigan -15.5

This is a spooky game for many reasons.  1. Its kicking off at 12:30 2. It's Halloween and 3. If Michigan doesn't win this game, there will be a Soprano's SUV waiting for Coach Whitt and Beck after the game. 

The Wolverines have one of the best defenses in the country and one of the worst offenses.  Rutgers has a really good WR with the last name Duff, that is doubtful for the game.   Rutgers would probably fire Schiano if they could afford to.   Michigan might fire Whitt if there was anyone in charge in Ann Arbor to fire him.   Both situations are FANTASTIC! 

Dear Coach Whitt:

Your clearly not listening to my advice or anyone's advice.  Your just the happy go lucky guy doing his own thing like its Utah where nobody gives a damn.  It's obvious your the CEO but it also obvious your not engaged at all on the offensive side of the ball. 

Now, a little about the game this Saturday.  Losing to Rutgers is un-acceptable by any means but since your pretty good at losing games Michigan should win, I bet you don't understand that the Scarlett Knights will give you the best effort they have had all year on Saturday.  They are starving for win and would love nothing more then a season saving win over the Wolverines.  

You understand what that means, correct?  It means after the game, I don't want to hear things like:

Coach Beck really wanted a few Red Zone calls back.  

I didn't agree with that play call, but I didn't say anything 

Does anyone know what time the Bada Bing closes?

I didn't think it was possible to mess up Michigan's power run game but you and Beck have found a way.  Please line up and play some power football.  It's something Michigan has been doing for over a 100 years. 

Get Carr some easy throws, use the TE's and try to get one of Michigan's running backs over a 100 yards.  Wouldn't that be something! 

In the end, the Michigan Defense will have to win the game and probably score 14 or more points on their own.  

Final words, don't come back to Ann Arbor if you don't win this game.  We are all nearing our Whitt's end.  

Michigan 24 Rutgers 10

Indiana Preview

Time: Noon
Location: Big House
Weather: 58 - No Rain
TV: Fox
Line: Indiana -7.5

There is not a college football fan alive that still isn't in shock that Indiana is the reigning National Champions.  The only thing I can relate it to is when the Chicago Cubs won the World Series in 2016. 

IU lost to Ohio State last week at home, when their MSU transfer WR stepped out of bounds on a wide open TD throw.  Some will argue that mistake is on Hoover who should've lead him more to the open space in the end zone.   IU doesn't turn the ball over or make many penalties, they play clean football. 

Dear Coach Whitt:

When you were hired to Ann Arbor we expected a coach to bring in leadership, bunch of new talented coaches to get this team to compete by playing clean fundamental football or what IU has done the last 3 seasons.   As a Michigan Football fan, I've never thought or have spoken this sentence in my life:  I hope Michigan can play like Indiana. 

Thank you for making the QB change, it was long overdue and had an immediate impact.  There is still plenty to fix on offense and I'm also worried that Carr will play like a true freshman at some point.  The guy seems to be ready for the moment, so a huge hat tip to him. 

An area that I'm worried about and maybe I'm the only one, is the defense.   The defense seems to be giving up a ton of yards and long drives.   That unit will have to dominate on Saturday for the Wolverines to win this game.  IU doesn't turn the ball over so your defense will need to get off the field with 3 and outs.   The secondary will need to lock down Marsh and get pressure on Hoover.  Hill the DC and Hill the DB will both have to have big days.  IU has struggled to run the ball and that will need to continue.  

On Saturday, I would love to see a clean game on both sides of the ball.  If Michigan turns the ball over a couple times and has 10 penalties for 100 yards, it will be a wrap.  IU will try to confuse the young Carr into making mistakes, so if Michigan can run the ball that will be ideal! Beck will need to give Carr some confidence throws but also some downfield throws if those go well.  It's time to unlock this offense with Carr running it.  

I predict Michigan will be motivated to play but will they play clean?  Time to show what type of coach you are.  Because the coaching fire power on the other side just had an historic two years.  This team can be beat and it would be great if Michigan played its best game of the year and pulled the upset.  We're all waiting to see that. 

IU 28 Michigan 17

Penn State Post Game: The Only Option

Isaiah Hole, WolverinesWire

Coming out of a bye week the Michigan offense didn't execute anything in the first half on Saturday and was down 3-0 at halftime.   At the half, everyone's group chat blew up saying the same thing, "it has to be Tommy time!".  With his grandfather watching next to old number 14 Brian Griese, the new #14 Tommy Carr took the field to start the 2nd half.  The crowd cheered as they hadn't had anything to cheer about for the prior 2 hours. 

You watched the game, so you know the defense got 3 turnovers and Carr turned those into 21 points in the 2nd half.  Michigan wins 21-18 after a failed attempt at an onsides kick by Penn State.  

These type of games are why we have Cheers and Jeers:

Cheers:

• Michigan found a way to win in the 2nd half 
• Hiter with a big run when Michigan was backed up near the goal line! 
• Kuzdzal's long run changed the game! 
• Tommy for not being nervous 
• Bracy is my MVP of the game! 
• 5 solo tackles 
• 1 Pick 
• 1 TFL 
• 1 Sack 
• couple of big pass breakups 
• Marshall ran hard 
• A TE Hogan Hansen caught 2 balls 
• Rod Moore with a pick (did he get injured celebrating?)
• Defense with 3 turnovers
• Moa caught all the punts! 
• JHD had a nice game 
• Boney Tony is going to be superstar 
• Troy Bowles quietly is the best player on defense 

Jeers:

• The defense was either hot or cold
• Can we please stop making defensive penalties when the game is on the line?
• Marsh needs to catch the ball
• Jyaire Hill had a tough day against #0 in White 
• Can we double that guy? 
• Earls seems to make one dumb penalty a game 
• Bryce played terribly and needed to get pulled 
• The 1st half 
• Cam Brown, what was with those punts?
• I still thought the play calling on offense was really bad 

We all assume this is Tommy's job moving forward.  Which it should be, we all saw the difference of being trained as a QB vs, being an elite athlete trying to play the position.  Now, my concern is, the defense needs to get off the field.  I think maybe they forced one 3 and out the entire game.   Michigan is going to have to win games on defense the rest of the year and with the National Champs coming into town after their Marsh steps out, it could be ugly if the Wolverines defense doesn't get quick stops next Saturday.  

Michigan's running game was a little bit better gaining 211 yards but most of that came on 2 big runs.  Michigan sill needs better production on 1st downs. Still 90 yards passing is not going to beat good teams, we have to get the ball to JJ, Marsh, the RB's and TE's in the passing game.  Maybe Michigan can be more balanced with Tommy under center.  

Any chance we could play Minnesota again with Tommy at QB?

The Little Brown Jug Preview

Time: Noon 

Location: Huntington Bank 

Weather: 60 small chance of rain 

TV: Fox 

Line: Michigan -5.5

The Little Brown Jug has plenty of history and outside one of the true rivalry games Michigan plays (MSU and OSU), this trophy is very important to the program.  It's also very important to Minnesota and they have an empty trophy case just waiting for it.  This is the Golden Gophers Super Bowl on Saturday and this trophy would probably get The Row the Boat captain an extension with a win. 

Dear Coach Whitt:

I've got to say this straight up to you and I think I speak for many Michigan Football fans.  This non-deciplined football is Bull Shit and completely unexpected.    I would've expected these type of mistakes from a Sherrone coached team, not one lead by you and your experienced coordinators. 

The Iowa loss completely washed over the narrative that your offense is getting better and Bryce had one of his best days as a Wolverine.  I think the pick was on Marsh, but clearly they weren't on the same page.  The defense struggled and Michigan didn't get as much pressure on the Iowa QB as they should've. 

Coach you were brought here to be the calm in a program that has had too many storms lately.  You have brought some of that, but what I'm watching on the field does not seem to match that.   You have to understand Michigan Football before you can be successful at it. BTW, that does not mean learning as you go, you have to figure this shit out quickly.  

The big learning this week is the Little Brown Jug.  The Minnesota program lives and dies with this trophy and we haven't played the Golden Gophers in a few years.   This is also a great test for your team on the road.  It's about time you got out of Ann Arbor and took at trip.  This team needs a mental reset and a couple day trip to play some football should be the cure.  

The Golden Gophers are feeling pretty good because they won a Big Ten After Dark game last weekend in Seattle which is not an easy place to get a W.   Coach Fleck got so happy he rubbed blood on his cheeks from one of his players after the game.   This team is hot and waiting to pull an other upset and get the prize of the Little Brown Jug. 

Play CLEAN FOOTBALL, stop the penalties and turnovers.   Rush the passer and stop the run.  On offense continue the positive progression with Bryce and lets get Marshall or Hiter over a 100 yards please!  If you haven't noticed JJ is always open, throw him the damn ball! 

Bond as a team on the road and play Michigan Football! 

Michigan 31 Minnesota 20

Iowa Preview

Time: 3:30
Location: Big House
Weather: 71 No Rain
TV: CBS

Line: Michigan -5.5

Historically, Iowa has had a great defense and poor offense.  The offense is better and the defense is still really good.  Michigan has a really good defense this season and the offense has struggled at times.  Both teams are 3-0 with close wins over instate teams.   Everyone thinks this will be a low scoring game where a turnover might be the difference.  

Dear Coach Whitt:

I know you understand what "Clean" football is. It's when your team doesn't receive penalties or turns the  the ball over.  Michigan is struggling with both offense and penalties on defense.   You can not make those mistakes against Iowa because they will capitalize on everyone of those.  In fact, their game plan includes them. 

If you're looking for a comp, your Utah teams were sort of the Iowa of the West.   By now you know what it means to be the Michigan head coach and winning in the Big House is paramount to having a good season.  So this is a big game for two reasons, it's your first conference game and its Iowa in the Big House. 

Now to the team, we can't have another first half like the team put on the field against UTEP.  That is unacceptable and you know iit.   The defense needs to play with aggression and the offense can't run into a loaded box over and over.  Every defense is going to make Bryce beat them through the air, I would've assumed you and your staff understood that before the season started.  If not, you do know now. 

Get Savion involved in the passing game and continue to leverage JJ and Marsh.  I do believe we have TE's that are great for getting first downs.  I love running the ball but you can't do that when the box has every defender in it.  On the goal line, UTEP didn't even cover JJ on one play last week.  

We need more creativity on offense and that doesn't mean running Bryce non-stop.  Yes, he needs to get his running plays in, but his ball security concerns me. 

This game should be sponsored by Tide Pods, because the team that plays the "cleanest" will win.   Michigan has to limit the mistakes because  Iowa wants to "hang around" and win late on a field goal.  I hope Michigan's injuries have healed this week and we get Berry, Sprague, and Marshall off the list.  

It's hard to win on the road in the Big Ten and Michigan needs to protect the Big House.  Play clean and play with aggression!  

Michigan 24 Iowa 14

Wolverine Wednesday: Points at a Premium

The over/under for Iowa at Michigan at 38.5 continues to remain low and I joked on Monday, the first one to 10 wins! Leading the Hawkeyes now is QB Mark Gronowski from Naperville who was a transfer from South Dakota State, Hank Brown, transfer from Auburn.  We all know too well about Michigan's struggles on that side of the ball.   Michigan has faced a very difficult 4th ranked Oklahoma defense and Iowa has faced Iowa State's who has the 13th ranked defense (points against for both stats). 

When defense is king points become a premium and that means field goals will play a huge role in Saturday's game, which will probably take 2.5 hours to play.  Which means we will be commericaled to death by CBS as they try to pay for the Romo contract buyout.  

• The Harbaugh brothers are a combined 1-3 in the NFL right now.  

• Tony Diaz Iowa's best WR #14, loves man to man coverage and calls it "shopping at a candy store"

• Tony again on Michigan's man to man:  "We've just got to make plays. We're going to get what we want — we're going to get man on man. It's just, who's better at the end of the day?"

UTEP Post Game: Arnold Palmer

Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com

I drink Arnold Palmer's, if your not familiar it's half ice tea and half lemonade.  Other's call it half and half.  At a restaurant one time, I ordered a half and half and they brought me half sweet tea and half regular ice tea, which doesn't make sense to me.  

Today's game was 2 distinct different halves.  The first half had 2 turnovers and 2 lapes by the defense that led to two separate occasions where UTEP was leading the Wolverines 7-0 and 14-7.  Michigan's offense looked like a bad high school offense.  You can't run right at a box full of defenders, doesn't matter the quality of the defense, they can tackle the RB when they have a numbers advantage. 

Michigan limped to 3 point lead at half-time and felt lucky to be leading by that much.   Then the 2nd half became the dominating defense, Marsh, and Underwood show.  The defense decided to lead with aggression and limited the UTEP offense to negative yards for the 3rd quarter and Beck decided running into a loaded box was a fool's errand.  

Michigan dominated from that point on and it was game over.  I was worried about this staffs ability to adjust strategy at the half, but they did that and Coach Whitt got the team back to playing with energy and aggression. 

Cheers:

• Bryce was 19/25 for 223 Yards 
• Hiter had 2 TD's
• Marsh 105 yards 10 catches and 1 TD 
• JJ 7 for 92 and 1 TD 
• Chase Taylor led the D with 5 tackles, 1/2 sack, and 1 TFL 
• Bowles continued his good play 
• Lea'ea with the Big Man Pick 6 (Thick 6!)
• Trey Butkowski with a nice long FG 
• The 2nd Half 

Jeers:

• The 1st Half 
• 2 bad turnovers fumbles by Bryce and Savion 
• Marshall being banged up 
• The offensive line is still not great 
• Some early penalties were very costly

Hello, Nice to Meet You!

• Boney Toney! (Tariq Boney) 4 Tackles, 1 Sack, and 1.5 TFL 
• Cater Meadows 
• Travis Johnson 
• S. Moa with a TD catch 
• Tommy Carr with his first Michigan TD pass 

First half was full of WMU flashbacks for the fans, the players, and the coaches.  Good on the staff for re-focusing the team at the half.   Michigan can't have a half like that with conference play starting and a ranked Iowa team coming to the Big House next week. 

3-0 and we will take it. 

UTEP Preview

Paydirt Pete 

Time: 3:30 

Location: Big House 

Weather: 61/71% 🌧

TV: BTN

Line: Michigan -34.5

Michigan is playing the University of Texas the week after they played Ohio State.   Wait a second, its the University of Texas El Paso.  My bad.  Why doesn't Michigan other campuses have football teams?  U of M Flint or U of M Dearborn?  Flint is known for their basketball and Dearborn could be the football campus.  I like this idea lets run with it! 

UTEP as reported earlier this week likes 51 points.  They got beat in week 1 by Oklahoma 51-0 and scored 51 in week 2.  Will this trend continue in Week 3?  The rain might be an interesting factor.  

Dear Coach Whitt:

Not a big fan of swearing in these letters to you, but this is the best way for me to explain it.   The shit got real for you at Michigan really quick.  You win on conservaeral play in Game 1 and then play really well the next week and beat a ranked Oklahoma team.  The Big Ten season starts next week and by nothing short of a miracle your team is 2-0.  I asked you last week to win on defensive and that is exactly what you did. 

Now to this week.  Coach, we need some offense and we need it in a hurry.  The run game is poor to average, the offensive line has not been great, and our passing game is iffy at best.  Hat tip to Bryce, he was not well received after Week 1 but played much better Week 2.   We need to continue to see that weekly progression.  

The Big 10 Season is no joke, so we have to respect UTEP but get better and gain confidence this week.  Here is a quick priority list of things we need to see on Saturday. 

#1: Run the dang ball, Bert! 

#2: The offensive line needs to be road graters and open up some holes

#3: Move the ball through the Air, hit WR's, throw to a TE, get Bryce some confidence. 

#4: Score lots of points 

#5: Play dominating defensive like you have 

#6: No more penalties 

I would like to see Marshall and Hiter both have 100 yards.  I really like Hiter catching the ball out of the backfield and his total can be a combo between running and receiving yards.    Get Marsh a TD, would like to see Bryce complete a long pass.  

If the game starts to lean to a blow out, would love to see the young WR's in the game with Carr.  Don't take your foot off the gas, get them into open spaces and let them run.  

Now, let me be clear on something.  I'm not suggesting Michigan look past UTEP or not respect them.   We saw how that went for Oregon last week and your squad week 1.  Respect the opponent and play clean Michigan Football. 

Now that is out of the way, this week is about getting better, gaining confidence, and setting the table for a Big Ten Championship run. 

Michigan 51 UTEP 9

Post Game: Secondary Help

The Oklahoman

In my preview to Coach Whitt, I told him Michigan had to win this game on defense and they sure as hell did.  The secondary locked down the Oklahoma WR's and for the most part got Mateer on the ground when he scrambled.  The pass rush showed up and Michigan ended the game with a big sack by Marshall. 

In the 3rd quarter the secondary was doing its best to lose the game.   A terrible personal foul call on Hill and letting the Big Oklahoma TE run wild in the secondary.  Not to mention back to back terrible plays by Earls with a face mask and a blown assignment for a butt naked TD pass. 

Bryce was effective but the offense was very basic all game.  

There is plenty to clean up and that's why we do Cheers and Jeers:

Cheers:

• Michigan Defense making winning plays and basically scoring the winning TD 
• John Henry Daley had his best game as a Wolverine with 3 TFL's
• Marshall closed the game with a sack 
• NOB out there making plays 
• Another solid effort by Bowles 
• Secondary for locking down the WR's
• Get the ball to JJ! 
• Hiter had a few nice catches 
• Marshall catching all the punts
• Our punter is an All American 
• Butkowski had a nice field goal 

Jeers:

• The offense needs work 
• Bryce was the leading rusher 
• Oline played better but there just not enough holes 
• Michigan needs to find a way to pass the ball
• 11 Penalties for 90 yards is unacceptable 
• The mental mistakes are unacceptable 

This was a great win as the Wolverines and Bryce were the joke of the week, now they just upset the #11 team in the nation.  This is a huge win for Coach Whitt and this team.   They need to focus on getting better next week and finding more options on offense.   Bryce running the ball non-stop scares me with his fumbling issues and his health.  Mateer was gassed at the end of the game.

Huge win and it feels great!  Now go get better again! 

Oklahoma Preview

Time: Noon 

Location: Big House 

Weather: 77 feels like 87 

TV: Fox 

Line: Michigan +5.5

This is a tale of two programs through one game.  Neither team let in a touchdown in Week 1.  One team won 51-0 another one won a Hail Mary.  One team is ranked 11th in the country the other was ranked 16th but no longer ranked.  Oklahoma was posed to make a title run last year after their Michigan win, they got to the playoffs but their QB got hurt after the Michigan game and they weren't the same the rest of the year.   Any chance that OK State shows up on Saturday?  

Dear Coach Whitt,

I'm not sure I have words for what happened last Saturday night.  I do have some advice for you as you got a Michigan Head Football coaching experience in one fire hose blast.   First off, the all maize uniforms are weird and we don't like them.  Secondary, Michigan does not play well in night games at the Big House. Third, Michigan has a tendency to be very sleepy in its first game of the year at home.   

I'm sure you also learned that no matter the opponent you will get that team's best effort times 10.  Something makes the other team play at another level when they see that Maize and Blue.  This job is unique and nothing like Utah.   You have your hands full this week to not be embarrassed on Saturday.

Lou Holtz used to say that there are no greater improvements then between Game 1 and Game 2.  I sure hope that is the case for your team.  Outside of punting and not allowing a TD, there wasn't much to love from last week.   When everything is broken, where do you start to fix the problem was your greatest issue this week during practice.  

It has to start at QB.  I think Bryce has potential but he is snake bitten, falls back into old bad habits, and completely lacks confidence in his play.  It's hard to bench someone that is making so much NIL but that might be the right approach, he has never been able to watch and learn in college and he currently isn't equipped with the proper experience to deal with fire hose of college football yet.  I think Carr has better fundamentals but he is not ready for Oklahoma.  That leaves BFN if he knows the offense.  

These are very difficult decisions and reason your in this role.  You inherited Bryce and maybe he can't be fixed in a way that will win you football games this year.  If that is the case, we need to move on quickly.  On the other hand, the kid has a ton of talent and if you can fix him, his upside is through the moon.  Good luck with that decision. 

This week can change your season.  It's an opportunity to flush the Hail Mary that still seems be a topic on all the sports shows.  Or it can be one of the most embarrassing loses of your career.   The game will need to be won on defense for the Wolverines.  No matter how much your OC learned or Bryce can execute, it won't be enough to beat The Sooners, without a dominating defense.  In fact the defense probably has to score for Michigan to win.  

Final advice, the turnovers and penalties are not acceptable.  That is not Michigan Football and has to be fixed right away.   Finding a way to score points against Oklahoma's defense will need another Big House Miracle and I think you've spent those dollars.   My only hope is Michigan surprises us once a year in a game and I hope its this weekend.  Again coach, I'm at a loss for words and please don't embarrass the program on Saturday. 

Oklahoma 31 Michigan 10

The Aftermath

This is how I watched the final play:

I watched Bryce throw it out of the endzone. 

I shut off the TV 

Immediately wrote the Disaster post 

I hopped in a sad shower 

My phone rings as I'm in the shower 

My son said, that he can't believe Michigan won

I said, I saw the final play and the game was over, the WMU head coach was walking to shake hands. 

He said, they put 1 second on the clock and Bryce hit JJ for a Hail Mary. 

I turned my TV on and YouTube TV had saved exactly where I left off and saw the final play. 

I know social media lost its mind that 1 second was put back on the clock.  I 100% agree, WMU got robbed.  The same way Michigan has gotten robbed many times over.  There was an extra play against MSU where the clock operator stopped the clock with one second to give Sparty a free play, which they won on.   They even nicknamed the fella, like one second Bob or something.   Dumb shit happens in football and this time Michigan benefited from it. 

Let's also be real about something.   Those officials and the video review booth were terrible all game.   There were at least 2 bad spots that were reviewed and up held.  One I'm pretty sure was a tackle for a loss that they gave a first down to the Broncos. 

The other point I've been seeing online is that, the fix was in by the Big Ten to protect next week's game between Michigan and OK.  Michigan had trouble all game completing a pass more than 5 yards, they had less than 1% chance of hitting that Hail Mary from 60 yards out.  It's not like they were in the red zone or goal line.  That gift was buying your broke friend a lottery ticket and saying I hope this hits and you can pay off all your loans. 

Update: The Big Ten released the audio and video from the review and it seems like a legit call with the clock synced with #18 from WMU touching the ball.  The MAC appreciated the transparency and agrees with the finding. 

I don't love rushing the field, but those fans were there all night, with nothing to cheer about.  They had 4 hours of cheering to get out of their system.   Those plays always happen against Michigan, not for Michigan.  So I get it. 

This sucks for the Broncos, I know the feeling all too well, but Michigan is nowhere near a good team right now.  They can't run, they can't block, they can't stop the run, they have a ton of problems with a top 10 team coming in next Saturday. 

Cheers:

• JJ told Sam Webb that 50/50 balls are 90/10 when thrown to him.  He is right. 
• Our punter was really good
• First drive and last play was good 

Jerers:

• New Michigan staff got a hard lesson that this place is different. 
• Team was not prepared at all 
• The play calling (outside of the first drive) was head scratching 
• I love that they want to run Bryce but he has a fumbling problem 
• Marsh has shown not to be the best Special Teams player in the past 
• Coach Whitt be aggressive in the 2nd half when the team is moving the ball, go for a 4th down 
• Turnovers and penalties are not Michigan Football and needs to be cleaned up right away
• Offensive line play was maybe the worst I've seen in 5 years 
• Beck, let's at least try to throw to a TE 

Outside the final play and the first drive, Michigan had very little to like about the game last night.  It was nice to see Michigan has a good punter.  

The late Lou Holtz used to say, "the biggest improvement jump teams get all year is between Week 1 and Week 2 of the season".   Let's hope that happens here.  Lots of long nights for the Michigan staff this week.  No Labor day BBQ for them. 

Western Michigan Preview

Time: 7:30 EST 

Location: Big House 

Weather: 70 No Rain 

TV: NBC 

Line: Michigan -27.5

Anytime you see a MAC team vs. a Big Ten team you think it should be an easy win for the Big Ten.  Ask Rutgers how that went last night.   Western Michigan was a good football team last season and won the MAC Championship.  They play solid defense and run the ball.  Yes, this is a new year, but that foundation is set and a physical team will show up in the Big House to face the Wolverines.  

Michigan is also a brand new team, with a new staff and many new players.  I'm thankful this game is a the Big House and not Germany.  Warde got something right as he rides off into the sunset.  

Dear Coach Whitt:

First off I would like to introduce myself.  This is the Big House Blog.   Myself and thousands of BHB inmates love this program.  We care about this program and we wear our Maize an Blue with pride and respect.  We want to be proud of this program, on the field, in the classroom, and off the field.   We expect excellence in all areas as the University of Michigan are clearly the Leaders and Best.   At the core we are fans and football Saturday's are more important to us then you will ever know.  Please bring these young men's best to the stadium every week and will will bring the respect and energy that effort deserves.  

We also use this space to give you advice on the weekly opponent.   This week of course is Western Michigan.  This is your first game in the Big House as the Michigan Head Coach, same with your staff.   It would be easy to sit back and take that all in.  You will have roughly one minute to do that, after you run out of the tunnel prior to kickoff.   Enjoy the moment of Zen and then lets snap back to business. 

Night games are special at Michigan, for many years the team, the athletic department, fans, and the head coaches did not believe football should be played in the dark in Ann Arbor.  It took ESPN to fund the first set of lights on the Big House.  Michigan wanted to play at Noon or maybe 3:30 but never in Primetime.  Of course, TV has changed that and its now become more commonplace. 

Coach you have brought a calmness to Stadium and Main we haven't seen in many years.  Our football team has been full of championships and scandals.  Only one part of that sentence is Michigan Football.  We believe in you and your talented staff.   But let me be clear, playing tough football and falling short every year like you did at Utah, will not work here.  We expect championships and good clean football every week.   The bar here is very high and we expect your ready to exceed it.  

Western Michigan is no cupcake.  They won their conference last season and their Bowl Game.  They like to play a Utah or Michigan type of football in being physical and running the ball right at you.   They are coming to the Big House to not fool you but to play physical football.   This should match Michigan's style and expectation.  They are not driving East for a payday they are coming to Ann Arbor to win the game and embarrass you on your first game has head coach.  Do not sleep on these guys.  

For your team, all eyes will be on Bryce and hopefully a strong jump forward.  He is a talented young man that was given the keys to this offense on his 18th birthday and wasn't coached at all.   We expect a strong run game, great O-line play, and Bryce to hit his new WR's downfield.  Bryce doesn't have to be Tom Brady back there, he just has to play smart and clean.  As much of train wreck as last season was, they were one win away from making the playoffs.  

On the defense side of the ball, I'm looking for an improved pass rush and a secondary that can cover.  The LB's are the biggest question mark and everyone will be watching what we have at that position group.  Nothing will protect them more then good D-line play and a great pass rush.  

Special teams have been pretty bad in the games I've watched so far this season.  Every fans' expectation is that Michigan's special teams will be locked in from the first kick. 

Lastly, play clean, play aggressive, but most importantly play Michigan Football.

What I expect to see:

• Michigan rushes for 250 yards (100 for Marshall, 80 for Hiter, 50 for Bryce, 20 for backups)
• Bryce passes for 225 yards and 2 TD 
• Michigan defense dominates but gives up a late TD 

Michigan 31 WMU 10

Michigan Thursday: Where is the LB Help Coming From?

Most insiders are in agreement that Michigan's weakness this season is at LB.  With two unexpected losses from last year team with Rolder to the Detroit Lions and Sullivan to the Sooners.  Michigan has big needs to fill at the LB position. 

Who are the candidates to fill the spots?

• Troy Bowles, son of NFL head coach and been with the program for over a year after transferring from Georgia.  Time for the light to go on for him and be a really good LB! 

• NOB, former 5 star LB from last years class.  Is he ready?  Talent is there but experience reading offensive plays might not be.  We will still need him this year and I hope he gets good playing experience early and often.  (

  Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng)

• Aisea Moa, transfer from MSU and BYU prior, only 29 career tackles, would seem to be a depth player. Brother is also a 5-star true freshman WR. 

• Chase Taylor, is just a sophomore but maybe a starter.  He played in 10 games last year and lets hope his development this off season has gotten him ready for the season.

• Nathaniel Staehling, might be the biggest wildcard and the best chance for Michigan to have success at this position this year.  He is a 4 year transfer from North Dakota State and played a ton of football.  He was injured in the Spring but he could step in as a Day 1 starter if he is healthy and has a good fall camp.  Of course, this is a different level of football and we will see if his talent translates to this level. 

• Max Alford, a transfer from BYU with 5 starts last year.  Max will see the field this year and knows Hill's defense Michigan will be playing this season! Max has 28 games experience. 

Guys I don't expect to start but could contribute:

• Aden Reeder, Freshman  
• Markel Dabney, Freshman 
• Kaden Catchings, Freshman 
• Ndi, Etta, Freshman 
• Zach Ludwig, Junior Nephew of former coach Ben Herbert
• Adam Bazzi, Junior 
• Christian Pierce,  Sophomores transfer from Illinois State, Trey's brother. 

Michigan Tuesday: Journey Back To Ernie?

Ernie Hausmann is an interesting youngman who struggles with mental health.  He wants to do great things for his home country in Africa but he also had mental health issue late in the season last year and seemingly quit the team prior to the Maryland game. 

Ernie tried to get his life back together and entered the NFL Draft.  He was not selected and he did not sign with any NFL team as an UDFA.   It's not a talent issue with this youngman.  

This started speculation that Ernie might fill a need for the Wolverines at LB this season as losing him, Rolder, and Sully made that room much lighter then expected.  Coach Whitt seemed to shut the door on  adding him or any other 5th year player as he said they are not going to sign anyone else to this years roster yesterday during his press conference.  

I'm a second chance guy and would like Ernie to have one but I also know that quitting on your team is a situation that is very difficult to overcome in a locker room.  I just hope everything works out for this youngman in life. 

• A Michigan player made Bruce Feldman's 2026 Freak List.  It's Gavin Magorian!  Who? He is a Marshall transfer Long Snapper who's last name sounds like a Disney Star Wars spin off.  Congrats Gavin! 

• One player that is no longer with the team is Chibi Anwunah who medically retired.   We also learned that Taylor Tatum is focusing on Baseball full-time now.  Which is a good move for his long-term health. 

Michigan Thursday: Good Signs

We love buzz from Fall Camp.  

• OC Jason Beck had a press conference and said Bryce's fundamentals look better even from the end of Spring Ball. 

• Both John Moore Daley and Rod Moore are going to be on pitch counts in Fall Camp.  I've seen some noise on social media that this is bad news.  I find it just the opposite, that two stars are back from injury and they are going to be careful in working them back into playing shape.  This is actually good news as all stars should be on some type of pitch count in camp.

• Rod even had a pick in practice, the QB was the transfer from CSU.  Who I assume is learning the offense. 

• Get ready for the Savion Hiter hype! 

• DC Jay Hill said the following true freshman would contribute on defense this year: Carter Meadows, Titan Davis, Alistar Vallejo, and Tariq Boney. 

• Here is a bonus basketball one from Coach Boynton:  believes that 5-star McCoy could be one of the best perimeter defenders in college basketball next season.  That he is even better and more athletic then they even thought (when recruiting him) in practice. 

What was interesting and something I hadn't considered is that Jason Beck had to face Jay Hill defense last year in the "Holy War".   Here is what they said about facing each other:

Beck on Hill:  "What stands out with Coach Hill is they're very sound. They do an excellent job with technique, but you won't play anybody that does more variation with the fronts, disguising the coverages, and the complements to those things," Beck said. 

"It gives you a lot of great work every day in practice where you're facing multiple fronts, multiple coverages, rolling on the snap, disguising it. So complex defense, and they give you great looks. A lot of great work to go against them every day." 

Hill on Beck:  "They do a good job of finding mismatches and trying to get you out-leveraged in different ways," Hill said. "When you think they're going to run it, they throw it, and when you think they're going to throw it, they run it.

"It keeps you on your toes. Very explosive. And probably the best thing about them, they do a great job of getting the playmakers the ball in space with the opportunity to make plays."

Michigan Thursday: I'm the Villain Now!

When you live in Ohio and commit to the Wolverines, your different.  First off, your a world class athlete and student looking for your next challenge.  Sure its easy to go to CBus take virtual classes and be there to play football not school.  That is not the student athlete we want in Ann Arbor.  

When your Monsanna Torbert Jr. you live in Cincinnati and your final 3 are the last 3 National Champions: Michigan, OSU, and IU.  The easy decision is Ohio State a couple hours up the road or even Indiana a couple hours to the West.  But Monsanna picked Michigan a school 3 hours North.   Then during his commitment ceremony he drops on everyone, "I'm the villain now!".   I think I might already love this kid! 

Torbert is a 2027 4 star 5'11 175 pounded CB out of Cincinnati Princeton.  He had a ton of offers from the likes of the aforementioned including Auburn, Texas, Alabama, UK, Oklahoma, ND, FSU, Wisconsin, and many more. 

Welcome Monsanna! 

• Dobson as expected picked South Carolina who went all in on the 5-star CB! 

Unless something big happens, this is the last post of the week!  Enjoy the holiday weekend and Go USA!

Michigan Tuesday: Wiping The Dust from my Eyes

It took me a minute to figure out the Dusty to Dallas Mavs situation and how it all came together.  I now believe I have pieced together the story like a famous bad TV detective. 

So I present the evidence to Big House Blog Jury for your judgement:  

Evidence #1:

Dusty wins the National Championship flies home with the team the next day and ends up having to go right into the office due to the transfer portal opening. 

Evidence #2:

Since winning a Ring, Dusty has been working and non-stop recruiting.  No vacation or time off. There are reports he was even recruiting the Monday morning he took the Dallas job. 

Evidence #3:

NIL Juke out:  The top player in the portal Juke Harris committed to Dusty 2 or 3 times verbally.  Only for Juke and his agent to take a higher offer from Tennessee.   If you remember Yax came to Michigan when he had much bigger offers from the likes of UK, many suggest as high as double the Michigan offer.  NIL and situations like the one above, made his job less about coaching and more about being a GM. 

Evidence #4:

Michigan had an offer on Dusty's desk for weeks to make him the highest paid college basketball coach.  He didn't sign and was sending signals to the NBA.  In fact, if Steve Kerr didn't come back he was probably headed for Golden State. (per Brian Windhorst ESPN) 

Evidence #5:

Dallas made him an offer that was hard to turn down:  Big salary, being able to coach Cooper Flagg, and draft one of his former players.  If he fails or doesn't like the NBA, he of course has a soft landing back in college ball.  That is one time special offer. 

Evidence #6:

This is pure speculation, he could give his friend at St. Louis Josh Schertz a promotion to be Michigan Head Basketball Coach. (If Warde is thinking clearly) 

The defensive Michigan Fans rest your honor.  

So this wasn't Warde's fault but it still happened under his watch.   He should've known when Dusty didn't sign his contract right away, something was up and should've paid off his beach house like Alabama did when Saban was flirting with Texas. 

• You know how I feel about Michigan taking commitments from guys heading a 2-year mission.  I believe they are useless and rarely workout.  Here is a similar example that worked out in Michigan's favor.  Weston Port was a 3 Star LB recruit out of California in the 2025 class and committed to UCLA.  Both Michigan and UCLA are different programs now and Weston is ready to enroll in January when his mission trip to Spain completes.  He picked Michigan on Monday over many new offers.   This reminds me of  the Andrew Gentry situation and how he ended up in A2.  Welcome Weston and this should close out the LB class for the 2027 class for the Wolverines. 

• The buzz on 2 Michigan Freshmen that are expected to see the field early and often are of course: Savion Hiter and DT Titan Davis.

• Another bad sign for the Big Ten and college football.  Wisconsin will wear a Culvers jersey patch this year. 

Michigan Friday: Says Hello Again and Hello for the First Time

With Dusty gone to Dallas, Michigan's 2026-27 roster is a bit up in the air.  McKenney said he is back and now Cadeau is back as well.  That takes care of the starting guards, now we need the big men to re-commit!  

The newest Hello is 2027 4-star LB Frederrick Ford (that is not a mistype he has an extra r in his first name) from Mississippi.  Fred is 6'4 203 pounds and had offers from the likes of Ole Miss, Miss State, FSU, Tenn,  LSU, Cincy, and others.  Getting players out of Mississippi is no easy task!  Welcome Fred, I hope your built Ford tough! 😀

• 2027 4 star DB Marcus Jones will make his decision today between UM, UNC, UT, and Ole Miss. 

• Me just venting for a second.  I don't understand Baseball owners giving guys 15 year contracts and I don't understand NBA owners continue to pay guys with big names that are always hurt and rarely play.  If I'm the Pistons I have no interest at all in Kawhi.  The last time he was healthy Steve Fisher was his head coach.