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Michigan Wolverine Football Podcast — Unbreakable, Glorious – Michigan 27 Alabama 20 OT

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Phil @pcallihan and Clint @Clint_Derringer discuss Michigan’s 27-20 Overtime victory over Alabama in the Rose Bowl to secure a National Championship berth. With QB JJ McCarthy, RB Blake Corum, and Head Coach Jim Harbaugh.

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Podcast Summary

  • Michigan Wolverines’ Rose Bowl victory over Alabama.0:00
    • Michigan Wolverines win thrilling Rose Bowl game against Alabama in overtime, capping off an unbreakable season.
  • Michigan football game with highs and lows.1:49
    • Clint Derringer reflects on the emotional rollercoaster of Michigan’s game against Alabama, from elation to infuriation.
  • Michigan football’s special teams performance in a game against Alabama.4:02
    • Michigan’s special teams struggles cost them the game against Alabama.
    • Phil Callihan is thinking about a play during the game and wonders if anyone else noticed it.
    • Clint Derringer shares his frustration with a specific aspect of the game, including the hidden yardage gaps and the impact it had on the outcome of the game.
  • Michigan football’s special teams struggles in a game against Alabama.9:01
    • Alabama’s special teams mistakes led to two touchdowns for Michigan.
    • Clint Derringer praises Jesse Minter’s game plan and players’ execution in Michigan’s win over Alabama.
    • Michigan’s special teams struggles nearly cost them the game.
  • Michigan’s offensive performance despite mistakes.16:05
    • Michigan weathered a disastrous special teams performance to win the game, showcasing their resilience and teamwork.
    • Michigan offense executes a perfect game plan, targeting Alabama linebackers with their fastest player, Roman Wilson.
    • Clint Derringer highlights Blake Corum’s impressive performance in Michigan’s win, including his record-breaking touchdown run in overtime.
  • Michigan football’s performance in the Rose Bowl.22:06
    • Blake Corum reflects on his journey of self-discovery and growth, from surgery to Rose Bowl, and is excited for the next month’s challenges.
    • Phil Callihan compares Corum’s current performance to a pitcher adjusting their style, highlighting a possible decrease in explosive speed.
    • Michigan’s offensive line and defense showcase their talent and resilience in big moments.
    • Phil Callihan highlights Michigan’s resilience in overcoming special teams mistakes and offensive struggles to win the game.
    • Callihan notes that despite the issues, Michigan’s offense and defense both had good games, and the team’s ability to overcome challenges is a positive takeaway.
  • Michigan Wolverines’ football game performance.29:08
    • Michigan’s offense has consistently shown mental toughness and resilience in big moments.
    • Phil Callihan highlights the Michigan defense’s performance, particularly in the final play of the game, where they stopped the opposing team from scoring.
    • Clint Derringer agrees, emphasizing the no-star, no-name defense’s ability to come through in crucial moments.
    • Clint Derringer highlights Josiah Stewart’s crucial block on a Quarterback run, despite being the lightest of four edge players.
    • Junior Coulson leads the team in tackles despite injuries, including a stinger, and makes a big play on the final defensive stand.
    • Clint Derringer praises Michigan’s defense for their performance against Georgia, calling it the “finest stamp of approval” they’ve seen this season.
    • Derringer and Phil Callihan discuss Michigan’s preparation for the title game against Washington, with Derringer expressing optimism that they will play their best after a more natural game week.
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Michigan 27 Alabama 20 OT – Game 14 CFP SF Recap @ Rose Bowl

GAME 14 PROJECTION vs. RESULTS

Final Score: 27-20 OT, Michigan by 7 over Alabama
SP+ Projection: Michigan by 8.4 (-1.4)
CD Projection: Michigan by 3 (+4)

FIVE FACTORS

GAME 14 ROSE BOWL RECAP vs. Alabama

The Michigan offense was night and day different from first half to second half. The Wolverines held a 13-10 halftime lead after gifting the Tide an extra possession, but only ran nine plays in the third quarter. Of those nine Q3 plays, only one was successful, yielding an 11% success rate for the quarter. Just when negativity started to emerge throughout Wolverine nation, JJ McCarthy and Blake Corum rose to the occasion.

Down by seven with 4:41 to go, Michigan delivered a drive for the ages. The Wolverines marched eight plays, 75 yards, highlighted by a 4th & 2 pass from McCarthy to Corum to move into Alabama territory. McCarthy finished 17-27 for 221 yards and 3 TDs, while Corum scored twice. His rushing touchdown in overtime made him the program’s all-time rushing touchdown record holder, a well deserved honor for an iconic Michigan Man.

Defensively, coordinator Jesse Minter called a masterful game. The Wolverines piled up five sacks in the first half and finished with six total for the game. As the offense sputtered in the middle of the contest, the defense repeatedly had to come up with huge stops in high leverage moments. Linebacker Junior Colson battled through multiple injuries to lead the defense with ten tackles.

No play could be any bigger than the final stop of Jalen Milroe on 4th down in overtime. Defensive end Derrick Moore made a tremendous individual play to cross the face of the offensive tackle and make contact with Milroe behind the line of scrimmage. The rest of the Wolverines finished the tackle, and the celebration was allowed to commence around the country.

The special teams unit turned in their worst performance in memory, keeping the game closer than it should have been while Michigan dominated the other phases. Semaj Morgan muffed a punt in Q1 to set up Alabama’s first half touchdown. Two poor snaps led to a missed PAT, and a missed FG. And in the most heart-stopping moment of the day, the Tide’s final punt of regulation was muffed by Jake Thaw inside the 5-yard line. No doubt Jay Harbaugh will dedicate extra practice time to cleaning these issues up this week.

This game lived up to the heavyweight slugfest that it was hyped to be. While Michigan played sloppily, they also rose to the occasion in the largest moments. In that way, this Rose Bowl championship is a fitting microcosm for the whole 2023 season. But, the work’s not finished. Onward to Houston!

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Nothing But ‘Net – Week #10 – 01/01/2024 – So Much For “Guarantee” Games, And Mid-Term Grades

Happy New Year.  Let’s hope that 2024 is better than 2023 for Michigan basketball.

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played one game this past week, and they lost it.  On Friday (12/29/2023), they lost to McNeese 87-76 in Crisler Arena.  The loss lowers Michigan’s record to 6-7 (1-1 in Big Ten).

What Happened?

So much for “guarantee” games.  These are games that “good” teams schedule against “not so good” teams at home, with no return visit.  The “good” team guarantees a certain amount of money for the privilege of a home game without a return visit, and the “not so good” team is supposed to be happy with the money, since the “good” team will surely beat them.  Well, Michigan isn’t that good this season, and two of the “guarantee” games were decisive losses, not easy wins: Long Beach State (94-86) on 11/17/2023, and now McNeese (87-76) on Friday.  Losing one “guarantee” game in a season is considered highly embarrassing; losing two of them in a season is unheard of.

Now, Long Beach State and McNeese aren’t your normal “guarantee” game opponents, in fact, they both looked pretty darn good against Michigan, but still.  These were both games that Michigan could have won, but they certainly didn’t play their best ball.  McNeese was bigger, faster, and much more athletic that Michigan, and they deserved to win, but Michigan made it easier than they should have.

Game Flow

Early on, the game was close.  Michigan actually led for most of the first 6:15.  They were up 17-13 with 14:22 to go in the 1st half, but they let McNeese go on a 9-1 run, and McNeese was up 22-18 at the 11:02 mark.  Michigan got within 1 point (22-21) seconds later, then McNeese pulled away.  They got the lead as high as 12 points (35-23) with 5:47 to go, and it looked like they were going to run away with it, but Michigan fought back.  With 1:25 left in the half, Michigan actually led, 37-36, but that was the last time they led.  McNeese scored the last 4 points of the half, and they led 40-37 at halftime.

The 2nd half was very discouraging.  Michigan was powerless to stop McNeese.  Every time they made a mini-run to cut the deficit down to something manageable, McNeese answered with a run of their own.  They kept their lead up in the 7-9 point range for the rest of the game, occasionally letting Michigan get within 5 points.  With 3:23 left, McNeese pushed their lead up to 10 points (75-65), and they never let Michigan get any closer.  Michigan tried the desperation move of fouling a lot in the final 2:00, but McNeese hit enough of their free throws to keep the game out of reach.  It was a depressing loss.

Stats

The game stats            were miserable.  Michigan shot poorly overall (22-for-56 = 39.3%), they shot 3-pointers pretty well (13-for-35 = 37.1%), and they shot free throws well (19-for-23 = 82.6%).  They tied in the rebounding battle (36-36), but they lost the turnover battle horribly (15-4).  They lost this game with WAY too many turnovers.

Who Started?

The starters were Nimari Burnett, Dug McDaniel, Olivier Nkamhoua, Tarris Reed, Jr., and Terrance Williams II.

Who Looked Good?

Williams was the leading scorer, with 20 points on pretty good shooting: 5-for-9 overall, 4-for-8 from deep.  He even had 3 assists and 0 turnovers.  He held up his end.

McDaniel scored 17 points, and he kept Michigan in the game early with some timely 3-pointers, but he was cold in the 2nd half and sloppy with the ball (4 turnovers) the whole game.  He wasn’t the reason Michigan lost, but he hurt the effort as much as he helped it.

Nkamhoua also scored 17 points, all in the 2nd half, but he was also sloppy with the ball, with 4 turnovers.  He tried his best to get Michigan back in the game, but it was too little, too late.

Will Tschetter was the only other Michigan player in double figures, with 11 points off the bench.  He shot well (3-for-4 overall, 1-for-2 from deep), he grabbed 5 rebounds, and he had 0 turnovers.  He held up his end.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

Reed was terrible, just terrible.  He missed his only shot attempt, and committed 4 fouls in 22 minutes of “action”.  Michigan could not get the ball in to him, and when they did, he couldn’t do anything with it.

Burnett was also lousy out there.  He scored 6 points on miserable shooting: 2-for-11 overall, 2-for-8 from deep.  He also committed 4 fouls and had 2 turnovers.  He hurt the team a lot more than he helped it.

Who Else Played?

Tray Jackson scored 3 points on 3-for-4 shooting from the free throw line.  He was 0-for-2 from the floor.

Youssef Khayat scored 2 points on 2-for-2 shooting from the free throw line.  He was 0-for-2 from the floor.

George Washington III missed his only shot attempt.

Who Didn’t Play?

Jaelin Llewellyn was the only scholarship player who didn’t play.  He wasn’t on the bench.  I don’t know what’s up with him.

None of the Scout Team players played: Ian Burns, Harrison Hochberg, Jackson Selvala, and Cooper Smith.

Jace Howard is still recovering from an injury, and not playing yet.  He’s expected back “later in the season”.

What Does It Mean?

I think we can stop hoping that Michigan will somehow finish above 0.500 and sneak into the NIT.  They won’t.  This season is lost, and they will be lucky to finish 10-21, which was my preseason prediction.  Most of the teams in the Big Ten are better than Long Beach State and McNeese, and Michigan was outplayed by both of them.  Michigan might beat a couple of the bottom teams in the Big Ten, and they might even pull off an upset of one of the contenders, but they don’t have the horses to win 10 Big Ten games.

Mid-Term Grades

With 13 games down, and 18 games to go, this is a good time to stop and hand out mid-term grades.  As you can imagine, mid-term grades for an underachieving 6-7 team will not be very good.

Freshman Eligibility

  • Harrison Hochberg (Inc.) – Harrison is on the Scout Team, and hasn’t played much: 7 minutes in 4 games.  He hasn’t attempted a shot yet.
  • George Washington III (C-) – George has been a major disappointment so far.  He has had his chances, and he hasn’t taken advantage of them.  He has played 58 minutes in 10 games, and has scored 6 points: 2-for-12 overall shooting, 1-for-5 from deep, and 1-for-2 from the free throw line.

Sophomore Eligibility

  • Nimari Burnett (B-) – Nimari has had some good games (St. John’s, Memphis, Iowa, and EMU) and some bad games (Youngstown State, Texas Tech, Indiana, and McNeese).  His 3-point shooting has been decent (23-for-69 = 33.3%), but his overall shooting has been weak (43-for-115 = 37.4%).  He’s averaging 9.8 points/game, which is OK.
  • Youssef Khayat (C+) – Youssef has played 35 minutes in 7 games, and he’s scored 15 points on lousy shooting: 4-for-13 overall (30.8%), 1-for-6 from deep (16.7%).  He is 6-for-6 shooting free throws.
  • Dug McDaniel (A) – Here it is: the only “A” in this batch of grades.  Dug has played his heart out every minute of every game.  He’s fast, he’s a great dribbler, he’s shooting well, and he runs the offense pretty well.  He’s shooting 44.7% overall (85-for-190) and 39.0% from deep (32-for-82).  He leads the team in scoring (19.0 points/game), assists (65), and steals (14).  He’s a warrior out there.
  • Tarris Reed, Jr. (B) – Tarris has had some good games (Stanford, Iowa, EMU, and Florida) and some bad games (Texas Tech, Oregon, Indiana, and McNeese).  He was a weapon against Iowa, but he was barely playable vs. McNeese.  His shooting percentage is very good (42-for-71 = 59.2%), but he hasn’t taken enough shots.  Michigan has had trouble getting the ball in to him at the post, and when they have, he often turns it over (24 turnovers).
  • Jackson Selvala (Inc.) – Jackson is on the Scout Team, and hasn’t played much: 11 minutes in 5 games.  He has attempted 2 shots, both 3-pointers, and he missed them both.
  • Cooper Smith (Inc.) – Cooper is on the Scout Team, and hasn’t played much: 8 minutes in 4 games.  He has scored 2 points, on 1-for-2 shooting.
  • Will Tschetter (B+) – Will has been a pleasant surprise so far this season.  After not scoring much his freshman year, he has blossomed this season.  He’s averaging 8.3 points/game on great shooting: 39-for-54 overall (72.2%) and 13-for-20 from deep (65.0%).  He has played small forward, power forward, and even (small) center, and he’s held his own, even against much taller centers.

Junior Eligibility

  • Ian Burns (Inc.) – Ian is on the Scout Team, and hasn’t played much: 12 minutes in 4 games.  He has attempted 2 shots, both 3-pointers, and he missed them both.  He has scored 2 points on 2-for-2 free throw shooting.
  • Jace Howard (Inc.) – Jace hasn’t played yet this season.  He has a foot injury that is taking forever to heal.

Senior Eligibility

  • Jaelin Llewellyn (Inc.) – Jaelin has only played in 4 games for a total of 39 minutes as he continues to rehab from a knee injury.  He’s shooting well, but just not enough: 4-for-6 overall (57.1%) and 3-for-5 from deep (60.0%).
  • Tray Jackson (B-) – Tray has provided some scoring and rebounding off the bench, but he only shows flashes of what he is capable of, then he disappears.  He’s averaging 5.7 points/game, with one great game (Long Beach State) and a bunch of too-quiet games (UNC-Asheville, Stanford, Florida, and McNeese).  His overall shooting has been pretty good (25-for-57 = 43.9%), but his 3-point shooting has been terrible (3-for-18 = 16.7%).
  • Olivier Nkamhoua (A-) – Olivier has been the second most valuable player on the team, after McDaniel.  He has played a lot of power forward and a bit of (small) center.  He has played hard in every game, and he has delivered.  He’s second on the team in scoring average (17.2 points/game), and he’s the leading rebounder (7.5 rebounds/game).  He’s been shooting well: 88-for-157 (56.1%) overall, 18-for-43 (41.9%) from deep.  His only blemish has been turnovers: 34 of them.
  • Terrance Williams II (B+) – Terrance has been another nice surprise this season.  After seeing him for 3 seasons, I thought I knew what to expect, but he has elevated his game this season.  He’s the third leading scorer on the team (12.3 points/game) with nice shooting numbers: 52-for-112 (46.4%) overall, 30-for-70 (42.9%) from deep.  Most importantly, he’s cut his fouls and turnovers way down from his career averages.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays two games.  On Thursday (01/04/2024, 9:00 p.m., Peacock), they play Minnesota in Crisler Arena, then on Sunday (01/07/2024, 12:00 p.m., BTN), they play Penn State in The Palestra in Philadelphia, PA.  Both games (and all the rest of Michigan’s games) are Big Ten games.

Minnesota is currently 10-3 (1-1 in Big Ten), with no impressive wins, and an unimpressive loss to San Francisco.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, but they do have some height: two 6’11” players.  This is a team that Michigan can beat, but not if they play the way they did vs. Long Beach State and McNeese.

Penn State is currently 7-6 (1-1 in Big Ten), with an impressive win vs. Ohio State, and unimpressive losses to Butler, VCU, and Bucknell.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, but they do have some height: one 6’10” player and two 6’11” players.  This is one of the very few Big Ten games that Michigan could win, but they’ll have to play their best ball to win in on the road, even at a supposedly neutral site.

Check back next week to find out what happened and why.

Go Blue!

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Michigan Wolverine Football Podcast — Natty or Bust – Rose Bowl Alabama Preview

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Phil @pcallihan and Clint @Clint_Derringer preview the Rose Bowl vs Alabama – SP+ analysis, commentary, and prediction. With RB Blake Corum, QB J.J. McCarthy, and WR Roman Wilson.

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Podcast Archive

Podcast Summary

  • Michigan Wolverines’ Rose Bowl preview.0:00
    • Michigan football players discuss Rose Bowl preparation and expectations.
  • Michigan’s football team’s unexpected success.1:50
    • Michigan football is in the best position to fulfill offseason promises with top seed and Rose Bowl berth.
  • College football playoff rankings and Michigan’s chances against top teams.2:57
    • Phil Callihan: Excited to face Alabama, wishes it was Washington for old school nostalgia.
    • Clint Derringer: Michigan tops SP plus rankings, favored by at least a touchdown against other playoff teams.
    • Michigan has been focused on beating the best teams, including Georgia and Alabama, and has been preparing a similar game plan to utilize against Alabama.
    • Alabama has had struggles throughout the season, including a close win over Auburn and a tough game against Georgia in the SEC championship.
  • Alabama’s season, strengths, weaknesses, and Michigan’s potential strategy.9:17
    • Alabama’s talent is unmatched, but they’ve struggled against lesser opponents.
    • Phil Callihan analyzes Alabama’s season, questioning their inconsistency and luck in close games.
    • Phil Callihan notes that Florida State’s offense is not explosive, but their defense has shown improvement in recent games.
    • Callihan wonders if Michigan will stick with their run-heavy attack or switch to a more balanced offense against Alabama, given the Tide’s strength against quarterbacks.
  • Michigan football’s strengths and weaknesses in the CFP championship game.16:27
    • Clint Derringer highlights Alabama’s talented secondary, particularly outside cornerback McKinstry and Terry Arnold, as a strength and a potential matchup advantage for Alabama.
    • Derringer believes Michigan will focus on the run game to control the clock and measure possessions, with Blake Corum expected to carry the load, and the interior offensive line and tight ends potentially providing exploitable matchups.
    • Clint Derringer and Phil Callihan discuss the potential for Alex Orji to disrupt Alabama’s defense by running on the edges, particularly early in the game.
    • They also note that Alabama’s offensive linemen are large, which could be a challenge for Michigan’s defense.
  • Alabama-Michigan football game strategy.22:21
    • Phil Callihan: Michigan defense matches up well against Alabama’s strengths, but Alabama will try to scheme to exploit weaknesses.
    • Clint Derringer: Alabama quarterback Jalen Millrow’s athleticism and arm strength pose a threat, so Michigan defense should utilize safeties, zone coverage, and motion to make reads more difficult.
    • Clint Derringer analyzes Alabama’s offense, highlighting the importance of neutralizing defensive tackles Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, and Chris Jenkins, while also emphasizing the need for disciplined pass rush to force Jalen Nogo into mistakes.
    • Derringer believes Michigan’s defense is built for this strategy, with the ability to keep Ohio State at bay by not letting them be explosive and making them take the short passing game in front of them.
  • Michigan and Alabama’s mindset heading into the college football playoff.27:37
    • Michigan and Alabama players express chip on their shoulder ahead of championship game.
    • Michigan should embrace their number one ranking and play with confidence against Alabama.
  • Michigan football’s preparation for the College Football Playoff.31:12
    • Phil Callihan: Michigan has pressure to avoid first-round exit in college Football playoffs after three consecutive appearances.
    • J.J. McCarthy: Quarterback emphasizes teamwork and poise, citing coaches who prioritize collective success over individual accolades.
    • Michigan players and coaches acknowledge the need to reduce turnovers and execute cleanly on offense to beat Alabama’s high-scoring offense.
    • Both teams have highly rated special teams units, with Michigan focusing on protecting their punter and Alabama executing 10-12 play drives.
  • Michigan vs. Alabama football game with insights from analysts.36:30
    • Clint Derringer predicts Michigan will win with a score of 27-24, citing the team’s ability to contain Alabama’s offense and make big plays in the passing game.
    • Phil Callihan predicts Michigan will win with a score of 24-21, highlighting the team’s strong defense and potential for big plays from JJ McCarthy.
    • Phil Callihan and Clint Derringer discuss Michigan’s chances against Alabama in the Citrus Bowl, with Callihan highlighting the team’s defensive line and Derringer emphasizing the importance of a grinded-out game.
    • J.J. McCarthy and Roman Wilson discuss their preparation for the game, with McCarthy focusing on being present in the moment and Wilson noting that the coach asked for input but was not provided.