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Michigan Wolverine Football Podcast — Battle Tested – Game 11 Michigan 31 Maryland 24

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Phil @pcallihan and Clint @Clint_Derringer discuss Michigan’s 31-24 victory over Maryland with Jim Harbaugh.

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Podcast Summary

  • Michigan’s game strategy before Ohio State.0:00
    • Michigan Wolverines prepare for Ohio State game with focus and determination.
    • Michigan’s conservative game planning and injury scares led to a struggle against Illinois.
  • Michigan Wolverines football game with analysis of quarterback JJ McCarthy’s performance.3:24
    • Phil Callihan notes that Michigan’s offense started strong but struggled in the third quarter, while Clint Derringer highlights JJ McCarthy’s subpar performance, including a goal line interception before halftime.
    • Clint Derringer argues that Jim Harbaugh’s absence and Sharon’s increased coaching duties have impacted offensive play calling and adaptability.
    • Injuries to key players like Roman Wilson, JJ McCarthy, Mike Barrett, and Chris Partridge have further hindered Michigan’s performance on both offense and defense.
    • Phil Callihan observes that JJ McCarthy’s performance was affected by Jim Harbaugh’s absence, leading to ill-advised passes and a loss of rhythm.
    • Callihan notes that McCarthy’s tendency to force passes in pressure situations was a concern, particularly in the third quarter against Penn State.
  • Michigan football’s offensive struggles and coaching challenges.11:54
    • Clint Derringer analyzes Michigan’s offensive struggles in the second half, citing injuries and limited creativity in play calling.
    • Derringer highlights missed opportunities, including a deep post route that could have resulted in a touchdown, and the impact of injuries on the offensive line.
    • Clint Derringer and Phil Callihan discuss Sharon Moore’s coaching style and how it may change against Ohio State, with Moore potentially needing to “let go of Jim a little bit” and make his own decisions as the head coach.
    • Callihan notes that Moore’s decisions in the second half of recent games may not be the ones he would make, highlighting the challenge of stepping into a new role without Harbaugh’s presence.
  • Michigan football’s game strategy and player performance.17:55
    • Phil Callihan observes that Jim Harbaugh’s play calling may be holding back JJ McCarthy, particularly in the second half of games.
    • Clint Derringer agrees, noting that the context of each game affects the decision-making process, and JJ’s performance in the Maryland game was not indicative of what might be seen against Ohio State.
    • Clint Derringer highlights Michigan’s offensive line injuries and lack of rhythm, which hindered their ability to move the chains and create momentum.
    • Derringer also notes that the defense missed Mike Barrett’s experience in pass coverage and as a blitzer, leading to big plays by Maryland.
  • Michigan Wolverines football team’s performance in Maryland game.23:44
    • Mikey Sandersville makes two crucial interceptions for Michigan.
    • Clint Derringer praises Stainless steel for unlocking Michigan’s flexibility in personnel, while Phil Callihan expresses relief at expected returns of injured players.
    • Clint Derringer: Michigan is relatively healthy compared to previous years, with JJ McCarthy’s lower body injury being a concern but not a major setback.
    • Jim Harbaugh: Michigan is focused on preparations for the Ohio State game, with everything centered around this key matchup.
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THE GAME – Michigan vs Ohio State Football – Looking Back – 1978

Looking Back is a Special Feature by Jeff Cummins Highlighting Key Rivalry Games

The second installment of this year’s series looking back at the football rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State takes us back to 1978. Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat signed the Camp David Accords. Resorts International Casino opened in Atlantic City, N.J., the first casino to open on the East Coast.

In college football, Michigan was in the 10th season of coach Bo Schembechler’s tenure, and he had the Wolverines firing on all cylinders. Senior quarterback Rick Leach directed Michigan’s option offense, and opposing defenses had their hands full every game. If defenses concentrated too much on Leach, running backs Harlan Huckleby and Russell Davis were poised to strike, as were receiver Rodney Feaster and tight end Doug Marsh. On defense, junior linebacker Ron Simpkins spearheaded an attacking group of players who swarmed to the ball. In the simplest of terms, the 1978 Wolverines had very few weaknesses.

Ohio State started the season slowly, but the Buckeyes reeled off five consecutive victories heading into “The Game,” giving them plenty of momentum. Even more worrisome for the Wolverines, the game would be played at Ohio Stadium; always a daunting venue for Michigan.

There was even more reason for concern when a Bob Atha field goal gave Ohio State a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. The Wolverines maintained their composure and responded with a dominant drive that covered 70 yards in just four plays. Leach culiminated the scoring drive by connecting with Feaster for a 30-yard touchdown pass. After Ohio State took the lead, Michigan repsonded little more than a minute later. The Wolverines extended their lead in the third quarter when junior tailback Roosevelt Smith caught an 11-yard scoring pass to give Michigan a 14-3 lead. From that point, Michigan’s defense took control of the game. It was a rare when a Bo Schembechler-era Michigan defense surrendered a double-digit lead. This game marked the third consectuive contest vs Ohio State where the Buckeyes failed to score a touchdown vs Michigan, a point that wasn’t lost on Ohio State coach Woody Hayes, who greeted a reporter angrily when he was questioned about the streak after the game. Including the 1978 game, Michigan had surrendered only nine points to Ohio State over the last three meetings between the two rivals.

The win also marked Michigan’s third consecutive triumph in the series, and enabled Michigan to claim a share of the Big Ten championship.

Thanks to ABC Sports and YouTube poster Pizza Pizzichetti for the broadcast of this game. There’s an extra treat: The video was synced up with the audio from Bob Ufer’s radio broadcast!

1978 Michigan vs Ohio State with Bob Ufer

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THE GAME – Michigan vs Ohio State Football – Looking Back – 1956

Looking Back is a Special Feature by Jeff Cummins Highlighting Key Rivalry Games

The first installment of this year’s series looking back at the football rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State takes us back to 1956. The national economy was roaring, having reached $400 billion. Low unemployment combined with strong income disbursement led many young people to start families, and purchase homes and automobiles.

On the gridiron, Michigan had fallen to Ohio State the two previous seasons, sparking a determination in coach Bennie Oosterbaan and his players to reverse this disturbing trend. The 1956 Wolverines were led by tight end Ron Kramer, a consensus All-America selection who was later named to the College Football Hall of Fame. Jim Van Pelt played quarterback, and most of the running was done by senior halfback Terry Barr. As the two rivals took the field, each team wore its home uniform, an interesting custom maintained to this day by USC and UCLA.

Operating from the T-formation, the Wolverines wasted little time establishing their attack. Their backs pierced the Ohio State defensive line for small but certain gains, forcing the Buckeyes to concentrate on stopping the run. Van Pelt exploited this, connecting with Barr on a 21-yard swing pass to give Michigan a 7-0 lead. Michigan recovered an Ohio State fumble on the ensuing kickoff, but the Buckeye defense immediately stifled any threat. Undeterred, the Wolverines recovered another fumble on Ohio State’s next possession, and this time Michigan cashed in. Unable to find an open receiver, Barr sprinted for a 4-yard touchdown on an option play to give Michigan a 13-0 lead.

From that point, the Michigan defense took control of the game. The Wolverines tacked on another touchdown in the fourth quarter, but the Michigan defense was the real star. The Wolverines intercepted two passes, while allowing Ohio State to complete just one pass, essentially shutting down the Buckeye passing attack. Michigan won, 19-0, and finished the season with a record of seven wins and two losses. There was no bowl game, but a victory over the Buckeyes is always worth celebrating.

Thanks to YouTube poster College Football Historian for the film of this game. As always, we own nothing and this blog is published strictly for the enjoyment of readers.

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Nothing But ‘Net – Week #04 – 11/20/2023 – Back To Earth

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games this past week, and they won one and lost the other.  On Monday (11/13/2023), they beat St. John’s 89-73 in Madison Square Garden in New York City (a Gavitt Tipoff Game), then on Friday (11/17/2023), they lost to Long Beach State 94-86 in Crisler Arena.  The win and the loss leave Michigan with a record of 3-1.

What Happened?

After playing very well in their first three games, fans were starting to raise their expectations about this season’s team.  Long Beach State?  Another blowout win!  Wrong.  Back to Earth.  While this team might still exceed initial expectations, they are not going to blowout every opponent on the way to an undefeated season and a National Championship.

First, the delightful St. John’s game.  This was Michigan’s toughest test to date in the young season, and they passed it with flying colors.  It was a fun game to watch on TV, since the announcers were so excited about the Return Of Rick Pitino.  Michigan ran SJU out of the gym.  The game started out as a see-saw battle, with the lead going back and forth.  With 7:14 to go in the 1st half, it was all tied up, 28-28.  SJU went ahead, 31-29, at the 6:28 mark, and that was the last time they led.  Michigan ended the half with a 19-7 run, to lead 48-38 at halftime.  The 2nd half was all Michigan, as they pushed the lead up as high as 26 points, before the Scout Team let SJU sneak back to within 16 points at the end.

Speaking of 16 points, that was the high water mark for Michigan in the ill-fated LBSU game.  Michigan started strong, and built up a 16 point lead (23-7) with 13:16 to go in the 1st half.  It looked like LBSU was going to fold and UM was going to get another blowout win, but the Beach didn’t give up.  Michigan still led by 12 points (32-20) at the 8:56 mark, and 10 points (34-24) with 7:38 to go.  That’s when UM stopped playing defense, and LBSU went on a 24-16 run to end the half.  That cut Michigan’s lead to 2 points (50-48) at halftime.  The 2nd half was a disaster.  The lead went back and forth, with LBSU ahead for most of the half.  Still, UM kept battling, and they actually got a small lead (80-76) with 4:28 left in the game.  LBSU outscored them 18-6 down the stretch, to win by 8.  It was frustrating.

Stats

The game stats for the SJU game were pretty good.  Michigan shot well overall (32-for-62 = 51.6%), they shot 3-pointers well (11-for-26 = 42.3%), and they shot free throws decently (14-for-23 = 60.9%).  They lost the rebounding battle (39-47) and the turnover battle (13-11).  They won this game with good shooting and defense.  The biggest negative was that SJU grabbed 27 offensive rebounds, for 33 second-chance points.

The game stats for the LBSU game were mediocre.  Michigan shot decently overall (31-for-66 = 47.0%), they shot 3-pointers poorly (9-for-28 = 32.1%), and they shot free throws decently (15-for-25 = 60.0%).  They won the rebounding battle (38-30), but lost the turnover battle (16-12).  They lost this game with poor 3-point shooting and too many turnovers.

Who Started?

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

Who Looked Good?

McDaniel was the star this week, with 26 (a new career high) and 20 points.  He was the leading scorer in the SJU game, and 2nd leading scorer vs. LBSU.  He also had 7 and 6 assists.  Unfortunately, he had 6 turnovers vs. LBSU, several of them at key moments in the closing minutes of the game.

Nkamhoua had a decent game vs. SJU (9 points) and was the leading scorer vs. LBSU (22 points).  He also had 7 and 11 rebounds, giving him another double-double vs. LBSU.

Williams was the only other player to hit double figures in both games, with 12 and 10 points.  He wasn’t very efficient: 5-for-12 overall (2-for-6 from deep) vs. SJU, and 2-for-8 overall (2-for-7 from deep) vs. LBSU.  His poor shooting vs. LBSU really cost Michigan in that game.

Burnett had a career game vs. SJU (21 points) and a mediocre game vs. LBSU (5 points).  He scored all 21 of his points in the 1st half of the SJU game, shooting 8-for-8 overall, 4-for-4 from deep.  Unfortunately, he shot 0-for-5 overall (0-for-3 from deep) in the 2nd half of the SJU game, and 2-for-9 overall (1-for-7 from deep) vs. LBSU, for a combined 2-for-14 overall (1-for-10 from deep) since that 1st half outburst.  His poor shooting vs. LBSU really cost Michigan in that game.

Reed had a quiet week, with 5 and 8 points.  He was the leading rebounder in the SJU game with 11, and he had 4 more rebounds vs. LBSU.

Will Tschetter had one good game (10 points vs. SJU) and one quiet game (4 points vs. LBSU).

Tray Jackson had one very good game (17 points vs. LBSU) and one quiet game (4 points vs. SJU).

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

George Washington III played in both games (5 and 4 minutes), and failed to score.  He took one shot, in the SJU game.

Who Else Played?

Harrison Hochberg played for 1 minute in the SJU game, and didn’t attempt a shot.

Youssef Khayat played in the SJU game, and scored 2 points.

Jackson Selvala played for 1 minute in the SJU game, and didn’t attempt a shot.

Cooper Smith played for 1 minute in the SJU game, and didn’t attempt a shot.

Who Didn’t Play?

Ian Burns didn’t play in either game.

Jace Howard and Jaelin Llewellyn are injured, and not playing yet.  They are both expected back “later in the season”.

What Does It Mean?

It wasn’t surprising that Michigan went 1-1 last week, but it would have made more sense for them to lose their first road game against a team coached by Rick Pitino and beat Long Beach State in Crisler.  Wrong.  Oh well.  We knew they weren’t going to win them all, but I think most people expected them to beat LBSU.  This just shows that this is a team that hasn’t been playing together for very long, and that they’ve got some work to do.  They could still have a better season than predicted, but they’ve got to avoid those upsets.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays three games, all in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in Paradise Island, Bahamas.  On Wednesday (11/22/2023, 5:00 p.m., ESPN2) they play Memphis, on Thursday (11/23/2023, 5:00/7:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPNU) they play (#14) Arkansas/Stanford, then on Friday (11/24/2023, TBA, TBA) they play one of the teams from the other half of the bracket ([#20] North Carolina, Northern Iowa, Texas Tech, or [#21] Villanova).  The full bracket is here.

Memphis is currently 3-0, with a win over Missouri.  They were 26-9 (13-5 in the AAC) last season, with some decent wins.  They won the AAC conference tournament, then lost in the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament to Florida Atlantic.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, and they’ve only got one tall player, a 6’11” redshirt senior.  This game is a toss-up.  If Michigan plays like they did in their first three games, they’ll stand a good chance against Memphis.  If they play like they did in the 2nd half vs. LBSU, not so much.

The way the tournament bracket is set up, it is crucial to win the first game.  That gets you into the winner’s bracket, where the worst you can do is 4th place.  Lose on the first day, and you drop into the loser’s bracket, where 5th place is the best you can do.  When Michigan played in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in November 2019, they won a hard-fought game against Iowa State in the 1st round, then upset (#6) North Carolina and (#8) Gonzaga to win it all.  I went to that tournament, and it was a great time.  I hope UM can play that well again.

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

Go Blue!

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Michigan 31 Maryland 24 – Game 11 Recap

GAME 11 PROJECTION vs. RESULTS

Final Score: 31-24, Michigan by 7 over Maryland
SP+ Projection: Michigan by 20.9 (-13.9)
CD Projection: Michigan by 26 (-19)

FIVE FACTORS

GAME 11 RECAP @ Maryland

A common assumption coming into this trap game was that big chunks of Michigan’s play book were likely off limits. JJ McCarthy kept for a short loss on just one surprising read option. Also, I don’t recall a single target for Donovan Edwards in the air. For the 2nd consecutive week, the Wolverines succeeded in winning on the road using predominantly their base run & pass plays. JJ was a bit off target, going 12-23 for 141 yards, 0 TD & 1 INT. Also of note, starting tackle Ladarius Henderson was not available, and back up Myles Hinton also limped off in the second half.

The Michigan defense provided much more firepower against the Terrapins, but also caused concern. Mike Sainristil stepped forward as a clutch play maker once again with two interceptions. Linebacker depth caused fear when senior Mike Barrett stayed down with an upper body injury, although he returned in the second half. Earlier in the game Barrett’s strip-sack led to Derrick Moore’s defensive touchdown.

Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham both created havoc from their tackle positions. However, we saw multiple DBs, including Sainristil & Will Johnson, give up explosive plays on vertical routes. Playing a bend but don’t break defensive game plan allows some run game success and underneath passes. But, the Wolverines also struggled versus double moves. This test will resurface very soon, from much more talented receivers.

The special teams units were the true stars of the 1,000th win for Michigan. Christian Boivin blocked a punt in the 1st quarter, leading to a 2-point safety. Punter Tommy Doman punted 5 times, averaging 47.2 yards per kick (average net 41 yards). His best came last: a golf shot downed at the Maryland 1 yard line. The Wolverines would get another safety on the ensuing defensive series.

Michigan fans understand being anxious during Game #11. The Wolverines tend to simplify their game plan, and also focus on reducing injury risk with the Buckeyes looming. This particular example weighed extra heavy given the ongoing NCAA investigation and Jim Harbaugh’s 3-game suspension. However, the Wolverines are 11-0 and still have every goal to compete for when Ohio State comes to Ann Arbor in just over six days. Onward!