September 04, 2006

Michigan 27, Vanderbilt 7

(As usual, these are just my impressions. If you want much better analysis, start with MGoBlog)

First things first - they took care of business and I don't think anybody got hurt. I was right to take the points - the line was Michigan by 25, but I figured 14-17. They looked OK, particularly on defense and in the running game. The new aggressiveness on D is refreshing, but it does leave them open to getting lit up on trick plays (and I predict fND will score at least once that way). You can't have everything, though, and I'd rather see this than the death-by-a-thousand-third-and-long-conversions losses we saw last year. At the very least, it's only a matter of time before Woodley decapitates a QB (and am I an evil person for hoping it's Brady F. Quinn?), and that's always good TV.

Semi-random thoughts:

  • Chris Spielman covering a Michigan game is just plain wrong, like Mohammad-doing-play-by-play-at-the-Crucifixion-wrong. This says nothing about him as a broadcaster (he's actually not too bad); it says everything about me as a Michigan fan. Full disclosure: I wouldn't have a problem with Herbie covering a Michigan game, and I can't even explain why. It may be because I don't think Herbie ever beat Michigan, and I know Spielman did.
  • Way too many dropped passes.
  • Henne was rifling everything, even the stuff he didn't have to.
  • Henne taking off to avoid a sack - good. Henne not trying to reset his feet and find an open receiver afterwards - bad. At the very least, he'll take a lot of hits he shouldn't. At worst, a LB or SS decapitates him.
  • Lamar Woodley - beast.
  • Kevin Grady - lean(er).
  • Garrett Rivas - fat(ter).
Prognosis - better but not great. I still think they'll lose both at fND and asuiO, and at least one of PSU or Iowa, and I'm 50-50 on their bowl game, so I'm saying 9-4 plus or minus one.

Tags:

Posted by Chris at September 4, 2006 01:08 PM

Category: Michigan Football
Comments

Nice set of clips, Chris! You don't my chance have the one where Hart ran into Jake Long and shoved him to do the ground, do you? I found it really amusing for some reason.

Posted by: Other Andrew at September 4, 2006 11:32 PM

Thanks. I can pull the Hart/Long clip out, but I can't remember when it happened and I don't have time to search the whole game. Can you narrow it down a bit for me?

Posted by: Chris of Dangerous Logic at September 5, 2006 10:40 AM

I'm pretty sure it was in the third quarter. I was at a bar and my buddy had already taken off and he left at halftime. And Michigan was going right to left. If I had to put money down, I'd say it was on the drive that lead to Ecker's TD - somewhere between Vandy's 40 and midfield.

Posted by: Other Andrew at September 5, 2006 01:47 PM

OK, got it. YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJsrTYcPbYI

Posted by: Chris of Dangerous Logic at September 5, 2006 08:47 PM