We had 75 yards in Penalties and can't stress enough how bad Weis blew that game. Michigans defense really gonna take a step back this year I feel A win in South Bend
We were so badly prepared that it was almost tragic.
Later, on Gruden's QB Camp, Gruden ripped Clausen because he called
FOUR timeouts due to miscommunication between the players.
Robinson and Forcier are both true sophmores right? Dayne Crist may not have a lot of game experiance but he is not a freshman. I take Dayne over both Denard and Tate. Rich Rod shouldnt worry about whose going to start against ND. He should worry far more about where he's going to coach next year after taking Michigan to another sub-par season at best. I dont think WVU will take him back with the recent allegations coming out about him and his staff.
Michigans defense will not be able to stop ND this year. Notre Dame wins by a considerable amount and MICH starts 0-2 after losing their season opener to UCONN.
ND- 38
MICH- 17
Remember, we couldn't do a thing to stop Michigan last season. I would not be so confident defensively. Passing, running, Forcier. We could stop none of it.
On the other side of the ball, you have at least a couple of decent defensive starters to deal with. DT William Campbell is monster of a d-lineman. Defensive end Craig Roh (who I believe may have been switched to a sort of DE/LB hybrid role) has enormous potential. Linebacker Obi Ezeh is a good player. The weakness is the inexperienced and young secondary, which is horribly overmatched by the Irish receiving corps.
From what I've seen of it, Michigan's passing game relies on short passes. There are not a lot of deep routes, not even a lot of routes over ten or fifteen yards. We gave the receivers huge cushions last year and Forcier had a field day throwing five yard curl routes. What we should do is focus on the run game, while utilizing press coverage on the Michigan receivers.
Now, here's our advantages:
1. Last year, Michigan simply could not get any pressure on Jimmy Clausen, and that was with Brandon Graham (13th overall pick, 2010 NFL Draft) and the mediocre offensive line we had anchored by Paul "Paul-nelty" Duncan and Sam Young. With three starters returning, this time with vastly improved strength and conditioning, expect the same results. Crist should have time to throw. If they blitz? Rudolph runs right into the vacated area for an easy gain.
2. Armando Allen ran for 139 yards and a touchdown against the Wolverines last year. They couldn't stop him. Again, Brandon Graham is gone, who was the star of the left side of the Michigan defense. Unfortunately for Michigan, the left side of their defense (and a new starter at left end) is up against a pretty damn big section of the Irish line (assuming Cave starts) all being at least 6'4" and weighing over 300 pounds. Ryan VanBergen, the Michigan DE on the right side, is an average player, not really a standout. And of course you have Campbell in the middle. Michigan runs the 3-3-5, which means only three down linemen against a massive Irish offensive line. Notre Dame has the advantage there. With Kelly's desire to further emphasize the run game this year, it's safe to say we'll utilize this advantage a lot this season.
3. Donovan Warren is gone, leaving Michigan without their best defensive back in the 2009 season. Even then, Warren had trouble covering both Golden Tate and Michael Floyd and really was not a great corner. There is a massive mismatch here. Michael Floyd (6'3"), Duval Kamara (6'5") and Kyle Rudolph (6'6") provide great size on a smaller and less experienced Wolverine secondary.
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