Birk's Eye View: Four games in, Michigan's defense is a concern, quarterback Tate Forcier is not
I got an e-mail from a despondent Michigan fan Saturday angry that the Wolverines needed a late touchdown to beat lowly Indiana.
Michigan’s defense is worse than it was last year, Tate Forcier’s regressing as a quarterback and whatever happened to Carlos Brown, the e-mailer asked. Well …
Yes, the defense has been atrocious through four games. No disputing that. Two running backs (Indiana’s Darius Willis and Notre Dame’s Armando Allen) have had career days against Michigan, the pass rush is non-existent (four sacks is fewest in the Big Ten) and the Wolverines are allowing more yards rushing (142.0 vs. 136.9) and passing (243.8 vs. 230.0) than they did a season ago.
If that doesn’t change, Michigan won’t survive the Big Ten.
As for Brown, the senior seemed underused at first glance Saturday. He touched the ball four times on Michigan’s first seven plays, had 110 total yards and two touchdowns, then sat most of the second and third quarters as Mike Shaw and Brandon Minor rotated in.
Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said Brown spent part of that time icing his sore knees. And while that may be true, the Wolverines are committed to giving Brown and Minor equal playing time.
It’s a precarious situation having two No. 1 backs, both seniors, and both capable players. Minor is a fierce runner who seems to take handoffs at full speed. Brown is a home-run threat who has three touchdowns longer than 40 yards this year.
I thought Michigan’s running game looked a little disjointed Saturday, and alternating series like Brown and Minor did in the second half doesn’t afford either the opportunity to get in a rhythm. But that’s not going to change. In fact, Rodriguez said after the game he wants to get Shaw and freshman Vincent Smith more involved in the offense.
“It sounds crazy to play four, but with those two getting dinged up a little bit we’re going to have” to get them ready, Rodriguez said.
As for Forcier, to suggest the true freshman has regressed in four games as a starter is unfair and unfounded. He had a rough Saturday and hasn’t looked particularly sharp the last two weeks, but he led that game-winning touchdown drive with a throbbing throwing shoulder.
“I keep reminding people, he’s a freshman,” quarterbacks coach Rod Smith said. “And you’re throwing a freshman into the heat of the fire, he’s going to do some good things, but he’s going to do some bad things because there’s a developmental process that happens. It don’t happen over night. I don’t care how much tutoring you had, there is a process that’s going to happen and he’s in that right now.”
Smith said Forcier needs to improve on three specific areas for Michigan (4-0) to reach its full potential: Making better pre-snap reads, staying in the pocket longer, and taking better care of the ball, something Smith mentioned to Forcier during the recruiting process.
All three came into play on Forcier’s flailing second-quarter interception Saturday, when he shuffled into a rushing defender rather than step up in the pocket, pirouetted back into another, then lost control of the ball as he tried to flip an ill-advised pass to Minor.
“He’s too loose with the ball sometimes,” Smith said. “He just had a habit in high school of doing that and just got to break the habit.”
Notes, quotes and leftovers • Plenty of talk yesterday about the pending showdown with Michigan State, a team reeling after three straight losses but one that beat Michigan last year.
“They came here and beat us, so that’s extra” motivation, cornerback Donovan Warren said. “They came in our house. That’s just like somebody breaking in your house or something and just winning. … It’s big for us to have a chip in the back of our mind for this game.”
Said defensive tackle Ryan Van Bergen, “They’re better than 1-3, so we’re going to be really juiced this week in practice and we’re going to be able to get after them.”
• Rodriguez was asked if he’s looking forward to seeing his team play on the road for the first time this year.
“No, I’d rather play all 12 at home,” he said. “If they’d let us do that, we’d play all 12 here at the Big House. It’s tremendous. What a great crowd. But you find out a lot about your team, and I think your team matures a lot in a tough road environment. We’re getting ready to do that.”
• Van Bergen said he was to blame for Willis' 85-yard touchdown run early in Saturday’s fourth quarter that gave Indiana a brief 33-29 lead.
“Coach Robinson trusts me to make a lot of the checks on the defensive line, and I made the wrong check,” Van Bergen said. “It doesn’t happen very often, but I did it and it was independently on me, that check, and almost cost the team a big loss. And I would have blamed that completely on myself.”
When Indiana shifted its tight end to start the play, Van Bergen reset the defensive line, sending Brandon Graham to the strong side and Craig Roh to the wide side of the field. Indiana motioned another tight end strong-side seconds later, and Graham got walled off by two blockers as Willis followed a convoy to the secondary.
“It’s something very basic, first week, and I shouldn’t have made that mistake,” Van Bergen said.
A series later, after defensive coordinator Greg Robinson told an angry Van Bergen to “channel that energy into something positive,” Van Bergen had a big second-down sack that changed field position and helped set up Michigan’s game-winning touchdown.
• One other mistake that got lost in the shuffle of Saturday’s comeback: Michigan coaches should have been more conservative with their playcalling on Denard Robinson’s fumble late in the first half.
The Wolverines led 21-20 at the time and faced a third-and-nine play at their own 25 with 1:08 left in the half. Despite long odds to score, Michigan went no-huddle and snapped the ball with 23 seconds on the playclock. Indiana recovered and, after a long pass was called back by holding, Nick Freeland made the go-ahead field goal.
• Final thought from Van Bergen, who said Michigan was fortunate to escape with a win but will be able to learn plenty from the game.
“We dodged a bullet, but I think we helped ourselves to do that,” he said. “It wasn’t just luck. We secured our assignments, made one big mistake in the second half and then we were able to rally back and make some plays for our offense.”
Dave Birkett covers University of Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at 734-623-2552 or by e-mail at davidbirkett@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
Comments
juan Ito
Mon, Sep 28, 2009 : 4:31 p.m.
Us guys at the rusty rail think you are overlooking the fact that the defense stopped IU five times from sticking the ball into the end zone, once on the three yard line. Sure IU ripped off some long plays. This isn't going to happen very often. Fisher basically was stopped on punt returns, just one worth mentioning. IU coach Lynch said the stops in the red zone is what hurt. He's right.
darock4everUM
Mon, Sep 28, 2009 : 1:12 p.m.
There's a saying that I think most applicable to this year's squad. The harder we work, the luckier we get. Our guys fought to the very end against IU and we got lucky that Warren intercepted the ball and the replay favored us. Go Blue!
81wolverine
Mon, Sep 28, 2009 : 10:19 a.m.
Heck, a win's a win as ugly as this one was. Granted the D wasn't prepared for IU's offense and executed poorly, but this game wouldn't have been nearly as close if Michigan's offense simply executed a lot better. As bad as they played, we still got 36 points! Still, our defense MUST improve for us to have a very successful season. The lack of a pass rush is one big part of the problem. Graham is good, but he's getting double-teamed. We need to find someone else who can get into the backfield and force the QB out of the pocket. And Cissoko may simply be too small to cover most of these big receivers. He's listed as 5-9, but is probably shorter than that. At a minimum, he needs to learn to bump these guys at the line of scrimmage to slow them down a little. I see the most likely finish right now at 8-4, which would be really good in my opinion. 7-5 is not out of the question however if our D doesn't improve much.
friend12
Mon, Sep 28, 2009 : 9:41 a.m.
Forget stats. What you see at the games is a defense that has no pass rush, defends againts the run poorly and until the change in the last game had problems covering deep. Changing coordinators doesn't seemed to help. We are going to get killed if this continues. Offense is hot and cold, scary. The line is starting to have more trouble pass blocking, although, the play calling is starting to get that 1-dimensional feel again which doesn't help things.
rico2458
Mon, Sep 28, 2009 : 8:41 a.m.
get ready for MU to open the play book on O and D they have to this is our big game this year
goblue112
Sun, Sep 27, 2009 : 11:50 p.m.
I JUST WANT TO SMASH STATE I CANT STAND LISTENING TO MY FRIENDS THAT ARE STATE FANS FOR ANOTHER YEAR EVEN IF WE WENT UNDEFEATED REST OF YEAR I WOULD STILL HEAR THEY BEAT US NO WAY SMASH STATE AND IM HAPPY STATE PRIDE ON THE LINE
leathercouch
Sun, Sep 27, 2009 : 10:22 p.m.
The big thing I see this year that was missing last year is that the players believe in the system. they understand the overall goal of the system and when things get tight they just stick to the gameplan. last year they would instinctivly dry to depend on thier own ability and you would have 9 guys running around as 9 guys not as 1 team. the difference is night and day and that is the reason for this quick turnaround. just undestand they will NOT go undefeated. but they will beat some more teams they shouldnt beat on paper.
tater
Sun, Sep 27, 2009 : 8:58 p.m.
Wow. There sure are a lot of naysayers here for a team that is 4-0, especially when one of them predicted another 3-9 season. All of the gloom, doom and naysaying is just smoke and mirrors. UM should go 9-3 this year. There is no doubt that they are "back" as one of the "Big Three." Iowa may have helped themselves into a fourth "Big Three" slot by winning in Unhappy Valley yesterday, but UM is still back. What's really great is that all the naysayers and critics are really doing is helping the team bond and giving them a mentality that they have RR's and each others' backs. A little bit of "us against the world" goes a long way in a locker room, especially for a program that sorely lacked motivation the last three years of Lloyd Carr's tenure. So, keep at it, haters: keep trying to find every little flaw as if, in your wishful thinking, they were legitimate. Keep lying with stats, as if any stat matters more than the ones under "W" and "L" in the standings. Keep looking for reasons that UM will lose, even as you watch them win. Keep predicting that UM will lose; you will probably be right three times this season, and maybe even four. Just don't expect an MSU-style collapse if UM loses a couple; MSU would litigate on the grounds of a copyright infringment. And that would probably be the only thing they could win long-term against UM. Even if Denard Robinson has to carry the team on his shoulders Saturday, UM will win by ten.
raddes
Sun, Sep 27, 2009 : 8:33 p.m.
This team is in transition and will be for at least another year. It's nice they seem to be ahead of the curve at 4-0 but let's not get carried away. Of course the defense is terrible, they're only one year removed from a 3-9 season. It's going to take some time. Mouton and Ezeh can't cover anybody and our corners give too much cushion because they're afraid to get beat. RR needs to recruit LB's who can do both (hit like a truck and cover in space) and maybe our freshman corners will develop over time. As for the offense, I'm not too concerned at all (depending injuries). The Notre Dame game showed how explosive and complex this offense can be. The running game is gashing yards and Tate knows exactly where to go with the ball when asked to pass. Against EM and UI, it looked like the same vanilla offense used last year but they still managed to put up 30 points. Remember, this is year 2 of the transition. I know it sucks because the b10 is there for the taking this year---but what we're getting are young players laying a foundation of success for years to come. Go Blue!
Rodie
Sun, Sep 27, 2009 : 8:10 p.m.
I think Theo may have lost his mind for those predictions. Its not going to be that easy. Honestly, those teams have more experience and that will make a huge difference. Watching the first lost will be rough, but it is going to happen.
michboy40
Sun, Sep 27, 2009 : 8:07 p.m.
Well, we got a W so I'm not complaining. We are 4-0, so I'm not complaining. We have a QB that knows how to run the spread and has incredible poise, so I'm not complaining. We have a great coach that shows a lot more fire and passion than Lloyd ever did, and that's fun to watch. OK, I have one complaint, and it's not really a complaint, so much as it is a concern. Our lack of depth is really going to start showing here in the next couple weeks and I am seriously toning back my expectations at this point. Sparty is 1-3, but that means nothing come Saturday. I am hoping we win, but not expecting it. Kind of like the ND game. Frankly, winning is more fun when you are not sure if they can do it, so I hope they give me another big thrill this weekend! Go Blue!
UMthicknthin
Sun, Sep 27, 2009 : 7:58 p.m.
Both ND and IU gained a ton of yards on the D, so I understand the D stats, but they held two short fields for IU to field goals when it counted. We will have to stiffen up the rush defense and pressure the QB, especially this week, 4 man rush. Our offense can't continue to win in a shootout fashion, well maybe, but I think the D is playing too loose because the O scoring a lot of points. Tate is starting to get walloped, we need to get DRob some more snaps, and not six feet over his head. Those bad snaps went against the rushing total.
VAwolvie
Sun, Sep 27, 2009 : 7:12 p.m.
Man all you guys are looking to hard into stats and watch the actual game like I did. Stats are fine but if you take away a couple of the big plays from Indiana. In that I mean the brain farts that the defense had to allow big yardage plays. That was mental not physical so take those touchdowns away. Now you have the offense problem and that was basically in center, David Moosman with his five drive killers. Four bad snaps and one offsides and he was the center, no excuse. All together on those bad snaps a total of 47 yards. So that counts at at least ten points right there and that is a low ball guess. That all being said Michigan is the one that kept Indiana close not the Hoosiers themselves. Michigan would have beat them by about twenty points if none of those mental mistakes would have been done. Rich is doing a great job and none of you could do what he is doing. We are now a Michigan that can will its way to a win. I have not seen a team yet in the Big Ten that scares me with the team U of M has. Our offense can out run anyone. We also may have the fastest offense on the field. Guess what all you guys who think you know so much. Speed kills and cannot be taught! So sit and think about that!
Theo212
Sun, Sep 27, 2009 : 6:52 p.m.
Neither MSU nor Iowa will offer much competition. Delaware State? Please. Then I thought Penn St. would give us a game, but now, I think we roll them pretty good. Illinois also now is a guaranteed W. Purdue has no chance. Wisconsin will keep it interesting for a half before we pull away. We then beat OSU in a close one. Tressel won't beat RichRod again. In 2 or 3 years he'll be gone and OSU will go into one of those 4-6 year swoons that happens to teams like them. Our one 3-9 season is just a blip. We will be national players every year while King RichRod is at the helm (likely 20 or so seasons).
jeremy
Sun, Sep 27, 2009 : 5:43 p.m.
heartbreak....I think you are reading too much into your coach's statement....Every coach wishes the same thing for their team. I have wished to see UM play some bigger teams in occ and we may see that in the coming years as the team develops. I would also disagree with your assumption that the bad snaps are due to mental drain, being tired, or anything other than what it was....A backup who hasnt had much practice time with the qbs....Its simply that plain and simple and I truly doubt it will happen much this weekend... Final note....congrats to UM not only for the win but for winning the services of Wil Hagerup...he will keep the michigan punting game a deadly weapon as mesko has done.
azwolverine
Sun, Sep 27, 2009 : 5:11 p.m.
I didn't realize our defense was statistically worse this year, either. That's a very scary thought with the Big Ten schedule heating up. I guess the improvement of the offense has hidden just how bad the D really is. I've said this before but, in my opinion, the smaller defensive players, while faster, are not as well equipped to stop opponents running games as our defenses of the past, especially on the D line. They seem to get blown off the ball and teams are stuffing it down our throats. Perhaps the D line needs to add some calories to their diets and heavier lifts or something to make them more able to stop the straight on pounding teams are giving us. Whatever it is, teams have been moving the ball at will on us the last two seasons and something needs to be done to change it up. Hopefully Robinson's got a plan up his sleeve because I'm sure teams are now gameplanning to simply run right at us. One thing I will say in favor of this year's defense over last year's is that at least this defense has made some key stops at critical times where last year's D played worse at crunch time. Hopefully our offense will keep humming along and the defense will come together and start playing smash you in the mouth Michigan defense more consistently.
heartbreakM
Sun, Sep 27, 2009 : 2:54 p.m.
I didn't realize that the defense is actually statistically worse than last year. That doesn't bode well. Especially with next 2 upcoming road games. Did you see the Iowa game last night? They absolutely KILLED Penn State. It's interesting--I have been pretty upset about the poor scheduling that these teams have. PSU last night proved what happens when you schedule bad teams. They simply were not ready for B10 competition. Their lines got manhandled, they couldn't handle the pressure, and they basically got driven out of our stadium. Look at Iowa-they played Arizona and Iowa State, some better competiton than Akron, Eastern MI, Western MI, Temple, etc and they were ready to go. I sure hope that M doesn't get exposed too badly this Saturday, and I expect a loss at Iowa regardless of MSU outcome. This all brings up one more point that Birkett makes above: mistakes. Bo and Lloyd used to say that the fifth week of the season is when the new players start getting tired, making mistakes, upsets happen, and the grind of the season gets to people. Schoolwork intensifies, injuries accumulate, etc. With that in mind, Rod better be prepared to not get Forcier killed out there. I think we began to see a lack of mental attention yesterday with the bad snaps, the poor decisions by Forcier and D Rob. And Rod's offense exposes QBs badly given how much they run. It will be interesting. Iowa is going to be ready for M--a night games, they haven't beaten us in a while, corn for everybody. That game scares me. One last thing--what's with Rod's quote. It is that attitude which rubs off poorly on the team--He should be thinking "we will play anybody, anyplace, any time, and we look forward to being together as a team and quieting the opposing crowds" or something like that. It is no wonder that M refuses to schedule home and home series with serious competition.