IT ALSO EXISTS
FORMATION NOTES: Michigan did a lot of that stuff the Redskins did in Tecmo Bowl, lining up in one formation and then changing everyone around. There were some oddities.
This I called "near twins." You can see that Kerridge is the nominal tailback and Denard is aligned to his left.
In the NCAA football games that constitute the closest thing to a Unified Internet Football Lingo Database this might actually be "far." I don't remember. Someone tell me which it is and I'll fix it going forward.
This was "full house near," what with the two fullbacks and Denard:
And this is "I-Form offset tight":
Michigan also ran a few plays where Schofield and Lewan were on the left side of the line with the tight end playing right tackle:
SUBSTITUTION NOTES: Gardner was at QB the whole way except for a few Denard QB plays, and often he was at WR when those happened. Denard was essentially the starting tailback; Smith came in and that was it at RB. Kerridge was full-time at FB.
The line was the usual save for one drive on which Lewan got knocked out; when that happened Schofield flipped to LT, Omameh slid over to RT, and Burzynski came in at RG.
WRs were the usual rotation heavy on Gallon and Roundtree with Dileo and Jackson filling in.
[AFTER THE JUMP: Gardner gets wobbly, Gallon owns people, Lewan vs Clowney verdict]
Show? Show.
| Ln | Dn | Ds | O Form | RB | TE | WR | DForm | Type | Play | Player | Yards | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M25 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun 3-wide | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4-3 under | Pass | Hitch | Dileo | 11 | ||||||||
| SoCar has seven in the box here with a guy in a SAM position over Funchess (probably); safety appears to be in deep man on Dileo, so Gardner just takes what's there, throwing a dart into him for an easy first down. (CA, 3, protection 2/2). They drop Clowney on this! | |||||||||||||||||||
| M36 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun 3-wide | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4-3 over slide | Pass | PA slant | Roundtree | Inc | ||||||||
| Hurry up from M. Fake handoff to Smith into a slant that the corner reacts well on. Gardner throws it behind Roundtree, borderline MA/IN, but this is a pretty basic throw. (IN, 1, protection 1/1). Clowney does dangerously split Lewan and Barnum here, but Lewan recovers enough to get Clowney to fall over. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M36 | 2 | 10 | Shotgun 3-wide | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4-3 over | Run | QB draw | Gardner | -5 | ||||||||
| M hoping to get some edge rush here but SC has some sort of pinch stunt on so everyone collapses inside and there's no lane up the middle. Gardner(-3) heads outside to the middle of the field, which is open, but reads his blocking poorly. He has a cutback with OL releasing downfield, then puts his foot in the ground and does it again. He then loses some yards, getting the ball ripped out as a coup de grace. M recovers. Funchess(-1) blocked no one, exacerbating matters. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M31 | 3 | 15 | Shotgun 4-wide | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3-3-5 nickel | Pass | Fly | Dileo | INT | ||||||||
| M rolls the pocket away from Clowney, who is a standup DT in between guys in a 3-man line. Smith(-1) doesn't cut the playside end, instead standing him up; guy gets to the outside of Smith and starts pressuring. Gardner throws up a punt that's intercepted. It's a 38 yard net, so, like, whatever on the decision. (TA, 0, protection 0/1, Smith -1, RPS -1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Drive Notes: Punt, 0-7, 12 min 1st Q. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ln | Dn | Ds | O Form | RB | TE | WR | D Form | Type | Play | Player | Yards | ||||||||
| M28 | 1 | 10 | Ace | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4-3 even | Pass | Hitch | Gallon | 13 | ||||||||
| M starts in an I-form with Gallon a very nominal TE and then Skins-Tecmo shifts. SC's line looks even and their LBs shifted to field, with a S walking down. M goes token PA, easy pitch and catch hitch. (CA, 3, protection 2/2) DB bailed out really early there, poor technique for the guy to get outside of Gallon. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M41 | 1 | 10 | I-Form twins U | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4-3 even slide | Run | Power O | Robinson | 15 | ||||||||
| Denard at TB; M shifts again, mostly missed because of a replay. SC slides their LBs and sends the WLB on a blitz; M runs power to the field. That field has Lewan and Schofield lined up next to each other and a TE to the right side. Lewan(+1) kicks out Clowney and Schofield(+2) pancakes the DT, big hole. Omameh(+0.5) gets there in time, Kerridge(+0.5) gets a downfield block; Denard(+1) is fast. He has a chance to break this outside but instead jukes back into some downfield traffic. RPS +1. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O44 | 1 | 10 | I-Form twins | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4-4 even | Pass | Improv | Gallon | 26 | ||||||||
| Gardner checks. I think he checked to all-slants and I think he wants Gallon on the outside, but Clowney is let go by Lewan as M slides their protection and as Kerridge picks him up he leaps in the throwing lane. Gardner rolls out, Gallon improvises, Gardner gets some edge pressure and throws a lob off his back foot that Gallon leaps up to snatch away from a defensive back. Uh... I guess it was a good idea? (CA+, 1, protection 1/2, team -1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| O18 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun 3-wide | 1 | 1 | 3 | Nickel even | Pass | Throwback screen | Smith | 10 (Pen -6) | ||||||||
| Tecmo shift from I. M lets Clowney go and rolls to the field, then it's throwback screen time. Clowney almost gets there, forcing a difficult throw from Gardner as he's moving backwards, which doesn't get there as fast as you might like. Still works, but Lewan(-1) gets a facemasking call that was unnecessary, wiping out first and goal. (CA, 3, screen, RPS +1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| O24 | 1 | 16 | I-Form twins | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4-3 even | Run | Iso | Robinson | 3 | ||||||||
| SC runs an exchange with their SAM and a DE, so he slides in past an attempted Kwiatkowski block and shows up in the hole. Kerridge is the only guy who could adjust here but that would be some ninja business on his part. Omameh(+1) gets good push on one DT; Barnum fends the other off; he doesn't get sealed but does give ground. Lewan(-0.5) loses Clowney to the outside, and he helps tackle with the scraping backer. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O21 | 2 | 13 | I-Form offset tight | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4-3 even | Pass | PA rollout dig | Roundtree | Inc | ||||||||
| DE not held at all by token run fake to Hayes and gets upfield fast. Hayes does read it and get out to block, but Gardner gets happy feet and rolls out of the pocket, giving that DE an attempt to sack. He runs out of it, then throws back across the field to an open Roundtree, who can't bring it in. Not sure if this is a drop or not, there was a defender who may have raked it out. Dangerous throw but results based charting service (CA+, 2, protection 1/2, team -1, RPS -1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| O21 | 3 | 13 | Shotgun 3-wide | 1 | 1 | 3 | Nickel even | Pass | Corner | Reynolds | Inc | ||||||||
| Protection is decent against a fierce rush, allowing Gardner to step up. He doesn't really have much to throw at as SC stacks four guys in deep zones across the endzone and no one's open. He tries a corner route to Reynolds and overthrows it; guy was very covered anyway. (IN, 0, protection 2/2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Drive Notes: FG(38), 3-7, 7 min 1st Q. This was a clever, fun drive that got nerfed because of the penalty and a Roundtree drop. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ln | Dn | Ds | O Form | RB | TE | WR | D Form | Type | Play | Player | Yards | ||||||||
| M19 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun trips TE | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4-3 under | Run | Inverted veer give | Robinson | 0 | ||||||||
| DE flies at QB, give. Omameh has a pull and is a step or two behind Denard, but he's really blocking for Gardner on this play. Gallon(-2) flat whiffs his block. This allows a DB to fly up at Denard and as he tries to cut up into a wide open middle he slips (field -1). Barnum(+1) had a pancake; Lewan(+0.5) an easy LB seal. Argh. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M19 | 2 | 10 | I-Form twins | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4-3 under | Pass | Sack | N/A | -12 | ||||||||
| Kerridge(-2) sets up on a linebacker and gets smoked. Rest of the pocket was excellent; Gardner could have stepped up and maybe bought some time or taken off. Instead he tries to duck under the blitzer and loses his balance, a secondary guy on the outside finishes. (PR, N/A, protection 0/2, Kerridge -2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| M7 | 3 | 22 | Shotgun trips | 1 | 0 | 4 | Nickel even | Run | Draw | Smith | 2 | ||||||||
| Give up and punt. SC had stunted right into the middle lane, FWIW; Barnum picks up an irrelevant face mask. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Drive Notes: Punt, 3-7, 3 min 1st Q. Wile bombs a punt 52 yards in the air that Ace Sanders returns for a TD. Insert dinosaur punt bitchin' here. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ln | Dn | Ds | O Form | RB | TE | WR | D Form | Type | Play | Player | Yards | ||||||||
| M25 | 1 | 10 | Pro Set Twins | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4-3 even | Run | Statute of Liberty sweep | Robinson | 1 | ||||||||
| Fake throw, statue handoff as Barnum pulls. Kerridge(-1) has to deal with the playside end and doesn't really get into him that well; he shoves Kerridge to the ground and does not get cut. Barnum(+0.5) gets out to block the playside LB; Denard slips as he tries to cut behind the block, but with that DE only slightly delayed he was probably only going to get a couple more if he could keep his feet. Meanwhile, Adidas cleats, huh. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M26 | 2 | 9 | Near twins | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4-3 under | Pass | Flare | Robinson | 7 | ||||||||
| Denard is lined up six yards back, Kerridge seven, with Denard offset. Weird. Fake draw to Kerridge, flare pass to Denard. Lewan(+0.5) gets a chop on Clowney so his hands are down; Barnum(+0.5) moves out into the slot to get a linebacker; Denard is fast. Gallon's guy overpowered him and got to the ball but was significantly delayed. RPS +1. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M33 | 3 | 2 | Shotgun 2-back (D) | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4-4 under | Run | False Inverted Veer | Robinson | 7 | ||||||||
| Denard at QB. This is the fake inverted veer where the mesh point is for show only and Smith is headed to block some dudes. Williams(+1) blows the playside end inside. Kerridge(+0.5) cuts the force guy. M has two on one on the MLB; Omameh(+1) gets him. Denard bursts through the hole until Lewan's guy(-1) gets him down; Lewan really should have been able to seal that. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M40 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun 3-wide (D) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4-3 even | Run | Counter | Smith | 0 + 15 Pen | ||||||||
| Denard as a decoy this time. Barnum(-1) gets beat by the playside DT, who falls into the backfield and forces a bounce. Doesn't really matter because a late SC shift brought another guy into the box and there are three guys for two blockers. Funchess does a nice job to avoid some traffic and get a decent block on one; Omameh(-1) barely handles another; last guy eats Smith. RPS -1. South Carolina does their State impression, gets taunting penalty. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O45 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun 2-back TE | 2 | 1 | 2 | Nickel even | Pass | Improv | Robinson | Inc | ||||||||
| Ton of time despite a blitz. Gardner can't find anyone. He rolls as the pocket breaks down and decides to throw as he's got a spy. He bombs it deep at Denard, Denard falls again. Really hard to tell if this was a good throw as a result, but this was pretty underthrown. I dunno. (MA, 0, protection 3/3) | |||||||||||||||||||
| O45 | 2 | 10 | Shotgun 3-wide | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4-4 under | Pass | PA jailbreak screen | Funchess | 4 | ||||||||
| Robinson in slot, jet motion. Fake the sweep and then a jailbreak screen underneath to Funchess. Great recognition by a safety in the box, who shoots inside. Barnum passes him off, Mealer(-0.5) gets a weak shove, he comes around and tackles just as Funchess starts bursting upfield. Barnum no longer has an angle to get his guy, who helps. (CA, 3, screen) | |||||||||||||||||||
| O41 | 3 | 6 | Shotgun 3-wide | 1 | 1 | 3 | Nickel even | Pass | Dig | Roundtree | 16 | ||||||||
| Stunt beats Mealer(-1), who lets a guy straight up the middle. Gardner has IDed a throw, though, and steps into it despite the pressure. It's a dart to Roundtree in a small window in the zone. (DO, 3, protection 1/2, Mealer -1) Throw isn't quite a DO but I gave it because of the coolness in the face of pressure up the middle. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O25 | 1 | 10 | Pistol Diamond(D) | 3 | 0 | 2 | 4-4 even | Run | False Inverted Veer | Robinson | 8 | ||||||||
| Gardner at WR, Denard QB. Kerridge(+1) chops the playside end with authority. Denard has three lead blockers now against two guys, one of whom is being blocked by a WR. Barnum(-0.5) is pulling too slowly to get a seal and Smith gets held up as he tries to run through the hole. Houma doubles up on the guy Tree is blocking, perhaps with reason. Denard squeezes through a hole at the LOS but now has no blockers. He has a filling S who takes him on about three yards downfield; Denard(+1) keeps his legs pumping and runs the dude over, picking up 5 YAC(!). | |||||||||||||||||||
| O17 | 2 | 2 | I-Form | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4-3 under | Penalty | Offsides | N/A | 5 | ||||||||
| Gardner gets Clowney to jump. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O12 | 1 | 10 | Ace twins twin TE | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4-3 even | Run | Power O | Robinson | 4 | ||||||||
| U-back motions from end to a not quite FB spot. SC blitzes their MLB at the snap, which throws some things off. Barnum(+1) recognizes it and immediately seals the guy off. Omameh(+1) is pulling and sees the DT next to him shoot up as he hugs the blitzer, he pushes him out. Denard(+1) reads it and dances by. This gets him to the LOS and through; Lewan(-1) lost his guy on the second level after a brief delay and he tackles. Got rocked back there. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O8 | 2 | 6 | Full house near | 3 | 0 | 2 | 4-4 even | Run | Iso | Hayes | 3 | ||||||||
| Two FBs, two WR, tailback. Straight iso with one FB headed backside and the other going up the middle. Mealer(+1) stands up a DT and gets motion backwards; Omameh(-1) loses his guy into the hole. Hayes has a gap further inside thanks to the Mealer block and takes it. That takes him directly into a linebacker, who takes him down. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O5 | 3 | 3 | Ace 3-wide | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4-3 under | Pass | Out | Dileo | 5 | ||||||||
| Dileo runs to and fro and to and fro before the snap. M rolls to him and away from the line shift. SC covers the out, Gardner can't throw. He pulls it down and starts running with a purpose. He gets outside Clowney, guy covering Dileo has to step up, Gardner just kind of pushes the ball out to the now-open Dileo for a touchdown. (CA+, 3, protection 1/1) This was a run/pass for Gardner with all other WRs blocking. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Drive Notes: Touchdown, 10-14, 12 min 2nd Q. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ln | Dn | Ds | O Form | RB | TE | WR | D Form | Type | Play | Player | Yards | ||||||||
| M35 | 1 | 10 | I-Form twins | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4-3 over | Run | Weakside power | Robinson | 0 | ||||||||
| SC blitzes two linebackers, Michigan runs at them. Barnum(-1) is pulling to the weak side of the line, where a DL ends up sitting, waiting, stationary. With Barnum on the move this should be an opportunity to get some motion, but Barnum ends up stopping as he cuts upfield into the block and ends up with a weak hand-fight that does nothing. Kerridge(-1) gets beat by a blitzing linebacker, who comes around him to tackle Denard from behind. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M35 | 2 | 10 | Shotgun jet | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4-3 over | Run | Jet sweep | Robinson | 8 | ||||||||
| Denard in slot, runs jet motion, gets it. The playside end dives inside and no one seems to scrape over the top so the edge is easy to get. Lewan(+0.5) does seal with authority. Omameh pulled, got to LOS two yards behind Denard. Gallon(+0.5) got a good pop on a safety and Roundtree does decently with a guy who has to keep leverage and isn't really trying to crush Robinson; Robinson trips over Gallon's feet as he tries to slide by. RPS +1 | |||||||||||||||||||
| M43 | 3 | 2 | I-Form Big | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4-5 under | Pass | Rollout scramble | Gardner | 7 | ||||||||
| Only very technically a pass. More the run/pass option stuff that does have a couple of guys in patterns but more often than not ends up with Gardner taking off. Omameh(+0.5) pulls and gets to the EMLOS, who bites on the fake and makes it easy for him, Gardner(+1) strolls for the first down. RPS+1. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 50 | 1 | 10 | Ace big | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4-3 over | Pass | PA Fly | Gallon | Inc | ||||||||
| Tecmo shift. Play action max protection, two guys in the pattern. Neither is open but Gardner throws it anyway, safety nearly picks it off—really should pick it off. (BR, 0, protection 1/1, RPS -1). | |||||||||||||||||||
| 50 | 2 | 10 | Shotgun trips (D) | 1 | 1 | 3 | Nickel over | Run | Inverted veer give | Smith | 6 | ||||||||
| Denard QB, Gardner WR. Clowney dives inside, getting penetration on Lewan(-1) such that he bangs into the pulling Omameh, getting a two for one. Stripped of a lead blocker, Smith(-1) does well to turn a four yard loss into nothing, but then fumbles at the end. Michigan recovers and gets six fortunate yards. (Fumbles are –3, Smith got +2.) | |||||||||||||||||||
| O44 | 3 | 4 | Shotgun 3-wide | 1 | 1 | 3 | Nickel even | Pass | Rollout out | Roundtree | Inc | ||||||||
| Rollout gets the corner as the DE goes straight upfield. Smith pops him in the chest instead of cutting him, weird. Gardner finds a receiver open for a good chunk of yards and overthrows it. Gruden yammers on about Roundtree needing to run a better route but Gardner just missed this. (IN, 0, protection 2/2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Drive Notes: Punt, 10-21, 8 min 2nd Q. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ln | Dn | Ds | O Form | RB | TE | WR | D Form | Type | Play | Player | Yards | ||||||||
| O31 | 1 | 10 | I-Form twins | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4-3 over | Run | Weakside power | Robinson | 2 | ||||||||
| Another blitz from the two ILBs; Schofield(-1) takes on one of them as he dodges inside. This is a good idea, but he can't execute it, giving up penetration. Kerridge is expecting the play to be a gap further inside, so he bangs that LB and then ends up stopped. He is trying to get outside now, but too late. Denard shoves him forward into the guy he would ideally be blocking. That delay allows a DE to rally from behind as Robinson tries to pick his way through traffic. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O29 | 2 | 8 | Shotgun 2TE (D) | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4-3 over | Run | Inverted veer give | Smith | -1 | ||||||||
| Denard at QB allows the S to fly down with impunity; Denard(-1) screws up his read and gives despite the DE flaring out quite a bit and Michigan continuing to block that guy anyway. He'd have a vertical lane, although not a great one because Schofield(-0.5) and Omameh(-0.5) do a crappy job combing the playside DT and he's coming through. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O30 | 3 | 9 | Shotgun 2-back | 2 | 0 | 3 | Okie two | Pass | Scramble | N/A | 3 | ||||||||
| Blitz comes, five guys. Michigan IDs and picks it up pretty well, with the possible slight exception of Smith, who doesn't quite cut a linebacker with authority. Still, he gives Gardner a lane to move up in and Gardner has a nice pocket, but once Gardner starts moving he takes his eyes down and starts running. Probably had an opportunity to throw downfield with the decent pickup. (TA, N/A, protection 2/2). Refs(+1) screw up as Gardner's helmet comes off in the backfield but they give him his forward progress. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O27 | 4 | 6 | Field goal | N/A | N/A | N/A | Field goal | Pass | Scramble | Dileo | 7 | ||||||||
| Michigan shows fake before the snap, motioning out a couple guys and having Dileo take a shotgun snap. He rolls out one way with a couple receivers, M sends a tight end out for a throwback that's covered, Dileo finds himself alone in acres of space and just takes off. (SCR, N/A, protection N/A, MANBALL +EV) | |||||||||||||||||||
| O20 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun 2-back TE | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4-3 even | Pass | Rollout out | Roundtree | 4 | ||||||||
| Just a speed out pitch and catch. (CA, 3, protection 1/1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| O16 | 2 | 6 | Shotgun trips | 1 | 0 | 4 | Nickel over | Run | PA lead draw | Gardner | 0 | ||||||||
| Handoff fake into what looks like it's supposed to be a quick pass, Gardner doesn't like it and brings it down. Or this is just a variation on the lead draw? I think it's a run play. He starts running and would get some yards except Mealer(-2) got shucked by a DT very badly and he's now unblocked in the way. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O16 | 3 | 6 | Shotgun 3-wide | 1 | 1 | 3 | Nickel rush | Pass | Sack | N/A | |||||||||
| Tecmo shift. Then a WR motions from backfield to wide position. Gardner drops, takes his time looking, and then gets sacked as Smith(-2) gets beat by a linebacker. (PR, N/A, protection 1/3, Smith -2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Drive Notes: FG(40), 13-21, 2 min 2nd Q. Michigan gets the ball back with exactly 1 minute on the clock. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ln | Dn | Ds | O Form | RB | TE | WR | D Form | Type | Play | Player | Yards | ||||||||
| M32 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun 3-wide | 1 | 1 | 3 | Nickel even | Pass | Improv | Dileo | 10 (Pen -10) | ||||||||
| Clowney just bulls Lewan back but Lewan is able to hold him off enough. Gardner has a pocket to step into, but instead he starts backpedaling around the Lewan/Clowney block and blows up everyone's blocking angles. He ends up 13 yards behind the LOS and throws off his back foot. It is a dart to Dileo for a completion. Of course it is. Lewan got a holding call that he probably wouldn't have gotten if Gardner had stepped up. I have no idea how to chart this. Can I give a QB a protection minus? I guess not.(DO, 2, protection 1/2, Lewan -1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| M22 | 1 | 20 | Shotgun 3-wide | 1 | 1 | 3 | Nickel even | Pass | Deep hitch | Gallon | 14 | ||||||||
| M lets a bunch of time roll off because of the situation. SC playing soft, maybe a bit too soft, Gardner hits Gallon for a nice gain and Gallon gets OOB. (CA, 3, protection 2/2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| M36 | 2 | 6 | Shotgun 3-wide | 1 | 1 | 3 | Nickel even | Pass | Skinny post | Gallon | 21 | ||||||||
| This is a dart in a small zone that Gallon has to leap to catch, but not too much. Great throw. (DO, 3, protection 2/2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| O43 | 1 | 10 | Ace 3-wide | 1 | 1 | 3 | Nickel even | N/A | Spike | N/A | Inc | ||||||||
| Grounded as M has 16 seconds and one timeout. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O43 | 2 | 10 | Shotgun 2-back | 2 | 0 | 3 | Nickel even | Pass | Corner | Gallon | Inc | ||||||||
| This is where Gallon's height hurts you: there is a small window here but it gets really small when the guy is 5'8", rocket boots or no. They were high-lowing the corner and he was dropping into this, so the little TE dump would have been six or eight yards plus OOB. Not a good read. (BR, 1, protection 2/2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| O43 | 3 | 10 | Shotgun trips | 1 | 0 | 4 | Nickel even | Pass | Hitch | Dileo | Inc | ||||||||
| Barnum(-2) smoked by a DT, who gets pressure up the middle. Gardner has to throw and does, to Dileo for about ten, but Dileo has it raked out by a defensive back. A great throw could have made this easier but more than adequate in the situation. (CA, 1, protection 0/2, Barnum -2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| O43 | 4 | 10 | Shotgun trips | 1 | 0 | 4 | Dime | Pass | Hail Mary | N/A | Inc | ||||||||
| Gardner chucks it out of the endzone. Not charted. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Drive Notes: EOH, 13-21. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ln | Dn | Ds | O Form | RB | TE | WR | D Form | Type | Play | Player | Yards | ||||||||
| M32 | 1 | 10 | I-Form twins U | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4-3 over | Run | Power O | Robinson | -3 | ||||||||
| Another Lewan-Schofield left side with the TE next to a guard on the other side of the line. Lewan(-2) gets smoked by Clowney so quickly that Clowney will close the hole in the backfield; Denard cuts away from him. Denard has to deal with a DE on the backside because Williams(-1) let that guy penetrate, and then an unblocked safety comes up and makes a nice open field tackle. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M29 | 2 | 13 | Ace | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4-3 over | Pass | PA skinny post | Gallon | Inc | ||||||||
| Clowney shoots inside Lewan and threatens to sack but Smith pops him, giving Gardner some time. Gallon is just clearing the first level in the zone as Gardner throws. Throw sails a bit and doesn't have to, but Gallon can reach up and grab it. Ball must pop out or something late because it is eventually ruled incomplete. Would be CA if this was Funchess instead of Gallon, probably, but it's not. (MA, 1, protection 1/2, Lewan -1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| M29 | 3 | 13 | Shotgun 3-wide | 1 | 1 | 3 | Nickel even | Pass | Scramble | Gardner | 5 | ||||||||
| Clowney's off the field because Smith hit him in the jibblies on the last play. Gardner has a good pocket, then a delayed blitz comes up and Gardner gives up on the play and scrambles. Had time to try to find someone. (TA, N/A, protection 2/2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Drive Notes: Punt, 13-21, 13 min 3rd Q | |||||||||||||||||||
| M20 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun 3wide (D) | 1 | 1 | 3 | Nickel even | Pass | PA Out | Dileo | Inc | ||||||||
| Robinson throws this. Play gets an unblocked guy in his face (one for the road!) but that doesn't really impact the play. What does is the elbow, which makes this throw a duck Dileo can't dig out. (not charted, 1, protection N/A) | |||||||||||||||||||
| M20 | 2 | 10 | Ace Big | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4-3 over | Run | Power O | Robinson | 4 | ||||||||
| Kwiatkowski motions to a U-back spot, ends up taking on Clowney. Unsurprisingly, he can't kick the dude out but he does get motion(+0.5). Lewan(-0.5) gets a little motion on the DT further inside but gets chucked to the ground. Schofield(-0.5) lets one guy, decides to block a linebacker coming up the middle, and gets blown back. Denard manages to squeeze out a few . | |||||||||||||||||||
| M24 | 3 | 6 | Shotgun 3-wide | 1 | 1 | 3 | Nickel even | Pass | Scramble | Gardner | 6 | ||||||||
| No Lewan on this play. M rolls away from Clowney (surprise!) and the playside end rushes upfield at max speed, getting inside of Smith; Gardner evades him and has the corner. He's got nothing and takes off, making one juke to dodge three SC defenders, then bulling a DL an extra yard for a first down. Impressive. (SCR, N/A, protection 1/1, Gardner gets a run +1). | |||||||||||||||||||
| M30 | 1 | 10 | Ace | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4-4 even | Pass | PA Fly | Gallon | Inc | ||||||||
| M keeps Williams in to help on Clowney; Schofield ends up standing him up without help. PA to a three-man route, Gardner finds Gallon open over the top and overthrows him. (IN, 0, protection 2/2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| M30 | 2 | 10 | Shotgun 2-back TE | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4-3 over | Run | Jet sweep | Robinson | 12 | ||||||||
| Jet motion. Clowney's on the edge with Kerridge trying to deal with him; Denard cuts upfield. Schofield(+1) has escorted a blitzing LB upfield and away from danger; Burzynski(+1) gets to the POA in time and provides another block as Denard cuts away from a safety who is filling unblocked. He gets to Mealer and tries to set up that block but has to pick outside, where the safety is, because Clowney is pursuing him from the inside. Denard +1. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M42 | 1 | 10 | Ace twins twin TE | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4-3 under | Run | Power O | Smith | 6 | ||||||||
| Williams(+1) stands up and gets a little push on the playside end, eventually sealing him a bit. Kwiatkowski(+1) pops a linebacker inside; Barnum(+0.5) pulls effectively enough to give Smith a lane when the filling corner comes up hard and falls down without being touched. A running back acquired yards! | |||||||||||||||||||
| M48 | 2 | 4 | Shotgun 4-wide | 1 | 0 | 4 | Nickel even | Pass | Deep hitch | Gallon | 17 | ||||||||
| SC corner to the field jumps Dileo's out and the safety is on the hash 15 yards off the LOS so there's no way he's getting over before Gardner can get this behind that hard corner. Good read, good call. (CA, 3, protection 2/2, RPS+1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| O35 | 1 | 10 | I-Form | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4-3 under | Run | Power O | Robinson | 3 | ||||||||
| Omameh(+0.5) and Williams(+0.5) get a little push on the playside end; Kerridge(+0.5) does well on the SAM. Barnum(-1) gets stood up in the hole by a linebacker; Burzynski(+0.5) escorts a DT upfield enough to provide a crease. Denard(+0.5) keeps his feet when he bangs into Barnum and squeezes out a few more yards. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O32 | 2 | 7 | I-Form twins | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5-2 Bear | Run | Down G | Hayes | -2 | ||||||||
| LB in a two point stance tucked inside Clowney. M tries to kick Clowney with a short pull from Barnum(-1); no dice. Hayes has to cut inside of that further than he wants. Burzynski(-1) loses a DT quickly, he shoots upfield and nails Hayes in the backfield. This was cluster. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O34 | 3 | 9 | Shotgun 4-wide | 1 | 0 | 4 | Nickel over | Pass | Hitch | Gallon | Inc | ||||||||
| Easy pitch and catch for the first down that Gardner throws high and Gallon can't bring in. (IN, 2, protection 2/2). Easy, and biffed. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Drive Notes: FG(52), 16-21, 6 min 3rd Q. Wile hits it from 52. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ln | Dn | Ds | O Form | RB | TE | WR | D Form | Type | Play | Player | Yards | ||||||||
| M35 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun trips | 1 | 0 | 4 | Nickel under | Pass | Out | Dileo | 6 | ||||||||
| Lewan returns. Easy underneath pitch and catch to Dileo. (CA, 3, protection 1/1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| M41 | 2 | 4 | Shotgun 2TE twins (D) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4-3 even | Run | QB sweep | Robinson | 2 | ||||||||
| SC moves a linebacker to the LOS on the playside and he gets into one of the two pulling linemen behind said LOS. Schofield can't really do anything except cut the guy, and not well(-1). Robinson cuts inside and gets cut down by the LB popping off the ground. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M43 | 3 | 2 | Shotgun 2-back 2TE (D) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4-5 even | Run | False Inverted Veer | Robinson | 1 | ||||||||
| Everyone in the box, another false inverted veer where Smith goes to block someone immediately and the mesh is just for show. SC all over it, bashing Smith two yards in the backfield and forcing a cutback. Williams(+1) did a good job to get Clowney inside, so there's a chance, but with nine guys in the box and M forced away from its blocking plan this is dead. RPS -1. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M44 | 4 | 1 | I-Form Big | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4-5 over | Run | QB sneak | Gardner | 19 | ||||||||
| Uh, okay! On replay M just catches SC in the right stunt. Mealer(+1) beats back the NT; Omameh(+1) reacts to the other DT shooting outside by not falling over but in fact blocking a linebacker on the second level, and Gardner(+1) keeps his feet smartly to pick up a big gain. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O37 | 1 | 10 | Ace | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4-3 even | Pass | Hitch | Gallon | Inc | ||||||||
| Easy pitch and catch that Gardner throws wide and Gallon can't bring in. (IN, 2, protection 1/1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| O37 | 2 | 10 | I-Form Big | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4-3 even | Penalty | Offsides | N/A | 5 | ||||||||
| Clowney jumps again. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O32 | 2 | 5 | Shotgun 2TE (D) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4-3 even | Run | Speed option | Robinson | 0 | ||||||||
| Safety always rolling down here, this is like getting punched in the face and asking for more. End is out, it's the short side of the field, Denard tries to cut up and slip yet again. Didn't have much anyway. RPS –2. All over this. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O32 | 3 | 5 | Shotgun 4-wide | 1 | 0 | 4 | Nickel even | Pass | Scramble | Gardner | 10 | ||||||||
| Funchess slips on Gardner's primary read (WOO ADIDAS) and Gardner(+1) doesn't have the out further outside, so he decides to book it. He splits a couple of DL and then spins past a filling safety to pick up the first down. (SCR, N/A, protection 2/2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| O22 | 1 | 10 | Ace twins | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4-3 over | Run | Power O | Robinson | 12 | ||||||||
| Tecmo shift gets them this time it appears, as SC is slid to the TE side but has no force player and only six in the box against 2TEs. Also, it's Schofield/Lewan on the left. Lewan(+2) stands up Clowney and then seals him inside. Schofield(+1) did the same a gap inside. Kwiatkowski finds a downfield guy who's not really even looking for him and pulling Omameh has no one to block for ten yards. RPS +2. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O10 | 1 | G | Shotgun 3-wide | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4-3 even | Pass | Rollout corner | Gallon | 10 | ||||||||
| Smith gets a good block on a much more hesitant playside end, easy corner. S jumps up on Dileo, so it's one on one in the corner for Gallon. Gardner throws, Gallon leaps to catch because that always works I guess? Perfect throw. (DO, 2, protection 2/2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| O3 | 2PT | 2PT | Ace twins | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4-3 under | Pass | Rollout out | Kwiatkowski | INT | ||||||||
| Gardner totally misses a wide open receiver in the back of the endzone and ends up throwing it into traffic as he nears the sideline. (BR, 0, protection 1/1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Drive Notes: Touchdown (missed 2PT), 22-21, EO3Q. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ln | Dn | Ds | O Form | RB | TE | WR | D Form | Type | Play | Player | Yards | ||||||||
| M31 | 1 | 10 | I-Form | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5-2 Bear | Pass | Sack | N/A | -3 | ||||||||
| Omameh(-1) kind of loses control of a DT, who pressures. Gardner rolls up in the pocket and again bails on a play before he should. He's got a pocket, he does not trust it. He tries to scramble and gets engulfed by a couple DTs hanging out at the LOS. Maybe he didn't have anything? This was a two-man pattern. (TA, N/A, protection 1/2 Omameh -1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| M28 | 2 | 13 | Shotgun 3-wide (D) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4-3 over | Run | QB sweep | Robinson | 9 | ||||||||
| Bizarrely, SC shifts away from the field with their line and doesn't really cover for this with a LB shift. M's strength is even to the field. So this is easy and made easier as the playside end dives inside on the snap. I mean... okay. M gets adequate at best blocks from Funchess and Lewan; Barnum(+0.5) does do a good job to seal that DE inside. Denard(+1) hits the crease and gets a nice gain. Funchess's(-1) block could have sprung this big, but it was not good at all. RPS +1. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M37 | 3 | 4 | Shotgun trips | 1 | 0 | 4 | Nickel even | Pass | Slant | Gallon | Inc | ||||||||
| Gallon smokes his CB on a slant route; Gardner misses. Gallon did cut that off so hard that it's more of an in than a slant, but he's open and this is a five yard throw and it's way wide. (IN, 0, protection 1/1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| M37 | 4 | 4 | Punt | N/A | N/A | N/A | Punt return | Run | Pitch sweep | Simmons | 4 | ||||||||
| Fake punts on fake punts. Simmons gets to the line, is measured short, Refs give it to him anyway. Refs +2! | |||||||||||||||||||
| M41 | 1 | 10 | I-Form twins | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4-3 even | Run | Power O | Smith | -5 | ||||||||
| Clowney is wroth. Kwiatkowski(-2) busts an assignment and that's all she wrote. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Drive Notes: Fumble, 22-21, 8 min 4th Q. M gets good field position on the ensuing drive thanks to an unsportsmanlike call after the SC TD. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ln | Dn | Ds | O Form | RB | TE | WR | DForm | Type | Play | Player | Yards | ||||||||
| M36 | 1 | 10 | Shotgun 3-wide | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4-3 over | Pass | PA Comeback | Gallon | 9 | ||||||||
| IZ fake doesn't really fool anyone, but protection is excellent nonetheless. Gardner has an easy pitch and catch with an open Gallon. (CA, 3, protection 2/2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| M43 | 2 | 1 | Offset I | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4-3 under | Pass | Flare screen | Robinson | 0 | ||||||||
| Denard is the nominal fullback here, and no surprise it's a flare screen. SC had a blitz on that dropped Clowney off right into the short side. He stacks up Barnum and makes tackle; Denard(-1) should have cut inside to pick up the first down. RPS -1. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M43 | 3 | 1 | I-Form Big | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4-4 over | Run | QB sneak | Gardner | 1 | ||||||||
| Gardner goes nowhere until the very end of the play, when he manages to fall over forward and pick up the first down. | |||||||||||||||||||
| M44 | 1 | 10 | I-Form | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5-2 Bear | Pass | Dig | Gallon | 20 | ||||||||
| Good protection again on a five man rush. Gardner is calmer in the pocket now—probably got yelled at about this at some point—and Gallon gets excellent separation on a corner in press man. He's wide open on a dig, Gardner hits him, he makes some YAC. (CA+, 3, protection 3/3) | |||||||||||||||||||
| O36 | 1 | 10 | Pistol Diamond(D) | 3 | 0 | 2 | 4-4 even | Run | False Inverted Veer | Robinson | 4 | ||||||||
| Kerridge(-0.5) takes a weird angle as he goes out to the corner and ends up unable to seal the playside LB despite an advantageous start. Houma(+0.5) kicks a corner who Denard dodges inside of and Schofield does eventually seal the playside end inside the numbers. Barnum(-1) helps out on the guy Kerridge couldn't contain and still doesn't prevent him from moving to the sideline. Minimal gain results. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O32 | 2 | 6 | Shotgun 4-wide | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4-3 even | Pass | Hitch | Roundtree | 7 | ||||||||
| Good throw as there is coverage here and Gardner has to keep it away from said coverage. He also looked off the coverage before coming to this hitch/wheel combo. (CA+, 3, protection 1/1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| O25 | 1 | 10 | Ace 3TE | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4-3 over | Run | Power O | Robinson | 11 | ||||||||
| Schofield(+2) dominates the playside DT, kicking him outside of the end to that side of the field. Omameh(+1) kicks the NT, who's trying to slant inside of Mealer, upfield and out of the play. One LB blitzes himself out of the hole so it's one on two once Denard hits the crease (an actual crease!). Williams makes meh contact but does pick a side well; Denard cuts behind. Barnum(+1) got to the hole and picked his way past the Williams block intelligently to get a DB, Denard(+1) cuts back inside and then runs through a safety tackle for five YAC. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O14 | 1 | 10 | I-Form twins | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4-3 even | Run | Iso | Robinson | -3 | ||||||||
| Clowney crushes Lewan(-3) and blows up this play in the backfield singlehandedly. | |||||||||||||||||||
| O16 | 2 | 13 | I-Form twins | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4-3 under | Pass | Corner | Gallon | Inc | ||||||||
| Good protection but it should be since this is 4 versus 8, with just two guys in the pattern. Gardner may have the corner anyway as Gallon seems open, but leaves it way short. (IN, 0, protection 2/2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| O16 | 3 | 13 | I-Form twins | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4-3 under | Pass | Slant | Gallon | 16 | ||||||||
| Max pro again with two guys in the pattern. This time SC blitzes two LBs, so some more space in the secondary. Gallon beats his guy on a slant and Gardner nails him for six. Borderline CA/DO. (CA+, 3, protection 2/2, RPS +1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| O3 | 2PT | 2PT | Shotgun 2TE (D) | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4-5 over | Run | Speed option | Smith | 1 | ||||||||
| No SC player save the corners is playing anything except run here, so everyone beats blocks and Smith gets swallowed. RPS -1. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Drive Notes: Touchdown (missed 2PT), 28-27, 3 min 4th Q. Final play is not charted. | |||||||||||||||||||
Well, shucks, that could have been enough.
Yeah. To put the overall performance in context, Michigan put up 28 points and acquired 355 yards against a team yielding 18 and 315, and they did this methodically. The longest run of the day was 19 yards, the longest catch 26. They did cede one important turnover (the Clowney demolition; Gardner's INT was functionally a punt) and needed a couple of fake kicks to move the ball as much as they did.
If Michigan had JT Floyd or ran a sensible punt coverage scheme, it probably would have been enough.
And that came during an erratic performance from the quarterback.
How would you quantify such an occurrence?
Well, I take all the throws and categorize them and put them in a—
CHART
Yes. A chart.
[Hennechart legend is updated. Hover over column headers for quick explanations. [I'm putting little asterisks in for BRX or INX plays now. One per awful event.]
Denard:
| Opponent | DO | CA | MA | IN | BR | TA | BA | PR | SCR | DSR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 through MSU | 13 | 66(12) | 11(1) | 34(1) | 17 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 4 | 55% |
| 2011 after MSU | 9 | 77(9) | 7 | 17 | 9 | 6(1) | 5(2) | 9 | 5 | 69% |
| Alabama | 4 | 15(2) | 1 | 4 | 3* | - | - | 3(1) | 1 | 71% |
| Air Force | 1 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | 2 | 1 | - | 75% |
| UMass | 1 | 16(4) | - | 4 | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 68% |
| Notre Dame | 4 | 10(1) | 2 | 4(1)* | 2** | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 65% |
| Purdue | 3 | 7(2) | - | 1(1) | - | 1 | 2 | - | - | 73% |
| Illinois | 3 | 6(2) | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | 78% |
| MSU | 4 | 9(2) | 3(1) | 4 | 2* | 1 | 5 | 2 | - | 48% |
| Nebraska | 2 | 9(2) | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | 90% |
Bellomy:
| Opponent | DO | CA | MA | IN | BR | TA | BA | PR | SCR | DSR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | 1 | 4(1) | 2 | 7* | 1* | - | 1 | 4 | 1 | 31% |
And Gardner:
| Opponent | DO | CA | MA | IN | BR | TA | BA | PR | SCR | DSR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 3 | 7(1) | 4 | 2(1) | 2* | 2 | - | 3 | 4 | 64% |
| Northwestern | 4 | 16(2) | 2 | 1 | 3* | 2(1) | 2(1) | 2 | 5 | 75% |
| Iowa | 3 | 16(4) | - | 2(1) | 2 | 1 | - | 1 | 4 | 79% |
| Ohio State (pending) | ||||||||||
| South Carolina | 4 | 16(2) | 2 | 8 | 3 | 4 | - | 2 | 2 | 55% |
So there's a big backslide in accuracy there. While Gardner showed a live, accurate arm at times…
…but he also flat-out missed more than one throw. A slant well behind Roundtree, a corner route that was at least five yards short, balls too high for the admittedly short Gallon… his accuracy left something to be desired.
Gardner's mobility was also a mixed blessing. Perhaps spooked by South Carolina's sack parade, he would often take off running when forced to move around in the pocket. SC's DTs had eliminated obvious running lanes but done little else, so the better move there is to keep your eyes downfield and find someone. The prospect of Clowney behind you is a rattling one, admittedly.
On the other hand, Gardner's run/pass ability makes him extremely hard to shut down in short yardage and the redzone. In this one he had a couple of easy conversions on rollouts, and then the touchdown to Dileo started as a pass, turned into a run, and then finished as a weird push/shove when Dileo's man came up to contain Gardner. The end result is pretty brilliant:
That was not a one-off, either, if you remember the "HE'S TOYING WITH THE DEFENSE!" throw against Iowa.
Gardner did improve his patience in the pocket on the final Michigan drive, calmly stepping up to hit Gallon on a dig route. The happy feet just about went away then. Also, his mind-meld with Gallon is a sight to behold oh, 80 or so times this fall.
I desire another chart.
Here is a chart for receivers.
[Passes are rated by how tough they are to catch. 0 == impossible. 1 == wow he caught that, 2 == moderate difficulty, 3 == routine. The 0/X in all passes marked zero is implied.]
| Player | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gardner | 12 | 0/5 | 2/5 | 14/15 | |||||
| Roundtree | 1 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 3/3 | 12 | 2/9 | 5/7 | 21/22 | |
| Gallon | 3 | 1/3 | 1/3 | 8/8 | 12 | 3/6 | 7/12 | 34/36 | |
| J. Robinson | 1 | 0/1 | 1/4 | 2/2 | |||||
| Dileo | 1 | 0/2 | 1/1 | 3/3 | 3 | 2/5 | 4/4 | 13/13 | |
| Jackson | 5 | 0/1 | 5/7 | ||||||
| D. Robinson | 2/2 | 1 | 4/4 | ||||||
| Reynolds | 1 | 1 | 3/3 | ||||||
| Kwiatkowski | 1 | 1 | 3/3 | ||||||
| Moore | |||||||||
| Funchess | 1/1 | 7 | 2/5 | 2/4 | 11/11 | ||||
| Williams | |||||||||
| Hopkins | 0/1 | ||||||||
| Toussaint | 1 | 0/2 | 1/2 | 5/5 | |||||
| Smith | 1/1 | 0/1 | 1/2 | 9/9 | |||||
| Kerridge | 0/1 | 1/1 |
Anything routine was brought in and there were relatively few passes that were flat uncatchable. This was because a lot of Gardner's misses were on short, easy throws. He didn't miss them enough for the receiver to have no shot, he just turned a routine play into a tough one.
Is Jeremy Gallon a legit #1 receiver?
ARE YOU SERIOUSLY, BOLDED ALTER EGO
You know you invented me, right? That you are in fact the one asking these questions?
Don't be a dick, bolded alter ego.
Anyway, yes, yes he is. Gallon basically had his way with Gamecock corner Victor Hampton, a highly-touted recruit who was projected as a third round pick in the NFL draft as a redshirt sophomore; he chose to return to Columbia. Here's Hampton trying to press Gallon:
Gallon is too quick and releases inside; Hampton ends up yards off on a dig route.
Even if you can stay with him, sometimes he just breaks out the rocket boots.
The touchdown to finish his day features a lovely in-out-in move that freezes SC's other corner and puts Gallon right where Gardner expects him to be:
That was the capper on a monster 9-catch, 145-yard day that would have been even bigger but for Gardner missing him four times. Gallon was open all day against a high-talent South Carolina secondary, and he's not going to face many corners on par with Hampton this fall. You can book a thousand-yard season. At least.
The only truly bad thing from this game:
That is a Denard jet sweep. Lookit all that space! Gallon (on the left hash) is about to totally whiff and turn this into no gain.
Should Gallon return punts?
Oh hell no. For one, he's not that good at it. For two, with Darboh out a Gallon injury is catastrophic. Dileo or Norfleet, please.
CHARTS FOR THE CHART GOD.
Offensive line?
| Offensive Line | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | + | - | Total | Notes | |||||||||||||||
| Lewan | 4.5 | 9 | -4.5 | Clowney is like the endboss of Donkey Kong. | |||||||||||||||
| Barnum | 5 | 5.5 | -0.5 | Fought hard, had no nasty streak. | |||||||||||||||
| Mealer | 2 | 2.5 | -0.5 | Minimized. | |||||||||||||||
| Omameh | 6.5 | 2.5 | 4 | Pretty good day but for some iffy pulling attempts. | |||||||||||||||
| Schofield | 6 | 3 | 3 | Took on Not Clowney, enjoyed not playing Clowney. | |||||||||||||||
| Kwiatkowski | 1.5 | 2 | -0.5 | - | |||||||||||||||
| Moore | - | - | - | DNC | |||||||||||||||
| Williams | 3.5 | 1 | 2.5 | Encouraging development here. | |||||||||||||||
| Funchess | - | 2 | -2 | Maybe not so much here. | |||||||||||||||
| TOTAL | 30.5 | 28.5 | 52% | Burzynski 1.5-1-+0.5. This is not exactly a shock. | |||||||||||||||
| Backs | |||||||||||||||||||
| Player | + | - | T | Notes | |||||||||||||||
| Robinson | 6.5 | 2 | 4.5 | Goodnight, sweet prince. | |||||||||||||||
| Gardner | 4 | 3 | 1 | Fumble for the negatives. | |||||||||||||||
| Toussaint | - | - | - | DNP | |||||||||||||||
| Rawls | 1.5 | 0.5 | - | DNP | |||||||||||||||
| Smith | - | 1 | -1 | Fumble also hurt him. | |||||||||||||||
| Hayes | - | - | - | A couple carries were buried. | |||||||||||||||
| Houma | 0.5 | - | 0.5 | ||||||||||||||||
| Kerridge | 2.5 | 2.5 | 1 | Had some whiffs. | |||||||||||||||
| TOTAL | 16 | 9 | 7 | The last time Denard can save the line's bacon. | |||||||||||||||
| Receivers | |||||||||||||||||||
| Player | + | - | T | Notes | |||||||||||||||
| Gardner | - | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||
| Roundtree | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||
| Gallon | 0.5 | 2 | -1.5 | One agonizing whiff on a play that would have been a lot of yards | |||||||||||||||
| Jackson | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||
| Dileo | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||
| Reynolds | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||
| JRobinson | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||
| TOTAL | 0.5 | 2 | -1.5 | Gotta get to the secondary for these guys to get activated. | |||||||||||||||
| Metrics | |||||||||||||||||||
| Player | + | - | T | Notes | |||||||||||||||
| Protection | 50 | 12 | 81% | Team –2, Smith –3, Kerridge –2, Barnum –2, Lewan –1, Omameh -1 | |||||||||||||||
| RPS | 12 | 10 | 2 | Pretty even. | |||||||||||||||
Hey, guess what: Jadaveon Clowney is good. The donkey becomes the donk-ee. Or something. Lewan had a rough day on the ground. Some of this was Clowney, but he just looked off at other times as well, like on a false veer third down conversion on which Denard could have broken a big gain if Lewan had just gotten an easy downfield block on a linebacker. He didn't, and Michigan had to settle for a half-dozen. Other times Clowney just hulked up.
HOWEVA, look at that beautiful protection number. 81% against the #5 sack team in the country! That's better than they did against lowly Iowa. While on a number of those plays it seemed like Lewan was just barely holding on, hold on he did. His one protection minus was not even totally his fault: he'd held up on a Clowney bull rush; Gardner had a pocket to step into; Gardner insanely decided to move towards Clowney and exit the pocket; Lewan's legit block morphed into a hold as the blocking angle evaporated.
South Carolina did get three sacks: one each on plays where Smith and Kerridge had poor pickups and one that was pretty much Gardner's fault. The line, all of it, was great in protection.
Our guards. They could not pull, said an anonymous Big Ten defender at Media Day. Is he right?
Yes. I mean, Michigan gets a pretty good playcall on here against a blitz by running power to the weakside, and Barnum even gets to the hole and everything. It's just what happens when Barnum does that bothers:
He stops! And then he kind of hand-fights a defensive lineman in a manner that cannot be called a "block" in any sense of the word. Kerridge loses his guy, too, but this wasn't going much of anywhere even if that gets executed. That's not nasty, to say the least.
Then on the very next play Michigan runs a jet sweep, pulling Omameh:
That works because South Carolina does not react to the jet motion and the playside end dives inside. Omameh doesn't have a part in that because he does that looping bow motion he was doing last year and ends up two yards behind Denard as he crosses the LOS. The bow is so pronounced that Denard has to slightly alter his course so he doesn't hit the untouched pulling lineman. A bit later, Joey Burzynski would actually get a block in on another jet sweep. He can do that, but he is also 6'1".
So… yeah, I concur with anonymous Big Ten defender from media day. This can only get better.
Heroes?
Schofield, and Lewan in pass protection. Gallon.
Maybe not so much heroes?
Lewan on the ground. Sort of Gardner. The existence of Jadaveon Clowney.
What does it mean for 2013?
It's going to be hard for anyone short of Clowney to mount a pass rush against the tackles.
Gardner's going to be awesome if he can just throw the ball to the right spot consistently.
Gallon is headed for a monster season.
Throw it to Dileo!
Aaand that's about it. Denard's gone, as is the interior line, so we learn little about the ground game, and Gallon/Dileo/Roundtree were the only receivers to get targeted more than once.
Oh, I've got one more:
Michigan has to figure out how to get the ball to Funchess.