Great Game

Submitted by Catchafire on
Yesterday's game was probably the greatest game I have watched all year. The team gave it their all yestdrday, played like the better team. Everything was great. The qb play was fantastic, defense was great. 2017 is going to be another great year. This offense is going to click, and I can truly say that the death Star is fully operational and ready to win with absolute cruelty. The only negative from the offense was the running game, and it looked great. Smith was able to make some great cuts and see the light. Our players gave it their all yesterday, and to me they won that game.
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backusduo

November 27th, 2016 at 8:10 AM ^

What makes you think we're back when our starting RB, most of OL, WRs, TE, def line, LBs, CBs, Safety's, and Kicker will be gone for 2017. This was the year when the stars aligned and we had a chance to overachieve due to Senior Leadership. While we were good we never overachieved. Seniors didn't step up and right the ship in a wacky Iowa game and no one played above their head in an Ohio game that we were clearly the better team in. Next year is a rebuilding year so we'll have an excuse when we lose again. Harbaugh is the right coach and the program will improve but next year is going to be another crappy reminder of how there is no quick fix to rebuilding a program.

Joined: 12/18/2008

MGoPoints: 590

GoWings2008

November 27th, 2016 at 8:23 AM ^

But the tides will turn. Recruiting is on the up swing and UM will reload at key positions. Next man up sort of thing. Hard to replace a Jake Butt, however we have plenty of talent for the coaches to develop. Every team will experience attrition. We must deal with it just like every one of them must.

Joined: 01/26/2011

MGoPoints: 69641

BeatIt

November 27th, 2016 at 9:47 AM ^

I love him but his indecisiveness in the pocket is the biggest problem for our lack of a passing attack. Reasons why UM lost? Turnovers and the lack of a running game capable of moving the chains on 3rd and short consistently. #2 Should have went for 2 after your td in OT. Your front 7 looked gassed after the 4th quarter. The last 10 minutes of the game I think osu otgained UM 140-30. #3 Officiating OSU probaly should have had a couple PI's. But I disagree that Barret didn't cross the plane of the 15 yard line. Your D still had a opportunity to force a FG. All that said the first OT in the history of the"Game" was nothing short of Epic.as a long time buckeye fan and alumn I feel your pain and as much as it pains me to say harbaugh has UM back where they should be and thats part of the Big Two and the little 12. Have patience, harbaugh had a big task of changing the football culture and rebuilding your roster.

Joined: 06/11/2016

MGoPoints: 930

TNWolverine

November 27th, 2016 at 9:14 AM ^

I agree. Harbaugh had to take over a team that was previously coached by RR and Hoke and look at the improvements in just two years. Let Harbaugh recruit his guys and build his team exactly how he wants and we will be a force to be reckoned with. Maybe not next year with all the youth, but it is coming.

Joined: 10/26/2010

MGoPoints: 5223

Wendyk5

November 27th, 2016 at 9:05 AM ^

The one constant you're forgetting is Harbaugh. From what I've seen, he sucks every bit of talent out of these players, especially the quarterback. Seriously, we won that game in Columbus. The officals lost it. It happens, we need to get over it and move on. But to think that this was the only year we could have beaten them is crazy. Harbaugh will reload, too. And he won't forget this game. 

Joined: 11/20/2008

MGoPoints: 67408

Alumnus93

November 27th, 2016 at 9:09 AM ^

Speight will be a year older and more Hoke recruit who became comfortable losing like Kalis gone and more Harbaugh recruits with experience. We will be better next year, just watch

Joined: 09/10/2009

MGoPoints: 9684

maize-blue

November 27th, 2016 at 9:36 AM ^

I feel like this running game has to improve. We still don't have a difference maker on this team. maybe Evans gets there, maybe Walker is that guy, is Isaac still on the team, or maybe we get 5* Harris. Perhaps we need better run blockers then the collective group of Magnussen, Braden, Kalis. The QB situation may be ok, but our QB cannot throw himself out of any situation.

This team lost 2 out of the last 3. If they could run better those may be victories. 

Joined: 01/10/2013

MGoPoints: 44662

pinkfloyd2000

November 27th, 2016 at 11:38 AM ^

It's not like we are gonna wake up one day and say, "Hey, ya know? That mouthbreather OSU fan who drunkenly yelled 'MICHIGAN SUCKS' at me last night at the bar had the right idea. I'm converting."

My sports-rooting life (Wolverines, Tigers, Reds, Lions, Bengals) has pretty much consisted of brief moments of joy and elation speckled against a dark wall of gloom and despair. (I root for the Wings, too, but hey -- despite recent struggles, you can't complain too much there).

 

Joined: 01/27/2009

MGoPoints: 18471

pinkfloyd2000

November 27th, 2016 at 8:39 AM ^

Still not feeling cheery or optimistic this morning, but thinking back, prior to kickoff I made a comment to the folks I was huddled around the TV with to this effect: "I think it'll be a close game, but the ONE thing we can't do is throw a pick 6. If we do that we lose." So I guess I should have been prepared for the eventual outcome.

This one hurts far worse than 2006. At least I could accept that one. This one really makes me wanna get the hell out of Ohio and go back overseas for a month or so.



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LSAClassOf2000

November 27th, 2016 at 9:22 AM ^

I kind of have the same feeling right now - it was very easy for me to process 2006 and move forward from that one, but I am having a little more difficulty with yesterday's game for numerous reasons which have been mentioned here. Part of it too is that we've only won this game once since then, and it was to a down OSU team, an ever-so-briefly down OSU team. We haven't won in Columbus since I was in my 20s, and that is beginning to wear on me a bit. 

Well, more than a bit, if you ask my family. 

Joined: 01/07/2011

MGoPoints: 130510

pinkfloyd2000

November 27th, 2016 at 11:28 AM ^

On the one hand, life's too short to worry about things that are completely out of your control and absolutely insignificant from a worldly, big-picture outlook.

On the other, life is way too short to have to endure losing to Ohio State this many f'ing times.

For me, too, I didn't really become a passionate U-M fan until AFTER their NC season (around 2000-2001). I rooted for U-M pretty much from birth, but I wasn't living or dying with the team every fall Saturday like I have been for the past 16 years. 

Joined: 01/27/2009

MGoPoints: 18471

Baloo_Dance

November 27th, 2016 at 8:43 AM ^

QB play was not great. It was odd watching Speight be solely responsible for two turnovers and a part of the third (first pick) that cost us the game more than officiating. But I also knew we had no chance without him.

I hope it's a true meritocracy and Peters pushes Wilton hard.



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Real and Spectacular

November 27th, 2016 at 8:46 AM ^

I can't find many positives today. We were fucking better than them. We had the experience and the talent and we let it slip away. The refs sucked, we win that game easily with more neutral officiating. However, even despite that, we should have still won that game. Crapping the bed in the 2nd half is becoming a pattern that needs to be fixed. I'm lucky I didn't commit a homicide between the hours of 4-5, most pissed I've ever been after a loss.

Joined: 09/15/2016

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UM Fan from Sydney

November 27th, 2016 at 8:48 AM ^

Entertaining, sure. Great, no. No loss is a great game to me. So tired of being on the losing end of these instant classics with OSU.

Joined: 09/17/2015

MGoPoints: 58076

Mannix

November 27th, 2016 at 8:56 AM ^

Sure, great game. But just one more easy dvr erase on a "classic" M doesn't win.

When is the last time M beat a team they weren't favored to win, i.e., higher ranked?

Joined: 01/15/2009

MGoPoints: 12243

SD Larry

November 27th, 2016 at 9:12 AM ^

Catchafire.  Plus one for that.  This was such a bitter loss for me I am just not there, at least yet.  I will say I was thinking in the 4th quarter this was maybe going to be the second best football game I had seen in my 50 plus year football watching life.  But not with the loss, the totality of the non pi and pi and non-holding calls, and how it ended the wrong way.  Most heartbreaking?  For me, yes.  

Joined: 10/05/2014

MGoPoints: 40880

theintegral

November 27th, 2016 at 9:15 AM ^

There has been a lot of posts stating we need a better (down the line) view of the play/spot or a geometrical spot.  I think there is another way that my son saw immediately before calling his dad.  The play was run in slow motion and, of course, you can put your screen on slow motion.  Click until Barrett is in his furthest position. Barrett has hit #88 Anderson and has been turned so that the ball is nestled in Barrett’s right arm sitting on the rear end (butt) of Anderson.  Barrett is looking down and forward to the 15 yard line.  His left arm is reaching out to just past the 15.  The key here is that Anderson’s full lower body is on the 16 yard line side of the 15 yard line.  Barrett never moves any further forward.  Wormley is actually the immovable object. 

 

Harbaugh’s estimate was spot on.

Joined: 10/19/2011

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Amaizin' Blue

November 27th, 2016 at 9:43 AM ^

No disrespect but the QB play was not fantastic (2 terrible picks obviously) and the running game was not enough (91 yards)

Still we played well enough to win despite our mistakes but we couldn't overcome some terrible one sided calls

We will destroy whoever we play in our bowl. And yes 2017 will be even better



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misterpage

November 27th, 2016 at 9:48 AM ^

Appreciate your optimism but I was in full depression mode after this one. It's been more of an annual loss to osu than it is a rivalry anymore. This is the one sporting event that I care about most in this world and yesterday just shattered my heart. Feel terrible for the seniors that never beat them and Peppers too. All I can say is I hope Jim builds a monster team because I can't put myself through this every year.



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uminks

November 27th, 2016 at 10:00 AM ^

We should have won, we outplayed OSU for most of the game. I'm disappointed we loss but thought our players, especially our seniors played their hearts out trying to win but some of the plays did not bounce our way. I look forward to what they can do in the Rose or Orange Bowl. Kind of hoping we play a big 12 team in the Orange Bowl and not USC in the Rose.

Joined: 11/10/2009

MGoPoints: 31973

Rhino77

November 27th, 2016 at 10:01 AM ^

Meh, I didn't find it that "great." Take away the officiating and Michigan killed themselves. I really can't remember ever seeing a team lose composure like that. From the coach on down. Why is Cole grabbing a face mask that far down field? 1 pick 6, 1 fumble in their goal line, another pick that led to a TD, dropped passes, missed blocking assignments. It was frustrating to watch and I will never watch it again.



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608Monroe

November 27th, 2016 at 10:14 AM ^

Had a night to reflect on the devastating loss, and have a few thoughts.
 
1. Three turnovers (including a pick 6) on the road in a hostile environment isn't good enough. I admire Speight for his grit, but it would be unreasonable to expect a positive outcome given the turnovers.
2. The defense was tremendous, especially in the first half. They made plays of every kind, and seemed to step up when needed most. The second half was tougher sledding given OSU's adjustments wit...h the zone read, and figuring out a way to get Samuel the ball. By the fourth quarter, the D was very clearly gassed.
3. The offense was moderately successful, but mostly predictable and uninspiring. The secret to winning the game was to create long, sustained drives featuring the power run. The OL failed to create those run lanes consistently, and cost us on long third downs where we finished 9-19. This, in turn, had the secondary impact of putting pressure back on our D, which exacerbated their second half exhaustion.
4. Kenny Allen went from being a total team liability, to being a rock star. Kudos to him for completely flipping the script on himself, and kudos to the coaching staff for sticking with him. That obviously was accomplished with hard work. Really impressive.
5. Yes. The officiating was abysmal. Seven penalties for 59 yards for Michigan against two penalties for six yards for OSU is, let's just say, extremely unlikely given season averages. However, I'm going to surprise people by saying I don't believe the controversial spot on Barrett's 4th down run was all that controversial. It was close. No doubt, Michigan had an opportunity to make it less close, and couldn't make it happen. That's football. My bigger beef was on both pass interference calls in the fourth quarter which both went against Michigan -- neither of which (in most analysts' opinions) were the correct call, and either of which would have likely changed the outcome of the game. Great teams play through bad officiating. It's the truth. But in a game this close, one bad call is all it takes to change everything. Or two in this case.
Bottom line, this was Michigan's game for the taking and couldn't get it done. They were the better team for three quarters, and then OSU took advantage of the opportunities we provided to them -- which is what great teams do. Credit to OSU for doing what they had to do to get the W. Urban Meyer is a special coach, even though I now hope Alabama eats his team like an Alabama po'boy. Michigan isn't ready to play in the big games yet, and will need to learn how to overcome obstacles if they're going to build something special in Ann Arbor. Harbaugh has his work cut out for him with Urban Meyer only 190 miles away, and seemingly still hungry.
#TheGame #GoBlue

 

Joined: 11/16/2015

MGoPoints: 2629

michiganfanforlife

November 27th, 2016 at 10:38 AM ^

I'm so proud of our team and their resilience! There were so many awful things happening both self inflicted and zebra related, and yet the team took it in stride and punched back for every second of that game. Harbaugh's got steel in his spine and he's given it to the team in a very short time. His talent evaluation is second to none; just think about all the freshman who contributed this year! How many young receivers made plays in this game? The future is bright, and I don't see the drop off next year that everyone seems to think is inevitable. Year three of Harbaugh will have some guys with two full years of coaching that gets every ounce of effort and production from his guys. I can't wait to see what players from this incoming class start next year. Who's the new Evans that nobody sees coming? Go Blue



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