Game v/s Air Force Thoughts

FIRST HALF
Offensive play calling is absolutely terrible. Take away Denard's busted play long touchdown and its pathetic. This 4 wide delayed draw when u don't even pretend to throw isn't going to fool anyone.

Defensively this team can't adjust at all. This offense isn't hard to stop, stick to YOUR guy, very simple.

Clock management this last minute was dumbfounding.

They better adjust quick or we will be starting this season 0-2!

SECOND HALF
Denard is by far the scariest athlete on the field.

This defense is absolutely terrible! You have to be able to adjust at halftime to some aspect. But this team just got absolutely worse. If your going to get beat by the option, you have to get beat inside where you at least have help. I cant fathom how we continue to have NOBODY on the toss man at all. I have a bad feeling this defense is going to be one of the worst in the Big 10. And even rival the terrible ones we had under Rim Rod. Hope im wrong, but its not looking good.

I really like what I am seeing from Gardner at the WR position. If he works on getting open deep, he could be really scary!!

I completely disagree. The defense did great when it was needed. They just got through playing a hard smash mouth game...now they are playing a speedy option team. This defense will rank high this year. they have now seen it all...they will be very good.

Offensively...we have a lot of options. Gardner is looking good..Funchess is an animal...Denard is Denard. Fitz will come into his own.

UM might go undefeated through the B1G season. ND will be a great test for the overall Team.

Well, we did win. Unlike beleaguered Penn State...

But what can one expect when your placekicker misses four FICKEN' field goals!!!!

(Sic...and very very sick, I confess).

My only thought on the game was....AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Air Force never lead in in the game. They couldn't stop UM. The D will not see that triple option gain, thnk goodness.

AF is fun to watch. Funchess will be a stud, close to it already.

GO BLUE.

The defense played surprisingly well in the 2nd quarter. They stopped 2 drives rather impressively and we had all the momentum up 14-3. Then we started driving to mid-field when Denard threw that pick that bounced off our guy and into the hands of an Air Force defender. This was a huge momentum shift at this point. The Air Force players on the sideline were jumping up and down as if they had just won the Super Bowl. They then drive the half of the field and score just before halftime to make it 14-10. You have to wonder how different the second half might have gone had Denard never thrown that pick. If we go up 21-3 at the half, I think this is a different game. Air Force would still have scored on us because of that pesky triple option but I don't think it would have been as close as it ended up being.

But it was what it was. And I ended up having flashbacks of RichRod's defenses in the second half. I cannot tell you how much I want to pull my hair out when our opponent is converting 3rd and 15's like they were nothing. Over and over and over.

Although probably the only thing more frustrating than the defense today was Fitz Toussaint. 8 carries for 7 yards. I want so badly to take the pressure off of Denard but we have no choice when the running game looks that bad. I'm very disappointed. I expected better from him today.

sorry, but for anyone sayinf the defense did great when needed, check back with me after you watch the game again... ugh.. i cant tell u how many times i was yelling at the tv basically calling air forces plays BEFORE THEY HAPPENED.. option toss right.. option toss right. option toss right... etc etc.. last year this team was able to adjust after halftime..i am happy we won, dont get me wrong, but this defense is scary... 2 defensive holding calls? really?? come on fellas!!! go blue!!!

Sitting in the armchair calling all the plays is easy...stopping those same plays on the field is not as easy...especially when you're defending a triple option...you might know it is going right, but....well you know.

I am not saying the defense played brilliant, but I am saying they are going to be very good this year. It's not like Air Force hasn't been to a Bowl game in 8 years.

And for what it's worth, UM didn't face a triple option team last year. Just like they didn't face a defense like Bama's last year. For me it's more about the forest rather than the trees.

Look... I'm just calling it as it is. 'Armchair' coach or however you want to call it.. I'm just an ordinary fan, just like you. Giving up an average of 33 points per game is not on pace to becoming a ''very good defense''.. Moo moo U has a ''very good defense''.. I wish we were at there level of D, but truth be told we are not. We lost A LOT of players on D. I know the triple option is tough to defend, but after getting burnt time after time on that damn option toss right, you would think the D would bring more people on the outside... Just like CharlotteGuy said... GET BEAT ON THE INSIDE at least!! Anyways... I'm just a regular Joe.. Who cares what I say. GO BLUE!!!!!! I still love this team!

uofmchris wrote:

Look... I'm just calling it as it is. 'Armchair' coach or however you want to call it.. I'm just an ordinary fan, just like you. Giving up an average of 33 points per game is not on pace to becoming a ''very good defense''.. Moo moo U has a ''very good defense''.. I wish we were at there level of D, but truth be told we are not. We lost A LOT of players on D. I know the triple option is tough to defend, but after getting burnt time after time on that damn option toss right, you would think the D would bring more people on the outside... Just like CharlotteGuy said... GET BEAT ON THE INSIDE at least!! Anyways... I'm just a regular Joe.. Who cares what I say. GO BLUE!!!!!! I still love this team!

If we had MSU's first 2 opponents (Boise State and Central Michigan) I'm pretty sure our defensive stats would look much better than they are right now.

for me two things stood out.....how bad Fitz ran and THANK GOD they finally replaced Demens and especially Morgan (he is soooooooo terrible) at LB with Bolden and Ross, thats when the defense starting making stops...your run defense is only as good as your inside LBs

Saw a lot of true freshmen making impacts yesterday.