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My postgame thoughts on Michigan-Nebraska

  • Give credit to Nebraska for playing its best game of the year defensively tonight, and making big plays whenever Michigan had a chance to turn the momentum in its favor.

    Michigan's offense has been flawed all season long. Denard is an unbelievable athlete and player, but he can't beat quality defenses by himself. Michigan's offensive line has taken a step back from last year's group, IMO, and that has prevented the Wolverines from being able to establish a consistent running game with any of the backs.

    It would have been interesting to see how the game would have played out had Denard not gotten hurt. Michigan's defense was playing well enough that the Wolverines were a big play or two by Denard away from pulling it out. However, injuries are a part of the game, especially when you have a quarterback that's on the move as much as Denard is.

    Bellomy was really put in a very difficult spot tonight. Michigan desperately needed him to be able to establish some confidence right away, so it certainly didn't help for his first two passes to be dropped. Overall, I think he played about as well as you can expect a redshirt freshman to play on the road in that situation.

    I know Borges has gotten a lot of flack from some people. I was pretty critical of him after the Alabama and Notre Dame games, as I thought he was trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. All coaches and players deserve some amount of blame for any loss, but I really don't think Borges deserves any more heat for this game than anyone else does. At this point, I don't know how much more he can do with the Wolverine offense. Borges isn't perfect, but there's only so much you can do in a spread offense with a mediocre offensive line and a quarterback that isn't a great passer. I really don't think we'll get an accurate gauge of his value as an offensive coordinator until he's actually running his system next year.

    Defensively, that unit continues to play at a pretty high level for the Wolverines. They're playing physical and with relentless effort, and that's a credit to the veteran leaders and the coaches. There were definitely some coverage busts tonight, but without access to the game film, it's unclear what led to those. The passrush still isn't as good as it needs to be, and I thought that enabled Martinez to establish some rhythm and confidence. He isn't Peyton Manning by any means, but when you let him become comfortable, he can make some plays. Michigan's defense certainly didn't lose the game for them tonight, but the lack of a consistent passrush certainly didn't help.

    Moving forward, there's still a long way to go, and this division race is nowhere near over. Michigan obviously needs to win out, which won't be easy, but it's certainly possible. If that happens, Nebraska still plays at Michigan State and at Iowa, and has a home game against Penn State. Certainly three winnable games, but the Huskers could also drop one or more, which would open the door for the Wolverines.

    Recruiting Analyst for Voice of the Hawkeyes. Email: tworly@yahoo.com; Twitter: @ToddWorly247

    Todd Worly

  • Todd Worly said...

    Give credit to Nebraska for playing its best game of the year defensively tonight, and making big plays whenever Michigan had a chance to turn the momentum in its favor.

    Michigan's offense has been flawed all season long. Denard is an unbelievable athlete and player, but he can't beat quality defenses by himself. Michigan's offensive line has taken a step back from last year's group, IMO, and that has prevented the Wolverines from being able to establish a consistent running game with any of the backs.

    It would have been interesting to see how the game would have played out had Denard not gotten hurt. Michigan's defense was playing well enough that the Wolverines were a big play or two by Denard away from pulling it out. However, injuries are a part of the game, especially when you have a quarterback that's on the move as much as Denard is.

    Bellomy was really put in a very difficult spot tonight. Michigan desperately needed him to be able to establish some confidence right away, so it certainly didn't help for his first two passes to be dropped. Overall, I think he played about as well as you can expect a redshirt freshman to play on the road in that situation.

    I know Borges has gotten a lot of flack from some people. I was pretty critical of him after the Alabama and Notre Dame games, as I thought he was trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. All coaches and players deserve some amount of blame for any loss, but I really don't think Borges deserves any more heat for this game than anyone else does. At this point, I don't know how much more he can do with the Wolverine offense. Borges isn't perfect, but there's only so much you can do in a spread offense with a mediocre offensive line and a quarterback that isn't a great passer. I really don't think we'll get an accurate gauge of his value as an offensive coordinator until he's actually running his system next year.

    Defensively, that unit continues to play at a pretty high level for the Wolverines. They're playing physical and with relentless effort, and that's a credit to the veteran leaders and the coaches. There were definitely some coverage busts tonight, but without access to the game film, it's unclear what led to those. The passrush still isn't as good as it needs to be, and I thought that enabled Martinez to establish some rhythm and confidence. He isn't Peyton Manning by any means, but when you let him become comfortable, he can make some plays. Michigan's defense certainly didn't lose the game for them tonight, but the lack of a consistent passrush certainly didn't help.

    Moving forward, there's still a long way to go, and this division race is nowhere near over. Michigan obviously needs to win out, which won't be easy, but it's certainly possible. If that happens, Nebraska still plays at Michigan State and at Iowa, and has a home game against Penn State. Certainly three winnable games, but the Huskers could also drop one or more, which would open the door for the Wolverines.

    There is no way bellomy should ever step foot into a michigan game again. Not gonna bash the guy, but he is not a D-1 quarterback whatsoever. He seriously looked like a high school kid thrown into a hostile college game. How does our coaches keep gardner at reciever when he rarely even gets the ball thrown to him in this game? Gardner could have given us a chance. Hoke is better off throwing darboh in at reciever and gardner at qb if you think about it. You could just see the morale of the defense getting deflated as they had to keep coming in after 3 and outs. Everything changed once bellomy came in, and it's not even his fault. The kid is just not talented enough to play D-1 football. Hoke and staff made a horrible decision playing him then made an even worst decision to keep him in for so long. Hoke needs to take ownership for bad coaching tonight imo....

    This post was edited by blayze714 on 10/28/2012 at 12:41 AM

    blayze714

  • blayze714 said...

    There is no way bellomy should ever step foot into a michigan game again. Not gonna bash the guy, but he is not a D-1 quarterback whatsoever. He seriously looked like a high school kid thrown into a hostile college game. How does our coaches keep gardner at reciever when he rarely even gets the ball thrown to him in this game? Gardner could have given us a chance. Hoke is better off throwing darboh in at reciever and gardner at qb if you think about it. You could just see the morale of the defense getting deflated as they had to keep coming in after 3 and outs. Everything changed once bellomy came in, and it's not even his fault. The kid is just not talented enough to play D-1 football. Hoke and staff made a horrible decision playing him then made an even worst decision to keep him in for so long. Hoke needs to take ownership for bad coaching tonight imo....

    To be fair, I don't think Gardner has been taking second team reps at quarterback, so it's unclear whether or not he would have been comfortable with the game plan if he'd gone in.

    I agree that Bellomy was struggling for most of his time out there tonight, but it's not easy to throw the ball with much confidence in that situation. If he had a full week of practice as the starter, and then went out and played like that, then I think the criticism would be warranted. But this was a very difficult situation for him to be put in, and the receivers didn't exactly help him hit the ground running.

    Recruiting Analyst for Voice of the Hawkeyes. Email: tworly@yahoo.com; Twitter: @ToddWorly247

    Todd Worly

  • Todd Worly said...

    To be fair, I don't think Gardner has been taking second team reps at quarterback, so it's unclear whether or not he would have been comfortable with the game plan if he'd gone in.

    I agree that Bellomy was struggling for most of his time out there tonight, but it's not easy to throw the ball with much confidence in that situation. If he had a full week of practice as the starter, and then went out and played like that, then I think the criticism would be warranted. But this was a very difficult situation for him to be put in, and the receivers didn't exactly help him hit the ground running.

    I am lost for words to know that this guy is our 2nd string quarterback. you can't tell me gardner would have done worst then bellomy even if he hasn't practiced as the qb much. imo stubborn coaching lost us this game.

    blayze714

  • blayze714 said...

    There is no way bellomy should ever step foot into a michigan game again. Not gonna bash the guy, but he is not a D-1 quarterback whatsoever. He seriously looked like a high school kid thrown into a hostile college game. How does our coaches keep gardner at reciever when he rarely even gets the ball thrown to him in this game? Gardner could have given us a chance. Hoke is better off throwing darboh in at reciever and gardner at qb if you think about it. You could just see the morale of the defense getting deflated as they had to keep coming in after 3 and outs. Everything changed once bellomy came in, and it's not even his fault. The kid is just not talented enough to play D-1 football. Hoke and staff made a horrible decision playing him then made an even worst decision to keep him in for so long. Hoke needs to take ownership for bad coaching tonight imo....

    First off, you're way off base. Bellomy isn't D1 material you say? Why not? Cause you say so? I'd LOVE to see YOU get in there .. in front of 80+ thousand in a sea of red, chanting and screaming .. and hooting and hollering against you. These were his first meaningful snaps that he's ever taken. His first two passes were dropped. I'm sure that didn't help his confidence much.

    As for Gardner .. what is it with some of you guys? What has Gardner showed at the QB position that has you so confident that he can get the job done? Seriously? Is it that he's an athlete? Tall? Good arm? Which is it? Cause lets call a spade a spade .. he's made ONE nice pass in his career. ONE! And that was a skinny post to (I believe it was) Martavious Odoms last year for a TD. Other than that ... what is it? Also .. we're trying to make the transition back to a pro style offense .. Bellomy allows that .. so why would we want to flip flop back and forth .. from spread (with Denard) to pro set (with Bellomy) back to spread (with Gardner) and eventually back to pro set (Bellomy or Shane) ??

    Its crazy how some of you talk about Gardner being the second coming of Jesus.

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    Saintlex ●

  • blayze714 said...

    I am lost for words to know that this guy is our 2nd string quarterback. you can't tell me gardner would have done worst then bellomy even if he hasn't practiced as the qb much. imo stubborn coaching lost us this game.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScOncDt8_nw

    Naaa.. there's no way he would have done worse.

    fingergun

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    Saintlex ●

  • Saintlex said...

    First off, you're way off base. Bellomy isn't D1 material you say? Why not? Cause you say so? I'd LOVE to see YOU get in there .. in front of 80+ thousand in a sea of red, chanting and screaming .. and hooting and hollering against you. These were his first meaningful snaps that he's ever taken. His first two passes were dropped. I'm sure that didn't help his confidence much.

    As for Gardner .. what is it with some of you guys? What has Gardner showed at the QB position that has you so confident that he can get the job done? Seriously? Is it that he's an athlete? Tall? Good arm? Which is it? Cause lets call a spade a spade .. he's made ONE nice pass in his career. ONE! And that was a skinny post to (I believe it was) Martavious Odoms last year for a TD. Other than that ... what is it? Also .. we're trying to make the transition back to a pro style offense .. Bellomy allows that .. so why would we want to flip flop back and forth .. from spread (with Denard) to pro set (with Bellomy) back to spread (with Gardner) and eventually back to pro set (Bellomy or Shane) ??

    Its crazy how some of you talk about Gardner being the second coming of Jesus.

    bellomy allows us to transition into pro-style? can you point out one good thing about bellomy besides the fact he is a student-athelete at michigan? I can understand you defending the kid cause you have a soft heart i guess. But it is what it is, he is beyond horrible at the quarterback position. Go watch the replay dude. he looked like he had 50 lb weights in his shoes, he was immobile like an uncoordinated kid. The throws he made weren't off target, they were off the map you could say. The look in his eyes was tells all. He wasn't ready to be in the game nor good enough. Go back and read my post carefully. I pointed out it wasn't his fault, he just ain't good enough to play qb at michigan. Hoke made the worst decision by allowing him to play let alone play for so many quarters. If i'm crazy for thinking this I would bet there are another 113,000 people who thinks he should not be our qb let alone our 2nd string.

    blayze714

  • blayze714 said...

    bellomy allows us to transition into pro-style? can you point out one good thing about bellomy besides the fact he is a student-athelete at michigan? I can understand you defending the kid cause you have a soft heart i guess. But it is what it is, he is beyond horrible at the quarterback position. Go watch the replay dude. he looked like he had 50 lb weights in his shoes, he was immobile like an uncoordinated kid. The throws he made weren't off target, they were off the map you could say. The look in his eyes was tells all. He wasn't ready to be in the game nor good enough. Go back and read my post carefully. I pointed out it wasn't his fault, he just ain't good enough to play qb at michigan. Hoke made the worst decision by allowing him to play let alone play for so many quarters. If i'm crazy for thinking this I would bet there are another 113,000 people who thinks he should not be our qb let alone our 2nd string.

    Bellomy is a freshman QB who was tasked with replacing one of the most electric QB's in the game. We needed to adjust our entire offense which was just not possible. Our WR's are not capable of making QB's look good (yet), our running game struggled like it has most of the year, and our line was average at best. He had a terrible day but you can't blame him. I want to give him another shot. You can't judge freshman QB's after one game. As a GB Packers fan I remember how terrible A-Rod was for the first 2 seasons. Each pre-season he was awful and threw a ton of picks and ended up getting booed. Not saying Bellomy is anything close to him but a lot can happen with some more experience and development.

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    wolverineblue

  • After a couple of bad possessions with Bellomy, I was shocked you didn't give Gardner a series.

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    STOOBIE

  • And this is wear I tell myself I'm zoning out Michigan football for the rest of the year (if Denard doesnt play) and for the whole 2013 season because all I see is pain....and if I dont pay any attention, it will be like it never happened.

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    Awink2

  • Todd Worly said...

    All coaches and players deserve some amount of blame for any loss, but I really don't think Borges deserves any more heat for this game than anyone else does. At this point, I don't know how much more he can do with the Wolverine offense. Borges isn't perfect, but there's only so much you can do in a spread offense with a mediocre offensive line and a quarterback that isn't a great passer.

    Last year, Denard was a better performing quarterback than Taylor Martinez and Braxton Miller. This year, he is significantly worse than both of them. And OSU and Nebraska both came into the season with just as many offensive question marks as Michigan.

    It is absolutely NOT the case that Michigan's offense is struggling because Robinson, Mealer, Barnum, Omameh, or any other player is not good enough.

    bkp1883 ●

  • Bellomy does not have a div 1 arm. He put everything into that wobbling duck he threw on that out. That's unacceptable, he doesn't have to be chad henne, but he better have more of an arm then gibbons, and I'm not sure he does.
    The awful passes were from not being comfortable, but the lack of tools is scary. That was an embarrassment and if that's the backup plan, then someone needs to be fired....

    This post was edited by kylebennett7127 on 10/28/2012 at 8:30 AM

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    kylebennett7127

  • blayze714 said...

    I am lost for words to know that this guy is our 2nd string quarterback. you can't tell me gardner would have done worst then bellomy even if he hasn't practiced as the qb much. imo stubborn coaching lost us this game.

    He might be able to do better physically, but that may have required scrapping the entire game plan, which doesn't send a good message to your team. Not an easy situation for the coaches to be in. There are teams at all levels that are in major trouble if their starting quarterback goes down. Michigan's success is directly linked to Denard's success this year, and with him injured, the only way to win the game was if everyone else stepped up, and that didn't happen.

    Recruiting Analyst for Voice of the Hawkeyes. Email: tworly@yahoo.com; Twitter: @ToddWorly247

    Todd Worly

  • wolverine.blue said...

    Bellomy is a freshman QB who was tasked with replacing one of the most electric QB's in the game. We needed to adjust our entire offense which was just not possible. Our WR's are not capable of making QB's look good (yet), our running game struggled like it has most of the year, and our line was average at best. He had a terrible day but you can't blame him. I want to give him another shot. You can't judge freshman QB's after one game. As a GB Packers fan I remember how terrible A-Rod was for the first 2 seasons. Each pre-season he was awful and threw a ton of picks and ended up getting booed. Not saying Bellomy is anything close to him but a lot can happen with some more experience and development.

    I agree with this. Bellomy obviously struggled, but I don't think you can really evaluate him until he has a full week of practice as the starter. And even then, he's still extremely inexperienced, and a lot of more experienced quarterbacks have struggled at night in Lincoln.

    Recruiting Analyst for Voice of the Hawkeyes. Email: tworly@yahoo.com; Twitter: @ToddWorly247

    Todd Worly

  • bkp1883 said...

    Last year, Denard was a better performing quarterback than Taylor Martinez and Braxton Miller. This year, he is significantly worse than both of them. And OSU and Nebraska both came into the season with just as many offensive question marks as Michigan.

    It is absolutely NOT the case that Michigan's offense is struggling because Robinson, Mealer, Barnum, Omameh, or any other player is not good enough.

    I think those guys play a large part in the success/failure of the downhill running game. Unfortunately, Denard isn't a good enough passer for Michigan to consistently win games through the air, so Michigan is completely one-dimensional on offense. Denard obviously played poorly in the first two losses - no question about that. And after each game, I was pretty critical of Borges and Michigan's game plan. Since then, I think the game plans have been much better, but there's only so much you can do with the players Michigan currently has. The good news is that, assuming the 2012 and 2013 recruits pan out, the cavalry is on the way. I still like the direction this program is headed in, but the 2012 team is a flawed team, particularly on offense.

    Recruiting Analyst for Voice of the Hawkeyes. Email: tworly@yahoo.com; Twitter: @ToddWorly247

    Todd Worly

  • blayze714 said...

    bellomy allows us to transition into pro-style? can you point out one good thing about bellomy besides the fact he is a student-athelete at michigan? I can understand you defending the kid cause you have a soft heart i guess. But it is what it is, he is beyond horrible at the quarterback position. Go watch the replay dude. he looked like he had 50 lb weights in his shoes, he was immobile like an uncoordinated kid. The throws he made weren't off target, they were off the map you could say. The look in his eyes was tells all. He wasn't ready to be in the game nor good enough. Go back and read my post carefully. I pointed out it wasn't his fault, he just ain't good enough to play qb at michigan. Hoke made the worst decision by allowing him to play let alone play for so many quarters. If i'm crazy for thinking this I would bet there are another 113,000 people who thinks he should not be our qb let alone our 2nd string.

    Let me dissect your post and this will be the last of it .. because it's obvious we're nowhere near agreeing on this topic.

    Yes .. Bellomy allows us to slowly transition into a pro style. Have you seen his high school film? If not .. here you go ..

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4om8v56FCw

    .. he can make a lot of throws. He can run a west coast offense with the tools that he has. He also has some wheels. The reason I think he looked like he had lead in his feet is because he was obviously shook all game long. I really dont think you get how intimidating it is for an 18 year old to get thrown into that situation. Sit back and think about that for a bit.

    I'm defending the kid because he's a Wolverine. Period. I even defended Nick Sheridan. Granted .. that took a lot out of me .. but I did.

    I agree with you that he wasn't ready to see the field .. especially under last nights circumstances.

    So you're saying it wasn't his fault, but it WAS his fault .. which is it?

    Also .. please answer my Gardner question .. I'd LOVE to hear where the confidence is coming from.

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    Saintlex ●

  • blayze714 said...

    bellomy allows us to transition into pro-style? can you point out one good thing about bellomy besides the fact he is a student-athelete at michigan? I can understand you defending the kid cause you have a soft heart i guess. But it is what it is, he is beyond horrible at the quarterback position. Go watch the replay dude. he looked like he had 50 lb weights in his shoes, he was immobile like an uncoordinated kid. The throws he made weren't off target, they were off the map you could say. The look in his eyes was tells all. He wasn't ready to be in the game nor good enough. Go back and read my post carefully. I pointed out it wasn't his fault, he just ain't good enough to play qb at michigan. Hoke made the worst decision by allowing him to play let alone play for so many quarters. If i'm crazy for thinking this I would bet there are another 113,000 people who thinks he should not be our qb let alone our 2nd string.

    He reminds me of our nightmare thank God he gone!!

    This post was edited by ItalianBuck on 10/28/2012 at 2:51 PM

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    WWW.WTSAC.ORG Woody & Tony's Strokes Against Cancer.

    ItalianBuck

  • blue, Do you see Denard in the NFL in 2013 and what round? Based on RG111 , Denard makes big money next spring. Any word on Denard's condition?

    This post was edited by eyegore on 10/28/2012 at 2:53 PM

    eyegore

  • My post game thoughts are the same as my pregame thoughts. It will be a hard to win dressing 17-20 Freshman and expect them to win.
    People can say and believe what they want but good to great teams are always loaded with upperclassman. Michigan does not have that this year and will not have it next year.

    pappy121

  • eyegore said...

    blue, Do you see Denard in the NFL in 2013 and what round? Based on RG111 , Denard makes big money next spring. Any word on Denard's condition?

    I can see Denard Robinson being a Dexter McCluster type player in the NFL. Denard is taller, bigger, and faster than Dexter.

    Robinson is 5'11", 195+ pounds, and runs a 4.35-ish.
    McCluster is 5'8", 170+ pounds, and runs a 4.58.

    However, I have no idea if Denard's body will hold up like Dexter's body has held up in the NFL.

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    Frank C

  • eyegore said...

    blue, Do you see Denard in the NFL in 2013 and what round? Based on RG111 , Denard makes big money next spring. Any word on Denard's condition?

    I think it all depends on his willingness to put in the work at another position. He's an unbelievable athlete, but he's nowhere near the passer that RGIII was/is. I don't see Denard playing quarterback at the next level, but if he's willing to learn another position and put in the work, I do think he can have a successful career in the NFL.

    Recruiting Analyst for Voice of the Hawkeyes. Email: tworly@yahoo.com; Twitter: @ToddWorly247

    Todd Worly

  • Honestly a very good and unbiased recap. A lot of hometown reporters should read this and learn how to be un biased and not play an excuse game. Great write up.

    Also would have liked to see that game finish with Denard healthy. It was a solid back and forth up until that point.

    foubazzi ●

  • foubazzi said...

    Honestly a very good and unbiased recap. A lot of hometown reporters should read this and learn how to be un biased and not play an excuse game. Great write up.

    Also would have liked to see that game finish with Denard healthy. It was a solid back and forth up until that point.

    Thanks for your support!

    I agree that it could have been a heck of a finish had Denard remained healthy. He's constantly a threat to break one, and Michigan's defense may have been more fresh and played better had the offense had a little more success moving the ball.

    Recruiting Analyst for Voice of the Hawkeyes. Email: tworly@yahoo.com; Twitter: @ToddWorly247

    Todd Worly

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