I was pretty happy I was wrong last week picking against Iowa. The game proved Michigan's offense can put up big numbers on Iowa. It also proved Iowa can take full advantage of takeaways. I don't think there is a need to talk much about the game last week. That is history and the Badger game is the current. I won't lie this game is going to be ugly. Both have a solid defense and the offenses are run heavy. If you're looking for a shootout, flip over to a Pac-10 game. The Hawks come back home and should be ready for a dog fight.
I haven't seen a whole lot of the Badgers this season. From what I have seen, they are a great running team and rely heavily on John Clay and James White. They combine for over 1,300 yards and we are only halfway through the season. The good thing is this run heavy offense plays into the hands of Iowa. Wisconsin isn't the high powered spread offense like Michigan was. Iowa can stack the box with 8 and play physical on the d-line. Last week, you had to worry about Robinson, until he got hurt, taking off for the big run. This week, it's all about the backs so you can come right at the huge Badger offensive line. The stats would show Iowa has been dominating Wisconsin the last few times they took the trip to Iowa City. Wisconsin is averaging 12.5 points per game in Iowa City. The only nervous thing I can say about the Badgers is if they start gaining 4 or 5 yards a carry, the play action comes into play. QB Scott Tolzien is completing 70.9% of his passes, but with only 7 touchdowns and 3 ints. Iowa's defense has 9 ints, thanks Michigan, and 4 fumbles for the season. The need for a turnover is huge. They can stack the box, keep the average carry to 2 or 3 and force Tolzien to beat them. I love the Hawks chances.
The exact same could be said for the Wisconsin defense. Stanzi has shown he has been much smarter with the ball than previous years. I don't know if I will call him the Manzi as our Michigan blogger Chris said when he broke down the Michigan side of things. I do need to give Stanzi more props and give him some love. The kid worked hard in the off season and its paid off. 145 attempts, 13 touchdowns and only 2 ints is a stat line every head coach would take by mid-season. Even so, the Badgers don't want Robinson going off on them. Adam is going to get the bulk of the carries (Who is left?). If Wisconsin can wear Robinson down and make Stanzi beat them, they have a chance. Albeit a slight one. I went back and looked at the stats from Wisconsin's last loss, which was Michigan State a few weeks ago. A few things stuck out to me.
One, Sparti was 50% on 3rd down conversions, 9 out of 18. Iowa needs to duplicate that and even improve. Michigan State was down early, withstood the early deficit and came back to take the lead by ten, 20-10, at halftime. Again, Iowa needs to do the same. A halftime lead by 2 scores will make Wisconsin get out of their rhythm. They will be forced to pass the ball. Against Mich. St. Tolzien was 11-25, way below his average percentage, and he had to play catch up. Iowa reminds me a lot of Michigan State and that's why I chose to compare the two for how to beat Wisconsin. The Spartans showed the recipe to beat the Badgers. Can Iowa find away to stir the pot the same way?
I'm really looking forward to this game and see how Wisconsin responds to such a huge win over the Buckeyes. They are in for a let down and traveling to Kinnick, a top 10 tough place to play, is just the way Iowa will like it. I called this in my Iowa preview. However, I thought the Badgers would be reeling from a Ohio St. hurting. I was wrong on that. Iowa played a tough game last week and found the way to victory. The Badgers fall into the trap and Iowa gets another conference victory. 24-10.
J Call
Showing posts with label Michigan Wolverines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michigan Wolverines. Show all posts
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Hawkeyes and Wolverines
Iowa has rebounded nicely since losing in the desert with wins over Ball State and Penn State. The latter was against a young inexperienced QB and the team almost shut him down. The same young quarterback managed to reach over 300 total yards of offense against this strong defense. Iowa takes a trip to the big house and against the most explosive player in college. You can talk and talk about players and break down this game anyway you want. I believe it comes down to 2 things.
Since I haven't watched much of Michigan football and don't care to see all that much. I reached out to a Wolverine buddy of mine. Lets see what he had to say the most important thing is for Michigan:
"Well the most important thing for the Michigan Iowa game is obviously how well Denard Robinson will play against the tough Iowa defense. After last weeks slump against Michigan state, he needs to rebound and get back to the top of the Heisman picture."
I couldn't agree more. The first important thing is Denard and the Iowa linebackers. You can't spy Denard, he will run right past them. But what alternatives do they have? This offense for Michigan is all about Denard. He's 9 yards away from having a 1,000 and their actual running back has only 286 yards. The Iowa d has to focus on limiting the giant Robinson run. Leading tackler, Jeff Tarpanian is the man to handle Denard. He can't over pursue on one play or get of position on those qb choice runs. Jeff should get some help though. Iowa is being praised as the best front four in the country. Time to show it off. They've certainly done their part so far giving up a measly 10.2 points per game. It won't be squarely on Jeff's shoulders either. The entire linebacking core, Jeremiha Hunter and Tyler Nelsen will need to do their part. You hear it constantly but it holds true for this game in particular, it will be an entire team effort to stop Denard. He's that good. I like their chances if they limit Robinson's explosiveness. I said in the Zona game, Stanzi couldn't throw a pick early and get the crowd involved. Well the defense can't lack and give up a huge run to Denard early. That would set off the large crowd.
The other thing to keep an eye on is Stanzi against the Michigan secondary. I can't say a lot of good things about a secondary giving up over 300 yards a game. Michigan's overall D isn't much better with opponents gaining 450 yards per game. Factor in they haven't played a ranked team, I'm not counting Notre Dame, except "little brother" and it doesn't look good. Soft is an understatement when you look at their stats. Since I don't want this to be a hate fest on the Wolverines, I'll go back to my buddy for something good to say about their defense.
"Our defense is very young and that's what i like the most about them, they are making freshman mistakes this year but they should learn over time."
He's spot on with that analysis. They are young and make mistakes. Next year, they will be much better. With that said, I still don't trust Stanzi. I should trust him, 10 touchdowns, 2 picks and one wasn't even his fault. Ricky is leading the Hawkeye passing attack to 32nd overall. He's the leader of the team. I still go back to the Arizona game. The loss was on the road in a tough environment. He lead them back and they should have had the lead. Shoulda and woulda doesn't count in football.
The situation Saturday seems to be particularly the same as the game in Arizona. Michigan's enormous crowd celebrating homecoming and hungry for revenge after a loss last week. The Big House practically rattling with the screams and stomps. Denard ready to show last week was a fluke, play like a Heisman candidate and prove his worth against a great defense. All this sounds like a formula for an upset. The Wolverine's defense won't have to work to hard if Stanzi gives them the ball a few times. I'm going against the Hawkeyes until they win a true road test. Wolverines win 30-24.
J Call
Since I haven't watched much of Michigan football and don't care to see all that much. I reached out to a Wolverine buddy of mine. Lets see what he had to say the most important thing is for Michigan:
"Well the most important thing for the Michigan Iowa game is obviously how well Denard Robinson will play against the tough Iowa defense. After last weeks slump against Michigan state, he needs to rebound and get back to the top of the Heisman picture."
I couldn't agree more. The first important thing is Denard and the Iowa linebackers. You can't spy Denard, he will run right past them. But what alternatives do they have? This offense for Michigan is all about Denard. He's 9 yards away from having a 1,000 and their actual running back has only 286 yards. The Iowa d has to focus on limiting the giant Robinson run. Leading tackler, Jeff Tarpanian is the man to handle Denard. He can't over pursue on one play or get of position on those qb choice runs. Jeff should get some help though. Iowa is being praised as the best front four in the country. Time to show it off. They've certainly done their part so far giving up a measly 10.2 points per game. It won't be squarely on Jeff's shoulders either. The entire linebacking core, Jeremiha Hunter and Tyler Nelsen will need to do their part. You hear it constantly but it holds true for this game in particular, it will be an entire team effort to stop Denard. He's that good. I like their chances if they limit Robinson's explosiveness. I said in the Zona game, Stanzi couldn't throw a pick early and get the crowd involved. Well the defense can't lack and give up a huge run to Denard early. That would set off the large crowd.
The other thing to keep an eye on is Stanzi against the Michigan secondary. I can't say a lot of good things about a secondary giving up over 300 yards a game. Michigan's overall D isn't much better with opponents gaining 450 yards per game. Factor in they haven't played a ranked team, I'm not counting Notre Dame, except "little brother" and it doesn't look good. Soft is an understatement when you look at their stats. Since I don't want this to be a hate fest on the Wolverines, I'll go back to my buddy for something good to say about their defense.
"Our defense is very young and that's what i like the most about them, they are making freshman mistakes this year but they should learn over time."
He's spot on with that analysis. They are young and make mistakes. Next year, they will be much better. With that said, I still don't trust Stanzi. I should trust him, 10 touchdowns, 2 picks and one wasn't even his fault. Ricky is leading the Hawkeye passing attack to 32nd overall. He's the leader of the team. I still go back to the Arizona game. The loss was on the road in a tough environment. He lead them back and they should have had the lead. Shoulda and woulda doesn't count in football.
The situation Saturday seems to be particularly the same as the game in Arizona. Michigan's enormous crowd celebrating homecoming and hungry for revenge after a loss last week. The Big House practically rattling with the screams and stomps. Denard ready to show last week was a fluke, play like a Heisman candidate and prove his worth against a great defense. All this sounds like a formula for an upset. The Wolverine's defense won't have to work to hard if Stanzi gives them the ball a few times. I'm going against the Hawkeyes until they win a true road test. Wolverines win 30-24.
J Call
Monday, October 11, 2010
The Streak Ends
The perfect football weekend draws to a close with one more game tonight. How can I call this weekend the perfect weekend? Well my friend, when you beat an arch rival for the first time in 14 tries, I'd say that's a great start but that was the end. The beginning was Saturday where some big names fell, some hearts were broken and for all intent purposes the BCS is back to being a big fat can of worms.
Before we dive into the extremely exciting weekend of football, I must first rant on a thing that has been bothering me for quite sometime: fans. That's right fans piss me off. You know why I can't stand most fans is because they dish it and then can't take it. They make fun of every one's team, conference, division, hair color, etc. The fact is if you can't stand people texting you after your team loses, then don't make fun of someone else's team in the first place. Case in point, a good friend of mine and he called me out in his last blog so I will do the same. You see, he makes fun of every conference even the one his team is in and every one's team. They lost this weekend and I'm sure he will breakdown the loss soon. You can't complain when you get a 1,000 text messages from fans of other teams when your team loses. It's inexcusable. My phone blew up when Boise beat OU or anytime OU loses for that matter. Nebraska fans are the worst. They were the most uptight bunch of fans when they were winning Big XII titles and whipping every team in the nation. However, once Callahan showed up they couldn't handle it. I'd make fun of them and either they looked like they were going to cry or want to fight. These my friends, are what I'd call idiot fans. You should defend your team's "honor" if you are a fan. You shouldn't go overboard. Suck it up and take it like a man. We all make fun of each others teams, that's the nature of the beast in sports. Misery loves company. I will continue to text my good friend John when the Cowboys, Red Raiders, Rangers and especially the Mavs when they lose. He, in return, will text me when the Sooners, Raiders and Spurs get their asses handed to them. At the end of the day, I can still call him a friend because it's all in good fun. I love sports but I know it's not life and death. If I didn't have friends make fun of me for when they lose, I wouldn't be able to throw it right back in their face when they win. Where would be the fun?
I didn't think this weekend would be perfect after what happened on Thursday. Nebraska ran over Kansas State in nothing more than a glorified showcase of Martinez. They hadn't been on National Television yet this year. If you saw their schedule, you would know the reason. The Huskers showed off their talents and made K-State looked like, well a Big 12 team. Not the start I was looking for. However, the sun rose on Saturday morning to start a beautiful day, the mood suddenly changed. The early games weren't much to talk about except Ohio State continuing their dominance. I watched quite a bit of the Texas Tech Baylor game. I text John, BBSD blogger and radio host, right after the bonehead onside kick touchdown. I knew this was going to be a day to remember. The late afternoon games had 2 games I looked forward to the most. I claimed before the Bama game that South Carolina would be exposed as a fraud. Thankfully, I am not a betting man. South Carolina did exactly what Bama wants to do to everyone. Run the ball down their throat and come up with big passing plays. The Cocks upset goes down as the first good thing to happen for me. I hate the BCS and I root for 7 or 8 undefeated teams by seasons end. My hatred for Nick Saban and the Tide goes much deeper. The old ball coach got the big win and set the tone.
I watched most of the Michigan Michigan State game with a Michigan buddy of mine. You could feel his disappointment. "Little brother" handed Michigan a butt kicking and eliminated the hype. ESPN touts Michigan and many other programs when they win. I love to see those teams go down. I give credit to our Michigan blogger, Chris for being rational and saying Denard didn't deserve the Heisman hype so quickly. He's certainly not out of the running and will more than likely end up in New York for the presentation come January. His receivers didn't help him out by dropping wide open passes either. I'm giving a lot of credit to the Spartans though. They had the gameplan and played a damn good game. So far so good.
The Florida LSU and Florida State Miami games ended this stellar day of football. Florida has been so good for so long, that it's time they get knocked from their perch. I don't wish ill will on Urban as we all know he had some health issues. He loses a few more heartbreakers such as the one on Saturday, he might end up back in the hospital. The credit really goes to Les Miles. The ballsy fake field goal flip on the would be tying field goal and the game winning td were both reviewed, upheld and I went crazy. Another great game was the Noles and Canes. The game wasn't pretty but it helped OU's non-conference schedule. My only complaint on Saturday was Arizona lost which hurt Iowa.
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! Oh sorry I thought I was doing a monster truck commercial. Sunday kicked off with the Chefs and Colts only on CBS. I hate KC and can't stand watching Matt Cassel pretend he's a franchise qb. I'll be honest after the first half, I was nervous. KC had a great defensive scheme for Peyton. He looked off all game long. Good thing the Chefs offense wasn't producing anything either. I've watched a few KC games and if you stack 8 in the box and make Cassel beat you, you'll win. Other teams failed, Indy didn't. Peyton put the game winning drive together and finally put the ball in the endzone for the W. KC, no longer undefeated and the NFL day was just getting started. The other early game that was on my television screen was the Pack and Skins. I've seen every team in the NFC East this year and the Skins are the most impressive. Granted, the Giants plowed through the Texans yesterday and the Eagles kept San Fran win less. I'll keep Dallas on hold for a moment. The Skins defense keeps coming after you with ruthless aggression and McNabb makes the plays to keep the game alive. Neither offensive line is that good giving up a total of 9 sacks and almost 20 hits on the QB. However, coming back from 10 down in the fourth to tie and giving up only 3 points to a good Packers offense should receive you some praise. The Packers keep getting hit with the injury bug, Rodgers included. The NFC East is wide open and if the Skins continue to play aggressive defense and McNabb stays healthy, they might make the playoffs and every Cowboy fan just threw up. Speaking of Dallas...
Where the hell is their season going? I can tell you, down in a blaze of shame. Hell even our Dallas homers, Larry and John are writing nasty blogs on how bad the Boys suck. Congrats on coming over to the dark side. I've ripped Dallas enough that I don't need to say much more. If you want a fans perspective, you'll find it here. Well said John. As I said, the East is wide open and they could still make a run. I hope not because I'm enjoying this way to much.
On to the best thing that has happened to a Raider fan in a long long time, a W over San Diego SuperChargers. I was so sick of hearing that stupid song. I watched after the game as Chris Berman couldn't even break down the game as he was mortified. The guys on NFL Primetime or whatever the hell that show is called gave Oakland no love. I'm fine with that because the Raiders never get love. We are a hated franchise. Oakland blocked two punts, changed quarterbacks twice and found a way to reverse the tuck rule for their first victory over San Diego in 14 tries. CBS flipped to the Oakland game right after the play happened. If you're not familiar or haven't seen it: Michael Huff, another 1st round bust, flew in knocked the ball away from Rivers before the arm went forward. Tyvon Branch scooped up the ball and ran it back for the game clinching td. The play was reviewed and that's when CBS flipped. I text my brother instantly because if the play was overturned it would have been circa 2001 all over again. Instead, the call stood and I did my best credit card leap off my chair. Incredible. A lot of writers called Moss, "the crazy hot chick" you don't marry but date for a while. Well the Oakland Raiders are my crazy hot chick. They do just enough good that just went I think I'm jumping ship or cutting ties, they come up with a huge win. I'm not saying this is going to turn the franchise around or begin a hot winning streak. I will say this was the game they had to win. San Diego has been the Raiders kryptonite.
This is why I love sports so much. The ups and downs throughout the year. You write a team off only to see them overcome. One week you are committing sports suicide and the next your at an all time high. It's what makes sports so great. Yes, I've been Debbie Downer in the past with the Raiders. Name me one fan of any team that hasn't been down. You can't and that's what drives us. Fans love to pick on each other and we must take the good with the bad. Eventually one day, your team from any sport, lifts that trophy high in the air and it might as well be the middle finger to all your sports buddies. That my friend is the best day for any sports fan.
J Call
Before we dive into the extremely exciting weekend of football, I must first rant on a thing that has been bothering me for quite sometime: fans. That's right fans piss me off. You know why I can't stand most fans is because they dish it and then can't take it. They make fun of every one's team, conference, division, hair color, etc. The fact is if you can't stand people texting you after your team loses, then don't make fun of someone else's team in the first place. Case in point, a good friend of mine and he called me out in his last blog so I will do the same. You see, he makes fun of every conference even the one his team is in and every one's team. They lost this weekend and I'm sure he will breakdown the loss soon. You can't complain when you get a 1,000 text messages from fans of other teams when your team loses. It's inexcusable. My phone blew up when Boise beat OU or anytime OU loses for that matter. Nebraska fans are the worst. They were the most uptight bunch of fans when they were winning Big XII titles and whipping every team in the nation. However, once Callahan showed up they couldn't handle it. I'd make fun of them and either they looked like they were going to cry or want to fight. These my friends, are what I'd call idiot fans. You should defend your team's "honor" if you are a fan. You shouldn't go overboard. Suck it up and take it like a man. We all make fun of each others teams, that's the nature of the beast in sports. Misery loves company. I will continue to text my good friend John when the Cowboys, Red Raiders, Rangers and especially the Mavs when they lose. He, in return, will text me when the Sooners, Raiders and Spurs get their asses handed to them. At the end of the day, I can still call him a friend because it's all in good fun. I love sports but I know it's not life and death. If I didn't have friends make fun of me for when they lose, I wouldn't be able to throw it right back in their face when they win. Where would be the fun?
I didn't think this weekend would be perfect after what happened on Thursday. Nebraska ran over Kansas State in nothing more than a glorified showcase of Martinez. They hadn't been on National Television yet this year. If you saw their schedule, you would know the reason. The Huskers showed off their talents and made K-State looked like, well a Big 12 team. Not the start I was looking for. However, the sun rose on Saturday morning to start a beautiful day, the mood suddenly changed. The early games weren't much to talk about except Ohio State continuing their dominance. I watched quite a bit of the Texas Tech Baylor game. I text John, BBSD blogger and radio host, right after the bonehead onside kick touchdown. I knew this was going to be a day to remember. The late afternoon games had 2 games I looked forward to the most. I claimed before the Bama game that South Carolina would be exposed as a fraud. Thankfully, I am not a betting man. South Carolina did exactly what Bama wants to do to everyone. Run the ball down their throat and come up with big passing plays. The Cocks upset goes down as the first good thing to happen for me. I hate the BCS and I root for 7 or 8 undefeated teams by seasons end. My hatred for Nick Saban and the Tide goes much deeper. The old ball coach got the big win and set the tone.
I watched most of the Michigan Michigan State game with a Michigan buddy of mine. You could feel his disappointment. "Little brother" handed Michigan a butt kicking and eliminated the hype. ESPN touts Michigan and many other programs when they win. I love to see those teams go down. I give credit to our Michigan blogger, Chris for being rational and saying Denard didn't deserve the Heisman hype so quickly. He's certainly not out of the running and will more than likely end up in New York for the presentation come January. His receivers didn't help him out by dropping wide open passes either. I'm giving a lot of credit to the Spartans though. They had the gameplan and played a damn good game. So far so good.
The Florida LSU and Florida State Miami games ended this stellar day of football. Florida has been so good for so long, that it's time they get knocked from their perch. I don't wish ill will on Urban as we all know he had some health issues. He loses a few more heartbreakers such as the one on Saturday, he might end up back in the hospital. The credit really goes to Les Miles. The ballsy fake field goal flip on the would be tying field goal and the game winning td were both reviewed, upheld and I went crazy. Another great game was the Noles and Canes. The game wasn't pretty but it helped OU's non-conference schedule. My only complaint on Saturday was Arizona lost which hurt Iowa.
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! Oh sorry I thought I was doing a monster truck commercial. Sunday kicked off with the Chefs and Colts only on CBS. I hate KC and can't stand watching Matt Cassel pretend he's a franchise qb. I'll be honest after the first half, I was nervous. KC had a great defensive scheme for Peyton. He looked off all game long. Good thing the Chefs offense wasn't producing anything either. I've watched a few KC games and if you stack 8 in the box and make Cassel beat you, you'll win. Other teams failed, Indy didn't. Peyton put the game winning drive together and finally put the ball in the endzone for the W. KC, no longer undefeated and the NFL day was just getting started. The other early game that was on my television screen was the Pack and Skins. I've seen every team in the NFC East this year and the Skins are the most impressive. Granted, the Giants plowed through the Texans yesterday and the Eagles kept San Fran win less. I'll keep Dallas on hold for a moment. The Skins defense keeps coming after you with ruthless aggression and McNabb makes the plays to keep the game alive. Neither offensive line is that good giving up a total of 9 sacks and almost 20 hits on the QB. However, coming back from 10 down in the fourth to tie and giving up only 3 points to a good Packers offense should receive you some praise. The Packers keep getting hit with the injury bug, Rodgers included. The NFC East is wide open and if the Skins continue to play aggressive defense and McNabb stays healthy, they might make the playoffs and every Cowboy fan just threw up. Speaking of Dallas...
Where the hell is their season going? I can tell you, down in a blaze of shame. Hell even our Dallas homers, Larry and John are writing nasty blogs on how bad the Boys suck. Congrats on coming over to the dark side. I've ripped Dallas enough that I don't need to say much more. If you want a fans perspective, you'll find it here. Well said John. As I said, the East is wide open and they could still make a run. I hope not because I'm enjoying this way to much.
On to the best thing that has happened to a Raider fan in a long long time, a W over San Diego SuperChargers. I was so sick of hearing that stupid song. I watched after the game as Chris Berman couldn't even break down the game as he was mortified. The guys on NFL Primetime or whatever the hell that show is called gave Oakland no love. I'm fine with that because the Raiders never get love. We are a hated franchise. Oakland blocked two punts, changed quarterbacks twice and found a way to reverse the tuck rule for their first victory over San Diego in 14 tries. CBS flipped to the Oakland game right after the play happened. If you're not familiar or haven't seen it: Michael Huff, another 1st round bust, flew in knocked the ball away from Rivers before the arm went forward. Tyvon Branch scooped up the ball and ran it back for the game clinching td. The play was reviewed and that's when CBS flipped. I text my brother instantly because if the play was overturned it would have been circa 2001 all over again. Instead, the call stood and I did my best credit card leap off my chair. Incredible. A lot of writers called Moss, "the crazy hot chick" you don't marry but date for a while. Well the Oakland Raiders are my crazy hot chick. They do just enough good that just went I think I'm jumping ship or cutting ties, they come up with a huge win. I'm not saying this is going to turn the franchise around or begin a hot winning streak. I will say this was the game they had to win. San Diego has been the Raiders kryptonite.
This is why I love sports so much. The ups and downs throughout the year. You write a team off only to see them overcome. One week you are committing sports suicide and the next your at an all time high. It's what makes sports so great. Yes, I've been Debbie Downer in the past with the Raiders. Name me one fan of any team that hasn't been down. You can't and that's what drives us. Fans love to pick on each other and we must take the good with the bad. Eventually one day, your team from any sport, lifts that trophy high in the air and it might as well be the middle finger to all your sports buddies. That my friend is the best day for any sports fan.
J Call
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