MGoPodcast 14.5: Joel Klatt Already Said This But

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Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, TicketIQ! and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

1. Offense vs Iowa

starts at 1:00

An Iowa game but not one of those Iowa games. Better performance on offense than the score indicated. JJ only took one shot downfield and missed it by only by about a yard. Felt like Michigan could just get six yards in the A-gap any time they wanted – Iowa's tackles are a bit light. Blake Corum spent the offseason lifting buses. There are like 12 minutes before they actually start talking about the quarterback play! Soft underneath passes are how you approach this Iowa defense if you can run the ball. Zero interceptions against a defense that intercepts the ball a LOT. JJ has been coached to not get hit but has a lot of opportunities to get extra yardage upfield if he just goes for it. Is the goal still “just get the quarterback to week 12”? Donovan Edwards has now scored a rushing touchdown, receiving touchdown, and passing touchdown against Iowa (editor’s pop quiz: who was the last Michigan player to do this against a single team? Hint: it was in one game, not two). If teams are going to keep putting their defensive backs in the parking lot then Luke Schoonmaker is going to keep being the #1 target. Receivers are still fast. Other teams are afraid of them so they don’t get as many targets.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

2. Defense vs Iowa

starts at 35:50

Normally when you only give up 14 points to a real football team you feel pretty good. Here we feel… fine? A little concerning that the things Iowa got weren’t sporadic. Michigan’s defensive tackles are really good but not world eaters. Need more linebacker support but there’s still no news on Nikhai-Hill Green. Defensive line was up and down. There was pressure but Iowa didn’t let themselves get consumed by it until the desperation drive. Okie sacks Petras with a guy between him and Petras. When Upshaw is on the field it is only for one reason. Seth ALMOST patted his head and rubbed his belly in the Very Visual Podcast. Okie is developing nicely, what were all these other teams doing with him? He’s flashing and tracking to exceed expectations. What Iowa’s offense did in the first four games was unsustainably bad, this was probably them reverting to the mean.

3. Hot Takes, Special Teams, and Game Theory

starts at 59:50

Takes hotter than Iowa fans thinking about Brian Ferentz as the head coach of Iowa football (too hot?). Iowa punted a lot, Iowa fans cheered. Michigan’s special teams didn’t really have an eventful day, especially against Iowa. You want to fire Brian Ferentz?? Yeah well watch this FAKE KNEEL! Maybe Michigan going into a shell had something to do with the backwards pass fumble? Clipping penalty was a bad call. Hold on Benny was the right call.

4. Around the Big Ten With Jamie Mac

starts at 1:22:23

Wisconsin rushes for two yards... Against ILLINOIS. This was recorded before the Paul Chryst news. Wisconsin tends to hire from within the program but Lance Leipold (Kansas head coach) has Wisconsin ties. Minnesota was looking great this season but then got outplayed by Purdue. There is currently a six-way tie for first place in the Big Ten West, who possibly wins this divsion? Everyone has a fatal flaw. It might come down to Minnesota and Illinois (what a time to be alive). Maryland dominates Michigan State more than the score suggests. Michigan State looks bad BUT we all know what their Super Bowl is this year. They did have another goal line stand. They might not make a bowl. Are we getting to "Sean Clifford Falls Apart" season? Penn State Northwestern was ugly - it was a rain game, though. After five weeks we still don't know a lot about Penn State. Nineteen punts in Indiana Nebraska! Nebraska gets their first win over an FBS opponent in ten tries. CJ Stroud looked mortal against Rutgers. Teams are 1-8 after playing Nebraska - the Infection Theory of playing Nebraska (how do you tell if Indiana is negatively effected by playing Nebraska?). 

MUSIC:

• Too Close for Comfort Theme Song
• "Frankenstein"--Babytron
• "Weird Goodbyes"-- The National featuring Bon Iver
• “Across 110th Street”