Blue By Ninety - In The Big House Ep. 6: Put Up or Shut Up Time!

Episode Date: October 12, 2022

Tyler & Brian discuss the win over Indiana, give a recruiting update, preview Penn State, and WEAR MAIZE!!!

Michigan fans welcome to in the big house with your host Tyler Sealy and BB's big house from game day recaps recruiting player evaluations and all the latest buzz around the program. We've got you covered. Now here's Tyler and Brian. What's going on guys and welcome to another episode episode, episode six of the Big House Podcast. Brian, how are you doing tonight? I'm doing great, and you? I am doing fantastic, and we're just going to get into it real quick here, but I just want to give a, you know, a thoughts and prayers to Mike Hart. You know, that was really hard seeing him collapse on the sidelines like that. You know, that puts life into perspective.

So, Hart, hats off to him. And, you know, hopefully everything's all right. Things seem to be trending in the right direction, correct? Yeah, sounds like he put out a statement saying that he's good, that, you know, he's going to be with the team this week. Fred Jackson, longtime running backs coach. You know, he was Mike cart's running back coach. Consider one of the best in the business, so back him up. But sounds like he's going to try to get back to the team quickly.

And, yeah, that was, you know, all my years of watching Michigan football, that was one of the scarier sights I've seen. And I don't think I've seen one of the things about that that I thought was really compelling was just how emotional that Corham and Edwards were. They both seemed to be in tears and i think that speaks volumes about what kind of impact that guy's had in their lives you know what i mean uh it was it was and the team seemed rattled i mean they came out smoking and then after that they just kind of hit the pause button for a little bit so yeah hopefully he

prayers up to him and his family and hopefully he gets well and rejoins the team soon yeah absolutely you know you never want to see anything like that happen. You know, thoughts and prayers to him and, you know, good health and all that good stuff. But with that negativity and, you know, hopefully positivity going forward, Michigan did win on the road in Bloomington 31 to 10 over the Hoosiers. They moved to 6-0. They're now 18-2 since the start of last season with the only losses coming at Michigan State where they blew that game.

And then a loss to one of the best defenses that you're ever going to see in Georgia in the playoff semifinal. So Michigan moves on. They're 6-0 now. And it was a little bit of a slugfest. Mike Hart going down like that, I think, had a lot to do with the team's lack of focus. But also, it was lack of adjusting, really. and I think that was more of what happened,

and obviously they did adjust as the game went on. But to me, it had a lot to do with not adjusting and being stubborn on defense where you're just going to give up these little chunk plays nine yards at a time. Connor Bazelak was just kind of slinging the ball out to Emery Simmons and Cam Camper and cam camper and josh henderson and all these guys um you know out wide and michigan's playing 10 yards off them i'm i'm like what is happening here they're not this isn't exactly ohio state that you're facing where you have to worry about smith and jigba and alave and garrett wilson and you knowba and Alave and Garrett Wilson and Marvin Harrison Jr.

and now Abuka at Ohio State. This is one of the worst teams in the Big Ten, and they're dashing you for 9 and 10 yards every time they get a chance to. I mean, what were your thoughts on that? That was horrible to watch. It was a grind to watch that game. Yeah, I thought the tail end of the first quarter and the entire second quarter was one of the more difficult quarters to watch in a while. You know, they just seemed to be struggling. I was blown

away by how ineffective our defensive backs were and how many DJ Turner had himself a really tough stretch. He finished strong, but you know, he, you know, he had about three series in a row where he was really struggling. They were picking on him, which was really weird to see. And, you know, the positive was, you know, you had mentioned adjustments, and it seemed like early on they weren't making any. But whatever happened in the halftime, it sounds like Harbaugh told the team, let's win it for Mike Hart, and I don't know how much that played a role in the things,

but the adjustments they made were pretty noticeable in the second half. Michigan out gained Indiana 263 yards to 29 in the second half. That's impressive. On three, for anyone that follows them, they named Jesse Minner the national coordinator of the week based on those adjustments. So as tough as it was was the second half was like okay here's what we're looking for you know it was like two and a half really good quarters of football

really really good quarters of football and a quarter and a half of what are you guys doing well and and the thing is is like you know i hope that they got whatever the hell they had out of their system in that Indiana game. I mean, it was not a pretty game at all, but you went in there and you got it done. So you do get credit for that. You certainly get credits for getting a W. But again, we kind of thought it was going to be a laugher. And I guess in the end, it kind of was, but it was still an underwhelming performance,

I guess, is the way I would put it. And, you know, I mean, they did win 31-10. So let's not say that it was a nail-biter, but the game was close at one point. In fact, it was tied at halftime, wasn't it? 10-10 at halftime, yeah. Who would have predicted that? And Michigan goes down in the third quarter and they score a touchdown and then they score two more and it's kind of a laugher.

But at the end of the day, it's like you can't get into a game like that against Penn State or you can't get into a game like that even against Michigan State. Michigan State obviously hasn't been good recently, this year. But we throw all that out the window when it comes to games like that against Michigan State and you know so while they won the game you you have to nitpick a little bit and we are nitpicking here but the defense was fantastic in the second half of the game but that can't happen in the second half of the game, but that can't happen in the first half of the game because what Indiana did, they put up 10 points in the first two quarters,

in the first half. Penn State or Ohio State or even MSU, you know, they can put up some points if you're going to just play off the defense or play off the receivers like that. So I like the adjustment, but hopefully, you know, it doesn't get to that point again. I guess better teams do adjust at halftime, and, you know, historically the better team usually wins when it comes to that.

But, you know, we also – go ahead. Yeah, no, I just think the most applicable thing you said there is, you know, those lapses of, you know, poor play. You can get by playing a team like Indiana, but, you know, those lapses of, you know, poor play, you can get by playing a team like Indiana. But, you know, Penn State, for, you know, all the success they really haven't had against Michigan, Ohio State, and Michigan State, they do have the talent to expose those lapses. And so it just can't happen.

They have to clean that up for sure. Yeah, and I will say the other thing, too. The officiating was absolutely suspect to say the least uh it was both ways both renders yeah is what i would what i would call it uh 85 penalties or sorry 85 yards and penalties for michigan uh i mean that can't happen going forward i i don't care how bad the officiating is. That cannot happen. I know they got fucked over on a couple of those calls. And that is going to happen from time to time. But again, when you're playing bigger games in hostile environments like Columbus, Ohio,

you can't do that. You can't do that. Coming into that game, they were number one in the country with 26.8 yards per game. And I look for that to continue. Yeah, I think it was horribly called. The game that called late where JJ got earholed, that should have been a targeting penalty. And so it was bad both ways. The thing is, too, it's like they were awful,

but they were awful on both sides of the game. They were terrible. But the other thing is, too, like I don't think I've ever seen a game where an official doesn't throw the flag, and then at the last second they throw a flag for PI. I'm like, what the fuck is going on here? It was very bad. Joel and Gus were pretty vocal about saying, in both ways,

they weren't saying that one team was getting it more than the other, but they were saying this is a really poorly officiated game. No, yeah, that was a very poorly officiated game to say the least. I think, you know, in terms of players of the game and stuff, J.J. McCarthy had another fantastic game. I know he threw an interception, but he was 28 of 36 for 304 yards, three touchdowns and a QBR of 82.2, which is pretty good, an average of 8.4 yards per play. He had 76 snaps and his PFF grade was 73.1. But I thought he was fantastic. I really did. The interception we can talk about, but other than that, I thought he had a really strong game. Yeah. I mean, the interception was, you know, he threw into three

guys there. It was a tipped ball. You know, tipped balls happen. Bad decision. You know, but he made a few plays on rollouts that, you know, not many Michigan quarterbacks we've had could have made. I needed to see more of the rollouts. Go ahead. The rollouts, I mean, I was watching the highlights just a couple minutes ago, and, I mean, it's just – it's one of those situations where if you start rolling out to one side,

I know a lot of people don't like it because you can only throw to that side, but with a guy like J.J., he can roll out and then still throw across his body, and if the defense is already committed to one side, somebody is going to be open on the other side of the field, or he can sneak a tight end underneath or whatever. There's a lot of different possibilities. I wonder if one of the reasons that they're not doing it as much because they want to keep him healthy.

He needs to be a lot smarter in terms of sliding and stop spinning to the inside part of the field where you're going to get mollywhopped. But overall, he had a fantastic game. Gus mentioned a few times in the broadcast before the interception that he'd yet to throw an interception this year. And I was thinking, man, please stop saying that. One, number two is, you know, glad he got that out of a system in a game where it doesn't cost us. You know, I mean, the interceptions are going to come. Nobody's perfect. Although 78 percentage completion percentage this year is pretty good. What stood, what the most impressive thing was, so he throws his first interception of the season. After the interception and for the

remainder of the game, he goes 10 for 10, throws two touchdown passes and is nearly perfect after that. So, you know, being a younger guy, I think a lot of people are afraid, is he going to hang his hat? Is he going to lose confidence? And he showed absolutely not. He's a pretty resilient, besides being uber talented pretty resilient 10 for 10 two touchdowns nearly perfect moving around the pocket uh you know it seems like that guy just keeps getting better and better and uh you know he's he's he's already the best quarterback we've had under our ball you know he doesn't have the stats and the wins to back that up yet but just in terms of talent playmaking he, he's it, man.

I mean, I'll tell you one thing right now. This is putting a lot on him right now. But I don't think it's a stretch to say when it's all said and done, he might be the best quarterback ever at Michigan. And I'm not saying in terms of NFL talent. I'm talking about yards and touchdowns and everything else. I mean, he's that good. And, you know, if Michigan continues to win at the clip that they're winning, I mean, the sky is going to be the limit for J.J. McCarthy, especially here at Michigan. But yeah, I mean, he's a resilient guy, former hockey player, of course. Hockey players are

extremely resilient. So I i gotta sneak that in there um in terms of mvps of this game and and of the season so far is there anybody better than blake coram so far no no no he's he's just had a fantastic season um you know another what do you have two touchdowns in that game no just one just one. Just one. Yeah, another touchdown. Consistent as all hell. That run, I wish it would have been a touchdown. That run was fantastic. He likes to replay that run. Yeah, go ahead. It's the replay of that run. He ends up down at the one, and then they just give it to him again, and he barrels in for a touchdown, but he was fantastic. Yeah, that run, if you watch the highlight, the replay, I'm sure you have, I'm sure we

all have, is there are three guys that have him dead to rights, and he makes, he changes direction, goes the other way. I feel like every game of his I watch, you see him do things that are special, and then when you re-watch them again, you realize he's doing things that we, I can't really think, we've got a lot of good running backs at Michigan, but he's doing things – I don't ever want to compare someone to Barry Sanders because he's in a different status level than anyone. But in that vein, along those lines,

probably more of like a LaShawn McCoy would be a better fit. He's making plays that we really haven't seen many Michigan running backs make. And I'm not saying he's better at the best, but just in terms of that, you know, ability to juke and make a guy miss, he's special. Yeah, I agree. And, you know, I mean, he's been unreal this year. Another 56 snaps, another, you know, solid 74 rating for PFF. He was out there for 30 run plays. You know, he's slowly but surely getting himself in that Heisman category, isn't he? Yeah, I mean, he currently has the six best odds.

You know, it's become a quarterback's award for sure. But when you look at the last two running backs who have won the Heisman, Derrick Henry and Mark Ingram. He's ahead of their pace. He has 735 yards and 11 touchdowns. Derrick Henry was at 645 and 10, and Mark Ingram was 659 and 7. So he's ahead of their pace. There's a long way to go. We know that, you know, the back half of Michigan's schedule is a much tougher road than the first part. But, you know, those first few games, he also was playing, you know, four or five series. So now he's going to carry the load for us. So, you know, he busts a few long ones and, you know, does them at the right times against the right opponents. And, you know,

maybe he gets invited to New York. I find it hard to believe a running back can win today's college football, but it's just nice seeing him do that. Yeah. The last thing I'll say about Blake Corum is I just, in terms of running backs at Michigan, I mean, he's probably the most explosive I've seen in my lifetime. Yeah. I mean, Mike Hart, I guess was explosive too, but in his own way. But Blake Corum's probably the fastest running back that we've seen in Michigan in a long, long, long time, if not the fastest. Tyrone Wheaton was really – John Haskins was the thunder, and Corum was the lightning, and he's showing exactly why.

We'll say one thing about Corum and about the Michigan offense altogether. I absolutely hate that fourth and one right up the middle. Like everybody in the building knows you're going to do it and you do it and you still, and like you get stopped. Like when you're going for it on fourth and one, almost in your own territory, you can't be that predictable. And especially if you're going to win these games against Ohio State and against Michigan State. Yeah, I hear you on that one. I think my biggest

concern coming into this season, or one of my bigger concerns, was just that. Not the predictability of it, but I thought last year everyone in the stadium knew that on short yards they were going to go to Haskins, and he was automatic. And one of my concerns is you know for as good as blake quorum is and he's a strong running back he's not just a nimble guy but hassan has i feel like some running backs just you know built physically to do it but also just have a knack of finding that little crease and getting that yard and has i think that was what one of the many things that made haskins so good i mean he was automatic and short yardage. Just like if you go back to early in the Harbaugh tenure, Khalid Hill,

you know, he was automatic in those situations. And Homa that first year, I think, you know, that remains a concern that when we're in short yardage, you know, last year with Haskins, it was like, yeah, we're going to get this. Now we line up with JJ. The other thing too is I don't like JJ lines up back in shotgun. So he's got to hand it right to him. There's no misdirection, like get up under center, you know, give, give defenses a little bit more to think about it. It's so much harder for the linebackers

when a guy's under center than they are. And even harder on the safeties when a guy's under center versus way back there. So yeah, it's predictable. I just wish we had a guy that was more dependable, reliable in that situation. Yeah, I agree. A guy like Donovan Edwards, you know, he had 26 snaps, a 65.5 rating. He had the big catch over in the middle there. Another good game for him, I thought. I mean, he could be another guy that you could give the ball to up the middle and could make a guy miss. He's a little bit bigger than Corum. He probably runs a little bit harder than Corum. So, I mean, he could be your short yardage guy.

I know he's probably better out of the backfield getting a pass. No, definitely. But the thing is, is like when it's fourth down, they're doing the same thing. You're right. JJ's winding up out of shotgun. I absolutely hate running out of shotgun sometimes. I know you have to to dress it up a little bit, but at least be in the pistol.

You know what I mean? Shotgun does nothing for me in terms of running. I mean, unless it's an RPO or it's a read option or whatever. But, yeah, so I thought the running backs overall were good. Wide receivers. Where do we even start with the wide receivers? Ronnie Bell was fantastic again. 71.1 PFF rating, 72 snaps, equal on passing plays and run plays.

Cornelius Johnson finally had a touchdown in the game. Two. Two touchdowns. You're right. You're right. So, you know, he played pretty good. But besides that, Andrew Anthony, he was targeted, what, twice? And he made two catches. So that's good. But why, it makes you wonder, why aren't they doing that more? I don't understand it. Every time he goes out there and the ball's thrown to him, if it's anywhere close, he's catching the ball. And this guy's a burner. I don't get it. Yeah, I think he, I mean, you know, I mean, you look at, the one thing that's unique is they only played four wide receivers

the whole game, four. I mean, you know, we're in three wide. I mean, there are more formations. I think we had more times out there where we had three or four tight ends than we had three or four wide receivers. But, you know, for stretches of many games this year, as much as all Michigan fans, myself included, talks about the talent and depth of our wide receiving core,

for stretches of so many games this year, I find myself asking why aren't our guys getting more separation? JJ's back there buying time, running around, and you look downfield and you watch the replay and guys just aren't getting separation and, you know, being open. It's usually a student maker that bails them out in those situations. You know, Donovan Edwards the one time for the touchdown late two weeks ago, but, you, but it just doesn't seem like they're getting separation. So for as much buzz and accolades as everyone wants to throw at the unit, and I love them, and Roman Wilson not being there, I think he takes the top off the bust,

is him not being there hurt them. But I agree. I think that there's a lot of room for improvement with the wide receiver group. Jim Harbaugh always says, you know, they left a lot of meat on the bone. I just, I feel like there's a lot still to be unpacked from the wide receiver group. I think the tight end group as a whole has been much better than the wide receivers. And that's not really saying, um, saying that to knock the wide receivers. I just think that the tight ends have been fantastic.

You know, Schoonmaker with another good game, 67 snaps, 68.2 rating. Horningford, 60 rating, but he had 19 snaps. Max Bredesen, another good, solid game. Colston Loveland, that dude's a stud, man. And I think a tight end in the making that's going to be really good at Michigan for a while here. Glossing over that to the offensive line, Zach Zinter, another good game. Keegan, not as good of a game.

Oluwetimi, not as good of a game. But I thought as a whole the offensive line was pretty good. Barnhart filled in really nicely. And Ryan Hayes obviously had a hell of a game with an 81.3 PFF rating. Your thoughts on the offensive line? Yeah, I mean, I thought, you know, it was coincidence. It was finding the groove. It was play calling. There's so many things that go into it that's hard to tell as a guy sitting there watching from my couch. But it seemed like when Barnhart came in there,

continuity started to get better. When Trent A. Jones went down, I thought – I think I texted you, oh, no, but at least Barnhart hasn't been dressed the last couple of games. So getting hurt at least worked out well from that standpoint. I haven't heard anything about Trent A. Jones or how serious his injury is. I don't think it's severe, but I don't know if he's ready to start. I think Anthony Broom said something about it potentially being a high ankle sprain, which if you know what a high ankle sprain feels like,

it's certainly not a good thing. Mac Jones has a high ankle sprain here for the Patriots, and he's out and probably not coming back anytime soon. But we're going to move on to the defense just for time's sake here. Patriots and um you know he's out and probably not coming back anytime soon so um but we'll move on to the defense just for time's sake here um you know I thought the defensive tackle position has given the edge opportunities to feast um just by the defensive tackles I mean Mozzie Smith PFF rating not great at 59 but I, I thought he had a pretty good game to be honest.

I thought the whole defensive tackle position had a good game. I agree. I thought he, you know, I think, I think early on, I think he, I think that the gray he got knocked down, you know, some of those, that first quarter half they were running, I just think, you know, they, they see him and not making some of those run fits, but you know, he made a lot of big plays and yeah, from terms of the pass rush, he makes a lot of that happen for sure. I think overall this defense, when push comes to shove, when we finally find things out,

I think this defense's strength is going to be able to stop the run. And if you guys, I mean, obviously, you know, you guys are all listening to this, and you, Brian, you know, you've seen most of the times in Ohio State has success against Michigan. It starts on the ground and it starts in between the tackles. And, I mean, if Michigan can get some push on that defensive side of the ball, even for this Penn State game, they're going to have some success. So, you know.

Yeah, three more years of Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant. Those guys look special. You know, the Bulls hardball is's gift from the gods on Mason Graham. I mean, he's, you know, he just shows up, and he's playing more and more snaps. I mean, you know, you think of some of the guys they have there, and he was third in snap plays out there. He's really good.

When it's all said and done, this could be the strength of this football team. I mean, I really do believe that. You know, switching gears to the edge. I mean, I thought the edges were really good. I mean, Yabiyoki had more snaps again. Derek Moore had more snaps. Braden McGregor and Taylor Upshaw getting less and less. Jalen Harrell got, you know, the bulk and Mike Morris too.

Mike Morris feasted again. He's a monster. You know, he had the blocked field goal attempt too. Yeah. You know, it's interesting that, you know, you look at the depth chart to start the season and Iabi and Derek Moore were kind of buried and now they're, they're the second group, you know, I mean, they've passed McGregor and Upshaw. I think Upshaw is playing almost, you know, exclusively when they bring in an extra defensive lineman,

not in base formation. Those guys are really good. I'll tell you what, the new flash in the pan, I like guys that have been here for a long time, but it's hard not to root for Oki and his redemption story. I mean, just everything he's been through. We talked a little bit about last week, how the teams just embrace him. I'm sure many people didn't see this, but in terms of his redemption story, I mean, just everything he's been through. We talked a little bit about last week how the teams just embrace him.

I'm sure many people didn't see this, but in terms of his redemption story, the Christian Fellowship Group of Michigan, he got baptized with a team earlier last week. So just how he's transformed himself. It seems like just a model teammate, and guys are loving him. So he's turning into one of my favorite guys on this team for sure. I agree. And you know what, you know, the end of the game, you know, he comes and they're interviewing him of all people, you know, and you know,

that's a credit to him. He's really kind of got his life together, you know, outside of football it seems as well. And on the field as well. And like the other thing too, that I thought Okie did a pretty good job of too. You know, he's out there mostly on passing downs it seems like although he's getting more and more snaps but it seems like you know when Indiana went tempo which would seem to give Michigan some issues Michigan couldn't substitute so Yabiyoki had to be out there in some run situations I thought he

held up pretty well I know there's questions run situations. I thought he held up pretty well. I know there's questions there still, but I thought he held up pretty well. Speaking of that, the snap counts are going to show pass plays because Michigan had the big leads. They went to mostly passing. But early on with Indiana speeding things up and going so quickly, it was giving us fits. And it sure seemed like Jesse Minter figured out a way, or whoever,

someone on that defensive staff figured out a way to play that game and just frustrate them. You can see Indiana sideline, Indiana quarterback when they were making those substitutions, you know, they had those guys not necessarily sprint off the field, whatever it was. He frustrated them with their ability to substitute and how he substituted and kudos to them because that, that, that threw them off for sure. he frustrated them with their ability to substitute and how he substituted. Kudos to them because that threw them off for sure. Yeah, I agree. The linebackers, again, I mean, I thought they – there's still more there.

I think this is probably – and we've talked about this before. This is probably the thinnest group of linebackers that Michigan's had in a long time. Junior Colson, I think, had a little bit of a bounce back game. I think he was much better. Michael Barrett, I mean, he continues to quietly have a pretty good season. He's found his role in the team for sure. He was out there on pass plays for the most part, too. So, yeah, you know, yeah, I think the unit as a whole has been probably the weakest unit on the team this year,

but I agree with your assessment. I thought Junior Colson, two weeks prior to that, it seemed like you never saw him. He flashed it at one huge sack for like 15, 18-yard loss. He made some big plays. I want to see them flying to the ball. I want to see them around the ball all the time, and we just haven't seen that this year. It felt like we saw him involved a whole lot more.

I agree. And, you know, one thing to be noted is their whole, not one guy is over 60% in the PFF grading, except for Michael Barrett. He had 66.2. So a lot left to be desired there for the linebacking core. And I think it can get better, especially maybe Kahlil Mullings maybe coming up and getting some more snaps.

But switching gears to the defensive backs, I mean, Mike Sanders still, is there a bigger transition from offense to defense that you've ever seen? Yeah, it's a good question. I mean, we've had a few over the years, but I can't really think of one. I mean, I guess Chase Winovich switching from, what was he, a tight end to playing edge. He never really had any success doing that. I mean, Zach Gentry from being quarterback,

but guys that had success playing one position at Michigan, I can't think of another example. Yeah, no, no, me either. He's been stellar, but yeah, he, he was fantastic. He's just getting better and better too. Every week, I feel like, um, he took a little bit of a step back last week, but you know, he bounced back again this week. So, uh, he had 78 snaps, 60, uh, 76.2 PFF rating. DJ Turner had a little bit of a struggle in the first half. I thought it was better as the second half went on. And this is another strength of the Michigan defense, is the defensive back, Rod Moore.

Good again. Nice kick. Did you hear they put on the Cartier bust when they get the turnovers. And Angelique asked Harbaugh at his presser today or yesterday, and he had no idea what they were. He's like, what are you talking about? And it was genuine. He's like, I have no idea.

He's like, oh, is that what those sunglasses are called? I think that's hilarious. They've been wearing them for all this time. He knew they were good sunglasses. He knew what they did on the sidelines. He had no idea what ricardo buffs were i think that's hilarious i mean he didn't know what lululemon uh pants were either until until they were introduced to him and that's all he wears now so i mean the players are going to get him to put

those buffs on now that they know that he said that he was uh i guess the other thing to note here before we move on is um rjen. Did he get injured in the game? I don't remember seeing him get injured, but. No, but he didn't play a lot. Yeah. I mean, I don't know if, you know, I mean, Macari Page playing so much, Rod Moore playing so much, you know, which was surprising from a defensive back that didn't get any snaps on the

defense, which is somewhat surprising. I feel like I saw him out there, but he's not listed, was Will Johnson. I felt like I saw him up there a couple times, but they didn't, you know, PFF didn't grade him and assign him any plays out there. So maybe there were plays that had penalties and they got called off or whatnot, but Quinton Johnson got a lot of run. He normally doesn't. So I haven't heard anything on RJ Moten,

but that's a worthwhile thing to follow up on. So this is something that we're going to switch gears to here. Something that, you know, we try to talk about as much as we can when we do have news. We haven't had a whole lot of news. It'll pick up a little bit this week. Any updates on recruiting? Yeah. You know, just in terms of guys that are out there, there's a lot of buzz that Chris Peel, the defensive back from Providence today, is close to making a decision. He's had great visits, all great things to say about Michigan.

Still feels like Georgia's in the lead there, even with all the defensive backs they already have in this class. Just seems like he wants to stay south. I think Michigan's still in it, and I think that they'll push to the very end, but that one feels like trending towards possibly Georgia. But it sounds like he's looking to make a decision before Halloween, so that's imminent. Jaden Davis just on the heels of a Clemson trip, a visit to Clemson,

and then the week before he was in Georgia. You know, news out of Georgia is looks like they're close to signing this Ryan Puglisi kid. There's a 24 quarterback that could take them out of the running for Davis. So that could be helpful. If they do miss on Davis, sounds like they've reengaged with Michael Van Buren, who's a very highly rated quarterback out of St. Francis Academy, the same school that Blake Corum and Derek Moore and Oki and Moten and a lot of those guys are from. So that looks good. Seems like, and then the last thing about just trends that we could

talk about Penn State, the Penn State Union visits there are, looks like things are continuing to trend really well with three-star interior offensive lineman Nathan Afobi. I think that's close to being a done deal and that we should get news on that in the next few weeks. But we have a huge visitors list for the Penn State game. Number one, the commits that are attending. Ian Aleta's coming, Samaj Morgan, Frederick Moore all coming, and a few others. Fast-rising linebacker, current Memphis commit Arian Carter, who was at Ohio State last week, is coming to the game. He's one of the fast-rising prospects in the country, and he's in for his official visit for the game.

One interesting name is 2024 four-star quarterback Isaac Wilson, which many people may not know who that is, but he is Zach Wilson's younger brother. Highly rated, coming on, quarterback out of Utah, has offers from Miami, BYU, and more to come. But he's coming in. Florida cornerback Chris Ewald, 25, kid, very highly rated, top 50 kids coming in, defensive back. Luke Montgomery's younger brother, Ryan Montgomery, a 2025 quarterback, is in. So, you know, if you hear what I'm saying is they may like where they sit with Jaden Davis,

and I think a lot of fans, after they missed out on Dante Moore, are saying, okay, we have to have a deeper roster, and we have a few quarterbacks coming in, and we're reengaging with a few. So there, I'm very happy to hear and to report that there's some depth being built there and giving us some contingency and backup plans. I think they're still in pretty good shape with Jaden Davis, but you know, it's nice to see them backing up. And then a handful of other 24 and 25 kids coming in.

Probably the other one worth noting is a four-star wide receiver out of California that sounds like the crew, the staff really likes, and that's Jordan Anderson. He's rising up boards quickly. So a lot of guys coming in, more to follow, more people will be added to the list. I know they're trying to make that a really good environment for recruits with the maze out and the atmosphere that the Penn State game will bring. Right. And the more, you know, you win and you keep winning, you know, the better off you're going to be on the recruiting trail, as we all know that. It's good to see that they are not

putting all their eggs in the Jaden Davis basket because then you're left with nothing, really. I mean, if you don't hit on him, then you've got to get some three-star. And, you know, if you're Michigan, you need a four-star quarterback. You need a five-star quarterback. You know, you shouldn't have to settle for a three-star quarterback. So that is certainly a good thing to see that they are kind of just, you know, checking all their boxes and dotting all their T's or dotting all their I's and crossing their T's.

I do that all the time. Watching J.J. throw for 300 yards as a quarterback prospect. And he's running the Michigan offense. That's what a lot of people don't realize. A lot of people are saying, what's the difference between him and Cade? And what I would tell you is J.J. can make those throws downfield. He can put a lot of zip on a ball, fit it into a window, and what I would tell you is JJ can make those throws downfield. He can put a lot of zip on a ball, fit it into a window, real tight window. But we're going to switch gears to the biggest game that Michigan has had

since last year, I think. I mean, since that Georgia game last year and then obviously the regular season last year, the Ohio State game. So it's going to be number five, Michigan, number 10, Penn State. That game can be found on Fox, part of Big Noon at noon, obviously. Michigan comes in as a six and a half point favorite. The over under is 52. And then Michigan in their last, won the last game at State College last year, Eric All with a big play there. They've won their last game against Penn State. Before that, they had lost two straight. But Michigan has done a good job against Penn State, typically at home.

Do you think it's going to be different? Yeah, you know, because of some of those shaky stretches, I think, you know, there's the good, the bad, right? Some of those shaky stretches make you nervous, make you worried that if those stretches extend and Penn State exposes them, you know, that's a scary thing to think about. You know, the things to make you feel confident is that James Franklin-led Penn State teams are 2-10 on the road against Michigan, you know, the things to make you feel confident is that James Franklin led Penn State teams are two and 10 on the road against Michigan, Ohio State and Michigan State. Two and 10 is not good. You know, Michigan's been pretty darn solid under Harbaugh at home. You know, it's the Bay's out big noon on Fox three weeks in a row as the big noon kickoff game. Now I know

the big noon kickoff hasn't been around for that long, but as the networks, you know, premier showcase for one team to be three weeks in a row, that's pretty crazy. Maze out should be a great atmosphere. You know, I'm nervous because it's the, you know, first true test and eager to see them try to come out and answer all the questions. Yeah, and for the listeners that don't know, I'm actually flying from Massachusetts to Michigan. Got some hockey plans on Friday and Sunday, but I will be in the big house for that game. Let's go.

13 rows off the field. It's going to be a fantastic game. And a maze out, of course. Everyone that's going to the game, wear a maze, please. Don't be one of those people. And you know what if you don't have maze wear something that's it doesn't even have to be a michigan maze just wear something that's yellow and and you know show the school spirit and and let's let's really make the big house a tough place to come into because um you know for so many years it wasn't a tough place to come into it was kind of just like you

know the the wine and cheese kind of atmosphere kind of like the Toronto Maple Leafs for y'all that like hockey um but you know it's gotten better over the especially after COVID like that game against Washington last year was great environment in the maze out and then you, you know, the Ohio State game was unbelievable. I mean, I don't think I've ever heard a bigger, better atmosphere at the big house in my lifetime. And that's saying a lot because I've been watching Michigan football, you know, off, you know, pretty consistently since 2004. So, you know, that was a fantastic environment. And like I said, you know, Michigan typically has good success at home, but in terms of the game itself and the X's and O's, I mean, Penn State has a good defense. Do

you have any worries about what like, you know, Michigan's put on tape or do you think it's just, it's just more, we're unleashing everything in this game? I think, you know, if you watch the broadcast on Saturday, Joel point out kind of some of their tendencies of when they're, when they have motion and you know, if he's picking that up and he's a really smart guy, former quarterback, but I think, you know, they're watching that. So they're going to have to switch things up. I think, you know, Penn state has arguably the most talented defensive backfield

in the Big Ten. You know, they have Joey Porter Jr. is going to be a first-round pick. Their whole secondary are studs, highly ranked. Kalen Kane is a good player as well. Right. You know, they lead the nation in past breakups. They're a talented group. They always are going to have to recruit the linebacker well.

And, you know, they've had a lot of good addressers. So on defense, they make me nervous. On offense, you know, that freshman running back they have is special. He's really, really good. Singleton. Yeah. And I think that, you know, it's a scary matchup. They're talented.

Now, you know, for all the detractors that say Michigan hasn't played anybody and they have beaten two Big Ten opponents on the road, Penn State wins over that first game of the season. First game of the season, I don't know how much they tell you about how a team's going to be, but they barely beat Purdue. Then they beat a horrible, horrible Auburn team that's about to find a coach. And since then, they beat Ohio. Not Ohio State.

Northwestern, the by far worst team in the Big Ten, and Central Michigan. So it's not like they've been lighting the world on fire against tough opponents either. So I feel like Michigan has played back-to-back weeks on the road against Big Ten opponents. And I also think that Central game was close at halftime, wasn't it? Wasn't it tied or wasn't it 17-14 Penn State at half or something like that? Northwestern was really close.

They barely got it. They turned the ball over five times and still won. The positive, if you're a Penn State fan, is they turned it over five times and still won. That's not usually a – Yeah, in terms of the Penn State offense, I mean, we talk about Parker Washington, another good – He's a stud.

Really good receiver that Penn State's had. They have a good tight end in Brandon Strange. Very good. Michael Tinsley has three touchdowns. I mean, this is probably the most talented offensive team that Michigan has faced this year. Defensively, I don't know if it's the most talented, but it probably is on par

with Iowa. And in terms of the game plan, I mean, you can't, you know, go into this game saying, we're just going to run the football because we know they can't stop it. I think this is where the rubber meets the road in terms of switching it up and dressing things up and being dynamic and, you know, J.J. changing plays up at the line and just stuff like that. I really think that this is an important game for not only just J.J. McCarthy, but also this Michigan offense. You know, this Michigan offense has been good, but there's been lapses in the last couple weeks

where it kind of goes stale for a little while, and you can't have that in a game against Penn State. Yeah, I think what I'd love to see them do is everyone knows this team, as good as J.J. is, we're a Blake Corham-led team offensively, and they need to take advantage of that. I think I'd love to see J.J. under center more. I'd love to see them. They run almost zero play action, right? Like, you know, they will kind of do the –

kind of hand the ball over to the side a little bit, but not like a true run action, show the run, the whole line sells out and play action. Some more of that. We saw – I don't know if we saw a single jet sweep last weekend. And I think that keeps teams honest the edge i think more diversity in the run game to set up the pass i think that's you know unequivocally uh where it's at indiana was i was pulling my hair out i think i sent you four or five texts and we'll screen you indiana was absolutely positively selling out the run in

the second half and if they'd have run that flea flicker that Josh Gaddis loved so much last year, they could have walked in. You or I could have scored a touchdown on the flea flicker against that defense. So hopefully they see that too and that tendency to come up and cover that run and try to pressure JJ. There should be some opportunities down the field if they can run play action, the flea flicker, do some other misdirection to kind of free things up for that wide receiving core that we talked about earlier

has not been getting a ton of separation. So it would be a way to help them out too. If I was Michigan or if I was an opponent of Michigan and I wanted to do everything I could to put myself in a good situation to win the game, I would just send everyone down. Just send everyone down. I'm not saying, you know, blitz every single time, but I would send the linebackers down. I would stack the box and make J.J. McCarthy beat me. And if that happens, then so be it. But you're not going to let Blake Corum win the game. And that's what I would not

let happen. If I was another coach or another defensive coordinator, I think that is where I would put the reins on it. Stack the box, make JJ beat you. And if he does, then so be it. But you can't let the best player beat you on the other side of the football. And I think that's the biggest thing, really. Sean Clifford, does he worry you at all? You know, I know their fans get very frustrated with him. You know, he's in his 14th year there. And, you know, he's like a lot of these guys that stick around for a long time. You know, they play good early on.

They don't ever get better. I think he's a maddening type guy. I feel like in the past, those guys, they keep the starting job and they do a really good game now and then, but for the most part, they're pretty average. I hope we get the Sean Clifford we've seen for the most part the last year and a half and not him come out playing his best game that he's played in a while. But he's not that scary.

I think they're a really solid football team. I don't think they're – here's not that scary. You know what I mean? I think they're, I think they're a really solid football team. I don't think they're, here's what I think. I think if Michigan plays, it's B plus game and Penn state plays, it's B plus game. Michigan wins by 10, you know,

but in these types of matchups, there's turnovers, there's play calls, there's breaks that those are the types of things that have me really worried. I think one thing, you know, we talk offense and we talk defense.

We haven't talked a lot of defense yet, but special teams feel like Michigan has a huge advantage there. I mean, Jake Moody is really, really good. AJ Henning is the best returner in the big 10 statistically, and it's not even close. Their return game has not done much. They're kickers four or six this year. I think there's

a real opportunity there and you know to expose uh this team and so i think we have the as long as the defense does their job you know i like our chances i'll be a very nervous uh guy i will be on saturday afternoon yeah i i also think that it's it's one of those games where if you can stay clean kind of like you did at Iowa, you shouldn't have much of a problem winning this game as long as, you know, everything else goes well. The defense is worrisome a little bit because of that linebacker crew that we talked about.

But in terms of Penn State, I mean, what worries me the most, I feel like, is Singleton running the ball or Sean Clifford pulling it and running it himself, because Michigan historically has had problems with running quarterbacks. Yeah, I think that's a good point. I think the other really big thing is, you know, James Franklin, who I've never been that big of a fan in, but he's a successful winning football coach. You know, he's a riverboat gambler, and he makes some questionable decisions that have cost his teams, but they've also really paid off. And, you know, let's not forget, they're coming off the bye week here, and you know they're dialing up a bunch of different

scenarios, a bunch of different trick plays that they've had two weeks to practice and rehearse that no one's seen. And so I think that's the other, you know, maybe the biggest X factor in this game is what has he dialed up? When will he call those plays? What situations? And will Michigan be ready and prepared for them? And I think if they can, you know, it seems like every year when we play them, he dials things up.

And most times in the years we've won, we've shut that down. I mean, you know, other than the Saquon Barkley team, it was just awesome. And he ran all over us. You know, we've had James Franklin's number. It feels like when the games are at Penn State, it's a lot tougher when they're at the big house. It seems like Michigan usually has success. The one game that sticks out and I throw out the window is that

27-17 loss in 2017 at home. But besides that, Michigan's won in Ann Arbor most of the time. You know, I guess their losses were kind of in the Mitch Rod, Brady Hill era, but yeah. Yeah. So, yeah. So, yeah. Do you have a prediction for this game?

I do. I do. I think, like I said, expecting – my prediction is based on a B-plus versus B-plus game. So if one team comes out and plays an A-plus and another plays a B-minus, it's all out the window. But I think Michigan takes advantage of being at home. I think Penn State is just explosive enough to score.

I think James Franklin will have something up his sleeve, but I think Jake Moody wins it for us at the end. Michigan wins 34-31 at the big house. See, I think this is more of a 10-point Michigan win. I think it's going to be one of those games where it's a high-scoring game. I think it goes, what was the over-under? The over-under is what? 51-2. I think it's going to be high. I think it's going to be a high scoring game. I had a 65 there, right? 34-31, that's 65 points. Yeah, 34-31. I think it's more of like a 38-28 Michigan win, something like that. I really do think it's a 10-point game. I mean, of course, you know, things go to hell and things change. But I do like Michigan's chances in this game.

I think Michigan's a little bit more battle-tested than Penn State is. You know, a lot of people will say, oh, they went to Auburn. Who cares? Auburn sucks this year. So, you know, Auburn's among one of the biggest disasters in college football right now. Right. No doubt. So, you know, a win at Iowa, I think, you know,

battle test Michigan a little bit. And then at Indiana, another place where Michigan historically has won, but I mean, they haven't always been pretty. So, but yeah, those are our predictions. Any final thoughts? No, you know, like you started the show, hope that my cart continues to get well. I'm super excited for the maze out.

I just love, you know, one thing we didn't talk about. We don't need to get into because we're wrapping things up, but I love that, you know, the uniform combinations, you know, as an older guy loving the tradition, but I just love how, what are we? We had six games, three different combinations. I love that. And I think this week, you know, stay tuned, but I would expect to see them come out in the all blues and in that maze

out that'll stand out great. And I think it's going to be an electric atmosphere and just so excited to I would expect to see them come out in the all blues and in that maze out that'll stand out great. And I think it's going to be an electric atmosphere and just so excited to watch them play. And that, you know, one of the biggest games, this, this and Tennessee, Alabama, the two biggest games of the week. So it should be a great Saturday of college football. Yeah. I think the other thing too, is, you know, get into my final thoughts. I mean, the maze out is going to be fantastic.

I really do think that it is going to be fantastic. I really do think that it's going to make the environment unbelievable for a big game like that. I just wish it was a night game. Like, I don't not like big noon. I think big noon is cool. But I just wish this was a night game. This feels like an ESPN night game waiting to happen. Unfortunately, with the Big Ten losing the contract with ESPN,

I think we're getting less and less of those, and I think we may only have one or two ESPN games left for the season and ever at this rate until the contract switches again, which I'm sure it will at some point. I'm sure ESPN will get back in bed with the big 10. We're still with ESPN. We're not totally out of that deal. We're still locked in with them.

The SEC's kind of configuration has changed, but we're with them for a little bit until CBS starts carrying us a little bit. Right. I think that night game they're looking for is probably going to be against Sparty, and that'll be a good atmosphere. And that's a Fox game, I think, right? Well, I don't know.

I think it's a night game. It hasn't been announced yet, so it's probably going to be ESPN. Yeah, I think it's a night game. It's highly unlikely that they save that prime time window. Typically, they run some Big Ten games. A lot of times that's PAC 12, but. Yeah. I mean, I think, I think we've, we've gone into everything that we've had to go into here. I'm looking forward to seeing everybody in Michigan go to the blue by 90

tailgate. If you're going to the game, I certainly will. Yeah. I can't wait to hear next week a little bit about your trip and your experience. Absolutely. Had the Yost on, on Sunday to see Michigan hockey play. So I can throw a little update on Michigan hockey as well. That program has been firing on all cylinders for a while. So looking forward to seeing them at Yost, my first time at Yost. But that's pretty much it. So those are my final thoughts. Go and uh like i said you can

follow me on twitter at seal dog 91 brian you can follow brian on twitter at bb's big house and you can follow blue by 90 on twitter at blue by 90 let's go go blue baby that's right