Blue By Ninety - Michigan dominated by Texas at home | Where do the Wolverines go from here?

Episode Date: September 8, 2024

Justin and Tanner react to Michigan's first loss since 2022 and their first home loss since 2020.

All right, welcome back to Blue by 90. I'm Justin joined by Tanner today and for the first time since New Year's Eve 2022, we are doing a postgame pod after a Michigan loss. Worst loss, worst loss since COVID. I mean, the other, I guess Georgia, but that's like, yeah. I guess Georgia, but – I don't know. It was tough because I chalked that up to the Georgia game. Like, they were really, really good. But now that I'm thinking about it, like, I actually do think Texas is really, really good too.

But, yeah, this is a tough one to swallow i we were you know we went to the game together uh talking a little bit at post game hung out with some friends last night too and just this is just we haven't had this feeling in a long time man no long time especially 29 games at home 29 games you know that that's over three seasons right so um I'm wearing my Rose Bowl hat today to remind myself better times um I think it's uh you know this is just a tough pill to swallow right now I and there's no other way to put it like there's no excuse making there's nothing you know nothing going on like that like i just don't think that you know michigan does not have the same type of squad that they've had

the past three years the talent the talent level is a lot different and like i said texas does for sure yeah yeah i mean that's the thing like you know michigan energy more but did a really good job of even when they weren't getting, you know, high four-star and five-star kind of guys, that the guys that they did recruit played at that level. Like, Mikey Samuels still, Chris Jenkins, both three stars, both second-round picks in the NFL draft this past year. I mean, you could go down the list of all the guys that played

above their ranking, you know. Michael Barrett is another perfect example because what we saw from the linebackers yesterday, really missed a guy like that. I'll make one point there about Mike Barrett versus Jay Sean Barham and Ernest Houseman. I think that on paper, you're taking Jay Sean Barham and Ernest Houseman every day of the week, right? If you're an NFL GM, if you're just a talent evaluator,

they're talking about Barham being a freak show. Ernest was a highly rated guy. Mike Barrett is like a high school quarterback, right? And for a long time, Mike Barrett was way too slow to be a linebacker. He, you know, was in that Viper position, changed over. But my take on it is, like, I think there's a different – Mike Barrett's probably a different kind of human being. He's a different kind of ball player

and brings different things outside of just talent to the table. And I think that that's something that it seems to me after two games this year that we're lacking right now in this Michigan program is like guys that have it, right, leadership, different things like some swagger, you know, stuff like that. I think I just haven't seen it the same way that I saw it three years ago. Yeah. I mean, you know, we were pretty close to the sideline.

And it just, you know, the first couple drives, like, the crowd was into it. We're into it. The players are into it. And then once, you know, they started to kind of roll offensively, it was just kind of dead. Like, there was no Mike Samuels still on the sideline getting guys fired up. Like, it was just kind of like going through the motions. I go back to – let's go back to Nebraska 2021, right?

And we're playing at their place and it is the craziest game ever, right? Like in Nebraska is fighting for their lives because they haven't, you know, haven't won a true game in forever at that point. Right. And we're down in that third quarter. Yeah. They had all the momentum. We, you know, Michigan was up 19 to seven. They score. Kate throws his first pick of the season. I remember that. He hadn't thrown a pick until that point. They go and score.

The stadium's going ballistic. You're going to the fourth quarter. They got to the fourth quarter and they do the light show. And when people, you know, you look at that video that gets posted, right, where our guys start going nuts on the sidelines. And what you would think is that we just scored to go up two touchdowns on them. But in reality, we're down, I think, 20 – we're down three maybe at the time

or something. Yeah, it was a three-point game. Nebraska just scored. And so that right there is I just don't see. I don't know that we have that where it's like, hey, backs against the wall, we don't give a fuck. Like we're going to take this, take it in stride, and we're going to win this ballgame.

You know, I talked to a lot of the guys after that TCU loss as well, and most of those guys told me straight up. Mikey Sanders told me this straight up. He's like, yo, dude, until that clock hit zero, I legit was like, we're going to win this football game. Like, we're going to pull something off here and win this football game. And there's that mentality that those guys had where it was like, we't care what's going on like we're gonna go out and figure out a way to win a football game and I think this team right now in 2024 needs to figure out how to get some of that I truly believe it and and this is not a knock on the guys because

they care as you know this is not like oh they're they're not – they don't love football. They don't love Michigan, right? Like, they absolutely do. But there's, I think, a next level of care and want and passion that they got to go find right now it feels like. Yeah, I mean, even last year, you know, the Rose Bowl, you're down fourth and two, two minutes left. Jim goes for it. And, you know, that just never never wilted I mean they just fought and fought and pulled out games I mean the things that that team went through which is what's

really disappointing because a lot of these guys on this team were there last year they experienced it they saw what those senior leaders did to get over that hump and to win a national championship so I guess the one thing that I'll say, and I guess this is a good point because we're talking, I just brought up the fourth and two going for, you got three timeouts. You could easily punt right there. I think I'm just going to say this. I don't want this to be a hot take because this happened on Saturday and it really rubbed me the wrong way. I think if Sherone Moore, the head coach,

he punts right there. Because you're down 24-3. You're in field goal range for a long field goal from Zavada, and you kick the field goal. And it's like what? I don't remember what it was, like fourth and five? Yeah. You have to go for that.

And we talked about this pre-show, and I know you have a counterpoint to it. You have to go for that. And then the other thing, when you're down 31-6, you're gonna lose a game totally get it you're down you're down 25 points you're down four touchdowns i totally get that and you haven't moved the ball but when you sit when you sit there and the play clock is at 15 and the game clock is at 13 and you let it run out yeah that's waving the white flag that sends a message to your players that like well you know get him next week guys like i like i can i can handle losing you know especially look i'm still good like i'm still chilling you know like i came home yesterday and watching football you know enjoyed notre dame losing i was like honestly they might

no like i was right we might have to switch our tape yeah yeah but no so like i was you know you were there with me like i wasn't happy we were very it was it was in the it was in the fashion that they went about things um and i thought there was some lack lack lackadaisicalness of as a word but there just wasn't yeah lacked a day's goal there just was not like fire um it just it's your point that's got to come from within that's got to come from the players they talk about being a player-led program that can't that can't switch up because that's the most important thing that michigan has done is with that you know you know what's uh what's pretty surprising to me is I honestly knowing Sharon Moore and his passion and his fight and fire you would think that this team would have that right honestly like this past three years

I really thought that Sharon Moore was a big piece uh and he probably is right when things are going well and you know but like it looked to me like, all right, these guys will do whatever for Sharon. If you'd have asked me that during the Penn State game, Maryland, Ohio State last year, I'm like, yeah, Sharon. It was the easy answer to be like, Sharon's our guy because he obviously had it, right? He had it where guys were going to get bought in. And, you know, again, I think a lot of it goes back to

you you have to realize that sharon moore is still very inexperienced as head football coach right and as much as he just took things and ran with them last year and like nobody's ever done a better job than when they're just thrown into the fire than what sheroe moore did last year that still is very different than being the ceo of a program being the actual head coach and trying to get people and think get things right and so i think there's you know as much as i still very very much believe in sheroe mo the, you know, have this program into a good spot and be back, you know, to battling for a national title and going to the college football playoff and beating Ohio state and winning big 10 championships.

There's a, there's going to be a learning curve here. Yeah. Right. And so that's on the coach's side. And then I think the reality is, you know, we probably were trying to talk ourselves into this offseason. Like, we're going to be back. We're going to reload. There's just a talent drop-off from 2023, a major one. Yeah.

I almost feel like you got to take things with a grain of salt when you're looking at, like, 247 and on three. And we love those guys, right? Like, you've got a lot of them on the show. Great dudes., when you're looking at like two, four, seven and on three. And we love those guys. Right. Like you've had them all. A lot of them on the show. Great dudes. And it's also where that information is coming from. Right. And it's almost like, well, it's kind of feel gaslit, honestly, like this defense might be better than last year.

And they're not making that up. Right. They're hearing that from inside Schembechler hall. That's not there. That's so this isn't me saying, you know, what, what, you know, the insiders we had on because we love them and we appreciate them. But, like, was it because they were going against Michigan's offense that they looked so much better? Like, you know, like that's a fair question.

It is a fair question. And it's like – yeah. And then on the opposite side of it, they're – you know, a lot of guys on the offense had told me like dude we dominated the defense yesterday right like we you know we we've been showing it out and like i i don't know i i'm struggling a little bit to know like what what's what was happening in shembeckler hall during camp and during practice here and and everything because um you know, I looked at what I saw on Saturday and that team is nowhere near, you know, ready to go up against

any big boy in college football. No. Right? And a lot of work to do. And, like, obviously we're talking a lot about the offense and, you know, the offense will get into, you know, breaking down some things that went wrong on Saturday. But, you know, I think we all knew the offense was going to take a step back

and defense was going to win games. But let's be honest with ourselves on the defensive side of the ball. Like, that defense is nowhere near the 2023 defense. Bro, I felt like I was like, it was like 2019. Yeah. She was playing Wisconsin. Like it was so easy for Texas. Like it was unbelievably easy.

And the thing that I think, and I want to, I want to get your, your thought on this. I wonder, I always wonder this was somebody coming from the NFL. Do you like, do they not spend enough time in practice and in the film room on, like, fundamentals? Because there was just a lot of basic things that Michigan did poorly on Saturday that you haven't seen Michigan do since 2020.

Like, there was the technique thing. Like, there was a lot. Like, they're getting – they're just getting – they're getting stretched. Like, that one touchdown when they went up 31-6, like, nobody – nobody was able to maintain any form of leverage on that play. Those offensive linemen were just able to seal that,

and he just had a wide-open path to the end zone. There were so many things that they – and so this is the one thing I'll say just so you fill in here. They look poorly coached, just straight up, because there's a ton of talent. They look poorly coached in the defensive side of the ball. Here's my response to that. I think that the guys on defense are so talented that a lot of times they think that they can rely on just their talent.

And, you know, for how many different games last year could they rely on just their talent? Like, you know, they can miss an assignment against probably 12 out of 15 teams in the 2023 season, and still they're bigger, faster, stronger, so it makes up for it, right? And they haven't had to play, you know, I don't know that they've had to play super sound football because they were just better and bigger than, you know, for a lot of these teams. And I think then you go into this offseason, every single guy on the defense is, you know, we're talking about their draft picks.

We're talking about them moving on. You know, they're getting a ton of praise. And it's like you that stuff it does things to you mentally right where you're like you know i don't gotta watch film i'm i'm too good to watch film you know and again i'm not saying they're not watching film right they're like you know if any player saw that you know and they'd be like dude you're an idiot we watch film every day, right? We are idiots. We are idiots. That's a fair take.

But I just think that there may be some instances where it's like, you know, they aren't as, you know, all right, we have to be so buttoned up and have to do it perfectly because Kenneth Grant is a monster of a human being, right? So that's kind of my take. But let's start there with – let's start with the defense going up against Texas' offense. I agree with you. I think there are two things here that went wrong,

and these two things are going to make you a bad football team and lose you a lot of football games one texas's offensive line was so much bigger than our defensive line and that's hard to do they were monsters they were way bigger they pushed us they bullied us around we haven't had anybody bully us around like that in at least two years yeah and so that right there just from a physicality standpoint was like holy shit and and i think that they these guys are probably like oh shit like what what are we dealing with right now after those first couple after right now? After those first couple – after that first drive,

after those first couple plays, I think they're probably like, damn, you know, not to call guys out, but, like, I saw Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant gassed. They're tapping themselves out multiple times. We're in the first and second quarter. You know, and obviously we need to rotate. You need to get a a breath and that's fine but like it looked like they were not ready to go up against those big boys so that's my first point

my second point is going back to the sound football and we talked about this and you can talk about the pff grades and some things like that there were just so many missed assignments it was there there were you know there were times where we got bullied and then there were just so many missed assignments. It was – there were, you know, there were times where we got bullied and then there were times where it was just like, okay, nobody's on that guy. Right? Yeah. So I'll leave it at that. Yeah, I mean, you know, we talked about the swing pass

where we saw it at the stadium and Josiah, you know, comes towards yours and then the running back is just wide open and they get a big gain out of it um tackling was awful like that's something that michigan's really prided itself you know has prided itself on over the last few years like they tackle they're physical how many minutes we saw so many missed tackles, arm tackle attempts, like just like – Well, even like – Even their runs, you know, it was like they did to us what we did to people all last year where it's like, okay, you stopped us at the line of scrimmage.

We still get five yards out of it because Blake squeaks through or we push the pile or do whatever. Like that was – It was – There was – I can't even remember which one it was, but there was one I think we had him back on third and five, and the running back, like, we stopped him, but he, like, lowers his head and squeaks all the way through

for, like, six, seven, eight yards. And I was just like, man, like, it was that all day long, man. All day long. I mean, you know, they rushed for 143 yards on, I think, 32 attempts. So, it's not like, you know, they were for 143 yards on, I think, 32 attempts. So it's not like, you know, they were probably at four and a half yards of carry. It was just, it was like the big moments is when they needed it, they got it right. Like they didn't, they had the big run from Wingo.

Otherwise I think their longest was 11 yards, but they just felt like whenever, you know, it'd be second and two, right. And it's like, man, you know, they said eight yard run. And then that opens things up for yours, you know we talked about and i again this is probably copium so hey you want to make fun of me that's fine uh coming into the season but i i continually said that hey michigan lost 13 guys to the draft um and then however many udfas they had and then texas lost 11 guys and however many however many undrafted guys they had the thing with texas to your point is they return a majority of their offensive line and they return their quarterback and they return their head coach like my the way i put it yesterday

to you i i thought this summed it up pretty well texas in 2024 is michigan in 2023 where it feels that way we you know in 2023 we had just lost to TCU, had gotten over the Ohio State hump, was this close to getting that CFP win, but like not quite enough. And then we reloaded. We bring Mikey Sanders still back. We bring Cornelius Black. We bring Blake Corum back.

JJ's at QB, Colston, Mason. You know, we reloaded and set it up for this run where it's like, all right, in 2023, this is our year. We brought everything's coming together here for this to be the year to go and win a national title, and then they did. That, to me, is what Texas did this past offseason, and now we're seeing it. They bring these guys back.

They reloaded on the offensive line. Their defense looked really good. And Ewers is in my – is he the best quarterback in the country? Probably. Him or Carson Beck, I would say, just because of the experience. And I know we talked – everyone talked about Shadur. The video game had a number one. It's like, brother, I saw that belt ass from Nebraska coming a mile away,

and they dominated last night. So I think you – shout out to the Huskers. Shout out to our boys at No Block No Rock. I'm sure they're feeling a lot better than us this Sunday morning. For the first time in a long time. I'll say that. For the first time in a long time. Yeah, I mean, honestly, my – you know, just a broad statement here.

My top three this year so far from what i've seen might be yours back just yeah what he did last year i mean then what they did to clemson and then my sneaky third is camera ward that dude in miami is balling out i mean they haven't played anybody yet but he looks phenomenal i i think i mean i watched quinn ewers yesterday and first of all if there are any tech, I'm sure they're not now, but I know last year it was like Quinn or Arch. Anybody who was asking for Arch. We saw a lot of Arch jerseys, by the way. Which is surprising.

I know he's a Manning. I get it. It's a cool thing. But, like, dude, you have the probably number one quarterback in the country, you know, arguably. And I watched Quinn Ewers yesterday. He made everything look so easy. He, on that touchdown pass,

one of the first ones to the tight end coming across where he steps up after the pocket collapses, he steps up, keeps his eyes downfield, kind of on the run, just right here. He just like swing swing like sideline or sideways pat mahomes slings it flick of the wrist man he made that look like it was nothing yeah he he came in and and he did his thing um you know almost had another touchdown if i gets called back for a holding but the throw he made i mean he you know he threw his guy open in the end zone so yeah I mean defensively I think the one of the most disappointing things that I saw I you know we have our show blue by the numbers with with our boy um BB's big house that him and

I do and so what we do in that show is we go through the PFF grades we just kind of talk position by position try to be more analytical again for somebody who likes to think they know ball but I don't know it at the level that some of these folks do on their shows but like we try to go through and give our thoughts and i've always kind of disagreed with pff but i will say when i saw these numbers i wholeheartedly agreed um do you want to know who the two worst graded guys on saturday for michigan's defense? Do you want to take a guess? It's hard to say. It's the same position group.

It's the two starters. It's got to be the linebackers, right? It's the linebackers. And then Jimmy Roller was fourth from last. So I typically will – sometimes I don't think they're the most – because they have a tough job, right? They probably got low-level people just trying to do that. And it's like, is that a coach, right? Do they have a coaching experience, background? got like you know low level people just trying to do that and like it's like is that a coach right do they have a coaching experience background it's hard to grade that stuff i thought they were i thought they were pretty poor on saturday and that also

you know i know everybody in 2020 at michigan was pretty bad for the most part um but i just still all off season was like we'll bring back brian jean-marie you know um i I didn't know much about Tennessee's linebackers The last few years Supposed to be a great recruiter That's not really coming to fruition on the trail right now Maybe if they get this kid from IMG, I don't know But I just was really disappointed In a lot of the defense

Just from a technique standpoint Is that not a focus in practice You know, because the greats You know, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, those guys shooting free throws, right? Tom Brady, he's practicing, you know, short throws, like his dropbacks, his handoffs. Peyton Manning put a lot of emphasis on, you know, the play action fake

and handing the ball. So it's like, are they just not focusing on the fundamentals of football? Because that's extremely important. That's what wins you a lot of games. And I just thought that Texas really took advantage of the defense and i was you know i was really disappointed like you know the offensive struggles and we'll get to that um or one thing but with how hyped this defense has been all the talent coming back we've been told all offseason all they might be better they might be better than last year.

And they come out, they get punched in the mouth and they have no answer. They have no response. They have no idea how to combat what Texas is doing. Stark came in, diced him up. He's a great coach. The first round knockout when it comes to Stark

versus Wink. It was ridiculous like yeah it wasn't even close so that i agree with you forward i agree with you too like they put up 31 it doesn't look like that you know if they wanted like they were very strategic and it like again it it kept reminding me of 2023 michigan because it was like, every play was perfectly calculated to get this exact amount of yards. And like, when they needed seven, they got seven and a half. Right. And it was like, that was, there was a stat with Michigan last year where it was like, they were the, they, they were the, they like perfectly got the first down every time, like to the T of yardage or like by 0.1 yards or something like that. And that's what it felt like. It was like, to your point, this offense of Texas, when they needed something, they got it.

I mean, there were very few times where we didn't let it happen, right? And, you know, I did. So the first drive, you you know the crowd's going nuts shout out the maze out looked awesome um that was that was great i think but we almost get a pick six on that screen pass does that change the game i mean you know that's the thing about this team and that we've said the last two weeks now. And again, they got smoked.

So do not get it twisted. I'm not making excuses. But football is a game of inches. And there was – Macari almost had a pick. It might have been a pick six when they were up 7-3, I believe Texas was. Like, just some plays here or there, you know, maybe it changed the outcome. But, I mean, seriously, Michigan, we got our ass kicked. Yeah.

They came in, they put belt to ass, like I said. That's a phrase I've been seeing a lot lately. I don't know if it's a useful movement thing, but I think it's hilarious. Like, that's a good analogy for what happened. Like, Texas came in, did whatever they wanted, and we had no answer. And it seemed like Michigan just didn't really – it was just like, okay, cool. Just keep digging and dunking on us, and we'll just, you know,

we'll get out of here. Yeah, I mean, I think after a while there, Michigan's defense was just like they couldn't keep up, you know. They were tired, man. They were subbing out. They were very tired. Do you know who the highest grad, man. They were subbing out. They were very tired. Do you know who the highest graded guy on six snaps was? Ike Iwana.

So. That's not a good sign. I'll just be honest with you. Yeah, yeah. I will say, I thought Will. I mean, they didn't target him. So, you know, they picked on Jair. How did Will catch that guy on on the close that was that was tough

that was I don't know if you've seen it on the tv but that was going like to the opposite like to the close corner of us away from us so like I couldn't I just saw it I was like all right cool I thought I was like I looked away yeah dude I just was like dude there was times where I just started like I always watch on the field and I was like, dude, my feet are, I'm just going to sit. I'm just going to watch up on that scoreboard. I felt like such a crappy fan, but Hey, my feet were killing me, man. It was, it was a long day.

It was a long day. Great tailgate. I'll say that. Until about noon. They was great. Day was awesome. Shout out to a bus and with the boys for coming through Taylor. They came through the tailgate out came through the tailgate, hung out for a bit, which was sweet. We might be in the vlog that they do.

Both those guys were super cool, down to earth, like entertained us. And even if they were just, like I told you, if they were just pretending to care, that goes a long way. I'm like, hey, you know what? We're just chopping it up, talking some ball. And they were super cool, man. They had places to be, things to do had to fly to lincoln nebraska and so you know they were um they were just extremely gracious and you know cool to us which was awesome so shout out to them

i got a nice little twisted tea goodie bag uh got a flag twisted tea flag you know shout out twisted tea shout out truly hooking us up at the at the tailgate i think the funniest thing the funniest thing was um for will i was like we gotta he's like yeah we're twisted tea guys i was like we got a truly sponsorship and he's like i'm like brother they're all by the same company he's like oh okay okay is it boston brand company yeah him adams and twisted tea truly sun cruiser um so shout out to them shout out to north peak brewing is as Cruiser. So shout out to them. Shout out to North Peak Brewing, as always, as well. Shout out to State and Liberty. We appreciate State and Liberty.

Yeah, it was a great dual tailgate. The breakfast burritos were phenomenal. The tailgate, you know, regardless of the outcome of the game, the tailgate remains undefeated. We absolutely remained undefeated. Unbelievable. Most of the Texas fans were awesome, by the way. I didn't have a bad experience, really.

I couldn't – you know, they're supporting their team, and it was annoying as hell to hear them kind of overtake the big house at the game. Yeah, but what are they going to do, just be quiet? Yeah, exactly. You know, I had a friend and his wife and some of their friends come down. They were playing flip cup with us. We did beat them in flip cup Michigan versus Texas.

So we did win. We won. We did win. We won that. So what really is important, you know? Exactly. Exactly. No, it was awesome.

Most of the Texas fans were great. I agree with you. I really, you know, outside of a couple comments, like, here and there, like, but for the most part, they were great. So many Texas fans didn't love that. No. They traveled. Again, though, like it takes me back to 2023 Michigan. Like they think this is their year and it could very well be.

I understand why. Texas, Georgia, by the way. I don't know when that is. That's going to be an awesome game. That's going to be one of the best games of the year. That is 100%. So, all right, let's talk about michigan's offense this is dude where where do we start i mean this is just i you know i i i i don't know what to say

to be honest because there's just there was not much going on again there's not much to cheer about for this offense um dude the sarcastic like cheers when michigan got a first down was like sad sad yeah like we were loud man we were very loud um first quarter was crazy like we were loud we were like exploding then nothing happened yeah um miss the i will say this too before we go talking about the offense it was the saddest mr bright side i've ever seen in my life i know but you expect me to sing that right now because i'm like honestly they should have just been like you know what maybe let's let's we'll do that next week. Not to sound like frontrunners, but that is tough to sing when you're down by 25 points.

Yes. You know? When you're in a close game, hey, it's one thing. Yeah. You know? I will say, though, last year after the third quarter of the Bowling Green game, I was like, I don't want to sing this. Three interceptions, are you kidding me?

I was pouting. At least we were winning. If only yeah yeah well and again like the one thing that like a lot of us um in our section we're kind of joking about i was like i told i said this comment probably a thousand times but i was like look you told me we had to get smoked by texas but michigan won the natty last year but all right cool i'll take it take it take it but um yeah this offense i i mean it's still same as game one it starts with the offensive line um i think that a it's really the same as it's the same as texas's offensive line versus our d you know for our offensive line versus their d it's like we just we probably don't have a single guy on our offensive line that is bigger, faster, stronger than anybody on Texas' defensive line.

Yeah. Right? And so all across the board, they were pushing us around. We got zero push all day. And, you know, I think one of my biggest concerns when it comes to Kirk Campbell and Sherone Moore and the game planning and play calling, we are calling plays as if we have our 2023 offensive line. Trying to run smash ball football, I'm a big run the damn ball guy 100 like you have to establish it in order to win football games but like i don't know it feels like we're just like running our banging our head into a brick wall like time after time where it's

like hey man we don't have the guys that are going to be able to just shove people around and push for five yards you're gonna have to figure something out. And, you know, we talked a little bit, like, Donovan and Kalel, both rushed for, I think, over four yards a carry, so it wasn't, like, bad, but they had 14 carries combined. Yeah, that's weird. That's weird. Yeah, I mean, and Ben Hall comes in and has a really nice run.

I mean, so the three running backs that touched the ball today, 17 carries for 80 yards. You're just under five yards a pop. It felt like, all right, yeah, you're down. Hey, look, you're down. You know, at points in the game, you're down 7-3, down 14-3, down 17-3. You know, and then the fumble happens, and it's just – that's basically game where Texas goes out and scores.

But, like, up until the second half where you're down three scores and you've got to go, I feel like they didn't – I feel like they until the second half where you're down three scores and you've got to go um i feel like they did i feel like they abandoned the run a little bit um i think there was some opportunities there um there was a missed cutback lane by donovan that might have been an explosive he almost scored if he stays on his feet he scores that touchdown in the first quarter um that would have tied the game i believe at that point so yeah i mean you know dennis goes 22 and 33 um you know okay this is what i said too to to zach last night i when we were hanging out just watching football watching clemson beat the shit out of app state uh yeah

that was like 21 nothing in like five minutes it was so my wife was working working the game down there running like we were texting her like are you gonna run out of fireworks it was like they were very concerned but it was like 42 nothing at halftime or something it was insane um so uh but going back to it like dude if you were to tell me davis going to go 22 of 33 versus Texas, I'm like, oh, okay. So we, like, threw for three touchdowns or something. Like, so we just have this, like, awesome air raid offense. You know, so, like, it looks on paper, I'm like, damn, that's legit. And I think that, like, you know, A, we were playing from behind all game right so you you have to throw the ball i think that's got to be a main reason why they didn't run it more than 17

times um but like i don't know man it just it felt like this offense same as week one like zero identity like what is this what is this making it very hard to right like dude the i think i can't remember if it was the interception that the first interception but they went five wide and everybody ran like a three-yard hitch she said okay i don't know what concepts we've got in mind here but be honest they stink those concepts suck like and there was some creativity i'll give him some props like i really like the fake end around that donovan the one that he almost scored on yeah um if he's able to you know his footing, he scores. The flea flicker was nice. It was good to see CJ Charleston catch a ball, I guess that was, that was nice. Like feeling good. And then you have to settle for a field goal, but Hey, you're in the game.

You're down four at that point. But yeah, man, it's just like, just can we just see mesh like once, like they ran a lot of mesh last year and then they were able to use the mesh traffic play where the running back sneaks out and um you know that was the blake fourth and two against bama the blake touchdown in the first quarter uh the rose bowl like just give me some like crossers like if he can't run routes then let him just run a drag route because all drag is you just literally one step and you're just cutting across the field like let me just see some mesh concepts um screw it like let a mario walker just run a go-round let's just see what happens

maybe the db falls down like there's just no no like i don't even i like again i'm not a savant like that so i can't sit here and pinpoint the issues but like it's just i don't know i just didn't enjoy it i'll be honest i didn't have a great time justin it was not i didn't have a great time either i i it's it's really hard for me to identify what the issues are right you know i i admittedly did not go back and watch the game on tv i'm not yet it's not even noon yet i was too i i it's too soon and i was dead from yesterday so killing yeah just struggling but um i i i think it's it's it's just very apparent that like you know i think one one thing that i want to talk about, too, is this right here,

which is I think that Davis Warren is getting a lot of hate on social media, you know, and that comes with being the Michigan quarterback, right? If you're the Michigan quarterback and your offense is not doing what you think it should, you're going to get a lot of hate. And although I think that like you know Davis isn't the most talented guy in the world right and he's you know definitely not JJ McCarthy but he's not the biggest problem could he could he have been better yes did he make mistakes yes he'd admit that to you right but I think there are a lot of other things going on that i would point to with this offense rather than davis warren do you agree with that take yeah i

mean um again i can't remember if the first interception the one that got tipped up um i think that was the all hitch play like all five guys wide run a hitch it's like that was the all-hitch play. Like, all five guys wide run a hitch. It's like, that's the same NCAA, Kirk. You know, like, we got to have something, get some guys running across the field. Like, it's college football, man. Like, you can get with it. You can find spots in the zone. Like, you know, Davis, that's the one thing he brings.

He's been in the program for four years. He's a smart guy. He doesn't have the biggest arm. But, like, you know, if he can get pre-snap reads and then try to identify where a guy might be open, that's probably going to be his – like, it's very Kate McNamara-esque. Yeah. Right?

Like, you're not J.J. McCarthy on your fourth read making a play necessarily. And that may – maybe that'll come for him, right? You've got to play a lot – you've got to play football to get better at football. And Davis, you know, two starts in. So – but, like, the other pick, you're down. You know, Colston doesn't look. Just some miscommunication. I don't know who that's on. You're just trying to make a play and db makes a great sliding interception

basically and it's like you know and he missed samaj uh over the middle deep down the field and it's like that stinks but he put the ball in some spots um you know he had the offense moving here and there but it's just like i mean if colson level is not making a play this passing game is not existing because the receivers – dude, I told you, we were not recording, but I was going through each of the last however many recruiting classes, and it is depressing because either the guys are here and they don't play or they transfer.

And there's just no depth. Nobody can get open. I don't know what's going on in the receiver room, man. There's just nothing happening yeah i mean honestly i i really i think it goes back to the recruiting and and the you know the portal and everything where it's like there's just a major talent drop off um when i uh i tweeted this out a little bit um and talked about it last night after while we were watching football this is i'll use the the wide receivers as the example but i think it is all over the map there are a lot of guys that we would have called average last year quote unquote average cornelius johnson is my example cornelius johnson outside of 2022 ohio state where

he burns latham ransom and you know has as multiple touchdowns you were never looking at cornelius johnson like that's our playmaker that's our guy who's going to like dominate he's always open he you know takes the top off the defense but you would kill for Cornelius Johnson right now right you need a guy that is running perfect routes he's reliable as hell when catching the ball that he's your go-to when you need it like there were that's my example there are a lot you know Carson Barn barnhart's the other guy that i would say like nothing crazy it's not like he's like you know one of the top linemen in the country but like does his job every single time right i know we talk about carson for penn state pass

blocking you know because he's a guard i mean he was a good guard right exactly but like you'd kill for carson barnhart in this situation same with ladarius henderson and so you know i think when we're going back to the wide receivers like you just don't have guys that are going to like do their job and get it done and i think there's a talent drop off like the talent drop off between cornelius johnson and the guys in this receiver room right now is pretty major. Yeah, I mean, because I think Samaj is definitely more of like a gadget guy. Right? Like more of a wide receiver three.

But, again, I will take – just run an all-mesh offense, man. Just see what happens. I don't know. Like, that'd be more creative than whatever the hell's going on down there right now. You know? Like, I mean, run mesh with Morris morgan and have colson do something and i don't know man it's just uh yeah yeah not great um here's what i want to talk about too

the mistakes yeah we talked about it man we talked about it on the on the pregame pod like if michigan was going to be competitive and win this game they needed to do what texas did to michigan not not have it happen to them right like they needed three turnovers they needed unforced errors they needed to be able to move the ball and maintain possession and um i don't know what it ended up being but at one point we're like michigan was getting it was like two to one time of possession like they were just holding the ball it ended up that we only we were like three minutes behind them in time of possession because we were driving

all that fourth quarter um but yeah i mean it's just very uncharacteristic you know i i said it uh i said this in our like training camp podcast of talking about Davis Warren and this offense and why, why I thought that Davis Warren could lead this offense to be salad. And the reason why I said it was because Michigan's offense didn't win by being super explosive or doing crazy things. They won by taking care of the football. They won by not having penalties.

They won by making the right play when the play was needed to be made. And you start off the first play of the game in your own freaking stadium with a false start by your senior. That is not okay. That is you you cannot have that man and here's my opinion like that shit doesn't happen under Jim Harbaugh the Michigan sloppy the Michigan football program that I know from you know from Jim Harbaugh was that that does not happen right and i i think that's like one of the most frustrating things to me is like right from the get-go that that's that's the case you you all of a sudden are in first and 15 donovan actually rips off two great runs that would have gotten you a first down if

you're in first and 10 and then it's like you know, same with the almost interception by McCurry, right? Or on the, you know, that changes the game possibly, right? Like you get a first down, maybe you get started, you know, they see something, you feel momentum. Like that false start just pisses me off, man, because it's like you have to control the controllables. We did not control the controllables. You can't control that Quinn Ewers is really good at football, right? But you can control making a mistake. Colston Loveland, who's your guy, the guy on this,

maybe the only, like, dog on this Michigan offense, and he doesn't tuck the ball. He forces his own fumble. Yeah. You know, like, I'm sorry, I'm ranting a little bit right now, but, like, that shit, like, that's the shit that really irks me because that's, like, that's not Michigan football. I have one that I complain about in the stadium

that really, really rubbed me the wrong way is that Texas is down at the one is, is first and goal is 24 to six. And there's like, I don't know what happened because it was away from us where we were sitting. So Quinn Ewers gets hit and he had taken a knee and no flag was thrown. And then you get the joy. And it's like,

come on. You want to show fight now? Yeah yeah you want to show fight in the ways that don't help you win a football game and then some of the celebrations from some of the guys when you're when you're down 25 points you got you got the goggles or whatever the hell we're doing i don't like that right like i do not like that like you if you want to do that when you're winning you go right ahead but when you're getting smoked on the game of the week, you got Matthew McConaughey there. I mean, come on, dude.

Like, you got the eyes of the country on you, and you're doing all this extra stuff. I'm just not a fan of it. I think, to your point, the play where Ewers took a knee, and then I think it was Cam Brandt smoked him. Smoked his shit. There should have been a flag 1000 like if i was if i was sark i would have flipped out on that but that to me like that's what michigan did to other teams like they made other teams get so pissy and make those stupid mistakes in the past where it's like,

you know, that, that to me is a sign of a bad football team because you are, you're letting things get to you. Right. And like, you can't show the fight when you need to, but then you're going to do some extracurriculars once you get already getting your ass kicked. That's, that's not as, I don't like that as being characteristics of our team no of our program and so you know i i don't know man i think that like

again i i fully believe that cheryl moore is going to have this program you know in a good spot whether it's next year the year after you know whatever I'm not really sure yet but I think that right now he's got to look in the mirror a little bit and say like what who are we what are we gonna what are we gonna pride ourselves on yeah you know you can say a lot of things about Jim Harbaugh he's a weird dude in a in a weird quirky way but he builds programs by doing things the right way. And you can, you know, somebody in the comments is going to talk about cheating and side stealing. I really don't give a fuck, but you're, you know, to me it is,

he built this program and the way that they turned it around, you know, was by, Hey, we're going to be so sound in all aspects of the game. We're not going to turn the ball over. We're not going to have penalties. We're not going to showboat. We're blue collar. We'll dig deep. Like, we've got grit.

I don't see a lot of that as characteristics. I'm not naming many of those right now if i'm talking about this football program currently no dude like i don't know man just yeah it just doesn't feel the same um and obviously you know to your point about sharon like sharon in that same conversation with the guy in the mirror like who am i going to be as a coach like i can't be jim so who am i going to be as a head football coach university the University of Michigan? That's going to be the conversation he has to have with himself. It's a big week. Like, this is a – and we'll talk about Arkansas State,

and that's going to be an interesting tailgate. I don't know what it's going to look like. But for the team, that is a big game. And they're going to win. Just to be real, they're going to win. They have to find some sort of momentum, something that they can lean on offensively and defensively um because this is a this is the second straight week where the special teams is by far away the best unit uh shout out zavada maybe the best player on the team at this

point seriously though um but this is a big week of preparation this is a big week of preparation. This is a big week for these guys to try to get back on track. And they better show something against Arkansas State because guess what? You got USC coming to town. Yeah, I know LSU looks like dog shit on Saturday against Nichols State, I think. I can't remember who they played. They were not – And USC also looked like – their offense still looked good,

but their defense is bad. Dude, they gave up. Well, they just gave up. They just had to shut up against Utah State. I mean, it's Utah State, but they went 48-0. So what does that look like with them coming to town? Like, that's going to be an opportunity to get, like, if you, because you have all your goals in front of you.

That's the thing, right? Like, the vibes of the team right now from the outside looking in are like, ah, they stink. You still have plenty of opportunities to – you don't have a conference loss, right? Like you still have – all of your goals are in front of you. Big Ten Championship, playoffs, national championships. Those are all in front of you.

I don't know if they're going to get to those goals, but as a player and as a coach – Sorry, I totally just interrupted you. I apologize. I realize USC was 140 at nothing. That's obvious. I was thinking Oregon against Boise State. Yeah, I fell asleep, old man over here.

But that was a prank. You know what? Fell asleep. First thing I did, though. This is tough. We'll get back to Michigan responding because I do really want to talk about that. But I don't know if I can do these West Coast Big Ten teams. I got to stay up to watch Oregon and USC to know what they're like until 2 in the morning.

I mean, this is very Boomer and old man of us, but this is tough. To start the day at 4 in the morning and have to stay up until 2 to keep watching football, tough. But, yeah, all right, back to, you know, I think you were making a really good point of, like, there's still a lot of season left ahead of you. How does this team respond? you is it is it are we cashing it in right now are there guys that are ready to go to the nfl right now after week two they're like listen i'm gonna you know i'm gonna get mine i'm ready to you know i'm gonna make

sure that i i try to do my best to go be a top 10 pick or do that do that because these guys aren't going to be top 10 picks if that's the performance we're getting right so go be a top 10 pick play well that's we need that right like go do that but if you just think you're going to pack it in because guess what i don't know if you guys i don't know if these guys know this or you know this but the nfl a lot harder really hard really really hard a lot of great college football players do not make it the nfl right so like you want to know how preparation it's got to be better you know how good it you know how hard it was to go up against that uh texas offensive line every single team in the nfl has five of those guys they're all probably better

yeah right take their best offensive linemen. They've got five of them. Yeah. It's got to be better, man. It's just the preparation. You know, I definitely agree with you, like, on an individual basis for sure. But, like, as a team, right, are you guys going to respond as a team, come together?

You know, can it be 2021 Michigan after that Michigan State game, right? Who's going to be the Aiden Hutchinson of this team? Who's going to be the guy that's like, listen, we're going to get this shit right. We're going to figure this out. We're going to keep, you know, putting our feet on the pavement. We're going to clock back into Schembechler Hall this morning on Sunday,

go back to work on Monday, and we're going to figure this out. I think I'm waiting to find out who that guy is. Yeah, I mean, legacy-wise, a lot of these guys have cemented themselves as legendary players, right? But I will say this. If you go out with a whimper, I don't know if these guys care about that because they're 2-0 against Ohio State. These juniors are 2-0 against Ohio State, two-time Big Ten champs,

one-time national champs, all-Americans, all that stuff, right? So your legacy is cemented. But do you want to go out with a your legacy is cemented but like do you yeah exactly like blake quorum went out three and oh and uh three-time big ten champion and a national champion like you know do you want to go out that way to be remembered because like blake quorum is an all-time michigan legend though like forget the record books all that stuff what he did what he meant to the program do you want to be like that or you want to be a guy that was just along for the ride that's up to those guys to figure that out I I agree I agree they've got to figure it out and

you know I think there's there's plenty of ball to be played there's plenty of time to figure something out you're not all of a sudden gonna get five new linemen right you're not gonna get transfer here right like he looks so good by the way dude we jokingly talked about that but like that would have been that would have been probably nice that also would have been the most electric transfer of all time ohio state after he got like run out of town and then he comes here and if he's like really good who knows can you imagine the conspiracy theories like oh they only got him so he could provide the practice footage from huddle and catapult that's what they knew the screen was coming in 2022 yeah that would

have been amazing by the way just i just want to say this real quick and i'll let you take us out here whatever you want to go with it um i don't think we're complacent because we just spent an hour bitching about it i agree i agree listen i i some people text me doing a wellness check on me last night um i i'm not as like melting down as i normally would be right if we don't win the natty last year and then this is how it's going, I'm in a very, very different headspace. Yes. Right? I am very – I'm broken at that point if that's the case.

Yeah. But the Natty helps. It helps a lot for sure. It does, man. And I'm not saying, like, if we go 7-5 this year, I'm not going to be okay with that. The Natty doesn't – the Natty does not go that far for me. But I think when you realize what you know what you lost um you know you i i think what i realized as well is like how good nick

saban is and how good these you know dabble with clemson and like these teams that just reloaded for like 10 years straight year after year after after year, it's really freaking hard. And so, you know, you got to tip the cap to a lot of those guys. But, you know, we'll see what Michigan does. I think you, you know, I'm very curious as to what happens this Saturday, even though it's Arkansas State. Do they come out firing? I got to give it to Clemson for getting their ass kicked just as bad

or worse by Georgia than we just did to Texas. They came out with a vengeance on Saturday. And App State's a good program. I don't know what they're like this year, but they're a good program over the past five, ten years. And so, you know, I'm looking, does Michigan come out, you know, are they going to score 70 points like Clemson did? I don't know, but you got to come out and show the people show yourselves. All right.

Hey, you know, we can still figure this thing out. So that's what I'm looking for, man. So, all right, well, I'll end it with that. You know, we'll be back at the tailgate. We'll have a pod this week. Shout out North Peak Brewing. Truly, and Sun Cruiser, we appreciate you. Shout out State and Liberty. For us, you can follow us at Blue by 90 on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook,

at Blue by 90 Podcast on YouTube, and blueby90.com. We appreciate you. Go Blue. Go Blue.