i would have expected a much closer game with those numbers. WA has great athletes all over the field too and a great QB. Seems like OL and Defense won the game for Michigan.
Penix 255, McCarthy 140
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Both QBs were middling
I've been saying Penix was overrated but he's a good guy and I think he was getting hurt,
Michigan secondary and OL were tremendous.
Last OL I saw that good was tOSU in 2014
Defense only had one sack but the pressure was constant.
Watchable game
I've been saying Penix was overrated but he's a good guy and I think he was getting hurt,
Michigan secondary and OL were tremendous.
Last OL I saw that good was tOSU in 2014
Defense only had one sack but the pressure was constant.
Watchable game
Big Ten Football rules! Defense and running the ball are the building block to winning, at least in college. NFL has ruined the game. Nearly every new rule in the last 15 years are designed to
produce more offense for fantasy football players. Winning isn't as important as having the most fantasy points.
It's fun to watch a defense dominate.
Did you see Penix by the mid 3rd quarter? That kid was in severe discomfort. Hoping no permanent damage to his internal parts .
Penix turned the ball over a couple of times which McCarthy didn't. TO are a killer and might be the single most important stat in football.
Michigan dominated good parts of the game but it was plenty watchable although I thought it wasn't going to be the way it started. Washington had chances but Michigan was in Penix's head enough that they couldn't capitalize on them and the lack of holding calls at times wasn't helpful. Washington's defense came alive but eventually without connecting on their offensive opportunities it wasn't enough and eventually broke.
It reminded me of a replay of the Alabama game. Michigan comes out on fire, then a lull and then comeback and put it away in the end.
Still think offense is what gets you this far if you're a lower status team. Strong offense and at least a mediocre defense and you have a shot to make some noise. That's what got Washington here and a TCU, Mizzou this year got up there, Tulane last year with a big jump in offense got them far...so if you're not a big status program that is the avenue with better potential.
This Michigan team was a really good one so you can't compare it to most other B10 teams or even prior versions of itself the last 2 years. It's matured and honed from three years and 2 prior playoff appearances. Michigan's defense was very good last year too but it didn't slow down TCU's offense and that was also a team with mediocre defense.
I think Washington will take a step back next year, maybe 7-9 win team. Frankly, I think Michigan will take a step back too with the players they lose and then with a good chance of Harbaugh going to the NFL. If he does, he may take some staff with him too and that would make it even harder to maintain the level of play. I'd guess Moore would be the replacement if he goes.
Offense wins games. Defense wins championships. There are a few that don’t follow the general rule but you point to TCU who got blown out by the Georgia D in the ship 65-7. Tulane is a very poor example. Missouri is a pretty good example but not great. They somehow always do a great job with QB’s but how far have they climbed with all of those NFL QB’s? Not very.
I could be wrong, but neither one of those guys looked like future NFL QB's to me.
Love that video. Used to watch with frequency.
Broom couldn’t breath that’s 2nd half.
Lots of NFL talent on that field for both teams.
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There's a massive talent differential when you talk about a UGA or Alabama etc,, that's hard to always overcome with offense. It's still the best avenue the lower down the totem pole you are. BTW UGA's offense last year was ranked in the top 5 total, YPP, scoring.
Tulane jumped 60 some odd spots in the offensive productivity last year from the year prior and made a NY6 bowl and beat USC in a shootout. If they weren't like that they wouldn't have accomplished that much as a lower status program.
In reality there are only a handful of teams that can win a championship in college because of big talent disparities. The thing is to be able to push your program to its full potential and maybe even beyond what your status and talent may indicate. That's generally done with offense. I don't see many lower status teams getting to NY6 bowls or playoffs on the back of a defense and not much offense. To get to those somewhat lofty levels you're usually going to need productive offense.
If anything though after these recent years and especially this year, I might expand a little on who can win championships in the future. I've been saying portal, NIL have created more opportunity from the top on down and has expanded talent distribution a little more (there will never be full parity). I mentioned in another thread. I posted an article that showed the 247 talent composite of teams by their recruit rankings etc...and Michigan is the first team outside the top 10 to win it all. Only one team outside the top 5 has won it before and that was Clemson at 8. Michigan is 15 which is good but not cream of the crop elite. Washington was 26. Cincy and TCU were 40s and 50s IIRC. So that's a good sign that it's not necessarily the top of the top that will always win. The elite talent teams will often be in contention and likely favorites but it's possible for others to take them down here and there.
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Game can and always will be won with the lines. Rutgers legit looked like Wisconsin vs Miami in their bowl game. Dominant OL and DL, running the ball, and good defense have been a winning formula for over 100 years in football.
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Respectfully, when one team rushes for over 300 yards (8 per carry) and the other team for 40 something, your passing yards numbers are irrelevant.
I think both Harbaugh and their OL coach - Sherrone Moore - leave in the next week or so. Harbaugh back to the NFL and Moore takes a CF HC job somewhere.
Michigan was the preseason favorite in 2023 and they proved everyone correct. They lose a ton of key contributors going into next year and almost all the 2024 preseason polls have OSU and Oregon as the B1G favorites ---- both have several key Portal additions so far. Also keep an eye on PSU and Rutgers could also be better as I fully expect them back in a Bowl and possibly beating one or two of the top teams in 2024. Schiano is just a really solid coach
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303 rushing yards. McCarthy didn't need to do much
My takeaway from this year’s playoff (despite how much I hate ESPN’s SEC bias) is that Georgia would have rolled to a threepeat if they had made it in.
Michigan’s DL and OL were the difference. Also they did a great job mixing things up defensively in coverage which got Penix off schedule and they constantly pressured him. Quarterback centric offensive systems are good especially with a talented QB like Penix, however in championship type games against top tier defenses , they often break down. Teams which are great running the ball and who have top defenses are tough to beat in big games.
Stop! Not even close. They couldn't handle Alabama's offense and defensive lines and Michigan were much better.
Be careful giving Greg props there are a number of posters who realize we improved in many areas still refrain from acknowledging his ability as a coach at the highest college levels. They know who they are but like everyone expects only show when there is adversity .
And McCarthy 4 rushes for 31 yards, with Penix -1.7 yds.
To be fair the 2 INTs by Penix did not help.
Michigan took what the UW gave them. They were very adept at doing that. When UW shut down UM's running backs, McCarthy had a few nice runs and added yards.
OP seemed to want to make a point about this, but there is much more to the equation than passing yards.
Defense, adjustments, interceptions all matter.
RU is well positioned to do well next year. If we can get a little more and more consistency out of the passing game (QB and receivers alike), RU could have a fantastic year.
You need to put up the rushing yardage, 46 to 303. Michigan had no reason to pass with that type of success running and 3 plays 40+ yards.
Georgia wasn't the Georgia of past seasons. The Dawgs were only about as good as Alabama this year. If you look at their schedule, they had many surprising close calls. For example, they only beat Georgia Tech by one score. I think people are putting WAY too much weight on their hammering FSU by 60. The Noles threw in the towel in that game. Rutgers could have defeated FSU on that day by 40.
This is not to say that Georgia *might* not have won the playoff, if they had made it in by beating Bama. But they were no unstoppable juggernaut this year.
But if he had to, I feel confident he could get it done.
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The one real game Georgia had to get up for they didn't and lost. I think all 4 teams in the playoffs beat Georgia.
You almost had it. They couldn’t handle Alabama’s lines so they lost to them.
Michigan and the others would not have been able to handle the size/speed that the Georgia presented on the rest of the field.
Constant pressure on Penix led to many inaccurate throws and ints. Story of the game.
Ridiculous. Georgia had trouble with Alabama's offensive line, which was the weak point of this year's Tide. And Bama had "size & speed" all over the field, just like Georgia. Just because Georgia was clearly the best program for two years doesn't mean this team was as good.
I think Michigan was the best, most consistent team all year. I watch a good number of games and Georgia had a good team this year but not near what they’ve had over the last few years, especially on defense. Michigan’s defense was very good at all 3 levels, especially up front and in the secondary. Their offense was solid and OL was among the best.
They lost a ton in the draft the last two years, so they weren’t as good as the last two, but I wasn’t that impressed by anyone except Michigan in the playoff. Alabama isn’t either, but they are used to the physicality of Georgia and were able to put together on one day and beat them. I think GA wins 7 times if they play Bama 10.
Washington folded at the first real defense (Michigan) they played, and Texas looked like a typical horrendous B12 defense when they played Washington.
Michigan’s passing game was not necessary yesterday, but hasn’t been impressive for a while. I think McCarthy is playing with an injury because he is a shell of what he was earlier this year.
Sure they would have. You keep thinking they were as good as past Georgia of the last few
years. Michigan was a much better team this year. Last 4 games. Victories over Ohio State, Iowa, Bama and Washington State. Three of them in the top 10. Scored 26, 27, 30 and 34 against pretty good to excellent defenses.
As much as I hate to admit it, because I hate cheaters and scumbags like Michigan's coaches who "supported" their antics this year, I agree. They were really solid at the OL and DL, which accounted for a lot of their success. Last night, they really swarmed to the ball. Seemed after each pass completion, they had 4-5 defenders on the receiver ready to tackle.