TheWolverine.com - Series by Series: Offense starts strong, fizzles a

September 9, 2008

Chris Balas
TheWolverine.com Senior Editor

Michigan's offense came roaring out of the gate with a quick touchdown against Miami, but missed opportunities plagued it the rest of the way in a 16-6 win. Here's a series by series look at what went right and went wrong on offense ?

First quarter

Plays: 5
Yards:77
Result: Touchdown

Best plays: A first down pass in the left flat from redshirt freshman quarterback Steve Threet to Martavious Odoms for 50 yards. A great play fake to freshman running back Sam McGuffie drew most of the defense in, sophomore Junior Hemingway got just enough of the cornerback and Odoms beat the safety cleanly for a big gain. Threet capped the drive with a nine-yard run on second and four when he read the backside end, who never found the ball after a fake to McGuffie.
Worst play: None.
Notes: A perfect opening drive. Threet carried twice for 15 yards and they even used fullback Mark Moundros for a seven-yard gain on a second down play.

Plays: 4
Yards:5
Result: Field goal.

Best play: Threet handed to McGuffie for a five-yard gain on first down after reading the end (who finally stayed home). That set up second-and-medium from the Miami 30 after a RedHawks turnover.
Worst play: McGuffie was stopped for no gain on the next play, a run left, when freshman receiver Darryl Stonum appeared slow to get to the cornerback. The play was otherwise well blocked and could have resulted in a first down or more.
Notes: U-M could have managed a first down, but Threet's third-down pass to Hemingway came up just short. Threet was forced to throw falling backward when McGuffie, in pass protection, was pushed into him.

Plays: 9
Yards:57
Result: K.C. Lopata missed 41-yard field goal

Best play: A first-down, 30-yard run from freshman Michael Shaw was set up by three solid runs from Threet on the zone read. Solid blocks from Hemingway and redshirt junior tight end Carson Butler helped spring him and Shaw showed patience, then speed in hitting the hole.
Worst play: Threet missed a wide-open Odoms down the left sideline on second-and-nine from the Miami 24 for what could have been a touchdown, then missed Butler over the middle on third down with a high throw. K.C. Lopata misfired on a 41-yard field goal.
Notes: Threet's throw to Butler was better covered than first thought, but the pass to Odoms is a must-have.

Second quarter

Plays: 4
Yards:1
Result: Punt

Best play: Threet faked to McGuffie on the first play from the U-M 14, drew the end in and ran right for 12 yards.
Worst play: After a six-yard pass to Odoms set up second-and-four at the Michigan 32, the Miami defense penetrated the left side of the line and hit McGuffie for a seven-yard loss, setting up third-and-long. Threet loses the ball on the backswing on third down and loses 10 more yards.
Notes: A promising start to the drive is ruined by one play. Instead of third-and-manageable, Threet is put in a bad position.

Plays: 5
Yards:20
Result: Punt

Best play: McGuffie flanks Threet right, runs left for 19 yards on second-and-12 from the U-M 18 on a play the left side of the line blocks perfectly. Butler misses a block downfield or McGuffie runs for at least 10 more yards.
Worst play: Threet appears to misread the end on the ensuing first down and hands to McGuffie, who is dropped at the line of scrimmage. Threet could have kept for decent gain right. Threet's third down pass, intended for an open Toney Clemons, is knocked down at the line by a lineman, though there was no penetration and solid protection.
Notes: Another poor early down play sabotages a drive.

Plays: 3
Yards:9
Result: Punt

Best play: A third-and-10 run for nine yards by redshirt sophomore Nick Sheridan was a broken play. Sheridan appeared to try to hand to redshirt junior Kevin Grady before tucking and running just short of the first down.
Worst play: A Miami linebacker was sitting on a second-down pass to McGuffie in the flat and wrapped him up for a one-yard loss.
Notes: Sheridan's first series ends with a three-and-out, made tougher by a no-gain run by Grady on first down. Many later question replacing Threet, though he'd struggled in his last few series.

Third Quarter

Plays: 3
Yards: -1
Result: Punt

Best play: None
Worst play: Threet overthrew a wide-open Hemingway down the left sideline following a blown coverage on third-and-11 from the U-M 30. Would have been a huge play, if not a touchdown.
Notes: A reverse to Odoms on first down didn't fool anyone and poor blocking by the right side of the line sabotaged a second-down draw with McGuffie.

Plays: 5
Yards: 15
Result: Punt

Best play: A play action pass to Clemons in the left flat on the first play (from the Michigan 29) was well read, but Clemons put his head down. Finally positive yardage on first down, setting up a second-and-five first down run for nine yards by McGuffie (blocked well, and McGuffie broke a tackle to make the marker).
Worst play: A missed block and a missed assignment on the left side blew up an option play left on second-and-eight from the U-M 43. Threet missed Stonum on third down on the left sideline, forced to throw early by a blitzing cornerback.
Notes: Left tackle Mark Ortmann replaced early in the drive by walk-on Bryant Nowicki after leaving with a dislocated elbow. Nowicki is slow off the line on his first few plays.

Plays: 4
Yards: 33
Result: Punt

Best play: McGuffie takes a pitch right from the I formation, gets a good block from fullback Mark Moundros and beats the linebacker to the corner, picking up 26 yards on the drive's first play.
Worst play: Sheridan misfires on a second-and-nine play action pass to Brandon Minor, the same play on which Shaw scored against Utah, throwing it low. Minor had plenty of room to run down the right sideline.
Notes: Sheridan throws to McGuffie short of the sticks on third down, hit immediately three yards shy of a first down. Hemingway appeared to be breaking open on a curl, but the pass had already been released.

Fourth Quarter

Plays: 7
Yards: 87
Result: Touchdown

Best plays: Good block by Moundros springs McGuffie out of the I for 13 yards around right edge. Great blocks from Nowicki, Odoms and LaTerryal Savoy (downfield) give McGuffie room on a third-and-four pass to the left flat, the key play of the game. Minor finished with a run left, breaking two tackles and getting a great block downfield from Butler.
Worst play: Sheridan didn't sell the fake at all on a second-and-five play from the Miami 43, keeping and gaining one. A linebacker read the play.
Notes: Nowicki starting to find his groove a bit. The biggest drive of the game in that it finally provides some separation.

Plays: 3
Yards: -1
Result: Punt

Best play: None.
Worst play: Three McGuffie runs against a defense stacked to stop the run net ?1 yards.
Notes: It's clear Rodriguez is simply trying to run clock. The Wolverines drain it to 2:30 before Zoltan Mesko punts to the 19.

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