Grading the Buckeyes--Week 13 Michigan

Offense: B
Overall, the offense....did their job. Crazy, but true. It appeared Bollman had already headed out the door with some diversified playcalling. The running game wasn't too hot from the RBs but Boom got his and Miller was electric running. If Miller could throw a deep ball, we may be undefeated with the WRs streaking open deep on every play. A real QB coach will do wonders for that. The O-Line was degenerated, but they had a decent performance. This is the first loss that lays nearly no blame on the offense. The 2-minute drill was disgusting, but that was the only real issue. No turnovers is another plus.

Defense: D
You knew it...I knew it...Everyone in the world knew it. Denard can win the game unless you take him out of his zone. Our defense seemed to help him turn in the performance of his career. The correct defensive playcall is to assign a linebacker or defensive lineman whose one job is to knock Denard down on EVERY PLAY!! He runs the QB belly read perfectly so the only solution is to make the RB beat you and knock him flat. We didn't. Missed tackles, blown coverages, unacceptable at OSU. The Bullets made Denard look like a competent pocket passer....that's on us.

Special Teams: B
Punting fine, kicks fine, coverage fine, returns ok. No complaints, no accolades. Buchanan had ups and downs but nothing that changed the game. Also, can't give credit to OSU for the UM punter's failure.

Coaching: B-
Offensively, up to the last drive, the offensive coaching was just fine. Calling the first slant of the year on 2nd down in a 2 minute drill, and then spiking the ball on 3rd!!!, is simply ridiculous. After 3 quarters of innovation with the offense, we regressed horribly in the final drive. Also, the defensive gameplan of tiptoeing around Denard was completely asinine. To beat him, you must physically beat him down. Force the handoff by selling out on hitting Denard. If the back beats you, tip your cap. The only mistake we could have make was letting Denard beat us running. OSU let him do that, and it was over. The best offensive performance of the year was overshadowed by the worst defensive performance. The team had talent, but it was never utilized...and that's why we now have Meyer. The expectations being laid at his feet are completely crazy, but I'm certainly excited for what he can do with this team. I see great things in the future! GO BUCKS! And Michigan still sucks!