Quote:
Originally Posted by shemp
An over matched Michigan team, playing in front of their home fans, rallied to win a close game on the back of a couple of great performances. That really is the story, even if on balance they got an extra call or no call or two (and I'm not conceding this because I can't review the tape and am not going to do the bean counting-- precisely because it wasn't the story).
I'd agree with that. I mean, when both teams put up 30+ points they've both done some good stuff (and some bad stuff no doubt). If ND had held on the last drive it wouldn't have meant that Michigan didn't play a great game. But the manner in which they drove it in there in the end merited a victory. Michigan fans should be proud of their players, and have every right to be delighted with the win.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MyTurn2Raise
all of this stuff is just distracting from the main point: genius Charlie Weis ****ed this game up in a big way. The difference between him and DickRod decided the outcome.
I just don't agree with that. ND's playcalling was excellent throughout the game (choice of passing play on the second last drive aside), Michigan got a lot of the playcalling right aswell. I think you can pick apart both sides from this perspective and find holes, and as such I don't buy that any edge in this department was the prime factor in a four point gap between the two teams at the final whistle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjw0586
Seemed to work perfectly. At least that's what the scoreboard tells me.
The reason this was the key part of your post to highlight is because it's indicative of an incorrect mindset when analyzing most anything in life. You will often win despite making bad decisions every step of the way. And vice-versa. Just because RRod won isn't proof enough that he got the gameplanning / gamecalling right.
I know a whole heap of people desperately want the story to be Weis ****ed up. He wasn't perfect on Saturday, but boiling the narrative down to 'ND would have won if they had a different head coach on the sideline' is far too simplistic and inaccurate. He deserves criticism in so far as any coach who takes a superior team on paper and ends up losing a game deserves criticism. But blaming it all on Weis doesn't add up in a wild end to end contest that swung one way and then the other. And ultimately, it does a great disservice to what Michigan achieved infront of a raucous home support.