Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

Ya 2007 he had like 1200+yds  receiving.Between him & KW II - what could have been in C-Town

Ya 2007 he had like 1200+yds  receiving.Between him & KW II - what could have been in C-Town

he also averaged like 17+ YPC and had 16 touchdown catches that year too. You could make a case he was a top 5 WR in the league at the time. It was certainly trending that way.

KW II and Braylon both had ELITE talent for their positions. It's a shame that both of them didn't live up to the kind of ability they had. They were both very good NFL players. I wouldn't consider either of them flat out busts. Considering the kind of talent they had though- they should've both been in the HOF or at the least knocking on those HOF doors.

Larry Fitzgerald and Antonio Gates will both end up in the hall. And rightfully so. Two of the greatest ever at their positions. Neither one of them was as talented or gifted as Braylon or KW II though. That game, that league- it's about way more than talent.

So concerning targeting... obviously I think Purdue got screwed here.  2 ejections on questionable calls.  Those players will miss time vs Minnesota also (correct me if I'm wrong).

This penalty gives refs free reign to adversely affect a game...or games!  Not only is it subjective, it is also one sided.  This rule specifically targets the defense.  The offense violates the principals of this rule constantly, and nobody bats an eye.

Here me out.

The defense is defenseless.  The offense makes forcible contact to the defenders head and neck area without pause.  The offenders strike with the helmet crown, shoulder, hand, fist, elbow (stiff arm).  They lower the head before attacking.  They crouch and thrust forward.  

The defender is defenseless because of said rule.  In order to not be subject of a subjective penalty, the defense must let the target gain possession of the ball, and then establish forward momentum and awareness, rendering the offense able to be defensive.  

The defense must let the offense assert their will.  Any attempt to interrupt this is subject to a penalty...a penalty that the offense is not subject to.  

The icing on the cake, of course, is that the rule is enforced (or not) entirely different from game to game, and conference to conference.  

I need a refill.

I had a really good time in West Lafayette this weekend. Props on the two local craft beers that are sold inside the stadium, as well. Fortunately, the heat wasn't a major issue with the tailgate spot and seat I had both being mostly shaded. I was mostly with other Michigan fans but most of the Purdue fans I encountered seemed good-natured. I didn't get a chance to really see any of the downtown area, though.

The offense finally had a solid and efficient game finishing drives with 4 TDs instead of FGs. I'm not sure if what we saw from O'Korn is what we can expect to see consistently if he remains the starter. He narrowly avoided some sacks, which he impressively escaped but probably shouldn't have gotten himself in trouble in the first place. I was glad to see the TEs finally get more involved, especially with Black's injury. The RBs were solid, as well.

Michigan's defense was dominant, especially in the second half. They seemed ready for most of the trick plays, so at this point I'm pretty confident that they can contain just about any offense they face. Special teams was also mostly a plus, even without needing any FGs, finally. Robbins finally came in at punter, and seems to be better than Hart. No non-offensive scores or major turnovers this week, though.

I'm glad we have our bye week next to figure out Speight's situation and adjust the offense according to whoever might be the starter. I'm conflicted on who it should be. Speight has been better when he plays well, but that hasn't happened since the middle of last year. If O'Korn starts the rest of the year and plays well, I could see Speight potentially becoming a graduate transfer if Peters masters the offense (which is apparently his problem) and McCaffery coming off his redshirt season this year. That's all premature speculation for now, though.

Chase Winovich wins National Defensive Player of the Week for his 3 sack performance against Purdue. Winovich is 1st in the B1G with 6 sacks, Devin Bush Jr is 2nd in the B1G with 4.5 sacks.

Michigan has the #1 total defense in the NCAA giving up just 203 yards per game. Michigan also has the #1 defense in terms of yards per play giving up only 3.52 yards per play. Michigan's rush defense is ranked 4th in the nation giving up 69 yards per game. Michigan's scoring defense is tied for 12th in the nation giving up 13 PPG. Take out Speight's two pick 6's though and that 13 PPG number goes down- those points weren't on the defense but still counted in that PPG total.

You take out 14 points for those pick 6's- real number is 10 PPG that defense is giving up. And 3 of Purdue's were points off a turnover and 7 of Cinci's were points off of turnovers. If they just stop turning the ball over and have an efficient offense- this team could be LETHAL because they have a hell of a defense- maybe the best kicker in the country in Nordin, a solid special teams unit and a guy in DPJ who can house it on a return or two. Entire season all rests on the QB play and the development of the offense.

Purdue's 2nd half drive chart vs. Michigan's defense:

3 plays, 1 yard, PUNT
3 plays, 3 yards, PUNT
3 plays, -3 yards, PUNT
3 plays, 5 yards, PUNT
5 plays, 3 yards, PUNT
1 play, 3 yards, FUMBLE

Purdue had more plays go for no yards or negative yards (12) than plays that gained positive yardage (5) in the 2nd half.


Yeah, this defense is pretty good with a lot of room to grow. Lots of young out there. Still haven't seen MAX Rashan Gary yet and Bryan Mone has barely touched the field. Get those two big fellas really going up a notch and this defense will be even nastier than it already is. Still think Ambry Thomas will find his way on the field at DB at some point- he's just too talented to keep on the bench and his redshirt has already been burned on special teams.

The big controversy out of West Lafayette is the lack of air conditioning or heat in the visitor locker room. The engineering school hasn't figured out how to run HVAC to it I guess.

With Saturday as it was temperature wise, as many players as could fit were sent all the way out to the parking lot to sit in busses at halftime. Harbaugh was quoted stating it as "gamesmanship that is not sportsmanlike."

I get the pink locker room silliness Iowa has, but when health and safety are compromised and it isn't something the home locker room has that is a fairly big deal. It appears Harbaugh and Urban Meyer are on the same page in pushing the conference to quickly developing some uniform standards for basic size, health and safety in visitor locker rooms.

It's a shame that Michigan football's first ever visit to the visiting locker rooms of Purdue should be marred by this tragic affront upon humanity.  If Michigan had ever traveled to Purdue before, I am sure that someone would have noticed this crime and been that beacon of light to illuminate this travesty.  After all, the game of football has been played for over 100 years and those players have enjoyed perfect comfort of 72 degrees during halftime over that entire time.  Thank you Jimmy, for bringing this to the forefront of attention.



....and for the record, the locker room does have venting.  That's required by code.  So you can't claim that they have no HVAC.