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FORMATION NOTES: The UFR Glossary is here and you may want to brush up because DeBoer made me bring out rare formations like a true under-center Single-Wing, and weird notations like Z->Y means the WR and TE have switches spots. This is the Go Go setup (aka Single-Wing RB) that UNLV was running way back in September. I put covered players in parentheses, but Washington also managed to get away with some illegal formations where nobody was covered, in which case I just put a question mark in there, e.g. Go Go Right (?). "Hide H" was a trick where Rome Odunze hid out at tight end and got M to align in a mismatch. That's him trying not to be noticed as the H-back on the top of the formation (where all the Michigan players are pointing). I'm using "Flex" for a TE split out wide for a 2x2 set. "Demi" means the TE isn't tight but neither is he in the slot (see #37 on the left). Also we were treated to a skycam version of this game, so I can pro ....
Previously: Offense. DEFENSIVE END A paring of Derrick Moore and Josiah Stewart might not be particularly far off the legendary Hutchinson-Ojabo pairing from 2021. Stewart and Moore were already Michigan's top edge guys per PFF, and they were more or less indistinguishable from the departed Braiden McGregor and Jaylen Harrell in UFR grading. Neither was exactly a star in 2023, but it's not hard to extrapolate them from very good rotation players into stars with another year of development They had pass rush win rates of 17% (Stewart) and 15% (Moore), which was good for 18th and 43rd, respectively, amongst 251 P5 edges with at least 100 snaps. Meanwhile, you may remember some grousing in this space about Stewart not holding the edge in a couple early games but once he got that figured out he was an excellent run defender. Also: the way Michigan ran its pass rush last year probably put a cap on just how highly they could grade out. Guys like Chop Robinson and Bralen Trice are s ....
UFR GLOSSARY is here. Video note: I went back to Streamable because Youtube's been awful lately. FORMATION NOTES: Saban got creative in his last coaching appearance. I called this one "Pistol TTBy (X)" for Trips to the Boundary with a covered X-receiver. Reminder that "RB" means the halfback set up on the same side as the strength and a letter in parentheses means that player is covered. For example I called this "Single-Wing RB (Y)." There's a WR on the far left covering #45. Michigan's passing downs exotic was that 30-wide front with a stand-up DE in the B-gap that I started calling "Crable" at some point because I'm an aughts guy. In the 2nd half Bama started using two-back sets and setting up their RT in the backfield (they weren't calling anything this game) to give Milroe more protection. Speaking of respect… [Patrick Barron] Out of respect for your time and our photographers' skills I'm going to refrain ....
OFFENSE Bang, bang. Donovan Edwards put up two 40 yard touchdowns on Michigan's first two drives, and they were more or less the same thing: duo that sucks in Washington defenders followed by Edwards being insanely explosive. Number one: There was an undercurrent of sardonic amusement amongst the twitterati after this one because it felt like Edwards missed the hole and only got to it by luck after making a mistake, but this is only a touchdown because Edwards initially presses the A gap. That action sucks in three different defenders and when Edwards changes direction, it's over. This is all I want from Donovan Edwards: change direction. If he does that he wins because no one is as explosive as he is. Number two is all of the gaps (all of the gaps): That's two TEs, a bonus OL, and Cornelius Johnson. If Zak Zinter was healthy I guarantee you Cornelius Johnson would not be on the field. Washington does not know what the hell to do with this. They've clearly prepped f ....