I've heard rumblings after the game that we play down to our competition, but I don't think that's true. I would be more nuanced about it -- I think in The Game, Day lets Michigan dictate the terms of The Game. Instead of playing to our strengths, Day thinks we need to out-tough them, out-physical them, etc. These are obviously important traits to win a football game, but this plays into Michigan's strengths instead of playing to our own.

That takes me to this particular play from Saturday. I believe this is 3rd and 9 from inside the Michigan 20 in the 3rd quarter. The play is actually extremely well designed and you can see that it might almost bounce for a touchdown if the RG holds his block.

Hats off to Wink Martindale. Michigan got pressure on Will Howard on 48.6 percent of his dropbacks with a season-low blitz rate 5.9 percent, per TruMedia.

Helps to have this guy in the middle. pic.twitter.com/mxA4Y3ZDPq
— Austin Meek (@byAustinMeek) December 2, 2024

But for God's sake. Mason Graham is the best defensive tackle in college football since Suh. He is an absolute monster on the interior. He is going to have a Cam Heyward-type career in the pros. I would say he was the best football player on the field Saturday, and I am including our own players. He is a phenomenal football player that single-handily prevents teams from running up the middle, collapses the pocket on pass plays, etc. 

To call that play in that situation is to let Michigan dictate the terms of The Game. It is thinking "if we just execute this run, it might break." But it fails to acknowledge where we are weakest (interior OL) and where they are best (interior DL). It also fails to take advantage of our biggest strength (WR) versus their biggest weakness (corner, especially with Johnson out).

It is just a mind-numbingly over-thought play call concocted in a lab of film study, completely devoid of analyzing personnel. Any call that is good in theory that requires beating Mason Graham is a bad play call. To do that in this high leverage of a situation is malpractice of the highest order.

Moving forward in The Game and this season, it's time to play to our strengths. Identify opponent's weaknesses and attack them with unrelenting precision over and over and over again until they stop you (e.g., drag routes against UM in 2018). Any play that requires you to beat their best player is a bad play. Call a timeout and start over.