When Carcajous Start a New Adventure

Today the WCA blog reaches the end of its own road. I certainly had a blast with the blog this last year.

When Carcajous Attack! was my first attempt at sports blogging, and despite going it alone these past 12 months, I actually learned a great deal. I sincerely appreciated all of the comments from followers this past year, as well as the many considerate links extended to my stories by so many of my fellow Michigan sports and football bloggers. It was really cool to see other people reading and responding to some of my views, observations and ideas.

Let me say that it is not easy to run a meaningful sports blog on Michigan football, not to mention Michigan athletics. Not many people end up accessing and reading the thing in first place. And to get the hits, writing interesting and unique stuff can be challenging and a lot of work. There were days and weeks where I didn't feel like I was getting together sufficient content in the first place. Often times work and family life got in the way of contributing more.

So for 2010 I've decided to explore a new method, expand my horizons, and improve the exposure of my work. I'm taking my Michigan Wolverine football addiction - or affliction, if you will - over to the Maize N Brew Blog, which has been providing excellent content on Michigan athletics for several years now, including my own main area of obsessive interest: Michigan football.

I'm really looking forward to writing alongside Dave and the entire cast of great writers of the Maize N Brew crew this year. It should be a lot of fun. And I figure if my writings go downhill, I'll still have a new group of colleagues as a support group to help me improve my personal coping skills with things like 3-9, Michael Rosenberg, 5-7, and whatever the 2010 Michigan football season may have on tap!

Of course, it is now mid-January and the dreaded "dead period" is almost over. Michigan football recruiting, Spring Game 2010 preparations, Coaching Changes, Position Battles, Pre-Season 2010 Predictions, Way-to-Early Opponent Previews, and of course Michigan schedule analyses will all be coming up on deck soon. If you enjoyed some of my past writings from the WCA blog, please be sure to visit and bookmark Maize and Brew blog going forward.

Thanks again for everyone's support of When Carcajous Attack!. It was a lot of fun.
See you over at Maize N Brew!

Sincerely,

Markusr2007
Hail to the Victors!
Let's Go Blue!

When Carcajous Attack Fighting Irish

Who wants Scotch?

Michigan vs. No. 18 Notre Dame, September 12, 2009 – Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan

When You Crave Irrational Exuberance On A Level That Only Brett Musberger Can Deliver:
“We’re here LIVE in Ann Arbor, Michigan! (Except that I’m physically really in Columbus, Ohio with Kirk Herbstreit, preparing for the USC-Ohio State shootout!). Alright fans, Rich Rodriguez and the 1-0 2009 Michigan football team will being going head to head with Charlie Weis and the 18th ranked, 1-0 Notre Dame Fighting Irish! This is a major statement game for both teams for the following reasons:

1.) Wolverines head coach Rich Rodriguez is under the gun for a 4-9 record so far at Michigan. Recent allegations of violating NCAA rules regarding practice rules has generated a lot of negative publicity to Rodriguez and the Wolverine football program.

2.) Rich Rodriguez is 0-2 versus Notre Dame all-time, including a 24-34 loss to the Irish in 2001 while coaching West Virginia his first season, and last year’s 17-35 loss in South Bend during his first season at Michigan.

3.) Fighting Irish coach Charlies Weis is on the hot seat at Notre Dame for his rather unimpressive 30-21 record since 2005 and for no meaningful victories over quality opponents since that first year. Weis is 2-2 versus Michigan since 2005. On the road against Michigan his troops are 1-1.

4.) In the modern era (the series restarted in 1978) Notre Dame leads Michigan in this series 13-11-1.

5.) The home team in this game has enjoyed considerable advantage. Michigan is 7-5 at home and 4-8-1 on the road versus Notre Dame since 1978.

6.) Both schools are unbeaten heading into this game for the first time since 2006.”

Notre Dame is the more veteran ball club this fall with 9 starters back on offense and 6 starters on defense, including star junior quarterback Jimmy Clausen. Michigan is a much more youthful team from head to toe although the Wolverines do have 9 starters returning on offense and about 7 starters on defense.

Three Great Reasons to Wipe That Ridiculous Smile Off Your Face:

1. “Jimmah” Clausen, Golden Tate and Michael Floyd
Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen has been dead-eye accurate the last two games against WAC defensive secondaries of Hawai’i and Nevada. Michigan’s secondary isn’t WACish from a talent perspective, but from an experience standpoint, yeah, Michigan can look quite a bit like a WAC defensive secondary come to think of it. Golden Tate and Michael Floyd are outstanding talents with track speed and good hands. Floyd had 3 touchdown snares last week (47 yards per catch!) and Tate has a 19.7 yards per catch average going so far. Also, the Fighting Irish have a solid TE in Kyle Rudolph and numerous other dangerous targets to soften Michigan at the edges, including Robby Paris, Deion Walker and tailback Armando Allen. Suffice it to say, Charlie Weis is going to attack Michigan’s weakest link: the Michigan safeties and banged up corners (Cissoko, J.T. Floyd). It’s going to take a Herculean effort of the Michigan defensive line and secondary to prevent what will very likely be at least 2 to 3 long touchdown bombs from Clausen.

2. The Fighting Irish Running Game
This Notre Dame offensive line has been much maligned since Weis has been head coach in South Bend. They gave up 21 sacks last year, but this fall Notre Dame has 4 highly talented senior offensive lineman and 1 sophomore guard in the starting lineup. They’ll be rotating in some players at tackle apparently, but this could be the year Weis finally gets the running game going with tailbacks Armando Allen, Jonas Gray, Theo Riddick, and their big fullback Robert Hughes. This group may not get the attention it deserves. Although Notre Dame has struggled to run the ball well against Michigan (and everybody else?) since 2006, I simply do not trust this Fighting Irish team to suck at running the football for a 4th straight year against Michigan.

3. Threat of Michigan Injuries
I stated for the Western Michigan game preview that this item will probably become a permanent addition for all of Michigan game previews in 2009, regardless of the opponent. I have yet to be proven wrong. Michigan will probably not have the services of starting wide receiver Junior Hemingway (ankle) this Saturday, and veteran tailback Brandon Minor is still not at 100%. It’s worth noting that Michigan’s secondary lost cornerback Boubacar Cissoko to injury in the latter half of the WMU game, though he is slated to play on Saturday. With Cissoko out of the game Michigan took it on the chin with a Hiller to Nunez touchdown bomb of 73 yards. Yikes! Any injury to the Michigan secondary versus Notre Dame spells almost certain death for the Wolverines’ chances of victory. That’s how bad things are on the Wolverine depth chart. And just to make sure that Michigan fans have a sufficient number of things to worry about for this Saturday’s game against Notre Dame, the Wolverine team walks a similarly precarious plank for the defensive line and linebacker positions as well. Any injuries there, start playing taps.

" I'm kind of a big deal. I embarrass the hell out of evil Leprechauns on national TV.
Oh, and I like Scotch."

When Carcajous Attack! On Defense:
OK, so Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Robinson knows what it takes to beat Notre Dame. It wasn’t pretty, but his overmatched Syracuse team shocked Weis and the Fighting Irish in South Bend in 2008 24-23 with a far less experienced team. Of course, there’s no way in hell Weis and his Fighting Irish will discount a 1-0 Michigan team to the same degree. Michigan played well on defense last week against a pretty decent offensive football team in Western Michigan, featuring a dangerous quarterback like Tim Hiller (albeit gimpy from ACL surgery), a big, veteran offensive line, and a 1,000 yard rusher in Brandon West. The big difference with Notre Dame is at wide receiver, where Michael Floyd and Golden Tate are big play machinery for Weis’s NFL style offense. In my estimation, Michigan’s safeties Michael Williams and Troy Woolfolk are going to have to play out of their minds on Saturday for Michigan to pull off a win because Weis is going to go for the jugular early in this game to get the lead and take the Michigan crowd out.

The one thing that might favor Michigan slightly on defense in this game is Greg Robinson’s flexible defensive sets and the 4 man front of Brandon Graham, Ryan Van Bergen, Craig Roh and Mike Martin. If these guys can get penetration and pressure Clausen consistently, then Michigan has a good chance to keep the game close. Notre Dame is very balanced on offense, however, with good possession receivers to soften the edges, a capable TE to confuse the Michigan middle, and good tailbacks that are dangerous on screens and draw plays. Jimmy Clausen is way more mobile than Hiller was, so this will be a test for the Wolverine linebackers and DL as well. Then there is the deep threat of Floyd and Tate. Both can pull Michigan’s heart out of its ribcage in a matter of seconds. The Wolverines are going to need one hell of a creative defensive game plan to stop this kind of balance that the Irish will bring to the football field this Saturday. Michigan’s defense is unlikely to play like USC did last year. But they just might play as good or better than Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Stanford and Navy did last year against the Fighting Irish. And with that disorganized level of play, this young Michigan team has a shot at keeping the score close enough to win the football game.

Denard Robinson says: "Phone booth? What?...No, baby, just dial 1-800-TOUCHDOWN!"

When Carcajous Attack! On Offense:
I was surprised with Notre Dame’s 35-0 shellacking of Chris Ault’s Pistol Offense of Nevada last week in South Bend. Star quarterback Colin Kaepernick, a dual threat player, was just 52% from the field for 149 yards with 0 TDs, 2 INTs. He was also sacked twice. However, Nevada tailback Vai Taua did rush for 114 yards in this game with a 6.3 ypc average. I have few doubts that Michigan, given the robust 2009 theme of Gulo Gulo Semper Accursus, is going to do all they can to establish the running game early, eat game clock, and keep Clausen and Co. off the field as much as possible. If Michigan can’t run the football against this Notre Dame defense on Saturday, then this game will be a very long one for UM. Michigan quarterbacks played fairly well last week against an anemic WMU defensive front and horribly inexperienced secondary. Notre Dame’s defense is going to be much better than that. What’s more, given Notre Dame’s potential offensive firepower, the level of urgency is going to be very high for Rich Rodriguez’s offense to score touchdowns in this game not field goals and to get an early lead. This would allow the Wolverines defense to pin their ears back and maintain their aggressiveness. Jon Tenuta is the Notre Dame defensive coordinator and will no doubt have his linebackers unit blitzing on almost every down against Forcier and Robinson to try to shake the freshmen. Michigan’s offensive line must play significantly better than it did last week to establish the running game and protect against these blitzes. Michigan’s counter to Tenuta’s blitzing will likely be many more QB waggles, rollouts, screens and tight end dump passes over the middle to take advantage of the over pursuit. Michigan had success last week attacking the edges with bubble screens and hitches, and quarterback draws. I would expect this to continue again this week. Michigan will need to beware of cornerback Robert Blanton and safety Kyle McCarthy as both had picks from last week’s game versus Nevada. A couple of things Notre Dame needs to look out for this week will be the possible return of tailback Brandon Minor and the resurgence of the Michigan downfield passing game to TE Kevin Koger and WR Greg Mathews. Michigan is not explosively fast at the receiver positions, but Forcier is an accurate thrower on the run and in the pocket, while the Wolverine receiving targets are many, and talented enough to inflict plenty of damage. By the way, it should surprise no one (except hopefully Notre Stain) to see some newly concocted trick plays introduced in this game by Rich Rodriguez, Rod Smith and Calvin Magee.

The Last Time:
Michigan last played Notre Dame was on September 13, 2008. In this game, Charlie Weis injured his knee severely by one of his own players careening into the sideline. But little else went wrong for Notre Dame as the Fighting Irish capitalized on an incredible avalanche of Wolverine errors (7 fumbles, 4 fumbles lost, 2 interceptions, and 7 penalties for -79 yards) resulting in a 17-35 Irish victory over Michigan. Interestingly, Michigan out gained the Fighting Irish in this contest with 388 yards to 260 yards by the Irish. Michigan also had 21 first downs compared to Notre Dame’s 14, and the Wolverines were slightly better on 3rd down conversions as well (33% for UM, 25% for ND).

Yes, as stated above, Rich Rodriguez has never beaten Notre Dame in his coaching career. Ever since West Virginia lost a shot to play in the Gator bowl in 2002 due to the Irish’s enigmatic conference affiliation (Independent/Big East), Rich Rod has about the same affinity for Notre Dame as Bo Schembechler ever did.

What to Expect:
On paper Notre Dame should win this football game, I'm sorry to say. And they could very well do it in decisive fashion. The Fighting Irish have a veteran defense and a good defensive coordinator (Jon Tenuta), a veteran offensive line, 2 outstanding NFL-esque wide receivers in Floyd and Tate, a five-star, 3 year starter returnee at quarterback in Jimmy Clausen. The Fighting Irish also have a decent kicking game (Freshman PK Nick Tauch 5 for 5 on PATs, Senior punter Eric Maust 40.7 yard punting average).

So what does Charlie Weis and Fighting Irish fans have to worry about?

Well, first, this game is being played in Michigan Stadium. Since 1978, the visiting team historically doesn’t fare well in this series. Second, the Wolverine defense showed considerable improvement (aggressiveness and relentlessness) versus an experienced MAC offense last weekend and the talented pro-style QB Tim Hiller. Third, the Wolverines have something special going on at quarterback this fall with big play machines of their own in Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson. Fourth, there is the x-factor for Michigan’s offense this week, which could involve return of star tailback Brandon Minor. Tenuta’s blitzing defense still gave up 150 yards rushing and 150 yards passing last week and 5.5 yards per play against a decent WAC team. It also surrendered 100 yards rushing to the Wolfpack’s best rusher, tailback Vai Taua. Michigan is going to move the ball on the Irish this Saturday one way or the other, which could mean trouble.

If Michigan’s defense can somehow harass and pressure Clausen and prevent enough big plays from the evil wonder twin wideouts Michael Floyd and Golden Tate, then I like Michigan’s chances of keeping this game close and down to the wire.

Of course, if they do, then it’ll be down to which sides has the fewest penalties and turnovers and the best special teams play (field goals) to determine the final result.

Yeah, I said it. That means field goals!

Arrgggghhh! Run away?

We all remember with horror names like Chuck Male, Harry Oliver, John Carney, Reggie Ho. Well, this year the shoe is on Notre Dame freshman place kicker Nick Tausch who was perfect last week on PATs, but has yet to try a field goal for Notre Dame.

Michigan has senior place kicker Jason Olesnavage, who was 4 for 4 on PATs and was perfect on a long 44 yard field goal versus Western Michigan.

WCA Prediction: Notre Dame 27, Michigan 24

When Carcajous Attack Broncos

Michigan vs. Western Michigan, September 5, 2009 – Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan

When You Crave Irrational Exuberance On A Level Only Brett Musberger Can Deliver:
Well, it’s almost here folks! Eight days away! The 2009 football season has finally arrived. Fasten your seat belts Wolverine fans. Rich Rodriguez and the 2009 Michigan football team are going to try to bury a number of things all at once on that fateful Saturday, including:

1.) Memories of the worst Wolverine football season (3-9 in 2008) since Lyndon Johnson occupied the White House (1967).

2.) A 2 year losing streak in season openers (Appalachian State in 2007 and Utah in 2008)

3.) Recent failures to put far less talented MAC teams back in their place. Lackluster Wolverine performances at home against Ball State in 2006, against Eastern Michigan in 2007, and versus Toledo in 2008 all haunt Michigan. WMU’s 2009 football team is likely much better than any of those teams combined.

4.) Michigan’s 27% 3rd down success rate of 2008

5.) A total defense ranking of 67th in the nation in 2008, 9th in the Big Ten.

6.) A scoring defense ranking of 85th in the nation, 10th in the Big Ten.

All of it a daunting task to be sure, especially when one considers the overall youth of the Wolverine football team on both sides of the ball this season.

Three Great Reasons to Wipe That Ridiculous Smile Off Your Face:

1. Bronco Billy
I’m sorry, but Bill Cubit is simply not to be trusted. Since taking over for former Western Michigan coach Gary Darnell in 2005 following a 1-10 season, the Broncos have never looked back. Cubit’s offenses have been explosive on a consistent basis inside the MAC conference, and his Broncos have won notoriety for recent road upsets of once proud programs like Virginia (Markus CORRECTION: Not Florida State), Iowa, Illinois. The recent success of past Michigan opponents like Appalachian State and Toledo (in front of 105,000+ “down in fronters” inside Michigan Stadium no less!) will only serve to embolden Cubit. He will no doubt pull out all of the stops on this day to become the third straight team to shock Michigan on opening day.

2. Broncos Senior Quarterback Tim Hiller
Michigan’s defensive ends, linebackers and secondary are all on notice. Broncos quarterback Tim Hiller is going to play football on Sundays once he graduates from WMU. Beating Michigan on national television this fall would be a nice feather in his cap. In Cubit’s system, Hiller can do it all. He’s a veteran, battle-damaged, and highly-respected team leader and a very accurate thrower. Perhaps most frightening of all, Hiller’s got some wheels. In last year’s opener at Nebraska, Hiller was 30 of 49 for 342 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT. Unfortunately, WMU this year lacks the same spectacular receivers a pro arm like Hiller’s justly deserves. He is protected by a massive, veteran offensive line, and can easily dish the ball off to some talented running backs and some experienced tight ends. Yet, as great an athlete as Tim Hiller is, he’s going to require plenty of help from his teammates, and quite frankly some cooperation by Michigan, to win this football game.

3. Threat of Michigan Injuries
Unfortunately this item will probably be a main stay adder for all of Michigan’s games in 2009, regardless of the opponent. In all games, Michigan desperately needs to hang on to the health of its starting line ups - by bloodied, chipped fingernails if necessary. No where is this threat more acute than on defense, particularly all secondary and defensive line positions. Suffice it to say that for some defensive positions on Michigan’s roster, utter disaster and a 2008 season redux is all but one freak injury away.

When Carcajous Attack! On Defense:
It’s actually a damn good thing for Cubit and Hiller that WMU returns with a veteran offensive line this fall. The multiple fronts and flex linebacker sets of Wolverine defensive coordinator Greg Robinson are going to be confusing to read, and difficult to properly match up against on a consistent basis. Modern science plus Michigan’s 2008 run defense statistics are practically begging Cubit to run the ball in this game with impunity behind that behemoth OL and talented Bronco ball carrier Brandon West, who slashed for over 1,000 yards, 8 TDs and 5 yard per carry average last year. Western Michigan serves as an excellent early test for Michigan’s defense to stop a truly balanced opponent offensively. The truth is that it takes tremendous self-control for pass-happy Bronco Billy to not chuck the pigskin on every damn play! Hiller has WR Juan Nunez returning as the key pass catching weapon in 2009. Nunez had 700 plus yards receiving and 7 touchdowns in 2008. Michigan’s secondary is probably not going to be very good this year, but it is experienced in places and talented enough to cover what will essentially be a greatly reduced Bronco receiving corps. Western will try to soften Michigan up with the run first and then use Hiller’s arm to exploit size mismatches with Nunez on the outside and with the tight ends over the middle. The most important thing to watch for on defense will be Michigan’s defensive line versus Western’s experienced offensive line. To win this game, Wolverine defensive end Brandon Graham and defensive tackle Mike Martin must chair several important “meetings” with Tim Hiller in the Bronco backfield.

When Carcajous Attack! On Offense:
Nothing suggests that Western Michigan’s defensive unit can stop any opposing football team from moving up and down the field at will - least of all opponents that happen to run a read spread option attack. As good as WMU’s secondary was supposed to have been with defensive backs Louis Delmas and E.J. Biggers, both now in the NFL, WMU sure got taken to task by opposing quarterbacks in the yardage category. It is difficult to be kind about this, but if you can fog a mirror, you can pass the football with success against Western Michigan. Look no further than what Todd Graham’s Rice football team did to Western Michigan defense in the last year’s bowl game (Graham was a defensive coordinator for Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia). Rice’s quarterback Chase Clement threw for 300 yards, 3 TDs and rushed for another 72 yards and 1 TD. Or what about the Central Michigan game last fall, where backup Chippewa quarterback Brian Brunner was 20 of 28 for 346 yards and just 1 passing TD. In WMU’s 51-28 win over Idaho junior Vandal QB Nathan Enderle was 25 of 39 for 334 yards and 3 TDs. Cody Cielenski is the only starter with meaningful tackle and sack numbers along the Bronco defensive line. Linebackers Austin Pritchard and Justin Braska are arguably the best players on the entire Broncos defense. The Broncos secondary was decimated by graduation last fall and have Mario Armstrong as the only returning player with considerable number of game tackles (64 in 2008). Offensively Michigan should be able to run the ball off-tackle until the cows come home, and also exploit the WMU secondary with the downfield forward pass. The dual-threat play making ability of Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson must be accounted for, and should leave big openings for other Wolverine players to explode into the Broncos secondary. The only thing that might stop Michigan’s offense in this football game is going to be Michigan.

The Last Time:
Michigan last played Western Michigan was on September 7, 2002. In this game, the eleventh ranked Wolverines rolled to a decisive victory in Michigan Stadium 35-12. The last time Bill Cubit and Rich Rodriguez faced off was September 1, 2007 when West Virginia pummeled Western Michigan in Morgantown 62-24.

What to Expect:
If there’s a year for Western Michigan to upset the Michigan Wolverines, this would be it. Unfortunately, WMU has not won a road opener in like…forever. Bill Cubit will attempt a balanced attack on the Wolverines up until Michigan gains the lead, at which point Hiller will be called upon for late game throwing and running heroics. Initially I expect a close game with plenty of youthful errors and turnovers by Michigan. The Broncos will find success running the football, but there will be a considerable number of sacks by Michigan’s defense. Despite the DL pressure by UM, Hiller and Nunez should have a great outing with high passing yardage.

However, Michigan is probably going to ground the Broncos into dog food in this football game with the rushing attack of Brandon Minor, Carlos Brown, Tate Forcier, Denard Robinson and freshman Vincent Smith. The Michigan quarterbacks, particularly Forcier and Robinson, should have a great game passing against this WMU defense, and Michigan fans will be relieved to discover that indeed the Wolverines do possess some fine wide receivers, tight ends and slot receivers (and that they’ve been on the roster the entire time). I would not be at all surprised to see Michigan rush for well over 100 yards, and have well over 300 yards passing in this game. With WMU’s linebackers Braska and Pritchard trying desperately to shore up the Broncos DL against the run of Brandon Minor and Forcier/Robinson, watch for Michigan’s tight ends Koger and Webb to have eye opening performances catching the football.

WCA Prediction: Michigan 34, Western Michigan 17