Are You Not Entertained?

BEST OF THE GAME
No, the best of the game wasn’t this tweet from the official Wendy’s account…

Might need a Scott Frosty to ice down the beating Nebraska is taking.#FreshFanReaction

— Wendy’s (@Wendys) September 22, 2018

My best of the game was the running game. Karan Higdon, after missing last week vs SMU, looked back to full 100%. His 12 carries for 136 yards and a touchdown all came in the first half. Nebraska, which was only giving up an average of 115 rushing yards per game, gave up 131 in the first quarter…thanks in large part to Higdon runs of 46 and 44 yards on his first 3 carries of the game. Tru Wilson and Christian Turner both saw plenty of reps throughout the game and looked impressive thanks to a much improved offensive line that really seems to be coming into their own as the season goes on. 

WORST OF THE GAME
This one is easy. The Dan O’Neill officiating crew was atrocious. A few missed PI’s in the first half…a ton of questionable calls, non-calls and delayed calls in the second half had Michigan fans booing for much of the second half of the game. I didn’t help that this was the #JTwasshort crew from the 2016 Ohio State game. These guys don’t seem to like Harbaugh that much…and I think that feeling is mutual.

Also, Khaleke Hudson’s targeting penalty and the snap that sailed over Patterson’s head were unfortunate low points in an otherwise flawless game.

ODDITY OF THE GAME
This is a new section I’ve added this week because of one play that happened in the 2Q. Adrian Martinez dropped back near his own goal line to pass and was hurried by Aiden Hutchinson who tipped the pass back to Martinez who tried to pass the ball forward again while in the air falling incomplete. At first this was called a legal play…but was quickly overturned a ruled an illegal forward pass. However, what made it so odd was that the second illegal pass took place in the endzone, which by rule, is a safety.

So the way the play was scored officially, was a pass from Martinez to Martinez for -11 yards and a team safety. You can watch a lot of football and never see something like that again.

GAME BALLS
Offense: Karan Higdon
Michigan is a different offense when they can run the ball effectively. They can do that with almost any back, but Higdon is on a different level. It easy to see why he’s the starter. He just has an extra gear that Wilson, Samuels and Turner don’t have yet. Michigan will want to get Evans back soon, though. The Higdon/Evans combo is a powerful punch of the Michigan offense.

Defense: Devin Bush
I wanted to go with Gary or Winovich or Ross or Glasgow or…well…anyone from the Michigan defense here, but my I can’t go against the heart of this defense. Devin Bush is just a freak of nature. His speed, toughness and vision are a powerful combination that can truly change the direction of a game.

Special Teams: Donovan Peoples-Jones
No question, the Peoples-Jones’ 49-yard touchdown return was the highlight in a game full of highlights. The spin move was really the topper if we’re being honest. If it weren’t for that, we’d be talking about Will Hart’s punting here…which was crazy impressive. His first two punts of 57 yards were nice, but the real gem was a 64-yard bomb in the 4Q that came to rest at the Nebraska 5 yard line.

Coaching: Jim Harbaugh
A game like this, when seemingly everything is clicking the way you want it to, comes back to head coaching. Scott Frost’s comments from two years ago about how his UCF team “out-hit” Michigan en route to a 51-14 beat down, stuck with his Harbaugh and Michigan this week and I think it showed yesterday. Now, we just need to bring this level of aggression to games against Penn State, Michigan State and Ohio State.

Honorable mention: Tru Wilson, Zach Gentry, Rashan Gary, Josh Ross, Chase Winovich, Josh Metellus, Will Hart

2018 Game Ball Standings:
1. Karan Higdon (2), Donovan Peoples-Jones (2)
2. Devin Bush, Jim Harbaugh, Shea Patterson, Rashan Gary, Khaleke Hudson, Don Brown, Josh Metellus, Will Hart, Jim McElwain