Devin Gardner: Awful

[Eric]

Well, here we go again. Michigan has an 11 point halftime deficit against Penn State. This time they're on the road against a halfway decent team, so you won't get them to roll over like UConn did. It's not often that one player is responsible for your team being in this kind of situation, but Devin Gardner's turnover bug hasn't gotten better at all. He has been brutal this year. I'm almost not opposed to putting Shane Morris in the game and making him the full-time starter at this point.

Spence, is there any way that Michigan and Ohio State can make out a trade for Kenny Guiton?

[Spence]

I wish Ohio State could give Guiton a 10 year contract. He should probably have gotten to finish the Northwestern game after Miller coughed up the ball three times.

[Eric]

So in the UConn, Akron, and Penn State games, I believe Gardner is responsible for 10 turnovers and we're only at halftime today. I don't understand the regression because he was pretty awesome down the stretch last year and his first two games were rock solid. I never thought I'd miss Denard Robinson under center.

[Spence]

He will play all world against us. That's how it usually works.

[Spence]

Kalis should be running laps after that bonehead personal foul. He single handedly killed that drive.

[Eric]

Yeah, that was idiotic. This version of Michigan is absolutely headache-inducing.

[RazorHawk]

And exciting game, to say the least.

[Eric]

It was depressing and/or pathetic if you're a Michigan fan

Three chances to win the game and they failed every time. Actually, they had four chances if you include the 80-yards-on-four-plays-in-23-seconds-while-getting-the-DB's-hands-on-both-30+-yard-receptions-partly-due-to-the-fact-that-you-punted-the-ball-in-the-endzone-instead-of-the-coffin-corner-and-taking-a-penalty-on-3rd-down-with-a-chance-to-get-a-first-down-and-ice-the-game-away chance that they had.

This is probably the most gut-wrenching loss I've had to suffer since 2007 since I haven't had any positive expectations since 2007. It's just stupid. The third season in a coaches' tenure is supposed to be the one where things begin to click, but judging by the results, this is the worst team Hoke has had by far. And it isn't close. The misexecution is absolutely rampant all over the field. The running game: Bad. Turnovers: I'd rather trust Eastern Michigan's offense when it comes to ball protection. Passing game: Big-play capability, but wildly inconsistent. Defense: Solid. Offensive line: Bad. I'm done with these guys. Win your 9 games, lose to Ohio State, and lose to an SEC team on New Year's, whoopty-doo. Great season of not doing anything when it matters. Again. I'll be waiting for 2015.

[Spence]

Defensive line is pretty good. Offensive line is coming along. The QB makes them look bad at times. I see a better team here then you do. Hoke, unfortunately is a pretty good football coach and recruiter. I think it will take a couple more years, but Hoke is going to be successful at Michigan. Rodriguez just blew up the depth charts at Michigan to the point that it was like they were coming off a 4 year probation. Sanctions could have been worse than what RR did to Michigan.

[Eric]

Well it was the same story as usual. The turnovers gifted Penn State a couple touchdowns, making the defense look worse than it was. That unit played okay today. They shouldn't have allowed those completions on that final drive, but it is a game of inches. A cliche, but true. Both of those throws could have been swatted or intercepted, but it wound up in Robinson's and Felder's hands. But it's those coulda-woulda-shoulda plays that I'm just fed up with. This team makes so many mistakes that I lost count around halftime. The mental errors just don't stop. It was coulda-woulda-shoulda against Notre Dame last year, against South Carolina last year, against Ohio State last year. And I can't even give Hoke credit for beating Ohio State in 2011 to end the bleeding since, unlike most Michigan fans who take it as a win and don't ask any questions, I'm willing to admit that it took them everything they had to beat the worst Ohio State team in 20 years at home.

How about this stat: Fitzgerald Toussaint had 27 yards on 27 carries. Brutal. Yet who was the guy they constantly gave the ball to in overtime which resulted in zero first downs on four possession? Toussaint. Great job, coaching staff. Technically I think they should have given Michigan the first down on that reviewed call. Forward progress was clearly at the line. Even if they didn't want to give him the first, it should have been 3rd and inches instead of 3rd and one. Not that it would have mattered anyway since the running game got bottled up. I guess people were right to be concerned about the offensive line in the preseason. Again, we might as well wait until 2015 if we want to break loose of this 9-3/8-4, lose to Ohio State, lose to SEC on New Year's, no division championship thing that I've basically become resigned to. I would basically bet my life's earnings on the following three propositions: Michigan doesn't win the division, Michigan loses to Ohio State, and Michigan loses to Florida/Georgia/South Carolina. I literally have absolutely zero doubts about this proposition. It's a wasted season. There's nothing to hope for beyond an Outback Bowl loss. That's where the ceiling is right now. I was willing to stick with this team after the crap that was on display against Akron and UConn, but this team is a headcase team. I'm abandoning the bandwagon as fast as possible. I'll still watch every game and cheer them on, but my expectations are shot.

[Cane from the Bend]

So, Eric.

You've given us a fairly winded rant on your feeling about Big Blue . . .

How about your outlook on Western Michigan?
What do you take from a 33-0 loss to Buffalo?

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[Eric]

So, Eric.

You've given us a fairly winded rant on your feeling about Big Blue . . .

How about your outlook on Western Michigan?
What do you take from a 33-0 loss to Buffalo?

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Same thing mostly

P.J. Fleck's tenure has been atrocious thus far, no doubt. But I think he'll be fine once he gets his guys in. Buffalo isn't a slouch this year in my honest opinion. Licata has progressed a lot and they have Neutz and Oliver on offense. They should be a bowl team.

Dan Enos at Central....Not a lot of excitement surrounding the program. I doubt he can take this team anywhere near where the Kelly/Jones era had them. But, a good, and surprising, win today.

Ron English at Eastern....Is a lame duck head coach. I think Eastern needs to find somebody who can put some excitement in the program. Maybe an understudy of an offensive guru. I'm thinking somebody who may have studied under Leach, Jones, Kelly, etc. If they can find anybody like that who is willing to walk into that mess. But they actually got a good QB recruit out of Ohio this year, so that could give them something to build around in the future. They have some (the operative word being some) offensive talent to build around, but the defense is Division II material.