Latest / In The Pocket / Ep. 9: A dose of reality for UM, MSU and WMU

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Ep. 9: A dose of reality for UM, MSU and WMU · In The Pocket

• Andrew Graham: Hello and welcome to another episode of In the Pocket, a college football podcast covering all matters state of Michigan, Mitten. What other nicknames for the state are there? The burg the Great Lake State, Connor, what other what other things are there? Hello, Connor, my my valiant co host. Connor Earegood: I was gonna the Wolverine State, but that might get me cancelled by the MSU fans who who read my daily work, so Andrew Graham: Fair. Again, we've we've refrained. It is, like that's i correct. ⁓ we'll have to I'll have to learn the Anishanabe word for it and bring that back on like the next episode. For real though. I love I love that stuff. But ⁓ good good bit of games to get into. ⁓ we're gonna try and get in and out pretty tight today and avoid our usual yappery as you just heard. So, ready to get in ready to get into it. ⁓ Connor Earegood: It is called the Wolverine State. Yeah. As much as we can. This is a feat. ⁓ yeah. Andrew Graham: So I guess we'll start with MSU Nebraska. You were there, Connor, Nebraska thirty one, MSU thirteen. It I I watched the highlights and I will put it this way. It was like a thoroughly just like the second half especially, I was like, This is just like bad football for both mostly both teams. It was just like not good, so just what what were your thoughts? Connor Earegood: Some of the blogger kids, like second half, were just on their phones at the back tables. Like, that's the vibe of of how that game went. The result was was certain going into the second half. The the ⁓ I wrote for the the news for my gamer, it wasn't the result, it was the outcome that hurts for Michigan State so bad. Thirteen different guys left with some form of injury, ⁓ and that's not counting Tyron Chapel and and Andrew Graham: It was just it was nothing going on. Connor Earegood: I it does count Trey Bell who hurt himself in warm ups, but ⁓ they were down to third string cornerbacks and that's a position that was already struggling for them. ⁓ they lose Cam Edwards for the season with ⁓ a a right knee injury after he took ⁓ Andrew Graham: Yeah. Connor Earegood: not a cheap shot, but a a a hit a hit you don't really like to see, ⁓ from Danny Odom the third, which ⁓ a allegedly Nebraska you know, isn't isn't supposed to low tackle like that, but ⁓ stuff happens and and I know some people were Zaprudering and and hey, this is football. Everyone knows what they're getting into, but Andrew Graham: That that that stuff feels a little i e excessive to me. Connor Earegood: It well and it was a conspiracy theory kind of game for for Michigan State, right? Where you blame the refs and you blame injuries and you blame all sorts of things, but ⁓ the fact of the matter is they didn't have enough and even when they were healthy they didn't have enough. Nebraska ⁓ takes a seven three lead and it was pretty much over from there. Once ⁓ Anthony Calandria figured out he could use his legs, ⁓ it kind of just opened it up for them. ⁓ he converted I I think four different third downs, ⁓ three of which were his his legs, right? ⁓ the one of them we handed the ball off, that that fifth one for them, but ⁓ they just didn't have an answer for him. And then when Jordan Hall goes down with a twisted ankle, which again you hate to see him get hurt ⁓ again this season and he's already banged up and you know he they called him a war daddy and he'll probably play through it knowing Jordan Hall, but ⁓ the problem is, you know, so many body blows just eat at you throughout a season. So they got a lot to figure out. ⁓ they also have a lot to Andrew Graham: Yeah. Connor Earegood: reorganize and reshuffle in terms of the depth chart. We'll see the injury report Wednesday. I have a feeling it's gonna be a lengthy one. ⁓ especially with with how that game went and and going on the road at Wisconsin where your roster's already limited to eighty. ⁓ hey, they might need everybody. It it might be a big traveling party just based on the fact that ⁓ a lot of guys are gonna have to stay home with injuries. So ⁓ really, really bad vibes from ⁓ from it. But Pat Fitzgerald, I thought, fielded ⁓ you know, every question really well after the game and Andrew Graham: Yeah. Yeah. Connor Earegood: ⁓ mentioned like he wants to build from bedrock and and I when I asked him about where they go from here, ⁓ his answer was I knew what I was getting into. So if for Michigan State fans you should be kind of kind of, you know, feel bolstered by that, right? ⁓ that that he's he understands where they're at and and I think a lot of people were trying to fool themselves with ⁓ you know, where where this team was going to be at. Andrew Graham: Yeah, fair. Connor Earegood: Because once you skim the top off this roster, it's real, real thin. ⁓ and the injury question was always gonna be one they had to face and ⁓ you know, four games in now they have their answer. So that's my long waited spiel on that one. ⁓ but yeah, it's it's it's gonna be a tough few games it seems in East Lansing. Andrew Graham: Podcasting like this is just info dumping to a certain extent. yeah, I think like ⁓ unfortunately Jordan Hall's kind of turning into the the fish from SpongeBob with paper skin and glass bones. Like he's he's not that, but like it's just these injuries keep befalling him and it's just this incredibly poor luck. ⁓ but yeah, I just think like especially like with the offense the offensive line getting dinged up is I think to your point the most obvious place to see when the depth goes, like probably that and corner. Connor Earegood: A little bit. Andrew Graham: When those when the depth goes in those two places and like you don't have it and the starters get hurt and it's it it looks the d the fall off is drastic and it torpedoes your ability to function in a lot of senses. ⁓ and I think we unfortunately saw that at both those positions in some capacity for Michigan State on Saturday. Connor Earegood: ⁓ yeah, I An Andrew Brinson played his ⁓ his first substantial snaps since twenty twenty four. ⁓ and and he err yeah, twenty twenty four. And even then I think he was dealing with some injuries then when ⁓ Michigan State had like nine defensive backs hurt. I think people forget about that, how bad injury luck it's been for years. ⁓ and some of that is just the depth you have because when you don't have guys you can cycle, ⁓ eventually you're gonna get those body blows. And ⁓ you know, it also goes to who you're recruiting, right? ⁓ there's guys who have played in the Big Ten that can handle the Andrew Graham: Yeah, yeah. Connor Earegood: physicality and the hits and and all those things. They just have bodies who can absorb it. And and that's always something that you notice with ⁓ you know guys who stick around a team like a an Ohio State or a Penn State or an Oregon or a Michigan. Those are dudes who, you know, because of of pitch counts and because of just their bodily resilience and things that are measured in the recruiting trail, ⁓ you know, have an ability to handle it. ⁓ when you're dealing with a lot smaller guys, a lot of FCS guys, people who may be outmatched a little bit physically, ⁓ these are the sorts of things like you can money ball your way. eventually you're gonna run into some injuries that really hurt ya. ⁓ and and Michigan State's had to fight that for year over year over year and ⁓ you know, everyone has injury luck a across the country, but it's been particularly bad for Michigan State. Andrew Graham: Yeah, and I think you just have to hope that like w whatever lumps you're taking now are for the better, just in the long term thing of this program. That's kinda where like the fits, like I n I know what I'm in for kind of deal comes. Of like the you you have to maybe endure these growing pains for lack of a better term, but ⁓ doesn't get any easier next Saturday against Wisconsin, but we will get to that later in the week. Iowa, Michigan. ⁓ I'm guessing Connor Earegood: ⁓ yeah. Shall we? Andrew Graham: You did not really get a chance to see the end of this game as it happened, or like you maybe had it up on the l'assuming you guys like were aware of what occurred in the press box. Okay, there we go. So it was I'll share where I saw it. I was in the the team meeting room at Waldo Stadium, waiting for Leus Taylor pose game, because the Western game because like both the way those teams played ended like that like a full twenty minutes before the Michigan game ended. Connor Earegood: It was during halftime. It was during halftime. Andrew Graham: And so we're in the room and just like everyone's got it up on their phones. And we're kinda like, wow, I was like, ⁓ that crazy catch from the tight end. And we're still just like, you know, they're not gonna do this. Like, it's just it's improbable. And then it's just like I a Matt Ayler for ⁓ Live to shout him out, just like I will won. And Ralph Russo was there, ⁓ from the Athletic and a couple other like TV people were all just like, What? It's like, yeah, like crazy touchdown pass and Then the whole obvious deal with Tim Lester being the the Western Michigan sleeper Asian Iowa O. C. ⁓ But yeah, no, that was ⁓ that's an ending I think people kinda will remember where they were when they when they saw. Connor Earegood: Ha ha. ⁓ yeah. The so the Michigan State press box, a couple of us, ⁓ major, you know, traditional outlets were a little bit amused by some of the fan vlogs reacting to that one down the way. ⁓ 'cause there was an excited it was interesting. And also in the crowd when they showed it, it was the loudest cheer of the day. ⁓ which is which was which was an interesting one, but ⁓ November seventh is gonna be interesting one because as much as people are gonna Andrew Graham: As it might be. Sure, I'm certain. Yeah. Connor Earegood: s you know, celebrate a rival losing in in Michigan State. They may have a chance with how Michigan's playing and ⁓ if the injury bug doesn't completely wear out this team. ⁓ but ⁓ with Michigan, you saw some of this coming, right? ⁓ with the lack of execution, with the number of penalties. Someone had a stat that like the executional penalties, there were two in the ⁓ Sharon Moore and and Biff Poggy era, and there have been like seven in four games with Kyle Whittingham. Andrew Graham: Yeah. No, I think I yeah I think what it was is Michigan this season in three of four games has had eight or more penalties called on it. In the last three years prior in the last three seasons prior, so one under Jim Harbaugh and two under Sherrod Moore, it had happened twice. And so it's like you're you're just you're not playing winning football in the like Connor Earegood: That's it. Yeah. Two times, two times. That's right. Alright. Good good correction. Andrew Graham: the v the most controllable things. And penalties will happen. Like you're gonna you're gonna commit a past interference, you're gonna you're gonna hold someone, ⁓ it happens. But like that many and the way they're procedural, the way they're they're they're because of like poor technique to cause a hole like things that are just very controllable and fixable is I think the sort of frustrating part. 'Cause they're getting better. Like Connor Earegood: Yeah. The It's the N Nick Sheridan calls it the ta yeah. N Nick Sheridan at MSU calls it take no s takes no talent, T N T. It's like the the simple stuff that's like if you're a good enough coach This should not be an issue for your players. And if you're a good enough player, you should not make these mistakes. And ⁓ those are the things we've seen Michigan stumble on from game one, right? ⁓ in game one, you give a little bit of a ⁓ a leeway, right? An excuse for, hey, it's the first time this staff has been together, these players, everybody looks funky in week one or week zero, or whatever you take your debut. ⁓ even the teams that, you know, going into their second week usually have some issues. But for week four in Big Ten play against Iowa, against a team that you know at home, against Iowa. Andrew Graham: Correct. At home. Connor Earegood: Which is a team that a fundamental, like, old white guy on the couch, football, just nods their head in appreciation, football. Like, this is the poster child. This and army that r you know running the option are like the two sort of poster children of like you are not going to out you know, beat this team by outmistaking them. They are gonna play you tight, like you it it takes such a level to to beat and you have to be executionally sound. ⁓ and Michigan doesn't have that this season until ⁓ there's a lot of reasons you can probably point to, but ⁓ it the fact of the matter is they need to figure that out because for a team as talented as it is, ⁓ there's gonna be some humbling, humbling games later in the schedule if they don't figure that out, ⁓ no matter how much talent they're dealing with and and no matter how much they can sort of sort out the the X's and O's problems. Andrew Graham: Well, I think what's funny is when you like they played the game where they could have put Iowa away. They were like beating them on a down to down basis to the degree where they just scored about one more touchdown and there probably two more. It's not clot like they're they win handily. It's not, you know, ⁓ this really like kind of signature early win for Kyle Whittingham, because like they played the sort of game where you see the sort of like outclassing ta like J. J. Buchanan and Andrew Marsh like Savion Heider, Jordan Marshall, like you see where Michigan can kind of outclass an Iowa and where like the upside of this team could still like this team has a 10 win upside and it will never get there if it keeps playing like this. That's basically what it is. Like you see the talent. Like Bryce Underwood played probably his best game. The interception was bad because it looked like he and his receivers were way off the same page. But like you it building, like they're getting better, and it's kind of this fascinating thing where this loss has been chasing them and then they play their best game of the season and it finds them because it's Iowa and that's what Iowa does to you. ⁓ and so I'm not like I don't think it's like Doomsday because to the flip side of it all being like this is the sloppy, undisciplined stuff, you can fix that in a week. Like this is all stuff that like I don't think it will get fixed in a week in this case, but like in theory you can s like you can have a two penalty game this week. And then a three penalty game. And then a three penalty game. But I just don't think they will. Yeah. Connor Earegood: Yeah, I mean you c you can fix it in a week, but you have to have done the work in the fall. You have to have done the work over camp. And I don't think they did the work over camp, to be honest. Like I think there was so much that they were installing And so much like hypercooking that they did, ⁓ and we heard about that, you know, I I think they didn't get to this as much. And I think, you know, prioritizing like reps and weight room and and things like that, there was a lot of fundamental things they had to change about where they inherited this program at at Michigan. But ⁓ man, y you know, i the you mentioned the talent level that this team has and the amount of money I would add that they're paying for this, it just proves that like there are ways it it ain't cheap and it ain't cheap to lose this way either. Andrew Graham: Yeah, it ain't cheap. Connor Earegood: Because then that's gonna cost you later, when you're not winning games and you are sort of under you know, undermining talent through ⁓ the takes no the TNTs of the world, the takes no talent issues. ⁓ and and so that's the interesting part for Michigan is where you go from here. ⁓ are you going to be able to fix this for ⁓ you know, some of the ranked games? They still Penn State who probably looks a little more beatable, ⁓ but then there's Oregon and Ohio State on the schedule too, and ⁓ you know, those are two teams that are are gonna do some some some damage to you if you let them. ⁓ you know, not only through how you play them and cover them and and how they're able to to stack up against you, but ⁓ how you beat yourself. And and you know, that sounds like every coach in every level across America, the beat yourself mantra, ⁓ but it really is what Michigan's been doing. Andrew Graham: So I I kinda think of it this way, and I think I'm I might kind of disagree with you on the discipline stuff because it was like a big point of emphasis for them, which almost is makes it worse that they emphasized it and like the players were like, We're so bought into it, and then like they're not actually like having it happen on the field. I I think the way I kind of frame it up is I believe Michigan, if I have this right, Michigan plays Indiana at home on the twenty fourth of October. And outside of the Penn State game, nothing until then. Like Minnesota should be tough this weekend and like there's kinda no gimme's on on the schedule f much of the rest of the way from Michigan. But it's like that Indiana game will be the perfect litmus test because I think this Michigan team is body for body, pound for pound, as are more talented than this Indiana roster. I think they're pretty par. Like like I I feel comfortable saying that. Like this Indiana team is a step down from what it's been the past couple years. But what they do is play that just disciplined, relentless it is Nick Sabin football. And they will beat you if you let if you let yourself get beat. And Michigan just keeps doing that. And so I think that's like a great litmus test of can you in the next three, four weeks, get there where a team like Indiana might still beat you, but you're not handing it to them when you're capable of beating Connor Earegood: I think Go ahead. I I think some of it's on coaching too, of like y I you gotta note in here about game management. I'm gonna touch on it real quick. Like when there it doesn't matter how much time's left on the clock, if it's going to be a last play of the game, like you need to pull out that whole drive every timeout you have and let your defense rest and scheme and address things. Like, make I will beat you play to play. Don't let ⁓ beat you off momentum or getting guys out of position. Like, iron out every wrinkle you possibly can. And even if that you know Don't commit personal fouls, you know, don't like there's so many ways that you know I I feel the coaching staff was also to blame for this one. ⁓ just in the little bit I was able to watch, and granted I was covering a game while watching it in in bursts, ⁓ not actually during the game for for Michigan State, but the points I saw were between, ⁓ to clarify, but ⁓ if my employer's watching, basically, wasn't slacking off at work, but ⁓ no, in i in all seriousness though. ⁓ Yeah, yeah. Andrew Graham: Hey they're they r they have you do Big Ten analysis and picks, it counts. It's it's Connor Earegood: But but I I'll I'll just s like there I don't know. The Whittingham era, ⁓ the the safeness of the pick of him as a head coach by Michigan was for the sort of you know you're gonna get a base level. It's worn off a lot. And that's where if you see a coach like Pat Fitzgerald at Michigan State, who is is ironing out a lot of those things in the last game against Nebraska was an anomaly, and granted I think a lot of that was because a lot of guys were subbing in that didn't expect to play. Like Andrew Graham: It's ki it's kinda wearing off. Yeah. Yeah. Connor Earegood: ⁓ that's a collision course. Like November seventh may be a a fateful day in this state if that continues. Andrew Graham: Well that's the sort of thing where it's like Michigan should be able to just line up and beat Michigan State in that game. Straight up. But can Michigan State do what Michigan State has done my entire life, your entire life, is drag Michigan into a game where Michigan plays to its lowest common denominator and lets Michigan like in Michigan State beats them. Yeah, like it's out and like I've been some some Michigan State teams that have been outright better than Michigan and kicked the hell out of them too. I don't wanna like mistake that. They're Connor Earegood: Were they? Deep dark water. Like Andrew Graham: a couple different types of Michigan State wins over Michigan over the years, but it's like, yeah, Michig ⁓ yeah. No, and this Michigan team's just kind of this Michigan team's kinda ripe for it, and I just I think I'll leave it with this. The players and staff deserve all the credit in the world for the way they have developed on the field since the opener. They look much better. They are better at football than they were in week one, and they deserve all the equal blame for how they Connor Earegood: Yeah. Which is what makes it an awesome rivalry. 'Cause you never know what you're gonna get. Andrew Graham: mismanage that game away both players and coaches. Like that's just I think that's pretty much like they're getting better, they're doing a lot of good things, and they s just still do like maddening stuff where it's it sort of nullifies the first part and that's just not where you want to be. ⁓ Boise State, Western Michigan, Connor. ⁓ this is where I was Saturday. ⁓ it was a good time. It was like a great environment. I wanna shout that out first of all. So it was Twenty nine thousand seven hundred fans, I believe, which is the biggest crowd at Waldo Stadium since twenty fifteen, when Michigan State came to play there. Great day, like great w like perfect weather. Tons of Boise State fans came out, they were awesome, like sort of perfect thing. And as Lance Tel Ta Taylor said immediately after the game, it was exciting, it were it was electric, and it was embarrassing. 'cause Western got their teeth kicked in and I Texted my dad and brother in a group chat we have. My brother is a Western ⁓ undergrad, and I texted this is unfortunately one of those games where after like four plays, I kinda know what's about to happen for the next three hours. And that's what happened for the next three hours. ⁓ just Western getting pretty thoroughly outclassed. In part because I think we saw like there is a there's a step between these two teams still, and that's not necessarily a surprise. Boise State's been the class of the G six for twenty years, fifteen fifteen sh certainly, ⁓ a good long while now. And Western is on the rise in a good program, but still in that sort of like aspirational for like national kind of G six relevance stage s as it were. ⁓ so it's just a dose reality and it doesn't you know, it might again like put a dent in some of like the more national, sort of relevant hopes, but in like conference bragging rights and whatever, but It doesn't really scuttle your ability to go win a back to back Mac title for the first time since eleven twelve when Northern Illinois did it. It's I it's like it'd still be the it'd be the fifth in school history. Like the level of kind of sustained success they can build out in the Mac is still something that I think shouldn't get lost in this because it's not something that Western Michigan has totally had in its history. But just Saturday sucked, for lack of a better term. Connor Earegood: I Well, and if you're trying to be the G twelve nominee, so to speak, like or G twelve, G six, sorry, I'm thinking I'm thinking World Economics and and any th anyways, G six, D twelve, no. If it in terms of the G six, alright, we'll correct it. They only have one persona, not two. you can still be the nominee, right? You can still make it in the end if Boise goes and loses a couple of games. Andrew Graham: G twelve. What That's yeah, so Italy's here. Connor Earegood: Or if, you know, New Mexico and North Dakota State, ⁓ you know, aren't able to to sort of kind of shuck their way up there. Like and b you know, all like the three of those teams are the the forty five through forty seven and the S P plus, like, they're very, very much in a dead heat. You you can still scale a little bit if you're Western. And that's where the it's the shame of the weird situation that was that Michigan game and like i i from what we've seen, even if it didn't follow the letter of the law, it was like the the Andrew Graham: Stumble in the mountain west. Yeah. Connor Earegood: correct outcome. ⁓ but also the Andrew Graham: In the absolute truth, Michigan won and it was correct. In the like by the way the rules should be adjudicated, they shouldn't have won. Which is like bad that that can exist as you're adjudicating a billion dollar industry, but we've been there and done that. Connor Earegood: Yes. B the can Should've yeah. Yeah. Because of what the refs had at their disposal. Like, because of what was available and everything else is a logistical detail. But the the point I'll make about it though, and and the reason why, you know, if you're a Western fan, you litigate that, is because if you have that, this isn't as damning. You still have a win over a a Michigan team that beat Oklahoma. And head to head, that probably puts you ahead of New Mexico. Although although Oklahoma looks terrible Andrew Graham: Although although John John ⁓ John Matir The Yes. Connor Earegood: But but it what I'm saying though is it's head to head, right? Because then you can scale yourself above ⁓ New Mexico and you can scale yourself then above, you know you can use central as a litmus test against someone. Like there's there's a way you can look at it. Exactly. Andrew Graham: Yeah. Yeah, and then you just need Boise to lose and that head to head goes away in some way and yeah. Connor Earegood: Yeah. But now if you're Western you have two losses and it's it's ⁓ a a tough situation for a team that's probably better than that. ⁓ and certainly early in the season, like started hot. But ⁓ you know, your your goals are still ahead of you if you're Western Michigan. ⁓ and, you know, considering the crapshoot that is, competing for that spot, like the playoff I know is a something they were aiming for and that goes back to when Dan was the A D, that's Bartholomew, but and and Western just named a new A D as well, yeah, which is exciting for them. Andrew Graham: Western has a new ID as of as of today, by the way. Yeah. Alex Gary, who as of as r as does Ricky Bobby, has two first names. Connor Earegood: Well and and you know, i you're there's a race to make the C F P but there's also again that Mac title. And ⁓ I I think there's still a good amount of momentum there. ⁓ if you can go run the table in the Mac, which it looks like a tough conference. ⁓ there's some good teams in there, Toledo, Ohio, like ⁓ two separate teams, not Toledo, Ohio, but Toledo and Ohio. Western Yeah. Toledo, Michigan, i if we're getting political. ⁓ I digress. Andrew Graham: Toledo I was gonna say just Toledo comma, Ohio is a city. Connor Earegood: But we'll we'll take the UP, it's prettier. I don't know. I I'll I'll say this though, like ⁓ i if you're Western, you know, don't let this beat you twice, ⁓ as as coaches would always say and you know, it it still is a a a a good program and and you know, as long as Lance Taylor's the coach there, which he might be someone that gets gobbled up in this coaching care, so you never know. Two pretty successful seasons, that Michigan game put a lot of people on notice. ⁓ you know, ⁓ he he may be a guy. Andrew Graham: ⁓ the way he responded after the Michigan game, I think, is the sort of thing that speaks to an athletic director. ⁓ so that's just my my own tooth sense there. Connor Earegood: You saw a lot at P four. Yeah. Yeah. So that's it it Enjoy the ride, basically. 'Cause you don't know who what who's gonna be with you. Andrew Graham: Yeah, and I think like to the point of like Lance today at his press conference spoke, you know, about we just gotta focus on going one and ⁓ And that last year they started 0-3, and like people were kinda like, Well, they're hosed. ⁓ and then they beat Toledo and they reeled off they won ten out of eleven to end the year and went ten and four and won the Mac. And so the lesson is like what if you just focus on what's in front of you, good things will tend to work out in the wash. And I think that's also kind of true of the year to year, like how you're building your program, how your program builds to success of like, okay, they're not gonna like arrive in the CFP this year, most likely. That was admittedly kind of a pie in the sky goal. But if you have another nine, ten win season, like if you have another year where you're a conference champion or at a minimum playing in that con on conference title weekend, you just keep establishing this credibility of Hey, Western Michigan is a championship caliber G six team, and that's the pool we look at when we're talking about the competition for this coveted playoff spot, if like to put a bow on that whole thing. And I think the the good news, and you'd never ever in a million years get Lance Taylor to say this at the podium, but if you needed a get right game for this defense and this offense, Buffalo is a pretty good pick in the Mac. ⁓ just being quite frank about it. Good linebacker play. ⁓ chant Connor Earegood: Good linebacker play though. Known for linebacker play, Deion Crawford. Andrew Graham: Chance Morrow at receiver is like a real we'll we'll get to this like later in the week, but like they they have like two or three things you have to account for, but like the just in general, Buffalo has been pretty bad. They've had some close calls with FCS teams. ⁓ so like as like if Western comes out, plays their game, plays to their level, it should be a very kinda good catharsis like afternoon. ⁓ but go on the road, gotta deal with that. ⁓ I guess we can quickly get to the Eastern Michigan Connor Earegood: I was gonna say, I I had a tweet. Well, I had I'm gonna say I had a tweet for a moment, a brief moment. The state of Michigan's C F B hopes were in the hands of of central Michigan that had a three nothing lead on Miami after the opening drive and I you know did not last. A lot of forty thousand ballots in the Huron River, but Andrew Graham: No, go ahead. Yeah, the there was a lot of stop the count going on out of Mount Pleasant and the the the ⁓ the the yeah, the the like we need to we need to get these ⁓ these the the th the Saginaw Chippewa tribe to to intervene and declare sovereignty and this be a victory or something like that. when it was three nothing. But I I'll put it this way, like without so much as admitting it, like the the vibe from central Michigan was like The we don't have a chance in this game unless we play perfect and Miami screws up. Which was like objective reality. Like I I think it was just I appreciate Matt Drinkle's willingness to state the o like ⁓ the elephant in the room. Like it's y I know you're aware of this, head coach. You know I'm aware of this. So let's can you just say it? And he more or less did without just directly saying it. And so they went down there, they didn't run Angel Flores pretty much at all. It was fifty two three Miami, by the way. We said Central Michigan was up three nothing, but we didn't say they then gave up fifty two straight points. Yeah, fifty-two straight points. ⁓ Darien Mensa, Miami's quarterback, has more touchdowns than incompletions through four games. ⁓ though Miami has not played much competition. So, like, Central Michigan went down there and ironically they had one of their best like passing performances of Connor Earegood: We didn't say it was fifty two unanswered. We'll see ya. Andrew Graham: Like not just the year, but apparently the completion percentage was like one of the highest in a single game in school history. Which is crazy that like I I had a tweet at like midnight or whenever I was like I pulled over into a gas station to do the little zoom with Matt Drinkle after the game driving home from Kalamazoo. And I posted it was just Drew Brees and it was Central Michigan quarterbacks when they get to play against Miami. 'cause they went twenty one of twenty-six. They had a late interception, they didn't throw for a ton of yards, but like for this passing offense it was a very good night. ⁓ and they did a lot of just like got guys in, a lot of reps to evaluate. And now you get into Mac play. Like, I just like it it's not a game that they were gonna take too much from other than their own sort of individual evaluations, like very much a preseason game vibe as it can exist in college football. Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: ⁓ where it's still valuable and they're taking it extremely seriously like any other game, but just understanding like the utility of this is probably not gonna be who wins and loses, because that might kinda already be out of hand before we even take the field. Miami's really good. Connor Earegood: Well and then you're warm you y they might win an addy. Like they've went they were close last year, they played for it. They if they continue to be healthy, they ⁓ they're I think they're way better. I I like I I the thing I'll say with with Central, you have Akron, at Ohio, Western, and Miami, which you noted in the ⁓ in the show doc here that that the viewers can't see. It's ⁓ but if you get through it, this warms you up, right? You come off of this, you're clicking. Andrew Graham: Like they're really good. They might be better. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, October's rough. Connor Earegood: You figured some things out and you're probably a little bit ⁓ w it wasn't like a heartbreaking loss, right? It wasn't like it was twenty eight, twenty seven and it's like, ⁓ we almost beat this team. Like you you you are where you thought you were. And that allows you to you aren't you there's no misconceptions about where you're at. So if you're able to go rattle off maybe three out of four wins in the next month, which would be a lot, I don't think that's probably what the projection is, but Andrew Graham: You felt good and then reality set in and you did what you needed to do. Yeah, yeah. Connor Earegood: If you are able to knock off some and play one game at a time and and, you know, maybe shock some people, there's a path here. And if you get out of this month and it's smooth sailing, like if you can take care of business when the weather's good in October and you're not playing a a blizzard in Ypsilani and you wouldn't survive a quarter, like Andrew Graham: Yeah. Hey they're not playing an Ipsy, that'll be a forward field. Controlled conditions. Connor Earegood: Right. And and so a dome. A dome. And and so there and there won't be a raccoon in the ⁓ in the stands, but ⁓ I'll I'll I'll I'll say like this is a gonna be a pivotal month for Central, but if you're Central you like when it's positioned and you like when you're playing these teams. Andrew Graham: Controlled conditions. For the fans mostly. ⁓ yeah, and I think too, like I ironically they might actually kinda prefer the slop just because of the way they can play. Like, keep in mind this is a team that did run the ball fifty nine times against Wyoming and a win. ⁓ So yeah, it's just like if you had told them they would have gotten through non conference play two and two, with a loss to New Mexico and a loss to Miami on both on the road, you'd have gone, Alright, sounds about right. Like it's not Connor Earegood: That's fair. Hehehe. Andrew Graham: It's very much within the like two the the standard deviation either way on the bell curve. ⁓ and so y I think you're exactly right of you're exactly positioned and they are just gonna be with like the little formula they've tapped into, at least for Mac play, of good offensive line play, can run the ball. Angel Flores is just he's so like Angel Flores and Brock Lowry might legitimately be two of the best pure like vision and like navigation runners at the quarterback position in college football. Like they just know where to go. ⁓ better than a lot of guys I see play quarterback and run the football. And so I think Central's just got a recipe with that and a staunch defense where they're gonna be hard to beat. So, like, do they, you know, have the eventual juice to beat Miambo, Ohio? Maybe, maybe not. But it's gonna be close. It's gonna like it's probably gonna be like a low scoring, you know, slog of a game and if Central can make those all of those that, like, they have a chance. ⁓ and so I think Yeah, like you just you you feel good about you you feel good about where Yeah, you feel good about where you've turned things around from kinda getting worked, frankly, by New Mexico in the opener, and then really struggling in that first half against Colgate to you snap it in, then you play really well against Wyoming, and then you kind of sh you know stretch out your legs, so to speak, in whatever context you want to consider it against Miami where Connor Earegood: Nineteen thirties off stat line. You get a free trip to Miami also. Like let's let's not act like players aren't gonna be juiced by that. Andrew Graham: E correct. Well, it's not free for the team itself, but it's I mean in the net it is, but like they do have to like pay for the flight in the hotel, but yes. ⁓ I I understand what you're saying. I'm just pointing out like Central Michigan was not like flown out on someone else's dime. ⁓ yeah. ⁓ yeah. ⁓ Connor Earegood: Well, you the right. You make money though for going to Miami. Yeah. Right. I mean the players. Sure, sure. But if I'm like the backup quarterback and I'm like I'm in Miami, dude. Especially like the Friday night before, I don't if there there's curfews and things and they're disciplined young men, but I probably wouldn't be. Andrew Graham: Well they have some guys from Florida on the team who I'm guessing got to like have a bun like a bunch of family come to the game and stuff like that, which is pretty cool. Which is like like stuff like that matters still. Like as much as this has become cold naked business. Connor Earegood: ⁓ sure. And you get a big check. Andrew Graham: Yep. One point three million dollars for your services in this one, Central Michigan. I mean and frankly, Adam Jackson the voice of the Chippewas, I was listening to the radio call on the way home, like he he was in the booth talking about like, yeah, and you know, we'll get paid for being here at least. Like So like it's again, there's no there's no there's no illusions. Yeah. And yeah. Connor Earegood: It's not in glitter like in semi pro, but So you have to look at it. It when there's haves and have nots. Yeah. Eastern. Eastern, where are they at? Andrew Graham: They played well. They ⁓ Chris Creighton had his zoom availability, or as I enjoyed his zoom availability this morning. And his take, I think, was about spot on of played good, played solid, wasn't spectacular. Like defense played solid, didn't take the ball away, which they don't love, but they got a bunch of sacks and ⁓ TFLs, gave up three points. I don't think Linden would like they're playing an FCS team and they won twenty nine three. So like there you go. Lindenwood didn't score until its seventh drive, I think, something like that. And then Eastern scored on I wanna say six of eight or seven of eight like seven of eight drive like some almost all of their like non neal, non end of game, like end of half drives, pretty much. ⁓ and so just kind of the game you expect to play. You'd like to put in the end zone a little bit more, you'd like to see maybe like a little bit better out of the run game. But Connor Earegood: Comfortable. Andrew Graham: You did what you need to do, you took care of business, you got a win you needed to get after losing three in a row. You you know, like the swing game here with San Jose State, you lost that, that bites, but you got over it, you're two and three, you have a Mac win. And now the top two teams in the Mac, Eastern Michigan and UMass, just as we all predicted going into this week, will play in Amherst this weekend, which is actually gonna be like apparently sold out, which is wild. Connor Earegood: Pop Watson is hooping and that's gonna be a problem for Eastern. Andrew Graham: and Chris Creighton, like, he he was like they like he's like, I don't even just think their offense runs through him. He's like, I think their team runs through him. And I kinda think he's right, 'cause like that dude has breathed life into that team and like frankly that program. Like Build the Pop Watson statue. Yeah. Like Build the statue. Like Actually don't build the statue if there's any lesson of like our lifetime Conrad's that statues of sports figures always end up having. Connor Earegood: Spiritually. They build a statue? Yeah, yeah, that's where I'm going. Like, yeah. It's like ⁓ Andrew Graham: horrendous scandal come out thirty years later. ⁓ not saying that about Pop Watson, but Connor Earegood: Yeah. Yeah. I I he's been fun to watch. Well he's been fun to watch, but like if you're Eastern, you can go play spoiler. Like that's it's you're not out talented necessarily. ⁓ and Noah Kim is is dynamic in his own self. It's just Pop has has done that against some dogs and and some you know, some teams he wasn't supposed to do it against, i. e. Rutgers. I was about to well Andrew Graham: ⁓ yeah. It would Yes, the the dogs of Rutgers, but also still better roster. Connor Earegood: a a lot better of a roster and that probably has more to do with his defense considering the all big ten guys that are on that Rutgers offense, which is like really, really three three guys for Rutgers. Andrew Graham: Yeah, I feel I feel bad for K J Duff and Antoine Raymond of just being trapped in a prison, basically, of an offense in Piscatoway. ⁓ yeah, yeah, yeah. I c I know I know who you're talking about. I yeah. Connor Earegood: In the the the tackle, I forget his name. What that was three guys that they had on the All Big Ten team and they can't win with them. And are are dead last in in the Big Ten in and S P plus and probably at the end of the season. ⁓ which is probably gonna be a saving grace for Michigan State if it pushes for a bowl game in the last week. But they got a long way to get there first. ⁓ but ⁓ yeah, I I don't know, this is gonna be a an interesting one, ⁓ for for Eastern, I think, because it's the road venue, like Andrew Graham: Ye Yeah it is. Connor Earegood: I I don't know. It it's it's a team that has been spiritually in the dumps for years that is just having its juice. You can go soul snatch. And like teams have to understand how to win and how to maintain winning. And there's a there's a skill to that and it's it'sn't something that when you see programs turn a corner, like sometimes there's the warm up season and then the season they're competitive. So if there's anyone that knows how to sustain winning and not get high and low and ⁓ get some things out of it, it's a guy that's been at the same school for thirteen years and and led him to bowl games in the majority. So ⁓ you Chris Creighton's got his hands full with with what he's dealing with and coming off of a ⁓ the finally a win after three losses, but ⁓ you know, you call San Jose State a swing game, but ⁓ you know, I he he's obviously approaching every one of ⁓ like he wants to win, but ⁓ this is a big week for them for sure. Andrew Graham: ⁓ yeah. Well I think it's it's ⁓ th for one, the Eastern Michigan defense I think would love to sort of like sort of announce themselves and sort of calcify and crystallize their personality and sort of like attitude and identity of like they came in and kind of just like shut this guy down at in that guy being Pop Watson. ⁓ and it just like the vibe I get is just like it would be the most supremely Chris Creighton thing to do to like go in and just win the ⁓ the like ugliest, muckiest, like twenty three, twenty one football game you've ever seen. ⁓ so yeah, like I think it's just as much as the cool road environments, like this cool thing for or the c the big environment, excuse me, is a cool thing for you, Mass, that big road environment, you can use it as kind of a tool if you're Eastern of like, ⁓ they think they finally arrived, like, well, let's see. ⁓ kinda how like Eastern got to welcome Sacks State to the Mac. Like similar deal. You can might get to do that twice a little bit this year. ⁓ but yeah, so do we wanna get to our last little bit here before we get out of here? Connor Earegood: Yeah, sure. Andrew Graham: So, conference plays more like actually here, officially here, legitimately here. Just kinda like take a look at who we think is gonna be going to a bowl game or not. I basically just wrote it down as bull or no bull. ⁓ and so we'll just go, I just wrote this order down. Start with Michigan State. Connor, bowl or no bull? Connor Earegood: No bull. No bull. They needed the Nebraska game. No bull. Andrew Graham: Yeah, no bowl, Wisconsin, Northwestern and looking decent. It's not enough wins out of the final eight games. Michigan. Bull or no bowl, Connor? Bull. Th there is too much talent on that team to not win some of the games remaining on the schedule. They gotta win this weekend to just not like let things get off the rails. Central Michigan, I will start with this one. I will say bowl. ⁓ I think you just need to like go two and two this month and not not get get behind the sticks, so to speak. Connor Earegood: I'm gonna say bowl as well. They're what, th three and one right now? Or do they play week zero? Two and two. Bowl. You can you can win four games in the max. Andrew Graham: Two and two. Two and two. They should they they should, I would say, almost, but defense good. Eastern Michigan, Connor, bowl or no bowl. Hmm. Connor Earegood: They should with that defense. Noble. You needed the San Jose State win, I think. Andrew Graham: I'm gonna say bowl. I think the schedule stacks up okay for them. ⁓ I think actually funnily enough for them a big game will be against Central Michigan. If they can win that one, I think they will be in very good shape to get to a bowl. Connor Earegood: Good old Michigan Mac rivalry. Andrew Graham: Yeah, they apparently th I I'm I'm working on the lore about ⁓ they want to do a trophy for it once upon a time and it kinda got shut down. But I'm I'm working on figuring that out and prom trying to write the story. There should be. And the trophy they wanted to do was gonna be really good. So but that's all I'll say. ⁓ Western Michigan Cooper Rush with a meatball sub on five. ⁓ Western Michigan bowl or no bowl. I'm going bowl here. There th ⁓ it Connor Earegood: There should be. Make it Cooper Rush. No. Bo Andrew Graham: Their Mac schedule's not hard. They they play Bowling Green, they play Kent State, ⁓ both of those at home. They also go, I believe, to Akron. So, you know, they're like they w I mean that would be undefeated in the Mac, but like not out of the realm of possibility, because they basically gotta go like their two hard games in the Mac are at Central and Miami of Ohio at home. Connor Earegood: Potential ten in two territory. Like, That's what I'm saying. I think they got ⁓ Like the way we've seen them play, it's just how they get off the mat from a a rough one. Andrew Graham: Windows. So Cool. ⁓ my gosh, we we actually did this in like the time we we set out to do it, basically, Connor. It will never happen again. It will never ever happen again. I hope you know that. Ooh, little news update. South Carolina has jointly suspended with the SEC Dylan Stewart for some amount of time. One game. Don't punch other people, kids. In football or in life. ⁓ anything Connor Earegood: Look at that. Efficiency. Ha ha ha. Keep your hands to yourself. And on that note I'll co sign that and I'll say the only time you do punch someone is if someone takes a cheap shot at your own player. And then it's acceptable. But that's more hockey logic. A a as they deservedly did. That kid should get should have got his yeah. Andrew Graham: Anything else to say. Anything else, Connor? as as Oregon's players did defending Dante Moore. ⁓ yeah. Actually okay, I'm gonna do I'm gonna I'm gonna do a 30 second hijack here at the end. That play is crazy to me because you have USC versus Oregon in a Big Ten game where Oregon's quarterback who played at Detroit King High School got knocked out by Desmond Stevens for USC who played at Clarkston. Connor Earegood: Go ahead. Andrew Graham: It just like what like this is not your father's college football. Yeah, this is not your father's college football, but that is just like Connor Earegood: In state rivalry. The Mitten runs everything. Yeah. This should have been Michigan, Michigan State. Andrew Graham: ⁓ in thirty years ago it would have been. I I I don't put that out there, Connor. That's a bad omen. Alright. Before Connor like starts drawing pentagrams on his kitchen wall, we're gonna get out of here. ⁓ thank you everyone for listening. ⁓ hope you enjoyed listening to another episode of In the Pocket. ⁓ for Connor Eargood. I am Andrew Graham, and thanks. Connor Earegood: And then the state would've be burning right now if that happened. Pitchforks Pitchforks Corn Dogs Jackie.