Michigan 42, Maryland 21

Tag: Brandon Watson


7Oct 2018
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Michigan 42, Maryland 21

Ben Mason (image via Wolverines Wire)

Hooray for fewer commercials. I have to say it was very nice not to have to sit through commercial break after commercial break after commercial break. I get that college football can’t exist in the form that it does without commercials, but some of the recent games have been tiresome. I don’t watch the commercials, ABC. I go to the bathroom, get a snack, or check my phone.

Hit the jump for the rest of the recap.

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17Sep 2018
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Michigan vs. SMU Awards

Donovan Peoples-Jones (image via Michigan Daily)

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Karan Higdon. Higdon was a game-time decision in this game, and he ended up sitting out the contest. The Wolverines struggled to run the football, even if the overall numbers ended up okay due to SMU wearing down in the second half. Leading rusher Chris Evans had 18 carries for 85 to lead the team, but his day ended with his game-high 35-yard run in the third quarter, which saw him grab his right hamstring area and go down. Whether it was a cramp (hopefully) or a hamstring tear, it left Michigan with walk-on Tru Wilson and sophomore O’Maury Samuels handling the load for the remainder of the game. Higdon should be back for next week if he was a game-time decision two days ago, but Michigan needs him back.

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28Jul 2018
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2018 Season Countdown: #31 Brandon Watson

Brandon Watson (#28, image via Newsday)

Name: Brandon Watson
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 200 lbs.
High school: Wilmington (DE) Eastern Christian Academy
Position: Cornerback
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #28
Last year: I ranked Watson #35 and said he would be a backup cornerback (LINK). He made 21 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 5 pass breakups.
TTB Rating: N/A

Watson had a pretty solid season in 2017 and showed what an additional year of development can do for a defensive back who’s not a top-notch athlete. Watson was a liability in 2016 and was always a step or two slow. He played a lot in the slot, and that hurt him a little bit because he couldn’t be physical with wide receivers. It’s a little tougher to be a physical cover guy in the slot, because receivers have a two-way go, and they often start off behind the line of scrimmage. Last year Watson played a little more on the outside, and I thought he did a better job of recognizing routes. Maybe he watched more film or improved his formation recognition or just got more technically sound, but he became a solid corner. He doesn’t have the speed or playmaking ability of Lavert Hill or David Long, but he’s a solid player at this point.

Watson returns as a fifth year senior, even though he has virtually no hope of starting. He’s one of several fifth year guys who could probably go to a lot of other schools and start. He should get a lot of snaps on defense, and he’s also heavily utilized on special teams. Michigan has a large number of defensive backs, but Watson and fellow backup Ambry Thomas should both be key members of that defensive backfield. College football teams love to throw the football all over the field, and Michigan has at least four decent corners. In fact, this cornerback group from #1 through #4 might be the most talented group altogether that Michigan has had in the last 25 years or so. Watson’s not a game-changer in the commonly accepted use of the term, but he gives Michigan a starter-quality option in case Hill or Long gets injured along the way.

Prediction: Backup cornerback

5Sep 2017
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Michigan vs. Florida Awards

Chase Winovich and Noah Furbush (image via GBMWolverine)

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Ty Isaac. Isaac averaged 10.4 yards per carry on 11 carries, giving him 114 yards on the day. He had 50% as many carries as starter Chris Evans, who averaged just 3.5 yards/carry, and Karan Higdon averaged 4.0 yards/carry on 7 chances. Isaac had the hot hand on Saturday, and some observers have said he’s in better shape now than he ever has been. I’m done expecting Isaac to be a breakout star, but I sure wouldn’t mind a few more performances like this.

Let’s see less of this guy on offense . . . Grant Perry. This has less to do with his performance on the field than his behavior on and off the field. The guy faced felony charges in the off-season, and on his first time touching the ball during the year, he spun the ball and earned his team a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Did he learn his lesson? Nope. He spun the ball again later in the game. I’m not saying the off-the-field and on-the-field things are related, but maybe he needs some more tough love to help the messages sink in.

Let’s see more of this guy on defense . . . David Long. It’s too early to call Long injury-prone, but he was injured and redshirted in 2016. Then he missed some time this spring with a nagging injury. And he exited this game early with a leg injury. He seems like a guy who’s in need of a steady diet of steak and whole milk.

Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . Brandon Watson. Directly related to the Long situation, I don’t think Watson is a starting-caliber cornerback and he could be taken advantage of by teams who game plan for him and have the right athletes. He’s a stop-gap guy, and I think it’s concerning if he’s a long-term starter. It helps greatly that Michigan has a very good pass rush, which mitigates some issues on the back end.

Play of the game . . . Chase Winovich’s strip sack for a Noah Furbush touchdown. There are a few options for this honor, such as a couple Ty Isaac runs, a Brandon Watson pass breakup, a Josh Metellus tackle in the open field, a Wilton Speight deep ball to Nick Eubanks, etc. But the Winovich sack of Florida QB Malik Zaire sealed the game for the Wolverines, and Furbush did a great job of corralling the ball before it could trickle out of the back of the end zone.

MVP of the game . . . Ty Isaac and Devin Bush, Jr. I can’t really choose between the two. The offense struggled to move the ball through the air, and Isaac averaged a first down every time he touched the ball. He also made a couple clutch plays to keep drives alive. On the other side of the ball, Bush made 7 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks. He was all over the field and did a great job in his first game as a starting middle linebacker. He almost got booted from the game on the first defensive play when he was investigated for targeting, but luckily he stayed in the game to help Michigan win.

29Jul 2017
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2017 Season Countdown: #35 Brandon Watson

Brandon Watson (#28, image via GBMWolverine)

Name: Brandon Watson
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 203 lbs.
High school: Elkton (MD) Eastern Christian Academy
Position: Cornerback
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #28
Last year: I ranked Watson #56 and said he would be a backup cornerback. He made 12 tackles.
TTB Rating: N/A

Watson has so far been strictly a backup cornerback, and no higher than fourth on the depth chart during his career. He has had a chance to take an open spot the past couple seasons, but he has not taken advantage of those opportunities. In two years of playing time, he has yet to make a play on the ball (no FF, FR, INT, or PBU); however, he made a great interception in the 2015 spring game, and he made a pick-six in this year’s spring game. While not very tall, he has long arms and plays receivers physically. He just lacks the quickness and speed to be an important cog in the defense. In addition to the pick-six, he also got outrun by Ty Isaac for a touchdown in the spring game.

Despite the uncertainty at the cornerback positions going into 2017, Watson isn’t thought to be a contender to start. He will almost certainly play a good deal as a nickel corner or backup safety. Lavert Hill, David Long, and Keith Washington look to be ahead of him, and Benjamin St-Juste (outside corner) and Ambry Thomas (slot corner) have a chance to pass him. Watson has value as a veteran presence, but his lack of athleticism makes him a liability against better passing offenses.

Prediction: Backup cornerback