Tag: Karan Higdon

Michigan 35, Maryland 10

Zach Gentry (image via WTOP)

That is what we expected. I’ve seen a fair amount of consternation about Michigan “only” winning by 25 points, which I find to be somewhat humorous. I picked a 31-10 win in Friday’s preview, and I saw some other predictions that were in the general vicinity. A 25-point win for the Wolverines isn’t anything to shake a stick at, and yet people were complaining. Michigan went up 28-0 before being outscored 10-7, but that’s a blip. This is a young team at most spots, and expecting them to completely obliterate Maryland seemed like a stretch. This isn’t a team that should be expected to squeeze out a 56-0 win against the Terrapins, who have some talent. One reason is . . .

The injuries are mounting. Michigan is in somewhat of a precarious position going into games against Wisconsin and Ohio State over the next two weeks. Aside from missing a starting LT (Grant Newsome), the starting QB (Wilton Speight), and the #1 WR (Tarik Black) with long-term injuries, the Wolverines were without the starting RG (Mike Onwenu) and a part-time starting RB (Ty Isaac), and in this game, they lost starting RB Karan Higdon, DE Rashan Gary, LB Mike McCray, and CB Lavert Hill for stretches. In the latter stages of this game, Michigan was down 8 players that should be starting (plus Ty Isaac, who was the leading rusher until recently). Every team goes through injuries, but not many teams find a 25-point win disappointing when that many players are injured.

Hit the jump for more.

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Michigan 35, Rutgers 14

Brandon Peters (image via USA Today)

Is it Peters time? The biggest story is obviously the appearance of redshirt freshman Brandon Peters. I said before the game that I didn’t think Peters would play unless John O’Korn got hurt or unless Michigan went up big, and I was wrong. I wasn’t really expecting two fumbled snaps, either. O’Korn was 3/6 for 13 yards and 1 interception before getting yanked for redshirt freshman Brandon Peters in the second quarter. Peters entered the game when it was 7-7, and the offense rattled off 21 unanswered points. He went 10/14 for 124 yards and 1 touchdown in that time. Following the game, Jim Harbaugh said this has been brewing for a couple weeks, and he also told the team on Monday that Peters would get a chance to play in this one. Peters looked outstanding in this game except for a) one slant that might have been a pick-six if safety Kiy Hester didn’t have stone hands and b) a deep crossing route to Sean McKeon that fell short, not because of arm strength but due to misjudging the distance. He’s still finding his way as a player a little bit. His play was encouraging, but O’Korn looked great when he played against Purdue, too. Now that teams have film on Peters, sledding might get a little tougher in the coming weeks.

Hit the jump for some more thoughts on Saturday’s win.

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Michigan vs. Indiana Awards

Karan Higdon

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Ty Isaac, Chris Evans, and Lavert Hill. WTF? Yeah, I listed two running backs and a cornerback. Michigan needs to think outside the box as they game plan moving forward. Hill was a productive receiver and special teams player in high school, and Michigan should try to get the ball in his hands in limited ways. Put together a package with him as a slot receiver, which would offer a different dimension than running out three or four tight ends. As for Isaac and Evans, they’re better players than guys like Maurice Ways and Tyrone Wheatley, Jr. A couple years ago against Maryland, Michigan trotted out a full house backfield for a stretch. Maybe having Isaac, Evans, and Karan Higdon in the game at the same time isn’t a perfect trio, but two of those guys with Khalid Hill and/or Ben Mason might make for an interesting combination.

Hit the jump for more awards from Saturday’s game.

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Michigan 27, Indiana 20

Karan Higdon (image via USA Today)

John O’Korn was bad. I expected a better John O’Korn to show up on Saturday, but that wasn’t the case. He finished 10/20 for 58 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. He also ran 2 times for 8 yards. Early in the game, he missed a wide open deep post route to Donovan Peoples-Jones that might have given him and the team some confidence, but it was overthrown by a few yards. O’Korn did pull some magic out of his hat when he escaped three seemingly unblocked defenders in the pocket to scramble to his right and find a well covered Peoples-Jones. Otherwise, he just locked onto his primary receiver and never came off the read. It was astounding how little he went through his progressions. Believe it or not, I actually think O’Korn played better in the Michigan State game, because a couple of his interceptions were decent ideas but bad throws. Against Indiana, the bad ideas and bad throws combined for a very ugly game.

Hit the jump for more on Saturday’s win.

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2017 Season Countdown: #36 Karan Higdon

Karan Higdon (image via 247 Sports)

Name: Karan Higdon
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 189 lbs.
High school: Sarasota (FL) Riverview
Position: Running back
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #22
Last year: I ranked Higdon #72 and said he would be a backup running back. He had 72 carries for 425 yards (5.9 YPC) and 6 touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 73

Higdon was not very productive in limited time as a true freshman (1.7 YPC), so his 2016 season could be considered a bit of a breakout. He averaged 5.9 yards/carry and moved up the depth chart to #3, behind De’Veon Smith and Chris Evans. He had his first career 100-yard game against Rutgers (108 yards, 2 TDs), and followed that up with a 106-yard effort (1 TD) against Illinois the following week. In fact, in a string of three consecutive games in which he participated, he totaled 295 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns, with that third game coming against Penn State. Unfortunately, his production dropped off during the second half of the season, when he averaged just 2.2 yards/carry over the final six contests.

There have been rumblings that he was not 100% healthy going into the 2016 season, and maybe that explains the fact that he was lingering below 190 lbs. He showed an improved burst in 2016, but he still needs to break more tackles. With Smith graduated and Drake Johnson out of the picture, the depth chart seems to have cleared up a little bit and now it seems likely that Higdon will be the #2 guy going into the season. With Chris Evans slotted to be the starter, Higdon will be the second back in at times (with Ty Isaac likely rotating in regularly, too). If the offensive line can open holes for the running game, then Higdon has enough burst to make some chunk plays.

Prediction: Backup running back; 80 carries, 440 yards, 5 TDs