Tag: Lavert Hill

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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Michigan vs. Michigan State Awards

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Maurice Ways. Michigan tried a couple fade routes on Saturday, though they were ill fated. One was to Sean McKeon – which isn’t a terrible idea – and another was to Eddie McDoom, which is a little more suspect. Ways was a high school basketball player who didn’t concentrate on football until he realized that it’s pretty tough to succeed in basketball if you’re “only” a 6’3″ wing. He might be a better fade option than McDoom or McKeon, who have not shown an ability yet to go up and get the ball.

Hit the jump for the rest of the awards.

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Michigan vs. Cincinnati Awards

Lavert Hill (image via the Journal Gazette)

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Ty Isaac. I hit on it last week when Isaac had 114 yards, and the Michigan coaching staff listened. Can you guys believe Jay Harbaugh reads this blog? I’m honored and humbled . . .  Really, though, Isaac ran 20 times for 133 yards in this one and is averaging 8.0 yards a carry this year. So far he has been the best back on the team, and Michigan should continue riding him until Chris Evans and/or Karan Higdon step up their performances.

Hit the jump for more awards.

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2017 Season Countdown: #17 Lavert Hill

Lavert Hill (#24) with Delano Hill (#44, image via MLive)

Name: Lavert Hill
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 168 lbs.
High school: Detroit (MI) King
Position: Cornerback
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #24
Last year: I ranked Hill #74 and said he would be a backup cornerback. He made 2 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 pass breakup.
TTB Rating: 84

Hill was a very slight cornerback coming out of high school, so it was questionable whether he would play in 2016 or not. With three very good corners on the roster, how many redshirts would be worth burning? The answer: All of them. Of course, all three of those top corners were seniors, so the staff naturally wanted to develop guys to replace them. Hill was one of those guys. Early in the season, he was reportedly running behind David Long, Jr. to play, but an injury to Long pushed Hill to the forefront of that 2016 corner class. He ended up being the fourth (or fifth) cornerback behind Jourdan Lewis, Channing Stribling, Brandon Watson, and Jabrill Peppers (depending on your view of Peppers’s position).

This spring Michigan’s coaching staff suggested that Hill might be the most talented cornerback on the roster. Those are strong words, considering the presence of David Long and Ambry Thomas, among others. However, a constant theme with Hill has been “toughness” or perhaps a lack of it. The coaches publicly and gently suggested that Hill (and Long) needed to learn how tough the college game is and how to play through bumps and bruises, but I think we can be assured that such a sentiment was shared more strongly behind closed doors. Hill has the quickness to be a solid field corner and has some similarities to Jourdan Lewis, but there’s not a whole lot of experienced depth at cornerback. Normally, a fourth or fifth (or sixth if you go back to pre-Clark) corner won’t jump to #17 on the countdown, but the huge loss of talent at the position pushes Hill and a couple of these other guys into the top 20.

Prediction: Starting cornerback; 25 tackles, 2 interceptions

Five Things to Watch in Michigan’s Spring Game

Khaleke Hudson (image via Pinterest)

HOW DOES BRANDON PETERS LOOK?
The Maize Team will be quarterbacked by Wilton Speight and presumed #2 guy John O’Korn, which leaves redshirt freshman Brandon Peters as the signal caller for the Blue team. Did the Maize team draft two quarterbacks to prevent the Blue team from having a competent quarterback? Or did the Blue team truly rank Peters above O’Korn? O’Korn and Peters have reportedly gone back and forth at times during spring practices, but it would be a significant step forward for Peters if the coaches think he’s the #2 option. After all, O’Korn has started numerous games in his career at Houston and then against Indiana last season.

Hit the jump for four more burning questions.

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