Michigan vs. Ohio State Awards
Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . someone with speed. Eddie McDoom, Jehu Chesson, Jabrill Peppers, Chris Evans, Jourdan Lewis, anyone. There’s a saying everyone’s heard, and that saying is “Speed kills.” Michigan hasn’t had a ton of speed for the past few seasons, but the roster isn’t entirely devoid of those players. What I didn’t see on Saturday was a great effort to get those fast guys the ball in space. It was De’Veon Smith (one of the slower backs in recent Michigan history), Jake Butt, and Amara Darboh touching the ball most of the time. Out of 40 non-Speight rushing attempts, only 12 went to explosive players (Chris Evans had 6, Jabrill Peppers had 4, and Jehu Chesson had 2). Out of 23 receptions, only 2 went to explosive players (Jehu Chesson had both), unless you count Darboh. In my opinion, that’s only 14/63 touches for players who are dangerously speedy, and that’s not enough. Additionally, if you’re going to use Peppers on offense, you have to be more creative. He either has to play more offense so the defense forgets about him a little bit, or the coaches have to use him the same amount but in ways defenses haven’t seen yet.
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