Ex-Wolverine Updates

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16Sep 2014
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Ex-Wolverine Updates

Josh Furman (#14) had 2 sacks this week

Former DT Richard Ash: Ash had 2 tackles in Western Michigan’s 45-33 win over Idaho.

Former TE commit Pharaoh Brown: Brown had 4 catches for 46 yards in Oregon’s 48-14 victory over Wyoming.

Former CB commit Gareon Conley: Conley had 1 tackle as Ohio State beat Kent State by a score of 66-0.

Former CB commit Dallas Crawford: In Miami’s 41-20 win over Arkansas State, Crawford had 5 tackles from his safety position.

Former S Joshua Furman: Furman had 6 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 1 pass breakup in Oklahoma State’s 43-13 victory over the University of Texas-San Antonio. He’s been impressing as a starting outside linebacker for the Cowboys.

Former RB commit Demetrius Hart: Hart’s Colorado State team beat UC-Davis by a score of 49-21. Hart had 8 carries for 38 yards, 3 catches for 34 yards, and 2 punt returns for 4 yards.

Former RB Thomas Rawls: For undisclosed reasons, Rawls did not play in Central Michigan’s 40-3 loss to Syracuse. UPDATE: Rawls allegedly was involved in stealing a purse at a casino and subsequently using the stolen credit card to buy gasoline and sub sandwiches.

Former head coach Rich Rodriguez: Arizona eked out a 35-28 win over Nevada, which moves the Wildcats to 3-0. Anu Solomon completed 22/26 passes for 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. Running back Nick Wilson had his second straight performance of 170+ rushing yards, with 28 carries for 174 yards and 2 scores.

Former S Ray Vinopal: In Pitt’s 42-25 win over Florida International, Vinopal had 3 tackles and 1 quarterback hurry.

Former CB commit Adrian Witty: Witty had 3 tackles in Cincinnati’s 58-34 win over Toledo.

Former WR Csont’e York: York has enrolled as a student at Toledo, but he is not yet a part of the football program. I imagine he will play football at some point unless the court throws the book at him for the assault that got him kicked out of Michigan.

15Sep 2014
Uncategorized 28 comments

Michigan vs. Miami-OH Awards

Derrick Green

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Derrick Green. He saw plenty of action this past Saturday, but he looked pretty darn good. Green ended the game with 22 carries for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns. Granted, Michigan has played two patsies so far in the form of Appalachian State and Miami, but Green is on pace for 200 carries, 1,228 yards, and 12 touchdowns. That pace won’t hold up, but he showed nifty feet and improved vision from the past couple weeks. He also got stronger as the game went on and started to run through some tackles. I was okay with the distribution of carries in this game, but it seems like Green is separating himself from De’Veon Smith. On a side note, Smith’s body language suggested to me that he is none too happy about playing second fiddle to Green. I think that dynamic may be interesting to watch as their careers develop.

Let’s see less of this guy on offense . . . Amara Darboh. I only say this because I want Devin Funchess back on the field. Darboh is a complementary receiver, and while he led Michigan in receptions and yardage, he just looks raw in several ways – route running, running after the catch, etc. He will improve over time, just like Jehu Chesson did last year, but Darboh’s not ready to be a featured receiver.

Let’s see more of this guy on defense . . . Blake Countess at nickel corner. My current feeling on the cornerback situation is that Michigan needs guys on the outside who can play press coverage, like Jourdan Lewis, Jabrill Peppers, and perhaps Raymon Taylor. It’s tougher to play press man on slot receivers because of their alignment and such, so perhaps Countess would be better off inside.

Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . Delonte Hollowell. Hollowell didn’t play a lot against Miami, but he played enough to get beaten for another touchdown on an out route. That’s the second week in a row, and teams are probably going to continue to test him out there. He’s best deployed as a special teamer, and he just doesn’t have the quickness to be effective at corner, in my opinion.

Play of the game . . . Jake Butt’s 29-yard touchdown catch. On a fake tunnel screen, Butt hit the corner and then turned upfield. Miami’s secondary bit on the pump fake, and Gardner’s pass was a wee bit too far. Butt was able to tip it to himself and jog into the endzone with no RedHawks in sight. That was the first time Michigan has shown the play so far, and they probably would have liked to have saved it for later in the year against a more formidable opponent, but Michigan was up just 17-10 at the time and it helped the Wolverines pull away.

MVP of the game . . . Derrick Green. There aren’t many choices here on a team that was missing several key players – safety Jarrod Wilson, wide receiver Devin Funchess, and cornerback Raymon Taylor – and couldn’t put away a MAC team on an 18-game losing streak. The Wolverines had some trouble getting open, protecting Gardner in the pocket, and getting Gardner on the edge, so Green’s running was a big key in helping Michigan pull away in the second half.

14Sep 2014
Uncategorized 4 comments

Recruit Tracker: Alex Malzone

Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice
quarterback Alex Malzone

Stats through 3 games: 47/79 passing, 814 yards, 10 touchdowns, 1 interception

October 3, 2014: Malzone went 29/42 for 419 yards and 4 touchdowns. Brother Rice beat Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary’s by a score of 28-20.

September 12, 2014: Malzone was 20/36 for 338 yards and 4 touchdowns in Brother Rice’s 28-7 win over Pickerington (OH) North. Brother Rice is now 3-0.

September 5, 2014: Malzone went 7/9 for 113 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception in Brother Rice’s 31-7 win over Toledo (OH) St. John’s Jesuit. Brother Rice is now 2-0.

August 30, 2014: Malzone was 20/34 for 363 yards and 4 touchdowns, including an 80-yarder to Grant Perry, in Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice’s 40-34 win over Chicago (IL) Brother Rice. Malzone’s team is now 1-0.

14Sep 2014
Uncategorized 9 comments

Michigan 34, Miami-OH 10

Derrick Green (image via 247Sports.com)

That was too close. The final score said 34-10, but it was 10-10 in the second quarter, 17-10 at halftime, and Michigan didn’t get separation until tight end Jake Butt caught a touchdown pass with 3:44 remaining in the third quarter. The offense was inconsistent once again. The Wolverines had 460 yards of total offense to Miami’s 198, which should indicate a whooping. But Devin Gardner threw an interception through the hands of Jehu Chesson, Amara Darboh fumbled, and the kickoff return team botched a short kick, all in the second quarter. Maybe the Wolverines were still in shell-shock from last week’s 31-0 loss, but Miami was on an 18-game losing streak and gave Michigan a scare. This game won’t do much to alleviate the pressure on Brady Hoke.

We have running back answers? Derrick Green was the workhorse back on Saturday afternoon with 22 carries, 137 yards (6.2 yards/carry), and 2 touchdowns. Michigan had a stretch in the second half where they needed to run the ball and take some pressure off of quarterback Devin Gardner, which they did. Green was the guy they looked to, and he produced. The offensive line also did a decent job of opening up some holes, but Green seemed to find the creases that he missed last week. He showed some nifty feet and decent burst, and he started to run through some tacklers. He also had zero negative-yardage plays. Meanwhile, De’Veon Smith had 9 carries for 44 yards (4.9 yards/carry), and while he can still power through some tackles, his speed on a couple outside zone plays was once again lacking. Third down back Justice Hayes had 5 carries for 24 yards, and that’s a fitting role for him.

Big plays are lacking without Devin Funchess. Devin Funchess missed the game due to the injury he suffered late in the Notre Dame contest, and it’s unclear whether he’ll be back next week or not. Michigan’s receivers seemed to struggle getting separation from Miami’s secondary at times, and I don’t see anyone who can stretch the field or gain yards after the catch consistently. Jehu Chesson has some speed, Amara Darboh has the strength and decent size, and Dennis Norfleet has the ability to run after the catch, but nobody has all those qualities rolled into one. Darboh (6 catches, 88 yards, 1 touchdown) appears to be Gardner’s go-to guy without Funchess available. The longest plays on the day were a 29-yard touchdown pass to Jake Butt and 27-yard runs by Green and backup quarterback Shane Morris.

I like Michigan’s corners. Jabrill Peppers (3 tackles) played quite a bit on the outside, and while he looked raw in some aspects of coverage, he clearly has the speed, strength, and hips to be a very good corner. It’s just a matter of time with him. Jourdan Lewis (1 interception) also looked like a good man coverage guy, which we already knew. They both seemed to get a little more playing time than Blake Countess, although I could be wrong about that. Once Raymon Taylor comes back, I think Michigan will be in good shape. Miami quarterback Andrew Hendrix was completing 48% of his passes but for 338 yards/game coming into this one, and he finished 12/26 for 165 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 pick.

Where’s the pass rush? Michigan is getting some pressure on quarterbacks, but they’re not getting home. Brennen Beyer got Michigan’s lone sack on Saturday, basically by outworking Miami right tackle Collin Buchanan – who had 3 false starts on the day, if I remember correctly. Michigan didn’t roll out the exotic blitzes they showed against Notre Dame, but they didn’t sit back and rush four defensive linemen all day, either. The Wolverines just aren’t beating guys off the line like you think they would once in a while. The pass rush improved as the 2013 season wore on, so hopefully that becomes the case once again. The Wolverines have just 4 sacks in three games this year.

The run defense still looks good. Miami isn’t a good running team, but Michigan did well against Notre Dame on the ground and held Miami to 33 yards on 24 carries (1.4 yards/carry). The defensive linemen aren’t getting a ton of penetration, but they’re not losing ground, and the linebackers are doing a good job of cleaning up behind them. Joe Bolden even made a nice pass breakup on a post route, which is probably the first time I can say that during his career. The linebackers are pretty solid all-around.

WHY, JEHU CHESSON II, WHY?!?!?! When he got his hands on the Shane Morris pass in the endzone that would have made it 37-10 (before the extra point), I really thought my score prediction of 38-10 was going to come true. Chesson must read my blog – and he must not be a fan – because he made the Wolverines settle for a field goal that made it 34-10.