Posts under: Blog

Former Michigan Athlete of the Week: David Harris

David Harris

New York Jets inside linebacker David Harris made 11 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and 1 pass breakup in a 9-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Harris has been a steady presence on the inside over the last decade, and Sunday was his best game of the year so far.

HONORABLE MENTION

• New England Patriots QB Tom Brady was 23/32 for 319 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception in a 31-24 loss to the Seattle Seahawks
• On the other side, Seattle DE Frank Clark made 5 tackles and 1 sack in the same game
• Carolina Panthers WR Devin Funchess caught 3 passes for 56 yards and 1 touchdown, a 38-yarder, in a 20-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs
• Philadelphia Eagles DE Brandon Graham made 3 tackles and 1 sack in a 24-15 win over the Atlanta Falcons
• Green Bay Packers FB Joe Kerridge played in his first NFL game. He was released earlier in the year by the Washington Redskins

BAD NEWS

• Minnesota Vikings OT Jake Long suffered an Achilles injury and is out for the year. This may be the end of his career after multiple ACL tears and now an Achilles issue. He’s only 31 years old, which isn’t ancient, but he just can’t stay healthy.

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Jaylen Kelly-Powell, Wolverine

Jaylen Kelly-Powell (#1, image via USA Today)

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech safety Jaylen Kelly-Powell publicly committed to Michigan on Tuesday. He chose the Wolverines over offers from Alabama, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Stanford, among others.

RATINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 81 grade, #18 safety, #265 overall
Rivals: 3-star, #31 safety
Scout: 4-star, #23 safety, #269 overall
247 Sports: 4-star, 93 grade, #17 safety, #148 overall

Hit the jump for more on Kelly-Powell.

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Wilton Speight might have a broken collarbone

Michigan starting quarterback Wilton Speight reportedly has a broken collarbone (LINK), which I had been hearing since Sunday morning. Coincidentally – or not – Speight also suffered a collarbone injury in high school, an occurrence that allowed him to petition for an extra year of high school eligibility.

That means redshirt junior John O’Korn should slide into the starting job this week when Michigan faces Indiana. Speight has been the #2 quarterback all season, and many people suggested he was the best quarterback on the roster in 2015, when Jake Rudock had a great second half of the year and became an NFL draft pick. Even through the spring, when Speight was taking first-team reps, lots of “insiders” – including the mods at Rivals – insisted O’Korn would be the starter. I initially believed O’Korn would succeed Rudock, but after watching them play this spring, I reached the conclusion that Speight would probably be The Guy.

Hit the jump for more on the quarterback situation.

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Ex-Wolverine Updates: Week 11

Florida LB David Reese (image via 247 Sports)

NOTE: I know someone is going to show up wondering where my comments are about the Iowa game. An unexpected emergency had me spending most of Saturday night in the E.R. and I didn’t get a chance to DVR the game, so I have yet to watch it.

Former DE commit Pharaoh Brown: Brown had 6 catches for 93 yards in Oregon’s 52-27 loss to Stanford.

Former WR/S Brian Cole II: Cole made 4 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 blocked punt in East Mississippi Community College’s 38-30 win over Northwest Mississippi Community College. EMCC won the MACJC championship with a 10-1 record.

Former CB commit Gareon Conley: Conley made 1 tackle in Ohio State’s 62-3 win over Ohio State.

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Preview: Michigan at Iowa

RUSH OFFENSE vs. IOWA RUSH DEFENSE

Michigan is #15 in rushing (252 yards/game) and yards per carry (5.52). They’re #29 in Adjusted Line Yards with an offensive front that has been a bit of a revolving door on the left side. Freshman Ben Bredeson and fifth year senior Ben Braden are now the starters on the left, while the other three starters have played every game. Starting running back De’Veon Smith had his second 100-yard game of the season against Maryland last week with 19 carries for 114 yards and 3 touchdowns. All the tailbacks average more than 5.1 yards/carry, and the guy dragging down the rushing average is fullback Khalid Hill . . . who’s the short yardage option and has 9 touchdowns. Iowa is #118 in defensive ALY, #72 in rushing defense (177 yards allowed/game), and #65 in yards allowed per carry (4.29). Linebacker Josey Jewell (6’2″, 235 lbs.) leads the team by a large margin with 87 tackles, which is 19 more than fellow linebacker Bo Bower (6’1″, 235). Defensive end Parker Hesse (6’3″, 250) is a solid run defender with 5.5 tackles for loss. The Hawkeyes run a rather predictable 4-3 defense, but they’re usually disciplined and well coached.
Advantage: Michigan

Hit the jump for more on the Michigan-Iowa matchup.

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