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Michigan vs. UNLV Awards

Jourdan Lewis

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Ty Isaac. This is not a new refrain for me, but it’s worth repeating. I think Isaac is the most talented back on the roster, and while his best career game did come against UNLV – which is not a quality opponent – it’s important to note that starter De’Veon Smith didn’t perform very well, either (13 carries, 33 yards). Meanwhile, Isaac had 8 carries for 114 yards and 1 score. Take away his 76-yard touchdown run, and he still ran 7 times for 38 yards (5.4 yards/carry). As things stand right now, Smith is averaging 3.9 yards/carry and Isaac is at 8.9, while Derrick Green sits at 3.5 and Drake Johnson has 5.2. Yards per carry is not the only measurement of a running back, but his primary job is to gain yards on the ground. Smith has 53 attempts this year, while Isaac has only 18. That’s too much of an imbalance.

Hit the jump for the rest of the awards for this week.
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Michigan 28, UNLV 7

Ty Isaac on his way to a 76-yard touchdown

Hello, Ty Isaac! It was nice to see running back Ty Isaac have some success on the ground yesterday. He ended the game with 8 carries for 114 yards and 1 touchdown, which came on a 76-yarder. (That stat line is oddly similar to De’Veon Smith’s 8 carries, 115 yards, 2 touchdowns against last year’s patsy, Appalachian State.) Isaac is not a burner and won’t make a ton of guys miss, but he can be a physical runner when he keeps his shoulders square, and obviously he has enough speed to run away from a lot of defenders. When teams start to pack the box against Michigan, there are going to be times where nobody’s left once you get past the second level. That’s what happened on Isaac’s long run. The 76-yarder was the longest run at Michigan since Denard Robinson’s 79-yard touchdown against Air Force in 2012, and it was the longest by a Michigan running back since Carlos Browns 90-yard score against Eastern Michigan in 2009. I predicted that Isaac and starter De’Veon Smith would go over 100 yards, but Smith only ended up with 33 yards on 13 carries (2.5 yards/carry).

Hit the jump for the rest of my post-game thoughts.
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Visitors: Michigan vs. UNLV

Fresno (CA) Clovis West linebacker Caleb Kelly

2016
Christian Boyd – DT – Muskegon (MI) Mona Shores: Boyd is a 6’2″, 260 lb. prospect with no offers at this time. He is teammates with a pretty nice crew of 2016 athletes in wide receiver Kobe Burse (Miami-OH), cornerback Darece Roberson (Western Michigan), and wide receiver Hunter Broersma (Western Michigan).

Keyshon Camp – DT – Lakeland (FL) Lake Gibson: Camp is a 6’3″, 269 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Florida, Miami, Michigan, Oregon, and UCLA, among others; he committed to USC in June. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #20 defensive tackle, and #174 overall. A former teammate of Michigan freshman Reuben Jones, he is also coached by former Michigan offensive lineman Ricky Barnum. This is his official visit.

Donnie Corley – WR – Detroit (MI) King:

Caleb Kelly – LB – Fresno (CA) Clovis West: Kelly is a 247 Composite 5-star, the #2 outside linebacker, and #16 overall. He has offers from Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, UCLA, and USC, among others. He visited Michigan this spring and the coaching staff has been after him hard, but his leader is thought to be Oklahoma. He is committed to the 2016 U.S. All-American Bowl. This is his official visit.

Hit the jump for a number of other visitors.
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Attractive Michigan Girls of the Week

Preview: Michigan vs. UNLV

Rush Offense vs. UNLV Rush Defense
After a solid performance against Oregon State, Michigan is still only #87 nationally with 151 yards/game on the ground. Meanwhile, the 3.91 yards/carry ranks them #90 in the country. Bruising running back De’Veon Smith leads the team in rushing and has received more than 50% of the carries, and backup Ty Isaac has averaged 4.7 yards/carry so far. The Wolverines have stayed healthy on the offensive line so far, and Michigan’s line may have reinforced its confidence with last week’s dominant effort. On the other side, UNLV is #115 in rushing defense (229 yards allowed/game) and tied for #111 in yards allowed/carry (5.15). Those numbers have come against Northern Illinois and UCLA. The Rebels have pretty good size on the interior with 330 and 310 lb. starting defensive tackles, but they are a little light at weakside end (Mark Finau is 6’3″, 230 lbs.) and strongside linebacker (Matt Lea is 5’10”, 215 lbs.). The leading tackler is strong safety Peni Vea, and weakside linebacker Tau Lotulelei leads his unit with 2.5 tackles for loss. With Michigan’s emphasis on the running game and a running back who can run through his fair share of tackles, it would be very disappointing if the Wolverines don’t win this matchup.
Advantage: Michigan

Hit the jump for the remainder of the preview.
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