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Michigan vs. Ohio State Awards

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Brandon Peters. If Peters were the quarterback in this game, I think Michigan probably wins it. Unfortunately, Peters got concussed against Wisconsin and was still in concussion protocol when the Ohio State game came around. It was the right call for the health of Peters, and I’m glad the medical staff didn’t clear him. But it was unfortunate for Michigan. Hopefully Peters is ready to go for the bowl game.

Let’s see less of this guy on offense . . . John O’Korn. O’Korn didn’t have an absolutely terrible game (17/32, 195 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT), but he missed a handful of open receivers and threw a really, really, really, really, really bad interception when Michigan was down just 24-20 with a little less than three minutes left. O’Korn took the blame for the loss, and that’s entirely fair. Good for him. But he doesn’t give Michigan a very good chance to win.

Let’s see more of this guy on defense . . . 

Tyree Kinnel. For most of the season, I’ve said I like the defensive rotations. I just want Kinnel to be healthy after it looks like he suffered a concussion when hitting Ohio State receiver Austin Mack.

Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . Jordan Glasgow. As much as I respect the Glasgow family – and even Jordan himself – Michigan has better safeties. Both Kinnel and J’Marick Woods got injured, which forced Glasgow into action late in the game. Hopefully, he can just concentrate on special teams in the bowl game.

Play of the game . . . 

Donovan Peoples-Jones’s 42-yard punt return. Peoples-Jones made several people miss, accelerated up the sideline, lowered his shoulder, broke a tackle, spun back for extra yards, etc. It was a brilliant return, and it indicated that it would be great if Michigan could find ways to get him the ball more.

MVP of the game . . . Rashan Gary. Naysayers might point to Gary’s missed tackle, which came right after he left the game with a shoulder injury (that seems to have been nagging him for several weeks). It didn’t look great, but bad shoulders can do that to a guy. Even so, he finished the game with 10 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks. He was Michigan’s best defensive player on Saturday, and nobody on offense had a standout game.

Wilton Speight, Ex-Wolverine

Wilton Speight (image via AP

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Michigan quarterback Wilton Speight announced via Instagram on Sunday afternoon that he would be transferring elsewhere for his fifth year senior season. Speight started 12 games in 2016 and 4 more in 2017 before breaking a few vertebrae in his back against Purdue. He redshirted in 2014 before playing a backup role to Jake Rudock in 2015.

Hit the jump for more on the transfer.

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School in the News: Texas A&M

Houston (TX) St. Pius X QB Grant Gunnell (image via Scout)

Texas A&M fired Kevin Sumlin on Sunday, which wasn’t surprising and yet seems somewhat befuddling. The guy has four straight 5-loss seasons but is 51-26 over six years in College Station. That’s not great, but it’s not terrible for a team that’s now competing in the SEC. I don’t see Texas A&M being on the precipice of greatness, and they aren’t historically a great team. You shouldn’t ever stop striving for greatness, I guess, but I’m not sure how much better they expect to be.

Anyway, here’s a look at the recruits who could possibly be poached.

2018 commits with Michigan offers: OT Colten Blanton, DT Bobby Brown, OT Barton Clement, WR Jordan Moore, S Leon O’Neal Jr., WR Jalen Preston, DE Max Wright
2019 commits with Michigan offers: QB Grant Gunnell
2017 roster players offered by Michigan: WR Jhamon Ausbon, OT Kellen Diesch, WR Hezekiah Jones, WR Christian Kirk, DT Daylon Mack, DE Justin Madubuike, S Charles Oliver

The two biggest names to potentially keep an eye on are Max Wright and Grant Gunnell. Wright was somewhat interested in Michigan and visited campus before pulling the trigger for the Aggies. Meanwhile, Gunnell was highly valued by Michigan’s coaching staff, but the rumor was that he wanted to go somewhere where he could be The Man. In a class following Joe Milton, Kevin Doyle, Dylan McCaffrey, and Brandon Peters, there’s going to be quite a bit of competition. Gunnell is 6’6″, 212 lbs. He’s a 4-star, the #2 pro-style quarterback, and #30 overall. Otherwise, Michigan offers a bunch of kids from Texas, but guys with a ton of interest in coming to Ann Arbor are few and far between.

The most persistent rumor is that the Aggies are going to make a run at stealing Jimbo Fisher from Florida State, which I think is unlikely. But you never know.

Ohio State 31, Michigan 20

That was a great game plan by Michigan. I’ve complained about the play calling earlier this year – and so have plenty of others – but I have to give credit where credit is due, too. This was the best effort by the offensive coaching staff all season. They showed new formations and broke tendencies left and right. We saw Khalid Hill and Ben Mason lined up at tailback, we saw fullback sweeps, we saw a fake double-screen pop open a tight end, we saw Michigan play with down and distance a bit, etc. I had an issue with a couple play calls, but fewer than most tight games (and there are always going to be questionable play calls). The creativity kept Michigan in the game longer than I expected them to be in it. After all, I predicted a 38-10 loss for the Wolverines, so the gap was 17 points tighter than I thought.

Hit the jump for the rest of the recap.

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Visitors: Michigan vs. Ohio State

Nicholas Petit-Frere (image via Bulldawg Illustrated)

2018

Eyabi Anoma – DE – Baltimore (MD) St. Frances: Anoma is a 6’5″, 230 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Maryland, and Michigan, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #3 weakside end, and #41 overall. His head coach, Biff Poggi, says that Anoma is the best player he’s ever coached, and that includes a bunch of a high-quality players from his days at Baltimore (MD) Gilman. Anoma also visited for the BBQ at the Big House. All six Crystal Ball picks have him going to Alabama. This is his official visit.

Michael Barrett – RB – Valdosta (GA) Lowndes:

Barrett is a 5’11”, 215 lb. dual-threat quarterback who projects to running back in college. He’s a 3-star, the #61 athlete, and #706 overall with offers from LSU, Maryland, and Michigan, among others. This is his official visit. UPDATE: Barrett is no longer visiting.

Ja’Marr Chase – WR – Metairie (LA) Archbishop Rummel: Chase is a 6’2″, 190 lb. prospect who recently decommitted from Florida. He’s a 4-star, the #12 wide receiver, and #69 overall with offers from Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, TCU, and Tennessee, among others. TCU has taken the Crystal Ball lead with 76% of current predictions. Michigan just recently offered, so that relationship is still new, but it’s a positive sign that he scheduled a visit to Ann Arbor so quickly. This is his official visit.

Hit the jump for several more visitors.

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