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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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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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Former Michigan Athlete of the Week: Tom Brady

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady won his federal case against the NFL, which tried to ban him four games for Deflategate. Then in the league’s season-opening game last Thursday night, he and the Patriots beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 28-21. He went 25/32 for 288 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Honorable mention:

New York Jets inside linebacker David Harris made 8 tackles and 1 sack in a 31-10 win over the Cleveland Browns.

Ex-Wolverine Updates: Week 2

Blake Countess (#24)

Former QB Russell Bellomy: In a 30-3 loss to Kansas State, Bellomy was 3/4 for 36 yards for the University of Texas-San Antonio. He also had 4 carries for 4 yards.

Former CB Blake Countess: The big story for Countess is that he was ejected for “targeting” on a tackle against Jacksonville State. It was a poor call, in my opinion, as he just happened to hit the runner’s head as he slid to the ground. Countess made 3 tackles before the ejection.

Former CB commit Gareon Conley: In victories against Virginia Tech (42-24)and Hawaii (38-0), Conley has notched 9 tackles, .5 tackles for loss, .5 sacks, 1 interception, and 2 pass breakups.

Hit the jump for updates on several more former Wolverines and commits.
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