Michigan vs. Indiana Awards

Michigan vs. Indiana Awards


November 21, 2016

jabrill-peppers-683x

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Ty Isaac catching the ball, Wilton Speight, and Jabrill Peppers. I have three suggestions going into Ohio State. First, Isaac has been underutilized as a pass receiver. Coming out of high school, there were some who thought he might be best suited to play wide receiver or tight end based on his hands. Saturday’s catch on a screen pass was just his second reception of the year, but it went for 21 yards – just like his first catch of the year (against Colorado). He has 8 catches for 111 yards in his career. Michigan has not used the tailbacks in the passing game much this year, but Isaac could be an asset for a team that might have a dinged up or backup quarterback. Second, let’s see Wilton Speight. He’s the starting quarterback, and Michigan needs him if the Wolverines want to play in the Big Ten championship game or the College Football Playoff. He’s still not 100% after getting injured against Iowa, but I think you have to at least give him a shot and try to keep him upright as long as you can against OSU. Otherwise, a lot of your other team goals go down the drain. Lastly, Peppers is a potential difference-maker. I heard last week that he would probably play more running back against Indiana, but then he only saw one snap there, perhaps because it was such a tight game in cold, windy, snowy weather. Michigan has been deploying Peppers on offense throughout the season, to varying effects, but they need to use him effectively against a solid Ohio State defense. That includes using him as a decoy, handing off the ball, and then keeping it at times.

Hit the jump for more awards from the Indiana game.





Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . John O’Korn. Maybe it was the nerves or the weather, but O’Korn really struggled against Indiana. In the aftermath, I gave Michigan a 5% chance to win in Columbus if O’Korn is the QB. I haven’t changed my mind, either. Unless he improves by leaps and bounds, Speight is the only quarterback who can lead the team to victory against the Buckeyes. This might be a different story if O’Korn had been the starter all along, but in games eleven and twelve, he’s just rusty and not in sync with the rest of the offense.

Let’s see more of this guy on defense . . . Chase Winovich. If I were Don Brown, I might deploy Winovich as a quasi-outside linebacker at times on Saturday. He has proven to be quick enough to make an impact as a pass rusher, and I think his speed would be useful against a quarterback like Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett. Winovich is second on the team with 5.5 sacks, and I would deploy in some 3-man fronts with him lined up outside in a wide 9 technique. I wouldn’t plan to overuse the package, because Taco Charlton will still need a breather at times, but I think Michigan could use both players together at certain times.

Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . Bryan Mone. I don’t think Mone is a liability, but he hasn’t been as effective as many predicted coming into this season. Maybe the leg injury last year prevented him from becoming a dominant force this season, or maybe he’s just not on the same level as the other guys. But Michigan has a couple good nose tackles in Ryan Glasgow and Maurice Hurst, Jr., so I would only use Mone if Ohio State sustains drives and really wears those other two guys down to a nub.

Play of the game . . . John O’Korn’s 30-yard run. As mentioned above, O’Korn struggled for the majority of the game (7/16, 59 yards), and Indiana made the smart move of trying to blitz him into making mistakes. It worked for most of the game and made O’Korn get happy feet, but one time that ended unhappily for the Hoosiers. In the third quarter, O’Korn danced away from a blitzing linebacker, rolled left, ran up the sideline, and then made a slight cutback for a 30-yard gain. Michigan was down 10-6 at that point, but on the next play, running back De’Veon Smith powered his way through the line and then dived for the left pylon for a 34-yard touchdown. Michigan couldn’t do much offensively, but that O’Korn run seemed to jump-start the offense a little bit.

MVP of the game . . . De’Veon Smith. Smith ended the game with 23 carries for 158 yards and 2 touchdowns, including the 34-yarder mentioned above and a 39-yarder later in the third quarter. He consistently picked up yards in chunks and averaged 6.9 yards per carry. Those 158 yards are a career-high, topping by 32 yards the 126 he had against Oregon State in 2015. The Wolverines couldn’t do much on offense with O’Korn at the helm, but Smith took over the game. Hopefully he can replicate that type of drive and performance this coming weekend against Ohio State.

3 comments

  1. Comments: 142
    Joined: 8/12/2015
    coachernie
    Nov 21, 2016 at 9:40 PM

    Last year at the shoepit MSU had the following Time Of Possession over OSU.
    Possession 38:10 21:50
    We do the same, we win.

    • Comments: 6285
      Joined: 8/11/2015
      Lanknows
      Nov 22, 2016 at 10:55 AM

      I’d rather get more points than win TOP.

  2. Comments: 6285
    Joined: 8/11/2015
    Lanknows
    Nov 22, 2016 at 10:54 AM

    I’ve been wanting Ty Isaac to emerge as the 3rd down back for a couple years. He’s a big target, has reliably caught balls, and he can make YAC happen. Problem is that he is a liability as a blocker. If you’re going to put a non-blocker at RB you might as well line up McDoom or Harris back there (which Michigan has done before).

    I wouldn’t read TOO much into O’Korn against Indiana. He’s better than he showed on Saturday, just like JT Barrett is. Speculative, but likely.

    I like the idea of Winovich as a quasi-LB in some packages. Seemed to work well against Indiana and it fits with the vision of Winovich as an apple from the Jake Ryan tree. Would give McCray or Peppers a breather.

    Not sure I totally agree on Mone. Glasgow’s already getting most of the snaps and I like the idea of keeping our DL fresh in what should be a very close game.

    The run game against Indiana was HIGHLY encouraging. There were some huge holes that we haven’t seen enough of against legit defenses. Ohio State will be much tougher but I’m encouraged anyway.

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