Michigan vs. Oregon State Awards

Michigan vs. Oregon State Awards


September 14, 2015

Ian Bunting


Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . 
Ian Bunting. Bunting made 2 catches for 33 yards in this game. He also did a nice job of breaking tackles on his way to a season-long 21-yard gain. Outside of starter Jake Butt, Bunting might have the most upside as a receiving tight end, and he has put on a good amount of weight since the spring, when he looked very thin. He now looks viable at the position, standing in at 6’7″, 243 lbs. At that size and with decent speed, he’s tough to cover.

Hit the jump for the remainder of the awards.

Let’s see less of this guy on offense . . . the referee. Michigan had 10 penalties for 105 yards in the game. Not all of them were on offense, but center Graham Glasgow took a couple penalties for messing up the snap count, tight end Henry Poggi got called for holding, wideout Jehu Chesson took an offensive pass interference, there was an illegal formation, and an illegal substitution. The last two happened when Michigan was subbing in second- and third-stringers, so those are some natural growing pains, but Glasgow’s issues are somewhat inexcusable.

Let’s see more of this guy on defense . . . Jeremy Clark. I don’t think Clark is the second coming of Leon Hall, but the converted safety is a physical corner who has made a few plays at his new position. He grabbed an interception against Utah, and he notched a pass breakup in this one against Oregon State’s best receiver. Of course, Oregon State isn’t a potent passing offense and bigger tests are to come, but I like what I have seen so far.

Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . Channing Stribling. I know this is not the first time I’ve mentioned this, but I don’t think Stribling is the best option at cornerback. This might be a moot point temporarily because the team’s best corner, Jourdan Lewis, left the Oregon State game with a concussion and it’s unclear how quickly he will return. But when everyone’s healthy again, I feel that Stribling should be relegated to backup duty. Clark has done a pretty good job, and I think Stanford transfer Wayne Lyons should be looked at as a corner, too.

Play of the game . . . Oregon State’s snap over the head of their punter. The Beavers’ special teams coach has a lot of work to do this week, and that’s before you even move on from the punt team. The first gaffe was when the long snapper snapped it high, which caused punter Nick Porebski to bobble the ball and roll out; perhaps the punt should have been blocked, but Jeremy Clark missed it and fell into the punter, which resulted in a lucky unnecessary roughness penalty against the Wolverines. A short time later, they pinned Michigan at the 2-yard line . . . except the Beavers lined up illegally, which pushed them back five yards. On the resulting punt attempt, the ball sailed over Porebski’s head and when he recovered it at his own 3-yard line, he was immediately tackled by Delano Hill. Three players later, De’Veon Smith scored on a 1-yard run. Michigan went from up 10-7 on their own 2-yard line to up 17-7 going into the half. That was a huge surge of momentum for the Wolverines and the crowd.

Player of the game . . . De’Veon Smith. It was fun to watch Smith finish the game by trucking defender after defender. He finished with 23 carries for 126 yards (5.5 yards/carry) and 3 touchdowns. He will never be mistaken for a speedster, but the physicality was reminiscent of the powerful running backs of yesteryear. I’m not sure if we’ve seen a pure bruising performance like that since Leroy Hoard was pounding away at defenses in 1989.

34 comments

  1. Comments: 1356
    Joined: 8/13/2015
    Roanman
    Sep 14, 2015 at 7:53 AM

    Leroy Hoard had speed that Devion Smith can only dream of.

    He also has problems that likely are directly attributable to his style of play..
    http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=8887023

  2. Comments: 134
    Joined: 9/13/2015
    AC1997
    Sep 14, 2015 at 9:33 AM

    I know this is the fourth time in two weeks you’ve called for Stribling to be benched in favor of Clark, despite limited data on both players – but I concede that point.

    What I’m more interested in hearing from you is how you feel the WDE position is performing and what you’d suggest there. I’m surprised you haven’t touched on it more the last two weeks. As an uneducated fan I knew as soon as I watched the Utah game that Mario O. would get blasted for his performance after the game. This week was certainly better, but he had a couple of obvious blunders anyway. Given that the WDE is easy to monitor on all plays while watching the game, we should have plenty of data to make some assessments.

    I’m not sure what options they have with the lack of depth at that position, but what have you seen and what would you like to see going forward?

    • Comments: 3844
      Joined: 7/13/2015
      Sep 14, 2015 at 9:39 AM

      The main reason I have not addressed the weakside end (a.k.a. Buck linebacker) situation is that I don’t see a lot of options. Michigan has not done a great job of recruiting the position over the years, and the new guys (Shelton Johnson, Reuben Jones) are small and obviously inexperienced. I guess we have to live with Ojemudia and Jenkins-Stone until one of those young guys matures.

      If we’re talking about position switches, then I might suggest that Taco Charlton should play some at Buck linebacker. However, with Poggi looking like a full-time offensive player and Strobel only getting snaps on offense, there’s not a lot of depth at strongside end that would allow Charlton to move.

      Ojemudia is the best we’ve got right now, I think. He’s a high-effort kid who’s kind of boom-or-bust – he’ll run himself out of some plays, and sometimes he’ll get crushed, but he also has a decent burst and will make a couple big plays before the end of the year.

      • Comments: 2
        Joined: 2/27/2018
        loukdogg
        Sep 14, 2015 at 11:05 AM

        What about Lawrence Marshall? Is he under some double secret probation?

        • Comments: 3844
          Joined: 7/13/2015
          Sep 14, 2015 at 11:18 AM

          From what I’ve heard, Marshall has been working his way out of the doghouse a little bit. Also, he’s a redshirt freshman, so it’s unlikely that he’s going to be more consistent than Ojemudia or Jenkins-Stone.

          • Comments: 6285
            Joined: 8/11/2015
            Lanknows
            Sep 14, 2015 at 1:03 PM

            Marshall is definitely my “lets see more of this guy”. Ojemudia is doing alright, but has a limited ceiling. Marshall needs to get in there and get work and UNLV could be a great opportunity to do it.

            Not only that but Ojemudia and RJS are going to graduate so they need to start grooming a successor.

            Charlton isn’t a viable Buck at over 270 pounds. People keep wanting to make him something he’s not. He’s a natural fit at SDE – that’s where he’s playing, and that’s where he belongs. While he WAS nominally a WDE, he played DT as a freshman as well, and seemed more successful there.

            The other guy I’d like to see more of on Defense is Winovich. For development reasons I’d love to see him back at LB and getting some snaps, at least late, against UNLV.

  3. Comments: 1364
    Joined: 8/11/2015
    WindyCityBlue
    Sep 14, 2015 at 10:23 AM

    Agree about Bunting. He looks like a valuable addition to our short to mid-range passing game, which we’re going to live or die with against good defenses, especially if teams are blanketing Butt. Was a little disappointed that we didn’t target either of them in at least one goal line situation. Those two in a double tight end set inside the 5 would be very tough to match up with.

    • Comments: 522
      Joined: 8/12/2015
      DonAZ
      Sep 14, 2015 at 11:01 AM

      >> Was a little disappointed that we didn’t target either of them in at least one goal line situation

      I wonder if for this game the objective of the coaches was to exercise the running game. Later in the game Michigan probably could have run any offensive play they wanted to, but they kept banging on the running game. (a) Why not? If it’s working, keep going. And (b) more game-time reps for the offensive line in their run blocking execution.

      • Comments: 134
        Joined: 9/13/2015
        AC1997
        Sep 14, 2015 at 11:25 AM

        On top of that, why show off your goal-line secret weapon against OSU when you can actually run power most of the time at will?

        I assume that there are plays in the playbook for Butt, Bunting, and even Harris that mimic the NFL favorite around the goal-line. (i.e. throw it up and hope they catch it or earn a flag)

        • Comments: 1364
          Joined: 8/11/2015
          WindyCityBlue
          Sep 14, 2015 at 11:57 AM

          Well, my thinking on that is that it’s not exactly a “secret” or “trick” play that’s designed to fool anybody and that is only effective if it’s unexpected. This is just about exploiting a favorable matchup. And frankly, I’d rather have tried it a few times in non-critical situations and have the TEs and QB in sync than taking the very first shot in a win-or-lose fourth quarter situation against MSU.

          • Comments: 6285
            Joined: 8/11/2015
            Lanknows
            Sep 14, 2015 at 1:28 PM

            In a game like that its more about asserting your identify than exploiting matcups. Or at least by the second half it was.

            The issue with Bunting and Butt both being out in the same goalline formation is that it’s probably a tell that you are looking to pass.

          • Comments: 3844
            Joined: 7/13/2015
            Sep 14, 2015 at 2:01 PM

            The best way to convince a team otherwise is to run the ball with them in the game. I somewhat assume that Bunting is an heir to Butt as an all-around tight end, so he needs to practice his run blocking sometime.

    • Comments: 182
      Joined: 9/15/2015
      ragingbull
      Sep 15, 2015 at 4:26 PM

      they likely will use bunting along with butt as pass game threats in red zone as the year progresses. but i think they just wanted to get as many reps as possible in run game and they were able to game rep most situations in many areas of the field.

      theyre not even close to where they need or want to be in run game yet a fairly productive game vs lesser opponent allowed them to gain some confidence and put together some decent tape. thats exactly what they shouldve been doing against that opponent – pounding the ball with all types of personnel in all types of situations to hopefully establish a little confidence – and they should do the same exact thing again this week.

      id also like to see more of marshall as he works his way back from his trouble since 52 and 53 have played pretty poorly to date (not that i expected much else considering hokes recruiting at WDE) and marshall will likely play a lot next year due to graduation so he def needs reps. but unless 52 or 53 or 93 miraculously bump their play multiple levels, its unfortunately gonna be a long season at WDE – its just another 1 of those positions, like RB or QB or OL or CB, where hoke did not recruit particularly well so its gonna take several cycles to reload with impact players

  4. Comments: 48
    Joined: 8/11/2015
    Nick.
    Sep 14, 2015 at 11:06 AM

    I agree with your assessment Thunder. I think you could add Grant Perry and even Drake Harris to the mix for let’s see less off this guy on Offense. While they are both young neither had a stellar game. Grant dropped a clean pass and Harris I believe had no catches and a penalty. Bolden could also have been called out on the Defense. At times he missed filling the hole and had to chase his guy down field.

    • Comments: 3844
      Joined: 7/13/2015
      Sep 14, 2015 at 11:21 AM

      Whenever I say “Let’s see less of this guy…” I try to have an alternate option. After all, it doesn’t do much good to say “Let’s see less of Devin Gardner” when the backup option is Shane Morris or Russell Bellomy. I don’t know that it makes much sense to put Harris or Perry on that list, because the other options are more tight ends, Maurice Ways, Da’Mario Jones, etc. That’s not to say that the other guys are worse, but they haven’t shown much to say they’re better, either.

      BTW, I think Harris caught 1 pass for 3 yards.

    • Comments: 6285
      Joined: 8/11/2015
      Lanknows
      Sep 14, 2015 at 1:05 PM

      Grant Perry is behind Chesson on the latest depth chart. Still – he’s showing some elite blocking ability on those screens to the other wideouts. I’ve been very encouraged, despite the lack of refinement in his game.

  5. Comments: 6285
    Joined: 8/11/2015
    Lanknows
    Sep 14, 2015 at 1:12 PM

    I have to say, some of these feel a little bit like holdovers from your offseason takes.

    They obviously tried Lyons at CB. It didn’t seem to be working out and they prefered moving Clark over than playing Lyons. Stribling has started over Clark (and others). I think if there is an adjustment coming it’s more likely to be Peppers at CB and Hill sliding down into the nickelspot.

    I don’t think that’s going to happen though. I admit it’s a touchy position right now and it looks like BYU will test whoever Michigan puts out there, but I think Stribling is going to be alright.

    As for Buntinb — yep he looked great trucking some OSU schlub. But you’re not going to sit Butt to play Bunting and Bunting isn’t the blocker that AJ “Harbaugh playing favorites” Williams is. It’s the 4th year of “lets see less of AJ Williams” from the Michigan fanbase in one form or another but 2 head coaches and 3 offensive coordinators have played the guy. Michigan fans — get over it. Williams may not be a special talent, but it’s bordering on being a fact that he is the best option for the blocking TE role.

    I really don’t see much reason to doubt Harbaugh and company’s personnel decisions. At every spot they seem to be making decision that are very logical and pragmatic. The one area I have some doubt about is some of the flipping between DL/LB to FB/TE.

    • Comments: 3844
      Joined: 7/13/2015
      Sep 14, 2015 at 1:59 PM

      Obviously, some of these comments are going to be holdovers from the off-season. Two games doesn’t necessarily show that things have been fixed. Additionally, someone like Stribling hasn’t done anything to assuage my concerns. You and others keep saying that he’s “right there” or that he’s close to making plays, but the bottom line is that he hasn’t made any. Now, he’s not getting burned excessively, but that doesn’t mean someone else on the team can’t be better.

      I’m not suggesting that Bunting should play over Butt. However, he should play more over Williams (not that Williams should be benched entirely), and I wouldn’t mind seeing him play some of Poggi’s snaps, either.

      • Comments: 6285
        Joined: 8/11/2015
        Lanknows
        Sep 14, 2015 at 2:25 PM

        As I said elsewhere on Williams. This gripe is a rerun. Year after year. The guy played maybe the best game of his career against OSU, so it seems like weird timing to call for a different second TE. It’s true that we have to take competition into account but that goes for Bunting and Williams both. Williams is a 4th year starter. He’s not going to get displaced until after the season.

        Disagree on Channing Stribling, who has made a bunch of good plays. He’s also made a handful of mistakes, which is why we’re having the conversation. One highlight play or lucky INT and the narrative changes completely… Lets not pretend he’s Cullen Christian out there. We’re talking about a junior with multiple years of experience and demonstrated competence. He may not be Jourdan Lewis, but even Blake Countess got picked on more than Stribling has been, so far.

        I get that Stribling is the weakest link of the defensive starters and he’s the only one really fighting to keep his job, but he hasn’t been BAD. More importantly, the best alternative is a converted 6’5 safety.

        As you well know (because you said it above), the concept behind this post is about alternatives. Michigan doesn’t have too many good ones at CB without disrupting their other positions…and I’m not convinced they need more than what they have anyway.

        We’re 2 games in and while nothing is locked in stone we’ve learned enough to overturn some to many of the offseason theories already. e.g., I thought the freshman DEs were a lock to contribute and I was totally wrong about that.

        One of those narratives that needs to go away is Williams being a favorite of Hoke who got playing time he didn’t deserve. How many coaches and coordinators have to reach the same conclusion for people to change their minds?

        • Comments: 6285
          Joined: 8/11/2015
          Lanknows
          Sep 14, 2015 at 2:28 PM

          A better way to say it: Stribling is starting on a defense that has been pretty dang good.

        • Comments: 3844
          Joined: 7/13/2015
          Sep 14, 2015 at 8:48 PM

          re: Stribling
          Maybe one highlight play or random interception would be a difference-maker, but the point is that he’s had three years to make one of things happen, and he hasn’t done it. Other guys have done it in less time. Is it purely luck that Brandon Watson and Jeremy Clark grabbed picks playing CB, and Clark got a PBU this game, and neither one has played as much CB as Stribling? At what point do you stop and say “Wait a minute – this guy has been playing cornerback for X number of games/years and he’s never touched a ball? Something’s wrong with that”?

          • Comments: 6285
            Joined: 8/11/2015
            Lanknows
            Sep 15, 2015 at 11:58 AM

            One pick a sign of pure luck? Yes. Clark’s came on a hail mary at the end of the half. Watson doesn’t have an INT. I don’t even think he has played.

            Lewis had no interceptions his freshman year either. Last year he was elevated to starter, while Stribling stayed in a reserve role, and Lewis increased his total all the way to two. We’re talking about the best DB on the team here and he is playing A LOT more than Stribling and he has two. Two!

            Stribling could get two next week and he wouldn’t be any better of a player than he was last week. He could get 3 over the next month and it still wouldn’t make him better than Lewis.

            Evaluating DBs based on their INT totals is pretty ridiculous, especially for backups. PBU’s less so, perhaps, because they occur much more frequently.

            The best thing a CB can do is have zero stats. That means his guy was blanketed in such a manner as to discourage a target. There’s nothing wrong with a CB not touching the ball at all.

          • Comments: 6285
            Joined: 8/11/2015
            Lanknows
            Sep 15, 2015 at 12:00 PM

            It’d be one thing if Stribling was getting lit up – he’s not. So far offenses have shown just as much interest in going after Peppers and Lewis as Stribling. Now that could change as scouting reports get out and Peppers and Lewis prove themselves, but Stribling has doesn’t anything to warrant a call for his benching IMO. Nor does Clark’s defense ON A HAIL MARY PLAY(!) warrant displacing a starter.

          • Comments: 3844
            Joined: 7/13/2015
            Sep 16, 2015 at 7:31 AM

            I’m not talking about JUST the Hail Mary play. As I’ve said, it’s a combination of plays (or, well, a lack of plays). You’re oversimplifying things just to suit your argument.

          • Comments: 6285
            Joined: 8/11/2015
            Lanknows
            Sep 16, 2015 at 12:21 PM

            I think you have that backwards. You’re making a big deal about outliers – plays that generally require a mistake to be made or good luck.

            My point is that on the vast majority of plays, the CB is not going to enter the stat sheet. I’m more interested in coverage sacks and incompletations that PBUs and INTs. In other words, I want my CB to cover the damn WRs and play for a defense that creates 3 & outs; more than I want them to make the game highlights.

          • Comments: 3844
            Joined: 7/13/2015
            Sep 16, 2015 at 12:31 PM

            So Grant Mason is a better cornerback than Leon Hall, huh?

          • Comments: 6285
            Joined: 8/11/2015
            Lanknows
            Sep 16, 2015 at 12:47 PM

            I don’t think so – no.

            Blake Countess had 6 INTs his sophomore year. Was that a sign that he was a great corner? No, he was benched in favor a guy who had zero the previous year, zero this year, and 2 for his career, and another guy who never got more than 2.

            http://touchthebanner.blogspot.com/2014/08/2014-season-countdown-8-blake-countess.html

            I didn’t think Blake Countess was going to get bench either – but he did and it looked like it might happen again this year. So, that’s one example (of many) where the INT totals don’t correlate with coverage ability.

            The greats are going to get some and guys who stink are not, but most good quality averageish CBs are going to get around 2 with a variance of plus or minus 2 based on luck. That’s over a whole season of near full-time action.

            Trying to evaluate a part-time player based on his INT total is nuts. Barely better than evaluating DLmen based on how many fumbles they recover, or LBs based on how many TDs they score, or punters based on tackles.

  6. Comments: 6285
    Joined: 8/11/2015
    Lanknows
    Sep 14, 2015 at 1:24 PM

    Lets see less of D: All the starters.

    I want to see a blowout against UNLV and plenty of young guys in there in the second half. I hope Lewis, especially, gets the week off so that Stribling and Clark get as much time to prove themselves as possible.

    Lets see less of O: DeVeon Smith

    The man looked awesome against OSU. He’s clearly the best back Michigan has, at least until Drake Johnson is healthy and ready to put his hat into the ring. But Isaac and Green just flat out don’t have the tackle-breaking RAGE that Smith brings, and this team needs that….Smith’s going to come in for a heaving pounding this year, so no sense wasting him against UNLV. I hope his helmet’s off for the entire second half.

    Lets see more of D: Marshall.

    As stated before, we need to develop the Buck/WDE position for next year, and UNLV may be the best opportunity of the year. Hopefully whatever discipline issues are going on are in the past. It’d be great to see if he can offer a pass-rush alternative this year too.

    Lets see more of O: Houma.

    Kerridge really hasn’t looked very good so far, and it’s probably the biggest surprise of the year. Seemed like a perfect guy for Harbaugh but instead we are seeing Strobel, Poggi, and other marginal guys far more than expected. I don’t think Houma got a snap against Utah, but he showed excellent burst as a ball-carrier against OSU. I’d love to see him continue to get carries to give defenses a little more to think about in the weeks to come.

    Bonus lets see more of: Wilton Speight.

    I don’t think Morris is ever going to be starter at MIchigan but I would absolutely LOVE to put a red-shirt on the kid in case he can live up to his hype and talent by the time he is a 5th year guy. 3 years of Harbaugh QB coaching >>> 2 years of Harbaugh QB coaching

  7. Comments: 1356
    Joined: 8/13/2015
    Roanman
    Sep 14, 2015 at 5:00 PM

    I like us better on D with Ross in the game, I don’t care who he’s in for.

    • Comments: 6285
      Joined: 8/11/2015
      Lanknows
      Sep 15, 2015 at 10:56 AM

      Even jabril peppers?

      Ross seems to be the fan favorite of the moment, but it feels like some people are forgetting his struggles in coverage the last couple years. He might just be what he is – smart and capable of quick diagnosis of run plays, but too undersized to be a thumping MLB – and no more.

      I think it’s probably worth giving him some of Bolden’s snaps, but it’s not a sustainable change against bigger and more powerful teams. I think Bolden, like Ojemudia, Glasgow, and Stribling is probably the best we got.

      • Comments: 1356
        Joined: 8/13/2015
        Roanman
        Sep 16, 2015 at 7:57 AM

        To clarify, for Bolden or Morgan ….. who I like better than Bolden, BTW. While exchanging a Nickel for an interior LB is a choice in some defenses with some personal groups, it’s a false choice here. Pepper’s isn’t coming off under any set of circumstances short of injury.

        I’m not forgetting Ross’s coverage issues, I can’t think of any that were more egregious than those exhibited by either Morgan and Bolden. Actually, I can’t think of any at all. That doesn’t mean they weren’t there, I might have tuned out. I’m open to examples if you have some.

        I don’t believe Ross is the 232 he’s presently listed at, which btw is the identical weight that Bolden is listed at. But maybe, i’m not there adjusting the scale. As an aside, Morgan is listed at 236. I will say this regardless of his weight, Ross gets there and he brings it with him when he comes. He wraps up pretty good and when he tackles people, they fall down. But mostly, I favor Ross because I can’t recall one conversation where somebody said, “Oopsies!!!!! Missed assignment.” or Where the Hell was Ross on that play!!!” Or, For God sakes, hit somebody.” I have recollections of all of those comments when it comes to Bolden. I’ve made a couple myself. This past week.

        I give Bolden props for getting Captain, but I want Ross out there.

        • Comments: 6285
          Joined: 8/11/2015
          Lanknows
          Sep 16, 2015 at 12:30 PM

          Harbaugh, Durkin, Hoke, Mattison, and others have all found Bolden to be worth playing (over Ross and others). I’ve heard the “Hoke playing favorites” theory. I’ve also heard the “practice player” theory. Neither seems as likely as what I like to call the Devin Gardner theory: just because a starter has flaws doesn’t mean his backup is better. Same goes for AJ Williams.

          Sometimes coaches make the wrong personnel decision – but usually not.

          I admit I haven’t seen too many egregious errors from Ross and think he deserves a heavier percentage of snaps. But I wouldn’t be remotely surprised if in those snaps the Michigan defense wasn’t quite as effective as with Bolden in.

          Same argument as with Stribling: the defense is playing quite well with who they have right now.

          • Comments: 3844
            Joined: 7/13/2015
            Sep 16, 2015 at 12:33 PM

            The defense played pretty well with Clark in there, too.

          • Comments: 6285
            Joined: 8/11/2015
            Lanknows
            Sep 16, 2015 at 12:55 PM

            Yeah – that’s a valid point. I’m not arguing that Clark is bad or should be benched either.

            Stribling doesn’t have a stranglehold on the starting job (the way that Bolden seems to). But there’s a difference between “lets keep watching these two to see how this plays out” and “this guy should be sent to the bench in favor of this other guy”. I get that that’s the conceit of your post and that you’re not necessarily calling for Stribling’s butt to be permanently stapled to the bench, but when (essentially) the same opinion is restated every week it starts to seem that’s the direction.

            Stribling hasn’t been great — neither has Clark. Both seem like they are doing alright, so lets let it play out. I tend to trust Harbaugh’s decision-making and the decision he has made so far is that Striblings the starter and Clark’s close enough to get some snaps. Ditto for Bolden/Morgan and Ross. We’ll see how it plays out the rest of the year but if I had to guess who is starting by seasons end I would pick the same guys starting today – and that includes frequent fan whipping boys AJ Williams (in some formations), Stribling, and Bolden.

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