Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Sione Houma. I’m not in love with Houma as a tailback, but it sure is fun to watch him play with his hair waving all around and his 240 lb. body barreling into people. He finished the game with 6 carries for 19 yards and 1 catch for 32 yards. He’s a decent enough threat at fullback now that I think opponents are going to have to keep on eye on the fullback dives and traps, and that might spring one of the tailbacks on the outside at some point. Houma isn’t quite the blocker that Joe Kerridge is, but Houma is good enough at catching and running that I think it mostly makes up for the blocking differential.
Hit the jump for the rest of the post.
Let’s see less of this guy on offense . . . nobody. The running game still wasn’t clicking on all cylinders, but that might not change anytime soon. Otherwise, the passing game was working to the tune of a career-high 337 yards for quarterback Jake Rudock and a career-high 102 yards receiving for Jake Butt.
Let’s see more of this guy on defense . . . Dymonte Thomas. I said last week that he should start taking snaps away from Delano Hill, and this week the number of snaps seemed to tip more in favor of Thomas. Other than Jabrill Peppers and Jourdan Lewis, nobody on the defensive side of the ball has better speed than Thomas, and he has been very close to making several plays. He did miss a tackle in this game, but the more he plays, hopefully the more the game will slow down for him. He might not be the safest option, but against a team like Rutgers or in a blowout, you have some leeway to let someone like him work through some growing pains.
Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . the trainer. Ryan Glasgow suffered an undisclosed injury in this game, and Michigan’s near-dominant defensive line needs to stay healthy for Michigan to continue to have success. The Wolverines aren’t good enough at linebacker to make up for a weakened defensive line.
Play of the game . . . Jabrill Peppers’s 18-yard touchdown run. There were a few great plays – several involving Peppers – but his best was on a swing route out of the backfield. Jake Rudock hit him in the flat on what turn out to be a backward lateral, at which point he dodged a linebacker, turned on the jets, and raced into the endzone. It showed off the hands, agility, vision, and speed that make some people want him to primarily play offense.
MVP of the game . . . Jake Rudock. Rudock had a career day in passing yardage (337 yards), and he showed off some running skills, too. He went 18/25 for 337 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions, while also running for a 4-yard touchdown and a two-point conversion. It helped that Rutgers isn’t very good at pass defense. Even so, this was a promising performance for Rudock, who will need to be on point if Michigan wants to win out. Indiana’s defense isn’t anything special, but Penn State and Ohio State will be formidable opponents and tough for Michigan to run against.
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When you watch Houma’s high school video, he was mostly always the up back, running frequently out of a wishbone looking thing. Harbaugh/Drevno hand him the ball from just about the same depth in the backfield, give him the additional advantage of some angles as he is very seldom at dead center behind the QB and are getting a real nice result. I have always liked him because he is quick out of the ground, cuts with a lot of authority and has the obvious size to punish when he puts his head down. I really would like to see if he can see, read and find a seem as I think he has more quickness than we’re used to seeing from our running backs lately.
I think Hill is going to be a very fine safety for us going forward, I think Dymonte Thomas is playing better right now. Both are fast, Thomas is faster. He is also stronger and despite a missed tackle, I think he’s been tougher, and I don’t think he’s been any less solid in coverage. We’re gonna need them both going forward, but I’d have Thomas out there now.
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I liked Houma’s running style coming of high school, too. I would have loved to have had him in certain systems as a high schooler.
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I am more worried about IU than Penn. St. I’ve stated this before, UM will not win any of its remaining games without 30-40 attempts from Jake. And that’s with completing 65%!
Also, UM needs to play some zone vs. IU.
Thoughts.
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I am thinking that, too. Indiana plays tough and was in almost every game. Indiana might be touch if we let our guards down.
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Why do you think Michigan needs to play some zone vs. Indiana? I think we match up pretty well in man coverage.
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Man. I wonder what happened to our 2 five-star RBs. Bad scouting? Character flaws? Laziness? 2 five-star RBs not doing a damn thing while two-star Drake Johnson scores a touchdown and three-star De’Veon Smith leading the pack really sound bad.
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I mean, you kind of have seen it. I think it’s fair to say Green is overrated and the b-word is probably applicable there. He has some talent “for a guy his size” but he doesn’t break tackles well enough and doesn’t do anything especially well.
Smith was a 4-star and has about lived up to that.
Johnson was a 2 or 3 star with track speed, who Michigan has used well.
In aggregate, there isn’t much to complain about. You get a 2 star, a 4 star, and a 5 star and you come out with 2 solid starting-caliber backs there isn’t much to complain about.
If you wanted to STILL consider Isaac a “5-star” after he was just 5th string at USC, transferred out, and spent a year not getting much buzz… that’s on you. He’s a good athlete who doesn’t offer the full package off the field lets say. That happens all the time, and Michigan knew there were questions when they got him. I don’t think a transfer should be lumped in with the other recruits, but I suppose it’s subjective.
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I think it’s bad scouting in some respects, but also some bad luck, in some ways. Michigan offered some better running backs in the 2013 class, but Isaac, Green, Smith, etc. are the ones who reciprocated the interest.
I think Isaac has some character flaws – not that he’s a BAD kid, but he’s not the grinder you want. There were some hints of that, and I thought he would grow up a bit in college, but it hasn’t really happened yet. At the same time, he’s only a redshirt sophomore in eligibility and still has a couple years to get his head on straight. I still think he’s the most talented running back on the roster, but his mental makeup has always been the biggest question mark.
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Isaac’s in the same class as Green and Smith. The additional year of eligibility is big but if you’re waiting for a “get your head right” moment… kid is a junior now. Seems like the clock is ticking.
From what I recall Isaac was Hoke’s top RB target, or at least the one they pursued most aggressively from the rumors. So that’s one they missed IMO.
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What!? Stodgily traditionalist Thunder wants to see Michigan let its hair down with Houma. Did somebody around here say “fun”?!?
I agree!
In all seriousness, I don’t care who the 3rd down back is. If Isaac’s going to stick around the program, I’d like to see him get those carries, but I also see the appeal of letting your FB get some carries. I think that has some potential recruiting benefit, not only in the traditional sense (for HS recruits) but also for “recruiting” position switch guys.
In a hypothetical world where Michigan has a surplus of RB talent, it’s always good to be able to convince good athletes (RBs) to slide to the FB position. Giving them the ball sometimes helps.
As for FB, I do love both Houma and Kerridge but Houma offers a bit more of a threat with the ball, so I agree. Will be interesting to see who gets that spot next year, but that’s a conversation for another day.
The real drama this week is if Thunder would mention a RB in his awards and I think that Houma getting carries as a RB qualifies for the week. So good job keeping the streak alive!
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