Tag: Alabama

Michigan vs. Alabama Awards

Devin Gardner’s only reception was this 44-yard touchdown (image via MLive)

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Devin Gardner.  Gardner played quite a bit against Alabama, but Michigan needs to keep finding ways to get him the ball.  He almost made a few nice plays, and while I know “almost” doesn’t do much for the final outcome of the game, the potential there is obvious.  He had 1 catch for 44 yards and a touchdown, but has the speed to get downfield and the leaping ability to go up and over almost any defensive back.  Most teams Michigan plays won’t have a 6’1″, 200 lb. cornerback like Dee Milliner to knock the ball out of Gardner’s hands.

Let’s see less of this guy on offense . . . Thomas Rawls.  Alabama was superior to Michigan in almost every way, and it didn’t help that the offensive line had a rough day.  But Rawls didn’t do a single impressive thing the entire game.  He had 6 carries for 9 yards, danced too much, and for a big back, he sure did get lambasted by strong safety Vinnie Sunseri.  Rawls might be able to run over the Air Forces, UMasses, and Minnesotas of the world, but it looks like he’ll struggle against teams like Alabama, Ohio State, and Michigan State.  Fitzgerald Toussaint is clearly a step above the other running backs on the roster.

Let’s see more of this guy on defense . . . James Ross.  Ross wasn’t ready for the physicality of Alabama, but he showed some good instincts and speed in the game.  He should be able to hone his skills in the next couple games and be an asset when it comes to the Big Ten schedule.  He got snaps at both inside linebacker positions and has already surpassed upperclassmen Brandin Hawthorne and Mike Jones.

Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . T.J. Yeldon.  Alabama’s best running back in Saturday night’s game made just about everyone on Michigan’s defense look silly.  Michigan won’t see many guys like him this year.  Perhaps the closest approximation will be Michigan State’s Le’veon Bell, who is just as strong of a runner but probably not as fast.  The whole defense played poorly on Saturday night, including such stalwarts as Thomas Gordon, Jordan Kovacs, and Jake Ryan.  That’s more due to Alabama’s excellence, though, so I’m not sure that anyone really deserves to see his playing time diminish.

Play of the game . . . Denard Robinson’s 71-yard bomb to Jeremy Gallon.  Gallon torched the defense and Denard Robinson hit him with an almost perfect throw to get down to the 1-yard line.  Robinson has often struggled to beat defenses over the top unless he puts the ball up for grabs, so this was a nice play that Robinson, Gallon, and other receivers can hopefully replicate several times this season.

MVP of the game . . . Jeremy Gallon.  Gallon had 4 receptions for 107 yards.  Two receptions came on bubble screens where he made a couple guys miss; one was the aforementioned bomb; and the other was a nice leaping catch near the right sideline.  He and Robinson seem to have developed a nice chemistry.

Alabama 41, Michigan 14

Alabama’s Dee Milliner returns an interception after a pass interference penalty clean play

That was somewhat expected.

Alabama is good.  They’re not the national champs for nothing.  Nobody in his right right mind thought Michigan would win this game (although 63% of this site’s voters picked Alabama to lose), but I did expect a little better showing than that.  The Wolverines aren’t as bad as that game made them look, but it certainly wasn’t the kind of showing Michigan wanted to put forth in the nationally televised opener.

Al Borges deserves some blame, but not much.  Michigan wasn’t going to be able to run the ball in this game.  I predicted that Michigan would rush for fewer than 100 yards; the final tally was 69, despite having one of the most electrifying players in the country at quarterback.  Yes, Denard Robinson probably could have run the ball more, especially before he got dinged up.  Would it have made much of a difference?  Probably not.  Where Robinson really could  have made a difference was in the passing game.  He had lots of open receivers early in the game, but he’s just as erratic as ever in the passing game.  He kept throwing deep (inaccurately), and completed just 11/26 passes.  The offensive line did a decent job of pass blocking, but if Michigan has to rely on Robinson to win the game with his arm, they’re going to struggle.

I hope Fitzgerald Toussaint and Frank Clark enjoyed watching that on TV.  Toussaint erased any chance Michigan had of putting together a decent running game by drunk driving.  Vincent Smith is what he has been for several years, and that means he shouldn’t be a featured running back; he ended the game with 13 carries for 33 yards, and 22 of those yards came on one play late in the game.  Thomas Rawls rushed 6 times for 9 yards and looked very slow in the process.  Meanwhile, Clark probably would have struggled just like the rest of the defensive line, but he would have given Michigan another guy to rotate in there and get a bit of a pass rush.  SAM linebacker Jake Ryan had to play a little too much defensive line, and he got manhandled in the process.

Injuries were terrifying.  Blake Countess left the game after one series on defense because he got hurt on punt coverage.  Taylor Lewan left the game late with a knee injury. And Denard Robinson inexplicably tried to tackle Dee Milliner with his throwing shoulder, which caused him to leave the game looking like he would miss a chunk of time.  Including Toussaint, that meant that Michigan was missing its #1, #3, #4, and #9 most important players at various points, according to my preseason countdown.  Michigan should be able to weather the storm if these are short-term injuries, but maybe not if any of them last long.

Eddie Lacy who?  Everyone was talking about Alabama running back Eddie Lacy before the game, but he didn’t impress me at all.  He’s big, and that’s about it.  The most physically impressive running backs on the roster were true freshman T.J. Yeldon (11 carries, 111 yards, 1 touchdown) and junior Jalston Fowler (8 carries, 67 yards).  I don’t think Lacy will be holding onto that starting job for long.  Of course, all three made Michigan’s defense look silly when combined with the Crimson Tide offensive line.  All of Michigan’s defensive backs struggled to tackle, even stout safeties Thomas Gordon and Jordan Kovacs, who are normally sure tacklers.

Special teams yay.  Matt Wile boomed every kickoff deep into the endzone, allowing zero returns.  Will Hagerup averaged 51.3 yards per punt, including a 62-yarder.  Dennis Norfleet returned 8 kickoffs for 177 yards (22.1 yards per return) and looked like a potential star as a returner.

Burned redshirts. I’m not in a tizzy about any of these guys playing, but so far LB Joe Bolden, WR Amara Darboh, TE Devin Funchess, FB Sione Houma, LB Royce Jenkins-Stone, RB Dennis Norfleet, DE Mario Ojemudia, DT Ondre Pipkins, CB Terry Richardson, LB James Ross, TE A.J. Williams, and FS Jarrod Wilson have burned their redshirts.  That’s 12 members of the 25-man class of 2012.  At least a couple more will probably play before the end of the year.

Referees were bad, but it doesn’t matter.  Michigan didn’t lose the game because of the refs, but there were some obvious holds, hands to the face, personal foul-quality hits, etc. that weren’t called against Alabama.  I’m not sure how Dee Milliner didn’t get called for illegal contact/pass interference when he shoved Roy Roundtree out of bounds and then picked off Robinson.  Meanwhile, Taylor Lewan alone cost Michigan 30 yards in penalties with a personal foul, a holding call, and a false start.  He might as well be a redshirt freshman again.

Michigan is going to be fine.  As long as none of those injuries last long, the expectations remain the same.  Alabama didn’t expose anything that we didn’t already know to be true.  The defensive line is going to be a question mark against good offensive lines; Denard Robinson isn’t a consistent passer; the offensive line lacks depth.  If you’re surprised, you haven’t been paying attention.

Highlights: Alabama 41, Michigan 14

Preview: Michigan vs. Alabama

Rush Offense vs. Alabama Rush Defense
Michigan had the #13 rushing offense in 2011 while averaging almost 222 yards a game.  Unfortunately, that included Fitzgerald Toussaint’s nearly 87 yards per game, which will likely disappear for week one while he serves a suspension for a DUI.  He’ll likely be replaced by sophomore Thomas Rawls, who had just 13 carries in non-critical situations last season.  Meanwhile, Alabama replaces nine starters on defense but had the #1 overall rushing defense in 2011.  They will still be good at stopping the run, even with all the new contributors.  The Crimson Tide will likely abuse the middle of Michigan’s offensive line with blitzes, slants, and brute strength.  I would not be surprised to see a total output like that from the Sugar Bowl against Virginia Tech, when Michigan rushed 30 times for 56 yards.
Advantage: Alabama


Pass Offense vs. Alabama Pass Defense
The Wolverines suffered from what amounted to a mediocre passing game last season, finishing #93 in total passing yardage and #40 in passing efficiency.  Robinson struggled early in the season while adjusting to a pro-style system; he improved later in the season when offensive coordinator Al Borges determined that Robinson isn’t a very good passer, instead calling easy passing plays.  On the season, Robinson completed 55% of his passes and threw 15 picks.  Now Michigan is without its top receiver from last season (Junior Hemingway) and has a crew of guys who aren’t #1 receivers or who haven’t played college ball yet.  Meanwhile, Alabama was #1 in passing defense, #1 in pass efficiency defense, and #29 in sacks.  Despite breaking in all the new starters, the Crimson Tide will still be better than Michigan in this area and cause some confusion for the Wolverines.
Advantage: Alabama
Rush Defense vs. Alabama Rush OffenseMichigan has new starters at all four spots along the defensive line, with Craig Roh moving from weakside end to the strong side.  It is expected to be the biggest weakness of the defense.  Meanwhile, all of the back seven return, including leading tackler Kenny Demens, the middle linebacker.  The Wolverines will probably put eight guys in the box (including safety Jordan Kovacs) and take their chances against the pass.  Starting running back Eddie Lacy may miss Saturday’s game with a sprained knee, so the rushing load may fall to junior Jalston Fowler (56 carries, 385 yards, 4 touchdowns last year) or true freshman T.J. Yeldon, a 6’2″, 216-pounder.  Redshirt freshman Demetrius Hart could also figure into the rotation.  Michigan’s safeties are good tacklers, so there shouldn’t be a ton of big plays in the running game, but Alabama will be able to push around the Wolverines up front.

Pass Defense vs. Alabama Pass Offense
The Crimson Tide were very balanced in 2011, rushing for 214 yards a game and passing for 215.  Quarterback A.J. McCarron is very careful with the football (just 5 interceptions last season), and while he doesn’t have a ton of capability to make big plays in the passing game, he was the 25th-most efficient passer in the country last season.  However, he lost his top four targets from last season, leaving junior Kenny Bell as the leading returning receiver (17 catches, 255 yards, 2 touchdowns).  Michigan was #16 in pass defense and #36 in pass efficiency defense, and all the key components of their coverage return.  The Wolverines will likely take a step back in sacks (#29 last season) now that Mike Martin and Ryan Van Bergen have graduated, but they will probably blitz more frequently to make up for the lack of athleticism up front.

Roster notes

• Michigan recruited DT Chris Bonds, S Ha’Sean Clinton-Dix, LB Trey DePriest, CB John Fulton, RB Dee Hart, CB Cyrus Jones, OL Ryan Kelly, OL Arie Kouandjio, OL Cyrus Kouandjio, LB Dillon Lee, CB Dee Milliner, LB Tana Patrick, RB Blake Sims, CB Geno Smith, DE Dalvin Tomlinson, and CB Jabriel Washington
• RB Dee Hart was once committed to Michigan prior to the firing of Rich Rodriguez
• Head coach Nick Saban and TE/ST coach Bobby Williams both used to be head coaches at Michigan State

Video: Michigan Hype Video 2012 – Alabama Preview