Michigan 63, Hawaii 3

Tag: Ben Gedeon


3Sep 2016
Blog, homepage 33 comments

Michigan 63, Hawaii 3

Chris Evans 318x

Chris Evans was the star of the show (image via MLive)

I’m still in the same place I was with Wilton Speight. I have confidence that Jim Harbaugh can pick the right quarterback, so I believe Speight is the best guy for this team. However, I’m still not in love with Speight as a guy who can take this team to the next level. He started off the game with a bootleg on which he tried to dump the ball over the head of the flat defender, which ended with an interception. Okay, fine. No real harm done, but it was an inauspicious beginning to the Wilton Speight Era. By the end of the game, Speight was 10/13 for 145 yards, 3 touchdowns, and the 1 interception. Hawaii didn’t make it difficult, and Speight mostly made the right throws to the right guys. He did make another mistake when he hung a deep ball short that was intended for Darboh, but a spectacular interception turned into an incompletion when the safety couldn’t hold on. On the plus side, Speight threw a nice corner route to Grant Perry for the first TD, and he bought some time outside of the pocket to redirect Maurice Ways for a 20-yard catch. Otherwise, it was a pretty ho-hum day for a Michigan QB against an overmatched opponent.



Hit the jump for more takeaways from Saturday’s blowout of Hawaii.

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1Sep 2016
Blog, Uncategorized 17 comments

2016 Season Predictions

Jourdan Lewis 311x

Jourdan Lewis

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LEADING RUSHER
This one doesn’t leave much to the imagination. Michigan’s leading rusher from last season returns, and nothing that happened this off-season suggests that he will lose his mantle as Michigan’s top back. Unless a serious injury befalls him, it will be . . .
Prediction: De’Veon Smith, 870 yards

LEADING RECEIVER
Last year I had Amara Darboh with 650 yards, and I was a little low with that yardage total. He also lost out late in the season to Jehu Chesson, who became a big-time deep threat down the stretch. There’s talk that Darboh is the #1 receiver and has stepped up this fall, but I don’t expect him to change much from his redshirt junior season to his redshirt senior year.
Prediction: Jehu Chesson, 900 yards

Hit the jump for the rest of the season predictions.

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29Aug 2016
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2016 Season Countdown: #8 Ben Gedeon

Ben Gedeon

Name: Ben Gedeon
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 247 lbs.
High school: Hudson (OH) Hudson
Position: Linebacker
Class: Senior
Jersey number: #42
Last year: I ranked Gedeon #28 and said he would be a backup linebacker with 35 tackles and 2 sacks (LINK). He started one game, making 34 tackles and 3 tackles for loss.

Gedeon should have been better than Joe Bolden last year. I don’t mean to turn a Ben Gedeon post into an anti-Joe Bolden post, but Bolden was kind of not very good. Both Brady Hoke and Jim Harbaugh seemed to like Bolden and put him on the field a lot, so Gedeon spent a lot of time looking on from the sideline. It’s not often that there’s a clamoring for a backup linebacker, but I was part of the clamor. Bolden burst onto the scene with a blocked punt return for a touchdown against Appalachian State two years ago, and he has looked pretty decent at times since. Not great, but decent. Meanwhile, Bolden looked consistently . . . replaceable.

Gedeon took some steps forward toward the end of last season. Early in the year, I thought he looked a little hesitant at times, and maybe it was the new defense. Maybe it was a lack of reps. But in the last three games (against Penn State, Ohio State, and Florida), he made 13 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. When he’s locked on, he’s a thumper and he has pretty good speed to boot.

Almost by default, this spring it was Gedeon’s show at inside linebacker. Michigan lost four senior linebackers (Bolden, Desmond Morgan, Royce Jenkins-Stone, and James Ross III), and Gedeon is the only experienced linebacker returning. He’s added six pounds and is up to a pretty imposing 6’3″, 247 lbs., and Don Brown likes big inside linebackers. There’s really no competition at MIKE linebacker. I thought Gedeon took charge this spring and looked good in the spring game. He’s a load to handle for blockers, and he can range from sideline to sideline. If he gets hurt – and I hope he doesn’t – I would expect to see WILL Mike McCray II move over from his spot. I expect to see walk-on Mike Wroblewski on the two-deep at MIKE linebacker, but he converted from defensive end and looked bad in the spring. If Wroblewski is needed in crunch time, I do not think things will go well. On one hand, I hesitated to put Gedeon this high on the list because he hasn’t looked consistently good in past seasons. On the other hand, I almost want to rank him higher because there is a void behind him. Regardless, as long as he stays healthy, I think we will see an improved, steadier Gedeon who will probably lead the team in tackles.

Prediction: Starting middle linebacker; 85 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 interception; Honorable Mention All-Big Ten

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31Mar 2016
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5 Defensive Players to Watch in Michigan’s Spring Game

Mike McCray 792x

LB Mike McCray II

Michigan held some open practices in Florida and another at Ford Field last Saturday, but for many, the spring game will be the first opportunity to see the Wolverines in person or at least in action. I posted some notes on the defense earlier this week (LINK), and here are the top five defensive players I’ll be watching at 6:00 p.m. on Friday night:

LB/S Jabrill Peppers
It’s no surprise that Peppers would be first on my list. He might not be Michigan’s best defensive player, but his athletic abilities outstrip those of everyone else on the team. Peppers spent most of his time doing drills at SAM linebacker last Saturday at Ford Field, but when the Wolverines lined up for scrimmage action, he also played safety. The 6’1″, 208-pounder will line up at the line of scrimmage in a 9-technique, over slot receivers, or back deep in coverage. There’s reason to believe he will be a big-time playmaker, so prepare to be impressed when things go live.

Hit the jump for four more players to watch.

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31Mar 2016
Blog, homepage 18 comments

5 Defensive Players to Watch in Michigan’s Spring Game

Mike McCray 792x

LB Mike McCray II

Michigan held some open practices in Florida and another at Ford Field last Saturday, but for many, the spring game will be the first opportunity to see the Wolverines in person or at least in action. I posted some notes on the defense earlier this week (LINK), and here are the top five defensive players I’ll be watching at 6:00 p.m. on Friday night:

LB/S Jabrill Peppers
It’s no surprise that Peppers would be first on my list. He might not be Michigan’s best defensive player, but his athletic abilities outstrip those of everyone else on the team. Peppers spent most of his time doing drills at SAM linebacker last Saturday at Ford Field, but when the Wolverines lined up for scrimmage action, he also played safety. The 6’1″, 208-pounder will line up at the line of scrimmage in a 9-technique, over slot receivers, or back deep in coverage. There’s reason to believe he will be a big-time playmaker, so prepare to be impressed when things go live.

Hit the jump for four more players to watch.

read more