Tag: DeVeon Smith

Michigan 38, Northwestern 0

Jehu Chesson had a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to start the game.

Set phasers to destroy. Michigan obviously didn’t put any stock in the idea that it was going to be a low-scoring, defensive affair. From the opening kickoff – literally – this was Michigan’s game. For the second year in a row, this was most obvious when Northwestern had the ball and Michigan’s defensive line was just crushing the offensive line backward into the quarterback’s face. I agreed with announcer Matt Millen that Northwestern needed to get quarterbacks Clayton Thorson and Matt Alviti out of the pocket more. It wouldn’t have changed the overall outcome, but it might have generated a few more completions and yards. The Wildcats just don’t have the beef and athleticism up front to deal with Michigan’s explosive front.

Hit the jump for the rest of the game review.

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Michigan vs. BYU Awards

Jake Rudock

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Ty Isaac. Starter De’Veon Smith had a very good game (16 carries, 125 yards, 1 touchdown) on Saturday, but then he went down with a right foot injury. The nature of the injury is unknown at this point, but he came back to the sideline in a walking boot for the end of the game. If he does have a boo-boo that will keep him out for next week’s game against Maryland or more, Isaac needs more carries. After an 8-carry, 114-yard game against UNLV, he got just 2 carries for 9 yards against BYU. Even after Smith was injured, Derrick Green (10 carries, 28 yards) got the bulk of the touches.

Hit the jump for the rest of the awards.
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Michigan 31, BYU 0

De’Veon Smith

Maybe BYU is overrated. They were #22 coming into the game after a 2-1 start, including a squeaker of a loss to #9 UCLA, which trounced #16 Arizona yesterday. I predicted a 28-24 win by BYU, largely because I thought Michigan would struggle to run the ball with the return of BYU nose tackle Travis Tuiloma. I also thought the Cougars could take advantage of some holes in Michigan’s interior pass coverage, but Michigan’s defensive line and blitz packages prevented freshman quarterback Tanner Mangum from getting comfortable in the pocket. It helped Michigan that BYU was missing a few key parts, including running back Adam Hine (8 carries, 33 yards before exiting with an injury), but Michigan had an excellent game plan and played confidently.

Hit the jump for the rest of the recap.
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Michigan vs. UNLV Awards

Jourdan Lewis

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Ty Isaac. This is not a new refrain for me, but it’s worth repeating. I think Isaac is the most talented back on the roster, and while his best career game did come against UNLV – which is not a quality opponent – it’s important to note that starter De’Veon Smith didn’t perform very well, either (13 carries, 33 yards). Meanwhile, Isaac had 8 carries for 114 yards and 1 score. Take away his 76-yard touchdown run, and he still ran 7 times for 38 yards (5.4 yards/carry). As things stand right now, Smith is averaging 3.9 yards/carry and Isaac is at 8.9, while Derrick Green sits at 3.5 and Drake Johnson has 5.2. Yards per carry is not the only measurement of a running back, but his primary job is to gain yards on the ground. Smith has 53 attempts this year, while Isaac has only 18. That’s too much of an imbalance.

Hit the jump for the rest of the awards for this week.
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Michigan 28, UNLV 7

Ty Isaac on his way to a 76-yard touchdown

Hello, Ty Isaac! It was nice to see running back Ty Isaac have some success on the ground yesterday. He ended the game with 8 carries for 114 yards and 1 touchdown, which came on a 76-yarder. (That stat line is oddly similar to De’Veon Smith’s 8 carries, 115 yards, 2 touchdowns against last year’s patsy, Appalachian State.) Isaac is not a burner and won’t make a ton of guys miss, but he can be a physical runner when he keeps his shoulders square, and obviously he has enough speed to run away from a lot of defenders. When teams start to pack the box against Michigan, there are going to be times where nobody’s left once you get past the second level. That’s what happened on Isaac’s long run. The 76-yarder was the longest run at Michigan since Denard Robinson’s 79-yard touchdown against Air Force in 2012, and it was the longest by a Michigan running back since Carlos Browns 90-yard score against Eastern Michigan in 2009. I predicted that Isaac and starter De’Veon Smith would go over 100 yards, but Smith only ended up with 33 yards on 13 carries (2.5 yards/carry).

Hit the jump for the rest of my post-game thoughts.
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