21Dec 2012
 |
| This became a familiar sight: Denard Robinson leaves someone in his dust. |
Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Junior Hemingway. Due to Denard Robinson’s complete inability to hit open receivers, Michigan’s big play receiver has 4 receptions in 3 games and was held without a catch in Saturday’s victory. There’s no excuse for Michigan’s failure to get the ball to Hemingway, not to mention Roy Roundtree (3 catches, 29 yards, 1 touchdown this season). I know they don’t mind blocking for Denard Robinson in the running game, but the reason the running game is struggling is because teams are loading the box, barely covering the receivers, and still having moderate success stopping the run.
Let’s see less of this guy on offense . . . Denard Robinson. He has 42 carries in the past two games. Yes, all 16 of those carries were necessary against Notre Dame, which came down to the wire. But the 26 carries against Eastern Michigan? Not so much. Not only did Robinson take a beating, but he could have been working on passing instead, and the coaches could have maybe developed chemistry and timing for the running backs and receivers. Instead, they honed the running skills of a guy who ran for 1,702 yards last season.
Let’s see more of this guy on defense . . . William Campbell. For two weeks in a row now, Campbell has played well at defensive tackle coming off the bench. Will Heininger did a decent job against Eastern Michigan, but he doesn’t seem to hold up against better talent. As long as Campbell is putting in the work during the week, I think it’s about time he gets the nod and starts at defensive tackle.
Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . Jake Ryan. I know, I know, he’s done pretty well. But I had to pick someone, and sometimes he makes mistakes. And if Ryan is this good, I’d really like to see what the starting SAM linebacker – Cam Gordon – can do if he’s recovered from his back injury. That would also give the coaches an opportunity to move Ryan around and play him more at weakside end.
Play of the game . . . Thomas Gordon’s one-handed interception. Not only was the catch itself a thing of beauty, but the failure of the double pass gives an indication that Michigan’s players were wary of the diamond formation on the left sideline that led to such a play. Tyler Benz didn’t have a prayer of completing that pass, and the best he could have hoped for while the ball was in the air was a stone-handed defensive back who would let the ball drop the ground. No such luck.
MVP of the Eastern Michigan game . . . Denard Robinson. He didn’t have a particularly great game (7-for-18 passing, 95 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception; 26 carries, 198 yards, 1 touchdown) and the horrible passing took some of the luster off of his nearly 200 yards rushing, but he still led the team to a 28-point victory and made some ridiculous moves in the open field. Vincent Smith had a nice game, too, but he ran through gaping holes and didn’t score any touchdowns.