Tag: Fitzgerald Toussaint

Michigan vs. Akron Awards

Jehu Chesson

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Chris Bryant. If Michigan wants to run zone stretch, then perhaps Bryant isn’t the guy. But I do think he’s more powerful than Graham Glasgow, giving the team a bigger advantage on the power runs. And pass protection could afford to be improved at either guard position; both Glasgow and Kyle Kalis get confused too easily.

Let’s see less of this guy on offense . . . Jeremy Jackson. In the past two seasons, I have seen a couple interceptions thrown at least partly because Jackson is so slow and defensive backs can bait quarterbacks into thinking he’s open. On Saturday, Jackson was crossing toward the right sideline in the endzone, and Gardner tried to hit him on the run; Jackson was easily undercut by an Akron defensive back. I don’t mind seeing Jackson on running downs, but Michigan has numerous more athletic players for the passing game. Even if Michigan has to burn the redshirt of someone like Da’Mario Jones, I think Jackson’s playing time should diminish.

Let’s see more of this guy on defense . . . Willie Henry. Henry played more against Akron than any other team this year, and he acquitted himself pretty well. He’s built low to the ground and very stout, and he’s capable of creating penetration on running downs that I just don’t see from the other 3-tech rotation players. From what I saw on Saturday, I might even suggest Henry as the starter over Jibreel Black. Black is a better pass rusher but often a liability against the run because he’s so undersized.

Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . Chris Wormley. Maybe it’s the ACL or his age or lack of experience or whatever, but every time I see Wormley on the field, he’s just not doing anything productive. He’s not powerful enough to bull rush guys, and he’s not quick enough to run around them. The 3-tech/5-tech rotation should consist of some combination of Keith Heitzmann, Black, Henry, and Matt Godin, with guys like Wormley and Ryan Glasgow playing only when absolutely necessary.

Play of the game . . . Devin Gardner to Jehu Chesson for a 33-yard touchdown. There weren’t many plays that stood out a great deal – no sacks, the interceptions weren’t spectacular, Jeremy Gallon didn’t make a highlight-reel grab for once, etc. I strongly considered Gardner’s 48-yard touchdown pass to Devin Funchess, which was perhaps more impressive but not quite as clutch. Michigan was scuffling throughout the game, and it showed no signs of going away. Chesson grabbed a short pass over the middle, shucked a guy, sprinted toward the sideline, and ran through a [piss poor] tackle attempt by an Akron defensive end before zipping into the endzone. That put Michigan up 21-10 in the third quarter. Obviously, the Wolverines continued to struggle, but the speed of Chesson showed me that he could do some big things before he leaves Ann Arbor.

MVP of the game . . . Fitzgerald Toussaint. Gardner put up 248 passing yards and 103 rushing yards, but he also turned over the ball four times. Toussaint looked like the running back of old on his way to 19 carries for 71 yards and 1 touchdown, along with 1 reception for 27 yards. His numbers would have been better if a couple runs wouldn’t have been called back for holding (probably closer to 21 carries for 120 yards). One thing I have also noticed with Toussaint is an improvement in pass protection. He did noticeably whiff on a blitzing linebacker, but he’s much more physical than he used to be.

Michigan 28, Akron 24

Devin Gardner

A win is a win. A hundred years from now, nobody will remember this day. So there’s that. Otherwise, this was ugly. Good teams struggle sometimes. Is Michigan a good team? I think they’re pretty good. There’s still hope that this season will end magically, but let’s be honest – with a questionable interior line and wide receivers, an injury to the best defensive player, and no real stars on defense, perhaps Michigan fans should re-calibrate. That’s not say that things like this are okay, but poop happens.

The list of people who need to step up is long. I feel like this post could turn into a long list of complaining, but I’m going to try to make it brief:

• Devin Gardner. Gardner (16/30, 248 yards, 2 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, 1 fumble lost; 10 carries, 103 yards, 1 touchdown) was forcing throws all day long. Even some of his early completions were hotly contested. He ran the ball well, but he seems overconfident in the abilities of himself and his receivers, as if every one of his throws should be completed just because their helmets have wings.
• Graham Glasgow, Jack Miller, Kyle Kalis, and Michael Schofield. Glasgow and Miller are getting physically overpowered by guys who aren’t 5-star Notre Dame recruits, and Glasgow is making some poor blocking reads in the run game. Glasgow and Kalis look lost out there against twist stunts, and even the redshirt senior Schofield had some whiffs.
• Joe Bolden. I used to be on the Joe Bolden bandwagon by suggesting he’s a starter-quality inside linebacker, but I’m not sure if that’s true. I don’t think it’s an indictment of his entire career, because it’s still early in his true sophomore year. However, I think it’s clear that James Ross III and Desmond Morgan are significantly ahead of Bolden, who struggles in pass coverage and is inconsistent stopping the run.
• Raymon Taylor. Taylor gets picked on quite a bit, and I don’t see him responding in terms of his coverage. He’s a feisty player and a decent tackler, but teams throw on him short and deep.
• Matt Wile. The punter should be Will Hagerup, of course, but Hagerup likes to get himself suspended. Instead, Wile is out there, and he’s been inconsistent. Yesterday included 21- and 22-yard shanks. On four punts, he averaged just 33 yards/attempt.
• Dennis Norfleet. Norfleet still overestimates his strength. Sometimes he cuts upfield into traffic when he could run laterally for another step or two and outrun the defender. Normally, I wouldn’t promote running laterally. However, Norfleet is a space player, and he’s put in space on special teams and by Al Borges’s play calls; he has room to run, but he thinks he’s still in high school where he could run through some tackles. Plus Norfleet still takes too many chances on punt returns.

Poll results: Who will lead Michigan in rushing for 2013?

It’s not the most timely thing, but I set up a bunch of polls during the summer and never “released” the results. It’s still early enough in the year to be relevant, though, so I’ll be kicking out some posts about predictions for the year. Today’s question: Who will lead Michigan in rushing?

Fitzgerald Toussaint: 52%
Fifth year senior Toussaint was the obvious choice, since he was a two-year starter coming into 2013. Unfortunately, a broken leg last fall put his status into question. He had 57 yards in the opener against Central Michigan.

Derrick Green: 40%
True freshman Green got more votes than I thought he would, but maybe it was warranted after a 58-yard debut against the Chippewas. After being listed near the bottom of the depth chart for week one (perhaps due to a sprained ankle he suffered at the beginning of August practices), he’s the #2 guy going into Notre Dame.

DeVeon Smith: 1%
Smith, another true freshman, had just 12 yards against the Chips. In my opinion, he does not have the speed to be a dynamic back, but injuries have felled Toussaint frequently, so there’s a chance; unfortunately, that chance probably would involve bad things happening to the guys ahead of him.

Drake Johnson: 1%
There’s no chance for redshirt freshman Johnson, who tore his ACL early in the season opener. He’ll finish the year with 2 carries for 9 yards.

Thomas Rawls: 1%
Rawls, a junior, had 4 carries for 12 yards in the opener. He looks quicker than he did last season, but he’s still pretty low on the depth chart after a couple uninspiring years.

Devin Gardner: 0%
Sacks will probably prevent fifth year senior Gardner from having a real shot at leading the team in rushing. He has the speed to turn broken plays into big runs (or passes), but his 52 yards against Central Michigan were largely a function of CMU’s inability to hem him in. More athletic teams probably won’t struggle quite as much, although Gardner will get his share of yardage.

Dennis Norfleet/Other: 0%
Sophomore Norfleet had 38 yards on a reverse last week, but as a slot receiver, he won’t get a ton of opportunities.

Justice Hayes: 0%
Redshirt sophomore Hayes has been near the bottom of the depth chart for his entire career, and that seems not to have changed. He was the last running back to get a carry against Central, and his lone rush netted him 7 yards.

Michigan 59, Central Michigan 9

Cam Gordon almost had a touchdown on the ball he tipped up in the air (image via MGoBlog)

The offensive line is not terrible. The most scrutinized position group entering the new season, Michigan did fairly well up the middle. Busted assignments were few, the pass protection was solid, and they opened some holes. It was far from dominant on the interior and the opponent was a MAC team, but that MAC team had some decent size up the middle. The biggest question mark for me is still redshirt sophomore left guard Graham Glasgow. While he looked better pulling than he has in the past, he had two false starts and struggled to stay low, in my opinion. That will be the biggest position to watch going forward.

Running back by committee. Granted, it was almost a fifty-point blowout, but the reps at running back were spread out a lot. The depth chart to begin the week was thrown out the window by Saturday. In order, the running backs to get carries were Fitzgerald Toussaint, Drake Johnson, Derrick Green, De’Veon Smith, Thomas Rawls, and Justice Hayes. Toussaint (14 carries, 57 yards, 2 touchdowns) looked to have his 2011-level burst back, but he looked rusty with his footwork and didn’t seem to show the same lateral mobility; there were a couple times where he needed to pick up his feet through traffic or sidestep guys on the ground, and he just failed to do so. Johnson (2 carries, 9 yards) looked uninspiring to me before spraining a knee. Green (11 carries, 58 yards, 1 touchdown) also needs to pick up his feet in traffic, but he showed decent vision and burst. Smith (7 carries, 12 yards) broke some tackles but didn’t show the same speed as the guys ahead of him. Rawls (3 carries, 12 yards, 1 touchdown) looked quicker than last year, and Hayes (1 carry, 7 yards) is still a scatback type without elite burst or an ability to break tackles. It’s a well rounded group, but none of them looked outstanding.

Cameron Gordon looked very good. I thought Gordon was Michigan’s best defensive player on Saturday. He had 4 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 1 pass breakup, which he deflected in the backfield and almost caught it in the endzone for a defensive touchdown. His added size in the offseason makes him a more imposing figure, and his athleticism for a linebacker is well above average. When Jake Ryan returns from injury, Michigan needs to find a way to get both Ryan and Gordon on the field at the same time.

The quarterback situation. Starting quarterback Devin Gardner looked shaky early with an interception deep in Michigan’s own red zone, and then another long interception that never should have been thrown. Altogether, he was 10/15 for 162 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 picks through the air, plus 7 carries for 52 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground. I’m not concerned about those somewhat paltry passing numbers, because Michigan didn’t need to throw the ball to win, and I think Gardner was pressing a little bit to try to get some explosive plays. The deep interception was a well overthrown ball to Jeremy Gallon, who never got on top of the cornerback. We all know that Gallon is going to be Gardner’s main target, but especially in a game against teams like Central Michigan, you might as well check it down and let your superior athletes drive the ball down the field or make plays with the ball in their hands. True freshman Shane Morris entered the game in the fourth quarter, and he finished 4/6 for 59 yards and 1 interception. He also looked a little jumpy, which is fine for a kid his age, and the interception wasn’t a bad one. But the offense was toned down by the time he entered, and I would still be very worried if Gardner got hurt.

The defensive backfield is wacky. I don’t know why, but it seems to me that defensive back is the position that’s always in the most flux at Michigan. It was announced before the game that fifth year senior strong safety Thomas Gordon was suspended for the game for breaking team rules. Potential starting free safety Courtney Avery had arthroscopic knee surgery last week and will be out for a couple weeks. Redshirt sophomore Blake Countess returned after tearing his ACL in the 2012 season opener, but he looked a half step slow. In recent years, Josh Furman and J.T. Floyd have been suspended, Floyd and Troy Woolfolk both suffered terrible lower leg injuries, and there have been numerous transfers/quitters (Terrence Talbott, Greg Brown, Cullen Christian, Vladimir Emilien, Ray Vinopal, Tamani Carter, etc.). Down two returning starters and featuring a guy who missed virtually all of 2012, the starters in the backfield were Countess, junior Raymon Taylor, sophomore Jarrod Wilson, and redshirt junior Furman.

Freshman fun time. Redshirts have been burned for TE Jake Butt, DE Taco Charlton, LB Ben Gedeon, RB Derrick Green, S Delano Hill, CB Jourdan Lewis, QB Shane Morris, RB De’Veon Smith, CB Channing Stribling, S Dymonte Thomas, and WR Csont’e York. That leaves OG Kyle Bosch, OG David Dawson, FS Reon Dawson, CB Ross Douglas, WR Jaron Dukes, OT Chris Fox, TE Khalid Hill, DT Maurice Hurst, Jr., WR Da’Mario Jones, C Patrick Kugler, LB Mike McCray, DT Henry Poggi, OG Dan Samuelson, FB Wyatt Shallman, LS Scott Sypniewski, and OT Logan Tuley-Tillman as the kids on track to redshirt. Redshirt freshmen OG Blake Bars, OT Ben Braden, WR Jehu Chesson, S Jeremy Clark, QB Bryan Cleary, WR Bo Dever, DT Ryan Glasgow, DE Matt Godin, DT Willie Henry, TE Michael Jocz, RB Drake Johnson, OT Erik Magnuson, OG Ben Pliska,  DT Tom Strobel, and DE Chris Wormley also played for the first time. (Redshirt sophomore Chris Bryant hit the field for the first time after breaking his tibia last year.)

Freshman fun time, part two. Of those true freshmen listed above, Dymonte Thomas blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown by fifth year senior Joe Reynolds. Butt looks bigger and improved since the spring, Gedeon looked college ready from the start, and Stribling already looked solid. Delano Hill also made a heads-up play by recovering a punt that sophomore Dennis Norfleet muffed, but Hill looks huge for a safety. I wouldn’t be surprised if he grows into a linebacker eventually.

Speaking of Norfleet . . . I mentioned this when he committed, and people bashed me for it. I still get occasional snide remarks about it over on MGoBlog. Here’s what I said on February 1, 2012:

I’m not a big fan of the way Norfleet finishes plays. He jogs into the endzone too often, which rubs me the wrong way and makes me question how disciplined he is.

Norfleet got the ball on a reverse and took it 38 yards before getting tackled from behind by a linebacker coming from the opposite side of the field. After his last cut to shake a defensive back, it sure looked to me like he eased off the throttle, thinking he was in the clear for a touchdown; then the linebacker dove at his ankle and Norfleet fell on his face. That  is why not finishing plays is a problem. If the opponent were anyone other than CMU or perhaps Akron, that really might come back to haunt the team. Additionally, Norfleet’s muffed punt was a terribly undisciplined decision. The short punt bounced on the ground multiple times and Norfleet was sprinting toward his own endzone to field it. Instead of allowing the Chippewas to down it, he tried to grab it on the run when his momentum would have likely taken him out of bounds at that very spot, anyway. Delano Hill’s awareness saved Michigan from having to defend a short field and, at the very least, a likely field goal attempt.

Overall. I had fun watching the game, but the offense seemed pretty vanilla outside of the reverse to Norfleet. I’m sure there are things being saved for Notre Dame – screens, read options, etc. Offensive coordinator Al Borges’s favorite running play for Denard Robinson was the inverted veer, and Gardner ran it just once (and poorly at that). I think the slightly more traditional backside zone read option would be more productive for Gardner, but it remains to be seen whether Borges will warm up to that spread concept. Defensively, Michigan looks fast and deep. I thought defensive coordinator Greg Mattison threw quite a few different fronts and blitzes at Central, at least until late when the subs were in. That might be tipping his hand, but I also think it’s somewhat necessary for those young and inexperienced guys to get used to different frontz, blitzes, coverages, etc. Plus it will given Brian Kelly and his staff plenty to try to prepare for next week.

2013 Season Predictions

Here are my 2012 predictions, in case you’re interested.

Leading Rusher
Michigan no longer has a quarterback who’s much of a threat to lead the team in rushing, although he’s a pretty good runner. Fitzgerald Toussaint is the best running back currently on the roster, but he struggles to stay healthy. I make this choice with very little confidence.
Prediction: Toussaint, 900 yards

Leading Receiver
The top receiver returns from last year, and that player has great chemistry with quarterback Devin Gardner. Jeremy Gallon had 829 receiving yards last season, despite having Denard Robinson as the primary passer for the first half of the season. Gallon should see an uptick in receptions and yardage this season, but without another proven threat, he might be bracketed a little more often.
Prediction: Gallon, 1100 yards

Leading Tackler
Strongside linebacker Jake Ryan led the team in tackles with 88 last year, but he’s out with a torn ACL until at least October. The choice comes down to middle linebacker Desmond Morgan or weakside linebacker James Ross III, and I think I’ll go with sophomore Ross, whose instincts are unmatched by anyone else on the team.
Prediction: Ross, 90 tackles

Leading Sacker
Ryan also led the team in sacks with 5.5 last season, but he probably won’t have time to get to the quarterback that much since he’ll miss half the season or so. There’s been a lot of buzz about weakside end Frank Clark’s improvement this offseason, and I think he’ll gather a few sacks in some early season games against the likes of Central Michigan and Akron.
Prediction: Clark, 8 sacks

Leading Interceptor
The safeties aren’t huge playmakers, and the best cornerback (Blake Countess) is coming off a torn ACL. Countess has good cover skills but has never been known as a true ball hawk. I think three players end up tied for this honor.
Prediction: Countess, Thomas Gordon, Raymon Taylor, 2 interceptions each

All-Big Ten First Team
Prediction: Jeremy Gallon, Taylor Lewan

Leading Scorer (non-QB, non-kicker)
I’m calling 10 touchdowns for Toussaint and Gallon rushing and receiving, respectively, but add a couple touchdowns through the air for Toussaint.
Prediction: Toussaint

Breakout Offensive Player
There are a few options for breakout players. I’m not going to count Devin Funchess, who already showed what he can do last season, even if he didn’t get targeted much toward the end of the year. This leaves some backup running backs and whoever shows up across from Gallon. I think I’ll go with Jehu Chesson, who should be targeted plenty.
Prediction: Chesson

Breakout Defensive Player
This is a really tough choice, because I foresee a few guys stepping up this year to make some plays: Frank Clark, James Ross, and Cam Gordon. I’m most confident in Ross, but I think the other two will take large steps forward as well.
Prediction: Ross

Most Disappointing Offensive Player
I think the interior of the offensive line is going to struggle, and that starts with redshirt sophomore Jack Miller. Miller will be a new starter and he’s not the biggest or strongest of guys, so there will be both mental and physical issues there.
Prediction: Miller

Most Disappointing Defensive Player
I think the issues at free safety will carry over from last season, when Jarrod Wilson really struggled as a backup. This year senior Courtney Avery is competing with sophomore Wilson for the job, but Avery’s out for a couple weeks after arthroscopic knee surgery. Wilson has good physical abilities, but gets himself out of position too much.
Prediction: Wilson

The Big Finish
August 31 vs. Central Michigan: WIN. The Chippewas are a mediocre MAC team.

September 7 vs. Notre Dame: WIN. Notre Dame got lucky a lot last season, and while their defensive front seven will still be good, the offense will sputter too much.

September 14 vs. Akron: WIN. Another mediocre MAC team.

September 21 at Connecticut: WIN. If for no other reason than the fact that I saw Paul Pasqualoni at a clinic this offseason and didn’t care for his attitude, I’m picking the Wolverines.

October 5 vs. Minnesota: WIN. Jerry Kill has a good history of improving teams, so I don’t think it will be a cake walk, but Michigan is more talented.

October 12 at Penn State: WIN. I have a feeling Penn State will drop off a little bit after the emotion of last season carrying them a little bit. It won’t be easy, but I think Michigan wins.

October 19 vs. Indiana: WIN. Indiana isn’t very good at the football, but the offense will be entertaining.

November 2 at Michigan State: WIN. The Spartans will have a good defense, but they’ll struggle this year on offense. Michigan is more balanced.

November 9 vs. Nebraska: LOSS. After the emotion of beating MSU and facing a pretty good team in the Cornhuskers, Michigan loses a squeaker.

November 16 at Northwestern: WIN. Michigan is getting more athletic on defense, and Jake Ryan should be back by this point to help out defensively. It might be a shootout again, but I pick the Wolverines.

November 23 at Iowa: WIN. Iowa will probably be bad.

November 30 vs. Ohio State: LOSS. Michigan just won’t have the running game to keep Ohio State honest because of the mediocre interior line.

Final record: 10-2