Tag: Frank Clark

Michigan 63, UMass 13

Jerald Robinson almost made two one-handed catches. Unfortunately, he dropped both. (image via Boston.com)

We’ve seen this before. This game felt eerily similar to Michigan’s 63-6 beatdown of Delaware State back in 2009.  The only difference was the interception that Denard Robinson threw, which was returned for a touchdown.

We didn’t learn much from this game. I didn’t really see anyone stand out in this game and make an unexpected impact. There weren’t any big plays on special teams, Michigan struggled to get much pressure on the quarterback, none of the second-teamers stepped up to have a great game, etc. A few players saw their first action (Graham Glasgow, Curt Graman, Justice Hayes, Joe Kerridge, Kristian Mateus, Jordan Paskorz, Steve Wilson) and a couple guys record their first statistics (Justice Hayes had 3 carries for 19 yards and 1 touchdown; Mike Kwiatkowski had 1 catch for 16 yards), but this team still has some problems that aren’t quite fixed.

Turnovers, please? Michigan is one of 11 teams in the FBS to have zero interceptions. Michigan had a chance in this game, but cornerback J.T. Floyd misplayed a long ball and let it sail harmlessly overhead. Paul Gyarmati did recover a muffed punt, though, so at least we’ve got that going for us. I’m looking forward to when Michigan gets some good cover corners on the field.

Vincent Smith is Spider-man. That 19-yard reception along the left sideline was ridiculous. He caught the ball, got hit immediately, spun like Kristi Yamaguchi, and kept running. I’ve never been a huge fan of Smith as a feature back type of player, but I’m going to miss his multi-purpose skills after this season.

Oh by the way, f*** you guys. UMass running back Michael Cox, who played for Michigan from 2008-2011, had a pretty solid game for the Minutemen.  He ended with 18 carries for 76 yards (4.2 yards per carry) behind a bad offensive line with not much of an aerial attack.  There were a couple plays where he ran east-and-west when there was no hole, losing a chunk of yards.  But he had some impressive runs against a Michigan defense that should have been able to clamp down on the running game.  I never really thought Cox was a superstar, but I did think that he deserved a shot to play when the aforementioned Smith was being used as a feature back.  The knocks on him were always fumbling (he never fumbled at Michigan, though there was a botched exchange in this game), learning the playbook (I didn’t see any missed assignments in this game), and running east-west too much (perhaps a fair criticism).  The kid is a decent running back.  Also, he looked huge.

I’m scared for Michigan’s offensive line. The coaches are clearly aiming to redshirt all the true freshman offensive linemen, which will only work if all the starters stay healthy.  Joey Burzynski got quite a bit of playing time at right guard and did an okay job, but the backup tackles (walk-ons Erik Gunderson and Kristian Mateus) were like revolving doors.  I still wasn’t impressed with Michael Schofield at right tackle, either.  I thought he played better as a guard last season.

Devin Funchess and Devin Gardner look like studs.  Funchess (2 catches, 34 yards, 1 touchdown) outran a safety for a touchdown and caught a low pass in traffic.  Gardner (2 catches, 48 yards, 1 touchdown) grabbed a crossing route, outran a safety, tiptoed down the sideline, and launched himself across the pylon for his score. Gardner could have had two more long gainers, too, but he was badly overthrown by Denard Robinson.

Speaking of Robinson . . . I’m probably just a Debbie Downer, because the guy accounted for 397 yards and 4 touchdowns.  But he also threw a pick-six, fumbled on the goal line, and missed several open receivers.  I don’t understand how he can have such poor throwing mechanics after four years of playing quarterback for a major college program.  He steps way to the left of his target, lets his arm drop, and throws off his back foot too much.  Even the Devin Funchess touchdown pass showed terrible mechanics.  Obviously, that play worked out okay, but he did the same thing on the pick-six and it cost the team a touchdown.  The kid completed 67% of his passes, threw for 3 scores, and ran for 106 yards.  He was the most dominant player in the game.  Obviously.  But good grief, he’s frustrating to watch sometimes.

Frank Clark looked like a stud.  UMass didn’t run much option, so Clark didn’t have much of a chance to look confused and lose outside contain.  But he has a knack for knocking down passes at the line of scrimmage and ended up with 3 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 2 pass breakups.  I predicted in the game preview that he would notch his first two career sacks, and while that didn’t happen, he abused the opposing tackles and was clearly the most disruptive pass rusher on the field.  If he can mature as a player and stay out of trouble off the field, he could be a solid NFL prospect in a year or two. I also liked what I saw from freshman linebackers Joe Bolden and James Ross.

Michigan vs. Air Force Awards

Devin Funchess caught 4 passes for 106 yards and this touchdown.

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Devin Funchess.  The freshman tight end burst onto the scene Saturday with a 4-catch, 106-yard, 1-touchdown performance.  His 30-yard touchdown reception showed him getting behind a safety and leaping to snatch the ball out of the air.  Brandon Moore can’t do that, and I doubt A.J. Williams can.  Kevin Koger could do it occasionally, but Koger caught 4 passes just twice in his career and never had more than 60 yards in a single game.

Let’s see less of this guy on offense . . . Denard Robinson.  Twenty carries is too many.  The team needs to get the running backs going.  Fitzgerald Toussaint had 8 carries for 7 yards in this game.  Thomas Rawls had 6 carries for 9 yards last week.  And those were your starting tailbacks.  Yep, 14 carries for 16 yards through two games.  Michigan needs to improve the play of the offensive line and let these tailbacks run a little bit.

Let’s see more of this guy on defense . . . Courtney Avery.  I was not impressed with Raymon Taylor’s performance at cornerback on Sunday, and I think Avery should remain the starter at field corner.  The coaches need to find another contributor for the slot corner spot, whether it’s Taylor, Delonte Hollowell, or Thomas Gordon.  The injury to Blake Countess and the departure of Terrence Talbott have really hurt Michigan’s secondary.

Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . Frank Clark.  Clark is still too undisciplined.  Yes, he made a couple nice plays, but he also made a couple bone-headed plays where he was culpable for losing contain.  He needs to be more consistent.  Hopefully Brennen Beyer’s injury isn’t too serious, because Beyer needs to get a bunch of snaps there.  Mario Ojemudia also looks decent as a bit player, although his size will become more of a detriment once the Big Ten season hits.

Play of the game . . . Denard Robinson’s 58-yard touchdown run.  The first touchdown run was longer (79 yards), but the second was more fun to watch.  He slid to the left, waiting for Patrick Omameh to pull through the hole, then burst forward, cut to the right, cut upfield, jumped outside to the right sideline, and outraced the Air Force defense to the corner.

MVP of the game . . . Denard Robinson.  Jake Ryan had a great game, too, but Robinson had 218 rushing yards, 208 passing yards, and accounted for all 4 of Michigan’s touchdowns.  He could have thrown the ball better, but he made just about every play possible in the running game.  He also seems to be developing a rapport with wide receiver Devin Gardner and tight end Funchess.

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.

2012 Season Countdown: #32 Frank Clark

Frank Clark gets tackled after intercepting Virginia Tech’s Logan Thomas

Name: Frank Clark
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 260 lbs.
High school: Cleveland (OH) Glenville
Position: Defensive end
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #57
Last year: I ranked Clark #80 and said he would redshirt.  He played in twelve games, making 10 tackles, 1/2 a tackle for loss, and 1 interception.

Clark surprised me – and a lot of people – last season.  He showed up at 228 lbs., which vaulted him into the running for playing time when I expected him to be 210 and willowy.  As the third string weakside end behind Craig Roh and Jibreel Black, he played pretty sparingly but had a bit of a coming out party in the Sugar Bowl against Virginia Tech, when he made 5 tackles and the interception.  It’s a huge jump to go from #80 to #32 in one season . . .

. . . but now this ranking might be too high.  It was revealed in recent days that Clark has been arrested for allegedly stealing a computer, which is a serious offense that could result in jail time.  Assuming this is his first offense, the likelihood that he goes to jail is pretty slim.  But that doesn’t mean he will escape punishment from Brady Hoke.  The offseason paved the way for Clark to battle with fellow sophomore Brennen Beyer for the starting weakside end position, because last year’s #1 guy (Craig Roh, now the SDE) and #2 guy (Jibreel Black, now a DT) both switched positions.  The battle was reportedly close in the spring with Beyer edging out Clark, but regardless of the legal proceedings, it’s unlikely that Clark will start on September 1 against Alabama.  If Clark manages to free himself of the charges and any serious punishment from Brady Hoke, he could make a run at the starting job.  He has some impressive speed and playmaking ability, but he might not get a chance to use it.

Prediction: N/A due to legal issues

Poll results: Who will be Michigan’s starting WDE against Alabama?

Rising sophomore defensive end Brennen Beyer (image via MGoBlog)

This question was asked prior to the spring game, but the last poll question was: Who will be Michigan’s starter at weakside end against Alabama?

Frank Clark: 62%
The 6’2″, 228 lb. sophomore played well in limited time last season, but at the end of spring practice, it seems he’s #2 on the depth chart.  He had 10 tackles, 1/2 a tackle for loss, and 1 interception.  He will surely compete into the fall, and barring an outstanding fall camp from a true freshman, the choice is going to come down to Clark or . . .

Brennen Beyer: 19%
Beyer, pictured above, got the start in last Saturday’s spring game.  He’s listed at 6’3″, 225 lbs. but he seems quite a bit bigger than last year.  Last season he had 11 tackles but seemed slightly miscast as the backup SAM linebacker.  Weakside end seems like a more natural position, but it’s a position change nonetheless.

Jake Ryan: 14%
Redshirt sophomore Jake Ryan, who is 6’3″ and 230 lbs., started at SAM linebacker in 2011.  He proved to be a playmaker by making 37 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 2 fumble recoveries.  He started at SAM once again in the spring game.  Some people are clamoring for him to play defensive end in an effort to get backup SAM Cameron Gordon on the field at the same time, but since Ryan and Gordon are literally the only two strongside linebackers on the roster, that seems unlikely.

Mario Ojemudia: 1% (tie)
Incoming freshman Ojemudia is the only one of the four freshman defensive ends who seems to be slotted for weakside end.  The other three ends seem destined for strongside end or even defensive tackle.  He played defensive tackle at Farmington Hills Harrison and struggled a little bit playing defensive end in the Semper Fi All American Bowl, so I think he’s a long shot to be an immediate starter at the position.

Other: 1% (tie)
I don’t know who else would have earned a vote.  The only other possibility would seem to be incoming freshman Tom Strobel, who might be a weakside end right now but looks like he’ll eventually develop into a strongside end.