Tag: Jabrill Peppers

Michigan 45, Colorado 28

Jabrill Peppers (image via Fansided)

That went about how I expected. I didn’t think Colorado would jump out to a 14-0 or 21-7 lead early in the game, but I thought their tempo and creativity would be a problem for Michigan initially. Sometimes it takes Michigan a few minutes to get used to the other team’s tempo before they settle in, and that was the case against the Buffaloes. Maybe it’s because they don’t play against tempo in practice, but it takes an adjustment period. I also think some Michigan fans were underestimating Colorado based on their last few years, but they have a lot of experience, some quality receivers, and a pretty good quarterback on offense, along with a couple good corners and a couple solid front-seven players on defense. I predicted a 31-17 win for Michigan, so this was more of a high-scoring affair, but I knew it would be a fight.

Hit the jump for more.

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Michigan vs. Central Florida Awards

Eddie McDoom (image via Twitter)

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Eddie McDoom. I’m not calling for anyone to get benched here. I just really like what I’ve seen out of McDoom so far. He’s shown speed, agility, willingness to fight for extra yardage, an ability to catch the ball in traffic, etc. He needs to get in the weight room this off-season, but there’s a lot of potential here.

Hit the jump for the rest of this week’s awards.

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Michigan vs. Hawaii Awards

Wilton Speight (image via Houston Chronicle)

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Chris Evans. If you watched the game, you already know that Evans was the breakout star of the opener. He ran 8 times for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns. One of those touchdowns was a nifty run where he dived for the left pylon, showing good field awareness and body control. The other was a 43-yard burst right up the middle after being untouched at the line of scrimmaged. He hurried a couple runs, but he showed good patience on most of his rushing attempts. That’s how you average 14 yards/carry. Evans looks like the most explosive running back the Wolverines have had in several years.

Hit the jump for more awards from the Hawaii game.

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2016 Season Countdown: #2 Jabrill Peppers

Jabrill Peppers (image via The Big Lead)

Name: Jabrill Peppers
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 205 lbs.
High school: Paramus (NJ) Catholic
Position: Linebacker/safety
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #5
Last year: I ranked Peppers #3 and said he would be a starting safety and punt returner, plus a part-time slot receiver and kickoff returner (LINK). He made 45 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and 10 pass breakups; ran 18 times for 72 yards (4.0 yards/carry) and 2 touchdowns; caught 8 passes for 79 yards (9.9 yards/catch); returned 8 kickoffs for 223 yards (27.9 yards/return); and returned 17 punts for 194 yards (11.4 yards/return).

It’s difficult to quantify what kind of impact Jabrill Peppers had on the Wolverines in 2015, even with all the stats listed above. He was tied for 7th in the Big Ten in pass breakups, mostly from the slot corner position. He was 4th in punt return average. He would have been #1 in kickoff return average if he had had enough opportunities. He was 6th on the team in tackles and 9th in tackles for loss. He did all that in one fewer game than many of his teammates, since he sat out the 41-7 drubbing of Florida with a hand injury. All that production came from one guy, like a created player on NCAA Football (may its soul rest in peace).

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5 Defensive Players to Watch in Michigan’s Spring Game

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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