Tag: Joshua Ross

Review of 2021 Season Predictions

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Now’s your chance to lambaste me for my idiocy, so you can go check out my season predictions if you want (LINK).

LEADING RUSHER
Season prediction: Hassan Haskins, 900 yards
Actual: Hassan Haskins, 1327 yards
Scoop: I thought Michigan might spread the ball around a little more – and I did not expect Haskins to get 270 carries – but Haskins got a big boost in production when Blake Corum injured his ankle. Haskins notched 27, 31, 20, and 28 carries in the wake of Corum’s injury before the latter returned healthy. The last time any running back topped 270 carries in a season was Mike Hart, who had 318 attempts in 2006.

LEADING RECEIVER
Season prediction: Ronnie Bell, 800 yards
Actual: Cornelius Johnson, 620 yards
Scoop: Bell got hurt in the first game of 2021, tearing his ACL on a punt return. He had 1 catch for a 76-yard touchdown at that point. After a two-year run as Michigan’s leading receiver, it was time for a new king, and that new king was 6’3″, 210 lb. Cornelius Johnson. Johnson made 39 catches for 620 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Hit the jump for more.

2021 Orange Bowl Preview: Rush Defense vs. Georgia Rush Offense

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MICHIGAN
Michigan is #20 overall for giving up 121.5 yards per game this season. They’re tied with Ohio State (and CMU and PSU) at #23 for giving up 3.52 yards per carry, and they’re tied at #15 for giving up 11 rushing touchdowns this season. They are a good rushing defense bordering on elite; the only team that had sustained success was Michigan State with Kenneth Walker III almost exclusively doing the damage.

Michigan’s leading tackler is middle linebacker Josh Ross with 95. Safety Daxton Hill (65) and defensive end Aidan Hutchinson are the closest, and they’re not close. Michigan does a good job of containing the edge and funneling things back inside by playing Hutchinson and outside linebacker David Ojabo wide, letting Ross, Hill, and safety Brad Hawkins (54 tackles) clean things up inside.

The Wolverines have not produced a ton of tackles for loss this season with 69, which is tied for #74 in the nation. That’s despite getting a ton of sacks from Hutchinson (14) and Ojabo (11); in other words, sacks from those two have accounted for 36% of the team’s tackles for loss. I mentioned above that they’re tied at #74; what I didn’t mention is that they’re tied with Arizona State, Ball State, and Illinois, which is not exactly a murderer’s row of defenses.

Hit the jump for more.

2021 Michigan vs. Rutgers Awards

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . A.J. Henning. Henning has been a decent receiver (3 catches, 36 yards) and an outstanding runner (2 rushes, 100 yards, 1 TD) early in the season, but when push came to shove against Rutgers, the coaching staff almost completely ignored him. His only overall touch was on a punt return, and the only attempt to get him the ball on offense was an early fade route on the outside. Michigan needs to make more of a concerted effort to get guys like Henning the ball on the edge.

Hit the jump for more.

2021 Season Predictions

Look below for my bold, sure-to-be-100%-correct predictions for 2021.

LEADING RUSHER
It doesn’t get any bolder than picking the guy who has finished #1 or #2 in rushing the past two seasons (and the #1 guy from 2019 is playing for UCLA now). Yes, you guessed it. I’m picking Hassan Haskins. Haskins was a ho-hum recruit who has become a very dependable runner, if lacking great breakaway speed. Last season he took a stranglehold on the job, running 61 times for 375 yards (6.2 yards/carry) and 6 touchdowns. Sophomore Blake Corum should also get a good chunk of carries, but in crunch time, I expect Haskins to be the primary back.
Prediction: Hassan Haskins, 900 yards

Hit the jump for the rest of the prognostications.

2021 Season Countdown: #4 Josh Ross

Name: Josh Ross
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 224 lbs.
High school: Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary’s
Position: Linebacker
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #12
Last year: I ranked Ross #15 and said he would be the starting WILL linebacker (LINK). He made 53 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 interception.
TTB Rating: 79

Ross had a rough season in 2020. As part of a deteriorating defense – in performance and health – Ross played in every game. While defensive linemen and his fellow inside linebacker Cam McGrone fell apart, Ross kept plugging away. Reports have come out since then that Ross himself was struggling with a lower body injury, too. He missed tackles and got lost in coverage at times. Everyone expected better from him since he was a fourth-year player who was Honorable Mention All-Big Ten in 2018, but it just didn’t work out.

Reports about Ross’s leadership have been glowing this off-season, and Ross has been named one of the four team captains. He has played a lot but has somehow only started ten games in his career. Among the linebackers, he’s the grizzled veteran. New linebackers coach George Helow revealed recently that redshirt freshman Nikhai Hill-Green will be starting next to Ross at inside linebacker (beating out Michael Barrett), and I think that elevates Ross’s importance even more. The team needs an experienced player on the inside to get people lined up and keep people calm if and when things go poorly on the field.

Prediction: Starting middle linebacker