Tag: Justice Hayes

2013 Season Countdown: #55 Justice Hayes

Justice Hayes

Name: Justice Hayes
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Grand Blanc (MI) Grand Blanc
Position: Running back
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #5
Last year: I ranked Hayes #59 and said he would be a backup running back. He had 18 carries for 83 yards and 1 touchdown.

Hayes, a scatback type, was stuck behind Vincent Smith for that role last year. There was never a strong need to use Hayes, since Smith stayed healthy. Hayes ended up having decent games against overmatched Massachusetts and Illinois teams, totaling 13 carries for 85 yards and 1 touchdown in those games. Unfortunately, his other five carries – against Iowa, Northwestern, and South Carolina – netted him -2 yards. He had yet another chance to impress in the spring game, but he was ineffectual.

The depth chart hasn’t cleared up much for Hayes this year. With Smith gone the screens and draws might go to sophomore Dennis Norfleet instead. Hayes clearly seems to be behind Thomas Rawls in the coaches’ eyes, and the top two tailbacks could very well be fifth year senior Fitzgerald Toussaint and freshman Derrick Green. I don’t think Hayes has a shot at cracking the top two, so he will probably be used scarcely once again in 2013 unless there are injuries. There will be some carries in garbage time, and the coaches may trust him to block more than Norfleet, but there’s considerable depth at the running back position this year.

Prediction: Backup running back; 15 carries for 60 yards

Michigan vs. South Carolina Awards

Jeremy Gallon had 2 touchdown receptions, including this leaping grab (image via MLive)

Since the season is over, this is going to be a look toward next year.  Seniors are excluded from being named for the “Let’s see more/less” awards.

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Devin Funchess.  For whatever reason(s), Michigan seemed to target freshman tight end Devin Funchess less as the year went along.  Other than a middle screen early in the game, the plays and the quarterback didn’t seem to be targeting Funchess.  At 6’5″, likely to be 240-ish next year, and with some speed, the coaches need to concentrate on finding ways to get him the ball.  I believe this will happen naturally because wide receiver Roy Roundtree will have graduated and the offense won’t center around Denard Robinson.

Let’s see less of this guy on offense . . . Justice Hayes.  Hayes does not appear to have a future role as a feature back.  He might be able to catch screen passes and do some things in the passing game a la Vincent Smith, but he’s just average in all categories – size, strength, speed, elusiveness, etc.  I don’t really think he fits in with what Michigan wants to do.

Let’s see more of this guy on defense . . . James Ross.  It’s tough for freshman linebackers to play big-time college football, and Michigan has two pretty good ones in Ross and Joe Bolden.  Ross had a nice blitz late in the game and has generally played well, although his pass drops could use some work.  Ideally, he would have been redshirting this season to hone those drops, but he looks to have a bright future.  My guess is that he’ll take over the weakside linebacker position next season, allowing Desmond Morgan to play middle linebacker.

Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . Courtney Avery.  I had high hopes for Avery after the 2011 season, and he has been solid as a slot corner.  The problem is that he’s a primary backup on the outside, too, and he really struggled against Alabama and South Carolina when he was asked to fill in for Blake Countess and J.T. Floyd, respectively.  I still want to see him on the field playing the slot, but Michigan has to get Countess healthy and develop a better option behind the starters on the outside.

Play of the game . . . Drew Dileo’s fake field goal scramble.  Michigan’s staff got creative by shifting from a field goal formation to an empty backfield with holder Dileo playing quarterback.  A high school baseball star, Dileo can throw the ball a little bit.  When he didn’t see anyone open, he decided to scramble, made a guy miss in the open field, and gained 7 yards to convert the first down.  The kid has reliable hands, can return kicks, and is a versatile threat as a holder.  He won’t ever be a star, but he’s a fun guy to have on the football team.

MVP of the game . . . Jeremy Gallon.  Gallon did drop a slightly inaccurate pass, but he ended the game with 9 catches, 145 yards, and 2 touchdowns, along with an 11-yard return on the final kickoff.  Brady Hoke noted that he was playing hurt, and I thought I saw him a little bit gimpy with what appeared to be a hamstring issue.  Overall, he had a very good performance and should be the centerpiece of the receiving corps in 2013.

South Carolina 33, Michigan 28

Denard Robinson had a solid final game as a Wolverine (image via AnnArbor.com)

Thanks to the seniors.  For the most part, this group of seniors is made up of stellar kids.  I really like Denard Robinson, Jordan Kovacs, Craig Roh, Vincent Smith, Patrick Omameh, Roy Roundtree, etc.  That group of kids entered school around the time that I started this blog and really started concentrating on evaluating players and such, so it’s odd to see them graduating.  They accomplished some great things, and I’m looking forward to watching some of them on the next level.

J.T. Floyd really hurt his team.  I never really cared about the suspension of Hagerup.  It was a dumb move on his part, but I really think that Matt Wile is just as talented, if not more so.  But Floyd, a fifth year senior, hurt the team in more ways than one.  I’ve said all along that Floyd was susceptible to the deep ball because of his lack of speed, so I don’t know that he would have been able to curtail the deep throws that beat Raymon Taylor, Courtney Avery, and Jarrod Wilson.  What I do know is that the re-shuffling of the defensive backfield due to Floyd’s absence hurt the defense numerous times.  Avery is a pretty good slot corner, but he struggles every time the team puts him on the outside.  With Floyd out, Avery moved to the outside, safety Thomas Gordon moved down to the slot, and freshman Jarrod Wilson came in to play safety.  Floyd’s suspension not only hurt the team at his cornerback spot, but it diminished the quality of play at slot corner and safety, too.

Hooray for Al Borges.  I didn’t agree with every play call or personnel decision by Borges, but he came out with a quality game plan and plenty of wrinkles.  Unfortunately, Michigan lacked the horses and the execution to get the job done.  There was a Statue of Liberty hand-off to Denard Robinson and a fake jet sweep screen to Devin Funchess; Borges moved Denard Robinson around to QB, RB, FB, and WR; and there were some funky special teams plays concocted by the coaching staff to get first downs.  Overall, the players just didn’t execute.  South Carolina got steady pressure on Devin Gardner, Jadeveon Clowney made a couple key plays, and Gardner missed some open receivers.  You can blame some of that stuff on the coordinator, I guess, but a lot of it is on the players.

Holy hell attrition. Out of 24 starters to begin the season, Michigan was missing 5 for the Outback Bowl.  Cornerback Blake Countess, Floyd, middle linebacker Kenny Demens, running back Fitzgerald Toussaint, and Hagerup were all out for this game, along with a solid special teamer in Brandin Hawthorne and part-time fullback Stephen Hopkins.  Running back Thomas Rawls also missed the game, and quarterback Denard Robinson could muster only one measly pass attempt because of his elbow injury.  I know excuses are lame, but the Outback Bowl squad was really just a shell of what it was on September 1.  South Carolina was banged up some (their starting running back and right tackle), but their losses were fewer.  In a game decided with 11 seconds left, it’s quite possible the outcome would have been different if a couple of those guys were still available.

Denard needed new cleats. Robinson has always tested the laws of gravity with the way he leans to cut back, but I didn’t see anyone else having a problem with the footing yesterday.  I’m not sure why he struggled so much, but there were some plays available that he just didn’t make because he slipped and fell.  I thought they had the issue fixed after a couple carries in the second half, but then he want back to looking like he was playing football on ice.

Penalties were a problem.  Michigan only had four penalties, but they netted South Carolina an additional 55 yards.  These weren’t 5-yard offsides or illegal procedure calls.  Taylor Lewan took two big penalties, Joe Bolden made a silly late hit on Connor Shaw, and Ricky Barnum grabbed a defensive lineman’s facemask and held on for the duration of the play.  Lewan was a penalty machine in 2010, got rid of those tendencies in 2011, and seems to have regressed now in 2012.  I like Lewan a lot and I know he’s probably gone for the NFL, but I think he had a better season last year.

Running back is a gaping void.  There has been some recent buzz about Drake Johnson, who redshirted this season, but otherwise, the running back position is wide open for 2013.  Running backs Vincent Smith and Justice Hayes combined for just 8 carries and 6 yards; Rawls didn’t play at all; Toussaint will be coming off a nasty broken leg..  Johnson is a bit of a wild card, but none of these guys look like starter material except a healthy Toussaint.  Wyatt Shallman isn’t the answer, either, so I’m hoping DeVeon Smith is better than I expect or that Derrick Green commits in the next month.

Greg Mattison has had better days.  He was sort of hamstrung by a lack of personnel, but I wasn’t a fan of Mattison’s strategy late in the game.  He was sending blitzes because he realized that his defensive backs aren’t very good, but Michigan appeared to be doing better when they rushed two or three guys and put eight or nine back in coverage.  It was a mistake to count on his young cornerbacks and athletically limited safeties to hold up when they’ve been burned again and again.  If it’s me in that situation, I put four guys deep, rush three, and hope that South Carolina can only complete a short pass.  They were 0/2 on field goals up to that point, and that kicker’s confidence had to be waning.  Make them complete something short, and then force them to chuck something into the end zone or try a pressure-packed field goal.

Overall, a slightly disappointing season.  The schedule was tough.  Michigan’s four regular season losses came against teams that were 46-4 prior to yesterday; two of those teams are playing for the national championship, and another went 12-0 but was banned from the postseason.  But Michigan had very real chances to beat Notre Dame, Nebraska, and Ohio State, and couldn’t pull out any of those close games.  The season ended with another close loss to a solid but flawed South Carolina team.  I predicted a 9-3 year, and I predicted the loss to South Carolina, so my projection would have been 9-4.  Not a huge difference from 8-5, but five losses is too many.  Next year should be better, though.

Michigan 45, Illinois 0

The team celebrates Jeremy Gallon’s 71-yard catch-and-run.

I think Nathan Scheelhaase got hurt.  Play-by-play man Bob Wischusen only said it about 35 times, so I’m not sure.  Also, Danny Kanell is really bad at talking.  Seriously, though, sometimes it’s not so much fun watching a team that’s missing its starting quarterback.  It’s still great to win 45-0, of course, and everyone needs a blowout win once in a while.  But as soon as I saw Scheelhaase hit the ground and look dazed, I assumed that any coach not named Mark Dantonio would yank him for the remainder of the contest.  Thankfully, Denard Robinson’s hand injury only kept him out for a short period, or else that game could have been a real stinker.

Denard Robinson hasn’t thrown an interception in the last two games.  It’s funny how that works.  Michigan has made a commitment to running the ball the last couple games, rather than trying to have Robinson throw for the win.  I know Robinson has had longer runs and more important runs, but his 49-yard touchdown in this game might have been his single greatest individual effort.  He made a couple separate jump cuts before bursting out to the left and outrunning the defense.

What’s up with Jerald Robinson?  Almost every outgoing wide receiver for the past couple seasons has pointed to Jerald Robinson as the next year’s breakout star, and he continues to look completely harmless.  He did have an 8-yard reception in this game, but he also had another drop.  As a redshirt sophomore, that gives him 4 receptions for 47 yards in his career.

The defense was excellent.  Injury to Scheelhaase aside, Michigan held the Illini to just 134 total yards – 105 rushing, 29 passing.  The Wolverines also grabbed an interception, recovered a fumble, recorded 9 tackles for loss, and notched 3 sacks.  Jake Ryan was the most disruptive force with 11 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 1 forced fumble.  Middle linebacker Kenny Demens has played significantly better since the first couple games, and yesterday he had 8 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 interception.  A huge chunk of Illinois’ yards seemed to come when backup quarterback Reilly O’Toole first entered the game and hit Michigan with several screens and draws.

Every running back had a good game . . . except Fitzgerald Toussaint.  Even Toussaint had a touchdown, but he only averaged 3.4 yards/carry and lost a significant chunk of playing time to Thomas Rawls.  I’m not sure what’s up with Toussaint, but Rawls had 9 carries for 90 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown.  Even Justice Hayes had 10 carries for 66 yards, although most of his carries came after Illinois had thrown in the towel.  Hayes has decent speed, but he’s not a very physical runner . . . and he fumbled the ball without even getting touched.  Luckily, it bounced right back up into his hands.

Michigan’s backup quarterback situation is shaky.  Russell Bellomy struggled somewhat.  He let a snap squirt right through his hands, and he completed just 1/3 passes.  I’m not a huge fan of what I’ve seen out of Devin Gardner as a quarterback, and I do think Bellomy has potential down the road . . . but boy, does he look shaky right now.  He wasn’t helped out by his receivers, though, who had their hands on both incompletions; but Bellomy looks afraid to push the ball down the field, and he’s not very crisp running the plays.  I’m going to try to enjoy Denard Robinson while I can, because the quarterback play might be really iffy for a couple seasons.

Dennis Norfleet is too fast.  He blew past everyone except the punter . . . and when the punter stepped up to make the tackle, Norfleet didn’t even give himself time to shake; he just tried to run right through the punter, which doesn’t work when you’re only 165 lbs.  Regardless, he had yet another moment where Michigan fans just think “It’s only a matter of time.”  He did muff a kickoff return (which he still managed to pick up and gain 12 yards), but that 42-yard punt return was fun to watch.

The defensive line continues to improve.  It was obvious that they would improve, but they’re better than I thought they would be at this point in the season.  Quinton Washington had 5 tackles and 1 tackle for loss.  Craig Roh had 3 tackles and half a sack.  Jibreel Black had 3 tackles, but he showed impressive speed in chasing down Scheelhaase before driving him to the ground on the play that caused the quarterback’s concussion.

Jeremy Gallon screen fun.  Gallon took the throwback screen (which Michigan runs once or twice every game), made a couple people miss, got some nice downfield blocking – especially from walk-on tight end Mike Kwiatkowski – and raced 71 yards for a touchdown.  Gallon had just that one reception, but that was just one more piece of evidence why Michigan needs to get him the ball early and often.

This was a nice confidence booster before the Michigan State game.  The Spartans looked pretty bad in a loss to Iowa, and Michigan obviously looked very good.  At this point in the season, Michigan clearly looks like the better team.  Hopefully the momentum can carry over into next Saturday’s game, which has been announced as a 3:30 p.m. kickoff to be shown on the Big Ten Network.

2012 Season Countdown: #59 Justice Hayes

Justice Hayes takes a handoff from Jack Kennedy in the 2012 spring game

Name: Justice Hayes
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 176 lbs.
High school: Grand Blanc (MI) Grand Blanc
Position: Running back
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #5
Last year: I ranked Hayes #86 and said he would redshirt.  He redshirted.

At only 176 lbs. last season and with several experienced backs on the roster, Hayes was a virtual lock to redshirt.  He earned some praise in the off-season and the spring for his ability to run outside the tackles, but so far, his ability to run inside has not developed.

Rumors and speculation have popped up that Hayes will battle with sophomore Thomas Rawls to be Fitzgerald Toussaint’s primary backup, but I don’t see Hayes as an every-down back.  He will likely be heavier this year, but not physical enough.  Instead, I expect Hayes to be groomed as Vincent Smith’s heir to the third down back role.  Hayes can be effective on draws, counters, screens, and dump-offs, plays that can get him in open space and use his shiftiness.  He could also be useful on kickoff returns.

Prediction: Backup running back; occasional kick returner