Tag: Michael Onwenu

Michigan vs. Cincinnati Awards

Lavert Hill (image via the Journal Gazette)

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Ty Isaac. I hit on it last week when Isaac had 114 yards, and the Michigan coaching staff listened. Can you guys believe Jay Harbaugh reads this blog? I’m honored and humbled . . .  Really, though, Isaac ran 20 times for 133 yards in this one and is averaging 8.0 yards a carry this year. So far he has been the best back on the team, and Michigan should continue riding him until Chris Evans and/or Karan Higdon step up their performances.

Hit the jump for more awards.

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Michigan 36, Cincinnati 14

Ty Isaac (image via USA Today)

The elephant in the room . . . could probably throw a football just as well as Wilton Speight. I kid, I kid, but those expecting a significantly better game against the lowly Cincinnati Bearcats should have been disappointed. Speight was 17/29 for 221 yards and 2 touchdowns, but there were a lot of bad misses, usually in the form of overthrows. Perhaps worse than the overthrows were the two fumbles, one when Speight mishandled a handoff to Ty Isaac and another when there was a botched jet sweep handoff to Kekoa Crawford. The handoff to Isaac was 100% on Speight, and the timing/mechanics of the Crawford handoff seemed to be off, though Crawford might deserve some blame there, too. Either way, the quarterback play wasn’t stellar. He did hit a long TD to Crawford and then hit Grant Perry over the middle for a 33-yard touchdown catch-and-run, but his footwork and mechanics on short and intermediate throws are all out of whack. How much can that be improved when the guy is an old redshirt junior in his third year in the system?

Hit the jump for more on Saturday’s win.

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2017 Season Countdown: #16 Michael Onwenu

Michael Onwenu (image via MLive)

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Name: Michael Onwenu
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 350 lbs.
High school: Detroit (MI) Cass Tech
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #50
Last year: I ranked Onwenu #68 and said he would be a backup offensive guard. He played in nine games at offensive guard, defensive tackle, and on special teams.
TTB Rating: 78

In most years, take an overweight offensive guard as a true freshman, and you can slap a redshirt on him. Not for Michigan in 2016, though. Michigan’s coaching staff knew they were losing three seniors to graduation after the season (OG/OT Ben Braden, OG Kyle Kalis, and OT Erik Magnuson), and maybe they knew in their hearts that David Dawson wouldn’t be able to hack it in the program. That’s four offensive linemen gone from last year’s mediocre crew, not to mention that Patrick Kugler was a candidate to depart, too. Some seasoning was necessary. So they threw in Onwenu at offensive guard. And nose tackle. And on the field goal unit.

This year he will play a little less nose tackle and a lot more offensive guard. Onwenu is slated to take over Kyle Kalis’s right guard spot. Reviews have been mixed, however. Onwenu has always moved well for a big man (he was up around 370 lbs. for a while), but the caveat “for a big man” is necessary. He can get going in a straight line, but his lateral quickness can be an issue. That becomes apparent at times in pass protection and when trying to reach the second level. On the flip side, if he gets his hand on a defender, that defender turns into that poor little opossum you see on your way to work in the morning. Rumor has it that the coaching staff gave Onwenu some tough love and put him on a weight loss plan, and now Onwenu is down in the 350 lb. range. Hopefully that’s light enough to where he can last a whole game without getting too exhausted to play effectively.

Prediction: Starting right guard

2016 Season Countdown: #68 Michael Onwenu

Michael Onwenu (image via Rivals)

Name: Michael Onwenu
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 350 lbs.
High school: Detroit (MI) Cass Tech
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Onwenu was a senior in high school (LINK).
Final TTB Rating: 78

Onwenu committed to Michigan in early June of 2015. He measured in at over 360 lbs. at one point, although MGoBlue now lists him at 350 lbs. I thought he looked more like a nose tackle, but Michigan apparently wants him on the offensive line, where he is expected to play guard. He played the position adequately in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, and it’s not a bad idea because he’s pretty immovable at a squat 350 lbs., but he didn’t finish blocks in high school as much as I would have liked. This year it’s going to be tough for Onwenu to see much playing time. Not only is there a lot of experience returning on the offensive line, but Onwenu has work to do on his body and technique. However, the Wolverines need to groom at least three players to start in 2017, since Ben Braden, Kyle Kalis, and Erik Magnuson will all be graduating. With two of those players being guards, the coaches might want to get Onwenu some experience this season if they intend to start him next year.

Prediction: Backup offensive guard

5 Things to Watch for National Signing Day

Michael Onwenu (image via 247Sports.com)

National Signing Day is taking place tomorrow today (here’s a list of announcement times/choices), and there has already been plenty of drama leading up to the event. Michigan has suffered numerous decommitments throughout the process, and there’s a good chance that when tomorrow is done, the Wolverines will have had 40+ different players committed at one time or another during the 2016 class. It has been a roller coaster ride over the last year, and I don’t know of a more tumultuous recruiting cycle in Michigan history.

Hit the jump for the rest of the post.

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