Tag: Michael Shaw

Michigan 28, Notre Dame 24

Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson ran for a billion yards on Saturday.

Yesterday was such a roller coaster of emotions throughout the game.- Low: Michigan’s defense sucks as Notre Dame QB Dayne Crist marches down the field for an opening-drive TD.
– High: This Denard kid is pretty good.
– Higher: Crist is hurt. Maybe Michigan has a chance!
– Highest: Denard Robinson runs 87 yards for a touchdown.
– Low: Why are all three guys with a deep third gathered in the middle of the field at the end of the half?
– High: Michigan is up by two touchdowns at halftime.
– Low: Dayne Crist is back.
– Lower: Crist throws a 53-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Jones.
– Lowestest: Crist throws a 95-yard touchdown pass to TE Kyle Rudolph over the head of FS Cam Gordon.
– High: This Denard kid is really good.
– Low: Cullen Christian’s hero must be Shawn Crable.
– Coasting into the station: Dayne Crist throws an airball with :00 on the clock.It was such a relief when the game was over. I was expecting a loss, but the thing about predicting a loss is that I’m either justified in my prediction . . . or I’m ecstatic that Michigan won. And I’d much rather see the Wolverines win than be right.

There were so many things that Michigan fans learned yesterday about their team, and I’ll try to touch on a few of them here:Denard Robinson is really, really good. Notre Dame’s defense made a distinct attempt to stop him. He still ran for 258 yards (a Big Ten record for a QB) on 28 attempts (9.2 yards per carry), including an 87-yard touchdown and the 2-yard game-winner. The Fighting Irish have an experienced defense and run a 3-4 scheme that isn’t seen much in college, but Robinson was also able to throw for 244 yards on 24/44 passing (55%) (EDIT: Reader MH20 pointed out that Denard was 24/40 for a 60% completion rate) against three seniors and a sophomore in the defensive backfield.

Michigan’s running backs are not. Notre Dame keyed on Robinson and geared themselves to stop him in the run game. Still, running backs Vincent Smith (7 carries, 17 yards, 2.4 average) and Michael Shaw (5 carries, 12 yards, 2.4 average) were ineffective. These kids will take what’s given to them, but they don’t create yards for themselves. This seems to be an ongoing position battle, and hopefully running back recruits like Demetrius Hart recognize that the presence of a quarterback like Robinson should give them plenty of opportunities to get in space. After two weeks, Robinson is averaging 28.5 carries per game. That’s too much for a sturdy running back, let alone a 194 lb. quarterback.

Michigan’s receivers have stepped up. The only true drop I remember came from tight end Kevin Koger on a rollout pass early in the game. Otherwise, players like Darryl Stonum (4 for 33), Roy Roundtree (8 for 82 and 1 touchdown), and Martavious Odoms (7 for 91) made some highly contested catches throughout the game. If Robinson throws the ball within reasonable reach of Michigan’s wideouts, they’re going to catch it.

Cameron Gordon has a target on his back. Most or all of Notre Dame’s big plays were the result of Cameron Gordon’s inexperience and/or lack of natural talent. Luckily for Michigan, this Notre Dame team represented perhaps the most dangerous passing team on the Wolverines’ 2010 schedule. But other teams will be forced to take note of Gordon’s mistakes. There were numerous times where receivers ran past him or he lost track of them (the TD pass to Jones, the long pass to Riddick at the end of the first half, the 95-yard TD to Rudolph). I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Brian Kelly gameplanned to attack the redshirt freshman wide receiver-turned-safety. This is the reason that I lobbied for Troy Woolfolk to remain at deep safety back in the spring. Obviously, a broken ankle would have sidelined Woolfolk no matter what position he was playing, but you can’t convince me that a Big Ten sprinter of Woolfolk’s caliber would have been outrun by a 265 lb. tight end to the end zone. I would not be entirely surprised to see a player with more speed (perhaps Carvin Johnson or Marvin Robinson) take over the FS position in the coming years. I don’t want to see him benched, but I think Gordon would fit better at Bandit or Spur.

Jonas Mouton is blossoming in this defense. He led the team with 13 tackles and also picked off a flea-flicker pass. He did miss some tackles on the elusive and speedy Armando Allen, but I can’t say that I blame him – Allen could be a special college running back if used correctly. Overall, Mouton showed the play recognition and discipline to be a force for the remainder of the season.

The pass rush needs to improve. Through two games, Michigan’s only sack has come from backup Spur Thomas Gordon, who started in place of the injured Carvin Johnson. Michigan frequently used a three-man rush in an attempt to get to the quarterback, and it repeatedly failed. That three-man rush often consisted of nose tackle Mike Martin, defensive end Ryan Van Bergen, and linebacker Craig Roh playing in a three-point stance. At 251 lbs. Craig Roh can’t stand up to being double-teamed in the pass rush. Against a single offensive lineman, I’ll take Roh to win that matchup a majority of the time. If a second lineman comes to help, Roh will get planted on his butt, which happened several times on Saturday. Ultimately, you play to win the game (thanks, Herm Edwards!), and Michigan did that. But the Wolverines also gave up 381 yards passing.

Tate Forcier is being a good teammate. There were questions last week about his behavior on the sideline after freshman Devin Gardner was inserted instead of Forcier. Forcier was shown giving Coach Rodriguez a hug prior to kickoff, he warmed up congenially when Gardner was inserted for one play, and he was shown cheering on his team over and over again. At least publicly, Forcier looks as though he learned a bit of a lesson from the media blowback last weekend.

You might hate me for saying this, but Notre Dame would have won the game if not for Dayne Crist’s injury. Crist is only a sophomore, but he performed much better than his two replacements (Tommy Rees, Nate Montana) who had never played an FBS snap before. When Crist was available, Notre Dame outscored Michigan 24-7. Rees and Montana went 8/19 for 104 yards and 2 interceptions in Crist’s stead. Crist was 13/25 for 277 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception, in addition to a rushing touchdown. Crist missed about 26 minutes of the game. If the Irish kept up that same rate of scoring (24 points per 34 minutes of Crist’s availability), they would have scored about 42 points in the game. Despite Denard Robinson’s heroics and record-setting performance, all may have been for naught if Crist remained healthy. Injuries are a part of the game, but I think Michigan fans should recognize that the Wolverines got a bit lucky yesterday.

Denard Robinson is the clear-cut Heisman leader right now. Robinson has 885 total yards (455 rushing, 430 passing) and 5 touchdowns through two games. He also hasn’t turned over the ball once, and his team is 2-0. In addition, while several other Heisman candidates have played patsies at least once in the first two games, both of Michigan’s opponents were bowl-eligible last season. Now that Robinson has performed well against solid teams – and rushed the ball 57 times – I’m guessing he’ll get quite a bit of rest against UMass next Saturday. I doubt he’ll remain the leader throughout the season because Michigan’s defense will lose a few games this year, but he’s been the best individual performer so far.

Michigan 30, Connecticut 10

I was only able to watch the last two-and-a-half quarters of the game due to my football obligations, but here are some thoughts on what I saw.

• Denard Robinson has improved exponentially. He took advantage of a weak defense, but he still completed 19/22 passes (86.3%) and didn’t turn the ball over. Oh by the way, he rushed for 197 yards and one touchdown on 6.8 yards per carry.
• The offensive line looked excellent in pass protection, but only so-so in run blocking. It makes things much easier for Robinson if he doesn’t have to run for his life. However . . .
• . . . Michigan’s running backs looked only average. Between Vincent Smith and Mike Shaw, they got only 3.4 yards per carry against a weak defense. Both failed to hit the line of scrimmage full speed at times, and neither showed an ability to be “special.”
• There’s no excuse (unless there was an undisclosed injury to Tate Forcier) for the way that Devin Gardner burned his redshirt. When Robinson left the game momentarily with a minor injury in the third quarter, Rich Rodriguez inserted true freshman Gardner instead of apparent third-stringer Tate Forcier, who started all 12 games in 2009.
• Robinson had way too many carries (29). Yes, he was successful carrying the ball (6.8 yards per carry, 1 touchdown), but that would give him 377 carries over a 13-game season. The NFL record over a 16-game season is 416, by running back Larry Johnson. The coaches and Robinson himself need to be smart about how he’s deployed and get the ball out of his hands once the game is safely out of reach.
• Too many redshirts were burned today. Not only Devin Gardner’s, but also Drew Dileo’s (to hold for extra points!) and Ray Vinopal’s (for special teams!). Some freshmen were obviously needed to play, but with those three, what’s the point?

Some thoughts on the defense:

• Even though Michigan only allowed 10 points, I’m certainly not satisfied. UConn helped out the defense with several dropped passes, and UConn quarterback Zach Frazer completed just 18/37 passes (48.6%) despite the fact that only 4 were deflected by Michigan players.
• The tackling is suspect, although UConn has a solid running game.
• Obi Ezeh seemed to play solidly for most of the game and led the team in tackles with 9, although as a senior, his play recognition should be better. On third-and-long, there’s no reason to bite on a play action fake and not get the proper depth in your drop. That left an open receiver in the seam and allowed UConn a first down.
• When a 195 lb. freshman linebacker (Carvin Johnson) is taking on a 6’7″, 325 lb. offensive guard on the interior of the line on a goal line play, something is wrong with your defensive scheme. Hopefully Johnson’s knee isn’t hurt too badly, but the replay showed his lower leg twisting in a direction it shouldn’t.
• J.T. Floyd should be praised for forcing a fumble near his own goal line, but he’s lucky the crown of his helmet hit the ball being carried by D.J. Shoemate rather than Shoemate himself. Nobody wants to see another Zia Combs moment.
• Zero sacks on 37 pass attempts? UConn has a large, veteran offensive line, but the pass rush needs to improve in the coming weeks.
• Cameron Gordon took some poor angles at free safety, but he’s also a head hunter back there. If he can get a bead on receivers and running backs, he’s going to give some offensive players some headaches . . . literally.

2010 Countdown: #30 Michael Shaw

Name: Michael Shaw
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 181 lbs.
High school: Trotwood-Madison High School in Trotwood, OH
Position: Superback
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #20
Last year: I ranked Shaw #29 and said he’d be the starting running back in 2010. He had 42 carries for 185 yards and 2 touchdowns, as well as 2 catches for 5 yards.

Shaw seems to be almost the spitting image of the graduated Carlos Brown. Both are thinly built, fast, lack even adequate power, catch the ball well, and get injured when the wind blows. In the 2009 Eastern Michigan game, Carlos Brown was tackled by a fingertip on what looked to be a long TD run. Also in the 2009 EMU game, Michael Shaw was tackled by a safety who grabbed a fistful of jersey on what looked to be a long TD run. Rarely has the passing of the torch been so obvious, unless you’re passing an actual torch.

One thing Shaw has in spades is speed. He was a champion sprinter in high school, and he showed off that speed with a 48-yard run against Minnesota in 2008. Unfortunately, he pulled his groin and has had various nagging injuries since then. When completely healthy, he’s a big play waiting to happen. There’s definitely a role for him on this team. In fact, I’d like to see him get some reps at receiver. Oddly enough, he was listed as a wide receiver on the roster for his first two seasons on campus, but rarely (if ever) lined up anywhere but in the backfield. Now that he’s shown us his inability to break tackles . . . he’s listed as a running back. This kid could be excellent at running a bubble screen and getting out on the edge. Regardless, he’s a decent option at superback, but a good Big Ten team has to have a running back who can break few tackles. That’s why Shaw will be watching Michael Cox get the majority of the handoffs this season.

Prediction for 2010: Backup superback; 85 carries, 500 yards, 5 touchdowns

Addendum: There have been rumors floating over the past few days that Shaw may be ineligible for the 2010 season. He’s finishing up summer school in the next two weeks. As a potential starter, I can’t imagine he would do anything less than pass his class(es) with adequate grades to play. But there’s at least a chance that Shaw won’t be on the field this fall.

Michigan Recruits are Speedy

Lies!

A few days ago, Dr. Saturday wrote another column about how 40 times are exaggerated. In the recruiting world, 40 yard dash times are thrown around by players, coaches, and fans in a careless game of one-upmanship. You know that guy at the party who says he drank 30 beers when you say you had 12? That guy is all over the place in high school and college football.

With the recent NFL Combine results being posted on the internet, I thought I’d compare those times to the times of recent Michigan recruits at a few positions.

QUARTERBACK
Denard Robinson – 4.48
Jarrett Brown (WVU) – 4.54
Tate Forcier – 4.55
Dan LeFevour (CMU) – 4.66
Zac Robinson (OK St.) – 4.71
Tim Tebow (UF) – 4.72
Colt McCoy (UT) – 4.79

RUNNING BACK
Sam McGuffie – 4.32
Jahvid Best (Cal) – 4.35
C.J. Spiller (Clemson) – 4.37
Michael Shaw – 4.40
Ben Tate (Auburn) – 4.43
Austin White – 4.44
Ryan Matthews (Fresno) – 4.45
Joe McKnight (USC) – 4.47
Teric Jones – 4.47
Montario Hardesty (Tennessee) – 4.49
James Starks (Buffalo) – 4.50
Fitzgerald Toussaint – 4.50
Mike Cox – 4.50
Stephen Hopkins – 4.52
Lonyae Miller (Fresno) – 4.53
Shawnbrey McNeal (SMU) – 4.56
Dexter McCluster (Ole Miss) – 4.58

WIDE RECEIVER
Jacoby Ford (Clemson) 4.28
Roy Roundtree – 4.40
Darryl Stonum – 4.40
D.J. Williamson – 4.40
Taylor Price (Ohio) – 4.41
Emmanuel Sanders (SMU) – 4.41
Golden Tate (ND) – 4.42
Brandon Banks (KSU) – 4.43
Kyle Williams (ASU) – 4.43
Je’ron Stokes – 4.44
Marcus Easley (UCONN) – 4.46

LINEBACKER
Josh Furman – 4.37
Jamar Chaney (Miss. St.) – 4.54
Dekoda Watson (FSU) – 4.56
Davion Rogers – 4.60
Jake Ryan – 4.60
Kavell Conner (Clemson) – 4.63
Cody Grimm (VT) – 4.64
Harry Coleman (LSU) – 4.65

So if one were to believe Rivals, Scout, and other recruiting articles, you would find that in the last three years, Michigan has recruited running backs who would have posted 7 of the top 14 times in the 2010 NFL Combine; wide receivers who would have posted 3 of the top 4 times; and linebackers who would have posted 3 of the top 5 forty times.

Furthermore, one would believe that Sam McGuffie would be the second-fastest player in the draft (behind Clemson wide receiver Jacoby Ford) and that linebacker Josh Furman would have tied Clemson running back C.J. Spiller for the third-fastest time.

What conclusions can we reach from this information? The first answer is . . . well, nothing that we didn’t already know. High school forty times are exaggerated greatly. But the degree to which they are exaggerated borders on the ridiculous.

The second conclusion is that if Clemson can’t win with such elite speed on its roster, then heads need to roll.

And the third conclusion is that, whether his time is fake or not, Denard Robinson is still really, really fast.

2010 Recruiting Grades: Running Backs

Brooklyn Decker

Okay, so I realize the above photo isn’t Stephen Hopkins or Austin White. However, Hopkins’ high school uniforms looked like Ohio State’s, and White’s high school mascot was the Spartans. So I’m not putting pictures of them up here.

Hopkins is a 6′, 235 lb. running back from Flower Mound, Texas. With both Brandon Minor and Kevin Grady graduating after this past season, Michigan was in need of another big back. According to Fred Jackson, Hopkins can play both fullback and superback. As an early enrollee, he might work himself into good enough shape to contribute as a freshman. But his ceiling seems to be somewhat limited due to his lack of speed. He may not be a “fullback” in the truest sense of the word, but I don’t think he’s headed for feature back territory.

White, on the other hand, is a 6′, 186 lb. running back from Sterling Heights, MI. He’s probably not the type of running back who will earn Heisman hype like Noel Devine and Steve Slaton did at West Virginia, but he has solid skills. His best asset might be his ability to catch the ball, but Michigan doesn’t use its running backs as pass receivers very much. White might be the first running back under Rodriguez to consistently earn playing time both at running back and slot receiver, flip-flopping back and forth between plays. While his skills won’t wow anybody, he could be a solid option in a variety of ways.

Predictions: Hopkins will not start, but will earn playing time as a short yardage back or a fullback in the fall. If Vincent Smith can return to decent playing form in 2010 after tearing his ACL against Ohio State, I expect Austin White to redshirt. Hopkins plays a position where there is more immediate need, whereas White would presumably be behind Michael Shaw, Fitzgerald Toussaint, Michael Cox, and potentially Vincent Smith. Teric Jones and Kelvin Grady could also figure into the mix at running back, so there’s no need to play both freshmen in 2010.

Grade: B. I’m not extremely impressed with either running back, and I don’t think either one has all-conference potential. This is somewhat disappointing, because none of the backs on the current roster have established themselves as big-time players, either. But I think both will be serviceable as spot starters or as role players throughout their careers.