Tag: Ohio State

Michigan vs. Ohio State Awards

Drake Johnson (#20) scored two touchdowns in Saturday’s rivalry game against Ohio State

Let’s see more of this guy on offense next year . . . Dennis Norfleet. Michigan is lacking big-play threats, and while Norfleet has yet to break a truly big play, he is one of those guys who can gain yards in chunks. He ended the OSU game with 3 carries for 10 yards and 1 catch for 9 yards, but at least one decent run was called back for an Amara Darboh hold (Darboh was called for two holding penalties in the game). Norfleet’s final carry of the day lost 3 yards when he tried to run outside of his block, but he at least threatens to make people miss. Virtually every other receiver and running back is very likely to be brought down by the first guy.

Let’s see less of this guy on offense next year . . . De’Veon Smith. Smith was essentially forced into action late in the year when Derrick Green went down with a broken collarbone. Smith was the starter essentially by default, and he responded with just one solid game (18 carries, 121 yards, 1 touchdown against Northwestern). Drake Johnson started against Ohio State and did well, and then Smith stepped in with 3 carries for 4 yards when Johnson got hurt. Smith is too slow to be a full-time back, and he doesn’t break as many tackles as an ideal short-yardage back should. It’s not Smith’s fault that he got so much playing time, but Michigan can do better. Johnson passed him up late in the year, starter Derrick Green will return in 2015, and the Wolverines will also have the services of USC transfer Ty Isaac. Barring injuries or transfers, I think Smith should be no higher than #4 on the depth chart next year.

Let’s see more of this guy on defense next year . . . Ben Gedeon. It will be interesting to see how the linebacker positions shake out next year. With a potential coaching change coming, the scheme may also change. However, Michigan should once again be deep at the linebacker position. The sophomore Gedeon would be a starter on some Big Ten teams, but he was stuck behind Butkus Award finalist Jake Ryan at middle linebacker. Next year weakside starter and #2 tackler on the team Joe Bolden will return, and former starting inside linebacker Desmond Morgan will come back from his shoulder injury that caused him to redshirt this year. Furthermore, part-time starter at strongside linebacker James Ross III will be back. It would almost be a shame for Gedeon to have to wait until his senior year to start, but that’s a possibility with Bolden, Morgan, and Ross returning, all three of whom will be seniors in 2015.

Let’s see more of this guy on defense next year . . . Jabrill Peppers. Peppers, the 5-star cornerback who took a medical redshirt, is needed in the secondary. Michigan should be solid at the very least with everyone but Raymon Taylor returning, but Peppers’ playmaking potential is desperately needed. Michigan got just 2 interceptions from defensive backs this season, both of which came from sophomore Jourdan Lewis. Peppers could play safety, but his tackling ability is a good fit at slot corner, too; he or Blake Countess could start on the outside, with the other guy playing in the slot.

Play of the game . . . Devin Gardner’s touchdown pass to Freddy Canteen. It was only a 3-yarder and Michigan’s fate was essentially already sealed, but Gardner rolled right to find Canteen in the endzone near the sideline. Canteen – who showed flashes of promise in the spring but was quiet all season – made an excellent diving catch, getting a foot down before sliding out of bounds.

MVP of the game . . . Drake Johnson. I would like to pick Gardner (22/32, 233 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception), who made some nice plays as well. But Gardner also gift-wrapped two touchdowns for Ohio State. The first one was an interception on the opening drive, setting up OSU on Michigan’s side of the field. The second was a fumble that was returned for a touchdown by Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee. So I’ll pick Johnson as the MVP. Johnson carried the ball 15 times for 74 yards (4.9 yards/carry) and 2 touchdowns, and he threw a halfback pass to Gardner for 18 yards. When Johnson went down with what I’m guessing is an ACL injury late in the game, Michigan’s running game suffered greatly.

Ohio State 42, Michigan 28

Devin Gardner wishes good luck to J.T. Barrett after the Ohio State quarterback suffered a season-ending injury (image via BR)

That was better than I expected. For the second year in a row, Michigan came into The Game with fans and analysts having low expectations. And for the second year in a row, Michigan made a game of it. I expected the Wolverines to keep it close in the first half, only to have the wheels come off late. The wheels certainly came off, but Michigan led the game for roughly half of the second quarter and they were tied until just over a minute remaining in the third quarter. Offensively, Devin Gardner turned it up a notch, Drake Johnson solidified himself as the best back available, and Doug Nussmeier unleashed some creative play calling that we had not seen for most of the year.

Drake Johnson is #1*. Of the runners available at the end of the season, I don’t think there’s any doubt that Johnson is the best option going forward. I hope De’Veon Smith got enough chances for fans and coaches to realize that he just doesn’t have the speed to get the job done, and he’s not the bulldozer that so many people thought he would be. Justice Hayes is a decent complementary or third down back, but Johnson (15 carries, 74 yards, 2 touchdowns) is quicker than the others and displayed some power on Saturday that might hint that he’s learning how to run the ball in the Big Ten. Unfortunately, Johnson crumpled up on the ground when he scored his second touchdown, and it looked likely to be a torn ACL; Johnson also tore his ACL in the 2013 season opener, so it would be sad to see him have to go through the same rehab again. He ends the year with 60 carries for 361 yards (6.0 yards/carry) and 4 touchdowns. Out of those totals, 57 carries, 333 of those yards, and all 4 touchdowns came in the final five games against Big Ten opponents. He didn’t have the chance to rack up huge amounts of yardage against Appalachian State and Miami, although he did have the advantage of running behind an offensive line that improved throughout the year.

I’m going to miss Devin Gardner. Gardner turned out not to be the best quarterback. He showed signs of improvement in the second half of 2013, and then he regressed this year. You can blame it on Brady Hoke, Doug Nussmeier, Al Borges, the receivers, the offensive line, playing wide receiver in 2012, Gardner himself, etc. There are any number of directions you can point. There are two big things about Gardner that I will miss. Much like Denard Robinson, I will miss Gardner’s attitude and leadership. He was not the most vocal guy, but the kid took a beating behind Michigan’s offensive line and never pointed fingers or complained about the guys in front of him. He also showed some sportsmanship when Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett broke his ankle, with Gardner coming out on the field to wish him well before he was carted off. The second big thing I’ll miss about Gardner is his athleticism. The guy was one of the best athletes to play quarterback at Michigan, perhaps second-best behind his predecessor, Robinson. Gardner could run through tackles, juke defenders, outrun defenders, throw the ball deep, put touch on his passes, and make the game of football a beautiful thing to watch at times. I kept waiting for this guy to break out, but for all the reasons mentioned above, I’ll always be left to wonder what could have been.

Clock management failure #1. At the end of the first half, Michigan’s drive stalled with over two minutes remaining. The punt team was summoned. Rather than allowing the play/game clock to wind down under two minutes, Michigan snapped the ball with about 20 seconds on the play clock and 2:20 left on the game clock. Ohio State got the ball and calmly waltzed down the field to score with :07 seconds remaining. If you’re Brady Hoke, what can you possible be thinking at that point? We know by now that Hoke’s plan was not to get a stop, get the ball back, and run a hurry-up drive to score. Hoke isn’t that aggressive. If Michigan did get the ball back, they would have run the ball until halftime. The only possible explanation is that Hoke wasn’t paying attention or thinking that far forward, which is a pretty damning trait.

Clock management failure #2. Even with three minutes left and down three touchdowns in the final game of the year, Michigan still couldn’t run a halfway decent hurry-up. They were huddling at times, they didn’t know how to line up, etc. while the clock was ticking down. They had no urgency whatsoever. Gardner did lead a successful drive that culminated in a 3-yard touchdown pass to Freddy Canteen, but it left just 1:15 on the clock to get an onside kick, score, get another onside kick, and score again. I am usually a person who thinks that the game isn’t over until the clock says 0:00, but Hoke managed to suck that out of me this year. Just like we know Hoke can’t use his timeouts or manage the end of a half properly, we also know that running an offense with any kind of tempo is out of the question. More so than a lack of player development, these issues with game management (the clock, the timeouts, having the right personnel on the field, etc.) are the ones most damning if he wanted to make a case to keep his job going forward.

The lack of personnel development. As I mentioned above, the lack of anyone stepping up throughout the year is almost amazing. You can point to a few individuals who got better from 2013 to 2014 (Jourdan Lewis, Derrick Green, Joe Bolden) or who improved throughout the season (Jake Ryan, Drake Johnson), but the only unit to improve was the offensive line. No other position group seemed to take steps forward, except perhaps the running backs, whose performance is tied to the OL.

Holy cow, there has been a lack of takeaways. Michigan ends the 2014 season with 5 interceptions, their lowest total in at least 20 years. I looked at stats from 1995 onward, and I only stopped because I can’t find a reliable source of information any earlier than that. Michigan got picks from Lewis (2), defensive tackle Willie Henry, defensive tackle Matt Godin, and linebacker Jake Ryan. The Wolverines are tied for 120th in interceptions and might end up lower after a couple teams play in bowl games. Michigan is #123 in turnover margin with -1.33 per game. In fact, it’s almost amazing that Michigan is #10 in total defense and #28 in scoring defense with the inability to create turnovers and an offense that can’t sustain drives. The lack of takeaways is obviously a negative for defensive coordinator Greg Mattison, but it says something that his scheming and Michigan’s solid tackling have helped to prevent a total team breakdown.

I’m sad the season is done. This was one of those years where you see a bunch of talent on the field and expect big things, but big things don’t happen. Michigan had a record-setting quarterback, a wide receiver who looked like a potential first rounder, a very good tight end, a 5-star running back, a solid kicker, a former All-Big Ten punter, and loads of talent on the defensive side of the ball. All that gets boiled down to a 5-7 season and a career for some of these seniors that ends with a thud.

I’m sad this is how it went down for Brady Hoke. I was not a fan of Michigan’s hiring of Brady Hoke in 2011. He hadn’t proven enough at a high enough level, and it showed that he was in over his head. However, I did hope that he would have success at Michigan. Not only because I’m a fan of the Wolverines, but because Hoke seems like a good guy, I wanted him to win and win big. There aren’t enough decent guys winning national championships out there. Instead, there are people like Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher. Now it appears that Hoke’s head coaching career is over at Michigan. Wherever he ends up in the future, I hope he can find success.

I still have high hopes for next year. Regardless of who the coach is, Michigan has a lot coming back in 2015. Devin Gardner is the only senior on offense to start, and Devin Funchess might declare for the NFL Draft. Meanwhile, Michigan has lost its best two players on defense (Jake Ryan and Frank Clark, the latter of which was kicked off the team, anyway), cornerback Raymon Taylor, senior kicker Matt Wile, and senior punter Will Hagerup. There are capable replacements for most of those guys, with the kicking job as the biggest question mark. This was a young team that should improve going into 2015.

Preview: Michigan at Ohio State

Rush Offense vs. Ohio State Rush Defense
Michigan is #63 in rushing offense (167 yards/game), and they are tied for #43 nationally with 4.74 yards/carry altogether. Quarterback Devin Gardner looked healthier than he has in weeks when he ran for 82 yards against Maryland, and Drake Johnson had 94 yards on just 14 carries. One thing that has contributed to Michigan’s improvement since last year is the health and consistency of the offensive line, a unit that missed Graham Glasgow for the season opener and was dealing with some health issues for Kyle Kalis early in the year. Otherwise, the group has stayed intact enough that last year’s starter at left guard, Erik Magnuson, has donned the #81 jersey and moved to tight end for the time being. Head coach Brady Hoke claimed that the Northwestern game was the line’s best game of the season, and Michigan ran for twice as many yards against Maryland as they did against the Wildcats. Meanwhile, Ohio State is #41 against the run (148 yards/game allowed) while giving up 4.12 yards/carry, which is 59th. The high-scoring Buckeyes have faced just the 38th-fewest carries on the year. The leading tackler is junior strongside linebacker Joshua Perry (6’4″, 250 lbs.), who is seventh in the Big Ten with 9 tackles/game (99 total). The next two guys on the list are the safeties, sophomore Vonn Bell (5’11”, 200 lbs.) and redshirt sophomore Tyvis Powell (6’3″, 205 lbs.). The Buckeyes are tied for 12th nationally with 81 tackles for loss, led by 18 from sophomore defensive end Joey Bosa (6’5″, 285 lbs.), 11.5 from redshirt freshman weakside ‘backer Darron Lee (6’2″, 225 lbs.), and 8.5 from Perry. While Michigan’s offensive line has improved, this is a formidable front coached by Penn State transplant Larry Johnson, one of the best defensive line coaches in the nation.
Advantage: Ohio State

Hit the jump for the rest of the preview.

Pass Offense vs. Ohio State Pass Defense
Michigan is #115 nationally with 163 yards/game through the air, and their passer efficiency rating is #119. Quarterback Devin Gardner has thrown just 8 touchdowns while throwing 14 interceptions this season, including 0 scores and 3 picks in the past two games. When these two teams meet, it will have been 28 days since Gardner’s last scoring pass. Leading receiver Devin Funchess has been lackadaisical for the last couple months, and his 11.4 yards/catch is unimpressive; he drops too many passes, he doesn’t break tackles, and the offense rarely takes advantage of the fact that he is 6’5″ and 230 lbs. Redshirt sophomore Amara Darboh has been the more reliable target. Over the last five games, Darboh (21 catches, 284 yards, 1 touchdown in that span) has outperformed Funchess (26 catches, 233 yards, 1 score). Darboh has his own weaknesses in speed and route running, but he catches the ball if Gardner can get it there. The Wolverines are tied for #55 in giving up 21 sacks this season, an acceptable number after last year’s dismal performance, but the line will be tested against the Buckeyes. Ohio State is tied for 17th with 32 sacks, led by Bosa (11.5). Linebackers Lee and Perry have 4.5 and 3.0 sacks, respectively, while defensive tackles Michael Bennett (6’2″, 288 lbs.) and Adolphus Washington (6’4″, 288 lbs.) have 5.5 between them. On the back end, Ohio State gives up 183 yards/game through the air, which is #15 nationally, and their passer efficiency rating allowed is 8th-best. They also have 17 interceptions, which is #6 in the country. Bell, Powell, and senior cornerback Doran Grant (5’11”, 193 lbs.) each have 3 picks; Lee and redshirt freshman corner Eli Apple (6’1″, 195 lbs.) have 2 each. This is a tough matchup because of Ohio State’s decent size and speed in the secondary; they aren’t the best tacklers, but none of Michigan’s receivers can create after the catch, so that doesn’t play into the Wolverines’ strengths. This is a tough matchup for Michigan.
Advantage: Ohio State

Rush Defense vs. Ohio State Rush Offense
Michigan is #9 defensively by giving up 107 yards/game on the ground, and the 2.94 yards/carry they give up is #7. Middle linebacker Jake Ryan makes 9.45 tackles/game (104 total) to rank #2 in the conference, while weakside linebacker is second on the team with 93 stops. Arguably Michigan’s best defensive tackle, Willie Henry has played sparingly the past few weeks after a hand injury. Nose tackle Ryan Glasgow has done well. Michigan missed defensive end Frank Clark against Maryland after he was kicked off the team. Junior Mario Ojemudia (5 tackles for loss, 1 tackle for loss) was decent in his stead, but he’s lighter and less seasoned. Ohio State’s spread formations may make it difficult for the Wolverines to keep junior linebacker James Ross III on the field, but he’s a better bet to stop Ohio State’s effective running game than nickel corner Blake Countess. The Buckeyes are #14 nationally with 260 yards/game on the ground and #12 with a 5.6 yards/carry average. A mostly new set of offensive linemen and the loss of Carlos Hyde have seen that yards/carry figure drop 1.2 yards from last year’s nation-leading 6.8 clip, but that’s still some good production. Sophomore lead back Ezekiel Elliott (6’0″, 225 lbs.) has already eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark and averages 5.9 yards/carry, while redshirt freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett (6’1″, 225 lbs.) averages 5.4 and will probably get to 1,000 yards by the end of bowl season. Freshman Curtis Samuel (5’11”, 190 lbs.) is Elliott’s backup and averages 6.9 yards/carry on 51 attempts. The Buckeyes have four new starters on the offensive line this season, and a couple guys on the two-deep used to be defensive linemen. The only returning starter is left tackle Taylor Decker (6’7″, 315 lbs.), a senior who bumped from right tackle to the left side. On the interior, Ohio State plays a junior, a redshirt sophomore, and a redshirt freshman. Despite a pretty good run defense for Michigan, the presence of Barrett will make this especially difficult.
Advantage: Ohio State

Pass Defense vs. Ohio State Pass Offense
Michigan is 24th in the country as they give up 195 yards/game through the air, but the passer efficiency rating against them is in the middle of the pack at #64. The Wolverines are #29 with 29 sacks this season, led by senior defensive end Brennen Beyer with 5.5. Interestingly, Michigan’s top six sack totals are from defensive linemen, and 24 of the sacks have come from the line; starting inside linebackers Jake Ryan and Joe Bolden have 2 sacks each, but they don’t blitz often. Defensive coordinator Greg Mattison counts on his line to get there on organic pass rushes and occasional loop stunts. Meanwhile, in the secondary, Michigan is #117 – tied with South Florida and Old Dominion – with 5 interceptions. Those 5 include 2 from cornerback Jourdan Lewis, 2 from defensive tackles, and 1 from linebacker Jake Ryan. Even worse, Michigan is tied for #120 – with Wyoming and Old Dominion – with 30 passes defensed. The fact is that the Wolverines don’t have tight coverage and generally struggle to make plays on the ball, with Lewis being the most consistent player in those aspects. Meanwhile, Ohio State is #49 with 252 yards/game passing, but they’re #3 in passer efficiency. Barrett completes nearly 65% of his passes and has thrown for 33 touchdowns (plus 10 interceptions) in his first season of college football. Senior Devin Smith (6’1″, 197 lbs.) and redshirt sophomore Michael Thomas (6’3″, 203 lbs.) lead the team with 8 touchdowns apiece and just over 600 yards apiece. Redshirt freshman receiver Jalin Marshall (5’11”, 205 lbs.) broke out with 3 touchdown catches last week against Indiana and has 4 scores in the last two weeks. The top four wideouts each average more than 14 yards/catch, and tight ends Jeff Heuerman (6’5″, 255 lbs.) and Nick Vannett (6’6″, 260 lbs.) have 29 catches for 354 yards and 5 touchdowns among them. Pick your poison. The offensive line has allowed 23 sacks, which is tied for #69 nationally. Unless Barrett chokes in his first big rivalry game, this could be ugly for Michigan.
Advantage: Ohio State

Roster Notes

• Ohio State players with Michigan offers included CB Eli Apple, OT Darryl Baldwin, DT Michael Bennett, LB Kyle Berger, LB Devan Bogard, LB Dante Booker, CB Cameron Burrows, CB Gareon Conley, OT Taylor Decker, OG Kyle Dodson, RB Bri’onte Dunn, LB Curtis Grant, CB Doran Grant, OG Joel Hale, TE Jeff Heuerman, DT Michael Hill, S Malik Hooker, QB Cardale Jones, OG Jamarco Jones, OG Demetrius Knox, CB Marshon Lattimore, OT Evan Lisle, QB Braxton Miller, DE Steve Miller, OG Billy Price, CB Armani Reeves, DT Chris Rock, DT Tommy Schutt, WR Devin Smith, S Erick Smith, DT Noah Spence, S Ron Tanner, OT Kyle Trout, TE Nick Vannett, DT Adolphus Washington, CB Damon Webb, LB Camren Williams
• DT Chris Rock went to Michigan for his freshman year, sat out his sophomore year, and then walked on to OSU’s program
• CB Gareon Conley was committed to Michigan at one time
• Michigan OG Kyle Kalis was once committed to Ohio State
• Surprisingly, of the yardage OSU gained in last year’s game, 0 passing yards return (Braxton Miller is injured), 0 rushing yards return (Miller is injured, and everyone else graduated), and 112 receiving yards are back

Last Time They Played . . . 

• Devin Gardner played most of the second half with a broken foot but still went 32/45 for 451 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions; he also ran for 25 yards and 1 score
• Jeremy Gallon caught 9 passes for 175 yards and 1 touchdown
• A brawl caused the ejection of Michigan LB Royce Jenkins-Stone, Ohio State OG Marcus Hall, and Ohio State RB Dontre Wilson
• Ohio State RB Carlos Hyde ran for 226 yards and 1 score, and QB Braxton Miller ran for 153 yards and 1 score
• Michigan outgained Ohio State, 603-526
• Gardner’s potential game-winning two-point conversion was intercepted after Devin Funchess caught a touchdown pass with 32 seconds remaining
• Ohio State 42, Michigan 41

Predictions

• There’s not a whole lot of hope for Michigan unless Barrett completely chokes in his first rivalry game, which is highly unlikely
• Michigan keeps it close for the first half but the wheels come off in the second half
• Ohio State 35, Michigan 9

Not much else matters

Video: Michigan Offense vs. Ohio State – Every Snap