Tag: Purdue

Michigan vs. Purdue Awards

Michigan’s defense really handled its business on Saturday afternoon, with sacks from both Craig Roh and Jake Ryan (image via AnnArbor.com)

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Thomas Rawls.  I know I’ve been on the Fitzgerald Toussaint bandwagon for a few years, but Toussaint is having his worst year.  After averaging 5.6 yards/carry last season, he’s getting just 3.2 this season.  On Saturday he gained only 1.1 yards per carry on 17 attempts.  If Toussaint can’t get the job done, I’m not sure that Rawls can, either.  But it’s tough to do much worse than 1.1 or 3.2 yards/carry.  Toussaint looks like he has gained a few pounds and/or lost a step from last season. The coaches should get Rawls a few more touches earlier in the game, and perhaps go with the hot hand.

Let’s see less of this guy on offense . . . a second tight end.  I really think Michigan needs to spread the ball around a little more if they’re not going to get the running backs going.  The second tight end has generally seemed to help more for the running backs than for Denard Robinson, but the running backs aren’t getting any seams to run through.  Denard can run the ball whether there are five wide receivers on the field or three tight ends; what Michigan needs to improve is running back production.  Put a fourth wide receiver on the field, spread teams out a little bit, and get Toussaint/Rawls going.  Robinson can’t last the season if he runs 24 times a game.

Let’s see more of this guy on defense . . . Keith Heitzman.  Heitzman has made just 2 tackles this season, but I’m liking what I see from him.  He truly looks like an athlete out there, and I think he could have a solid future as a strongside end type.  Michigan needs to develop an heir for Craig Roh’s spot, and Heitzman could very well be that guy.

Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . nobody.  I thought Michigan’s defense played well on Saturday, and there wasn’t anyone on the field who was a real liability.  I’m still not sold on Michigan’s cornerbacks, but there aren’t many options; and even those two stepped it up from the Notre Dame game two weeks ago.

Play of the game . . . Jake Ryan’s sack of Caleb TerBush.  There were lots of big runs by Denard Robinson and the 63-yard pick-six by Raymon Taylor.  But I thought Ryan’s sack of TerBush really set the defensive tone in the first quarter, and from that point onward, Purdue’s offensive playcalls seemed designed to get the ball out of the quarterbacks’ hands in a hurry.  The Boilermakers seemed to know that they wouldn’t have much time in the pocket, and that made it easier for everyone on defense.

MVP of the game . . . Denard Robinson.  He ran 24 times for 235 yards, though he was held out of the end zone; and he completed 8/16 passes for 105 yards and 1 touchdown.  It was a grind-it-out game by the Wolverines, and the grinder was the 6’0″, 195 lb. Robinson.

Michigan 44, Purdue 13

Denard Robinson had 235 rushing yards and 1 passing touchdown in the 44-13 win

Michigan’s defense is awesome or Purdue’s offense is terrible.  I couldn’t figure out which it was.  I’m leaning toward the latter, really, because Purdue found it necessary to try three different quarterbacks and a bunch of trick plays.  Don’t get me wrong – Michigan’s defense looked good.  But Purdue couldn’t do anything with consistency.  A couple trick plays turned out fairly well, and Robert Marve’s first few plays were productive.  But otherwise, they just don’t look like an offense that should scare any decent defensive teams.

I’m officially concerned about Fitzgerald Toussaint and the running game.  Toussaint (17 carries, 19 yards, 2 touchdowns) looks slower this year, quite frankly.  He also looks like he’s dancing too much instead of burrowing forward for a couple yards when he can.  Of course, it starts with the offensive line, and I haven’t been impressed this year with what the offensive line is doing.  None of the offensive linemen has taken a step forward this year, in my opinion.  Taylor Lewan has taken a step backward, and the other guys are just average.  Obviously, Denard Robinson (24 carries, 235 yards) was great, but the offensive line can’t open holes for the running backs.  Even Thomas Rawls, who had good numbers (4 carries, 33 yards, 1 touchdown), had to break tackles at the line of scrimmage to get anything done.

The broadcasters were terrible.

  One of them called it a “flea flicker” when Robert Marve hit a wide receiver on a hitch, then tossed it backward to the running back coming out of the backfield.  That’s a “hook and lateral.”  I thought the dumb interpretation of that was “hook and ladder” but the BTN guys took it one notch stupider.  Also, there was no way that Denard Robinson was down at the 1-yard line on the play they reviewed.  Even if the officials determined that Robinson’s elbow hit the ground prior to the ball crossing the plane of the end zone, the ball should have been placed at about the 2-inch line.  I couldn’t believe that the refs didn’t change the spot of the ball (or award the touchdown), but the announcers didn’t point it out, either.

Raymon Taylor had an okay game.  Taylor hasn’t lit the world on fire and did get beaten on a slant for a touchdown, but I have to give credit where credit is due.  This was his second consecutive game with an interception, and he returned this one 63 yards for a touchdown.

Denard Robinson zone read anger.  Twice in this game, Robinson held onto the ball too long before pulling it out of the running back’s stomach.  The first time it worked okay for him because he gained a bunch of yards, even though his running back (Toussaint or Smith, I can’t remember) got smoked.  The second time it was disastrous because he got Smith crushed and, oh yeah, Robinson fumbled the ball in the process.  He gains a lot of yards because he’s a dynamic runner, but he’s never been adept at running those plays.

I’m really liking the linebacker crew.  I thought Jake Ryan (6 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack), Kenny Demens (6 tackles), and Desmond Morgan (6 tackles, 2 tackles for loss) all played very well.  There’s not much experienced depth, but the guys backing them up are pretty good, too.  I like James Ross as a prospect, but I don’t think anyone can really justify the talk about Morgan getting passed.  Michigan should be able to field a pretty good inside linebacker crew next year from some combination of Morgan, Ross, and Joe Bolden, not to mention a few other good linebacker prospects.

I liked the game plan.  If Denard Robinson can throw the ball fewer than 20 times a game, that’s probably a good thing.  Between good defense and running the ball well, the game wasn’t on Denard’s throwing shoulder.  Offensive coordinator Al Borges said that he re-evaluated his play calls from the past couple seasons, and he seemed to conclude that throwing the ball with Denard is a bad idea.  Good for him.  Robinson still missed a wide open Fitzgerald Toussaint on a swing pass that would have gained a first down and had a couple other questionable throws, but a 50% completion percentage isn’t so terrible when you’re only throwing the ball 16 times.

Michigan vs. Purdue Awards

Mike Martin tore through Purdue’s offensive line all day Saturday

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Fitzgerald Toussaint.  Getting only two carries against Michigan State was a tad ridiculous, but Toussaint is clearly the best pure running back on the roster.  He can hit the homerun, he can run over people, and he can make people miss.  As long as he stays healthy, the job seems to be his.  The coaches keep saying that nobody has stood out from the rest of the pack, but maybe that’s because the whole group is pretty good.

Let’s see less of this guy on offense . . . a backup lineman.  Things are starting to get a little hairy on the offensive line.  Both Ricky Barnum and Taylor Lewan are banged up, and with the bye week in the rearview mirror, they won’t get any significant amount of time to heal up before the end of the regular season.  Michael Schofield is the top backup at guard and tackle, but the thing about Schofield is that he can’t play both guard and  tackle at the same time.  Hopefully Lewan visits Miracle Max and gets a magical healing potion soon.

Let’s see more of this guy on defense . . . Blake Countess William Campbell.  I was going to make a case for Countess, but it turns out he’s going to be the starter against Iowa, at least if reality falls in line with the depth chart that was released on Monday.  So I’ll throw my hat in the ring for Campbell.  Campbell has done a nice job this year, and while he hasn’t been a consistent playmaker, guys like Will Heininger and Nathan Brink aren’t doing anything special, either.  My starting defensive line would be Ryan Van Bergen, Mike Martin, Campbell, and Craig Roh.

Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . J.T. Floyd.  I know some people think Floyd is playing at a high level, but I just don’t see it.  He’s a tentative tackler and doesn’t make enough plays for my tastes.  I will admit that Floyd has improved since last season, but that’s not saying much.  Countess and Courtney Avery have surpassed him, in my opinion.

Play of the game . . . Toussaint’s 59-yard touchdown run.  He took a pitch going left, made seven Boilermakers miss, and then turned on the jets to leave everyone in the dust.  It was the type of run that Michigan fans haven’t seen from a running back in years.  Carlos Brown never made that many people miss, Brandon Minor would have lowered his shoulder and run over a couple dudes, and Mike Hart probably would have been caught from behind.  Hopefully there’s more where that came from in the weeks ahead.

MVP of the game . . . Toussaint.  Mike Martin (7 tackles, 2 sacks) is a close second, but Toussaint’s output (20 carries, 170 yards, 2 touchdowns) was the highest for a running back since Hart back in 2007.

Highlights: Michigan 36, Purdue 14

Video: Purdue Postgame Press Conference