Tag: Roman Wilson

Michigan 35, UNLV 7

Defensive Tackle U. Michigan is putting together a nice crew of defensive tackles, and the least heralded one is the guy making plays most consistently, it seems. Sophomore Mason Graham made 5 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 0.5 sacks against UNLV, eating up the interior offensive line repeatedly. The Rebels ended the game with 61 rushing yards on 31 attempts, which includes sacks, but still . . . the middle was stuffed up all day. Kris Jenkins made 5 tackles and 0.5 sacks and Kenneth Grant made 4 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 1 pass breakup. The title of this section is a little facetious, but the defensive tackle play has been terrific.

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Michigan 30, East Carolina 3

Football is back! All is right in the world when it’s football season. In another few days, the NFL season will be back and we can all enjoy Heaven for a few months. It has been a long off-season for me on an individual level, and this is also a chance to break away from the 2023 Season Countdown and get back into a groove with writing about various topics.

This was a boring matchup. I like seeing different opponents, but with East Carolina, there were no storylines. It’s not a geographical matchup. When I looked through the roster and coaching staff, there was no crossover. East Carolina doesn’t recruit in the state of Michigan. No transfers or ex-staffers from Michigan. There was no angle. The most interesting aspect going into the opener, aside from seeing who starts for Michigan, was . . .

. . . Peacock. The Peacock stream sucked. I signed up for Peacock on Friday because there’s really no other reason to do so earlier. And I don’t really care about the expense. I’ll pay $5.99 to watch a Michigan game. But when I’m paying for it, I expect a good product. When I paid for cable, I expected ESPN and FS1 and BTN to give me a good product. Otherwise, I’ll just turn off the volume and think through it myself. I don’t need Mike Tirico and one of the Simms brothers to tell me what’s happening on the game. Peacock actually complied – presumably on accident – when there was just no audio for several minutes. The fourth quarter feed got blurry, too, but maybe that had something to do with my local internet. But Peacock also cut out a play, there was no pregame show, the halftime show was boring, and oh yeah . . . the Simms kid isn’t exactly top-notch. If I wanted crappy analysis, I would watch some of the ex-Buckeye talking heads like Josh Perry and Joey Galloway.

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2023 Season Countdown: #7 Roman Wilson

Name: Roman Wilson
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 192 lbs.
High school: Honolulu (HI) St. Louis
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Senior
Jersey number: #1
Last year: I ranked Wilson #24 and said he would be a part-time starting wide receiver with 30 catches for 450 yards and 4 touchdowns (LINK). He started four games and caught 25 passes for 376 yards and 4 touchdowns, and he ran 2 times for 39 yards and 2 touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 78

For the second consecutive year, Wilson made 25 catches in a season. Also for the second consecutive year, he struggled a little bit with nagging injuries that limited his availability and his effectiveness. But when he was available, he showed pretty consistently what his speed could do. With strong-armed quarterback J.J. McCarthy at the helm, Wilson found himself open deep time and time again. Unfortunately, McCarthy’s arm was a little erratic early in the year, so some of the wide-open deep shots ended in frustration. Still, Wilson took a screen 61 yards to the house against Colorado State, he went for 104 yards against TCU, and in between he was keeping defenses honest by occasionally popping open deep to scare people. He also grabbed two carries on the year, turning them into 21- and 18-yard touchdowns on end arounds.

Wilson’s speed is unmatched by the other receivers who have been getting on the field. (Word is that Eamonn Dennis is the fastest receiver, but he has only really played on special teams.) When a team can run the ball like Michigan can, an effective deep target can be a huge weapon. A lot depends on whether McCarthy can perform in 2023 like he did late in 2022. The play action game could be huge for getting Wilson to pop open deep, and on the flip side, if he makes some big plays early in the year, teams are going to have to start respecting that and possibly committing less to stopping the run. Even though I think Cornelius Johnson will lead the team in receptions, Wilson is the guy whose speed could make this offense take the next step in the passing game. Perhaps he and the coaches think so, too, which might be why Wilson will wear #1 this year instead of #14.

Prediction: Starting wide receiver; 38 receptions for 650 yards and 8 touchdowns

Michigan 31, Indiana 10

I hope Mike Hart is okay. It was reported that Mike Hart suffered a seizure on the sideline. I don’t know how much Hart’s medical situation affected the team on the field, but running back Donovan Edwards clearly seemed to be emotional and seemed to be on a knee next to Hart while the medical crew was attending to him. The TV crew also reported that a Michigan spokesperson said Hart had no history of similar events. Regardless, I hope this is a one-time thing and that Hart recovers quickly.

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Michigan vs. Hawaii Awards

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Roman Wilson. It’s only on three total receptions, but this guy has 107 yards and 2 touchdowns. One touchdown was a 61-yard catch-and-run bubble screen against Colorado State, and the other was a 42-yard bomb against Hawaii. Good things happen when you run a 4.37 forty and have ball skills. He’s already playing quite a bit, but the speed and big play ability are really enticing.

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