Michigan 45, Illinois 0

Tag: Russell Bellomy


14Oct 2012
Uncategorized 21 comments

Michigan 45, Illinois 0

The team celebrates Jeremy Gallon’s 71-yard catch-and-run.

I think Nathan Scheelhaase got hurt.  Play-by-play man Bob Wischusen only said it about 35 times, so I’m not sure.  Also, Danny Kanell is really bad at talking.  Seriously, though, sometimes it’s not so much fun watching a team that’s missing its starting quarterback.  It’s still great to win 45-0, of course, and everyone needs a blowout win once in a while.  But as soon as I saw Scheelhaase hit the ground and look dazed, I assumed that any coach not named Mark Dantonio would yank him for the remainder of the contest.  Thankfully, Denard Robinson’s hand injury only kept him out for a short period, or else that game could have been a real stinker.

Denard Robinson hasn’t thrown an interception in the last two games.  It’s funny how that works.  Michigan has made a commitment to running the ball the last couple games, rather than trying to have Robinson throw for the win.  I know Robinson has had longer runs and more important runs, but his 49-yard touchdown in this game might have been his single greatest individual effort.  He made a couple separate jump cuts before bursting out to the left and outrunning the defense.

What’s up with Jerald Robinson?  Almost every outgoing wide receiver for the past couple seasons has pointed to Jerald Robinson as the next year’s breakout star, and he continues to look completely harmless.  He did have an 8-yard reception in this game, but he also had another drop.  As a redshirt sophomore, that gives him 4 receptions for 47 yards in his career.

The defense was excellent.  Injury to Scheelhaase aside, Michigan held the Illini to just 134 total yards – 105 rushing, 29 passing.  The Wolverines also grabbed an interception, recovered a fumble, recorded 9 tackles for loss, and notched 3 sacks.  Jake Ryan was the most disruptive force with 11 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 1 forced fumble.  Middle linebacker Kenny Demens has played significantly better since the first couple games, and yesterday he had 8 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 interception.  A huge chunk of Illinois’ yards seemed to come when backup quarterback Reilly O’Toole first entered the game and hit Michigan with several screens and draws.

Every running back had a good game . . . except Fitzgerald Toussaint.  Even Toussaint had a touchdown, but he only averaged 3.4 yards/carry and lost a significant chunk of playing time to Thomas Rawls.  I’m not sure what’s up with Toussaint, but Rawls had 9 carries for 90 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown.  Even Justice Hayes had 10 carries for 66 yards, although most of his carries came after Illinois had thrown in the towel.  Hayes has decent speed, but he’s not a very physical runner . . . and he fumbled the ball without even getting touched.  Luckily, it bounced right back up into his hands.

Michigan’s backup quarterback situation is shaky.  Russell Bellomy struggled somewhat.  He let a snap squirt right through his hands, and he completed just 1/3 passes.  I’m not a huge fan of what I’ve seen out of Devin Gardner as a quarterback, and I do think Bellomy has potential down the road . . . but boy, does he look shaky right now.  He wasn’t helped out by his receivers, though, who had their hands on both incompletions; but Bellomy looks afraid to push the ball down the field, and he’s not very crisp running the plays.  I’m going to try to enjoy Denard Robinson while I can, because the quarterback play might be really iffy for a couple seasons.

Dennis Norfleet is too fast.  He blew past everyone except the punter . . . and when the punter stepped up to make the tackle, Norfleet didn’t even give himself time to shake; he just tried to run right through the punter, which doesn’t work when you’re only 165 lbs.  Regardless, he had yet another moment where Michigan fans just think “It’s only a matter of time.”  He did muff a kickoff return (which he still managed to pick up and gain 12 yards), but that 42-yard punt return was fun to watch.

The defensive line continues to improve.  It was obvious that they would improve, but they’re better than I thought they would be at this point in the season.  Quinton Washington had 5 tackles and 1 tackle for loss.  Craig Roh had 3 tackles and half a sack.  Jibreel Black had 3 tackles, but he showed impressive speed in chasing down Scheelhaase before driving him to the ground on the play that caused the quarterback’s concussion.

Jeremy Gallon screen fun.  Gallon took the throwback screen (which Michigan runs once or twice every game), made a couple people miss, got some nice downfield blocking – especially from walk-on tight end Mike Kwiatkowski – and raced 71 yards for a touchdown.  Gallon had just that one reception, but that was just one more piece of evidence why Michigan needs to get him the ball early and often.

This was a nice confidence booster before the Michigan State game.  The Spartans looked pretty bad in a loss to Iowa, and Michigan obviously looked very good.  At this point in the season, Michigan clearly looks like the better team.  Hopefully the momentum can carry over into next Saturday’s game, which has been announced as a 3:30 p.m. kickoff to be shown on the Big Ten Network.

12Jul 2012
Uncategorized 13 comments

2012 Season Countdown: #49 Russell Bellomy

Russell Bellomy

Name: Russell Bellomy
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 189 lbs.
High school: Arlington (TX) Martin
Position: Quarterback
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #8
Last year: I ranked Bellomy #84 and said he would redshirt. He redshirted.

As a true freshman entering a program with two highly touted quarterbacks older than you, chances are you’re not going to play.  So Bellomy sat and learned.  It seemed to pay off pretty well in the spring, when Bellomy looked solid running the team.  He lacks the arm strength and confidence to push the ball down the field, but he’s accurate and understands what the defense is trying to do.

It still might be difficult to get playing time in 2012.  Denard Robinson will hold onto the starting job, and Devin Gardner appears to be the #2 quarterback.  Gardner’s poor decision making can’t continue, though, or else he might see himself drop behind Bellomy.  Meanwhile, Gardner will probably see some time at wide receiver this fall, and if he excels playing wideout, Bellomy might get even more of a shot to take the reins as the primary backup.  Bellomy will probably only see the field in mop-up duty this fall, but he’s a pretty good quarterback for being #3 on the depth chart.

Prediction: Backup quarterback

23Mar 2012
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Mailbag: Should Devin Gardner play wide receiver?

Should Devin Gardner play wide receiver or be the backup quarterback?

Okay, this wasn’t really a mailbag question.  It was asked by Lankownia in the comments section.  Also, it’s the hip topic of spring practice (so far).  Here are my thoughts.

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes, play him at wide receiver.  Michigan is hurting – badly – at the wide receiver position.  Besides the 2008 squad (Greg Mathews, Laterryal Savoy, Darryl Stonum, Martavious Odoms, Toney Clemons, etc.), I think this is Michigan’s worst receiver unit in years and years and years.  Each of the returning receivers has at least one major flaw:

  • Jeremy Jackson: slow
  • Jeremy Gallon: short
  • Drew Dileo: short
  • Jerald Robinson: maturity issues
  • Roy Roundtree: chemistry issues
  • Darryl Stonum: drunk
Roundtree has the best chance of being the number one guy because he’s been Michigan’s leading receiver before, but he wasn’t often targeted last season, he’s had some issues with his hands over the past 1.5 seasons, and there was a fair bit of confusion between him and Denard last season when Roundtree went one way and the ball went sailing elsewhere.  Beyond that, all of these guys are role type players who have limited ceilings in this offense.  Gallon has some big play ability, but it seemed that Al Borges’s only way of getting him the ball last season was to run a throwback screen (and to Jedi Mind Trick the Notre Dame Fighting Irish into completely forgetting he was on the football field).  Robinson is a jump ball guy who has receiving ability similar to Junior Hemingway’s, without so much talent when it comes to running after the catch.
So aside from Denard Robinson and Fitzgerald Toussaint, this isn’t a scary offense.
Now throw a 6’4″, 205 lb. guy with long arms and good leaping ability into the mix.  Instantly, he’s the tallest receiver on the roster.  He’s probably the second fastest receiver on the roster.  He can jump.  He can catch.  He’s bright.  Can he block?  I don’t know.  Other than that, all the tools seem to be there.
The catch is that if Gardner plays receiver, who’s being groomed to be the quarterback in 2013?  And who enters the game for Denard when he inevitably dings up a shoulder or a hip or a knee?  While Gardner’s playing wideout, he’s not taking snaps.  Meanwhile, third-string quarterback Russell Bellomy is getting some looks and then you have to look at 2013 freshman Shane Morris, a highly touted but [obviously] young QB.  Depth will once again be thin in 2013, even if Gardner plays quarterback.  Those are problems to worry about in the future, though.  Right now, assuming the electric Robinson can stay healthy, you need to get the best eleven on the field.  Gardner is one of the best eleven athletes on the offensive unit.  It doesn’t do anyone much good to leave a kid like that wasting his time on the bench for three years.
I do have confidence in the futures of both incoming freshmen, Jehu Chesson and Amara Darboh.  But you can’t count on them to be ready immediately.  You have to plan to play the guys who are already on the squad, and I don’t think you can convincingly guarantee me that every guy in the above bulleted list is a better receiving prospect than Devin Gardner.
On a side note, this discussion  is why you recruit at least one quarterback every year.  I insisted for the entirety of the 2012 recruiting cycle that Michigan should – and would – get a quarterback to sign with them in February.  It had happened for 14 years in a row and wouldn’t stop.  Well, I was wrong.  The Wolverines got a commitment from Morris for 2013 and ignored the position for 2012.  Now they’re flirting with the idea of putting the #2 quarterback at receiver and being stuck with Bellomy as the sole backup devoted to the quarterback position.  If the doomsday scenario occurs in which both Robinson and  Gardner get hurt, the Wolverines will be left with Bellomy and ___________ at quarterback.  That scenario is unlikely to actually occur, but if Michigan had an incoming freshman quarterback, the Gardner-to-receiver thing would be a no-brainer.  Instead, it has fans – and the coaches, it seems – unsure of how to use Gardner.
15Aug 2011
Uncategorized 6 comments

Getting to Know — Russell Bellomy

Russell Bellomy

Denard Robinson is the quarterback of the Michigan Wolverines. You may have heard of him. He’s kind of a big deal. Overwhelmingly seen as the heir to Denard’s throne, Michigan also has Devin Gardner. He was a blue chip local prospect who selected Michigan over offers from Notre Dame, Oregon and Nebraska. He, too, is a pretty big deal.

Then we have freshman Russell Bellomy. He’s a big deal in his own right, but the Texas native has yet to gain the notoriety or generate the excitement of his two QB teammates. Russell acknowledges this.

“I know the guys that I have to compete with, and it’s going to be a high level of competition…I’m excited to go up there and prove myself. I know there’re a lot of people who are kinda doubting me. And there’s nothing wrong with that! But I understand that I have to prove myself, and I’m excited to get a chance, and it’s all on my shoulders now.”

To give Russell his due, he held offers from over 15 Division 1 programs as a recruit, and his initial Touch the Banner post by Thunder had plenty of good things to say about him. One of those things was, “Bellomy has some serious wheels and escapability,” and Russell is quick to acknowledge the benefits of his legs. However, he also makes his primary responsibilities in the Al Borges offense known.

“Obviously it’s a pro style offense; it’s different than the spread. You know, pass the ball, check-down, check-down, check-down. Not, if you’re first read’s not there, just take off. So that’s what I’m going to be working on a lot: progression reads.”

Perfecting the new offense will certainly take time. Bellomy has been in possession of the playbook for several months now and admits that “it’s like learning another language.” Although he recognizes that intervening factors may lead to early playing time, he isn’t opposed to redshirting in order to develop as a player and learn the new offense. “I’m up for whatever,” he says.
Another thing that Russell has always been up for is capitalizing on opportunity. During football games, Bellomy did just that, earning a 4-0 record against his HS rivals, almost always “finding a way to win” against formidable in-state competition. Similarly, Russell also kept an eye out for opportunity during his recruitment process.

“Recruitment started off pretty slow because all the way up until school my junior year, I played baseball; [I’ve played] ever since I’ve been a little kid, and so that consumes your whole summer. So I didn’t get to go to all these college one-day camps because I was playing baseball…it’s at these camps where you get noticed, and so I don’t know if that had an effect on my recruiting…after my Junior football season, I decided to quit baseball, and then I made a highlight tape and sent it out to coaches, and about a week after I started getting some responses…”

“…I ended up choosing Purdue [on] June 1st. I’ll never forget that. But then the best opportunity I’ve ever had fell in my lap. In the middle of January, I got a call from my head coach, and he said ‘hey Russ, Michigan called; are you interested?’ He left me that voicemail, and I was just like ‘is that even a question?’ So I called him back, and then Coach Borges ended up coming down here to my school, and then he came for a home visit right after that, and we sat here from about 6:30 on just sitting here talking, and on the way back to the hotel, he called me and offered me, and me and my dad were going insane. So I took an official visit as soon as I could…and on the plane ride home, I switched my commitment.”

Russell “isn’t a shy guy” and I get the sense that he’ll do well with the leadership aspects of the quarterback position, such as building relationships with teammates, modeling strong practice routines and asserting himself vocally. With the ability to both run and throw, his maturation as a leader and passer will be fun to watch over the next four years.

There’s no doubt that Denard Robinson and Devin Gardner bring high expectations and much excitement to the Michigan football program. Russell Bellomy fits right in.