1Jan 2012
Video: Rap Battle: Ryan Van Bergen vs. Will Campbell
This isn’t nearly as bad as this rap battle failure (NSFW language).
It’s still pretty bad, though.
This isn’t nearly as bad as this rap battle failure (NSFW language).
It’s still pretty bad, though.
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| Defensive end James Gayle was Second Team All-ACC for the Hokies |
MICHIGAN
Starters: Fifth year senior strongside end Ryan Van Bergen (6’6″, 288 lbs.) is a three-year starter and All-Big Ten Honorable Mention this past season; he finished the year with 41 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 3 fumble recoveries. Senior nose tackle Mike Martin (6’2″, 304 lbs.) is also a three-year starter and has been Second Team All-Big Ten the past two seasons; he ended the regular season with 54 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks. Fifth year senior defensive tackle Will Heininger (6’6″, 295 lbs.) is a former walk-on who started for the first time this season; he has 23 tackles and 1 sack. Junior weakside end Craig Roh (6’5″, 269 lbs.) is a three-year starter; he currently has 29 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, and 1 forced fumble.
Backups: The key backups are junior defensive tackle William Campbell (6’5″, 322 lbs.), sophomore defensive end Jibreel Black (6’2″, 260 lbs.), and freshman defensive end Frank Clark (6’2″, 228 lbs.). Campbell mostly plays behind Martin and has 11 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks on the season; there is a good chance Campbell will start due to a lower leg injury to Heininger. Black is Roh’s platoon mate at weakside end and finished the regular season with 17 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Clark also plays weakside end and plays situationally, but provides a speedy matchup and made 5 tackles on the season. If Campbell does indeed start against Virginia Tech, that will increase playing time for redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Quinton Washington (6’4″, 302 lbs.), who has made just 1 tackle this season.
VIRGINIA TECH
Starters: Redshirt junior Antoine Hopkins began the year as a starting defensive tackle but tore his ACL halfway through the season. His sophomore brother Derrick (6’0″, 301 lbs.) started every game at DT and finished with 50 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery. Freshman defensive tackle Luther Maddy (6’1″, 283 lbs.) picked up for the elder Hopkins, notching 17 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 fumble recovery. Redshirt sophomore defensive end James Gayle (6’4″, 257 lbs.) was named Second Team All-ACC after making 34 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, and 7 sacks. Redshirt sophomore J.R. Collins (6’2″, 240 lbs.) made 50 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, and 1 interception on the year and earned All-ACC Honorable Mention.
Backups: Redshirt freshman defensive end Zack McCray (6’4″, 264 lbs.) made 14 tackles and 1 tackle for loss on the year. Freshman defensive tackle Corey Marshall (6’1″, 253 lbs.) has made 12 tackles and 2 sacks as a frequently used reserve. Redshirt junior defensive tackle Isaiah Hamlette (6’5″, 291 lbs.) has made 7 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 sack on the year.
THE TAKEAWAY
Michigan definitely has an advantage in the size department, where the average Wolverines starter is about 19 lbs. heavier than his Hokies counterpart. Virginia Tech is small, quick, and relatively young, since all four starters are sophomores or freshmen; conversely, Michigan has three seniors, and the only junior starter has been starting since his true freshman season. Although Campbell is a mammoth backup tackle, none of the backups has been exceptional for either squad. Size is important here, since Michigan’s small-ish offensive line matches up against Virginia Tech’s small-ish defensive line, and the Wolverines’ large-ish defensive line goes up against a large-ish Hokies offensive line.
The Hokies defensive line has helped them to rank #17 against the run (107.8 yards per game) and tie for #11 in sacks (2.92 per game), so despite the lack of size and experience, they are fairly effective. Gayle and Collins make a formidable pass rushing duo from the edges. Meanwhile, the Wolverines are #34 in rushing defense (129.1 yards per game) and #27 in sacks (2.33 per game). The numbers suggest the Hokies are stronger up front defensively, and the potential loss of Heininger will be a blow to a thin defensive line.
Advantage: Virginia Tech
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| Desmond Morgan struggled with Braxton Miller’s speed but otherwise looks like a solid player for the Wolverines |
I once again worked out some grades for Michigan’s defense against OSU (see also: Nebraska). Grades for each play ranged from +3 to -3 for good/bad reads, filling/missing assignments, and physical superiority/inferiority.
GRADES
MMartin: +10 . . . Not as dominant as in previous games, but doesn’t get beaten – ever
RVanBergen: +8 . . . More big plays than Martin, but got out of rush lane a couple times
WHeininger: +6 . . . Physically overmatched, but slanting helped him be effective
KDemens: +5 . . . Solid tackler who doesn’t give ground
JKovacs: +5 . . . Decent day but took a late hit penalty
CAvery: +3 . . . Consistently solid and then made a huge pick to seal the game
JBlack: +2 . . . Nice play near goal line to keep his feet and chase down Braxton Miller
TGordon: +2 . . . Beaten in pass coverage but made some nice tackles in open field
DMorgan: +2 . . . Usually in position but not fast enough to keep up with Miller. Future MIKE?
WCampbell: +1 . . . Didn’t play much but held his ground when he did
CRoh: +1 . . . Had some nice pass rushes but big mistake on Miller’s TD run
JRyan: +1 . . . OSU ran away from him most of the game
BCountess: 0 . . . Got lucky on an overthrow, but mostly tight coverage
NBrink: -1 . . . Unfair to be matched up against Mike Adams but got blown off the ball
MJones: -1 . . . Just isn’t very fast or aggressive
TWoolfolk: -5 . . . Seemed to make some bad reads
JFloyd: -10 . . . Beaten deep a couple times, missed tackle on Dan Herron’s TD run
CONCLUSIONS
It sure seemed like defensive coordinator Greg Mattison was willing to take a lot of risks in this game, in hopes that Braxton Miller would make some freshman mistakes. He did, but not a lot. It looked like Mattison realized that his defensive line had been playing extremely well for the last several weeks and his game plan revolved around them dominating the game. The starters combined for a +25 grade with Craig Roh being the weak link.
DeVier Posey is a great deal better than J.T. Floyd and Blake Countess. There’s no way around it. Michigan doesn’t have anyone who can handle him on the regular, so it might have been a good idea to try to force Miller to scramble and look to check down. Miller probably played his best game of the season when it comes to throwing the ball, because they put almost the entire game on his shoulders.
OSU tried to take advantage of freshman weakside linebacker Desmond Morgan, but he held up pretty well. Morgan was too slow in the open field to catch Miller a couple times, but it’s no surprise that an inside linebacker is going to be at a disadvantage against a guy like him. Otherwise, Morgan made some excellent plays inside and blew up fullback Zach Boren a couple times. He might lack the athleticism to stay at WILL for his entire career at Michigan, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him slide over and replace Demens in 2013.
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| Eat my dreads. |
I’m going to take a slightly different tactic this week than other weeks. Heading into the bowl game, there’s no real reason to suggest personnel changes other than just for the hell of it. If a guy is a starter now, he’ll probably be starting in the bowl game. Michigan just beat Ohio State, I’m happy, and these are all positive awards today.
Offensive MVP . . . Denard Robinson. He was 14/17 for 167 yards and 3 touchdowns with 0 interceptions. He ran the ball 26 times for 170 yards and 2 touchdowns. The kid was patient in the pocket, stepped up in crunch time, and seemed more decisive in the running game than he has for most of the year. This was an easy pick.
Defensive MVP . . . Ryan Van Bergen. Van Bergen had 7 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 pass breakup, and 1/2 a sack. He was consistently causing trouble for quarterback Braxton Miller and running back Dan Herron, and he notched the tackle that pinned OSU to the goal line and allowed for a safety on the following play.
Offensive play of the game . . . Denard’s 41-yard touchdown run. Not only did Denard make a good read in the running game, but he also looked quicker than he has in recent weeks and made Etienne Sabino look silly. It was electrifying to see him have success against a defense that has smothered Michigan the past few seasons. I think that play gave the players and the fans notice that the offense was going to be explosive the entire day.
Defensive play of the game #1 . . . Blake Countess’s pass breakup. On 3rd-and-27 from their own 3-yard line, Braxton Miller launched a missile to DeVier Posey, who was streaking down the middle of the field. Countess was trailing Posey and turned on the jets just in time to get a finger on the ball, knocking the pass down. Even though a holding penalty in the endzone would have negated the gain, Countess didn’t know that when he was making the play. That was a potential 97-yard touchdown pass that surely would have taken some of the wind out of Michigan’s sails.
Defensive play of the game #2 . . . Courtney Avery’s interception. For a nickel corner to be tied for the team lead with 2 interceptions, that’s a pretty good job for Avery. He could probably be starting for this team at one of the outside corner positions, but he’s aggressive and physical in the slot and that physicality paid off. On a last-gasp pass for Ohio State, Avery knocked down wide receiver Devin Smith and then launched himself through the air to pick off the pass. It was 4th-and-6 so the interception wasn’t much different than a simple incompletion, but it was a great play nonethelesss.
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| David Molk (#50) is the conference’s best lineman |
On Monday night the All-Big Ten teams were announced.
Michigan center David Molk was named the league’s best offensive lineman, so congratulations to him.
Other notable Michigan honorees:
SELECTIONS BY COACHES
First team: David Molk, C
Second team: Taylor Lewan, OT; Mike Martin, DT
Honorable mention: Kenny Demens, LB; J.T. Floyd, CB; Kevin Koger, TE; Junior Hemingway, WR; Denard Robinson, QB; Fitzgerald Toussaint, RB; Ryan Van Bergen, DT
Sportsmanship Award: Jordan Kovacs, S
SELECTIONS BY MEDIA
First team: None
Second team: Denard Robinson, QB; David Molk, C; Mike Martin, DT
Honorable mention: Kenny Demens, LB; J.T. Floyd, CB; Kevin Koger, TE; Jordan Kovacs, S; Taylor Lewan, OT; Craig Roh, DE; Fitzgerald Toussaint, RB; Ryan Van Bergen, DT
I find it a little strange that a team with a 10-2 record could have zero first team selections by the media and then only three on the second team, especially when David Molk was named Offensive Lineman of the Year.
Michigan State defensive tackle Jerel Worthy was named first team by both parties, but his season stats (23 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks) are less impressive than those of Mike Martin (54 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks) and Ryan Van Bergen (41 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 5 sacks), not to mention several of the second team selections from other schools. Worthy’s inclusion on the first unit is kind of a joke.
And I understand Russell Wilson being chosen as the best quarterback in the league due to his great statistics, but Kirk Cousins was the second team quarterback, according to the coaches? Cousins beat Denard Robinson in the turnover category (Cousins threw only 6 interceptions), but Cousins also only accounted for 21 total touchdowns (all passing) while Robinson had a total of 34 (18 passing, 16 rushing). Cousins also accounted for only 2,670 yards, whereas Robinson had 3,219. So Denard Robinson had 13 more touchdowns, 549 more yards, and produced the same overall record . . . and somehow Cousins is the better player?
Oh well. There’s always next year. Congratulations to Michigan’s outstanding football players!