Tag: Thomas Gordon

Michigan vs. Iowa Awards

Freshman cornerback Blake Countess tackles touted receiver Marvin McNutt (image via MGoBlue.com)

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Michael Shaw.  If Fitzgerald Toussaint’s apparent shoulder injury keeps him out next week, I would like to see Shaw get some playing time in lieu of Toussaint.  Vincent Smith has established himself as a capable third down back and receiver out of the backfield (although he dropped a key pass against the Hawkeyes), but he has also established himself as being incapable of playing the role of a lead back.  Shaw is averaging 6.4 yards a carry and has the ability to break big plays.  Smith hasn’t had double-digit carries all season, and it should probably stay that way.

Let’s see less of this guy on offense . . . tentative Denard.  The coaches need to rethink their coaching of Robinson and tell him to go all out.  The current iteration of Denard Robinson has him avoiding contact at all costs and searching for the sideline.  For a unit that can’t create big plays down the field in the passing game now that Big Ten play has started, Robinson needs to be the player he was last year – the one that almost always looked for a few extra yards here or there, and the one who could look like he was running out of bounds and then turn up the sideline for a huge play.

Let’s see more of this guy on defense . . . Thomas Gordon.  Gordon has had a hand in twice as many turnovers as anyone else on the team (1 interception, 3 fumble recoveries, 2 forced fumbles), but he found himself watching from the bench as Troy Woolfolk started at safety on Saturday.  Woolfolk isn’t 100% healthy and should have sat out against a cupcake or two earlier in the season to get ready for the Big Ten, but the coaches sent him out there every week, anyway, and now we’re seeing the repercussions.  Gordon needs to be on the field, and Woolfolk ought to be subbing in at corner, safety, or both.

Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . Desmond Morgan.  I’m a big fan of Morgan and his potential, but the bottom line is that he’s a true freshman playing in the run-heavy Big Ten.  Iowa took advantage of him, and it seemed to be on purpose.  Whether the answer is Brandon Herron, Brandin Hawthorne, or Mike Jones, somebody with a little more experience ought to fill in.  What we’re seeing right now is exactly the reason I was hoping that Marell Evans would start at WILL, but unfortunately, Evans is in purgatory right now while the coaches try to sort out some issues with his transfer credits; Evans’ career might be done or he might be able to get a sixth year of eligibility.

Play of the game . . . Junior Hemingway’s jump-ball catch.  At one point in the fourth quarter (I think), Denard Robinson threw a laser to a well-covered Hemingway.  The receiver – who had dropped two easy passes earlier in the game – went over top of the Iowa defensive back to reel in the ill-advised pass.  It was a typical play for Hemingway, who has saved Robinson’s butt on several occasions in the past couple seasons.

MVP of the game . . . Blake Countess.  Perhaps I’m overstating the importance of Countess’ performance on Saturday, but he did an excellent job on a very good receiver in the form of Iowa’s Marvin McNutt.  Of course, it helps that nobody else had a standout game, but Countess is the team’s best corner, in my opinion.  McNutt could have had a huge day, but in large part due to Countess, McNutt either had the ball knocked away or was tackled immediately when Countess was on him.  The freshman cornerback stepped up to the challenge and continues to look like the next great corner in Ann Arbor.

Michigan at Northwestern Awards

Does cringing when I see Denard throw the ball make me a bad person? (image via TheWolverine.com)

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Michael Shaw.  Shaw clearly isn’t the most decisive running back in the world.  But he is very fast and, despite some people’s opinions, will lower his shoulder and run through people when cornered.  I agreed with the way Al Borges used him on Saturday, which was to outrun the Wildcats’ defense to the edge.  I won’t be clamoring for Shaw to start anytime soon, but he can serve a role on this team.  Oh, and I wouldn’t mind seeing him return kickoffs along with Jeremy Gallon.  Give Shaw an alley and you never know what could happen.

Let’s see less of this guy on offense . . . opposing defenders running the other way with the football.  Denard’s interceptions are maddening.  It’s not like he’s trying to fit passes into tight windows and defenders are making nice plays on the ball.  Nor is it that his passes are bouncing off the hands of his receivers into the grips of defensive backs.  Denard is just flat-out throwing bad passes, whether because of bad mechanics, bad reads, or both.

Let’s see more of this guy on defense . . . William Campbell.  I think it’s near time that Campbell gets a start.  Starting defensive end Will Heininger is just a guy.  It would be nice to see Ryan Van Bergen bump from 3-tech tackle to 5-tech end.  To me that puts the best four defensive linemen on the field at once, with Craig Roh and Mike Martin the other two linemen.

Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . Desmond Morgan.  I’m not really sure why Morgan is playing so much.  I’ve always maintained that I think he will be a solid player in the future, but he got more playing time on Saturday than I would expect in a fairly tough game.  Brandin Hawthorne is a better player overall and a bigger playmaker.  If and when Brandon Herron returns to action, I think he deserves another shot, too.

Play of the game . . . Thomas Gordon’s strip and recovery.  When Gordon stripped the ball away from Northwestern wide receiver Jeremy Ebert, I thought that sealed the game for Michigan.  As the second man in, I thought Gordon did a tremendous job of raking at the ball immediately before Ebert could get to the ground.

MVP of the Northwestern game . . . Denard Robinson.  Even though Robinson threw some maddening interceptions and incompletions in the first half, he once again turned on the jets when the Wolverines needed it in the second half.  He finished the game completing 17/26 passes for 337 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions; he also had 25 carries for 117 yards and 2 touchdowns.  It’s been said elsewhere, but it’s pretty ridiculous that a 454-yard, 4-touchdown performance can seem pretty ho-hum after all of his heroics.  We’re going to see 100-yard rushers and 300-yard passers and 100-yard receivers in the future, but it will be a long, long time before Michigan fans ever get to root for a player like him again.

Video: Michigan vs. Eastern Michigan

Michigan vs. Eastern Michigan Awards

This became a familiar sight: Denard Robinson leaves someone in his dust.

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Junior Hemingway.  Due to Denard Robinson’s complete inability to hit open receivers, Michigan’s big play receiver has 4 receptions in 3 games and was held without a catch in Saturday’s victory.  There’s no excuse for Michigan’s failure to get the ball to Hemingway, not to mention Roy Roundtree (3 catches, 29 yards, 1 touchdown this season).  I know they don’t mind blocking for Denard Robinson in the running game, but the reason the running game is struggling is because teams are loading the box,  barely covering the receivers, and still having moderate success stopping the run.

Let’s see less of this guy on offense . . . Denard Robinson.  He has 42 carries in the past two games.  Yes, all 16 of those carries were necessary against Notre Dame, which came down to the wire.  But the 26 carries against Eastern Michigan?  Not so much.  Not only did Robinson take a beating, but he could have been working on passing instead, and the coaches could have maybe developed chemistry and timing for the running backs and receivers.  Instead, they honed the running skills of a guy who ran for 1,702 yards last season.

Let’s see more of this guy on defense . . . William Campbell.  For two weeks in a row now, Campbell has played well at defensive tackle coming off the bench.  Will Heininger did a decent job against Eastern Michigan, but he doesn’t seem to hold up against better talent.  As long as Campbell is putting in the work during the week, I think it’s about time he gets the nod and starts at defensive tackle.

Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . Jake Ryan.  I know, I know, he’s done pretty well.  But I had to pick someone, and sometimes he makes mistakes.  And if Ryan is this good, I’d really like to see what the starting SAM linebacker – Cam Gordon – can do if he’s recovered from his back injury.  That would also give the coaches an opportunity to move Ryan around and play him more at weakside end.

Play of the game . . . Thomas Gordon’s one-handed interception.  Not only was the catch itself a thing of beauty, but the failure of the double pass gives an indication that Michigan’s players were wary of the diamond formation on the left sideline that led to such a play.  Tyler Benz didn’t have a prayer of completing that pass, and the best he could have hoped for while the ball was in the air was a stone-handed defensive back who would let the ball drop the ground.  No such luck.

MVP of the Eastern Michigan game . . . Denard Robinson.  He didn’t have a particularly great game (7-for-18 passing, 95 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception; 26 carries, 198 yards, 1 touchdown) and the horrible passing took some of the luster off of his nearly 200 yards rushing, but he still led the team to a 28-point victory and made some ridiculous moves in the open field.  Vincent Smith had a nice game, too, but he ran through gaping holes and didn’t score any touchdowns.

Michigan 31, Eastern Michigan 3

Thomas Gordon makes a one-handed interception

A win is a win.  It’s tough to complain about a 28-point victory.  I’ll find a way, though.

Al Borges got Rich Rodriguez Syndrome.  Hopefully it’s not an incurable disease, but there’s no reason for Denard Robinson to be running the ball 26 times (for 198 yards and 1 touchdown) against Eastern Michigan in a 28-point blowout.  The guy who missed parts of ten games last season with various injuries – and who’s reportedly suffering from a sore arm – needs a break once in awhile.  When the Wolverines started their second-to-last drive with approximately ten minutes left in the fourth quarter, I thought backup Devin Gardner should have entered the game.  It was 28-3.  But Michigan was close to its own end zone, and I understand not wanting to put in a young, raw backup in that spot on the field.  So what about when they crossed the 40?  When they crossed the 50?  Robinson was still running the ball up until the point that Brendan Gibbons kicked a short field goal.  The other running backs combined for 23 carries in the game.  We get it – Denard Robinson can run the ball, and that’s okay if the game’s outcome is in question, such as against Notre Dame.  But how about getting someone else in gear?

Denard Robinson has Steve Blass Disease.  For a second week in a row, Robinson’s inaccuracy was on display.  He finished the game 7-for-18 (39%) for 95 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception after completing 46% of his passes against Notre Dame.  That’s a two-game total of 43% passing and 4 interceptions.  This is not Al Borges’s fault.  It’s not Brady Hoke’s fault.  There are wide open receivers that Robinson is flat-out missing.  Kudos to Rich Rodriguez for figuring out that hitches, bubble screens, and inside slants are the only passes Robinson can complete with any regularity.

The Big Ten Network’s announcers don’t get paid, do they?  I turned the volume down at various points, but those guys were clueless.  Thomas Rawls had a carry in the second quarter (no, he didn’t), we have a starting defensive lineman named “Will Henninner” (no, we don’t), and Eastern Michigan “abandoned the run game” (they threw a total of 6 passes).  Seeing Jon Jansen on the sideline was cool and all, but if the guys in the broadcast booth are going to be dumb, they could at least apologize to viewers by way of Melanie Collins or Ashley Russell (if they still work for the BTN).

Vincent Smith had a good game.  I don’t know if it’s just luck or if the offensive linemen block a little harder when #2 gets the call, but Smith had lots of wide open running lanes.  Despite getting only nine carries, the 5’6″ running back had 118 yards.  Those yards came on runs of 38, 27, 5, 14, 5, 6, 0, 11, and 12.  Fitzgerald Toussaint had a solid day with 11 carries for 46 yards and 1 touchdown, but he and Michael Shaw keep running into traffic whereas Smith had gaping holes several times.  I noticed in the spring that Smith seems to have his quickness back now that he’s nearly two years removed from tearing his ACL, but it still concerns me that he can’t break tackles.

Craig Roh, welcome back!  In the first two games of the season, Roh did his best impression of Keyser Soze.  Zero tackles, zero sacks, zero pass breakups, nothing.  This week he broke out with 5 tackles and 1 sack.  Last week Greg Mattison said that Roh played very well in the Notre Dame game, so it wasn’t too much of a surprise when Roh started once again over Jibreel Black.  Hopefully Roh continues to improve.

Bye bye, redshirts.  Several true freshmen have played so far this year, including a couple guys who played for the first time this week – Thomas Rawls and Raymon Taylor.  Other freshmen to see time this year include Desmond Morgan, Matt Wile, Blake Countess, Brennen Beyer, and Gregg Brown.  No freshmen have really stood out, although Frank Clark had a nice play and Taylor . . . got a 15-yard penalty for a late hit.  Otherwise, we haven’t really seen any game changers from this freshman class, and I don’t suspect we’ll see any this year.

What happened to the jet sweeps?  Eastern Michigan was having oodles of success with the jet sweep in the first half, and then they just stopped.  I’m not sure if Michigan started scheming against it and taking it away, but it seemed to be in the best interest of EMU head coach Ron English to keep them coming.

This is Michigan’s best safety combination since 2007.  Jordan Kovacs (8 tackles) and Thomas Gordon (6 tackles, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery) are playing better than any safety combo since Brandent Englemon and Jamar Adams.  Kovacs seems to have gained some speed since we first saw him in 2009, and Gordon is a solid tackler with decent ball skills.  Neither one will win many foot races, but so far they’ve helped to limit big plays.  Hopefully that continues into the Big Ten season.

Brendan Gibbons kicked the ball through the uprights.  That might have been the play of the day, if not for Thomas Gordon’s one-handed pick on a double pass.