Michigan vs. Purdue Awards

Tag: Thomas Rawls


8Oct 2012
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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.

4Sep 2012
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Michigan vs. Alabama Awards

Devin Gardner’s only reception was this 44-yard touchdown (image via MLive)

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Devin Gardner.  Gardner played quite a bit against Alabama, but Michigan needs to keep finding ways to get him the ball.  He almost made a few nice plays, and while I know “almost” doesn’t do much for the final outcome of the game, the potential there is obvious.  He had 1 catch for 44 yards and a touchdown, but has the speed to get downfield and the leaping ability to go up and over almost any defensive back.  Most teams Michigan plays won’t have a 6’1″, 200 lb. cornerback like Dee Milliner to knock the ball out of Gardner’s hands.

Let’s see less of this guy on offense . . . Thomas Rawls.  Alabama was superior to Michigan in almost every way, and it didn’t help that the offensive line had a rough day.  But Rawls didn’t do a single impressive thing the entire game.  He had 6 carries for 9 yards, danced too much, and for a big back, he sure did get lambasted by strong safety Vinnie Sunseri.  Rawls might be able to run over the Air Forces, UMasses, and Minnesotas of the world, but it looks like he’ll struggle against teams like Alabama, Ohio State, and Michigan State.  Fitzgerald Toussaint is clearly a step above the other running backs on the roster.

Let’s see more of this guy on defense . . . James Ross.  Ross wasn’t ready for the physicality of Alabama, but he showed some good instincts and speed in the game.  He should be able to hone his skills in the next couple games and be an asset when it comes to the Big Ten schedule.  He got snaps at both inside linebacker positions and has already surpassed upperclassmen Brandin Hawthorne and Mike Jones.

Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . T.J. Yeldon.  Alabama’s best running back in Saturday night’s game made just about everyone on Michigan’s defense look silly.  Michigan won’t see many guys like him this year.  Perhaps the closest approximation will be Michigan State’s Le’veon Bell, who is just as strong of a runner but probably not as fast.  The whole defense played poorly on Saturday night, including such stalwarts as Thomas Gordon, Jordan Kovacs, and Jake Ryan.  That’s more due to Alabama’s excellence, though, so I’m not sure that anyone really deserves to see his playing time diminish.

Play of the game . . . Denard Robinson’s 71-yard bomb to Jeremy Gallon.  Gallon torched the defense and Denard Robinson hit him with an almost perfect throw to get down to the 1-yard line.  Robinson has often struggled to beat defenses over the top unless he puts the ball up for grabs, so this was a nice play that Robinson, Gallon, and other receivers can hopefully replicate several times this season.

MVP of the game . . . Jeremy Gallon.  Gallon had 4 receptions for 107 yards.  Two receptions came on bubble screens where he made a couple guys miss; one was the aforementioned bomb; and the other was a nice leaping catch near the right sideline.  He and Robinson seem to have developed a nice chemistry.

31Aug 2012
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2012 Season Predictions

This is always fun.  Take a look at my 2011 predictions.

Now for the things that will absolutely, 100% become true in the coming months:
Leading Rusher
Last year I picked the right guy (Denard Robinson) but fell short on the yardage.  Now that it looks like Fitzgerald Toussaint will miss some time due to legal issues, it’s even more likely that Robinson leads the team in rushing for the third straight season.  Hopefully he can stay healthy and make this come true.
Prediction: Denard Robinson, 1200 yards

Leading Receiver
Starting flanker Roy Roundtree looks like he’s being groomed to be this year’s #1 target, now that he’s been moved to the multiple receiver side and wearing the #21 jersey.  The coaches want him to be The Guy, and he’s been successful before.  He doesn’t have the same ability to catch balls in traffic as last year’s leading receiver Junior Hemingway, but he does have some smoothness and shiftiness to him.
Prediction: Roy Roundtree, 750 yards

Leading Tackler
Starting middle linebacker Kenny Demens returns to the same role this season.  He doesn’t have the same talent in front of him to keep him clean, but the mass of Quinton Washington and William Campbell, along with the steady play of Craig Roh, should help Demens maintain some level of consistency.
Prediction: Kenny Demens, 90 tackles

Leading Sacker
The pass rush is not this team’s specialty.  Especially if weakside end Frank Clark can’t play much because of legal issues, the athleticism just isn’t there for the full-time players.  The best pass rusher on the unit is SAM linebacker Jake Ryan, but he might be overmatched if he has to play too much weakside end.  Ryan is better as a guy who moves around from the edge to an inside blitz, back to the edge, etc.
Prediction: Jake Ryan, 5.5 sacks

Leading Interceptor
I picked J.T. Floyd for this spot in 2010, but he got hurt halfway through the year.  Then I picked Jordan Kovacs last season, and he ended up with just 1 pick.  The best cover guy on the squad is Blake Countess, in my opinion, but Countess had 0 picks last year, though he had 1 in the spring game.  So I’m going to combine my last two choices.
Prediction: J.T. Floyd and Jordan Kovacs, 2 interceptions each

All-Big Ten First Team
Prediction: Taylor Lewan, Denard Robinson

Leading Scorer (non-QB, non-kicker)
Prediction: Fitzgerald Toussaint

Breakout Offensive Player
A lot of starters return again in 2012, and last year’s choice (Jeremy Gallon) already kind of broke out.  Lots of exiting Michigan players have mentioned Jerald Robinson as a guy to watch, but I have yet to see it.  I’ll go with Thomas Rawls, who at the very least should be able to run over some mediocre competition through the first half of the year (except Alabama) and pile up some decent numbers.
Prediction: Thomas Rawls

Breakout Defensive Player
This is a tough choice, because the back seven guys all return, the defensive line is expected to be mediocre, and perhaps my #1 choice during the offseason (Frank Clark) is in legal trouble and might miss too much time to be a smart choice here.  I guess I’ll go with Thomas Gordon, who showed flashes of playmaking ability last year.  I expect him to be even better in pass coverage this year and help support the run quite a bit, so this should be a big year for him.
Prediction: Thomas Gordon

Most Disappointing Offensive Player
Lots of outgoing players have chosen Jerald Robinson as a breakout player, and we haven’t even seen a glimpse of it in a spring game.  Before Roy Roundtree’s 2010 breakout season, he had a good end to the 2009 campaign and an awesome spring game.  Before Jeremy Gallon’s 2011 breakout season, he had some nice plays during his 2010 redshirt freshman season.  Robinson must do a lot in practice, but it never translates to anything more than that.  He won’t disappoint me because I’m not expecting a ton, but I do think he’ll disappoint some of those guys who think he’ll be a stud.
Prediction: Jerald Robinson

Most Disappointing Defensive Player
The only way anyone in the back seven disappoints is if they regress.  It’s already a rather solid group, perhaps without a superstar but pretty good nonetheless.  I think defensive tackle/end Jibreel Black is going to struggle.  He’s too small to play 3-tech and too big/stiff to be a quality weakside end.  He might be okay against the run as a weakside end, but Michigan probably won’t get much of a pass rush out of him.
Prediction: Jibreel Black

The Big Finish
Sept. 1 vs. Alabama: LOSS.  Michigan is probably going to struggle, especially running the ball.  Alabama has a very good offensive line and stops the run well.  That leaves the game in Denard Robinson’s hands, and he can’t pass Michigan to a win.

Sept. 8 vs. Air Force: WIN.  Air Force is going to struggle this season, and Michigan will be angry coming off the loss to Alabama.

Sept. 15 vs. Massachusetts: WIN.  UMass is in its first season in the FBS, and Michigan should handle them pretty well.  And it won’t be a close final score like it was a couple years ago.

Sept. 22 at Notre Dame: WIN.  This is basically a toss-up because Notre Dame is going to be on the upswing this year, I think.  The Fighting Irish will be better, but Denard Robinson shouldn’t be making the same mistakes he did in last year’s game.

Oct. 6 at Purdue: WIN.  Purdue probably won’t be very good this year.

Oct. 13 vs. Illinois: WIN.  Illinois doesn’t have the offensive firepower to beat Michigan.  They always seem to have a couple good defensive players, but they’re probably going to get overpowered on offense.

Oct. 20 vs. Michigan State: LOSS. Michigan State’s defense scares me a little bit, and Michigan hasn’t shown over the past few years that they can handle the pressure up the middle.

Oct. 27 at Nebraska: WIN.  This was a blowout in Ann Arbor last season, and Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead had a bit of a rough day.  Michigan’s defensive line manhandled Nebraska’s offensive line, so it won’t be a blowout, just a fairly close victory.

Nov. 3 at Minnesota: WIN. Minnesota is bad.

Nov. 10 vs. Northwestern: WIN.  Offensively, Northwestern will give Michigan some trouble like they always do.  But eventually Michigan will figure it out, and the Wildcats won’t be able to hold up on defense.

Nov. 17 vs. Iowa: WIN. Iowa lost quite a bit last year, and I think this might be a year when Kirk Ferentz and his revamped coaching staff can’t hold it all together.

Nov. 24 at Ohio State: LOSS.  The Buckeyes are going to be good at the whole defense thing, but I expect them to take a year before Urban Meyer’s offense really takes shape.  However, the game is at the Horseshoe, so Michigan will be a little off their game.

Final record: 9-3

12Aug 2012
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2012 Season Countdown: #18 Thomas Rawls

Thomas Rawls (#38)

Name: Thomas Rawls
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 218 lbs.
High school: Flint (MI) Northern
Position: Running back
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #38
Last year: I ranked Rawls #56 and said he would be a backup running back.  He had 13 carries for 79 yards (6.1 yards per carry).

I can’t say I’m a fan of the way Rawls was used last season.  I’m not sure why the #4 running back on the roster (behind Fitzgerald Toussaint, Michael Shaw, and Vincent Smith) needed to burn a potentially valuable redshirt to run the ball a few times against Eastern Michigan, Minnesota, and Purdue.  His 10 carries against Minnesota were in garbage time, and someone else could have picked up those other 3 carries against EMU and the Boilermakers.  Inexperienced running backs can step right in and be very good, so I don’t think he needed those 13 carries in order to be ready for 2012.

But going into 2012, Rawls might be the game one starter after all.  It looks like incumbent starter Toussaint will be suspended for at least part of the Alabama game due to his drunk driving arrest, which leaves the running back duties up to Rawls, Smith, and guys who have never stepped on the field at Michigan.  Rawls ran well in the spring game back in April, and reports from practice say Rawls “runs angry.”  He’s a battering ram with a little bit of speed.  Toussaint had success against good defenses last year, so he’s a known quantity.  Rawls had success against bad teams and Michigan’s backups in the spring, so he’s still a little unproven.  I’m going to go out on a limb and trust practice reports here, so I expect Rawls to be pretty solid . . . but I also hope Toussaint doesn’t have any more slip-ups and can return as soon as Brady Hoke sees fit.

Prediction: Part-time starting running back; 80 carries, 360 yards, 3 touchdowns

14Apr 2012
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2012 Spring Game Review – Offense

Thomas Rawls (#38) looked pretty solid in today’s spring game

QUARTERBACKS
Denard Robinson didn’t play much.  We know what we have in Denard, and we’re not going to know whether he can cut down on his interceptions until the fall.  Devin Gardner looked very athletic.  He seems to be faster and in better shape this year than last, but he struggled throwing the ball.  He tried to force some throws, but the receivers really struggled to get separation from the defensive backs.  That’s probably why Gardner scrambled repeatedly, and he made the defense look silly at times.  Third stringer Russell Bellomy looked like what we’ve been expecting – a game manager type who can scramble a little and make check-down throws, but he seems to lack the requisite arm strength for pushing the ball downfield.

RUNNING BACKS
Fitzgerald Toussaint continues to look like a star on offense.  Backup Thomas Rawls looks faster and stronger to me than he did in the fall.  He seems like a viable #2 back and he runs angry.  You could tell when he got the ball that the defense stepped up its intensity a little bit, because those guys knew they were going to have a fight on their hands to get him down.  He did make a nice touchdown run early, but keep in mind that he ran through the tackle of backup free safety Jarrod Wilson, who should still be two or three months away from graduating high school.  Vincent Smith continues to be subpar running inside, but he caught the ball well.  To me it’s a wasted rep when he’s handed the ball to run up the middle.  Justice Hayes is in the same boat.  He doesn’t have any mass or strength behind him.  If there’s an injury to Toussaint or Rawls in the fall, the coaches are going to have to look at freshman Drake Johnson or maybe moving Hopkins back to tailback.

FULLBACKS
Hopkins and Kerridge looked pretty solid.  Michigan should be set at this position, especially with reinforcements coming in the form of Sione Houma.

WIDE RECEIVERS
As I mentioned above, the receivers really struggled to separate from the defensive backs.  We didn’t see a whole lot of Roy Roundtree, but he and Jeremy Gallon looked decent.  I would not be surprised to see Gallon lead the team in receptions this season.  He’s going to be a tough matchup.  After that nobody looked particularly impressive.  Jerald Robinson had an embarrassing drop, Jeremy Jackson is who he is, etc.  Games this season will continue to be won on the ground.

TIGHT ENDS
This continues to be a weak spot.  Brandon Moore didn’t get any separation, and both Moore and Ricardo Miller struggled at the point of attack.  They were playing against some pretty good defenders – Craig Roh, Jake Ryan, Cam Gordon – but tight end will be a liability this season, in both the running and passing games. I don’t think we’ll see as many two- and three-tight end formations as we did last season.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Taylor Lewan is a very good left tackle.  The starter at left guard was Joey Burzynski.  All spring we’ve heard that Elliott Mealer was the front-runner for the left guard position, and I think that might still be the case.  I have no inside information on this, but I have a feeling that Burzynski’s start was kind of a practical matter.  The coaches didn’t want Lewan on the field much; with Michael Schofield as the primary backup at left tackle, they seemed to want Mealer to rotate in at right tackle when Schofield flipped.  Burzynski doesn’t have the ability to play tackle.  Burzynski looked fair against the pass and somewhat ineffective in the running game.  Barnum blocked well, but he had two bad snaps because he failed to get the ball up to Denard before getting out of his stance.  That will be something to watch heading into the season.  Barnum also needs to speed up his shotgun snaps, which are noticeably slower than David Molk’s.  He’s also got to work on calling protections.  Omameh looked mostly solid but got blasted by William Campbell.  Schofield struggled some in pass protection, but picked it up as the day went on.  As far as backups go, the walk-ons played like walk-ons do, outside of Burzynski.  Graham Glasgow doesn’t know how to pull.  Kristian Mateus looks downright skinny.  Erik Gunderson might be able to play in a pinch.  Chris Bryant looked solid in the running game.  Jack Miller still lacks size.  Barnum must  stay healthy this season.