Tag: Wilton Speight

Michigan vs. Ohio State Awards

Taco Charlton (#33, image via Zimbio)

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . someone with speed. Eddie McDoom, Jehu Chesson, Jabrill Peppers, Chris Evans, Jourdan Lewis, anyone. There’s a saying everyone’s heard, and that saying is “Speed kills.” Michigan hasn’t had a ton of speed for the past few seasons, but the roster isn’t entirely devoid of those players. What I didn’t see on Saturday was a great effort to get those fast guys the ball in space. It was De’Veon Smith (one of the slower backs in recent Michigan history), Jake Butt, and Amara Darboh touching the ball most of the time. Out of 40 non-Speight rushing attempts, only 12 went to explosive players (Chris Evans had 6, Jabrill Peppers had 4, and Jehu Chesson had 2). Out of 23 receptions, only 2 went to explosive players (Jehu Chesson had both), unless you count Darboh. In my opinion, that’s only 14/63 touches for players who are dangerously speedy, and that’s not enough. Additionally, if you’re going to use Peppers on offense, you have to be more creative. He either has to play more offense so the defense forgets about him a little bit, or the coaches have to use him the same amount but in ways defenses haven’t seen yet.

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Michigan vs. Indiana Awards

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Ty Isaac catching the ball, Wilton Speight, and Jabrill Peppers. I have three suggestions going into Ohio State. First, Isaac has been underutilized as a pass receiver. Coming out of high school, there were some who thought he might be best suited to play wide receiver or tight end based on his hands. Saturday’s catch on a screen pass was just his second reception of the year, but it went for 21 yards – just like his first catch of the year (against Colorado). He has 8 catches for 111 yards in his career. Michigan has not used the tailbacks in the passing game much this year, but Isaac could be an asset for a team that might have a dinged up or backup quarterback. Second, let’s see Wilton Speight. He’s the starting quarterback, and Michigan needs him if the Wolverines want to play in the Big Ten championship game or the College Football Playoff. He’s still not 100% after getting injured against Iowa, but I think you have to at least give him a shot and try to keep him upright as long as you can against OSU. Otherwise, a lot of your other team goals go down the drain. Lastly, Peppers is a potential difference-maker. I heard last week that he would probably play more running back against Indiana, but then he only saw one snap there, perhaps because it was such a tight game in cold, windy, snowy weather. Michigan has been deploying Peppers on offense throughout the season, to varying effects, but they need to use him effectively against a solid Ohio State defense. That includes using him as a decoy, handing off the ball, and then keeping it at times.

Hit the jump for more awards from the Indiana game.

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Wilton Speight might have a broken collarbone

Michigan starting quarterback Wilton Speight reportedly has a broken collarbone (LINK), which I had been hearing since Sunday morning. Coincidentally – or not – Speight also suffered a collarbone injury in high school, an occurrence that allowed him to petition for an extra year of high school eligibility.

That means redshirt junior John O’Korn should slide into the starting job this week when Michigan faces Indiana. Speight has been the #2 quarterback all season, and many people suggested he was the best quarterback on the roster in 2015, when Jake Rudock had a great second half of the year and became an NFL draft pick. Even through the spring, when Speight was taking first-team reps, lots of “insiders” – including the mods at Rivals – insisted O’Korn would be the starter. I initially believed O’Korn would succeed Rudock, but after watching them play this spring, I reached the conclusion that Speight would probably be The Guy.

Hit the jump for more on the quarterback situation.

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Michigan vs. Maryland Awards

Tyree Kinnel

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Grant Perry. Perry is Michigan’s fourth-leading receiver by yards, though he has just 6 receptions on the year. However, he has been a reliable target at slot receiver for both Jake Rudock and Wilton Speight over the past year and a half, and he’s a decent blocker. Unfortunately, he found himself in some trouble over the bye week a few weeks ago, and he appears to be working himself out of the doghouse. Michigan didn’t need him on Saturday, but it would be nice to have all options available down the stretch.

Hit the jump for more on Saturday’s win over Maryland.

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Michigan 59, Maryland 3

Wilton Speight (image via Lexington Herald Leader)

Maryland just doesn’t have the horses. I actually liked what Maryland was doing offensively and defensively, but they just can’t match up physically. They have some speed offensively, but they’re not very good up front and they’re lacking talent on the defensive side of the ball. They knew they couldn’t push Michigan around at the line of scrimmage, so they consistently tried to get to the edge. That worked for a while, but once Michigan figured out that’s all they were going to do, the safeties and linebackers just started booking it for the edge. Lorenzo Harrison III is a pretty darn good running back to have for the future. If the Terps can keep some of that Maryland/D.C. home, then they have a chance to be dangerous in a year or two.

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