Wolverines Weekend Update

As expected Eric Gray de-committed today and probably told the coaches last night as they offered speedster 3 star RB DJ Williams.   This de-commit was not a surprise and has been in the wind all season.

Latest bowl projections has Michigan playing Florida in the Peach Bowl.  No thank you!  We have seen that matchup already, let’s find something different please.

Michigan Basketball opens the Big Ten season today at 3:30 against Purdue.

Wolverine Weekend Update: Peters Update and a New Commit

Here is the latest on Brandon Peters:


Insiders are saying that he is out of the concussion protocol and a game-time decision.  They are also saying its still probably JOK's game as he has been preparing all week.   I guess they will have to see how he is doing this morning. 


Michigan also landed a 2018 Florida flip yesterday in 3 star DE Taylor Upshaw.   He is the son of former NFL defensive end Regan Upshaw.  Taylor is 6'5 245 pounds and is out of Braden River, Florida.


Taylor might be a 3 star DE but his offer list reads like a strong 4 star prospect with the likes of Florida, NC State, Clemson, Arizona, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Oregon, Pitt, Wisconsin and many more.   Taylor has only been playing football for a couple of years and is closer to his basement then his ceiling at this point.   He also had foot surgery in the summer and started the season late in the year.  With Michigan's weight program I expect him to add 20 more pounds of muscle and probably heading to a red shirt year.


Taylor hasn't released his senior year highlight video yet and has game by game on Hudl, if you want to check it out.


Welcome Taylor! 

Michigan Monday: Double 4 Star Saturday

Michigan's Ann Arbor camp opened over the weekend and Jimmy and staff picked up two surprise commitments from the same school in Georgia.   2017 DT Aubrey Solomon and 2018 S Otis Reese from Leesburg, GA committed to the Wolverines on Saturday afternoon.   Both of these commitments were a big surprise to many in the recruiting game.   Most had Aubrey ticketed to SEC schools like Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, etc. and the timing for Otis a 2018 class member was very quick.

You might recognize Leesburg as one of Michigan's Summer Camps earlier this month.  

Lets take a look at Aubrey first.

He is a 4 star recruit across the board and close to a top 100 guy in the nation for all 4 services.   Rivals has him the #4 DT in the country at 91st player nationally, ESPN has him as the #6 DT and 61st overall, 24/7 has him the #14 DT and 207 overall.    This is a big man, he is 6'3 300 pounds going into his senior year.   Talk about a run stopper!

His offer list is SEC heavy as you might suspect:  Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State, UNC, Ohio State, Ole Miss, South Carolina, and USC.

Michigan is looking for a lot of DT depth in this class and might have room for one or two more guys.  Michigan lost Big Willie in the last draft and will lose the likes the Worm and Glasgow in the next for sure. 

This is a huge win for the Wolverines on the recruiting trail and one nobody saw coming.   Congrats to 24/7 for having the inside information and this one.   This is Michigan's 15th commitment to the 2017 class.


Next is 2018 Safety Otis Reese:

Otis has been favoring Michigan for awhile now, he got offered in April and attended the camp this month.   He has always listed Michigan has his leader but he is still entering his junior year of high school. 

The only services to rank him for 2018 are 247 and Scouts both have him listed as a 4 star safety.    He is listed at 6'2 and 195 pounds and might be perfect for the SAM/Peppers role in Michigan's defense.

Otis early offer list included UCLA, LSU, Louisville and CMU. 

2018 seems a long time away but getting Otis on board early is a good sign for the recruiting class with only 4 members in it. 

First Commitment Drops From The BBQ

The BBQ isn't until tomorrow but 4 star WR/CB Brian Cole has picked the Wolverines over MSU. This is a big instate win for Brady Hoke and staff. Brian is expected to play WR at Michigan.


Go Blue and lets hope this is one of many commitments this weekend!

Michigan Plays "Smart"

and it wasn't a Shakar (shocker).  (can't blame him too bad, he said he grew up a Michigan fan.  So he is clearly a smart guy and might be a perfect replacement for JB when he retires?) 

So that is what we have been looking for.  For the past 6 weeks the Michigan Wolverines were looking to get their "Swagger" back and it came in a form of a 6'10 Freshman in Mitch McGary.   As the guys during the CBS half-time put it, Michigan had the 3 best players on the court and MM joined them as the 4th.   Burke was back, GR3 was so hot that we burned through two jerseys,  Hardaway handled the ball well and shot well from behind the arc.

Talk about the best medicine, Michigan finally found a team that didn't want to take the air out of the ball.  VCU wanted to press and play up tempo and the Wolverines obliged.   It was a fun game to watch and it was great to see this team get their "swagger" back.

Welcome to the Sweet 16 Boys!

If the Wolverines can keep up the defensive intensity and Nik Stauskas can find the touch from 3 point land, look out Kansas and everyone else!


Editors Note:  I am going on vacation next week and might not have access to a ton of WiFi.   I will try to get my posts up but a few might be late or I might miss a day.     Enjoy the week of Michigan Basketball!

UMass Post Game = 50 Cent

John T. Greilick / The Detroit News

Saturday's game turned out pretty much the way everyone expected in a Michigan blow out.    It was nice to have a stress free Michigan Football weekend.  The Wolverines won by 50 in a game that was never close.  

Denard played well minus a pick 6 and surprisingly was in the game until the end of the third quarter.    He ran for over 100 yards and nearly passed for 300 yards.  The defense didn't allow a touchdown and only gave up two field goals.

So what are some positives that Michigan can use for next weeks very high profile game in South Bend?

• Funchess is someone that ND will have to game plan for.  The kid is a walking miss-match.
• Fitz got 85 yards on 15 carries and showed flashes of last year.    I actually liked Norfleet and Hayes at RB, maybe having more speed at that spot will help move the ball a bit?
• There is still more work that has to be done on both lines.   I didn't think the O line run blocked very well and the D line didn't make too many tackles.
• Jake Ryan continues to impress on defense.
• UMass runs Brian Kelly's offense, so this was a good prep for  next week.
• It was good to get some young players and walk-on's some time in a real game.
• Roy Rountree got a TD catch!

Michigan will need to be balanced on offense against ND.  We saw last night that ND was able to stop State's running game.  Which means Denard will need to throw and throw accurately against ND's young DB's. 

With the state of the Big Ten, Michigan has a chance to be in Indy and win a title.   It would be nice to see Michigan get a nice win on the road at ND as the last test before Big Ten season starts.

Air Force Aftermath

To close for comfort was the theme of the day.   Air Force moved the ball at up and down the field and minus a missed field goal and a Michigan stop inside the five they would have upset the #19 ranked Wolverines.   Air Force is a team that is designed to make look silly and compete with teams that are bigger and have more talent.   Both of those things happened on Saturday. 

Michigan was pretty one dimensional on offense as the Denard show continued while the rest of the running game faltered.  Denard was fairly accurate in the passing game with only one INT after a tipped ball.  He did have a couple nice throws and a few deep balls.    Another positive on offense was the introduction to Devin Funchess a TE/WR hybrid who looks like a future star with 106 yards and his first touchdown as a Wolverine.   His intro reminded me of the first time we saw Kevin Koger a few years ago.

On to the first Cheers and Jeers of the year.

Cheers:

• Denard Show was in full effect
• Devin Funchess showed he needs to be a bigger part of the offense
• Jake Ryan wearing #47 made the game saving play
• James Ross a true freshman had two big tackles on 4th down
• Norfleet is an electric kick returner. 
• Special Teams seems to be a strong area for the Wolverines
• A win is a win

Jeers:

• The Michigan defense gave up 417 total yards
• Fitz had 7 yards on 8 carries
• The Michigan offensive line had trouble run blocking all day
• Gardner had two drops that could have cost Michigan the game
• ESPN's loss of signal during the Gardner non-catch review
• Will Roy Roundtree report to the Michigan offense?  Paging Roy Roundtree.

A win is a win and that is really all you can say about the game on Saturday.  Denard was 100% of the offense and the defense had trouble stopping a unique opponent.   It's a game you go home happy you won but knowing there is a ton of more work to do.  

Work to be done:

• Michigan's offense line has now under preformed in two games.  They can't seem to open a hole for anyone other then Denard. 
• Michigan's Dline is not doing anything special either.  Big Will had two defensive holding calls.   It seemed having Frank Clark back helped later in the game.   Not much from Craig Roh yet.
• I thought Kovas would have a huge day but I didn't see much of him after the first two drives.
• Michigan needs more game breakers on offense other then Denard.   Is Funchess part of the answer?
• Did we lose Roundtree's productivity with the loss of Tate Forcier?  He needs more looks if he is open.  (he may not be)
• I know this might not a popular take but better coaching/game management from Brady Hoke.  I thought he screwed up time management at the end of the first half, missed a challenge opportunity when Gallon had clearly made a first down by two yards and didn't have his team prepared enough to face Air Force's offense.  I expected he would know Air Force pretty well from his two years at SDSU.   It seems he may need to communicate with the coaches in the press box more often. 
• Receivers please catch the ball.

I think we are starting to see this team might not be as good as we thought going into the year.  I hope they improve before they go down to South Bend and the Big Ten season starts.  Maybe next week will be a confidence building experience against UMass.

Ohio State ReCap: The Winds of Change

John T. Greilick / The Detroit News

I don't know how you watch a Michigan game but my family and friends can attest I get a bit emotional during games.  Michigan could be playing Northwestern or MSU doesn't really mater.   My emotions flow from anticipation, to joy to even levels sadness or disbelief.  Believe or not there even could be some foul language when things go wrong.   When Michigan plays Ohio State and we haven't won a game in 7 years, those emotions move to another mental state that I'm not familiar with.  At some point today around 3:15 this afternoon, I lost my mind.  Not sure what came over me,  but when Michigan went from a game clinching touchdown TWICE to watching JT Floyd get burned for what looked like the game winning pass (that just floated over Posey's head), to Miller spiking a 3rd down and then throwing a pick to finish the game. 

This game is not what I expected.  For some reason Ohio State plays like Ohio State for 11 weeks and when they see the Winged Helmets they turn into the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Miller was doing his best Vince Young impression with his arm and legs.   They moved the ball against the Michigan defense like only ND has this year and still Michigan found away to win both games. 

Denard almost played a perfect game, minus the fumble it was one of his best efforts.  Big Al Borges knew this was Denard's game to win or lose and put it 100% on his shoulders. Denard was ready hungry and played for his current and former teammates in what was great big game performance. 

Cheers

• Denard "freaking" Robinson
• Michigan's O-Line
• Fitz Toussaint
• All the Seniors
• The Big House Crowd
• Brady Hoke being 10-2 in year 1

Jeers

• JT Floyd (are you kidding me, you let Posey behind you on the last drive?)
• Will Hagerup, Come on man.
• Troy Woolfolk,  Struggled all day.
• Greg Mattison (first time on the list but OSU should not have not been able to move the ball so well on your unit)
• Steve Watson and Pat Omameh those penalties almost cost Michigan the game.

This was a great win and I have some more random thoughts. 

• Enough with the "days since OSU lost to Michigan"  For the record, Michigan didn't beat OSU last year but since they played with "Professionals" the game officially didn't have a winner.

• For those that enjoy conspiracy theory's:  The replay booth over turns the Fitz TD run, when one replay shows he was short of the goal line and another replay shows he got in.  If I am correct, if they have two conflicting views, they have to go with the call on the field (which was a TD).  Michigan was a 7.5 favorite and that would have put them up by 10 points.   The refs called two penalties on the next play almost guaranteeing a field goal attempt making the lead 6 points.   

• I'm not sure how Michigan got on the bad side of the replay booth refs but they need to send them a fruit basket or something.  It seems every close call goes against Michigan these days. 

• I hope Michigan gets a BCS bid and if I could put my vote in, I would vote for the Orange Bowl.  How about a Virgina Tech - Michigan match up?

• Where did this season go?  It seems like it just started.

Let's hope the recruits enjoyed themselves and we can wrap up the 2012 class in the next month or so.  I was really impressed how the team competed today and didn't give up even when things started to go wrong. 

It seemed that "the Wind" played a big role in this years team.  The wind blew Rich Rod to the desert and brought us Brady Hoke from the West Coast.  Brady and Greg Mattison blew into town and turned this defense right around.  Michigan learned from the Wind Storm in East Lansing and under similar conditons it didn't phase them against Illinois.  Today the wind blew through the Big House and blew away 7 years of loses and it even might have blown in a new head coach for the Buckeyes.  Whether it was Miller's arm or that Ann Arbor wind, the winning pass blew a few yards away from Posey to seal the game for the Wolverines.  The winds of change feel good to Wolverines fans everywhere.  It's a wind we remember, it's a wind that feels right. 

David Guralnick/The Detroit News

Whether it's the BCS or the Citrus, this team can hold it's head high and the seniors can get a good nights sleep that the Buckeyes went down today.    All is right in the Wolverine Nation again.

Illinois Post Game: A Michigan Defense

John T. Greilick / The Detroit News

Brady Hoke and Greg Mattison have been talking about a "Michigan Defense" ever since they re-stepped into Ann Arbor this past January.  "That was a Michigan defense," Mattison said. "That was, without a doubt, a Michigan defense. Because they played as hard as they could, did whatever they had to do.
"Without a doubt, that was a Michigan defense tonight."

Can you remember a game in the last 3 to 4 years where the offense struggled and defense dominated?  I sure can't.  It was a team effort on defense as well.  The Michigan defensive line was lead by seniors Mike Martin and Ryan VanBergen who helped Michigan pressure the Illinois QB's all day which equaled 4 sacks and 37 total yards on the ground. 

JT Floyd lead the secondary with helping hold their #1 WR Jenkins to 103 total yards and a game saving interception.  Mike Martin had a team high 9 tackles.  The Illinois offense averages over 400 yards a game and nearly 200 on the ground.  Michigan held them to 214 total yards for the entire game.

Cheers

• Fitz Toussaint with 192 yards rushing
• Devin Gardner for protecting the lead and making a nice pass to Odoms for a game saving TD
• Greg Mattisoin clearly the best football coach on the field
• The Michigan Defense for a Team Effort
• A road win for only the second time this year

Jeers

• Denard is turning the ball over way too much.  I think he is maybe 60% healthy right now.  If I had to guess he has many more injuries then the wrist he banged on the helmet of and Illinois rusher. 
• Red Zone offense
• Not putting the game away in the first half
• We lost to Iowa?

I am concerned about Denard's health with Nebraska and Ohio State on deck.  The good thing is these are at the Big House the bad thing is we need Denard in both games.   Michigan had a chance to put Illinois away in the first half and didn't do it.  It's great that Fitz has taken the #1 RB job, I personally would like to see Mike Shaw get a few more touches.  I think Vincent Smith is a bit banged up as well.

We are still missing a short passing game that I think the Wolverines really need.  I would like to see the RB sneak out for a few 5-10 yard passes and a few more screens.   Michigan seems very tentative in the redzone and I think they are concerned with Denard's decision making in the passing game.   Michigan needs to be able to pass in the Red Zone and this something they will need to fix. 

All in all Michigan played well on the road and that was something we were all looking for.  Michigan has 8 wins this year, which were the total of RR's first two years combined.   If the offense can get healthy and back on track and the defense can continue to get better each week, these last 3 games are going to be pretty fun.

Michigan Blows it

The wind blew

Borges game plan blew

Passes blew over the head of Michigan WR's

The kickoff to start the second half blew

The 4th and 1 in the 4th quarter blew chunks.

Some Michigan defenders tackles got nothing but air. 

True statements:  Michigan State played better and deserved to win the game.   Michigan State is a DIRTY team.  No doubt about it.  Gholsten should have been thrown out twice and is likely to get suspended from the Big Ten.    How many personal foul penalties did they get?  With that said, they made the plays and won the game as Michigan continued to shoot itself in the foot.

I thought the Michigan defense kept the Wolverines in the game.  The MSU offensive line played very  well.  Michigan didn't have any sacks.  Cousins made the throws he needed to and didn't make any bad decisions.  

Borges got way out coached by MSU's DC.    Was it the wind?  Was it Denard's missed throws?  It was like Borges didn't have a game plan.  Michigan had plenty of opportunities to score a ton of points in this game and they didn't.  Some of that was good defense but a lot of it was terrible play calls.

There is 4:00 left and your down by 1 touchdown and you have a RB at WR?  Are you freaking kidding me?  He knows what a hot read is?   Come on Borges, that is just terrible. 

BTW:  The QB rotation was just wasting downs.  We are all in with Denard win or lose.  Let him manage the game.  Do that sh*t against Minnesota and MAC teams not against MSU.

Borges isn't alone on bad coaching decisions.  That 2nd half kickoff, what was the point of that? 

How about a couple of reviews guys?  The MSU backwards pass.  I don't buy that Michigan didn't recover it right away.   The 3rd down pass to Gallon, I thought was a terrible spot.  Review it!    Hoke get a headset on, talk to the guys upstairs and make a decision! 

State was aggressive on defense, which gave Michigan problems but that was known going in.  The WR routes I saw on TV were too far down field.   There was never a quick outlet for Denard to throw. Where were the plays designed for an aggressive defense like screens and draws?

Borges lost this game and should take most of the blame in my mind.  MSU didn't do anything that wasn't expected and Michigan didn't do anything about it.    Terrible game plan, just awful. 

I am not disappointed that Michigan lost, I am upset on how they lost.  MSU did what MSU does (get penalties, turn the ball over and play good D) and Michigan didn't do one damn thing about it.  What a waste.  Take that damn countdown clock down because Borges didn't notice it was there.

Northwestern Review

Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press



I know that John Bacon's book that is coming out called Three and Out will give us the behind the scenes drama about RR tenure, but there is something different about the team this year.  You can point to experience which if fair but I have another take; it's the defensive coaching and adjustments.   The lack of coaching adjustments can even be pointed back to Carr era.   The Northwestern game showed Michigan fans that good coaching and adjustments can win you a football game.  

Michigan lost the first half and should have.  Denard threw 3 picks and the Michigan defense didn't seem to have any answers for anything that Northwestern was doing.   It looked like Northwestern was going to double their 24 first half points.  Well, something funny happened on the way to the Michigan blow out.  Greg Mattison and Brady Hoke made some defensive adjustments and Denard starting throwing the ball to the guys in the white jerseys.   "We went to a bigger group," Hoke said of the defense in the second half, "using some nickel package sub-groups, put Jake Ryan back out as a SAM to have a bigger-body guys engage the receivers. That was part of it. We went a little more simplistic, to be honest with you."
The Michigan defense got two turnovers in second half and a 4th down stop.  Denard got back doing what Denard does and finished the game with 117 yards on the ground and 337 through the air.  The most important stat is that the Michigan defense pitched a shutout in the second half and those 24 points the Wildcats had at half time were the same 24 points they had at the end of the game. 

Side note:  I almost jumped through my TV set on the final plays of the first half.  There was 6 second left in the half when Northwestern tried to score one more time.  Persa gets the ball from the shot gut, looks around the field, steps up in the pocket and throws an incomplete pass in the back of the end zone.  They reviewed it and said there was 2 seconds left in the half.   Are you kidding me?  The entire above sequence took 4 seconds?  The clock should have run out and they must have started it late. 

Cheers

• Michigan Fans should feel very proud to have a defensive coordinator like Greg Mattison.  
• 2nd half Denard and Defense
• Hemingway and Roundtree
• Devin Gardner
• 0 punts in the second half
• Kovacs two 4th down stops!

Jeers

• Poor special teams: blocked punt and kick offs out of bounds. 
• 1st half Denard and Defense
• Final seconds in the first half
• I think the officials were poor for both teams (I counted about 3-4 holds on the Michigan defense line that was not called)

Congrats to Big Will on his first sack! Blake Countess is going to be a super star at corner.   I was concerned early in the game that there was bad mojo between Denard and Roundtree.  It seemed every time he threw to Roy he missed him.  That changed in the second half and Roy finished with 83 passing yards and 3 big catches.  Brady Hoke going for it on fourth down in the first half was 100% the right call.   You have to take those risks to win a ball game.  BTW: this is Michigan's 6th win of the season and they are now bowl eligible. 

It's MSU week and they will have two week to prepare for the Wolverines in East Lansing.

Minnesota Review: Check the Box

David Guralnick/The Detroit News

If I were the Michigan coaches, I would of had a check list for the Minnesota game similar to this:

1. Give Denard some short throws to work on his accuracy  -  Check
2. Get Devin some meaningful snaps - Check
3. Have a RB go over 100 yards - Check
4. Limit Denard's carries - Check
5. Open up the offensive play book - Check
6. Hold Minnesota to under 10 points - Check
7. Keep the Little Brown Jug - Check

Yesterday was about as "text book" as a football game gets for the Michigan Wolverines.   Sure, Minnesota is a pretty poor team right now, but it seems every offense has moved the ball on the Michigan defense the last 3 years.   Not on Saturday as Greg Mattison's crew pitched a shut out. 

The offense showed some "creativity" as well, with a wishbone formation with Devin under center and Denard and Vincent Smith in the backfield.   The game was everything we were looking for from the Wolverines.  It was over early and the defense didn't let down in the second half. 

The real test starts next week for the Wolverines as they will play away from their own beds and the comfort of the Big House as they travel to outside of Chicago to face Northwestern which lost a close game to Illinois yesterday.   Northwestern's All Big Ten QB Dan Persa was back for the Wildcats but did leave the game in the 4th quarter as his foot was experiencing some pain.  He said after the game that he expects to play on Saturday Night (7:00 Kick) against the Wolverines. 

Cheers and Jeers

Cheers:
Everything

Jeers:
Nothing

I know! lets do a quick review: Gibbons hit all his field goals, Hopkins carried the ball with out fumbling, the Michigan D didn't need Woolfolk (there was some reports he was limping), the Michigan D pitched a shut out, we saw some creative plays on offense, we even saw some Mike Shaw and Thomas Rawls (which should pretty much guarantee he now can't red shirt) at running back.

If I had to nit pick:  Where is Roy Roundtree?  He was targeted once and dropped the ball. 

I hope this game gives the Wolverines the confidence they need for the their two game road trip against the Wildcats and the Spartans.

Eastern Michigan Post Game

John T. Greilick / The Detroit News

What did we learn?

There are a couple of reasons why you play an EMU early in the season.  Its good to get another check in the win column but you also hope to learn more about your team and your players.  So the question remains did we learn anything on Saturday about the 2011 Wolverines?

I think we did, here are my observations:

• Have you heard the saying, that you have to run to set up the pass?  Michigan needs to run the Spread to set up the Pro Style offense.  Al Borges seems to have one game plan in mind and then throws that out the window after two drives. 
• Hawthorne has locked down one of starting LB roles.  He has a nose for the ball and is pretty quick.
• Michigan still needs Cam Gordon to get better soon. Jake Ryan did some good things but I think that's Cam job when healthy.
• Raymon Taylor was the first freshman DB off the bench.  Which was a surprise.
• Michigan is feeling good about landing a RB in the 2012 class, why? Thomas Rawls got a few meaningless snaps.  Which would wipe out his redshirt unless he gets a mysterious back injury. 
• Both lines have improved but still have a long way to go.
• Al needs to give Denard some easy throws to start the game, he is so hyped up he is trying to throw the ball through a brick wall.
• Vincent Smith needs more touches at RB.

How is this team different then last year?  I'm not sure we are ready to answer that yet.  They seem fundamentally better on defense but still have a ways to go.  The slow starts concern me on both sides of the ball.  Defense I can understand but it seems Al Borges is trying to fit something into the offense that just isn't there.  I really need to see Michigan's WR's integrated better and some more creative running plays.  Sure you don't want to show a ton against The Eagles but I would like to see some more consistency out of the offensive unit.   Where is Roy Roundtree?  Not enough stuff to the TE's?  It seems to me, Denard is missing the open guy.

I have the same feeling I did last year.  It's good to be 3-0 but with too many question marks.  Look for Michigan to break the top 25 this week with a good SDSU team coming to town next week.   On Saturday we might have learned more about Michigan's rivals and the rest of the Big Ten, then we did about our own Wolverines.

Western Michigan Re-Cap

Rainy Day Saturdays always get me down.  I wasn't at the Big House on Saturday and I was sort of glad I wasn't.  What a mess.   My feed on TV was on ESPN2 and they did a terrible job keeping up to date on the delay and when the game would be on.  I switched to ABC to watch Minnesota vs USC and they said they were going back to the Michigan game at 53 minutes after the hour.  I turned back to ESPN 2 at that time and I had missed about a minute of game time.   After the second delay, ESPN 2 went to Nascar and we had no idea if the rest of the game would have been shown or if it was which channel.   I wasn't expecting that they were going to cancel the rest of the game.

(Photo from Detnews)

Now on to the game.  How did that first WMU drive taste to you?  It felt very familiar and very disturbing to me.  I am a big fan of Carvin Johnson and even got to meet him quickly at the Gator Bowl last year, he is a nice young man.  Unfortunately,  he was confused and out of position that entire drive.   I also don't understand why you cover the Slot WR 15 yards off the line of scrimmage with no LB help.   At least move up and look like you are covering someone. 

After that first drive my first thought was, we should have taken the ball after winning the coin flip.  I did like how the new offense moved the ball mixing the spread and pro sets.   The combo between Toussaint and Shaw look to be very good when the line gives them a couple of "motor home" holes to run through.  Denard looked pretty sharp throwing the ball most of the day.  It seemed like he wasn't on the field at all, with the two defensive touchdowns and two delays it seemed like Denard only had a couple of drives. 

The defense rebounded after the Ryan QB hit and the Herron pick 6.   Which was nice to see.  It was clear that Western wanted to throw on every down and spread the Michigan defense out.  That worked for the first couple of  drives, until Mattison figured out to blitz up the middle with Demens and off the edge with Kovacs. 

A win is a win but I wish Michigan had got more work in before ND next week. 

Now to the BHB famous Cheers and Jeers Section:

Cheers:

• Production out of the RB position
• Denard Robinson playing like Denard
• Defensive touchdowns from Brandon Herron
• Jordan Kovas, 2 sacks and breaking up passes
• Greg Mattison making adjustments and finding the right blitz package
• The Michigan offensive line

Jeers:

• Mother Nature
• EPSN/ABC lost the signal a number of times during the good weather
• To quote, Bruce Feldman from the network that still employes "Craig James"
• Kick off coverage
• Missed extra point
• Woolfolk's ankles (not expected to be serious and could have played if they needed him)
• Michigan DL, I didn't see the pressure I expected to see from the D-line.  Most of the pressure came from blitzers. 

I like the balance on offense and would have liked to have seen the wide receivers get into the action more.   I also understand why you have your best players on kick off coverage but Woolfolk is maybe the most important player on defense and doesn't need to risk injury being on special teams.

What to expect next week?  The Weather Channel Bowl

I thought South Florida would play ND tough in South Bend, which had longer delays then the Michigan game.  ND probably won't turn the ball over 5 times at the Big House and they will be very hungry not wanting to go 0-2.   The Fighting Irish will be very dangerous next weekend. (they have MSU at home the week after).  The good thing is Kelly didn't get a ton of tape of Michigan's offense from Saturday.

A win is a win but Michigan sill has plenty to work with two ND and SDS coming to Ann Arbor.

Side Notes:

• It had been rumored for weeks that Hopkins would be suspended for game 1.  He was.
• Ricky Barnum was reported suspended but it came out today it was an injury. 
• Cam Gordon didn't play due to a back injury that flared up before the game.
• Freshman Brendan Beyer played and I think Clark and Countess were on special teams.  Wile kicked off and punted. 
• Michigan only punted twice
• Evans who was transferred back to Michigan this year was also suspended for a team matter. 
• Brent Musburger must be color blind.  He wore his Easter suit on Saturday night.
• Les Miles really has a hard time finishing a thought during an interview.  It's almost painful to watch.
• College football place kicking is just terrible right now, across the board.
• 5 star basketball recruit Mitch McGary watched the game with friend Zack Novak and seemed to have a good time (reported by fans sitting near them).
• Danny O was also at the game.

Super Saturday: Michigan Gets Two More Commitments

Michigan got it's first verbal commitment to the 2012 football class on Thursday.  The Basketball Team also got it's last 2011-2012 scholarship filled on  Friday when Max Bielfeldt hoped on board the Beilein train.

You would expect a boring day from both programs, right?  Wrong.

Both picked up verbals again today. 

Basketball:

Nik Stauskas joined Glenn Robinson III as the second commitment for Michigan's 2012 class.  Nik is a 6'4 shooting guard that is rated 3 stars by pretty much every service but has a very nice offer list that includes Butler, Kansas, Iowa State, and Wake Forest. 

UMHoops has a complete write up on Nik and his potential.


Football:

Remember when Michigan didn't have any commits and needed a ton of offensive lineman?  Well, that was Thursday morning and now Michigan has 2.  The latest is Caleb Stacey a 6'4 280 pound offensive lineman from Cincinnati.  "I just got back from a visit to West Virginia, me and my parents sat down and talked about everything. We just decided that Michigan was the right place for me. It was just the place I felt best and I felt comfortable."

Caleb isn't ranked by any of the services yet but still had a decent offer sheet that included pretty much every MAC school, BC, NC State, Wake, WVU, and South Florida. Michigan is looking to take maybe 5-6 offensive lineman in the 2012 class and they are now off to a flying start.   With Ben Braden late on Thursday and now Caleb on Saturday.


More News:

• Darius Morris has decided to file for the NBA Draft but will not hire an agent.  If he doesn't sign with an agent or sign an endorsement deal he can come back to Michigan.  I think "the butterfly" could use one more year at least.  Darius really improved his game this year, but still needs to work on his jump shooting skills.   If he adds a "J" he will be a more complete NBA prospect.

• An update on Matt Godin's recruitment from Matt's brother:  Just got off the phone with my dad, who is at EMU today with Matthew for a track meet.  Tom Lemming is in Ann Arbor this weekend, and he made it out to EMU to meet my brother.  Lemming told Matthew that he'll be recommending him for both the Army and UA All-American games.  My dad also told me that he and Matthew are probably heading over to Ann Arbor after the track meet to visit with the coaches.  Let's hope Matt is Michigan's 3rd commitment.

Michigan Weekend: Some Spring Game Answers

photo courtesy of Det. News

I'm sure many of you watched the BTN replay or was there live in the Big House. I know the weather wasn't exactly 84 degrees like it was a few days before but here are some of my observations from the game.

Field goal and punting practice was not only boring but very scary. It seems Michigan has a serious problems at both. The punters could barley get the ball past 10 yards. I'm not sure I can remember a true freshman having a job locked up before they hit campus in the summer but it's crystal clear that Will Hagerup has this job. Right now, Tate Forcier is the best punter on the team.

Now I try to answer the questions I had on Friday:


1. Does the defense show any improvements? Do they tackle better and less blown assignments. I would say I saw some improvements, but this unit has a long way to go to see the improvements that we are expecting. I thought the D-Line played pretty well, the linebackers seemed to be better, but the defensive backfield looked slow and pretty bad.


2.Who should be the starter at QB? Is Denard really taking steps on getting the #1 job? Denard was the MVP of the entire Spring Game. He showed he was a real QB passing and running the ball. The highlight of the day, was his 97 yard strike to Roy Roundtree for a TD. Denard is a defensive coordinators nightmare if he is accurate passing the ball. The defenders don't know what to do, because he can throw over you or run by you. Tate was Tate, looked good sometimes and was too fast to leave the pocket and made some poor throws other times. I give the UConn first snap edge to Denard right now. Tate was in against Michigan's 1st defense and Denard was in against the #2's.

3. Justin Turner, is he a 5 star cornerback or should he be playing safety? The concern over Turner is accurate. He was a non-factor at CB and it seems he will be moved to safety in the fall. Let's hope he is a play maker there.

4. Big Will, has he improved and a force on the defensive line? I would say yes, Big Will was running with the 1's and seemed to be making an impact and pushing the pile.

5. Who will step up at the running back position? Nobody. This continues to be a wide open position battle going into the Fall. Each guy showed promise but I didn't see anyone grab the position.

6. Is the buzz on the Gordon's accurate? Cam won a Spring award but I didn't see him make too many plays. He did have a nice hit on the sideline. I did see Thomas making a few tackles. Jury still out on both of them for now.

7. Should Devin redshirt or is he an option to help in the Fall? Devin looked like a high school senior on many plays but on others looked very promising. The future is still very bright for Devin. If I had to make a call today, it would be to redshirt.

8. How does the offensive line look? Is Taylor Lewan the real deal? I thought they looked pretty good without Molk in there. (Got Molk?) I have high expectations for Taylor Lewan, he did look like Pro Bowler Jake Long out there (in his uniform) and I expect him to start or play a lot early and often this year. My excitement meter has Denard #1 and Taylor #2.

9. Does Michigan have any wide receivers that are game breakers? If the USFL was still around I would think Roy Roundtree would be a star in that league. Why you ask? Because, he loves playing in the Spring. This guy has had 2 solid spring games in a row. Odoms also looks like a legit WR now (even though he dropped a perfect bomb that Devin threw) and Gallon made some plays as well. Stokes and Miller also made some catches. There were some drops, but Michigan seems pretty loaded at the WR position and hopefully a few of these guys will be really good.

10. Does this look like a program with 7+ wins in them next season? Wow, that is a tough question to answer right now. I think the Michigan offense is again improved and will have a lot of weapons when healthy. My biggest concerns are the special teams and defensive secondary. Troy Woolfolk was out due to a finger injury and he will be Michigan's best corner. Speed at safety continues to be a concern as does the non-Woolfolk corner spot. The defense looked better against the run and was putting pressure on Tate and Devin. Michigan will need "some help from above" if games are decided by a field goal of any distance. I also wonder who will be returning punts this fall.

Other side notes:

• It seems D. Hart's visit to Michigan this weekend is going well. TomVH from Mgoblog interviews his mom. MRS HART: The amount of support from everyone, the coaches, academics, and fans is amazing. The environment, everything that Michigan has to offer has been really great. Michigan seems to be the total package in my mind. This is my first time at Michigan, so I was overwhelmed. I’m looking for the total package for my son, and that seems to be here.
  


• The Big Ten could be meeting on expansion today in Wash. DC.

Michigan Weekend: Saturday Scrimmage Updates

Mgoblog had some message board posters attend Michigan's scrimmage on Saturday and came away impressed. Here are some of the highlights that I found valuable:

• Taylor Lewan is making a lot of noise for a starting role at left tackle.
• Devin Gardner is making a push not to red shirt
• The QB race seems wide open, Denard has improved and Tate continues to be an accurate passer but not a dynamic runner.
• The defense and tackling looks much improved.
• Justin Turner has gotten too big for corner. Looking more like a safety or the spinner role.
• Stephen Hopkins is really doing a good job at running back and mostly at the "big" running back role (example is a healthy Minor).

All and all good news. If you had to find bad news, it sounds like Tate has not progressed and Turner isn't looking like the shut down corner that we all hoped he was. Then again it's just the Spring and Spring Buzz doesn't get you anything on Saturday's in the Fall.

Wolverine Weekend Update: Hockey Anyone?

Michigan knocked off Bemidji State 5-1 in the NCAA Hockey Tournament last night. Tonight they play #1 seed Miami of Ohio for the right to go the Frozen 4. I believe you can catch it on ESPN U.

Go Blue!

Wolverine Weekend Update: Manny Harris Could Be Gone

All indications are that Manny Harris will forgo his senior year of basketball at Michigan to enter the NBA draft. He told the Michigan Daily that he will make his final decision known on Monday.

The rumor mill is saying that he is gone and probably has already told Coach Beilein. From what I have read, Manny is not a first round selection and should keep the door open to a return if the NBA Camps don't go well. Most likely he will sign with an agent and close the door on any return.

If Manny goes, this will open the door to another scholarship for the 2010 or 2011 seasons.

Wolverine Weekend Update: BG Dominates and Recruiting News

As Michigan fans we know how good Brandon Graham is. He was dominate all year on a bad defense and should have been a finalist for some national awards. Now most of the NFL Scouts know as well, as BG had two sacks, two fumble recoveries, and was named the Defensive MVP for the Under Armour Senior Bowl. Brandon's impressive play should now propel him into the first round, some services had him with a early second round grade.

• Former Michigan 2009 signee Adrian Witty has committed to Cincinnati. Adrian was not academically eligible to join the Wolverines in 2009 and stayed in Florida to work on his grades. The rumor is that his new grades and a higher test score were flagged as risky and the U of M admissions offices denied his admission, again just a rumor. You also don't need to make a big leap to think that Coach Rod's might have called his friend Butch Jones at Cincinnati to secure Adrian a spot. Mostly after taking Jibreel Black last week.

• Tony Grimes to Ole Miss: Tony has had Michigan as his leader for most of his recruitment and now he has decided to stay South and attend Ole Miss. The last few weeks of this recruitment seem strange. First, Jay Hopson his recruiter from Michigan takes a job as Memphis DC, then his teammate Clarence Murphy who he planned on going to Michigan with picks Maryland instead, and then Tony plays in high school all star game and doesn't like the cold. After all those things, Grimes went from a Michigan lock to a Michigan maybe. Now he will play his football at Ole Miss. So was it Tony that cooled on Michigan or did Michigan cool on Tony? Either way it doesn't matter now and we wish him good luck playing for Houston Nutt.

• Pitt to the Big Ten? The messages boards are running with a rumor that Pitt will be named as the Big Ten's 12th team sometime in the near future. Interesting choice (if true), it would give Penn State an instate rival. If this is true, I hope they build their own football stadium.

• RR said at halftime of the Michigan - Iowa game that he plans to take 26-28 commitments for the 2010 class. Michigan currently has 26 verbals with 3 guys left on the board: Parker, Dorsey, and Knight. He is also ok with Kelvin Grady playing both basketball and football and that he plans on hiring a new LB coach after signing day.

• A thought for the NFL: I know having the Pro Bowl the week before the Super Bowl has come under fire due to the loss of the Colts and Saints players, and the move from Hawaii. I also know the NFL would like to fill the void in between weeks. So my thought is to play the Senior Bowl at the site of the Super Bowl on the Saturday or Sunday the week before. Make it a big event and get it off the NFL network. Players would get a good idea what it takes to be a NFL player.