Michigan Monday: Ranks the Big Ten and Other News

We all know that Minnesota travels to the Big House this weekend to play for the Little Brown Jug.   It looks like the Golden Gophers head coach Jerry Kill might not be with the team due to his treatment of seizures.  You might remember that Jerry suffered one on the sideline in week two and it seems his condition has not gotten better and that he continues to have them.   "The seizures continue to be a concern for me and my family," Kill said in a statement released by the school. "Rebecca (Kill's wife) and I have made the decision to do what it takes to find a solution. I hope to be back to work soon, but we believe that taking some time away to get a handle on this is the right thing to do."

Obviously, this is more important then a football game and I wish nothing but good health to Jerry and his family.  I hope the Mayo Clinic can figure out his situation and he is on the sideline soon.

•  Michigan is #19 in both polls

• Former Illinois assistant Mike Locksley was fired as the head coach of New Mexico.  His two year run included punching an assistant coach, sexual harassment allegations, giving his son's car to a potential recruit and 2 wins.   Even Rich Rod thinks that is a bad run.

• Michigan is favored by 20.5 against Minnesota

• 4 star Ohio DE and MSU recruit Se'Von Pittman visited OSU this weekend. 

• Not sure what happened here but the latest buzz on Danny O'Brien is that he will not be picking Michigan next week.  It seems he is down to Tennessee and MSU.  Does Michigan need that spot for another position?  Or has Danny warmed to another program?  Not sure.

Ranking the Big Ten Teams

This week starts the Big Ten season and there are a number of "great" games that will go along way to finding out who is going to make it to Indy for the championship game.    #8 Nebraska at #7 Wisconsin and MSU at Ohio State.

1. Wisconsin #7
2. Nebraska #8
3. Michigan #19
4. Ohio State
5. Michigan State
6. Penn State
7. Iowa
8. Illinois #24
9. Northwestern
10. Purdue
11. Minnesota
12. Indiana

It's pretty clear right now that it's Wisconsin, Nebraska and everyone else.  You could switch any team from 3-6.   I'm not sold on Illinois at all as they struggled to beat Western Michigan this weekend.  Iowa and Northwestern have semi-bad losses to Iowa State and Army.  Minnesota lost to North Dakota State on Saturday and Indiana traveled to North Texas and lost 24-21.

Side Note:  Can someone do a little research and find out, when the last time Michigan was ranked higher in the polls over all their rivals?  Ohio State, ND and Michigan State?  I was thinking 2006 but OSU was #1 most of the year that year.

San Diego State Preview

Time: 12:00
Location: Big House
TV: BTN
Weather: High of 66 and 70% chance of rain
Line: Michigan -10.5

Welcome to the Brady Bowl (Hoke not Tom).  Remember back in 2006 when Michigan was undefeated and they had a late scheduled game against Ball State. The game was November 5th right before Michigan headed on the road to face Indiana and the #1 vs #2 match up against Ohio State. Michigan struggled the entire game and won 34-26. That game went a long way in Brady Hoke getting his current gig.

Between Ball State (his Alma Mater) and Michigan (his dream job) he spent two years at SDSU. He turned that program around and won a bowl game with Aztecs last December. They have been able to continue that momentum under new head coach Rocky Long who was the DC under Coach Hoke with a 3-0 record. This is the best start SDSU has had in 30 years and will have plenty of "intangibles" to play for on Saturday when they met their former coaches team.

The Aztecs are similar to Michigan in the fact they roll up a lot of yards on offense and also give up a bunch of yards on defense. How many yards? 419 total yards to Washington State and 446 to Army.
On offense the two NFL worthy guys are QB Ryan Lindley and RB Ronnie Hillman. It will be both of their jobs to keep scoring up and Denard off the field.

Let's go to the Tale of the Tape:

Running Game: Push (Denard vs Ronnie)
Passing Game: Lindley
Defense Talent: Push
Defense Coaching: Mattison, Hoke and Borges (It was Al's offense he should know how to stop it)
Scouting Report Edge: Hoke and Borges
Intangibles:  SDSU (Our coach broke up with us via text)
Kick off Time: Michigan (it will be 9:00 AM on the West Coast)

This is the best game in the Big Ten this week and somehow ESPN/ABC looked past it.  SDSU likes to get out quickly and has scored at least 14 points in the first quarter the last 7 games.  Michigan has yet to score in quarter number 1 this year.   That could mean the Aztecs could get out to a quick lead and Michigan might be playing from behind again. 

If you haven't blocked out the Rich Rod years, you might remember the tenancy of his teams to get out and score early and then fade late.  The 2011 Wolverines seem just to be the opposite.

Sing Hail to the Victors if................

• SDSU sleep walks through the first half
• Michigan doesn't sleep walk through the first half
• Denard can find his wide receivers and tight ends
• 1 Michigan Running Back gets over 100 yards
• Hoke and Mattison come up with a secret formula to stop Hillman & Lindley
• TWolf is 100% healthy - No casts or limps

Think to yourself, Damn Hoke must be a good coach if they are doing this to us.........

• SDSU gets out to a two score lead in the first half
• They have formula to stop Denard
• Aztecs keep Michigan under 400 total yards
• The Michigan defense is dazed and confused
• Hillman over a 100 yards and Lindley over 300 passing

If I was a betting man, I would assume the SDSU kids want this game more then the Wolverines.   Brady Hoke was their coach and now he is on the Michigan sideline.   On the other hand, if there is anyone in the nation that could "read SDSU mail" it would be Coach Hoke and Big Al.   So I'm guessing that will even it self out during the game. 

This maybe the best offense the Michigan defense has seen but ND was pretty close.  I know San Diego State hasn't seen a Denard Robinson yet but he has struggled early in games by throwing picks and over throwing receivers.   Don't sleep on the Aztecs and it wasn't a joke when Coach Hoke wanted to buy out this contract.  He knows how good they are.  If you need something to reference when thinking about this game, think Notre Dame.    I see lots of points and not much defense.  If Michigan can continue to get turnovers on defense (while not giving them up on offense) that might be the difference.   Brady Old vs Brady New

Michigan 38 SDSU 28


GO BLUE!

Wolverine Wednesday: How Come The Big Ten Isn't More Active?

Because, they like the stack of dollar bills they already have. 

The Big Ten likes its current position with the recent addition of Nebraska and the current revenue split.   If they added two more teams the pot of money gets smaller.   For Devil's Advocates sake lets take a look at a pair of teams that could be a nice fit:

The High Maintenance Couple:

Texas and Notre Dame:  These two are the prettiest girls at the party and they know it.  They each have their own TV contracts and want more money then the other schools if they agree to come to a conference.   These two are clearly big names but they come with way too much baggage and demands.   If they can't share, they won't get an invite.  That Longhorn network is already a mess and ESPN should shut it down.  ND says they would rather go to the ACC instead of the Big Ten, really?  Why?  ND is the girl friend you should never call again. 

Big 12 Raid:

Texas and Oklahoma:  We know the issues with Texas and Oklahoma doesn't have the academic record that the Big 10 is looking for.  But let's be honest, with MSU and OSU in the Big Ten, OK wouldn't be that much of an academic stretch.  The problem is OK travels with it's little brother OK State and there really isn't room for 3 and just the OK schools alone isn't really that attractive. 

Big East Raid:

I don't think any Big East schools make much sense for the Big Ten.  UConn and Rutgers Football Programs are too small.  Even though you would bring in the NY market, I'm not sure the risk is worth the reward for mostly a professional sports market.  You really don't relate NYC with college sports and I'm not sure the move to the Big Ten would make it a college football town.  It isn't a strong football recruiting area either.  They have a couple top prospects per year.    (Yuri Wright comes to mind)

The ACC has a $20M exit fee so strike that out. 

The latest news is the PAC 12 is staying at 12 (they don't want to over pay Texas either).  Missouri is knocking on the door of the SEC and asking to join the party.   WVU was already been rejected by the SEC and this weekend they have a chance to take it out on Les Miles and LSU.   So the net of this is, the Big Ten feels good at 12 teams and probably won't consider expanding unless Texas or ND call them and drop their revenue demands. 

----------

• SDSU might be the best team, Michigan has played so far this year this year.   This game on Saturday worries me.  Pat Forde is picking SDSU 28-27.

• One advantage that Michigan has on Saturday is not only Hoke and Staff coaching them last year but the noon kick off.  It's a fact in the NFL that West Coast Teams that travel East for 1:00 kick offs do not do well.  Having the noon kick off plays in Michigan's favor.  Let's hope SDSU is sleep walking for the first half and Michigan gets off to a quick start.

• Vincent Smith has earned the start at RB and I agree.  He seems fully healed from his ACL from the Ohio game his freshman year.

• I have real concerns with Will Heininger and Nathan Brink on the defensive line.  I'm not sure the walk on experiment is working.   Richard Ash must be struggling and we might see more of former offensive lineman Q. Washington or some rush linebackers.  I continue to give Craig Roh a pass due to his health.

• Oops!  If I can get a press pass, I guess this guy could sneak in.  Michigan pulled his.  (I hope I am still on the list :)

EMU Preview

Time: 12:00
Location: Big House
TV: BTN
Weather: Partly Cloudy high of 66 degrees (is it Fall already?)
Line: Michigan -30


So Michigan's 2011 season has consisted of a weather shorten game and a big comeback against a rival.  So what will week 3 have in store for us?  Hopefully a lot less drama and many more offensive plays. 

Clearly, this is a miss match on paper and talent as EMU comes down Stadium Blvd to get a pay day.  The battle of Washtenaw County helps EMU fund it's athletic department and a chance for former Wolverines to start or continue their coaching careers.

With that said, the Wolverines have struggled in the past with EMU and played some too close for comfort games.   Will there be a let down this weekend?  I doubt it, even though Michigan is 2-0 there still remains a ton of questions that Brady and Staff hopes to start answering on Saturday.   For example:

• Can Michigan find a starting RB?
• Will Justice Hayes or Thomas Rawls get any snaps?
• How will the musical chairs at LB turn out?
• Can Michigan's offensive line dominate like expected?
• Can the Michigan offense be effective with Denard under center?
• Will Devin Gardner get some snaps?
• Can the defensive line get a pass rush with 4 guys?
• Is Blake Countess or Greg Brown ready for regular action?
• Can Michigan make a field goal?

That's a lot of questions to be answered in week 3 with a solid SDSU team coming in next week and the Big Ten season two weeks away. 

The Michigan players should take this game seriously because their playing time in future games may depend on it.   I just hope we can start to identify the clear starters at each position with a couple good options for back up (while not burning any redshirts).

I also wouldn't mind if Craig Roh mixed in a tackle or two.  I'm just hoping he is just not himself from the illness he had late in the summer.

This is not a big recruiting game, so there probably won't be a ton of top rated 2012 guys on campus.  Michigan needs to focus on the game, stay healthy and put this one away early so the back ups can get some time.   Troy Woolfolk please sit this one out.

Sing Hail to the Victors if...............

• Denard is sharp in the passing game and is healthy on the bench in the 3rd qtr.
• Big Will starts to cement his position in the starting lineup
• The offensive line gives some huge holes for the Michigan running backs
• 2 running backs have over 100 yards and neither are named Denard.
• The Michigan defense holds EMU to under 14 points
• No injuries
• Mike Hart runs to the Michigan sideline as EMU takes the field

Say Darn those former Michigan coaches and players if..............

• The game is uncomfortably close
• Michigan can't stop the run on defense
• Mike Hart suits up for the Eagles
• If Michigan has let down after the big win last weekend

Look for EMU to try to run the ball a lot and take some shots down field if the Michigan safeties are out of position or giving big cushions.  Michigan will work on the basics like running the ball and trying to improve Denards's accuracy with some short throws.  Michigan will take plenty of shots deep but they really want to get some yards out of the RB position and not put Denard in harms way.   Let's hope Big Blue jumps out to a big lead and the defensive holds tight. 

Michigan 41 EMU 13


GO BLUE

Notre Dame Preview

Time: 8:00 PM
Location: Big House at Night
Weather: High of 73 with isolated thunderstorms
TV: ESPN
Line: Michigan +3

This is one of my favorite games of the year.  It rates right up there in my mind with Ohio State.  ND has come to the Big House in past years and hit Michigan with a rocket and Michigan counter punched with Desmond's TD catch.   Both memorable games for different reasons.    I even remember a night game at ND where a Michigan WR took a pass that looked like it had been broken up but ended up on a teammates shoulder and took it for a touchdown.  Michigan lost a close game.   Another year Lou Holtz played for a tie and the memorable games go on and on in your mind, including Denard's dominance last year. 

My job this year is to try give you a prediction on how this game is going to turn out late night on Saturday.  I usually like to take a snap shot of how they played the week before and try to make the decision on who is playing better.   Both teams had long rain delays and one team played through them and lost the other called it a day a won.   Michigan just wet our appetite on offense as two defensive touchdowns and the weather limited Denard's touches against Western Michigan.  ND fumbled and threw away their game as they pretty much doubled up the yards against South Florida last weekend.  (Does that game sound familiar?  It seems very similar to RR's first game in South Bend).

Vegas isn't buying the turnover fest from last weekend from the Fighting Irish and have them as a 3 point favorite which seems strange coming off a loss and having to travel to Ann Arbor. 

So how am I going to predict this game?

Both teams have:

• Guys that can dominate the game on offense - Denard and Floyd
• Two outstanding players on shaky defenses - Mike Martin and Manti Te’O
• Both schools have new coaches and trying to run new schemes (ND has a 1 year advantage)
• Michigan started 2010 strong and ND finished the year strong
• Both are Adidas schools and will be wearing throw back jerseys

• Neither team is ranked but ND was ranked #16 last week
• ESPN Game Day is in the house and it's the prime time game of the week.

Sounds pretty even doesn't it?  Michigan and the Wolverine Fans will be hyped up for the first night at the Big House.  There will be fly overs, hype videos, new jerseys, fireworks and I'm sure other surprises.  Which should get the crowd ready to explode when the Wolverines hit the banner. That "juice" should carry the Wolverines for the 1st quarter or so. 

Ok, Bob enough hype!  What is going to happen in the game?

I expect ND to have a similar game plan as Western did on Saturday.  They will spread out the Wolverines and try to move the ball down the field through the air.  I would make sure Floyd is closely covered because he is clearly the best player on offense.   ND then will try to hit big plays through mixing in the run, catching the Michigan defense off guard.   I personally don't care who the ND QB is since they both can play.   The ND WR's are fast and if they cut out the mistakes they had last week they will be difficult for the Wolverines DB's to cover.  Michigan needs a 100% healthy Troy Woolfolk and it would help if the new Detroit Lion Donovan Warren could dress on Saturday night as well.

Greg Mattison has a tough job this week trying to figure out how to cover Floyd with more then one player, covering the other talented receivers while trying to stop the run.  That is a big task for the Michigan defense that is prone to giving up lots of yards and points to good any offenses.   It's clear Vegas hasn't forgot the Gator Bowl either.

ND has the same problem with trying to stop Denard.  Here is a quote from their DC:
"Unfortunately it just is what it is," defensive coordinator Bob Diaco said. "We need to be perfect, because any little crease and it's over, he's gone. It's not like, somebody hits a crease and he rattles for eight, 10 yards and you get him on the ground. This guy hits the crease and he can punch a hole in the top of the defense like that." …

"It's just a monumental task defending a runner at quarterback in particular, that it almost gives you the feeling like they're playing with 12," Diaco said. "It's a problem." 

I expect to see the ball in Denard's hands more then last week.  The ND defense will all go to Denard on the threat of a run and should leave Michigan TE's and WR's wide open.  Look for big days from Koger, JR and Roundtree.   I don't expect big days for the Michigan running backs unless Al Borges can just flat out fool the defense.   Speaking of fooling the D, I expect a trick play from the Wolverines on Saturday night.  Could it be a pass to Denard?   I also expect to see Hopkins in the I formation as a FB that could get a few carries.  The Michigan offense didn't show much last week and us fans hope there is a lot more to come. 

I hate to say who wins the turn over battle will win the game because that is usually the case in any football game.  The talent is pretty even and I would say the biggest gap is between ND's offense and Michigan's defense.  Most believe that ND won't have the turnovers they did last weekend but I will tell you this, after watching the Wolverines the last few years, turnovers are contagious and sometimes they just don't totally go away from game to game. 

Sing Hail to the Victors Late Night if:

• Denard stays healthy and can dominate
• The Michigan WR's and TE's have big nights
• The Michigan Defense can take one thing away from the ND offense (Floyd or the running game)
• Michigan wins the turnover battle

You feel like Bo when he said, "To Hell with Notre Dame"

• If we have flash backs to when Boubacar tried to cover the ND WR's
• Brian Kelly isn't angry at all
• The Michigan defensive line doesn't get any pass rush at all
• Michigan's offense struggles and can't keep pace on the score board. 

Michigan needs to limit the big plays on Saturday night and I feel the key unit will the Michigan defense.  Both teams will score points and who gets the most stops will win the game.  I have a feeling we are going to see a ton of points and a close game.   Watch the TE's on both sides, they could be a huge difference in the game.  ND is used to playing night games so the first Big House night game shouldn't play too much of a factor for them.   One play or turnover will change this game and tip it for the other team.

Michigan 34 Notre Dame 31

GO BLUE

Big House Blog Quick Hitters

• Brady Hoke said that Cam Gordon is questionable for Saturday.  His back must still be bothering him.
• TWolf is doing more then expected this week and will be ready to go on Saturday.
• Hopkins will see some time at tailback and fullback.
• The Lions signed Donovan Warren to it's practice squad. 
• Je'Ron Stokes transferred to Bowling Green to play with his brother who is a freshman QB.

Wolverine Wednesday: Likes the Art

Some of you might have heard about the new ESPN Ann Arbor web site that was taking some of the best Michigan beat writers and recruiting guys.  TomVH one of the best connected recruiting guys left Mgoblog for ESPN and has already started.   The site isn't called ESPN Ann Arbor it's called WolverineNation.  There is some good video's up already with Tom interviewing Danny O and Shane Morris showing off his arm (btw the kid can throw!).   Most of the stuff will be behind the pay wall but if you subscribe to ESPN the Magazine you can get access for free.  BTW, there are deals out there on the magazine for like $4 a year for a full subscription.

The Art, The Art, The Art has done some great PC wall papers in past years.  The one for the Big House under the lights is pretty good.    If you want to download this free wall paper hit the above link and enjoy this imagine on your PC or Ipad.




Pretty Boy Al Borges and Greg Mattison did their regular coach speak yesterday, below are the highlights:

• Woolfolk is healthy and will play on Saturday.  He will also stay on special teams.
• They will cover Floyd with more then one CB.  The thought was that Woolfolk might shadow Floyd the entire game.  I vote for covering Floyd with TWolf and Marvin Robinson.
• Al Borges plans to use less shotgun.  (don't believe him)
• Barnum will start and play on Saturday.
• Hopkins (now off suspension) will get time at RB against ND.  Maybe some two back stuff with him a FB? 
• There was pretty much agreement from all coaches that the D-line did not play well against WMU. 

Check out the new seats (updated link, not sure how a mgoblue link could link to SMU Tennis)  in Crisler Arena.  Is that really Crisler?  Looks good.

It seems the visitors list this weekend is very fluid.  The latest is that WR Powe will not make it in this weekend due to his late game on Friday night in California.   Jordan Payton is still planning on coming in.  The rumor mill is saying that Michigan should have a new WR commit in the 2012 class in the next week or so.  I'm betting on Darboh or Payton.   There is also some positive buzz around Danny O, who might be on commitment watch on Saturday.  Danny and Yuri Wright seem to be the last two defensive players left on Michigan's 2012 board.

• Braylon's latest mistake cost him a $50K NFL Fine. 

Michigan Tuesday: Confidence = Good Defense

You can point to many successes in life in whether you are confident or not.  Think about some job interviews you have had.  The ones you were confident in you probably got an offer, the jobs you weren't quite sure about, you probably didn't do as well.   I have coached Little League Baseball for a number of years. The kids that go into the batters box knowing they are going to get a hit, usually do.   The ones that don't - don't.  A player in a slump just doesn't forget how to field or hit, the only thing they have lost is confidence.   The Michigan defense hasn't had confidence for the past 3 years.

That lack of confidence was evident during the first 3 drives of the ball game.  It was the same old story for the Michigan defense until Jake Ryan hit the Western QB and Brandon Herron took it to the house for a touchdown.  After that pick the game changed.

Sure some things changed like scheme and defensive personnel.  Greg Mattison also realized that Western wasn't going to even try to run the ball and started blitzing from all over the field.    Those things helped Michigan on Saturday but the big difference was confidence.   You could see it in effort and how the team started to stop Western on a regular basis.  Western came into the Big House having confidence they could move the ball on the Wolverines and it happened.   Michigan's Defense didn't have any confidence they could stop any offense and they didn't.   Then the game changed and so did the confidence on both sides.

Related to this topic is Brady Hoke and some of the chatter that he wasn't wearing a head set full time on the sideline.  Good leaders are confident leaders.  They also understand their own strengths and weaknesses. Brady is a defensive guy and respects Al Borgus decision making and lets him do his job.  Brady also has one of the best defensive minds in Greg Mattison and is confident he will make the right calls.   You can draw similar examples from the business world.  Bill Gates knew he was a technology guy not a company leader or a PR guy that would need to meet with the media and Wall Street.  Early on he hired Steve Ballmer to do that stuff while he focused on building products and future technology trends and vision.  That strategy helped Microsoft become one of the most successful companies in US history. 

Having the coordinators do their job is somewhat of a foreign concept to Michigan Football.  Go back to the Carr years, when Lloyd clearly had his hands on the conservative play calls on both sides of the ball.  Same with RR, he hired two defensive coordinators and didn't let either run the defense they knew best.  (we know Bo was very hands on every part of the program, but football was a different game back then)  I think a case could be made for the last 10 years or so that what Michigan Football really needed was a head man that just let his staff do what they do best.  I guess we will see what happens from here on out.    

Michigan Updates

• Woolfolk and Cam Gordon are expected to play against ND on Saturday.
• Special Teams is going to be a focus this week.
• Michigan won't change preparation for ND on their QB situation. 
• Fitz will continue to be the starting RB
• Focus on tighter coverage in zone and will have to do better in man coverage against the Floyd's of the world this week.
• Vegas has ND is favored by 3.5 points on Saturday right now

Recruiting Updates

• Terry Richardson was at the game on Saturday and has decided not to take anymore visits and will stick and stay with Michigan.
• This weekend will be one of the biggest recruiting weekends of the year for the 2012 and 2013 class.
• Does Michigan really have a legit shot at landing 5 star Center Mitch McGary?  He had a great visit to Michigan and the answer is YES!.  Michigan will have to fight it out with college basketball elite (Kentucky, Duke, NC, Florida and others) but Michigan has a very good chance to land this young man.    I think this would be Michigan's highest ranked recruit since Tractor Traylor.

Michigan Tuesday: Game Week Thoughts and Some Recruiting Notes

There was a good discussion going on in yesterday's comments field regarding this Michigan team, which I agree with. 

So I wanted to share these thoughts with the larger audience.  

How will this team be different then last year?

Brady Hoke has a philosophy that if you play great during practice on Wednesday you will play great during the game on Saturday.  Camp has been physical and I expect practice to continue to be physical during the year.  The only way you prepare for a team like Nebraska is practice physical during the week.  From his PC yesterday:   I'm a big believer in that when you prepare and when you practice, you're going to play that way. So if we've got great intensity getting to the football (with the) eleven guys defensively, (or if) our wide receivers are sustaining blocks and harassing corners, we expect that to be done during practice. That's a demand that we have because I believe you have to play like you practice."

Expect to see a lot of players rotating on defense.  I expect to see 8 players rotate on the DL for example (Martin, Campbell, Roh, Black, Van Bergen, Washington, Brink and  Heininger).

Same with LB and Safety.   The two players I am looking forward to seeing is Marvin Robinson and hopefully Josh Furman. 

I have a feeling about Jake Ryan being a very good player.  I remember a few years ago in the Spring Game when it was clear Tate and Roundtree had something special and then we didn't see Roundtree until mid season.  I think Jake Ryan is one of those kids with great instincts for the ball.

Power Run Game?

I don't think we are going to see a ton of that this year.  I think we will see Denard under center and in the shot gut a lot.  Michigan just doesn't have the personnel to run a ton of power run plays. 

Can Denard be effective in this offense?

Yes and he can even be more effective.  The reason is last year he had running plays and passing plays.  He threw the ball during passing plays and ran during running plays.  This year he will mix scrambling during passing plays which will freeze the linebacker and open running lanes.  Also look for a ton of RB's and TE's running wide open.  Because if your a LB, who are you going to be watching the RB out the backfield or Denard?

The kicking game scares me does it scare you?
Yes it does.  The place kicking and punting scares me.  I hope they preform well against Western because we will need good performances out of both positions for ND.


Recruiting News:

• The common thought on the two players from Cincinnati Taft WR Stanford and DE Washington that the Michigan ship had sailed.   There was even a strong rumor that Washington had verballed to OSU last week, which turned out to be false.   Then comes this newspaper report that both have scheduled an official visit to Ann Arbor.   OSU is not on the list but it's only two hours away from them, so they can visit anytime. 

• Jordan Diamond's teammate committed to Arkansas yesterday.  There were reports that Jordan and his mom loved their visit, so this could be a team to watch.  I keep hearing whispers that the Michigan coaches might be cooling on Jordan.  So we will see what happens here.

• I know Darboh cancelled his visit for this weekends game but I suspect he shouldn't wait too long to visit or verbal with the likes of Powe and Payton coming in for the ND game.  There is very strong interest in 5 star WR Stefon Diggs in Michigan.  He has some academic issues he needs to clear up but if he does, Michigan would recruit him very hard.  Diggs is a former teammate of Blake Countess.

2 Deep for Western Michigan

MICHIGAN OFFICIAL TWO DEEP WMU GAME
OFFENSE                                         2nd Team         3rd Team
QB	D. Robinson	D. Gardner
RB	M. Shaw OR F. Toussaint	V. Smith	S. Hopkins
FB	J. McColgan	S. Watson
WR 1	J. Hemingway	K. Grady	J. Jackson
WR 2	R. Roundtree	J. Gallon	M. Odoms
TE	K. Koger	B. Moore	S. Watson
LT	T. Lewan	M. Schofield
LG	R. Barnum	E. Mealer
C	D. Molk	R. Khoury
RG	P. Omameh	E. Mealer
RT	M. Huyge	M. Schofield
DEFENSE
SDE	W. Heininger	N. Brink
NT	M. Martin	W. Campbell
DT	R. Van Bergen	Q. Washington
WDE	C. Roh	J. Black	F. Clark
MLB	K. Demens	J.B. Fitzgerald	M. Evans
WLB	M. Jones	B. Herron	B. Hawthorne, D. Morgan
SLB	C. Gordon	J. Ryan	B. Beyer
SS	T. Gordon	C. Johnson	J. Furman
FS	J. Kovacs	M. Robinson
CB1	T. Woolfolk	B. Countess	G. Brown
CB2	C. Avery OR JT Floyd	T. Anderson
SPECIAL TEAMS
P	M. Wile OR S. Broekhuizen
K	B. Gibbons OR M. Wile
PR	J. Hemingway OR D. Dileo OR J. Gallon OR M. Odoms
KR	J. Gallon	K. Grady	V. Smith

HT to Mgoblog

Not a ton of surprises, here is what sticks out to me:

• Big Will is backing up Mike Martin.  Looks like Michigan has 8 guys on the DL that will rotate all over the place.  


• No Cox and Hopkins is 3rd string RB. 


• Odoms is 3rd string at WR.  Gallon has leaped over a guy with experience.  Could be due to injury?


• SDE is a fight between two walk on's.


• Thomas Gordon beat out Carvin Johnson at SS


• Blake Countess beat out G.Brown who was on the team in the Spring.   Which is impressive.


• The reported battle between Avery and Floyd continues at CB


• WLB seems very un-settled to me


• The "or" in the punting and kicking game scares me

Thoughts.................

Michigan Monday: Welcomes You To Game Week

Can't wait for Saturday.  The last time I saw the Michigan Football Program play a game, I was walking off the field at the Gator Bowl and it was clear Rich Rod has coached his last game at Michigan.  Today is a brand new day with a new staff at Michigan.    The talk is not about re-building it's about Championships.   I'm not sure the Wolverines are ready to make the leap to Big Ten Champs and BCS Bowls but I love the expectations that it is.  I have heard predictions from 5-10 wins this year.  That is a big gap and I will give you my rundown of the season later in the week.

I will break today's post into a few sections:

Redshirt years I wish we still had:

1. Denard Robinson:  I know Tate got beat up a few times during their freshman year (The Iowa game sticks out), but for only completing 14 passes (he did run 69 times), I wish we had another year in the bank with this special talent. 


2. Big Will Campbell:  This was a huge mistake by RR and staff to play Big Will a few snaps his freshman year.   It was clear that Will needed a year to learn how to play the DL and the Michigan coaching staff played him in some meaningless downs.   Big Will's high school coach Thomas Wilcher said last week that Will was a much better offensive lineman (then defensive) in high school.


3. WR's: Dileo, Stokes and Jackson:  I know Stokes left the team but he caught 1 pass last year for 11 yards and was a true Sophomore meaning he played his Freshman year as well.  Drew Dileo caught 1 pass for 3 yards but did contribute in the return game.  Jeremy Jackson had 4 catches for 55 yards.  It would be nice if both Dileo and Jackson were redshirt freshman this year.    I'm not sure their limited playing time last year was worth blowing their redshirt year.  If they had handled Stokes differently maybe he would still be on the team and had a better chance to reach his potential. 


4. Devin Gardner?  If RR has messed this up, playing him against BGSU and others, he owes us some of his buy out back.   I guess we won't know whether DG got his medical redshirt or not until his 5th year. 

In my mind DG's (if he doesn't get it) and Big Will's lost redshirt years are complete failures by RR and staff.  (I know, add it to the list of failures)

Recruiting News:

• 4 Star WR Amara Darboh that was expected to visit this weekend is said to be re-scheduling. 


• 4 Star WR Darius Powe from California is going to visit for the ND game.  (This will be the "HUGE" recruiting weekend)

High School News:

• Michigan Recruits faced off this weekend at EMU when Cass Tech faced Farmington Harrison.  It wasn't close as Harrison won in a blow out 43-7.  I wasn't there but here is what I gleamed from a number of accounts:

-RJS and Ross had a quiet night since Cass Tech was clearly out manned.
-Ojemudia and Funchess had very good nights and both very athletic.  There are reports Ojemudia really has improved over the summer from the camps he attended and new work out regime.  Reports from the game was that Cass couldn't block Ojemudia at all.
-The most anticipated match up of the night was Terry Richardson vs Aaron Burbridge.  I heard Terry held his own but Burbridge was one of the best player on the field and won the match up.    As you know, Burbridge is heading to MSU as many recruiting insiders said Michigan had to back off due to some academic issues. 

• Shane Morris lite up Ann Arbor Pioneer this weekend as well.  He was 14-18 for 224 yards in a 43-28 victory.


• Joe Bolden's team played on ESPN yesterday.

Captains:

Michigan voted team captains this weekend and picked seniors center David Molk, tight end Kevin Koger and defensive tackle Mike Martin. Perfect selections.

“The entire senior class has shown great leadership since the spring, and they all are looked up to as leaders of this football team,” Hoke said in a released statement. “Kevin, David and Mike are great representatives for our team and the University of Michigan. I will be honored to be led out of the tunnel by them and the rest of the seniors on the Saturdays ahead.”

Michigan Friday: Brandon's Decision Making and 2 Scrimmages

David Brandon has done an excellent job since taking over the AD position at Michigan.  He got the football program through an NCAA Investigations and got the penalty reduced.  He fired the football coach that was under preforming and hired somewhat of a "sleeper" pick as the new head coach.  

He has improved on the Big House work of former AD Bill Martin and is now focusing on Crisler Arena.  If you had to grade him right now it would clearly be a A and maybe even an A+.

This brings me to his latest decision to play App State again in 2014 and his response:  "the opportunity to play again is a good thing. I don't see how it could be a negative".

Since he is having a hard time finding the negatives, let me list them here:

1. Michigan players and fans will have to live through 9 months (Jan-Sept) of App State upset  highlights from the 2007 game before the kickoff of the 2014 season. 


2. It's a no win situation for Michigan.  Like I mentioned yesterday, if the Wolverines win 50-10 they beat up on the little guys and ran up the score to get revenge.   If the game is close, App State has our number.   If Michigan loses the game, its a disaster. 

For all the teams that are looking for a large payday by visiting the Big House it's hard for me to believe that was U of M's only option.   If David wanted to get a revenge game, why didn't he schedule Toledo?

I don't see any upside to playing this game.   None.

Greg Mattison's PC yesterday:

He wants 22 players strong on defense:  For next weekend, "I hope it's 22." Needs to have 22 capable guys, and have seven more days to get 22. Won't ever be a coach who says we lost a game because a guy got injured.  

• Standouts on D are the seniors Martin and Woolfolk 


• Jake Ryan and Marvin Robinson have had some good days but have been a bit banged up in practice.


• Kenny Demens is running with the 1's but need to be more consistent.

On Denard:  "I got on him today. He didn't play every play of yesterday's practice, and I yelled at him during stretch today: 'Boy, you must be as fresh as a daisy today,' and he gave me something back.' I love him."

AL "the hat" Borges PC:

(Does this comment give us some insight into why Michigan might have lost a few players this week? Both freshman's weights were much higher then expected)

"Our practices are not for the faint of heart. We get after them pretty good." It has been a real real grueling training camp. (We want to) see what they're made of when they're tired."

• Would not comment on Chris Barnett.


• Thomas Rawls has been out a couple of weeks with a injury.  Looks like it's Shaw, Hopkins and Smith at this point.  They may redshirt Hayes and/or Rawls.  (I bet not having a RB in the 2012 class might effect this decision)


• Denard will be in the shotgun and under center. 


• WR: Roy and Junior are the starters. Expect to see Grady, Gallon, Jackson and Dileo.

Michigan will play a scrimmage today and Saturday before they ease up a bit for game week. Today and Saturday should cement the two deep, when we learn who on it will probably come out on Monday. 

Here is my prediction for starters:

OL: Lewan, Barnum, Molk, Omameh, Huge
TE: Kroger
WR: Roundtree, Hemingway
QB: Robinson
RB: Shaw
FB: McColgan

Defense:

DL: Roh, Martin, Campbell and Van Bergen
LB: C. Gordon, Demens and Hawthorne
CB: Woolfolk and Floyd or Avery
S: Kovas and Johnson

I'm concerned about the speed at safety.  Look for Woolfolk to move to safety and Avery fill in his CB spot if that becomes a problem.   Or maybe more Marvin Robinson.   I also think Big Will could lose his starting spot to Brink. 

The defense looks like it's built to stop the run (which would be a huge improvement) but could get beat deep in the passing game.

Game Day Video: Michigan vs Wisconsin 2008

This was a no brainer on what to put up here today.  It's the Michigan 19 point second half comeback against Wisconsin in 2008.  It's Michigan first year under Rich Rod and the 500th game at the Big House. 

Like the game today, you can enjoy it in HD!

Enjoy Michigan's last home game of the year.  (side note: Where did this season go?  It seems like Michigan was just in fall camp a few weeks ago).  

Michigan Thursday: Catching Up with 3 Michigan Transfers

Editors Note: Today is a little light on actual Michigan Football news.  (The basketball team plays Bowling Green tonight!) 

At 7:00 tonight this weeks Michigan's injury report will come out and expect to see Martin and Mouton probable and Taylor Lewan and Mike Shaw questionable.   Hopefully Fitz Toussaint didn't hurt himself in practice and can go if needed. 

With that said, here is a look at how a few Michigan transfers are doing at their new schools....

As a Michigan fan we can hardly believe why anyone would ever want to leave Ann Arbor and the most storied college football program ever.  Sadly, some guys just don't "buy in" or think they will get more playing time at another institution.  There are players every year that make the decision to leave but rarely do they become successful like Justin Fargas or Ryan Mallett.    We know Ryan is doing well Arkansas and Boren is starting for Ohio State, but let's catch up on guys not on SportsCenter too often:

photo by Michael DeMocker, The Times-Picayune

Sam McGuffie, RB Rice Owls:  Sam had the best game of his career two weeks ago against Tulsa.   Where he ran for 178 yards on 22 carries and scored a touchdown.   In 2010 he has had 149 attempts and 642 yards with 3 touchdowns.  He also has had 32 catches for 275 yards and 1 TD.  Sam seems to be getting better as the year goes on, but you can't say that for the Rice Owls who have only won 2 games this year.

Let's hope Sam hasn't received any concussion this year and still has a successful college career in front of him.


Steven Threet, QB Arizona State:  Trick or Threet would be a good slogan for the Sun Devils this year.   While leading the ASU offense, Steve is 207-333 with 2530 passing yards with 18 touchdowns.   The problem is, he has thrown 16 picks and been sacked 22 times.  After starting the year 2-0, ASU has gone 2-6 in their last 8 games and will have to beat UCLA and Arizona to get bowl eligible.  Steve is currently sharing first team reps with sophomore quarterback Brock Osweiler during the bye week.

Threet was also named to the PAC 10 All Academic team this week with a  3.82 grade-point average in general studies. 


Toney Clemons, WR Colorado:  Toney has had a nice season for the Buffalo's.  He has had 40 catches for 426 yards and 2 touchdowns.  He is the second leading receiver for Colorado who is just 4-6 on the year and with out a head coach that was just fired two weeks ago.    Clemons had a good game this past Saturday as he had four catches for 55 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown, as Colorado defeated Iowa State, 34-14.

Safety Vlad Emilien who recently transferred from Michigan will be joining Toney next year at Colorado as they enter PAC 12 country.

RR Press Conference Notes

Today notes are provided by mgoblog.  I had a conflict during the press conference today. 

• Mike Shaw will be evaluated and tested this week.  The coaches are hopeful he can play.  Here is my take:  I looked into his eyes when he was getting help going back to the locker room.  I think he had a serious concussion and he is at least a week away from playing.  I would expect that he might be out until the bowl game.  I have never seen anything like that before, it was really scary actually.  
• Martin and Mouton "We're hopeful that both can play." They'll be evaluated tomorrow and Wednesday.
• Roh will stay at DE, now at about 250 pounds, like to get him to 265.
• Cam Gordon will stay at box safety - getting better
• Vincent Smith - "He's probably been the most consistent back we've had" not just running, but blocking and catching, too. "It has been almost a year since he tore his knee" and is looking faster.
• Carvin Johnson - "Really excited about him. Again, he's another true freshman that right now can play both safety positions."
• Vinopal made a couple mistakes but kept plays in front of him.  He is getting better as well.
• Team wasn't ready for the weather conditions and didn't play well in it.  Need to practice with a wet ball, conditions were a factor in the turnovers.
• Kicking will continue to be competitive in practice.  Seth has kicked well in practice but not in the games.
• Wisconsin last home game for the seniors, will do some special stuff during the week
• Wisconsin is a top 5 team that uses the power run game but also has a balance offense. 
• RR has been spending some more time with the defense.

Michigan Walk Through: Purdue

Friday Walk Through Video

Notice Roh with his hand on the ground..........

David Molk Day

You want to see what a player should look and act like after 3 losses in a row?  Here is David Molk's press conference from yesterday.   Like I said yesterday, Michigan needs a 100 David Molk's.

Enjoy:

Michigan Tuesday: Clarifies Medical Redshirts

This is game week and after a week off it's hard to find news worthy stuff out of the Wolverines.  So I will do my best today on getting you the most interesting "stuff" out there.

Funny Quotes from the Michigan Press Conference Yesterday:

-A camera man asked a question to Coach Rod about facing JoPa head to head.  RR responded jokingly: “Joe and I aren’t going against each other, I might be able to take him, if it is just me and him."

-Stephen Schilling on Big Will Campbell playing on the Offensive line:  Sometimes he played the defensive line like an offensive lineman.  He was more interested in finishing blocks then making the tackle.

• The Daily Gopher profiles a "Michigan Man" Brady Hoke for their open head coaching position.  I didn't realize the job he has done at San Diego State.  He is currently 5-2 with a win over Air Force and played Missouri within 3 points and was leading in the 4th quarter. 

• Kelvin Grady was interviewed  for ESPN's GameDay on Monday for his twitter use.

 

• Denard is a semi-finalist for Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award.  There are 15 other semi-finalists as well.

• I know many of you have questions on what qualifies for a medical redshirt for Devin Gardner.  #1 he can't play more then 30% of the games in a season, with all participation being in the first half of the season.  His last snaps were in the Bowling Green game.  #2 He also has to have a documented injury.  Currently, he has a documented back injury.   At the end of the year, they have to file paperwork to the NCAA requesting a medical redshirt.  I fully expect Michigan to file for the medical redshirt also commonly known as a medical hardship at the end of the season.

• The other situation is that it seems Ricardo Miller played on special teams for the UMASS game this year.  Let's hope that stat is a mistake.  You lose your redshirt eligibility if you play one play. 

• Yes, Michigan is recruiting a place kicker.  They were looking at guys in California and Maryland last week.

Rich Rod's Press Conference Notes - Now with Denard Updates..........

Excited about the night game.  It's a fun experience at Happy Valley.

Big Will is working on the offensive line and Quinton Washington is now on the defensive lines, the moves are permanent yet. 

Fitz Toussaint should be ready to play this week, not sure if he will contribute or not.

Denard is the starter, Tate has played well but Denard will continue to play.  Not expecting to play both QB's.

Denard just needs to minimize the major mistakes.

Devin has a back issue and it might lead to a medical redshirt (really didn't answer the question).   He is learning the offense and picking up more each week.

Watching games on TV is not as good as watching the tape, you don't pick up enough of the play on TV.

Saw Auburn QB Cam Newton at Florida when Tebow was there, knew he was a special player then.

Mike Martin and David Molk did a little bit last week and should be ready to go this week.  Same with Shaw.

JoPa is a great coach with a great staff.

The Penn State fans will be jacked up and they have really good players that are ready to execute. 

Every game we play is critical.  Everyone puts a little more importance on a league game.

You can't press the issue and let the game come to you.  The times we have pressed the issue we have gotten in trouble.

Denard's shoulder needed some rest and he got that last weekend.


Craig Roh:

A week to heal is great looking forward to this weekend. 

He feels refresh.

They have been working on fundamentals the past week.

Just watched the Penn State game.

He gets more out of watching film but he can get stuff from watching the game on TV.

Defense has been improving and it's slowly showing on the field.

Thought Quinton Washington should have been playing defense weeks ago.  Just has the right mentality for defense.

Mike Martin is an amazing athlete and can take on 3 blockers.

Loves night games.  You feed off the excitement from the crowd.

Team is looking forward and staying positive.


Vincent Smith 

Didn't watch any football on TV this week.

Trying to get his body right this week.

This bye week got us back on track.

Saw that Hopkins was special at the end of camp, a good down hill runner.

The team is hungry and been correcting mistakes the past week.

He likes being in space and doesn't mind playing wide receiver.

He is 100% healthy.

Denard Robinson

Feeling good and it feels great having a week off. 

Hung out, slept a lot during the week.

Treating the shoulder everyday last week

Team came together during the week and learned from the mistakes.

Didn't like sitting out practice.

Trainers kept him out of Iowa game, he couldn't go. 

Cam Newton played a great game.

More as a team this year.

The turnovers were preventable.

(about his speech to the team after the MSU game) He rather lead by actions then words but didn't want the season to go the way it did last year and felt he needed to say something.  Didn't want anyone to be down.

Big Will is going to be a good offensive guard.

You don't hear the fans when your on the field.  Just focused on the game.


Steve Schilling

Big Will is going to be a good offensive lineman when he figures out what he is doing.  He almost played D line like an offensive lineman. 

When Quinton hits someone it's going to hurt.  They always joked about the two changing positions.

Team is excited about the trip to Happy Valley. 

Recharged the batteries and watched some football last weekend. 

Jibreel Black will have a great career here.

Taylor gets amped up and Steve tries to calm him down a bit.

Only going to run through the tunnel 2 more times.  Looking forward to the last 5 games to end the season right.