Senior Troy Woolfolk could start at either cornerback or safety.

With the recruiting class of 2010 signed, Michigan football fans can officially turn their attention to spring practice, and ultimately how the team will look come fall. With some assistance from MGoBlog’s depth chart by class and the resources available at The Wolverine (including Michael Spath’s very early look at the 2011 depth chart and Matt Pargoff’s in-depth look at this year’s recruiting class), I’ve done my best to project how the depth chart will look like this fall. Yesterday, I took a look at the offense. Today, it’s the defense’s turn.

I’ve tried to include every notable scholarship player, including all the true freshmen. Because of this, and the uncertainty of many player’s positions heading into spring practice, I recommend taking the positions listed below with a grain of salt, especially along the offensive line and defensive secondary — at this point, it’s far too early to know who will be playing where. Instead, I wanted to do this to get a feel for the talent and depth of the team, and also be able to use this as a reference for player eligibility. For player eligibility, I’m using what MGoBlog has listed, and for player heights and weights I’m referring to last year’s official roster or Rivals’ recruiting data — I’ll do my best to note if a player has made reported weight gains or losses where applicable. Without further ado, let’s check out the depth chart:

Defensive Line: Despite the loss of Brandon Graham, the defensive line should be the best unit for the Michigan defense in 2010. The key will be the development of sophomore Will Campbell, who has the size and talent to be a very good nose tackle. With Campbell eating space in the middle, junior Mike Martin can slide over the DT position played by Ryan Van Bergen last season, which is more suitable for a player of his size and skill set. Van Bergen, a natural end, should have no problem moving to Graham’s vacated DE spot. Throw in a full offseason of weight training for sophomore Craig Roh, who started at the Quick position last season despite not enrolling early, and a unit that was noticeably undersized in 2009 should be athletic and big in 2010. As for the backups, redshirt freshman Anthony LaLota will be a player to watch at defensive end, while senior Renaldo Sagesse will likely be the primary backup at both tackle positions. There is a lot of talent among the incoming freshmen, but the rotation could be tough to crack for players who are a little undersized (Wilkins, Black, Talbott) or out of shape (Ash, who is rumored to currently weigh over 300 pounds). Seniors Adam Patterson and Greg Banks will provide depth, but given their careers to date, I wouldn’t expect much more than that from them.

Linebacker: Michigan has a lot of experience at linebacker, but you could say the same about last year’s disappointing unit. Seniors Obi Ezeh and Jonas Mouton are your prohibitive favorites to start in the middle and on the weak side, respectively, but their underwhelming performances last season have opened up an opportunity for younger players to earn a starting role. Junior J.B. Fitzgerald saw playing time last season when Ezeh was benched, and with another season of experience he probably has the best shot at unseating one of the senior linebackers, although athletic redshirt sophomore Kenny Demens and former walk-on Kevin Leach will also compete for snaps. The position battle to watch may be over at spinner, where the graduation of Stevie Brown has opened a starting spot. Second-year players Isaiah Bell, Brandin Hawthorne, and Mike Jones all practiced at spinner last year, and all three should get an opportunity to see a lot of playing time in 2010 (although Bell might have grown into the WLB spot — he’s got 15-20 pounds on Hawthorne and Jones). I haven’t seen any of the three since last spring, but I like Hawthorne — the only one of the three to play linebacker in high school, and a great athlete — as the favorite for the spinner position. Of the true freshmen, Josh Furman probably has the best shot of earning playing time, also at the spinner position, while we can expect Antonio Kinard and Jake Ryan to redshirt in 2010.

Secondary: This is where things get crazy. The only guarantee for Michigan’s 2010 secondary is that Troy Woolfolk will start — only we don’t know whether he’ll be starting at cornerback or safety. I think Woolfolk will end up at safety for a couple reasons: (1) the safeties have to make pre-snap checks, something that I trust a senior to do much more than a freshman and (2) cornerback is a much easier position to come in and play immediately as a freshman. I expect Woolfolk to start at strong safety (the deep safety in Michigan’s defense) alongside redshirt freshman Vlad Emilien — a player some thought should have seen the field in 2009 — at free safety. True freshmen Marvin Robinson and Carvin Johnson, redshirt freshman Thomas Gordon, redshirt sophomore Jordan Kovacs and junior Mike Williams will also compete for a spot at safety, but I think Emilien will ultimately win the job (in this case, it might be an advantage to have not played last year).

At corner, I expect redshirt freshman J.T. Turner — one of the highest-rated prospects Michigan brought in last year and a standout on the scout team — to start, and true freshman Demar Dorsey is too talented to keep off the field next season. True freshmen Cullen Christian and Terrence Talbott, as well as redshirt sophomore J.T. Floyd, will also compete for playing time, but I think the pure talent of Turner and Dorsey will be a lot to overcome. If you’re keeping score, that means I think Michigan will start a senior, two redshirt freshmen, and a true freshman in their secondary next year. The talent level and the experience are both scary, but in very different senses of the word.

Punter: True freshman and Army All-American Will Hagerup will have the first shot at the vacated punter position, and I expect he’ll be the guy to take over from the immortal Zoltan Mesko. Kickoff specialist Bryan Wright has a big leg and could be called upon to handle punting duties if, for some reason, Hagerup doesn’t win the job.

Similar Posts:

• Knight to Rutgers & Your Signing Day Primer
• An Early Stab at the 2010 Depth Chart: Offense
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LB/Safety Brandon Smith will likely transfer from Michigan, according to MGoBlog.

Cue up your angriest/most emo music (my personal choice right now is John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band — scream therapy helps): MGoBlog is reporting that LB/safety Brandon Smith has received his transfer papers and is looking for another football program. In a bubble, this move isn’t a disaster — Smith has yet show the ability that made him a four-star safety in 2006, and bounced between positions a couple times in 2009. However, coupled with Michigan’s razor-thin depth at both linebacker and safety, as well as the news that Donovan Warren will likely transfer, this is simply not good for the Wolverines.

Warren’s near-imminent departure for the NFL leaves Michigan in a real bind at defensive back — the safeties desperately need help, but moving Troy Woolfolk back there would leave two huge holes to fill at cornerback. At this point, I fully expect Woolfolk to start alongside J.T. Floyd or one of the true freshmen (with Cullen Christian being the highest-rated commit so far and the most likely to contribute when he steps on campus), while Justin Turner will likely get a chance to start at safety across from, well, someone. It may be early to give up on Mike Williams, another former four-star safety who has only had one year of starting experience, but his dismal 2009 performance makes it tough for me to get my hopes up about him. I think Michigan fans can all agree that starting Jordan Kovacs puts severe limitations on how good the defense can be — if the defense has any chance of being better, there needs to be a scholarship player at each safety spot. That leaves Vlad Emilien and possibly Thomas Gordon competing for starting roles.

It is very, very early to take a stab at the starting defensive backfield for next year, but if I had to wager a guess, I’d say it will be Woolfolk (CB), Christian (CB), Turner (S), and Emilien (S) — that’s a senior, a true freshman, a redshirt freshman, and Emilien, whose eligibility is listed as either redshirt freshman or sophomore (he did get some playing time on special teams, but I’m not sure if it was enough to burn his redshirt) depending on where you look. Either way, that’s a very inexperienced secondary, and one that is missing the elite talent (Warren) that it had in 2009.

So, brace yourselves: the 2010 defense is as frightening (for Michigan fans) on paper as the 2009 D was, and Michigan will almost certainly be relying on freshmen to hold the secondary together. I don’t think much of this is his fault, but Rich Rodriguez is going to have a hell of an uphill climb to hold on to his job. Ugh.

Similar Posts:

• Farewell, Donovan Warren
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Have we seen the last of Donovan Warren in the Maize and Blue?

I was really starting to think Donovan Warren would come back after he said he would wait for his NFL evaluation before making a decision. Now? Not so much.

Warren, a third-year junior who led Michigan with 4 interceptions this year, has filed paperwork to ask the NFL’s underclass advisory committee for his draft status.

He said Thursday their input will play into his decision, but turning pro is “just something that I believe it’s just for me.”

“I’m definitely, I’d have to say heavily, I like the chances of me coming out,” Warren said at Michigan’s annual football bust.

Warren said he planned to make a decision “within 2 weeks or so,” likely before the advisory committee reports back on his draft status.

This obviously has huge repercussions for next year’s defense — Troy Woolfolk will likely stay at cornerback, with Justin Turner, J.T. Floyd, Cullen Christian, and a few others all in the mix to start opposite him. We’re going to have to see huge improvement across the board if the secondary is going to be anything but a disaster next season.

The good news just keeps on coming, as Rich Rodriguez announced at the annual football bust that running back Vincent Smith tore his ACL during the Ohio State game and will miss spring practice. He should be ready to go in the fall, but it’s never good to have a guy competing for a starting job out in the spring.

Similar Posts:

• Farewell, Donovan Warren
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Please don't change your mind. Please.

Yesterday I took my (very) early look at the 2010 offense. Today, we take a look at the dark side of the moon defense, which should return nine starters from a unit that, well, stunk in 2009. [Note: I will be referring to players by what class they will be in for 2010. For example, Donovan Warren will be referred to as a senior.]

Defensive End: Might as well get this out of the way — Brandon Graham will be sorely missed, no matter how good his replacements are. It’s tough to replace 10.5 sacks and 26 tackles for loss with three guys (which may be what Michigan tries to do), let alone expecting just one player to step and come close to replicating that type of production. Michigan does return starter Ryan Van Bergen, who put up a solid season and could slide over into Graham’s vacated spot. He’s got the size to hold down the strong side of the line, and his five sacks show he has the ability to get to the quarterback. The other DE spot is very much up for grabs — Greg Banks and Adam Patterson are both redshirt seniors who have failed to make much of an impact in their four years in the program, while redshirt freshman Anthony LaLota was an Army All-American who could vault ahead of both seniors based on his prodigious talent. Incoming freshman Ken Wilkins has the frame to be a DE down the road, but at 6-4, 244, he’ll probably take a redshirt year. The hybrid LB/DE spot has a lot fewer questions, as Craig Roh came in the fall and locked down the starting role as a true freshman. If he adds some bulk, he could become a real force as a pass-rusher and speedy playmaker on the edge. Junior Brandon Herron will return as his backup, and incoming freshman Jordan Paskorz will provide depth, although he will likely redshirt as well given the returning players at the positon.

Defensive Tackle: There’s a lot of promise at DT for the Wolverines, with talented junior Mike Martin returning along with senior Renaldo Sagesse and sophomore (and former five-star recruit) Will Campbell. Martin struggled a bit as he adapted to playing the nose tackle in Greg Robinson’s hybrid defense, but was still one of the Wolverines’ most consistent performers on defense. Both Sagesse and Campbell showed solid improvement as the season wore on, and should get solid playing time in 2010. One possibility that has been thrown around by Michigan fans is for Martin to slide over to Van Bergen’s position, with Van Bergen taking Graham’s DE spot and Sagesse or Campbell taking over at nose tackle. If Sagesse or Campbell can hold their ground at nose tackle, I like this possibility, as it frees up Martin to be more of a threat to penetrate into the backfield (something he did with regularity as a freshman) and gives Michigan more size up front to stop the running game. We’ll have to wait until the spring, at the earliest, to see if this is an option. Michigan has also secured a commitment from DT Terry Talbott, but at 6-4, 255, he’ll probably take a redshirt year to add some weight before he sees the field.

Linebacker: If it wasn’t for the safeties, no position group would scare me as much as the linebackers (and it’s pretty close, anyway). Stevie Brown, who turned into Michigan’s most consistent linebacker in 2009, is gone from the weakside spot, leaving seniors Obi Ezeh and Jonas Mouton as the Wolverines’ returning starters. Ezeh and Mouton both took steps back this fall, struggling to the point of being benched multiple times in the latter half of the season. The Wolverines will need to see more aggressiveness from Ezeh, more discipline from Mouton, and a better understanding of Robinson’s schemes from both if the defense is going to improve substantially next year. Both will face competition, as redshirt junior (and former walk-on) Kevin Leach and juniors J.B. Fitzgerald and Kenny Demens all saw the field last season. Fitzgerald, a former four-star recruit, has the best change to take one of the middle linebacker spots, but don’t sleep on Demens, who saw limited action but is an athletic freak who could emerge as an upperclassman. The competition is even more open for Brown’s old spot, with sophomore Brandin Hawthorne and redshirt freshmen Isaiah Bell and Mike Jones all in the mix, potentially joined by redshirt sophomore Brandon Smith, who bounced between linebacker and safety but looks more promising (in my opinion) as a linebacker candidate. The bad news for Michigan is this position group played very poorly in 2009, and loses their best player. The good news is that there are a lot of talented players vying for just three spots. Hopefully some spirited competition, as well as a year of experience under Robinson, will fuel some better play in 2010.

Cornerback: Despite losing Boubacar Cissoko, and having a revolving door at the second cornerback spot all season, this group actually looks like it will have a lot of depth next season. Senior Donovan Warren has said that he will return next season (he will ask the NFL about his draft status, but unless he gets told he’ll be a first-rounder, he’ll likely be back), giving Michigan a lock-down cornerback on one side of the field. The status of the other corner spot will be determined by senior Troy Woolfolk, and specifically whether he’ll stay at corner or return to safety. If he does stay at corner, he’ll be the man opposite Warren, and his solid performance in 2009 — despite being moved from safety mid-season — gives Michigan a chance to have two very dependable cornerbacks in 2010. Redshirt sophomore J.T. Floyd will be back, and should provide depth or potentially start if Woolfolk is a safety, and sophomore Teric Jones should improve with a full year at cornerback under his belt. Redshirt freshman Justin Turner is the big wild card here — the highly-touted prospect was being hailed as the next great Wolverine corner before academic issues forced a redshirt. He could see the field — and start — at either corner or safety, depending on need and his ability to adapt to the college game. Michigan also has commitments from three cornerback prospects — Courtney Avery, Terrence Talbott, and Adrian Witty (who qualified after sitting out last season and enroll in January) — and are the favorites for Rivals100 prospect Cullen Christian (who will announce his decision tonight) and three-star Tony Grimes. Senior James Rodgers, who has bounced around between receiver and defensive back his whole career, will also provide depth. That’s a lot of bodies at corner, so we could (and probably will) see at least one player switch over to safety. It feels strange to say this, but I’m actually confident that the cornerbacks will be a strong point of the defense in 2010.

Safety: Oh, boy. This position was a total disaster in 2009, with Michigan trying everything from a freshman walk-on (Jordan Kovacs) to a safety-turned-linebacker-turned-safety (Brandon Smith) to just playing Donovan Warren in a deep half from the cornerback position. Michigan does return both starters, Kovacs and Mike Williams, but neither player’s job is remotely safe. Redshirt freshman Vladimir Emilien will have a shot at the starting job, and Woolfolk would be almost guaranteed a spot if he moved over. Justin Turner is also a possibility, as well as Brandon Smith and J.T. Floyd, and even redshirt freshman Thomas Gordon and walk-ons Floyd Simmons and Jared Van Slyke. In fact, you may have a shot as well. It’s that open. I’d be crazy to even begin to guess who will be playing safety when Michigan opens against UConn next fall, so the conjecture ends here. This position group could be anything from the unmitigated disaster it was in 2009 to passably competent, and anywhere in between.

Outlook: Well, the defense certainly can’t be worse than this year’s. Losing Graham will hurt tremendously, but expected improvement across the board for the rest of the defense should mean that this team will be better in 2010. How much better will depend on a wild variety of factors, especially the personnel at linebacker and in the secondary — it’s far too early to guess, and as we found out this year, even the best guesses can be horribly, horribly wrong. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Similar Posts:

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Jordan Kovacs, and whoever else plays safety, needs to keep the ball in front of them.

I hate to even do this, but before I hit the keys for Saturday, it’s time to look back at last week’s game:

1. Get pressure on Darryl Clark — Michigan recorded two sacks against Clark, and the defense actually did a solid job of getting in his face most of the afternoon. The breakdowns in pass defense don’t fall on the shoulders of the defensive line, just the linebackers and secondary (and possibly the coaches as well).
2. Make a big play in the return game — Didn’t happen. Even with Carlos Brown returning kickoffs, the team couldn’t muster a return longer than 26 yards on a day when the offense desperately needed the good field position.
3. Punch it in — Two scores (one TD, one FG) in four red zone chances is simply not going to cut it against a team as good as Penn State.
4. Slow down the pass rush — Penn State sacked Forcier five times, and Michigan got nothing going in the screen game.
5. Get off the field — Michigan didn’t do terribly on third down, limiting Penn State to 5 conversions on 15 chances, but it wasn’t exactly a stellar effort, either. The Wolverines put forth a strong effort early, giving the offense several chances to make it a game, but fell apart late. The first touchdown of the second half came on a 3rd and 9 from the 11-yard line, and Penn State converted three third-downs on their last drive to really milk the clock before hitting a field goal.

Well, that was ugly — at best, Michigan gets a 2/5 on the day. Let’s move on to Illinois:

1. Run, run, run — Michigan still has the 9th best rush offense in the country, and Illinois’ run defense gives up over 185 yards per game (101st nationally). The Wolverines need to get back to doing what they do best on offense — running the zone read successfully and basing everything else on that success. I expect to see a lot of touches for Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown, and expect a 100-yard day out of at least one of them.
2. Keep the Illini off the board early — I’m sure Illinois will be very geared up for an opportunity to knock off Michigan for their first FBS victory of the season, especially at home in a late afternoon game on Halloween. Michigan couldn’t stop their offense last year, so if Illinois scores early, it may just give them the confidence to play far above their level of play so far this year. If the Wolverines can stop the Illini early, and maybe force them to switch up quarterbacks a couple times, it’s likely that Illinois will play like the 113th-best scoring offense in the country.
3. Show me something, safeties — Michigan has spent the last several weeks unsuccessfully trying to mask the weakness at safety, even going so far as to essentially turn Donovan Warren into a deep cover guy last week while subbing Boubacar Cissoko in for Mike Williams (and moving Troy Woolfolk back to safety) on third downs. With Cissoko gone, Michigan doesn’t have that option anymore, so Williams and Jordan Kovacs will have to show a better ability to keep the play in front of them and play their assignment. If the safeties can’t improve from their disastrous performance last weekend, it could be a long day for Michigan’s defense.
4. Get the outside receivers involved — No Michigan outside receiver has more than 15 catches (Greg Mathews, and seven of those came last week), and both Junior Hemingway and Darryl Stonum have essentially disappeared as the season has wore on. Hemingway practiced this week and should be good to go after that scary collision with Warren last week. Tate needs to get the ball to these guys — the whole point of the spread offense is to spread the field vertically and horizontally (duh). Without any threat from the outside guys, the vertical threat becomes moot, and the offense bogs down. I’d like to see at least five catches out of one of the outside receivers, and for all three to get involved in the offense.
5. Just go for it — This game is a must-win for Rich Rodriguez and his staff at this point. Illinois is so bad that a loss would be catastrophic for his public perception, and a sign that the 4-0 start was a whole lot of luck. I’d like to see the coaching staff pulling no punches on this one — empty the bag of tricks, go for it on fourth down, fake a punt, slip an onsides kick in there somewhere, whatever it takes to give this team a spark. If the team loses while sitting back, I’ll go bananas. Please don’t make me go bananas.

It’s about time for a victory, and if Michigan doesn’t get one here, I don’t know where they’re going to find one. Michigan 34, Illinois 17.

Similar Posts:

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Will Troy Woolfolk have to be Michigan's #1 corner next season?

As any Michigan fan who has watched during the 2009 season can attest, the secondary has been somewhat awful. The statistics agree: Michigan is 96th in the country in pass defense (246.5 yards allowed per game), and although some of that can be attributed to poor linebacker play, the onus falls squarely on the shoulders of defensive backs not named Donovan Warren. Greg Robinson has tried three different players at the second corner spot, and of those players, one has a tenuous hold on a spot on the team (Boubacar Cissoko), one doesn’t appear to be athletic enough to guard MAC wide receivers (J.T. Floyd), and the third was a safety until last week (Troy Woolfolk, who actually had a decent game against Iowa).

The secondary is a huge concern for this season, for obvious reasons: they’re not very good, still making major personnel changes, starting a walk-on at safety, etc. However, take a look at this (the depth chart by year for this season, with a big assist from MGoBlog), keeping next season in mind:

Now take Donovan Warren out of that picture, as in all likelihood he’ll be playing on Sundays next season.

Best case scenario for 2010: Warren stays, allowing Woolfolk to develop into a solid #2 cornerback. Justin Turner turns out to be the stud defensive back we expected him to be when he committed. Boubacar Cissoko gets his act together academically and on the field. Mike Williams learns how to properly cover the deep middle in a Cover 3. Vlad Emilien or Marvin Robinson supplants Jordan Kovacs and spends much of the season terrorizing opposing backfields. Michigan gains commitments from Cullen Christian (very likely) and another 3/4 star corner to add depth to the secondary.

More realistic scenario: Warren leaves, and Michigan spends the season without a real #1 corner. Troy Woolfolk is passable, but the #2 corner is again a fiasco barring Justin Turner being the next Law/Woodson/Jackson/Hall. The safeties remain shaky, with one first-year starter taking Kovacs’ spot and Mike Williams remaining as the other safety (and hopefully learning how to cover the deep middle, please). Cullen Christian and another 3/4 star corner commit, but probably don’t contribute immediately.

Very little of this situation is the fault of the current coaching staff: Lloyd Carr’s staff had one cornerback commit in the class of 2008 before handing over the reigns to Rich Rodriguez. That commit was Boubacar Cissoko, who has had equal problems staying eligible and staying with opposing wide receivers. The other defensive back in that class, Brandon Smith, struggled as a safety and was moved to linebacker. You could argue that the Rodriguez staff needed to get another cornerback in the class of 2009, but I doubt anyone expected Justin Turner’s eligibility to be in question so deep into fall camp, and Adrian Witty failed to qualify entirely. It certainly isn’t anybody’s fault that Warren is so good that he’s a likely first-round NFL Draft pick after his junior season.

What am I saying here? There isn’t much to do except brace yourselves, because the struggles of 2009 could be what keeps the 2010 team from being a bona-fide Big Ten title contender.

Similar Posts:

• Farewell, Donovan Warren
• Michigan’s Team of the Decade: Cornerbacks
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• Michigan Promotes Adam Braithwaite to Safeties/Outside Linebackers Coach

Unlike most of this season, Michigan did a very good job in the trenches on both sides of the ball.

Well, yeah, we lost this game, but there was actually a lot of good that came out of the 30-28 loss to Iowa. Here a some obsvervations from the game:

• Everybody else seems to have weighed in, so here’s my two cents on Rodriguez’s call to put Denard Robinson back in the game on the final drive: At the time, I couldn’t believe it, and on a final drive I don’t think a team should trot a player out there who causes heart attacks every time he throws downfield. It’s not just that Robinson isn’t very accurate yet; he’s never played in that situation, and he doesn’t have the arm to make up for poor decisions the way Forcier does. Yes, it turns out Forcier was concussed, and the point is moot now, but I just had a bad feeling from the moment Denard took the field. Again, just my opinion.
• The defense put in one hell of an effort, given the five (five!) Michigan turnovers on the day. The Wolverines held Iowa to just 5.1 yards per play, allowed just 34 rushing yards, scored a touchdown (albeit a gift from Ricky Stanzi, but still), AND managed a goal-line stand in the fourth quarter. If you told me they would play that well before the game, I’d have a hard time not picking Michigan to win.
• The offense, on the other hand, was somewhat of a disaster. Seven of the team’s 13 drives stalled after picking up ten yards or less, and the turnovers were so killer because almost all of them were completely unforced.
• Donovan Warren and Brandon Graham simply had monster games. I’ll never understand why Stanzi threw at Warren’s side of the field so much — he was just blanketing the Iowa receivers — but at least Stanzi had a choice to stay away from Warren. BG was blowing plays up, whether they were runs or passes, and basically lived in the Hawkeye backfield all night. These two guys are what is holding this defense together.
• Troy Woolfolk was a pleasant surprise at cornerback. He appeared to play quite well, and possesses the feel for the game that Boubacar Cissoko is lacking right now and the athleticism that J.T. Floyd just doesn’t have. Unfortunately, Mike Williams totally blew his assignment on a couple of Iowa’s touchdowns, and now we’ll have to see if the secondary gets realigned again or if the coaches will simply try to bang it into Williams’ head that he has to be the last man back at all times.
• The linebackers finally put together a complete game (at least until Brian puts out his UFR and anything I have to say here is completely mitigated). Stevie Brown clearly should have been a linebacker since day one — he made a huge play on the goal-line stand, has been a really solid tackler, and gets to plays very quickly. Ezeh and Mouton both raised their play from earlier this season — you simply don’t hold a team to 34 yards rushing if your linebackers aren’t having good games. Hopefully they can keep it up for the rest of the season.
• Huge day for the offensive line. They were opening up huge holes for the run game (which netted 195 yards on 4.3 yards per carry) and protected Forcier and Robinson very well when they dropped back (no sacks given up). Even though I think Iowa’s defense is a little overrated, that was still a big performance against a very tough defensive front. Also, nice to see Moosman snapping the ball much better — I don’t recall a single bad snap.
• It’s tough to really comment too much on the offense. Tate had a rough, rough game. He’s still a freshman, and we have to expect those kind of performances to happen every once in a while. He’s still one of the best true freshmen quarterbacks in recent memory. Denard got thrown into a really tough spot, had one great drive, and then threw a killer pick. He’ll learn from that as well. Minor’s fumble was the one turnover that shocked me — as a senior, you have to protect the ball in that situation, especially when the run was going nowhere to begin with.
• OK, I lied. Mathews’ turnover was also a stunner — he’s back there for one reason, and that’s to catch the ball. If you have to go to your knees to field a punt inside the ten, just let it go.
• Is any outside receiver going to step up on this team? Martavious Odoms and Kevin Koger continue to deliver week-in and week-out, and the outside guys continue to pull disappearing acts. This week, Stonum, Mathews, Hemingway (and Savoy, if you want to count him, since he saw a few snaps) combined for two catches and 16 yards. I realize Forcier often looks to his underneath guys first, but that’s still paltry production from a group of guys with too much talent and experience to be invisible like that.

Similar Posts:

• Michigan’s Team of the Decade: Tight Ends & Fullbacks
• An Early Stab at the 2010 Depth Chart: Defense
• Putting Michigan’s Recruiting Class in Context
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• The Denard Conundrum

Is Cissoko on his way out as a Wolverine?

UPDATE: The rumor appears to be true ($). Cissoko is not with the team in Iowa, and it looks like Troy Woolfolk will play (and likely start) at cornerback, with Jordan Kovacs and Mike Williams starting at safety. No definitive word as to why Cissoko was left behind in Ann Arbor.

The rumors are flying about Michigan cornerback Boubacar Cissoko, who may not have made the trip to Iowa. First, MGoBlog poster mgokev:

I’ve just heard from a reliable source on the team that Boubacar Cissoko was not invited to travel with the team to Iowa today. Possibly to send him a message to step his game up because there’s no apparent injury issue with him. Thoughts?

Go Blue Michigan Wolverine has also added their two cents:

GBMW got word on Friday that he was asked to leave twice this past week during practice. Seems that he has not taken to his benching very well.

Some sites were using his injury as an excuse for how bad he has been playing this year and using the “waving of hands” after each incomplete pass even if he had nothing to do with it as an emotional boost even when he was getting torched during the Notre Dame game.

His future at Michigan is up in the air as well. Will he go just a few miles away to play football if things do not go well at Michigan? Who knows after the game they may use the “flu bug” as an excuse of him not making the trip. Will be interesting press conference after the game.

*** Rumors are swirling that a couple of players think he is gone either way.

I’m not putting much validity into any rumor until I hear something from the mouth of a coach, but if true, this is not good for a secondary that is already razor-thin and probably losing Donovan Warren to the draft next season. I’ll have more on this situation as it develops.

Similar Posts:

• An Early Stab at the 2010 Depth Chart: Defense

"All In For Michigan" is not just a catchphrase, but the driving force behind Rich Rodriguez's 2009 squad.

Football:

• At U-M it’s “all in” from everybody — Detroit News — Interesting article with some great quotes from Rich Rodriguez, including what he expected last year (“I was like everybody else when I took the job — it’s Michigan, throw ‘em out there and you’ll win your share,”) and some pointed words on transfers: “What am I supposed to be concerned with — guys that are low on the depth chart and not performing the way they should, academically and athletically?” he said. “We’re supposed to panic about that? I’m confused. I got 126 players that are doing it and I’m supposed to worry about the handful that didn’t want to?” Amen.
• U-M commits face off in opener — Detroit Free Press — The main event of the Big Prep Day Showdown at Rynearson Stadium will feature two Michigan commits in Devin Gardner (Inkster) and Ricardo Miller (Pioneer). Their game begins Saturday at 8 pm … I’ll be there, and encourage football-starved Michigan fans to come out in force to support a couple future Wolverines.
• Offensive line holds key to Michigan’s turnaround — Grand Rapids Press — Howie Beardley goes a little far in trying to prove his point (I’m pretty sure it does matter whether Nick Sheridan or Tate Forcier is starting the Western game), but the bigger picture remains true: offensive success is directly tied to the success of the offensive line. With all the talk about three quarterbacks playing and whatnot, we forget that the maturation and improvement of the big uglies up front is as important as anything else for U-M this season.
• Wolverines plan to use depth at running back — Detroit News — Looks like we’re going to see a lot of backs get action this season. Fred Jackson, in referring to Brandon Minor, Carlos Brown, Michael Shaw, Kevin Grady, and Vincent Smith, said: “You’re going to see [all five backs playing] and you’re going to see it very effectively, because I think they all warrant (playing time) because they’re all good enough.”
• Troy Woolfolk is enjoying his change of position in Michigan’s secondary — AnnArbor.com — It appears that having the speed of Troy Woolfolk at the safety position is already paying dividents for the Wolverine defense: “Less so than last year is the play culminating in a 50-yard bomb, you know,” linebacker Obi Ezeh said. “That’s always a good thing when you don’t have to worry about that.” Let’s hope that’s not just talk; the big pass play is something Michigan needs to greatly cut down on this season.
• Behind The Music: How Michigan picks songs for its football practices — AnnArbor.com — Apparently, coaches and players can submit any (clean, curse-free) song to be added to a huge playlist, which explains why last week’s practice featured a jump from the Jackson 5 to “Cotton Eyed Joe” to Lil’ Wayne. Also, coaches make sure to sprinkle in songs such as “Jump Around”, the Wisconsin staple, as both a motivational tool and a way to practice dealing with distractions and crowd noise.
• Marcus Ray: Putting Family First — Lost Lettermen — The former Wolverine safety and 1997 national champion details his move from Michigan (in 2007 as a grad assistant) to CMU to Ohio Dominican University (in his hometown of Columbus) in pursuit of coaching opportunity while balancing family obligations. Also, Ray is working on a book about the ‘97 champs called “The Making of a National Champion: The Untold Ties That Bind”.
• Chris Howard: Moving Cross-Country for Film — Lost Lettermen — The starting tailback from that ‘97 team is also moving around the country for work: Howard, a Louisiana native, is now in Atlanta working as the COO of Theos Entertainment. Nice to see these former players staying connected with fans through Lost Lettermen.
• Five Things Maize n Brew Would Change About the Michigan Gameday Experience — Maize n Brew — I agree with all five points, although I highly doubt the school would agree to designating “non-standing” and “standing” sections, regardless of how practical it sounds. We definitely need to upgrade the scoreboards, which will become an obsolete eyesore when the renovations are finished in 2010.

Basketball:

• The Expectations Game — UMHoops — Dylan notes just how vastly different the expectations (from the fans, media, and the team) are for this year’s Michigan squad as opposed to the expectations going into last season. The job John Beilein has done of rebuilding this program in such a short period of time is nothing short of spectacular.
• Top non-conference games to watch in 2009-10 — Fox Sports — Michigan makes the list twice, coming in at No. 11 for the Jan. 17 home game against UConn, and at No. 13 for the road trip to Lawrence to face Kansas on Dec. 19.

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• Dammit

The new renovations should make Michigan Stadium louder than ever (photo by Matt Pargoff)

Football:

• Now hear this: A built-up Michigan Stadium should keep sound from fans and speakers inside — AnnArbor.com — AnnArbor.com continues to top themselves when it comes to long, awkward headlines. According to associate athletic director Michael Stevenson, there will be no “dead zones” in the stadium when the new speaker system is installed for 2010. Hooray for noise.
• Henderson selects his five official visits — ESPN.com — Ohio State, Oklahoma, Florida, USC, and Notre Dame, according to Seantrel Henderson’s father, Sean. The article states that he is still considering several other schools, including Michigan and his hometown Minnesota squad, but this still isn’t the best of signs for the Wolverines.
• Clements lays out official visit picture — TheWolverine.com — Four-star tailback Eduardo Clements will make it up to Ann Arbor for the Sept. 12 game against Notre Dame. Michigan is in a group of three with Georgia and Miami at the top of Clements’ list, although Michigan is the only team out of those three to have an official visit set so far (Tennessee is the only other team to get one so far).
• Five-star Floyd changes things — Rivals.com — Michigan is still in the hunt for an official visit from Sharrif Floyd, a five-star DT. He is only sure of two visits, and U-M is among a pack of squads battling it out for the final three.
• Virginia LB pencils Michigan in for a visit — TheWolverine.com — Aramide Olaniyan, a four-star LB, will take a visit to Ann Arbor, although he hasn’t set a date yet. Olaniyan is currently a Duke commit, but will still take all five of his official visits.
• DB Christian has one official set — TheWolverine.com — Cullen Christian has an official set for UCLA, and has stated he wants to take one to Michigan as well. The four-star corner is down to five schools on his list, and Michigan is still in very good standing for a commit.
• AMP: QB Jones talks Michigan — Rivals.com — QB/ATH commit Cornelius Jones is the subject of Rivals.com’s AMP feature, and says he is “100%” committed to Michigan, and that he plans on coming in as a quarterback. However, he is open to playing whatever position helps the team. Gotta like a kid who is willing to put aside his personal interests for a team he isn’t even on yet.
• Michigan expecting good things out of wide receiver Junior Hemingway — AnnArbor.com — Hemingway, coming off a season lost to mono and injuries, has impressed both teammates and coaches in fall camp. Somebody needs to step up and grab a starting spot at outside receiver, and it looks like Hemingway is doing just that, although Rich Rodriguez made it clear that he still has a ways to go to get back into shape.
• Jason Forcier won’t play for Michigan; Tate Forcier, Denard Robinson making strides — AnnArbor.com — It’s getting really hard to write these summaries when AnnArbor.com puts the entire content of the article in the headline. It’s a little disappointing that Jason won’t be on the team this year, but I don’t think anybody really expected him to contribute in any fashion beyond a leadership role.
• Michigan football team deals with minor injuries; Fitzgerald Toussaint has fractured shoulder — AnnArbor.com — Call me crazy, but a fractured shoulder doesn’t sound minor to me. Toussaint may miss the rest of fall camp, and looks headed for a redshirt in a crowded backfield. Donovan Warren is day-to-day with a knee sprain, and several other players are out with minor injuries.
• Defending the Run vs Defending the Pass — Maize n Brew — SCM takes a look at the top defenses against the run and the pass in 2008, and notes that the teams who stopped the run had a markedly better record than teams that stopped the pass. Obviously, you want to stop both, but this could be a very comforting stat to people concerned about the Michigan secondary.
• U-M junior Troy Woolfolk likes his move to safety — Detroit News — It turns out Woolfolk played some safety in high school, and says the position feels “more natural” for him, although he still needs to learn technique. Also, some funny stuff about Denard Robinson’s speed, courtesy of Brandon Graham: “Denard’s pretty fast,” Graham said, giggling, “but he’s got to stay in between the white lines, and I feel like I’m going to go sideline to sideline, so he’s got to outrun me.” Cower in fear, Big Ten QBs, cower in fear.

Basketball:

• The ethical divide: Michigan basketball coach John Beilein is trying to help clean up college basketball — AnnArbor.com — Good luck with that, although if anybody is the man for the job, it’s Beilein, who was named the chair of the new NCAA Ethics Committee. We all know he runs a squeaky-clean program, which cannot be said about many elite teams in the county. Go get ‘em, Coach.
• Michigan guard Laval Lucas-Perry is learning at The Point — AnnArbor.com — “If I’m going to be out there playing significant minutes, I have to be another John Beilein on the floor,” Lucas-Perry said. “I have to help my players and have to know what coach Beilein is thinking and letting everyone know the defense we’re in and tell them reminders of what the offense is playing or if they don’t know the time or something.”
• Tim Hardaway bonds with son on, off the court — Miami Herald — Class of 2010 commit Tim Hardaway, Jr., has had a rocky relationship with his father, Tim Hardaway (of NBA fame), but they have grown closer in recent months. Definitely worth a read.

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