Michigan - Illinois Preview

Time: 3:30 EST
Location: Champlain, IL
TV: ABC
Line: Illinois +7.5
Weather: 52 degrees and mostly sunny

I am going to take a different approach to this weeks preview. I usually talk about Michigan's offense vs Team X's ranked defense or how Michigan has struggled with turn overs, etc.


Today, I am going to talk about gut feel.

Ron Zook vs Rich Rodriguez. (that's a lot of R's and Z's for two head coaches and the last two years a lot of L's)

Both teams are struggling and both teams are fighting for their Big Ten lives. Illinois has been shutout in the Big Ten this year and Michigan has 1 win.

I am torn on this game.

On one hand, even though Illinois is struggling they match up very well against Michigan. They have an athletic QB that tore up the Big House last year and then dropped a game against Western Michigan. Michigan for some reason struggles against running QB's (don't they see them in practice every day?). This game also reminds me of a similar game last year during the same Halloween weekend against Purdue. Purdue had lost all it's QB's and had a running back run the offense. They threw everything at the Wolverines that day (fake punts, hook and laterals) and beat the Wolverines in a shoot out. Rich Rod has 1 road win in his entire Wolverines career.

On the other hand, Michigan is the much better football team. They have a good running game and can move the ball when they pass protect. Both of it's top running backs Minor and Brown seem healthy and ready to gain big yards against a poor defensive line for Illinois.

Michigan is favored by over a touchdown but how do you pick this one? Beating Michigan still means something for the Illinois's of the world and they are going to have their own two QB system going. This could be their entire season.

Michigan is coming off it's worst performance of the year and we will see on Saturday what type of coach Rich Rod really is. If he can pick these guys up this week, move the ball on offense, play sound defense, and take out the mental mistake/turnovers. Michigan should win easily.


Remember how drunk you were after the PSU game last weekend if:

• Michigan can't hold on to the ball (passing games or fumbles)
• The Juice is loose the entire game
• The 3rd string QB starts throwing deep against Michigan Safeties
• Michigan's offense makes the Illinois defense look like a solid unit

Sing "Hail to the Victors" at a Bowl Game if:

• Michigan plays hard to get that 6th win
• The memory of last week is long gone
• Michigan moves the ball with ease on the ground
• Tate looks sharp and so does the TE's and WR's
• Denard doesn't throw
• Michigan rushes for 350 yards

I expect Michigan to run the ball as much as they can. Minor, Brown, and Shaw might we be worn out if they don't fumble (and please don't!). Tate will mix in a few pass plays to keep them honest and if Denard is allowed behind center, please don't fumble or pass to anyone that doesn't have a white jersey on. Weather shouldn't be an issue this week. Besides my score prediction, I have another one for you: watch for Carlos Brown in the Wildcat this weekend. Michigan 31 Illinois 21

GO BLUE!

Week 9 Michigan MASH Report & News and Notes

OUT
CB Zac Johnson, shoulder
C David Molk, knee (out for season)

PROBABLE (75 percent chance of playing)
WR Martavious Odoms, knee

This is a pretty good list for the Wolverines. No Warren,Hemingway, or Minor on the list. Odoms would be a loss, since he has stepped up as the top Slot WR. The game captains are: running back Kevin Grady, wide receiver Greg Mathews and guard Tim McAvoy.

News and Notes:

• Witty still wants to be a Wolverine: Former teammate of Denard Robinson's Adrain Witty is still working hard to become academically eligible and join the Wolverines. His High School coach: “I stay in contact with Witty all the time and he’s excited about trying to get back up to Michigan,” former Deerfield Beach (Fla.) coach Art Taylor said. “And that’s someone that I think Michigan misses right now because Adrian can fly. He was the only kid that could beat Shoelace in a race.”

• The Michigan Basketball Team is ranked #15 in both pre-season polls.

Big Ten Week 9 Preview and Predictions

As we know the Big Ten has a national perception problem. Iowa is a top 5 team but put them on the field with a top SEC or PAC 10 team and many believe they would get blown out. We all know about Ohio State's issues and Penn State sort of came back from the dead last week to blow out a Michigan team that was every one's darling after starting 4-0.

So now what? A set of big games that will have the country on the edge of their seats? Nope. A very down week for match ups. There really isn't even a Big Ten Game of the Week.

A great week for the Big Ten Channel.

Now on to the show.................

New Mexico State at OSU: Holly lines Batman! Ohio State is favored by 43.5 points on Saturday. This should be a close one! Pryor's Backup 61 NMS 7

Indiana at Iowa: Remember when we though IU was pretty good after their performance at Michigan? Well, it turns out that Michigan wasn't as good as we thought. Same goes for Hoosiers who are fighting for a Bowl Game but won't get out of Iowa City with a win on Saturday. Classic let down game for Iowa but I still think they will win. Iowa is a 17.5 favorite. Iowa 24 IU 14

Purdue at Wisconsin: I think the Boilermakers would have a decent shot of winning this game if it was played at home. But they have to travel to Madison for this one. After losing 5 in a row, Purdue beat the #7 ranked Buckeyes and Illinois last weekend. Wisconsin is favored by a touchdown and will have to keep a close eye on the Boilermakers who are playing with nothing to lose. Wisconsin 20 Purdue 17

Michigan State at Minnesota: If this was week 3 or 4 I would have picked The Golden Gophers in this one easy. Michigan State's defense is getting better by the week (BTW: I thought it was a terrible call to run a blitz with one second left on the clock against Iowa, fill up the end zone with people and make it difficult for Iowa to find a throwing lane) and was one second away from beating a top 5 Iowa team last week. It will be cold in The Gophers new outdoor stadium and they would have a considerable home field advantage after dropping two straight games on the road to ranked Big Ten teams bu they have lost their top WR Eric Decker to an injury. The Spartans -3.5. MSU 27 Minnesota 21

Penn State at Northwestern: Penn State comes off maybe it's best performance in the Big House ever last week and Northwestern beat Indiana by one point. Penn State is clearly the better team but might find itself in a let down situation against the Wildcats. If JoPa and the boys come ready to play like they did last week, this game will be over at half time. PSU is favored by 14.5. Penn State 38 NW 10


The Michigan - Illinois game will be previewed tomorrow.

RR Video on Boubacar

In what seems to be ironic timing: Boubacar's Disorderly Conduct Charge from last Summer was dismissed today in a Detroit court room.

Wolverine Wednesday: Bye Bye Boubacar

Rich Rodriguez has removed Boubacar Cissoko from the Michigan Football Team. He recently had been suspended but got back on the field against Penn State last Saturday. Michigan was playing him at corner and moving Troy Woolfolk back to Safety in certain formations.

As you might expect, this is a difficult loss for a secondary that is already very thin. At this point, I'm sure there are conversations about blowing Justin's Turners redshirt this year. Look for JT Floyd to get most of Boubacar's snaps but even he has been out for a couple weeks with the flu.

Boubacar was the starting right cornerback against Western Michigan but had trouble matching up with taller wide receivers and was often beat deep. He was a 5 star cornerback out of Cass Tech Detroit just two years ago.

So why did he get thrown off the team? Boubacar's High School Coach weighs in:

Cissoko's high school coach, Thomas Wilcher of Detroit Cass Tech, said Cissoko was dismissed from the team for missing class, missing workouts and missing study table.

"That's what he was suspended for in the first place," Wilcher told The Detroit News. "He's upset. He's going to transfer as long as he can meet the requirements."

Wilcher said Cissoko had a difficult time handling the "social structure" at Michigan.

"He couldn't handle it," Wilcher said. "He's always been a quiet kid. (But) he needs to do what needs to be done as a student-athlete. Nobody is bigger than the program."

Don't forget he also got into trouble this summer in Detroit when he was ridding in a car with a bunch of his friends and got pulled over.

Seems like Boubacar was a square peg in a round hole. It has to be difficult on kids that come from a urban setting like Detroit and find themselves in Ann Arbor. It must a big change on the academic and social side of life. I hope he finds a program that is a good fit for him as a person.

BTW: This doesn't look good for current 2010 recruit Dior Mathis to come to Michigan now. Dior is similar in size and ability to Boubacar. My guess is Boubacar's experience will sour him on the Wolverines. For what it's worth, I think Michigan needs taller corners anyway.

To flip this around, this could be just the news a top 2010 CB recurit like Cullen Christian needs to become a Wolveine.

Michigan Football Recruiting Blitz

It's been pretty quiet on the recruiting front lately so, I thought I would give everyone a quick update. As of today, Michigan has 19 verbal commitments for the 2010 class and one for the 2011 class. There remains some open questions (who won't be asked back for a 5th year, injuries, juniors in the NFL draft, etc) about how many kids Michigan can take in 2010 but a full class would be 25.

Michigan focused early on the offense side of the ball and now will look for the remaining 5-6 spots on defense. Below is the recent depth chart on some key positions. The walk-on's are in red. (pretty easy to see where Michigan needs help)

As of October 26th:

SS
Jordan Kovacs
Jared Van Slyke

WLB
Jonas Mouton
Kevin Leach
Brandon Smith (red shirt freshman, recruited as a safety)

FS
Mike Williams
Vladimir Emilien (true freshman)

LCB
Donovan Warren
Teric Jones (true freshman)
Justin Turner (true freshman and will redshirt)

RCB
Troy Woolfolk
Boubacar Cissoko
J.T. Floyd (redshirt freshman)

A couple of notes on the depth chart: Michigan has 3 walk on's on the above two deeps, Warren may take an early exit to the NFL next year, Teric Jones started spring ball as a running back, Mike Williams has struggled this year but Vlad has seen little time outside of DSU.

If your a top defensive back or safety recruit in the class of 2010 Michigan sure has a great opportunity for you to see the field very early as a freshman.

So with that out of the way. What is going on in the recruiting arena?

• Cullen Christian a top DB out of Pittsburgh has had Michigan as his leader most of the year. After a trip to WVU this past weekend he feels everyone is pretty equal. He is planning to announce a couple days after his visit to A2 for the Ohio State game. The schools in the running with Michigan include: Pitt, WVU, and UCLA. This is a very high priority recruit for the Wolverines.

• Tony Jefferson a 4 star saftety recruit out of California and current UCLA commit will take a visit to Ann Arbor for the Purdue game. Mgoblog's TomVH recently interviewed him: The coaches (from Michigan) have been talking to me for awhile now, and they've really turned up the intensity. That's part of why I'm taking a visit. I've been talking to coach Singletary and Rich Rodriguez. They've basically been telling me that I'm a priority for them, and they really want me."
  "I've been watching their games, and I really like the way they've been playing defense. I know at Michigan I could get a really good education, and always be fighting to play in a bowl game; I like that."
  "I have a really strong feeling towards Michigan. I get along really well with their staff, and Tate Forcier has been talking to me alot. He's a San Diego boy, and he's been telling me about how much he loves it." This would be a great win on the recruiting trail if Michigan could land Tony, but it still remains a stretch with UCLA and Florida probably his top 2.

• Carvin Johnson a safety out of New Orleans visited Ann Arbor last Saturday and liked what he saw: “I just really enjoyed the people there. Coach Rod (Rich Rodriguez) and his staff were great,” Johnson said. “They are high up there because I enjoyed myself and feel like I fit in that environment with those people. I can see myself as a Wolverine.” Calvin is not ranked by either service and is considered a "sleeper". He does have offers from Minnesota, Utah, Tulane, and Tulsa.

• Running Back from Texas, Stephen Hopkins took his second visit to Ann Arbor this weekend and confirmed his commitment: “I liked everything again and am pretty happy with my decision,” Hopkins said following his visit. “I’m even more excited to get there now.”
  

Other News and Notes:

• The Michigan - Purdue game start time on 11/7 is a noon kick on the Big Ten Network.
• Michigan is a 7.5 favorite this weekend over Illinois.

Breaking News: Michigan Manic Monday: Troubled Waters

So my grandmother always said, "trouble comes in 3's".

Today Grandma was right.

#1: Michigan 10 Penn State 35
#2: Molk out for the season with a torn ACL
#3: The NCAA is officially investigating "Work Out Gate"

They hope to have it completed by the end of the year. I guess Michigan wasn't fast enough on it's own investigation/finding and reporting it back to the NCAA.

I just love that NCAA and U of M are going to spend thousands of dollars researching if kids wanted to or were forced to work out. Thank you Detroit Free Press, if there are no violations found the Free Press should have to pick up all the costs of the investigation.

If anyone has any good news I would love to hear it!

Buckeye Monday: Golden Gophers Review

Buckeyes Blast the Gophers……

What a difference one week makes!!! Coming off one of the poorest performances in years the Buckeyes proved that they can make plays on offense and the defense can still dominate games. I’m glad that Terrelle Pryor didn’t let all the negative press get him in a mental hole that he wouldn’t be able to run and pass his way out of. When he ran, he ran with conviction and when he threw the ball it was with better vision and mechanics. He still has a ways to go but this was a very important week for him and the team. Showing progress after last week was huge. Here’s hoping he and the coaching staff can build on this performance in the last four weeks of the season.

What worked?

#1 The play calling was much better this week. 509 yards of offense was pretty evenly split between running and passing….230 yards in the air and 279 on the ground. I was happy to see Tressel stick with the running game even after Saine left the game with what is being reported as a concussion. Jordon Hall is proving to be a capable back and Jermil Martin looked great when he got his chances in the second half. With Herron and Saine injured (for how long I don’t know), having capable backs to rely on will be huge to take some of the pressure off Pryor. In addition, I was thrilled to see Pryor throw the ball downfield on several plays. I think showing off the vertical passing game will give Penn State, Iowa and Michigan something to think about as the prep for the upcoming games.

#2 Welcome back to the Silver Bullets on defense. The third string gave up a late touchdown that blew a chance for a third shutout this season. That was a small price to pay given that the new players got a chance to see meaningful minutes. Thad Gibson is a monster. Is anyone playing better defense in the Big Ten than him? He showed once again that he can take over a game when he wants to.

#3 Special mention goes to Posey, Hall and Martin. Heck…I’ll even give a shout out to Pryor here.

What didn’t work?

#1 What’s up with the fans? The Shoe seemed quite today. I know it was cold and a bit wet in Columbus but come on.

#2 The kicking game is seems to be lacking this year. Tressel says the punt is the most important play in football. Thoma is not producing the types of kicks that can change field position that we have come to expect in the Tressel era. In addition, Pettrey’s kick-offs never came close to reaching the goal line and he missed another chip shot. I hope these issues are addressed for the last four games.

#3 Where has Duron Carter gone? He showed some pretty good hands earlier in the year and I thought he deserved an expanded role in the offense. I wonder if he’s in someone’s doghouse.

What’s next?
The mighty Aggies of New Mexico State come to Columbus next weekend. I hope this turns out to be a game much like the UM – Delaware State game last week. I don’t know anything about this team but I don’t think they will provide much of a challenge. I’ll be in attendance looking for continued improvement from Pryor, more domination from the defense and a lopsided score at the end of the game. I have it 45-6 Buckeyes.

Go Bucks!!!

Buckeye John

Breaking News: Molk Out for the Year

When it rains it pours on the Wolverines and poor David Molk.

Michigan's top offensive lineman and center has been working hard for over a month to come back from a broken foot. After 3 plays against Penn State, David suffers a knee injury.

Today we learn that David tore his ACL and will be out for the rest of the year and probably Spring Practice in 2010. This is terrible news for the Wolverines that have to find two more wins this year to play in a decent Big Ten Bowl Game.

As we saw on Saturday, Moosman will play center and has struggled with the shotgun snaps.

Molk is not eligible for a medical redshirt.


Other Penn State injuries include:

• Martavious Odoms with a swollen knee
• Junior Hemingway with a bruised knee
• Brandon Minor with high ankle and a new heel issue

Michigan Monday: Picking Up The Pieces

How do you fix something when everything goes wrong?

That is what the Michigan coaches are faced with this week. In a game many were predicting a Michigan upset, Michigan instead broke down in every phase of the game.

Where do you start?

I thought the biggest problem was on defense. The game plan and execution were just terrible. Even Daryll Clark, Penn State's QB thought the Michigan defense looked confused and had trouble lining up. This is on Greg Robinson. I know Michigan has young players and depth issues on defense, but they looked like Spring Ball instead of mid season. I still don't understand why the Michigan CB's play so far off the line of scrimmage.

The offense line continues to struggle. They need to protect the Freshmen QB's better and open holes for the running backs. They were not able to do either against Penn State. Depending on the status to David's Molk knee injury, I'm not sure this situation is going to get better this year.

Turnovers: Michigan is not protecting the ball. Some of it falls on Denard and Tate (which will happen as they learn) but losing the turnover battle most of the time means you lose the game.


Catch the ball! How many drive killers were there because of drops? Too many!

What's the moral of this story? They are who we thought they were. Most had Michigan 7-5 this year and they seem to be right on track to hit that mark if they can beat Illinois and Purdue. The rest of the year will be trying to get 2 more wins, go to a Bowl Game and recruit hard for the last 4-6 spots in the class and take one more step to respectability in 2010.

Michigan - Penn State Post Game: An Embarrassing Performance

When it rains on Rich Rodriguez Wolverines, it pours turnovers and mental mistakes.

Michigan was out coached, out played, out everything today. After the first drive the Wolverines were lost in just about every aspect of the game. I have been a big supporter of Rich Rod's Wolverines and there were plenty of reasons for poor play the last two years. There are no excuses for the performance I just witness. The only Wolverine that came to play was Brandon Graham.

This team has won 1 Big Ten game this year against Indiana. They played hard against MSU and Iowa and could have/should have won those games. It was clear who was the better team in the Big House on Saturday.

I sure hope the Wolverines can fix some problems before they travel to Illinois next week for a Halloween showdown of teams in the bottom half of the Big Ten standings.

Cheers:

• Brandon Graham
• Zoltan Mesko

Jeers:

• Greg Robinson defensive game plan - he got out coached terribly on Saturday. Covering running backs with linebackers is not a good idea. What is with the 10 yard cushion on the PSU WR's? The WR screen gets 7-10 yards every time! Play some bump and run for goodness sake.
• I am getting a little tired of the QB rotation. Denard is a great athlete but he is not ready to run the offense. He makes too many bad decisions with his arm and fumbles the ball way too often.
• Catch the GD Ball! Why can't the Michigan tight ends catch the ball? I counted at least 3 drops.
• Injuring our own players: That Warren - Hemingway crash was awful to watch. I'm afraid that Hemingway is seriously injured.
• Poor David Molk, I hope his knee isn't serious
• Rich Rod's offensive game plan - was great for the first series and terrible for the rest of the game.
• Kick off coverage continues to be a problem for the Wolverines. Penn State had one of the worst ranked returns in the country and still returned the ball for great field position.
• The safety and the plays leading up to the safety was just terrible football.

Bottom line is Michigan wasn't ready to play and they got their hat handed to them by a better team. Michigan needs to do all they can to beat Illinois and Purdue because if they play like they did on Saturday, they don't have a chance at beating OSU and Wisconsin.

Michigan - Penn State Preview

Time: 3:30 EST
Location: Big House
TV: ABC
Weather: Cloudy 45 degrees with rain expected at 6:00
Line: Michigan +4


With Michigan sitting at 5-2 some fans have forget what the goal of the 2010 season is; go to a bowl game. With a win on Saturday, Michigan would have its 6th win which equals bowl eligibility. That should be enough motivation for the Wolverines on Saturday, but they really don't need any extra motivation because this is Penn State week.

Penn State comes into A2 as the #13 ranked team in the country with the top ranked scoring defense in the country (tied with Florida at 8.7 a game) and an offense that has averaged 510 yards the last three games. So Michigan will have it's hands full on Saturday if they plan on getting #6.

The Big House of Horrors:

JoPa and Penn State hasn't won at the Big House since 1996 going 0-5 over that time period. Most games have been close, even losing one on a last second pass from Henne to Manningham. (I wonder what those two are up to these days?). In fact, Michigan had won 9 games in a row against PSU until they beat the Wolverines in Happy Valley last year.

Cupcake City Baby!

Penn State is 6-1 coming into Saturday's match up and their schedule so far in 2009 has been sponsored by Hostess. PSU has played one quality team (Iowa), which they lost. Michigan is coming off it's top cupcake game of the year last week against Delaware State where they ran up 727 total yards on offense.

What to look for on Saturday:

• Who can run the ball? Both Brandon Minor and Evan Royster had big games on the ground last year.



• Which QB's will excel? Michigan will play two freshman nick-named FedEX for the way they deliver: Tate in the Air and Denard on the ground. Both are healthy and ready for a special Saturday delivery. PSU has an athletic QB Daryll Clark who lead the Nittany Lions to a Big Ten Title last year.



• Who is too fat from the Cupcakes? I think we know more about the young Wolverines coming off their 63-3 win last Saturday but do we know enough about Penn State? They did shut out the Golden Gophers last Saturday in Happy Valley 20-0 but hasn't face an offense ranked higher then 75th nationally.

This will be a tough games on both sides of the ball. The Michigan defense is better then they were just 8 weeks ago. Penn State might not have played anyone yet, but is still a powerful team on both sides of the ball. Michigan will get a lift from having it's center David Molk back and it seems former starting cornerback Boubacar Cissoko might be back from his suspension and dress/play on Saturday. Penn State will be with out it's back up running back Stephfon Greenand and what is the status of Minor's ankle is still up in the air. Either way, this will be a hard hitting game and one not to be missed.

Get another "cold one" if:

• Tate and Denard can't move the ball on the Lions Defense


• The Fed Ex Duo continue to deliver to the wrong address (picks and fumbles)


• The Michigan defense lets Clark run around for a ton of first downs


• Michigan's defense finds itself in 3rd and 20


• JoPa announces his retirement before the start of the game

Sing "Hail to the Victors" if:

• Brandon Graham introduces himself to Darryl Clark many times


• Michigan can stop the run


• Brandon Minor runs like he did last year in Happy Valley


• RR and the offensive staff have a good/new offensive game plan


• Michigan goes 200/200 in the air and on the ground

The Michigan defense will go with a similar game plan as they did for Michigan State. Stop the run and pressure the pass. The mistake they made in that game was letting the State QB's run from pressure. Clark will eat Michigan's lunch if he gets loose and runs the ball. Look for Stevie Brown to spy on Clark, if Stevie blitzes he better get the sack. Vegas has Penn State favored by 4, which seems like the proper line. This game will show which team is ready for prime time and which needs more desserts. Michigan 28 Penn State 24

GO BLUE!

Michigan MASH Report and Non-AD Candidates

OUT
CB Zac Johnson, shoulder

PROBABLE (75 percent chance of playing)
RB Carlos Brown, concussion
RB Brandon Minor, ankle
C David Molk, foot

Minor which wasn't on this list last week and didn't play against DSU is on this week. His ankle must be really bothering him and even limiting his practice time. Michigan will need Minor on Saturday if the are going to beat the Nittnay Lions. He ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns in Happy Valley last year.

Game Captains are: running back Carlos Brown, linebacker Stevie Brown, punter Zoltan Mesko and guard David Moosman.

• Lloyd Carr told Ann Arbor.com that he is not a candidate for the AD position at Michigan.


• Sam Webb in the Detroit News talks about a package deal for two recruits from Florida. Defensive back Tony Grimes and Defensive end Clarence Murphy.


• The Daily Gopher gives a very good update on the Seantrel Henderson sweepstakes: There are rumors that Seantrel will take a visit this weekend to Michigan. It is unclear if this will actually happen or not and it is unclear if this will be an official or not. I do think Michigan ranks ahead of Oklahoma and Florida at this point and I fully expect Rich Rod will put on a full court press up until signing day. Watch for Michigan to get all kinds of rumors leading up to signing day, but in the end I think the team with the most talk around is the team that will lose the sweepstakes.

Something to ponder tonight: Which is the best team in the State of Michigan: U of M?, MSU? or Central Michigan? Someone can lay stake to that claim this weekend with a big win. I guess there isn't much debate on which team is #1 in Ohio. When was the last time Ohio State played second fiddle to Cincinnati? Maybe never.

Big Ten Picks and Predictions Week 8

So we had a bit of a shake up last week as Iowa remains the only unbeaten team in or out of conference play. What does this week have in store? Well, here is my best guess:

The Big Ten game of the week will be previewed tomorrow

The next big game of the weekend is:

Iowa at MSU: I'm not sure how Iowa is doing it this year. They make big mistakes on offense and have a good but not dominating defense. They seem to trail in most of their games but win in the end. Is it magic? Is it a down a year in the Big Ten? Who knows, but I know the fans in Iowa City aren't complaining. Funny thing is, the exact same things could be said about the Spartans. Who after losing 3 in a row are now on a winning streak of 4 in a row. State has plenty of flaws of their own, but after the losing streak has found a way to win close games mostly against Michigan and Northwestern.

Iowa has had trouble playing in East Lansing and the Spartans only blemish at home this year is against Central Michigan. Vegas says the line is pick em', so I will: Iowa 23 MSU 17

Illinois at Purdue: Illinois is terrible this year under Zook and Purdue just beat the Buckeyes last weekend. The Fighting Zooks have to win a game sooner or later and maybe Purdue could letdown after beating a top 10 team. Purdue is favored by 10 points and play a more physical type of football then Zook and Crew: Purdue 21 Illinois 14

Minnesota at OSU: Both teams are coming off crushing losses. The Golden Gophers were shut out in Happy Valley and OSU lost at Purdue. Terrelle Pryor and "The Vest" having been taking a ton of heat this week in what some consider the worst loss in Tressel's career. The Buckeyes play well at home even when a decent opponent walks through the front door. Minnesota is no slouch and if TP starts throwing picks and fumbles could turn those into points but OSU's defense is still the best unit on the field. Vegas has OSU - 16.5: OSU 28 Minnesota 10

Indiana at Northwestern: Both of these teams showed promise early on and then stumbled hard. Indiana did beat Illinois last week and Northwestern lost in East Lansing a game they could have won. Both teams are fighting for their Bowl lives and NW is just under a touchdown favorite at 5.5 points. I think IU pulls the upset in this one: IU 17 NW 13

Wolverine Wednesday: Decisions Future and Past

Bill Martin announced his retirement today and will step down on 9/4/2010. Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman will lead the search committee for a new AD. Expect Lloyd Carr to be a candidate but I'm not sure he would be interested and it's probably not a good idea for him to be the boss of the man who replaced him. I guess you could say Bill is; "sailing away into the sunset"

Mgoblog has a few candidates including: Bob De Carolis - Oregon State's AD, Jeff Long AD at Arkansas, Warde Manuel AD at Buffalo, and Brad Bates AD at Miami of Ohio.

• With Terrelle Pryor's recent struggles in "The Vests" offense a number of people in the media have wondered out loud if he made a mistake in going to OSU. Seems his former HS coach Ray Reitz has opinion as well: "There is no question that Rich Rodriguez's offense, for example, would be more apt to suit Terrelle's skills," Reitz said. "But Ohio State sold him on the idea that they would prepare him for the NFL and that they don't run 'zone-read' in the NFL. Jim Tressel is a great coach. But I can tell you there is more to Terrelle Pryor than what we've been seeing." BHB: I think he has struggled in his first two years but I think the jury is still out on him.

• News and Notes from RR's Press Conference Today: Molk will start at center on Saturday, JT Floyd is feeling better after having the Flu last week, Tate and Carlos Brown will also be ready to go on Saturday.

• Jatashun Beachum a big Defensive lineman from Texas and currently a Arkansas commit is planning a visit to Ann Arbor for the Ohio State game.

• Bulletin Board Material courtesy of Penn State running back Evan Royster: "It's a tough place to play," tailback Evan Royster said. "It's kind of something you really don't try and think about, the fact that we haven't won there in a while or whatever." Royster said the Lions, who are bowl-eligible, have put their past woes at Michigan behind them. "I think we feel like we're the better team and we can go out there and still beat them," he said.
  

Michigan Tuesday: Whose visiting this weekend?

Since this Saturday is one of Michigan's 2 premier home games left on the schedule, the hope is a number of big recruits might make it into Ann Arbor to catch the game.

• #1 Recruit in the nation Seantrel Henderson, OT is rumored to be one of the visitors. Of course, he has already been on campus during the summer and Michigan is not considered one of his finalist, even though insiders think Michigan still has a decent shot of landing him.

• Sheriff Floyd, DT was another player rumored to be contemplating a visit this weekend, but he told Rivals today that he is not interested in the Wolverines.

• Alex Smith, TE from Cincinnati is also planning a un-official visit for this weeks game.

• Tate says he is 100% healthy and ready to play on Saturday. He practiced on Monday, which he hasn't' done for the last few weeks.

• Former Michigan football player Justin Feagin was arraigned on drug charges and might be facing up to 20 years in another type of Big House.

• An mgoblog reader put together a good list of 2009 freshman that will be redshirted this year: OL - Lewan , OL - Washington, OL - Shofield, LB - C. Gordon , S/LB - I. Bell, CB - Turner, DE- Lolota, SR - Gallon, TB - Touisant, S - Gordon, K - Gibbons.

Did anyone catch Zack Novak's drunk during Michigan's Basketball Madness? It won the drunk contest.

Michigan Monday: Got Molk?

Rich Rodriguez today said that Center David Molk would return to practice this week and might play this weekend against Penn State (3:30 ABC): "How he feels after each and every practice will determine, really, what role he can take, whether he can be starting, whether he can play the whole time, in and out, just what he can tolerate," Wolverines head coach Rich Rodriguez said. "Medically, everything has been cleared for him to go to practice. It is a matter of how comfortable he feels with that, getting back in action.

"He hasn't done much football-wise. He did a little last week, but nothing with full pads."

Molk is considered Michigan's best offensive lineman and is at the important center position in the spread offense. Moosman who has been filling in for Molk struggled early on with poor snaps (he did much better against Iowa and DSU) and will move back to his regular position at right guard.

Having Molk back will also help the running game which will be welcoming back from injury Carlos Brown (concussion) and Brandon Minor (ankle and 63-6 DIAA opponent).

Michigan will need to be healthy and play smart football if they are going to beat the #13 ranked Nittany Lions who haven't won in Ann Arbor since 1996.

Buckeye Monday - Purdue Game Review

Buckeyes Exposed in West Lafayette………

Many Buckeye fans consider yesterday’s 26-18 loss to Purdue to be the worst loss of the Jim Tressel era. I’m partial to the loss to Illinois two years ago but my levels of disappointment and frustration yesterday quickly approached those of that 2007 game. In my Buckeye Preview post for BHB back in August I predicted a 9-3 season for Ohio State. My thinking then was that OSU would lose the USC game and two of its last three games. My margin of error just got a little smaller. In my heart I knew that replacing all of the starters from last year was going to be a tall task. I thought Pryor was going to be better and that it would take some time for the new players to find their strides. In most cases this has played out in just that manner. The defense has reloaded and the offensive line has shown signs of improvement over the past few games. However, the weekly steps backward that Pryor continues to take have quickly gone from confusing to irritating to downright scary. The stellar play of the defense in the first half of the season made up for the inconsistency on offense. Yesterday that came to a quick end. I think the thing that bothers me the most is Pryor’s behavior on the sideline after he makes a mistake on the field. Pouting on the bench and refusing to talk to other players after making a mistake on the field are not the qualities you want in the leader of your offense. I still think he represents the best chance for success on the field but there are enough games left in the season that even that logic may be proven wrong. That’s pretty scary. Even more troubling though is the thought that this may be all that Buckeye fans ever get from their “once in a decade” talent. A very dangerous line was drawn on the field on Saturday. This team, this quarterback and these coaches need to figure out how they are going to approach the reaming five games on the schedule. Winning the Big Ten is still possible. Then again, so is coming in fourth place in the conference. I find myself torn between the two outcomes. Part of me doesn’t want to play in another high profile BCS game given the likely outcome. Playing Kansas or Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl doesn’t sound that appealing either. We’ll see that happens in the next five weeks.

What worked on Saturday?

Not much. Kurt Coleman played another great game at Safety but that’s about it. Brandon Saine started off great, rushing and receiving for over 60 yards in the first quarter. Ross Homan also played well for the third consecutive game. No other individual player or unit showed me anything after the middle of the first quarter.

What didn’t work on Saturday?

This list would be a long as the previous section was short….if I had the time to list everything I saw yesterday. Heading the list would be Pryor….of course but the play of the offensive line was just as bad. Four or five false start penalties and a holding call against one of the weaker defenses in the league in inexcusable. Coaching on both sides also needs to be on this list. It sat in stunned silence when we ran three poorly designed pass plays at the goal line and the had to settle for a field goal. Has Tressel given up on the running game? If so, for what reason? Certainly giving a chance for Saine to score should have been one of the options.

I think this will be an interesting week at the Woody Hayes Center. After the USC loss it seemed like the press and the fans really helped in forcing Tressel’s hand with regards to play calling. Changes were made with the full effects yet to be felt. This week I expect to read and hear a lot of negative criticism directed at Terrelle Pryor. How he and the program respond to the heat next week against a decent Minnesota team should be considered a good barometer for the rest of the year. Frankly, my expectations are not that high.

What’s next?

Minnesota comes to town after a week of watching tape of the Purdue game. I think Eric Decker is licking his chops in anticipation of running free in OSU’s soft zone coverages. In addition, I would expect the Gophers to dial up numerous blitz packages as it’s become obvious that Pryor tends to panic at the mere thought of contact. To me this game will define how the rest of the season will go and could be a very good indicator as to how the team will look going into next year. If this was Penn State…or even Iowa I would be predicting a loss. However, Minnesota is talented but not as talented as those two teams. I don’t think there will be a great deal of improvement on offense. Perhaps Tressel will utilize the no huddle approach as Pryor seems more comfortable in those sets. I’d also like to see more consistent use of Brandon Saine. It’s obvious that he is the best player on the Ohio State offense. The fact he only touched the ball once in the second half is ridiculous. The defense will feel the need to make a statement coming off their most recent effort. I believe the team will feel better in front of the home fans. I have it 24-14 Ohio State.

Go Bucks!!!

Buckeye John

Michigan - Delaware State Post Game

photo courtesy of the Freep

So, I was right in my pre-game prediction of a 48-3 score, the problem was that was the score a half time.

I also predicted it would be over after the first quarter and it was. Everything worked for the Wolverines on Saturday on both sides of the ball.

This was never really a football game with a final score of 63-6, Delaware St. was over matched and was at the Big House on Saturday for a pay day and a chance for Michigan to get one game closer to Bowl Game. (BTW: The Champs Bowl in Orlando had a bowl representative in the press box during the game)

Since this was such a lopsided game, let's jump to the cheers and jeers.

Jeers:

• Didn't like seeing Tate Forcier sitting on the bench in the first half and not up and supporting Denard when he played.


• A few too many penalties for the Wolverines
• Need better coverage on kick off returns


• Mike Williams at times still looks lost a safety

Cheers:

• A record 727 total yards on offense


• 84 Wolverines played


• Vincent Smith's 166 yards on the ground


• Brandon Graham played great with two sacks and touchdown after a blocked punt


• The Grady Brothers - the first time brothers have scored since the Bump Elliott days


• No injuries

With Penn State next Michigan should feel pretty good about it's chances after posting 63 points. Some other notes:

• James Rodgers WR moved to CB during the game


• JT Floyd was out with the flu and didn't dress


• Carlos Brown didn't dress and was out with headaches still after his concussion


• Boubacar is still day to day with his suspension


• RR is hopeful to have Molk back next week


• The Michigan coaches were planning to play Tate more, but after the first drive they decided to hold him out the rest of the game.


• Big Will got a number of snaps on the defensive line


• Minor could have played on Saturday put RR kept him out just for rest.


• RR planned to play Shaw and Smith as the main RB's for this game


• The announced crowd was 106,000+ but there was a number of empty seats

Michigan - Delaware State Preview

Game Time: 12:00
Location: Big House
TV: Big Ten Network (second game nationally - you will need the overflow channels to see it)
Line: None
Weather: Cloudy with a chance of meatballs (or a high of 48 with partly clouds and sun)

Is Michigan struggling? If you don't follow this program closely you could say Yes. Michigan has lost two road games in a row in the Big Ten.

If you look closer at these games, Michigan had a chance to win both (taking MSU to OT and a pick on the final drive against Iowa only down 2) but youthful mistakes got in the way. So Michigan is a couple of plays of being 6-0 but you could also say they are a couple of plays from being 3-3 as well.

Michigan is still a young team that will make freshman mistakes but play an exciting brand of football on offense. The Michigan defense is playing better with maybe their two best efforts at Michigan State and at Iowa.

This week was a slated bye week for the Wolverines but the revenue that comes with filling a 105,000 person stadium makes a game a little more important. No offense to the Delaware Hornets but they are the worst team on Michigan's schedule this year. They are 1-3 and struggling on offense to score points. This game shouldn't be close and hopefully won't be. If Michigan fans have learned anything the past couple of years (App. State and Toledo), Michigan shouldn't overlook anyone.

I look for Tate Forcier to play a few series (maybe 4 or 5). If those drives turn into points, Denard will see the rest of the game action. Denard needs the reps and Tate needs the rest. I would also like Sheridan to complete a pass so that he doesn't have that pick as the last pass that he threw. How close has Sheridan been to playing time the last two weeks? I would guess pretty close. If Tate is hurt and Denard is struggling with the offense, Sheridan is the guy.

So get in there and complete a few passes.

Also look for Mike Shaw and Vincent Smith to see a number of snaps at running back, maybe even Vlad at safety and Big Will on the defensive line.

Scratch your head and start remembering the Toledo game if:

• Denard starts throwing picks


• This game isn't over at the end of the first quarter


• Michigan didn't totally over look this game


• The Michigan defense gives up any points
  
  

Sing "Hail to the Victors" if:

• Tate plays 3 series with 21 points


• Denard is effective throwing the ball


• Michigan has 300 yards on the ground and 300 in the air


• Michigan finds the wide receivers in the offense with down field passes


• The Michigan D pitches a shut out


• We see a bunch of freshman get much needed playing time but nobody burns a redshirt that hasn't played.

Being home after two road losses should give the Wolverines the "home cooking" they need to win big in this game. Vegas doesn't even have a line on this one which is probably a good move. Michigan could hit 50 points if they want to. Michigan 48 Delaware State 3

Go BLUE!

Michigan MASH Report Week 7

OUT

C David Molk, foot
CB Zac Johnson, shoulder


PROBABLE (75 percent chance of playing)

QB Tate Forcier, concussion
RB Carlos Brown, concussion


This Weeks Team Captains:

Defensive end Brandon Graham, kicker Jason Olesnavage, linebacker Ohene Opong-Owusu and left tackle Mark Ortmann. I would like to see Ohene Opong-Owusu to keep some snaps on Saturday and see how the BTN announcers handle his name.

Big Ten Picks and Preview Week 7

Not as many big games this weekend, but still an interesting weekend for someone ot earn a ticket to a BCS Bowl Game.

Let's get on with the show............................

Big Ten Game of the Week:

Iowa at Wisconsin: I consider these teams pretty close in skill level. Iowa has the biggest win of the season at Happy Valley and Wisconsin got blown out at the Shoe last week with 2 Pick 6's and giving up another score on special teams, that's 21 non-traditional points if your keeping score at home. Those types of mistakes won't win you too many games.

Wisconsin will face another tough defense that really didn't shut down the Michigan running game much but did get pressure on both Michigan's quarterbacks. This is going to be a close game and Vegas has the line Wisconsin - 3 points. This really points to the fact, Vegas is not quite buying what Iowa is selling yet, since they are they are the #11 team in the nation and Wisconsin is not ranked. Wisconsin 21 Iowa 17

The rest of the league:

Ohio State at Purdue: This is clearly as mismatch on paper. The Ohio State defense has been winning games all year and Purdue as a whole has played hard but keeps finding ways to lose games. This is a classic "Vest" situation and he doesn't' lose these games. If OSU doesn't get blinded sided by the Big Drum, Train Whistle, and Movie clips this will be an easy win. OSU is favored by two touchdowns. The Vest 38 Purdue 10

Illinois at Indiana: The good news is one of these teams is going to walk away with a win. The bad news is for the fans that have to watch this game. This is the equivalent of the Cleveland - Buffalo game in the NFL last weekend. IU played well against Michigan but has gone South quickly with a blow out loss last weekend to Virgina. Zook still is waiting to get his team started this year and are currently one of the Big Ten's biggest disasters just a couple of years removed from the Rose Bowl. The game is at IU but the team has been hit with the flu bug. IU is favored by 2 at home. Zook has to win a game at some point right? U of I 14 IU 10

Minnesota at Penn State: I think this is an interesting game. Minnesota is a decent team and will be Penn State's second toughest opponent of the year. Penn State has not done itself any favors by playing a very weak non-conference schedule. So the big question is: can Minnesota pull the upset? Vegas doesn't think so and has made Penn State a 17 point favorite. I think that's too high. PSU 28 Minnesota 24

Northwestern at Michigan State: The Wildcats play well in East Lansing for some strange reason. Michigan State has gotten back to .500 football with back to back wins over Michigan and Illinois. State lost one of their top running backs and one of their quarterbacks. Northwestern hasn't exactly played good football lately by barley beating a pretty poor Miami of Ohio team last week. Vegas has NW a two touchdown dog. I feeling an upset in this game but will still pick State. MSU 31 NW 24

As always the Michigan - Delaware State game will get it's own preview in Friday's edition of BHB.

Michigan Thursday: Press Conference Notes and GPA Tracking

• Tate didn't practice on Tuesday but was expected to on Wednesday. If things go well, he will start on Saturday.
• Minor and Brown are both healthy, expect to see Shaw and Smith to get more snaps on Saturday.
• Moosman is doing better at center
• Kelvin Grady has gotten less time in bigger games due to Odoms game experience
• Woolfolk will stay at CB for now, since they like having two upper class man at each corner.

Press release content from Tim at mgoblog

-The Freep is also reporting that the Michigan Football Team can't confirm that the football had the highest GPA ever on the team, since they don't keep those records. Coach Rod has made a couple of public statements saying the team had achieved the highest GPA ever. Here is his statement: “I have mentioned publicly several times that the football team last year achieved the highest average GPA ever, and I’d like to set the record straight on that statement. Last fall, in order to boost academic performance, I asked the Academic Success Program for the highest ever team GPA and challenged the players to beat it. The ASP doesn’t track team GPAs, so they provided me with an estimate based on their experience dealing with individual performance. They did not make it clear that the number was just an estimate and not an exact calculation. We apologize if this has caused any confusion.

“That said, I want to re-emphasize how proud I am of the academic performance of our team members. We have implemented several activities aimed at motivating each player to succeed in the classroom as well as on the field. A number of them have achieved their ‘personal best’ GPAs, and I believe that each of them will continue to strive for excellence.”

GPA's for the team or individuals should be kept confidential in my opinion.

The Freep is also reporting that last Friday, someone in the metro Detroit area called into work sick, when they really were jumping on a plane for a long weekend in Vegas.

They followed up that story with; "Who is painting the leaves? - Why are they turning different colors?

Wednesday Quick Hits: Should Tate Play This Weekend?

• Dave Birk from A2.com doesn't think so. He also has some inside info on Tate's Shoulder: A person familiar with the injury said Forcier’s sprain was barely considered Grade 1- the least severe - but it still appears to be affecting his mechanics. His release point is lower than normal, and he isn’t fully loading his arm before throwing, the person said. I think the concussion could keep him out of Saturday's game before the shoulder does. I am also on the fence if he should play or not. I know he could use a couple of good series that ends with touchdowns but he also might need some rest for Penn State coming in next week. Denard needs more time under center and I expect him to get at least 50% of the snaps on Saturday (more if Tate still has a concussion).

• The Little Caesar's Bowl is still in talks with the Big Ten: The release will be forthcoming," Hoffman said. "It's just a matter of dotting in the I's and crossing the T's." Though Hoffman would not commit to the bowl's place in the new Big Ten pecking order -- its goal for years was to move up so as to have a Big Ten team every year -- he confirmed the contract will run like the others, from the 2010-13 seasons.

Wolverine Wednesday: Should The Michigan - Michigan State Game be Played at Ford Field?

Every year around this time, I start thinking what a Michigan - Michigan State game would be like at Ford Field. The reason I start thinking that way is the success of this weekends Oklahoma and Texas game in the Cotton Bowl and soon the Florida - Georgia match up in Jacksonville. I heard Mac Brown, the Longhorns head coach say today that kids come to Oklahoma and Texas just to play in this game. That The Red River Shoot Out is like a mid-season bowl game.

I know all the reasons not to do it like revenue and home field advantage. But what about a 2-4 year trial to see how it works?

Here are some of my reasons why I think it would work:

• The Michigan - MSU game this year was on the Big Ten Network. It seems the rivalry has lost a little luster the last 5 years or so. The game is not seen as important by the major networks.



• Ford Field is a first class stadium roughly the same distance from both campuses (I know it's a little farther from East Lansing).



• How great would Ford Field look with half of it Blue and other half Green?



• I know weather is part of football, but would it really be that bad to play the game at 72 degrees?



• It could give the Detroit economy a little Saturday boost. Restaurants, hotels, casino's all could see some increased business.



• It could be a night game



• The Michigan - MSU game could have some type of nickname: Great Lakes Shake Down, The Great Lake State Game, The Motor City Bowl, The Cherry Bowl, The Family Feud :)



• Seems the players would enjoy playing at an NFL Field



• Like the examples above it could be a mid-season bowl game

I know Revenue is King and both universities make more money playing a home game every other year but it might be worth a trial period. What do you think?...............

Michigan Tuesday: Who is Starting at QB?

• The Detroit Free Press attended Rich Rodriguez press conference yesterday and had this headline on Monday: Tate Forcier to Start on Saturday, then today they run a headline that says: Denard Robinson Might Start on Saturday. Really? Which one is it? If Tate is 100% he will start, if he isn't Denard will. That sentence really didn't need two stories did it?

• Tate's brother Jason says Tate's shoulder is worse then you think: “His shoulder is more injured than I think the public realizes. It’s the same thing (Oklahoma quarterback) Sam Bradford did. Maybe not as severe, but an AC joint is an AC joint. Once you injure it, it’s hurt for the rest of the year.”

• Sounds like there are some "fake" Michigan Football Tickets out there. Be on the look out. If there is a picture of Beanie Wells on the ticket, the odds are good it's not a real Michigan - Delaware State ticket!

• The bag ban at Michigan Stadium continues. Leave your purse and fanny pack at home. If you own a fanny pack, please check your calendar and make sure it's not stuck on 1984.

• How about that Chad Henne last night? Did you watch the game? He played very, very well and even hooked up with Ted Ginn for a long touchdown pass.

• Hollywood Hills senior defensive end Clarence Murphy is planning a Ann Arbor/U of M visit for the Ohio State game.

• The Florida - LSU game took in a 6.8 TV rating on Saturday and the Michigan - Iowa game took only a 3.0.

• GVSU had it's first conference loss in five years. Yes, 5 years!

• Delaware State is 1-3 with a win over Hampton; losses to Florida AM, Delaware, and to Bethune-Cookman.

The New Big Ten Bowl Lineup - Updated

The Big Ten will announce the following Bowl Games for the 2010 -2014 seasons (starting after the 2010 season). You will see some changes and some regular bowl games still in-tact:

1. Rose Bowl vs PAC 10 (or BCS Championship) 1/1
2. Capital One vs. SEC 1/1
3. Outback vs. SEC 1/1
4 or 5. Gator vs. SEC 1/1
4 or 5. Insight vs. Big 12 12/31
6. Texas vs. Big 12 Late December
7. Dallas Football Classic vs. Conference USA 1/1

Seems like a good line up with most of the games on New Year's Day. The Alamo and Music City Bowls are gone and replaced with the new game in Dallas, The Texas Bowl and the Gator Bowl.

The Little Caesar's is a new name for the Motor City Bowl which did not announce a partnership with the Big Ten today. Sources say one is coming but nothing was announced today. As an FYI, Lloyd Carr is the new President of the Little Caesar's Bowl.

Buckeye Monday: Wisconsin Post Game

Tresselball strikes again……..

Saturday’s game against Wisconsin showcased the very essence of Tresselball. I missed large parts of the game again, but what I did see reminded me very much of how the Buckeyes played the game back in 2002. The defense continues to dominate, special teams shine and the offense manages to stay out of its own way. It wasn’t the prettiest of wins but it was enough to put Ohio State on top of the conference standings. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that this is how each game is going to play out for the remainder of the season. It could be worse…..

What worked?

As stated above, the defense is nasty. They passed the first true test of the year with flying colors. Matt Millen stated at the beginning of the game that the Wisconsin O-line was the best in the conference. I was a little worried about their ability to control the game with their running attack. My thought was that grinding away the clock would put more pressure on Pryor to make things happen in the short amount of time the Buckeyes would have the ball. All this played out as anticipated as Wisconsin held the ball for a ridiculous 41 + minutes to Ohio State’s 18+. Pryor could not get it done (save for the scoring drive before the end of the first half). The way the game played out after that was a definite departure from the usual script. Or was it……

Welcome back Ray Small. The kid has had his issues but it sure was nice seeing him slice through the coverage team on his kick return. For the briefest of moments I thought I was watching Ted Ginn Jr. Ahhh….those were the days. Here’s to solid play from Small for the rest of the year.

Special recognition goes to Ross Homan. He had two sacks, forced a fumble and was in on 15 tackles. As the lone returning linebacker this year he has had to deal with higher expectations that to date he has been unable to meet. The vision of him whiffing on a tackle of Joe McKnight during the last drive of the USC game is still pretty vivid. I’m hoping this game will give him the confidence that he can play at a higher level for the rest of the year. Kurt Coleman also gets special recognition. His pick 6 in the first quarter changed the momentum in the game. It was nice to have him back after serving a one game suspension.

What STILL doesn’t work?

I should just cut and paste past critiques of Terelle Pryor into my review each week. He still isn’t comfortable as a passer and I’m not sure he’s interested or capable of leading the offense a la Tim Tebow or Sam Bradford. To be fair, comparing Pryor to those two may be a bit unreasonable. However, as sophomores one won the Heisman trophy and the other lead the nation in passing efficiency. More importantly, both had established themselves as the unquestioned leader of not only the offense but of the team in general.

On the plus side I like putting him in the shotgun instead of under center. This approach seems to give him more time to make decisions….not that that always happens. Rushed throws were followed by bad decisions running the ball. He still has a lot of growing up to do. He did show nice skills on the lone score by the offense before the half. You’d think he could watch the tape of that drive and do a better job of capturing his decision making to speed up his maturation process. It seems so obvious. What are Buckeye fans missing? He has three more games until the real season starts. My goal is that he shows incremental improvement in each of these games before ending the season with Iowa, Penn State and Michigan.

The running game also lacked the consistency found in previous games. We’ll definitely need a healthy Boom Herron to compliment Brandon Saine in November.

What’s next?

The Buckeyes go on the road to West Lafayette next week to play Purdue. Tressel always gets the team ready for away games. I think Ohio State can tie the conference record for consecutive road wins this weekend. Consider it done. The defense will continue to dominate and the offense will find a sliver of rhythm against a bad Purdue defense. I have it Ohio State 38 Purdue 10.

Go Bucks!!!

Buckeye John

Michigan - Penn State Start Time

Will be a 3:30 kick at the Big House. ABC will televise the game.

Michigan Monday: Tate Forcier has a Concussion

Rich Rodriguez Monday Morning Press Conference:

• Tate Forcier suffered a concussion on his last play. His shoulder was sore but better then last week. Coach Rod said they believed it to be a minor concussion, but he still had a head ache this morning. The doctors and medical staff will make the call if he can play on Saturday. He will be limited this week in practice.
• RR did not know about the concussion when he made the decision to put Denard in for the last two series.
• Carlos Brown suffered his concussion last Tuesday and has been cleared to practice and play.
• Pleased with the effort of the offense line.
• Troy Woolfork had a tweaked ankle but played well in his move to CB.
• Jordan Kovacs moved from Free to Strong Safety and played pretty well.
• Too many un-forced errors.
• Happy with preparation, focus and intensity.
• Called out Odoms and Koger as playing well.
• Boubacar is practicing with the scout team. He needs to work on a few things including focusing on academics before he is re-instated.
• RR is closing practice (Wed.) to the media from now on due to plays and personnel hitting the papers and Internet.
• Molk will do some practice snaps today.

Moosman:

• Snaps were good this week
• He doesn't care if he plays center or right guard.
• The team is ready to go on Saturday
• He reads the New Yorker

Zoltan:

• Named Big Ten Special Team Player of the week.
• Happy about the honor but the team comes first.

Michigan - Iowa Post Game: A good effort in a loss

Bottom Line: You can't win a football game turning the football over 5 times, but Michigan almost did and probably should have.

This was a game of opposites for the 2009 Wolverines. The offensive line played well, Brandon Minor just had short of 100 yards, and Tate "the great" really wasn't.

This young team plays hard and sometimes dumb. Either way, I was very proud of how this team competed in a very difficult and cold environment.

The killer was the turnovers and 4 of them were un-forced. Tate's first past was a terrible decision into coverage, then the ball slips out of his hand on a bubble screen pass, Minor's fumble (the only forced turnover), the punt drop by Matthews, and the "air mail" pick by Denard on the final drive.

The Defense played very well and had it's best effort of the year. Boubacar Cissoko has been suspended for breaking team rules (the street is saying, he has been dogging it in practice and maybe been smoking some weed during the off times) and Troy Woolfolk played pretty well moving back to corner. Mike Williams did not play well replacing Woolfolk, he gave up two simple touchdowns to the tight end and wasn't deep enough on a long pass on 3rd and 24.

Tate struggled managing the game in the second half. I 100% agree with Coach Rod pulling him and getting Denard in there in the 4th quarter. I personally would have had Tate back in to run the final drive but you can't really question RR's decision after Denard had marched the team down the field for a touchdown just minutes before.

This wasn't a game Michigan was supposed to win and they all most did, they competed for 60 minutes and again all most won the game at the end. This team is growing up every game and there will be more special moments this year and the years to come. Don't forget this is not the year for championships, it's the year to make a bowl game and build for the future.

Jeers:

• The turnovers reminded us of last year. These are inexcusable and need to be fixed in practice.


• The defense in 2nd or 3rd and long. What is the problem here? Why can't we stop anyone in 3rd and really long.


• Mike Williams struggled at safety most of the day

Cheers:

• The Defense - played very hard all day and gave Michigan a chance to win with a pick 6, a goal line stance, and a stop after the on side kick.


• Denard - ran the offense well until his last pass.


• The offensive line was much improved against a very strong defensive line.


• The running game. Minor had 95 yards and Denard had 49 yards in just over one drive.


• Brandon Graham was great as usual


• Zoltan was just incredible in punting the ball and flipping the field.

Wolverines don't hold your head down today, you played hard and you can learn and build on this performance. BTW: I'm not buying the QB conservatory and that's there friction on this team. That is media talk, sure Tate didn't want to be benched but he was not running the offense well in the second half.

The media is trying to paint that this team isn't on the same page after back to back losses. Michigan wasn't favored in either one of these games and probably should have won both. They are on the same page, they are just making mistakes that most young teams do. They made similar mistakes against EMU, Western, IU and ND they were just able to over come them with a win. They weren't so lucky the last two weeks. I'm proud of how this team competed on Saturday.

Michigan Maybe All White Against Iowa?

Is All White, All Right?

There is a strong rumor circulating the Blogsphere that Michigan will unveil White Jerseys with White pants on Saturday night against Iowa.

Being a Michigan fan, I'm sure you know that traditionally Michigan wears White jerseys with Maize pants on the road.

UMgoblog has sources that are telling him Michigan is going all White on Saturday Night! (photo from above is the work of UMgoblog as well)

I'm on the fence until I see them. It could be a fun spark or something stupid that really doesn't make a difference anyway.

Tune in Saturday to see for yourself if it's a rumor or fact.

From the Michigan Daily:
Against Iowa, the Wolverines may complement their white away jerseys with white pants, but an Athletic Department spokesman told The Michigan Daily last night he had “no definitive answer.” The uniform change would include everyone, even the 300-pound linemen.

“I can’t imagine,” left tackle Mark Ortmann said with a laugh. “We already have some pretty self-conscious offensive linemen. I don’t know if that will help out."

Woohoo a Big Secret - White Pants or Maize Pants!

Michigan - Iowa Preview

Time: 8:00 PM EST
TV: ABC
Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City
Weather: 38 degrees with rain in the afternoon
Line: Michigan +8


Iowa has been a unique team this year. They should have lost to a D1AA Northern Iowa week one put blocked two field goals in the final seconds. They then go to Happy Valley and beat a top 10 Penn State team in their own house. Then last week, they come back home and beat Arkansas State a Sun Belt team (which sounds more like a fashion accessory then a football conference) by 3 points. Either way you slice it, Iowa is sitting at 5-0 at the top the Big Ten Standings. (No wonder Lloyd Carr liked Kirk Ferentz so much, that is exactly how Carr's Michigan teams played)

Iowa this year has been doing it with defense, which really doesn't have a weakness. They have a strong defensive line and aggressive defensive backs. If you remember, what turned the Penn State game was the defense creating turnovers and scoring off a fumble return.

Iowa defense has been strong but the offense has been inconsistent. Ricky Stanzi, Iowa's QB has been getting off to slow starts this year and almost gave Arkansas State a win last week with a late pick 6. He has thrown 8 touchdowns this year with 7 picks.

Michigan we all know too well. The running game that has been electric the first 4 weeks hit the skids last week with a total of 28 yards. Michigan's right side of it's offense line decided to take the day off and not block anyone and Tate Forcier was rushed into quick and sometime poor throws. The running backs didn't gain any thing and the rushing yardage mostly came from Tate's scrambles late in the game. Michigan's WR also had trouble catching the ball with 4 or 5 drops that killed drives.

Michigan's defense on the other hand, played a "bend but don't break" defense effectively most of the day, only allowing State 20 points in regulation and shutting down State's running back attack.

Key's to the Game:

- Michigan's O Line vs Iowa's D Line: This is a mis-match in Iowa's favor. Can Michigan pass protect or get running lanes for the running backs? If the answer is no, it's a long day for the Michigan offense.


-Michigan's D needs to stand tall. The Michigan D needs to play it's best game of the year and create turnovers and short fields for the Offense. Michigan will have trouble with 80-90 yard drives.


-The Weather, it will be cold in Iowa with a wet track from a day of rain. I hope the Florida kids are ready for this.


I hope it's not that cold at Kinnick Stadium at Kickoff!


Mix another drink if:

• Iowa's Defense Dominates


• Michigan thinks it's 38 degrees Celsius


• Michigan can't run the ball


• Michigan's offense line continues to struggle with out Molk


• Snaps are flying around the yard


• Michigan's defense bends and breaks

Sing "Hail to the Victors" if:

• Michigan has 200 yards on the ground


• Tate continue to play great and throws for 200


• Michigan's Defense can stop the run and put pressure on Stanzi


• Minor is 100% healthy and runs angry


• The Michigan D gets 3 or more turnovers

It seems Michigan will be with out two of it's weapons on Saturday. David Molk at center and Carlos Brown at running back (a home run threat). If Michigan is going to win this game, Forcier can't make freshman mistakes the the Michigan D has to shut down the Iowa offense. I said, last week that Michigan needed to go 1-1 on this road trip. They are now 0-1 after losing in OT to State last week. This could be a difficult night for the Wolverines: Iowa 21 Michigan 10 (don't listen to me Wolverines go out and play your ass off!)

GO BLUE!

Michigan MASH Report Week 6

Not much news to report.

Out:
Zac Johnson (shoulder)
David Molk (foot)


In addition, head coach Rich Rodriguez announced the game captains for the game against Iowa: linebacker Stevie Brown, offensive lineman Tim McAvoy, offensive lineman David Moosman and defensive end Tim North.

Absent from the report was Carlos Brown who is "reportadly" recovering from a concussion.

Breaking News: Carlos "Santana" Brown Likely Out for the Iowa Game

Carlos Brown who has been very limited in practice this week, is likely out against Iowa this weekend.

Mgoblog is reporting that Carlos got a concussion in practice and will sit this weekend.


Look for Brandon Minor to start and get a number of carries. Michael Shaw might also see some action. The loss of Brown will hurt Michigan big play ability out of the running game. Brown has shown great speed on getting to the corner and breaking free for touchdowns on running and screen plays.


Look for Carlos to be on RR's Injury report when released this evening.

Big Ten Picks and Predictions Week 6

Strange week in the Big Ten with a number of non-conference games in the middle of the Big Ten season.

The Big Story lines are: will Iowa take control of the Big Ten race? Will Ohio State continue to dominate the Big Ten? Is Michigan State taking a step forward or back after it's season saving win last week?

Big Ten Game of the Week:
Will be profiled tomorrow so I have to pick another one.

Wisconsin at Ohio State: Wisconsin this year has just kept winning and off to a 5-0 record, which is nice for Badgers fans who saw them lose to Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State in consecutive weeks last year. For some reason the poll voters are not buying what Wisconsin is selling. They are ranked #25 in the USA Today and not ranked in the AP poll. Ohio State is the team we have come to know for the last 5 years, they lose against the best teams in the nation but beat up on every Big Ten team they put in front of them. Many thought they would struggle against IU last week, they didn't. Some thought the Juice would give them another run for their money, he didn't. Ohio State likes to run the ball and play good defense which most of the time is a winning combination. Wisconsin is getting 16 points on the road which seems like a lot to me. OSU 24 Wisconsin 14

The Rest of the Big Ten:

Miami of Ohio at Northwestern: I thought the Big Ten - MAC match-ups had ended a few weeks ago. I guess not as the Red Hawks try to take flight in Chicago. Northwestern won last week against Purdue where I thought they would struggle. The Red Hawks are less of a threat. Northwestern is favored by 19 at home. NW 31 Miami (OH) 13

Michigan State at Illinois: The Desperation Bowl. Whose season is going to end this week? Neither can afford a loss. State got a reprieve by the Governor last week which kept their season on life support at 2-3. Illinois wasn't so lucky and fell to 1-3. Zook has benched the Juice and Eddie McGee will get the start. State is a 3.5 favorite on the road. This is what I expect to happen: State will let down after their near collapse and over-time victory over Michigan last week and Illinois is desperate for a win. Vegas should have an over under on the number of penalty yards in this one. Zook (trying to save his job) 24 Dantonio (I don't get any respect) 21


Eastern Illinois at Penn State: How many of these games does Penn State play? Whatever happened to PITT or ND? There isn't a line on this one. JoPa's Remote 41 EIU 7


Indiana at Virgina: Are these the same two teams but in different conferences? Each week both teams look either pretty good or pretty bad. Virgina is a 3.5 point favorite at home and I agree with Vegas. Ralph Sampson 23.5 Isiah Thomas 20

Purdue at Minnesota: Purdue seems to be real close winning every game that they lose, which is very common for a young team with a new head coach. Minnesota seems to be the same team that they are every year, a decent team that just isn't ready to play with the Big Boys. Minnesota is favored again by 3.5 at home. This is the time of year when the new "open air" stadium starts to really feel the cold. Chilly Minny 31 Purdon't 21


As always the Iowa - Michigan game will be previewed here on Friday.

Jordan Kovacs: Livin' the Dream as a Wolverine

There are a ton of small town high school stars walking around any college campus. You will see most of these guys playing intramural sports and talking about the glory days over a beer at your apartment or local watering hole. They hit 3 home runs to beat their rival or intercepted a pass for the winning touchdown, dated the homecoming queen, etc, etc, etc.....................

Jordan Kovacs is one of those guys but with an interesting twist. Jordan played football for Clay High School outside of Toledo, Ohio. He won all the awards that you would expect he had won: received special mention All-Ohio as a senior ... first-team all-district at receiver senior year ... first-team all-district at defensive back as a junior ... earned first-team All-Toledo City League as a defensive back during junior and senior years ... added first-team all-city accolades at wide receiver senior year ... honorable mention all-city as a sophomore. The list goes on and on for other sports like track and basketball.

Jordan was destined to be another good athlete at the University of Michigan a place that he loved as a child since his dad played on the football team ten years before he was born. (Louis had played in the early 80's as walk on DB). Another Intramural star in the making, right? Nope.

We all know Rich Rodriguez story by now, he was a walk-on player at West Virgina which he turned into a pretty successful career in football. Well Rich has continued the walk on tradition at Michigan and holds a couple of student walk-on try outs a year. Jordan impressed the coaches during his first try out, but made a big mistake in telling the training staff his knee sort of bothered him after a surgery he had his senior year of high school. Well, the last thing the Michigan coaching staff needed was a walk-on with a medical problem, so Jordan didn't make the team.

He wasn't done though. He got the surgery on his own, fixed his knee up right and went back for another shot at making the team. Which he did.

Fast forward to the start of the season. I remember looking at the depth chart before the Western Michigan game and seeing Jordan Kovacs as the back up Free Safety behind Mike Williams. Who the hell is that I thought?

Then Mike Williams goes down with cramps against Notre Dame and Jordan is pushed into the game covering WR's and playing the run against some of the highest recruited athletes in the nation over the last 3-4 years. "We told him to come back again and try out with the general student body," Rodriguez said. "Not only does he try out and make the team, now he's in there playing at safety in the middle of crunch time on national TV against Notre Dame. To me, that's pretty special." Jordan played well, but Mike was back the next week.

Mike then twists his ankle in the EMU game and Jordan puts in a nice performance against Eastern and Indiana but then here comes Mike again ready to play against Michigan State. Which he did for only a short period of time.

Was he hurt again? Was his ankle not letting him go full speed? Nope.

Jordan was the better player and showed it on the field where he recorded 17 tackles, 2 1/2 tackles for a loss, and one forced fumble. Not a bad days work. (special note: Jordan's strength is against the run and not necessarily in pass coverage, I don't believe he has elite speed against a WR to cover them deep)

Jordan is a great story and as gotten a wonderful opportunity to play Division 1 football at Michigan. This really shows how if you really want something and are willing to work hard, you can make dreams happen.

Good Luck Jordan we all are rooting for you!


Make sure you check back this afternoon for the Big Ten Picks of the Week!

Wolverine Wednesday Practice Notes

• Tate has been limited in his action early in the week but practiced fully today

• Carlos Brown did not practice today due to an injury

• Brandon Minor is the healthiest he has been all year in practice this week and might start on Saturday

• Greg Robinson might move Troy Woolfolk back to cornerback from safety (troy played there last year before being moved this year)

• If that happened Mike Williams and Jordan Kovacs would play the two safety positions. This would give the Wolverines a lack of speed at the Safety position and look for Iowa and others to throw the ball deep on Williams/Kovacs duo who play the run better then the pass.

Wolverine Wednesday: Recruiting Blitz

Michigan is getting a jump on 2011 recruits: It always seems strange to me to start thinking about 2011 recruits when the 2010 class hasn't officially signed yet, but that's recruiting these days. Michigan has sent out a number of 2011 offer letters to recruits already including Cass Tech cornerback Delonte Hollowell and Orlando's Dr. Phillips running back Demetrius Hart. Both guys seem to have Michigan at the top of their lists right now: "Of course, they are my top team," Hart said. "I don't think I will commit now, but I will commit later to Michigan." Michigan has had good luck with Running Backs with the last name Hart.

Michigan offers another 2010 WR: Kenny Stills from California is a 4 star WR and a friend of Tate Forcier. This may also signal that some of the WR's Michigan has already verbally committed might be heading for a cornerback position.

If you missed the Elliot Mealer story last night on ESPN E 60 please watch it here and please give him and his family your support when you see them at Michigan games.

• Molk is still two weeks out from playing again at his center position.

• Tate takes the blames for the State loss, when it was really him that kept them in the game in the first place. This kid is "Nails!"

• Wisconsin signs a two year deal to play Washington in 2017 and 2018. Wow! I guess 2020 was already booked.

Breaking News: Braylon is Traded to the Jets

Braylon Edwards has been traded to the NY Jets.

Let's hope he can catch the ball and stays away from Night Club Promoters in NYC.

Michigan Tuesday: Must See TV

• The Elliott Mealer story will be told on ESPN's E60 tonight at 7:00 EST. If you don't know Elliott was in a serious auto accident with his family and girlfriend on Christmas Eve 2007. In that auto accident, Elliott lost his father and girlfriend in that crash and his brother was seriously injured. Elliott hurt his rotator cuff and sat out his entire freshman year.

• Brandon Graham showed his leadership skills right after the loss at Michigan State. He walked around the locker room saying, "Remember this Feeling!"

• It seems Mark Dantonio is even mad when State wins. Some have questioned Mark if he prepares too much for the Michigan game and doesn't focus on their other opponents. Which have lead to a 2-3 record.

• Christian Jones a 4 Star LB from Florida is interested in Michigan and may take an official visit to Ann Arbor this Fall.

• I was confused when a reporter asked Coach Rod during his press conference that Justin Turner got into the State game. I didn't notice him in the game. The problem was the official score keeper made a mistake and had given him credit for a tackle that Jonus Mouton made. So his red shirt status is still in tact.

What Happens to Ohio State Defensive Players in the NFL?

Ok, Buckeyes I know you have a lot of good cornerbacks and wide receivers in the NFL. I'm not talking about those guys. I am talking about your defensive ends and linebackers that were drafted very high in recent drafts and ended up with less then impressive stats. (and yes, I know of Michigan's history of running backs in the NFL)

Today, let's focus on three players: AJ Hawk, Vernon Gholston, and Bobby Carpenter.

• All First Round Draft Picks (Carpenter - 2006 #18 pick, Hawk - 2006 #5 pick, Gholston -2008 #6th pick)

Let's look at Bobby Carpenter of the Dallas Cowboys:

He has played in 46 total games and made 45 solo tackles (12 in 2007, 10 in 2008, 9 so far in 2009). Bobby has 1.5 sacks in his career and 0 interceptions. Considered a bust so far in Dallas and mostly plays on special teams and some 3rd downs.

AJ Hawk of the Green Bay Packers:

AJ has played in 51 games and recorded 245 tackles, 7.5 sacks with 3 interceptions. AJ has been a steady but not spectacular linebacker for the Packers. The News and Notes from Yahoo Sports says: Hawk only had seven tackles in the previous two games combined, so this was a big game for him. The Packers are using a combination of linebackers right now which limits their playing time. Rookie Clay Mathews who scored a touchdown last night has seen a lot of time at AJ's expense.

Vernon Gholston of the NJ Jets:

Vernon has played in 19 games so far and recorded 12 solo tackles with zero sacks. Vernon is having a hard time breaking into the starting lineup even with Calvin Pace serving a 4 game NFL suspension. Disappointment doesn't start to explain Vernon's career so far with the Jets. He is widely considered one of the biggest busts from the 2008 draft. What Vernon does have going for him is time and he can right the ship with the new defensive coaches now running the Jets.

Summary:

To be fair, these guys are still young and have time to find their way in the NFL. Carpenter and Gholston have been the most disappointing, with AJ being more steady then the dominate linebacker which the Packers thought they were drafting. Also, Will Smith another Ohio State DE that was drafted in the first round in 2004 has had a very successful NFL career highlighted by a pro bowl selection in 2006 and a low light of a 4 game suspension in 2008 after testing positive for diuretic, which can be used a masking agent for steroid use.

What are the reasons behind this? Difficult to say. Some might consider that a dominate player in the Big Ten does not equal that of a NFL Star. Maybe "the Vest" gets the best out of his players? Maybe they are in the right position in college but not in the complex defenses of the NFL?

Anyway you look at it, NFL GM's across the league will look a little harder at Ohio State Linebackers or Defensive Ends before drafting them in the first round in future drafts. That might be the reason Laurinaitis dropped to the second round last year.

Note: James Laurinaitis was a second round draft pick in 2009 and is off to a fast start with 25 tackles through 4 games for the St. Louis Rams. Marcus Freeman was a 5th round draft pick by the Chicago Bears and has yet to play in a game.