Big House Blurbs

Pearson collects another player of the week honor

UT sophomore guard Rian Pearson was named MAC West player of the week on Monday for the third straight week. This certainly bolsters his case to win MAC player of the year at season's end.

Here were Pearson's stat lines last week in a win over Ohio and a loss at Bowling Green.

Ohio: 17 points, 16 boards, three assists, and 6 of 14 shooting from the field.

BG: 13 points, nine boards, three assists, and 5 of 11 shooting from the field.

Thoughts on the eve of BG-UT game, both of them

Ladies first ...

-Combined, UT and BG have won 20 straight (Breakdown: BG 13, UT seven). You're going to see another excellent, well played game between these two. I say that without any hesitation. What concerns me about UT is its relative inconsistency. This team is better than it was a month ago, maybe even much better, but there has been a handful of ugly 5-10 minute spurts in recent games that make you wonder whether they're capable of taking down a BG team that has won 19 of its past 20 games. I agree with BG coach Curt Miller that his team is more consistent than UT but that UT, when it's hitting on all cylinders, is the better team. UT needs to find a way to play well the entire game. No lulls allowed.

-Can BG defend Yolanda Richardson with just one player? I ask, because UT's offense has been deadly against teams have doubled down on Richardson. In the past two games - wins over Akron and Kent State - Courtney Ingersoll and Haylie Linn have combined for 15 3-pointers. I'd guess Miller will position sophomore Alexis Rodgers, a Duke transfer, to guard Richardson. This will be a key match up.

-Eastern Michigan, whom UT is tied with atop the West, will likely beat Kent State on Saturday in Ypsilanti.This game of anythingyoucandoIcandobetter against EMU could come ultimately be decided Feb. 21 when UT travels to Ypsilanti.

Now for the men ...

-Starting guard Dominique Buckley sat out practice Friday with the flu. Coach Kowalczyk expects him to be good to go, but will he be on top of his game? We'll see. Buckley has struggled of late, attempting just three shots in each of the past two games, but UT can't afford to be down any bodies, especially a starter.

-Coach Kowalczyk thinks BG is the most athletic team in the MAC. He's especially respectful of guards Jordan Crawford and Dee Brown, and forward A'ustin Calhoun. UT assistant Angres Thorpe said Brown has an "old man's game," which is a way of suggesting Brown doesn't have superior athleticism but that he's effective by changing speeds well. You know exactly the type of player Thorpe is talking about. He's 45-50 years old, plays at the YMCA or at the park, and people half his age pick him to their team because of his understanding for how to play the game.

-I thought this quote by Kowalczyk was intersting. "Overall, I think this team has gotten better and will continue to get better down the stretch. I think we're playing as good as anybody in the league right now. That's important when you're in February." As good as anybody in the league? Had they beaten Buffalo, coupled with the OU win, I'd be inclined to agree. A win Saturday would be further evidence of UT progressing and signify that it will be a tough draw for anyone in the MAC tournament.

 

 

 

Turnovers sink Rockets

Thoughts on Saturday's 77-61 loss to Kent State:

-This is a game UT needs to be more competitive in. You're at home, coming off a nice road win at Miami, facing a Kent State team that's just so-so right now. Snatching a win is a lot to ask, but you have to be competitive. The Rockets weren't competitive, and their body language was lousy in the second half.

-Sometimes stats lie, but not tonight. If you weren't at the game, didn't watch it online, or didn't read this blog post, you'd have a clear understanding of what went wrong. UT's starting backcourt went 0-for-16 from the field and turned the ball over 12 times. Coach Kowalczyk said Dominique Buckley (0-for-7, four turnovers) played his worst game of the season. He was kinder to Juice Brown, suggesting most of Brown's nine misses from the field came off of decent looks. Brown is struggling with confidence right now, Kowalczyk said, which is common for a freshman facing good competition every night. There's no more Texas Pan-Americans or Chciago States on the schedule.

-Other stats that paint a clear picture: UT missed 15 of 16 3-pointers and turned the ball over 19 times - the most since 20 in the season opener against Texas State. Six of UT's turnovers came on consecutive possessions - yes, six turnovers on consecutive possessions - in the second half. Brown had three of them.

-On the bright side, Rian Pearson tallied 22 points to notch his seventh 20-point game of the season. Pearson had zero turnovers, which frankly surprises me. Could've sworn seeing him lose the ball at least once.

-No time to sulk, which Kowalczyk accused his team of doing in the second half tonight, because a trip to East-leading Akron comes Wednesday.

 

My vote for Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year

Yesterday I received my ballot for Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year. This morning I submitted it. Now, in an effort to be transparent, I'm going to reveal how I voted.

First, the finalists:

• Michigan's Brady Hoke. Went 10-2 in his first season, increasing the team's win total by three from the year before. The Wolverines beat Ohio State for the first time since 2003, made a quantum leap defensively, and advanced to a BCS game for the first time since 2006. 
• Kansas State's Bill Snyder. The Wildcats were picked to finish eighth in the Big 12 and finished second — and eighth in the BCS standings. They are 10-2 entering in what I anticipate to be a fun match up against Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl. Snyder is a tremendous coach. Once upon a time Kansas State was the worst team in college football. In his third year of his second tour of duty at KSU, he's once again showing he's one of the premier coaches in college football.
• Clemson's Dabo Swinney. In his third season, Swinney led the Tigers to their first ACC championship since 1991 and a match up against West Virginia in the Orange Bowl. Twice, his team smashed Sugar Bowl qualifier Virginia Tech. 
• LSU's Les Miles. The Tigers are 13-0 heading into a rematch against Alabama in the BCS national championship.They've beaten the following teams in the top 25 of the BCS, and all, with the exception of Alabama, were decisive: #5 Oregon (neutral), #23 West Virginia (road), #25 Auburn (home), #2 Alabama (road), #6 Arkansas (home) and #16 Georgia (neutral). 
• Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy. His team won the Big 12 outright for the first time ever and was a double-overtime loss to Iowa State from being undefeated and going to the BCS title game. Led by a prolific passing game, Gundy has built a juggernaut in Stillwater.

Now, my vote, in reverse order.

5. Swinney

4. Snyder

3. Gundy

2. Hoke

1. Miles

To date, Miles' team has enjoyed arguably the best season in college football history, and therefore I picked him over Hoke. The closer race, in my mind, was between Hoke, Gundy and Snyder. The way LSU consistenly devoured good teams — rarely with the assistance of a home crowd — is remarkable. Some may argue "LSU was ranked fourth in the preseason. They were supposed to be good." Well, a couple of things: I don't vote based on how a team does relative to outsider's expectations for them. Given that logic, Andrew Luck would be disqualified from winning the Heisman Trophy. Secondly, no team is supposed to go undefeated, particularly in the SEC. Miles was forced to deal with distractions all season long, whether it was losing his quarterback and others in fall camp to a bar fight arrest or suspending his star defensive back for testing positive for synthetic marijuana. In my opinion, it's obvious — The Hat wears The Crown for this season's best coach.

Can Michigan make a BCS game?

The answer to the headline is, yes, Michigan can get an invite to a BCS game. And if the Wolverines beat Ohio State next Saturday, I think they will. Here's what you need to know.

There are 10 berths to the five BCS games, and six of them will be presented to the winners of the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 12, and SEC. However, the SEC is pretty much guaranteed of getting two BCS bids, so in essence, there's only three at-large spots not spoken for.

Here's how the automatic bids could unfold:

ACC: Clemson will play for the championship, likely against Virginia Tech.

Big East: Five average to crummy teams have two league losses, so it's anyone's guess how this will shape up. The highest ranking team in last week's BCS standings was Rutgers at 29. This is a one-bid league, and there's no argument.

Big Ten: Michigan State will play the winner of Saturday's game between Penn State at Wisconsin. The winner of the championship game will go to the Rose Bowl and play the Pac 12 winner. The non-winner will probably be leapfrogged by Michigan. More on that later.

Big 12: Oklahoma State will get the bid if it can beat Oklahoma on Dec 3. Because of conference defections (Colorado and Nebraska), a title game no longer determines the league champion.

Pac 12: Oregon is a heavy favorite to win.

SEC: LSU, Alabama, and Arkansas of the West are 1-2-3 in this week's AP and Coaches Poll, but the BCS can only pick two teams per conference. One of them will sit out, and the other two will likely play in the BCS title game. Having said that, East winner Georgia could steal the automatic berth with a win in the title game. Regardless, the SEC will get two and only two BCS bids.

Houston: The Cougars from Conference USA will get an automatic berth if they can hang on in the top 12 (they're projected 10th this week) or in the top 16 as long as they're ranked higher than the Big East champion, which they should be. Houston wraps up on the road against a good Tulsa team (8-3, 7-0) on Saturday.

Provided Houston takes care of business, that leaves two at-large spots to be filled by these contenders. (A team must be in the top 18 of the BCS standings to receive an at-large):

Michigan, or the Big Ten team that doesn't go to the Rose Bowl - Penn State, Wisconsin, or Michigan State. Michigan will have one fewer losses than the non-Big Ten title game winner, thus perhaps making the Wolverines more attractice to a BCS bowl committee. Also, and this is important, Michigan, or any other team that has won nine games and is in the top 14 of the BCS, is assured of getting an at-large bid over other at-large teams in their conference not in the top 14. Michigan is expected to be about 16th in this week's BCS standings and will almost surely crack the top 14 of the final BCS standings if it can beat Ohio State. Of PSU, Wisconsin, and MSU, at least two of them are guaranteed to still lose a game. Michigan is in very good shape if it can beat the Buckeyes.

Oklahoma or Kansas State as a second team from the Big 12.

Clemson or Virginia Tech as a second team from the ACC.

Stanford as a second team from the Pac 12.

Boise State and/or TCU from the Mountain West.

Of those teams, the only one with equal or more name appeal than Michigan is Oklahoma but the Sooners will have three losses if they lose to Oklahoma State in the Bedlam rivalry. The Wolverines have an exciting team, a good story, and their fan base travels well. By not playing in a league championship game they're actually in better shape than those teams that will lose in their championship game. This is a BCS team, it appears, if they can beat Ohio State.

 

 

Did Brady Hoke and Ryan Van Bergen throw previous staff under the bus?

Michigan coaches and players rarely reference the former coaching staff, either in a positive or negative way. It just doesn't happen. But a few shots may have been thrown at Rich Rodriguez and his coaching staff at Monday's news conference.

Coach Hoke had this to say when asked about possibly giving left tackle Taylor Lewan some time of this week to recuperate from a leg injury:

"We don't have that luxury, you know, to be honest with you. We have limited numbers, so we'll try and be smart and maybe take a rep here, rep there. But our depth at our offensive line is probably as low as I've ever seen at a university."

That last line seems like a shot at Rodriguez and his shortcomings at recruiting offensive linemen. Michigan has just 10 scholarship linemen, and two are true freshmen (Bryant, Miller). From what I understand, coaches like to carry about 15 linemen. In Rodriguez's defense, he left Hoke with 12. Christian Pace (injury) and Tony Posada (quit) could have provided depth, although Posada was a first-year guy and was likely headed for a redshirt year.

Then there's this response from Hoke on a question about Denard Robinson inexplicably taking a knee Saturday when Purdue jumped offsides:

"I think it's some old training maybe. We'd like for him to throw it to the Z who was down the field."

To be fair, Hoke may have been referring to Denard's high school or Pop Warner coach and not Rodriguez, Calvin Magee or Rod Smith.

So maybe I'm reading too much into things. Fine. But you cannot tell me Ryan Van Bergen didn't throw the previous coaches under the bus on this response when asked how much better the cornerbacks are from 2010.

"I don't know if they're necessarily better overall players because we have some of the same guys back. J.T. has been consistently good. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that we mix up our coverages a little bit more. I think we were a bit more predictable last year in comparison to this year, especially with some of our pressures and stuff. Coach Mallory has done a great job of coaching them on their techniques and stuff. I think they do a great job disguising. There's a lot of guys that last year you'd see standing in the same spots on all of our defenses. This year you can't tell if the corner's playing press man or if he's just squat and cover two or sometimes he'll bail out in cover three. The things that we do to mix it up for them keeps the offense guessing and it makes it seem like there much more effective because of what they're doing before the ball is even snapped."

Now, unfortunately, I can't tell you much about squat cover two or bailing out into cover three. What I can tell you, though, is the T-shirts Greg Robinson and Tony Gibson put on this morning are now covered in tire tracks.  

Michigan-Minnesota, the next day

Just finished watching a taping of the Big Ten Network's airing of Michigan's 58-0 curb stomping of Minnesota. Well, I watched three quarters. No offense to Richard Ash, Eric Gunderson, and Joey Burzynski, but I had seen enough.

A few thoughts:

-I don't know how this is possible, but Minnesota actually looked worse and more unprepared on TV than it did in person. Absolutely brutal. It doesn't get much better for the Gophers from here on out. They have a shot, albeit not a good shot, to win Saturday at Purdue. But here are Minnesota's final six games: Nebraska, Iowa, at Michigan State, Wisconsin, at Northwestern, and Illinois. The Gophers have 1-11 written all over them.

-On the flip side, Michigan looked very good. Obviously. Are the Wolverines the nation's 12th best team, as this week's Associated Press poll suggests? No. But as of now, they might just be the Big Ten's second best team behind Wisconsin. That's as much of an indictment on the crummy Big Ten as it is praise for Michigan. Penn State, Ohio State, Nebraska, Indiana, Purdue and Minnesota are all feeling down about the way their seasons have gone. That's six teams, half of the league.

-Jeremy Gallon and Drew Dileo have emerged as the best of the "runt" receivers brought in during the Rich Rod regime. Both of them seem to have developed some synergy with Denard Robinson, particularly Gallon who has made some decent gains on the bubble screen. Dileo took over for Gallon at punt returner in the second half, though I imagine that had more to do with Hoke wanting to get Dileo some work rather than him punishing Gallon for falling down catching a punt in the first half.

-Al Borges has done an excellent job of using Vincent Smith. Smith ran for a TD, passed for a TD to Dileo, and was on the receiving end of a TD. Smith, at just 5-6, does a good job of hiding behind the line of scrimmage on screen plays and then escaping out to the flat uncovered. With Smith and Fitz Toussaint, who posted his first 100-yard game, Michigan's backfield is in a good place. We might see more of Thomas Rawls (10 carries, 73 yards) as the season progresses.

-The formation consisting of Devin Gardner at quarterback, and Robinson, Smith and Toussaint behind him, introduces a plethora of options. It was hatched in the spring and put on moth balls until yesterday. Now that it has been revealed, I see no reason it shouldn't be used every week. 

-While I'm on the topic of Gardner, I think it's a misconception that, because of his size, he must be a great passer. Frankly, he has an awkward throwing motion and average accuracy. Gardner's greatest asset, like Robinson's, is his feet. The kid can run. For his sake, hopefully he continues to get more reps as a passer.

-Toussaint had a 37-yard TD run called back because of a holding call against Patrick Omameh. Easy call. Omameh tackled the guy.

-Brendan Gibbons must be feeling good about himself. After making just one field goal in five attempts as a freshman in 2010, he is now 4-for-5 after making all three of his attempts yesterday. Fans tend to be forgiving of a freshman cornerback or running back who makes a mistake but relentless when a freshman kicker screws up. Gibbons will be OK.

-Not a great day for sophomore punter Will Hagerup. His first punt traveled 47 yards but had minimal hang time, and his second punt went just 28 yards. Hagerup seems rattled on the second attempt, as the ball was snapped with less than five seconds left on the play clock.

Michigan-Eastern Michigan, the next day

What follows are some notes I jotted down while watching Big Ten Network's airing of yesterday's Michigan-Eastern Michigan game, a game in which the Wolverines awoke from an early slumber to win 31-3. 

• Thomas Gordon gave credit to Kenny Demens for forcing the fumble that Gordon recovered on EMU's opening drive, but in fact, defensive end Jibreel Black made the strip as he pursued running back Javonti Greene from the backside. The stat guys had it right; Gordon had it wrong. Black made some nice plays, but coach Hoke didn't "feel" Black as much as he felt other guys on the line.
• Asked in the postgame press conference whether he had issues throwing behind receivers, Denard Robinson said no. Taking the entire game into consideration, I'd agree with Robinson. In general, his throws were too high, and other times too low. But on Michigan's opening drive he threw behind Vincent Smith (Robinson's post-play gesture suggested Smith didn't run the route properly) and Junior Hemingway, on a play Hemingway, frankly, didn't exert enough effort on.
• There are a number of promising freshmen and sophomores getting quality playing time on defense, which obviously bodes well for the future. The following guys will have at least two years of eligibility remaining after this season: Jake Ryan, Frank Clark, Jibreel Black, Thomas Gordon, Courtney Avery and Brandin Hawthorne. That's a strong core to build around.
• Ohio State's Luke Fickell might have been a two-time state wrestling champion, and Nebraska's Bo Pelini scares the beejeebers out of me, but the baddest coach in America might be Eastern Michigan's Ron English. I walked behind him in the Big House tunnel after the game and his back simply explodes out of his shirt. This guy is jacked.
• Thomas Gordon's one-handed interception was exceptional in real-time and even better on TV. A one-handed catch is often a misnomer, as the hand, arm, and body generally work as a unit to make the grab. But Gordon's INT was truly a one-handed catch. Incidentally, the double pass EMU called on that play doesn't make a whole lot of sense. The Eagles, at that point of the game, had been moving the ball well on the ground. Why stray from that? Then again, if it works, it's a great call. The second pass should have never been thrown, as Gordon was all over the intended receiver.
• In two weeks against Minnesota, punter Will Hagerup will return from a four-game suspension, giving Michigan a weapon it has lacked. Matt Wile has been serviceable, but his punts don't go high or long enough, and he's unable to bail out the offense after a bad drive, like when they failed to pick up a yard after Kovacs' goalline stop. Hagerup is capable of uncorking a 47-50 yarder in that situation.
• Speaking of Kovacs, he does not miss tackles, and his speed and athleticism have improved significantly. If there's a better player on Michigan's defense, I haven't seen him. Not only is Kovacs a candidate for All Big Ten honors, he's a candidate for All American honors.
• In three games, No. 1 receiver Roy Roundtree has three catches. He was targeted just once, from what I could tell, in Saturday's game, on a ball thrown low. If Denard's passing woes continue, so will Roundtree's lack of productivity. Obvious statement, I recognize.
• Taylor Lewan dominated whoever was on the right side of EMU's defensive line. Absolutely destroyed him on Denard's TD run. Lewan plays with an attitude, and thus far, he has done a good job of harnessing it and not committing stupid penalties.
• I think squib kicks are generally garbage unless they are executed on the final play of a half to prevent the ball from being fielded by a good returner. Wile was ordered to hit a squibber with 39 seconds to go, resulting in EMU beginning its drive at UM's 47 with 33 seconds to go. That's enough time to run four plays, at least, so I'd much rather kick deep and make EMU and its run-only offense travel a fair distance. Instead, without even attempting a pass, they were able to get into position to attempt a 50-yard field goal. The kick was no good, but they should have never even been in that good of a spot to put cheap points on the scoreboard.
• I like Vincent Smith as a third-down back. I'll even like him as an every-down back if he produces like he did Saturday. I do not, however, like him as a kick returner. His north-south speed is pedestrian-like. Not having Darryl Stonum hurts Michigan here.

Chris Barnett leaves Michigan - but don't be surprised

For the third time this week, a Michigan football player has left the program, and this time we're talking about true freshman tight end Chris Barnett. His announcement via Twitter that he's "no longer at the University of Michigan" comes on the heals of freshman offensive lineman Tony Posada and junior receiver Je'Ron Stokes exiting the program earlier in the week.

In all three cases, we shouldn't be surprised.

A quick story, that seems to be relevant today: In 2008 I covered Bowling Green football when coach Gregg Brandon was recruiting an offensive lineman from the state of Indiana. Ball State, and then head coach Brady Hoke wanted the kid, too. The recruit (his name is not important, and I can't remember it anyway) waffled and waffled and waffled before signing with Ball State --- but not until a week AFTER signing day. Given that, no one was suprrised by what ensued. His career at BSU lasted just one week of fall camp before he transferred to, yep, Bowling Green. Within a week or so, he left Bowling Green too. The signs were obvious --- this kid lacked the maturity to cut it in D-I football.

And it was obvious Chris Barnett wasn't going to last long at Michigan. In high school, Barnett bounced around from school to school. I won't pretend to know all of the particulars, but what appears to be bad often is. When it came time to picking a college, Barnett chose Oklahoma. And then Arkansas. And finally Michigan. Whether Oklahoma and Arkansas soured on Barnett, or whether he walked away from them, is irrelevant. What appears to be bad often is. I kind of figured Barnett wasn't going to hack it at Michigan, and that was before he arrived to camp over weight at 278 pounds. That's simply too big for a tight end who is expected to stretch the field. 

As for Posada, no surprise there, either. He checked into camp at 340 pounds. Read into that what you want.

Regarding Stokes, his departure appears to be the result of a numbers game. He barely played the past two years, and that was in a system with three or four receiver sets. With the emergence of a full-time tight end and a fullback this year, Stokes simply was not going to see the field behind proven guys like Roy Roundtree and Junior Hemingway. He didn't appear to be next in line either, as Martavious Odoms (when healthy) and Jeremy Gallon seem to be the next best. Can't blame Stokes. When you put in the hours of a Division I football player, you want to play. 

So I guess the moral of the story is, if something looks odd, it often is. Chris Barnett's chances of playing four or five years at Michigan have gone from slim to none.

 

 

Stonum to redshirt; Hagerup and T. Robinson and suspended

Bad news out of Ann Arbor a day before camp begins.

Darryl Stonum will redshirt during the 2011 season, the apparent result of his DUI arrest in May, and punter Will Hagerup (four games) and receiver Terrence Robinson (one game) have been suspended.

Short of the Michigan athletic department confusing Terrence Robinson for Denard Robinson, this one should not be a big deal. From what I gather, T-Rob has two catches in two years. Besides, he'll only miss one game, and it's against Western Michigan, a team Michigan will crush.

The news of Stonum sitting out this year comes as a relatively big surprise. Reading between the lines at Big Ten Media Day, Hoke didn't seem as if redshirting Stonum was a likely possibility, and it appeared Stonum was a week or two from re-joining the team. Maybe something changed. Maybe Stonum didn't fulfill his obligations for returning to the team. Whatever the case, losing him hurts. In 2010 he was second on the team in catches and receiving yards, and he's probably the team's best kickoff returner when healthy. Too, by Stonum sticking around another year, that could mean Michigan will have one less scholarship to give in the 2011 class. Who will replace Stonum on offense and on special teams? I think that will shake out in fall camp, but there is no shortage of options.

Hagerup should be ashamed. He missed the Ohio State game last year for breaking team rules, played in the Gator Bowl, and is now going to sit the first month of his sophomore year. He will have missed five of his first 17 college football games because he couldn't stay out of trouble. Not good. I'm a big, big Hagerup guy. I've written in this space before I think he's a top-five player on this team. Aside from a few errant punts early last season, Hagerup was brilliant. Now, we could see true freshman Matt Wile pull double duty as place kicker and punter. Fans seem high on this guy, and maybe the optimism will be justified. I just know I saw two Michigan freshman kickers last year who wilted under the pressure of big-time college football. And they only had to focus on kicking, not punting.