Needing a win to stay in the Big Ten title hunt, Michigan was dealt a blow when Denard Robinson was ruled out for the game. But no one told Devin Gardner that was a bad thing. After a slow start, the junior quarterback-turned-receiver-turned-quarterback put on a display that will ease concerns about next season’s quarterback situation.

Michigan 35 – Minnesota 13
	Final Stats
35	Final Score	13
6-3, 4-1	Record	5-4 (1-4)
389	Total Yards	275
155	Net Rushing Yards	128
234	Net Passing Yards	147
18	First Downs	21
1	Turnovers	1
7-69	Penalties – Yards	9-68
3-88	Punts – Yards	3-127
29:08	Time of Possession	30:52
7-of-12	Third Down Conversions	4-of-14
1-of-2	Fourth Down Conversions	2-of-4
1-4	Sacks By – Yards	3-23
0-for-0	Field Goals	2-for-3
5-for-5	PATs	1-for-1
3-for-3	Red Zone Scores – Chances	3-for-4

Gardner completed 12-of-18 passes for 234 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception, leading Michigan to a 35-13 win over Minnesota. It didn’t start out positively, however, as Michigan gained just nine yards on eight plays in the first quarter.

The Gophers got the scoring started with a 10-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Philip Nelson to tight end John Rabe. Michigan responded with a 12-play, 91-yard scoring drive that took seven minutes off the clock. The touchdown was a 45-yard pass from Gardner to Drew Dileo that seemed to be straight out of the playbook from a backyard football game. Gardner dropped back, stepped up, rolled to his right, then back all the way across the field to his left, and heaved it up to a wide open Dileo in the end zone.

After a Minnesota three-and-out, Gardner put together another long drive, marching 90 yards on 13 plays, capping it off with a two-yard Thomas Rawls touchdown run. It was the first time in Michigan history that the team scored touchdowns on consecutive drives of 90 yards or more, and just the third time it has ever been done in the same game.

Minnesota missed a 55-yard field goal as time expired in the first half and Michigan took a 14-7 lead into the locker room.

A Minnesota sack forced Michigan to punt away its first possession of the second half and the Gophers mounted a 10-play drive into the Michigan red zone. On fourth-and-16 from the 19-yard line, head coach Jerry Kill elected to call a fake field goal instead of kicking a 36-yarder. It failed miserably, gaining only five yards, and Michigan capitalized with an 86-yard scoring drive. Jeremy Gallon did the heavy lifting on this drive, catching a 47-yard pass and a 10-yard touchdown grab to give Michigan a 21-7 lead.

Minnesota tried to fight back, driving to the Michigan three-yard line, but settled for a field goal to pull within 11. Michigan scored touchdowns on its next two possessions – a two-yard run by Gardner and a 41-yard run by Fitz Toussaint – to put the game away.

Toussaint led the Wolverines in rushing with 74 yards on 13 carries, but 41 of those came on that one play. Rawls had 43 yards on 16 carries for a meager 2.7 yards per. Without Gardner in the receiving corps, the receiving was well rounded. Gallon led the way with four catches for 72 yards, while Dileo had 69 and Roy Roundtree had 64.

For Minnesota, Nelson took a lot of chances downfield with little success. The best success he had was drawing a few pass interference calls against Michigan’s defensive backs late in the game. He completed 13-of-29 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown. It will likely be good enough to keep Michigan atop the national rankings in pass defense. Donnell Kirkwood rushed 16 times for just 61 yards and Michigan held the Gophers to 3.4 yards per carry.

It was a game that Michigan was supposed to win, even without Denard, and the Wolverines did just that. The talk coming out of the game will likely center around Gardner’s performance and question whether he should start the rest of the season. Any talk of that kind should stop right there. I’ll get to it more later this week and so will Chris in his weekly Monday Morning Quarterback segment, so stay tuned. But for now, enjoy the win and look forward to returning to the Big House against Northwestern next Saturday.

Another week, another new winner. Jim Mackiewicz finally broke through with a victory and it was an impressive one. His total deviation of 108 was the lowest of anyone this season. He was just eight away from Andrew Maxwell’s passing yards, nine away from Denard’s total yards, and four away from the combined yards of Michigan’s leading running back and receiver. For good measure, he was also the closest to correctly predicting the final score and got Michigan State’s 10 points correct. Not far behind was crp12qb with a total deviation of 117. Kfarmer16 was the closest to predicting the combined total yards, just 15 away, while kashkaav was only one yard short of Le’Veon Bell’s rushing total. New contestant hank101 was the closest to Maxwell’s passing yards, just three short. As mentioned above, nobody got the final score correct, though Mackiewicz was pretty close. He was 12 too high on Michigan. Every single contestant picked Michigan to win, so you’re all winners in my book! The weekly results and overall standings are updated on the right sidebar. crp12qb has pulled ahead of HTTV133 for first place, but kfarmer16 and Jim Mackiewicz are both within striking distance as well. This week, Michigan travels to Nebraska for a night game in a stadium no one on the team has seen before. Nebraska has a pretty dynamic rush offense but a weak defense, so it should be a fun one to pick. Good luck!

For the past four years the Paul Bunyan trophy has resided in East Lansing. Tonight the rightful owners of this storied trophy have brought him back to Ann Arbor, where he belongs. Michigan State has recently enjoyed the upper hand in the rivalry, though wins against Rich Rod’s inept ‘defenses’ don’t really count in my book, but Michigan has regained some of its swagger and put Little Brother back in its place.

#23 Michigan 12 – Michigan State 10
	Final Stats
12	Final Score	10
5-2, 3-0	Record	4-4, 1-3
326	Total Yards	304
163	Net Rushing Yards	112
163	Net Passing Yards	192
16	First Downs	16
1	Turnovers	1
6-55	Penalties – Yards	7-50
7-295	Punts – Yards	7-290
28:34	Time of Possession	31:26
5-of-15	Third Down Conversions	6-of-17
0-of-0	Fourth Down Conversions	1-of-1
1-10	Sacks By – Yards	0-0
4-for-4	Field Goals	1-for-2
0-for-0	PATs	1-for-1
2-for-2	Red Zone Scores – Chances	2-for-2

If you had told me last week that Michigan would not put the ball in the end zone, I would have told you there is no way they win. Yet, that is exactly what happened. A classic Big Ten defensive battle that ended with a Brendan Gibbons game winning field goal with only seconds remaining. Drew Dileo was the unlikely hero, having his hands on all 12 Wolverines points, as he is the holder for field goals. He finished with four catches for 92 yards, the final yards coming on a 20-yard reception to set up the game winning field goal on a second and long attempt as time was ticking away.

Michigan State played better than expected on offense and kept the Wolverines on their heels, mostly with the passing game. Andrew Maxwell played well, hitting 21-of-34 passes for 192 yards, adding a pick and a touchdown. Le’Veon Bell toted the rock 26 times for 68 yards, a lowly 2.6 yards per carry average. Freshman Aaron Burbridge has stepped up recently and continued to be the de facto number one receiver for Maxwell. He led the Spartans with six catches for 51 yards.

Denard Robinson looked bad on the ground for most of the game, but came up with plays when he needed to. He was just shy of 100 yards rushing and added 163 in the air. He did throw a pick, but it was meaningless as it was the final play of the first half. Fitz Toussaint was bottled up most of the day and finished with 52 yards on 10 carries. However, 38 of those came on one big run early in the second quarter which set up their first score. Surprisingly, Thomas Rawls did not see any action.

Sparty’s plan all game was to focus on shutting down Denard – shocking, I know. But the way they did it makes me concerned for the rest of the season. They simply forced Denard into keeping the ball on the zone read but spying him all along and leaving him no room. Aside from a 44-yard burst, he was kept in check.

The two teams battled back and forth, and with Michigan up 9-7 early in the fourth quarter, MSU fumbled the ball on a Le’Veon Bell carry. The Spartans recovered but it seemed as though they were all but dead as they were forced to punt. Mark Dantonio, however, had different plans as he faked the punt and MSU continued to march down the field. Eighteen plays, 90 yards and almost eight minutes later, the Spartans added a field goal to go up 10-9.

Michigan got the ball back and looked to be in business as Denard busted off his 44-yard run on second down, but then things went downhill. Toussaint lost a few on a run play, then two consecutive penalties put the Wolverines in a 3rd-and-22. Michigan punted the ball away with just over three minutes to go. If the Spartans added even just a field goal, it would force Michigan into needing a touchdown to win.

Thankfully, Sparty threw two incomplete passes then Jake Ryan forced a fumble on third down. MSU did recover but was forced to punt. Michigan got the ball on its own 38 with two minutes to play – plenty of time for Denard to work some late game magic, and he did just that. After moving the ball to the State 41, Michigan was facing a 2nd-and-11. Denard found an open Dileo for a 20-yard strike to set up the game winning field goal, a 38-yarder from Gibbons. Sparty attempted a Stanford-Cal moment in the final seconds but they were not so lucky.

Michigan ended its losing streak to Little Brother and added win number 900 in the process. Not a bad way to reach that milestone. Michigan stands atop the Legends division and controls its own fate going forward. Every other team has one loss, and unless something crazy happens, Michigan should be looking at a match up with Wisconsin in Indianapolis come December.

That said, Michigan does have to travel to Nebraska next week and ends the season in that city in Ohio which is a tough place to play. Regardless, this team takes it one week at a time and they know Nebraska will be looking to avenge the blowout loss to Michigan in 2011.

Nebraska is an interesting team, having lost to UCLA, beaten Wisconsin and got throttled by Ohio State. This weekend, the Cornhuskers rallied to beat Northwestern 29-28 behind Taylor Martinez’s 342 yards and 3 touchdowns. They are, however, a run heavy team, averaging a monstrous 292 yards rushing per game and putting up almost 44 points per game. Martinez has been known to be either hot or cold so who knows what we’ll see next week in Lincoln. But rest assured, Michigan had better bring its A-game to stop this rushing attack.

Michigan is a talented team but they haven’t shown particularly well against tough, physical teams lately. It wouldn’t surprise me if they ran away with the Big Ten title or if they suffered a couple more losses going forward. Al Borges’ play calling hasn’t instilled enough confidence in me to choose one way or the other. But what I do know is that this team has a lot of heart and they are not going to quit when things get tough, and I guess that’s all you can ask of any team, to give it their all every game.

The last time Michigan played an away night game it was an epic game. This may not be as down to the wire, but it should be a good one nonetheless. Michigan should win, and I’ll give a score during our weekly staff predictions next Friday.

UMass kicked off to begin the game, and it sailed out of bounds. The rest of the afternoon wasn’t much better for the Minutemen as Michigan cruised to a 63-13 victory. Michigan had nine touchdowns scored by eight different players and was 6-for-6 inside the red zone. Denard Robinson accounted for almost 400 total yards and four total touchdowns, and Fitz Toussaint looked like his old self again with 85 yards and a TD. No Michigan receiver caught more than three balls (Drew Dileo), as Denard (and Russell Bellomy in the fourth quarter) spread the ball around well.

#17 Michigan 63 – UMass 13
	Final Stats
63	Final Score	13
2-1	Record	0-3
585	Total Yards	259
294	Net Rushing Yards	112
291	Net Passing Yards	147
27	First Downs	15
1	Turnovers	1
5-40	Penalties – Yards	10-69
3-124	Punts – Yards	7-268
30:57	Time of Possession	29:03
7-for-11	Third Down Conversions	7-for-17
1-for-1	Fourth Down Conversions	0-for-0
1-24	Sacks By – Yards	1-7
0-for-0	Field Goals	2-for-3
9-for-9	PATs	1-for-1
6-for-6	Red Zone Scores – Chances	2-for-2

Devin Gardner showed off his extreme athleticism on a 42-yard touchdown reception in the first half that was almost surreal to watch as he outran the defense, tip-toed the sideline and dove to the pylon after being shoved by a UMass defender. Dileo added a nice 66-yard reception to set up one of Vincent Smith’s two touchdowns, and even redshirt freshman running back Justice Hayes got in on the action late with the first TD of his career.

Speaking of first touchdowns, Taylor Lewan scored his first on a fumble recovery after Denard fumbled on the goal line. Hopefully this is the last time Lewan finds himself in the end zone that way.

Michigan didn’t take long to put points on the board as Denard hit a wide open Devin Funchess on a 26-yard slant on Michigan’s fifth play of the game, and he took it in for six. The rest of the game went pretty much the same way as Michigan put up 42 before halftime.

However, UMass gave a good effort and had its moments. Former Michigan running back and alum, Mike Cox, ran the ball hard and was tough take down, while the Minutemen took back an interception for their only TD of the day. Their best play, however, was a flea flicker in the second quarter that went for a big gain inside the 20. The drive stalled though and they had to settle for a field goal, as they did on one other drive as well. In the end, Michigan was just too much, as we all expected, and the Wolverines prevailed 63-13.

Despite the end result, the Minutemen fought and fought hard. Both their offensive and defensive lines gave Michigan all they could handle in the early going, but faded as the game went on. Denard was 16-24 for 291 and 3 touchdowns, but he wasn’t as efficient as he could have been and still struggled to make good reads and stepping into his throws. The pick-six he threw was a horrible ball that should never have been thrown in the first place.

The Wolverines still have a lot to work on but this game gave them a nice confidence boost and a glimpse of the uptempo spread-style offense Notre Dame will employ next week, as UMass head coach Charlie Molnar is a former assistant of Brian Kelly’s going all the way back to his days at Central Michigan. If Michigan wants to leave South Bend with a win next week they will need to bring their A-game. Notre Dame looked very good, especially up front, against the Spartans in East Lansing on Saturday night and year three looks to be the year for Brian Kelly and the Irish, something not every recent ND coach can say.

Brady Hoke will most likely never be satisfied with his team’s effort, and that’s fine with me. There is always something to be improved upon. Look for Michigan to have a good week of practice and be ready to take on the Golden Domers under the lights next Saturday in what should be another epic battle.

Three Stars:

1. Denard Robinson
Passing: 16-24 291 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception
Rushing: 10 rushes for 109 yards, 1 touchdown
Why? Denard was his vintage self on his lone touchdown run, pulling down a would-be pass, rushing to his left, cutting back across the field, and outrunning the defense to the end zone. But he also got it done with his arm, passing for nearly 300 yards in three quarters. He spread the ball around to nine different receivers and passed Tom Brady and Jim Harbaugh on the career passing yards list.

2. Drew Dileo
Receiving: 3 catches for 91 yards
Why? The diminutive receiver had the best game of his young career, nearly reaching 100 yards receiving. He provided exactly what Michigan needs – another receiving weapon to step up. If Denard can continue to find Dileo and Jeremy Gallon from the slot position, it will take some of the pressure off of Devin Gardner and Roy Roundtree on the outside.

3. Fitz Toussaint
Rushing: 15 rushes for 87 yards, 1 touchdown
Why?  In his second game back from suspension, Toussaint showed what we all saw last season: shiftiness and a knack for picking up yards. It was important to get him going with Notre Dame coming up, and he made the most of it, averaging 5.7 yards per carry.

Honorable Mention: Taylor Lewan. The junior left tackle recorded the first touchdown of his career, recovering a Denard fumble at the goal line. Denard said after the game that Lewan wasn’t happy about it because if he had made the block, Denard wouldn’t have gotten hit and fumbled in the first place, but he’ll happily take the points.

Top Photos:

With a few days remaining before Michigan opens up against Alabama, the excitement is building. We decided to take some time to have a little roundtable discussion about how we think the season will play out. You already know myself, Chris, Josh, and Matt from last season, but please welcome our newcomers, Katie and Sam. Visit our Meet the Staff page to get to know them. Below we discuss who we think will be the breakout players on each side of the ball, which games will give Michigan the most trouble, where we expect the most progression or regression, and our predictions for how the season will play out.

Who will be the breakout player on offense and why?

Justin: This is kind of a shot in the dark, but I’m going to go with freshman tight end Devin Funchess. We already know what receivers like Roy Roundtree and Jeremy Gallon can do, and same with running back Fitz Toussaint. The offensive line is pretty well established, but tight end is a position that needs someone to step up following the graduation of Kevin Koger.

While Funchess doesn’t yet have the frame to be an in-line blocking tight end, he’s extremely well built from a pass catching standpoint. The biggest trend in football over the past couple of years is athletic tight ends such as Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski that can create matchup problems for a defense. Funchess has a chance to be just that. He’ll be a weapon in the red zone and will challenge the five touchdown catches that were posted by Benny Joppru in 2002, the most by a Michigan tight end since then.

Chris: Sophomore wide receiver Jerald Robinson. Robinson played in 11 games last year, primarily on special teams. He is a 6’1”, 206-pound prototype receiver more akin to the type of player Michigan fans are used to seeing out on the edge. He also has 4.5 speed in the 40 and is the second tallest receiver on the roster. With the departure of Daryl Stonum (who was dismissed), Robinson will likely be the third receiver, at a minimum, and I expect him to be a favorite target of Denard Robinson.

Josh: I think Thomas Rawls is primed to be the breakout player on offense. This is based on several factors and one major assumption. The assumption being Fitz Toussaint will be out at least a couple of games – I’m predicting three. In that case, Rawls is the “next guy” and will get the bulk of carries against Alabama, Air Force and UMass, and probably Notre Dame (or whomever Toussaint’s first game back is against).

We may not know much about Rawls on the field, but according to a friend of a friend who covered him while he was in high school in Flint, Rawls is a hard-working, humble kid who does not seem like the type to miss opportunities when given the chance. Fred Jackson has given high praise and Rawls has even drawn positive comparisons to another former Flint running back, Mark Ingram.

He is the type of back that Al Borges wants in this system – a powerful downhill runner who loves to dish out punishment as much as he relishes taking it from defenders. I think given the chance to be the number one guy, Rawls will make the most of it and not give it back once Toussaint returns. This quote by Borges sums it up for me and my case for Thomas Rawls:

“He’s reckless. He runs with a demeanor that’s aggressive,” Borges said. “That would probably be the best word. He looks like he’s mad when he runs sometimes. He’s a tough guy. You hit him, you’re going to feel him. I promise you that. You are going to feel him. There are times he is just simply not interested in avoiding you.”

Sounds like a true Michigan running back to me.

Matt: I think the offensive breakout star is going to be wide receiver Drew Dileo. With his speed and his ability to be able to pull in passes, watch him snag some great ones this year.

Katie: I’m going to go with receiver Drew Dileo.  He is the third returning wide receiver on the depth chart, and while he does not have the height, Gallon is smaller and had three times as many yards receiving last season. Denard will be on the lookout for sure hands, and I think that Dileo will provide some peace of mind for our veteran quarterback. Robinson can’t favor one receiver – he doesn’t have the arm to thread the needle to a favorite. So I’m hoping Drew will become a key component to the offense this season.

Sam: For this team to be successful, or rather to be great, one of our receivers is going to need to show some consistency. Roundtree is probably the biggest name and Devin Gardner is receiving a lot of hype before he has ever lined up out wide, but I’m going in a different direction. Jeremy Gallon has always struck me as being very reliable despite not seeing a ton of targets and catching only 35 balls in his two seasons of seeing the field. He’s also very small, listed generously at 5’8″, 187 pounds, earning him the “Tiny Gallon” nickname I have bestowed upon him. Yes, I know Keith “Tiny” Gallon, formerly of Oklahoma, already stole that nickname, but it REALLY fits Jeremy well. Having said that, coaches have pointed out before that he plays bigger than what he is and usually catches the ball if it’s anywhere near his hands. He’s not a burner but he has plenty of speed and should be a terror if Denard can find him often. Bonus: He sometimes returns punts and you never know what can happen there.

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Who will be the breakout player on defense and why?

Justin: I’m going to go with linebacker Desmond Morgan. Jake Ryan kind of had his coming out party last season and now it’s Morgan’s turn. Yes, he finished fifth on the team with 63 tackles, but I think this year he’s primed to dominate. Of his 63 tackles, 48 came in the final six games once he secured a starting spot. Project those over the full 13 game season and that’s 104 tackles. That’s more of what we can expect this year. Hoke had these kind words to say of Morgan in the spring:

“I think he’s a very instinctive football player. As a linebacker, I think that’s critical. He’s a guy who’s got a nice burst, will be physical at the point of attack.”

In his second year, he’s more comfortable – he admitted that he was terrified last season as a true freshman – and he’s had another year in Greg Mattison’s defense. Remember, Mattison coached Ray Lewis and the Ravens’ dominant defense, and his teaching is some of the best in football. Watch out for Morgan this season.

Chris: Sophomore defensive end Brennen Beyer. Like my breakout player pick on offense, Beyer is also a sophomore who played in 11 games last season at linebacker and recorded 11 tackles. He also runs a 4.5 40, which should provide good speed off the edge for the Michigan pass rush. Senior defensive tackle William Campbell comes in at a close second place. Campbell has not yet lived up to his highly touted rating coming out of high school, but this year he seems to be more focused in offseason workouts and fall camp. The defense will need him to step after heavy losses on the defensive line due to graduation.

Josh: I was torn between Blake Countess and Ondre Pipkins (I have zero confidence Will Campbell does anything of note this year and feel strongly that Pipkins is the guy who will step in when that happens) for my breakout defensive player but I finally decided on Countess, though it was very close.

Countess plays well in space and has shown he is not afraid to mix it up and lay a hit on someone, something I love to see in my corners. He has a good work ethic and has said his struggles last season came from “bad eyes” (poor reads) and has made it a point to study more film in the offseason. The biggest knock on Countess might be his lack of “ideal” size, though at 5’10″, 180 pounds, he’s not exactly diminutive.

As a true freshman, Countess appeared in 12 games and started the last six at corner, joining the ranks of Donovan Warren, Marlin Jackson and the great Charles Woodson as freshman who started at CB for Michigan. He was second on the team with six pass breakups (most by a frosh since Jackson over a decade ago) and recorded five or more tackles six times, including a career high eight total (six solo) against Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl.

Some games were good and some left something to be desired and he did not end the season on a high note against Ohio and Virginia Tech (despite his tackle total against VT). However, players often make large jumps from year one to year two, and I think Countess will be pushed enough by both himself and the staff to make a significant jump in his play. The fact that he got a lot of playing time and ended the season with six straight starts only fuels the fire of potential offseason improvement.

Early in the spring, AnnArbor.com quoted Brady Hoke saying to Countess, ”The dumbest guys on the team are the freshman, and the biggest problems are sophomores that played as freshman.”

Countess has taken that to heart and is using Hoke’s words as even more motivation to not become complacent.

I don’t expect him to be Charles Woodson, nor will I ever, but Countess should be much improved in year two, along with the rest of the defense, and I fully expect him to be a solid No. 1 CB for the next couple of years.

Matt: The defense is young, especially up front, and it’s going to be scary until it has gotten a couple of games under its belt, but the breakout star will be linebacker Jake Ryan. He’s a really good defensive player capable of racking up sacks and recovering fumbles. He hasn’t snagged an interception yet, but with his height, I would think it’s a good possibility that he can pull one or two in.

Katie: Defensive tackle William Campbell. He’s been a regular, but not as a starter. I think he’ll reach the potential we all saw in him when he came out of Cass Tech. We also need to bring pressure, and hopefully he will provide the burst we need in the middle.

Sam: I think Blake Countess or Desmond Morgan might be the popular choices here, and I have no qualms with that, but again I am looking at a position that should be crucial to Michigan’s defensive success – defensive line. And no, I’m not picking Craig Roh or Will Campbell. I am going with Jibreel Black. Black is big enough to take on blockers and quick enough to provide a good pass threat, but he has never really put together a string of successful games. I think that will change this year with his position move to the inside. Look for him to have a consistent impact on games this season with at least a few game-changing plays thrown in there.

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What game(s) on the schedule concern you and why?

Justin: The obvious is the opener against Alabama and the finale at Ohio State, but I think the midseason trip to Lincoln will be a pivotal game. It’s the week after a tough battle against Michigan State and it’s a night game. Nebraska is notoriously tough to beat at home, especially at night, so it will be tough for Michigan to come away with a win. Michigan State and Notre Dame certainly won’t be easy, but I do think those are two that Michigan should win. The Nebraska game could be the game that decides the Legends division title.

Chris: October 27 at Nebraska. Michigan will be coming off a highly emotional game against Michigan State (who it has lost to four times in a row) and the game is in Lincoln, which is always a tough place to play. Nebraska returns 14 starters from last year, including all of their primary skill position players, and, as is the standard at Nebraska in most seasons, their defense should be stout. September 22 at Notre Dame will also be tough as ND will be looking for revenge. November 24 at Ohio State is always a tough game no matter which year The Game is being played, but this will be OSU’s bowl game.

Josh: Alabama is the obvious concern on the schedule so I won’t pick it. A loss wouldn’t particularly hurt Michigan’s season too much, if at all. We have Sparty at home this year and they will be tough, but I think these seniors will refuse to leave Michigan 0-4 against MSU. The game at Nebraska will be tough but I have little faith in Taylor Martinez and according to the Internet chatter, even Husker Nation is chalking this one up as a loss, for them!

At Ohio is my pick for game that concerns me the most. Not because they are a better team and definitely not because of Urban Meyer. I mean, the “greatest college recruiter” has been seriously lacking in his 2013 class while Michigan has completely raided all the best players in Ohio.

With no postseason in site because of “TatGate,” this will be Ohio’s bowl game. Both teams hate the other and always play hard, and no one wants to say they lost to their rival two years in a row. The ‘Shoe is a tough place to play for anyone and it is going to be a loud, raucous place come the end of November. I fully expect Ohio to come out and leave it all on the field. A win for Ohio could mean no Big Ten title game and BCS appearance for Michigan. Nothing would make Ohio fans happier than to dash Michigan’s hopes and leave Denard with no Big Ten titles in his four years.

This is Urban Meyer’s first Michigan game as head coach and he definitely understands the importance of The Game. I’m sure he will have his guys jacked up to beat Michigan at all costs, and that is what really scares me. This is a team with nothing to lose, against a hated rival who beat them last year. I’m not saying Ohio will play dirty, but it wouldn’t surprise me.

Hoke will have his kids ready to play each and every week and more against Ohio, but playing a tough team in their house when they have nothing to lose worries me more than a little.

Matt: There are quite a few games of concern this season. Obviously, Alabama is a concern. Ohio State, Michigan State, and Notre Dame will always be concerns. I also am a little worried about Iowa.

Katie: Ohio State and Michigan State. Ohio State is an away game and both teams have a long list of returning starters on defense. And, of course, both are huge rivalry games. Pride is on the line as well as a win or loss. I’m concerned also about the Meyer vs. Hoke culmination in The Game; will this be the start of another ten year war?

Sam: Obviously the schedule is quite a bit tougher this season than last, so this question isn’t too hard. Alabama scares me immensely right out of the gate, even though they did lose a ton of talent. Saban’s third string is probably good enough to win the Big East, and his first string will be faster, stronger, and tougher than just about any team out there. I just don’t know if we have the girth in the trenches or the talent everywhere else to play with them, but we shall see. Notre Dame will also be a tough game in South Bend, but it’s Notre Dame. Michigan State has beaten us four times in a row, but I expect us to have plenty of fire to put them back in their place. And Ohio State in Columbus will be no gimme.

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Where do you expect to see the most improvement or regression from last year?

Justin: I certainly don’t expect much regression, except in the win-loss column. An 11-2 season is too much to expect from a team with questions on the defensive line and one of the toughest schedules in the nation. As for improvements, I think the offense will be more crisp. It’s the second year in Al Borges’ system, so Denard Robinson and company will have more ability to make plays as opposed to thinking about the offense. There will be more room for expanding the playbook as well.

Chris: I expect to see the most improvement on offense this season. This will be the second year in offensive coordinator Al Borges’ system and the players should be used to the terminology and play-calling. I also expect the running game to be even better and more developed as the running backs and linemen have had a year to better their skills in the power running game.

Josh: I think the offense will see the most progression over last year. Denard is not Tom Brady or Chad Henne and he will never be – he’s just not that type of quarterback and that’s fine. But the good thing is he doesn’t need to be. All he really needs to do is make better reads, not throw off his back foot, and just tuck and run when no one is open instead of waiting around. Better decision making and play recognition will do wonders for his passing game, and those will most assuredly come in year two under this system.

Denard Robinson is a smart young man, and he is not oblivious to the criticism about his passing game. He knows what areas need improvement. By all accounts, Denard has worked on those areas diligently. Much like I knew Michigan could only get better from 2010 to 2011, I am expecting the same from Denard and the offense. More experience in the system and an offseason to learn from your mistakes in year one bodes well for the Maize and Blue.

I don’t expect 50 points a game, but with an improvement in the passing game defenses will no longer be able to focus on stopping Denard’s running ability. And that my friends will open up the floodgates for Borges and his play calling.

Matt: I think the offense is going to only get better. As far as defense, we’ll really need the young guys to step up.

Katie: The passing game should improve with a senior Denard Robinson. I hope that Denard will finally show us that he is as capable a passer as a runner. Well, almost as capable, since comparing his scrambling and dashing skills to anything makes the order a tall one.

Sam: Probably another cookie-cutter answer from me here, but I think we will see the most improvement in Denard’s pass game and the biggest regression in the turnover battle. In his second year under Al Borges and his fourth season overall, Robinson is going to make better decisions and smarter throws. Or the other way around. Expect to see his interception totals dip just below double digits. Speaking of turnovers though, I just don’t see any way our plus-seven from last year holds up. And yes, I did just say I think our interception numbers will drop significantly. We recovered 20 fumbles and lost six fumbles in 13 games. While the former number probably had something to do with a better defense in general, I do not believe we will see more than 12 fumbles recovered this season. And, as much as it hurts to say, we could easily cough the ball up four or five more times than last season.

___________________________________________________________________________________

What is your prediction for the season (record, finish in the Big Ten, bowl game)?

Justin: Although I certainly hope for the better, I think Michigan will finish 9-3 in the regular season with losses to Alabama, Nebraska, and Ohio State. Nebraska will lose at Michigan State, Ohio State, and one more – perhaps the season ending game against Iowa. Michigan State will lose to Michigan and either Wisconsin, Ohio State, or Iowa. That will set up a tie for the Legends division title between Michigan and Michigan State, sending Michigan to the title game thanks to a head-to-head win over the Spartans to face Wisconsin. With three losses, Michigan likely won’t wind up in a BCS game unless it wins the Big Ten title game, so either the Rose Bowl or the Capital One Bowl are the likely destinations.

Chris: Michigan certainly has a chance to win the Big Ten this year, but they face a tough conference slate of games (at Nebraska, at OSU, vs MSU). They also face the defending national champions Alabama (in Dallas) and must play Notre Dame in South Bend under the lights in a revenge game. I see the Wolverines losing to Alabama in the opener, but in a closer game than most people expect. I like Michigan at home against MSU, but if UM does win this game, they will need to re-focus quickly for a tough test at Nebraska. Playing in Columbus against OSU will also be extremely tough in what I already mentioned will be OSU’s bowl game.

Josh: Predicting this season is quite possibly the most difficult thing I’ve done in a long time – sports-wise anyway. I think any number of things could happen and without knowing how much Denard has progressed and how the defensive line is going to look and play, I’m not sure I can give you anything more than a couple shots in the dark. But here goes…

IF Denard improves enough to make the defense respect his passing ability AND the defense picks up where it left off last season, I think this is an 11-1 team heading to the Big Ten title game and most likely the Rose Bowl.

If neither of those two happen or if just one happens, I think this is more of a 9-3 team, with no shot at the Big Ten title game.

No one in the out-of-conference schedule scares me other than Alabama, and I would honestly be shocked if Michigan returned to A2 from the Jerry Dome 1-0. Sparty, Nebraska and Ohio will all be tough games and if Michigan is not at the top of their game for all three then losing two out of three is entirely possible, though I think it is unlikely they lose more than one of them.

Given what I know and how I feel about Team 133, I’d have to say 10-2, with losses to Alabama and, please forgive me, Ohio, still going to the Big Ten title game but no Rose Bowl. Ever the pessimist, I just don’t think they’ll be quite stout enough on defense to stop Wisconsin’s running game.

But hey, this team defied the odds last year and played with some incredible passion and pride that hadn’t been seen since Mike Hart and Chad Henne were in the backfield. Here’s to hoping I’m wrong about the Ohio and Big Ten title games and they’re 12-1 headed to the Rose Bowl to dash Matt Barkley’s dreams.

Matt: I’m predicting a 10-2 record. Who will the two losses be? I’m not sure yet, but I can definitely see Michigan going to the Big Ten Championship and taking on defending champion Wisconsin.

Katie: 11-1 overall, 7-1 in the Big Ten. Hopefully a run for the Big Ten Championship and a Rose Bowl berth.

Sam: I hate predicting football records. Period. I go through the games one at a time and have a hard time thinking Michigan will ever lose no matter how good our team is and how good the other team is. But if I must, I must. Without even looking at the schedule (or else the prediction would be 13-0), I am going to say 9-3 regular season with wins in the Big Ten Championship game and a win in a New Year’s Day bowl that is not also a BCS bowl. I just don’t see how we can get through a top-five SOS without a few chinks in the armor by season’s end. Whether we will have two losses in-conference or out-of-conference is anyone’s guess right now, but I think we will have at least one loss in Big Ten play and a loss to Alabama as well. Let’s all hope I’m wrong.

Coming into the season Nebraska was one of the early favorites to win the B1G Ten Legends division. Coming into this weekend’s game Nebraska was still in the running for the top spot in the Legends division and a chance to play in the first ever B1G Ten Championship game. Michigan was having none of it as the Wolverines thumped the Cornhuskers 45-17 en route to their ninth win of the season.

#18 Michigan 45 – #16 Nebraska 17
	Final Stats
45	Final Score	17
9-2 (5-2)	Record	8-3 (4-3)
418	Total Yards	260
238	Net Rushing Yards	138
180	Net Passing Yards	122
24	First Downs	11
1	Turnovers	3
5-45	Penalties – Yards	8-73
4-147	Punts – Yards	6-276
41:13	Time of Possession	18:39
8-for-18	Third Down Conversions	3-for-13
1-for-1	Fourth Down Conversions	0-for-2
3-4	Sacks By – Yards	1-13
1-for-2	Field Goals	1-for-1
6-for-6	PATs	2-for-2
5-for-5	Red Zone Scores – Chances	1-for-2

Michigan was in control pretty much from its second series on, although Nebraska made it interesting for a few minutes in the second quarter. But the Wolverine offense and defense played what I thought was their best game overall this year.

Michigan couldn’t get anything going on its first series, going 3-and-out, but Nebraska did the exact same on its first series. On the first play of Michigan’s next drive we saw something we got accustomed to last season, but haven’t seen all that much of this year: a Denard keeper for a big gain. After that, a screen pass and a short run, both by Toussaint gave Michigan another first down. After a short keeper and an incomplete pass, Michigan was faced with 3rd-and-9, but Denard hit Roy Roundtree for a gain of 46 yards. A personal foul penalty moved Michigan inside the 3-yard line, and on 2nd-and-goal Denard faked it to Stephen Hopkins, rolled left, and hit Jeremy Gallon across the middle of the end zone for six points.

Nebraska looked like it was going to get rolling after a first down option keeper by Taylor Martinez went for 11 yards, however, Michigan had other thoughts. Mike Martin stuffed Rex Burkhead, and Kenny Demens had a pass break up on third down to get Michigan the ball back after a punt.

Michigan took over in great field position at its 45-yard line. A play-action found no one open so Denard took off and gained 15. Two straight carries by Toussaint gained 14 yards and set up a Denard keeper for about seven. Denard was almost picked off on a pass attempt to Kelvin Grady and was then sacked for a loss of 13 on 3rd-and-8. Fortunately, Michigan was still within field goal range and Brendan Gibbons nailed through a 42-yarder to put Michigan on top 10-0.

But Nebraska wasn’t ready to lay down and die. On the third play of its next drive, Martinez hit a wide open receiver down the field, who broke a couple tackles then walked into the end zone from 54 yards out. 10-7 Michigan.

Michigan turned the ball over on its next possession as Denard’s pass on a second down was tipped and picked off. Nebraska looked like it was going to squander its opportunity as Jordan Kovacs stuffed Burkhead in the backfield for a loss of five. Faced with a 4th-and-14 Nebraska booted a 51-yarder in to tie the game at 10.

Michigan took over on its own 26 and ran Toussaint a couple times for a first down. A couple plays later, a third down pass to Hemingway kept the drive alive, and then a Denard keeper for eight kept the drive going once again on a third down. A play later, Toussaint broke free for 16 yards, and two plays after that, Denard visited the end zone on a QB keeper up the middle to put Michigan back ahead.

After two straight first down plays Michigan’s defense stepped up, first stuffing Martinez on a keeper for a loss of seven, then Jake Ryan tripped up Martinez as he tried to scramble. Michigan returned the favor and went three-and-out as Denard came up just shy of the marker on third down.  Nebraska also went three-and-out and then Michigan ran the clock out to end the half.

Nebraska got the ball to start the second half – or so they thought. Return man Kenny Bell fumbled the ball and Courtney Avery was there to fall on it. Michigan made the most of the turnover, as its has done a lot this season, punching it in for six points a few plays later. The drive was aided by a pass interference that was a bit questionable, but who are we to argue with professional referees? Denard scored his second rushing touchdown of the game and Michigan took a 24-10 lead.

Michigan’s defense held again as Mike Martin stopped Martinez on a 3rd-and-short to force the punt. Punter Brett Maher bobbled the snap and Josh Furman took advantage of the situation, blocking the punt. The ‘Huskers recovered but couldn’t get it past the marker, giving Michigan possession at midfield.

Toussaint took the first two plays and went for 11 and 10 yards, respectively. After the 10-yarder he was hit out of bounds and the officials tacked on another 15 yards to set Michigan up inside the red zone. Denard was stuffed on 3rd-and-1 and Hoke sent the field gaol unit out. However, holder Drew Dileo took the snap and carried the ball down to the 1, setting up first and goal. Toussaint walked in for another Michigan touchdown to blow the game open at 31-10.

After Nebraska went 3-and-out, the punt pinned Michigan back at its own 4-yard line, where the Wolverines proceeded to go 3-and-out as well. Nebraska benefited from the field position game and took over at the Michigan 31. After a Martinez first down through the air, Nebraska ran the same play three straight times – a pitch right to Burkhead. On the third try the ‘Huskers picked up a first down. It was their first third down conversion of the day, with just over a minute and a half to go in the third quarter.

On 2nd-and-goal Martinez handed the ball to Burkhead on an option read but Burkhead pitched it to Ameer Abdullah who took it in for six. That made the score 31-17 Michigan, but there was plenty of time remaining for Nebraska to come back.

In what may have been the most critical play of the game, Michigan received a gift. After being stuffed on third down, Michigan lined up for the punt. Just as the ball left Will Hagerup’s foot, a ‘Husker defender came in and ever so slightly nipped his non-kicking foot as it was off the ground. The officials conferred and ruled it roughing the kicker, and first down Meeeeshigan!

The Wolverines made the most of the gift as Toussaint made some nifty moves on first down for a gain of 13, and then after a snap infraction by Molk, he broke a couple tackles for a gain of 8. On 3rd-and-short, Denard hit Martavious Odoms for the first down, then two plays later for a 38-yard touchdown on a deep pass. 38-17 Michigan.

Nebraska gifted Michigan another fumble on the kickoff return and J.B. Fitzgerald recovered on the ‘Husker 22-yard line. Michigan couldn’t get anything going and was forced into a 4th-and-long field goal attempt from 42 yards out, but Gibbons missed it wide right.

The defense held strong on its next series. Jake Ryan sacked Martinez on second down, and then forced a Martinez fumble on third down, which was recovered by Ryan Van Bergen.

Toussaint capped the scoring as he broke several tackles and broke free for 31-yard touchdown run on Michigan’s first play. 45-17 Michigan.

Nebraska is not a top five team, or maybe not even a top 10 team, but after a complete dominance by Michigan on both sides of the ball, the Wolverines proved they are for real. If there are still doubters about this Michigan team out there, and I know there are, then this performance should have them taking down their ‘fraud flags’ because these Wolverines are not just good, they’re really good. For the first time since 2006 I actually feel good heading in to Ohio week. Heck, I feel better than good, I’m expecting a Michigan win!

On a day in which the forecast called for 30-plus mile per hour winds, one would think the run game would take front and center. However, someone forgot to tell that to offensive coordinator Al Borges as Michigan threw it up 31 times, while rushing it 36. Some of those run plays were originally called pass, so that disparity should be weighted a little more pass.

Michigan is not a passing team – not even close. It might be in the future, but not right now. Why Borges would try to air it out so much is beyond me, but I don’t like to question those who are far more experienced than myself.

#11 Michigan 14 – # 23 Michigan State 28
	Final Stats
14	Final Score	28
6-1 (2-1)	Record	5-1 (2-0)
250	Total Yards	333
82	Net Rushing Yards	211
168	Net Passing Yards	120
20	First Downs	16
1	Turnovers	2
5-40	Penalties – Yards	13-124
7-223	Punts – Yards	5-205
29:27	Time of Possession	30:33
3-of-15	Third Down Conversions	7-of-14
2-for-4	Fourth Down Conversions	0-for-0
0-0	Sacks By – Yards	7-62
0-for-0	Field Goals	0-for-0
2-for-2	PATs	4-for-4
1-for-2	Red Zone Scores – Chances	3-for-3

But in this game, the offensive game plan didn’t seem to put Michigan in position to win as it struggled all day, falling 28-14 to Michigan State.

Michigan took the ball first and Devin Gardner came in on the second play. A fake jet sweep to Denard and Gardner kept it and ran for the first down. A couple plays later, MSU blitzed and Vincent Smith made it pay with a 26 yard gain, getting inside MSU territory.

After a delay of game Michigan failed to convert a 3rd-and-long and lined up for the kick. Drew Dileo, the holder, took the snap and took off, getting a great block by kicker Brendan Gibbons on his way to picking up the first down.

On 2nd-and-6, Jerel Worthy grabbed Denard and looked to have him in the backfield for a loss, but Shoelace broke free and worked his magic, weaving in and out on his way to the end zone from 15 yards out.

MSU took its first drive and despite a huge drop by Keshawn Martin that would have gone for six, MSU still managed to get inside the 10. A pitch to running back Edwin Baker led to MSU’s first points of the day as he waltzed in virtually untouched. After being rather suspect coming into the game, MSU’s offensive line was dominating at the point of attack.

The Wolverines couldn’t get anything going on its next few drives as MSU kept stuffing the run and not giving the receivers any space. Fortunately for Michigan, State couldn’t do much either as it had several dropped passes that would have led to scores or first downs. This was shaping up to be an epic defensive battle.

Michigan looked like it was going to get its offense going after starting inside its own five-yard line and Junior Hemingway grabbed a high pass and took it out to the 35-yard line. But the offense fizzled, failing to convert a 3rd-and-4.

MSU continued its inability to score as well though. Dropped passes were killing the Spartans on offense and flags for late hits and other various penalties were killing them on defense, but Michigan could not capitalize.

Much like last year, MSU was keeping Denard in check, not allowing any running lanes and forcing him to pass the ball – not exactly his forte.

After halftime, MSU started at its own 45 after a bad kick, and wasted no time in capitalizing. The Spartans marched down the field almost unimpeded with Kirk Cousins hitting Martin for a short touchdown on 3rd-and-goal.

MSU stuffed Smith behind the line on first down and then a pass to Roundtree on second sailed over his head. On third down, Denard scrambled around but could not get way. MSU was all over him like white on rice. Fortunately, there was a late hit penalty that gave Michigan a first down. I wouldn’t call MSU a ‘dirty’ team per se, but it sure looked like one today – a lot of late hits and personal fouls. Michigan couldn’t capitalize on the mistake as Denard was sacked on first down and then hit with a holding call on third.

MSU started at its own 20 and handed off to Baker, who busted a huge gain. Luckily for Michigan, Thomas Gordon (this kid always seems to make plays) knocked the ball out and true freshman linebacker Desmond Morgan recovered it. This was supposed to be one of those momentum swinging plays we’ve seen throughout the year that gets Michigan in gear and they go into beast mode. Not today though, as Michigan went three-and-out, with another Denard sack on third down.

After a 15-yard penalty on Michigan, MSU took over at its own 39 – great position again – and once again capitalized, moving the ball well through the air and with Martin visiting the end zone again on a 2nd-and-8 pass where he made a couple defenders miss. Michigan just could not get enough pressure on Cousins to hurry him and force bad throws.

Michigan had nothing going on its next drive, but got bailed out once again with another MSU personal foul on a 3rd-and-7 play that went incomplete. Denard took a jet sweep and ran for a first, and then hit Roundtree a couple plays later for another first down. Gardner came in on 3rd-and-11 and fumbled the snap for a loss of about 8. In case you weren’t watching the game, this was Michigan’s seventh straight possession that ended with a punt. I guess punting is better than turning it over, but still, seven straight possessions is a long time for Michigan to not get something going. Flashbacks to 2009 and ’10 come to mind at this point, but I have faith in Brady Hoke so I just shrugged it off as bad luck or the weather.

Michigan’s defense forced MSU into a 4th-and-18 after a great punt put them inside its own 15. Jeremy Gallon returned it to inside the 35 and on the first play Denard hit Roundtree in stride, who then broke a tackle and took it to the house to pull within seven at 21-14. Just under ten minutes remained, which was plenty of time to complete the comeback.

MSU ran a bit of trickery, giving an end around to Martin and Michigan didn’t see it. He ran for a good gain before J.T. Floyd punched the ball out and Jordan Kovacs recovered it (Kovacs > Rudy, just saying). Here we go again: a turnover and Michigan is looking to score again and tie this game up.

After getting into a 3rd-and-13, Denard hit Kevin Koger for a huge gain, but came up just shy. Hoke elected to go for it on 4th-and-short. Denard handed off to Smith, or so everyone in Lansing thought, but pulled it out at the last second and ran for the first down himself. The crowd didn’t realize it until after Denard got up. They cheered so loud thinking they stuffed Smith on fourth down only to see Shoelace get up past the marker with the ball. This team just seems to find a way to win, right?

After Denard hit Gallon just shy of the marker, Michigan was forced to go for it again on 4th-and-inches. This time, MSU was having nothing of it and sacked Denard for a big loss.

MSU didn’t do much though, going three-and-out and punting right back to the Wolverines.

Michigan was still in good shape when it took over at its own 33 with all three timeouts left and just over under five minutes to play. MSU blitzed up the middle and Denard threw a bad pass that was picked off by Isaiah Lewis and taken back for six, putting Sparty up 28-14. There was not a lot of time left and it looked as though that was the nail in the coffin.

It turned out it was as Devin Gardner scrambled around the entire field on 4th-and-22, but was eventually taken down. MSU ran out the clock and took home the ugliest trophy in all of sports, the Paul Bunyan trophy, for the fourth straight year. The game wasn’t really as close as the score indicated as MSU dominated pretty much every possession up front and once again kept the most electrifying player in the land in check.

Of course, there’s going to be talk of Michigan starting out well and then collapsing late in the season like the past two years, but I won’t have any of that. Yeah, Michigan got beat, but Brady Hoke is not Rich Rodriguez. He knows what Michigan football is all about, and he won’t let these kids get down on themselves.

“I expect them to act like a Michigan football team, and that means they’re going to come to work,” Hoke said after the game when asked how he thinks the players will react to the loss.

He WILL have them prepared to come out and play when they take the field against Purdue after the bye week. And come on, let’s face it, as great as we thought it would be did any of us really think Michigan would run the table in the B1G Ten?

If there is a silver lining it would be that MSU has to face a dominant Wisconsin team next week, and then travels to Nebraska the following week. Michigan could still wind up on top of the Legends division after a win against Purdue and two very possible MSU losses. It’s a good time for a Michigan bye week to regroup, get healthy and come back strong for games against Purdue, Iowa, Illinois, and Nebraska before the big one against Ohio State to close the season.

Brady Hoke picked up his 50th win in his 100th career game as a head coach on Saturday over Eastern Michigan (2-1), but it wasn’t as easy as it should have been. Perhaps there was some hangover from last week’s Under the Lights Game win over Notre Dame, but Hoke will never say so. He credited Eastern’s coaching staff for keeping the game close while Michigan didn’t play well early on.

For the third straight week, Michigan failed to score a point in the opening quarter, but wore down the EMU defense and pulled away in the second half for the 31-3 victory.

Michigan 31 – Eastern Michigan 3
	Final Stats
31	Final Score	3
3-0	Record	2-1
471	Total Yards	236
376	Net Rushing Yards	207
95	Net Passing Yards	29
24	First Downs	12
1-0	Fumbles – Lost	1-1
2-17	Penalties – Yards	5-45
3-105	Punts – Yards	5-218
32:15	Time of Possession	27:45
9-for-14	Third Down Conversions	4-for-12
0-for-1	Fourth Down Conversions	1-for-2
1-6	Sacks By – Yards	0-0
1-for-1	Field Goals	1-for-2
4-for-4	PATs	0-for-0
5-5	Red Zone Scores – Chances	1-2

Despite its rushing game prowess in the first two weeks, EMU opened the game with a play-action pass that just barely went incomplete. The Eagles then proceed to run all over the Michigan defense on their first drive. A broken flea flicker play yielded an 18-yard gain for EMU quarterback Alex Gillett. Michigan’s defense bailed itself out, however, when Jibreel Black stripped Javonti Greene after a big run and Thomas Gordon recovered the fumble.

Michigan started out in the I-formation and ran Fitz Toussiant for eight yards, old school Michigan power football. A couple of short Denard runs and an incomplete pass later, and Michigan was looking at 4^th-and-5. Hoke elect to go for it, but Denard Robinson forced a bad throw and it was picked off.

EMU took over in good field position and ran another play-action pass, this time for a big gainer. An end around and a QB keeper put EMU in Michigan territory. On 4^th-and-short, EMU decided to go for it and busted a big gainer on a toss play to just inside the Michigan 25. A late hit penalty on Michigan advanced the ball to the 12-yard line.

EMU showed a variety of looks to confuse Michigan and it seemed to be working. EMU ran the ball very well at the onset, and the line was creating some good holes. Both Greene and Gillett showed great vision and cutback ability. Michigan tried to counter with its own formation shifts and disguises but couldn’t seem to get back into position before the snap and it was costing the Wolverines.

Eastern went for it on 4^th-and-goal at the 1-yard line, but this time Michigan stuffed them to re-take possession.

Michigan took over and ran a play-action inside the end zone. Denard’s pass got batted down and was almost picked off in the end zone. It was clear that EMU was trying to force Denard to beat it with his arm. On 3^rd-and-9, Denard barely escaped pressure and just got out of the end zone, leading to a Michigan punt.

EMU took  over with the ball inside the Michigan 25 after a nice return. Greene continued to slip through huge holes in the line for consistent five- to six-yard gains. Michigan held the Eagles out of the end zone again but EMU hits a field goal as the 1^st quarter ends. After the first quarter, EMU had 141 total yards to Michigan’s 32. It was beginning to look a lot like the Western game, giving up a lot of yards but not a lot of points.

Michigan went  three-and-out on its next series and EMU once again took over in great field position. In what could be the momentum swinging play of the game EMU ran another trick play, this time a double pass. Gillett tossed it to his receiver behind the line, who then threw deep toward the end zone but was picked off by Thomas Gordon who didn’t bite on the play and stayed with his receiver. The takeaways continue to keep Michigan in games so far this season.

Denard then countered with  a zone read for 55 yards, putting Michigan in EMU territory. A couple more Denard runs, including one on which he fumbled (recovered by Vincent Smith) lead to a play-action pass to Kevin Koger to get Michigan inside the 10. Another pass to Koger gets Michigan in the end zone for the first time to take a 7-3 lead.

The first three Michigan drives yielded 31 yards, two punts and an interception. This drive went 97 yards (90 by Denard alone) and a touchdown. If Michigan wants to be competitive against Big Ten opponents, it cannot continue to have slow starts.

Despite great field position on its next possession, EMU couldn’t do anything with the ball and was forced to punt again. Jeremy Gallon stepped back to grab the kick at the 15 and took off. He broke a couple of tackles and made a few more miss and returned it all the way to the EMU 12, but a illegal block on Michigan brought it all the way back to the Michigan 13. Still, it was good to see what Gallon is capable of on punt returns.

Vincent Smith took a carry to the right and broke through for a 38-yarder. It was starting to look like Michigan was finally getting into a rhythm on offense. Denard was still taking big hits on his short gains, which is concerning, not so much against EMU, but memories of him coming out of most games last season comes to mind.

Touissant, on his limited touches, showed a lot of toughness and good vision. He rarely goes down on the first contact. He played well in the opener but missed last week, and seemed to pick up where he left off. So far this season, he has been the best-looking back this year, although Smith has played well as well.

Denard scored on a run after a bobbled snap and Michigan took a 14-3 lead with just under 40 seconds to go in the half.

After a squib kick gave EMU good field position, the Eagles moved the ball well and attempted a 50-yarder before half, but missed it just a bit outside.

EMU had an average first half starting position of its own 43 compared to Michigan’s average start on its own 18. Considering that starting field position, Michigan played pretty well despite giving up chunks of yards on the ground.

EMU had 156 yards rushing to Michigan’s 197 and 29 yards passing to Michigan’s 21. EMU had an almost four minute edge in time of possession, but had no really big plays, zero gains of 20-plus, while Michigan had three gains of 20 or more.

Michigan came out after half and marched down field, a couple of runs and a couple of near misses to Koger. A misdirection to Smith for 13 got the Wolverines inside the red zone. A couple plays later, Touissant ripped off a 12-yarder and then punched it in on 3^rd-and-goal. It was a nice 13-play, 83-yard drive that ate up 5:34 off the clock.  The offense was clearly in a rhythm at this point and it seemed to be the end of the scare that EMU gave in the first quarter.

On EMU’s next possession, Mike Martin and Craig Roh teamed up for a sack. It was nice to see Roh make a big play after being rather invisible in the first two games.

On Michigan’s next possession, after few Denard runs and a Thomas Rawls sighting, Denard hits Drew Dileo for a 19-yard touchdown to put Michigan up 28-3. It was Dileo’s first catch of his career.

EMU ate up some clock on its remaining plays but couldn’t do anything with it. Michigan put together another drive and trotted Brendan Gibbons out for its  FIRST field goal attempt of the season, which he hit to give Michigan the final score of 31-3.

Devin Gardner finally got in the game at the very end to close things out.

Hoke picked up his 50^th career win and became just the third Michigan coach ever to start 3-0. Denard ended up just two yards shy of his 11^th 200-yard rushing game and Vincent Smith added 118 on nine carries.

Touissaint had a decent game with 11 carries for 46 and a TD but only four receivers caught a pass, Gallon with three, Koger with two and Dileo and Jeremy Jackson each with one. Denard only attempted 18 passes so those numbers aren’t so bad, but Roundtree and Hemmingway need to get involved in the offense if Michigan is to have any real success this season.

The defense kept a good rushing attack at bay, despite giving up over 200 on the ground. Mattison didn’t dial up too much pressure with blitzes, as EMU is a run dominant team, but the front seven looked good on some plays and awful on others. San Diego State will be a good test for this defense next week.

National Signing Day came and went with Michigan making a huge late-minute splash, adding four-star safety Demar Dorsey from Lauderdale Lakes, Fla. The 6’1″, 175lb. star originally committed to Florida before backing out and eventually choosing the Wolverines, giving Michigan a very solid safety class.

Who are the rest of the high school seniors that round out the class? Here’s a breakdown by position, starting with the offense (defense to follow soon):

Quarterbacks (2)
Quarterback Devin Gardner	DEVIN GARDNER Height: 6-4 Weight: 195 Hometown: Detroit, Mich. (Inkster) Rivals Ranking: #1 dual-threat QB (4-star) Scout Ranking: #5 overall QB (5-star) ESPN Ranking: #5 overall QB (4-star) Chose Michigan Over: Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Purdue, Oregon, Nebraska, Michigan State, West Virginia, Iowa, Cincinnati. How He Fits In: Gardner is the ideal quarterback for Rich Rodriguez’s system. He’s a big, strong, fast, and athletic dual-threat quarterback that has a chance to be an absolute star in Ann Arbor by the time his career is over. The biggest improvement needed is his passing game. He has a strong arm, but needs to develop the stamina to last a full season. A red-shirt is almost guaranteed for Gardner, and with a year of practice and strength and conditioning under his belt, should factor into the starting quarterback race in 2011. Gardner enrolled at Michigan in January and will participate in spring ball, giving Michigan three solid quarterbacks on the roster to push each other.
Quarterback Conelius Jones	CONELIUS JONES Height: 6-2 Weight: 197 Hometown: Spartanburg, SC (Spartanburg) Rivals Rank: NR (3-star) Scout Rank: #60 QB (3-star) ESPN Rank: #92 Athlete (3-star) Chose Michigan Over: Wake Forest, Duke, Stanford, Syracuse How He Fits In: Jones gives Rodriguez a second dual-threat quarterback in the class, though he could move to defensive back because of the three quarterbacks ahead of him (Tate Forcier, Denard Robsinon, and Gardner). He’s an athletic guy with a great body frame for both quarterback and defensive back. Ideally, he’ll start out as Michigan’s fourth quarterback until Gardner is up-to-speed, and then look for a change of position to utilize his athleticism.
Running Backs (2)
Running Back Stephen Hopkins	STEPHEN HOPKINS Height: 6-0 Weight: 235 Hometown: Flower Mound, Texas (Marcus) Rivals Ranking: NR (3-star) Scout Ranking: #52 RB (3-star) ESPN Ranking: #50 RB (3-star) Chose Michigan Over: Texas A&M, Kansas, Stanford, Kansas State, SMU How He Fits In: Hopkins is a big back that isn’t the typical scat back preferred by Rodriguez, but fits the mold of departing tailback Brandon Minor. Hopkins will join the stable of backs competing for the starting job and in time could give Rodriguez a solid power back to complement the smaller guys. He probably will never be the go-to guy, but gives Rodriguez a short-yardage bruiser. He also enrolled at Michigan in January and will have a semester of workouts under his belt when fall camp begins.
Running Back Austin White	AUSTIN WHITE Height: 6-0 Weight: 186 Hometown: Livonia, Mich. (Stevenson) Rivals Ranking: #10 All-purpose back (3-star) Scout Ranking: #15 RB (4-star) ESPN Ranking: #77 RB (3-star) Chose Michigan Over: Michigan State, Illinois, LSU, Wisconsin, Iowa, Purdue How He Fits In: White also enrolled at Michigan in January and fits into a position group in which Michigan has plenty of, thus a redshirt is virtually guaranteed. He’s the type of back that Rodriguez likes — versatile and quick — and can catch the ball out of the backfield. He’s kind of a Reggie Bush type of player (not saying he’ll have the type of career Bush did at USC) who can line up in the backfield, in the slot, catch passes out of the backfield, etc.
Wide Receivers (4)
Wide Receiver Jeremy Jackson	JEREMY JACKSON Height: 6-3 Weight: 194 Hometown: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Huron) Rivals Ranking: NR (3-star) Scout Ranking: #79 WR (3-star) ESPN Ranking: #39 WR (4-star) Chose Michigan Over: Florida, LSU, Minnesota, Louisville, Iowa, Nebraska, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas How He Fits In: Jackson is the son of long-time Michigan running backs coach Fred Jackson. He has great size for an outside receiver and his solid hands and route running more than make up for his lack of elite speed. Jackson should be a reliable possession receiver for Michigan in the years to come. Like Gardner, Hopkins, and White, Jackson enrolled at Michigan in January to get a semester of weights and practice under his belt.
Wide Receiver Ricardo Miller	RICARDO MILLER Height: 6-2 Weight: 208 Hometown: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Pioneer) Rivals Ranking: #66 WR (3-star) Scout Ranking: #27 WR (4-star) ESPN Ranking: #27 WR (4-star) Chose Michigan Over: Florida, South Florida, Tennessee, Stanford, Central Florida, Miami, LSU How He Fits In: Miller is a big wide receiver with great versatility. Originally from Florida, Miller moved to Ann Arbor prior to last season in order to finish his high school career near the U of M. His combination of size and speed could make Miller a No. 1 receiver at Michigan in a couple of years. Also enrolling at Michigan in January, Miller has a chance to see the field next season as Michigan’s fourth or fifth receiver while he continues to develop his route running and hands.
Wide Receiver Jerald Robinson	JERALD ROBINSON Height: 6-2 Weight: 175 Hometown: Canton, Ohio (Canton South) Rivals Ranking: #48 WR (3-star) Scout Ranking: #41 WR (3-star) ESPN Ranking: #99 WR (3-star) Chose Michigan Over: Cincinnati, Michigan State, Illinois, Purdue, Pittsburgh How He Fits In: Robinson is a great athlete with a very lanky frame, great hands, and superb route running. The Ohio native was offered a scholarship from Ohio State late, but he was alredy committed to Michigan. Also enrolling at Michigan in January, Robsinon has a shot at seeing the field next season. He would do well to add some muscle, but his quickness and ability to go up and get the ball in space should earn him some playing time.
Wide Receiver D.J. Williamson	D.J. WILLIAMSON Height: 6-1 Weight: 172 Hometown: Warren, Ohio (Harding) Rivals Ranking: NR (3-star) Scout Ranking: NR (2-star) ESPN Ranking: #54 WR (3-star) Chose Michigan Over: Illinois, West Virginia, Kansas, Indiana How He Fits In: Williamson is the flier of the class. He hails from the school that produced former Wolverines Mario Manningham, Prescott Burgess, and Desmond Howard. His blazing speed (he won the Ohio state track championship with a 10.82 in the 100-meters during his junior year) complement the rest of Michigans receiver class. He’s a converted running back and is still working to develop his pure receiving skills, but his speed and athleticism make him an intriguing prospect. He’s the only receiver in the class not enrolling early, so he’ll have some catching up to do and will most certainly redshirt.
Slot Receivers (1)
Slot Receiver Drew Dileo	DREW DILEO Height: 5-10 Weight: 175 Hometown: Greenwell Springs, La. (Parkview Baptist) Rivals Ranking: #73 Athlete (3-stars) Scout Ranking: #101 WR (3-stars) ESPN Ranking: #138 Athlete (3-stars) Chose Michigan Over: Stanford, Virginia, Northwestern, Tulane How He Fits In: Dileo is small and reminiscent of former Michigan running back Sam McGuffie, who played one season and then transferred to Rice. His quickness and ability to return kicks will allow him to challenge for playing time in Michigan’s return game, especially if he proves he can catch the ball. He won’t factor into the offense for a year or two, playing behind Martaveous Odoms, Kelvin Grady, and Terrence Robinson while he learns the offense, but the hope is that he turns into a Wes Welker-type player.
Offensive Linemen (1)
Offensive Lineman Christian Pace	CHRISTIAN PACE Height: 6-3 Weight: 262 Hometown: Avon Lake, Ohio (Avon Lake) Rivals Ranking: #7 C (3-star) Scout Ranking: ESPN Ranking: #13 Offensive Guard (3-star) Chose Michigan Over: Pittsburgh, Michigan State, Louisville, Florida State, NC State How He Fits In: Pace will undoubtedly redshirt next season, as most offensive linemen do to bulk up and get acclimated to college football. A very strong lineman for his small stature, Pace excels at run blocking, which is nice for Rodriguez’s system. He should have a few years to bulk up and learn the system before seeing the field when current starting center David Molk graduates.

Overview

Although Rodriguez signed just 10 players on the offensive side of the ball in this class, those who signed filled needs and complement one another well. The biggest commit was definitely Gardner, who will be Michigan’s quarterback of the future—the only question is when.

Rodriguez does not want to start a true freshman quarterback again, so Gardner will most likely redshirt, allowing Forcier to man the position for a second straight year. In 2011, Gardner will compete for the starting job and could supplant Forcier, since he’s bigger and more athletic.

The addition of Hopkins adds a big back to go along with Michigan’s wealth of small guys and replace Minor and Kevin Grady.

The four outside receivers were probably a bit much for one class, but will provide depth at the position to help stretch the field for the slot ninjas. Dileo is one of the slot ninjas and will give Michigan a true return man, which it has lacked in the past couple of years.

The only position that suffered in this class was the offensive line. Rodriguez signed just three offensive linemen in 2009 and runs the danger of a ridiculously thin position group in a couple of years. The current junior and senior classes are fairly solid, but Rodriguez really needed more than one commit in 2010.

There’s still the tiniest sliver of hope out there for Seantrel Henderson, the nation’s top recruit, who verbally committed to USC, but won’t sign until he finds out about the impending NCAA penalties the program faces. But Henderson reportedly isn’t even considering Michigan (his top five outside of USC were Miami, Florida, Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Minnesota). Unless Rodriguez can replicate the magic he used on Dorsey, Henderson isn’t coming anywhere near Ann Arbor.

Overall, it’s a small offensive class, but solid nonetheless. If Rodriguez had gotten more offensive linemen to provide depth at the position, it would have been a good one. Because of that, I’m giving the class a C+.

With another losing season in the books, the Michigan football program appears to be in disarray to many outsiders, as well as a fraction of the Michigan fan-base.

But is everything doom and gloom for this squad, or is there help on the way? Is head coach Rich Rodriguez in over his head in the Big Ten, or has he already laid the groundwork for success?

On this Thanksgiving day, as we visit with loved ones, stuff our faces with turkey and pumpkin pie, and watch the Cowboys and Lions, let’s take an early look at what the 2010 version of Michigan football will look like.

Certainly a lot of questions have to be answered, and I believe it starts with the players Rodriguez already has in the program.

Freshman quarterback Tate Forcier played the entire season and at times looked like a confident veteran, but at times looked every bit the 18-year old freshman he was.

He enrolled early at Michigan last January, a move that greatly helped earn him the starting job over last year’s returning starter, walk-on junior Nick Sheridan.

Forcier led comeback wins over Notre Dame and Indiana, brought the team back from 14 points down to force overtime at Michigan State, and performed well in late-season conference games against Illinois, Purdue, and Wisconsin.

But he was also prone to throwing the ball up for grabs, not securing the ball when scrambling, and making the wrong reads on zone option running plays.

These mistakes speak more toward his youth and inexperience than his true talent level. His solid performances showed he has the talent to be Michigan’s quarterback for the next three years.

The good thing is that the mistakes are correctable and will be cured by more time spent on the practice field, in the film room, and in the weight room. In short, we have a bright future ahead at the quarterback position.

Another off-season under strength and conditioning coach Mike Barwis will help Forcier add muscle to his slight frame and help avoid injuries. Many forget that Forcier played most of the season with a sprained AC join in his shoulder – the same injury Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford suffered, albeit to a lesser degree.

As Forcier gets more practice time and learns more of the playbook, his understanding of Rodriguez’s complicated “spread-n-shred” offense will grow.

Many of those misreads when he kept the ball instead of handing it off, or when he handed it off and should have kept it, will be fixed next year and in the years that follow.

In addition, he will improve with his passing reads, as he gets more comfortable in the system. This season, he tended to pull it down and scramble the instant he sniffed pressure. His creativity and ability to throw on the run covered up some of these problems, but it also led to turnovers or a failure to throw the ball away.

You can’t fault the kid for trying too hard. Some of the ill advised throws were a result of just trying to make something happen, but will be fixed with experience. Some of the plays he made in the comeback against Notre Dame were the same type of plays that resulted in turnovers down the stretch, as was glaringly evident against the great defense of Ohio State.

Forcier’s background leads me to believe he’ll be a fantastic quarterback. He was groomed to play the position, trained under Marv Marinovich, and has two older brothers that play quarterback as well. The mechanics are there, as is the quarterback mentality. Now, he just needs to develop in Rodriguez’s offense and he’ll be fine.

Michigan’s other quarterback, fellow freshman Denard Robinson has a lot further to go in his development, but is also a great fit for Rodriguez’s offense.

Robinson didn’t enroll early, so he had only about a month of practice prior to Michigan’s opening game against Western Michigan. The majority of the action Robinson saw was designed runs to utilize his athletic ability.

Early in the season it worked. He scored four rushing touchdowns in Michigan’s first seven games. As the season progressed and the meat of the schedule was reached, opposing defenses caught on and stacked up to stop the run whenever he entered the game.

It was frustrating at times to see Robinson come in, knowing he was going to run, and get stuffed for little gain. Yet, we have to remember that he had very little practice time and doesn’t yet possess the passing ability needed to be a quarterback for a major Division 1 quarterback.

Unlike Forcier, who already possesses the mechanical skills, Robinson will take more work to develop. But his upside is his athletic ability, which is much greater than Forcier’s.

His touchdown run against Western Michigan left Michigan fans salivating for him to be used in a Percy Harvin-type role.

Late in the season we saw more plays in which Robinson lined up in the backfield next to Forcier or spread out wide running a fly pattern. Against Ohio State, he was thrown to deep a couple of times, although neither was completed, and one was intercepted.

I think we were all a bit impatient throughout the season, assuming that it would be easy to thrust him into plays at running back or receiver. However, with the dire need of quarterback depth in case of a Forcier injury, and merely the fact that Robinson was a true freshman, time spent practicing plays at other positions meant time spent not developing at quarterback.

In the future, when Rodriguez adds to the quarterback depth, he will have more flexibility in using Robinson in other roles. But during the course of this season, I think we overlooked the need to keep him where he was.

Next year, that depth will be added to by Inkster, Mich. quarterback Devin Gardner. The dual-threat quarterback fits the mold of Rodriguez’s ideal quarterback perfectly and his arrival in Ann Arbor is highly anticipated.

In his senior season at Inkster High School, Gardner has thrown for 1,472 yards and 14 touchdowns to just three interceptions, and rushed for over 700 yards and 15 touchdowns. He has led his team to the state championship game against Lowell on Friday.

Scouts compare him to Penn State’s Darryl Clark former Auburn (and current Washington Redskins) quarterback Jason Campbell. They are high on his size and strength, as well as his arm strength and running ability.

An ideal situation would be to redshirt him next season and allow him to develop and learn the system until Forcier and Robinson graduate and then take over for his junior and senior seasons.

But with his talent, will he be patient enough to wait in the wings for three years? In order for Rodriguez’s system to succeed, I hope he’s unselfish enough to do so.

Granted, there’s always the possibility of Gardner coming in and beating out Forcier and Robinson for the starting job next season or the year after, and if that’s the case, then by all means, the guy that gives Michigan the best chance to win should play.

Whatever the case, the centerpiece of Rodriguez’s system is in place and the future looks bright at the quarterback position.

The backfield is where Michigan loses the most talent, but due to the nature of Rodriguez’s system and the injuries that Michigan suffered this season, the stable is not empty.

Seniors Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown will be big losses, and certainly their absences in many of the games hurt Michigan’s chances for success, but it also allowed young guys to gain experience.

The most impressive runner late in the season was freshman Vincent Smith. His performance in Michigan’s spring game last April gave Michigan fans a glimpse of what he is capable of, but he didn’t see much action through the first half of the season.

But in Michigan’s final two games, against Wisconsin and Ohio State, Smith emerged as Michigan’s go-to back, displaying quickness and pass-catching ability.

He figures to enter 2010 as Michigan’s starting tailback.

Sophomore Michael Shaw has also shown some ability and as his vision for the field improves, could develop into a nice complement to Smith.

His main problem has been that he doesn’t cut through the gaps quick enough, instead always relying on getting around the outside.

Redshirt freshman Michael Cox got some playing time as Michigan’s fifth running back and still has some time to grow. He’ll certainly get a chance to prove himself and earn some more playing time with the graduation of Minor and Brown.

True freshman Fitzgerald Toussaint is a guy that many Michigan fans were excited about coming out of high school. He redshirted this season and will also get a chance in the off-season to earn a role in the offense.

Incoming freshmen Tony Drake, Stephen Hopkins, and Austin White (all three-stars) should give Michigan plenty of options in the backfield.

Receiver is a position that Michigan certainly isn’t lacking talent. A go-to guy emerged in the second half of the season, in redshirt freshman Roy Roundtree. He caught 30 passes for 390 yards and two touchdowns in the final four games of the season.

Though he lacks elite speed, Roundtree showed great hands and a willingness to go across the middle. He should enter 2010 as Michigan’s number one receiver, but it will be interesting to see if he stays in the slot or moves to the outside to replace senior Greg Mathews.

By the time next season rolls around, Michigan will have a lot of experience with sophomore Martavious Odoms in the slot. Odoms started as a true freshman in 2008 and was one of Michigan’s lone bright spots, leading the team in receiving with 49 catches for 443 yards.

Injuries forced him to miss a couple of games late in the season this year, but that could be a blessing in disguise as it opened the door for Roundtree’s emergence.

Also in the slot, sophomore Kelvin Grady showed good speed early in the season, but dropped balls caused him to lose playing time. The former Michigan basketball player definitely has the athleticism to be effective; he just needs to work on catching the ball and he could develop into a weapon in the next couple of years.

A freshman that redshirted this season, Jeremy Gallon could factor into the equation as well. He was highly regarded coming out of high school last year, and a year learning the system should allow him to see some playing time next season.

A wild card in the slot could be incoming freshman Drew Dileo. A 5’9” 170 pound white guy, Dileo committed to Michigan over Tulane, Stanford, and Rice. I mention “white guy” only because of the inevitable Wes Welker comparison. If he can fit that mold, Michigan has itself a steal, but if his low rankings hold true, he could get lost in the mix.

On the outside, redshirt sophomore Junior Hemingway and sophomore Darryl Stonum bring a couple years of experience to the table and have at times shown considerable promise.

Hemingway started 2008 with a bang, catching a 33-yard touchdown pass in Michigan’s game against Utah, but an injury caused him to miss the remainder of the season.

This season, he came out hot again, catching five passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns in the season opener against Western Michigan. But he didn’t catch a touchdown pass the rest of the season, and barely matched the yardage output in the rest of the games combined, finishing with just 16 catches for 268 yards.

Stonum started 10 games as a freshman in 2008 and had his best game against Purdue, scoring on a 51-yard catch and run.

This season, he hauled in only 13 receptions for 199 yards and a touchdown, though the touchdown was a thrilling 60-yard play to ignite Michigan’s comeback in the fourth quarter against Michigan State.

Je’Ron Stokes is a freshman that played primarily on special teams this season and could have an impact in 2010. The 6-0 181 pound speedster out of Philadelphia was a top-100 recruit and was rated the eighth-best wide receiver in the nation last season according to Scouts, Inc.

Stokes caught two passes for 16 yards against Delaware State in the only real action he saw this season.

Four-star receivers Ricardo Miller and Jerald Robinson and three-stars Jeremy Jackson and D.J. Williamson make up a solid group of incoming freshmen will help bolster the ranks of what should be the deepest position on the team.

On the offensive line, Michigan returns nearly everybody and should get a big boost from a group of redshirt freshmen that fit Rodriguez’s system.

Left tackle Mark Ortmann and right guard-turned center David Moosman both graduate, but neither is a huge loss. Ortmann was serviceable and Moosman was a solid guard, but struggled at the center position when David Molk went down with an injury.

Getting Molk back next season will provide Michigan a solid, experienced center who started every game in his redshirt freshman season in 2008 and would have this season if not for a broken foot. He was rated the No. 1 center in the nation coming out of high school.

Redshirt junior Steven Schilling will probably be Michigan’s best offensive lineman in 2010. Schilling was ranked as the second-best guard in the nation coming out of high school and has started for three seasons, counting this one.

Perhaps the most surprising player is redshirt freshman Patrick Omameh, who earned a starting spot towards the end of the season and played pretty well. Omameh is a Rodriguez recruit who was just a two-star, mostly due to a lack of size compared to the typical offensive line recruit.

His performance has earned him strong consideration to start next season, probably at either right guard or right tackle.

Redshirt sophomore Mark Huyge started much of the season at right guard and figures to start next season either there or right tackle.

True freshman and highly regarded recruit Taylor Lewan is perfect for Rodriguez’s offense, rated as one of the most athletic and versatile linemen in the nation as a senior. He should get a chance to start at left tackle next season.

Another freshman that could get some action next season is Quinton Washington. He was a four-star recruit and the sixth-rated offensive guard as a senior.

Redshirt junior Perry Dorrestein, who has seen some action, should battle for the left tackle spot, while redshirt freshmen Ricky Barnum and Elliott Mealer will have a chance to earn a spot as well.

Incoming freshmen won’t help next season, as offensive line is a position in which recruits need time in a college strength and conditioning program to develop, but the future looks pretty good with last year’s haul. Only one offensive line commitment is secured for this year’s class unless Rodriguez is able to snag the nation’s top recruit, Seantrel Henderson, but that seems unlikely at this point.

At tight end, Michigan is stacked with experience in sophomores Kevin Koger and Martell Webb.

Koger finished fifth on the team in receiving this season, catching 16 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns. He caught an important touchdown pass against Notre Dame, but had some problems with drops midway through the season and didn’t see as many balls thrown his way in the last few games.

Webb caught just four passes for 44 yards and a touchdown, but got a lot of playing time and was a fairly effective run blocker.

Webb was a junior this season and Koger just a sophomore, so the tight end position should be a strength for Michigan next season.

Overall, the Michigan offense made some strides this year, averaging nine more points per game and 95 more yards of total offense per game than last season.

In addition, the offense showed that it could sustain drives this year, and although turnovers were a problem, those are mistakes that are fixable.

We didn’t see all the negative yardage plays that we saw last year when the offense just completely bogged down.

Next year we can expect even more improvement as the Rodriguez system enters its third year. The losses of Minor, Brown, Mathews, Ortmann, and Moosman should not slow this team down very much, since their replacements all got a lot of experience this year.

Most importantly, the core is in place, and there won’t be fresh blood needing to play a crucial role, as there was this season.

So on this Thanksgiving, let’s be thankful for the seniors that stuck out the coaching change and put forth their best efforts. Let’s also be thankful for the young guys that got their feet wet this year and will pioneer our maize and blue back to prominence in the years to come.

And let’s be thankful for an offensive innovator as our head coach – someone who is a proven winner and cares as much about getting the Michigan football program back on track as anyone else does. He will take Michigan to a place far beyond what we have seen if we afford him the time to do so.

The offense is certainly on track. Stay tuned for my defensive preview in the next few days.