Sometimes, the college football season reminds me of the last line of “The Usual Suspects” - “And like that, he’s gone.”
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College football fans -- the die-hards anyway -- spend all year looking forward to that Labor Day Saturday when the season starts, and then suddenly you turn around and you’re mired in a cold , dark December, left to ponder about your bowl matchup and hope that your coaching staff can finish the recruiting season with a flurry.
No, the college football season isn’t over yet; just the appetizer portion has already come and gone. But it certainly didn’t take very long for September to pass us by, and just like that, we’re a third of the season is gone.
So with four games down and eight (nine?, ten?!?) left to play, I thought it appropriate to bestow some first trimester grades upon the Wolverines.
Offense: B
There are certainly some good things happening, and even a casual observer would admit the potential is there. Michigan also gets high marks for its stunning prolificness in the red zone. But I’m tough on the offense. I know it’s a new system, but it’s not like this is the first time any of the starters are playing college football. In fact, looking at the breakdowns below, it’s pretty remarkable that the overall offense grades out this high. Bottom line, the offense could be so explosive... nearly unstoppable in fact, and I have expectations to match.
Quarterback: Running - A+; Throwing - C; Overall - B+
It’s not really fair to grade Denard Robinson without giving individual grades for the running and throwing aspects of his game, and on the ground Robinson has been great. Outstanding, in fact. He’s rushed for 574 yards and five scores through four games, good for 138 yards a game. And perhaps most importantly, he’s yet to miss a play due to injury (please don’t let this be the jinx).
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Of course, as good as he’s been with his feet is about as bad as he’s been with his arm. There have been moments (the fourth quarter against Notre Dame comes to mind), but even then he was throwing far too many balls up for grabs. Denard’s simply been off with a great number of his throws, and too many other throws are dead on target... to the opponent. The reasons behind his struggles are well-documented and numerous, ranging from his happy feet to the new system to the fact that he may just not be that good a passer.
Still, we’re only four games in, giving him ample time to improve on his season thus far.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: D+
The pass-catching contingent isn’t entirely to blame for this grade; hell, it’s not easy to rack up the yards or touchdowns when only nine balls a game are actually being caught. But there have been too many drops, and even worse, too many whispers of disgruntled receivers breaking off routes early and not finishing the play. Given that wide receivers are notorious prima donnas, it doesn’t come as a huge shock to discover that Michgan’s wideouts would be unhappy with their aggregate usage, but Professor Labovitz doesn’t look kindly on lallygaggers. Passing Denard needs all the help he can get, not guys quitting halfway through the play.
On the bright side, it’s nice to know that we’ll have a somewhat dependable receiver on the roster past 2012... here’s to you, Jeremy Gallon!
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Running Backs: C+
It’s almost pathetic that Michigan hasn’t had a dominant running back since Mike Hart in 2007. Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown had potential, but neither could get touched, much less tackled, without pulling or straining or breaking something. And that pretty much sums up our running backs ever since. A lot of promise, next to no results. Fitzy Toussaint has shown flashes, but injuries seem to have sapped him of his speed; Mike Shaw’s never been able to make it through three consecutive plays without either losing yards or getting hurt; Stephen Hopkins can’t seem to hold onto the ball; and poor Mike Cox actually got more playing time under RichRod, a turn events no one actually thought possible.
Only Vincent Smith has really exceeded expectations, which isn’t saying much considering he was expected to be nothing more than a role-playing third down back. But he’s been able to find some holes, he catches the ball out of the backfield, and he can definitely protect the passer. Hopefully he can also survive a B10 season.
At the same time only the very best running backs make their own holes when there are none to be found, and the guys up from haven’t exactly been making opposing defenses look like Swiss cheese out there. With brings us to the...
Offensive Line: C-
Molk is solid because Molk is solid, and Lewan grades out well because his pancake blocks don’t equal his penalties this year. But what happened to Omameh? How come no one seems to be able to pull? Why can’t we blow these small MAC defenses five yards off the line on every snap? I don’t have the answers, I just know that the O-line has been a massive disappointment thus far. Silver lining? They’re healthy, for the most part. When three walk-ons litter the two-deep, I guess that’s about all you can for.
Ok... that was kind of a downer. Maybe the defense will be better?
Defense: A-
Perhaps I’m going easy here. It’s possible... given the last three years my expectations of the defense were so low I could jump over them despite possessing just a six-inch vertical. Michigan’s still giving up a ton of yards, but honestly? Yards, schmards. They’ve forced 13 turnovers in four games and are giving up 12.75 points a game, including games of 10, three and seven points allowed. I don’t care who the opponents have been (especially since both WMU and SDSU both have pro prospects at quarterback), those numbers are damn good. Unsustainable? Almost definitely. But I’m grading what’s transpired, not what may come to pass.
Defensive Line: B
They get this grade mainly on their play against San Diego State, which was dominant. Michigan’s still offering up a lot of rushing yards, which largely rests on the D-line, but they’ve also helped create more stops on third-and-short than I can remember in a long, long time. Mike Martin and Craig Roh seem to finally be coming on after being nonexistent in the first two games; Ryan Van Bergen’s steady as she goes; and half-man half mountain Will Campbell actually seems capable of occupying a couple of opposing O-linemen, which perhaps isn’t five-star worthy, but it’s definitely something!
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Linebackers: C+
I’m not quite sure why I was expecting so much given that we’ve been forced to deal with Obi Ezeh and Jonas Mouton the last four years, but this grade really reflects the hit-or-miss tendencies of the linebacking corps to date. Kenny Demens is easily the biggest disappointment on the field thus far, yet he’s leading the team in tackles (would anyone have guessed that just by watching the games? Also, who’s keeping these stats?). Jake Ryan is a turnover-forcing machine and wreaking havoc in the offensive backfield, yet can’t seem to grasp the concept of how not to allow a running back to gain the edge. And Brandon Hawthorne is seemingly everywhere on the field, yet can’t really make a tackle. So yeah... hit or miss.
Secondary: A
By far, the biggest surprise of the first four games has been the play of the secondary, the surprise being that the secondary can actually play. Jordan Kovacs, for all the complaints about his athletic prowess, is playing at an All-B10 level,
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and you know something’s up when Troy Woolfolk has been the worst corner on the field (not entirely his fault... dude’s got a whole hoard of injury bugs following him around). Other than the final Notre Dame touchdown pass, which required concepts that Marvin Robinson simply hasn’t grasped yet (such as the ability to think and play at the same time), the secondary really hasn’t allowed a big play. Not a one. And unlike last year, when young players took their positions and somehow managed to get lost on a big open field with clearly marked out-of-bounds lines, this year features young’uns (Blake Countess, et al) taking the field and and at least acting like they know where they’re supposed to be.
Curt Mallory we love you. Seriously.
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Special teams: Incomplete
I’m just not ready to give a grade here. I don’t think it’s fair to judge the punting or kickoffs while Hagerup was suspended, and I don’t think it’s fair to judge the field goal kicking after just two attempts, although I fear that Gibbons’ missed 40+ yarder will be more indicative than his made 20-yarder. The return teams have been fairly meh, and the coverage teams have been slightly less meh, but on the whole, I need to see more, including our real punter, before I adjudicate.
Coaching: A
You got me, I’m a sucker for the new regime. You know what else I’m a sucker for? IN-GAME ADJUSTMENTS! What a novel concept! In-game adjustments are the reason that Michigan’s out-scoring opponents 48-9 in the second quarter, and 38-7 in the fourth quarter. The coaches see what’s happening on the field, and they react accordingly. I love it. You know what else I love? Seeing Al Borges adjust his offense to fit Denard Robinson (and running the option!). Four years ago we heard that Rich Rodriguez could and would perform similar adjustments with the players he had at the time. Turns out he was either straight lying or straight incompetent (maybe a little of both?). Either way, I hope he’s out there somewhere taking notes.
Intangibles: A
Michigan’s forced 13 turnovers, is a perfect 13-for-13 in the red zone (with 12 touchdowns!), and is winning the second and fourth quarters by wide margins. I don’t know what other intangibles there are... I don’t even know if these are intangibles. Really I just always wanted to write an article with the word “intangibles” in it.
Overall grade: A
Were you really expecting something lower? No, the grades don’t add up, but this the Labovitz-decimal system, not some tangible bell curve. It’s also definitely a case of the sum being greater than its parts. Michigan’s 4-0, including a mega-comeback against Notre Dame. The defense actually has a pulse, and the offense hasn’t come close to reaching it’s potential. There are definitely losses somewhere on the horizon, but I don’t know how anyone watching this team can be anything but excited about what the future has in store.
Class dismissed!
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