Name: Channing Stribling Height: 6'2" Weight: 178 lbs. High school: Matthews (NC) Butler Position: Cornerback Class: Junior Jersey number: #8 Last year:I ranked Stribling #46 and said he would be a backup cornerback. He made 7 tackles and .5 tackles for loss.
Stribling played a fair amount as a freshman in 2013, and that raised a lot of people's hopes for him, despite the fact that he was not very good. Last season he was anywhere from the fourth to the sixth cornerback behind starters Jourdan Lewis and Blake Countess, as well as Raymon Taylor, Delonte Hollowell, and Jabrill Peppers (pre-injury).
Four of the five players listed above are gone (Taylor and Hollowell to graduation, Countess to Auburn, Peppers to safety), but I still think Stribling will be the fourth corner or lower, depending on how you view the position. The starters are likely to be Jourdan Lewis and Wayne Lyons, Peppers is slotted in as the nickel corner, and even redshirt freshman Brandon Watson might have worked his way past Stribling. I am concerned that after two years of seeing a fair amount of backup time, Stribling has just 23 tackles, .5 tackles for loss, and 1 forced fumble. The cornerback position is about making plays on the ball, and he doesn't seem to have that "it" factor for a corner. He seems to be a step slow when it comes to timing, turning to run, finding the ball, etc. There's bound to be an injury or two, and certain packages will require more defensive backs, but Stribling seems to be on the outside looking in when it comes to major playing time this season. The one thing that bumps him into the 30's this year is a lack of proven depth at corner when so many teams in college football trot out four and five receivers. Beyond Stribling, Michigan has few options before people start having to shuffle positions.
Let's see more of this guy on offense . . . Khalid Hill. Hill has been a pleasant surprise this year, and while he hasn't been a huge contributor, he made 1 catch for 9 yards where he broke a tackle, and he also had a crushing block in the open field. Hill seemed like a smooth pass catcher coming out of high school, but he looks bigger and is playing more physically than I think was expected in his redshirt freshman year. I think Michigan may have found a pretty good sleeper in this one.
Let's see less of this guy on offense . . . Derrick Green. If the line isn't opening holes, then I think De'Veon Smith should be getting more carries. Green actually ran harder than I thought he did last week, but he made one confusingly bad cutback when he should have gone to the front side, and he just doesn't have the same power as Smith. I still think Green is the more explosive player, but this line doesn't create enough room for that to matter much.
Let's see more of this guy on defense . . . Jabrill Peppers. Peppers rolled his ankle against Appalachian State, so he wasn't able to play against Notre Dame. I think that may have had a huge effect on this game. Peppers is a playmaker with his speed and hitting ability, and it seemed like Notre Dame was picking on replacement Delonte Hollowell. I think Hollowell is a decent backup, a solid tackler, and someone you can throw in there in dime packages or for short stretches. But if you're counting on him to be nearly a full-time guy as your nickel corner, that's going to be an issue. Hopefully Peppers gets healthy soon.
Let's see less of this guy on defense . . . Channing Stribling. Once again I'm addressing the cornerback position, but I just don't think Stribling has "it" yet. He doesn't have great recovery speed, he's not particularly physical, and he just doesn't make any plays. He let Corey Robinson beat him on a skinny post for a 22-yard gain, and Stribling had a bead on a quick screen but proceeded to biff the tackle. The lack of healthy corners (Peppers and Raymon Taylor were both injured) forced Stribling into the game, but Michigan just needs to get healthy at the corner position.
Play of the game . . . why must I choose? There's almost nothing to pick. Michigan didn't score or create any turnovers. The only sack they notched was a snap over the quarterback's head. I guess I'll have to go with Devin Funchess's 33-yard catch over top of cornerback Cody Riggs's head down the right sideline. Whoopee.
MVP of the game . . . Devin Funchess and Jake Ryan. I thought both players had good games. Funchess (9 catches, 107 yards) was every bit the mismatch problem we expected, and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier moved him around to prevent the defense from keying on him. I also liked that he made an attempt to re-enter the game after getting hurt. Ryan made 11 tackles and was flying all over the place to stop the run. I could have done without his 15-yard penalty for hitting Everett Golson late, but the game was out of hand by then, anyway.
Name: Channing Stribling Height: 6'2" Weight: 176 lbs. High school: Matthews (NC) Butler Position: Cornerback Class: Sophomore Jersey number: #8 Last year:I ranked Stribling #83 and said he would redshirt. He made 16 tackles and 1 forced fumbles.
I believed Stribling would redshirt in 2013 with the likes of Blake Countess, Raymon Taylor, and Courtney Avery returning, all of whom had starting experience going into the year. Avery hurt his knee in pre-season practice and split his time between corner and safety, which exacerbated the need for other corners. So freshmen Stribling and Jourdan Lewis stepped on the field. Stribling's size seemed to lure defensive coordinator Greg Mattison into playing him, and he even said that Stribling made a lot of plays in practice. Unfortunately, that didn't translate to the field a great deal, a problem that was made abundantly clear when he was beaten twice at critical moments against Penn State. That, of course, wasn't his fault - the coaches made the decision to put a somewhat unheralded true freshman on the field in crunch time. Regardless, he mistimed a couple of passes, which were completed on the Nittany Lions' way to a frustrating defeat for the Wolverines.
I thought Stribling looked overmatched as a freshman, but I am not without hope for his future. The problem for him is that Michigan has two established starters (Countess and Taylor), a classmate who has created quite a bit of buzz (Lewis), and an incoming freshman who is Michigan's most hyped recruit in the Rivals/Scout era (Jabrill Peppers), which dates back to 2002. This does not mean that his path to playing time is blocked, but it may be a winding road; he may be a backup until both Countess and Taylor are gone, he may move to safety at some point, or he may remain the third corner after Lewis/Peppers. I hesitate to underestimate Stribling for a second year in a row, partly because the coaches seem to be high on him. But I can't really see a situation where he's called upon to contribute heavily this season unless injuries occur.
Safety Ty Zimmerman is a potential game-changer at safety if he's healthy.
MICHIGAN Starters: The headliner of this group is redshirt sophomore Blake Countess (5'10", 182 lbs.), who's tied for #5 in the country with 6 picks and is #3 in return yards with 169, including a touchdown. He also has 42 tackles and 4 pass breakups to his name. Countess starts on the outside but will slide into the slot when Michigan goes to its nickel packages. The other starter at corner is junior Raymon Taylor (5'10", 183 lbs.), who's tied for the team lead with 81 tackles and has 4 picks and 9 pass breakups of his own. Taylor racks up a lot of tackles because teams attack him instead of Countess, but he's a solid tackler when receivers catch the ball near him. The other sure starter in the defensive backfield is fifth year senior strong safety Thomas Gordon (5'11", 213 lbs.), a guy who lacks speed and isn't a headhunter but who usually seems to be in the right spot; he has 49 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions, and 2 pass breakups this year despite missing two games. The likely starter at free safety is sophomore Jarrod Wilson (6'2", 200 lbs.), a potentially violent hitter who sometimes gets caught out of position; he has 45 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, and 2 pass breakups. Backups: Wilson has lost some playing time to senior Courtney Avery (5'11", 175 lbs.), who has bounced back and forth between corner, slot corner, and safety throughout his career; he has 30 tackles and .5 sacks on the year but looks to have lost a step after an injury over the summer and has been inconsistent. Redshirt junior Josh Furman (6'2", 202 lbs.) is a linebacker in a safety's body, and he has just 11 tackles and 1 pass breakup on the year, despite earning two starts and a variety of backup duty. He can be taken advantage of through the air. At cornerback, when Countess slides into the slot, he's replaced by one of two freshmen: Channing Stribling (6'2", 171 lbs., 15 tackles) or Jourdan Lewis (5'10", 170 lbs., 17 tackles, 2 pass breakups). Whoever has the best week of practice is the one who earns the role that game, so we'll just have to wait and see who gets the nod.
KANSAS STATE Starters: Fifth year senior safety Ty Zimmerman (6'1", 204 lbs.) is the leader of the group and has been a First Team All-Big 12 selection in both 2012 and 2013; he has 70 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions (2 returned for touchdowns), and 4 pass breakups this season. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, he missed the final two regular season games and is questionable for the bowl game. Sophomore fellow safety Dante Barnett (6'1", 186 lbs.) has 67 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions, and 3 pass breakups. The Wildcats spend a lot of time in a nickel package, so the fifth defensive back - a safety/linebacker hybrid - is redshirt junior Randall Evans (6'0", 190 lbs.), who has 59 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, and 10 pass breakups. The cornerbacks are solid but did not earn any all-conference accolades. Fifth year senior Kip Daily (5'11", 180 lbs.) has 47 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 4 pass breakups on the year, while fifth year senior Dorrian Roberts (5'10", 168 lbs.) has 37 stops, 2.5 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions, and 8 pass breakups. Roberts is rather inexperienced after playing in junior college for two years, redshirting in 2011, and not seeing the field at all in 2012. Backups: Redshirt junior Dylan Schellenberg (6'0", 189 lbs.) has been starting in Zimmerman's stead, and he has 19 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 interception on the year. Fifth year senior Carl Miles, Jr. (5'11", 190 lbs.) has 6 tackles and 1 pass breakup on the season, but he and the other backups are rarely used. Other than subbing Evans in and out for a linebacker, the Wildcats go with their starting unit almost the whole game.
THE TAKEAWAY Michigan is #62 in the nation giving up 238 yards/game through the air, but much of that is due to teams throwing instead of running on a stout run defense; they're #32 in passer efficiency rating defense. Kansas State is #24 in the latter category and tied for #47 nationally at 222 yards allowed/game. Two of KSU's worst three games against the pass were in recent games against TCU and Oklahoma before righting the ship against a pathetic Kansas Jayhawks squad. They rank #20 in the country with 16 interceptions on the year. If Zimmerman is unable to go, the Wildcats are without any real playmakers in the defensive backfield, though. Michigan is #17 in interceptions with 17 this year, and the two starting corners are the strength of the backfield with 10 interceptions and 13 pass breakups between them. The safety play leaves a little bit to be desired between a lack of discipline (Wilson) and athleticism (Gordon). Despite having a better defensive unit against the pass, the better group of defensive backs play for . . .
Derrick Green (#27) carries the ball against Central Michigan
Here's an updated list of the freshmen who have played thus far in 2013 and the freshmen who are on pace to redshirt. Offensive guard Kyle Bosch, who is expected to start at left guard against Michigan State, is the most recent addition to the first list.
FRESHMEN WHO HAVE PLAYED OG Kyle Bosch TE Jake Butt DE Taco Charlton LB Ben Gedeon RB Derrick Green S Delano Hill WR Da'Mario Jones CB Jourdan Lewis QB Shane Morris RB De'Veon Smith CB Channing Stribling
S Dymonte Thomas WR Csont'e York
FRESHMEN WHO ARE REDSHIRTING (SO FAR)
OG David Dawson FS Reon Dawson CB Ross Douglas WR Jaron Dukes OT Chris Fox TE Khalid Hill DT Maurice Hurst, Jr. C Patrick Kugler LB Mike McCray DT Henry Poggi OG Dan Samuelson FB Wyatt Shallman LS Scott Sypniewski OT Logan Tuley-Tillman
Devin Gardner passed for 503 yards and ran for 81, totaling 5 touchdowns.
Let's see more of this guy on offense . . . Erik Magnuson. Magnuson started at right guard on Saturday afternoon, and things went fairly well (248 team rushing yards, 7 touchdowns). His body still needs some work, but he's suited just fine for guard if Michigan is going to run a lot of spread looks. The left guard spot still looks questionable, but I thought Magnuson looked solid for Michigan's "new look" offense.
Let's see less of this guy on offense . . . Jeremy Jackson. Slot receiver Drew Dileo appeared to have been injured and spent much of the game on the sideline with a headset (why does a slot receiver need a headset?), and Jackson stepped in with 2 catches for 23 yards. I have never been a fan of Jackson, largely because of his lack of speed. Here's hoping that Dileo comes back for the next game, because he's a superior target who can run a little bit after the catch.
Let's see more of this guy on defense . . . Jourdan Lewis. Lewis played as a backup cornerback yesterday and ended the day with 5 solo tackles. He was beaten on a long pass, but the coverage was almost perfect. He also nearly had a pick on a late throw by Tre Roberson, tipping it into the hands of safety Thomas Gordon. Michigan might need not need him for a few weeks, but Lewis could be valuable against up-tempo teams like Northwestern.
Let's see less of this guy on defense . . . Channing Stribling. Cornerback Stribling started the game because Michigan spent almost the entire day with at least five defensive backs, moving Blake Countess into the slot. It looked like Stribling blew a coverage on Indiana slot receiver Shane Wynn's 5-yard touchdown catch, and Stribling also got out-muscled and out-techniqued by Kofi Hughes on a 67-yard touchdown. Instead of leaping with his fingers up to get the ball at its highest point, Stribling tried to cradle the ball into his chest - a high school-level technique issue - and allowed Hughes to come over the top for a catch. The coaches seem to like Stribling more than Lewis, perhaps because of the difference in size and strength; but Lewis seems to be more ready for the speed of the college game.
Play of the game . . . Jeremy Gallon's first 70-yard catch. In an unbalanced set, quarterback Devin Gardner ran a play fake to the left. As he turned around, Indiana's backside end came bearing down on him, forcing Gardner to sidearm the throwback to Gallon. Gallon caught it in stride, came inside his block, dodged a couple tacklers, and started racing downfield. Meanwhile, center Graham Glasgow was almost stride for stride with Gallon for about 40 yards before finally realizing that he's supposed to be slow. Safety Greg Heban eventually chased down Gallon on the right sideline, but it was a pretty play up to that point.
MVP of the game . . . Devin Gardner and Jeremy Gallon. I can't pick just one, so they share the trophy. Without Gallon, Gardner doesn't have a record-setting day. And without Gardner, Gallon doesn't have a record-setting day. Take away either one, and this likely would have gone down as a loss. Gardner had the second-best total yardage performance in Big Ten history (503 passing, 81 rushing), set a school record for passing yards, and totaled 5 touchdowns. Gallon had the best receiving yardage total in Big Ten history (369 yards) while catching 14 passes and scoring 2 touchdowns; he also had two 70-yard receptions in one game, similar to Roy Roundtree's 246-yard performance against Illinois in 2010 in which he had two 75-yarders.
Tight end Devin Funchess was the embodiment of Michigan's high-flying offense (image via MGoBlog)
Offense wins games. Defense is stupid. The total of 1,323 yards in this game was the most ever in a Michigan game. Michigan had a team record 751. Indiana only had 572, those slackers. Just imagine if Michigan were a hurry-up offense like Indiana instead of a team that huddles before every play.
Devin Gardner is the best Michigan quarterback ever! Gardner was 21/29 for 503 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also had 15 carries for 81 yards and 3 touchdowns. That total of 584 yards left him one yard short of the Big Ten record for total yardage, which is 585 and was set by Dave Wilson of Illinois back in 1980. Two of Gardner's completions went for 70 yards (to Jeremy Gallon both times), and if not for a couple failures to throw away the ball, Gardner basically played as well as anyone could ask. He had zero interceptions, although there was a fumbled snap between center Graham Glasgow and himself (the third week in a row in which that has happened).
Jeremy Gallon is the best Michigan receiver ever! Gallon had 14 catches for 369 yards and 2 touchdowns (along with 1 carry for -5 yards). That set a new Big Ten record for receiving yardage and rests second all-time behind Louisiana Tech's Troy Edwards and his 21 receptions for 405 yards and 3 touchdowns against Nebraska in 1998. The previous Big Ten yardage record (301) had been held by Purdue's Chris Daniels since 1999, and the previous Michigan record (246) was Roy Roundtree's since the triple-overtime game against Illinois in 2010. Former Michigan wide receiver Marquise Walker had 15 receptions twice (against Ohio State and Washington in 2001) to set the receptions record, so Gallon's school receptions mark is one less than Walker's; however, Walker had 160 and 159 yards in those games, respectively, so Gallon had a much more explosive day.
Kyle Bosch burned his redshirt and I don't really care. The coaches decided to switch things up again this week and start Joe Burzynski at left guard and redshirt freshman Erik Magnuson at right guard. That didn't last long, since Burzynski tweaked his knee early. But instead of calling redshirt freshman Kyle Kalis or redshirt sophomore Chris Bryant off the bench, Michigan went with true freshman Bosch. It was only Indiana - a smallish and bad defense - but I thought Bosch did pretty well. His size is college-ready, and I thought he was the most talented lineman in Michigan's 2013 class. Michigan only allowed sacks when Gardner held onto the ball too long, and Fitzgerald Toussaint ran 32 times for 151 yards and 4 touchdowns. It doesn't matter where the solution comes from, as long as the problem on the interior gets fixed. Some people were bothered about Bosch burning his redshirt halfway through the year, but if a true freshman plays half the year - especially when all other options have been exhausted - I don't see how anyone can have a problem with it.
Channing Stribling got torched again. I really don't care what Stribling does in practice. He's a true freshman and the game is moving too fast for him. Last week he got beaten twice on jump balls he should have been able to intercept or knock down, once by Brandon Felder and once by Allen Robinson; that resulted in a loss. This week he used poor technique again and got beaten for a 67-yard touchdown by Kofi Hughes. Instead of going up for the ball, Stribling tried to cradle the ball into his chest, which allowed Hughes to come over the top. Add that to several missed tackles, and I think Stribling needs to be demoted. He has a good future, but the speed of the game is one reason why most freshmen redshirt.
Hello, Thomas Gordon. Gordon had a weird stat line. It consists of the following: 2 interceptions returned for 41 yards. That's it. No tackles, no pass breakups. And those were his first two picks of the year. Opposing quarterbacks have been testing Michigan's cornerbacks more than the safeties this year, but I've been a little surprised that Gordon hasn't been more involved up to this point.
Good for Indiana. I have a soft spot for the underdog, and I somewhat hope that Indiana gets a few good years here. Obviously, I hope they lose to Michigan whenever the two meet. But as long as another team takes a dip to replace Indiana near the bottom of the conference, it would be nice to see the long-suffering Indiana fans have a little fun. They're 3-4 right now, but I think head coach Kevin Wilson has them going in the right direction. They've also been doing a good job on the recruiting trail. By the way, Michigan starting cornerback Raymon Taylor was once an Indiana commit.
What does this mean for Michigan? Well, Michigan might have earned some confidence offensively, which would be nice. I also suggested prior to this game that Michigan would go to more of a spread offense with Bryant and Kalis benched, and that appears to have been the case. Al Borges's play calling seemed to shy away from running power and zone stretch constantly and incorporated some more misdirection, draws, etc. out of the run game. Michigan can't expect to blow people off the ball, so this is what Michigan's offense should look like for the remainder of the year.
Devin Funchess had 4 catches for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns
Let's see more of this guy on offense . . . Dennis Norfleet. If Norfleet's going to be a slot receiver, he needs to be on the field. And not just in special packages where it's a near certainty that he'll get the ball. I somewhat understand not putting him out there a ton if he's your full-time returner, but now that Drew Dileo has taken over the punt return duties, Norfleet's duties have essentially been cut in half. Michigan needs to spend more time in the spread and less time with two or three tight ends and a fullback. And if that happens, Michigan will have to spell some guys with the likes of Norfleet.
Let's see less of this guy on offense . . . a fullback. Whether it's Joe Kerridge or Sione Houma, I don't really care about whether this team employs a fullback anymore. The offensive line is too porous to make a fullback relevant, and Kerridge isn't a threat to run or catch the ball. His role is to lead block on run plays that result in zero yards. There's just no point. Spread teams out horizontally and hope that Toussaint can find some alleys.
Let's see more of this guy on defense . . . Delonte Hollowell. The junior cornerback has lost playing time this year to freshmen Channing Stribling and Jourdan Lewis, but Hollowell is the feistiest of the bunch. I've never been impressed with his athleticism or ball skills, but he is physical and seems to be in position most of the time. At the end of regulation, I would have preferred to have seen Hollowell in there instead of Stribling.
Let's see less of this guy on defense . . . Channing Stribling. Stribling's a freshmen, and I'm fairly on him. But the bottom line is that the game moves very quickly for true freshmen, especially in clutch situations. In my opinion, he's not the guy you want in there during crunch time. He mistimed a couple jumps and flat-out whiffed on a couple passes completed to Brandon Felder and Allen Robinson, allowing the Nittany Lions to march down the field and tie the game. Stribling has to take some responsibility for that, but so do the coaches who chose to put him out there.
Play of the game . . . Frank Clark's fumble return for a touchdown. It wasn't just the return, either. Defensive end Keith Heitzman got some great penetration to slow up Penn State running back Zach Zwinak, who cut back only to be tackled by linebacker James Ross III. Ross reached across with his right hand to punch out the ball, Clark scooped it up, dodged PSU quarterback Christian Hackenberg, and raced 24 yards for the score. Prior to that play, Michigan was down 21-10 and looking for a spark, and Clark helped to provide it.
MVP of the game . . . Devin Funchess. I was very close to picking Devin Gardner for this award, but Gardner's two interceptions gave Penn State short fields that resulted in 14 points. Instead, I'm picking the tight end who had 4 catches for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns, from 59 and 37 yards, respectively. Gardner has had a hard time hitting anyone over the top except Funchess, who has proven to be more of a deep threat than wide receivers Jeremy Gallon or Jehu Chesson.
Michigan deserved to lose. You win when you deserve to win, and Michigan didn't deserve to win. From the offensive play calling to the offensive line's incompetence to the quarterback's decision making to the defense's inability to get pressure and cover short passes to the special teams' inconsistency, Michigan didn't deserve a victory. Penn State didn't play their best football, either, but they looked less incompetent.
The coaches have lost confidence in Devin Gardner as a passer. There was a time when Brady Hoke and Al Borges would have let quarterback Devin Gardner air it out in a game like this, but instead, they chose to curl up into the fetal position - almost literally - and try to luck their way into a victory. Despite averaging just 2.8 yards/carry on fifty-four rushing attempts, Michigan turned overtime into mostly an unproductive rushing effort. Michigan ran for 1, 1, 0, 3, -3, 8, 0, 0, and 7 yards in overtime, with that last 7-yarder coming on a Gardner scramble. The biggest offense came in the first overtime, when the play call/execution resulted in Gardner running from the 23-yard line on the left hash to the 23-yard line on the right hash on 3rd-and-8, presumably in an effort to "center" the ball for kicker Brendan Gibbons. Gibbons's subsequent 40-yard field goal was blocked by defensive tackle Kyle Baublitz.
The offensive line is/was a mess. All-American left tackle Taylor Lewan left the game in the second quarter with what looked like an injury to his left side, perhaps a hip or a rib. He was replaced by right tackle Michael Schofield. Left guard Chris Bryant was presumably replaced for poor performance after some poor blocking; in came walk-on guard Joey Burzynski. Redshirt sophomore Graham Glasgow was playing left guard two weeks ago and has had several mental mistakes in his two games at center. Right guard Kyle Kalis took a senseless 15-yard penalty and was replaced for a short time by Burzynski before returning. The right tackle for the second half was redshirt freshman Erik Magnuson. Another walk-on, Erik Gunderson, also saw significant playing time in certain packages. Overall, by the end of the game, the only guy in the same spot as two weeks ago was Kalis. Meanwhile, running backs Fitzgerald Toussaint and Derrick Green were swarmed in the backfield the entire game, totaling 30 carries for 28 yards.
Offensively, the lone bright spot was Devin Funchess. Tight end Devin Funchess had his second consecutive 100-yard game with 4 catches for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also had a couple key drops, but a tight end with 263 yards and 3 touchdowns in two games is pretty impressive.
Damn freshmen. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but a huge chunk of this loss falls on the shoulders of freshman cornerback Channing Stribling and whichever defensive coach was responsible for putting him in there. At the end of regulation, Stribling entered the game and was beaten on two long passes by the average Brandon Felder and Penn State standout receiver Allen Robinson. On both occasions, Stribling had chances to knock down or intercept the passes, but he mistimed his jumps and/or misjudged the ball, failing to get even a finger on either pass. The game was just moving too fast for him, which is why I hate having to play so many young players. In a year or two, those will be picks or knockdowns for Stribling. The same thing goes for Jake Butt's failure to catch a back shoulder fade from Gardner in overtime; Butt showed his hands too early and failed to plant and go up for the ball. Instead, he settled for trying to catch it with his momentum going away from the ball and into the sideline. Both of things contributed to linebacker Mike Hull being able to bat the pass away at the last second despite not turning around for the ball.
Michigan can't run the ball, and that's not going to change. At this point in the season, I feel pretty confident in saying that nobody but Gardner will be able to run the ball effectively. Gardner even carried the ball 24 times, and he's not going to hold up with that type of responsibility on his shoulders. I hate to say this, but Michigan needs to ditch the runs from under center and become a team that throws the ball 40-45 times a game. They need to get creative with their screen game, including bubbles and slip screens; they also need to find a way to get Dennis Norfleet on the field in regular packages and incorporate him into the offense, both as a scatback third-down replacement for Toussaint and as a slot receiver.
Despite the 43 points, I thought the defense played pretty well overall. Nine of those 43 points came in overtime. Additionally, two of Penn State's touchdowns came after Gardner interceptions, which gave the Nittany Lions the ball on the 14- and 20-yard lines, respectively. They ran the ball 44 times for 85 yards (1.9 yards/carry) and 2 touchdowns, from the 1- and 2-yard lines, respectively. Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg completed 23/44 passes for 305 yards and 3 touchdowns, but he was also sacked 4 times and intercepted twice, while a large chunk of that yardage (79) came on the final drive in regulation when they beat Stribling.
Frank Clark is coming on. Clark had 3 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 pass breakup, and 2 fumble recoveries, one of which he picked up and ran 24 yards for a touchdown. He's had a little bit of a fire lit under him after the first couple games of the season, and hopefully that fire stays lit. After barely showing up on the stat sheet early, he's now sitting at 15 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 1 pass breakup, 5 quarterback hurries, 2 fumble recoveries, and the aforementioned touchdown return.
What does this all mean? Well, I don't think Michigan has a shot at winning the Big Ten this year. They've been playing with fire all year in close games with Akron and UConn, not to mention Notre Dame or the closer-than-it-should-have-been game against Minnesota last week. It finally bit them in the butt. The closest thing remaining to a team Michigan should beat easily is Iowa, but they always seem to play Michigan tough, especially in Iowa City. Michigan also has Indiana's number over the years, but the Hoosiers can put some points up on the board (41.7 points/game). Michigan State is going to feast on Michigan's running game, Nebraska's tough, Northwestern is good when healthy, and Ohio State is probably going to crush us. This is probably going to be ugly down the stretch.
Name: Channing Stribling Height: 6'2" Weight: 165 lbs. High school: Matthews (NC) Butler Position: Cornerback Class: Freshman Jersey number: #8 Last year:Stribling was a senior in high school. I gave him a TTB Rating of 73.
Stribling came out of nowhere in the summer of 2012 to earn a Michigan offer after he camped in Ann Arbor at the end of June. Prior to then, the Ball State Fightin' Brady Hokes were the only FBS team to have offered him, so it was a very un-dude move by Hoke to swoop in and steal him. Stribling went on to have a stellar senior season in which he starred offensively, defensively, and on special teams on the way to a North Carolina state championship.
Stribling's a little thin, and the need for an immediate contribution at cornerback isn't very high. Three quasi-starters return (Raymon Taylor, Blake Countess, and Courtney Avery) with Delonte Hollowell pushing for playing time, too. While Stribling shows a nose for the ball and making plays, he's not the kind of freak athlete who would probably force his way onto the field as a freshman. In some ways, he might be the kind of guy whose jersey number he is taking (J.T. Floyd), another Carolinian who had good length, lacks blazing speed, and might be better off at safety in the long run. I think Stribling has a higher ceiling than Floyd, but he's still likely to redshirt.
2013 Reon Dawson - CB - Trotwood (OH) Trotwood-Madison: Dawson is a 6'2", 175 lb. prospect who is committed to Illinois. The teammate of Michigan commit Mike McCray, Dawson also holds offers from Arizona, Cincinnati, Kentucky, Pitt, Purdue, Virginia, and West Virginia. (Highlights.)
2014 Brian Allen - C - Hinsdale (IL) Central: Allen is a 6'2", 275 lb. center prospect. He has offers from Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Purdue, and Wisconsin. (Highlights.) Alex Bookser - OT - Pittsburgh (PA) Mt. Lebanon Shores: Bookser is a 6'5", 295 lb. prospect with no offers at this time.
Avery Edwards - TE - Raleigh (NC) Ravenscroft: Edwards is a 6'5", 220 lb. prospect with offers from North Carolina, North Carolina State, and Wake Forest. As a sophomore in 2011, he had 45 receptions for 659 yards (14.6 yards/catch) and 10 touchdowns; his junior produced 40 receptions for 490 yards (10.3 yards/catch) and 4 touchdowns. He's not the most athletic tight end out there, and I think Michigan might have some better options, but he could be a guy they pursue down the road. (Highlights.)
Matt Hammerstein - OT - Uniontown (OH) Lake: I don't know much about Hammerstein, but my assumption is that he's the son of former Michigan defensive tackle Mike Hammerstein.
Joe Henderson - DE - Cleveland (OH) Shaker Heights: Henderson is a 6'4", 220 lb. prospect with offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, Minnesota, and Pitt. Some people think he could play outside linebacker, but he looks like a weakside end to me. He uses his hands well and has pretty good athleticism. He had previously been listed with a Michigan offer, although recent information suggests he was not verbally offered by the Wolverines; however, I would not be surprised if he is offered soon. (Highlights.)
Darryl Long - TE - Westerville (OH) South: Long is a 6'4", 220 lb. prospect with offers from Illinois, Ohio, and Pitt. (Highlights.)
Evan Mallory - OG - Brownsburg (IN) Brownsburg: Mallory is a 6'4", 285 lb. prospect with no offers at this time.
Kyle Rachwal - TE - Lapeer (MI) East: Rachwal is a 6'3", 225-pounder with no offers at this point. This is his fifth or sixth visit to Michigan this season, so I would bet that he would jump on a Michigan offer if he were lucky enough to get one.
Gelen Robinson - DE - St. John (IN) Lake Central: Robinson is a 6'1", 230 lb. defensive end with no offers at this point. As a junior this season, he had 95 tackles, 47 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, and 2 fumble recoveries. Robinson is the younger brother of Michigan freshman basketball player Glenn Robinson III and, therefore, the son of former Purdue and NBA star Glenn Robinson. (Highlights.)
Vic Roe - DT - Carmel (IN) Carmel: Roe is a 6'3", 255-pounder without any offers at this point. I do not think Roe is a Michigan-caliber player. (Highlights.)
Shelby Spence - QB - Chicago (IL) De La Salle: Spence is a 6'1", 193 lb. dual-threat quarterback with no offers at this time. He's the teammate of 2014 offensive guard offeree Jamarco Jones. Spence does not appear to be a high level FBS prospect. (Highlights.)
Darius West - CB - Lima (OH) Central Catholic: West is a 5'11", 189 lb. cornerback with offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, and Purdue, along with some MAC schools. As a sophomore in 2011, he had 69 tackles, 1 interception, and 1 forced fumble. If Michigan were to offer him, I think it would be as a slot corner prospect; however, he does not appear to be a player who will be offered by Michigan anytime soon, despite recently being named to the Rivals 250.
2015 John Kelly - S - Oak Park (MI) Oak Park: Kelly is a 5'11", 180-pounder without any offers at this time, but the buzz suggests that he'll be a decent recruit in the not-too-distant future.
August 17, 2012: Stribling intercepted Mallard Creek's first pass attempt of the game as Stribling's Butler team (1-0) won the game, 27-6. He had 3 tackles in the game.
August 24, 2012: Butler (2-0) beat Olympic by a score of 69-7. Stribling had 3 catches for 34 yards, 3 tackles, 1 interception, and 1 kickoff return for a touchdown. He now has 2 interceptions on the year.
September 8, 2012: Butler beat Charlotte (NC) Vance by a score of 48-6. Vance featured fellow offeree Larenz Bryant (South Carolina). Butler is now 3-0.
September 14, 2012: Butler beat Charlotte (NC) Myers Park by a score of 49-6. Stribling had 1 tackle, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery. Butler is now 4-0.
September 21, 2012: Butler beat Mint Hill (NC) Rocky River by a score of 40-6. Stribling had 2 tackles and 2 pass breakups. Butler is now 5-0.
September 28, 2012: Butler beat Charlotte (NC) East Mecklenburg by a score of 60-0. Stribling had 3 receptions for 59 yards and 1 touchdown; he also had 4 tackles, 2 pass breakups, and 1 interception that was returned for a 25-yard touchdown. Butler is now 6-0.
October 5, 2012: Butler beat Charlotte (NC) Ardrey Kell by a score of 49-0. Stribling had 2 tackles and 1 pass breakup. Butler is now 7-0.
October 12, 2012: Butler beat Charlotte (NC) Providence by a score of 45-14. Stribling had 3 catches for 44 yards, including 1 touchdown; he also made 2 tackles and returned a punt for 67 yards. Butler is now 8-0.
October 19, 2012: Butler beat Charlotte (NC) South Mecklenburg by a score of 58-0. Stribling had 3 receptions for 101 yards and 2 touchdowns; he also had 3 tackles and 2 pass breakups. Butler is now 9-0.
October 26, 2012: Butler beat Charlotte (NC) Independence by a score of 33-14. Butler is now 10-0.
November 2, 2012: Butler beat Clemmons (NC) West Forsyth by a score of 49-0. Butler is now 11-0.
November 9, 2012: Butler beat Charlote (NC) Independence by a score of 55-26. Stribling had an 82-yard interception return for a touchdown, 66- and 31-yard touchdown receptions, and a 77-yard kickoff return touchdown. Altogether, he had 3 receptions for 103 yards. Butler is now 12-0.
November 16, 2012: Butler beat Kernersville (NC) East Forsyth by a score of 25-15. Stribling had 2 tackles and 1 reception for 14 yards. Butler is now 13-0.
COMMITMENT
Matthews (NC) Butler cornerback Channing Stribling was offered at Michigan's camp on Wednesday and committed to Coach Hoke on Thursday morning.
ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2014
Grand Rapids (MI) Christian offensive tackle Tommy Doles was offered by Michigan. Doles is a 6'5", 260 lb. lineman whose only offer comes from Michigan. He attends the same high school as a fellow 2014 offeree, wide receiver Drake Harris. So far Michigan's coaches are recruiting Doles as an athlete and are looking at him for offensive line, defensive line, or perhaps even as a tight end. (Highlights.)
New Orleans (LA) St. Augustine running back Leonard Fournette was offered by Michigan. Fournette is a 6'0", 210 lb. tailback with offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Notre Dame, and many others. As a freshman in 2010, he had 174 carries for 1,735 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Shaker Heights (OH) Shaker Heights defensive end Joe Henderson was offered by Michigan. Henderson is a 6'4", 215 lb. high school defensive end who looks like he would play weakside end if he chooses Michigan, the only team to have offered so far. (Highlights.)
Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas wide receiver Corey Holmes camped at Michigan and earned an offer. Holmes is a 6'1", 175 lb. receiver with offers from Florida, South Florida, and Wisconsin. He stated that Michigan sits atop his list, but it's early in the process. Holmes is the teammate of defensive end Joey Bosa, whom Michigan offered for the 2013 class before he committed to Ohio State. (Highlights.)
Monroeville (PA) Gateway safety Montae Nicholson was offered during camp. He's a 6'2", 195 lb. safety who could play either strong or free, and he has already been offered by Penn State and Pitt. Gateway consistently puts out FBS talent, including guys like Shayne Hale (Pitt), Cam Saddler (Pitt), Corey Brown (Ohio State), and Dorian Bell (Ohio State). (Highlights.)
La Porte (TX) La Porte linebacker Hoza Scott was offered by Michigan. At 6'2" and 205 lbs., he already holds offers from Alabama, Florida, LSU, Texas, and USC, among others. Last month he named his top five; four of them are in the SEC, and the other one is Cal. He appears to be a long shot to come to Michigan, but you can see in the highlights that the kid is a playmaker, pulling off outside linebacker plays that I normally see only in NCAA Football '12.
Mansfield (TX) Timberview safety Brandon Simmons was offered by Michigan. Simmons is a 6'0", 170 lb. free safety or cornerback prospect with offers from LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and several others. His teammate is fellow safety prospect Edward Paris, who has also been offered by the Wolverines. As a sophomore in 2011, Simmons had 100 tackles, 15 pass breakups, 3 interceptions, 2 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. (Highlights.) ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Sherman (TX) Sherman offensive tackle Aaron Garza was offered by Michigan. Garza is a 6'4", 300 lb. lineman.
Berea (KY) Madison Southern running back Damien Harris was offered by Michigan. And yes, I've started a 2015 offer board, and Harris was the first name on that list. That means 2011 was Harris's freshman season, but he ran the ball 62 times for 742 yards (11.4 yards per carry) and 11 touchdowns while playing in just six games on varsity. He's already 6'0" and 200 lbs. (Highlights.)
OFF THE BOARD
San Diego (CA) Horizon wide receiver Darren Carrington committed to Oregon. He was just recently offered by Michigan and mentioned plans to attend camp but never made it to Ann Arbor.
Hilliard (OH) Darby athlete Caleb Day committed to Illinois. Day didn't have a Michigan offer but camped at Michigan last week in an effort to earn one. He could play several positions in college, including running back, wide receiver, cornerback, or safety.
Wide receiver Sebastian LaRue committed to USC. Michigan had a shot to win over LaRue until the Trojans offered. Then it was game over.
VISITORS
Seffner (FL) Armwood wide receiver Alvin Bailey will be visiting Michigan this week. Bailey has already been offered by Michigan and is the teammate of highly touted defensive back Leon McQuay III, who has Michigan in his top three after visiting last month.
Cordova (TN) St. Benedict running back Jordan Wilkins is visiting Michigan today. He already visited Auburn and almost committed there, and he mentioned that he wants to play early. That may be difficult with all the other running backs on Michigan's roster. I have doubts about whether a visit will sway Wilkins, but at least he's coming to campus. I wrote up a scouting report on him a month ago.
This is a bit late getting posted because I was out of town, but Maize 'n' Brew posted a recruiting roundup last week that featured questions with yours truly and people from Tremendous and Maize Pages, too.
I would like to give myself a small pat on the back for my very first answer, where I said that one of the guys to fill out the class would have to be a sleeper cornerback. Channing Stribling was offered two days later and committed. Now we'll wait and see if I got any other questions correct . . .
Matthews (NC) Butler cornerback Channing Stribling committed to Michigan last week. He chose the Wolverines over an offer from Ball State.
Stribling is a 6'2", 170 lb. cornerback and wide receiver who claims a 4.5 forty. As a junior in 2011, he had 37 tackles, 14 pass breakups, and 6 interceptions. On offense he made 37 receptions for 636 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Ratings: ESPN: Unranked CB
Rivals: 2-star S
Scout: 2-star CB
247 Sports: 3-star ATH, #95 ATH
Stribling is the teammate of several fellow 2013 Michigan offerees: quarterback Riley Ferguson (Tennessee), wide receiver Uriah LeMay (Georgia), and linebacker Peter Kalambayi (Stanford). Butler consistently churns out FBS talent, many of whom have been offered by Michigan in recent years. But Stribling didn't have an offer until he camped at Michigan last week, where he wowed the staff enough to earn an offer on Wednesday. He committed to Brady Hoke on Thursday morning.
Stribling is a pretty physical player, especially for playing his junior season at 160 lbs. or so. He's a willing tackler who wants to come up and hit, but he gets overpowered a little bit at times. That should change as his body matures and he starts to add weight. Where he currently lacks the confidence to wrap up ball carriers and instead chooses to go low and dive at legs, he should eventually be a solid run supporter. Stribling has decent hips and ability to change direction, but his mental discipline helps him there. He seems to read plays well and recognize developing route combinations. When the ball is in the air, he shows an ability to go after it, timing his leaps well and using his length to disrupt receivers and bat the ball. As a receiver, one of Stribling's key attributes is his ability and willingness to fight for extra yardage after the catch.
On the negative side, Stribling has somewhat limited speed. He doesn't accelerate extremely well and even when he gets to top speed, he won't leave opponents in the dust. His length and anticipation make up for that lack of speed at times, but in a flat-out foot race, he might not win against opposing players with elite speed. He also has some footwork and body position issues to work out, but those seem fixable.
By several accounts and what I see on film, Stribling has a solid, hardworking attitude and is a competitive player. He might not be the best athlete on the field at any given time, but he should work to shore up most of the above weaknesses. His lack of elite speed and playmaking ability might prevent him from being a nationally elite player at the next level, but he has the potential to be an eventual starter at the boundary corner. When I look at Stribling, he seems like almost an exact replica of fellow 2013 cornerback commit Gareon Conley. However, Stribling seems to have a little more position flexibility and could play free safety or perhaps wide receiver if needed.
Stribling is Michigan's 22nd commit in the class of 2013, a class that is expected to reach 24 or so. Michigan wants another receiver and possibly another defensive lineman, although they will probably continue to recruit Florida defensive back Leon McQuay III.
