2015 Season Countdown: #46 Dennis Norfleet

Dennis Norfleet

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Name: Dennis Norfleet
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 168 lbs.
High school: Detroit (MI) King
Position: Wide receiver/kick returner
Class: Senior
Jersey number: #23
Last year: I ranked Norfleet #24 and said he would be the starting kickoff returner, a backup punt returner, and a backup wide receiver. He returned 19 kickoffs for 438 yards (23.1 yards/return) and 10 punts for 38 yards (3.8 yards/return); he caught 15 passes for 111 yards (7.4 yards/catch); and he ran 9 times for 64 yards (7.1 yards/carry).

Norfleet's last calendar year at Michigan has been disappointing. Despite Michigan lacking playmakers, he touched the ball only occasionally on offense (24 offensive touches total). His kickoff returns were average, and his punt returns were subpar. When it looked like he finally scored his first collegiate touchdown, it was called back due to a penalty. Then this past spring, he skipped a final exam and found himself dismissed from the team . . . sort of. I am including Norfleet on the list for a couple reasons. First of all, he still appears on Michigan's official roster. And secondly, despite previous reports that it would be nearly impossible for him to work his way back onto the team, rumors are circulating that he just might be able to return to the squad.

No official word has been passed down yet, and we may not know until fall camp starts. Regardless, I promised to rank all players where I saw them fitting, and he has dropped 22 spots from last season. Michigan experimented with him as a slot receiver last season, and he struggled to catch the ball downfield, though he has shown good enough hands on bubble screens. They also used him occasionally out of the backfield, where he averaged 7.1 yards/carry and caught a couple screen passes. Jim Harbaugh's staff experimented with him at cornerback in the spring game, and in fairness to Norfleet, his torching in that scrimmage came after very little practice time at corner (Norfleet also practiced at cornerback in 2012). But the biggest reason for the drop to #46 is that Jabrill Peppers seems slated to steal Norfleet's return duties. Norfleet would still likely see some action because Peppers will need a rest or might get dinged, but a backup returner without much value as a position player doesn't seem extremely vital to the team's success.

Prediction: Backup slot receiver, backup returner

Dennis Norfleet, Ex-Wolverine

Dennis Norfleet (image via USA Today)

Running back/slot receiver/cornerback/kick returner/punt returner Dennis Norfleet has been dismissed from Michigan's football team. Steve Lorenz from 247 Sports reported that he skipped several final exams, which is not a good idea for you prospective college students out there.

Rumors had been swirling about Norfleet for the past couple weeks, and this was likely the reason. The story going around is that Jim Harbaugh informed him that he did not see Norfleet playing a significant role in Michigan's future, which caused Norfleet to have a negative reaction. He essentially made an emotional decision and put his academics on the back burner, which sealed the deal for his departure.

You may remember that Norfleet was switched to defense in the spring game. Primarily an offensive and special teams player throughout his career, he played cornerback a little at the end of the 2012 season and then this spring. The spring game saw Shane Morris, Amara Darboh, and Jaron Dukes picking on him for several completions, including the only touchdown of the day. Those were unfair matchups since Norfleet was largely inexperienced at the position and going against much larger receivers (Norfleet is 5'7", while Darboh and Dukes are comfortably over 6'0"), but regardless, he had a job to do and didn't get it done.

His career offensive output includes 15 carries for 130 yards (8.7 yards/carry) and 21 catches for 157 yards (7.5 yards/catch). He was a little awkward in 2014 as a downfield receiver, excelling more as a screen guy, a change-of-pace guy out of the backfield, etc. Norfleet's biggest contribution came as a kickoff returner, where he was the school's all-time return yardage leader (94 returns for 2,203 yards). He also returned 15 career punts for 90 yards. Norfleet never scored a touchdown in a Michigan uniform, unless you count the game against Maryland when an apparent punt return score was called back due to a penalty.

Norfleet was a late addition to the 2012 class, flipping from Cincinnati just before National Signing Day when the Wolverines stepped forward with an offer. In my commitment post (LINK), I thought he would be a solid starter on special teams, and he was. Too small to expect much of a regular role on either side of the ball, I said that I was bothered by the way Norfleet finished plays. It looks like that criticism carries over to classes, too.

Despite my criticism, I am a little disappointed that Norfleet will not return to the field for Michigan. He brought a lot of energy with his dancing and antics, and I can't help feeling a little bad for a guy who touches the ball so much and never crosses the goal line. When Norfleet ambled over to the sideline when his touchdown was called back against Maryland, he needed consoling. It seemed like only a matter of time before Norfleet would break a big return, but he was always a half-step too slow or a bit too weak to break the last tackle attempt.

Norfleet will likely look to transfer. Since he reportedly has not graduated, he will have to either sit out a year while waiting to become eligible at another FBS school or transfer to a lower division for immediate eligibility. Meanwhile, Michigan will have to find a guy or guys to fill his special teams roles. Jabrill Peppers will probably handle some of those duties, while other candidates include Jourdan Lewis, Freddy Canteen, Amara Darboh, Brian Cole, Blake Countess, and Da'Mario Jones.

John Baxter, Wolverine

John Baxter's punt block drill

Former USC special teams coach John Baxter will be coaching the special teams at Michigan. Baxter was out of coaching this past season, but he had been at USC under Lane Kiffin and was Pat Hill's special teams guy at Fresno State from 1987-2009.

Baxter went to high school in Chicago and then went to college in Iowa (at Loras and then Iowa State), so he grew up in the midwest. He started off coaching at Loras in 1981, and he has bounced around since then, like most coaches do. His stops include Iowa State, Arizona, Maryland, Tulane, USC, and Fresno State. At one point or another, he has coached every position except quarterbacks and offensive line. But where he has really made a name for himself is on special teams.

Some of his accomplishments as a special teams coach:

• Top 15 in blocking kicks since at least 2008
• Nelson Agholor averaged 19.0 yards/punt return with 2 touchdowns in 2013
• Marqise Lee was Second Team All-Pac 12 and averaged 28.5 yards/kickoff return with 1 touchdown in 2012
• Named Special Teams Coordinator of the Year by Football Scoop in 2011
• Robert Woods was First Team All-Pac 10 with 25.6 yards/return and 1 touchdown in 2010
• Fresno State scored 3 punt return touchdowns by 3 different players in 2008
• A.J. Jefferson led the nation with 35.3 yards/return and 2 touchdowns in 2007 at Fresno State
• Clifton Smith set Fresno State's school record with 5 career punt return touchdowns in 2005
• Bernard Berrian returned 3 punts for touchdowns and averaged 11.2 yards/return in his career at Fresno State

Baxter spent from 1994-2009 coaching tight ends or wide receivers in addition to his special teams duties, and he was the associate head coach at USC. At 51 years old, he's been around the block and obviously has some respect in coaching circles. He landed an interview to be Colorado State's head coach after Jim McElwain lit out for Florida (Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo got the CSU job instead).

Michigan averaged 6.3 yards per punt return last season, and that includes Ben Gedeon's 32-yard return of a blocked punt for a touchdown; on actual return attempts, the number was more like 4.3 yards/return. The last time a Michigan punt returner scored a touchdown was Martavious Odoms against Purdue in 2008, Rich Rodriguez's first year. Kickoff returns have been largely unproductive, too, with Michigan failing to score a touchdown since Darryl Stonum in 2009. Since Stonum's return in 2009, Baxter's kickoff return unit scored three times, and he didn't even coach in 2014.

The other day I spent a fair amount of time perusing defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin's special teams history (LINK), so he and Baxter should make a good combination. One guy who should be happy about this hire is senior Dennis Norfleet, the incumbent punt/kick returner who has yet to score a touchdown of any kind in his college career. Michigan also really struggled to get the right personnel on the field last season, allowing a Utah punt return for a touchdown with only ten men on the field. A dedicated special teams coordinator might rid the Wolverines of most of those issues.

Michigan vs. Ohio State Awards

Drake Johnson (#20) scored two touchdowns in Saturday's rivalry game against Ohio State

Let's see more of this guy on offense next year . . . Dennis Norfleet. Michigan is lacking big-play threats, and while Norfleet has yet to break a truly big play, he is one of those guys who can gain yards in chunks. He ended the OSU game with 3 carries for 10 yards and 1 catch for 9 yards, but at least one decent run was called back for an Amara Darboh hold (Darboh was called for two holding penalties in the game). Norfleet's final carry of the day lost 3 yards when he tried to run outside of his block, but he at least threatens to make people miss. Virtually every other receiver and running back is very likely to be brought down by the first guy.

Let's see less of this guy on offense next year . . . De'Veon Smith. Smith was essentially forced into action late in the year when Derrick Green went down with a broken collarbone. Smith was the starter essentially by default, and he responded with just one solid game (18 carries, 121 yards, 1 touchdown against Northwestern). Drake Johnson started against Ohio State and did well, and then Smith stepped in with 3 carries for 4 yards when Johnson got hurt. Smith is too slow to be a full-time back, and he doesn't break as many tackles as an ideal short-yardage back should. It's not Smith's fault that he got so much playing time, but Michigan can do better. Johnson passed him up late in the year, starter Derrick Green will return in 2015, and the Wolverines will also have the services of USC transfer Ty Isaac. Barring injuries or transfers, I think Smith should be no higher than #4 on the depth chart next year.

Let's see more of this guy on defense next year . . . Ben Gedeon. It will be interesting to see how the linebacker positions shake out next year. With a potential coaching change coming, the scheme may also change. However, Michigan should once again be deep at the linebacker position. The sophomore Gedeon would be a starter on some Big Ten teams, but he was stuck behind Butkus Award finalist Jake Ryan at middle linebacker. Next year weakside starter and #2 tackler on the team Joe Bolden will return, and former starting inside linebacker Desmond Morgan will come back from his shoulder injury that caused him to redshirt this year. Furthermore, part-time starter at strongside linebacker James Ross III will be back. It would almost be a shame for Gedeon to have to wait until his senior year to start, but that's a possibility with Bolden, Morgan, and Ross returning, all three of whom will be seniors in 2015.

Let's see more of this guy on defense next year . . . Jabrill Peppers. Peppers, the 5-star cornerback who took a medical redshirt, is needed in the secondary. Michigan should be solid at the very least with everyone but Raymon Taylor returning, but Peppers' playmaking potential is desperately needed. Michigan got just 2 interceptions from defensive backs this season, both of which came from sophomore Jourdan Lewis. Peppers could play safety, but his tackling ability is a good fit at slot corner, too; he or Blake Countess could start on the outside, with the other guy playing in the slot.

Play of the game . . . Devin Gardner's touchdown pass to Freddy Canteen. It was only a 3-yarder and Michigan's fate was essentially already sealed, but Gardner rolled right to find Canteen in the endzone near the sideline. Canteen - who showed flashes of promise in the spring but was quiet all season - made an excellent diving catch, getting a foot down before sliding out of bounds.

MVP of the game . . . Drake Johnson. I would like to pick Gardner (22/32, 233 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception), who made some nice plays as well. But Gardner also gift-wrapped two touchdowns for Ohio State. The first one was an interception on the opening drive, setting up OSU on Michigan's side of the field. The second was a fumble that was returned for a touchdown by Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee. So I'll pick Johnson as the MVP. Johnson carried the ball 15 times for 74 yards (4.9 yards/carry) and 2 touchdowns, and he threw a halfback pass to Gardner for 18 yards. When Johnson went down with what I'm guessing is an ACL injury late in the game, Michigan's running game suffered greatly.

Michigan vs. Northwestern Awards

Let's see more of this guy on offense . . . Dennis Norfleet. Norfleet injured his shoulder against Indiana, and he did not appear in this game. It was no surprise when Michigan couldn't find a big-play threat even once during the Northwestern game. Offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier tried an end around to Devin Funchess - which was an utter failure - and the Wolverines have no speed on the outside. Add that to the gimpy Devin Gardner and a gimpy De'Veon Smith, and things look bleak for big plays. Norfleet hasn't been able to make huge plays, but he does have the ability to make 10-20 yard gains on the occasional run or reception. Hopefully he can get healthy by the next game in two weeks.

Let's see less of this guy on offense . . . Devin Funchess as the go-to receiver. The more reliable target this year has been Amara Darboh. Darboh is pretty slow and runs poor routes at times, but he makes both the easy and the tough catches. Funchess hasn't consistently made either. Michigan needs to spread the ball around, but when they need  a play to be made, I think Darboh has to be the guy.

Let's see more of this guy on defense . . . James Ross III. Ross has been playing better than the third corner. Against some packages, I guess it's necessary to put a fifth defensive back in the game, but you have to put your best eleven guys out there on defense. That actually probably would involve removing the free safety, but we've been over that before. Anytime Delonte Hollowell is out there on defense, I'd rather have Ross in the game.

Let's see less of this guy on defense . . . Delonte Hollowell. As I mentioned in the game recap, it seems like opposing coordinators and quarterbacks are aware of his presence. If they watch game tape from earlier in the season, he's the guy they should realize they can pick on. He hasn't played a great deal on defense, but he has allowed at least three touchdowns this season on out routes near the left sideline (against Notre Dame, Utah, and now Northwestern). The kid is a decent special teams contributor, but he's a liability in coverage.

Play of the game . . . Matt Godin's interception on Frank Clark's tip. Late in the second quarter, Michigan ran a zone blitz that dropped defensive end Brennen Beyer into a short zone. On a three-man rush, defensive end Frank Clark bulled Northwestern offensive tackle Jason Konopka backward, getting a hand up to knock down a Trevor Siemian pass attempt. The ball was knocked up in the air, and defensive tackle Godin reeled it in as he was falling backward to the ground. There are several options - the thwarted two-point conversion, Jake Ryan's interception, several of the 6 Michigan sacks, etc. - but I'll give it to Godin (and Clark) because it involved multiple players.

MVP of the game . . . tie between Jake Ryan and Frank Clark. Both had stellar games, particularly in the first half. Ryan finished with 11 tackles, .5 tackles for loss, 1 interception (returned for 2 yards), and 1 other pass breakup. Clark had 8 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 3 batted balls, one of which was intercepted; he also sniffed out a reverse and made a very nice tackle in the backfield. This game was won by the defense, and those two really stood out.

Michigan vs. Appalachian State Awards

Jehu Chesson, Devin Gardner, and Devin Funchess combined for a great day on Saturday.

Let's see more of this guy on offense . . . Dennis Norfleet. It's not so much that Norfleet himself was a huge threat. He's dangerous with the ball, but we've learned that he can easily get flung around because of his slight stature. No, the nice thing is that Michigan was spreading the ball laterally and getting it to people like Norfleet in the slot. Norfleet caught 3 passes for 30 yards, and Funchess was also a target on some quick screens. Those plays are going to help open up the middle of the field for the running game.

Let's see less of this guy on offense . . . Joey Burzynski. Burzynski's start was like a gold star for his efforts over the last several seasons, including fall camp. He tore his ACL last year, and he was filling in for the partly injured Kyle Kalis on Saturday. Kalis took over for Burzynski shortly after the game began, and the fifth year walk-on is less likely to play when Graham Glasgow returns next Saturday. Thanks for your efforts, Joey, but Michigan needs bigger and better linemen in there if they want to compete with the big boys.

Let's see more of this guy on defense . . . Desmond Morgan. There have been hints that Morgan will be relegated to the bench in favor of Joe Bolden, but I still see Morgan as the superior player. He did a good job on Saturday and needs to see a majority of the snaps at either MIKE or WILL linebacker.

Let's see less of this guy on defense . . . nobody. Michigan didn't get any takeaways, but they put pressure on the quarterback and generally tackled well. Late in the game, Appalachian State bled the clock by running up the middle over and over again, but that mercifully allowed the game to end quicker. If they insisted on passing, Michigan would have hurt the quarterback(s), picked off some passes, and scored more points.

Play of the game . . . Ben Gedeon's return of a blocked punt for a touchdown. There were so many big plays from Devin Funchess, Devin Gardner, Derrick Green, and De'Veon Smith, but those blocked punt returns are always exciting to watch. Linebacker Mike McCray tipped the punt, and Gedeon fielded it in mid-air. As soon as I saw #42 fielding the punt, I said to myself, "This is gonna be a touchdown." Gedeon was an excellent high school running back and could probably play that position in college for some teams. He did a nice job of weaving, tiptoeing down the sideline, and diving to stretch the ball across the front edge of the goal line for a 32-yard touchdown return.

Player of the game . . . Devin Gardner. Gardner was 13/14 for 173 yards and 3 touchdowns, plus he rushed 5 times for 9 yards. Best of all, he made good decisions, put appropriate helpings of mustard on his passes, and put the balls where only his receiver could catch them. His one misfire was a crossing route where the receiver was wide open, but it's tough to argue with those numbers.

2014 Season Predictions

Devin Gardner

Here's a link (LINK) to a review of my 2013 season predictions if you like to look into the past.

As for the future, here we go:

Leading Rusher
I'm backtracking a little bit here. It seemed like De'Veon Smith was getting a little more hype at the beginning of the summer, but now Brady Hoke is saying that Derrick Green would be getting the first carry against Appalachian State. I have always thought that Green had more upside because of his superior speed, so hopefully the line can block well enough to get him to the second or third level.
Prediction: Green, 700 yards

Leading Receiver
The best receiver on the team is clearly Devin Funchess, and I think this is a pretty obvious pick, barring injury. The only real question appears to be whether he'll break the 1,000-yard barrier. Offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier likes to run the ball, and he seems to like to spread out the ball among his receivers.
Prediction: Funchess, 950 yards

Leading Tackler
Michigan rotates linebackers a lot, so I don't think the tackle totals for any one player will be astronomical. It looks like Desmond Morgan will rotate in with both Joe Bolden and Jake Ryan, and the combination of James Ross and Royce Jenkins-Stone looks pretty neck-and-neck right now, too. Throw in a dose of Ben Gedeon, and nobody racks up the tackles. Last year's leading tackler was cornerback Raymon Taylor, but Michigan's tighter coverage will hopefully prevent as many completions in front of the corners.
Prediction: Ryan, 75 tackles

Hit the jump for the rest of the predictions.

2014 Season Countdown: #24 Dennis Norfleet

Dennis Norfleet

Name: Dennis Norfleet
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 169 lbs.
High school: Detroit (MI) King
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #23
Last year: I ranked Norfleet #21 and said he would be the starting kickoff and punt returner with 25- and 11-yard return averages, respectively. He returned 40 kickoffs for 938 yards (23.4 yards/return), 3 punts for -1 yard (-0.3 yards/return), caught 6 passes for 46 yards (7.7 yards/catch), and ran the ball 4 times for 53 yards (13.3 yards/carry).

I had high hopes for Norfleet coming into 2013 that he could become more disciplined about following his blocks, more disciplined about catching punts, more disciplined about running routes and catching the ball, more . . . okay, this is turning into a broken record. If Norfleet were a prospect coming out of high school, I would be calling him raw. He often seems to be moving a tad too fast for his own good, until he sees a gap of daylight that could send him to the endzone; at that point, he's either a tad too slow to beat the defenders or not quite strong enough to step through a tackle. Watching Norfleet is both an exercise in excitement and a test of how one handles frustration.

I will continue to insist that Norfleet is one of Michigan's most exciting players with the ball in his hands, right up there with Devin Gardner and Devin Funchess. Some newcomers might reach or surpass that level this season, but Norfleet can shimmy and shake, and he can accelerate like nobody else on the squad. The problem comes in getting him the ball. He had a shot at the punt return job last season, but he lost it early to Jeremy Gallon after looking shaky against Central Michigan and Notre Dame. Now the door is wide open for people like Jabrill Peppers and Jourdan Lewis. The same can perhaps be said for the kick return job, where Peppers will probably also get a shot to supplant Norfleet. Former offensive coordinator Al Borges got Norfleet the ball in a variety of ways, so it will be interesting to see whether new O.C. Doug Nussmeier also uses those quick pitches, jet sweeps, etc. As far as I know, Nussmeier has never utilized a scatback/receiver like Norfleet before, but he may never have had someone like him at his disposal. Regardless, I think Norfleet will continue to see time on returns and get an occasional touch on offense.

Prediction: Starting kickoff returner, backup punt returner, backup wide receiver

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl Preview: Special Teams

Kansas State returner Tramaine Thompson is dangerous with the ball in his hands.

MICHIGAN
Starters: The Wolverines are in pretty bad shape when it comes to special teams, but it could be worse. Fifth year senior placekicker Brendan Gibbons has been ruled out of the bowl game with a groin injury, and senior punter Will Hagerup has been suspended for the entire season, so all the kicking duties will be up to junior Matt Wile (6'2", 216 lbs.). Wile is pretty experienced for being a backup punter and kicker, but when it comes to kicking field goals, he hasn't been in many pressure situations. Wile is 1/3 on field goals this year, 5/5 on extra points, and averages 40.6 yards/punt. He's been the kickoff guy all year and gets a 49.3% touchback rate. Sophomore Dennis Norfleet (5'7", 169 lbs.) has 36 kickoff returns for 850 yards and a 23.6-yard average. Fifth year senior Jeremy Gallon (5'8", 184 lbs.) and senior Drew Dileo (5'10", 180 lbs.) have combined for 12 punt returns and 76 yards, so they're not much of a threat.
Backups: Redshirt freshman Kenny Allen (6'3", 226 lbs.) will be the backup kicker and punter, and he has 1 punt this year for 51 yards. Dileo has averaged 19.2 yards on 5 returns, and redshirt freshman Jehu Chesson (6'3", 196 lbs.) has averaged 18 yards on 2 returns.

KANSAS STATE
Starters: The Wildcats have two excellent returners. One is fifth year senior punt returner Tramaine Thompson (5'8", 167 lbs.), who has averaged 20.2 yards/return this year with a long of 79 yards; teams respect him so much that they've only given him a chance to return 9 punts. Junior Tyler Lockett (5'11", 175 lbs.) is the kick returner with a 25.5-yard average, and while he hasn't yet returned a kickoff for a touchdown in 2013, he had 2 scores in each of the past two seasons. Redshirt junior Mark Krause (5'11", 218 lbs.) averages 41.3 yards/punt and has landed 17 inside the 20-yard line. Redshirt sophomore Jack Cantele (6'0", 193 lbs.) is 11/13 on field goals and 40/41 on extra points, but he was injured prior to KSU's final regular season game and may not be back for the bowl game.
Backups: Thompson has returned 2 kickoffs this year, but one was for a 96-yard touchdown. Backup kicker Ian Patterson (5'11", 233 lbs.), a redshirt freshman, is 2/3 on field goals and 8/8 on extra points; he has also taken over kickoff duties, where he has a touchback rate almost twice as high as Cantele's.

THE TAKEAWAY
The Wolverines haven't been particularly strong on special teams under Brady Hoke, but they haven't been terrible, either. They did block a punt and return it for a touchdown against Central Michigan, and the game-tying end-of-regulation field goal against Northwestern was the #4 play in the Big Ten this year, according to BTN Live. Unfortunately, battle-tested Brendan Gibbons is out, and Wile has been erratic as a kicker and as a punter. Michigan's return games have been exciting but fruitless with Norfleet, Gallon, and Dileo. Meanwhile, Kansas State has a couple all-conference-caliber returners in Lockett and Thompson, and Cantele is a solid kicker if healthy. The Wolverines did allow a punt return touchdown to South Carolina's Ace Sanders in last year's bowl game, so they've been susceptible to special teams breakdowns at times. Wile might be able to negate Lockett's return abilities because he's pretty good at kicking touchbacks, and Michigan has some aggressive players on punt coverage, but overall, this is looking like an advantage for . . .

ADVANTAGE: Kansas State

Michigan vs. Iowa Awards

Brennen Beyer

Let's see more of this guy on offense . . . Dennis Norfleet. The kid is small but feisty and has big-play potential. Offensive coordinator Al Borges used him early in the year as a tip-off to the fact that Norfleet was about to get the ball. Once everyone figured that out, Borges just stopped using Norfleet altogether. So he's exciting enough to put him on the field to get him the ball . . . but he's not exciting enough to use as a decoy or even a situational player. But hey, Jeremy Jackson has averaged 11.4 yards/catch in four years and never scored a touchdown or had a play longer than 22 yards, so let's keep him out there.

Let's see less of this guy on offense . . . Jeremy Jackson. He has no purpose. Bizarro Fred Jackson says "He's like LaTerryal Savoy but slower."

Let's see more of this guy on defense . . . Jake Ryan. This is more just a way to say that I'm glad he's back. I still don't think he's 100%, but the guy is a playmaker and a heavy hitter. He had 5 tackles, 1 pass breakup, and a hit on quarterback Jake Rudock that turned into a 7-yard interception touchdown for defensive end Brennen Beyer.

Let's see less of this guy on defense . . . Courtney Avery. It's rare that players regress throughout their careers, but Avery would be one of those examples. He was overmatched as a freshman, played really well as a sophomore, took a step back as a junior, and now seems like a weak link in the secondary. The coaches moved him from nickel corner to safety in order to push guys like sophomore Jarrod Wilson, and while Wilson has been far from perfect, I think he's a clear step up from Avery. I liked the kid better when he was a slot corner and not one of the last lines of defense.

Play of the game . . . Brennen Beyer's interception return for a touchdown. On Iowa's first offensive play, Jake Ryan came on a blitz and hit Rudock as he was releasing the ball, resulting in a pick six for Beyer. It was the most exciting play of the day for the Wolverines, who couldn't create much of anything on offense. Honorable mention goes to Devin Gardner's scrambling 2-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Williams, where Gardner looked like he was going to take a gain of zero yards before stepping back and casually tossing the ball to Williams, who had been let go by defenders coming up to stop the run. It was Williams's first career catch and first career touchdown, and I wouldn't argue with somebody who said that was the play of the day.

MVP of the game . . . Raymon Taylor. Taylor had 8 solo tackles (9 total), 1 diving interception, and what was technically a fumble recovery on Iowa's first half-ending botched field goal snap. Taylor should have picked up the ball and run for what could have been a touchdown, but he still had nice coverage the entire game, tackled quickly, and was just a hair late to notch a couple pass breakups.

Michigan vs. Penn State Awards

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 28, Akron 24

Devin Gardner

A win is a win. A hundred years from now, nobody will remember this day. So there's that. Otherwise, this was ugly. Good teams struggle sometimes. Is Michigan a good team? I think they're pretty good. There's still hope that this season will end magically, but let's be honest - with a questionable interior line and wide receivers, an injury to the best defensive player, and no real stars on defense, perhaps Michigan fans should re-calibrate. That's not say that things like this are okay, but poop happens.

The list of people who need to step up is long. I feel like this post could turn into a long list of complaining, but I'm going to try to make it brief:

• Devin Gardner. Gardner (16/30, 248 yards, 2 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, 1 fumble lost; 10 carries, 103 yards, 1 touchdown) was forcing throws all day long. Even some of his early completions were hotly contested. He ran the ball well, but he seems overconfident in the abilities of himself and his receivers, as if every one of his throws should be completed just because their helmets have wings.
• Graham Glasgow, Jack Miller, Kyle Kalis, and Michael Schofield. Glasgow and Miller are getting physically overpowered by guys who aren't 5-star Notre Dame recruits, and Glasgow is making some poor blocking reads in the run game. Glasgow and Kalis look lost out there against twist stunts, and even the redshirt senior Schofield had some whiffs.
• Joe Bolden. I used to be on the Joe Bolden bandwagon by suggesting he's a starter-quality inside linebacker, but I'm not sure if that's true. I don't think it's an indictment of his entire career, because it's still early in his true sophomore year. However, I think it's clear that James Ross III and Desmond Morgan are significantly ahead of Bolden, who struggles in pass coverage and is inconsistent stopping the run.
• Raymon Taylor. Taylor gets picked on quite a bit, and I don't see him responding in terms of his coverage. He's a feisty player and a decent tackler, but teams throw on him short and deep.
• Matt Wile. The punter should be Will Hagerup, of course, but Hagerup likes to get himself suspended. Instead, Wile is out there, and he's been inconsistent. Yesterday included 21- and 22-yard shanks. On four punts, he averaged just 33 yards/attempt.
• Dennis Norfleet. Norfleet still overestimates his strength. Sometimes he cuts upfield into traffic when he could run laterally for another step or two and outrun the defender. Normally, I wouldn't promote running laterally. However, Norfleet is a space player, and he's put in space on special teams and by Al Borges's play calls; he has room to run, but he thinks he's still in high school where he could run through some tackles. Plus Norfleet still takes too many chances on punt returns.

Good for Akron. Amidst all this, I feel like I've neglected to mention Akron's hard play and their game plan. If I'm a MAC opponent, I'm going to beat pressure and the soft defense by throwing quick slants, hitches, etc. and hope I can keep the chains moving. They also capitalized on some deep throws, which you have to take once in a while. Defensively, I thought Akron did a good job of causing trouble for Michigan's interior line with stunts and disguising some coverages.

By the way, Akron maybe should have won. Thomas Gordon was beaten on the final play of the game. Akron receiver Zach D'Orazio tried to pull a version of the Drew Dileo touchdown against Notre Dame. Fortunately, Michigan put pressure on quarterback Kyle Pohl, who overthrew the ball by a foot or two. D'Orazio was begging for pass interference, but that seemed desperate. Hell, Gordon probably should  have grabbed D'Orazio to potentially save the game, but there was barely any contact. If Pohl had a fraction of a second longer to wait, we all would have been very sad.

On the plus side. I like that Al Borges and Devin Gardner decided to involve Jehu Chesson, who looks like he might have game-changing speed at some point. In the open field, that kid is going to be tough to catch. He burned some people on punt coverage, caught 1 pass and broke some tackles for a 33-yard touchdown, had an end-around for 2 yards, and returned 1 kickoff for 19 yards and showed a nice burst. I also liked what I saw from defensive tackle Willie Henry, who got some penetration and Jarrod Wilson, who seems to be moving in the right direction toward being a solid safety. Those are some up-and-comers. Fitzgerald Toussaint had 19 carries for 71 yards and 1 touchdown, but a couple nice runs were called back for holding; he also has improved his pass protection.

What it means for UConn. The Huskies are 0-2 after losing 33-18 to Towson and then 32-21 to Maryland. Despite the record, Michigan should have learned from the Akron game that they can't take anyone lightly. The game will be at 8:00 p.m. next Saturday. If Michigan comes out with another lackluster performance, then I'll be greatly concerned. If the Wolverines win by 25 points, then maybe this was just a blip on the radar.

Poll results: Who will lead Michigan in rushing for 2013?

It's not the most timely thing, but I set up a bunch of polls during the summer and never "released" the results. It's still early enough in the year to be relevant, though, so I'll be kicking out some posts about predictions for the year. Today's question: Who will lead Michigan in rushing?

Fitzgerald Toussaint: 52%
Fifth year senior Toussaint was the obvious choice, since he was a two-year starter coming into 2013. Unfortunately, a broken leg last fall put his status into question. He had 57 yards in the opener against Central Michigan.

Derrick Green: 40%
True freshman Green got more votes than I thought he would, but maybe it was warranted after a 58-yard debut against the Chippewas. After being listed near the bottom of the depth chart for week one (perhaps due to a sprained ankle he suffered at the beginning of August practices), he's the #2 guy going into Notre Dame.

DeVeon Smith: 1%
Smith, another true freshman, had just 12 yards against the Chips. In my opinion, he does not have the speed to be a dynamic back, but injuries have felled Toussaint frequently, so there's a chance; unfortunately, that chance probably would involve bad things happening to the guys ahead of him.

Drake Johnson: 1%
There's no chance for redshirt freshman Johnson, who tore his ACL early in the season opener. He'll finish the year with 2 carries for 9 yards.

Thomas Rawls: 1%
Rawls, a junior, had 4 carries for 12 yards in the opener. He looks quicker than he did last season, but he's still pretty low on the depth chart after a couple uninspiring years.

Devin Gardner: 0%
Sacks will probably prevent fifth year senior Gardner from having a real shot at leading the team in rushing. He has the speed to turn broken plays into big runs (or passes), but his 52 yards against Central Michigan were largely a function of CMU's inability to hem him in. More athletic teams probably won't struggle quite as much, although Gardner will get his share of yardage.

Dennis Norfleet/Other: 0%
Sophomore Norfleet had 38 yards on a reverse last week, but as a slot receiver, he won't get a ton of opportunities.

Justice Hayes: 0%
Redshirt sophomore Hayes has been near the bottom of the depth chart for his entire career, and that seems not to have changed. He was the last running back to get a carry against Central, and his lone rush netted him 7 yards.

Michigan 59, Central Michigan 9

Cam Gordon almost had a touchdown on the ball he tipped up in the air (image via MGoBlog)

The offensive line is not terrible. The most scrutinized position group entering the new season, Michigan did fairly well up the middle. Busted assignments were few, the pass protection was solid, and they opened some holes. It was far from dominant on the interior and the opponent was a MAC team, but that MAC team had some decent size up the middle. The biggest question mark for me is still redshirt sophomore left guard Graham Glasgow. While he looked better pulling than he has in the past, he had two false starts and struggled to stay low, in my opinion. That will be the biggest position to watch going forward.

Running back by committee. Granted, it was almost a fifty-point blowout, but the reps at running back were spread out a lot. The depth chart to begin the week was thrown out the window by Saturday. In order, the running backs to get carries were Fitzgerald Toussaint, Drake Johnson, Derrick Green, De'Veon Smith, Thomas Rawls, and Justice Hayes. Toussaint (14 carries, 57 yards, 2 touchdowns) looked to have his 2011-level burst back, but he looked rusty with his footwork and didn't seem to show the same lateral mobility; there were a couple times where he needed to pick up his feet through traffic or sidestep guys on the ground, and he just failed to do so. Johnson (2 carries, 9 yards) looked uninspiring to me before spraining a knee. Green (11 carries, 58 yards, 1 touchdown) also needs to pick up his feet in traffic, but he showed decent vision and burst. Smith (7 carries, 12 yards) broke some tackles but didn't show the same speed as the guys ahead of him. Rawls (3 carries, 12 yards, 1 touchdown) looked quicker than last year, and Hayes (1 carry, 7 yards) is still a scatback type without elite burst or an ability to break tackles. It's a well rounded group, but none of them looked outstanding.

Cameron Gordon looked very good. I thought Gordon was Michigan's best defensive player on Saturday. He had 4 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 1 pass breakup, which he deflected in the backfield and almost caught it in the endzone for a defensive touchdown. His added size in the offseason makes him a more imposing figure, and his athleticism for a linebacker is well above average. When Jake Ryan returns from injury, Michigan needs to find a way to get both Ryan and Gordon on the field at the same time.

The quarterback situation. Starting quarterback Devin Gardner looked shaky early with an interception deep in Michigan's own red zone, and then another long interception that never should have been thrown. Altogether, he was 10/15 for 162 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 picks through the air, plus 7 carries for 52 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground. I'm not concerned about those somewhat paltry passing numbers, because Michigan didn't need to throw the ball to win, and I think Gardner was pressing a little bit to try to get some explosive plays. The deep interception was a well overthrown ball to Jeremy Gallon, who never got on top of the cornerback. We all know that Gallon is going to be Gardner's main target, but especially in a game against teams like Central Michigan, you might as well check it down and let your superior athletes drive the ball down the field or make plays with the ball in their hands. True freshman Shane Morris entered the game in the fourth quarter, and he finished 4/6 for 59 yards and 1 interception. He also looked a little jumpy, which is fine for a kid his age, and the interception wasn't a bad one. But the offense was toned down by the time he entered, and I would still be very worried if Gardner got hurt.

The defensive backfield is wacky. I don't know why, but it seems to me that defensive back is the position that's always in the most flux at Michigan. It was announced before the game that fifth year senior strong safety Thomas Gordon was suspended for the game for breaking team rules. Potential starting free safety Courtney Avery had arthroscopic knee surgery last week and will be out for a couple weeks. Redshirt sophomore Blake Countess returned after tearing his ACL in the 2012 season opener, but he looked a half step slow. In recent years, Josh Furman and J.T. Floyd have been suspended, Floyd and Troy Woolfolk both suffered terrible lower leg injuries, and there have been numerous transfers/quitters (Terrence Talbott, Greg Brown, Cullen Christian, Vladimir Emilien, Ray Vinopal, Tamani Carter, etc.). Down two returning starters and featuring a guy who missed virtually all of 2012, the starters in the backfield were Countess, junior Raymon Taylor, sophomore Jarrod Wilson, and redshirt junior Furman.

Freshman fun time. Redshirts have been burned for TE Jake Butt, DE Taco Charlton, LB Ben Gedeon, RB Derrick Green, S Delano Hill, CB Jourdan Lewis, QB Shane Morris, RB De'Veon Smith, CB Channing Stribling, S Dymonte Thomas, and WR Csont'e York. That leaves OG Kyle Bosch, OG David Dawson, FS Reon Dawson, CB Ross Douglas, WR Jaron Dukes, OT Chris Fox, TE Khalid Hill, DT Maurice Hurst, Jr., WR Da'Mario Jones, C Patrick Kugler, LB Mike McCray, DT Henry Poggi, OG Dan Samuelson, FB Wyatt Shallman, LS Scott Sypniewski, and OT Logan Tuley-Tillman as the kids on track to redshirt. Redshirt freshmen OG Blake Bars, OT Ben Braden, WR Jehu Chesson, S Jeremy Clark, QB Bryan Cleary, WR Bo Dever, DT Ryan Glasgow, DE Matt Godin, DT Willie Henry, TE Michael Jocz, RB Drake Johnson, OT Erik Magnuson, OG Ben Pliska,  DT Tom Strobel, and DE Chris Wormley also played for the first time. (Redshirt sophomore Chris Bryant hit the field for the first time after breaking his tibia last year.)

Freshman fun time, part two. Of those true freshmen listed above, Dymonte Thomas blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown by fifth year senior Joe Reynolds. Butt looks bigger and improved since the spring, Gedeon looked college ready from the start, and Stribling already looked solid. Delano Hill also made a heads-up play by recovering a punt that sophomore Dennis Norfleet muffed, but Hill looks huge for a safety. I wouldn't be surprised if he grows into a linebacker eventually.

Speaking of Norfleet . . . I mentioned this when he committed, and people bashed me for it. I still get occasional snide remarks about it over on MGoBlog. Here's what I said on February 1, 2012:

I'm not a big fan of the way Norfleet finishes plays. He jogs into the endzone too often, which rubs me the wrong way and makes me question how disciplined he is.

Norfleet got the ball on a reverse and took it 38 yards before getting tackled from behind by a linebacker coming from the opposite side of the field. After his last cut to shake a defensive back, it sure looked to me like he eased off the throttle, thinking he was in the clear for a touchdown; then the linebacker dove at his ankle and Norfleet fell on his face. That  is why not finishing plays is a problem. If the opponent were anyone other than CMU or perhaps Akron, that really might come back to haunt the team. Additionally, Norfleet's muffed punt was a terribly undisciplined decision. The short punt bounced on the ground multiple times and Norfleet was sprinting toward his own endzone to field it. Instead of allowing the Chippewas to down it, he tried to grab it on the run when his momentum would have likely taken him out of bounds at that very spot, anyway. Delano Hill's awareness saved Michigan from having to defend a short field and, at the very least, a likely field goal attempt.

Overall. I had fun watching the game, but the offense seemed pretty vanilla outside of the reverse to Norfleet. I'm sure there are things being saved for Notre Dame - screens, read options, etc. Offensive coordinator Al Borges's favorite running play for Denard Robinson was the inverted veer, and Gardner ran it just once (and poorly at that). I think the slightly more traditional backside zone read option would be more productive for Gardner, but it remains to be seen whether Borges will warm up to that spread concept. Defensively, Michigan looks fast and deep. I thought defensive coordinator Greg Mattison threw quite a few different fronts and blitzes at Central, at least until late when the subs were in. That might be tipping his hand, but I also think it's somewhat necessary for those young and inexperienced guys to get used to different frontz, blitzes, coverages, etc. Plus it will given Brian Kelly and his staff plenty to try to prepare for next week.

2013 Season Countdown: #21 Dennis Norfleet

Dennis Norfleet

Name: Dennis Norfleet
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 169 lbs.
High school: Detroit (MI) King
Position: Running back/slot receiver/kick returner
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #23
Last year: I ranked Norfleet #57 and said he would be the starting returner by the end of the season. He returned 35 kickoffs for 827 yards (23.6 yards/return), 2 punts for 53 yards (26.5 yards/return), and had 2 carries for 13 yards (6.5 yards/carry).

Norfleet was indeed the starting kick returner by the end of the season, and I was pretty spot on with guessing he would average 23.0 yards per return. The trouble with my prediction was that he was also the starting kick returner at the beginning  of the year. He never became the full-time punt guy, but he did have a couple nice returns in blowouts against UMass and Illinois. Overall, Norfleet was the most exciting return man Michigan has put on the field in a few years, arguably going back to the days of Steve Breaston (although Darryl Stonum had one good year in there before the booze got to him). There were a couple times where he seemed this  close to breaking returns for touchdowns, but got dragged down or tripped up at the last second. For reasons that aren't totally understood to me, Norfleet was only given two carries on the year, one of which he ripped for a 14-yard gain; that might be okay in a normal year, but Michigan lacked big plays at the running back position, especially once Toussaint broke his leg late in the year. For the bowl game, Norfleet was even moved to cornerback in case of emergency, but he only played on special teams.

This year it has been announced that Norfleet is a slot receiver, which is good and bad. It's good in the sense that he provides some speed at a position that is mostly made up of possession guys. It's bad in the sense that Michigan might still lack speed at running back. Oh well. Norfleet is most valuable as a return man, and those spots are likely his to lose. He should remain the kickoff returner, and last year's starting punt returner, Jeremy Gallon, might be relieved of those duties now that he'll be counted on as the top wide receiver. Norfleet is a big play waiting to happen, and I'm looking forward to seeing him in whatever capacity the coaches can get him on the field.

Prediction: Starting punt and kick returner; 25 yards per kick return, 11 yards per punt return; 5 receptions for 70 yards and 1 touchdown

Defensive Backs Preview: Michigan vs. South Carolina

Jordan Kovacs was the team's MVP this season

MICHIGAN
Starters: Michigan will be missing its two starting cornerbacks from the beginning of the year; sophomore Blake Countess tore his ACL in the opener, and fifth year senior J.T. Floyd has been suspended for the Outback Bowl for breaking team rules.  Sophomore Raymon Taylor (5'10", 182 lbs.), who replaced Countess for most of the year, will likely slide over to Floyd's boundary corner position.  Taylor had his share of ups and downs on the season, but did a fair job overall and ended the regular season with 42 tackles, 2 interceptions (1 returned for a TD), 1 fumble recovery, and 1 pass breakup.  Junior Courtney Avery (5'11", 173 lbs.), who normally starts at nickel corner, will probably step in at Taylor's regular field corner spot.  Avery struggled there in some limited time early in the season, but he'll have more reps this time around; playing a new position against Alabama is an extremely difficult task.  This year Avery has 16 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, .5 sacks, 1 fumble forced, and 1 fumble recovery.  Fifth year senior strong safety Jordan Kovacs (6'0", 202 lbs.) has actually seen his statistics decline a little bit this year, but he was named the team's MVP by his teammates; he has 65 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 interception, 2 pass breakups, and 1 forced fumble.  Redshirt junior Thomas Gordon (5'11", 207 lbs.) is more of a strong safety masquerading, but he has shown a knack for creating turnovers in the past; he has 75 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, and 2 pass breakups.  This is not a great group individually, but along with Floyd, they had the #2 passing yardage defense in the country.
Backups: Freshman safety Jarrod Wilson (6'2", 194 lbs.) has played more extensively than any other backup, but he hasn't had a signature positive play.  The game is moving too fast for him, as it often does with young safeties.  He could play a little bit at the nickel corner and has made 7 tackles and 1 fumble recovery on the year.  Another candidate for slot corner is sophomore Delonte Hollowell (5'9", 176 lbs.), who has 4 tackles and 1 fumble recovery but is more of a special teams player.  The most interesting candidate for playing time is freshman Dennis Norfleet (5'7", 161 lbs.), who returns kicks and ran the ball occasionally; he has now moved to defense in an attempt to shore up the depleted cornerback position.  Junior safety Marvin Robinson (6'2", 200 lbs.) is a run stuffer who has played sparingly on defense and made 7 tackles and 1 fumble recovery.  Redshirt sophomore Josh Furman (6'2", 203 lbs.) plays a lot on special teams but is a liability on defense; he has 10 tackles.

SOUTH CAROLINA
Starters: Redshirt sophomore Victor Hampton (5'10", 197 lbs.) starts at one cornerback spot; he has made 34 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 interception, and is tied for the team lead with 6 pass breakups.  The other starter is senior Akeem Auguste (5'9", 188 lbs.), who was injured early in the season and returned to start the last couple games; he has 15 tackles, 1 interception, 1 pass breakup, and 1 fumble recovery on the year. Senior D.J. Swearinger (6'0", 210 lbs.) is the free safety and has 70 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 forced fumble, and 5 pass breakups.  Sophomore Brison Williams (6'0", 205 lbs.) starts at strong safety and has made 48 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 4 pass breakups this season.
Backups: Redshirt junior Jimmy Legree (6'0", 189 lbs.), the other starting corner when Auguste was hurt, did a solid job.  Legree is a converted free safety and has 43 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 2 interceptions.  Redshirt freshman Ahmad Christian (5'10", 189 lbs.) has 8 tackles and 2 pass breakups as the backup to Hampton.  Sophomore Kadetrix Marcus (6'1", 185 lbs.) backs up the strong safety position and has made 5 tackles.

THE TAKEAWAY
The Wolverines have the #2 pass defense and #35 pass efficiency defense in the country, but quarterback play in the Big Ten has been woeful and they'll be down a starting corner (or two, if you include Countess).  Meanwhile, the Gamecocks have the #16 pass defense and the #34 pass efficiency defense in a schedule that included Georgia's Aaron Murray, Tennessee's Tyler Bray, Arkansas's Tyler Wilson, and Clemson's Tajh Boyd, not to mention East Carolina and UAB teams that put up pretty decent numbers through the air.  The Wolverines have played a steady diet of teams that rank in the 70's or lower in passing offense, and Alabama's A.J. McCarron - whose team blew out Michigan - was the only decent passer on the docket.  I don't think South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw will shred the secondary, but the edge in defensive back play goes to the Gamecocks.

Advantage: South Carolina

Michigan vs. Iowa Awards

Captains Denard Robinson and Jordan Kovacs (image via AnnArbor.com)

Let's see more of this guy on offense . . . Dennis Norfleet.  Now that Fitzgerald Toussaint is done for the season, I would like to see the coaches find a role for Norfleet.  Toussaint had some big-play capabilities due to his strength and good speed, and Norfleet is the only other guy who can take it to the house on any given play.  Thomas Rawls has been unimpressive, Justice Hayes hasn't done much, and Vincent Smith is a third down back.  I don't want or expect Norfleet to be a starter, but I would like him to get 3-5 touches out of the backfield.

Let's see less of this guy on offense . . . Thomas Rawls.  Rawls appears to be a guy who's just not quite good enough at any one thing to be a major player.  He wasn't quite coordinated enough to tiptoe the sideline for a touchdown, he's not quite fast enough to get to the outside, he's not quite big and powerful enough to run over linebackers in the hole, and he doesn't have great vision.  I do think he'll get better at sticking with the play and finding the hole, but not necessarily in one week.

Let's see more of this guy on defense . . . Marvin Robinson.  Robinson hasn't played a ton of defense this year, but he has been a capable tackler.  He'll never light the world on fire in pass coverage, but he looks like a capable replacement for Jordan Kovacs next year.  I would have liked to have seen him a little more on Saturday, although the Ohio State game might not be the best time to trot out projects.

Let's see less of this guy on defense . . . Josh Furman.  I really just don't see a future for Furman at safety.  The kid has good speed and does an excellent job on special teams coverage, but he gets caught flat-footed whenever he's not attacking downhill.  He might end up like a Darnell Hood or Anton Campbell, a guy who's a special teams demon his entire career but rarely sees meaningful time on defense.

Play of the game . . . Denard Robinson's option pitch to Fitzgerald Toussaint.  There were longer plays, plays that scored, and perhaps more athletic plays.  But I'm choosing this one because of the creativity behind it and its success.  Out of basically a wishbone formation, quarterback Devin Gardner took the snap from under center and handed it off to Denard Robinson going right; Robinson then pitched the ball to Fitzgerald Toussaint, who gained 14 yards before getting tackled.  It was an exciting play to watch because it seemed to open up all kinds of possible plays for Robinson out of the backfield.  Unfortunately, it ended with an ugly injury to Toussaint.

MVP of the game . . . Devin Gardner once again.  He finished the game 18/23 for 314 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception; he also ran 9 times for 37 yards and 3 touchdowns.  It was a Micah Hyde interception away from being a game with virtually no faults.  Of course, it helped that Iowa's defense had no clue how to play football, so thanks, Iowa!

Midseason Statistical Leaders

Dennis Norfleet - Image via MLive.com

Assuming Michigan goes to the Big Ten Championship Game, the season is exactly halfway through.  Here's a look at team 133's statistical leaders so far.

Leading Rushers
Denard Robinson - 900 yards (7.4 yards per carry)
Fitzgerald Toussaint - 283 yards (3.5 yards per carry)
Thomas Rawls - 174 yards (7.0 yards per carry)

Leading Receivers
Jeremy Gallon - 309 yards, 16 catches
Devin Gardner - 251 yards, 15 catches
Drew Dileo - 216 yards, 10 catches

Leading Tacklers
Jake Ryan - 52
Desmond Morgan - 44
Thomas Gordon - 40

Leading Scorers
Brendan Gibbons - 55 points
Denard Robinson - 36 points
Toussaint and Gardner - 24 points 

Leading Sackers
Jake Ryan - 3.5
Craig Roh - 2.0

Leading Interceptors
Thomas Gordon - 2
Raymon Taylor - 2

Leading Punt Returners
Dennis Norfleet - 53 (26.5 yards per return)
Jeremy Gallon - 44 (8.8 yards per return)

Leading Kick Returners
Dennis Norfleet - 494 (23.5 yards per return)
Jeremy Gallon - 12 (12 yards per return)

Michigan 45, Illinois 0

The team celebrates Jeremy Gallon's 71-yard catch-and-run.

I think Nathan Scheelhaase got hurt.  Play-by-play man Bob Wischusen only said it about 35 times, so I'm not sure.  Also, Danny Kanell is really bad at talking.  Seriously, though, sometimes it's not so much fun watching a team that's missing its starting quarterback.  It's still great to win 45-0, of course, and everyone needs a blowout win once in a while.  But as soon as I saw Scheelhaase hit the ground and look dazed, I assumed that any coach not named Mark Dantonio would yank him for the remainder of the contest.  Thankfully, Denard Robinson's hand injury only kept him out for a short period, or else that game could have been a real stinker.

Denard Robinson hasn't thrown an interception in the last two games.  It's funny how that works.  Michigan has made a commitment to running the ball the last couple games, rather than trying to have Robinson throw for the win.  I know Robinson has had longer runs and more important runs, but his 49-yard touchdown in this game might have been his single greatest individual effort.  He made a couple separate jump cuts before bursting out to the left and outrunning the defense.

What's up with Jerald Robinson?  Almost every outgoing wide receiver for the past couple seasons has pointed to Jerald Robinson as the next year's breakout star, and he continues to look completely harmless.  He did have an 8-yard reception in this game, but he also had another drop.  As a redshirt sophomore, that gives him 4 receptions for 47 yards in his career.

The defense was excellent.  Injury to Scheelhaase aside, Michigan held the Illini to just 134 total yards - 105 rushing, 29 passing.  The Wolverines also grabbed an interception, recovered a fumble, recorded 9 tackles for loss, and notched 3 sacks.  Jake Ryan was the most disruptive force with 11 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 1 forced fumble.  Middle linebacker Kenny Demens has played significantly better since the first couple games, and yesterday he had 8 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 interception.  A huge chunk of Illinois' yards seemed to come when backup quarterback Reilly O'Toole first entered the game and hit Michigan with several screens and draws.

Every running back had a good game . . . except Fitzgerald Toussaint.  Even Toussaint had a touchdown, but he only averaged 3.4 yards/carry and lost a significant chunk of playing time to Thomas Rawls.  I'm not sure what's up with Toussaint, but Rawls had 9 carries for 90 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown.  Even Justice Hayes had 10 carries for 66 yards, although most of his carries came after Illinois had thrown in the towel.  Hayes has decent speed, but he's not a very physical runner . . . and he fumbled the ball without even getting touched.  Luckily, it bounced right back up into his hands.

Michigan's backup quarterback situation is shaky.  Russell Bellomy struggled somewhat.  He let a snap squirt right through his hands, and he completed just 1/3 passes.  I'm not a huge fan of what I've seen out of Devin Gardner as a quarterback, and I do think Bellomy has potential down the road . . . but boy, does he look shaky right now.  He wasn't helped out by his receivers, though, who had their hands on both incompletions; but Bellomy looks afraid to push the ball down the field, and he's not very crisp running the plays.  I'm going to try to enjoy Denard Robinson while I can, because the quarterback play might be really iffy for a couple seasons.

Dennis Norfleet is too fast.  He blew past everyone except the punter . . . and when the punter stepped up to make the tackle, Norfleet didn't even give himself time to shake; he just tried to run right through the punter, which doesn't work when you're only 165 lbs.  Regardless, he had yet another moment where Michigan fans just think "It's only a matter of time."  He did muff a kickoff return (which he still managed to pick up and gain 12 yards), but that 42-yard punt return was fun to watch.

The defensive line continues to improve.  It was obvious that they would improve, but they're better than I thought they would be at this point in the season.  Quinton Washington had 5 tackles and 1 tackle for loss.  Craig Roh had 3 tackles and half a sack.  Jibreel Black had 3 tackles, but he showed impressive speed in chasing down Scheelhaase before driving him to the ground on the play that caused the quarterback's concussion.

Jeremy Gallon screen fun.  Gallon took the throwback screen (which Michigan runs once or twice every game), made a couple people miss, got some nice downfield blocking - especially from walk-on tight end Mike Kwiatkowski - and raced 71 yards for a touchdown.  Gallon had just that one reception, but that was just one more piece of evidence why Michigan needs to get him the ball early and often.

This was a nice confidence booster before the Michigan State game.  The Spartans looked pretty bad in a loss to Iowa, and Michigan obviously looked very good.  At this point in the season, Michigan clearly looks like the better team.  Hopefully the momentum can carry over into next Saturday's game, which has been announced as a 3:30 p.m. kickoff to be shown on the Big Ten Network.

Michigan 31, Air Force 25

Denard Robinson rushed for 218 yards and threw for 208, accounting for 4 touchdowns
(image via Sporting News)

The officials were terrible. Terrible. Air Force's first touchdown should have been called back for illegal procedure.  Quarterback Connor Dietz tossed to A-back Cody Getz, who beat everyone to the edge.  In the meantime, the wing started moving forward  prior to the snap like he was in the CFL and chopped down safety Jordan Kovacs, who was responsible for the pitch.  Without that forward momentum, Kovacs - Michigan's best open-field tackler - very well could have stopped Getz before the goal line.  Later in the game, Air Force converted on a key third down when both the quarterback and the running back - who were in a shotgun formation - started moving to their right before the ball was snapped . . . and a slot receiver was already in motion.  So three  guys were moving prior to the snap, and the play was allowed to stand.  Those were obvious, blatant non-calls and each one could have had a significant impact on the outcome of the game.

Devin Funchess is the new Junior Hemingway. The freshman tight end is listed at 6'5", 229 lbs.  I expected him to look skinnier than he does, but he's fairly solid looking and showed an ability to stretch the field a little bit.  He caught a 29-yard wheel route and a leaping 30-yard touchdown, totaling 4 receptions for 106 yards and that TD.  Jump balls aren't going to work with most receivers on the roster, but this guy could be Denard Robinson's savior.

These are not the droids you're looking for.  Forget what you saw the defense do yesterday.  Yes, it was ugly.  Michigan allowed 290 yards rushing and 127 yards passing, but Michigan won't see another triple option offense this year unless they meet Air Force or Georgia Tech in a bowl game.  The defensive line won't see cut blocking like this, the outside linebackers and safeties won't have to be as disciplined, etc.  I know yesterday was frustrating and too close for comfort, but it's also mostly irrelevant to the rest of our opponents.

The cornerbacks are scaring me. Raymon Taylor was very, very weak in run support.  I'm not a huge fan of J.T. Floyd in run support, either, but Taylor looks to avoid contact with blockers whenever possible, and that's a bit scary.  Now I'm going to go back to forgetting what the defense did.

The offensive line has taken a step backward.  The absence of David Molk is noticeable, and I still wonder whether it was a good idea to let Rocko Khoury walk instead of getting a fifth year.  Starting center Elliott Mealer's snaps have been good, but he's much slower than Molk.  Meanwhile, Michael Schofield looked much better at left guard last year than he does at right tackle.  The offseason was rife with talk about how Schofield looked so great at right tackle, but I'm just not seeing it.  Some people mentioned how Fitzgerald Toussaint looked rusty, but it wasn't Toussaint - it was the offensive line allowing so much penetration.  He had nowhere to run at all.

Dennis Norfleet wants to eat.  When Norfleet jumped in front of Drew Dileo to steal a kickoff return, I sort of felt bad for Dileo.  Dileo's body language indicated he wasn't too happy about it, either.  Norfleet got hit after a short return, but then he bounced off and turned in a nice play.  He had 3 returns for 77 yards yesterday, an average of 25.7 per return.  The kid is going to be exciting to watch for the next few years.

BREAKOUT PLAYER JERALD ROBINSON! He had 1 reception for 10 yards.  Departing seniors have been calling for him to explode for the last two seasons, and now he has 1 career catch.

The linebackers will be awesome for years to come.  Jake Ryan had 11 tackles, including a nice tackle on the second-to-last play, and a leaping pass breakup on Air Force's final pass attempt.  Overall, he had an excellent day.  Sophomore Desmond Morgan made some nice plays at times, freshman Joe Bolden made 10 tackles, and freshman James Ross made a couple nice plays.

Denard Robinson continues to destroy mediocre defenses.  It was a blast watching Denard Robinson yesterday as he demolished the Falcons' defense, but it wasn't unexpected.  This is what he does to so-so defenses (see Bowling Green, UConn, UMass, Indiana, Eastern Michigan, etc.) and occasionally to good defenses (see Ohio State circa 2011).  A guy who's faster than Usain Bolt (not really) ought to run away from a bunch of Air Force Academy cadets, and Robinson looked fairly comfortable in the pocket.  If Michigan continues to struggle blocking for the running backs, Robinson is going to need to replicate this performance many, many times this year.

Hail to the Air Force Academy.  I'm sort of glad that Air Force put up a good fight.  My father and grandfather are veterans, another close family member graduated from the Academy, and I have a strong appreciation for those in the military.  They don't deserve to be embarrassed anywhere, including on the football field.  They should be proud of the way they played on Saturday.