18 Wolverines Who Might Get Drafted in 2016

Jourdan Lewis

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Michigan recently had three players drafted in the 2015 NFL Draft - two seniors and a true junior, the latter of which was talented but never really hit his ceiling while in college. Over the past few days, I have seen some gnashing of teeth amongst Michigan fans about whether or not anyone will be drafted in 2016. It's a somewhat valid concern because Michigan does not appear to have many superstars, and nobody leaps out as a likely first or second round pick for next year. However, there are numerous guys who could find their names called next spring. Here is a rundown of the players who could potentially get a phone calling bearing good news during next year's draft. Some of them are young players who might make the choice - wise or not - to leave after their junior or redshirt sophomore seasons.

SENIORS
Joe Bolden, LB (Sr.): The 6'3", 232 lb. senior became a part-time starter in 2013 and a full-time starter last year when he finished second on the team with 102 tackles; he also had 4 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. He will be counted on once again to be a leader on the defense, alongside fellow inside linebacker Desmond Morgan. Bolden has never been the most athletic linebacker, but he is known as a smart, high-character guy who usually gets to the right spot. If Jake Ryan is the standard for a 4th rounder, then Bolden might be a late-round selection.

Blake Countess (RS Sr.): Countess has had an up-and-down career for the Wolverines. After showing promise as a freshman, he tore his ACL in 2012. Then he had 6 interceptions in 2013, followed by zero - and basically losing his job - as a redshirt junior in 2014, when he did have 24 tackles and 3 pass breakups. If the odd year trend continues, he's poised for a big year here in 2015. The 5'10", 185 lb. Countess will be battling Jourdan Lewis and Wayne Lyons for playing time, but Countess has a shot to get drafted pretty high if he performs like he did two years ago.

Graham Glasgow, OL (RS Sr.): The 6'6", 303 lb. Glasgow comes with some off-the-field issues having to do with alcohol, but he has been Michigan's most consistent lineman over the past two seasons. He has the ability to play center, guard, or tackle, although his best fit is probably the guard position. He could probably carry some additional weight if necessary. If Michigan finds success on the ground, much of the credit will probably go to Glasgow, who will probably be the starting center this year now that Jack Miller has departed.

Hit the jump for some more seniors and some underclassmen who could be tempted to make a jump to the NFL.

2014 Season Countdown: #3 Graham Glasgow

Graham Glasgow (image via Michigan Daily)

Name: Graham Glasgow
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 311 lbs.
High school: Aurora (IL) Marmion Academy
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #61
Last year: I ranked Glasgow #45 and said he would be a backup center. He started thirteen games at both guard and center.

Going into the 2013 season, nobody really knew what to expect from Glasgow. He was a highly regarded walk-on - for whatever that's worth - but he really struggled to pull in his early spring game appearances, which caused me to question his ability to play that position for a team that wanted to "power" the ball down the field. He began the year as a left guard, and despite some difficulties, he eventually became a solid player. Along with Taylor Lewan, the left side was the strongest side of the line. When center Jack Miller had problems holding the point of attack, the coaches bumped Glasgow to center, benched Miller, and played musical chairs with the left guard position. The move was frustrating to watch, because Glasgow botched at least one exchange per week for his first four games at center; prior centers Elliott Mealer and Miller had zero memorable exchange issues during 2012 or the first few games of 2013. However, Glasgow ironed out his problems by the last third of the season and turned into a solid player.

Observers and coaches seem to agree that Glasgow is Michigan's best lineman going into 2014. He has experience at center and guard, and he also has the ability to play tackle. When I saw him play in high school, I thought he looked like a natural right tackle. Unfortunately, due to a DUI incident this offseason, he will be watching this Saturday's game against Appalachian State. He does not appear on the depth chart, so it's not clear where the coaches see him fitting once he returns from suspension. The possibilities are numerous with his ability to play several positions, but he will almost certainly be a starter from week two onward. Michigan has a true freshman left tackle, a once-benched redshirt junior center, a questionable trio of guys fighting for right guard, and a first-time starter at right tackle; realistically, any of those players could be sidelined in favor of Glasgow, but my guess is that he will play right guard, at least until Kyle Kalis returns to full strength after having back issues for much of August.

Prediction: Starting right guard but will play multiple positions

Graham Glasgow did something bad

Why does Graham Glasgow look so paranoid? (image via Michigan Daily)

Redshirt junior offensive lineman Graham Glasgow, who started all 13 games in 2013, failed to meet "team expectations" and has been suspended for spring football and the season opener against Appalachian State. This is unfortunate for Glasgow himself, but also for the team, since he appeared to be the one sure starter on an offensive line in flux. During the spring up until this point, Glasgow had been playing center, guard, and tackle, and he would almost certainly have started at either center or guard in the fall.

The other options at center are these:

• Redshirt freshman Patrick Kugler: The 6'5", 295 lb. son of a former NFL offensive line coach (and current college head coach), Kugler was born and bred to be a lineman. Unfortunately, he's young and coming off shoulder surgery. 
• Redshirt junior Jack Miller: At 6'4" and 297 lbs., Miller technically has the size to be an effective center, but he got blown off the ball too often last year when he began the year as Michigan's starting center. He was sent to the bench by Glasgow, never to return, even when Glasgow had serious issues snapping the ball in his first few weeks. Miller has also been playing some left guard this spring.
• Redshirt senior Joe Burzynski: The 6'1", 288 lb. Burzynski is a little undersized and has never played regularly at the college level after walking on to the program a few years ago. He has mostly been a backup guard and got a brief chance to play significant time last year before tearing his ACL against Indiana. He has still not returned to full practices and may not be a full go until August.
• Redshirt sophomore Blake Bars: The 6'5", 290 lb. Bars has been practicing at tackle quite a bit this spring with the depth so poor at that position, but he has been a guard for most of his time on campus. He has snapped the ball a little bit during his time in Ann Arbor, but this would be sort of an emergency move.
• Sophomore Kyle Bosch: In what would be another desperation move, Bosch came to Michigan prepared to play some center if necessary. The 6'5", 301 lb. Bosch has not practiced at center at all (as far as I know) and is likely to start or at least push for a starting job at guard.

If I had to make a guess right now, I would tentatively say that I expect Kugler to be the starter against Appalachian State. Miller has already had a chance to show what he can do, and we've seen that he has struggled. The more important point there is that the coaches did not give him another chance to get on the field, which suggests to me that they were very unhappy with what they saw.

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl Preview: Offensive Line

Kansas State center B.J. Finney is the Big 12
conference's top player at his position.

MICHIGAN
Starters: Fifth year senior left tackle Taylor Lewan (6'8", 315 lbs.) has been an All-American and First Team All-Big Ten in 2012 and 2013, and he's projected as a first round pick in next year's NFL Draft. Redshirt freshman Erik Magnuson (6'6", 295 lbs.) has played left guard, right guard, and right tackle this year, but none of them particularly well. He has decent feet but struggles at the point of attack. Redshirt sophomore Graham Glasgow (6'6", 303 lbs.) was the starting left guard early in the year, took over the center position against Minnesota, and will likely start his thirteenth game of the season on Saturday night. Glasgow had several bad snaps in his first weeks as the center, but the snapping issues have largely been eliminated in the last couple games. Redshirt freshman Kyle Kalis (6'5", 302 lbs.) lost his job after his early-season performance, but now he's back at right guard. He lacks the foot speed to be effective on zone stretches, and the offense evolved at the end of the year toward more of an inside zone running system to accommodate the likes of Kalis. Fifth year senior right tackle Michael Schofield (6'7", 304 lbs.) is a three-year starter and was named Honorable Mention all-conference this year, and some draft projections have him going as high as in the second round this coming April.
Backups: True freshman Kyle Bosch (6'5", 302 lbs.) started three games late in the year after redshirt junior Joe Burzynski tore his ACL. Bosch showed some promise but looked overwhelmed and eventually gave his job back to Kalis, who had been benched in favor of Magnuson. Redshirt sophomore Jack Miller started the first four games of the season at center and has not been heard from since getting benched for Glasgow. Redshirt sophomore Chris Bryant (6'4", 316 lbs.) made two starts at at left guard before getting benched in the middle of the Penn State game.

KANSAS STATE
Starters: Fifth year senior Cornelius Lucas (6'9", 328 lbs.) was a First Team All-Big 12 selection in 2012, but this year he was just Honorable Mention. Redshirt sophomore Cody Whitehair (6'4", 309 lbs.) was Second Team All-Big 12 this season. Redshirt junior B.J. Finney (6'4", 303 lbs.) was named the best center in the conference. Redshirt sophomore Boston Stiverson (6'4", 312 lbs.) started a couple games as a redshirt freshman and is the team's top backup lineman this year, and he's been filling in for an injured Keenan Taylor at right guard. Senior Tavon Rooks (6'5", 280 lbs.) has been the starting right tackle for the past two seasons, earning Honorable Mention all-conference in both his years on campus.
Key backup: Fifth year senior Keenan Taylor (6'4", 290 lbs.) is questionable for the bowl game due to a knee injury, but he started all 13 games last year at right guard. Stiverson has been starting in his stead for the past few weeks, but Taylor should be in there if healthy.

THE TAKEAWAY
Michigan is tied for 111th in the country with 35 sacks allowed, and they're #101 with 131 yards/game given up on the ground. The paltry 3.25 yards/carry average ranks them 114th. Kansas State is #54 nationally with 180 yards/game on the ground, and they're #51 with 4.53 yards/carry. They've also allowed 24 sacks, which is tied for #62 in the country. So while Kansas State is a wee bit above average, they're still a long ways ahead of Michigan in many ways. The Wildcats also have a few guys with all-conference accolades, while Michigan's Taylor Lewan has been pretty lonely when it comes to postseason accolades.

ADVANTAGE: Kansas State

Iowa 24, Michigan 21

Brennen Beyer returns an interception 7 yards for a touchdown (image via Times Union)

This happened because of three guys. In my opinion, this game came down to the absence - literally and figuratively - of three players. First of all, Michigan middle linebacker Desmond Morgan (0 tackles) left the game in the first quarter due to what was rumored to be a concussion, which would be at least his second in college. Then weakside linebacker James Ross (6 tackles) left the game in the second half, although it's unclear what that injury was. And Devin Funchess (1 catch, 2 yards; 1 carry, 10 yards) might as well have been out due to injury, because he was completely useless. He dropped four passes by my count, and he can't block. So the Wolverines were without their two leading tacklers, which suggests it wasn't a coincidence that the Hawkeyes were able to turn on their running game in the second half. Michigan's defensive line is solid but unspectacular, and what helped them rank #13 against the run going into this game was their technically sound linebackers. When you're left with sophomore Joe Bolden (4 tackles) and freshman Ben Gedeon (3 tackles) as your two inside linebackers, that's a recipe for struggles. Iowa running backs Damon Bullock (1 for 8), Jordan Canzeri (9 for 40), and Mark Weisman (10 for 45) had a total of 20 carries for 93 yards after halftime, helping Iowa to hold the ball for 18:23 of the second half.

Games are won in the trenches. I know this is an old adage, but it's true. And it's frustrating to watch Michigan get beaten so badly up front in every single game. I've said it over and over again, but Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield aren't dominating like they should, and the interior linemen can't get any kind of push ever. They say that even the best linemen in the NFL win just over half their battles, and that's what separates them from the other guys; well, Michigan's guards and center aren't close to winning half their battles in the run game. It's an abomination. Michigan's running backs combined for 17 carries and 35 yards in this one, with a long run of 9 yards. The offensive line allowed 11 tackles for loss. That sounds really bad, but that's been the norm - the Wolverines are averaging 10.5 tackles for loss allowed this year. For comparison's sake, Michigan has a pretty good defense and averages 5.7 TFL's a game.

Devin Gardner might retire. Gardner had one of his least effective performances this year, going 13/28 for 98 yards, 2 touchdowns, and giving away the game-clinching fumble; he also ran 10 times for 12 yards, despite only getting sacked once. He's lost a step, he's running tentatively, and he just looks downright scared of taking more of a beating at times. After the game, he was reportedly favoring his right arm. Obviously, Michigan needs him if they have any hope of beating Ohio State next week, but with his diminishing health and the sorry state of the offensive line, I would not be surprised at all if Gardner doesn't finish next week's contest.

Graham Glasgow snapping mistake? Check. I swear I don't think I've ever seen a college center with as many snapping issues as Glasgow. With the exception of the Northwestern game last week, Glasgow has had a snapping error every week. This week's blunder was a snap infraction on a 1st-and-Goal from the 4-yard line in the fourth quarter that pushed the Wolverines back to the 9. After an incomplete pass and a nothing run, Gardner bailed him out with a touchdown pass to Gallon.

Good grief, Jeremy Jackson is terrible. Usually I try to stay objective, so this is an angry rant I'm allowing myself near the completion of a frustrating season. Senior Jeremy Jackson's one late wide-open catch for a first down does not erase the fact that he should not be on the field. Like, at all. Ever. The final straw for this rant came yesterday when I saw him standing around not blocking anyone while Devin Gardner was getting tackled. He can't run, he can't jump, and he can't block. The guy is a preferred walk-on at best, or maybe a Division II athlete. I never understood* why he was offered by Rich Rodriguez in the 2010 class, and his performance over the last four years has only solidified those feelings. Da'Mario Jones, Dennis Norfleet, and Joe Reynolds are all better athletes, and you could probably get a better blocking effort out of walk-ons Bo Dever or Blaise Stearns, just to name a couple. I actually have some respect and empathy for Rodriguez, but one look at that 2010 class makes me want to vomit. The guy took 27 players in that class, and after you list the top three (Jake Ryan, Devin Gardner, Jibreel Black), you start to get in the murky territory of trying to rank Jackson, your holder/fifth receiver (Drew Dileo), your journeyman defensive back (Courtney Avery), your journeyman tight end/defensive end/linebacker (Jordan Paskorz), or your weed-loving suspended punter (Will Hagerup). Where was I going with this? Oh yeah. Erm . . . uh . . . yeah, Jeremy Jackson. He's bad.

Let's end on a high note. (Not that kind of high note, Hagerup.) So how about Blake Countess, Raymon Taylor, and Brennen Beyer picking off those terrible throws from Iowa quarterback Jake Rudock? Let's be honest - those picks were more about Rudock being bad than Michigan having great coverage, but these Michigan cornerbacks are better playmakers than we've had in a while. For a little while - the J.T. Floyd years, basically - Michigan struggled to make any plays at cornerback, and the notable plays from defensive backs had to come from the safeties. Taylor's still afraid to tackle running backs, but overall, I like where Michigan's headed in the defensive backfield. And kudos to Beyer, who has made some steps forward this year and tallied his first interception and first touchdown.

Just kidding. What does this mean for the Ohio State game? Probably doom.

*Of course, I know Jeremy Jackson was mainly offered because his dad is the running backs coach. Also, aliens.

Mailbag: Offensive line and Al Borges

Thunder, As a regular reader of "Touch the Banner," I want to thank you for the continued great effort/product you deliver . . . and today, ask you some questions about the continuing poor performance of the offensive line. 

1. Too often seems to be confusion about blocking assignments, true? 

2. While I appreciate the long readiness curve for offensive lineman (both mentally and physically), shouldn't U-M be able to get by reasonably well with two senior tackles (including an All-American) and some highly touted (albeit young) recruits? The guys who are in their 2nd year should be further along, right? 

3. For young lineman, isn't it easier blocking out/forward than side-to-side? Seems that prevailing offensive philosophy promotes these lineman being on their heals more than being aggressive - is this accurate? 

4. Personally, Borges just doesn't seem to be getting the results . . . and he is responsible for COORDINATING, not just sitting in a box calling plays. He doesn't seem up to the job. Your thoughts? Thanks for any insight you can provide. 

Go Blue! 

Best, 

Jim

 1. Yes, the problems up front are more about mental mistakes than physical ones. Even with the young guys in place, Michigan has good size up front. And while their strength may not be up to par with fourth- or fifth-year guys, the physical disparity should not be that significant if that's all it was. If you're the same size as your opponent but a little bit weaker, you should still not be giving up 7 sacks a game or rushing for -69 yards over a two-game stretch. The mental side of playing offensive line is what's killing Michigan right now.

2. The youth on Michigan's interior is sometimes blown out of proportion on the internet, although perhaps it's not commented on enough by the broadcast crew each Saturday. There should probably be a happy medium in there somewhere. Senior left tackle Taylor Lewan has done a very good job this year from whistle to whistle; the problem for him has been stuff before the play (false starts) or after the play (the MSU nonsense). Senior right tackle Michael Schofield is apparently being looked at as a possible second round pick, but I have a hard time believing that he'll be selected that high; he's so-so in the run and the pass, not dominant at either one.

The biggest problem, obviously, has been from guard to guard. Michigan has a bunch of guys playing out of position. It's a line in disarray. I'm giving Kyle Bosch a free pass because he's a true freshman and shouldn't be playing, anyway. But redshirt sophomore Graham Glasgow is a tackle or a guard playing center, who can't snap the ball, make proper line calls, or block the correct defender on a consistent basis; he's in over his head, and you can tell by the look on his face in the huddle - the game is moving too fast for him. Redshirt freshman Erik Magnuson is a left tackle playing right guard; the scouting report on him coming out of high school was "good pass blocker but needs to be more physical in the run game." You do not take a guy who lacks physicality and put him at right guard if you want to run over teams. That's the type of guy you hear about in year four or five when people say, "He's really improved over the past couple years and become a good run blocker." The other guy worth mentioning here is redshirt sophomore Jack Miller, who was brought in to be a zone-blocking center but tried to become a hybrid zone/power center before getting sent to the bench. Miller seems to be more mentally ready for playing center, calling protections, etc., but he loses ground too often. If you look at the pros and cons of Glasgow vs. Miller, I think Miller gets the nod after seeing both in action this year . . . but neither player is ideal.

Concluding the answer to question #2, I think Michigan has a decently talented crew of linemen who are playing out of place and being asked to do too much. If I were Michigan's coaching staff, I would at least attempt to see what it looks like with Lewan at left tackle, Schofield at left guard, Miller at center, Glasgow at right guard, and Magnuson at right tackle; that way you have a strong side with Lewan/Schofield, a better general at center, and Glasgow/Magnuson playing their more natural positions.

3. Young linemen do a better job of blocking forward/out (gap or man blocking) than zone blocking, because zone blocking requires timing and an understanding of defenses that takes time to develop. Most high school teams don't run zone the way that colleges do, and especially when you have a dominant lineman, you use him to crush down one side of the line while you run right off his butt. Zone blocking became all the rage because it allowed smaller, more athletic, but less dominant blockers to double-team and "just get in the way" to allow runners to pick an alley. But high schools that produce 6'5", 300 lb. linemen don't need that kind of tactical advantage.

I've taught zone blocking to high schoolers, and I've taught gap blocking to high schoolers. The zone concept is easier in theory but ten times more difficult to put into practice because you're taking guys who are normally very aggressive and teaching them to take an angle bucket step, read the defender, and then react appropriately by double-teaming, taking over a block, or going up to the next level. Rather than saying before the play "I've got that guy," now these guys have to say "I've got this guy, this guy, or that guy, depending on what they do when my buddy snaps the ball." Unless you teach zone exclusively or almost exclusively, it's going to be very tough sledding.

4. I was really frustrated with Borges during the Nebraska game because of his insistence on running the ball when it clearly wasn't working for the second week in a row. I mean, Michigan hasn't been able to run the ball consistently all year, but Michigan State stops you with their defense . . . fine, they do that to everyone. When Nebraska's 85th-ranked rushing defense stops you and you still keep slamming your head into the wall, I start to have questions about your willingness to adapt.

All that being said, I think Michigan fans have to accept that what is being put on the field is bound to be unsuccessful much of the time. I suggested a lineup change above that I believe would help, but that won't instantly make Miller, Glasgow, and Magnuson great football players. When three-fifths of your offensive line is overmatched mentally and physically, there's not a whole lot you can do as a play caller to mitigate the problems.

My suggestions for Borges would be to concentrate on one type of run play (zone or power) but not both, develop more play action off your best run play (currently the inverted veer), throw more screens until defenses stop blitzing, roll or half-roll Gardner, throw more quick-hitting passes, and resort to an occasional or full-time no-huddle to prevent defenses from having so much time to key in on formations, personnel, etc. Of course, Al Borges knows a ton more about football than I do, so he probably doesn't need my suggestions. But as an offensive coordinator, that's how I would try to get around my weak offensive line.

Michigan vs. Nebraska Awards

Cameron Gordon (image via AP)

Let's see more of this guy on offense . . . a fifth receiver. Assuming the top four guys are Jeremy Gallon, Devin Funchess, Jehu Chesson, and Drew Dileo, I don't care who the fifth guy would be. It could be Fitzgerald Toussaint, Dennis Norfleet, Da'Mario Jones, Jake Butt, virtually anyone. Hell, put Blake Countess out there at receiver a little bit and see what he can do. Michigan needs to spread the field laterally instead of packing everything in tight. With receivers packed in tight, that makes it a lot easier for defenses to blitz, stop the run, etc. If you spread the field wider, you can see the blitzes coming and you prevent so many guys from coming and confusing your offensive line. Go five-wide a few times, give the offensive linemen one-on-one matchups, and see if something develops. Even if one of the young interior linemen gets beaten, Gardner is a good runner and can create some things on his own. Right now teams are green dogging against Fitzgerald Toussaint, so even if he stays in, it's an extra protector against an extra blitzer. That doesn't give Michigan a statistical advantage.

Let's see less of this guy on offense . . . Graham Glasgow at center. Glasgow was a better guard than center, and I'm not sure that's saying much. Bad snaps can destroy an offense, and Glasgow has been a poor snapper ever since he was inserted against Minnesota. He has been good for at least one fumbled snap per week and numerous other snaps that look slow, throwing off the timing of the offense. In the last two weeks, Glasgow has botched three shotgun snaps, all of which have resulted in big yardage losses, including a -20 yard play against Michigan State and a -10 yard play against Nebraska. Jack Miller was a poor blocker, but his snaps were spot on and more consistent. I have to wonder if Glasgow's poor snaps (sometimes they're low, sometimes they're high, sometimes they're right in the chest) are affecting Gardner's thought process prior to the snap.

Let's see more of this guy on defense . . . Cameron Gordon. Gordon was tied for the team lead in tackles with 8, forced a fumble that was recovered by Chris Wormley, and sacked Tommy Armstrong for 13 yards. It seemed like Gordon lost snaps once Jake Ryan returned from his torn ACL, but with the hand injury to Keith Heitzman, SAM linebacker Brennen Beyer has been moved back to defensive end. Gordon is one of the best athletes on the defense at 6'3" and 237 lbs., and he's a guy who can cover, rush the passer, and chase plays to the sideline.

Let's see less of this guy on defense . . . freshman defensive backs. I still see freshmen out there every week, and it seems like they're always getting Michigan beaten. On a 26-yard catch and run by Nebraska wideout Kenny Bell, Channing Stribling missed a tackle, Dymonte Thomas missed a tackle, and then redshirt junior Josh Furman got blocked and blocked and blocked. Junior Delonte Hollowell started the spring game and now can barely get on the field. The freshmen are overmatched right now. I've never been a huge fan of Hollowell, but he is feisty and physical and probably would have been better prepared to tackle Bell on that play.

Play of the game . . . Devin Funchess's screen catch and run. There aren't many options, but Funchess took a high pass over the middle, tipped it to himself with one hand, stepped through a tackle, and ran 23 yards up the sideline before getting pulled down. He also ran an end around for 5 yards. Both plays were fairly impressive plays for a guy who's a "tight end."

MVP of the game . . . Cam Gordon. There's no great choice here, but Gordon made 8 tackles, had Michigan's only sack, and had the only forced turnover (the other turnover was a muffed punt).

Nebraska 17, Michigan 13

"Devin Gardner Runs for His Life" would be a good subtitle for the 2013 season (image via Monroe News)

Goodbye, Darrell Funk. Okay, I've been wishy-washy on Funk's place on the staff, but this game sealed his fate, in my opinion. For the second week in a row, Michigan allowed 7 sacks. For the second week in a row, Michigan had negative yards rushing (-21 this game after -48 last week). These are the types of performances that get guys fired in the middle of the season. I'm not necessarily suggesting that will happen, because Brady Hoke is a very loyal guy and Funk's father just passed away. However, the final straw for me was in the fourth quarter when Nebraska lined up defensive end Randy Gregory at inside linebacker over right guard Erik Magnuson. Michigan slid the protection left, matching up right tackle Michael Schofield on Gregory. Schofield promptly made about a 3% effort to pick him up, allowing Gregory to have a 6-yard running start on an overmatched Fitzgerald Toussaint. Sack. When your fifth-year right tackle can't handle a slide protection, that's probably all you need to see. The current situation on the offensive line reminds me of when Jay Hopson was Michigan's linebackers coach and we saw guys like Obi Ezeh and Jonas Mouton regress. I would be surprised if Funk returns in 2014, and if a move is made earlier, the Wolverines do have former Michigan left tackle Adam Stenavich on staff as a graduate assistant.

Graham Glasgow at center equals a broken record. In each week since Glasgow was moved to center, Michigan has suffered from at least one bad snap. In this game there were two - one that sailed up and one that rolled back to Devin Gardner. Even the snaps from under center seem a hair slow. Glasgow is not physically or mentally capable of playing center at this point. He's just not. Those of you who were complaining about Elliott Mealer and Jack Miller playing center, this is what you get. I think people take the snap for granted, but college players are capable of being bad at snapping . . . and it's extremely detrimental.

Michigan's defense is still pretty good . . . It was frustrating that Michigan lost to a team that was missing so much offensively, but the Wolverines were consistently in bad field position once again. Michigan's inability to drive the ball on offense makes the opponent's job a whole lot easier. Nebraska's first scoring drive went 9 plays for 44 yards; the next went 8 plays for 56 yards. The drive at the end of the game went 14 plays for 75 yards, but that's one long drive in the whole game. Overall, Nebraska averaged 3.0 yards/carry and star running back Ameer Abdullah was held to 3.9 yards/carry.

. . . but Nebraska was beaten up offensively. The scary/sad thing is that Nebraska was missing its starting quarterback and the two starting offensive guards, plus right tackle Jeremy Sirles got injured mid-game and wide receiver Kenny Bell wasn't 100%. Michigan is mostly healthy on offense (aside from Amara Darboh, who was supposed to start at wide receiver, and backups like Russell Bellomy, Joe Burzynski, and Drake Johnson) but still can't produce. An unhealthy Nebraska offense produced 17 points. A healthy Michigan offense produced 13. That leads me to this.

The offensive play calling was terrible. Nebraska blitzed the hell out of Michigan for the vast majority of the game, and Michigan ran . . . two screens. Two screens in 32 minutes of possession against a blitzing defense? One problem appears to be that Al Borges only has two screens in the play book - the throwback screen to the tailback and the middle screen to Devin Funchess. If you want to beat a blitzing defense, you have to screen, you have to hit hot routes, and you have to spread the field laterally. That sounds like a spread offense, doesn't it? Instead, Michigan ran up the middle and tried to hit deep routes for most of the game. Brady Hoke and/or Al Borges has a basic philosophy of packing things in tight and overpowering the defense, but Michigan isn't capable of that right now. Almost every shotgun/pistol formation for Michigan involves at least one tight end, tight stacks, tight bunches, etc. Go four- or five-wide and try to get rid of the ball quickly if they blitz; throw it deep if the opponent doesn't blitz or can't get a pass rush. We've established what Michigan can't do; now let's try something different.

Michigan did absolutely nothing with two turnovers. The commentators mentioned that nobody had turned the ball over, and they said that the first team to create a turnover might win the game. Hah. Cam Gordon forced a fumble from Quincy Enunwa, and Dennis Norfleet recovered a Jordan Westerkamp muff. Those were the only two turnovers in the game, and they resulted in a total of 3 points for Michigan; those 3 points came after Norfleet's recovery, some terrible offense, and a Brendan Gibbons field goal that bounced off the right upright and through the goal posts.

Maybe we broke Devin Gardner. There are a lot of factors in Michigan's failures over the past few weeks, but ever since Gardner started taking care of the ball, Michigan's offense has taken a nose dive. After his two early picks against Penn State, Gardner has thrown 6 touchdowns and 1 interception. Aside from the offensive explosion against an Indiana team with no defense, Gardner has been sacked 14 times in two games and refuses to try to fit the ball into traffic most of the time. It's almost as if he over-corrected and now refuses to take risks. Other than a bad throw to Jake Butt - on which it looked like Gardner expected Butt to come back to the ball instead of cutting in - Gardner didn't take risks putting the ball in the air against Nebraska. There has to be a happy medium somewhere in between flinging 10 interceptions and getting sacked 14 times.

Penn State 43, Michigan 40 in four overtimes

(image via Penn Live)

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.

Poll results: Which three linemen should be starting on the interior?

Taylor Lewan and Kyle Kalis

I posted a poll asking Michigan fans which three linemen should be starting on the interior of the offensive line, and it looks like fans want a change. Voters could pick multiple answers, and here are the responses.

STARTERS
OG Kyle Kalis: 95%
OG Chris Bryant: 82%
OG/C Graham Glasgow: 59%

BACKUPS
OG/OT Ben Braden: 22%
C Jack Miller: 17%
OG/C Joey Burzynski: 9%
Other: 4%

At this point, I would be in support of center Jack Miller being sent to the sideline if Graham Glasgow can handle snapping duties. I think sometimes people underestimate the importance of getting good snaps, so that's a big "if." But Miller struggles with stout nose tackles, and he just flat-out misses some obvious blocks at times.

If redshirt sophomore Chris Bryant is healthy after suffering various leg injuries over the past couple seasons, I think he should get a shot. However, Michigan has to realize the strengths of each of these players. My guess is that Bryant excels at blocking plays like power and iso, but he probably struggles with zone blocking, which requires more agility and lateral movement. If Michigan wants to continue running zone stretches to the left behind Taylor Lewan, then perhaps Kyle Kalis should flip to left guard to make that play more viable. Then the Wolverines could run outside zone, iso, and power to the left, while running power and iso to the right.

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.

Michigan vs. Central Michigan Awards

Devin Gardner's second rushing touchdown against Central Michigan (image via AnnArbor.com)

Let's see more of this guy on offense . . . Derrick Green. Green is not a game changer at this point, and he does look a few pounds overweight. If he's the listed 240 lbs. right now, I think he could afford to play at 225-230. But he did look faster than the guy who was #2 on the depth chart, Drake Johnson. Johnson sprained his knee and may have to miss some time, anyway, but Green looked to me like the second-best back on the roster and led the team in rushing yardage with 11 carries for 58 yards and 1 touchdown.

Let's see less of this guy on offense . . . Graham Glasgow. I thought redshirt sophomore former walk-on left guard Glasgow was the weak link on the offensive line. He had two false starts and didn't seem to get much push. Word was that redshirt sophomore Chris Bryant would have started if not for getting his knee drained last week, but when healthy, I think Bryant should be ahead of Glasgow.

Let's see more of this guy on defense . . . Cameron Gordon. Gordon is the starting SAM linebacker while Jake Ryan is injured, and the former ended this game with 4 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 1 pass breakup. He should continue to start until Ryan returns, but once that happens, Greg Mattison needs to find a way to get both Ryan and Gordon on the field. Gordon is too good of an athlete and a playmaker to keep on the bench. If that means putting Frank Clark at strongside end, Ryan at weakside end, and Gordon at SAM on passing downs, so be it.

Let's see less of this guy on defense . . . Josh Furman. Furman started at strong safety in place of the suspended Thomas Gordon, and while Furman did a fair job of keeping things in front of him, he's just somewhat slow at reading plays. He showed some nice makeup speed on plays to the sideline in Cover 2, and he helped hunt down a running back near the sideline deep in Michigan's territory to prevent a touchdown. But ultimately, Gordon is the better safety at this point, and he needs to be on the field first.

Play of the game . . . the punt block for a touchdown. At the end of Central Michigan's first possession, Michigan overloaded CMU's right side and went for the punt block. True freshman safety Dymonte Thomas exploded off the line, came around the corner, and made a textbook block by laying out for the ball and aiming right for the toe of the punter. Former walk-on wideout Joe Reynolds picked up the ball and took it 22 yards for a touchdown to start the scoring.

MVP of the game . . . Devin Gardner. Gardner finished 10/15 for 162 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions, plus 7 carries for 52 yards and 2 touchdowns. He wasn't entirely focused early, which resulted in those two picks. In the end, though, he accounted for three touchdowns and kept plays alive with his feet. His two rushing touchdowns included some smooth cuts to juke defenders, and he also threw a great deep ball to Joe Reynolds on a play action pass on which he turned his back to the defense for an uncomfortably long time.

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: #45 Graham Glasgow

Graham Glasgow

Name: Graham Glasgow
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 303 lbs.
High school: Aurora (IL) Marmion
Position: Center
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #61
Last year: I ranked Glasgow #80 and said he would be a bench player. He played in five games as a backup guard.

Glasgow came into college as a pretty well regarded walk-on player, but he didn't have any scholarship offers. He did work his way onto the field last season, but he wasn't a factor in critical situations. I can't say that I noticed him out there much, but when he was in the game, I was not impressed. Then again, Michigan's offensive line as a whole was not very good last year.

This year Glasgow has been mentioned repeatedly as a competitor for the center position, despite being 6'6", which is tall for a center. Fellow redshirt sophomore Jack Miller looks like the front-runner for the job, but options are limited behind him. Miller, Glasgow, and Joey Burzynski are the top three options at center, and incoming freshman Pat Kugler could be an emergency fill-in. I expect that Glasgow will play at some point this fall, but hopefully it's because Michigan is beating the pants off someone.

Prediction: Backup center

2012 Season Countdown: #80 Graham Glasgow

Graham Glasgow

Name: Graham Glasgow
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 314 lbs.
High school: Aurora (IL) Marmion Academy
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #61
Last year: I did not rank Glasgow.  He did not see any game action.

Glasgow showed up to campus last season as a walk-on, choosing Michigan over Ohio State.  He is/was pretty limited athletically.  Despite excellent size, he does not appear to be pressing for playing time.  The first time most Michigan fans saw him in action was in the 2012 spring game, when he was painfully slow getting out of his stance, pulling, etc. and single-handedly prevented a short yardage touchdown by being so slow.  He will most likely remain on the bench this fall, but depth at offensive line could be a problem if any injuries occur.

Prediction: Bench