Michigan vs. Penn State Awards

Devin Gardner (image via CBS Detroit)

Let's see more of this guy on offense . . . Justice Hayes. Hayes adds a speed element that's no longer present in the offense without Derrick Green. Any outside rush attempt by De'Veon Smith is doomed from the beginning, and Hayes has the quickness to hit some of the holes that Smith can't. Michigan doesn't have a complete back on the roster, so Hayes is the relative "home run" threat. That is to say that he can occasionally run for 6 or 7 yards before first contact brings him down.

Let's see less of this guy on offense . . . Russell Bellomy. Bellomy is just as bad as when we saw him throwing 4 interceptions in 2012. His two passing attempts included a near pick six to middle linebacker Mike Hull and nearly a second interception for defensive tackle Anthony Zettel. As a redshirt junior, I hope Michigan thanks Bellomy for his hard work and lets him move on with his life or transfer after this year. His career numbers are like this: 4-for-23, 46 yards, 0 touchdowns, 4 interceptions. I cannot remember a second-string quarterback at Michigan that was so ineffective, and the team can surely trot out a walk-on who can do just as poorly.

Let's see more of this guy on defense . . . Willie Henry. Henry obviously hurt his hand while sacking Rutgers quarterback Gary Nova last week, and he was reportedly in uniform but sidelined and wearing a cast against Penn State. The Wolverines struggled on the interior to start the game, and Henry is a difference-maker. Unfortunately, his strength of using his hands will probably be impaired by the injury. Michigan needs him if they want to beat the quality teams on their schedule, beginning with Michigan State in two weeks.

Let's see less of this guy on defense . . . nobody. Michigan's defense was mostly excellent on Saturday night.

Play of the game . . . Devin Funchess's 43-yard touchdown catch. Quarterback Devin Gardner chucked a deep ball that had every intention of getting intercepted by Penn State safety Ryan Keiser. Like a middle schooler with ADHD, Keiser attempted to field the ball like a punt with his hands at waist level. And like a good athlete with a shred of good coaching, Funchess swooped in front of him with his arms extended to snag the ball. He pulled it right out of Keiser's limp hands, bobbled it for a second, and then reeled it in as he crossed the goal line.

MVP of the game . . . Devin Gardner. I really want to give this to Matt Wile for hitting all three field goal attempts (from 45, 42, and 37 yards), including the go-ahead score to make it 16-13. However, we all saw how poorly the offense moved without Gardner on the field, and I'm confident in saying that Michigan would have lost that game if Gardner did not return. Bellomy was extremely close to turning it over on a couple occasions in just two drives. Luckily, cornerback Jourdan Lewis picked off a pass in Penn State territory, close enough for Wile to drive in a field goal despite Bellomy being behind center. Without Gardner, Michigan loses the game. Without Wile, perhaps a backup kicker or some lucky plays by the offense would have earned the Wolverines enough points to prevail.

2014 Season Countdown: #78 Russell Bellomy

Russell Bellomy

Name: Russell Bellomy
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 210 lbs.
High school: Arlington (TX) Martin
Position: Quarterback
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #8
Last year: I ranked Bellomy #70 and said he would be the third string quarterback. He missed the entire regular season recovering from an ACL tear and was Shane Morris's backup in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl but did not play.

Bellomy has had a tough couple years. Two years ago he played very poorly in limited time as Denard Robinson's backup before being supplanted by Devin Gardner. After that major blow to his confidence, he tore his ACL in the spring of 2013 and spent the whole year rehabbing and on the bench. He was again limited this spring, but more for precauationary reasons. Meanwhile, freshman Shane Morris took to the job quicker than Bellomy had, and Michigan recruited an Under Armour All-American in the 2014 class. The hill is only getting steeper.

For the upcoming 2014 season, Bellomy looks like option #3 at best. With Gardner entrenched as the starter and Morris playing fairly well in the bowl game, Bellomy might get some garbage time if any games turn into blowouts. With somewhat limited arm talent, the guy with the higher ceiling is freshman Wilton Speight, who might find himself lower on the depth chart only because the coaches can utilize a redshirt if he stays off the field. The last time Michigan used three different starting quarterbacks in one season was 30 years ago, when Jim Harbaugh (5), Chris Zurbrugg (5), and Russell Rein (2) each earned starts.

Prediction: Third-string quarterback

Video: Quarterbacks talk offense

Hit the jump for Shane Morris, Russell Bellomy, and Wilton Speight.

2013 Season Countdown: #70 Russell Bellomy

Russell Bellomy (image via AnnArbor.com)

Name: Russell Bellomy
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 213 lbs.
High school: Arlington (TX) Martin
Position: Quarterback
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #8
Last year: I ranked Bellomy #49 and said he would be the #3 quarterback. He went 4/21 passing for 46 yards and 4 interceptions; he also ran 12 times for 16 yards.

Bellomy entered the 2012 season as the #2 quarterback on the coaches' depth chart, but he was basically the #3 guy. With primary backup Devin Gardner bumped out to wide receiver while Denard Robinson kept hold of the quarterback reins, Bellomy entered the opener against Alabama when Robinson got a little dinged up; things did not go well as his first career pass attempt was picked off. Things got worse when Robinson got hurt again in the second quarter of the Nebraska game. Bellomy had as many completions - three - as interceptions. Gardner moved back from wide receiver to play quarterback for the remainder of the season, and Bellomy sat out due to an undisclosed "injury," which may have been a concussion or perhaps to his pride.

This spring Bellomy tore his ACL, so he's had a tough year. He had no shot at surpassing Gardner for the starting job, but when the young Texan returns, he may find himself beyond freshman Shane Morris and/or walk-on Brian Cleary. My biggest concern with Bellomy is that he lacks the arm strength to push the ball down the field and therefore checks down very quickly, making it very easy for defenders and opponents to play against him. Arm strength is somewhat overrated because there are plenty of quarterbacks who succeed despite not having cannons attached to their shoulders, but there's a certain threshold one needs to meet, and I'm not sure if Bellomy can get there. No prognosis has been given for Bellomy's return, but his torn ACL buddy Jake Ryan is projected to return in October 2013; whoever the primary backup is prior to that point is likely to hold that spot for the remainder of the regular season, whether it's Morris or Cleary.

Prediction: Third-string quarterback when he returns from injury

Quarterbacks Preview: Michigan vs. South Carolina

South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw (image via AJC)

MICHIGAN
Starters: Michigan basically has two starters at this point - senior Denard Robinson and junior Devin Gardner.  Robinson (6'0", 197 lbs.) has started 37 career games, but he was injured against Nebraska and has not started since.  Gardner (6'4", 203 lbs.) has started the last four games for Michigan and is the superior passer.  Against Iowa and Ohio State, Robinson played various positions, including wide receiver, running back, and quarterback, but he didn't throw a single pass in those games.  Robinson finished the season with 1,319 passing yards on 54% completions, 9 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions; he also ran for 1,166 yards and 7 touchdowns and had 2 receptions for 24 yards.  Meanwhile, Gardner completed 63% of his passes for 1,005 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions while rushing for 77 yards and 7 touchdowns; he also spent the early part of the season at wide receiver, where he caught 16 passes for 266 yards and 4 touchdowns.  It's unclear who will start the bowl game, but it's very likely that both will play in some capacity.  Robinson will have had over a month to rest his injured elbow, so I'm guessing he will be able to throw at least a little bit, but with the way Gardner has played at quarterback, I think Gardner has to take most of the snaps.
Backups: Redshirt freshman Russell Bellomy made several appearance this season, including replacing Denard Robinson for the last 2.5 quarters of the Nebraska game; he has not played since.  I think Bellomy has potential down the road, but there's no other way to describe his performance other than awful; he completed just 5/21 passes on the season for 46 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions.  No other scholarship quarterbacks are on the roster.

SOUTH CAROLINA
Starter: Junior Connor Shaw (6'1", 207 lbs.) has missed a chunk of playing time this season due mainly to a shoulder injury, but he should be ready to start the Outback Bowl.  He finished the regular season with 1,732 passing yards on 67% completions for 15 touchdowns and 7 interceptions; he's also an effective runner with 339 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Shaw is an athletic game manager and reminds me a little bit of what Tate Forcier could have been if he wasn't so stupid.  Shaw has an accurate arm and decent speed, and he's thick enough to run through some tackles once in a while.
Backups: Redshirt sophomore Dylan Thompson (6'3", 212 lbs.) played quite a bit this season with Shaw's injury.  He completed 59/117 passes for 910 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.  He's not quite the same threat to run, though, with just 35 yards on 32 carries for 1 touchdown.

THE TAKEAWAY
Robinson is one of the most dynamic runners in the country, and he's the best running quarterback in the country.  Gardner is a pretty good runner, and his passing is almost on par with Shaw's, although I would give Shaw the edge due to experience.  As a total package, Michigan has the advantage here.  Of course, this ignores the fact that Michigan will be missing its most experienced starting cornerback in J.T. Floyd while South Carolina has a couple playmakers on the back end of their defense in safeties DeVonte Holloman and D.J. Swearinger.  But more on that will be coming in a few days.

Advantage: Michigan

Michigan 35, Minnesota 13

Devin Gardner was solid in replacing injured starter Denard Robinson (image via Bleacher Report)

Thanks goodness for Devin Gardner.  I am fairly confident that Russell Bellomy could not have duplicated Gardner's performance from yesterday.  The junior wide receiver/quarterback finished 12/18 for 234 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception; he also ran 10 times for 21 yards and 1 touchdown.  Gardner obviously isn't the same type of electrifying runner that Denard Robinson is, but that passing performance was pretty much on par with anything Robinson has done this year.  Gardner had three passes of 45-plus yards and did a great job of keeping plays alive with his feet.  There are still things to improve (the one INT was a poor decision, he holds onto the ball too long sometimes, etc.), but he looked much more ready to play QB than Bellomy has at any point.  This should give Michigan fans hope.  And I know I beat this drum a lot, but how much more excited would you be if Gardner were a redshirt sophomore instead of a true junior?  That burned redshirt in 2010 really irks me . . .

Michigan's receivers stepped up when needed.  This was something we haven't seen in the past few weeks, but I don't remember a single drop in this game.  The receivers pulled in some nice receptions, including Jerald Robinson's sliding 22-yarder and a couple balls caught in traffic by Jeremy Gallon, Drew Dileo, and Roy Roundtree.  Gardner has a stronger arm than Bellomy, and I think the receivers are probably a little more comfortable catching Gardner's darts than Bellomy's soft tosses.

Here is where I grumble about cornerbacks.  Teams have been picking on J.T. Floyd for the past few weeks, and once again he was beaten several times.  Minnesota freshman quarterback Philip Nelson missed on several, but sometimes it didn't matter because Floyd bailed him out by getting called for pass interference two or three times.  Raymon Taylor didn't have a great game, either, and picked up a pass interference call himself.  I am looking forward to a time when Michigan can put two solid corners on the field at the same time.  Taylor has a chance to be one, but it's been a while since the Wolverines had two.

Don't say Michigan never gets the benefit of refs' poor calls.  Jeremy Gallon's 10-yard touchdown catch wasn't a catch; the ball was moving in his hands the entire time.  Roy Roundtree's 47-yard catch probably wasn't a catch; the ball was moving the entire time.  However, both of them were called completions on the field, and they were difficult to overturn.  In both cases, if they had been called incomplete on the field, I think they would have been upheld as being incomplete.

Jake Ryan wheee!  Ryan struggled a little bit early in the game, but he turned it on afterward.  He finished the game with 9 tackles and 3 tackles for loss.  The speed at which he plays for a guy who's 6'3", 242 lbs. is pretty ridiculous.  He now has 65 tackles and 12 tackles for loss, both numbers surpassing what he did in 2011 (37 tackles, 11 tackles for loss).

The future of the defensive line is bright.  I was very concerned about Michigan's defensive line coming into 2012 after Mike Martin and Ryan Van Bergen graduated, and those two have certainly been missed.  The drop-off at strongside end hasn't been very noticeable with Craig Roh playing fairly well, but Martin has certainly been missed at nose tackle.  However, Michigan has several guys starting or in the rotation who should return next season, so they should be able to maintain this level of play.  Weakside ends Brennen Beyer and Frank Clark, defensive tackles Quinton Washington and Ondre Pipkins, and strongside end Keith Heitzman all look solid, and that's not to mention the incoming freshmen or the redshirting freshmen (Chris Wormley, Tom Strobel, Matt Godin, Willie Henry).

Working on Saturdays is lame.  There's just not the same level of excitement when you know you could just fast forward the DVR and see the final score.  On the plus side, I could fast forward during timeouts and between plays so I didn't have to listen to the Big Ten Network's terrible announcers.  Sometimes Chris Martin talks just to hear himself, and he says very little of substance.  He does a good job of discussing defensive back play, but anytime the discussion wanders into the other 18 positions on the field, he's mute-worthy.

Michigan vs. Nebraska Awards

No. 16 isn't allowed to get hurt anymore. (image via AnnArbor.com)

Let's see more of this guy on offense . . . Devin Gardner at quarterback.  He might not have done any better than Russell Bellomy (3/16, 38 yards, 3 interceptions), but he couldn't have done much worse.  In Gardner's career, he's 11/23 for 176 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception.

Let's see less of this guy on offense . . . Russell Bellomy, obviously.  I still believe he'll eventually be a competent quarterback, but if there was any question about whether he's ready or not, that was answered on Saturday night.  The coaches insisted in the off-season that Gardner was the #2 quarterback; well, now it's time to make sure that happens.

Let's see more of this guy on defense . . . nobody.

Let's see less of this guy on defense . . . Jake Ryan at defensive end.  Ryan is much more effective as a SAM linebacker, and Cameron Gordon is a downgrade at the position.  Ryan played a fair amount of defensive end because Frank Clark missed the game due to an ankle injury, so hopefully that injury heals quickly and #47 can go back to his regular position.

Play of the game . . . linebacker Desmond Morgan broke up a pass headed for the left flat, and freshman defensive end Mario Ojemudia - who was playing defensive tackle on the play - hustled after the play to make a diving interception.

MVP of the game . . . Craig Roh.  Nobody did well offensively, but Roh made several nice plays from his defensive end position.  Last year defensive linemen Ryan Van Bergen and Mike Martin dominated up front, and Roh carried on that tradition this year.  He had 5 tackles, 2 tackles for loss (for 15 yards), and 1 sack (for 10 yards).

Nebraska 23, Michigan 9

She's better than any pictures from the game, I think.

The QB situation.  I don't even know where to start.  Denard Robinson was playing okay before he got hurt (6/11 for 55 yards; 10 carries for 46 yards).  After that all hell broke loose.  Redshirt freshman backup quarterback Russell Bellomy entered the game and threw eleven or twelve straight incomplete passes.  He finished the game 3/16 for 38 yards and 3 interceptions, along with taking 2 sacks.  His receivers dropped some passes, but mostly the throws were inaccurate and uncatchable.  At some point Devin Gardner should have been inserted as the quarterback.  Brady Hoke and Al Borges have insisted that Gardner is their #2 quarterback, and while that obviously hasn't been true, even the #3 guy should be given a shot when #2 can't get the job done.  The Wolverines were down by a touchdown or less for most of the game, and Gardner might  have been able to provide a spark.  He's obviously not the best quarterback in the land, but he does have some athleticism to improvise if the play breaks down.  Bellomy looked absolutely lost.

Al Borges anger?  Am I mad at Al Borges?  A little.  The throwback screen to Jeremy Gallon has become way too predictable, for one.  But I'm certainly not mad at him for calling the plays he did after Bellomy entered.  Borges gave Bellomy some easy throws early, and Bellomy threw them into the ground or sailed them over the receivers' heads.  What plays should an offensive coordinator call for a guy who's bad at running every play?  Aside from running the ball, which wasn't working (Fitzgerald Toussaint had 15 carries for 38 yards), there's not much an OC can do.  Nebraska blitzed Bellomy on passing downs, and they sucked up on the short routes because Bellomy doesn't like to throw downfield.  If I remember correctly, he threw exactly two passes beyond 15 yards; the first was an incompletion to Roy Roundtree in the endzone that was incorrectly called pass interference against the defense; the second was to a double-covered Devin Gardner that turned into an interception.  Bellomy is terrible at this stage in his career.

Quarterback recruiting and development.  I have been beating this drum now for a couple years, but Brady Hoke should have taken a quarterback in the class of 2012.  Michigan is apparently down to two quarterbacks on the roster: Robinson and Bellomy.  Gardner has been limited to wide receiver exclusively.  Even if the freshman isn't good, he would at least give the Wolverines another option if Bellomy stinks it up as the backup.  Hoke offered just eight quarterbacks in the 2012 class, and none really seemed to be heavily pursued.  Additionally, I'm still annoyed that Rich Rodriguez burned Devin Gardner's redshirt back in 2010.  From what I understand, the belief is that he will not be granted a fifth year of eligibility, and now he's a true junior instead of a redshirt sophomore.  Even if Hoke wanted to develop Gardner as the heir apparent to Robinson, he would only have a year to play the position.  Both of Michigan's most recent coaches have failed to handle the quarterback position appropriately over the last few years.

Michigan's run defense was excellent.  By the end of the game, Nebraska was wearing down the Wolverines a little bit.  But even with some big runs by running back Ameer Abdullah and quarterback Taylor Martinez late in the game, they combined for 159 yards on 38 carries, which is just barely over 4 yards/carry.  If Michigan's offense could have stayed on the field longer and kept them in the game, I doubt the Wolverines would have had the same kinds of breakdowns.

Michigan's secondary was burned several times.  Raymon Taylor was torched.  J.T. Floyd was beaten a couple times and picked up two pass interference calls.  Jordan Kovacs was beaten.  Thomas Gordon was beaten for a touchdown, albeit by an illegal pick.

The referees were terrible.  It went both ways, but the refs were bad.  The early 55-yard catch by Roy Roundtree was ruled as a reception on the field, and there wasn't enough evidence to overturn it; yet overturn it they did.  Vincent Smith's diving attempt that launched the ball up into the arms of P.J. Smith could have been overturned just as easily as the Roundtree play, but the interception was upheld.  Bellomy's deep ball to Roundtree shouldn't have been called pass interference against Nebraska.  There were numerous holding calls that they missed, including against Taylor Lewan, who has been committing way too many infractions.  Nebraska also took a penalty for targeting Jeremy Jackson, but the defender led with his shoulder and hit Jackson in the chest, not the head.

Much of this could be fixed if Michigan could run the ball.  Outside of Denard Robinson, nobody on Michigan's team can run the ball effectively this year.  Michigan's interior offensive line is weak, and honestly, it's the two most experienced guys who are playing the worst, in my opinion.  Ricky Barnum and Patrick Omameh, both of whom are fifth year seniors, have often failed to get a push.  Center Elliott Mealer has been mediocre, but he hasn't played much in his career.  Offensively, Michigan doesn't have an identity.  The offensive line has been pretty healthy, but they can't run the ball; both quarterbacks have been subpar in the passing game; the receivers are average.  Unless Denard Robinson is running the ball, Michigan is ineffective.  Now Michigan has gone two consecutive games without a touchdown, and you can't put your defense in that type of situation consistently and expect to win.

Michigan vs. Illinois Awards

Thomas Rawls (#38)

Let's see more of this guy on offense . . . Thomas Rawls.  Rawls had 9 carries for 90 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown run late in the game.  Granted, it was late in the game and Illinois had given up, but he still showed some nice speed when he got to the sideline.  Fitzgerald Toussaint just can't seem to get going, and while I'm not sure that Toussaint should be benched, Rawls is looking more and more deserving of a chance to earn carries.

Let's see less of this guy on offense . . . Russell Bellomy.  The offense really seemed to be limited when he entered the game early.  Here's hoping that Denard Robinson can heal from that hand injury and stay healthy for the rest of the season.  I'd prefer not to see Bellomy until Michigan is blowing out the opponent.

Let's see more of this guy on defense . . . Marvin Robinson.  Jordan Kovacs seems to be nursing a bit of an injury, and Robinson was flying around the field when he entered the game.  Kovacs played well and Illinois never really tested the safeties, but Robinson seems quite capable of supporting the run.  Hopefully Robinson is to the point where he can spell Kovacs a little bit, because someone needs to be groomed for the starting spot once Kovacs graduates.

Let's see less of this guy on defense . . . nobody.  The defense allowed 134 yards and gave up zero points.  The only thing that really bugged me on "defense" was Josh Furman's moronic personal foul when he ran into the punt returner way too early, but Furman rarely plays defense, anyway.

Play of the game . . . Denard Robinson's 49-yard touchdown run.  It was a thing of beauty.  He danced around the tackles of about four guys and then exploded down the left sideline.  It was especially fun to watch Illinois defensive tackle Glenn Foster "fall" while chasing him because he knew that chasing Denard would be a waste of energy.

MVP of the game . . . Denard Robinson once again.  He was 7/11 passing for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns.  He also ran the ball 11 times for 128 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Most importantly, he didn't turn over the ball.  When he temporarily got hurt early in the game, the offense bogged down and the entire fan base got scared, including me.  This team will really struggle if he's unavailable.

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.

2012 Season Countdown: #49 Russell Bellomy

Russell Bellomy

Name: Russell Bellomy
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 189 lbs.
High school: Arlington (TX) Martin
Position: Quarterback
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #8
Last year: I ranked Bellomy #84 and said he would redshirt. He redshirted.

As a true freshman entering a program with two highly touted quarterbacks older than you, chances are you're not going to play.  So Bellomy sat and learned.  It seemed to pay off pretty well in the spring, when Bellomy looked solid running the team.  He lacks the arm strength and confidence to push the ball down the field, but he's accurate and understands what the defense is trying to do.

It still might be difficult to get playing time in 2012.  Denard Robinson will hold onto the starting job, and Devin Gardner appears to be the #2 quarterback.  Gardner's poor decision making can't continue, though, or else he might see himself drop behind Bellomy.  Meanwhile, Gardner will probably see some time at wide receiver this fall, and if he excels playing wideout, Bellomy might get even more of a shot to take the reins as the primary backup.  Bellomy will probably only see the field in mop-up duty this fall, but he's a pretty good quarterback for being #3 on the depth chart.

Prediction: Backup quarterback

Video: 2012 Spring Game - Every Snap

Mailbag: Should Devin Gardner play wide receiver?

Should Devin Gardner play wide receiver or be the backup quarterback?

Okay, this wasn't really a mailbag question.  It was asked by Lankownia in the comments section.  Also, it's the hip topic of spring practice (so far).  Here are my thoughts.

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes, play him at wide receiver.  Michigan is hurting - badly - at the wide receiver position.  Besides the 2008 squad (Greg Mathews, Laterryal Savoy, Darryl Stonum, Martavious Odoms, Toney Clemons, etc.), I think this is Michigan's worst receiver unit in years and years and years.  Each of the returning receivers has at least one major flaw:

• Jeremy Jackson: slow
• Jeremy Gallon: short
• Drew Dileo: short
• Jerald Robinson: maturity issues
• Roy Roundtree: chemistry issues
• Darryl Stonum: drunk

Roundtree has the best chance of being the number one guy because he's been Michigan's leading receiver before, but he wasn't often targeted last season, he's had some issues with his hands over the past 1.5 seasons, and there was a fair bit of confusion between him and Denard last season when Roundtree went one way and the ball went sailing elsewhere.  Beyond that, all of these guys are role type players who have limited ceilings in this offense.  Gallon has some big play ability, but it seemed that Al Borges's only way of getting him the ball last season was to run a throwback screen (and to Jedi Mind Trick the Notre Dame Fighting Irish into completely forgetting he was on the football field).  Robinson is a jump ball guy who has receiving ability similar to Junior Hemingway's, without so much talent when it comes to running after the catch.

So aside from Denard Robinson and Fitzgerald Toussaint, this isn't a scary offense.

Now throw a 6'4", 205 lb. guy with long arms and good leaping ability into the mix.  Instantly, he's the tallest receiver on the roster.  He's probably the second fastest receiver on the roster.  He can jump.  He can catch.  He's bright.  Can he block?  I don't know.  Other than that, all the tools seem to be there.

The catch is that if Gardner plays receiver, who's being groomed to be the quarterback in 2013?  And who enters the game for Denard when he inevitably dings up a shoulder or a hip or a knee?  While Gardner's playing wideout, he's not taking snaps.  Meanwhile, third-string quarterback Russell Bellomy is getting some looks and then you have to look at 2013 freshman Shane Morris, a highly touted but [obviously] young QB.  Depth will once again be thin in 2013, even if Gardner plays quarterback.  Those are problems to worry about in the future, though.  Right now, assuming the electric Robinson can stay healthy, you need to get the best eleven on the field.  Gardner is one of the best eleven athletes on the offensive unit.  It doesn't do anyone much good to leave a kid like that wasting his time on the bench for three years.

I do have confidence in the futures of both incoming freshmen, Jehu Chesson and Amara Darboh.  But you can't count on them to be ready immediately.  You have to plan to play the guys who are already on the squad, and I don't think you can convincingly guarantee me that every guy in the above bulleted list is a better receiving prospect than Devin Gardner.

On a side note, this discussion  is why you recruit at least one quarterback every year.  I insisted for the entirety of the 2012 recruiting cycle that Michigan should - and would - get a quarterback to sign with them in February.  It had happened for 14 years in a row and wouldn't stop.  Well, I was wrong.  The Wolverines got a commitment from Morris for 2013 and ignored the position for 2012.  Now they're flirting with the idea of putting the #2 quarterback at receiver and being stuck with Bellomy as the sole backup devoted to the quarterback position.  If the doomsday scenario occurs in which both Robinson and  Gardner get hurt, the Wolverines will be left with Bellomy and ___________ at quarterback.  That scenario is unlikely to actually occur, but if Michigan had an incoming freshman quarterback, the Gardner-to-receiver thing would be a no-brainer.  Instead, it has fans - and the coaches, it seems - unsure of how to use Gardner.

Getting to Know -- Russell Bellomy

Russell Bellomy

Denard Robinson is the quarterback of the Michigan Wolverines. You may have heard of him. He's kind of a big deal. Overwhelmingly seen as the heir to Denard's throne, Michigan also has Devin Gardner. He was a blue chip local prospect who selected Michigan over offers from Notre Dame, Oregon and Nebraska. He, too, is a pretty big deal.

Then we have freshman Russell Bellomy. He's a big deal in his own right, but the Texas native has yet to gain the notoriety or generate the excitement of his two QB teammates. Russell acknowledges this.

"I know the guys that I have to compete with, and it's going to be a high level of competition...I'm excited to go up there and prove myself. I know there're a lot of people who are kinda doubting me. And there's nothing wrong with that! But I understand that I have to prove myself, and I'm excited to get a chance, and it's all on my shoulders now."

To give Russell his due, he held offers from over 15 Division 1 programs as a recruit, and his initial Touch the Banner post by Thunder had plenty of good things to say about him. One of those things was, "Bellomy has some serious wheels and escapability," and Russell is quick to acknowledge the benefits of his legs. However, he also makes his primary responsibilities in the Al Borges offense known.

"Obviously it’s a pro style offense; it’s different than the spread. You know, pass the ball, check-down, check-down, check-down. Not, if you’re first read's not there, just take off. So that’s what I’m going to be working on a lot: progression reads."

Perfecting the new offense will certainly take time. Bellomy has been in possession of the playbook for several months now and admits that "it's like learning another language." Although he recognizes that intervening factors may lead to early playing time, he isn't opposed to redshirting in order to develop as a player and learn the new offense. "I'm up for whatever," he says.

Another thing that Russell has always been up for is capitalizing on opportunity. During football games, Bellomy did just that, earning a 4-0 record against his HS rivals, almost always "finding a way to win" against formidable in-state competition. Similarly, Russell also kept an eye out for opportunity during his recruitment process.

"Recruitment started off pretty slow because all the way up until school my junior year, I played baseball; [I’ve played] ever since I’ve been a little kid, and so that consumes your whole summer. So I didn't get to go to all these college one-day camps because I was playing baseball...it’s at these camps where you get noticed, and so I don’t know if that had an effect on my recruiting…after my Junior football season, I decided to quit baseball, and then I made a highlight tape and sent it out to coaches, and about a week after I started getting some responses..."

"...I ended up choosing Purdue [on] June 1^st. I’ll never forget that. But then the best opportunity I’ve ever had fell in my lap. In the middle of January, I got a call from my head coach, and he said ‘hey Russ, Michigan called; are you interested?’ He left me that voicemail, and I was just like ‘is that even a question?’ So I called him back, and then Coach Borges ended up coming down here to my school, and then he came for a home visit right after that, and we sat here from about 6:30 on just sitting here talking, and on the way back to the hotel, he called me and offered me, and me and my dad were going insane. So I took an official visit as soon as I could…and on the plane ride home, I switched my commitment."

Russell "isn't a shy guy" and I get the sense that he'll do well with the leadership aspects of the quarterback position, such as building relationships with teammates, modeling strong practice routines and asserting himself vocally. With the ability to both run and throw, his maturation as a leader and passer will be fun to watch over the next four years.

There's no doubt that Denard Robinson and Devin Gardner bring high expectations and much excitement to the Michigan football program. Russell Bellomy fits right in.

2011 Countdown: #84 Russell Bellomy

Russell Bellomy

Name: Russell Bellomy
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 180 lbs.
High school: James Martin High School in Arlington, TX
Position: Quarterback
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Bellomy was a high school senior (commitment post here)

TTB Rating: 74

When I wrote the commitment post a few months ago, I compared Bellomy to Al Borges' old protege Cade McNown.  Both players are/were mobile with mediocre arm strength and accuracy.  Bellomy doesn't have physical talents that are off the charts, but he does seem like a quality kid and a good leader.  If nothing else, those are good qualities for a backup quarterback to have while he plays second (or third) fiddle to guys who have more natural skills like Denard Robinson and Devin Gardner.

Bellomy ought to be able to redshirt in 2011, at least if everything goes according to plan.  With third-year Robinson and second-year Gardner in the mix, the only reason a freshman might see the field is if there's an injury (or two).  And Michigan fans definitely want Robinson and Gardner to stay healthy.  Bellomy ought to be capable in a few years, but for now he doesn't belong on the field.

Prediction: Redshirt

You can now follow Touch the Banner  on Twitter.

So about all these offers . . .

5-star receiver Stefon Diggs

Many Michigan fans seem worried that the new coaching staff has thrown out offers with what fans deem to be reckless abandon over the last couple months.  At last count Michigan has verbally offered 130 prospects from the class of 2012.

The key word there is "verbally."  Due to a new rule for this recruiting cycle, high schoolers cannot receive official, written offers until August 1 of their senior year.  That means someone like Stefon Diggs (pictured above) won't be 100% sure of who's recruiting him until a little over four months from now.  In the olden days, kids could receive written offers on September 1 of their junior years, meaning Diggs would have been offered several months ago.

One thing to watch is how many kids actually accept offers this early in the process.  Since they can't have official offers in hand for another several months, kids may be feeling out the process a little longer.  It seems that there have been fewer early commitments in the class of 2012 overall.  Only 19 of the 130 offered have already committed to a particular program.

While offers are coming at a much faster rate this year, they seem to be going to higher level athletes.  Of the 130 offers, 84 of them (56%) are on the Rivals 250 to Watch list, which means they are likely to be 4-stars or higher.  In my opinion, many of the other 46 players have a very good chance of being 4-stars, as well.

By about this time in the past few recruiting classes, Michigan not only had offers out to some lower level guys, but actual commitments from guys like Teric Jones (buried on the bench at RB), Antonio Kinard (a non-qualifier who ended up at Miami), Isaiah Bell (buried on the bench at LB), and Delonte Hollowell (who ended up as a middling 3-star prospect).  This is not to say that those guys won't end up being solid players at some point, but early offers and commitments should be elite kids.  You can find the Teric Joneses and Antonio Kinards of the world late in the recruiting game, like Michigan has with Ray Vinopal, Jake Ryan, and Russell Bellomy.

Additionally, Michigan's midwest recruiting base is pretty talented this season, which means the coaches - and recruits - don't have to travel far.  Forty-four of the 130 offers (34%) are to kids from Big Ten states.

I was not a huge fan of the Brady Hoke hire, so this is not coming from the we-need-a-Michigan-Man-to-right-the-ship perspective:  I am legitimately not concerned with the number of offers the Wolverines have put out there.  This coaching staff seems to have a better grasp on the type of talent Michigan can and should recruit.  I will voice my concern if and when Hoke starts tossing out offers like candy to MAC-level and Big East-level talent, but so far that's not the case.

Russell Bellomy, Wolverine

Russell Bellomy probably thinks what I think:
"Purdue coach Danny Hope is a tool."

Russell Bellomy, a quarterback from Arlington, TX, committed to Michigan on Tuesday.  He had previously been committed to Purdue but hadn't been offered by Michigan until Brady Hoke took the head coaching job at Michigan.  Bellomy is a 6'3", 180 lb. prospect who also holds offers from Boise State, Colorado, Marshall, Minnesota, and South Florida, among others.

Bellomy is a 3-star prospect to all three recruiting services, and mostly viewed as a dual-threat quarterback.  Scout ranks him as the #39 overall quarterback, while ESPN puts him at #35.  Rivals has no opinion on the matter, but at least their site looks pretty.

Watching highlights of Bellomy, his high school team runs an offense that looks a lot like Auburn's.  It's somewhat surprising that Rich Rodriguez, who needed a quarterback in the class of 2011 after Kevin Sousa decommitted, didn't pursue Bellomy.  Bellomy has some serious wheels and escapability.  He only completed approximately 59% of his passes over the past couple seasons, but he threw very few interceptions (seven total from 2009-2010) and ran the ball for 1,200 yards over those two seasons.

Interestingly, Bellomy is a bit like offensive coordinator Al Borges' old protege, Cade McNown.  Bellomy is a little bit taller than McNown, but he's mobile, has somewhat erratic mechanics, and lacks great arm strength.  He shares those qualities with McNown, although the former UCLA quarterback also lacked some leadership qualities.  Judging by a couple interviews I've seen of Bellomy, he seems to be a very grounded, respectful, humble young man.

I expect Bellomy to redshirt in 2011.  Michigan has two capable-to-fairly capable quarterbacks in junior Denard Robinson and sophomore (or redshirt freshman) Devin Gardner.  There's no need to get Bellomy game experience as a true freshman.  Experience is only necessary if he's expected to play in the near future (like freshman Ryan Mallett in 2007, who would presumably have taken over once senior Chad Henne graduated).  If injuries to Robinson and Gardner occur in 2011, Michigan's chances of winning likely go down the drain, whether Bellomy gets a few garbage snaps or not.

The Wolverines are almost certainly finished with quarterback recruiting for 2011.  Three scholarship quarterbacks is the minimum number a team should carry, but having four quarterbacks spread out over only three classes would cause a bit of a logjam.  Expect to see Michigan pursue another quarterback or two in the class of 2012.

TTB Rating: 74