FORMER PLAYERS
LB Jordan Anthony (Troy): Anthony made 3 tackles in a 45-7 loss to Appalachian State.and 0.5 tackles for loss in a 35-21 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette.
RB Zach Charbonnet (UCLA): Charbonnet had 28 carries for a career-high 167 yards and 1 touchdown in a 62-33 win over USC. He also caught 1 pass for 6 yards.
WR Kekoa Crawford (Cal): Crawford made 3 catches for 41 yards in a 41-11 win over Stanford.
Hit the jump for more.
P Will Hart (San Jose State): SJSU (5-6) had a bye.
QB Ren Hefley (Presbyterian): Hefley completed 16/28 passes for 116 yards, 1 touchdown, and 3 interceptions while being sacked 2 times for -18 yards, in a 54-15 loss to St. Thomas. Presbyterian went 2-9 this season. Altogether, Hefley completed 351/563 passes (62.3%) for 3,934 yards and 39 touchdowns and 32 interceptions. He also ran 97 times for 27 yards and 2 touchdowns.
WR Giles Jackson (Washington): Jackson had 3 punt returns for 27 yards and 1 kickoff return for 29 yards in a 20-17 loss to Colorado.
S Jaylen Kelly-Powell (Akron): Kelly-Powell made 5 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss in a 38-0 loss to Kent State.
DE Aaron Lewis (Rutgers): Lewis made 5 tackles and 1 quarterback hurry in a 28-0 loss to Penn State.
WR Oliver Martin (Nebraska): Martin did not record any statistics in a 35-28 loss to Wisconsin.
QB Dylan McCaffrey (Northern Colorado): McCaffrey completed 2/2 passes for 24 yards and ran 2 times for 13 yards in a 48-17 loss to Weber State.Overall, he completed 160/265 passes (60.4%) for 1,332 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. He also ran 58 times for 227 yards and 4 touchdowns.
QB Joe Milton (Tennessee): Milton completed 5/7 passes for 32 yards and ran 2 times for -7 yards in a 60-14 win over South Alabama.
LB William Mohan (Tennessee): Mohan did not play in a 41-17 loss to Georgia.
DT Phillip Paea (Utah State): Paea made 1 tackle 44-17 loss to Wyoming.
QB Brandon Peters (Illinois): Peters completed 16/36 passes for 248 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions in a 33-23 loss to Iowa. He rushed 3 times for -14 yards.
S Hunter Reynolds (Utah State): Reynolds made a career high 10 tackles in a 44-17 loss to Wyoming.
RB O'Maury Samuels (New Mexico State): Samuels did not play in the game, a 56-16 loss to Kentucky.
CB Myles Sims (Georgia Tech): Sims made 7 tackles and 1 tackle for loss in a 55-0 loss to Notre Dame.
LB Drew Singleton (Rutgers): Singleton made 12 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss in a 28-0 loss to Penn State.
DT Aubrey Solomon (Tennessee): Solomon did not play in a 60-14 loss to South Alabama.
RB Christian Turner (Wake Forest): Turner ran 6 times for 19 yards in a 48-27 loss to Clemson.
LB Ben VanSumeren (Michigan State): VanSumeren made 4 tackles and 1 tackle for loss in a 56-7 loss to Ohio State.
DE Luiji Vilain (Wake Forest): Vilain made 3 tackles in a 48-27 loss to Clemson.
RB Kareem Walker (South Alabama): Walker had 7 carries for 29 yards and 3 catches for 8 yards in a 60-14 loss to Tennessee.
LB Cornell Wheeler (Kansas): Wheeler did not record any stats in a 31-28 loss to TCU.
RB Tru Wilson (Northern Colorado): Wilson did not record any stats.
S J'Marick Woods (Duke): Woods made 3 tackles and 1 pass breakup in a 62-22 loss to Louisville.
FORMER COMMITS
RB Tim Baldwin, Jr. (Indiana): Baldwin did not play in a 35-14 loss to Minnesota.
CB Te'Cory Couch (Miami): Couch made 4 tackles and 1 pass breakup in a 38-26 win over Virginia Tech.
C Emil Ekiyor, Jr. (Alabama): Ekiyor is Alabama's starting center.
RB Eric Gray (Oklahoma): Gray had 4 carries for 23 yards and 1 catch for 0 yards in a 28-21 win over Iowa State.
OLB Stephen Herron, Jr. (Stanford): Herron did not play in a 41-11 loss to Cal.
C Jalil Irvin (Auburn): Irvin is a backup lineman for Auburn.
LB Branden Jennings (Maryland): Jennings made 1 tackle in a 59-18 loss to Michigan.
RB Amauri Pesek-Hickson (Kansas): Pesek-Hickson ran 9 times for 28 yards in a 31-28 loss to TCU.
S Otis Reese (Ole Miss): Reese made 5 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, and 0.5 sacks in a 31-17 win over Vanderbilt.
S Antwaine Richardson (Kent State): Richardson did not play in a 38-0 win over Akron.
OT Erik Swenson (Oklahoma): Swenson is Oklahoma's starting left tackle.
TE Leonard Taylor (Cincinnati): Taylor made 1 catch for 3 yards in a 48-14 win over SMU.
WR Xavier Worthy (Texas): Worthy made 7 catches for 85 yards and 1 touchdown in a 31-23 loss to West Virginia.
Hudson Card finds Xavier Worthy for six!
— CJ Vogel (@CJVogel_TFB) November 20, 2021
The deep pass connects finally. Great throw and catch. pic.twitter.com/nPx9UMf8m8
FORMER COACHES
Don Brown (Defensive Coordinator, Arizona): Arizona lost by a score of 44-18 to Washington State, but Brown signed up to be the new head coach at UMass.
D.J. Durkin (Defensive Coordinator, Ole Miss): Ole Miss beat Vanderbilt by a score of 31-17.
Jedd Fisch (Head Coach, Arizona): Arizona fell to 1-10 with a 44-18 loss to Washington State.
Brady Hoke (Head Coach, San Diego State): SDSU is now 10-1 after a 28-20 win over UNLV.
Scot Loeffler (Head Coach, Bowling Green State): BGSU dropped to 3-8 with a 34-7 loss to Miami-OH.
Rich Rodriguez (Offensive Coordinator, Louisiana-Monroe): ULM dropped to 4-7 with a 27-14 loss to LSU.
Don Brown signing with UMass is interesting. I understand a desire to return to his home region. And I understand a desire to reduce travel, as UMass likely recruits far more regionally than do bigger schools like Michigan and Arizona. Brown is 66 years old and (reportedly) has some health issues. Presumably he has the financial means to retire if he had to. So he's still in it "for the love of the game," I would guess.
ReplyDeleteWhat's interesting is why UMass, and not some FCS school in the northeast, where the pressures would be even fewer. It's not like UMass is a pressure-cooker of a football school. Perhaps it's "big enough" to attract talent he can work with, without being "too big" where the pressures of winning take over.
Before I retired, I worked in a Fortune 100 company. I was aware of a number of people who stepped down from executive roles to be a non-management worker-bee type of person. Why? So they could enjoy life a bit more. I'm guessing this is Brown's motivation: stay in the game he loves, but in a way that allows him to sleep at night.
Brown is going to be a head coach so I doubt he's really lessoning his duties in any meaningful way. I'd expect the opposite, even if he doesn't have to fly as much.
DeleteMy guess is just wants to be back home in New England closer to his family.
I'm curious about the running backs that transferred from Michigan to other schools. If running backs are interchangeable cogs, without differentiation, then one school should be as good as another, so why go through the hassle of transferring and moving? ;-)
ReplyDeletePlaying time usually. Take the example of Michael Cox in 2011.
DeleteRemember when Thunder was saying he was a hidden gem on Michigan's bench and should play more? The coaches disagreed, two different staffs, so he transferred to Umass where theoretically a guy good enough to get drafted to the NFL should have been a difference maker. But he wasn't. He got a lot of carries, opportunity given, yes but the results.... he got 3.6 ypc and his team went 1-11. In college, he didn't matter. Not at a place like Michigan and not at a lower level either. In high school, in New England, yes. In college, no. In the NFL, absolutely not.
It's not that running backs are all identical. There are obviously better backs and worse backs, and some are better at some things than others (e.g., Vincent Smith and Deveon Smith are more different players than Donovan Edwards and Hassan Haskins).
It's that from a TEAM perspective they are interchangeable. Replacing one with another doesn't materially change your chances of winning at the college level. That's why we can see Corum go down and it's no issue at all. Corum is really good!
It depends on the team of course but it's a bigger deal to most teams to lose an OT or LB or punter than it is to lose a RB. They get lots of attention but they don't have much affect on outcomes. Especially at a place like Michigan that recruits tremendous athletes and even has walk-ons that could be starting at many other schools.
The way that people think about fullbacks now, that's the way we should think of RBs. People thought fullbacks mattered in 1988. Some of them got drafted in the first round back then. Did they matter? No. We all recognize that now fullbacks don't matter even though most teams still have them or use them in some form.
The point you're trying to make has to do with the *relative* value of the running back compared to other positions on a football team. Using the phrase "don't matter" is imprecise.
DeleteIf the positions of a football team were ranked, most important to least, it's true the running back would *not* be the most important. That position is the quarterback. Running backs are further down. Where, exactly, can be debated. But the number does not matter: the point is on a *relative* basis, in general, running backs are not as important as other positions.
But that is not to say that an individual running back won't change that ranking. Every college team and every NFL team would *love* to have a running back that combined the speed of Denard Robinson, the elusiveness of Barry Sanders, and the toughness of Earl Campbell. Conjure up someone like that and the calculus of relative value changes considerably.
The game has changed from years past, that much is true. Empty backfield sets are not uncommon now, but they were unheard of in the days of Bo Schembechler except for obvious Hail Mary situations. Running backs are now, in general, *relatively* less important to the game than are wide receivers and tight ends. At Michigan, right now, running backs are *more* important, as Michigan's passing attack, if that's all they had, would not be dominant. Haskins and Corum have enabled Michigan's overall offense to function.
"Don't matter" is a poor choice words. "Relatively less important" is a better way to phrase it.
Corum going down was a huge issue. Those receptions HH got might have gone to the house with Corum's speed. Some of those 10, 12yd runs cold have been 20-30, TDs ... Speculation? Perhaps, but we have seen what Corum can do on the same field, again the same opponent. Those are the explosive plays that put a game away, rather than going down to the last drive
Delete*this does not take away from HH. He grabs the last 1-3yds like no one on the roster is capable, not even Corum. Certainly not Edwards or Dunlap
Who plays, and how they're played does matter
@anon
DeleteYeah, it's imprecise. Also hyperbolic. The tradeoff is that it's succinct and easy to understand. Mostly true. And easy to remember.
Barry Sanders mattered in the NFL. Saquan Barkley mattered in college. There are certainly other exceptions.
I'm still hoping Corum is one of them even if this year he hasn't been.
I think the offense would continue to function just fine without Haskins and Corum. Why? It functioned just fine when Michigan lost 80% of their RB carries after 2018, unexpectedly. Replaced a couple guys expected to be NFL players with a walk-on, a freshman, and a converted LB. Net effect, negligible.
@Anon
Delete"Less important" is too imprecise. Compared to what? A bag of skittles? Too squishy.
RB is the least important of the primary 22 starting positions. Should I add the "among the" modifier for accuracy? Nah. Easier to just say they don't really matter.
NFL RB salaries reflect the relative unimportance of the position. All the stuff you said is true but you also failed to mention that they rotate all the time and can typically step in if their partner(s) go down with injury.
Low pay and underutilized? Means you're easy to replace. Wish there was a short phrase for this...
@JE
DeleteCool fantasy. I can say stuff too. AJ Henning is the most explosive runner on the team. If Michigan just gave him the ball instead of these slower RBs they'd average 8 yards a carry and score way more TDs.
If JJ McCarthy was QB we'd....
Fantasies are fun. but not convincing.
Fantasy? We have not seen Henning at RB; JJ has shown he's not ready. This is a reality
DeleteYou know what else is reality? Corum breaking long runs, against the same opponents Haskins gets 8-12yds. Corum may not be the guy we want for a big 4th & short, but he is our homerun Back
Just saying stuff for the sake of saying stuff is not convincing
Haskins has been more productive against better opponents. Their YPC has tracked each other.
DeleteYou admit it's speculation. e.g., "Could be". Fantasy, delusion, it's a fine line.
Henning "could be" more productive. Who knows?
Preschool pretend time. Let's get in a circle.
Go Blue!
Haskins has been more production, period. He's over 1000yds; Edwards just over 100 ...
DeleteTheir YPC is not tracking ea other; Haskins had a higher YPC in every contest outside of mighty NIU ... That's the outlier, a single MAC opponent
Not sure where you are going regarding Henning, but we've been doing this long enough for me to guess you're distracting from your bad take, and will follow it up with insults
It's satire JE. Anybody can invent a hypothetical. In this here hypothetical we got one game of Edwards as a primary back and he did well. That was a few days after you said he wasn't ready. He proved you wrong but instead of owning that you'll say you meant something far more limited or specific.
DeleteWe agree that Edwards will get better, I just think it's going to be pretty incremental (pass blocking, sticking to north/south script) while you act like he stinks as a runner and needs to hit the weight room.
Haskins is better than Edwards but Edwards is solid RB right now. That's why they've been trying to get him the ball all year.
Meant to say "non-hypothetical". Edwards had 180 yards. Some might call it "lies" to only list the rushing yards as if receiving doesn't count.
DeleteBut even in 1990s RB receiving yards counted and QB rushing yards counted. Look up the '92 49ers.
Edwards is a good RB. Arguing otherwise is just 80s worldview and denialism with an agenda.
at least neither of us know what you're talking about ...
DeleteI said Edwards needs room, and has not shown he is a between the Tackles RB. This is backed by stats & film. You disagree, based on feelings & hope
Michael Cox didn't matter because he averaged 3.6 yards per carry at UMass, but his backups averaged 2.7, 2.8, 1.4, 2.0, 1.0, and 0.0. He didn't matter, though, because his team wasn't good.
DeleteJaycee Horn didn't matter to South Carolina last year, either, even though he was a 1st round pick. But his team was 2-8. So he didn't matter. Kwity Paye didn't matter in 2020 because his team went 2-4. OT Christian Darrisaw, WR Rashod Bateman, LB Jamin Davis, DE Payton Turner all played for losing teams.
So what we've learned here is that RB, OT, WR, LB, and DE don't matter.
Context matters. Data guys know this
DeleteThunder that's a terrible argument.
DeleteHere is why Cox doesn't matter:
+Couldn't win a starting job at Michigan
+Couldn't win it again under a new coach at Michigan
+Transferred for playing time to a lesser level
+"Produced" at a very unexceptional level at the lesser level
+Did not produce at the higher level
Any one of those can be excused if there's countering evidence. But this is a guy given opportunity after opportunity who did nothing impressive beyond high school.
Good players exist on bad teams, sure. But if you can't start on good teams, and don't do anything impressive on bad teams, what exactly is the case that you are an impactful player?
I think the question was answered in the post. Those players didn't start on good teams; they did impressive enough things to get drafted in the 1st round.
DeleteNobody is saying Michael Cox should have been a 1st rounder like those guys, but good players can still exist to a lesser extent, enough to the point that they're impressive and can get drafted.
I pointed out to you the differential. You've said numerous times that backup running backs often come in and perform the same or better. Well, UMass's backups - every single one of them - came in and performed worse. Much worse.
You can't have it both ways. You can't say running backs don't matter because backups come in and player the same/better, and then ALSO say Michael Cox didn't matter when all his backups were worse.
So which one are you wrong about? That running backs don't matter, or that Michael Cox was a difference-maker for UMass? I'll accept either one.
Just so that we are clear here. Your "challenge" is for me to explain why Michael Cox's 3.6 ypc at UMass made a difference? On a 2-11 team. Because a 5'9 186 pound backup RB named Jordan Broadnax averaged 2.7 ypc in 51 carries, 0.9 ypc less than Cox?
DeleteIf so, I guess my answer is that your logic is bad and I'm not wrong about either.
Broadnax average 1.8 yards per catch more than Cox and outproduced him in the air. The guy who replaced Cox the following year (3rd string freshman Jamal Wilson) averaged 3.7 ypc the following year, an improvement over Cox. So it appears he wasn't really missed at all.
If Running Backs mattered and a guy who should have been starting at Michigan and has NFL caliber talent is plugged into a lower level of football you'd think there would something more than 0.9 ypc compared with a 186 pound scat back and no drop off the following year. But indeed that's what happened.
All that aside, let's pretend there was evidence of appreciable impact by Cox. That he averaged 5ypc and went on to a solid NFL career as a quality NFL backup -- you know the kind of thing you expected when you saw those 19 carries against bad teams while at Michigan. Even then...
I can have it both ways. I've said Running Backs don't matter AT MICHIGAN. and similar high level college programs. and the NFL. They can matter in high school a lot more than they can matter in the NFL. It's a continuum. Probability of mattering in High School - reasonably high. Probability of mattering in the NFL - almost nil.
Cox probably was better than his backups at UMass. Did it matter there? No. Did his abilities matter at Michigan? No. Did they matter in the NFL? No.
So let me ask a challenge back to you. If Mike Cox was such a good RB why did he fail to succeed be a starter who could break 4 ypc at any level after high school despite 4 different coaching staffs and 3 different teams?
Where you wrong about Mike Cox or wrong about RBs mattering?
Corum injured? No problem. We got Zach... doh!
ReplyDeleteZC transferred because he fell behind HH and BC. Some of the best evidence we have that those guys are quite good.
DeleteZC is good too - we see it UCLA and we saw it here when he got equal opportunities to Chris Evans who is playing in the NFL.
Last years backfield was loaded. This year's is just not as deep but the third string guy just had a record breaking day so...
Great to see ZC do well but we don't miss him.
We all got opinions.
DeleteIndeed. Feel free to correct mine if you see anything off but please note I keep receipts.
DeleteMcCaffrey left the game a late hit. So his 2 pass attempts were not a function of being benched by his dad.
ReplyDelete