Rivals 100 for 2014 updated

Rivals updated its top 100 prospects today. Here's what it looked like back in August.

Movement for Michigan commits:

- Jabrill Peppers remained at #2
- Drake Harris dropped out of the top 100, likely because he missed his senior year with a hamstring injury

5-stars:
1. Da'Shawn Hand - DE - Virginia (Alabama)
2. Jabrill Peppers - CB - New Jersey (Michigan)
3. Leonard Fournette - RB - Louisiana
4. Quin Blanding - S - Virginia (Virginia)
6. Adoree' Jackson - CB - California
7. Cameron Robinson - OT - Louisiana (Alabama)
8. Andrew Brown - DT - Virginia (Virginia)
9. Joe Mixon - RB - California
10. Damian Prince - OT - Maryland
13. Bo Scarbrough - ATH - Alabama (Alabama)
15. Malachi Dupre - WR - Louisiana
16. Elijah Hood - ATH - North Carolina (North Carolina)
20. Josh Malone - WR - Tennessee
22. John Smith - S - California
24. Jalen Tabor - CB - Washington, DC
27. Myles Garrett - DE - Texas (Texas A&M)
28. Jalen Hurd - RB - Tennessee (Tennessee)

4-stars:
31. Solomon Thomas - DE - Texas
33. Malik McDowell - DE - Michigan
35. Jamal Adams - S - Texas
36. Damon Webb - CB - Michigan (Ohio State)
37. Alex Bars - OT - Tennessee (Notre Dame)
39. Demetrius Knox - OG - Texas (Ohio State)
47. Steven Parker - S - Oklahoma
48. Lorenzo Carter - DE - Georgia
51. Braden Smith - OG - Kansas
52. K.C. McDermott - OT - Florida (Miami)
56. Marshon Lattimore - ATH - Ohio
61. Edward Paris - S - Texas (LSU)
65. Dante Booker - LB - Ohio (Ohio State)
68. Artavis Scott - WR - Florida (Clemson)
72. Jackson Barton - OT - Utah (Utah)
75. Nyles Morgan - LB - Illinois
77. Casey Tucker - OT - Arizona
87. Mark Andrews - WR - Arizona (Oklahoma)

Schools in the News: Washington, USC

Southern California hired Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian away from the Huskies, which opens up recruiting season in the Pac-12. Michigan doesn't typically compete with Washington for recruits, but here's a look at the players and commits for each program that were recruited by Michigan.

WASHINGTON
2014 commits: None
Current players: TE Darrell Daniels, DE Joe Mathis, DT Elijah Qualls, S Sean Parker*, WR John Ross, WR Da'morea Stringfellow, S Shaq Thompson

USC
2014 commits: None
Current players: Hit the link.

USC's coaching/recruiting situation was addressed in the link above, which included a couple guys who thought seriously about Michigan. If they don't like what Sarkisian brings to the table, they could look to transfer. However, Sarkisian's history at USC and his relatively similar style of play to what the Trojans have been running will probably result in very little change of direction for the program.

As for the Huskies, we'll see whom they hire. Parker very nearly signed with Michigan several years ago, but that's water under the bridge. Mathis was very high on Michigan at one point, but he supposedly had some grade issues that scared off some teams, and he was also prone to saying very nice things about every school. Qualls was a part-time high school running back and seemed like another kid with fairly high interest in Michigan, but he never visited. Thompson, a 5-star safety, made some noise about visiting but was never a serious option, and the rest of the guys never showed much interest.

I do not expect this coaching development to have any effect on Michigan, but the guys to look at most closely would be Washington's Mathis and Qualls, plus USC's Ty Isaac and Leon McQuay III.

*Senior in 2013

First Annual All-Big Ten Teams

Because I like to pretend that I'm important - even though I'm not - here's my unofficial ballot for the All-Big Ten teams. We'll find out in a week or so whether these selections are approximately accurate or not.

FIRST TEAM
QB: Braxton Miller, Ohio State

RB: Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin

RB: Carlos Hyde, Ohio State

WR: Jeremy Gallon, Michigan

WR: Allen Robinson, Penn State

TE: Devin Funchess, Michigan

OT: Taylor Lewan, Michigan
OG: Ryan Groy, Wisconsin
C: Corey Linsley, Ohio State
OG: John Urschel, Penn State
OT: Jack Mewhort, Ohio State

DE: Randy Gregory, Nebraska
DT: Michael Bennett, Ohio State
DT: DaQuan Jones, Penn State
DE: Noah Spence, Ohio State
LB: Jonathan Brown, Illinois
LB: Anthony Hitchens, Iowa
LB: Ryan Shazier, Ohio State
CB: Ricardo Allen, Purdue
CB: Blake Countess, Michigan
S: Kurtis Drummond, Michigan State
S: B.J. Lowery, Iowa

K: Jeff Budzien, Northwestern
P: Cody Webster, Purdue
RET: Kevonte Martin-Manley, Iowa
AP: Akeem Hunt, Purdue

SECOND TEAM
QB: Devin Gardner, Michigan
RB: Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska
RB: James White, Wisconsin
WR: Steve Hull, Illinois
WR: Cody Latimer, Indiana
TE: Jacob Pedersen, Wisconsin
OT: Rob Havenstein, Wisconsin
OG: Andrew Norwell, Ohio State
C: Brandon Vitabile, Northwestern
OG: Blake Treadwell, Michigan State
OT: Brandon Scherff, Iowa

DE: Shilique Calhoun, Michigan State
DT: Ra'Shede Hageman, Minnesota
DT: Louis Trinca-Pasat, Iowa
DE: Theiren Cockran, Minnesota
LB: Denicos Allen, Michigan State
LB: Chris Borland, Wisconsin
LB: James Morris, Iowa
CB: Tim Bennett, Indiana
CB: Bradley Roby, Ohio State

S: Ibraheim Campbell, Northwestern

S: Greg Heban, Indiana

K: Pat Smith, Nebraska
P: Peter Mortell, Minnesota
RET: Kenny Bell, Nebraska
AP: Josh Ferguson, Illinois

THIRD TEAM
QB: Nathan Scheelhaase, Illinois
RB: David Cobb, Minnesota

RB: Jeremy Langford, Michigan State

WR: Jared Abbrederis, Wisconsin

WR: Shane Wynn, Indiana

TE: Jeff Heuerman, Ohio State

OT: Jeremiah Sirles, Nebraska

OG: Kyle Costigan, Wisconsin

C: Jack Allen, Michigan State

OG: Spencer Long, Nebraska

OT: Donovan Smith, Penn State

DE: Frank Clark, Michigan

DT: Bruce Gaston, Purdue

DT: Avery Moss, Nebraska

DE: Tyler Scott, Northwestern

LB: Chi Chi Ariguzo, Northwestern

LB: Max Bullough, Michigan State

LB: Damien Proby, Northwestern

CB: Ciante Evans, Nebraska

CB: Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Nebraska

S: Earnest Thomas, Illinois

S: Nick VanHoose, Northwestern

K: Michael Geiger, Michigan State
P: Sam Foltz, Nebraska
RET: V'Angelo Bentley, Illinois
AP: Dontre Wilson, Ohio State

Michigan vs. Ohio State Awards

Devin Funchess had 4 catches for 41 yards and 1 touchdown 

Let's see more of this guy on offense . . . Drew Dileo. I wish Dileo (5 catches, 60 yards, 1 touchdown) had another year left in him. I just think he's one of the more dependable peripheral wide receivers at Michigan. He has had a couple balls go through his hands this year, but this passing offense goes a whole lot better when he's in the game, as compared to . . . say . . . Jeremy Jackson.

Let's see less of this guy on offense . . . Power Al Borges. It's crazy how Michigan's offense started to get going a little bit once Borges realized that Michigan can't overpower teams with a bunch of baby-faced offensive linemen and a 195 lb. tailback. He went from a power team with a finesse running back to a finesse team with power running backs, and now things seem to be clicking a little bit.

Let's see more of this guy on defense . . . Ben Gedeon. Actually, I want James Ross to return to his WILL position as soon as possible, but Gedeon's someone I'm looking forward to watching develop over the next couple years. The coaching staff has done a good job of identifying talent at the inside linebacker positions, and Gedeon (6 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack) has looked solid for a true freshman who got thrown into the fire due to injuries.

Let's see less of this guy on defense . . . Josh Furman. Furman (3 tackles, 1 pass breakup) gets lost out there. He was beaten for a 53-yard touchdown early, was slow to react in the running game, and took some bad angles. Hopefully Jarrod Wilson can return from his injury in time for the bowl game.

Play of the game . . . Devin Funchess's bubble screen. In a play reminiscent of the Indiana game, Funchess took a bubble screen to the right, leaped over cornerback Doran Grant, and sprinted up the right sideline for 22 yards before getting pushed out of bounds. This isn't anything new, but for a 6'5", 235 lb. guy to make these kinds of plays is pretty amazing.

Player of the game . . . Devin Gardner. Gardner had his second-best game ever with a 32/45 effort that resulted in 451 yards and 4 touchdowns, along with 9 carries for 10 yards and 1 touchdown. A chunk of that came with a bum ankle. That's the most passing yards and touchdowns in the history of The Game. He looked beaten up for the past few games, but he looked rejuvenated in this one. Honorable mention goes to Jake Butt (5 catches, 85 yards, 1 touchdown) and Jeremy Gallon (9 catches, 175 yards, 1 touchdown).

MLive: Big Ten hasn't ruled on potential suspensions for Big Ten Championship

I guess the Big Ten is dragging its feet on potential suspensions. I don't see how Ohio State offensive lineman Marcus Hall doesn't get suspended, since he left the sideline to join the fray and then flipped off the fans on national television. But we'll see...

Hit the jump for a girl in a yellow bikini lying on the beach.

Senior Highlights: Maurice Ways

Ohio State 42, Michigan 41

Freshman tight end Jake Butt caught this touchdown pass to tie the game at 35 (image via MLive)

And that's why this is such a great rivalry. When Michigan was 8-3 last year going up against an 11-0 Ohio State, it took some late field goals for the Buckeyes to win 26-21. When Michigan was 7-4 this year going up against an 11-0 Ohio State, it took a botched two-point conversion for the Buckeyes to escape with a 42-41 victory. Michigan has a very talented, capable football team. When they execute and play up to their capabilities, they can hang in there with just about anyone.

Devin Gardner played his behind off. Gardner must have had the adrenaline flowing early in the game, because he looked like a different player out there. The guy has looked bruised and battered for the past several weeks, but this week didn't show it until late in the game when he tweaked his ankle. He finished the game 32/45 for 451 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions; he also ran 9 times for 10 yards and 1 touchdown. That's arguably his best career performance, even though it came in a loss. His numbers were a little better in this year's Notre Dame game, but that game also featured an ugly interception thrown in his own endzone. If he can stay healthy, this is the type of player Gardner should be every week.

The two-point conversion, Part I. I was critical of Brady Hoke's decision to go for it on 4th-and-2 against Northwestern, so I'm not being a Hoke slappie when I say that I think going for two was the best decision at the end of the game. Michigan was the underdog. While they were playing better than they have in weeks, the defense wasn't up to par (no James Ross or Jarrod Wilson, Carlos Hyde and Braxton Miller ran for a ton of yards, etc.) and Gardner was gimpy. If you extend the game there, you run the risk of having to slug it out for the extent of overtime with your most dynamic performer hobbled or potentially knocked out of the game. Hoke is a fairly aggressive coach when it comes to decision-making, and while it didn't work this time, I think he usually makes the right call.

The two-point conversion, Part II. What I didn't like was the play call. Maybe Ohio State was expecting it, but I was fully ready for Michigan to roll Gardner out to the right, where Drew Dileo had motioned into a trips look. And while that seems like an obvious call, it puts [an admittedly hobbled] Gardner on the edge, where he can make a play with his feet - or it puts him in an easier throwing situation with a rub route, a shovel pass, etc. On a critical play like that, I like to put my players in a situation that makes them  comfortable, regardless of what the other team might do. Yes, Ohio State may have been expecting a rollout, but that doesn't mean they could have stopped it.

The brawl. I would love to sit here and say that the Buckeyes started it and they're clearly the enemy, but that was instigated by a crew of Michigan players who were intentionally crowding freshman returner Dontre Wilson after the play. Wilson needs to be smarter and not let stuff like that get to him, but the Michigan guys lit the match. I was glad that more players weren't ejected, but there probably could have been a couple more if the referees wanted to really take control. As it turned out, things worked in Michigan's favor, since all they lost was special teamer Royce Jenkins-Stone; the Buckeyes lost an integral part of their offense and special teams in Wilson and a starting offensive guard, Marcus Hall, who proceeded to give two middle fingers to Michigan's crowd as he went to the tunnel, all the while stomping and throwing things in a childish temper tantrum. Hopefully that will result in a suspension for Hall.

Michigan was in a bad place defensively. I have made no secret of not being a fan of Josh Furman's abilities at safety, and he was the culprit on a couple big plays, including a 53-yard touchdown pass to Devin Smith. Starting safety Jarrod Wilson was supposedly in a cast on the sideline, so I guess he wasn't an option, but Furman just isn't up to snuff as a safety. Despite very good speed, he doesn't recognize routes or read plays very well. It looks like he'll be in line to start next to Wilson next year, since both Courtney Avery and Thomas Gordon graduate, so hopefully his extended experience this season helps him improve. Meanwhile, the Wolverines were missing leading tackler James Ross after he got injured against Iowa last week. As far as I know, Ohio State was at full strength on defense, but the Wolverines' loss of two key players defensively - and the absence of placekicker Brendan Gibbons, who might have nailed a field goal instead of forcing Hoke to go for it on an ill-fated fourth down - could have made a difference.

Devin Gardner's fumble wasn't a fumble. His knees were down when the ball came out. Replay should have overturned the fumble. At the very least, the call should have "stood" but the referee said replay "confirmed" the fumble. Of course, that last sentence is pretty inconsequential.

The running backs are good? Freshman De'Veon Smith led the team with 7 carries for 57 yards, including a 38-yarder. His lack of breakaway speed was apparent, so hopefully people will stop saying that he's fast just because he ran away from a bunch of tiny kids at Warren Howland; but he did break a solid tackle attempt on that 38-yarder, so that's something. Senior Fitzgerald Toussaint had 5 carries for 33 yards and 1 touchdown, along wtih 4 receptions for 48 yards. Freshman Derrick Green had 12 carries for 47 yards. Overall, those guys combined for 24 carries, 137 yards, and 1 touchdown, which is a pretty solid day.

The offensive line is good? Hahahaha, just kidding, guys. No, the offensive line isn't good, but it has improved over the past few weeks. Michigan State and Nebraska were the nadir of the line, and now it has progressed to a mediocre level. I've said for a couple years that I think 2014 is where the offensive line starts to get it together, despite the losses of Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield, the latter of whom has never particularly impressed me. However, those running backs mentioned above were tackled for a grand total of zero  losses, a clear improvement from weeks past. The line still allowed 6 tackles for loss thanks to 3 sacks of Gardner, a couple Gardner runs, and a Devin Funchess run.

Al Borges and Darrell Funk are saved? Boy, oh boy. If you're an Al Borges hater, this performance might have been the worst thing for you. If Michigan came out and laid an egg offensively, I think Borges would have definitely been out the door after the season. He still might, but this makes it a tougher call. The same goes for Funk, the offensive line coach. Of course, Hoke and athletic director David Brandon are paid to look at things objectively, not just in the aftermath of one of Michigan's best offensive performances this year. The overall product on the field has been subpar for the majority of the year. I like that Borges eventually capitulated to running bubble screens, the bubble screen draw, and various other screens, but it took too long for Michigan to get away from running power and iso this year. The Wolverines had a heyday with screens to Funchess, Gallon, Toussaint, and Butt in this game, and for good reason.

This was a great game. Even without Michigan's final touchdown, this was a great game. Michigan could have pulled off a whopper of an upset, and even though they lost a heartbreaker, they should be proud of the game the played. Stepping back from the "Michigan should be winning these games more often" mindset that a lot of entitled fans have, this particular team was overmatched in every single phase of the game. Ohio State's closest win this season was a 7-point victory against Wisconsin, and their Big Ten wins this year have averaged a score of 47-20. When I did my game preview, I felt that Ohio State was better at running the ball, throwing the ball, stopping the run, and stopping the pass . . . and the statistics backed that up. On top of those categories, the Buckeyes had momentum and a championship-winning head coach on their side. All those advantages added up to a one-point victory. Regardless of what teams 1 through 133 accomplished, team 134 should be proud of its effort and execution yesterday.