Team 133 And Senior Day

This Saturday will be my last game in the Big House as a student.  It's shocking to write and even more shocking to think about.  After four years of making the trek to the Big House, my journey as a student will end with a game against Iowa.  It's been an interesting 4 years to say the least.  When I arrived on campus, Michigan was trying to recover from a 3-9 season and accusations of NCAA violations.  I can clearly remember being heckled by many people in the weeks prior to my freshman year about these facts.

Things of course got better.  Michigan limped to a 5-7 record in my freshman year, but they improved to 7-6 in 2010, won the Sugar Bowl in 2011, and still have the slight potential for a Big Ten Championship game this year.  To say I've grown with the football program would be cliche  but to an extent, it's probably true.  With Senior Day this Saturday, one can't help but looking back at how this team has went from offseason disaster to legitimate conference and national contender.

What's been even better have been the incredible moments that have came along the way.  My first game in the Big House was the Western Michigan game in 2009 when everybody got to see the first game of the high profile Tate Forcier and the incredible first play of Denard Robinson.  The next week we got to see an exciting upset of Notre Dame.  Sure, there were some depressing times later in the year, but I had the pleasure to come back for the re-dedication of the Big House for the opening game of 2010 along with the record-breaking performances of Denard in 2010.  Add in the 2010 Illinois game and there was more than enough excitement from most fans.

Recapping Michigan State

Finally, four years of agony and torture has ended. By the hands of Drew Dileo and the leg of Brendan Gibbons, Michigan advanced to 3-0 in the Big Ten and, looking at the bigger picture, won the program's 900th game, the most in college football.

The first thing I will say about this game is I seriously underestimated the ability of Spartan QB Andrew Maxwell. I gave him zero credit and almost looked like a fool for it -- almost. Without the play of Maxwell, Michigan State would not have been in that game.

But moving on.

What's the Dileo? It's been a common theme throughout this season to not really have the same WR step up in back to back weeks, but that's okay as long as the job gets done. This past Saturday, it was Drew Dileo.

Week 4: Biggest Performers And Underperformers

What an ugly game. I think that's the best way to put it. It was one of those nights where the $500 consequence of throwing a remote through the TV would have been worth it. And in a game where you really do beat yourself, there are a lot of individual performances that amounted to a weak team performance.

On the other hand, I think we learned a couple positive things about this team, even in such a mess of a game. As always, we start with the bright first.

1. Jordan Kovacs - S

Jordan Kovacs was just one part of an over all impressive defensive performance from the Wolverines on Saturday night. Notre Dame doesn't have the strongest offense in the land, but they have just enough talent and play making ability to give a defense a lot to worry about.

Notre Dame Players to Watch

Entering week 4, Michigan has yet another tough contest against Notre Dame. Notre Dame is looking for it's first 4-0 record since 2002, and Michigan is after a 3-1 start before the conference schedule begins. Notre Dame has only allowed 30 points thus far in the season, including a great defensive performance against Michigan State in which they won 20-3. ND is also ranked 8th in the nation in points allowed, but are in the middle of the pecking order when it comes to the other major stats: passing yards, rushing yards, and points scored. That all boils down to how stingy their defense is and how Michigan can score on them. Right now, Michigan is ranked 33rd in points scored, and will need to score on every opportunity come Saturday in South Bend. Michigan has won 5 out of the last 6 meetings, with the last 3 being decided by a touchdown in the waning minutes of the game. This year figures to be no different, but Michigan has a much tougher task than usual. Here are a few players Michigan needs to keep contained:


1. Manti Te'o--Since this season there has been such an emphasis on defense for the Fighting Irish, then their defense begins with Te'o. A consensus first team preseason All-American,  Te'o has recorded 28 tackles so far this season, with one interception, one forced fumble and fumble return, and one tackle for loss. That might not sound like much to some people, but that is only over a span of 3 games so far. He is a stud inside linebacker that will probably go in the first round of the NFL draft. A 2011 finalist for the Butkus and Lott awards, he will roam all over the defense as Ray Lewis does for the Ravens. Michigan will need to run a no-huddle offense at times to wear him out and keep him from blitzing against the pass. It will be a difficult task for Michigan to contain him. Denard Robinson will not only need to not telegraph his passing reads, but also stay mobile enough out of the pocket to avoid him.

Pre-season All-Big Ten Teams Breakdown

Photo Credit: PhilSteele

Phil Steele has released his 2012 preseason All-Big Ten teams, and a lot of familiar names have made their way onto the list.

OFFENSE

QB- Denard Robinson (1st Team):

Topping the 1st team list at quarterback is no surprise: Denard Robinson. Denard "Shoelace" Robinson is one of the most exciting exciting players to watch in all of college football, and, while nothing is set in stone this early, Denard seems to be the favorite to get the first team selection among just about everybody.

The largest obstacle standing in front of Robinson is decision making. The Michigan staff says 1/3 of his 15 interceptions from a year ago were due to poor decisions, and Denard has acknowledged that flaw to his game. If we see a Denard Robinson that can keep attacking on the ground, as well as cut the turnovers in half, there is no way around crowning him with 1st team honors.

WR- Roy Roundtree (1st Team):

The second Wolverine to find himself on the 1st team ballot is WR Roy Roundtree. Everyone remembers Roundtree from a year ago for the famous TD grab with 2 seconds on the clock against Notre Dame, but he only had 19 receptions all year, after 72 receptions in 2010. However, the absence of Junior Hemingway will open up a huge opportunity for Roundtree to step up as a target of Denard Robinson.

OT- Taylor Lewan (1st Team):

The third and final 1st team selection for the Wolverines is OT Taylor Lewan, a 6-foot-8-inch, 294 lb junior. Lewan was one of the most physical presences up front in the Big Ten, but was somewhat downplayed because of the play of David Molk, last year's Rimington Award recipient.

Lewan played a very key part in the success of both running the football and protecting Denard Robinson in the backfield. Very few teams had any kind of success penetrating the Michigan O-line, which in turn led to the success of Fitz Toussaint in the running game and allowed Robinson to toss 20 TDs.

RB- Fitzgerald Toussaint (2nd Team):

Fitz Toussaint is a name worthy of a 1st team bid, but with other RBs like Montee Ball and Rex Burkhead, he finds himself as the only Wolverine selected onto the 2nd team. Last year, Toussaint established himself as the primary back in the beginning of Big Ten play, and that is exactly what Al Borgess wanted from his Wolverines backfield, someone to step up and carry the ball 20-25 times a game for the long haul. The staff is still working to develop Toussaint into a back that can take the pressure off of Denard's legs, which would ultimately make them both more affective.

OG- Patrick Omameh (3rd Team):

Patrick Omameh is another big body up front for the Michigan offense, and, much like Taylor Lewan, was somewhat looked over because of the play of David Molk. Still, Omameh made huge contributions to the Wolverines O-line. I could have seen his name anywhere from 2nd team to 4th team and really wouldn't have been too surprised, so 3rd team is certainly a good fit for big man.

WR- Jeremy Gallon (4th Team):

Jeremy Gallon is the only Wolverine to find himself on the 4th team, but, of all players selected preseason, I believe Gallon is the most likely to move up by the end of the season, possibly as far as the 2nd team. He made a huge jump from 2010 to 2011, going from just 4 to 31 receptions and was a consistent target for Denard Robinson all season. Gallon's biggest weapon is speed, so his numbers will highly depend on his ability to get out in the open field, however Al Borgess goes about doing that.

DEFENSE

LB- Kenny Demens (2nd Team):

No Wolverine made it as a 1st team selection on defense, but the first of three to be named to the 2nd team is Kenny Demens. Demens finds himself on the 2nd team strictly because of his ability to find the ball carrier and bring him down. He isn't a defender who is going to nose out the ball through the air or rack up 10 sacks per season. In a defense led by coordinator Greg Mattison, the number one emphasis was ganging up on the ball, and that's exactly what Kenny Demens was able to do. All in all, Demens accounted for 49 solo tackles and 45 solo tackles.

CB- J.T. Floyd (2nd Team):

J.T. Floyd is a very nice selection for 2nd team CB. Floyd is a much improved cover corner who has had his share of tests. The biggest stepping stone to his game came against Notre Dame, when the defensive scheme matched him up 1-on-1 with Michael Floyd (now with the Arizona Cardinals) for most of the game, and he held his own for the most part. This is J.T. Floyd's secondary, and I expect to see a very solid season from the senior.

S- Jordan Kovacs (2nd Team):

The final Wolverine to be selected to the 2nd team is Safety Jordan Kovacs. Kovacs had to walk on to the football team and now finds himself starting at Safety and doing a fine job at it, as well. Kovacs is passion-driven player who makes the right plays at the right times. I actually thought Kovacs would be a 4th team selection, but this just goes to show the amount of respect he has built up with other people.

DE- Craig Roh (3rd Team):

Senior Craig Roh is the only Wolverine selected onto the 3rd team, but I think Roh could have been a 2nd team selection. Craig Roh's staple was the ability to get into the backfield. He accounted for a sack in all but four games that he played in. A lot of his success from last year was due to the attention required by Mike Martin and Ryan Van Burgen, so it will be interesting to see if he can keep his success going with those two up front with him.

S- Thomas Gordon (4th Team):

Thomas Gordon is probably my biggest surprise being selected for the Wolverines, but he has deserved this honor. Gordon's biggest up-side is closing speed. As the last line of defense of safety, Gordon accounted for a good number of tackles.

SPECIAL TEAMS

PR- Jeremy Gallon (3rd Team)

Jeremy Gallon is the only Wolverine listed under the special teams, but I think this is well deserved. Gallon is always a threat on the returning side, especially punt return, and, for the most part, he did a nice job of getting the Wolverines offense into good position.