Maize Pages

The Real Season Starts Wednesday

2012-04-09T21:34:00.006-04:00

It is that time of year again. Hockey Playoffs.

(Just watch this if you don’t want to read anything about hockey. )

I have been bothering Jeff all year about hockey and now is the time when everyone joins in and start watching it with me. This past season I have watched more hockey than I ever have before in my life and here are the major storylines for those of you that haven’t been watching (which is everyone I know)…

1. St. Louis Blues- The Blues have been the team of the year so far. There were so little expectations on this team coming into the year and then fired their coach 13 games into the season. Certainly no one expected much after that but the Blues hired Ken Hitchcock to turn everything around. Hitchcock has come in and done what he does best and build the team around defense. The Blues have two legit goalies in Brian Elliot and Jaroslav Halak (who still haunts my dreams from 2 years ago when he was in Montreal.) Those two, along with their defensive style of play led the league with 2.02 goals per game. The Blues not only made the playoffs but they won the deepest division in hockey in besting the Preds, Wings and Hawks to a Central division title. Now we get to see what this team is made of in the postseason. As Hitchcok said last week, he wants to see how his guys respond when the "wow" factor of playoff hockey hits them in the face.

2. Legit divisions/horrendous divisions- Both the Atlantic Division in the East and the already mentioned Central in the West were loaded with top teams. Each division got four teams in and all of those teams were in the top 5 for points in each Conference. The problem is, with the current playoff structure, at least two of these teams will be bounced in the first round. (More on that later)

The horrendous divisions include both the Southeast in the East and the Pacific in the West. All you need to know about these divisions is that the Florida Panthers and Phoenix Coyotes each won these respective divisions for the first time ever. The freaking Panthers fergodaskes. (Rats on the ice!) Top teams like the Caps and Sharks limped into the playoffs and now face stiffer competition because of it.

3. Concussions- I am not even going to talk about Crosby because he seems to be the only one covered. A lot of stars were and still are dealing with an ongoing issue that the league refuses to take a stanceon. Stars like Backstrom, Sedin (one of them, I can't tell them apart) Pronger, and Toews all have been out significant time with concussions. After having to deal with this myself with Crosby the past year I have learned one thing about concussions and that is no one knows anything about concussions. Every little thing I have read or seen just makes it even more confusing. I am going to stop now because it hurts my brain but it is clearly an issue and not just within hockey. (I am looking at you football.)

4, Geno- I know some people will say Stamkos had a better year since he scored 60 goals but Malkin not only had 12 more points than Stammer but he did it 10 months removed from tearing his ACL. Geno dominated from Christmas on and carried the Pens back up near the top of the E Conference. The most compelling stat for Malkin and his MVP resume is the factthat his linemates, Neal and Kunitz, both had career years playing alongside him. Neal went from having only 2 goals in a half season with the Pens to 40 goals playing with Geno. Clearly he makes all of those around him better. Plus he had unreal goals like this, this, this, this, this and this. O and this one.

5. Potential lockout- I hate to be a Debbie D but after all the talk about NFL and NBA lockouts last year, the NHL is now the next league to have to worry about this. The CBA will be up at the end of this season and we all know Bettman could fuck this up. The NHL has made some great strides and is headed in the right direction but we all know that this could all hit the fan this summer. For the next two months we don't need to talk about it. I am sorry I brought it up. Onto the playoffs

Now the fun stuff. Playoff hockey baby. 2 month of standing on a ledge (if you are lucky enough to last that long)

Here are the top series
1. Pens/Flyers- So much HATE
2. Wings/Preds- This will be an interesting matchup of the old guard and the up and coming team. Big thing here is can the Wings win on the road
3. Caps/Bruins- Do the Bruins and Tim Thomas have enough in the tank to win two in a row?
4. Blues/Sharks- Will the Sharks just die already?
5. Canucks/Kings- This will be a fun series plus I will get to chant "Luuuooonnnngggggoooo" to myself in my apartment at 11 pm at night. I am looking forward to it.
6. Panthers/Devils- I am kidding. If you watch this series then you need to change your life

Picking hockey series is beyond stupid but Jeff and I are going to do it anyway. I have watched more hockey this year than I ever have and I still have no idea what to expect. Instead of watching shows like Mad Men or the Walking Dead, I have spent my Sunday's watching Flames/Stars games. (I live a sad lonely life.) Here are our picks anyway

EAST

(1) New York Rangers vs. (8) Ottowa Senators

Jeff: The Senators have a bunch of players who can put it in the net but Lundquist and the Rangers' power play defense should keep them an arm's length away. Plus, Rangers/Pens must happen at some point. Otherwise, this is all your fault, Bettman. Rangers in 5.

Mike: The Rangers lucked out by drawing the Sens and not a dangerous Caps team. I have seen a few folks pick the Sens to make this a series but they don't have the depth the hang with the Rangers. Plus, as Jeff points out, the Pens and Rangers must play down the road to make this season complete. Rangers in 6

(2) Boston Bruins vs. (7) Washington Capitals

Jeff: The returning Cup champs start their title defense against a team I don't understand. Actually, I don't even think the Caps know what to expect. The offensive talent on the Bruins should carry them but Caps rookie goalminder Braden Holtby, who is 4-1-1 in 6 of their last 10 games, is the wildcard here. If he stands on his head and Ovie goes off, they could really frustrate Boston. Bruins in 7.

Mike: The Caps were all over the place all year and now may actually have done something good for themselves by lowering expectations. If they lose the Bruins it won't be considered a disaster that it had been when they lost in the past. Still, this series comes down to goal tending. The Caps are starting a rookie in Braden Holtby and the Bruins have Timmy Thomas. If Thomas plays like he did last year then forget about it. I don't think he will though one because he is old and last year's run took a lot out of him.Second, Thomas hates going to DC, the dude hates government. Caps in 6.

(3) Florida Panthers vs. (6) New Jersey Devils

Jeff: Mike has sent me this video almost every single day for the past 2 months. Plus, it's the Panthers. Don't let the seeding throw you off: it'd be a upset the other way around if the Devils can't shut down Florida hockey. Devils in 6.

Mike: Come on Jeff, you have to put this video in there too. It isn’t complete without them both. I really have nothing else to say about this series. Other than I hope the Devils lose but they won’t. Devils in 6

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) Philadelphia Flyers

Jeff: This is the time of year where you may want to unfollow Mike's Twitter. The Pens have the players, not to mention finally their health back, to win it all but the thing that concerns me most for them is the road to get there, starting with the Flyers. It's going to be a slugfest. Pittsburgh should skate but will Hartnell and the Flyers leave them wounded? Best case is getting out of this round early but they won't. Pens in 7

Mike: No one really follows me on Twitter except random girls who say they are looking for dates that clearly aren't real. (I am not falling for it. Again Anyway) I will try to remain as objective as possible here but every time I think about the Flyers I just start shaking with how much I hate them. The thing is the Flyers are a bad matchup for the Pens. The Pens have struggled with them all year and until Saturday the Flyers were unbeaten at the new CEC center in Pittsburgh. Plus, I know Jagr or Talbot will rip my heart out at least one time. Still, the Pens are now healthy and when they are humming they have more depth and talent than any team in the league. Key here, as always, is goalies. If MAF is on then the Pens win, if not, things will get tricky. God help me. Pens in 7

WEST

(1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (8) Los Angeles Kings

Jeff: Another year, another 1 seed for the Canucks. The story for Vancouver has, and will always be as long as Luongo is in net at least, goaltending. The Sedin brothers will weird their way to victory but until this team, this city has confidence in Luongo's ability, they won't get as far as their talent should. It's the Kings though. Canucks in 5.

Mike: The West is just loaded. Period. The Kings are a real solid team but their only hope is if Jonathan Quick carries them (I am going to call this "Halaking") or if Luongo implodes. I think the Canucks will be able to out skill them and Luongo will save his emotional breakdown for later in the playoffs. Canucks in 6

(2) St. Louis Blues vs. (7) San Jose Sharks

Jeff: Man, the Blues let their overall #1 seed slip away, losing 4 of their last 5 and 8 of their last 11. They're such a young team; I wonder if they'll have the experience and hunger to go far, or past the 1st round at all. They haven't received much attention or credit all year until Brian Elliott dangerously flirted with breaking the shutout streak. They're also 4-0 against the Sharks. So naturally I'm picking Sharks in 6.

Mike: On paper this should be a great series. The Sharks have as much talent as anyone in the league but they haven't shown it at all this year. The big thing with the Blues is can they handle the big stage. If they can handle the pressure then this one will be real quick and everyone can go to Papi’s. Blues in 5

(3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (6) Chicago Blackhawks

Jeff: Another weird 3/6 thanks to some disproportionate divisions. They should just have an East Atlantic vs. West Central playoffs. Should be a rare defensive matchup but that's largely due to some terrible power plays by both teams. There is no reason to watch this unless you are from Chicago. Hawks in 7.

Mike: I can't figure out the Hawks. I have watched like 20-25 games this year for them and they are all over the map. One game they look like the dominant team that won it 2 years ago and the other they can't do anything. The key to this series, stop me if you have heard this before, will be goal tending. Mike Smith of the Coyotes is expected to be the guy that carries them over the hump and wins them this series. I want to say they will but I will still go with a more talented team like the Hawks. Plus the Hawks and Canucks have to play each other, it is a rule. Hawks in 7

(4) Nashville Predators vs. (5) Detroit Red Wings

Jeff: Anybody who reads this blog probably knows more about the Wings than I do. My Detroit sports Twitter feed does tell me that after their mid-season home winning streak, the Wings finished their season in pretty uninspiring fashion, losing 12 of their last 18 since the start of March. The key will be staying away from stupid penalties and Nashville's power play line. That and Jimmy Howard eating pucks. Wings in 6.

Mike: How much will home ice matter? The Preds got the home ice advantage and the Wings have been terrible on the road all year. If the Wings can steal one of the first two then they may be able to turn the series in their favor. Still, I feel a changing of the guard moment with the Preds as loaded as they ever have been. Don’t worry Detroit sports fans the Tigers are legit and you have the Lions too. (Did I just type that?) Preds in 7.

If you actually read everything above this I grant you another video present. Good luck to everyone, I hope your heart can take it. I hope mine can too.

Appreciate + Reciprocate

2012-03-12T22:23:00.000-04:00

If you haven't already noticed, the blog gets pretty quiet when Michigan athletics are going swimmingly during the off-season. I mean, what else more can I say: Hoke, recruit harder?; Hoops, overachieve more?; Hockey, make me poop my pants again? I'll do an off-season "state of mind" post one of these days but for now, I wanted to help get the word out about a pretty cool event, especially if you're in Ann Arbor, being ran by a current senior at Michigan. Details below. Be sure to check out the website: http://www.umichappreciate.org/

Because he can.

Eat Dinner with a Michigan Football Legend

Appreciate + Reciprocate is a sponsored student organization at the University of Michigan dedicated to community service and fundraising for the LSA Emergency Student Aid Fund. Its largest fundraiser is an annual Benefit Dinner and Silent Auction.

What is the Appreciate + Reciprocate Benefit Dinner?

On March 28^th, Appreciate + Reciprocate will be holding its second annual Benefit Dinner. The dinner will be held in the Jack Roth Stadium Club, located in the East Tower of Michigan Stadium. Speakers for the event will be:

Former Head Football Coach Lloyd Carr

Head Football Coach Brady Hoke

Former Michigan/NFL Player Dhani Jones

Michigan Football Team Captain Mike Martin

What will be available in the Silent Auction?

Michigan basketball fans will be exited to hear that items will include a tour of the brand new Player Development Center with Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach Bacari Alexander and a game of 1 on 1 basketball with former Michigan Basketball Team Captain CJ Lee.

We also have several sponsors that have donated items, with highlights including an aerial sightseeing tour of Ann Arbor.

What does this event support?

All proceeds from the event will benefit the LSA Emergency Student Aid Fund. This fund exists to keep Michigan students in sudden, extreme financial need in school. Appreciate + Reciprocate members believe that a financial crisis should never keep students from completing their education.

How do I get more information, donate, or purchase tickets?

Visit the Appreciate + Reciprocate website: umichappreciate.org, or email the Benefit Dinner Chair, Mark Wilhelm, at marktw@umich.edu.

Tickets for the event are $100 each, $50 for students. Tickets may also be purchased on behalf of students financially unable to attend the event, and table sponsorships are available for groups.

Scouting Report: Willie Henry

2012-02-05T11:37:00.025-05:00

Willie Henry

Glenville Academic Campus

Cleveland, Ohio

Height: 6’3 Weight: Low: 230 High: 270

40 time: Low: 4.78 sec

Offer Sheet: Michigan, Pittsburgh, Illinois, Syracuse, Hawaii, Cincinnati

(Received Interest from Iowa)

Best Case Comparison & Projection: Ryan Van Bergen

Most Probable Comparison & Projection: Adam Patterson

McGuffie Rating: 2.5 ‘Guffies (out of 5)

PROs: Downhill attacker with good speed and football instincts. Athletically built, Henry possesses a long wingspan and is capable of using it effectively against cut blocks. He is able to disengage from offensive linemen using his long arms and good hands to rip off blockers. Henry has good lateral quickness and show an ability to jump off the snap. Demonstrates good tackling technique for the high school level.

CONs: Plays too upright whenever he gets engaged with blockers. As a result, linemen are able to square up Henry and gain significant leverage. Needs to better utilize his lower body against opposing linemen. Lacks penetration when maintaining gap responsibility against run plays. Lacks ideal size.

Highlight Video:

Quote: "Willie's speed stands out. He's a versatile player too. He played D-End, D-Tackle, played offensive tackle and he even played a little running back. His speed and versatility and his size. He has real big hands, long arms and his wing span is almost for a guy that is 6-10.” - Todd Overton, Glenville Assistant Coach

Bottom Line: Recruited to compete as a 3-tech defensive tackle, Willie is most effective when he is attacking downhill as an inside pass rusher. In order to be equally efficient in the college level, Henry needs to dedicate himself to improving his strength and technique. Given Henry’s need to develop into his playing weight and refine his play, he will most likely redshirt season for his freshman year. I feel that Henry will eventually serve a role similar to that of Will Heininger during the 2011 season. But don't be mistaken, Willie has the talent and capacity to do more. It will be interesting to see how Montgomery, Hoke and Mattison develop and ultimately utilize Henry as they look to maximize his potential.

Scouting Report: Dennis Norfleet

2012-02-02T14:31:00.021-05:00

Dennis Norfleet
Detroit Martin Luther King HS

Detroit, Michigan

Height: 5’7 Weight: 170

40 time: Low: 4.34 High: 4.75 sec

Offer Sheet: Michigan, Cincinnati, Michigan State, Tennessee

(Received Interest from Alabama, UCLA)

Best Case Comparison & Projection: De’Anthony Thomas

Most Probable Comparison & Projection: Jeremy Gallon

McGuffie Rating: 3.5 ‘Guffies (out of 5)

PROs: Norfleet has both excellent speed and quickness. Shows good vision and a decisive burst through open lanes. Possesses an excellent cutback move and acceleration to full speed. Has good hands and deadly in open space. Defenders rarely gets an second chance at bringing Norfleet down due to his athleticism. Possesses a good frame to develop into an efficient blocker in both the running and passing game.

CONs: Size. Quarterbacks must be more accurate when targeting Norfleet due to his lack of height. Will be physically challenged coming off the line of scrimmage. At full speed, Norfleet has a tendency to carry the football away from his chest and rib cage. At times, Norfleet is an upright runner with a high center of gravity- this diminishes his ability to break away from tackles, especially at the next level.

Highlight Videos:

Quote: "He ran like how he was: New Money. Coach Harvel calls him 'Pit' because he runs like a pit-- like a pit bull.'' – Detroit King defensive tackle, Mike Bruise

Bottom Line: Norfleet is a true BCS caliber athlete. His tapes really remind me of Vincent Smith, but faster. Given his pass catching ability, quick burst, and excellent vertical speed - my assessment of Norfleet is that he can be an excellent third down back. It’ll be interesting to see how the coaching staff will ultimately utilize him.

Norfleet is recruited as a slot receiver and return specialist, but he has made clear that he sees himself as a running back. It is always hard to forecast any recruit’s future but I unfortunately feel that Dennis is slotted at positions in which opportunities for him to make plays with the football are rare. With his athletic talents, there is no doubt that Dennis will be on the field, but will he be lost in the shuffle between slot receiver and running back? Will he be able to out-finesse physically imposing BCS defenders who will are his equal in athletic talent? With these questions in mind, I have reservations about his productivity. His development in run block as a slot and pass protection as a third down back will also ultimately determine Norfleet’s true value.

A State Of Civil Disunion

2012-01-30T21:24:00.002-05:00

[Guest Post Alert: Big thanks to Jeff C., former blogger at The Wolverine Blog, for posting here at Maize Pages. You can follow Jeff (so many Jeffs) on Twitter--@JContiz3--as he'll have some pretty good insight heading into NSD.]

TE Sam Grant to Oklahoma

If for some reason you haven’t been connected to the Internet for the past two days (trust me, it happens), then you’ll be surprised to know that Michigan went on a brief and extremely painful 0-for-4 stretch on recruits. Last week, touted Washington lineman Joshua Garnett spurned Michigan for Stanford, while Massachusetts CB Armani Reeves chose Ohio State over the Maize and Blue as well. Then, late last night, Colorado OL Alex Kozan committed to Iowa, and today Ohio TE Sam Grant committed to Oklahoma. To call today “Meltdown Monday” may be an understatement.

It’s important to remember that Michigan isn’t going to land every recruit that the coaches pursue, but fans felt that Michigan had a great shot at Garnett, who chose to stay close to home, and Reeves, who chose to play with his brother instead of against him. Kozan, on the other hand, was always a tough pull from Iowa, despite a late push by Michigan. Grant was the surprise, especially with Oklahoma taking three tight ends already, and Michigan’s numerous advantages (Kalis, academics, location) it offered.

This was a strange end to an exciting recruiting cycle. And I don’t think it can all be blamed on the Michigan coaches. For one, Michigan probably should have landed Armani Reeves, were it not for his brother Camren Williams committing to OSU last week. As for Garnett, it seemed like he was mostly pandering to the Michigan fan base, namely OL commit Erik Magnuson, his close friend.

Alex Kozan never seemed to be a huge priority until late, and as for Sam Grant, I can’t even fathom what happened there.

Michigan will still finish with a top 10 class regardless of what recruiting site you read and subscribe to. The offensive lines and defensive lines are being rebuilt and reloaded, and overall the class is very impressive. The only criticism I have is a lack of a true tight end (Grant) and maybe another receiver, but overall Michigan’s 2012 haul is excellent.

The future of the Michigan football program is bright as well. If there is any doubt in anyone’s mind about the ability of the coaching staff to recruit, and more importantly coach, look at the immense progress Michigan’s players made in year 1. 11-2, Sugar Bowl Champions, a top-20 offense and a top-20 defense.

Hold on a sec, Urban. Let me show you how it's done...

What exactly is included in that future? One of my very close friends and Michigan blogger Brian Kudron posted an interesting thought or two on twitter late last night. I won’t repost them here, so you’ll have to check them out instead.

There have been some questioning on whether Michigan wants to become the “Stanford of the east” and that the AD is directly affecting the recruitment (or lack thereof) certain “questionable” recruits.

In light of several terrible APR scores and transfers over the past few years, Michigan cannot afford to take a lot of risks and academic fliers. That’s why you’ve seen some highly touted recruits simply dropped by Michigan. And while I don’t have a problem with it now, I will have a problem with it going forward. Don’t mistake my hesitation for a lack of love for Michigan or a desire to cheat. I want Michigan to win, and I don’t want the school to ever develop a bad reputation like Ohio State already has.

But even Lloyd Carr recruited a few academic risks and players with character issues; in fact, it was probably more than many of us assume. For the most part, Lloyd was able to help these players out and get their lives on track, and you didn’t see Michigan’s academic reputation falter one bit. No team is ever going to have a perfect 85-man roster with no problems, no academic issues, or transfers. That’s life in competitive football.

...BOOM.

And unlike Urban Meyer and his SEC method of running a football program, Michigan has a capable leader in Brady Hoke who appears to be similar to Carr in many respects, and running his football program is one of them. Nobody is perfect, and Hoke will make mistakes with players, but I also trust him to do the right thing. I just want him to be able to recruit all the players he and his staff want, and not be handicapped by an elitist Athletic Director.

Backing In

2012-01-30T10:36:00.001-05:00

Hokeamania knows no lows. Or does it?

Hoops aside, it's been a pretty rough few days for Michigan. Starting on Thursday, 4.5-star OL Joshua Garnett chose Stanford when many considered him a Michigan lean for a majority of his recruitment. Last night, we lost 4-star DB Armani Reeves to OSU--the first true head-to-head recruiting battle with Urban--and 4-star OL Alex Kozan to Iowa. I didn't talk specifically about Kozan on my last recruiting post, but he's up there with Garnett and Reeves as big targets. Add that to OL Caleb Stacey decommiting last week and Hoke's incredibly fast start to the 2012 recruiting class has officially come to a screeching halt, if not sliding backwards a bit. Michigan started the 2011 season with 22 verbals; after a football season and Sugar Bowl win, there are 23 today. And with no real decision dates of any known targets within the next few days other than maybe TE Sam Grant (OL Jordan Diamond decides on February 3), Michigan will likely back into NSD.

But what does backing in even mean? While there's certainly disappointment among Michigan fans, the source of it stems largely from how high the bar was set by Hoke this summer when he and Mattison went on what can only be described as a recruiting blitz. With all the momentum, Michigan saw its class rank shoot up among recruiting sites. The expectation was to flip a Kyle Kalis. The expectation was that we'd land an Ondre Pipkins. And as we near NSD, the expectation is that we'd land a Garnett or a Reeves or a Kozan or all 3. Certainly the addition of them, especially Garnett, would help Michigan maintain a Top 5 class. But backing in this year means we'll have to settle for a Top 10 one instead. If that's what not meeting expectations means, I still like where our expectations are. Let's remember this class is still pretty strong on its own right now.

Jordan Diamond went from possibly 7th OL to hopefully 5th.

That's not to say the last few days still didn't hurt. Garnett, Reeves and Kozan are good players and therefore palpable losses. Probability, or the mice we chase in our heads, told us that we should have landed at least 1. But if you evaluate them individually--Garnett is from Washington and wanted his parents to see him play at Stanford; Reeves' best friend, Cam Williams, committed to OSU and they previously committed together to Penn State; Kozan is from Colorado and Michigan recruited him heavier much later in the process--each of them have a story that makes sense. For the most part, these aren't Midwest guys that had strong ties with Michigan the whole way. While Michigan has the ability to recruit nationally, it doesn't necessarily mean it's an easy task. Distance is distance.

Moving forward, with 4-5 spots still left to fill, even the assumption of Grant and Diamond will leave some open spots for late comers. You'll likely hear names and rumors tossed around--none of which have any real credibility. Most are banking on the fact that NSD flips exist, and hope Hoke points at something soon to make it happen. But while Michigan may grab a OT Chris Muller or a DT Willie Henry over the next few days, my focus is on making sure the 23 verbals on board right now have a great experience this Wednesday; that fans join me in welcoming and supporting them during one of the most important days of their lives. This class features a loaded defensive line, 4 all-conference caliber LBs, Kyle Kalis, Eric Magnuson, Ondre Pipkins, Jarrod Wilson among many others. I'd back in with them any day.

Closing the 2012 Class

2012-01-25T17:19:00.005-05:00

Participating in Tremendous' Michigan Recruiting Roundtable last week kicked off what should be a pretty exciting week as we approach National Signing Day. The Michigan recruiting world is abuzz with guys like OL Joshua Garnett, CB Armani Reeves, TE Sam Grant, OL Jordan Diamond, WR Jordan Payton among others. Furthermore, it seems every year Michigan seems to pull a fairly big name off everybody's radar on NSD. It's still very much an open field.

Two weeks ago, when Gunner Kiel switched his commitment from LSU to ND literally while packing to leave for Baton Rouge AND immediately enrolled at Notre Dame shows that anything's game. Schools in session mow so nobody's flipping and enrolling early at this point, but the tides are certainly turning for many of our targets. While Michigan lost OG Caleb Stacey over the weekend after a change of heart to play closer to home in Cincinnati, we also "gained" the decommits of TE Sam Grant (from BC), CB Armani Reeves (from PSU) and WR Jordan Payton (from Cal) -- all of whom are strongly considering Michigan.

With the departure of Stacey, Michigan currently sits at 23 recruits leaving 4-5 spots open. Here are some quick thoughts on a few targets in order of confidence (after the jump):

TE Sam Grant. Recently decommitted from BC. Teammate of Kyle Kalis. Many recruiting sites putting Michigan on commit watch this weekend for him. Grant doesn't leak that much to the public but we know Michigan's been recruiting him harder over the last few weeks to join as our 3rd TE. Arkansas and Oklahoma, who is loaded with TEs after McNamara, are technically still on the radar but I'd be shocked if Grant goes anywhere else. 90%.

OG Joshua Garnett. The big one. Announcement is tomorrow, January 26, at his high school gym around 6:00pm ET. Very close friends with Erik Magnuson; they tweet back and forth constantly. Magnuson, who's very in-tune with Michigan's fan base and social media culture, talked about being at Garnett's presser "in spirit". Recruiting analysts have this a little bit more split with Stanford than Michigan fans would like but all-and-all, Hoke has put us in a great position here. In terms of need on the offensive line, Michigan was already prepared to take 2 more--up to 7 OL--had Stacey stayed. Now that we're at 4, it makes the want/need for Garnett slightly more urgent to be #5. Garnett would also be a big piece in making sure Michigan finishes with the best recruiting class in the Big Ten because Urban's, let's be honest, has been on a tear lately. 65%.

OL Jordan Diamond. Very much back on the radar over the last few weeks and Michigan fans couldn't be happier. The funny thing is, however, Diamond never dropped us and was always high on Michigan while he went on all his officials. He's just very thorough and careful about the process. Now we're down to 2: Michigan and Arkansas, as Diamond dropped OSU and Wisconsin seems to have turned their attention elsewhere. Again, because of the Stacey effect, even though I feel like 7 OL would have been fine, Diamond being #6 (assuming Garnett) slightly nudges the urgency dial up. In talking with Mike, he believes Diamond will come full circle and go Blue. The momentum, even if by default, is certainly swinging our way but it's still close. Decision: February 3rd, 2 days after NSD. 55%.

CB Armani Reeves. Formerly committed to PSU with his close high school friend and teammate Cam Williams, who recently switched to Ohio. Urban also recently landed 5-star CB Cam Burrows too, FWIW. Michigan has a long recruiting history with Reeves though; if you recall, he was on our radar as far back as the summer before he committed to PSU. Outside of Dunn, this is one of the few Hoke vs. Meyer recruiting battles out there as his last in-home visits just this week went: Hoke, Meyer, Mattison. Nothing like a Buckeye sandwich. Mattison closed his recruitment last night after visiting with his family after Reeves' basketball game. Take-with-a-grain-of-salt rumorville believes the Meyer visit didn't go that well and Reeves isn't the type that MUST play ball with his boy. No timeline on his decision but it's between Ohio and Michigan. And it will be close. Not even 51-49 for me. Even split. 50%.

Ryan Watson. Juuust throwing it out there...

You-Don't-Know-Me-But-You-Will-Convince-Yourself-That-I'm-Good-When-You-Find-Out-I'm-Coming-To-Michigan. The random. Out of the last 3 I just mentioned--Garnett, Diamond, Reeves--it's hard to imagine, or at least bank on, a clean sweep. It can happen, but I'd rank a random in here higher than the rest of the targets on the radar. Every year, it seems to happen and I see 2012 no differently. Hoke and Mattison have shown all year how strong they are on the recruiting trail. It wouldn't surprise me the least if they pulled a last-minute switch on or very close to NSD. Monty Madaris? I'm feeling DL for some reason. Maybe Ryan Watson? Hi Purdue. 40%.

WR Jordan Payton. Decommited to Cal, which helped put Michigan back on the map. Only problem is that instead of the coaches visiting him last week, he took an official to Washington where his main recruiter at Cal, DL coach Tosh Lupo, took a new job. Payton maintains Michigan is still in the game but it seems like he committed to the coach, not the school. I'm sure Michigan is still very much in contact but we haven't heard much out of Payton since his visit in Washington. With the departure of Stonum, Michigan certainly has the room for a 3rd WR. Payton would provide some nice depth but we don't look like we're in great shape. No decision timeline that I know of. 20%.

RIP Joe Paterno

2012-01-22T11:20:00.005-05:00

This morning's accurate reporting of Joe Paterno's passing brings a close to an extremely unfortunate and bizarre Internet frenzy over the last 12 hours. For now, the main take away should be that one of college football's greatest icons has died, hopefully peacefully with his family and friends at his side, after battling a recent diagnosis of lung cancer and, let's be honest, unbearable life without football.

If you found out via Twitter last night or received an inaccurate text from friend regarding JoePa's death, it likely stemmed from premature and irresponsible report by CBSSports.com, who claimed he had died while other news sources only went so far as to say critical condition. As you'd expect, the CBS report spread like wildfire on Twitter, instantly trending nationally and triggering obituary posts left and right. At 8:57pm, Dan McGinn, the Paterno family spokesman, reported that CBS' report was "Absolutely not true". Roughly a half hour later, two of Paterno's sons, Jay and Scott, tweeted that their dad Joe was still alive and continuing to fight. The conflicting reports sparked what can only be described as a Twitter play-by-play of Joe Paterno's death. And it made me sick.

Regardless of what you think of Joe Paterno--good or bad--nobody deserves a Twitter death. CBSSports.com issued a brief public apology to the Paterno family last night. It just goes to show you it's always better to be right than first; people don't remember who breaks a story like this first, they just remember if you get it wrong. And boy did CBS get it wrong--something I'll remember for a long time. The other side of this story is the Twitter effect. We're all aware that Twitter is basically designed to spread information, regardless of accuracy, at lightning speed. When that information is wrong, combined with the sensitivity of the death of a college football legend, it's an ugly site. As Brian @ MGoBlog tweeted with maximum pithy: "Note to self: never ever report anyone is dead."

The Internet sadly said goodbye to JoePa probably the only way it knows how: chaotically. I hope the Paterno family found a little bit a peace through it all. My thoughts are with them.

Rest in peace, Joe Paterno.

Stonum Dismissed

2012-01-17T17:19:00.000-05:00

Per Everybody, but here's MGoBlog, Stonum is gone. His comments:

"I appreciate everything the University of Michigan, Dave Brandon and Coach Hoke have done for me," said Stonum. "I look forward to continuing my football career down the road, but more importantly, right now I'm focused on graduating from Michigan this Spring. I understand only I am responsible for my actions. I'm sad about how all of this turned out, but I completely understand. I love this school and my team and will miss them all greatly. But I'll always be a Wolverine. I know I have grown and matured as a person over the last nine months, and I will continue to learn and grow every day. I want to thank everyone for all of their support, and I hope they will support me in the future."

Reading Stonum's comments at the end of the release really makes you feel for the guy. If you follow Stonum on Twitter, you'll know he was patient and supportive all year, and extremely excited to rejoin the team after the Sugar Bowl. Then this. Given Hoke's silence through Stonum's jail time and how minor this particular incident was, I thought he might be given another chance. But it's also really hard justify an additional suspension--say 4 games or all of non-con--on top of a year-long suspension stemming from a 4th violation related to all his previous incidents. Stonum's been given more than his fair share of chances; he was on zero-tolerance policy and broke it probably by the thinnest margin. Hoke is setting the moral tone for Michigan, which is ultimately a good thing.

On the field, however, it undoubtedly hurts. Stonum's release probably changes recruiting a 3rd WR from Want to Need, further justifying 4 more recruits in the 2012 class. An Arnett, who is currently enrolled at MSU post-#FreeArnett campaign, or a Stefon Diggs were probably the only 2 players who could make the immediate impact that we are looking for. Targets on the radar: if immediate playing time is important to Jordan Payton, we're a pretty solid candidate at this point.

No matter how you slice it though, the depth chart looks really thin at outside WR next year. As Mike just pointed out to me via email: "Jump as high as you can, Jeremy Gallon."

This is Tremendous

2012-01-16T21:05:00.001-05:00

Isn't he Tremendous?

The newest blog to hit the Michigansophere, appropriately named Tremendous, recently asked MGoShoe and I to participate in a Michigan Recruiting Roundtable. Keith Thompson, who runs Tremendous and has landed some pretty sweet interviews over the past few months, gathered some of the best blog brains out there including Ace from MGoBlog, Magnus from Touch the Banner, DGDestroys formerly from The Wolverine Blog, SimplyComplex from MGoRecruit and MGoShoe from here. And when you're all like who's this dude with all the wrong answers -- that's me.

Anyway, check out the post here. Keith's doing a great job over there -- highly recommended. Follow him on Twitter and add him to your RSS feed accordingly.

Enjoy!

Arnett Granted Full Release

2012-01-03T11:17:00.002-05:00

Some justice after all.

After learning last week that true freshman WR and Saginaw native DeAnthony Arnett would be limited in his transfer options to MAC-only schools by Derek Dooley, the Vols made a 180 today and granted him a full and unconditional release. This allows Arnett to transfer to any school, including Michigan or Michigan State, to be both closer to his father and family, and continue playing at a high level.

While I don't think the #FreeArnett Twitter campaign was the only reason--far from it--for Tennessee's change of heart, it was really cool watching it grow and bring light to a situation. Several people began tweeting the Vols' official football account about their thoughts, and national players like Joe Schad of ESPN and Graham Watson of Yahoo! Sports' Dr. Saturday blog wrote about the subject as impartially as journalistically possible. This was a PR blunder from the start by Derek Dooley, bringing not only negative light to him and the program, but also to his abysmal 5-7 (1-7 SEC) season and recent recruiting woes. Dooley has other things to worry about, like his job.

While I doubt the flip came from Dooley's personal conversations with Arnett and his family--probably pressure from the top--I do give him credit for reconciling the situation and ultimately doing what's right. As I've said before, I've followed this story because of its affiliation with the Wolverines, and obvious benefit should he decide to transfer, but this is ultimately about him and his family. It's about celebrating that he's coming home should he even decide to transfer to Michigan State.

Allen Trieu recently tweeted that Arnett will make a speedy decision regarding where he will transfer. I imagine he wants his academic and athletic life settled as soon as possible so he can get back to his personal life. Whether he picks Michigan or Michigan State, great news the kid's coming home.

#Well...

2012-01-03T10:12:00.005-05:00

Hey team,

So I recently joined Twitter which hasn't really affected anything other than our friend Timmy's dating life and my productivity at work. That all changes tonight as I will once again dress up as our fine coach Brady Hoke for the Sugar Bowl. I will be live tweeting his/my thoughts as the game happens.

Follow me at @michroar1. I will be mainly hitting on that Brady isn't sure what Borges will call, talking about all of the Gumbo I have ate the past few days and it will just degenerate into this. I look forward to giving you insight and Go Blue.

Michael

Bowl Pick 'Em: BCS

2012-01-02T17:22:00.001-05:00

Mike and I probably should have known better than to sprinkle in Big Ten bowl wins in our picks last week. Last year, the Big Ten laid a big goose egg on New Years. This year? Well 5 out of 6 bowl games today feature Big Ten teams and we're currently 1/4 heading (Sparty!) into the Rose Bowl -- set to kick off in just a few minutes. This isn't exactly the best start to 2012.

Next up are the big boys: BCS games, including Big Ten reps Wisconsin and Michigan. It would go a long way for us to pick up a pair of wins in these games, helping erasing some of the bad memories of today and the last few years, honestly. If we don't, then the Big Ten deserves the criticism coming: we just can't win bowl games and particularly not against the SEC. It'll be pretty sad of Purdue, Illinois and State come away as the only victors of the Big Ten bowl season. Let's not.

Rose Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Oregon
Jan. 2, 2012 | 5:00 PM ET | Pasadena, CA | ESPN

MIKE: Oregon. So many points. I think Oregon wins because their kryptonite is a legit defensive line and Wisco doesn't have one. Plus I am dating Oregon again. It is a love hate thing
JEFF: Wisconsin. This could just be wishful thinking since I'm watching the Big Ten get dominated once again on New Years. But Wisco and Michigan are the BCS reps so a Badger would go a long way. Power vs. Spread. I love this matchup, should be a game.

Sugar Bowl: Michigan vs. Virginia Tech
Jan. 3, 2012 | 8:30 PM ET | New Orleans, LA | ESPN

MIKE: Michigan. Um, Go Blue.
JEFF: Michigan. Semi-coherent thoughts will be posted tomorrow regarding the game. But for now, check out Ryan's Sugar Bowl Preview and complete breakdown of Virginia Tech: backfield, receiving corps, offensive line, defensive front 7, defensive secondary, and specialists. Also, Go Blue.

Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Stanford
Jan. 2, 2012 | 8:30 PM ET | Glendale, AZ | ESPN

MIKE: Stanford. Stanford will run the ball and keep it out of OSU hands. Hopefully I am not wearing pants for this too because I will be at Timmy's place.
JEFF: Oklahoma State. Against potent offenses like USC and Oregon, Stanford really gives up a lot of yards. Mike's right: they need to keep it out of OSU's hands as much as possible. But I think the 'Boys just outscore them then shakes fist at the BCS gods.

Orange Bowl: West Virginia vs. Clemson
Jan. 4, 2012 | 8:30 PM ET | Miami, FL | ESPN

MIKE: Clemson. Dana Holgerson is sweet but Sammy Watkins is way more sweet. So sweeter.
JEFF: Clemson. This is stupid. After last year, it's clear the ACC's and Big East's AQs should always play each other so not to interfere with other conferences. Also, Clemson is legit.

BCS National Championship: Alabama vs. LSU
Jan. 9, 2012 | 8:30 PM ET | New Orleans, LA | ESPN

MIKE: LSU. Bama is good but I think AJ McCarron sucks. That is just how I feel. Plus I will be drunk and yelling out "Honeybadger." He will make something happen.
JEFF: LSU. I wish OK State was in this game but it is what it is -- still going to be good, despite people stupidly "boycotting" this game. LSU D. Just can't get past that. What's more is that I actually think the Tigers win big.

#FreeArnett

2011-12-30T10:51:00.007-05:00

The bigger things get, the easier it is to sweep stuff under the rug. When it comes to college football, I sometimes forget exactly who's providing such an entertaining product: 18-22 year old young men, 16 or 17 when it comes to recruiting. For us, they are coming of age in front of our eyes on the TV screen or on Internet boards but for them, they are real people with real lives and real problems. I was reminded of this yesterday when Vols head coach Derek Dooley denied WR DeAnthony Arnett the option to transfer to Michigan or Michigan State, restricting him only to MAC schools.

To provide some backdrop, Arnett chose Tennessee over Michigan and Michigan State last year and appeared in all 12 games for the Vols this season, catching 24 passes for 242 yards and 2 TDs as a true freshman. Recently, Arnett's father suffered 2 heart attacks and underwent dialysis. Given the fact that his father's health is quickly deteriorating and his family needs him, Arnett has responsibly and reasonably requested a transfer. Arnett would like to play for either Michigan or Michigan State so he can continue advancing his athletic career on a high level while, you know, being a great son and taking care of his family. In his full statement to Scout, he explains that Coach Dooley denied him the right to transfer to any school Tennessee either plays or recruits against. Look at what Arnett writes at the end: "I don't know what's next. My family can't afford to pay for school, but my father's poor health isn't a good enough excuse for me to attend a BCS close to home."

Derek Dooley, you are a dick.

Out of either bitterness or unfounded principle, Dooley is basically saying that Tennessee football, in all its 5-7 (1-7 SEC) glory, is bigger than this kid's personal life. He's saying that it's worth sticking it to Arnett on the offchance Tenneesee ever plays Michigan or Michigan State in the near future. News flash Dooley: the Vols will not be in a bowl game near Michigan's (or Sparty's for that matter) caliber--at least not while you're coaching there. Furthermore, as Alex Cook of MaizeNBrew and Jeff Contizano of The Wolverine Blog pointed out on Twitter, the Michigan high school coaches are a tight group and they'll certainly remember this when Dooley ever steps foot in that state. Good luck trying to recruit there. Dooley's actually probably doing more harm than good if his policy is not to allow transfers to schools Tennessee recruits against. What's the benefit in doing this?

And this isn't even about me wanting Arnett to come to Michigan either. Obviously, I've followed this story closer because it pertains to the Wolverines but I'd be just as happy (just not ecstatic) to see Arnett, a Saginaw native, go to Sparty if that's where he chooses is best for him and his family. So if there's anything State and Michigan fans can agree upon, it's that this kid needs to come home. Arnett has done nothing wrong. In fact, he's transferring for all the right reasons, not just changing his mind randomly. And he's being punished for it.

What's worse is that Dooley's decision, with the assumed support of the athletic department and University president given their silence on the issue, also represents the height of hypocrisy. The Vols benefited from a similar situation just a few years ago. In 2007, hoops star Tyler Smith was granted a full release by Iowa so he could be closer to his family since his father was battling cancer. Smith, who grew up a Vols fan, also requested and received a waiver from the NCAA not to sit out a season due to "extenuating family circumstances." Iowa did what was right for the student-athlete; Bruce Pearl and Tennessee happily took him in.

The conditional release of Arnett is the latest example and reminder that these kids have life to deal with in addition to football. If the NCAA, University of Tennessee or anybody with a soul has a say in this matter, they should step in and do what's right. #FreeArnett is trending a little on Twitter; I'd encourage you to check out some of the links/posts on this issue. Dooley's decision will likely stick but it certainly won't be forgotten. Here's more reason to hate him and Tennessee. And every reason to root for Arnett no matter where he lands.

Bowl Pick 'Em: Big Ten

2011-12-29T15:39:00.003-05:00

I'm baaaaaaaaack.

First off, a big thanks to MGoShoe and guest poster Ryan for keeping the site not only up and running, but also flowing with great content through the holiday season. The "Wolverines on Twitter" tab up top somehow keeps improving and expanding (now w/ hockey!); reading the Virginia Tech breakdown made me feel like I followed the Hokies all season. Now that I'm finally settled, maybe I should start contributing the blog? Sounds reasonable.

With bowl season upon us, the Big Ten kicked off with a win on Tuesday -- Purdue over Western Michigan 37-32 -- which a good start to what should be a pretty challenging bowl schedule. Mark Schlabach at ESPN does a good job capturing the sentiment heading into the New Year. 2011 was already a rollercoaster year, including several negative stories impacting the conference, but 2012 is shaping up to be even crazier. A strong bowl performance will go a long way in helping rehabilitate the Big Ten's image in 2012 and beyond.

In keeping with tradition, Mike (yes, he's actually on Twitter) and I are doing Bowl Season Pick 'Em again this year, except only Big Ten and BCS in a 2-part series. Pretty sure Mike took off his pants to do his picks. Though, it doesn't take much for them to come off. On with the show after the jump (also let's pretend I posted this on Sunday, you know, before the Purdue game):

Little Ceasars Pizza Bowl: Purdue vs. Western Michigan
Dec. 27, 2011 | 4:30 PM ET | Detroit, MI | ESPN

MIKE: Purdue. I am hoping Purdue gets the BIG started off on the right foot. I doubt they will but at least I will be able to see a mustache.
JEFF: Purdue. Michigan played both Western Michigan and Purdue at home this year, beating them by 24 and 22 respectively. Purdue wins in a close one by 2 points. That's how it works, right? I sound like Lee Corso.

Insight Bowl: Iowa vs. Oklahoma
Dec. 30, 2011 | 10:00 PM ET | Tempe, AZ | ESPN

MIKE: Oklahoma. No Coker, not good. Stoops loves Iowa though, he might tell his team to suck in order to make it a game.
JEFF: Oklahoma. Even if Coker played, I would still take Oklahoma. Sooners aren't National Championship-caliber as many predicted preseason but they'll pass their way for the win. Hopefully, Iowa is more competition than UConn last year.

Meineke Car Care Bowl: Northwestern vs. Texas A&M
Dec. 31, 2011 | 12:00 PM ET | Houston, TX | ESPN

MIKE: Northwestern. One day Northwestern, one day you will get that bowl win. Unfortunately Mike Sherman got fired so A&M won't blow this game. Also there is a good chance I won't be wearing pants when this game happens. Which is sweet.
JEFF: Texas A&M. There is no reason to take your pants off for this game. Shermon's gone but the Aggies have a pretty balanced offense that I think will overwhelm the Wildcats. Shootout if Persa can keep the O going.

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Illinois vs. UCLA
Dec. 31, 2011 | 3:30 PM ET | San Francisco, CA | ESPN

MIKE: Illinois. Probably still pantsless with this one goes down as well. Somewhere, Ron Zook will be crying. I will too. I miss him.
JEFF: Illinois. Love this bowl game name. I see the Illini pulling a KC Chiefs: just playing their best and giving the most "Thank God Ron Zook is gone" performance.

TicketCity Bowl: Penn State vs. Houston
Dec. 31, 2011 | 3:30 PM ET | Dallas, TX | ESPNU

MIKE: Penn State. I am actually looking forward to this game. I think PSU's defense will shut them down and someone on this planet might realize it is a good job to hire Tom Bradley to be your head coach. Someone out there!
JEFF: Houston. Remember when Michigan was all but set to play them in the Sugar? After letting the BCS slip away, Cougars should come out strong and beat a Penn State team that just wants 2011 to go away.

Capital One Bowl: Nebraska vs. South Carolina
Jan. 2, 2012 | 1:00 PM ET | Orlando, FL | ESPN

MIKE: South Carolina. Why are all these games on at the same time? What is Delany thinking. O wait, he is old. I am getting old too. I am sad. (Actually I don't really care because everyone else is getting old too. Suck it everyone else.)
JEFF: Nebraska. What the hell are you saying, Mike? Anyway, white running backs and a Mexican Denard? I'm in. Heavy ground game from the 'Huskers should make for a close finish.

Outback Bowl: Michigan State vs. Georgia
Jan. 2, 2012 | 1:00 PM ET | Tampa, FL | ABC

MIKE: Georgia. UGA has to win just to top off Sparty being Sparty. Plus UGA is pretty good. Them and South Carolina might balance things out in the SEC next year. O wait LSU returns everyone. Forget that.
JEFF: Michigan State. A send off for the offense and Worthy. Soak it in, Sparty--your glory days of recruiting are over. This will be as good as it gets for you in the next decade.

Gator Bowl: Ohio State vs. Florida
Jan. 2, 2012 | 1:00 PM ET | Jacksonville, FL | ESPN2

MIKE: Ohio State. Soak up that bowl game atmosphere OSU. Soak it in.
JEFF: Florida. TIMTEBOWTIMTEBOWTIMTEBOW. The Urban Meyer Bowl, fittingly in Jackonville. I'm starting to have nightmares from being at last year's Gator Bowl. When was the last time OSU finished the season with 2 losses?

Up next: BCS bowl picks, including Michigan (woooo) and Wisconsin.

Sugar Bowl Preview: Virginia Tech Specialists

2011-12-28T13:46:00.003-05:00

Guest poster Ryan provides his fifth and final Virginia Tech Hokies position group review. Previously: offensive backfield, receiving corps, offensive line, defensive front seven and defensive secondary.

Virginia Tech Specialists

Virginia Tech’s nationally recognized brand of football, known as “Beamerball,” prides itself on a strong, physical running attack that controls time of possession while playing good defense and pinning the opponent deep in its own territory with effective special teams play. Over the course of the 2011 season the last third of that equation has been less than ideal, which is an unusual sight in Blacksburg. The recent dismissal of starting placekicker Cody Journell certainly does not help the Hokies’ cause.

In the ACC, the Hokies rank fourth in kickoff coverage and punt return yards, next-to-last in kickoff return yards, and last in punting. They also have been unable to block kicks at their traditional high rate, with their sole block of the year coming against Appalachian St. in the season opener.

Kicker – Tyler Weiss #5; Justin Myer #48

Replacing Journell is redshirt senior Tyler Weiss. Since transferring from Murray St. in 2008, Weiss has spent his career kicking during practice but not dressing on game day. That changed this season when he dressed for the Boston College game and handled the short field goal and PAT duties against Duke in relief of the then-injured Journell. Weiss missed his only field goal attempt, a 29-yarder, wide extremely right from the left hashmark, but made both of his PAT attempts. If anything, Weiss is just ice cold since he has not been the primary kicker since his freshman year at Murray St. in 2007. In that season, Weiss was 7-10 on his field goal tries with a long of 48 yards. It will be a tall order for Weiss to be a reliable placekicker, especially in pressure situations, since he has been removed from game action for so long in his collegiate career.

Senior Justin Myer is the Hokies’ kickoff specialist and possesses an extremely strong but equally inaccurate leg. Myer has only been used in field goal attempts of 50+ yards and he missed his two field goal tries from 57 and 53 yards – both kicks were not even close to the uprights. What Myer does do extremely well is put the ball in the end zone on kickoffs. Over the past two seasons, 37% of Myer’s kickoffs have been touchbacks and Myer leads the ACC this season in touchbacks with 31. Given that he will be kicking in a dome, there likely will not be very many opportunities for Martavious Odoms or Vincent Smith to return kicks for the Wolverines.

[Ed. MGoShoe: According to this Kyle Meinke piece in annarbor.com, "Beamer said senior Tyler Weiss will handle extra-point tries and field goals of less than 22 yards against Michigan, and senior Justin Myer will attempt longer kicks." So it looks like Ryan read the tea leaves correctly on this one.]

Punter – Danny Coale #19

You read right, the Hokies star wide receiver also handles the team’s punting duties. Frank Beamer experimented with using Coale as a punter during summer practices, but opted to use redshirt junior Scott Demler to start off the season. After six weeks of ineffective punting, Beamer handed the duties over to true freshman Michael Branthover against Miami. Beamer knows Branthover possesses a great leg, but the coach has stated that he has been inconsistent during practice and had yet to grasp the other aspects of punting. Those problems revealed themselves over the next six weeks and for the regular season finale versus UVA, Coale took over the punting duties. Combined, the three punters averaged 33.6 net yards per punt, but Coale has averaged 45 net yards per punt in his two games with a long of 61. Coale’s production at wide receiver has dropped in those two games, however, only hauling in a combined four receptions for 26 yards, so there are questions about if this added responsibility is affecting his play at wide receiver. Whether there is really something there or not, he is clearly the Hokies’ best option for the Sugar Bowl.

Kick Returner – David Wilson #4; Tony Gregory #22

Senior Dyrell Roberts started off the season as the Hokies’ primary kick returner, but his season ended when he suffered a broken arm against Arkansas State in week three. As a result, David Wilson has taken over the primary duties. In three seasons of returning kickoffs, the junior has averaged 21.8 yards per return on 59 career returns with two touchdowns. Both scores came last season including the go-ahead return that vaulted the Hokies over Georgia Tech. In 2011, Wilson has averaged 18.8 yards per return on 20 attempts with a long of 31.

Tony Gregory has averaged 19.5 yards per kickoff return on 16 attempts with a long of 28 in his first season at the position. Though he is less dangerous than Wilson in the return game, he can still break a big return if he finds enough space.

Punt Returner – Jayron Hosley #20

When Hosley is not recording interceptions, he is returning punts for the Hokies. In three seasons handling the duties, Hosley has averaged 11.8 yards per return on 67 touches. He also has two career touchdowns that are split between the 2009 and 2010 seasons. Like Wilson and Gregory, Hosley is a threat to take it to the house if given a lane, but he is susceptible like many punt returners to trusting too much in his agility and dance instead of just step forward. For the season, Hosley has averaged 12 yards on 17 returns with a long return of 55 yards.

That does it for my breakdowns of Virginia Tech’s position groups. I'll see you in The Big Easy on Tuesday.

Sugar Bowl Preview: Virginia Tech Defensive Secondary

2011-12-27T19:49:00.002-05:00

Guest poster Ryan provides his fourth Virginia Tech Hokies position group review.

Previously: Offensive backfield; Receiving corps; Offensive Line; Defensive Front Seven.

Virginia Tech Secondary

Year after year, Virginia Tech’s secondary is arguably the team’s strongest position group and this season has been no exception. Despite allowing an average of 206 passing yards per game, which is fifth in the ACC, the unit leads the conference in opponent completion percentage rate at 50%. But the main indicator for how Foster’s unit is playing is the number of interceptions they produce. The Hokies as a team are second in the conference with 15 with defensive back starters recording nine of those 15 picks. Since Denard Robinson has demonstrated a predilection for throwing interceptions, recording 14 picks on the season, the Hokies will rely on their front seven pressure to set up opportunities for their secondary to make plays and record turnovers.

Cornerbacks – Jayron Hosley #20; Cris Hill #9; Detrick Bonner #8

Since 2000, 13 players from the Hokies’ secondary have been drafted into the NFL and junior Jayron Hosley will undoubtedly be number 14 after either this season or next (though the former is more likely). In 2010, Hosley’s first year as a starter, he recorded nine interceptions and was a first team All-American. This year, Hosley’s insane interception rate has dropped off, but he still recorded a team-leading three picks while racking up the same number of pass break-ups that he did last season with significantly more tackles. Standing at 5-10, 171 lbs., Hosley is by far the Hokies’ most feared defensive back. Even so, teams have been able to get behind him in coverage for big plays in the passing game, especially after he suffered a hamstring injury in week seven against Miami. That said, any quarterback who consistently throws his way is playing with fire as explained by ESPN’s Sports Science.

Though Kyle Fuller could start opposite of Hosley instead of at the whip linebacker position, it is expected that redshirt senior Cris Hill will be the starter at the second cornerback spot. Hill was a highly-touted prospect coming out of high school, but has been unable to see the field as a starter on defense because of an inability to grasp the mental side of the game and learn Foster’s defense. Hill came into the season as the Hokies’ nickel corner and since his team-leading seven tackle performance against ECU in week two, Hokie fans, Foster and even Hill himself have seen glimpses of what he can accomplish on the field. Listed at 5-11, 180 lbs., Hill possesses the most straight-line speed of all the players in the Hokies’ secondary and because most of his career plays have come on special teams, Hill is not afraid to hit players and play physical. Hill has started five games this season and has recorded 33 total tackles, including one for loss, with an interception.

If Fuller does end up starting at cornerback instead of whip, then redshirt freshman cornerback Detrick Bonner will start at whip. If Fuller ends up at whip as is projected, then Bonner will serve as the Hokies’ nickel cornerback. Regardless, expect to see a lot of the 6-0, 189 lbs. athlete. Though he has played as either the nickel or the whip in most games, the majority of his defensive snaps have actually been on the perimeter in relief of an injured Hosley in the Wake Forest, Boston College, and ACC Championship games. Wherever and whenever he plays, Bonner has been very solid in both the run game and the passing game, especially in relief of Hosley considering opponents have targeted him in those instances on almost every passing play. Though he does not have the greatest straight-line speed, his frame and technique can make it hard for opposing quarterbacks to find windows to throw into around Bonner. For the season, Bonner has recorded 26 total tackles with 3.5 for loss, an interception and a fumble recovery.

Safeties – Eddie Whitley #15; Antone Exum #1

Senior Eddie Whitley is the Hokies’ starter at rover (aka strong safety). Whitley has alternated between rover and free safety over his career, but Foster decided to make him the primary rover before this season because of his more aggressive instincts and ability to play the ball carrier. Whitley is second on the team in both total tackles (78) and interceptions (two). He also has eight pass break-ups and deflections with a forced fumble and a tackle for loss. An example of Whitley’s nose for the football comes from last season’s game against UNC where he recorded this great interception in the end zone.

Though both Hosley and Whitley have well-deserved reputations for making plays, very quietly first-year starting free safety Antone Exum has been the Hokies’ primary playmaker in the secondary this season. Exum, a 6-0, 220 lbs. redshirt sophomore, leads the team with 85 total tackles and two forced fumbles. He also leads the secondary with 21 pass break-ups and deflections and 4.5 tackles for loss. He also has recorded an interception and a fumble recovery. In other words, Exum statistically is having arguably the best season of anybody on the team and nobody seems to be talking about it. Perhaps more people will after this game since he will arguably play the biggest role in preventing Denard Robinson and Michigan’s offense from making huge plays.

The final installment of this series of Virginia Tech position group previews will feature the Hokies’ specialists.

Wolverines on Twitter - Now With Hockey

2011-12-23T20:45:00.001-05:00

Check out the Maize Pages Wolverines on Twitter page. I updated it today with the accounts of current and past hockey players and Michigan's 2012 and 2013 hockey recruits.

Sugar Bowl Preview: Virginia Tech Defensive Front Seven

2011-12-23T11:44:00.001-05:00

Guest poster Ryan provides his fourth Virginia Tech Hokies position group review.

Previously: Offensive backfield; Receiving corps; Offensive Line.

Virginia Tech Front Seven

Led by one of the best defensive minds in the nation in Bud Foster, Virginia Tech’s “Lunch Pail Squad” ranks second in the ACC in scoring defense and total defense and are third in the conference in rushing defense. They also rank third in opponent’s first downs and first in opponent third down conversion percentage. The defense is even stingier in the redzone, ranking first in the ACC in redzone percentage and third in opponents’ touchdowns allowed. Considering that three of the five Hokies that were lost for the season were defensive starters in the front seven, while many other key players suffered some sort of injury over the course of the season, you start to really appreciate and respect Foster, who is almost as legendary as Frank Beamer in Blacksburg.

Foster runs what he calls an “attack defense,” which is a variation of the 4-3 designed to stop the run and pressure the quarterback. Foster’s defense is fast, athletic, relentless, and extremely aggressive. Most of the attacking comes from the front seven with linemen controlling the line of scrimmage and getting penetration, allowing for blitzing linebackers to fill up the gaps and make plays in the backfield. The defense leads the ACC in total sacks with 38 and will look to continually be in the face of Denard Robinson throughout the game.

Defensive tackles - DT Derrick Hopkins #98; Luther Maddy #92; Corey Marshall #96; Isaiah Hamlette #93

One of the big questions coming into the season for the Hokies was defensive line depth and it has been tested all season long. The Hokies lost redshirt senior Kwamaine Battle (a backup) in the preseason and starter redshirt junior Antoine Hopkins in the first Clemson game, both to torn knee ligaments. Discounting Hopkins’s stats, the line has tallied 213 total tackles and 22.5 of the team's 38 sacks in 13 games.

The Hokies’ playmaker at defensive tackle is Antoine Hopkins’s younger brother, sophomore Derrick Hopkins. Listed at 6-0, 301 pounds, Hopkins has been a force up the middle all season, recording 50 total tackles with five TFL and three sacks along with 12 quarterback hurries. Those stats would be much higher if Antoine was healthy because he consumed many blockers, allowing for Derrick to get many one-on-one match-ups which he almost always won. But even with opponents’ interior lines focusing on Derrick, he still ends up in the backfield on many plays with good technique and strength.

Also due to Antoine’s injury, the Hokies have rotated a number of defensive tackles next to Derrick for the past 8 games. 6-1, 283 lbs. true freshman Luther Maddy has gotten the start in six of those contests and has seen his snaps increase each week (with the exception of the Georgia Tech game. where he did not play in favor of a different look along the line, which will be explained in a moment). 6-1, 253 lbs. fellow true freshman Corey Marshall and 6-5, 291 lbs. redshirt junior Isaiah Hamlette also see action at the spot. Between them, the rotation has totaled 36 tackles and four sacks.

Defensive end – DE James Gayle #99; J.R. Collins #42; Tyrel Wilson #66

Coming into the season, All-ACC second team defensive end James Gayle was expected to be the breakout star of the Hokies defensive considering his vast improvement in his conditioning (he won the team’s Excalibur award, the highest honor a player can earn from their strength and conditioning staff) and his performance in spring camp (he was the team’s defensive MVP). The 6-4, 257 lbs. redshirt sophomore leads the team with seven sacks and has recorded 11.5 TFL, good for second on the team. With a high motor, athleticism and strength, Gayle probably would have had stronger numbers if he was not slowed by an ankle injury he suffered against Miami, which forced him to miss the Wake Forest game and limited him versus Boston College.

Starting opposite of Gayle is fellow redshirt sophomore J.R. Collins. Though he is more undersized than Gayle at 6-2, 240 lbs., Collins is in the backfield more than his counterpart leading the team with 20 quarterback hurries and ranking second on the team with six sacks. Collins often sees himself in one-on-one matchups against the opponent’s left tackle because of the attention Derrick Hopkins commands and he uses his quickness and extension to collapse the pocket and zero in on the quarterback.

Because of Denard Robinson’s running ability, Foster could implement what he did against Georgia Tech by moving Collins to defensive tackle and substituting Tyrel Wilson in his spot. Wilson is perhaps the smallest defensive end one will see in FBS, standing at 6-1 and weighing only 220lbs. With that said, Foster likes the redshirt sophomore’s added speed and agility at the position and feels he is a weapon in containing speedy quarterbacks. On the season, Wilson has 29 total tackles with 2.5 sacks and three tackles for loss.

Linebackers – Tariq Edwards #24; Jack Tyler #58; Kyle Fuller #17

Like the Hokies’ defensive line, their linebacker corps has been decimated by injuries. They lost both their starting whip Jeron Gouveia-Winslow in the Miami game and starting mike Bruce Taylor in the Boston College game for the season due to Lisfranc foot sprains. Also like the defensive line, the group has adjusted, adapted and has avoided a huge drop-off in production.

Starting at the backer (aka SAM or strong-side linebacker) position is redshirt sophomore Tariq Edwards. The 6-2, 231 lbs. Edwards is third on the team in both total tackles with 63 and tackles for loss with 9.5. He also has 2.5 sacks, two interceptions, six pass breakups and deflections and five quarterback hurries. In essence, he does it all from the position. He can play up on the line of scrimmage in the run game or he can drop back in pass coverage and run with the running backs or tight ends.

Replacing Bruce Taylor at the mike (aka middle linebacker) position is former walk on Jack Tyler. At 6-0, 230 lbs., the redshirt sophomore got the nod over redshirt senior Barquell Rivers because he possessed more lateral movement than Rivers who suffered a devastating quadriceps tear during offseason conditioning before the 2010 season. Foster has raved about Tyler for his ability in the running game but is still susceptible in the passing game. For the season, Tyler has compiled 35 total tackles, two for loss, with a sack.

Initially replacing Jeron Gouveia-Winslow at the whip (aka weak-side linebacker) position was redshirt junior Alonzo Tweedy. However, he suffered a high-ankle sprain against Boston College. Tweedy was replaced by Kyle Fuller, who started the season as the team’s starting cornerback opposite of Jayron Hosley. As a result, the Hokies run an altered version of a nickel defense, something they used quite often over the course of the 2010 season. Though the 6-0, 187 lbs. sophomore is technically out of position, he sure has not played that way. Fuller is third on the team with 64 total tackles and leads the team with 14.5 tackles for loss including 4.5 sacks. He also has 13 pass break-ups and deflections along with five quarterback hurries. Besides having cornerback speed at a linebacker position, the main reason why Foster put Fuller in this position was due to his comfort playing in space and his insane open-field tackling. Fuller often lines up outside of J.R. Collins or in front of the slot receiver on the strong side, so he plays like a linebacker in running situations and a cornerback in passing and spread looks.

After Christmas, we will look at the Hokies’ secondary and their specialists minus place kicker Cody Journell.

Jehu Chesson Blue Himself

2011-12-21T12:44:00.023-05:00

(Per TomVH, Jehu Chesson committed to M today. From here on, I'll provide a recruiting profile of M commits. No promises, however.)

Jehu Chesson (Ladue Horton Watkins HS)

St. Louis, Missouri

Height: 6’3 Weight: 180* 40 time: 4.5 sec (unofficial)

Offer Sheet: Michigan, Oklahoma St., Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Purdue, Northwestern, UCLA, Cincinnati (Florida, and The U also showed interest)

Best Case Comparison & Projection: Adrian Arrington

Most Probable Comparison & Projection: Mark Dell

McGuffie Rating**: 3.5 ‘Guffies (out of 5)

PROs: Shows good body control, concentration on catches, and an ability to grab balls thrown behind him. Has excellent burst out of his stance does a good job using his height and wingspan to his advantage against defenders. Fluid route runner with good coordination and often catches balls at its “high point.” 300m hurdles state champion.

CONs: Chesson has good vertical speed given his long strides but by comparison it is average to above average for D1 level. He doesn’t seem to use his route running ability or quickness to set up defenders rather often uses his physically to outplay defensive backs for the football. Although Jehu doesn’t shy away from contact during and after the catch, physicality and power is not his strong suit. His speed and his ability to adjust to playing defenders who are faster and more physical will ultimately determine Chesson’s success in the next level.

Obligatory Hype Video:

Quote from Chesson: “Anywhere I chose to go there will be talent in front of me. The receivers in front of me will obviously have seniority, but in college football, anything can happen. Freshmen win jobs sometimes. I’m not worried about how good they are; I’m focused on how good that school can make me. I’m willing to compete for a position. I can only control one thing: getting better.”

Bottom line: Chesson is a big skilled receiver who makes plays with his athletic ability. Against high school competition, he can outplay defenders with either his athleticism or skill-set. His track and field results and highlight tapes are solid evidence to indicate that speed will be good to good enough for the Division 1 level.

Chesson is ahead of the learning curve compared to many raw receivers who are too dependent on their athleticism in high school. His fluid route running^, ability to react to defenders and field awareness will continue to improve in the next level. Routine catches are not and will not be a problem for Chesson. His frame has potential to allow Chesson grow into a physical receiver that can often outplay defensive backs for the football, but unlikely. I won’t be surprised to see Chesson making highlight reel catches at the next level if he is able to adjust to the speed. The question will be: at what consistency? Do not let the recruiting sites fool you. If he is able to out-compete the more highly-touted recruits on the Michigan roster, Jehu has potential to become a very good #2 receiver similar to Adrian Arrington. It’s difficult to determine consistency with highlight clips. There is really not enough evidence to say Chesson is a sure-fire recruit. His hurdle accolades earns him an extra half 'guffie and he really is a border-line 4 star recruit. I award him 3 and one-half Mcguffies out of five. The upside is there.

^- After watching his senior highlights, it seems Chesson is playing faster but his route running isn't as sharp as his junior year. FWIW.

* - I averaged the 4 recruiting sites (ESPN, 247 sports, Rivals, & Scout) to determine weight and height if there is any inconsistency.

**- McGuffie Rating? Think of stars ratings in any recruiting website. For those who followed Sam McGuffie's recruiting know about the ridiculous "McGuffie Mixtape" and facebook group leading many to believe that he will be the Eminem of the Michigan backfield. For those that know me, you know how much I bought into the hype. Of course I'll name my recruiting rating after him.)

Sugar Bowl Preview: Virginia Tech Offensive Line

2011-12-20T18:19:00.002-05:00

Guest poster Ryan provides his third Virginia Tech Hokies position group review.

Previously: Offensive backfield; Receiving corps.

Virginia Tech Offensive Line

Although the Hokie offensive line is not bred of the corn-fed big men that populate many of the BIG’s lines, they still love battling in the trenches, especially in the run game. Averaging a bit over 6-4 and 302 lbs., the line consists of four redshirt senior starters with the same unit starting all 13 games. When called upon in the running game the unit delivers, averaging 189 yards per game. Logan Thomas also has felt very comfortable when he drops back to pass since the unit has allowed 15 sacks, which is tied for the second-fewest in the ACC with Virginia (Georgia Tech allows the fewest due to their triple-option attack). If the unit is effective in establishing the run then it is hard to break their rhythm and if they establish a groove, then it makes the Hokies’ offense play well. Therefore, if Michigan is to neutralize Logan Thomas and David Wilson, in turn keeping the ball away from the playmakers at wide receiver, then they must win the battle at the line of scrimmage.

Tackles – RT Blake DeChristopher #62; LT Andrew Lanier #72/Nick Becton #54

Blake DeChristopher, RT

The undisputed leader of the offensive line is redshirt senior Blake DeChristopher. Standing at 6-5, 311 lbs., he is the most experienced member with 50 career starts. The first-team All-ACC right tackle has recorded a unit-high 101 knockdown (or pancake) blocks and has led the team in that category in eight of the Hokies 13 games, including a 15 knockdown block performance against UVA. He earned ACC lineman of the week honors three times this season while averaging a coaches’ score of 90.6%, the best amongst his comrades. On top of all that, he sports Blacksburg’s favorite beard.

Blake's Beard

The left tackle is redshirt senior Andrew Lanier. Though Lanier has started all 13 games for the Hokies, he has rotated with redshirt junior Nick Becton in each of those competitions. The 6-5, 306 lbs. Lanier is in his second year as a starter for Beamer’s squad and sees the majority of the snaps at the position. Between Lanier and the 6-6, 326 lbs. Becton, the position has averaged a coaches’ score of 87%. There is no disguising that this is the weakest position of the offensive line in the passing game, but the position is still very reliable in the running game. The problem has not necessarily been ability, but more technical. Lanier and Becton can be caught flat-footed and high at times, allowing speedy and athletic ends and blitzers to collapse the pocket. Exhibit AB (Andre Branch):

Interior – RG Jaymes Broooks #68; LG Greg Nosal #75; C Andrew Miller #74

At right guard is redshirt senior Jaymes Brooks, the second-most experienced lineman on the Hokies’ unit with 41 starts. A second-team All-ACC member, Brooks is second on the team with 51 knockdown blocks and averaged a coaches’ score of 88.6%. Though he is by far the shortest starting lineman at 6-2, Brooks is perhaps the strongest of all his peers and his build and technique make him an ideal run-blocker.

Redshirt senior Greg Nosal is the Hokies’ starter at left guard. Standing at 6-5, 297 lbs., Nosal earned honorable mention All-ACC honors while compiling 78 knockdown blocks and averaging a coaches’ score of 88% in his second year as a Hokies starter. Nosal is most known for playing with a piece of his pinky missing in last season’s game against Central Michigan.

Starting at center is the youngest and tallest member of the Hokies’ offensive line in 6-6, 290 lbs. redshirt sophomore Andrew Miller. Miller faced some adversity early in his career, suffering a shoulder injury while the team was practicing for the 2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl bout against Tennessee during his redshirt season. After being limited during last season’s summer practice due to the surgery, Miller recovered nicely, serving as the team’s backup at both center and guard last season. He also was named the team’s best offensive newcomer in last spring’s workouts. Miller, like Nosal and DeChristpoher, is a very balanced lineman who can block in both the run and pass game and has emerged as a very reliable player in the middle of the line. For the season, Miller averaged a coaches’ score of 87% with 57 knockdowns.

Below is a compilation of some of the Hokies’ best runs of the season. On most of these runs, the line was able to get lock on their blocks, get a good push and get to the second level.

In the next installment, we switch focus to the Hokies’ defensive line and linebackers.

Sugar Bowl Preview: Virginia Tech Receiving Corps

2011-12-18T22:21:00.000-05:00

Guest poster Ryan provides his second Virginia Tech Hokies position group review.

Virginia Tech Receiving Corps

When discussing the most dangerous pass catching groups in the ACC, Clemson’s group certainly gets the most attention. While the Tigers’ personnel might be more explosive, Virginia Tech’s receiving corps should not be discounted. They are a highly experienced and consistent group with precise route runners, great speed and outstanding blocking skills. Like Denard Robinson, Logan Thomas has many weapons to target on a given play.

Wide Receivers: Jarrett Boykin - #81; Danny Coale - #19; Marcus Davis - #7; D.J. Coles - #18

Jarrett Boykin, WR

Senior Jarrett Boykin is Virginia Tech’s all-time leader in both receptions and yards and serves as Logan Thomas’s go-to receiver. In his career at Virginia Tech, Boykin has hauled in 180 receptions with 2,854 receiving yards. He also has 18 career touchdowns and has averaged just over 54 yards per game and 16 yards per catch in his career.

This season Boykin has 57 receptions for 731 yards and five touchdowns. His best game came against Wake Forest where he hauled in 7 catches for 149 yards and one touchdown. With a 6-2 frame, long wingspan, huge hands, great route running, and good leaping ability and fundamentals, Boykin is the Hokies’ most complete receiver.

Danny Coale, WR

Starting opposite of Boykin is the player ranking right behind him in both career receptions and yards: redshirt senior Danny Coale. Coale’s size, speed and leaping ability are quite unassuming, but his supreme route running and ability to find the soft spots in the opposing coverage makes him open on seemingly every single pass play. Coale has averaged 16.2 yards per reception for his career and is arguably the most effective deep threat the Hokies have ever had. He also has been a fan favorite ever since his 81-yard reception set up the Hokies’ come from behind victory against Nebraska in 2009.

For the season, Coale has racked up 52 receptions for a team-high 787 yards, averaging 15.1 yards per catch and scoring three touchdowns. He also has served as the team’s punter in the Hokies’ last two games.

Also seeing significant playing time this season is redshirt junior Marcus Davis. Davis is a much larger physical specimen at 6-4, 228 lbs. and like Coale serves as a deep vertical threat. Usually when he is in the game, Davis will line up on the perimeter allowing either Coale or D.J. Coles to drop into the slot. Davis can make all the catches, including the spectacular ones, but his impact and hands have been inconsistent throughout his career.

Davis has caught 29 passes for 499 yards and leads the team in average yards per catch with 17.2. He also is the co-leader with Jarrett Boykin with five touchdown receptions on the year.

The aforementioned D.J. Coles is the final wide receiver who will see a good amount of offensive snaps. The junior possesses the greatest straight-line speed of all the Hokies’ wide outs and coaches like to get him out in space via slants and screen passes. For the season, Coles has hauled in 34 receptions for 449 yards and three touchdowns. His biggest play came on a 49-yard touchdown scoot against Arkansas State.

The one commonly overlooked aspect in each of these receiver’s games is that they all are effective blockers on the perimeter, adding to Michigan’s challenge in shutting down the Hokies’ prolific rushing attack. If the Wolverines’ secondary has to worry about both the run and the pass it will make the wide outs’ job of sealing the outside that much easier as once they get their hands on a defender they sustain their blocks. This makes it hard for the opposing secondary to play press and man coverage, setting up potential big gains in the running and screen games.

Tight ends: Chris Drager - #33

Due to the playmaking abilities of RB David Wilson and the wide receivers, the Hokies’ tight ends do not often get a lot of love in the passing game. That said, the position is still very effective in the running game and can still do damage in the passing game.

Starting at the position is redshirt senior Chris Drager. Drager has had an interesting career in Blacksburg. He started off as a tight end, but was switched to defensive end after his redshirt freshman season and started every game at the position last season. The coaching staff decided to switch the 6-4 player back to tight end for this season, where he has hauled in 14 catches for 186 yards and two touchdowns. Drager is very sure handed (his catches are known as Dragerbombs) so Thomas will often look his way in the red zone or in short yardage situations. He's also an effective blocker as this clip attests.

Eric Martin, Ryan Malleck, and George George (yes, that is his real name) will also see time as a second and third tight end in the Hokies’ two tight end single back and offset I-formation packages in addition to their jumbo package.

Next up, a look at the Hokies’ offensive line.

Previously, the Hokies’ backfield.

Sugar Bowl Preview: Virginia Tech Backfield

2011-12-17T20:49:00.001-05:00

To assist your preparation for the Sugar Bowl, I asked my son Ryanto pen a series of Virginia Tech Hokies position group profiles. Ryan is the sports news director for WUVT-FM, the VT student radio station. In that capacity, he covered the Hokies’ home games this season from the press box of Lane Stadium. Ryan was raised a Michigan fan and would root for them against anyone other than his Hokies.

Virginia Tech Backfield

Michigan fans are rightly proud of their talented backfield combo of Denard Robinson and Fitzgerald Toussaint. That said Virginia Tech possesses its own dynamic duo in first year starting quarterback Logan Thomas and running back David Wilson. Thomas and Wilson are their squad’s most recognizable players for national audiences and while there are plenty of other playmakers on the team, without effective play from this group, the Hokies’ offense gets stuck in neutral. For the Hokies to defeat the Wolverines, Thomas and Wilson must be productive.

Quarterback: Logan Thomas – #3

Logan Thomas, QB

Coming into the season, redshirt sophomore Logan Thomas (aka LT3) was a first-year starter following in the footsteps of arguably the greatest quarterback in school history, Tyrod Taylor. On top of that, he was still adjusting to the position of quarterback after Virginia Tech’s coaches switched him there from tight end following his redshirt year. Combining these factors with a 6-6, 254 lbs. frame, a top-notch receiving corps, an offensive line consisting of four redshirt seniors and David Wilson in the backfield, who we’ll get to in a moment, resulted in a campus that had extremely high expectations for a quarterback who still was something of a project.

Though Thomas led the Hokies through their soft out-of-conference schedule undefeated, his play failed to meet the public’s expectations. Against Appalachian State, East Carolina, Arkansas State and Marshall, Thomas completed 60 of 105 passes (57%) for 761 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. The main aspects of Thomas’s play that worried critics were his inability to make plays consistently while looking confused in the pocket and throwing the ball inaccurately.

Things came to a head after the Hokies opened conference play with a 23-3 loss to Clemson at home in Blacksburg. In that game, Thomas was sacked four times while completing 15 of 27 passes for 125 yards and an interception. The benching rumbles grew louder and the Hokie fan base worried about the state of the team, especially since Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech’s main competition in the ACC’s Coastal Division, was looking like a juggernaut at this point of the season.

Despite fan criticism and the media’s continued questioning of Logan’s performance for five weeks, head coach Frank Beamer and quarterbacks coach/play caller Mike O’Cain continued to voice support for Logan, insisting that he was playing well and his development was far ahead of schedule.

The Miami Hurricanes came into town in week six and the Hokies were faced with what many considered a must-win game. The game turned out to be the Logan Thomas show as he completed 23 of 25 passes for 310 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 38 yards on the ground with two touchdowns. But his biggest moment came when the Hokies found themselves at their own 23 yard line down 35-31 with 2:46 left in the game. Behind three consecutive completions and David Wilson’s legs, the Hokies drove to Miami’s 28 yard line with 1:49 on the clock. But the Hurricanes stopped the Hokies’ rushing attack, forcing a 4^th and 1 with a minute left. On that play, Thomas took the ball up the middle into the end zone for the go ahead score.

For the remainder of the season, Thomas completed 117 of 206 passes for 1,603 yards with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions. While those stats mostly parallel his early season performance (his completion percentage remained at 57% while averaging 229 yards per game), it was clear that his connection with his receivers and his grasp of the offense was significantly improved. During this run through the ACC he continually made big plays with his arm and his feet and cemented his status as a playmaker with the promise of becoming a special player.

Thomas has a big-time arm and can make all the throws. He does a good job of not staring down his receivers and unlike many quarterbacks his size, his throwing motion is not long and lanky, but rather quick and smooth. Also unlike many quarterbacks his size, Thomas possesses 4.6 speed with good acceleration and is a threat to run every time he drops back in the pocket. He amassed 416 net yards and 10 rushing touchdowns, tying the school’s single-season rushing touchdown mark by a QB. Thomas has not been denied once all season on a 3^rd or 4^th and 1 situation when the coaches call his number, earning him a reputation as a powerful runner who gets the tough yards.

Thomas still throws inaccurate passes from time to time, but the main knock on his game is his inability to make plays consistently with pressure in his face. Therefore, the best way Michigan can neutralize him is by collapsing the pocket quickly. This prevents Thomas from escaping the pocket and finding an open receiver or a check-down in a timely fashion. Clemson did this in both games against Tech and the results speak for themselves. Greg Mattison surely knows this, but he also knows that in order for this to happen, he has to stop a beast of a different kind.

David Wilson, RB

Running Back: David Wilson – #4; Josh Oglesby - #2

Before this season, David Wilson was already a legend among Hokie fans. Some of the legendary things he has done (and these are confirmed) include scaling Cassell Coliseum, chasing down and catching a rabbit, and hitting eight consecutive back flips. Some also believe that he eats Chick-Fil-A on Sundays.

All kidding aside, Wilson is an insane athlete. Not only does he possess 4.4 speed with elite agility and vision, but he squats over 500 lbs. and has supreme balance that allows him to stay on his feet and make acrobatic runs.

Wilson exceeded the 100 rushing yards mark in 10 of the Hokies’ 13 games and has totaled 1,627 rushing yards for the season. He needs 60 yards to set the Virginia Tech single season rushing record. Taking into account his yards from scrimmage and kick return yards, Wilson has compiled 2,129 all-purpose yards this season. The Hokies have not had a player with this kind of all-purpose production since Eddie Royal, who also donned the number 4 jersey in Blacksburg. The only area where Wilson has not excelled is getting into the end zone, which he has only done nine times. In fairness to Wilson, five of those touchdowns came before the Miami game, which as previously noted was Logan Thomas’s coming-out party and the beginning of the quarterback’s red-hot play.

Not to be overlooked is Wilson’s backfield complement, redshirt senior Josh Oglesby. While he is not the athlete Wilson is, Oglesby is very experienced in this offense and knows where the holes should be. Oglesby averages about seven carries per game, but has been very productive when on the field and has provided a spark in Virginia Tech’s matchups against East Carolina, Duke, and UNC – games in which the Hokies offense was not firing on all cylinders.

Virginia Tech employs a zone-running scheme that looks something like a Mike Shanahan attack. The Hokies live and die with the zone read with the idea being for the runner to find the hole, make a cut, and go. Despite Wilson’s elite quickness, the Hokies barely run anything outside of the tackles unless it is a screen pass. They also do not use a fullback very often, instead favoring single-back formations with one or two tight ends. One might think that this system handicaps Wilson’s ability to hit the home run, but Wilson runs in the style of Adrian Peterson in that he initiates contactand always keeps his feet moving. This style is conducive to the smash mouth, physical rushing attack that Virginia Tech looks to establish.

For Michigan to stop Virginia Tech’s offense they will have to stop Wilson and even Oglesby. If the defense allows the rushing attack to get going, then the Hokies will be able to open their bag of tricks and run options, misdirection plays, and play action passes and screens. If that happens, it could be a long day for the Wolverines defense.

Future Posts

Next up, Virginia Tech’sreceiving corps followed by features on the offensive line, defensive line and linebackers, and defensive backfield.

The Monty Hall Problem

2011-12-06T22:04:00.009-05:00

(Hello world. I am Alan. I used to be Jeff’s RA in the dorms when he was in college. Jeff’s been busy with real life so I asked him to give me access to the blog to help fill in.)

The MSU faction, ever since Sunday, has done everything they can on my Facebook wall to attest to the fact that they are more deserving to play in a BCS bowl than Michigan. Columnist Drew Sharp, who still believes that a Big 12 championship game still exists (it doesn’t), and others argue that common sense dictates that the winners of both B1G division should go on to the two most prestigious bowl games. Thus, MSU getting snubbed out of going to the Sugar Bowl speaks to the abomination of the BCS system as well as the fact that biased towards Michigan’s elitist stature in the college football world.

Unlike Jeff and Mike, I grew up in Michigan. So I must tolerate this talk but I do want to take this opportunity give a reasonable response to their grievances.

In elementary probability, there is classic example called the “The Monty Hall Problem”. Crudely explained, it demonstrates that intuition, or common sense, can often fail in mathematics.

The restless MSU faction, along with other columnists like Drew Sharp, says that anyone with any common sense can see that the BCS has screwed over teams like Oklahoma State and most importantly all those who bleed green and white. Sorry, but you’re barking up the wrong tree. It is the human polls, not the BCS, which screw you over, if anything.

I will start by addressing the root of the problem- on Sunday MSU was not eligible for a BCS bowl invitation. Thus, if we still believe BCS has screwed everyone, then the fault must lie in the computer rankings.

To quickly summarize, BCS rankings is a weighted average of both human polls (two-thirds of the overall weight) and 6 computer formulated rankings (each one-eighteen of the overall weight)

Without getting into too much detail*, the averages of the six BCS formulas acts similarly to college’s basketball’s RPI- it rates the entire body of work of a football team. Looking at MSU’s nonconference schedule (Youngstown St, FAU, CMU, loss to ND), it is easy to see why the computer rankings punished MSU. Honestly, if this is college basketball, MSU would be a bubble team with an iffy resume. That is not the problem.

MSU fell victim to the reality that it is counter-intuitive for anyone that understands competition to vote a team higher than the previous week when it loses. Other teams, who performed poorly last Saturday, along with MSU, also dropped. Thus, M moves up by a process of elimination in the human polls, which is then weighted as two-thirds of its BCS rankings. If there is any blame to be passed around, it is the structure of the AP and USA polls in relations to the BCS rankings. It is the human polls that cost MSU more than anything else, not the BCS. As the matter of fact, problems as such has exists decades before the invention of the BCS (most notably, 1973 in the Big Ten).

So blame Art Briles, Doc Holiday, and Kevin Sumlin for voting MSU #21 on their ballots (by the way Nick Saban voted MSU #17). It isn't about the fallacy of the BCS system, nor is it about Michigan.

Complaints are much more valid when it is directed at the actual problem, or if Drew Sharp is not your advocate.

*(because I don’t really have much of it- all but one BCS formula has been released to the public. I know enough to understand these computer formulas are more consistent and objective than any human polls, simply due to the fact that computers, unlike coaches, are not in a conflict of interest.)

Hey Look, Words

2011-11-26T11:23:00.003-05:00

So as it turns out, accepting a new job offer and planning a big move doesn't exactly leave much time for blogging (or anything, really). I have gone, in a word, missing. And this time mid-season when every day of every week matters. Mike's been keeping the site semi-afloat with his weekly picks and that is a scary thought for all of us on the Internet. I thought the blog would be renamed Burrito Pages by now with a special feature on Qdoba. We're apparently still here.

While I've obviously watched all the games--had to DVR Iowa; I know, I'm disgusted with myself too--and been keeping up with the commentary, it's been frustrating not having the time to watch each game 2-3 times and do some independent analysis myself. At this point, it's a little pointless to rehash my specific thoughts on the past few games; the post-game bullets from the usual suspects are up and linked accordingly. Other stuff happened: Mitch McGary, Drake Johnson, PSU. As somebody who likes to stay informed as much as possible, I quickly learned just how boundless Michigan athletics can be. It's fast-moving and never-ending. You will be left behind.

The other lazy excuse for my silence is that I really didn't have much to say over the last few weeks. After Michigan's improbable 6-0 dream start coming to an end with the State loss, I began viewing the season on a more macroscopic level. Michigan was about to enter the most important bye I can remember. Now bye weeks are generally considered season halftimes anyway but given our recent past, this year's 2nd half was critical for 2 reasons: 1) to finish the season strong (that includes a late-season and/or road win) and 2) to beat Ohio State. After we dropped Iowa, the Big Ten championship and BCS were out of reach (...at the time. As of now, the former is statistically true and the latter is still very much in play with Michigan projected to play Houston in the Sugar Bowl should we win today) in my mind unless we had significant help. Regardless, post-Purdue, the last 4 games became the mini-season that would ultimately define the entire season with the silver bullet, of course, being Ohio State.

The individual matchups of those last 4 games were important, yes, but I remember the conversation shifting back in terms of overall record, like it was during the preseason. Considering that preseason expectations hovered around 7-8 wins, just having a chance to beat Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska or Ohio State was gravy. Would 2-2 for 9 wins without Ohio State suffice? 1-3 including OSU for 8 wins? Dare I say 3-1 with Ohio State? (Yes, please) Hoke somehow managed to provide a season's worth of satisfaction with still a third left to play and November 26th in his back pocket. This was already a special season for us. Could he make it even more special for Those Who Stayed?

Moreover, with two-thirds of the season in the books, there were few surprises regarding the caliber of our remaining 4 opponents: mediocre to above-average, at best. But nothing special and most importantly, all beatable. Iowa inexplicably lost to Minnesota; Illinois were who we thought they were, starting the season 6-0 before dropping 4 straight; Nebraska was a mirror image of us except with a, in the words of Mike, "Mexican Denard"; OSU dissolution was being realized before our eyes confirmed by a loss to Purdue. Each team had shown considerable weakness in the Big Ten. Even Vegas favored us, whether it was by default or not. With ND and MSU and 7 wins all in the rear view, it's all about the march to November 26th. Just win, baby. Nothing else matters.

But then it sort of hit me: so much of this season isn't even about football. It's about erasing the ghosts of Rich Rodriguez. The mid-season release of Bacon's Three and Out was a painful and stark reminder of that fact, highlighting exactly how messed up we were. Rodriguez is in Arizona now, an obvious better fit, but his footprint is still on this program. When bloggers and media folk analyze these games, they inevitably compare it with the last 3 seasons: defensive improvements, Denard's regression, whatever it may be. What is remarkable to me is just how little of that footprint is left; minus the players, Hoke has planted his foot right over Rodriguez's. We HAVE won on the road this season. We HAVE won late in this season. While the MSU ghost may still be there, winning today would erase much of whatever's left. We will have accomplished most of what this season is really about.

In an hour, the regular season will close with a football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines, just like it has for the last 107 years. But we all know it's about so much more. And I'm not referring to random Facebook status updates and Twitter messages saying "Go Blue" or "#BeatOhio". I'm not even referring to the last 7 years or where this blog fits in my life (if it still does). This Rivalry is personal not because of the opponent or history, but because of the experiences that has surrounded, does surround, and will always surround this special game. It's about the banter my friends and I exchange during Hate Week. It's about the way we sulked together, sometimes in complete silence, through the losses. It's about the hugs, the laughs and yes, even tears, that we shared because of this game.

If this season is about more than just football, let the experiences of this game define our season.

To new experiences.

Go Blue.