SB Nation - Donovan Warren

Tate declares for draft, Warren leaning that way: Will the Rams take notice?

VanRam — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:53:12 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

Are those tree trunks or legs?

Start getting your draft boards ready, the juniors are starting to declare. The latest player into the mix is Notre Dame WR Golden Tate. With the St. Louis Rams looking for help at WR, every name that gets thrown into the draft mix is worth mentioning at least.

Is Tate a pick in the top two rounds? That remains to be seen with the combine and other offseason activities adding much to the mix for lots of players. His numbers at ND certainly speak highly of him and the connection he had with QB Jimmy Clausen, a player sure to be in consideration for the QB starved Rams. Reading the Tate story at Mocking the Draft (linked above) one comment stood out to me:

Where Tate is the most dangerous, however, is after the catch. With legs like a running back, Tate breaks his share of tackles and can make just about any defender miss in the open field.

That's something the Rams really lack with their current group of receivers, though Brandon Gibson has shown some ability to pick up yards after the catch. It's something the West Coast offensive system is predicated on too. Now, does that make Tate the best possibility for the Rams at WR? We'll see.

Another player mentioned yesterday at Mocking the Draft that caught my attention it Michigan CB Donovan Warren, who played coy about his draft status but did indicate he leaned toward coming out. Why is Warren a name for Rams fans to keep their eyes on? Because he plays much like the Rams third round pick from last season Bradley Fletcher...or Fletcher Bradley as he's known at the Post-Dispatch. Warren's game is jamming receivers and playing a physical brand of man coverage, the kind that the Rams use. Fletcher is supposedly coming back next season, but we could still use another physical corner to add to the mix. He could be a 2nd or 3rd round pick.

Don't expect Donovan Warren back at Michigan

Mocking Dan — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:00:16 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

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Apologies for overlooking this until now, but Michigan cornerback Donovan Warren is leaning toward entering the NFL Draft.

"I’m not saying one way or the other," Warren told the Detroit Free Press. "I’m definitely, I’d have to say heavily, I like the chances of me coming out."

On the year, Warren had 66 tackles, seven pass breakups and four interceptions. They are good stats, but Warren struggled at times this season. His playing speed get him beat by fast receivers and his agility is only ordinary for a cornerback.

Warren's high-point agility isn't the best and he can be beaten in the air. The picture with this post is of Wisconsin's Nick Toon, an above-average player. Toon rode up Warren's body to the high point and caught a touchdown pass on this play.

Where Warren is at his best is when he can be physical. He's good at jamming receivers at the line and can re-route smaller players. He's a dependable tackler and can help out against the run. Warren has even seen time at free safety, a position he may be able to hold up at in the NFL.

Warren has good size at a listed 6-foot and 185 pounds. Cornerbacks of Warren's size and skill generally don't last long in the draft, so don't be surprised if he's gone by the end of the second round.

Michigan vs Arkansas-Pine Bluff...

SCM — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:06:35 -0000

Oh sure, you could probably be excited about watching Cincinnati take on Pittsburgh in the snow or waiting for Alabama and Florida to tussle in Georgia, or even waiting for Nebraska to throw a big ol' wrench into the BCS with their impending victory over Texas tonight (I'm calling it now), but why not take a brief moment out of that busy schedule of big-game-watching-activity to tune in and see if the Michigan men's basketball squad can approach something resembling competence against Arkansas-Pine Bluff this afternoon? Yes Ark-PB. The Golden Lions. No it's not televised. Though you can actually purchase the live stream of this game over on www.bigtennetwork.com if you so desire. Personally I'm not sure that it's worth spending 3 dollars for the privilege, however free audio streaming can be found over at www.mgoblue.com. Me, it'll be a game-time decision 'tween the two.

All-Big Ten Awards Announced, Swept Once Again By Toto

Oops Pow Surprise — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:00:45 -0000

by Charlie Neibergall - AP

about 1 month ago: Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz looks on during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Northwestern, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009, in Iowa City, Iowa. Northwestern won 17-10. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

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Good news, everyone!* The Big Ten announced its picks for the all-conference teams. Naturally, the offensive and defensive player of the year are both Terrelle Pryor. Okay, not true; he's not even honorable mention.

But there's plenty of actual good news. First, the devil media named Kirk Ferentz coach of the year, and here he is reminding them that they can go suck it and he hasn't forgiven them for the slights of the regular season.

Such language, Kirk!

As for the players, here's the link to the voting results. The media named Bryan Bulaga to the first team on offense, while the second team featured four of his friends from the line: Rafael Eubanks, Dace Richardson, Kyle Calloway, and Tony Moeaki.

On defense, the first team had a little more Iowa representation; Adrian Clayborn, Pat Angerer, and Tyler Sash all received their no-brainer merits. On the second team, Brett Greenwood and Amari Spievey. Iowa put eight players on the media's honorable mention team: Ryan Donahue, Broderick Binns, A.J. Edds, Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Karl Klug, Daniel Murray, Adam Robinson, and Ricky Stanzi.

Not surprisingly, the coaches had a slightly higher opinion of the Hawkeyes; here's the link to their voting results. Bryan Bulaga was named their offensive lineman of the year(!!!), an award the media doesn't give out. Bulaga is joined on the first team by Moeaki and Richardson, both of which are worthy selections. Calloway and Eubanks didn't make the second team--not sure why on Calloway--but Derrell Johnson-Koulianos snuck in on a three-player tie for second-team WR.

On defense, the coaches agreed with the media in putting Sash, Clayborn, and Angerer on the first team roster. They also added Amari Spievey; as coaches, they're more likely to know that the reason Spievey didn't have a ton of picks wasn't that he's not good at football, but that there's just no hope in throwing at him; Spievey was a machine this season, and we're starting to lose hope that he's got more than one game left in an Iowa uniform. A.J. Edds is the lone Hawkeye on the defensive second team.

For honorable mention, it's as follows:Christian Ballard, Kyle Calloway, Ryan Donahue, Brent Greenwood, Karl Klug, and Adam Robinson.

Full All-BXI teams and a few thoughts are after the break.

MEDIA

POS.	FIRST TEAM	SECOND TEAM
QB	Daryll Clark, Penn State	Mike Kafka, Northwestern
RB	Evan Royster, Penn State	Brandon Saine, Ohio State
RB	JOHN CLAY, Wisconsin	Ralph Bolden, Purdue
WR	Tandon Doss, Indiana	Blair White, Michigan State
WR	Keith Smith, Purdue	Zeke Markshausen, Northwestern
C	Stefen Wisniewski, Penn State	Rafael Eubanks, Iowa
G	Justin Boren, Ohio State	Jon Asamoah, Illinois
G	John Moffitt, Wisconsin	Dace Richardson, Iowa
T	Bryan Bulaga, Iowa	Kyle Calloway, Iowa
T	Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin	Dennis Landolt, Penn State
TE	Garrett Graham, Wisconsin	Tony Moeaki, Iowa
PK	Brett Swenson, Michigan State	Stefan Demos, Northwestern

POS.	FIRST TEAM	SECOND TEAM
DL	Adrian Clayborn, Iowa	Jammie Kirlew, Indiana
DL	Brandon Graham, Michigan	Thaddeus Gibson, Ohio State
DL	Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue	Cameron Heyward, Ohio State
DL	O'Brien Schofield, Wisconsin	Jared Odrick, Penn State
LB	Pat Angerer, Iowa	Ross Homan, Ohio State
LB	GREG JONES, Michigan State	Josh Hull, Penn State
LB	Navorro Bowman, Penn State	Sean Lee, Penn State
DB	Tyler Sash, Iowa	Brent Greenwood, Iowa
DB	Donovan Warren, Michigan	Amari Spievey, Iowa
DB	Sherrick McManis, Northwestern	Brad Phillips, Northwestern
DB	Kurt Coleman, Ohio State	David Pender, Purdue
P	Zoltan Mesko, Michigan	Jeremy Boone, Penn State

COACHES

POS.	FIRST TEAM	SECOND TEAM
QB	Daryll Clark, Penn State	Mike Kafka, Northwestern
RB	Evan Royster, Penn State	Brandon Saine, Ohio State
RB	John Clay, Wisconsin	Ralph Bolden, Purdue
WR	Eric Decker, Minnesota	Tandon Doss, Indiana*
WR	Blair White, Michigan State	Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Iowa* Keith Smith, Purdue*
C	Stefen Wisniewski, Penn State	Rafael Eubanks, Iowa* Joel Nitchman, Michigan State*
G	Dace Richardson, Iowa	Jon Asamoah, Illinois
G	John Moffitt, Wisconsin	Justin Boren, Ohio State
T	Bryan Bulaga, Iowa	Rodger Saffold, Indiana
T	Dennis Landolt, Penn State	Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin
TE	Tony Moeaki, Iowa	Garrett Graham, Wisconsin
PK	Brett Swenson, Michigan	Stefan Demos, Northwestern

POS.	FIRST TEAM	SECOND TEAM
DL	Adrian Clayborn, Iowa	Jammie Kirlew, Indiana
DL	Brandon Graham, Michigan	Thaddeus Gibson, Ohio State
DL	Jared Odrick, Penn State	Cameron Heyward, Ohio State
DL	O'Brien Schofield, Wisconsin	Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue
LB	Pat Angerer, Iowa Linebacker	A.J. Edds, Iowa
LB	Greg Jones, Michigan State	Ross Homan, Ohio State
LB	Navorro Bowman, Penn State	Sean Lee, Penn State
DB	Tyler Sash, Iowa	Donovan Warren, Michigan*
DB	Amari Spievey, Iowa	Sherrick McManis, Northwestern*
DB	Brad Phillips, Northwestern	Brandon King, Purdue*
DB	Kurt Coleman, Ohio State	David Pender, Purdue* Jay Valai, Wisconsin*
P	Zoltan Mesko, Michigan	Jeremy Boone, Penn State

Okay. While we're quite happy that Bulaga got such high accolades for the season, we can't be alone in thinking that he was hardly the best lineman in Iowa City, much less the Big Ten. He was either on the sidelines or out of sorts for the majority of the season, and we still haven't seen the elephant-tusk-covered road grader from last season on display. He totally would have deserved a preseason OL of the year, but his performance over 2009 didn't merit such superlatives.

This is hardly a new development from these postseason lists, however; generally, the lists are crafted off of the preseason lists, and anybody whose knee blew out with more than four games left was excised and replaced by someone else. After all, Bulaga was only a second-team All-BXI player last season, even though he was by far the best lineman on the team in 2008. Seth Olsen, meanwhile, had the good fortune to be a first-teamer to start the year, so he was on the first team after 2008, despite a relatively blah senior campaign; we'd have put him about fourth on the list of Iowa linemen for 2009, behind the two bookends at tackle and Rob Bruggeman at center.

Essentially, Bulaga won the award in 2009 for his play in 2008.

At the end of the day, this comes down to stats; there aren't any for linemen, despite the ill-fated attempt to get the "pancake" introduced about a decade ago (for this, we blame Orlando Pace). It's assumed that linemen are sure things, and that as long as they stay healthy, the narrative has stayed true. After all, without stats, most scribes have no time (or no idea) how to watch linemen individually.

Frankly, though it's a subjective stat, we'd love to see how linemen grade out per play (remember that Blake Larsen famously graded at 100% during his senior season at Atlantic; lord, had those knees survived...) Without having the means to undertake such an activity ourselves, we'd imagine that if you graded each Iowa offensive lineman, Kyle Calloway or Dace Richardson would probably be at the top.

If they're not, which is possible, then it would probably be the guy who didn't even get an honorable mention: Riley Reiff. He was stout in relief of Bulaga--hell, we're pretty sure O'Brien Schofield would not have batted Reiff around like a catnip mouse, unlike some Iowa linemen--and he basically forced his way into the starting lineup even before Big Dace went down. But since he wasn't even a projected starter, to say nothing of a preseason honoree, Reiff didn't have much of a chance for postseason mention. Shame, really; dude is legit, and he hasn't even filled out his frame yet.

As for the skill players, it's a little disappointing that Stanzi only made one honorable mention team. But we get how that can happen. Spievey only making second team in the media is flatly ridiculous. If he'd put together that same season in an Ohio State uniform, he'd be getting All-American talk.

Other than that, we don't have a ton of beef; Stanzi killed himself by leading the conference in interceptions when he went down to injury, and the rest of the offensive skill players were far too inconsistent or hurt to merit much consideration. Jeremiha Hunter not getting any honorable mention love is a little disconcerting, but the BXI was lo-ho-hoaded at linebacker this season; we're not quite sure whom we'd place him above. He'll get some love in 2010 if he stays healthy. Also--given the play of Jeff Tarpinian in relief--if Hunter stays healthy between now and next September, there's no position battle at weakside backer next season, right?

So, all in all, a fair list, even if the voting on offensive linemen is basically a year behind schedule. It's a year behind for everyone else, after all. Anybody else that you folks think got shafted? Did Marvin McNutt deserve a nod, or is he still a year away from recognition?

*/Farnsworth'd

Warren, Graham, Mesko Net 1st Team Honors

GregGoBlue — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:02:17 -0000

The media has spoken, and they say that Donovan Warren, Brandon Graham and Zoltan Mesko (his royal punt-ness) are all Big Ten first team.

It may come as a surprise to some that, for a team that finished 9th in the Big Ten in total D, two of the 11 best players in the Big Ten on D played for Meeechigan.

However, if you were a team that played against Meech this season, your chances are pretty good that your QB knows what Brandon Graham's breath smells like. Fear. With 25 tackles for loss, the senior defensive end led the Big Ten in that category, and generally pitched a tent in the opponents' backfield all season. He's a monster, as well as the very definition of a true Michigan Man for always playing his heart out during a nightmarish junior and senior season for Michigan football. With the requisite full Michigan bias, I also believe that Brandon Graham deserves to be an All American, and should be if all is well and right in the football universe. BG said in an interview that he cries after games, but then on Mondays went out and took care of business. He can wipe his tears with the enormous pile of money he's going to get as a first rounder's signing bonus.

Last season, D Warren had some "disagreements," with then D-coordinator Scott Shafer, a general whiny attitude along with fairly inconsistent play. This season he's really matured and has become a leader on the defense. He's finally playing at the level that was expected of him when he was ranked a unanimous 5-star prospect coming out of Long Beach, CA. D Warren's most telling influence this season can't really be quantified by a statistic, mostly because teams generally didn't throw at him. This was especially true when Boubacar Cissoko was playing (and a Michigan student, whoops!). Thank the sweet lord D Warren will most likely be back next season; our D needs the help. Well done, Donovan.

If there was any beneficiary of our incredibly inconsistent offense this season, Zoltan Mesko was it. He was able to use that tritium-powered bionic leg of his to deliver the ball to the other team when our offense didn't beat him to it. Mesko's yards per punt average was 44.5 yards, first in the big ten. Zoltan is also a high achieving student; he's maintained a 3.61 GPA in one of nation's top business school (have I also mentioned our top ten medical school, our top 5 law school, our #1 social work and public policy schools...). Mesko is also up for the Ray Guy award as the nation's best punter (as he was last season). He can also kick saturn:

I want this shirt. Sadly, Mesko did not make the all big ten first team in banner touching.

All I can say is thank goodness it's basketball season, friends...

Lost

Maize n Brew Dave — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:25:16 -0000

There are a lot of things that go through your head after the final game of the year. Usually those thoughts comprise of "what if's." But not on Saturday. While I was disappointed by Michigan's 21-10 loss to Ohio State, our sixth straight loss to our rivals, I thought the team played well. Our much maligned defense gave up only 14 points and generally looked competent the entire game. Our offense put up decent numbers, and in spite or a nightmare inducing day from Tate Forcier, moved the ball on a pretty good defense. I saw progress, and that was sufficient for me to release my normal post game neuroses to the winds. I mean, prior to the game, I thought we'd lose by four touchdowns. As a result, my thoughts on the game itself were relatively clear.

However, as I made the long trek up the stadium to exit, I looked back at the Big House and saw something that I'm not likely to forget or forgive. A sea of red. Ohio State fans everywhere. In front, in back, to the sides, across the bowl. All singing their fight song in the Big House, on senior day, as our players walked off the turf for the last time.

That was inexcusable.

If you are a season ticket holder who sold your tickets to Ohio State fans, or put them up for auction on a non-Michigan ticket site, you should have your season tickets revoked. What I saw in our stadium on Saturday was horrifying. Looking at the DVR when I got home the stadium was equal parts red and maize.

How? Why? What could possibly possess you to sell your OHIO STATE MICHIGAN tickets to an OSU fan? I don't care about selling your tickets for Michigan State, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, or any other opponent in the Big Ten. With MSU and Notre Dame there are so many familial ties between the schools that it is inevitable that a few will get in. With the rest, they don't travel well enough for it to matter. And frankly, those games don't mean that much. They are not Ohio State.

For the Michigan fans who stood fast, held your tickets, and cheered for this team through thick and thin, I commend you. You are part of the reason why this program will remain strong and return to its rightful place in college football.

For the Michigan "fans" who sold your tickets to OSU fans, shame on you. You are the worst type fair weather fan. Don't give me the "I was making a statement about Rodriguez" crap either. You sold out your team. You sold it down the river to the Devil himself. You let our seniors walk out of the Big House to the strains of Carmen Ohio rather than the Victors. You allowed OSU fans to chant "O-H" the entire game. You allowed the noise on the field to be just as bad for our offense as it was for OSU's.

For what? So you could feel you made a statement? Congrats. The statement you made is "I'm a fair weather fan and unwilling to face reality." Michigan is going through a trying time right now. It's in transition to a modern offense and trying to make up for years upon years of neglect on the defensive side of the ball. These things do not correct themselves in a year. Worse, by selling your tickets to OSU fans, you undercutour recruiting! That game was one of the most important recruiting days of the year, almost twenty high calibre recruits were in attendance, and you let OSU fans in the House?

If you are still calling for Rodriguez' head, you are oblivious to the facts before you. This site and many others have chronicled the disaster Carr left Rodriguez on the defensive side of the ball. Even ESPN has realized this.

1. Todd McShay told me that Michigan will have two players drafted in April, same as last April. Among the Wolverine juniors this season, only Donovan Warrenhas attracted attention vis-à-vis the 2011 draft. That would be five draftees over three seasons. The fewest any Michigan coach(es) has had over a three-year period is nine from 1984-86. The point? Rich Rodriguez’s biggest problem isn’t fitting in at Michigan. It’s talent. All of his is young. - Ivan Maisel

Rodriguez has had onefull recruiting class that was his. One. His next class is loaded with the top quarterback in America, five defensive backs, linemen, linebackers and speed. Our offense has improved by leaps and bounds this year with freshmen leading the way. Are you, Mr. Sell-My-Tickets-To-OSU-Fans, so impatient that you can't wait two years to be back on top of the football universe? Are you so blind that you can't see Rodriguez history of success and leadership? Are you so blind as not to see the utter disaster that he inherited?

Why am I asking this? Of course you are. You see a young team with obvious flaws and weaknesses and expect it to win a national championship. Well, I can't help you. You're on your own.

Say what you want to make yourself feel better. Tell me in the comments I have no right to say this sort of thing. Do what you have to.

All I know is that I stayed and cheered for our seniors. And you abandoned them.

"Wade into them. Spill THEIR blood!"

Sam @ WWAHT — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:15:18 -0000

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP

about 1 month ago: Ohio State running back Daniel Herron (1) fends off Iowa cornerback Brett Greenwood (30) on an 11-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

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The end has come.

Tomorrow, the Ohio State Buckeyes stroll into the festering cesspit of Ann Arbor, riding a four game winning streak overall and a five-game winning streak in the Rivalry To End All Rivalries. I, unlike many others, am not convinced that this game will be a walk.

Say what you will about Jim Tressel "owning" Michigan, and you'll be right. But this is, after all, a new era for the Wolverines. While it hasn't gotten off to the hottest start, they're still Michigan, and they are far more capable of pulling off the upset this year than last. Despite some nagging Big Ten struggles, the Rich Rodriguez offense is in full swing in Ann Arbor; they lead the Big Ten in scoring offense, and have been held under 20 points just three times all year. This is all with true freshman Tate Forcier at the helm, too, so things are looking up for this unit.

As you all probably already know, where Michigan has died many a death this year is on defense. Their safeties and their linebackers are simply bad; their corners not named Donovan Warren are either young or mediocre, and their defensive line - the supposed strength of the unit - has been good enough to hold opposing offenses under 100 yards on the ground just three times all year (against Iowa, Western Michigan, and Delaware State). They are simply not a well-oiled machine, even if there are talented parts here and there.

That's all well and good, I suppose, but I'm just not sure Ohio State can fully take advantage of Michigan's defensive weaknesses. Michigan's rushing defense has actually been intermittently competent - they have held seven opponents to 4.5 YPC or fewer - while the secondary has been terrible in just about every game. While I think this means at least one-instance of Pryor-To-Posey 30+ yard magic, I can't help but think Michigan's defensive line will be good enough to slow down, but not stop, the Ohio State ground attack. I do not anticipate the 200-yards-on-the-ground streak to be broken, but I do think Ohio State will have to grind it out. I'm not sure this line will put the Michigan front on rollerskates like it probably should. I'm actually less concerned about the Buckeye offense than I am the defense.

"What?" you say? Allow me to explain. I think Ohio State will be able to move the ball enough against Michigan to control the clock, kick field goals, etc., just like Tress wants. But I can't shake the feeling that Michigan is actually constructed the way a team needs to be to move the ball on Ohio State. Purdue's offense had success against Ohio State for two big reasons: their quarterback could throw on the run, and could get the ball out of the backfield well before the pressure arrived. James Vandenberg did the same things, with far less mobility.

Well, Tate Forcier has more mobility than both, and he is also pretty accurate on the run. If Michigan is to do the unthinkable, these are the aspects of Forcier's game they'll have to maximize. I'm not sure their offensive line can hold the Ohio State pass rush at bay as well as Iowa's, and I'm not sure their receivers are nearly as good as Purdue's. But that's the key; if Michigan can consistently roll him away from pressure, long enough for him to look ten yards downfield.... this game gets a whole lot more interesting.

If not, it'll be a bloodbath. Michigan simply doesn't have the depth on defense to slow down an Ohio State attack that will be centered around dominating T.O.P and keeping the Michigan offense off the field. Conversely, Ohio State's front seven is so deep, and healthy for the first time since the Indiana game, that I just can't see the Wolverines running with any consistency. Even if Forcier gets it going with quick passes and rollouts... I'm not sure Michigan will finish drives with touchdowns, and it'll need them considering their defense is a sieve and may surrender 250 yards of offense in the first half to the Buckeyes.

Five predictions to make me look foolish come Monday:

- Ohio State totals more than 200 yards on the ground again, but has to work for it while getting fewer than 5 YPC

- Justin Boren lays a fool or three out

- Michigan turns the ball over four times

- Michigan will have occasional success rolling Forcier out, but will not get anything going on the ground. Thus, Gibby and Heyward will pin their ears back and get to him four times.

- Final Score: Ohio State 34, Michigan 20

Air attack returns as Badgers blowout Michigan

Adam Hoge — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:04:10 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Wisconsin quarterback Scott Tolzien (16) throws to Lance Kendricks (84) while being rushed by Michigan linebacker Brandon Smith (4) during the first half Saturday. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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One thing was obvious in Wisconsin's 45-24 win over Michigan Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium: the Badgers were going to get the passing game going again.

At times you had to wonder why offensive coordinator Paul Chryst was calling for passes on first and second down when he could be running the ball for sure yardage with John Clay, the Big Ten's leading rusher.

After quarterback Scott Tolzien's second turnover -- a lost fumble returned for a touchdown to give Michigan a 17-14 lead -- you really had to wonder if Chryst was going to scale the offense back and keep the ball on the ground.

Think again. Call it stubborness or call it brilliance, but that's exactly when Tolzien and UW passing game showed up.

Tolzien hit Garrett Graham for a six-yard gain and then found Nick Toon for a 36-yard gain before hitting Graham on the next play for 23 more yards. In three plays, Tolzien took Wisconsin from its own 32 yard line all the way to the Michigan three-yard line.

Clay took over from there, scoring his only touchdown of the game as UW took a 21-17 lead and never looked back.

Tolzien finished the day with four touchdown passes and 240 yards on 16-of-24 passing. If that wasn't enough, he added a one-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that gave UW a 42-24 advantage.

After boasting one of the more balanced offenses in the country earlier in the season, the Badgers' passing game had disappeared over the last four games. Also disappearing was Graham, UW's heralded tight end who accumulated only seven catches in the last four games, including only three in the last three games.

Saturday Graham caught five balls for 62 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown catch that put Wisconsin on the board first.

Sophomore wide receiver Nick Toon, who had remained one of the few bright spots in the UW passing game, continued his breakout season with five catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns. His 15-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter was arguably the best catch of the year for the Badgers as Toon reached over cornerback Donovan Warren and made the catch despite Warren being called for pass interference.

Perhaps the best sign for the UW offense Saturday was that while Tolzien was busy throwing touchdown passes, John Clay and the running game didn't skip a beat. Clay finished with 156 yards on 26 carries, while freshman Montee Ball added 62 yards on 16 carries.

Give offensive coordinator Paul Chryst credit for not bailing on his gameplan early when Tolzien was struggling. If Wisconsin is going to finish strong and compete in a bowl game against a top-tier opponent, its offense is going to have to be two-dimensional.

Saturday, Wisconsin proved it has a passing game that must be respected and that can only do wonders for a running game that has already dominated the Big Ten.

Michigan preview

BoilerTMill — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:59:54 -0000

It has come to this. All of the dreams we have of playing in a bowl this football season come down to winning in Ann Arbor. Doing so would be the first such victory since Griese was at quarterback. I don't mean Brian in the late 90's for the Wolverines either. Our favorite taco-loving announcer was Purdue's quarterback on October 15, 1966 when we won 22-21 in Ann Arbor.

It is a difficult position to be in, but I wouldn't have it any other way. When I was in school, I always tackled the hardest projects first. I knew if I could finish them, everything else would be easy. That is what we face now. Winning at Michigan is the most difficult of our remaining three games. Win, and we have a better chance to win the final two games. Lose, and it is all about building for next year.

Before the season, this was the only loss I had put in sharpie, as the Boiled Sports guys say. I even gave us a chance against Ohio State at home because we play the Buckeyes well and we were at home. Michigan is quite different. In the three victories over Michigan I have personally witnessed (1996, 2000, 2008) we have had to hang on until the final play in each one. Don't even get me started on our visits to Ann Arbor, which have gone as follows:

1969: L 20-31

1972: L 6-9

1974: L 0-51

1975: L 0-28

1978: L 6-24

1980: L 0-26 (This loss cost us the Big Ten title and Rose Bowl that season)

1982: L 21-52

1983: L 10-42

1985: L 0-47

1989: L 27-42

1991: L 0-42

1993: L 10-25

1995: L 0-5

1999: L 12-38 (Our other four losses that season were by a touchdown or less)

2001: L 10-24

2003: L 3-31 (This also cost us the Big Ten title and Rose Bowl)

2007: L 21-48

That is 17 straight losses at the Big House. In six of those games we didn't even score a single point. Kyle Orton, Drew Brees, Mark Herrman, and Jim Everett never even came close to a win. Shoot, Rick Trefzger in 1995 came closer than any of them. This is what we have to look forward to on Saturday. There is good news though: Joey Elliott led a pair of touchdown drives in the last two minutes during our last visit, so he had a better game in half a quarter than most Purdue quarterbacks.

A rare close game by Purdue at the Big House.

2009 Record: 5-4, 1-4 Big Ten

2008 Record: 3-9, 2-6 Big Ten

Bowl Result: none

Blog Representation: MGoBlog, MVictors, Varsity Blue, Michigan Sports Center, iBlog for Cookies, Maize'n'Brew, Maize & Blue Nation

Series with Purdue: Michigan leads 41-13-0

Last Purdue win: 11/1/2008 at Purdue 48-42

Last Michigan win: 10/13/2007 at Michigan 48-21

It is hard to believe that Michigan started 4-0, but their one win since came in a D-1AA exhibition against Delaware State. Even more unbelievably, they got drilled by an awful Illinois team last week. I can't figure this team out right now. They haven't even been competitive the last two weeks against two teams (Penn State and Illinois) they have historically dominated.

Michigan offense:

The key to any victory this time around will be stopping the Wolverines in the first quarter. Michigan has scored 111 points this season it the first quarter of their nine games. By comparison, they have just 28 third quarter points in that time. If we can prevent them from jumping on us early we have a chance. I am also encouraged that they run a similar offensive style to Oregon. Our defense did a good job of stopping the Ducks (remember, 17 of the 38 points given up were because of turnovers) and Oregon has better personnel running it.

We will definitely see two quarterbacks. Tate Forcier (107-193-5) has nine touchdowns and 1,429 yards passing. He is by far the bigger passing threat. Denard Robinson (11-22-4) has two touchdowns and 179 yards passing. With four interceptions in 22 attempts we want him to throw. Make no mistake. This is by far a run first team. Robinson has rushed for 287 yards and five touchdowns while Forcier has 214 and two scores.

Even though we won last year, we couldn't stop an offense that had struggled all year. They have been more successful this season, so we had better hope we have improved in that area. Brandon Minor (332-5) had a field day against us, going for a career high 155 yards and three scores, but he has been battling injuries of late. Carlos Brown (465-4) leads the team in rushing, but Michigan is at its best when it is spreading the ball around in the running game. Vincent Smith (208-1) and Michael Shaw (181-2) have been known to get in on the action too.

While Michigan's passing game isn't highly productive, it is balanced. Martavious Odoms (22-272-1) is the leading receiver, but Greg Mathews (18-204-1), Kevin Koger (15-211-2), Junior Hemingway (13-233-2), and Darryl Stonum (12-189-1) provide balance across the board. Roy Roundtree, yes that Roy Roundtree, has produced 6 catches for 136 yards and a score.

Michigan has had some issues of late with the offensive line. The unit has given up 19 sacks on the season, and has had some trouble opening holes for the running game. This is not a hulking line like Wisconsin's last week. Four of five starters are under 300 pounds, while Stephen Schilling is the biggest guy at 304 pounds. We should have some room to operate and be disruptive with our defensive line this week.

Michigan Defense:

This is where Purdue has struggled historically. They have been unable to generate any points against the Wolverines. In the four games in which Purdue topped 20 points during this streak most of them came after game was well decided. It is not so much that Michigan has had a lights out defense in that time. It has just been that Purdue has been unable to do anything against it.

Our offensive line could have its hands full with Brandon Graham at the end position., Graham has 6.5 sacks on the season, 17.5 tackles for loss, and is generally a disruptive force in the defensive backfield. Defensive tackle Ryan Van Bergen (32 tackles, four sacks) can also cause some problems. Michigan typically goes with a 3-4 set as opposed to the 4-3's we have seen most of the year. That means faster linebackers will be on the field, but there could be more room to run.

Obi Ezeh is the most active of those linebackers, leading the team with 63 tackles. Stevie Brown (55 tackles), Jonas Mouton (53 tackles) and Craig Roh the the remaining linebackers. It is an interesting mix of youth and experience as Ezeh, Mouton, and Brown are seniors while Roh is a true freshman.

Michigan has had some problems in the secondary. Donovan Warren is a solid cornerback with three interceptions, but they are hurting from the loss of Boubacar Cissoko, who was dismissed form the team before last week's game against Illinois. Troy Woolfolk and Michael Williams man the safety positions, but neither has an interception this season.

Michigan should be more vulnerable to the running game than Wisconsin. Illinois went nuts on the ground last week, and they had no discernable running game until two weeks ago. Their pass defense has been suspect as well. If we can limit turnovers and get back to moving the ball we might have a chance.

Michigan Special Teams:

Behold Zoltan, destroyer of worlds! Zoltan Mesko, aside from having the coolest name in the Big Ten, is a pretty good punter averaging almost 45 yards per kick. It's not like we have a punt return game anyway, so we should get ready to field deep kicks.

Jason Olesnavage is a decent kicker, hitting on 8 of 9 field goals with a long of 44. Bryan Wright is actually a kickoff specialist apart from Olesnavage and Mesko. He is holding teams to about 22 yards per return. Michigan's return game itself is pretty dangerous. We all know what Odoms did to us last year. Stonum has a kickoff return for a touchdown. Also of note, Graham has a blocked punt returned for a score, but it was against Delaware State.

Intangibles:

Do I really need to point it out? The Boiled Sports guys and I discussed how a new coaching staff and new players can make a difference. They do not have the history of the 17 game losing streak on them. The truth is that it hasn't mattered. Every team we have taken up there, with different players, coaches, and philosophies, has gotten drilled for the past 43 years. I gave up two years ago when I went to the game and saw us fall behind 48-7 to a team that got worked by a 1-AA squad. This team has reached a rare level for me. I won't believe we can win there until I see it happen. I held the same attitude toward Notre Dame Stadium until 2004, but even then we had a series of close losses leading up to that win. There is no such history here.

Michigan has ownership over us on their home field rarely seen in college football. It is not that they have won 17 straight. They have done it with just two games being remotely close. Yes we have had some bad teams in this streak, but we have had some very good teams (1999, 2001, and 2003 were all in the top 15 at kickoff) get drilled in Ann Arbor. Technically in 2007 we were ranked at game time, so we have taken a ranked team in our last four trips to the Big House and been outscored 141-46. That is even with two meaningless touchdowns late in our last game.

The numbers are just not there to make me believe we can suddenly turn it around. Right now, I feel more confident about winning in any other venue in the Big Ten, maybe even the country, than I do about winning in Ann Arbor.

Keys to the Game for Purdue:

Catch the football
Limit turnovers
Limit special teams mistakes
Play against the run like we did against Oregon
Don't crap ourselves like we always do in Ann Arbor.

Agony of Defeat: There Will Certainly Be Better Days

SCM — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:53:58 -0000

First and foremost, hats off to Penn State. They came out and executed, played mistake-free football, took advantage of Michigan's numerous errors and put this game away when they got the opportunity to. Again, when someone comes in and does that, you have to acknowledge that. That said, it's still difficult to couch a game like this... yes we were throughly outplayed and yes I was exactly right when I said this:

Looking at our defense, I'm concerned about the secondary, you're concerned about the secondary, hell all of us are downright worried about the secondary (I mean, 3rd and @#$%@# 24!!!!!).

The question was whether JoePa and company would throw rock. They didn't for the most part. They came up with a gameplan that basically put Michigan's linebackers in positions where they were in single coverage mismatches and gave Clark easy throws which to his credit he made look even easier. They saw that our secondary was the straggling wildebeest of the heard and they did what you're supposed to do to straggling wildebeests. Perfect gameplan. Stevie Brown and Obi Ezeh were victimized repeatedly without a single iota of safety help. It got to the point where I and several others near me in the stands were pointing it out a solid 5 seconds before the snap, and yet no adjustments were made. Elsewhere, Donovan Warren was giving approximately a 30 yard cushion when a screen was blatantly obvious. Penn State basically ran three plays yesterday: a counter, a WR screen where God's Gift would split wide and block a corner who was usually giving a 10 yard cushion anyway, and up-the-seem routes against linebackers. They converted on all accounts and that was all she wrote. Was Penn State a vastly better and talented team? Well in terms of their offense vs our back seven, yes. Everywhere else? Eh, not really.

The weather wasn't really cold and bad until we came out after halftime and apparently had learned nothing about what PSU planned to do and they quickly extended the lead to put pressure on the Michigan offense. Suddenly I started to notice the rain a little more at that point... go figure. Quick aside, honestly who designs ponchos with short sleeves? I'm content to be dry everywhere except from the elbow down? Really? Secondly, I would give anything for us to have punched that blocked punt into the endzone, there was still eons of time in the game and the crowd (well, allow me to rephrase, the actual fans that still remained with most of the second half to go) was dying for anything to set them on fire again. Unfortunately it was just not meant to be.

Miscellaneous

- If I was a Penn State fan, I'm certain I would've been saying angry things when my coach decided to punt from the opposing team's 33 YARDLINE, holy bejeezus. It was almost as if JoePa was saying, "Oh yeah? Top that Kirk Ferentz!"

- Boy does Daryll Clark lock on to receivers. When they're wide open against our secondary it works just fine, but the few times we did manage to actually, you know, cover he looked downright mediocre trying to go through a progression. I mean, he's clearly not Anthony Morelli, but if Ohio State manages to lock down in coverage I think it'll be a long day for Mr. Clark.

- So when is it legal to have 76 men on the field on defense? No seriously, how could any official have missed that call? That it happened on Denard's mind-blowingly-bad interception made it even worse. I have no idea where he was throwing that ball and likely neither does he, but uh, Penn State had half their team on the field still when the ball was snapped and somehow did not get flagged for it. This was the only other point in the game where I felt we were running the offense at the pace we needed to by the way.

- Oh and yes, ANOTHER "five men in the backfield" penalty on Michigan. This is insanity. Notre Dame does that on every snap, I'm not joking.

- Alabama needed two blocked FGs to get by Tennessee? Can't wait for Iowa and Alabama to lock horns in what promises to be a 2-0 game with 14 blocked kicks. You know, when everyone gets all over Boise State's case because they "didn't look impressive enough in a win" then you have to do likewise when a BCS school does the same thing. #1 team in the blogpoll? Uh, no.

- Way to go State... you were going to end the Big Ten's nightmare of having an undefeated Iowa and then you go and do that, no really, well done.

- Junior Hemingway's injury was downright ugly, right in front of our seats and though I haven't seen a replay yet, it looked horrible. He has been star-crossed since stepping on campus. Also, was Warren blocked into him or did he trip? Martavious Odoms also looked dinged and wasn't much of a factor after that opening drive. Losing Molk again really killed momentum (and yes, safety snap blur blur blur). Donovan Warren clearly tweaked something though he stayed on the field, and Tate Forcier was holding that right arm pretty gingerly several times walking off the field. Sigh.........

Offense

- So uh, what happened after that first drive fellas? Anyone? Anyone care to explain to me why we pretty much abandoned what we were doing there? I mean, that was machine-like, the pace was perfect, and Penn State was hopeless to stop it. Then we start going 5-wide and trying to keep our QBs in the pocket to make throws? This made sense in what way? I loved the two back set and quick throws, but apparently the coaching staff didn't. This team is so much better when they go into "jet mode" or whatever you want to call it where they push the pace and make short high percentage passes and zone-read runs.

- End of the first half... You simply cannot spike that ball, you cannot. Tremendous error in coaching. There was more than enough time to get set and run a play, a TD would've really been a boost heading into the locker room. Arg I was furious. The clock stopped for some reason down there several plays before, naturally we were given no explanation, but there should've been about 6 less seconds methinks. I'm sure it had the PSU faithful howling. Even if they had gotten the clock right, we would've had time to run a play into the endzone and still kick a FG if it didn't connect.

- Penn State had 18 first downs... Michigan? 17. I wouldn't have believed that at first either.

- 3rd down conversions? 3 of 15. Definitely believed that one.

- Lots of people like to say TOP doesn't matter... bull@#%, this offense needs as many attempts as possible, and when it holds the ball for all of 10 minutes in the second half, that's not enough.

- I'm going to just estimate that there were six drops that probably would've accounted for at least 80 yards out there... Usually sure handed Kevin Koger really had an off day as did Kelvin Grady. Tate (and actually Denard as well) made some great throws that the receivers just have to bring in, regardless of the rain.

- Between the drops, four* turnovers, and a vintage Jermaine Gonzalez safety we made enough self-inflicted mistakes to overcome. That asterisk is for Denard's interception which should've been a nice automatic first down for the Maize n' Blue by the by. Tate had time in the pocket, though their linebackers made a number of very solid plays on his roll-outs and improvised-hop-around-the-backfield plays. The Penn State D was solid, but they weren't wreacking havoc and disrupting what we were trying to do. Of course, you certainly can't fault a defense for doing what they were supposed to do. They made solid tackles and avoided making mistakes that let Michigan hit a home-run to get back into the game.

- It annoys me how easily we seem to lose track of the running game, Minor and Brown combing for 20 carries just is not enough. Tate having 14 rushes is just way too many. Carlos Brown's fumble was in front of the opposite endzone so I didn't see much of it, but I'm sure it was horrifyingly bad. Regardless, we abandoned the running game FAR too early in this football game... again.

- Backed up on our own goal-line we did the same thing we did at Iowa, which was a non-sensical run wide and two pocket pass attempts... that series of play calls made exactly ZERO sense.

- I'm ok with Denard Robinson getting a designated series, but this is how it should go: "Denard, we have two pass plays for you to run along with the usual compliment of running plays. Both pass plays feature one read, if that guy is not open you take off. Got it? Good, go get em." Seriously, eliminate a side of the field for him, roll him out and have him make short simple throws. That's it, period, done. Don't ask the kid to do more right now.

Defense

via www.morasclass.com

- Our secondary is in shambles. It's not a simple question of trying to cover up one weak position, and we cannot overcome it right now. I don't know what else to say.

- How did we not adjust to that screen against the soft coverage and the seem routes against linebackers?? They didn't exactly disguise either of those plays.

- Boubacar Cissoko saw the field again, and apparently thought it was a good idea to taunt the Penn State bench prior to a big 3rd down... it worked out wonderfully as they connected (AGAIN.... /Valenti) for a TD. Sigh. Not at all what we need right now.

- I continue to be awfully impressed with how well our D-line has played, Van Bergen and Roh in particular have really been tremendous surprises this season. Van Bergen made one of the better plays of the year on a Penn State third down screen that would've gone for acres of yardage if he didn't fight through three blocks to get to the ball carrier. It was a great call by Penn State and just a better play by Van Bergen. Unfortunately there weren't too many other instances of that combination.

- When Penn State's defensive players tackle someone, they don't eventually do it 4 yards after contact... Our tackling has regressed as the year has gone on. We make contact and then get dragged for extra yardage far too often.

Special Teams

- Pretty terrible kick coverage to open the second half...

- We blocked another punt, yay.

Overall

So 5-3 when many predicted a 7-5ish year (or 8-4 if you're yours truly), it's do-able, but considerably more difficult sitting here right now than it was three weeks ago. This team is undoubtedly better than last year in many ways, but they are not immune to the type of mistakes that were commonplace last season. I am concerned though that we've struggled so much in conference play so far. If Tate goes down, we're in enormous trouble.

While the Iowa game in particular was one we let slip away and the Michigan State game was a hard fought loss, this was neither. We got thumped yesterday. This is particularly concerning considering that we're now 1-3 in our last four and that "one" was, well we all know what it was. This team is in a tailspin right now. Yes we're still ridiculously young, we're still so terribly thin on defense, etc, but uh, suddenly that "house money" everyone talked about is gone. There needs to be some coaching done now to get this team where it needs to be. Where is that, you ask? It's 7-3 heading to Wisconsin. There is no excuse to drop a game to Illinois, a win there places us in a bowl and that monkey is thrown off the back. It, quite simply, is a must win. Zook is an appallingly bad coach, there's no excuse there. The Purdue game is looking tougher now than it did at any point in the last several weeks and given our inability to stop a pass, I'm more concerned about it. Frankly though, we need to start beating some teams that are above the level of MAC squads. The ND win was huge, but we haven't replicated that level of play since.

I really, really, really want to see us pound the football. We have far too much talent at running back to let them only see the football 20 times a game. Minor and Brown need to be the plow-horses for this offense right now, and there's nothing wrong with that. Tate is trying to do too much out there on the field as well. I can understand why, he started off on fire, but I think we might be trying to do too much with him. Go back and look at the gameplans from the Western and ND games, I'd simplify the offense back to those core plays and just run with it. Let Tate make the short throws and easy reads rolling out of the pocket that he's so good at and call it a day. Work in the occasional deep shot and that's your passing game. Again, Minor and Brown need to touch the ball about twice as often as they are currently.

Unfortunately I have absolutely no solutions for our defense at this time, how we ever let ourselves get into this position from a recruiting standpoint is a travesty of great magnitude.

This disappointing performance needs to be put in the rearview mirror and this team needs to get ready for the finishing stretch that starts with Illinois next Saturday. I know that there will be better days ahead, but we have some serious work to do right now to get there, and the Illinois game is a no-questions-asked must win.

GO BLUE!