We take a closer, in-depth look at some of the key players and plays from Michigan’s big win over Florida in the opener, first half.
• Michigan surprisingly started sophomore linebacker Devin Gil in place of fifth-year senior Mike McCray, who was apparently battling flu-like symptoms. Gil did not look out of place and had a good first series before McCray returned.
• Junior safety Tyree Kinnel lived up to the offseason hype. He was a bullet to the ball and in the right place at the right time.
• Both targeting reviews seemed to be pretty good calls … glances to the helmet, but it didn’t look like either player (Michigan’s Devin Bush, Florida’s DB on freshman receiver Tarik Black) led with the crown and the helmet contact could be viewed as incidental.
• Sophomore corner Lavert Hill was in good position on the long ball over his head on the first drive … it was just a perfect throw, and Hill didn’t turn for the ball.
He didn’t play a deep ball late in the second quarter well, however. The underthrown ball for a big gain allowed Florida to flip the field after Hill ran past the play. That and back shoulder are plays we’ll see a lot of in both the Michigan State and Penn State games. That was Trace McSorley’s calling card last year for PSU, and how MSU picked up chunks of yardage with Aaron Burbridge a couple years ago.
• Sophomore end Rashan Gary was double-teamed quite a bit. He was a half step slow off the snap early in the game, but he adjusted. He blew up a first quarter screen with his speed, and he dismissed a tight end trying to block him on the bootleg on which Franks slipped. Gary would have drilled him for the sack.
• Tough first half for sophomore receiver Kekoa Crawford, who (said it before) is going to get passed up if he doesn’t step it up. We’ve seen Michigan receivers over the years stop on a dime on drag routes and turn it upfield for first downs and big gains — he ran right into a tackle on his first catch for a short gain. He also turned late on the first pick six and didn’t get his head around, had the ball go off his hands on what should have been a catch.
That said, Speight’s ball was high and wobbly Saturday, including a ball freshman Tarik Black should have caught (his first attempt) that was nearly picked. But that’s an easy pitch and catch and needs to be a better throw.
Speight did make one of the plays of the first half, however, when he scrambled for eight yards and avoided the three and out the first series.
• Tough first half for redshirt sophomore right tackle Nolan Ulizio in pass protection (though he did pretty well run blocking). He was responsible for Florida’s two, first half sacks. The Gators ran a couple end and tackle twists … hard to tell if that was on Onwenu or Ulizio, but it worked at least once (we’ll ask offensive lineman Doug Skene during film analysis tomorrow).
They also ran it on the left side, and senior Mason Cole and sophomore guard Ben Bredeson allowed a defender between them to blow up a run play.
• Both quarterbacks, Speight and fifth-year senior John O’Korn, missed sophomore running back Chris Evans in the flat as a check. He makes guys miss, and had one-on-one opportunities with a running start had they gotten him the ball.
• Run blocking was better than thought, some push up front, but the big first half rush yardage was the result of unconventional second and third and long runs that caught Florida off guard. One of the Gators’ linebackers missed his key when Onwenu pulled on fifth-year senior Ty Isaac’s run left and was not involved in the play, leaving a lot of open room.
Florida finally adjusted on a second and 10 run early in the second quarter and seemed to be looking for it, stopping Isaac for one yard.
• The officials blew Michigan’s first score by ruling ineligible receiver, but Speight was lucky the ball wasn’t picked. He threw it up for grabs and got lucky, reminiscent of John Navarre to Braylon Edwards in the 2002 Penn State overtime game in the back of the end zone that forced overtime.
But U-M should have scored before then, regardless. Evans tripped himself inside the five on a well blocked play, Isaac missed an opportunity to truck a safety two yards into the end zone and Ulizio and tight end Nick Eubanks blocked nobody on a right side sweep, allowing an unblocked end to make a tackle.
On the third down play, the interior line got push, but another missed assignment allowed Florida to drop Isaac for a loss.
• Sophomore tight end Sean McKeon has come a long way as a blocker. He pancaked a linebacker on Evans’ big, second and 10 run for a first down in the first quarter.
• No Bryan Mone after the first defensive series, but by design. They went with quickness up front, with great results. They’ll need him against big teams that try to run right at them, though (MSU and Wisconsin come to mind).
• Great discipline by sophomore viper Khaleke Hudson on play action in the second quarter, staying home on a bootleg. He blew up the play by not biting, forcing a throw away.
• Fifth-year senior center Pat Kugler had a very nice first half and more than held his own one-on-one against a talented defensive tackle.
• SEC country made a big deal about a comeback screen that “would have gone for six” if not for a great play by fifth-year senior tackle Maurice Hurst. Great play by Hurst for a one-yard gain, but McCray was on it and had an angle for what might have been a seven to 10 yard gain, and Kinnel was right behind him.
• Poorest defensive play of the half … letting Franks out on third and 15. Both Gary and redshirt junior linebacker Noah Furbush left their areas and allowed him to escape. Gary got too far upfield and ran himself out of the play.
• Michigan ran sprint draw on third and long on O’Korn’s first series with junior running back Karan Higdon, who had nothing but green to the right and ran left into two tacklers. It would have been a huge play and was really well designed and well blocked.
• Three plays helped Michigan avoid first half disaster and regain momentum going into the half … a missed field goal following a blocked punt (that kid is usually money), O’Korn’s sideline pitch and catch to Black (those two have that play down going back to the spring — beautiful throw) and redshirt freshman Quinn Nordin’s 55-yard field goal.
The latter really got the team back into the game and stopped the damage.
Second half to come later …
• Michigan surprisingly started sophomore linebacker Devin Gil in place of fifth-year senior Mike McCray, who was apparently battling flu-like symptoms. Gil did not look out of place and had a good first series before McCray returned.
• Junior safety Tyree Kinnel lived up to the offseason hype. He was a bullet to the ball and in the right place at the right time.
• Both targeting reviews seemed to be pretty good calls … glances to the helmet, but it didn’t look like either player (Michigan’s Devin Bush, Florida’s DB on freshman receiver Tarik Black) led with the crown and the helmet contact could be viewed as incidental.
• Sophomore corner Lavert Hill was in good position on the long ball over his head on the first drive … it was just a perfect throw, and Hill didn’t turn for the ball.
He didn’t play a deep ball late in the second quarter well, however. The underthrown ball for a big gain allowed Florida to flip the field after Hill ran past the play. That and back shoulder are plays we’ll see a lot of in both the Michigan State and Penn State games. That was Trace McSorley’s calling card last year for PSU, and how MSU picked up chunks of yardage with Aaron Burbridge a couple years ago.
• Sophomore end Rashan Gary was double-teamed quite a bit. He was a half step slow off the snap early in the game, but he adjusted. He blew up a first quarter screen with his speed, and he dismissed a tight end trying to block him on the bootleg on which Franks slipped. Gary would have drilled him for the sack.
• Tough first half for sophomore receiver Kekoa Crawford, who (said it before) is going to get passed up if he doesn’t step it up. We’ve seen Michigan receivers over the years stop on a dime on drag routes and turn it upfield for first downs and big gains — he ran right into a tackle on his first catch for a short gain. He also turned late on the first pick six and didn’t get his head around, had the ball go off his hands on what should have been a catch.
That said, Speight’s ball was high and wobbly Saturday, including a ball freshman Tarik Black should have caught (his first attempt) that was nearly picked. But that’s an easy pitch and catch and needs to be a better throw.
Speight did make one of the plays of the first half, however, when he scrambled for eight yards and avoided the three and out the first series.
• Tough first half for redshirt sophomore right tackle Nolan Ulizio in pass protection (though he did pretty well run blocking). He was responsible for Florida’s two, first half sacks. The Gators ran a couple end and tackle twists … hard to tell if that was on Onwenu or Ulizio, but it worked at least once (we’ll ask offensive lineman Doug Skene during film analysis tomorrow).
They also ran it on the left side, and senior Mason Cole and sophomore guard Ben Bredeson allowed a defender between them to blow up a run play.
• Both quarterbacks, Speight and fifth-year senior John O’Korn, missed sophomore running back Chris Evans in the flat as a check. He makes guys miss, and had one-on-one opportunities with a running start had they gotten him the ball.
• Run blocking was better than thought, some push up front, but the big first half rush yardage was the result of unconventional second and third and long runs that caught Florida off guard. One of the Gators’ linebackers missed his key when Onwenu pulled on fifth-year senior Ty Isaac’s run left and was not involved in the play, leaving a lot of open room.
Florida finally adjusted on a second and 10 run early in the second quarter and seemed to be looking for it, stopping Isaac for one yard.
• The officials blew Michigan’s first score by ruling ineligible receiver, but Speight was lucky the ball wasn’t picked. He threw it up for grabs and got lucky, reminiscent of John Navarre to Braylon Edwards in the 2002 Penn State overtime game in the back of the end zone that forced overtime.
But U-M should have scored before then, regardless. Evans tripped himself inside the five on a well blocked play, Isaac missed an opportunity to truck a safety two yards into the end zone and Ulizio and tight end Nick Eubanks blocked nobody on a right side sweep, allowing an unblocked end to make a tackle.
On the third down play, the interior line got push, but another missed assignment allowed Florida to drop Isaac for a loss.
• Sophomore tight end Sean McKeon has come a long way as a blocker. He pancaked a linebacker on Evans’ big, second and 10 run for a first down in the first quarter.
• No Bryan Mone after the first defensive series, but by design. They went with quickness up front, with great results. They’ll need him against big teams that try to run right at them, though (MSU and Wisconsin come to mind).
• Great discipline by sophomore viper Khaleke Hudson on play action in the second quarter, staying home on a bootleg. He blew up the play by not biting, forcing a throw away.
• Fifth-year senior center Pat Kugler had a very nice first half and more than held his own one-on-one against a talented defensive tackle.
• SEC country made a big deal about a comeback screen that “would have gone for six” if not for a great play by fifth-year senior tackle Maurice Hurst. Great play by Hurst for a one-yard gain, but McCray was on it and had an angle for what might have been a seven to 10 yard gain, and Kinnel was right behind him.
• Poorest defensive play of the half … letting Franks out on third and 15. Both Gary and redshirt junior linebacker Noah Furbush left their areas and allowed him to escape. Gary got too far upfield and ran himself out of the play.
• Michigan ran sprint draw on third and long on O’Korn’s first series with junior running back Karan Higdon, who had nothing but green to the right and ran left into two tacklers. It would have been a huge play and was really well designed and well blocked.
• Three plays helped Michigan avoid first half disaster and regain momentum going into the half … a missed field goal following a blocked punt (that kid is usually money), O’Korn’s sideline pitch and catch to Black (those two have that play down going back to the spring — beautiful throw) and redshirt freshman Quinn Nordin’s 55-yard field goal.
The latter really got the team back into the game and stopped the damage.
Second half to come later …
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