Michigan Wolverines Spring Game News and Notes
The Michigan Wolverines held their spring game in which the blue team beat the white team 17-0. Here’s a round up of the news around the web on the Michigan Wolverines spring game.
Denard Robinson didn’t see much action in the scrimmage, but the dual-threat became more of a determined, focused and vocal leader this spring. He worked on his mechanics and footwork this offseason and understands that he can’t turn the ball over as much as he did last season. He had one botched exchange with the team’s new center, so he still seems more comfortable in the shotgun.
Devin Gardner will see a nice portion of time on the field this season, but he needs to play well like he did in the road game last year against Northwestern. He was sacked by Jibreel Black on the first play of the scrimmage and intercepted by Blake Countess on his second. He has a good physique, strong arm and very good running ability, as he showed with numerous scrambles for chunks of yards Saturday. But has the game slowed down for him? He became a little more comfortable as the game progressed, checking down when necessary, but his accuracy still left a lot to be desired.
• Defensively, the exotic blitz packages and specially designed looks by coordinator Greg Mattison transformed the Michigan defense last season from a porous unit to one of the better ones in the nation. But can safety Jordan Kovacs and the Wolverines repeat their success of forcing turnovers? Craig Roh, who has made 38 consecutive starts since arriving in Ann Arbor, is moving from rush end to strongside end. He played well when he was on the field. As a whole, the defense didn’t tackle great in the game, and Hoke expressed his disappointment in the postgame presser. On multiple occasions. He wants more pressure up front, especially inside, as he said they were “way too soft in the middle.” On the positive side, early enrollee linebacker Joe Bolden was active and played well.
Running back Thomas Rawls got an A-
Rawls made a great case to take over the role as the primary backup. He scored both of the game’s touchdowns. One on a 21-yard scamper and another in a short yardage situation.
He spent the majority of last season dealing with injuries and was never able to show fans what he is truly capable of.
Rawls is healthy now and he looks good. He is a good interior runner. He has excellent vision and balance. He only needs a small crease to burst through the line for yardage.
game highlights
Here are some highlights of the game and head coach Brady Hoke’s press conference
Hoke harped on the missed tackles of the defense as the thing that stuck out for him in the game.