Bleacher Report - Articles by Dustin Young

Michigan Wolverines Football: No Sigh Of Relief, Yet

Dustin Young — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 23:07:27 -0500

I for one am certainly stoked about the wealth of talent in Rich Rod's first (real) class. Needs at quarterback, receiver, and running back were all met. That is the certainty of the deal. What makes me nervous is how will these guys perform.

Coach Rod's spread offense worked at West Virginia basically because he had the speed and the talent against mostly inferior opponents. And I will argue all day that Rutgers, Pitt, Cincy, South Florida, and UConn are not even close to elite teams. Also, top to bottom, none of these teams played with the hitters that are in the Big Ten.

I look at the first real athlete of the Rodriguez era, Sam McGuffie. He took shots all season long and by the end of the season was a shell of himself. He took off and headed south to most likely Rice. Think he'll take the same hits in Conference USA?

The other question is how will the offensive line be? Last year they were just offensive (pun intended). Certainly, they will not be that bad again. Plus, with Minor, Grady, and Brown, there will be some bruising running at some point.

Now, as I read this article it seems like a real downer. That is not what it is intended to be. Eventually with the speed that has been recruited in, instead of the two and three-yard runs, they become seven and eight-yard runs with the potential to always break a big one.

I am excited about the future. That is all Michigan fans have felt since the season ended. It will be fun to watch our guys run by the competition. So I say this Michigan fans: Get your hopes up. Help is on the way. But don't set the ceiling too high just yet.

All Un-Quiet On The Ann Arbor Front

Dustin Young — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 06:25:41 -0500

As I view the first bowl games of the season I can help but think about why my favorite team is not playing. This time last year, I couldn't wait for the Capital One Bowl. I figured that The Maize and Blue would give Lloyd Carr a great sendoff.

I was also looking forward to all of the new possibilities that Rich Rodriguez was bringing with him. What the hell happened?

3-9? Honestly 3-9? There wasn't one game we weren't in at the half and the vaunted Wolverines finished 3-9. I guess that's my fault for pinning my hopes on a team that had no offense in the second half of any game.

But, all hope is not lost. I like the fact that while Coach Rod has his pick of two experienced albeit not very good QB's and two absolute amazing athletes at the position already committed.

So back to the reasoning for my title. So far the winters of '07 and '08 have been a little noisy. First, there was the hiring of Rich Rodriguez. This was and I still believe is, a great hire. But, the legal woes that ensued ate up a lot more of his time than needed. Yet, almost all of his staff followed him and the new era was in place.

Then came the departure of Ryan Mallett. I still concede that was not a big loss. He wasn't very consistent anyhow. After Mallett, during recruiting, Joe Tiller said that Rod was selling "snake oil" during the recruiting of Roy Roundtree.

Things got quiet for awhile until, Justin Boren decided to leave and throw Michigan football under the bus on his way to Columbus. Actually, I find that quite humorous. A source told me that Boren is constantly being yelled at for being lazy in practice and skipping weight room sessions.

When the WVU lawsuit finally got resolved, I thought okay no more distractions. Then came, you guessed it, 3 and freaking 9. So, now that the season is over, you figure things would stay quiet right? Nope. Sam McGuffie seems destined to juke and jive his way back to Texas. This decision is fine with me. He seemed very injury prone anyhow. Then came my saving grace...

The resignation of Scot Shafer. When he was hired I thought, wow, we might as well have re-hired Jim Herrman. Michigan needs a great hire in this off season at defensive coordinator. I have seen some different names thrown out there. My hope is for John Chavis. He constantly cranked out good defense at Tennessee. But, for staff harmony, some inside guys wouldn't be bad.

To finish, I wish all of the bleacher report readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And to all Michigan fans heres to a New Years bowl game in 2010.

Ohio State-Michigan: A One-Game Championship for Wolverines "D"

Dustin Young — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:49:34 -0500

Confused, soft, maligned. These are adjectives that have been used to describe the University of Michigan's defense this season. I, like most, thought that the defense, which had a wealth of experience returning, would carry this team until the offense came alive. How wrong I was.

Much was made about how fast and athletic the defense was going to be. After all, they had been training with uber training guru Mike Barwis. They were going to be slimmer, stronger, faster. They were going to get to the ball as fast as anyone in the country. If you ran the ball, you were going to get knifed. If you threw the ball, you were going to be locked down. How wrong I was.

Flash-forward to Nov. 22. The RIVALRY—a game usually filled with marquee names for both teams on both sides of the ball. This year is no different—if you are the Ohio State Buckeyes. You have James Laurinaitis, Malcolm Jenkins, Curt Coleman, and Marcus Freeman.

Michigan has, um, Obie Ezeh? Terrance Taylor? Tim Jamison? Players we thought were going to be the marquee names. Instead, we have had to once again continually watch as the Jim Hermann incarnate (Scott Shafer) has ran a truly lifeless defense, save for Minnesota.

So, Saturday's game: the possible savior of Michigan's season. Is it in the realm of possibility that Michigan pulls the stunner of all stunners in this series?

With cold weather on the horizon, plus the Vest calling plays, you can best bet that Beanie Wells will see the ball more often then not. If this is the case, Tim Jamison, Terrance Taylor, and Will Johnson best be on alert. When Pryor decides to pull the ball down and run, Obie Ezeh, John Thompson, and Jonas Mouton best be ready. An upset like this, Shafer, keeps the house for one more season.

Michigan is now in a one-game playoff for their entire season. Rich Rodriguez has had it tough this year, there is no doubting that—some he has brought on himself, some unwarranted. There is no doubting that Saturday's game is a pure savior for the 2008 edition of the Michigan Wolverines.

As an aside, how goofy is Mark Dantonio? I understand his loyalty to Jim Tressel, but this is a guy who needs his new hated rival to win Saturday. Yet, to quote him, "GO BUCKS" was his sentiment when asked.

Now, you are trying to win a Big Ten title, and that is what you say? You need Michigan to win for you to have a chance. To say GO BUCKS is like saying, "Well, we put up a good fight, but this year is a wash." Dantonio has become notorious for running his mouth. This time something purely dumb has come out of it.