Michigan Football: Grading All 22 Starters from the Alabama Week 1 Game

It's kind of hard to take a look at the 22 specific starters from Michigan's season opening loss to Alabama on Saturday, as guys were constantly rotated in and out in some situations. Yet, the first 22 men on the field will be the ones looked at and given a grade.

Opinions may vary widely on some, as it is hard to get a good understanding on some players until much more game film is broken down.

The quality of the opponent obviously has to be taken into account when grading these men, but that still doesn't excuse their poor performance.

As a side note, an "E" grade is looked at as the worst grade possible.

QB: Denard Robinson

Denard Robinson threw two interceptions, something that he simply could not afford to do. Going 11-for-26 on his throws also isn't acceptable.

The fact that he wasn't really utilized as a runner in the first half wasn't his fault; you just wonder how different this offense would have looked if he had been.

Still, he needs to look much, much better.

Grade: D+

RB: Vincent Smith

Why Thomas Rawls didn't get more of an opportunity is beyond me. Vincent Smith was just not effective, and honestly never really has been since his torn ACL.

Sure, he may have a great attitude and is known as a hard worker, but it looks more and more like he should only be used sparingly.

Grade: D

WR: Roy Roundtree

Roundtree needed to step up, but he didn't—how much his knee was bothering him is anyone's guess. Still, his performance was eerily similar to the way he played in most games last season.

Michigan can't afford to have him to disappear in games throughout 2012.

Grade: E

WR: Devin Gardner

Gardner was targeted on the first offensive play for Michigan, yet he finished the game with only one catch. That catch was a 44-yard touchdown.

Was it a successful debut at wide receiver? Not necessarily, but it certainly wasn't a complete failure either.

Grade: C

WR: Jeremy Gallon

Gallon was one of the few bright spots on Saturday night. He had 107 receiving yards, including an impressive 71-yard catch.

He stepped up against Alabama, and it would be an absolutely huge boost to the passing game if he could step up and be a very good receiver all season.

Grade: B

TE: Brandon Moore

Brandon Moore got hurt early in this game, so it's hard to give him a grade. We saw Mike Kwiatkowski come in after he left, but that really wasn't a surprise.

A.J. Williams and Devin Funchess also saw game action.

Grade: Incomplete

LT: Taylor Lewan

Michigan's offensive line didn't do a great job against Alabama's front seven. To make matters worse, Lewan left the game late with an injury.

The Wolverines cannot afford to lose Lewan for any extended period of time.

Grade: B-

LG: Ricky Barnum

In a very surprising move, Ricky Barnum started at left guard. Will he stay there all year, or will he move back to center?

Michigan's running backs weren't able to run the ball at all, and Robinson couldn't do much either.

Grade: C-

C: Elliott Mealer

Again, in a very surprising move, Elliott Mealer started at center. I guess I'll give him a little boost in these grades because of the versatility he showed.

Still, Michigan's offensive line needed to have played much better.

Grade: C

RG: Patrick Omameh

Omameh has been criticized at times throughout his career, and Saturday night's performance may cause that to continue.

Michigan couldn't run the ball to either the left or the right side of the line, and being a fifth year senior, Omameh needs to step up.

Grade: D+

RT: Michael Schofield

Schofield's versatility is a valuable asset, but he still has to perform. He is a very crucial player to this line, especially when he lines up at right tackle, and needs to play better.

An especially embarrassing whiff on a defender late in the game basically summed up the night.

Grade: D+

DE: Jibreel Black

Black's versatility allows him to play both tackle and end, and that could be a valuable asset.

He showed the ability to penetrate at times, but I guess we couldn't really have expected this line to do a whole lot against Alabama's front.

Grade: C+

DT: Quinton Washington

It was great to hear that Washington had a good fall camp, but he needs to produce on the field—something that he has never been able to do.

We saw lots of Richard Ash and Ondre Pipkins in Washington's place throughout the game.

Grade: D

DT: Will Campbell

It was good to see Campbell make plays at times throughout this game. He was in the backfield putting pressure on McCarron here and there, and even came up with a sack.

For the most part, I think we have to be happy with Campbell's performance.

Grade: B

DE: Craig Roh

Too often has Roh disappeared throughout his career, and he seemed to in this game. He will just likely never be a great defensive linemen.

If he is solid this season, though, that may be enough. Expecting him to be solid isn't a given, though.

Grade: D

LB: Kenny Demens

Michigan's linebackers saw plenty of Alabama's running backs Saturday night, and too often they missed tackles.

Demens didn't step up, and he simply needs to this year. T.J. Yeldon made this unit look silly, and Michigan's defense can't afford to have something like this happen again.

We saw plenty of James Ross late in the game in place of Demens.

Grade: D

LB: Jake Ryan

Michael Williams was wide open on Alabama's first touchdown because of Jake Ryan's misread.

Ryan made some plays here and there, but he still needed to play much better.

Grade: C

LB: Desmond Morgan

Again, too many missed tackles by Michigan's linebacking unit really hurt this defense.

Morgan just didn't look fast enough to keep up with the likes of a guy like T.J. Yeldon.

Grade: C-

CB: Blake Countess

Countess' injury early in the game really hurt Michigan's secondary.

Courtney Avery looked silly at times, and Raymon Taylor saw plenty of time as well.

To make matters even worse, it looks as though Countess has now been lost for the season.

Grade: Incomplete

CB: J.T. Floyd

Floyd looked alright at times, and bad at others. This is a big reason why everyone seems to either love him or hate him.

He had a very frustrating pass interference call in the end zone.

Grade: C-

S: Thomas Gordon

For whatever reason, it seemed like we didn't hear a whole lot of Thomas Gordon on Saturday night. I don't know whether that's a good or bad thing.

Behind him, I was pretty surprised we didn't see more of Marvin Robinson.

Grade: C+

S: Jordan Kovacs

Kovacs whiffed on a number of tackles in this game. This just adds fuel to the fire when saying that he is just too small to be a big-time safety.

I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with that statement, but he did look pretty bad against the likes of T.J. Yeldon and Jalston Fowler.

Grade: D+