Wolverines vs. The World || DavidTheGreat's Michigan Wolverines (NCAA14)

[DavidTheGreat20]

My First Practice as a Wolverine

I walked into the Al Glick Field House, and one thing stuck out about it to me: This is the perfect place for practice. The place for good experiences and the development of successful young men.

The facilities here are simply the best in the nation. Back in Kalamazoo, we upgraded our facilities pretty substantially within my first two years, but Ann Arbor is on a whole nother level. The place is just an awesome place to practice in.

I walked up to my players holding up two things: Brady Hoke’s old playbook (a traditional pro-style offense) in my left hand and Gus Malzahn’s Auburn playbook (a heavily spread offense) on the right. I told them that we aren’t going with either playbook, but what happens when you mix both playbooks together? We get my playbook, and I called it the A2 Dynamic Flex.

I’ve been collecting playbooks these past couple years, taking note of the formations and how they fit in with the personnel. Brady’s first year playbook was extremely shotgun-based, but as the years went by, it backtracked to a grind-it-out style of play that wasn’t exactly the best fit for Denard or Devin. Gus Malzahn’s playbook had a primarily shotgun-based offense, and while I’d like that, it isn’t the best way to go. The designed quarterback runs like the option and the inverted veer are definitely gonna be a big part of the offense.For versatility’s sake, I used Auburn’s as a base and added power formations and brought back the pistol sets I used at Western.

It didn’t take us long to run into problems regarding how we fit as a unit. Shane Morris was the perfect fit at quarterback; he’s got all the tools to succeed. De’Veon Smith, however, didn’t see himself as the perfect fit. To be honest, I think he’s right. He was getting frustrated that we’re running him on the outside from the shotgun, as our defense had too much speed for him. He suggested more runs up the middle, which is more of his forté. I’m a man of my word, so I went with it. Based on the results so far, Drake Johnson will get his share of carries this year, especially from the shotgun.I’ve been incorporating more pistol sets and even brought out some Wildcat. I’ll figure out the roles for our fullbacks going forward; Sione Houma and Joe Kerridge are seniors, and they’ve given me some good suggestions so far.

Our wide receivers are looking stronger than anticipated. Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson are such a good combo. Both guys are just as good individuals as they are football players. Brian Cole is without a doubt our best true freshman. He’s got a fire in him that I’d like to see on the field, not on the sidelines. Grant Perry is a dude who I think can help us out in the slot, but I need to see more from him. Drake Harris and Moe Ways are both in a work-in-progress process, and I like their mixes of size and speed. We’ll need them in the five-wide sets.

Jake Butt is the best tight end I’ve ever coached. The guy is so coachable and he’s like a vacuum, sucking up the knowledge and thrown footballs like nothing. Ian Bunting is like an oversized wideout, and he’ll get his fair share of snaps. Khalid Hill is a hard worker; he’ll get his. Coach Wheatley’s son has done well too. We’ll find a role for him.

The O-line needs some work, and my new OL coach will get them up to speed. There’s no doubt that Graham Glasgow and Mason Cole are the starters at their respective positions. The backups are progressing well too, especially Dave Dawson. The guy’s such a character too. He was having fun out there. Who has fun in practice? I like his attitude.

I’m not a defensive aficionado, but D.J. Durkin knows what he’s doing. He’ll be running the show with whatever defense we’ll be running. He told me he’ll be running a man-based scheme. We’ll see how it goes.

The defense as a whole was impressive. Ryan Glasgow and Chris Wormley are disruptors up the middle, and the mix of Mario Ojemudia and Willie Henry on the outside is dangerous. Jourdan Lewis and Jabrill Peppers are our secondary’s leaders, and I wouldn’t be surprised if both are first-team All-Americans, especially Jabrill. He’s way too much of an athletic freak to play one position.

Our linebackers are our most experienced group, and it’ll be hard to replace them after this season. James Ross, Des Morgan, and Joe Bolden are all good at what they do. There’s little flash here, but that’s how I like it. They aren’t prone to mistakes, and we’d like to make as little mistakes as possible.

Jarrod Wilson and Jabrill are penciled in as our starters at the safeties. Jarrod’s got a lot of experience and is the best at doing what he’s told to do and then some. Dymonte Thomas and Delano Hill are more than capable in the case one goes down.

All in all, it was a productive first day. It’s a small sample size, but these guys showed that they can play. Everyone will play. The best players and the hardest workers will get rewarded. I’m excited for this year; I bet my players are too.

Author's Note: In creating my playbook, I used USC's pro-style offense as a base. From there, I cut out most of the Ace formations and replaced them with Pistol sets. How I would describe it is Alabama-esque with a Michigan flair to it. A blend of tradition and modernism. I see it as a very balanced playbook created by way of trial and error.

[DavidTheGreat20]

Season Preview: A Look at Michigan’s 2015 Schedule

Ann Arbor, MI - College football season is right around the corner, and one of the most talked-about teams over the past eight months is the Michigan Wolverines. Led by up-and-coming head coach Tyler Johns and debuting a new look in the Jordan Brand, there were no shortage of headlines. “Ty Johns Holds Spring Practice At Ford Field”, “Is Michigan Back For Real This Time?”, and my personal favorite, “Is Tyler Johns College Football’s Most Innovative Mind?” are examples of attention-grabbing stories that make anticipation for the season even harder.


“We’re a month away from the season, and we’re already locked and loaded,” said Michigan head coach Tyler Johns. “The anticipation is growing and we are too. Our team has grown together significantly over the past couple months, and we are one.”


Michigan’s interim AD, Jim Hackett, made huge changes to the schedule, as Michigan boasts one of the toughest schedules in the country. Look below for a season preview.


Week 1: @ Arizona


Coach Ty is going to have his hands full in his first game, facing the #22 Arizona Wildcats, headed by former Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez in a noon game at Arizona Stadium. With RichRod’s high-powered no-huddle spread offense returning a lot of its starters, Michigan is going to have to keep the defense off the field for extended periods of time to keep them fresh.


Led by dual-threat sophomore Anu Solomon (88 OVR) and standout running back Nick Wilson (89 OVR), the Wolverines have to focus on stopping the explosive run game and look out for the occasional long bomb. ‘Zona’s defense is fairly weak aside from one of the nation’s best linebackers in Scooby Wright III (98 OVR), and Michigan figures to run the ball against a soft run defense.


Michigan is breaking in a new quarterback in graduate transfer Jake Rudock (84 OVR), who figures to have a hard day in the road environment if he can’t get in sync with receivers Jehu Chesson (90 OVR), Amara Darboh (86 OVR), and Jake Butt (95 OVR). If the Wolverines can get defensive stops and sustain long drives, an opening victory for Michigan is in store.


Week 2: v. Stanford


What a turn of events, and what better way to generate headlines! Stanford, Tyler Johns’ alma mater, comes to Ann Arbor for College GameDay in a prime-time matchup. A battle of two schools with academic prestige and a bevy of NFL players between them, this figures to be a heated matchup.


With Stanford led by the electric swiss army knife Christian McCaffery (98 OVR) and senior quarterback Kevin Hogan (88 OVR), there will be no shortage of offense for the Cardinal. However, they are facing a Top-10 defense in Michigan which boasts secondary studs in Jourdan Lewis (97 OVR) and Jabrill Peppers (92 OVR). Don’t sleep on the D-Line, as Willie Henry (85 OVR) and Chris Wormley (88 OVR) will be anchoring the run game and pass-rushing the crap out of Hogan.


Michigan needs their offense to step up in order to keep the game close. With both teams running similar styles of offense and defense, the team that controls the line of scrimmage will cherish the victory.


Week 3: v. San Jose State


Their second straight week facing a Californian team, Michigan will have not as tough a time handling a weak San Jose State Spartans team that went 3-9 last year. Led by tight end Billy Freeman (84 OVR) and nifty running back Tyler Ervin (83 OVR), the Spartans have an average offense. However, that doesn’t mean the Wolverines should overlook this game.


Michigan’s talent overwhelms San Jose State, and there shouldn’t be much trouble for them to control the line of scrimmage and stretch the field with their speed. This is arguably Michigan’s “easiest” game of the season.


Week 4: v. Northwestern


Michigan kicks off conference play with a home slate against the Northwestern Wildcats, whom they beat in a 10-9 thriller last year. This year seems to be a defensive battle, as recent history between the two suggests.


Led by quarterback Clayton Thorson (79 OVR) and running back Justin Jackson (90 OVR), Northwestern has a pretty decent offense. However, if Michigan handles them on defense, this could get ugly quick. Channing Stribling (81 OVR) is the x-factor here, as if the Wolverines contain the Wildcats’ passing game, it’ll be harder for them to move the ball.


Week 5: Bye


Week 6: v. Minnesota (Little Brown Jug)


In last year’s debacle, Minnesota blew out the Wolverines on the road, and this year presents an interesting matchup. Led by seniors Mitch Leidner (80 OVR) and K.J. Maye (84 OVR) on the offense and dynamic duo Eric Murray (89 OVR) and Briean Boddy-Calhoun (89 OVR), Minnesota has a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, and it’ll be interesting to see how these two defense-oriented teams stack up against each other.


This could spell a trap game for the Wolverines. Despite their dominance of the rivalry, the talent gap is not as wide as historically suggested. That in itself makes this an interesting prime-time Halloween game.


Week 7: v. Maryland


Michigan’s fifth home game in a row, the Wolverines hold home-field advantage against the Terrapins, who beat them last year. Maryland returns a potentially elite defense led by Yannick Ngakoue (91 OVR), Will Likely III (91 OVR), and Sean Davis Jr. (88 OVR), but their offense is still in shambles.


If Michigan can’t get its offense going, this will be a close game and a defensive battle. However, due to home-field advantage and an all-around more talented offense, Michigan gets the edge. By a lot.


Week 8: Bye


Week 9: v. Michigan State (Paul Bunyan)


Last year’s Paul Bunyan game was atrociously one-sided as Michigan State ran up on Michigan 35-11. This year, the Spartans take on the Wolverines in a matchup of two talented teams with no shortage of talent that will go to the next level.


Michigan State is led by senior standout Connor Cook (91 OVR) and sophomore superstar defensive end in Malik McDowell (90 OVR). However, the matchup that could be one for the ages is the fight between senior wideout Aaron Burbridge (91 OVR) and Michigan’s Jourdan Lewis (97 OVR). With the Wolverines looking for something to prove and Michigan State winning 6 of the last 8 matchups, this could be, if not better, as interesting as The Game.


Week 10: @ Purdue


The first game of Michigan’s year-ending road trip, Purdue is an average team with an above-average defense. Led by Frankie Williams (85 OVR), Jake Repogle (85 OVR), and Anthony Brown (84 OVR), the Boilermakers have a ton of speed on their defense. However, the offense - not so much. Quarterback Austin Appleby (77 OVR) and freshman running back Richie Worship (68 OVR) are not the ideal players you want to have starting.


If Michigan can set the tone early, there shouldn’t be much trouble for the Wolverines to dispatch Purdue. If the defense can force turnovers and stop the anemic Boilermaker offense, this could get ugly for Purdue.


Week 11: @ Ohio State (The Game)


For the first time since 1998, Michigan and Ohio State won’t play in the last week of the season. With the reigning national champions returning superstars J.T. Barrett (88 OVR) and Ezekiel Elliott (93 OVR), the Buckeyes are loaded with NFL talent everywhere.


Ohio State’s talent may be too much to handle for Michigan, but it’s a rivalry game and those are almost always guaranteed to be close. Unless Ohio State comes in with a weak gameplan or Michigan straight up plays out of their mind, the Wolverines are going to have to bring their A++ game to beat the reigning national champs.


Week 12: @ Penn State


Penn State is one of the hardest teams to beat at home, and the Nittany Lions always play their best games at Beaver Stadium. Led by hypebeast quarterback Christian Hackenberg (90 OVR) and freshman standout Saquon Barkley (87 OVR), Penn State has no shortage of talent. However, they are still feeling the effect of the sanctions, as they have multiple numbers of holes in the offensive line and secondary.


Michigan’s got a challenge ahead of them, and it’d be foolish to overlook them. This game is a toss-up at this point.


Week 13: @ Rutgers


Rutgers is simply not a very good team. Despite having talented studs in Leonte Carroo (94 OVR), Darius Hamilton (88 OVR), and Steve Longa (87 OVR), they are poorly coached and frankly not the best fit for their system. Michigan has too much talent for Rutgers, and like the San Jose State game, they don’t pose much of a threat.


Michigan wins by a large margin.


Week 14: v. Indiana


Coming back home from a long road trip, Michigan ends the season at the Big House, facing the dynamic Indiana Hoosiers. Despite having an electric offense featuring running back Jordan Howard (91 OVR), quarterback Nate Sudfeld (87 OVR) and wideout Simmie Cobbs Jr. (84 OVR), they don’t have a capable defense.


Michigan figures to end the season on a high note, and their offense should hold up well against a weak defense. If the Wolverines can get stops, they can put this game into the win column. However, if they can’t stop the Hoosiers’ offense, this can very well turn into a shootout.


Consensus Projection: 8-4

[DavidTheGreat20]

Greatness Begins





We ready. We ready. We ready. For y’all.


That’s right. We are ready for action.


We don’t care that we’re in the headlines almost every day.


We don’t care that we’re unranked to start the season.


We don’t care that it’s us against the world.


We don’t care that we aren’t your favorite team.


We ready.


We are the leaders and best.


We are the champions of the west.


We are the Wolverines.


We are the maize and blue.


We are MICHIGAN.

[DavidTheGreat20]

After a long, long wait, I will be playing the first game tonight and will post it tomorrow!

[DavidTheGreat20]

[



The Arrival
Michigan upsets #22 Arizona in defensive affair

Tucson, AZ - The Michigan Wolverines have arrived.

In a road game against Arizona, new Michigan head coach Tyler Johns showed his coaching chops on the big stage, beating Rich Rodriguez and his #22-ranked Arizona Wildcats on the road in a hard-fought defensive battle, 21-14.

“I have to give credit to him, he coached a good game and sometimes that’s just the way it goes,” says the Wildcats’ Rich Rodriguez. “We played hard and we executed, but in the end they had our number.”

The Wolverines were led by their defense, which epitomized the “bend, don’t break” strategy that ended up working out. Michigan’s defense had a whopping 9(!) sacks, although most were Arizona quarterback Anu Solomon scrambling all over the place. Leading the way was redshirt junior defensive tackle Chris Wormley, who finished with 5 tackles and three sacks. Delano Hill added a Hail Mary interception at the end of the first half, and Jourdan Lewis got an emphatic strip that Michigan later picked up midway through the fourth, eventually leading to a Jehu Chesson touchdown catch.

Despite the defense playing all-around good ball, the Wildcats got huge plays that kept them in the game. Receivers found themselves wide open at times, especially in man-to-man situations against the Wolverines’ noticably slow linebackers. In the third quarter, Anu Solomon ran a play-action to perfection, fooling the entire defense. He threw a deep ball to Cayleb Jones, who ended up in the endzone on a 58-yard bomb. Before then, Arizona worked a big play earlier in the quarter on a screen pass to Nick Wilson, who took it 43 yards before getting tackled at the one-yard line. The Wildcats couldn’t punch it in, however, and after a questionable “ice the kicker” timeout by Michigan, Casey Skowron MISSED a 20-yarder!

Solomon finished with a good statline: 24-30, 312 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. Through the ground, he ran 21 times for 50 yards and a TD.

Michigan took a while to get its offense going, but in the end they did just enough to win. Jake Rudock was pressured a lot early, as the Wildcat defense had too much speed for the Wolverine offensive line, and thus Rudock was harassed, getting sacked a lot. The run game was neutralized as well, as De’Veon Smith couldn’t find holes and was tackled at first contact.

However, the second half unleashed a snippet of what we can expect from Tyler Johns’ system. By mixing in option plays and abusing the soft coverage in the short passing game, the Wolverines gashed the Wildcats with proverbial excellence. De’Veon Smith got better as the game progressed, finishing with 68 yards on 21 carries. Jake Butt had a fantastic first game, finishing with 96 yards on 6 catches and a touchdown. Finally, Jake Rudock, who isn’t the fastest quarterback in the nation, became a running threat. For good measure, he was responsible for all of Michigan’s scoring (2 passing TDs, 1 rushing) and didn’t put up prolific stats doing so.

He simply didn’t need to. Rudock finished 20-30 with 188 yards and a TD. He also rushed 10 times for 0 yards and a score, enough for him to win Player Of The Game honors.

“Jake displayed a lot of toughness, standing there taking hits and firing some accurate passes under duress,” says Michigan coach Ty Johns. “He did good. I’m excited for this victory, especially against a team of this caliber. Rich Rodriguez is a great coach, and I had a fun time coaching against him.”

For the Wolverines, they face a tough task next week. College GameDay will head north to Ann Arbor, where Michigan (1-0) will face a dominant #19-ranked Stanford (0-0), which also happens to be Coach Ty’s alma mater. The battle of two academically prestigious schools from different sides of the country and the battle between two proteges from the Jim Harbaugh coaching tree, this one’s sure to impress on national television and cause no shortage of headlines this upcoming week. Oh, did I mention it's a night game?

Meanwhile, Arizona (0-1) will attempt to recover from an early loss against UNLV in Las Vegas next Saturday.

Michigan Wolverines at Arizona Wildcats
Sep 3, 2015	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Michigan Wolverines (0-0)	0	7	7	7	21
#22 Arizona Wildcats (0-0)	0	0	7	7	14

Team Stats Comparison
	MICH	ARIZ
Total Offense	295	375
Rushing Yards	107	63
Passing Yards	188	312
First Downs	18	13
Punt Return Yards	43	48
Kick Return Yards	73	0
Total Yards	411	423
Turnovers	0	2
3rd Down Conversion	7-16	5-15
4th Down Conversion	0-0	0-1
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	3-0	1-0
Penalties	1-15	1-5
Possession Time	19:16	24:59

Scoring Summary
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		MICH	ARIZ
2:51	(MICH) J. Butt, 8 Yd pass from J. Rudock	7	0
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		MICH	ARIZ
5:34	(ARIZ) C. Jones, 58 Yd pass from A. Solomon	7	7
2:15	(MICH) J. Rudock, 6 Yd run	14	7
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		MICH	ARIZ
6:44	(MICH) J. Chesson, 0 Yd pass from J. Rudock	21	7
4:35	(ARIZ) A. Solomon, 1 Yd run	21	14

Michigan Wolverines PASSING C/A YDS TD INT J. Rudock 20-30 188 2 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD D. Smith 21 68 3.2 0 J. Rudock 10 0 0.0 1 T. Isaac 3 6 2.0 0 D. Johnson 3 30 10.0 0 S. Houma 1 1 1.0 0 J. Peppers 1 2 2.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD J. Butt 6 96 16.0 1 D. Johnson 3 13 4.3 0 S. Houma 3 19 6.3 0 J. Chesson 3 18 6.0 1 A. Darboh 2 17 8.5 0 B. Cole 2 21 10.5 0 T. Isaac 1 4 4.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK K. Kalis 2 0 B. Braden 2 0 J. Chesson 1 0 J. Butt 1 0 M. Cole 0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD D. Morgan 12 0.0 0 0 J. Clark 7 0.0 0 0 J. Bolden 7 2.0 0 0 J. Wilson 6 1.0 0 0 C. Wormley 5 3.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG K. Allen 0-1 3-3 3 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 B. O'Neill 8 320 40.0 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD B. Cole 2 52 26.0 0 J. Peppers 1 21 21.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD J. Peppers 3 43 14.3 0

Arizona Wildcats PASSING C/A YDS TD INT A. Solomon 24-30 312 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD A. Solomon 21 50 2.3 1 N. Wilson 11 13 1.1 0 M. Morin 1 0 0.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD N. Phillips 9 79 8.7 0 C. Jones 5 110 22.0 1 N. Wilson 4 53 13.2 0 S. Grant 3 27 9.0 0 D. Richards 1 15 15.0 0 J. Jackson 1 12 12.0 0 J. Kern 1 16 16.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK C. Bundage 0 2 J. Alsadek 0 1 L. Maiava .0 3 F. Tagaloa 0 1 Z. Hemmila 0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD S. Wright III 10 0.0 0 0 W. Parks 8 0.0 0 0 T. Jones 7 1.0 0 0 S. Fuimaono 6 0.0 0 0 D. Miller 6 0.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG C. Skowron 0-2 2-2 2 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 D. Riggleman 6 263 43.8 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD D. Neal 5 48 9.6 0

[DavidTheGreat20]

Stanford Week


Stanford, meet my new digs.


The Michigan Wolverines.


Jim Harbaugh, if you’re reading this, your alma mater is in good hands. You are a great mentor to me and I appreciate your support.


Coach Shaw, if you’re reading this, I love you man, but I’m ready to beat you.


This is my team.


I went to Stanford and graduated in 2010, which happens to be Jim Harbaugh’s last year coaching the Cardinal before he went to the 49ers. I was on the sidelines as a student assistant, and when I met him, I have to admit that I thought he was nuts. But as I stood there alongside him during practices and gameday, his enthusiasm for the game of football and his competitive fire rubbed off on me.


“Attack every day with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.”


That is one lasting quote that I have brought along with me so far in my coaching endeavors. Whether you saw it at Western or even here, the Harbaugh effect is in me.


When I practice with our team, we practice like it’s gameday. We prepare like champions. We have laser focus. We have our eyes on the prize and we won’t stop until we get it. Never satisfied.


But a fiery attitude isn’t the only winning formula. We have fun in practice. We joke around. We draw up ridiculous plays that you would only see in a video game. We stay loose and easy, because emotion is a double-edged sword. Playing with little emotion isn’t enough to inspire. Playing with too much emotion can explode in your face in the end. That’s what we have achieved: a perfect balance.


Coach Shaw, you’ve done a great job with Stanford. You continued the winning tradition brought on by Jim Harbaugh and it looks like you’re here to stay. You turned Christian McCaffrey into a bonafide superstar. You’ve got future NFL players on your sideline. You bring old-school football and new-school football together and created a system that works.


But that doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed a win. We’re coming for you.


We are ready for a challenge, and you better be prepared, because my team is.


Bring it on.

[gsutiger]

Nice start to the season

[BookWork123]

Nice to start off with a bang!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk