Karan Higdon Archives - Page 7 of 8 - UMGOBLUE.COM Michigan Wolverine Football & Basketball

The improved Indiana defense is not at the top of the Big Ten, but good enough to give the Wolverines a battle. Some wonder why a program that recruits basically two and three star players can compete with four and five star players. There may be several answers to that question.

The Wolverines have not made a habit of losing to the Hoosiers, having strung together 22 wins over the Bloomington denizens. They have not been easy wins as they often have been very close.

FORMER M COACHES MENTOR THE HOOSIERS: Mike Debord was the OC of Michigan’s 1997 Rose Bowl, and National Champions. Recently at Tennessee, he fostered a prolific offense. I had the good fortune to be acquainted with Mike while he was with the Wolverines. He was friendly, professional, and pleasant.

He is somewhat reviled as a coordinator by some M fans, who did not appreciate the style of offensive play. Now he advises a more wide-open style of offense. I don’t think he will ever be back in Ann Arbor, but other than in this game, I wish him all possible success.

Mike Hart of Little Bro fame/infamy is the Hoosier running backs coach. In contrast to Mike DeBord’s situation, there are fans that would like to see him in Ann Arbor again as the running backs coach. He did know how to hang on to the football, and as a freshman he became only the third freshman M RB to lead the Big Ten in rushing.

Nick Sheridan was here in the Rich Rodriquez for a short time as a quarterback. He is the QB Coach at Indiana now.

The only games I want to see the above coaches lose are those against the Wolverines. At times late Saturday I was afraid they might be happy post game.

SOME HIGHLIGHTS: The Wolverines lost the coin toss, and defended, receiving the second half kick off. The defense held for a good start.

The Wolverines had an impressive 6 minute drive on their first series. Unfortunately, it was not a point a minute drive as its stalled, and culminated in a 40-yard Quinn Nordin FG. Quinn is money in the bank, but again the Wolverines only got half of what they wanted for the drive. M was up 3-0.

On the next Indiana possession Hurst blocked a field goal and LaVert Hill secured it and hauled it 35-yards. Again the drive stalled, and again Nordin hit a field goal, this time from 38. More money in the bank, but again the Wolverines only got half of what they wanted. It was 6-0.

On their next possession O’Korn pulled out his Houdini bag of tricks and got himself free from the scrum, and hit Donovan Peoples-Jones for 17-yards for a much needed first down to prolong the drive. The Wolverines benefited from DPJ taking a late hit resulting in an unsportsmanlike conduct call. Review killed the targeting call, but the 15-yards unsportsmanlike penalty endured. Karan Higdon showed some magic, and streaked 12-yards for the score. 13-0.

Indiana managed a late field goal near the half to finalize the half time score at 13 to 3.

The Hoosiers took the ball to start the second half, and took it to the Wolverines. The defense allowed the Hoosiers first score in the second half on a run by Hoosier John Ellison, but neither side added any additional score in what remained of the third quarter. For the rest of the quarter the defenses prevailed, as both teams settled for three and outs. The score remained 13-10.

The Wolverines running game broke out in the fourth quarter as Karan Higdon, and the other backs went to work. Higdon’s 59-yard streak to and over the goal line energized the Wolverines and their fans. The Wolverines appeared to be in charge and headed to a certain win, as they were up 20-10.

But as the clock ticked to 3:27, a cloud appeared on M’s football horizon,. Indiana QB Peyton Ramsey threw a TD pass to Whop Phiylor. It was a whopper, reducing M’s lead to a fragile 3 points, 20-17. Thoughts of a tie or worse began to fester.

The concern was enhanced by what seeming to be a successful Indiana onside kick which bounced over the head of M’s Donovan People-Jones. He leaped and hit it with his hand, knocking it into the hands of Indiana’s Simmie Cobb, Jr.

Cobb tight roped down the sideline attempting to gain control of the ball and stay in bounds. A review gave Michigan the football. It was ruled that he did not gain control of the football until out of bounds.

The Wolverine offense was not up to the task of icing the game in regulation, as they went three and out. The defense sputtered a little and could not protect the M lead. A 46-yard Hoosier field goal tied it 20-20, and it was on to overtime.

OVERTIME: The Hoosiers won the toss and forced the Wolverines to go first. Higdon ran the ball 25-yards into the end zone for what became the winning score.

Then the Wolverine’s defense made their magnificent goal line stand by withstanding a Hoosier first and ten at the two. That terrific stand was described earlier. Final M-27, I-20.

TAKE AWAY: This Wolverine team has plenty of fight. They can give and take hard knocks, win away from home, and can play defense with the best of them. The weakest link in their chain right now is passing offense. Usually balanced between run and throw, they netted just 58-yards passing. This time the game was in perfect passing weather. Even without errors, that low production passing game will hinder winning. At the very least they need to maintain balance.

At the first of the year, I thought the receivers were one of the better position groups, but it seems that the much maligned running backs are producing than they are now.

The offensive line is still leaky in pass protection, but they were outstanding at times in the run game today.

It seems John O’Korn, and the OL, and the receivers, all need to do better in the passing game in the search for a balanced attack.

John needs to connect down field a time or two to gain confidence, and move defenders back. He overthrew a long ball to a wide open Donovan Peoples-Jones during the first drive, and another to Grant Perry. It seemed to me that throw to Perry had to be high to miss the defender. It was still a miss even if it was just off the fingertips of Perry. There is always room for improvement.

Bring on prime time and Penn State. This one is going to be interesting.

Go Blue!

The Football team of the United States Air Force Academy visited Michigan Stadium Saturday, borne on the wings of a hope that they could shoot down the Wolverine’s intention of compiling three straight wins to start this M Football season.

Air Force belongs to the Mountain West Conference. Since Utah left that conference, the Wolverines can still say they have not lost a game to a MWC school.

There was a flyover of four Air Force T-38 Talons, two of which were piloted by U of M grads.

The Air Force parachute demonstration team entered the stadium the hard way in a most professional and eye pleasing manner. They soared in over the North score board, and all landed easily on or near the block M at the middle of the field. It was a perfect afternoon for such a venture.

Air Force walloped Virginia Military Institute (VMI) 62 to zip two weeks ago Saturday. They have had a bye week to prepare for the Blue, and had won seven games in a row. They provided the Wolverines with a real battle, never leading but doggedly staying in the game.

The Wolverines have faced the Air Force only three times, and have won all three. M won in 1964, 2012, and last Saturday. This series is just developing. It had a worrisome aspect in that the AF utilizes cut blocks more than most others, and runs a unique scheme that takes special preparation. Fortunately, to the best of my knowledge, no M player was injured by a cut block.

AIR FORCE FOOTBALL WEAPONS: Not the least of their football weapons is their Head Coach Troy Calhoun. His unusual triple option, run from multiple formations, basically ignored the pass except for one completion that went for 64-yards for a score. His defense engineered a system the Michigan Offensive Coaches did not solve to score a TD until the last moment of the game. Five Wolverine field goals instead of TDs helped propel Air Force to keeping it close, and close it was for most of three quarters plus. Four of the field goals were a result of red zone failures by the M offense, and the fifth by the offense stalling before they got to the red zone.

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Both Harbaugh and Speight credited Calhoun defense scheming ability to disguise defensive schemes as a problem for M’s offense.

Junior Arione Worthman is a man worth a lot to the Falcon offense as a quarterback. He was just one of seven passing, but the one completion was for sixty-four yards and a TD. An integral part of the Falcon ground game, he took a beating from the Wolverines, but kept after it. He ran 21 times for 56- net yards, with a long of 34. He had thirty yards of losses.

STATE OF THE WOLVERINES AFTER THREE VICTORIES: Many thought pre-game that this game could very well be a trap game due to the Falcon’s triple option scheme, and the Wolverine’ inexperience with that system. While M nailed Florida, and Cincinnati pretty convincingly, and won against the Falcons, there is still concern about the fact that the Michigan offense is still not a well oiled machine under the guidance of the now experienced QB Wilton Speight. The offense has continued to sputter at times this season, in addition to some difficulties it had at the end of last season. In the first game this year, against Florida, Wilton threw two pick sixes. One of them may or may not have been his fault, but one was unquestionably his fault. These errors gave Florida a lead to the end of the first half.

Wilton came back splendidly in M’s first drive of the second half against the Gators, and the Wolverines played a good enough game to drive home a convincing win over a prominent SEC team, but he displayed his perplexing habit of missing open receivers, and high throws. The defense was M’s best unit on the field, and Special teams were OK against the Gators.

Saturday before last, against Cincinnati, Wilton and the offense sputtered again. This time it was careless fumbles and not interceptions. Only one fumble was recovered by the Bearcats, but Wilton’s error swung the game momentum gathered from M’s long opening TD drive, plus Kinnel’s pick six, to momentum favoring Cincinnati. This continued to spur the Bearcat’s momentum in their first drive of the second half. A potential blow out became, for a while in the third quarter, a struggle for survival.

It wasn’t all Wilton’s doing. The offense could not produce short first down conversions in the second half against the Bearcats multiple times. The young right side of the offensive line did not look as good as it did against the Gators, both against the run and in pass pro. There were 68-yards of penalties as Wolverine special teams came apart. While Quinn Nordin was again highly reliable as a field goal kicker, some of special teams regressed. There was a shanked punt for short yardage, and a punt hit an M player in the back for an unnecessary, and most untimely turnover. The room for improvement on special teams against the Bearcats was as obvious as it was necessary.

Against the Air Force this Saturday, lack of TDs in the red zone became the problem. Four times the sputtering offense couldn’t score from the red zone. Once they faltered from farther out. There was only one TD in the game and that was late in the fourth. Again there were some drops by receivers, errant throws, fumbles, errors by the offensive line, plus an odd play. Wilton twirled to the opposite direction after receiving the snap, fast and neatly, a great athletic move, and ran towards the West sideline, where he tried to flip the ball to a receiver in or near the end zone. A defender got his hand on the flipped ball so it was deflected, and made available for interception. Fortunately, it hit the ground and was dead. Wilton had made a brilliant change of direction, and dash towards the goal, only to let the ill-advised flip pass spoil the play.

Wilton hit 14 of 23 attempts for 169-yards, and no TDs or interceptions. The offense made its living rushing 42 times for 190-yards and just one late TD.

I did not understand some of the play calling. Why all the fade routes that Wilton continues to miss? Where were the tall tight ends. Time out management seemed to rear its ugly head at times. Useless penalties continued to happen. Seven for seventy-two yards exceeds the previous high this year.

Wilton Speight is a smart football player, a good representative of the Wolverines. At this time, it is obvious that the coaches feel there is no one better currently on this roster than Wilton at the QB position, or you would see the better player at the helm on Saturdays.

I trust he can get his difficulties sponged out and begin to produce at his best again. Hopefully his confidence will not sag in this slump, and coaching can remedy his mechanics. That big jump expected between first and second season has been delayed, but it needs to become reality, soon. The Big Ten season looms with Purdue next and MSU after that.

SATURDAY’S SCORING: First Quarter: M’s Quin Nordin hit a 35-yard field goal to make it 3-zip. A Ty Isaac 32-yard scamper was part of an 11-play 58-yard drive. A score, but a red zone failure, all the same.

AF answered with a 35-yard FG to tie it up, 3 each.

Second Quarter: Nordin hit a 26-yard FG, and it was 6-3. A 37-yard Peoples snag helped get the Wolverines to the Falcon 8 yard-line, where they stalled. Obviously, a red zone failure for the offense.

AF answered with a 50-yard FG to knot it at six again.With 3:18 in the quarter, Nordin hit again, this time on a 49-yard shot. Wilton Speight fumbled as he was sacked. Wilton tried to continue to throw the ball as he went down. M’s Nick Eubanks covered it at the Air Force 35. This FG made it an uneasy 9-6.

Third Quarter: Donovan Peoples Jones made the play of the game with a sterling punt return of 79-yards. It was now 16-6. He ran like he had radar. Crossing the field from side to side, he stayed in bounds along the eastern side line on his way into the north end zone. This was a return that would have made Peppers proud. Afterwards Jones said “I mean, it just opened up like the Red Sea. They did a great job of not clipping, and let me change the field. They did a great job of blocking and not holding. It just made my job very easy”.

This was the first M TD on the day, and the first of Donovan-Peoples Jones career. It will be long remembered. Having displeased the coaches in the way he was letting some catchable punts hit the ground against Cincinnati, and replaced by Perry in the Cincinnati game, he made quite a comeback Saturday. This was his not only the play of the game, but this play made him my player of the game.

The special teams were somewhat a mess last week, but returned with a bang this week. The Wolverines could not have done without their contribution of 22 points, as the game would have been lost. How long can the Wolverines depend on the defense or special teams to score their points remains a question.

In response AF hit its only pass. Unfortunately, it was for 64-yards. Now it was 16-13 and matters were serious again.

Quinn hit a 29-yard FG and it was 19 to 13. After an 11 play, 32-yard drive, the Wolverines stalled at the AF 11. Another red zone fizzle. Again, they couldn’t move the ball further, running or passing.

Fourth Quarter: Nordin was at it again in the fourth quarter, banging a 36-yard FG through to make it 22 to 13. The Wolverines had the ball at the AF 18. Again they could not run or pass in the red zone.

Karan Higdon’s 36-yard TD scamper at 1:02 of the fourth, down the east sideline, made it 29-13, and that became the final. A 24-yard pass to Tarik Black was the big setup play. Chris Evans had a 10-yard run, and a 4-yard run in the 9 play 73-yard game clinching drive. M couldn’t drive it in from 18-yards out. They were stymied in the red zone for the fourth and final time.

HOW THE OFFENSIVE SKILL PLAYERS DID: Running Backs-Ty Isaac was 16 for 89-yards with a long of 32, and a 5.6 average. He was again the best M back, but he danced a little on a couple of critical short yardage plays and came up short. Where is Kahlid Hill on those occasions? Karan Higdon lugged 12 for 64-yards, a TD and a 5.3 average. Chris Evans spent most of the game on the bench because of his first quarter fumble, but got 6 carries of 32-yards. It was ground game day.

Receivers-Tarik Black snagged 5 for 55-yards and a long of 24. Donovan Peoples Jones collared 2 for 52-yards, with a long of 37.

THE M DEFENSE OWNED THE DAY: The defense was again rough and ready. While they gave up a long pass play, likely lulled oblivious to the passing game as some in the press box had suspected would happen, by the prior lack of attempts, they were more than up to this task otherwise. The Falcons had only one completion in seven attempts. They rushed for 168-yards.
Devin Bush and Mike McCray each had seven solos and 4 assists, for a total of 11. Bush had a sack, as did Chase Winovich. Rashan Gary had one half sack. He made his presence felt all game.

BIG TEN OPENER LOOMS: The Big Ten opener at Purdue is at hand, ready or not. This year’s version of the Spoilermakers seems to be very good as evidenced by their convincing win over Missouri last Saturday.

Go Blue!