The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/178977
nen Beyer has done a great job at the Sam linebacker position," Mattison said. "But we'll put the best pass rushers on the field when the time comes." Ryan has started every game of his career at strongside linebacker, but in practices he has worked in the middle, and there is a chance that all three could see the field at the same time. "That's the challenge as a coaching staff, and ultimately the final decision will be with Greg and Brady [Hoke], but you want to have your best 11 players on the field," Manning said. "Everyone knows you have to produce, knows what the standard and expectation is, and the best players will play. "When Jake comes back, if he's the best player, then he will be out there on that field, whether that's in addition to Cam and Brennen or replacing them. They understand that we have a standard. "He'll be itching to get back out there. It will be exciting, and in a perfect world you have them all out there, if that's what you can do." To their credit, both Gordon and Beyer are saying the right things, knowing that they could be relegated to the sideline when Ryan returns, though both feel they're playing well enough to earn reps. "I only know that we're going to be even better when Jake comes back, and whenever he comes back, I'll do whatever I need to do to help the team be successful and win games," Gordon noted. ❑ Non-Conference Analysis Defensive Line Starters — 3 stars: Junior end Frank Clark, redshirt sophomore end Keith Heitzman and senior tackles Jibreel Black and Quinton Washington have started all four games thus far, and while the expectations were high for this combo, the quartet has not produced much, recording just 4.5 tackles for loss among 22 total tackles. Depth — 3 stars: Michigan has routinely cycled through players, including sophomore end Mario Ojemudia, sophomore tackle Ondre Pipkins, and redshirt freshman ends Matt Godin and Chris Wormley. The depth is good enough to keep everyone fresh, but like the starters, the reserves are not contributing to the degree expected with only two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. X-Factor: This was supposed to be Clark's breakout season, the year in which he played 12 regular-season games the way he attacked Ohio State in 2012 (one sack and two tackles for loss), but it hasn't fully happened yet. Clark has tallied three stops behind the line of scrimmage, notching his first two sacks of the year at Connecticut. Michigan needs someone to become a force off the edge to boost the confidence of the entire unit, and Clark needs to prove he can be that guy for the Wolverines consistently, building off his UConn performance.