The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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And although Ross and Bolden have played a lot of football here, especially for sophomores, Morgan's versatility has helped solidify the linebacking corps. And his experience, with 28 starts after being thrust onto the field against Notre Dame as a true freshman, has been extremely important. "Desmond has been very reliable for me and Joe," Ross said. "We're able to ask him anything. With Joe playing primary to Mike and me playing primary to Will, Desmond is playing both spots. "Sometimes, it gets tough and you don't really know what the situation is. You can always look to the left or right of you and ask Des, 'What do we got on this one?' and he's right there to tell you exactly what we need." The Young Guns Generously listed at 6-1 and 220 pounds on the Michigan roster, Ross may not pass the eye test, especially at a place with a storied history of big, hulking linebackers. But ball carriers should be warned: underestimate him at your own peril. "We have linebackers who are coming up to hit," junior defensive end Frank Clark said. "They're little guys, but they hit, like they're 6-3, 240." And Ross, somewhat ironically nicknamed "Bigs" by his teammates, packs the biggest punch of any linebacker on the roster. "One of the things about Bigs, is he is very explosive and powerful," Smith said. "He is probably the smallest of all of them. He's a 215-pound linebacker, but when he hits you, he has that natural pop to him and an ability to snap up under someone, much more than Joe and Desmond can." The coaches first noticed that pop last year, when, despite his size, Ross made his way onto the field as a true freshman in 12 games, recording 36 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss an 0.5 sacks. After a promising start to his career, Ross had high expectations for his sophomore campaign. But after two games, Ross had tallied just nine total tackles in 2013. So the coaches put a little fire in his belly, starting Morgan and Bolden against Akron. "We call it the sophomore jinx, thinking, 'Hey, I played as a freshman, so I must be pretty good,'" Smith said. " I'm not saying that's what happened, but you see that, if a kid played a lot in his first year, they come out the second year, and you have to make sure they're staying focused and understand that nothing is given to you." Morgan can relate. He remembers having similar talks with Smith and Mattison early last year, when the game was seemingly not coming as easy to him as it was when he got onto the field as a rookie. After talking with his coaches and Morgan, Ross got the message loud and clear. "My coaches told me at the beginning of the season that I wasn't doing what I was capable of doing," Ross said. "I really took that into consider- Listen to TheWolverine.com Podcast: Linebackers Improving Down The Stretch