The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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On Sophomores At Rush End Before Michigan Has Counted time the Wolverines have counted on a sophomore to start at the rush/weakside end position since Greg Mattison first began employing the post in 1996. During the 12 seasons U-M has utilized a rush end (1996-2003, 2005-07 and 2011), three athletes have started as sophomores. Here is how they performed. David Bowens, 1996: The Pontiac, Mich., native had started four games in his If Brennen Beyer opens the season as Michigan's starter, it won't be the first onus on Beyer to become proficient in every aspect of his development, and he's working diligently to that end. "I don't know what Frank's status freshman year, and appeared in all 13 defensively, recording four sacks among 30 total stops, so he wasn't as raw as Beyer will be when he steps foot on the field this fall. In his sophomore year, the 6-3, 228-pounder proved the perfect specimen to play rush end, relying on unrelenting speed to tally a single-season Michigan- record 12 quarterback take- downs among 16 total tackles for loss. He earned second- team All-Big Ten honors. Bowens should have an- Orleans native had appeared in 11 games in his redshirt freshman campaign, notch- ing three sacks and four total tackles for loss. In 1997, with Bowens gone, Hall picked up some of the slack, finishing his sophomore year with four QB takedowns and eight tackles for loss while ranking second among U-M's defensive line- men with 51 tackles. Hall was playing his best foot- chored the defensive line for the 1997 team, but he couldn't cut it academically and was forced out of school. James Hall, 1997: The New had just graduated, and there was no heir ready to assume his mantle. The coaches tried freshman Alain Kashama (one sack), but he proved largely ineffective. The Maize and Blue also gave junior Evan Coleman (two sacks) and freshman Larry Stevens (two sacks) a go, but they didn't run with their chance either. Orr had enjoyed some success early in the 2000 season with four tackles for ball when it mattered most, grabbing three of his four sacks, six of his eight tackles for loss, and 25 of his 51 stops in November and in the Rose Bowl against Washington State. Shantee Orr, 2000: Hall As a redshirt sophomore in 1997, James Hall made a big impact, including at the Rose Bowl (above), and for the season he posted 51 tackles and four sacks. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN is, but I'm just trying to be the best I can be at the rush position every day," said Beyer, who is competing with two freshmen for the right to start against Alabama Sept. 1. "Me and Mario Ojemudia and Tom Stro- bel are competing, pushing each other, coaching each other up be- cause one of us is going to start, and Coach Mattison talks about how im- portant that competition is to bring out our best for the defense overall. "I'm just trying to get as good as I can at the position so that I can help the defense, and help the team." Beyer's strength and size gains were critical to his improvement, and his potential to be an every-down defender for the Wolverines. Perhaps the best sign of what he can accom- plish this fall should be the way in which he remade himself in the off- season. "We challenged him to get a little stronger, bigger, and he's done a nice job with that," head coach Brady Hoke said. "He's a competitive kid. He loves to play, and has done a tre- mendous job." Beyer will not be solely responsible for the success or failure of the pass rush and the rush end position, how- ever. Like he did a year ago, Ryan will see reps with his hand on the ground, on third downs and in pass- ing situations especially, because he possesses an innate ability to wreak havoc on an offensive backfield. "No matter who your starter is, you always have to have a Plan B," Mattison said. "You never go into a season with the idea that, 'I have a good guy here, and I hope he stays healthy.' "You always have to have two and you'd love to have three deep, and you're always competing. "That goes along with the idea loss as a reserve rush linebacker in the first five games, and he would start in the season finale against Ohio State and then again in the Citrus Bowl against Au- burn. The 6-1, 246-pound sophomore had only one tackle for loss during his two starting assignments, and concluded the year with five, including a single sack. Not surprisingly, the Wolverines had only 21 total team sacks in 2000. But Orr would go on to better campaigns, recording 11.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss from 2001-02. — Michael Spath 36 THE WOLVERINE SEPTEMBER 2012 that you put your best 11 on the field, wherever they are. Obviously, if a guy is used to playing one posi- tion and you have to move him, you may not be as good, but that other guy coming in — the combination of the two might make you just as good." For now, the plan remains for Ryan to see most of his snaps at the Sam