The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MICHIGAN FOOTBALL EARLY LOOK AT 2012 OPPONENTS fortable confines of Kinnick Stadium last season, there may have been a much different outcome. The Hawkeyes posted a 5-1 record at home, outscoring op- Iowa If the Iowa football team had played all its games in the com- ponents by 11.7 points per game. But when they left Iowa City, things went south quickly. In the second to last game of the season, Iowa beat Purdue 31-21 to avoid a winless road record. After two consecutive unimpressive seasons (7-6 in 2011, up in the air." there's no question about that. They didn't perform well last year, linebackers Christian Kirksey and James Morris — are back, and in the secondary, reliable cornerback Micah Hyde returns for his senior year. — Andy Reid 8-5 in 2010), the Hawkeyes are looking to take a step into the upper echelon of Big Ten teams again — and to do that, fifth-year senior quarterback James Vandenberg will have to continue his progression. "Iowa got spoiled with Ricky Stanzi and his success on the road, and in late-game situa- tions, where he was able to come through, port.com publisher Tom Ka- kert said. "Vandenberg didn't excel in those situations. You look at the Minnesota game, where they had a chance to salt that game away against a subpar team and they weren't able to. "I think the big thing with " HawkeyeRe- a bowl game or championship — waiting for them at the end of the season? Put everything into the year-end matchup with the archrival. Because of an NCAA-sanctioned postseason ban, Ohio State will play only 12 games this year, meaning the showdown with Michigan will be even more important. "By the time Michigan rolls around on the schedule, every Buckeye fan will be foaming at the mouth, ready for a little pay- back, bowl game. Ohio State fans, on the vast majority, don't want to admit that Brady Hoke is a good coach and a good fit up there. "They would love nothing more than to really send Michigan Vandenberg in his matura- tion process is him winning on the road on a more consis- tent basis. He was a good quarterback at home. In tight game situations on the road, he just didn't play well enough to win. That's the big thing: continued growth. PHOTO COURTESY IOWA tistically great season in 2011, completing 58.7 percent of his passes for 3,022 yards, 25 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. This year, he will not have wide receiver Marvin McNutt, who Despite his late-game struggles, Vandenberg had a sta- " four scores last year, will be expected to step up. "Marvin was such a big-play security blanket, and I'm not sure Keenan is there yet," Kakert said. "This is going to be a time for " Iowa fifth-year senior quarter- back James Vandenberg threw for 3,022 yards and 25 touch- downs in 2011. strong situation on offense, especially at the quarterback spot. Sophomore Braxton Miller is a perfect fit in Meyer's spread- based system that relies on athletic signal-callers. Miller racked up 1,878 yards of total offense (1,159 passing and 725 rushing) and 20 touchdowns (13 passing and seven rushing) in 2011. He had arguably his best game of the season against Michi- hauled in single-season program records in receiving yards (1,315) and touchdowns (12) last season. Senior Keenan Davis, who caught 50 passes for 713 yards and Keenan Davis to really step forward. He made a lot of progress this last year. He's going to have to improve his ball skills. And Vandenberg and the receivers will be forced to carry the is going to have some new blood on the offensive coaching staff, stuff with Miller, footwork and the simple things you take for granted. If he can refresh himself on those types of things, he will really improve. "He was a good thrower in high school. I just don't think we saw a tremendous amount of growth as a freshman. But he has a chance to make some major growth. load. After a serious string of injuries, suspensions, dismissals and transfers, the Hawkeyes are down to very few options at running back. Junior Brad Rogers, who played fullback last year, and sopho- more Damon Bullock, who rushed 10 times for 20 yards as a freshman, may be the best options still available. And to make matters worse in the running game, three of- fensive line starters from a year ago must be replaced. The Hawkeyes are usually solid on defense, but they will be replacing several key parts in 2012, especially along the line. Five defensive linemen from last year's two-deep depth chart graduated, including three ends and two tackles. pass catchers: Devin Smith, a true freshman last year, led the team is yards (294) and average yards per catch (21.0). Corey Brown is also poised for a big year, after racking up 205 receiv- ing yards in 2011. Junior running back Carlos Hyde ran for 566 yards and six In the receiving corps, Miller has a couple of promising young " touchdowns last year. In the front seven, the Buckeyes will be solid, especially with the return of senior defensive end Nathan Williams, who suf- fered a season-ending knee injury in the first game last year. There are some concerns in the secondary, though. Sopho- New Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer walks into a fairly " Ohio State How does a team stay focused when there is no goal — i.e. "Their biggest question mark will be at defensive line, and " Kakert said. "It's such an open competition there. It's really At linebacker, the two top tacklers from a year ago — outside " BuckeyeGrove.com publisher Kevin Noon said. "It's the out on a losing note to the regular season, in what amounts to Ohio State's bowl game. gan, throwing for 235 yards and two scores while adding 100 yards on the ground. "Ohio State fans are most excited about the fact that Braxton " Noon said. "They'll just have to work on the fundamental more cornerback Bradley Roby picked off three passes last year, but two probable starters — Dominic Clark and DerJuan Gambrell — were dismissed from the team in the offseason. — Andy Reid SEPTEMBER 2012 THE WOLVERINE 59