The Wolverine

if it will be up and down over the next eight weeks. Washington, Clark and Black are all young players, in terms of expe- rience, and possess learning curves that could accelerate quickly. Senior Craig Roh played his best football a year ago in November and could peak a bit earlier this year while Campbell seems capable of a strong Big Ten campaign. The potential ex- ists, but the group has to put it into practice. Linebacker Grade: C+ Summary: Two weeks into the sea- son, with Air Force jamming the football down Michigan's throats, starting linebackers Kenny Demens and Desmond Morgan had been dis- placed, the coaches opting instead to go with true freshmen James Ross III and Joe Bolden. To say the lineback- ers were a mess earlier this year is an understatement. However, Ross and Bolden did play well in that victory, and have been welcome contributors. strongside linebacker post. Redshirt junior reserve Cameron Gordon has also played well. Going Forward: At one point it looked as if Bolden and Ross would be taking over permanently for De- mens and Morgan, but the veterans' play in South Bend has halted that conclusion for now. Those two have experience and can be good defend- ers against the run and in pass cov- erage, and their consistency will be demanded in conference play or the rookies, who have bright futures, will replace them. Ryan seems intent to continue playing at a high level, and the good news is he is only beginning to real- ize how much of an impact he can make. Only in his second season as a starter, he could become a dominant defender, making multiple big plays each game. Secondary Grade: B Summary: Michigan ranks 37th na- tionally in pass efficiency (114.05 rat- pass, though their biggest tests are forthcoming in Purdue, Northwest- ern and Ohio State. is create turnovers. U-M's corners and safeties have just two intercep- tions this season and have not yet recorded a pass broken up in four games. They are keeping the ball in front of them but they're not making plays on the football. Going Forward: Michigan's second- ary has benefited some from the fact that U-M has faced only one capable passing attack in Alabama, but they will continue to benefit with the ma- jority of the Big Ten relying on strong ground games and not prominent passing games. Still, there will be a few tests along the way, and the de- fensive backfield must continue to do what it has done — play strong in man-to-man, and zone, keep big plays at a minimum and get off the field on third down. Fifth-year senior J.T. Floyd will be the one to watch, with most teams having one legitimate receiver he will be asked to cover. The one thing the unit hasn't done Special Teams Grade: B+ Summary: On a special teams check- list, Michigan has done a lot to like. The Wolverines have not yielded a game-changing kickoff or punt re- turn, with opponents averaging 23.8 yards and 5.2 yards per return, re- spectively, while freshman Dennis Norfleet has averaged 24.1 yards on 16 kickoff returns and has had three of 30 yards or more. Junior punter Will Hagerup is av- True freshman linebacker James Ross III contributed 10 total tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss, in the non-conference portion of U-M's schedule. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL A fifth-year senior, Demens was benched in each of the first three games before responding with a solid effort in the loss at Notre Dame. Mor- gan, a sophomore, was also wildly inconsistent, and missed the Mas- sachusetts contest with an injury, but had his best performance of the year against the Fighting Irish. The lone constant, and the reason this grade isn't lower, is because of redshirt sophomore Jake Ryan, who has been a difference maker for the defense in clutch moments at the ing) and 10th in pass defense (154.50 yards allowed per game), and has held up well against the Crimson Tide, Minutemen and Fighting Irish. Led by fifth-year senior safety Jordan Kovacs, the secondary has yielded only eight pass completions of 20 yards or more and only one more than 40 yards, while opponents have just one run that distance. Even without sophomore corner- back Blake Countess, out since week one with a torn ACL, the defensive backfield has been strong against the eraging 48.5 yards on 11 kicks, and pooch punter specialist sophomore Matt Wile has dropped all three of his punts inside the 20-yard line. In the kicking game, Wile has re- Going Forward: If Michigan just con- tinues to do what it has been doing, its special teams will count as a strength in 2012. There is still the potential to do more, with Norfleet capable of re- turning a kickoff for a touchdown, but the Maize and Blue have to like what they've done thus far, and will use their performance as a barometer for the rest of the season. u corded 12 touchbacks on 21 kickoffs and redshirt junior Brendan Gibbons is 3 of 4 on field goals, making three from 30-39 yards while missing from 43 yards. OCTOBER 2012 THE WOLVERINE 23

• Cover