8 - Friday, April 16, 2010
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Quarterback BATTLE
*I
Again, the three-headed monster at Michigan's quar-
terback position rears its head. But this year,
the competition could be closer than ever.
Michigan fans have seen their fair share
of sophomores Tate
Forcier and Denard
Robinson, as both
took significant
snaps under center
last season. But Satur-
day will be fans' first look
at electrifying early-enroll-
ee Devin Gardner, whose
hype precedes him. Ranked
the No. 1 dual threat quarter-
back in the nation last year
by all the major recruiting
sites, the 6-foot-4 signal caller
has been receiving rave reviews for
his competitive nature, and there's
no doubt he'll have something to prove when Satur-
day afternoon rolls around. And now, with Forcier's
status uncertain for Saturday's game, Robinson may
have his turn to shine.
But don't expect Forcier
and Robinson to shed the 0
limelight so quickly. The -
race for the starting spot
at the quarterback
position is in
a dead sprint,
especiallyafter
Robinson has
impressed coaches
with his improvement
this spring.
one thing is clear. All
eyes at the Big House on
Saturday will be locked
under center.
ARIEL BOND/Daly ,
With spring practice nearing its end and the spring game coming up this
weekend, the Daily football beat breaks down five of the biggest storylines
Michigan fans can follow on Saturday.
Cam GORDON
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Spring's SURPRISE PLAYER
When redshirt freshman Cameron Gordon arrived
at Michigan this fall, he was a 6-foot-2, 210-pound,
super-athletic wide receiver.
After redshirting his freshman year, Michigan
coach Rich Rodriguez decided the team had enough
talent at wideout and not enough at free safety. He
moved Gordon to safety and, apparently, the switch is
working great for everyone involved.
"There's no question that move was one of the bet-
ter moves we've made, personnel-wise," Rodriguez
said. "I think he's a natural there."
Questions have been swirling around the safety
position the entire offseason. The collection of safe-
ties who saw the field last year underperformed, and
the injury to sophomore Vlad Emilien, who's in the
running for the startingspot, made depth at the posi-
tion this spring a serious issue.
But Gordon has stepped up and appears to be mak-
ing a push for the starting job. It will be interesting
to see if he appears to be a step up from last year's
starters, as the buzz surrounding his spring seems to
indicate.
After watching then-freshman wide receiver
Roy Roundtree catch a pinpoint SO-yard bomb from
Forcier in last year's spring game, it was clear that
Roundtree was something special. And when all was
said and done last season, Roundtree led the team in
receiving yards (434) and touchdowns (3), which even
the most in-tune Michigan football followers never
would have hedged their bets on in the preseason.
So Roundtree's performance begs the question:
Who is this year's surprise Spring Game performer?
Mere's three players who may surprise you on Satur-
day:
1. FITZGERALD TOUSSAINT: Despite redshirting
last season, Toussaint's speed is being noticed in a big
way. And with Vincent Smith out for the spring with
an ACL tear, it could be Toussaint's time to show that
he can fill the cleats of departingrunningback Carlos
Brown.
2. TERRANCE ROBINSON: They've been tryinghim
all over the field in spring practice (at slot, in the back-
field, etc.), and the coaches have made it clear they
want him on the field. Robinson's biggest criticism has
been his hands, so if he can show an improvement in
that category, he may be making plays this fall.
3. KENNY DEMENS: Senior linebacker Obi Ezeh has
had a rollercoaster of a career with the Wolverines,
and Ezeh's loss at middle linebacker could be Demens's
gain this season. The Oak Parknative has been the talk
of the linebackers this spring and has all the skills tobe
a tackling machine at the position.
Running back BATTLE
With graduating seniors Brandon Minor and Car- le. But he showed flashes in his freshman year.
los Brown gone, the tailback position is wide open Also in the mix is redshirt sophomore Mike Cox,
place. spring. Cox exploded for 82 yards on 11 carries and T e
Leading the pack to replace the duo is junior Mike two touchdowns when he got his chance against Dela-
Shaw, who is the veteran of the bunch now, but hasn't ware State last season. Rodriguez even went as far x
seen enough carries in his first two years on campus as to speculate that early-enrolle Stephen Hopkins Rodriguez ruffled some feathers when he men-
to showcase his abilities. Sophomore Vincent Smith is wouldn't be redshirted because he fills a role as tioned a few weeks ago that the defense was working
still recovering after tearinghis a bigger back. Toussaint could challenge for with running a 3-3-5 during spring practice. Defen-
ACL in the 2009 season fina- carries too. sive coordinator Greg Robinson downplayed the idea
soon after, but the formation is intriguing for Michi-
gan this year.
The Wolverines have run a bit of the 3-3-5 in
recent seasons, and Rodriguez ran it when he was at
West Virginia. It gives Michigan a bit of flexibility
within the 3-4 scheme that the Wolverines ran pre-
dominantly a year ago. Identifying who plays where
SAID ALSALAH/Daily
r
t
t
within the scheme will be interesting. But all in all,
it will just be a tweak that Robinson throws in when
he wants a faster linebacker, say for example Stevie
Brown of last year's team, to drop into coverage and
play like a fifth defensive back.
It gives the defense more flexibility and could
help in defending running quarterbacks or spread
offenses with more speed on the field. The key will
be whether the front six defenders can get pressure
on the quarterback when the Wolverines drop into
the 3-3-5.
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