2011 Michigan Wolverines Football Preview

The three year experiment with Rich Rodriguez and his spread option offense are over at Michigan. After reaching just one bowl game (and getting blown out in that bowl game by Mississippi State) in three years, Rodriguez was fired. After a successful stops as head coach at Ball State and San Diego State, former Michigan assistant coach Brady Hoke returns to Ann Arbor to try and restore Michigan to its traditional place atop the Big Ten conference. Hoke is a defensive minded coach whose commitment to smash mouth football and a pro style offense has been music to the ears of Michigan fans who quickly grew weary of Rodriguez and his spread offense. Hoke inherits some talent at the skill positions, but, much like Rodriguez when he arrived following Lloyd Carr, he inherits a lot of pieces that are better suited for a different style of play. How well those players adjust will determine how successful Michigan is in its first year under Hoke.

Denard Robinson burst onto the nation scene last year as one of the nation’s most dynamic runners. He was the closest thing to Pat White that Rodriguez found in his three seasons at Michigan. Robinson did it all for the Wolverines, rushing for 1,702 yards and 14 touchdowns while also throwing for 2,570 yards and 18 touchdowns. When Robinson was healthy and at full speed, he was unstoppable. Now he’ll be asked to run the ball less, throw the ball more, and work more under center. Hoke has brought with him offensive coordinator Al Borges to install a pro style offense which will still utilize Robinson’s running abilities without wearing him down with 20+ carries per game. But, the offense will also force Robinson to become a better pocket passer, something he struggled with at times in 2010. Robinson will benefit from having all three of his best receiving targets from last year, Junior Hemingway, Roy Roundtree, and Darryl Stonum, back in action.

The challenge for Hoke and company will be in getting a smaller, quicker offensive line and set of running backs, to bulk up and be a more physical, downhill running attack. Rodriguez liked offensive linemen to play slightly under 300 pounds and be able to pull and reach downfield and his running backs to be smaller and be able get to the edges and exploit small creases inside. Hoke wants to line up and run the ball between the tackles and that means smaller backs like Michael Shaw and Vincent Smith will have to be durable. Three of last year’s offensive linemen return but only one is north of 300 pounds and with the scheme change, it’s almost as if it is an entirely new offensive line anyway. Still, Hoke has shown remarkable flexibility to his personnel and it has helped him be successful everywhere he’s been. He won’t try to force square pegs into round holes (something that doomed Rodriguez from the outset).

Hoke was a defensive player and an assistant coach on the defense at Michigan and he will be called upon to muster all of this defensive expertise to salvage what has been a downright atrocious defense the past three seasons in Ann Arbor. After struggling mightily in Greg Robinson’s bizarre version of a 3-3-5 defense, the Wolverines will return to a standard 4-3 alignment that better suits its opponents in the Big Ten. The problem is, they have a roster full of guys better suited for a three man line. Still, Hoke feels he can get quality snaps from enormous defensive tackles William Campbell (6’5, 333 pounds) and his partner Mike Martin. Ryan Van Bergen returns at defensive end and is also big enough to not get blown off the ball (6’6, 283) but is also quick enough to get pressure on the quarterback (he led the team in sacks with four in 2010). Beyond the starters, there is not much depth, so Hoke will likely lean on some of his more highly touted freshmen to step in and see playing time immediately.

In the back seven, there is some returning experience, but none truly blows scouts away and it is here that Hoke and his coaching staff will really have to work some magic. In one of the more odd statistical anomalies, the Wolverines leading tacklers are both in the secondary and it was an outside linebacker that led the team in pass break ups and interceptions. JT Floyd is a solid cover corner but there is a real need for someone to step up and play the other corner position. Jordan Kovacs recorded 116 tackles from his safety position but should play a further away from the line and be more of a traditional safety under the new staff. Hoke will likely look to get some highly rated recruits like Blake Couness and Delonte Hollowell early playing time in the secondary as well.

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The schedule is difficult but not quite as bad as it could be. The Wolverines get a tune up against Western Michigan before hosting an improved Notre Dame team in week two. Two weeks last later they host Hoke’s former team, San Diego State, in what will likely be a tougher game than fans might expect. In conference, the Wolverines will have a chance to build momentum with games at home against Minnesota and at Northwestern before traveling to rival Michigan State. After the bye week, the Wolverines face rebuilding teams in Purdue and Iowa and then travel to Illinois. The season closes with a bang as they’ll host Nebraska and Ohio State in the final two weeks. Hoke is at least one year away from contending for the Big Ten, but the schedule is forgiving enough to allow them to rebuild and probably still improve on last year’s 7-6 record.