Mike Martin proved to be a very stout defender for the Wolverines.
These two schools always play hard against each other and Saturday’s contest between Michigan and Michigan State was no different.
Some good defenders were on full display – here are our thoughts.
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#99 Jerel Worthy, DL, Michigan State
-Lining up as 3-technique DT, both weak and strong side.
-Draws double team on first two plays.
-Third double team pancakes him.
-Sheds blocker, forces runner back in.
-Lightning quick off the snap, pushes OL back.
-Knifes through gap, just late on play.
-Fights off blocker, lights up QB with big hit.
-Sitting some plays out – mainly 3rd and long.
-Gets a lot of initial push, but straightens up and loses power.
-Nice swim move gains him some penetration, can’t make play on WR reverse.
-Quick off the snap, unblocked, pressures the QB.
-Offside penalty.
-Knocked off-balance by Molk in combo block.
-Turns RB back inside, taking on two blockers.
-Quick inside move, but takes himself out of the play.
-Pushes OL back 5 yards into pocket.
-Another super-quick penetrating move.
-Slips through the gap with a swim move again and makes the tackle at the line of scrimmage.
-Lined up as a 7-tech, pursues down the line with decent speed.
-Holds the POA against double team.
-Incredible potential due to size/speed/power, but has some correctable technique issues that will need corrected.
#10 Chris Norman, OLB, Michigan State
-Holds receiver, gets the flag.
-Just misses deflection – read the route well.
-Pursued well down the field, caught Hemingway.
-Good contain, tackle on Robinson.
-Has earned a look for our 2013 scouting coverage.
#39 Trenton Robinson, S, Michigan State
-Closes fast on WR, shoves him out of bounds.
-Step for step with WR down the field.
-Fights off block, assists on tackle.
-Great open-field tackle on Robinson – showed some strength.
-Fantastic deflection down the field, stuck hand in with perfect timing.
-Thought Robinson had a great game, will be looking at him again. Could be a Top-10 safety.
#8 Kirk Cousins, QB, Michigan State
-Throws WR screen route five feet over target’s head.
-Places perfect touch pass down the field in the face of pressure, ball dropped.
-Hits first read in stride for the 1st.
-Good play-action, throws a bit of a wobbly strike – ball dropped again.
-Hits third read for three yards on 3rd and four.
-Patient in the pocket, leads WR perfectly for 3rd down conversion.
-Throws off his back foot running from pressure, misses open check-down.
-Takes a bad delay-of-game penalty.
-Makes a nice 10-yard out throw – showed some decent zip and good placement.
-Pump fake buys him some time in the pocket, poor throwaway.
-Makes another back-foot throw for a 1st down.
-Poor touch on deep throw – overthrew by 10 yards, though wind is a factor.
-Developmental QB prospect – projects as a career backup to us.
#16 Denard Robinson, ATH, Michigan
-Making some easy throws initially.
-Incredibly elusive – very tough to wrap up.
-Throws deep ball up for grabs, nobody there.
-Good completion with Worthy getting pressure on him.
-Overthrows deep receiver.
-Tosses an absolute duck
-NOT an NFL quarterback at all.
-Robinson needs to run well and show some receiving skills at the combine to prove he has an NFL future.
#68 Mike Martin, DL, Michigan
-Lining up as a 1-technique, 3-technique, 5-technique or nose.
-Drawing double teams on every play at the start.
-Looks like he knows how to use his leverage.
-Blows up right tackle, play goes away from him.
-Shows a decent inside-rush move.
-Pancaked, couldn’t disengage and didn’t have his feet under him.
-Good use of hands to get off block.
-Pushed back a bit by LG, but makes good tackle on RB.
-Pursues well down the line after getting some push on center.
-Fights off two blockers and makes the tackle.
-Plays very low – tough to get under him and root him out.
-Big push on OL, just misses tackle, then chases RB down 10 yards later.
-Very impressive motor – works hard each play.
-Martin is going to be a good pro – love him as a late day two pickup.
#50 David Molk, OC, Michigan
-Picks up two blocks, helps on DL, then picks up linebacker.
-Effective early in pass-protection.
-Gets beat on run-block, batted away by DL.
-Fights Worthy to a stalemate.
-Good movement on pull, locates and evaluates targets well.
-Misses 2nd-level block, looked tentative rather than aggressive.
-Whiffs on block, leads to TFL.
-Loses man in pass protection, QB sacked.
-Wasn’t very effective today, not sure he has starting ability in the NFL.
Tags: Film Room, Jerel Worthy, Mike Martin
