Spotlight #1: Notre Dame MLB Manti Te’o

Spotlight #2: Michigan DE Ryan Van Bergen 

1^st quarter

14:02: Te’o throws off a block, mirrors Denard Robinson and pounces on him for a loss, a tough thing to do considering how good a runner Denard Robinson is.

12:17: Van Bergen in on the tackle of the running back. Doesn’t give up on the tackle, but it wasn’t the strongest tackle either.

10:27: Fumble on the snap, Van Bergen is the first to notice. Quick instincts even without a fumble recovery.

9:05: Van Bergen gets into the backfield unblocked. Very slow in pursuit.

7:47: Te’o keeps the play in front of him on the short throw, makes the tackle and forces the 4^th down.

6:18: Overly aggressive by Van Bergen, gets completely shoved off the play, plowing open a lane for the running back.

3:03: Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd looks like a man among boys out there. Character problems there, but there’s no doubt he has the talent.

1:41: Te’o bites on the play fake, pretty much tackles the running back before realizing he doesn’t have the ball.

2^nd quarter

11:21: Van Bergen getting shoved around again. Not impressed with him.

11:01: Te’o fills the gap and makes the tackle.

9:33: Van Bergen gets off the block and wraps up the ball carrier on the screen pass.

4:28: Michael Floyd with another catch. 7 catches for 113 yards now. He’s been extremely dominant.

3:13: Van Bergen gets into the backfield and is able to creep up on the ball carrier and tackle him from behind. Mike Martin, Michigan’s defensive tackle, has still outplayed him.

1:49: Van Bergen on the quarterback pressure. Gets off the block with one swim move and then goes straight for the quarterback.

 

3^rd quarter

11:33: Van Bergen disengages from a block, gets into the backfield for a big 3^rd down tackle for a loss on the running back. This is the first time tonight he’s really looked dominant.

10:41: Te’o bites on another play action fake.

3:30: Van Bergen with another tackle for a loss. He’s really had a good 2^nd half. The tackle for loss is negated by a penalty, but Van Bergen still makes a nice play.

4^th quarter

12:04: Manti Te’o hasn’t been terribly impressive tonight. His primary job has been to QB spy Denard Robinson, but he’s bit on a couple fakes and has failed to keep up with Robinson. He’s not having a terrible game or anything, but I expected more. He’s been stiff in coverage as well.

5:58: Van Bergen on the fumble recovery in the red zone.

0:00: Van Bergen had a much better 2^nd half than first half. He got pushed around a lot in the first half, but made several big plays in the 2^nd half. He still projects as a mid round depth 3-4 end or 4-3 left end. He’s just too inconsistent and unathletic.

Manti Te’o on the other hand, came into this game as a first round prospect. However, I’m not sure he lived up to that billing. I’m not going to knock him down for one game. I’ll have to watch him again, but he had a hard time keeping up with Denard Robinson and was way too overly aggressive on several occasions. He also looked slow in coverage, on the rare occasions he was asked to drop. Meanwhile, Michael Floyd is definitely someone to spotlight going forward into the future.