Spotlight #1: Michigan DT Mike Martin

Spotlight #2: Illinois CB Tavon Wilson 

1st quarter

14:17: Wilson can’t disengage from a block fast enough to make a tough tackle on the running back in space, chases back from behind, able to bring him down after he’s slowed up by another man, but not before 68 yards.

13:15: Wilson can’t disengage off a block in the end zone quick enough to come up and stop a Denard Robinson rushing touchdown.

13:09: Martin ties up two blockers as Michigan is able to collapse the pocket.

12:23: Martin one of several applying pressure on Illinois’ quarterback forcing 3^rd down throw away and punt, quarterback evades first couple pressures, but cannot evade Martin, who forces the throw away.

11:24: Wilson comes up and gets a tackle on a scrambling Robinson for a short gain. Good run support.

10:39: Mercilus does a great job of stopping a Robinson scramble on 3^rd and 2, short, forces punt.

9:58: Martin creates a pile to stop scrambling quarterback for a short gain.

9:02: Martin in on a pile forcing the running back backwards on an inside run on 3^rd and 1, punt.

8:14: Wilson comes up and combined on the tackle on the back in the open field after a short dump off, goes for 8.

7:11: Wilson shows willingness to stick nose in on a pile in the backfield, tackling ball carrier for a loss on a screen. Not the one making the play, but like to see the willingness.

4:20: David Molk with a great block to spring a big run up the middle.

3:15: Martin helps create a pile on the line for no gain.

2:33: Martin draws double team, knocks a guy over, gets free, nothing comes of it, but still impressive power.

2:27: Martin gets a tackle for a short gain, another 3 and out for Illinois, 3^rd straight to start game.

1:44: Wilson comes up and makes the tackle on the back for a medium sized gain.

1:05: Wilson is the last one to hit Robinson before he goes down for a gain of 10 after an inside run.

0:14: David Molk had a great first quarterback run blocking, Michigan ran very well in the first and had clear lanes up the middle on almost every inside run. Phenomenal blocking.

2^nd quarter

14:34: Wilson has played a few snaps at safety in this one, did on this last play. Might be the 6-1 205 defensive back’s best position at the next level.

12:49: Wilson at safety powered out of the way by tight end Kevin Koger on the goal line, easy touchdown run by Robinson. David Molk with a great initial block on the play too.

12:23: Martin lines up on the center and draws a double again. 4-3 or 3-4 nose tackle would be his best position at the next level, good job to shed at least one block on this play.

11:57: Martin does a good job to help collapse pocket, quick throw by design though, completion, goes to AJ Jenkins.

10:30: Martin applies pressure and hits quarterback as he throws, still completion to Jenkins, who has 4 catches early despite a struggling Illinois offense. Jenkins short of stick though, 4 possessions, 4 punts for Illinois. Only 1 first down.

8:35: Wilson back at cornerback, allows 15 yard completion over the middle to Junior Hemingway.

8:02: Wilson on Kevin Koger, allows 39 yard touchdown deep. Robinson has attempted just 5 passes, 1 incomplete, 2 complete short, 2 complete longer, both thrown on Wilson. In his defense, this was a mismatch having to pick up the tight end in motion, but not a good play. Great play by Koger deep though. 2^nd catch of the game.

5:39: Whitney Mercilus in on a tackle for loss on 4^th and goal, turnover.

4:20: Wilson faked out by fake end around, needs to show better discipline than that.

3:55: Wilson blitzing, gets pressure, forces quarterback up, Mercilus hits Robinson as he throws, forces weak wobbly throw, immediately deflected, good instincts by Wilson on the deflection to pick it off, red zone pick.

3:52: Martin does a great job of bull rushing a double team.

3:17: Mike Martin drops into coverage here, didn’t look too bad, takes away short option on a play where Michigan got a sack and forced yet another Illinois 3 and out.

1:05: Mercilus hits Robinson as he throws, Wilson could have made a play on the ball, didn’t seem particularly interested in doing so and making at least an effort.

0:50: Martin does not take plays off, played the whole first half.

0:18: Martin couldn’t react to a juke well in the open field. Not the most athletic.

 

3rd quarter

14:13: Martin can’t quite get short tackle on eventual first down run.

13:40: Martin gets into the backfield with penetration on a run play again, gets himself in position to least attempt a tough play. So strong in the middle.

13:22: Martin gets into the backfield and shows great pursuit and discipline, eventually combines for tackle for loss after an option pitch. Good job staying with play.

12:38: Ryan Van Bergen with a sack, Martin lines up on the outside on the play and beats his man. Michigan’s defensive line is having a fantastic game.

9:55: Martin pressured quarterback well, puts hands up as soon as the quarterback releases, always like to see that.

9:36: Wilson sticks nose in on a pile.

7:17: Wilson with a nice open field solo tackle, almost broken, but wraps up and stays with it for gain of just of 3.

6:18: Mercilus with another pressure, just misses sack.

4:18: Martin gets pressure, forces step up against double team and hold with great bull rush.

3:54: Martin can’t disengage as quarterback scrambles past him.

2:36: Martin in on a tackle a good way away from the line, can’t quite prevent the 1^st down on 3^rd down on a quarterback scramble.

1:54: Jenkins almost makes a highlight reel 29 yard catch on a back shoulder throw on the sideline, but replay shows he didn’t control before going out of bounds, reversed.

1:45: Jenkins draws PI. He’s had a solid night, but as much as he’s been targeted with his quarterback basically forcing it to him all night, he should have better stats. Generally getting beat one on one by JT Floyd, a junior cornerback.

1:17: Martin in on a combined tackle for no gain.

4^th quarter

14:25: Wilson with a tackle after a gain of 9.

12:53: Martin with a rare miscue, off sides penalty.

12:10: Martin faked out on a play action.

11:56: Martin gets a short solo tackle.

11:25: Martin one of two closing on quarterback as he throws, still complete.

10:54: Jenkins thrown to, picked off by JT Floyd, great job to jump route.

9:50: Martin falls in open field on a quarterback scramble.

5:47: Martin lines up on the outside, something he’s done on occasion, from 2 point stance and drops in coverage. He handles a complex scheme well.

5:41: Martin in on a combined sack with Van Bergen for a loss of 16 after quarterback breaks another sack.

4:52: Jenkins catches a conversion on 4^th and 26, 32 yards. Jenkins has 8 catches for 102 yards, but 20 targets.

3:53: Martin in on a tackle after a gain of 3.

3:14: Wilson in on a tackle after a sizeable gain on the ground.

2:25: Wilson blocked off play on a long touchdown run to his side.

2:18: Martin in on a combined sack with Ryan Van Bergen again.

1:47: Martin forces quarterback up in pocket, scrambles, little to no gain, forces punt.

0:00: Michigan dominated this game 31-14 and it started upfront for them defensively. The two players who had the biggest impact were defensive tackle Mike Martin and defensive end Ryan Van Bergen. Van Bergen had a solo sack, while the two combined on another 2 sacks. Martin was a load against the run helping limit Illinois to just 37 yards on 33 carries. He’s a powerful bull rusher who can take on double teams on the inside. He looks like an ideal 4-3 nose tackle at the next level and at 6-1 305 he could play 3-4 nose tackle as well in the right scheme.

He’s not the most athletic player in the open field and he doesn’t have a ton of production with 60 tackles, 6 for loss, and 3.5 sacks and he’s not much of a pass rusher, but he’s going to be a great run stuffing 4-3 or 3-4 nose tackle at the next level. I was also impressed with how he handles Michigan’s complex defensive scheme, occasionally lining up at defensive end, rushing from a 2 point stance, and even dropping into coverage. He might even fit as a 3-4 defensive end at the next level.

Ryan Van Bergen has more production as a pass rusher with 45 tackles, 12.5 for loss, and 5.5 sacks, but he’s more of a run stopper than anything. The 6-5 285 pound defensive end would be best fit as a 4-3 left end or a 3-4 defensive end. He had a great game in this one getting consistent penetration against the run and the pass with 2 sacks and 3 tackles for loss.

Michigan has a few more draftable prospects on their team, center David Molk and tight end Kevin Koger. The undersized center Molk is a great run blocker at 6-2 285. He had a great game here, paving the way for Michigan to run for 223 yards and 3 touchdowns and 48 carries. Michigan did a good job in the open field too rushing, but their interior blocking, specifically Molk, was extremely impressive. If he had more size, he’d be a 2^nd round pick, but at his size he’s probably a mid rounder. He’d be best fit in a zone blocking scheme. Kevin Koger showed himself to be a good blocker as well, but also caught 2 passes for 42 yards, even better when you see that Michigan completed just 8 passes all game. On the year, the 6-4 255 pound Koger has 23 catches for 244 yards and 4 scores on a run heavy offense. He’s a blocker first, but in this one showed great ability as a receiver one on one with cornerback/safety Tavon Wilson on the outside.

Wilson was the spotlight for Illinois. Michigan completed just 8 passes, but 2 of them were on Wilson, including that long one by Koger. He also allowed a solid gain to Junior Hemingway. He lined up all over the field, cornerback, nickel back, and safety, but he seemed too stiff in coverage to be a cornerback at the next level. At 6-1 205, he has good size, but would be a bit undersized for a safety as well and made his fair share of mistakes as a run stopper. He also showed below average physicality for a pro prospect at safety. He’s too much of a tweener to get drafted here and might even be an undrafted prospect in my eyes.

The top prospect on either side in this game is Illinois’ defensive end Whiteny Mercilus, the nation’s leader in sacks and a likely first round pick. Mercilus had a great game once again with one sack, several quarterback hits, including one that led to a red zone interception, and generally consistent pressure. He’s a phenomenal pass rusher and a consistent player who has had a sack in every game except 2, giving him 57 tackles, 22.5 for loss, and 16 sacks on the season. His main flaw is that he’s a one year wonder who came out of nowhere this season and normally I’m weary of one year wonders, but he’s such a good player. He can play either 4-3 defensive end or 3-4 rush linebacker at 6-3 265 and is even solid against the run. He could go as a high as the top 15.

The final draftable prospect on Illinois’ team is AJ Jenkins. Jenkins has 8 catches for 103 yards, but was targeted 20 times so he should have had more production. He, in general, lost the matchup with JT Floyd, a relatively unknown junior cornerback. He has great numbers, but is targeted so much for some reason. On the season, he has 90 catches for 1276 yards and 8 touchdowns at 6-1 195, but looks like a slot receiver at best at the next level and a potential mid round pick.