Michigan sideline reporter Doug Karsch checks in on the podcast, talking about the upside of the Wolverines' 2-0 start.
A number of players stepped up early in the season, and Karsch gives some unique insights on them.
Here's the podcast…
Here are some podcast highlights, including Karsch on…
• Fifth-year senior tailback Ty Isaac: "Guys mature at different rates. In the case of Ty Isaac, his vision seems to have gotten better, his patience. There have been a couple of instances this year where he's run into a blocker, but it's about a maturity thing.
"We've spent a lot of time talking this week about the quarterback position, and how quickly some guys mature and some guys don't. Think about the fact that Chad Henne came in as a true freshman and was ready to play. I don't think Chad Henne as a senior was that much different than Chad Henne as a true freshman. He was definitely better, but then you think of [Tom] Brady as a true freshman, to a fifth-year senior, to a fifth-year NFL pro, to a legendary guy.
"There's just no telling when the light is going to go on. In the case of Ty Isaac, it has gone on and he looks every bit of the five-star running back, although it's five years after everyone was talking about him as such. There's nothing particularly remarkable about a guy having the light go on late in his career, but it's good to see.
"He's healthy, and talking to him, he seems like a mature kid. I'll tell you a funny Ty Isaac story. After the game, I'm interviewing [junior wideout] Grant Perry in the Michigan locker room. As often happens when you're interviewing guys, others start to listen in. Others start making their own comments.
"I get done with Grant Perry, and one of the last things we talked about was his touchdown catch, getting up the seam and scoring that big TD against Cincinnati. We get done, and Ty Isaac turns, and with a big smile on his face, says, 'Why don't you talk about almost getting walked down from behind?' Then he says, 'I'm 230. I have an excuse. You don't.'
"It was just funny — teammates messing with each other. It was great. He seems like a kid who has matured in a lot of ways, and it's good to see."
• On what Isaac's success means for Michigan's other veteran running backs: "Believe me, I still think [sophomore tailback] Chris Evans is going to have a pretty good year. I don't think there's anything wrong with a guy maybe struggling a little bit, trying to get his legs under him.
"Maybe now he decides he put on too much weight. I don't know. I'm not a running backs coach, and I don't claim to know. He doesn't seem to be quite as explosive as he was a year ago, but whatever isn't happening now, I'm sure Chris Evans will learn from and diagnose what the issue is.
"[Junior tailback] Karan Higdon is also a very useful, versatile guy out of the backfield. The thing about it is, you almost never know from week to week. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if Chris Evans has a huge game on Saturday.
"The tendency people have is, when something's going right with one thing, they say 'Well, what's wrong with…' something else. What's wrong with Chris Evans might simply be that Ty Isaac has hit his stride here, and now Evans is going to have to dig a little deeper, work a little harder, watch a little extra film. Who knows?
"Those guys will all continue to contribute, and I think [redshirt freshman tailback] Kareem Walker will get a chance, once he gets in uniform and healthy."
• Sophomore wideout Kekoa Crawford's improvement from week one to week two: "In that Florida game, at field level, I'm watching Kekoa Crawford run a pass route and come out of that route and the football is there. In my estimation, he looked surprised that the football is there, tipped it up in the air and it's intercepted.
"This past game against Cincinnati, one of the best throws [redshirt junior quarterback] Wilton Speight made all day, and it was a brilliant throw, was on fourth-and-eight to Kekoa Crawford. On that fourth-and-eight, he had to drop it over the underneath coverage and in front of the safety, on a do-or-die play.
"It was another one where Kekoa Crawford had to turn around, and the ball was right on top of him. This time, he was ready to catch it. These are growing pains that come with young players…
"I don't know that Kekoa Crawford catches that fourth-and-eight in week one, but he turned and it was right on top of him. It was a great throw from Speight, at a critical time in the game."
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