Former Wolverine Marcus Ray talks about Air Force, and much more, on this version of the podcast.
Ray identifies a player on each side of the football for the Wolverines who has impressed him so far in the season, and one he expects to come on as the season goes along.
Here's the podcast:
Here are some podcast highlights, including Ray commenting on…
• Slowing the Air Force offense: "It starts up front with the D-line. You have to maintain your gap integrity. If you're assigned to the A gap, which is between the center and the guard, regardless of how they block it, you have to make sure you're in that A gap.
"Secondly, as a defensive lineman, you've got to play with your hands and expect the chop block. Stunting and moving around up front could help. I expect to see a couple of high-low penalty calls, too. Sometimes on triple-option teams, one guy will cut you and the other guy will block you up top. Those guys had better protect their legs, and I'm sure the officials will be watching for that.
"As a linebacker, you also have gap integrity, from the second level. But it's more assignment football for back seven. You're always going to start with the dive, to the quarterback, to the pitch. No matter what your assignment is, you have to honor your responsibilities.
"So if I'm a linebacker and I have the dive, I can't guess and say, 'Well, I thought the quarterback kept it,' and you're chasing the quarterback. You have to hit the dive first, and then you work the inside out. It's the same thing for those defensive ends, and the viper or an outside linebacker.
"It's basically assignment football, and I expect to see [defensive coordinator] Don [Brown] get those safeties a little closer to the line. You're going to need somebody to run that alley. The alley is basically the distance between the safety and the ball carrier in the running lane. I expect to see two safeties a lot, because you want to have an alley guy on either side of the ball."
• On a standout player and an improving player on defense: "[Junior safety] Tyree Kinnel is a player who has impressed me, playing the position I love the most. When you see a kid get a sack and a pick-six and a bunch of tackles, that means he's a playmaker.
"That's the kind of thing you can't just hand somebody. That's why I like defense. Anybody can score touchdowns, man, but if you can make tackles and do different things all over the place, it speaks to your toughness and your ability. He's really impressed me.
"[Sophomore defensive end] Rashan Gary is going to show some more flashes as the season goes along. Right now, it's just going to be tough for him, against some of these opponents they've played so far, to make his plays, statistically. He does his job, and sometimes the play is not designed for him to make.
"But he's another guy who will have a chance to get back there and dominate. As you get into the Big Ten and you see teams running the ball, see fewer spread offenses, Rashan Gary is going to come on and really be a solid player, not just on paper. He's going to make some plays and get the numbers to validate everything that's going into it."
• On Air Force as a potential breakout game for redshirt junior quarterback Wilton Speight: "I think this is a great opportunity for Wilton to have a breakout game. For his confidence, for those receivers, just for the offense in general, this is that kind of game.
"If the defense can hold up and get the ball back for him enough … he needs more opportunity, more touches. I think the play-calling has to help him out a little bit, too. The play-calling is getting a little predictable on second down … they need to help Wilton, put him in a better position. If they do that, I expect him to have a big day."
• On a standout and developing player on offense: "I'm impressed with [junior wide receiver] Grant Perry. He has handled his adversity. He has transformed his pain into prosperity. He's the most important receiver on the team.
"Not the best. Not prototypical, not all that other stuff. Not over-hyped. He's the most important. In that slot, he's a match-up problem. I'm impressed with him — with his attitude, with his work ethic and his production. I like it a lot.
"Somebody who has to come on for this offense is [sophomore tailback] Chris Evans. Chris Evans needs to get back to what we saw last year, a guy who can run between the tackles, make people miss, and give Michigan a potential big-play guy out of the run game.
"I don't know if he has taken a back seat, mentally to [fifth-year senior tailback] Ty Isaac. I don't know. I'm not in the locker room. I don't know what percentage of reps they split, and what plays are designed for whom. But he needs to get back into the flow.
"In the event that Isaac is not having a good game or the offense is stalling, Michigan needs to be able to put the ball in one guy's hands, who has the potential to get them out of trouble. That's the one thing I'm seeing with offenses that struggle, like Ohio State.
"They just don't have a guy who can put the cape on anymore. That's all Urban Meyer has been doing for years — having a stud at quarterback who can run, a stud at running back, and a deep threat. He doesn't have that anymore, and they're struggling.
"Same thing with Michigan. Michigan needs a guy, and I think it's Chris Evans. Grant Perry in the pass game, and Chris Evans in the run game. He needs to become that guy. He needs to do it for depth, he needs to do it to push Ty Isaac, so Ty Isaac doesn't get complacent as a senior, thinking he's just going to line up and run for 100 yards on everybody. They need to push each other."
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