Can Roy Roundtree become the Next Junior Hemingway?

When it was announced that wide receiver Junior Hemingway would be wearing a special commemorative patch in honor of Desmond Howard, who also wore No. 21, on the eve of the "Under the Lights" game against Notre Dame, all eyes were on Hemingway as to how he'd perform.

In Spring 2011, the coaches had raved about Hemingway's potential to be a great Michigan receiver. "His upside is absolutely phenomenal," wide receivers coach Jeff Hecklinski told Michael Spath in the 2011 Preview issue of The Wolverine. "I don't think Junior realizes how good he can be; he's that natural at the position ... He has everything you want and if he can get himself in phenomenal shape that man could really make a big name for himself." In the Maple Street Press-sponsored preview of the 2011 Michigan football season, produced by Brian Cook (founder of mgoblog.com), the analysis was similarly blunt for the fifth-year senior: "It's now or never for Junior Hemingway. This is the kind of offense that suits him."

In 2010, Hemingway had 32 total receptions for 593 yards and four total touchdown grabs. He wasn't the definition of a prolific wideout, at least not statistically, but he was reliable, a crucial trait that wide receivers would kill for and all quarterbacks want in a target. He also had an affinity for going up and catching jump balls--which is why analysts believed he'd be perfect for offensive coordinator Al Borges' more pro-style set.

Maybe it was the wearing of the No. 21 jersey, but in 2011 Hemingway had roughly the same number of catches (34) but increased his receiving yards to 699, more than a hundred from his previous year. He averaged 53.8 yards per game, his longest reception was 77 yards, and most of his big catches came in big games. Hemingway proved the difference maker in close contests against Notre Dame and against Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl, and he was named the Sugar Bowl MVP. I'd say that was a pretty successful senior year.

The bigger story, however, was that Hemingway had eclipsed projected starter Roy Roundtree in terms of production. Roundtree, who had standout freshman and sophomore seasons, in which he had 32 catches for 434 yards in 2009 and 72 catches for 935 yards in 2010, took a slight nosedive in the stats, catching only 19 passes for 355 yards--roughly half of what was accomplished by Hemingway that same year.

Of course, it's harder to have the same number of receptions when the ball is not thrown your way. Wide receivers can't control their quarterback's decision to throw the ball any more than a quarterback can control their wide receiver's ability to catch it. Roundtree's dip in production could be attributed to Michigan's shift to a more pro-style passing attack, which naturally has less receivers, whereas the spread offense has as many as five, or it could be attributed to Hemingway's reliability as a downfield threat. There were probably many times when Denard Robinson banked on Junior Hemingway's ability to catch a jump ball.

It's not as though Roundtree isn't reliable himself. As much as Hemingway did Desmond Howard proud wearing the No. 21 in the 2011 night game against Notre Dame, it was Roundtree who caught the game-winning touchdown pass with only two seconds on the clock. It was his only catch of the night. He apparently realized that if you want the ball thrown your way, you have to ask for it.

"We were in the huddle, and Roundtree said, 'I'm going to get the ball. Just give me the ball. Give me a chance, and I'm going to catch it,'" Denard Robinson told ESPN's Chris Fowler in a post-game interview. Despite that being his single catch of the game, Roundtree made sure it was a good one. "I’m a team player," he said in the media post-game press conference. "I’ll go out there and put my hand in the dirt and block. I’m not really concerned about the ball. As long as we win, that’s what I’m here for. I’m a team player. I’m not stingy with the football, and now look, I got the game winner."

So Roundtree's got skills. He excited the Michigan fan base with his freshman season where he seemed like he'd be the next great Michigan wide receiver, and as a sophomore, where he racked up great yards. However, Roundtree's abilities haven't been perfect in those campaigns. He dropped several easy-to-make catches, the worst of which were frequently on third down, most frustratingly in the game against Ohio State in 2010.

Frustrated by the 2010 defeat against the Buckeyes, Michigan blog Genuinely Sarcastic counted Roundtree among the wide receivers who failed to produce when it counted: "The wide receivers are pretty good at catching the ball...except against legitimate, 'old school' Big Ten defenses. Then they get alligator arms and start dropping everything." Things obviously got better in the 2011 campaign, where Michigan's receivers (including Roundtree) were instrumental in their 11-win run that included a victory over the hated rivals.

Going into 2012, the Sports Illustrated Big Ten Preview has Roundtree pegged as the starter for the second year in a row. Alongside junior Jeremy Gallon, Roundtree (now a redshirt senior) is expected to fill the gap left by high-reception targets such as Hemingway and tight end Kevin Koger, both of whom have started their careers in the NFL. Perhaps hoping that he will replicate the same senior-year performance as did Hemingway, the Michigan coaches have bestowed on Roundtree the No. 21 jersey and the Desmond Howard patch.

"I know what it takes to wear the winged helmet and I know what it takes to be a Michigan football player," Roundtree said in an athletic department press release. "I won't disappoint wearing this jersey. It's an honor to be associated with Desmond Howard. I will live with it for the rest of my life."

How he received the honor was something of a surprise. "Coach Hoke and I discussed it, and one day I came into the locker room and went to the No. 12 locker and didn't see my name anymore," he said. "I laughed, looked around and there it was, at No. 21."

This is an interesting tactic by the Michigan coaches, if a tactic is indeed what it is. Typically--or, rather, traditionally--an outstanding receiver receives the No. 1 jersey as a distinction, but this has always been a reward rather than a motivation. (Of course, there has been many chicken-egg type arguments on it: Is it the player that makes No. 1 great, or is it the No. 1 jersey that makes the player great?) The last person to wear No. 1 as a Michigan tradition was Braylon Edwards, who was already fairly accomplished as a wide receiver by the time he received the honor. And even then, the No. 1 jersey had started as a tradition for honoring famed wide receiver Anthony Carter, who originally brought the number recognition.

When Junior Hemingway received the patch that honored Desmond Howard, I always figured it was more based on coincidence and done more as a recognition of Howard than as a recognition of Hemingway. The patch was going to whomever was wearing Howard's number. It wouldn't have mattered if that person was a freshman or a senior. But when Hemingway took the patch as an opportunity to stand out, it is conceivable that the coaches are hoping that Roundtree will honor the Desmond Howard patch in the same way. Or, at least, that's what's indicated by making Roundtree switch numbers.

By wearing the patch, Junior Hemingway didn't become the next Desmond Howard, but he did have a successful and productive senior season when the Wolverines desperately needed it. Because Hemingway responded so well to the constant reminder that Desmond Howard wore No. 21, the coaches probably thought they were on to something. Despite Roundtree's immense skills, we should not expect him to become the next Desmond Howard, who won the Heisman trophy in 1991. However, if Roundtree makes the most of his senior year as Junior Hemingway did (effectively becoming "the next Junior Hemingway"), then that would not only help Michigan out of a tight spot, it would also be extraordinary and memorable.

It is certainly doable: there are no receivers on the depth chart with more experience than Roundtree and Jeremy Gallon, and Roundtree has already moved to Hemingway's spot (Flanker). When Denard Robinson has to throw the ball, he'll most likely have to throw to Roundtree.

During spring practice, he discussed his switch from Slot to Flanker. "I've played Slot before," Roundtree said. "I've been through it all. And now moving to Flanker, it's just going to help me learn another position, and seeing Gallon out there running X...you never know. You may see us switch up sometimes because Coach Borges [is] really a mind freak when it comes to the playbook."

Facing its toughest schedule in years, Michigan will be counting on Roundtree to make reliable catches this season. And being that this is his last year, his situation going forward is fairly similar to Junior Hemingway's: It's now or never. If Roundtree can have a great season, Michigan will have a great season.

Expectations for Brady Hoke's Second Year

Last year, around this time, there was a lot to talk about in terms of news because Michigan had just hired new coach Brady Hoke and a lot of people were not entirely sure how his first year was going to go. We at the Michigan Fanatic wondered this as well, starting with the expectations for Hoke's first year.

As you can see, there were several priorities which hit the "High" mark in terms of our expectation: Most important was snapping the losing streak to Ohio State, and the second was showing remarkable improvement on defense. Snapping the losing streak to Michigan State also ranked on the extremely high mark.

Hoke snapped the losing streak to Ohio State, made Michigan competitive on defense, utilized Denard Robinson effectively, and won a BCS bowl, all of which is noted in the 2011 season-in-review post. Now Hoke enters his second year with arguably the most experienced offense in the conference, a potential Heisman candidate at quarterback, and great players at wide receiver, line backer, cornerback/safety, running back, and kicker, all of which are field tested and battle hardened.

So the expectations for Year Two are slightly different. Some are slightly higher, while others are slightly lower. You'll notice that there are less priorities in this go-around than last year's. That's largely because most of the priorities of 2011 were of a first-year coach, and Hoke has already achieved some of those.

1. Win the Big Ten Championship
Priority Level: High

Chalk this one up as Brady Hoke's No. 1 priority for 2012. He may have beaten Ohio State, he may have beaten Notre Dame, he may have beaten Nebraska, he may have won a BCS bowl, but as far as Brady Hoke is concerned, 2011 was a failure. Not a monumental failure, mind you, but he cannot reiterate enough how they failed to meet their goal, and their goal is to win the Big Ten championship.

The Wolverines have all the tools this year to signal that achieving this is not only possible, it is doable. Denard Robinson is a senior at quarterback. Michigan has depth behind him in Devin Gardner (who may be doubling as a wide receiver) and Russell Bellomy. Roy Roundtree is a senior. Jordan Kovacs is a senior. There is depth at running back with Fitzgerald Toussaint (whose current status is still undetermined) and Thomas Rawls. Vincent Smith is a playmaker. Even senior Will Campbell is looking to have a big year (the biggest of his career, actually) as the leader of the defensive line. All of the experience is there.

The only major concerns in Michigan's roster are on the offensive and defensive line. Team leaders such as David Molk at center, Ryan Van Bergen at defensive end, Mike Martin at defensive tackle, and Kevin Koger at tight end have all graduated. This leads some to believe that Michigan will, if anything, take a step back in terms of wins and losses. However, let's not forget that Hoke and Greg Mattison, both defensive line coaches who both stress that the game is won and lost in the trenches, took a 110th-ranked defense and made them the 14th-ranked defense. If they can do that in one year, I'm confident they'll manage the offensive and defensive lines. If there was ever a time where Michigan is poised to make a run at the conference championship (something they haven't done successfully since 2004), it would be now.

Granted, Michigan doesn't have the benefit that, say, Wisconsin does. The Badgers have a cakewalk to the Big Ten championship, with two powerhouse teams in the Leaders Division ineligible to even compete in the postseason. In the Legends Division (Michigan's division), all of the teams are eligible, and all of them except maybe Minnesota are legitimate contenders for the spot. Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska, and Northwestern have just a good a chance as Michigan does of going to Indianapolis.

Last year I placed this priority at the Medium level because I thought it was more important for Hoke to snap the losing streaks to rivals and establish some momentum. While even this year individual games such as Michigan State receive the Extremely High priority level, winning the Big Ten championship is a very big deal this year. There is no reason why Michigan shouldn't be able to do it. Let's hope they can.

2. Defeat Alabama in Season Opener
Priority Level: Medium

Is anyone really expecting this to happen? I would say that I'm hoping for it, but not expecting it. Obviously the implications if Michigan is able to defeat the reigning national champions are enough to make any skeptical or cynical Michigan fan giddy with excitement over the possibilities. Michigan is currently ranked at No. 8 in the coaches' poll, which may seem a bit high. I had expected Michigan to be somewhere around the 20-22 ranking, much like Penn State was when they faced Alabama in 2011. But I suppose it kind of makes sense: if Michigan loses, they drop to anywhere from No. 20 to No. 25. If they win, people are talking national championship and Michigan is in the Top 5, maybe even No. 1.

Brady Hoke's first game of 2012 is no where near as important as was his first game of 2011. I had listed that game as "High" on the priority scale because Hoke needed to establish some early momentum and take home the inaugural victory that eluded Rich Rodriguez when he coached his first Michigan game against Utah in 2008. That expectation was based largely on what it would mean for the results. For him to be universally seen as a better coach, Hoke needed to be better than Rodriguez. That meant he needed to win his first game.

When Michigan meets Alabama in Dallas, Texas, in the "Cowboys Classic" on September 1, it won't be Hoke's first game as Michigan's head coach. It won't have any bearing on whether or not he can lead Michigan to the Big Ten championship. Even if they lose to Alabama, the following game is against Air Force in the Big House--a game which many Michigan fans consider the true season opener. Hoke will be able to recover from a loss with a win over Air Force. A loss to the Crimson Tide won't affect Michigan insofar as it will be probably the toughest game they play until Ohio State. It is possible for Michigan to lose to Alabama and still go 10-2.

3. Defeat Notre Dame to create a Four(!) year winning streak
Priority Level: Medium

I still cannot believe we won the night game last year. I still watch the last 1:41 on Youtube and cheer when Roy Roundtree caught that touchdown pass with only two seconds left in the game. I still go read Notre Dame liveblogs and open threads and see the panicking comments of Irish fans: how they freak out that Michigan has beaten them yet again, how they realize that they are now 0-2 when they were supposed to go undefeated, how they waive goodbye to a BCS bowl. It is glorious schadenfreude.

I didn't expect us to win that game last year. Michigan's priorities seemed more focused on getting the defense together and focusing on rivalry games like Michigan State and Ohio State, both losing streaks that needed to be snapped. Michigan already had a winning streak going against Notre Dame. I was also trying to get people to focus more on the MSU and OSU games because Notre Dame seemed like one we could very well lose, and I didn't want people unnecessarily getting all upset with Hoke when it was just his second game. But no, he won anyway, and that propelled Michigan to a 6-0 start. Thanks, Brady. Thanks for making me feel like an idiot for predicting a loss. (He did the same thing with the Nebraska game.)

To say that Notre Dame and Brian Kelly are feeling pressure to win this game is probably the biggest understatement of the year. Things are heating up for the coach in South Bend, and Brady Hoke did Brian Kelly no favors by exasperating the 0-1 start to 0-2--and in a last-second thriller no less. If Brian Kelly fails to beat Michigan for the third time in a row (which will make Michigan's winning streak over the Irish top out at four, which started with Charlie Weis's final loss in 2009), it will signal the beginning of the end for the Kelly regime and there will be people within the Irish fanbase saying he has to go.

Having played Alabama, Michigan will already be battle tested by the time they face the Irish in South Bend. Yet like the game against the Crimson Tide, this one has no bearing on Michigan's standing in the Big Ten. Michigan can lose to both Alabama and Notre Dame and still play in the Rose Bowl. The Wolverines have had the edge in the Michigan-Notre Dame rivalry as of late, and no one seems to know what that edge is. Maybe Notre Dame is experiencing the good old-fashioned irony of some perpetual bad luck. A win against them would be great, and it would further the notion of the Irish's woes. If nothing else, this game will be a good indicator of how Michigan performs against other teams outside the Big Ten.

4. Snap the Losing Streak to Michigan State
Priority Level: Extremely High

This isn't just a pride thing anymore. The Spartans are legitimate contenders for the Big Ten title for the third consecutive year, and they are Michigan's most palpable obstacle to the championship. It used to be that Michigan State was the little brother who couldn't keep up with Michigan, no matter how hard they tried. It's not that way anymore. No one is making fun of Michigan State these days. The era of incompetence under John L. Smith (colloquially called "Sparty No!" by Michigan fans) is over. Mark Dantonio has shown that he can coach. As one Michigan blog points out, the Spartans have transformed into a legitimate football team.

So this isn't just some pithy rivalry over who has bragging rights for another year, where Michigan fans have to sit back and take verbal abuse from Spartans and reassure themselves that things will be restored to the natural order next season, or where Michigan State fans have to grumble and grudgingly accept another loss to Michigan while dealing with their annual inferiority complex. This has become a true rivalry where Michigan State has just as much of a conceivable chance to get to the Big Ten championship as Michigan does. That means that winning this game is more important than ever.

The Spartans have their weaknesses, however. They'll be breaking in a new quarterback in Andrew Maxwell, who served as the backup to Kirk Cousins for two years. Even Dantonio has admitted that replacing Cousins--statistically Michigan State's best quarterback of all time--is a massive challenge. Naturally, MSU fans are confident Maxwell is up to the task, but the biggest question going into 2012 will be if he can replicate Cousins' abilities as a leader. They also lose key playmakers at wide receiver and running back. B.J. Cunningham, Keith Nichol, Keshawn Martin, and Edwin Baker are all gone.

Where the Spartans really shine is in their defense, which looks to be just as foreboding as it was last year. The priority for Michigan to put something together when they were unable to do in 2011 cannot be anything other than astronomical. The Wolverines are also playing them at home. In 2010, everyone hoped that a defeat of the Spartans would mark a turning point for Rich Rodriguez, but it didn't happen--Michigan was humiliated. When Hoke came in, everyone thought the change at the helm would mean a change in the in-state rivalry when he traveled to Spartan Stadium. It happened on the recruiting trail, but not on the field. If Hoke has any hopes of getting to the Big Ten Championship this year, this is a game he absolutely has to win.

5. Beat Ohio State
Priority Level: High

I know what you're thinking: how could this be anything other than Extremely High? Well, when it comes to Michigan and Ohio State this year, there isn't quite as much riding on the table. Hoke has already beaten them as a first-year Michigan coach, entering the pantheon of other recent coaches to do the same in their first years (Schembechler, Moeller, and Carr). The victory snapped the losing streak, so a lot of the pressure is off to do so, and a lot of the scrutiny of whether or not Brady Hoke is the "Right Guy" has dissipated for the same reason.

Ohio State is ineligible to compete for the Big Ten championship this year. That statement, in and of itself, has several connotations for The Game that will be played on November 24 in Columbus. It will effectively be Ohio State's last game of the season. It will also be the only opportunity Michigan has to play Ohio State in the season. (In some circumstances, Michigan and Ohio State could theoretically meet for a rematch in the Big Ten championship game. That is definitely off the table this year, ramping up The Game's importance to both sides.)

Brady Hoke might consider this priority Extremely High. In fact, he probably does. Nothing would be better than for Michigan to spoil Urban Meyer's first year as the Buckeyes' head coach by coming into their house in their last game of the season and coming home with a victory. It would be adequate payback for all those years where Ohio State left Michigan heartbroken in defeat. Make no mistake: regardless of the circumstances, The Game is just as important as it always has been. Some will say that is more important to Ohio State than it is to Michigan. That just means, for Michigan, it's all the more important to beat them.

Even More Uniforms?

About four days ago, the Michigan athletic department released images of the commemorative uniforms that will be worn in the upcoming 2012 season opener against Alabama.

The design features most notably a maize coloring along the shoulder-line. The football gloves, which are also part of the ensemble, display the entire chorus text of "The Victors," Michigan's famous fight song. You can see a closer image of the gloves here. There is also a short hype video featuring the uniform.

We apparently live in a world where Michigan will without a doubt produce these kind of uniforms on a regular basis. I'd like to offer another 1,000-word rant on why Michigan has no business changing uniforms that looked perfect and stunning during the Charles Woodson era, but there's really nothing more to say.

I had a general reaction to the sea of uniform change when Michigan released "special uniforms" months before the Notre Dame night game, although that was based on the assumption that the special uniforms would be a one-time thing, and then I had a more visceral reaction, though not in so many words, to the downright ugly uniforms the Michigan athletic department thought would be a nice surprise for the Michigan State game. And then of course Michigan had special uniforms for the Sugar Bowl.

The rationale here from the Michigan athletic department, at least according to the press release, appears to be that Michigan players and staff like to change things up once in a while. "From time to time, whether it's a regular-season or bowl game, our coaches and players enjoy an opportunity to choose an alternate jersey to wear," athletic director David Brandon said in the released statement.

It sounds innocent enough, and most people are on the sides of the players--whatever can help them win, do it. The hardcore Michigan fan in me immediately thinks all this means is "Tradition be damned," but I suppose I wouldn't have such a colossal problem with the new uniforms if they weren't always such an eyesore. Not to mention how much of a departure it is for Michigan suddenly wanting to become Oregon, at least in a visual sense, though that's probably an extreme position.

There have been a couple of reactions to these uniforms. As expected, the reaction on Michigan football's Facebook page has been mixed. I am continuously amazed that there are always people who love everything the athletic department does, no matter what it is. On the other side, most of the dissenters are hardcore traditionalists like myself.

Meanwhile, at mgoblog.com, Brian Cook (the website's administrator and lead blogger), who has long been a protester of uniform changes, said in a recent blog post that he is "filled with moderate distaste, so these are probably good as far as alternate uniforms go."

He also pointed out an important caveat: the season opener against Alabama in Dallas, Texas, will be the final time that the Michigan winged helmets feature numbers. As it says in the previously linked press release, the practice of numbers on the helmets "will be suspended after the season opener." Michigan will also use its traditional home and away uniforms for the remainder of the regular season, so that's good. Nothing was said, however, about the uniforms that could be worn if Michigan played in a bowl game.

Brad at Maize n' Blue Nation said that these commemorative uniforms are "not bad" and sees a "steady march towards the more subtle and toned down maize." He's also relieved that the pants aren't white, and unlike myself, he rather likes the gloves. "The 2011 helmet numbers will make a single game cameo for this game only, then discontinued," he added, "which I think is for the best."

The irony is not lost on me that most of what Michigan fans complain about these days are the decisions with the uniforms rather than the decisions in coaching. Dave Brandon bought himself a lot of slack by hiring Brady Hoke and delivering the smash hit that was the "Under the Lights" event against Notre Dame that kicked-off Michigan's 11-2 run. This is probably even the most traditional fan like myself doesn't call for Brandon to be fired all based on these uniforms. It's just a little depressing that there doesn't seem to be an end to it.

As Michigan fans we're so used to the uniforms changing only extremely rarely, and under Brandon's tenure, the uniforms changed more times in one year than they did in the past decade. So, forgive me if whenever I see a new uniform design, I get a little queasy about it. I'd also have less of a problem if, at least once, we just stuck with something consistent.

Like I said, there doesn't appear to be any type of end to Michigan making "special" uniforms. This is a bold new era in Michigan football, and I don't think I'll ever get used to it. Hopefully there will be more victories on the field to make the new uniforms a little easier to handle.