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Versatility an asset for U-M freshman CB Cissoko
by John Heuser | The Ann Arbor News
Thursday August 28, 2008, 4:49 AM
Boubacar Cissoko was the first player in his recruiting class to commit to the University of Michigan, back in February, 2007.
When the cornerback finally arrived on campus this summer, a new coaching staff was in place. But Rich Rodriguez and Co. recognized the same traits that attracted former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr and his assistants to Cissoko.
Uncanny speed, an ability to hit bigger than his size, and a knack for making the big play.
With Michigan counting down to its Saturday opener against Utah, the 5-foot-9-inch, 183-pound Cissoko will be counted on to fill more than one role. He'll compete on special teams and also will likely see action in the defensive secondary versus the Utes, who feature a spread offense.
"You can just see he comes to practice ready to play," Rod-riguez said. "I think that's why he's gotten better. I'm excited for him. I think he's gonna have a great future, and it starts this weekend."
Ranked as the nation's No. 4 cornerback during his senior year at Detroit's Cass Tech High School, according to Rivals.com, Cissoko said his adjustment to college football hasn't been too difficult.
"It's just a different terminology," he said earlier this month. "But I've been adapting well to that, getting the calls down, doing a lot better than I was doing before, in the first or second day (of training camp)."
On Michigan's depth chart, Cissoko is listed as the second-string right cornerback, behind sophomore Donovan Warren, who started last season. With three of the team's top four cornerbacks either in their first or second year at Michigan, the veteran in the group is senior Morgan Trent, a three-year starter.
"He understands things, and you don't have to tell him things twice," Trent said of Cissoko. "And if you look at him, he's physically gifted as far as being so young and built like he is. That's my little brother right there. I talk to him a lot, and he makes great strides."
John Heuser can be reached at jheuser@annarbornews.com or 734-994-6816.
The offense might not be the best but the D is there. I hope Rich Rodriguez can get the offense together quickly and U of M can pull off a surprising season.
Has anyone been paying attention to recruiting? Rodriguez is starting to make a name for U of M in Florida. While Michigan will always have MidWest recruits it's great for him to tap in to the talent of the south. I'm excited for the future but realistic about this season!
The key asset to Cissoko is that he can tie up a receiver at the LOS. He's extremely physical in that first 10 yards that disrupts a receiver's ability to run his route. People point to him getting burned at the Army All American game which he did in deep passes but those same people forget that the rules did not allow him to get in the receivers face at the LOS. Booboo has the ability to be yet another lock down CB for UM.
I guess I am the only one that saw the Army all american bowl game. In it Cissoko got burned on big plays by Floyd, going to ND, and a kid that is going to Pitt. He was by far the worst CB in the game.
As for that hitting ability, isn't Cissoko the guy that got run over by Shaw in the drills?
I am not impressed.
He wasn't allowed to jam the recievers. And, all-star games at the HS level tend to be confusing for the secondary.
Shaw ran over the Texan phenom, McGuffie.
Michigan by 17 over the Utes. Any team that gets beaten by UNLV, BYU and Air Force in the same season shouldn't brag about returning starters. Just like ND, 3-9 with starters returning are 3-9 starters returning.
Loverr......I think Shaw ran over Cissoko that day trying to get in line behind the other players.......that line was very long....and your mother was at the end of it.
WVUgrad
I was not there, but I do remember the report. Not that it makes any difference but Shaw did run "Cissoko" over, not "McGuffie". Why and how would he run McGuffie over, he's a RB not a CB.
Sounds like Michigan should have a very potent secondary in two years.
tx
Thank you. I agree Why would a RB be in on a tackling drill of another RB?
Like I said guy gets burned and run over. Not impressed.
Warren is a stud , though. I can be objective.
wvu
Nice try. Straight up man to man the entire time. He got burned. Watch the film. There is no easier position to play than CB in an all star gamewhen you are using man coverage.
If he was safety he might have an excuse. He was the CB in man and was burned. Twice.
And Shaw is not that big. Imagine Beanie with a full head of steam. OUCH.
If the coaching staff can reach out better than the previous regime, we will continue to get some big names from FL, TX, etc... It only takes a year or two for the HS'ers to see guys like Guff tearing it up.
I think we all feel confident in the defense at this point, with most of the questions surrounding the offense. Teams have proven they can win with defense and no offense so when the offense does start to click, we will be heading into the meat of the schedule starting to fire on all cylinders. Boubacar will get some time this year, enough to really help him learn and adjust. Why use/rely upon a fr if you don't need to and, in his case, we don't need to. All signs definetly point to him being pretty darn good though.
53 hours to kickoff! GO BLUE!
Sorry loverr, Bump coverage (BooBoo's specialty)was not allowed in the Army All-American game.
It should be fun to see how Cissoko handles Utah's bigger receivers. They'll use the run game and quick outs to set him up and go deep. Should be a great matchup between Utah's OL and um DL. But the key to the game will be Utah's dominating defense. um won't get their schemes & offense going until game 3. RR is not the innovator of the spread, but he'll get it done. Not enough time for the wolves to learn the intricacies of a complicated offense.
Utah rolls!
""Booboo has the ability to be yet another lock down CB for UM.""
Really? Who was the last 'lock down' CB for UM? Marlon 'the bottle' Jackson? Seriously...
""kid can blanket a reciever and put a hit on when needed.....""
Will bobo be tucking in the munchkins for bedtime? Because that is the only 'reciever' he'll be blanketing (nice spelling btw, Michigan man). As far as making a hit, ask Shaw how hard little bobo hits.
""Most likley the best freshman db in the country.""
Given the rest of the hype and garbage, this is not too surprising...and you Michigan Men sure can spell, did you all get to do some independent study sessions with Professor Hagen?
ole1
No way U of M puts him on an island trying to play press coverage as a freshman. Especially as small as he is. If they do, watch for more of the same. He will burned to a crisp.
HawkUte...
I'd be surprised if MI plays him (Bobo) much in this game. No need to yet so I don't believe the Utes Off will be burning him. Also, I agree with the UT OL and the UM DL matchup being key. This edge should go to MI however, as it is definetly one of their strongpoints. My only concern with our D is the inexperienced LB's. I hope RR's teaching/practicing of the spread will help the D this year, in comparison to our inability to stop it under the previous regime.
I'm sure you're getting amped up also, amigo. Should be a great game!
GO BLUE!
Utah's WRs going deep? That's one thing I'm *not* worried about.
They may catch a short pass and make a big play, but they will have a very hard time beating Michigan's DB's deep.
Bobo is a very talented young man and will only get better with time.
Bluehair...
I agree with your points on Marlon. What a disapointment. Bobo was considered one of the best in the country coming out of HS. As the posters stated, he has the potential to be another "lock down" cb and is tough at the los. He's still raw but talented. And what's with the spelling error thing? If someone wants to make a quick point why do they need to make sure everything's perfect. Who cares. You sound like another MI hater. Too bad.
GO BLUE!
HawkeyeUTe
No offense, but Utah's "dominating defense" WAS relative to who they played? I certainly don't think Utah is a push over, which unlike last year will aid Michigan in being properly prepared. Utah has never faced a defense as good as the Michigan defense they will see Saturday. Not to mention, the athletes the Utah defense will face will be too much for them to overcome in 4 quarters of play.
MICH 27
UTAH 10
Hawkeyeute:
We look forward to seeing what you have to say on Sunday.
There is a chance Utah wins this game, but they will not "roll," as you so enthusiastically put it. And their defense is only "dominating" in a crappy conference. Also, they have less and less of Urban Meyer's recruits left to carry them with every passing year.
UM will be fired up about this game; that will hurt Utah. UM is usually ripe for upset when they take another team lightly. That will not be a problem Saturday.
Utah will have to play a fired up, bleeped off, underrated UM team. That does not bode well for a trip to upsetville or any Appy State aspirations. This could get ugly for Utah fans if it goes right for UM. If UM gets it going, they could really run up the score on the Utes.
I don't think it will get quite that ugly for you, though:
UM 35
UU 17
I really have no worries about um's offense. RR will have them so confused they won't know what they're doing. Utah will proabably know their plays better than they do. A couple early turnovers will spell doom for um & they'll spend the rest of the day trying to catch up. Utah's defense is much better than you think - regardless of the conference. The D is fired up and ready to prove they are big time. The O has 8 returning starters and a healthy Brian Johnson -who will end up being offensive POY in the MWC. Two big powerful running backs to control the clock and big play ability at all the skill positions. And if, for some strange reason, it is close at the end, our All-American kicker will seal the deal.
Go UTES!!
You guys are going about this all wrong. He will play a bit but not a ton...special teams.
I have been watching him for a while since, he originally became intersted with Lloyd and Michigan, he is def. talented, so fast, and does hit hard but you idiot Michigan haters take one clip and think he sucks. Also i saw the clip and Shaw did run him over but who gives a hoot Shaw is a Michigan man and made his teammate better by that, you fools should be worried about Shaw running your team over.
And yes whoever was ranting about spelling is a moron, I didnt know, BLOGGING was a school sanctioned thing where you get grades on spelling....Go cry your self to sleep.
Huge party for the Michigan game, all you Michigan fans are gonna be there in spirit....All you haters...well lets just say when we take our bathroom breaks from our delicious suds we will be drinking, we will think of you, dont worry!!!
GO BLUE!!!! Lets get em!
if marlin was such a disappointment why has he become a good corner in the NFL
and you guys forget Leon Hall who was one of the top rookies last year.
boy i see they are coming out the woodworks for the hate... but they only pay attention to what they see as a true threat. No knock against them but you dont see outsiders posting all in the MSU blogs.
and hawkeyeute, i bet you cant even name 3 other players on the Utah team without looking at their roster, so you carry the stinch of name jumping troll...
What Ute dominating defense? They played a bunch of patsies and still lost 3, 4 times, right? For crying out loud I look at their schedule and they couldn't stop anybody worth a hill of beans. Navy? Please, this isn't the Mountain West.
What inexperienced Michigan LBs? All of these guys had playing time last year. Panter had a hard time when the coaches weren't monosyllabic but even he has come around.
T minus two days till the tailgate starts. Modest Mouse and a few cold ones.
Sorry Hawkeye, but your POY would probably be a second team conference player in the Big Ten, and your two big powerful running backs are the equivalent to Purdue or Minnesota's big powerful running backs.
I would not place your hopes on your team's accolades in the MWC. I would place them in the inexperience of this Michigan squad. Pound for pound and athlete for athlete Utah just does not measure up. Nevertheless, they do have a good team and I believe if they can create enough turnovers and control the clock they can pull off a win.
qlowe
I am a Utah season ticket holder...plus travel to a couple away games each year. I can probably name 3 players at each position. Love the Utes. We have no control over who we play in conference, but love the big OOC games every year. Disappointed that I couldn't make it to the big house to see the game. Should be a good matchup - I just think it's too early in the year for um's offense to get rolling. Later in the year when you play the big10 patsies it will be fun to watch. um's defense is good, but Utah has a pretty dynamic offense when it gets rolling. The OC sometime stymies it a little by overthinking his playcalling - that always worries me. Overall good matchup. Good luck after Saturday.
Cissoko got burned in the Army All-Star game a few times, but he also made some very good tackles. No objective football analyst doubts his ability - he wasn't rated as the country's #4 DB out of high school for nothing, so you can't judge it all by one game. I think the Utah game will hinge on how well the U-M OL can handle Utah's DL. If they can open some lanes for the RBs and the U-M QB doesn't make any bonehead plays, U-M wins. If the entire offense chokes, it will be a long day. I say that overall talent wins out: U-M 20-14 over a good Utah squad.
WVU...
The LB's are inexperienced. 6 or more barely sniffed the field or are frosh. 2 returners played significantly (Ezeh and Panter) and their best, Crable, is gone. I believe Crable was their impact player last year and will be a huge miss from the team this year. That said, there is only doubt about the impact they will make this year because of inexperience and scheme (anyone know what the DC plans on doing?). I'm very confident that the experienced guys will help the youngsters and the youngsters possess enough talent to be on the field AND make an impact. Confidence yes, but still my only doubt regarding the D.
MI 23
UT 10
GO BLUE!
Great points, qlowe!
Thus is the burdern of being the Leaders and Best.....
loverr,
You got a lot of free time. Unfortunately you don't spend it watching college football. If you read several reports(rivals,scout,espn) you would have seen that BC was the most impressive all around corner in this years class. I have seen several posts by you and they are all negative. I hate OSU as much as you hate Mich but I don't spend my time on thier message boards. SO CAL Tony always has a good perspective. I can't wait too see what he has to say about BC. Go Blue!!!
wvu
UHHHHH
That was our D that plyed all the patsies and still lost four games last year. Including one to a 1AA school.
MIfaninMN - why don't you do a bit more reading? Aside from Ezeh (I won't mention Panter because he blew his chance coming in last year, so you're mistaken there, he played A LOT of special teams) Thompson is a three year letterman with a number of starts last year. Logan and Mouton have also lettered while playing time at LB. The super freshman, Fitzgerald, might see some playing time but that is in question because this crew is good and getting better. One thing - these guys are fast.
The scheme is a gambling 4-3. Since Michigan's base is a 4-3 the hardest thing they have to learn is the new terminology from the DC. It is an aggresive defense.
goblue
The army game is the one game matching high school kids with other talented ones. He was toasted there.
In that same game Ginn, Young Beanie, Pryor, Jamison made names for themselves. I think it is an excellent gauge.
Be real. If Shaw can run him over, imagine what Beanie will do.
For once, I would like someone to just answer what was stated. True or not? If Shaw can run him over, is it reasonable to assume he will not be laying any lumber on Beanie?
And if Michigan had a 3 star WR in the Army game and he scored on two long TD passes and burned a 5 star going to OSU, would they be dismissed? And how many would say the rating was wrong?
loverr - try something intelligent for a change, look up the strength of schedule for UM and Utah last year. Let me know what you find.
wvu
I don't need to. The point is the Michigan D did not perform well in any big game, other than Illinois.
The D has shown no ability in the past to stop the spread.
Most of the D is back. They are playing a spread team.
Yes, they practice against one now, so that should help. The conditioning thing is so over rated I could puke.
I agree the Utes D did not pay anyone of any significance. They will not play a good offense on Saturday either. I am sure they faced a better QB than Sheridan last year.
Obviously you didn't see MICHIGAN throttle Florida! No one gave MICHIGAN a chance in that game either! If Hart doesn't fumble twice at the 1 yard line we blow them out. There was 14 points missing from the score board at the end of that game. We killed Florida in there own backyard. OMG! I can't believe that I just responded to your pathetic attempt.
Again, you are incorrect, sir. The defense pitched a shutout at ND (OK, not really a big deal) but also held a top ten ranked PSU team to three field goals. Over all this was a solid defense in 2007. They also played very well against OSU. It was the offense that was missing there.
The Michigan team plays against a spread team in practice. In fact, they have played against a spread team in practice in the spring and the fall. It's not like they have had a week to prepare.
The conditioning may or may not be over rated. I did, however, watch a well conditioned West Virginia team beat the snot out of an obviously tired OU team. I'm hoping this type of conditioning cuts down on the number of injuries this year.
Utah gave uo 32 points to Navy. Enough said.
LISTEN UP! All TRUE MICHIGAN FAN'S!!
BREAKING NEWS!!
As of about two o'clock this afternoon my cable provider Charter Communication(in Davison) NOW HAS THE BIG TEN NETWORK!!! CHANNEL 45!!!
GO BLUE!!!!!
Time Warner also struck a deal with the Big Ten network. (about time)
GO BLUE!!
Wow, I'm glad I was sitting down when I read that. Knocked me off my feet. What next, indoor plumbing? Man, that's living!
Actually you f-fing loser that has nothing to do but troll. It is important in MICHIGAN! As for the indoor plumbing, since you probably just got it Congratualions, LOSER!
GO BLUE!!!
WVU...
Agreed with your assessment on Logan, Mouton and Thompson but, they're playing time as LB's was limited. And, when they did play at LB, how did they stack up? I remember Thompson in a limited basis but cannot recall Logan and Mouton making an impact (based on limited game time). That is my point. I don't have the stats in front of me, nor do I wish to look them up. If you know them or want to look them up that'd be cool. Either way, my point here is the D is solid (even at LB) but that the LB corp is the one area that appears to be the least experienced. Is the D a concern. Heck no (really, neither is the offense). But, if the D line rocks and the DB's are solid, the LB's need to get a few games in together to solidify the entire unit.
GO BLUE!
Hey loverr, why don't you go crawl back in your hole. All you do is complain about michigan. If you had any other "real" schools in Ohio you wouldn't get half the players you got. I guess when the boosters can buy nice cars and give nice gifts to you players for "work" performed during the summer, getting corrupt players is no problem. Money talks don't it. Ask the "jail bird" that helped steal that so called National championship a few years back.
I sure wish you had some class and this goes out to all those who write in, remember that your not playing and you can't live the lives of those who represent your team so shut up with the rude comments and clean up your acty.
You are supposed to be adults and many younger viewers are reading this stuff so suck it up and grow some morals.
Dang GB2day...
WVU is one of the more knowledgeable guys here. I believe, based on his posts, he is a MI fan. I've had BTN on Direct TV since it's inception bros. Just watched a Lloyd tribute a couple days ago, along with last years W against FLA, the 2000 game where MI beat Shaun Alexander and Alabama, not to mention other great stuff. Oh yea, caught the UM practice (90 mins) and the breakdown buy the BTN football gurus. This is where guys like loverr go down (literally?) in flames. See he points out that the great Lou Holtz predicted MI to end with a losing record. The BTN guys have predicted them with 8 or 9 wins. I would tend to rely upon the guys who follow the Big 10 more than someone from the 4 letter station.
And, having relatives in WV (and spent many a summer there), it is a very beautiful state. I have sometimes wondered when/if indoor plumbing might hit some parts of the state tho.
GO BLUE!
Wow, Gobluetoday, a little oversensitive aren't you? What's going to happen when you're down 24 points halfway through the 3rd quarter on Saturday. Hide the sharp objects. Make sure your friends...er...friend...er...brother keeps you away from the ledge.
No worries though, you can lick your wounds and recover in time for Miami of Ohio. I'm guessing it will be the only team from Ohio you beat this year.
Go UTES!!
MIfaninMN
I don't make a mockery of TRUE UofM fan's. However, you are right. The fact is no one in Michigan had BTN accept for DirectTV then Comcast. So the fan's that had Charter were missing out! We just got it this afternoon so forgive the excitement!
WVU, my apologies!
HawkeyeUte, If you think that Michigan will be down 24 your dillusional. Thanks for your concern though.
Utes, ha ha laugh my ffing a off. Your a JOKE
GO BLUE!!!
The real key of the game will be UM offense against UT defense. UM defense will make it quite difficult for the Utes offense. The only way UM could lose this game is by turning the ball over multiple times.
1QTR 2QTR 3QTR 4QTR
UT 3 3 3 0
UM 0 7 13 6
8:10, 2nd QTR UM trailing 6-0, UT driving, UM interception and run back to the UTES 5. Brown runs it in for a TD playing QB. UM leads 7-6 at the half.
12:03, 3rd QTR Threet leads UM on first 70 yd drive that results in a FG. UM 10 UT 6.
8:42, 3rd QTR UM sacks the Utes QB...fumble UM ball on the Utes 12.
7:32, 3rd QTR, 3rd and 9...Sheridan throws a screen left to Sam and he runs down the sideline for a TD. UM 17 UT 6
5:42, 3rd QTR UM holds on 3rd and two at the UM 23, the Utes kick a FG UM 17 UT 9.
5:01, 3rd QTR, Sam returns the kickoff to the Utes 18. UM stopped on 3rd and 3 on the 6, but kick a FG. UM 20 UT 9.
11:34, 4th QTR, Utes stopped on 4th and 1 at UM 8 yard line. UM takes over on Offense.
7:27, 4th QTR, UM goes on a 75 yard drive and kicks a FG. UM 23 UT 9.
6:30, 4th QTR, UM defense takles the UT RB in the backfield and he fumbles. UM takes over on the UT 23.
3:03, 4th QTR, UM stopped on the UT 11 and kicks a FG. UM 26 UT 9.
0:47, 4th QTR, UT gets stuffed on 4th and 1 at UM 31. UM takes over on downs and run out the clock.
Final : UM 26, UT 9
uminks
Thanks for the play by play.
Actually very close to what will happen...if you swithch the UM and UT.
um will have at least 3 turnovers...too much inexperience with the offense. As I've said before, Utah will know more of um's plays than they will. Utah's D-line will be all over the new OL for um - could get ugly. Sheridan will probably be knocked out by the 2nd quarter (if they have the ball long enough in the 1st quarter). Utah has quick strike ability, but will try to control time of possession.
UTAH 31 - um 10
wvu
What part of "they practice against one now so that should help" confused you.
Shut out ND. WOW Where did ND offense rank? I am sure lower than any Utah opponent.
Penn State to 9 at home. Credit for that.
As for OSU, you saw it. It was raining and OSU did not even attempt to throw. Plus they downed the ball at the end on the 2. Tressel has class.
Not exactly a dominating D. And they lost the guys that made all the tackles.
You watched a fired up team coached by Stewart.
WVU lost their last regular season game in the fourth quarter, which is supposed to be Barwis time.
The top athletes in the Midwest work out with the S & C coach of OSU. He co owns a facility in Cleveland. Look it up and see who the clients are. There are a lot of former Wolverines and Mountaineers.
Now where was I wrong?
Missed everyone tonite. Oh well. No surprise to me.
Wouldn't know where they rank, but I'll bet ND's schedule was better than Utah's too, smart guy.
Didn't same dominating defense, those are your words. I said good. You have a hard time comprehending things.
I have nothing against Tressel. As far as downing it late in the game that has zero to do with the defensive preformance of the Michigan defense, which did a great job given the time they spent on the field. I'm sure LSU learned a few things.
WVU didn't lose to Pitt due to Barwis, it was due to execution, I'll leave it to your insight as to whether that was due to White being dinged or RR being a poor coach.
Count up your errors for the class. You have none (know what a double entendre is?).
Who cares about ND schedule? The point we were talking about was the quality of competition the respective D's faced. ND offense was second worst in Division 1, dumb guy.
We were comparing D's based on your quote "What Utes dominating defense" So I was comparing and saying in essence "what dominating U of M defense".
OSU did not throw. I agree U of M offense was pitiful, but once OSU got lead all they were trying to do was run out the clock, not score.
Again they could eadily of had another TD late, but had mercy and downed it.
You are the one claiming the S & C is SOOOOOOOOO good that late in the season and late in the game, it will make the difference. It didn't.
RR is a poor coach , and has never won a thing without Pat White. Look it up.
Never said dominating.
You need to get a life. I am saying that even during the past 3-4 years at WVU Barwis was considered WVUs secret weapon. Now, I guess both WVU and UM people can be wrong but I'd have to go with their assessment.
Did you watch the OU game? The GT bowl game the year before that? Did you see WVU beat Georgia IN ATLANTA in the Sugar Bowl the year previous to that? You can have your opinion about RR and Barwis bt it isn't backed up by events.
You're a bitter, bitter, little man.
Hawkeyeute your head is so far up your A&* you can't even think straight. Everyone has for gotten about all the Michigan recruiting classes from the past all being ranked in the top 10 every year for the last 40 years. What! Michigan just fell of the charts and has no talent on there roster. One year of recruiting UM has more talent and depth on there roster then Utah does on there whole roster for 40 years of recruiting. UM offensive line can carry any team with there talent. Get over your jealousy for Michigan talent. Michigan is still a reloading program not a rebuilding program. MgoBlue from Michigan, in Texas and still a CRAZY Wolverine fan forever.
Saturday August 30 2008
Michigan 45 vs Ute 13
Mgoblue
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