Tag: Aidan Hutchinson

Michigan 42, Ohio State 27

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Holy Mary, Mother of God. I don’t think I have been that anxious about a Michigan victory since the Wolverines beat Washington State following the 1997 season. I predicted an Ohio State win (shame on me), but I thought Michigan had a chance. What I did not expect is, well, an ass-whooping. When I say an ass-whooping, I don’t mean on the scoreboard or really physically (although there was some of that). I just mean it was like Michigan did whatever they wanted to do the whole game. Run the ball? Yes. Trick plays? Yes. Get after the QB? Yes. Stop the run? Yes. Prevent big plays? Yes. This wasn’t a fluke victory whatsoever. Michigan looked like the better team from start to finish.

Michigan 59, Maryland 18

That was quietly ugly for Maryland. With my high school season having ended last week, I made the trip to Maryland because I had never been there for a game. Watching the game in person, Michigan was certainly in control for the whole game but in the first half, it seemed like the Terrapins were holding their own. Michigan should have been able to run all over them, but they couldn’t. Michigan should have been able to beat up and bruise Taulia Tagovailoa, but they couldn’t. It was a comfortable 24-3 lead at halftime, but it never seemed like Michigan was beating the pants off them. And then . . . well . . . the third quarter happened, when Michigan exploded for 28 points. Even though Maryland scored 15 in that stanza, the rout was on. I looked up at the scoreboard and thought, “Is Michigan about to score 60 on a Big Ten opponent not named Rutgers?” In truth, no, they weren’t. But they got as close as possible.

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Michigan vs. Penn State Awards

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Blake Corum. Corum missed most of the Indiana game and the entire Penn State game, leaving the Wolverines to rely heavily on Hassan Haskins. Corum has 130 carries for 778 yards (5.98 yards/carry) and 10 touchdowns. A report came out on Saturday that Corum would miss the next two games, but it’s unclear if that meant he would be out through the Maryland game or the Ohio State game. I’m not expecting Corum to come back this week, but it would be great if he could be back by OSU.

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Michigan 21, Penn State 17

That was a win. It wasn’t always pretty – especially on offense – but a win in Happy Valley is always nice. It’s not an easy place to play, and the Nittany Lions are usually pretty good, so you take an ugly win if you can get it. I decided to watch the game sans social media and just enjoy the back-and-forth, because I knew there would be a ton of griping. And nobody’s allowed to gripe but me. So I grumbled at times to myself, but for the most part, I thought Michigan played pretty well.

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2021 Michigan vs. Nebraska Awards

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . A.J. Henning. Henning, who is athletic enough to be Michigan’s punt returner, had 0 offensive touches against Nebraska and has 0 catches for the past three weeks.

Let’s see less of this guy on offense . . . backup offensive guards. Michigan played five offensive guards due to injuries. The offensive guard position has been a relative weakness for Michigan this year, but nobody is good when they get down to guard #5. I’ve seen worse problems at guard #3 or #4, so this isn’t a glaring weakness, but it would be nice to have some consistency and for somebody to step up and take over both guard positions.

Let’s see more of this guy on defense . . . nobody.

Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . nobody.

Play of the game . . . Brad Hawkins’s forced and recovered fumble against Adrian Martinez. Late in a tied game, Nebraska had the ball and had a chance to drive down the field for a score. Star quarterback Adrian Martinez took off on a rush attempt, and while trying to fight for a first down, he was held up by a couple Michigan defenders. Despite his claims that he was “just standing there” and thought the play was over, he was fighting for extra yardage and driving his feet forward. The whistle wasn’t blown, and Hawkins ripped the ball out. That turned into the game-winning field goal for the Wolverines.

1:45 left in a tie game on the road. There's not a Michigan fan alive who wasn't expecting the worst.

Brad Hawkins makes the play of his career. pic.twitter.com/6tQemb3UFX

— Due# (@JDue51) October 10, 2021

MVP of the game . . . Aidan Hutchinson, Daxton Hill, and Hassan Haskins. Triple H. Hutchinson made 6 tackles and helped keep Martinez in check. Hill made 5 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, and 1 interception, playing solid in coverage and making that 1 ridiculously nice pick. Meanwhile, Haskins churned out yards with 21 carries for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a highlight-reel hurdle over a defender and tons of yards after contact.