Rutgers WR Bo Melton (Ben Solomon/Rutgers Athletics)
RUSH OFFENSE vs. RUTGERS RUSH DEFENSE Michigan is the #1 rushing team in the country, averaging 350 yards per game on 7.15 yards per carry (#4). The two most relevant players are Blake Corum and Hassan Haskins, who are almost identical in attempts this year: 48 and 49, respectively. Corum is the more explosive one (8.5 yards/carry, 7 touchdowns) while Haskins (5.7 yards/carry, 4 touchdowns) is the Steady Eddie. The unsung heroes of that rushing offense, of course, are the offensive linemen, who are blasting people up front. That group is led by center Andrew Vastardis. Rutgers is #49 in rushing defense (113 yards allowed/game) and #46 in yards allowed per carry (3.39). Those numbers are bolstered by the quality of opponent so far, which has included Temple, Syracuse, and Delaware. Advantage: Michigan
Jayden Denegal – QB – Apple Valley (CA) Apple Valley: Denegal is committed to Michigan (LINK).
Deuce Spurlock – LB – Madison (AL) Madison Academy: Spurlock is a 6’2″, 200 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Mississippi State, Pitt, and South Carolina, among others. He’s a 3-star, the #106 athlete, and #1048 overall. This is an official visit.
He just can’t stop being awesome. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady completed 24/36 passes for 276 yards and 5 touchdowns in a 48-25 win over the Falcons.
HONORABLE MENTION
RB Chris Evans (Bengals): Evans caught 1 pass for 14 yards in a 20-17 loss to the Bears.
DE Kwity Paye (Colts): Paye made 5 tackles in a 27-24 loss to the Rams.
WR Donovan Peoples-Jones (Browns): Peoples-Jones made 1 catch for 14 yards in a 31-21 win over the Texans.
S Jabrill Peppers (Giants): Peppers made 6 tackles and returned 2 punts for 8 yards in a 30-29 loss to the Washington Football Team.
OG Jon Runyan, Jr. (Packers): Runyan made his first career start in a 35-17 win over the Lions.
OLB Josh Uche (Patriots): Uche made 3 tackles and 2 sacks in a 25-6 win over the Jets.
Both of Josh Uche's sacks came late in obvious passing situations, but he undressed the right guard twice on the same drive with a punch-dip move. #Patriotspic.twitter.com/n8cfUjeASX
Michigan wide receiver Cornelius Johnson (6) celebrates his 87-yard touchdown reception with Joel Honigford (84) in the first half of a NCAA college football game against Northern Illinois in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . A.J. Henning. Henning is averaging 50.0 yards per carry and 12.0 yards per reception. Those are pretty good numbers, but he only has 5 offensive touches so far this season (2 rushes, 3 receptions). As the season goes along, I would like to see him get the ball more, particularly in the passing game.
Let’s see less of this guy on offense . . . nobody.
Let’s see more of this guy on defense . . . Jordan Whittley. This has nothing to do with the play on the field, but as long as it doesn’t put the game at risk, I would like to see Whittley get more playing time so he can work himself into shape. Listed at 348 pounds, he could be a key component at nose tackle down the stretch, but his snaps are limited right now due to conditioning.
Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . nobody.
Play of the game . . . Cade McNamara’s 87-yard touchdown pass to Cornelius Johnson. Not only did the pass go into the record books as Michigan’s third-longest pass in school history, but it was just exciting to see Michigan take a deep shot and hit it. It was one of those plays where you could hear and feel the excitement in the stadium as Johnson ran a stop-and-go on the right sideline, got himself about five yards of separation, and then pulled away from an overmatched NIU cornerback.
Player of the game . . . Andrew Vastardis. It’s not often that I go with a lineman for player of the game, but I thought Vastardis played very well. Granted, the opposition wasn’t stellar, but that could be said at pretty much every position for Michigan. Playing center, Vastardis and the offensive line didn’t get confused by much of anything Northern Illinois threw at them, and he made some very nice blocks in the running game. Michigan ran 48 times for 373 yards (7.8 yards per carry) and 8 touchdowns, the second-most rushing touchdowns in school history.
