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2024 Ex-Wolverine Updates: Week 6

NOTE: I meant to post this mid-week but somehow it slipped through the cracks, so this is for the games from eight days ago, not yesterday.

Here’s a roundup of the former Michigan player, former commits, and former coaches (or players-turned-coaches). NOTE: I will not regularly post updates about offensive linemen since stats are minimal and just posting PFF grades is kind of boring, but I did this week just to show who’s playing where and what their opening day role was.

FORMER PLAYERS

WR Andrel Anthony (Oklahoma): Anthony has not played since week one due to an injury.

LB Jeremiah Beasley (Missouri): Beasley did not record any stats in a 41-10 loss to Texas A&M.

QB Alan Bowman (Oklahoma State): Bowman completed 10/19 passes for 116 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions in a a 38-14 loss to West Virginia.

LB Semaj Bridgeman (Michigan State): Bridgeman did not record any stats in a 31-10 loss to Oregon.

Hit the jump for more.

Michigan’s 10 Longest Plays vs. Illinois

Here’s a look at the biggest plays in Michigan’s history against Illinois:

1. Todd Collins 90-yard TD pass to Derrick Alexander (1993)
2. Tate Forcier 76-yard pass to Roy Roundtree (2009)
3. Denard Robinson 75-yard TD pass to Roy Roundtree (2010)
4. Steve Breaston 74-yard punt return TD (2003)
5. Gil Chapman 73-yard kickoff return TD (1972)
6. Tony Boles 73-yard TD run (1989)
7. Amani Toomer 72-yard punt return TD (1994)
8. Scott Dreisbach 72-yard TD run (1995)
9. Denard Robinson 71-yard TD pass to Jeremy Gallon (2012)
10. Shea Patterson 71-yard pass to Ronnie Bell (2019)

Hit the jump for a highlight of Alexander’s 90-yard TD catch.

Washington 27, Michigan 17

I guess it’s Tuttle time. After a couple drives of Alex Orji’s version of the offense doing nothing (0 points), Michigan surprisingly inserted seventh year Utah/Indiana transfer backup Jack Tuttle. The offense immediately got a boost as Washington tried to adjust. Michigan rather quickly put up 17 points across the second and third quarters before doing nothing in the fourth. Tuttle completed 10/18 passes for 98 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. He also ran 5 times for 14 yards and lost a fumble. Orji completed 3/7 passes for 15 yards and ran 3 times for 11 yards before departing. The offense looked more cohesive and calmer with Tuttle behind center, at least until the end of the game, when Michigan was down a couple scores in hurry-up mode. I would imagine Tuttle’s time on task has not been significant running a two-minute offense since he’s been hurt for the past several months, but the game was out of hand at that point. Michigan was not going to get two scores in the span of a minute or so.

Hit the jump for more.

Michigan’s 10 Longest Plays vs. Washington

Michigan is 10-5 against the Washington Huskies. They first met on November 4, 1916, which was a 66-7 win for the Wolverines. The last time they met was on January 8, 2024 in the national championship game, sealing Michigan’s 15-0 season.

1. Tyrone Wheatley 88-yard TD run (1992)
2. Mike Sainristil 81-yard interception return (2023)
3. Rick Leach 76-yard TD pass to Curt Stephenson (1977)
4. Blake Corum 67-yard TD run (2021)
5. Blake Corum 59-yard run (2023)
6. Chris Perry 57-yard TD run (2002)
7. Tyrone Wheatley 56-yard TD pass (1992)
8. Tyrone Wheatley 53-yard TD run (1991)
9. Elvis Grbac 49-yard TD pass to Tony McGee (1992)
10. Donovan Edwards 46-yard TD run (2023)

NOTE: I’m having a tough time finding stats pre-1977, so if you have any resources/updates for me to mix into the post, let me know.

Hit the jump for highlights of Wheatley’s 88-yarder, Sainristil’s INT return, and Leach-to-Stephenson.

Preview: Michigan vs. Washington

RUSH OFFENSE vs. WASHINGTON RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan is #34 in rush offense (194.8 yards/game) and #44 in yards per carry (5.13). Kalel Mullings has emerged as the top running back (77 carries, 540 yards, 6 TD) with Donovan Edwards (59 carries, 258 yards, 2 TD) still playing a big role as a backup. QB Alex Orji is the third-leading rusher, but he has just 55 yards on 22 carries since taking over as the starter two weeks ago. LT Myles Hinton is likely to miss the game due to injury, and naturally, he’s Michigan’s best lineman, so fifth year senior Jeffrey Persi will likely get the start on the left side. According to PFF, Persi is the second best run blocker of the linemen, so perhaps the drop-off there will not be too significant. The rest of the line has been overwhelming, but it will be interesting to see if Michigan’s platoon of Dominick Giudice and Greg Crippen continues at center. Defensively, Washington is #51 in rush defense (121.8 yards allowed/game) and #58 in yards allowed per carry (3.74). Last week they gave up 184 yards on 33 carries to Rutgers, including 25 attempts for 132 yards and 1 touchdown by Kyle Monongai. The leading tackler is senior MLB Carson Bruener (6’2″, 226) with 30 tackles, followed by fifth year senior WLB Alphonzo Tuputala (6’2″, 230) with 25. The Huskies start five transfers, including two on the defensive line; head coach Jedd Fisch brought with him from Arizona a redshirt sophomore DE/OLB Isaiah Ward (6’5″, 227), who is quite clearly undersized. Senior DT Sebastian Valdez (6’4″, 305) is in his first season at the FBS level after transferring from Montana State.
Advantage: Michigan

Hit the jump for more.