Michigan 35, Oregon State 7

Michigan 35, Oregon State 7


September 13, 2015

De’Veon Smith


Oregon State is bad.
 This was the first thing that stuck out to me after watching the full game. I hate to burst the bubble of anyone hoping that Michigan improved greatly from week one to week two, but I’m not sure that this game is evidence of a ton of Michigan improvement. Oregon State had two bad snaps on punts, dropped a kickoff, consistently allowed Michigan’s defensive line to get penetration, and couldn’t bring down De’Veon Smith, who other teams haven’t struggled that much with in his first two-plus seasons. The Beavers also didn’t have a dangerous passing game, even after top cornerback Jourdan Lewis left the game early with what looked like a possible concussion. I like Gary Andersen as a coach, but he has a young team with lots of holes right now.

Hit the jump for some more thoughts on Michigan’s win over Oregon State.

De’Veon Smith is a truck. I have my share of issues with Smith, but he had a very good game on Saturday. As the game wore on, you could tell that Oregon State was sick of trying to tackle him. This is the way it should be at Michigan – wear opposing defenses down and keep coming for four quarters. Nobody will confuse Smith for being a speedster, and he still missed some cuts. His success was largely because he ran hard and there were some holes gouged out by the offensive line. But truthfully, Michigan features several big running backs who should be able to wear down defenses. However, the other running backs haven’t shown the ability to run through tacklers the way Smith did as the game wore on. He ended up with 23 carries for 126 yards (5.5 yards/carry) and 3 touchdowns.

Ben Braden is a star! At least that’s what Chris Spielman seemed to be implying throughout the game. At one point color guy Spielman said Braden was the MVP of Michigan’s team. He said it as we watched a replay of Braden pulling around on a power play to basically whiff on a linebacker. Point #1 of this post explains a lot of what we need to know, but it should also be noted that Braden’s biggest issue is maintaining leverage on defensive tackles at the line of scrimmage. The Beavers run a 3-4 defense that often leaves the guards uncovered, so they did not take advantage of perhaps Michigan’s weakest point on the offensive line. Meanwhile, Braden – who regularly wins sprints against the other linemen in practices – is athletic enough to pull around and get out in front of the running backs. In fact, that’s why I imagine the coaches put Braden at left guard, because they want the maulers on the quarterback’s dominant hand side with the more athletic guard pulling to that side. I still think Braden has some work to do, but things looked good when the right side crushed down Oregon State’s defensive line and Smith was plowing over linebackers and safeties.

Chris Wormley is doing some things. Don’t look now, but Wormley is tied for second in the country in tackles for loss (6.0) after two games (Georgia’s Jordan Jenkins has 6.5). He was second on the team with 6 tackles on Saturday, and he added a sack. The question about Wormley has always been his motor, but hopefully these doses of success for two consecutive weeks will give him the juice he needs to go hard all the time. He’s 6’5″ and 300 lbs. but moves like a 270 lb. defensive end. He could be a star if he can keep up his effort.

Is Jeremy Clark better than Channing Stribling, too? It seems like I have two constant complaints about Michigan’s personnel – the running back depth chart and the cornerback depth chart. Back in his freshman season, Stribling was very close to making a couple plays against Penn State, but he never made them. Last year he didn’t play much after Jourdan Lewis clearly passed him on the depth chart. This year Stribling became a starting cornerback, but he shouldn’t be. There was a play in the first half where a ball was thrown directly between Stribling and OSU receiver Jordan Villamin, and Stribling stood flat-footed while swiping ineffectually, which allowed Villamin to make the catch. Meanwhile, Clark is a transplant from safety, but he had a pass breakup in this game and an interception last week to end the first half. Two years and two games into his career, Stribling has yet to deflect a pass or record a pick.

How about that defense, though? Michigan allowed just 2 total yards in the final three quarters. I can’t help feeling a little sorry for Oregon State fans who had to watch that offensive mess, but Michigan has been there in recent years, so I can only shed so many tears. The Beavers had a couple bright spots (running back Chris Brown averaged 4.7 yards/carry, Hunter Jarmon caught a 21-yard TD pass in the back of the endzone over Jourdan Lewis), but they were few and far between. Michigan has struggled with mobile quarterbacks, but overall, the Wolverines did a nice job of limiting Seth Collins’s opportunities and controlling the line of scrimmage. And it’s tough for a team to get scoring opportunities when the defense can’t get the ball back.

The passing game was enough. Quarterback Jake Rudock quietly had an efficient day. He kept the chains moving and finished 18/26 for 180 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 pick while taking 1 sack (the first of the year allowed by Michigan). Michigan didn’t need big plays on offense, so he didn’t air it out as much as he tried to against Utah. I also thought Rudock tried to make some adjustments to get the ball to his receivers by throwing to the back shoulder. He did throw an inaccurate pick when he kept the ball to the inside of the receiver instead of the outside, but it didn’t really hurt the Wolverines. Meanwhile, Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson still look faster than last year, and backup tight end Ian Bunting looked pretty good catching 2 passes for 33 yards, breaking a few tackles along the way. Even A.J. Williams caught a 22-yarder.

Wilton Speight is the #2 quarterback . . . kind of. For the final series of the game, redshirt freshman Wilton Speight entered the game to hand off the ball and then take a knee. This was unexpected in some ways, but it was refreshing in another: After the game, Jim Harbaugh said that he did not want to burn a Shane Morris redshirt in garbage time. Morris is the #2 quarterback if something happens to Rudock, but otherwise, Harbaugh plans to redshirt him and true freshman Alex Malzone. That would give Morris two seasons of eligibility after this year, and Malzone would have four. It would be tough for Michigan to go this whole season without ever losing Rudock during an important moment in play, but at least Harbaugh’s keeping that option open.

This was basically an early-season MAC tuneup. No offense to Oregon State, but they’re rebuilding at this point with a young team and a new coach. I’m guessing Michigan wasn’t expecting such an easy romp when they scheduled the Beavers, but they put up about as much resistance as I would expect from a Western Michigan or a Ball State. I have no problem with those early-season matchups, and I think it was good for this group to get the win under their belts and gain some confidence in themselves and the coaches.

Graham Glasgow gaffe graph. Center Graham Glasgow had a bunch of exchange issues with quarterback Devin Gardner back in 2013. He spent 2014 playing guard, but now he’s back at center. He got a penalty last week against Utah, and he biffed two snap counts this week. He might be a decent blocker, but he is literally the most mistake-prone center I remember ever playing at Michigan.

16 comments

  1. Comments: 6
    Joined: 8/14/2015
    TTB Andrew
    Sep 13, 2015 at 12:42 PM

    I’m shocked at how fast and strong Darboh and Chesson look. They were certainly eating their Wheaties this summer.

    We also got to see plenty of PT from Bunting and Poggi. They’re two different ends of the tight end spectrum, and I bet we see a lot of them over the next few years.

    Looking forward to another easy-to-watch victory next week.

    • Comments: 6285
      Joined: 8/11/2015
      Lanknows
      Sep 14, 2015 at 3:30 PM

      WRs are the most improved area in my opinion. Chesson and Darboh never looked so explosive. Perry (a freshman) is out there laying cut blocks like a vet. Canteen and Harris haven’t showed out yet, but it’s promising that they are earning snaps.

  2. Comments: 522
    Joined: 8/12/2015
    DonAZ
    Sep 13, 2015 at 1:17 PM

    Hard to argue with your cautious assessment.

    Still, it’s another data point and the trend line doesn’t look like it’s going down, so that’s good.

    I’m still a little worried about overall team speed, the lack of a credible edge runner, and the lack of a credible long ball threat.

    But let’s keep going, week to week, and see if we can continue to improve where we can. At some point we will reach the limit. I hope we can win every game we should, and for those we lose we do so playing the best possible.

  3. Comments: 142
    Joined: 8/12/2015
    coachernie
    Sep 13, 2015 at 1:27 PM

    I was ridiculed when I said Coach was stepping back in time, channeling his mentor.. BO, hmmm..seems I was correct once again.
    Time of Possession battle… CHECK…. Running Game Yardage battle…CHECK !!
    Victory… CHECK!!!
    If we continue to beat teams in both categories, this team, the way they are made up, will win 9 or 10 games. Take that to the Bank.. or Vegas!!!
    Now carry on!

    • Comments: 1364
      Joined: 8/11/2015
      WindyCityBlue
      Sep 13, 2015 at 2:12 PM

      Well, yes…if we continued to play teams that are no better than Oregon State, we would probably win 9 or 10 games, but that trend is only going to last one more week. BYU, NU and MSU are all going to be much tougher tests for our offense and our defense, and they will all be improving as the season goes on.

    • Comments: 3844
      Joined: 7/13/2015
      Sep 14, 2015 at 8:50 PM

      I still don’t see 10 wins (or maybe not even 9) after Michigan lost to Utah.

    • Comments: 6285
      Joined: 8/11/2015
      Lanknows
      Sep 15, 2015 at 12:20 PM

      Vegas had Michigan at 7 wins. So far, Vegas had been very accurate.

      They predicted a Michigan loss by 5 points at Utah (it ended up being 7) and an easy victory (more than 2 TDs) over Oregon State. Michigan will be narrow favorites in a bunch of games and statistically you would expect them to lose at least one of those. Road games against Maryland and Penn State look less worrisome than they did 2 weeks ago. But home games against Northwestern and BYU look more dangerous than ever. Overall, nothing has really changed. The D is as good as we hoped, the run game is not, but there is room to expect some improvement over the season.

      9 wins is still on the table with some luck and/or development, but 7 is objectively more likely than 10. Utah was one of the games Michigan probably needed to get a little lucky in to win and get to 10. Of course a win over MSU or OSU would change the equation but we’re a ways off from counting on that with the way the OL has looked so far…

      I think Michigan would need to be pretty fortunate to be 5-1 heading into MSU. If you had to predict Michigan’s record on October 18th — the smart money would be on 4-3.

  4. Comments: 134
    Joined: 9/13/2015
    AC1997
    Sep 13, 2015 at 2:19 PM

    It feels to me like you have been excessively hard on Stribling this year. He has made a couple of blunders, but overall has been mostly transparent….just like Clark. While I am not saying he has played well, I think the amount of negativity thrown his way is on the high side. Maybe I am just numb after so many years with shaky secondaries, but I still think Stribling has been decent for a first time starter and has the most promise of the two.

    • Comments: 3844
      Joined: 7/13/2015
      Sep 13, 2015 at 2:26 PM

      Nowhere have I suggested that Stribling sucks. What I have said is that he is not a playmaker, and I said Clark might be better than him. You can look at that as me being negative about Stribling, or you can look at that as me favoring other guys who I think are better. Jeremy Clark’s family might be happy to read this post. Channing Stribling’s family might not be. There’s only room for 11 starters on each side of the ball – not everyone can be great, a starter, etc.

  5. Comments: 1364
    Joined: 8/11/2015
    WindyCityBlue
    Sep 13, 2015 at 2:26 PM

    Agreed that we really won’t know if this team is improving until we play BYU. They will not be easy to run on, and their passing game will severely test our safeties and linebackers, who have not shown much in coverage so far. We will probably need to score at least 28 to win that game, if not more.

    I’m going to remain skeptical about deliberately redshirting a junior QB who has been consistently bad for his first two years. With all of the quarterback talent we’ve recruited, why take up another scholie when we have much more pressing needs? Guys who have performed the way Morris has are the ones who it sounds like will be given a hearty handshake and a thank you rather than a fifth year from now on.

    • Comments: 92
      Joined: 8/11/2015
      Klctlc
      Sep 13, 2015 at 3:00 PM

      Only upside with Morris and redshirt. 5th year is mutual, so if he is the same after next year he is not renewed. He plays next year and becomes competent, then you renew. It really does not effect scholarship unless he becomes “good”. In which case you have a competent 5th year senior competing for time at QB.

      Unless of course Harbaugh wants to pull a Robby Benson “one one” move and encourage him to give up his scholarship.

      Overall I don’t think Morris will be back for 5th year based on his body of work. But Harbaugh could be hedging.

    • Comments: 6285
      Joined: 8/11/2015
      Lanknows
      Sep 14, 2015 at 3:46 PM

      I love the move. If Morris isn’t good enough to compete for a starting spot against Peters and OKorn in 2017 then you let him pursue his options elsewhere. If he is, you’ve got a guy with POTENTIALLY elite talent as a 5th year senior. That’s season-changing stuff in the best case scenario. The worst case scenario is you lose nothing, because they don’t HAVE to give Morris the 5th year if he still sucks.

  6. Comments: 1356
    Joined: 8/13/2015
    Roanman
    Sep 13, 2015 at 2:40 PM

    Well, it was an improvement. How many times in the recent past has some pasty team come to town and we kept them in the game till the end and look bad winning 31-26. I don’t want to discuss the losses.

    I was laughing out loud at Spielman, who I kind of like in general. I’m not calling Braden’s play there a whiff as he did get his hat on the kid, but it was far, far, farfarfar from a pancake.

    I’ve a question for Thunder. In your entire career as a player and now a line coach, have you ever seen a more impressive example of the “swim move” than the one Wormley pulled out on his sack? That there was a clinic ….. textbook ….. pick you’re superlative.

  7. Comments: 528
    Joined: 9/13/2015
    michymich
    Sep 13, 2015 at 4:19 PM

    I am like Thunder, skeptical of Smith against tougher defenses. He needs a hole otherwise he isn’t that elusive. I too think Isaac has a chance for my PT. Johnson is clearly going to get opportunities. He looked good on his brief short run appearance.

    Rudock is clearly a step up from Gardner. A big step up. Doesn’t mean Rudock can win games but if you give him a solid run game then he can be a good game manager. I need to see this team against BYU. Oregon State was a defensive patsy.

    Nice to see the TE’s improving. This is going to be a huge key this season to give Rudock some other options. If UM can find a quicker back and continued OL improvement then UM should be a surprise. I think this team can beat anyone on the schedule if they improve (run) and execute except OSU.

    Defense looks solid although not great. Lb’ers can be exploited in the passing game and secondary is solid. This team, as I have stated, should win 8 games. Less than 8 will be a disappointment in my mind.

  8. Comments: 48
    Joined: 8/11/2015
    Nick.
    Sep 13, 2015 at 9:08 PM

    Going into this game I was generally concerned of a let down after seeing the opener. This team came out slow and quickly got into a rhythm. This is the first time in a long time that I can remember watching “Michigan Football”. This team played with their coach’s attitude and toughness. You could feel it in the stands. They wanted to prove they could do it and Smith was a huge part of that.

    Graham Glasgow is a mistake making machine and Braden wasn’t lights out either. Overall they did manage to open up some holes that even Smith couldn’t miss.

    Out running game is still suspect. Smith can usually hit the first hole, but finding the next one or the open lane is elusive to him at times. He really lacks that burst after hitting the hole too. Isaac didn’t seem to be much of an upgrade. Green seemed to have the biggest burst after hitting a hole, but by the time he got in the defense was flat worn out.

    Perry and Harris are neither one ready for the physical contact they have seen. Harris is way too thin and really hasn’t been given a chance to show his deep ball threat. Darboh and Chesson play super physical. They are fun to watch.

    Butt is just as advertised. The pick that was thrown to him was knee high and behind him. That was a poorly thrown ball. Bunting could be good and Poggi is a big boy. AJ Williams is good for 3-5 catches a season and maybe 3-5 drops.

    Defensively this game did not show much of the secondary. The line was tough and Wormley had a field day out there. He was all over the field chasing the QB. Charlton had a few good plays as well.

    Bolden had some great plays and some really bad ones. He is the king of missing the guy running through a hole and chasing him down 4 yards past him. He really isn’t much of a hole plugger and looked out of place several times.

    O’Neil is the real deal. He might be the second (and one could argue the first) best pickup this summer. Kid can flat out kick.

    Next week will be another good week to see some improvement and keep building on what they laid this week.

  9. Comments: 6285
    Joined: 8/11/2015
    Lanknows
    Sep 14, 2015 at 3:42 PM

    Good post (…other than the Stribling bashing discussed in your awards post.)
    I think there’s a lot of truth here in considering the opponent. In many ways the first half struggles of Michigan were more worrisome than anything we saw against Utah. The second half and final score completely changed the narrative, but overall I would say Michigan played better football against Utah than they did against Oregon State.

    UNLV should be a cakewalk, but BYU is looking like a very interesting matchup. BYU will have faced Nebraska (away), UCLA (away), and Boise State before their matchup against Michigan so they should come in ready to rock. Should be a major test for Clark, Stribling, Peppers and our pass rush.

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