Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Donovan Edwards. Edwards caught 10 passes for 170 yards and 1 touchdown in the 2021 matchup against Maryland. This year he caught 0 passes for 0 yards. Because he didn’t play in the game. Michigan only has four scholarship running backs on the team, and it appears that the Wolverines coaching staff only trusts two of them – Blake Corum and Edwards. So when one goes out with an injury, the other is going to get the lion’s share of opportunities. Hopefully Edwards can return healthy from his leg injury to relieve Corum a little bit and they can be consistent as a 1-2 punch.
Hit the jump for more.
Let’s see less of this guy on offense . . . Isaiah Gash. Or any walk-on running back, really. For the past couple seasons, Michigan has been going with just four scholarship backs, and I think that’s relying on too thin of a roster. It was Leon Franklin in 2021 and now maybe it’s Isaiah Gash in 2022. Franklin doesn’t have much juice, and Gash is 175 lbs. That’s probably why neither one got a scholarship coming out of high school. I think Michigan should be aiming to have five or six scholarship backs. And obviously I hope the current guys can get and stay healthy.
Let’s see more of this guy on defense . . . Nikhai Hill-Green. We’re four games into the season, and we have yet to see projected starting linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green. Michigan’s linebackers struggled a little bit on Saturday – in coverage and against the run – and it would be nice to at least have the option of playing Hill-Green.
Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . Kalel Mullings. One of the glitches on Saturday was when inside linebacker Kalel Mullings was communicating with his fellow defensive players and forgot to cover the tight end, which turned into a touchdown. Even if your teammate is confused, you can’t be caught unaware. Because then instead of one person screwing up the play, it ends up being two. I think Mullings has improved since last year, but Hill-Green was supposed to be the start for a reason, and he has more experience.
Play of the game . . . D.J. Turner II’s interception of Taulia Tagovailoa. Midway through the second quarter, Maryland was up 13-10 and driving into Michigan territory. With Michigan struggling a little bit to put everything together, I was afraid that a 20-10 lead might be too much to overcome for the Wolverines. Luckily, cornerback D.J. Turner stepped up in a big way with a diving interception of a pass intended for Jacob Copeland. Replays showed that the ball did indeed hit the ground, but they didn’t definitively show that the ground helped Turner secure the ball, so Michigan took over possession.
Michigan DB #5 DJ Turner has been a name to watch this season for the Wolverines after snagging two INTs in 2021. Makes a great play on the ball here against Maryland, getting position to step in-front of the receiver for the pick. #NFLDraftpic.twitter.com/FE9WGPPw4f
— Jonathan Heitritter (@J_Heits) September 24, 2022
MVP of the game . . . Blake Corum. This is an obvious one. Corum was the only consistently good aspect of Michigan’s offense. He pounded away with 30 carries for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns, ending with the seventh most rushing yards in Michigan history. And he created a ton of those yards on his own with great vision, jump cuts, and power. Much like the 2021 Penn State game and Hassan Haskins, Michigan wouldn’t have won this game without a great performance from Corum.
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