Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . running backs carrying the ball. Michigan’s top two running backs, Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings, had just 14 total carries on Saturday. While they were only mildly productive, Michigan needs to commit to the run game to help out inexperienced quarterback Davis Warren. Michigan can’t just run the ball to run the ball, either; the coaches need to find creative ways to get them the ball and help them be successful.
Hit the jump for more.
Let’s see less of this guy on offense . . . Evan Link sitting on his butt. Right tackle Evan Link, a redshirt freshman, had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. He scored a PFF grade of 0.0 in pass blocking and was seen getting run over and planted on his butt multiple times. It’s a little bit concerning that fifth year senior Jeffrey Persi and redshirt sophomore Andrew Gentry have not been able to beat out Link for the right tackle gig. With the guly showing that took place on Saturday, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Persi or Link play this coming Saturday.
Let’s see more of this guy on defense . . . a guy who wraps up. Michigan has not been very sound in its tackling this year, and I saw some glaring issues on Saturday when players like Jyaire Hill and Jaishawn Barham made poor attempts. Whether it’s leaving their feet, throwing a shoulder into a guy, or just not wrapping up, the tackling needs to improve. Texas was a good team with good athletes, but Michigan is going to see other good teams down the road.
Let’s see less of this guy on defense . . . defensive linemen huffing and puffing. I’m going to circle back to the offense here, but Michigan needs to have some sustained drives and get the big defensive linemen off the field for a break. Texas ran 45 plays in the first half of Saturday’s game, which is way too many. Halfway through the second quarter, Michigan had run just 11 offensive plays. The Wolverines need to play complementary football.
Play of the game . . . there’s not much to choose from, but down 24-3 in the 3rd quarter, quarterback Davis Warren rolled right and found no one open. Luckily, he had solid protection and ended up throwing to a pretty well covered Colston Loveland, who made a leaping, twisting catch for a first down. It hinted at some nice accuracy for Warren and of course Loveland’s outstanding athleticism.
MVP of the game . . . Davis Warren. Again, there aren’t many options here, but I think Warren is getting a bit of a bad rap when it comes to the team’s play. He finished 22/33 for 204 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions against Texas. Unfortunately, he’s not getting a ton of help from anyone other than Loveland, and even Loveland had an ugly and costly fumble. The offensive line has been playing poorly, and the receivers aren’t getting open consistently. Meanwhile, the running game has been just so-so, but it needs to be great. What I liked about Warren’s performance was that he was still being a gamer in the fourth quarter when Texas’s defense was teeing off on the pass rush. I don’t think offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell, head coach Sherrone Moore, and others are putting the offense in great positions. But Warren is the #1 graded offensive player (79.2) and was the top offensive player against Texas. He may not be a stellar athlete, he may not be extremely accurate, and he may not have much experience, but he’s in a tough position because he’s not getting a ton of support.
You need to login in order to vote
You must belogged in to post a comment.