Penn State 27, Michigan 17

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Michigan’s lineup compared to where it should be:

• QB: Joe Milton Dylan McCaffrey Cade McNamara Joe Milton
• RB: Hassan Haskins
• WR: Nico Collins Cornelius Johnson
• WR: Ronnie Bell
• WR: Giles Jackson A.J. Henning
• TE: Nick Eubanks
• LT: Ryan Hayes Karsen Barnhart
• LG: Chuck Filiaga Trevor Keegan
• C: Andrew Vastardis Zach Carpenter
• RG: Andrew Stueber Zak Zinter Chuck Filiaga
• RT: Jalen Mayfield Andrew Stueber

• DE: Aidan Hutchinson Carlo Kemp
• DT: Carlo Kemp Chris Hinton, Jr.
• NT: Donovan Jeter
• DE: Kwity Paye
• Viper: Michael Barrett
• MIKE: Cam McGrone Adam Shibley
• WILL: Josh Ross
• CB: Gemon Green
• CB: Ambry Thomas Vincent Gray
• S: Brad Hawkins Hunter Reynolds
• S: Dax Hill

Going back six weeks to opening day, Michigan has 8 backups playing. And if you count the opt-outs, there are 12 positions affected. This is a MASH unit unlike anything I can remember at Michigan.

Hit the jump for more.

The quarterback position. Cade McNamara earned his first college start, and he started 4/4 with a touchdown drive on the second possession. However, that second possession saw a defender land on him and he injured his right shoulder. Backup Joe Milton came in for a bit, but McNamara returned and completed 8/21 passes the rest of the way, often holding his right arm limply between plays and series. He finished 12/25 for 91 yards. Milton wasn’t any better, completing 1/3 passes for 21 yards, and most of those 21 yards came from Ronnie Bell’s YAC abilities. Combined, the quarterbacks were 13/28 for 112 yards. I would imagine that Milton will probably be the starter next week against Maryland. I also imagine that will not go well.

Lack of downfield shots. If I recall correctly, Michigan attempted 2 passes of more than 15 yards, an overthrown fade to Cornelius Johnson by McNamara and a jump ball to tiny slot guy A.J. Henning. Trailing for almost the entire game and losing by 10 late, Michigan attempted a total of 2 downfield passes. Josh Gattis’s mismanagement of this offense is mind-blowing. I’m sure the axe is going to fall on Don Brown, but I thought Gattis might be able to save his job if he rounded into form like he did last year. There are zero signs of his figuring it out.

Hassan Haskins was a bit of a bright spot. Haskins ran 17 times for 101 yards and 2 touchdowns. This is second 100+ yard effort in two weeks. The best thing about Haskins is that he seems to be the one guy in Michigan’s backfield who can create yards on his own. The run game in general was pretty good (6.4 yards/carry as a team), but there were of course some questionable play designs, run calls, etc., because that’s just what Josh Gattis does. Michigan has to be one of the easiest short yardage teams to scheme against, because there is no creativity involved even for a team that’s clearly having problems up front.

The offensive line. Whoever’s coaching Michigan in 2021 – whether it’s Jim Harbaugh or someone else – I hope they keep Ed Warinner. I do think Warinner is doing a pretty good job with what he has. But the offensive line position is a huge mess. Consider this: In Rich Rodriguez’s disastrous 2008 season, two players started at the same position in all twelve games (center David Molk and right guard David Moosman). In just six games this year, only one player has accomplished that (Chuck Filiaga at left guard), and by the end of this game, he was playing right guard.

Gemon Green is good? Looking for a bright spot to wrap up the post, it appears that Gemon Green is pretty solid. He and Vincent Gray have quietly improved throughout the season – though some scheme changes have helped – and I think that might be the only position group that’s better in game six than it was earlier in the year. They’re not grabbing as much, and they’re playing with better technique overall.

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