Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Roman Wilson. It’s only on three total receptions, but this guy has 107 yards and 2 touchdowns. One touchdown was a 61-yard catch-and-run bubble screen against Colorado State, and the other was a 42-yard bomb against Hawaii. Good things happen when you run a 4.37 forty and have ball skills. He’s already playing quite a bit, but the speed and big play ability are really enticing.
Hello, J.J. McCarthy. Well, McCarthy didn’t wait too long to stake his claim for the starting quarterback job. He completed 11/12 passes for 229 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions while rushing 1 time for 16 yards. His first pass was a 42-yard bomb to Roman Wilson for a touchdown, and he didn’t really slow down after that. Every pass was accurate, even a crisp RPO slant to Ronnie Bell that accounted for McCarthy’s lone incompletion. It was an excellent starting debut against an atrocious team.
RUSH OFFENSE vs. HAWAII RUSH DEFENSE Michigan is #32 in rushing after one game of rushing for 234 yards. The wild card this week is quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who is starting in place of Cade McNamara. McCarthy ran 3 times for 50 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown, and he expands the playbook. Blake Corum (13 carries, 76 yards, 1 TD) and Donovan Edwards (12 carries, 64 yards, 1 TD) also ran the ball frequently, but the offensive line was not as dominant as I expected. Part of that may have been the absence of left tackle Ryan Hayes (who is expected to play this week) and backup Karsen Barnhart, which caused some reshuffling up front. Hawaii is #127 in rushing defense, giving up 272.5 yards per game and 7.5 yards per carry. They gave up 404 yards on 9.2 yards/carry to Vanderbilt two weeks ago. Hawaii is experienced up front – all four defensive linemen are in their fourth or fifth year – but they lack size. Both defensive tackles are around 300 lbs., but the ends are hovering around 230. The leading tacklers are 6’0″, 190 lb. safety Leonard Lee and 6’3″, 245 lb. middle linebacker Penei Pevihi with 11 and 10, respectively. Advantage: Michigan
Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Chris Evans. If you watched the game, you already know that Evans was the breakout star of the opener. He ran 8 times for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns. One of those touchdowns was a nifty run where he dived for the left pylon, showing good field awareness and body control. The other was a 43-yard burst right up the middle after being untouched at the line of scrimmaged. He hurried a couple runs, but he showed good patience on most of his rushing attempts. That’s how you average 14 yards/carry. Evans looks like the most explosive running back the Wolverines have had in several years.
Hit the jump for more awards from the Hawaii game.
