Thoughts following Michigan’s 28-10 win at Purdue …
First things first … solid win, but it took some breaks to get there. Had it not been for fifth-year senior quarterback John O'Korn's Houdini act to escape and find junior receiver Grant Perry over the middle from deep in his own end, midway through the third quarter, this game could have headed to the fourth quarter 10-7.
Instead, the offense started to get going a bit. O’Korn missed some passes in his first 20 minutes or so … to Perry for a first down (off his fingertips, but not catchable), over Perry’s head on third and four on a really nice stop and go route (which we'd rather see on second and four given degree of difficulty). But he came around.
O’Korn is better at escaping the pocket than redshirt junior Wilton Speight and he was keeping his head up and his eyes downfield. He still bailed too early a few times, but many of his best throws came outside the pocket.
Observations:
• Kudos to walk-on kicker James Foug. He’s been fantastic on kickoffs.
It wouldn’t surprise to see them kick a few shorter by design. His hang time is so good they could get better field position than even the 25. It’s a risk, probably, especially against teams with good return games, but kick coverage has been excellent.
• Purdue’s first play set the tone for the entire first quarter because it changed field position (the double pass). Sophomore linebacker Devin Bush’s speed in chasing Blough from behind was ridiculous.
A Purdue manager almost gave this one away. Word made it to a few websites that this play was coming on the first play (seriously) because the kid opened his mouth. It took until midway through the first quarter for U-M to turn the field back, but it shortened the game, which is what opponents will want to do against this Michigan team.
• Sophomore Devin Bush is ridiculous. He had a chance to make a huge play on a first quarter screen and probably should have picked it on third down, but still knocked it down. He also blew up another screen that looked like it could have worked in the third quarter.
Give an assist to sophomore end Rashan Gary for that one. He was in the backfield so quickly that quarterback David Blough had to step up away from pressure, shortening the distance Bush had to go to get a hand on him. He blew up the screen with a hit as a result.
Bush is every bit as fast as former U-M linebacker Larry Foote, a long-time pro, but he’s better at getting to the quarterback and finishing. Foote often overran the quarterback on blitzes … Bush is in complete control.
The kid is the best blitzing linebacker Michigan has had in the last several decades.
On another play, a Purdue flea flicker might have worked if not for Bush’s closing speed.
Speed kills. Bush doesn’t hide the bodies.
• Combo blocking has been a problem for this offense, but both sophomore guards Mike Onwenu and Ben Bredeson, along with fifth-year senior Pat Kugler, were outstanding on the first play, a 10-yard gain for sophomore Karan Higdon. Both got to the second level (a rarity this year) and had hats on linebackers. Bredeson pancaked a ‘backer.
• The offense had a number of solid, first down gains in the running game. It was the second down plays, especially early, that did them in. Speight had a second and four, and while right tackle Nolan Ulizio allowed his man to slip off to get to the quarterback, Speight had time to roll away from it … he held the ball to long and appeared to miss junior Karan Higdon in the flat.
A shorter punt by freshman Brad Robbins (who was okay in his first start … you’ll see him get better as he gets more comfortable) kept U-M in its field position quandary and again, shortened the half.
The third and nine pay looked like a wrong route by sophomore Eddie McDoom. Once again, Speight had to get rid of it quickly when the left side of the line didn’t pick up the twist.
Advantage, Purdue in taking time off the clock without U-M scoring.
• Bredeson has times where he looks like an All-American. There are others in which he’s playing a bit high or missing an assignment .
On redshirt junior John Runyan’s first play (in the second quarter), he ot to the linebacker at the second level, five-yard gain. Bredeson missed his block to give it back, turning a second and manageable into another third and long.
In the third quarter, Bredeson ducked his head and got beat in pass protection on a first down play. There was also a miscommunication on a play in which senior Mason Cole was clearly frustrated with him, throwing up his arms after a defender ran free and talking to both Bredeson and fifth-year senior center Pat Kugler (who was solid again).
Cole played well, with the exception of a third quarter pass pro effort in which he, too, ducked his head and lost his balance on first down, allowing an end to flush O’Korn from the pocket.
• On Runyan … no idea how he isn’t starting over Onwenu, but trust the coaches to make these calls, obviously. Runyan had a great combo block with Kugler on U-M’s first touchdown drive and had a great series. He’s powerful on his first punch, gets to the second level and had a great game.
He might have been U-M’s best lineman Saturday, though he was only in for 15 to 20 snaps or so.
Onwenu has his moments, but he whiffed on a fourth-quarter run by fifth-year senior Ty Isaac that ended in a tackle for loss, later got caught in the wash trying to pull and didn’t get to this block (though fifth-year senior fullback Henry Poggi got pushed back a bit and lengthened the distance).
Onwenu did respond, though, when he got back in the game for Runyan. He looked rejuvenated (motivated?) and had a nice block on sophomore Chris Evans’ 49-yard touchdown run.
Still, Runyan appears to be the better option here. He blew up a defender while pulling, was very good in pass pro and got great push and a seal on Evans’ first score.
• Running back pass pro was awful, fullbacks to running backs. Early, Poggi got run through to force Speight from the pocket. Faith-year senior Khalid Hill was bad in protection on O’Korn’s first completion.
There was a defender running free on what appeared to be a miscommunication between Cole and Isaac.
In the second quarter, O’Korn got flushed when Higdon threw a chicken wing at a blitzer. Isaac’s chicken wing attempt led to the play we talked about above, when O’Korn escaped for the pass to Perry.
Part of it is technique. Part of it is “contact courage.” The backs are lacking both.
Some quickies:
• Aubrey Solomon was in on the first play of second series and got penetration. The freshman DT is quickly moving up the depth chart. He’s going to be really good.
• Sophomore corner Lavert Hill is becoming a stud. There will be bigger challenges down the road, but he’s sticky … looking like Jourdan Lewis at times out there.
• Sophomore Sean McKeon has great acceleration for a tight end. He’s all-Big Ten material. He turns it up quickly … another example of a Harbaugh diamond in the rough.
• The only complaint about this defense — it’s given momentum back with a few long drives this year after the offense finally got it going. That was the case again vs. Purdue, with misdirection plays burning them.
They learned, though, and adapted. Expect more team to try them, though, to use the speed against them.
• Redshirt junior Chase Winovich is this team’s defensive MVP right now. He’s really good off the edge, and a lot of it has to do with winning the handfighting battles when engaging with a blocker. He has great technique and is slippery … guys can’t get their hands on him.
Winovich said a few years ago when he moved back to DE that he was the guy people would stare at, at parties etc., because he was practicing spin moves and technique in living rooms. It’s paid off.
• Fifth-year senior Maurice Hurst is the quickest lineman off the ball Michigan has had since Mark Messner in the 1980s. They are both undersized guys, Hurst is a bit more powerful. He’s a game changer who should get his due with postseason honors.
• A poor decision by sophomore Kekoa Crawford to bring a kickoff out of the end zone resulted in a drive starting inside the 20. Might be time to give someone else a look there.
• Redshirt sophomore Zach Gentry still has a drop a game, but he’s a future pro. He and McKeon are huge weapons. Gentry has come a long way as a blocker, too.
• Fifth-year senior Mike McCray had a nice game. He’s not as slow as many of you think. He’s not fast like Bush, but nobody is.
Final thought … there’s still a lot of room for improvement. Evans finally showed more of what we thought we’d see from him this year, and the tight ends are becoming the strength of this offense.
But O’Korn was the right guy at the right time. This offense only needs to be decent to win most games on the schedule. The defense will take care of the rest.
First things first … solid win, but it took some breaks to get there. Had it not been for fifth-year senior quarterback John O'Korn's Houdini act to escape and find junior receiver Grant Perry over the middle from deep in his own end, midway through the third quarter, this game could have headed to the fourth quarter 10-7.
Instead, the offense started to get going a bit. O’Korn missed some passes in his first 20 minutes or so … to Perry for a first down (off his fingertips, but not catchable), over Perry’s head on third and four on a really nice stop and go route (which we'd rather see on second and four given degree of difficulty). But he came around.
O’Korn is better at escaping the pocket than redshirt junior Wilton Speight and he was keeping his head up and his eyes downfield. He still bailed too early a few times, but many of his best throws came outside the pocket.
Observations:
• Kudos to walk-on kicker James Foug. He’s been fantastic on kickoffs.
It wouldn’t surprise to see them kick a few shorter by design. His hang time is so good they could get better field position than even the 25. It’s a risk, probably, especially against teams with good return games, but kick coverage has been excellent.
• Purdue’s first play set the tone for the entire first quarter because it changed field position (the double pass). Sophomore linebacker Devin Bush’s speed in chasing Blough from behind was ridiculous.
A Purdue manager almost gave this one away. Word made it to a few websites that this play was coming on the first play (seriously) because the kid opened his mouth. It took until midway through the first quarter for U-M to turn the field back, but it shortened the game, which is what opponents will want to do against this Michigan team.
• Sophomore Devin Bush is ridiculous. He had a chance to make a huge play on a first quarter screen and probably should have picked it on third down, but still knocked it down. He also blew up another screen that looked like it could have worked in the third quarter.
Give an assist to sophomore end Rashan Gary for that one. He was in the backfield so quickly that quarterback David Blough had to step up away from pressure, shortening the distance Bush had to go to get a hand on him. He blew up the screen with a hit as a result.
Bush is every bit as fast as former U-M linebacker Larry Foote, a long-time pro, but he’s better at getting to the quarterback and finishing. Foote often overran the quarterback on blitzes … Bush is in complete control.
The kid is the best blitzing linebacker Michigan has had in the last several decades.
On another play, a Purdue flea flicker might have worked if not for Bush’s closing speed.
Speed kills. Bush doesn’t hide the bodies.
• Combo blocking has been a problem for this offense, but both sophomore guards Mike Onwenu and Ben Bredeson, along with fifth-year senior Pat Kugler, were outstanding on the first play, a 10-yard gain for sophomore Karan Higdon. Both got to the second level (a rarity this year) and had hats on linebackers. Bredeson pancaked a ‘backer.
• The offense had a number of solid, first down gains in the running game. It was the second down plays, especially early, that did them in. Speight had a second and four, and while right tackle Nolan Ulizio allowed his man to slip off to get to the quarterback, Speight had time to roll away from it … he held the ball to long and appeared to miss junior Karan Higdon in the flat.
A shorter punt by freshman Brad Robbins (who was okay in his first start … you’ll see him get better as he gets more comfortable) kept U-M in its field position quandary and again, shortened the half.
The third and nine pay looked like a wrong route by sophomore Eddie McDoom. Once again, Speight had to get rid of it quickly when the left side of the line didn’t pick up the twist.
Advantage, Purdue in taking time off the clock without U-M scoring.
• Bredeson has times where he looks like an All-American. There are others in which he’s playing a bit high or missing an assignment .
On redshirt junior John Runyan’s first play (in the second quarter), he ot to the linebacker at the second level, five-yard gain. Bredeson missed his block to give it back, turning a second and manageable into another third and long.
In the third quarter, Bredeson ducked his head and got beat in pass protection on a first down play. There was also a miscommunication on a play in which senior Mason Cole was clearly frustrated with him, throwing up his arms after a defender ran free and talking to both Bredeson and fifth-year senior center Pat Kugler (who was solid again).
Cole played well, with the exception of a third quarter pass pro effort in which he, too, ducked his head and lost his balance on first down, allowing an end to flush O’Korn from the pocket.
• On Runyan … no idea how he isn’t starting over Onwenu, but trust the coaches to make these calls, obviously. Runyan had a great combo block with Kugler on U-M’s first touchdown drive and had a great series. He’s powerful on his first punch, gets to the second level and had a great game.
He might have been U-M’s best lineman Saturday, though he was only in for 15 to 20 snaps or so.
Onwenu has his moments, but he whiffed on a fourth-quarter run by fifth-year senior Ty Isaac that ended in a tackle for loss, later got caught in the wash trying to pull and didn’t get to this block (though fifth-year senior fullback Henry Poggi got pushed back a bit and lengthened the distance).
Onwenu did respond, though, when he got back in the game for Runyan. He looked rejuvenated (motivated?) and had a nice block on sophomore Chris Evans’ 49-yard touchdown run.
Still, Runyan appears to be the better option here. He blew up a defender while pulling, was very good in pass pro and got great push and a seal on Evans’ first score.
• Running back pass pro was awful, fullbacks to running backs. Early, Poggi got run through to force Speight from the pocket. Faith-year senior Khalid Hill was bad in protection on O’Korn’s first completion.
There was a defender running free on what appeared to be a miscommunication between Cole and Isaac.
In the second quarter, O’Korn got flushed when Higdon threw a chicken wing at a blitzer. Isaac’s chicken wing attempt led to the play we talked about above, when O’Korn escaped for the pass to Perry.
Part of it is technique. Part of it is “contact courage.” The backs are lacking both.
Some quickies:
• Aubrey Solomon was in on the first play of second series and got penetration. The freshman DT is quickly moving up the depth chart. He’s going to be really good.
• Sophomore corner Lavert Hill is becoming a stud. There will be bigger challenges down the road, but he’s sticky … looking like Jourdan Lewis at times out there.
• Sophomore Sean McKeon has great acceleration for a tight end. He’s all-Big Ten material. He turns it up quickly … another example of a Harbaugh diamond in the rough.
• The only complaint about this defense — it’s given momentum back with a few long drives this year after the offense finally got it going. That was the case again vs. Purdue, with misdirection plays burning them.
They learned, though, and adapted. Expect more team to try them, though, to use the speed against them.
• Redshirt junior Chase Winovich is this team’s defensive MVP right now. He’s really good off the edge, and a lot of it has to do with winning the handfighting battles when engaging with a blocker. He has great technique and is slippery … guys can’t get their hands on him.
Winovich said a few years ago when he moved back to DE that he was the guy people would stare at, at parties etc., because he was practicing spin moves and technique in living rooms. It’s paid off.
• Fifth-year senior Maurice Hurst is the quickest lineman off the ball Michigan has had since Mark Messner in the 1980s. They are both undersized guys, Hurst is a bit more powerful. He’s a game changer who should get his due with postseason honors.
• A poor decision by sophomore Kekoa Crawford to bring a kickoff out of the end zone resulted in a drive starting inside the 20. Might be time to give someone else a look there.
• Redshirt sophomore Zach Gentry still has a drop a game, but he’s a future pro. He and McKeon are huge weapons. Gentry has come a long way as a blocker, too.
• Fifth-year senior Mike McCray had a nice game. He’s not as slow as many of you think. He’s not fast like Bush, but nobody is.
Final thought … there’s still a lot of room for improvement. Evans finally showed more of what we thought we’d see from him this year, and the tight ends are becoming the strength of this offense.
But O’Korn was the right guy at the right time. This offense only needs to be decent to win most games on the schedule. The defense will take care of the rest.
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