Michigan pounded Rutgers 78-0 Saturday night in Piscataway, N.J., behind some outstanding performances. Here’s what we saw after watching film a few times …
First things first – 78-0 is 78-0. But this is a bit of fool’s gold, too, in the sense that Rutgers flat out quit on defense. As fifth-senior right tackle Erik Magnuson noted, that defensive line was at least decent, and it held its own on the first three series.
Once it was 21-0, though, and it was clear their offense wasn’t going to cross the street, that line started playing higher and U-M’s line started to dominate. In short, their spirit was broken, but it seemed to be as much a result of the circumstances on the other side of the ball, and it’s hard to fault them. That’s human nature.
Don’t expect to see the same thing in other games this year. Michigan State, for example, will play every play like it’s the last (because once again, in a return to normalcy, it’s their season), and they won’t be nearly as overmatched physically as most on here might want to believe, at least as it pertains to U-M’s offense vs. MSU’s defense.
Even Indiana has some fight in them (though that game won’t be close).
U-M struggled up front in the early going with redshirt sophomore Juwann Bushell-Beatty at left tackle and freshman Ben Bredeson at left guard. They wanted to sit fifth-year senior left guard Ben Braden in this game [minor injury] but it turned out they couldn’t afford to, and the offense was better with him in there. He was solid.
Bushell-Beatty, meanwhile, struggled with edge rushers, allowing two hurries and picking up a holding penalty, but was much better with his assignments this week. He played the run well for the rest of the first half and toughed it out on a gimpy knee. He and the rest of the starters get the bye week off while the young guys get a ton of reps, according to folks inside the building … then it’s back to business as usual Sunday.
Bredeson allowed a pass rusher through on the first series or redshirt sophomore quarterback Wilton Speight might have hit senior Jake Butt for a big play on the tight end drag route (seemingly a coaches’ favorite play – they sat frosh Devin Asiasi on a route in front of the linebacker, not a pick but served as one, forcing the linebacker to avoid him). Butt had two steps, but Speight had to throw early, just before he got hit.
Braden was in for Bredeson two series’ later.
Rutgers was crowding the line early with linebackers running downhill and a safety crashing on the snap. That threw off the run game and opened some things up for the passing game, but Speight was off. He’s one of the starters who won’t get the week off – he needs to clean some things up and had a trio of throws in the “unacceptable” category, including one on which he had a perfect pocket and underthrew fifth-year senior Jehu Chesson by three yards.
Speight’s perfect throw to Chesson for a 30-yard touchdown … well, it’s good that it was perfect, because he would have gotten chewed out for not taking the 10- to 15 scramble yards in front of him had it not been. He also had another forced throw at the goal line into traffic.
Blame the light rain, whatever, but guys need to make plays. That includes fifth-year senior Amara Darboh, who dropped another third-down slant pass. These are must plays against the better teams on the schedule.
A long jump ball completion to Darboh that worked was thrown where Darboh could make a play, which was great … however, it wasn’t one on which he high-pointed it. Coverage was solid, but the defensive back simply wasn’t good enough to make what could have been a break-up. Better DBs will make that play.
The running game really opened up with U-M up 29-0. Rutgers was demoralized. Sophomore Karan Higdon has a knack of being able to get to a hole more quickly than any back on the roster – we’ll see more of him going forward. Frosh Chris Evans won’t be breaking tackles like he did Saturday against the better teams on the schedule, but he has an innate sense of when to feel contact on his back leg and pull it up before anyone can get a grip on him. That’s a great trait.
Evans is also very natural as a punt returner. They’ll miss redshirt sophomore Jabrill Peppers there if he leaves next year, as most believe he will, but Evans could be very good in that role.
Overall … what a luxury to have a game like this before the bye week. We’re halfway through the season now, and guys will be well rested and healthy (other than fifth-year senior corner Jeremy Clark and sophomore left tackle Grant Newsome, out for the year) going into the Illinois game in two weeks. Take care of business there, and most of the starters should be primed for Michigan State the following week with even a bit more rest.
We also got a chance to see what a lot of the underclassmen could do for an entire half, and it was impressive. Again, Rutgers’ defense had let up, but Bredeson was impressive run blocking. He’s like fifth-year senior right guard Kyle Kalis (who, once again, was very good in the half he played, burying people) in that he takes pride in finishing his blocks and playing to the whistle.
Frosh right guard Michael Onwenu is going to be a beast. He pushes defenders five yards off the ball, but he’s also assignment aware. His second block on the play opened the hole for redshirt junior Ty Isaac’s fourth quarter touchdown.
Onwenu also got a significant number of snaps at nose tackle – that’s the coaches thinking ahead to next year and the potential lack of depth up front. Redshirt junior David Dawson also took snaps there late. It will be interesting to see where Onwenu plays next year … he’s valuable on either side, but he’s already ahead of the curve on offense.
Other observations:
• Senior linebacker Ben Gedeon probably graded out as one of the best defenders in this game. He was everywhere Saturday and showed better speed than he’s given credit for a few times beyond just a second-quarter jet sweep he blew up for a five-yard loss. That wheel route touchdown he gave up against Wisconsin was a very well thrown ball, and had to be.
• D.C. Don Brown pulled out the three-man rush on a few third and longs with redshirt junior linebacker Mike McCray spying the quarterbacks in case they got flushed … a little J.T. Barrett prep, perhaps? Senior Taco Charlton blew one of them up by getting around the edge in a second for the sack.
• Senior corner Jourdan Lewis had two more open field tackles in run support on the edge that couldn’t have been more textbook. Complete player. He might have gotten away with pass interference on the first series long ball, and it won’t surprise to see people continue to test him (and fellow senior Channing Stribling) that way in the weeks to come.
Like the MSU game plan last year, and one we’ll probably see in a few weeks in East Lansing – teams realize a stumble or a bump for P.I. might be the only chance the have to move the ball. This defense is just too strong up front.
• That said, redshirt sophomore Bryan Mone is clearly still not 100 percent, favoring his knee. The nose tackle is right there with fifth-year senior Ryan Glasgow when healthy … now he’s got two more weeks to heal, however, and prepare for the Spartans. Betting he’s back up to 90 to 95 percent by then.
Remember, this is the same guy that came out of spring ball two years ago as the No. 3 overall player on the team (grade wise).
• Lots to like about the future safeties. Both freshmen, Josh Metellus and Khaleke Hudson, play with “contact courage” and run downhill at the ball. Their quickness to the ball and instincts are impressive – ditto frosh linebacker Devin Bush. There’s a lot of team speed in that class.
• Redshirt sophomore end Chase Winovich got off a great block to make an unbelievable tackle in the third quarter on a third down play. He was very active and will continue to get better if he adds weight and strength. As one of the coaches said about him recently, ‘fear the man who wants it the most.’ He’s a relentless worker, but he also has ability.
• Freshman tight end Devin Asiasi is the best blocker at that position for the Wolverines, and it doesn’t seem to be all that close. For you 80s guys, he’s in the Jeff Brown mold. Brown could catch a bit, too, and we’re guessing Asiasi will get more chances, as well. But he’s a beast, blocks to the whistle and with attitude.
• Redshirt junior quarterback John O’Korn gave up on a play and left the pocket too quickly, which has been his M.O. Still needs work, but he was on the money on his passes to fullback Khalid Hill, including a TD. He throws a very catchable ball.
• Fifth-year senior Kenny Allen’s punt, out at the one-yard line was a thing of beauty and helped put the game away. Rutgers fumbled on the third play of the possession, U-M scored and went up 21-0. Game over.
If he can coffin corner the way Aussie Blake O’Neill used to drop punts inside the 20, the Wolverines are going to be that much harder to beat.
First things first – 78-0 is 78-0. But this is a bit of fool’s gold, too, in the sense that Rutgers flat out quit on defense. As fifth-senior right tackle Erik Magnuson noted, that defensive line was at least decent, and it held its own on the first three series.
Once it was 21-0, though, and it was clear their offense wasn’t going to cross the street, that line started playing higher and U-M’s line started to dominate. In short, their spirit was broken, but it seemed to be as much a result of the circumstances on the other side of the ball, and it’s hard to fault them. That’s human nature.
Don’t expect to see the same thing in other games this year. Michigan State, for example, will play every play like it’s the last (because once again, in a return to normalcy, it’s their season), and they won’t be nearly as overmatched physically as most on here might want to believe, at least as it pertains to U-M’s offense vs. MSU’s defense.
Even Indiana has some fight in them (though that game won’t be close).
U-M struggled up front in the early going with redshirt sophomore Juwann Bushell-Beatty at left tackle and freshman Ben Bredeson at left guard. They wanted to sit fifth-year senior left guard Ben Braden in this game [minor injury] but it turned out they couldn’t afford to, and the offense was better with him in there. He was solid.
Bushell-Beatty, meanwhile, struggled with edge rushers, allowing two hurries and picking up a holding penalty, but was much better with his assignments this week. He played the run well for the rest of the first half and toughed it out on a gimpy knee. He and the rest of the starters get the bye week off while the young guys get a ton of reps, according to folks inside the building … then it’s back to business as usual Sunday.
Bredeson allowed a pass rusher through on the first series or redshirt sophomore quarterback Wilton Speight might have hit senior Jake Butt for a big play on the tight end drag route (seemingly a coaches’ favorite play – they sat frosh Devin Asiasi on a route in front of the linebacker, not a pick but served as one, forcing the linebacker to avoid him). Butt had two steps, but Speight had to throw early, just before he got hit.
Braden was in for Bredeson two series’ later.
Rutgers was crowding the line early with linebackers running downhill and a safety crashing on the snap. That threw off the run game and opened some things up for the passing game, but Speight was off. He’s one of the starters who won’t get the week off – he needs to clean some things up and had a trio of throws in the “unacceptable” category, including one on which he had a perfect pocket and underthrew fifth-year senior Jehu Chesson by three yards.
Speight’s perfect throw to Chesson for a 30-yard touchdown … well, it’s good that it was perfect, because he would have gotten chewed out for not taking the 10- to 15 scramble yards in front of him had it not been. He also had another forced throw at the goal line into traffic.
Blame the light rain, whatever, but guys need to make plays. That includes fifth-year senior Amara Darboh, who dropped another third-down slant pass. These are must plays against the better teams on the schedule.
A long jump ball completion to Darboh that worked was thrown where Darboh could make a play, which was great … however, it wasn’t one on which he high-pointed it. Coverage was solid, but the defensive back simply wasn’t good enough to make what could have been a break-up. Better DBs will make that play.
The running game really opened up with U-M up 29-0. Rutgers was demoralized. Sophomore Karan Higdon has a knack of being able to get to a hole more quickly than any back on the roster – we’ll see more of him going forward. Frosh Chris Evans won’t be breaking tackles like he did Saturday against the better teams on the schedule, but he has an innate sense of when to feel contact on his back leg and pull it up before anyone can get a grip on him. That’s a great trait.
Evans is also very natural as a punt returner. They’ll miss redshirt sophomore Jabrill Peppers there if he leaves next year, as most believe he will, but Evans could be very good in that role.
Overall … what a luxury to have a game like this before the bye week. We’re halfway through the season now, and guys will be well rested and healthy (other than fifth-year senior corner Jeremy Clark and sophomore left tackle Grant Newsome, out for the year) going into the Illinois game in two weeks. Take care of business there, and most of the starters should be primed for Michigan State the following week with even a bit more rest.
We also got a chance to see what a lot of the underclassmen could do for an entire half, and it was impressive. Again, Rutgers’ defense had let up, but Bredeson was impressive run blocking. He’s like fifth-year senior right guard Kyle Kalis (who, once again, was very good in the half he played, burying people) in that he takes pride in finishing his blocks and playing to the whistle.
Frosh right guard Michael Onwenu is going to be a beast. He pushes defenders five yards off the ball, but he’s also assignment aware. His second block on the play opened the hole for redshirt junior Ty Isaac’s fourth quarter touchdown.
Onwenu also got a significant number of snaps at nose tackle – that’s the coaches thinking ahead to next year and the potential lack of depth up front. Redshirt junior David Dawson also took snaps there late. It will be interesting to see where Onwenu plays next year … he’s valuable on either side, but he’s already ahead of the curve on offense.
Other observations:
• Senior linebacker Ben Gedeon probably graded out as one of the best defenders in this game. He was everywhere Saturday and showed better speed than he’s given credit for a few times beyond just a second-quarter jet sweep he blew up for a five-yard loss. That wheel route touchdown he gave up against Wisconsin was a very well thrown ball, and had to be.
• D.C. Don Brown pulled out the three-man rush on a few third and longs with redshirt junior linebacker Mike McCray spying the quarterbacks in case they got flushed … a little J.T. Barrett prep, perhaps? Senior Taco Charlton blew one of them up by getting around the edge in a second for the sack.
• Senior corner Jourdan Lewis had two more open field tackles in run support on the edge that couldn’t have been more textbook. Complete player. He might have gotten away with pass interference on the first series long ball, and it won’t surprise to see people continue to test him (and fellow senior Channing Stribling) that way in the weeks to come.
Like the MSU game plan last year, and one we’ll probably see in a few weeks in East Lansing – teams realize a stumble or a bump for P.I. might be the only chance the have to move the ball. This defense is just too strong up front.
• That said, redshirt sophomore Bryan Mone is clearly still not 100 percent, favoring his knee. The nose tackle is right there with fifth-year senior Ryan Glasgow when healthy … now he’s got two more weeks to heal, however, and prepare for the Spartans. Betting he’s back up to 90 to 95 percent by then.
Remember, this is the same guy that came out of spring ball two years ago as the No. 3 overall player on the team (grade wise).
• Lots to like about the future safeties. Both freshmen, Josh Metellus and Khaleke Hudson, play with “contact courage” and run downhill at the ball. Their quickness to the ball and instincts are impressive – ditto frosh linebacker Devin Bush. There’s a lot of team speed in that class.
• Redshirt sophomore end Chase Winovich got off a great block to make an unbelievable tackle in the third quarter on a third down play. He was very active and will continue to get better if he adds weight and strength. As one of the coaches said about him recently, ‘fear the man who wants it the most.’ He’s a relentless worker, but he also has ability.
• Freshman tight end Devin Asiasi is the best blocker at that position for the Wolverines, and it doesn’t seem to be all that close. For you 80s guys, he’s in the Jeff Brown mold. Brown could catch a bit, too, and we’re guessing Asiasi will get more chances, as well. But he’s a beast, blocks to the whistle and with attitude.
• Redshirt junior quarterback John O’Korn gave up on a play and left the pocket too quickly, which has been his M.O. Still needs work, but he was on the money on his passes to fullback Khalid Hill, including a TD. He throws a very catchable ball.
• Fifth-year senior Kenny Allen’s punt, out at the one-yard line was a thing of beauty and helped put the game away. Rutgers fumbled on the third play of the possession, U-M scored and went up 21-0. Game over.
If he can coffin corner the way Aussie Blake O’Neill used to drop punts inside the 20, the Wolverines are going to be that much harder to beat.
