Joe Milton has all the tools to be really good
The Joe Milton era has begun, and fans have been excited to see what the new signal caller can do. It would appear after one game that Michigan has found a good one in Milton.
Milton finished the night 15-for-22 for 225 yards with one TD. He also had 8 carries for 52 yards another TD, this time on the ground. Milton could of easily had more yards through the air but he WR group had a few dropped passes throughout the night — though they had a good game as a unit as well, overall.
One of my keys to a victory for Michigan was to keep Milton protected and calm for the game. They did just that. Milton was only sacked once, and had no hurries against him all day. He was calm and precise with a majority of his throws. Milton looked like a veteran out there that has been starting for this team for years now. Gattis called a great game to keep his young QB in rhythm. There were quite a few bubble screens, and short passes to get him going, and he mixed in a few longer passes as well.
Even though it has been one game, it appears this offense has taken another step with Milton at the helm. His ability to run and throw 80 yards downfield any given play will make any defense honest. I think its safe to say that this offense will continue to grow as a unit, and continue to even get better with Milton under center.
Michael Barrett will fill a big void
The last two VIPERs at Michigan (Jabrill Peppers and Khaleke Hudson) have been very good, and no one really knew how Michael Barrett would fill in there.
The former high school QB had a great showing in his first start at Michigan. Anyone could argue that Barrett was the defensive and special teams player of the game. Barrett had 7 tackles, 1 sack (which resulted in a fumble and a Donovan Jeter score), 1.5 TFL, and a 66 yard kick return.
Barrett came ready to play, and was flying all over the field. It seemed like he was always near the ball regardless of where it was. Barrett has a good sense of what he was doing, and it’s now understandable why the hype has been big for him.
We already knew what Michigan has one of the best LB duos in Cam McGrone and Josh Ross, but adding Michael Barrett in there will be big for the Wolverines. If Barrett can replicate this performance into more games, then the Wolverines are going to have one of the best LB corps in the nation.