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Michigan football started the 2020 season with a bang as they dominated No. 21 Minnesota, in a 49-24 win. Head coach Jim Harbaugh got his second road win against a top 25 team, the first since he beat Michigan State in 2018. Michigan needed to make a statement in their Big Ten Week One game, and they certainly did.
The offense was explosive, but while they had 481 yards of offense, there were few explosive plays for the group. Running back Zach Charbonnet had a huge 70-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, but most of the plays by the Wolverines were good chunk plays, and with Minnesota missing their starting kicker and punter, they had short field position for a majority of the game.
The defense played lights out after a slow start, and they were able to shut down the high-powered offense that Minnesota had from last season. Minnesota’s star wide receiver, Rashod Bateman, was held in check with nine catches for 101 yards. While 101 yards is a lot to allow for a wide receiver, most of them were in just two plays. Keeping Bateman in check was a big objective, and the Wolverines did just that. Check out my five takeaways from the Wolverine’s huge win over the Golden Gophers.
1. The running game is as advertised
Michigan has a loaded running back room with every type of running back you can imagine. From a pass-catcher to a speed demon to a power back, Michigan has everything you need. We knew all four running backs would get involved, and all four each had a moment for themselves.
Freshman running back Blake Corum had five carries for 24 yards, along with two catches or 36 yards as he was the first person to catch the ball from Milton. The other speedy running back, returning Chris Evans, made his presence known as he had five carries for 19 yards and a touchdown, along with a catch for 10 yards.
Most of the ground game yardage came from the dynamic duo of last season in running backs, Zach Charbonnet and Hassan Haskins. Charbonnet helped the Wolverines get back in the game after an early hiccup, running 70 yards for a touchdown. He would finish the game with four carries for 70 yards and one touchdown. Haskins had six carries for 82 yards and two touchdowns. The running game was advertised to have multiple weapons, and it was shown tonight.
2. The offensive line looks solid
With four starters leaving for the NFL, Michigan was left with just one returning starter on the offensive line. Right tackle Jalen Mayfield was expected to lead this inexperienced group when the game began, but luckily for him, some of his new buddies along the line have started in games before.
Right guard Andrew Stueber started three games at right tackle in 2018 before he tore his ACL and missed the 2019 season. Ryan Hayes started the first two games of the 2019 season at left tackle while Jon Runyan Jr. was injured. Those two players would start, Hayes at left tackle and Stueber at right guard.
The other two new starters never had starting experience before in left guard Chuck Filiaga and center Andrew Vastardis were the new faces on the line, and overall the unit played well. Milton was sacked on the first drive of the game but could stay upright for the rest of the game and had time to throw a majority of his passes. They also helped open up holes for the running game. Overall this group didn’t appear to have multiple starters; they exceeded the expectations, and if they can continue this stellar play, it can be the difference-maker for the offense to put up 40+ points a week.
3. Joe Milton wasn’t flashy but got the job done
Michigan starting quarterback Joe Milton had a lot of hype coming into the 2020 season. With the cannon of an arm he has and how much he was putting in work during the off-season, Milton was seemed to have a chance of a big game opening week. While it wasn’t a monster game for Milton with few deep passes, he did a good job in his first start.
Milton finished the game going 15/22 for 225 yards and a touchdown, along with eight carries for 52 yards and a touchdown. His accuracy didn’t seem to be much of an issue as he overthrew two passes. The rest were just dropped balls or close catches. Milton used his legs more than was expected, and it helped confuse the Minnesota defense.
Every week you shouldn’t expect Milton to be throwing for over 300 or 400 yards along with three or more touchdowns. Milton doesn’t need to blow up the opposing defenses; he needs to make some plays and move the ball down the field as the running game seems to be how the Wolverines will score most of the points this year.
4. The defense could have gotten better
Last year was the worst year for the defense for the Wolverines under defensive coordinator Don Brown. Before 2019, Michigan repeatedly had a top-five defense. In 2019, they finished 10th. 10th was the worst they’ve had, and that’s still pretty good.
Michigan looked like they could be a top-five defense once again with the performance they had against Minnesota tonight. The Wolverines were able to get five sacks, force a fumble, and an interception. Minnesota was held to 326 yards of offense, and multiple times Michigan was bending but didn’t break.
The defense had multiple players step up and make plays for them tonight. Viper Michael Barrett played fantastically with seven total tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. Defensive end Kwity Paye finished with four total tackles, three tackles for loss, and two sacks. Defensive tackle Carlo Kemp made some big plays and finished with four total tackles, a tackle for loss, and a sack.
5. The delima at kicker needs to be handled fast
Something that wasn’t discussed much before the season began was the kicker battle between Jake Moody and Quinn Nordin. Both kickers were in a rotation last season before Nordin seemed to have taken over at the position to close out the season. Harbaugh never named either one the starter, so we weren’t sure who would start this season until the first field goal attempt would happen.
Moody was the first kicker on the field, and while he was 7/7 on extra-point attempts when it came to kicking field goals, he struggled heavily. His first attempt was 38 yards out, and it was not close as it was wide right. His next kick was further away at 48 yards, and while this one was more accurate, it still was off to the left. The final kick was 33 yards out, and while it was a bad snap, Moody still couldn’t make it. Every point matters in these games, and missing those aren’t what you want to see from your starting kicker in the first game.
Nordin never saw the field, and maybe he should be given a chance to kick field goals next week. Missing one kick doesn’t mean you should lose the starting job, but missing three in the first week, against a top 25 opponent on the road, should make it a question if you are the right guy. Whoever Michigan has out there next week needs to be the starting kicker for the rest of the season, as a rotation doesn’t cut it, and pulling a kicker every other week doesn’t help their confidence. Let the battle this week be for the rest of the season, without making it a week-by-week case.
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