ANN ARBOR, Mich. — All offseason, there had been questions about Michigan football’s wide receiving corps, but an insistence from those inside Schembechler Hall that the group was much better than people thought.
Well, through five games, the entirety of the passing game has been suspect — whether it’s either of the quarterbacks who have started this season, the pass protection, and certainly the wide receivers.
The one spoken of the most has been Tyler Morris, the junior who was expected to take on that Ronnie Bell role. Morris started last year in that role but saw little production. But with his speedy touchdown in the Rose Bowl against Alabama, you could see the potential.
Still, Morris says that he and his group are aware of their recent shortcomings and note that they definitely have to improve.
“I mean, there’s always room for improvement,” Morris said. “I think our biggest thing is just taking advantage of the opportunities that we do get. If we keep capitalizing on them, I think more opportunities to make plays will keep coming.”
As far as Morris scoring his second touchdown of his career, it was something of a sigh of relief. After the game, he shared how that play went down as well as his emotions upon returning into the land of production.
“It’s exciting, finally getting back in the end zone,” Morris said. “But yeah, just snuck behind the line, kind of, and saw that everybody already turned their back, so I knew I was probably getting the ball. And then he threw it, and I just tried to get to the end zone.”
Saturday will provide another chance to improve for the whole group. The Wolverines are heading on the road for the first time this year, the first true road trip since Nov. 2023 at Maryland. And Morris says it’s chance for the whole team to take the next step.
“I think it’s an opportunity for us to just come together again as a team, playing somewhere else,” Morris said. “Taking a trip and being in an environment where everybody’s against us. I think that’s fun. I like playing in away games. So, I think we’ll definitely be excited for it.”
Michigan and Washington will kick off at 7:30 p.m. EDT at Husky Stadium in Seattle. The game will be nationally broadcast on NBC.