Michigan football is halfway through the 2024 season and is looking for answers on both sides of the ball. But the more alarming side is on offense, where there’s been next to no passing game all season.
Enter Jack Tuttle, the seventh-year man who is healthy for the first time this year. He entered in the second quarter against Washington and immediately engineered three straight scoring drives — the first time we’ve seen that type of consistent play on offense all season long. Though drives stagnated after that and turnovers reared their ugly head, once again, suddenly Tuttle’s insertion gives the Wolverines some hope that they can pull things together for what looks to be a brutal stretch in the final six games of the season.
With Tuttle looking to start for the maize and blue for the first time after transferring from Indiana prior to the 2023 season, running back Kalel Mullings shared what the offense needs to do now that Tuttle will be leading the charge.
“The second half of the Washington game, we were able to move the ball for a little bit but we still need to find ways to continue to be consistent,” Mullings said. “That’s, in my opinion, that’s one of our biggest problems, is just sustaining drives. We were able to do that for spurts but when push came to shove, there was still some stagnant time. So still attacking it, still trying to improve that in order to be the best we can be.”
But why has Michigan been inconsistent? What has been the issue that’s led to so many stalled drives?
Mullings says that the offense isn’t doing enough on the early downs to give the team a chance on third down. He feels like if they can have more success on first and second down that the Wolverines will have a better opportunity to sustain drives.
“In my opinion, I feel like it’s winning second down — winning first and second down,” Mullings said. ” I feel like if we can get it to third-and-short, knowing Coach Moore will probably go for it on fourth if we don’t get it. So as long as we can just find ways to win first and second down and get to that third-and-short, then we’ll be able to just sustain drives, get that third-and-short, get the first down and keep it rolling.”
Of course, if the passing game takes off, that would mean less carries for Mullings and the tailbacks. However, that’s a sacrifice that Mullings is eagerly willing to make so long as it works.
Because Michigan needs to find ways to move the ball through the air — at least enough to keep defenses honest.
“Obviously, that’s our identity. A huge part of our identity is running the ball,” Mullings said. “But football is football, we got to be able to do everything. And as backs, as football players, we just look to do our jobs. And we can’t really help what defense we’re playing against. We’re just trying to do the best we can. But definitely finding more consistency through throwing the ball will definitely pay off in the throwing game, in the run game as well.
“So it’s great to always be able to run the ball and have that ball and have that, but the same time, it’s also nice to have a bit of both, and be able to open things up, take the roof off the defense every once in a while. They’re gonna have their safeties down, have their linebackers running up.”