Tag: 2019 Michigan Wolverines

Tru Wilson enters NCAA Transfer Portal

Michigan football running back Tru Wilson announced he is transferring from Michigan and has entered the NCAA transfer portal.

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The running back room in 2020 just got a little smaller. With Zach Charbonnet and Hassan Haskins returning next year, and Chris Evans returning after getting suspended for the 2019 season due to academics, Michigan was looked at getting stronger at the position in 2020. Now they are taking a blow in the room.

After being in Ann Arbor for four years, running back Tru Wilson announced on Twitter he will graduate and transfer for a final year of eligibility. He is the second player today to announce that they are transferring from Michigan as defensive back Jaylen Kelly-Powell announced he was transferring too.

The former walk-on running back received a scholarship back in 2018, after impressing coaches in the spring camp as he competed with Evans, and former starting running back Karan Higdon. He would play in just one game in 2016 and didn’t play at all in 2017, but 2018 is when he saw his time on the field increase, playing in all 13 games.

2019 Wilson was named the starting running back by head coach Jim Harbaugh at the Big Ten Media Days in July but never ended up starting this season. He saw a reduction in his playing time this year, appearing in just eight games as Charbonnet and Haskins started outperforming him and proving their worth on the field.

In his time at Michigan, Wilson ran 107 times for 586 yards and two touchdowns, along with eight catches for 48 yards.

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Michigan football defense grades from the 2019 season

Michigan football ended its 2019 season 9-4. The defense wasn’t as good as year’s past but was better than most projected. How’d they do?

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2019 was a big year for Michigan’s defensive coordinator Don Brown. He has lost talented players before and simply reloaded, but this year was tougher. A lot of new players would start for him, and with two new defensive coaches underneath him, after both linebackers coach Al Washington and defensive line coach Greg Mattison left for Ohio State. Harbaugh would bring in Anthony Campanile from Boston College to coach the linebackers, and Shaun Nua from Arizona State to coach the defensive line.

The 2019 Michigan football defense was better than most people projected. Headed into the season Brown’s group wasn’t getting the respect they deserved. Even with new starters across the board and new coaches, they still had loads of talent and deserved to be a top-10 defense.

The defense would see new starters at every level. Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson would get to start after waiting for his turn. Linebacker Khaleke Hudson sought out to redeem his poor 2018 season. Cornerback Lavert Hill would be the top cornerback alongside Ambry Thomas and Vincent Gray. Michigan would also get to see five-star freshman safety Daxton Hill debut.

Special Teams even had an interesting battle at kicker between Quinn Nordin and Jake Moody as last season ended with a debacle between who would start.

While the defense did better than expected, in the end, it just wasn’t enough as they couldn’t slow down the offenses of Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Alabama. They were given a tough challenge of Army early on in the season too and needed double overtime to take down the Black Knights

With that said, it’s time to review how each position, including head coach and coordinators, did in the 2019 season. I already broke down the offense earlier as it’s the defenses turn to get graded on their performance.

Defensive Line: C

Michigan’s defensive ends would see some new faces start for them. Aidan Hutchinson would be one of them and his sophomore season was a good one, finishing with 69 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, six pass deflections, three and a half sacks, and three forced fumbles. His partner in crime, and the other new starting defensive end, was Kwity Paye, who finished the season with 50 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and six and a half sacks.

While the ends were performing well, the defensive tackles are where Michigan had some trouble creating pressure. Carlo Kemp would be one of the starters and finished with 40 total tackles, four and a half tackles for loss, two sacks, and a fumble recovery. Michael Dwumfour would be playing through an injury for most of the season according to Dwumfour, and his play was affected greatly, finishing with just nine total tackles, two pass deflections, one and a half tackles for loss and just half a sack in the seven games he played in.

The depth behind the players wasn’t as rich as years past. Defensive tackle Chris Hinton would play in Dwumfours absence and didn’t have much production either, finishing with just 10 total tackles and half a tackle for loss. Defensive end Mike Danna, a transfer from Central Michigan, would play and help out with his veteran presence, finishing with 38 total tackles, three tackles for loss, three sacks, and a forced fumble. Defensive end Luiji Vilan would finally see the field after missing two seasons with injuries, and he had seven total tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, and a forced fumble this year.

Linebacker: B
Josh Uche would continue to build himself up for the NFL, finishing the season with 33 total tackles, 10.5 tackle for loss, team-high seven and a half sacks, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, and a pass deflection. Devin Gil saw a step back in playtime, only appearing in six games and finishing with nine total tackles and a half a tackle for loss.
The biggest thing about the group this year was the emergence of Cam McGrone. Josh Ross was starting before him and finished the year with 18 total tackles in just three games before getting injured. McGrone stepped in for Ross and ever since then Ross hasn’t seen the field, despite being healthy enough to play. McGrone finished the year with 65 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, two and a half sacks, one forced fumble, and a pass deflection.
Cornerback: B-

Michigan got a boost for its secondary this year with Lavert Hill deciding to return for his senior year last year, and it ended up being the right choice in the end. Hill finished the year with 16 total tackles, nine pass deflections, three interceptions, and a tackle for loss. While it wasn’t an eye-popping season, he still overall played well.

The real star was Ambry Thomas, who overcame colitis in August, after not knowing when he’d return, and had a huge sophomore season, finishing with 38 total tackles, three tackles for loss, three pass deflections, and three interceptions, along with two fumble recoveries. With Thomas moving up to second-string, Vincent Gray would be moved up to third and overall had a quiet season. He finished with 20 total tackles, five pass deflections, and a tackle and a half for loss.

Safety: B-

Safety Josh Metellus made the right choice in returning to Michigan in 2019 for his senior year also, as he had a career-high 74 total tackles this season, along with five pass deflections, four tackles for loss, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery. Brad Hawkins was his original starting partner, finishing the season with 53 total tackles, and a pass deflection. An injury to Hawkins would force him to miss some time, but in the meantime, his playing time would get reduced due to five-star freshman Daxton Hill taking over in his absence.

Hill had an interesting year. While he would start the year on special teams, with Hawkins injury he moved towards defense and his role at safety. While Hill didn’t blow up the stat sheet like many were hoping for, along with showing signs of being a freshman, he was able to impress during his playtime. He had 36 total tackles, three pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, and an interception.

Now onto the special teams and coaching…
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Michigan football offense grades from the 2019 season

Michigan football ended their season 9-4 with some big losses in big games. When looking at the offense, how did everything go?

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Headed into the 2019 season for Michigan there was a lot of hype around the team, more than it ever it seemed like. They were favorites to win the Big Ten Championship with Ohio State losing their head coach Urban Meyer and replaced with Ryan Day. They hired Josh Gattis from Alabama to be their offensive coordinator and preached “Speed in Space” all off-season long.

Michigan got quarterback Shea Patterson back for his senior year. After deciding to return to Michigan for another year, Patterson brought back leadership and experience. The biggest return besides Patterson was the healthy trio of wide receivers in Donovan Peoples-Jones, Nico Collins, and Tarik Black. They would look to dominate for the first time together as a group and with this new offense, they could excel their abilities.

While those two positions looked strong, the running back room looked questionable. With Chris Evans getting suspended for the entire season due to academics, Michigan lost their best receiving running back, and one that was fast and shifty, making defenders left and right miss. They would have to rely on the youth that had never really played for the Wolverines yet. The offensive line would be filled with veteran starters except for right tackle as that battle was between Jalen Mayfield and Andrew Steuber, and it looked to be head coach Jim Harbaugh’s best group of guys he’s ever had.

Overall it was looked at a great chance for the Wolverines to finally claim the top spot in the Big Ten, yet, they finished the season 9-4. They beat Michigan State in back-to-back years for the first time since 2006-2007 and got revenge on Notre Dame from the loss in 2018. But when it came to taking on Wisconsin, Penn State, Ohio State, and even Alabama, Michigan couldn’t figure out how to get the job done.

With that said, it’s time to review how each position, including head coach and coordinators, did in the 2019 season, starting with the offense. While it wasn’t the result that everyone wanted, there are still some positives to take away from the 2019 season as the 2020 season is the next focus.

Quarterback: B+

Patterson had his final season in Ann Arbor be the best one he’s ever had. While he wasn’t in the Heisman conversation or blowing up the stat sheet, Patterson overall had a good year. His struggles with fumbling were the main issue in the first half of the season and it was a serious issue for him that was hurting the team. He did have some accuracy issues as well, overthrowing open wide receivers, or making some questionable throws into coverage.

The second half of the season though, his fumbling issues were almost gone, and he started clicking with his receivers on some big plays. Patterson finished the year going 214/381 with a 56.2 completion percentage for 3,061 yards with 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions, along with 87 carries for 50 yards and five touchdowns. The completion percentage was his worst since his freshman year at Ole Miss, and while he is to blame for some of the issues, there were games where the ball would be right where it needed to be and the wide receivers couldn’t hold onto the football.

Patterson was inconsistent at times and that’s not what you can be when it’s time to play in the big games. Either way, Patterson did all he could and in the end, it wasn’t enough to push Michigan to the next level.

The backups got some action this year. Backup Dylan McCaffrey went 10/20 with a 50 percent completion percentage for 116 yards and a touchdown, along with 13 carries for 67 yards and a touchdown. Third-string Joe Milton went 3/7 with a 42.9 completion percentage for 59 yards with a touchdown and an interception, along with five carries for 16 yards and a touchdown. These two will duke it out over the offseason this year and battle for the starting rights in 2020.

Running Back: B

With Evans suspended, that left freshman Zach Charbonnet as the projected starter, but he would have to earn it. Harbaugh named Tru Wilson the starter at the Big Ten Media Days, but Wilson would never start. Charbonnet would eventually start, but as the season progressed, that job went to Hassan Haskins. Those three running backs, along with Christian Turner, would see some playing time, but it was Charbonnet and Haskins who ended up being the best of the group.

Charbonnet finished the season as the leading rusher with 149 carries for 726 yards and 14 touchdowns, along with eight catches for 30 yards. Charbonnet would have some wear and tear heading into the season coming off a minor surgery on his knee in March and he would be limited after a few games into the season, but he’d play in every game. He had the best season as a freshman running back in school history since Mike Hart back in 2004. Charbonnet has a bright future with a full off-season to prepare for the 2020 season and without going to surgery.

Haskins finished the season with 121 carries for 622 yards and four touchdowns, along with six catches for 40 yards. Haskins took advantage of the time Charbonnet was limited and forced himself to be involved with the offense more. His involvement will be interesting next season with Evans returning.

Wilson would get involved with the running game still, finishing with 44 carries for 221 yards and a touchdown, along with two catches for 14 yards. Turner, a player projected to compete for the starting running back job, only played in eight games and was pushed down the depth chart with others out-performing him. He finished the year with 44 carries for 171 yards and a touchdown, along with four catches for 13 yards.

Wide Receiver: B-

The wide receivers at Michigan were projected to have a big year in the new offense, along with the others as it fits their style and it could help them open up some lanes for the running backs as well. In the end, they weren’t as explosive as they’d like to be, but it took six games to get things to click and when things are clicking, this offense is putting up points easily.

Peoples-Jones would somewhat regress in the offense, getting only 34 catches for 438 yards and six touchdowns, along with 24 punt returns for 173 yards. 2018 saw more catches, yards, touchdowns, return yards and even a punt return touchdown for Peoples-Jones. While Peoples-Jones took a small step back, Collins improved off his sophomore campaign. Collins finished the season with 37 catches for 729 yards and seven touchdowns.

Collins and Peoples-Jones were the big two wide receivers, but Black was the third piece that has been limited since arriving in Ann Arbor in 2017 as he’s dealt with two separate foot injuries that held him to just six games the past two seasons. Black would play in 11 games this year, but his play seemed to have taken a hit, along with others around him emerging, his playtime would be limited, finishing with just 25 catches for 323 yards and a touchdown.

One of the biggest wide receivers to play big this season was Ronnie Bell, who finished as the leading receiver in yards and catches, with 47 catches for 747 yards and a touchdown. Three freshman wide receivers got involved with the offense as well, showing the future is bright at the position. Giles Jackson had nine catches for 142 yards with one touchdown, along with 10 carries for 69 yards and a touchdown. Mike Sainristil had eight catches for 145 yards and a touchdown, while Cornelius Johnson had four catches for 61 yards and a touchdown.

The biggest flaw for the group this year was dropping catches. Some of the drops were due to good hits by the defense, others were wide open and the ball would drop out of their hands. They couldn’t hold onto the football when they needed it most sometimes and that is not what you want to see when down and trying to move the ball down the field.

Tight End: C+

With the change of the offense, the tight ends wouldn’t be used as much in the passing game as their blocking was more of the focus to help the running game get extra help. Senior Sean McKeon’s final season was this year and he finished with 13 catches for 235 yards and two touchdowns. Nick Eubanks was used more as the receiver with 26 catches for 254 yards and four touchdowns.

Some of the blocking by both men was inconsistent, as one week they’d do well, the other they’d miss and struggle. With the offense not using the tight ends as much, they became less of an offensive weapon and more of a blocker, which opened up doors for more wide receivers to get in on the receiving action.

Offensive Line: A-

The lone position to get an A this season, the offensive line was the strongest it’s been at Michigan in a very long time. While Michigan would be without starting left tackle Jon Runyan Jr. for the first two games, backup Ryan Hayes did well in his place and will certainly be a starter or close to it next season. Left guard Ben Bredeson had another solid season, starting center Cesar Ruiz was great once again, and he declared for the draft after another great year, and starting right guard Michael Onwenu was huge once again.

The big battle at right tackle between Andrew Stueber and Jalen Mayfield ended before the season started as Stueber tore his ACL. Mayfield would play well as the starting right tackle and will look to defend his job in 2020 as Stueber returns and will be looking to start at that position or left tackle, possibly even at guard too.

When reviewing the season as a whole, the coaches got to get involved too…
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Michigan football grades from VRBO Citrus Bowl loss against Alabama

Michigan football lost to Alabama in the VRBO Citrus Bowl 35-16. How did each position grade out in the season finale?

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It wasn’t the way the Wolverines wanted to end their 2019 season, but against Alabama in the VRBO Citrus Bowl, they lost 35-16. It wasn’t a playoff game between the two programs, but it was still a prime bowl game for both teams.

Michigan had the lead at halftime 16-14, but they weren’t able to muster up any kind of offense in the second half against the Crimson Tide. The defense had trouble trying to stop the mighty offense from Alabama, and while they contained it at first, they couldn’t hold them back in the end. Check out below how each position was graded on their performance in the loss yesterday.

OFFENSE

Quarterback: C+

Shea Patterson didn’t play well in his final game as a Michigan Wolverine. He finished 17/37 for 233 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, along with a fumble that was luckily recovered by the offense. He overthrew some passes to wide receivers that were wide open. He also didn’t have help sometimes as he would make some good throws to his receivers, but they couldn’t come down with it.

He took three sacks, which is a blessing as the Michigan offensive line helped him greatly. He did all he could to avoid pressure, but he just didn’t have it in him to play to his best abilities. Michigan needed the passing game to work, and with Patterson struggling it didn’t make anything easier for the offense.

Running Back: B

While the passing game was suffering, the running game was getting some action on the ground. Zach Charbonnet led the team in yards with 84 on 13 carries. Hassan Haskins got the start, but wasn’t as successful as Charbonnet, getting 61 yards on 18 carries.

The offensive line helped create good running lanes for both running backs, but they also broke some big tackles to gain extra yardage. Once Alabama started shutting down the running game though, Michigan’s offense crumbled.

Wide Receiver: C-

Donovan Peoples-Jones and Nico Collins both have to decide within the next 18 days on if they are going to the NFL or returning to Michigan for their senior year. Collins played well with four catches for 48 yards, but Peoples-Jones only could get one catch for 34 yards. That kind of performance won’t help his draft stock if he plans on declaring for the NFL.

The other wide receivers did well but also struggled with drops. Ronnie Bell had four catches for 53 yards, and Giles Jackson had four catches for a team-high 57 yards. Mike Sainristil had only one catch for eight yards. Overall the receivers couldn’t get much separation from the Alabama secondary and with drops all around the board, they weren’t helping out much either.

Tight End: B-

Nick Eubanks was the lone player to score on offense as he finished the game with two catches for 14 yards and a touchdown. The blocking by him and Sean McKeon was average and it was able to help out Patterson when he was faced with pressure.

Offensive Line: B+

The best unit on the offense was the offensive line hands down. While they let Patterson get sacked three times, they gave him a lot of time to throw the football. Even with the extra time, Patterson was forced to make some tough throws as the wide receivers couldn’t figure out how to get open.

Starting center Cesar Ruiz will have to decide his future at Michigan as well within the next 18 days. His loss would be a big blow to a unit that is already losing three starters, but his return to the school would help others develop and prepare to start on both sides of him.

Now onto the defense and special teams…
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Shea Patterson’s legacy at Michigan will forever be shadowed by lavish hatred

Michigan football starting quarterback Shea Patterson lost his final collegiate game, what was his legacy in Ann Arbor?

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It’s the end of the 2017 season and Michigan just finished their season 8-5 with a loss to South Carolina. The quarterback position is a revolving door with Wilton Speight, John O’Korn, and Brandon Petters all starting throughout the season.

Heading into 2018 and with O’Korn graduating, the job would be between Speight and Peters, until Shea Patterson from Ole Miss arrives and suddenly shakes up the competition. Speight would transfer to UCLA and finish his collegiate career there and Peters would lose the backup job to Dylan McCaffrey and after the 2018 season, he would transfer to Illinois.

Before he even stepped on the field in Ann Arbor, everyone around the university and around the Michigan football fandom was excited to see what Patterson could do for the maize and blue.

While many people were excited for him, I was on the fence about his arrival in Ann Arbor and didn’t think he was the right fit for the Wolverines. He didn’t seem like a Jim Harbaugh type of quarterback.

Boy, was I wrong.

But while my respect for Patterson started to grow, others’ respect for him started to shrink and by the end of the 2018 season, it diminished. 2019 started off horrible for Patterson, and it only fueled the rage inside the fans that were against him.

While Patterson never had the Heisman season everyone wanted, and he never brought Michigan a conference or national championship, he still did great during his time in Ann Arbor.

In just two seasons, Patterson threw for 424 completions (eighth all-time in Michigan history), 5,661 yards (seventh all-time in Michigan history, one spot above Jim Harbaugh), and 45 touchdowns (sixth all-time in Michigan history) in his career.

His 2019 season was his best year ever, throwing 214 completions (sixth all-time in Michigan history for a season, tying Tom Brady twice), 3,061 yards (second all-time in Michigan history for a season), and 23 touchdowns (fourth all-time in Michigan history for a season tying Chad Henne).

He did all of that in just two years at Michigan. If he had another year or two? He could be top three in career passing yards, completions, and probably fourth in touchdowns. While that doesn’t mean he’d be the best quarterback of all-time at Michigan, he’d be shown as one of the best to ever suit up.

Patterson though didn’t end his Michigan career like he wanted too. He went 17-for-37 for 233 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Patterson certainly didn’t play his best game, with passes too high or overthrown to his wide receivers, but he wasn’t the lone issue in the loss today. His wide receivers had some big drops, the running game could’ve closed out better, the defense could have tried to stop Alabama better. Everyone could have played better.

Patterson just wanted to embrace his team and the University of Michigan as he played his final game for the Wolverines and he knows he didn’t do his best today.

“Not sure how to feel,” Patterson said. “I just try to embrace everything. The last half, trying to enjoy my teammates. Just proud to be a Michigan quarterback. As far as anything else, I just wanted to enjoy my teammates over the last couple of days I was with them.”

“I didn’t play my best,” Patterson said. “Missed a few throws. I felt like I didn’t make enough plays. Not my best game.”

While the skillset isn’t the same, Patterson could be compared to the Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford. Both have played the best they could with the situation they were in, and while Stafford’s situation has been much worse than Patterson’s, both have a vocal minority that doesn’t respect what they’ve done in their time with their respective teams.

No, I am not saying Patterson has a cannon of an arm like Stafford and will be the number one overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He simply hasn’t gotten the respect from everyone despite being a quarterback who has done a lot for his team and deserves the respect. His records show how good he was, and just a short span of time, but because he didn’t win the titles he’s looked down upon.

Sure winning is the main goal, but is winning a team game solely on just one player? No matter the sport it takes a team to win, sure having better players around make it easier, but to put all the blame on him is just flat out wrong. Maybe more time at Michigan would have done him even better. That’s something nobody will ever know.

But in the end, after years have gone by, maybe people will realize just how good Patterson was for Michigan football. He certainly wasn’t the greatest quarterback in Michigan history, but he simply deserves the respect as one of the best to ever do it and one that nobody will ever forget.

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Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan teams are great, but need something to turn elite

Michigan football lost to Alabama in the VRBO Citrus Bowl 35-16. What does Jim Harbaugh have to do to make Michigan elite?

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Five years ago it was the best news any Michigan football fan could ask for. Its former starting quarterback-turned-head coach Jim Harbaugh was coming back home to coach the football team.

Michigan had been struggling with former head coaches Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke, but Harbaugh was going to change that. Those two coaches only beat Ohio State once and got one BCS bowl win, but zero Big Ten championships and zero National Championships, surely Harbaugh would do better.

Well, not so fast my friend.

While Harbaugh has improved Michigan and gotten them back to being a contender in almost every season, he brought them up from mediocre to great. His first season he went 10-3 and won a bowl game, and that is not what anyone expected. The process in people’s minds was going to be a two-three year rebuild before Michigan could get 10 wins, but that expectation was better than anyone thought and suddenly, it meant getting more than 10 wins was the goal next season.

The goal for every team each year is to improve from last season, everyone knows that. So if Harbaugh comes in and year one gets 10 wins, 11 or more is certainly possible, right? Wrong.

Harbaugh’s coaching record at Michigan is 47-18 and that’s an impressive record, but it just isn’t enough.

Harbaugh has led Michigan to three 10-3 seasons, a 9-4 season this year, and an 8-5 record back in 2017. Those are winning records and something to be happy about, but those aren’t the records anyone expected five years into the Harbaugh effect. More is expected at Michigan as well.

He hasn’t beaten Ohio State, hasn’t won a Big Ten Championship title, appeared or won a College Football Playoff game or a National Championship. Out of the five bowl games he’s been in, he only won the debut in 2015. Lost to Florida State in 2016, South Carolina in 2017, Florida in 2018, and now Alabama in 2019.

Harbaugh was brought in to help rebuild Michigan, and while he’s rebuilt them to being a tough team again, they just aren’t taking that next step. They are a great team, but they aren’t elite. They aren’t up there with Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, LSU, even Oklahoma. What’s the issue? That is something nobody has the answer to, not even Harbaugh himself.

At first, it seemed like it was the offense so Harbaugh hired Josh Gattis as the new offensive coordinator and while the start of the year was rough, the team seemed to have figured things out as the season progressed. The offense has changed and the recruiting is focusing on players that fit into that offense. Overall, that change won’t happen and I don’t think people want that to change.

Could it possibly be the defensive coordinator Don Brown? His defenses have been top-notch, finishing in the top three since arriving in 2016 and continued through 2018, and is currently ranked seventh without today’s game getting accounted for. But when it comes time to perform in big games, the defense (along with the offense sometimes as well) seems to crumble under pressure and can’t get past the big hurdle. Could that be the issue?

Maybe it’s with recruiting and the type of players he gets? Since 2015, Harbaugh’s recruiting class rankings have been 37th, 8th, 5th, 22nd, 8th, and 12th. Those aren’t horrible, but excluding the two months he had in 2015 and finished with the 37th ranking, he’s averaged an 11th ranked recruiting class. He doesn’t get many five-stars to come to Michigan and one way to get better is to land those five-stars, along with developing the four and three-stars into playing more than their ranking.

Harbaugh has to make some changes to his team and his program. He did it last year and while they regressed, they still did make some progress, but it feels like they are back to where they were last January. This isn’t how the end of year five is supposed to feel. Michigan is still a winning program, but what do they need to do to get back into the spotlight?

For now, Harbaugh feels like his team is trending in a positive direction, despite having regressed in the win-loss column.

“Well, I feel good about (the young players),” Harbaugh said after the VRBO Citrus Bowl. “I feel good about some of the young players that got great experiences this season and, you know, them getting their opportunity, going to work on that. I mean — this season just ended ten minutes ago, so ‑‑ but I know I’m going to be excited about (the future).”

Could Harbaugh be the problem in the end? Don’t expect him to leave for the NFL or any other coaching position, that will not be happening. But sooner or later he is going to have to win something meaningful.

Beating SMU, Western Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, those can only get you so far. Beating teams like Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Penn State are where you can see actual progress. Then taking down the elite teams you play like Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson, LSU, and Oklahoma are where you know you’ve made it.

Harbaugh has made changes to his coaching staff when it comes to secondary coaches, then the offense, and while he didn’t force the defensive changes back in 2016, he might have to make one soon. Harbaugh is only going to be given so much time and changes to make things the way they should be before he’s out of chances and time. Eventually, if he isn’t able to fully do what he was brought to do at Michigan, then his time will run out.

For now, he’s here and will have to go back to the drawing board in 2020 to figure out what went wrong and what he has to do to fix it. Will any changes happen to the coaching staff? Will he change his coaching style? Will he recruit differently? 2020 is another year to figure out what the problem is, and even if Michigan is able to do just one elite thing next year, like beat Ohio State, or win the Big Ten Championship, that’ll be true progress.

Michigan is back to being great, but they just aren’t elite yet. Being elite wins you the big games. Being elite wins you titles. The time for Michigan to be elite has to be soon, or else mediocrity continue to be normalcy in Ann  Arbor.

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5 Takeaways from Michigan’s 35-16 loss against Alabama

Michigan football lost against Alabama in the VRBO Citrus Bowl 35-16. Here are my five takeaways from the final game of the season.

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The matchup people have wanted to see for years finally happened. Jim Harbaugh vs. Nick Saban. Michigan took on Alabama in the VRBO Citrus Bowl and while a lot of people were expecting a blowout, the game was closer in the end, and Michigan was on the losing end of the game, losing 35-16.

The high power offense of Alabama was somewhat contained, but their defense stepped up big in stopping the Wolverines offense. Michigan’s offense had some moments of big plays, while their defense did the best they can to slow down the Crimson Tide passing game.

Check out my five takeaways from the 35-16 loss against Alabama

1. Michigan’s Secondary did the best it could against Alabama’s wide receivers

Coming into this game, the biggest talking point between Michigan and Alabama was the battle between the Alabama wide receivers and the Michigan defensive backs. Alabama’s top three wide receivers put up 2,878 yards and 29 catches for 174 catches this season. Michigan had to somehow slow that down and while it wasn’t pretty, they did the best they could.

The top wide receiver on the team, DeVonta Smith had three catches for 56 yards and a touchdown. The projected first wide receiver to get drafted in the 2020 NFL draft Jerry Jeudy had a great game, getting six catches for 204 yards and a touchdown. The third best receiver on the team, Henry Ruggs III had only two catches for 27 yards and left the game early with an injury.

Overall Michigan held those three to 287 yards and two touchdowns on 11 catches. That isn’t great by any means, but those numbers are as good as you can do against that trio from the Crimson Tide. They had a lot to overcome, but it was just too much for them in the end.

2. Zach Charbonnet leading the charge into Sophomore season

Michigan freshman running back Zach Charbonnet had an impressive freshman year, rushing for 726 yards and 11 touchdowns. He finished the season with 84 yards on 13 carries against Alabama today. Next season, Chris Evans will return after being suspended for the 2019 season and he will be the main receiving back for the Wolverines.

Hassan Haskins will be back, along with Christian Turner and you can’t forget about incoming freshman Blake Corum. The running back room that was questionable heading into the season will now be vastly improved and Charbonnet has to be the leading back when the season begins.

He’s not going to be an every-down back, even though he could be. While he won’t, he deserves to be the starter next season. He has been the best running back Michigan has had since Mike Hart and needs to be a focal point for the group next season.

3. Michigan’s offensive line was the biggest difference for the offense

Michigan’s offensive line was the difference-maker when they were on the field today. The running game was able to get some good gashes on the Alabama defense and open up the passing game. The passing game needed some time to develop, which it was able to with the help of the offensive line.

Patterson did get sacked three times, and while that isn’t good, that’s the best they were able to do with the time they were giving Patterson. Patterson didn’t have his best day, finishing the game going 17/37 for 233 yards with a touchdown, and two interceptions, but it could’ve been worse if the offensive didn’t play as hard as they did.

The offensive line deserves to be the MVP for the offense in this game as, without them, Michigan wouldn’t have been able to move the ball on the ground or give Patterson time to help the passing game. The receivers needed time to get open and the offensive line did that for them.

4. Donovan Peoples-jones didn’t show much to scouts in today’s game

Michigan wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones is a junior and is able to declare for the NFL draft this season. He has been projected as a second-third round wide receiver in multiple mock drafts and hasn’t announced what his decision is going to be just yet.

College football players have until January 20 to decide whether they are going back to school or entering the NFL, so Peoples-Jones still has 19 days to make up his mind, and after today’s performance, he probably didn’t impress many scouts.

Peoples-Jones finished the game with only one catch for 34 yards. His career at Michigan so far has been 102 catches for 1,293 yards and 14 touchdowns, along with 88 punt returns for 745 yards and two touchdowns. Peoples-Jones has time to make his mind up, but this game didn’t seem to help his draft stock much and might have hurt it.

5. The defense rebounded better in 2019 than 2018

After getting embarrassed by Ohio State last season 62-39, Michigan rebounded with another embarrassing loss in their bowl game to Florida, losing 41-15. This year, Michigan lost to Ohio State 56-27 and didn’t get beat down as bad as it was projected.

The defense did allow 480 yards and 35 points. Last year when playing Florida they allowed 427 yards and 41 points. While it wasn’t that big of an overall difference, this offense by Alabama is better than what Florida’s offense had last year and holding them to fewer points on more yards is

Michigan’s defense did the best that they could against this high-power Alabama offense. They weren’t going to shut them out or force them to change up their style of offense. They had to just hope they could go pound-for-pound with the Crimson Tide and in the end, it just wasn’t enough.

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Halftime Analysis of No. 13 Alabama vs No. 14 Michigan

It’s halftime in the VRBO Citrus Bowl and Michigan is up 16-14 against Alabama. What’s going the Wolverines way and what isn’t so far?

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Coming off their 56-27 beatdown from Ohio State, Michigan is looking to finish their 2019 season on a high note with an upset over the Alabama Crimson Tide. Michigan is looking for their 10th win of the season, the fourth 10-win season under the five years head coach Jim Harbaugh has been at Michigan. Alabama is 10-2 coming in with close losses to LSU and Auburn, with their chance to finish their season 11-2, or possibly 10-3, which would be their worst record since 2010.

Starting the game, Michigan had wide receiver Giles Jackson returned the opening kickoff 50 yards to midfield. The offense would stall out and get only two yards, punting the ball away on the first series. Alabama would respond with a bang, as quarterback Mac Jones found wide receiver Jerry Jeudy for an 85-yard touchdown pass and the Crimson Tide took the 7-0 lead.

Both teams would punt once again, then on Michigan’s third offensive possession, they would finally get a spark as the running game started to move the ball as the wide receivers couldn’t get much separation from the Alabama secondary. They would finish the drive with a seven-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Shea Patterson to tight end Nick Eubanks and Michigan tied the game at seven.

Alabama couldn’t do much on their following drive and had to punt again, and Michigan would keep on scoring. While it wasn’t a touchdown, Michigan was able to move down the field again and kicker Quinn Nordin would make a 36-yard field goal to take the 10-7.

Once again Alabama wasn’t able to get much of the offense rolling and was forced to punt. Michigan had some issues on offense but still was able to fight through the penalties they got on themselves. They could have possibly been able to keep fighting for more yards, but an illegal touching penalty killed them on third down and once again Michigan would have to kick a field goal. Nordin would make a 42-yard field goal to make it 13-7 Michigan.

Alabama would drive down the field, with some help from the Michigan defense as they had two penalties that extended the drive for the Crimson Tide. The drive would finish with a nine-yard touchdown run by running back Najee Harris to give Alabama the 14-13 lead.

Michigan wouldn’t finish the half quietly though, as they would get a first down on a crucial fourth and short play. While they couldn’t get further down the field, Nordin would barely make a 57-yard field goal and the Wolverines have the lead at halftime 16-14.

POSITIVES:

  • The ground game was working for the Wolverines, with running back Zach Charbonnet getting 10 carries for 73 yards. Running back Hassan Haskins got the start but hasn’t been able to do too much, getting 11 carries for 47 yards.
  • The offensive line has been giving Patterson time for most of the game. That has been huge for the offense as the receivers are needing time to separate themselves from the Alabama secondary players. The offensive line needs to keep Patterson upright and creating holes for the running backs as they have been the biggest difference so far today.

NEGATIVES:

  • While the Michigan secondary has been containing the Alabama wide receivers, the one they haven’t been able to contain well is Jeudy. He has four catches for 132 yards with a touchdown. While it is negative, the fact that Michigan is only letting one of the Alabama wide receivers play well instead of two or three of them is positive. Still, if the secondary can even slow down Jeudy somewhat, their defense has a better chance of keeping them in this game.
  • On the second touchdown drive for Alabama, Michigan had two penalties that kept Alabama alive, pass interference and a roughing the passer. Besides that drive, they have been doing well when it comes to not having penalties called on them. If Michigan didn’t hurt themselves on that drive, they could have held Alabama to three points, possibly zero. Those are when penalties are huge and can change up a game.
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What Alabama is saying about Michigan before their matchup

Michigan football takes on Alabama in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day. What has the Crimson Tide said about the Wolverines so far?

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In their first-ever matchup, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh takes on Alabama’s head coach Nick Saban. This is a matchup people have wanted to see for years and one that people thought would happen in a College Football Playoff game. While it isn’t on center stage, it’s still on New Year’s Day and in a solid bowl game.

Either way, Saban and his coaching staff and players got to prepare for what Harbaugh and his team will throw at them. Alabama is already out two starters as cornerback Trevon Diggs and linebacker Terrell Lewis have already declared for the NFL draft and will not be playing in the Citrus Bowl. Michigan won’t have any players sitting out to help their NFL draft stock, but some will miss the game due to injuries.

“This is an opportunity to enhance a player’s future by playing really well, and maybe improving their draft status,” Saban said. “That’s what we’ll emphasize to our older players on the team, and they’ll all have a choice to make. But when you have guys that don’t play in bowl games, and they do play in the playoffs, that in and of itself tells you the view of the players in terms of how they look at the bowl game.”

Another talking point about this game is Michigan offensive coordinator and former Alabama co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Josh Gattis. How will his knowledge of the Crimson Tide team help the Wolverines will be something to watch, and Saban had nothing but positives to say about his former colleague.

“I think Josh has done a really, really good job with their offensive team,” Saban said. “They present a lot of problems for you. They’ve got great balance. They can run the ball. They’ve got a good offensive line. They’ve got a good, young back. The quarterback has played well for them. He can make all the throws. They use the RPOs. But I think the balance that they have on offense, the formation variables that they use, the things that they make you adjust to are difficult things to prepare for, and it’s good that we have a little extra time. But I think their offense has been very effective for them this year.”

When looking at how this win can help Alabama, Saban noted what it means for his team and the program itself. Not many people see a point in a bowl game and some see it as a dangerous game for players that have a chance to get drafted in the NFL. Others see it as a learning experience for young players and more, despite it not being for the National Championship.

“Just how crafty they are,” Smith said. “They can switch it up. They can be physical. They can be patient and adjust in the things that they do. They switch it up, keep you guessing, and have you just wondering, like, ‘OK, what is he going to do this time?'”
Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian had more to add when talking about the Michigan defense.
The tide then switched as defensive coordinator Pete Golding spoke about the Michigan offense and how Gattis and quarterback Shea Patterson have led the team to some success this season.

“I think offensively what they did, Coach Gattis and those guys do a really good job,” Golding said. “So, schematically, they make you account for all 11. They’re going to run the quarterback. So, obviously, your structure on defense, you’ve got to be able to account for the quarterback and the run game. And I think on third down, he does a really nice job of extending plays. So when things break down in the back end, they’ve got guys covered, he can step up or out. And he does a really nice job, based on the coverage, whether he’s going to scramble at the back stretch in a two-man principle or he does a nice job in the zone of keeping his eyes downfield.”

“Their receivers do a really good job of breaking off the routes,” Golding said. “And a little of their explosive plays come on third down when the play broke down and it wasn’t designed to be that way but it became an explosive play off the scramble. You know, in a man principle or a zone principle, you know, the scramble rules and he hits a deep shot.”

“So I think the big thing is accounting for him, obviously in the run game,” Golding said. “He’s very athletic. They do a lot of unique things to be able to run the quarterback, for you to use all 11 guys. And I think on third down, it’s going to be pivotal, obviously, to keep him, make him be a pocket passer and use our hands. Obviously, I think, the flight of the ball, we’ve got to do a good job upfront getting our hands up but we’ve got to be able to contain him and keep him in the pocket.”

“Just that we’ve got it, just that we can still compete, we can still play hard, you know, that we still have the ‘Bama factor, something that we talk about a lot,” McKinney said. “So I know in a lot of the games that we play, we haven’t really played our best, but we just want to come out here and show that we still can play and that we still can show that we are ‘Bama and that we can go out and dominate.”
Michigan takes on Alabama on New Year’s Day at 1 p.m. in Orlando, Florida in the VRBO Citrus Bowl.

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3 Things to Watch for Against Alabama

Michigan football takes on Alabama in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day. Here are three things you need to pay attention to.

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New Year’s Day will bring new year’s resolutions, new traditions, new beginnings, and for Michigan and Alabama, a closing statement for their 2019 season. While this game won’t get as much attention as the College Football Playoff games got yesterday, it will still be a huge game lots of people will be paying attention too.

Michigan and head coach Jim Harbaugh will be looking for a big win over Alabama and head coach Nick Saban as the Wolverines need to upset the Crimson Tide to get win number 10 on the season. There are many things to talk about heading into this game, players contemplating the NFL draft, which players could see playing time in the bowl game, coaches taking on their former team.

For me though, here are my main three things to watch this week against Alabama as the Wolverines look to shock the nation.

1. How will Michigan’s secondary deal with Alabama’s loaded wide receiver group?

Everyone including myself has talked about this time and time again. How can Michigan’s defense, mostly the secondary, deal with Alabama’s loaded wide receiver group? It’s not going to be easy and something will have to give if Michigan is going to have a chance at stopping any of them from playing well.

Comparing the two groups of top three wide receives, Alabama’s is another level over the Wolverines top receivers.

Alabama Top 3 WR Stats

  • Devonta Smith – 65 catches, 1,200 yards, 13 touchdowns
  • Jerry Jeudy – 71 catches, 959 yards, nine touchdowns
  • Henry Ruggs III – 38 catches, 719 yards, seven touchdowns
  • Total – 174 catches, 2,878 yards, 29 touchdowns

Michigan Top 3 WR Stats

  • Ronnie Bell – 43 catches, 694 yards, one touchdown
  • Nico Collins – 33 catches, 681 yards, seven touchdowns
  • Donovan Peoples-Jones – 33 catches, 404 yards, six touchdowns
  • Total – 109 catches, 1,779 yards, 14 touchdowns.

The difference between the two teams is 65 catches, 1,099 yards, and 15 touchdowns. That difference is huge and something Michigan will need to somehow contain or at least slowdown. It won’t be easy to do, but that is the key to Michigan winning this game is to limit the Alabama passing game.

Cornerbacks Lavert Hill, Ambry Thomas, and Vincent Gray will be tested from the first snap until the final whistle. If Hill has a great game, his NFL draft stock can improve, along with Thomas if he chooses to declare. Gray will be back at Michigan guaranteed next season, so a good performance can boost his confidence and help him for his possible NFL draft appearance in the future.

2. Can Josh Gattis’s knowledge of Alabama help Michigan?

Michigan has some extra knowledge about Alabama’s football team ahead of the matchup. That is all thanks to their offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. Gattis was the co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Alabama last season and he could know what to do against Alabama’s defense. While things might not be the exact same, Gattis can help his players grasp how the Crimson Tide defense works in general.

That extra information about Alabama could help Michigan out in a big way. While Gattis will know about the Alabama defense in a way, he also could know about the offense that they run. While he won’t know the schemes and such, he knows most of the players and how they work and what works best for them. He can help defensive coordinator Don Brown in figuring out how to stop the offense as well as they can.

Gattis could be the Wolverines secret weapon. Alabama knows that Gattis will have an insight on how things work, so they will most likely shake things up to surprise Gattis and I’m sure Gattis knows that will be coming. Gattis could be a big help for the Wolverines as the team gets ready to try and take down the Crimson Tide.

3. Don Brown’s response to another blowout to Ohio State

Last year, Michigan lost to Ohio State 62-39 and their response game was against Florida in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl. What happened in that game? Michigan got blown out again, losing 41-15. This year it’s a similar story as Michigan lost to Ohio State in another blowout 56-27. Will Michigan respond to getting blown out in their biggest rivalry game by getting blown out in the bowl game once again?

That would be a horrible way to end the 2019 season as it would be almost a carbon-copy of the 2018 season with just one less win. Brown will need to certainly get his players ready for this game against Alabama. Brown had some interesting words when talking about his team rebounding after losing to Ohio State this year.

“Yeah, we’ve moved on from that,” Brown said. “I mean, obviously, you can’t let a significant loss like that linger. If you let it linger, then one loss leads to two losses. And I think our guys have done a good job of just putting that behind us and focusing on what’s in front of us. We’ve got a great challenge coming up here next Wednesday and, you know, that’s our 100 percent focus.”

Brown will need his defense as ready as they’ve ever been as Alabama will be the toughest type of offense they’ve gone up against this year. While Ohio State was the better team overall, Alabama’s receiver core is the best in the country and one that Brown will somehow have to overcome. If Brown doesn’t want the same ending as he had in 2018, he’s got to do something different.

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