aidan hutchinson – Page 52 – Syndication Server

Michigan football grades from Week 13 win against Indiana

Michigan football defeated Indiana 39-14 yesterday. How did each position do in the win over the Hoosiers as the Wolverines prepare for OSU?

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After getting a big rivalry win over Michigan State last week 44-10, Michigan had to shift their attention to Indiana. Michigan was able to do just that and do it well, winning 39-14 as they improved to 9-2 before taking on Ohio State next week.

The passing game blew up again, and the defense was able to rebound after some early mistakes. Check out below how each position was graded on their performance in the win yesterday.

OFFENSE

Quarterback: A

Shea Patterson had another fantastic game as he continues to be hot at the right time of the season. He had back-to-back 300+ yard and 4+ touchdown games as he finished the game going 20/32 for 366 yards with five touchdowns and an interception. He did overthrow two easy touchdowns on one drive, but on that same drive, he delivered an absolute dime to wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones.

He used his legs to escape the pocket and keep plays alive, making it harder for Indiana to try and cover the multiple weapons he has in the receiving core. The interception was a poor pass by him, but that and the few overthrows only damned his performance a hair. His play right now is something special and something Michigan hasn’t had at the position in years.

Running Back: C+

Once again, the running game played in the background to the passing attack. Hassan Haskins got the start and didn’t get much production on his 13 carries, getting just 44 yards. Zach Charbonnet had more explosion, getting 46 yards on eight carries. Tru Wilson saw a glimpse of the action as he only had three carries for five yards. Michigan finished with 87 yards on 29 carries.

Wide Receiver: A+

There were some great performances by the Wolverines receiving core once again this week. Instead of it being Ronnie Bell, it was Nico Collins who was the top receiver this week, finishing with six catches for 165 yards and three touchdowns. Peoples-Jones made a ridiculous catch for a touchdown, finishing with five for 73 yards and the lone touchdown. Bell did find the endzone for the first time this year on a six-yard touchdown catch, his only catch of the game.

The freshman got involved too, as Giles Jackson got a 50-yard catch, and Mike Sainristil brought in a tight 35-yard grab. Redshirt sophomore Tarik Black wasn’t forgotten about either, getting three catches for 30 yards.

Tight End: C+

Starting tight end Sean McKeon got involved in the passing game but went backward, catching one pass for negative two yards. Nick Eubanks only had a catch for six yards. Both helped when it came to blocking and had some success with that.

Offensive Line: A-

Michigan’s offensive line had another good performance. While Patterson was sacked twice, along with the running game getting under 100 yards, the group excelled in pass protection. Patterson didn’t face much pressure and when he did it was from uneven numbers, making it harder for the five men to stop the attack. Next week will be their biggest test of the season and they need to prepare for it heavily.

Now onto the defense and special teams…

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Michigan riding high on momentum, on Ohio State: ‘We don’t see them as unbeatable’

Why these Wolverines, flying high on momentum, don’t see the Buckeyes as an unbeatable force.

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — They called it a trap game, and Michigan didn’t see it that way.

No, the Wolverines felt they could roll over and over the Hoosiers in their own stadium, and it showed en route to an emphatic 39-14 win over Indiana.

Shea Patterson became the first Michigan quarterback in history to throw four or more (he threw five in this game) touchdowns in back-to-back games, and he managed for more than 350 yards for his second-straight game as well.

The defense fully clamped down after allowing two first-half touchdowns. The Hoosiers — who average 448 yards-per-game on offense — got 158 yards in the first two quarters of play, but only put up 66 in the final two.

It was an all-around impressive performance on both sides of the ball for the maize and blue.

But, this team isn’t focused on the past — i.e. what just happened. No, with arch-rival Ohio State up next, the Buckeyes are already on the mind.

“Yeah, we were all in the locker room – no one was even talking about this game,” sophomore defensive end Aidan Hutchinson said. “We’re all ready for next week.”

Here’s the truth: it will be a daunting challenge for these Wolverines next week. Ohio State has blown every team not named Penn State — who the Buckeyes held on to beat 28-17 on Saturday, their lowest margin of victory all season. It’s a team that looks complete. Many say — this site included — that OSU might be the best team in the country.

But that was said about a Buckeyes team coached by Woody Hayes back in 1969. Ohio State’s so-called best-ever team came to Ann Arbor and lost 24-12.

While we’re not predicting that at this juncture, we will acknowledge this: no team is unbeatable. And that’s the same notion to which Michigan subscribes.

“We’re all just gonna do our job and play the game we play,” Hutchinson said. “Obviously this game is the biggest of our schedule. We’re just gonna come out there and do our thing. We don’t see them as unbeatable. Every team can be beaten. We’re going to go out there and do our job.”

For many of the Wolverines, they’ve already turned their attention to the Buckeyes, as noted. But game planning starts in earnest now.

Patterson, who’s been enigmatic the past two weeks, with 750 yards and 9 touchdowns, says that he and the team are ready for the challenge they’re about to face.

“We understand the level of intensity this game brings,” Patterson said. “Everything we do leading up to this game next week is already planned throughout the season. Just the word ‘Ohio State’ is enough for us.”

Unlike many of the previous Michigan teams that have faced vaunted Buckeyes squads, there have been some cracks in the armor.

In 2015, a record passing performance by Jake Rudock gave way to a dogfight in Happy Valley before The Game. The Wolverines lost two weeks prior in 2016 at Iowa, and had major injury concerns heading into the contest in Columbus. In 2017, starting quarterback Brandon Peters was knocked out in the penultimate game at Wisconsin, yet the maize and blue were down just one score with two minutes remaining. Last year, the three-game gauntlet saw two low-key wins over Rutgers and Indiana before the Wolverines got throttled in the Horseshoe.

This year, however, Michigan seems to be peaking at the right time, playing with incredible confidence. Indiana came into this game flying high, nearly knocking off Penn State in Happy Valley. But the Wolverines held them to half its normal output, and put up the third-most yards that the Hoosiers have surrendered all season, while shattering the amount of passing yards that the nation’s No. 11 passing defense has allowed until Saturday.

So now, while Michigan whimpered out of the gates to start the season, it’ll not only face a high-flying Ohio State team, it will field a team itself that must be reckoned with.

“It was huge – having this momentum going into our biggest game of the year, it’s great to have,” Hutchinson said. “Obviously we started out a little slow, but we’re the defense where if we get punched in the face, we will keep striking, keep coming at them. I wouldn’t be too worried when people get a touchdown on us, because we’re always gonna keep coming and coming and coming and coming.”

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Michigan football quick film hits: Michigan State

Michigan football defeated Michigan State 44-10 in the battle for the Paul Bunyan trophy. When rewatching what was noticed in the win?

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Coming off their bye week, and the game before Michigan State last week, Michigan defeated Maryland 38-7. This week the extra week of preparation would be huge as the Wolverines dominated the Spartans 44-10 as they win their second-straight against MSU.

The offense woke up as quarterback Shea Patterson threw for over 300 yards for the first time at Michigan as he led the group down the field multiple times throughout the game. The defense gave the MSU offense a tough go at it and even the special teams had some big plays. Check out what I found during my re-watch of the game.

OFFENSE

In the first quarter with 7:17 to go, Michigan got away with three false start penalties as both left tackle Jon Runyan Jr. and right tackle Jalen Mayfield, and tight end Sean McKeon moved before the ball was snapped. Michigan wouldn’t score on the drive, but that could’ve been another early penalty for the Wolverines. Early mistakes gave MSU life and in rivalry games like this, you can’t let simple mistakes happen.
The jet sweep with wide receiver Giles Jackson was a great play call by offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, using Jackson’s speed along with great blocking can open up the field. That was an example of the kind of offense he wants to run at Michigan.
Still not a fan of the wildcat play calls and when they are made. In the second quarter, Michigan runs back to back wildcats inside the five and while they did score on the second attempt, I still don’t get why when you are down and so close to scoring to you risk anything crazy happening in a rivalry game. If they were up by 14+ then the call is safe but inside that five-yard line Patterson can be dangerous with his arm or leg, running a wildcat usually means you run. Maybe one of these times Haskins will pass as a trick, but until it happens it still isn’t a good call this early in the game and in the situation they were in.
Patterson using his legs to get out of the pocket and still get a throw off is huge for this offense. Earlier in the year, Patterson couldn’t do that much with his oblique injury and he rarely ran it on the option plays. Now having him as a threat in those plays, and to escape the pocket and gain yards with his legs instead is huge for this team.
Both catches by wide receiver Mike Sainristil were impressive, as he had to dig deep and catch both before they hit the ground. Great effort and plays by him.
Michigan ran another wildcat play with less than five minutes to go in the first half, again inside the five as it was a loss of three on the play. Tied 7-7 and close to taking the lead it still was a poor decision to call that there.
Something not talked about much in the win was the blocking by the wide receivers on the outside on the screen passes and sweeps. Wide receiver Ronnie Bell didn’t just catch the ball well, he blocked well also as he played lights out in this game.
I like the idea of the trick play with backup quarterback Dylan McCaffrey near the end of the third quarter. Both options were shut down but it was still a nice play call. Up by two scores near the end of the quarter, that is a lot better to call something like that then the wildcats called earlier.
The fumble by wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones on the punt return in the fourth quarter was one a few mistakes made by the Wolverines in this game. That could have set up the Wolverines to possibly score again, but it came at a time where the game was already out of reach so it isn’t as crucial as it would be if it was closer. Still, he needs to clean that up for the future.

Now onto the defense and their performance…

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