hassan haskins – Page 10 – Syndication Server

3 keys to a Michigan win at Minnesota

The Wolverines are set to open the season in Minneapolis on Saturday. This is how they can return to Ann Arbor 1-0.

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Michigan football is now just days away from kicking off the new season.

Some thought this day may not happen due to the pandemic the world is facing, but the Wolverines kick off on Saturday after a long wait. As we all know, Michigan will be getting a tough test to start the year as it goes to Minnesota to face the Golden Gophers.

Not only is Minnesota a tough foe to get the opening week, but the game will be played on primetime national TV and the whole of the United States will be watching Jim Harbaugh lead his troops out onto the field. Some will be wondering if Harbaugh can defeat a ranked team on the road during a night game, given the narrative there. The Wolverines will try to show the world that they can.

Here are three keys to get it done.

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1. Slow down Tanner Morgan

Tanner Morgan blew up the college scene last year in his first full season as a starter.

Morgan threw for 3,253 yards (which was 24th overall in the nation) along with 30 TD and only 7 INT. He also had the No. 4 overall passer rating last year with a 178.7 (behind only Burrow, Hurts, and Fields). Morgan was, and still is, the focal point of this team.

However, the Gophers are down a couple big members of their offense from last year. They lost starting running back Rodney Smith, and starting WR Tyler Johnson to the NFL draft. It also looked as if WR Rashod Bateman wouldn’t be on the team as well due to an opt out, but once the Big Ten decided to have the season after all, Bateman also decided that he would opt back in to play. It’s huge news for Minnesota, as he put up big numbers last year: 60 receptions for 1,219 yards and 11 TD.

Statistically, Morgan is one of the better passers in the Big Ten, and he will be up against an inexperienced secondary at Michigan. After an opt out from once starting CB Ambry Thomas, Michigan has no starting experience at corner outside of Vincent Gray. Michigan has plenty of bodies to throw in there though: Sammy Faustin, DJ Turner, Jalen Perry, Gemon Green, and Andre Seldon. As of now, there hasn’t been a confirmed starter next to Gray, so we will have to wait to see who Michigan throws in there. Assuming Michigan double teams Bateman most of the game with Gray and Daxton Hill/Brad Hawkins, the other starting back will be left in man coverage. That will be a very intriguing matchup to see.

How do you really slow down Tanner Morgan? Michigan’s front four.

Defensive ends Kwity Paye, and Aidan Hutchinson both decided to come back for this abbreviated season to help the Wolverines. ‘Salt and pepper’ are going to need big games if Michigan is to win as the line will need to create some havoc and make Morgan feel the pressure.

If Michigan’s front four can get to Morgan a couple times early in the game, it will bode well for the Wolverines the rest of the matchup.

2. Get the run game going early

When a team is breaking in a new starting quarterback, you want to make his life as easy as possible. One of the best ways to do that, establish the run early.

Michigan returns its top two backs from last season in Zach Charbonnet and Hassan Haskins, but also returns Chris Evans after he missed all of last season. Christian Turner and speedy true freshman Blake Corum could also see some carries.

Minnesota was a stout rushing defense last year only allowing 127 rushing yards-per-game. The Wolverines will be breaking in four new full-time starters to go along with tackle Jalen Mayfield. Ryan Hayes and Andrew Stueber do have playing experience, so that is going to be helpful in a big game atmosphere. Since there weren’t any non-conference games this year, the O-line will need to jell together fast.

Michigan averaged 150 yards on the ground last year as a team. It will need to gain every bit of that on the ground for Michigan to win. If it can get the run game going early with Charbonnet and Haskins (while sprinkling in some Evans and Corum) then that will help Milton out tremendously, and keep the defense honest all game long.

3. Keep Milton calm and watch speed and space work

Let’s welcome in Joe Milton, the presumed starter, who has attempted 11 career passes. Most of which have been in the fourth quarter of garbage time football.

He won’t get an easy test his first game as a starter. The Golden Gophers were the 12th-ranked passing defense last season, giving up only 185 yards through the air, on average, as a team. Granted, Minnesota lost two big secondary pieces from last years team in Antoine Winfield Jr, and Chris Williamson, both of whom got drafted. But, it should still be a solid unit as a whole.

Michigan also lost arguably three out of its four best WRs — all for different reasons.

Donovan Peoples-Jones declared for the draft early, Tarik Black transferred to Texas, and Nico Collins decided to opt out to prepare for the upcoming draft.

Luckily, the cupboard isn’t bare at Michigan.

Star wideout Ronnie Bell returns along with Giles Jackson, Mike Sainristil, and Cornelius Johnson. Freshmen Roman Wilson and A.J. Henning both should play a role in the passing game this year (maybe this game) as well.

Milton will have plenty of weapons at his disposal this Saturday night, most of which are the fast type, which is where the speed-in-space mantra comes into play. Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis likes to get his weapons the ball away from defenders and allow their speed to take over. As long as Milton can stay poised throughout the game and get the ball to his playmakers, Michigan should be in a good spot when its all said and done.

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How the return of Chris Evans impacts Michigan’s running game in 2020

Michigan football gets senior running back Chris Evans back for the 2020 season. How will his return help the Wolverines offense blow up?

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Last season was supposed to be a big year for Michigan running back Chris Evans. With former starting running back Karan Higdon graduating, Evans was poised to be the starter after years of being a backup or getting the start but not having as many carries as the backups. Sadly, Evans had some academic issues and was forced to miss last season, leaving him on the sidelines.

With him sitting out, freshman Zach Charbonnet had to step up, despite missing spring practices with knee surgery. He wasn’t alone as Hassan Haskins was converting from linebacker over to running back. With the lack of experience in the room, Tru Wilson was named the starting running back in July, but that wouldn’t stick to the wall as Charbonnet would start in the season opener against Middle Tennessee State.

Despite the lack of experience in the running back room last year, Michigan had some great success running the ball with their young players.

Charbonnet finished with 726 yards and 11 touchdowns, along with eight catches for 30 yards. Haskins had 622 yards and four touchdowns, along with six catches for 40 yards. Wilson had 221 yards and a touchdown with two catches for 14 yards. A player who was projected to have a big 2019, Christian Turner, only had 171 yards and a touchdown with four catches for 13 yards.

That running back room will look a bit different this year as Wilson transferred to Northern Colorado, and Turner opted out due to COVID-19. With those two departures, in walks two additions who could make this group even more explosive.

Freshman Blake Corum, who could see some serious playing time after getting 1,266 yards for 19 touchdowns and eight catches for 152 yards and three touchdowns during his senior year in high school.

Then the big return of Evans, who brings a different dynamic to the running back room. Charbonnet and Haskins are both fast running backs, but they aren’t your Chris Johnson type of fast running backs either. They both also had under 10 catches last season, as they weren’t used as receivers.

This isn’t to say that Evans is about to run a 4.24 40-yard dash, but Evans certainly has a different type of speed compared to Charbonnet and Haskins. Corum is a fast player as well, but once again he doesn’t have the receiving experience Evans has.

Evans was looked at as a wide receiver to some scouts back in high school, but at Michigan, he has been a running back that not only can outrun a lot of players, but he can make you miss with his quick feet as he jukes and spins around defenders. Oh and he can catch the ball in the backfield too.

In his career, Evans has run for 1,722 yards for 14 touchdowns and has 40 catches for 392 yards and two touchdowns. What can his role be like in the running back room that has two strong and young running backs and an incoming freshman that is also going to fight for playing time as the speedster? Ask offensive coordinator Josh Gattis.

“We did a lot of things that were similar last year with Giles Jackson, all the different alignments that he aligned on the field,” said Gattis. “You got a guy now in Chris Evans who has the ability to take those as actual hand-offs and not just be in the backfield catching routes coming out of the backfield. You’ve got a guy that can do both and that’s exciting.”

Mind you, Jackson is a wide receiver, not a running back. Last season, Jackson had more touches on the ground than through the air, carrying the ball 10 times for 69 yards and a touchdown, and nine catches for 142 yards and a touchdown. Jackson was used on jet sweeps and the like to get around the defense with his quick feet and acceleration.

Evans brings that to the offense and his speed is built for this offense that Gattis likes to run. Not only does he bring the speed on the ground, but he brings it in the receiving game, something the running backs last year had issues with. Michigan needs to have a running back that can go out and catch a ball if needed. Not that Charbonnet and Haskins couldn’t or didn’t but Evans is better than them when it comes to running routes and doing more than just pounding the rock.

What makes him a fun player in the backfield is you never know what he’s going to do. He can get the handoff and turn on the jets to get a big gain, he can catch a pass and make some people miss with his shiftiness, and he can even block to help give the quarterback time to throw.

Evans is an all-around running back, something this offense could really use. Having strong and quick running backs is great and all, but having some versatility in the backfield is what makes your offense more dangerous. This offense is built on speed in space, and adding another type of weapon that can do just that is what can help make this running back core even stronger after an impressive showing in 2019.

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Expectations for Hassan Haskins, Zach Charbonnet in 2020

The starting duo returns in 2020 after having a year of experience. How they can get better this year compared to last.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — One thing Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh often says is that players make their biggest jump in development from Week One to Week Two. But, the same can often be said going from year one to year two.

At running back, that’s an enticing notion, considering that 2019 was Hassan Haskins’ first full year at the position, as he split time there and with the linebackers in 2018, while Zach Charbonnet was a true freshman working to get his feet underneath him.

Now both are wily veterans, having both gotten starts the past season, readying themselves to build upon solid first-year campaigns. But how can they improve?

Running backs coach Jay Harbaugh shared a laundry list of where they can better along with how they’re best utilized on Friday, noting that if they can turn intermediate runs into more explosive, home run-types, then either or both could be formidable for opposing offenses in 2020.

“What I’m hoping for – I guess we can start with Hassan – he’s got a good long list, like everybody does – these are the focus points: I want to continue to have him expand what he can do without the ball in his hand,” Harbaugh said. “Become even more proficient. He was a pretty good pass protector but there are things that he will be able to bring us as a blocker in the sweep game, on the perimeter. Possibly as a lead blocker in terms of some of the two-back stuff. Kind of acting like doing some of the job that a fullback would sometimes do. He’s capable of all of that, so I think he’s gonna be able to take another step, going from just being decent at that to being really dominant. The other thing for him is continuing to open up his hips, improve his stride length and turn some of those 7-15 yard runs into really big ones. I think that everybody respects the way that he plays and loved watching him run last year. Hassan will be the first one to tell you, he wants to turn some of those runs into even bigger runs. So, find a way to make that extra hat miss and turn some of those medium runs into huge runs is gonna be a big difference for him.

“For Zach, it’s really not super different. We need to turn some of these medium, pretty good runs into explosive home run ones that send The Big House into an eruption. So both of those guys are kind of the same focus and I really believe that with the experience, the confidence, continuing to understand the system where the unblocked defenders are and just running with more confidence, they’re both gonna make a lot of improvements in that area.”

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But how does one learn to make defenses miss and get those home run-type runs?

Harbaugh says a good portion of that comes from within, with it being determined by the players’ own hunger to be great.

The staff immediately worked to correct mistakes upon the culmination of 2019, and the tailbacks took said advice to heart. If they’re to take that big leap forward in 2020, it will be because they were driven to put in the work themselves, especially considering the current ‘new normal’ due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Overall, I think that probably has to do with the guy that you recruit, more so than stuff that we can do here,” Harbaugh said. “Because the guy’s gotta have the hunger for greatness and that really strong desire to improve. And those guys all have it.

“After the season when they come in and we talk about, ‘Hey, these are the 10 things that we really, really need to improve and maybe there’s 3-4 that are really the most important,’ those guys really grab onto that. I’ve seen guys that save it and take it and put it as the background on their phone. They’re just really driven, they’re really motivated to take that next step. I wouldn’t say that it’s anything that we need to push them from a motivation standpoint, because they really have that, and they just have that passion and it’s part of the reason that they’re here.

“Our role is really more of a guidance, like, ‘Okay, this is what we’re trying to do. You want to make this guy miss, you want to get more yardage out of this play or have more big plays. Here’s the steps that you can can take from a training standpoint to do it. Here’s a cut up of this NFL player you should watch. Here’s an example of this run. Here’s a type of quiz or assessment so you understand the way this play is being blocked.’ So our role is more of a guidance and technical guidance type of role when you have such motivated players.”

Regardless, the two aforementioned players won’t be able to rely on what they did a year ago. Not only does former RB Chris Evans return after a year off due to academic suspension, but Christian Turner appears to be healthy, and true freshman Blake Corum is expected to make an early impact in his first year in Ann Arbor.

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Power Ranking: Michigan football future NFL draft potential

Where we envision the current crop of Wolverines to be drafted as of today if not much changes between now and next year.

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The 2020 NFL Draft is firmly in the rearview, but that means we can start taking a look towards the 2021 draft for the potential of those currently on the Michigan team.

The Wolverines had a tied second-best haul this past April, sending 10 players to the league — behind only LSU, who had 14. Could 2021 see even more of the maize and blue hear their name called by Commissioner Roger Goodell?

It’s certainly possible, even though Michigan is reloading on both sides of the ball. But, one could argue, that Jim Harbaugh is building a program more adept at sending more players to the pros.

So, we took all of the starter-quality players — and a likely starter, hence we’re not prognosticating a quarterback or a player who’s not the obvious winner at his position — who are entering their third year or beyond to estimate as of right now where they could go in the 2021 NFL Draft.

It’s a feature we very well could update during the season as it progresses.

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Future NFL draft Power Rankings:

1. Jalen Mayfield

Unsurprisingly, the top guy we picked is the one that ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. foresees as a future first-round draft pick.

2019 was Mayfield’s first year as a starter, but he already has the body to be an NFL caliber tackle, and he’s shown his prowess on the offensive line, helping contain Ohio State’s No. 2 pick overall in Chase Young in The Game this past November.

Linemen from either side of the ball from Michigan are more likely to be early-round picks, as evidenced by some of the latest first-round picks in the Jim Harbaugh era: Cesar Ruiz, Rashan Gary and Taco Charlton. Yes, Jabrill Peppers and Devin Bush Jr. were also first-rounders, but when you also look at the other early rounds, that’s where we’ve seen players like Josh Uche, Chase Winovich and Chris Wormley picked.

Given his upside and the fact that he’s only played one year as a starter and is looked at so highly at this juncture, Mayfield has the ability to potentially capitalize on an early departure if predictions hold true.

Where we see him as of now?

We’re going with Kiper and slating him as a first-round pick if he does choose to leave early, assuming he continues his level of play in 2020.

NEXT: An early-round wide receiver off the board?

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Jay Harbaugh breaks down Michigan’s RB room at great length

A thorough breakdown of what each of the Wolverines RB are best at, where they are in their development and how they’ll be utilized in 2020.

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Michigan has something of an embarrassment of riches in its running backs room.

While there isn’t one breakout player as of current, a feature back, the Wolverines enter 2020 with four-to-five guys who can be difference-makers any give Saturday.

In 2019, we saw significant production from both Hassan Haskins and Zach Charbonnet, as they combined for 1,348 yards on the ground and 15 rushing touchdowns to go along with 14 receptions for 70 yards through the air. But back in the mix is Chris Evans, a redshirt senior who missed last season with suspension. In his three years of play, Evans has 304 carries for 1,722 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns as well as 40 receptions for 392 yards and two touchdowns through the air.

That’s not even mentioning third-year tailback Christian Turner, who was sidelined with injury throughout much of his time in Ann Arbor, and early-enrollee Blake Corum, the four-star from Baltimore who has the potential to be a star-player in his own right.

Managing a loaded room

Speaking with Jon Jansen on his weekly In the Trenches podcast, Michigan running backs coach Jay Harbaugh is excited about having such a loaded room, with so many potential contributors.

He shares how the competition will play a big role and how it should enhance the position come fall.

“The big thing right now – not that it’s super different from last year or the year before – but tremendous competition,” Harbaugh said. “You have guys now that are coming back that have played. Three guys that have really played substantial snaps and a really talented incoming freshman. So you have a group that’s highly capable. There’s gonna be great competition.

“And it’s exciting as a coach, because they all love to get after it. They love football, they love the team, they play a selfish position unselfishly. They help each other out. They really bring out the best in each other and we put together a good spring with that kind of mindset and same through summer and fall camp, I think the result will be really special.”

One of the big things about having five running backs each with a unique skillset is the possibility of getting multiple on the field at the same time.

Since he arrived last January, offensive coordinator Josh Gattis spoke at length about putting the defense in conflict. With five players with myriad abilities, it’s possible that we see multiple backs on the field at the same time in 2020, Harbaugh says.

“Yeah, that’s something we did a little bit, and Coach Gattis’ background, he’s been around some of that and done some of that,” Harbaugh said. “So we would love to do it. To do that, you have to have the guys, like you’re saying, that create that type of confusion, they create that conflict. I think that we do. So it would be good to get involved with that in spring. Selfishly, as the running back coach, you love having your guys out there. I’m sure, if you could play with seven linemen, you would love to do that! I think it’s something if it helps us win, if Coach Gattis sees it as a way for us to score points, then we’ll be ready for it.”

From there, Harbaugh spoke at length about each different tailback, what they bring to the table, where they’re at in their development, and how they all fit into the grand scheme of the offense.

Starting with returning senior Chris Evans.

Read about Evans’ return on the next page.

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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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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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Hassan Haskins confident in emerging RB group

The Wolverines return all of their tailbacks while adding two more to the fold next year.

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ORLANDO, Fla. — It’s a little premature to fully call Michigan’s running backs a position of strength, but it’s getting awfully close.

The Wolverines finished the regular season 81st in rushing, but there were multiple games where Michigan didn’t even attempt to run the ball, essentially, while in others, that’s all it did. There were three games where there were less than 30 attempts, and six with more than 40.

But Michigan proved that when it really wanted or needed to, it generally could run, particularly later in the season, as exemplified in the Notre Dame game, when the maize and blue put up 303 yards rushing.

It’s something to build on, and as of this moment, the team returns everyone in that room. Not only that, it adds Chris Evans back into the fold.

It has the look of being an embarrassment of riches, something redshirt freshman tailback Hassan Haskins acknowledged on Sunday evening.

“We’re gonna have a real nice backfield next year,” Haskins said. “We’re getting ready for that. It’ll be fun.”

Considering that both true freshman Zach Charbonnet and Haskins are finishing their first year of production, it really seems to be the start of something. Christian Turner continues to battle injury, so he’s a potential unknown at this moment, but they still have Tru Wilson as well, who’s shown to be more than capable.

There’s a growing level of confidence in this group, especially considering everyone Michigan will be utilizing has shown they can perform at a high level.

“We’ve got so many good running backs,” Haskins said. “Whoever you put on the field is gonna do our thing.”

The Wolverines won’t just have the aforementioned, though.

Michigan adds Blake Corum, the four-star from Baltimore (MD) St. Frances Academy, next month, and Corum already has gotten some work in, having participated in three practices with the team last weekend.

Haskins shared his first impressions of Corum having worked with him, and said he’s a little meek at the moment — understandable considering he should be in high school right now.

“I like him! He’s a real nice kid,” Haskins said. “He didn’t say much, because he’s not used to it back there (at the college level). But he’s a real cool kid.”

But what were his impressions as far as Corum as a player? Haskins is confident that he’s going to add something to the already emerging group.

“I feel like he’s gonna be a real good player, for sure,” Haskins said. “I feel like he’s gonna get a hang of it real fast.”

Schemmy Awards: Offensive Skill Player of the Year Award

Despite the talented trio of junior wideouts, an unheralded sophomore took home the honors.

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When Ronnie Bell committed to Michigan in December 2017, it wasn’t something that garnered a lot of positive attention, given that he was a three-star and was quite unheralded as a recruit. But the former Missouri Valley basketball commit has come on strong as of late since joining the team.

In 2019, he was stellar, leading the team with 44 receptions for 705 yards and one touchdown — unthinkable given the Wolverines trio of Nico Collins, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Tarik Black.

As such, when the team was handing out regular season awards at the annual Schemmy Awards at Crisler Center, Bell was awarded the Offensive Skill Player, a designation given to the best skill player.

The nominees were Bell, Nico Collins, Sean McKeon and Donovan Peoples-Jones.

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Schemmy Awards: Most Improved Player of the Year Awards

There were three recipients of the Most Improved Player, one for each unit on the football team.

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Michigan football had a lot of standouts this season, but some came as if from out of nowhere.

That’s why the Most Improved Player Award is a coveted designation for a player who wasn’t a household name in previous years.

At the Schemmy Awards, hosted by Jon Jansen at Crisler Center, one player from each of the three units — offense, defense and special teams — each got to bring home a replica of the Bo Schembechler statue.

On offense, redshirt freshman running back Hassan Haskins won the award. He spent much of the 2018 season on defense at linebacker before becoming the starting RB in 2019. Haskins had 103 carries for 561 yards and 4 touchdowns.

On defense, junior safety Brad Hawkins won the award. He had 53 tackles in 2019.

On special teams, it was Peter Bush who took home the Schemmy. He registered one tackle in 2019.

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