Tag: hassan haskins

Michigan football grades from Week 14 loss against Ohio State

Michigan football lost to Ohio State 56-27 as they finish the regular season 9-3. How did each position grade out in the rivalry loss?

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Coming off their 39-14 win over Indiana last week, Michigan was turning it’s attention to Ohio State, the number one team in the country. Michigan would be shown why Ohio State was the best team in the country as they lost 56-27 in Ann Arbor.

The offense showed some promise in the first half, while the defense couldn’t have an answer for Ohio State all game long. Check out below how each position was graded on their performance in the loss yesterday.

OFFENSE

Quarterback: B

Shea Patterson did everything he could against Ohio State. He finished the game going 18/43 for 305 yards, with a touchdown and interception. He was forced to do a lot with his defense allowing points left and right. He couldn’t get much help from the running game either due to the score being so big as the game continued and with that group struggling.

Patterson also didn’t have help from his wide receivers in the second half they were dropping many passes that were in their hands. If the receivers caught all those drops, Patterson would’ve put up 350-400 yards and another touchdown. Patterson did have some poor throws, but again it was mostly due to being put in a tough spot on offense.

Running Back: C+

While Patterson was dominating in the air early on, the ground game couldn’t do much against the Ohio State defense. Hassan Haskins finished the game as the leading carrier with 12 for 78 yards and a touchdown. Zach Charbonnet only had seven yards on four carries.

Neither running back could find the holes when they were open, and when they had a good run they had to break off a tackle or two to get the yards, but it slowed them down so others caught up to tackle them.

Wide Receiver: B-

What started out as a good first half, turned sour in the second half as multiple receivers started dropping passes from Patterson, wasting chances for the offense to get back into the game and killing any momentum they had. Ronnie Bell was the top receiver, finishing with six catches for 78 yards, while Donovan Peoples-Jones was the only receiver to catch a touchdown, getting three for 69 yards and the score.

Giles Jackson didn’t catch a pass but ran it three times for 26 yards and a touchdown. Nico Collins was quiet as he was covered well, only getting two catches for 32 yards. Tarik Black couldn’t do much either with one catch for nine yards.

Tight End: B+

Sean McKeon had a good game, getting three catches for 66 yards and helped out with the blocking when asked to do it. Nick Eubanks also was a big help, getting two catches for 42 yards and was blocking well also. This was probably the best game the group has played all season long in both units.

Offensive Line: B+

Michigan’s offensive line had a big job in containing Ohio State’s monster defensive end Chase Young and they did a great job in that, as he never recorded any sacks or tackles, but they still allowed two sacks on Patterson. The offensive line did everything they could to keep Patterson upright and they gave him loads of time against a great defensive line.

They struggled to create running lanes though when asked to do it as that’s been a weakness they’ve had all year long. The lack of a run game hurt the offense to be more creative and change up their plays.

Now onto the defense and special teams…
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5 Takeaways from Michigan’s 56-27 loss against Ohio State

Michigan football lost to Ohio State in The Game with the final score of 56-27. Here are my five takeaways from the huge loss.

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Ann Arbor, MI. — Michigan had all the momentum headed into their game against Ohio State this year. Four game winning streak, the offense was clicking and the defense was stout, coming in as the fourth-ranked defense in the country.

That didn’t matter in the end because Ohio State was the number one team in the country, and had the number one defense. While the Buckeyes had issues at first, they would slow down the Michigan offense in the end, while their own offense never really seemed tested all game long. Once again the team with the most rushing yards won the game and Ohio State dominated in that category, outrushing Michigan 264 to 91.

Check out my five takeaways from the 56-27 loss to the Buckeyes.

1. Shea Patterson did everything he possibly could

Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson played as best as he could today, going 18/43 for 305 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Despite the fumble in the endzone in the second quarter, he played with everything he could against the toughest defense he’s ever gone against. Patterson was expected to struggle as his receivers went up against a great Ohio State secondary and a monstrous defensive line, yet he didn’t face pressure much and was able to throw to some open receivers. What killed Patterson in the second half was drops by his wide receivers as most of the throws hit the receivers in the hands but just couldn’t come down with it.

Patterson was able to overcome a lot this season, from fans booing him in the home opener, to dealing with injuries he played his best football this season in Ann Arbor. He finished the year throwing for 2,828 yards, 22 touchdowns and five interceptions, his best year ever in college. While he won’t get his name called early in April, Patterson is showing he could still be drafted in the NFL.

2. Chase Young wasn’t an issue for Michigan

The huge question headed into this game for the Michigan offense was how they could deal with the best defensive player in the country, Ohio State defensive end Chase Young. Well, Michigan handled him with ease honestly. They held him to just two QB hits overall. That’s right, no recorded tackles or sacks. Young applied pressure on two passes but never recorded a tackle or sack.

Keeping Young out of the game was huge for the offense and something they executed very well at doing. He faced left tackle Jon Runyan Jr. one-on-one and dealt with right tackle Jalen Mayfield with help from right guard Michael Onwenu.

With Young out of the game, for the most part, it kept Patterson upright and gave him time to throw the football around, but Michigan still couldn’t find an answer on the ground. Young can be a force on the rushing defense too, but him being restricted in the passing plays was a big help for the Michigan passing game.

3. Running game Didn’t have an answer

Michigan started out the season strong on the ground and was able to run the rock with ease at times against some opponents. Today against Ohio State, it wasn’t even an option as the passing game was working well once again. You would think that Ohio State would eventually allow a big run or multiple three/four-yard gains by the Michigan running backs with the passing game working with ease, but you’d be wrong.

Freshman running back Zach Charbonnet had just four carries for seven yards. Hassan Haskins had 12 carries for 78 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Giles Jackson doesn’t even play wide receiver and he had more yards on fewer carries than Charbonnet, finishing with three for 26 yards and a touchdown. All together Michigan only put up 91 yards on 26 carries with two touchdowns.

Michigan’s offense is known for its ground and pound attitude, and with offensive coordinator Josh Gattis coming in, that would change. With their success early on in the season, it seemed like it would still be a point of emphasis and a staple of the team, but with the passing game improving they weren’t needed as much. When they needed it most today though, they couldn’t seem to get anything working.

4. Jim Harbaugh now 0-5 against the Buckeyes

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh just can’t seem to find an answer. In 2015 it was his first year without his group of guys and he got blown out. In 2016 a questionable spot by the officials changed the outcome. In 2017, injuries and poor play was the reason why Michigan lost.

In 2018 Michigan came in favored and got embarrassed. 2019 was almost a repeat of 2018, except Michigan wasn’t favored to win by any means. Ohio State had its best team in years and once again dominated the Wolverines. Harbaugh has beaten Michigan State, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Penn State, all of the major players in the Big Ten, except for just one.

Harbaugh is in year five at Michigan and doesn’t seem to have an answer for what he can do against Ohio State. This is the longest winning streak by the Buckeyes in the history of the games between the two teams. If Harbaugh wants to achieve anything at Michigan, he has to go through Ohio State. People expected a win by year five, but now year six will be the next chance he has at them.

5. Don Brown just can’t stop Ohio State

Last year after the 62-39 beatdown that Ohio State gave Michigan, defensive coordinator Don Brown was upset with himself. This year was supposed to be different and while he held OSU to fewer points, the offense wasn’t able to put up as many as this year’s OSU defense was better than 2018’s.

While it wasn’t Brown’s fault the Wolverines could only find the endzone three times, he put pressure on them to be perfect in the second half as his guys allowed 318 yards and 28 points in just the first half alone. Deep throws by Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields were an issue for the defense, and so was running back J.K. Dobbins who had 211 yards and four touchdowns on 31 carries, along with two catches for 49 yards. Fields finished the game going 14/25 for 302 yards and four touchdowns, along with 25 rushing yards on six carries.

Ohio State finished the game with 577 yards on offense in on just 77 plays, averaging 7.5 yards per play. Brown simply didn’t have an answer for what Ohio State was doing once again in back-to-back years. While only one crossing route killed the defense, everything else seemed to be an issue. Brown wasn’t able to rebound this year like he did with Penn State last year. Once again the Buckeyes know exactly what to do on offense against him and Michigan.

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Halftime Analysis of No. 1 Ohio State vs No. 13 Michigan

Michigan football is down 28-16 against Ohio State at halftime. How are the Wolverines faring halfway through the rivalry game?

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Ann Arbor, MI. — After defeating Indiana last week 39-14, Michigan now takes on the best team in the country and their arch-rival, Ohio State. Not many people predicted an upset by the Wolverines, as this Ohio State team is the best they’ve had in years, some think possibly ever.

Michigan won the coin toss and chose to receive. They were able to drive down the field with some ease, and they were able to score first off a 22-yard touchdown run by wide receiver Giles Jackson, but the extra point was missed by kicker Quinn Nordin and Michigan was only up 6-0 early on.

Ohio State answered back with their running back J.K. Dobbins doing the heavy lifting, running four times for 51 yards and a touchdown and catching a 28-yard pass. He was the main offensive weapon for that entire drive and Ohio State took the 7-6 lead.

Both teams struggled to get much going, until late in the first quarter when Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris Olave as Ohio State extended their lead to 14-6.

Michigan didn’t cave into the Buckeyes demise as in just three plays Michigan scored off a 25-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones. The big 41-yard catch by tight end Sean McKeon helped set up the touchdown as Michigan was back in the game, down 14-13.

Despite facing a 2nd and 18, Fields found a wide-open wide receiver Garrett Wilson for a 41-yard gain that would set up another touchdown run by Dobbins, this one from seven yards out as Ohio State goes up by eight once again, 21-13.

Michigan was driving down the field and on the Buckeyes 12 yard line before quarterback Shea Patterson fumbled the football and turned it over. The first turnover by either team and a costly one for the Wolverines. That wasn’t the only mistake by Michigan as they forced a fourth down on the OSU possession after the fumble, but an offsides penalty gave OSU a first down. Two plays later, Buckeyes score on another run by Dobbins, Buckeyes up 28-13.

Michigan would move down the field with some ease as Patterson kept slinging the ball around with rare pressure. Despite the offense moving, they came up short as Peoples-Jones dropped a touchdown late in the second quarter, and Michigan would have to settle for a field goal and cut the lead at the half to 28-16.

POSITIVES:

  • Michigan hasn’t really felt the pressure from Ohio State defensive end Chase Young. He’s accumulated nothing on the stat sheet so far as he’s gone up against left tackle Jon Runyan Jr. one on one, then dealt with right tackle Jalen Mayfield with help from right guard Michael Onwenu.
  • Patterson is throwing the ball well today, with only one poor pass that was too far out of bounds for wide receiver Nico Collins to catch and stay in bounds. He’s 14/19 for 250 yards and a touchdown. He’s made the correct reads on the RPO plays and has been playing well once again, but that fumble will be huge on him.

NEGATIVES:

  • Michigan hasn’t been able to get the running game going so far. Sure Jackson had the 22-yard touchdown run, but none of the actual running backs have found the holes that were open, or have made any big plays. Running back Zach Charbonnet has three carries for eight yards and he’s the leading carrier at the position. Michigan could only put up 35 rushing yards total in the first half. History shows whoever dominates the ground game usually wins it. Ohio State is hammering the Wolverines in that category right now 118-35.
  • Michigan has had issues with stopping Dobbins as he is the heart and soul of the team’s offense. So far in the first half, he has 103 yards and three touchdowns on just 17 carries, along with a 28-yard catch on third and long. Michigan must figure out the answer to stopping him or else he will run all over them just like Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor did back in Week Four.
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Ahead of Ohio State, Michigan must rekindle fire in the backfield

Michigan football has had success in the passing game recently, but the ground game has stifled in those weeks. That’s gotta change fast.

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Michigan’s offense has finally seen the type of explosion that everyone has been waiting to see all year. “Speed in space” was what the new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis preached when he was coming to Ann Arbor. Before the recent surge of attack from quarterback Shea Patterson and the passing game, the running game was the bread and butter for the offense. Besides the loss to Wisconsin, Michigan has run for over 100 yards in every game this season before taking on Michigan State.

You could see the offense revert to last seasons scheme where it seemed run-heavy and it helped put up points and win them games. Patterson and the passing game played well still, but the running game was getting more of the attention and praise for helping them gain yards and move the chains.

The defense has been stout for most of the season, but the offense started out flat and inconsistent. After the second-half performance against Penn State, Michigan has seen some life rejuvenated in their team. Head coach Jim Harbaugh’s known for having a run-first attitude on his teams, but that seems to have changed along with the mantra of the offense. While the change has been good for the offense the running game has seemed to take a hit as the passing game as blown up.

Against Notre Dame and Maryland, Michigan put up 458 rushing yards and six touchdowns. In the past two games against Michigan State and Indiana, Michigan has only run for 173 yards and one touchdown. The passing game has seen the opposite trend.

Against Notre Dame and Maryland, Michigan threw for 310 yards and four touchdowns. Against Michigan State and Indiana, Michigan has thrown for 750 yards and nine touchdowns. A complete turnaround as Michigan has thrown for more yards in their last two wins, then the previous two combined.

While it’s positive that the passing game seems to have figured out their issues from early on in the season, it’s negative that the running game has regressed from it. Having a balanced offense that can strike between the tackles, or in the air is huge for any team. While it’s a good thing if you can dominate in one of the two, having both be strong is even better.

Michigan has found the answers to the questions they had when it came to passing, but for them to regress in rushing is a concern ahead of next week’s game ahead of Ohio State. Michigan will be going up against the best defensive player in the country in defensive end Chase Young and he won’t be giving Patterson much time in the pocket to work with, meaning Michigan’s rushing attack must improve if they want to try and win this game next week.

Freshman running back Zach Charbonnet has made an impact in his first season in Ann Arbor, rushing 132 times for 635 yards and 11 touchdowns. Charbonnet has the most rushing touchdowns by a freshman running back in Michigan history, and he has a chance to have the second-most yards in a season by a freshman as he is 107 yards behind Ricky Powers. He has no chance of reaching Mike Hart’s 1,455 yards.

He isn’t alone in the backfield success though, as redshirt freshman Hassan Haskins has played well this season too, rushing 91 times for 483 yards and three touchdowns. His emergence has given the backfield another weapon that can help move the ball without relying solely on Charbonnet.

Michigan has a good ground game and it needs to find out how to get in involved again against Ohio State next week. Young will be a problem even in the running game, but his presence is known in the passing downs. The passing game might have some troubles, so if the running game can work, that can help the passing game get back on track.

In this big of a game next week, Michigan will want to make sure that every aspect of their offense is running smoothly. The passing game seems to have done just that, now the focus is getting the ground game back to what they were earlier in the season. If Michigan can have the passing game of late and the running game from before their last two weeks, this offense could truly give Ohio State’s defense a huge headache next week.

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3 Things to Watch for Against Michigan State

Michigan football takes on Michigan State this week as the in-state rivalry gets renewed. Check out which three things you should watch for.

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Michigan is coming off a bye week this week as they got extra time to prepare for Michigan State before they play on Saturday. The battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy will happen once again and this year the story is different for both teams.

Michigan is coming in 7-2 with their Big Ten title and College Football Playoff hopes slim, they could still reach a New Year’s Six Bowl. Michigan State is coming in 4-5 with their bowl game chances up in the air, and coming off a 37-34 loss to Illinois after being up 28-3 stings even more.

Check out my three things to watch this week below.

1. What kind of Brian Lewerke will the Wolverines face?

Last year against Michigan, MSU quarterback Brian Lewerke had the worst game of his career, going 5/25 for 66 yards. His throws were off and he didn’t seem to have his kind of touch he usually has. That was partially due to a shoulder injury that he played through, this year that injury isn’t there and Lewerke is playing well.

So far this season, Lewerke has thrown for 2,012 yards for 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions, along with 265 rushing yards and a touchdown. Lewerke started the season great but has been on a downward trend recently, but he could certainly still turn it around against his rival.

Michigan doesn’t know what version of Lewerke they will take on this week, but they better prepare for his best as if they doubt Lewerke can do certain things, he can surprise them and attack with ease. In this game, you can’t doubt anybody and Lewerke will want to help get his team closer to a bowl game, and beating Michigan in the process is just icing on the cake.

2. Michigan must get the ground game going

The biggest thing that the Wolverines must do on offense this week is to get the ground game working. Michigan State has the 24th ranked defense, 16th when it comes to the rushing defense. Michigan might have some trouble getting things moving against the Spartan’s defense, but they will have to find some cracks in the foundation if they want to win this game.

Michigan State linebacker Joe Bachie is already suspended for a failed drug test, so his presence in the run defense won’t be there but that doesn’ mean it will be a cakewalk. The Wolverines will have running backs, Hassan Haskins and Zach Charbonnet to deal some damage to the tough Spartan’s run defense.

Michigan has had struggles running the football this year, but recently it’s been their strength, putting up 303 yards on Notre Dame three weeks ago. If Michigan can get this ground game working, it will open more doors for the offense.

3. Who starts at kicker?

Michigan has had a kicker battle all year long. Head coach Jim Harbaugh said both kickers, Jake Moody and Quinn Nordin, were in a rotation to begin the season. As the season progressed though, we saw Moody be the lone kicker for two straight games, hinting that he won the job. After a missed kick against Maryland though, Nordin was the one on the field.

Nordin would finish the game as the kicker, and heading into the bye week the question would be who starts at kicker, or if the job was back on a rotation basis. Whoever comes out first to kick a field goal or extra point will be interesting, and if that same kicker comes out for the second attempt, you gotta believe they won the job. If the other kicker comes out for kick two, the rotation could be back.

The kicker is an important position and one that needs to have some consistency. This late into the season the position should already have been figured out, but with miscues and struggles it hasn’t been. Will it be figured out this week against MSU?

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How Chris Evans return to Michigan adds explosiveness to backfield

Michigan football will have running back Chris Evans return to action next year, how will his explosiveness change the backfield?

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Back in February of this year, Michigan football simply announced that running back Chris Evans was “not a member of the football team at this time.” Evans would later post on Twitter that he was going through some academic issues and would continue his career at Michigan.

In July, there wouldn’t be any changes and he would be suspended for the entire 2019 season, as he would explain on Twitter that he was no longer enrolled in the university. Head coach Jim Harbaugh said the decision was made by the university, not the football team. Also that Evans had a chance to rejoin the team in the spring, but that wasn’t able to get resolved by then. Evans said the situation was “an academic mistake. Not my grades. I’m on pace to graduate.”

Since then we haven’t heard much about Evans, until last week.

Evans posted this on Twitter, hinting at his return to the field in Ann Arbor in 2020.

That talk continued today, as Harbaugh spoke to the media and addressed the Evans situation.

“Chris will be reinstated for the winter term,” Harbaugh said. “When he gets back in school he will be able to participate fully in football again. My knowledge of the situation is that he had a productive meeting to see if he could be reinstated back into school and my understanding that he will be for the winter term. We’ll welcome him back to the football team.”

The winter term begins in January, and no that doesn’t mean that if Michigan plays in a bowl game in January that he will be on the team. Michigan doesn’t start their winter academic term until Monday, January 8.

What does this do for the 2020 running back room? Only make it better. Evans was looked at as a possible starter heading into his senior year this year with running back Karan Higdon graduating and the other being underclassmen or freshman and not having much playing time.

The Wolverines have missed Evans speed in the backfield, and his ability to be a shifty receiving back as well. The running game has been fine without him though, as Hassan Haskins and Zach Charbonnet have stepped up big this season.

Haskins has 72 carries for 426 yards and two touchdowns, while Charbonnet has 117 carries for 559 yards and 11 touchdowns. While they have been able to score and get some nice carries, the receiving aspect hasn’t been the same without Evans. Haskins and Charbonnet have a combined 11 catches for 39 yards.

In his three years at Michigan, Evans has a total of 304 carries for 1,722 yards for 14 touchdowns, along with 40 catches for 392 yards and two touchdowns. Evans saw an increased workload after his freshman year in 2016 and was seen as a threat on the ground with his speed, and as a receiver.

In 2020, Haskins and Charbonnet will return and with the addition of Evans means the Wolverines will have a nasty trio in the backfield. The elusive back in Charbonnet, the bruiser in Haskins, and the speed and receiving back in Evans.

Another year learning the playbook will be huge for the younger guys. Having Evans being used as a weapon in the passing game can help the spread offense out as the Wolverines haven’t used the running back much as a receiving threat this season. Evans returning will be a big shot in the arm to the backfield next year, and something everyone will be talking about heading into the 2020 season.

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