Mike Sainristil – Page 11 – Syndication Server

DJ Turner says Mike Sainristil ‘will make noise this year’ on the defensive side of the ball

Super pumped to see him play this year! #GoBlue

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — On November 4th, 2018 a three-star recruit would commit to Michigan and he was listed as a cornerback by 247Sports. Mike Sainristil, from Everett (Massachusets), was ranked as the 595th player in the country and the 59th corner by 247Sports composite.

Since signing with Michigan, Sainristil — who played both ways in high school — has played receiver with the Wolverines. In his three seasons playing at wide-out, the 5-foot-10 speedster has compiled 36 career catches, 532 yards, and five touchdowns.

The maize and blue return just about every major skill player at the position in 2022, so the Wolverines have been doing some tinkering with the former corner. Jim Harbaugh said back in March that Sainristil was playing corner and nickel. But Harbaugh said back then that he could play one, two, or three ways. Harbaugh elaborated back in March that it was due to the skill set that Sainristil has.

“He is right now, yeah,” Harbaugh said. “Mike has been playing corner and nickel corner for the start of the spring ball. Project him as a two-way player, maybe a three-way player. His skill set. He’s got the skill set for it. He’s got the skill set for receiver. He’s got the skill set for corner, for nickel corner. Skill set reminds me a lot of Jimmy Ward and what he had in college. Yeah, skill set.”

In April, when the Wolverines took the field for the spring game, we could see what Harbaugh was talking about. Sainrsitl looked natural at the position and had great closing speed.

During Big Ten media days on Tuesday, fellow corner DJ Turner was asked about a surprise player this upcoming season. He didn’t hesitate at all when he said Sainristil.

“I said Mike Sainristil moving on the defense,” said Turner on Tuesday. “He will make noise this year. I’m confident on that. So I said Mike.”

Did it shock Turner how quickly Sainrsitl picked up the position? Not at all. Turner noted that he played the position back in high school and the hardest part about learning corner — or re-learning in this case — was the playbook. But Turner says that Sainristil has that down now, so it’s just a matter of getting comfortable.

“I mean, he played DB in high school,” said Turner during Big Ten media days. “And I mean, he always jokes around with me that he’s a DB but I mean, it didn’t surprise me at all. He got in there. He just got comfortable. I mean, the hardest part for him was just getting the playbook. I mean, he got it now. So now just getting comfortable with and going into the season. It didn’t surprise anybody though. No, that’s why we did. It was like now you can do it.”

Quarterback Cade McNamara had similar sentiments. McNamara talked about the possibilities of Sainristil playing both ways and noted how smart of a player he is. McNamara says that the athlete knows a lot about every position and his role on the team is going to be really big this year.

“Yeah, Mike, he’s a really smart player, he is,” said McNamara. “He knows coverage, he knows how to affect man coverage. He knows. He knows a lot about just about every position. And I think because of that, he’s able to balance it so well. And I think his role on the team this year is gonna be big. And I’m just excited to see him shine through.”

It will be interesting to see how Michigan decides to utilize the skill set of Sainristil this year. Really, the possibilities are endless for Jim Harbaugh and his staff. It would seem that Sainrsitl is going to have a major impact on the defensive side of the ball, but he also has the potential to be a major contributor on the offensive side of the ball.

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Expect Mike Sainristil to play defense this fall, Jim Harbaugh says

Can’t wait to see more of him in his new role this fall! #GoBlue

BIG RAPIDS, Mich. — It was more than just a phase or a fad.

This spring, Michigan football decided to move a handful of players around, including linebacker Kalel Mullings to running back and cornerback Eamonn Dennis to wide receiver. While the former is also expected to play primarily on defense while the latter seems to have made a wholesale position switch, the big name we’ve heard about all spring and beyond has been wide receiver Mike Sainristil playing as a defensive back.

And, as Jim Harbaugh says, that shift appears to be permanent.

While his role this fall has yet to be determined — especially with summer conditioning having officially started on Friday, with fall camp still months off — Harbaugh noted on Thursday that fans can expect to see Sainristil playing on the defensive side of the ball once games begin, to be sure.

“I know he’s going to stick with defense because we just went through a spring practice where he really stood out,” Harbaugh said. “He was starting at nickel when the spring ended. Now he’s going to get some competition from Rod Moore who wasn’t at spring. He can play nickel and play corner, and then the days when we brought him back to receiver — he didn’t look like he missed any type of beat there as well. Definitely on track to be a two or three-way player.

“He’s going to play some special teams as well. Super excited. He’s putting some good tools in his toolbox. The more tools, the more really good tools you have in your toolbox, the more valuable the toolbox is. It’s all A-plus-plus for Mike Sainristil.”

That said, Sainristil will still play wide receiver — and, as noted, special teams — but how involved will he be on the offense? How much time did Sainristil spend on that side of the ball this spring?

Harbaugh shares that he did spend the lion’s share on the defensive side of the ball, and expects that his knowledge of playing offense is one of the things that’s really aiding him in playing defensive back.

“Percentage-wise it was definitely more defense. Per reps, per plays, per meeting times, I think — that was the new position on defense. The cool thing was, he was taking his offensive knowledge and being able to apply that as a secondary defender.

“As a corner, or a nickel he knows what the receiver is trying to get done. Now he is trying to do it — how the offensive player is trying to attack. His growth as a football player overall is really exponentially grown. Probably a good question is why we don’t do that with every player?

“It really takes three critical things for a guy to be a two-way player. They have to have a skillset, they have to be smart — smart enough to do it and learn two different playbooks — and they have to be willing. That doesn’t line up with every single player.”

We’ll know more about Sainristil’s role this fall once fall camp arrives in August.

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Impressive Michigan receiving room set to become even more dynamic

Who will be the next to break out? #GoBlue

Michigan football has an embarrassment of riches at the wide receiver position.

While it might not be as lauded as that of rival Ohio State, the Wolverines not only return every receiver from their Big Ten championship-winning team a year ago, but they add more components to the mix.

Perhaps the most important is Ronnie Bell, who tore his ACL in the 2021 season opener against Western Michigan. While he still wasn’t a full go in spring ball, he’s coming along in his rehabilitation and is set to be healthy once 2022 rolls around.

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh shared an update on the wide receiver corps last week on the ‘In The Trenches’ podcast with Jon Jansen, noting that Bell is nearly ready to go, along with the rest of the usual suspects.

“Wide receiver-wise, Ronnie Bell is more like weeks away from being full speed. He’s running, he’s starting to make cuts. He’s doing cutting. He’s real close,” Harbaugh said. “He’s almost doing everything that everybody else is doing. The rehab’s been fabulous. He’ll step right in and possibly even be stronger, faster, better than he was last year. To go along with the top guys, which are, in no order: Roman Wilson, Cornelius Johnson, Andrel Anthony, A.J. Henning — who is doing a heckuva good job — Mike Sainristil is playing both ways and starting on defense right now, but also comes over to offense and looks like he hasn’t left offense. (…)

“The other guy, Cristian Dixon, also on that verge of being able to break through. He did some good things as well.”

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While we know those players, there’s the three freshmen — all of whom have early enrolled — who could also be impact players this fall.

We saw Darrius Clemons make a handful of big plays in the spring game, to go along with a body that looks college-ready. Amorion Walker has height, but perhaps not the requisite size for the college game, but Harbaugh notes that once he goes through summer conditioning that could change. Morris wasn’t available for the spring game, as he tore his ACL a year ago, but the trio could all make an impact come fall.

Harbaugh has liked what he’s seen from the dynamic trio, and he shared what he likes about all three.

“Really good. Amorion Walker, Darrius Clemons, and somebody you didn’t see is Tyler Morris,” Harbaugh said. “We saw him in practice quite a bit, we just didn’t have him in contact. He also had an ACL injury when he was in high school, in spring. It’s coming up on just about a year now and they just wanted to keep him out of contact in the spring. Still has a knee brace, but you wouldn’t know it. He is elusive, slot type of guy with a lot of speed. Darrius Clemons and Amorion Walker are your prototypical type of outside receivers, catching contested balls, running the deep crosses and the crossing routes.

“Darrius definitely has the more physically developed. Amorion, once he puts in the offseason, gets another four weeks and then the summer cycle, gaining the strength, the strength and endurance, you can just tell he’s gonna be a tremendous football player to go along with all that athleticism.

”Much like Will Johnson, you can just see it. He’s that type of athlete. When he covers guys, he’s right there with them. He’s gonna play and be battling for a starting position. Also like Amorion, he needs the strength and the endurance that you would expect a midyear freshman to need. It’s just Darrius Clemons, he’s just physically, his endurance and strength is already there and developed and will continue to develop.”

Another interesting storyline throughout the spring has been the emergence of Sainristil at cornerback, as he is likely to stick at that position come fall. But Harbaugh insists that he will play on both sides of the ball once the season comes.

“He’s got the skillset to do it. He’s been really, really impressive,” Harbaugh said. “If you’re gonna bet on a guy, you bet on a guy like Mike Sainristil to be able to get that done, because he handles all of his business all the time, because he’s that kind of guy. And he’s got the athleticism to be a two-way player.”

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Jim Harbaugh confirms two position switches in spring ball

Do you like the changes, #Michigan fans? #GoBlue

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Some of the hullabaloo coming out of spring ball in Ann Arbor is one notable position switch. And on Tuesday, Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh confirmed it.

The Wolverines have a loaded wide receiver corps, with Ronnie Bell returning this fall, along with Cornelius Johnson, A.J. Henning, Roman Wilson, Andrel Anthony, and others coming back. But one name we didn’t mention here is Mike Sainristil, who really came on in 2021 — because he’s trying his hand at cornerback and at nickel.

Sainristil has that positional flexibility and was listed by recruiting services as a cornerback when he was previously committed to Virginia Tech. Harbaugh says that Sainristil is working with the defensive backs at the moment, but come the season, he could play on both sides of the ball, as well as retain his role on special teams.

“He is right now, yeah,” Harbaugh said. “Mike has been playing corner and nickel corner for the start of the spring ball. Project him as a two-way player, maybe a three-way player.”

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But why make the move, especially after having a strong season in 2021? He was fourth on the team with 22 receptions for 318 yards and two receiving touchdowns.

Well, in short, because he has that positional flexibility.

“His skill-set. He’s got the skill-set for it,” Harbaugh said. “He’s got the skill-set for receiver, he’s got the skill-set for corner, for nickel corner. Skill-set reminds me a lot of Jimmy Ward and what he had in college. Yeah, skill-set.”

But he’s not the only one who’s switching positions this spring.

Also coming out of Massachusetts as a recruit, Eamonn Dennis was thought to be quite close to being a Mike Sainristil clone. However, when Dennis arrived in Ann Arbor in 2020, he got his start on defense, where he stayed in the 2021 season.

But now, Dennis is getting a chance to play on offense, Harbaugh says, noting that those are the only two who have made wholesale changes positionally this spring.

“Eamonn Dennis is working on offense,” Harbaugh said. “And I can’t think of anybody else that’s made a direct defense-to-offense change for the spring. There’s some other subtle position within the offense or within the defense that we’re exploring.”

We’ll get an opportunity to see both in action on April 2 when Michigan football hosts the spring game at The Big House.

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Wolverines players trusting coaches’ plan for Georgia, College Football Playoff

It’s worked so far, no need to change things up now!

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Last week, Michigan football returned to practice as it readies for its first-ever opportunity in the College Football Playoff.

While the challenges Georgia presents might seem daunting, considering the Bulldogs were thought to be unbeatable — you know, before they were beaten by Alabama — the Wolverines are excited for the opportunity, and think that the coaches have a good plan to get them ready.

“Slowly working us back into it. (Thursday) we went, it was like our Tuesday practice – we’re bangin’,” third-year defensive tackle Christopher Hinton said. “The coaches have a great plan for us to not kill us early but to get us right, so we’re fresh for the game in a couple weeks. I just really like their plan, trust their plan, trust the coaches all year.”

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In preparation for playing in the nighttime heat of Miami Gardens, the team has been practicing indoors, as to get acclimated before heading down to Florida on Dec. 26. The added corollary is that the team was able to have just over a week off after the Big Ten Championship game, which helps players such as Blake Corum, who has been injured since early November.

While he is self-admittedly still not 100%, he feels that the time off helped immensely in clearing the air between the regular season and the postseason, while also helping him and others to get healthier.

“We’re locked in. We had a nice little week off, refresh our mind, refresh our bodies,” Corum said. “Now we’re back, locked in, focused on Georgia. Either watching their film, going over plays, plays that will work, and just getting ready for this Orange Bowl.”

That said, don’t expect the team to suddenly change things now that there’s the potential for two more games.

As Corum notes, they reached this point doing things the way they’ve done them all year long, there’s no point in suddenly doing things differently just because it’s the playoff.

“Goal’s still the same. The goal was to get this far, the goal is to keep going,” Corum said. “Our focus is the same, goal is the same. We’re still approaching everything the same way. It’s working – why change it? We’re gonna prepare the same and go from there.”

That said, it will be a clash between the Michigan offense, which leads the nation with 17 plays of 50-plus yards, and the top-ranked Georgia defense.

In recent weeks, we’ve seen much more imagination out of the Wolverine offense, from the usage of Donovan Edwards against Maryland, which set up the A.J. Henning end-around against Ohio State, which set up the Edwards throw downfield in the Big Ten Championship Game.

Do the offensive players feel like coordinator Josh Gattis has anything special saved up for this game and the possible one the following week?

“I wouldn’t really say he saves it, we just practice it and we use it when the opportunity presents itself,” third-year receiver Mike Sainristil said. “The opponent we play might not have the right defensive look for us to run it into, so we’ll just continue practicing it, keep it in the playbook. And as soon as the opportunity presents itself, we’re gonna use it.”

The excitement level in Schembechler Hall is palpable. As third-year cornerback DJ Turner says, this team is salivating at the opportunity to showcase its ability on a national stage once again.

“We’re back energized, refreshed, ready to go.”

The Capital One Orange Bowl kicks off at 7:30 p.m. EST on Dec. 31 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

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Michigan football embracing underdog mentality vs. Ohio State

Will this team be able to pull off the upset on Saturday?

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan players know the deal when it comes to Ohio State. They’re aware of the struggles of the past decade-plus when it comes to The Game.

On Saturday, everything is on the line — not just the opportunity to get an elusive win over the Buckeyes, a team Michigan hasn’t beaten since 2011, but also to make it to the Big Ten championship game the next week and a chance to get into the College Football Playoff.

The stakes are very high, and it’s something that the team is embracing.

“It means everything. Not only are we playing our rival, we’re playing this big game, but it’s a playoff game, and there’s a lot on the line and we know that,” team captain and fifth-year senior linebacker Josh Ross said. “It’s gonna come down to how we prepare this week and how we prepare on a day-to-day and how we approach it and attack it leading to Saturday – that’s what wins games.”

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But few are giving the Wolverines a chance, given the history.

From 1969, the year Bo Schembechler took over the program, until OSU head coach Jon Cooper’s last year with the program in 2000, the maize and blue weren’t just competitive with the Buckeyes, they got unlikely wins. Then, Jim Tressel took over and lost only once to Michigan. The lopsidedness continued when Urban Meyer took over the program in 2012, and Michigan’s sole game against Ryan Day in 2019 saw the Wolverines on the wrong end of a blowout loss.

Michigan now is well aware of the shortcomings, with just two wins in the rivalry since Tressel took the reins — 2003 and 2011. Every year, there’s grand talk about getting back on the winning side of things, but these players don’t care about the past, they don’t care about the talk. They’re eager for results.

“It’s brought up – not around here, but social media and stuff,” third-year wide receiver Mike Sainristil said. “That’s the past. None of that matters this week. It’s all about what we have to do to get the job done on Saturday.”

“None of that matters – we’re tired of talking,” Ross said. “None of the past matters. We know what happened in the past. We know all the stuff that happened. But at the end of the day, it’s about right now, having a great week of preparation and attacking it, having great days and having a great game this weekend.”

At the moment, according to Tipico Sportsbook, Michigan is a 7.5-point underdog to Ohio State. In a way, that’s right where this team wants to be.

In 2020, Michigan didn’t face the Buckeyes but went 2-4 in the COVID-shortened season. While teams like Penn State and Wisconsin got the benefit of the doubt from their bad years, the Wolverines did not. That lack of faith implemented a proverbial shoulder chip for these Wolverines, which helped inspire them to get to the 10-1 standing they have now.

When nearly everyone counted out this Michigan program, it was those players in the building that rallied, knowing they were capable of so much more.

“I guess you could say that in terms of the poor performance last year and the attitude of our program,” sixth-year center and team captain Andrew Vastardis said. “But all that matters is the team, everyone inside the building, how the team trusts each other, how the team believes in each other. I would say it’s a great matchup we’ve got ahead of us, a great opportunity. We’re confident in each other’s abilities and we’re just ready to compete.”

So, while the Wolverines aren’t expected to win outside of Schembechler Hall, that suits this team fine. In fact, they’re right where they want to be.

“That’s fine. That’s the attitude we’ve had all year, the underdog mentality,” Sainristil said. “We feed off of that energy. It is what it is – if we’re underdogs, we’re underdogs. We’ll gladly take that and use it to our advantage come Saturday.”

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All Betting Lines are Courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook

Michigan football players set to hold player-led meeting in aftermath of MSU

It may have been a devastating loss, but it is still just one loss.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Don’t let one loss turn into two, that’s crucial for Michigan football.

There are four games left on the schedule: Indiana, at Penn State, at Maryland, and Ohio State. Despite the loss to Michigan State on Saturday, the Wolverines could end up with a stellar season, even if a loss to a rival tarnishes things a bit. But there’s still a lot left to play for.

Michigan players do have a ‘leadership council’ where the team leaders meet and determine the direction of the team from a player side of things. They’ve decided to hold the team’s third player-led meeting since the season started on Monday to make sure that there’s no slipping up from here, now that there is one loss on the books.

“Just us making sure that we relay the message to the team that we’re still in this,” junior wide receiver Mike Sainristil said. “There’s no need to worry. We just have to bounce back and take this past weekend for what it is. Go over film and just correct our mistakes and learn where we can get better to improve and dominate the rest of the season.”

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Really, the point of the meeting is to make sure everyone is aligned in their vision, to ensure that when Indiana comes to town on Saturday, no one is hanging their heads after the MSU loss, and thus costing the team its potential future.

“I’m expecting the message to be we’re still in it,” third-year edge rusher Mike Morris said. “It doesn’t matter if we lost or not, we’ve been here before. It’s not an issue with us. So I’m not really worried about it. I just want everybody on the team to be on the same page.”

No, Saturday’s game did not go as expected, but there’s still reason to believe Michigan is on the right track.

Though the defense in the second half struggled against the run game, it had a good first half. The passing game came alive, and if the Wolverines could get out of their own way when it comes to scoring touchdowns after driving the field — an issue for much of the season — then it certainly would have won in East Lansing going away.

So the players on the leadership council don’t see any reason to let up now. It may be a devastating loss, but it is just one loss. Win out, and it’s soon to be forgotten.

“I just really don’t think there’s any reason to lose confidence,” Sainristil said. “We know who we are, we know our identity. We just have to keep practicing harder and understand that our level of execution has to increase to get to where we want to be.”

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Why Mike Sainristil says Michigan football is ‘gonna be a surprise’ in 2021

Will we see tangible progress right out of the gates by this #Michigan team?

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — While this will certainly upset the ‘do more, say less’ crowd, Michigan football has the right attitude if it wants to turn things around in 2021.

After a moribund 2020 campaign, the players are determined to get back to the high standards that the Wolverines are held to — inside and outside of Schembechler Hall. On Monday, starting QB Cade McNamara spoke about the importance of homefield advantage, and just after he spoke, junior wide receiver Mike Sainristil stressed the importance of the team getting back to its winning ways.

Not much is expected of the maize and blue — they’re projected to come in fourth place in the Big Ten East. Yet, Michigan has arguably more talent than any other team in the conference, save for Ohio State.

With that in mind, the players are putting in the work en route to the Sept. 4 season opener. Asked which players are going to surprise in 2021, Sainristil started to say DJ Turner before ultimately noting that the Wolverines expect to outpace expectations by both the media and the fanbase.

“Honestly, not so much guys, but we’re gonna be a surprise – not us on the team, we’re not gonna be surprised,” Sainristil said. “But people watching are gonna be very – I guess I’m gonna say surprised with the way we come out this year. Offense, defense, special teams – all around.”

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Before you get up in arms about this being more of Michigan talking without producing, saying that the team is going to surprise is a far cry from guaranteeing actual wins. This is the mentality you want a team to have rather than hoping for unearned success.

As Sainristil points out, it’s not just talking as the team has been putting in the work. He’s seen the progress made in the offseason, bolstered by not wanting to repeat the mistakes of 2020.

“I’ve just been here. I’ve seen the way everyone’s been working. I’ve seen the daily grind,” Sainristil said. “Guys just really want it.

“Every year teams have different – you know. But this team this year, we’re really hungry, especially coming off the season we had last year. That wasn’t really Michigan football. Of course, I’m not happy we had a losing season, but it was a reality check for us. That’s definitely playing a big part of it for us.”

We’ll see on Saturday how much progress the team has made compared to a year ago.

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How a Michigan receiver shows ‘pride,’ who is standing out in Ronnie Bell’s eyes

Will #Michigan’s receiving corps finally break out in 2021? #GoBlue

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — While we haven’t seen the production outside of Ronnie Bell just yet, Michigan football is deep in the receiving corps. At least hypothetically.

Bell has not only been productive but he’s also been a leader — further evidenced when he was named team captain on Thursday. But what has he seen from the rest of the group? Who has he seen stand out in fall camp in terms of who’s made the biggest strides?

“I would say Mikey Sainristil for sure, then (Cornelius Johnson), and then the young bucks as well — Andrel and Cristian Dixon,” Bell said. “Especially Andrel and (Dixon) when they first got here, because they got here early, in the spring and whatnot. And in the spring it was kinda rough. Just watching them throughout this fall, they’ve become so much better — detailed receivers.

“And then Mikey has taken a huge leap as well. He’s been fun to play with, fun to watch. He’s all over the place. C.J. as well. Everyone’s been talking about C.J. C.J.’s game is also taking great steps.”

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Fans have been waiting to see Sainristil break out since he emerged onto the scene as an early-enrollee, drawing rave reviews from his teammates and the staff in spring 2019. However, he hit a freshman wall and hasn’t been nearly as electric as advertised back when he first hit the media airwaves as a breakout candidate.

What has Bell seen from him this fall camp that indicates that he’s ready to step into a larger role in his third year?

“He’s always open!” Bell said. “Mikey is detailed. He’s so detailed. He’s quick in all of them little spaces over the middle. He blocks — he’s got pride when he blocks. He freaking blocks, man — he gets you open. He knows what’s going on. He’s made plays.”

Blocking is of particular importance to Bell, especially as a player who came to Ann Arbor unheralded, yet out-performed current NFL receivers like Nico Collins and Donovan Peoples-Jones. In Bell’s eyes, you can tell how much a receiver wants to be great by how insistent they are to block the man across from them when their number isn’t being called.

He says that’s how he can tell that a receiver has pride in their craft.

“You can see the pride in receivers — my favorite way of knowing if a receiver is prideful or not is a run play,” Bell said. “Is your man gonna go back and tackle a guy? That’s my favorite. That’s my way of making sure we have pride.”

With an increasingly deep room that also includes second-year players Roman Wilson and A.J. Henning, it will be interesting to see who emerges as the next Ronnie Bell in terms of outperforming their expected capability this upcoming season.

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Michigan football grades from Big Ten Week 6 27-17 loss against Penn State

Michigan football lost 27-17 against Penn State in Ann Arbor. How did each position grade out in the loss to the Nittany Lions?

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Michigan football is back to its losing ways in the 2020 season. Despite it ending its three-game losing streak to Rutgers last week, Michigan couldn’t figure out what to do against Penn State this week, losing 27-17. The Wolverines couldn’t come back down 17-7 at halftime like they were able to last week as the Nittany Lions were too much for them.

Michigan had an injury with its starting quarterback in Cade McNamara early on in the game, which brought in backup Joe Milton for a while before McNamara returned. The return wouldn’t last long, though, as Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh pulled him in the fourth quarter due to his injury. The position needed some consistency, and it once again failed to live up to its expectations.

The defense made some stops and slowed down Penn States offense, but even with just two running backs, the Nittany Lions didn’t have trouble putting up points on the Wolverines. While the defense didn’t perform great, it wasn’t as bad as the offense was overall. Check out my grades from the loss to Penn State below.

Offense

Quarterback: C-

McNamara had a rough go at it as the starter. He had a good start with only one bad throw, but he started to perform worse once he got injured. McNamara couldn’t throw the football downfield, and the short throws weren’t moving the chains. He finished going 12-for-25 for 91 yards.

Milton came in for McNamara when he was injured and when McNamara was pulled in the fourth quarter. His performance wasn’t much better, going 1-for-3 for 21 yards. Milton’s two incomplete passes were poor throws and not what the team needed to see with him back in. Neither turned the football over, which is helpful, but it was not a great performance with under 100 yards for each.

Running Back: B

Michigan football has seemed to have thrown the running back committee type of ground game out the window this week. Hassan Haskins is the starting running back, and he won’t give that job up, finishing with 17 carries for 101 yards and two touchdowns. Chris Evans was the next man up with four carries for 35 yards, while Blake Corum had three carries for 27 yards. Zach Charbonnet never saw the field, out with an undisclosed ailment.

Wide Receiver: C-

No wide receiver could find the end zone this week, and there were very few plays from the group. Ronnie Bell once again led the group with four catches for 40 yards. Freshman A.J. Henning made a big catch for 28 yards, finishing with three for 31 yards. Cornelius Johnson had two catches for 15 yards. Mike Sainristil had a game to forget with a drop and a muffed punt.

Tight End: C-

After performing well last week, the tight end group was silent against the Nittany Lions. Erick All had a catch for eight yards, while Nick Eubanks had a catch for six yards. The blocking could’ve been better from the duo, but it wasn’t as bad as it was in weeks past.

Offensive line: C-

While starting left tackle Ryan Hayes was active, he didn’t play. Right tackle Jalen Mayfield and center Andrew Vastardis were still out with injuries. The line did a good job keeping both quarterbacks upright despite facing a strong Penn State front seven, but outside of the big 59-yard run by Haskins, they could only help muster up 115 yards on the ground. Short yardage situations on third and fourth down were challenging for the group to gain as they weren’t able to push the defensive line back when it mattered most in the fourth quarter on the fourth and one run by Milton.

Now onto the defense and special teams…

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