Tag: Nico Collins

Michigan has been ‘focused on (Ohio State) every single day’ since 2018 loss

Unlike in previous years, Ohio State has had the Wolverines full attention all-year long.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It was certainly a change in perspective from what we’ve heard from Jim Harbaugh before when it comes to the Michigan – Ohio State rivalry.

Since Harbaugh arrived in Ann Arbor, he’s always had a narrow focus, taking things game-by-game. So when he said this to Brad Galli on Monday, it came as something of a surprise:

“(I’ve focused on Ohio State) on a weekly basis,” Harbaugh said. “Heckuva good football team in all areas. Defensively one of the best in the country, if not the best. Offensively, same can be said. They do a heckuva job in the kicking games as well.

“It’s a formidable opponent, and we’re very excited about it. Preparation has been underway for awhile now, and looking forward to practicing it this week and playing it on Saturday.”

That mentality has spilled over to the players, as well.

Yes, the team motto for the year is ‘brick-by-brick,’ meaning that it had to take everything moment-by-moment, building to this point. But the reason for that?

To beat Ohio State.

“We’ve focused on it every single day,” senior left guard and team captain Ben Bredeson said. “Always knowing — obviously we all know when this game is coming on the schedule. We were looking forward to this from the end of last year. Obviously, going into Senior Day, talking to all the other seniors, your last game at Michigan Stadium, you want to go out with a win.

“There’s no other team we’d rather play the last game here than Ohio State.”

Of course, a 62-39 shellacking in Columbus when you were the ones favored to win will come with some type of consequence from a motivational standpoint.

Wideout Nico Collins was one of the line bright spots in The Game a year ago, reeling in 4 pass receptions for 91 yards and 2 touchdowns.

It clearly wasn’t enough. Like the rest of the team, he and his compatriots have a sour taste in their mouths, and they’re determined to rid themselves of it come Saturday.

Thus, the enhanced focus on the rival.

“Last year didn’t end well, like we wanted it to,” Collins said. “Ever since that loss — we don’t want to have that feeling again. The Game — throughout the offseason, our main focus is to not have that feeling again. We take it very personal throughout this whole building. It’s that week.”

When it comes to this rivalry, Ohio State has some pretty intense motivational tactics themselves. Beyond practice, though, the team and the fanbase take it a step further, crossing out all the letter Ms on campus, in tweets — wherever it’s available.

Naturally, they miss a few, but it’s part of what takes place once rivalry week arrives down south.

Up north, however, Michigan doesn’t feel the need to engage in any extra tactics. Instead, it uses that energy to build from within, rather than to attempt to tear down.

“We just focus on ourselves,” Bredeson said. “We know how big this game is. We know what it means to us. Really, we’ve been taking this game personally all year. We’ve been preparing for it since last year. Just very excited to finally have that chance to go play.”

We’ll know on Saturday at noon EST if the Wolverines method works or not. They’ve had a year to stew on the 2018 results, but face a potentially tougher challenge, as Ohio State comes in as perhaps the best team in the country.

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Ohio State provides opportunity for Shea Patterson to leave lasting legacy

Michigan QB Shea Patterson is playing his best football. On Saturday against Ohio State, the senior has a chance to cement his legacy.

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Expectations were high for senior quarterback Shea Patterson entering the 2019 season.

Patterson was head coach Jim Harbaugh’s first returning starter at the position since he took over at Michigan, and the offensive shift to Josh Gattis’ “pro-spread” approach  seemed to suit Patterson’s strengths as a creator in the pocket.

The fact that coaches and teammates raved about the senior’s playmaking ability in this new scheme all offseason did nothing to temper those expectations.

But the season didn’t start the way anyone envisioned.

Patterson was injured in the season-opener, which either affected his confidence, his playmaking ability or both through the first seven games of the season. The senior was completed just 54.7 percent of his throws through the Penn State game, and had just nine passing touchdowns against four interceptions.

Fans and media were ready to move on. Michigan had lost two of their first seven games, the Big Ten title already seemed out of reach, and young prospects Dylan McCaffery and Joe Milton showed promise.

But the coaching staff stuck by Patterson, and the quarterback has rewarded their faith over the course of the past four games.

In that stretch, Patterson has thrown 12 touchdown passes and just a single interception – which came in garbage time last week at Indiana. The senior also bumped his completion percentage up to 63.6 percent in those four games.

“Shea’s been going out there and having fun,” junior wide receiver Nico Collins said on Monday. “He’s out there playing with confidence. I feel like this offense is playing with confidence right now. I feel like we’re having fun and enjoying the moment.”

Patterson has earned ‘Offensive Player of the Week’ honors from the Big Ten in each of the past two weeks. The quarterback eclipsed 300 passing yards in each game – after having not accomplished that feat in any of his previous 22 starts for the Wolverines – and became the first Michigan quarterback in history to throw at least four touchdown passes in back-to-back games.

Those are nice accomplishments, but not ones that will leave a lasting legacy amongst Wolverine fans and historians.

Enter Ohio State.

Patterson’s play in this Saturday’s game will determine how he’s remembered – or if he’s remembered at all. That may seem harsh, but it’s reality.

Patterson’s performance last year against the Buckeyes was solid. He completed 20-of-34 passes for 187 yards with three touchdowns and an interception.

But nobody remembers those numbers. They remember 62-39.

As former Michigan quarterback Brian Griese once said, “You’re judged at Michigan by what you do against Ohio State.”

The only Wolverine quarterbacks to beat the Buckeyes since the turn of the century are Denard Robinson (2011), John Navarre (2003) and Drew Henson (2000).

If Patterson joins that group, he’ll ultimately leave Ann Arbor with a lasting legacy as one of the university’s best.

Consider this:

Patterson is 13-0 as a starting quarterback at the Big House. This Saturday’s game will be his final at Michigan Stadium. A win would clinch an unbeaten record in Ann Arbor.

Patterson has thrown for over 5,000 yards in a Michigan uniform. He’s just the ninth Wolverine in history to eclipse the mark, and he did it with the best efficiency (149.9), the second-lowest interception rate (1.92 percent), needed the second-fewest games (24) and the fourth-fewest attempts (619) amongst that group.

Patterson would be 1-1 against both Ohio State and Notre Dame, and 2-0 against Michigan State as Michigan’s starting quarterback. Given the Wolverines’ recent history against their rivals, those marks would earn him a nod of approval.

Despite the early criticism this season, despite failing to validate the “Dark Horse Heisman candidate” talk that accompanied his arrival from Ole Miss as a transfer, Patterson has put himself in position to have one final shot at a defining moment at Michigan.

He’ll need help from his teammates to accomplish that. Anyone who understands what the Wolverines are up against this Saturday knows that.

“Shea’s just having fun, he’s playing looser,” Collins said. “He knows we got his back 100 percent of the way. We’re gonna be there for him.”

But Patterson needs to lead the way, and if it results in a Wolverines victory, he’ll cement himself firmly in Michigan lore.

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Does Michigan have something up its sleeve for Ohio State?

Could the Wolverines have a few tricks up their sleeves when it comes to The Game on Saturday?

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. —  Every year, in any of Michigan’s three rivalry games, but especially against Ohio State, there’s an expectation that the Wolverines will break something new or unexpected out. Perhaps it’s a counter to something we’ve already seen. Or maybe something new entirely.

Take Jabrill Peppers coming out as the wildcat quarterback against MSU in 2015 — which forced the Spartans to take consecutive timeouts. Or even in the non-rivalry big games, like Shea Patterson keeping the ball by design against Wisconsin last year.

But, against the Buckeyes, it doesn’t seem like Michigan has pulled an ace out of its sleeve in the same regard.

Yes, in 2016, it did on the defensive side of the ball, which was significantly less obvious to the casual observer. The Wolverines confused OSU quarterback J.T. Barrett rolling out a mixture of man and zone coverages, which allowed plenty of time for the defensive line to wreak havoc. Short, quick passes on offense gave the maize and blue a fighting chance despite being overmatched in 2017.

But otherwise — like last year — it just seemed like Michigan was intent to just come out and play its game.

And that didn’t work.

This year, the Wolverines seem more tight-lipped than normal. While it’s not unusual for head coach Jim Harbaugh to only talk for 13 minutes at his Monday press conference, in recent weeks, he’s spoken in excess of 15-20. Per a Michigan spokesperson, whereas the media gets two assistant coaches regularly on Wednesday for media availability, there will be no such availability this week.

Meanwhile, both sides of the ball have diversified extensively. We’re seeing more of speedy freshman wideout Giles Jackson on offense. The defense has mixed in more and more zone looks all year, with players like hybrid linebacker-defensive end Josh Uche mixing whether he goes at the quarterback or drops into coverage.

There has been a litany of formations on both sides of the ball that indicate radical change from the season opener against Middle Tennessee.

That in mind, Michigan is seemingly peaking at the right time in most facets, which is perfect since the No. 2 Buckeyes are coming to town as a seemingly unbeatable force.

Starting with the defense, Harbaugh credited the job that defensive coordinator Don Brown has done at making adjustments and keeping things fresh. All offseason, fans clamored for more diversity than the typical 4-man down front with constant blitzing. It burned the Wolverines in Columbus a year ago, and it seems that Brown has been preparing his team for this challenge — facing an explosive Ohio State offense — all season long.

“We’re not really gonna talk schematics going into any game, but there’s been a multitude of different fronts, different blitz packages, coverages,” Harbaugh said. “It’s pretty high volume, and (Don Brown) does a great job of calling the defense, he does a great job of making adjustments during the week, in-game. All of it. As well as I’ve ever seen it done.

“And to say everything’s possible. Everything’s possible for this game. Just everything, everything we’ve done, everything that could be done could be changed. Anything could be added. Don’t mind your opponents knowing that. All things are possible, schematically. Specifically schematically.”

And it’s worked, mostly.

Yes, the defense was gashed at Wisconsin, and initially at Penn State before it settled in about 20 minutes into the game. But many of the teams that Michigan has faced have seen less-than-normal outputs. That was certainly on display this past week, as a vaunted Indiana offense that was averaging 448 yards-per-game to just 321 total yards — with 48 coming as the Hoosiers were just trying to get out of their own stadium on an 8-plus minute drive to end the game. It was IU’s second-lowest output all season.

But Saturday presents a bigger challenge. Ohio State has the No. 6 offense in the country, and its lowest output this year was just this last week against Penn State, after some self-inflicted wounds held it back.

Perhaps it’s a sign that, should Michigan’s defense play at its potential — and more so, if it thinks it has the blueprint to slow Justin Fields, J.K. Dobbins & Co. — that the Wolverines could hold the Buckeyes lower than that season-low of 421 yards of offense.

The way that senior VIPER Khaleke Hudson sees the offense, OSU will do everything in its power to come out fast. But he sees a path to slowing down the high-flying attack.

“Just the way that they control the game, how they want to put the game in their hands,” Hudson said. “They want to control, put points on the board early and fast, try to get ahead really quickly, put our offense in bad situations where we have to pass the ball more than we want to or vice versa. Just letting them not do that, have the defense control the game. Getting pressures on the quarterback. Playing tight man and zone behind the pressure and just going out there and letting it all out.”

But the other side of the ball could be quite interesting.

Since the offense started firing on all cylinders in the second-half against Penn State, we’ve seen significantly more diversity. In the play-calling, in the personnel groups and the variety of formations.

Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis has often said the goal of his ‘speed in space’ offense is to put the defense in conflict. We’ve seen that more in recent weeks, evident on plays such as Cornelius Johnson’s late touchdown against MSU — when an RPO play had quarterback Shea Patterson keep the ball, roll out and when the defender chose to come at him, instead of holding on, he threw to Johnson, who streaked into the endzone.

That was at the end of the game. But perhaps a more telling aspect has been fellow true freshman Giles Jackson’s inclusion into the offense early in games.

Jackson reeled in a 50-yarder on Michigan’s first drive against Indiana, which set up Patterson’s strike to Ronnie Bell to tie the game up at 7-all. He also got the ball twice rushing, and while he only got 7 total yards on that front, it feels like Michigan is setting something up for The Game.

If anyone knows about Jackson’s talent, it’s star wideout Nico Collins, who sees big things coming from the Antioch, California native — not just in this game, but overall.

“Giles, man — he’s a really great kid,” Collins said. “He’s growing up. You can tell he’s gonna be a big impact on this offense. He’s showing it, what he can do with the ball in his hands. 

“He’s a freshman, so he’s got a long time here! But you can tell each game he’s getting (more) comfortable and comfortable. At the end of the day, (you get better) just playing football. We appreciate Giles a lot. 

“(And) Mikey (Sainristil), Cornelius (Johnson) — everybody. Just having a huge impact on the offense.”

So does Michigan have an ace up its sleeve? The evidence is mounting, but we’ll have to wait until Saturday to find out.

Like Jim Harbaugh said: anything can happen.

The Wolverines host the Buckeyes at The Big House at noon EST. The Game will be broadcast nationally on FOX.

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Ohio State vs. Michigan 2019 football Preview And Prediction

Ohio State travels to Michigan to renew the annual grudge match in The Game. We’ve got your preview and prediction for Saturday.

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Records

Ohio State (11-0), Michigan (9-2)

Broadcast, TV, Game Time

Date: Saturday, November 30
Game Time: Noon ET
Network: FOX
Venue: Michigan Stadium – Capacity: 107,601
All-Time Series: Michigan leads 58-50-6
Last Meeting: Ohio State defeated Michigan 62-39 in 2018

In a season that was supposed to finally be the year for Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines to get over the hump, it’s been more of the same. Unfulfilled expectations.

On the other side, Ohio State was picked as low as fourth in the Big Ten with new coach Ryan Day taking over for Urban Meyer. However, the Bucks have just kept rolling with a high powered offense and a new look defense.

Michigan has been steadily improving as the regular season winds down. This isn’t the same team that squeaked by Army and got trucked by Wisconsin and TTUN would like nothing more than to knock the Buckeyes down a notch and give Harbaugh his first win over Ohio State.

This one is setting up to be an epic battle in the Big House. Throw the records out the window for The Game – it’s officially Michigan week!

Next … The game plan

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Two Wolverines make PFF national ‘team of the week’

Two Wolverines got named to the scouting website’s honors after a 39-14 drubbing of Indiana.

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Many saw Michigan’s penultimate regular season game at Indiana as a potential trouble spot. The Hoosiers always play the Wolverines tough, and when it’s been the second-to-last game of the regular season, it’s often been at home. But this one was in Bloomington,

It was close for nearly a half. But then the maize and blue put it away, behind a stellar performance on both sides of the ball.

It was such a stellar performance, in fact, particularly on offense, that scouting website, Pro Football Focus, named two Wolverines to its ‘team of the week,’ as the offensive attack continues to roll.

Naturally, it starts with quarterback Shea Patterson, who had his second consecutive 350+ yard passing attack. He became the first-ever Wolverine to pass for four or more touchdowns in consecutive games in the 39-14 win.

Shea Patterson, Michigan

It didn’t matter the direction, depth or type of coverage that Patterson was throwing into against Indiana on Saturday, he was simply lights out after falling behind 7-14 against a much better Hoosiers team than most give credit for. Patterson threw for 371 yards and five touchdowns, hitting all five touchdowns on throws targeted at least 10 yards past the line of scrimmage. He has his Wolverines team rolling into their annual showdown with Ohio State, reaching highs that we haven’t seen from him this year at the very right time.

Naturally, his primary benefactor on offense also got a nod, as junior wideout Nico Collins had his best-ever game in maize and blue.

Nico Collins, Michigan

Benefiting from his quarterback’s best performance of the season, Collins hauled in six catches for 165 yards and three scores, securing 78 of those yards after the catch. He was stellar on deep shots, catching 2-of-3 passes targeted at least 20 yards downfield for 43 yards and two touchdowns while he caught 100% of his targets in between the numbers, finishing with a 3-for-3, 124 yards and two touchdown stat line on passes over the middle of the field.

Michigan SAM linebacker Josh Uche also got an honorable mention as an edge defender — behind Ohio State star DE Chase Young.

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Michigan’s Nico Collins unleashes full potential at Indiana

Michigan junior wide receiver Nico Collins had a career day against Indiana on Saturday, finishing with 165 yards and and three touchdowns.

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This was the performance that many have been waiting for.

On Saturday, Michigan unleashed the weapon that is junior wide receiver Nico Collins to his full potential against Indiana.

Collins has been a deep threat throughout his career, but didn’t seem to get as many targets as other receiving options like Ronnie Bell and Donovan Peoples-Jones. Against the Hoosiers, however, Collins was targeted seven times, and the results were impressive.

The 6-foot-4, 222-pound receiver finished with six catches for a career-high 165 yards and three touchdowns. It was a performance that impressed his teammates and coaches alike.

“Man, he’s a beast,” said linebacker Josh Uche. “I knew that, everyone in the organization knew that, but it’s like, anyone can be a practice All-American. But to see it come to fruition on game days – it’s magical. Just knowing what somebody’s capable of doing and then seeing them executing is great to see.”

Collins’ ability to go deep and out-jump cornerbacks was on display once again this Saturday. On two of his touchdown catches, quarterback Shea Patterson threw the ball high and trusted Collins to go it.

“Just Nico being Nico,” Patterson said. “That last one he went up and got it just like he did last week. He’s a playmaker, he finds the open space and it’s cool to see him take off.”

As a former quarterback himself, head coach Jim Harbaugh knows the luxury of having a receiving threat with the size, length and leaping ability Collins possesses.

“He is high-pointing the ball as well as you can,” Harbaugh said. “Doing a tremendous job on the posts – high-pointing those balls and getting separation. He’s just doing a lot of great things as a receiver.”

Yards-after-catch hasn’t often been a big part of Collins’ game, but he flashed that ability as well on his other touchdown.

The play design from offensive coordinator Josh Gattis was excellent. Collins was stacked behind Bell at the line of scrimmage. Bell ran a curl route, while Collins ran a deep slant behind Bell’s route toward the middle of the field. Both cornerbacks went with Bell, leaving Collins wide open, and after the safety took a bad angle and missed a tackle, Collins was off to the races for 76 yards.

“It was kind of like a game-time adjustment,” Collins said. “As the game went on, we found ways to attack the defense and that’s what we did. …Going to the sideline, Gattis asked us what we see out there, what play is working, and we told him. He trusted in us, made those adjustments and [we went] out there and made those plays.”

As said, the 165 yards and three touchdowns were single-game career highs for Collins. He’s been a consistent threat this season, but on Saturday against the Hoosiers, the junior flashed every tool in his arsenal to put on a memorable performance.

“Nico was just ridiculous out there today. Great game for Nico Collins,” Harbaugh said. “It was good to get Nico on some crossing routes, some slant routes, some deep ends. He’s very good at it, he’s a very big target to throw [at], big catch radius. His assortment of routes that he’s running has clicked up quite a bit and he’s coming through.”

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Michigan football grades from Week 13 win against Indiana

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

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

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

OFFENSE

Quarterback: A

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

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

Running Back: C+

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

Wide Receiver: A+

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

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

Tight End: C+

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

Offensive Line: A-

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

Now onto the defense and special teams…
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Patterson cracks Michigan history books against Indiana

Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson became the first Wolverine in history to throw at least four touchdown passes in back-to-back games.

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Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson gave an encore to his record-setting performance against Michigan State last week, entering the university’s history books as the first Wolverine to throw at least four touchdown passes in consecutive games.

On Saturday at Indiana, Patterson completed 20-of-32 passes for 366 yards with five touchdowns. The five touchdown passes were the most in a single game for a Michigan quarterback since 2015, when Jake Rudock threw six in an overtime win over the Hoosiers.

“Things Shea’s doing now haven’t been done by too many people,” head coach Jim Harbaugh said. “That speaks to his talent, speaks to the other players on the offense and the job that they’re doing as well.”

In his first 22 games in a Michigan uniform, Patterson never reached 300 passing yards. He’s eclipsed the mark in each of the last two games, and did it with impressive efficiency as well. Against the Spartans and Hoosiers, Patterson completed nearly 68 percent of his throws and averaged 11.5 yards per pass.

What’s been the key to Patterson’s recent uptick in efficiency, yards and touchdowns?

“From our standpoint, Shea’s just making all the right reads,” said left tackle Jon Runyan Jr. “He’s getting the ball out on time.”

Harbaugh agreed with Runyan Jr.’s assessment.

“[Shea’s] playing on-time with everything he does,” Harbaugh said. “His rhythm, his getting the ball out is all on time. Everything has become very precise with Shea. His precision in the passing game has been operating on time extremely well.

Patterson was quick to point to his teammates and coaches when asked about his success these past two weeks.

“From Sunday all the way leading up to game day, I’m with Coach McDaniels and Coach Gattis and we’re game-planning all week. So, I give credit to them,” Patterson said.

“All those guys out there tonight – Nico [Collins], Tarik [Black], Ronnie [Bell], Donovan [Peoples-Jones] – just give them a chance because they’re playmakers.”

Collins was one of Patterson’s favorite targets on Saturday, with the big wide out on the receiving end of three of the quarterback’s touchdown tosses. Following the game, Collins was highly complementary of his quarterback’s play.

“Credit to the offensive lineman for giving Shea time for him to go through his reads,” Collins said. “When Shea has time like that we know what he can do with the ball. …Shea’s going through his reads and finding all the receivers. He’s just going through his progressions, finds an open receiver and he gives us a chance.”

Patterson is playing the best football of his Michigan career. Like Rudock in 2015, Patterson is growing stronger as the season progresses. It somewhat ironic that the two former transfer quarterbacks had their highest single-game touchdown totals come against Indiana.

Michigan’s four-game winning streak has coincided with the offense averaging 41.5 points per game in that same span. Patterson has been a massive part of that, completing 63.6 percent of his throws for 1,001 yards and 12 touchdowns with just one interception – which came on Saturday in garbage time.

“We’re riding him,” Harbaugh said. “His play has just been outstanding. He’s really seeing the field well. He’s taking care of the football at all times. It’s rare that he’s even close to a turnover. He’s doing a great job in that regard, and really playing disciplined football. Doing a great job going through his reads.

“He’s a really good player, he’s a really talented player.”

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Nico Collins explosion showcases Michigan’s multiple weapons in the passing game

Michigan football has figured out the offense the past few weeks, and with today’s performance, their depth at wide receiver is deep.

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All the off-season chatter of how explosive the wide receivers would be this season can finally be seen by everyone. The offense was struggling for the first five games of the season when it came to passing the football. Michigan was 4-1 with a close win against Army and got their only loss to Wisconsin. Michigan was coming off their 10-3 win over Iowa and head coach Jim Harbaugh had an interesting comment on the offensive performance in the close win against Iowa.

He said the offense was “hitting its stride.”

Hitting its stride after just putting up 10 measly points against Iowa? In a game where your defense won you the battle? Nobody believed what Harbaugh was saying. Now Harbaugh is laughing at everyone for doubting him.

Michigan would beat Illinois 42-25 in a close game, but the offense saw some explosive play and a pulse in the offense. Next week against Penn State, Michigan did lose 28-21, but the second half of that game has been the starting point of something special as Michigan has been dominant on the offensive side of the football.

Since the comment made by Harbaugh, Michigan has drastically reduced the number of turnovers they have had, with only five total in seven games. Turnovers were a major talking point early on in the season, but since then they have cleaned up their act.

Not only have the turnovers have gotten better, but the offense is putting up yards and they now average 439.5 yards and 38 points per game. How does that happen? Get your wide receivers involved and showcase the offense you hyped up all offseason long.

Today against Indiana, Michigan kept putting their foot on the gas and today’s star receiver was Nico Collins, who finished with six catches for 165 yards and three touchdowns. Last week it was wide receiver Ronnie Bell who blew up for over 100 yards. Wide receiver Giles Jackson has been getting more involved in the offense too, getting a catch for 50 yards today.

You can’t forget about the other stud wide receivers, Donovan Peoples-Jones had a phenomenal snag for a touchdown today, finishing with five catches for 73 yards and the lone score. Tarik Black had three catches for 30 yards and freshman Mike Sainristil had a beauty of a catch for 35 yards.

Michigan has weapons in the passing game and the depth behind the starting three wide receivers is deep. The youngsters have gotten involved in the offense this season and giving quarterback Shea Patterson just more options to throw to when on the field. With these receivers constantly getting some big games, it’s hard for Patterson to share the ball fairly between everyone.

Patterson has seen an increase in his play and part of that is because of the play by these wide receivers. They are creating separation and making big catches when needed. Earlier this season you couldn’t see much separation between them and the defenders. Now they are making the moves to get open, and catching the 50/50 balls and coming down with the grab.

This offense was led behind Patterson once again today and Collins just happened to be the lucky winner by constantly getting open and making plays when needed. All of the hype about “speed in space” from offensive coordinator Josh Gattis is finally showing. It’s here and dealing with some damage to its opponents. Now that Michigan has hit their stride on offense, can it continue into next week?

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5 Takeaways from Michigan’s 39-14 win against Indiana

Michigan football won big 39-14 against Indiana. What are the five biggest takeaways from the win over the Hoosiers?

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Coming off the big 44-10 win over Michigan State, the big challenge headed into this week was Indiana. While Indiana was the main focus, another talking point was to see if Michigan could focus on the Hoosiers without looking ahead to Ohio State as they play them next week. The two teams traded blows to start the game out, but Michigan would gain the lead before halftime and never looked back, winning 39-14.

The offense was able to pass all over the Indiana defense as again the running game played second fiddle in the offense. The defense took some time to figure out Indiana’s offense, but they were able to shut their attack down and make it difficult for them to score more than twice.

Check out my five takeaways from the 39-14 win over Indiana.

1. Michigan’s passing game had its way today

Last week, Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson had his best game ever at Michigan as he threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns. This week, Patterson had another good game in the air, going 20/32 for 366 yards with five touchdowns, and an interception. He had a lot of time in the pocket for most of the game, and when he faced pressure he was able to escape it most of the time and keep the play alive.

You can just tell that Patterson is more comfortable in the offense than he was earlier this season. He trusts his receivers to make plays, his offensive lineman to block, and his running backs to get yards on the ground. He is making throws he wasn’t earlier this year and slinging the ball further down the field.

2. Running isn’t the main goal anymore

Speaking of the offense, the old-time Michigan offense that was known for running the rock, getting the yards on the ground and grinding for first downs, seems to have gotten a shakeup. Michigan threw the ball more than running the ball and while that’s happened many times before, it feels different these past few weeks.

Michigan is turning away from a run-first attack and more of a pass-first attack. We’ve seen less read-option plays by the offense and fewer runs up the middle by the running backs. With those decreasing, we’ve seen an increase in passing the ball deep and making big chunk plays.

Michigan’s offense has adapted and is changing with the times. It seems that the days of the ground and pound offense are behind them, and they will attack through the air and fake you out with different RPO plays. Nine different receivers caught a pass today as multiple people were used in the passing attack, led by wide receiver Nico Collins who had six catches for 165 yards and three touchdowns.

3. Poor PEnalties returned

Michigan had some early penalty issues against Michigan State last week, but they were corrected as the game progressed. This week, Michigan had more penalty problems as they had five penalties in the first half, six overall for 49 yards. The penalties helped Indiana out early on and helped them move down the field, and stopped Michigan on one drive.

Get rid of the penalties, Michigan might stop Indiana from scoring on one of the two drives. Those drives kept Indiana in the game until the second quarter when Michigan got the lead for the first time. If those penalties kept Indiana in the game, they will keep Ohio State in the game next week. Those need to get cleaned up and fast.

4. Giles Jackson getting more involved

The Michigan offense has evolved as the season has progressed and more players have gotten involved as it’s grown. First, it was running back Hassan Haskins, then it was wide receiver Ronnie Bell, now it’s wide receiver Giles Jackson. To start the season, Jackson was mostly a kick returner and was used as a receiver late in games that Michigan already had a grip on the lead.

The past few weeks though we’ve seen him more involved with the offense on jet sweeps, option plays, and passing plays. Today Jackson saw a different spot as he was lined up as a running back next to Patterson, he ran a wheel route and caught a 50-yard pass. He is getting used in different ways on this offense and is a weapon wherever he is.

Having someone fast like Jackson used in different ways is helpful to shake up the offense as he can be used in multiple ways and can be a distraction to the defenses they go up against. His versatility can be dangerous for opposing defenses and something Ohio State will need to watch out for.

5. Michigan didn’t overlook Indiana

Speaking of Ohio State, Michigan didn’t look through Indiana and had their attention on Ohio State. Michigan treated Indiana like they should have, an opponent that can be dangerous. Michigan did have some mistakes as every game there are some, but they weren’t because they were surprised by Indiana.

The past four years Michigan has had close games against Indiana, winning all four games by less than 14 points, once in overtime and the other in double overtime. Michigan knew Indiana would put up a fight and wouldn’t let them think about Ohio State yet. Michigan had their sights set on beating the Hoosiers and they did just that.

The offense had a solid performance as the defense struggled at first, but was able to figure things out after the first half. Michigan wanted to beat Indiana and they did just that, beat Indiana. Now that the goal of the week has been completed, it’s onto Ohio State next week.

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