Tag: Quinn Nordin

3 things to watch for against Penn State

Michigan football takes on a team with similar struggles this season in Penn State. What are the three things to watch for this Saturday?

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Two of the Big Ten’s most prominent names battle in an East Division showdown on Saturday in Ann Arbor as the Michigan Wolverines take on the Penn State Nittany Lions.

That statement usually creates goosebumps — makes your heart beat a little faster even. In 2020 though, it’s far from what it used to be.

Coming back after being down by 17 against Rutgers last week, Michigan football has to move its attention away from the Scarlet Knights. Now, the Wolverines take on the worst team in the conference, 0-5 Penn State. At the start of the Big Ten season, Penn State was the 10th-ranked team in the country while Michigan was No. 18. Both teams have crumbled since then, turning into what nobody was expecting.

Penn State has had its woes against every opponent, from injuries to quarterback controversy, it’s similar to Michigan football. But the Wolverines have come out on top in some of their games. This week, both programs need a victory. For Penn State, its fall from the heavens could be somewhat softer with a win. As for Michigan, a win puts it back at .500 with a 3-3 record and a chance to end the season with a positive record.

As these two teams prepare to play, what are the three biggest things to keep an eye on in this game?

1. Does the hot hand from Cade McNamara turn into something?

When Michigan backup quarterback Cade McNamara came in against Wisconsin two weeks ago, he lit a fire in the offense. The group had issues moving the ball and finding the end zone all game long with Joe Milton under center. Four plays in, McNamara scored for the Wolverines. Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh didn’t ignore McNamara’s performance, though he didn’t do much afterward.

Against Rutgers, Milton struggled early and wasn’t scoring touchdowns. Despite Milton not turning the football over, Harbaugh switched quarterbacks, giving McNamara a shot while trailing by 17 in the second quarter. He only needed three plays to find pay dirt, and the comeback was on. McNamara finished 27-for-36 for 260 yards and four touchdowns, along with four carries for four yards and another touchdown on the ground.

With McNamara in, Michigan’s offense played harder, faster, stronger. It wanted to win more. The defense stepped its game up and started making more stops to give the offense chances to close the gap. Against Penn State, the hot-handed McNamara needs to be the starting quarterback. A quarterback change in the middle of a season can do wonders for a team, and it’s better late than never to see what this team can become with him.

NEXT: Evaluation at kicker once again

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Halftime analysis of Michigan State vs. No. 13 Michigan

Michigan football is down 14-10 against Michigan State at halftime. What are the key takeaways as the Wolverines are losing at halftime?

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From the Little Brown Jug to the Paul Bunyan Trophy, Michigan is looking to keep both of its trophies in Ann Arbor. It was able to secure the Jug last week, but this week the focus is on the in-state rivalry against the Michigan State Spartans. Starting with back-to-back rivalry games is a good way to get the Wolverines’ intensity, but it also brings more pressure on the team. This start isn’t what many were expecting for Michigan, but you should expect the unexpected with it being a rivalry game.

After both teams couldn’t move the ball much on each of its first drives, Michigan State would strike first and take the early 7-0 lead. Quarterback Rocky Lombardi found wide receiver Ricky White with a beautiful 30-yard touchdown pass while being covered well by cornerback Gemon Green. The Spartans were able to move the ball well against the Wolverines defense after a slow start.

The Spartans wouldn’t keep their lead for long, though, as the Wolverines rebounded well with a mix of big running and passing plays. Quarterback Joe Milton took a big hit on a 12-yard pass to wide receiver Giles Jackson which helped keep the drive alive on third down. The drive was topped off by an eight-yard touchdown run by freshman running back Blake Corum. Kicker Quinn Nordin came out, made his 2020 season debut, and tied it up at seven.

After multiple defensive stops, MSU was the next team to put up some points. Lombardi would connect on a 53-yard pass to wide receiver Jalen Nailor to move MSU inside the Wolverine redzone. Michigan could only stop them for so long before Lombardi found running back Connor Heyward for a two-yard touchdown pass to retake the lead, 14-7.

Michigan needed points on its next drive, and while it wasn’t seven, three points are better than none. The running game led the offense down the field as running back Hassan Haskins had three carries for 36 yards on the drive. In the wildcat formation that Haskins usually runs, Haskins gained a yard on the first attempt, but on the second attempt, he attempted a pass that was almost intercepted, and it forced Michigan to kick a field goal. Kicker Quinn Nordin came out and made the 23-yard field goal to make it 14-10 Michigan State.

Positives:

  • Milton continues to impress as he is 13/20 for 150 yards and six carries for 29 yards. Milton took a huge hit and stood up and delivered it with ease. Milton isn’t afraid to take any chances and take a hit if he knows he can move the ball forward. His big body frame will be hard to bring down, so if he can stay upright and still deliver passes, he can keep drives alive. Milton had some minor issues, but overall he started well again.
  • While it is too early to call it, but Michigan could have figured out its kicker position. Nordin made his 2020 season debut after missing the first game due to an undisclosed injury. Nordin looked good on the extra point attempt, and he made the first field goal of the season for the Wolverines. Moody hasn’t attempted anything so far, so it will be interesting to see if Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh sticks with Nordin only or if he gives Moody a chance later in the game.

Negatives

  • After slowing down the Minnesota passing attack last week, Michigan’s secondary struggled early on against MSU. Cornerback Gemon Green was targeted early and often as he was covering the first touchdown. He was called for defensive pass interference on the next series and then was in coverage on an overthrown deep pass. Green wasn’t the lone cornerback having issues, as cornerback Vincent Gray was burnt as well by Nailor to set up the 14-7 lead. Michigan’s secondary took a step back from its strong start last week. While they have only allowed 96 yards through the air, the damage was enough to help move the ball and help put up points.
  • The running game for the Wolverines hasn’t been able to be as efficient and effective as they were last week. Last week they had 256 yards and five touchdowns, and so far, they have 17 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown today against a tougher defense. While it was expected that the running game wouldn’t put up similar numbers, besides the final drive of the half, they have struggled to keep the ball moving forward on the ground. The passing game has been doing fine, but if the ground game can improve, it can help the offense take that next level step to gain the lead and not look back.
Contact/Follow @WolverinesWire/ @BKnappBlogs

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Jim Harbaugh updates Dax Hill, Quinn Nordin, Nick Eubanks injury status ahead of MSU

Looks like good news is coming this week for Michigan football with rival MSU forthcoming this Saturday.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — On Saturday, Michigan not only emerged from Minneapolis with a win, but did so mostly unscathed.

The key word being mostly.

Star safety Daxton Hill — who was solid in his play in the middle, as well as at nickel defending Rashod Bateman — left the game late in the first half and never returned. Harbaugh didn’t have an update on him after the game, other than he was still being evaluated. (Video above.)

However, on Monday, it appears that Hill will be all systems go for Saturday’s rivalry tilt vs. MSU at The Big House. Though, Harbaugh still was cautious about Hill’s status.

“I think he’s gonna be fine,” Harbaugh said. “We’ll know in the next day or so. But anticipate him practicing midweek, tomorrow or Wednesday.”

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Aside from Hill, neither tight end Nick Eubanks nor kicker Quinn Nordin played in the game. Eubanks didn’t travel, and Harbaugh said that they’ll know more about whether or not he’ll be available on Saturday shortly. “We’ll find out more about Nick today, tomorrow,” Harbaugh said.

As for Nordin, Harbaugh thinks it will be likely that he’ll be able to go on Saturday — which is a positive considering Jake Moody missed all three field goal attempts on Saturday.

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3 things to watch for against Michigan State

Michigan football looks to snag another rivalry trophy as they prepare for Michigan State. What are the 3 things to watch for this Saturday?

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After taking down Minnesota, 49-24, and securing the Little Brown Jug in a season like no other, the Wolverines now have another rivalry trophy to try to keep in Ann Arbor. Paul Bunyan is the trophy for the rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State, and it’s up for grabs this Saturday.

Heading into the annual matchup between the state’s two Big Ten schools, it appears this year very well could be a repeat, if not worse, of the 2019 showdown. While the Wolverines dismantled the Golden Gophers on the road, Michigan State lost to Rutgers 38-27 in the season opener and first game under new head coach Mel Tucker.

Three things to watch for Michigan as it looks to keep Paul Bunyan home for the third year in a row against Michigan State.

1. Can the passing game open up against Michigan State?

Last week, Michigan’s offense exploded on the scene against Minnesota. While the Wolverines offense put up 42 points, most of the points came from the ground game. Michigan ran for 256 yards and five touchdowns on 31 carries. Running the football is the bread and butter for Michigan football, but the passing game can’t be ignored as well, especially with a quarterback like Joe Milton.

In Milton’s starting debut for the Wolverines, he went 15-for-22 for 225 yards and a touchdown, along with eight carries for 52 yards and a touchdown. This Saturday, Milton needs to open up the air attack. Milton doesn’t need to force passes or try and take too many deep shots, but the passing game’s success can set up the run.

We know Michigan has plenty of running backs to give the ball to, but the depth they have at running back can also be said about wide receiver. The only way those receivers can show what they can do is if they are given a chance. Milton has a chance to leave his mark in this rivalry game, and for his first appearance to be a 300- or 400-yard game would something that would never be forgotten.

NEXT: Could Michigan pitch a no-hitter?

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Jim Harbaugh updates Dax Hill, Quinn Nordin injuries post-Minnesota

One Michigan football player never got a chance to play at a position that struggled, the other left in the first half vs. Minnesota.

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MINNEAPOLIS — No. 18 Michigan football got a decisive 49-24 win over No. 21 Minnesota to open the Big Ten season on Saturday night, but there were certainly a few deficiencies in the game.

The most obvious was on special teams, as the kicking game left 9 points out there.

Jake Moody hit all seven of his extra point attempts, but went 0-3 in his field goal attempts on the night, missing from 38, 48 and 33. While Quinn Nordin appeared to be involved in pregame warmups, he didn’t end up being good to go, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh confirmed after the game.

He shared Nordin’s injury status as well as spoke on Moody’s errant day.

“Quinn Nordin has been working through something,” Harbaugh said. “Got healthy and then had a little bit of a setback during the week. But I think he’ll be fine going forward.

“With Jake, the first field goal, it didn’t feel like he hit it with the authority that he usually does and hte confidence. It spilled off to the right. The next one I thought he hit really good. And he started kicking extra points and really getting into his rhythm. The second missed field goal, I thought he hit it good, just went left on him. And the last one was the only low snap of the entire game. Will (Hart) didn’t quite as well as he could have. The whole mechanic was off. The whole battery of snap, hold, kick — it was off from there.”

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Equally as notable was the second-half absence of Daxton Hill.

Last week, Harbaugh said that Hill might be the most talented player on the team, praising his coverage ability. That showed early, as Hill often found himself on Gophers star receiver Rashod Bateman. However, he disappeared from the field late in the first-half, and never returned.

Harbaugh was less clear on Hill’s status in the postgame, but said that he continues to be evaluated.

“Dax had to leave the game,” “Being evaluated, so we’re seeing where that is.”

5 Takeaways from Michigan’s 49-24 win against No. 21 Minnesota

In the return of Michigan football, the Wolverines dominated No. 21 Minnesota 49-24. Here are my five takeaways from the win for Michigan.

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Michigan football started the 2020 season with a bang as they dominated No. 21 Minnesota, in a 49-24 win. Head coach Jim Harbaugh got his second road win against a top 25 team, the first since he beat Michigan State in 2018. Michigan needed to make a statement in their Big Ten Week One game, and they certainly did.

The offense was explosive, but while they had 481 yards of offense, there were few explosive plays for the group. Running back Zach Charbonnet had a huge 70-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, but most of the plays by the Wolverines were good chunk plays, and with Minnesota missing their starting kicker and punter, they had short field position for a majority of the game.

The defense played lights out after a slow start, and they were able to shut down the high-powered offense that Minnesota had from last season. Minnesota’s star wide receiver, Rashod Bateman, was held in check with nine catches for 101 yards. While 101 yards is a lot to allow for a wide receiver, most of them were in just two plays. Keeping Bateman in check was a big objective, and the Wolverines did just that. Check out my five takeaways from the Wolverine’s huge win over the Golden Gophers.

1. The running game is as advertised

Michigan has a loaded running back room with every type of running back you can imagine. From a pass-catcher to a speed demon to a power back, Michigan has everything you need. We knew all four running backs would get involved, and all four each had a moment for themselves.

Freshman running back Blake Corum had five carries for 24 yards, along with two catches or 36 yards as he was the first person to catch the ball from Milton. The other speedy running back, returning Chris Evans, made his presence known as he had five carries for 19 yards and a touchdown, along with a catch for 10 yards.

Most of the ground game yardage came from the dynamic duo of last season in running backs, Zach Charbonnet and Hassan Haskins. Charbonnet helped the Wolverines get back in the game after an early hiccup, running 70 yards for a touchdown. He would finish the game with four carries for 70 yards and one touchdown. Haskins had six carries for 82 yards and two touchdowns. The running game was advertised to have multiple weapons, and it was shown tonight.

2. The offensive line looks solid

With four starters leaving for the NFL, Michigan was left with just one returning starter on the offensive line. Right tackle Jalen Mayfield was expected to lead this inexperienced group when the game began, but luckily for him, some of his new buddies along the line have started in games before.

Right guard Andrew Stueber started three games at right tackle in 2018 before he tore his ACL and missed the 2019 season. Ryan Hayes started the first two games of the 2019 season at left tackle while Jon Runyan Jr. was injured. Those two players would start, Hayes at left tackle and Stueber at right guard.

The other two new starters never had starting experience before in left guard Chuck Filiaga and center Andrew Vastardis were the new faces on the line, and overall the unit played well. Milton was sacked on the first drive of the game but could stay upright for the rest of the game and had time to throw a majority of his passes. They also helped open up holes for the running game. Overall this group didn’t appear to have multiple starters; they exceeded the expectations, and if they can continue this stellar play, it can be the difference-maker for the offense to put up 40+ points a week.

3. Joe Milton wasn’t flashy but got the job done

Michigan starting quarterback Joe Milton had a lot of hype coming into the 2020 season. With the cannon of an arm he has and how much he was putting in work during the off-season, Milton was seemed to have a chance of a big game opening week. While it wasn’t a monster game for Milton with few deep passes, he did a good job in his first start.

Milton finished the game going 15/22 for 225 yards and a touchdown, along with eight carries for 52 yards and a touchdown. His accuracy didn’t seem to be much of an issue as he overthrew two passes. The rest were just dropped balls or close catches. Milton used his legs more than was expected, and it helped confuse the Minnesota defense.

Every week you shouldn’t expect Milton to be throwing for over 300 or 400 yards along with three or more touchdowns. Milton doesn’t need to blow up the opposing defenses; he needs to make some plays and move the ball down the field as the running game seems to be how the Wolverines will score most of the points this year.

4. The defense could have gotten better

Last year was the worst year for the defense for the Wolverines under defensive coordinator Don Brown. Before 2019, Michigan repeatedly had a top-five defense. In 2019, they finished 10th. 10th was the worst they’ve had, and that’s still pretty good.

Michigan looked like they could be a top-five defense once again with the performance they had against Minnesota tonight. The Wolverines were able to get five sacks, force a fumble, and an interception. Minnesota was held to 326 yards of offense, and multiple times Michigan was bending but didn’t break.

The defense had multiple players step up and make plays for them tonight. Viper Michael Barrett played fantastically with seven total tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. Defensive end Kwity Paye finished with four total tackles, three tackles for loss, and two sacks. Defensive tackle Carlo Kemp made some big plays and finished with four total tackles, a tackle for loss, and a sack.

5. The delima at kicker needs to be handled fast

Something that wasn’t discussed much before the season began was the kicker battle between Jake Moody and Quinn Nordin. Both kickers were in a rotation last season before Nordin seemed to have taken over at the position to close out the season. Harbaugh never named either one the starter, so we weren’t sure who would start this season until the first field goal attempt would happen.

Moody was the first kicker on the field, and while he was 7/7 on extra-point attempts when it came to kicking field goals, he struggled heavily. His first attempt was 38 yards out, and it was not close as it was wide right. His next kick was further away at 48 yards, and while this one was more accurate, it still was off to the left. The final kick was 33 yards out, and while it was a bad snap, Moody still couldn’t make it. Every point matters in these games, and missing those aren’t what you want to see from your starting kicker in the first game.

Nordin never saw the field, and maybe he should be given a chance to kick field goals next week. Missing one kick doesn’t mean you should lose the starting job, but missing three in the first week, against a top 25 opponent on the road, should make it a question if you are the right guy. Whoever Michigan has out there next week needs to be the starting kicker for the rest of the season, as a rotation doesn’t cut it, and pulling a kicker every other week doesn’t help their confidence. Let the battle this week be for the rest of the season, without making it a week-by-week case.

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Why it’s Quinn Nordin’s starting job to lose in 2020

Michigan football had a rotation at kicker last season, but this season the job should be Quinn Nordin’s to lose against Jake Moody.

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Every season each team has a position battle between two players. Whether it’s the starting quarterback or the starting long snapper, there is at least one position where a new starter is going to emerge, and, usually, it’s a battle between two guys, sometimes three.

Michigan had a quarterback battle between quarterbacks Joe Milton and Dylan McCaffrey. Milton won and McCaffrey is transferring. While that was the most talked-about battle heading into the 2020 season, you wanna know the least talked-about battle?

The kicker battle between Quinn Nordin and Jake Moody.

Near the end of the 2018 season, Moody, then a freshman, came in against Indiana with Nordin missing the game due to an illness. Moody made a Michigan record six field goals and led the Wolverines to victory 31-20. Moody remained the starter the rest of the season.

2019 came and neither kicker pulled away, so head coach Jim Harbaugh decided to do a rotation between the two. In Week 1, Nordin made all four extra points, while Moody made two field goals. This rotation continued until Michigan took on Maryland.

Before the Maryland game, neither kicker had missed an extra point, but Nordin was 0 for 3 on field goals while Moody was 6 for 8. Moody missed his third field goal against Maryland, and Nordin took over. Moody didn’t kick the rest of the season.

Nordin finished 28 of 29 on extra points and 10 of 13 on field goals, while Moody was 18 of 18 on extra points while going 6 of 9 on field goals. Both kickers missed three field goals, and Nordin was the only kicker to miss an extra point.

With how the 2019 season ended for Nordin, this is his job to lose. Moody was in the rotation and was getting the nod for most field goals early while Nordin was mostly seeing the extra point attempts. Once Moody missed his third attempt, Nordin saw his chance to take over the job and he did.

Just because Nordin finished the season as the starting kicker, doesn’t mean that he is going to start Week 1 this season. Moody finished the 2018 season as the kicker, yet he split time with Nordin in the 2019 season opener. While Nordin finished the 2019 season as the starting kicker, this job isn’t going to be handed to him.

Nordin has more experience than Moody and has made some huge kicks for the Wolverines during his three seasons. Entering his senior season, Nordin should have the nod over Moody, and Harbaugh shouldn’t have to deal with another season of rotating kickers.

Running with the hot leg makes sense, but neither kicker can get hot if they are in constant rotation for the entire game. Nordin should have this job to start against Minnesota and if he starts missing kicks early in the season, then bringing in Moody has to be the move. Nordin has had his chances during his three years in Ann Arbor, and if he still isn’t able to lock down the starting gig maybe he just isn’t the guy after all.

Contact/Follow @WolverinesWire/ @BKnappBlogs
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Power Ranking: Michigan football future NFL draft potential

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Future NFL draft Power Rankings:

1. Jalen Mayfield

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

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

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

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

Where we see him as of now?

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

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

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Report: Two Wolverines to return for fifth years in 2020

According to The Wolverine Lounge’s Brandon Justice, two key players will come back to Ann Arbor in 2020.

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Michigan got some big news on Tuesday with ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg reporting that Rutgers filled its defensive coordinator position, thus signaling that linebackers coach Anthony Campanile is likely to return to Ann Arbor for a second season.

But, what about the personnel themselves?

According to The Wolverine Lounge‘s Brandon Justice, it looks like Michigan could be retaining two fifth-year players in 2020, and both are incredibly important to the success of their respective units.

First reported is kicker Quinn Nordin, the big-legged place kicker who booted the go-ahead score just before halftime against Alabama. With second-year kicker Jake Moody chomping at his heels all season, Justice reports that Nordin is going to finish out his intercollegiate eligibility in Ann Arbor, despite getting a solid NFL Draft grade.

Perhaps even more importantly, however, given the (lack of) depth on the interior defensive line, Justice reports that senior defensive tackle and team captain Carlo Kemp will also be returning, per his sources.

In order for Kemp to return, he would have to have an NCAA waiver, as he played in one game in his true freshman season, a mid-season romp over Rutgers in 2016. Given that NCAA rules at that time stated that a redshirt could only be received so long that a player did not participate in any games outside of the first four, Justice indicates that Kemp has gotten said waiver.

Kemp played in 12 games in 2019, but was unable to perform in the VRBO Citrus Bowl to finish out the season, despite dressing for the game and practicing all week. His return bolsters a thin unit, that hasn’t brought in many interior defensive line players as of late, and had former walk-on Jess Speight starting in his place against Alabama. In 2020, Michigan will then have Kemp, Speight, Michael Dwumfour and second-year players Chris Hinton and Mazi Smith available in the middle.

Michigan football defense grades from the 2019 season

Michigan football ended its 2019 season 9-4. The defense wasn’t as good as year’s past but was better than most projected. How’d they do?

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2019 was a big year for Michigan’s defensive coordinator Don Brown. He has lost talented players before and simply reloaded, but this year was tougher. A lot of new players would start for him, and with two new defensive coaches underneath him, after both linebackers coach Al Washington and defensive line coach Greg Mattison left for Ohio State. Harbaugh would bring in Anthony Campanile from Boston College to coach the linebackers, and Shaun Nua from Arizona State to coach the defensive line.

The 2019 Michigan football defense was better than most people projected. Headed into the season Brown’s group wasn’t getting the respect they deserved. Even with new starters across the board and new coaches, they still had loads of talent and deserved to be a top-10 defense.

The defense would see new starters at every level. Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson would get to start after waiting for his turn. Linebacker Khaleke Hudson sought out to redeem his poor 2018 season. Cornerback Lavert Hill would be the top cornerback alongside Ambry Thomas and Vincent Gray. Michigan would also get to see five-star freshman safety Daxton Hill debut.

Special Teams even had an interesting battle at kicker between Quinn Nordin and Jake Moody as last season ended with a debacle between who would start.

While the defense did better than expected, in the end, it just wasn’t enough as they couldn’t slow down the offenses of Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Alabama. They were given a tough challenge of Army early on in the season too and needed double overtime to take down the Black Knights

With that said, it’s time to review how each position, including head coach and coordinators, did in the 2019 season. I already broke down the offense earlier as it’s the defenses turn to get graded on their performance.

Defensive Line: C

Michigan’s defensive ends would see some new faces start for them. Aidan Hutchinson would be one of them and his sophomore season was a good one, finishing with 69 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, six pass deflections, three and a half sacks, and three forced fumbles. His partner in crime, and the other new starting defensive end, was Kwity Paye, who finished the season with 50 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and six and a half sacks.

While the ends were performing well, the defensive tackles are where Michigan had some trouble creating pressure. Carlo Kemp would be one of the starters and finished with 40 total tackles, four and a half tackles for loss, two sacks, and a fumble recovery. Michael Dwumfour would be playing through an injury for most of the season according to Dwumfour, and his play was affected greatly, finishing with just nine total tackles, two pass deflections, one and a half tackles for loss and just half a sack in the seven games he played in.

The depth behind the players wasn’t as rich as years past. Defensive tackle Chris Hinton would play in Dwumfours absence and didn’t have much production either, finishing with just 10 total tackles and half a tackle for loss. Defensive end Mike Danna, a transfer from Central Michigan, would play and help out with his veteran presence, finishing with 38 total tackles, three tackles for loss, three sacks, and a forced fumble. Defensive end Luiji Vilan would finally see the field after missing two seasons with injuries, and he had seven total tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, and a forced fumble this year.

Linebacker: B
Josh Uche would continue to build himself up for the NFL, finishing the season with 33 total tackles, 10.5 tackle for loss, team-high seven and a half sacks, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, and a pass deflection. Devin Gil saw a step back in playtime, only appearing in six games and finishing with nine total tackles and a half a tackle for loss.
The biggest thing about the group this year was the emergence of Cam McGrone. Josh Ross was starting before him and finished the year with 18 total tackles in just three games before getting injured. McGrone stepped in for Ross and ever since then Ross hasn’t seen the field, despite being healthy enough to play. McGrone finished the year with 65 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, two and a half sacks, one forced fumble, and a pass deflection.
Cornerback: B-

Michigan got a boost for its secondary this year with Lavert Hill deciding to return for his senior year last year, and it ended up being the right choice in the end. Hill finished the year with 16 total tackles, nine pass deflections, three interceptions, and a tackle for loss. While it wasn’t an eye-popping season, he still overall played well.

The real star was Ambry Thomas, who overcame colitis in August, after not knowing when he’d return, and had a huge sophomore season, finishing with 38 total tackles, three tackles for loss, three pass deflections, and three interceptions, along with two fumble recoveries. With Thomas moving up to second-string, Vincent Gray would be moved up to third and overall had a quiet season. He finished with 20 total tackles, five pass deflections, and a tackle and a half for loss.

Safety: B-

Safety Josh Metellus made the right choice in returning to Michigan in 2019 for his senior year also, as he had a career-high 74 total tackles this season, along with five pass deflections, four tackles for loss, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery. Brad Hawkins was his original starting partner, finishing the season with 53 total tackles, and a pass deflection. An injury to Hawkins would force him to miss some time, but in the meantime, his playing time would get reduced due to five-star freshman Daxton Hill taking over in his absence.

Hill had an interesting year. While he would start the year on special teams, with Hawkins injury he moved towards defense and his role at safety. While Hill didn’t blow up the stat sheet like many were hoping for, along with showing signs of being a freshman, he was able to impress during his playtime. He had 36 total tackles, three pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, and an interception.

Now onto the special teams and coaching…
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