Tag: Zach Charbonnet

2023 NFL draft film room: UCLA RB Zach Charbonnet

See for yourself what makes UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet one of the top running back prospects in the 2023 NFL draft

It’s never too early to look ahead to the next group of top prospects, so if you’re looking to get a head start on the 2023 NFL draft class, we’ve got you covered.

What makes UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet one of next year’s top running back prospects?

Watch the tape and see for yourself:

Pro Football Focus ranks Notre Dame’s Williams as Top-5 RB prospect

Where will Williams go?

As we all know Irish running back Kyren Williams has made his future known. He has declared for the NFL Draft and will not play in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State.

The next time Williams puts the pads on it will be in the NFL but where he gets drafted is the next question. Recently, Pro Football Focus ranked the top draft eligible running backs and Williams checked in 5th on their list. He ranked behind Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III, Iowa State’s Breece Hall, UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet and Texas A&M’s Isaiah Spiller.

There is an argument that Williams should be higher on this list given his production, but I feel like it’s his size that might be a detractor. That might not matter if he plays like he did for the Irish over the last two seasons. Williams can be a three-down back, even with his smaller stature. Many of us expect the former Irish running back to have a very solid NFL career.

LSU vs UCLA: Tigers upset on the road by the Bruins 38-27

Final recap of the LSU Tigers and UCLA Bruins on Saturday night.

The Tigers start off the second half with their longest run of the day with a seven-yard run by Tyrion Davis-Price. The team seemed poised to run the ball with two more attempts to get a quick first down. However, LSU’s offense would face a third and 10 from the 36-yard line. Max Johnson decided to tuck the ball and run for the first down. On the next play, Johnson threw it right to Caleb Johnson for the interception.

UCLA was set up deep in LSU territory for their first drive of the second half. The Tigers’ defense forced an incompletion on second down that forced the Bruins into a third and seven from the 15-yard line. After a timeout by the home team, Dorian Thompson-Robinson found an open receiver for the touchdown. Chase Cota’s first catch is a 15-yard touchdown to extend UCLA’s lead to 21-10.

Trey Palmer gets back-to-back receptions to get LSU into UCLA territory. The Tigers looking to answer after going down 11 points early in the third quarter. Johnson finds Kayshon Boutte for a 44-yard catch and run for the touchdown.

The biggest issue for the defense in the following drive was the chunk plays. Brittain Brown rushes for 19 yards then Greg Dulcich with another 24 yards to get into field goal range. The Bruins would get stopped on third and six when Thompson-Robinson was stopped by Damone Clark short of the sticks. Nicholas Barr-Mira nailed a 43-yard field goal to extend the Bruins lead to 24-17.

The LSU offense continued trying to run the ball, mixing it in with the pass. Davis-Price not able to put together consistent runs. Facing a third and eight, Johnson finds Boutte once again for another conversion. After another first down reception to Boutte, Johnson set up third and short on a second-down scramble inside the red zone.

Johnson pulled one of the wildest throws to keep the Tigers in short field goal range for Cade York. The Tigers would get within four points once again 24-20.

The third quarter came to a close with UCLA driving. The Bruins just went to the ground game as the fourth quarter opened. Charbonnet busted a long run of 43 yards to get them into Tigers territory. A holding call negated a first-down run and an incompletion forced a third and 14 for UCLA.

Thompson-Robinson once again found Dulcich for the first down, Brittain Brown punches it in. They led at that point 31-20 with 12:28 to play. The Tigers responded with a three and out after Koy Moore couldn’t hold onto the ball for an incompletion.

As the clock started to become a factor, UCLA began to enforce their will in the run game. The Bruins found an open Kyle Phillips and Derek Stingley Jr was unable to bring him down as UCLA extended their lead.

As had been the case all night, Johnson was under constant pressure with no help from his run game. Facing a third and 15, he was able to find Moore to make it fourth and short. Johnson would sneak it for the first down, on the next play he found Boutte for the touchdown on the 45-yard catch and run.

The onside kick attempt was all for not as the UCLA Bruins jumped on the ball. The offense went right back to the ground and pound as a wore out LSU defense tried to stop the offense in the run game. Facing a third and three, Thompson-Robinson used his legs to get the first down and seal the win.

Final Stats

Max Johnson: 26/46 for 330 yards, 3 TDS

Tyrion Davis-Price: 13 carries, 30 yards

Kayshon Boutte: 9 receptions, 148 yards, 3 TDs

Areas for concern against the UCLA Bruins for the LSU Tigers

The biggest areas of concern for the LSU Tigers in the opener against the 1-0 UCLA Bruins.

Looking ahead to the season opener for the LSU Tigers, there are some areas of concern with the UCLA Bruins. They knocked off Hawaii in the season opener, 44-10.

Watching that came felt like watching the varsity scrimmage the junior varsity team. The Rainbow Warriors were never really in that game. On the opening drive, the punter kneeled the ball when going for a low snap, it was all downhill from there. The Bruins were in scoring position on the very first snap. Hawaii was down 17-0 in the first 10 minutes of the game.

UCLA would let off the gas a bit in the second half, as they led 31-3 at the half. Facing LSU won’t be near as easy but the Bruins still pose issues for a team getting into their first action of the year.

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Looking at the biggest areas of concern for LSU in the opener:

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LSU vs UCLA: Defense has to be ready to stop the run

A big key for LSU on Saturday, slow down the UCLA rush attack.

Going into the first week of college football for the LSU Tigers, we look at the UCLA Bruins matchup. In week zero of the season, the Bruins rattled off a 24-3 edge in the first quarter as they coasted to the opening win of the season. The first time under Chip Kelly the team won the opener.

Looking at the offense for UCLA, Dorian Thompson-Robinson is a dual-threat in the backfield. Against the Rainbow Warriors, he completed just 50% of his passes with 130 yards and a touchdown through the air. He added 16 more yards on the ground. He is capable of so much more, but given that the game was well in hand after 15 minutes of player, DTR didn’t have to.

The big key for the LSU defense and Daronte Jones will be limiting the damage their two-headed running back attack deals out. Former Michigan running back Zach Charbonnet made his presence felt early on. He carried the ball just six times for 17.7 yards per run. He totaled 106 yards and scored a touchdown on every two carries.

The second back to slow down will be Brittain Brown, the former Duke transfer. Last season he rushed for 6.6 yards per carry. Against Hawaii Brown accounted for 78 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown.

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The defensive line up front has to be able to get pressure and a push against the offensive line. The big boys for the Bruins allowed just three pressures all game, starting left guard Paul Grattan Jr was guilty of two of them. Ali Gaye, BJ Ojulari, Andre Anthony, and Neil Farrell Jr need to create a lot more pressure. They should very well do that.

When the defense has the opportunity to tackle Charbonnet or Brown, they need to finish taking the ball carrier to the ground. Against Hawaii, the duo accounted for 92 yards after contact. They forced a total of eight missed tackles on running plays.

The Tigers defense needs to slow down the run and force Thompson-Robinson to take to the air. The LSU secondary should be ready to take the ball away from receivers. Putting the game in the hands of the best cornerback duo in the country will serve this team well, provided the front seven are getting to the quarterback.

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Zach Charbonnet runs all over Hawai’i in UCLA debut

UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet made the most of his debut performance for the Bruins

After transferring from Michigan, UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet wasted little time making his presence felt for the Bruins.

In Saturday’s season-opening blowout win over Hawai’i, Charbonnet needed just seven carries to rack up 106 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, averaging a ridiculous 17.7 yards per carry.

After a performance like that, Charbonnet is already doing his draft stock a favor.

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Michigan football RB transfer destination revealed

Once Michigan football’s starting running back, Zach Charbonnet is heading to Westwood to finish out his football career.

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Michigan football had something of a loaded running backs room in 2020, and thus, some players were not highlighted as anticipated.

A starter in 2019, Thousand Oaks (CA) Christian four-star running back Zach Charbonnet began his 2020 season with a rollicking 70-yard touchdown dash, and then was rarely seen again. His frustration due to a lack of carries played a part — but as one person told WolverinesWire, it wasn’t the sole reason — in the promising tailback’s surprising decision to transfer, which was announced earlier in January when Charbonnet entered the NCAA transfer portal.

That same person told WolverinesWire that Charbonnet would seek out a prestigious academic institution on the West Coast, and that has now come to fruition, as he announced on Saturday that he has committed to UCLA.

Charbonnet isn’t the only now-former Wolverine to end up in Westwood. Former starting quarterback Wilton Speight transferred to the Bruins after the 2017 season as did tight end Devin Asiasi, who had just one season in Ann Arbor.

For Michigan, it returns Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum, while adding five-star RB Donovan Edwards, a 2021 signee. Chris Evans moved onto the NFL after spending four years in the program (and five years on campus) while Christian Turner transferred to Wake Forest.

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Zach Charbonnet reportedly in NCAA transfer portal

According to The Detroit News, the Michigan football running back will seek playing time elsewhere.

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Well, this is not ideal, but it’s certainly no surprise.

Big things were expected of Michigan running back Zach Charbonnet, who started out of the gates his true freshman season. In 2019, he had 149 carries for 729 yards and set a freshman record with 11 touchdowns. However, in 2020, despite being healthy, he only got 19 carries for 121 yards — 70 of which came on his first carry, which was a long touchdown run.

But with four-star RB Donovan Edwards coming in and the limited carries in 2020, it appears that Charbonnet is seeking other options, as he’s entered the NCAA transfer portal, according to The Detroit News’ Angelique Chengelis.

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One person close to Zach Charbonnet, who could not speak publicly, shared with WolverinesWire back in November, when there were initial reports that he could transfer, that he emphatically was planning to remain in Ann Arbor, but would seek counsel with head coach Jim Harbaugh after the season. However, his carries continued to diminish as the season wore on, which very well could have played a role in his decision to look for playing time elsewhere.

That person added, with the decision made on Monday to move on: “Lots of talk the last 30 days and concluded it was simply in his best interest.”

This comes on the heels of former RB Christian Turner announcing that he is committing to Wake Forest.

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3 keys to the Wolverines defeating PSU

What Michigan football has to do in order to secure a victory over the winless, but hungry, Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday.

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The once dominant Big Ten programs, Michigan and Penn State, have been less than good this year. The AP preseason polls came out with PSU at No. 7 and the Wolverines were No. 16 to start the season, but now the maize and blue are sitting at 2-3 on the year, while the Nittany Lions are 0-5 and still trying to find out how to notch a win in the 2020 season.

When the schedules came out in late October, this was supposed to be a big time matchup — and possibly a game to see who would go to the Big Ten championship game. Well, now it’s just another game on the schedule, and a very ‘mildly interesting’ game to the casual football fan.

This game still means quite a bit to each program — and more than likely to the fan bases — as PSU will try to win a game, and the Wolverines want to start a winning streak after defeating Rutgers last week in three overtimes.

Let’s discuss what three things Michigan needs to do in order to win this Saturday against a hungry, and desperate, Penn State team.

Fixing Michigan’s offensive line is the key for a 2020 turnaround

No unit on the offense has struggled more for Michigan football than the offensive line. If they can turn it around, the season can change.

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It’s year two under the speed in space offense run by Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. Last year it showed flashes of what it could be, but it wasn’t up to par. With another year of learning, this offense has a chance to put up points week in and week out. There’s just one problem with that so far this season, and it’s the offensive line.

The offensive line was known to be taking a backseat in 2020. Despite having a great offensive line coach in Ed Warinner, it wasn’t looking well for the group. With four new starters among the line, it was well documented that this unit wouldn’t be as good as they were the year before.

Against Minnesota, that seemed to be gibberish. The offensive line kept Milton up almost all night with just allowing one sack, and it was on the first series of the game. The ground game was able to churn out yards and get into the endzone, finishing with 256 yards and five touchdowns on 31 carries.

The unit seemed like it wouldn’t be a problem, like many expected. Then came the next game against Michigan State. Michigan was getting no push from its lineman and the ground game that worked well the week before was stagnant and not itself. The team was only able to get 152 yards and three touchdowns on 34 carries. So with more carries, Michigan got over 100 fewer yards and two fewer scores. What hurt the team the most that game was losing starting right tackle, Jalen Mayfield.

This week against Indiana, Warinner needed to show that the depth he had at his positions were stout. The team wouldn’t see Mayfield play against Indiana, but they also wouldn’t see starting left tackle Ryan Hayes either, so now both starting tackles are injured for the Wolverines.

The offensive line would see a dramatic shift as Karsen Barnhart would start at left tackle. Zak Zinter would start at left guard. Andrew Vastardis would remain at center, while Chuck Filiaga would flip from left to right guard, and Andrew Stueber would move from right guard to right tackle. Stuber played right tackle before the 2020 season, so luckily, he’s had experience before at that position.

Heading into the matchup today, despite being weakened at the position, Michigan had a chance to run all around the Hoosiers defense. Against Penn State, Indiana allowed 250 yards and two touchdowns on 52 carries. The week after against Rutgers, they allowed 121 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries. If you average those two up, Indiana allowed an average of 185.5 yards per game and an average of 4.4 yards per carry.

Today against Michigan, Indiana eradicated the Wolverines running game. Michigan was only able to get a measly 13 yards on 18 carries. That’s .72 yards per carry. Those numbers are unheard of when talking about Michigan football. Michigan is known for being a smashmouth running team that will make you pay for everything in the trenches. The trenches today for the Wolverines ran dry.

The theme of a poor offensive line continues to define the offense this season. When Michigan isn’t able to run the football well, the offense takes a hit. Despite the speed in space type of offense Gattis runs, it still needs the running game to be relevant because if it dies, so does the offense. In both losses, Michigan was not able to get the ball moving on the ground. They struggled with that against Michigan State and really showed its struggles against Indiana.

These teams aren’t the best rushing defenses in the country, either. Indiana allowed 250 yards on opening week, while the Spartans allowed 226 against Iowa today. It’s plain and simple. If Michigan can’t run the football well, they lose the game. What dictates whether the running game can work? The offensive line.

Michigan has plenty of weapons in the backfield with Hassan Haskins, Zach Charbonnet, the returning Chris Evans, and the freshman, Blake Corum. These players are good at what they do, and when they are asked to try and run through a wall of defenders because the offensive line doesn’t have any holes for them to run through, that is a lot to ask out of them.

Warinner needs to figure out what he can do with his guys. Injuries have certainly changed up the game for him, but if he can figure out what issues they are dealing with, the offense can do what it did against Minnesota two weeks ago. With the defense having issues, Michigan’s offense needs to put up points. The offense is the biggest issue overall for the team in 2020.

Sure, you can point at the defense and give them the blame, but if Michigan can put up points, drive after drive, and its defense can make one more stop, they win, easy as that. College football is moving away from its low scoring, defensive shutouts, and more towards the high-scoring action-packed games. Defenses don’t win you championships anymore in college; offenses do. If Michigan can figure out what to do with the offensive line and help the running game become relevant again, then this team has a chance to turn this around possibly.

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