Seeing most of the game live, Michigan did not look like a top 10 team. As expected, Shea threw some nice balls and Nico Collins and Tarik Black can sure play. But there was not a lot of it, nor to other guys. The running game was OK. The defense was alright, but unspectacular, too.
Michigan was able to hold on to #7. In retrospect--Army is in two days--there was not enough mediocre to rock the boat.
Watching the whole game on video, I wouldn't say Michigan did not take MTS seriously, but they were not at full strength. Aside from the versatile Patterson, Donovan Peoples-Jones is their most dangerous player and he was out. The defensive line did not look hefty at all. Donovan Jeter did not play and Dwumfour was injured again. Shea too was injured. All except possibly DPJ are reportedly fine for Saturday.
Tru Wilson is seemingly hurt also and he is not flashy. Zach Charbonet and Christian Turner look good but they are young, inexperienced, and unproven in terms of durability and the whole season. There is virtually nothing behind them.
On the offensive line Jon Runyon, another all-Big Ten player, was out and will be back. It is good news that redshirt freshmen Mayfield and Hayes held their own but...
The defense only looked average. Khaleke Hudson is not Jabrill Peppers. The best linebacking crew--and they are good--is Ross, Uche, and Glasgow. Seemingly they have to do it all; they get it done, but they do not exactly squash plays and hammer people. Carlo Kemp looks even smaller than last year; Kwitty Paye and Mike Danna are also on the smallish side. Adain Hutchinson may have star potential but he is not there yet.
 |
| Josh Uche gets free as a pass rusher a lot. |
Unlike the recent past, this is not a top 5 defense shooting for shutouts.
Notice the lack of mention--uh oh--for DL Ben Mason. Grunting and snorting does not help the team.
A lot of freshmen and newcomers played; Chris Hinton got in at the end but Mazi Smith did not.
In the secondary, Ambry Thomas took over for a spurt and he is a star. You could tell Lavert Hill felt horrible, what with the dropped pick-6 and punt. All told, the corners including Vincent Gray (Gemon Green played too) look to be in good hands; safety, with Josh Metellus and the rest (Hawkins, Woods, Hill) look solid, but again, not spectacular.
Unlike the recent past, this is not a top 5 defense shooting for shutouts.
Punting, placekicking, punt and kickoff returns (with Giles Jackson and DPJ; sans Hill) are strong.
Right now the defensive line is a real question mark. Jonathan Taylor and Wisconsin, not to mention others in the Big Ten and Notre Dame, will shred it. Perhaps it was not needed against MTS, but it will be necessary in the future. Last year Bryan Mone and Lawrence Marshall played a lot. The big bodies are going to be needed. Army, with its triple option and relentless running attack will be a partial challenge, but even there Michigan will have a player by player advantage.
Just to repeat, the goats in this one? Lavert Hill. Ronnie Bell did not look great either. Khaleke Hudson.
This team may have to outscore opponents to succeed. In this one they did not have to rev it up and continually score, which may be necessary against better opponents. MTS is no slouch and neither is Army, but there are much tougher tests on Michigan's schedule.
The home game was big on pageantry. What a crowd, fanbase, and overall management task. At night the field looked spectacular. But the team, all the hype and talent, may be in for the same 'ol same 'ol. We'll see about the legend of Don Brown. Right now it looks like the nationally-ranked opponents yet to come are going to light them up.
No comments:
Post a Comment