The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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26 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2019 U -M redshirt freshman Cameron McGrone has been the breakout player on the defense in the first half of the season, filling in for injured junior Josh Ross and dominating at times at middle linebacker. McGrone started playing consis- tently in Big Ten games, and was sev- enth on the team in tackles (30), tied for third in tackles for loss (six) and fourth in sacks (3.5) through seven games. Some have compared him to former All-American Devin Bush, now star- ring for the Pittsburgh Steelers, with his closing speed and blitzing ability. "About midway through camp, there was some 'Wow,'" head coach Jim Harbaugh said of McGrone. "The physical part of the game was eye- opening. He was challenged in that area, and the response was almost im- mediate and physical. "His speed, his athleticism, his run- ning ability — and then, since he's been playing, he's playing great foot- ball." In three straight October games, Mc- Grone notched 1.5 sacks and six tack- les in a win over Iowa and then tied for the team lead with 11 stops, plus forced a fumble and notched two TFLs with a sack, in the victory at Illinois. He then posted six stops with 2.5 for loss and one sack at Penn State. "The thing that's really showed up, that you didn't know, was how good his instincts are," Harbaugh said. "His instincts and what he sees in terms of a play developing, pulling guards, diagnosing the scheme and using his natural ability." Linebackers coach Anthony Campa- nile noted McGrone has made strides every week since camp and progres- sively improved. "The confidence a player gets once they finally get into games is immea- surable," he said. "From the spring on, Cam has made strides and Coach [Don] Brown has done a tremendous job piecing it all together, giving him enough reps to develop that confi- dence. "With confidence comes clarity, which means they can play fast. You have a good idea of when guys are starting to see it because of how the eyes control the functions of the body." They're seeing plenty of it. Ross' return date still isn't clear, but the coaches will have a decision to make at that point — stick with the junior or continue with the redshirt freshman. Both are capable of playing at a high level, but it's hard to envision them taking McGrone off the field. "That's a good problem to have," Campanile said with a laugh. "It's not an issue, but a great situation. We had that same situation in the summer in that we had several guys who we felt like we could win with on Saturdays. "It's never a bad thing to have a lot of guys who can help you win." — Chris Balas OFFENSE SHOWS SIGNS OF LIFE Former Ohio State head coach Ur- ban Meyer, now an analyst for FOX Sports, predicted early in the year that Michigan's offense might experi- ence some growing pains under new coordinator Josh Gattis, adding the season might depend on how quickly the players picked it up. The answer — probably a quarter too late. The Wolverines struggled mightily in their first six games and again in the first quarter at Penn State, a 28- 21 loss Oct. 19, before it all started to click. By then, however, they were down 21-0 and needed a furious comeback they couldn't complete. They hadn't moved the ball consis- tently all season, but they finally did to make a game of it against the best defensive team they'd played — and in the toughest environment of the year, no less. Michigan put up 417 total yards (the most in a loss since the 2013 Ohio State game), and racked up 26 first downs and 5.1 yards per play against PSU's elite defense. Every drive but one in the second half eclipsed 40 yards. The Wolverines even controlled the ball for 37:45 despite senior quar- terback Shea Patterson throwing 41 times. "I thought the offense did a lot of really good things tonight," head coach Jim Harbaugh said after the loss that dropped Michigan to 5-2 overall and 3-2 in Big Ten play. "As a line, the pass protection was really, really good. "I thought Shea had a really good night throwing the football, with re- ceivers making catches. We chipped MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Cameron McGrone's Emergence Has Sparked The Defense 2019 MICHIGAN SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time (ET)/TV Aug. 31 Middle Tennessee State W, 40-21 Sep. 7 Army W, 24-21 (2OT) Sep. 21 at Wisconsin L, 35-14 Sep. 28 Rutgers W, 52-0 Oct. 5 Iowa W, 10-3 Oct. 12 at Illinois W, 42-25 Oct. 19 at Penn State L, 28-21 Oct. 26 Notre Dame 7:30/ABC Nov. 2 at Maryland 12:00/ABC Nov. 16 Michigan State TBA/TBA Nov. 23 at Indiana TBA/TBA Nov. 30 Ohio State 12:00/FOX Through seven games, McGrone was seventh on the team in tackles (30), tied for third in tackles for loss (six) and fourth in sacks (3.5). PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL