The Wolverine

November 2019

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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NOVEMBER 2019 THE WOLVERINE 9 BY AUSTIN FOX P ro Football Focus (PFF) released its midseason All-American team Oct. 14, and two Wolverines made the squad — senior right guard Mike Onwenu and junior cornerback Am- bry Thomas. "He's allowed just six total pres- sures on 225 pass-blocking snaps and has been integral in getting their rushing game going," Cam Mel- lor, the site's senior college football analyst, wrote of Onwenu after U- M's first six games. "When rushing to either side of Onwenu this year, Michigan running backs are averag- ing over 2.0 yards before contact with a defender, the best of any gap on the offensive line for the Wolverines." PFF also revealed that opposing quarterbacks compiled just a 17.2 passer rating when targeting Thomas through college football's first seven weeks, which was the lowest mark in the nation among Power Five confer- ence cornerbacks. "He's allowed just nine of those [21 passes he's been targeted on] to be caught, while he's intercepted two and broken up two more," the analyst noted. "He's a bright spot on a top defense this season. He's also racked up plus-grades across all other facets and can cover ground in the secondary quickly." Josh Liskiewitz, manager of PFF high school operations, meanwhile, expanded a bit further on the duo's first-half success, breaking down the reasons both Onwenu and Thomas garnered such high praise from the company. "Onwenu's overall grade is 81.8 [64 is considered average] and so is his Inside Michigan ATHLETICS Michael Onwenu, Ambry Thomas Earn Pro Football Focus Midseason All-America Honors When PFF revealed its midseason All-America team in the middle of October, senior right guard Michael Onwenu was listed as one of two guards to make the squad. At the time, he had posted an 81.8 PFF grade, far above the average of 64 and just missing 'elite' status, which begins at 85. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN

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