The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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DECEMBER 2020 THE WOLVERINE 21 freshman Cade McNamara replaced him against the Badgers and led an impressive scoring drive, going 4 for 7 in the game with a touchdown. Harbaugh hinted a competition could be brewing, noting they had to "look at everything" in discussing Milton's interceptions. "That's something we really have to look at," he said. "Did Joe un- derstand where the keys were and where he was looking? He threw a ball right to another guy." It was the second straight week in which he had done that. "He didn't have a lane, didn't have the throw, and made the throw any- way and it got intercepted," Har- baugh noted. That's something that just can't happen. Tight Ends Grade: D Harbaugh said early in the sea- son that sophomore Erick All had a chance to be one of the best tight ends Michigan has seen. All re- warded his coach by dropping four balls through the first four games, clearly a confidence issue given how well he'd played in practice. But there are State Street perform- ers and Main Street performers, and All has yet to translate his game from the practice facility to Michigan Sta- dium on Saturdays. Fifth-year senior Nick Eubanks, too, has been inconsistent. He missed the first game with an injury, but his blocking still leaves plenty to be de- sired and he continues to drop passes as well. He mishandled the first pass of the game in the loss to Wisconsin, caus- ing an interception. "I think he's come a long way from when he first got here and when I first got here of where he was as a blocker. He's continuing to improve," tight ends coach Sherrone Moore said. "… The criticism is just going to happen, especially when you're here at the University of Michigan. "He knows he's not satisfied, we're not satisfied, so he continues to work every day and I know he'll continue to progress as a blocker, for sure." Eubanks did catch two passes for 41 yards in the loss to the Badgers, including a nifty sideline grab for 28 yards. He has the ability, especially as a pass catcher, but he should be dominating at this point in his career. Redshirt sophomore Luke Schoon- maker, meanwhile, hasn't made the next step after playing a bit last year and is still looking for his first catch of the year. He also needs to work on his blocking, one area in which All has shown heart this year and con- tinued to progress. Wide Receivers Grade: C Michigan's receivers were thought to be missing a game breaker with Nico Collins having opted out, and it's played out that way. Junior Ronnie Bell has dropped three passes in four games but continues to play hard and is the most consistent option. He led the way with 325 receiving yards in four games, posting an 18.1 yards-per- catch average with a long of 52. Sophomore Cornelius Johnson started to emerge in game three, boasting a nice touchdown grab in a loss to Indiana, and ranks second on the squad with 134 receiving yards. Sophomore Giles Jackson (117 yards on 11 catches) and freshman Roman Wilson (118 yards on eight grabs) have also had their moments. Bell, Johnson and Wilson have each hauled in a touchdown grab. Dropped passes, however, remain a problem for this group. Milton throws a hard ball that can sometimes be tough to catch, but the group has had at least one drop in each of the first four games. Route running, too, has been an issue — there are too many times guys aren't gaining separation — and while there have been flashes, including Johnson's leaping catch against the Hoosiers and sophomore Mike Sainristil's 23-yard touchdown in the loss to Wisconsin, making the contested reception is still an issue. "We have all the potential in the world. If you watch our film, if you really analyze it, it's just the little things that we need to do to make us go from an okay offense to a great of- fense — finishing blocks, running the full route, getting the full signal of the route," Jackson said. "Just little minor mistakes that kill us in the game. "When we watched the film … it's just the little things, they hurt us. If we just do those, we'll be good." Running Backs Grade: C In fairness, this grade should read "incomplete." We still don't have much of an idea about this group since the rotation remains a head- scratcher. One day, sophomore Zach Charbonnet is the guy … the next it's redshirt sophomore Hassan Haskins, Through the first four games. sophomore wideout Cornelius Johnson ranked second on the team with 134 receiving yards — more than double what he accumulated last season. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY