The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1310365
DECEMBER 2020 THE WOLVERINE 9 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Michigan redshirt junior offensive lineman Andrew Stueber came back from last year's serious knee injury that ended his season in training camp to help anchor this year's line, first at right guard and then at right tackle. He answers several questions in this month's Q&A: The Wolverine: How hard has it been to get used to all the changes up front, not only due to losing four starters from last year due to graduation but now injuries to tackles Jalen Mayfield and Ryan Hayes? Andrew Stueber: "That's probably one of the biggest parts of the offen- sive line — getting the chemistry go- ing. The calls, the communication with the guy next to you is a big thing, and obviously this year there have been a lot of moving parts on the offensive line, including four new people step- ping in. "We've had some injuries along the way, but we've been practicing for so long now, especially with this pre- season, that I think a lot of guys have tried out a lot of different positions. We've all played alongside a lot of different people, so I think that we're pretty used to playing alongside peo- ple — getting the reps in practice with the combination blocks and knowing the calls that they make. I think that's not really a problem." The Wolverine: You started at right guard but moved to right tackle for the third game with Indiana when Mayfield went down. What was that like? Stueber: "I learned about it on Mon- day after the Michigan State game. [Offensive line] Coach [Ed] Warinner called me and said, 'We've had some injuries so we're going to put you back at right tackle. We think it's the best move.' "So I just worked the whole week on getting the sets again, getting back in the rhythm of it. It felt back to normal, like a couple years ago. It felt good. I feel like I played pretty well in the game … it definitely felt like I was back home." The Wolverine: The team ran for just 13 yards at Indiana. What needs to change? Stueber: "The run game is a big em- phasis on the offense right now, defi- nitely something we have to improve. I think the biggest thing starts with the players, in terms of just preparing and really the buy-in of the whole offense and the scheme. You can't place the blame on the coaches or the players or the scheme or the calls — I think it's just a bunch of buy-in all around." The Wolverine: You faced an inor- dinate amount of second- and third- and-longs against Michigan State and Indiana. What's been the problem on early downs? Stueber: "The game does start up front. It starts with running on first and second down, getting good field position, being able to get yardage on every single play. As an offensive line- man, you definitely take it personally, and it starts with film review, under- standing the blitzes, the looks." The Wolverine: Much has been made about your head coach's sideline demeanor and how it's changed over the last few years — that maybe Jim Harbaugh is not as passionate. What have you seen? Stueber: "It's unquestioned how pas- sionate he is about coaching here. His whole life is Michigan football. It's no- ticed in how he talks to players, how he carries himself, how he jumps into meetings — he's always in the meet- ings, whether he's in the corner or the front row, he's always jotting down his notes. "He cares about it. He always talks to the team whenever he can. His com- mitment to this team is unquestioned. He's committed to every single player here and the players are confident in him, too." — Chris Balas Stueber started the first two games of the season at right guard, then bumped out to right tackle after teammate Jalen Mayfield went down with an injury. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Sitting Down With Offensive Lineman Andrew Stueber