The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1386887
THE WOLVERINE 2021 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 141 1. OPT OUTS AND INJURIES Michigan saw four key players — senior wide receiver Nico Col- lins, fifth-year senior long snapper Camaron Cheeseman, redshirt junior quarterback Dylan McCaffrey and senior cornerback Ambry Thomas — opt out of the season, a trend within college football in 2020. Injuries to key players also plagued the Wolverines, with redshirt sophomore left tackle Ryan Hayes (four full games missed), red- shirt sophomore right tackle Jalen Mayfield (four), junior defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (three), senior defensive end Kwity Paye (two), fifth- year senior center Andrew Vastardis (two), fifth-year senior tight end Nick Eubanks (one) and redshirt sopho- more linebacker Cameron McGrone (one) all missing at least one contest. 2. DEFENSIVE WOES Ideally, the Wolverines would lean on their defensive unit, which was strong under coordinator Don Brown during his first four seasons on the job (2016-19), finishing in the top 11 nationally in total defense each year. But Michigan struggled might- ily, concluding 89th in total defense (434.3 yards per contest) and 95th in scoring defense (34.5 points per game). 3. CONCLUDING WITH CANCELLATIONS The Wolverines took the field at The Big House Nov. 28 against Penn State thinking they had at least three games left, two more in the regular season (versus Maryland and Ohio State), a "Champions Week" contest against a Big Ten West opponent to be determined later and possibly a bowl game. Due to positive COVID-19 tests within the program, however, Michigan was unable to play another game and, at one point, report- edly had more than 50 players out due to protocols. TOP STORYLINES OF 2020 1. DE KWITY PAYE Despite seeing action on just 258 of a possible 485 defensive snaps for the sea- son due to an injury, Paye led the Wolverines in tackles for loss with four and was tied for having the most sacks on the squad with two. He totaled 16 tackles and topped U-M with 16 quarterback hurries (a trio of Wolverines tied for second with five hurries). Paye was selected by the Indianapolis Colts with the No. 21 overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, the second edge rusher to come off the board. 2. RB HASSAN HASKINS Running behind an offensive line that had to mix and match all season long due to injuries, Haskins became Michigan's feature back by year's end. Starting two games and appearing in all six, he toted the rock 61 times for 375 yards and a team-leading six touchdowns, with his average of 6.1 yards per carry checking in at fifth in the Big Ten. 3. WR RONNIE BELL The Kansas City, Mo., native led Michigan in receptions (26) and receiv- ing yards (401) for a second straight season, after racking up 758 yards on 48 catches in 2019. Averaging 15.4 yards per catch and scoring one touchdown, Bell was the favorite target of the team's quarterbacks, with sophomore wideout Cornelius Johnson (16 catches for 254 yards) slotting second in both receptions and yards, but with significantly less than Bell. TOP THREE INDIVIDUAL PLAYERS Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Michigan Stadium was closed to the public last season, with only family members of players and coaches allowed in. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL