The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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26 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2021 "Sometimes Blake starts a series, sometimes Hassan does … you just go with the flow and it's how you're feeling, more or less." The top two rushers have been so good that five-star prep Donovan Edwards has seen limited action so far. That's a plus, in that there's no major pressure on him and he can learn the college game at a reason- able pace, while the Wolverines experi- ence huge success on the ground. He did receive eight chances against Northern Illinois, though, and turned them into 86 yards and two scores, in- cluding a 58-yard scamper. His 10.8 yards per carry in the game were the highest among rushers with multiple attempts. IT STARTS UP FRONT, AND BEYOND Michigan's offensive linemen certainly aren't complaining about the heavy run game in the early going. They're excited and have embraced every opportunity to manhandle opponents. They heard the grumbling about last year's line, which was beset by injuries and a major opt-out. They may have done a bit of grumbling themselves. This year, the starting crew of redshirt sophomore Ryan Hayes at left tackle, redshirt freshman Trevor Keegan at left guard, sixth-year senior Andrew Vas- tardis at center, freshman Zak Zinter at right guard and redshirt junior Andrew Stueber at right tackle is ready to take on all comers. "We'll do whatever it takes to help the team win," Keegan said after the Wash- ington win. "We loved it. We imposed our will on them. They did a lot of things to try to stop the run — blitz off the edges, ruin our run lanes. We had answers for it." Keegan noted how new offensive line coach Sherrone Moore numbered himself among those who were not at all happy with what the Wolverines demonstrated up front in 2020. "He's a high-energy guy," Keegan said. "When he first got here, he wanted us to be the leaders of the team, to put the team on our back. That's what we did, so he was proud of us. "Our first meeting with Coach Moore, he told us we're going to be physical. We can't do what we did last year. That wasn't Michigan football. That wasn't Michigan offensive line work. "We really took pride in that. I feel like we're on the right track." The Wolverines on both sides of the line of scrimmage hone their toughness with a weekly 9-on-7 drill, in which the men in the trenches get put to the test. "It's an inside run type of drill," Har- baugh explained. "You're not running any trick plays. Defenses aren't running any games or twists. "It's who can block a man? Who can get off a block? We're running basically three different types of running plays and one or two defensive fronts. It's something that our offensive line and our defensive line really embrace. "When that pe- riod comes up, in p ra c t i c e , i n t h e spring or fall camp, we did it every day with pads on. We do it every Tuesday, and we do it Monday during the season. That has become a drill of emphasis. We look forward to it. It's excitement." There's no question about the excite- ment, Keegan said. "This year, we changed it to the 'Beat- The coaching staff believes that a strong running game will put redshirt freshman quarterback Cade McNamara in a position to thrive as the season goes on. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Running backs coach Mike Hart "It's good to come out and run the ball. The [running backs] are playing hard, but the O-line is doing a great job. Last year, we had a lot of guys in and out on the O-line. They know what they want to do. They're big, they're physical, and they do a great job up front."