The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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OCTOBER 2021 THE WOLVERINE 27 Ohio Drill,'" Keegan said. "We're blasting music, smelling salts, ev- erything. It's a pretty physical pe- riod. We love it." "It's always been a focus on us, a period we take a lot of pride in," Stueber added. "I don't know when [the name] got changed, but it went along with the whole, 'What are you doing to beat Ohio State to- day?'" SEEKING THE AIR ATTACK The trepidation from critics usually comes along these lines: you won't beat Ohio State, or other top teams, unless you can throw the football. Despite the major setback of losing captain and junior wideout Ronnie Bell to a season-ending in- jury in the opener, the Wolverines are determined to prove they're anything but one-dimensional. Through three games, McNa- mara stood an efficient 24-of-37 passing for 371 yards and three touchdowns. Freshman backup J.J. McCarthy has gone 8 of 12 for 122 yards and a TD, the 69-yard rocket off a scramble he threw to redshirt sophomore transfer wideout Day- len Baldwin in the opener. The Wolverines' top three re- ceivers, in terms of yardage, through the opening trio of games are sophomore wideout Cornelius Johnson (165), Baldwin (92) and still the injured Bell (76). Corum and Johnson are tied for the lead with six receptions apiece, while Baldwin and sophomore tight end Erick All each have four. Across the board, U-M players insist any belief that because they haven't thrown the ball extensively, they can't, is simply a misguided overreaction. Of course, nobody really minded a dominant win over Washington. "That drive where we came out and were only running it … reducing them on every play," Stueber mused. "You're physically beating them down. "It's tough. Obviously, throwing the ball may be more enjoyable to watch. But playing in it, as an offensive lineman, I love running the ball every play. Being able to come off the ball and just reduce the defenders physically is something I take a lot of pride in. "Everyone else does as well. While some may say it wasn't the most fun game to watch, playing in it was defi- nitely much more fun." Gattis guaranteed more running, and more-effective running, after a 2020 season in which the Wolverines rushed for only 789 yards in an ill-fated, six- game campaign. Through three con- tests, the Wolverines already exceeded that tally, with 1,051 on a 7.1-yard clip. Part of it involved running plays by the wideouts, with freshman A.J. Henning breaking off a 74-yard run on an end around against Western, reflecting U-M's increased explosiveness. "I think some guys just did a really good job of making plays," Gattis insisted. "Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum, those guys are special players. Seeing the ability of A.J. Henning, and we're going to need [freshman wideout] Roman Wilson to step up, and C.J. [Corne- lius Johnson] … it's about them and the talent they have, taking over games." Gattis isn't hesitant about taking to the skies, either. "I feel good about the depth we have, and the talent we have [at re- ceiver]," he said. "They're all tal- ented, they're all athletic, and they can make big plays for us." Gattis' message to his QBs: "Manage the offense. Manage the calls. Don't try to do anything out of the ordinary. You don't have to go outside your own realm to try and create plays. Let the plays come naturally. "It always helps when you estab- lish the run, where you get those guys comfortable and don't put too much pressure on them." Mission accomplished in that area thus far, with an all-hands- on-deck approach. "There are holes," Hart mar- veled. "There are big holes out there. Yards before contact, we're top five in the country. That lets you know our offensive line is do- ing a great job. Before those guys can touch us, we're past the line of scrimmage. "… And it's not just the O-line. Those tight ends [All and redshirt sophomore Luke Schoonmaker] are blocking their tails off. With Schoonie, with Erick, with Joel [Honigford, a transplanted redshirt junior former offensive lineman], those guys are doing a great job, too. "It's a real team effort. The receivers getting to the secondary, blocking safe- ties. Those downfield blocks are huge. … They're blocking, putting their face in there, which is huge." It's led to some very large results so far. With Big Ten play dead ahead, Mich- igan's ability to maintain gets put to the test. ❏ Wolverines Are Seeking The Big Score Michigan averaged only 28.3 points per game last season in an ill-fated, truncated, 2-4 campaign. Nearly nothing the Wolverines did measured up to Michigan standards. They admitted it among themselves and committed to a higher level of production in all areas. So far, so good on that front. The 3-0 Wolverines have produced 47.0 points per game through three contests, a clip that is tied for third nationally. It also represents a considerable jump up from last year's effort. Of course, last season, due to a COVID-delayed start and premature ending, they played only Big Ten squads. This year, they're headed into the Big Ten opener. Still, they've demonstrated an efficiency and effec- tiveness on offense that's well beyond what was on display in 2020. The Wolverines appear to be ready to fully put that season behind them and perhaps become one of the best-scoring teams yet under Jim Harbaugh. Here's a look at the top-scoring Michigan squads over the past 20 years. Top-Scoring Michigan Teams, 2001-2020 Rank/Year Average Head Coach 1. 2016 40.3 Jim Harbaugh 2. 2003 35.4 Lloyd Carr 3. 2018 35.2 Jim Harbaugh 4. 2011 33.3 Brady Hoke 5. 2013 32.2 Brady Hoke 6. 2019 31.7 Jim Harbaugh 7. 2015 31.4 Jim Harbaugh 8. 2004 30.8 Lloyd Carr 9. 2012 29.8 Brady Hoke 10. 2009 29.5 Rich Rodriguez Michigan appears to be in good position early to move its 2021 iteration onto this list. That would give Harbaugh half of the top-scoring U-M squads over the past two decades. — John Borton