The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1412876
MICHIGAN FOOTBALL ing to PFF) ranking seventh on the team among players who have 50 or more snaps and second among those who have been in on 100 or more plays. 5. Sophomore safety Daxton Hill He's been "all over the field," according to head coach Jim Harbaugh, while playing both nickel and free safety. Hill has been productive both in the run game and the pass game, having registered 13 tackles (second on the squad), including one half of a stop for loss, and two pass breakups. Often lining up across from the opponent's best pass-catcher, Hill has been targeted 15 times, allowing nine receptions for just 63 yards. His PFF coverage grade of 69.2 is still above average and ranks third among starters. Key Moment Michigan picked up 101 yards and five first downs in the first quarter against Washington Sept. 11, but had just three points to show for it, after getting stonewalled at the goal line and turning it over on downs its previous possession. On the Wolverines' first drive of the second stanza, it looked like they had stalled out again, seemingly having gone three-and-out, bringing on redshirt junior Brad Robbins and the punt team. But on fourth-and-one from their own 30-yard line, Jim Har- baugh rolled the dice, calling a fake punt direct snap to redshirt sophomore up-back Michael Barrett, who gained three tough yards up the middle for good measure. On the next play, second-year freshman running back Blake Corum took a handoff going left, found a seam and broke free down the sideline, scoring from 67 yards out and giving the Maize and Blue a 10-0 lead en route to a 31-10 win. Best Offensive Highlight Redshirt freshman quarterback Cade McNamara had con- nected on a few intermediate passes in the first half of the Wolverines' win over Northern Illinois Sept. 18, but hadn't hit on a deep ball just yet. That changed with 2:06 to go before halftime when sopho- more wide receiver Cornelius Johnson, lined up at the top of the numbers on the offensive right on his own 13-yard line, was in single coverage with NIU freshman cornerback Eric Rogers, who fell for a double move. Johnson came free, and McNamara found him in stride at midfield, before he turned on the jets to outrun two Huskie defenders to the end zone for six points. The 87-yard score stood as the third-longest touchdown pass in program history and longest in 10 years. The longest passing touchdown in U-M history was from Ryan Mallett to Mario Man- ningham against Wisconsin in 2007, while the second-longest was a 90-yard strike from Todd Collins to Derrick Alexander versus Illinois in 1993. Best Defensive Highlight Through two clashes, the Wolverine defense's only turnover created was a forced fumble against Washington. Coaches and players insisted the interceptions would come, saying they had a few opportunities that they weren't able to cash in on. Then redshirt sophomore cornerback Gemon Green took matters — and the ball — into his own hands Sept. 18 against Northern Illinois. Lined up at his own 25-yard line with 7:36 remaining in the third quarter, NIU redshirt junior quarterback Rocky Lombardi threw to his tight end in the right flat, before the ball was tipped and dropped, falling into the possession of Green, who soared down the sideline toward the end zone before being stopped just short at the 3-yard line. Bold Prediction Michigan will win a tight one at Wisconsin Oct. 2, despite dropping the last two against the Badgers and not coming out on top in Madison since 2001. The Wolverines yielded a combined 707 rushing yards to the Badgers in the last two meetings, losing by a combined score of 84-25. They weren't physical and stout enough at the line of scrimmage to take on the Badgers' big and talented offensive line, and folded because of it. But through three contests this year, one thing is clear — Michigan is much more physical than it was a year ago, looking more similar to the 2018 squad that blew Wisconsin out than the ones the last two seasons. The Maize and Blue have impressed much more than the Badgers to this point in the year. Wisconsin lost to Penn State on its home field, 16-10, to begin the campaign, before beat- ing Eastern Michigan, 34-7, the following week and having a bye the next Saturday. After struggling offensively last season, the Badgers haven't looked much better in a small sample size in 2021. Wisconsin ran for 180 yards on the Nittany Lions, but took 58 rushes to do so (3.1 yards per carry). Meanwhile, redshirt freshman signal-caller Graham Mertz has been hot and cold again this year, completing 66.7 percent of his passes for 326 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. We're not saying Wisconsin isn't a good team, but it doesn't look unbeatable for an improved U-M squad. — Clayton Sayfie Redshirt sophomore Gemon Green snared the Wolverines' first inter- ception of the season off a tipped ball against Northern Illinois. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL OCTOBER 2021 THE WOLVERINE 39