The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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66 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2021 S eptember Heismans, non- conference national cham- pionships, big rivalry wins — Michigan football has experi- enced it all in the last decade and a half. The Wolverines have beaten Notre Dame more often than not (7-4 in the last 11 meetings), re- ceived national attention for play- ers such as Denard Robinson and Jabrill Peppers in the early season, and garnered plenty of press. Still, this proud program has managed only one trophy in a decade and a half, and that's the Big Ten East co-champions hard- ware the Wolverines picked up in 2018, sharing it with Ohio State. That one came after a stunning, 62-39 loss in Columbus in a game in which Michigan entered as the favorite. No, we're not trying to throw cold water on what's been an out- standing non-conference season — just reminding those who might have forgotten that what happens in Septem- ber doesn't mean much when it comes to predicting the immediate future, no matter how good it looks. But there are some 'tells,' and a few in particular — energy, culture and chem- istry — often go a long way toward pre- dicting how a team is going to respond to adversity … because there will be some. Losing receiver Ronnie Bell (knee) for the year left a big hole, and the Wolverines have rallied around him in dealing with that setback. There will be other obstacles, too. That's college football. Nobody's im- mune, something head coach Jim Har- baugh knows all too well. "Don't fall in love with your stuff, because you can get better," Harbaugh said after Michigan plastered North- ern Illinois, 63-10 Sept. 18, to finish the non-conference portion of the season undefeated. "It's kind of a race to see how good you can get. "But a lot of great things are going to happen when your players are playing as hard as they are. Great energy … the ball finds it, whether it's a defensive player or an offensive player, playing as hard as you can as fast as you can, never giving up and all those things I see in our team and the way they're playing." They haven't accomplished anything yet, freshman running back Blake Co- rum was quick to point out after the third win, significant in that he's the Wolver- ines' latest 'September Heisman' can- didate. He ran for 407 yards and seven touchdowns in the first three games, showing off much-improved patience and incredible feet in dominating the non-conference opponents. There was a glint in his eye when he said it, for sure, but it's clear he sees the potential in this team to be even better, to the point that Harbaugh even thought he was being too hard on his squad. Asked if the "we've done nothing" came from him, the coach insisted it didn't. "I haven't said they haven't done any- thing. They've done some stuff," he said with a grin. "Things that are good, you want to build on. "But the team does have big goals, and now you start playing for the Big Ten championship. Ultimately, that's what they want to achieve, and that starts next week [Sept. 25 with Rutgers]." Regardless, the win over NIU was exactly what good teams do to overmatched opponents, and like some of Jim Harbaugh's early teams at Michigan (there's a long way to go, but we do see some comparisons), it was business- like and encouraging. The offensive line was domi- nant, and while there are bigger tests to come, they're playing in concert. The running backs are much improved under Mike Hart, the interior defensive line has held up against the run and the corner- backs are excelling in new coordi- nator Mike Macdonald's friendlier scheme. More than anything, though — and what we've written here so many times — it's about the culture. In that area, the 2021 group has made huge strides. "You talk about the morale of the play- ers. You noticed it," Harbaugh said after the NIU game. "Guys were saying, 'Get [walk-on tight end] Jake Buckman in, or get [walk-on quarterback] Jesse [Mad- den] in.' One after the other. They really were excited to see their teammates get into the game. "But I also see a really good morale amongst the coaching staff. The offen- sive staff is working great together and humming. Same with the defensive staff. They're really working well. There's great camaraderie and great morale on both sides of the ball, whether it's coach to coach, player to coach, coach to player. It's super encouraging." We'll know more in a month whether this team is a real contender, but if you've got that and some talent — which this group does — you've got a chance. ❏ Chris Balas has been with The Wolver- ine since 1997. Contact him at cbalas@ thewolverine.com and follow him on Twitter @Balas_Wolverine. INSIDE MICHIGAN CHRIS BALAS A Great Start, But … Michigan's run game has blossomed under the leadership of first-year assistant and U-M legend Mike Hart. PFF graded the Wolverines' run game second-best nationally (91.2 mark) after three games. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL