The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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8 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2021 M ichigan football entered the 2021 season universally doubted. The Wolverines came into the campaign unranked, underestimated and unloved by media, social and otherwise, who pegged them winding up in college football's vast wasteland — 7-5 to 5-7. A 3-0 rumble through the non-con- ference schedule doesn't guarantee they won't, of course. Junior defensive end Aidan Hutchinson declared, "We haven't done a damn thing," after a 47-14 bust- ing of Western Michigan's Broncos in the opener. The double-Huskies bum rush — 31-10 over Washington and 63-10 over Northern Illinois — produced similar, if less strident, pronouncements from other Wolverines. It's a good attitude to take, if not entirely accurate. They destroyed a WMU squad that subsequently upset Pittsburgh. They handled a Pac-12 crew in Washington, and overwhelmed an NIU team that pulled a huge upset at Georgia Tech in its season opener, a band of Yellow Jackets that later took Clemson to the wire. Jim Harbaugh himself gently brushed aside the "done nothing" mantra after the third game. He still kept it all in perspec- tive. "The team does have big goals," he said, "Now you start playing for the Big Ten championship, and ultimately, that's what they want to achieve." Hungry and focused scratches the sur- face of how his team simmers entering the Big Ten campaign. Without question, they're better than they've been in a while — maybe since 2016, when they wound up a play away from the Big Ten champion- ship game. Here are five reasons why: 1. Coaching Hires/Attitude: Har- baugh hit the reset button in the offsea- son, and it paid immediate dividends. He's put in place Michigan's best staff since at least 2016, and maybe in the length of his tenure. The early returns are dramatic — defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, running backs coach Mike Hart and many others are facilitating upward movement. Even changes within the staff, like Sher- rone Moore taking over the offensive line, look like winners. The Wolverines bolted out of spring practice insisting they embodied new energy and a new attitude. Everything they've done since has backed that claim. "The biggest thing is just how hard they're playing," Harbaugh said. "They're having fun doing it. Good things happen when you play hard. Energy just finds the ball. Whether you're on offense or de- fense, with energy, the ball finds you." 2. Offensive Line/Run Game: Of- fensive coordinator Josh Gattis assured a renewed commitment to running the football. So far, they've followed through, bringing Dennis Franklin-era Wolverines on their feet. The Wolverines entered Big Ten play leading the nation in rushing offense, averaging a gaudy 350.3 yards per game. They're tied for third in scoring average (47.0). Yes, tougher defenses are on the way. Still, from the operations up front to U-M's wideouts on end-arounds and the revelation regarding the growth of fresh- man back Blake Corum, it's a whole new ball game. 3. Defensive Approach: Ask Rocky Lombardi if the Wolverines are better on defense this year. He went from 323 pass- ing yards and three touchdowns with a bad Michigan State team in 2020 to 46 yards passing this year leading NIU. His one TD toss occurred long after U-M's starting defenders had called it a day. "They run a completely different scheme," Lombardi said of the defense tied for eighth nationally this fall in points allowed per game (11.3). "They looked better on film than they did last year. The scheme helps them out." NIU head coach Thomas Hammock didn't hold back. "If they stay committed to the style that they play, they're going to win a lot of football games," he said. "I think they built their team to beat Ohio State." 4. Quarterbacks: They're better, more stable, with more upside than they were a year ago. Redshirt freshman Cade Mc- Namara guided a turnover-free offense through non-conference play. His passing (24 of 37 for 371 yards, three TDs), along with that of rookie J.J. McCarthy (8 of 12, 122 yards, one TD), complemented the torrent of a run game. It looked a little like Brian Griese man- aging the present situation, with a highly talented and anxious understudy waiting in the wings. 5. Running Backs: Redshirt sopho- more Hassan Haskins runs as advertised — tough and angry. Everyone caught glimpses of the future, when true fresh- man Donovan Edwards broke free against NIU. And Corum (407 yards, 8.5 yards per carry) looks nothing short of spectacular, leading the nation in rushing touchdowns (seven) and all-purpose yards (193.7 per game). "We're just real physical," Corum said. "That's what we did this whole offsea- son — focused on being a physical team. Focused on coming together as one unit. "As you can see on the sidelines, we're having a bunch of fun. Last year, if you looked at the sidelines, we weren't having much fun. We're dancing now, cheering it up — we're here for each other." If they keep it up, they could be here to stay. ❏ WOLVERINE WATCH JOHN BORTON Five Reasons U-M Is Better Than Expected One year after he torched the Wolverines for 323 passing yards and three touchdowns in a victory for Michigan State, quarterback Rocky Lombardi, now with Northern Illinois, man- aged just 46 yards through the air in U-M's 63-10 victory Sept. 18. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Editor John Borton has been with The Wolverine since 1991. Contact him at jborton@thewolverine.com and follow him on Twitter @JB_Wolverine.