The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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28 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2021 ing two long touchdowns, but with only 312 yards overall (averaging 18.4 yards per reception). The two bombs have ac- counted for nearly 40 percent of his re- ceiving yards through seven games. Freshman Roman Wilson had a break- out game at Wisconsin with 81 yards on six catches and appears to be one of the better route runners of a group that's still looking for improvement in that area. Freshman A.J. Henning is struggling to get open, and we'd like to see him (and Wilson) involved in more rub routes, etc., to get them some room to move. TIGHT ENDS: B Sophomore Erick All had one of his best games in a win over Northwestern. He was outstanding as a blocker and had five receptions for 34 yards. Redshirt sopho- more Luke Schoonmaker has improved as a blocker, while redshirt junior tight end Joel Honigford is like having an extra offensive lineman on the field. There's still hope that the tight ends will be included more in the passing game. With All catching the ball better than he did in the past, it doesn't seem out of the question that they could use him in some 50-50 scenarios as a receiver in the red zone. He's a "freak athlete," according to those who see him every day, and that could help the passing game down the stretch. OFFENSIVE LINE: A- The running game has been better than anyone could have expected or hoped, and it's all due to head coach Jim Harbaugh. The 'old school' formations run out of shotgun have produced great results, and one can't help but wonder if part of that is because defenses these days have been built more to slow spread offenses. Wisconsin and Rutgers did the best job slowing the U-M attack, and the Badgers, in particular, have one of the top-five front sevens nationally (grade wise) through the first half of the season. We'll call the game against the Scarlet Knights an anomaly. The best news here — they weren't kid- ding when they said they had depth on the offensive line. Guards Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter missed most of the games at Nebraska and Northwestern, but the backups came in and the holes were just as big. Zinter, sixth-year senior center An- drew Vastardis and redshirt junior right Midseason Awards, Defense MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: OLB/DE AIDAN HUTCHINSON Pro Football Focus analyst Anthony Treash called Hutchinson the top defensive lineman and best overall defensive player through the first half of the season. He notched 27 tackles, 6.5 stops for loss, six sacks (tied for 11th nationally), five quarterback hurries, a fumble recovery and one forced fumble, leading a unit that ranked second nationally in scoring defense (14.3 points per game). MOST IMPROVED: LB JOSH ROSS The redshirt junior has reverted to his 2018 form, when he earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors, this fall. He lost weight in the offseason and is mov- ing much better sideline to sideline, and his preparation before each game is an aspect coaches say has led to great improvement. He's been an outstanding captain, leading the team with 44 tackles through seven games. UNSUNG HERO: S BRAD HAWKINS The fifth-year senior has been Mr. Consistent, the quarterback of the defensive backfield and a team leader with two forced fumbles and four passes broken up. He'd be vying for MVP honors, too, if he'd hauled in a few potential picks that hit him in the hands, but he made the winning fumble strip/recovery at Nebraska and has been outstanding. BEST POSITION GROUP: LINEBACKERS Throwing Hutchinson and redshirt sophomore David Ojabo in with the group rather than pass-rushing defensive ends, this crew has led the defense. Ross has been the captain and leader in the middle, while Hutchinson and Co. have been outstanding getting after the quarterback. Hutchinson led the group with six sacks while Ojabo added five. Both are among the nation's top 32 in quarterback takedowns per game. MOST IMPROVED POSITION GROUP: DEFENSIVE LINE This was the biggest question mark of the preseason, but interior linemen and third-year Wolverines Mazi Smith and Chris Hinton have been outstanding in holding the line. Guys like redshirt freshmen Mike Morris and Kris Jen- kins have stepped up, too, to become valuable contributors. The four have combined to make 55 stops, including four behind the line of scrimmage, plus three pass breakups and four quarter- back hurries. They have been a huge part of the U-M run defense that was tied for 24th nationally through seven games, allowing 116.6 yards per game. — Chris Balas Junior Aidan Hutchinson has notched six sacks through seven games, his aver- age of 0.86 quarter- back takedowns per contest tied for 11th nationally. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL