The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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24 THE WOLVERINE MAY 2022 every season comes to," Skene said. "If you want to beat Ohio State, you've got to beat them up front. That's what we did last year. We controlled the game. Their defensive line and their offen- sive line were defeated by our opposing lines. "If you can do that, your chances of success against Ohio State go up dra- matically. That's exactly what hap- pened. "The formula is always the same, especially when they have C.J. Stroud. You want to beat Ohio State, you'd bet- ter keep him off the field." 4 It All Starts Up Front Yes, Michigan lost a pair of very solid starters from an offensive line that earned the Joe Moore Award as the best blocking crew in the nation. Center Andrew Vastardis and tackle Andrew Stueber contributed mightily to a crew that paved the way for an average 214.4 rushing yards per game. At the same time, the Wolverines fea- ture three returning starters and one plug-in who could start and stand out almost anywhere in the nation. Redshirt junior Ryan Hayes is back at left tackle, while redshirt junior Trevor Keegan and sophomore Zak Zinter han- dle the left and right guard spots, re- spectively. Grad transfer Olu Oluwatimi — a Rimington Award finalist for best center in the nation for Virginia in 2021 — should take over in the middle. "Talk about falling into a great situa- tion there at center," Skene observed. "I look forward to watching this guy play in real game action. But that's a huge deal there. "When you can have stability in the middle of your offensive line and have one of the better centers in the country land in your lap, to complement the tal- ent that we do have coming back, I feel pretty good about that offensive line." Redshirt sophomore Trente Jones prepped long and hard for his debut at right tackle. In other words, don't look for a major falloff in U-M's blocking game, which not only delivered a strong run game but surrendered only 14 sacks in 2021. "I like the offensive line that's coming back," Skene opined. "The biggest con- cern was the loss of Vastardis at cen- ter, but with this transfer, it seems like there's not going to be a dropoff there at all. This guy brings maybe some bet- ter talents than what Vastardis had last year, and I thought Vastardis was very good. "Throw in [junior tight end] Erick All, throw in [redshirt junior tight end Luke] Schoonmaker and throw in [sixth-year senior tight end] Joel Honigford, with a bunch of returning talent and a great complementary piece at center, that's pretty good. I feel pretty good about that." 5 Skill Position Riches On Display Yes, Haskins won't be leaping over foes for the Wolverines in 2022. But Corum could well top a 2021 season in which he rushed for 952 yards, averag- ing 6.7 yards per carry. Edwards wowed the Big Ten cham- pionship game crowd with his 75-yard TD toss against Iowa, and he'll get his own opportunity to run wild this fall. Michigan appears well armed in the legs game. Corum and Edwards will also be the best friends of McNamara and J.J. Mc- Carthy, a true sophomore. McCarthy hasn't thrown much in recent weeks due to a healing shoulder, but he'll re- join a red-hot QB competition soon enough. McNamara, meanwhile, stated the truth when asked about the QB com- petition. He simply noted, "I'm a Big Ten championship-winning starting Sophomore running back Donovan Edwards (5.0 yards per carry and three touchdowns in 2021) is back as part of the Wolverines' loaded backfield. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL