The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1479568
OCTOBER 2022 THE WOLVERINE 11 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS No, U-M Will Spread The Aerial Wealth But Fall Short By Chris Balas Michigan's receiver crop is deep and talented — and that's going to prevent one guy from reach- ing the coveted millennium mark. After two games, junior Roman Wilson led the 2022 team with 107 yards on only 3 catches, followed by senior Cornelius Johnson (4 for 90) and grad student Ronnie Bell (7 for 85). If not for a few drops, Bell would likely be on top of this list. So good is this group that sophomore sensation Andrel An- thony had only 1 catch for 5 yards through two games, and senior tight end Erick All had 2 catches for 32 yards. Last year's leading receiver, Johnson, notched only 627 yards, followed by All's 437 and Wilson's 420. This year's numbers will be spread out, as well, but they'll be higher with a big-armed passer like sophomore J.J. McCarthy throwing the ball. It says here 800 or so will be the high, but a few players will approach it — and Bell will be the team's leading receiver by year's end. Yes, U-M Will Have Its First 1,000-Yard Receiver Since 2013 By Clayton Sayfie Michigan hasn't had a 1,000-yard receiver since Jeremy Gallon (1,373) in 2013. The Maize and Blue have what head coach Jim Harbaugh has said can be their best receiving corps since he took over in 2015, and we'll say one player will hit the landmark. Now that sophomore J.J. McCarthy has won the starting quarterback job, expect the Wolverines to air the ball out a bit more — and that will boost the numbers of his pass-catchers. Through Week 2 of this year, the former four-star recruit was averaging 10.5 yards per pass attempt for his career, a full 3 yards more than senior Cade McNamara, who started 16 consecutive games from the end of the 2020 campaign to the opener in 2022. Additionally, McCarthy is much more of a deep threat. He had completed 10 of his 14 pass attempts that traveled 20 or more yards in the air, for 396 yards and 6 touchdowns, according to Pro Football Focus. There are several candidates to lead U-M in receiving yards this season, led by a trio of starters who are already proven and have taken their games to another level — junior Roman Wilson, graduate Ronnie Bell and senior Cornelius Johnson. Despite plenty of rotation through the first 2 games, those 3 have been targeted on 19 of the Wolverines' 47 pass attempts. Nine of those attempts have been to Bell, so we'll say he will lead Michigan in receiving for the third time in his career. POINT ❙ COUNTERPOINT WILL MICHIGAN FINISH WITH A 1,000-YARD RECEIVER — AND WHO WILL IT BE? RONNIE BELL WWW.THEWOLVERINE.COM • $14.95 WWW.THEWOLVERINE.COM • $14.95 TWO EASY WAYS TO ORDER: CALL: 800-421-7751 10:00-4:00 ET, Mon.-Fri. Or call 919-688-0218 if outside the continental U.S. ONLINE: www.TheWolverineOnDemand.com Order 24 hours a day from our online store! Now Only $12.00 $12.00 (plus sales tax where applicable) WHILE SUPPLY LASTS! With over 160 full-color, glossy action-packed pages of Michigan football information, this magazine is a must-have for the upcoming season! OR GET THE DIGITAL VERSION FOR JUST $6 F I N A L C L O S E O U T THE 2022 MICHIGAN THE 2022 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL PREVIEW FOOTBALL PREVIEW FREE SHIPPING IN THE U.S.