The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1503142
THE WOLVERINE 2023 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 125 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE Head coach Greg Schiano just hasn't been able to figure out his offense since taking over for the second time in Pis- cataway in 2020. According to CBS- Sports.com, the Scarlet Knights rank 127th nationally in passing efficiency, 128th in yards per attempt, 128th in ex- pected points added per dropback and 131st in explosive pass rate over the last three seasons. Finding a reliable quarterback would certainly help. The Scarlet Knights may have that guy in junior Gavin Wimsatt, who won't even turn 20 years old un- til this October, but it's been a work in progress. He was one of three signal- callers to start games (six) but struggled with his accuracy, completing only 44.8 percent of his passes with 5 touchdowns to 7 interceptions (3 of those picks came against Michigan). The No. 1 job for new offensive coor- dinator Kirk Ciarrocca is to make sure Wimsatt takes the next step in his de- velopment — preferably, for the Scarlet Knights, a big leap. That would be the starting point in trying to fix an offense that slotted 124th in the country with 17.4 points per game in 2022. Wimsatt won't have his top three wide receivers from last season. Schiano and Co. brought in former Western Illinois wideout Naseim Brantley, a second-team FCS All-American by Phil Steele in 2022, and have a steady tight end in senior Johnny Langan, who ranked third on the team with 31 catches, 296 yards and 1 touchdown. Three starting offensive linemen are back, and the ground game may be im- proved now that sophomore running back Samuel Brown V (foot injury held him out of five games last year) is healthy to team up with junior Kyle Monangai in the backfield. The two combined for 819 yards and 5 touchdowns last season. While the offense has been a struggle, Schiano has unsurprisingly built formi- dable defenses, and last year's unit was his best, ranking 38th nationally in total defense, 55th versus the rush and 35th against the pass. Eight starters from that group return, plus an impact transfer — former Min- nesota safety Flip Dixon, a junior — has come in at a spot that was hit by attrition. Former Michigan defensive end Aaron Lewis is expected to shine in his fourth season with the Scarlet Knights. He was named preseason second-team All-Big Ten by Athlon Sports, after collecting 8 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and 10 quar- terback hurries in 2022. He leads a pass- rush unit that generated pressure on op- posing quarterbacks on 35.6 percent of dropbacks last season, which checked in 27th nationally and fifth in the Big Ten per Sports Info Solutions. Athlon Sports tabbed senior linebacker Deion Jennings — who topped the team with 91 tackles to go along with 8.5 stops for loss, 1 sack and 6 pass breakups last season — a preseason third-team All-Big Ten pick. Junior cornerback Max Melton earned the same distinction. He notched 10 pass breakups and a pair of intercep- tions last fall. Rutgers is facing an uphill climb in the ever-challenging Big Ten East, even with what should be a solid defense. The Scarlet Knights have the ninth-toughest schedule in the country, per ESPN.com, with a nonconference date against Vir- ginia Tech and crossover games at Iowa and at Wisconsin. Notes Opponents converted on only 34.1 percent of their third-down chances against Rutgers last season, the 29th-best mark in the country … The Scarlet Knights must replace punter Adam Korsak, an Australian who was the 2022 Ray Guy Award winner and a first- team All-American per Sporting News … This year's game will be the Big Ten opener for both Rutgers and Michigan. ❑ 2023 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2022 Result Sept. 2 Northwestern — Sept. 9 Temple W, 16-14 Sept. 16 Virginia Tech — Sept. 23 at Michigan L, 52-17 Sept. 30 Wagner W, 66-7 Oct. 7 at Wisconsin — Oct. 14 Michigan State L, 27-21 Oct. 21 at Indiana W, 24-17 Nov. 4 Ohio State L, 49-10 Nov. 11 at Iowa L, 27-10 Nov. 18 at Penn State L, 55-10 Nov. 25 Maryland L, 37-0 PLAYERS TO WATCH Offense: Hollin Pierce, Jr., OL — The 6-foot-8, 340-pound right tackle was named a preseason fourth-team All-Big Ten honoree by Athlon Sports. He led the Rutgers offensive line with a 73.6 Pro Football Focus (PFF) pass-blocking grade last season. Defense: Aaron Lewis, Jr., DE — The 6-foot-5, 250-pounder led the team with 40 pressures and posted a 90.5 PFF pass-rush grade (eighth nationally and second in the Big Ten). GAME 4 • RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS • SEPT. 23 • 12 P.M. (TBD) QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Michigan leads 8-1 First Meeting: Rutgers 26, U-M 24 (Oct. 4, 2014, in Piscataway, N.J.) Last Meeting: U-M 52, Rutgers 17 (Nov. 5, 2022, in Piscataway, N.J.) Head Coach: Greg Schiano, 12-22 (4th year) in second tenure at Rutgers, 80-89 overall (15th year, all at Rutgers) 2022 In Review: 4-8, 1-8 Big Ten (7th, East) Final 2022 Ranking: Unranked Returning Starters: 15 (6 offense, 8 defense, 1 specialist) Last Bowl Appearance: 2021 (Gator Bowl vs. Wake Forest, L 38-10) RETURNING LEADERS Passing: Evan Simon (777 yards, 4 TD) Rushing: Kyle Monangai (445 yards, 2 TD) Receiving: Johnny Langan (296 yards, 1 TD) Tackles: Deion Jennings (91) Sacks: Wesley Bailey (3.5) Interceptions: Robert Longerbeam, Max Melton (2) Defense Is Rutgers' Calling Card Cornerback Max Melton was named honorable mention All-Big Ten in 2022. PHOTO COURTESY RUTGERS ATHLETICS