The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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38 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2023 FOOTBALL PREVIEW more so the case last year, in that there were a handful of plays that Michigan made to stay in the game and then ultimately to win the game. And that's important. Were they 1-through-85 the better team, the better roster in both cases? We could certainly debate that. Last year, I don't think they were, but they made the plays that they did, and you credit them. Now, they enter a season where, objectively, they should be the team to beat in the Big Ten. They won the league the last two years, they've beaten Ohio State the last two years. Will they be viewed that way? It'll be very interesting, because I think the hard thing for people to get past when you're comparing those two teams, is that if you take the uniforms off and the helmets away, which group of players would you objec- tively want? Most would take Ohio State's players over Michigan. But, look at what Michigan has been able to do with its coaching, with its identity, with making big plays and really taking advantage of Ohio State's weaknesses, es- pecially a defense that just has not found its footing in the Ryan Day era. Whereas, Michigan has a more balanced program than Ohio State does. W hat are the biggest things Michigan has to do to go from Big Ten champion and College Foot- ball Playoff semifinalist to poten- tial national champion? Bender: Michigan needs to continue to stockpile four- and five-star talent and build those recruiting classes around the quarterbacks. Harbaugh has a niche for finding underrated talent — Colston Loveland is a great example — but they need more five-star guys to take out Geor- gia or Alabama in the CFP once and for all. The opportunity to build around five- star quarterback Jadyn Davis will allow for that, and Harbaugh needs to stop the annual tradition of flirting with the NFL. Fornelli: There needs to be an upgrade at the skill positions. As much attention as Georgia has attracted for its defense the last two years, it's not like the Bull- dogs haven't had talented pass catchers and ball carriers. If Michigan is going to win playoff games and a national title, it needs to find more explosive plays in the passing game. The Wolverines hit some against Ohio State, and had a few more against TCU, but ranked 62nd nationally in explosive play rate in the passing game. Georgia ranked 14th. Lassan: The overall talent level needs to be a little higher to push teams like Georgia and Alabama on a consistent ba- sis. The Wolverines have effectively filled needs from the transfer portal each off- season, but upping the high school re- cruiting is a must to close the gap with the SEC powers. If we look back at the history of the CFB Playoff, teams like Clemson and Oregon recruited outside of the top 10 nation- ally when they played for the national title but were able to elevate to the title game thanks to elite quarterback play. I think J.J. McCarthy can take a big step forward and become more of a difference maker over the next two seasons, which can help Michigan eliminate some of the gap in tal- ent to teams like Georgia. Rittenberg: Certainly, the playmaking ability that you've seen against Ohio State needs to carry over. Ultimately, they're going to need elite quarterback play, or a higher level of quarterback play, to win a national championship. So, better quar- terback play, more dynamic skill position recruiting and, ultimately, playmaking is going to help. What are your expectations for the Wolverines' offense in 2023? Bender: Michigan has run the football 60.5 percent of the time the last two sea- sons. Will they stick with that formula? It's been good enough to win two Big Ten championships but was exposed a bit in the CFP in losses to Georgia and TCU. If you take away Edwards' and McCarthy's long runs in the Fiesta Bowl, then the Wolver- ines averaged 2.7 yards per carry on 38 at- tempts. So, the question becomes whether Michigan tries to make that more of a 50/50 offense with a second-year starter in Mc- Carthy. Fornelli: Nothing we haven't seen al- ready. I want to see more explosive plays in the passing game, but even without it, this has been a successful offense. The Wolver- ines ranked 10th last season in offensive success rate, and eighth in points per drive. However, the loss of Jake Moody is one the offense will need to overcome, because they finished eighth in points per drive de- spite ranking 43rd in red zone TD rate. Lassan: I expect much of the same in terms of productivity from what we saw in 2022. Despite some changes to the staff, offensive line and the loss of receiver Ron- nie Bell, it's hard to envision a major drop in production or even identify significant concerns for this unit. Michigan has a top- 10 quarterback nationally in J.J. McCarthy, and the one-two punch of Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards is the best backfield in college football. Losing Olu Oluwatimi is a blow up front, but Stanford center Drake Nugent should be a capable replacement. I am curious to see what type of tweaks or changes this unit makes with Sherrone Moore as the sole coordinator and how his workload could impact the offensive line. It's not necessarily a concern, but any type of changes need to be monitored during the early part of '23. I do think this offense can lean a little more on McCarthy, which should make the unit even more dangerous. Rittenberg: They're on a really good trajectory. They have probably the best running back tandem in the country re- turning with Corum and Edwards. Another Our panel characterized J.J. McCarthy as a 'top-10 quarterback' nationally and ready to 'take a big step forward and become more of a difference maker.' PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL