The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 11 ❱ INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Offensive Line Needs To Maintain The Standard — Can It? By Chris Balas The Michigan offensive line has won the Joe Moore Award as the na- tion's best blocking unit in two of the last three years — last season, it was a semifinalist. Head coach Sherrone Moore, the offensive line coach in each of those years, vowed it would always be a strength as long as he's at U-M, and his players ap- pear to have heard his call. The battles have been fierce at each position, and though the guard spots appear set with senior Giovanni El-Hadi at left and Northwestern transfer Josh Priebe on the right side, both tackle jobs and center still need to be settled. Two positions in particular — left tackle and cen- ter — could determine the fate of this year's of- fense. Veteran Myles Hinton appears to have the inside track at the former, though he struggled at times last year at right tackle. Can he blossom into the elite player some coaches have said he can be? And everyone knows how important the center position is. The light seems to have gone on for senior Greg Crippen, but he's being pushed by fel- low veteran Raheem Anderson. One of these guys really needs to step up. Early returns are good, with Moore noting on Aug. 13 that the men up front were holding their own against what should be an elite defensive line. Can The Offense Be Consistent And Maintain Drives? By Clayton Sayfie The quarterback position certainly plays a part in this, but the biggest concern heading into the season is the consistency level of the offense, particularly early on. Sustaining drives — which includes converting on third downs, especially third-and-longs — is crucial for the style of play Michigan prefers. The Wolverines, which are ranked in the top 10 in both plays ran (62.7) and plays faced (60.1) per game last season, are intent on grind- ing down opponents with a slow, methodical pace. It doesn't happen by accident, either. Michigan converted on 42.8 percent of its third-down oppor- tunities (40th nationally) and scored touchdowns on 71.2 percent of its red-zone trips (18th) last season. The Wolverines had so much experience and came up big on the most important downs, including when the result of the game was still hanging in the balance. How quickly the entire offense comes together is a big key for Michigan, which doesn't have an easy schedule in the early going, with Fresno State and Texas being the first two matchups. Even the vaunted U-M offensive line that dominated in the College Football Playoff, for example, struggled to get enough push and open holes for the running backs in the nonconference portion of the 2023 campaign — and that was with a first-round pick in J.J. McCarthy keeping defenses honest at quarterback. ❱ POINT ❙ COUNTERPOINT ❰ WHAT'S U-M FOOTBALL'S BIGGEST QUESTION MARK IN 2024, OTHER THAN THE QB POSITION? Two versions available! 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. Mailing a check? Please call for details. ONLINE: www.TheWolverineOnDemand.com Order 24 hours a day from our online store! Written by the staff of The Wolverine, this commemorative edition celebrates Michigan's remarkable 2023 season and its 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship run. Limited Edition. While supplies last! MAKES A GREAT GIFT! Sales tax added where applicable Soft-cover magazine: $14.95 plus $5 S&H Hardback book: $29.95 plus $6 S&H TWO VERSIONS AVAILABLE! First-year coordinator Kirk Campbell's offen- sive unit faces questions along its front line and in terms of its ability to consis- tently maintain drives against what is by all accounts a much tougher schedule in 2024 than a year ago. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN