The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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lines at Michigan, but it just takes so long to transition from high school to the college game," TheWolverine.com analyst and former All-Big Ten guard Doug Skene said. "Every once in awhile you get an outstanding player that can make the transition faster, but it really takes two, three, four years because of the nuances of the position. "People see the stars next to a guy's name. They think, 'I've watched film of him crush his high school competi- When Miller and Bryant played their way out of the lineup, the last hope for a veteran offensive line faded, and U-M made the commitment to its redshirt and true freshmen. However, even with their lack of experience, the linemen should not be this inconsistent. "I think it's fair to say that after their second or third game, you should start to see some progression," Skene said. "If you get beat by something, heWolverine.com analyst and T former Wolverine OL David Moosman "You can only do so much with the horses you have, and if you don't have the horses, especially the veterans, you're stuck making the best with what you've got. That's not letting the players or coaches off the hook because they're making the same mistakes, but I think when we step back and look at it objectively, there are reasons we're in this situation and it goes back to the lack of upperclassman linemen available." tion,' and think he should be able to do the same thing at Michigan. But those aren't 190-pound defensive linemen and linebackers they are facing now. They are big, strong, seasoned players, and the game is running 10 times faster than it did in high school. "At this level, the tiny variations of body positioning, where your feet are, how you use your hands, how to move in space — all those things are magnified. In high school, you just maul everybody and if you're technique isn't perfect, so what, just stick out your hand and throw the guy off his stride and you're all set." you should learn from your mistakes. "Does that translate to being a dominant offensive lineman the next game? No, because you might figure one thing out but there are a dozen more issues you have, and then every opponent presents new problems. "That's why you want upperclassmen — because they've been through the reps over and over again, and they've corrected them. They're not thinking out there, but just reacting, and right now our young guys have just got so much they're processing every snap that they're playing tight, and slow."