The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/230001
Fifth-year senior tailback Fitzgerald Toussaint rushed for 151 yards and four touchdowns versus Indiana, part of U-M's school-record 751 yards of total offense in the 63-47 win. photo by Lon Horwedel "People will laugh at this, but I don't really care if they do," Borges offered. "The Iowa game, where we had 158 total yards, was called very similarly to the Ohio game. The only difference is, we didn't execute. We ran the wrong way, stepped the wrong way, dropped passes. "We didn't do the things that are fundamental components to make your offense work. Ohio, we did. Say what you want." Borges is the first to step up and acknowledge a role in breakdowns. He keeps what he refers to as a "playkill chart" for every game. Sometimes a lineman kills a play by missing a block. Sometimes a receiver kills a play by dropping a pass. Sometimes the offensive coordinator kills a play by calling the wrong one. Every play-caller misses on some, he admitted. "By the same token, when you do call a play that is potentially successful, you have to strike," he said. "If you don't strike, because someone blows something, whether techniquewise or otherwise, now you've compounded your bad calls with your good calls not being executed. "It's a combination of everything. It's never one thing. When it works, it's the same thing. Why did it work against Ohio? It's a combination. We're catching the ball, we're making runs in the open field, we're jumping over dudes. It's a completely different dynamic." Striving For Consistency Fifth-year senior offensive tackle Taylor Lewan noticed the difference against Ohio State, like everyone else. At the same time, the captain and NFL-bound Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year couldn't say for certain what flipped the switch. "I wish I had a specific answer for that," replied Lewan. "Sometimes the rivalry just brings that out. Guys really understood what the rivalry was all about, and they wanted to play their hearts out. "Now they know they can play