The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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Protection program had the blockers fed up. One by one, they declared: Enough is enough. Guided by new offensive line coach and offensive coordinator Tim Drevno, and armed with experience across the entire front, Michigan's big boys vowed to see change. "For some reason, the way Coach Drev coaches us and the work ethic he's instilling in us, it's working," redshirt junior right guard Kyle Kalis said before the opener. "We've had days where we're roll- ing guys off the line, 10 yards off the ball, and that never happened before. It's not that we couldn't do it before. We just didn't know how to do it. "But what we have in our tool bag right now … it's awesome. There's a confidence we never had before. It's cool knowing we have the guys to do it and how to do it." Then came the Utah frustration with 76 yards rushing on 29 tries. Yes, the Utes feature one of the tougher defensive fronts Michigan will see this season. They still needed to get better quickly, and they all knew it. That's why film sessions took on a hard edge in the days that followed, with the en- tire offense watching together, rather than in individual position groups. "It's about giving everybody a sense of accountability," fifth-year senior center Graham Glasgow said. "You can't watch yourself mess up on film in front of 40 other guys and not feel bad. "If you're watching it in your po- sition group, as opposed to a big group, you can sort of get away with some things. But they're calling you out. It's like: 'That's what you did. You messed up.' "It's all about having a sense of ac- countability, and doing your job for the offense and your team." The run game obviously improved thereafter; behind sophomore left tackle Mason Cole, redshirt junior left guard Ben Braden, Glasgow, Ka- lis and redshirt junior right tackle Erik Magnuson, they are averaging 185 rushing yards per game in the first three contests. Better yet, the Wolverines attempted 94 passes in that span and absorbed but one sack. The question remains, will the jump in production remain when the competition once again stiffens? WIDE RECEIVERS ARE BLOCKING BETTER Michigan's receivers took on the most criticism following the spring game, when catchable throws turned into interceptions and big plays weren't made. So this group's early production looked stronger, in part due to lowered expectations. Redshirt junior Amara Darboh stepped forward strongly in the opener at Utah with eight catches for 101 yards and a touchdown. He kept on producing, hauling in 16 passes for 185 yards and one TD over the first three contests. Meanwhile, a number of others have contributed, from redshirt ju- nior Jehu Chesson — five catches for 48 yards on the year and a 36-yard touchdown run versus UNLV — to true freshman Grant Perry's three