The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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OCTOBER 2017 THE WOLVERINE 25 nose for the first-down sticks. Redshirt junior Ian Bunting, redshirt sophomore Zach Gentry and redshirt sophomore Tyrone Wheatley should contribute as well. Gentry snagged a key 36-yard pass against the Bearcats to set up a touchdown, and Wheatley also made his first reception of the year in game two, a seven-yarder. Harbaugh noted it's a group in the process of becoming strong and liked some of what he saw against the Ga- tors in the season opener. "Sean McKeon really blocked well," Harbaugh observed. "Tyrone Wheat- ley had his moments. Nick Eubanks showed what he can do. Zach Gentry has come so far as a blocker. You talk about what does getting better mean … look at Zach Gentry and the im- provement he has made as a blocker. He has the license, and the ability, to be just phenomenal. "All five of our tight ends are really talented and improving. They didn't pitch the perfect game, but they played well. They played well and are as- cending." WIDE RECEIVERS Sometimes talk about phenom- enal freshmen dies down once the pads go on and the real chal- lenges arise. Not so this season, especially regarding the wide- outs. Black's 46-yard TD grab in the opener served as highlight-reel material, and he led the Wol- verines with 83 yards on a pair of catches. He did drop another possible reception — but that shocked his teammates after he grabbed everything in sight in spring and during fall camp. Classmate Donovan Peoples- Jones didn't make a catch in the opener, but proved sure-handed on punt returns and appeared poised to eventually break off a big run- back. Junior Grant Perry led the Wolverines against Florida with four catches on his first game back from suspension, while Craw- ford added one on a day when U-M wideouts secured only seven catches. They increased that number to 12 the following week against Cincinnati, with Crawford stepping forward to lead the way with four catches for 83 yards and the long touchdown. Perry added a score among his four grabs, while Black also notched four catches. Isaac insists he knew all along the freshman wideouts would turn some heads when the bright lights came on. "They've been doing that stuff all fall camp," he said. "Both Tarik and Dono- van were here early, they played in spring practice. I don't think anybody in the building had any doubts about them. They've been playing really well since they've been here." Overall, the Wolverines answered a lot of questions early on, while cre- ating several more. Harbaugh has stressed patience — and promised to practice it — with a crew learning to play together. ❏ Five Questions Emerging On The Offense Michigan's offense produced a few burning questions in the opening set of games for 2017. Here are a handful that came to the fore: 1. Can they cut the turnovers before it costs them a game? The Wolverines endured some glaring turnovers in the first two contests. Redshirt junior quarterback Wilton Speight fired a pair of pick-sixes against Florida, which wound up scoring only three points against Michigan's defense. A game later, Spei- ght's two fumbles slowed the offense against Cincinnati. Only half of those gaffes fall completely to Speight, with a receiver-deflected pass and a timing issue on one fumble contributing. But those "easy fixes," as Speight put it, need to happen quickly. 2. Can fifth-year senior Ty Isaac put together a strong final season? Isaac is certainly off to a flying start, with 247 rushing yards in the first two games combined. He posted a career-high 133 against Cincinnati, drawing the start follow- ing his strong effort against Florida. He possesses the size, speed and elusiveness to produce big num- bers this season for the Wolverines. The former five-star prep pros- pect who came to Michigan via USC hasn't done it over the long haul up to now, though, and the time is definitely now. 3. Who emerges as the go-to receiver? Junior Grant Perry posted the most catches in the first two games, with eight. But freshman Tarik Black showed himself a deep threat in the opener, hauling in a 46-yard touchdown pass, and sophomore Kekoa Crawford made a 43-yard TD grab in the second game. Speight will certainly spread the football around, but those three have emerged as prime targets in the early going. 4. Can the offensive line improve throughout the year? Some 408 rushing yards in the opening pair of games speaks well for the efforts up front, but chunk plays ac- counted for a sizable portion of that total. Isaac posted a 53- yard run against Cincinnati and a 36-yarder versus Florida, while freshman wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones churned 44 yards with an end-around in game two. Head coach Jim Harbaugh saw plenty to fix in terms of indi- vidual breakdowns up front versus Cincinnati, and Michigan went back to work the next day. The offensive line remains a work in progress. 5. Will the Wolverines begin putting more points on the board via the offense? It's a pretty basic question, but the offensive scoring aver- age (34.5 per game) is deceiving. Take out the defensive touchdowns and a safety versus Cincinnati, and Michigan is averaging 23 points per game via the offense. That number needs to rise. — John Borton Michigan has featured a balanced passing attack, but fresh- man Tarik Black has debuted with six catches for 94 yards, totals that both rank second on the squad after two contests. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL