Why Michigan has taken a step back in the run game

Michigan has plenty of things to worry about right now when it comes to issues off the field. However, although they’re 9-0 and right in the picture for the College Football Playoff, there’s one matter on the field that has been a concern in Ann Arbor according to The Wolverine’s Anthony Broome.

Broome joined Sunday’s episode of ‘Andy Staples On3’ to discuss the problems with the Wolverine’s run game. He recognizes that it’s a choosy complaint but said that it’s very clear that the team’s offensive focus isn’t nearly as set on the ground as it has been in recent seasons.

“I mean it’s nitpicky, right? You get through these first nine games without a ton of resistance. I don’t think they’ve played an FPI team that’s above 50 or 60,” admitted Broome. “So, like, I get they’re obvious caveats in that respect.”

“The Michigan run game? It has almost been flipped. Like, last year, the run game was a non-negotiable and you’re waiting on that pass game to come along and take that next level. This year? It has been kind of the flip side of that,” Broome explained. “People have been surprised by that given that Blake Corum is back, Donovan Edwards is back. Blake Corum has the rushing touchdown numbers but we’re not seeing him get 25 carries a game for 100-plus yards.”

Through nine games, Corum and Edwards have combined for 881 yards and 18 touchdowns on 200 carries. While they’ve played five games less than last season’s team to this point, that’s currently an average of 5.4 fewer carries and 77.4 yards per game less.

To Broome, a big reason for this drop-off is due to the changes on the offensive line. In his eyes, it’s a unit that’s not creating the same opportunities that previous lines have made in the past few years.

“I think the biggest difference with that is this team’s offensive line is probably not winning a third straight Joe Moore Award,” said Broome. “Again, you go back and watch some of the game film of Michigan’s offensive lines these last two years? Michigan’s backs were running through these running lanes that you could drive a Dodge Ram through.”

“That type of push, to me, hasn’t been there yet this year,” Broome continued. “Maybe it emerges in the pressure cooker of the next few weeks. But, through nine weeks, it’s clearly not the strength of the team right now.”

To be fair, there is a lot going right for the nation’s No. 5 offense that’s putting up 40.7 points and just under 425 yards of offense per game. That’s why, in the end, Moore diffused his overall concern considering how well that unit is playing for Michigan to this point overall.

“People are off-put because the offense doesn’t look as dominant on the ground. But I still think, when push comes to shove, the way that Sherrone Moore has been calling plays? The way that J.J. McCarthy has been playing? They’re going to, by land, sea, or air, find a way to move the ball down the field,” Broome said.