Michigan Maize 17, Blue 7: Notes, quotes, and observations

The Michigan spring game was a physical one on yet another chilly, blustery spring game day in Ann Arbor, and there was a lot to like. There were some explosive plays, physical runs, and — clearly — still a lot of athleticism on the field despite losing a dozen and a half or so players who will be playing on Sundays next year. 

Former Michigan coach Brady Hoke was once poked fun at for suggesting he couldn’t “hear” football in his first spring in Ann Arbor, but many overlooked the point. The best teams are violent squads with athletes who not only don’t avoid contact, but often relish it … the ones where you can hear the collisions through the press box glass because the pads are cracking so hard on contact. 

That’s one of the aspects that stood out Sunday. While many of the starters were limited, the noise continued throughout the afternoon. Other Big Ten teams opted for two-hand touch and/or tickle fights for their events, but that’s not Michigan, and that’s not Sherrone Moore, whose “smash” mantra was on full display. 

For all that changed minus Jim Harbaugh … well, a lot remained the same. The bodies looked great under new strength coach Justin Tress’ plan. The offensive linemen came off the ball with a purpose, as you’d expect of a Moore-coached team, and created some holes against an active defense. And while points were tough to come by, there were still some explosive plays with some young receivers and enough talent to field what should be a very competitive team. 

“We’ve got really good running backs, a really good offensive line,” offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell said. “The name on the back of the nameplates will change — the [Zak] Zinters, the [Trevor] Keegans, the [Karsen] Barnharts won’t be around. They were staples around here. But we’ve got really good players coming back … guys that are champing at the bit for opportunity. 

“I don’t think that will change. We’re still going to be aggressive with the same mold. But we have players that are more explosive than we had in the past.”

A bold statement given what they lost in guys like receiver Roman Wilson, running back Blake Corum, etc. But there are playmakers, starting with Donovan Edwards at running back. The senior looked patient through the holes and was impressive from the get-go in waiting for plays to develop. He ran hard and well between the tackles.

Junior quarterback Alex Orji’s early touchdown run was eye-opening, and big plays from receivers Fredrick Moore and Kendrick Bell in the passing game were exciting. No, they didn’t come at the expense of corners who will play a lot this year, but they were athletic plays that provided a potential glimpse of the future. 

“I think we’re an extremely explosive offense,” Campbell reiterated. “We have really explosive players. Fred Moore, Semaj Morgan, Colston Loveland, Donovan Edwards, Tyler Morris … the list goes on. Really good football players.”

All eyes on Michigan quarterback play

But it’s the quarterback play that will make the difference, as it usually does on every team, every year. A good one can cover a lot of warts — one who struggles can expose more at other positions.

It was a mixed bag Saturday, with veteran Davis Warren looking the best of the bunch. He had a beautiful deep ball against a biting wind hauled in by Bell for a long touchdown and a scramble and pass to Moore, who used a nice block from Bell to rip off a long catch and touchdown. 

Like he did a few years ago at the spring game, he opened some eyes. We’ve said in practice reports this spring that Warren was often the most impressive pure thrower, and he showed why Saturday. 

“What I saw from Davis today is what I see from Davis in every practice,” Campbell said. “Nothing rattles him. He’s been through a lot in his life and his career, and that’s how Davis plays … practice every day. He’s got a great arm, as you guys saw on display today. 

“I’m very proud of him and him and his efforts, because he was able to shine in the Big House on two big throws, and he puts in the work like anyone else. For him to get that opportunity is great.”

Orji, meanwhile, had some nice throws mostly underneath the defense, but some bad misses, too, especially when he took his shots downfield. They likely weren’t running an offense they would with him in a game — he barely ran on designed plays, for example — one of the reasons taking anything in a spring game too seriously is a no-no. 

There were times he left the pocket too early, and others he threw with too much velocity on short distance throws. He had a few nice passes on quick outs, etc., but teams are going to be much more determined to make it tougher on him in coverage this fall. There’s a lot of room for improvement (but still time to get there). 

Seventh-year senior Jack Tuttle will be back throwing this summer, and some are interested to see what he can do after missing all spring with injury. Junior Jayden Denegal struggled and frosh Jadyn Davis has work to do, so this will likely be a three-man race. 

“I think Alex has been much better a passer,” Campbell said. “He had a couple today he’d probably like back, but you can see — he can throw the football. Davis’ knowledge of the system is through the dang roof. He’s like me out there. 

“Jayden Denegal had a really bad start to spring but he was exceptional in the last 11 practices. I know today meant a lot to him. And then Jadyn Davis was like a sponge out there. You tell him one thing, he goes and does. Everybody got better, which is what you want to see out of spring ball. Nobody got worse.”

But they need guys to improve quite a bit more if they’re going to compete for a Big Ten title, which is the goal at Michigan. Three in a row, a defense that — when it’s complete — is good enough (and then some) for four. 

We’ll see how it all comes together in the fall, but it’s clear that’s what they have in mind. All the young players talked about it in the postgame, as did Edwards, and they believe they can do it.

It will likely come down to the man (or men) behind center — Campbell said finding an addition to the room in the portal isn’t the current plan — and there, there’s still proving to do. 

Observations from a Michigan Maize 17-7 win over the Blue 

• It was hard to gauge either the offensive or defensive lines given the starters were split and some didn’t play. We won’t know about the O-line, for example, until they play together and develop some chemistry, and guys like Josh Priebe and Gio El-Hadi — two who should be stalwarts this fall — didn’t play due to injury. 

But you can gauge whether a guy is physically capable of getting the job done, and in that respect, we were pleasantly surprised by the offensive line. There was push, some nice combo blocks, and even guys who weren’t supposed to be in the mix were moving piles. 

That’s a sign of a well-groomed group, as you’d expect of a Moore-coached team. 

“There are some guys that we’re excited [about],” Campbell said. “Obviously, we didn’t see Josh Priebe out there today. He got a little banged up, cut his lip at the end of spring, nothing major at all. Just to get him back out there. I would’ve loved to see him out there today. That guy is a warrior. Gio El-Hadi wasn’t out there, that’s another guy that is going to be a big part of our offensive line. 

“We’ve done a lot of evaluation on a lot of guys but those two, we need to get them back.”

And they will. We feel comfortable saying they have enough horses up front to field a good line in 2024. 

• Two young guys who impressed — Bell at wide receiver and Cole Sullivan at linebacker. Bell is a work in progress, but he has some of brother Ronnie’s mannerisms and made a few nice grabs including the long touchdown on a ball the wind turned into a knuckler. 

“Kendrick, his development this spring was outstanding. He’s a playmaker; he can go get the football,” Campbell said. “He probably has the biggest catch radius of our receiver room. He was more raw at the receiver position than Ronnie was coming in so he’s probably a year behind Ronnie but … excited. 

“He’s got a high, high ceiling. He’s going to have a great career at Michigan.”

Sullivan, meanwhile, showed off great instincts and relentless pursuit. 

“The kid who showed up on the defensive side of the ball is Cole Sullivan,” Campbell praised. “I saw him make a couple of plays. That was surprising … not surprising to me, but I was proud of him. 

“A true freshman, I think he blew up a guard on one play and had a couple of tackles in the backfield. I know I’m an offensive coach, but that stuck out to me.”

• One of the most encouraging aspects — Edwards’ early runs. He showed patience to the hole but still showed his burst, even with added weight. His positive energy was obvious in the postgame interview room, and his teammates feed off it. 

If he can break a few more tackles with his added weight, he’s got a chance to be an outstanding RB1 … and we saw signs. 

“I love Donovan … Donovan is just a stud, just his personality and his character,” Campbell said. “How he’s built. His added weight is going to be much better for him, help him break some more tackles. 

“I thought he ran extremely hard today. I know it was short, but I thought he ran the hardest I’ve probably ever seen him run. At halftime, I was proud of him.”

• Michigan tight end usage was extremely impressive, with several making big plays. Deakon Tonielli had a beautiful downfield catch and run from Warren in the mold of great Michigan tight ends of the recent past. Marlin Klein caught a number of balls, Zack Marshall nabbed a few, and Colston Loveland will be one of the best in the country this fall. 

“I love tight ends,” Campbell said. “You look at my history, I know some of the stats out there but when I was offensive coordinator at Alderson Broadus, my tight ends had 197 catches in three years. My tight end at Old Dominion had 70-plus catches. 

“I love throwing the ball to tight ends. Again, it’s my job to get the ball to the best players on your team. Right now, Colston Loveland is one of those guys. Marlin Klein is going to be one of those guys. We’ve got a lot of them, so it’s my job to get them the football.”

• Adam Samaha missed a short field goal and didn’t show a huge leg on some of his makes. While there’s time to improve, it’s clear Michigan needs to hit the portal for other options here (as we’ve said this spring … they’re looking).

• Finally, listening to the players talk about Campbell and his philosophies, we feel even better about Moore’s decision to go with him as O.C. The guy is a worker, has great knowledge of the game, and loves his players. 

“I’ve expressed in the past, I think you’re a poor offensive coordinator if you say this is what we do,” he said when asked if Michigan would be a run-heavy team in 2024. “You evaluate your roster and then you do. We’ll be what our players are capable of doing. 

“To tell you that we’re going to go out there and, yeah, we’re going to be a downhill, physical run football team, that’s not going to change. That’s our DNA. That’s how I was raised; I’m a blue-collar guy. We’re not going to change our identity. How many times, I don’t know, but every game is dependent on that.”