Michigan football offensive line coming together, 'played their best game' against USC
“It takes time” for an offensive line to mesh together, Michigan Wolverines football head coach Sherrone Moore said at the beginning of the season. Four games into the 2024 year with five new starters up front, the group is starting to blossom, especially in the run game.
Michigan ran for 301 yards in a 28-18 win over Arkansas State and then 290 in a 27-24 victory over No. 11 USC, the line paving the way for two high-level backs in graduate Kalel Mullings and senior Donovan Edwards.
Yards before contact is a common statistic used to judge an offensive line’s effectiveness in run blocking. Michigan posted 3 yards before contact per rush against USC, its high mark of the season. The number has gone up each of the last two weeks, in fact.
| Game | Yards After Contact Per Rush |
| Fresno State | 1.8 |
| Texas | 1.5 |
| Arkansas State | 2.4 |
| USC | 3 |
“That defense is pretty good,” Moore said of USC. “Two hundred and ninety yards on the ground. We averaged [6.3] yards a carry. The O-line definitely played their best game, for sure.
“I think they averaged like 3 yards a run before contact, which is pretty good. So if you’re blocking for 3 yards, it means you’re probably going to get four or five. And with Kalel back there, maybe 8.”
He’s even low-balling it, with Mullings averaging 9.4 yards per carry in the win over USC. He ran 17 times for a career-high 159 yards with 2 touchdowns, including the game-winning score on 4th and goal from the 1-and-a-half.
According to Sports Info Solutions, Michigan’s top two run blockers on the season have been fifth-year senior left tackle Myles Hinton and graduate left guard Josh Priebe. When running over Hinton, Michigan is averaging 2 yards before contact per rush, while Priebe is at 1.7.
Michigan has had a rotation at center between seniors Dominick Giudice and Greg Crippen. Giudice has started all four clashes, but Crippen has played significant snaps three of four weeks.
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“Both of them were in on touchdown drives and successful drives,’ Moore said. “We’ll see as this week goes.”
The pass protection was a bit more spotty against USC. Junior quarterback Alex Orji was under pressure on 58.8 percent of his dropbacks. The Wolverines graded out with a rating of 18 in pass protection, per PFF.
Sophomore right tackle Evan Link gave up 2 pressures and had a 0.0 rating in pass blocking, per PFF. According to the analytics site, he’s one of just four tackles nationally with 16-plus pressures given up on the season. However, Michigan’s head coach is still bullish on his future.
“Steadily getting better,” Moore said of what he’s seen from the 6-foot-6, 328-pounder. “A young guy that’s never started a game here and really never played that much. Last year he redshirted, so he played [zero] games and that was it.
“And continually getting better. Last week he got better. You saw the steps going forward. The size, the talent that he has, he just needs to continue to keep that confidence going — and he will.”
