Report Card: Grading Michigan in a 59-0 win over UConn
Grading Michigan football in all facets of a 59-0 drubbing of UConn.
Michigan rushing offense: B-
Junior running back Blake Corum scored five touchdowns, but three were 1-yard runs. The Michigan running game hasn’t been as explosive as expected, and though Corum averaged 5.9 yards per carry, there’s room for improvement here. No. 2 back CJ Stokes, playing for the injured Donovan Edwards, managed only 18 yards on 8 carries against a poor team. Of the 192 yards rushing, a good portion was by the backups against the Huskies’ reserves.
This needs to improve in Big Ten play.
RELATED
• Michigan 59, UConn 0: Notes, quotes, and observations
• Cade McNamara out — Jim Harbaugh updates backup situation, Donovan Edwards injury, more
Passing offense: A
Sophomore J.J. McCarthy took what the defense gave him, and a lot of that was underneath coverage. UConn sagged to take away the big play and stacked the line against the run, opening up the perimeter.
McCarthy was on point on the swing passes and bubble screens, and his ball gets there quickly, allowing his receivers to do something with it. Grad student Ronnie Bell is rounding into form — he finished with 96 yards on seven catches — and junior Roman Wilson continues to be a threat in the flats. He notched three grabs for 64.
The best downfield throw came when McCarthy (214 yards) rolled away from pressure and hit grad student Luke Schoonmaker 31 yards downfield to the one-yard line. Fifteen-for-18 is 83 percent … and fantastic.
Michigan rushing defense: A
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said he loved the wall the Wolverines built to combat the UConn running game. The Huskies were down a back and didn’t have the horses to deal with the U-M front, and it showed. The Wolverines controlled the line of scrimmage and UConn was one-dimensional because of it.
UConn’s only good runs were on scrambles from quarterback Zion Turner when the game was well out of hand. The two primary backs managed only 44 yards on 20 carries.
Top 10
- 1New
Cam Newton
Arch Manning, Saban to Cowboys
- 2Hot
Arch Manning NIL
Texas QB signs with Red Bull
- 3
ACC, ESPN extension
New deal reached through 2036
- 4
John Calipari return
Rick Pitino encourages cheers
- 5
SEC softball poll
Predicted order of finish
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
Passing defense: A+
Turner had nowhere to go with the ball most of the time. The pass rush was okay — no sacks, however — but the coverage was outstanding, and the Wolverines could have intercepted a couple passes.
Turner finished 4-for-16 for 17 yards, and his receivers didn’t manage a reception over nine yards. That pretty much says it all.
Michigan special teams: A+
A 61-yard punt return for touchdown by junior A.J. Henning, a blocked punt by senior Caden Kolesar — are you kidding? Just when you think Jay Harbaugh’s special teams can’t get any better, they come up with another outstanding performance that outdoes what they accomplished the previous game.
The crazy part — this group would have gotten an A- or so even without those plays. Grad student Jake Moody missed a 62-yard field goal at the half, but his kickoffs remain elite. He also made a 26-yarder. Sixth-year grad student Brad Robbins averaged 57.5 yards on his two punts, as well.
Special teams remain a Michigan strength.
