[dropcap]T[/dropcap]en plays into the Michigan Wolverines (1-1) home opener, Oregon State (1-1) had already marched 79 yards in seven plays for a touchdown and just recovered a Jake Rudock fumble at the Michigan 24-yard line.
Forgive a Michigan fan if they feared the worst. They have seen this script play out too many times since 2008.
This time, though, Michigan did not crumble after a poor start. Instead, the Wolverines toughened up and thoroughly dominated the line of scrimmage – on both sides of the ball – en route to a 35-7 win, the first for Jim Harbaugh as head coach.
Offense
Power. A Harbaugh offense is known for stacking the line of scrimmage with blockers – tight ends, fullbacks or extra linemen – and overpowering defenses over and over again.
Michigan has been unable to do this since Jake Long was paving lanes for Mike Hart – or a long time ago.
Well, that was true until the second half of Saturday’s game when Michigan ran the ball 29 times for 173 yards and two touchdowns in the second half.
While the formations changed, the power concept remained the same. The Wolverines usually opted to go with two tight ends, used fullback Joe Kerridge to kick-out defensive ends and a pulling guard to lead the way through the hole for De’Veon Smith.
When the Beavers were able to get tacklers to Smith in the second half, he usually responded by running through them with ease – 73 of Smith’s 126 yards were after initial contact.
Senior quarterback Jake Rudock was better, but turnovers continue to be an issue after he fumbled and threw an interception.
The interception was another example of Rudock staring down a receiver immediately after the snap and the defense reading it with ease. He will have to work on moving his eyes around as the season continues.
It was not all bad for Rudock as he was better throwing the ball downfield and showed that he had the ability to move around in the pocket and make plays with his feet when needed. He will obviously never scare a defense with his feet like Denard Robinson did, but it is vital for him to be able to pick up some positive yardage when the pocket collapses and there are no open receivers.
Jake Butt and Amara Darboh continue to be Rudock’s favorite targets in the passing game as they combined to finish with eight catches for 75 yards.
However, for Michigan’s offense to continue to be successful going forward this season, they must find a receiver that can stretch the field vertically. Redshirt junior Jehu Chesson has the speed to be the big play threat, but has yet to prove he can be that in game action.
Defense
Oregon State had 79 yards of total offense on the first drive of the game. They were only able to must 59 yards of total offense the rest of the game.
While part of this was due to some very critical mistakes by the Beavers – most notably a 48 yard loss on a botched punt snap – a lot of credit must be given to the Wolverines defense, especially the defensive line.
Chris Wormley led the way for the Wolverines defense with a sack and three tackles for loss. The redshirt junior came into the season with 9.5 total tackles for loss in his career. He’s already two-thirds of the way to that total this season with six and has provided the Michigan defense with a playmaker up-front that it desperately needs.
While Wormley led the way, the defensive line as a whole did a great job of getting consistent pressure on Oregon State’s quarterbacks and limiting starter Seth Collins to only 28 yards rushing (he had 152 rushing yards vs. Weber State).
The only issue Michigan faced on Saturday was continued missed tackles in the open field by senior linebacker – and captain – Joe Bolden. While Bolden does lead the team in tackles (15) through two games, he must do better in space or the Wolverines will find themselves in trouble against better offenses.
If there is a concern going forward for the Wolverines, it’s the heath of junior cornerback Jourdan Lewis who left the game with a concussion.
While Michigan’s defense should not be affected much by the injury this upcoming week, BYU’s strong pass offense comes to the Big House in two weeks (9/26).
Player of the Game
The offensive line was dominant. Chris Wormley had a sack and three tackles for loss. But this award has to go to De’Veon Smith.
Smith was very critical of his own performance following last week’s loss at Utah and backed up his comments with a career day (career-high in carries, yards and touchdowns).
Ty Isaac and Derrick Green will both see their fair share of action going forward, but the lead is clearly Smith’s to lose.
Up Next
UNLV (0-2) comes to the Big House on Saturday, 9/19, for a 12 p.m. kickoff.
The Rebels may be without starting senior quarterback, Blake Decker, who injured his hamstring in Saturday’s loss to UCLA.
UNLV is 2-14 since the 2013 Holiday Bowl. Even if fully healthy, the Rebels stand a very little chance of upsetting the Wolverines – especially on the road.
Michigan wins, 45-3.
Garrett’s Big Ten Rankings
- Michigan State
- Ohio State
- Wisconsin
- Minnesota
- Northwestern
- Michigan
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- Illinois
- Penn State
- Maryland
- Indiana
- Rutgers
- Purdue
