Michigan Football: Michigan at UConn — What Happened and What It Means — Part II
Posted at 12:00pm — 9/23/2013
Michigan Football: Michigan at UConn — What Happened and What It Means — Part II
The wideouts lost some leverage blocks and cost the edge game some potential plays. Chesson continues to show potential and with increased time should get better. He did make a critical catch on a well-thrown ball that was down and interception proof that helped the Wolverines bail out of a bad third and long situation. Gallon was blanketed well but contributed some. Dileo and Reynolds were pretty much non factors, but the ball was only thrown their way minimally.
Sep 21, 2013; East Hartford, CT, USA; Michigan Wolverines running back Fitzgerald Toussaint (28) runs the ball for a touchdown against the Connecticut Huskies in the fourth quarter at Rentschler Field. Michigan Wolverines defeated the Connecticut Huskies 24-21. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY SportsBorges was put into a play calling situation that no offensive coordinator likes. The base running game was not working, the quarterback was making critical mistakes, and he was forced to use his one quarterback on a one-quarterback team to run for key yardage on big plays. He seemed to hybridize the smelly pot, a trait of his, by running some, passing some, and running Gardner some.
Gardner got robbed of a nice run on a semi-shaky holding call and got dinged somewhat. But when the going gets tough in the game, he gets focused, tough, and has come through several times. That is the opposite of the Devin Gardner that thinks and hesitates too much.
The defense was going against a team that has had poor success running the ball. A few times, like Notre Dame and Akron, the middle was gashed. But all in the entire run defense was certainly sufficient to control the game. In fact, the defense gave up one really good drive to Connecticut. Gardner’s turnovers provided more points for UConn than the UConn offense provided.
Sep 21, 2013; East Hartford, CT, USA; Connecticut Huskies quarterback Chandler Whitmer (10) drops back to pass against the Michigan Wolverines in the second half at Rentschler Field. Michigan defeated Connecticut 24-21. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY SportsChandler Whitmer is a decent quarterback and he threw some nice shots to receivers who ran good patterns. The defense provided pressure on some occasions and this pressure made a significant difference. Michigan was aided by key injuries to some of UConn’s best players. Avery had good coverage on the deep ball, but like at Akron the receiver stretched out horizontally and made a fantastic near catch/catch. The safeties were again exposed to short patterns over the middle that playing back deep makes near impossible to get to a receiver. The linebackers simply cannot match-up on the quick slants and seam routes in the short middle area. The one exception was Desmond Morgan’s amazing interception that bailed out Michigan’s backside. As Spielman pointed out, Morgan got a deep drop and Whitmer ignored Morgan as a potential threat on the pass. Morgan found a way to make the play. Like Gallon, he is simply a football player and not a combine stat freak.
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Written by GBMWolverine Staff
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