Michigan vs. Kansas State — What Happened and What It Means — Part II
Posted at 5:30am — 12/31/2013
Michigan vs. Kansas State — What Happened and What It Means — Part II
The receivers had a few key drops, most notably the drop of Funchess in the second half that would have given Michigan a drive saving first down. The tight ends were pretty much non-existent excepting Jake Butt’s nice screen early in the game. Williams jumping and being flagged for an illegal procedure did not create a game changing moment, but it demonstrated how little things make a tough mission even tougher. Funchess had an alley on a misdirection early in the game but chose the wrong shoulder of the block, going outside, not inside, turning a potential good gain on an open alley into a minimal gain.
It is difficult to say much about the backs, as Michigan had to basically abandon any plans for a lengthy ground-round attack, due to the inability to run inside and the clock- chewing efficiency of the Wildcat offense. But at least there appeared to be more effort in blocking for pass protection. Again, it needs to be noted that Michigan was missing running the number one weapon in the running game, Devon Gardner.
Shane Morris deserves a solid B grade for what he did on the field. Placed in a difficult situation, his poise was excellent, his pocket presence and footwork were acceptable, and given time his accuracy was not bad. Shane, as mentioned in the preview, is a dart thrower. Sometimes this leads to dropped passes, and one dart led to the one interception against a deep drop pass protection scheme. Again, it seems as if Michigan’s intermediate routes take a very long time to develop. Perhaps that is a psychological illusion based on limited pass protection. But as mentioned last night’s pass protection at least gave Morris a chance. Shane had a chance partly due to his willingness to sit in the pocket and adjust his feet instead of wildly running sideways or backwards.
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Written by GBMWolverine Staff — Doc4Blu
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