Michigan Football: Wolverines Growing up on Offense
When Jim Harbaugh accepted the Michigan football head coaching job, it was no secret how the Wolverines’ offense would look: power running, physical front, steady quarterback.
Michigan Wolverines
After a three-turnover, 76-rushing-yard performance against Utah on Sept. 3 to open the season, it looked like the vision was far removed from reality. Then, game by game, things started slowly coming together.
The Wolverines gained 225 yards on the ground against Oregon State… and then 254 against UNLV… and then 254 again against BYU… and then 198 against Maryland last week.
Michigan has been maturing on offense into this powerful machine that almost does what it wants in the beginning of games and then goes ultra-conservative later in an effort to not be too revealing for future opponents.
Those great performances culminated into Saturday’s 201-yard performance against a Northwestern defense that was previously allowing 117 rushing yards per game.
It’s unlikely that De’Veon Smith is 100 percent after suffering an ankle injury against BYU, but he did receive eight carries and looked no less powerful than he has all season. A new name popped up in the backfield against the Wildcats in Karan Higdon, the true freshman back who was committed to Iowa before flipping late and signing with Michigan.
Higdon only managed 16 yards on eight carries, but he didn’t look half bad out there.
Derrick Green, though still too easy of a tackle, at least looks like he’s added some needed speed. He also demonstrated much better vision against Northwestern.
Drake Johnson and Ty Isaac were seldom used Saturday. Johnson was reportedly working through a minor injury.
The biggest reason Michigan looks grown up on offense is because of a veteran line that’s pulling itself together in a big way. Things would have been moving much more slowly—or maybe even in reverse—under Brady Hoke, but in-season progress is back.
And it looks really good.
Even when Michigan ran all over Oregon State in the second game of the season, a closer look back revealed a few glaring holes on the line. The same can’t be said recently.
Mason Cole and Ben Braden have held up nicely on the left side of the line this season. We’ve seen Cole exposed here and there, but in all he’s been reliable in protecting Rudock’s blind side.
It’s encouraging to see the line move defenders off the ball, especially late, in a way that solidifies a winner in the battle of physicality.
Tight ends are also a big part of growing up on offense in the Harbaugh system.
We’ve known for some time that Jake Butt is a special talent, but Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Tim Drevno are taking it further by drawing things up in his favor.
He’s slipping away against the grain of the defense on play action and working the seems really well. He’s a physical receiver and acts as the needed go-to for Rudock.
A.J. Williams has been a liability in the past, but he’s starting to come around. Against Northwestern he hauled in four passes for 48 yards, which led the Wolverines.
Seeing Michigan’s offense grow up in such a hurry was completely unexpected—especially at this pace. But it’s just in time for the Michigan State game, which could be the most physical in-state battle seen in a long while.