Michigan Football vs Iowa: Game Balls and The Depression Sets In
Chris Evans
Evans finished as the leading rusher with a measly 52 yards . . . on eight carries. It was a little more than frustrating seeing that Evans could get five or six yards every time he touched the ball and having him only touch said ball nine times.
The offensive line wasn’t getting good push up front and De’Veon Smith had trouble avoiding backfield contact and had some vision problems when there weren’t three defenders in his face.
It seems like Evans’ lack of run in this game is emblematic of the shortcomings in playcalling. He was able to navigate semi-broken plays pretty well (and in a way Smith wasn’t), which was important in this game, and despite that he only got eight carries. The staff didn’t seem particularly well prepared in any regard, and when it came time to adjust they seemed lost, throwing plays at the wall and seeing what stuck. Not much did.
Hopefully the plan behind the running game will look a little more coherent and be more effective by the time Indiana rolls into Ann Arbor on Saturday.
Next: Top 10 Michigan Running Backs of All Time
Game Ball Count
- Michael Onwenu
- Chris Evans (2)
- Mike McCray
- Ben Bredeson
- Jabrill Peppers (4)
- Wilton Speight (3)
- Tyree Kinell
- Chris Wormley
- Rashan Gary
- Shane Morris, Fullback
- De’Veon Smith (2)
- Jourdan Lewis (3)
- Karan Higdon
- Channing Stribling
- Ryan Glasgow
- Taco Charlton (3)
- Khalid Hill
- Dymonte Thomas
- Amarah Darboh (2)
- Jake Butt