Joe Milton, Michigan Football exceeds expecations vs Minnesota

Michigan football started slow but dominated Minnesota Saturday night, notching a statement win over P.J. Fleck and the Gophers.

In his first career start as Michigan football quarterback, Joe Milton was so good, he didn’t even need to finish the game as the Wolverines rolled to an easy win 49-24 over Minnesota.

Of course, it wasn’t all Milton. But the redshirt sophomore was as good as advertised completing 15 of 22 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown pass, as well as rushing for 52 yards and a TD on the ground too.

In all, the running game was dynamite. Zach Charbonnet ripped off a 70-yard touchdown run and Hassan Haskins, who scored two touchdowns, had a 65-yard run of his own too.

And as impressive as Milton was, the offense as a whole finally looked like the speed-in-space unit it was billed to be when Josh Gattis arrived as offensive coordinator.

Milton was the willing runner that Jim Harbaugh said he would be, running eight times for 52 yards and picking up multiple first downs, as well as a touchdown.

He made some impressive throws too, even a couple that his receivers dropped, but his decision making was maybe the best thing, effectively he just played point guard and let the athletes around him make plays.

Obviously, the special teams were awful, really outside of Michael Barrett’s return. That part of the game was terrible and will need to be addressed. Jake Moody missed three field goals and the blocked punt in the first quarter spotted the Gophers an early seven.

But outside of that, this was an ideal start for the Wolverines, who proved that they can win a big game and beat a top-25 team on the road.

Michigan football’s shiny new offense

The biggest takeaway though is that the offense is something different than it was last season and really than its ever been under Harbaugh.

Michigan racked up 483 yards of total offense and averaged just under nine yards a play, which was far better than any effort last season.

The Wolverines also scored 35 points at the half and when Minnesota tried to make it a game in the second half, U-M responded with back-to-back touchdown drives, including a 5-play, 96-yard drive that pushed the lead to 49-24 and iced the win.

Under the direction of Milton, the Wolverines had four touchdown drives cover 65 yards or more and the fact that he didn’t turn the ball over was possibly his best stat.

The defense could have been better, especially against the run, but when it was needed, Kwity Paye and the pass rush shut the door on Tanner Morgan with three fourth-quarter sacks and an interception. Barrett was also an absolute star at the viper position.

Simply put, Michigan was everything we thought it could be in the offseason and that’s a really exciting prospect with Michigan State coming next week.