Michigan Football: 5 Wolverines to watch against Washington

Michigan football takes on Washington on Saturday and here are five Wolverines to watch against the Huskies.

The expectations for Michigan football‘s Week two matchup with Washington were somewhat diminished last Saturday night when the Huskies dropped their season opener to the Montana Grizzlies.

However, the game is still scheduled for primetime, and the Maize out will still be in full effect. Before taking a look at this week’s five players to watch, let’s reflect on how last week’s players to watch performed.

Donovan Edwards: The true freshman running back didn’t see any action until the second half, but showed signs of promise as he recorded 27 yards on six carries, as well as one reception for three yards in his collegiate debut.

Nikhai Hill-Green: Possibly the most talked-up player of the offseason had a decent outing on Saturday, tallying four tackles.  Look for Hill-Green to continue this momentum this weekend.

Daylen Baldwin: Unbeknown to most, it has been reported that Baldwin was actually working through a minor ankle injury prior to the season opener, and was on a limited snap count.  Baldwin saw action in the second half when he was on the receiving end of a 69-yard touchdown.

Daxton Hill: Hill had a great performance last week, with six total tackles and a pass breakup.  Outside of Aidan Hutchinson, Hill looked like the team’s best defensive player.

Cade McNamara: McNamara didn’t make any flashy plays, but he didn’t need to. Completing 9 of his 11 passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns, the Junior quarterback was incredibly efficient and did what he was asked to do.

5 Michigan football players to watch against Washington

Blake Corum

Corum wasn’t on my list of players to watch last week, but obviously, he should’ve been.  The sophomore running back had a monster performance, posting 212 all-purpose yards on 14 carries, two receptions, and a 79-yard kickoff return.

Corum is for real, and he is the perfect compliment to Hassan Haskins.  Look for Corum to have another magnificent performance this weekend against Washington.

Aidan Hutchinson

The senior captain seemed to be all over the field last Saturday, as he showed everyone why he is viewed by many as the best player on the team.  Hutchinson had four tackles, along with a sack and a forced fumble.

Michigan football fans expect big things out of Hutchinson in his final year with the Wolverines, and the star defensive lineman should have no problem fulfilling every expectation.

A.J. Henning

There’s no question that the loss of Ronnie Bell will greatly impact the trajectory of the Wolverines’ season, but worrying should be the last thing fans resort to.  Michigan football has a plethora of highly talented receivers that can take over the burden of losing Bell.

A.J. Henning is one receiver that will be able to step up and make big plays in Bell’s absence.  He showed some of his play-making abilities last week, on his 74-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.  Henning should see an increase in playing time with the loss of Bell.

Caden Kolesar

Kolesar isn’t the most well-known Wolverine, however, like Henning, his role on the team was drastically increased with the loss of Ronnie Bell.

Jim Harbaugh was asked earlier this week if Caden Kolesar would continue to return punts and he mentioned in his response that,

"“Caden is the most sure-handed guy, next-best from Ronnie” (Quote via WolverinesWire)."

We should expect Kolesar to once again be back returning punts for the Wolverines on Saturday, and his role could become extremely important if the game is close heading into the final minutes.

Zak Zinter

Prior to last week’s game, Zinter was rumored to have a minor injury in his hand that would keep him out of the matchup against Western Michigan.  It was reported that the injury was not serious and that he should be back ready to go for Washington.

Zinter, however, did start but was on a limited number of snaps in a game where his presence wasn’t as needed as it would be if the Wolverines were playing a more talented team.

"“Zinter was able to play today, and be a factor in the game… I think each week, (he’ll get) more and more and more” (Quote via MLive)."

We should expect to see Zinter in a more increased role this weekend, and expectations should be high as he was one of the more highly-touted players coming out of fall camp.