Michigan Football: 5 things you need to know about Washington
By Alex Hinton
Washington has a great offensive line. . . or so we thought
Washington left tackle Jaxson Kirkland was a first team All Pac-12 selection a year ago. Right guard Henry Bainivalu Jr., center Luke Wattenberg, and right tackle Victor Curne were All Pac-12 honorable mention selections. All of them returned this season and it was thought Washington would have one of the best offensive lines in the Pac-12 as well as nationally.
With the addition of redshirt freshman left guard Julius Buelow, Washington’s offensive lines goes about 6-foot-6 and 317 pounds across the board. Yet against the undersized Montana defensive line, Washington’s offensive line struggled mightily.
Montana only sent six or seven man rushes on 22% of snaps but it was still able to get home. Morris was sacked three times and pressured 16 times, which may have led to his tendency to check down so much since he was getting hit so often.
The Huskies particularly struggled on the interior. According to Pro Football Focus, Buelow (24.7), Wattenberg (54.2), and Bainivalu Jr. (51.1) all had pass blocking grades below 60, which is suboptimal against a FCS opponent.
The running game was not much better. Buelow (57.0), Wattenberg (58.3), and Bainivalu also had run blocking grades below 60. Running backs Richard Newton and Cameron Davis combined for 21 carries for 70 yards (3.33 YPC).
It will be imperative for Washington to run the ball to be successful on offense with its receivers situation. Michigan’s run defense was okay against Western Michigan, but the Wolverines only had three tackles for loss and the Broncos were able to get the second level a few times.
If there is ever a game for Chris Hinton, Mazi Smith, and Donovan Jeter to step up and dominate against a marquee opponent, this is the week.