Michigan Football: Offensive Line Review vs Hawaii

Sneak Peak at Next Week – UCONN Huskies

Just as in the 2021 season, Michigan football is set to face the Huskies in the non-conference portion of their schedule. However, last year it was the Washington Huskies, while this year it’s the much less frightening UCONN Huskies.

Led by former UCLA head coach Jim Mora, the Huskies, like Hawaii, are a bottom 10 team in the nation at this point, seeking a significant rebuild to get them back to relatively competitive football. The Huskies are 1-2 at this venture, losing a week zero contest to Utah State, and getting thoroughly dominated by Syracuse last week, with a win over FCS foe Central Connecticut in between.

However, the Huskies’ front seven did have a fairly productive game against Syracuse, tallying three sacks on the day, and holding the Orange’s rushing attack to a fairly inefficient 3.1 yards per carry on 156 carries. However, they were thoroughly carved up through the air, thus the loss, with Syracuse not having to punt until the fourth quarter.

The one to watch here along the defensive front is LB Jackson Mitchell. He has 1.5 sacks on the year, showing a solid ability to blitz from depth, and was the Huskies leading tackler in 2021 as well. He’s an instinctive backer who has played well for the Huskies.

Along the defensive line, the Huskies run a 3-4, with some very long, but very light defensive linemen. The three starters each come in under 300 lbs., with NT Dal’mont Gourdine the heaviest at 291 lbs. However, the two interior ends are both over 6’5 tall, giving them plenty of length. The only pass rusher who really looks legit is OLB Marquez Bembry, a fifth-year senior who comes in at 6’2, 242 lbs.

Overall, Michigan football’s offensive line should handle the Huskies front quite thoroughly. Expect another productive and efficient performance out of Wolverines QB J.J. McCarthy, given the leaky pass defense the Huskies have shown thus far.