Michigan Football: Grading Wolverines Offense Through Four Weeks

Offensive line: C

Yeahhh — the offensive line hasn’t been great so far. They’ve been good and are still an above average group, but they’re not playing anywhere near the preseason expectations. The interior three – Zinter, Nugent, and Keegan – have been solid and are definitely the bright side of the line. The tackles, however, have really struggled.

Sherrone Moore has continued to experiment. The past two games, Moore has moved around Karsen Barnhart to right tackle from left tackle, and has subbed out Myles Hinton for LaDarius Henderson.

The line definitely looks better with Henderson at left tackle and Barnhart at right tackle, but neither unit has been particularly dominant. The line has struggled mightily in run blocking, and the running backs have been forced to make guys miss too many times. To keep it simple, they’re not doing enough as run blockers.

On the pass blocking side, things are a bit better. McCarthy hasn’t been under too much pressure. When he is, however, it’s usually off the edge from one of the tackle positions. If you look at the plays where McCarthy has messed up – his interceptions or bad throw to Tyler Morris — he’s usually under pressure.

This group has to figure it out. Michigan football is going to struggle against Penn State and Ohio State if its offensive line continues to struggle. I’m not worrying yet because of how proven Moore is and how talented all these guys are, but I’m almost at the point of worrying.