The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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16 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2019 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Charbonnet Will Join Elite Company By Chris Balas Other than stature, there are some noticeable similarities between Charbonnet and Hart, U-M's all-time rushing leader. Both have (in Hart's case, had) great feet and accelera- tion through the line of scrimmage. They showed great commitment in the off- season in both the weight room and the playbook, and while the jury's still out on Charbonnet, he seems to be like Hart in that he rarely gets tackled for loss, usually falling forward. Where they're most similar is in their elite pass blocking, and that's why Charbon- net is going to have a great opportunity to pass the 1,000-yard mark (if he stays healthy). The freshman was on the field for 63 plays against Army because he was the only one who could really be trusted on passing downs against an array of blitzes. The other backs will improve, and get- ting injured senior Tru Wilson back will help, but Charbonnet is already the best all-around back on this team. That will earn him a lot of playing time … and a lot of carries. There will be more room for him when the passing game starts to click. Charbonnet Will Come Up Just Short By Austin Fox The rookie back has looked very impressive while racking up 190 yards through U-M's first two games, but it remains to be seen whether or not he can handle the wear and tear that comes along with the grind of a full Big Ten season. Charbonnet needed 33 carries against Army just to reach 100 yards, and it's a safe bet that a few of the other backs — redshirt freshman Christian Turner and senior Tru Wilson, most notably — will steal some of those touches as the season goes on. It's also safe to assume the freshman won't receive 33 attempts in a game again this season. Though it's a bit early to express any signifi- cant concerns about U-M's offensive line, it's fair to wonder if their subpar run blocking efforts against Army (Michigan averaged 2.4 yards per carry, which was the lowest total in a win during the Jim Harbaugh era) was just simply a bad af- ternoon or if it was the first sign of actual trouble moving forward. Charbonnet appears to already have the talent to reach the 1,000-yard plateau by season's end, but an increased workload for Turner and Wilson as the year goes on could prevent him from getting there. POINT ❙ COUNTERPOINT WILL FRESHMAN RUNNING BACK ZACH CHARBONNET ECLIPSE 1,000 YARDS THIS YEAR? Michigan freshman running back Zach Charbonnet ran for 190 yards in his first two games, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors for his 100-yard, three-touchdown performance in the 24-21, double-overtime win over Army Sept. 7. Only one U-M back — Mike Hart in 2004 — has eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in his first season in Ann Arbor. Can Charbonnet do it? To help celebrate the 150-year anniversary of college foot- ball, ESPN recently revealed its top 150 college football teams of all time, and the Wolverines had six squads make the cut. A panel of 150 media members, athletic administrators, and former players and coaches voted on the best of the best from a group of 210 finalists initially selected by ESPN's Stats & Information group. The U-M squads that were selected are below, with some of the comments from ESPN: 1997 — No. 43 Lloyd Carr's 12-0 team led by Heisman Trophy-winning defensive back Charles Woodson, quarterback Brian Griese and defensive end Glen Steele was the highest ranked U-M squad in the countdown. It won the national title according to the Associated Press (AP) and Football Writers Associa- tion of America (FWAA) — Nebraska was awarded the top spot by the coaches — and defeated seven teams that were ranked by the AP. The Cornhusker team from this year checked in at No. 24. 1948 — No. 90 Bennie Oosterbaan's squad earned the No. 1 ranking from the AP following a 9-0 campaign, while lineman Alvin Wis- tert and end Dick Rifenburg were named All-Americans. The defense allowed only 44 points all season, but the Wolverines did not go to a bowl. 1901 — No. 92 Fielding H. Yost's first team won a national title accord- ing to the Helms Athletic Foundation (HAF) and National Championship Foundation (NCF) after an 11-0 campaign. The "Point a Minute" Wolverines not only won every game on the schedule, including the inaugural Rose Bowl over Stanford (49-0), they scored at least 21 points in every out- ing and outscored foes 550-0. 1902 — No. 96 Yost's team went back to back and won a second straight national title according to the HAF and NCF thanks to an even more explosive offense. Although the 11-0 unit al- lowed 12 points, they scored 644 and went into triple digits twice (119-0 over Michigan State and 107-0 over Iowa). 1947 — No. 97 Fritz Crisler's 10-0 team did not win the national title (Notre Dame won the AP crown), but a potent passing attack led by quarterback Chuck Ortmann helped the Wolverines pace the country in passing, total and scoring offense. U-M beat Ohio State 21-0 and shut out USC 49-0 in the Rose Bowl. 1973 — No. 103 The 10-0-1 team coached by Bo Schembechler did not earn a share of a national title or even go bowling due to a tie in the season finale against No. 1 Ohio State. That con- test featured two missed field goals in the final 1:06 by U-M, which entered the rivalry game ranked fourth nationally. From 1972-74, the Wolverines went 30-2-1, and this was deemed the best of those three squads. SIX U-M SQUADS AMONG ESPN'S BEST 150 OF ALL TIME Through two weeks, Charbonnet had 128 yards after contact for an average of 3.12 yards after contact per attempt, which ranked sixth nationally among rushers with at least 40 carries per Pro Football Focus. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL