The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/575020
BY JOHN BORTON J im Harbaugh's team fea- tured more question marks on the offensive side than an old "Riddler" costume party heading into fall camp. Who would nail down first-team snaps at quarterback? Who would emerge as the top running back? Would the promised development of the offensive line show itself im- mediately, or gradually? Would the receivers respond to the post-spring game scrutiny they caught? Would any tight end other than junior Jake Butt step forward? The Utah, Oregon State and UNLV games didn't supply all the answers. But the first quarter of the season cer- tainly knocked down a lot of them, while prompting others. Here's a look at who's who and what may be… QUARTERBACK IS SETTLED As anticipated, grad-senior quar- terback Jake Rudock won the job. Two years of Big Ten starting expe- rience proved simply too much for others in the running to overcome. Plus, Rudock demonstrated a pair of plusses last season at Iowa that looked extremely attractive to Michi- gan coaches. One, he rarely took a sack. Two, he threw a mere five in- terceptions during the entire 2014 season. He got 60 percent of the way there on opening night in Utah, during a near-miss 24-17 loss to the Utes. Not only did the Utes pick off three Ru- dock throws — including the game- clincher, a 55-yard pick-six — the Michigan transfer couldn't connect with redshirt junior wideout Jehu Chesson on a pair of deep throws, including one where he was open by more than 10 yards. Harbaugh made certain the blame wasn't all pinned on the quarterback, pointing out that a young receiver ran the wrong route on two of the three intercepted throws. The former U-M quarterback also stressed that Chesson may have let up a bit on his deep routes, a development no signal caller can anticipate. According to Harbaugh's old quar- terbacks coach at Michigan, it just takes time for a connection that some ANSWERS EMERGING Michigan's Offensive Picture Is Coming Into Focus