The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/873137
24 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2017 "We really felt good about those three backs going into the [Florida] ballgame, and felt good about them coming out of the ballgame," Harbaugh offered. "It never stops," Isaac said of the competition. "I know everybody is going to play as good as they can, whether in practice or in a game. We're always pushing each other. It's never going to stop." Both Harbaughs — head coach Jim and running backs coach Jay — don't want it to stop. There are carries to go around for the top trio and maybe some more beyond that. The 6-3, 228-pound Isaac can be elu- sive for someone who is the biggest of the tailbacks, and he acknowledged dedicating himself in the offseason to get better at pass protection. Evans and Higdon both possess the quickness and speed to break off longer runs. Michigan's fullbacks, fifth-year se- niors Khalid Hill and Henry Poggi, proved solid in the early going. There's no question, though, that Isaac has been the biggest pleasant surprise among the early efforts of the U-M running backs corps. "He's running with more vision, using his eyes and allowing his God- given talent to get him through the line of scrimmage and up the field," for- mer Wolverine and Big Ten Network analyst Marcus Ray observed. "That's number one. Number two, he's playing with more confidence, and three, he's getting the ball more. "We didn't see much of Ty Isaac in the last quarter of the season in 2016. He's playing like a man possessed and a guy who is trying to play on Sun- days." OFFENSIVE LINE The biggest surprise coming out of fall camp involved redshirt sophomore Nolan Ulizio earning the start in the opener at right tackle versus Florida. He'd been in a three-man battle with classmate Jon Runyan and redshirt ju- nior Juwann Bushell-Beatty. While acknowledging he came out of the opener with plenty to improve, Ulizio pointed to the obvious upside of Michigan's start against a high-profile opponent. "I think we did pretty well," he said. "We had over 200 rushing yards and gave Wilton a good amount of time. I think we did pretty well for a first week, especially against a good D-line like Florida." The rest of the starting offensive line shaped up as expected — senior cap- tain Mason Cole at left tackle, sopho- more Ben Bredeson at left guard, fifth- year senior Pat Kugler at center and sophomore Michael Onwenu at right guard. Harbaugh himself sounded pleased following a first impression. "I was very happy with Michael On- wenu," Harbaugh said. "You go into it and you think, Mason Cole is our best offensive lineman, then Ben Bredeson is right there close. Michael Onwenu or Ben Bredeson, who's better? "They're both ascending, and Mike's ascending real fast. For Pat Kugler to have the type of game he did, and No- lan Ulizio, we're better. It shows. We're more athletic. There were times last year where we were getting beat, and there were free runners on the quarter- back. There was a lot less of that in this ballgame, against a very good defen- sive line and linebacker corps. "They're fast — a penetrating, physi- cal front, very athletic and long, and we were getting them blocked. We were moving our feet. It wasn't per- fect, but it's a good place to be. We're glad we're at that level … we can im- prove from here." The Wolverines expected to be able to run the ball on Cincinnati and did. They nearly topped 200 yards on the ground again and limited the Bearcats to one sack. But Harbaugh made it clear individual mistakes by different play- ers held back Michigan's overall effort. TIGHT ENDS Michigan features five tight ends this year, and it appears they'll all see the field at various times. Two of them stood out in the opener, led by sophomore Nick Eubanks hauling in a 48-yard Speight throw on his way to a two-catch, 61-yard day. Soph- omore Sean McKeon caught three passes for 25 yards, showing good running ability after the catch and a Head coach Jim Harbaugh has said it's a close race for Michigan's second-best offensive line- man between sophomore left guard Ben Bredeson (pictured) and classmate Michael Onwenu, who lines up at right guard, after top blocker and senior left tackle Mason Cole. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN