The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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NOVEMBER 2017 THE WOLVERINE 17 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Michigan's Problems Start Up Front By Brandon Brown Through six games Michigan's offensive line had allowed 43 tackles for loss, good (or bad) for No. 112 in the country. They had also given up 16 sacks for an average of 2.67 per game, which tied them for No. 101 in the nation. Quarterback play hasn't been good and the running game hasn't been consistently ef- fective, but it all starts with the heavy eaters up front. Six games in and the coaches were still tweaking the lineup by replacing redshirt sophomore Nolan Ulizio at right tackle with redshirt junior Juwann Bushell-Beatty, indi- cating that there are still a lot of unknowns when it comes to the best five. The running game got going against Indi- ana, but fifth-year senior quarterback John O'Korn was still under a lot of pressure. Michi- gan's offense has struggled in many areas, but it all points back to the inconsistency and poor performances by the offensive line. If the big uglies can shore things up, O'Korn will perform better and the running game could go off like it did against Indiana more often. Passing Woes Are Mainly About QB Play By Chris Balas Make no mistake … the offensive line play has been a big part of Michigan's failures in the passing game through the first six contests. The receivers haven't gotten much separation at times, and there have been some untimely drops, as well. But there have still been plays to be made, and a Division I quarterback simply has to make the ones there for the taking in order to beat the bet- ter teams on the schedule. Redshirt junior Wilton Speight had about four overthrows on potentially big plays before he was injured, and fifth-year senior John O'Korn — following a nice showing at Purdue, when he had to replace Speight and threw for 270 yards — has struggled to get past his first read or hit receivers in stride. He overthrew freshman Donovan Peoples- Jones on a go route early in a 27-20 win at Indiana and missed redshirt sophomore tight end Zach Gentry alone in the middle of the field on another, plays that will need to hit in order to beat the Big Ten's big boys. He needs to be better. POINT ❙ COUNTERPOINT WHAT'S MICHIGAN'S BIGGEST ISSUE ON OFFENSE — THE OFFENSIVE LINE OR QUARTERBACK PLAY? Michigan's young secondary has locked down oppos- ing receivers all season, and sophomore cornerback David Long has been a big reason why. Despite playing in just four games last year as a freshman, Long has started every con- test in 2017 through Oct. 14 for the Wolverines. However, he is perhaps best known for being the recruit who Jim Harbaugh attempted to climb a tree for during an in-home visit. Here are a few other things you may not have known about him: Nickname: "Just D-Long or any other short abbreviation of my name." Favorite restaurant in Ann Arbor: "Zingerman's [Delica- tessen]." Best meal he can cook by himself: "Salmon and rice." Sports he plays besides football: "I've always just mainly played football — I also ran track for two years in high school." Hobbies: "Writing, reading, fishing and playing games whenever I have time." Favorite TV show: "'The Wayans Bros.'" Favorite movie: "'American Gangster.'" Dream vacation: "Probably Greece or somewhere like that." Favorite venue he's been to: "The Lions' Stadium [Ford Field in Detroit] — it's the only NFL game I've ever been to." Favorite professional athlete: "[Cleveland Cavaliers su- perstar forward] LeBron James." Role model: "My mom." Why he chose Michigan: "The education, for sure." What he hopes to do after football: "I haven't really come to peace with that yet. There are a lot of things I'm thinking about, but I'm not sure yet. I'm planning on majoring in psy- chology, but I don't know what I want to do with it." His overall experience at Michigan: "It's been great so far — I love the football, environment and academics here." — Austin Fox Getting To Know Sophomore Cornerback David Long Long started at cornerback in each of U-M's first six contests this season and made 12 tackles with two pass breakups. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN Fifth-year senior John O'Korn completed 45 of 82 passes (54.8 percent) for 563 yards with one touchdown and four intercep- tions through Michigan's first six games. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN