The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/888498
NOVEMBER 2017 THE WOLVERINE 19 BY CHRIS BALAS M ichigan stood 5-1 at the midpoint of the season with a disappointing home loss to Michigan State the only blemish. The follow- ing is a midseason assessment of the Wolverines: OFFENSE REPORT CARD Quarterbacks: D+ There have been some positives, including fifth-year senior John O'Korn's 270-yard passing game at Purdue in which he led a 28-10 win. He was even named Pro Football Fo- cus' College Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week. However, turnovers and inconsis- tency have been issues all season for U-M's quarterbacks. The Wolverines ranked 94th nationally with 191.3 yards passing per game through six contests, and the offense simply isn't explosive enough. Per CFBStats.com, Michigan stood 93rd in passing plays of 10 yards or more (46), and while the QBs aren't alone in the blame, there have been several misses and overthrows. Speight was completing 54.3 per- cent of his passes before getting hurt at Purdue, while O'Korn was at 54.8 with one touchdown throw and four picks. "He's playing winning football," head coach Jim Harbaugh insisted. "He's 2-1, really played the majority of the game at Purdue, and then Indiana and Michigan State. He's experienced, able to go in and operate well." But there's room for improvement. Running Backs: B- Sophomore Chris Evans was ex- pected to break out this year as one of the top playmakers, and his re- gression has been a head scratcher. Junior Karan Higdon appeared to have emerged, however, with back- to-back good games against Michi- gan State (12 carries for 65 yards) and a 200-yard outburst at Indiana in which he averaged eight yards per carry. He's now up to 5.7 yards per rush on the year. "Pass protection, instincts, yards after contact," Harbaugh said of Hig- don's improvements. "He's been a tough, balanced runner. I think his balance has improved quite a bit. He's always been a tough downhill runner. "His vision, balance, pass protec- tion have improved. I don't think he's hit his ceiling, either. I think he's an ascending player." Fifth-year senior Ty Isaac has had two 100-yard games and leads the team with 403 yards at the midpoint (Higdon had 401), but his fumble against MSU changed the game in the first quarter when the Wolverines were moving. And none of the backs have been good enough in protec- tion. Offensive Line: C + Halfway through the season, the coaches are still trying to figure out what they have with this group. They replaced redshirt sophomore Nolan Ulizio with redshirt junior Juwann Bushell-Beatty at right tackle mid- way through a 14-10 loss to Michigan State, but neither played well. Bushell-Beatty, though, appears to be the choice going forward. They tweaked the offense away from zone blocking to more isolation/power HALFWAY HOME The Defense Shined And The Offense Struggled In The Season's First Half After running just 11 times for 41 yards and a score in the first two contests, junior Karan Higdon had 59 attempts for 360 yards and four touchdowns in games three through six. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL