Reviewing Michigan's Week 3 game against Bowling Green
Blake Corum is back to his Heisman form
Did Michigan play a sloppy game? Yes.
Did Michigan also dominate the game? Yes.
In the past 2 weeks, Michigan had thrown the ball surprisingly well, and uncharacteristically had a weak running game. This week, they reverted back to their DNA.
Blake Corum and the offensive line dominated Bowling Green from the get-go. He was pretty much unstoppable, and broke off a 50 yard run on the first offensive play. This game was excellent for regaining confidence in the trenches. Corum looks like he’s back to his 2022 form.
I’m much more concerned about Donovan Edwards. After Corum got injured last year, Edwards played back to back to back stellar games. Coming into this season, Edwards and Corum were universally known as the 2 best running backs in the country. Corum has lived up to the hype so far. Edwards has not. From what I’m seeing, he’s much slower to make his first cut, and he’s struggling to push the line forward. While Corum has consistently gotten 8-12 yard chunk plays, it’s far too often that Edwards gets stuck with a 1 or 2 yard gain. This is a problem for 2 reasons…
If both Edwards and Corum played well, defenses would have to gameplan for both. This would allow JJ McCarthy to have more space in the passing game. If Edwards struggles, Corum becomes the only real threat in the running game, giving defenses a much easier task.
Corum’s knee may still be at risk. He’s still less than a year removed from his surgery. Edwards is going to be used to lessen his workload. It would be great for him to be an additional threat instead of a liability.
Is this an overreaction? Maybe. It’s only been 3 weeks and Michigan hasn’t played a real defense yet.
Last year, JJ McCarthy struggled at times with his decision making and accuracy. In the first 2 games, it seemed as though he corrected this. That all went away on Saturday. He threw 3 interceptions, which definitely shouldn’t happen against Bowling Green. None of the 3 INTs were good plays by the defender, and instead were just bad throws or bad decisions, or both.
That being said, it’s good that he struggles in a game that doesn’t matter. It probably wouldn’t end well if he played this badly against Penn State or Ohio State. I think this is also an opportunity to bring JJ back down to earth. Hopefully, he learns that playing carelessly leads to turnovers. I’m not too concerned about him.
The WRs once again played phenomenally well. Pre-season, I was very concerned about them. Now, all my concerns are gone. JJ and Roman Wilson connected for their 6th TD of the year in just 3 games. He looks like the faster player on the field any time he touches the ball. Cornelius Johnson has also been very consistent, catching yet another touchdown, despite a bad throw from McCarthy. Young WR Tyler Morris showed promise. He was teammates with McCarthy in high school, and you can see the connection between them. Morris got wide open several times, but McCarthy had trouble finding him downfield. If they can connect better, I expect serious production. Colston Loveland also played really well, as usual with Michigan Tight Ends.
The defense played really really well. The tackling has been especially good. I don’t think I can remember one missed tackle from the whole game. They looked elite at all 3 levels, and this is without star players Will Johnson and Rod Moore. The defensive line generates pressure on nearly every play. Kris Jenkins is a monster on the interior, and he even got himself an INT! Junior Colson, Ernest Haussmann, and Michael Barrett are all elite Linebackers and secure the middle of the field really well. Mike Sainristil continues to impress me. His tackling ability is maybe the best on the team, and his speed is also great. The only problem I saw was in the secondary, but again, they are missing 2 key players. The young Safety Keon Sabb has really stepped up, and looks to be playing a key role in the defense.
My kicking concerns have been answered for now. Turner hit a very nice field goal without any trouble. The special teams had some issues with fumbles, which is not good. My only real criticism is the return team. I feel that they’ve been getting no real movement from Jake Thaw, the current return man. I’d like to see that fixed, because a lethal return man can really help out in times of need.
If we look to the rest of the country, there is reason for optimism. Georgia looked really weak in the first half against South Carolina. Florida State nearly lost to Boston College, and Texas struggled against Wyoming. Unfortunately, Ohio State put on a show against Western Kentucky. They were the only top ranked team who played a flawless game. Washington also looked very good against Michigan State. I think Washington may sneak their way into the playoff picture at some point.
Back to Michigan now. Overall, the game was pretty sloppy but we won by 25. I can’t really complain. Rutgers should be an easy one next week, so let’s hope the team can continue to dominate.