Despite a close first half, Michigan rounded out the non-conference slate with a win over UTEP in Week 3, 52-17. Here’s a look at how the team played across the board with this week’s position grades:
Quarterback: A-
On Michigan’s first drive, we saw Bryce Underwood put the ball on the ground again, losing his second fumble in three weeks, but he settled in after that with a really nice first half throwing the ball. In the first two quarters, he went 14-of-17 for 150 yards and a touchdown, putting together the best
half he’s had throwing the ball since Week 1 of last season.
Underwood ended the day going 19-for-25 for 223 yards and two touchdowns; he also chipped in on the ground with 22 yards on six attempts. The fumble was the only real negative for Underwood, who otherwise looked really comfortable and has now put together back-to-back nice performances, really putting the bad start behind him before facing a tough Iowa defense next week.
Additionally, we saw Tommy Carr’s first action as a Wolverine, and he finished the day 2-of-2 with 23 yards and his first career touchdown.
Running Back: C+
It was a pretty sleepy game from the running backs overall, with the offensive line failing to open up holes, especially in the first half. On the bright side, Savion Hiter scored his first two career touchdowns to go along with 62 yards. Jordan Marshall had 59 yards and scored a touchdown, but still looked a step slow and even left the game with an injury in the third quarter. Bryson Kuzdzal was also involved with five carries for 14 yards.
Wide Receiver: A+
Michigan’s wide receivers were involved much more than the first two weeks, and we saw that come to fruition right away with Andrew Marsh being targeted three times on the opening drive. He finished the day as the leading receiver with 10 receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown. JJ Buchanan also had seven receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown. Both of them getting going will be critical for the offense going forward.
In addition to Marsh and Buchanan, we also saw Travis Johnson get involved with one reception for 10 yards, and Salesi Moa got his first career start while also scoring on a 19-yard touchdown, the first of his career.
Tight End: D+
For the third straight week, the tight ends were ghosts out there and were not involved in the passing attack, even after Kyle Whittingham said earlier in the week he’d like to see the group get more involved. Zack Marshall did get the start instead of Jalen Hoffman, but this group’s role is going to need to expand going forward for the passing attack to ever find its true ceiling.
Offensive Line: D-
There was a bit of a shakeup in the offensive line this week. Right tackle Andrew Sprague didn’t play due to an injury, while Evan Link returned to the lineup at left tackle with Blake Frazier heading over to right tackle. Early on, it didn’t really manifest into anything good, as the group once again failed to get a good push against an undersized and less talented UTEP defensive front.
However, the offense was able to get clicking a bit more in the second half with the offensive line establishing itself. We’ll wait and see what this group looks like health-wise heading into the Iowa game next week, but the offensive line was the clear weak link for this team during non-conference play.
Defensive Line: A+
Another week, another great game for the defensive line. The Wolverines helped keep UTEP’s offense off schedule for much of the day despite the 17 points it scored, and they were highly disruptive with 11 tackles for loss.
Not only did the defensive line wreak havoc with its talent at the top, but the depth really showed up with Tariq Boney, Carter Meadows, Bobby Kanka and Benny Patterson all having really nice games. The highlight of the day, though — a big-man touchdown from Jonah Lea’ea in the third quarter on a pick-six.
Linebackers: A-
The linebackers were also impressive once again, helping to set the tone against both the run and the pass. Troy Bowles continued to be really impressive with four tackles, including one for a loss, while Chase Taylor had his best game yet, making five tackles and half a sack. Despite having to contain a running quarterback in E.J. Colson Jr., this group will be tested quite a bit more going forward, but the linebackers did their job on Saturday.
Defensive Backs: B+
Michigan’s defensive backs remain a strength of the team and helped prevent the UTEP passing attack from doing all that much, holding the Miners to just 86 yards through the air. The group’s one lone blemish was a blown coverage on Carver Cheeks’ 45-yard touchdown in the first quarter when the defense was selling out for a run on 3rd-and-1, but all in all, this unit looked pretty impressive locking down opposing pass-catchers for a third straight week.
Special Teams: A
There’s nothing to complain about with the special teams this week, as everyone did their job and stayed out of penalty trouble unlike last week. Trey Butkowski made a 49-yard field goal in his lone attempt on the day and was perfect on extra points. Cam Brown only had to punt once for 45 yards.
