The Maize team defeated the Blue team on Saturday, 7-6, in the Michigan Wolverines’ annual spring game. It’s not like you want the spring game to be a barnburner because no one wants to spend the entire summer worrying about the defense, but this was a snoozefest.
Just 15 first downs from the Maize team and 11 for the Blue team, with 200 yards of offense for the Maize team and 149 yards for the Blue team. It’s not like the offense was miserable, but the game didn’t have a lot of memorable moments.
It was a lot of small things going okay, and some things that just didn’t quite click.
On defense, there’s some feeling that this unit is already clicking. The defensive line seemed to play well together, and the lack of big plays from the offense shows Michigan’s secondary isn’t blowing a lot of coverages.
Here are three winners, two losers from Michigan’s spring game.
QB Tommy Carr — Winner
We started hearing about Carr a few weeks into practice, and he certainly looked good in the spring game. He had six carries for 51 yards, completed 15-of-23 passes for 113 yards, and didn’t get sacked for the Maize team. On the Blue team, he had four carries for 16 yards, took two sacks, and completed 6-of-7 passes for 30 yards. Again, it’s tough to gauge how this will translate in the fall, but there will certainly be conversations in the offseason about Carr’s performance in the spring game compared to the other quarterbacks.
QB Bryce Underwood — Loser
After so much attention as a recruit, Underwood just didn’t look as composed in the only quarter he played. It’s tough when you’re the starter and you know you’re going to get pulled early. Still, he finished 1-of-5 for the Maize team for 16 yards, and 2-of-4 for six yards for the Blue team. It’s tough to be so critical of a performance in a situation as wonky as the spring game, but he didn’t come out making big plays.
RB Jordan Marshall — Winner
Marshall looked like he picked up where he left off before his injury. The stats won’t show it, just five carries for 21 yards, but other teams won’t be able to tackle him with a touch, and he looked like he was ready to hit those gaps and break free for a huge run. Even though freshman Savion Hiter had more carries and 44 yards, Marshall looked great in his few touches. He came out and did exactly what he needed to.
Wide Receivers — Loser
Michigan had some production from its receivers in this one, including transfer Jaime Ffrench who caught four passes on four targets for 26 yards. Salesi Moa also looked like a good option, it’s just that all of the yards seemed to come in smaller chunks. You don’t have one of those receivers that jumps out as the go-to target come the fall. There are a lot of options at the position, and we know what Andrew Marsh was able to do as a freshman, as well as JJ Buchanan. Still, the slow pace of this game really hurt the excitement around these receivers.
Defensive Line — Winner
The defensive line looked dominant and composed on Saturday. They managed to get a goal-line stop late in the game, which is a huge win after struggling on short yardage situations last season. There were some questions about the defensive line coming into the spring, but they certainly showed up to play in the spring game. Defensive tackle Travis Moten finished with six tackles and two sacks, while defensive tackle Jonah Lea’ea also had a sack.
Who stood out to you in this year’s spring game? Who needs a little more work? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
