Back in September, Michigan football offensive coordinator Jason Beck had a pretty frank discussion about the struggles for the Wolverines in the perimeter run game. And he bluntly said that if the team continued to struggle in that regard, the maize and blue would stop trying to attack the edge in the ground game.
"I was most surprised in our just handing off runs with where the result of those have been," Beck said. "That'll be a continued emphasis. And improvement that way. I've also been kind of disappointed in our perimeter run game. That's typically been a big strength of stuff we've done. And through these first four games was in like two and a half yards per carry, which is all, you know, what's the point of doing that if that's the result?
"So we've got to either get better at it or stop doing it -- one of the two."
Well, that was before the Iowa game in Week 4. And neither thing has happened -- the Wolverines have not gotten better at it, nor have they stopped doing it.
Against Indiana, Michigan had 38 carries (four more tallied were sacks allowed), and of those 38, 10 runs went off the left end (outside of the tight end or rhino), and four went off the right. There was one jet sweep to the right, as well. Of those 15 runs, they accumulated just 20 yards, a 1.33 average per carry.
Additionally, per PFF, Michigan had four more runs outside of the tackles, and they totaled one yard -- not averaged; totaled.
Though the run game struggled as a whole for the Wolverines against Indiana, they had more success up the middle. As there were 19 runs outside the tackles, there were 19 other runs. Six were quarterback scrambles, which accounted for 37 yards (6.2 yards per carry), while there were 13 runs in between the tackles for 35 yards. Attacking between the left guard and center was unproductive. 9 runs went for just 17 yards. But there were just two runs between the center and right guard, and those went for 11 yards. The two runs between the left tackle and left guard went for seven yards (3.5 yards per carry).
This is not a new theme. Against Penn State, Michigan attempted 14 runs outside the tackles, which went for 15 yards. Inside the tackles, the Wolverines managed 187 yards. Against Iowa, there was more success outside, with 86 yards coming on 22 attempts outside the tackles.
But the throughline is that perimeter running has been a struggle, while downhill running has been more successful. And yet, despite promising change, Beck and Whittingham have continued to make it the primary focus of the run game -- including against Indiana.
Along with that is the 'rhino,' or sixth lineman. 11 days ago, Beck said this of the position:
"When you look at it, obviously we had Manu (Beigel) in the first three games. He was out for a couple weeks, and Avery filled in, and so we cut back a little bit," Beck said. "And I'd say we haven't been, even with Manu early on, we weren't exactly sure what we'd get because he never played. So we haven't been heavy, heavy in the rhino stuff. But each game we come out of it, that thing's performed at a pretty good level. I mean, they're winning blocks, they're getting knocked back, they're creating stuff in the run game, and the protection's been solid with those guys.
Beigel was Michigan's lowest-rated offensive player against Indiana, garnering a PFF offensive score of 43.6. He did have a solid pass-blocking grade of 75.1, but he had the lowest run-blocking grade at 39.3. There has been consternation about the deployment of the rhino, as it takes a potential skill position player off the field, and gives opponents one fewer player to defend in the route tree. Given the struggles in the pass game, while he may provide a boon in blocking, it's still one fewer player downfield who could aid in the pass game. And Beigel clearly provided little advantage in the run game on Saturday. He appeared in 39 snaps of the 76 total, offensively.
Additionally, Kyle Whittingham said after the game that true freshman Marky Walbridge -- who was thrust into the right tackle spot due to injuries -- played well vs. the Hoosiers.
"There were some positives there," Whittingham said. Marky Walbridge, a true freshman starter, a true first-year player, started the right tackle spot and did a pretty good job there."
While we don't want to pile on given the challenges of a player who shouldn't have to be commissioned against a top defensive line, PFF gave Walbridge an offensive score of 53.6 (fifth-lowest), a 40.3 pass blocking grade (third-lowest), and a 57.7 in run blocking (middling).
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan's Jason Beck promised change, but numbers tell another story
