ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- There's a belief within Schembechler Hall that the tight end group could be special. Sophomore Eli Owens thinks that it could be the best tight end room in America. And while he says the unit is doing OK thus far, he believes that the room has a lot to improve upon.
With one thing, namely.
"Obviously, what jumps off the page is we need to get open," Owens said. "I mean, that's everybody in the room. We need to get open. That's simply what it is."
It's not that Owens feels like the unit is struggling per se. But, after Week 3, only one tight end has even gotten a reception (Jalen Hoffman has two catches for 22 yards). And ultimately, Owens sees one issue that's plaguing the room, and with that, he's pointing the finger directly
back at himself.
"I just think that if you want the ball, you gotta be open to get the ball," Owens said. "Like, top down, all eight, from starter to scouts. You want the ball, get open. It's that simple.
"I mean, I gotta get open. It's not like I'm trying to dish out anybody in my room. Did you see the corner route I ran against Oklahoma? It was terrible, okay? So, I mean, if we want the ball, we gotta get open."
The accountability for Owens doesn't stop there.
Again, he's not pointing fingers at anyone but himself, but he recognizes that, beyond the tight ends struggling to get open, the offense simply has to be better with penalties and turnovers. Owens notes that, yes, the offense has had a slow start, but he was complicit in this past game in the stall. But he fully believes that if he, and the rest of the offense stop the mistakes, they'll be able to jump out to faster leads and get going much sooner.
"How do we do that? I mean, we just play better football," Owens said. "Like, I mean, starting from me -- I had a holding call on the first drive that landed our first drive last week. Like, I'm aware I had one, and I'm sorry that I did, and I won't do it again, and I can promise you that. But I think that we just have to play free. I think that sometimes we get caught up in the moment. I know I do sometimes, just because, like, it's my first time playing. But, yeah, we just, we gotta -- the key to starting faster is just play quicker, you know? I think if we just play free, we'll be fine."
It's going to be a tough matchup this week to suddenly fix the ills of the room and the offense with Iowa coming to town. The disciplined defense is an issue for just about any offense, but the Wolverines will attempt to cut through the quarters coverage on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. EDT.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan TE Eli Owens bluntly identifies problem with position group
