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Michigan football held its spring game last week on Saturday, but it aired for the first time on Big Ten Network on Sunday morning. The split-squad scrimmage between drafted 'Maize' and 'Blue' teams finished with the Blue team winning, 17-0.
We were on the sidelines for the game on April 19, but Sunday provided an opportunity to watch the game again with fresh eyes. From evaluating true freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood and redshirt freshman Jadyn Davis, the offensive line, the receivers, to the whole of the defense, we came away with some fresh thoughts on what we saw looking at the tape.
Here are our revamped takeaways:
It's a little difficult to evaluate ball placement with a lens pressed to our face and limited (we don't remember much, if any) replay, but watching the game on TV, it's clear that Underwood is the real deal. The 12-for-26 and 187-yard storyline from last week doesn't really tell the true story of Underwood's play.
Let's start with the bad. We had Bryce anticipating his first throw to Channing Goodwin, which ended in a pass breakup by Arkansas transfer TJ Metcalf. And there were a few overthrows -- one in particular struck us as Underwood was under pressure and glided out to his right and threw it way over Goodwin's head in the endzone, with too much zip on it. The interception we put on Underwood, as Tevis Metcalf was right where the receiver (Goodwin again) was supposed to be, but that's a throw that shouldn't have been made given the coverage. But that's about it.
Otherwise, most passes were relatively precise. In fact, even with some of the overthrows, if the receiver would have sprinted off the line instead of going a little faster than a jog, those might have even been catchable. Getting both on the same page would be ideal, because Underwood can throw guys open. Multiple throws hit receivers in the hands, they just didn't come down with them. Note, the only projected starter on the Blue team was Fredrick Moore, who dropped a throw that hit him right in the hands. Underwood scans the defense well, steps up in the pocket, and puts the ball where usually only the receiver can catch it. His endzone attempt to Joe Taylor splitting the defenders was a throw on the level with J.J. McCarthy in his junior year. He made a throw under heavy duress (a free rusher) early in the second half to Jalen Hoffman that showed his ability to produce under pressure.
Upon rewatch, while it's no offense to Jadyn Davis, Underwood is on another level -- with arm strength as well as the ability to effectively read what he's looking at. With more reps during the summer and fall camp, along with having his full complement of receivers (and Chip Lindsey calling the plays), this could be a complete offensive turnaround. We didn't necessarily see that in the spring game, but the components are there.
Our thoughts after the game was that the line was OK and that's still our takeaway. Many who were there immediately called for going to the transfer portal for more additions, but overall -- especially given that it was facing what looks like an incredible defense, it held its own.
That's not to say it was anywhere close to flawless, but with a split squad against that defense, it's difficult to fully gauge. We paid close attention to left tackle Evan Link, who was decent, but certainly far from dominant. Ben Roebuck struggled early and Luke Hamilton replaced him, having some struggles, but holding his own for many reps. The combo of Nathan Efobi and Andrew Sprague looked good, especially early. The holes were there in the run game (even if it collapsed quickly) and there weren't major, major lapses in pass protection on the Blue team. We paid less attention to the maize team, but Davis often had time in the pocket to assess his surroundings and make a throw and didn't spend a lot of time under heavy duress. In fact, we noted some instances when the Maize team picked up some blitzes giving Davis more time.
Is the offensive line a strength? No, we're not there yet. Again, we're assessing a split-squad OL against a defense that shouldn't suffer much from being split up. The defensive players who'd expect to make plays up front did just that at times, but it didn't strike us that the O-line is necessarily a major weakness, either.
Outside of the one catch from Donaven McCulley, the wideouts were generally unremarkable. There were a lot of drops on the Blue side and uncatchable balls on Maize. What we did notice (and noted above) was that the receivers need to be more expedient in their routes, as they appeared too lackadaisical at times. They did not show good hands, in general and will need to work on that (let alone contested catches). The coverage was often very good, but Underwood's ball placement, in particular, would mean catches for more seasoned receivers. There were a lot of encouraging moments, but we'd say just as many discouraging. We didn't see a lot to McCulley, Semaj Morgan, or Moore -- the projected starters. Andrew Marsh had some nice moments, particularly when he had some yards after the catch, but we would have liked to have seen Jamar Browder time his jumps better on both his missed fade routes.
Jalen Hoffman, a tight end-fullback hybrid, was the player of the game. Not only did he have the 88-yard touchdown to finish the game, he consistently showed good hands. He can be a weapon this season, to be sure. Hogan Hansen didn't dress and none of the other tight ends were particularly remarkable.
Justice Haynes is the truth. He hit each (small) hole with violence and made the most of all six of his carries. His vision on the bounce-out long rush showcased how electric he could be. Jordan Marshall only saw a few series and he did well, despite the statline. He was hard to take down and in the one pass protection rep we watched, he was solid. Bryson Kuzdzal looked like a potential player and appeared to be the player of the game before Hoffman came on late. He had great vision and balance, made people miss, and made plays. It will be interesting to see if he continues to have momentum even with the additions of CJ Hester and John Volker via the transfer portal.
Micah Ka'apana felt like he got dealt a short straw, getting through the initial hole only to find a cadre of defenders awaiting him. It's difficult to say that he could have done more with what he had.
This has the look of being the best defense in the country. The starters weren't in for too long, but the front line is impressive. We saw the Blue team run with five-man fronts early in the game, with Dom Nichols, Trey Pierce, Tré Williams, Damon Payne, and Derrick Moore all in at the same time. Rayshaun Benny made the first play of the game, making Ben Roebuck look like the redshirt freshman that he is. While Kuzdzal made some plays, the front seven in general looks poised to make plays in both the run and the pass game. At times, they may be a little too aggressive, as there was one play where Trey Pierce easily shed his blocks and got into the backfield, but overran the play.
The linebackers were particularly impressive and sprint to the football (as do the safeties). The limited reps for Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham (opposite teams) make them both look like the best tandem in the conference. Jimmy Rolder made a few plays, but Cole Sullivan and Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng were eye-popping. Sullivan appeared to be everywhere and diagnosed plays very well and Owusu-Boateng showcased elite speed and already has good size. They made it difficult to assess the run game (the group) because they diagnose plays so quickly.
The secondary looked very good, as well. Despite some uncalled pass interference calls, they were in tight coverage and made play after play. Both Metcalf brothers looked very, very good in the game, as did cornerbacks Jeremiah Lowe (two interceptions and at least two pass breakups) and freshman Shamari Earls. We didn't note Jo'Ziah Edmond, but on second thought, it seemed that he was often in position to make plays and did so. Brandyn Hillman only played one half and also was everywhere.
All-in-all, this was a very impressive showing from the entire defense and shows just how elite this group might be. It may be the best defense that the Wolverine offense sees all year.
This wasn't a fun game by any stretch, but usually the good Michigan teams don't have fun spring games. This was an encouraging performance overall, though. The team won't look exactly like this -- again, in part due to split squad -- but you can see how Underwood is well beyond his age in terms of ability, skill, and capability to diagnose what he's looking at. When he's live and can run, that should add an extra element to the offense, as well. The run game should be able to overcome some line deficiencies, but we won't know for sure until we get some kind of onus on how defenses will defend Michigan. For that matter, we don't really know what this new offense looks like under Chip Lindsey, and this game didn't tell us much. The offensive line should be serviceable as-is, but some tinkering and guys playing above their station could make it good.
The defense should eat, and it will have its opportunity to do so for about half the games without question. The bigger question is how they fare against the more elite offenses they face -- which shouldn't be many.
This is a team that we'd place a floor of 9-3 and (surprisingly, if all goes well, but also noting the schedule) 12-0. If the defense looks like we believe it will, it will be up to the offense, which already looks much more capable than it did a year ago. But the line and the receivers will be the determining factors. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, like 10-2.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Updated takeaways: Michigan football spring game after TV broadcast
Continue reading...
We were on the sidelines for the game on April 19, but Sunday provided an opportunity to watch the game again with fresh eyes. From evaluating true freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood and redshirt freshman Jadyn Davis, the offensive line, the receivers, to the whole of the defense, we came away with some fresh thoughts on what we saw looking at the tape.
Here are our revamped takeaways:
Bryce Underwood
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It's a little difficult to evaluate ball placement with a lens pressed to our face and limited (we don't remember much, if any) replay, but watching the game on TV, it's clear that Underwood is the real deal. The 12-for-26 and 187-yard storyline from last week doesn't really tell the true story of Underwood's play.
Let's start with the bad. We had Bryce anticipating his first throw to Channing Goodwin, which ended in a pass breakup by Arkansas transfer TJ Metcalf. And there were a few overthrows -- one in particular struck us as Underwood was under pressure and glided out to his right and threw it way over Goodwin's head in the endzone, with too much zip on it. The interception we put on Underwood, as Tevis Metcalf was right where the receiver (Goodwin again) was supposed to be, but that's a throw that shouldn't have been made given the coverage. But that's about it.
Otherwise, most passes were relatively precise. In fact, even with some of the overthrows, if the receiver would have sprinted off the line instead of going a little faster than a jog, those might have even been catchable. Getting both on the same page would be ideal, because Underwood can throw guys open. Multiple throws hit receivers in the hands, they just didn't come down with them. Note, the only projected starter on the Blue team was Fredrick Moore, who dropped a throw that hit him right in the hands. Underwood scans the defense well, steps up in the pocket, and puts the ball where usually only the receiver can catch it. His endzone attempt to Joe Taylor splitting the defenders was a throw on the level with J.J. McCarthy in his junior year. He made a throw under heavy duress (a free rusher) early in the second half to Jalen Hoffman that showed his ability to produce under pressure.
Upon rewatch, while it's no offense to Jadyn Davis, Underwood is on another level -- with arm strength as well as the ability to effectively read what he's looking at. With more reps during the summer and fall camp, along with having his full complement of receivers (and Chip Lindsey calling the plays), this could be a complete offensive turnaround. We didn't necessarily see that in the spring game, but the components are there.
Offensive line
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Our thoughts after the game was that the line was OK and that's still our takeaway. Many who were there immediately called for going to the transfer portal for more additions, but overall -- especially given that it was facing what looks like an incredible defense, it held its own.
That's not to say it was anywhere close to flawless, but with a split squad against that defense, it's difficult to fully gauge. We paid close attention to left tackle Evan Link, who was decent, but certainly far from dominant. Ben Roebuck struggled early and Luke Hamilton replaced him, having some struggles, but holding his own for many reps. The combo of Nathan Efobi and Andrew Sprague looked good, especially early. The holes were there in the run game (even if it collapsed quickly) and there weren't major, major lapses in pass protection on the Blue team. We paid less attention to the maize team, but Davis often had time in the pocket to assess his surroundings and make a throw and didn't spend a lot of time under heavy duress. In fact, we noted some instances when the Maize team picked up some blitzes giving Davis more time.
Is the offensive line a strength? No, we're not there yet. Again, we're assessing a split-squad OL against a defense that shouldn't suffer much from being split up. The defensive players who'd expect to make plays up front did just that at times, but it didn't strike us that the O-line is necessarily a major weakness, either.
Wide receivers and tight ends
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Outside of the one catch from Donaven McCulley, the wideouts were generally unremarkable. There were a lot of drops on the Blue side and uncatchable balls on Maize. What we did notice (and noted above) was that the receivers need to be more expedient in their routes, as they appeared too lackadaisical at times. They did not show good hands, in general and will need to work on that (let alone contested catches). The coverage was often very good, but Underwood's ball placement, in particular, would mean catches for more seasoned receivers. There were a lot of encouraging moments, but we'd say just as many discouraging. We didn't see a lot to McCulley, Semaj Morgan, or Moore -- the projected starters. Andrew Marsh had some nice moments, particularly when he had some yards after the catch, but we would have liked to have seen Jamar Browder time his jumps better on both his missed fade routes.
Jalen Hoffman, a tight end-fullback hybrid, was the player of the game. Not only did he have the 88-yard touchdown to finish the game, he consistently showed good hands. He can be a weapon this season, to be sure. Hogan Hansen didn't dress and none of the other tight ends were particularly remarkable.
The run game
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Justice Haynes is the truth. He hit each (small) hole with violence and made the most of all six of his carries. His vision on the bounce-out long rush showcased how electric he could be. Jordan Marshall only saw a few series and he did well, despite the statline. He was hard to take down and in the one pass protection rep we watched, he was solid. Bryson Kuzdzal looked like a potential player and appeared to be the player of the game before Hoffman came on late. He had great vision and balance, made people miss, and made plays. It will be interesting to see if he continues to have momentum even with the additions of CJ Hester and John Volker via the transfer portal.
Micah Ka'apana felt like he got dealt a short straw, getting through the initial hole only to find a cadre of defenders awaiting him. It's difficult to say that he could have done more with what he had.
The defense
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This has the look of being the best defense in the country. The starters weren't in for too long, but the front line is impressive. We saw the Blue team run with five-man fronts early in the game, with Dom Nichols, Trey Pierce, Tré Williams, Damon Payne, and Derrick Moore all in at the same time. Rayshaun Benny made the first play of the game, making Ben Roebuck look like the redshirt freshman that he is. While Kuzdzal made some plays, the front seven in general looks poised to make plays in both the run and the pass game. At times, they may be a little too aggressive, as there was one play where Trey Pierce easily shed his blocks and got into the backfield, but overran the play.
The linebackers were particularly impressive and sprint to the football (as do the safeties). The limited reps for Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham (opposite teams) make them both look like the best tandem in the conference. Jimmy Rolder made a few plays, but Cole Sullivan and Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng were eye-popping. Sullivan appeared to be everywhere and diagnosed plays very well and Owusu-Boateng showcased elite speed and already has good size. They made it difficult to assess the run game (the group) because they diagnose plays so quickly.
The secondary looked very good, as well. Despite some uncalled pass interference calls, they were in tight coverage and made play after play. Both Metcalf brothers looked very, very good in the game, as did cornerbacks Jeremiah Lowe (two interceptions and at least two pass breakups) and freshman Shamari Earls. We didn't note Jo'Ziah Edmond, but on second thought, it seemed that he was often in position to make plays and did so. Brandyn Hillman only played one half and also was everywhere.
All-in-all, this was a very impressive showing from the entire defense and shows just how elite this group might be. It may be the best defense that the Wolverine offense sees all year.
Final thoughts
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This wasn't a fun game by any stretch, but usually the good Michigan teams don't have fun spring games. This was an encouraging performance overall, though. The team won't look exactly like this -- again, in part due to split squad -- but you can see how Underwood is well beyond his age in terms of ability, skill, and capability to diagnose what he's looking at. When he's live and can run, that should add an extra element to the offense, as well. The run game should be able to overcome some line deficiencies, but we won't know for sure until we get some kind of onus on how defenses will defend Michigan. For that matter, we don't really know what this new offense looks like under Chip Lindsey, and this game didn't tell us much. The offensive line should be serviceable as-is, but some tinkering and guys playing above their station could make it good.
The defense should eat, and it will have its opportunity to do so for about half the games without question. The bigger question is how they fare against the more elite offenses they face -- which shouldn't be many.
This is a team that we'd place a floor of 9-3 and (surprisingly, if all goes well, but also noting the schedule) 12-0. If the defense looks like we believe it will, it will be up to the offense, which already looks much more capable than it did a year ago. But the line and the receivers will be the determining factors. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, like 10-2.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Updated takeaways: Michigan football spring game after TV broadcast
Continue reading...
