Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh talked offensive line play, redshirt junior quarterback Wilton Speight and more in this week's presser. We tackle his comments in our News & Views format:
NEWS: Michigan’s defense rose to the occasion again Saturday, limiting Cincinnati to 200 yards of offense and 2.9 yards per play. Several defenders stood out.
HARBAUGH: “I’ve been happy with [sophomore cornerback] Lavert [Hill]. He’s asserted himself and played very well, made a big play for us in the ballgame this past week [on a pick-six]. [Junior safety] Tyree Kinnel would be another person to spotlight, our defensive player of the game, sacks — two, I believe — tackles for loss, an interception for touchdown, seven tackles total.
“[Redshirt junior cornerback] Brandon Watson also had a couple PBUs, played very well. [sophomore safety] Josh Metellus did good.
“Up front, I thought [sophomore end] Rashan [Gary] had one of his best games. [Sophomore linebacker] Devin Bush, again, another very good game with a sack, tackle for loss, PBU … outstanding game by him. [Redshirt junior end] Chase Winovich, [redshirt junior linebacker] Noah Furbush was better. [Fifth-year senior tackle] Mo Hurt probably played the best of all up-front players.”
VIEWS: It was good overall, Harbaugh said, acknowledging they probably dodged a couple bullets on defense while also scoring two defensive touchdowns (bringing the season total to three, plus a safety). The Bearcats had an overthrow and a drop on two long balls that would have gone for scores, and that’s been the big concern — young defensive backs in an aggressive scheme playing press-man coverage.
“Playing with fire” is how one described it, and they’ll need to avoid those mistakes against the better teams on the schedule. Those will be touchdowns when playing against the top opponents on the schedule.
NEWS: Redshirt junior quarterback Wilton Speight missed high on some throws and struggled at times for the second straight week.
HARBAUGH: “Wilton’s the starting quarterback, and we’re forging on.
“I think he’s doing fine.”
VIEWS: He added that redshirt freshman Brandon Peters was “progressing nicely” … and that was about it.
Harbaugh clearly didn’t want to discuss the subject, and though Speight is still a work in progress, it’s clear he’s the best on the roster. No use beating up his confidence with what he’s done wrong — it’s not how Harbaugh operates, anyway.
The head coach felt better about the offense after watching the film.
“We were moving the ball again, the running game was good again, play-action passing was good,” he said. “We had some big third-down conversions to keep the chains moving on passes. Protection was even better from Week One to Week Two. We’re moving people up front.
“The turnovers that occurred, we’ve got our coaching fingerprints on … that fly sweep [fumble by sophomore Kekoa Crawford]. We need to make a technique adjustment there, which we will make and be better going forward.”
Many of the corrections are easy fixes, he added. We’ll see if they’re sharper this Saturday.
NEWS: Fifth-year senior running back Ty Isaac has grabbed the running back position, rushing for 100-plus yards in his first two games.
HARBAUGH: “He’s just progressed. I think he’s capitalized on opportunities, and he’s always been a good football player. Now he’s gotten better, which has been good. He’s taken his opportunities and run with them.
“He executed very well. I thought he had some spectacular plays, avoiding the tackles for loss and free runners off the edge. That was significant. His long run on the sweep, he was able to avoid the corner that was unblocked. That was outstanding. He had one called back due to a penalty, another there was a missed assignment. He had two or three opportunities called back or taken away because of execution."
VIEWS: Being good is very important to Isaac, Harbaugh added, and it’s shown. That hasn’t always seemed to be the case with the redshirt senior, and it’s a sign of maturity. There were rumblings early after his transfer in from USC prior to the 2014 season that he expected the job to be given to him, and maybe that played a part.
Isaac has saved his best for last, and the team has needed it. Sophomore Chris Evans is still finding his groove, so imagine where the Wolverines would be without the fifth-year senior.
NEWS: The offensive line had its ups and downs Saturday, but fifth-year senior center Pat Kugler has been solid through two games.
HARBAUGH: “I thought Patrick was really good game one; his protection was very good. This game he was doing a fine job of driving the car, making the calls, and that’s very good.
“The first thought coming off the game was we were a little sloppy at times and didn’t get into our rhythm. On film, there were a lot of good things, some things we can improve.”
VIEWS: Kugler wasn’t as consistent in game two, but it was the right side of the line — specifically, right guard — that really needed work. It will be interesting to see if redshirt sophomore Jon Runyan Jr. gets a look there this week.
The left side has been solid, led by senior tackle Mason Cole.
“He’s been unbelievable, arguably the most valuable player on the offense,” Harbaugh said. “What is his best position? Probably center, but the need was at tackle for our team. The combination of Mason Cole at tackle and Pat Kugler at center is, in our opinion, better than Mason Cole at center and someone else at tackle.”
Eventually, the Wolverines will have enough capable bodies in the two-deep that guys are playing at their positions of strength, but they aren’t there yet.
The offense as a whole, in fact, is lagging behind the defense. There’s a lot of talent, but it’s young talent, and the Wolverines still don’t have an elite running back — though Isaac has been very good — or quarterback. One or the other would make this team a national contender … as it stands, it could still win the conference and make the Playoff with some improvement.
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