With 181 receiving yards so far this season, sophomore tight end Sean McKeon is actually Michigan’s second-leading receiver, trailing only junior wideout Grant Perry and his 224 yards.
Although McKeon has obviously been enjoying his breakout campaign, he also loved seeing the ground game finally get going last week against Indiana.
“It’s great to see [junior running back] Karan [Higdon] get all those yards and take advantage of our blocks,” McKeon said. “We bust our butts for him so he can get those yards and touchdowns. We’ve definitely emphasized run blocking.”
Higdon’s 200 yards against the Hoosiers were the most for a Michigan running back since Mike Hart ran for 215 against Eastern Michigan in 2007.
McKeon briefly discussed the impact first-year tackles and tight ends coach Greg Frey has had on the offense.
“He brings a different coaching style to the o-line, and different techniques he’s developed over the years,” McKeon explained. “He’s helped the tackles a lot, because that’s who he mostly works with. But he’s also helped out the entire offensive line and Coach [Tim] Drevno.”
Communication on offense will likely be incredibly difficult on Saturday night, as Beaver Stadium’s 106,572 official capacity is the second-biggest stadium in the country (behind Michigan’s of course).
“It’ll be difficult, but we’ve gone over it in practice,” McKeon said. “We’ve had crowd noise pumped in when we’re running drills, so we’re prepared for it.”
Penn State’s defense — which ranks ninth nationally, only allowing 285.2 yards per game — will be a challenge in itself for the Michigan offense.
“Their linebackers and the whole defensive line have stood out on film,” McKeon said. “They’re a veteran group of guys who know what they’re doing. It just comes down to us moving the ball and doing our jobs.”
Already holding one loss, a second one would likely eliminate Michigan from playoff contention. However, the sophomore tight end doesn’t feel like the season is on the line.
“No, every game is the biggest game,” he said. “We want to win every game from here on out and get to the Big Ten championship.”
He also scoffed at the notion that Michigan’s status among college football’s elite could be in jeopardy.
“This is Michigan,” he said matter-of-factly. “We have one of the best coaching staffs in the nation, and great players here.
“We’re confident that we’re an elite team. We’ll be prepared to go in there on Saturday, and if we all do our jobs and execute like I know we can, we’ll come out on top.”
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @BSB_Wolverine, @JB_ Wolverine, @AustinFox42, @AndrewVcourt and @Balas_Wolverine
• Like us on Facebook
