Michigan's Receivers Embracing Downfield Blocking: 'Give That Extra Effort'

The Michigan Wolverines did plenty well, especially on offense, in their 49-24 blowout win at Minnesota last week. Perhaps one of the most impressive aspects was the run blocking, which helped the Wolverines average 8.3 yards per carry on the night. This week, head coach Jim Harbaugh pointed out how well his offensive line, tight ends and senior fullback Ben Mason did opening up holes for the backs, but he also made sure to give credit to his receivers on the outside, who are taking pride in their downfield blocking.

"I believe perimeter blocking, giving that extra effort for other guys, it gives you extra film, it shows that you have no problem with being physical," sophomore wideout Mike Sainristil said. "Doing your responsibility, we believe in the receiver room that’s what helps the ball find you, when you do what you’re supposed to do.

"That’s one thing [offensive coordinator] Coach [Josh] Gattis preaches on, style of play — making blocks down the field, letting the ball find you in other ways than it just being in your hands, because you never know when the running back is going to cut back or bounce a hole, it could come your way. So blocking is very key in our offense, on the perimeter."

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Sainristil posted one catch along the sideline for 11 yards and also graded out the best out of the wide receivers for run blocking, per PFF. Fellow sophomore Giles Jackson also got in on the action, delivering a strong blow to a Gopher linebacker on sophomore running back Zach Charbonnet's 70-yard touchdown run early in the game.

"Don’t let size play a factor in your head when it comes to blocking a guy that’s bigger than you," Sainristil said of the group's mentality. "You have pads, they have pads and football’s a physical game. It just comes down to who’s being more physical at the point of attack. Little details like Coach Gattis says, getting your face in the fit, having a good base. After that, it’s just you making the decision of wanting to or not wanting to."

With the season being delayed eight weeks by Big Ten decision makers, the Wolverines had a chance to fine tune an offense that a lot from a year ago in the lead up to the opener. Sainristil and the unit are glad they were able to show the nation just how good they can be after all the work they put in.

"Minnesota was a very great team," Sainristil noted. "There was so much preparation that was put in this offseason, so much effort, so much trying to rebuild because we did lose a lot of guys from last year. But when you see [redshirt sophomore right tackle] Jalen Mayfield came back, stuff like that is really what helped us continue jelling our offense and continuing to put pieces together.

"I feel like, it finally felt good to go out there and show what we’ve been working on. Honestly, I feel like there’s still stuff we left out there, there’s still things we need to work on, there’s always room for improvement.

"Week one is gone. Week two, we’ll continue to working on those things and throughout the rest of the season."

One thing that's helped the Wolverines be so successful on both sides of the ball early on has been the "unity" on the team, Sainristil said, revealing he feels like the team bond is much stronger than it was during freshman season of 2019.

"I just feel like a lot of people, this year, we want to work together. There is not selfishness.

"Jalen Mayfield, for instance, he had every opportunity to leave. He came back. The first thing he texted was, ‘I came back to do this for us. I want to continue fighting for you guys, and I’m not leaving here until I get a championship.’ Just examples like that is what helps that family, that team bond.

"I’d say that the corona period we had allowed us to continue building trust with each other. Like [redshirt sophomore quarterback] Joe [Milton] had mentioned in his interview, he said he was able to gain a lot of trust in the o-line, and you could see how comfortable he was back there. And that’s not just something that happens overnight. That comes over a period of time.

"That off time that we had and that time that we weren’t playing any games was the time that I feel like we were able to continue building that trust and forming that bond."

• Sainristil got a taste of the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry last season, catching two passes for 21 yards in U-M's 44-10 win. He now understands what the game means, and he's motivated to get another win against the in-state foe.

"The way I view this game is when you’re in high school and you’re playing against your No. 1 rival in your city, you gotta go out there and dominate," Sainristil said. "Of course [you do] every week. But it’s just a little more, given the fact that we’re playing Michigan State. Everybody’s mindset is that we’ve gotta keep the trophy here. Don’t ever let anybody come into your home and take what’s yours. It’s just one of those games where you can’t wait to go out there and play."

• With reports of positive COVID-19 tests across the Big Ten and the rest of the country, Sainristil pointed out how important it is that U-M is having success with testing negative, revealing that there's nobody from U-M out with the virus.

"That’s one thing we really emphasize, and hats off to the guys who didn’t travel this week, because everybody was back in the facility, which means they took care of what they were supposed to, they took care of themselves over the weekend," Sainristil said. "It’s just, you don’t want to be the guy that ruins an opportunity for yourself, of course, and then your teammates. That’s something we really emphasize here in the facility. ‘Stay positive. Test negative,’ [head] Coach [Jim] Harbaugh’s quote.

"And then looking at other teams, whether they’re tested positive or not, we’re ready to go out there. If they have all their soldiers, we’ll battle all their soldiers. If they have soldiers who aren’t there, we’ll battle against those soldiers as well. We’re ready to go against whoever."

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