Michigan Football News & Views: Bell On Punt Return, The D-Line & More
One down, 11 to go … Jim Harbaugh disclosed plenty at his second Monday press conference of the season. We provide our take on some of the more intriguing developments from the media availability …
NEWS: Michigan running backs Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum both had nice games against Western Michigan, with 70 and 111 rushing yards, respectively. Freshman Donovan Edwards also showed some life late with 27 yards on six totes, giving the Wolverines three very capable backs.
HARBAUGH: “I think you had a pretty good example [of how we’ll split carries] from the first game. Both [Haskins and Corum] are standout players. We’ve been saying we’re considering both the starting running back, so we said we were going to lean on them and ride ‘em. That’s the plan. I’ve been pretty transparent about that.”
VIEWS: It looks like an outstanding trio. While some still lament Zach Charbonnet’s transfer to UCLA (especially given his early success — he’s been really good out west), there’s still only one ball. He had his opportunity last year, and frankly, Haskins was the better back.
We will say that Charbonnet’s line, at least in the early going, looks better than any he ran behind at Michigan.
But this is probably a case of it working out best for everyone involved. Haskins and Corum both looked more patient and adept at finding the hole. We’ll credit new running backs coach Mike Hart for that. Corum, especially, showed some Hart-like tendencies in waiting for the hole to open before showing off his great acceleration and burst.
We still think Edwards has a good chance to be the best of the three, in time. He’s gifted, and we can’t wait to see his top-end speed on display. We fully expect Hart to get the best out of him and the rest of the backs.
NEWS: Harbaugh confirmed junior receiver Ronnie Bell would miss the season after suffering a knee injury during a second-quarter punt return Saturday, putting added pressure on the other receivers to step up.
HARBAUGH: “The guys that were already getting the opportunity … [sophomore] Cornelius Johnson is already playing and starting. [Sophomore] Mike Sainristil. [Freshman] Roman Wilson was immediately out there, and he was already in the rotation, and [freshman] A.J. Henning, [transfer] Daylen Baldwin. [True frosh] Andrel Anthony, though he’s young. I see a bright future for him and [classmate] Cristian Dixon.
“Those are the immediate guys that most of them have gotten game experience and are ready to go.”
VIEWS: It’s clear, though, that Bell was a cut above. We’d heard all fall that Johnson might be having the best camp of all the receivers, but in terms of explosiveness, experience, ‘want to’ and everything else, Bell was (by far) the leader of this group.
Based on the quarter and a half we saw him, he seemed primed for a special season.
It’s almost unbelievable how bad a break this is for Harbaugh and Co., but pretty typical, frankly, of the last several years. And we feel awful for Bell, who was the unequivocal leader of the offense (with a nod to sixth-year center Andrew Vastardis, who has really taken the reins on the line and elevated his game. We were among those worried about him in there, and while he still has a lot to prove, he was outstanding Saturday in the win over Western Michigan).
This will be an opportunity for Baldwin — who as a game-time decision (injury) Saturday played well, including a 69-yard touchdown reception — to step up. He had a great fall, and he’ll have to fill that “big receiver” role.
The young speedsters are going to have to emerge as deep threats — we think Anthony is going to get his chance and can help fill that bill (remember, Harbaugh said he had at least one big play in several fall practices in a row) — but it’s going to be on the play-callers to find ways to get these guys open and make up for some of their route-running limitations compared to Bell.
NEWS: Several have questioned why Bell, Michigan’s top receiver, was returning punts in the first place.
HARBAUGH: “You’ve got great players that return punts. Ronnie’s a great player, much like guys we’ve had [do it] in the past. Jabrill Peppers, Giles Jackson … go back to Steve Breaston, Desmond Howard, Charles Woodson. Those great players impact the game from that position.
“The best players play the positions. That’s the way it works. It’s a meritocracy.”
VIEWS: He also brought up Antonio Brown, who did it at Central Michigan and excelled at it for many years in the NFL with Pittsburgh.
But, really, he doesn’t have to defend his decision. The criticisms are coming from either people looking to condemn Harbaugh no matter what, or those fans who need someone to blame when things go wrong to help cope with a loss (in this case, Bell for the season).
Special teams are often the difference in tight games. Bell’s 31-yard return on which he got hurt was one of the plays that helped open it up, sparking a 24-7 lead and giving the Wolverines breathing room. As Harbaugh noted, that’s what great players do and why many of them are back there.
Replacing Bell in that role won’t be easy, another reason his loss is so costly.
NEWS: Michigan’s defensive line held up “pretty good” against Western Michigan, according to Harbaugh, led by redshirt freshman Mazi Smith and sophomore Chris Hinton.
HARBAUGH: “We got into where we were playing some coverage, played some two-deep coverages and the box was five, six at times. I thought they did well.
“The run game, we got that pretty controlled. They did bleed out some yards here and there, but for the most part, I thought we did a really good job against the run. Pushing the pocket, getting pressure on the quarterback also showed up, as well.”
VIEWS: As he noted, there were only two guys playing with their hands in the dirt on most occasions, and as the TV analysts noted, WMU probably could have run a bit more had they tried. But that’s not their forte, and they tried to ride quarterback Kaleb Eleby. Defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald made great adjustments after Eleby had some success in the flats underneath coverage early.
But we still really have no idea about the defensive line. Washington will be a much bigger test for this group, regardless of its loss to Montana, and games against Rutgers (yes, really) and especially Wisconsin will tell the tale of just how much this group has improved.
That’s still going to be one of the keys to the season, and we’re anxious to see how it holds up. There’s not a lot of beef there, and as pass rush goes, Aidan Hutchinson was most of it last Saturday. We fully expect him to command more attention going forward, meaning the other guys up front are going to have to step up.
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