Offense Notes: U-M Rushing Attack Finally Finds Its Rhythm Against Illinois
The Michigan Wolverines' rushing attack had struggled to find any kind of rhythm all season long, running for 141 yards or fewer in four of its five games, but finally got on track in Saturday's 42-25 win at Illinois.
U-M compiled 295 yards on the ground against the Fighting Illini, shattering its previous season high of 233 in the Aug. 31 victory over Middle Tennessee State. The MTSU game was its only other contest so far with at least 200 yards on the ground, and Saturday's total ranked as the Wolverines' most in a game since it racked up 320 last year against Wisconsin.
The Maize and Blue appeared determined to establish a rushing rhythm right from the get-go, keeping the ball on the ground for their first eight plays and 12 of their first 15. That formula worked to a tee, with the club's first seven runs all going for 10 yards or more.
RELATED: Video: Harbaugh Praises Patterson's Efforts; Players Discuss the win
Redshirt freshman running back Hassan Haskins capped off Michigan's opening drive by finding the end zone for the first time ever, ripping off a career-long 29-yard run.
The first quarter ended with U-M racking up 162 yards on the ground, which were its most in an opening stanza against a Big Ten opponent in 15 seasons.
Haskins finished the afternoon with a personal-best 125 yards on 12 carries (he had 64 collegiate yards entering the contest), while freshman running back Zach Charbonnet also chipped in 116 yards, breaking his previous high of 100 he had established in the Sept. 7 win over Army.
"Hassan Haskins ran the ball extremely well, and so did Zach Charbonnet," head coach Jim Harbaugh said afterward. "[Fifth-year senior running back] Tru Wilson had some fine runs, and I felt our offensive line jelling up front.
"Our running backs stepped up, with both Charbonnet and Haskins going for over 100 yards. Our offensive line blocked well, sustained it and had very few mental errors."
Saturday marked the first time the Wolverines had registered two 100-yard rushers in the same game since the 33-10 win over Minnesota in 2017, when Karan Higdon racked up 200 yards and Chris Evans logged 191.
It also marked the most rushing yards for the Wolverines on the road since 486 in a 78-0 win at Rutgers in 2016.
The Maize and Blue offense registered two more key scoring runs on the ground against Illinois following Haskins' first-quarter scamper, first on a Charbonnet seven-yard dash at 12:19 of the second quarter to make the score 21-0, and then on a one-yard quarterback sneak by senior Shea Patterson with 6:21 left in the game, extending U-M's lead to 42-25.
QB Shea Patterson Endures Inconsistent Day Through The Air
Patterson tossed three touchdown passes and no interceptions on Saturday, but only connected on 11 of his 22 throws for 194 yards.
Granted, there was a stiff breeze in Champaign, but the senior signal-caller consistently missed targets throughout the afternoon.
His 50.0 completion percentage was also the second worst of his Michigan career (his 43.8 percentage earlier this year at Wisconsin was his low), and marked the fourth time in his last five games that he had hit 53.8 percent of his throws or fewer.
On the flip side, the senior's three touchdown passes tied his career-high at U-M and marked the seventh time he had accomplished the feat in Ann Arbor.
Patterson's first scoring toss came with 1:54 to go in the first quarter, when he hit redshirt freshman tight end Luke Schoonmaker on a 25-yard scoring strike to put Michigan up 14-0. It was just the second grab of his career, and his first collegiate touchdown.
“We ran it to the corner, and no one was even in my area," Schoonmaker exclaimed afterward. "I caught the ball and ran it to the end zone, and everyone came up to me — it was a great feeling.
"I love working with these guys, and they were so excited for me. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.”
Patterson's second TD came with 4:33 to go before halftime, when he found redshirt junior tight end Nick Eubanks in the end zone for a four-yard touchdown to extend U-M's advantage to 28-0. It marked Eubanks' first score of the season and the second of his career.
Patterson's final TD strike of the day occurred with 8:57 remaining in the game, when he hit junior wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones on a diving five-yard catch, lengthening Michigan's lead to 35-25 at the time.
Peoples-Jones joins fellow junior wideout Nico Collins and senior tight end Sean McKeon as Wolverines with multiple touchdown catches this season (two each). The score marked the 10th touchdown grab of his career.
"We game planed for it [that play] all week," Patterson revealed about the throw. "Donovan did a heck of a job of getting outside and giving me room to throw the ball."
Miscellaneous Michigan Football Offensive Notes
• Junior wideout Nico Collins did not play on Saturday, marking the first game he did not appear in since the 2017 loss to Ohio State.
• The club's 6.1 yards per rush were its most since averaging 6.7 in a 38-13 blowout of Wisconsin last season.
• Charbonnet racked up 108 yards in the first half, becoming the first Wolverine to crack triple digits in the first half since Higdon compiled 139 yards before the break against Nebraska last season on Sept. 22.
• Michigan's 489 yards of offense were a season-best and signified the third time in six games this year it eclipsed the 400-yard plateau, also doing so against Middle Tennessee State (453) and Rutgers (476). The 489 yards were also its most in a game since registering 507 last November against Indiana.
• Senior tight end Sean McKeon returned to game action after missing the past two affairs with an injury.
• Wilson's 10 carries were the second most of his career, trailing only the 11 he had last September against SMU.
• Illinois redshirt junior defensive end Oluwole Betiku had been averaging 1.4 sacks and 2.1 tackles for loss entering Saturday, but the Wolverines' offensive line didn't allow him to record any of either. In fact, U-M's front five yielded just three tackles for loss and no sacks on the day.
• Sophomore receiver Ronnie Bell's 71-yard reception in the second quarter was the longest catch of his career, now giving him at least one catch of 20 yards in four of the club's six games. Bell's 98 yards were also a career-best, with the sophomore having reeled in at least 81 yards in four of the six outings this season.
• U-M strung together four touchdown drives of 65 yards or longer, with three of the four requiring five plays or fewer and lasting no more than 2:35. The lone other such series occurred in the fourth quarter and took 3:48 off the clock, covering 79 yards in 10 plays.
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