MMQB: What Worked, What Didn't For Michigan Against Northwestern
It's Monday morning, which means we've had over 40 hours to better process what we saw from No. 6 Michigan Wolverines football in a 33-7 win over Northwestern, before turning the page to No. 8 Michigan State, U-M's next opponent.
We take a look at the top aspects of the Maize and Blue's win, areas they can clean up and break down position-by-position battles in this edition of "Monday Morning Quarterback."
RELATED: Snap Counts, PFF Grades, Takeaways From Michigan's Win Over Northwestern
Key Moment Of The Game
Down 17-7 in the third quarter, Northwestern went three-and-out, with fifth-year senior punter Derek Adams setting up to boot it away, before Michigan sophomore wide receiver Cornelius Johnson flowed through the left side of the offensive formation untouched to get a clean block. Redshirt freshman defensive back Caden Kolesar was credited with the recovery, and Michigan took over on the Wildcat 24 yard line.
Just three plays later, redshirt sophomore running back Hassan Haskins punched in a 13-yard touchdown run to extend the Wolverines' lead to 24-7 and make it extremely tough for the Wildcats to still have a chance.
Three Things That Worked
1. The Defense's Overall Performance
First-year coordinator Mike Macdonald's crew allowed just 233 yards (100 rushing, 133 passing) Northwestern's lowest total of the season, and a season-low seven points. The Wolverines yielded just 10 first downs and 4.2 yards per play. Just four of the Wildcats' 13 drives included a snap taken from inside Michigan territory.
Northwestern doesn't possess an elite offense, or anything close to it, but it was a dominant effort from the Maize and Blue, no matter how you slice it.
2. Rushing Offense
For the second time this season, both second-year freshman Blake Corum (119 yards) and redshirt sophomore Hassan Haskins (110 yards) surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark, each scoring two touchdowns on the ground. Michigan rushed 54 times for 294 yards as a whole, marking the fourth time the Wolverines have gained over 290 rushing yards this season.
3. Even Distribution In The Passing Game
Michigan was effective in getting several of its different weapons involved in the pass game, with nine different receivers notching a reception and six having multiple catches. Sophomore tight end Erick All led the way with career highs in catches (five) and yards (34), while sophomore receivers Mike Sainristil and Cornelius Johnson totaled 33 and 30 yards, respectively.
Three Things That Didn't Work
1. Goal-Line Offense
Michigan got the ball inside the five yard line late in the second quarter but totaled just three points on those drives.
The Wolverines settled for a field goal on the first trip, after going away from Haskins, who had 24 yards on the drive, instead getting cute and testing the edge with a pair of passes. It seemed like the Wolverines' play-callers were overthinking it a bit.
After executing a smooth two-minute drive, the Wolverines passed two out of three times inside the 10 yard line, concluding with a flat pass to Sainristil from the three yard line. The receiver fumbled, with Northwestern recovering, but he wasn't going to find the end zone anyway.
2. Allowing A 75-Yard Touchdown Run
Both linebackers — freshman Junior Colson and redshirt junior Josh Ross — were out of position when Northwestern sophomore running back Evan Hull busted free up the middle for a 75-yard touchdown run with just under two and a half minutes left in the second quarter. The score cut the Michigan lead to 10-7, and had turned a stellar defensive half into one with a big blemish.
3. Intermediate And Deep Passes
'Vanilla' game plan one week before playing top-10 Michigan State or not, Michigan's intermediate and deep passing game was not there against the Wildcats.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Cade McNamara was stellar throwing passes within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, completing 19 of 21, but only connected on one ball that traveled over 10 yards in the air on six attempts (a 12-yard completion).
Head coach Jim Harbaugh admitted following the contest that they may have forced a few plays that called for deep passes, given that the Northwestern safeties were sitting deep. Either way, the Wolverines weren't successful in this area, causing some concern going forward.
Position-By-Position Battles
Michigan's Offensive Line vs. Northwestern's Front Seven
Michigan's offensive line paved the way for a rushing attack that gained 294 yards with just one negative rush, while yielding only one sack. The Wolverines' 79.6 overall PFF pass-blocking grade was a season-high.
Northwestern's Offensive Line vs. Michigan's Front Seven
The Wildcat offensive line allowed one sack and four tackles for loss, while helping the run game amass 100 yards on 23 attempts. It's important to note, however, the the bulk of the game was a struggle, with 75 yards coming on one rushing play. The Maize and Blue applied pressure on one third of Northwestern's drop backs, per PFF, with four quarterback hurries and one forced fumble.
Michigan's Pass-Catchers vs. Northwestern's Secondary
As noted above, the Wolverines' receivers shared the wealth Saturday, many of them getting involved. However, the Wildcats did a good job of limiting explosive plays in the passing game, with only two throws going for more than 10-yard gains.
Northwestern's Pass-Catchers vs. Michigan's Secondary
Northwestern wideout Malik Washington led the way with six receptions for a game-high 63 yards, but the Wildcats totaled just 133 yards through the air. Michigan's cornerbacks were stellar, with the trio of redshirt freshman DJ Turner and redshirt sophomores Vincent Gray and Gemon Green yielding a combined four receptions for eight yards on 12 targets. Turner also made an interception.
Quarterbacks
McNamara was efficient, completing 20 of 27 pass attempts, but averaged just 4.8 yards per attempt, totaling 127 yards. Meanwhile, Northwestern sophomore quarterback Ryan Hilinski connected on less than half of his passes (14 of 29) for 114 yards and one interception, before giving way to classmate Carl Richardson, who went 2-of-3 passing for 19 yards.
Running Backs
Hull was quiet other than his 75-yard touchdown run, gaining six yards on his five other carries, while the Wolverines racked up 294 yards on the ground and had two backs with 100-plus yards and two touchdowns.
Special Teams
Michigan's special teams were stellar, with the aforementioned blocked punt highlighting the performance. Junior kicker Jake Moody made two of his three field goal attempts, while redshirt junior punter Brad Robbins averaged 47.7 yards per punt on three boots. Freshman punt returner A.J. Henning had a 19-yard return but gained no yards on his other two attempts.
On the flip side, Adams was used six times, averaging 42.7 yards per punt with the one block. Fifth-year senior kicker Charlie Kuhbander missed a 39-yard kick and has now missed more place kicks than he's made this season.
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