Offense Sputters in Red Zone
Michigan had 359 yards of total offense and scored on six offensive possessions against Air Force, but the No. 7 Wolverines continued to struggle in the red zone, failing to score from within the 20-yard line on four chances during Saturday's 29-13 win over Air Force at Michigan Stadium.
Michigan’s only offensive touchdown came on a 36-yard run by junior running back Karan Higdon with a minute left to play.
This season, Michigan is just 1 for 10 on scoring touchdowns in the red zone — a trend that can’t continue into the Big Ten season. The Wolverines entered the game 1 of 6 in that statistic to tie for 127th of 129 teams nationally.
The running game, which was fairly strong throughout the afternoon, disappeared no matter which back was in the game in the red zone. Redshirt quarterback Wilton Speight had several chances to find a receiver in the end zone, but missed out with inaccurate throws or being forced to scramble.
“Often times in the red zone, they’d show one thing until the last minute and then they’d bring another look or they’d bring the house,” Speight said. “We were making in-game adjustments. I was talking to Coach Pep [Hamilton, the passing game coordinator] on the phone a lot, talking to Coach [Jim] Harbaugh as well, just trying to make adjustments like they were.”
Harbaugh said that Air Force was simply calling the better plays on defense to counter Michigan’s plays in the red zone.
It’s difficult to place all the blame on Speight for the team’s struggles against Air Force. Speight was hurt by several drops — most notably a big one by sophomore receiver Kekoa Crawford on a third down. The number of overthrows were down considerably from last week, while he finished the game 14-of-23 passing for 169 yards. He did not turn the ball over, despite being strip-sacked (Michigan was able to recover).
Michigan’s lone turnover came in the first quarter on a carry by sophomore running back Chris Evans. He fumbled, setting up Air Force for a field goal. Evans did not make another appearance in the game until late in the fourth quarter.
Ty Isaac, Donovan `Peoples-Jones Drive Offense
The two players that really stood out on offense were fifth-year senior running back Ty Isaac and freshman wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones.
Isaac ran 16 times for 89 yards, but could’ve gone for much more. He stepped out of bounds at the 30-yard line on a run that reached the end zone and had another touchdown run called back due to a holding penalty on Crawford — who failed to record a catch — in the second half.
On the year, Isaac has 336 rushing yards, which is the best three-game stretch for a Michigan running back since Mike Hart ran for 502 yards through the opening three games of 2007 (188 vs. Appalachian State, 127 vs. Oregon, 187 vs. Notre Dame). Hart finished that campaign — his senior year — with 1,361 yards and 14 touchdowns.
The big question now with Isaac is whether or not he is healthy. He went back to the locker room during the fourth quarter and did not return.
Peoples-Jones had a day of firsts. He was huge on special teams — See the defense and special teams notes — and also caught his first career pass, which went for 37 yards. He ended the day with two catches for 52 yards to finish just three yards shy of team leader and classmate Tarik Black, who also led the squad with five catches.
More Notes:
· Senior offensive lineman Mason Cole made his 41st straight start, good for the 11th-longest starting streak in Michigan history.
· Wilton Speight is now 12th in Michigan history for pass attempts and yards. He has 433 career attempts and 3,182 yards. He is also 12-3 as a starter.
· With an announced crowd of 111,387, Michigan has now had over 100,000 fans at the Big House for 275 straight games.
· Michigan’s 10-game home winning streak is best in the Big Ten (Penn State could tie if it wins Saturday).
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