Report Card: Grading Michigan Wolverines Football's 42-25 Win Over Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, ILL. – Grading all aspects of Michigan's 42-35 win over Illinois Saturday:

If there are two quarters you want to own on the ground as a football team, it’s the first and the fourth — and Michigan did both. Freshman running back Zach Charbonnet ran through huge holes in the first (eight carries, 78 yards) to help stake the Wolverines to an early 14-0 lead. Redshirt freshman Hassan Haskins added 59 in a 161-yard first quarter, including a 29-yard touchdown that might have been U-M’s most impressive run this year.

The Wolverines also ran for 88 yards in the fourth quarter to ice the game and finished with 295 yards on 6.1 per carry, plus three ground touchdowns, in dominating in the running game … as they should have against a poor defensive football team. Two lost fumbles by the running backs knock this down a half grade. It just can't happen.

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The wind was absolutely a factor Saturday, going against Michigan in the second and third quarters. Both teams had difficulty throwing the ball, but senior quarterback Shea Patterson was able to complete 11 of his 22 attempts for 194 yards and three touchdowns.

His biggest play came against the wind on a 71-yarder to sophomore receiver Ronnie Bell in the second quarter. The Wolverines had 115 yards through the air in that frame, but many of the yards came after the catch on intermediate throws.

Patterson averaged 17.6 yards per completion and threw for three scores. We’d still like to see receivers make tough catches — there were two balls junior Donovan Peoples-Jones had hit his hands and a couple redshirt junior tight end Nick Eubanks could have hauled in.

Outstanding Illinois running back Reggie Corbin, a 1,000-yard rusher a year ago, managed only 14 yards on nine carries with a long of eight. The Illini totaled only three yards in the second quarter and negative-15 in the fourth on the way to a 64-yard showing on the ground, averaging just 1.5 per carry.

The Wolverines gave up runs of 11 and 15 yards on first down in the first half, but eight of 12 first-down carries in the stanza went for a yard or less, including a handful for negative yardage.

Illinois didn’t move the ball down the field at will against Michigan’s secondary, but backup quarterback Matt Robinson shouldn’t have been able to throw for the 192 yards he did on 16 completions.

U-M was playing without senior starting corner Lavert Hill, who stayed home due to injury, but there were too many explosive plays — four of 19 yards or more, including a 35-yarder in the third quarter that senior safety Josh Metellus needed to make a play on against receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe, who finished with five catches for 102 yards.

Illinois threw for 122 of its 192 yards behind a strong wind in the second and third quarters.

Redshirt junior kicker Quinn Nordin missed a 34-yard field goal, but that was the only blemish on a solid day. Kick coverage was solid (38 yards allowed on two returns) and fifth-year senior Jordan Glasgow’s punt block led to a short U-M touchdown drive.

Redshirt junior Will Hart punted three times with a 44.3-yard average, and Illinois didn't return any of them.

Junior punt return man Donovan Peoples-Jones needed to field a punt that rolled to the 1-yard line in the second quarter.

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