What They're Saying: Michigan Wolverines Football 40, MTSU 21
A look around the internet and what they're saying about Michigan football's 40-21 victory in its season opener Saturday night:
Chris Balas, TheWolverine.com: Notes, Quotes & Observations
The biggest disappointment — many of the mistakes were made by the veterans. Senior quarterback Shea Patterson put the ball on the ground an unacceptable four times alone.
The game would have been over at the half, regardless, if not for two careless and unforced turnovers. Patterson ran for what would have been a first down on his first carry, a first play scramble, but lost the ball when he failed to protect, while senior corner Lavert Hill — filling in for injured junior Donovan Peoples-Jones — dropped a fair catch on a punt.
Hill would later drop what should have been a sure pick-six, an absolute gift that would have provided more breathing room.
“The defense, unless it was the two times on the sudden change on short fields, gave up the two touchdowns there and then the one at the end,” head coach Jim Harbaugh said. “But they did some good things. Got some three and outs; got us the ball back.”
The “one at the end” came against the second team, and it was ugly. Junior Jaylen Kelly-Powell, playing corner for the first time in the game, struggled in coverage, and junior safety J’Marick Woods made a poor play on the ball to let receiver Jimmy Marshall get behind him for a meaningless score.
The offense, meanwhile, managed 453 yards and 277 in the first half alone with Patterson accounting for 197 yards and three scores, but his final numbers — 17-of-29 passing for 203 yards and three scores against an extremely aggressive blitzing defense — would have been even better if not for a handful of drops.
Again, credit Harbaugh, who played quarterback, made his name coaching offense, and didn’t hesitate when he had the chance to hire Gattis and turn over the mic.
So, what did we see?
Four receivers running vertical routes … on the same play. Tight ends slipping into the deep middle of the field. Speedy running backs able to cut up the middle and hit the edge — hello, Christian Turner and Zach Charbonnet. A quarterback — yes, Shea Patterson — taking the snap, meeting the running back, and then deciding whether to hand it off or fake the handoff and throw.
That tidy little design is called an RPO or run-pass option. Surely, you’ve heard of it, the de rigueur set that’s overtaken college football, especially in places like Columbus, Ohio, where, you know, that base design has been kinda successful.
And yet it’s not just the playbook that looked different Saturday night. The pace and rhythm looked different, too.
For practical reasons — U-M no longer huddles between offensive plays; how 90s. And for psychological reasons — it's hard to remember a Harbaugh team, at least in Ann Arbor, that wanted to attack down the field so relentlessly.
No matter the down. Or the yardage. Or the field position.
Heck, no matter the score. The point is to keep coming.
Bob Wojnowski, The Detroit News: Michigan's new offense has lots of flash, lots to work on
It’s obvious Michigan will take it shots with this offense, and that means the quarterbacks will take some shots, physically and otherwise. In the up-tempo attack, it’s logical that more players will be used, and the Wolverines have plenty of receivers and intriguing options at running back, with Charbonnet and Christian Turner.
It’s also clear they’ll have to open it up, because while the defense has potential, it still must prove it can replace NFL-caliber talent from a year ago. The Blue Raiders dinged them with their quick passing, but the Wolverines matched the pace, until their lead got comfortable enough to back off.
In the first half, Patterson threw 25 passes; he averaged 27 for an entire game last season. He threw only four more, and then Gattis and Harbaugh tossed in the McCaffrey wrinkle and Black was in and out with leg cramps. As much as the Wolverines tried to show, you wonder how much more they have, and how quickly they can refine it.
“A lot of the offense that we’ve been practicing, we ran,” Harbaugh said. “All facets of it, play-action, dropbacks, RPOs, inside zones, outside zones. I’m pleased the way it was executed for the most part.”
At times, it was enough to make your head spin. The idea is to make opposing heads spin. The offense certainly isn’t there yet, but in compelling spurts, you could see where it’s trying to go.
Austin Meek, The Athletic: In a sloppy opener, Tarik Black gives Michigan a reason to smile
If there was one thing Michigan fans desperately wanted to see, it was Tarik Black running free in the end zone, cradling a touchdown pass to his chest and bouncing to his feet in celebration.
If there was one thing Michigan fans did not want to see, it was Black walking up the tunnel with a trainer at his side, leaving the game for reasons not readily apparent.
Both of those things occurred Saturday night as Michigan beat Middle Tennessee State 40-21 to begin the season. The touchdown was Black’s first since Sept. 2, 2017, before he went down with the first of two season-altering foot injuries. It gave Michigan its first lead and served as a palate-cleanser after the Wolverines’ sloppy start, momentarily igniting an offense that looked disjointed much of the night.
Shea Patterson came out firing on Michigan’s next drive, finding Black for gains of 22 and 12 yards before connecting with Nico Collins for a 28-yard touchdown. Michigan led 17-7, which soon became 24-7, and it was natural to think: Oh, so this is the offense we’ve been hearing about. RPOs! Tempo! Explosive plays! It’s working!
And then … it all sort of dissipated. Black walked to the locker room in the second quarter for an IV and didn’t catch another pass. The offense produced two second-half touchdowns but moved in fits and starts. And at the end of it all, there was no clear way to feel other than vaguely confused.
Aaron McMann, MLive: Michigan football wins ugly, odd opener over Middle Tennessee State
By and large, Michigan’s defense played OK, despite allowing 301 yards. The unit, which finished last season third nationally in yards allowed, held MTSU to just 67 yards on the ground, and one long pass play that resulted in a late touchdown. O’Hara and company finished 4-of-15 on third down.
Perhaps the most bizarre thing to come from Michigan on Saturday, however, dealt with the quarterbacks. While Patterson played most of the game, completing 17 of his 29 pass attempts for 203 yards and 3 touchdowns, the coaching staff opted to insert backup Dylan McCaffrey at times.
And in most situations, it didn’t work. McCaffrey and Patterson both played simultaneously during a second-quarter drive, with McCaffrey lining up at wide receiver and running in motion, only for the pass to blow up in their face.
McCaffrey caught the pass, but was tackled for a loss. And on the next play, Patterson was sacked, forcing Michigan to punt.
Then, in the third quarter, the two tried playing again in a convoluted, oddly-organized drive that began in MTSU territory and somehow resulted in a six-yard touchdown carry for McCaffrey (2-for-2, 17 yards).
It was a score, sure, but the Wolverines have plenty to figure out. They host Army next week, Sept. 7.
While Michigan's quarterback tandem of Shea Patterson and Dylan McCaffrey had some awkward moments on Saturday night, the results were fairly good overall.
Patterson threw for three touchdowns. McCaffrey completed both of his passes. Neither threw an interception. Both were effective, at times, running the football, as Michigan beat Middle Tennessee in the season opener 40-21.
Though Patterson was and remains the starter, Middle Tennessee’s head coach was impressed by McCaffrey, a redshirt sophomore.
"He's got a really, really, really bright future ahead of him," Rick Stockstill said, citing McCaffrey's skills as a thrower and runner.
The two quarterbacks were on the field together at times. McCaffrey also replaced Patterson -- for a play here or there early, then later for entire drives.
"We were ready, because they talked so much about what a good camp McCaffrey had had and everything, so we anticipated him going to play," Stockstill said.
Anthony Broome, Maize N Brew: Takeaways from Michigan's season-opening win vs. MTSU
Despite some of the sloppiness and the errors that occurred, everything that took place on Saturday night is correctable and what held Michigan back was, well, Michigan. There is not a single error that cannot be corrected, whether it be play-calling, missed blocks, dropped passes, turnovers, etc. The Wolverines were amped up to play this game and they know they made mental mistakes that, against superior competition, could really do some damage.
Everyone wants to see a flawless debut, but sometimes putting up the 60 points and completely smothering the other team you played serves only to boost statistics and egos. Saturday’s struggles sobering for the team and for the fanbase, but it serves as a baseline evaluation of where this football team is at and what they need to improve upon.
Do they look like the team to beat in the Big Ten currently? Nope.
Do they look like the team that should be the favorite in the East? Probably not right now.
Do they look like a team that in a few weeks can go into Wisconsin and win? It looks a little more iffy today.
Despite all of this, everything is still there as long as they stay healthy. Depth was tested a bit on Saturday and there are some concerns there, especially on the offensive and defensive lines and at wide receiver. But the pieces are in place and when people step off of the ledge and go back and watch the film, there’s stuff to build off of here.
The test gets much tougher next week when Army, a triple option team, comes to Michigan Stadium. They’ll have a week of practice to go figure it out and try and build on what was, overall, probably still a step in the right direction for Michigan.
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