What They're Saying: Michigan Wolverines Football 52, Rutgers 0
John Niyo, The Detroit News: Wolverines find their fighting spirit in rout of Scarlet Knights
Responding to criticism about their effort and hustle in the loss in Madison, the Wolverines showed plenty of both against Rutgers. And whether it was Ronnie Bell dragging three or four defenders toward the goal line on a third-quarter drive or the offensive line churning for the final yard on a Shea Patterson keeper on the ensuing play, the Wolverines looked enthusiastic — and engaged — throughout.
The coaches did, too. And while the defense rebounded in a big way — Rutgers crossed midfield once all afternoon — it was on the offensive side of the ball where the changes were apparent even before kickoff.
Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis abandoned his perch in the press box and moved down to the sidelines to call plays Saturday.
Back in March, I’d asked Gattis if he’d be comfortable making that transition, and he admitted he wasn’t sure.
“It’ll be different for me,” he laughed. “I’ve got a lot of rage on the sideline I’ve got to control.”
But Saturday, he seemed much more in control, and to a man, the players agreed that his presence — and his energy — made a big difference.
“It was a familiar face,” running back Christian Turner said. “And seeing his emotion after plays — whether good or bad — I think that definitely helped.”
Jim Harbaugh entered Crisler Center following Michigan’s 52-0 demolition of Rutgers intent on selling the idea the Wolverines have made significant progress in the week since their calamitous defeat to Wisconsin.
But in the process of making his stump speech, he raised even more questions about how a program with such high expectations required rehabilitation in the first place.
In a stunning admission, Michigan’s coach has revealed that a “disconnect,” to use his term, had developed, preventing the Wolverines from transferring the solid execution they were experiencing in practice to the games, where it counted.
Even more surprising was his acknowledgement the coaching staff placed a renewed emphasis on “making sure our players really understood every single play, every single formation, every single technique, taking nothing for granted.”
“That was the approach,” Harbaugh added. “There can be no doubt that they went out there they knew what to do and how to do it in a scheme or play that had a chance to be successful. There was very little left to chance.”
The most cynical of fans would interpret those comments as an implication that, prior to this week, there wasn’t a firm comprehension of scheme among the players asked to carry it out on the field.
But even the most optimistic supporters of Michigan football would concede Harbaugh and the Wolverines are still trying to find themselves and tackle the basics, to figure out how to operate and navigate the remainder of their schedule in hopes of remaining in the hunt for a Big Ten title.
Aaron McMann, MLive: Michigan football bounces back in a big way, shuts out Rutgers
But while the statistics show a pounding, it was the way in which Michigan was able to operate that was most impressive. The Wolverines moved 80 yards on five plays in their first drive of the game, which was completed without a turnover, highlighted by a 48-yard touchdown for receiver Nico Collins.
Michigan completed seven passes of 20 yards or more on Saturday, including one from Patterson to Donovan Peoples-Jones during its second drive that helped set up the first of three touchdown runs for Patterson, who looked comfortable in the pocket all game.
Ronnie Bell continues to be a favorite target of Patterson, who connected with the sophomore wideout a game-high six times for 83 yards, including a 22-yard completion in the third quarter that helped set up another score.
Coming into Saturday, Michigan’s offense ranked 95th nationally in yards per game (364) after lackluster, turnover-littered efforts against Wisconsin and Army. It totaled 476 yards on the day, with its only turnover coming in the third quarter on an under-thrown pass from Patterson.
The running game, however, continues to operate inefficiently. While Michigan ran the ball more today, 41 times for 141 yards and five touches, it mustered just 3.4 yards per attempt. Christian Turner led the team with 48 yards on 11 carries, while Hassan Haskins had 45 yards on nine carries.
Zach Charbonnet had five carries for 22 yards.
McGrone finished with only one tackle. But he was involved in so many other areas of the game — including dropping back in coverage and blitzing the quarterback, where his was most felt.
On blitzes, McGrone displayed his speed, athleticism and natural instincts. He landed a few big hits on Rutgers quarterback Artur Sitkowski, and nearly had a pair of sacks.
Like [former U-M linebacker Devin] Bush, blitzing is a huge component of McGrone's game. He says he used to do it in high school all the time — part of the reason why Saturday's game almost felt familiar.
"Kinda felt like deja vu, a little bit, after my first hit," McGrone said. "I feel like I was back in high school again. The game was just pretty easy. It felt good.”
It was the second consecutive standout performance by McGrone, one week after he relieved starter Josh Ross against Wisconsin and finished with six tackles, while splitting time with backup linebacker Jordan Anthony.
This week, defensive coordinator Don Brown told McGrone he'd be the starter against Rutgers. The message: Be ready.
McGrone was, and believes he has been ready for a bigger role ever since the season opener.
The offensive line is still fascinating to me because their pass blocking for the most part this year has been pretty good outside of the Wisconsin game. What remains odd, and mind you this is after only seeing the game live and not watching the replay yet, is that they are not exactly moving bodies and opening up holes in the run game. The longest rush of the day was a 15-yarder from Hassan Haskins in garbage time and even with that, they had only 3.4 yards per carry on 41 attempts for 141 yards.
The rushing concerns might also be due to the fact that they do not have a back right now that seems capable of busting a big play, but the run blocking remains a concern. Overall, it was a mostly good effort, but the fact that we are five weeks into the season and this offensive line is not further along is certainly something to be a bit worried about.
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