HOUSING
6B — September 8, 2015
SportsTuesday
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Five Things We Learned: Utah
By MAX BULTMAN
Daily Sports Editor
Wolverine fans descended
on Salt Lake City from across
the country, but there was no
storybook opening to coach Jim
Harbaugh’s career at Michigan.
The Michigan football team fell
to Utah, 24-17, at Rice-Eccles
Stadium to open the season.
The Wolverines were slow to
start, but that was to be expected
of a team that sputtered to a 5-7
mark last season. Harbaugh,
though, stuck up for his players’
effort after the game, praising
them where it was deserved and
defending them from even their
own self-criticism.
Here are five things we
learned
from
the
season-
opening loss.
1.
Jake
Rudock
has
weapons…
Junior tight end Jake Butt
was already a player to watch
— he was named to the Mackey
Award watch list in July — but
he somehow still outperformed
expectations
in
the
season
opener. After catching 21 passes
in an injury-hampered 2014,
Butt caught eight for 93 yards
and a touchdown Thursday. He
made arguably the play of the
night for Michigan, grabbing
a touchdown through double
coverage.
Redshirt
junior
receiver
Amara Darboh also impressed,
stepping into his role as the No.
1 receiver with eight catches
for 101 yards and a score. Both
Darboh and Butt were Rudock’s
primary
targets
in
high-
pressure situations, and for the
most part, they came through
for him.
2. …If he can just hit them
Rudock, who was heralded
as the safe, consistent option at
quarterback, was anything but
that against Utah. The fifth-
year senior overthrew redshirt
junior Jehu Chesson and Darboh
three times on deep balls, one of
which would likely have gone
for a score.
What’s more, Rudock was
intercepted
three
times,
a
stunning development for a
player who threw just five picks
all of last season. We’ll give him
a slight pass on the first, which
looked like a miscommunication
with freshman receiver Grant
Perry, but even so, it wasn’t what
was expected of the graduate
transfer.
3. The defensive line could
wreak havoc
Redshirt
juniors
Willie
Henry and Chris Wormley were
forces on the outside, combining
for nine tackles, four of them
for loss. Henry, who moved
to the strong-side defensive
end from defensive tackle this
year, was nearly unblockable at
his new position, a great sign
for defensive line coach Greg
Mattison.
Senior Mario Ojemudia, a
converted end who plays the
hybrid
buck
position,
also
seemed to embrace his new
position, tallying five tackles
and a sack.
On the inside, senior Ryan
Glasgow and redshirt junior
Matt
Godin
weren’t
game
breakers, but they may not need
to be. The Wolverines would
welcome statistical production
from them, but with so much
talent on the edges, it might be
enough to simply occupy their
blockers and help collapse the
pocket.
4. The run blocking needs
to improve
The
inside
of
the
line
just couldn’t seem to create
openings for Michigan’s backs.
Harbaugh said senior center
Graham Glasgow earned the
highest grade of the offensive
linemen in Thursday’s game,
and singled him out as having
a
great
performance,
but
Michigan’s
backs
couldn’t
generate
anything
up
the
middle.
The Wolverines averaged 2.6
yards per carry in their opener,
including
2.8
from
junior
running back De’Veon Smith.
Those numbers will need to
improve if they intend to be a
run-first team.
Smith broke all kinds of
tackles
against
the
Utes,
which had to be encouraging
to Harbaugh and new running
backs coach Tyrone Wheatley.
Unfortunately for Smith, many
of those broken tackles came
at the line of scrimmage. If
Michigan
can
create
wider
holes, and Smith can find and
hit them, he looks like someone
who can churn out chunks of
yards at a time.
5.
BOLD
PREDICTION:
Butt will lead the team in
catches
While Darboh proved himself
as a capable No. 1 receiver
against Utah, Butt’s value as
a safety valve will pay huge
dividends for Rudock. His size
and athleticism pose matchup
problems for virtually anyone
who could cover him, as the
Utes learned Thursday.
After his eight catches in the
opener, opposing teams will be
keying on Butt, but that doesn’t
mean they can stop him. He
will be an option on nearly
every pass play, and unless they
ignore Chesson and Darboh
outside, he’ll find ways to get
open.
The Jake-to-Jake connection
is only just beginning.
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Redshirt junior Chris Wormley made five tackles at Utah on Thursday.
BY THE NUMBERS
Michigan Football
1995
Last time a Michigan tight end caught
more than the eight passes Jake Butt
pulled down on Thursday night
2.6
Yards Michigan averaged per carry at
Utah on Thursday
43
Michigan passing attempts, compared
to 29 rushes.