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.

