Like another road loss to a ranked 
team, the sight of a Michigan 
quarterback running for dear life 
is nothing new. Last year, it led to 
injuries for Wilton Speight and 
Brandon Peters. It nearly did the 
same to Shea Patterson on Saturday, 
as the junior quarterback missed 
parts of the fourth quarter with 
cramps after being pressured all 
night.
Officially, Patterson was sacked 
three times and hurried on another 
six occasions. In reality, though, it 
was much worse.
The Wolverines’ offensive tackles 
looked almost helpless. Patterson 
rarely received a clean pocket to 
throw from — pressure from the 
edge or Notre Dame stunts came 
almost instantaneously. It showed 
in Michigan’s offense: quick throws 
were its only reliable way of moving 
the ball, and the Wolverines had just 
three plays of 15 yards or more with 
one offensive touchdown. 
But 
during 
Monday’s 
press 
conferences, coach Jim Harbaugh 
said he wasn’t concerned — and 
rather encouraged — by his offensive 
line’s performance.
“I thought it was improved,” 
Harbaugh said. “We look at it and 
there was quite a few boxes that 
were checked (as) this is improved. 
We’ll continue to get better, but it 
was one of the areas I think we’re 
improving in.”
Michigan started Jon Runyan Jr. 

and Juwann Bushell-Beatty at tackle, 
along with Ben Bredeson, Cesar Ruiz 
and Michael Onwenu — left to right 
— on the interior Saturday. Despite 
a plethora of glaring mistakes and 
the presence of reserves like redshirt 
freshman tackle James Hudson 
and junior guard Stephen Spanellis, 
Harbaugh said he’ll stick with the 
same group next week against 
Western Michigan.
“I think the way we played this 
week is the way we’ll play the next 
game with the offensive line,” 
Harbaugh said.
Junior tight end Sean McKeon 
and sophomore wide receiver Nico 
Collins echoed similar positive 
sentiments about the group, noting 
that fall camp isn’t the same animal 
as the Fighting Irish’s elite front 
seven.
“I thought (the line) looked good,” 
McKeon said. “The offensive line, 
obviously, they gotta work to build 
chemistry maybe even more than 
they tried to build in camp. So just 
got to build more chemistry up 
front.”
Added Collins: “(It’s a) great 
o-line. I feel like the criticism they 
(get) shouldn’t be talked about 
because I know how hard they 
work.”
Harbaugh 
and 
his 
players’ 
comments heavily contrast what’s 
being said outside Schembechler 
Hall. 
Fans, 
understandably 
frustrated by Michigan’s fourth-
straight loss dating back to last 
season, were quick to scapegoat the 
offensive line for Saturday’s results.

And while there were other 
issues — defensive penalties and 
the spectacular play of Notre Dame 
quarterback 
Brandon 
Wimbush 
— the offensive line was the most 
detrimental by far. It cost the 
Wolverines the ball or points on four 
separate occasions.
In the first quarter, Patterson took 
a 17-yard sack that pushed Michigan 
out of redshirt sophomore kicker 
Quinn Nordin’s range. Later, on 
second-and-goal at the two, Notre 
Dame got to Patterson again, forcing 
the Wolverines to settle for a field 
goal. The Fighting Irish’s pressure 
was also pivotal to Patterson’s 
interception and fumble — though 
both were partially avoidable.
Despite those plays, however, 
Harbaugh was encouraged by his 
quarterback’s performance.
“The thing that stood out the 
most was his accuracy, location of 
the balls,” Harbaugh said. “He was 
accurate all game. 
… 
First time in a 
game 

situation, 
I thought he 
ran (the offense) 
extremely well.”
That’s 
precisely 
why Michigan’s offensive 
line play is so frustrating for fans. 
For all the flashes Patterson showed 

Saturday, he won’t realize his 
potential if a defensive lineman 
is constantly in his facemask 
two seconds after the snap. And 
it certainly won’t be realized if 
Patterson’s hurt.
Harbaugh said his line has 
“improved”, and to be fair, that’s a 
relative word. He could genuinely 
feel like it has taken a step up from 
last year.
But it wasn’t good enough 
Saturday. Not even close.
Michigan’s offensive 
line has a long way to 
go. And no amount 
of 
Harbaugh 
and his players 
singing kumbaya 
changes that.

Saying or Doing?
 
Michigan has talked about 
its positives from Saturday’s 
game, but the product on the 
field wasn’t so sterling.

» Page 2B

A different kind of pain

After all of the hype for 
Michigan’s 2018-19 season, 
Saturday’s loss caused a new 
level of heartache.w
» Page 4B

Design by Jack Silberman
Evan Aaron / Daily

The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | September 4, 2018
B

SPORTSTUESDAY

LINE OF INQUIRY

MICHIGAN 17
NOTRE DAME 24

MARK CALCAGNO
Daily Sports Editor

A week ago, sophomore center Cesar 

Ruiz stood in front of reporters and made 

a proclamation.

“Our offensive line will be the one 

strength of our offense this year,” Ruiz 

said. When pressed with a follow-up, he 

doubled down.

“You’ll see.”

Saturday night, in Michigan’s 24-17 

season-opening loss to Notre Dame, 

anyone with two eyes and a television 

set saw plenty. They saw a quarterback 

constantly needing to evade oncoming 

rushers. They saw a normally potent 

rushing attack held to 58 yards on 33 

carries. They saw a group incessantly 

blown around like a tin roof in a 

hurricane.

For months, anyone who walked 

through 
Schembechler 
Hall 
was 

inundated with buzz about a new 

offensive line. Simplication from new 

offensive line coach Ed Warriner, they 

were told, was going to cure all ills from 

a group that finished 117th in adjusted 

sack rate.

So much for that.

“They brought a lot of blitzes at first,” 

reasoned junior running back Karan 

Higdon, “brought more guys than we 

can block.”

The 
statement 
— 
while 

mathematically true — belies the scarred, 

fatal flaw plaguing this program. The 

Wolverines’ offensive line is a problem 

that has no answer.

It will hold back an offense that is 

otherwise filled with playmakers. It will 

force schematic changes that mask its 

weakness. It could get its quarterback 

— who showed flashes of brilliance — 

injured. 

With Michigan in opposing territory 

at the end of the third quarter, hoping to 

close a double-digit gap, Notre Dame got 

a free rusher to junior quarterback Shea 

Patterson’s blindside. Patterson showed 

his elusiveness, evading a crunching hit, 

and scrambling for nine yards. 

One play later, the Fighting Irish ran a 

simple stunt, freeing a defensive lineman 

past Ruiz, and barreling through Higdon. 

Forced to release the ball early, Patterson 

heaved up a prayer as he was hit. Notre 

Dame defensive lineman Julian Okwara 

was waiting for the easy interception.

As he learned quickly, evade the 

swarming rush on one play, it’ll just be 

back the next.

“They got us on that one inside blitz 

that we didn’t pick up,” said Michigan 

coach Jim Harbaugh. “It was a good 

impression that their front was bringing 

the entire night. Some we blocked, yeah. 

Could we be better? Yes. We’ll work to 

improve.”

Added fifth-year senior defensive 

lineman Chase Winovich, when asked 

about the struggling unit: “I know 

they’re working hard. Just like myself 

and everybody else on this team, we’ve 

got corrections to be made. They’re a 

well-coached group of individuals and 

they’re going to be sure to leave those 

corrections moving forward.”

On this night in South Bend, the 

offensive line was far from the only 

reason for the loss. The defense over-

pursued on nearly every play in the first 

half, and paid dearly for it. Penalties 

mounted up — on both sides of the ball — 

to derail any semblance of momentum. 

At times, the offensive scheme looked 

familiarly bland. Notre Dame executed 

its game plan to perfection, pushing 

around the interior of Michigan’s defense 

like rag dolls.

There is reason to believe this team 

can mend those issues as the season 

progresses. There is no such reason to 

believe the offensive line will do the 

same.

Redshirt freshman James Hudson 

will undoubtedly see time as early as 

next week at one of the tackle spots, if for 

no other reason than there’s nothing to 

lose. Coaches and players have been sure 

to commend his talent during spring, 

with the competition for a starting spot 

coming down to the wire. He has the 

frame and athleticism. 

Freshman Jalen Mayfield might also 

get a shot, under the same whimsical 

rationale. He’s drawn rave reviews from 

the coaching staff and players.

But Harbaugh, Warriner and the 

rest of the coaching staff spent weeks 

of spring practice, offseason workouts 

and then fall practice, only to conclude 

MAX MARCOVITCH
Daily Sports Editor

that these were the five best offensive 

linemen to combat a formative Notre 

Dame front seven. To expect Hudson, 

Mayfield or any replacement to be a 

magic elixir would exceed naivety. 

Help will come the next couple 

weeks in the form of Western Michigan 

and SMU. Neither foe will offer 

Michigan anything resembling Notre 

Dame’s talented front seven. It could 

be a time to grow. It will certainly be a 

chance to see what the younger options 

have to offer.

“It’s the beginning,” Harbaugh said, 

when asked about his level of concern 

with the offense. “It’s the beginning for 

us. We’re not treating it like the end.”

But Saturday was a chance to back 

up the talk against a real opponent in a 

real environment against a real defense. 

Fans waited to see what Ruiz and the 

offensive line had in store. Saturday 

night, they got their fill. What they saw, 

though, was just more of the same.

The offensive line is not a strength, 

at least not yet. It is the common 

denominator luring an offense back into 

the familiar confines of mediocrity.

Far from promised improvement, o-line shows more of the same

Harbaugh, players defend offensive line