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Sports
Tuesday, September 18, 2018 — 7
Wolverines offensive line still has a way to go in run blocking
The Michigan football team
was without its starting running
back in its win over SMU. After
getting banged up in practice,
senior Karan Higdon missed
Saturday’s
game
with
an
undisclosed injury.
The status of Higdon, as well
as junior running back Chris
Evans, is not yet clear. Evans
limped off the field following a
35-yard scamper in the fourth
quarter and didn’t return.
“Karan
was
a
game-time
decision, just didn’t feel like
he could go,” said coach Jim
Harbaugh in his postgame press
conference. “And then Chris, we’ll
see what his situation is exactly.
It is like a strain or a cramp. We’ll
see (about next week).”
The
Wolverines
missed
Higdon’s
down-hill
style
in
short-yardage situations, instead
relying on the shiftier Evans and
junior Tru Wilson. Both finished
with respectable numbers —
Evans had 18 carries for 85 yards
while Wilson gained 53 yards
on 11 rushes — but not without
moments of ineffectiveness.
Michigan had seven runs of
one yard or less and averaged
just 2.8 yards-per-carry in the
first half. The running game’s
inefficiency
prevented
the
Wolverines’ offense to find the
the end zone more than twice in
the first half against a defense
that had allowed 88 points
through two weeks.
The series of small ground
pickups were reminiscent of the
Wolverines’ season-opening loss
at Notre Dame. Out-manned by a
dominant front-seven, Michigan
rushed 33 times for just 58 yards.
But a 308-yard, two-touchdown
effort last week against Western
Michigan
quieted
concerns
about the Wolverines’ run game.
That was until Saturday’s first
half.
Higdon’s absence undoubtedly
made a difference. There’s a
reason he’s Michigan’s first-
string back. But to find the true
culprit behind the tempered
running game, look no further
than the Wolverines’ offensive
line. Sounds familiar, right?
It’s the same five starters
that were maligned for their
pass protection in Week 1.
Though junior quarterback Shea
Patterson hasn’t been pressured
as consistently since, Michigan’s
front is still lapse-prone in run
blocking. Let’s roll the film.
The situation: 3rd-and-1 on
Michigan’s first drive
Higdon’s absence was first
detrimental on the game’s third
play from scrimmage. Needing
just a yard to move the chains, the
Wolverines line up I-formation
and handoff to Evans. It’s simple,
Jim Harbaugh power football.
Only power football doesn’t
work without blocking — nothing
does.
Moving off the left side of
the formation, redshirt junior
tight end Zach Gentry whiffed
on his primary target at the
second level. Junior right guard
Michael Onwenu
and
sophomore
fullback
Ben
Mason,
meanwhile,
can’t
seal
the
defensive
end,
forcing Evans to
cut inside. That’s
where
Gentry’s
assignment,
linebacker
Trevor Denbow,
had
already
come
through,
dropping the Michigan ball-
carrier for a loss.
Whether
or
not
Hidgon
would’ve gotten the first down is
besides the point. Gentry, Mason
and Onwenu all missed or over-
ran blocks.
Sometimes,
the
problem
is
not
limited
to
offensive
linemen.
The situation:
2-and-1,
scoreless in the
1st quarter
Another short-
yard
situation
with
similar
results.
Here,
the
Wolverines’
interior line falls
apart. Onwenu and junior left
guard Ben Bredeson generate
zero push off the snap, and once
the SMU’s linebackers meet the
pile, sophomore center Cesar
Ruiz falls over.
This was never going to be
a big play for Michigan. The
Mustangs have too many heads
in the box, as they’re anticipating
an inside run in the redzone.
But after a strong performance
last week, Bredeson, Owenu and
Ruiz struggled to create space
against a mediocre defensive
line. It’s one thing to get beat by
Notre Dame’s Jerry Tillery — a
top-end NFL defensive tackle
prospect. It’s another to struggle
against a defense that’s now 0-3.
The situation: 1st-and-15,
Michigan up 15 in the 4th
quarter
This is an example of the
Wolverines’ play-calling working
to perfection.
After gaining 11 yards on
an Ambry Thomas jet sweep
in
the
first
half,
Michigan
sent sophomore wide receiver
Nico Collins in motion across
the formation. This attracts
the
attention
of
two
SMU
linebackers, who are caught
motionless or moving left when
Evans gets the handoff.
Simultaneously,
Onwenu
sealed
his
block
and
both
Bredeson and senior left tackle
Jon Runyan Jr. get to the second
level, and Evans was off to the
races.
That jet sweep action won’t
work every time. But if the
Wolverines can find other ways
to make defenses hesitate, expect
more big runs like this despite
Michigan’s share of blocking
blunders.
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Junior left guard Ben Bredeson and the Michigan offensive line didn’t get as much push in the running game against SMU as they did the week before in the Wolverines’ win over Western Michigan.
MARK CALCAGNO
Daily Sports Editor
“... Chris,
we’ll what his
situation is
exactly.”
Harbaugh, players react to targeting calls
How do you fix something
that doesn’t seem wrong to
you?
It’s a question coach Jim
Harbaugh and his players are
trying to figure out themselves.
Early in the third quarter of
Saturday’s game against SMU,
junior VIPER Khaleke Hudson
was
ejected
for
targeting
after he initiated helmet-to-
helmet contact with Mustangs
quarterback William Brown on
a run play.
In
Harbaugh’s
weekly
Monday press conference, he
didn’t understand the call.
“Waiting for clarification
on the targeting, still not with
that one,” Harbaugh said. “I’d
like an explanation, we’d all
like an explanation on that.
You compare it to other plays in
the game where you’re hitting
a ball carrier with the crown of
your helmet, that’s happened
a lot. In fact, the runner is
leading with the crown of their
helmet when they’re running
a play. Didn’t think Khaleke’s
was with the crown of his
helmet. I thought he led with
his shoulder.”
As
the
NCAA
football
rulebook states: “No player
shall target and make forcible
contact to the head or neck area
of a defenseless opponent with
the helmet, forearm, hand, fist,
elbow or shoulder.”
The
impact
of
the
aforementioned
rule
and
its refinements to increase
player safety have been highly
publicized in recent years — a
judgment typically drawing ire
from coaches for its inherent
subjectivity. Whether or not
Hudson led with his shoulder
or head, there was indisputable
contact made with the crown
of Brown’s helmet, which is
defined as any area above
the facemask, 360 degrees
around the helmet. The players
understand
that
targeting
is not exclusive to helmet
hits, but the definition of
“forcible contact” has spurred
disagreement.
“When a person like that is
moving so fast, and the decision
is almost instant and he ducks
his head, I have nothing else
left to hit besides lower my
head lower than his and hurt
my neck for him,” said junior
middle linebacker Devin Bush.
“It’s
kinda
hard to make
those decisions
going that fast.
“(Referees
are)
more
trigger-happy
with
it.
Any
sign of a person
getting
hit,
and it makes
a certain kind
of
sound
or
their neck goes a certain way,
they’re throwing a flag. If I’m
hitting a person and I could get
kicked out of the game for that,
I’m only hurting my team for
trying to win.”
Hudson’s
ejection,
which
will force him to also miss the
first half of the Big Ten opener
against Nebraska on Saturday,
was
already
the
second
targeting call for a Michigan
player through three games.
Early into the season opener
against Notre Dame, junior
safety
Josh
Metellus
was
ejected for targeting Fighting
Irish tight end Alize Mack on a
26-yard reception.
Again, the referee’s decision
bred confusion and a sobering
realization.
“It’s
just
something we’ve
gotta live with
and work around
with the rules
of
the
game
changing,”
said
senior
safety
Tyree
Kinnel.
“I didn’t think
Khaleke
or
Josh committed
targeting, but the ref called it
so we’ve gotta deal with it.”
In the aftermath of the
targeting calls, the defensive
players
have
remained
steadfastly
confident
that
it’s an issue that can be
mitigated, and one that can be
overcome when faced in games.
Kinnel later praised backup
safety Brad Hawkins for his
emergence in the secondary, as
well as backup VIPER Jordan
Glasgow in the absence of
Hudson in the second half.
But
for
others,
like
cornerbacks
coach
Mike
Zordich, the reality of the
now
oft-enforced
targeting
rules has changed the way he
coaches his unit.
“We watch film on things of
that nature to remind the guys
of those hits, those helmet-to-
helmet (hits),” Zordich said
after the Notre Dame game.
“When I played, this is what
it was all about — you put your
face on things. Now you’ve got
to keep that out of the way. It’s
a whole different way to play.
“And I totally appreciate
it. But don’t hurt the team
because of a judgment call.”
For
now,
Harbaugh,
Zordich and their team await
explanations from the Big Ten
office about the targeting calls
and other penalties the team
inquired about. But even with
clarification, a quick fix that
satisfies all parties isn’t in the
cards.
ETHAN WOLFE
Daily Sports Writer
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Junior VIPER Khaleke Hudson was kicked out early in the third quarter of Saturday’s game for targeting.
“Didn’t think
Khaleke’s was
with the crown
of his helmet.”
‘M’ drops its first set of
season, still beats Irish
Here’s something you haven’t
heard all year — the No. 18 Michigan
volleyball team dropped a set.
Then again, here’s something you
have — the Wolverines won.
If you asked them, they would
only talk about the latter, not that
the team ignored dropping a set.
It’d be hard to avoid when making
adjustments and improvements. But
in the bigger picture of things, it was
what it’s been all year — a non-factor.
“I don’t even think we set any
expectations,” said Michigan coach
Mark Rosen on dropping a set. “We
didn’t think we weren’t going to drop
a set all season long. Nobody really
felt that was a thing.
“It was more about how we
recovered from that just like in any
match and first set, second set, and
especially third set, ‘How are we
going to do the next set?’ And I think
they responded well.”
After 32 consecutive set wins,
the Wolverines dropped one in
their matchup against Notre Dame
during the backend of a home-and-
away. The usually disciplined team
committed 26 errors compared
to the Fighting Irish’s 18, and the
balanced offense Michigan prides
itself on was reduced to a season-low
.093 attack percentage for the losing
third set.
But it was all within the game
plan.
Not losing a set that is, but
encountering
the
heavy
and
suffocating Notre Dame defense,
adjusting to the schemes and
bouncing back.
“They did a really good job of
adjusting to us,” Rosen said. “They’re
a very good defensive team. They can
do some things to take things away
from you.”
The adjustments didn’t start
straight out of the fold, though. Rosen
pointed to attack percentage and kills
as indicators of the Wolverines’ hot
start. Eighteen kills on 36 attempts —
a .361 attack percentage — for a single
set are the most efficient posted by
Michigan in the Notre Dame series.
The second set is when the chess
match began for Rosen, however.
“They made some adjustments
in the second set,” Rosen said. “And
they took some things away from
us that we did really well, and the
game started flipping. Our offense
certainly was not efficient. We were
able to pull it out, but I don’t think we
were playing great.
“It was kind of a back-and-forth
thing where there were lots of
adjustments made with them and
us.”
In order to clinch an up-and-
down second set, senior outside
hitter Carly Skjodt and junior setter
Mackenzi Welsh had to post back-
to-back kills when the set was tied,
23-23. Skjodt had a team-high 13
kills and added 16 digs for a double-
double. Welsh posted a game-high 46
assists while expanding the team’s
offensive options when the Fighting
Irish figured out how to counter the
initial offense.
And after the third set, Michigan
needed it. With just 11 kills and a .093
attack percentage — a percentage
well below the standards of any team
— the Wolverines looked to their
depth for an answer. And thus the
adjustments began.
Using
the
middle
offense
more, junior outside hitter Sydney
Wetterstrom
and
sophomore
middle blocker Kiara Shannon saw
an immediate impact early in the
final set that helped atone for the
plethora of errors committed by
the early offense. With a 5-0 burst
late in the set due to the rotation of
bench players, Michigan overcame
Notre Dame, which had a top-heavy
offense and relied on three players for
the majority of its offensive impact.
And the Wolverines had all
seen this before, in the teams’ prior
matchup on Friday. But as Rosen
noted, “Part of it is that you’re used to
it or you’ve seen it, but it doesn’t make
it any easier.”
VOLLEYBALL
TIEN LE
Daily Sports Writer