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Sports
Thursday, September 5, 2019 — 7
How Eubanks unlocks the offense
A spread offense, as with any
other, is usually defined by its
personnel. Philosophically, the
idea of forcing opponents to
defend all 53.5 yards of horizontal
space on a football field translates
to getting athletic guys to run
routes
and
spreading
them
out. Usually, that means wide
receivers.
The proliferation of the spread
means that the three receiver,
or 11 personnel (one back, one
tight end) looks have fast become
the norm. In the NFL last year,
teams used it 64 percent of the
time, per Football Outsiders’
Almanac. More traditional looks
with two backs (21 personnel)
or two tight ends (12 personnel)
— the kind Michigan fans have
become accustomed to under Jim
Harbaugh — were used 7.3 and 16
percent of the time, respectively.
More relevant, the last three
offenses with Josh Gattis on staff
have used 11 personnel 96, 94
and 61 percent of the time, per
Pro Football Focus. Hiring him
with the promise of a pro-spread
offense seemed to imply that the
35 percent of the time Michigan
spent in 11 last year would rocket
upwards.
This did not account for Nick
Eubanks.
Eubanks, a senior tight end,
came to Michigan at 236 pounds.
He checked in this year at 6-foot-
5, 256 pounds, or in other words,
the same height and four pounds
smaller than Travis Kelce of the
NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs.
Athletically
speaking,
that
means Eubanks can line up next
to a tackle and block. It means he
can split out wide and run a route.
It means he’s probably bigger than
most defensive backs and faster
than most linebackers, which in
turn means that when defensive
coordinators prepare for the
Wolverines, they need to spend
time figuring out how to deal with
Nick Eubanks.
Football is a never-ending game
of chess where if you can force an
opponent to react to what you’re
doing, you’re probably winning.
Eubanks can force a reaction.
“I think it really clicked at
the end of the summer and then
training camp it started to show
up,” tight ends coach Sherrone
Moore said. “Cause he was
starting to make play after play
after play, but that was not only in
the passing game, it was in the run
game.”
Even without a high volume
— just 10 catches in three years —
Eubanks’ ability had always been
obvious. In those 10 catches, he
went for 218 yards. This summer,
he met with Moore as much as
possible and put in extra work
in the run game. Last Saturday
in Michigan’s opener, the fruits
of that labor started to become
apparent.
The Wolverines, new offense
and all, spent more time in 12
personnel, with Eubanks and
Sean McKeon at tight end, than
in 11. On an early second quarter
drive where two RPOs and a post
route to Nico Collins resulted
in a touchdown that seemed to
personify Gattis’ speed in space
philosophy, they were in 12
personnel the whole time.
In
an
offense
where
the
purpose of everything is to create
conflict for the defense, Eubanks
just raises more questions for
opposing coordinators to try and
solve.
On that Collins post route,
Eubanks is lined up as the H
receiver, a threat to either run
block or run a route — conflict
exacerbated by Michigan having
run RPOs on the two previous
plays. Eubanks runs a wheel route,
taking two defenders including
a safety with him and helping
create a 1-on-1 for Collins.
Later in the game, this time
as the lone tight end on the
field, Eubanks lined up as the H
receiver again on second-and-2.
At any prior point in his career,
that would have been a smoke
signal telling the defense it’s
going to be a pass. Instead, the
Wolverines ran a split-zone read
with Patterson keeping the ball
as Eubanks arced around the
formation as a lead blocker.
McKeon said Monday that part
of the reason Michigan used so
much 12 personnel was specific
to the matchup against Middle
Tennessee. “But I think Nick as
the H tight end, he’s so versatile,
he can line up as a receiver or come
in and block,” McKeon said. “So
really got to defend everything
out of that personnel with us.”
The Wolverines aren’t about to
take it out of their rotation, and
the percentages are unlikely to
dictate a more traditional spread.
As long as they have Eubanks,
they don’t need to.
“We can get in any formation
we have in the offense in that
personnel and do whatever we
want,” Moore said. “We can use
him as a fullback, we can use Sean
as a fullback. We can use them
both split out wide, as receivers.
We can use them on the line.
“So it’s just going to create
problems for defenses.”
‘NASCAR’ package gives versatility
All
offseason,
the
hype
surrounding
Michigan
has
been a product of its offensive
promise. The phrase at the core
of that hype, of course, has been
Josh Gattis’ mantra of “speed in
space.”
Saturday night against Middle
Tennessee State, Don Brown
made sure his defense didn’t get
left behind, adding speed with
regular NASCAR packages —
looks with four defensive ends.
A year ago, the Wolverines
never needed the look to generate
pressure. Chase Winovich and
Rashan Gary, with the occasional
third-down
appearance
from
Josh Uche, filled that task with
ease.
But with Winovich and Gary
gone, Michigan’s strength at
defensive end lies in its depth.
Sophomore Aidan Hutchinson
and junior Kwity Paye are the
starters, but Uche — typically
a linebacker — can slot in as
an edge rusher. Behind them,
senior Michael Danna, a transfer
from Central Michigan, brings
a skillset that produced the
nation’s second-highest success
rate on pass rushes in 2018,
according to Pro Football Focus.
So when Brown looked at the
personnel in front of him, his
solution became clear.
“When you realize you got
guys you can run and you want
all of them on the field, that’s
when we’re like, ‘We got to
get them on the field,’ ” said
defensive line coach Shaun Nua.
“So coach Brown does a great job
of making sure that we identify
good players, their strengths and
design packages to get them on.”
Saturday,
the
look’s
first
appearance brought a mix of
confusion and intrigue — the
sight of Uche and Hutchinson’s
speed on the interior makes
that inevitable. On the MTSU
offensive
line,
confusion
prevailed, with a pulling guard
leaving a gaping hole for fifth-
year senior linebacker Jordan
Glasgow to blast through.
After one NASCAR package,
MTSU’s statline against it: one
sack, negative-eight yards.
The next time the Wolverines
ran it, they nearly added a safety
to the tally, as a potential hold
on Uche in the end zone went
uncalled. Midway through the
third quarter — the package’s
fifth usage — it forced MTSU
quarterback Asher O’Hara into
a lame-duck pass that senior
cornerback Lavert Hill dropped
with 20 yards of open field
between him and the end zone.
Despite
the
miscues,
Michigan’s final statline on its
NASCAR packages that weren’t
nullified by penalties: seven
plays, one sack, 3-for-6 passing,
10 yards.
“It just adds pressure to the
quarterback and something for
the other team to think about,”
Glasgow said. “And when you
think about it, we have a lot of
other people that could fill the
roles of everyone in that package,
or anyone on the field at that
time.”
For now, the package is largely
constrained
to
3rd-and-long
situations because of the speed
the defensive ends provide, but
when asked about the possibility
of using it on other downs and
distances, Nua said: “Coach
Brown likes to call it whenever,
we just got to be ready.”
The one time Michigan used
it in another situation Saturday
— 2nd-and-9 at midfield — Uche
and Paye jumped offside, all
the defensive ends stopped and
MTSU picked up an easy first
down. Those are the unavoidable
miscues that will take more than
a week to iron out.
But the tape is resoundingly
positive. And this week, the
assessment
at
Schembechler
Hall has followed suit.
“It’s great cause it’s a lot of
quickness and speed on that
front so we can attack every
position on the offensive line,”
Danna said. “And we got a whole
lot more of that coming this
season, so I’m excited.”
ETHAN SEARS
Managing Sports Editor
THEO MACKIE
Daily Sports Editor
Robinson, Pertofsky prove versatile enough to support new system
In Friday morning’s season
opener, the Michigan volleyball
team’s two class of 2019 early
signees flashed more than just
potential.
In their debuts, freshmen Jess
Robinson and May Pertofsky
were
the
driving
offensive
forces
in
the
15th-ranked
Wolverines’ sweep of Oakland.
The duo maintained the two
highest attack efficiencies on
the team, even while leading
the offense in total volume.
Pertofsky
and
Robinson
finished
with
nine
and
eight
kills,
respectively,
on
just
22
combined
swings.
While
most
freshmen
are
prone
to
mistakes,
the
two committed
just
three
hitting errors in total — good for
a collective hitting percentage
of .636. For reference, roughly
.250 is considered the average
for a pin hitter. It’s only August,
and the program’s two blue chip
recruits are already posting
encouraging numbers.
Take one play in the second
set, for example. With Michigan
up 17-10, Robinson’s eyes lit
up as an errant Golden Grizzly
forearm pass began a trajectory
across the net. She took a half-
step backward, loaded up and
leapt almost immediately. She
seemingly levitated and, soon
after, celebrated after burying
the overpass with ease.
“When she jumped, we all
thought she jumped early,” said
Michigan coach Mark Rosen.
“But she kept going up and the
next thing we knew, she was
perfectly on time. With things
like that, you don’t know them
real well yet so you see those
things and they’re exciting.
“… There’s still tons to learn
for them. They’re good learners
and they’re super competitive,
and I think they did a really nice
job coming out of the gates.”
Expectations for Robinson
— the nation’s No. 8 recruit,
according to Prep Volleyball —
were particularly high over the
summer. After finding herself
in the middle of a four-horse
race for two middle blocker
jobs,
the
6-foot-2
in-state
product’s
debut
will
only
keep the hype train rolling.
Pertofsky,
meanwhile,
hails
from Los Angeles, where she
racked up three All-League
Gold Coast MVP
awards
during
her high school
career.
Though
both
of
them
are
natural
outside
hitters,
they’ve
been seeing the
most court time
at opposite and
middle blocker in
what Rosen calls
his “three middle offense.”
With
four
legitimate
candidates for just two starting
middle blocker spots, Rosen got
creative. In order to preserve
the 6-2 system — a volleyball
notation that translates to six
eligible hitters and two setters
— the Wolverines are able to
keep Pertofsky and Robinson
at the right side pin. Fifth-year
senior middle blocker Cori
Crocker and sophomore middle
blocker Kayla Bair both perform
best with attackers on each side
of them, and Rosen is able to
sandwich them between two
other eligible hitters by keeping
his two prized freshmen at
the right pin. Bair opened the
season sidelined with an injury,
but it’ll be a sustainable system
even when she returns.
It’s the best way to keep
each weapon involved without
sacrificing one of senior setter
MacKenzi
Welsh’s
options,
but the option wouldn’t even
be on the table if Robinson and
Pertofsky
weren’t
versatile
enough to handle it. Thanks
to their experience as outside
hitters, adjusting to the new
system didn’t take long for the
newcomers.
“It allows us to put (Bair and
Crocker) in a position where
they can play straight up middle
and never have to worry about
being in a 5-1, but you have to
have versatile players to do it,”
Rosen said. “When Jess and May
came in, we could see they can
hit second tempo balls, they can
block on the right, they can hit in
transition and they can hit out of
system. So we started cooking up
this system because it allows us
to hide some of our weaknesses
while maximizing our strengths.”
Friday morning wasn’t a sign
of what Robinson and Pertofsky
can do in this system down the
road, it was a sign of how they can
help take the Wolverines back to
the Sweet 16 — if not deeper into
the NCAA Tournament — sooner
rather than later.
“We’re
excited
about
(the
system),” Rosen said. “It gives us
the best chance to be competitive
at a high level. We’ve still got
a lot of work to do, but they’ll
get there.”
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Senior tight end Nick Eubanks has worked on his run-blocking ability leading
up to this season in order to complement his receiving ability.
DANIEL DASH
Daily Sports Writer
FILE PHOTO/Daily
Michigan coach Mark Rosen noted the value of two new freshmen — Jess Robinson and May Petrofsky — in their successful debuts with the volleyball team.
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Sophomore defensive end Aidan Hutchinson is one of the four defensive ends who frequently plays in the package.
They’re good
learners and
they’re super
competitive.