OL looks to carry improvement As Michigan’s offense entered the season with sky-high expectations, every conversation was rooted in one assumption: The Wolverines would have a steady, reliable offensive line. It was built into the widespread confidence in Shea Patterson’s growth and was the foundation behind the lack of concern in a run game that lost its top two ball- carriers. And the assumption made sense. Everyone except redshirt freshman right tackle Jalen Mayfield was a returning starter. Senior Ben Bredeson was a preseason All-American at left guard. Jon Runyan, Cesar Ruiz and Michael Onwenu had all blossomed into steady presences over the second half of 2018, earning varying All-Big Ten honors. Then Runyan missed the first two games with a hand injury, creating instability in a unit that was supposed to be anything but. The result wasn’t pretty. The Wolverines struggled to pass protect against two overmatched defensive lines in Middle Tennessee State and Army. Against Wisconsin, the unit finally burst. Shea Patterson rarely had time to look past his first read, and the running backs couldn’t find running lanes in a 35-14 loss. It forced Jim Harbaugh into an assessment he couldn’t have dreamt of three weeks earlier. “Offensive line, we talked about that being an experienced group,” Harbaugh said. “They gotta play good, they gotta hustle and they gotta protect the quarterback and they gotta play physical in both areas, in pass protection and the run game. It’s our job to get them to do that. We’ve got backs that need holes. We expect our offensive line to move people and that didn’t happen this past game.” So as Michigan prepared to move beyond Wisconsin and salvage the rest of its season, physicality and hustle were heavy focuses in practice in the lead up to Saturday’s win over Rutgers. “We had a good week last week from a physicality standpoint,” Bredeson said. “I thought we really upped that from the week before against Wisconsin.” But the Wolverines’ struggles went beyond that. An offensive line whose reputation was predicated on familiarity couldn’t get out of its own way, mixing pre- snap penalties with holding calls and missed assignments. “Just trying to make sure we get all our calls situated, trying to stay out of third-and-long situations,” Bredeson said of the focuses in practice after the Wisconsin game. “If we can get some yards on first and second down, then we won’t have to be in such obvious passing situations and that helps our protection a lot. Just working with (Ruiz) and getting the communication from all the positions on the line, letting everybody know where things need to be, where to slide, where we’re IDing things.” The result was an offensive line performance that finally lived up to expectations. Patterson was still brought down for one official “sack,” but it came on a scramble out of bounds, just short of the line of scrimmage. Pressure, in the traditional sense, was virtually non-existent. And for a team that was never supposed to worry about its offensive line, that’s a promising sign, even against Rutgers. “I thought the pass pro improved a lot,” Bredeson said. “We were able to make some big in-game adjustments in the middle of the drive, which was something that we were really happy to see. And we had some small mistakes, came together, corrected it and were able to keep moving with no issues.” Added Harbaugh: “That’s some of the things that we’ve been seeing in practice for a couple months now. And it was good to see that in the game.” Now, the question becomes whether Michigan can replicate that performance against Iowa. When a reporter described the Hawkeyes as a “measuring stick” for the Wolverines’ growth since Wisconsin, Bredeson said, “You hit it right on the head.” That, of course, can go two ways. Replicating its performance in Madison would be a death blow to Michigan’s season goals. But right now, that’s not what this offensive line is thinking about. “Going against a strong defense like (Iowa) — I thought we had a good offensive week this past week,” Bredeson said. “And just carrying that on and getting to that next step would be huge for us.” Run game proves vital for identity The football theory of establishing the run has been long disproven. There’s no correlation between running the ball early and winning games, no matter how many coaches or players insist otherwise. And there’s no statistical reason to particularly care about establishing the run. But stats aren’t everything. And for Michigan, it’s about something more than finding a statistical correlation to winning. All last week, in the wake of Wisconsin manhandling the Wolverines, we heard about how Michigan wanted to be more physical. How when the Wolverines lost that, rushing for just 40 yards on 19 tries against the Badgers, they lost their identity. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Michigan came out running against Rutgers, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it did so successfully. “It’s important,” said senior guard Ben Bredeson. “You gotta establish the run, like you said, to (set up) our passes. Thought we did a good job with that, thought we ran the ball well on Saturday.” The Wolverines scampered for 141 yards on the ground, their highest mark since the opener against Middle Tennessee, as their offense found a coherent rhythm for the first time all year. The runs set up Josh Gattis’ option game, and senior quarterback Shea Patterson looked comfortable making reads in the new offense for the first time. Unlike in week two against Army, when freshman Zach Charbonnet carried the ball 33 times, Michigan kept its rotation mixed. That’s in part due to a lingering injury to Charbonnet, who had just five carries, but Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh indicated that a committee setup could be here to stay. “I liked the fact that you can split it up, maybe 20, 20, 20, maybe a few for a fourth guy,” Harbaugh said. “But Zach played really well. Christian Turner played really well in this game, had some really fine runs. And Hassan Haskins really played well.” That fourth guy, presumably, would be Tru Wilson, who returned from a broken hand with four carries for 13 yards. Wilson said Monday he played with a pad on his hand, but it didn’t affect him. Even against Rutgers in a relatively successful game on the ground, the numbers weren’t completely there. Michigan averaged just 3.4 yards per carry, and even with the caveats of garbage time, sacks and a lot of carries in the red zone, that number should raise eyebrows. That’s where, to buy that the Wolverines found the success they were looking for on the ground, you need to buy that it was as much about the mentality as the bottom- line number. “I think we just got in a rhythm early and like I said, this offense gets in a rhythm, you can see the big plays that we can create,” Bredeson said. “That’s something we were able to do and we kept rolling with it.” Certainly, that much is true. A healthier Charbonnet will presumably make the stats look better. But like everything in Saturday’s 52-0 win, 3.4 yards per carry comes with the asterisk of being against Rutgers, arguably the worst team in the Power Five. Iowa, a team that’s giving up just 78.5 yards on the ground per game, will provide a stiffer test this Saturday. Don’t expect Michigan to stray away from its principles. “Being a Michigan running back, it’s really important (to establish the run) because throughout the years, you see that they’re just a punishing running team,” Wilson said. “Just building an identity of being a physical team.” ETHAN SEARS Managing Sports Editor KEEMYA ESMAEL/Daily Freshman running back Zach Charbonnet was limited against the Scarlet Knights due to a lingering injury. Amid criticism, D-Line bounces back A week ago, Michigan’s defensive line — so vaunted a year ago — left Madison among the most beleaguered units on a team that faced criticism at every position. The criticism centered on the run game, in which the Wolverines allowed 359 yards and five touchdowns. Hidden behind those eye-popping numbers, Michigan’s pass rush also struggled, finishing with only one sack and allowing Wisconsin quarterback Jack Coan ample time to throw all game en route to a 13-for-16 performance. “(Wisconsin) controlled the game,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said after the game. “With the running game, it was easy to see that and make the big plays as well, so (running back Jonathan Taylor) was impressive.” Any bounceback the Wolverines provided against Rutgers was always going to be shrouded in the caveat of the opponent. While Wisconsin features one of the nation’s best offensive lines, Rutgers was overmatched by Michigan’s athleticism. Still, dominating Rutgers beats the alternative. Early on, it looked as if the easiest remaining game on Michigan’s schedule might not be as simple as promised. Quarterback Artur Sitkowski completed five straight passes, taking Rutgers into the red zone as Michigan’s defense unexpectedly found itself on the ropes on its second possession of the day. As Sitkowski rolled out on fourth-and-5 from the Wolverines’ 8-yard line, there was a sense that the play carried a greater importance than seven meaningless points in what would soon become a blowout. This was Michigan’s chance to put a week of talk about bouncing back to the test. So when sophomore defensive end Aidan Hutchinson stopped Sitkowski at the line of scrimmage, the Wolverines’ defense reacted accordingly. “It was great,” said sophomore linebacker Cam McGrone. “You always bring your best on those fourth downs when they try to disrespect you and say that they can get this first down and get in the end zone so it was really good to get that. We needed that.” For the rest of the day, Rutgers’ offense reverted to what was expected of it. All 10 of the Scarlet Knights’ remaining drives ended in their own territory. Just three featured first-down conversions. Though Michigan’s pass rush finished with just one more sack than it did against Wisconsin, its constant pressure was obvious throughout. After looking at ease during points in the first quarter, Sitkowski rarely had time to look beyond his first read, forcing incompletions and dump-offs when Rutgers needed chunk plays. “Man, the pressure they got, they made it easy on the secondary and the linebackers,” McGrone said. “It was just great from them and helped us ... cause they couldn’t throw it anywhere, they had no time.” The run defense also rebounded, limiting the Scarlet Knights to 46 yards on 29 attempts. Their biggest run of the day went for just six yards — a touch below Wisconsin’s average of 6.3 per carry last week. “That’s a position group that was really challenged during the week — the inside players, the nose, the three- techniques,” Harbaugh said. “And I thought that group really responded well.” And yes, the biggest reason for that response was the opponent. McGrone even admitted to needing to replicate Saturday’s performance next week, “against a better team” in No. 14 Iowa. One difference that will carry over to Iowa is the presence of senior defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour. While Dwumfour sat for most of the first three games, a hodgepodge of players playing out of position failed to make up his production beside Carlo Kemp, leaving gaping holes in the middle of Michigan’s defense. In his return to significant playing time, the difference was instantly notable. “Mike had a huge impact,” said junior defensive end Kwity Paye. “Mike’s one of our best pass rushers so to have him in there on our stunts, to be able to pressure the quarterback was huge. So I’m happy he’s back.” Where Michigan’s performance on the defensive line against Iowa next week falls on the vast spectrum between its showings against Wisconsin and Rutgers remains to be seen. But against the Scarlet Knights, the Wolverines did all they could, quieting criticism for at least one week. “We got that goose egg on the board,” McGrone said. “And that’s what we needed.” THEO MACKIE Daily Sports Editor KEEMYA ESMAEL/Daily Kwity Paye was part of a much-improved defensive line against Rutgers. THEO MACKIE Daily Sports Editor RUCHITA IYER/Daily Guard Ben Bredeson called Iowa a measuring stick for Michigan’s offensive line. 8 — Tuesday, October 1, 2019 Sports The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com The Official Merchandise Retailer of Michigan Athletics Meet & Greet with Sarah Harbaugh! The M Den on Campus – 303 S. State St. 10/2 | 6-8 P.M. Introducing Sarah Harbaugh’s new custom collection by Valiant, an essential addition to any Wolverine women’s wardrobe. Come meet the designer herself and shop her new athleisure collection on October 2nd from 6 - 8 p.m. at The M Den on Campus. The first 50 customers that purchase an item from the Sarah Harbaugh collection will receive a FREE GIFT from The M Den.