The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, November 11, 2020 — 19
How will Michigan replace Aidan
Hutchinson?
It’s been eight quarters since
the
Michigan
football
team
recorded a sack. And on Saturday,
things got worse.
Junior defensive end Aidan
Hutchinson will miss the rest of
the season and requires surgery
to repair a fracture on his leg,
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh
said Monday. ESPN reported that
Hutchinson will be out for four
months.
“He’s
worked
so
hard,”
Harbaugh said. “He’s put so much
into it and playing really good, but
I know he’ll come back stronger,
faster, better. Just the way he is.
He is so high drive that this is
not something that’s gonna be a
detriment to his career. And he’s
young, he’ll heal fast and like you
said, he’ll come back even better
and stronger and faster.”
Hutchinson, a team captain
and an NFL prospect, was one of
the loudest voices in Michigan’s
program advocating for a season
to be played this year. For a
defensive line that was already
struggling, it’s hard to quantify
what the loss will mean, and it
might be exacerbated if Kwity
Paye misses extended time.
Paye, another NFL prospect
who starts opposite Hutchinson,
limped off in the second half of
Saturday’s loss to Indiana. He
also left the Michigan State game
with an injury but returned. Paye
and Hutchinson combined for 10
sacks in 2019.
“Obviously when you have
Aidan or Kwity, two guys that
we really rely on, go down, it’s
gonna really affect the game,”
junior
defensive
end
Taylor
Upshaw said Monday. “But I have
confidence in the backups and the
guys behind me so it’s just gonna
be one of those things, we have to
step up.”
Upshaw, who had a tackle for
loss against Indiana, is now a de
facto starter on the defensive line.
The position group has struggled
in the last two games, both losses
in which the defense assumed
much of the blame.
“It’s a huge opportunity for
me,” he said. “You guys probably
know I haven’t received the
playing time that I would’ve
wanted, but now it’s a do-or-die
situation, so I’m happy I get to
showcase my skills to the nation.”
Defensive
coordinator
Don
Brown has built his system
around blitzing, pressuring the
quarterback and supplementing
it with press-man coverage. That
hasn’t worked so far this year, in
part because of inexperience in
the secondary and in part because
there
hasn’t
been
pressure.
Upshaw added that the line has
seen more max protections and
chip blocks this year.
When one part of the defense
doesn’t go as planned, it’s hard
to compensate. When both don’t,
you get results like the last two
weeks,
in
which
Michigan’s
defense gave up 460 and 449
yards to Indiana and Michigan
State, respectively.
In years past, the defensive
end group has been deep. Last
year, for example, Michael Danna
and Josh Uche were able to spell
Paye
and
Hutchinson.
This
year, Brown will need unproven
players like Upshaw, Dave Ojabo,
Luiji Vilain, Gabe Newburg and
Kris Jenkins to step up.
Harbaugh
also
named
defensive tackles Chris Hinton,
Jess Speight and Mazi Smith on
Monday when asked about the
pass rush. “Giving all those guys
the opportunity to go and see
if we can’t generate more pass
rush,” he said.
He repeatedly referred to
making tweaks in order to fix
the problems that have the
Wolverines below .500. When
asked for specifics, he mostly
demurred,
saying
it
would
include giving reps to guys who
haven’t played, as well as minor
schematic changes.
“Guys like Kris Jenkins and
David Ojabo (are) really ready to
play and play fast,” Harbaugh said.
“Just get in there and give some
reps and get the lip quiver a little
bit and snot bubble coming out of
the nose. Go play aggressive, play
hard, free plays and then come
out and you’re playing well, get
another three (downs).”
If that doesn’t work, it’s hard
to see where Michigan can turn
next. The defense is at a crisis
point after Saturday and just
lost one of its best players for the
season. And the schedule doesn’t
get any easier.
“We have to get back there,”
Upshaw said. “At the end of
the day it’s on us. If we’re not
producing we have to improve.”
ETHAN SEARS
Managing Sports Editor
Milton struggles with consistency
at Indiana
BLOOMINGTON
—
Cornelius Johnson kept his
answers brief when he spoke
to reporters. But when asked
about the identity Michigan’s
offense wants, he was clear.
“To
be
explosive
and
control the game and make
plays on the perimeter, make
plays when balls come to you
and ultimately to win ball
games,
helping
contribute
to the team,” the sophomore
receiver said. “That’s our goal
as a group and that’s what we
envision.”
In
fleeting
moments
Saturday, Michigan embodied
that ideal. Johnson’s first-
quarter
touchdown
came
on a 37-yard post route that
showed everyone exactly what
junior quarterback Joe Milton
could do. Later in the game,
Milton led a touchdown drive
that featured two big plays
by Ronnie Bell — the second
of
which
included
Milton
throwing as he veered left for a
52-yard gain. In that sense, the
preseason
prognostications
surrounding
the
talent
of
Michigan’s quarterback have
come to pass.
No one has any doubt that
Milton is capable of making
plays.
But through three games,
Milton has run into the problem
of consistency. For all the
plays where he makes the ball
sing with a flick of his wrist,
there seem to be more where
he overthrows his receiver
by 10 yards or throws into
double coverage. He finished
Michigan’s
38-21
loss
to
Indiana a modest 18-of-34 with
344 yards, three touchdowns
and two interceptions — which
came on the Wolverines’ final
two drives, when Milton tried
to lead a comeback.
“It’s not always on my
shoulders,” Milton said of the
fourth quarter.
On those drives, though, as
Milton took ambitious shots
that resulted in two ugly
interceptions and the end of
Michigan’s chances, it seemed
as though he was acting like it
was.
“My whole process is not to
be the hero, just take what they
give me,” Milton said. “If they
back up, just come out to my
checkdown. They come close,
take a shot.”
In
Michigan’s
season-
opener,
a
dominant
49-24
win over Minnesota, Milton’s
performance was notable for
what he wasn’t asked to do: Win
the game for the Wolverines.
Offensive
coordinator
Josh
Gattis set up the offense with
bubble
screens
and
short
passes; designed quarterback
runs and deadly RPOs. The
kinds of plays that can make
things easy for a talented, but
inexperienced,
quarterback.
Rarely was Milton asked to
make downfield throws.
Since then, Michigan has
largely eschewed the bubble
screens. Milton has been asked
to do more — though part of
that is dictated by the fact that
the Wolverines have found
themselves in losing positions
that require them to throw the
ball downfield more often.
“Every
snap
he
takes,
quarterback playing his third
game, he’s getting a lot put
on him,” Michigan coach Jim
Harbaugh said. “Playing from
behind and having to play
those kind of situations. It’s
an offense, it’s a unit that each
has got to support the other.”
Harbaugh’s right. It does
Milton no favors that the
Wolverines ran for 13 yards,
the offensive line was banged
up or that Michigan’s defense
has gotten beaten easily. No
one would point the finger
towards
Milton
for
the
Wolverines’ losses.
Still, his limitations have
come
into
focus.
Mainly,
the downfield accuracy that
reporters have been asking
about for years. Milton is
currently averaging 8.1 yards
per
attempt.
The
much-
maligned
Shea
Patterson
averaged 8.0 in 2019. That
doesn’t tell the whole story, but
much like Patterson, Milton
has thus far been a perfectly
fine quarterback who hasn’t
been able to change games for
Michigan.
Unlike Patterson, Milton
is three starts into his career
— and should only get better.
Especially if the Wolverines
can put him in better positions.
“The run game, we’ve got to
make some improvements. No
question about it,” Harbaugh
said. “The offensive line was
very much reshuffled as you
saw in the game. I thought
guys
did
extremely
well.
(Andrew) Stueber went from
right guard to right tackle. Zak
Zinter, true freshman, started
at right guard. I thought
redshirt
freshman
Karsen
Barnhart did some really good
things as well (at tackle).
“All the things — a slow
start, playing from behind,
having some passes dropped,
forcing some things toward
the end. All of those things
contributed
(to
Milton’s
performance).”
ETHAN SEARS
Managing Sports Editor
ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily
Joe Milton has struggled with his deep ball accuracy this season.
Harbaugh shutting out the noise as
rumors swirl
It’s November in Ann Arbor,
and for Jim Harbaugh, that means
questions about his future. For the
past five years, they’ve primarily
come in the form of rumors
that he’ll leave for an NFL job.
This year, there’s a unique tenor.
Specifically, will athletic director
Warde Manuel extend Harbaugh’s
contract, which is set to expire
after the 2021 season?
For high-level college football
coaches, entering the final year
of a contract is virtually unheard
of. Recruiting players who won’t
step on campus for multiple years
becomes difficult without long-
term stability.
But
that’s
the
situation
Harbaugh and Michigan find
themselves in. Before the season,
it seemed like an understandable
quandary. In July, Harbaugh
said there are “bigger fish to fry”
than his contract extension — a
justifiable position as he tried to
navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
Plus, an extension seemed
inevitable. Despite the persistent
rumors, Harbaugh and Michigan
always seemed happy with each
other. But after a 1-2 start, their
marriage is leakier than ever.
So on Monday, the questions
were back.
“Again, it’s your willingness and
interest in listening to what ‘they’
say,” Harbaugh responded. “I don’t
really have anything to say because
I don’t have any real interest in
listening to that kinda stuff. I think
you know me by now. I always like
letting the action speak for what
you have to say. I have always
thought this, that your actions
speak so loudly that people can’t
even hear what you’re saying. I’ll
let the actions speak as they always
— as they have in the past.”
For five and a half years, this
has been Harbaugh’s operating
method. There are not “people
close to the situation” when it
comes to Jim Harbaugh, because
Harbaugh won’t allow it. He
operates as he wants to operate.
When he eventually leaves, it will
almost certainly be swift and
surprising, like it was when he was
hired.
For now, Harbaugh says he
wants to be at Michigan for a long
time.
“Those
are
the
actions,”
Harbaugh said, his frustration
at this repeated refrain seeping
through. “And no matter what I
say to you, I’ve been here for five
and a half, almost six years and I’ve
experienced this. No matter what
I say, the next day, something else
is said or the next year, the same
thing comes up.”
He paused, letting out an
exasperated laugh.
“No matter what I tell you,
tomorrow something else will
be written by somebody else. I’m
gonna let my actions speak loudly.
You know me. My actions have
been consistent.”
True to his word, Harbaugh’s
actions have been consistent, even
amid Michigan’s disappointing
start. Remember, when these
rumors cropped up last year,
Harbaugh sent a letter to players’
parents that amounted to a blanket
denial of any NFL rumor with his
name attached.
“His whole life is Michigan
football,”
fifth-year
senior
offensive lineman Andrew Stueber
said. “It’s noticed in how he talks
to players, how he carries himself,
how he jumps into the meetings.
He’s always the one sitting in
the meetings, whether he’s in
the corner or the front row, he’s
always jotting down his notes. …
His commitment to the team is
unquestioned. He’s committed to
every single player here.”
That commitment lends itself
to a robotic persona. Rarely will
Harbaugh abjectly criticize his
team. Never will he deviate from
the process that’s worked for
him so often in the past, even if it
appears to be failing him now.
On Monday, when he was
asked how to maintain Michigan’s
focus after two straight losses, his
response was, “Get prepared for
this game coming up. This is the
most important thing.”
It’s not a complex psychological
answer because Harbaugh’s focus
is singular: Preparing for the next
opponent.
And as always, that means
shutting out the noise.
THEO MACKIE
Managing Sports Editor
ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said he would “let the actions speak” when asked about contract rumors.
ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily
Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson is out for the season, a blow for
Michigan’s struggling pass rush.
Five-star forward Moussa Diabate
commits to Michigan
Moussa
Diabate,
a
five-
star
power
forward
from
IMG Academy, committed to
Michigan on Monday. The news
was first reported by Tipton
Edits.
Diabate
is
currently
the
20th-ranked recruit in the 2021
class, according to 247Sports
composite rankings. He chose
the Wolverines over offers from
Kentucky, Arizona and Alabama.
At 6-foot-10 and 215 pounds,
Diabate is a physical interior
player. He is known for his
shot-blocking capabilities and
presence on the offensive and
defensive glass.
Diabate becomes the second
five-star to commit to Michigan
in the past two weeks, joining
forward Caleb Houstan, who
committed to the Wolverines on
Oct. 30. Even before Diabate’s
commitment, Michigan’s 2021
class was already listed as the
top in the nation, according to
247Sports. Along with Diabate
and Houstan, the class includes
four-star
guards
Frankie
Collins and Kobe Bufkin, four-
star
forward
Isaiah
Barnes
and three-star forward Will
Tschetter.
It
is
unknown
whether
Diabate will sign his national
letter of intent on early signing
day, this Wednesday. Speaking to
reporters over Zoom on Monday
morning, Michigan coach Juwan
Howard spoke of his recruiting
philosophy.
“We try to go get guys that
we feel fit our culture,” Howard
said. “And fortunately enough,
last year’s class and now this
upcoming class, 2021, these guys
want to be here at Michigan. We
want them here. We’re looking
forward to building something
special, a winning, competitive
group.”
Asked later if the signees
planned to ink their letters
of intent on early signing day,
Howard only said, “We’ll see.”
JARED GREENSPAN
Daily Sports Writer
Aidan Hutchinson has fractured
leg, likely out for season
According to Jim Harbaugh,
junior defensive end Aidan
Hutchinson
will
require
surgery on his leg for a fracture.
Although Harbaugh did not
specify a timetable, Hutchinson
is presumably out for the
season.
Hutchinson
suffered
the
injury early in the first quarter
on Indiana’s first drive. He was
attempting to bring Hoosiers
quarterback
Michael
Penix
down after a pass. Hutchinson
eventually walked off under his
own power but was later shown
on TV in street clothes with
a boot on his right leg, sitting
with his mom.
With
Hutchinson
out,
Michigan’s defense will take a
significant hit, as Hutchinson
was one of the best players on
a defense that has struggled
early. On Saturday, Hutchinson
was replaced at defensive end
by senior Luiji Vilain.
Hutchinson is a potential
draft pick for 2021. If he chooses
to return to school, he would
have two years of eligibility
remaining as 2020 does not
count against eligibility for any
player.
“He’s worked so hard, he’s
put so much into it and playing
really good but I know he’ll
come back stronger, faster,
better,” Harbaugh said. “Just
the way he is, he’s so high drive
that this is not something that’s
gonna be a detriment to his
career. He’s young, he’ll heal
fast and he’ll come back even
better and stronger and faster.”
Harbaugh did not have an
update on junior tackle Jalen
Mayfield, who has a high
ankle sprain, according to the
Detroit Free Press, or junior
tackle Ryan Hayes, who did not
travel to Indiana because of an
undisclosed injury.
ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Writer