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Sports
Wednesday, September 15, 2021 — 9
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KEN KOLLMAN
Frederick G.L. Huetwell Professor
Professor of Political Science
Why You Should
and Should Not
be Worried About
AMERICAN
DEMOCRACY
Tuesday, September 21, 2021 | 4:00 p.m.
| Weiser Hall, 10th Floor
LSA LECTURE
On
Wednesday,
Michigan
offensive coordinator Josh Gat-
tis referred to the Wolverines’
running back tandem of sopho-
more Blake Corum and senior
Hassan Haskins as “the perfect
combination of thunder and
lightning.”
Against Washington on Sat-
urday night, the duo certainly
lived up to their billing.
In a game where junior
quarterback Cade McNamara
threw for just 44 yards, Haskins
and Corum paced Michigan’s
offense,
combining
for
326
rushing yards, 48 carries and all
four Wolverine touchdowns in a
31-10 victory.
“That warms the cockles of
the heart to be able to do that,
run the ball that way,” Michigan
coach Jim Harbaugh said after
the game. “... (Washington was)
just having a hard time tackling
the backs. When we started
breaking the edge pressure,
there were some real creases in
between the tackles. Our guys
hit them.”
In the week leading up to the
game,
Michigan
recognized
that
Washington’s
defense
boasted a formidable second-
ary. As a result, the Wolverines
geared their gameplan to the
trenches.
Through the first half, the
Huskies rotated between an
array of defensive looks, none of
which proved capable of slow-
ing down Michigan’s relentless
ground game.
“We knew coming into this
game that we wanted to run
the ball and we wanted to run
it down their throat,” senior
offensive tackle Ryan Hayes
said. “With backs like we have,
it makes it pretty easy for the
o-line. We knew going into this
game that we were going to run
the ball as much as we could
because they couldn’t really
stop it.”
In the early going, Haskins
helped set the game’s tone,
notching three quick carries
for 32 yards, highlighted by a
16-yard burst. Shortly after-
wards, Corum made his mark
with a 68-yard touchdown run
along the Washington sideline,
utilizing his speed to dust the
safety.
The opening drive of the sec-
ond half stands as a poster boy
for the Wolverines’ success run-
ning the ball. In four minutes,
Michigan marched down the
field for an eight-play, 73-yard
touchdown drive. Each of the
eight plays resulted in a hand-
off, with Haskins running for
39 yards and Corum recording
34 yards, along with the touch-
down.
“We knew they were getting
defeated towards the end of the
game and we just kept hitting
them and hitting them and hit-
ting them,” Hayes said.
In fall camp, as Michigan
spoke of a desire to establish an
identity as a running-oriented
team, questions loomed over
how Corum and Haskins would
handle a split-workload. Two
games in, those apprehensions
have certainly been quelled,
as neither Western Michigan
last week, nor Washington this
week, has managed to stop
them.
“We just kinda feed off each
other,” Corum said. “We don’t
go into the game thinking, ‘I’m
going to get this many carries,
you’re gonna get this many car-
ries.’ We just kinda go with the
flow.”
The pair complement each
other
admirably.
Haskins,
dependable and bruising, is at
his best in between the tack-
les; Corum, a human highlight
reel, is most explosive on the
edge.
And, even when one of
Corum or Haskins receives the
bulk of the carries, the other is
still incorporated into the play.
It’s indicative of Michigan’s
desire to play through both of
them on offense, especially in
the absence of senior receiver
Ronnie Bell, who stood as the
Wolverines’ most potent threat
on the perimeter.
Against Washington, Corum
and Haskins combined for four
of McNamara’s seven comple-
tions.
“It
definitely
puts
other
teams in a (difficult) situation,
cause you don’t really know who
to stop,” Corum said. “And then
sometimes, when we’re in the
backfield together, at the same
time, that’s probably a little dif-
ficult also.”
For the long-haul, this sort of
run-dominant approach figures
to be unsustainable; at some
point, the Wolverines will have
to rely on McNamara to air the
ball out.
That’s something Michigan
surely recognizes. But through
two games, Corum and Haskins
are wreaking havoc, leaving lit-
tle need for anything else.
“We’re
running
backs,”
Haskins said. “So if we get to
run it a lot, that’s no problem
with us.”
Corum, Haskins duo dominate the
offense against the Huskies
JARED GREENSPAN
Daily Sports Editor
From the moment Saturday’s
game kicked off, it was clear
the Michigan football team’s
defense wouldn’t give an inch.
With a “Maize Out” crowd
of 108,345 at their back, the
Wolverines forced a three-
and-out on Washington’s first
drive. The Huskies’ next series
went four yards in the wrong
direction; their third drive
only netted two yards. Three
quick punts electrified Michi-
gan Stadium as the Wolverines’
offense established an early
lead.
All
told,
Michigan
held
Washington to a paltry 18 yards
in the first quarter and didn’t
surrender any first-half points,
setting the tone in what ulti-
mately became a telling 31-10
win over a Washington team
that debuted in the top 20 of
the AP Poll just two weeks ago.
“Seeing the defense ball
out like that, it motivates us,”
sophomore running back Blake
Corum said. “Now it’s our turn
to do better and I think that’s
what we did throughout the
game. The defense had a phe-
nomenal game, they kept shut-
ting them out. I think it just put
a little fire in us and motivated
us to do a little bit better.”
It feels like a lifetime ago, but
some of Michigan’s best teams
under coach Jim Harbaugh
have been built on defense. The
Wolverines led the country in
team defense in 2017, and the
2018 team that fell a game short
of the College Football Playoff
finished the season ranked No.
3 nationally in team defense.
That once-vaunted defense
crumbled in 2019 and 2020,
leading to the firing of former
defensive
coordinator
Don
Brown. Harbaugh replaced him
with Baltimore Ravens defen-
sive assistant Mike Macdonald,
who installed a brand new 3-4
scheme this past offseason.
So far, the first-time coordi-
nator’s system has rejuvenated
the Wolverines’ defense. That
much was evident in Michi-
gan’s inspired play during Sat-
urday night’s win.
“Mike did a great job calling
the defense,” Harbaugh said.
“From an offensive perspec-
tive, Washington ran every-
thing known to man offensively
in the first three quarters.
And for the most part, three
straight three-and-outs to start
the game, that was huge. You
talk about getting off to a fast
start, that precipitated that.
Four three-and-outs through-
out the course of the game. It
was really, really strong.”
Despite throwing the kitch-
en sink at the Wolverines,
Washington didn’t reach the
red zone until the second half
and failed to score a touch-
down until the fourth quarter.
The Huskies struggled to block
senior edge Aidan Hutchin-
son, who recorded 2.5 sacks,
four tackles — three of which
were solo — and a quarterback
hurry. With NFL scouts from
13 franchises in attendance,
Hutchinson looked the part of
a first-round draft pick.
With
every
Washington
drive that fell apart, Hutchin-
son was at the center of the
wreckage. He blew up numer-
ous short run plays in addition
to his 2.5 sacks. His strong
play in the trenches helped
Michigan dominate the line of
scrimmage — something the
Wolverines’ own offensive line
grew accustomed to as the sea-
son approached.
“(The
Huskies)
couldn’t
block Aidan,” Harbaugh said.
“In fall camp, we couldn’t block
him either.”
Added senior offensive line-
man Ryan Hayes: “It’s a really
fun back and forth when we’re
in practice. It’s really nice hav-
ing Aidan on that side of the
ball because we’re not really
going to face anyone better
than him this year.”
The defensive dominance
stretched further than just
Hutchinson,
though.
After
allowing a 75-yard touchdown
on Western Michigan’s open-
ing drive a week ago, the Wol-
verines needed time to settle
in. That wasn’t the case in
Week 2 — a major step forward
on the preparation front.
Fifth-year senior lineback-
er Josh Ross found himself
at the heart of that improve-
ment. His role in the middle of
the defense affects everyone
around him, allowing him to
notice the contrast.
“For today, one of the things
I was most proud of was how
well we communicated and
how much better we com-
municated from last week to
this week,” Ross said. “There
were a lot of formations, a lot
of trickery. ... We were getting
to certain calls that we never
went over, but we sort of went
out and handled it.”
And at this point in a young
season,
rapid
improvement
is the best thing Michigan
could’ve possibly seen.
Wolverine defense stepped into the
moment Saturday
DANIEL DASH
Daily Sports Editor
Each week, the No. 25 Michi-
gan football team practices a
9-on-7 drill.
Effectively,
it’s
football
stripped down to its most
basic components: the run-
ning back takes a handoff up
the middle, and the defense
tries to stop him. There’s
no trickery, stunts or play
actions. The drill merely tests
if the offense’s blockers can
out-duel the defense’s front
seven.
It’s old-school stuff, but in the
offseason, the Wolverines gave it
new meaning.
“In years prior, we would call
it 9-on-7, which is what the drill
is,” junior offensive lineman
Trevor Keegan said. “This year,
we changed it to (the) Beat Ohio
drill. Now, we’re blasting music,
smelling salts, everything. And
it’s a pretty physical period, and
we love it.”
In the grand scheme of things,
renaming a drill will do little
to close the canyon-sized gap
between Michigan and Ohio
State. Culture changes — espe-
cially when coming off a 2-4 sea-
son — are good, but they won’t be
enough to turn the tables after
losing the last three matchups
to the Buckeyes by a combined
score of 149-86.
Still, the renewed intensity
reflected in the “Beat Ohio” drill
is already apparent in one aspect
of the Wolverines’ performance:
the offensive line.
Through two games, the start-
ing five has paved the way for
a whopping 678 rushing yards
while allowing just six tackles for
loss and one sack. To put that in
perspective, Michigan managed
just 786 rushing yards through
all six games last season while
forfeiting 4.5 tackles for loss and
1.3 sacks per game. It’s still early,
but there’s clearly some tangible
progress on the offensive line.
In Saturday’s 31-10 drubbing
of Washington, Michigan fully
embraced the mentality of estab-
lishing the run. Fifty-six of the
Wolverines’ 71 offensive plays
stayed on the ground. On aver-
age, each of those runs went for
6.1 yards. That success came in
large part thanks to the physical-
ity up front.
“First off, I want to shout the
o-line,” sophomore running back
Blake Corum said Saturday. “As
you guys saw today, they fired off
the ball, they were real physical
and they made (senior running
back Hassan Haskins’s) and my
job real easy.”
Even on the running backs’
highlight-reel
plays,
linemen
could be seen clearing paths
through the Huskies’ defense.
For example, on Corum’s 67-yard
touchdown run midway through
the second quarter, he had a
massive hole to run through
thanks to solid down-blocking
from Keegan, a strong kick-out
block from pulling sixth-year
center Andrew Vastardis and a
touchdown-sealing hit on the
second level from senior tackle
Ryan Hayes.
For the most part, Vastardis
also anchored the line, seeming
to get more push than anybody
off the ball. Since being elected
captain at the end of fall camp,
he looks to have embraced the
heavier expectations levied on
him this season.
“Vastardis is the leader of our
o-line, the leader of our team,”
Keegan said. “So he makes all the
calls and stuff. We gelled really
well in the spring together, and
we’ve just been continuing to
carry that on.”
Though later revealed to be
just a cramp, an injury to Vas-
tardis late in the game offered
a reminder as to how quickly
things could fall apart for the
Wolverines. Even if everyone
remains healthy, caveats are
always going to apply in wins
against Western Michigan and a
Washington team that lost to an
FCS opponent. It remains to be
seen whether the offensive line
will be able to sustain this level
of dominance up front against
tougher teams.
If the newly minted “Beat
Ohio” drill is to be believed,
the team is preparing for those
challenges.
Through two games, Michigan’s offense looks settled into an identity
BRENDAN ROOSE
Daily Sports Editor
MILES MACKLIN/Daily
Michigan’s offensive identity is channeled through the line, a clear result of the focus spent on it over the summer.
MILES MACKLIN/Daily
Michigan fifth-year senior linebacker Josh Ross totaled 11 tackles, four solo, and three quarterback hurries.
LUKE HALES/Daily
Michigan sophomore running back Blake Corum rushed for 171 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday.