OFFENSE
QUARTERBACKS
The saying is if you use two quarterbacks, it means you don’t have one. If you use three quarterbacks, what does that mean? Right now, it means you’re Michigan.
Through six games, Michigan has played three quarterbacks, but it appears Tuttle has secured the starting job after rallying the team from a 14-point deficit and guiding the Wolverines to a 17-14 lead at Washington.
He had two costly fourth-quarter turnovers in the loss. Still, he gave them a spark and gave Michigan a semblance of a reasonable pass game, and the bye this week will be an assist.
Davis Warren started the first three games and Orji the next three before Tuttle came in and replaced Orji under center at Washington. The bottom line is the Wolverines rank 129th nationally in passing offense, averaging 115 yards a game. The three are a combined 81 of 133 passing for 690 yards and six touchdowns with eight interceptions.
Michigan ranks last in the Big Ten in total passing yards, 10 yards below Iowa.
Grade: D
RUNNING BACKS
It’s hard to imagine what this offense would look like without Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings, the latter who helped lift the Wolverines to a comeback win against USC and has been a consistent force in the run game this season. Mullings leads the team with 589 yards on 91 carries and six touchdowns, and Edwards has 353 yards on 73 carries and three scores.
That Michigan has been mostly a one-dimensional offense has put considerable pressure on the running backs. To no fault of their own, how the two have been used has sometimes been curious. For instance, while Edwards had his best showing of the season at Washington, Mullings, a guy who has won games for the Wolverines this season, should have been more of a factor late in the game. Michigan ranks 38th nationally in rushing, averaging 191.3 yards a game.
Grade: B+
WIDE RECEIVERS
Are the receivers not much of a factor because the quarterbacks haven’t instilled much confidence in the pass game? That’s part of it. Is it the offensive line not being strong in pass blocking? That’s part of it, too. But it’s also on the receivers who don’t consistently get off blocks and create separation, have not been crisp on some routes, and sometimes even slow down. The spacing, at times, has been off, and they’ve also dropped passes.
Receiver Semaj Morgan is second on the team in receiving with 78 yards on 13 catches and has one touchdown. The next receiver on the list, Tyler Morris, is fifth on the team and has seven catches. There is no deep threat for the Wolverines, although 6-foot-3 Amorion Walker — who had his only catch of the season at Washington, a 22-yarder from Tuttle — could become a factor in the second half of the season.
Grade: D-
TIGHT ENDS
This group was expected to be an asset this fall and has carried the receiving game. Colston Loveland leads the team in receiving with 261 yards on 29 catches and two touchdowns and has been the go-to target this season. He’s made errors too, but he’s been a positive for the Wolverines and needs this off week to help heal an upper-body injury.
Marlin Klein has 75 yards on seven catches and was relied on when Loveland missed the USC game with an injury. Max Bredeson, the fullback/ tight end, was voted a captain for a reason. He’s fiery and plays hard every time he’s in the game. He’s made his name as a bulldozer this season.
Grade: B
OFFENSIVE LINE
Everything on offense begins with the offensive line, and this group is a big reason why the Wolverines are ranked 118th nationally in total offense. The unit has improved in run blocking — although the running backs have fought for a lot of yards on their own — but pass blocking has been and remains an issue.
There has been rotating centers with Dom Giudice and Greg Crippen, and Crippen played at Washington since Giudice was injured. The play at right tackle has been particularly uneven in terms of pass blocking, but Evan Link continues to hold down that spot. Jeff Persi filled in at left tackle for Myles Hinton, who missed the Washington game with an injury, so Persi now has experience and could potentially move to the right side if needed. Bottom line, Michigan has to improve here if it’s going to have marked improvement on offense.
Grade: D
DEFENSE DEFENSIVE LINE
With returning starting tackles in Graham and Grant and edge rushers who got experience last season rotating in, this was expected to be the heart of the defense, and it has been. The Wolverines have 17 sacks this season with 14½ coming from defensive linemen, including edge Josaiah Stewart (team-high five sacks), Graham (3½) and Grant (two).
Going forward, this group is going to have to bring greater pressure on opposing quarterbacks and win the line of scrimmage to give the defensive backs a chance to develop and get their jobs done with less pressure. Stewart missed the Minnesota game but returned at Washington with two tackles for loss, including a sack. Derrick Moore, credited with a half-sack, did not play at Washington but is expected back after the bye.
Grade: B+
LINEBACKERS
If this were just about Ernest Hausmann, the grade would be higher.
Hausmann leads the team with 40 tackles and against Washington, he led the team with 12 tackles and had what seemed to be a momentum-swinging interception negated by a Michigan turnover the next possession in the 27-17 loss.
Expectations were high for Maryland transfer Jaishawn Barham, who is second on the team with 30 tackles, but can he be more of a factor in the second half of the season? Michigan’s stout run defense is a credit to the front seven.
Grade: B-
SECONDARY
Johnson has returned two interceptions for touchdowns this season, certainly the highlight for this group.
But Johnson aside — and to be fair, he hasn’t been flawless — the defensive backs have struggled, as evidenced most recently at Washington. They were scorched in the loss and, later, players lamented giving up so many “explosives” in that game. In the first quarter, the Wolverines gave up pass plays that went for 36 and 39 yards as well as a 37-yard reception in the second quarter.
There’s no doubt they miss the leadership and experience of safety Rod Moore, who suffered a torn knee ligament in spring practice, but how much of this is on the coaching? The defensive backs are often out of position, and offenses have found a favorite target in Jyaire Hill. This group has to pick up the slack during the bye.
Grade: D
SPECIAL TEAMS
Transfer kicker Dominic Zvada has been among the most consistent players the first half of the season.
Zvada, who came to Michigan after two seasons at Arkansas State, is 8-for-8 on field goals, with four from 50 yards or more, a Michigan single-season record.
He is 15 of 16 on extra points, his lone blemish. For an offense struggling with confidence, Zvada has provided a boost since the Wolverines know they can get points when he comes in.
Punter Tommy Doman has been up and down. In the USC game, he proved why an effective punter can mean so much for a team, especially a defense.
Against the Trojans, he had eight punts and four landed inside the 20-yard line.
The Trojans started those drives from their own 6-, 13-, 4- and 10-yard lines.
That kind of production has not been consistent, however.
There has been a punt block from Kechaun Bennett, but in terms of the return game, Michigan is still looking for a dynamic return. Again, with an offense that hasn’t clicked on all cylinders, that would be a boost.
Grade: B