Despite a sloppy spring scrimmage, Michigan is ready to 'strike while the iron is hot'
In cold and windy conditions, the Michigan Wolverines held their annual Maize & Blue Game, and while the spring scrimmage was pretty sloppy thanks to mixed rosters and lots of starters sitting out, Jim Harbaugh’s team enters the next phase offseason confident it will defend its Big Ten title for the third straight fall.
“This is the best version of football that I have seen since I’ve been here in the last eight years,” Jim Harbaugh said in a pregame pep rally before the Maize beat the Blue 22-21.
“No team that we play on our schedule is going to be the same that they were last year. Some may be better. Some may be worse. This is not the time to regroup or to rest or to take a step back.
“Now is the time to attack. I think this team is the best version that we’ve had of ourselves. The phrase, ‘Strike while the iron is hot’ is at the forefront of our minds. We want to keep the ground that we have, plus we want to take some more ground.”
Last spring, the Wolverines were breaking in new offensive and defensive coordinators and the spring game featured a marquee quarterback battle between J.J. McCarthy and Cade McNamara.
Well, both Sherrone Moore and Jesse Minter are back in their respective roles, while McCarthy leads one of the most experienced teams in the nation (No. 5 in returning production).
Michigan’s continuity wasn’t exactly on display Saturday because of the jumbled teams, but the Wolverines’ depth and speed certainly was.
Minter’s unit has playmakers all at every level, with eight starters back and reinforcements at linebacker and pass rusher from the transfer portal. Coastal Carolina edge Josiah Stewart looked like the latest impact pass rusher for the Wolverines, as the transfer recorded consecutive sacks during one drive in the second quarter. Michigan’s pass rush was among the few question marks for the defense this spring, but Stewart, Jaylen Harrell and sophomore Derrick Moore all looked like capable replacements for Mike Morris and Eyabi Okie. Mammoth defensive tackle Kenneth Grant flashed with some pancake hits, too.
Overall, UM’s defense — on both squads Saturday — forced multiple takeaways, including several picks and a couple of forced fumbles, and looked like a Top 10 unit once again come the fall.
Offensively, Moore’s unit was harder to evaluate because so many starters sat out and neither team could get into a real rhythm until the fourth quarter.
McCarthy threw a sloppy interception on his first drive, but he later rebounded with a strong two-minute drill to end the first half, going 5-of-5 for 52 yards and a touchdown. Indiana transfer Jack Tuttle, who is battling for the backup job with former walk-on Davis Warren, did some nice things despite being under constant duress.
Fellow Hoosiers transfer AJ Barner, a potential starter at tight end, caught a touchdown. Warren led a pair of second-half touchdown drives, including throwing the go-ahead two-point conversion with under two minutes. Michigan’s best playmaker Saturday was walk-on wideout Peyton O’Leary, who had one career catch but couldn’t be guarded on the slot or the permitter. The 6-3, 195-pound junior had over 100 yards receiving and the two-point conversion and at least auditioned for a potential rotational role in the fall.
“We’re very excited about J.J.’s progress,” Sherrone Moore said in a sideline interview.
“We love where he’s at right now.”
Neither of Michigan’s star tailbacks Blake Corum, who continues to rehab his ACL injury, or Donovan Edwards participated Saturday, and several rotational offensive linemen sat out as well, but like Harbaugh, Corum expressed optimism that the Wolverines have all the ingredients to be a championship team only the real games start in the fall.
“We have more on the plate and I’m trying to finish it off,” he said in a sideline interview on the Big Ten Network.
“Winning the national championship. Winning the Big Ten again. Beating Ohio State again. I’m coming for everything…I’m excited to be back. I love Michigan.”