Michigan co-OC outlines three keys the offense needs for a complete performance

ANN ARBOR – The Michigan Wolverines have the youngest team in the conference by age and offensive playing experience, and have seemed on the verge of a breakout performance where everything clicks into place for several weeks.

The latest example was a 24-22 win over Northwestern in Chicago, where the team amassed 496 yards of total offense but needed to put together a game-winning drive with time expiring to secure the victory. Five turnovers and two missed field goals played the largest role in that.

But when a pair of freshmen in quarterback Bryce Underwood and wide receiver Andrew Marsh needed to get on the same page, they were. The two linked up 12 times for 189 yards last weekend, none more critical than on a 3rd-and-10 play to keep the game-winning drive alive.

 ”I was very pleased,” tight ends coach and co-offensive coordinator Steve Casula said on Wednesday. “I thought the quarterback played heroically at times. I thought he made good decisions for the majority of the game. How impressive are Andrew Marsh and Ron Bellamy and what they’ve done? I mean, I love Roy Roundtree, but if there was one man to break his records as a freshman, it would be Andrew. That was awesome to see. Donovan McCulley contributed quite a bit to the passing game.

“I think it’s really a credit to Coach [Sherrone] Moore and Coach [Chip] Lindsay and the detail. They approached the two-week prep for that game. But the credit lies with our kids. I mean, that was awesome. The offensive line. All of it.”

Last season, Michigan ranked 130th in total offense in the NCAA. This year, the group enters Week 13 at No. 40, averaging 418.1 yards per contest. However, it finds itself 66th in scoring offense at 27.7 points per game. The Wolverines are moving the ball up and down the field, most consistently with the 12th-best run game in the country (223.0 ypg), but have not been able to consistently sync it up with the scoreboard.

Most concerning is 4th down conversion percentage, where U-M is dead last (134th) in the country with 2 conversions on 11 attempts (.182). Casula ran through a specific and targeted list of things the team must improve in the final two weeks.

“There are three of them that are clearly defined,” Casula began. “We need to score touchdowns in the red zone and we’re working every day to do that. We don’t need to turn the ball over. We’re still in the plus on turnover margin, but we’ve turned the ball over a handful of times here in the last couple of weeks.

“Then we have to play better when Coach Moore provides us the opportunity to go for it on fourth down. We’ve really grown in the last three weeks [on third down]. We weren’t playing very well on third down. [We’re now 36th] in the country. So the yards are great. [We had the most against a Power 4] opponent since the Fiesta Bowl in 2022 [at Northwestern.] The difference is that night, we scored 45.

“The yards are great and they matter. The most important statistic to us A, is winning. And then B, is scoring points. Could’ve, would’ve, should’ve if this happened, that happened, or the other thing. We are really working and focused on those areas right now. Finishing drives in the red zone with touchdowns and not turning the ball over. And then when provided opportunities on fourth down, converting in those areas.”

Michigan not using youth as an excuse

When Michigan took the field on Saturday at Wrigley Field, it did so with six freshman-eligible players on the field. Its average age is 20.54 years old, which makes it the youngest team in the Big Ten.

When the coaching staff goes into a practice or watches film, it has not cited youth as an excuse for what has often just been a lack of execution. A big reason for the two consecutive games that have been closer than necessary is 7 turnovers, 5 of which can be attributed to three interceptions and two fumbles lost by Underwood.

Casula says the group has been together long enough to strive for more.

 ”When you watch our team practice and when you watch the offense practice, you almost have to remind yourself what their age is,” he said. “If you came to practice today and watch our offense take the field to start a team period, you wouldn’t guess that we had youth and inexperience.

“We’ve played 10 games. Guys have been here anywhere from June or January. Some guys joined the team in December once the semester ended here. So they’ve played a lot of snaps. We don’t talk about that with the kids because they’re just our players. I wish I could answer that question or have the right answer there.

“I think it’s just the consistency and intent of every single play and hammering those points home. And not every turnover is the same. A fumble is not the same as an interception. And every interception is not the same as every other one. So some turnovers, you can work your way out of. You can make sure that you cover the ball. And the harder you play, the better luck you have. Sometimes that’s part of it.

“Ball security, we have been practicing biweekly since the beginning of training camp. We emphasize it all the time, so it’s something we’re super locked into. Something that is a point of emphasis, but we gotta continue finishing those drives and some of those drives.”

Lindsey has increased the team’s explosiveness on offense, and the body blow plays and long, sustained drives have steadily improved. Weaving it all together is the biggest emphasis of all down the stretch.

“We’ve shown we do have the capacity to do it,” Casula said. “We have shown the ability to like walk the ball down the field. But it’s got to be both. It’s got to be the big explosive plays… when a drive ends in two to three plays. I think Coach Lindsay’s brought that here. And our players too. But it can be both because we do have the ability to execute at a high level for a long stretch.

A”nd I think that’s imperative to playing complementary football. So I think that being able to grind out those long drives, paired with what our defense does, I think [makes us] pretty hard to beat when that’s firing on all cylinders.”

Michigan will look to take another step forward on Saturday with a 4 p.m. ET game at Maryland with the broadcast scheduled for the Big Ten Network. BetMGM has the No. 18 Wolverines as a 13.5-point favorite for the Week 13 showdown.