Game balls from Michigan football's win over UNLV
The Michigan Wolverines walked out of the Big House with a dominant 35-7 win over UNLV in the second week of the season with no shortage of standout performances.
The Wolverine’s team of Chris Balas, Anthony Broome and Clayton Sayfie chime in with their game ball picks after the second victory of the 2023 campaign.
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Game recap: Michigan football dismantles UNLV to move to 2-0
Chris Balas: Sophomore defensive tackle Kenneth Grant
Michigan’s pass rush took a lot of criticism last week, and the unit answered the call in a big way on Saturday. The group recorded 5 sacks with sophomore defensive tackle Kenneth Grant notching 1.5 of them. At 6-foot-3, 335 pounds, he moves much quicker than a man his size should, and the argument can be made that he has been the team’s most disruptive defensive lineman early this year. There could be some growing pains for the second-year tackle, but he is every bit as advertized as an emerging freak on this Wolverine defense.
Anthony Broome: Junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy
We are getting to the point where J.J. McCarthy‘s inclusion here might need to be assumed and we spotlight someone else instead. For the second week in a row, McCarthy was tremendous, going 22-for-25 for 278 yards and a pair of touchdown passes, both to Roman Wilson. He also had 3 rushes for 38 yards and was in complete and total command of the Michigan passing offense once again. Through two weeks, U-M has taken on a look of a team morphing into a pass-first offense, and when the quarterback is playing as well as he is, you almost have to be. He is locked in right now.
Clayton Sayfie: Senior running back Blake Corum
Michigan senior tailback Blake Corum looked more like his vintage self on Saturday, rushing for 80 yards on 15 attempts with 3 touchdown runs. The run blocking was a bit better this week, and Corum continues to shake off the rust from the offseason. At some point, we are waiting for him to get his second gear back, but he was easily Michigan’s best back on the field in the win. He also caught a 20-yard pass on the first play of the game, teasing his usage more as a pass catcher this season.
Michigan football honorable mentions
• Senior wide receiver Roman Wilson: 4 catches, 89 yards, 2 TD
• Graduate wide receiver Cornelius Johnson: 5 catches, 82 yards
• Sophomore wide receiver Tyler Morris: 3 catches, 40 yards
• Senior EDGE Jaylen Harrell: 5 total tackles, 1.5 sacks
• Graduate defensive back Mike Sainristil: 5 total tackles, 1 pass breakup
