Report card: Grading Michigan football in a 42-27 win over OSU
Grading Michigan football in all facets of a 42-27 win over Ohio State.
Rushing offense: A
Redshirt sophomore running back Hassan Haskins did it again, but he had help. The offensive line was dominant, paving the way for a 7.2-yards-per-carry average among all U-M rushers. Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis picked his spots perfectly, including a reverse on a different look to open the scoring. Receiver A.J. Henning showed of his speed on the 14-yarder, getting a great block on the edge from tight end Erick All.
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Everyone who carried the ball (six players) averaged at least 6.0 yards per carry, and the running game was at its best when it mattered most. The game ended in victory formation after 15 carries for 100 yards in the final stanza.
The Wolverines totaled 297 yards and six scores on the ground, led by Haskins’ 169 and five, respectively.
Passing offense: B
Michigan redshirt freshman Cade McNamara threw a terrible ball into coverage for a pick early when it appeared the Wolverines would take a two-score lead. He said it was a miscommunication, but there were other receivers open.
Beyond that, though, he did just what the coaches asked of him. He picked his spots, completed 13 of 19 passes and dropped some dimes, including a 37-yarder to sophomore Cornelius Johnson to set up a touchdown. Freshman backup J.J. McCarthy, too, did his job, including a critical 31-yard throw to frosh Roman Wilson that set up another score.
Gattis once said earlier this year, “Why throw when you’re dominating with the run?”
Indeed.
Rushing defense: A
This was a potential area of concern coming into the game. We thought the Ohio State running game had been overlooked a bit, and that the Buckeyes could have more success on the ground.
They tried early in the second half, but the Michigan run stoppers were up to the task. Veteran linebacker Josh Ross was running downhill at the snap at times, and the tackling was outstanding. Fifth-year senior safety Brad Hawkins was very good in run support, tying for the team lead with nine tackles.
OSU’s running backs managed only 94 yards on 24 carries, an average clip of 3.9. They came in averaging about 7.5 yards per rush between them.
Making them one-dimensional helped win the game.
Passing defense: C+
As head coach Jim Harbaugh said, no team is going to completely shut the Buckeyes down, but Michigan did it as well as anyone. The Buckeyes were playing catch-up and picked up 126 passing yards in the fourth quarter, many in desperation time. Quarterback C.J. Stroud finished with 394 yards on 8.0 per attempt, but that still felt like a win for the Wolverines.
There were a handful of big plays in the 20s, but the long was 39 yards. Even a Garrett Wilson touchdown was well contested, Michigan corner Vince Gray all over the receiver.
The secondary got a huge assist from the pass rushers, who hounded Stroud all day. Junior Aidan Hutchinson and redshirt sophomore David Ojabo were in the backfield much of the afternoon, combining for four sacks, 10 total stops and a few holding calls.
Special teams: A-
Freshman A.J. Henning was good in his return role, notching 17 yards on a punt return and 26 yards on a kick return. Michigan kicker Jake Moody made all of his extra points and only allowed two kick returns for 11 yards, while punter Brad Robbins averaged 45 yards per attempt in another solid showing, kicking only twice.
A kick catch interference penalty inside the 5-yard line was the only blemish, costing Michigan 15 yards.
We’ll say it again — assistant Jay Harbaugh has done an outstanding job with this group this season
