Michigan Football: Grading All 22 Starters from the UMass Game

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Michigan routed UMass on Saturday, as the Wolverines won by 50 points, 63-13.

Now we must go back and look a little closer at the individual performances.

When handing out grades, the level of competition will obviously have to be taken into consideration, so keep that in mind.

This is all just opinion as well, so the section for comments below should be filled with great debate.

QB: Denard Robinson

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The senior quarterback had a very solid game, both running and throwing the ball. He didn't play the final few drives, as Russell Bellomy received some valuable playing time.

Even though Robinson looked very solid, his pick six was inexcusable.

Grade: A-

RB: Fitzgerald Toussaint

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It was great to see Toussaint finally impact a game again. He rushed for 85 yards on 15 carries, averaging just under six yards a carry.

There were times, though, where he danced around and hesitated, and didn't always hit the hole as hard as he could have.

Grade: B+

WR: Devin Gardner

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Devin Gardner had only two catches, but one went for a 42-yard touchdown. He looked very fast and explosive with the ball in his hands.

Gardner continues to make a huge impact week after week.

Grade: B

WR: Jeremy Gallon

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Gallon had three catches for 32 yards on Saturday. He did not score a touchdown and his longest play only went for 14 yards.

That's what his role seems to be, though, and he doesn't need to be the kind of guy who is going to take over games.

Grade: B

WR: Roy Roundtree

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It was great to see Roundtree finally make somewhat of an impact. Still, it came very late in the game.

He had two catches for 25 yards and a touchdown. It was better than what he had done in previous weeks, but he still needs to have a much, much bigger impact.

Grade: C+

TE: Devin Funchess

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Whether you want to call Funchess or Mike Kwiatkowski the starter seems to be up for debate, but let's just go with Funchess.

The electric, young tight end again showed explosiveness, as he scored on a 26-yard pass play.

Grade: B+

LT: Taylor Lewan

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Lewan has been very critical of this offensive line, and rightfully so. It may be improving a bit, but still has a long way to go.

Grade: B-

LG: Ricky Barnum

Barnum is #52
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This offensive line pass blocks well, but its run blocking needs to improve by leaps and bounds. Until then, I have a hard time handing out very high grades for these men.

Grade: B-

C: Elliott Mealer

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Elliott Mealer deserves quite a bit of praise. For being a first-time center, we haven't really seen any bad snaps this year.

That deserves credit by itself.

Grade: B+

RG: Patrick Omameh

Omameh is #65
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Omameh is one of the veterans who needs to step up and really start playing better. This offensive line has been disappointing so far, and it's going to have to get better to win some of those tough, grind-it-out games during Big Ten season.

Grade: C+

RT: Michael Schofield

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Schofield's versatility allows him to play many different positions on the line, which would come in very useful if somebody gets hurt.

Every starter, though, needs to take that next step and make this a very good line again.

Grade: B

DL: Craig Roh

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We just haven't heard Craig Roh's name called much this season. We did at times on Saturday, but not near enough.

Grade: C-

DL: Will Campbell

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Because Michigan ran so much of their nickel package on Saturday, we didn't see as much of Campbell as we usually do.

He probably did all right, but "all right" isn't good enough.

Grade: C+

DL: Jibreel Black

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We've seen Black slide inside to tackle a lot this year, and then play end at other times.

Still, UMass rushed for over 100 yards, something that is inexcusable for this defensive front.

Grade: B

DL: Frank Clark

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Frank Clark was certainly a bright spot on Saturday.

This kid looks like an absolute animal, as he was everywhere at times. Not only was he disruptive in the backfield, but he was also swatting away passes like it was no big deal.

Grade: A

LB: Kenny Demens

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Demens earned the start on Saturday, but I don't know how much longer that will continue.

He is continually losing playing time to the freshman linebackers, and it will eventually catch up with him.

Grade: C

LB: Jake Ryan

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Whether Ryan is lining up at linebacker or end, he sure looks like a darn good player.

He is very disruptive, as he is seemingly in the backfield and being disruptive every few plays.

Grade: A-

LB: James Ross

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Well, James Ross got his first-ever start in what will likely be a great career as a Michigan linebacker.

The true freshman started in place of the injured Desmond Morgan, and didn't disappoint. We are going to be calling this kid's name for years to come.

Grade: B+

CB: J.T. Floyd

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J.T. Floyd sure likes to come up and help in run support. It's great to have a physical corner like Floyd who can help with the dirty work.

If only he was a bit better at defending the pass.

Grade: B+

CB: Courtney Avery

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I gave the edge to Avery here, but I think you could have just as easily put Raymon Taylor in this spot.

You don't necessarily hear Avery's name called a lot, but he seems to get the job done.

Grade: B

S: Thomas Gordon

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UMass only averaged five yards per completion on Saturday.

The safeties were certainly a reason why, as they helped keep everything in front of them.

Grade: B+

S: Jordan Kovacs

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Kovacs knows how to get the job done at safety.

UMass didn't even throw for 150 yards, and Michigan's secondary was the main reason why, as the d-line didn't always get the pressure they needed to.

Grade: B+