(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Seven games into 2009, it's time to grade the Michigan Wolverines efforts' on the football field. There have been ups and downs all over the field, but after a 3-9 season in 2008, a 5-2 start has been fairly impressive. Let's start by grading the offense!

Quarterbacks: Michigan opened the season with a plethora of questions surrounding this position, and most of them have already been answered. The acquisition of Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson has not only secured the future of the position, but also gives Michigan a chance for victory against any Big Ten opponent now.

Tate Forcier has led three comebacks already, two for wins and another to take little brother to overtime. Forcier is third in QB Rating, and had 11 touchdowns total to only four picks.

Robinson has been at times a glorified Wildcat, but his performance over the past few weeks, particularly against Delaware State shows progress. Even with true freshman mistakes and two game-killing interceptions, this spot still gets a strong grade. A-

Running Backs: At the beginning of the year it was suggested that Michigan didn't have any dominant running backs and sheer production might suggest the same thing—on the surface.

However, Carlos Brown has been impressive against Eastern Michigan and Indiana. He has stepped up in key situations averaging nearly eight yards per carry, and providing wonderful pass-catching out of the backfield.

Brandon Minor has been a physical presence in key situations against Notre Dame and Iowa, and is one of the best pass blockers at his position in the nation. Michael Shaw, Vincent Smith, Michael Cox, and even Kevin Grady have shown flashes, and the youth movement is very strong.

Along with the rushing of Denard Robinson, who almost is mandatory to add to this group Michigan has arguably the best depth at running back in the Big Ten. There have been a few mistakes and injuries have held this group back, but still...A

Wide Receivers: This group is extremely young at wideout, slot, and tight end. Outside of Greg Matthews and LaTerryal Savoy, they are almost entirely comprised of freshmen and sophomores.

Also, this group has been similar to the running backs in the sense that the ball has gone to a lot of different targets. No one dominant receiver seems to have taken over as of yet.

Matthews, Stonum, Koger, Hemingway, Odoms, Grady, Roundtree, and even Savoy among others have stepped up and made key plays this season. Of the 11 touchdowns in the air this season, no one has more than two individually.

Nine different receivers have caught touchdowns this season and nobody has more than 18 catches. The problems are inconsistency and drops, much of which is attributed to youth. B+

Offensive Line: At the very beginning of the season, Michigan's line looked sharp for the most part. That was until the injury of center David Molk who has missed the last four games with a broken bone in his foot. His injury has exposed a great deal of problems with Michigan's line.

The biggest issue is lack of great depth. Molk's injury reshuffled the entire line and there were a lot of mistakes made, including those by David Moosman the backup center.

The quarterback-center exchange was pitiful for a couple of games, but the DSU game gave Michigan an opportunity to progress up front. Molk is back soon, and this unit is headed in the right direction. B

Offense:

They are averaging a Big Ten best 37.3 points per game, 235 rushing yards per game, and are second in total offense with over 425 yards per game. Michigan is very young on this side of the ball and has made tremendous strides over the last 12 months, particularly at quarterback where they are in the top three in pass efficiency.

However, there are still too many penalties, poor snaps, and missed blocking assignments along with freshman mistakes. A-

And now the defense...

Defensive Line: This unit has struggled at times, often through no fault of their own this season. The scheme and lack of size up front earlier in the season had hurt their performance. Michigan State for example, was a game that the Wolverines got pushed around and failed to dominate the opposition.

However, Michigan has bounced back, particularly against Iowa. They seem to be getting more physical at the point of attack, and are also playing William Campbell more which helps with their size.

The aggressive blitzing and attacking style is finally paying off. Brandon Graham and Mike Martin have been phenomenal, and Ryan Van Bergen has played well. B+

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?