Michigan Football: Grading Each Positional Unit at Halfway Point of the Season
The storm clouds are swirling in Ann Arbor as Brady Hoke tries to salvage Michigan’s season and save his job. The gridiron turmoil has been dwarfed by off-the-field drama as Hoke and athletic director David Brandon are under fire for mishandling Shane Morris’ head injury.
Both Michigan’s season and Hoke’s tenure hang in the balance as Michigan (3-4, 1-2 Big Ten) prepares to face in-state rival Michigan State.
After last season’s 7-6 finish, Hoke hired Doug Nussmeier to replace offensive coordinator Al Borges and shuffled his defensive staff. Now it’s time to see how each position group has fared midway through the season.
Receivers
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Devin Funchess (36 receptions for 461 yards and four touchdowns) entered the season with great fanfare by assuming the mantle of the hallowed No. 1 jersey. But a lingering leg injury has hampered his play and chilled the offense as Michigan has struggled to identify receiving targets for quarterback Devin Gardner.
Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson have only combined for a single touchdown between them. Tight end Jake Butt (nine receptions for 108 yards and one touchdown) has contributed less than expected after returning from an ACL injury. But the biggest mystery has been Freddy Canteen (three receptions for 11 yards), who was highly touted throughout both spring and fall camp but has been a non-factor so far this season.
The most telling stat is that Michigan receivers have only scored six touchdowns (averaging less than one per game) this season.
Grade: D
Running Backs
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No position group entered the season with higher expectations for improvement than Michigan’s running backs. But Derrick Green (82 carries for 471 yards and three touchdowns) and De’Veon Smith (59 carries for 306 yards and four touchdowns) have struggled to get on track in Nussmeier’s new offense. Through seven games Michigan is averaging less rushing yards per game (164.1) than last season (183.9).
Green’s season-ending injury leaves Smith and Justice Hayes (26 carries for 121 yards) to carry the load moving forward.
Grade: D
Offensive Line
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Entering this season it seemed that the offensive line just had to be better than last year’s group. But the loss of two players to the NFL (Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield) and the installation of a new offense have nullified any potential improvement.
There has been more stability than last year with Ben Braden (right tackle), Jack Miller (center), Mason Cole (left tackle) and Graham Glasgow (guard) starting nearly every game with guards Erik Magnuson and Kyle Kalis mixed in, but it hasn't resulted in better play. The loss of Kyle Bosch, who took a leave of absence from the team, hasn’t helped.
The offensive line’s lack of development has had a huge negative impact on the entire offense. If Brady Hoke somehow saves his job, offensive line coach Darrell Funk should be fired immediately.
Grade: F
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Quarterbacks
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Devin Gardner (91-of-141 attempts for 1103 yards with eight interceptions and six touchdowns) is the leader of this team and a gutsy performer with unquestioned toughness. But he also turns the ball over too often with inexplicable decisions while under fire behind an abysmal offensive line. Punts and incomplete passes can be smart plays given the alternatives.
The complete lack of depth at quarterback (Shane Morris and Russell Bellomy) is another sad indictment of this coaching staff. The mishandling of Morris’ injury ignited a national firestorm that threatens to engulf both Hoke and athletic director David Brandon.
Grade: D
Defensive Line
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Defensive end Frank Clark (27 tackles, 8.5 for a loss and 2.5 sacks) and defensive tackle Willie Henry (17 tackles, 4.5 for a loss and two sacks) have been the two best players on the defensive line this season.
Ryan Glasgow, Taco Charlton, Bryan Mone, Brennen Beyer and Mario Ojemudia have all been solid, if not spectacular. The defensive line looks to be on the rise and is a big part of why Michigan is only allowing 93.6 yards rushing per game this season.
Grade: B
Linebackers
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Jake Ryan (56 tackles, 9.0 for a loss and two sacks) is having another solid year leading the team in tackles, with Joe Bolden (51 tackles, 2.0 for a loss and one sack) not far behind.
The team has missed Desmond Morgan (out indefinitely with an arm injury), and James Ross has struggled to repeat his success from last season.
Grade: B
Defensive Backs and Safeties
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Prior to the season, the defensive secondary was expected to be the strength of this defense. It hasn’t worked out that way.
Michigan has only three interceptions (106th nationally) and is ranked 71st in total passing defense.
Blake Countess is wearing the No. 2 jersey but hasn’t replicated the success he had last season (four interceptions last season versus none this year). Jourdan Lewis (27 tackles, two interceptions) and Jarrod Wilson (24 tackles) are having solid seasons.
Freshman phenom Jabrill Peppers has been missing in action due to a leg injury, along with Delano Hill. Raymon Taylor has also struggled with injuries this season.
Grade: C
Honorable Mention
8 of 8Dennis Norfleet (11 kickoff returns for 264 yards) gets a special mention for his entertaining dance moves. It’s been a long season, and Norfleet brought some joy to the Penn State game, energizing the crowd and firing up his teammates.
Grade: A (for Atomic Dog)
Phil Callihan is a featured writer for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotations obtained firsthand
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