Michigan Football: Final 2014 Positional Grades for the Wolverines
Michigan didn't achieve its desired results in 2014, stumbling to a 5-7 record during what ended up being Brady Hoke's final year as the Wolverines' head coach.
Consequently, there won't be many, if any, high marks given during this position-group-grading slideshow.
Of course, Greg Mattison's defense led the way, so it'll get the best grade. Michigan's rush defense was outstanding, but its pass coverage was spotty throughout the fall. Those mistakes will reflect in the assessment of the secondary.
Doug Nussmeier's first (only?) year as offensive coordinator was exactly opposite of what was expected. Instead of taking leaps and bounds, the offense actually hindered what could have easily been an eight-win campaign.
Basically, the breakdown goes like this: The pass offense/defense, run offense/defense, special teams and coaching will be separated into sections. Each area will then be analyzed and tagged with a grade.
Pass Offense
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The offensive line was again a liability, so Devin Gardner barely had time to throw the ball. And when he did, he was often wildly inaccurate and indecisive.
The fifth-year senior finished the year ranked No. 9 in the Big Ten with a paltry 158 yards per game. In terms of efficiency, he was the league's No. 7-ranked quarterback, touting an unimpressive rating of 118.8.
Gardner never materialized into a true leading man. As a result, receivers such as Devin Funchess, Jehu Chesson and Amara Darboh suffered. Entering 2014, Michigan's depth at receiver was viewed as a strength.
Funchess chipped in with 62 catches for 733 yards and four touchdowns. Those numbers aren't even in the ballpark of what was expected. Darboh had 36 grabs for 473 yards and two scores.
In total, the Wolverines racked up 2,042 yards and 10 touchdowns en route to finishing No. 11 in league passing offense.
A grade of D- is appropriate because an F seems a bit drastic.
Pass Defense
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Jourdan Lewis had two of Michigan's five total picks this past season. That said, he was the shining star of the Big Ten's No. 5-ranked passing defense (193.8 YPG).
Against Utah, the 5'10", 185-pound sophomore made Team 135's defensive stop of the year when he ran down Bubba Poole, who would have probably scored a 90-something-yard touchdown. Instead, he settled for a 67-yard gain and the Utes settled for a field goal.
Michigan lost 26-10, but it was one hell of an effort.
As a whole, the secondary has taken huge steps backward since snagging 17 picks in 2013.
Due to a strong 2013, Blake Countess was considered one of the country's top coverage corners entering 2014. However, instead of finishing the year as a Jim Thorpe Award winner or finalist, he was quickly out of contention by October due to blown assignments and a horrific showing versus Rutgers, in which he watched two touchdowns sail past.
Ray Taylor finished the season with 38 tackles, one behind Lewis, who led all defensive back with 38. Countess tallied 24.
The secondary gets a C-. Rutgers' Gary Nova threw for 404 yards against Team 135's safeties and corners. Name another team that can say that.
Run Offense
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Spurts from Derrick Green, De'Veon Smith and Drake Johnson amounted to too little, too late in 2014.
Things could have been somewhat different had Green not been injured Oct. 4 versus Rutgers. He was just getting warmed up and appeared to be on his way to a solid sophomore season. The 5'11", 220-pounder had 82 carries for 471 yards and three touchdowns.
Like Green, Smith took some time to get going; he rushed 108 times for 519 yards and six scores. His highlight of the year was a 121-yard showing during Michigan's 10-9 road win over Northwestern. His lowlight was, well, pick one: Three carries for four yards versus Ohio State (L, 42-28), seven touches for 30 yards versus Notre Dame (L, 31-0) or his four-carry, five-yard effort versus Utah (L, 26-10).
After rushing for 122 yards during Michigan's 34-10 homecoming win over Indiana, Johnson was viewed as a breath of fresh air for a backfield in need of a substantial push. Like Smith and Green did in 2013, Johnson finished the season with a decent performance against Ohio State, finishing with 15 carries for 74 yards and two touchdowns.
Unfortunately, during the second touchdown, he re-tore his left ACL and will likely miss all of winter and most of spring workouts.
There is potential in the backfield, which finished No. 6 in total Big Ten rushing this past fall (162.8 YPG). But it needs another year to prove itself, so the rushing offense gets a D for 2014. It was never really a threat. Michigan ran the ball because it couldn't throw it.
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Run Defense
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Michigan allowed 3.21 yards per rushing attempt and finished No. 15 overall in total rush defense. Opponents scored 13 touchdowns by ground and racked up a modest total of 1,410 yards.
With exception to Jeremy Langford of Michigan State, Ezekiel Elliott of Ohio State and David Cobb of Minnesota, not many backs had a fraction of success against Mattison's ultra-organized front and set of energetic linebackers.
With Jake Ryan, Joe Bolden, Royce Jenkins-Stone and others supplying support, the front line of Willie Henry, Frank Clark, Brennen Beyer and Ryan Glasgow was able to own the trenches and create havoc in the backfield.
The rush D gets an A.
Special Teams
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It's never a good thing when a kicker is your most dependable offensive option, but that was the case for Matt Wile this past season—he led Team 135 with 73 points, knocking down 28 of 28 point-afters and 15 of 21 field-goal attempts.
One of those failed attempts was a blocked 56-yard potential game-winner versus Rutgers.
Other useful stats: Michigan's kickoff coverage was No. 6 in the Big Ten (39.8 net yards) and its punting, led by Will Hagerup, was No. 10 (34.3 net) in the league.
Despite having the Que-Hopping Dennis Norfleet, Michigan's return game was anything but reliable this past fall, ranking No. 11 in the Big Ten with an average of 6.8 yards per punt return and 19.9 yards per kickoff return.
The Wolverines netted just one touchdown from returns.
Overall, the special teams get an extraordinarily average C—nothing too "special" when it came to the offensive or defensive side of the punting and kicking games.
Coaching
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As mentioned throughout this slideshow, Mattison's defense was the backbone of Team 135. It wasn't always perfect, but it stood the test more times than not. Had it not been for faulty pass coverage, Mattison's defense would have been one of the best all-around units in all of college football.
With that said, Mattison deserves a B-, the highest grade of any coach on the staff. When push came to shove, he got the most from his defense—a unit that played with a motor week in and week out.
Nussmeier's failure to develop a consistent offensive attack warrants a D. Whether by air, ground or otherwise, Team 135 was hardly a threat to put six on the board. Ranking No. 13 in Big Ten total production (yards and points) doesn't help, either.
A nice enough guy who was in over his head, Hoke deserves a D for his coaching in 2014. Dropping from 11 wins in 2011 to five this past fall said it all: Hoke wasn't the right guy for a rebuilding Michigan program.
Follow Bleacher Report's Michigan Wolverines football writer Adam Biggers on Twitter @AdamBiggers81
How would you grade the position groups? Let your thoughts be known in the comments section.
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