Hawaii vs. Michigan: Game Grades, Analysis for Wolverines

The Michigan Wolverines kicked off the 2016 football season in memorable fashion, as they blew out the well-traveled Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, 63-3, behind a great offensive and defensive showing. That included multiple touchdowns from the defensive backfield and three touchdown passes from Wilton Speight. 

Quick Takeaways 

Speight looked comfortable in the pocket, especially after throwing an interception on his first play from scrimmage. He showed off his size, sneaky athleticism and accuracy throughout the first half before John O'Korn, Shane Morris and Alex Malzone saw time. 

Freshman running back Chris Evans has future star written all over him. His speed and vision helped him rack up 112 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries. With De'Veon Smith and Ty Isaac handling the heavy carries, Evans should see even more time moving forward as a change-of-pace back. 

Defensive coordinator Don Brown lived up to his nickname of Dr. Blitz. No matter the down or distance, Michigan sent blitzers all day against Hawaii. That pressure helped create two pick-six touchdowns, held the Rainbow Warriors to 81 rushing yards on 37 attempts and racked up several tackles for loss. 

Head coach Jim Harbaugh played what seemed like his entire 2016 recruiting class. Some may have an issue with it, but he's consistently said the best players will play, and Michigan's freshman class is stocked with talented players. 

Positional Grades 

Quarterback: B 

Speight played well after his interception. He led the team up and down the field but struggled a bit on a couple of throws. 

O'Korn (3-of-3), Morris (4-of-4) and Malzone all saw cleanup duty later on. Both O'Korn and Morris looked good in their series, which should make this QB competition even more interesting moving forward. 

Running Back: A- 

Though Smith went down with a slight rib injury and had only six carries, Isaac and Evans picked up the slack. Isaac grounded and pounded the Hawaii defense for 52 yards on nine carries, while Evans gashed the defense for 112 yards and two touchdowns, including one long run. 

Add in Khalid Hill receiving a goal-line carry and scoring a touchdown, as well as freshman Kingston Davis getting some mop-up duty in the fourth quarter, and Michigan as a team rushed for 306 yards on 39 total carries. 

Wide Receivers: B

Both Jehu Chesson (43 yards) and Amara Darboh (42 yards) caught three passes apiece, with Darboh hauling in Speight's third touchdown pass. 

Grant Perry's one and only target and catch went for a 12-yard touchdown. 

Maurice Ways, Kekoa Crawford and Eddie McDoom also made some nice catches later on in the game. 

Tight Ends: B

The offense didn't run through the tight ends as much as normal, but that didn't stop Jake Butt from making his presence felt with a nice catch-and-run touchdown in the second quarter. 

Several other tight ends saw the field as well, including true freshmen Sean McKeon and Devin Asiasi, as well as redshirt freshman Tyrone Wheatley Jr. 

Offensive Line: B+

Normal starting left guard Ben Braden was held out for precautionary reasons, which opened the way for Patrick Kugler to get the start at that position alongside Grant Newsome (LT), Mason Cole (C), Kyle Kalis (RG) and Erik Magnuson (RT). 

Allowing zero sacks and paving the way for 306 rushing yards (7.8 YPC) is a good day for a line that is still in question. 

True freshman Ben Bredeson replaced Kugler at left guard early on in the first half and looked dominant. He plays with great pad level and aggressiveness that will likely help him see the field in every game from here on out. 

Several other linemen saw the field as well, including freshman Michael Onwenu, who played well in his short stint at right guard. 

Defensive Line: B-

The deepest position group on the roster played well but was unable to rack up the sacks like expected. 

Chris Wormley, Ryan Glasgow and Rashan Gary kept the Rainbow Warriors from establishing much of a run game. 

Injuries to Bryan Mone and Taco Charlton affected the impact for the defensive line, though the likes of freshman Michael Dwumfour and walk-on Garrett Miller helped fill the void in cleanup time. 

Linebackers: A- 

Everyone was looking at the linebackers going into the year because of the losses from graduation. And the new guys showed out. 

Mike McCray may have been the best defensive player all game, as he racked up eight tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks. 

Jabrill Peppers did Jabrill Peppers things, including making a huge hit for a tackle for loss on the first play from scrimmage. 

Ben Gedeon also pitched in a sack—which was the first sack of the Don Brown era—and made plenty of other nice plays. 

Defensive Backs: B- 

Even though Channing Stribling and Delano Hill had pick-sixes, the defensive backfield was gashed later on in the game by Hawaii's quick slant routes. Now, that did happen on a defense that didn't feature its best cornerback, Jourdan Lewis, and saw plenty of rotation throughout the game. 

Freshmen David Long and Lavert Hill saw time in the second half, and both looked good for their limited time. 

Brandon Watson didn't receive a ton of publicity going into the season, but he played well at both safety and corner when his number was called. 

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It's hard to grade a team after a 60-point victory, especially when the majority of the roster looked to get on the field. 

So, what are your grades for Michigan's season-opening win over Hawaii? Let us know in the comment section below.