Michigan Football: Report Card Grades for the Wolverines' Second Game

As if it followed a familiar script, Michigan won its third straight game over Notre Dame in the final seconds.

Denard Robinson's arching pass to Roy Roundtree with two seconds left gave the Wolverines a 35-31 victory.

In 2009, Tate Forcier's five-yard scoring strike with 11 seconds left gave Michigan a 38-34 win, and last year, Robinson's two-yard run secured a 28-24 win with 27 seconds left.

With these three Wolverine teams opening their seasons with similar results, it would only be logical to draw up a quick comparison.

A pair of differences come to mind, and they're both for the better.

First, and it might be hard to see, the current squad is making more adjustments on the fly, something that should improve the product as the season progresses.

And second, this Michigan team is coping with injury and disciplinary problems. In short, it's creating depth.

Last week, Brandon Herron and Matt Wile made significant contributions. This week, Brandin Hawthorne, Desmond Morgan, Kelvin Grady and even Will Campbell made plays.

So who's going to step up next week?

Before we turn focus to Eastern Michigan, it's time to pass out report cards for the Notre Dame game. Let's follow along:            

Quarterback

Denard Robinson's halftime stats reflected Michigan being on the short end of a 17-7 score. Robinson looked uncomfortable, completing just two of nine passes for 48 yards.

When Notre Dame appeared to put the game away with a 24-7 lead late in the third quarter, Robinson was 3-of-13 for 59 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

That, of course, was when the comeback began. Shoelace hit Junior Hemingway with a 77-yard reception down to the 6-yard line. When Stephen Hopkins tried to punch it in from the one, the ball squirted out of the pile and into Robinson's waiting hands. All he had to do was slice around left tackle for the score, and Michigan was back in the game.

Robinson wasn't shocked at the comeback when he met the press after the game. "Every time you see a University of Michigan team, you're going to see a team that's going to play together and fight until the end until there's two zeros on the clock." he said.

The junior quarterback threw for 202 yards and three touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone.

Grade: B+ 

Running Backs

Other than Denard Robinson's 16 carries for 108 yards, the Michigan running game was non-existent. Steven Hopkins, Vincent Smith and Michael Shaw combined for eight carries and 10 yards.  

“I’d give [Notre Dame] some credit because they were more stout up front from a defensive perspective," Coach Brady Hoke said. "I also would say we’ve gotta be better at the point of attack. I didn’t see a whole lot of room. Maybe a couple times in there where maybe we didn’t have the greatest vision in the world running the football. It all starts up front on both sides, so we got a lot of work to do there.”

We can't forget Smith's 22-yard touchdown reception on a throw-back screen which lofted Michigan into a short-lived 28-24 lead with 1:03 left on the clock.  

Grade: D+ 

Receivers

Except for Junior Hemingway's 43-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter, the first half was filled with dropped passes, Robinson's inaccuracy and good Notre Dame defense. 

You really have to give the receivers most of the credit for the turnaround. Jeremy Gallon, Hemingway, and finally Roundtree, made spectacular catches.

Gallon who's gone from primarily a punt returner to a go-to receiver spoke about the turnaround. " “I mean, first half, we didn’t play Michigan football as Roy (Roundtree) said. We had a talk in the locker room, we had to come out playing better than we played in the first half."

Grade: A-  

Offensive Line

A mixed bag for the offensive line. The pass protection was excellent at times as Robinson was only sacked once. The major problem was establishing any type of a running game.  Fitzgerald Toussaint was kept out of the game with reportedly a shoulder injury, and Stephen Hopkins returned from a one-game suspension.

While Notre Dame has one of the tougher defensive fronts Michigan will see all year, five carries for 10 yards from your feature back (Hopkins) doesn't get it done. Robinson gained 108 yards on the ground but had to work extremely hard.

The offensive line, which was thought to be a strength this season, could be the team's Achilles' heel. Good thing Wisconsin is not on the schedule this year.

Grade: C-     

Defensive Line

For the second straight week, the defensive front was almost non-existent.

The line was credited with six tackles (two for loss), two fumble recoveries and no sacks. Mike Martin led the contingent with three tackles.

“A football game’s never going to be perfect," Martin said during the post-game press conference. "On the defensive line we have a lot of improvement to make. But we did step up and make some big plays. Throughout the game we had some adversity, but it made us better.”

Cierre Wood led Notre Dame's rushing attack with 134 yards on 25 carries. Jonas Gray added 66 yards on six carries.

Surprisingly, the Fighting Irish only ran the ball six times after taking the 24-7 lead.

Grade: C-   

Linebackers

Last week, it was Brandon Herron who had an outstanding game at linebacker with eight tackles and two touchdown returns.

But Herron was held out due to a practice injury, and Cam Gordon still has back problems.

So this time, it was Brandin Hawthorne and Desmond Morgan who had to step up.

Hawthorne, a junior weakside linebacker, contributed six tackles, including a key stop on Cierre Wood for a three-yard loss on third down.

Kenny Demens led the team with 12 tackles from his middle linebacker spot.

Grade: B 

Secondary

To no one's surprise, Michigan had no answer for Notre Dame receiver Michael Floyd. He caught 13 passes for 169 yards. Theo Riddick chipped in with six catches including two for touchdowns, and Tyler Eifert added four receptions.

Jordan Kovacs , who had one of Michigan's two interceptions, had nothing but praise for Floyd. "Great receiver, probably one of the best in the nation,"  Kovacs said after the game. "He made some big catches. You can never eliminate a guy like that or take him out of the game, but it’s something we tried to do. We couldn’t do that at times, but at the same time, I don’t think he made any really big catches on us. I think we kind of corralled him in that aspect."

Michigan was unable to get to the quarterback with its variety of safety and linebacker blitzes. Tommy Rees, who replaced Dayne Crist midway through the South Florida game a week ago, finished 27-for-39 for 315 yards. His 29-yard touchdown pass to Riddick with 30 seconds left could have been the game winner.

Grade: C+      

Special Teams

With punter Will Hagerup still serving a four-game suspension, freshman Matt Wile has filled in admirably.

Wile averaged 38.6 on five punts and also handled kickoffs. Michigan covered kickoffs much better than a week ago, allowing an average of just under 15 yards per return.

Grade: B 

Coaching

Brady Hoke and his staff seems to have everyone in Ann Arbor on his side. The team has not exactly played flawless football, but people see the effort.

What's indeed interesting are the various strategies employed by defensive coordinator Greg Mattison. The fans remember how poorly last season's defense performed. Depth was a huge problem a year ago, but Mattison is turning subs like Brandon Herron, Brandin Hawthorne and Desmond Morgan into contributors.

Starters like Jordan Kovacs  are benefiting too.  Both Kovacs and J.T Floyd had interceptions against Notre Dame. “I think that’s something coach Mattison stressesif you get hats to the ball, good things are going to happen." Kovacs added,  "If you fly around, you may not be in the right spot at the right time, but if you get after the football, you’re going to cause some turnovers. It’s something he stresses, and it’s one of the things we try to do.”

Grade: B-    

Intangibles

Michigan couldn't provide a better atmosphere for a college football game. Since Dave Brandon took the athletic director's post, everything seems to be going right. The stadium expansion, events like the Big Chill and Notre Dame "Under the Lights" are all things which will help recruiting.

So far, the Brady Hoke is a popular choice. He's put together a great staff and recruiting is farther along than expected. The town, the university, the players and even the ex-players have bought into Hoke's program.

Of course, there's no reason to be overly optimistic. The Wolverines have yet to make the journey up to East Lansing.

Grade: A-