Michigan Football: Grading the Wolverines' Game vs. San Diego State

Granted, San Diego State was not the team we thought they were.

Heralded quarterback Ryan Lindley at times made Michigan's defense look like Bo's awesome squads of the 1970s. Sure, Michigan sometimes hurried his throws, but at other times, Lindley looked more like a backup signal-caller.

Even super sophmore Ronnie Hillman struggled.  He gained 109 yards in 21 carries, but 30 came on a single play.

The Aztecs had the ball in Michigan territory 11 times but could come up with only seven points.

San Diego State's performance may have left something to be desired, but what about the Wolverines? 

A look at this week's grades may provide the answer: 

Quarterbacks

Another Jekyll and Hyde performance for Denard Robinson. Shoelace ran for an even 200 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries but totalled only 93 yards passing with two interceptions.

While the excitement of Robinson darting in and out of traffic might make for Heisman chatter, having him carry the ball that many times is a major concern, especially with the rigorous Big Ten season beginning Saturday.

Robinson is still having some accuracy issues throwing the ball, while his decision making can also be questioned.

Grade: B-    

Running Backs

Michigan ball carriers not named Robinson actually totalled 122 yards in 23 attempts. 

Vincent Smith is becoming a threat with his speed as a ball carrier and his effectiveness as a receiver coming out of the backfield.  Smith had nine carries for 47 yards in addition to three receptions for 44 yards.   

Fitzgerald Toussaint is looking more like the go-to power runner, gaining 67 yards on 13 carries, even with a bum shoulder.

Despite fumbling on his only carry, Stephen Hopkins is still part of the mix. Also look for more of freshman Thomas Rawls as the physical Big Ten season moves along.

Grade: B+        

Receivers

One look at the production of the wide receivers tells the story. Roy Roundtree two receptions, Junior Hemingway one, Jeremy Gallon one and Drew Dileo one.  

Let's keep in mind this was a Mountain West secondary, not the Cornhuskers, Badgers or Buckeyes.

Sure, you can pass the blame on to Denard Robinson or even to Darryl Stonum who's missing the entire season due to behavioral problems.

However, you look at it, there is a serious problem in the Michigan passing game. 

The truth is, offensive coordinator Al Borges would be pulling his hair out if he had any. A quick look at last season's passing attack would tell you why.

Grade: D 

Offensive Line

If nothing else, Michigan's offensive line came to play in the first half. It's been criticized for Michigan's slow starts in the first three games.

Offensive tackle Mark Huyge had an interesting observation. "Getting Denard established early,—I think that gives defenses problems, and they have to adjust and get on their heels, and that’s always a good thing.” he said in the post-game press conference.

Coach Hoke, however, saw a definite falloff in the second half, when the Wolverines only scored once."(They weren't) blocking the line of scrimmage like we’d like to," he told the Michigan Sports Network.  "I don’t think we did it as well in the second half, and that’s disturbing because championship teams have a way of improving during the course of the game and finishing games, and we didn’t do that.”

Grade: C+

Defensive Line

The stage was set during San Diego State's first possession when Michigan forced a quick three-and-out. Mike Martin stopped Ronnie Hillman on the game's first play then Craig Roh dropped Hillman for a one-yard loss on third down.

The defensive line, which was often absent throughout the first three games, actually showed up.

Not only did the line help stop the run,  it also contributed to the pass rush.  

"We were getting good pressure up the middle with Mike Martin and Ryan Van Bergen, " Roh said at the players' press conference. "That rattled him a little bit. He didn't perform as well as we expected. He's a very good quarterback, and we just got pressure and rattled him a little bit."  

Van Bergen, Roh, Martin and Will Campbell all had a pair of tackles.

In addition, Van Bergen swatted down a pass at the line, forced a fumble and had one tackle in the backfield. Roh, who's shown tremendous improvement in the last few weeks, later forced a fumble while Lindley was attempting to throw.

Grade: B+  

Linebackers

Despite the continued absence of Cam Gordon and Brandon Herron, the linebacking corps turned in a solid performance.

Kenny Demens had seven tackles while Jake Ryan and Brandin Hawthorne had five apiece.

With Michigan leading 7-0, the Aztecs had a nice drive going, until Demens caused Ronnie Hillman to fumble at the Michigan 47. The Wolverines took advantage of the turnover and quickly grabbed a 14-0 lead.

Grade: B+  

Secondary

Blake Countess continues to get praise.

"He came in after Troy (Woolfolk) went down and did a nice job of covering their wide receivers," said Hoke afterwards.

Countess, a true freshman, is a pleasant surprise since Michigan's depth at cornerback isn't quite what was expected.

Woolfolk continuing to miss time, doesn't help.

“Troy, he tweaked the ankle that he tweaked earlier in the season. I’m sure that’s day to day." Hoke added. "If I know Troy, he’ll come out tomorrow and do everything that we’ll do."

At safety, Thomas Gordon continues to improve. He finished with six solo tackles, recovered a fumble and broke up a pass.

Grade: B 

Special Teams

Freshman Matt Wile was impressive punting the football, finishing with a 49-yard average on four punts, with two winding up inside the 20.

With the return of Will Hagerup from his suspension next Saturday, Wile will be able to spend full time in the placekicking competition. Brendon Gibbon's picked right up from last season, missing his only field goal attempt.

Grade: Incomplete 

Coaching

There's no question Hoke and defensive coordinator Mattison are moving the defense in the right direction. The defensive front is definitely more active, especially in the early going. Injuries have hurt the rotation at linebacker and cornerback, but the play of the safeties has been solid. 

While the base defense hasn't been great, the personnel and strategic adjustments have helped. 

It's the offense that has the coaches puzzled.

The running game, with Denard Robinson leading the way, is beginning to prosper. But the real problem is in the passing game.

Simply put, Michigan must get more from its wide receivers, and Robinson must exit his throwing slump.

Grade: B-   

Intangibles

Coach Hoke had to feel a bit uneasy playing his former team. But you could tell both teams showed excellent sportsmanship throughout the lead-up to the game. 

Never was even a thought of bulletin board material.

Hoke, of course, had an advantage of knowing San Diego's personnel like a book. He had to know how bad the Aztecs' receiving corps was decimated by graduation and injury. 

Another intangible is the camaraderie that has developed in the Michigan locker room.

 “I like how they like each other." Hoke said. "I’ve been around teams that don’t like each other. I like how they like each other—if they like each other enough and respect each other enough, they’re going to play for each other. And that’s a powerful thing. When they play for each other and they play for Michigan, that’s a powerful thing."

Grade: A

Note: All quotes attributed to Brady Hoke are from the Michigan Sports Network postgame show. 

Players quotes are from their post-game press conference, courtesy of the University of Michigan.