Michigan Football: Grading the Wolverines' Win over Nebraska Cornhuskers

Coach Brady Hoke chalked up his first "signature" win Saturday as the Wolverines pummeled Nebraska, 45-17.

The victory was merely an example of things to come.

Like coaches Bo Schembechler, Gary Moeller and Lloyd Carr before him, Hoke has promised to employ a simple coaching philosophy.

"Michigan football," Hoke has often said, is first stopping the run, then running the football, and also preventing the big play.

The Wolverines held the Cornhuskers to 138 rushing yards, completely stopping the tandem of heralded tailback Rex Burkhead and dual-threat quarterback Taylor Martinez.

As a bonus, Michigan (9-2, 5-2) kept Nebraska's passing game in check, allowing Martinez to throw for a paltry 122 yards.

Big plays? Nebraska (8-3, 4-3) was limited to a 54-yard touchdown pass from Martinez to Brandon Kinnie and a 23-yard run by Tim Marlow.

Offensively for Michigan, Fitz Toussaint continued his rushing prowess with 138 yards and two touchdowns, while Denard Robinson chipped in with 83 yards and two scores.

In addition, Robinson had his best passing game since Purdue, completing 11 of 18 for 180 yards and two touchdowns.

Wolverine fans have been waiting all season to shake the stigma of crumbling down the stretch during the last three seasons.

If the victory over Nebraska doesn't silence the doubters, a win over Ohio State certainly will.

Let's check the letter grades for Michigan's inspiring performance against Nebraska.

Quarterbacks

Denard Robinson had a pretty good day, accounting for 263 total yards and four touchdowns. He thrilled the crowd with a pinpoint 38-yard touchdown pass to Martavious Odoms early in the fourth quarter.

Robinson's passing has received its share of criticism this season, but some of the blame could be attributed to the new offense in addition to some minor injuries.

“Yeah a lot of people doubt his throwing because he can run so well," Odoms said at the post-game press conference. "But when he needs to throw and make a play, he gets the job done.”

“You know, I think he was a little bit beat up in the mid-year with some ailments," Hoke added. "But I think he’s healthy now. I think he’s more confident. One thing I can tell is he’s taken ownership as a leader. That’s neat to see.”

Robinson also found an impressive slot in Michigan's record book. Starting the day tied with Brian Griese (1994-97) with 33 career touchdown passes, Robinson ended the day with 35 touchdown strikes, good enough for a seventh place tie with Tom Brady (1996-99).

Grade: B+

Running Backs

In the last four games, Fitz Toussaint has rushed for 170, 58, 192 and 138 yards. Not bad for a sophomore who rarely played last season. His Big Ten average is now 99.7 yards per game, and he's definitely  a star in the making.

Toussaint easily outgained Nebraska's Rex Burkhead, who finished the day with just 49.

Stephen Hopkins, the power back who's doing a fine job blocking in the I-formation, actually carried the ball twice for 15 yards. 

Grade: A-

Receivers

The word filtered through that Denard Robinson might not be the fastest player on the team. 

Reporters wondered about Martavious Odoms since he's been really flying lately. The 38-yard touchdown pass he caught from Robinson was a thing of beauty.

“Me and Martavious had a race, what, two years ago?" Robinson commented. "So I saw that he can run, and he went right past the defenders and I put it in the air.”

As Robinson and Odoms answered questions, the truth came out.

“Ah, he beat me." Robinson admitted. "He got a win there. He got a win.”

Jeremy Gallon led the team with three receptions, including his third touchdown catch of the season. He also returned a punt 17 yards.   

Grade: B

Offensive Line

Nebraska managed only one sack against Denard Robinson and the Wolverines. "The offensive line gave us time to do what we had to do," Robinson said. "And gave the running backs holes to run.”

The offensive line is still missing Ricky Barnum, so Joey Burzynski, Rocko Khoury and Erik Gunderson were able to log some playing time. 

Mark Huyge, who has started all 11 games at right tackle, sees the victory as a huge help in preparation for Ohio State.

“Well, it does give us a lot of confidence," Huyge said. "In the past—and I don’t want to bring up the past—but past seasons we haven’t been playing well in November. It’s very important to be playing well at the end of the year. It’s a definite boost for sure.”

Grade: B+                          

Defensive Line

While the defensive front didn't accumulate great stats Saturday, it still received accolades. Strong safety Jordan Kovacs sees quite a difference from a season ago. 

"I think our D-line has really been playing great so far," Kovacs said. "They really help us out on the back end. You can’t tip your hat off enough to those guys up front.”

Nose tackle Mike Martin had a solid game with five tackles, while Ryan Van Bergen and reserve tackle Will Campbell each had a sack.

Most noteworthy is the job the line did on running back Rex Burkhead. The junior tailback came into the game with more than 1,000 rushing yards but was able to manage only 36 against the Wolverines.

Grade: B

Linebackers

Missing again from the starting linebacker crew was Cam Gordon, who has spent most of the season relegated to special teams duty.

Redshirt freshman Jake Ryan continues to be noticed, as he forced a fumble by quarterback Taylor Martinez midway through the fourth quarter. Middle linebacker Kenny Demens had five tackles and shared a sack with Ryan.

Freshman Desmond Morgan is rapidly becoming a steady force, as he contributed five tackles. Not to be forgotten, Brandin Hawthorne, who played so well early in the season, was able to get in a few plays as he still recovers from a lingering injury.

Grade: B

Secondary

As Michigan extended its lead, Wolverine fans had the opportunity of seeing a few Michigan stars of the future. Two Detroit-area freshmen cornerbacks should get plenty of playing time down the road.

Detroit Cass Tech's Delonte Hollowell and Highland Park's Raymon Taylor are already providing quality depth in the secondary—not to say they will be unseating Blake Countess or J.T. Floyd anytime soon.

Safety Jordan Kovacs led the Wolverines with seven tackles while cornerback Courtney Avery recovered a fumble and had one tackle for loss.

Grade: B 

Special Teams

Three special teams plays turned the tide towards Michigan in the third quarter.

With Michigan leading 17-10, Matt Wile kicked off to Nebraska to open the second half. The Cornhuskers' Kenny Bell caught it a the goal line and returned across the 30, only to be met by Terrence Robinson. Courtney Avery recovered the ensuing fumble on the Nebraska 33. Seven plays later, Michigan led 24-10.

After the following kickoff, Nebraska ran six plays before Michigan's Josh Furman blocked a Nebraska punt.

Michigan took over at midfield, but the drive bogged down at the Nebraska 5. Michigan lined up for 22-yard field goal attempt, but holder Drew Dileo pulled off a perfect fake.

Toussaint punched it in on the following play. Michigan 31, Nebraska 10.

Other than Jeremy Gallon managing a 17-yard punt return, the remainder of special teams play was mediocre at best.

Grade: B+

Coaching

On Michigan's second drive, the Wolverines had a 1st-and-goal at Nebraska's 2-yard line. Neither scoreboard nor the clocks were working, and Robinson had trouble getting the play set. Michigan was then called for a delay of game penalty. Luckily, Michigan was still able to score and a near disaster was averted.  

Hoke, of course, heard about it after the game.

"The penalty we had, that’s on me. I should have called a timeout," Hoke said. "For me not to do that, that’s bad coaching."

Other than that, Michigan's staff continues to amaze the Michigan faithful. The Wolverines are now 9-2 in Hoke's first season and will most likely be favored to beat Ohio State Saturday at the Big House.

Offensively, the Wolverines are trying to transition from a spread option offense to a power-I attack. Sure, there have been a few hiccups, but the offense is actually starting to click. 

Hoke simply handed the defense over to former Baltimore Ravens coach Greg Mattison.

The former Michigan assistant has taken a defense that was nearly the worst in the nation and made it one of the Big Ten's best.

Nebraska could manage only 11 first downs and 260 total yards against the Wolverines.

Grade: A- 

Who's Next?

The upstart Michigan Wolverines will battle the Ohio State Buckeyes Saturday at the Big House. 

Ohio State (6-5, 3-4), who has captured the last seven games of the storied series, has been forced to endure an NCAA investigation, the firing of head coach Jim Tressel and the premature departure of quarterback Terrelle Pryor. 

Michigan has made an about-face from a three-year relationship with coach Rich Rodriguez, and replaced him with former Michigan assistant Brady Hoke.

The Wolverines (9-2, 5-2), still with an an outside chance at a BCS bowl game, are early 7.5-8 point favorites. This will be the 108th meeting between the two teams. Michigan holds a 57-44-6 advantage in The Game.

Note: U-M coaches quotes from the Michigan Sports Network postgame show
 Players' quotes are from the post-game press conference