Blake Corum Is Elite And So Is Michigan's Defense
Michigan hosted Nebraska over the weekend and once again, dominated its opponent. After pitching another shutout in the second half, Michigan moved to 10-0 by beating the Huskers 34-3. Here are the things worth looking at when dissecting the game snap by snap.
PFF Top Performers (15 Snap Minimum)
Offense
1. Blake Corum (93.6)
Shocker...Corum is at the top of the list again. He was incredible as a ball carrier but could've been a bit better as a pass blocker per PFF. Still, he's consistently grading out as one of the best offensive players in the nation week after week.
2. Zak Zinter (85.1)
Zinter played 62 of 70 snaps and was equally good as a run blocker and as a pass blocker. He's developed into one of the more consistent and effective interior linemen in the country.
3. Olu Oluwatimi (71.1)
Oluwatimi also played 62 snaps and really excelled as a run blocker. PFF graded him quite low as a pass blocker, but overall he was solid as he's been all year.
Defense
1. Mason Graham (81.3)
The freshman still isn't playing a huge snap count, but he's playing meaningful snaps and making them count. Agains Nebraska, Graham had three tackles including one for loss and a quarterback sack.
2. Michael Barrett (77.1)
After picking off two passes against Rutgers, Barrett followed it up with another solid performance in 46 snaps of action. He recorded four tackles and hurried the quarterback once. The only are where he could've been a little better was as a pass rusher.
3. Eyabi Okie (75.1)
The pass-rush specialist only played 18 snaps in the game but he was solid across the board. He performed well as a run defender, as a tackler and as a pass rusher. He finished the night with two tackles.
PFF Bottom Dwellers (15 Snap Minimum)
Offense
1. Max Bredeson (43.4)
Bredeson logged 24 snaps, 18 of which were running plays and graded lowest as a run blocker.
2. Joel Honigford (50.2)
Honigford also played 24 snaps and struggled as a run blocker, which was his job on 20 of his plays.
3. Andrel Anthony (54.7)
We're starting to wonder if Anthony just isn't getting any separation because he's not being targeted much. He played 30 snaps against the Huskers but didn't record a catch. He did recover a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown, but as a pass catcher he's barely been a blip on the radar this season.
Defense
1. RJ Moten (45.2)
Moten didn't have his best game as his grades were down across the board. He struggled a bit in coverage and did give up a catch on three targets. He did, however, record two tackles and broke up a pass.
2. DJ Turner (60.5)
Turner had just one tackle on the evening and gave up a 30-yard catch on one of his two targets.
3. Jaylen Harrell (61.2)
Harrell was very solid as a tackler and finished with three of them on the night in just 22 snaps of action. On the flip side, he wasn't overly effective as a pass rusher against the Huskers.
Freshmen Contributors (Snap Count)
Colston Loveland - 58
Will Johnson - 36
Mason Graham - 19
Kenneth Grant - 11
Jimmy Rolder - 10
Tyler Morris - 9
CJ Stokes - 9
Darrius Clemons - 7
Derrick Moore - 6
Amorion Walker - 5
Micah Pollard - 1
Total Snap Counts
The Buzz
Mike Sainristil and DJ Turner II were involved in one of the more unique hits I've seen in a football game. A Nebraska ball carrier attempted to hurdle Sainristil who launched him higher into the air where Turner was there waiting to escort him to the turf.
Michigan is absolutely throttling teams in the second half of games this year.
Blake Corum continues to get it done at an extremely high level now mater how many times he carries it.
In a 31-point win, there are quite a few things to look back at and admire.
